[ 64 ]
Leaḃar Laiġneaċ, p. 281a. Ceṫrur maccléreċ do ḟeraiḃ hÉirenn doċótar ina n-ailiṫre do dul do Róim. Dognít a n-oegideċt la fer n-amra do Ḟrancaib oc dul do Róim. Dobreṫ sín ocus cruiṫneċt dóib. Maiṫ dóib. “Is eo as maiṫ dún trá ó Róim, co ndarda naċ n-dísert dún sund corrabam inar n-ailiṫre and, ar is imda ceċ torad and etir ḟín ocus cruiṫneċt ocus caċ torud arcena.” “Foċen dúib!” or in láeċ. “Robarbia mo maiṫ-se. Tabraid-se dano for maiṫ dam- sa .i. guide Dé erom.” Doġníṫer ón. Tía- gait co tairċellsatar relic ocus martra Petuir ocus Ṗóil. Tecait anair doridisi. Cuinnegar tra baile co rofalmaigṫer dúib. “Atá dísert bec sund. Atá dísert aċ trúag and. Apair fris tuideċt ass,” or in rí. “Atloċur do Dia,” ol in dísertaċ. “Mo rí talmanda dom’ briṫ ass ocus mo rí nemda do ṫuideċt ind. Aircid ind, a ċlérċu, i feċt sa.” “Corop solaid!” ol in cléreċ. “Cid asberat?” or in rí. “Co- rop solaid dóib.” “As tír dóib!” or in rí. “Gentlide atacomnaic. Ná hebat cid usce in tíre.” Tiagait ass uide ind lái sin, corráncatar caṫraig and. Búi in t-escop .i. a tóiseċ-som oc indmut a lám assin t-sruṫ arnabáraċ. Co n-accai comraid craind friṫrosc in t-sroṫa ċucai. Do cuireṫar bedg anís co m-búi i n-uċt in ċlérig. “Beir latt, a gillai, dond ríg so!” or in cléreċ. “Nocon fetar-sa cid fil and.” Berair dó iarum. Oslaigṫir leis, co n-acca sé tinni argait inti ocus tinne dergóir eturru. Rocurṫea leis im- meid. Nicon rabí méit friged in naċ ae díb seċ araile. “Maiṫ,” or sé, “co n-gar- tar dún na clérig.” Doroiċet iarum. “Maiṫ, a ċlérċiu, atá sund ar n-etarġleód. Na seċt tinne se amne .i. na sé tinni argait it é sé laṫe na seċtmaine. In tinne óir is hé in domnaċ in sin. Is ed atċíu, ní trummu ní seċ araile díb. Is é a etargna side didiu. Amail naċ trummu tinni di sund seċ araile, is amlaid solaid lái seċ araile don t-seċtmain. Ar is óen Rí dosrat, ocus ní ṫarat olc for naċ ae seċ araile. Anaid-si, a ċlérċiu, ocus itib deg- dóene, aċt ċena ná imradid solud céin beṫi i m-beṫaid.” Connaċ cóir didiu lenmain do ṡolud nó ṡénaireċt. |
[ 64 ] Translation. Four clerical students of the men of Ireland went on a pilgrimage abroad to go to Rome. As they were going to Rome they put up with a famous man of the Franks. Wine and wheat was given them. It pleased them well. “This is what we should like, now, to talk to this good man after coming from Rome, that he may give us some hermitage here, so that we may be in it as pilgrims; for plentiful is every produce here both wine and wheat, and every other produce.” [ 79 ]“Ye are welcome!” saith the warrior. “Ye shall have my good. Do ye likewise give me your good, even praying to God for me.” So it is done. They go, and they went round the place of the burial and martyrdom of Peter and Paul. They come again from the East. Then a place is sought to be vacated for them. “There is a small hermitage here. A miserable hermit is in it. Tell him to go out,” saith the king. “I give thanks to God,” saith the hermit. “My earthly king throws me out, and my heavenly king enters. Come in now, O clerics!” “May it be lucky!” saith the cleric. “What do they say?” saith the king. “That it may be lucky for them.” “Out of the land with them!” saith the king. “They are heathen. They shall not drink even the water of the land.” They go thence that day’s journey, till they came to a city there. The bishop, even their leader, was washing his hands in the river on the next morning, when he saw a wooden chest (floating) against the current of the stream towards him. It bounded upwards, so that it was in the bosom of the cleric. “Take this with thee to the king, O lad,” saith the cleric. “I know not what it is that is in it.” Thereupon it is brought to him. It is opened by him, and he saw in it six bars of silver, and a bar of red gold among them. He put them into a scale. There was not the weight of a pig’s bristle (fleshworm ?) in anyone of them beyond another. “Well,” saith he, “let the clerics be called to us.” Thereupon they come. “Well, O clerics, here is the decision of our quarrel. These seven bars here, viz,, the six bars of silver, they are the six days of the week. The bar of gold, that is the Lord’s Day. This is what I see, none of them is heavier than another. Now, this is the meaning of it. As none of these bars is heavier than another, so is none of the days of the week luckier than another. For it is the same king that gave them, and [ 80 ]he did not send evil on any of them more than another. Remain here, O clerics, and ye are good men, only do not talk of luck as long as you are alive.” Hence it is not right to pursue luck or fortune-telling. |
Notes.
ro-bar-bia, there will be to you, 3. sg. fut., with the verbal particle ro (used with future as well as past tenses), and infixed pronoun of the 2. person plural (bar).
atluċur do Dia, gratias ago Deo, Zeuss, p. 438. Atluċur is the deponential form of atluigim, later atluiġim.
aircid = éirgid.
atacomnaic, they are. at-ċomnaic, accidit, with infixed pronoun of the 3. pers. plur. (oa).
comraid, acc. sg. of comra, a chest, coffin. A ċomra órdai, “O golden shrine!” LBr., p. 743.
friged, gen. sg. of frige, cf. friġan .i. guaireċ muc pig’s bristles. Or it may stand for frigde, fleshworm, see Stokes’ Lives of Saints Ind. s. v.
do-s-rat, with infixed pronoun of the 3. pers. plur. (-s-).
it-íb, ye are, cf. isam, I am, isat, thou art.
sénaireċt, augury, from sénaire, a fortune-teller (LL., p. 294b., 22)=W. Swynwr; from sén, W. Swyn, borrowed from Latin signum. Cf. apair fris naċan-erbad i sénaireċt, “tell him not to put his trust in augury,” LL. 294b., 21. draideċt ⁊ genntlideċt ⁊ sénaireċt, LBr. 258b, 81.
Kuno Meyer.
February, 1894.