^ The third part, he
allotted
to his sleep, having for his bed a bare stone, with another stone serving for a pillow.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
Mcccxcvii.
" Edited by Rev.
William Reeves, D.
U.
, n.
(o), pp.
16, 17.
** See Edmund L. Swift's " Life and
Acts of St. Patrick," &c. , chap, cliv. , pp. 207, 208.
*9 It is called the betechan, and it is said to have been a little iron bell, which was afterwards kept in the Ernaidhe of Dicuill.
>° In the Irish language, it is called bethe.
'' In the Fourth Life, chap. Ixxiv. , p. 44, in the Sixth Life, cap. cxix. , p. 92, and in the Seventh Life, lib. iii. , cap. xiii. , p. 151, a somewhat similar miracle, but a distinct one from the present, is recorded, in which men are said to have been turned into stones. The present miracle seems, how- ever, to have been more obscurely related.
73. P- 34-
9^ So is the name written, in the Irish
See Lewis'
Tripartite Life. There is a townland called Gorteens, in the parish of Donaghmoyne, in
Farney Barony, county of Monaghan. This is likely enough to have been the site for
this ancient monastery'.
93 According to the Latin Tripartite Life. 9^ The " Annals of the Four Masters "
record the death of Flann Feabhla, abbot
of Gort Conaigh, in Mughdhorn-Maighen, at A. D. 735. See Dr. O'Dono van's edition,
vol. i. , pp. 336, 337, and n. (c. )
95 See Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ix. , p.
46, and nn. 73, 74, p. 50. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxl. , p. 96, cap. cliv. , p. 99,
and n. 148, p. 115. Also, Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xciv. , xcv. , p. 166, and n. 119, p. 188. Also, Miss Cusack's " Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 491 to 495, with the accompanying notes.
9* The words of St. Bernard, in his Vita
S. Malachise, cap. vii. , and relating to
Armagh, are "in qua et vivus praefuit. " These cannot be understood of St. Patrick having merely founded thr. t See.
97 The various Lives of our saint relate,
that he then formed a permanent residen. -e, and that he ruled there for a considerable period. Archdeacon Cotton, in his " Fasti EcclesiajHibernicae," states, that he resigned this . See, either as coadjutor or as absolute Archbishop to Benignus, in 455. See vol. iii. , p. 4.
9^ Thus, from some passages, in the—metri-
in the Third Life, cap. Ixxvi. , p. 27, where " S. Patricius de uno lapide fecit massam
molissimam, quae de papula (recte paputo) lacte copulari solet," &c. By the word
food, prepared for infants. See ibid. , n.
cal Acts of St. Senan of Iniscathy
rated at the 8th of March—
it was
vene- supposed
No, but they shall
A
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 747
thought, that other bishops were there, even during his life-time. s* It is said, that he resigned the government of the See,99 to St. Benignus, before his own death. '°° This conjecture may have arisen, from what is stated, that the See having been presumably estabHshed, about a. d. 457, and that
'°^
the death of Benignus took place ten years later.
probable, that Benignus governed that See for ten years ;'°* his accession taking place, it has been thought, at a. d. 458. Hence, it was concluded, that St. Patrick gave up Armagh, when established, to Benignus. '°3 Constantly is the latter called his successor, not merely in that See, but, in the primacy over Ireland. In such a manner is this recorded, as plainly to indicate, that he came next to St. Patrick, after the illustrious Primate's death. '°+ Even, the Tripartite Life'°5 alludes to Benignus, as rather a young man, and as still a disciple, when St. Patrick presided over Armagh.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE IRISH apostle's MISSIONARY LABOURS, HABITS, AND DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES— THE COUNCILS AND SYNODS OF ST. PATRICK—VARIOUS MIRACLES WROUGHT BY THE HOLY MAN—HIS CONSECRATIONS AND ORDINATIONS—ENUMERATION OF HIS OFFI- CIALS AND DISCIPLES.
The venerable Patrick had a grateful recollection of the place, with which his early missionary labours had been connected, in Ulster ; and, there he sought a home and rest, but only for heavenly contemplation. Between Armagh and Sabhul, or Saul, his favourite retreat, the great Apostle passed his declining years ; although, some intervals of this time may have been employed, in short episcopal visitations. He had provided bishops for other Sees, and he had probably settled, at least, in many instances, their respec-
tive bounds and jurisdictions. According to Jocelyn, having laid the founda- tion of the church, he establishetl a regular institute. A Life of Ciaran of Cluain' states, that the order of Patrick was one of the eight orders which are in Erinn. Our Apostle lived under a sanctified rule, during the years, which remained to him, leading a life of contemplation. '* It is said, he
that our holy Apostle prophesied he should become a successor at Armagh. Sir James Ware rejects the latter conclusion. See his work, " De Prsesulibus Hiberniae Commen- tarius," &c. , pp. •2, 3.
99 According to P. Pius Bonifacius Gams,
this resignation of St. Patrick took place,
"
A. D. 455. See Series Episcoporum Ec-
clesise Catholicae quotquot innotuerunt a Beato Petro Apostolo,'' p. 2o5.
or as some have it, at Ferlingmere, in Eng- land, on a gth of November. See Sir James Ware, " De Prassulibus Hiberiiiae Commen- tarius," &C. , pp. 2, 3.
'°°
James Stuart places this supposed re-
which Tirechan's catalogue allows for Sen-
Patrick, or rather for the real St. Patrick ?
asks Dr. Lanigan.
