and　usage　of　Ireland　after　it　had　been　Christianised　for
  centuries；　and　long　after　any　Eponymous　progenitor　can　be
  conceived　as　worshipped　。　The　Family；　House；　and　Tribe　of　the
  Romans　　and；　so　far　as　my　knowledge　extends；　all　the　analogous
  divisions　of　Greek　communities　　were　distinguished　by　separate
  special　names。　But　in　the　Brehon　Law；　the　same　word；　Fine　（or
  'family'）；　is　used　for　the　Family　as　we　ordinarily　understand　it
  that　is；　for　the　children　of　a　living　parent　and　their
  descendants　　for　the　Sept　or；　in　phrase　of　Indian　law；　the
  Joint　Undivided　Family；　that　is；　the　combined　descendants　of　an
  ancestor　long　since　dead　　for　the　Tribe；　which　was　the
  political　unit　of　ancient　Ireland；　and　even　for　the　large　Tribes
  in　which　the　smaller　units　were　sometimes　absorbed。　Nevertheless
  the　Irish　Family　undoubtedly　received　additions　through　Adoption。
  The　Sept；　or　larger　group　of　kindred；　had　a　definite　place　for
  strangers　admitted　to　it　on　stated　conditions；　the　Fine　Taccair。
  The　Tribe　avowedly　included　a　number　of　persons；　mostly　refugees
  from　other　Tribes；　whose　only　connection　with　it　was　common
  allegiance　to　its　Chief。　Moreover　the　Tribe　in　its　largest
  extension　and　considered　a　political　as　well　as　a　social　unit
  might　have　been　absorbed　with　others　in　a　Great　or　Arch　Tribe；
  and　here　the　sole　source　of　the　kinship　still　theoretically
  maintained　is　Conquest。　Yet　all　these　groups　were　in　some　sense
  or　other　Families。
  Nor　does　the　artificiality　solely　consist　in　the　extension　of
  the　sphere　of　kinship　to　classes　known　to　have　been　originally
  alien　to　the　true　brotherhood。　An　even　more　interesting　example
  of　it　presents　itself　when　the　ideas　of　kinship　and　the
  phraseology　proper　to　consanguinity　are　extended　to　associations
  which　we　should　now　contemplate　as　exclusively　founded　on
  contract；　such　as　partnerships　and　guilds。　There　are　no　more
  interesting　pages　in　Dr　Sullivan's　Introduction　（pp。　ccvi　et
  seq。）　than　those　in　which　he　discusses　the　tribal　origin　of
  Guilds。　He　claims　for　the　word　itself　a　Celtic　etymology；　and　he
  traces　the　institution　to　the　grazing　partnerships　common　among
  the　ancient　Irish。　However　this　may　be；　it　is　most　instructive　to
  find　the　same　words　used　to　describe　bodies　of　co…partners；
  formed　by　contract；　and　bodies　of　co…heirs　or　co…parceners　formed
  by　common　descent。　Each　assemblage　of　men　seems　to　have　been
  conceived　as　a　Family。　As　regards　Guilds；　I　certainly　think；　as　I
  thought　three　years　ago；　that　they　have　been　much　too　confidently
  attributed　to　a　relatively　modern　origin；　and　that　many　of　them；
  and　much　which　is　common　to　all　of　them；　may　be　suspected　to　have
  grown　out　of　the　primitive　brotherhoods　of　co…villagers　and
  kinsmen。　The　trading　guilds　which　survive　in　our　own　country　have
  undergone　every　sort　of　transmutation　which　can　disguise　their
  parentage。　They　are　artificial　to　begin　with；　though　the
  hereditary　principle　has　a　certain　tendency　to　assert　itself。
  They　have　long　since　relinquished　the　occupations　which　gave　them
  a　name。　They　mostly　trace　their　privileges　and　constitution　to
  some　royal　charter；　and　kingly　grants；　real　or　fictitious；　are
  the　great　cause　of　interruption　in　English　History。　Yet　anybody
  who；　with　a　knowledge　of　primitive　law　and　history；　examines　the
  internal　mechanism　and　proceedings　of　a　London　Company　will　see
  in　many　parts　of　them　plain　traces　of　the　ancient　brotherhood　of
  kinsmen；　'joint　in　food；　worship；　and　estate；'　and　I　suppose　that
  the　nearest　approach　to　an　ancient　tribal　holding　in　Ireland　is
  to　be　found　in　those　confiscated　lands　which　are　now　the　property
  of　several　of　these　Companies。
  The　early　history　of　Contract；　I　need　scarcely　tell　you；　is
  almost　exclusively　to　be　sought　in　the　history　of　Roman　law。　Some
  years　ago　I　pointed　to　the　entanglement　which　primitive　Roman
  institutions　disclose　between　the　conveyance　of　property　and　the
  contract　of　sale。　Let　me　now　observe　that　one　or　two　others　of
  the　great　Roman　contracts　appear　to　me；　when　closely　examined；　to
  afford　evidence　of　their　having　been　gradually　evolved　through
  changes　in　the　mechanism　of　primitive　society。　You　have　seen　how
  brotherhoods　of　kinsmen　transform　themselves　into　alliances
  between　persons　whom　we　can　only　call　partners；　but　still　at
  first　sight　the　link　is　missing　which　would　enable　us　to　say　that
