the Proceedings of the Great
Bardic Institution, holds up the professional bards and their
extortionate methods to ridicule. This curious work contains the story
of how the great epic, the _Tain bo Cualnge_, was recovered (see
_Transactions of the Ossianic Society_, vol. v.).

Gnomic literature.

Collections of pithy sayings in the form of proverbs and maxims must
have been made at a very early period. Not the least remarkable are the
so-called Triads (publ. K. Meyer, Dublin, 1906), which illustrate every
statement with 3 examples. Over 200 such triads were brought together in
the 9th century. There are also two documents attributed to 1st-century
personages, "The Testament of Morann MacMoin to his son Feradach," which
is quoted as early as the 8th century, and "The Instructions of
Cuchulinn to his foster-son Lugaid." K. Meyer has published _Tecosca
Cormaic_ or the Precepts of Cormac MacAirt to his son Cairpre (Dublin,
1909). Other collections such as the _Senbriathra Fithail_ still await
publication.

Classical stories.

With that enthusiasm for the classics which is characteristic of the
Irish, it is not strange that we should find medieval versions of some
of the better-known authors of antiquity. It is interesting to note that
only those works are translated that could be utilized by the
professional story-teller. So much so, that in the ancient (10th
century) catalogue of sagas enumerated by Urard MacCoisi we find mention
of _Togail Troi_ and _Scela Alexandir maic Pilip_. We get descriptions
of battle weapons and clothing similar to those occurring in the native
sagas. _Togail Troi_ is taken from the medieval prose version, _Historia
de Excidio Troiae_ of Dares Phrygius. The oldest Irish copy is found in
LL. This version is exceedingly valuable, as it enables us to determine
the meaning of words and formulas in the sagas which are otherwise
obscure. An Irish abstract of the _Odyssey_, following an unknown
source, and part of the story of Theseus have been published by K.
Meyer. _Scela Alexandir_ is preserved in LB. and BB. _Imthechta
Aeniusa_, taken from the _Aeneid_, is contained in BB. A number of MSS.
contain the _Cath Catharda_, a version of books vi. and vii. (?) of
Lucan's _Pharsalia_, which has been published by Wh. Stokes. There is
further at least one MS. containing a version of Statius's _Thebaid_ and
of Heliodorus's _Aethiopica_. Somewhat later, the medieval literature of
western Europe com