6,
It is thus rendered into English :—
"Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol.
It is thus rendered into English :—
"Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
5.
"Trias Thaumaturga.
" ^3 It is said to have been so called, from the circumstance of an Angel having set at liberty a captive, who was confined in this fort, by breaking asunder his glass or fetters.
•* See Vita Tertia S.
Patricii.
, cap.
Ixxxviii. , p. 28.
'5 See J. B. Doyle's "Tours in Ulster,"
p. 73-
'^ Owing to the barbarous, ruthless, taste-
less, unjustifiable conduct of certain parties, then connected with the town or county.
Mrs. Millard. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1790.
'9 In his interesting and learned Lecture, during the month of September, 1864, before the Downpatrick Young Men's Christian As-
sociation, the Rev. William Reevessays, that it is "one of the finest specimens of Celtic entrenchments to be found in the West of Europe. Noonecanwalkroundthefosses and entrenchments of that enormous structure, without being forcibly struck by their extent and boldness ; and if disposed to carry the imagination backwards, one may picture to the mind the stirring scenes which passed here, when that great munition was in its full strength and beauty, and filled with a dense assembly of rude but powerful occu- pants ; when its trenches were deep and filled with water ; when its ramparts were lofty and pallisaded ; and when chiefs with
78o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
celebrated heroes of what was called the Red Branch Order in this country, anddescendedfromRuryMor,intheillustriouslineoftheClannaRury. He wasthesonofUitechar,sontoFachtna,sonofRury. AndConchobhar MacNessa, King of Ulster, was brother to his father Uitechar.
Cumcraigh, son of this Connor MacNessa, was his first cousin, and he was King of
Ulster, reigning at Emania, a. d. 53. Amidst all the fiction and hyperbole, which characterize the bardic stories of Ireland, we can, in this case, discern
Downpatrick Cathedral and Round Tower, as they stood in the Eighteenth Century.
some vestiges of true history, and pronounce of this Dun, that about the
Christian era, it was the abode of a famous chief, far and wide renowned for
hismilitaryexploits. Hebelongedtoadistinguishedrace,whichleftitsim-
press upon many places in the vicinity, where their names are to this day
preserved ; while many of the principal families, belonging to the adjacent district, derived their origin from the stock of whom he descended.
Several ancient roads branch from the Cathedral, and from Dun-Keltair, in various directions. The celebrated old fortress,^" lying on the north-west side of the town, takes up a vast extent of ground, and it comprehends, at least, three quarters of an English mile, within the circuit of all its works. The circumference, at least, is 2,100 feet ; the conical height is 60 feet j while the diameter at the top bears a just proportion, with the other parts. The
their goklen collars, and bards with tlieir
tuneful harps, represented the military and social excellence of their day. "
'° Dr. John O'Donovan, who visited Downpatrick, in April, 1834, thus writes
*'
The rath near Downpatrick is the largest barbaric fortress I have yet
seen. Sir James Kinge called it, in 1612, ' the round mount, alias Downeroskae,' but it is unquestionably the Down Celtair and Arx Lethglasse of the old writers of the Life
of St. Patrick. Downeroskae seems a name derived from its situation, and signifying,
'
the fortress in the marsh. ' It was ancientl\ , and to a late period, almost entirely siu- rounded with water, and that part of it to which there was access from dry land is con-
siderably higher and more steep than where it was surrounded by the water. "—"The
regarding it ;
County of Down Ordnance
Letter of John O'Donovan, dated from Downpatrick, April 28th, 1834, p. 98.
Survey
Letters. "
March 17. ] LIVES OP THE IklSH SAINTS. 781
most considerable of the three great artificial ramparts surrounding it cannot be less than thirty feet broad. ^^
According to some respectable authorities, and to tradition, over the church he established, at Down, St. Patrick governed as its first bishop, the
Primatial See of Armagh not having been founded for many years afterwards, as appears by all the Lives of our illustrious Apostle-^^ That he was the first bishop, over Down, continued to be the living tradition of the country, so late as 1680. ^3 And, it would seem, that he used often to resort thither, even to the very close of his life. Then, while on his way southwards towards Armagh, according to the legend of his Acts,'-* a bush seemed to be in a blaze,'5 and from
:
it the Angel Victor came. He spoke to holy Patrick these words " It is not
there thy resurrection hath been decreed ; go back to the Sabhall, that place whence you came ; for, it is there God hath decreed, that you shall die, and
not in Ard-Macha. God has granted thee, that thy dignity and rule, thy devotion and teaching, shall be in Ard-Macha, as if thou thyself wert alive there. "^^ Whereupon,hearingthesewordsoftheAngel,thesaintwasgrieved; but, quickly returning to himself, he embraced that mandate of Divine Provi- dence, with much devotion and thanksgiving, while submitting his own will to the will of God, he returned unto Ulidia.
The Angel left advice with St. Patrick, as to how he should be buried ; because, a contest was anticipated, among the people of different territories.
"' See Walter Harris' " Ancient and
Present State of the County of Down,"
I wish that I, succeeding him in place As Bishop, had an equal share of grace.
"
chap, xvii. , p. 220.
—
^* his
During lifetime,
we have records of
Vol. of
i. , "Archbishops Cashel," p.
bishops at Raholp and Bright—
John W. Hanna, in a learned article, con- tributed to the Ulster Weekly Examiner of June 8th, 1872. From this we have drawn much valuable information. After the bishops alluded to, no successors appear. It
would be marvellous, and contrary to their ecclesiastical discipline, if Down and Saul
of— ou Trinity College, Dublin, expressly
jUTje.
writes
" :
This town was the first
place
in
this kingdome that St. Patrick was bishop
of, though in Armagh is the Primacy of this
kingdome * * * and for proof of Doun being the first Bishoprick, I have observed on the epitaph of Meilerus M'Grath, Lord Archbishop of Cashel, who was first of all Lord Bishop of Doun, before he conform'd to the reformed religion, in Queen Eliza- beth's reign, the verses are as followeth,
— sanctissimus
These stanzas are thus rendered into Eng- lish :—
" Patrick came southwards towards Victor ; he it was that went to meet him :
The bush, in which Victor rested, was in a
these being the first two disticks thereof
:
:
Thy dignity (shall be) return thanks to Christ :
at
" Venerat in Dunum dim,
primo
Armagh :
To Heaven thou shalt come ; thy prayer
Patricius, nostri gloria magna soli.
Huic ego succedens, utinam tam sanctus
ut ille,
Sic Duni primo tempore Prsesul eram.
Which has been thus translated —
is granted thee. "
by Hanis, in his edition of Ware's Bishops :"
Vita S.
