THIRD CENSUS OF FINNEGANS WAKE lxiii 
 
ass is Meath, the missing fifth province, and it is he who, at a later stage
of Yawn-Jaun-Shaun's life (III, i) has some success at questioning him; but
he is let ask only a few questions in III, iii while the Four hold inquiry,
part inquest, part séance. Here Joyce follows Yeats's story "The Adoration
of the Magi," in which Magi come to the crib; one magus is a medium and through
him, Hermes Trismegistus (q.v.), often in the form of a dog (see Hound) speaks.
Further knowledge of practicing Hermeticists of Dublin might throw light
on III, iii. 
 The Four are old, silly, quarrelsome, but nothing like so senile as in II,
iv. Each has pet phrases, each speaks with the accents of his particujar
quarter of Ireland,18 and the ass now and then interprets between them, for
he is their dragoman. In III, iii sleeping giant baby Yawn is the spiritualist
medium with whose vocal equipment (Hermes was god of eloquence) many voices
speak, using it as a telephone exchange or a radio station. 
 This is a coroner's inquest which anciently had jurisdiction not only over
violent, unexplained crimes like the deaths of Adam and Tim Finnegan (q.q.v.),
but also over treasure-troves and royal fish (q.v.) caught near the coast
or washed ashore. Because they are evangelists, the Four are concerned to
capture fish, but coroner's duty (see 477.18—30; 524—525) reinforces
this concern. As for treasure-troves, the Four are entirely taken up with
one, 477.35—501.5. Thereafter, till displaced by a youthful brain trust
(529.5), they inquire into the circumstances of HCE's death. 
 The treasure-trove is, of course, the contents of the barrow, howe, or dungheap
where, as Mutt told Jute (q.v.), are buried countless "livestories," "litters
from aloft," and Anna Livia and HCE (17.27—18.11), object of all treasure
hunts. The coroners' first care is to establish that this is indeed the letter-hoard,
this sleeping mailman (477.35—478.6); they ask about letters and livestories
till they come on Anna Livia, exhibiting and defending her husband (492 .5—495
.33); then they come on HCE, in the mound, lying as if he were Finnegan (q.v.)
at his wake 
(497—499). 
 
477.31—486.34 
 
 The way to the parents lies through obscure and straggling passages about
the children. The first letter or voice is Shem's speaking as the St Patrick
(q.v.) of the Confession, a very different and nicer man than the 
 
18. I once roughly determined which old man asks what question and I went
over it all again for Census III, but I still don't think it very interesting
to know that Mark Lyons asks the most questions and Johnny MacDougal doesn't
ask his share.