Giles, a Greek by birth, lived only in the seventh, and in the
beginning
of
6
the eighth, century.
6
the eighth, century.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
.
.
.
.
. . .
. . . . . . . . .
CONTEH IS.
Page
Article III. —St. Brigid, of Cluainfidhe, or perhaps of Kilbreedy, Queen's County . . . ••• ••• 640
Article IV. —St. Mobi, Nun, of Domhnach Broc, Donnybrook, County of Dublin . . . . . . •• 642
of
Coimsigh, Priest,
. . .
. . . Article XVII. —St. Broncein or Bronchan, of Lethet corcraidhe
Article XIX. —
or Senan
St. Article XX. —St. Creber
Article XXI. —St. Colman,
of
Cluain-tioprat, . . .
now
Clontibret, County . . .
of
. . . 647
Monaghan Article XXII. —Reputed Festival
Seanan,
for St. Machanus Article XXIII. —Reputed Feast of St. Coganus Abbot . . .
647 . . . 648 Article XXIV. —Reputed Feast of St. Malchus, Bishop of Sodor, Scotland 648 Article XXV. —St Victor «>f the Tbeban Leeion. Martyr . . . . . . 64S Article XXVI. —Ursus, of the Theban Legion, Martyr . . . . . . 648
SUPPLEMENTAL LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
Article XXVII. —St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem, and Doctor of the
Church . . . . . . 64*
Carbray, Felix, Esq. , Portuguese Consulate Quebec, Canada.
Chadwick. J"hn, Esq. , Jun. , 18 Patrick-
Library of the Monastery, Pantasaph, Holy Well, North Wales.
McKeefy, Rev. Joseph, C. C. , Waterside, Derrv.
street, Kilkenny.
Begley, Rev. John, C. C. , Tournafulla, New O'Boylan, Very Rev. B. M. , Catholic
castle West, Countv Limerick. Rector, Newark, State of Ohio, U. S. A. Doherty, Rev. William, C. C , St. Coluroba's O'Reilly, Patrick J. , Esq. , 7 North Earl-
s' reet, Dublin.
Gibney, Most Rev. Matthew. D. D. , Bishop Ormond, Rev. William, C. C, Grange
Presbytery, Derry.
of Perth, Western Australia.
Gilbert, Henry March, Esq. , 26 Above Bar,
Southampton,England. (TwoCopies. )
Mockler, Callan, County Kilkenny. Robh, Mrs. Alice G. , Sauaymount, Ough-
terard,CountyGalway
DIRECTION TO THE BINDER.
flr The Binder will please prefix the Frontispiece and Title Page, contained in Part 90. and first of Vol. IX. to the present Table of Contents, which, in order of binding, should precede the various Parts to 99, which Part closes the present Volume.
. . . . . .
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
jftrst IBajj of September.
ARTICLE I. —ST. . EGIDIUS OR GILES, ABBOT OF ST. GILLES, FRANCE.
{SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—WRITERS OF LIVES OF ST. /EGIDIUS—HIS ORTGIN, BIRTH AND EARLY DISPOSITIONS—EDUCATION AND EMIGRATION FROM GREECE—HE ARRIVES AT MAR- SEILLES—AFTERWARDS HE GOES TO ARLES—HE THEN SEEKS A PLACE FOR RETREAT NEAR THE RIVER GARD—LIVES WITH THE HERMIT FERODEMOS AND AFTERWARDS PARTS WITH HIM FOR A SITUATION OF STILL GREATER RETIREMENT—NIMES AND ITS GOTHIC KINGS—ST. AGIDIUS IS URGED TO THE ERECTION OF A RELIGIOUS HOUSE.
afforded the saints more pleasure and happiness than to
cured that love of things heavenly, which served to lessen their love for
worldly objects. Men willingly perform those actions, which but accord with their tastes and enjoyments. These latter are too frequently depraved and sinful ; hence it happens, that in following the bent of evil inclinations, folly and vice will bring many to the depths of infamy and misery. But, the holy ones of God have learned to control evil desires, and to practise good works ; thus, virtue grew into a habit, while their consciences, sensitive and responding only to the calls of grace, formed those holy resolutions, which exalt and crown the supernatural life. Moreover, as in their respective spheres of duty, they were only solicitous to learn and fulfil their various avocations in the service of their Divine Master; so were they solely devoted to Him, seeking in their pilgrimage here the Kingdom of Heaven as their reward, and disregarding in comparison with it as mere illusions the passing comforts and ambitions of those who are bent on procuring earthly enjoyments.
