Atkinson — Tivo Inflexional Forms of the Verb in Irish, 421 
[III.] 
The edition of the Gospel of St. John published by Connellan, 
from the London edition of 1828, which was taken from the 
[London] edition of 1608, is very instructive. I do not attach the 
slightest blame to Connellan, nor indeed to any one of the men 
who have * stood in the breach' on behalf of this venerable 
language : errors are not necessarily crimes ; and it is always 
very difl&cult to guide the developments of a language brought 
into contact with a powerful rival. 
The position is this : in the old speech the usage in refer- 
ence to certain forms was definite and intelligible, but the tradi- 
tion was somehow interrupted ; and when the dry bones of the 
valley were stirred, and roused into life again, it is not wonderful 
that some of the joints were ill-set, and do not work har- 
moniously. 
Connellan was quite unconscious of the confusion he was 
producing, and would, no doubt, have rejoiced to see himself 
put into the possession of some definite rule that he could 
follow steadily. 
A cursory examination suffices to show that Connellan's 
variations from the older text were not owing to any clearly 
conceived theory or any settled practice, e. gr. : — 
iii. 26 feuc, bAipDi^ ye, J cigeAn ha Viuite [-OAonie] cmje. 
" lo, he baptizeth, and all men come to him." 
Here there was just as much reason for giving to the first 
verb a consuetiidinal ending, as to the second ; the older edition 
has of course ci5i'o. 
X, 14 Aicmjim -mo [caoi]ai5] fein, 7 AicnigeAtin ino [caoi|M5] fem me. 
"I know my own sheep, and my own sheep know me." 
The old text has ^i cm git). 
XV. 6 Ami-foin ciAUinnigeAiin "OAOine, 7 ctniM-o 'fA ceimt) i^-o. 
Then people gather and put them into the fire." 
The matter is here raised to demonstration : there was no 
force whatever in the ending -Ann, as used by Connellan. And 
he does not put it even in cases where the theory seemed to call 
for it; e.gr., iii. 34, isw ce 'oo cui|i u-cxx), tAbpAix) \e 
b|\1AC|A-^ T)e ; or again, iii. 36, coTTiniiigix) fe^ji^ X)e ai]\. If 
