Columbse, by Adamnan, in Marsh's Library, Dublin ; and, it is given with those twenty-six other Lives
of Irish Saints, contained in a vellum folio Manuscript.
of Irish Saints, contained in a vellum folio Manuscript.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
James Henthorn Todd's teAbharv 1muin.
The " Book of Hymns of the Ancient Church of Ireland," Fasciculus ii.
, sect, viii.
, pp.
165, 166.
20 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 328, 329.
And saints, in thousands, at the hour
when soul and body part at length ; May Holy Gabriel and Blessed Raphael pray for me in time of
need,
And may the angels and archangels
ever for me intercede
May the King of Kings' eternal halls
be op'ed to me when death has
riven vol.
The thread of life, that I, with Christ, may ever share the joys of heaven. Glory ever be to God, and to the
Father, and the Son,
And likewise to the Holy Ghost, the
148, 149. — Article vi.
«
Edited
Rev.
Dr.
three divines in council one. "
Kelly, p. xxvi.
2 See "Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. f part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xciii.
3 See ibid. , p. xcix.
V. May Holy Michael, the most worthy
;
"
23 See Very Rev. James O'Laverty's Historical Account of the Diocese of
send us.
"Rushes, April 12, 1871. "
Oggygia.
21
His festival is ascribed to the loth of
September.
22 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix A, sect, iii. , pp. 151, 152.
Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern,"
16.
24 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
ii. , p.
entry
of 2* of Donegal,
by
254 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
of this saint was commemorated, as we find from the Kalendar of Drum-
6
mond, at the 8th of June.
Article VII. —Reputed Festival of St. Disibod, Bishop, Belgium. In the city of Mentz, Germany, St. Disibod, Bishop, was venerated, accord- ing to the English Martyrology of John Wilson, as also according to Demp-
ster, Wion, Dorgan, Menard and Saussay, in his Gallic Martyrology. The 1
Bollandists have an entry, to the foregoing effect, at this date, but they refer
to the 8th of July for his Acts. It seems pretty evident, that a mistake has
been committed, in substituting June here for July. At the 8th of June,
Thomas has entered in his " Dempster
2 the feast of St. Dysibod,BishopinBelgium. 3 Atthe8thofJuly,moreshallbefound
concerning him.
Article VIII. —St. Cormac h. Liathain. At this date, the Martyr-
of x a festival in honour of Cormac h. Liathain. His ology Tallagh registers
referable to the 21st of 2 Particulars June.
commemoration is more
regarding him will be found at that day.
Weare the told, by
148, 149.
5 Dr. Todd
Aeneae Martyrol,' meaning probably that the Feilire of /Engus (and it might have been added the Mart. Taml. also) calls him simply Medran,notMedranmacUaMaichten. "
'
It notices, that in Ireland, the Natalis of
mitted saints, p. 53.
2 The French called it by this name, and
the Germans have it Hessen. It was a por- vince in Germany, in the circle of the Rhine. See Bavdrand's " Novum Lexicon Geogra- phicum," tomusi. , p. 340.
3 At this date,—their Acts may be found,
Article x. « See " Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Junii viii. Among the preter- mitted saints, p. 52.
2 See " Historian Catholicae Iberniae Com- pendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
in a note
:
" The more
xxvi.
says
recent hand notes here, Medranus juxta S.
Kelly, p.
the holy Confessors Medrain and Murchon,
was celebrated, at this date. See Bishop
Forbes'
"
Kalendarsof Scottish Saints," p.
15. See, also, p. —382. •
Article vii. See "Acta Sancto-
rum," tomus ii. , Junii viii. Among the pre-
termitted
a
saints, p. 52.
Thus : "In Belgio Dysibodi episcopi,
qui multum in Hirlandia ad abolendos ne- fariae impietatis ritus adlaboravit. VV. Sur. " 3 See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scot-
properly
Article IX. —Festival of Translation to the Breirenavien Monastery of Four Bodies belonging to the Company of Ursulines.
panions, connected with the Sodality of St. Ursula, were translated to the Breirenavien Monastery in Hassia or Hesse. 2 The Bollandists refer a further account to the 21st of October, 3 the chief feast of St. Ursula and her companions.