The principle on which the present work has been compiled only restricts the writer to include the lives of saints, connected with Ireland by birth, missionary career, or death, with occasionally the introduction of some Celtic
understand the will of God in their NOTHING
to learn what was required of them was sufficient to engage all their desires. The prompting of duty became the rule which governed their lives. It mattered not how greatwasthesacrificedemanded,orhowcontinuoustheexertion; alllabours were lightened by that complacency taken in their performance, and by the testimony of a good conscience, which guided their motives. Such ready submission to the Divine will was the secret of their strength, and it pro-
Vol. IX. —No. i. a
regard. Only
sect, xxvii. , pp. 99, 100.
6
Yet owing to the confusion of statements made, some writers have not hesitated to style our saint Abbot of Aries.
7 Mabillon adds, "sed nullo pcene relato historico facto, nisi quod eum Graicum fuisse, et in Galliam accessisse dicit. "— Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti, tomus i. , lib. iv. , sect, xxvii. , p. 100.
8 See " Vitae Sanctorum ex probatissimis
a
The old writer of St. Giles' acts makes
him a contemporary with St. Caesarius, who died a. o. 542, and with Charles Martel, King of France, who died A. D. 751 ; this shows how inaccurate such record is, at least in its earlier statements.
1
Secretary to St. Caesarius. This bishop desired to obtain a confirmation of the
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September i.
forms of name, and more especially confined to Scotland or Wales, while owing to want of record it seems doubtful if they be not of Irish birth, as
undoubtedly they were of Irish parentage or descent. In the present instance, ho—wever, it seems allowable to enter an exception, in—the case of
British Islands as St. Giles
St. iEgidius better known in the because he
is not only specially commemorated in our national Calendars, but because he was likewise specially venerated in Ireland, as in other countries on the ContinentofEurope. Thelifeandactionsofthepresentsainthavebeen greatly confused by an old writer of his Acts, and as there was an earlier abbot, bearing the same name, and who lived near the city of Aries in the sixth century, the memorials collected for his biography introduced matters
1
referable to both holy men.
Our St. ^Egidius is said to have flourished in the south of France,
according to some, at a time when St. Caesarius was bishop over the See of
Aries. 3 This, however, is a mistake, and he is not to be confounded with
/Egidius, an abbot near that city, and who had been sent to Rome with
Messianus,3 in 514, to Pope Symmachus. * The circumstances of time and
place are sufficient to disprove any such supposition. * The present St.
Giles, a Greek by birth, lived only in the seventh, and in the beginning of
6
the eighth, century.
The praises of St. Egidius have been sung by St. Fulbert of Chartres,
in an office, which he composed to honour that holy Abbot. ? Franciscus Haraeus,8 Petrus de Natalibus, and Florarius, have accounts of ^Egidius, taken chiefly from his ancient incorrect Acts, to which they have added errors of their own, according to the statement of Father John Stilting. An anonymous Life of this saint has been published in the " Acta Sanctorum "9 of the Bollandists. Again, at the present date, they have given another Life of this man in three
holy
Preface. " This latter Life has been edited by Father John Stilting. How- ever, besides the evident anachronism of confounding him with an Egidius,
chapters,
'
Article 1. — See Mabillon's "Annales Aries, show that an earlier /Egidius had
Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. iv. , been charged with such a mission.
privileges of the metropolitical church of Authoribus, et potissimum ex Rmo. D.
Aries, as a result of their embassy. See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol.
ix. , September i.
4 He ruled over the Church, from a. d.
Aloysio Lipomano et R. P. Laur. Sin io, brevi compendio summa fide collectae," p. 657.
9 See tomus i. , Junii, pp. 284 to 304.
10 anda Containing 25 paragraphs previous
commentary in six sections and 65 para- graphs. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris i. De Sanclo <Egidio Abbate in Fano S. ^Egidii Occitaniae, pp. 284 to 304.
11 This Preface is contained in four different copies of our saint's Acts, but in other copies it is omitted. However, from the words, " Sanctus igitur /Egidius," with which the Life opens, we may infer, that it belonged to the original composition.
498 to A. D. 514.
