No More Learning

O'Curry wrote, another copy of the Irish Tripartite was found, in the Bodleian
" The antiquity of this Life, in all 168 ijifferent versions of this work remain, its parts, may be well understood from the both in Irish and in Latin. These are sup- fact that, in the middle ages, it required an
lating to the History of Great Britain and
Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p. 65. It is iden-
tical with the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,
published by Colgan, in his "Trias Thau- maturga. " This Life is followed by the
Hymn, or Prayer of St. Patrick, as published ''
by Dr. Petrie, in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. "
**' The Latin portions are principally
Scriptural quotations, with extracts from St.
Patrick's "Confession," from St. Jerome, Library, Oxford. Regarding the British or from old Latin documents, treating about Museum copy, the learned Irish scholar
the subject of biography. writes
posed to be identical with that one, gene- rally denominated, "The Tripartite Life," or the seventh, as published by Colgan.
'«9 From three old Irish MSS. The
Egerton MS. , 93, is probably a transcript from one of tliese. Among the Egerton MSS. , there is a Life of St. Patrick, in Irish, and it is compiled from older Lives of the saint. It is a paper copy, in 4to, and it is classed 1 70. At p. 94, reference is made
to Probus and Jocelyn. See Sir Thomas "
:
interlined gloss, by the most learned,
masters, in order to make it intelligible to their pupils and to other less learned readers. I have myself fortunately re- covered an ancient copy of these glossed passages (in MS. H. 3. 18. T. C. D. ) by which I am enabled to form an opinion of the antiquity of the text, which it has not perhaps fallen to the lot of other Gaedhlic scholars to do. The antiquity of the tract may be also inferred from Michael O'Clery's
Duffus Hardy's Descriptive Catalogue of introduction to his glossary of obsolete
Materials relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p. 66.
'7° There is yet preserved, in Irish, a MS. intituled, "Beatha Naomh Pattraic," or a Life of St. Patrick. This, however, is im- perfect. It is among the MSS. of Stowe, No. xxxiii. , 4to paper, xviii. cent. The pages are 6. St. Patrick's pedigree, as pre- served in this MS. , is quoted by Ussher, and from a very ancient Poem, to be found in the "Annals of the Four Masters. " See Dr. Charles O'Conor's "Bibliotheca MS.
Stowensis," vol. i. , p. 157.
"
Primordia," cap. xvi. , p. 812, and cap. xvii. , p. 818.
'? ' The original Irish was stated to have been lost ; and, by some, it was held to have
Gsedhlic words, published in Louvain in the year 1643, in which he classes the old Life of St. Patrick with several other ancient tracts which required explanations ; ex- planations which it had received from various eminent scholars, even down to his own time ; indeed anyone intimately con- versant with ancient Gaedhlic writings will perceive at once—, that this tract is one of great antiquity. " Ibid. , p. 347.
"'3 Colgan declares, in editing this Tract,
when collating his three Manuscripts, that wherever he thought insertions were made
in the original, he took care to distinguish these, by a small type, called Garmond; but, wherever he entertained a doubt con- cerning this matter, no change was made in
''' See Ussher's
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 415
Leinster, and he lived, in the latter part of the sixth century. It has been asserted, but on very insufficient grounds, that he lived and wrote contempo- raneously with some of St. Patrick's disciples. Colgan thinks his conjecture maybeestablished,owingtothefollowingchainofcircumstances. St. Evin,
or Emhin, according to Jocelyn ^74 and Ware,^75 wrote the Acts of St.
Patrick. Again, in addition to what Jocelyn drew from Benignus, Mel,
Luman and Patrick junior, he also took his account from Evinus ; and,
indeed, he has few incidents recorded, that do not correspond with those in
the Tripartite Life, from which they seem to have been derived. However,
he voluntarily omits several things, in reference to the proper names of
persons, places, countries and church foundations. '^^ It is argued, that the
author lived, about the middle or end of the sixth century, because he had
been visited,'? ? by St. Molua, or Luan,'? ^ Abbot of Clonfert Molua,'79 and
because he from this '^° the of in departed world, during reign Brandubh,'^'
Leinster. '^^ It seems not improbable, that St. Evin's Life of St. Patrick should have been seen by Jocelyn, when he wrote, a. d. 1185; nor is it likely, thai it should have perished, or have been lost, in Ireland ; nor was any other Life of our saint, partly written in Irish, and partly in Latin, known to Colgan, except the Tripartite. Again, it seems to be well established, that the author belonged to the Irish race,'^3 and by profession, that he was a monk, or a priest. '^4 Then, it is supposed, that when he wrote, certain early saints had not departed from life. '^5 However, as we have already observed,
"
in the sense of one British Museum,'^? has lately been translated into English, in an accurate
Colgan seems to have mistaken an applied form of expression, est,
"
is," for
one when in being alive,
it
buried. '^^ That copy of the Irish Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, found in the
the printed characters. Wherever, the Italian or cursive letters are found is an in- dication of Latin words, used by the ancient
author. adds Colgan
:
" communi et and from the quos people,
to St. eulogize
mediano,ess—eanobisexHibernicoinLati- num versa. " Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. I, p. 169.
