No More Learning

3 The names of many Irish saints and their festivals are there given.
* These entries are in the Irish and Latin character. The MS. also contains a de- scription of certain lands, which formerly
entries are more recent, and in a different
character, from that found in the original or
proper text.
* These notices are written in the Irish
character.
^ In Dr. Barrett's Catalogue. Another
manuscript catalogue has been compiled, by H. J. M. Mason, LL. D. , to correct mis- takes in the former. Even in this latter, the MS. in question has been incorrectly set down as " Missale Romanum. " The Rev. James Henthom Todd, S. F. T. C. D. — whose labours as librarian were so incessant —has corrected various errors of both com- pilers. Dr. John O'Donovan commenced the compilation of a Catalogue Raisonniy relating to those MSS. , purely Irish ; but,
belonged to the see of Armagh, and which,
it is stated, were afterwards unjustly ac-
quired and retained by Con O'Neill. The unfortunately, this work was never com-
latter restored these to Archbishop Dowdall
pleted.
* Or an OfSce Book to be used in choir. ' This MS. contains anliphcns and mu-
sical notation for the feast of St. Patrick,
and to his successor in
s The latest date of an obit, I could dis-
cover in it, refers to A. D. 1596. Many other
perpetuity.
cii INTRODUCTION.
" Breviarium Romanum. " This, too, is described, for it I, 3. incorrectly
should be called an " Antiphonarium. " It is a large vellum unpaged folio, very much defaced by stains and imperfect, especially at its commencement andattheend. Thisappearstohavebeenwritteninthefifteenthcentury. It is said, to have formerly belonged to Clondalkin Church, in the county of
^°
Dublin. It contains a calendar of saints,
with notation of their offices, lessons and dates of their festivals. " IV.
" Iterum, cum Psalterio," &c. " This MS. should be called an " Anti-
B.
phonorium. " Itisalargevellumunpagedfolio,withsomepageswanting inthecommencement. Formerly,itissaidtohavebeenkeptintheChurch of St John the Evangelist, Dublin. It contains a calendar of saints, many of whom are Irish. '3 Nine lessons of an office for St. Patrick, written in a different character and by a more recent hand, than in those of the original text, are found prefixed. ^* All of those lessons are short, and contained on one page, within two columns. V. B. i, 5. "Iterum. "'s Like the pre- ceding manuscripts, however, this should have been noticed as an " Anti- phonarium. " Thecharactersareratherstainedanddefacedbyage,orthey have not been written in good black ink. It is imperfect at the beginning and at the end, as also in other places. It is paged at the bottom margin throughout,butinarathermodemhand. ^^ Thisappearstobeamanuscript of the fourteenth or fifteenth century. It contains only one page of a ca- lender, including saints' names and festivals—some Irish—for the months of
I, 4.
May, June, July and August. Other pages of it seem wanting. ^7 All the preceding manuscripts, for the most part, are written in black and red ink. At the musical notation parts, the notes are traced in black, and the lines in red, while many capital letters are curiously ornamented and variously co- loured : in some instances these are gilt. A few curious figures are traced, inmanyplaces,throughoutthosemanuscripts. Thepagesareallwritten
bishop and confessor. Nothing else, speci- calendar. Comparatively recent annota-
ally referring to an Irish saint, is included. '^ The deaths of many persons, written within unoccupied spaces and margins of
the calendar, with other unimportant anno-
tations, are found in different parts of its
calendar. These are traced in a compara- logue, by which we are to understand he lively recent hand from that which formed
theoriginalfineGothiccharacters.
" Within the leaves of this MS. a very correct and beautiful transcript of January
InMason'sCatalogue,onthecontrary,it is noted as a " Missale Romanum. "
The figures on the last leaf are 180, al- month, taken from the calendar, is to be ternate pages only having been numbered,
found. It is on an unfastened page, and in
Dr. Todd's handwriting.
" " Id est, Breviarium Romanum. " Thus
On a leaf, pasted to the cover at its com- mencement, I find a title, "The Breviary of Kilmoon," with notices of its containing
noticed, in Dr. Barrett's catalogue. Mr. St. Brigid's office, at fol. 114 b. , and St.
Mason inaccurately describes it as, "Missale
Patrick's office, at fol. 122 a.
'7 It contains some obits, scattered through-
out its pages.
" '3 There are various obits entered in the
Romanum, cum Psalterio et Antiphonis.
among whom many are Irish,
tions, also, are here noticeable.
