"
Appendix
Quarta ad Acta S.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
In Horace, allusion is made to "vini sextarius.
" See lib.
i.
, Satirarum,
i. 1. 74.
^7 See Abbate D. Giacomo Celrtani's ** La
^5 Abbate D. Giacomo Certani, who re-
lates this incident, calls him the King of
Leinster, and localizes the road-making —or embankment in "la ProvinciadiLabraide"
but on what grounds may be questioned, See " La Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S.
Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 404 Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida to 408.
Ibernese. " LibroQuinto,pp. 438,439. ^oMostprobablyatKildare.
*^ ""
See, Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. Vita Secunda S. Brigidse, cap. xxx. , p. 522. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. cxxx. , p. 541. Vita Quarta S. Brigidae. , lib. ii. , cap. xcv. , p. 562. As usual, the foregoing miracle, related in Vita Quinta S. Brigidse, cap, liv. , p. 582, is amplified, with many additional details. It is possible, the follow- ing account may refer to the same incident ; but, most—probably, it relates to a different miracle
According to the ancient Irish annals, and other fragments of Irish history, the ancient Irish had many roads which were cleaned and kept in repair according to
"
Leabhar na g- Ceart, or The Book of Rights. " Intro- duction, p. Ivi. Some very curious illustra- tions and an enumeration of several old roads
follow, ibid. , pp. Ivi. to Ix.
^'^ Grunnce, Anglice, bo^s, are frequently
:
" Medo erat ei oblatus
Nee detrimenti quidquam passus est
offerens
Repertus est juxta ipsius domum
mentioned in the Lives
saints.
:
Sine defectu vel augmento.
"
Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sec. xli. , p. 517. Bid.
95 See Colgan's 522, 523.
9^
law. "—Dr. O'Donovan's
of our Irish
93 This may have been the Liffy or the
Barrow.
'* This, with other allusions in her Acts,
seems to indicate, that St. Brigid's family belonged to Leinster, at least on her father's side.
**
Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Secunda S. Brigidse, cap. xxxi. , pp.
i68 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i
and should run through that section, chosen by their oppressors. On the morning, when all were assembled for the work, it was found, the river left its former bed, and that place, for which St. Brigid's friends had been specially drafted ; while, its course ran near to that quarter, selected by the numerous and powerful clan, who had thought to. circumvent and oppress their weaker fellow-labourers. As a proof of this miracle, attributed to the holy abbess, Cogitosus remarks, the deserted channel and empty valley, whichhadformerlybeenfilledwithwater,mightbeseen,inhistime; while, the river itself flowed at some distance from this natural channel, but then a dry and deserted hollow. 9S Long after the illustrious saint's departure,
popular tradition preserved a recollection of the supernatural occurrence, and associated it with some particular conformation of ground,96 which probably has not yet disappeared. It seems not unlikely, a river not far from Kildare and some contiguous boggy or low-lying land may afford a clue to discover that dried channel.
Among the number of our saint's miracles, Cogitosus tells us, that the
followingoccurrenceisnottheleastmemorable. Threelepers,havingasked
an alms from St. Brigid, received from her a silver vessel. 97 Fearing, how-
ever, that distributing the proceeds of this gift might prove a cause of con-
tention among them, our saint directed a certain man, accustomed to deal
in silver and gold, that he should divide the vessel into three equal parts.
One of these was to be the property of each leper. The dealer in precious
metals began to excuse himself, by saying, that he could not fairly execute
such a commission. Then, holy Brigid, taking the silver vessel, cast it
against a stone and broke it, as she intended, into three parts equally
valuable. 93 Wonderful to relate ! when these three divisions were afterwards
weighed, no single fragment was found to be lighter or heavier than another,99
even in the slightest appreciable degree. Thus, without envy or quarrel, these poor men returned joyfully to their homes. ^°°
We are ^°^ that while the abbess and her nuns were en- informed, holy
gaged in prayer, a certain rich nobleman suffered from a dangerous attack
^ See ibid. In the Third and Fourth Lives of our saint, the foregoing account is greatly abridged. Vita Tertia S . Brigidce, cap. cxxxi. ,p. 541. VitaQuartaS. Brigidos,
lib. ii. , cap. xcvi. , p. 562. In the latter lives, it is also stated, that the dry course of the river was to be seen at a time when the authors wrote.
57 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's " La
Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibemese. " LibroQuinto,pp. 436to438.