5 He lived at Aries but for a short
time, so that he probably knew little concerning the statutes of that church, or may not have been well versed in the Latin language, nor
as a stranger likely to have been selected as an envoy to Rome by St. Caesarius. More- over, his love of solitude, and the fact that as abbot afterwards, he was a resident of the diocese of Nimes, rather than that of
10 with notes and a appended
September i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
who lived contemporaneously with St. Caesarius, Bishop of Aries, there are
12
The Acts or notices of St. Egidius or St. Giles have been published by
J 1*
Andrew Sausay, 3 by Joannes Trithemius, by Mabillon/s by the Maurist
St. Egidius is supposed to have been of Greek origin, and born, about the year 640, of noble parents, who lived at Athens. 21 His father was named Theodore, and his mother was Pelagia. Distinguished for innocence and holiness of life from his early years, he well profited by the example and advice of pious parents. He at length resolved to leave his native country,
that he might more securely and religiously live in solitude. Already, he
had been placed under the charge of the most illustrious teachers of his
period and nation 22 while he soon manifested those great natural scintilla- ;
tions of intellect by the progress he made in humanities. However, he pre- ferred the study of sacred literature, and it served still more to foster in his soul the love of God, and to cause his estrangement from earthly ambition
and worldly pleasures.
When Egidius had attained the twenty-fourth year, his father first died,
andsoonafterwardshismother. Thepiousyoungmanwasmostsensibly afflicted at this double privation ; but he resolved to make account of it, by
reflecting on the transitory nature of all earthly things. Falling on his knees, he invoked the Supreme Consoler, and asked for light and grace to conduct him on the path to Heaven. Nor was he long left in ignorance of a course to take, for he had resolved on making generous sacrifices, which were destined to gain for him the eternal crown. His charity towards the poor was remarkable. One day, while going to the church to practise his cus- tomary devotions, he met a poor man who was ill and miserably clad. Asking alms from the pious young man, the latter took off his own outer garment, which was even necessary for the preservation of his health.
Soon, Egidius became distinguished for the gift of miracles. When leaving the church, on a certain occasion, seeing a person who had been bitten by a serpent, and whose wound was of a deadly nature, the interven- tion of our saint procured his recovery. Another time, while in the church,
a possessed man disturbed the congregation by his cries and howlings. However, Egidius expelled the demon from the body of that unhappy
i. , liv. v. , pp. 257, 258, and note lxv. , pp. 666, 667. A Paris, 1730 to 1745, fol.
other objections to its entire accuracy of statement.
16 in the " Histoire Generale de
by Rev. S. Baring-Gould,*' and by Les Petits Bollandistes. 20
Fathers,
1 ? Rev. Alban Butler,18 Languedoc, by
12 This
" lS"
appears
to have come under the
notice of Mabillon, with two other Lives,
and they are characterised by him as faulty.
See Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomusi. inCatalogoPrsetermissorum.
13 In his " Martyrologium Gallicanum,"
at the 1st of September.
14 See "De Viris Illustribus Ordinis S.
See Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and otherprincipalSaints,"vol. ix. ,Sept. i.
I9 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. ix. , September i. , pp. 8 to 10.
Benedicti," lib. it,- cap. xxii. , lib. iii. , cap. clxii.
20
jour 2I
"Les Vies des Saints," tome x. , premier
de Septembre, pp. 401 to 406.
The present account of our saint is drawnchieflyfromtheVitaauctoreanonymo, tomus i. , lib. iv. , sect, xxvii. , pp. 99, 100. as published by the Bollandists. The time when he lived has not been determined, but it is thought to have been written before the
ninth or tenth century.
15 See "Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti,"
Also, in the " Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S.
Benedicti," s<ec. iii. , in Prolegomena. 16 "
In Histoire Literaire de la France,"
tome iii. , pp. 243, 244.
7 Avec des Notes et les Pieces justifica-
tives, &c„ par. Fr. Claude de Vic, et Fr. Joseph Vaissete, c deux Religieux Benedic-
22
One of the Manuscript Codices of the
tines de la deS. Maur. Tome Congregation
Life of St. ^Egidius by the anonymous "
tratus ;" another reads,
author has Spiritus sancti gratia perlus-
"
prse scientiargratia
Marseilles,
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. September i.
creature. 23 His reputation for sanctity then spread abroad through his own country, and turned the regards of all its inhabitants towards him. This approval alarmed his humility, nor could he bear to remain longer in his native land. Having sold all his effects, and distributed the proceeds among the poor, he went on board a vessel bound for the Western parts of Europe. During that voyage, a great tempest arose, and to the terror of all on board, their ship was likely to be submerged, when Egidius prayed for deliverance from shipwreck. Immediately the storm was appeased. Then his fellow- passengers were profuse in their protestations of gratitude, and rendered him unbounded thanks for their deliverance. Yet, fearful of having his praises further proclaimed, Egidius asked to be disembarked on the first island, where they might anchor, nor could his request be refused.
