ds seu Codicum Manu-
scriptorum
qui in Tabulario Cassinensi as- servantur series cura et studio Monachorum Ordinis S.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
, also by Coelanus, Caolanus, Coelinus, Coelenus, Coelianus, Caelanus, &c.
Inthesewords,also,ot\aiandnoarcdiphthongs.
3 ThefeastofSt.
Coelanus is entered in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, at the 29th of July.
* The Bollandistss have a brief notice of Coelanus, at this same date, but they doubt his title to be enrolled in the Catalogue of the Saints.
The Rev.
Dr.
Lanigan thinks, that Kilian lived not before the latter part of the eighth cen-
6 he does not deem it worth his while, to enter a tury, although upon long
discussion, regarding this saint. We may conjecture his birth 'o have taken place before or a little after the year 700 ; but, on this supposition, we have little evidence to guide us in making such a statement. Some six miles above the town of Killaloe, the Shannon expands into a noble lake. Anciently, it was called Loch Deirgheirt. This fine sheet of water extends ten miles in length, and it is about three miles across, at its greatest breadth. Many pretty Islands stud its surface. 7
s Sec "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
Julii xxix. Among the pretermitted sains, p. 3.
1 See a
Article 11. —• His is
"St. Coc- lanus de Inis-Kelltra," in the Calendar.
2
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. XXK.
3 SeeColgan's "TriasThaumaturga. "
Sexta Vita S. Brigidre, nn. I, 2, 3, p. 597. 4 See ibid.
monosyllables, Coel, according ""
styled
vii. ,
One of these, formerly called Keltra, also Inis-
"See"EcclesiasticalHistoryofIreland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, ii. , n. 18, p. 381.
very interesting article,
" Jnish-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Cealtra, Inish-Caltra, and sometimes Inniskeltair, bears likewise the name of
July 29. I
497
Island. The to it as a " the Seven people frequently apply title,
Holy
Churches. "OnInishcaltra,Mr. Hills8 foundtheruins
The very ancient use of the term " Seven Churches/' in Ireland, has been questioned by that gentleman, who considers, that it had been used for the fust time by Sir William Petty. 9 From earlier books and Manuscripts, its sup- posed absence is taken as a proof, by Mr. Hills, that the name is modern, and conferred by popular usage, on places where a considerable number of eccle- siastical ruins are found. A very ingenious argument has been advanced, 10 that such an application to several places greatly venerated in Ireland has
11
which are mentioned in the Apocalypse, and which were so widely apart, but rath—er, as seems most likely, that the idea of Seven Churches and of Seven Altars as these also are some- times mentioned—came to Ireland from Rome itself. During the very earliest ages of Christianity, the faithful were wont to resort to the Basilicas
of the martyrs, at night, for prayer, consolation, etc. This was the beginning
of what were called stations. 12 At a later period, the stations were made
more regularly and publicly ; for, Christians assembled on certain days in the
year, at different churches, belonging to the city of Rome, to celebrate the
Divine Mysteries. The church, in which the stations were held, had been
regularly announced, so that the people might know where to assemble. St.
Gregory the Great, elected Pope in 590, reduced those stations to a regular
T
system. 3 StationsandIndulgencesattachingtothem,inoneformoranother,
have been continued to the present time. In a decree x * of Pope Pius VI L,
he confirms in perpetuity the Indulgences granted by the Supreme Pontiffs, his predecessors, to the faithful, who visit the seven churches of Rome, which he names, 15 and who pray according to the intention of his Holiness. He further confirms those indulgences granted by his predecessors to the faithful, who visit the seven privileged altars of St. Peter's or of any of the other churches enumerated,shouldtheypossessthem. 16 ToSt. CaiminJ7 hasbeengenerally
been derived, not from the seven churches,
caltra and its Remains," by Richard R. Brash, Architect, M. R. I. A. , in "The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Re- view. " New series, vol. i. , January, 1 866, p. 7,
who piously visited the places where they were held.
I4 It bears date September 7th, 181S.
IS These are the churches of St. Peter, of St. Paul, of St. Sebastian, outside the walls, 8" oftheof
See an article, Notes on the Architec-
of St. John Lateran, Holy Cross,
ture of Ireland, v. "The Gentleman's
St. Laurence, outside the walls, and of St.
Mary Major.
l6 " not some Might
Magazine,"parti. , 1864,p. 550.
In compiling his Down Survey, wards published.
Irish or prelate
9
after-
pious
monk, or missionary," enquires the Rev. Mr.
10 See an article, written by Rev. John
O'Roorke in the " Irish Ecclesiastical Re-
cord," vol. ii. , May, 1866, pp. 380 to 386. This Article is headed, "The Number Seven, and the name seven churches applied to several groups of Ruins in Ireland. "
11 This appears to be a favourite theory of
Dean Murray.
12 See Tolelus, lib. vi.
13 He divided Rome into seven parts, and
the stations were so appointed, that a regu- lated circuit, or rather several circuits, were made of those seven divisions during the year. Although the stations are not now in use, as St. Gregory left them, they are still given, in the Roman Missal, as they were
arranged by him. He granted great indul- gences to those who made the stations, or
O'Roorke, " think it a good thing to have
stations in Ireland such as they had in
Rome? and might not some holy pontiff, for
the sanctification of that distant mission of
Ireland, grant the request, and concede the
indulgences, provided the Seven Churches
or the Seven Altars, as the case might be,
were actually erected ? Concessions of this
kind are not uncommon. We have an
example in the stations of the cross erected
in our churches, by vi-iting which the faith-
ful gain the same indulgences as were for-
merly granted to those, who visited in person
the holy places in Jerusalem, and who made stations there. This solution would further
help to dispose of Mr. Hills' difficulty of finding nine, or ten, or twelve, or thirteen churches, in some of the places he explored,
only
offourchurches.
49S LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. ascribed the foundation of a monastery on Iiiiskeitair, early in the seventh
ofhis
l
andoverwhichhe tothe century, — presided
a. d. l8 A
period
flourishing monastery said to have been Benedictine in its form of rule
— was thus established at a very early period, 9 on the Island of Iniscaltra. Here, no doubt, a famous school had been conducted in after times. A succession of Abbots seems to have continued, until the place had been
a Danish commander from
It was afterwards restored, by the powerful and pious monarch of Ireland,
destroyed by Tomar,
Limerick,
Bryan Boroimhe,
1007.
