lofopher, are the corporeal and mortal parts of the foul, which give rise to our paffions. He fixed the feat of the irafcible appetite in the heart, and of the concupifcible in the liver, as the two fources of blood and fpirits, which alone affect the mind. *** IRE. n. f. [Fr. ira, Lat.] Anger; rage; paffionate hatred.

Fain would be free, but dreaded parents ire. Sidney. It could not flack mine ire, nor ease my heart. Shak. Or Neptune's ire, or Juno's, that fo long Perplex'd the Greek and Cytherea's fon. Milt. Me! me! only just objećt of his irė. Milt. Thus will perfift, relentless in his ire, Till the fair flave be render'd to her fire. Dryd. *REFUL. adj. [ire and full.] Angry; raging; furious.

The ireful baftard Orleans, that drew blood From thee, my boy, I foon encountered. Shak. Only flaughter'd by the ireful arm Of unrelenting Clifford. There learn'd this maid of arms the ireful guife.

Shak.

Fairfax. And madnefs laughing in his ireful mood. Dryd. *IREFULLY. adv. [from ire.] With ire; in an angry manner.

(Į. 1.) IRELAND, one of the Britannic islands, fituated between Lon. 5° and 10° W. and between Lat. 51° and 56° N. extending in length about 300 miles, and about 150 in breadth.

(2.) IRELAND, ANCIENT FABULOUS HISTORY OF. The ancient hiftory of this island is involved in fo much obfcurity, that it has been a fubject of contention among antiquarians for near 2 centuries. According to the Irish hiftorians, the island was firft inhabited about 322 years after the flood, when Partholanus the fon of Scara landed in Munfter on the 14th of May, with 1000 soldiers, and fome women from Greece. This voyage he had undertaken on account of his having killed his father and mother in his native country. They alfo inform us, that a great number of lakes broke out in Ireland during the reign of Partholanus, which had no exiftence when he came into the ifland, with many other wonderful particulars; but the most furprifing circumftance is, that about 300 years after the arrival of this colony, all of them perifhed by a plague, not one remaining to tell the fate of the reft; in which cafe, it is wonderful how the catastrophe should have been known. After this, Ireland remained a perfect wilderness for 30 years, when another colony arrived from the E. under one Nemedius. He failed from the Euxine fea with 30 transports, each manned with 40 heroes; and at last arrived on the coaft of Ireland. During his reign, the most material occurence was a war, in which he en gaged with fome African pirates, who in the end enflaved his people. The victors proved fuch tyrants, that the Irish left the island altogether. They embarked on board a fleet of 1130 fhips, under the command of three grandfons of Neme dius, viz. Simon Breac, To Chath, and Briatan Maol. The firft returned to Greece, the 2d failed to the northern parts of Europe, and the 3d landed in the north of Scotland, and from him the inland of Britain is faid to have taken its name, and

the

people, until they were in danger of being totally exterminated by a general infurrection. In this emergency they fled to Convocar Mac-Neffa, the reigning monarch, who promised them his protection in case they reformed; but at the fame time, to quiet their just complaints, he employed the moft eminent among them to compile an intelligible, equitable, and diftinct body of laws, which were received with the greateft joy, and dignified with the name of celeftial decifions. Thefe decifions, however, produced but little reformation, A new feries of barbarities, murders, factions, and anarchy fucceeded; and in this disordered fituation of affairs, according to the Irish hiftorians, the chieftain mentioned by Tacitus addreffed Agricola, and encouraged him to make a descent on Ireland. This fcheme happened not to fuit the views of the Roman general at that time, and therefore was not adopted; and the Irish (fay their hiftorians) were fo far from dreading a Roman invafion, that they failed to the affiftance of the Pics, and having made a fuccessful incurfion into South Britain, returned home with a confiderable booty. In this ftate of barbarity the king. dom of Ireland continued, till the introduction of Chriftianity by St Patrick, about the middle of the 5th century. This miffionary, according to the adverfaries of the Irish antiquity, first introduced letters into Ireland, and thus laid the foundations of a future civilization. But the advo cates for that antiquity maintain, that the Irish had the knowledge of letters, and had made confiderable progrefs in the arts, before the time of St Patrick; though they allow, that he introduced the Roman character, in which his 'copies of the Scripture and liturgies were written. But, excepting by fome of the Irifh themselves, the hiftory already given is generally reckoned entirely fabulous.