'°''
Benigiuis is never mentioned, in our old documents, as an administrator of Armagh, but as a successor there to St.
signation of the bishopric of Armagh, in
Patrick. See Rev, Dr. Lanigan's
"
Eccle-
favour of St. Binen, so early as A. D. 454. siastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap.
See
"
Historical Memoirs of the City of
vii. , sect, ii. , and nn. 8 to 11, pp. 323, 325, 326.
"5 See Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. ,
Ixxii. , — cap. pp. 162, 163,
Chapter xxiv.
quoted in the O'Clery's Calendar,
Armagh," chap. i. , p. 84.
»°' The "Annals of the Four Masters"
the foundation of at the place Armagh, year
457. See O'Doiiovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 142, 143. Then they assign the death of Benignus, to A. D. 467. See ibid. , pp. 146, 147.
"' It is stated, that he abdicated this function, A. D. 465, and that three years, afterwards, he departed this life, at Armagh,
•
:
t)A tei^ Pac^aicc combebd, bA \«! o iri- '0<x]\bA cloeni,
However, it seems im-
'°3 What then becomes of the ten
years,
Chapter Thismanneroflife is likewis—eattested,
^
in a stanza of St. Fiech's Hymn
xlvii. is
748 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
chiefly dwelt in Saball, or in the monastery, which he had founded at
Armagh. NordidourgreatApostlewillinglyleavethoseholyplaces,unless some cause of inevitable urgency called him forth ; nevertheless, once in
every year he celebrated a council, that he might bring back to the right ruleandobservancethosematters,whichheknewtoneedreformation. No like work to his was ever done. The Apostles planted churches, on the wayside, over which the world's traffic passed and crushed out their existence. The labours of the Saint of Ireland were answered by a perennial harvest,^ so that, in reality, our island well deserved, in future times, to be called the Island of Saints. ^
The course which the saint held in his devotion, as it was most admira- ble, so did he continue it daily, without any intermission. Every day was he wont to recite devoutly the whole Psalter, with Canticles, Hymns and St. John's Revelation ;5 besides these, he offered two hundred other prayers. Three hundred times in the day, with genuflections, did he prostrate himself in prayer and adoration, before God ; and, in singing the canonical hours, he was accustomed to bless himself a hundred times, with a sign of the Cross. Moreover, it was his custom every day to celebrate Mass, with great devotion and reverence ; neither did he omit to preach constantly to the people, nor to teach his disciples. The night-time, which he divided into threeparts,wasspentinamostholyandausteremanner. Thefirstpartof it he employed, in reciting twice fifty Psalms, and in making two hundred genuflections ; the second part, he passed immersed in cold water, his heart,
eyes and hands being directed towards Heaven, while saying the third quin- quagenary of Psalms, with other prayers.
^ The third part, he allotted to his sleep, having for his bed a bare stone, with another stone serving for a pillow. 7 He scarcely allowed himself any rest, and he preferred, for the sake of mortification, such an uncomfortable posture. His loins were girt with a
1]-et) cuA)\5<Mb A eiiA yv>&. \ -oe ]'ediC]\eb4k "ooine.
It is thus Englished : —
" Patrick walked in piety till his death : he
was powerful in the extirpation of sin : He raised his hands in blessing upon the
He preached, baptized, and prayed ; from the praise ol God he ceased not. "
* The Latin Tripartite Life has a fourth division of these holy nocturnal exercises ; however, the variation of statement does not materially alter the account, as given by
Jocelyn.
"> This is recorded, too, in —the Sixteenth
Stiope of St. Fiech's Hymn
foAit) -^o-^ leicc luiin iA]\tini, ocu]' cuilche
tribes of men. "
3 The Rev. A. O'Conor's " Irish People," book i.
< On this
a small work, intituled, "Insula Sanclo- rum, the Island of Saints ; a Title applied exclusively to Ireland. Proved by Histori- cal Evidence from the Ninth Century to the present. " London, 1872, i2mo.
:
Ida coi^vche aj\1'0AT)A|\c, ni leicc & choyvp hi ciirimi,
—
*'
Hymns, and the Apocalypse, and the thrice fiity (Psalms) he was wont to
subject,
the reader is referred to
fbuch
imbi,
History
of the
— He
5 The Thirteenth Strope of St. Fiech's slept on a bare stone then, and a wet
Hymnis :
Innnuin ocuf <Vbcolip)', 11 a cy\i coicac noj' CAriAT),
p^ixjchAtj bAicfet) Aixniget), -oe molA-o "Oe ni AnAt),
It is thus Englished ;—
sackcloth around him Abarerockwashispillow; heallowed
not his body to be in warmth. "
In Fiech's Hymn we find this stanza :—
ni conjebex) WAchc pni 'oo feiff Ai)\-oche
hi Immb,
•Fo|\ mm conj-eriA A ^Mge, piMTJcliAiff f^Aixje ininib.
