In this particular instance it happens to be in Gaelic, and may be rendered thus: “Be it on the conscience of every one in whom shall be for grace the booklet with splendour, that he give a blessing on the soul of the poor wretch (truagain) who wrote it” (“Forchubus caichduini imbia arrath inlebran colli aratardda bendacht forainmain in truagain rodscribai”). This Gaelic, says Whitley Stokes, is identical with the oldest Irish glosses given by Zeuss in his _Grammatica Celtica_, and “certainly as old as the ninth century.” Professor Westwood, from a study of the written characters, which are those at that time common to the Irish and Anglo-Saxon schools, came to the same conclusion as to the age of the book. The version of the Gospels which it contains is one of a class which has been called “Irish,” because, while mainly corresponding with Jerome’s Vulgate, it preserves occasional readings from versions of earlier dates. The text, in other words, agrees with the text of the various Books of Gospel used in the Scoto-Irish monasteries of the period, such as the Books of Durrow, Kells, Dimna, Moling, Armagh, etc. It would appear that Jerome’s recension made its way early among Gaelic scholars, and during the isolation of the Celtic Church, there had been a sort of revision which produced a native version exhibiting characteristics peculiar to itself and common to all the above-mentioned texts. Hence the wonderful uniformity alike in the text and in the peculiarities of spelling found in all the surviving Gaelic MSS. of that early period. It is not known whether the book was produced in the place whose name it bears or in Iona, or whether it was written by a Pict or a Scot. Scholars are content to affirm their opinion that it is the work of a native scribe of Alba, without particularising too confidently. Dr. Stuart, who edited it for the Spalding Club in 1869, observed that though the handwriting is good and uniform, casual examination of the MS. will show that it is a careless transcript of a corrupt text. The spelling is frequently barbarous and capricious. There are many violations of grammar, with omissions, transpositions, repetitions and interpolations of various kinds, while the prepositions are almost always joined to the word which they govern. Generally speaking, this Book of Deer exhibits many of the peculiarities of spelling which Tischendorf noted in the Vulgate, for example:— Magdalen_æ_ for Magdalen_e_. Ba_b_tismum for ba_p_tismum. O_cc_ulus for o_c_ulus. Abra_ch_am for Abra_h_am. _Ch_anna for _C_ana. Pro_f_eta for pro_ph_eta. Dic_ie_ns for dic_e_ns. _Z_abulus for _d_iabolus. _H_oriens for _o_riens, etc.