* Seehis "
Chronicles
of the Picts, Chroni- * See itiif.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
Mums.
Some ofthem are very small, and very
much ruined ; but, three are in tolerable preservation. The largest occupies the middle place, and it is in very good condition, built in the primitive style, with the exception of one Gothic window. Comparatively, this is of large size
and of exquisite workmanship; it is placed in a north wall, and it is evidently of rather modern erection. In this church, also, was observed a Deartheach or penitential prison. ^ The natives have forgotten the names of these churches, with the exception of three, viz. : The Clogas, already referred to, TeampuU Muire, or Lady's Church, and Teampul Diarmada, or Dermot's Church. This last was a very small one, of which only one gable now re- mains f^ and, owing to its title, we may deem it, probably, the most ancient Two other objects here are Innadmarfa Meeva, and Beorlyne, a field so called not many years since on this island. ^^ If we are to credit Archdall,"' St. Sinach was an Abbot there ; and, this account seems probable, as he has had anna- listic commemoration. Of this saint, we know but little. His death, which took place, on the 20th day of April, a. d. 719, is recorded. 3° This entry is not to be found, however, in the Annals of Ulster. In the Irish Calendar, now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, his festival is recorded. 3'
Article II. —St. Flann. A festival, in honour of Flann, is set down, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. ' This appears to have been the saint, who is also called Florentius, son of Malduin, son to Snetgal, son of . \rnelac, son to Malduin, son of Kennfailad, son to Garuis, son of Ronan, son to Lugad, son of Sedna, son of Ferguss, son to Conall Gulban. ' Perhaps, he was Flann, the
not show its ring or circuit. He said, it was of stone, an'l that its stones were in a hedge, which then extended across the hill. In a field, situated about 40 perches to the east ofthisGreenan hill, lies the hollow, in which tradition says Meave was killed, with a stone cast at her, from the county of Longford side. There is no well in this hollow, at present, nor has the hollow itself any name, but it is designated, as the place where Queen Meave was killed.
* Mr. O'Donovan remarks, "It is not
separate from the church, like the ceAch
t)0|\<l;a. Dark house, at Kilbarry. " [At this sentence, Mr. O'Donovan has the following
of the Ordnance Survey in 1837-8," vol. ii. ,
pp. 189 to 196. , Mr. O'Donovan's Letter,
dated Athlone, August 24th, 1837.
''
The foregoing particulars are given, by the late Dr. O'Donovan, who, on Wednes- day, 23rd of August, 1837, hired a boat at Cruit, not far to the east of Knockeroghery, and was rowed across to the Quaker's Is- land.
"
"»See MonasticonHibemicum,p. 440. *> gge £)f_ O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 318, 319.
3> Thus, at the xii. of the Calends of M. iy (April 20th), we find "Sionac Innp Cloc- |vanti Atino. 00m. 719. " See Ordnance Survey Copy, formerly kept at Mountjoy
"
lates Dtar-thiach, Nosocomium, an error, or
note, in the margin :
Dr. O'Conor trans-
Tathera fabrication, to which there is
a parallel to be found in the annals of litera-
Book F," — p. 39.
ture. "] " '' Mr. O'Donovan adds :
I thought I could trace the rings of forts to the west of this group of churches, but the tradition on
scarcely
The Sanctilogium Genealogicum, and the Island is, that ^o^e. field-works were the Seluacius, cap. i. , are quoted as authority
enclosures of the gardens of the monks.
Son. e 01 them were probably enclosures of
their ho—uses— (? ) little houses of timber and
earth. " "Letters containing Information
relative to the Antiquities of the County Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. iii. , Roscommon, collected during the Progress p. 481.
Barracks,
Phoenix
Park,
' ' Common Place
Article II.
p. xxi. As we have already seen, the name
is joined, with that of St. Sinach, in the Franciscan copy.
"
'
Edited
Rev. Dr.
for the foregoing pedigree ; but, there ap- pears to be a typographical error admitted, in assigning his festival to the 24th of April,
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta
by
Kelly,
248 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 20.