9^ This miraculous occurrence seems al-
luded to, when we read, according to the Latin v—ersion of St. Brogan Cloen's original
of fever. ^°* little account on his Setting
at that
and being willing to perform a meritorious action, he desired his servants to select and present the best cow from his herd, as a gift for our saint. His ser- vants,however,selectedtheworstheifer,whichcouldbefound; but,onthe
Irish
**
:
Donarium argenteum, quod non potuit frangere
Faber aerarius (quod prJEclarum erat Sanctse)
Fregit Brigida sua manu,
Ut exsilJciit in tres partes sequales.
522. "'
time,
Ponderatse erant illae partes per artificem:
Et repertum est (ecce miraculum aliud), Quod nulla pars inventa est
Praeponderassealteri. "
temporal possessions,
—
p. 517. See also a similar statement in
Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sees, xxxix. , xl. ,
Vita Quinta S. Brigidse, cap. liv. , pp. 580, 581.
'9 Cogitosus adds, as it were parentheti- cally, "licet uno obulo, de his inventa est
tribus partibus. "
'°°
See- Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Secunda Vita S. Brigidae, cap, xxviii. , p.
In St. '°^ "
"Sixth Metrical Life. Dives habebat opes aeger, quod per-
deret auri,
Copiam & argenti, multarum pondera
rerum,
Centones, stimulos, pecora, ac in-
gentia rura. "
Brigid's
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 169
nightfollowing,theanimal,thusselected,waskilledbysevenwolves. "3 in the morning, those herdsmen not only found the heifer killed, in the midst of other cattle, but even the dead bodies of those seven wolves were scattered nearthecarcass,whichtheyhadnotbeenabletodevour. Thisremarkable occurrence was long remembered in that part of the province. '"-^ Our saint's great miracles were not alone famous in her own country ; for, with the lapse of time, Brigid's name became celebrated through all nations, where the Christian faith had been received.
CHAPTER XIII.
ST. brigid's reputed residence at GLASTONBURY—the EARLY PRACTICE OF WRITING AND ILLUMINATING IN IRELAND—WRITINGS ASCRIBED TO ST. BRIGID—THE CON- VENTUAL RULE AND DISCIPLINE, UNDER WHICH HERSELF AND HER NUNS LIVED —HER CHARITY IN RELIEVING THE POOR—HER MODESTY, HER SELF-SACRIFICING SPIRIT, HER LIBERALITY, HER GIFTS OF MIND AND PERSON, HER POWERS FOR HEALINC? THE SICK AND INFIRM, HER VIGILS, AND HER CARE FOR SUBJECTS.
We cannot receive as duly authenticated, or even as probable, several assertions of mediaeval and more recent writers, who have treated concerning this illustrious virgin. It has been stated, that about the year 488, Saint Brigid left Ireland, and proceeded towards Glastonbury. ^ There, it is said, she remained, until advanced in years, on an island, and convenient to the monastery in that place. ^ Whether she died there or returned to Ireland is doubted. 3 But, it seems probable enough, such a tradition had its origin, owing to this circumstance, that a different St. Brigid, called of Inis-bridge, or of Bride's Island, had been the person really meant. She lived many years on a small island, near Glastonbury, called Brides-hay, i. e. , BrigidcB insula. '' This latter St. Brigid is said to have been buried, at Glastonbury. s Another cause for a grievous mistake, about St. Brigid's and St. Columkille's^
*°3 These animals to have been appear very
numerous in Ireland, as also to have been
destructive to human beings and to domes-
ticated animals. At so late a period as the
beginning of last century, some wolves were
to be found. In Ulster, the last wolf known
to exist was hunted from Benyevanagh
mountain, in Londonderry county, and it
= to this fable, remarks Colgan, referring
ontheignoranceofthatvi^riter, whoassigned the burial-place of these aforesaid saints to Glastonbury. This city never contained the bodies of our St. Brigid, nor of St. Columkille, Abbot and Confessor. The latter is even ignorantly named, Colum Killa, after such a manner, as to indicate a
was killed in the woods near Dungiven. female. See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Ap-
**
pendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. vi. , pp. 617, 618.
3 Such is the account, given by an ancient
of
anonymous chronographer Glastonbury.
See
niensis, No. ii. , n. i. , p. 8.
Legend Lays of Ireland," by Lage-
"-^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Vita Sexta S. — sec.
Brigidae, xxxv. , p. 569.
