422 The Ancient Hymn-Charms of I Iceland.
peculiar to Irish verse structure of the best period. Dr. Atkinson, in writing of these hymns, draws attention to the rich trisyllabic rhymes occurring throughout, the double consonantal alliterations in each line, and the correspon- dences between the succeeding lines. " These pieces," he says, " are poems in Latin written in popular metre by Irish poets ; the prosody of the classical language is replaced by accent and rhyme, and the rhymes in each case are rich and perfect.'"^
The largest section of the charm-hymns is directed to the attainment of personal benefits, but one or two were apparently used for the purpose of preventing public calamities. Such is the short hymn in abrupt, rough Latin ascribed to St. Columba, beginning Noli Pater indulgere, which was primarily intended as a pro- tection against fire and lightning, but which appears to have been used in a penitential office against the Yellow Plague, which decimated Ireland at frequent intervals during the seventh century. According to an ancient prophecy, a visitation of Fire and Plague was to come in connection with St. John's Day, and special Offices were drawn up to stave off the calamity. Professor Lawlor identifies this hymn as one of those occurring in the office of the Book of Mulling, and also in the Second Vision of A dam nan, both of which were penitential acts in view of the visitation of Plague, and Dr. Bernard
^ The Hymn of St. Cuchuimne, In laudem S. Maria, begins : — Ca'nte | mus in | om'ni | die | Con'ci | nentes | va'ri | e' Con'cla I man'tes | de'o | dig'num | ym'num | sanc'tse | Ma'ri | se'.
As an example of St. Colman's hymn to St. Michael we take the first stanza and the last stanza but one : —
In trinitate spes mea fixa non in omine
et archangelum deprecor Michaelem nomine
Sterna possint preestare regis regni aulia ut possedeam cum Christo paradisi gaudia.
^ Lawlor, Book of Mulling, cap. vii.
