Above: Law of Compensation

The Brehon code forms a great body of the military, and criminal law. It regulates the varic ranks of society, from the king down to the slave, a enumerates their several rights and privileges. There are minute rules for the management of property, for the several industries-building, brewing, mills, water- courses, fishing weirs, bees and honey-for distress or seizure of goods, for tithes, trespass, and evidence. The relations of landlord and tenant, the fees of pro- fessional men-doctors, judges, teachers, builders artificers-the mutual duties of father and son, of foster-parents, and foster-children, of master and servant, are all carefully regulated. Contracts are re- garded as peculiarly sacred, and are treated in great detail.

given to Ulster, and the terniory now known as the county Clare was wrested from Connaught and an- nexed to Minister. The two Ministers ceased to be distinguished, and the whole province was known by the name of Minnan or Minister. A better known sub- division of Minister was into Thomond or North Minister, which broadly speaking included Tipperary, Clare, and North Limerick; and Desmond or South Minister, comprising Kerry, Cork, Watcrford, and South Limerick. In recent times Meath has disappeared as a province; and the original provinces remain- Leinster, Ulster, Connanght, and Munster.

With the object of avoiding the evils of a dis- puted succession, the person to succeed a king or chief was often elected by the tribe during the lifetime of the king or chief himself; when elected he was called the Tanist. The person who w?as generally looked upon as the king’s successor, whether actually elected tanist or not-the heir apparent-was commonly called the Roydamna.

The king or chief was always elected from members of one family, bearing the same surname: but the succession was not hereditary in our sense of the word ; it was elective with the above limitation of being confined to one family Any freeborn member of the family was eligible : the tani.Jt might be brother, son, nephew, cousin, etc., of the chief. That member was chosen who was considered best able to lead in war, and govern in peace; and he should be free from all personal deformities or blemishes.