AURAICEPT
NA N-ÉCES
THE SCHOLARS’ PRIMER
BEING THE TEXTS OF THE OGHAM TRACT FROM THE
BOOK OF BALLYMOTE AND THE YELLOW BOOK OF
LECAN, AND THE TEXT OF THE TREFHOCUL
FROM THE BOOK OF LEINSTER
EDITED FROM
EIGHT MANUSCRIPTS, WITH INTRODUCTION,
TRANSLATION
OF THE BALLYMOTE TEXT, NOTES, AND INDICES
BY
GEORGE CALDER, B.D.
Lecturer
in Celtic, University of Glasgow
EDINBURGH: JOHN GRANT
31 GEORGE IV. BRIDGE
1917
[The preface and the Middle Irish text
have been omitted, except the poems.
The references giving the place of the text in
the manuscripts have been kept. BB = Book of Ballymote 14th century, Royal
Irish Academy; E. = MS. I., Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh.]
[Note that Calder’s work comprises six parts.
his introduction of
which I’ll translate the German and part of the Latin citations.
the edition in Middle
Irish (sometimes in Old Irish) and the English translation of the text of the
Auraicept as found in the manuscrits B and E of the Book of Ballymote. This
contains four versions of the Auraicept : the « Poets’ Primer »,
the « book of Ferchertne », the « book of Amairgein
Glungeal », et the « book of Fenius ». These four versions end
with a kind of poetical summary: the Trefocul.
the edition in Irish
of the text of the Auraicept as found in the Yellow Book of Lecan and the
Egerton manuscript.
the edition in Irish
of the Trefhocul as found in the manuscritps LL et HM
the edition du ‘De
Duilib Feda’ as found in BB et LL
the edition and the
English translation of ‘Ogam’ as found in BB.]
AURAICEPT
NA N-ÉCES
MSS. TRANSCRIBED OR
COLLATED
FIRST
FAMILY (Short Text)
BB., B. Book of Ballymote (308 β 44-333)
14th century, R.I.A. [Royal Irish
Academy]
E. MS. I., Advocates Library,
Edinburgh.
L. Book of Lecan, R.I.A.
M., HM. Book of Hy Maine (Trefhocul, with examples),
R.I.A.
B, E, L contain the
mnemonic poem but not the Trefhocul.
SECOND
FAMILY (Long Text)
.
YBL. Yellow Book of Lecan (219 α 23-241
β 13). T.C.D. [Trinity College
Dublin]
Eg. Egerton, 88 (63 1 β 26-761 α
41), British Museum.
YBL, Eg. do not contain
the mnemonic poem or the Trefhocul.
T. H.4.22 (pp. 159-207) T.C.D. This MS. is
intermediate between the first and the second family. It does not contain
either the Trefhocul or the mnemonic poem, but it has a poem of about 200
verses on early Bible history.
LL. xii. century, T.C.D. The Trefhocul with
examples.
Ed. MS. vii. ii β 1-39, Advocates
Library, the beginning of a glossary of the Auraicept which closely resembles
the Lecan glossary.
AUTHORITIES REFERRED
TO OR QUOTED
[Not transcribed here]
[Calder’s] INTRODUCTION
THE Handbook of the Learned, here edited
for the first time, is a work that opens up many questions.
Éces is often equivalent to fili. Filidecht covered the whole field
of poetry, romance, history, biography, geography, grammar, antiquities, and
law. The poet-jurist, who, seated, gave judgments in verse, is probably
referred to at lines 407,8. The Auraicept treats chiefly of the Ogham alphabet
and grammar, but if the Trefhocul be included, it treats also of poetry in the
strict sense.
[The references to
lines of the Auraicept as given by Calder, as the one above: ‘407, 8’ or the
following ones in between ( ) as: (2193), refer to lines numbers. You will have
to consult the original publication to find back these lines, see
http://www.archive.org/details/auraicept00calduoft.
Notice that I did not include in this version the Latin and German
translations I did for the French version. See the commented version.]
The poets, filid, were a guild, making their own special laws, and exercising
discipline upon their own members (2193). They claimed and used the right to
quarter themselves and their retinue upon society (2221), and they exacted a
fixed sum for their poetic compositions. In general this was cheerfully paid;
the means for enforcing unwilling payment was satire. The exercise of this potent
weapon was moderated by rule (1935), certain forms of satire, such as tamall n-aire (1932), being forbidden in
the Trefhocul; and though the poets have been abolished by law for over a
century, even at this day in certain districts the phrase, dheanamh aoir air,
to satirise one, is not without its terrors.
The poets were a secret society with
a language peculiar and intelligible to themselves only. According to their
literary tradition Fenius, at their request, devised this language for them
(195), and its obscurity was essential (21). The people often rose up against
the poets and attempted to repudiate their claims. One such rising was that at
Drumketta, A.D. 590 (1472). About that time they numbered 15,000. Owing to the
advocacy of St Columba, himself a fili,
they were suffered to continue, but under restrictions.
The filid were a strictly professional class, undergoing a rigorous
training to fit them for their position. The bards, on the other hand, were
unprofessional, and more or less untrained, but they practised a large number
of metres in which the filid also
were required to become proficient.
The following tables (cf. the later scheme in Joyce’s, Social Hist., i. 430), will show what
place the Auraicept occupied in their studies.
The Fili, his Rank, Name, and Compositions, with the Rewards therefor,
and his Retinue (2219-2254).
[A = At Feasts; O = On Circuit; F = For
Ordinary Needs; P = At Poetic Feasts or Contests]
|
Rank |
Name |
Metre |
Reward |
Retinue
|
||||
|
I. II. III. IV V. VI. VII. |
ollam anrad clí cano doss macfuirmid foclóc |
anamain nath anair emain láid setrad dían |
a chariot( = one bondmaid) five cows four cows one horse ( = two cows) one milch cow one cow-in-calf one three-year-old heifer |
|
The Yearly
Studies of the Fili.
Each year
included the studies of all preceding years.
[Note that Calder
introduced in his text some of the middle Irish coinventions: -i- = i.e. ;
7 = and]
|
1 |
foclóc |
1. oghum, besides regular oghum; the Auraicept with its prologue and with its flexions; 1. drécht; vi. dían. Ir. T. iii. 32. |
|
2 |
macfuirmid |
1. oghum, besides usual oghum; vi. detailed lessons of filidecht; xxx. drécht; x. setrada, senamain, and snaithe senamna. Ir. T. iii. 34, 9. |
|
3 |
doss |
oghum, besides ebadach nIlmain;
vi. other detailed lessons of filidecht;
xl. drécht; xvi. laid. Ir.
T. iii. 34, 12. |
|
4 |
cano |
1. drécht; 1. bretha nemid; xx. emain. Ir. T. iii. 36, 18. |
|
5 |
clí |
1x. drécht; xxx. anair; xxx. iarmberla. Ir. T. iii. 37, 21 |
|
6 |
anrad |
Ixx. drécht; Ixxx. nath mór; Ixxx. nath becc 7 berla na. filed. Ir. T. iii. 38, 25. |
|
7 |
ollam |
brosnacha suad, i.e. the bard
metres which the poet ought to know, for that is the poet’s lesson of the
seventh year; e.g. I. divisions of brosnacha, i.e. dechnad mór, and two species of dechnad
mór are there reckoned, viz. sned and trebrad. Ir. T. iii. 39, 32. |
|
8 |
. . . |
fiscomarca filed -i- dúidli berla 7 clethchor choem 7 reicne
roscadach 7 láide -i- tenmláida 7 immas forosnai 7 dichetal
do chennaib na titaithe 7 dinshenchus,
and all the principal tales of Ireland in order to relate them to kings,
lords, and gentlemen. For the fili
is not yet perfect. Ir. T. iii. 49, 91. |
|
9, 10 |
. . . |
xl. sennath -i-; xv. luasca 7 vii. ena; eochraid of Ix.
words with metres and xiv. srotha
and vi. dúili feda. Ir.
T. iii. 54, 99. |
|
11 |
. . . |
1.anamain mór; 1. anamain becc. Ir. T.
iii. 59,113. |
|
12 |
. . . |
cxx. rochetal; iiii.cerda, i.e. cerd of Ladchend mic Bairchida (Ælt., pp. 17, 27), 7 cerd hi Chota, 7 cerd hui Bicni, 7 cerd
Béci. Ir. T. iii. 60, 121. |
A brief study of the Auraicept is
sufficient to convince one that the leading extraneous source is the Latin
Grammarians. Some of them are cited by name, Priscian (A.D. 450), Donatus (A.D.
350), Pompeius, and Consentius.
If it be urged that the quotations
from these authors are a late addition to the Auraicept by way of learned
illustration, it is answered that in any case the general setting of the matter
follows closely the didactic style of the grammarians, as the following
examples, occurring passim, will
show:
Quæstio est, Gr. Lat. v. 537, 16, 29; 541, 20,
32.
cest, Aur. 9, 57.
|
Quaesitum
est, v. 228, 18 Qaeritur,
v. 165, 27; 210, 38 De qua
quaeritur, Origg, xvi. 10, 2 |
conagar,
Aur. 1019, 1375 |
ut sciam,
v. 195, 19.
ut scias,
v. 121, 15, 18; 173, 18: co fesear, Aur. 1577.
ut sciamus,
v. 10, 16.
sciendum
est, v. 180, 32: is soigti Aur. 3508, is fisid 3523
scire
debemus, v. 277, 30.
scire
debes, v. 142, 15.
The matter
itself of the Auraicept is largely identical with that treated of by the Latin
Grammarians in their early chapters - the alphabet, classification of letters,
sounds and syllables, consonant and vowel changes, gender and declension of
nouns, comparison of adjectives, prepositions governing dative and accusative
cases, the accent, artificial and natural, genus and species, and a few other
incidental points. The omissions are almost equally significant. There is no
classification of declensions, no declension of adjectives which are tacitly
included with the substantives, no treatment of pronouns except as tokens of
gender (aurlonn, 585), or as emphasised by fein = met (726), and the whole
accidence of the verb is wanting. The similarity between Latin and Gaelic
failed at this point. The paradigm of the verb is tentative and native (304,
653). An endeavour is made to show that, while there is a correspondence in
meaning between the two languages, Gaelic is the more comprehensive (1081).
The language is Middle Irish, but the
basis, which has been much worked over, all belongs to the Old Irish period.
The composition consists of Text and
Commentary, the latter forming the great bulk of the work. The text is the
oldest portion; the commentary, in parts as old as the text, was in a process
of continuous growth. The text, written in a large hand in most MSS., is
printed in leaded type. BB, here followed, curtails the text. The Book of Lecan
and T. make a much larger delineation of text. The question as to what is text
and what is commentary will require further study for a satisfactory solution,
but it may be here remarked that much of the primary material is embodied in
the tract in the ordinary hand of the commentary so as to be indistinguishable
from the commentary at sight, and that the commentary itself occasionally
points to the text by the use of such expressions as Cid am tuc-somh (97), Cid ara
n-ebairt (378, 484, 512, 385), intan
roraidh (421), ata acht lem
(2973), amal asbert i curp in libuir
(173, 241) where corp in libuir
always means the text of the book under comment.
Another but a rather uncertain
criterion is this. A passage which does not occur by way of commentary on any
previous quotation, but which is itself made the subject of commentary, is in a
sense primary material, though not necessarily so old as the principal text on
which the commentary is written.
The use of conagar is generally to introduce commentary even though the
passage so introduced is itself subjected to comment. In a word, there is a primary
commentary used to explain the original text, and a secondary commentary
developing the content of the primary commentary (e.g., 1072 on 1068, 1637 on 1515). The etymological glosswork
belongs to this last stage, and is incorporated without any regard to the
context.
The language even of the commentary
is based on Old Irish usage. It explicitly recognises three genders in
substantives and pronouns. In it airdíbdad
(1264) means the silencing of the consonants, f and s. In later usage
this term becomes airdibad, urdubad (uirdhiughadh, O’Molloy, Gr. 61), and denotes eclipsis, obnubilatio. The tract before us takes
no account of eclipsis. At the time the tract was written the combinations mb, nd, had evidently not yet become assimilated (but cf. Nembroth, Nemruad). For, if such
assimilations had taken place, an account would have been given of the
phenomenon under such questions as " What two consonants have the force of
one consonant ? " (1375).
As regards ng initial, the evidence is not so clear. The nasal infection may
have produced (ng + g) and not ng simply (255). On the other hand the
combination is an Ogham letter (442) but even vowels of diphthongs were
pronounced separately (1430) and is, considered along with the example, uingi (4926), curiously suggestive of:
NT. N
Latinum adiuncto Gamma Græco significat
semiunciam.
Origg. xvi. 27, 4.
The scheme of declension, also,
distinguishes clearly between dative and accusative after prepositions (1651,
1770), a distinction not uniformly or often observed in Middle Irish, though a
much later tract draws a distinction between acc. after a preposition importing
motion, siubhal, and dat. after a
preposition importing rest, comhnaidhe
(Ériu, viii. 17, 72, 73). This last, however, may be merely a grammatical
recrudescence, or an imitation of Latin.
A few sporadic examples of Old Irish
are here added:
1. THE ARTICLE.
n.p.m. in
muite 447, in tæbomna tuissecha 918 in tri focail 2018, but ainm n, has art
n.p.m. ind anmanda 4828.
n.p.f. inna
iiii. aipgitri-sea 1132.
For art. developed from projected
n., v. condelc,
etargoire n-inchoisc
647, in incoisc 641.
2. NOUN STEMS.
A. o-stems:
n.p.n. araile crand 1149.
B.
io-stems:
n.s.n. a mberla sain 1044.
ds. oc nach ailiu 1044; a.s. fria
araill 3106, ar araill 5613; gan araill 3105.
n.s. 7 araill 3410; ’nas i n-aill
1272.
quam
i n-aill 4593, 4579 no da fhir-inaill 338.
C. n-stem:
gach reim n-olc 2177.
3.
NUMERALS: teora, ceitheora 4708, 3747, cf.
872.
4. THE
VERB: ailsius 5319, adrodamas 135; copula verb, arnid 693, nadat 4588.
As to the native elements, we are
told that Cenn Faelad in English Kinealy wrote the Prologue (80). As this
preface is not likely to have been omitted by the compilers of the extant
tract, one concludes that this must be the actual introduction (1-62). This
view is confirmed by the displacement in version ii. of the section (63-78)
which is the work of a commentator of Cenn Faelad; also by the particle tra in the first sentence quoted from
Cenn Faelad, which follows the introduction in both versions.
There are four authors of the
Auraicept proper, Cenn Faelad, Ferchertne, Amergen, and Fenius.
[1] The excerpts from the Book of
Cenn Faelad deal with:
The origin
of Gaelic (100).
Divisions
of the Latin alphabet (312), and of the Irish alphabet (392).
Latin and
Irish treatment of semivowels contrasted (445)-
Genders in
Irish (520).
Degrees of
comparison in Latin, and qualitative and quantitative distinctions in Irish
(639).
[2] The excerpts from the Book of
Ferchertne deal with:
The seven elements of speech in
Irish (739), and
The formation and powers of Ogham
letters (943).
[3] There is a long excerpt from the
Book of Amergen dealing with: the origin of Goedelg (1034). This passage is of
earlier date and language than the general run of the tract. In substance it is
an alternative prologue.
[4] The excerpts from the Book of
Fenius (1102) deal with:
The
alphabets of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (1129), hence probably the ascription to
Fenius who was learned in those languages (160), and contemporary with the
Exodus (i 104).
Verse feet
or syllabic content of Irish words (1213).
Consonant
changes (1264).
The five
kinds of Irish (1302).
The
twenty-five inflections (1515).
What is alt? (1577).
The end of the text of the Auraicept
is noted (1636).
Besides those four ancient books
cited, the Book of Cenn Faelad, the Book of Ferchertne (735), the Book of
Amergen (1028), the Book of Fenius, Iair mac Nema, and Gaedel mac Ethiuir
(1102), two others are mentioned, the Dúile Feda (5416), of which the Ogham
tract is perhaps an expansion, and the Cín
Ollaman (1204, 4385) possibly an early form of the tract on Metrics. The
quotations from the first four books are set forth as usual in large hand; but
possibly other passages from them are embodied in the commentary in the normal
hand. For wherever a passage in the commentary is afterwards explained in
detail with the usual artificial etymologies, this is an indication that the
passage probably belonged originally to the ancient text.
While the ascription of the Book of
Cenn Faelad is probably genuine, the same cannot be said of the Books of
Ferchertne, Amergen, and Fenius. The quotations may be from writings
approximately of the time of Cenn Faelad, but of unknown authorship. A
commentator (1019-1027) takes the view that the work of these authors were
successive steps leading up to the grand consummation, the Tréfhocul. By the
statement also of a commentator that "what is first according to book
order was invented last, to wit, the Book of Cenn Faelad" (66) may be
meant that this author co-ordinated all the ancient material, and presented it
as it now stands. This view is upheld by another commentator who says that
Ferchertne composed the Auraicept but Cenn Faelad rewrote it, or copied it,
along with the greater part of Scripture (2638).
There seems no reason to question
the ascription of the "Book of Cenn Faelad" to the author of that
name. He is a well authenticated person. He died A.D. 679. His pedigree is
found in the genealogy of the Cenél
nEogain. His poems, dealing to a large extent with the wars of his
kinsfolk, the Northern Ui Néill, are quoted largely in the annals. The curious
tradition about his "brain of forgetfulness " (77) had no doubt a
foundation in fact. Possibly he got a good education in youth, but developed a
" brain of forgetfulness " by turning from learning to soldiering. He
certainly fought in the battle of Moira A.D. 637, where he was wounded.
Returning again to civil life and his early pursuits, "poetry, words, and
reading" (78), he laid the foundation of that reputation which as
"Cenn Faelad, the Learned" he still enjoys (O’C. Lect.}. His period as an author therefore extends over the
forty-two years between the battle of Moira and his death, and quotations from
him must take rank among the oldest dated specimens of the language. But he
refers to still older Irish writers, augdair
na nGaideal (79), who wrote on the subject of Irish grammar, or of Irish
origins. He may refer to such works as the Irish Chronicon Eusebii (Ériu, vii. 62) which came down to A.D.
609, and of which the lost portion at the beginning may well have contained the
story of Fenius. Writing in 603, S. Columbanus refers to antiqui philosophi Hiberniæ as experts in chronography. Thus that
earlier than the seventh century a state of learning existed which was held in
esteem by the writers of that century is proved, though the direct products of
that earlier learning are no longer extant. If we assume Cenn Faelad to be
really the author, and therefore that the Auraicept was begun about the middle
of the seventh century, how did it happen that while the other Western nations
were sunk in ignorance, the Irish enjoyed the light of learning? Zimmer (SPA.,
Dec. 1910, p. 1049) quoting the passage in Aur. 1859-1876 puts the question
with great force:
"Das
sind die ‘Elemente der Kasus- und Numeruslehre’, wie man sie als Teil des über
viele Jahre sich erstreckenden Studiums der irischen fili (Grammatiker,
Metriker, Antiquare und professionsmässiger Dichter) in den nationalen Schulen
Irlands traktierte, als Klemens der Ire an der Hofschule Karls des Grossen
jungen Franken das abc beibrachte, als Dicuil in St Denis, Dungal in Pavia,
Sedulius in Lüttich und Metz, Moengal in St Gallen, Johannes Scottus an der
Hofschule Karls des Kahlen tätig waren; durch diesen Unterricht ist Cormac mac
Cuilennain gegangen (gest. 908), der nebenbei ganz auständige Kenntnis im
Latein, Griechisch, Hebräisch, Altnordisch, Angelsächsisch und Kymrisch
besass."
The high tide of learning at a very
early period in ancient Ireland was beyond a doubt caused by the influx of
learned men from the Continent. In his researches Zimmer came upon this
passage:
Huni, qui
ex nephario concubitu progeniti sunt, scilicet demonum, postquam præheunte
caterva viam invenerunt per Meotides paludes, invaserunt Cothos quos nimium
terruerunt ex improviso monstro quod in illis erat. Et ab his depopulatio
totius imperii exordium sumpsit, quæ ab Unis et Guandelis, Gotis et Alanis
peracta est, sub quorum vastatione omnes sapientes cismarini fugam ceperunt, et
in transmarinis, videlicet in Hibernia, et quocunque se receperunt maximum
profectum sapientiæ incolis illarum regionum adhibuerunt.
The first part of this statement
relating to the Huns is taken from Jordanis, who wrote about A.D. 550, and
fixes approximately the date of the depopulation of the empire and the rush of
learned men into Ireland. We may assume that the migration had already
continued for a time before this account was written. The intercourse between
Ireland and the continent was certainly kept up.
Three centuries later we have this
testimony respecting the
Natio Scottorum quibus consuetudo
peregrinandi jam pæne in naturam conversa est.
Quid Hiberniam memorem, contempto
pelagi dis- crimine, pæne totam cum grege philosophorum ad littora nostra
migrantem ! (SPA., 1910, p. 1080).
Zimmer with great learning, breadth
of view, and mastery of detail builds upon these facts a history at once
picturesque and surprising.
Stated briefly his hypotheses amount
to this. The exodus from Gaul to Ireland (A.D. 419-507) was caused by the
Homoousian persecution. Aquitania and the modern Baskish territory suffered
like other parts, and Ireland was then the only haven of orthodoxy. Among the
refugees from that region was the fatuus
homunculus who was so called by his fellow-countryman the deacon Ennodius
(A.D. 473-521) but who called himself Virgilius
Maro, Grammaticus. He found an asylum with a native prince as was the
fashion for learned men in those days, settled, and taught grammar, nay more,
gained for himself fame, recognition, and a place among the native poets, being
in fact none other than Ferchertne fili.
The Auraicept bears abundant
evidence of the influence of two Latin authors, Isidore and Maro. The latter
Zimmer laboured to identify with Ferchertne
fili. It can be shown that the Auraicept lends no support to this proposed
identification. This Ferchertne fili
(CZ. iii. 13) is .described in the tract as a contemporary of Conchobar mac Nessa
(736), who, whatever reckoning be adopted, lived somewhere about the second
century (cf. A.u. 484). According to
this chronology, therefore, the identification of Ferchertne fili and Maro would place the latter at least a couple
of centuries before his known floruit.
