The Bodlcian Attira Choluimb chille. 429

him, and the Devil afterwards came to him and carried him

into the air. When they came opposite Columba he put the

sign of the Cross over the air, and down together fell the

priest and the Devil. Then the pfiest offered the (jewelled)

church to Columba, and afterwards became one of Columba's

chosen monks.

This story is referred to by Keating as an instance of apos-

tacy from Christianity. It is valuable as evidencing a tradi-

tional belief that the ancient Irish worshipped the sun and

moon. Compare the scholium on the Attira supra § 144, and

St. Patrick's Confessio (Trip. Life, p. 374): sol iste quem ui-

demus, ... numquam regnabit et neque permanebit splendor

eius : sed et omnes qui adorant eum in penam miseri maie

deuenient. Compare also Cormac's Glossary s. v. Indelba, where

the heathen are said to hâve carved on altars the forms of the

éléments they adored, « verbi gratia figura solis ».

The story of Labraid and Moriath's harper (p. 166).

(YBL. col. 689).

Nô as cruit cen gles dona tri glesaib do fognaidis do dirai f-

tine chruitiri .i. suantraigi 7 golltraigi 7 gentraigi, at iat sin a

n-anmann. Ocûs an Craibtine sin fen cruit/re esiden ro bui ac

Moriath, ingin Scoriath rig Fer Morca, 7 a ndesart Erenn a

M//main atait sin, 7 assi an Moriath sin darat g/ad ecmasi do

Maen frisa n-abar Labraid Loingseach andiu, 7 an Labraid sin

dalta do Chobthach Cael Breag esiden, 7 [is éj in Cobthach sin

ro marb a athair-sium 7 a seanathfl/V a n-aenaidhchi, 7 da cos-

cartha 1 iad iarsin, 7 tuetha mir da ende cher/.'/air de do Maen,

7 bledi do mil cher/;/air de do, conas-ib. Oats do gab.id luch

iarsin isan tig, 7 tucad fair [in] luch da ithi co rocht a los.

« Bid ithi lochad cona los », ar se, a[c] cur a hearbaill suas.

conad de sin ata in seantbcol, ithe lochad cona los. Conad e

4}o Whiiley Stokes.

fatha cen labra do co fada iarsin. Indarbaid a oidi he iarsin a

hEvinn, 7 naenbar rob e a lin. Dochuaid soir co rainig Inis

Bretan 7 in breacmacraid thiri Armenia 1. Ro naisc-sium a

muntiv iarsin a n-amsaine LVrig Armenia 2, uair nir' c//maing-

sium ton labra do denam, 7 ro inds£'/ar cor'bo mac rig Erain

an mac, 7 fuair c:\dits mor 'con rig, 7 ni riacht doa/m in rig

sin neach bad gaisgedaigi oldas. Ocus darad in rig iarsin taisi-

gecht a theglaig do, 7 ro siacht a chlu fo chetharaird in domuin,

7 ro chosain tricha fearann don rig na [col. 690] roibi aici

roime. Ocus ro clos a nEr////z a chlu, 7 ro chualaid al-leannan

a chlu .i. Moriath ingen Scoiriath, 7 adlvrt an ingen fria crui-

tin tocbt 5 ar amus Maein. « Uair daradwj" grad mor do », ar

si, « 7 ni a/mgaim beith a mLv/haidh mine comraic/w ris 4. »

« Cia tarba damsa dul ? » ar se in cruit/n, « uair nir' labair

fria neach riam ». « Senn-seo in chruit ina fiadnaisi 7 béas co

loibera5. »

Ro imthig 6 tra roime iarsin in cruit/ri co hairm a roibi

Maen, 7 ro shenn in cruit ina ïuxdiiaisi, 7 ro indis scela na

hingine frisin cruit, 7 ro failtig iarsin in mac frisin cruit[erecht]

sin 7 frisna scclaib adchuala, 7 adlwt [Moen] iarsin: « Is

maith in ceol 7 dogni, a Chraibtine ! » Ocus ro bo maith lesin

rig labra do. Ocus ro chuindig iarsin sochraidi les on righ do-

chum nEremi, 7 tue in ri soch[r|aidi les .i. foireand tri cet 8

long, 7 ro gabsad tir ac Indb/r Boindi.

Ocus adeuas doib Cobthach Cael Breag do bt'//h ac Dind rig,

7 ni nacht robud9 reampu cerb' acus doib, 7 ro imthig<7ar

iarsin co Dind rig co riachtsad fon teach a roibi Cobthach 10

Cael Breag, 7 ro marbsadar Coblhach ann cum suis.