Article X. —St. Columba. On the authority of the Florarian Manu- script,asalsoonthatofCamerarius,theBollandists* haveanoticeofSt. Columba, Abbot in Scotia, at this date, but they refer his Acts to the 9th of June. In the anonymous list of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare,2 we find the name of St. Columba, at the 8th of June. On Henry Fitzsimon's
1 who
under the Abbot Henry II. , and in the year 1142, the bodies of Four Com-
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
tish Saints," p. 202—. Article viii.
Bollandists,
quote
Galenius for the that account,
'3
Menologium Scotorum,"
'
«
Edited by Rev. Dr.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. vi. , n.
45, p, 374. —
Article ix. Sanctorum,"
See " Acta
tomusii. , Juniiviii. Amongthepreter-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 255
list, at the same date, on the authorities of Joceline and of Floratius, we find a Columba,Abbas. 3 Thismaybeintendedtorepresentavigilfeastforthe great St. Columba, Abbot of Iona. *
Article XI. —Festival of Holy Job's Death. As we have already seen,
1 at the 8th of there is a Festival, which June,
in the " of St. Feilire';"
iEngus,
commemorates the reception after victory and white battle of Holy Job. Nor
are we left to infer, without warrant, that this entry means his passing away
2 Elsewhere, we have not been able to find such a feast in other Calendars.
Article XII. —St. Muician. A festival in honour of Muician, was
1
celebrated on this day, as we find recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal. Appended to his name in the table, we meet these words, Subulcus, Porcia- nus. a Nothing more seems to be known regarding him.
I^mtfr JBap oi 3une,
ARTICLE I. —LIFE OF ST. COLUMKILLE OR COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA, AND APOSTLE OF CALEDONIA.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT LIVES OF ST. COLUMBA OR COLUMKILLE IN IRELAND, GREAT BRITAIN, AND ON THE CONTINENT—PRINTED ACTS OF THE HOLY APOSTLE OF CALEDONIA—PROPHECIES RELATING TO HIM—THE DESCENT AND FAMILY OF ST. COLUMBA—HIS BIRTH AND BAPTISM—VARIOUS NAMES GIVEN TO HIM.
from earth to Heaven on this
day.
3 See ibid. ,
2 The scholiast adds to the word
Series vol. i.
xciii.
p.
On the Calendar of
Oengus,
ibid. , pp. 454, 455.
illustrious Apostle of Caledonia, as ranked in order of time, lived after some remarkable because had
THE
been born before him, and he belonged, with these thus distinguished, to the second-class of Irish Saints. Among this noble band, none achieved more than he did the characteristics of true greatness. His highly intellectual power of thought was united with the most lofty and holy aspirations. As the illustrious missionary of Ireland to a kindred people, and as the renowned archimandrite of both Scotias, his career was marked by vast and super- natural works. The Apostles, likewise, proved their laborious and fruitful missions by their miracles. And, while the Holy Fathers bear one common testimony to the existence of miracles, in the early Christian Church ; it is
cap. xii. , p. 53.
—Ai|MCiu, Ibid. , p.
Drs. Todd
4 See his Life succeeding, at 9th day of June, Art. i.
Article xi. — * See "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript
i. e. , ad caelum in hoc die exiit. " xcix.
persons commemorated, they
Article xii. — 1 Edited and Reeves, pp. 148, 149.
s See
by
256 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
not so very unwarrantable to believe, that St. Columba's great holiness and great enterprises were also approved, by such wonderful effects of God's
grace. Yet,wearenotpreparedtostate,thatallthosepersonalaccounts,which have come down to us since his time, are deserving of equal consideration ; discrimination must be used, in sifting the mass of materials, which have accumulated for his Life, and which are preserved in our public archives. Thus, we shall endeavour to extract, whatever appears most authentic, rela- tively to his transactious, after having first briefly recounted the chief sources, fromwhichsuchnoticesmaybestbedrawn. Tothecivilandecclesiastical historians, and to the literary men of our time, we are mainly indebted for that information, which has shed such a halo of renown, on one of the greatest Christian missionaries, born within the British Islands.
Various Manuscript copies of the Life of St. Columkille exist, in the different Libraries of Ireland. There is a Vita S.
Columbse, by Adamnan, in Marsh's Library, Dublin ; and, it is given with those twenty-six other Lives
of Irish Saints, contained in a vellum folio Manuscript.
