Cashel."[1] Other cumdachs are those in the Royal Irish
Academy for Molaise's Gospels (c. 1001-25), for Columba's
Psalter (1084), and those in Trinity College, Dublin, for
Dimma's book (1150) and for the Book of St. Moling.
There are also the cumdachs for Cairnech's Calendar and
that of Caillen; both of late date. The library of St. Gall
possesses still another silver cumdach, which is probably Irish.

[1] Stokes (M.), 92-3.


These are the earliest relics we have of what was
undoubtedly an old and established method of enshrining
books, going back as far as Patrick's time, if it be correct
that Bishop Assicus made them, or if the first case of the
Silver Shrine is as old as it is believed to be. The
beautiful lower cover of the Gospels of Lindau, now in
Mr. Pierpont Morgan's treasure-house, proves that at least
as early as the seventh century the Irish lavished as much
art on the outside of their manuscripts as upon the inside.[1]
It is natural to make a beautiful covering for a book which
is both beautiful and sacred. All the volumes upon which
the Irish artist exercised his talent were invested with
sacred attributes. Chroniclers would have us believe they
were sometimes miraculously produced. In the life of
Cronan[2] is a story telling how an expert scribe named
Dimma copied the four Gospels. Dimma could only
devote a day to the task, whereupon Cronan bade him
begin at once and continue until sunset. But the sun did
not set for forty days, and by that time the copy was