Durrow；　Kells；　Swords；　Drumcliff；　and　other　houses　in　Ireland
  founded　by　Columba；　as　well　as　of　the　parent　monastery　of　Hy；　and
  the　〃family　of　Colum…kille〃　was　composed　of　the　congregations　or
  inmates　and　dependants　of　all　those　monasteries。　The　families；
  therefore；　of　such　monasteries　as　Clomacnois　or　Durrow　might
  muster　a　very　respectable　body　of　fighting　men。'　Let　me　add；　that
  there　is　very　good　evidence　that　these　'families　of　the　saints'
  were　occasionally　engaged　in　sanguinary　little　wars。　But；　'in
  general'　（I　now　quote　again　from　Dr　Todd）；　'the　〃family〃　meant
  only　the　monks　or　religious　of　the　house。'
  It　will　be　obvious　to　you　that　this　application　of　the　same
  name　to　all　these　complicated　sets　of　relations　is　every　now　and
  then　extremely　perplexing；　but　the　key　to　the　difficulty　is　the
  conception　of　the　kindred　branching　off　in　successive　generations
  from　the　common　stock；　planting　themselves　occasionally　at　a
  distance；　but　never　altogether　breaking　the　bond　which　connected
  them　with　their　original　family　and　chief。　Nothing；　let　me
  observe；　can　be　more　curious　than　the　way　in　which；　throughout
  these　artificial　structures；　the　original　natural　principle　upon
  which　they　were　modelled　struggles　to　assert　itself　at　the
  expense　of　the　imitative　system。　In　all　the　more　modern　guilds；
  membership　always　tended　to　become　hereditary；　and　here　we　have
  the　Brehon　law　striving　to　secure　a　preference；　in　elections　to
  the　Abbacy；　to　the　actual　blood…relatives　of　the　sainted　founder。
  The　ecclesiastical　rule；　we　know；　required　election　by　the　monks；
  but　the　Corus　Bescna　declares　that；　on　a　vacancy；　the　'family　of
  the　saint'　（which　here　means　the　founder's　sept）；　if　there　be　a
  qualified　monk　among　them；　ought　to　be　preferred　in　elections　to
  the　Abbacy　　'though　there　be　but　a　psalm…singer　of　them；　if　he
  be　fit；　he　shall　have　it。'　And　it　proceeds　to　say　that；　if　no
  relative　or　tribesman　of　the　saint　be　qualified；　the　Abbacy　shall
  go　to　some　member　of　the　tribe　which　originally　granted　the　land。
  A　very　modern　example　of　this　plasticity　of　the　notion　of
  kinship　has　recently　been　brought　to　my　notice。　The　co…villagers
  of　an　Indian　village　call　themselves　brothers；　although；　as　I
  have　frequently　observed；　the　composition　of　the　community　is
  often　artificial　and　its　origin　very　miscellaneous。　The
  appellation；　at　the　same　time；　is　distinctly　more　than　a　mere
  word。　Now；　some　of　the　Christian　missionaries　have　recently　tried
  an　experiment　which　promises　to　have　much　success；　and　have
  planted　in　villages　converts　collected　from　all　sorts　of
  different　regions。　Yet　these　persons；　as　I　am　informed；　fall　into
  a　'brotherhood'　quite　as　easily　and　talk　the　language　and　assume
  the　habits　appropriate　to　it　quite　as　naturally　as　if　they　and
  their　forefathers　had　been　members　from　time　immemorial　of　this
  peculiarly　Indian　association；　the　village…community。
  There　is；　however；　another　set　of　phenomena　which　belong　to
  the　same　class；　but　which　seem　to　me　to　have　been　much
  misunderstood。　When　men；　under　the　influence　of　the　cast　of
  thought　we　are　discussing；　are　placed　in　circumstances　which
  naturally　breed　affection　and　sympathy；　or　when　they　are　placed
  in　a　relation　which　they　are　taught　to　consider　especially
  sacred；　not　only　their　words　and　ideas　but　their　feelings；
  emotions；　and　prejudices　mould　themselves　on　the　pattern　of　those
  which　naturally　result　from　consanguinity。　We　have；　I　believe；　a
  striking　example　of　the　process　in　the　history　of　the　Christian
  Church。　You　know；　I　dare　say；　that　Spiritual　Relationship　or　the
  tie　between　a　sponsor　and　a　baptized　person；　or　between　Sponsors；
  or　even　between　the　sponsors　and　the　family　of　the　baptized；
  became　by　degrees　the　source　of　a　great　number　of　prohibitions
  against　intermarriage；　which　stood　on　the　same　level　with　those
  based　on　affinity；　and　almost　with　those　founded　on
  consanguinity。　The　earliest　evidence　we　have　that　this　order　of
  ideas　was　stirring　the　Christian　community　is；　I　believe；　a
  Constitution　of　Justinian　in　the　Code　（v。　4。　26）；　which　forbids
  the　marriage　of　the　sponsor　with　the　baptized；　but　the
  prohibitions　were　rapidly　extended　by　the　various　authorities
  which　contributed　to　the　Canon　law；　and　were　finally　regulated
  and　somewhat　narrowed　by　the　Council　of　Trent。　Nowadays；　I　am