1
There are several
Manuscripts preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, and which contain
accounts of St. Columkille. Thus, the large folio vellum Codex, known as
the Leabhar 2 contains an account of the birth,
Breac, parentage, education,
vocation, and exile, of St. Columkille. Among the O'Longan Manuscripts, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy, there are Lives of St. Columkille. 3 The Messrs. Hodges and Smith's collection of Manuscripts, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy, contains an imperfect copy of Manus O'Donnell's Life of St. Columkille. 4 Besides, there are other accounts regarding our saint. s In Great Britain, and especially in England, we find many of these Manu- scripts. The Libraries of Oxford 6 and of Cambridge J Universities have copies. The Duke of Buckingham's collection of Manuscripts at Stowe 8 contained an ancient, but an imperfect,' Life of our saint, in the Irish lan- guage. Its age is uncertain, but probably it is referable to the twelfth cen-
10 AVitaS. totheDukeof isin tury. Columbse, belonging Devonshire,
Article i. —Chapter i. — • This is of the thirteenth century, but it is erroneously styled the Codex Kilkenniensis. Adamnan's Lifeofoursaintisfromfol. 39to51.
2 Classed No. 40, 6.
3 One copy is in vol. vi. , at p. 186, of the
Catalogue of the Cottonian MSS. , it is marked No. 13. Moreover, a Vita S. Colum- boe Abbatis et —Confessoris, MS. Cott. Tiber. E. i. F. f 180b 182. Besidesthereis aMS. Bodl. Tanner. 15, Ff. 108, 113, veil, folio, xv. cent. This is the same text as printed in
MSS. Another is in the MS. classed No. 39, 6. Another small 4X0 paper MS. classed No. 204, is a transcript, taken from the MS. last described, with blank leaves to fill up the part wanting, in case a
more perfect copy should be found.
4 It is in a small 4to paper MS. and classed
No. 203, in the Royal Irish Academy.
s The viii. vol. of O'Longan MSS. in the Royal Irish Academy, contains a story of Colum Cille, of Comgall, of Cainneach, and ofCruinthear Dathi, or Nathi. This is a monastic story about fasting and abstinence.
See p. 118.
6 Thus, among the Oxford University MSS. we find, Vita S. Columbse Abbatis. MS. Bodl. Rawl. B. 505, pp. 61, 73, veil. fol. xiv. cent. Also, MS. Bodl. Rawl. B. 485, f. 94, veil. 4to, xiv. cent. Likewise, Vita S. Co- lumbse Saxonice MS. Cott. Jul. A. x. veil.
8vo, ix. cent. This is the concluding portion of St. Columba's Life in Saxon. In Smith's
" Nova In Legenda Anglise. "
O'Longan
Capgrave's
addition to these is a Vita S. Columbce per
Magnum O'DonellumTirconallkePrincipem, Hibernice. MS. Bodl. Rawl. b. 101. A Latin translation of this Life is printed by Colgan.
? We here find enumerated: Vita S. Columbre, Saxonice, MS. C. C. C. Cant. 196 (ol. D. V. ) veil, small folio, ix. cent. It
belongs to Corpus Christi College, and it is a perfect copy.
8
It is described as Vita Antiqua S. Columbae, Lingua Hibernica, MS. Stowe, xiii. cent. veil, folio.
9 It only contains 26 written leaves : the first and last are missing.
,0
cient Lives of St. Columba, interlined with a copious commentary and gloss, also in
Irish ; while, it is illustrated, by quotations from ancient Poems of the Seventh and Eighth centuries.
It contains extracts from the most an-
June 9 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 2 57
vellum. 11 In Continental Libraries, we find copies of works, attributed to St. Columkille in Manuscript. Among the Burgundian Manuscripts at Bruxelles
12
The Visions attributed to St. Columkille exist in Manuscript 13 One Manu-
script Life 11* of St. Columba, belonging to Belfort, 15 is by Cuminius, 16 and
there is another by the same author, at the Monastery of Compiegne. Another
x
copy of this Life ? is said to be in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford. This
in various 18 and it consists collections,
are various poems of St. Columkille, and of others, in the Irish language.
Life Cuminius has been by
printed
mostly of miracles, performed by or on account of St. Columba. It differs
from the text of Adamnan, although the substance is the same ; but, it has
all the appearance of having been a judicious abridgment of the latter. Among all these ancient Lives of St. Columba, Adamnan's biography seems to have been the favourite and most readable of the series. Some of these are to be
found at 10 at St. Schaffhausen,
20 at 21 at Munich,
22 at 23 Windberg,
Gall's, at Salmansweiller, 24 and at Admont.