2
Having landed on its shores, * one of the first objects noticed was the
track of a man's feet in the sand. Resolving to pursue this track farther, the print of footsteps led him to a small grotto. This was hidden among a thick jungle of thorns, and in a very lonely place. There he found a vener- able old man, who for twelve years passed a solitary life in that wilderness, where he lived only on herbs and roots. Casting himself at the hermit's feet, Egidius besought his benediction. For three days he remained there, united in prayer and fasting with the recluse. The youthful pilgrim thought he had then discovered a spot conformable to the design he had entertained of separating himself entirely from the world.
As the island was not remote from his native 2* the idea ot very country,
Egidius was, that his retreat might be discovered by some of the surviving members of his family, who would be likely to press for his return. Accordingly, he again sought a vessel, which might bear him away to a more distant country.
After a voyage, which lasted for some days, he arrived at the port of
26
anciently called Massilia, a city situated at the mouths of the River Rhone. It is at present the most important seaport in France, with a large and constantly increasing population. It is also a city of great
2? to French 28 a from antiquity. According historians, colony Phoccea,
on the Ionian coast, had settled at a very early period in the southland the founda- tion of Marseilles by the Phocceans 3° dates back to the Forty-fifth
perlustrans ; while the text published
" by
ilandists runs: Pnedictus vero
iEpdius xvo tener ad liberalia rudimenta
dispositus. doctoressumniosSpiritusscientioe perlustratus brevi aequiparavit. " fr'atihaer Stilting had six different copies of
2? Herodotus is the earliest that historian,
gives an account of its settlement by the
Greeks.
a8 "
See L. P. Anquetil's Histoire de
France," sect, ii. , p. 4.
«9 Rather than submit to Cyrus, King of
that Life to collate, and these contained Persia, the Phocoeans left their native
various verbal
'i See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des children, and sought for liberty on the
changes. country, Asia Minor, with their wives and Saints, tome x. , premier jour de Septem- barbarous coasts of Gaul. To this emigra-
te, Saint Gilles, &c, p. 401.
3*
According to Father Stilting, this mail have happened ftboot a. d. 665 or 666.
b\y one of that group of
tion allusion is made Horace by
:
TM known as the Is,
Cyclades,
in the
« Phocceorum Velut profuget execrata civitas,
Agros atque lares patrios, habitandaque rura
Apris reliquit et rapacibus lupis
Ire pedes quocunque ferent, quocun-
que per undas
Notus vocabit, aut protervus Africus. "
*> Herodotus gives an account of their
spirit of freedom, and of their prowess in
Grlci A'cMpe! -
lne accompanying engraving of the
former old Port of Marseilles, copied from
an approved engraving, and represent- ing its present state, has been transferred to the wood and engraved by Mr. Gregor °rey'
1
navigation, in his history, book
i.
:
September i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
3
Olympiad,31 or the year 599, before the birth of Christ. 3
their descendants had been there, and had received through their ancestors the Grecian learning and culture,33 which survived to the time when Egidius
Old Port of Marseilles, France,
landed on the Gaulish coast. The distinction of Marseilles 34 was maintained during the time of the Roman Republic,35 and it was continued during the
middle ages, as head of an independent State. 36
At first, Egidius chose a place for retreat, near the mouth of the Rhone. 3?
There he made every effort possible to conceal his spiritual gifts, but it was the Almighty's design, that the virtues of his servant should be discovered. Thence as a pilgrim begging his way, Egidius proceeded to Aries,38 then the
31
According to the historian, Solinus. In the first instance the Phocceans took refuge in the Island of Cymus—so called by Pliny, lib. hi. , 12.
ruin of Phoccea took place about twenty years before the foundation of Marseilles.
Csesar records, that he preserved it, "magis pro nomine et vetustate quam pro mentis in se. "
36 She elected her own and magistrates,
formed alliances with other states. Alone
she furnished all the galleys required by St.
—now Corsica. the However,
32 The settlers were
by the inhabitants in that part of Gaul, while
their colony soon increased and prospered. Saint Louis," &c, par M. Natalis de They became great proficients in commerce Wailly, Membre de PInstitut, chap, xxvii. , and navigation. xxviii. , pp. 68 to 71. Paris, seconde
33 In his oration for Flaccus, Cicero edition, 1874, Imp. 8vo.
declares that Greece alone could compete 3? Fr. Claude de Vic and Fr.
