The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-18

It is noteworthy that. although the Ccts
captured Rome as early as 800 b. C.. and. mt
one time. spread their conquests from Galntia
in Asia Minor to Ireland and tina lbrrian PEN
insula only one section Of their race. to wit
the Irish Gnels. preserved q record of its own
past This record has been transmitted in
literature which. for antiquity and continuity
has no parallel In Europe outside Of Greece. If
Ireland indeed, were not. thanks to her native
annaists. her autochthonous and her bardic
narratives independent In n large degree OF
classic and foreign authors. sho would havo
Jared badly. SO far us history goes, having been
apparently untrodden by the foot OF recording
Greek or Roman. There are, nevertheless
few illusions to the island to DO found. Of
which perhaps the earliest is the quotation In
Avicnus. who mentions the account Of the voy-
Gge Of IIimilco n Phpnician. to Ireland about
tho year $40 b. C.. which Ilimilco said In his
account that certain island to tho west Of
Britain was called "Sncra" tHiera or Erin;
that ts people navigated the vast sea in
hide covered harts. and that its land was
fertile and populous. In the Argonautics Of
the Pseudo Orrheus. which may have been
written about 800 b. c.. there is refer
ence to the Iernian. that Is. apparently.
tho Irish isle. Aristotle. also. knew about
beyond the Cets Strabo. writing soon after
the birth Of Christ describes its position and
shape. also calling it lerne. but, according to
his account. which. rs he acknowledges. is not
based on good authority. il is barely inhabit-
able and it's people are utter savageS and can
nibals. julius Caesar says that Hlbcrnia is
rsckoned to be about half the size of Britain.
and is as distant thcrefrom rs Gaul is. Do
dorus, some ftty years before Christ. calls it
Iris. and says n was occupied by Britons.
Pomponius Mcla. in the first century OF our
era. calls Ireland Hberna. and says that so
great was the luXurianco of the grass there as
to cause the cattle to burst" Tacitus n little
later. about the year A. d. 81. recounting how
Agricola crossed the Clyde and posted troops ia
that part OF North Britain which looked to-
ward Ireland. says that Hibcrnia. in soil and
climate. in the disposition. habits and temper
Of the people. differs but little from Britain"
and that Its approaches and harbors were
better known to traffic and merchants"
Ptoemy writing about the year A. ID. 100.
bears out 10 some extent what Tacitus
had said OF Ireland's harbors being better
known than those of Britain. for he has
left behind him a more accurate account OF
Ireland than OF Britain. giving in all some fifty
Irish names. about nine of which have been
identified. Solinus about 4. ID. 2:}S is the first
piece OF testimony which robs st. Patrick of one
OF his laurels Solinus like Pomponius Men
says that Hibcrnia has luxurious pasturage.
and adds the curious intelligence that, war
like beyond the rest OF her sex, tho Hbcrnian
mother places the first morscl Of food in her
chids mouth with the point Of the sword"
Eumenus mentions the Hibernians about tho
year 1903 in his panegyric on Constantine
saying that up to that time the Brtons
had been accustomed to fight only Pctish
and Hibernian enemies. In A. ID. 37S Am
mianus Marcelnus mentions the Irish I'M
der the name Of Scots. saving that the
Scott. and tho Attacott who also appear
TO have been an Irish tribe. commit dreadful
deprcdations in Britain. and Claudian. a few
years later. speaks rather hyperbolically OF the
Irish invasion OF Britain: :" the Scot Ii. e.. the
lrishman" nc says. moved all Ierne against
u.s. and the ocean foamed under his hostile
oars a Roman legion curbs the fierce Scot ;
through Stichos care feared not the darts
OF the Scots; icy Erin walls over the heaps Of
her Scots" The Irish expeditions against
both Britain and Gaul became more frequent
toward the close Of the fourth century and at
last the Britons, driven to despair. and having
In vain appealed to tho disorganized Romans
to aid them. threw themselves into the arms OF
the Saxons. 1t is toward the middle or close Of
the fourth century that we come into closer
historical contact with the Irish: indeed, we
know with some certainty "A good deal about
their internal history. manners laws, Ian
Ruagss and institutions from that time to the
present or course, il we can trust recent
Irish sources. We know good deal about them
for even TOO years before this date The early
Irish annalist Tigh"arnac. who died in lOSS.
and who had before his eyes the earliest Irish
records. 80 far as these had escaped the
Danes. and who quotes frequently from Jose
phus. st. jerome. Beds and other authors. was
OF opinion. after weighing the evidence and
comparing Irish with foreign writer's. that tho
Monumental ScotOrum. or records Ot the Irish
prior to Cimbaeth. the founder Of Emania the
capital OF Ulster about 800 b. c., were uncer-
tain. This means that at all events from that
date forward. he considered that the substance
o. Irish history az transmitted might be moro
- less relied upon.
Whence did tho Irish get their alphabet. and
ut what time did they begin to practice the art
OF writngP The present alphabet of the Irish.
which they used in all their books from tho