Quinta Patricii,
lib.
iv. ,
ii. , cap. xxxii. ,
*'
Patrick, the glory of our Isle and Gown, First sat a Bishop in the See of Down,
Lord speaking to Moyses, from the bviming bush. See Exodus, iii.
"
60.
'^ This has a probable original, in our
writes Mr.
485-
'* Thus is the matter related, in the 24th
should have no governing bishop.
*3 Then, one Downing, in his manuscript Afbe^AC oixTJOAn 'oo ITlAche, •00 C|\i]^c
description of the county, written for Sir AclAigce buiue,
William Petty, and preserved in the library Oo chum nime mofpegA, i\o |\AchA 'ouic
and 25th stanzas of St. Fiach's Hymn
— :
Oo ^Aich ^A'oei' CO UiccojA, h& he ai|\'o
LAfpAij" in muine imb<ii, a"^ in cen atj- glA'OAI'CAlA.
blaze : spoke.
" He said
from the flame he (the angel)
—"Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol.
pp. 290, 291. See, Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxviii. , p. 28. Also, Probus, or
p.
7§2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i^
for the possession of his sacred remains. The following directions were then given : First, that two young and strong oxen should be brought from the herds of Conall's territory, viz. : from Finnabhair, or Clocher ; and that, after death, Patrick's body should be placed in a wagon, to be drawn by them, so that what way soever those young oxen might go of their own accord, such place where they stopped must be the locality selected for his interment. Secondly, it was ordered, that his remains should be buried deeply in the earth, so that the height of a man or a cubit must mark his grave, and that the precious re- mains might not be taken out of it. The blessed Patrick assented to these commandsoftheAngel,andthenhereturnedtoSaul. Therehedisposedall his temporal and eternal affairs, while waiting for his final summons.
Within a few days after this, as the most holy senior, St. Patrick, sat near
the city of Down, and not far from its church, he preached regarding the glory of Heaven, to a great multitude of religious and ecclesiastical men. Then, a wonderful splendour illuminated a certain place, in the eastern part of the churchyard. The pearl of Ireland, the illustrious St. Brigid, happened to be present. ^7 The saint commanded her, to declare this mystery of, and to account for, that Divine light. She then told, in the hearing of all the assembly, how that celestial light had consecrated and designated the place, where a saint, most glorious and most dear to God, should shortly be interred. Then, a holy virgin,^^ named Ethembria,^^ who was there, asked St. Brigid, to particularize the great person, who should there be deposited. The holy Brigid thereupon declared, that it should be the place of sepulture, for the PatronandApostleofIreland,St. Patrick; and,then,addedfurther,thatshe would account herself most happy, if his sacred body might be wrapped in a winding-sheet, which she had spun and woven with her own hands. This she had prepared, for such a sacred purpose. Soon, the great light dis- appeared, but a vision of St. Patrick ascending to Heaven accompanied its
vanishing. The blessed Apostle, knowing by Divine inspiration the holy virgin's desire, commanded her to go, and to bring that sheet, wherein the illustrious womanwouldhavehisbodywrapt. HethenwenttothemonasteryofSaul, where falling sick, he expected the end of this life, or rather the beginning of another life that hath no end. The holy virgin Brigid was so wearied with the length and difficulty of her journey, that she could not come to him, so soon as she purposed. 3° The Blessed Bishop, knowing in what distress the pious virgin was, sent chariots, to meet herself, and four other pious virgins, coming to Saul, where the saint lay sick. She soon presented him with the
=*
Jocelyn adds the following words : si proxima essem, vestimentum dedissem. "Therefore, remember thy word, where- Beatus vero Patricius respondit ; expectabit
with thou gayest hope unto thy first con- verts, the sons of Dichu, when instructed of heaven, thou didst foretel unto them, that in their land thou wouldst die and be buried. "
egens : venias. Quedam vero sanctimoniahs
Virgo B. Brigidam de paupere secreto sci- scitata est. Cui Brigida ait ; Sanctus Pater noster Patricius proximo huic loco sepultus jacebit ; et non post multum ad alterum transferetur, ibique sanctum ipsius et vene- rabile corpus requiescet. "
=*
Nothing seems to be known with certainty, regarding this saint, who is also called Cethuberis. Some other variations of her name occur. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, nn. 82, 181, pp. 112, 116.
=' She was the first nun, in all Ireland, who had embraced virginity, and who liad been consecrated by St. Patrick,
*7 The Fourth Life has it, that the multi- tude there " quidam beatam Brigidam inter- rogant," as if she were distinct from the great Patroness of Ireland. Then, however, do we read " Quae respondit Non me
:;
sed S. Patricium interrogate. Audiens autem Patricius S. Brigidam loquentem dixit ; ^qualiter sumus : quapropter liujus rei mysterium revela prassentibus. At illi ilia
inquit j Angeli sui est visitatio cujusdam . sancti viri ad locum sepulchri ejus, quo cor-
Patricius deinde
ait, animam fore propriori in loco, qui ves-
3" The Fourth Life of St. Patrick
puto
tern quiescent! dabit. Brigida dixit j Ego for this purpose, with five virgins, when
pus ejus requiescet.
states, that she journeyed to the plain of Bregia,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 7^3
sheet, which he received very gratefully. Then, kissing his feet and hands, she and her virgins received his last benediction.
Spent in years, and weakness of body coming on him, as closed the gate of life on earth, the portals of Heaven began to open before Patrick's view, bring- ingthecrowntoreleasehimfromallinfirmity. TheAngelhadadmonished the holy man, to receive the last Sacraments, at the hands of his disciple St. Tassach,3itheBishop. 3^ Elevatinghiseyes,PatricksawJesus,standinginthe midst of a multitude of Angels. Then, blessing his disciples, and rendering thanks to God, he passed out of this life, resigning his spirit to Heaven. Thus was he destined to see the Lord, face to face. His blessed soul was received into the joy of life supernal, by the all-immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, and by sacred choirs of Virgins, with the Patriarchs, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and the Angels. No wonder that he was honoured by all the saints, since there shone in him the virtues of all the saints. An Angel he was, not alone by nature, but by his virtues and office ; for, his lips kept science, and the law of life, which he taught to the people. He was a Prophet, for few of the Prophets were imbued with a greater foresight of future things. He may well be regarded as an Apostle, for everywhere in Ireland, and in the neighbouring Islands, it is said, he left proofs of his Apostle- ship. AMartyrhewas,inregardofthemanyconflictshehadagainstkings, Magicians, Idolaters, and Devils, even although his life was spared, notwith- standing his many trials. Rightly was he called the Confessor of God, who continually preached the name of Christ, and who, by his words, his example, and his miracles, excited people, tribes and tongues, to the confession of God's name, against human sin, and in favour of the Divine promise. Rightly was he called a virgin, who remained a virgin in his body, in his heart, and in his faith, and by his three-fold virginity, who pleased the Spouse of virgins, and the Virgin of virgins. Rightly is he numbered among the angelic choirs, and the assemblies of all saints, who was the sharer in all holy acts, and the exemplar of all virtues. It has been stated, that for three-and-thirty years, he gave himself to the sweet rest of contemplation, either at Armagh, or at Saul monastery. During this time, he never went abroad, according to the same authority,
unless it were for great affairs. It is said, he held a Council once each year, for the redress of existing abuses, or to serve the good government of those churches he had founded. ^3 Notwithstanding the foregoing statement, we
all sat down "ad
they wearied, lapidem
Ailbe. " No attempt has hitherto been made to discover this ancient monument.