. . .
. . . . . . . . .
CONTEH IS.
Page
Article III. —St. Brigid, of Cluainfidhe, or perhaps of Kilbreedy, Queen's County . . . ••• ••• 640
Article IV. —St. Mobi, Nun, of Domhnach Broc, Donnybrook, County of Dublin . . . . . . •• 642
of
Coimsigh, Priest,
. . .
. . . Article XVII. —St. Broncein or Bronchan, of Lethet corcraidhe
Article XIX. —
or Senan
St. Article XX. —St. Creber
Article XXI. —St. Colman,
of
Cluain-tioprat, . . .
now
Clontibret, County . . .
of
. . . 647
Monaghan Article XXII. —Reputed Festival
Seanan,
for St. Machanus Article XXIII. —Reputed Feast of St. Coganus Abbot . . .
647 . . . 648 Article XXIV. —Reputed Feast of St. Malchus, Bishop of Sodor, Scotland 648 Article XXV. —St Victor «>f the Tbeban Leeion. Martyr . . . . . . 64S Article XXVI. —Ursus, of the Theban Legion, Martyr . . . . . . 648
SUPPLEMENTAL LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
Article XXVII. —St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem, and Doctor of the
Church . . . . . . 64*
Carbray, Felix, Esq. , Portuguese Consulate Quebec, Canada.
Chadwick. J"hn, Esq. , Jun. , 18 Patrick-
Library of the Monastery, Pantasaph, Holy Well, North Wales.
McKeefy, Rev. Joseph, C. C. , Waterside, Derrv.
street, Kilkenny.
Begley, Rev. John, C. C. , Tournafulla, New O'Boylan, Very Rev. B. M. , Catholic
castle West, Countv Limerick. Rector, Newark, State of Ohio, U. S. A. Doherty, Rev. William, C. C , St. Coluroba's O'Reilly, Patrick J. , Esq. , 7 North Earl-
s' reet, Dublin.
Gibney, Most Rev. Matthew. D. D. , Bishop Ormond, Rev. William, C. C, Grange
Presbytery, Derry.
of Perth, Western Australia.
Gilbert, Henry March, Esq. , 26 Above Bar,
Southampton,England. (TwoCopies. )
Mockler, Callan, County Kilkenny. Robh, Mrs. Alice G. , Sauaymount, Ough-
terard,CountyGalway
DIRECTION TO THE BINDER.
flr The Binder will please prefix the Frontispiece and Title Page, contained in Part 90. and first of Vol. IX. to the present Table of Contents, which, in order of binding, should precede the various Parts to 99, which Part closes the present Volume.
. . . . . .
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
jftrst IBajj of September.
ARTICLE I. —ST. . EGIDIUS OR GILES, ABBOT OF ST. GILLES, FRANCE.
{SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—WRITERS OF LIVES OF ST. /EGIDIUS—HIS ORTGIN, BIRTH AND EARLY DISPOSITIONS—EDUCATION AND EMIGRATION FROM GREECE—HE ARRIVES AT MAR- SEILLES—AFTERWARDS HE GOES TO ARLES—HE THEN SEEKS A PLACE FOR RETREAT NEAR THE RIVER GARD—LIVES WITH THE HERMIT FERODEMOS AND AFTERWARDS PARTS WITH HIM FOR A SITUATION OF STILL GREATER RETIREMENT—NIMES AND ITS GOTHIC KINGS—ST. AGIDIUS IS URGED TO THE ERECTION OF A RELIGIOUS HOUSE.
afforded the saints more pleasure and happiness than to
cured that love of things heavenly, which served to lessen their love for
worldly objects. Men willingly perform those actions, which but accord with their tastes and enjoyments. These latter are too frequently depraved and sinful ; hence it happens, that in following the bent of evil inclinations, folly and vice will bring many to the depths of infamy and misery. But, the holy ones of God have learned to control evil desires, and to practise good works ; thus, virtue grew into a habit, while their consciences, sensitive and responding only to the calls of grace, formed those holy resolutions, which exalt and crown the supernatural life. Moreover, as in their respective spheres of duty, they were only solicitous to learn and fulfil their various avocations in the service of their Divine Master; so were they solely devoted to Him, seeking in their pilgrimage here the Kingdom of Heaven as their reward, and disregarding in comparison with it as mere illusions the passing comforts and ambitions of those who are bent on procuring earthly enjoyments.
