Welsh Journals

the complex issue of the origins, oral versus written, of the roscada or 'rhetoric' verses of the earliest version of the Tain Bo Cuailnge. In a perceptive and refreshing exercise cryptically entitled 'Marginal Problems', S. Tranter puts forward a persuasive case for interpreting the frequently occurring maginal markers-words, abbreviations, or non-literal signs-of the medieval Irish manuscripts, which hitherto have been thought of as descriptive markers indicating passages of oral origin, in terms of the composer's instructions in a musical score. As such they would of course have a prescriptive rather than a descriptive force and their function would be to advise the performer-in this context the public reader of the manuscript before an audience-how to deliver his material. D. 6 Riain-Raedel's paper, 'Kalendare und Legenden und ihre historische Auswertung', opens with a general discussion of the origins and purposes of the medieval martyrologies, calendars and legends and then proceeds to an examination of a number of examples from Irish hagiography to demonstrate how such texts may be viewed as valid historical documents. Finally, in a contribution headed 'The Saints and their Amanuensis: Early Models and Later Issues', P. 6 Riain gives expression to a keen, but constructive, critique of the state of scholarship in the fields of early medieval Irish literature and history, drawing for illustration on his uniquely specialist knowledge of Irish hagiography. The volume appears to be remarkably free of printing errors. It is augmented by an annex which provides the reader with a full biographical note-in German only- on each of the contributors, while discrete text, author, and subject indices in English and a comprehensive index in German complete the work. EMRYS EVANS Aberystwyth LLYFR ANEIRIN FFACSIMILE. Golygwyd gyda rhagymadrodd gan Daniel Huws. Atgynhyrchiad adysgrif y testun gan J. Gwenogvryn Evans. Cyngor Sir De Morgannwg a Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, 1989. Tt. x, 140. Rhwymiad lliain £ 30.00; rhwymiad hanner lledr £ 55.00. Mae Llyfr Aneirin, llawysgrif a ddyddir ar sail balaeograffyddol i ail hanner y drydedd ganrif ar ddeg, yn cynnwys y copi cynharaf a'r unig gopi canoloesol a feddwn o'r 'Gododdin', cerdd a briodolir i Aneirin, bardd o'r chweched ganrif. Os yw'r 'Gododdin' yn un o brif drysorau llenyddol y genedl, Llyfr Aneirin yn ddiau yw prif wrthrych casgliad cyfoethog Llyfrgell Ganolog Caerdydd, ond erbyn 1986 roedd y llyfr mewn cyflwr truenus, 'a'i gefn wedi'i dorri, ei ddail wedi'u crychu a rhai o'u hymylon yn frau'. Roedd bod y 'Gododdin' ynghadw mewn llyfr yn y fath gyflwr mor anweddus a chadw'r Koh-i-noor mewn cwdyn Kwik Save. Penderfynwyd y dylid ei atgyweirio a'i ailrwymo, a'r penderfyniad hwnnw a wnaeth y gyfrol hon yn bosibl. N'd ar chwarae bach y gwnaed y fath benderfyniad bid siwr, gan fod ymyrryd a awysgrifau canoloesol mewn unrhyw fodd yn bwnc dadleuol. Rhaid cerdded llwybr u rhwng atal dirywiad pellach mewn gwrthrych brau ac ymgeleddu ar gyfer