" Tassach remained after him (in
having given the Communion to him :
3' The Third Life has "dedit ei sacrifi-
cium Episcopus Tassach. "—Cap. Ixxxix. , p. — 28, and n. 86, p. 35. So state the O'Clerys,
HesaidthatPatrickwouldreturn: the wordofTassachwasnotfalse. " .
likewise, in their Calendar, where they add, pp. 290, 291. See also Colgan's "Trias ""
This is related in the Quatrain, beginning :
'The royal Bishop Tasach,'" &c. His Natal Day was held, on the 14th of April, according to St. ^ngus, the Martyrologies of Tallagh and of Marianus O'Gorman, at Rath-Colptha, or Kill-Chlopta, near Down.
3^ In —St. Fiech's Hymn, this matter is thus
Thaumaturga, Prima Vita S. Patricii, Strophe 27, p. 3, and n. (jid,) of the Scho- liast, as, also, n. 19, p. 6. See, also, Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxxv. , p. 60, and n. 35, p. 64.
stated
:
-AiiAif CAffAch TDiAef incAtt 00 bei\C com- niAn 06,
<Xfbei\c TnomcT^et) pAci\Aicc, b|MAcliAt\ Ca]^ai5 nii\ bu 50.
26, and nn. (,aa. bb. cc), pp.
6,
It is thus rendered into English :—
"Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol.
iv. ,
33 See Colgan's
"
Trias Thaumaturga,"
Prima Vita S. Patricii, strophes 23, 24, 25.
p. 3, 5, Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxviii. , Ixxxix. , p. 28, and n. 82, p. 34. Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xci. , xciii. , xciv. , pp. 46, 47, and nn. 74,_ 75, p. 50. Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxxii. , xxxv. , xxxvii. , p. 60. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap.
Sabhall),
784 LiVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i^.
can hardly believe, that St. Patrick spent the last thirty years of his life, at Saul. Another St. Patrick is said to have died, and about the same time with thegreatApostle,whenboththeirsoulswenttogethertoHeaven. 34 Asthe name of St. Patrick of Nola35 could not have been known to St. Fiach, it appears, he could not have been that other Patrick, to whom he made allusion. Again, the Patrick Senior, having had his day assigned to the 24th of August, excludes him from consideration ; although, the Scholiast on St. -^ngus seems to have thus understood it ; but, his assertion has been well corrected by Colgan. For a precisely similar reason, he could not have been a St. Patrick of Nevers. s^ It must be remarked, however, that Colgan, while confounding Nivernensis with Arvernensis, says, Patricius Nivernensis was revered, on the i6th of March, Now, in some old Martyrologies, a St, Patrick of Auvergne has a festival placed, at that particular date. 3? This might have furnished occasion for supposing him to have ascended to Heaven, and nearly on the same day with our great Apostle. But, excellent critics, who have examined this question, seem to think, that through some error of entry in the Calendars, St. Patrick of Auvergne must be deemed identical with the great Apostle of Ireland. All our authorities are agreed, that the latter departed this life, on the 17th day of March ; and, according to one account,thishappenedjustsevendays,afterhehadreturnedtoSaul. s^ We have already alluded to a supposition, that the Irish Apostle spent his last days
clxxxvii. , clxxxviii. , clxxxix. , cxc, cxci. , pp. 106, 107. The Latin Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, lib. iii. , cap. ci. , cii. , ciii. , pp. 167, 168. Also, the Irish Version of the Tripartite, as translated in Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," PP- 497. 498.
3< The matt—er is thus stated, in the Hymn
tandem putat errore prsetermissum, nisi alte- rius fortassis civitatis Episcopus fuerit.
Joannes Savaro, vir eruditiis, in Originibus Arvernensibus, cusis et remsis late hoc
dtibium deducit, asseritqiie nullum vestigium esse apud Arvernos nominis, reliquiarum, aut alicujus cultus S. Patricii Episcopi, sed
hunc in praedictis Martyrologiis allegatum
of St. Fiech
:
IncAti conhuAlAi pAc^vaic, a-o e\X& iti pACi\Aicc riAiLe,
ll* mAtle connubAcbfAC, •Dochvim n1fu meicc mAi|\e.
This stanza is thus rendered into Eng- lish :—
alium non esse S. Patricium quam
fuisse nomen depositionis, quod absque ulte- •* When Patrick departed (from life), he riore examine potuit descriptum deinceps
went to visit the other Patrick ; Together they ascended to Jesus, Son of
Mary. "
Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. iv. , pp. 292, 293.
3S He is mentioned, in Ferrarius' " Cata- logus Sanctorum Italic. " But, Ughelli supposes him to be the Irish St, Patrick. See " Italia Sacra," tomus vi.
fuisse, Tamaius Salazar in Martyrolog. Hispan. arreptd hac occasione dubitantium aut reijcientium S. Patricium Aruernensium Episcopum, statuit eum fuisse Patricium Episcopum Malacitanum in Baetica, qui in- ierfuit Co7icilio Illiberitano. Vertim hunc Malacitani non agnoscunt Sanctum, ut con- stat ex libra Martini de Rod de Malacd urbe et ejus Sanctis. Plura de eo non occurrunt,"
^ Probus thus writes
dicta post septim dies, in die scilicet xvi. Calend. Aprilis expleta sunt circa B. Pa- tricium, peractis totius vits ejus cxxx. duo-
—"
" Hasc Angeli tomus ii. , xvi. Martii, among the Sancti bus annis, s—icut in omnibus Hibemise finibus
3* A Patricius Nivernensis is noticed, in the Usuard and in the Roman Martyrologies. 37 In the Bollandists' " Acta Sanctorum,"
Praetermissi et in alios dies relati, p. 417, celebratur. " Quinta Vita S. Patricii,
"
Epis- copum Hibernise, sive Hiverniae, pro qud voce alibi substitutam fuisse Arverniae, sive
Averniae, maxime cum prima loco apud Usuardum sequenti die legatur, Natalis S. Patricii Episcopi et Confessoris in Scotia ; a quo die ob ejus Vigiliam ad ultimum hujus diei locum potuit in nonnullus fastis irans- latusfuisse, ac tandem loco Vigilias intrusum
lib.
