4 In pursuance of the authority thus intrusted to the Commissioners, they employed the late Dr. O'Donovan and the late Professor O'Curry in transcribing various Lawtracts in the Irish Language, in the Libraries of Trinity College, Dublin, of the Royal Irish Academy, of the British Museum, and in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The transcripts made by Dr. O'Donovan extend to nine volumes, comprising 2,491 pages in all; and the transcripts made by Professor O'Curry are contained in eight volumes, extending to 2,906 pages. Of these transcripts several copies have been taken by the anastatic process. After the transcription of such of the Law-tracts as the Commissioners deemed it necessary to publish, a preliminary translation of almost all the transcripts was made either by Dr. O'Donovan or Professor O'Curry, and some few portions were translated by them both. They did not, however, live to revise and complete their translations. The preliminary translation executed by Dr. O'Donovan is contained in twelve volumes, and the preliminary translation executed by Professor O'Curry is contained in thirteen volumes. The Commissioners employed the Rev. T. O'Mahony, Professor of Irish in the University of Dublin, who had with W. Neilson Hancock, LL.D., edited the two volumes of Brehon Laws already published, and A. G. Richey, Deputy Professor of Feudal and English Law in the University of Dublin, as Editors of this, the third volume of the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Ireland. The Palace, Limerick, January, 1873. *These transcripts are referred to throughout this volume by the page only, with the initials O'D. and C. respectively. senchus mor (CONCLUSION), BEING THE CORUS besCNC, OR CUSTOMARY LAW. AND THE BOOK OF AICILL. PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMISSIONERS FOR PUBLISHING THE ANCIENT VOL. III. DUBLIN: PRINTED FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE: PUBLISHED BY ALEXANDER THOM, 87 & 88, ABBEY-STREET; LONDON: LONGMANS, GREEN, READER, AND DYER. 1873. DUBLIN, 20th January, 1873. MY LORD, Having received instructions from the Commissioners for publishing the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Ireland, to edit the conclusion of the Senchus Mor, and the Book of Aicill, we have, in preparing the text and translation for the press, followed as nearly as possible the plan explained in the prefaces to the two preceding volumes, and have now the honour to submit to the Commissioners, the third volume of the Ancient Laws of Ireland. We have prefixed a fac-simile specimen page of the MS. E. 3. 5, in the Library of Trinity College, from which nearly the whole Irish text of the Book of Aicill has been obtained. Fac-simile specimen pages of the MSS. H. 2. 15, and H. 3. 17, in the same Library, which have furnished the text of the Corus Besena, will be found prefixed to Volume II. of the Ancient Laws of Ireland, published in 1869. We are, my Lord, Your Lordship's obedient servants, THADDEUS O'MAHONY. ALEXANDER GEORGE RICHEY. The Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of LIMERICK, Secretary to the Commission for Publishing the |