Paris,
There are Lives of St. Columba, like-
2
wise, at Heiligenkreutz, in Austria, at Vienna, ^ at the Monastery of Tegern-
see,
26 in
Bavaria,
and in the Public of Orleans. 2 ? A Latin Life of St. Library
Columba, Abbot, is among the Burgundian Library Manuscripts, at
28 and one is noted in the list of the Salmanticenses. A Cottonian Manuscript Life 2Q of him by Adamnan was preserved, until burned to a crust in the fire of 1731 ; however, it has been recently somewhat restored. 30
The Acts of St. Columkille are to be found in various important collec- tions of Saints' Lives, as also in different ancient and modern Church Chro- nicles and Histories, especially those having reference to Ireland and to Scotland. Thus,VenerableBede,31JohnofTeignmouth,andJohnCapgrave,32 have treated about our saint. Also, Hector Boece,33 Archbishop Ussher,34
Bruxelles,
11 A modern of this
transcript Manuscript
is in MS. , Phillips, 10294 paper, 8vo, xix. cent.
12
See Catalogue of Manuscripts, vol. iv. , part ii. , p. 154.
13 Thus, the visions of Columkille in the Irish language are found as a MS. , Phillips, 8153, dim Heber, 598.
14 It contains twenty-seven chapters.
15 He was a Canon ot Soissons, who furnished Bollandus with various transcripts, some of which are at the National Library of Paris.
16
Supposed to have been the disciple of St. Columba, and Abbot over Iona, about a. d. 657* and whose death has been placed, by different authorities, at a. d. 669, 692, or 702.
17 Classed Rawl. B, 505, veil. fol. xiv.
to the Church of
at the junction of the Moosach and Isar, in
Bavaria. Its number was 141.
22 We find them thus classed and de-
scribed : Bibl. Reg. 8. D. , ix. Ff. 1—70, veil, large 8vo, xv. cent. The text of this mainly agrees with that of the Schaffhausen Manu- script. Also there is MS. Bibl. du Roi, 5323, 76, dim Bigot, veil. xiii. cent.
23 A Monastery in Bavaria. The Canisian text is taken from this Manuscript.
24 A convent in Wurtemburg.
25 Three different Manuscripts of Adam- nan are to be found there.
26
This Manuscript has been referred to the thirteenth century.
27 Described as 172, veil. fol. xv. cent.
28
Vol. xii. , at fol. 205.
2 > It is classed Tiber.
20 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 328, 329.
And saints, in thousands, at the hour
when soul and body part at length ; May Holy Gabriel and Blessed Raphael pray for me in time of
need,
And may the angels and archangels
ever for me intercede
May the King of Kings' eternal halls
be op'ed to me when death has
riven vol.
The thread of life, that I, with Christ, may ever share the joys of heaven. Glory ever be to God, and to the
Father, and the Son,
And likewise to the Holy Ghost, the
148, 149. — Article vi.
«
Edited
Rev.
Dr.
three divines in council one. "
Kelly, p. xxvi.
2 See "Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. f part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xciii.
3 See ibid. , p. xcix.
V. May Holy Michael, the most worthy
;
"
23 See Very Rev. James O'Laverty's Historical Account of the Diocese of
send us.
"Rushes, April 12, 1871. "
Oggygia.
21
His festival is ascribed to the loth of
September.
22 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix A, sect, iii. , pp. 151, 152.
Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern,"
16.
24 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
ii. , p.
entry
of 2* of Donegal,
by
254 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 8.
of this saint was commemorated, as we find from the Kalendar of Drum-
6
mond, at the 8th of June.
Article VII. —Reputed Festival of St. Disibod, Bishop, Belgium. In the city of Mentz, Germany, St. Disibod, Bishop, was venerated, accord- ing to the English Martyrology of John Wilson, as also according to Demp-
ster, Wion, Dorgan, Menard and Saussay, in his Gallic Martyrology. The 1
Bollandists have an entry, to the foregoing effect, at this date, but they refer
to the 8th of July for his Acts. It seems pretty evident, that a mistake has
been committed, in substituting June here for July. At the 8th of June,
Thomas has entered in his " Dempster
2 the feast of St. Dysibod,BishopinBelgium. 3 Atthe8thofJuly,moreshallbefound
concerning him.
Article VIII. —St. Cormac h. Liathain. At this date, the Martyr-
of x a festival in honour of Cormac h. Liathain. His ology Tallagh registers
referable to the 21st of 2 Particulars June.
commemoration is more
regarding him will be found at that day.