^
Chapter xiii. Whilst it has been
falsely supposed, by some Scottish writers, that the great St. Brigid had been buried at Abemethy, in Scotland, an error nearly similar has been propagated through a treatise, * * On the Antiquities of Glastonbury Church. " Here, it was supposed, that St. Brigid and St. Colum-Kille were buried, on the northern side of its high altar, in a conspicuous stone tomb, and over the monument of John de Cantia, Abbot. See Ussher's "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti- quitates," cap. xvii. , pp, 466, 467.
See Ussher's
"
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 467.
^ We find it also called Parva Hibernia,
and Bekery, reminding us of Beg-Eri, off the coast of Wexford, and about three miles and a half mile north-east of that town. See "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 230.
s See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
" Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. vi. , p. 618.
^ See ibid. y pp. 617, 618.
170 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
interment at Glastonbury, may be traced, owing to this latter place having been possibly confounded with Down, in Ireland. '' This city was called
Dun da-Lethglas,^ in our ancient language. A fable, propagated by some ignorant legend-mongers and scribes, had its probable origin from the circumstance, that our two great Irish Saints had been buried, in the town
or fort called Leath-glas ; while, it is supposed, ZmM-^/fSij- had been incor- rectly substituted for Glaston. '^ It is said, this latter designation may be
" '' ^° more fully Anglicized, the glassy city," or the city of glass. "
Among other laudable practices, which were followed by the pious and cultivated intelligence of holy Brigid, her nuns and scribes," that of writing
^^
If not referable to Pagan times, and derivable from eastern climes, or from the Druidic schools,^3 the long-neglected Celtic art of illumination was, at least, charac' teristic of the ages of faith in this kingdom. ^* So skilful were our sainted illuminators of old, so wonderful was their work of ornamentation, so elaborate, so interlaced and intertwined, so minute and yet so perfect in all details were the manuscripts of our ancient scribes,^^ that the first Anglo-Norman settlers
or copying religious books must deserve especial regard.
7 It is true, the old writer expresses some
doubt respecting the reliability of his infor- mation.
Book of Kells and of Durrow, and Draw* ings from Nature. By M. S. With Notes on Celtic ornamental Art. Revised by George Petrie, LL. D. London, mdccclxi. , folio size.
'3 See some admirable observations, re-
ferring to this very subject, in Very Rev.
^
correctly, arcem binorum niedioi-um catena,
It is rendered in Latin, collem or more
according to Joceline, in his Life of St. Patrick.
Ulick Bourke's ** of the Thaumaturga. " J, Aryan Origin
" The very inexact chronographer brings
St. Columkille to Glastonbury, A. D. 504,
several years before the great Apostle of
Caledonia was born. See Ussher's " Bri-
tannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. in Four Languages ; or, The Immaculate xvii. , p. 467.
9 See
"Trias
Colgan's AppendixQuartaadActaS. Brigidae,cap. vi. , p. 618.
Gaelic Race and Language," &c. , chap, xii. , pp. 328 to 338.
" The most illustrious artists of modern times have not concealed their admiration for these works of our fathers ; they only lament, that it seems to be no longer possible toimitatethem. DigbyWyattandProfessor J. O. Westwood have strongly expressed themselves, concerning the beauty and ori-
Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary defined," &c. , pp. 103 to 122.
ginality of this Keltic art. See J. O. West- Ireland," selected and edited under the
"
wood's Palseographia Sacra Pictoria. "
Book of Kells, p. I.
"
Among the most elegant and curious
illustrations of ancient Irish caligraphy,
produced in our day, must be noticed those
incomparable drawings of fac-similes, by
Miss Margaret Stokes, included in a very
large but thin 4to work, intituled, "De- General of the Ordnance Survey, part i. scriptive Remarks on Illuminations in Cer-
tain Ancient Irish Manuscripts," by Rev.
James Henthom Todd, U. D. , F. S. A.
London, M. DCCC. LXix. The monogram Ireland. Public Record Office of Ireland, **
copied from the Book of Kells" is alone Dublin, MDCCCLXXiv. No less than forty-
amostwonderfulartproduction. Another charming work contains coloured drawings on stone of natural landscapes and interlaced letters orfac-similes, exactly copied from Irish Manuscripts or scenes by Miss Stokes. This is intituled, "The Cromlech on Howth. "
A Poem. By Samuel Ferguson, Q. C. , M. R. I. A. With illuminations from the
four beautifully coloured plates, containing several hundred most elegant and accurate specimens of initial letters, are in this part. It includes, likewise, a learned introduction, with historic and descriptive memoranda, as also modem versions, for the use of per- sons unaccustomed to the archaic caligraphy of the manuscript pages delineated.
