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.

    507/546 (page 477)
    Gortan,1 then, is the name of the place in which he was born. On the seventh of the ides of December, moreover, as regards the day of the solar month, he was born ; on Thursday, as regards the day of the week. Illustrious, indeed, was the boy born there—the son of the King of heaven and earth, viz., Colum Cille, son of Fedlimidh, son of Fergus, son of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Naoighiallach. His mother, then, was of the Cor prig e,2 of Leinster, viz., Eithne * the noble,’3 daughter of Dima son of Noe. Immediately after his birth, moreover, he was taken in order that the illustrious priest Cruithnechan, son of Cellachan, should baptize him. And he (Cruithnechan) subsequently fostered4 him, after the angel of God had told him to do so. When the time, then, arrived to him that he should learn,5 the cleric6 went to a certain prophet who was in the country to ask him when it would be right for the boy to begin. As soon as the prophet observed the heavens,7 what he said was,8 ‘ Write now for him his alphabet.’ It was then written in a cake; and how Colum Cille ate the cake was thus, viz.—the half of it at the east side of water,9 and the other half at the west side of water. [The prophet10 said, through the gift of prophecy, ‘ Thus shall this boy’s land be, viz., the half of it to the east of the sea (i.e. in Alba), and the other half of it to the west of the sea, to wit, in Eriu.’] It was not long after that until he and his guardian went to Brugach son of Dega, the bishop, to the Raths of Magh-enaig11 1 Gortan. This name signifies ‘ a little field, ’ It is now written ‘ Gartan,’ and is the name of a town- land and parish in the barony of Kilmacrenan, Co. Donegal. 2 Corprige. In Aengus’s Tract on the Mothers of Irish Saints, Eithne is said to have been of the Cor- praide of Fanad (Co. Donegal). See Reeves’s Adamnan, p. 164, note. 3 Noble. Olmar; lit. ‘ very great.’ 4 Fostered. Rosail; lit. ‘nursed him.’ 6 Should learn. The literal trans- lation of the Irish is, ‘ when the time of learning came to him ’ (Colum Cille). 6 Cleric. Cruithnechan. 7 Observed the heavens. Ro fig nem; lit. ‘looked (at) heaven.’ 8 What he said was. Ised albert. Not in A. L. 9 Water. The words fri usci anair, literally translated, would be ‘against (the) water, from the east; ’ water being put for ‘ river.’ 10 The original of this sentence is not in A. L. 11 Raths of Magh-enaig. Now Raymoghy, barony of Raphoe, Co. Donegal.