No More Learning

Columba? , lib. i. , cap. xv. , p. 342, and nn.
55- 56. 57. 58, P. 376.
100 From the Irish Cuachal.
A. D. 383, 384.
102
OrCuaicCUro,or"oftheClydedis- trict. "
"° See a account of Dum- very complete
101 His is thus pedigree
Britons see Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. i. ,
book ii. , chap. ii. . pp. 235 to 249.
111 The ancient Scholiast on St. Fiech's Hymn, in the Liber Hymnorum, observes onthenameNemthur,whichis thealleged birthplace of St. Patrick, caelum 1 tnbpe- cnAibcuArcipc. 1. AilCluAoe,whichmay
"
ap Cedig, ap Dyvnwal Hen, ap Ednyved, ap Maxen Wledig, who was Maximus, King of Britain,
Venerable Bede tells us that this British
106 «<
hodie, quae rocatur Alcluith. " "Historia
Civjtap Brittonum muniti—ssima usque
lib. i. , cap. xii. , p. 52.
In
"s the Annals of Ulster, at a. d.
given :
be translated,
t0* After the battle fought at Ardderyd or i. e. , Ail-Cluade. " See fol. 29.
Arthuret, between the Christian and Pagan parties in Cumbria. See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. , book ii. , chap, v. , p. 179.
104 The denomination it bore in the ninth century.
105
name had its Latin equivalent in " Petrum
Cluith. "
113 See teAbhAjv OpeAcVmAch Atinpo fif, or Irish version of Nennius, edited with a Translation and Notes, by Rev. Dr. James HenthornTodd, and Hon. Algernon Herbert, pp. 28, 29, and nn. (x, y, z). Also Additional Notes, Note xvii. , pp. xxxiii. to xxxvi.
1,4 — Venerable Bede says of Petram Cluith
"estenim juxta fluvium nominis illius. "
barton Parish—in the Deanery of Lennox—
with a Map I. , No. 4, illustrating it, in that valuable and researchful work of Cosmo
"
Innes, Origines Parochiales Scotiae," vol. i. ,
pp. 23 to 26.
"
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum,"
'"
For a detailed account of the Stratcluyd
a city in North Britain,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
469
the name ofStrath-clyde, or as denominated by the Irish Srath-cluade," 5 and
sometimes Arecluta. "6 Here it is was 1 ^ said, Christianity early established,
and a Christian settlement was formed. "8 The celebrated prince to w—hom wehavealreadyalludedwascalledbytheBritonsRhydderch"9Hael the
latter word 120 and meaning Liberal,
applied
to him as the charac- indicating
ter of his He was of Irish extraction I31 on the mother's disposition.
side, his sister Melangell or Monacella being the daughter of Ethni, surnamed Wyddelas,122 or the Irishwoman. 123 He receives a very high eulogy for generosity of heart, for munificence in his gifts, and for his urbanity of speech. His reign was glorious and he was rich ; for the Lord prospered him, on
he is called of Monmouth by Geoffrey
Three Liberal Princes of the Isle of Britain. ",2s At first he was a pagan, but he became a convert to Christianity, while he was instructed and baptized by the disciples of St. Patrick in Ireland. 126 Afterwards, he became a zealous
account of his 12* liberality.
Hence,
Rodarchus Largus, and among the Welsh, he was celebrated as one of the
"
of
propagator Christianity,
12? andadevoutbeliever. Hewasalsoa
friendand
patron
ofSt.
Kentigern,
great 128 whileboththeirdeathsarerecordedas
I29in —
the same year, which is generally held to have
beenin when he lived to engage in war, about the propriety or justice of which he had fears or scruples. One of those who opposed him was Guenddolen ap Ceidian, whom Roderick overcome and slew at the battle of Arderydd,131 or Arthuret, foughtabouttheyear573. 132 Itappears,thatKingAidan,133alsodenominated AeddanVradogorFradawg,13* meaningAidantheTreacherous,^hadformed
bernise," Januarii xxix. , Vita S. Gildae derch Hael, champion of the faith. " See
having happened
we find allusion to this
116 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi- rwyfadur ffydd, which is translated " Rid-
60 1. '3°
— He was
obliged through
the sad necessities of that
period
871,
SpAch-Clu<yoe.