^^ See an interesting article, on " The Art of Illuminating : as it was practised of old : its revival," appended to Very Rev. Ulick
Bourke's "The Bull ' Ineffabilis' work,
J.
'5 For proof of these assertions, the reader has only to examine some of the many ori- ginals in our Dublin Libraries. Failing such opportunity, a magnificent and very large 4to work will satisfy. It is intituled, "Fac-similes of National Manuscripts of
direction of the Rt. Hon. Edward Sullivan, Master of the Rolls in Ireland, by J. T.
Gilbert, F. S. A. , M. R. I. A. , Secretary of the Public Record Office of Ireland, and
Photozincographed by command of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by Major-General Sir Henry James, R. E. , F. R. S. , Director
Published by Authority of the Lords Com- missioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, under the direction of the Master of the Rolls in
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 171
regardedthosevellumpagesastheworkofangels,andnotofmen. ^^ Giraldus Cambrensis relates, that a tradition existed in his day, concerning a miracle, saidtohavetakenplace,duringoursaint'slife-time. ^7 Onacertainoccasion, a scribe, belonging to St. Brigid's monastery, undertook transcription of a book of the Gospels, according to St. Jerome's version. ^^ That night, on which he had commenced his task, an angel is said to have appeared. This heavenly messenger bore a certain tablet, upon which a beautiful impression was depicted; at the same time, that angel asked the scribe, if he could reproduceasimilarillustration,onthetitle-page. Thewriterreplied,suchan
" On to-morrow, tell
effort exceeded his ability. Then the angel said
mistress, she must pour forth her prayers before God's throne, so that your corporal and mental vision may be able to behold accurately, and to under- stand with due perception, and that your hand maybe properly directed, in trac- ingcorrespondingcharacters. " Thefollowingnight,anangelagainappeared. He bore the same drawing, and presented many other illustrations. All of these,thatscribecarefullyimpressedonhismemory; while,withthegreatest exactness, he reproduced those different figures and tracings represented, introducingtheminsuitableplaces,throughouthisbook. Itisremarked,St. Brigid continued her prayers, during the progress of this wonderful work, until it issued from the scribe's hands, in a most perfect state. '9 Afterwards, this manuscript was an object of admiration to all persons of taste. It called forth the warm eulogistic commendations of Giraldus Cambrensis,=° who appears to have examined it with great interest and minuteness. ''^
It seems probable, that such a tradition as the foregoing may serve to
"
of Revelations. " However, it will be found, on enquiry, that no ancient
account for a rumour, regarding our saint having composed
Twelve Books
^^ The late lamented Rev. James Gaffney
Europe from the earliest times. Part i. , p.
" The wondrous excellence attained London: writes, 15.
privately printed, 4to,
no
by the Irish in the art of illuminating has never been equalled. "—*' The Ancient Irish Church," chap, iv. , p. no, n.
**
date.
='° He remarks: Here do you see the
Divinely-impressed face of Majesty; here *7 See Giraldi Cambrensis Opera. " the evangelistic and mystic forms, some
Edited by J^mes F. Dimock, M. A. , vol.
V. "Topographia Hibernica," distinctio
Edited by James F. Dimock, M. A. , vol. v. ness, you will see an erasure rather than a
"
Topographia Hibernica," distinctio ii. , ligature ; and where nothing but subtility is cap. xxxix. , p. 124. Alluding to the won- found, you little regard the perfection of derful " Book of Kells," it has been ob- subtility. But, if you strain the eye to a
ii. , cap. xxxviii. , p. 123. ^^ "
See Trias Thaumaturga," p. 607.