Holy Island, Lough Derg,
is
21 The church on
a. d.
said to have been restored or remodelled by him in the eleventh century. A fine window in the southern wall is round-headed, and it has varied semi-
Principal Church and Round Tower on Iniscealtra.
cylindrical mouldings, very deeply cut. This style seems peculiar to Ireland, about that period, although its prototype, most probably, may be elsewhere found. The Island proper lies in that part which is known as Inniscaltra parish, in the barony of Tulla, and county of Clare. A Round Tower and some beautiful ruins are to be seen on this Island. 22 It lies close on the
instead of seven ; for, if the seven privileged churches were erected, no matter how many
wereafterwards
by excellence would still remain. Whetever my readers may think of this view of the case, there is one fact connected with it pleasant and consoling to us, Irish Catholics, which is, that it would have been no strange
' peculiarity in us to have our Seven
Churches and our Seven Altars,' since we find both in Rome, the mo—del and the mis-
tress of all the Churches. "
astical Record," vol.
** His festival is generally assigned to
March 24th, at which date some account of
this saint and of his island-home, with an
illustration, may be found in the Third Vo- at the 23rd of April, Art. i. Life of the lume of this work, Art. ii. He has a feast,
likewise, at the 25th of March. See ibid. , Art. iii.
18
According to the Abbe Ma-Geoghegan, ibis foundation belongs to a later period.
built,
the 'SevenChurches'
"Irish
—
Ecclesi- ii. , pp. 385, 386.
Cap. lviii. , p. 594. co "
death,
653.
See " Histoire de l'Irlande Ancienne et Moderne, "tome i. . Seconde Partie, chap. iii. , p. 298.
'9 See St. Brigid's Sixth Life, as pub-
lished by Colgan
* * * "Keltra est conventus rite virorum,
Prudentum, sacro Bcnedicti dogmatc florens. "
See Archdalls cum," p. 48.
Monasticon Hiberni-
— :
1 See an illustration of this church, now in ruins, in the Fourth Volume of this work,
Blessed Bryan Boroimna, King of Minister, Monarch of Ireland, and Martyr, chap. vi.
23 Sec an illustration and a in description,
Mr. and Mrs. Hall's " Ireland ; its Scenery, Character,"' ecc, vol. iii. , pp. 429 to 431.
in the 2° year 834.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 499
bounds of Clonfert diocese, and on the southern confines of the Connaught
province. The former importance of this place is inferred, from the popular
designation of " the Seven Churches. "23 It has been considered as a well-
established fact, that the number seven had been connected with sacred
things in Ireland, and that it was not alone applied to churches, but even to
2
altars, * erected in groups at various places. It is supposed, that St. Coelan
had become a monk on the Island of Iniscaltra, and that he must have there lived for a considerable time. According to conjecture, he flourished about the end of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. ** At Inis- caltra,mostprobably,Kalianhadreceivedhiseducation; whichinaclassical sense must have been an accomplished one. To him is attributed a very
elegant 2
metrical Life of St. 26 It was written in Latin Hexameter Brigid.
verse. ? SeveralManuscriptcopiesofthisLifearesupposedtobeextant. As may be expected, in these there are various readings. Colgan has published
a
from the
28 from a Monte Cassino
collated with a
version,
Manuscript,
copy, procured
Vatican
Library,
and
compared
with
other
exemplars.
2 9
Various emendations were deemed to be necessary. When Colgan
had begun passing St. Brigid's Acts through the press, he received
from the Rev. Father Bernard Egan, a learned Benedictine Abbot, and an
Irishman, a certain fragment of that biography. 3° At first, Colgan thought that poem began with lines, he there found ; but, afterwards, he discovered
1
that idea to have been a mistake. 3
kept in the archives of Monte Cassino. 32 Three other counterpart copies of thosesameActswereprocuredbyColgan. OneofthemcamefromtheVatican Library, and another from the Library of His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Barberini, while a third was sent by the celebrated Franciscan Father, Luke Wadding. All of these copies were diligently collated by the editor, who found them severally mutilated and worn, abounding in false emendations of copyists, as also deformed with verbal transpositions and changes, to such a degree, that the sense of some verses could not be discovered, while the proper number of feet, and the required syllabic measure, were wanting in
23 Ofthese,however,fewtracesnowremain. The Round Tower there is still very per- feet, while the accompanying illustration taken on the spot, by William F. Wake- man—now many years ago—presents a pic- ture from a different point of view from that already presented, at the 24th of March. This has been transferred to the wood, en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
24 Thus, " Seven Altars " are known to have been at St. Patrick's Purgatory. There were, also, according to a Cork tradition, "Seven Altars," at Gougane Barra,
25 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hibern-
cum," p. 48.
2C To this allusion has been made already,
in the Second Volume of this work, at the
1st of February, when giving the Life of St.
Brigid, Art. i.
- 7 This forms the Sixth Life of St. Brigid,
3° See the first note, postfixed to St. Brigid's Sixth Life.
3I See an account of this whole matter, in the Life of St. Brigid, vol. ii. , chap, i. , with marginal notes.
32 The great literary treasures, contained
in this celebrated and historic monastery
may be inferred from the admirable quarto
volumes, now being issued from the monas-
tic press, by the printing and artistic staff
there engaged, under the Benedictines' edi-
torial supervision. The partial result of
their labours in compiling the Catalogue of
their Manuscripts may be gleaned from
"
Bibliotheca Casinen.
ds seu Codicum Manu- scriptorum qui in Tabulario Cassinensi as- servantur series cura et studio Monachorum Ordinis S. Benedicti Abbatire Montis Casini. " In the October of 1886, the writer had an opportunity for discovering several
That copy he edited was drawn from one
as published by Colgan, in his "Trias very curious codices, evidently traced by
Thaumaturga," pp. 582 to 596.
