II.—THE RULE OF PATRICK

Riagail Patraic.

              Translation.

1. Forata anmanda fer nErenn a timna Patraic. Primepscop cecha tuaithe accu fri huirdned a n-oessa graid, fri coisecrad a n-eclas, 7 fri hanmchairdes do flaithib 7 do airchindc[h]ib, fri noemad 7 bendachad a clainde iar mbathius.

              1. It is on the souls of the men of Ireland from the Testament of Patrick:—each tribe to have a chief bishop for the ordination of their clergy, for the consecration of their churches, and for the spiritual guidance of princes and chieftains, for the sanctification and blessing of their offspring after baptism.

2. Ar nach tuath 7 nach cenel oc na biat epscoip frisna gnimaib seo, atbail dliged a creidme 7 a n-irsi, conid i suide teit cech duine assa richt choir na tabair toeb fri hanmcharaid craibdech, 7 conid aire na bi crich la nech fri peccad eter fingail ocus duinorgain ocus etrad 7 cech olc archena. Nach fer graid didiu oc na bi dlighed na eolus timthirechta a graid 7 cona bi tualaing oiffrind na ceileabartha ar belaib rig 7 epscop, ni dlig saire na eneclainn fir graid i tuaith na i n-eclais.

              2. For the tribe and the nation which have not bishops for these works, the law of their belief and of their faith dies, and then it is that each person, who does not trust to a pious soul-friend, forsakes his proper guise; and therefore there are no bounds with anyone to sin, both parricide and manslaughter, and lust and every other villainy. Any ordained man then who is mindful neither of the rule nor of the knowledge of service of his order so that he is not capable of the Offering or of celebrating the Hours before kings and bishops, he is not entitled to exemption, or to the honour-price of one ordained, in tribe or church.

3. Nach epscop dobeir uasalgrada for nech na bi tualaing [a] n-airberta eter chrabud 7 leigend 7 anmchairde na eolus rechta na riagla, is bidba bais do Dia 7 do doinib in t-epscop sin. Ar is imdergad do C[h]rist 7 da eclais a comgrada do thabairt for neoch na bi tualaing a n-airberta fri nem 7 talmain, co mbi brath do thuathaib 7 do ecailsib, conid aire dlegar secht mbliadna peinne 7 secht cumail fri henech in Duileman. Ar is ed fotera galar 7 angcessa forsna clanna, eter eltrai 7 milliuda olchena, cen baithus ndligthech 7 cen dul fo laim n-epscoip i n-aimsir thechtai, ar ni thic comlaine in spirta noim, cipe a leire baistither in duine, mane te fo laim n-epscoip iar mbathus.

              3. Any bishop who confers high orders on anyone who is unable to practise them in piety and reading and spiritual guidance, and who has not a knowledge of the law or of the rule, that bishop is guilty of death to God and to men. For it is an insult to Christ and to His Church to confer their orders on anyone who is incapable of using them towards Heaven and earth, so that it is ruin to peoples and churches; wherefore seven years of penance and seven cumals are necessary by way of reparation to the Creator. For it is this which causes plague and sickness to tribes, both.… and other destructions, not having lawful baptism, and not going ‘under the hand’ of a bishop at the prescribed time; for the perfection of the Holy Spirit comes not, however fervently a person is baptised, unless he ‘goes under the hand’ of a bishop after baptism.

4. It e maccan co macu secht mbliadna ni bi acht a cursad ina chet-chinaid co n-abaind no c[h]ris no bois .i. tri beimenna [Col. 853] forru co m-bais no c[h]ris no abaind co cend secht mbliadnæ. Nach fer graid tra tairmit[h]eid a grada co caillich for follus, asren dire a grad dond eclais saraiget[h]ar no is diles a tecmail lais do cech t[h]orba 7 is diles don tuaith a tecmail leo do fuillmiud 7 indile, 7 ni dlig ni a raind ecaillsi De’ na degaid sin, mane penne do reir apad no anmcharat chrabdig.