'* Each lesson varies in length, occupying
from five to seven lines of that column, in which it is found.
»s Thus it is noted, in Dr. Barrett's cata-
regarded it as a " Breviarium Romanum. "
'*
INTRODUCTION. ciii
within double columns. '^ VI, B. i, i6. "Sanctorum Quorumdam Vitze et Passiones,unacumeorumDiebusFestis. " Thisisabeautifulvellumfolio, written in the 13th or 14th century. It is unpaged, and traced in double co- lumns. On its first written pages, a table, containing a list of saints' lives, with the days of their festivals, may be found prefixed. '9 Some folios are wanting throughout this manuscript, and especially towards the end, as ap- pears from the loss of saints' lives referred to in the table of contents. *" It
formerly belonged to the Monastery of St. Mary de Jorevalle, in the county of York ; while the characters are traced with elegance, on pencilled lines,
and in fine black ink, having initial letters in red, blue and green colours,
with handsome illuminations and VII. B. tracery.
2, 7.
" Sanctorum
Quo-
ruradam Vitse. " This elegant vellum folio was written in the thirteenth or
fourteenthcentury; illuminatedingoldandvariouscoloursthroughout,it
contains for the most part lives of English saints. *' It is unpaged. Pre-
fixed to this manuscript, and bound with it, some extraneous matters are
found, written on a few vellum pages. Towards the end matters of like
import are discovered. ** This particular codex has many marginal notes,
some of which are in Ussher's hand-writing. *3 VIII. B. 3, i. " Missale
Romanum, quod olim fuit Monasterii de Kilcormick, in comitatu Regis. "**
In Mason's catalogue, this manuscript is said to have been finished a. d.
i458. *s A calendar is prefixed to this missal. *^ One folio, containing the
months of January and February, is wanting. Many leaves are torn and in
part defaced, while several are altogether wanting. Some fragmentary folios
of an "
Antiphonarium"
are inserted at the end. This is un- manuscript
*^The publication of these MSS. , or of
any particular one among them, and col- lated with the others, should throw much light on the liturgical observances of our early Irish Church, at divers periods pre- ceding the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. In the hands of a judi- cious and competent editor, having a know- ledge of Church music and rubrics, it might be rendered a most interesting publication.
'9 All I could meet with in it, regarding
"
=^
Theyarewrittenin25columns. Among
Irish saint history, is
Epis. et Confes. ," at the i6th of the April
phetise diversse de Sexto Hibemiaj,'qui vo- catur Dominus. " They are in Latin prose and verse. These are followed by other vi- sions and prophecies attributed to Thomas of Canterbury, Merlin, &c.
»3 To him this MS. belonged, after it had been procured from St. Peter's Church, Westminster.
^-^ It contains many curious obits of the O'Molloys, &c. , with other marginal writ-
"
Miscellany of the Irish Archaeological Society," vol. i. , Art. vi. , pp. 99 to 106. This account is accompa- nied by suitable notes and historic illustra-
tions.
^s \ have been unable to find that record
in the codex,
** It contains the festivals and names of
some Irish saints,
Vita S. Patricii, kalends. This life occupies 40 cols, of the
MS. There is likewise a
gatorio Hibemiae," comprising 24 cols. , with
one leaf, or perhaps more folios, missing at the end.
^°
Although the remaining folios are ge- nerally in a fine state of preservation ; yet there is a partial mutilation on one of the leaves, where the life of St. Gudlac, con- fessor, commences.
*'
Only a few of these saints had con- nexion with Ireland.
tract,
ing.
Todd, in his edited
" De Pur-
An account of these is Dr. given by
these last-mentioned fragments, I find the
curious — are following prophecies. They
thus noticed in Mason's Catalogue
'' :
Pro-
civ INTRODUCTION.
paged, and it is written in double columns, throughout elegantly traced, with
several curiously-coloured and ornamented capital letters. IX. B. 3, 5.
"Ceremoniale Romanum," &c. This manusucript belongs to the fifteenth
century, and it contains a varied collection of tracts. "' The whole of it is
very elegantly written, but for the most part in very minute characters. Many
ofitscapitallettersarehandsomelycolouredandornamented. "^ X. B. 3,8.
