The whole spirit of the ("rain BO is strongly pagan, which is another proof that the tale was committed to writing very early in the Christian period. It is not the work of any one man, but the epic of all Ireland, the accumulated work of generations, • the last stage of a slow evolution. Its arrangement in literary form may have taken place as early as the 5th century and its shaping, substantially as we have it, dates from the first half of the 7th century, if not earlier. The earliest manu scripts containing it probably disappeared dur ing the Viking Invasions, with the result that the oldest extant version dates from the year 1100. From that date till the middle of the last century a score or more of manuscripts have preserved it. Consequently, the 'Tamil P86 Cualnge' is the most ancient epic tale of west ern Europe and its composition antedates by a wide margin the epic tales of the Anglo-Sax ons, the Scandinavians, the Franks and the Germans. Furthermore, it is entirely original and contains not the slightest hint of any foreign derivation.
The (Thin B6 Cualnge' is in prose inter spersed here and there with verse and is not a work of art like the
it evinces poetic worth and contains some pas sages which are not surpassed in any hter ature.
The (Tain B6 CilaInge' is a great tale, one of the greatest and most curious in the world, and of the utmost importance to the philologist, the folklorist, the archwologist and the histo rian. For the first time in Europe it brings to light a high and romantic chivalry. It is a tale that is worthy of any literature in the world and no other race with which the Celts ma)., be compared is able to produce any such annent indigenous literary monument.
The text of the Tftin, from the most important manuscripts, has been pub lished by Ernst Windisch, (Die Altirische Hel densage, 'rain B6 Cfia Irische Texte, Ex tmband (Leipzig 1905), which contains com plete apparatus, introduction, notes and vocab ulary; Faraday, L. W., (The Cattle-Raid of Cualnge> (London 1904) is a translation based on one manuscript; Hull, E., (The Cuchuilin Saga' (London 1898; contains a translation by Standish H. O'Grady) ; Hutton, M. A., (The Thin, An Irish Epic Told in English Verse' (Dublin 1907) is a paraphrase, as is Gregory, Lady (Cuchulain of Muirthemne (London 1903) Dunn, J., (The Ancient Irish Epic Tale, 'rain 136 CilaInge, The Cualnge Cattle-Rai& (London 1914) is the first complete version in English and (pages xxxii-xxicvi) contains a full bibliography on the subject.