sing,
The following is an English translation ;—
The following is its English translation "
:
*
:
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 749
rough and coarse hair-cloth, steeped in cold water, to keep his body in due subjection, lest it should rebel against the spirit. ^ His fasts were frequent and long continued, while he lived on the coarsest food, and offered himself,
as a living holocaust, to the Almighty. Moreover, he remained, from Shrove- tide until Easter without food. 9
We are notified, that until the fifty-fifth year of his age, after the apostolic manner, St. Patrick was accustomed to travel on foot ; afterwards, however,
according to the usage of the country, and owing to the fatigues of his journeyings, he was obliged to make use of a chariot. The glorious bishop, overhisotherattire,woreawhiterobeorhood. Thus,herepresented,by theformandcolourofhisgarment,thepurityofhisinwardthoughts. '" He
would accept of no gifts or presents, esteeming it happier to give than to re- ceive. If, sometimes, rich men bestowed presents upon him, he would with-
out delay give them to the poor, easing himself from all earthly goods, as from a heavy burthen. In his countenance, in his aspect, in his conversation, in his gait, even in the motion of his body, and in his general deportment,
the beholders might learn lessons of edification, his speech being tempered
withsweetness,andseasonedwiththesaltofdiscretion. Heaccommodated
himself to all classes of people, and on all occasions. He is said to have
been versed in four languages, the English, Irish, French and Latin. A
writer of his Acts maintains, that he attained to good insight in the Greek. ''
Whatsoever he foretold came to happen, witliout any ambiguity. He is said
to have prophesied, regarding the Saints of Ireland, and especially regarding all the Saints of Munster and Connaught, that were to be born within the
compass of one hundred years, and so clearly, that he mentioned their names,actsandtheplacesoftheirhabitation. Whengivinghisbenediction, he extended his right hand ; and, in fulminating his malediction, he stretched out his left hand. Those whom he blessed, God's blessing alighted upon them, and those whom he denounced, God's malediction came upon them. When any difficult or obscure questions were put unto him, he was wont,
through profound humility, to answer, " I know not, God knows. " And though in all virtues he equalled, or rather surpassed, other saints ; yet, in humility did he far surpass himself. Hence, it came to pass, that in his letters he styled himself, the greatest sinner, the least and most despicable amongmen. Settingasidelittletohisownmerits,inthesignshewrought, hedeemedhimselfunworthytobecomparedwithanyperfectman. '^ He
"
He was exercised in manual works, like St. Paul. He tilled the ground, and
called himself homuncio, or
the little man," because he was small of stature.
" The cold of the weather deterred him not from passing the night in ponds :
By Heaven his kingdom was protected : he preached by day on the hills. "
From Shrovetide till Easter [to be] witli- out food,
No penance was greater than his pen- ances. "
5 '° According to the O'CIeiy's Calendar,
Following St. Patrick's example, the
this is stated in his own Life, and Cuimin of Coinderc proves it in that poem, the be-
Irish monks, in after time, were clothed in
white woollen garments.
ginning
:
of which thus commences
"
— See
"
Life of the Glorious St. Bishop
C4^\Aif pAC^AAic piii]\c niACA ttlAC CAlpui]\n ^A hAjTO ^iA§Ail, O init) 50 CAifg 5An dia'd
Ho6a^ mo piAn 'da piAnAibh,
The translation is : — following given
Patrick, Apostle and Primate of Ireland.
Together with the Lives of the Holy Virgin
S. Bridgit and of the Glorious Abbot Sauit Columbe, Patrons of Ireland. "
" Father Stephen White accuses Giraldus Cambrensis with having landed St. Patrick alone, although many Irish Saints were also deserving of notice. See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. ii. , pp. 14, 15.
'^ The Calendar states, that O'Clery's
"
Patrick of the fort of Macha loved,
Son of of Calpunl
high rule,
^5^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
employed himself occasionally in fishing ; but, especially in the building of churches/3 in the teaching of his disciples and the people, and in the admi-
nistrationofSacraments,washebusilyengaged. Hedailywroughtsomany and such great miracles, that he appeared second to no other saint. The
blind, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, the palsied, the lunatic, the leprous, the epileptic—all who laboured under any disease—did he, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, restore to the power of their limbs, and to entire health. He even raised the dead to life. ''^ It was he, moreover, that brought the people of Erinn, both men and women, from the darkness of sin, and vices, and paganism, to the light of faith, and piety, and knowledge of the Lord's These great labours of our saint should appear to be incredible, adds one of the authors of his Acts, did we not reflect, that they received the ample re- wards of Divine Grace ; yet, the weight of human testimony is so great, that human understanding must yield to the evidence available.
Having accomplished the foundation of his church at Armagh, St. Patrick is supposed to have next directed his attention, to the celebration of solemn Councils at times convenient, and in which he reformed anything he found to be prejudicial to the Christian Religion, or contrary to the Church canons. '^ He applied to the framing of decrees, for the good government of the whole Irish Church, for the direction of sound doctrine and good morals,accordingtojusticeandecclesiasticalinstitutes. Therecordsoftwo Synods, he is said to have held, are still preserved. One of these is known
He merited to be the reviver of three-and- thirty dead persons. See Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxvi. , p. 28. Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxix. , p. 59. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clxxxiii. , clxxxiv. , clxxxv. , clxxxvi. , pp. 105, 106. Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxii. , p. 139, lib. iii. , cap. xcvi. , xcvii. , xcix. , pp. 166, 167.
'5 So do we read, in the " Martyrology of
Donegal ;" and, in the Hymn ol St. Fiach, in the ad—ditional tradition of the ancient
Irish
PAC|\A1C jD^M'OchAI]' t)0 ^OOCAlb, ^O chdf mo^ I'ech iLlecnu ;
1mmi concifrAC •00 by\Ach iri CAch 'OOf puc -oo bechu.
note :
ceremonyofwritingtheGreekandRoman ThefollowingistheEnglishtranslation:—
alphabets, on th—e floor of a newly conse-
of Done- " Patrick to the Scoti he en- preached :
three hundred alphabets he wrote, and three hundred churches he erected, as these lines prove : —
C^M c^ Aib5ici|\ ^o fj^iobh, l)A bit bic A lAtri
C|M cet) ceAlL cAoin con^occAib, Uof coccAib '06 Ia]a,
The following is the English translation :—
"Threehundredalphabetshewrote, Beautiful was the touch of his hand Three hundred beautiful churches he
founded,
He raised them from the ground. "
At the word Alphabets, Dr. Todd says, in a
''
:
This may, perhaps, allude to the
crated church. " "
Martyrology gal," pp. 78, 79, and n. 2.
dured great toil in Letha :
With him will come to judgment every
't These miracles of St. Patrick are thus
alluded —in the to,
Hymn
of St.