the Welsh their origin. About 216 years after the death of Nemedius, the defcendents of Simon Breac returned from Greece into Ireland. They were conducted by five princes of great reputation, who divided the inland into five kingdoms, nearly equal in fize, called Munfer, Leinfler, Connaught, Meath, and Ulfter. Their subjects are called by the Irish hiftorians Firbolgs, and were in procefs of time expelled or totally fubdued, after the lofs of 100,000 men in one battle, by the Tuath de Dannuns, a nation of necromancers who came from Attica, Boeotia, and Achaia, into Denmark; from Denmark to Scotland; and from Scotland to Ireland. Of these necromancers many fables are told. Befides their magic art, they had fome curiofities which poffeffed wonderful virtues. These were a fword, a fpear, a cauldron, and a marble chair; on which laft were crowned firft the kings of Ireland, and afterwards those of Scotland. (See DUNSTAFFNAGE.) But neither their Danish curiofities, nor magic spells, were able to preferve the Tuath de Dannans from being sub. dued by the Gadelians, who were defcended from one Gathelus, from whom they derived their name. He was a man of great confequence in Egypt, and intimate with Mofes the Jewish legiflator. His mother was Scota, the daughter of Pharoah, by Niul the fon of a Scythian monarch, cotemporary with Nimrod, or, (as the old Scots hiftorians fay), by Cecrops K. of Athens. The Gadelians, called alfo Scors, from Scota, conquered Ireland about 1300 B. C. under Heber and Heremon, two fons of Milefius K. of Spain, from whom were defcended all the kings of Ireland down to the English conqueft, and who are therefore ftyled by the Irish hiftorians princes of the Milefian race. From this period the Irish hiftorians trace a gradual refinement of their countrymen from a ftate of the groffeft barbarity, until a monarch, named Ollam Fodla, established a regular form of government, erected a feminary of learning, and inftituted the Fes, or triennial convention of provincial kings, priefts, and poets, at Feamor or Ta rah in Meath. But whatever were his laws, it is acknowledged that they proved insufficient to withstand the wildness and disorder of the times. To Kimbath and Hugony, two of his fucceffors, the annalifts give the honour of reviving them. From the earliest origin of the Irish nation, the ifland had been divided into 5 provincial kingdoms, 4 of which had been fubject to the fifth, who was nominal monarch of the whole island. These four, however, proved fuch obftinate difturbers of the peace, that Hugony, to break their power, parcelled out the country into 25 dynasties, binding them by oath to accept no other monarch but one of his own family. This precaution proved ineffectual. Hugony himself died a violent death, and all his fucceffors for a series of ages were affaffinated, almoft without exception. About 100 years B.C. the pentarchal government was reftored, and is faid to have been fucceeded by a confiderable revolution in politics. The Irish bards had for many ages difpenfed the laws, and the whole nation fubmitted to their decifions; but as their laws were exceedingly obfcure, and could be interpreted only by themfelves, they oppreffed the

