lect05-第5节
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prisoners in fetters； the forfeited hostages of subject…chiefs or
sub…septs who have broken their engagements。 The Companions are
there also； and they are stated to consist of his privileged
tenantry and of his body guard； which is composed of men whom he
has delivered from death； jail； or servitude； never （a
significant exception） of men whom he has saved on the
battle…field。 I am afraid that the picture of Irish society
supplied by the Crith Gablach must throughout be regarded as to a
great extent ideal or theoretical； at any rate； there is much
testimony from English visitors to Ireland that many considerable
Irish Chiefs were much more humbly furnished out than the King of
Erin at Tara。 Yet it is very likely that they all had Companions
attending them； and I suspect that the obligation of。 maintaining
a little court had much to do with that strange privilege which
in later times had a deplorable history； the right of the Chief
to go with a following to the dwellings of his tenants and there
be feasted at the tenant's expense。 That even petty Chiefs of the
Scottish Highlands had a retinue of the same character is known
to all who can recall that immortal picture of Celtic society
which for the first time brought it home to men who were nearly
our contemporaries that ancient Celtic life and manners had
existed almost down to their days the novel of 'Waverley。'
It seems extremely probable that； in a particular stage of
society； this personal service to the Chief or King was
everywhere rendered in expectation of reward in the shape of a
gift of land。 The Companions of the Teutonic kings； in
Continental Europe； shared largely in the Benefices…grants of
Roman provincial land fully peopled and stocked。 In ancient
England the same class are believed to have been the largest
grantees of public land next to the Church； and doubtless we have
here part of the secret of the mysterious change by which a new
nobility of Thanes； deriving dignity and authority from the King；
absorbed the older nobility of Eorls。 But we are a little apt to
forget the plentifulness of land in countries lying beyond the
northern and western limits of the Roman Empire； or just within
them。 Mr Thorold Rogers； writing of a period relatively much
later； and founding his opinion on the extant evidence of returns
from manor…lands； speaks of land as the 'cheapest commodity of
the Middle Ages。' The practical difficulty was not to obtain
land； but the instruments for making it productive； and hence； in
a society older relatively than any Teutonic society of which we
have any distinct knowledge； that very society which the Brehon
tracts enable us to understand； it may very well have been that
the object of suit at court was much less to obtain land than to
obtain cattle。 The Chief； as I have already said； was before all
things rich in flocks and herds。 He was military leader； and a
great part of his wealth must have been spoil of war； but in his
civil capacity he multiplied his kine through his growing power
of appropriating the waste for pasture； and through a system of
dispersing his herds among the tribesmen； which will be described
in the next Lecture。 The Companion who followed him to the foray；
or was ready to do so； cannot but have been enriched by his
bounty； and thus； if already noble； he became greater； if he was
not noble； the way to nobility lay through wealth。 The passage
which I am about to read to you may serve to illustrate what
probably took place； though there is nothing except common
humanity to connect the tribes of whose customs it speaks with
the primitive Teutons and Celts。 The Rev H。 Dugmore； in a most
interesting volume； called a 'Compendium of Kafir Laws and
Customs；' and published at the Wesleyan Missionary Press； Mount
Coke； British Kaffraria； writes thus of much the most advanced of
the South African native races； the Kafirs or Zulus （p。 27）： 'As
cattle constitute the sole wealth of the people； so they are
their only medium of such transactions as involve exchange；
payment； or reward。 The retainers of a chief serve him for
cattle； nor is it expected that he could maintain his influence；
or indeed secure any number of followers； if unable to provide
them with what at once constitutes their money； food； and
clothing。 He requires； then； a constant fund from which to
satisfy his dependants； and the amount of the fund required may
be judged of from the character of the demand made upon him。 His
retinue； court； or whatever it is to be called； consists of men
from all parts of the tribe； the young； the clever； and the
brave； who come to do court service for a time； that they may
obtain cattle to furnish them with the means of procuring wives；
arms； or other objects of desire。 On obtaining these they return
to their homes and give place to others。 Thus the immediate
retinue of a chief is continually changing； and constitutes a
permanent drain on his resources。' Mr Dugmore goes on to state
that the sources of the chief's wealth are the inherited cattle
of his father； offerings made to him on the ceremony of his
circumcision； benevolences levied from his tribe； fines and
confiscations； and the results of predatory excursions。
The remarkable part played by kine in ancient Irish society
will； I hope； be made more intelligible in the next Lecture。
Meantime； let me observe that the two Celtic societies included
in these islands which longest retained their ancient usages were
both notoriously given to the plunder of cattle。 Lord Macaulay；
in speaking of Irish cattle…stealing； sometimes； I must own；
seems to me to express himself as if he thought the practice
attributable to some native vice of Irish character； but no doubt
it was what Mr Tylor has taught us to call a survival； an ancient
and inveterate habit； which in this case continued through the
misfortune which denied to Ireland the great condition of modern
legal ideas； a strong central government。 The very same practice；
among the Celts of the Scottish Highlands and the rude Germanic
population of the Lowland Border； has almost been invested by one
man's genius with the dignity of a virtue。 Again； turning to
'Waverley；' I suppose there is no truer representative of the
primitive Celtic chief than Donald Bean Lean； who drives the
cattle of Tully Veolan； and employs a soothsayer to predict the
number of beeves which are likely to come in his Way。 He is a far
more genuine 'survival' than Fergus McIvor； who all but deserts
his cause for a disappointment about an earldom。
It has been pointed out that the status of the King's
Companions was at first in some way servile。 Whenever legal
expression has to be given to the relations of the Comitatus to
the Teutonic kings； the portions of the Roman law selected are
uniformly those which declare the semi…servile relation of the
Client or Freedman to his Patron。 The Brehon law permits us to
take the same view of the corresponding class in Celtic
societies。 Several texts indicate that a Chief of high degree is
always expected to surround himself with unfree dependants； and
you will recollect that the retinue of the King of Erin was to
consist not only of free tribesmen but of a bodyguard of men
bound to him by servile obligations。 So far as it goes； I quite
agree with the explanation which Mr Freeman has given of the
original connection between servile status and that nobility with
which the primitive nobility of birth has become mixed up and
confounded。 'The lowly clientage；' he says； 'of the Roman
Patrician and the noble following of the Hellenic and Teutonic
leader may really come from the same source； and may both alike
be parts of the same primeval heritage。' （' Comparative
Po
