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152 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.THE FIEST FEINTED GAELIC BOOK.It is to be regretted, since the art of printing has existed for so manycenturies,that nothing in the Gaelic was ever produced in the form of aprinted book until the year 1567. No doubt many vahiable documents,poems, and charters Avere Avritten on parchment and paper in that venerablelanguage previous to that date, but the first Gaelic book was BishopCarsewell's Translation of Knox's Liturgy, which was printed in the aboveyear. Forms of prayer, the Administration of tlie Sacraments, and theCatechism of tlie Eeformed Church of Scotland Avere composed by Knox,and published in a small volume. CarseAvell AA'as an earnest and zealousman, and in the discharge of his pastoral duties in districts Avhere theGaelic Avas the vernacular tongue, he could not fail to see the benefit tobe derived from a manual in that language for the instruction of thepeople, and hence the translation and printing of the volume just alludedIt was in the duodecimo form, and consisted of about three hundredto.pages. The printer Avas Eobert Lekprevik Avho was remarkable in hisday for the successful manner in AAdiich he executed black-letter printing.It was he Avho produced from his press " The Eeasoning betwixt theAbbot :— of Crossraguel and John Knox," to Avhich book Avere attached theAvords " Imprinted at Edinburgh by Eobert Lekprevik, and are to besolde at his hous at the Netherbow, 1563."It Avould appear that about that time this notable printer remoA^edfrom Edinburgh to St Andrews, where printing of ditierent kinds Avascarried on, to Avhat Avas then considered a great extent. It Avas Avhile inthat toAvn that he printed " Davidson's Metrical Version of Knox'sHistory and Doctrines," in a volume of considerable size. The Avork Avasentitled:— " Ane brief commendation of Uprichtness."— " Imprentit atSanctandrois be Eobert Lekprevik, anno 1573."It is a matter of no small regret to the lovers of the Celtic tongue, asAvell as to philologists in general, that the very interesting translation ofBishop CarseAvell is noAV hardly to be had anyAvhere. It is said that tlieDuke of Argyle has a copy of it in his library at Inveraray Castle ;andit is Avell known that another copy, and a very com]ilete one, Avas in thepossession of a Avell-known Gaelic scholar, and excellent Christian man,the late Mr John Eose, teacher at Aberarder, parish of Dunlichity, nearInverness. It is not knoAvn Avhat has become of the copy of Avhich MrEose Avas the OAvner, but it AA'ould be pleasing if it Avere somcAvhere insafe-keeping, and still more pleasing if it Avould find its Avay to the libraryshelves of the Gaelic Society of Inverness. The rarity of the little Avorkin question makes it the more valuable, and Avhile out of print it cannotbe replaced.The language of this small volume differs a little in spelling from theGaelic of the present day, y^et it is, upon the Avliole very plain, and quiteintelligible to any one acquainted Avith the pronunciation of it. This maybe seen, and better understood, by giving a small (piotation from the Avork