Fiach,
at
one whom he faith. "
brought
to the life of
stanza 17
:
p^njchAt) fofetATj ire]\CA itlechu,
00
CAch,
no
51116 in6]\
'* We are that he drafted and estab- told,
lished suchconstitutions, as were conformable to those holy canons, and formed them, for
IccAit) bufcu La c|\ufcu, niAiyvb 'oof fui|"- CAX> 00 bechu.
These—lines are thus rendered, in Eng-
the advancement of
religion, piety,
and a
lish
:
" He preached the Gospel to all : wrought great miracles in Letha ;
He healed the lame and the lepers : dead he restored to life. "
of the Gloriovs St. Bishop
;
he the
'7 See VVilkins' " Concilia," tomus i. , p. ''
good life. See Joceiyn's Life of St.
Patrick, cap. clxviii. , p. 102. Also "Life
Patricke, Apos- tle and Primate of Ireland," &c.
4. There, it is quoted, as being ex Ande- gavensi Bibliotheca ;" also, Spelman's "Concilia," tomus i. , p. 52. There, we
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. n^
as the Synod of St. Patrick. '^ In it are some canons, which some think to have been enacted, at a later period, and which probably had been drawn, from those of distant countries. Another of these Synods is that known, as the Synod of Bishops, i. e. , of Patrick, Auxilius and Isserninus. '^ In the main, among its canons, little can be discovered to demonstrate any doubt,'9 about its having been held, by those bishops named, and in Ireland. ^" We also meet with " Canones S. Patricio ^^ Their throws much
adscripti. " study
light, on the history and antiquities of Ireland's primitive Church, although questions have been raised, regarding their authenticity. Having placed the foundation of Armagh, at a. d. 445,^^ Archbishop Ussher relegates the Synod there, to a. d. 448. ^3 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan refers this Synod, to about 456,
while Saints Isserninus and Auxilius^* were yet living. In the order of events, it is natural to suppose, the latter convention followed St. Patrick's
settlement at Armagh. Very ingenious, and indeed very reasonable, conjec- tures have been advanced, by Dr. Lanigan, to show why the names of various other bishops, then resident in Ireland, had not been affixed to those Synodal decrees, as well as the names of AuxiHus and Isserninus. In the canons, we find sufficient evidence of a well-ordered and extensive church organization then in Ireland. Bishops, priests and deacons, clergy in minor orders,abbots,monksandnuns,arementioned. ^^ Bishopsareailudedto,
""
find it entitled, Synodus alia S. Patricii, valuable collection, Anecdotum Thesau-
cujus annus liaud liquet. " Father Joachim rus," tomus iv. , have extracted their inser- ""
Laurence Villanuev^, in his work, Sancti Patricii Ibernorum Apostoli, Synodi,
Canones, Opuscula," &c. , has published the text of this Synod, and he has added to it very learned commentaries. See pp. 103 to 142.
'^ Among its decrees, we find the follow-
ing penitential
has committed murder, or fornication, or gone to a soothsayer, after the manner of the Gentiles, for every such crime shall do a
year of penance : when his year of penance is accomplished, he sliall come with wit- nesses, and afterwards he shall be absolved by the priest," The full text of this Synod, with lengthened and researchful commenta- ries, will be found, in Father Joachimo
tions, ex MS. Bibl. Bigotianae. " These interesting collections have been reprinted, by
Abbe Migne. See, also. Father Joachim Laurence Villanueva's edition, with learned
"
Hardy's Descriptive logue of Materials relating to the ilistory of
Laureiitio Villaneuva's
"
Sancti Patricii,
canon: "A Christian who
scholia, in his work,
norum Apostoli, Synodi, Canones, Opus- cula," &c. , pp. 143 to 175. Also, Sir Thomas Duffus " Cata-
Ibenoriim Apostoli, Synodi, Canones,
Opuscula," &c. , pp. I to 102.
'9 The critical Tillemont could find no
reason, for suspecting the genuineness of the canons of this Synod, except in two or three of them. See his " Memoirs pour servir a I'Histoire Ecclesiastique," tome xvi. , p. 786.
142, 143.
^3 Harris has followed the same computa-
^* The death of Auxilius has generally been assigned to 454. See the Annals of Ulster,
"
in Ussher's
The Four Masters, and Ussher, as quoted by Colgan, in his "Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Patricii, nn. 39, 40, pp. 18, 19, place the death of Auxilius, at a. d. 454, while that of Isserninus is set down, at A. D. 469. If the former were the true date, we might calculate, that the Synod was held, immediately after the foundation of Armagh. Auxilius seems to have died, very soon after St. Patrick's erection of that See, and in the year 460, according to Rev. Dr.
printed, "ex MSS. Corbiensi and S. Germ. =s An old anonymous poem, on the duties Paris. " Marcene and Durand, in their of a priest, according to the Canons of St,
=° Thus. Spelman's " Concilia," torn, i. , p. "
i^rimordia," cap. xvii.