son ofNessan, three of whose of brothers are commemorated, on the isth of March ;3 as has been already stated, at that date. t His name occurs, in the
Martyrology of Donegal,? on this day. *
Article III. —St. Moelochtraigh, or Maelochtraigh. Like their
Divine Master, the truly great among his followers labour with indefatigable zeal and love, to mitigate the afflictions of the poor, the broken-hearted and
the erring. The name of this servant of Christ appears, in the Martyrology
of Tallagh,' at the 20th of April, as Moelochtraigh. This, too, is the only saint of the name, to be found in our Calendars. It is difficult to identify
him. Wefind,aMaelochtraigh,AbbotofCill-Foibrigh,whodieda. d. 737. But, it is not certain, if he be identical with this saint. His place has been set
down as Kilbrew," a townland and parish in the barony of Ratoath, in the countyofMeath. Here,therewasanancientmonastery. 3 Theoldchurch of Kilbrew has been uprooted, and a Protestant edifice has been built on its site. The parish is dedicated, as we are told, to St. Brigid. * This day was set apart for the veneration of Maelochtraigh, according to the Martyrology of Donegal. s
Article IV. —Festival of St. Serf, or Sair, or Servanus, Bishop,
in Scotland. There can hardly be a doubt, that the history of this holy
man has been misconceived, fabricated, or mixed with fables, during the
middle ages ; for, we find the transmitted Lections, in the earliest Scottish
Breviaries, largely infused with the tasteless and unmeaning Legends, found in the Lives of Saints, many of which were composed in those times. There
is a Manuscript Life of St. Servanus contained, in a Manuscript, belonging to the Library of Archbishop Marsh, in Dublin. " This is manifestly a version of the Life, made use of by Wyntoun,^ in the Legend of St. Serf, or Servanus, in- serted in his Chronicles. 3 Thus, that Legend of St. Servanus forms the basis for Wyntoun's metrical account. In Aberdeenshire, he is commemorated, under the name of St. Sair. '' The Dublin Life of St. Servanus ^ has been published,
"
XV. Martii. De S. Dichullo, Munissa,
et Fratribus,
< See an account of them, in vol. iii. , at
the 15th of March, note 15.
5 Edited by Urs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
106, 107.
' In a note, Dr. Todd says, the more re-
3 See Colgan's nias,"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
lo5j 107. Article IV. — '
Neslugio
p.
says
:
cent hand adds mac mA0ilex)uim, " Son of Maelduin. "
—' Edited Rev. Dr. by
As we have noted before, from the Franciscan copy, the present saint's name is united with those of St. Sinach and St. Flann, but without anyfurther distinc-
tion.
' It is noted, townland and parish, on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Meath," sheets 38, 39.
3 See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , chap, xxiv. ,
Andree et Insule supradictte. See trum Prioratus S. Andree," p. ix.
"
Article hi.
Regis-
Kelly, p. xxi.
3 gee William F. Skene's " Chronicles of the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," Pre- face, sect, ii. , p. Ixxiv.
« On the transmutation of the JEoMc
Digamma F, into the Latin pronunciation Van, and as referring to this name, see
to *SeeiiiJ. ,i>. 141.
quitates," cap. xv. , p. 353.
^ Taken from the in Marsh's Lib- copy,
rary,incorrectlystyledCodexKilkeimiensis, and classed vol. 3, 4, 16.
pp. 139
5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
141.
609.
to allude to it, when he
Vita . J. Servajii MS. stultissimorum menda- ciorum portentis undique referta. "—"Bri- tannicarum Ecclesiarum Anliquitates," cap. XV. , p. 353.
Ussher seems
" In 1413, Wyntoun was prior of St. Serfs Island, in Lochleven. He there produced the Liber Cartarum Prioratus Cathedralis S.
Ussher's
"
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
Archbishop
" Habetur
April 20. ] LIVES OF THE IJilSH SAINTS. 249
by William F. Skene ;* but, the whole legend is of a character, to render many
of its statements very questionable. We find, in different Menologies of Scotland, the name of St. Serf, Bishop, entered at the 20th of April, corres- ponding with xii. of the May Kalends. The Aberdeen Breviary calls Servanus a Scot. Again, he is said to have been a Pict, on the mother's side, and her name is set down as Alma, a daughter to the King of the Cruithne ;> while his father is called by some Proc, King of Canaan of Egypt, and by others Obeth, son of Eliud,* Thus, it appears, there is evidently great confusion, in the accounts furnished, regarding him. ' David Camerarius,'" and the Scottish Kalendar," place his festival, at the 20th of April ; while, by other writers, it is assigned, to the 1st July. " Some notices of this holy man, called Servanus, BishopovertheOrkneys,havebeengivenas,byThomasDempster;'3 and, again, he has an account of St. Serfus, as a distinct personage. '* This latter is said to have flourished, a. d. 293, and to have lived at the time of the first dawn- ing of religion in Scotland. Dempster gives the festival of this holy man, for the ist of August, citing the Scottish Breviary. He is said to have been elected as Bishop,andtohavebeentaken,fromacommunityofCuldees. Withgreatzeal, he preached the Gospel, among the people of the Orkney Islands, not yet converted to the Christian Faith ; and, although he was not the first,'s Dempster regards him as being the second. Apostle of that distant mission. The writings attributed to him, by Dempster, are, Conciones ad Orcadianos, Lib. i. , De Religionis Christianae Mysteriis, Lib. i. , as also Epistolae ad Scoticas Ecclesias, Lib. i. '* By some writers, his period is assigned to the fifth century ;•' while others have him entered, in the time of Brude, brother to Nectan, who died a. d. 706. '' He is thought to have been identical with a Servandus,'9 who was one of the companions of St. Boniface,'" the circum- stances of whose history are also shrouded in legend. " However, it is stated.