Weare the told, by
148, 149.
5 Dr. Todd
Aeneae Martyrol,' meaning probably that the Feilire of /Engus (and it might have been added the Mart. Taml. also) calls him simply Medran,notMedranmacUaMaichten. "
'
It notices, that in Ireland, the Natalis of
mitted saints, p. 53.
2 The French called it by this name, and
the Germans have it Hessen. It was a por- vince in Germany, in the circle of the Rhine. See Bavdrand's " Novum Lexicon Geogra- phicum," tomusi. , p. 340.
3 At this date,—their Acts may be found,
Article x. « See " Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Junii viii. Among the preter- mitted saints, p. 52.
2 See " Historian Catholicae Iberniae Com- pendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50.
in a note
:
" The more
xxvi.
says
recent hand notes here, Medranus juxta S.
Kelly, p.
the holy Confessors Medrain and Murchon,
was celebrated, at this date. See Bishop
Forbes'
"
Kalendarsof Scottish Saints," p.
15. See, also, p. —382. •
Article vii. See "Acta Sancto-
rum," tomus ii. , Junii viii. Among the pre-
termitted
a
saints, p. 52.
Thus : "In Belgio Dysibodi episcopi,
qui multum in Hirlandia ad abolendos ne- fariae impietatis ritus adlaboravit. VV. Sur. " 3 See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scot-
properly
Article IX. —Festival of Translation to the Breirenavien Monastery of Four Bodies belonging to the Company of Ursulines.
panions, connected with the Sodality of St. Ursula, were translated to the Breirenavien Monastery in Hassia or Hesse. 2 The Bollandists refer a further account to the 21st of October, 3 the chief feast of St. Ursula and her companions.
Article X. —St. Columba. On the authority of the Florarian Manu- script,asalsoonthatofCamerarius,theBollandists* haveanoticeofSt. Columba, Abbot in Scotia, at this date, but they refer his Acts to the 9th of June. In the anonymous list of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare,2 we find the name of St. Columba, at the 8th of June. On Henry Fitzsimon's
1 who
under the Abbot Henry II. , and in the year 1142, the bodies of Four Com-
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
tish Saints," p. 202—. Article viii.
Bollandists,
quote
Galenius for the that account,
'3
Menologium Scotorum,"
'
«
Edited by Rev. Dr.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. vi. , n.
45, p, 374. —
Article ix. Sanctorum,"
See " Acta
tomusii. , Juniiviii. Amongthepreter-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 255
list, at the same date, on the authorities of Joceline and of Floratius, we find a Columba,Abbas. 3 Thismaybeintendedtorepresentavigilfeastforthe great St. Columba, Abbot of Iona. *
Article XI. —Festival of Holy Job's Death. As we have already seen,
1 at the 8th of there is a Festival, which June,
in the " of St. Feilire';"
iEngus,
commemorates the reception after victory and white battle of Holy Job. Nor
are we left to infer, without warrant, that this entry means his passing away
2 Elsewhere, we have not been able to find such a feast in other Calendars.
Article XII. —St. Muician. A festival in honour of Muician, was
1
celebrated on this day, as we find recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal. Appended to his name in the table, we meet these words, Subulcus, Porcia- nus. a Nothing more seems to be known regarding him.
I^mtfr JBap oi 3une,
ARTICLE I. —LIFE OF ST. COLUMKILLE OR COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA, AND APOSTLE OF CALEDONIA.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT LIVES OF ST. COLUMBA OR COLUMKILLE IN IRELAND, GREAT BRITAIN, AND ON THE CONTINENT—PRINTED ACTS OF THE HOLY APOSTLE OF CALEDONIA—PROPHECIES RELATING TO HIM—THE DESCENT AND FAMILY OF ST. COLUMBA—HIS BIRTH AND BAPTISM—VARIOUS NAMES GIVEN TO HIM.
from earth to Heaven on this
day.
3 See ibid. ,
2 The scholiast adds to the word
Series vol. i.
xciii.
p.
