42 



fell into the water, as mentioned in the 2nd Book of Kings (vi. 5.), 

 floated through the justice of Elisha. Many Pagan writers also relate 

 that, when the Ordeal by cold water was tried in parts of Asia, the 

 tablet on which an oath was inscribed sank in the water if the oath 

 was false, but floated on the surface if the oath was true.* 



Iapn Lucca .1. Lucba bpai bo chuaio ba oleum llleca, co- 

 naca nt tn^-nab occa ic belu^ab pipmbi 1 bp §151, iapn t>o 

 penao It anbptnbib 1 a cop a cemib iappm comaO beap5, 1 a 

 cabcupc pop boip in No loipce&, imoppo, he" biambec cm 



occa ; m OenaO upcoib 60 mma bee cmcac. Gcbepci lucca 

 lappin ppipi, no picpaio a leap 05am Of pip Gperm, pop pe, pub bo 

 belu^ab ecip pipmbi 1 bpei^. <Do bpeca lucca a iapn penca laip 

 lapcam combai ic belu^ab ecip 5011 -] pip, comb bepm leancap 

 iapn pe[n]ca beup 05 ^aeibelaib bo gpep. 



Another test is described as : — ■ 



" lam Luchta (Luchta's Iron). i.'e., Luchta, a Druid, went to learn 

 in Letha, where he saw a wonderful thing used by the people to dis- 

 criminate between truth and untruth. A piece of iron was charmed by 

 their Druids, and afterwards put into the fire until it was red, and it was 

 placed on the hand of the litigant. It would burn him if he had guilt ; it 

 would not injure him unless he was guilty. Luchta subsequently said 

 that he would require it for the men of Erin, to distinguish between 

 truth and untruth. Luchta afterwards brought his charmed iron with 

 him, and had it determining between false and true ; and hence it is 

 that charmed iron is still continually used by the Gaeidhel." 



The Letha to which the Druid Luchta is stated to have gone for 

 the purpose of learning may doubtless be understood as representing 

 the present district of Brittany in Erance, which was anciently called 

 Letha by the Irish. It is true that they also applied the name of Letha to 

 Italy, or Latium, and that the celebrated Druid, Mogh Ruith (Magus 

 Rotse), who lived in the third century, is asserted to have gone thither 

 to learn from Simon Magus. But, bearing in mind CaBsar's account of 

 the state of Druidism in Gaul in his time, it is more probable, if 

 Luchta ever left Ireland for the alleged purpose of improving his know- 

 ledge of the Druidic institutions, that he directed his journey towards 

 the Armoric Letha than to the Italian Letha. 



The mode in which the hot iron Ordeal is said in the foregoing de- 

 scription to have been practised by the Irish agrees with the most ancient 

 accounts that we possess. I believe the earliest evidence of the use of 

 the hot iron is to be found in Sophocles, who, in his tragedy of Anti- 

 gone (verse 270), represents one of his characters as confessing himself 

 ready to lift masses of red hot iron, and appeal to the gods, to purge 

 himself of the suspicion of guilt. 



* See Stephanus " De Palicis," and Aristotle's Works. 