Again the matter treated of by Ferchertne
fili the seven elements of speech in Irish, and the formation and powers of
Ogham letters does not correspond to anything in Maro’s pages. If it be proved
also that, while Isidore’s influence is felt chiefly in the earlier part of the
Auraicept, Maro’s influence is confined entirely to the later, Zimmer’s main
contention that Maro was Ferchertne fili
cannot succeed. Several centuries lay between the inception of the Auraicept
and its close. Maro’s tract had a profound influence on the Auraicept, but none
on its early stages. According to internal evidence Cenn Faelad wrote the part
ascribed to him about the middle or second half of the seventh century. That is
the superior limit. The inferior limit lies in the eleventh century, or perhaps
the tenth, and is determined generally by two facts (i) that the Auraicept is
found in two families of MSS., the variations in which postulate many
generations of scribes, and (2) the immense development which has taken place
in the tract itself as it has advanced from crude statements to a prosody which
is exceedingly complicated and difficult. But the argument does not rest
entirely on general considerations.
The second text (3382) quotes native
grammarians by name, Ua Bruic, Ua Coindi, Ua Coirill and Ua Finn
(3391). They are named by their surnames (each being the acknow ledged head of
his family), a usage that is not found earlier than the tenth century, one of
the earliest instances being that of Ua
Ruairc, A.u. 953. Ua Coirill
mentioned above may have been the professor of law and history, who died A.U.
1083. Hence the Auraicept was not completed before the middle of the tenth
century, perhaps not till towards the end of the eleventh, when Maro’s
influence is still in evidence.
Let us now look at some excerpts
from the works of
the two
Latin authors, Isidore and Maro.
ISIDORE OF SEVILLE, who died A.D. 636.
His Etymologiæ or Origines in
twenty books contain a vast amount of information of such a sort that one finds
it impossible to resist the conclusion that the compilers of the Auraicept had
this document before them. At least that Cenn Faelad and Isidore drew matter
from a common source is a certainty, for the facts (or alleged facts) and the
phraseology are the same.
If we keep in mind that Isidore died
the year before the battle of Moira, and that after that event Cenn Faelad
began and pursued his studies with such success that he was popularly supposed
to forget nothing (so one may interpret the words), and if we remember further
that there was a constant coming and going of learned men, and a steady
exchange of books between the continent and Ireland, there is no inherent
improbability in the supposition that Cenn Faelad assimilated some of his material
from the Origines published perhaps
some twenty years before. True, the name of Isidore does not occur in the
Auraicept, but no more does that of Eusebius from whom he probably made
extracts, nor that of Luccreth Mocu
Chiara (Ælteste irische Dichtung,
p. 51), from whose poem the passage about the seventy-two races (Aur. 215-227)
was certainly taken.
There being no difficulty as to date
or the omission of a name, full weight may be allowed to any other considerations
tending to connect the two authors. The following quotations from many books of
the Origines show how much the Auraicept was indebted to that source both in
general structure and in detail.
Some references demonstrate that the
Irish and Ireland were not unfamiliar to Isidore, at least as an author:
Horrent et
male tecti cum latratoribus linguis Scotti. Origg. xix. 23, 6.
Scotia idem
et Hibernia proximae Brittianiae insula, spatio terrarum angustior, sed situ
fecundior. Haec ab Africo in Boream porrigitur. Cujus partes priores Hiberiam
et Cantabricum Oceanum intendunt, unde et Hibernia dicta: Scotia autem, quod ab
Scotorum gentibus colitur, appellata. Origg. xiv. 6, 6.
Time, place, person, and cause of
writing (Aur. 63, 735, 1029), define the general plan and treatment of a
subject, and are usually found in the introduction to any serious work in
Irish.
Iam vero in
elocutionibus illud uti oportebit, ut res, locus, tempus, persona audientis
efflagitat
Origg. ii.
1 6, i.
The cradle
of letters was in Achaia, or by projection
of d from art., Dacia, or by early French
pronunciation, Asia.
Ubi fuit
Athenae civitas. Origg. xiv. 4, 10.
Apud
Eotenam (uel Athena) civitatem. Aur. 214.
Fuit autem
Isis regina Aegyptiorum, Inachis regis filia, quae de Graecia veniens Aegyptios
litteras docuit.
Origg.
viii. 1 1, 84.
These sentences show that, unless
the Biblical Accad was introduced from some other source, Achaia (251) was
probably the original reading; but the possibility that Achaia lay in Maeotidis Peludibus (CZ. x. 126) must
not be overlooked.
Namque
omnium ferocissumi ad hoc tempus Achaei atque Tauri sunt, quod, quantum
conjicio, locorum. egestate rapto vivere coacti. Glossae Juvenalis
(Sall. Fragmenta).
Authority, written authority, ugdaracht (131), perhaps includes the
following authors of whom, however, only two, Moses and Hieronymus (q.v.), are
mentioned by name:
Moyses,
Dares Phrygius, Herodotus, Pherecydes.
Vnde
Sallustius ex historia, Livius, Eusebius et Hieronymus ex annalibus et historia
constant.
Origg. i.
42; 44, 4.
What are the
names of the seventy-two races from which
the many
languages were learnt? (215, 263):
Gentes
autem a quibus divisa est terra, quindecim sunt de Japhet, triginta et una de
Cham, viginti et septem de Sem, quae fiunt septuaginta tres, vel
potius, ut
ratio declarat, septuaginta duae; totidemque linguae, quae per terras esse
coeperunt quaeque crescendo provincias et insulas impleverunt.
Origg. ix.
2, 2.
In definition a bias existed towards
the heptad or the octave, Aur. 639, 739.
De septem
liberalibus disciplinis. Grammatica dialectica, etc., Aur. 51. Origg. i. 2, I.
Occasionally individual words are
closely defined:
Materia
inde dicitur omne lignum quod ex ea aliquid efficiatur. Origg. xix. 19, 4. Fid,
Aur. 943, cf. later the use of adbar.
The importance of Hebrew is insisted
on:
Ilia lingua
quae ante diluvium omnium una fuit, quae Hebraea nuncupatur. Origg. xii. i, 2.
The Hebrew language was in the world
first and it will remain after doomsday (190).
Item
quaeritur qua lingua in futurum homines loquantur. Origg. ix. i, 13.
The following passage explains why
Gaelic was deemed a worldly speech (46), not being one of the three sacred
tongues in which was written the superscription on the cross (165).
Linguarum
diversitas exorta est in aedificatione turris post diluvium. Nam priusquam
superbia turris illius in diversos signorum sonoshumanam divideret societatem,
una omnium nationum lingua fuit, quae Hebraea vocatur. Initio autem quot
gentes, tot linguae fuerunt, deinde plures gentes. Tres sunt autem linguae
sacrae: Hebraea, Graeca, Latina quae toto orbe maxime excellunt. His enim
tribus linguis super crucem Domini a Pilato fuit causa eius scripta. Origg. ix.
i, 1-3.
The early Irish rhythmical
alliterative poetry, e.g.
arnin
arding [d]éd,
forsail for
fot fedair,
dinin
disail for gair gabhaidh (1546),
extending
up to and running into the eighth century, might almost be defined by the
words:
Huic
adhaeret rythmus, qui non est certo fine moderatus, sed tamen rationabiliter
ordinatis pedibus currit; qui Latine nihil aliud quam numerus dicitur.
Origg. i.
39, 3.
A verse of dithyramb or metrical
rhythm is to be measured by a breath of the poet, five words to each breath
(930).
Periodos
autem longior esse non debet quam ut uno spiritu proferatur. Origg. ii. 18, 2.
Grammatical questions as to gender
and comparison of adjectives find a like expression in Latin and Gaelic:
Neutrum
dictum quia nee hoc nee illud, id est nec masculinum nee femininum. Origg. i.
7, 28; Aur. 614.
Octo autem modis conparatio analogiae
colligitur: id est qualitate, conparatione, genere, numero, figura, casu,
extremitatibus similium syllabarum, et similitudine temporum. Origg. i. 28, I;
Aur. 639.
Non est maius nisi ad minus referatur. Sic et
parvum opponitur magno ita ut ipsud parvum ad magnum, cui opponitur, sit
parvum. Origg. ii. 31, 4, 5; Aur. 676.
Inde Ponticus sinus amplissimus a tergo
Maeotidis paludibus; quod mare ex multitudine fluminum dulcius quam cetera.
Sallust, quoted by Priscian Macrobius, Servius, and Origg. xiii. 16, 4.
in dulci aqua xii.6, 56; sive salsae sint sive
dulces.
Artificial etymologies carry their
influence into the Gaelic text; vir is derived from vīres, mulier from
mollifies, fēmina from femur:
Vir
nuncupatus, quia maior in eo vis est quam in feminis. Origg. xi. 2, 17; Aur.
605.
Mulier vero
a mollitie, tanquam mollier, detracta littera vel mutata, appellata est mulier.
Origg. xi. 2, 18; cf. femina de
flescda no maithchnechas, Aur. 610.
Femora
dicta sunt, quod ea parte a femina sexus viri discrepet. Sunt autem ab
inguinibus usque ad genua. Femina autem per derivationem femorum partes sunt,
quibus in equitando tergis equorum adhaeremus. Origg. xi. i, 106.
Femina vero
a partibus femorum dicta ubi sexus species a viro distinguitur. Origg. xi. 2,
24; Aur. 608.
Consonants, semi-vowels, and mutes
are treated similarly in the Gaelic and the Latin texts:
Et vocatae
consonantes quia per se non sonant sed iunctis vocalibus consonant. Haec in
duabus partibus dividuntur: in semivocalibus et in mutis. Semivocales dictas
eo, quod quiddam semis de vocalibus habeant.
Mutae autem
dictae quia nisi subiectis sibi vocalibus nequaquam erumpunt. Origg. i. 4, 3,
4; cf. Aur. 358 et seq.; 367 et seq.; 468
et seq.
Vnde et
legitimae nominantur ilia ratione, scilicet vel quod ab E vocali incipiunt et
in mutum sonum desinunt, ut sunt consonantes, vel quod a suo sono incipiunt et
in vocalem E desinunt ut sunt mutae.
Origg. i.
4, 10; Aur. 488.
The active and the passive of verbs:
Etargaire
persainni i ngnim (651); i cessadh (653).
In persona
verbi agentis et patientis significatio est.
Origg. i.
9, 1.
The Origines contain well-known
quotations (and the above may be of this sort):
Litterae
autem dictae quasi legiterae, quod iter legentibus praestent, vel quod in
legendo iterentur.
Origg. i.
3, 3; Aur. 360.
Some quotations are hard to find
elsewhere:
Nam unum
semen numeri esse, non numerum. Origg. iii. 3, i; Aur. 688.
It is not time that is divided but
our actions (93).
Nam tempus
per se non intellegitur, nisi per actus humanos. Origg. v. 31, 9.
These references I have not found.
Aur. 464, 517, 728.
The foregoing quotations are found
in the portion of the Auraicept attributed to Cenn Faelad. They occur not only
in commentary but often in the structure of the composition. Hence the
conclusion that Cenn Faelad had before him the Origines or a document based
thereon, and closely resembling it, is amply justified. The use of the Origines is continued in the Gaelic
text, after the portion attributed to Cenn Faelad ends. In the latter part of
the book occur also some few suggestions of Ogham.
What is known as nihilus, Aur. 970, 8, is thus explained:
V quoque littera proinde interdum nihil est,
quia alicubi nee vocalis nee consonans est, ut quis. Vocalis enim non est quia
I sequitur; consonans non est quia Q praecedit. Ideoque quando nec vocalis, nec
consonans est, sine dubio nihil est. - Origg. i. 4, 8.
A
citation common in the grammarians is:
Nisi enim nomen scieris, cognitio rerum perit.
- Origg. i. 7, i; Aur. 1099.
A quotation not seen by me
elsewhere:
Lapis autem
dictus quod laedat pedem. Origg. xvi. 3, i; Aur. 3396.
Occasionally the Latin helps to
decide the reading of the Gaelic text:
Incorporalia,
quia carent corpus; unde nec videri nec tangi possunt, ut veritas, iusticia.
Origg. i. 7, 4; cf. Aur. 3238.
Occasionally the Gaelic is a running
commentary on the Latin:
Perspicuae voces sunt quae longius
protrahuntur ita ut omnem inpleant continue locum, sicut clangor tubarum
(stocaireacht no cornaireacht, Aur. 1477). Subtiles voces (cronan no certan
bee, 1474) sunt, quibus non est spiritus, qualis est infantium vel mulierum vel
aegrotantium, sicut in nervis (intan is cruit, 1484). Quae enim subtilissimae
cordae sunt, subtiles ac tenues sonos emittunt (intan as bindi is tuiu / is
isliu ata na a n-aill, 1484). Pingues sunt voces, quando spiritus multus simul
egreditur, sicut virorum (mod -i- mo od -i- od ceol intan is mascul 1470).
Acuta vox tenuis, alta, sicut in cordis videmus (traethait na ciulu isli na
ciuil arda 1477). Dura vox est, quae violenter emittit sonos sicut tonitruum,
sicut incudis sonos, quotiens in durum malleus percuititur ferum (intan is
torand no is crand 1479, tourand no caint 4575).
Caeca vox est, quae, mox emissa
fuerit, conticescit, atque suffocata nequaquam longius producitur, sicut est in
fictilibus (tae a ed intan is fod 1479, fouta 4578). Origg. iii. 20, 10-13.
Occasionally the Latin determines
the interpretation of the Gaelic, the latter being an almost literal
translation of the former:
Superflui sunt, quorum partes simul
ductae plenitudinem excedunt, ut puta duodenarius. Habet enim partes quinque:
duodecimam, quod est unum; sextam, quod duo; quartam, quod tria; tertiam, quod
quattuor; dimidiam, quod sex. Vnum enim et duo, et tria, et quattuor, et sex
simul ducta xvi faciunt et longe a duodenario excedunt. ...
Perfectus
numerus est, qui suis partibus adinpletur, ut senarius; habet enim tres partes,
sextam, tertiam, dimidiam: sexta eius unum est, tertia duo, dimidia tres. Haec
partes in summam ductae, id est unum et duo et tria simul eundem consummant
perficiuntque senarium. Origg. iii. 5, 9-11; Aur. 1443-1453.
Occasionally the Gaelic gives merely
the gist of the Latin:
Primum enim diem a Sole
appellaverunt, qui princeps est omnium siderum, sicut et idem dies caput est
cunctorum dierum. Secundum a Luna, quae Soli et splendore et magnitudine
proxima est, et ex eo mutuat lumen. Tertium ab Stella Martis quae Vesper
vocatur. Quartum ab Stella Mercurii, quam quidam candidum circulum dicunt.
Quintum ab stella lovis, quam Phaethontem aiunt. Sextum a Veneris stella, quam
Luciferum asserunt, quae inter omnia sidera plus lucis habet. Septimus ab
stella Saturni, quae sexto caelo locata triginta annis fertur explere cursum
suum. Origg. v. 30, 5-7; Aur. 3531-9.
Titles of chapters or sections in
the Origines appear as names of Ogham:
De homine xi. I. daenogam
5709.
De avibus xii. 7. enogam
5692.
Oppida nobilia xv. I, 6. dinnogam
5687.
De aedificiis sacris xv. 4. ceallogam 5702.
De navibus xix.I,1 ogam
n-eathrach 6132.
De instrumentis rusticis xx.14. ogam tírda 5724.
De coloribus xix. 17 dathogam
5697.
Bible names suffer change in passing
into the Gaelic text through the Latin transliteration:
Nebuchadnezzar,
Nabuchodonosar, Origg v. 39, 18; Nabgodon, Aur. 127.
Nimrod,
Nembroth, Origg. vii. 6, 22; Neamruad, Aur. 112.
Noah, Noe,
Origg. vii. 6, 15; Noe, Aur. 107.
Secrecy the avowed purpose of Ogham
is outlined in a simple code similar to that which finds expression in Aur.
6011.
Caesar
quoque Augustus ad filium, "quoniam," inquit, "innumerabilia
accidunt assidue quae scribi alterutro oporteat et esse secreta, habeamus inter
nos notas si vis tales ut, cum aliquid notis scribendum erit, pro unaquaque
littera scribamus sequentem hoc modo pro a b, pro b c, et deinceps eadem
ratione ceteras; pro z autem redeundum erit ad duplex a a. "Quidam etiam
versis verbis scribunt. Origg. i. 25, 2.
This reference I have not found:
Aur. 3244-8, but cf. Maro 24, 10-24.
II VIRGILIUS MARO, GRAMMATICUS
The editor, Huemer, in his Praefatio, p. xi., after giving a list
of blunders common to all the MSS. of Maro, concludes:
Atque
archetypum illud litteris scotticis scriptum
fuerit
necesse est, cum a et u,
c et t, r et s, s et
f, p et f, saepe permutatae videntur.
The conclusion is irresistible.
Whether the scribe was himself perpetrating these blunders, or, as his editor
thinks, merely copying them from others, the sources of Maro, as we know him,
are Irish.
Meyer, in two lists (SPA July,
December 1912), gives, from Maro’s tract, a selection of forty-two names, which
he considers to be of Celtic origin. They are as follows:
Aemerius p. (22). Lato-mius
(123).
Andrianus (173). Lugenicus
(162).
Area rex (15). Mart-ulis
(92).
Asp-orius (5). Mitterius
(114).
Assianus (173). Ninus (119).
Bi-entius (137). Oss-ius
(163).
Breg-andus (162). Perrichius
(163).
Don (15, 30). Plastus
(151).
Fassica f. (123). Prass-ius
(61).
Gabr-itius (126). Regulus (?)
(133).
Galb-arius (163). Rigas f.
Rigadis (122).
Galb-ungus(10,122,133). Rithea Nini regis uxor (119).
Gal-irius (146). Sagillius
Germanus (17).
Gall-ienus (129). Samm-inius,
Virgil’s uncle (28).
Gelb-idius (36). Sarbon
(122).
Gerg-esus (15). Sarr-icius
(123).
Glengus(i22, 133). Saur-inus
(28).
Gurg-ilius (173). Sedulus
(138, 139).
luu-anus (54). Senenus
(138).
Lap-idus (19). Sulpita
(24).
Lassius (107). Ursinus
(90).
Further examination may shorten the
list without seriously disturbing the contention that if Maro had no connection
with Ireland, his circle of Irish friends was unaccountably large.
Sua
apte (i 16, 1 1;
81, 4) has been recognised as an Irish-Latin hybrid, su-apte, which later came into common use in Irish Latin.
There is a sprinkling of the loci communes of Latin Grammar, e.g.
Maro denies that Latinitas is derived
from Latinus, preferring latitudo, p. 5, 6: Aur. 355.
litera ab ipsis etiam cerae
caracteribus usque ad quassorum compossitionem hosce ordines directat, p. 7,
10; Aur. 1756.
syllabae monades senas literas
transcendere non debent ut scrobs,
Maro, p. 1 1, 7; Aur. 1229.
Grama est litteraturae peruidatio,
quae quasi quaedam totius lectionis semitula est unde et a peritis litera
interpretatur legitera quod est legendi itinerarium. Maro, p. 19, ii: Aur.
1758.
A certain resemblance is discernible
between Maro, 24, 10-23, and Aur. 3244, and between
Nec aperte masculinum nec absolute
dicitur esse feminum. Maro, 31, 13; Aur. 614.
verbum est omne quod lingua
profertur et voce. Maro, 88, 6, and Aur. 1924.
The device scinderatio fonormn, Maro declares (p. 76, 7), was resorted to in
order to sharpen the wits, to adorn expression, and:
tertia (causa) ne mystica quaeque,
et quae solis gnaris
pandi
debent, passim ab infimis ac stultis facile
repperiantur.
The same reason, here called tertia, is alleged for the invention of
Ogham:
Co mbeth in bescna-sa ic lucht in
eolais fo leth, sech lucht na tirdachta 7 na buicnechta, Aur. 5472.
One device consisted in breaking up
a sentence into groups of letters, e.g.
RRR. SS. PP. MM. NT. EE. OO. A.V.I.,
i.e., spes Romanorum perit. Maro, 77, 12; cf.
Aur. 3501-3.
Also, words may be broken up into
syllables, and these again may be strewn about in the jingle of a so-called
sentence, e.g.
sicut Lucanus edidit; ge. ves. ro.
trum. quando. tum.
a. fec. om.
ni. libet aeuo, which is thus explained, quandolibet vestrum gero omni aeuo
affectum.
Maro, 77,
6.
Or in single words, e.g. nodo
for dono, nesi for sine, germen for regnum, Maro 78, 28. This process appears in Irish as delidin sillabacda, Aur. 5312.
Amans
may be transformed into manas (Maro,
79, 4), heri into hrei, is into si (78, 31); atat into tata (79, 10), a process which is called delitin litterda, metathesis of letters, Aur. 5308.
A meaningless syllable or disyllabic
may be introduced into a word, e.g. naviga-be-re for navigare, b-u-onum for bonum (Maro, 78, 17); forti-osi-ter for fortiter, compt-os-e for compte (Maro, p. 70, 6). A meaningless
disyllable so introduced into Gaelic is called condall, Aur. 5317.
The unstressed syllable following an
accented syllable is sometimes dropped, e.g.
rogassem, rogasse for rogauissem, rogauisse; rogarunt, rogarit
for rogauerunt, rogauerit (Maro, 78,
10). In Gaelic poetry this is called cotut,
Aur. 5287.
Still more does the influence of
Maro emerge in the Trefhocul.
The name Trefhocul bears a
resemblance to the heading of the chapter De
trimodo dicendi genere, Orig. ii. 17 which may have suggested it. Similarly
the twelve items composing the Trefhocul might have been originally suggested
by the duodecim latinitates of Maro,
p. 88, 22, e.g.
VI.
lumbrosa, hoc est perlonga, cum pro uno usitato totus uersus scribitur, with
perlonga, cf. (can) rofota, Aur.
5060; and for the matter, cf. Aur.
5943 where each letter besides being written is spelt.
VII.
sincolla, hoc est perbreuis, uersa uice cum totus uersus usitatus in uno
continetur fono. With perbreuis, cf.
(can) rogair, Aur. 5059, and for the matter, cf. Aur. 1326.
VIII.
belsauia, hoc est peruersa, cum casus nominum modusque uerborum transmutat.
With peruersa, cf. (can) chlóen. -
Aur. 5057, 5086.