On the Calendar of
Oengus,
ibid. , pp. 454, 455.
illustrious Apostle of Caledonia, as ranked in order of time, lived after some remarkable because had
THE
been born before him, and he belonged, with these thus distinguished, to the second-class of Irish Saints. Among this noble band, none achieved more than he did the characteristics of true greatness. His highly intellectual power of thought was united with the most lofty and holy aspirations. As the illustrious missionary of Ireland to a kindred people, and as the renowned archimandrite of both Scotias, his career was marked by vast and super- natural works. The Apostles, likewise, proved their laborious and fruitful missions by their miracles. And, while the Holy Fathers bear one common testimony to the existence of miracles, in the early Christian Church ; it is
cap. xii. , p. 53.
—Ai|MCiu, Ibid. , p.
Drs. Todd
4 See his Life succeeding, at 9th day of June, Art. i.
Article xi. — * See "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript
i. e. , ad caelum in hoc die exiit. " xcix.
persons commemorated, they
Article xii. — 1 Edited and Reeves, pp. 148, 149.
s See
by
256 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
not so very unwarrantable to believe, that St. Columba's great holiness and great enterprises were also approved, by such wonderful effects of God's
grace. Yet,wearenotpreparedtostate,thatallthosepersonalaccounts,which have come down to us since his time, are deserving of equal consideration ; discrimination must be used, in sifting the mass of materials, which have accumulated for his Life, and which are preserved in our public archives. Thus, we shall endeavour to extract, whatever appears most authentic, rela- tively to his transactious, after having first briefly recounted the chief sources, fromwhichsuchnoticesmaybestbedrawn. Tothecivilandecclesiastical historians, and to the literary men of our time, we are mainly indebted for that information, which has shed such a halo of renown, on one of the greatest Christian missionaries, born within the British Islands.
Various Manuscript copies of the Life of St. Columkille exist, in the different Libraries of Ireland. There is a Vita S.
Columbse, by Adamnan, in Marsh's Library, Dublin ; and, it is given with those twenty-six other Lives
of Irish Saints, contained in a vellum folio Manuscript.
1
There are several
Manuscripts preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, and which contain
accounts of St. Columkille. Thus, the large folio vellum Codex, known as
the Leabhar 2 contains an account of the birth,
Breac, parentage, education,
vocation, and exile, of St. Columkille. Among the O'Longan Manuscripts, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy, there are Lives of St. Columkille. 3 The Messrs. Hodges and Smith's collection of Manuscripts, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy, contains an imperfect copy of Manus O'Donnell's Life of St. Columkille. 4 Besides, there are other accounts regarding our saint. s In Great Britain, and especially in England, we find many of these Manu- scripts. The Libraries of Oxford 6 and of Cambridge J Universities have copies. The Duke of Buckingham's collection of Manuscripts at Stowe 8 contained an ancient, but an imperfect,' Life of our saint, in the Irish lan- guage. Its age is uncertain, but probably it is referable to the twelfth cen-
10 AVitaS. totheDukeof isin tury. Columbse, belonging Devonshire,
Article i. —Chapter i. — • This is of the thirteenth century, but it is erroneously styled the Codex Kilkenniensis. Adamnan's Lifeofoursaintisfromfol. 39to51.
2 Classed No. 40, 6.
3 One copy is in vol. vi. , at p. 186, of the
Catalogue of the Cottonian MSS. , it is marked No. 13. Moreover, a Vita S. Colum- boe Abbatis et —Confessoris, MS. Cott. Tiber. E. i. F. f 180b 182. Besidesthereis aMS. Bodl. Tanner. 15, Ff. 108, 113, veil, folio, xv. cent. This is the same text as printed in
MSS. Another is in the MS. classed No. 39, 6. Another small 4X0 paper MS. classed No. 204, is a transcript, taken from the MS. last described, with blank leaves to fill up the part wanting, in case a
more perfect copy should be found.
4 It is in a small 4to paper MS. and classed
No. 203, in the Royal Irish Academy.
s The viii. vol. of O'Longan MSS. in the Royal Irish Academy, contains a story of Colum Cille, of Comgall, of Cainneach, and ofCruinthear Dathi, or Nathi. This is a monastic story about fasting and abstinence.
See p. 118.
6 Thus, among the Oxford University MSS. we find, Vita S. Columbse Abbatis. MS. Bodl. Rawl. B. 505, pp. 61, 73, veil. fol. xiv. cent. Also, MS. Bodl. Rawl. B. 485, f. 94, veil. 4to, xiv. cent. Likewise, Vita S. Co- lumbse Saxonice MS. Cott. Jul. A. x. veil.