^5 See Giraldi Cambrensis "Opera. " and in the usual manner, with less acute-
served :
**
Of this very book, Mr. West-
more minute examination, and to a keen
perception of the very secrets of art, so delicate and refined, so thin and firm, so interlaced and branchy, so vivid are the colours, that you may note intricate illustra- tions: hence,youshouldbeinclinedtopro- nounce these, not produced by human in- dustry, but rather to regard them as angelic
wood examined the pages, as I did, for
hours together,- without ever detecting a
false line, or an irregular interlacement. In one space of about a quarter of an inch
superficial he counted, with a magnifying- glass, no less than one hundred and fifty-
eight interlacements, of a slender ribbon
pattern, formed of white lines, edged by compositions. See cap. xxxviii. , p. 123,
black ones, upon a black ground. No of the treatise already cited,
wonder that tradition should
allege
that
=*' The which Giraldus description, gives,
the of this volume in regarding appearance
his day, is a very interesting one, as recorded
"
these — lines should have been traced unerring
by angels. " "The Art of Illuminating:
what it was, —what it should —and how be,
in his
it may be practised. " An Essay, by Digby De Mirabilibus Hibernise. " Distinctio
Wyatt, Architect. Appended to a series of Secunda, cap. xxxviii. See Camden's
platesexecutedbyW. R. Tymms,illustrative "Anglica, Normannica, Hibernica, Cam- of the Art of Illuminating, as practised in brica, a veteribus scripta," p. 730.
work,
Topographia Hibemioe, sive,
:
your
having six, some four, and some two wings ; here the head of an eagle, there that of a calf, here the face of a man, and there that of a lion. Should you superficially look,
172 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February i.
writers of Saint Brigid's Acts have the least mention about her having written " Revelations," although they record pretty generally, that she had frequent
^'^
Hence, such a treatise must be regarded as spurious, ifreferredtotheauthorshipofthisholywoman. Wemayassumeveryfairly, that those " Twelve Books of Revelations " =^3 extant are rather attributable
to St. Brigid, Queen of Sweden, than to any Irish or Scottish Saint, bearing a like name. '-^ John Bale appears to have been the first author, who ascribes to our Irish St. Brigid the production in question. He tells us, those *' Revelations" were contained in Twelve Books, in the first edition of his
work ; although, he states, in the second edition, they were comprised in one book. ^s However,BaleseemstohavemisconstruedthemeaningofGiraldus, in his treatise on " The Wonders of Ireland. " Although this latter writer describes a book in relation to the concordance of the Four Gospels, accord- ing to St. Jerome, as having been written for St. Brigid, by a scribe, and under the direction of an angel ; still, Cambrensis has no mention whatever, regarding the holy abbess having composed a Book or Books of Revelations. Other authors have followed Bale, in his statement. Eisengrenius^^ and Antonio Possevino^^ are among these, while Gesner^^ and Dempster co- incide. =9
The holy Patroness of Ireland is said to have written some tracts. 3° The
principal and best authenticated among these was a Rule, thought to have
been composed by her, for the guidance of those female religious, who were members of her institute. 3^ A poem, in the Irish language, on the " Virtues of St. Patrick," is attributed to her; besides, a small treatise intituled,3^ " I'he Quiver of Divine Love," 33 and an Epistle, in Irish, to St. Aid or Aldus, son of Degil. In it she dissuades him from taking a journey. Colgan
prophetic inspirations.
^** — Nee defuit illi spiritus prophetiae, quo
multa futura veluti prgesentia indicabat. '
49, b.
In "Apparatus Sacer, tomus v. , p. 240.
•*
Oflficium S. Brigidae.
i. 1. 74.
^7 See Abbate D. Giacomo Celrtani's ** La
^5 Abbate D. Giacomo Certani, who re-
lates this incident, calls him the King of
Leinster, and localizes the road-making —or embankment in "la ProvinciadiLabraide"
but on what grounds may be questioned, See " La Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S.
Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 404 Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida to 408.
Ibernese. " LibroQuinto,pp. 438,439. ^oMostprobablyatKildare.
*^ ""
See, Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. Vita Secunda S. Brigidse, cap. xxx. , p. 522. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. cxxx. , p. 541. Vita Quarta S. Brigidae. , lib. ii. , cap. xcv. , p. 562. As usual, the foregoing miracle, related in Vita Quinta S. Brigidse, cap, liv. , p. 582, is amplified, with many additional details. It is possible, the follow- ing account may refer to the same incident ; but, most—probably, it relates to a different miracle
According to the ancient Irish annals, and other fragments of Irish history, the ancient Irish had many roads which were cleaned and kept in repair according to
"
Leabhar na g- Ceart, or The Book of Rights. " Intro- duction, p. Ivi. Some very curious illustra- tions and an enumeration of several old roads
follow, ibid. , pp. Ivi. to Ix.
^'^ Grunnce, Anglice, bo^s, are frequently
:
" Medo erat ei oblatus
Nee detrimenti quidquam passus est
offerens
Repertus est juxta ipsius domum
mentioned in the Lives
saints.