** See Edmund L. Swift's " Life and
Acts of St. Patrick," &c. , chap, cliv. , pp. 207, 208.
*9 It is called the betechan, and it is said to have been a little iron bell, which was afterwards kept in the Ernaidhe of Dicuill.
>° In the Irish language, it is called bethe.
'' In the Fourth Life, chap. Ixxiv. , p. 44, in the Sixth Life, cap. cxix. , p. 92, and in the Seventh Life, lib. iii. , cap. xiii. , p. 151, a somewhat similar miracle, but a distinct one from the present, is recorded, in which men are said to have been turned into stones. The present miracle seems, how- ever, to have been more obscurely related.
73. P- 34-
9^ So is the name written, in the Irish
See Lewis'
Tripartite Life. There is a townland called Gorteens, in the parish of Donaghmoyne, in
Farney Barony, county of Monaghan. This is likely enough to have been the site for
this ancient monastery'.
93 According to the Latin Tripartite Life. 9^ The " Annals of the Four Masters "
record the death of Flann Feabhla, abbot
of Gort Conaigh, in Mughdhorn-Maighen, at A. D. 735. See Dr. O'Dono van's edition,
vol. i. , pp. 336, 337, and n. (c. )
95 See Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ix. , p.
46, and nn. 73, 74, p. 50. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxl. , p. 96, cap. cliv. , p. 99,
and n. 148, p. 115. Also, Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xciv. , xcv. , p. 166, and n. 119, p. 188. Also, Miss Cusack's " Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 491 to 495, with the accompanying notes.
9* The words of St. Bernard, in his Vita
S. Malachise, cap. vii. , and relating to
Armagh, are "in qua et vivus praefuit. " These cannot be understood of St. Patrick having merely founded thr. t See.
97 The various Lives of our saint relate,
that he then formed a permanent residen. -e, and that he ruled there for a considerable period. Archdeacon Cotton, in his " Fasti EcclesiajHibernicae," states, that he resigned this . See, either as coadjutor or as absolute Archbishop to Benignus, in 455. See vol. iii. , p. 4.
9^ Thus, from some passages, in the—metri-
in the Third Life, cap. Ixxvi. , p. 27, where " S. Patricius de uno lapide fecit massam
molissimam, quae de papula (recte paputo) lacte copulari solet," &c. By the word
food, prepared for infants. See ibid. , n.
cal Acts of St. Senan of Iniscathy
rated at the 8th of March—
it was
vene- supposed
No, but they shall
A
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 747
thought, that other bishops were there, even during his life-time. s* It is said, that he resigned the government of the See,99 to St. Benignus, before his own death. '°° This conjecture may have arisen, from what is stated, that the See having been presumably estabHshed, about a. d. 457, and that
'°^
the death of Benignus took place ten years later.
probable, that Benignus governed that See for ten years ;'°* his accession taking place, it has been thought, at a. d. 458. Hence, it was concluded, that St. Patrick gave up Armagh, when established, to Benignus. '°3 Constantly is the latter called his successor, not merely in that See, but, in the primacy over Ireland. In such a manner is this recorded, as plainly to indicate, that he came next to St. Patrick, after the illustrious Primate's death. '°+ Even, the Tripartite Life'°5 alludes to Benignus, as rather a young man, and as still a disciple, when St. Patrick presided over Armagh.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE IRISH apostle's MISSIONARY LABOURS, HABITS, AND DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES— THE COUNCILS AND SYNODS OF ST. PATRICK—VARIOUS MIRACLES WROUGHT BY THE HOLY MAN—HIS CONSECRATIONS AND ORDINATIONS—ENUMERATION OF HIS OFFI- CIALS AND DISCIPLES.
The venerable Patrick had a grateful recollection of the place, with which his early missionary labours had been connected, in Ulster ; and, there he sought a home and rest, but only for heavenly contemplation. Between Armagh and Sabhul, or Saul, his favourite retreat, the great Apostle passed his declining years ; although, some intervals of this time may have been employed, in short episcopal visitations. He had provided bishops for other Sees, and he had probably settled, at least, in many instances, their respec-
tive bounds and jurisdictions. According to Jocelyn, having laid the founda- tion of the church, he establishetl a regular institute. A Life of Ciaran of Cluain' states, that the order of Patrick was one of the eight orders which are in Erinn. Our Apostle lived under a sanctified rule, during the years, which remained to him, leading a life of contemplation. '* It is said, he
that our holy Apostle prophesied he should become a successor at Armagh. Sir James Ware rejects the latter conclusion. See his work, " De Prsesulibus Hiberniae Commen- tarius," &c. , pp. •2, 3.
99 According to P. Pius Bonifacius Gams,
this resignation of St. Patrick took place,
"
A. D. 455. See Series Episcoporum Ec-
clesise Catholicae quotquot innotuerunt a Beato Petro Apostolo,'' p. 2o5.
or as some have it, at Ferlingmere, in Eng- land, on a gth of November. See Sir James Ware, " De Prassulibus Hiberiiiae Commen- tarius," &C. , pp. 2, 3.
'°°
James Stuart places this supposed re-
which Tirechan's catalogue allows for Sen-
Patrick, or rather for the real St. Patrick ?
asks Dr. Lanigan.
'°''
Benigiuis is never mentioned, in our old documents, as an administrator of Armagh, but as a successor there to St.
signation of the bishopric of Armagh, in
Patrick. See Rev, Dr. Lanigan's
"
Eccle-
favour of St. Binen, so early as A. D. 454. siastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap.
