of Campbell’s diary seem to have got bound up in this volume by mistake, instead of with the Journals, and give fascinating glimpses of his method of collecting. The volume closes with a list of 170 English stories, quite different from the one in vol. x.
Vols. xiv-xvi do for the Introduction and Notes what vols. i-ix do for the Tales, i.e., bring together author’s MS., scribe’s transcript, proofs, revise, letters, reviews, etc.
Vol. xvii is lettered O’Cein’s Leg, 1870-71. It contains the fullest version as yet collected in the Highlands, running to 142 pages of MS., taken down by Hector MacLean from Lachlan MacNeill.[1] The Gaelic text is followed by fourteen pages of English abstract. In view of the great interest of this tale, I copied out the pith of this abstract, and give it here, with constant reference to Mr. MacInnes’s version with my notes.[2] The abstract is preceded by a list of the chief characters in the story of O’Cein’s Leg.
In the framework.
1. King of Ireland.
2. Son and Successor.
3, 4.[3] His Foster-Father and his Magic Wife.
5. O’Cein,[4] the wicked treasurer whose leg is broken.
In the stories told.
6.[5] The King of Lochlann, who does nothing and never appears.
- ↑ I do not know if this is the old man referred to supra, p. 372, as possessing the twenty-four tales of the cycle.
- ↑ Folk and Hero Tales from Argyllshire. Text and Translation, pp. 206-277. Notes, pp. 464-473. I shall refer to this version as McI., and to that of Mr. Campbell of Tiree (cf. Tales, 465) as J.G.C.
- ↑ These first four personages are apparently missing in both McI. and J. G. C., which have different openings. In both of these a King of Ireland appears with wife and son, and is identified with Brian Boru, but the connection seems different.
- ↑ O’C. is not a treasurer in either McI. or J. G. C.
- ↑ Only mentioned in McI. and J. G. C.
