No More Learning

Dr. Lanigan. See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
the
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 271
a Salamancan Manuscript by Colgan, at the 24th of March. 2 At that day, notices of this holy man have been already set down, as relating to one of his festivals, in the Third Volume of this work ;3 but, the present date appears tohavebeenregardedashischieffeast. ArchbishopUssherstates,thatheused some Manuscript, from which his account of this saint, called Moctheus, was taken ;* but, it does not appear to have been materially different from the fore- mentioned Life of our saint, and to this he makes additions, by quoting from later writers. The Bollandists have published the Acts of St. Mochta, in a more enlarged form. s To these, they add a Previous Commentary,6 besides notes. ? Some notices regarding this saint have been set down by Bale 8 and Pitts,9 in their respective collections. From Colgan's collections, Bishop Challoner IO and the Rev. Alban Butler " have given some notices of this saint. Likewise, the Rev. Dr. 12 and Rev. S. x 3 have
1
Bollandistes. * In the Codex Salmanticensis, a Manuscript IS preserved in
the Burgundian Library at Bruxelles, there are Acts of St. Mocteus ; and
Lanigan Baring-Gould accounts of him. At this date, also, a notice of him occurs in the Petits
this has been Manuscript
the
Marquis of Bute, it having been edited by the Jesuit Fathers Carolus de
Smedt and
Joseph
s See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
iii. , Augusti xix. De S. Mocteo vel Mochteo,
Episcopo Lugmadensi in Hibernia, pp. 736 to 747.
6
In four sections and thirty-five para-
graphs.
I These Acts are edited by Father John
Pinius, S. J.
8 See "Scriptorum Illustrium Majoris
Britannise, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus," cent, i. , cap. xlvi.
9 See "Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," num. xxxvii.
10 See " Britannia Sancta," part ii. , p. 89. " "See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs
and other principal Saints," vol. vii. , August xix. , p. 89.
12
See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, xii. , pp. 308 to 312.
published
by
Right
John Patrick,
measure to illustrate St. Mochta's Acts while allusions to him are to be ;
found, in the Lives of other Irish saints. Thispatriarch'snameisfoundundervariousforms. ItisusuallyLatinized
Mochteus. He may be the Maucteus or Mochod who is named in the
18 T
Annals of Ulster. By Joceline, he is called Mocteus. 9 Other writers name
him Macteus, Mauctanus, and Mocthseus. In some editions of Adamnan, his name is written Mauctaneus,20 and in others Maucteus. 21 The latter is the form adopted by Henricus Canisius. Also, his name has been written Maveteus. ByPittsandotherwriters,suchasPossuevin,Bale,Gesner,his name is given Maccaeus. This name is commonly written Mochta in Irish, and sometimes Machta. Some writers have asserted,22 that his proper name was Bacchiarius, and that his cognomen was Macceus. However, Colgan supposes such variation to arise from the carelessness of scribes ; by substi-
8"
See Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xxiv. Also, chap, vii. , sect, vii. , pp. 346, 347,
Martii. Vita S. Mochtei Episcopi Lugma- 349.
densis, pp. 729 to 737.
3 See Art. ix.
4 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xvii. , pp. 444 to 446.
'3 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. ,
August 19, p. 182.
I+ See "Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
e
xix Jour d'Aout, p. 19.
l5 It is classed vol, xxii.
l6 Under the title " Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernias," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 903 to 914.
*? See his Life, at the 17th of March, in
the Third Volume of this work, Art i. ,
chap. xxi.
l8
SeeatA. D. 471, 511, 527.
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxxxiv. , cxxxv. , pp. 94, 95.
20 As in that of St. Columba's Acts taken "ex Membranis Augia Divitis, in Ger- mania," and edited by Colgan, in " Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columba, Secunda Prsefacio, p. 336.
=' "
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life
of St. Columba," Secunda Prsefacio, p. 6. "Among these are Pitts, Gesner and Bale.
16
Hon.
de Backer. Various Lives of St. Patrick J 7 serve in a
272
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19,
tuting B for m, and cchi for chte or cte, besides setting up ri for ;/ ; thus pre- senting Bacchiarius, or as Honorius has it Baccseianus, when Machtheanus, or as Adamnan writes this name Mauctaneus, should be read. Moreover, to account for the mistakes that have been made regarding the spelling of his name, or the rendering of it under such very distinct forms ; Colgan offers a supposition, that it may have arisen, because works or a work written may have been found, in some instances, now under the name of Bachiarius, and again under that of Mocteus.
