for the Trimarkifian of Paufanias, is radical Irish, denoting three horfes. It is true the word Marc, for á horfe, is not now used by us, but it is seen in our compounds; thus Marcach, fignifies an horfeman; Marc-Sluagh, cavalry; Luath-Mharc, a race horse, &c. Cæfar fays the equites in Gaul ranked next the literati; and we see the fame in Ireland. The Germans call a knight Ritter, and we call him Ridaire. But to prove that the Irish did not borrow this cuftom from other nations, we are furnished with a striking anecdote. When Richard II. in 1395, made a royal tour to Ireland, he was met in Dublin by the four provincial kings, whom he intended knighting; but they declined this compliment, each having received that honour from his father, at seven years old *. In Germany about the ninth and tenth centuries, (and most probably earlier) we fee orders of knighthood conferred by the emperors of Germany; and fuch of themfelves as had not received this honour before, accept of it from the hands of fome prelate. Henry III. was knighted by the archbishop of Bremen. In 1247, the earl of Holland, intended king of the Romans, was firft knighted; and Louis XI. of France, juft before his coronation, received this honour from the hands of Philip duke of Bourgogne t. As then it is a point agreed upon, that orders of chivalry in Europe originated not from the Romans; and though the contrary had been afferted, yet we fee clearly from Cæfar and Tacitus, that they existed. amongst them long before the Romans became acquainted with them; where can we trace their rife but in Ireland? If the German emperors and French monarchs found it neceffary to be knighted previous to their coronation, in the middle ages; are we not ftruck with the cafe of Eochaidh, king of Leinster, in the fourth century, who, as we have shewn, was obliged to relinquish Froiffard. Selden's Titles of Honour, &c. + Selden. his claim to the Irish monarchy, not being previously knighted. There are still more reasons to fupport my affertion. Our histories of chivalry, yet well preserved, tell us, that the knights of Ireland, in very early days, frequently traversed the continent, where they gained glory and honour; and fo celebrated were they in Europe, as to be called, by way of pre-eminence, the HEROES OF THE WESTERN ISLE! Add to this, what Llhuid * has long fince demonstrated, i. e. that the names of the principal commanders, who oppofed Cæfar in Gaul and Britain, are pure Irish, latinized! Shall we conjecture, that fome of our knights headed and difciplined these troops? I own, I have no doubt of it. Can we suppose that those, whom we have seen so manfully affift both the Carthaginians and Gauls, in their invasions of the Roman empire, would remain idle fpectators, when these Romans were coming fo near their own home? they undoubtedly would not! We have obferved that Labhra, in A. M. 3652, acquired a principality in Gaul; and I do fufpect that Ambiorix, king of the Eburones, fo inimical to Cæfar, was an Irishman, and these Eburones, the Heberian or Irish colony. For Ambiorix, I derive from Ambas-orereic, i. e. a renowned hero; as I do Caffilbillanus, who fo manfully oppofed Cæfar, on his fecond landing in Britain, and particularly when fording the Thames, from Caffil, a fortification, Bille, a billet of wood, and Aun, water. For Cafar tells us, that, to retard this paffage, Caffilbillanus caufed billets of wood to be funk in the water, charged with iron. fpikes. CHA P. II. Of the literary order, and their rank and privileges in the flate-the duties of the bards fimilar to what was in later periods adopted on the continent-obliged to attend their chiefs to battle-the cuftoms of the Huns, and other Scythic ftates, in these matters, fimilar to thofe of the Irish. T HE literati making fo confpicuous a figure in our history, I conceive that to give a clearer idea of the nature and power of this body of men, will greatly elucidate our annals. The Irish constitution, from the beginning, seemed founded on a very extensive plan, as well for war as letters-tam marte, quam Minervâ; and, fingular to be told, each promoted the other. The whole body of the literati had but one chief, and he was. the Arch-Druid. As this was a place of the highest trust, it was conferred on fome branch of the blood royal only. We fee it the cafe with our great ancestor Niulus himself, and with most of his fucceffors, as it was the custom both at Sydon and Tyre.. This body of men were exempt from all civil jurisdiction, and acknowleged no power but that of the Arch-Druid, and his delegates. Large estates were fettled on them, and on their pofterity (for all employments were hereditary); and their perfons and properties were inviolable. Whoever became protected by the literary order, feared not the ravages and devaftations in inteftine commotions; for it was facrilege to molest them. If the Senachie in his hiftory, or the Bard in his ode, paffed the Rubicon of truth, to his order only was the injured party to complain, complain, though it were even the monarch himself, and by their tribunal only was he to be judged! Poffeffed of fuch power, and fuch privileges, can we be surprised if we read of their being fometimes alarming to the states; and that measures should be taken, from time to time, to circumfcribe their power and influence? The duties of the Ard-Fhileadh, or Chief Bard, was to celebrate in verfe the atchievements of his chief, and of his house. He made birth-day odes, and wept over the manes of the illuftrous dead. Did he immortalize any other hero? one verse at leaft was facred to his own tribe. He was particularly interdicted fatire and mifrepresentation, and proper amercements awaited the violating this law. When we read this account, and compare it with the precepts iffued forth when doctors in poetry were first instituted on the continent, but particularly in Germany, we are astonished to fee how exactly the laws in the last place coincide with thefe in the firft. The poems were fet to music, and a large company were always affembled on these occafions. We find by Marcellinus, that the bards on the continent always fung their odes to the modulations of the harp †; and how much the Irish excelled all other nations in compofition and execution in mufic, I have but to refer to the confeffion of Cambrenfis ‡, who certainly must have been acquainted with the best masters in this fcience, either in Britain or Gaul in his days. He nevertheless owns, that the Irish excelled all other nations in this accomplishment; and Polydore Virgil, a writer of the fixteenth age, declares" Hiberni funt muficæ peritiffimi !" In early days, all the fciences were conveyed in verse; and in the BARD was comprehended the hiftorian, the judge, the poet, * Acta Cæfar. Argent. Selden's Titles of Honour, &c. Topograph. vi. 11. + Lib. v. and and philofopher, according to a very old Rann or verfe, on Amhergin, brother to Heber, the first monarch of Ireland, and who was himself Arch-Druid. It has been thus latinized by Mr. O'Flaherty. "Primus Amerginus-Genu-Candidus, author Ierne: The fame custom the early Greeks adopted, and Orpheus, Am- The ode composed on this occafion was called Rofg-Catha, or the Eye of Battle, as being recited in the midst of slaughter. Numbers of these odes are yet preserved, many of which are in my poffeffion. They are beautiful; to the last degree animating ; and seem evidently, by the measure, to have been fet to martial mufic. We are amazed at the elevation of ftyle, dignity of expreffion, and boldness of the metaphors in them. One of thefe, addreffed by the poet Feargus, the fon of Finn, to Gaull Mac Morni, at the battle of Cnucha, in which the famous Cuinhal 155 fell by the sword of this hero, begins thus-" Gaull vigorous and Strabo Geograph. lib. x. Plato de Republ. lib. ii. VOL. I. D d warlike: A.C. |