* Seehis " Chronicles of the Picts, Chroni- * See itiif. , nnm. 1032, p. 574.
cles of the Scots, and other early Memorials '5 Thii seems to indicate, that another St.
of Scotiish History," Appendix num. vi. , pp. . Servanus preceded him there ; but, as an 412 to 420. instance 01 Dempster's recklessness of <. tate- ' III that Tract on the Mothers of the Irish meiit, the former is said to have flourished, Saints, attributed to St. Magna the Culdee, A. D. 440. and the latter, A. n. 293. On this
she is so named. matter, also, see Archbishop Ussher's re- '"
-According to the Life, published by Wil- liam F. Skene, where the mother is called
daughter tu the King of Arabia.
"
» Itisnot — unlikely that there were two
marks, in Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An-
blihops of the name of Serf, or Servanus one, the disciple of Palladius, the other, of Columba—and that their actions were mixed
See ilistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvii. , num. 1032, P- 574.
our writers. "—Rev. Ur. F. up together by J.
' According to the Breviary of Aber- deen.
"
Scalachronica," as quoted by William F. Skene, in his Pre- face to the "Chronicles of the Picts and
Scots, "p. clix.
'» See William F. Skenes' work, ibid. . Pre-
face, sect, viii. , p. clix.
"Both are said to have been natione
Isr(ulitici. This curious History is taken from the Breviary of Aberdeen, Temp. Hyem. , fol. Ixix. Appendix vii. , pp. 421 to 423. Ibid.
" It is said, that St. Kyrinus, or Kristinus, who flourished in Scotland, A. D. 660, had been identical with the venernble man Boni- facius, an Italian, who came into that coun-
"
'" to According
Gray's
S. Gordon's
Bishop Keith's Catalogue of Scottish Bis-
At p. 237.
Bishop Forbes' Saints," p. 250.
"
Kalendais of Scottish
Scotichronicon : comprising
hops, enlarged ; with Ree%'es' and Goodall's
Treatises on the Culdees," vol. i. , p. 42.
'" "
Thus : 20 Die. Sanctus Scrnanus Epis-
—et Confessor et Orcadensium coptis
"
lus.
Aposto- " At xii. Kl. Mail. Serf, Bishop. —See
" This holy man is noticed, by the BoUan- dists, as Semanus, at the present date. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis xx. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 744.
'' See " ilistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis try and founded many churches in it. See
• Scotorum," tomui ii. , lib. xvii. , num. PP- 573. 574-
1030,
Rev. Dr. Gordon's "Scotichronicon," vol. i. , p. 66.
tiquitates," cap. xv , pp. 352, 353. *' "
250
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 20.
that some grains of truth are in it; for, churches are known to have
been dedicated to the names of some, among the companions of St Boni-
face " in those very districts, which he is thought to have eyangehzed. Al- though the existing legend of St. Servan's life is full of historical inaccuracies and fmprobable wonders; yet, we seem to have little option, but to presen an abbreviated version, so that its contents may serve as a clue, to other
Srts and conjectures^egarding him. The Legendary Acts of St
have a miraculous account, regarding his conception and birth, wihSetrhva^^t^^o^f^^h^i^s^ brother Generatius. These are said to have been twins. Malachias, ren- dered " the angel of God," was a name given, likewise, to Servanus which is
servant of God. " After the birth of our samt he was broughtto interpreted"the and tha gave Magonius, Bishop of Alexandria, to be baptized by him, prelate
him the n^me Servanus. ^4 Atthe age of seven years, his father died; and our saint who despised the things of this world, willingly resignea his right to rule in favour of his brother Generatius. Servanus applied to sacred studies and science in Alexandria, where he remained for thirteen years, and where he assumedthemonk'shabit. BytheaforesaidBishop,hewaspromotedthrough succSiveorderstothepriesthood. Afterwards,goingintohisowncountry
all thJcananeans joyfully elected him as their Bishop There he constructed
churches and monasteries, serving God day and until an Angel n^ht,
mam
warned him, after a lapse of twenty years, to depart from his own country and Sred He wished to know, whither his steps should be directed, and an
Ansel then declared, that he should accompany the saint, wheresoever he 2ht proceed, promising at the same time, to guard h. m against every dan- Sr and assault of the devil, to the very end of his life. Imparting a blessing o
his friends clerics and laics, Servanus left them m tears; and afterwards
the shores of the Red Sea, they crossed it with dry feet. Next, he went to
S^e ^edible story, that coming to the banks of the Nile, with -xty thousand
companions, he safely passed over, and then advancing with a 1 of these o
STerusa^em,
and became its Patriarch, succeeding James, who was Bishop and
The told him, to ascend the Hill of S. on, and arcT^f that city. Angel
to make its circuit. Then, he was shown that tree, from which the Cross of CShrist had been cut, and he was told, to cut four staves from it. However,
saint only cut three baculi, and the Angel fashioned a W«. of arger
size wh ch he gave to Servan.
ceived a waning, to visit Constantinople.
a83. Tl,, H. 1. f M„ch i, . h. d. . . . . .