The principle on which the present work has been compiled only restricts the writer to include the lives of saints, connected with Ireland by birth, missionary career, or death, with occasionally the introduction of some Celtic
understand the will of God in their NOTHING
to learn what was required of them was sufficient to engage all their desires. The prompting of duty became the rule which governed their lives. It mattered not how greatwasthesacrificedemanded,orhowcontinuoustheexertion; alllabours were lightened by that complacency taken in their performance, and by the testimony of a good conscience, which guided their motives. Such ready submission to the Divine will was the secret of their strength, and it pro-
Vol. IX. —No. i. a
regard. Only
sect, xxvii. , pp. 99, 100.
6
Yet owing to the confusion of statements made, some writers have not hesitated to style our saint Abbot of Aries.
7 Mabillon adds, "sed nullo pcene relato historico facto, nisi quod eum Graicum fuisse, et in Galliam accessisse dicit. "— Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti, tomus i. , lib. iv. , sect, xxvii. , p. 100.
8 See " Vitae Sanctorum ex probatissimis
a
The old writer of St. Giles' acts makes
him a contemporary with St. Caesarius, who died a. o. 542, and with Charles Martel, King of France, who died A. D. 751 ; this shows how inaccurate such record is, at least in its earlier statements.
1
Secretary to St. Caesarius. This bishop desired to obtain a confirmation of the
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September i.
forms of name, and more especially confined to Scotland or Wales, while owing to want of record it seems doubtful if they be not of Irish birth, as
undoubtedly they were of Irish parentage or descent. In the present instance, ho—wever, it seems allowable to enter an exception, in—the case of
British Islands as St. Giles
St. iEgidius better known in the because he
is not only specially commemorated in our national Calendars, but because he was likewise specially venerated in Ireland, as in other countries on the ContinentofEurope. Thelifeandactionsofthepresentsainthavebeen greatly confused by an old writer of his Acts, and as there was an earlier abbot, bearing the same name, and who lived near the city of Aries in the sixth century, the memorials collected for his biography introduced matters
1
referable to both holy men.
Our St. ^Egidius is said to have flourished in the south of France,
according to some, at a time when St. Caesarius was bishop over the See of
Aries. 3 This, however, is a mistake, and he is not to be confounded with
/Egidius, an abbot near that city, and who had been sent to Rome with
Messianus,3 in 514, to Pope Symmachus. * The circumstances of time and
place are sufficient to disprove any such supposition. * The present St.
Giles, a Greek by birth, lived only in the seventh, and in the beginning of
6
the eighth, century.
The praises of St. Egidius have been sung by St. Fulbert of Chartres,
in an office, which he composed to honour that holy Abbot. ? Franciscus Haraeus,8 Petrus de Natalibus, and Florarius, have accounts of ^Egidius, taken chiefly from his ancient incorrect Acts, to which they have added errors of their own, according to the statement of Father John Stilting. An anonymous Life of this saint has been published in the " Acta Sanctorum "9 of the Bollandists. Again, at the present date, they have given another Life of this man in three
holy
Preface. " This latter Life has been edited by Father John Stilting. How- ever, besides the evident anachronism of confounding him with an Egidius,
chapters,
'
Article 1. — See Mabillon's "Annales Aries, show that an earlier /Egidius had
Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. iv. , been charged with such a mission.
privileges of the metropolitical church of Authoribus, et potissimum ex Rmo. D.
Aries, as a result of their embassy. See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol.
ix. , September i.
4 He ruled over the Church, from a. d.
Aloysio Lipomano et R. P. Laur. Sin io, brevi compendio summa fide collectae," p. 657.
9 See tomus i. , Junii, pp. 284 to 304.
10 anda Containing 25 paragraphs previous
commentary in six sections and 65 para- graphs. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris i. De Sanclo <Egidio Abbate in Fano S. ^Egidii Occitaniae, pp. 284 to 304.
11 This Preface is contained in four different copies of our saint's Acts, but in other copies it is omitted. However, from the words, " Sanctus igitur /Egidius," with which the Life opens, we may infer, that it belonged to the original composition.
498 to A. D. 514.