  here　we　have　the　beginning　of　the　contract　of　partnership。　Look；
  however；　at　the　peculiar　contract　called　by　the　Romans　'societas
  omnium　（or　universorum）　bonorum。'　It　is　commonly　translated
  'partnership　with　unlimited　liability；'　and　there　is　no　doubt
  that　the　elder　form　of　partnership　has　had　great　effect　on　the
  newer　form。　But　you　will　find　that；　in　the　societas　omnium
  bonorum；　not　only　were　all　the　liabilities　of　the　partnership　the
  liabilities　of　the　several　partners；　but　the　whole　of　the
  property　of　each　partner　was　brought　into　the　common　stock　and
  was　enjoyed　as　a　common　fund。　No　such　arrangement　as　this　is
  known　in　the　modern　world　as　the　result　of　ordinary　agreement；
  though　in　some　countries　it　may　be　the　effect　of　marriage。　It
  appears　to　me　that　we　are　carried　back　to　the　joint　brotherhoods
  of　primitive　society；　and　that　their　development　must　have　given
  rise　to　the　contract　before　us。　Let　us　turn　again　to　the　contract
  of　Mandatum　or　Agency。　The　only　complete　representation　of　one
  man　by　another　which　the　Roman　law　allowed　was　the　representation
  of　the　Paterfamilias　by　the　son　or　slave　under　his　power。　The
  representation　of　the　Principal　by　the　Agent　is　much　more
  incomplete；　and　it　seems　to　me　probable　that　we　have　in　it　a
  shadow　of　that　thorough　coalescence　between　two　individuals　which
  was　only　possible　anciently　when　they　belonged　to　the　same
  family。
  The　institutions　which　I　have　taken　as　my　examples　are
  institutions　of　indigenous　growth；　developed　probably　more　or
  less　within　all　ancient　societies　by　the　expansion　of　the　notion
  of　kinship。　But　it　sometimes　happens　that　a　wholly　foreign
  institution　is　introduced　from　without　into　a　society　based　upon
  assumed　consanguinity；　and　then　it　is　most　instructive　to　observe
  how　closely；　in　such　a　case；　material　which　antecedently　we
  should　think　likely　to　oppose　the　most　stubborn　resistance　to　the
  infiltration　of　tribal　ideas　assimilates　itself　nevertheless　to
  the　model　of　a　Family　or　Tribe。　You　may　be　aware　that　the　ancient
  Irish　Church　has　long　been　a　puzzle　to　ecclesiastical　historians。
  There　are　difficulties　suggested　by　it　on　which　I　do　not　pretend
  to　throw　any　new　light；　nor；　indeed；　could　they　conveniently　be
  considered　here。　Among　perplexities　of　this　class　are　the
  extraordinary　multiplication　of　bishops　and　their　dependence；
  apparently　an　almost　servile　dependence；　on　the　religious　houses
  to　which　they　were　attached。　But　the　relation　of　the　various
  ecclesiastical　bodies　to　one　another　was　undoubtedly　of　the
  nature　of　tribal　relation。　The　Brehon　law　seems　to　me　fully　to
  confirm　the　account　of　the　matter　given；　from　the　purely
  ecclesiastical　literature；　by　Dr　Todd；　in　the　Introduction　to　his
  Life　of　St　Patrick。　One　of　the　great　Irish　or　Scotic
  Missionaries；　who　afterwards　nearly　invariably　reappears　as　a
  Saint；　obtains　a　grant　of　lands　from　some　chieftain　or　tribe　in
  Ireland　or　Celtic　Britain；　and　founds　a　monastery　there；　or　it
  may　be　that　the　founder　of　the　religious　house　is　already　himself
  the　chieftain　of　a　tribe。　The　House　becomes　the　parent　of　others；
  which　again　may　in　their　turn　throw　out　minor　religious
  establishments；　at　once　monastic　and　missionary。　The　words
  signifying　'family'　or　'tribe'　and　'kinship'　are　applied　to　all
  the　religious　bodies　created　by　this　process。　Each　monastic
  house；　with　its　monks　and　bishops；　constitutes　a　'family'　or
  'tribe；'　and　its　secular　or　servile　dependants　appear　to　be
  sometimes　included　under　the　name。　The　same　appellation　is　given
  to　the　collective　assemblage　of　religious　houses　formed　by　the
  parent　monastery　and　the　various　churches　or　monastic　bodies
  sprung　from　it。　These　make　up　together　the　'tribe　of　the　saint；'
  but　this　last　expression　is　not　exclusively　employed　with　this
  particular　meaning。　The　abbot　of　the　parent　house　and　all　the
  abbots　of　the　minor　houses　are　the　'comharbas'　or　co…heirs　of　the
  saint；　and　in　yet　another　sense　the　'family'　or　'tribe'　of　the
  saint　means　his　actual　tribesmen　or　blood…relatives。　Iona；　or　Hy；
  was；　as　you　know；　the　famous　religious　house　founded　by　St
  Columba　near　the　coast　of　the　newer　Scotia。　'The　Abbot　of　Hy'；
  says　Dr　Todd；　'or　Co…arb　of　Columba；　was　the　common　head　of
  Durrow；　Kells；　Swords；　Drumcliff；　and　other　houses　in　Ireland
  founded　by　Columba；　as　well　as　of　t