28 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita
S. Brigidre, pp. 582 to 596. Several expla- natory notes follow. See pp. 596 to 598.
29 Colgan has produced, what he considers a more correct text than had been found in his authorities.
Irish scribes, and the Opus Hioernicum in- terlacing ornaments—incorrectly called
Lombardic—by the e-iitors, are undoubtedly Irish in style and design. A short visit, however, scarcely allowed a sufficient inves-
tigation to be made of the vast Manuscript treasures there preserved,
5oo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
many other lines. But, to the collector's great industry, and by his observing closely the discrepancy of those copies, we are indebted for the publication of an old tract, which should have been very valuable, if it had not been
disfigured through such negligence or incompetency of commentators or copyists. The editor endeavoured to follow the authorities he considered
mostauthentic,inhisseveralcopies; for,heobserved,thatinmanyinstances, the just number and measure of the verse could be found in some particular
Manuscripts, while in others they were expressed, sometimes by abbrevia- tions, again by a transposition of words, and often by some closing and
arbitrary notation. The lines were frequently found so greatly mutilated, that theyboreaprosaicratherthanametricalappearance. Theeditordetected so many omissions and licences, on the part of copyists, that he felt obliged to affix various marginal annotations to this poem. Through their incautious- ness—a fruitful source of error in old documents—many transpositions of words were introduced, and certain synonymous terms were substituted for others j besides, many abbreviations of doubtful meaning were found, and these left the sense imperfect. Even unaccountable caprice and mutilations caused some of the chapters to be acephalous or truncated, while some were altogether omitted. 33 Certain lines are subjoined, from the Barbarini Manu- script, and which are wanting in that of Monte Cassino. Some breaks are discovered, likewise, in course of the narrative and structure of the poem. 3 *
33 This may be seen in the still imperfect
Life, as published by Colgan.
3-* This has been noted, by the editor, in a
Agmen pavit enorme viriim. Sedulius.
Lcgis in effigie scriptum per enigmata Christum. Prudentius. Cujus ad arbitrium sphera mobilis atque rotunda. Prudentius. Excidit ergo animus eremi sitis excidit illi. Prudentius. Nam tecum fere totus ero, quocumque recedam. Ausonius. Pignoribus spoliatque suos fames im- proba natos. Prudentius. Cuspis auaritios stupuit lues improba castis. Prudentius. Credite, vera fient, nee spe frustrabor inani. Arator. Quosque viros non ira frcmens, non idola bello. Prudentius. Suffragiis Christi et plausibus angc- licis. Prosper. Prostratus pedibus verccunda silentia rupi. Maximian. At po. -tquam tenerara rupit verecundia front em. Idem. Vestigiis calcare suis vencranter ado- rant. Sedulius. In qua per lauacrum fidsei viitute renatix. '. Prosper. Continuos gemitus agra sencctus ha- bet. Maximian. Ilaeretiei sensus, nullumque omnino
relictum. Aulanus. Quosque viros non ira fremens non idola bello. Prudentius. Pingere Philosophi victricem Laida
cepit.
Physica vel logico logicum, vel jungit
adethos. Sidonius.
Compar silicibus nunc hyacinthus erat. Eucheria.
of instances. 33 Colgan adds :
variety
"
Et quia ipsi vetusto authori videbantur posse attribui quaxlam quantitatis, vitia sajpe occurrentia, iila, at jacebant reliqui ; qualia sunt in adverbiis valde rite, publice, tarde et similibus ; in quibus ultimam syllabam passim corripit. Item in his ; frelum, prope, primam produ- cit : et in his iyai, eremi secundam corripit : Et mtapetibus primam producit, et secundam corripit : ultimam in salus, similibus contra- hit. Sed in his venia danda est antiquitati et usui, qui secundum tempora varius reperi- tur apud priscos optim cosque poetas. Unde ut censuris rudiorum in his occurratur pla- cuit hie subjicere similes contractioncs et productiones a priscis et inter Christianos priniee clasris poetis usurpata,*, qui verbi gratia in hisce dictionibits enecatts, eneruatus, fun! , enorme, enigma, sfhera primam sylla- bam ; et in his, enmits, fere, fames, vulpes, . t tin liits, lauacnttn, idolum, suffragia, vestigia, ultra, secundam ; et in Henectus, omnino, &c, tertiam corripiunt, contra ve- terum plerumque consuetudinem. Item simili licenti in his Silicibtis, tinea, idola, Philosophns, p/iysiea, primam ; in panicia'a et redimitus, secundam producunt. Quaint ad occulum pateant, placuit veterum, et inter Christianos priinae classis poetarum sunt S. Coelano nostro anti-
(quorum singuli
quiores) oslenderc exemplis sequentibus.
In cataclysmo cnecans pariter cum prole
Sidonius.
Tertullian. Corpus enerualum gercret sine laude pahestrae. Symmach.
parentes.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 501
It was not possible always for the industry or research of either collator or
editor, to repair so many imperfections or to restore so many omissions. Wherefore, Colgan only endeavoured to place in due order those words which
seemed transposed, in certain passages, and cautiously to substitute others, in place of certain contracted words, doubtful in the reading, or which, through
the error of copyists, were put for terms having a supposed affinity. Nor did the editor alter the poem, in the slightest tittle, except in those instances, where notable and obvious omissions of copyists left discrepancies between certain parts and lines, or where copyists so crudely amended them, that it
could readily be conjectured, these emendations did not represent the original writer's words. For here and there, certain elegant and glowing phrases were
found—especially in descriptive and metaphorical passages ; then immedi- ately afterwards, verses were maimed in prosodial number and quantity, while they were disfigured with blots. Colgan tells us, he published the poem, as hefoundit, changingnothingtherein,butonlytheforegoingexceptionaland falseemendations. 35 InColgan'sestimation,theauthorofthisSixthLifemust have been this St. Coelan or Coelen. 36 The Bollandists hold a different opinion. 37 Although many particulars, relating to St. Brigid, are found in the five first Lives, as published by Colgan, and which are missing in the Sixth ; yet, the editor supposes this attributable to no other cause, than to the deplorable liberties taken by copyists with the original. Here and there, these have left many elisions and erasures ; and, it can scarcely be. doubted, but that they altogether pretermitted other matters. As that old and careful writer relates many of St. Brigid's Acts, omitted by others, and as it is indi- cated in the Prologue, according to Colgan's opinion, that he read her Lives, written by St. Ultan, Eleran, and Animosus ; can it be supposed, he could have passed over so many accounts, faithfully related by various other writers, or that he would not have included several accounts, not given by them? The charges of omission, therefore, seem rather attributable to incompetent scribes,thantotheauthorhimself. Thewriterofourillustrioussaint'sSixth Life is supposed to have been no other than Chcelian or Coelan, the monk of Iniskeltra. 3 8 In the Barberini Manuscript of that same Life, there are two additional metrical Prologues, which precede this one descriptive of Ireland. 39 These two Prologues consist of general observations, on the merits of the Saints, and extolling some great truths of religion, with prayers and fervent desires for future happiness, &c. 4c
Non mordax aerugo vorat, non tinea sulcat. Sedulius. Ipsa redimitos olea frondente capillos. Prudentius.