XI. spela,
hoc est humillima, quae semper res terrenas loquitur, with humillima, cf. a irisel, used of an
appended
syllable, a. Aur. 5079, 5346.
XII.
polema, hoc est superna quae de superioribus tractat. With superna, cf. a irard, an appended syllable, aib - Aur. 5078, 5341.
II. Assena,
hoc est notaria, quae una tantum littera pro toto sono contenta est, cf. Q for ceirt, Aur. 5816, and R for
Ruis 5820.
These coincidences are too numerous
to be accidental. Omitting other lesser similarities, to lay stress on which
might be regarded as fanciful, we come to the solid ground of quotation.
(Hereon Zimmer, not having the whole tract before him, could find no footing.)
V.
metrofia, hoc est intellectualis, ut dictantabat, id est principium; sade, id
est iustitia; gno utilitas; bora, hoc est fortitude; ter hoc est dualitas
coniugalis; rfoph, hoc est ueneratio; brops, hoc est pietas; rihph, hoc est
hilaritas; gal, hoc est regnum; fkal, hoc est religio; clitps, hoc est nobilitas;
mymos, dignitas; fann, hoc est recognitio; ulio, hoc est honor; gabpal, hoc est
obsequium; blaqth, hoc est lux solis; mere hoc est pluuia; pal, dies et nox;
gatrb, hoc est pax; biun, hoc est aqua et ignis; spax, longeuitas.
With the exception of y and z, which may have been added from another source, the explanation
following hoc est, id est, is in each
case identical with that given in Aur. 4211-
4223.
Perhaps more important than all is
the following:
De h autem hoc dicendum est, quod semper inspirat,
nunc ad fortitudinem, nunc ad motationem tantum. Nam cum semiuocalem
praecesserit f, solum sonum pariter
motabunt ut hfascon et faciunt f pro hf, si uero mutam c uel t uel p, suum sonum non amittit ut hcorda, htronus, hpalanx, Maro, p. 10,
9-14.
This passage throws light on Aur.
432, 1264-1279. Bogad there means
aspiration (and apparently on finals) ut
cloch, both. It has also another meaning, fortitudo, influenced by Ogham usage, where B + H = P, thus
supplying the P which is non-existent in pure Gaelic. Semigud again, means lenition and apparently on initials, but on
this point the examples are inconclusive (cf.
beith mo hsuidhe CZ. x. 266). Here the aspirating H precedes the consonant it
aspirates, and thus Maro and the Auraicept are at one.
The warrantable conclusions to be
drawn from the facts are few but very important. Bigerro sermone clefabo (Maro 8, 13) "in the speech of
Bigorre," which Zimmer presses to show that Maro was a native of that
district, though in the tenth century he is called Tolosanus, proves merely that Maro was more or less conversant with
Baskish. He was acquainted with viro
athensi, a man belonging to the town of Ate south of Limoges (Maro 141,
28). He mentions a Sibylla Carginiensis, belonging to the town of
Carca, in the Department of the Iberian Bastitani (p.48, 25), and he knew a
great number of Irishmen. Except perhaps in the passage last quoted in which h ad
fortitudinem may be compared with b
cum aspiratione pro p ponitur
(432, 2879), no connection is traceable between him and Ferchertne fili, whose work belongs to a much earlier period than
the Tréfhocul. The influence of Maro’s book on Irish grammar is confined to the
Tréfhocul, the last stage of the growth of prosody. The Auraicept proper, of
which Ferchertne fili was one of the
authors, or one under whose name ancient material was incorporated, shows no
trace of Maro’s influence.
Interesting questions arise in the
text itself, some of which need only be mentioned, e.g.:
The so-called mutes l, n, r, pronounced el, en, er in Latin, le, ne,
re in Gaelic (490, 511, 2981).
The frequent absence of aspiration,
or aspiration by omission, of f and s,
ni aimser fota 1576, æ
aiges (408,9).
The confusion owing to the distance
of the gloss from its text; e.g.,
1515 is glossed at 1637, 1533-5 at 1675, 1577 at 1686, 1579 at 1687, 1591 at
1692, 1609-14 at 1695.
The tendency of words and phrases
like alt co fesear (827, 1686), and fogní (1336, 1871) to become technical
terms.
The French pronunciation of Latin,
sirqundimus (4125), sircuim (4132), sircumplex (4784), siicuitas (2531),
resulting in important changes in Gaelic, isinn Asia (2571) for isind Achaidh
(251).
The rhymes, some apparently without
sense (806), some without metre (1546), and some in metre but obscured by
glosses (253, 4360, 5932).
The etymological reconstructions:-
co-fid for cubaid (1512),
ciallabair for ceileabar (1594),
fegait for fichit (4735), for
fégait, sedhait (4737),
segait (4739),
co, hógfégad for cóic (1637),
ré huamma for réim (1638),
so-fis for seis (479),
æ gnithi for aicned (501),
suad for uad (495),
conod miait (508) for conid muiti (495),
dorrae for trá (573), smitai, smit ai ( = aue)
for smita (4649).
The constant modernising of the
text:-
ceithri gne
(872), ceitheora gnee (3747),
moosom for
moam (658),
lugusom for lugam (659),
cinntechsom,
cinntichu son (1258) for cinntechem
(4368).
Syllable, the ultimate element of
everything in Gaelic except gender (1457). Number, case, person, degree, tense,
mood, are indicated by syllables, whereas there is no distinction of gender
indicated in spelling; and mod, tod,
traeth, secundum, quosdam is aurlond
(1496) or leading word that indicates gender.
The ascription of the same poem to
Colum Cille (938), and to Cormac (1596, 3867, 5351).
The repetition of the same passages
1487, 1502; cf. 2616, 2622, shows
that the present text is made up from at least two versions which sometimes
contained the same material in different order. Hence no doubt comes the
disjointed character of many passages.
The following terms, however, are of
importance in order to understand the text:
The word inrocomraircnigsiomairne gives the key to the plan of inflection
called filltigthi, prepositional
cases (1515). These eight syllables are held to form one word. According to our
present grammatical methods the basis or unity is the compound word of five
syllables comroircnigsemmar. It is
preceded by a relative pronoun an-
and by an enclitic or pre-verb –ro-,
and it is followed by an emphasising pro nominal suffix -ni. But the native Irish grammarians regarded all these syllables
as parts of one word, and the scribes wrote the whole as one word. In their
opinion proclitics were not separate words, but rather filltigthi, inflections, of the accented word. Accordingly, they
wrote frissinfer as one word, an
inflected form of fer, and gave it a
distinct technical name. This also explains how is fer (1529) comes into the scheme. Is was an unstressed proclitic, and as such was treated as part of
the word following. They did not observe that is fer, a thúarascbáil, had already been dealt
with under the head of fer,a ainmniugud; nor did they recognise
identity of case and inflection in the words which they wrote
lafer, frissinfer; fofiur, iarfiur (1525).
Classification of prepositions, or
any explanation of infixed pronouns (653) was thus rendered unnecessary.
Another flexion is réim, which later means oblique case
(786). Of this flexion there are three kinds outward, inward, and both combined:
outward ut est, fer. There is no
flexion in the word as it stands in the nom., but there may be flexion in the
context, e.g., in the accus., lasin (bf)fer; fir is an inward flexion of fer; and in fer is capable of both, e.g.,
dond fuir.
Tæbreim
prosta -i- fadéin (795) is the
side-flexion, i.e., the external flexion of mé,
tú, etc.
Tréfhocul
rhymes with glé-accur (2179), and
hence has ē and f. It means "three words"
(2018), "and the knowledge of its secret," i.e., probably how it came
to be so named, "is very hard," considering that "already
thirty-six words have been found comprised under its species in, Irish"
(2021). Tréfhocul came to mean a
collection of precepts for the correction of incorrect versification. For each
of the twelve technical faults (anocht),
there were two correctives, each having its technical name, one belonging to
the class called sciáth, the other to
that called gnúis. Thus the whole
system of correct versification would have been comprised under a set of
mnemonics, each mnemonic consisting of three heads, the name of the fault and
the name of its two correctives in short, it was a three-word scheme, and
accurately named Tréfhocul. The
original scheme of two correctives for each error is commended (2010-3), and
still adhered to in rudrach (2047), and in uathad
fri hilar (2057). But later refinements led to overlapping in the
application of the correctives. Hence we find in the poem that a particular
fault may be corrected or avoided by having recourse to more than one device of
each class, sciáth or gnúis.
We read that the 24 helps are
increased to 47 (2126). The first list (2035-2071) totals 48, not 47; the
second list (2083-2118) totals 51; the third list (2131-2176) totals 48. The
discrepancies may be purely scribal, and due to a mis reading of the Roman
numerals, e.g., iii. read as iv., ii.
as v., a constant source of error.
What is the difference between the
two kinds of corrective? It will be found that all those called scéith, except lugugud, the addition of a diminutive suffix, are purely artificial
distortions of the words; whereas those called gnúisi, except cennfochrus
túis, airichill, dechned, and díchned,
are in accordance with strict grammatical usage: e.g., the use metri causa
of sofer instead of fer (sóerugud);
dofer instead of fer (dóerugud); the addition of two proclitic
syllables (lorga fuach), or of one
syllable (dialt n-etarléme); the use
of isse, issí, issed (urlonn insce), where they might be
omitted, e.g.
issí ind
ala gnúis deg dil,
urlonn
insci ria hairim,
(where issí completes the number of syllables
required but might be dispensed with, if the number were complete without it);
the use of singular for plural (óen),
e.g.
creid uaim
fein, is fíor mo rann,
" my
quatrain," meaning (all the quatrains of) " my poem "; the use
of plural for singular (lán), e.g.
meni
fhuilet (2198) = meni fuil.
There must be some distinction of
ideas in the two terms. The gnúisi
are or were originally the natural devices, and the scéith the artificial devices for avoiding metrical faults, and
perhaps the words were adopted on that principle, gnuis being the natural part of the man on the outlook to ward off
an enemy, scíath the artificial
implement for the same purpose.
A similar touch of imagination
emerges in regarding head and heart as being supports of man, the male being
(1808, 4994), and the further refinements of lánomna and their gene,
mated pairs and their progeny. In the original notion doubtless the distinction
was based on gender, but that fact was forgotten, and among the examples are lánomna deime (4999), mated couples (mas. and fern, in grammar), belonging
to dem (a thing which is neuter in nature). This usage is even extended to
quantity, which is still more remote from the original idea of gender.
The same tendency to personification
appears in the suggested distinction among forcomét,frecomét, and degcomét (1818); forcomét,
defensive armour, as kneecap on knee; frecomét,
armament of offence, as knuckles; and degcomét,
that which protects by supplying life and vigour.
OGHAM.
Ogham alphabet was not of Irish
origin (388, 2771).
"Vielleicht,"
says Zimmer, "schon dem 2. Jahrhundert n. Chr. ist der Verkehr des
keltisch-römischen Westgalliens mit seiner alten Kolonie, dem keltischen
Irland, die Einführung des Ogamalphabets in Irland und die Sitte, dem
Dahingeschiedenen aufrechtstehende Steinpfeiler zu errichten,
zuzuschreiben" (SPA., 8th Dec. 1910, p. 1096).
According to MacNeill (p. 335) the
origin of the Ogham alphabet must be placed after the Roman conquest of Gaul,
because prior thereto the Western Celts of the continent used the Greek
alphabet, and Ogham is based on the Latin alphabet.
In our knowledge of written Gaelic,
Ogham inscription bounds the horizon, and the identity in value of the Ogham
symbols with later MS. tradition is clear, with a few exceptions.
B Group.
Oghamists
are agreed that F, the third letter of the group, must be read as V in
inscriptions.
H Group.
In the Kilkenny Arch. Journal, July 1874, P. 231, Mr G. M. Atkinson suggested that
this group is named after the first five Gaelic numerals, haon, do, tri, ceathar, cuig. This suggestion, without touching on
the origin of H, is open to the objection that óen in O.I. is used only in composition with a substantive; but in
the meantime it furnishes a useful mnemonic, and, as it stands, it indicates a
possible connection between this group and numerosa,
No. IV. of the duodecim latinitates of Maro, p. 89,9.
The difficulty is with regard to H,
the first letter of the group. According to Maro H has two powers, ad motationem and ad fortitudinem, distinctions which correspond to the values in the
text: (1) H non est litera sed nota aspirationis (767), and (2) B cum aspiratione pro p ponitur (433).
There is no demonstrated instance of
H occurring in any of the Ogham inscriptions, and the sign may have originally
been devised to represent a consonant value which became rare or obsolete
before the time of the extant inscriptions; and the first value of H was
attracted to, and became identified with, the symbol when the letter became
familiar through Latin sources.
An endeavour is here made to
establish the second or Ogham value of H from the following considerations.
A stop sibilant existed in Gaelic (cf. Ped. Gr. §51), corresponding to Gaulish
Ð, which is sometimes written S, e.g.,
Lat. i-uuenc-us, Ir. ó-ac, Cym. ieu-anc; also without c, Ir. óa,
Cym. ieu. The sibilant representing ị appears also in Ir. as s-ó, s-óu,
s-ó-om. That this sound is
represented by Ogham H is rendered probable by the occurrence of the form ihuinnéis, Lat. juvenes, Ériu, viii. 5.
But this sibilant sound is also
written d, e.g., Tadg = Tasg-os, and probably r, e.g., do-bidc =
-dibirc (cf. Brér Garad for Brég
Garad g.s. of Bri Garad). This value following B would give the Ogham B + H =
P.
Again the three Ogham accents are
represented in the text by the letters d,
s, n, (4800). At lines 430, 2877, however, are found the three supplementa written h, s, n, except that at line 2878 for s =forsail is written the
Latin sign of length (T has a sign that may be meant for s), and a particular sign is substituted for n. This leaves a probability that here H has the same value as D.
Teora
fuillti ind Uraicepto (430, 2877) seem to be the three supplementa (cf. Origg.
i. 3, 6), not of the Ogham but of the Auraicept, that is, they are additions
made to the Ogham orthographic system by the grammarians of the MS. tradition.
If this limitation be correct, examples of supplementa
need hardly be looked for in the ancient Oghams. No opinion on this point is
obtainable from modern Oghamists; for the word forbaid is hardly known, and Oghamists have hitherto ignored it.
The word, however, occurs with definitions and examples in the Book of
Ferchertne (810, 3633) one of the oldest parts of the text, and some of its
provisions are exemplified, e.g., n (of cenn) is not doubled in Ogham
(439) e.g. QENVENDANI, Πεννο-ονινδος
(Ped. Gr. §357). On the other hand a
large number of inscriptions contain double letters. While some of these, dd and s, may perhaps be accents as indicated in the Auraicept, others
like cc (1358, 1825) and 11 (4788) obviously are not. Rhys
Pedersen (Gr. §4), and others incline to think them signs of lenition.
M Group.
The fact that the third symbol has
the effect of two letters ng proves
nothing as to that combination (4925).
In Ogham inscriptions the letters,
if they belong to different syllables, are written separately, Ir. Ep. i. 49.
The fourth symbol is said to
represent sr or str, and the examples Stru 247, 2562, Streulæ 5690, Strannan 5795,
seem sufficient to establish that sound. The other examples point to a rare or
obsolete sound like English z, e.g.,
stmolach 5695, sreghuindeacht 5801, siist 5727, srorca 5700.
No authenticated instance of this
symbol has been found in inscriptions.
A Group.
The simple vowels have the same
order and value as in Latin.
In epigraphy no distinction of long
and short vowels has hitherto been observed.
Ea or
Diphthong Group.
The first and the last symbols ea and ae are interchanged.
The doubling of each letter in the
explanatory script (1143) shows that the symbols stand for long vowels as well
as diphthongs. Examples are given of ē
and ō (2873), of ē and e (1285).
The symbol for ī (1369) is also used for p
(Ir. Ep. ii. 83; cf. MacNeill, p.
335,6) and for medial y.
The symbol for æ (1365,70) is also used for x,
which is regarded as a double c [c inversed]c [looks like a hand-written x such as 
].
Prof. MacAlister (Ir. Ep. ii. 144-8) has called attention
to an excellent example perhaps two of Nathair im Ceann (5821). Owing to his
axiom that the Oghams were not Cryptograms (Ir.
Ep. i. 66), he is unwilling to allow that the B and H groups were
consciously interchanged (ii. 26, 140). But this interchange is contemplated
(Aur. p. 306, 42), and since the study of the Oghams was elementary work prescribed
for junior students, the wonder is perhaps that so many of the epigraphs are in
regular Ogham.
[here ends Calder’s introduction]
***************************************
AURAICEPT
BB. 314
α 16 E. 19
β 14
THE PRIMER
Incipit
Primer of the Poets, that is, eraicept,
beginning of lessons, for every beginning is er. To what is this a beginning? Not hard. To the selection that
was selected in Gaelic since this is the beginning which was invented by Fenius
after the coming of the school with the languages from abroad, every obscure
sound that existed in every speech and in every language was put into Gaelic so
that for this reason it is more comprehensive than any language. Er then is every beginning, for this was
the beginning with the poets, that every obscure sound should come in the
beginning, to wit, the Beithe Luis of the Ogham on account of obscurity.
Query, what
is the reason why select language should be said of Gaelic? Not hard. Because
it was selected from every language; and for every obscure sound of every
language a place was found in Gaelic owing to its comprehensiveness beyond
every speech. Query, then, did not Gaelic exist before it was selected ? It did
indeed, for the seventy-two languages are not found other wise. Query, in what
land was Gaedel born ? Not hard. In Egypt. And what particular place? Not hard.
In the plain of Ucca in the South-Western division of Egypt. Who of the school
went to it thither? Not hard. Gaedel son of Ether, son of Toe, son of Baracham,
a Scythian Greek. Query, how much did he bring of it? Not hard. The whole of it
except what poets added by way of obscuration after it had reached Fenius.
BB. 314 β
8 AURAICEPT E. 19 β 33
Query, what
language of the seventy-two was published by Fenius first? Not hard. The Irish
Language... for it is he whom he preferred of his school, and whom he had
reared from his youth, and it is he that was the youngest of the school, and on
account of its comprehensiveness beyond every speech, and it was the first
language that was brought from the Tower. Fenius had Hebrew, Greek, and Latin
before he came from Scythia, and he had no need to establish them at the Tower,
wherefore on that account it was published first. Query, was there not among
the many languages something nobler to take precedence of Gaelic ? Not hard. No
indeed, on account of its aptness, lightness, smoothness, and comprehensive
ness. Wherefore is it-more comprehensive than any speech? Not hard. Because it
was the first speech that was brought from the Tower, it was of such extent
that it was more comprehensive than any speech so that it was the one to be
published at first. What are the place, time, person, and cause of Gaelic? Not
hard. Its place, the Tower of Nimrod, for there it was invented at first. Its
time the time of building the Tower by Adam’s children. Its person Sachab son
of Rochemhurcos and Gaedel son of Ether, son of Toe, son of Baracham, a Scythian
Greek. What is its cause? Not hard. The building of Nimrod’s Tower. Others say
the cause was that Gaedel went into the land in which he was born so that he
was the first that wrote it on tablets and stones in the particular place which
is named Calcanensis. There Gaedel wrote Gaelic. Wherefore is worldly speech
said of Gaelic, since it is not referred to by the learned sages? Not hard. On
account of what it relates of worldly questions and cases both of laity and
clergy. Wherefore is it said that he who reads Gaelic is rude before God ? Not
to it is reference
6 BB. 315
α 8 AURAICEPT E. 20 α 6
made here
at all, but to the whole of philosophy, both grammar, dialectic, and metrics;
as the poet said:
Learning
and philosophy are vain,
Reading, grammar
and gloss,
Diligent
literature and metrics,
Small their
avail in heaven above.
Query, is
Gaelic not philosophy ? Not hard. (No) indeed save that which minor authors
towards the end of the world make as a means for distinguishing themselves
beyond the former authors: or this is what are worldly speech and vain
philosophy, viz., the heresy and the unbelief which any one has shown against
the truth, divine and human, and that is the meaning of ‘rude before God’.
What are the place, time, person,
and cause of writing the Primer? Not one place have the four books, as the poet
says: What is first is last what is last is first, to wit, what is first
according to book order was invented last; to wit, the book of Cennfaeladh, son
of Oilill. As regards place, time, person, and cause of writing that book of
Cennfaeladh: its place Derry Luran, its time the time of Domnall, son of Aed,
son of Ainmire. Its person Cennfaeladh son of Oilill; cause of writing it, that
his brain of oblivion was dashed out of Cennfaeladh’s head in the battle of
Moira. Four glorious events of that battle: Rout of Conghal in his lie before
Domnall in his truth; and Suibne in madness, but it is owing to the quantity of
poems he had made; the Scotsman bearing the Irish man along with him over sea
without being noticed, Dubh Diadh was his name; and his brain of oblivion being
dashed out of Cennfaeladh’s head, owing to the extent of poetry, words, and
reading that he amassed.
Now
the authors of the Gael say: Why did he say that the authors who were before him ‘say’ ? since
BB. 315
α 39 AURAICEPT E. 20 α 29
it is
Cennfaeladh that invented this book, viz., the Prologue of the Primer. And the
authors of the Gael, that was Fenius Farsaidh, and Iar of the many languages,
son of Nema. Not hard [2nd Ans.]. Owing to the nobility of the time he said it,
that is, the present time, for he puts the present time for all times: ut dixit: Praesens tempus pro omnibus temporibus ponitur, i.e., the present
time is put for all times. How is that ? since he says of the one word in which
are two syllables, that they are not spoken at one time, ut dicitur, lego, I read, quando
dicis le-futurum est-go [quando
dicis-go] praeteritum est le-i.e., when you say the first
syllable, the last syllable is future to you, and [when you say the last] the
first syllable is preterite to you. That is natural as the Latinist said: Tempus non dividitur sed opera nostra
dividuntur, i.e., it is not time that is divided there but our actions.
This however, is not a reference to the authors who lived at the same time with
himself which Cennfaeladh gave when he said the authors of the Gael say. Why
has he placed a first here ? Because it is the eldest among letters and the
noblest among vowels.
That
this is the reason for the Irish Language (that is Fenius’ speech); a deed wonderful, unlawful, that is, an unusual deed, unusual for
its infrequency, unlawful for its pride, an attempt on heaven in their fleshly
bodies without permission of God.