Ocus adbr/t fear ecin 'sin tig : « Coich seo thainic chucaind

1

.

co rânic in breemac rig tiri Armenia, Kg.

2. fri ri fer nienia, Eg.

3. du!Eg.4. comruicer fris, hg.

5. bes laiberaid Eg.

b. roimid YBL.7. sic Eg. sccl YBL.8. sic Eg. tri >ccc. YBL.g. .sic Eg. rebad YBL.10. co ro iadsat imon tech i mbôi Cobthacli, Ei,r .

The Bodleian Amra Choluimb chille. 451

7 ro marb axmuntir? » « In loingsech sin, mac rig Eiv//// 0,

ar in fer amuig « Cid, in labair 1 in loingseach? » ar in fer

cétna thall. « Labraidh », ar in fer aile. Conad desin ata La-

braid Loingseach da rad ris, uair ro bo Maen a ainm ar tiis.

Ko gab tra rigi nErenn iarsin in loingseach, 7 is aici dorin-

dtea laigne L/hanglasa ar t/'ts, conad uaithib ainmnigtheai Lai-

gin andiu, 7 is fallus on, ut poeta :

Labraid Loingseach, lor a lin. ro ort Cobtbach anDind righ,

co sluag laigen ro lin gail. uad ro hainmnigte Lagin 2.

Ro imthig iarsin tra co hairm a roibi Moriath ingen Scoriath,

7 Graibtine amailli fris, 7 ro fai-seom3 le iarsain, 7 as i sin ba

rigan Erenn aici iardain. Conad da forgell-* in sceoil adb^rt in

til/: Ni cheil ceis ceoil* da chruit Craiftine cona sellastar 6 (or

sluagaib7 suanbas consert coibnis 8 iter sceo Maen 9 Moriath

Morca 10 ba rao le car/; logh Labraidh.

Bindiu cach ceol in crot. peiti Labraid Loingseach lorc

ciarbo docht îor ruine in ri. ni r[o] ceilt ces Craibtini.

Translation.

Or it is a harp without zglés (« tuning ») of the three tun-

ings which used to serve the harper Craiftine, to wit, « sleep-

strain » and « wail-strain » and « laugh-strain », thèse arc

their names. And this Craiftine himself was the harper that

Moriath had, the daughter of Scoriath, king of the Fir Morca,

who are in the south of Ireland, in Munster. And 'tis this

Moriath that gave love in absence to Maen (« dumb »), who is

now called Labraid Loingsech (« exile »). This Labraid was

1

.

Cid on, in labra Eg.

2. co sluag laighiur/; dar linn lir|dib ro ainmnighthea Laighin.

3

.

ro faidhseom YBL. rofôidhsium Eg.

^ . con'id do derbrti/ Eg.

5 Ni ceilt céis céol LL. 26o>25. Ni chealt ceis ceol Eg.

6. conseallustar Eg.

7

.

co corastar (or sluagu LL.S. con srec coibni».? LL. sert coibnis Eg.

9. Main Moriath maedacht Morca LL. M6en Moriath maedachta Morca,i. e. proprium gentis.

10. .i. Labraw Loingsech, ar ba balb rerai, Eg.

432 Whitley Stokes.

a fosterling of Cobthach the Slender of Bregia, who had killed

Labraid's father and grandfather in one night, and afterwards

mangled them, and a pièce of the heart of each was given ro

Maen, and a goblet of the blood of each, and he drank it.

Then a mouse was caught in the house, and he was made to

eat it as far as the tail. « 'Tis eating a mouse with its tail »,

says he, putting its tail up, whence the proverb, eating a mouse

with ils tail 1. So that was the cause of his being speechless for

a long time afterwards. Then his fosterer banished him from

Ireland, and his retinue was nine. He went eastward till he

réached the island of the Britons and the speckled youths of

the land of Armenia. Then his people bound him as a soldier

to the king of Armenia, for he himself could not speak, and

they said that the youth was son of the king of Ireland. Andhe got great honour from the king (of Armenia), and never

had corne to that king one who was more valiant than he.

The king afterwards gave him the headship of his housebold :

his famé reached the four quarters of the world ; and he wonfor the king thirty lands which had not been his before. His

renown was heard in Erin, and his darling, Moriath, daughter

of Scoriath, heard it, and the damsel told lier harper to go to

Maen, « lor », says she, « I hâve given him great love, and I

cannot live unless I wed with him ». « \\'hat profit is it lor

me to go ? » says the harper, « for he never bas spoken to

anvone ».|Said Moriath]: « Play thou the harp in his pré-

sence, and haplv he will speak. »

So then the harper fared forth to the place where Maenabode, and he played his harp before him, and told the harp

news of the damsel. And the youth rejoiced at the harpiûg

and at the news that he heard. So then he said : « Good is

the music thou makest, O Craibtine; » and the king was plea-

sed that he had (his) speech. Then he asked the king for an

army to go to Ireland, and the king gave him an army, to

wit, the crews of three hùndred ships. And they landed at the

mouth ofthe Boyne.

