Matheson Collection > Gleanings from Irish manuscripts

CORC OG O CADHLA
addicted to murder and to self-conceit in the whole
European Continent. It is a matter of surprise to
me that God tolerates them so long in authority ;
except that He beareth patiently, and that His
vengeance cometh slowly and direct. An additional
point : the Irish themselves are bad, and that
Heaven hath provided them with castigation at
another turn of history, we shall not discuss at
length — for we should waste our ink and our
paper with the thing we have suggested.
I am Core O Cadhla who wrote this, and let
every one who shall read it render a prayer for
my soul, and let not any reader blame me for
any portions of it which have been badly set
down, for I am in exceeding great haste, and I
am able to remain but a short time, 1578.
The mercy of the King of Heaven to the author
of this book, Bernardus Gordonius, who gave it
to the world ; and to him who translated it into
Irish, namely, Cormac O Duinnshleibhe ; ^ and
to him also who wrote it here.
May the Saviour complete the third Book.
[On these paragraphs much might be written
by way of comment. What will strike most readers
is the readiness with which some of the scribe's
dicta might come from an onlooker of events in
fairly recent history. For instance, the words " the
Irish themselves are bad " might be used as a
text in reference to many of our latter-day
quarrels and misfortunes. Again, we have the
writer's estimate of the English Government in
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