S. Patricii Episcopi et ii. , cap. xxxiii. , p. 60. Colgan, however, fancies, that the error of a copyist must have put cxxx, for cxx, as the latter number best accords with the general statement of his
they thus notice :
Confessoris depositio Avernis, sive Arvernis,
memoratur apud Usuardum, Bellinum, Gale-
sinium, et in hodierno Martyrol. Rom. in
ctijus Noiis liaeret dubius Baronius cum inter
episcopos Arvernenses non recenseatur, d n. 33, p. 64, ibid.
biographers, while it is more probable. See
:
March 7-] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. ^S5
at Glastonbury, and that there he had been interred. 39 Some accounts have it, indeed, that St. Patrick ha—d been buried, in the old church of Glastonbury, on the right side of the altar an Angel having revealed God's will to this effect, and a great light or flame breaking out of the same place. Here, the holy body was placed, in a pyramidical tomb, richly covered with silver and gold. 4° However, the foregoing tradition must have reference to a St. Patrick, quite distinct from the Irish Apostle.
A number of monks stood around the bed of their holy founder, while
the dying Apostle commended his soul to tlie Almighty ; and, they wrapped around him that shroud, prepared by the hands of St. ]3rigid. A very great multitude of clergy and laity flocked to the place f^ where, Avith tears and sighs, they mourned for the desolation occasioned to the Irish Church. Yet,
they were consoled, as on the very first night, after his departure, the Angels of the Lord of Elements watched Patrick's body, a miraculous light having spread all over the placCj^^ and a wonderful melody chiming with their
spiritual
chants. 'fs The mortals who were seemed ravished with the present
sights and sounds, until sleep stole over them ;44 but, on the following morn-
ing, those Angels disappeared, when they awoke, and fragrant odours of Divine Grace were typified by those, which issued from the sacred body -p while the angelic music'*'^ gave tranquillity and joy to the chief clerics of the men of Erin, who watched47the body for twelve days and nights, following his death. ^^ During this period, a great controversy had arisen, among the clergy and people, regarding the place where he should be interred. This, like many
35 See also, Harris' Ware, vol.
" Arch-
^mni lAOpCA^NAt),
bishops of Armagh," pp. 22, 23.
'•° His memoiy is said to have been so
anions there, that the cliinxli was called St.
and St. Patrick's while his relics JNIary's ;
were kept, until the old structure was burned. About A. D; 1 186, they were taken up, -H-itli
AingiL 'Oe icec Ai'oche, A]\to|:cci]' ccn AH AX).
—
" Patrick's from his soul was severed body
after pains ;
The angels of God, on the first night, kept
choir around it unceasingly. "
those of St. Giklas, and of others, when
they
were put into shrines, and translated into
the new church. See Father Peter Riba-
"
lated by W. P. , Esq. , part i. , p. 159.
deneira's
Lives of the Saints," &c. , trans-
't'
Acc—ording
to St. Fiach's
Flymn, 31st
'*'* Probus
that on the first
stanza
:
the
celebrated
cieiAich liO|\eiiii Dollot:A|A, •oaiim Pacjaaicc A'p cech yec,
Son in cecAib UA'oib ]:o|\ I'cc.
concuib cAcli
" The
to watcli around Patrick,
clergy
of Erin went from
every part
'|-o]^]\obAic1i,
It is thus rendered into English :—
The sound of harmony fell upon them, so that they slept, enchanted on the
way. "
•*- This
l^revalent,
in all Catholic countries. It was
have
considered an act of t—o
respect, keep lights
report may lights, during
waked. Those were more or less numerous, according to the rank of deceased persons. They were used, likewise, in funeral pro-
i. ,
pAC]\Aicc fi^iA cho|\p, \\ ia]a pocAib
from the the time of Divine
arisen,
use of
service, and while the sacred body was church or a chapel where it was deposited,
cessions. See " Bingham's Origines
Eccle-
iv. ,
siasticas," book xxiii. , chap. 2.
''3 The Hymn of St. Fiach states, at the
32nd stanza ;^
It is thus rendered into English :
relates, obsequies being
XXXvi. , p. 60.
*= The Irish Life, in allusion to Tripartite
this miracle, remarks, that the blessing of Jacob to his son was kept regarding him, i. e. " Ecce odor tilii mei sicut odor agri
j^leni, quern benedixit dicens," &c.
•**' Whether the coiicentus of St. supcriii
Fiech's Hymn refer to Angels, or to clerics, does not seem to be very clear. See Prima
Vita S. Patricii, stanzas 31, 32, p. 3.
''^ This custom of holding wakes is still
night, by Angels, the clergy and people suddenly fell asleep. vSee Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap.
around a
n the i—
a
and watched until the time of burial. Con- stantine's body was surrounded with lights, and watched for several days and nights. SeeEusebius' "VitaConstantini,"lib. cap. Ixvi. Hence came what are called waives.
t** St. Gregory of Nyssa says, that the 3D
corpse
place regularly
786 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
another event in the Apostle's Acts, was determined by Divine interposition. It would seem, that services of more than usual magnificence and solemnity were employed, in the waking and interment of this great founder of the Irish Church. For twelve days,'»9 and as many nights, the solemnities for waking theholyApostleofIrelandwerecontinued. 5° Themonksandthedivines sang requiem hymns, and psalms, with canticles, appropriate for the occasion. ^* An extraordinary portent betokened his happiness. There was no night, for the people of Magh-Inis, during that whole interval ;52 while, an angelic illuminationseemeddiffusedovertheentirefirmament. Someevenstated,
persons watching the body of his sister Ma- "htiAi^ Afi'oich Ia Vl6fu ing^iAn, ^^m bAf crina sang psalms during the whole night. niriA cL6en,
See Vita Macrinse. To this singing by CiAfu ch|\ebt\ech bA huifr^j foillp >'l\i
night, during the obsequies of St. Patrick, is probably to be referred what we find in
Fiech's Hymn, at stroph. 31, in Colgan's
eici'echc ha noeb.
They are thus rendered into English :
" He (St. Patrick) put an end to night ; light ceased not with him ;
To a year's end there was radiance ; it wasalongdayofpeace.
" At the battle fought around Beth-horou against the Canaanites by the son of Nun
"
superni reddebat ipsos sopore irruente ubi
Latin translation :
Sonus concentus
humi decumbentes.
"
By concentus superni,
we may understand, "singing psalms and "
hymns, thisbeingasortofcelestialmusic.
