Celtic Scotland : a history of ancient Alban / by William F. Skene.

  • William Forbes Skene
Date:
1886-1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Celtic Scotland : a history of ancient Alban / by William F. Skene. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    506/546 (page 476)
    ‘ A child illustrious before God and men will be born on this night to-night, and he shall come here before thirty years from this night. Twelve men, moreover, will be his company; and he it is that will discover my grave, and measure1 my cemetery; and our union shall be in heaven and in earth.’ As the birth of Colum Cille was thus predicted by the patron saints of Eriu, so was it manifested2 in visions and dreams, as it was manifested2 in the vision that appeared to his mother, viz., it seemed to her that a large garment was given to her which reached from Innsi-mod3 to Caer-nam-brocc,4 and there was not of the colours [of the world5] a colour that was not in it. She saw a young man in splendid raiment, who bore the garment away from her into the air. And Eithne was grieved at this. And she thought that the same young man came towards her again, and said to her, ‘ My good woman,’ said the young man, ‘ thou shouldst not exhibit grief, but joy and gladness6 were fitter for thee; for what this garment signifies is, that thou wilt bear a son, and Eriu and Alba will be full of his teaching.’ The attendant woman7 also saw a vision, viz., that the fowls of the air, and of the earth, as she thought, carried the bowels of Eithne throughout the regions of Eriu and Alba. [Eithne8 herself, however, gave the interpretation of that vision; and what she then said is, ‘ I shall bear a son,1 said she, * and his teaching shall extend throughout the regions of Eriu and Alba.’] As it was9 predicted by the patron saints10 of Eriu, more- over, and as it was9 seen in visions, so was Colum Cille born. 1 Measure. Tdrindfesa ; i.e. ‘ that shall mark the limits of.’ 2 Manifested. Ro Jiugrad; lit. ‘ was figured.’ 3 Innsi-mod. The group of islands in Clew Bay, on the west coast of Mayo. 4 Caer-nam-brocc. Supposed to be Burghead, on the north-east coast of Scotland. Adamian, 191, note e. 8 Of the world. An domain. Not in L. B. or Lismore. 8 Gladness, j forbailti, for 7 for- failti. Omitted in A. L. 7 Attendant woman, ben imtha. In the account of this vision in the Mart. Donegal, at June 9, the expression is ben formaid 7 iom thnuith, ‘a woman of jealousy and envy. ’ 8 Eithne. The original of this sentence is not in A. L. 9 It was. The original would also bear to be translated ‘ he was. ’ 10 Patron Saints. Sruthi. See p. 473, note 2.