theyarealsoacollectionofruleswhichhavebeengraduallydevelopedinawayhighlyfavourabletothepreservationofarchaicpeculiarities。Twocauseshavedonemosttoobscuretheoldestinstitutionsoftheportionofthehumanracetowhichwebelong：onehasbeentheformationthroughouttheWestofstrongcentralisedgovernments，concentratinginthemselvesthepublicforceofthecommunity，andenabledtogivetothatforceuponoccasionthespecialformoflegislativepower；theotherhasbeentheinfluence，directandindirect，oftheRomanEmpire，drawingwithitanactivityinlegislationunknowntothepartsoftheworldwhichwereneversubjectedtoit。Now，IrelandisallowedonallhandstohaveneverformedpartoftheEmpire；itwasveryslightlyaffectedfromadistancebytheImperiallaw；
　　and，evenifitbeadmittedthat，duringcertainintervalsofitsancienthistory，ithadacentralgovernment，assuredlythisgovernmentwasneverastrongone。UnderthesecircumstancesitisnotwonderfulthattheBrehonlaw，growingtogetherwithoutlegislationuponanoriginalbodyofAryancustom，andformedbeyondthelimitofthatcloudofRomanjuridicalideaswhichformanycenturiesoverspreadthewholeContinent，andevenatitsextremityextendedtoEngland，shouldpresentsomeverystronganalogiestoanothersetofderivativeAryanusages，theHindoolaw，whichwassimilarlydeveloped。Thecuriousandperplexingproblemswhichsuchamodeofgrowthsuggestshavetograppledwithbythestudentofeithersystem。
　　TheancientlawsofIrelandhavecomedowntousasanassemblageoflaw-tracts，eachtreatingofsomeonesubjectorofagroupofsubjects。Thevolumesofficiallytranslatedandpublishedcontainthetwolargestofthesetracts，theSenchusMor，orGreatBookoftheAncientLaw，andtheBookofAicill。
　　WhilethecomparisonoftheSenchusMorandoftheBookofAicillwithotherextantbodiesofarchaicrulesleavesnodoubtofthegreatantiquityofmuchoftheircontents，theactualperiodatwhichtheyassumedtheirpresentshapeisextremelyuncertain。MrWhitleyStokes，oneofthemosteminentoflivingCelticscholars，believes，uponconsiderationofitsverbalforms，thattheSenchusMorwascompiledinorperhapsslightlybeforetheeleventhcentury；andthereappearstobeinternalevidencewhichonthewholeallowsustoattributetheBookofAicilltothecenturypreceding。TheSenchusMor，itistrue，expresslyclaimsforitselfafarearlierorigin。Inaremarkablepreface，ofwhichIshallhavemuchtosayhereafter，itgivesanaccount，partlyinverse，ofthecircumstancesunderwhichitwasdrawnup，anditprofessestohavebeencompiledduringthelifeandunderthepersonalinfluenceofStPatrick。Thesepretensionshavebeeningeniouslysupported，butthereisnotmuchtemerity，Ithink，inrefusingtoacceptthefifthcenturyasthedateoftheSenchusMor。AtthesametimeitisfarfromimpossiblethatthewritingoftheancientIrishlawsbegansoonaftertheChristianisationofIreland。ItwasChristianity，a’religionofabook’，whichforthefirsttimeintroducedmanyoftherudernationsoutsidetheEmpiretotheartofwriting。WecannotsafelyclaimfortheChristianera，preciselythesamedegreeofculturewhichCaesarattributestotheCeltsoftheContinentinthefirstcenturybeforeChrist；but，evenifwecoulddoso，CaesarexpresslystatesoftheGaulsthat，thoughtheywereacquaintedwithwriting，theyhadsuperstitiousscruplesaboutusingwrittencharacterstopreserveanypartoftheirsacredliterature，inwhichtheirlawwouldthenbeincluded。Suchobjectionswould，however，necessarilydisappearwiththeconversionoftheIrishpeopletoChristianity。Onthewholethereisnoantecedentimprobabilityinthetraditionthat，soonafterthisconversion，theusagesoftheIrishbegantobestatedinwriting，andCelticscholarshavedetectednotalittleevidencethatpartsofthesemorevenerablewritingsareimbeddedinthetextoftheBookofAicillandoftheSenchusMor。