Which
happened there, i.e., the building of Nimrod’s Tower. Now that Nimrod was champion of
all Adam’s seed in his time, Nimrod, son of Cush, son of Ham, son of Noah.
There was not then any king over the world till the time of Nin, son of Bel,
but only counsellors and chiefs were in existence up till that time.
Seventy-two counsellors accordingly were in the
BB. 315
β 22 AURAICEPT E. 20 β 1
world at
the time in which the Tower was made. Now one of the 72 was Nimrod. A mighty
man was he and a man famous in hunting, to wit, for stags; and in coursing, to
wit, for hares; and in trappings, to wit, wild pigs; and in snarings, to wit,
for birds. So that thus multitudes of men were following him so that he was
more numerous, to wit, in armies and so that he was thus more powerful than a
counsellor. So that it was he who united those 72 counsellors to one counsel to
make the Tower with the grandson of his father’s brother, to wit, with the
great grandson of his grandfather’s brother, to wit, with Peleg son of Ragau,
son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah. And he was one of the 72
counsellors, too, up to that time. And they say therefore that Peleg was the
one counsellor and the same parent of them all. A question here is, the names
of the 72 counsellors by whom the Tower was made, only that writings do not
enumerate but the names of the 17 men who were most illustrious among them, to
wit, Peleg, Nimrod, Eber, Latinus, Rabiath Scot, Nabgodon, Assur, Ibath,
Longbardus, Bodbus, Brittus, Germanus, Garath, Scithius, Gotius, Bardanius, and
Sardain. But at any rate after the flood the first king according to nature was
Nimrod. That was the first king according to art, the Peleg aforesaid.
According to authority, however, it was Nin son of Bel, son of Plosc, son of
Pluliris, son of Agomolis, son of Fronosis, son of Gitlis, son of Tiras, son of
Assur, son of Shem, son of Noah. He obtains, then, that thing. Nimrod said that
it was his name that should be on that work for ever. Adrodamas, i.e., that
thing also was granted him. Three things, then, on account of which the
building of that Tower was accomplished by Adam’s children, to wit, for dread
of the flood again, and that
BB. 315
β 49 AURAICEPT E. 30 β 23
they should
go to heaven in their bodies from the earth, and to render their names
illustrious after them, so that on that account said the King of heaven to the
people of heaven (316): Venite ut
videamus et confundamus linguas eorum, that is, come that we may see and
confound those men’s speech. Now great was the power of Adam’s seed and their
strength at that time in making the Tower, that they might know thus whether
the power of heaven’s King was over them, He confounded them, that is, He
confused them. When one of them would say to another fetch me a stone it was a
stick he would bring, to wit, the slabs on which the mortar was mixed and the
mallets by which it was mixed, these are the sticks and stones which they were
talking about. Now poets came from Scythia a little time after these doings to
seek to learn the many languages at the Tower since they thought i.e. they
supposed i.e. they expected, of a place from which were dispersed and in which
had been invented the many languages by Adam’s children that they would remain
there in perfection. They went therefore to the plain of Shinar unto the Tower,
that is, the plain of Ucna or the plain of Doraimh in the North West of the
plain of Shinar, a special name of the point on which is the Tower. The poets
numbered seventy-five, that is, one for each language, and the three sages, to
wit, a sage for each of the three principal languages, Hebrew, Greek, and
Latin. Seventy-four languages, which is every one of these languages, that was
what was dispersed there.
Fenius Farsaidh was the name of
their chief, and he was a sage in the principal languages even before he came
from the North out of Scythia. The reason why superiority is claimed on behalf
of these three languages is owing to the amount of compositions that were made
out of them,
BB. 316 α 23 AURAICEPT E.
20 β 44
and owing
to the mingling wherewith they mingled with every language, or again it was
owing to the superscription that was written out of the three of them upon the
board of the Cross. Since Fenius did not get a perfection of the languages at
the Tower, he dispersed his school and his disciples abroad throughout the
cities and territories of the earth on every side to learn the languages, and
Fenius supported them with both food and clothing whilst they were so learning,
to wit, seven languages [1. years], and Fenius stayed at the Tower and dwelt
till his school came unto him from every direction, and he kept instructing the
many races of the world at the Tower during that space of time. Hence he said
in the body of the book that Fenius himself remained there at the Tower and
there he dwelt. Other authors say that of the children of Ionan son of Japheth
son of Noah from whom the Greeks originated and from whom Fenius sprung, there
were none at the building of the Tower.
That is natural for Jonan had no
children at all, or Japheth had not that son himself, ut Hieronymus dixit. Query, What is Fenius genealogy? Not hard.
Farsaidh, then, son of Baath, son of Magog, son of Japheth, son of Noah. Or
Fenius Farsaidh, son of Eogan, son of White-knee, son of White-hand, son of
Ether, son of Agnoman, son of Toe, son of Bonb, son of Semh, son of Mar, son of
Ethecht, son of Aurtecht, son of Abodh, son of Aoi, son of Ara, son of Iara,
son of Sru, son of Esru, son of Boath, son of Riafath, son of Gomer, son of
Japheth, son of Noah, etc. And besides Fenius is a Scythian, and up to him are
carried Scythians and Goths according to their genealogies. And they were all
the seed of Noah. The Hebrew language is the tongue that was in the world
before any building of the Tower, and it is it too that will be after doomsday,
and
BB. 316 α
49 AURAICEPT E. 21 α 12
some say
that it was it which the people of heaven had. Now after the disciples came to Fenius from learning, and after
showing their journeys, to wit, their wanderings, and their works, to wit,
their studies, then they asked the sage, to wit, Fenius to select for them out
of the many languages, a language that no one else should have but which might
belong to them alone. Wherefore on that account for them was invented the
Select Language with its superadditions, the Language of the Irish, and the
Additional Language, and the Language Parted among the principal letters as he
has related in the Great Book of Woods, and the Language of the Poets whereby
each one of them converses with another, and the Common Language which serves
for every one from many races. Gaedel, son of Ether, son of Toe, son of
Baracham, a Greek, was one of the two sages in Fenius company, so that from him
was named Gaelic, to wit, ealg means
noble, to wit, Gaedel ennobled it. Gaedeal Glas also, son of Agnon or Aingin,
son of Fenius father’s elder brother; and he too was a sage, even he. It is he
that claimed this language for Gaedel, son of Ether; wherefore Gaedealg is from
Gaedel, son of Ether. And Gaedil from Gaedel, son of Agnon or Aingin. Now the
Language of the Irish was invented here, and the Additional Language, and
Language Parted among the trees, and the Language of the Poets is the fourth,
and the Common Language that serves everyone, the fifth. Now Fenius Farsaidh
son of Eugenius, and Iar son of Nema, and Gaedel son of Ether are the three
sages who selected these languages, and they were invented in the city of
Eotenam, or Athena.
Query, what are the names of the 72
races from which the many languages were learnt? Not hard. Bithynians,
Scythians, Scots, Germans, Medes, Sicilians,
BB. 316
β 25 AURAICEPT E. 21 α 33
Hyrcanians,
Goths, Pontians, Morini, Lyonese, Cyprians, Gauls, Pamphylians, Lydians, Oigii, Cycladians, Cretans, Corsicans,
Sardinians, Sicilians, Rhetians, Rheginians, Rhodians, Romans, Ináir, Massilians, Moors, Macedonians,
Morcain, Náir, Nármáis, Narbonians, Noricans, Nubians, Barais, Bithynians, Britons, Boeotians, Magogians, Armenians, Amuis, Goircc, Galatians, Aquitanians, Athenians, Thessalians, Ardair, Alanians, Albanians, Hyrcanians,
Italians, Spaniards, Goths, Getae (?) [Guith],
Gruind, Saracens, Franks, Frisians,
Langobards, Lacedemonians, Elisaeans (?)[Essil],
Thracians, Trojans, Dardanians, Dalmatians, Dacians, Ethiopians, Egyptians,
Brahmans, and Indians. Those then are the names of the 72 races whose were the
72 languages. Now one man for each of these languages, that was the complement
of the school, and three sages, and each one of them was sent to his own
language, and unto their common district unto that learning went not every one
of the same race but every one of the same language, as for example, Cai
Cainbrethach, Fenius’ foster-son, one of the 72 disciples of the school. He was
a Hebrew by extraction, and it was to Egyptians he was sent because his parents
had lived there, and there he was brought up and reared from his youth, so that
hence he says in the body of the book: Every one of the same speech went there,
but not every one of the same race, unto his own district. Now seven years were
the pupils on the course, and they were three years in displaying their studies
after coming home, so that they were ten [years] accordingly, wherefore it is
of this he says below in the body of the book: At the end of ten years after
their dispersion from the Tower in every direction this language was selected
for them. Now there were 25 persons that were the noblest of
BB. 317
α 3 AURAICEPT E. 21 α 36
them. These
are the names of them after whom are named the Ogham vowels and consonants.
Here are their names: Babel, Lot, Pharaoh, Saliath, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod,
David, Talamon, Cae, Kaliap, Muiriath, Gotli, Gomers, Stru, Ruben, Achab, Oise,
Urith, Essu, Iachim, Ethrocius, Uimelicus, Iudonius, Affrim, Ordines.
These are the names of the 25
persons, the noblest that were in Fenius’ school. Others again say that that is
the alphabet which was invented in Achaidh, and at the Causeway of the Great
Estuary that Amergen, son of Mil, invented, the Beithe Luis of the Ogham.
What letter, what character, what
sound is that with which no word is ended? dinin
disail, or f. And what sharp
sound is found with which no strong word is begun ? ng. The five principal vowels of the Ogham however, it was from the
five persons who were noblest of them that they were named, a, o, u, e, i. 
Others
again say that seven principal vowels are there, and that it is from the seven
persons that were noblest there that they are named, and the two vowels that
were added to those five vowels are ea,
oi 
.
[Calder
omitted to add these two drawings]
Query, what are the definite numbers
of Nimrod’s Tower ? Not hard. Eight of them, to wit, 72 counsellors, 72 pupils,
72 races of men, 72 languages, the languages in his school, 72 peoples whose
were those languages, and the races, 72 artificers to work at it, 72 building
materials including lime, bitumen, earth, and cement in equal layers, 72 paces
in width, as he said:
The number
of the chosen Tower
Of Nimrod,
it was a shelter to men,
Four and
seventy paces,
Five paces,
and five thousand.
Two and
seventy counsellors,
They took
companies on an expedition,
Two and
seventy languages
God gave to
confound them.
BB. 317
α 34 AURAICEPT E. 21 β 8
Two and
seventy free races
Of the men,
it was hard;
Two and
seventy pupils,
Fenius
sends them to learn.
Two and
seventy free peoples
He
subdivided, men of the earth;
Two and
seventy chief artificers
For the
skilful working of the materials.
Two and
seventy building materials,
In equal
quantity, he used,
Including
lime and pitch
And earth
and cement.
Seventeen
cubits certified,
Near heaven
upwards with a roaring wind,
And two and
seventy paces
In breadth
to reckon it.
Others say, however, that only nine
materials were in the Tower, to wit, clay and water, wool and blood, wood and
lime, acacias, flax thread, and bitumen, de
quibus dicitur:
Clay,
water, wool, and blood,
Wood, lime,
and flax thread of a full twist,
Acacias,
bitumen with virtue,
The nine
materials of Nimrod’s Tower.
to wit,
noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, participle, conjunction, preposition, and
interjection are their names: Nomen,pronomen,
verbum, adverbium, participium, conjunctio, interjectio, to wit:
1
person singular . sum
atáim
2
. es atá
tú
3
. est atá
sé
1
person plural .
sumus atámaid
2
. estis atá
sibse
3
. sunt atáit
Sum, es,est, its singular.
Sumus, estis, sunt, its plural.
BB. 37
β 4 AURAICEPT E. 21 β 18
There are two divisions in the Latin Alphabet,
to wit, vowels and consonants. There are, atait, to wit, sunt, its Latin equivalent, to wit, its
very general origin: totus, its
particular origin, to wit, a proof there, to wit, a reference to the whole of
the alphabet he gives here. What part of speech is the word sunt? For there are eight parts of
speech, to wit, nomen, pronomen, uerbum,
aduerbiuui, participium, coniunctio, prepositio, interiectio. Those are
their names with the Latinist; noun and verb, pronoun and adverb, participle
and preposition, conjunction and interjection with the Gael. It is certain in
truth that the word sunt is a verb;
and if so, what part of the verb? for there are in fact three of them in the
singular, to wit, sum, es, est; and
three of them in the plural, to wit, sumus,
estis, sunt, to wit:
1st person singular . .
.sum
2nd .
.es
3rd .est
1st person plural . .
.sumus
2nd . . .estis
3rd .
. .sunt
Attaat, i.e., there is science in place,
i.e., there is science of law in the chief poet’s place is its meaning: or attaat, that is, there is science out of
thee, quoth the disciple to the master.
Its meaning further, attaat, who fall, shine, show, come. Its
use, that is, of ataat, in the nature
of the vowel and the consonant. They fall into letters, i.e., they are
converted out of that primary nature into letters. They shine, i.e., out of
these letters into words. They show to the learned out of them, to wit, their
meanings and their characters, i.e., the forms of the letters. They come out of
those words into texts, and series of proverb, commentary, and poetic
composition.
BB.3I7
β 3I AURAICEPT E.21 β 40
Two
divisions, i.e.,
two true arrangements, or two true other things, or two true folds, or two
intensive goings, or two intensive divisions, or two supreme folds, or two
goings on them, or two divisions on them, or two distributions on them. These
are the three or and the three er and the three fir of the Primer. What are the two, three, four, and five folds of
the Primer ? Not hard. Full tone and diphthong, the two folds of the vowels:
semivowels, mutes, and aspirates are the three folds of the consonants, to wit:
when there are four of them, however, two folds of the vowels and two of the
consonants, i.e., semivowels and mutes, for h is a mute. When there are five of them, however, that is, two
folds of the vowels and three of the consonants.
On
the alphabet, i.e.,
for an "author’s selection," or for "selecting of words,"
i.e., of vocables: or on the "selection at Tower": or from the word abecedarium, i.e., the beginning: or it
is that which "ripens" their speech for every one: or alphabet, that
is, placing a b: or it is "that
which ripens " in Gaelic, incipit
in Latin, apix in Greek, a be ce de dybum in Hebrew.
Latinda,
that is, they speak the thing, i.e., the words: or Laitinda, i.e., from
Laitindacht, i.e., a latitudine,
i.e., from the extent of the speech: or from Latinus, son of Faunus.
Edón, that is, "it" its one
explanation: or it is the one [i] of the learned man.
Gutta (vowel), i.e., voice foundation,
i.e., foundation of the voice is that: or voice sent, in respect that voices
are sent through them: or voice ways, in respect that they are ways of voices,
ut Priscianus dixit: Dicitur autem litera
vel quasi legitera quod legendi iter praebeat, that is, the letter is as a
road for reading inasmuch as it prepares a way for the reading: or a
BB. 318
α 4 AURAICEPT E.21 β 59
voice
place, i.e., they make a voice in place: or they vocalise, i.e.. in respect
that voice comes through them alone, ut
Donatus dixit: Vocales sunt quae per se proferuntur et per se syllabam faciunt,
i.e., the vowels are those that are pronounced by themselves and alone form a
syllable.
Consonants, i.e., beautiful sounds, i.e.,
bright sounds: or consonants from the word consonantes,
sounding together, i.e., they sound along with vowels: or consonants, i.e.,
delicate their sounds, i.e., scantily sounding owing to the smallness of its
sound by itself. Why did he say vowel and consonants, since vowel is singular
and consonants plural ? Not hard. Vowels and consonants is proper there. Why did
he say a vowel is a voice foundation, or a vowel is a voice which they utter,
for the voice is no foundation to itself, and it does not find a voice through
itself. Why did he say a consonant is sounding along with, since the consonant
does not sound with itself or with its vowel ? Query, what is the comparison of
the unallowable of the first part of the Primer? Not hard. Fors, chance, knowledge of it is better, that is unallowable, for
ignorance is not good. Why did he say a vowel, i.e., a voice path, for it
itself is not a path ?
What are peculiar, proper, common,
and improper of the word vowel? Not hard. Peculiar to it, voice path, since it
finds voice by itself. Proper to it, they express a voice, for it expresses
itself. Common to it, i.e., voice foundation, for it is a foundation in the
words. Improper to it, however, is voice foundation, when it is not a
foundation in itself. Why did he say alphabet was a selecting at Tower ? for
the alphabets were not begun, as Fenius said, who was a sage in the three
principal tongues even before he came from the North,
BB. 318
α 28 AURAICEPT E 22 α 17
and there
are no sages without alphabets. In Achaia, then, were invented the alphabets of
the world. The first doichned and the
first dichned of the Primer here, to
wit: Its first doichned is for, that
is, ar is the word: Its first dichned,
again, i.e. epe, cutting of author, i.e. tepe
is the word itself.
There are, then, two divisions in the Beithe Luis Nin of the Ogham,
i.e., vowels and consonants. Dano i-da n-ui, two of them, that is, da n-ui, two questions are there. N-ae is question, that is, the question
on the Beithe Luis Nin of the Ogham, that is, ind oguamma of the perfect alliteration, or on the undying literary
knowledge of the Ogham. As to fedha,
wood vowels, moreover, two kinds are reckoned of them, to wit, artificial tree
and natural tree. Artificial tree, i.e., the tree of the Ogham; and natural
tree, the tree of the forest. As regards artificial wood, moreover, they are
regarded as having two sorts of origin. Fidh,
wood, then, is from the word funo
[Φωνέω], I sound, or from the word fundamentum, i.e., foundation, and that
derivation, to wit, fundamentum is
common to artificial and natural wood. Now, as to fid, wood, good law is its meaning, both artificial and natural.
Foundation, however, is its use, both artificial and natural. It is strange
what makes the artificial wood have the two derivations, and the natural wood
one, to wit, funo, and fundamentum. Not hard. Funo in respect of sound, and fundamentum in respect of foundation;
and common to artificial and to natural wood is foundation.
Fid, wood, that is,fedh ae, extent of them, since five forms of ae are in existence, ae
that nourishes, ae that sings, ae that sues, ae that judges, and ae
that sits. Now ae that nourishes,
i.e., while it is on the mind, and ae
that sings at giving it, and ae that
sues while
BB. 318
α 48 AURAICEPT E. 22 α 35
asking the
reward for it, and ae that considers
about its greatness or its smallness, and ae
that sits after being paid his reward.
Taebomnai, consonants, that is, taebuaim n-ai, side seam of them; or to
the sides of the oaks they are, that is, to the sides of the chieftain wood
they are; or taebomnai, i.e., cutting
of material, from the fact that material for the words is cut out of them. Why
did he say taeb uaim n-ui, that is,
side harmony of poetry r for there is no poetry without the consonants? Why is
it said of the sides of the oaks, i.e., the vowels, for it is not at the sides
they are, but before or behind them in the words that the consonants are?
Cutting of material, however, that is the peculiar meaning of that expression.
There is a correspondence to a word which he gave in the Latin alphabet when he
said: There are two divisions in the
Latin alphabet. It was a corres pondence to nature, however, which he gave
when he said: There are two divisions in
the Beithe Luis of the Ogham.
When is the Beithe Luis one ?
Not hard. The whole of it. When is
it two things ? Vowels and consonants. When is it three things ? Vowels,
diphthongs, and consonants. When is it four things? The three groups of the
consonants and the ten principal vowels. When is it five things ? Vowels,
diphthongs, and the three groups of the consonants. When is it six things? The
three composite letters of the Ogham ng,
sr, qu. When is it seven things ? The three additions to the Primer, h, forsail,
and arnin.
H
first. It increases b till it
acquires the force of p, as the Latinist
said: b cum aspiratione pro p ponitur, i.e., b with aspiration is put for p,
so that h increases it, for p is the aspiration of the Gael. Forsail is the second
BB. 318
β 20 AURAICEPT E. 22 α 55
addition.
It adds a vowel power to the sound to make it long, as srōn, slōg,
etc. Arnin is the third addition.
Where two consonants are required, arnin
takes the force of one of them, e.g. ceann,
etc.; for there is no doubling [of letters] in Ogham. Three composite letters
of the Ogham exist, qu, ng, and sr. Where c stands
before u, it is queirt that is to be written there, e.g. cuileand, etc. Where n
stands before g, it is gedul that is to be written there, ut est, uingi, an ounce, cuing, a
yoke, cingit, they step, etc. Where s stands before d, it is straiph that is
to be written there, such is st in stial,
the belt, etc.
There
are two divisions in the consonants according to the Latinist, to wit,
semivowels and mutes. The semivowels first, their parent vowels before them.
The mutes, however, have their parent vowels following them.
Two
divisions, then, to wit, two true separations in the common consonants
according to the Latinist to wit, according to the letter guide, or the reading
guide, or the broad marker that is, semivowels
and mutes; semivowels, that is, half the voice is thrown out in order to
sound them; or stammering voice; or half-voice place; or half-voice way; or
half-voice foundation: and it is not because it would be half a voice exactly
that would stand in them, but that they do not reach a full tone; unde Prisdanus dixit: Quicquid in duas
partes dividitur, altera pars dicitur semis, i.e., whatever thing it be
that is divided into two parts, one of the parts is said to be a half ut Prisdanus dixit: Semideos et semiviros
appellamus non qui dimidiam partem habent deorum vel virorum sed qui pleni dii
vel viri non sunt, i.e., though they are thus called half-men and
half-gods, it is not because the gods might be half-men, or half-men gods, but
that they are not complete. Similarly the semivowels are not full sounds, ut Donatus dixit: Semivocales sunt quae per
se
BB. 318
β 49 AURAICEPT E. 22 β 17
quidem proferuntur sed per se syllabam non
faciunt, i.e., the
semivowels are those that are pronounced by themselves. Quicquid asperum dicitur auditus expellit, i.e., the hearing
rejects whatever thing is spoken roughly.
