St. Gall Priscian Glosses

The St. Gall Priscian Glosses (Codex Sangallensis 904), abbreviated Sg., is an Irish manuscript of the Latin grammar Institutiones grammaticae by Priscian, held by the Abbey Library of St. Gall.

[1] Together with the Würzburg glosses on the Epistles of St Paul and the Milan glosses on a Commentary on the Psalms they provide the main source of Old Irish writing available today and thus serve as an important reference for linguistic research on Old Irish.

[2] The original Institutiones Grammaticae was written by Priscian between 526 and 527, and was subsequently used in Ireland to teach Latin grammar.

[4] It is written on thick parchment, possibly vellum, and there are a number of patched holes and grease stains.

The initials of books and chapters are decorated with flora and fauna elements in the typical Irish style.

[3] The last gloss on page 204 offers a more personal note from the scribe, the Old Irish word latheirt.

Damian McManus presents the translation in "A Guide to Ogham": "This [definition] together with other contexts shows the basic meaning to be 'excessive ale-consumption' with the logical extensions 'excessive drunkenness' and 'massive hangover', the last probably the meaning intended in the Priscian Oghams.

fomchain trírech innaṅén .., Fommchain cói menn medair mass.

In a gray mantle the cuckoo’s beautiful chant sings to me from the tops of bushes: may the Lord be kind to me!