See
"
Historical Memoirs of the City of
vii. , sect, ii. , and nn. 8 to 11, pp. 323, 325, 326.
"5 See Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. ,
Ixxii. , — cap. pp. 162, 163,
Chapter xxiv.
quoted in the O'Clery's Calendar,
Armagh," chap. i. , p. 84.
»°' The "Annals of the Four Masters"
the foundation of at the place Armagh, year
457. See O'Doiiovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 142, 143. Then they assign the death of Benignus, to A. D. 467. See ibid. , pp. 146, 147.
"' It is stated, that he abdicated this function, A. D. 465, and that three years, afterwards, he departed this life, at Armagh,
•
:
t)A tei^ Pac^aicc combebd, bA \«! o iri- '0<x]\bA cloeni,
However, it seems im-
'°3 What then becomes of the ten
years,
Chapter Thismanneroflife is likewis—eattested,
^
in a stanza of St. Fiech's Hymn
xlvii. is
748 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
chiefly dwelt in Saball, or in the monastery, which he had founded at
Armagh. NordidourgreatApostlewillinglyleavethoseholyplaces,unless some cause of inevitable urgency called him forth ; nevertheless, once in
every year he celebrated a council, that he might bring back to the right ruleandobservancethosematters,whichheknewtoneedreformation. No like work to his was ever done. The Apostles planted churches, on the wayside, over which the world's traffic passed and crushed out their existence. The labours of the Saint of Ireland were answered by a perennial harvest,^ so that, in reality, our island well deserved, in future times, to be called the Island of Saints. ^
The course which the saint held in his devotion, as it was most admira- ble, so did he continue it daily, without any intermission. Every day was he wont to recite devoutly the whole Psalter, with Canticles, Hymns and St. John's Revelation ;5 besides these, he offered two hundred other prayers. Three hundred times in the day, with genuflections, did he prostrate himself in prayer and adoration, before God ; and, in singing the canonical hours, he was accustomed to bless himself a hundred times, with a sign of the Cross. Moreover, it was his custom every day to celebrate Mass, with great devotion and reverence ; neither did he omit to preach constantly to the people, nor to teach his disciples. The night-time, which he divided into threeparts,wasspentinamostholyandausteremanner. Thefirstpartof it he employed, in reciting twice fifty Psalms, and in making two hundred genuflections ; the second part, he passed immersed in cold water, his heart,
eyes and hands being directed towards Heaven, while saying the third quin- quagenary of Psalms, with other prayers.
^ The third part, he allotted to his sleep, having for his bed a bare stone, with another stone serving for a pillow. 7 He scarcely allowed himself any rest, and he preferred, for the sake of mortification, such an uncomfortable posture. His loins were girt with a
1]-et) cuA)\5<Mb A eiiA yv>&. \ -oe ]'ediC]\eb4k "ooine.
It is thus Englished : —
" Patrick walked in piety till his death : he
was powerful in the extirpation of sin : He raised his hands in blessing upon the
He preached, baptized, and prayed ; from the praise ol God he ceased not. "
* The Latin Tripartite Life has a fourth division of these holy nocturnal exercises ; however, the variation of statement does not materially alter the account, as given by
Jocelyn.
"> This is recorded, too, in —the Sixteenth
Stiope of St. Fiech's Hymn
foAit) -^o-^ leicc luiin iA]\tini, ocu]' cuilche
tribes of men. "
3 The Rev. A. O'Conor's " Irish People," book i.
< On this
a small work, intituled, "Insula Sanclo- rum, the Island of Saints ; a Title applied exclusively to Ireland. Proved by Histori- cal Evidence from the Ninth Century to the present. " London, 1872, i2mo.
:
Ida coi^vche aj\1'0AT)A|\c, ni leicc & choyvp hi ciirimi,
—
*'
Hymns, and the Apocalypse, and the thrice fiity (Psalms) he was wont to
subject,
the reader is referred to
fbuch
imbi,
History
of the
— He
5 The Thirteenth Strope of St. Fiech's slept on a bare stone then, and a wet
Hymnis :
Innnuin ocuf <Vbcolip)', 11 a cy\i coicac noj' CAriAT),
p^ixjchAtj bAicfet) Aixniget), -oe molA-o "Oe ni AnAt),
It is thus Englished ;—
sackcloth around him Abarerockwashispillow; heallowed
not his body to be in warmth. "
In Fiech's Hymn we find this stanza :—
ni conjebex) WAchc pni 'oo feiff Ai)\-oche
hi Immb,
•Fo|\ mm conj-eriA A ^Mge, piMTJcliAiff f^Aixje ininib.
