Page:Chronicles of the Picts, chronicles of the Scots, and other early memorials of Scottish history.djvu/47

PEEFACE. xxxix of the annals wMch seems to present them in their earliest form. The Mss. in Trinity College appear to have been unknown to Dr. O'Connor. The dates given by Dr. O'Connor were not taken from any MS. of Tighernac, but were affixed by himself from the dates of similar events in the "Annals of Ulster." Tighernac's chronology is indicated by prefixing to each event the character Kl. for Kalends, accom- panied by the feria or day of the week on which the first of January fell in each year. He seems to have written them in their order, one after another, and to have annexed to each the event he had to record under that year. On comparing his dates, as indicated by the ferice, with the dates in the " Annals of Ulster," they appear to precede the true date by four years ; but he has apparently mis- calculated the day di-opped out in each period of six days by the recurrence of leap year, and the fericB are irregularly given, and are entirely omitted after the year 651. The extracts from the annals here given have been carefully collated with the oldest MS., that in the Bodleian (Rawlinson, B. 488). The dates added on the margin are those indicated by the feriw in the " Annals of Ulster," which appear to correspond with the true date.' 9. Prophecy of St. Berchan. — About this period Prophecy of St. Berchan. ' A new edition of the " Annals Currie enumerates seven, and with " of Tighernac," from a collation i a correct translation, is greatly to of all the MSS., of which Professor ' be desired.