36 



butes, the faculty of maintaining this attitude for a very long time ; 

 and as this corresponded with the original nature of the Judicium Crucis, 

 according to which the person who could longest keep the arms extended 

 was adjudged innocent, it is possible that it implies the use of this form 

 of Ordeal by the Christian Irish. 



The Irish had, however, many forms of their own : of these the 

 most accurate list that I have met with is contained in a tract in the 

 ancient " Book of Ballymote," fol. 143, sq. This list, couched in very 

 ancient language, is included in an historical sketch of Cormac Mac Airt, 

 monarch of Ireland in the third century, which is interspersed with some 

 very curious legends, particularly one Very remarkable one, regarding a 

 magical branch having properties not unlike the golden branch men- 

 tioned in the sixth Book of the "iEneid." The story represents that 

 a great assembly was convened by Cormac atTara, for the purpose of re- 

 arranging the rights and privileges of the several classes of the people, 

 which had fallen into some confusion, owing to the encroachments of 

 the Irish poets ; on which occasion the twelve Fir Flatha were publicly 

 proclaimed before all. They were called Fir Flatha, or " truth of sove- 

 reignty," because the Irish anciently considered that the standard of 

 truth and morality depended on the character of the sovereign or prince, 

 the justice or injustice of whose rule was supposed to affect not only the 

 moral character of the people, but also the seasons, and even the very 

 productive powers of nature. 



They are enumerated as follows, viz. : — 



Do bpeca, imoppo, in t>a pip 6ec piacha op dipb aca. Gciac- 

 pioe no biOip ic ecipgleoO pfp ~\ bpecc acco, iciaOpo laOpem .1. 

 Cal TTlochca, Cpepm TTIopamo, CpanOcap Seanca, Leapcap 

 baOuipn, Cpelia TTIocdip, Copi pip, Seancpan Sin mic Q151, lapn 

 Lucca, aipepom oc Glcoip, Cuac Copmaic. 



" The twelve Fir Flatha (' Truths of Sovereignty') were publicly pro- 

 claimed by them. These were used by them to distinguish between 

 truth and falsehood. Here they are, viz. : — TalMochta (Mochta's Adze), 

 Tresin Moraind (the triple- Sin, or Collar, of Morand), Crandcliur Seancha 

 (the Lots of Seancha), Leastar Badhuirn (Badhuirn's Goblet), Trelia 

 Mohair (the Three Stones of Blackness), Cori-fir (True-cauldron), Sean- 

 crann Sin mic Aigi (the charmed branch of Sen Mac Aige), lam Luctha 

 (Luchta's Iron), Airesom oc Altoir ("Waiting at an Altar), Cuach Cor- 

 maic (Cormac' s Cup)." 



Cat TYIochca .1. cal uime po bai la THocca paep, po cupcea a 

 ceimO Opoigm he, 1 Oo bepce cean^a caipip ; mci lapambi& co po 

 loipce6 ; mci ba hannac ni loipceO icip. 



(l Tal Moctha, i. e. a bronze adze which Mochta, a carpenter, had. 

 It was wont to be put into a fire made of blackthorn, and a tongue was 

 rubbed over it. It would burn the person who had falsehood ; but the 

 person who was innocent it would not burn." 