127 Merddin calls Hael him, Rhydderch
Albanii Abb. et Confes. n. I, p. 178. Also,
Vita S. Gildse Badonici, Abbatis et Confes-
soris, cap. 1, p. 181, and n. 3, pp. 187, 188. "7 The death of Cathal Macfergus, Bishop of Alcluyd, is recorded at a. d. 554. See
" Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales," vol. i. , P- I3S-
128 The special friend of St. Columba, and
" Parochiales Scotise," vol. Origines
through whose agency, Christianity became established in King Roderick's dominions. See Pinkerton's " Vitse Sanctorum
118
However, this is thought to be founded
on an erroneous reading of the Annales
Ultonienses, at A. D. 554 : the place men-
tioned there is Achadhcinn, in Ulster. See
Rev. Dr. Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Antiquities
of Down, Connor and Dromore, pp. 89, 322.
119 Also written Redereth. See the Bollan-
"
xiii. , in Vita S. Kentigerni, cap. vi. , p. 820.
cap. xlv.
129 The Englynion y Beddan have In
Aberich Rederch Hael.
130 See Bishop Forbes' edition of the
"Lives of St. Ninian and St. Kentigern,
compiled in the Twelfth century," in the Fifth Volume of the Historians of Scotland.
Edinburgh, 1874, 8vo.
'3' This is denominated one of the "Three
dists'
Acta Sanctorum," tomus
Januarii
120 In Irish Hael is rendered
i. ,
piAl.
121 See "Trias " Colgan's Thaumaturga,
Quaita Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xv. , and nn. 56, 57, p. 376.
Battles of the Isle of Britain. " George Chalmers has a. d. 577, as the date for this battle. See "Caledonia," vol. i. ,
i. , p. 24.
Antiquse
Scotise," Jocelyn's Vita S. Kentigerni,
122 See Rees' " Essay on the Welsh book ii. , chap, ii. , p. 246.
Saints," p. 269.
123 See the interesting papers on Pennant
"
Archseologia Cambrensis," vol. iii. , No. i. , ii. , pp. 137, 224, oid series.
124 " Unde non solum in tines ciicumja- centes terrse ejus, sed etiam ultra mare —in Hyberniam exivit fama largitatis ejus. "
Jocelin, Vita S. Kentigerni, cap. 37, in Pin- donia," vol. i. , book ii. , chap, ii. , p. 246,
Melangell, in
kertonVVitaeAntiquse Sanctorum Scotiae," p. 277.
125 See Triad xxx. , in " Myvyrian Archia- "
ology of Wales, vol. ii. , p. 63.
and n. (p), ibid.
I3s In Irish •orveA'OAch.
136 See " Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales,"
vol. ii. , Triad 46, p. II, and Triad 52, p. 66.
126
See Vita S. Kentigerni, cap. xxix.
Expensive
"
Celtic Scot- land : a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii.
chap, v. , p. 179.
133 Said to have been St. Columba's
friend.
132 See William F. Skene's
134 So he is styled, by Merlin, the Cale- "
donian poet. See George Chalmers' Cale-
4 7o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J une 9.
an alliance with the Saxons, and he went to Alclut, to the court of Rydderch Hael ; he consumed all the meat and drink in the palace, leaving not as much as should feed a fly, and he left neither man nor beast alive, but
destroyedall. 136 AmonghisopponentswasMerddinWylet,commonlycalled Merlin/3? He received also the name of Laloiken,138 or Laloecen from
Llallogan,
" twin
brother,"
as he was addressed
by
his sister
Gwenddydd.