8vo, ix. cent. This is the concluding portion of St. Columba's Life in Saxon. In Smith's
" Nova In Legenda Anglise. "
O'Longan
Capgrave's
addition to these is a Vita S. Columbce per
Magnum O'DonellumTirconallkePrincipem, Hibernice. MS. Bodl. Rawl. b. 101. A Latin translation of this Life is printed by Colgan.
? We here find enumerated: Vita S. Columbre, Saxonice, MS. C. C. C. Cant. 196 (ol. D. V. ) veil, small folio, ix. cent. It
belongs to Corpus Christi College, and it is a perfect copy.
8
It is described as Vita Antiqua S. Columbae, Lingua Hibernica, MS. Stowe, xiii. cent. veil, folio.
9 It only contains 26 written leaves : the first and last are missing.
,0
cient Lives of St. Columba, interlined with a copious commentary and gloss, also in
Irish ; while, it is illustrated, by quotations from ancient Poems of the Seventh and Eighth centuries.
It contains extracts from the most an-
June 9 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 2 57
vellum. 11 In Continental Libraries, we find copies of works, attributed to St. Columkille in Manuscript. Among the Burgundian Manuscripts at Bruxelles
12
The Visions attributed to St. Columkille exist in Manuscript 13 One Manu-
script Life 11* of St. Columba, belonging to Belfort, 15 is by Cuminius, 16 and
there is another by the same author, at the Monastery of Compiegne. Another
x
copy of this Life ? is said to be in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford. This
in various 18 and it consists collections,
are various poems of St. Columkille, and of others, in the Irish language.
Life Cuminius has been by
printed
mostly of miracles, performed by or on account of St. Columba. It differs
from the text of Adamnan, although the substance is the same ; but, it has
all the appearance of having been a judicious abridgment of the latter. Among all these ancient Lives of St. Columba, Adamnan's biography seems to have been the favourite and most readable of the series. Some of these are to be
found at 10 at St. Schaffhausen,
20 at 21 at Munich,
22 at 23 Windberg,
Gall's, at Salmansweiller, 24 and at Admont.
Paris,
There are Lives of St. Columba, like-
2
wise, at Heiligenkreutz, in Austria, at Vienna, ^ at the Monastery of Tegern-
see,
26 in
Bavaria,
and in the Public of Orleans. 2 ? A Latin Life of St. Library
Columba, Abbot, is among the Burgundian Library Manuscripts, at
28 and one is noted in the list of the Salmanticenses. A Cottonian Manuscript Life 2Q of him by Adamnan was preserved, until burned to a crust in the fire of 1731 ; however, it has been recently somewhat restored. 30
The Acts of St. Columkille are to be found in various important collec- tions of Saints' Lives, as also in different ancient and modern Church Chro- nicles and Histories, especially those having reference to Ireland and to Scotland. Thus,VenerableBede,31JohnofTeignmouth,andJohnCapgrave,32 have treated about our saint. Also, Hector Boece,33 Archbishop Ussher,34
Bruxelles,
11 A modern of this
transcript Manuscript
is in MS. , Phillips, 10294 paper, 8vo, xix. cent.
12
See Catalogue of Manuscripts, vol. iv. , part ii. , p. 154.
13 Thus, the visions of Columkille in the Irish language are found as a MS. , Phillips, 8153, dim Heber, 598.
14 It contains twenty-seven chapters.
15 He was a Canon ot Soissons, who furnished Bollandus with various transcripts, some of which are at the National Library of Paris.
16
Supposed to have been the disciple of St. Columba, and Abbot over Iona, about a. d. 657* and whose death has been placed, by different authorities, at a. d. 669, 692, or 702.
17 Classed Rawl. B, 505, veil. fol. xiv.
to the Church of
at the junction of the Moosach and Isar, in
Bavaria. Its number was 141.
22 We find them thus classed and de-
scribed : Bibl. Reg. 8. D. , ix. Ff. 1—70, veil, large 8vo, xv. cent. The text of this mainly agrees with that of the Schaffhausen Manu- script. Also there is MS. Bibl. du Roi, 5323, 76, dim Bigot, veil. xiii. cent.
23 A Monastery in Bavaria. The Canisian text is taken from this Manuscript.
24 A convent in Wurtemburg.
25 Three different Manuscripts of Adam- nan are to be found there.
26
This Manuscript has been referred to the thirteenth century.
27 Described as 172, veil. fol. xv. cent.
28
Vol. xii. , at fol. 205.
2 > It is classed Tiber.