In Lynch's translation, we have, instead of concentus superni, the "musical instru- ment. " Could it be that instrumental music was allowed, at the obsequies of our saint ? This should form a singular exception to the Church's practice in those days. Although the Jews, in their watchings or wakes of the dead, had that custom (Matt. ix.
Ixxxviii. , p. 28.
'5 See J. B. Doyle's "Tours in Ulster,"
p. 73-
'^ Owing to the barbarous, ruthless, taste-
less, unjustifiable conduct of certain parties, then connected with the town or county.
Mrs. Millard. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1790.
'9 In his interesting and learned Lecture, during the month of September, 1864, before the Downpatrick Young Men's Christian As-
sociation, the Rev. William Reevessays, that it is "one of the finest specimens of Celtic entrenchments to be found in the West of Europe. Noonecanwalkroundthefosses and entrenchments of that enormous structure, without being forcibly struck by their extent and boldness ; and if disposed to carry the imagination backwards, one may picture to the mind the stirring scenes which passed here, when that great munition was in its full strength and beauty, and filled with a dense assembly of rude but powerful occu- pants ; when its trenches were deep and filled with water ; when its ramparts were lofty and pallisaded ; and when chiefs with
78o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
celebrated heroes of what was called the Red Branch Order in this country, anddescendedfromRuryMor,intheillustriouslineoftheClannaRury. He wasthesonofUitechar,sontoFachtna,sonofRury. AndConchobhar MacNessa, King of Ulster, was brother to his father Uitechar.
Cumcraigh, son of this Connor MacNessa, was his first cousin, and he was King of
Ulster, reigning at Emania, a. d. 53. Amidst all the fiction and hyperbole, which characterize the bardic stories of Ireland, we can, in this case, discern
Downpatrick Cathedral and Round Tower, as they stood in the Eighteenth Century.
some vestiges of true history, and pronounce of this Dun, that about the
Christian era, it was the abode of a famous chief, far and wide renowned for
hismilitaryexploits. Hebelongedtoadistinguishedrace,whichleftitsim-
press upon many places in the vicinity, where their names are to this day
preserved ; while many of the principal families, belonging to the adjacent district, derived their origin from the stock of whom he descended.
Several ancient roads branch from the Cathedral, and from Dun-Keltair, in various directions. The celebrated old fortress,^" lying on the north-west side of the town, takes up a vast extent of ground, and it comprehends, at least, three quarters of an English mile, within the circuit of all its works. The circumference, at least, is 2,100 feet ; the conical height is 60 feet j while the diameter at the top bears a just proportion, with the other parts. The
their goklen collars, and bards with tlieir
tuneful harps, represented the military and social excellence of their day. "
'° Dr. John O'Donovan, who visited Downpatrick, in April, 1834, thus writes
*'
The rath near Downpatrick is the largest barbaric fortress I have yet
seen. Sir James Kinge called it, in 1612, ' the round mount, alias Downeroskae,' but it is unquestionably the Down Celtair and Arx Lethglasse of the old writers of the Life
of St. Patrick. Downeroskae seems a name derived from its situation, and signifying,
'
the fortress in the marsh. ' It was ancientl\ , and to a late period, almost entirely siu- rounded with water, and that part of it to which there was access from dry land is con-
siderably higher and more steep than where it was surrounded by the water. "—"The
regarding it ;
County of Down Ordnance
Letter of John O'Donovan, dated from Downpatrick, April 28th, 1834, p. 98.
Survey
Letters. "
March 17. ] LIVES OP THE IklSH SAINTS. 781
most considerable of the three great artificial ramparts surrounding it cannot be less than thirty feet broad. ^^
According to some respectable authorities, and to tradition, over the church he established, at Down, St. Patrick governed as its first bishop, the
Primatial See of Armagh not having been founded for many years afterwards, as appears by all the Lives of our illustrious Apostle-^^ That he was the first bishop, over Down, continued to be the living tradition of the country, so late as 1680. ^3 And, it would seem, that he used often to resort thither, even to the very close of his life. Then, while on his way southwards towards Armagh, according to the legend of his Acts,'-* a bush seemed to be in a blaze,'5 and from
:
it the Angel Victor came. He spoke to holy Patrick these words " It is not
there thy resurrection hath been decreed ; go back to the Sabhall, that place whence you came ; for, it is there God hath decreed, that you shall die, and
not in Ard-Macha. God has granted thee, that thy dignity and rule, thy devotion and teaching, shall be in Ard-Macha, as if thou thyself wert alive there. "^^ Whereupon,hearingthesewordsoftheAngel,thesaintwasgrieved; but, quickly returning to himself, he embraced that mandate of Divine Provi- dence, with much devotion and thanksgiving, while submitting his own will to the will of God, he returned unto Ulidia.
The Angel left advice with St. Patrick, as to how he should be buried ; because, a contest was anticipated, among the people of different territories.
"' See Walter Harris' " Ancient and
Present State of the County of Down,"
I wish that I, succeeding him in place As Bishop, had an equal share of grace.
"
chap, xvii. , p. 220.
—
^* his
During lifetime,
we have records of
Vol. of
i. , "Archbishops Cashel," p.
bishops at Raholp and Bright—
John W. Hanna, in a learned article, con- tributed to the Ulster Weekly Examiner of June 8th, 1872. From this we have drawn much valuable information. After the bishops alluded to, no successors appear. It
would be marvellous, and contrary to their ecclesiastical discipline, if Down and Saul
of— ou Trinity College, Dublin, expressly
jUTje.
writes
" :
This town was the first
place
in
this kingdome that St. Patrick was bishop
of, though in Armagh is the Primacy of this
kingdome * * * and for proof of Doun being the first Bishoprick, I have observed on the epitaph of Meilerus M'Grath, Lord Archbishop of Cashel, who was first of all Lord Bishop of Doun, before he conform'd to the reformed religion, in Queen Eliza- beth's reign, the verses are as followeth,
— sanctissimus
These stanzas are thus rendered into Eng- lish :—
" Patrick came southwards towards Victor ; he it was that went to meet him :
The bush, in which Victor rested, was in a
these being the first two disticks thereof
:
:
Thy dignity (shall be) return thanks to Christ :
at
" Venerat in Dunum dim,
primo
Armagh :
To Heaven thou shalt come ; thy prayer
Patricius, nostri gloria magna soli.
Huic ego succedens, utinam tam sanctus
ut ille,
Sic Duni primo tempore Prsesul eram.
Which has been thus translated —
is granted thee. "
by Hanis, in his edition of Ware's Bishops :"
Vita S.
Quinta Patricii,
lib.
iv. ,
ii. , cap. xxxii. ,
*'
Patrick, the glory of our Isle and Gown, First sat a Bishop in the See of Down,
Lord speaking to Moyses, from the bviming bush. See Exodus, iii.
"
60.