And they were told ihat Cobthach the Slender was at Dind

i. Compare Rcv. Celt., XIII, 446.

The Bodleian Amra Choluimb chille. 455

rig 1, and no warning had preceded them, though he was near

them. So then they marched to Dmd rig, and got under the

house in which Cobthach dwelt, and killed Cobthach there

cum suis.

And some man in the housc said : « Who is this that bas

attacked as and killed our people ? » « The exile, the son of

the king of Erin », a man outside made answer. « What, does

the exile speak ? » asked the same man there. « He speaks »

(labraid), says the other. Hence he is called « Labraid Loing-

sech » (" the exile speaks »), for Maen (« dumb ») had been

his name at first.

Then the exile seized the sovranty oflreland, and he was

the first to make bro.id blue lances (laigne), whence the Laigin

(« Leinstermen ») are named. And this is manifest, ut poeta:

Labraid Loingsech, sufficient his number, slew Cobthach at Dind rig:

with a host of lances he fulfilled valour, thence the Laigin were named.

After that he, taking Craibtine along with him, went to

the stead where Moriath, daughter of Scoriath, dwelt; and

then he wedded lier, and afterwards she became his queen of

Erin. So to testify this taie the poet (Ferchertne) said :

The céis concealed not music froni Craibtine's harp. It brought a death-

sleep on the host. It sowed harmony between Maen and Moriath ofMo-rea. More to her than any price was Labraid.

Sweeter than any music is the harp that delights tierce Labraid the

exile. Though dumb as to secrets was the king. the céis concealed not

Craibtine's music.

So in LL. 3 111 ': Gabais iar«;« Labraid .i. rige nllerenn

am<// nos-rime Find mac Rossa isind tursunnud. Gobais rige

nAlban iarsin, 7 dobe/t ingen rig Fer Morca a.mal aslvrt Fer-

chei tni :

Ni ceilt ceis ceol de chru.itt Chraphtini co corostar (or sluagu

suanbas. consert coibni//j eter sceo Main Moriath mûfccdacht

Morca. mô cer/j lûag Labraid.

1 . is ar tinol na loingsi adubrad Loingsech fris, LL. 377 a.

4H Whitley Stokcs.

Gnbais dniit Labraid Loingsech rige Gall 7 Gaedel, 7 luid

co slebe Elpa. Unde Find cecinit:

Domnais ' giallu Gall co coic asa 2 Alpion

airbri 5 folaig fichi long légion, .i. xu. vaili.

Ni rabi tra do rigaib Herenn ra sossed in chumachta ro siacht

Labraid Loingsech. unde poeta cecinit :

Lug 4 sceith scal find fo nimib

ni rab e bed mac nâne aidblith/V

airddiu deib dôen S dron<> daurgrane7

glan gablach hua luire Loegaire.

For a very différent taie of Labraid and the harper, see the

Orgain Diinl rig, LL. 269% Rawl. B. 502, fo. 7i b 2, and

YBL. 1 1

2

a-i 1

3

a, of which some account is give by O'Currv,

Manners, III, 242, MS. Materials, 252-257, and which is edited

in the Zeitschvift fiir Celtische Philologie Bd. III.

Si. Columba's Bailles (p. 254).

(Eg. 13b 1).

ro briss catha na tri Ciil .i. cath Cuili Dreimni i Coxmachl-

aib îor Mo-Laisi i cintaib a chlaeinbrethi euangeli, I7] for Diar-

mait mac Cerbaill. Ocus cath Chuili fedho for Chohnan macnDiaraidtfa i cinuidh a sâruighthi im Baétan mac Ninnedha.

Ri Ereini dauo in Baetan sin dia ro marb Cumâin mac Cohnain

ic Leim ind eich. Ocus cath Chùile Rathuin for bru na Bannator Ulltaib, ic cosnum Rois tarathair [fo. i3

b2] [ter Col///;/ cille

7 Comgall Bmnchuir .i. ceall bec ita Briccin mac Chinn-chairchi, nô Bec mac Deghad, for Fiachna mac mBdetain for

ri U\atl.

1

.

.i. cenglais 5

.

.i. duni2. .i. benna 6. .i. dafigen

5

.

.i. immad y .i. granc daracb.|

.

.i. laech