'? * See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clxxxvi. , p. 106.
'75 Ware has Evin at the seventh century, only on the mere authority of Jocelin. Yet, he says nothing about the Tripartite Life. See " De Scriptoribus Hibernias," lib. i. , cap. iii. , p. 16.
pulpit,
Patrick, while each Part seems to close with
reality
rests,"
each one of his three Books, in a preface. Nay more : it is thought, he spoke these respectively, in a narrative series, to the
'7^ This he states, in Sexta Vita S. lxxxiii. ,p. 141.
Patricii, cap. Ixviii. , pp. 79, 80, and cap. xciii. , p. 86, &c.
'" This is stated, in the Life of St. Molua, chap. 42.
'7^ His feast occurs, at the 4th of August.
'79 He flourished, a. d. 560, and died a. d. 605.
'^*
Colgan argues, however, that this must
signifies,
ping nearly half an inch over the edges of •^ This is the statement, in St. Evin's the leaves, at the front and ends. The
own Life, at the 22nd of December.
'^' He was son to Euchod.
'** He died, A. D. 601.
"^3 Thus, he writes in Irish, and he seems
to have had a singular good knowledge of native proper names of men, of places, of families, and of territories.
'^* This seems to follow, from th6 fact of
his quoting various Scriptural passages ; and, again, because after the manner of an exordium to a popular sermon, he introduces
brass was rather clean, and it had a modem
appearance. The plates measured, about twelve inches in length, nine in breadth, and three-eighths in thickness. The front plate had a plain cross etched upon it, about eight inches long, with the arms in propor- tion. At the back, the brass plates were connected, by a pair of hinges ; thus giving the volume perfect freedom of opening, and on a principle, not much practised by ordi- nary bookbinders. This Tripartite copy
a suitable peroration.
^^3 Thus regarding St. Loam, a disciple of
St. Patrick, at pars, i. , cap. lii. , p. 125, pars, ii. , cap. Ivii. , p. 137. Also, in refer- ence to St. Guasact, another disciple, at
pars, i. , cap. xx. , p. 120. St. Fiech, another disciple, is alluded to, at pars, i. , cap. Ixi. , p. 126. Again, referring to another disciple St. Mucpa, pars, ii. , cap.
be a strained meaning. See Septima Vita
S. Patricii, n. i, pp. 169, 170.
'87 The finder, Professor O'Curry, de-
scribes it as a thin book of large 4to size, in
a brass cover, consisting of two plates, lap-
being
41 6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
and a scholarly manner, by the eminent Celtic scholar, William M. Hennessy, M. R. I. A. '^^ It has been annotated, likewise, and thus published, in the admirable Life of our saint, by Sister Mary Francis Clare Cusack. '^9 It cannot be admitted, at least, in its present state, that the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick had been composed, so early as Colgan imagined. It appears much more probable, its compilation was somewhere, about the tenth century ; for, certain persons, who flourished, at such a period, are named, in thejbody of that work. It is remarked, by Colgan, that although the Tripar- tite writer has confounded very much the order of places and territories, with that of time and sequence, in his Acts of St. Patrick ; still, it is the most accurate of all these, that has come down to us. '9° Wherefore, he inserted it last, in his collection, not that it was by a later author than such as had precedence ; but, because, it served distinctly and briefly to relate and con- firm most accounts, given by the former Acts. Moreover, it produced many things, omitted in them, while it was tlie only Life, which gave a complete history of our great Patron Saint. ^9' Perhaps, the chief value, attaching to the Tripartite Life of our glorious Apostle, arises from the fact of its having been compiled, with a scrupulous fidelity, and from much older records.
Instead of giving their substance, even their very phrases are retained ; and, we often meet with passages, where the present tense occurs, although the
past might have been appropriately used, besides finding collateral allusions, havingnoapparenttextualconnexion. Thisworkseemstohavebeenthe
foundation, on which Jocelyn prepared his biography ; for, in many places, he follows it verbatim. Still, he frequently inverts the statements it contains,
while most generally, his arrangement of them is arbitrary and distorted. We cannot be sure, however, about this being the exact work alluded to, by Jocelyn, as having been written by St. Evin,'92 nor is it even clear, at what time the Evin he speaks of might have flourished. No doubt, the force of those objec- tions, and innumerable passages, compiled after the sixth century, are admitted, by Colgan ; but, he considers, these latter were interpolations of St Evin's original text. '93 Yet, the composer sets down or the writers of this work give ustwiceoverthenamesofauthors,whomtheyfollowed. '94 TheseareColum-
occupied originally twenty folios, or forty
pages, of the book ; but, of these, the second
and sixth folios were cut out, . at some time
unknown. Besides our Saint's Life, this
Book contains fragments of two ancient
tales, namely, Fledh Brickrin, or "Brick- miracula, aliaque gesta ab aliis, quorum
rin's Feast," and -the celebrated Tain Bo Chuailgne : these Tracts are written in a different hand from that in the Tripartite, and they must have been originally part or parts of different Books. Before this Codex had been sold to the British Museum, it be- longedtoMr. JamesHardiman; and,inhis Catalogue, it is classed, No. 93. Egerton.