sing,
The following is an English translation ;—
The following is its English translation "
:
*
:
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 749
rough and coarse hair-cloth, steeped in cold water, to keep his body in due subjection, lest it should rebel against the spirit. ^ His fasts were frequent and long continued, while he lived on the coarsest food, and offered himself,
as a living holocaust, to the Almighty. Moreover, he remained, from Shrove- tide until Easter without food. 9
We are notified, that until the fifty-fifth year of his age, after the apostolic manner, St. Patrick was accustomed to travel on foot ; afterwards, however,
according to the usage of the country, and owing to the fatigues of his journeyings, he was obliged to make use of a chariot. The glorious bishop, overhisotherattire,woreawhiterobeorhood. Thus,herepresented,by theformandcolourofhisgarment,thepurityofhisinwardthoughts. '" He
would accept of no gifts or presents, esteeming it happier to give than to re- ceive. If, sometimes, rich men bestowed presents upon him, he would with-
out delay give them to the poor, easing himself from all earthly goods, as from a heavy burthen. In his countenance, in his aspect, in his conversation, in his gait, even in the motion of his body, and in his general deportment,
the beholders might learn lessons of edification, his speech being tempered
withsweetness,andseasonedwiththesaltofdiscretion. Heaccommodated
himself to all classes of people, and on all occasions. He is said to have
been versed in four languages, the English, Irish, French and Latin. A
writer of his Acts maintains, that he attained to good insight in the Greek. ''
Whatsoever he foretold came to happen, witliout any ambiguity. He is said
to have prophesied, regarding the Saints of Ireland, and especially regarding all the Saints of Munster and Connaught, that were to be born within the
compass of one hundred years, and so clearly, that he mentioned their names,actsandtheplacesoftheirhabitation. Whengivinghisbenediction, he extended his right hand ; and, in fulminating his malediction, he stretched out his left hand. Those whom he blessed, God's blessing alighted upon them, and those whom he denounced, God's malediction came upon them. When any difficult or obscure questions were put unto him, he was wont,
through profound humility, to answer, " I know not, God knows. " And though in all virtues he equalled, or rather surpassed, other saints ; yet, in humility did he far surpass himself. Hence, it came to pass, that in his letters he styled himself, the greatest sinner, the least and most despicable amongmen. Settingasidelittletohisownmerits,inthesignshewrought, hedeemedhimselfunworthytobecomparedwithanyperfectman. '^ He
"
He was exercised in manual works, like St. Paul. He tilled the ground, and
called himself homuncio, or
the little man," because he was small of stature.
" The cold of the weather deterred him not from passing the night in ponds :
By Heaven his kingdom was protected : he preached by day on the hills. "
From Shrovetide till Easter [to be] witli- out food,
No penance was greater than his pen- ances. "
5 '° According to the O'CIeiy's Calendar,
Following St. Patrick's example, the
this is stated in his own Life, and Cuimin of Coinderc proves it in that poem, the be-
Irish monks, in after time, were clothed in
white woollen garments.
ginning
:
of which thus commences
"
— See
"
Life of the Glorious St. Bishop
C4^\Aif pAC^AAic piii]\c niACA ttlAC CAlpui]\n ^A hAjTO ^iA§Ail, O init) 50 CAifg 5An dia'd
Ho6a^ mo piAn 'da piAnAibh,
The translation is : — following given
Patrick, Apostle and Primate of Ireland.
Together with the Lives of the Holy Virgin
S. Bridgit and of the Glorious Abbot Sauit Columbe, Patrons of Ireland. "
" Father Stephen White accuses Giraldus Cambrensis with having landed St. Patrick alone, although many Irish Saints were also deserving of notice. See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. ii. , pp. 14, 15.
'^ The Calendar states, that O'Clery's
"
Patrick of the fort of Macha loved,
Son of of Calpunl
high rule,
^5^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
employed himself occasionally in fishing ; but, especially in the building of churches/3 in the teaching of his disciples and the people, and in the admi-
nistrationofSacraments,washebusilyengaged. Hedailywroughtsomany and such great miracles, that he appeared second to no other saint. The
blind, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, the palsied, the lunatic, the leprous, the epileptic—all who laboured under any disease—did he, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, restore to the power of their limbs, and to entire health. He even raised the dead to life. ''^ It was he, moreover, that brought the people of Erinn, both men and women, from the darkness of sin, and vices, and paganism, to the light of faith, and piety, and knowledge of the Lord's These great labours of our saint should appear to be incredible, adds one of the authors of his Acts, did we not reflect, that they received the ample re- wards of Divine Grace ; yet, the weight of human testimony is so great, that human understanding must yield to the evidence available.
Having accomplished the foundation of his church at Armagh, St. Patrick is supposed to have next directed his attention, to the celebration of solemn Councils at times convenient, and in which he reformed anything he found to be prejudicial to the Christian Religion, or contrary to the Church canons. '^ He applied to the framing of decrees, for the good government of the whole Irish Church, for the direction of sound doctrine and good morals,accordingtojusticeandecclesiasticalinstitutes. Therecordsoftwo Synods, he is said to have held, are still preserved. One of these is known
He merited to be the reviver of three-and- thirty dead persons. See Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxvi. , p. 28. Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxix. , p. 59. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clxxxiii. , clxxxiv. , clxxxv. , clxxxvi. , pp. 105, 106. Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxii. , p. 139, lib. iii. , cap. xcvi. , xcvii. , xcix. , pp. 166, 167.
'5 So do we read, in the " Martyrology of
Donegal ;" and, in the Hymn ol St. Fiach, in the ad—ditional tradition of the ancient
Irish
PAC|\A1C jD^M'OchAI]' t)0 ^OOCAlb, ^O chdf mo^ I'ech iLlecnu ;
1mmi concifrAC •00 by\Ach iri CAch 'OOf puc -oo bechu.
note :
ceremonyofwritingtheGreekandRoman ThefollowingistheEnglishtranslation:—
alphabets, on th—e floor of a newly conse-
of Done- " Patrick to the Scoti he en- preached :
three hundred alphabets he wrote, and three hundred churches he erected, as these lines prove : —
C^M c^ Aib5ici|\ ^o fj^iobh, l)A bit bic A lAtri
C|M cet) ceAlL cAoin con^occAib, Uof coccAib '06 Ia]a,
The following is the English translation :—
"Threehundredalphabetshewrote, Beautiful was the touch of his hand Three hundred beautiful churches he
founded,
He raised them from the ground. "
At the word Alphabets, Dr. Todd says, in a
''
:
This may, perhaps, allude to the
crated church. " "
Martyrology gal," pp. 78, 79, and n. 2.
dured great toil in Letha :
With him will come to judgment every
't These miracles of St. Patrick are thus
alluded —in the to,
Hymn
of St.