The present saint has' probably been confounded with Bachiarius,*? a Christian philosopher, who is noticed by Gennadius 2J> of Marseilles, who flourished towards the close of the fifth century, under the empire of Anastasius. That Bachiarius is stated to have been desirous of serving God by a pilgrimage undertaken to preserve his own integrity of life, and to have written useful works, only one of which on Faith, had been read by Genna- dius. 25 Another writer of the twelfth
century,
and scholastic of the church Augustodunensis, in Burgundy, seems to have
copied the foregoing account of Gennadius, when treating about Bachiarius,
regarding whom little appears to be known. Yet, it is stated, that he was a
2? 28 in at anda Briton, by Bale and Pitts, educated the Monastery Bangor,
disciple of St. Patrick. By Miraeus, he is called an Irishman, and he is
thought to have flourished about the year 440. He is also called Maccaeus 2 9 ;
yet not by the two earlier writers that have here been named. By Bale, lie is designated Bachiarius Macceus ; by Pitts, Bacharius Maccaeus ; and by Gesner, Barchiarius Macceus ; while by others, he is called Bacciarius and Bacchianus. The name is also found written Baitharius, Batchianus and Batchanus. Nevertheless,PossevindistinguishesBacciarius,fromMaccaeus, the Briton, and the disciple of St. Patrick, regarding whom he does not profess to know so much as should lead him to pronounce any opinion^ The learned Muratori is of opinion, that Bachiarius, whose little tract on Faith,
12
or as sometimes called the Apology^ had been edited by him,3 was not
a Briton, although he could not determine to what other country that writer belonged.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii xxiv. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochtei, cap. 4, p. 735.
24 He was a Priest, who wrote various
works, but of these none have been pre- served, except a book, sometimes quoted as
potuit scribere commode atque orthodoxe sed in auctore ignoto nihil praescribo. Vixisse ferunt an. cdlx. "—" In Apparatu Sacro. "
3 ' This Manuscript was found in the Am- brosian Library, at Milan ; and Muratori thought that it was at least one thousand
23 See
Colgan's
corum Historia Literaria," &c, vol. p. 213.
2 7 See " Illustrium Scriptorum
ii. ,
" De Virislllustribus,"and sometimes " De
Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis," with another,
intituled " Epistola de Fide mea," and rum Historia Literaria," vol. i. , p. 429.
sometimes known as " Libellus de Ecclesias-
ticis Dogmatibus. " The first of these works
contains one hundred short notices of eccle-
siastical writers from about A. D. 392 to A. D. probaverit, haec autem si improbaverit,
" Ecclesiasticorum Historia Literaria," vol. i. ,
495. See Dr. William Cave's
Scriptorum
;
pp. 464, 465.
iS It is added " in quo satisfacit Pontifici :
Urbis, adversus querelos et infamatores pere-
grinationis sua? , et indicat, se non timore
hominum, sed Dei, earn peregrinationcm years old, judging from the form of the
26 known as Honorius, a priest
Majoris Britannice, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam
vocant, Catalogus," cent, i. , cap. xlvi. 28 "
See Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," num. xxxvii.
29 "
See Cave's Scriptorum Ecclesiastico-
9° He writes : Quod autem asserant ipsum edidisse librum de fide perseverante : alterum vero de judiciis nativitalum ; illam si recte
letters. He believed, likewise, that Bachia- rius must have written it about A. C. cccxc.
32 In his " Anecdota ex collection, quae
Ambrosianse Bibliothecae Codicibus nunc See an account of himself and of his primum eruit, Notis et Disquisitionibus
suscepisse, ut exiens de terra sua, et cogna-
t—ione sua, cohoeres fieret Abrahns patriarchae. " "
Miracus, Eibliotheca Ecclesiastica," cap.
xxiv. , p. 50. 16
writings
in Cave's " Ecclesiasti- auxit. " Ludivico Antonio Muratori, tomus Scriptorum
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 273
Before our saint was ushered into the world, his future holiness had been indicated in a miraculous manner. 33 The name given to his mother is Cumain or Cumman, by one authority,34 while the name of his father appears to be unknown. His coming into this world may probably be referred to the beginningofthefifthcentury. St. MochteuswasaBritonbybirth,according
to the account contained in his Acts, and as found in other ancient writings. 35 His father and mother appear to have been Christians ; but, we are not informed about that particular part of Britain in which they dwelt. They resolved, however, on leaving their own country for Ireland, and as thought by some, because of the devastations caused by wars, which there prevailed. 36 There is an account of a St. Macceus leaving Ireland with St. Patrick^ and intending probably to have special identity with the present holy man, and a
missed as unworthy of credence. 38
Our saint was only an infant, when his father and mother resolved on
leaving their own country for Ireland. A Magus of great fame and in high estimation there named Hoa was a relation, and he resolved to accompany them. Itsohappened,thatastormcameonatsea,whichcausedthesailors to fear for the safety of their ship. Then Hoa commanded the mother of the child to immolate him to the angry spirit of the waters, so that the other passengersmightbesaved. Ashewasherlord,shedurstnotdisobeysuch orders; but,havingalreadyformedanopinionregardingthemiraculousgifts bestowed upon her infant, she first placed his hand in the water. Instantly, the rage of the winds ceased, and the sea-waves became smooth ; when a light breeze sprang up, and wafted them onward to the shores of Ireland. The pilgrims landed, and formed their dwelling in Magh Conall. There Mochta lived in the house of that Magus.
