n
o, m. (1 sell)
spectator, onlooker, witness. Occurs only
in Laws in sense of one who is a witness to an illegal act (or,
in one instance (see
O'Curry 328
, below), to animals being in
danger). Divided into four grades according to culpability
(i) the s.¤ láinḟéich or s.¤ láin, (ii) the s.¤ leithḟéich or s.¤ leithe;
these two are accessories to the crime, the second being guilty
to a lesser degree than the first; (iii) the s.¤ cethramthainḟéich
or s.¤ cethramthan is not an accessory but does nothing to
prevent the crime; (iv) the s.¤ slán does all he can to prevent
the crime. Some categories of people are, from their nature,
regarded as sellaig ṡláin, e.g. women, clerics, and children.
ataa[t] ceithre sellaig la Fene i[s] sain cach ae; s.¤ lan feich,
┐ s.¤ leith feich, ┐ s.¤ cethramthan feich, ┐ s.¤ slan,
Laws i 240
.
24
-
26
. [sellach lan feich .i.] s.¤ dosli lanfiachu, fer tairdelba ┐
conimtet ┐ do comet ┐ buacdtair a gnim i tuaith, acht nid
goin a lam, ib.
s.¤ dosli lethfiachu ni tairdelbai, ni goin, do
gni gnimu olchena, leth fiach fair,
242.1 Comm
.
s.¤ dosli
cethramthain feich, ni tairdelbai; ni dena ni don[a] gnimaib
seo, acht do caemthet nama, ┐ nad nurgair, ┐ na tessairg,
3 Comm
.
s.¤ slan ni tairdelb, ni dene ni dinaib gnimaib seo,
┐ gaibes oca cach nirt ┐ cach folud, acht do caemtet a heslinn
co innill, co netarscarad friu i n-inill,
6
(i.e. he takes the part
of the injured people as far as he can but he accompanies the
perpetrator from the place of the crime to a safe place (without informing on him?).
bit sellaig slana and chena .i.
cleirig, ┐ mna, ┐ mec, ┐ aes nad meisi gona na anacal na
urgair, ┐ eccuind ┐ escunid (sic),
10
.
masa inann s.¤ urradh ro
bai ac seilledh in marbtha ┐ sellach urrad ro bai ac seilledh in
folaigh . . . cethruime eneclainni air i seilled cechtar de,
iii
98.y
,
z 0
-
100.2 Comm
. (of a case where a man is killed and the body hidden).
mas inann s.¤ in marbhtha ┐ s.¤ in folaigh, cidh sain no inann fer marbtha ┐ fear folaigh, cethrimhe secht cumala ┐ cethrimhe eneclainne air ┐ seillcecht cechtar de,
O'Curry 2352
(
Eg. 88, fo. 27
).
atáa ceithri sellaig la Féine .i. atait
ceithri súltaig da naisneiginn in Feinechas,
Laws i 242.13
Comm
.
cindus ro soich lanfiach for in s.¤ lain? .i. leth fair ar
techt co maigin ┐ duthracht marbtha aici, ┐ cethruime fair
ar sellcecht, ┐ cethruime eile ar coimitecht i mug leo i n-inill;
cethruimi dona for in s.¤ lethi ar seillcecht, ┐ cethruimi ar
coimitecht amuig i n-inill,
15
-
19 Comm
. noco fo lan fir laime
icus s.¤ a lan, acht fo lan a seillidh bodein fo aicnedh urraidh,
no deoraidh `it is not according to the full (fine due) of the actual
killer that the looker-on pays his full (fine), but according to the
full (fine) for his own looking on according to rank, (whether it
be that) of a native freeman, or of a stranger',
iii 102.1 Comm
.
Where the crime is the swamping of a boat: is iat is lucht
laime and lucht in combaiti, . . . is iat i[s] sellaigh ann in lucht
ro bi na tost is in nae `the spectators are they who are silent in the
boat',
252.11 Comm
. is iat i[s] sellaigh ann in lucht ro bi ar
purt ina fiadnaise, ┐ conicfaitis a tairmeasc `who were present
on the bank and who could have prevented it',
14 Comm
. nocon
fuil aithgin d'ic do s.¤ co tarrachtain aithgina d'fir laime `there
is no compensation to be paid by the looker-on until compensation has been received from the actually guilty person',
244.12
Comm
.
tigradus cach s.¤ ar aice midenum .i. in tan atcí nech
mil oc dul i nocus do chuithe, no fo conu, no gataid, no gebé
eisin[i]ll aili ┐ ni foirind ┐ ni inisind, aithgin fair,
O'Curry 328
(
H 3.18, 180b
). See
ZCP xv 344.14
. ?
na ceithre righ-sabaidh
┐ na ceithre righ-sellaigh,
O'D. 5
(
H 3.17, col. 4
).