Cceteium hoec vita (scil. sexta) multa refert in aliis quinque prioribus desiderata. Viden- da supra, praesertim caput, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 24, 48, 50, 51, 55, et sequentibus. "
36 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Brigidrc, nn. I, 2, 3, p. 597.
37 See "Acta Sanctorum/' tomus i. , Feb- ruarii i. Vita S. Brigidze. Commentarius Praavius, sect. 2.
:
38 In a note, Colgan observes " Quan-
tum ad hujus Vitre authorum attinet, ejus
Traciatus est de Vita Christiani, authore Possidio Episcopo Carthaginiensi. Secundus,
Vitajoannis Eleemosynarii, authore eodem Possidio. 7'ertius, Diaersce Epistola Am- brosii, et aliorum. Quarius et ultimus, Vita Bri§idoj Kill-daricnsis Virginis, a Chilleno Monacho Iniskdltraaisis Canobii versions edita. Hsec ibi ; sed unde ? Forte et verisimiliter ex Prologo aliquo vel in eadem, vel in alia Bibliotheca eidem Vita; pnefixo. Audio enim extare in Bibliotheca Barberi- niorum Romse, Prologum, seu Prrefationem huic vita? prsefixam, diversam a Prolego quern carmine elegiaco ex Codice Cassinensi supra exhibuimus. Sed quia illam Prsefa- tionem ssepius promissam et anxie expecta- tarn, nondum accepi, non possum de ea poferre judicium. "
It may be doubted, however, if these
nomen, professionem et patriam, posteritali
reservavit collector Catalogi librorum Bib-
liothecae Cassinensis, his verbis; In Codice
MS. litlera F. num. 232 signato phtteo 8 Prologus ad Sex tarn Vitun S. Brigidre, lecvam Serie Secunda, in ordine 73. Primus p. 582.
39 See Colgan's "Trias Thamnatuiga,"
502 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
three Prologues had not been written at some time, subsequent to the com- position of the metrical Life itself. Perhaps, they had been prefixed by a differentwriter,orbymorethanonecomposer. Ifwesupposetheauthorof St. Brigid's Sixth Life to have been Coelanus of Inishcaltra, Colgan thinks he must have lived, towards the end of the seventh, or about the beginning of
1
the eighth, century. * Thus, from a metrical Life of St. Brigid, attributed to
him, and from his own words, it is supposed, we may discover the age in which this writer flourished. For, in a Prologue to it, he relates, that St. Brigid's Acts had been written before, by Ultan, by Eleran, and by Ammo- sus. * 2 An elegant metrical Prologue 4 ^ precedes those Acts of St. Brigid j but, it has been doubted, if both had been composed, by the same author. St. Donatus, the Irish Bishop of Fiesole, who flourished in the ninth century, is said to have written that Prologue. ** The beautiful opening descriptive lineshavebeenelegantlyrenderedintoEnglishverse,45 andmorethanone
40 See ibid. , p. 596.
41 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Brigidse, nn. 1, 2, 3, pp. 596, 597, 598.
42 It is Colgan s opinion, that this is but
a Latinized form of that writer's name, who
was called' Anmchaidh, or more correctly Ainmire by the Irish. See ibid. , n. 7,
Scala parata viris, pueris excelsa, puellis.
Matribus, et Sanctis ; tendit ad astra poli.
Dubtacus ejus erat genitor cogno- mine d ictus ;
Clarus homo meritis clarus et a proa- vis ;
p. 598.
43 The Latin Lines run as follows
"
— Nobilis atque humilis, mitis pietate
:: repletus
propria conjuge prole pia. Scripserunt multi virtutes virginis
alma? ,
Ultanus doctor, atque Eleranus
ovans
Descripsit multos Animosus nomine
libros
De vita et studiis Virginis ac meri-
tis.
Ordiar a minimis : necnon majora
sequentur ;
Sed prato pleno floribus opta legam, Ordine, si cceli fulgentia sydera cer-
nens,
Altiuago cursu scire quis ilia queat ; Littore quis minimas numero discer-
nat arenas,
Turbida quas lerris sparserat unda
maris ;
Hie numerare potest virtutes rite puelkv,
In qua perpetuus manserat ipse Deus.
Finibus occiduis describitur optima tellus,
Nomine et antiquis Scotia scripta libris.
Insula dives opum, gemmarum vestis et auri :
Commoda corporibus, aere Sole, solo.
Melle fluit, pulchris et lacteis Scotia campis,
Vestibus atque armis frugibus, arte, viris.
;
Ursorum rabies nulla est ibi : leonum
szeva
Semina nee unquam Scotica terra tulit.
Nulla venena nocent, nee serpens
serpit
Nee conquesta canit garrula rana
lacu.
In qua Scotorum gentcs habitare me-
rentux :
Inclyta gens hominum, militc, pace fide.
De qua nata fuit quandam sanctissi-
ma Virgo.
Brigida, Scotorum gloria, nomen,
honor,
Turris ad ignifcri pertingens cul-
minacceli,
Lumen inexhaustum, celsa corona
Dei.
Fons benedictus ovans, Scotorum
corda reformans,
Recreat ipsa ipsos curat, alit, vege- tat.
in herba.
Nobilior
Harris observes: "He seems also to
44
have been the Author of a Description of Ireland, in Hexameter and Pentameter verse ; or rather the Life of St. Brigid, con- taining a Description of Ireland of which Colgan hath given as a Fragment, which is prefixed also as a prologue to the Life of St, Brigid, supposed to be written by St. Choe-
lian. " See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. ,
"
Writers
of Ireland," book i. , chap, vi. , p. 57.