opera extant, omissa fideliter et distincte re- censet, sed et historias sacras et prophanas Hibemias a suscepta fide usque ad finem saeculi quinti ita comprehendit, ut facile omnes simul sumptos qui de rebus Patricii, et historiis domesticis tum sacris cum pro- phanis istius sseculi scripsenmt, facile aequa- verit, nisi et superaverit. "
some Professor interpolations,
'»' See Vita S. Septima
n.
Excepting
O'Curry thinks it to have the antiquity, as-
Patricii,
I, p.
signed by Father John Colgan.
*^ Besides this Life, we have another in
the Leabhar Mor Duna Doighre," Royal Irish Academy, and another in the "Book of Lismore," kept at Lismore Castle. See Professor Eugene O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish
History," lect. xvi. pp. 339 to 350.
'*• See " The Life of St. Patrick, Apostle
1 70.
'9' John O'Connell, of Kerry, who wrote
a long Poem on the History of Ireland, about 1650, refers to a Life of St. Patrick, written by St. Eimhin. This indicates a tradition of its authorship.
''3 See Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. I, p. 170.
'9^ See Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars. L, cap. Ixix. , p. 128, in the small type. See again, lib. iii. , cap. xcix. , p. 167.
Irish, in the "LeabharBreac," but properly, '•
of Ireland," Kenmare, 1869, 4to, with several fine illustrations,
'9° He adds ' ' Non solum enim innumera :
Sanctorum nomina et gesta aliqua, Eccle- siarum fundationes, Patricii itinera, labores,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 417
kllle, Ultan, son of O'Conchaiiar/ss Adamnan, nepos Tinneus,^? ^ Eleran the Wise, Kieran of Belachduin, Hermedusor Jeremias, '57 Bishop of Clogher, Col-
man Huamacnensis, andCollatus, a priest of Druim-Relgeach/Q^ in the territory ofMeath, ThereisnomentionwhateverofSt. Evin,intheLife,andthis
seems an omission, not easily reconciled, with his being the original author ;
even, though it had been enlarged, and interpolated, at a subsequent period.
Kieran died a. d. 770 '99 Collatus may have been identical with Conlatha, ;
whodepartedintheyear868;^°° Kinactus,sontoFeargal,PrinceofMeath,
Avas probably not living, when the work had been written, for he is mentioned
and lie is known to have died in 868 ^°^ while Kenngegan, historically,^"' ;
King of Cashel, is noticed,^°3 and he was killed, in a. d. 897. '°'* Besides, the work, as it now stands, must have been compiled, at a time, when the Irish Church had its staff of ecclesiastical dignitaries, and when its splendour had been fully recognised. In it, we find allusion to a bishop's Vicar-General, to a Suffragan, to an Archpriest, to a Chancellor, to a Chaplain, to Almoners, and to a Judge in spiritual affairs. ^°5 In addition to this, we find the writer states, that no less than sixty-six Books of St. Patrick's Acts, and all written by re- spectable and very ancient authors, had been issued before the writing of his own work \ while he speaks, also, of much more ancient and much more recent compilers, than those named by him. ^°^ There are no internal evidences, to show that the writer or writers of the Tripartite Life lived, so late as the
eleventh century. It contains a great variety of details and topographical denominations, concerning St. Patrick's Irish mission. Although it relates
some fabulous accounts, especially of the Apostle's younger days, this work is highly useful, for the biographer's purpose. Nor must it be confounded, with another Latin work, often quoted by Ussher, and to which he gives the
similar title of Tripartite. '^°^ In referring to this latter. Dr. Lanigan calls it UssJw's Tripm'tite. However, it is thought, that this copy must be assigned to a later period. Most certamly, we find some portions of it to have been written, and at a time, when the name Scotia was used for that part of Britain, which now is called Scotland,^°^ and Hibernia is set down for
Ireland, or Hiberni,^°'^ as a designation for its inhabitants. *'"
'95 Otherwise called Hua Conchobhair. '9* Otherwise called Hua Tinne.
'97 Also called Hieremias.
