river Briga," (the river Brigus of Ptolemy is now termed the river Barrow) "for their limit, and whose chief city is called Brigantia." Under the description of the " eastern side," he includes the tract of coast" which reaches from the Sacred Promontory as far as Rhobogdium. The Menapii, inhabiting the Sacred Promontory, had their chief city upon the river Modona, (the river Slaney) called by the same name." The distance between this part and "Menapia in Dimetia" (St. David's in South Wales) he states to be thirty miles. Beyond these people, the Cauci had their metropolis, Dunum, (supposed to be Dunamase, in the Queen's County) and the river Oboca (Avon-more) washed their boundaries. "Both these nations were undoubtedly of Teutonic origin; but it is not known at what precise time their ancestors first passed over, though, most probably, a little while before Cæsar's arrival in Britain." Beyond the tribes last mentioned were the Eblanæ," whose chief city was Mediolanum, upon the river Loebius. More to the north was Lebarum,* the city of the Voluntii, whose rivers were Vinderust and Buvinda, (the river Boyne). The Damnii occupied the part of the island lying above these people, and contiguous to the Rhobogdii. Their chief city was Dunum." Having thus noticed the tribes who inhabited the coast, our author proceeds to specify the people who occupied the interior. "The Coriondii bordered upon the Cauci and Menapii, above the Brigantes: the Scotti possessed the remaining part of the island, which from them took the name of Scotia. Among many of their cities, the remembrance of two only has reached our times; the one Rheba, on the lake and river Rhebius; the other Ibernia, situated at the east side of the river Senus." In the preceding pages we have confined our remarks to such subjects concerning the early population of Ireland, as can scarcely * Probably the Laberus of Ptolemy, the site of which city is now unknown. "the bay + The Vinderius of Ptolemy is described by Sir J. Ware as of Carrickfergus, or the mouth of the river Lagan, which there dischargeth itself into the sea." be deemed liable to controversy. The antient and existing language; the names of respective tribes, as stated by Ptolemy; the appellations of places; and the character of those emphatical vestiges of antiquity which are spread over the recluse parts of the country; confirm us in the propriety of believing that Ireland was originally peopled by the Celtæ. From the names of several tribes, and from many other causes connected with the character of remaining antiquities, we are equally justified in concluding that the Belgæ encroached on the first settlers, and obtained a participation in the soil. There are annals preserved in Ireland which state the settlement of other early colonies. These works are uniformly curious; and, in regard to later ages than those now under discussion, are often replete with valuable intelligence. Chronicles respecting the infancy of a nation, are invariably mixed with fable. However faithful may be the first tradition, vanity, a luxuriant fancy, or adulation of the powerful, continually induces the alloy of exaggerations and romantic additions; marvellous, heroic, and calculated to stimulate patriotic ardour in the early stages of society. In after-times, when judgment obtains the mastery over imagination, the patriot, as well as the scholar, feels it a duty to the genius of his country to discard the fabulous creation which amused the childhood of the state; and he would rather relinquish two facts, in which the morals and honour of his nation are not concerned, than retain one error. It must be a grateful task to writers whose limits are not contracted, as are those of the present work, to separate probable fact from the evident blandishments of romance. The nature of our undertaking, and the narrow bounds to which it is confined, render it necessary that we should restrict our notice of these historic materials, as regards the present stage of our work, to a brief description of their literary character, and a statement, equally concise, of the information which they convey. The early parts of the history of Ireland, as presented by native writers, like the remote history of many other countries, rest chiefly on the genealogical poems of antient bards and sena chies. This channel of intelligence (independent of other objections) must naturally be regarded with suspicion; as flattery towards a patron might obviously induce a fanciful creation, for the gratification of his vanity; or, in an elective government, for the advancement of his more solid interests. We are told, however, that, in Ireland, some national and very unusual precautions were taken for the preservation of fidelity in historical and genea logical records. The purpose of information on this topic will be best answered by the following abridged extract of the judicious work by Bishop Nicolson, entitled The Irish Historical Library. "If what Keating and others report of the care taken by the government of the public records be true, it is hardly possible to imagine that any kingdom of the world should outdo Ireland, either in the antiquity, or certainty of her histories. They tell us that Ollamh Fodhla, the twenty-first monarch of the Milesian race (who is said to have reigned about nine hundred years before the