Mutes,
i.e., bad foundations, or feeble ones, or sonorous, i.e., little spent is its
sound; or weighty, or the greater the vowels when they are along with them; or
from the word mutus, i.e.,
speechless, and not because they would be speechless altogether, for their
sounds are in them even when they are small, ut Priscianus dixit: Informis dicitur mulier non quae caret formâ sed
quae male est formata, i.e., a
woman is called unshapely not because she is devoid of shape, but only because
she has an ill shape. Thus, therefore, the mutes are not soundless but a scanty
sound is in them tantum. Whence they
are called mutae, i.e.,
foundationless, ut Donatus dixit: Mutae
sunt quae nec per se proferuntur nec per se syllabam faciunt, i.e., the
mutes are these letters which do not make a syllable by them selves, and are
not pronounced by themselves, etc. The
semivowels first, i.e. the first science for learning i.e. according to
good knowledge; or the first knowledge; or the first hit upon the mention. Their parent vowels before them. The mutes
on the other hand have their parent vowels after them, i.e., in the proper
vowels. Their parent vowels, i.e., those whence is their deliverance or their
origin, i.e., their vowels. Why did he say the
parent vowels are after them, if beginning be parents, since it is not
usual that the beginning is last ? That certainly is not his intention here,
that parent vowels should be the beginning at all, but that science will be
perceived in his mind, i.e., the law of voice which is at the beginning of the
semivowels should remain with it to the last, and the consonantal law that is
in them to the last should be uttered forth first.
BB. 319
α 24 AURAICEPT E. 22 β 41
The
Gael did not think that appropriate that the nature of them both should be to
have their vowel before them and after them, for this he thought appropriate
that it should be the beginning of them that should remain firm with him and
that their closing vowel should be put away, so that the Ogham Beithe Luis Nin
were all mutes save vowels only, to wit, that was not appropriate, to wit, that was not indeed a cause of finding; or that was not indeed a
sage’s finding; or that was not an easy choice; or that was not a choice,
however, in the opinion of the Gael;
or there was not a course with respect to a vowel, to wit, with the wise
satirist, to wit, with the man who had the wise course; that it should be
nature; or that it might be a matter to be done to them both, i.e., to the semi
vowels and to the mutes, their vowels before them and after them, i.e., before
them and after them, before them in the case of semivowels and after them in
the case of mutes: but there is a doubt with me there still, and this was in
truth a sage’s finding with him so that it was the course which he followed in
his mind, i.e., the vowel which exists in the semivowels should remain firm
with him to the last, and as their last word should be put the sage’s
knowledge, to wit, the consonants should be put first so that it may not be a
misplace of speech of the undying knowledge of the Ogham: save vowels only, per
anastrophen is the name for that, to wit, a quickness of the turning, as
e.g. 1, so that there it becomes le, and n becomes ne. Why should he prefer
them to be all mutes to their being semivowels and mutes, as they were with the
Latinist ? Not hard. In order to follow the Greeks, for there are no semivowels
with them, and Fenius was a Greek; or again it is on account of the nobility of
the order of the Greeks, ut dicitur: Omne
uile priusponitur, omne bonum postponitur
BB. 319
α 51 AURAICEPT E. 23 α I
i.e., every
mean thing is placed first, every distinguished thing to conclude.
Now
as to genders, how many are there with the Irish? (that is, gooseberry (i) way). Not hard. Three of them, i.e., masculine, feminine, and neuter gender
with the Gael, to wit, masculine, feminine, and neuter with the Latinist.
Query, what is the difference among them? Not hard. Their three leading words
of gender differ, to wit, hic, haec, hoc; i.e., he, she, it; he, the man; she,
the woman; it, the heaven.
Query,
when is there harmony between the gender and the element to describe them ? Not
hard. When its proper gender by nature is applicable to it. There is no
harmony, however, between them when one gender may be applied for another,
i.e., masc. for fem., or fem. for masc., or neuter for either of them. Now
masc. may be used for fem. when a female child is called he, ut dixit poeta:
If I were a
female child,
I should
love every young student;
A man that
is not discovered till he is heard of,
Perfect
sense for a while to you, O people.
Also fem. may be used for masc. when the horse
is called she:
The gabur
is she, when it is a horse,
The gabur
is he, if it be bleating,
The heron
is she, though clearly it reveals itself,
The
titmouse is he, though a female bird.
Also neuter gender may be used for masc. or
fem. gender when it is said "it is his head," no matter whether that
one is a man’s head, or a woman’s, ut dicitur:
A woman’s
head that has destroyed my work,
It has
gained ground, no dear sound,
It is a
head that which is the most horrible
Of any that
is on a neck beneath heaven.
BB. 319 β
27 AURAICEPT E. 23 α 23
Also fem. gender may be used for neuter gender
when a stone is called she, ut dicitur:
The
flagstone is he, a feast that has flamed,
According
to the threads of sages is the history;
A block is
it, according to nature, a rock,
A stone is
she according to artificiality.
The red
flame is " he," a prayer of colours,
Against
which will not prevail battle or shower;
A head is
" it " of fairest form,
A place
whereon with a glow the world distills.
The
likeness of her form, without concealment,
Of Elba,
daughter of Idad,
To a bright
sun’s fire on a field
Thereto I
liken her beauteous shape.
If
it be according to the proper use of the elements, however, there is no term of
masc. or fem. gender save for what generates or for what is generated from; and
neuter were else the nature of the whole. On the one hand neuter gender is
derived from masc. and fem.; on the other, masc. and fem. are derived from
neuter, as it is in the-verses, and these are the derived neuters and the
neuter couples and their pairs.
Speech that is scientia, knowledge, from a Latin root. Word-wisdom, its use.
Speech-way, its meaning, i.e., a narration along the way, along the path: conar, that which is trodden: tra, that is, let it come unto us, or
let it go from us, that is, the saying; or tra,
i.e., the three of them, i.e., the three genders, masc., fem., and neuter
gender. Masculine gender is,
however, added gender, or true gender, or goodman gender, or male gender, or
manly gender, or better than the woman gender, or man gender only that it is. Feminine gender, again, i.e., woman
gender, i.e., it were true, or lasting gender, or female gender,
BB. 319 β
51 AURAICEPT E. 23 α 42
or bona scientia, to wit, good knowledge,
or inferior to the gender of the man that the woman’s gender is. Neuter gender, again, that is, dark
gender or darkness gender or dark gender on her, or the dem is from the word demo,
i.e., digbaim, I deprive: or unliving
gender, i.e. gender inanimate, i.e., it is not a gender that applies to quick.
When is it erlonn, leading word ? Well, it is erlonn when it refers to another thing, ut est, he is the man, etc. There is then a comparison between the
fem. and the masc. there: or it is a comparison when it differentiates from any
one else, with his father’s name especially. Speech, when it is said it is he
only, with no other along with him, ut
Priscianus dixit: Oratio est ordinatio congrua dictionum perfectamque
sententiam demonstrans, i.e., speech is an appropriate order of the words
that shows the perfect sense. Erlonn
is the same between two erlonn that
are not the same, to wit, fri se or fri sed; for is sed is not erlonn, it
is an anteposition.
Natural masc. speech, "he"
is the man: artificial masculine speech, " he " is the heavens.
Natural feminine speech, "she" is the woman: artificial feminine
speech, "she" is the stone. Natural neuter speech, "it" is
the heaven: artificial neuter speech, " it " is the head. There is
beautiful nature and ugly nature. Beautiful nature first: It is her nose or her
eye the woman’s. Ugly nature on the other hand: It is his tooth or his mouth
the woman’s; and quality of voice causes that, that is, nothing but want of
use, as are the words of a language which we do not know, i.e., we do not think
them sweet because we do not use them. Masculine, feminine, and neuter with the
Latinist, that is, mas, a male, and cul, keeping: or com-fis-col knowledge, lust, i.e., major ejus scientia, et major ejus quam feminae luxuria; or it is
from the word masculinus, i.e.,
masculine.
BB. 320
α 26 AURAICEPT E. 23 α 63
Next
feminine, to wit, fem-der, to vit,feme in Greek, uirgo in Latin: ainder
every intact one. Femdeir, then, is a
pure virgin; or femen quasi femer, i.e., a femore, i.e., femur, thigh, for it is then she is a
woman quum femori ejus serviatur; or femen, i.e., a root of fighting, or
contentiousness, unde femina dicitur de,
a sheltered one, or tender skinned one; or it is from the words femenina,femina, i.e., womanly, or of womanly form, or womanly activities,
or womanly deeds. Neuter, that is, I do not know what gender, since it is not
she or he; or neuter from the word neutrum,
neither one nor other, i.e., nec hoc nec
illud, id est, nec masculinum nec femininum. Cesc, query, is from the word sciscor,
I enquire. What is the difference among them? Not hard. Their three leading
words of gender distinguish them, i.e., their three antedenotations, i.e., denotations
before them, i.e., before the genders, i.e., he, she, it: but these leading
words stand at the commencement to indicate the antedenotation of the words
following them and masculine, feminine, and neuter gender is understood through
them.
There is distinction, then, among
the three genders. Query, when is there agreement (i.e., when is there a
philosopher’s one invention) between the gender, and the element for telling
them? Not hard. When its proper gender is found upon it. But of all that generates
and is generated from, there are two generations, a natural and an artificial
generation. A natural generation of birth, to wit, son and daughter out of
woman: an artificial generation, i.e., grass, out of the earth, as the Primer
says: Great is the uselessness of the earth unless it bring forth progeny.
There are four subdivisions of artificiality, to wit, Difference of Part, Cause
of Euphony, Amplifying Speech, and Brevity of Terminology. Difference of Part, ut est, " he " is this female
child, that is, the
BB. 32o
β I AURAICEPT E. 23 β 18
name arises
from the part of virginity which is there in the girl: Cause of Euphony, ut est, she is the gabair, steed, and it is a name for a white horse, that is, goar, that is, solus in the Feinechus,
or in the Welsh, so that the poet put b
to it for the sake of euphony: Amplifying of Speech, ut est, it is her head, and the two expressions are the more
lengthy: Brevity of Terminology, ut est,
a bark of butter, and a sieve of corn; for it were tedious to say a bark round
about butter, and a sieve round about corn. For these are two modes of speaking
that exist, the natural mode and the artificial.
Now
there are seven inflections, to wit, the comparative degree of the Latinist is
named inflection by the poet. Inflection of meaning in a person, inflection of
meaning of a person, inflection of person in active, inflection of person in
passive. Inflection of distinction in distinguishing, to wit, positive,
comparative, and superlative with the Latinist: foundation, aggravation, belaudation
with the poet: good, better, and best with the Gael; inflection of greatness in
increasing, inflection of diminution in diminishing. Inflection of meaning in a
person first: unnse, here is the
man; unnsi, here is the woman; onnar, here is the thing: inflection of meaning of a person: I
myself, thou thyself, he himself, we ourselves, ye yourselves, they themselves.
Inflection of person in active: I did, thou didst, he did, we did, ye did, they
did. Inflection of person in passive: I am loved, thou art loved, he is loved,
we are loved, ye are loved, they are loved. Inflection of distinction in
distinguishing, that is, good, better, best (i.e., with the common Gael in
contradistinction to the poet: it is foundation, how ever, with him). Inflection of increase in increasing:
great, greater, greatest. Inflection of diminution in diminishing: small, less,
and least.
BB. 320
β 28 AURAICEPT E. 23 β 43
Seven
inflections, that is, it is to be sought out whence it is in his knowledge;
or it is to be sought out whence he is in ignorance. Inflection, i.e., it
stands in the unlawful, to wit, in the seventh part of the heptad is the whole
comparison, ut est: Pars pro tota et tota
pro parte the part for the whole and the whole for the part. Etargaire, i.e., it is to be separated
into three, and etargaire, i.e., gáir is voice, i.e., interpretation of
the voice is there; or interdecision, i.e., after the deciding of his knowledge
between them.
The
comparison of the Latinist is inflection with the poet: filidh, poet, that is, generous seeking,
or generous sitting: or fi, that
which satirises, and li that which
praises: or fili from the word philosoplus, philosopher, owing to the
duty of the poet to be a philosopher. Why is not comparison a triad with the Latinist,
as inflection is a triad with the Gael, to wit, quantity, quality, and meaning?
Well, with the Latinist it is two things, quantity and quality only, to wit,
good and bad, that is the quality: great and less, that is the quantity. With
the Gael, however, this is its quality, to wit, good and bad together. This is
its quantity, to wit, great and small: and with him the small is great in
comparison with that which is less. The poet’s inchosc, signification, however, is with the Latinist not
comparison at all, but pronomen et verbum.
What makes him say that comparative degree with the Latinist is
named inflection by the poet, seeing there are but three degrees of
comparison with the Latinist, and the poet has seven inflections? It is not
indeed to equate them does he do so now, but that which is inflection with the
poet is comparison with the Latinist, i.e., inflection of distinction in
distinguishing. Not every inflection is comparison, but every comparison is
inflection. Why is positive with him a comparison? Not hard.
BB. 321 α
4 AURAICEPT 23 β 63
Because it
is that which is the foundation, and there is distinction for it, ut dicitur, a number is opposed to a
unit, ut est: Unus non est numerus sed
fundamentum numeri, i.e., one is not a number, but it is a basis of number,
and as the Gael has alt, joint, and
it is not a metrical foot itself, though it is numbered with feet, and that
through artificiality, to wit, the natural alt
stands for positive.
Why is it not the name of
comparative that they apply to all comparison? Not hard. Positive first: Now it
does not surpass anything. The superlative, again, is not surpassed. The
comparative, however, surpasses, is surpassed by something, so that it is for
that reason comparison is an inclusive name.
What is comparison of sense without
sound, and comparison of sound without sense, and comparison of sound and sense
together ? Comparison of sense without sound, ut est: bonus, melior, optimus. Comparison of sound without sense, ut est: bonus, bonior, bonimus; which it
might be according to sound, though it does not exist according to sense.
Comparison of sound and sense together, ut
est: magnus, maior, maximus, that is the proper comparison. Yet there is
good, and nothing to surpass it, ut est,
Deus.
What is the difference between se, it is he, and uinse, here he is? Uindse
first: the denotation of a particular person is there, ut dicitur: here he is, this man in particular, with his name, ut dixit poeta:
Here comes
to thee the dear little fellow,
Son of a
dear little black-bird [Mac Lonáin].
Have thou
every good prepared for him,
Dear little
Cellach.
[Se] is a denotation of gender, however,
as he is the man; and it is not known who in particular, but it is a man
BB. 321 α
26 AURAICEPT E. 24 α 14
tantum. What makes the irlond, leading word, become insci,
gender, and etargaire, inflection ?
When it is indsci, gender, it stands
as denoting gender, but of which it is one; and they say "he is the
man" when it is erlond, leading
word, there. It is inflection there when it is said unse, there he is. A
denotation of gender such as is the inflection of meaning in a person, i.e., it
is in the person itself wherein is its meaning, so that it is known thereby as
denoting first, second, and third person, wherein are all the inflections.
Why did he not deem it sufficient to
say " I " in inflection denoting person ? Not hard. Inflection is a
differentiating of the person through its own defining of itself, to wit, in
the first person singular it was not enough to say " I," so he says
" I myself"; for it is more definite, and distinct from every person
to say " I myself," ut dicitur:
imponendo egomet, since it is I myself and not another person when it is
said egomet. Quicquid iteratur ut firmus fiat, i.e., it will so be that
everything which is reiterated is confirmed. There is found also the compara
tive without a positive, ut est: Dulcius
est mare Ponticum quam cetera maria, i.e., sweeter is the sea of Pontus
than all the seas, and that is an improper comparison. An improper comparison,
too, is the first part of the Primer, to wit, fors, chance, i.e., better its knowledge. That is not proper; for
ignorance is not good. Finit primus liber.
Incipit
to Ferchertne’s book. The place of this book, Emain Macha. In the time of
Conchobar MacNessa. The person to it, Ferchertne, the poet. Reason for making
it, to bring weak and rude folk to science.
Seven
things according to which Gaelic is measured, letter and verse-foot, declension
and accent, syllable and gender, and inflection.
BB. 321
β 4 AURAICEPT E. 24 α 36
Seachta,
heptad, i.e., septem its root
according to the Latinist. Seven sciences is the meaning of it, i.e., a heptad
of sciences are measured there. Its use, to wit, its number, that is, seven
prime metres of the poetic art; or incitements of bard poetry; or seven
metrical feet of the poetic art apart from monosyllable, for the heptad is not
therein: on that account it was left out. Common, proper, and peculiar are
asked for the word heptad: Common to it is each number of seven. Proper to it
are its seven simples. Peculiar to it is the first number of seven to which it
might be applied, to wit, the seven days of the week. Improper, its application
to a number other than seven. Measure, i.e., mensura is its root according to the Latinist. Measure, its
meaning. Tomus, measure, its use,
i.e., to, tongue, and meas, estimate on itself, i.e., an
estimate which is made by tongue. Is measure a species or a genus? It is a
genus certainly. Query, what are its species ? Not hard. Measure of poetry, of
bard poetry, and of prose. What is peculiar, proper, common, and improper in
measure ? Not hard. Peculiar to poetry, that is, its being referred to its
seven kinds. Proper to bard poetry, i.e., its measure to suit the ear, and
proper adjustment of breathing. Common, however, to prose from a monosyllable
onward.
Improper thereto, however, for alt, juncture, does not exist there. Septas, seven times for a heptad from
this time forward.
Fid,
letter, that is fundamentum its Latin
root. Under law, its meaning: foundation, or wood of science its use. Peculiar,
proper, common, and improper to vowels, i.e., peculiar to principal vowels,
proper to diphthongs. Common, however, to consonants except h. Improper to it,
however; for it is not a consonant at all, ut
est: h non est litera sed nota aspirationis, h is not a letter but it is a
BB. 321
β 30 AURAICEPT E.24 α 55
mark of
aspiration. Tinfedh, aspiration,
i.e., a vanishing of letters, i.e., annihilation of a letter to apply to all
these. That is peculiar, proper, and common to them.
Then deach, metrical foot, or because it is synonymus, prosody foot,
from a Latin root. Good word or double word, then, its meaning: from them is
linked its use, however. when it is a series. What are peculiar, proper,
common, and improper in the metrical feet? Peculiar to them to apply their own
names to them, such as dialt,
monosyllable. Proper to them, to apply monosyllable to each of them, for it is
a monosyllable that each one of them adds to another. Common to them is to
apply feet to each of them. Improper to monosyllable, however, is to apply to
it [the name of] one of the other seven metrical feet, for no juncture is
contained in it.
Reim,
course, that is, time of composition of ae,
sciences, is its meaning when it is poetry: time of alliterations, when it is
bard poetry, that is, it is not composition of a legitimate measure. Reim, then, that is, raid-uaim, speech-stitching when it is
prose. Reim, then, its use; diall, declension, or tuiseal, case, its root: or reim from the word robamus, i.e., its root is a compound. Peculiar to reim, alliteration, of letter by letter
in poetry: proper to a side [or end] reim through the quatrain of poetry and
bard poetry. Common, however, to declension of sound without sense and to
declension of sound and sense together: proper to prose: improper, however, to
declension of sound only, for they are not inflected.
What caused him to deem it
insufficient to say " I " only, and to say " I myself," ut supra ?
Four species in prose, however, out
of reim, declension to wit,
declension of sound such as fer.
Thence it is declined. Declension of sense such as Patraic. Its declension of sound is not found, for there is one form
for its
BB. 322 α
3 AURAICEPT E.24 β 9
nominative
and its genitive: declension of sound and sense as Fland, Flaind. Side declension in prose, that is, " I
myself," for everything that is not full declension is side declension.
Three things after which reim,
declension is called: Declension out of, ut
est, fer, for it is out of it that declension is declined. Declension into,
ut est, fir, for into it is it
declined. Declension out of and into together, ut est, in fer, i.e., its nominative and its accusative are there
together. As to reim, too, its use is
céim, pace:
Bellat
mother of envenomed Nél
Of the
children of full-fettered Latinus
Died on the
bright day of the sun,
Spouse of
Fenius Farsaidh.
to wit,
alliteration from letter to letter, ut
est:
[Four non
translated lines. They are alliterations based on ‘s’]
Sian sleibi sirlata serind
Senshaill senim snechta snac
Slisiu slice samad saball
Sanaithe snithe saland sacc
Now as to forbaid, i.e., accentus
with the Latinist, from the root of the word formarius, i.e., many-faced: " it is upon " (to wit, on
the word) either on a long or on a short. Accent, either " it
vivifies," or " it perfects " its meaning. It vivifies when it
is forsail, that is, s is upon it; or forsail, that is, it is adding to, because it establishes the word
as a long. Forbaidh, then, "
perfects " when it is dinin disail,
that is after n comes not s but d; or dinin disail, to
wit, from that unadding, i.e., not adding. Forbaidh,
then, to wit, " thereon it is," when it is ernin, that is, it gives n,
or on it is n. Forbaid then, i.e., " on wood," is its use; peculiar to forsail: proper to ernin, its being on a
long or on a short.
Common to dinin disail, or to all the accents to say forbaid, accent, of them. Inappropriate, however, for any accent of
them to go in place of another, i.e., for the two
BB. 322
α 36 AURAICEPT E. 24 β 22
accents of
the vowels, and for the one accent of the consonants, i.e., the accent of the
singular [on the plural] and the accent of plural on the singular, or the accent
of a long upon a short: or inappropriate not to write its form.
Alt
from the word altus, i.e., noble, its
root according to the Latinist: alt,
then, from that which is nurtured in his mind is its meaning. Alt co feser, however, is its use, i.e.,
that thou mayest know what alt, limb,
of poetry applies to seven, that is the nath,
the anair, the anamain, the láidh, the sétrad, the sainemain. As to alt an anma, joint of the name, in prose,
the space of time that is between the two syllables is its meaning: alt co feser its use. What are peculiar,
proper, common, and inappropriate of alt?
Not hard. Peculiar, that is, to metre of alt,
limb, of poetry: proper, however, to alt
of bard poetry, that is, to metre. Common, inappropriate to the words of prose,
that is, common to each word in which there are alta, intervals; inappropriate, however, to a monosyllable, for no alt, joint, exists there.
Now indsce, gender, that is, scientia,
from a Latin root: in deschae, the
right way, is its meaning: word-wisdom its use: or, indsce, that thou mayest know the definite metre, i.e., that thou
mayest know whether "she" or "he" is the metre that applies
to seven, as for example the nath is
"he," the láid is
"she." Indsce, gender, of
the prose name, that is masculine, feminine, and neuter. What are peculiar,
proper, common, and inappropriate of indsce,
gender? Peculiar to natural kindly gender: proper to natural unkindly gender:
common, inappropriate to artificial gender, i.e., common owing to its being
used, inappropriate, however, owing to its inappropriateness.