'^'jTiTM '
cidenct,
m. rani ot . St. S«. . . «u.
. od toving tonntrion . 111. our
^^^^ ^^ that Island.
=6 H„^^ absurdly this fict ou has been
the pars est>v fol. See B shoj, o •'Kalendars of bcottish baints, ^P- 44/
^^^
This may be the holy man, d. sgu. sed the present Legendary
/„„ the fact, that no 1°TM^^^" ^' ^^^^- t,,e name of
di^ot lib. i. . Epistol* ad Ecclesias Scot. -
f/" ,f^^P^;P;^^^ Peter.
unde Life, ^"d who s ab-
He returned to Jerusalem, but soon he re-
With all of his companions Ser-
Thence
and for three years, he had a hospitable reception reTourneyed to the Island of Our Saviour. =5 Afterwards, with a great number, teca etoRome,and,atatime,also,whenneitheraPopenoraDoctorwas
vanus went
tS
»» P- W^, „„„j^, „ . „j^, „u,.
is told
April 20. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
251
he performed great miracles. Then, an Angel warned him to leave Rome, for more distant places, and he obeyed to the great regret of the Romans, who wept when he left their city. Leaving some of his companions there, he' brought another company of pilgrims towards the Alps, where, in a valley called Nigra, he had a dreadful vision, representing the powers of evil; but, after impartingablessingtothatplace,thedemonsentirelydesertedit. Afterwards, Servan came to the Ictean Sea, lying between France and England ; but'
although the water had to be crossed, this was done with dry feet, and'pass- ing from one place to another, he at last reached the river called Forthe. =7 At this time, St. Edheuanus '* was Abbot in Scotland, and he came to the Island ofInchkeith,'*tomeetServanus. Theseholymenhadaninterview,andthey passedonewholenight,inreligiousconferences. WhenSt. Servanasked,how he could best dispose of his religious family, St. Edheunanus recommended him to seek the land of Fife, and that country, stretching from the Mons 3o BritannicustotheMonsOkhdl. 3' Withonlytwentyincompany,St. Servan came to Kinel, where his baculus was thrown beyond the sea. There it grew
into a fruit-bearing tree, called in modern language Morglas. This the Angel told him should be his place of rest. Brude,3» son of Dargart, was then King of the Picte. 33 When Servan had come to Culenros,34 he removed the thorns and brushwood, at this place. However, the king, not wishing that Servan should settle there, sent his satellites to murder the saint, with all of his com- panions. Wherefore,ajudgmentfellupontheking,andonlyforSt. Servan hewasapparentlyabouttodie; but,havingrepentedofhisrashact,hegave
. a place for a cemetery and for a church, in Culenros. These our saint is said to have founded. He then sought the presence of St. Eudananus, to speak with hira, in the Island, at Lochleven. 35 This was finally granted to St. Servan asaspotsuitedforhissojourn. 3* Forsevenyears,theholymanwasengaged' m building there a monastery. Going out from it, through the whole countnj of Fife, he constructed different churches, which he dedicated to the Most High God. A place called Desart,37 or the Dysert, is mentioned, where there was a cave ; and here, a brother lived with him, who was sick Wine was required for the invalid ; but, it could not be had at the time. However
a fountain was near, and taking water from it, Servanus blessed it and he changed it mto wine. This the sick man drank, and he was healed In the
same cave, also, Servan lay in bed, one morning, after reciting Matins, when thedevilapproachedanddesiredtoengage,inadispute,withthesaint. 38 At
»7
of Forth, m Scotland
Z . ^'r". "^"**? Y- . ^l^'? "*'? -
*"4^! °"e',"e.
to be the Caer Guid. of Venerable Bede ;
and. It seems to have been fortified, previous
to his t. me. See an account of it, in the met with, in the "Imperial Gazetteer of
Probably intended to signify the Firth
en Fiffe. "—". Scala Chronica "
« Now known as Culross," a parish con- 'fining the royal burgh of its own name, in Perthshire. An . iccount of w U
"• ishofKinghom,mI'fesh. re Itis
;, 7^'- '\*°
interesting it found, Imperial Gazetteer of Scot
Imperial Gazetteer of bcotland," vol. li. ,
P'°. 5-
ci, . . . . ,_ M'-. Skfne supposes this to have beena
,
mistake in the Latin Life for Mare.