'^ This has a probable original, in our
writes Mr.
485-
'* Thus is the matter related, in the 24th
should have no governing bishop.
*3 Then, one Downing, in his manuscript Afbe^AC oixTJOAn 'oo ITlAche, •00 C|\i]^c
description of the county, written for Sir AclAigce buiue,
William Petty, and preserved in the library Oo chum nime mofpegA, i\o |\AchA 'ouic
and 25th stanzas of St. Fiach's Hymn
— :
Oo ^Aich ^A'oei' CO UiccojA, h& he ai|\'o
LAfpAij" in muine imb<ii, a"^ in cen atj- glA'OAI'CAlA.
blaze : spoke.
" He said
from the flame he (the angel)
—"Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol.
pp. 290, 291. See, Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxviii. , p. 28. Also, Probus, or
p.
7§2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i^
for the possession of his sacred remains. The following directions were then given : First, that two young and strong oxen should be brought from the herds of Conall's territory, viz. : from Finnabhair, or Clocher ; and that, after death, Patrick's body should be placed in a wagon, to be drawn by them, so that what way soever those young oxen might go of their own accord, such place where they stopped must be the locality selected for his interment. Secondly, it was ordered, that his remains should be buried deeply in the earth, so that the height of a man or a cubit must mark his grave, and that the precious re- mains might not be taken out of it. The blessed Patrick assented to these commandsoftheAngel,andthenhereturnedtoSaul. Therehedisposedall his temporal and eternal affairs, while waiting for his final summons.
Within a few days after this, as the most holy senior, St. Patrick, sat near
the city of Down, and not far from its church, he preached regarding the glory of Heaven, to a great multitude of religious and ecclesiastical men. Then, a wonderful splendour illuminated a certain place, in the eastern part of the churchyard. The pearl of Ireland, the illustrious St. Brigid, happened to be present. ^7 The saint commanded her, to declare this mystery of, and to account for, that Divine light. She then told, in the hearing of all the assembly, how that celestial light had consecrated and designated the place, where a saint, most glorious and most dear to God, should shortly be interred. Then, a holy virgin,^^ named Ethembria,^^ who was there, asked St. Brigid, to particularize the great person, who should there be deposited. The holy Brigid thereupon declared, that it should be the place of sepulture, for the PatronandApostleofIreland,St. Patrick; and,then,addedfurther,thatshe would account herself most happy, if his sacred body might be wrapped in a winding-sheet, which she had spun and woven with her own hands. This she had prepared, for such a sacred purpose. Soon, the great light dis- appeared, but a vision of St. Patrick ascending to Heaven accompanied its
vanishing. The blessed Apostle, knowing by Divine inspiration the holy virgin's desire, commanded her to go, and to bring that sheet, wherein the illustrious womanwouldhavehisbodywrapt. HethenwenttothemonasteryofSaul, where falling sick, he expected the end of this life, or rather the beginning of another life that hath no end. The holy virgin Brigid was so wearied with the length and difficulty of her journey, that she could not come to him, so soon as she purposed. 3° The Blessed Bishop, knowing in what distress the pious virgin was, sent chariots, to meet herself, and four other pious virgins, coming to Saul, where the saint lay sick. She soon presented him with the
=*
Jocelyn adds the following words : si proxima essem, vestimentum dedissem. "Therefore, remember thy word, where- Beatus vero Patricius respondit ; expectabit
with thou gayest hope unto thy first con- verts, the sons of Dichu, when instructed of heaven, thou didst foretel unto them, that in their land thou wouldst die and be buried. "
egens : venias. Quedam vero sanctimoniahs
Virgo B. Brigidam de paupere secreto sci- scitata est. Cui Brigida ait ; Sanctus Pater noster Patricius proximo huic loco sepultus jacebit ; et non post multum ad alterum transferetur, ibique sanctum ipsius et vene- rabile corpus requiescet. "
=*
Nothing seems to be known with certainty, regarding this saint, who is also called Cethuberis. Some other variations of her name occur. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, nn. 82, 181, pp. 112, 116.
=' She was the first nun, in all Ireland, who had embraced virginity, and who liad been consecrated by St. Patrick,
*7 The Fourth Life has it, that the multi- tude there " quidam beatam Brigidam inter- rogant," as if she were distinct from the great Patroness of Ireland. Then, however, do we read " Quae respondit Non me
:;
sed S. Patricium interrogate. Audiens autem Patricius S. Brigidam loquentem dixit ; ^qualiter sumus : quapropter liujus rei mysterium revela prassentibus. At illi ilia
inquit j Angeli sui est visitatio cujusdam . sancti viri ad locum sepulchri ejus, quo cor-
Patricius deinde
ait, animam fore propriori in loco, qui ves-
3" The Fourth Life of St. Patrick
puto
tern quiescent! dabit. Brigida dixit j Ego for this purpose, with five virgins, when
pus ejus requiescet.
states, that she journeyed to the plain of Bregia,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 7^3
sheet, which he received very gratefully. Then, kissing his feet and hands, she and her virgins received his last benediction.
Spent in years, and weakness of body coming on him, as closed the gate of life on earth, the portals of Heaven began to open before Patrick's view, bring- ingthecrowntoreleasehimfromallinfirmity. TheAngelhadadmonished the holy man, to receive the last Sacraments, at the hands of his disciple St. Tassach,3itheBishop. 3^ Elevatinghiseyes,PatricksawJesus,standinginthe midst of a multitude of Angels. Then, blessing his disciples, and rendering thanks to God, he passed out of this life, resigning his spirit to Heaven. Thus was he destined to see the Lord, face to face. His blessed soul was received into the joy of life supernal, by the all-immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, and by sacred choirs of Virgins, with the Patriarchs, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and the Angels. No wonder that he was honoured by all the saints, since there shone in him the virtues of all the saints. An Angel he was, not alone by nature, but by his virtues and office ; for, his lips kept science, and the law of life, which he taught to the people. He was a Prophet, for few of the Prophets were imbued with a greater foresight of future things. He may well be regarded as an Apostle, for everywhere in Ireland, and in the neighbouring Islands, it is said, he left proofs of his Apostle- ship. AMartyrhewas,inregardofthemanyconflictshehadagainstkings, Magicians, Idolaters, and Devils, even although his life was spared, notwith- standing his many trials. Rightly was he called the Confessor of God, who continually preached the name of Christ, and who, by his words, his example, and his miracles, excited people, tribes and tongues, to the confession of God's name, against human sin, and in favour of the Divine promise. Rightly was he called a virgin, who remained a virgin in his body, in his heart, and in his faith, and by his three-fold virginity, who pleased the Spouse of virgins, and the Virgin of virgins. Rightly is he numbered among the angelic choirs, and the assemblies of all saints, who was the sharer in all holy acts, and the exemplar of all virtues. It has been stated, that for three-and-thirty years, he gave himself to the sweet rest of contemplation, either at Armagh, or at Saul monastery. During this time, he never went abroad, according to the same authority,
unless it were for great affairs. It is said, he held a Council once each year, for the redress of existing abuses, or to serve the good government of those churches he had founded. ^3 Notwithstanding the foregoing statement, we
all sat down "ad
they wearied, lapidem
Ailbe. " No attempt has hitherto been made to discover this ancient monument.
