G 57

Lucerna Fidelium

18th cent. Paper. 16 × 10cms. Pp. viii + 458. Scribe: Seón mac Solaidh (scribal signatures on pp. 3, 433). On page 3 he writes: ... arna chur fa dheóigh a a (sic) manuscript le Seón m[a]c Solaidh a mbaile hardaman an bliadhain d'aoís an Tighearna 1714. The place of writing is the same as that given by him in G 54 supra, pp. 1, 323. Edward O'Reilly, in whose possession this ms. was, writes it as "Ballyhardaman" [i.e. Harmonstown] "in the parish of Stickallan on the banks of the Boyne between Navan and Slane in the County Meath" (no. 38 in O'Reilly's ms. cat. now R.I.A. 23H1). The hand of Tadhg Ó Neachtain appears on the last three pages of the ms. (pp. 456-58) in a series of spigrammatic verses. Ó Neachtain's hand is also seen throughout the ms. in marginal notes, corrections and additions (see pp. 83, 103, 109, 152, 154, 163, 170), and in one place (p. 74) Ó Neachtain writes the corresponding Biblical quotation in Latin in the margin underneath which O'Reilly writes: Latin not in printed copy E.OR. There is another note by O'Reilly in the margin of p. 222. There are also two unidentified hands: the first has written the prophecy on page i (see infra), the second the Petition on pp. ii-iii (see infra).

Mac Solaidh transcribed the text of the Lucerna Fidelium from the printed edition (Rome, 1676), inserting in the margins the corresponding pagination of the book. The printed version is in 8vo. and the main signatures on the gatherings occur at pp. 13 (B) 20 (C) 45 (D) etc. Mac Solaidh has copies the signatures on the bottom edges of his pp. 45 (D) 61 (E) etc. Errors in his pagination - e.g. his p. 34 occurs on the verso of that folio the recto of which is his p. 31, without interfering with the continuity of the text - have caused some of the signatures not to correspond in the same way. The signatures correspond in many cases with the beginning of gatherings in the ms., but whether this is accident or design is hard to determine. As there are some errors in the scribal pagination, a modern pencilled one has been adopted in the present catalogue.

The ms. is bound in vellum with the title Lochran na gCreidmheach in ink on the spine which is torn at the top and at the bottom. Phillipps Ms. 10284 is written on the inside of the front cover.

Page

i Political (?) prophecy a ndiaidh mile et seacht gcead an treas uair is deag iar ccruinuighadh na ttorrad asteach tuicfuigh na hocht niarla a ttaoibh o dheas gan ghios do áon gall a neirinn na fir gheara chalma fuil co gluin cós: is mairg nach bliaidh na fhirén an la sin.

ii Petition of Farrell mac Analltha to Major Gennerall Hamilton complaining of John Cornaghan. As this is incomplete and bound in with the ms., it is difficult to determine the content.

iv-viii Blank.

i Froinsias Ó Maolmhuaidh. Lóchrann na gCreidmheach. This is a complete transcript of the printed edition (O'Molloy, Rome 1676) with the exception of the Imprimatur (ed. p. 9) which is omitted here. Title, Preface in Irish, Dedication, Preface in Latin, Nihil Obstat, Introduction occupy pp. 1-18; Text, pp. 19-433; Table of Contents, pp. 438-444. A scribal error occurs on p. 416, an 12 cab. should read "an 11 cab." At the end of the text (p. 433) is the following scribal colophon: Guidim gach leighthoir ┐ gach aon eisfeas an duilleachansa beannacht do thabhairt ar an sgribhneoir .i. Seon mac Solaidh.

434 Blank.

435 Soruid O Dhithreabhach Ruama go Clár Coin. Beg. A leabhrain riogha on Róimh, 11 qq. Extracted from printed ed., Rome 1676, pp. 389-91.

445-55 Blank.

456 Epigrammatic verses (in T. Ó Neachtain's hand). 1 Gé bé bhíos go socair sóna ann árus féin, 1 st. Cf. B.M. Eg. 196. 2 Iongnadh liom is é gan ghlais, ½ q. Cf. R.I.A. E.iv.3. 3 Mhúin o Morín da theach, ½ q. Cf. R.I.A. E. iv. 3. 4 Tug an coimhdhe cor don rotha, 1 st. Cf. R.I.A. F. v. 3, etc. 5 ól fíona díth drúise, 1 q. Cf. B.M. Eg. 127, etc. 6 An sionnach cía air uairibh, 1 q. Cf. B.M. Eg. 161, etc. 7 (p. 457) Adhbhar leanna is é búain, 1 q. 8 Ní chánim duine sní thugam a shlán faoí áon, 1 st. See R.I.A. Cat. Ir. Mss., Index of First Lines. 9 Na briathra is fearr as íad chanam, 1 st. 10 Da bhfaghmis mar do gheibh síad, 1 q. Cf. R.I.A. F. v. 3. 11 Brathair mór na sróna faidé, 1 st. 12 Mír futha futha fuair do mhathair, 1 st. 13 (p. 458) Beiriom buidheachas do mo rígh, 1 q. 14 As iad so na seana saobha, 1 q. (variant of "Is cuid dona saobhaibh saobhadh" as printed by O'Rahilly, Dánfhocail, No. 147, note). 15 Realt eoluis do gach dall, 1 q.