indicate the richness of the mine of ancient lore. A copy was in existence in 1454, as there is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Laud, 610) a copy of such portions as could be deciphered at the time. This copy was made by Shane O'Clery for Mac Richard Butler. The subjoined list of the lost books is taken from O'Curry's _MS. Materials_, page 20. It may be useful to the philologist and interesting to our own people, as a proof of the devotion to learning so early manifested in Erinn:-- "In the first place must be enumerated again the _Cuilmenn_; the Saltair of Tara; the _Cin Droma Snechta;_ the Book of St. Mochta; the Book of _Cuana_; the Book of _Dubhdaleithe_; and the Saltair of Cashel. Besides these we find mention of the _Leabhar buidhe Sláine_ or Yellow Book of Slane; the original _Leabhar na h-Uidhre;_ the Books of _Eochaidh O'Flannagain_; a certain book known as the Book eaten by the poor people in the desert; the Book of _Inis an Duin_; the Short Book of St. Buithe's Monastery (or Monasterboice); the Books of Flann of the same Monastery; the Book of Flann of _Dungeimhin_ (Dungiven, co. Derry); the Book of _Dun da Leth Ghlas_ (or Downpatrick); the Book of _Doiré_ (Derry); the Book of _Sabhall Phatraic_ (or Saull, co. Down); the Book of the _Uachongbhail_ (Navan, probably); the _Leabhar dubh Molaga_, or Black Book of St. Molaga; the _Leabhar buidhe Moling_, or Yellow Book of St. Moling; the _Leabhar buidhe Mhic Murchadha_, or Yellow Book of Mac Murrach; the _Leabhar Arda Macha_, or Book of Armagh (quoted by Keating); the _Leabhar ruadh Mhic Aedhagain_, or Red Book of Mac Aegan; the _Leabhar breac Mhic Aedhagain_, or Speckled Book of Mac Aegan; the _Leabhar fada Leithghlinne_, or Long Book of Leithghlinn, or Leithlin; the Books of O'Scoba of _Cluain Mic Nois_ (or Clonmacnois); the _Duil Droma Ceata_, or Book of Drom Ceat; and the Book of Clonsost (in Leix, in the Queen's County)." [Illustration: (A) MS. in the "_Domhnach Airgid,_" [R.I.A.] (temp. St. Patrick, circa A.D. 430.)] [Illustration: (B) MS. in the "_Cathach_," (6th century MS attributed to St. Colum Cillé)] Happily, however, a valuable collection of ancient MSS. are still preserved, despite the "drowning" of the Danes, and the "burning" of the Saxon. The researches of continental scholars are adding daily to our store; and the hundreds of Celtic MSS., so long entombed in the libraries of Belgium and Italy, will, when published, throw additional light upon the brightness of the past, and, it may be, enhance the glories of the future, which we must believe are still in reserve for the island of saints and sages.[11] The list of works given above are supposed by O'Curry to have existed anterior to the year 1100. Of the books which Keating refers to in his History, written about 1630, only one is known to be extant--the _Saltair-na-Rann_, written by Aengus Céile Dé.