Another account has it, that Maccseus, confounded with Bachiarius, received his early education in the school of Laon, the chief city of a pro- vince so called in Spain, where he became a poet and a mathematician. It is stated, that seeing his own country a prey to continuous calamities, implor-
ing the Divine assistance, he undertook long journeys as a pilgrim. Nor was his conduct free from the censure of calumniators, who attributed his wander-
reference is made to his Life
but, as no such statement is contained in these Acts, nor is it found in any other author, or calendarist, so it may be dis-
;
ings to a spirit of inconstancy, levity and vanity.
the salvation of his own soul, as also to alleviate the condition of his afflicted country. 39 But, it seems to be established pretty clearly, that we are not to accept these statements, as referring to our saint.
book or " suae Apologia
Whereupon, he wrote a
in which he
were undertaken and accomplished solely through the love of God, and for
Peregrinationis,"
pleads,
that his
journeys
ii. , Prolegomina, pp. I, et seq. This valua- bant, et ob id aufugisse Bachi—arium ex patria li
ble collection appeared at Milan, in two suspicabantur quidam," &c. Scriptorum vols. , 1697, 1698, 4to. Illustrium Majoris Britannise, quam nunc 33 " Horis etenim regularibus materno Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus,"
exultabat in utero. " cent,
34 That of the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 24th of March. See Rev. Dr. Kelly's "Calendar of the Irish Saints," p. xix.
lxvii. , p. 162.
36 Speaking of Bachiarius or Maceus, Bale
" :
Scotia egressus. "
35 See "Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. , cap. nias," Maitii xxiv. Appendix ad Vitam S .
Inaudita enim illis diebus tyran-
writes
nide (ut in historiis docent Gildo, Gualfri-
duset Beda) Hunni, Picti et Scoti Britannos common Father of all and the Roman per Maximum, regem attenuates opprime- Pontiff.
xlvi.
3 ? Thus does Camerarius write at the 7th
of October: "S. Macceus cum S. Patricio
3? See "ActaSanctorumHiber- Colgan's
Mochtei, cap. i. , p. 732.
» Afterwards, it is related, that finding
i. , cap.
himself still an object of suspicion to other men, he went for solace to Leo I. , then the
S
2 74 LIVES Of THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19.
It is related in his Acts, that Mochta was taught the rudiments of learn- ing in Ireland, by an Angel, and from %. ceraciilu? n*° On one occasion, while he was in an open field, that Angel advised him to visit Rome, there to learn the Holy Scriptures, since he was destined to instruct many in the future, and to become their model for imitation. Wherefore, following such direc- tion, the saint applied himself to the prescribed studies, while each day he was favoured more in the sight of God and man, becoming wiser and holier, as he gave edification by his life and discourse. Moreover, disciples flocked to him, as to a fountain of wisdom, thence to draw perfection in Faith, word
and work. It is stated, that when St. Mochta visited Rome, Pope St. Leo I/1 and surnamed the Great/2 then filled the Papal chair. At that time,
a prejudice appears to have prevailed in Rome against the Scots, from whom the heresiarch Celestius traced his descent ;*3 and, it is supposed, that St.
Mochta may have found it necessary to vindicate the sincerity of his Faith, by presenting a profession of it to'the Sovereign Pontiff. ** Then the Acts
state, that having acquired a store of knowledge, and being distinguished for his moral character, he was raised to the episcopacy by the Sovereign Pontiff. *s However, his claim to the episcopal character has been called in
6 as the Acts are not
and reasons have been advanced good
reliable,
for supposing he did not aspire beyond the grade of a priest. It has been
question,*
remarked, that Adamnan,when writing of him, does not give St. Mochta the
8 he is sacerdos. In styled simply
title of In the Book of Bishop. 47
Sligo,*
the Martyrology of the Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Dublin, at
the xiv. of the September Kalends, St. Moctheus is styled simply a Confessor, without any other designation. ^ He is dignified with the title of Archpriest
to St. Patrick, by the author of the Tripartite Life. s° Although many of the Irish Calendars style this saint a bishop,51 yet the authorities here cited limit his rank to the priesthood.
