The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Last Years Progress in Celtic Literature. 637
British tribe in the south of England called Brittones, It
stands rather to reason that the Roman Britannia is but a
mal-pronunciation of the Greek Pretannia, which is undoubtedly
more ancient as a name applied to Britain. Dr
Holder has issued the third of the eighteen parts of his
great Old-Celtic Thesaurus. It comes down to the letter C.
Irish literature, ancient and modern, has one or two
good books to represent it. Passing over two histories of
the Ancient Celtic Church (Dr Healy and Mr Olden), we
note first Mr Standish O'Grady's interesting little volume
on " Finn and his Companions," which contains tales about
Fionn that have not before been published ; and, in this
connection, it may be as well to mention the second edition
of Kennedy's "Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts."
Within the last day or two there has come to hand the
long-expected Silva Gadelica of the veteran scholar Mr
Standish H. O'Grady (Williams & Norgate). This valuable
work is in two volumes, the one containing the original
(Irish) Gaelic and the other the English translation and
notes. It contains 31 pieces ranging from lives of saints
and historic episodes to heroic sagas and fairy tales. The
famous Agallamh or Colloquy of Patrick and the Seniors
is given here for the first time. It is needless to say that
the work is simply indispensable to Celtic scholars. Dr
Kuno Meyer has issued a complete edition of " Macon-
glinne's Vision," with translation and excellent glossary.
This romance deals with the extraordinary voracity of an
Irish King, which is attributed to a demon (lon-crais) in his
throat. The word " lon-chraois " is lost to modern Gaelic
lexicography, though faintly remembered in common speech
and superstition, but it is interesting to have it in the
Fernaig MS. of two hundred years ago in full and good
use. Macrae, the writer, complains
—
Chad chighil quyd ze veis
Ni mo hreig mj toilk
Oire aind j meahan mois
Cha lonchrjs mj chorp.