He took part in the battle against the Strathclyde, of whom, from bitter ex-
perience, he makes frequent mention. 13? The religious and generous Prince
Rydderch Hael I4° sent to Columba, on one occasion, a secret embassy by Lugbe Mocumien. 1*1 The Prince wished to know, whether he should be
he
garding the king, and the kingdom, and the people, and answering as if commiserating his master, " why do you ask about that wretched man, who cannot by any means know at what time he shall be killed by his enemies," the saint then replied, "he shall never be delivered into the hands of his ene- mies;143butheshalldieonhisfeatherbedinhisownhouse. "144 Thisprophecy
of the saint regarding King Roderick was fully accomplished, for according
to Columba's he died a death in his own house. '45. word, tranquil
CHAPTER XIV.
STATE OF SCOTLAND AFTER THE DEATH OF BRUIDE MAC MAELCHON—LITERARY LABOURS OF ST. COLUMBA—THE CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE GREAT CONVENTION, ASSEMBLED AT DRUMCEAT—IT IS ATTENDED BY ST. COLUMBA— HISTORY OF THIS CONVENTION—RESULTS ACHIEVED—MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ST. COLUMBA AT THAT PLACE.
killed by his enemies or not 142
; for,
to have been
at this
driven into great extremities. But Lugbe being interrogated by the saint re-
Inthe
1 thedeathofBruideMac ofthe Maelchon, King
Picts, took
"
I3? See Goodall's edition of Fordun's ference to Aidan's
hostility.
year 584,
2 and he was succeeded
3 son of
to the nation of the southern Picts. 4 These events seem to have turned the
by Gartnaidh, tideofsuperiorityinfavourofRydderchHaelandofAidan. Thelatterwas
place,
Scoti Chronicon," vol. i. , xxxi. , pp. 135 to 137.
cap.
I43
138 See Vita S. Kentigerni, cap. xlv. , p. 241,andNotePIT. ,p. 371. BishopForbes' edition,
'39 In his Oian a Pharchellan, vs. 10, 12.
25, and in his Afallen beren. See Myvy-
rian Archaiology of Wales," vol. i. , pp. 135,
138, IS1"
140 See Ussher's Works, vol. vi. "Bri-
tannicarum Lcclesiarum Antiquitates,"
cap. xv. , p. 226.
141 It seems to be uncertain who he was.
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Vita
I44 -Eodemannoquopontifexsanctusde- cessit Kentegernus, et Rex [Rederech] ac Princeps [Morthec] pra? dicti obierunt ; et
S. Columbae," lib. i. , cap. 24, 28, 41.
neus Mocumin, his brother, is mentioned, at
"
Trias conjectures, respecting the Lugbeus Moccumin, men- tioned in the text. See Quarta Vita S.
Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xv. , n. 58, p. 376.
'« The message in the text may have re-
in the — of neighbourhood
lib. ii. , cap. 18, 27. Colgan, in his
a. d. 586.
Thaumaturga,"
offers various
a See William F. "
Skene's Chroniclesof
the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of early Scottish History," p. 67.
3 Sometimes called Gartinaich. He is
book
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' " Adamnan's Life
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap, 15, pp. 43, 44, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e, f).
iii. ,
Lug-
Glasgow.
Some accounts have
time,
appears
Domelch, who belonged
—
in Glasghu sepulti sunt. " Joceline's Vita
S. Kentigerni, cap. 45, in John Pinkerton's
"
"
Vitae Antiquae Sanctorum Scotiae,
M5 In Aber Riderch Hael is [buried]. See
MyvyrianArchaiologyofWales,"vol. i. , p. 79. This the Welsh place mentioned for his death is in Caernarvonshire, although the place of his burial is more likely to have been
Chapter xiv
*
p. 297
June 9-] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. 471
brave and enterprising, while danger appears to have threatened his kingdom from those invaders, who were bent on the conquest of Anglia and probably of Scotia and of Caledonia. In conjunction with the Cumbrian prince Malgon, the Scoto-Irish King Aidan marched against the Saxons in 584, when both armies met on Stanemore, a stony district, on the eastern borders of West- moreland, then inhabited by the Britons. Here was fought the battle of Fethanlea, Anglicized Fretherne,5 in which the Saxon powers were defeated. 6 It checked their advance in a northern direction. Again coming to the aid of the Britons,? Aidan encountered the Saxons, in the battle of Leithreidh 8 or Lethrigia,9 a. d. 589, or 590, and he obtained a signal victory over them. 10 The result contributed greatly to his prestige and fame as a warrior, in those convulsions and wars, which were prevalent at this period.