:
Sine defectu vel augmento.
"
Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sec. xli. , p. 517. Bid.
95 See Colgan's 522, 523.
9^
law. "—Dr. O'Donovan's
of our Irish
93 This may have been the Liffy or the
Barrow.
'* This, with other allusions in her Acts,
seems to indicate, that St. Brigid's family belonged to Leinster, at least on her father's side.
**
Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Secunda S. Brigidse, cap. xxxi. , pp.
i68 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i
and should run through that section, chosen by their oppressors. On the morning, when all were assembled for the work, it was found, the river left its former bed, and that place, for which St. Brigid's friends had been specially drafted ; while, its course ran near to that quarter, selected by the numerous and powerful clan, who had thought to. circumvent and oppress their weaker fellow-labourers. As a proof of this miracle, attributed to the holy abbess, Cogitosus remarks, the deserted channel and empty valley, whichhadformerlybeenfilledwithwater,mightbeseen,inhistime; while, the river itself flowed at some distance from this natural channel, but then a dry and deserted hollow. 9S Long after the illustrious saint's departure,
popular tradition preserved a recollection of the supernatural occurrence, and associated it with some particular conformation of ground,96 which probably has not yet disappeared. It seems not unlikely, a river not far from Kildare and some contiguous boggy or low-lying land may afford a clue to discover that dried channel.
Among the number of our saint's miracles, Cogitosus tells us, that the
followingoccurrenceisnottheleastmemorable. Threelepers,havingasked
an alms from St. Brigid, received from her a silver vessel. 97 Fearing, how-
ever, that distributing the proceeds of this gift might prove a cause of con-
tention among them, our saint directed a certain man, accustomed to deal
in silver and gold, that he should divide the vessel into three equal parts.
One of these was to be the property of each leper. The dealer in precious
metals began to excuse himself, by saying, that he could not fairly execute
such a commission. Then, holy Brigid, taking the silver vessel, cast it
against a stone and broke it, as she intended, into three parts equally
valuable. 93 Wonderful to relate ! when these three divisions were afterwards
weighed, no single fragment was found to be lighter or heavier than another,99
even in the slightest appreciable degree. Thus, without envy or quarrel, these poor men returned joyfully to their homes. ^°°
We are ^°^ that while the abbess and her nuns were en- informed, holy
gaged in prayer, a certain rich nobleman suffered from a dangerous attack
^ See ibid. In the Third and Fourth Lives of our saint, the foregoing account is greatly abridged. Vita Tertia S . Brigidce, cap. cxxxi. ,p. 541. VitaQuartaS. Brigidos,
lib. ii. , cap. xcvi. , p. 562. In the latter lives, it is also stated, that the dry course of the river was to be seen at a time when the authors wrote.
57 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's " La
Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibemese. " LibroQuinto,pp. 436to438.
9^ This miraculous occurrence seems al-
luded to, when we read, according to the Latin v—ersion of St. Brogan Cloen's original
of fever. ^°* little account on his Setting
at that
and being willing to perform a meritorious action, he desired his servants to select and present the best cow from his herd, as a gift for our saint. His ser- vants,however,selectedtheworstheifer,whichcouldbefound; but,onthe
Irish
**
:
Donarium argenteum, quod non potuit frangere
Faber aerarius (quod prJEclarum erat Sanctse)
Fregit Brigida sua manu,
Ut exsilJciit in tres partes sequales.
522. "'
time,
Ponderatse erant illae partes per artificem:
Et repertum est (ecce miraculum aliud), Quod nulla pars inventa est
Praeponderassealteri. "
temporal possessions,
—
p. 517. See also a similar statement in
Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sees, xxxix. , xl. ,
Vita Quinta S. Brigidse, cap. liv. , pp. 580, 581.
'9 Cogitosus adds, as it were parentheti- cally, "licet uno obulo, de his inventa est
tribus partibus. "
'°°
See- Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Secunda Vita S. Brigidae, cap, xxviii. , p.
In St. '°^ "
"Sixth Metrical Life. Dives habebat opes aeger, quod per-
deret auri,
Copiam & argenti, multarum pondera
rerum,
Centones, stimulos, pecora, ac in-
gentia rura. "
Brigid's
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 169
nightfollowing,theanimal,thusselected,waskilledbysevenwolves. "3 in the morning, those herdsmen not only found the heifer killed, in the midst of other cattle, but even the dead bodies of those seven wolves were scattered nearthecarcass,whichtheyhadnotbeenabletodevour. Thisremarkable occurrence was long remembered in that part of the province. '"-^ Our saint's great miracles were not alone famous in her own country ; for, with the lapse of time, Brigid's name became celebrated through all nations, where the Christian faith had been received.
