Ossian Collection > Reliquiae Celticae > Volume 2

LECTURES. 59 5
Gaelic secht mbliadan (seven years) L.U. 100^, 42 ; secht ndaivi
(seven oxen), Ir. Texte, 311 ; secht ndabcha (seven vats), secht
n-aidcae (seven nights), secht n-ena (seven vessels) ; ocht nespoic
dec (eighteen bishops), ocht mhiastai (eight beasts), imhragtih na
nocht nihiast mhruthach (in the throats of the eight fiery beasts),
ocht ngemma (eight gems) ; noi iiimdada (nine beds), noi vibai
(nine cows), noi mbliadna (nine years), noi gcairptui (nine
chariots) ; deich neich (ten horses), deich mbai (ten cows), we con-
clude that the n prefixed in these phrases to the nouns belonged
originally to the numerals preceding them, and is, in fact, the
primitive Indo-European n preserved in the Sanskrit forms saptan,
ashtan, navan, and dac^an.
I shall now give some examples of the application of the above
rules, taken chiefly from the Irish hymns in the Liber Hymnorum
and from " Lebor na huidhri," an Irish manuscript of the 12th
century. T have written out a large number of examples, but to
save time, I shall quote only a few of them.
1st Rule : final n is dropped when the next word begins with
X, /, or a tenuis (c, p, or t) : —
1. ^V dropped before s : L.U. 36^-19, " isolse ocus isocraidecht"
(in brightness and in beauty). Here ii of prep, in = Mod. Gael.
an is dropped before s of solse and socraidecht ; P.H.^ "hisochaide"
(in company = h-in-sochaide).
2. /V dropped before/: L.U. 27^-18, " acht itat ifoilse ocus
ifrecnarcus doib" (but they are in brightness and in presence to
them, i.e., they are clearly visible and present to them). Here n
in prep, in is dropped before /" of foilse and frecnarcxis. P.H.
ifrestut nanarchainget (in attendance of archangels). Here i of
prep, is dropped heiore f oi frestid.
3. N dropped before c : L.U. p. 34^-7, hicruth (in form) = h-
in-cruth ; P.H. " Crist icridiu cechduine" (Christ in the heart of
every man). Here icridiu = in cridiu. P.H. icein (afar) = in
cein.
■ 4. iV dropped before^:): P.H. " hipraiceptaib apstal" (in pre-
cepts of apostles), hipraiceptaib = h-in-p)raiceptaib ; iprimdorus (in
principal door) = iu ptiindorus ; hipardns (in paradise) = h-in-
pardus.
5. jV dropped before t : P.H. " itairchetlaib" (in predictions
of propliets) = in iairchetlaib ; " hitemraig" (in Ta'a) = " h-in-
temraig ;" " hitalmain" (in ground) = " h-in-talmain."-
1 St Patrick's Hymn. See Scot. Celt. Rev. p. 49.
^ " Hitirib nambeo" (in the lands of the living) = h-in-tirib nam beo L.U.
113--10. Ir. Texte, 173-5, L.U. 27--13, istir = " in-sin-tir.