[4] "At what time this book was lost," says O'Curry, "we have no precise knowledge, but that it existed, though in a dilapidated state, in the year 1454 is evident from the fact that there is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford (Laud 610) a copy of such portions of it as could be deciphered at that time, made by Shawn O'Clery for Mac Richard Butler. From the contents of this copy and from the frequent references to the original for history and genealogies found in the Books of Ballymote, Lecan, and others, it must have been an historical and genealogical compilation of large size and great diversity." A legible copy of the Saltair appears, however, to have existed at a much later date. I discovered a curious poem in an uncatalogued MS. in the Royal Irish Academy by one David Condon, written apparently at some time between the Cromwellian and Williamite wars, in which he says-- "Saltair Chaisill is dearbh gur léigheas-sa Leabhar ghleanna-dá-locha gan gó ba léir dam, Leabhar Buidhe Mhuigleann (?) obair aosta," &c. _I.e._," Surely I have read the Saltair of Cashel, and the Book of Glendaloch was certainly plain to me, and the Yellow Book of Mulling (?) (_see_ above, p. 210), an ancient work, the Book of Molaga, and the lessons of Cionnfaola, and many more (books) along with them which are not (now) found in Ireland." [5] Such, for example, is the fragment of a commentary on the Psalter published by Kuno Meyer in "Hibernica Minora," from Rawlinson, B. 512. The original is assigned by him, judging from its grammatical forms, to about the year 750. It is very ample and diffuse, and tells about the Shophetîm, or Sophtim, as the writer calls it, the Didne Haggamîm, etc., and is an excellent example of the kind of Irish commentaries used by the early ecclesiastics. [6] "Gram. Celt.," p. 1004-7. [7] Published by Zeuss in his "Grammatica Celtica." [8] _See_ above, p. 175. [9] "Keltische Studien," Heft i. p. 88. [10] Preface to Loinges Mac n-Usnig, "Irische Texte," i. 61. [11] "Irische Texte," i. p. 167. [12] Preface to the list of contents of the _facsimile_ Book of Leinster. [13] With the exception of the ancient Irish prayers like Mairinn Phádraig, preserved by tradition, which are for the most part not intelligible to the reciters, but which owe their preservation to the promise usually tacked on at the end that the reciters shall receive some miraculous or heavenly blessing. _See_ my "Religious Songs of Connacht." [14] _See_ my note on the Story of Oscar au fléau, in "Revue Celtique," vol. xiii. p. 425. [15] Cf. my note on Bran's colour, at p. 277 of my "Beside the Fire." [16] In more modern Irish:-- "Dubhthach mise, mac do Lughaidh Laoi-each lán-traith Mé rug an bhreith idir Laoghaire Agus Pádraig." _I.e._, "I am Dubhthach, son of Lewy the lay-full, full-wise. It is I who delivered judgment between Leary and Patrick." _Traith_ is the only obsolete word here.