much ruined ; but, three are in tolerable preservation. The largest occupies the middle place, and it is in very good condition, built in the primitive style, with the exception of one Gothic window. Comparatively, this is of large size
and of exquisite workmanship; it is placed in a north wall, and it is evidently of rather modern erection. In this church, also, was observed a Deartheach or penitential prison. ^ The natives have forgotten the names of these churches, with the exception of three, viz. : The Clogas, already referred to, TeampuU Muire, or Lady's Church, and Teampul Diarmada, or Dermot's Church. This last was a very small one, of which only one gable now re- mains f^ and, owing to its title, we may deem it, probably, the most ancient Two other objects here are Innadmarfa Meeva, and Beorlyne, a field so called not many years since on this island. ^^ If we are to credit Archdall,"' St. Sinach was an Abbot there ; and, this account seems probable, as he has had anna- listic commemoration. Of this saint, we know but little. His death, which took place, on the 20th day of April, a. d. 719, is recorded. 3° This entry is not to be found, however, in the Annals of Ulster. In the Irish Calendar, now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, his festival is recorded. 3'
Article II. —St. Flann. A festival, in honour of Flann, is set down, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. ' This appears to have been the saint, who is also called Florentius, son of Malduin, son to Snetgal, son of . \rnelac, son to Malduin, son of Kennfailad, son to Garuis, son of Ronan, son to Lugad, son of Sedna, son of Ferguss, son to Conall Gulban. ' Perhaps, he was Flann, the
not show its ring or circuit. He said, it was of stone, an'l that its stones were in a hedge, which then extended across the hill. In a field, situated about 40 perches to the east ofthisGreenan hill, lies the hollow, in which tradition says Meave was killed, with a stone cast at her, from the county of Longford side. There is no well in this hollow, at present, nor has the hollow itself any name, but it is designated, as the place where Queen Meave was killed.
* Mr. O'Donovan remarks, "It is not
separate from the church, like the ceAch
t)0|\<l;a. Dark house, at Kilbarry. " [At this sentence, Mr. O'Donovan has the following
of the Ordnance Survey in 1837-8," vol. ii. ,
pp. 189 to 196. , Mr. O'Donovan's Letter,
dated Athlone, August 24th, 1837.
''
The foregoing particulars are given, by the late Dr. O'Donovan, who, on Wednes- day, 23rd of August, 1837, hired a boat at Cruit, not far to the east of Knockeroghery, and was rowed across to the Quaker's Is- land.
"
"»See MonasticonHibemicum,p. 440. *> gge £)f_ O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 318, 319.
3> Thus, at the xii. of the Calends of M. iy (April 20th), we find "Sionac Innp Cloc- |vanti Atino. 00m. 719. " See Ordnance Survey Copy, formerly kept at Mountjoy
"
lates Dtar-thiach, Nosocomium, an error, or
note, in the margin :
Dr. O'Conor trans-
Tathera fabrication, to which there is
a parallel to be found in the annals of litera-
Book F," — p. 39.
ture. "] " '' Mr. O'Donovan adds :
I thought I could trace the rings of forts to the west of this group of churches, but the tradition on
scarcely
The Sanctilogium Genealogicum, and the Island is, that ^o^e. field-works were the Seluacius, cap. i. , are quoted as authority
enclosures of the gardens of the monks.
Son. e 01 them were probably enclosures of
their ho—uses— (? ) little houses of timber and
earth. " "Letters containing Information
relative to the Antiquities of the County Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. iii. , Roscommon, collected during the Progress p. 481.
Barracks,
Phoenix
Park,
' ' Common Place
Article II.
p. xxi. As we have already seen, the name
is joined, with that of St. Sinach, in the Franciscan copy.
"
'
Edited
Rev. Dr.
for the foregoing pedigree ; but, there ap- pears to be a typographical error admitted, in assigning his festival to the 24th of April,
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta
by
Kelly,
248 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 20.