45 Commencing with these lines, which arc
" tory of Irel—and," vol. i. , chap, xiii. , pp. 300,
301, note
introduced by Thomas Moore in his
His-
:
July 29. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
5o3
5 St. Ultan47 is to have died a. d. s supposed 656,4
version has
and St. Aleran, a. d. 664 or 665. 49 I fence, Coelan must have lived after this latter year. In the Martyrology of Tallagh,s° the feast of St. Coelan of Inis- keltra is commemorated, at the 29th of July, and it must have been inserted after his death.
6 he does not deem it worth his while, to enter a tury, although upon long
discussion, regarding this saint. We may conjecture his birth 'o have taken place before or a little after the year 700 ; but, on this supposition, we have little evidence to guide us in making such a statement. Some six miles above the town of Killaloe, the Shannon expands into a noble lake. Anciently, it was called Loch Deirgheirt. This fine sheet of water extends ten miles in length, and it is about three miles across, at its greatest breadth. Many pretty Islands stud its surface. 7
s Sec "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
Julii xxix. Among the pretermitted sains, p. 3.
1 See a
Article 11. —• His is
"St. Coc- lanus de Inis-Kelltra," in the Calendar.
2
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. XXK.
3 SeeColgan's "TriasThaumaturga. "
Sexta Vita S. Brigidre, nn. I, 2, 3, p. 597. 4 See ibid.
monosyllables, Coel, according ""
styled
vii. ,
One of these, formerly called Keltra, also Inis-
"See"EcclesiasticalHistoryofIreland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, ii. , n. 18, p. 381.
very interesting article,
" Jnish-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Cealtra, Inish-Caltra, and sometimes Inniskeltair, bears likewise the name of
July 29. I
497
Island. The to it as a " the Seven people frequently apply title,
Holy
Churches. "OnInishcaltra,Mr. Hills8 foundtheruins
The very ancient use of the term " Seven Churches/' in Ireland, has been questioned by that gentleman, who considers, that it had been used for the fust time by Sir William Petty. 9 From earlier books and Manuscripts, its sup- posed absence is taken as a proof, by Mr. Hills, that the name is modern, and conferred by popular usage, on places where a considerable number of eccle- siastical ruins are found. A very ingenious argument has been advanced, 10 that such an application to several places greatly venerated in Ireland has
11
which are mentioned in the Apocalypse, and which were so widely apart, but rath—er, as seems most likely, that the idea of Seven Churches and of Seven Altars as these also are some- times mentioned—came to Ireland from Rome itself. During the very earliest ages of Christianity, the faithful were wont to resort to the Basilicas
of the martyrs, at night, for prayer, consolation, etc. This was the beginning
of what were called stations. 12 At a later period, the stations were made
more regularly and publicly ; for, Christians assembled on certain days in the
year, at different churches, belonging to the city of Rome, to celebrate the
Divine Mysteries. The church, in which the stations were held, had been
regularly announced, so that the people might know where to assemble. St.
Gregory the Great, elected Pope in 590, reduced those stations to a regular
T
system. 3 StationsandIndulgencesattachingtothem,inoneformoranother,
have been continued to the present time. In a decree x * of Pope Pius VI L,
he confirms in perpetuity the Indulgences granted by the Supreme Pontiffs, his predecessors, to the faithful, who visit the seven churches of Rome, which he names, 15 and who pray according to the intention of his Holiness. He further confirms those indulgences granted by his predecessors to the faithful, who visit the seven privileged altars of St. Peter's or of any of the other churches enumerated,shouldtheypossessthem. 16 ToSt. CaiminJ7 hasbeengenerally
been derived, not from the seven churches,
caltra and its Remains," by Richard R. Brash, Architect, M. R. I. A. , in "The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Re- view. " New series, vol. i. , January, 1 866, p. 7,
who piously visited the places where they were held.
I4 It bears date September 7th, 181S.
IS These are the churches of St. Peter, of St. Paul, of St. Sebastian, outside the walls, 8" oftheof
See an article, Notes on the Architec-
of St. John Lateran, Holy Cross,
ture of Ireland, v. "The Gentleman's
St. Laurence, outside the walls, and of St.
Mary Major.
l6 " not some Might
Magazine,"parti. , 1864,p. 550.
In compiling his Down Survey, wards published.
Irish or prelate
9
after-
pious
monk, or missionary," enquires the Rev. Mr.
10 See an article, written by Rev. John
O'Roorke in the " Irish Ecclesiastical Re-
cord," vol. ii. , May, 1866, pp. 380 to 386. This Article is headed, "The Number Seven, and the name seven churches applied to several groups of Ruins in Ireland. "
11 This appears to be a favourite theory of
Dean Murray.
12 See Tolelus, lib. vi.
13 He divided Rome into seven parts, and
the stations were so appointed, that a regu- lated circuit, or rather several circuits, were made of those seven divisions during the year. Although the stations are not now in use, as St. Gregory left them, they are still given, in the Roman Missal, as they were
arranged by him. He granted great indul- gences to those who made the stations, or
O'Roorke, " think it a good thing to have
stations in Ireland such as they had in
Rome? and might not some holy pontiff, for
the sanctification of that distant mission of
Ireland, grant the request, and concede the
indulgences, provided the Seven Churches
or the Seven Altars, as the case might be,
were actually erected ? Concessions of this
kind are not uncommon. We have an
example in the stations of the cross erected
in our churches, by vi-iting which the faith-
ful gain the same indulgences as were for-
merly granted to those, who visited in person
the holy places in Jerusalem, and who made stations there. This solution would further
help to dispose of Mr. Hills' difficulty of finding nine, or ten, or twelve, or thirteen churches, in some of the places he explored,
only
offourchurches.
49S LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. ascribed the foundation of a monastery on Iiiiskeitair, early in the seventh
ofhis
l
andoverwhichhe tothe century, — presided
a. d. l8 A
period
flourishing monastery said to have been Benedictine in its form of rule
— was thus established at a very early period, 9 on the Island of Iniscaltra. Here, no doubt, a famous school had been conducted in after times. A succession of Abbots seems to have continued, until the place had been
a Danish commander from
It was afterwards restored, by the powerful and pious monarch of Ireland,
destroyed by Tomar,
Limerick,
Bryan Boroimhe,
1007.
