Ogam Inscriptions in Ireland, Scotland, and ... - House of Dubhros
Ogam Inscriptions in Ireland, Scotland, and ... - House of Dubhros
Ogam Inscriptions in Ireland, Scotland, and ... - House of Dubhros
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IN IRELAND, WALES, AND SCOTLAND. 17would be assured that our labour shall not be lost <strong>in</strong> thepursuit <strong>of</strong> phantoms, where the mistake <strong>of</strong> a digit or a notchmay have altered the whole basis <strong>of</strong> our reason<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> turnedwhat ought to be fruitful <strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>in</strong>to mere illusion <strong>and</strong>reverie.24. Such reproductions can be atta<strong>in</strong>ed without the labour<strong>of</strong> transport<strong>in</strong>g heavy masses <strong>of</strong> plaster <strong>of</strong> Paris, by means <strong>of</strong>Paper casts. This k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> cast has the advantage that it can Paper casts.be conveniently held <strong>in</strong> the h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> presented to the light<strong>in</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>g degrees <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>cidence an important means <strong>of</strong>gett<strong>in</strong>g at the traces <strong>of</strong> worn <strong>in</strong>scriptions <strong>of</strong> all k<strong>in</strong>ds. ThePaper cast has the further advantage <strong>of</strong> pliability, so that an<strong>in</strong>scription extend<strong>in</strong>g to two surfaces which could not be seenon one plane reflected from a solid model, can easily beexposed on the flat to the photographer's lens. I have,therefore, from time to time procured Paper casts <strong>of</strong> most <strong>of</strong>the Oghams I shall refer to.25. True texts be<strong>in</strong>g secured, the next requisite towardsgett<strong>in</strong>g at the mean<strong>in</strong>g is a right transliteration. There Transliterationbe<strong>in</strong>g no word-divisions, save <strong>in</strong> a few exceptional cases, theverbatim, if I may so say, depends <strong>in</strong> a large degree on theknowledge <strong>and</strong> sagacity <strong>of</strong> the reader. I can here no longerspeak with the same confidence. In what I shall propose<strong>in</strong> the way <strong>of</strong> reduc<strong>in</strong>g transliterations to words, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>giv<strong>in</strong>g to these words their English equivalents, I by nomeans claim for myself the same degree <strong>of</strong> certa<strong>in</strong>ty as <strong>in</strong> liable to errors,the assignment <strong>of</strong> the cont<strong>in</strong>uous values. If, hereafter, laws,grammatical or constructional, should appear to be legitimatelydeduced <strong>and</strong> the probability <strong>of</strong> a large addition tothe present material gives reasonable hope that such lawsmav yet be established, a tone <strong>of</strong> authority may becomejustifiable but at; present the study is exploratory ratherthan demonstrative ;<strong>and</strong> he who speaks with most modestyis the more likely to obta<strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>telligent hear<strong>in</strong>g from men<strong>of</strong> judgment.26. The ma<strong>in</strong> questions agitated are : Whether the Ogham Questionsis <strong>of</strong> Pagan or Christian orig<strong>in</strong> ; Whether, if <strong>of</strong> Pagan orig<strong>in</strong>, any<strong>of</strong> the monuments are Christian ;Whether the Welsh impartedit to the Irish, or vice versa ; <strong>and</strong>, Whether its forms belongcdettlt Wllil -