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.

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    When the monks heard these words they were very sad. He turned his face westwards after that, and blessed the island, with its inhabitants, and he banished toads1 and snakes out of it. When he had blessed the island, then he came subsequently to his recles ; and it was not long after that until the end of the Sabbath and the beginning of Sunday arrived. And when he then raised up his eyes, a great blushing came upon his counten- ance and face ; and those brethren2 saw indeed the angel of God, who remained over his head there. He went afterwards to bless the Sabhall,3 and said to its attendant,4 viz., Diarmait, that he would go to Heaven on Sunday night. The venerable senior, viz., Colum Cille, sat down afterwards on the margin of the road, for fatigue came upon him, though his journey was short. (His age at that time was 77 years.) Then came to him the garran 6 that was wont to be with the monks in the island, and wept in the cleric’s bosom until he wet his clothes. The attendant,4 i.e. Diarmait, essayed to drive the garran away from him. ‘ Let him alone, O’Diarmait,’ said Colum Cille, ‘ until he has done enough of tears and sadness lamenting me.’ [Colum0 Cille, moreover, used to go to Heaven every Thursday whilst he was alive, when he wished.] 1 Toads. Loscaind. This word is used to signify toads, frogs, and other such reptiles. In a tract on the History of the Children of Israel, in the Leabar Breac, the ‘ ran® ’ of Exodus, cap. viii., is rendered by loscind, so that we should prob- ably translate ‘ frogs ’ instead of ‘ toads.’ - Those brethren ; viz. the breth- ren who were beside Colum Cille in the recles, or church. 3 Sctbhcdl. The word Sabhall is in Irish employed to denote a ‘barn.’ The church of Saul, in the Co. Down, Ireland, has taken its name from it. 4 Attendant. Foss; which, though used here as a noun, is more usually employed as an adj., with the mean- ing ‘ resident. ’ See O’Donovan’s Sapplt. to O'Reilly's Irish Diet., v. /os. 5 Garran, a work-horse or hack. The corresponding word used by Adamnan is ‘ caballus,’ from which comes the mod. Irish capall. The old Irish for * garran ’ is gerrtin, which seems derived from tjerrad, ‘ to cut,’ the ‘ garran ’ being always a ‘ cut ’ horse. 6 Colum. This statement, taken from A. L., is not in L. B. or L. It is found, however, in the Book of Fenagh, See Kelly’s edit. (Dublin, 1875), p. 209.