Now etargaire, inflection, from the word intergradimus,
BB. 322
α 45 AURAICEPT E.24 β 34
i.e.,
dominating: interpreting of voice is its meaning: a distinguishing is its use.
What are peculiar, proper, common, and inappropriate of etargaire? Peculiar to etargaire
of distinguishing in distinction, for it corresponds to comparison. Proper,
however, to etargaire of meaning in a
person, since it is the denoting of a particular person. Common and
inappropriate, however, to all the etargaire,
that is, common to the ordinal numbers: inappropriate, however, to any of them
that do not correspond to comparison.
Query, is fidh, wood, a species or a genus? It is a genus certainly; and if
it be a genus, what are its species ? Not hard. Artificial wood and natural
wood, to wit, artificial wood is the Ogham letter; natural wood, however, is
wood of the forest. And as to wood, letter, of the Ogham, is it a species or a
genus? It is a genus necessarily, for it has species, to wit, principal wood,
vowels; cross wood, diphthongs; and side-woods, consonants. That is the genus
generic and specific, i.e., wood. Query, is deach,
verse-foot, a species or a genus? It is a genus certainly, for it has species,
to wit, the seven verse-feet of poetry. That is the specific genus which the
eight sorts of each of the two species of poetry have got.
Query, is réim, run, a species or a genus? A genus, i.e., it has two species,
to wit, poetry and bard poetry, i.e. réim,
alliteration of letter by letter, and taebreim,
side alliteration of letter by letter, ut
est:
Columba,
pious, powerful, etc.
[allitérations
en gaélique:
Coluim caid cumachtach]
Taebreim, side alliteration, however, ut est:
Fland, thou
art the pilot of pleasant valour
Unto gentle
Mullaghmast;
Art pure,
art wise, rough is thy point,
Thou art a
hero, Fland.
[allitérations
en gaélique:
A [Fh]laind at luam in gaiscidh grinn
Co Maistin maill.
At glan, at gaeth, is garg do rind
At laech, a [Fh]laind]
BB. 322
β 12 AURAICEPT E.24 β 52
Four species in prose arise out of reim, flexion, reim of sound without sense, and reim of sound and sense, and prose taebreim, side flexion, and reim of sound only. Reim of sound without sense first:fer fir: reim of sound and sense, Flann
Flainn: reim of sound tantum, Patraic Patraic: and prose taebreim, side flexion, I myself. Three
species by which reim is called, reim in, reim out of, reim in and out of together; reim out of, ut est, fer, man: reim
in, ut est, fir, of a man, in the
declining: reim in and out of, in fer, the man, i.e., into which goes and
out of which comes its full inflection in respect of singular sounds and of
plural sounds. Reim in and out of
together, that is, in, with respect to sounds singular and plural together: in,
as regards meaning: or reim in, Patraic, for there is not in, according
to meaning: reim in and out of
together, Flann, Flainn, for it is in, according to meaning and it is out of,
according to sound.
That is the genus, generic and
specific which was formed here on the seven flexions, etc. Query, is ind forbaid,
the accent, a species or a genus? A genus, for it has three species. That is
the genus in which were found the three species of Gaelic. Query, is int alt a species or a genus? It is a
genus certainly, for three species underlie it, to wit, artificial alt, natural alt, and alt co feser.
The alt co feser has five species and
five genera. Query, is indsce,
gender, a species or a genus ? It is clear that it is a genus and it has the
three genders. It is a different genus that differentiates the world. Query, is
etargaire, inflection, a genus or a
species? A genus certainly, for its species are innumerable. It is the genus
that differentiates among all things.
Query, what is esse, essence, of the
seven by which Gaelic is measured ? Not hard. Esse, essence, feda, of
letter, first: that is the fragment of cut off air
BB. 322
β 35 AURAICEPT E. 25 α 7
which the
vowel takes in composing a word, unde
poeta dixit:
Esse feda, essence of a vowel, it is to be studied,
Better for
you to have the knowledge of it,
The
fragment cut off of air
Which it
possesses in composing a word.
What is esse of verse-foot ? Not hard. The whole or one of the individual
self-sustaining sounds which are reckoned from one to eight syllables, both
included. What is esse reime, essence
of flection ? Not hard. The inflected, voiced, articulate change which obtains
from the nom. sing. to the abl. pl. What is esse
of accent? Not hard. The increase or diminution of time which an accent marks
in co-extension with a sound.
What is esse alta, essence of interval ? Not hard. The tongue silence which
rests on the poet in passing from one letter to another if it be alt saorda, or from one syllable to
another if it be alt aicenta. What is esse
of gender? Not hard. The just and perfect essential which is seen in the three
kinds. What is esse etargaire ? Not
hard. The consideration of size, smallness, quality, denotation, difference,
variety or distinction which God hath fashioned among created things.
What is measure with respect to
heptad ? Not hard. To bring under notice the leading vowel that is in the
verse, and the leading consonants, and that the vowels that stand in the
caesura rhyme of the verse may be known, and that the same vowel may stand in
the corresponding part of the endings, and that the number of consonants about
them may be the same, and that it may be known which of the eight verse-feet
enters into the metre, and that it may be known whether it is side
alliteration, or alliteration of letter by letter, and that
BB. 323
α 6 AURAICEPT E. 25 α 28
it may be
known what accent stands upon a word of the corresponding sort, and which it is
of the seven alta of trisyllabic
poetry, i.e., of poetry. Insce,
gender, i.e., that thou mayest know whether the metre is he or she. Etargaire, i.e., that thou mayest know
what is the species of poetry as regards measure with respect to seven. And
when dithyramb or metrical rhythm was present, how was it measured ? for there
is not couplet rhyme or caesura rhyme in it. Not hard. By a word completing a
breath which was indicated by the fifth word, for five words are adjudged to be
a breath of the poet. What is a heptad of the octave of the Auraicept? Not hard. When it is eight
syllables in bricht that are present
there are seven alta, intervals. What
is the word containing one, two, and three syllables? It is named from
one-third: and not more peculiar to it is the one-third from which it is named
than are the two-thirds from which iarcomarc
is named.
What are the two consonants that
take the force of a vowel ? To wit c
and r after a, ut est, Coluim Cille cecinit:
Whether it
will be firm, whether it will be yielding,
Whether it
will be warlike with numbers of deeds,
O Christ!
wilt thou keep with us
When it
will come to fare on a sea of ships ?
What
is measure with regard to fid, Ogham
letter ? Not hard. That thou mayest know their number and their singleness,
their size and their smallness, their power and their want of power, their
strength and their weakness. This is their number: five Ogmic groups, i.e.,
five men for each group, and one up to five for each of them, that their signs
may be distinguished. These are their signs: right of stem, left of stem,
BB. 323 α
27 AURAICEPT E. 25 α 43
athwart of stem, through stem, about stem. Thus
is a tree climbed, to wit, treading on the root of the tree first with thy
right hand first and thy left hand after. Then with the stem, and against it,
and through it, and about it. These are their various vowels and diphthongs, ut est: 
Query,
why are those called woods, vowels? Not hard. Because they are measured by them
and sewed with them, ut dicitur, la, ba. How are they, as vowels, measured
with the consonants ? Not hard. Every two consonants for a vowel in rhyme,
every two corre sponding letters in rhyme: that is rhyme, therefore, that it
should be the same vowel that stands in the corresponding words, and that the
number of consonants that may stand in them should be the same, ut est, bas and las: bras
and gras: ceand and leand:
dorn and corn: dond and cond.
What is measure with respect to fid, Ogham letter? To wit, that thou
mayest know their number and their singleness, i.e., their number in five
groups and their singleness in one group; their size and their smallness, i.e.,
their size in five strokes and their smallness in single strokes. What is the
difference between their power and their strength? Their power first: when they
utter voice alone, that is, a, o, or
u: Their strength, however, when a
prime position brings them into a syllable, such as bais, lais. What is the
difference between their want of power and their weakness? Not hard. Want of
power when the vowels are under nullifying, as for example fi[o]nd. True indeed, for the last letters that stand in these double
sounds are not understood, through their being pronounced at once: weakness,
however, when they stand in combinations
BB. 323 β
3 AURAICEPT E.25 β 4
equivalent
to the diphthongs, and in the Ogham diphthongs such as fer and ben.
Five letters for each group: and
there is one up to five for each of them, that is, one stroke up to five
strokes, ut est, b one only, n five of them:
or again another kind ? Not hard. Want of power first: when they stand under
nullity, ut quoniam quidem with the
Latinist, or when three vowels stand in one syllable with the Gael, as Briain, of Brian, gliaid, a fight, feoil, flesh, beoir, beer with the Gael. Weakness, however, when they are
consonised, ut seruus, uulgus with the Latinist, ut iarum, therefore, cian, far, ceir, wax, uull (ubull), apple, and aball, appletree, with the Gael.
Full power, too, is in them, both
vowels and consonants, with the exception of h. So that they are distinguished through their signs, i.e.,
through their appearance, to wit, clearly do their conditions differ. These are
their signs: Right of stem, that is, b
to right of the ridge, that is the b
group: Left of stem, to wit, to the left side of the stem, which is the h group: Athwart of stem, to wit,
athwart is from thee, and against is to thee, or half athwart the stem, which
is the m group: Through stem, that
is the a group: About stem, that is
on this side and on that, the diphthongs group. It is thus it is climbed, to
wit, it is even thus it is graduated in the Ogham as it is graduated in the
tree, to wit, thy right hand first, that is, group b: and, thy left hand after, that is, group h: and after that it is athwart and against, group m, to wit, athwart is from thee, and
against is towards thee. Through, however, is group a: over, however, and about is the diphthong group. Thus are
distinguished the vowels, the diphthongs, and the consonants. Why are those
called vowels? Not hard. Because the consonants are measured against them,
BB. 323
β 26 AURAICEPT E.25 β 20
and the
words are fairly woven out of them, ut
est l a, b a, to wit, la, ba. That is the artificial possessive
without rhyme save rhyme of vowels only. Not hard [2nd Ans.]. As a principal
vowel only is required to refer it to seven, so the consonants that exist are
required, every two consonants for a vowel, ut
dicitur:
A rider I
saw yesterday,
Round him a
cloak with hue of blood,
White as a
swan his colour is,
Foam of
wave his two ears hue.
Two things are found there: identity
combined with difference, as bas and las, and it is according to the
correspondence of trisyllabic poetry, for the principal vowel that stands in
them is the same, and it is an identical final consonant. Different, however,
is the initial consonant, to wit, 1
[and b]. How are the consonants
about the vowels measured ? Not hard. Each two consonants of them are about the
vowel. That is the proper proportion, to wit, that is perfect rhyme, ut est, bas, las. That is the
unity with identity, and the unity without identity: and it is according to
poetic corre spondence, for the principal vowel that stands in them is the
same, and there is an equal number of consonants; and that is the proper
arrangement of trisyllabic poetry.
Now in the alphabet there is
required origin from one, and its invention from two, its placing by three, its
confirmation with four, and its binding together with five, its amplifying from
six, its division from seven, its rule with eight, its demonstration in nine,
its establishment in ten. The one is above, to wit, Fenius Farsaidh; the two,
Mac Etheoir with him; the third Mac Aingin; the fourth Cae; the fifth Amirgen
son of Naende son of Nenual;
BB. 323 β
47 AURAICEPT E. 25 β 27
the sixth
Ferchertne; the seventh his pupil; the eighth Ceandfaelad; the ninth his pupil;
the tenth its establishment in one, to wit, the Trefocal.
This is the beginning of the Primer
according to Amairgen Whiteknee. Place of this book, Tochur Inbir Moir in the
territory of Hy Enechglais Cualann: And its period the period of the sons of
Milesius: the person of it Amairgen White-Knee, son of Milesius. The reason for
making it that the sons of Milesius demanded it of him as is after us.
Who invented this speech, and in
what place was it invented, and at what time was it invented ? Not hard. Fenius
Farsaidh invented it at the Tower of Nimrod at the end of ten years after the
dispersion in every direction from the Tower, and it was every one speaking the
same language that went there unto its territory and not every one of the same
stock, as e.g., Cai Cainbreathach, pupil of Fenius Farsaidh, one of the 72
scholars of the school. He was a Hebrew by origin and he was sent to Egypt. And
there Fenius himself remained, at the Tower, and there he dwelt so that there
the school asked of him to select for them a select language out of the many
languages which they had brought with them from abroad so that that speech
might not be in the possession of anyone else but of themselves alone, or of
anyone who should learn it with them again. Then was selected their language
out of the many languages, and it was attributed to one man of them so that it
is his name which is upon this language. That man was Gaedel, son of Angen, so
that Gaedil, Gaels, is derived from him, from Gaedel son of Angen son of
Whiteknee son of Whitehand son of Greek Agriumon. Now Gaedel son of Aimergen is
the same as Gaedel son of Ether, to wit, his father bore
BB. 324 α
20 AURAICEPT E. 25 β 43
two names,
Aingen and Ether. It was there accordingly that this language was regulated.
What was best accordingly of every language and what was widest and finest was
selected for Gaelic; and for every sound for which no characters were found in
all the other alphabets, characters were by them found for these in the Beithe Luis
Nin of the Ogham, ut est: 
Therefore
its vowels were placed apart and its consonants also apart, so that every one
of them stands apart from the other. Semivowels do not exist, as they do not
exist with the Greeks, but only the mutes. For every element, for which there
was no name in the other languages, names were found in Gaelic, ut est, grus, curds; cloch,
stone; and linn, pool.
I beheld
the lis
Past which
would come a stream,
In which
its curds were many
Though milk
was not abundant.
What was best, widest, and finest of
every language was put by them into Gaelic, to wit, what was easier and
pleasanter to say, to wit, they thought having vowels and mutes in it easier
and pleasanter than semi-vowels, mutes, and vowels as the Latinist has.
Better in reason with them, to wit,
five^of them for a long and five of them for a short, and five of them for soft
sounds and five for a hard, and five for a full sound and five for a diphthong
than the one five underlying all of them as it is with the Latinist, and this
is what the Latinist says: His five vowels all take that effect, ut est: Latinae vocales omnes et produci et
corripi possunt, that is, all the Latin vowels are such that they can be
lengthened or shortened. Broader in letters, to wit, for there is nothing
BB. 324
α 42 AURAICEPT E. 25 β y
the
Latinist has to correspond with that: broader in respect of meanings, words,
and letters, to wit, broader in letters 
.
The Latinist has nothing to correspond with it: broader in words, to wit, grus, curds; cloch, stone; lind, pool,
the Latinist has nothing to correspond with those; curd, that is a cheese: galmula with the Latinist, curds with
the Gael: to correspond with the Latinist’s galmarium
is the Gael’s cheese: galmalam with
the Latinist, gruthrach with the
Gael: " stirabout " with the Gael, there is nothing answering to that
with the Latinist: lapis with the
Latinist, stone with the Gael: petra
with the Latinist, rock with the Gael: scopulus
with the Latinist, sharp pebble with the Gael. Cloch, onn, and ailcne,
however, these are kinds of stones to which the Latinist has nothing
corresponding: aqua with the
Latinist, water with the Gael; amnis
with the Latinist, river with the Gael; piscina
with the Latinist, fish-pool with the Gael; to the Gael’s pool, however, the Latinist
has nothing correspond ing. Hence then, the Gael is wider in words and letters
than the Latinist. What the Latinist says is that though Gaelic is wider in words and letters, it is
not wider in meanings; for though the Gael has many names in denoting the
things, the relative meaning emerges out of the paucity of words which the
Latinist does have. That is not true, as the Latinist himself says: Nisi scieris nomen, cognitio rerum periit,
i.e., the knowledge of the things perishes, unless the name is known.
This is the beginning of this book
according to Fenius, and according to Iar mac Nema, and Gael son of Ether.
These are its persons; and this is its period, to wit, when all the children of
Israel came out of Egypt. In Dacia it was invented, though others say it was in
the plain of Shinar. The reason for writing it, because it
BB. 324/215
AURAICEPT E. 26 α 17
was by the
great school requested of Fenius, Iar, and Gaedel son of Ether that it should
be selected for them as their Primer after it had been given by Moses and
learned with him by Cae Cainbreathach; so that after that the alphabets were
invented on one table, as he says: What are the alphabets, etc. Aur is every beginning: also aicce-acht, lesson, is icht aicce,
child nurture, i.e., a deed, for it is in nurture that the disciple is with his
fosterer: or aiccept that is acceptus, that is, of acceptance, to
wit, unto thee of something that thou hast not: na nd-egeas, of the sages, of the men without doubt, to wit, the
poets.
Six principal chiefs by whom the
Tower was made, to vit, Eber Mac Saile, Grecus Mac Corner whence are the
Greeks, and Latinus son of Faunus whence are the Latins, Riabad Scot son of
Gomer, Nimrod son of Cush, and Fenius Farsaidh. Fifty-two years from the
dispersion of the Tower till the reign of Nin son of Bel with his reign of
fifty-two. Seven hundred and seventy-four years from the reign of Nin son of
Bel to the end of the reign of Tothmes king of the world in whose time Troy was
at length sacked. Seven years old was the daughter of Latinus son of Faunus: so
that there are nine hundred and forty-three years from the dispersion of the
Tower till /Eneas married Lavinia, and Latinus himself made his covenant with
him. From that it is evident that the people of this Primer do not advance
accurately, that Latinus was one of the seven chief rulers of the Tower.
Query,
what are the alphabets of the three principal
languages, both name and character ? Not hard
indeed.
The alphabet of the Hebrews first, that is,
Aleph Hebraeorum.
BB. 324
β 35 AURAICEPT
[Version
gaélique]
THE PRIMER
87
Aleph of
the Hebrews, Alpha of the Greeks and A of the Latins.
BB. 324
β 37 AURAICEPT E. 26 α 24
Now Fenius Farsaidh is the same man
that discovered these four alphabets, to wit, the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin
alphabets, and the Beithe Luis Nin of the Ogham, and it is for this reason the
last, to wit, the Beithe is more exact because it was discovered last. There
were in the school twenty-five that were noblest among them, and these are their
names, which are upon the Beithe Luis Nin both vowels and consonants:
And there
were seven that were most noble among these, from whom the seven principal
vowels of the Ogham have been named, so for that reason they have been placed
apart:
Others say
that ten principal vowels stand in it and these are their names 
And these
are the three that increase those to the above seven, to wit, 
,
so on that account, their vowels and consonants have been set apart, and these
are their names which are thus upon them.
Others, however, say that it is not
from men at all that the Ogham vowels are named in Gaelic but from trees,
though some of these trees are not known to-day. For there are four classes of
trees, to wit, chieftain trees, peasant trees, herb trees, and shrub trees; and
it is from these four that the Ogham vowels are named. Chieftain trees, quidem, to wit, oak, hazel, holly,
apple, ash, yew, fir. Peasant trees, to wit, alder, willow, birch, elm, white
thorn, aspen, mountain-ash. The shrub trees here, to wit,
BB. 325
α 18 AURAICEPT
black-thorn,
elder, spindle-tree, test-tree, honeysuckle, bird-cherry, white-hazel. Herb
trees, to wit, furze, heather, broom, bog-myrtle, lecla, to wit, rushes, etc. Now beithe
has been named from the birch owing to its resemblance to the trunk of the
birch, ut dicitur:
Of withered
trunk fairhaired the birch,
and
therefore on the birch was written the first Ogham inscription that was brought
into Ireland, to wit, seven birches were brought to Lugh son of Ethleann, to
wit, thy wife will be taken from thee nisi
eam custodieris, to wit, unless thou watch her. It is on that account b is still written at the beginning of
the Ogham alphabet. Then as to luis,
it is named from a tree, to wit, from mountain-ash, i.e., because luis is the name of mountain-ash in old
Gaelic, ut dicitur: Delight of eye is
mountain-ash, i.e., rowan, owing to the beauty of its berries. Fern, alder, again, is named from a
tree, ut dicitur: The van of the
Warrior-bands, that is, alder, for thereof are the shields. Sail, willow, again, is named from a
tree, ut dicitur: The colour of a
lifeless one, i.e., it has no colour, i.e., owing to the resemblance of its hue
to a dead person. Nin too is named
from a tree, viz., ash, ut dicitur: A
check on peace is nin, viz., ash, for of it are made the spear-shafts by which
the peace is broken: or, A check on peace is uindis. Nin, that is a
maw of a weaver’s beam which is made of ash, that is, in time of peace weavers
beams are raised. Huath, again, is
named from a tree, viz., white-thorn, ut
dicitur: A meet of hounds is huath,
viz. white-thorn; or because it is formidable owing to its thorns. Duir, oak, again, is named from a tree, ut dicitur: Higher than bushes is an
oak. Tinne, again, is named from a
tree, i.e., holly, a third of a wheel is holly, that is, because holly is one
of the three timbers of the chariot-wheel. Coll,
again, is named
BB. 326
α 39 AURAICEPT E. 26 α 43
from a
tree, ut dicitur: Fair wood, that is,
hazel, i.e., every one is eating of its nuts. Queirt, again, is named from a tree, i.e., an apple tree, ut dicitur: Shelter of a boiscill, that is, a wild hind is queirt, i.e., an apple tree. Muin, again, that is, a vine-tree, ut dicitur: Highest of beauty is muin, that is, because it grows aloft,
that is, a vine-tree. Gort, again,
that is, ivy:
"
Greener than pastures is ivy."
Ngetal, again, that is, broom or fern, ut dicitur: A physician’s strength is
broom, to wit, broom or fern. Straiph,
again, that is, black-thorn, ut dicitur:
The hedge of a stream is sraibh, that
is, black-thorn. Ruis, again, that
is, elder, ut dicitur: The redness of
shame is ruis, i.e., elder. Ailm, again, i.e., a fir tree, to wit, a
pine tree. Onn, that is, furze. Ur, that is, heath. Edhadh, that is, ed uath,
horrible grief, to wit, test-tree or aspen. Ido,
that is, yew. Ebhadh, that is, aspen.
Oir, that is, spindle-tree, or ivy. Uilleand,
that is, honeysuckle. Iphin, that is
gooseberry, or thorn, etc.
Now all these are wood names such as
are found in the Ogham Books of Woods, and are not derived from men, ut alii
dicunt.
Query, how many are their powers?