  told　that　they　merely　survive　formally　in　the　Roman　Catholic
  Church；　and　that　dispensations　relaxing　them　are　obtainable　as　of
  course。　The　explanation　of　the　system　by　technical　theologians　is
  that　it　is　based　on　the　wish　to　give　a　peculiar　sacredness　to　the
  bond　created　by　sponsorship；　and　this　I　believe　to　be　a　true
  account　of　its　origin。　But　I　do　not　believe　that　Spiritual
  Relationship；　a　structure　based　on　contract；　would　in　every　stage
  of　thought　have　assimilated　itself　to　natural　relationship。　The
  system　developed　itself　just　when　Christianity　was　being　diffused
  among　races　whose　social　organisation　was　founded　on　kinship；　and
  I　cannot　but　think　that　their　ideas　reacted　on　the　Church。　With
  such　races　a　very　sacred　tie　was　necessarily　of　the　nature　of　a
  family　tie；　and　carried　with　it　the　same　associations　and　the
  same　order　of　feeling。　I　do　not；　therefore；　consider　that　such
  terms　as　Gossipred；　Godfather；　Godson　　to　which　there　are
  counterparts　in　several　languages　　were　created　by　the　theory
  of　Spiritual　Relationship；　but　rather　that　they　mark　the　process
  by　which　that　theory　was　formed。
  It　seems　to　me　accordingly　in　the　highest　degree　natural　that
  Spiritual　Relationship；　when　introduced　into　a　tribal　society
  like　that　of　the　ancient　Irish；　should　closely　assimilate　itself
  to　blood…relationship。　We　know　in　fact　that　it　did　so；　and　that
  the　stringency　of　the　relation　and　the　warmth　of　the　affections
  which　it　produced　moved　the　scorn；　the　wrath；　and　the
  astonishment　of　several　generations　of　English　observers；
  deriving　their　ideas　from　a　social　order　now　become　very　unlike
  that　of　Ireland。　But　by　the　side　of　Gossipred；　or　Spiritual
  Relationship；　there　stood　another　much　more　primitive
  institution；　which　was　extraordinarily　developed　among　the
  ancient　Irish；　though　not　at　all　peculiar　to　them。　This　was
  Fosterage；　the　giving　and　taking　of　children　for　nurture。　Of　the
  reasons　why　this　practice；　now　known　to　have　been　widely　diffused
  among　Aryan　communities；　should　have　had　an　exceptional
  importance　and　popularity　in　ireland；　we　can　say　little　more　than
  that　they　probably　belong　to　the　accidents　of　Irish　history　and
  of　Irish　social　life。　But　of　the　fact　there　is　no　doubt。　An
  entire　sub…tract　in　the　Senchus　Mor　is　devoted　to　the　Law　of
  Fosterage；　and　sets　out　with　the　greatest　minuteness　the　rights
  and　duties　attaching　to　all　parties　when　the　children　of　another
  family　were　received　for　nurture　and　education。　It　is　classed；
  with　Gossipred；　as　one　of　the　anomalies　or　curses　of　Ireland　by
  all　her　English　critics；　from　Giraldus　Cambrensis　in　the　twelfth
  century　to　Spenser　in　the　sixteenth。　It　seemed　to　them　monstrous
  that　the　same　mother's　milk　should　produce　in　Ireland　the　same
  close　affections　as　did　common　paternity　in　their　own　country。
  The　true　explanation　was　one　which　is　only　now　dawning　On　us。　It
  was；　that　Fosterage　was　an　institution　which；　though　artificial
  in　its　commencements；　was　natural　in　its　operations；　and　that　the
  relation　of　foster…parent　and　foster…child　tended；　in　that　stage
  of　feeling；　to　become　indistinguishable　from　the　relation　of
  father　and　son。
  The　form　of　Fosterage　which　has　most　interest　for　the　modern
  enquirer　is　called　by　the　Translators　of　the　Brehon　tracts
  Literary　Fosterage。　It　was　an　institution　nearly　connected　with
  the　existence　of　the　Brehon　Law　Schools；　and　it　consists　of　the
  various　relations　established　between　the　Brehon　teacher　and　the
  pupils　he　received　into　his　house　for　instruction　in　the　Brehon
  lore。　However　it　may　surprise　us　that　the　connection　between
  Schoolmaster　and　Pupil　was　regarded　as　peculiarly　sacred　by　the
  ancient　Irish；　and　as　closely　resembling　natural　fatherhood；　the
  Brehon　tracts　leave　no　room　for　doubt　on　the　point。　It　is
  expressly　laid　down　that　it　created　the　same　Patria　Potestas　as
  actual　paternity；　and　the　literary　fosterfather；　though　he
  teaches　gratuitously；　has　a　claim　through　life　upon　portions　of
  the　property　of　the　literary　foster…son。　Thus　the　Brehon　with　his
  pupils　constituted　not　a　school　in　our　sense　but　a　true　family。
  While　the　ordinary　foster…father　was　bound　by　the　law　to　give
  education　of　some　kind　to　his　foster…children　　to　the　sons　of
  chiefs　instructions　in　riding；　shooting　with　the　bow；　swimming；
  and　chess…playing；　and　instruction　to　their　daughters　in