5 He lived at Aries but for a short
time, so that he probably knew little concerning the statutes of that church, or may not have been well versed in the Latin language, nor
as a stranger likely to have been selected as an envoy to Rome by St. Caesarius. More- over, his love of solitude, and the fact that as abbot afterwards, he was a resident of the diocese of Nimes, rather than that of
10 with notes and a appended
September i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
who lived contemporaneously with St. Caesarius, Bishop of Aries, there are
12
The Acts or notices of St. Egidius or St. Giles have been published by
J 1*
Andrew Sausay, 3 by Joannes Trithemius, by Mabillon/s by the Maurist
St. Egidius is supposed to have been of Greek origin, and born, about the year 640, of noble parents, who lived at Athens. 21 His father was named Theodore, and his mother was Pelagia. Distinguished for innocence and holiness of life from his early years, he well profited by the example and advice of pious parents. He at length resolved to leave his native country,
that he might more securely and religiously live in solitude. Already, he
had been placed under the charge of the most illustrious teachers of his
period and nation 22 while he soon manifested those great natural scintilla- ;
tions of intellect by the progress he made in humanities. However, he pre- ferred the study of sacred literature, and it served still more to foster in his soul the love of God, and to cause his estrangement from earthly ambition
and worldly pleasures.
When Egidius had attained the twenty-fourth year, his father first died,
andsoonafterwardshismother. Thepiousyoungmanwasmostsensibly afflicted at this double privation ; but he resolved to make account of it, by
reflecting on the transitory nature of all earthly things. Falling on his knees, he invoked the Supreme Consoler, and asked for light and grace to conduct him on the path to Heaven. Nor was he long left in ignorance of a course to take, for he had resolved on making generous sacrifices, which were destined to gain for him the eternal crown. His charity towards the poor was remarkable. One day, while going to the church to practise his cus- tomary devotions, he met a poor man who was ill and miserably clad. Asking alms from the pious young man, the latter took off his own outer garment, which was even necessary for the preservation of his health.
Soon, Egidius became distinguished for the gift of miracles. When leaving the church, on a certain occasion, seeing a person who had been bitten by a serpent, and whose wound was of a deadly nature, the interven- tion of our saint procured his recovery. Another time, while in the church,
a possessed man disturbed the congregation by his cries and howlings. However, Egidius expelled the demon from the body of that unhappy
i. , liv. v. , pp. 257, 258, and note lxv. , pp. 666, 667. A Paris, 1730 to 1745, fol.
other objections to its entire accuracy of statement.
16 in the " Histoire Generale de
by Rev. S. Baring-Gould,*' and by Les Petits Bollandistes. 20
Fathers,
1 ? Rev. Alban Butler,18 Languedoc, by
12 This
" lS"
appears
to have come under the
notice of Mabillon, with two other Lives,
and they are characterised by him as faulty.
See Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomusi. inCatalogoPrsetermissorum.
13 In his " Martyrologium Gallicanum,"
at the 1st of September.
14 See "De Viris Illustribus Ordinis S.
See Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and otherprincipalSaints,"vol. ix. ,Sept. i.
I9 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. ix. , September i. , pp. 8 to 10.
Benedicti," lib. it,- cap. xxii. , lib. iii. , cap. clxii.
20
jour 2I
"Les Vies des Saints," tome x. , premier
de Septembre, pp. 401 to 406.
The present account of our saint is drawnchieflyfromtheVitaauctoreanonymo, tomus i. , lib. iv. , sect, xxvii. , pp. 99, 100. as published by the Bollandists. The time when he lived has not been determined, but it is thought to have been written before the
ninth or tenth century.
15 See "Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti,"
Also, in the " Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S.
Benedicti," s<ec. iii. , in Prolegomena. 16 "
In Histoire Literaire de la France,"
tome iii. , pp. 243, 244.
7 Avec des Notes et les Pieces justifica-
tives, &c„ par. Fr. Claude de Vic, et Fr. Joseph Vaissete, c deux Religieux Benedic-
22
One of the Manuscript Codices of the
tines de la deS. Maur. Tome Congregation
Life of St. ^Egidius by the anonymous "
tratus ;" another reads,
author has Spiritus sancti gratia perlus-
"
prse scientiargratia
Marseilles,
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. September i.
creature. 23 His reputation for sanctity then spread abroad through his own country, and turned the regards of all its inhabitants towards him. This approval alarmed his humility, nor could he bear to remain longer in his native land. Having sold all his effects, and distributed the proceeds among the poor, he went on board a vessel bound for the Western parts of Europe. During that voyage, a great tempest arose, and to the terror of all on board, their ship was likely to be submerged, when Egidius prayed for deliverance from shipwreck. Immediately the storm was appeased. Then his fellow- passengers were profuse in their protestations of gratitude, and rendered him unbounded thanks for their deliverance. Yet, fearful of having his praises further proclaimed, Egidius asked to be disembarked on the first island, where they might anchor, nor could his request be refused.
