A new edition of Toland's History of the druids: - Free History Ebooks

98 THE HISTORYto be transcribed intothe royai Book of Tara/r%which was to be the perpetual standard of theirhistory, and by which the contents of all othersuch books shou'd be receiv'd or rejected.Suchgood regulations I say there were made, but nothow long or how well observ'd; or, if truth is tobe preferred to all other respects, we must ownthey were but veryslightly regarded; and thatthe bards, besides their poetical licence, Avereboth mercenary and partial to a scandalous degree.The ordinance, however, is admirable, anddeserves more to be imitated, than we can everexpect it to be so any where. TJie third mostmunificent patron of literature was King Cormac,surnamed Long-beard1[, who renew'd the lawsabout the antiquaries, rebuilt and inlarg'd theacademy of Tarah for history, law, and militaryprowess: besides that, he was an indefatigabledistributer ofjustice, having written himself abundanceof law s still extant. So in his Institutionof a Princely or his Precepts^ to his son and successorCarbre|| Fiffecair, who in like manner wasnot superticially addicted to the muses. Cormacwas a great proficient in philosophy, made light* Leabhar Toamhra. + Ulfhada.+ 'Tis, among other most valuable pieces, in the collectioncaird O Duvegan's, folio 190. a, now or late in the possessionof the Ti'jht honourable the earl of Cianrickard. There are copiesof it elsewhere, but that's the oldest known.§ Teagarg Riogh. Cairbre Lifiochair.(|