St. Mochta is said in his Acts to have presented the ceracuhun received fromthatAngeltothePope. Afterwards,receivingtheApostolicbenedic-
40 This was a of waxen on species tablet,
which the ancients were accustomed to trace letters, before the invention of printing. Even they used such ceracula, for the in- scribing of wills and other important docu- ments.
41 Such is the statement given by Genna- dius, Honorius, John Capgrave and other writers, regarding Baccharius Maccoeus, the Briton, as related by John Pitts, in his work
" Relationvm Historicarvm de Rebus Ang-
licis," tomus i. , num. 37. Paris, 1613,410. 42 He governed the Church from A. D. 440 to 461. See Sir Harris Nicolas' "Chrono-
logy of History," p. 210.
43 Nor could this prejudice have been
mitigated, owing to the peculiar style and vehemence with which St. Jerome inveighs
44 See Rev. Dr. Moran's " on the Essays
Origin, Doctrines and Discipline of the early Irish Church," part iii. , chap, i. , p. 94.
45 As his name is not given, so it seems impossible to discover the period when St. Mochta lived in Rome, if indeed we are not to regard this as a groundless legend.
46 Yet, the Calendar of Cashel and the
Donegal Martyrology speak of him as a bishop, and are followed by the Four
Masters and Colgan. Ware also mentions him by that title.
47 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, xii. , n. 125, p. 310.
48 As quoted by Ussher, in " Britannica-
rum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. ,
P- 445-
49 See Rev. J. II. Todd's introduction to
commonly called Christ's Church, Dublin, p. lxix. , and subsequently, p. 147.
50 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," SeplimaVila S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xcviii. , p. 167.
51 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nice," Martii xxiv. Appendix ad Vitam S.
against him : "Satan, though silent himself,
barks through a huge and corpulent moun- the
tain dog, who can do more damage with his claws, than even with his teeth ; lor lie is by descent of the Scotic nation, which is adjoin- ing Britain, and like another Cerberus, ac- cording to the fables of the poets, must be struck down with aspiritualclub, that thus he
may be silent for ever with his master Pluto. "
See
"
Commentaria in Jeremiam," Prsefatio.
"
the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,
Book of Obits," and Martyrology ot
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 2 75
and Ireland. 5^
sa he
CHAPTER II
AFTER ARRIVING IN IRELAND, ST. MOCHTA BUILDS A CHURCH AT KILMORE—HIS AUSTERE MANNER OF LIVING—HE REMOVES TO LUGHMADH OR LOUTH—ST. MOCHTA A DISCIPLE OF ST. PATRICK—INTIMACY BETWEEN HIM AND THE IRISH APOSTLE— FOUNDATION OF A MONASTERY AT LOUTH—HIS RULE AND ATTRIBUTED WRITINGS.
St. Mochta is said to have entered Ireland, at Omeath,1 in the present County of Louth. Probably his passage was directly across the Irish Sea
from Britain. There, in a grove, he began to build a monastery, which, in courseoftime,wasknownasCellaMagna,inLatin. Thismayberendered
Kilmore, in Irish, or the "Great Church," in English. According to
for a return to As at so many other periods of his career, an incredible incident occurred on this voyage, when the Legend of his Acts relates, that one of his companions, named Edan,54 who had been left behind through accident, yet was miraculously conveyed to Ireland, even before Mocteus, whom he there
received at the port of arrival.
tion,
accompanied by
twelve
disciples,
prepared
3 that church be identified with Kilmore Aedhan, where St. may
Colgan,
Aidan is venerated on the 2nd of November. 3 He became ruler over it, while his life and actions themselves furnished a rule for the religious com- munity there formed. He walked in justice and holiness before God ; and besides the ordinary rule he observed, Mochta practised special devotions, thus being so far in advance of others, that it was found difficult to emulate his virtues. He appears to have lived on a vegetable diet, for Cuimin, of Con- deire, 4 states in the poem which begins, "Patrick of the fort of Mocha, loves," that Mochta was one hundred years, without eating a bit of rich food, or fat of any kind. With the statement so exaggerated, that our saint lived for three hundred years, another poem confirms the foregoing tradition^ regard-
ing his great abstinence.
Mochtei, cap. i. , pp. 732, 733.
52 This number of missionaries is given in
several instances, where the Propagation of the Faith was concerned, both in Ireland and in distant countries. It was intended to represent the college of the Apostles, who were the first
Aedhain, in Hua-Meth, venerated on the 2nd of November. As it was in this district St. Mocteus built his first church, so it seems probable his disciple should also have had connection with it. See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii xxiv. , Vita S. Mochtei
— n.