              4. It is children up to boys of seven years who are only chastised for their first crime with scourge or belt or palm of hand, to wit, three blows on them with palm of hand or belt or scourge to the end of seven years. Anyone in orders, however, who plainly transgresses his orders with a nun pays the fine of his orders to the church which he outrages, or it is the lawful property [? of the man himself] what falls to him of every profit, and it is the lawful property of the people what falls to them of dead cattle and live cattle. And he [the ordained man] is entitled to nothing on the part of the church of God after that, unless he does penance at the will of an abbot or a pious soul-friend.

5. Ar ni fuil aitreib nime do anmain duine nad baithister o baithus dligt[h]ech re cech ret, conid aire forata anmanda [fer] nErenn cona flaithib 7 a n-airechaib 7 a n-airchindchib co raib baithius 7 comna 7 gabail ecnairce o cech eclais do manchaib techtaib, ar as oc tri[s]t 7 miscad Patraic co noemaib Erenn for cech flaith 7 for cech manach na timairg for a eclais saindiles baithius 7 comnai 7 gabail ecnoirce inti.

              5. For there is no heavenly abode for the soul of a person who is not baptised according to lawful baptism before everything; wherefore it is upon the souls [of the men] of Ireland with their princes and their erenachs and their chiefs that there be baptism and communion and the singing of the intercession by every church to proper manach tenants; for the curse and malediction of Patrick and the saints of Ireland is on every prince and every manach tenant who does not impose on his own special church baptism and communion and the chanting of the intercession therein.

6. Nach epscop tra soertha tuatha 7 eclaisi, is e as anmchara dond aes graid, 7 is lais dogniad urddu techtai, 7 is e dobeir fortacht doib co roiset a n-dliged hi tuaith 7 i n-eclais, 7 is e timairg for cech eclais co raib a durrthech 7 a relec hi nglaine, 7 co raib in altoir cona haidmib techtaib ar c[h]ind ind oessa graid dogres.

              6. Any bishop whom peoples and churches free, it is he who is spiritual adviser to the ordained folk; and it is with him they perform their prescribed offices; and it is he who gives help to them so that they may attain to their due in tribe and church; and it is he who constrains each church to have its oratory and its burial-ground purified, and that the altar has its proper fittings always in readiness for the ordained.

7. Ocus cech airchindech fritai in lessa doboing. i. bis ind agaid in ordaigthi sea no ac nach bi ind eclas he dligid in t-epscop cumail de asa reir budesin no a reir neich bus chomgrad do, co raib fretra mbathius 7 comna 7 gabail ecnairce do cech duine isa eclas techta hi, 7 co raib idbairt chuirp Crist for cech altoir. Ar is dith na huile chredme du na bia in cetharda sa, 7 nach duine fristargu’na aigid, ni fuil suil do fri haitreib nime.

              7. And each erenach who opposes the dues which he levies (?) that is, who is against this ordinance or to whom the church does not belong, the bishop is entitled to a cumal of it at his own will or at the will of one who is of equal rank, so that there be an equivalent of baptism and communion and the singing of the intercession to each person whose proper church it is; and so that there be an offering of the Body of Christ on each altar; for it is ruin of all belief where these four are not found; and any person who shall oppose it, there is no hope for him of an abode in Heaven.

8. Ocus nach eclas oc na be tuara manach do baithis 7 comna 7 gabail ecnairce, ni dlig dechmad na boin cennaithe na trian n-imnai. [Col. 854.]

              8. And any church in which there is no service to manach tenants for baptism and communion and the singing of the intercession; it is not entitled to tithes or to the heriot cow or to a third of [each] bequest.

9. Ni dlig airchindech a reir for a manchu na dlig dire a seoit na toichneda a eclais side manibat oga a frithfolaid asa eclaisi di baithius 7 comna 7 gabail n-ecnairce, conid aire forata anmanda fer nErenn, maine elat dliged a creidme 7 a n-irse 7 mani diultat a n-Duilemain 7 ma frisailetar dul a n-angnais na noem, co raib ind eclas for tubus fir graid fri baithius 7 comna 7 gabail ecnairce manach eter biu 7 marbu 7 co roib oiffrenn for a altoir hi sollamnaib 7 primfeilib 7 domnaigib 7 co rabat aidmi oc cech altoir 7 terimpetoir 7 anarta coisecarthai.