　　Itisextremelylikelythatthemostancientlawwaspreservedinrudeverseorrhythmicalprose。IntheoldestIrishtraditionsthelawyerisdistinguishedwithdifficultyfromthepoet，poetryfromliterature。BothintheSenchusMorandintheBookofAicilltheexpressstatementofthelawisdescribedas’castingathreadofpoetry’aboutit，andthetraditionalauthorsoftheSenchusMoraresaidtohaveexhibited’allthejudgementsandpoetryofthemenofErin。’ModernIrishscholarshiphas，infact，discoveredthatportionsoftheSenchusMorarereallyinverse。Thephenomenonisnotunfamiliar。MrGrote，speakingoftheElegiacsofSolon，andofthenaturalpriorityofversetoprose，saysHistoryofGreece，iii。119，’theacquisitionsaswellastheeffusionsofanintellectualman，eveninthesimplestform，thenadjustedthemselvesnottothelimitationsoftheperiodandsemicolon，buttothoseofthehexameterandpentameter。’Thereisnoquestion，Iconceive，thatthisancientwrittenverseiswhatisnowcalledasurvival，descendingtothefirstagesofwrittencompositionfromtheageswhenmeasuredrhythmwasabsolutelyessential，inorderthatthememorymightbearthevastburdensplaceduponit。ItisnowgenerallyagreedthatthevoluminousversifiedSanscritliterature，whichembracesnotonlythepoetryoftheHindoos，butmostoftheirreligion，muchofwhatstandstotheminplaceofhistory，andsomethingevenoftheirlaw，wasoriginallypreservedbyrecollectionandpublishedbyrecitation；andevennow，intheSanscritschoolswhichremain，thepupilistrainedtoexercisesofmemorywhicharelittleshortofthemiraculoustoanEnglishman。
　　Thetractsareofveryunequalsize，andthesubjectstheyembraceareofveryunequalimportance。Butallalikeconsistofanoriginaltext，dividedintoparagraphs。Aboveoroveragainsttheprincipalwordsofthetextglossesorinterpretationsarewritteninasmallerhand，andaparagraphisconstantlyfollowedbyanexplanatorycommentary，alsoinasmallerhand，writteninthespacewhichseparatestheparagraphfromthenext。Thescarcityofmaterialforwritingmayperhapssufficientlyaccountfortheformtakenbythemanuscripts；buttheCeltsseemtohavehadaspecialhabitofglossing，andyoumayhaveheardthattheglosseswrittenbyearlyIrishmonksbetweenthelinesoronthemarginofmanuscriptsbelongingtoreligioushousesontheContinenthadmuchtodowiththewonderfuldiscoveriesofZeussinCelticphilology。AfacsimileofpartoftwoBrehonmanuscripts，oneintheBritishMuseum，andtheotherintheLibraryofTrinityCollege，Dublin，maybeseenatthebeginningofthesecondpublishedvolumeofthetranslations。Itseemsprobablethateachtractwastheproperty，andthatitsetsforththespeciallegaldoctrines，ofsomebodyofpersonswho，inmodernlegalphrase，hadperpetualsuccession，aFamilyorLawSchool；thereisampleevidenceoftheexistenceofsuchlawschoolsinancientIreland，andtheyareanotherfeatureofresemblancetotheIndiaofthepastandinsomedegreetotheIndiaofthepresent。
　　Thetextofeachofthepublishedtractsappearstohavebeenputtogetherbyoneeffort，nodoubtfrompre-existingmaterials，anditmayhavebeenwrittencontinuouslybysomeoneperson；buttheadditionstoitmustbeanaccumulationofexplanationsandexpositionsofvariousdatesbysubsequentpossessorsofthedocument。IquiteagreewiththeobservationoftheEditors，that，whilethetextisforthemostpartcomparativelyconsistentandclear，thecommentaryisoftenobscureandcontradictory。PreciselythesameremarkisfrequentlymadebyAnglo-IndianJudgesontheBrahminicallegaltreatises，someofwhicharesimilarlydividedintoattextandacommentary。AsregardstheancientIrishlaw，theresultofthewholeprocessisanythingbutsatisfactorytothemodernreader。Idonotknowthat，inanyextantbodyoflegalrules，thedifficultyofmasteringthecontentshaseverbeensoseriouslyaggravatedbytherepulsivenessoftheform。Oneoftheeditorshasunkindly，butnotunjustly，comparedaBrehontracttotheworstkindofEnglishlaw-book，withouteventhemoderateadvantageofanalphabeticalarrangement。
　　Theexactdateatwhichtheexistingmanuscriptswerewrittencannotbesatisfactorilysettleduntiltheyareallmadeaccessible，whichunfortunatelytheyarenotatpresent。ButweknowoneMS。oftheSenchusMortobeatleastasoldasthefourteenthcentury，sinceatouchingnotehasbeenwrittenonitbyamemberofthefamilytowhichitbelonged：“OnethousandthreehundredtwoandfortyyearsfromthebirthofChristtillthisnight；andthisisthesecondyearsincethecomingoftheplagueintoIreland。Ihavewrittenthisinthe20thyearofmyage。IamHugh，sonofConorMcEgan，andwhoeverreadsitlethimofferaprayerofmercyformyson!ThisisChristmasnight，andonthisnightIplacemyselfundertheprotectionoftheKingofHeavenandEarth，beseechingthathewillbringmeandmyfriendssafethroughtheplague。Hughwrotethisinhisownfather’sbookintheyearthegreatplague。“
