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Gilmeholmoc
and the
Thingmount,
A.n. 117.'.
1 x x i v SOME NOTICE OF THE
The water of the Liffey then covered all the lower end of
Westmoreland-street and Dolier-street, and was only shut
out in 1663 by Mr. Hawkins's wall. 1
Standing then on the strand the Thingmount would be
seen as a lofty mound, seventy-five feet high, overlooking
the level plain of the Steyne, part of which was Collegegreen.
From the sumniit there must have been an
extensive view over the Steyne and river on one side, and
over Stephen's-green -on the other. Tt was here that
Gilmeholmoc and his force sate, at the request of Strong-
bow, to view the battle between the English and the
Ostinen, for the possession of Dublin, with liberty to fall
upon the beaten party. And Mr. Haliday always contended
that it was considered by all sides as a wager of
battle, the event being held as the decree of God, as indeed
is stated in this interesting poem.
I shall give here Mr. Haliday 's rendering of the Langue
d'Oc or Provencal of the Geste into modern French, by
which it will be seen how like they are to one another :
Vos Stages aurez par si
Que tu faces ce que [je] te dis
Par si que ne soyez aidant
Ni nous, ni eux, tant ni quant
Mais que 6. cote de nous soyez
Et la bataille regarderez :
Et si Dieu le nous consent
Que soient deconfis ces gens
Que nous, avec ton pouvoir soyez
Aidant pour eux debarater :
Et si nous soyons recreans
Vous leur soyez en tout aidant
De nous trancher et occire
Et nous livrer a martyre.
Gilmeholmoc rejouissant
Dehors la cite maintenant,
Ce roi pour vrai s'est assis
Avec les gens de son pays
Desur le Hogges dessus Steyne
Dehors la cite en une plaine
Pour regarder la mele'e
Us y se sont assemblies.*
In the " Geste of the Conquest " the language, as printed
is " Desur le Hogges de Sustein," and I cannot easily forget
1 I have not been able to find
in the Assembly Rolls the history of
Hawkins' Wall ; but I have met
occasional notices that show the
line of it to be such as is above
stated.
1 The language of this geste is
sometimes called " Norman," but
wrongly. Of the Langue d'Oc,
Littre says, '
1'anciennc langue qui
se parloit au delJv de la Loire,
dont se sont servis les Trouba-
dours, que
Ton connoit sous le
noin de Provencal et que dims It-
temps on appeloit plus ordin;.
ment '
langue Limousine.' (Oc