CHAPTER XIII.
ST. brigid's reputed residence at GLASTONBURY—the EARLY PRACTICE OF WRITING AND ILLUMINATING IN IRELAND—WRITINGS ASCRIBED TO ST. BRIGID—THE CON- VENTUAL RULE AND DISCIPLINE, UNDER WHICH HERSELF AND HER NUNS LIVED —HER CHARITY IN RELIEVING THE POOR—HER MODESTY, HER SELF-SACRIFICING SPIRIT, HER LIBERALITY, HER GIFTS OF MIND AND PERSON, HER POWERS FOR HEALINC? THE SICK AND INFIRM, HER VIGILS, AND HER CARE FOR SUBJECTS.
We cannot receive as duly authenticated, or even as probable, several assertions of mediaeval and more recent writers, who have treated concerning this illustrious virgin. It has been stated, that about the year 488, Saint Brigid left Ireland, and proceeded towards Glastonbury. ^ There, it is said, she remained, until advanced in years, on an island, and convenient to the monastery in that place. ^ Whether she died there or returned to Ireland is doubted. 3 But, it seems probable enough, such a tradition had its origin, owing to this circumstance, that a different St. Brigid, called of Inis-bridge, or of Bride's Island, had been the person really meant. She lived many years on a small island, near Glastonbury, called Brides-hay, i. e. , BrigidcB insula. '' This latter St. Brigid is said to have been buried, at Glastonbury. s Another cause for a grievous mistake, about St. Brigid's and St. Columkille's^
*°3 These animals to have been appear very
numerous in Ireland, as also to have been
destructive to human beings and to domes-
ticated animals. At so late a period as the
beginning of last century, some wolves were
to be found. In Ulster, the last wolf known
to exist was hunted from Benyevanagh
mountain, in Londonderry county, and it
= to this fable, remarks Colgan, referring
ontheignoranceofthatvi^riter, whoassigned the burial-place of these aforesaid saints to Glastonbury. This city never contained the bodies of our St. Brigid, nor of St. Columkille, Abbot and Confessor. The latter is even ignorantly named, Colum Killa, after such a manner, as to indicate a
was killed in the woods near Dungiven. female. See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Ap-
**
pendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. vi. , pp. 617, 618.
3 Such is the account, given by an ancient
of
anonymous chronographer Glastonbury.
See
niensis, No. ii. , n. i. , p. 8.
Legend Lays of Ireland," by Lage-
"-^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Vita Sexta S. — sec.
Brigidae, xxxv. , p. 569.
^
Chapter xiii. Whilst it has been
falsely supposed, by some Scottish writers, that the great St. Brigid had been buried at Abemethy, in Scotland, an error nearly similar has been propagated through a treatise, * * On the Antiquities of Glastonbury Church. " Here, it was supposed, that St. Brigid and St. Colum-Kille were buried, on the northern side of its high altar, in a conspicuous stone tomb, and over the monument of John de Cantia, Abbot. See Ussher's "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti- quitates," cap. xvii. , pp, 466, 467.
See Ussher's
"
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 467.
^ We find it also called Parva Hibernia,
and Bekery, reminding us of Beg-Eri, off the coast of Wexford, and about three miles and a half mile north-east of that town. See "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 230.
s See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
" Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. vi. , p. 618.
^ See ibid. y pp. 617, 618.
170 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
interment at Glastonbury, may be traced, owing to this latter place having been possibly confounded with Down, in Ireland. '' This city was called
Dun da-Lethglas,^ in our ancient language. A fable, propagated by some ignorant legend-mongers and scribes, had its probable origin from the circumstance, that our two great Irish Saints had been buried, in the town
or fort called Leath-glas ; while, it is supposed, ZmM-^/fSij- had been incor- rectly substituted for Glaston. '^ It is said, this latter designation may be
" '' ^° more fully Anglicized, the glassy city," or the city of glass. "
Among other laudable practices, which were followed by the pious and cultivated intelligence of holy Brigid, her nuns and scribes," that of writing
^^
If not referable to Pagan times, and derivable from eastern climes, or from the Druidic schools,^3 the long-neglected Celtic art of illumination was, at least, charac' teristic of the ages of faith in this kingdom. ^* So skilful were our sainted illuminators of old, so wonderful was their work of ornamentation, so elaborate, so interlaced and intertwined, so minute and yet so perfect in all details were the manuscripts of our ancient scribes,^^ that the first Anglo-Norman settlers
or copying religious books must deserve especial regard.