Holy Island, Lough Derg,
is
21 The church on
a. d.
said to have been restored or remodelled by him in the eleventh century. A fine window in the southern wall is round-headed, and it has varied semi-
Principal Church and Round Tower on Iniscealtra.
cylindrical mouldings, very deeply cut. This style seems peculiar to Ireland, about that period, although its prototype, most probably, may be elsewhere found. The Island proper lies in that part which is known as Inniscaltra parish, in the barony of Tulla, and county of Clare. A Round Tower and some beautiful ruins are to be seen on this Island. 22 It lies close on the
instead of seven ; for, if the seven privileged churches were erected, no matter how many
wereafterwards
by excellence would still remain. Whetever my readers may think of this view of the case, there is one fact connected with it pleasant and consoling to us, Irish Catholics, which is, that it would have been no strange
' peculiarity in us to have our Seven
Churches and our Seven Altars,' since we find both in Rome, the mo—del and the mis-
tress of all the Churches. "
astical Record," vol.
** His festival is generally assigned to
March 24th, at which date some account of
this saint and of his island-home, with an
illustration, may be found in the Third Vo- at the 23rd of April, Art. i. Life of the lume of this work, Art. ii. He has a feast,
likewise, at the 25th of March. See ibid. , Art. iii.
18
According to the Abbe Ma-Geoghegan, ibis foundation belongs to a later period.
built,
the 'SevenChurches'
"Irish
—
Ecclesi- ii. , pp. 385, 386.
Cap. lviii. , p. 594. co "
death,
653.
See " Histoire de l'Irlande Ancienne et Moderne, "tome i. . Seconde Partie, chap. iii. , p. 298.
'9 See St. Brigid's Sixth Life, as pub-
lished by Colgan
* * * "Keltra est conventus rite virorum,
Prudentum, sacro Bcnedicti dogmatc florens. "
See Archdalls cum," p. 48.
Monasticon Hiberni-
— :
1 See an illustration of this church, now in ruins, in the Fourth Volume of this work,
Blessed Bryan Boroimna, King of Minister, Monarch of Ireland, and Martyr, chap. vi.
23 Sec an illustration and a in description,
Mr. and Mrs. Hall's " Ireland ; its Scenery, Character,"' ecc, vol. iii. , pp. 429 to 431.
in the 2° year 834.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 499
bounds of Clonfert diocese, and on the southern confines of the Connaught
province. The former importance of this place is inferred, from the popular
designation of " the Seven Churches. "23 It has been considered as a well-
established fact, that the number seven had been connected with sacred
things in Ireland, and that it was not alone applied to churches, but even to
2
altars, * erected in groups at various places. It is supposed, that St. Coelan
had become a monk on the Island of Iniscaltra, and that he must have there lived for a considerable time. According to conjecture, he flourished about the end of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. ** At Inis- caltra,mostprobably,Kalianhadreceivedhiseducation; whichinaclassical sense must have been an accomplished one. To him is attributed a very
elegant 2
metrical Life of St. 26 It was written in Latin Hexameter Brigid.
verse. ? SeveralManuscriptcopiesofthisLifearesupposedtobeextant. As may be expected, in these there are various readings. Colgan has published
a
from the
28 from a Monte Cassino
collated with a
version,
Manuscript,
copy, procured
Vatican
Library,
and
compared
with
other
exemplars.
2 9
Various emendations were deemed to be necessary. When Colgan
had begun passing St. Brigid's Acts through the press, he received
from the Rev. Father Bernard Egan, a learned Benedictine Abbot, and an
Irishman, a certain fragment of that biography. 3° At first, Colgan thought that poem began with lines, he there found ; but, afterwards, he discovered
1
that idea to have been a mistake. 3
kept in the archives of Monte Cassino. 32 Three other counterpart copies of thosesameActswereprocuredbyColgan. OneofthemcamefromtheVatican Library, and another from the Library of His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Barberini, while a third was sent by the celebrated Franciscan Father, Luke Wadding. All of these copies were diligently collated by the editor, who found them severally mutilated and worn, abounding in false emendations of copyists, as also deformed with verbal transpositions and changes, to such a degree, that the sense of some verses could not be discovered, while the proper number of feet, and the required syllabic measure, were wanting in
23 Ofthese,however,fewtracesnowremain. The Round Tower there is still very per- feet, while the accompanying illustration taken on the spot, by William F. Wake- man—now many years ago—presents a pic- ture from a different point of view from that already presented, at the 24th of March. This has been transferred to the wood, en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
24 Thus, " Seven Altars " are known to have been at St. Patrick's Purgatory. There were, also, according to a Cork tradition, "Seven Altars," at Gougane Barra,
25 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hibern-
cum," p. 48.
2C To this allusion has been made already,
in the Second Volume of this work, at the
1st of February, when giving the Life of St.
Brigid, Art. i.
- 7 This forms the Sixth Life of St. Brigid,
3° See the first note, postfixed to St. Brigid's Sixth Life.
3I See an account of this whole matter, in the Life of St. Brigid, vol. ii. , chap, i. , with marginal notes.
32 The great literary treasures, contained
in this celebrated and historic monastery
may be inferred from the admirable quarto
volumes, now being issued from the monas-
tic press, by the printing and artistic staff
there engaged, under the Benedictines' edi-
torial supervision. The partial result of
their labours in compiling the Catalogue of
their Manuscripts may be gleaned from
"
Bibliotheca Casinen.
ds seu Codicum Manu- scriptorum qui in Tabulario Cassinensi as- servantur series cura et studio Monachorum Ordinis S. Benedicti Abbatire Montis Casini. " In the October of 1886, the writer had an opportunity for discovering several
That copy he edited was drawn from one
as published by Colgan, in his "Trias very curious codices, evidently traced by
Thaumaturga," pp. 582 to 596.