Fiach,
at
one whom he faith. "
brought
to the life of
stanza 17
:
p^njchAt) fofetATj ire]\CA itlechu,
00
CAch,
no
51116 in6]\
'* We are that he drafted and estab- told,
lished suchconstitutions, as were conformable to those holy canons, and formed them, for
IccAit) bufcu La c|\ufcu, niAiyvb 'oof fui|"- CAX> 00 bechu.
These—lines are thus rendered, in Eng-
the advancement of
religion, piety,
and a
lish
:
" He preached the Gospel to all : wrought great miracles in Letha ;
He healed the lame and the lepers : dead he restored to life. "
of the Gloriovs St. Bishop
;
he the
'7 See VVilkins' " Concilia," tomus i. , p. ''
good life. See Joceiyn's Life of St.
Patrick, cap. clxviii. , p. 102. Also "Life
Patricke, Apos- tle and Primate of Ireland," &c.
4. There, it is quoted, as being ex Ande- gavensi Bibliotheca ;" also, Spelman's "Concilia," tomus i. , p. 52. There, we
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. n^
as the Synod of St. Patrick. '^ In it are some canons, which some think to have been enacted, at a later period, and which probably had been drawn, from those of distant countries. Another of these Synods is that known, as the Synod of Bishops, i. e. , of Patrick, Auxilius and Isserninus. '^ In the main, among its canons, little can be discovered to demonstrate any doubt,'9 about its having been held, by those bishops named, and in Ireland. ^" We also meet with " Canones S. Patricio ^^ Their throws much
adscripti. " study
light, on the history and antiquities of Ireland's primitive Church, although questions have been raised, regarding their authenticity. Having placed the foundation of Armagh, at a. d. 445,^^ Archbishop Ussher relegates the Synod there, to a. d. 448. ^3 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan refers this Synod, to about 456,
while Saints Isserninus and Auxilius^* were yet living. In the order of events, it is natural to suppose, the latter convention followed St. Patrick's
settlement at Armagh. Very ingenious, and indeed very reasonable, conjec- tures have been advanced, by Dr. Lanigan, to show why the names of various other bishops, then resident in Ireland, had not been affixed to those Synodal decrees, as well as the names of AuxiHus and Isserninus. In the canons, we find sufficient evidence of a well-ordered and extensive church organization then in Ireland. Bishops, priests and deacons, clergy in minor orders,abbots,monksandnuns,arementioned. ^^ Bishopsareailudedto,
""
find it entitled, Synodus alia S. Patricii, valuable collection, Anecdotum Thesau-
cujus annus liaud liquet. " Father Joachim rus," tomus iv. , have extracted their inser- ""
Laurence Villanuev^, in his work, Sancti Patricii Ibernorum Apostoli, Synodi,
Canones, Opuscula," &c. , has published the text of this Synod, and he has added to it very learned commentaries. See pp. 103 to 142.
'^ Among its decrees, we find the follow-
ing penitential
has committed murder, or fornication, or gone to a soothsayer, after the manner of the Gentiles, for every such crime shall do a
year of penance : when his year of penance is accomplished, he sliall come with wit- nesses, and afterwards he shall be absolved by the priest," The full text of this Synod, with lengthened and researchful commenta- ries, will be found, in Father Joachimo
tions, ex MS. Bibl. Bigotianae. " These interesting collections have been reprinted, by
Abbe Migne. See, also. Father Joachim Laurence Villanueva's edition, with learned
"
Hardy's Descriptive logue of Materials relating to the ilistory of
Laureiitio Villaneuva's
"
Sancti Patricii,
canon: "A Christian who
scholia, in his work,
norum Apostoli, Synodi, Canones, Opus- cula," &c. , pp. 143 to 175. Also, Sir Thomas Duffus " Cata-
Ibenoriim Apostoli, Synodi, Canones,
Opuscula," &c. , pp. I to 102.
'9 The critical Tillemont could find no
reason, for suspecting the genuineness of the canons of this Synod, except in two or three of them. See his " Memoirs pour servir a I'Histoire Ecclesiastique," tome xvi. , p. 786.
142, 143.
^3 Harris has followed the same computa-
^* The death of Auxilius has generally been assigned to 454. See the Annals of Ulster,
"
in Ussher's
The Four Masters, and Ussher, as quoted by Colgan, in his "Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Patricii, nn. 39, 40, pp. 18, 19, place the death of Auxilius, at a. d. 454, while that of Isserninus is set down, at A. D. 469. If the former were the true date, we might calculate, that the Synod was held, immediately after the foundation of Armagh. Auxilius seems to have died, very soon after St. Patrick's erection of that See, and in the year 460, according to Rev. Dr.
printed, "ex MSS. Corbiensi and S. Germ. =s An old anonymous poem, on the duties Paris. " Marcene and Durand, in their of a priest, according to the Canons of St,
=° Thus. Spelman's " Concilia," torn, i. , p. "
i^rimordia," cap. xvii.
