le letter would be drowned.' Our
authorities tell us that the Book of Durrow might possibly be one of the
three hundred, 'as it bears some signs of being earlier in date than the
Book of Kells.'

St. Columba, men said, was passionately devoted to books. Yet he gave his
Gospels to the Church at Swords, and presented the congregation at Derry
with the volume that he had fetched from Tours, 'where it had lain on St.
Martin's breast a hundred years in the ground.' In one of the biographies
there is a story about 'Langarad of the White Legs,' who dwelt in the
region of Ossory. To him Columba came as a guest, and found that the sage
was hiding all his books away. Then Columba left his curse upon them;
'May that,' quoth he, 'about which thou art so niggardly be never of any
profit after thee'; and this was fulfilled, 'for the books remain to this
day, and no man reads them.' When Langarad died 'all the book-satchels in
Ireland that night fell down'; some say, 'all the satchels and wallets in
the saint's house fell then: and Columba and all who were in his house
marvelled at the noisy shaking of the books.' So then speaks Columba:
'Langarad in Ossory,' quoth he, 'is just now dead.' 'Long may it be ere
that happens,' said Baithen. 'May the burden of that disbelief fall on
him and not on thee,' said Columba.

Another tradition relates to St. Finnen's book that caused a famous
battle; and that was because of a false judgment which King Diarmid gave
against Columba, when he copied St. Finnen's Psalter without leave. St.
Finnen claimed the copy as being the produce of his original, and on the
appeal to the court at Tara his claim was confirmed. King Diarmid decided
that to every mother-book belongs the child-book, as to the cow belongs
her calf; 'and so,' said the King, 'the book that you wrote, Columba,
belongs to Finnen by right.' 'That is an unjust judgment,' said Columba,
'and I will avenge it upon you.'

Not long afterwards the Saint was insulted by the seizure and execution
of an offender who had taken sanctuary and was clasped in his arms.
Columba went over the wild mountains and raised the tribes of Tyrconnell
and Tyrone, and defeated King Diarmid in battle. When the Saint went to
Iona he left the copy of Finnen's Psalter to the head of the chief tribe
in Tyrconnell. It was called the _Book of the Battle_, and if they
carried it three times round the enemy, in the sun's course, they were
sure to return victorious. The book