While，however，IfullybelievethattheBrehonlawpossessedgreatauthority，Ithinkalsothatitwasinallprobabilityirregularlyandintermittentlyenforced，andthatpartialandlocaldeparturesfromitwerecommonalloverancientIreland。
AnybodywhointerestedhimselfinthequestionofitspracticalapplicationwouldhavetoencountertheveryproblemswhicharesuggestedbytheBrahminicalHindoolaw。Thestudentofthislastsystem，especiallyifhecomparesitwiththeinfinityoflocalusagepractisedinIndia，isconstantlyaskinghimselfhowfarwasthelawoftheBrahminjuristsobservedbeforetheEnglishundertooktoenforceitthroughtheirtribunals？TheEditoroftheThirdVolumeoftheAncientLawsofIrelandhasgivenaveryappositeexampleofaproblemofthesamekindiii。146，byextractingfromtheCarewPapersthestoryofafamousdisputeastotheheadshipofthegreatirishhouseofO’Neill。ConO’Neill，itschief，hadtwosons，MatthewandShane。MatthewO’NeillwasheirtoConO’Neill’searldomofTyrone，accordingtothelimitationsofthepatent。ShaneO’NeillurgedontheEnglishGovernmentthattheselimitationswerevoid，becausetheKing，ingrantingtheearldom，couldnothavebeenawarethatMatthewO’Neillwasanadulterinebastard，havingbeenintruthbornofthewifeofasmithinDundalk。ShaneO’NeillhasbeenregardedasthechampionofpurelyIrishideasseeFroude，’EnglishinIreland，’I。43；butthoughtheruleoflegitimacyuponwhichheinsistedconformstoournotions，itisdirectlycontrarytothelegaldoctrineoftheBookofAicill，whichinoneofitsmostsurprisingpassageslaysdownformallytheprocedurebywhichthenaturalfathercouldbringintohisfamilyasonbornundertheallegedcircumstancesofMatthewO’Neill，onpayingcompensationtotheputativeparent。UnlessShaneO’Neill’sapparentignoranceofthismethodoflegitimationwasmerelyaffectedforthepurposeofblindingtheEnglishGovernment，itwouldseemtofollowthattheBookofAicill，thoughitsauthorshipwasattributedtoKingCormac，hadnotanuniversallyrecognisedauthority。
IdonotknowthattheomissionoftheEnglish，whentheyhadoncethoroughlyconqueredthecountry，toenforcetheBrehonlawthroughtheCourtswhichtheyestablished，haseverbeenreckonedamongthewrongsofIreland。Butiftheyhaddonethis。theywouldhaveeffectedtheverychangewhichatamuchlaterperiodtheybroughtaboutinIndia，ignorantly，butwiththeverybestintentions。Theywouldhavegivenimmenselygreaterforceandamuchlargerspheretoasystemofruleslooselyandoccasionallyadministeredbeforetheyarmedthemwithanewauthority。Evenasitwas，IcannotdoubtthattheEnglishdidmuchtoperpetuatetheBrehonlawintheshapeinwhichwefindit。TheAnglo-NormansettlementontheeastcoastofIrelandactedlikearunningsore，constantlyStatingtheCelticregionsbeyondthePale，anddeepeningtheconfusionwhichprevailedthere。Ifthecountryhadbeenlefttoitself，oneofthegreatIrishtribeswouldalmostcertainlyhaveconqueredtherest。Allthelegalideaswhich，littleconsciousasweareoftheirsource，cometousfromtheexistenceofastrongcentralgovernmentlendingitsvigourtothearmofjusticewouldhavemadetheirwayintotheBrehonlaw；
andthegapbetweentheallegedcivilisationofEnglandandtheallegedbarbarismofIrelandduringmuchoftheirhistory，whichwasinrealitynarrowerthaniscommonlysupposed，wouldhavealmostwhollydisappeared。
BeforeIclosethischapteritisnecessarytostatethattheBrehonlawhasnotbeenunaffectedbythetwomaininfluenceswhichhavemadethemodernlawofWesternEuropedifferentfromtheancient，ChristianmoralityandRomanjurisprudence。IthasbeenmodifiedbyRomanjuridicalideasinsomedegree，thoughitwouldbehazardoustolaydownwithanyattemptatprecisioninwhatdegree。Ihavetrustworthyinformationthat，inthetractstranslatedbutnotyetpublished，acertainnumberofRomanlegalmaximsarecited，andoneRowanjurisconsultismentionedbyname。Sofarasthepublishedtractsaffordmaterialsforanopinion，IaminclinedtothinkthattheinfluenceoftheRomanlawhasbeenveryslight，andtoattributeitnottostudyofthewritingsoftheRomanlawyers，buttocontactwithChurchmenimbuedmoreOrlesswithRomanlegalnotions。WemaybequitesurethattheBrehonswereindebtedtothemforoneconceptionwhichispresentinthetracts——theconceptionofaWill；andwemayprobablycredittheChurchwiththecomparativelyadvanceddevelopmentofanotherconceptionwhichwefindhere——theconceptionofaContract。TheoriginoftherulesconcerningtestamentarybequestwhicharesometimesfoundinWesternbodiesoflawotherwisearchaichasbeenmuchconsideredoflateyears；