same right of pasturage for his cattle on the pasture land and to the share of the arable land annually allotted to him; but in addition to this he was maintained in the dignity of his office at the expense of the tribe, and this right of maintenance, according as the tribe and its wealth increased, assumed various forms, one of which may have arisen from the influence of the Church, and given the first impulse to something like separate possession of land. When the Church was established in connection with a tribe, a grant of part of the tribe land and its separation from the rest became a necessity for the maintenance of the Church, and thus those Termon lands which form so marked a feature in the territorial position of the Irish Church, came into existence. Analogous to this, one form which this right of maintenance on the part of the _Ri_ or king assumed was, that a portion of land was likewise separated from the common land of the tribe as mensal land for the support of the dignity of the _Ri_ or king for the time being. [Sidenote: Distinction of ranks arising from possession of cattle.] Another cause must also of necessity have produced distinction of position between the free members of the tribe. Such an equality as may be held to have existed originally among the members of the tribe can hardly have been preserved unless there was also an equality in their personal characteristics and their wealth in cattle. The natural operation of differences of character and wealth was to create distinctive classes among them. Those of superior abilities soon take the lead of others, and those whose prudence and sagacity enabled them to increase their possession of cattle must soon have occupied a more important position in the tribe, as their share of the annual allotment of land was regulated by the size of their herd. Thus there came to be recognised in the tribe a gradation of ranks founded upon the possession of personal wealth and importance. The lowest grade in the tribe was the _Fer Midba_ or inferior man, of whom there were two classes. As soon as a member of the tribe reached the age of fourteen he was emancipated from the control of his parents and acquired certain rights, but was not vested with his full privileges till the encircling of the beard, that is, till he became twenty years old, when he was entitled to a separate residence (_Sain trebhta_) and a share of the tribe land (_Sealbh_). Above the _Fer Midba_ was the _Boaire_ or Cowlord, whose superior wealth in cattle, with the exclusive possession of a homestead, gave him a kind of nobility over the tribe’s man. Of the _Boaire_ class there were six grades. The lowest rank, to which the title of _Aire_ was given, was the _Ogaire_ or young lord who had ‘newly taken householdship upon him.’ His property was reckoned by the number seven. He had seven cows with their bull, seven pigs with a boar, seven sheep, and a horse for work and riding.