"
Juliani Epis. Toletani (qui floruit 450) Liber de origine mortis humanse," &c. This manuscript contains a number of tracts, on different subjects, and apparently transcribed by various writers. '? The several tracts it con- tains appear to have been WTitten in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. However, this codex is imperfect. It comprises constitutions and rules of religious orders, together with an abbreviation of Venerable Bede'sMartyrology. 3° Thereisacalendar,containingtheinsertionofsome
"
Irish saints' festivals. XI. B. 3, 9.
manuscript contains Dominical and festival offices, with an order for reading them, as also different Masses for the feasts of saints, and a calendars' This is a beautiful quarto vellum codex, written about the fourteenth century, and illuminated. XII. B. 3, 10. " Iterum. " This manuscript contains " Officia Dominicalia totius anni, cum Kalendario, Psalterium Latinum, cum Lectionibus e Vitis Sanctorum Quorumdam precipue Hibemiorum. "3» Ac- cording to a notice affixed to the first folio of this breviary, it was written A. D. 1489, at that time a war took place about a right to the principality of Ely. 33 This codex was written by Malachy O'Lachnayn, a cleric of Killaloe diocese. 34 It is a vellum folio, beautifully traced in double columns, the capital letters being variously figured and coloured. It is in a fine state of preservation, as a curious and valuable memorial of our Irish Church liturgy, during the middle ages, and as particularly relating to Killaloe diocese. XIII. B. 3, 12. "Psalterium Romanum, cum Officiis persolvendis in Diebus Festis Sanctorum, a mense Junio usque ad mensem Novembris exclusive, cumKalendario,"&C. 35 Itisimperfecttowardstheend,anditcontainsan
^^ First in order among these is found a "Calendar," containing notices of Irish saints. It wants, however, the four last
months of the year. It contains, also,
tyrology, should doubtless reward the labour of a competent editor, and become a source of interest to the learned in such matters,
3i This contains notices of Irish saints, their festivals and offices,
3' Irish saints' names, festivals, and of- fices are here noted. The arrangement of the lessons differs, however, from the Ro- man Breviary, at present in use.
33 The disputants were Tatheu or Thad- deus and William O'Keruayle.
34 He concludes the insertion of this no- tice, by requesting the reader of his book to offer up the Lord's Prayer for his soul's salvation.
35 This quarto vellum manuscript for- merly belonged to the Blessed Virgin Mary's
Usuard's
rules, epistles, &c.
"
Martyrology," with monastic
^^ This codex formerly belonged to the Abbey of St. Thomas, near Dublin. It is
a vellum folio, and paged in comparatively recent characters.
=5 It is a vellum quarto, with ornamental
capitals.
'^ As the Martyrology of Bede is already
printed, I thought it unnecessary to extract several notices of Irish saints contained in this version. Yet, a publication, or a com- parison of this latter, with the printed Mar-
and coloured
Breviarium Romanum," &c. This
3, 13,
INTRODUCTION. cv
entry of several obits in the calendar. 3^ This codex is beautifully written, in double columns, with coloured capitals and gold illuminations. XIV.
" Breviarium Romanum cum Psalterio Latino. " This is a vellum
B.
octavo manuscript, written about the fifteenth century, and it contains also
a calendar, 37 This codex is greatly effaced towards the close, through the
effects of
damp
or of some other
injury.
XV. B. " Psalterium Ro- 3, 14.
manumcumOfficiisB. Mariseetmortuorum,"&c. Tothispsalter,anim-
perfect calendar is prefixed. 3^ It wants the months of May, June, July and
August. The remaining months only give a small diurnal proportion of
saints, for there are no entries at many of the days. However, on certain
blank spaces within this calendar, several curious figures illuminated, and illustrating the various menstrual employments, as also astronomical repre- sentations for the sun's entrance into the twelve zodiacal signs, may be seen. 39 This is a vellum octavo, and it was probably written during the thirteenth century. XVI. B. 3, 15. "Iterum, cum aliis Canticis," &c. This is an octavo vellum codex, beautifully illuminated throughout, with gold and colours. The capital letters are elegantly designed. We find a calendar prefixed, and the names of saints there are written in French. *"* This manuscript probably belongs to the fourteenth century. XVII. B. 3,
" Breviarium secundum usum & ii. In the second Sarum," pars. i.
18, 19.
part of this breviary there is a calendar of saints, including some that are
Irish. Although classed among the manuscripts of Trinity College, this is a printed book. *' It contains, however, manuscript comments and insertions throughout, while some of these are traced in the Irish language. XVIII.