son ofNessan, three of whose of brothers are commemorated, on the isth of March ;3 as has been already stated, at that date. t His name occurs, in the
Martyrology of Donegal,? on this day. *
Article III. —St. Moelochtraigh, or Maelochtraigh. Like their
Divine Master, the truly great among his followers labour with indefatigable zeal and love, to mitigate the afflictions of the poor, the broken-hearted and
the erring. The name of this servant of Christ appears, in the Martyrology
of Tallagh,' at the 20th of April, as Moelochtraigh. This, too, is the only saint of the name, to be found in our Calendars. It is difficult to identify
him. Wefind,aMaelochtraigh,AbbotofCill-Foibrigh,whodieda. d. 737. But, it is not certain, if he be identical with this saint. His place has been set
down as Kilbrew," a townland and parish in the barony of Ratoath, in the countyofMeath. Here,therewasanancientmonastery. 3 Theoldchurch of Kilbrew has been uprooted, and a Protestant edifice has been built on its site. The parish is dedicated, as we are told, to St. Brigid. * This day was set apart for the veneration of Maelochtraigh, according to the Martyrology of Donegal. s
Article IV. —Festival of St. Serf, or Sair, or Servanus, Bishop,
in Scotland. There can hardly be a doubt, that the history of this holy
man has been misconceived, fabricated, or mixed with fables, during the
middle ages ; for, we find the transmitted Lections, in the earliest Scottish
Breviaries, largely infused with the tasteless and unmeaning Legends, found in the Lives of Saints, many of which were composed in those times. There
is a Manuscript Life of St. Servanus contained, in a Manuscript, belonging to the Library of Archbishop Marsh, in Dublin. " This is manifestly a version of the Life, made use of by Wyntoun,^ in the Legend of St. Serf, or Servanus, in- serted in his Chronicles. 3 Thus, that Legend of St. Servanus forms the basis for Wyntoun's metrical account. In Aberdeenshire, he is commemorated, under the name of St. Sair. '' The Dublin Life of St. Servanus ^ has been published,
"
XV. Martii. De S. Dichullo, Munissa,
et Fratribus,
< See an account of them, in vol. iii. , at
the 15th of March, note 15.
5 Edited by Urs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
106, 107.
' In a note, Dr. Todd says, the more re-
3 See Colgan's nias,"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
lo5j 107. Article IV. — '
Neslugio
p.
says
:
cent hand adds mac mA0ilex)uim, " Son of Maelduin. "
—' Edited Rev. Dr. by
As we have noted before, from the Franciscan copy, the present saint's name is united with those of St. Sinach and St. Flann, but without anyfurther distinc-
tion.
' It is noted, townland and parish, on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Meath," sheets 38, 39.
3 See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , chap, xxiv. ,
Andree et Insule supradictte. See trum Prioratus S. Andree," p. ix.
"
Article hi.
Regis-
Kelly, p. xxi.
3 gee William F. Skene's " Chronicles of the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," Pre- face, sect, ii. , p. Ixxiv.
« On the transmutation of the JEoMc
Digamma F, into the Latin pronunciation Van, and as referring to this name, see
to *SeeiiiJ. ,i>. 141.
quitates," cap. xv. , p. 353.
^ Taken from the in Marsh's Lib- copy,
rary,incorrectlystyledCodexKilkeimiensis, and classed vol. 3, 4, 16.
pp. 139
5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
141.
609.
to allude to it, when he
Vita . J. Servajii MS. stultissimorum menda- ciorum portentis undique referta. "—"Bri- tannicarum Ecclesiarum Anliquitates," cap. XV. , p. 353.
Ussher seems
" In 1413, Wyntoun was prior of St. Serfs Island, in Lochleven. He there produced the Liber Cartarum Prioratus Cathedralis S.
Ussher's
"
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
Archbishop
" Habetur
April 20. ] LIVES OF THE IJilSH SAINTS. 249
by William F. Skene ;* but, the whole legend is of a character, to render many
of its statements very questionable. We find, in different Menologies of Scotland, the name of St. Serf, Bishop, entered at the 20th of April, corres- ponding with xii. of the May Kalends. The Aberdeen Breviary calls Servanus a Scot. Again, he is said to have been a Pict, on the mother's side, and her name is set down as Alma, a daughter to the King of the Cruithne ;> while his father is called by some Proc, King of Canaan of Egypt, and by others Obeth, son of Eliud,* Thus, it appears, there is evidently great confusion, in the accounts furnished, regarding him. ' David Camerarius,'" and the Scottish Kalendar," place his festival, at the 20th of April ; while, by other writers, it is assigned, to the 1st July. " Some notices of this holy man, called Servanus, BishopovertheOrkneys,havebeengivenas,byThomasDempster;'3 and, again, he has an account of St. Serfus, as a distinct personage. '* This latter is said to have flourished, a. d. 293, and to have lived at the time of the first dawn- ing of religion in Scotland. Dempster gives the festival of this holy man, for the ist of August, citing the Scottish Breviary. He is said to have been elected as Bishop,andtohavebeentaken,fromacommunityofCuldees. Withgreatzeal, he preached the Gospel, among the people of the Orkney Islands, not yet converted to the Christian Faith ; and, although he was not the first,'s Dempster regards him as being the second. Apostle of that distant mission. The writings attributed to him, by Dempster, are, Conciones ad Orcadianos, Lib. i. , De Religionis Christianae Mysteriis, Lib. i. , as also Epistolae ad Scoticas Ecclesias, Lib. i. '* By some writers, his period is assigned to the fifth century ;•' while others have him entered, in the time of Brude, brother to Nectan, who died a. d. 706. '' He is thought to have been identical with a Servandus,'9 who was one of the companions of St. Boniface,'" the circum- stances of whose history are also shrouded in legend. " However, it is stated.