(3.) IRELAND, ANCIENT HISTORY AND EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF. It is now thought that Ireland was first peopled from Britain. A dispute has arifen concerning the place from whence the firft emigrants from Britain fet fail for Ireland, The honour of being the mother country of the Irish, has been disputed between the North and South Britons. Mr Macpherson has argued ftrenously for the former, and Mr Whitaker for the latter. For an account of their difpute, however, we muft refer to the works of thefe gentlemen. Mr Whitaker claims the victory, and challenges to himself the honour of being the first who clear, ly and truly demonftrated the origin of the Irish. About A. A. C. 350, according to Mr Whitaker, the Belga croffed the channel, invaded Britain, and feized the whole extended line of the southern coaft, from Kent to Devonshire. Numbers of the former inhabitants, who gradually retired before the enemy, were obliged at laft to take shipping on the western coaft of England, and paffed over into the uninhabited island of Ireland. Thefe were afterwards joined by another body of Bri tons driven out by the Belge under Divitiacus, about A. A. C. 100. For two centuries and a half afterwards, thefe colonies were continually reinforced with fresh fwarms from Britain; as the populoufnefs of this illand, and the vicinity of that,

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of Dingle-found; having Rufina or Ibaune for their capital, the Promontorium Auftrinum or MiffenHead about the middle of their dominions, and the river Ibernus or Dingle-found for their northern barrier; and leaving their names to the three divifions of Ibaune, Beare, and Iveragh. Upon the W. fhore, and along the Great Britannic or Atlantic ocean, were the Lucanii or Lucenii, the Velaborii, and the Cangani, the Auterii, the Nagnatæ, the Hardinii, and Venicnii. The Lucenii inhabited the peninfula of land that lies along the river Ibernus or Dingle-found, and perhaps fome adjoining parts of Kerry. The Velaborii ranged along the fmall remainder of the latter, and over the whole of Limerick to the Senus or Shannon; having the Durius or Cafheen flowing through their dominions, and Regia, Limerick, or fome town near it, for their metropolis. And the latter was probably that city near Limerick, the fite of which is ftill famous, and retains the appellation of Cathair, or the fortrefs; and where the remains of streets, and other marks of a town may yet be traced. The Cangani lived in the county of Clare; Macolicum near the Shannon, perhaps Feakle or Melic, being their principal town; a head-land in the bay of Galway, near Glaniny, being denominated Benifamnum Promontorium; and the adjoining ifles of Arran called Infula Cangana. The Auterii were settled in the county of Gaiway; winding along the deep recess of the Sinus Aufoba or bay of Galway; stretching towards the N. as far as the Libnius, or the river that bounds the fhire in that part; and poffeffing the fmall portion of Mayo which lies to the fouth of it. All these were fubject to Auterium, anciently Aterith, and now Athenree; and have left their name to the divifion of Athenree. The Nagnatæ occupied the reft of the large county of Mayo, all Sligo and all Rofcommon, all Leitrim as far as Logh Allin on the SE. and all Fermanagh to Balyfhannon and Logh Erne; being bounded by the Rhebius, or river of Balyfhannon, and the Lake Rhebius or Logh Erne; having a deep bay, called Magnus Sinus, that curves along Mayo, Sligo, and Leitrim countries; and acknowledging Nag ́nat, Necmabt, or Alnecmaht, the town of the Nagnatæ, for their capital. And the Hardinii and Venicnii were confederated together under the title of the Venicnian Nations, extended from Balyfhannon to the North Cape, and possessed all Donnégalle, except the two whole divifions of Raphoe and Enis Owen, and the eastern part of Killmacrenen. The Venicnii lay along the immediate margin of the fhore, giving name to the Promontorium Venicnium or Cape Horn, and to the Infula Venicnia or North Arran island. And their metropolis Rheba was feated upon the lake Rhebius, and in the country of the Hardinii on the SE. Upon the N. fhore, and along the margin of the Deucaledonian ocean, were only the Robogdii; inhabiting the reft of Donnegalle, all Derry and all Antrim to the Fair-Head, and the Damnii; and giving their own name to the former, and the divifion of Raphoe. And they had the rivers Vidua or Ship-harbour, Arigta or LoghSwilly, Darabouna or Logh Foile, and Banna or Ban, in their territories; and acknowledged Robogdium, Robogh, or Raphoe, for their chief city.

The