"
B. 4, 4.
tiali)," &:c. This is a quarto paper manuscript, transcribed in 1637. Pro- perlyspeaking,itcontainsnothingonthesubjectofIrishhagiology; but, as regarding the British Churches of the seventh century, many curious ac- counts of discipline and regulations may be seen. *^ These matters serve incidentally to throw light on the contemporaneous practices of our Irish
Monastery at Trim, and it was written about the fifteenth century.
3* This contains the names, festivals and office lessons of various Irish saints.
Theodorus Archiep. Cantuariensis de Ecclesia (ex ejus Peneten-
Church. 43 XIX. C. " 4, 3.
seu de SanctorumseuDictionariumdeVitisSanctorum. " Thisisaquartovellum
Januensis
Voragine (Jacobi) Legenda
37 Notices of Irish saints, their festivals
and office lessons, are contained in it. But Paris, at St. German de Pratis, by Peter
the leaves are so much injured, where the lessons of saints' offices are to be found, as to render a correct examination of their contents, not only a matter of difficulty, but, in some passages, an utter impossibi- lity.
3^ Only a few Irish saints and their festi- vals are found in it.
*' Gold and colours are employed in the
Lever, living at the sign of the Golden Cross, a. d. 1494. It is issued in iSmosize, and in contracted Latin, on vellum,
''^ There is an article, "De Communione Scotorum et Britonum, qui in Pascha et Ton- sura Catholica non sunt.
^ It also contains a treatise of Joannes
Scotus, seu Erigena. He flourished about a. d. 800,
curiously-traced capital letters and illumina. tions.
<° A few Irish saints and their festivals are
given.
"*' It was published in the suburbs of
cvl INTROBUCTION.
—or rather a large octavo—manuscript, written throughout in double co- lumns, about the fifteenth century. ** It is imperfect towards the end. XX.
"
C. 4, 7.
Lives of Saints. " This quarto vellum manuscript was written
in old English, about the fifteenth century. 45 It is imperfect, both at the
beginning and at the end, while many of its leaves are decayed. XXI.
seu Inventarium omnium Librorum ad pertinentium
D. "
I, 17.
Commune Armorialum Domus Eboraci ordinis Heremitarum S. Augustini ;
Catalogus
factum in presentia Joh. de Ergun, Joh. Ketiswell, Ric. de Thorpe, Joh. de Apilby, A. D. 1372, festo Nativitatis Virginis Gloriosse. Fratre Will, de Staynlon tunc existente Priore. " This is a folio vellum manuscript, having apparently one or two leaves missing. *'' In this codex, we find an inte- resting list of hermeneutical, patristic, theological, historical, grammatical, rhetorical, geometrical, philosophical, classical, and hagiographical works. *? XXII. D. I, 19. "Catalogus Vetus MSS, Cujusdam Bibliothecse Monasterii S. August. Cantuar. in Tempore Edwd. IV. " This is a foUo paper ma- nuscript of 132 pages; for the most part written about the year 1470, and in double columns. *^ XXIII. D. 3, i to 23. The various manuscripts, here included, were written by Archbishop Ussher. In these, there are se- veral scattered notices, regarding Irish saints and Irish ecclesiastical history ; but, it will be unnecessary to particularize the value of those documents, since all have obtained publicity in the late edition*9 of Ussher's works, prepared for press by the late Rev. Charles Elrington, of Trinity College, Dublin. XXIV. E. i, 35. "Walsingham (Thomas) Pars ejus Historiae Brevis," &c. This is a paper folio manuscript of the fifteenth or sixteenth century. There is in it a Latin version of Nennius' History of the Britons, 5° and some passages referring to the Irish saints. s' XXV. E. 2, 14. A
** This treatise was among the first printed
*'" works, and known as the Legenda Aurea.
It contains legends of St. Patrick and St.
Fursey.
^s Among these lives, none have reference
would undertake its publication and exposi- tion.
48 Remarks referring to the former MS. would also apply to the present one. The Council of the Camden Society seems to have entertained the idea of their publica- tion ; but, this intention has not yet been re- alized.
«Published by Messrs. Hodges and Smith, Dublin, in xvii. Volumes 8vo.
to Irish hagiology, unless perhaps an ac-
count of the Eleven Thousand Virgins.