Not hard. Full power is in them all both vowels and consonants, with the
exception of h, that.is, that h might be truly sunk, that is, as
their nature may be, whether it be great or small. It is so set down in the
Book of Ollams, to wit, four divisions that are seen on vowels, viz., power and
want of power, full power and half-power. Full power in vowels, power in
diphthongs, want of power in mutes, and half-power in semivowels. Others say
that three divisions are proper there, viz., full power in vowels, power in
diphthongs, and want of power in mutes; for no semivowel exists with the Gael.
Query, what is long in vowels and diphthongs, and
BB. 325
β 13 AURAICEPT E. 26 α 45
short in consonants?
that is short by position, for the law of Ogham diphthongs is half-time on
consonants always.
Query, how many verse-feet are
there? Not hard. Eight of them: dialt,
one syllable; recomrac, two
syllables; iarcomrac, three; felis, four; cloenre, five; luibenchossach,
six; claidemnas, seven; and bricht, eight syllables. One principal
vowel in dialt, two of them in recomrac, three of them in iarcomrac, four of them in feles, five of them in cloenre, six of them in luibenchossach, seven of them in claidemnas, eight of them in bricht, besides consonants. Query, how
far does a syllable extend to in greatest and least ? To wit, a syllable with a
meaning, five letters are in it, which is the greatest: it reaches an inferior
limit at one letter, and that a word, ut
est, a, o, i, viz. such as á, that is, a mountain height. Such are
Á (Ard) Cuis, and Á (Ard) Cartaind, in Sleeve Luachra, to wit, names of
particular mountains, ut dixit Mac Da
Cerda:
A stag
bells between two heights,
A piercing
wind tosses us,
Proud is
the stalker (?)
Before
thirty long-shanked deer.
and o, on a head, to wit, an ear; and (I) Colum Cille’s Island. Then it
reaches a superior limit up to five letters, ut est, bracht, fat; tracht, strand; drucht, dew; scalp, gap. H is written and is not counted among
the letters in the last words, but it is a mark of aspiration. As to every
syllable, therefore, that does not add to another, each of them is the
equivalent of a word. Verse-feet up to eight of them are in bricht. And that is the superior and
inferior limit of all Gaelic from dialt,
one, to bricht, eight, syllables,
both included, to wit, that there may be power
BB. 325
β 33 AURAICEPT E. 26 α y
to every
syllable, after they are gathered into verse-feet. It is bricht in which are eight syllables. dialt, syllable, is the foundation of all Gaelic except mod, toth,
and traeth. Alta, joints, of science are measured with a man’s joints as they
are measured with every speech. Query, how are they measured with every speech?
Not hard. That each syllable may correspond to another, ut est, down, up, east, west, south, north; that one dissyllable
may correspond to another, for the like vowels and the like verse-feet of them
rhyme.
Five certain numbers of the Tower,
to wit, 72 peoples, and 72 counsellors with them, 72 languages divided among
them, and 72 pupils that came with Fenius to learn those languages, and 72
paces was the height of the Tower.
Query, what is the difference
between indell, yoking, and tindell, unyoking? Not hard. Indell the question, and tindell the solution.
Seven chief leaders by whom the
Tower was made, to wit, Eber son of Saile; Grecus son of Corner, a quo Graeci; Latinus son of Faunus, a quo Latini; Riabath Scot, a quo Scotti; Nimrod son of Cush, son of
Ham, son of Noah; and Peleg son of Ragau, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem.
Query, what are the different
significations between definite, more definite, and most definite? Not hard.
Definite is the Greek alphabet, for it is more exact than the Hebrew alphabet.
More definite, however, the Latin alphabet than the Greek alphabet. More
definite than the Latin alphabet is this, to wit, the Beithe Luis Nin of the
Ogham for it was invented last.
What single word comprehends the
four divisions of the Primer without regard to difference of measure,
termination, letter, word, or form ? Not hard. The
BB. 326
α 5 AURAICEPT E. 26 β 19
word
alphabet, for it comprehends the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin alphabets.
H causes three things, to wit, bogad, lenition of final (?), sémigud, lenition of initial (?), and airdíbdud, extinction. Bogad first: it falls on consonants and
follows them, viz.: p, c, and t, ut
cloch, stone; both, booth.
According to the Latinist, aspiration is usual after every consonant in Gaelic.
Sémigud, lenition of initial,
however, falls upon the consonants in general and precedes them, that is, on
five consonants, b, c, d, t, g. Bogadh of b first, viz. sop and lop, such as Pátraig. It is h that
softens the b that stands in it, for
p does not exist in Gaelic. Sémigudh, such as a Phátraig, h is there,
which is softer than the other example. Bogad
of c, viz. clach, stone, and ach,
alas! of d, viz. sódh, turning, and odh, music: of t, viz. táth, dissolution, and áth, ford: of g, viz. magh, plain, and agh, cow. Sémigud of b, however, a bhen, his wife, a bhán, its blank space, a
bhe binn, O sweet woman: of c
also, viz. o chiunn, since, do chein, from afar, o chianaibh, just now, o chetoir, immediately: of d, viz. dhamsa, to me, dhuitsiu,
to thee: of t, viz. a thír, his land, a thuaigh, [to] his axe: of g,
viz. a ghrádh, his love, and a ógha, his virgins.
Airdíbdud,
extinction, however, comes upon two consonants (i.e., consonants-become like
vowels), that is, the letters s and f, that is, extinction is on them, that
is, their being deleted altogether, such as the extinction of s, to wit, a shál, his heel; a shúil,
his eye. Extinction of f, to wit, a fhind, his hair; a fhir, O man; ind fheda,
of the letter.
This is different from the rhymes 
euad, and edadh of the beginning of a word (give examples) that in uinge, cingit, and cuing there
is need for two Latin letters to write the consonants n, g. There is no need but of 
only for these two letters in Gaelic,
BB. 326
α 25 AURAICEPT E. 26 β 34 a
ut est, 
i.e.,
uingi, ounce 
i.e., cuing,
yoke, 
i.e. cingit
they step. Now sounds are not the same with which each one of these does not
rhyme; 
ut est,
seeit, they blow the fire, is written by 
.
Seit, a road, by writing 
.
Neim, poison of a serpent, is written
by 
.
Min, that is, small, is ī there. Min, meal of corn, i.e., 
. Nemh,heaven
round earth: neamh, with reference to
water 
is there. For there are three things for
which diphthongs were introduced at all into the Ogham alphabet, viz. to
correspond to a diphthong as is said in the nemed
judgments, that is, except Ogham diphthongs in which there are two sounds of
the vowels; and also to differentiate sounds upon the Ogham vowels, for it is a
softness of sound that exists in the Ogham diphthongs, ut est, neamh, heaven,
ea is there: naemh, saint, 
ae
is there, nem, poison, 
i
is there.
These are the five species of the
Selected Language, viz.: Language of the Irish, Commentaries of the Poets,
Parted Language, Obscure Language of the Poets through which each of them
addresses his fellow, and iarmbérla
such as: Cuic, a secret. Et ballorb, to wit, he has a member for
completing poetry; or it is the name for a cano.
Et muirne, spears, to wit, ill-will,
or of ill will. There is another kind of iarmbérla,
to wit, therefore, now, there are, indeed, moreover, even, after, on, query,
pray, how many, what are, not hard, etc. Another kind also, on the (men),
under, out of, through, past them. These are the staves of words with the poet.
Another kind too, to wit, he that, indeed, unto, through, over, to, from,
under, on. That is an interloping syllable with the
BB. 326
α 44 AURAICEPT E. 26 β 44
poet.
Unaccented Language, then, down to this point. It is for this reason that
Unaccented Language, iarmbérla, is
said of it, to wit, on account of its hardness like iron, iarunn, if it is possible to analyse it; or iarmbérla, that is, the speech which Iar Mac Nema discovered last,
and it is not possible to analyse it.
And Language Parted among the
principal vowels, that is, language through which there is distinction of the
principal vowels in the individual word through analysing their meaning, ut est, for example ros, that is, roi oiss,
plain of deer, quando (when) it is rois caelli, copses of wood, and rass, duck meat, along a pool when it is
ross of water, duck weed, rofhos, great rest, if it be on stagnant
water, or roidh ass,... out of it if
it be on a stream, and ro ás when it
is ros lín, flax seed, i.e., on
account of the swiftness and density wherewith it grows. And the Bérla Fortchide, Obscure Language, fortchide, that is, the great darkness
or obscurity of poetry, as said the poet in the school of Fenius: Etaill aro ni anfemde, to wit, i, island; Etall, that is, noble; and aro,
that is, rowing; to wit, we shall not cease from rowing till we reach the noble
Island, that is Ireland, or Spain; or it is definitely Spain, as is found in
the Conversation of the Two Sages. Brimon
smetrach. This is the Language of the Poets that is, the last kind here, to
wit, bri, word; mon, feat; and smit, ear,
and forrach, that is, stretching; or,
bri, word, and mon, feat, and smetrach,
that is, ear-lobe compression, that is, that they might injure some one. A
brotherly trick is that which the poets used to do in satirising, viz., to take
the lobe of his ear in his hand, that is, as no bone exists there, the
individual whom the poet satirises could have no honour-price.
The fifth kind is the Usual Language
which serves for every one; for others say of the Bérla Féine that it is the
BB. 326
β 15 AURAICEPT E. 26 β x
Commentaries
of the Poets, and that it is not a separate language at all.
What is short and long in them, etc.
? Not hard. In such as neam, heaven,
it is a diphthong that stands there. In nem,
poison, however, it is the principal vowel that stands there, and the principal
vowel that stands there is harder and the diphthong is softer, to wit, neam; or, again, it is short by nature
and long by position in vowels, and short by position in diphthongs and long by
nature; or, again, the Ogham vowels that stand there are the same as the
vowels. The Ogham diphthongs are, in fact, the same as the diphthongs. As to
the diphthong that stands in them, therefore, such as bean, bein would be made
of it were it not a diphthong. Thus are the Ogham diphthongs. How is that,
since ebad is the diphthong of the
name when fer is spoken? That
instance is not contrary to the diphthong. That is a short, and there is not
upon it save a time and a half only at the most. There are two times, however,
on the long vowel. That the foregoing diphthong was short there fore must be
perceived. Besides, too, the vowel is able to adjust itself to long and short
in them as the Latinist said: A circumflex is on the long syllables such as do, I give; si, if; and in the same way they say an acute accent is upon the
short syllables, ut est,pax, a kiss. Thus the Gael puts forsail on a long, such as srón, nose, slóg, host, etc.; and ernin
which compresses a final such as leacc,
stone, ceand, head, etc. Therefore,
although e is short in the word fer,
it is not according to the Greeks that it is a diphthong. What causes the
contrary of that, and the five Ogham vowels, and the seven Ogham vowels, and
the ten Ogham vowels, according to another version ? Not hard. The five Ogham
vowels first: answering to the five vowels he gave the seven Ogham vowels,
however.
BB. 326
β 39 AURAICEPT E. 27 α 15
Moreover
the ten Ogham vowels, that is, iphin,
which stands for a diphthong: emancoll
is doubled then, so that there are thus ten of them. Pin, moreover, stands for p,
and emancoll for x, so that there are seven of them thus. This is according to the Auraicept of Munster.
Some say there is another kind, ebad and oir that stand for simple long vowels. Uilleann, moreover, stands for y,
and for u when it is medial. Iphin stands for i medially, or it is the proper symbol there for p. Emancoll,
again, stands for x, that is, to
allow of Greek or Latin words being introduced into Gaelic, and on that account
it is called Emancoll, twin c, for c is one of the two consonants that stand in x, and therefore c is
said to be doubled there, and not s;
for in x, c is earlier than s.
It is demanded, too, in the Beithe Luis Nin: What is the vowel that
takes the force of a consonant, and the vowel that takes the effect of two
consonants, and the vowel that takes the effect of a word, and the vowel that
does not take the effect of a consonant, vowel, or word. It is the vowel that
takes effect of a consonant, quidem,
to wit, a vowel after another, and a vowel that usually stands on the primary
vowel of its word, or along with a diphthong in one syllable, ut est, beoir, beer;feoil, flesh;
Briain, of Brian, etc.; or a vowel
that becomes consonised, to wit, u.
A vowel that takes the effect of two consonants, to wit, one vowel that answers
the measure of two consonants, ut dicitur:
Every two consonants for a vowel. A vowel that takes the effect of a word, that
is, a vowel that speaks alone. A vowel that does not take the effect of a
consonant, vowel, or word, viz., u of nullity, ut dicitur: Nec vocales nec
consonantes habentur, that is, which are not vowels and which are not
consonants, or a vowel which stands after another, ut diximus, as we have said.
There is asked for, too, in the Beithe Luis Nin a
BB. 327
α 10 AURAICEPT E. 27 α l8
consonant
that takes the effect of a vowel, and a consonant that takes the effect of a
consonant and a vowel. And a consonant that takes the effect of two vowels or
of two consonants. And two consonants that take the effect of a vowel. And a
consonant that takes the effect of five vowels and six consonants. And a
consonant that takes the effect of three vowels and four consonants. And a
consonant that takes the effect of a word. And a consonant that does not take
the effect o f a consonant, vowel, or word. The consonant that takes the effect
of two vowels or two consonants is ng.
This is the consonant that takes the effect of a vowel, to wit, q. It takes the effect of a consonant
and a vowel, to wit, c, and u of nullity. And a consonant that
takes the effect of a vowel, to wit, every two consonants for a vowel in a
measure.
A consonant that takes the effect of
five voWels and six consonants, that is d
in the place of dinin disail. No
wonder, when it takes the effect of the five vowels and the six consonants,
though it takes the effect of two vowels and two consonants. A consonant that
takes the effect of three vowels and four consonants, to wit, s in place of forsail. A consonant that takes the effect of a word, that is, a
consonant that sustains the effect of an accent. A consonant that does not take
the effect of a consonant, vowel or word, that is, a consonant along with which
h constantly appears.
Query, how many verse-feet are
there? Not hard. The foot with the Latinist: the verse-foot with the poet, ut Donatus dixit: Pes est syllabarum et
temporum certa dinumeratio, the foot is a definite counting of the
syllables and the times. The Gael also has a sure counting of syllables, feet,
and times from dialt, one, to bricht, eight syllables: each verse-foot
of them from one to another is a perfect syllable in Gaelic, so that thus there
BB. 327 α
30 AURAICEPT E. 27 α 22
are eight
in bricht, so that that is a definite
counting from one syllable to eight of them. Dialt, a syllable, that is, di,
to deny that any alt, joint, exists
there. Recomrac, dissyllable, that is
re, the course in which the two
syllables meet about the alt. Iarcomrac, trisyllable, i.e., afterwards
they meet, i.e., after each last, i.e., a meeting of the three syllables with
the two previous syllables. Feleas,
tetrasyllable, that is, bad profit of the hand; or he, the poet, is satisfied
whichever of them he will give, for it is even. Claenre, pentasyllable (that is, uneven its termination), for with
respect to its course two of them are on one half and three on the other. Luibenchossach, hexasyllable, that is,
the foot with its digits, the five toes; the foot being the sixth. Claidemnas, heptasyllable, that is,
sword-manus, to wit, manus, hand, and the sword of the hand
is the shoulder-blade: and it is the seventh syllable. Bricht, octosyllable, i.e., bri
ocht, i.e., eight words are there, or bricht
because eight syllables are shown there. Query, what is the difference between dialt, syllable, and a dheach, its verse-foot ? Not hard.
When the syllable is an Ogham diphthong, there is alt between (the vowels of the) diphthong in that case. But when it
is a consonant and a primary vowel, there is alt between the consonant and the vowel. When, however, it is a
single vowel such as a, o, there is alt between two times. One vowel in dialt, two of them in recomarc, etc., that is, a primary
vowel, or a diphthong. It is on that account the triphthong is not contained in
one syllable.
Eight syllables are in the biggest
word in Gaelic, ut est,
fiannamailcecheterdarai, Fiann-like-every-second-one-of-them, and anrocomraircnicsiumairne, all-the-mistakes-which-we-have-committed,
etc.
Thirteen
syllables, however, are in the biggest word in Latin, ut est ab his
honorificabilitudinitatibus.
BB. 327
β I AURAICEPT E. 27 α 39
This is a cardinal number, to wit,
three or four. These are the ordinal numbers, however, primus et secundus et tertius, to wit, the names of their number in
prose; and their ordinal names, moreover, according to nature.
That is their difference, an
imperfect number, such as three or five; for they are not multiplied from factors.
A perfect number, such as six, contains one of it six times, two three times,
three twice. A perfect number is that, for it properly consists of factors. A
quite perfect number, ut est, twelve,
to wit, one is its twelfth, two its sixth, three its fourth, four its third,
six exactly its half, thus, as for example in twelve, to wit, one, two, and
three, these are six; and four after that, these make ten; and six after that
are thus sixteen. So that that is a number which is greater than its factors through
telling its halves. Every factor is a part, but not every part is a factor,
etc.
Query, how far does dialt, syllable, extend in greatest and
least? Not hard. A syllable with a meaning, that is, five letters are in it,
which is its superior limit: one letter, however, which is its inferior limit,
to wit, denoting perfect sense, such as o,
ear, or i, island. Therefore dialt, syllable, is the origin of all
Gaelic save mod, tod, and trod. What is
the reason why it is not an origin for those? Not hard. Because each of them is
a dialt, syllable, and a thing is not
an origin for itself, or again dialt
is the origin of all Gaelic save mod,
tod, and troth. But I much prefer there certainly that they are not an
origin of Gaelic but that it is an origin of meaning. What is the gender to
which it is an origin ? Not hard, to wit, mod
is everything male, viz.: every male member and every male condition; and todh is everything female, to wit, every
female member and every female condition; and troth is every thing neuter, to wit, which
BB. 327 β
23 AURAICEPT E. 37 α 54
are neither
one nor other, viz., every impersonal condition: or again they are not dialta, syllables, at all, and mod, tod,
and traeth are not therefore an
origin of Gaelic but they are origins of gender, ut dicitur, but there are for all that other Gaelic matters to
which they are an origin, such as mod,
to wit, greater its distance upwards; or mod,
that is, mo, greater, is od, i.e., od, music when it is masculine, i.e., greater the music. It is
greater than the music which is less, as, for example, aidbsi, choral song, in Drum Ceat, that is, tood: or to od, tae a ed,
silent its law when it is feminine; or tod,
that is, to od, that is, tod (is) the music, that is, the small
music, that is, humming, or a little crooning in comparison with the great,
i.e., the music which is greater. traeth,
that is, weak its extent or its music in comparison with masculine and
feminine: or traeth from the fact
that the loud kinds of music, trumpeting or horn-blowing, overpower the low
kinds. Another genus or mod that is,
greater its distance up when it is thunder, or when it is a tree. Tod, that is, tae, silent its law when it is a foetus, and it is... another sound
which is more silent than the other. Traeth,
i.e., they overwhelm, which over whelms when it is a whistle; because it is
shriller and harder than the other thing it is traet (tre fet). Others
say that they might be names of instruments of music. What is their proof? Not
hard. Greater its music when it is a harp. Tod,
that is, tai a od, silent its music:
when it is sweetest, it is more silent and lower than the other. Traeth, that is, it overwhelms the other
two when it is a trumpet, because higher is its mournful cry. On that account
it is traeth to them. Or again mod and tod and traeth, to wit,
those are names of masculine, feminine, and neuter members, as the Latinist
says: Nomen membri viri vel nomen membri
mulieris vel nomen membri neutri; and those are Greek words although it is
in Latin that
BB. 327
β 46 AURAICEPT E. 270 α 61
an example
of them occurs, and they are not syllables, for they are not derived from
anything, and nothing is derived out of them save that there might be formed mod, upon mod; tod, upon tod; and traeth, upon traeth. Secundum quosdam, it is a distinction of
speech: " He, she, it," according to the sons of Milesius: Uindius, uindsi, ondar, according to the
Fir Bolg: mod, tod, traeth, according to the Tuatha de Danann. This is, then, the
short of it: this is the origin of all Gaelic, to wit, dialt, syllable, that is, from recomrac,
two, to bricht, eight syllables; and
it is not the origin of an individual syllable as, for example, mod, tod, and traeth; and after every dialt, syllable, they have been set down
here, and it is on that account they have been mentioned beyond every dialt, syllable, for attention was
directed to them that they are dissyllabic: for their condaill is found, to wit, their fair division ut diximus. Or again mod,
tod, and traeth are the names of the masculine, feminine, and neuter members
as the Latinist has said: Nomen membri
uirilis et nomen membri muliebris et nomen membri neutri, and those are
Greek words though it is in Latin that an example of them occurs: and it is on
this account that they are not dialta,
syllables, for they are not derived from anything, and nothing is derived from
them unless there might be formed mod
for mod, tod fri tod and traeth fri traeth.
Alta uad, joints of science, are
measured, to wit, the metres of the airchetal,
trisyllabic poetry, are measured with the joints of men as they are measured
with any part of speech.
How are they measured with any part
of speech? To wit, that every dialt,
syllable, may correspond to another such as down, up, for that is its rhyme
when it is the same in vowel, and the word made to correspond is the same in
vowel, and the ending is the same in verse-feet.
BB. 328 α
16 AURAICEPT E. 27 β 6
There are
twenty-five prepositional flections in declension, as is exemplified here
below:
|
Fer its nominative. I fiur its locative. Co fer its advancive. A fir its vocative. Sech fer its neglective. O fhir its ablative. Fri fer its desidative. Fo fiur its fundative. De fhiur its privative. La fer its comitative. Ar fiur its ascensive. Frisin fer its augmentative. Is fer its descriptive. |
Fir its possessive. Ar fear its defensive. In fer its accusative. Hi fir its ingressive. Oc fir its depositive. For fer its invocative. In fir its parentative. Do fiur its dative. Iar fiur its progenitive. Im fer its circumdative. Dar fer its trespassive.. Tre fer its trajective. Ri fiur its adversative. |
Also their
plural may be:
|
Fir its nominative. Ac feraib its depositive. Dona feraib its dative. |
Na fir its descriptive. Na fer its possessive. sic in sequentibus. |
Now as to fear, ebad, ea is the Ogham vowel of the noun which is pronounced fer; e its vowel; dialt, syllable,
its verse-foot, to wit, one constituent sound without alt, division, at all. Two constituents are in io or iphin, its Ogham
vowel, in its declension or in its possessive, when it is pronounced fir, to wit, because the two are there
in its declension, io; e.g. fir, iphin,
is there, e.g. do fir, io; e.g. a fir, iphin; e.g. o fhir.