2
Having landed on its shores, * one of the first objects noticed was the
track of a man's feet in the sand. Resolving to pursue this track farther, the print of footsteps led him to a small grotto. This was hidden among a thick jungle of thorns, and in a very lonely place. There he found a vener- able old man, who for twelve years passed a solitary life in that wilderness, where he lived only on herbs and roots. Casting himself at the hermit's feet, Egidius besought his benediction. For three days he remained there, united in prayer and fasting with the recluse. The youthful pilgrim thought he had then discovered a spot conformable to the design he had entertained of separating himself entirely from the world.
As the island was not remote from his native 2* the idea ot very country,
Egidius was, that his retreat might be discovered by some of the surviving members of his family, who would be likely to press for his return. Accordingly, he again sought a vessel, which might bear him away to a more distant country.
After a voyage, which lasted for some days, he arrived at the port of
26
anciently called Massilia, a city situated at the mouths of the River Rhone. It is at present the most important seaport in France, with a large and constantly increasing population. It is also a city of great
2? to French 28 a from antiquity. According historians, colony Phoccea,
on the Ionian coast, had settled at a very early period in the southland the founda- tion of Marseilles by the Phocceans 3° dates back to the Forty-fifth
perlustrans ; while the text published
" by
ilandists runs: Pnedictus vero
iEpdius xvo tener ad liberalia rudimenta
dispositus. doctoressumniosSpiritusscientioe perlustratus brevi aequiparavit. " fr'atihaer Stilting had six different copies of
2? Herodotus is the earliest that historian,
gives an account of its settlement by the
Greeks.
a8 "
See L. P. Anquetil's Histoire de
France," sect, ii. , p. 4.
«9 Rather than submit to Cyrus, King of
that Life to collate, and these contained Persia, the Phocoeans left their native
various verbal
'i See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des children, and sought for liberty on the
changes. country, Asia Minor, with their wives and Saints, tome x. , premier jour de Septem- barbarous coasts of Gaul. To this emigra-
te, Saint Gilles, &c, p. 401.
3*
According to Father Stilting, this mail have happened ftboot a. d. 665 or 666.
b\y one of that group of
tion allusion is made Horace by
:
TM known as the Is,
Cyclades,
in the
« Phocceorum Velut profuget execrata civitas,
Agros atque lares patrios, habitandaque rura
Apris reliquit et rapacibus lupis
Ire pedes quocunque ferent, quocun-
que per undas
Notus vocabit, aut protervus Africus. "
*> Herodotus gives an account of their
spirit of freedom, and of their prowess in
Grlci A'cMpe! -
lne accompanying engraving of the
former old Port of Marseilles, copied from
an approved engraving, and represent- ing its present state, has been transferred to the wood and engraved by Mr. Gregor °rey'
1
navigation, in his history, book
i.
:
September i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
3
Olympiad,31 or the year 599, before the birth of Christ. 3
their descendants had been there, and had received through their ancestors the Grecian learning and culture,33 which survived to the time when Egidius
Old Port of Marseilles, France,
landed on the Gaulish coast. The distinction of Marseilles 34 was maintained during the time of the Roman Republic,35 and it was continued during the
middle ages, as head of an independent State. 36
At first, Egidius chose a place for retreat, near the mouth of the Rhone. 3?
There he made every effort possible to conceal his spiritual gifts, but it was the Almighty's design, that the virtues of his servant should be discovered. Thence as a pilgrim begging his way, Egidius proceeded to Aries,38 then the
31
According to the historian, Solinus. In the first instance the Phocceans took refuge in the Island of Cymus—so called by Pliny, lib. hi. , 12.
ruin of Phoccea took place about twenty years before the foundation of Marseilles.
Csesar records, that he preserved it, "magis pro nomine et vetustate quam pro mentis in se. "
36 She elected her own and magistrates,
formed alliances with other states. Alone
she furnished all the galleys required by St.
—now Corsica. the However,
32 The settlers were
by the inhabitants in that part of Gaul, while
their colony soon increased and prospered. Saint Louis," &c, par M. Natalis de They became great proficients in commerce Wailly, Membre de PInstitut, chap, xxvii. , and navigation. xxviii. , pp. 68 to 71. Paris, seconde
33 In his oration for Flaccus, Cicero edition, 1874, Imp. 8vo.
declares that Greece alone could compete 3? Fr. Claude de Vic and Fr.