28 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita
S. Brigidre, pp. 582 to 596. Several expla- natory notes follow. See pp. 596 to 598.
29 Colgan has produced, what he considers a more correct text than had been found in his authorities.
Irish scribes, and the Opus Hioernicum in- terlacing ornaments—incorrectly called
Lombardic—by the e-iitors, are undoubtedly Irish in style and design. A short visit, however, scarcely allowed a sufficient inves-
tigation to be made of the vast Manuscript treasures there preserved,
5oo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
many other lines. But, to the collector's great industry, and by his observing closely the discrepancy of those copies, we are indebted for the publication of an old tract, which should have been very valuable, if it had not been
disfigured through such negligence or incompetency of commentators or copyists. The editor endeavoured to follow the authorities he considered
mostauthentic,inhisseveralcopies; for,heobserved,thatinmanyinstances, the just number and measure of the verse could be found in some particular
Manuscripts, while in others they were expressed, sometimes by abbrevia- tions, again by a transposition of words, and often by some closing and
arbitrary notation. The lines were frequently found so greatly mutilated, that theyboreaprosaicratherthanametricalappearance. Theeditordetected so many omissions and licences, on the part of copyists, that he felt obliged to affix various marginal annotations to this poem. Through their incautious- ness—a fruitful source of error in old documents—many transpositions of words were introduced, and certain synonymous terms were substituted for others j besides, many abbreviations of doubtful meaning were found, and these left the sense imperfect. Even unaccountable caprice and mutilations caused some of the chapters to be acephalous or truncated, while some were altogether omitted. 33 Certain lines are subjoined, from the Barbarini Manu- script, and which are wanting in that of Monte Cassino. Some breaks are discovered, likewise, in course of the narrative and structure of the poem. 3 *
33 This may be seen in the still imperfect
Life, as published by Colgan.
3-* This has been noted, by the editor, in a
Agmen pavit enorme viriim. Sedulius.
Lcgis in effigie scriptum per enigmata Christum. Prudentius. Cujus ad arbitrium sphera mobilis atque rotunda. Prudentius. Excidit ergo animus eremi sitis excidit illi. Prudentius. Nam tecum fere totus ero, quocumque recedam. Ausonius. Pignoribus spoliatque suos fames im- proba natos. Prudentius. Cuspis auaritios stupuit lues improba castis. Prudentius. Credite, vera fient, nee spe frustrabor inani. Arator. Quosque viros non ira frcmens, non idola bello. Prudentius. Suffragiis Christi et plausibus angc- licis. Prosper. Prostratus pedibus verccunda silentia rupi. Maximian. At po. -tquam tenerara rupit verecundia front em. Idem. Vestigiis calcare suis vencranter ado- rant. Sedulius. In qua per lauacrum fidsei viitute renatix. '. Prosper. Continuos gemitus agra sencctus ha- bet. Maximian. Ilaeretiei sensus, nullumque omnino
relictum. Aulanus. Quosque viros non ira fremens non idola bello. Prudentius. Pingere Philosophi victricem Laida
cepit.
Physica vel logico logicum, vel jungit
adethos. Sidonius.
Compar silicibus nunc hyacinthus erat. Eucheria.
of instances. 33 Colgan adds :
variety
"
Et quia ipsi vetusto authori videbantur posse attribui quaxlam quantitatis, vitia sajpe occurrentia, iila, at jacebant reliqui ; qualia sunt in adverbiis valde rite, publice, tarde et similibus ; in quibus ultimam syllabam passim corripit. Item in his ; frelum, prope, primam produ- cit : et in his iyai, eremi secundam corripit : Et mtapetibus primam producit, et secundam corripit : ultimam in salus, similibus contra- hit. Sed in his venia danda est antiquitati et usui, qui secundum tempora varius reperi- tur apud priscos optim cosque poetas. Unde ut censuris rudiorum in his occurratur pla- cuit hie subjicere similes contractioncs et productiones a priscis et inter Christianos priniee clasris poetis usurpata,*, qui verbi gratia in hisce dictionibits enecatts, eneruatus, fun! , enorme, enigma, sfhera primam sylla- bam ; et in his, enmits, fere, fames, vulpes, . t tin liits, lauacnttn, idolum, suffragia, vestigia, ultra, secundam ; et in Henectus, omnino, &c, tertiam corripiunt, contra ve- terum plerumque consuetudinem. Item simili licenti in his Silicibtis, tinea, idola, Philosophns, p/iysiea, primam ; in panicia'a et redimitus, secundam producunt. Quaint ad occulum pateant, placuit veterum, et inter Christianos priinae classis poetarum sunt S. Coelano nostro anti-
(quorum singuli
quiores) oslenderc exemplis sequentibus.
In cataclysmo cnecans pariter cum prole
Sidonius.
Tertullian. Corpus enerualum gercret sine laude pahestrae. Symmach.
parentes.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 501
It was not possible always for the industry or research of either collator or
editor, to repair so many imperfections or to restore so many omissions. Wherefore, Colgan only endeavoured to place in due order those words which
seemed transposed, in certain passages, and cautiously to substitute others, in place of certain contracted words, doubtful in the reading, or which, through
the error of copyists, were put for terms having a supposed affinity. Nor did the editor alter the poem, in the slightest tittle, except in those instances, where notable and obvious omissions of copyists left discrepancies between certain parts and lines, or where copyists so crudely amended them, that it
could readily be conjectured, these emendations did not represent the original writer's words. For here and there, certain elegant and glowing phrases were
found—especially in descriptive and metaphorical passages ; then immedi- ately afterwards, verses were maimed in prosodial number and quantity, while they were disfigured with blots. Colgan tells us, he published the poem, as hefoundit, changingnothingtherein,butonlytheforegoingexceptionaland falseemendations. 35 InColgan'sestimation,theauthorofthisSixthLifemust have been this St. Coelan or Coelen. 36 The Bollandists hold a different opinion. 37 Although many particulars, relating to St. Brigid, are found in the five first Lives, as published by Colgan, and which are missing in the Sixth ; yet, the editor supposes this attributable to no other cause, than to the deplorable liberties taken by copyists with the original. Here and there, these have left many elisions and erasures ; and, it can scarcely be. doubted, but that they altogether pretermitted other matters. As that old and careful writer relates many of St. Brigid's Acts, omitted by others, and as it is indi- cated in the Prologue, according to Colgan's opinion, that he read her Lives, written by St. Ultan, Eleran, and Animosus ; can it be supposed, he could have passed over so many accounts, faithfully related by various other writers, or that he would not have included several accounts, not given by them? The charges of omission, therefore, seem rather attributable to incompetent scribes,thantotheauthorhimself. Thewriterofourillustrioussaint'sSixth Life is supposed to have been no other than Chcelian or Coelan, the monk of Iniskeltra. 3 8 In the Barberini Manuscript of that same Life, there are two additional metrical Prologues, which precede this one descriptive of Ireland. 39 These two Prologues consist of general observations, on the merits of the Saints, and extolling some great truths of religion, with prayers and fervent desires for future happiness, &c. 4c
Non mordax aerugo vorat, non tinea sulcat. Sedulius. Ipsa redimitos olea frondente capillos. Prudentius.
