ries, became peculiary obnoxious to the Reformers, and soon the whole of them were pillaged and demolished. Icolmkill itself, the chief repository of old papers, shared in the general ruin; and whatever it contained of antiquity or arts, was destroyed. This gave a fatal stab to Gaelic learning.

To add to the misfortune, the apostles of these innovations exclaimed vehemently against the Gaelic literati of that age, for being fonder of their native poetry, than theological investigations. One of these zealots, John Carswell, in the preface to his "Foirm na Nurrnuidheadh," or Forms of Prayer, printed in 1567, the first Gaelic book ever put into the press, evinces this. For the satisfaction of the reader, I shall quote a translation of the author's words, with the original below, for the amusement of the Gaelic scholar.*

"We, Gaels of Scotland and Ireland, suffer " peculiar

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"Acht at a ni cheana is mor an leathtrom agas an uireas

"bhuidh

"peculiar loss and inconvenience above any "other part of the world, in not having our lite"rature and language printed, as other tribes of "men have: and we suffer a greater than all "other losses, in not having the holy Bible "printed in the Gaelic, as it is printed in Latin,

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English, and many other tongues. And be"sides, we have never had in print, the history "or antiquity, of our ancestors, although a "certain portion of the literature of the Gaels "of Scotland and Ireland, exists in manuscripts, "in the possession of bards and teachers, and "their patrons.

"Great is the labour of writing by the hand, "in comparison of printing, which shortens, "and speedily finishes whatever is done by it, "however great. And great is the blindness and " sinful

"bhuidh ata riamh orainde gaoidill alban & eireand, tar an gcuid "eile don domhan, gan ar gcanamhna gaoidheilge do chur agcló ❝ riamh mar ataid ag canamhna & adteangtha féin agcló ag gach "vile chinel dhaoine oile sa domhan, & ata vireasbhuidh is mó ❝iná gach vireasbuidh oraind, gan an Biobla naomhtha do "bheith agcló gaoidheilge againd, marta sé agcló laidne agas "bherla agas ingach teangaidh eile osin amach, agas fós gan "seanchus ar sean no ar sindsear do bheith mar an gcedna "agcló againd riamh, acht ge tá cuid eigin do tseanchus ghaoid"heal alban agas eircand sgriobhtha aleabhruibh lámh, agas "adtamhlorgaibh

"sinful darkness, and ignorance, and perverse"ness of those who teach, and write, and com"pose in Gaelic, in exhibiting much more atten"tion, and showing more anxiety to preserve the "vain, extravagant, false, and worldly histories "of the Tuath-de-Danans and Milesians, and "of the heroes of Fingal, the son of Cumhail, "of the Fingalians, and of many others, which "I shall not here mention nor name, nor at"tempt to examine; for the purpose of obtain

ing the vain rewards of the world themselves, "than they display to write, and to teach, and "to compose the sincere words of God, and the

perfect way to truth: for the world loves false"hood more than the truth; and, as a proof of "it, worldly sinful men will pay for falsehood, "and will not listen to the truth, though they "have it for nothing. A great portion of the "darkness

"adtamhlorgaibh fileadh & ollamhan, agas asleachtaibh suadh, "Is mor tsaothair sin re sgriobhadh do laimh, ag fechain an "neithe buailtear sa chló araibrisge agas ar aithghiorra bhios gach "én ni dhá mhed da chriochnughadh leis. Agas is mor an doille

agas andorchadas peacaidh agas aineolais agas indtleachta do "lucht deachtaidh agas sgriobhtha agas chumhdaigh na gaoid"heilge, gurab mó is mián léo agas gurab mó ghnathuidheas "siad eachtradha dimhaoineacha buaidheartha bregacha saoghalta "do cumadh ar thuathaibh dédhanond agas ar mhacaibh mileadh 66 agas arna curadhaibh agas fhind mhac cumhaill gona fhianaibh agas

"darkness and ignorance of such persons, arises "too, from the foresaid truths not being taught "in good books, understood by all who speak "the general language, or habitual Gaelic " tongue.

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Already has the God of all power, and "King of Mercies, and of Archangels, opened to "us a path to the everlasting ways, by revealing "that we are permitted to read, and to enforce "the holy Scriptures among all people. And "in like manner, the forms and substance of prayers, the dispensation of the sacraments, "and the confession of the Christian religion, "are transmitted to us by our Christian bre"thren of the church (chair) called Geneva. "But with regard to Gaels of Scotland and Ireland, certain persons have wished the good "office

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"6 agas ar mhóran eile nach airbhim agas nach indisim and 66 so do chumhdach, agas do choimhleasughagh, do choind "laudhuidheachta dimhaoinigh an traoghail dfaghail doibhfein, ❝ína briathra disle Dé agas slighthe foirfe na firinde do sgriob"hadh, agas do dheachtadh, agas do chumhdach. Oir is andsa "leis an tsaoghal an bhreg go mor iná anfhirinde, da dhearb❝hadh gurab fiór an abruim dobh eirid daoine saoghalta ceandach ar an mbreig agas ni hail léo an fhirinde do chluisdin an 66 aisgidh. Cuid mhor eilé dar nainbfios agas dar naineolas an "drongsa adubhramar romhaind, dith teagaisg fhirindigh ora

56

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"office to the church of God, of translating "this little book into the Gaelic language, un"derstood by the people, to be undertaken for "their use; a circumstance which I rejoiced at. "I myself could have wished not to have attempted the performance of this labour; but "since it has not been done, as far as is con"sistent with my knowledge, I have undertaken, "out of love to God and the church, a task "which requires so much courage, and have "exerted myself in it to the utmost, in hopes "that

E

"ind, agas leabhar maith neoch do thuigfedis cách go coitche"and as am briathruibh féin, agas as adteangaidh ghnathaidh "ghaoideilge."

"Acht chena do fhosgail Dia na nuile chumhacht, agas Rí "nan dul & na nárchaingeal róid agas slighthe suaithenta & "doirsi dhúine anois, da chur ng ceill dúinn go bsuil ceadaighthe "againd an sgriobhtuir diadha do léghadh agas do thuigsin agas "do chur ag ceill do na poibleachaibh. Agas fós go bfuill foirm 66 agas bridh na nurrnaidheadh agas modh freasdail na Sacra"muinteadh & foirceadal an chreidimh Crisdaidhe arna chur 66. aneagar dúinn o na braithreachaibh Crisdaidhe dobbí sa chat❝hraidh dara comhainm, Geneua. Acht ata ní cheana dabfaicind ❝ duine éigin do thaobh ghaoidheal Alban no Eireand, do "ghebhadh do láimh an uireadsa do chuidiughadh do dhenamh "re heagluis Dé, an leabhar beagsa do chur ag canamhain "ghaoidilge asad tuigfedis cach é, do badh maith lium é. Agas “ni rachaind féin aseilbh an tsaothairse do dhenamh. Agas ❝onach bfuaras sin, & mátá sé and nach aithnidh dhamhsa é fós, "do ghabhas fein do laimh ar grádh Dé agas na heagluise "meisneach