Episcopi Lugmadensis, 4, p. 731.
of the
great preachers Gospel
in different countries during the first cen- tury of the Church.
53 On the passage over the Legend of our
"
saint's Acts, it states :
cum mare, oblitus cujusdam Edani causa de quadam a fratribus segregati, navem ascen- dit ; cui deinde navigium clamanti, abscisso arboris ramo, vice navis uti proecepit. Obtemperat Magistri jussis, non diffidens in ejus meritis, ramo supersedet, aequora per- meat ; sed et navem prsevenit, atque in portu Magistrum excipit. "
54 Taken this Edan to have been one of
the four and twenty saints bearing the same
name, and registered in the Irish Calendars, Colgan supposes he must have been the son of iEngus, and patron saint of Kill-mor
Chapter
l
ii. The
Regio Meatheorum,
Cumque ad Hiberni-
commonly called in Irish Hua-Meth, was in
theDioceseofArmaghinUlster. Itsname
was obtained from the descendants of Muir-
eadhach Meith, the son of Iomchadh, who
was the son of Colla da Crioch. See the
"leAbh. Ar\ riA g-CeAnc, or Book of Rights,"
edited by John O'Donovan, n. (a), p. 148.
2
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xxiv. Martii, Vita S. Mochtei Episcopi Lugma- densis, nn. 4, 5, p. 731.
3 See an account of him, at that date, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
4 See Rev. Dr. Kelly's "Calendar of Irish
Saints," pp. 160, 161.
5 This is to be found in the "Martyrology
of Donegal," at the 19th of August, and the
276 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19.
The saint did not remain long in that place he had first selected, as the
inhabitants compelled him to leave ; but, the reasons for their action are
not stated. However, guided in a supernatural manner, and leaving a portion of his monastic property to the monks, St. Mochta brought other holy men with him, to another locality, which he knew to have been that destined for him by the Almighty. To those left behind him, these words were addressed: u The little spring-well of this place shall belong to me, and it shall follow me, to serve my monks and those who shall come after my time. " Where-
upon, he went to a spot named Lugmud or Lughmadh,6 then belonging to the Magi. He may thus be regarded as the founder and patron of Louth Church, which was thus designated. It is more generally written Lugh, in our ancient documents, and it lay within that fertile and wide plain of southern
Ulster, formerly called Conaille, and at a subsequent period Machaire 8
Oirgiall. ? It was anciently an episcopal See, but afterwards, it was united to that of Armagh. From Lughmadh, the whole of Louth County is now named. We are told, that a well at Kilmore followed our saint through subterranean passages, and issued forth at that place indicated.
That Mochta applied himself as an assistant in St. Patrick's labours 9 seems to be generally admitted. It is probable, moreover, that the Irish Apostle had already preached in this part of Ireland, and that he had an
10
Neither is it unlikely, that our saint served there for a time under his illustrious master, before he undertook the erection of any independent church. However that may be, we find Mauctaneus,11 or Mochta, called a pilgrim from Britain, a holy man, and a disciple of St. Patrick, the great primitive bishop. 12 He is named in the second place/3 among the domestics of St. Patrick, in the Book of Sligo, and under the appellation of Mochta Lugh, Priest. In another
establishment, at a place, called Ard-patrick from himself.
he is called the " of St. Patrick. 1 * archipresbyter"
instance,
When Mochteus became the illustrious Apostle's disciple, on a certain
occasion, the master read for him that portion of the Book of Genesis, in which it is related, that before the Deluge, the early inhabitants of the earth attained the age of nine hundred, and even more years ; nevertheless, St. Mochta raised an objection, that such an age seemed incredible, as the human body, composed of flesh, bones, nerves and skin, was so fragile, and liable to
a much earlier decay.
To this observation St. Patrick replied, that the whole
—is an following
English
translation ofthe
of andEdanO'Kelly,Bishop King Oirgiall,
stanza
:
of a. d. i Clogher,
See Sir Ware, James
" The teeth of Mochta, of good habits, Three hundred years durable the
rigour,
Without a word of error escaping
from them,
Without a bit of fat passing down
them. "
148.
"De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus,"
cap. xxvi. , p. 175.
» See his Life, at the 17th of March, in
the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
I0
6 However, this appears to have been an
erroneous rendering for Lugh-magh, inter- papa no>ter. " See Ussher's "Veterum
preted "the Plain of Lug," or perhaps more
Epistolarum Ilibernicarum Sylloge," Epis.
xi.