While residing at Iona, the literary labours of the holy Abbot, although frequently interrupted, were not wholly relinquished. A Poem,11 attributed to
some reminiscences of to have Erin, appears
St. 12 and Columkille,
reviving
been composed during his exile, if we can deem it authentic. ^ However,
there are evidences sufficient to indicate his frequent and affectionate recol- lections of his native land, during those years he spent in the Island of Hy, and in the country of his adoption. *4 Towards the close of his career, the holy abbot felt a great desire to revisit Ireland, while many cogent motives and reasons then urged him to put this design into execution.
Having placed the religious affairs of Scotland on a sure basis, and having established monasteries and churches in so many different places there, St. Columba knew, that the Irish clergy, nobles and people most earnestly desired his return. '5 He also felt a yearning to see many of the holy men, who were then ornaments of the Irish Church, and yet to visit many of those houses, where his spiritual children lived in community ; while above all things, he wished to promote peace, happiness and unity of feeling among the people of both Scotias. 16
We shall now proceed to narrate those circumstances which have marked withdistinguishedrenownthecareerofSt. Columba. ThemonarchAedh,1?
said to have reigned eleven years from A. D.
I2 The Irish, and English translation, with notes, may be found in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," Addi- tional Notes F, pp. 274, 275.
I3 Copies are to be met with in the Bod-
leian Library, Oxford, Laud. 615, and in the
Burgundian Library, Bruxelles.
I4 See, also, "Trias Thauma- Colgan's
turga," Tertia Appendix ad Acta S. Colum-
bse, Secunda Pars, p. 472.
I5 Father Thomas Innes, in his "Civil
and Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," places his return to Ireland, at a. d. 586. See book ii. , sect, liv. , p. 209. This, however, was too early.
l6
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. iii. , cap. i. , p. 430.
1? Aido properly Ae'oo, is the old geni- tiveof Aev, like Ferguso in Prsefacio, p. ii. , lib. i. , cap. 43, 49. So Fedelmtheo, or Fe- delmedo, from Fedelmidh, Fergosso from Fergus, as seen in Liber Armacanus, at fol.
586 to 597, when he died.
See Rev. Dr.
of Scot-
James Taylor's
land," vol. i. , chap, iii. , p. 25.
" Pictorial
4 See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot- land : a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. ,
,book ii. , chap, iv. , pp. 135, 136.
s See Rev. " Saxon J. Ingram's
Chronicle, with an English translation," &c, p; 27.
6
See George Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. i. . book ii. , chap, ii. , p. 247.
? The relative position of the Picts, Scots,
Britons and Saxons are well set forth in the
coloured Map, as found in Edward A. Free-
"
History of the Norman Conquest of England," vol. i. , chap. ii. , p. 35.
8 See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hiber- nicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. , Annales Ultonienses, f>. 31. The date here given is 589.
9 Seez°3/</. ,tomusii. ,Tigernaci Annales, p. 158. The date given by Tigemach is 590.
man's
History
10 This is called by Adamnan " Miato-
rum prcelium. " In it, Aedan's two sons 16a, b, and at 16^, b. See also John
"
meVLxch a rhic mo'Ohe Ai-obleriemenx).
Arthur and Eochod-Finn were slain. O'Donovan's
" It commences with the words T)obA and Zeuss' " Grammatica Celtica," vol. i. ,
Irish Grammar," at p. 95 ; pp. xxxii.