" Tassach remained after him (in
having given the Communion to him :
3' The Third Life has "dedit ei sacrifi-
cium Episcopus Tassach. "—Cap. Ixxxix. , p. — 28, and n. 86, p. 35. So state the O'Clerys,
HesaidthatPatrickwouldreturn: the wordofTassachwasnotfalse. " .
likewise, in their Calendar, where they add, pp. 290, 291. See also Colgan's "Trias ""
This is related in the Quatrain, beginning :
'The royal Bishop Tasach,'" &c. His Natal Day was held, on the 14th of April, according to St. ^ngus, the Martyrologies of Tallagh and of Marianus O'Gorman, at Rath-Colptha, or Kill-Chlopta, near Down.
3^ In —St. Fiech's Hymn, this matter is thus
Thaumaturga, Prima Vita S. Patricii, Strophe 27, p. 3, and n. (jid,) of the Scho- liast, as, also, n. 19, p. 6. See, also, Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxxv. , p. 60, and n. 35, p. 64.
stated
:
-AiiAif CAffAch TDiAef incAtt 00 bei\C com- niAn 06,
<Xfbei\c TnomcT^et) pAci\Aicc, b|MAcliAt\ Ca]^ai5 nii\ bu 50.
26, and nn. (,aa. bb. cc), pp.
6,
It is thus rendered into English :—
"Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol.
iv. ,
33 See Colgan's
"
Trias Thaumaturga,"
Prima Vita S. Patricii, strophes 23, 24, 25.
p. 3, 5, Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxviii. , Ixxxix. , p. 28, and n. 82, p. 34. Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xci. , xciii. , xciv. , pp. 46, 47, and nn. 74,_ 75, p. 50. Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxxii. , xxxv. , xxxvii. , p. 60. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap.
Sabhall),
784 LiVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i^.
can hardly believe, that St. Patrick spent the last thirty years of his life, at Saul. Another St. Patrick is said to have died, and about the same time with thegreatApostle,whenboththeirsoulswenttogethertoHeaven. 34 Asthe name of St. Patrick of Nola35 could not have been known to St. Fiach, it appears, he could not have been that other Patrick, to whom he made allusion. Again, the Patrick Senior, having had his day assigned to the 24th of August, excludes him from consideration ; although, the Scholiast on St. -^ngus seems to have thus understood it ; but, his assertion has been well corrected by Colgan. For a precisely similar reason, he could not have been a St. Patrick of Nevers. s^ It must be remarked, however, that Colgan, while confounding Nivernensis with Arvernensis, says, Patricius Nivernensis was revered, on the i6th of March, Now, in some old Martyrologies, a St, Patrick of Auvergne has a festival placed, at that particular date. 3? This might have furnished occasion for supposing him to have ascended to Heaven, and nearly on the same day with our great Apostle. But, excellent critics, who have examined this question, seem to think, that through some error of entry in the Calendars, St. Patrick of Auvergne must be deemed identical with the great Apostle of Ireland. All our authorities are agreed, that the latter departed this life, on the 17th day of March ; and, according to one account,thishappenedjustsevendays,afterhehadreturnedtoSaul. s^ We have already alluded to a supposition, that the Irish Apostle spent his last days
clxxxvii. , clxxxviii. , clxxxix. , cxc, cxci. , pp. 106, 107. The Latin Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, lib. iii. , cap. ci. , cii. , ciii. , pp. 167, 168. Also, the Irish Version of the Tripartite, as translated in Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," PP- 497. 498.
3< The matt—er is thus stated, in the Hymn
tandem putat errore prsetermissum, nisi alte- rius fortassis civitatis Episcopus fuerit.
Joannes Savaro, vir eruditiis, in Originibus Arvernensibus, cusis et remsis late hoc
dtibium deducit, asseritqiie nullum vestigium esse apud Arvernos nominis, reliquiarum, aut alicujus cultus S. Patricii Episcopi, sed
hunc in praedictis Martyrologiis allegatum
of St. Fiech
:
IncAti conhuAlAi pAc^vaic, a-o e\X& iti pACi\Aicc riAiLe,
ll* mAtle connubAcbfAC, •Dochvim n1fu meicc mAi|\e.
This stanza is thus rendered into Eng- lish :—
alium non esse S. Patricium quam
fuisse nomen depositionis, quod absque ulte- •* When Patrick departed (from life), he riore examine potuit descriptum deinceps
went to visit the other Patrick ; Together they ascended to Jesus, Son of
Mary. "
Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. iv. , pp. 292, 293.
3S He is mentioned, in Ferrarius' " Cata- logus Sanctorum Italic. " But, Ughelli supposes him to be the Irish St, Patrick. See " Italia Sacra," tomus vi.
fuisse, Tamaius Salazar in Martyrolog. Hispan. arreptd hac occasione dubitantium aut reijcientium S. Patricium Aruernensium Episcopum, statuit eum fuisse Patricium Episcopum Malacitanum in Baetica, qui in- ierfuit Co7icilio Illiberitano. Vertim hunc Malacitani non agnoscunt Sanctum, ut con- stat ex libra Martini de Rod de Malacd urbe et ejus Sanctis. Plura de eo non occurrunt,"
^ Probus thus writes
dicta post septim dies, in die scilicet xvi. Calend. Aprilis expleta sunt circa B. Pa- tricium, peractis totius vits ejus cxxx. duo-
—"
" Hasc Angeli tomus ii. , xvi. Martii, among the Sancti bus annis, s—icut in omnibus Hibemise finibus
3* A Patricius Nivernensis is noticed, in the Usuard and in the Roman Martyrologies. 37 In the Bollandists' " Acta Sanctorum,"
Praetermissi et in alios dies relati, p. 417, celebratur. " Quinta Vita S. Patricii,
"
Epis- copum Hibernise, sive Hiverniae, pro qud voce alibi substitutam fuisse Arverniae, sive
Averniae, maxime cum prima loco apud Usuardum sequenti die legatur, Natalis S. Patricii Episcopi et Confessoris in Scotia ; a quo die ob ejus Vigiliam ad ultimum hujus diei locum potuit in nonnullus fastis irans- latusfuisse, ac tandem loco Vigilias intrusum
lib.