Cceteium hoec vita (scil. sexta) multa refert in aliis quinque prioribus desiderata. Viden- da supra, praesertim caput, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 24, 48, 50, 51, 55, et sequentibus. "
36 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Brigidrc, nn. I, 2, 3, p. 597.
37 See "Acta Sanctorum/' tomus i. , Feb- ruarii i. Vita S. Brigidze. Commentarius Praavius, sect. 2.
:
38 In a note, Colgan observes " Quan-
tum ad hujus Vitre authorum attinet, ejus
Traciatus est de Vita Christiani, authore Possidio Episcopo Carthaginiensi. Secundus,
Vitajoannis Eleemosynarii, authore eodem Possidio. 7'ertius, Diaersce Epistola Am- brosii, et aliorum. Quarius et ultimus, Vita Bri§idoj Kill-daricnsis Virginis, a Chilleno Monacho Iniskdltraaisis Canobii versions edita. Hsec ibi ; sed unde ? Forte et verisimiliter ex Prologo aliquo vel in eadem, vel in alia Bibliotheca eidem Vita; pnefixo. Audio enim extare in Bibliotheca Barberi- niorum Romse, Prologum, seu Prrefationem huic vita? prsefixam, diversam a Prolego quern carmine elegiaco ex Codice Cassinensi supra exhibuimus. Sed quia illam Prsefa- tionem ssepius promissam et anxie expecta- tarn, nondum accepi, non possum de ea poferre judicium. "
It may be doubted, however, if these
nomen, professionem et patriam, posteritali
reservavit collector Catalogi librorum Bib-
liothecae Cassinensis, his verbis; In Codice
MS. litlera F. num. 232 signato phtteo 8 Prologus ad Sex tarn Vitun S. Brigidre, lecvam Serie Secunda, in ordine 73. Primus p. 582.
39 See Colgan's "Trias Thamnatuiga,"
502 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
three Prologues had not been written at some time, subsequent to the com- position of the metrical Life itself. Perhaps, they had been prefixed by a differentwriter,orbymorethanonecomposer. Ifwesupposetheauthorof St. Brigid's Sixth Life to have been Coelanus of Inishcaltra, Colgan thinks he must have lived, towards the end of the seventh, or about the beginning of
1
the eighth, century. * Thus, from a metrical Life of St. Brigid, attributed to
him, and from his own words, it is supposed, we may discover the age in which this writer flourished. For, in a Prologue to it, he relates, that St. Brigid's Acts had been written before, by Ultan, by Eleran, and by Ammo- sus. * 2 An elegant metrical Prologue 4 ^ precedes those Acts of St. Brigid j but, it has been doubted, if both had been composed, by the same author. St. Donatus, the Irish Bishop of Fiesole, who flourished in the ninth century, is said to have written that Prologue. ** The beautiful opening descriptive lineshavebeenelegantlyrenderedintoEnglishverse,45 andmorethanone
40 See ibid. , p. 596.
41 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Brigidse, nn. 1, 2, 3, pp. 596, 597, 598.
42 It is Colgan s opinion, that this is but
a Latinized form of that writer's name, who
was called' Anmchaidh, or more correctly Ainmire by the Irish. See ibid. , n. 7,
Scala parata viris, pueris excelsa, puellis.
Matribus, et Sanctis ; tendit ad astra poli.
Dubtacus ejus erat genitor cogno- mine d ictus ;
Clarus homo meritis clarus et a proa- vis ;
p. 598.
43 The Latin Lines run as follows
"
— Nobilis atque humilis, mitis pietate
:: repletus
propria conjuge prole pia. Scripserunt multi virtutes virginis
alma? ,
Ultanus doctor, atque Eleranus
ovans
Descripsit multos Animosus nomine
libros
De vita et studiis Virginis ac meri-
tis.
Ordiar a minimis : necnon majora
sequentur ;
Sed prato pleno floribus opta legam, Ordine, si cceli fulgentia sydera cer-
nens,
Altiuago cursu scire quis ilia queat ; Littore quis minimas numero discer-
nat arenas,
Turbida quas lerris sparserat unda
maris ;
Hie numerare potest virtutes rite puelkv,
In qua perpetuus manserat ipse Deus.
Finibus occiduis describitur optima tellus,
Nomine et antiquis Scotia scripta libris.
Insula dives opum, gemmarum vestis et auri :
Commoda corporibus, aere Sole, solo.
Melle fluit, pulchris et lacteis Scotia campis,
Vestibus atque armis frugibus, arte, viris.
;
Ursorum rabies nulla est ibi : leonum
szeva
Semina nee unquam Scotica terra tulit.
Nulla venena nocent, nee serpens
serpit
Nee conquesta canit garrula rana
lacu.
In qua Scotorum gentcs habitare me-
rentux :
Inclyta gens hominum, militc, pace fide.
De qua nata fuit quandam sanctissi-
ma Virgo.
Brigida, Scotorum gloria, nomen,
honor,
Turris ad ignifcri pertingens cul-
minacceli,
Lumen inexhaustum, celsa corona
Dei.
Fons benedictus ovans, Scotorum
corda reformans,
Recreat ipsa ipsos curat, alit, vege- tat.
in herba.
Nobilior
Harris observes: "He seems also to
44
have been the Author of a Description of Ireland, in Hexameter and Pentameter verse ; or rather the Life of St. Brigid, con- taining a Description of Ireland of which Colgan hath given as a Fragment, which is prefixed also as a prologue to the Life of St, Brigid, supposed to be written by St. Choe-
lian. " See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. ,
"
Writers
of Ireland," book i. , chap, vi. , p. 57.
45 Commencing with these lines, which arc
" tory of Irel—and," vol. i. , chap, xiii. , pp. 300,
301, note
introduced by Thomas Moore in his
His-
:
July 29. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
5o3
5 St. Ultan47 is to have died a. d. s supposed 656,4
version has
and St. Aleran, a. d. 664 or 665. 49 I fence, Coelan must have lived after this latter year. In the Martyrology of Tallagh,s° the feast of St. Coelan of Inis- keltra is commemorated, at the 29th of July, and it must have been inserted after his death.