There are only three leaves on this subject,
at the end of the manuscript ; and these, in
a great measure, are illegible. The re- maining part of those acts is wanting. so
««
Nennii Britonum Historiographi, mo-
** It is a curious and an instructive re-
cord of valuable contents in the aforesaid
library, as it existed over 500 years ago. *'That it contained allusions to Irish
saints, in the latter department, can scarcely be questioned. I am unable to say, how- ever, if any of those MSS. be yet extant, nor can I even conjecture to what extent they might serve for illustrating Irish hagi- ology. It is much to be desired, that this MS. might find a competent editor, who
nachi Banchorensis, qui claruit A. D. 620, Eulogium Insulre Britannia; : cum Historia
Britonum, et Mirabilium Britanniae, Mouk, et Hibemise. " This tract ^vas compared by
Archbishop Ussher with old copies. It contains more matter than is found in Thomas Gale's published edition of Nen- nius.
s« Jhe Irish version of Nennius' *' Historia Britonum" has been printed by the Irish Archseological Society, for the year 1848.
It has been edited, with a translation and notes, by Rev. James Henthorn Todd, M. R. I. A. , with an introduction and addi- tional notes, by the Hon. Algernon Herbert.
s* It contains 176 leaves: the first 174 are numbered.
S3 It shows the baronies, parish churches, gentlemen's names and their castles.
5* In addition, there are vast materials for illustrating the civil history and state of the country, since the English invasion.
ss Preserved among the Archives of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
"Ex
done Joh: Lyon, A. M. " In the same
handwriting are various emendations, with
entered on the catalogue as a glossary of the Irish language. He tells us, moreover,
it contains apart of the l,eAbA|^ S^b^lA, or BookofConquestsofIreland; andbesides two fragments of the Brehon Laws—one old as the Seanchus Mor, established by St. Patrick—the other written at the Academy of Tara, about the tenth or eleventh cen- tury. Under these remarks there is a note
"
Tara and its academies were abandoned and de- molished four hundred years before this period. " (Scilicet, the tenth and eleventh
s^ It has written within the cover,
centuries. )
great CacaI
two written leaves at the close.
57 It consists only of 45 leaves :
but it
is
imperfect.
58 On the fly-leaf of this codex, Charles
Vallancey has remarked that this MS. is
This codex contains most
INTRODUCTION. evil
Catalogue of all the manuscripts contained in the Library at Lambeth, chiefly relating to the affairs of Ireland. This a folio paper manuscript. s^ It was written about the year 1700, by three different hands. Four of the books mentioned formerly belonged to Sir George Carew, and these chiefly relate to Irish history. Among many others, those tracts were given to the Bodleian Library, by Archbishop Laud, in 1636. The last tract, contained in two large folded leaves, gives an exceedingly curious and an interesting chroro- graphical account of ancient Thomond, just at the time of its transmutation into a county. 53 Among the Lambeth Manuscripts appear notices of works, referringtoIrishhagiology,andtoearlyecclesiasticalhistory. 54 XXVI. E. 3,
I. " Alan DubHn Rotula Nova seu Alani,seu, (Joh:) Archiepiscopi : Reper-
torium Viride, tractans de Omnibus Ecclesiis infra Diocesin Dublin : scilicet de Nominibus, jure Patronatus et Statu Earundem, a. d. 1531. " This is a
large paper folio manuscript, transcribed from the original one of Alan,5s and about A. D. i6oo. s^ Although this codex especially relates to the state of
churches, within the diocese of Dublin, as found at an early part of the six-
teenth century, it is of value and interest to the Irish Church historian and
hagiologist,whoseresearchesrelateeventoamoreremoteperiod. XXVII.
"
E. 3,5.
JuraAntiquaHibernicaGentis,"&c. Thisisalargevellumfolio
manuscript, and written in the Irish language. 57 It is traced in three dis-
tinct hands. ss The manuscript is of very great antiquity. XXVIII. E. 3, 8.
"MiscellaneadeRebuspotissimumHibernicis,"&c. Thisisapaperfolio manuscript,bydifferentwriters,producedabouta. d. 1600. 59 Severalmatters
contained in this codex, are in Archbishop Ussher's handwriting, together with notes and emendations throughout, by the same writer. ^° XXIX. E. 3,
10. This is a very interesting paper folio manuscript, containing 82 leaves, some of which are numbered, but irregularly. It was written by various
in Professor O'Curry's handwriting :
" So much for the
Vallancey's knowledge of Irish history.