quorum feracillima eft Egyptus, in funes, ftrata, corbes, atque adèo calceos, non minus quam Spartum Hifpanicum. Spartem autem id, è quo Sparti Calcei, ut & pleraque alia conficiuntur, junci fpecies est.” (Calceus Antiquus & Mysticus, p. 24.)

The names for fhoes in Irish, are bhrog, bhrogamh, as, gheas, foirgimh, folas; triaghim, cuarthan, coifbheirt, galoighimh, Cuarogamh, guifeir.

In Welsh, Efgid, kuaran, guintas, follak, hoppen, arken;-kuaran, is corrupted from the Irish cuarthan, i. e. cuar twisted, wound round, and the Egyptian and Chaldee gitana, junci species; i. e. Calceus, fays R. Jehuda in Gemara. See alfo, Buxtorf, at the word, where he fays, "his pedes involvebantur tamquem calceamentis, die propitiationis, quando prohibitum eft calceis incedere, fic ibidem mentio calceamentorum ex foliis dactyli, junci," &c. &c. from the Irifh cuarthan, the Greek and Latin cothurnus feem to be derived, fays Lhwyd. Follak is from the Irifh fol-as, compounded of fol a covering, and as a fhoe; from the Coptick befo, ghefo, juncus; whence the Irish guifeir a fhoe, hofe; and the old Perfic gush a fhoe; and the modern Irish geas-aire & geafaidh vulgò greafaidh a fhoe-maker.

The Irish brog, is either from the Coptic broia juncus, (broia, jonc marin, St. Ifidore nous a confervè ce mot. Bullet) or contracted from beir wearing and gamh (Ngoma Chaldee) juncus. So is coifbheirt fhoes, i. e. beirt worn, cois on the feet. Foirgimh, is probably two Chaldee words N phera and goma, both implying Juncus or the Bullrush,

Bullrush; or from the Irish foir protecting, faving, defending, & goma, juncus.

Their is another Irish word, derived from the use of the bull-rufh, not to be found in the Welsh, and that is fiomon, a rope. ' in Chaldee Simuna, juncus, a bull-rufh or ftrong grafs, of which ropes are made, says the Lexiconists. The only Welsh words for a rope in Lhwyd, under funis, are rhaf, tant, kord, rheffyn. The words here collated, are in fuch common ufe, that if the Welsh language had ever admited them, they could not have been loft, as Mr. Lhwyd juftly oberves of the Irish word uifce,

water.

THE

THE

IODHAN MORAIN,

O R,

BREAST-PLATE OF JUDGMENT.

PLATE I

(From KEATING'S History of Ireland.)

A. D. 4. Do gabh Fearadhac Fionfachtnac, MaCriomthain-Niadhnar, Mac Lughoi-Riabhndearg, do fiol Eireamhoin, rioghact Eirin 20 bliadhain. Nar Taothchaoch inghean Loic, mac Daire do Cruithin tuaith mathair Fearadhac, as uime do garthaoi Fearadhac Fachtnac de dobhrigh go raibh ceart agus firinne da ccoimead lo na linn an Eirinn. As na reimhias do bhi Moran mac Maoin an, i. e. an ceart Breithon aga raibh an Iodhan Moruin aige, agus do bhi do bhuadhaibh aice gi be do cuirfeadh fa na bhraghaid i re linn breitheamhnas eigcirt do dheanadh, go niadhadh an Iodhan go daingion timpchioll a braghad, agus go mbiodh ag fafgadh ara bhraghaid go mbearadh an bhrath choir; agus do niodh mar an cceadhna leis an ti do tigeadh do dheanamh fiaghnaife bhreige go had nhail na firinne dho, gon on lodhifin ata feanfhocal, mar an orduigheann neach

an

an lodhan-Moruin, do bheith fa bhraghaid an ti bhios ag deanadh fiadhnaifi a ndeigh go ndiongnadh firinne, agus fuar Fearadhach Fionfactnanc bas a Liatruim : that is,

Anno Domini 4. Fearadac Fionfactnac, fon of Criomthan-Niadnor, son of Lugh-Riabhdearg of the line of Eireamon, was king of Ireland, and reigned 20 years; his mother Taothchaoch was the daughter of Loich, fon of Darius, a Cruthenian; he was named Fearadac Fachtnac, becaufe of his juftice and equity during his government. In his time lived Moran (fon of Maon) the upright judge, who had the Iodhan Morain this ornament was worn on the breast, and if any one gave falfe fentence, the Iodhan Moriun would clofe round the neck, till he had given the proper verdict; and it would do the fame if put on the breaft of a witnefs, if he was delivering falfe evidence. Hence it became a proverb, to threaten the witnefs with the lodhan Morain, in hopes of forcing the truth from him.

And in another place, Keating fays, "The famous Moran (Mac Macin) was one of the chief judges of this kingdom; when he fat upon the bench to adminifter justice, he put the miraculous IodhanMoruin about his neck, which had that wonderful power, that if the judge pronounced an unjuft decree, the breaft-plate would inftantly contract itself, and encompass the neck fo clofe, that it would be impoffible to breath, but if he delivered a juft fentence, it would open itself, and hang loofe upon his fhoulders.

Where the monk found the name of this king, or of his judge, does not appear. O'Flaherty makes no

mention

mention of them; however, we are obliged to Keating for the prefervation of the name of this curious breaft-plate; the ftory is evidently made out of the following Irish words:

Iodh, Iodhan, a chain, collar, gorget, breast-plate.
Iodhan, fincere, pure, undefiled.
Iodhana, pangs, torments.

Iodhadh, a fhutting clofing, joining.

It is evident that the Iodhan-Morain was the breastplate of judgment. That I now prefent to my readers is of gold, of the size of the drawing; it was found twelve feet deep in a turf bog, in the County of Limerick, on the estate of Mr. Bury, and is now in the poffeffion of Mrs. Bury, of Granby-Row, Dublin.

It is made of thin plated gold, and chaced in a very neat and workman-like manner; the breaft-plate is fingle, but the hemifpherical ornaments at the top, are lined throughout with another thin plate of pure gold thefe are lefs expofed to injury when on the breast, than the lower part; there must have been a particular reafon for lining these circular concave pieces, which I think will appear hereafter; about the center of each is a small hole in the lining, to receive the ring of a chain that fufpended it round the neck; and in the centers in front, are two small conical pillars of folid gold, highly polifhed. The chain was found and fecreted by the peafant from Mr. Bury. In cutting the turf, the flane or spade ftruck the middle of the ornament, and bruifed it, as reprefented in the drawing; every other perfect.

The whole weighs twenty-two guineas.

part is

Another