* Seehis " Chronicles of the Picts, Chroni- * See itiif. , nnm. 1032, p. 574.
cles of the Scots, and other early Memorials '5 Thii seems to indicate, that another St.
of Scotiish History," Appendix num. vi. , pp. . Servanus preceded him there ; but, as an 412 to 420. instance 01 Dempster's recklessness of <. tate- ' III that Tract on the Mothers of the Irish meiit, the former is said to have flourished, Saints, attributed to St. Magna the Culdee, A. D. 440. and the latter, A. n. 293. On this
she is so named. matter, also, see Archbishop Ussher's re- '"
-According to the Life, published by Wil- liam F. Skene, where the mother is called
daughter tu the King of Arabia.
"
» Itisnot — unlikely that there were two
marks, in Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An-
blihops of the name of Serf, or Servanus one, the disciple of Palladius, the other, of Columba—and that their actions were mixed
See ilistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xvii. , num. 1032, P- 574.
our writers. "—Rev. Ur. F. up together by J.
' According to the Breviary of Aber- deen.
"
Scalachronica," as quoted by William F. Skene, in his Pre- face to the "Chronicles of the Picts and
Scots, "p. clix.
'» See William F. Skenes' work, ibid. . Pre-
face, sect, viii. , p. clix.
"Both are said to have been natione
Isr(ulitici. This curious History is taken from the Breviary of Aberdeen, Temp. Hyem. , fol. Ixix. Appendix vii. , pp. 421 to 423. Ibid.
" It is said, that St. Kyrinus, or Kristinus, who flourished in Scotland, A. D. 660, had been identical with the venernble man Boni- facius, an Italian, who came into that coun-
"
'" to According
Gray's
S. Gordon's
Bishop Keith's Catalogue of Scottish Bis-
At p. 237.
Bishop Forbes' Saints," p. 250.
"
Kalendais of Scottish
Scotichronicon : comprising
hops, enlarged ; with Ree%'es' and Goodall's
Treatises on the Culdees," vol. i. , p. 42.
'" "
Thus : 20 Die. Sanctus Scrnanus Epis-
—et Confessor et Orcadensium coptis
"
lus.
Aposto- " At xii. Kl. Mail. Serf, Bishop. —See
" This holy man is noticed, by the BoUan- dists, as Semanus, at the present date. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis xx. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 744.
'' See " ilistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis try and founded many churches in it. See
• Scotorum," tomui ii. , lib. xvii. , num. PP- 573. 574-
1030,
Rev. Dr. Gordon's "Scotichronicon," vol. i. , p. 66.
tiquitates," cap. xv , pp. 352, 353. *' "
250
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 20.
that some grains of truth are in it; for, churches are known to have
been dedicated to the names of some, among the companions of St Boni-
face " in those very districts, which he is thought to have eyangehzed. Al- though the existing legend of St. Servan's life is full of historical inaccuracies and fmprobable wonders; yet, we seem to have little option, but to presen an abbreviated version, so that its contents may serve as a clue, to other
Srts and conjectures^egarding him. The Legendary Acts of St
have a miraculous account, regarding his conception and birth, wihSetrhva^^t^^o^f^^h^i^s^ brother Generatius. These are said to have been twins. Malachias, ren- dered " the angel of God," was a name given, likewise, to Servanus which is
servant of God. " After the birth of our samt he was broughtto interpreted"the and tha gave Magonius, Bishop of Alexandria, to be baptized by him, prelate
him the n^me Servanus. ^4 Atthe age of seven years, his father died; and our saint who despised the things of this world, willingly resignea his right to rule in favour of his brother Generatius. Servanus applied to sacred studies and science in Alexandria, where he remained for thirteen years, and where he assumedthemonk'shabit. BytheaforesaidBishop,hewaspromotedthrough succSiveorderstothepriesthood. Afterwards,goingintohisowncountry
all thJcananeans joyfully elected him as their Bishop There he constructed
churches and monasteries, serving God day and until an Angel n^ht,
mam
warned him, after a lapse of twenty years, to depart from his own country and Sred He wished to know, whither his steps should be directed, and an
Ansel then declared, that he should accompany the saint, wheresoever he 2ht proceed, promising at the same time, to guard h. m against every dan- Sr and assault of the devil, to the very end of his life. Imparting a blessing o
his friends clerics and laics, Servanus left them m tears; and afterwards
the shores of the Red Sea, they crossed it with dry feet. Next, he went to
S^e ^edible story, that coming to the banks of the Nile, with -xty thousand
companions, he safely passed over, and then advancing with a 1 of these o
STerusa^em,
and became its Patriarch, succeeding James, who was Bishop and
The told him, to ascend the Hill of S. on, and arcT^f that city. Angel
to make its circuit. Then, he was shown that tree, from which the Cross of CShrist had been cut, and he was told, to cut four staves from it. However,
saint only cut three baculi, and the Angel fashioned a W«. of arger
size wh ch he gave to Servan.
ceived a waning, to visit Constantinople.
a83. Tl,, H. 1. f M„ch i, . h. d. . . . . .