              9. An erenach is not entitled [to impose] his will on his manach tenants, nor is he entitled to the fine of his ‘sed’ … of his church unless the reciprocal obligations of the church be fully discharged of baptism and communion and the singing of the intercession; wherefore it is upon the souls of the men of Ireland, unless they evade the rule of their belief and their faith, and unless they deny their Creator, and if they hope to go in the company of the saints, that the church should be on the conscience of an ordained man for baptism and communion and the singing of the intercession for manach tenants both living and dead, and that there should be Offering on its altar on solemnities and chief feasts and Sundays, and that there should be fittings on each altar and portable altar and consecrated linen cloths.

10. Ar nach eclas oc na bi a techta ni dlig dire eclaisi De 7 ni heclas, acht uam latrand 7 tadat a hainm la Crist.

              10. For the church which has not its proper equipment is not entitled to the fine of God’s church, and it is not a church, but its name according to Christ is a den of thieves and robbers.

11. Nach eclas hi mbi fer graid di minecailsib na tuaithe cenmotat moreclaisi dligid tuarustul a graid .i. tech 7 airlisi 7 dergud 7 deigcheltaib 7 acnamad rodfera cen turbaid cen dichell do neoch bes hi cumung na eclaisi .i. miach cona indiud 7 bo blicht in cech raithe 7 biad sollaman.

              11. Any church in which there is an ordained man of the small churches of the tribe apart from the great churches, he is entitled to the wage of his order, that is, house, and enclosure and bed and clothing, and his ration that is sufficient for him, without exemption, without neglect of all that is in the power of the church, that is, a sack with its ‘kitchen,’ and a milch cow each quarter, and the food of festivals.

12. Aitire dogo fria laim de manchaib cech eclaisi bes fora chubus fri tuarustul coir eter logmbaithis 7 techta comna 7 gabail ecnairce na n-uile manach eter biu 7 marbu 7 oiffrend cecha domnaig 7 cecha prim-sollamain 7 cecha prim-feile 7 ceileabrad cecha tratha 7 tri coecaid cech tratha do chetal, mani thairmesca forcetul no anmchairdes .i. ongad 7 baithis.

              12. A hostage, whom he shall choose from the manach tenants of each church which is on his conscience, [he shall have] as a security for just wage, both price of baptism and the dues of communion and the singing of the intercession of all the manach tenants living and dead; and Offering every Sunday and on every chief solemnity and every chief festival, and the celebration of each canonical Hour, and the singing of the three fifties every canonical Hour, unless instruction and spiritual guidance, even unction and baptism, prevent [him].

13. Ma beth tra do huaite ind aessa graid lasna tuatha, cia beit tri hecailsi no a cethair for cubus cech fir graid acht roso comand 7 baithius do anmain chaich 7 oiffrend hi sollamnaib 7 feilib fora n-altoir.

              13. If in the opinion of the tribe the ordained folk be too few, [it is lawful] that there be three churches or four on the conscience of each ordained man, provided that there come communion and baptism for the soul of each and Offering on solemnities and festivals on their altars.

14. It e a frithfolaidi-seom dond fir graid .i. la air n-indraic cech bliadna cona sil 7 a ithir 7 a lethgabol etaig do brutt no da leinid no do inur. Pruind chethruir ar notlaic 7 chaise 7 chingcis.

              14. These are his reciprocal duties to the ordained man: a proper day’s ploughing each year, with its seed and its arable land, and half of material for mantle or for shirt or for tunic. Dinner for four at Christmas and Easter and Pentecost.

15. Ma beith tra do uaisle ind fir graid 7 a airmidin doformagar a dligid 7 a saire forsanni doruirmisem.

              15. In proportion to the dignity of the ordained man his due and his exemption are increased over and above what we have enumerated.

16. Ar is ed ba dliged fer graid cecha chille, uair uad bi landire na eclaisi De acht du i mbi oes graid 7 maiccleirig indraice at e endaic fri athigid n-ecalsa.

              16. For it is this that would be due: an ordained man to every church, since there is not full fine of the church of God save where there are ordained men and proper young clerics, and the innocent, for frequenting the church.