Exordium
Preface to the first edition of "Encyclopædia Hibernica"
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and in the names of Saent Padraeg, glorious Apostle of Olengael, and of Saent Maedóc, founder of this Abbey and our Order, I, Garuán macDubin deFaercilah, lowly servant of Íosa Críost, do now undertake the final expression of a life dedicated to the service of our Lord, in the form of constant prayer and quiet contemplation, accompanied by the earnest study of the Great Works of the theologians and philosophers who have endeavored to enlighten the path of mankind since ancient times, all in a concerted effort to discern the fullest extent of the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of the world, in hopes of turning it to the greater Glory of God.
I am but a simple clergyman, born into a family of ecclesiastics who have faithfully held the stewardship of this Holy Abbey at Drúmlaen in an unbroken line for over four hundred years. My father was Dubin macConaeg deFaercilah, Coaerb of Saent Maedóc and Aerenagh of Drúmlaen, earthly titles which I now hold, in trust for those who will follow. My mother was Saeván nicLúhaed deGóvaen, daughter of the Barún of Tullyhunco and granddaughter of the Prins of Ardma.
Like my father before me, and his before him, I serve as the Abbot of this venerated monastery, founded on this site by Saent Maedóc in the year of our Lord 594, and later entrusted by him into the hands of his beloved disciple, Urcaen macAelill, whom he called Faercilah, and from whom my Clonn descends. My teachers were Caeván macEnda deHaern of Glendolúf, the eminent theologian of his time, and Caerbre macTarán deCúlbaert of Aevanmar, counted among Olengael’s greatest natural philosophers.
By virtue of the great advantages to which I have humbly come by dint of my privileged position, of which I am eminently unworthy, yet to which I have nevertheless by the grace of our Lord Íosa Críost been elevated, I have throughout my life been favored with numerous opportunities to read with a curious but critical eye the writings of over twenty-score scholars and philosophers of the Gréaga, the Eabhra, and the Róváin, as well as those of our own Gaelish Ollaves of superior learning and renown.
Observing the prodigious multiplicity of copies of the Great Works of learned authors, as well as the frequent inaccessibility and, dare I be so bold as to say, inaccuracy of such duplications, I shall set forth here a systematic, accurate compilation of the knowledge and wisdom contained in the original works, that they may not be lost, nor reserved to the highborn, but rather retained in a form that is readily accessible to all the people, for it is in them that the strength of the Gaelish race lies.
My purpose in this work is an exalted one, to wit: the restoration of fallen humanity, through the application of rigorous discipline and the diligent study of philosophy. To that end, I propose to consider the various human conditions – as individuals, as parts of families, and as members of the brotherhood of man – and to address the impact of each upon man’s relationship with his Heavenly Father.
In furtherance of the intention, if the good Lord deems it fitting, to improve the broader human condition and to elevate mankind to the greatest extent possible, I shall set forth this work in the common vernacular of the people of Olengael, that it may more easily be used to impart the knowledge and wisdom of the Great Works of man to the broadest of audiences. In that task, I shall endeavor to translate the works of the old masters in a form that is at once impeccably precise, yet clear and comprihensible to the reader.
It is my deepest hope, and my sincerest desire, that my work herein might be carefully studied by the learned and sympathetic men of Olengael, such as we see in the Great Bishops of our land, and that they and God alone be my critics, and that with their approbation, this "Encyclopædia Hibernica" might be embraced by the people of Olengael.
I am but a simple clergyman, born into a family of ecclesiastics who have faithfully held the stewardship of this Holy Abbey at Drúmlaen in an unbroken line for over four hundred years. My father was Dubin macConaeg deFaercilah, Coaerb of Saent Maedóc and Aerenagh of Drúmlaen, earthly titles which I now hold, in trust for those who will follow. My mother was Saeván nicLúhaed deGóvaen, daughter of the Barún of Tullyhunco and granddaughter of the Prins of Ardma.
Like my father before me, and his before him, I serve as the Abbot of this venerated monastery, founded on this site by Saent Maedóc in the year of our Lord 594, and later entrusted by him into the hands of his beloved disciple, Urcaen macAelill, whom he called Faercilah, and from whom my Clonn descends. My teachers were Caeván macEnda deHaern of Glendolúf, the eminent theologian of his time, and Caerbre macTarán deCúlbaert of Aevanmar, counted among Olengael’s greatest natural philosophers.
By virtue of the great advantages to which I have humbly come by dint of my privileged position, of which I am eminently unworthy, yet to which I have nevertheless by the grace of our Lord Íosa Críost been elevated, I have throughout my life been favored with numerous opportunities to read with a curious but critical eye the writings of over twenty-score scholars and philosophers of the Gréaga, the Eabhra, and the Róváin, as well as those of our own Gaelish Ollaves of superior learning and renown.
Observing the prodigious multiplicity of copies of the Great Works of learned authors, as well as the frequent inaccessibility and, dare I be so bold as to say, inaccuracy of such duplications, I shall set forth here a systematic, accurate compilation of the knowledge and wisdom contained in the original works, that they may not be lost, nor reserved to the highborn, but rather retained in a form that is readily accessible to all the people, for it is in them that the strength of the Gaelish race lies.
My purpose in this work is an exalted one, to wit: the restoration of fallen humanity, through the application of rigorous discipline and the diligent study of philosophy. To that end, I propose to consider the various human conditions – as individuals, as parts of families, and as members of the brotherhood of man – and to address the impact of each upon man’s relationship with his Heavenly Father.
In furtherance of the intention, if the good Lord deems it fitting, to improve the broader human condition and to elevate mankind to the greatest extent possible, I shall set forth this work in the common vernacular of the people of Olengael, that it may more easily be used to impart the knowledge and wisdom of the Great Works of man to the broadest of audiences. In that task, I shall endeavor to translate the works of the old masters in a form that is at once impeccably precise, yet clear and comprihensible to the reader.
It is my deepest hope, and my sincerest desire, that my work herein might be carefully studied by the learned and sympathetic men of Olengael, such as we see in the Great Bishops of our land, and that they and God alone be my critics, and that with their approbation, this "Encyclopædia Hibernica" might be embraced by the people of Olengael.
G. deFaercilah +
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