birth of Christ) ordained a triennial parliament to be held at the king's pleasure, throughout all succeeding generations, at Temora, or Taragh; in which, amongst other state-matters of the highest concern, a special committee was always appointed for the inspecting of all their monuments of antiquity, genealogies, chronicles, &c. Whatever was approved by them as genuine and authentick, was presently inserted in the book of royal records, called thence the Psalter of Taragh. After the kingdom became Christian, such another Parliament was held at the said palace of Taragh; wherein a like committee of three kings and three bishops (whereof St. Patrick himself was one) was appointed, to review all the antient chronicles: the keeping whereof was afterwards, by the states of the realm, committed to the care and custody of the bishops. These prelates, for its more safe preservation, caused several authentick copies to be fairly engrossed. "We are further yet assured, that the Irish had ever so fond an esteem for their own genealogies and histories, that (in the most early ages of their civil state) they had above two hundred annalists and historians, whose families were seized (in fee) of considerable hereditaments for the carrying on of this national concern; every great lord being obliged to have a set of them, to transmit to posterity all the memorable occurrences in the several descents of his family: yet so, as that all these inferior reports were subject to the forementioned triennial scrutiny in Parliament." It will scarcely be expected that any existing manuscript annals, written in Irish, should be of an earlier date than the period at which christianity was introduced to this island. Some Irish antiquaries, however, contend that their ancestors possessed an alphabet previous to that time, not derived from the Roman, but brought from Spain, at a date many ages antecedent to the christian æra. If this assertion could be incontrovertibly established, it would be not only curious, but highly useful; as it would prove that the possible facts, or traces of facts, involved in the confessedly fabulous parts of early chronicles respecting Ireland, were likely to be derived from a better source than that of oral and mutable tradition. The most important feature in the tomes of history formed from the psalters and records noticed above, as regards the remote ages now under notice, is the supposed settlement in Ireland of a colony which came immediately from Spain, and bestowed on the Irish a numerous race of MILESIAN kings, whose exploits were the glory of the country and the theme of its latest bard. According to some Irish writers these colonists proceeded originally from Asia, "whence they brought the doctrine taught by Noah to his pos terity." After various migrations they sojourned for nearly one hundred and fifty years in Spain, and thence proceeded to Ireland, where they met with a final resting-place. Their first princes in this Island were Heber and Heremon, sons of Milesius, whose descendants, together with those of Ith, another son of that personage, constituted a race of kings, ending in the person of Roderick O'Conor, who died towards the close of the twelfth century, being the last of the Irish monarchs. Copious accounts of the genealogy of these princes, and of the wars in which they were engaged, are presented in the Bardic compositions. It is painful to observe that the most flattering page in the Irish annals ascribes to the Milesians no other right of dominion in this country, than that obtained by sanguinary conquest. In the first battle between the Damnonii and the force led by Heber, on the second landing of the invading power, the bards assert one thousand to have fallen of those who defended the soil with desperate patriotism. The words of an "old poet," in celebration of this triumph, are thus quoted by the translator of Keating's History of Ireland: "On Sliagh Mis our warlike squadrons stood, For with their mangled limbs they cover all the plain." Reserving to a future page a succinct notice of the probable condition of society in these early ages, we proceed to a statement of some circumstances in the ensuing history of the island, which do not altogether depend on any peculiar class of annalists, but are supported by the testimony of writers entertaining dissimilar motives, and connected with the literature of different countries. Whilst the rude population of Britain experienced the mingled penalties and advantages of an invasion from the Romans, Ireland remained free from the hostile visitation of that august people. We are informed by Tacitus that Julius Agricola had the conquest of this island in contemplation, and that, from the knowledge he had obtained of its internal state, he believed that the design might be carried into execution with one legion and some auxiliary troops. There can be no doubt but that Agricola formed so contemptuous an opinion of the defensible power of the country, from the accounts he had received of the numerous petty states into which Ireland. was divided, the whole being continually agitated by jealousy, distrust, and ambitious warfare. The recal of this able general prevented his carrying the intended invasion into effect; and we have no determinate proof that the Romans ever debarked on this island, whilst they held |