S. Patricii Episcopi et ii. , cap. xxxiii. , p. 60. Colgan, however, fancies, that the error of a copyist must have put cxxx, for cxx, as the latter number best accords with the general statement of his
they thus notice :
Confessoris depositio Avernis, sive Arvernis,
memoratur apud Usuardum, Bellinum, Gale-
sinium, et in hodierno Martyrol. Rom. in
ctijus Noiis liaeret dubius Baronius cum inter
episcopos Arvernenses non recenseatur, d n. 33, p. 64, ibid.
biographers, while it is more probable. See
:
March 7-] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. ^S5
at Glastonbury, and that there he had been interred. 39 Some accounts have it, indeed, that St. Patrick ha—d been buried, in the old church of Glastonbury, on the right side of the altar an Angel having revealed God's will to this effect, and a great light or flame breaking out of the same place. Here, the holy body was placed, in a pyramidical tomb, richly covered with silver and gold. 4° However, the foregoing tradition must have reference to a St. Patrick, quite distinct from the Irish Apostle.
A number of monks stood around the bed of their holy founder, while
the dying Apostle commended his soul to tlie Almighty ; and, they wrapped around him that shroud, prepared by the hands of St. ]3rigid. A very great multitude of clergy and laity flocked to the place f^ where, Avith tears and sighs, they mourned for the desolation occasioned to the Irish Church. Yet,
they were consoled, as on the very first night, after his departure, the Angels of the Lord of Elements watched Patrick's body, a miraculous light having spread all over the placCj^^ and a wonderful melody chiming with their
spiritual
chants. 'fs The mortals who were seemed ravished with the present
sights and sounds, until sleep stole over them ;44 but, on the following morn-
ing, those Angels disappeared, when they awoke, and fragrant odours of Divine Grace were typified by those, which issued from the sacred body -p while the angelic music'*'^ gave tranquillity and joy to the chief clerics of the men of Erin, who watched47the body for twelve days and nights, following his death. ^^ During this period, a great controversy had arisen, among the clergy and people, regarding the place where he should be interred. This, like many
35 See also, Harris' Ware, vol.
" Arch-
^mni lAOpCA^NAt),
bishops of Armagh," pp. 22, 23.
'•° His memoiy is said to have been so
anions there, that the cliinxli was called St.
and St. Patrick's while his relics JNIary's ;
were kept, until the old structure was burned. About A. D; 1 186, they were taken up, -H-itli
AingiL 'Oe icec Ai'oche, A]\to|:cci]' ccn AH AX).
—
" Patrick's from his soul was severed body
after pains ;
The angels of God, on the first night, kept
choir around it unceasingly. "
those of St. Giklas, and of others, when
they
were put into shrines, and translated into
the new church. See Father Peter Riba-
"
lated by W. P. , Esq. , part i. , p. 159.
deneira's
Lives of the Saints," &c. , trans-
't'
Acc—ording
to St. Fiach's
Flymn, 31st
'*'* Probus
that on the first
stanza
:
the
celebrated
cieiAich liO|\eiiii Dollot:A|A, •oaiim Pacjaaicc A'p cech yec,
Son in cecAib UA'oib ]:o|\ I'cc.
concuib cAcli
" The
to watcli around Patrick,
clergy
of Erin went from
every part
'|-o]^]\obAic1i,
It is thus rendered into English :—
The sound of harmony fell upon them, so that they slept, enchanted on the
way. "
•*- This
l^revalent,
in all Catholic countries. It was
have
considered an act of t—o
respect, keep lights
report may lights, during
waked. Those were more or less numerous, according to the rank of deceased persons. They were used, likewise, in funeral pro-
i. ,
pAC]\Aicc fi^iA cho|\p, \\ ia]a pocAib
from the the time of Divine
arisen,
use of
service, and while the sacred body was church or a chapel where it was deposited,
cessions. See " Bingham's Origines
Eccle-
iv. ,
siasticas," book xxiii. , chap. 2.
''3 The Hymn of St. Fiach states, at the
32nd stanza ;^
It is thus rendered into English :
relates, obsequies being
XXXvi. , p. 60.
*= The Irish Life, in allusion to Tripartite
this miracle, remarks, that the blessing of Jacob to his son was kept regarding him, i. e. " Ecce odor tilii mei sicut odor agri
j^leni, quern benedixit dicens," &c.
•**' Whether the coiicentus of St. supcriii
Fiech's Hymn refer to Angels, or to clerics, does not seem to be very clear. See Prima
Vita S. Patricii, stanzas 31, 32, p. 3.
''^ This custom of holding wakes is still
night, by Angels, the clergy and people suddenly fell asleep. vSee Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap.
around a
n the i—
a
and watched until the time of burial. Con- stantine's body was surrounded with lights, and watched for several days and nights. SeeEusebius' "VitaConstantini,"lib. cap. Ixvi. Hence came what are called waives.
t** St. Gregory of Nyssa says, that the 3D
corpse
place regularly
786 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
another event in the Apostle's Acts, was determined by Divine interposition. It would seem, that services of more than usual magnificence and solemnity were employed, in the waking and interment of this great founder of the Irish Church. For twelve days,'»9 and as many nights, the solemnities for waking theholyApostleofIrelandwerecontinued. 5° Themonksandthedivines sang requiem hymns, and psalms, with canticles, appropriate for the occasion. ^* An extraordinary portent betokened his happiness. There was no night, for the people of Magh-Inis, during that whole interval ;52 while, an angelic illuminationseemeddiffusedovertheentirefirmament. Someevenstated,
persons watching the body of his sister Ma- "htiAi^ Afi'oich Ia Vl6fu ing^iAn, ^^m bAf crina sang psalms during the whole night. niriA cL6en,
See Vita Macrinse. To this singing by CiAfu ch|\ebt\ech bA huifr^j foillp >'l\i
night, during the obsequies of St. Patrick, is probably to be referred what we find in
Fiech's Hymn, at stroph. 31, in Colgan's
eici'echc ha noeb.
They are thus rendered into English :
" He (St. Patrick) put an end to night ; light ceased not with him ;
To a year's end there was radiance ; it wasalongdayofpeace.
" At the battle fought around Beth-horou against the Canaanites by the son of Nun
"
superni reddebat ipsos sopore irruente ubi
Latin translation :
Sonus concentus
humi decumbentes.
"
By concentus superni,
we may understand, "singing psalms and "
hymns, thisbeingasortofcelestialmusic.
In Lynch's translation, we have, instead of concentus superni, the "musical instru- ment. " Could it be that instrumental music was allowed, at the obsequies of our saint ? This should form a singular exception to the Church's practice in those days. Although the Jews, in their watchings or wakes of the dead, had that custom (Matt. ix.