'9^ Also called, Druim-reilgeach.
'99 See Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. 48, p. 172.
=°°
Colgan does not think this unlikely. ^zeibid. , p. 173.
^°' Harris seemed to think, that this was a similar work. Alluding to a passage, quoted by Ussher, from his own Tripartite copy, Harris observes, that it is not to be found in the printed copy. See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Archbishops of Armagh," p. 35. This only means, in reality, that the printed edition differed, with regard to the passages quoted, from Ussher's Manuscript copy of the Tripartite.
^°^ ^°*
Ibid. , lib. ii. , cap. v. , p. 130.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Vita S. ^°3 See ibid. , lib.
nn.
'°^ In it we
about Palladius in the
" modo est Scotia quas
Septima
Patricii,
iii. , cap. xxx. , p. 156.
read, Picts,
17, 18, p. 175.
=°'» See ibid. , n. 57, p. 186, where it is
noticed,, that this prince lived, until the
ninth century's close. As Rev. Dr. Lanigan
remarks, a Manuscript note of Roderick century. See Ussher's "Primordia," cap. O'Flaherty, at the passage, assigns the exact xvL, p. 813, and compare it with the date, as given in the text.
^°5 See ibid. Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xcviii. , p. 167.
Ecclesiarum Primordiis," cap. xvi. , pp. 812, ^°^ Sec ibid. , cap. xcix. , p. 167. How- 813. By this title, or by " De Primordiis,"
ever, as the names are in small type, perhaps we are to regard them, as possible interpo- lations, and consequently the latter words can
or "Primordia," it is to be understood, throughout these notes, we quote the Dublin edition of 1639, 4to.
have reference to the writers of the
"° See Rev. Dr. " Ecclesias- Lanigan's
only
sixty-six various Books of St. Patrick's Acts.
tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, iii. . sect, iv. , and notes, pp. 85 to 88.
Vol. III. —No.
7.
2 d
province
of the
in Britiinnia," ended his life. Therefore, it is
inferred, from these Latin expressions, that
the author did not live before tlie eleventh
passage, in the Tripartite Life.
^°9 See also Ussher, " De Britannicarum
4i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
The admirable edition of St. Patrick's Acts, by Colgan, is followed by seven
differentAppendices. ThefirstAppendixcontainsthediversOffices,which
werecelebrated,inhonourofSt. Patrick. ^" Thesecondhasthevariousfrag-
ments of his Acts, as taken from the works of old writers, sometimes addi-
tions, sometimes mutilated excerpts, from books, not always seen by the
editor. ^" The third has certain actions and miracles, not found in the seven
published Lives of St. Patrick, at least, in part, yet contained in other saints'
Lives ^'3 and, to this are added his various prophecies,^'* and references to ;
the merits of St. Secundinus' Hymn,"5 with the composition itself. ^''^ The
fourth Appendix treats about some of his actions, described in his writings, by
St. Patrick,^'? a dissertation on his writings,^"^ and another, on the writers ^'9
ofSt. Patrick'sActs. "° InthefifthAppendixareintroducedanddiscussed
some difficulties and doubts, referring to the Acts of St. Patrick. "' The
sixth treats about St. Patrick's ^'^^ The seventh Appen- Appendix Purgatory.
dix relates to the Metropolitan Church of Armagh and gives its history. ^^3 Then follows an Epilogus Magnalium Magni Patricii. ^^4
It would seem an almost endless task, to enumerate all the separate Manu-
script Lives or biographical notices, relating to the holy missionary ; since, not
alone in Ireland, and in the British Islands, but over the European Continent,
numbers of exemplars, especiallyin Irish and Latin, are described as existing. ^^5
These are not all of equal antiquity,—or originality ; and, indeed, in many cases,
—hey are rather only modern copies as compared with the age of their subject t
andtakenfromActs,previouslywellknown. Thus,intheDublinLibra-
ries, alone, several such recently transcribed tracts are to be found. In the
Royal Irish Academy, we meet with them in the Betham collection,'^^^ among the Messrs. Hodges and Smith's Manuscripts, "7 as also, in others, described
*"See "Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga," chapters, pp. Appendix i. , pp. 189 to 196.
59.
written, by
"'"^
199.
See ibid. Appendix ii. ,
pp. 196 to
"3 The first Part.
*"• The second Part.
"5 The third Part.
°'*
See ibid. Appendix iii. , pp. 199 to 212.
='7 The first Part.
^^'^ The second Part.
"9 The third Part.
^'^° See ibid. Appendix iv. , pp. 212 to
in 134 verses, beginning with, 5eAnA|\
219. *^'
at Emtor. " In the Eighteenth Volume of
the O'Longan Manuscripts, there is " Hymnus Sancti Secundini seu Seachlan in Laudem Sancti Patricii.