'^'jTiTM '
cidenct,
m. rani ot . St. S«. . . «u.
. od toving tonntrion . 111. our
^^^^ ^^ that Island.
=6 H„^^ absurdly this fict ou has been
the pars est>v fol. See B shoj, o •'Kalendars of bcottish baints, ^P- 44/
^^^
This may be the holy man, d. sgu. sed the present Legendary
/„„ the fact, that no 1°TM^^^" ^' ^^^^- t,,e name of
di^ot lib. i. . Epistol* ad Ecclesias Scot. -
f/" ,f^^P^;P;^^^ Peter.
unde Life, ^"d who s ab-
He returned to Jerusalem, but soon he re-
With all of his companions Ser-
Thence
and for three years, he had a hospitable reception reTourneyed to the Island of Our Saviour. =5 Afterwards, with a great number, teca etoRome,and,atatime,also,whenneitheraPopenoraDoctorwas
vanus went
tS
»» P- W^, „„„j^, „ . „j^, „u,.
is told
April 20. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
251
he performed great miracles. Then, an Angel warned him to leave Rome, for more distant places, and he obeyed to the great regret of the Romans, who wept when he left their city. Leaving some of his companions there, he' brought another company of pilgrims towards the Alps, where, in a valley called Nigra, he had a dreadful vision, representing the powers of evil; but, after impartingablessingtothatplace,thedemonsentirelydesertedit. Afterwards, Servan came to the Ictean Sea, lying between France and England ; but'
although the water had to be crossed, this was done with dry feet, and'pass- ing from one place to another, he at last reached the river called Forthe. =7 At this time, St. Edheuanus '* was Abbot in Scotland, and he came to the Island ofInchkeith,'*tomeetServanus. Theseholymenhadaninterview,andthey passedonewholenight,inreligiousconferences. WhenSt. Servanasked,how he could best dispose of his religious family, St. Edheunanus recommended him to seek the land of Fife, and that country, stretching from the Mons 3o BritannicustotheMonsOkhdl. 3' Withonlytwentyincompany,St. Servan came to Kinel, where his baculus was thrown beyond the sea. There it grew
into a fruit-bearing tree, called in modern language Morglas. This the Angel told him should be his place of rest. Brude,3» son of Dargart, was then King of the Picte. 33 When Servan had come to Culenros,34 he removed the thorns and brushwood, at this place. However, the king, not wishing that Servan should settle there, sent his satellites to murder the saint, with all of his com- panions. Wherefore,ajudgmentfellupontheking,andonlyforSt. Servan hewasapparentlyabouttodie; but,havingrepentedofhisrashact,hegave
. a place for a cemetery and for a church, in Culenros. These our saint is said to have founded. He then sought the presence of St. Eudananus, to speak with hira, in the Island, at Lochleven. 35 This was finally granted to St. Servan asaspotsuitedforhissojourn. 3* Forsevenyears,theholymanwasengaged' m building there a monastery. Going out from it, through the whole countnj of Fife, he constructed different churches, which he dedicated to the Most High God. A place called Desart,37 or the Dysert, is mentioned, where there was a cave ; and here, a brother lived with him, who was sick Wine was required for the invalid ; but, it could not be had at the time. However
a fountain was near, and taking water from it, Servanus blessed it and he changed it mto wine. This the sick man drank, and he was healed In the
same cave, also, Servan lay in bed, one morning, after reciting Matins, when thedevilapproachedanddesiredtoengage,inadispute,withthesaint. 38 At
»7
of Forth, m Scotland
Z . ^'r". "^"**? Y- . ^l^'? "*'? -
*"4^! °"e',"e.
to be the Caer Guid. of Venerable Bede ;
and. It seems to have been fortified, previous
to his t. me. See an account of it, in the met with, in the "Imperial Gazetteer of
Probably intended to signify the Firth
en Fiffe. "—". Scala Chronica "
« Now known as Culross," a parish con- 'fining the royal burgh of its own name, in Perthshire. An . iccount of w U
"• ishofKinghom,mI'fesh. re Itis
;, 7^'- '\*°
interesting it found, Imperial Gazetteer of Scot
Imperial Gazetteer of bcotland," vol. li. ,
P'°. 5-
ci, . . . . ,_ M'-. Skfne supposes this to have beena
,
mistake in the Latin Life for Mare.