It is on that account that he does not reckon ebhadh, ea, as a
declension, though it might be present in some cases such as co fer, etc. For there is but declension
of meaning only in every posi tion where there remains the Ogham vowel which
stands in the nominative. In the inflections it is io or iphin that stands
in them in every place where the nominative does not remain, so that on that
account io or iphin is declared
BB. 328
α 38 AURAICEPT E. 27 β 21
its Ogham
vowel in its declension or in its possessive, etc.
Dinin
disail, its accent, to wit, accentus
with the Latinist; for these are the three accents which exist, to wit, arnin, dinin disail, and forsail, to wit, arnin compresses a
final: forsail on a long is borne: dinin disail on a short takes (effect).
E.g. arnin, ut est, glonn, deed, donn,
dun, crann, tree, glenn, glen: forsail, ut est, srōn, nose, slōg, host, mōr,
great: dinin disail, ut est, fer, cor, ler, tor, and all short words whatsoever. When the Ogham
inscription is written there are written these accents above them to make clear
long and short or to express tension, for they would not be understood
otherwise: because as the Latinist puts an acute on the short syllables, ut est, pax, etc., and a circumflex on the long syllables, ut est, rês, so the Gael puts dinin
disail on the short, ut est, fer; and forsail on the long, e.g. lāmh,
hand; and as there is a grave in every single dictum of many words with an
acute or a circumflex, that is to say arnin
is along with dinin disail or along
with forsail in one word, ut, ceann, head, and srōn nose. Airnin, therefore, it purchases n: or air nin, that is,
upon it is n, for it is n that is written to mark that accent.
« TRANS » Nin is a name
common to all letters either vowels or consonants. forsail, too, means sail
upon it, for it is s that is written
to denote that accent, for it is upon a long that forsail rests, and there is a lengthening of the time by it upon
the s: or forsail, that is, it magnifies the word till it becomes long: or forsail, that is, furail, overflow, beyond the short. Dinin disail, that is, di,
for negation therein, inasmuch as it is neither n nor s that is written
but d to denote that accent, i.e.,
because it is a diminution of the time that d denotes, as it is an addition that s adds: or dinin disail, de sin
from that, i.e., unadding, that is, non-addition. Others say the reason why d is written for dinin disail is that d
stands at the
BB. 328 β
14 AURAICEPT E. 27 β 28
beginning
of dinin disail, and the reason why n is written for nin is that n stands at
the end in it, and the reason why s
is written for forsail is that s stands in the middle of it; vel ut alii dicunt, ail, that is, time
excess past the short. Dine, that is,
dinin, that is, not a letter, that
is, it is not an Ogham vowel but it is an accent. Di[sh]ail, that is, not a long time or di[sh]ail, that is, non-addition or non-overflowing.
Alt
co fesear that thou mayest know what alt
huad, limb of science, it is of the seven alta, to wit, anamain, nath,
eamain, láid, setrud, soinemain, dían with their duans. From that onward,
it is from verse-feet that alta na huad,
the limbs of science, are named, that it might not be mixed speech. Nath, i.e., it praises from the front. Anamain, i.e., án somain, glorious profit. Láed,
i.e., it is sent or hastened: or leóaid,
it wounds when it is satire: or from the word laus, praise. Sedradh,
i.e., path of saying; or surety on a valuable. Sainemain, i.e., special its treasures with respect to the
foregoing measure. Dían, two satires:
or dian, huge and splendid; or ni áin, something of splendour. From
that onward, i.e., from the seven principal metres forth it is from verse-feet,
it is something of the verse-feet that thou wilt find and it is from them they
have their name at the close of every part of their duan, and recomarc of
their forduan, and iarcomarc of bard poetry, that it may
not be mixed diction, that it may not be prose like the measure of the
Daerbards.
Lorga
fuach, staves of words, i.e., a staff out of a word, i.e., as there are
staves in the hands of a man on barren places as he goes from place to place
that he might not fall prostrate, even so are these here the staves that are in
the reasonable speech (?) or in the mouths of the poets halting from word to
word. Lorga fuach, staves of words,
therefore, that is the interposition of two syllables between the two
BB. 328
β 36 AURAICEPT E. 27 β 35
alliterations,
as Cormac the bard cecinit: Im ba seasach
im ba seang, etc., i.e., im ba is
the lorga fuach.
A dialt n-eterleme, its
interloping syllable, is one syllable between the two alliterations ut est;
To what
side for ever after a course of crosses
Shall I
beat my narrow fleet ?
Shall it
beat east or shall it lie west for a short while,
Shall it be
north, or shall it be south ?
Cia between lond
and leth is the dialt n-etarleme, the
interloping syllable; and lorga fuach,
staves of words, and dialt n-etarleme occur in the middle of the
stanza, viz., in ba, and ba.
Fer
tot, its telgud noe, its flinging
of a man, for nae is man, ut est, if a man suffer on land, i.e.
the man allows suffering on him, he goes afterwards to bathe himself in the
water, he lets himself down the bank into the water, tot saith the wave under him, i.e., tot was the name of that sound which the wave makes: tott; tott, then, is its onomatopoetic name, or mixed name from sound, ut est, the bu of cows, the go of
geese: or the heavy voice the man utters dropping himself on the water. From
the sounds of birth have been named go go
in sound, or bu bó, i.e., tot: or again, the man takes his garment
about him from some one else. What he then says is fertom (i.e. give ye to me, i.e.) it serves me, feartot it serves thee, quoth thy
companion to thee, that is a passive verb, feartot
quoth his companion to him, this is an active verb.
Now urland, haft, is the name for a spear-bed, to wit, the black horn that is
round the spear, it is that on which the spear rests, even as gender rests on
these three, he, she, it: or on these ten urlaind,
to wit, sé he, dá two, trí three, cethir four men. That is, these are urlanda, prefixes,
BB. 329
α 5 AURAICEPT E. 27 β 45
of
masculine gender, to wit, is é, it is he, the man, dá two men, trí three men, cethri
four men: or urlond indsci is a sign
of declension, masc., fem., and neuter. Masc. and fem. urland are, however, the same from that onward. Therefore they are
not mentioned beyond four.
Sí
she, dí two, teora three, cetheora
four women, are feminine urlanna, leading words, there. Is í,
it is she, the woman, dí two women, teora three women, ceitheora
four women. It é and it iat, they
are, however, are common urlanna both fem. and masc. Is ed, it is, however, is neuter urlann, ut dicitur, it is his head. With masculine urland, again,
neuter coincides in plural urlanda to wit, two heavens, ut dicitur, two men, etc. Or urlann
indsci,
that is, masc., fem., and neuter gender. Thus far the body of the Primer.
Twenty-five prepositional flexions
in declension, that is, five for full consideration of the poets in flexion
while composing the ai, poem; and
twenty artificial species besides. And the twenty artificial kinds, what is
characteristic of them ? Do they each of them conform to their own proper form
? They do nÉcessarily, for they are inflected forms. This is their number,
three of them in the singular, three of them in the plural, so that thus there
are six of them. As to the twenty artificial prose sorts, it is certain that
this is their characteristic that there are twelve of them in the form of
nominative and accusative, one of them in the form of genitive and vocative,
seven of them in the form of dative and ablative: or eleven of them in the form
of nominative and accusa tive, and three of them in the form of genitive and
vocative, and three of them in the form of dative and ablative, i.e., three
flexions in the singular fer, fir, ic
flur; three of them in the plural na
fer, na fir, na firu. As to the twelve flexions of them that pass into the
BB. 329 α
27 AURAICEPT E. 27 β 54
form of
nominative and accusative, these are their names here:
ar
fer its defensive. co
fer its advancive.
i
fer its ingressive.
seach fer its neglective.
for
fer its invocative.
fri fer its desidative.
la
fer its comitative.
im
fer its circumdative.
dar
fer its
trespassive. frisin fer its augmentative.
tri
fer its
perforative. is fer its descriptive.
ut dixit poeta:
Twelve
flexions are these
Which
methinks are not quite deceiving,
They pass
into the letter form
Of
nominative and accusative.
The seven
flexions, however, that pass into the form of dative and ablative are:
i
fiur its locative. oc
fiur its depositive.
fo
fiur its fundative.
do
fiur its privative.
iar
fiur its
progenitive. ar fiur its ascensive.
ria
fiur its
precessive.
ut dixit poeta:
These are
the seven flexions
Which are
not kinds to be destroyed,
They pass
into pure forms
Of dative
and ablative.
One
flexion, however, goes into the form of vocative and genitive, ut dixit poeta:
In fhir its parentative to all time
For
possessive, for vocative,
And to them
alone there comes not
Save it be
the one form from the score.
These are
the score of artificial forms with their characteristics, etc.
BB. 329 α
44 AURAICEPT E. 28 α 5
Now as to fer, man, ebadh, ea, is its Ogham
vowel; io or iphin in its declension, or in its possessive, etc., to wit, idad, i, is in its possessive and vocative. It is iphin, io, however, in
its dative and ablative. Ebad, ea, however, in its nominative and accusative.
What is proper of fedha in fedaibh, of fedha i fidh, and of fidh i fedaib ? Proper of fedha i fedhaibh, a vowel among vowels,
first, to wit, a before the four
vowels; for it is the first expression of all living and the last sigh of all
deceased. Dilis fed i fidh, proper of
vowels in a vowel, that is, proper is the Ogham diphthong whatever be the fid, vowel, in which it is written. Dilis fidh in fedhaibh, proper is a
vowel among vowels, to wit, such is the Ogham diphthong which has two vowels,
to wit, what is proper there is the first vowel, for the last is not reckoned.
Alt
co fesear, i.e., that it may be known whether it is a metre of the seven
primary combinations of poetry as regards measure. From that onward it is by
verse-feet that alta, limbs of
science, are expressed that it might not be mixed speech, that is, from that
onward in the good words, that is, by good words the metres of airchetal are expressed that it could
not be the mixed speech such as the Daerbaird use.
Lorga
fuach, staves of words, that is, láirce
lórchaine, full comely legs, to wit, disyllabic interpositions that stand
before the (alliterating) words, saving them from two kinds, to wit, rogair, overshortness, and claenre or perversion of sense.
Fertot
a telgud noe, its man-throwing. And bu
bó and go géd, names these which
through science the poets have invented according to their sound. Fertot, that is, a man has fallen there;
and bó, cow, from the word boo or buo [βoάω], I sound, that is, it would be from the géim, roar; and géd, goose, would be from the goose-voice which
BB. 329
β 14 AURAICEPT E. 28 α 24
it utters,
as the Latinist has said: Nomen de sono
factum est, i.e., the name has happened to the sound, ut est, connall, stubble, stip,
that is its sound as it burns. Thence stipula
has come to be the name for it with the Latinist.
Then as to aurlond, haft, or insce, speech, it is a name for the spear-bed. What is the
artificial erlonn, haft, which is
found to be nature? Not hard. The spear-haft. What is the aurlonn indsci, haft of speech, from which groweth no speech, but
speech of death ? The spear-point. What is the aurlonn, haft, which is iar
lonn, after blade, the after-blade which is haft, and the haft which is remlonn, before blade, to wit, urlonn, haft, that is, the spear, to
wit, haft itself that will come after blade, for iar is everything final; so that that is the urlonn, haft, which is after blade, and the urlonn, haft, is the haft which is remlonn, before blade, to wit, when the airiall reaches ground. What are urlonn, urlainn, urlainni in urlond?
Urlonn, that is, urlonn, haft, leading word, mas., fem., and neut.: urlainni, the wife of the man: urlunna, the two in urlond, i.e., in heaven or in hell.
The urlutina, indices of gender, mas. and fem. plural are as follows:
(mas.) sé: dá, trí, cethri: (fem.) sí: dí,
teora, cetheora. From that onward the
genders of number are the same. It is there is found an error of the plural
neuter, to wit, its not having urlanna
plural but in the singular tantum.
What is artificial speech which is found with nature ? Not hard. " It
" is the head, for it is artificial to say " it " while it is on
the man. It is natural, however, to apply " it " to it after striking
cenn off him.
What single disyllabic word in the
declensions will take the place, to wit, the effect of the four parts of
declensions ? The word perforative, for it includes the words perforative,
BB. 329
β 37 AURAICEPT E. 28 α 45
locative,
ingressive, and advancive; for the perforative will not exist without the
locative, and the locative will not exist without the ingressive, the
ingressive will not exist without the advancive, so that it is perforative
which holds from end to end. What bricht
is it in which stand eight Ogham letters according to the poet wherein the one
letter will contain the force of half of it? ut est, sliachta, and that is a virtual half, not an exact half, to
wit, it alone is against the seven letters. In what place of the Primer stands
the artificial possessive without rhyme save rhyme of vowels only, ut est, la ba ? That is, the possession which a has over the 1 and
over b.
In what place is found a couple of
consonants without a breath through them ? Not hard. Where n stands before g, with no vowel between them, ut est, uinge, ounce. In what place is
found the augmenting Ogham vowel after the completion of the eight syllables in
the word bricht ? Not hard. Where a
diphthong will stand in the eighth syllable, one of the vowel is an augmenting
vowel.
There are eight syllables in the
biggest word in Gaelic, ut est, fiannamailechardaai. Thirteen syllables,
however, form the biggest word in Latin, ut
est, tencrificabilitudinitatibus.
What consonant will take the force
of a vowel, word and consonant ? Not hard. Q. What consonant will not take the
force of vowel, word or consonant ? Not
hard. H.
What is the peculiar origin of the
word aipgitir, alphabet? Not hard. A be ce, dibon, i.e., copulatio
literarum per se, to wit, there exists in the alphabet a collection of
letters with their relationship.
And as to letter itself, what is the
origin from which it is? Not hard. From legitera,
to wit, a name for
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a certain
animal lair that dwells on the seashore [in litore] named Molossus, and
whosoever sees the lair of that animal, to him is revealed knowledge without
study. Therefore as it is a way for revealing wisdom and knowledge for anyone
to see that lair, so the knowledge and sight of letters is a way for revealing
knowledge to him, so that on that account the name littera from the name of the lair of the animal aforesaid is
applied to letter in every place where it occurs. Or littera is from litura,
rubbing, i.e., from the smearing, i.e., from the rubbing which the ancients
used to apply to the waxen tablets, for thereon they (the letters) were first
written by them. Or litera, i.e.,
path of reading, i.e., way of reading.
Of the origins of the
declensions here below.
The beginning of letters, verse-feet,
declensions, accents, intervals, genders, and comparisons as they were
established by poets of the same school in which they dwelt, and by Fenius
Farsaidh after the selection of Gaelic out of the 72 languages. Hence it was
attributed to Goedel son of Angen, for it was he that desired the selection of
Gaelic, to wit, the one language that was more beautiful and excellent than any
language, so that for this reason it used to serve, and therefore it was
attributed, so that hence Gaelic and the Gael are named. Xel, or Nin, son of
Fenius it was who married Scota, daughter of Pharaoh, so that it is from her
name they are called Scots.
|
Fer its nominative sing Fir its possessive sing. Do fer its dative sing In fer its accusative sing. A fhir its vocative sing. O fir its ablative sing. Og fir its depositive sing. |
Fir its nominative plur. Na fer its possessive plur. Do feraibh its dative plur. Inna firu its accusative plur. A fhiru its vocative plur. O feraibh its ablative plur. Oc feraib its depositive plur. |
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41 AURAICEPT E. 28 β 24
|
Co fer its advancive sing. Sech fer its neglective sing. Tre fer its perforative sing. I fer its ingressive sing. I fir its locative sing. For fer its attestive sing. Fo fhir its fundative sing. Tar fer its trespassive sing. Ar fir its ascensive sing. Fri fer its desidative sing. Feron its hyperbole. Feer its retarding. Ser its change of initial. Ferfer its reduplication, is not found. Sofer its ennobling. Fera its exaltation, is not found. And, on, neath, through, in, past the men,
its staves of words. From, out of, in, to, through, across, past
a man, its interloping syllable. Fertot its man-throwing. |
Co feraib (or co
firu) its advancive plur. Sech feraib (or sech
firu) its neglective plur. Tre feraib (or tre
firu) its perforative plur. I firu (or a
feraib) its ingressive plur. I firu (or a
feraib) its locative plur. For firu (or for
feraib) its attestive plur. Fo fhiru (or fo
fheraib) its fundative plur. Tar firu (or tar
feraib) its trespassive plur. Ar firu (or ar
feraib) its ascensive plur. Fri firu (or fri
feraib) its desidative plur. Fer its hardening. Refer its inversion. Fel its change of final. Firine its diminutive. Dofer its enslaving. Feraib its humiliation. Fefrier its internal division. Fe its theft of a hard. |
Its theft of a long is not found, or
feir is its theft of a long.
Ferr
its doubling a final. Fe its losing
a final.
Ise,
etc., he, she, it, its prefix of gender.
Head, heart constituting the man’s
two neuter selected attributes. Eye and tooth the couple of the head. Membrane
and gore the couple of the heart. (The
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β 7 AURAICEPT E. 28 β 32
couple of
the udder, that is, milk and streamlet: the couple of the gore, that is,
redness and crimson.) Leg and foot the couple of support-ing. A pair, too, of
the correlated neuter, that is, eyelashes and eyebrow, i.e., abhrochtur, upper eyebrow (or imcainead, treating super ciliously)
couple or pair of the eyes. Root and breadth, the couple or pair of the teeth.
Skin and sinew the couple or pair of the shins. Activity and surface the
couple, i.e., pair of the feet. In another respect, too, these are the pairs of
the correlated neuter, its accents, for there are three kinds that are in
existence, one for warding upon, one for good warding, and one for warding
against. Gein forcométa, for warding
upon, first, ut est, ailmne for glún, cap on knee, similarly, for on it from above stands the
spear of the true forsail, and it is
therewith at once it is produced out of thy lips in length and in loudness. Dinin disail are in use as, for example,
fuil blood, which is along with feóil flesh, and blood which is in the
flesh. It is thus that dinin disail
permeates the word from beginning to end without arresting it, without
stretching it. Arnin such as cnāim mullaich top bone, leicni jaw-bones, cnuicc knuckles, and find
hair, and those that do not originate with man at first, for under the like
ness of a man’s limbs are limbs of science made. Now the arnin does not at once appear with the word on which it falls so
that it is at the end that it compresses the word.
Masculine declension thus far.
Incipit feminine declension. Woman.
of a woman. from a woman. through a
woman.
of the women. from women. through women.
to a woman. with a woman. in a woman.
to women. with women. in
women.
the woman. unto a woman. on a woman.
the women. unto women. on women.
O woman. past a woman. over
a woman.
O women. past women. over
women.
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30 AURAICEPT E. 28 β 51
benon
its hyperbole. or mna its full.
ben
its hardening. its reduplication,
to wit, benben is not found,
been
its retarding.
neb
its inversion. Though some say
that there is not any lān in its
re duplication.
befrien
its internal division.
ben
its unity.
ben
its full. benīne its diminutive.
soben its ennobling.
doben its enslaving; its exaltation is not found (or
in the singular, that is, benna). Mna in the plural its exaltation. Its
humiliation, to wit, benaib is not
found. On, under, through, in, past the women, its lorga fuach: from, to, past, on, in, ‘tis woman, its interloping
syllable. Bentot its man-throwing. Be its theft of a hard. Its airichill fuit does not exist, or airicil (i.e., fuit} is not found. Bel
its change of final. Benn its
doubling a final. Be its losing a
final. Pap and knee their selected neuter, fair
bearing, and sridit the passage of
milk from the breast, their couple; taste and sweetness, their pair. Cap and
hollow of knee, the couple of the knee. Bone and flesh their pair. Or these are
their pair, their accents, as we have said.
Feminine declension thus far.
Incipit
neuter declension here below.
Nem heaven. Nemōn its hyperbole. Nime
its hardening. Neem its retarding.
of the heaven. at heaven. through
heaven. on heaven.
to heaven. at heavens. through
heavens on heavens.
to heavens. unto heaven. into
heaven. over heaven.
the heaven. unto heavens. into
heavens. over heavens.
the heavens. past heaven. in heaven. under heaven.
from heaven. past heavens. in heavens. under heavens.
from heavens.
Nefriem its internal division. Nem its unity. Nem its
full. Its
diminutive is not found, nor its reduplication. Its
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α 3 AURAICEPT E. 29 α 12
ennobling
does not exist, nor its enslaving, nor its exaltation. Nimib is its humiliation. On, under, through, in, past the heavens,
its staves of words: from, to, in, unto, out of, under, on, of, past the
heavens, its interloping syllable. Its man-throwing may not serve. Ne its theft of a hard, ut est, nem of the water, or poison of a serpent, ut est, nem im thalmain
heaven about earth. There is no airichill
(i.e., fuit). Nel its change of final, nemm
its doubling of final, ne its losing
a final. Ised, etc., he, she, it, its
prefix of gender. Its selected neuter is not found, for it is itself neuter
gender. Cloud and bow of heaven its neuter couple: colour and height their
pair, or it is their accents that are their pair.
Neuter declension thus far.
Its nominative fer. Its possessive fir.
Its dative do fhiur. Its accusative in fer. Its vocative a fhir. Its ablative o fhiur. Its depositive oc fiur. Its advancive co fear. Its neglective sech fear. Its perforative tre fer. Its
ingressive hi fir. Its locative hi fhir. Its attestive for fer. Its fundative fo fhiur. Its trespassive tar fear. Its ascensive ar fiur. Its defensive ar fer. Its interrogative cia fer. Its circumdative im fear. Its privative di fiur.
Now others add three to these, its
privative den fir; its descriptive in fer; and its parentative in fir: but its privative is the same
as its ablative; its descriptive is the same as its accusative; and its
parentative is the same as its possessive.
Incipit
to the divisions of analysis is this below.
There are two views of analysis,
that is, analysis according to the meaning it denotes and analysis according to
the method which it uses. There are four divisions of it, to wit, size,
quality, denotation, and accent. Analysis according
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α 28 AURAICEPT E. 29 α 45
to the quality which it signifies: There are eight subordinate parts in it, and four primary parts of the eight subordinate parts. These are included under the four p