　　ThesystemoflegalrulescontainedintheselawtractsisundoubtedlythesamewiththatrepeatedlycondemnedbyAnglo-Irishlegislation，andrepeatedlynoticedbyEnglishobserversofIrelanddowntotheearlypartoftheseventeenthcentury。Itisthesamelawwhich，in1367，astatuteofKilkennydenouncesas’wickedanddamnable’。ItisthesamelawwhichEdmundSpencer，inhis’ViewoftheStateofIreland，’describesas’aruleofrightunwritten，butdeliveredbytraditionfromonetoanother，winwhichoftentimesthereappearethagreatshowofequity，indeterminingtherightbetweenpartyandparty，butinmanythingsrepugningquitebothtoGod’slawandman’s’。Itisthesame’lewd’and’unreasonable’customwhichSirJohnDaviscontrastswiththe’justandhonourablelawofEngland，’andtowhichheattributessuchdesolationandbarbarisminIreland，’asthelikeasneverseeninanycountrythatprofessedthenameofChrist。’Itisnotourbusinessinthisdepartmentofstudytoenquirehowfarthisviolentantipathywaspoliticallyjustifiable。EveniftheworstthathasbeensaidbyEnglishmenoftheBrehonlawdowntoourowndayweretrue，wemightconsoleourselvesbyturningoureyestospheresofenquiryfullerofimmediatepromisetotheworldthanours，andobservinghowmuchofthewealthofmodernthoughthasbeenobtainedfromthedrosswhichearliergenerationshadrejected。Meanwhile，happily，itisadistinctpropertyoftheComparativeMethodofinvestigationtoabatenationalprejudices。ImyselfbelievethatthegovernmentofIndiabytheEnglishhasbeenrenderedappreciablyeasierbythediscoverieswhichhavebroughthometotheeducatedofbothracesthecommonAryanparentageofEnglishmanandHindoo。
　　Similarly，IamnotafraidtoanticipatethattherewillsomedaybemorehesitationinrepeatingtheinvectivesofSpenserandDavis，whichitisonceclearlyunderstoodthatthe’lewd’
　　institutionsoftheIrishwerevirtuallythesameinstitutionsasthoseoutofwhichthe’justandhonourablelaw’ofEnglandgrew。
　　WhytheseinstitutionsfollowedintheirdevelopmentsuchdifferentpathsitistheprovinceofHistorytodecide；but，whenitgivesanimpartialdecision，IdoubtmuchitswhollyattributingthedifferencetonativefaultsofIrishcharacter。
　　We，whoareableheretoexaminecoollytheancientIrishlawinanauthenticform，canseethatitisaveryremarkablebodyofarchaiclaw，unusuallypurefromitsorigin。IthassomeanalogieswiththeRomanlawoftheearliesttimes，somewithScandinavianlaw，somewiththelawoftheSclavonicraces，sofarasitisknown，someandtheseparticularlystrongwiththeHindoolaw，andquiteenoughwitholdGermaniclawofallkinds，torendervalueless，forscientificpurposes，thecomparisonwhichtheEnglishobserverssoconstantlyinstitutewiththelawsofEngland。ItismanifestlythesamesysteminoriginandprinciplewiththatwhichhasdescendedtousastheLawsofWales，buttheselasthavesomehowundergonetheimportantmodificationswhicharisefromtheestablishmentofacomparativelystrongcentralauthority。NordoestheBrehonlawaltogetherdisappointtheexpectationsofthepatrioticIrishmenwho，partlytrustingtothetestimonyofEdmundSpenser，theleastunkindoftheEnglishcriticsofIreland，thoughoneofthemostruthlessinhispracticalsuggestions，lookedforwardtoitsmanifesting，whenitwaspublished，anequityandreasonablenesswhichwouldputtoshamethebarbarousjurisprudenceofEngland。
　　Muchofit——IamafraidImustsay，mostofit——isworthlesssaveforhistoricalpurposes，butonsomepointsitreallydoescomeclosetothemostadvancedlegaldoctrinesofourday。Theexplanation——whichIwillhereaftergiveatlength——Ibelievetolieinthemethodofitsdevelopment，whichhasnotbeenthroughthedecisionofcourts，butbytheopinionsoflawyersonhypotheticalstatesoffact。