7 It is true, the old writer expresses some
doubt respecting the reliability of his infor- mation.
Book of Kells and of Durrow, and Draw* ings from Nature. By M. S. With Notes on Celtic ornamental Art. Revised by George Petrie, LL. D. London, mdccclxi. , folio size.
'3 See some admirable observations, re-
ferring to this very subject, in Very Rev.
^
correctly, arcem binorum niedioi-um catena,
It is rendered in Latin, collem or more
according to Joceline, in his Life of St. Patrick.
Ulick Bourke's ** of the Thaumaturga. " J, Aryan Origin
" The very inexact chronographer brings
St. Columkille to Glastonbury, A. D. 504,
several years before the great Apostle of
Caledonia was born. See Ussher's " Bri-
tannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. in Four Languages ; or, The Immaculate xvii. , p. 467.
9 See
"Trias
Colgan's AppendixQuartaadActaS. Brigidae,cap. vi. , p. 618.
Gaelic Race and Language," &c. , chap, xii. , pp. 328 to 338.
" The most illustrious artists of modern times have not concealed their admiration for these works of our fathers ; they only lament, that it seems to be no longer possible toimitatethem. DigbyWyattandProfessor J. O. Westwood have strongly expressed themselves, concerning the beauty and ori-
Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary defined," &c. , pp. 103 to 122.
ginality of this Keltic art. See J. O. West- Ireland," selected and edited under the
"
wood's Palseographia Sacra Pictoria. "
Book of Kells, p. I.
"
Among the most elegant and curious
illustrations of ancient Irish caligraphy,
produced in our day, must be noticed those
incomparable drawings of fac-similes, by
Miss Margaret Stokes, included in a very
large but thin 4to work, intituled, "De- General of the Ordnance Survey, part i. scriptive Remarks on Illuminations in Cer-
tain Ancient Irish Manuscripts," by Rev.
James Henthom Todd, U. D. , F. S. A.
London, M. DCCC. LXix. The monogram Ireland. Public Record Office of Ireland, **
copied from the Book of Kells" is alone Dublin, MDCCCLXXiv. No less than forty-
amostwonderfulartproduction. Another charming work contains coloured drawings on stone of natural landscapes and interlaced letters orfac-similes, exactly copied from Irish Manuscripts or scenes by Miss Stokes. This is intituled, "The Cromlech on Howth. "
A Poem. By Samuel Ferguson, Q. C. , M. R. I. A. With illuminations from the
four beautifully coloured plates, containing several hundred most elegant and accurate specimens of initial letters, are in this part. It includes, likewise, a learned introduction, with historic and descriptive memoranda, as also modem versions, for the use of per- sons unaccustomed to the archaic caligraphy of the manuscript pages delineated.
^^ See an interesting article, on " The Art of Illuminating : as it was practised of old : its revival," appended to Very Rev. Ulick
Bourke's "The Bull ' Ineffabilis' work,
J.
'5 For proof of these assertions, the reader has only to examine some of the many ori- ginals in our Dublin Libraries. Failing such opportunity, a magnificent and very large 4to work will satisfy. It is intituled, "Fac-similes of National Manuscripts of
direction of the Rt. Hon. Edward Sullivan, Master of the Rolls in Ireland, by J. T.
Gilbert, F. S. A. , M. R. I. A. , Secretary of the Public Record Office of Ireland, and
Photozincographed by command of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by Major-General Sir Henry James, R. E. , F. R. S. , Director
Published by Authority of the Lords Com- missioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, under the direction of the Master of the Rolls in
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 171
regardedthosevellumpagesastheworkofangels,andnotofmen. ^^ Giraldus Cambrensis relates, that a tradition existed in his day, concerning a miracle, saidtohavetakenplace,duringoursaint'slife-time. ^7 Onacertainoccasion, a scribe, belonging to St. Brigid's monastery, undertook transcription of a book of the Gospels, according to St. Jerome's version. ^^ That night, on which he had commenced his task, an angel is said to have appeared. This heavenly messenger bore a certain tablet, upon which a beautiful impression was depicted; at the same time, that angel asked the scribe, if he could reproduceasimilarillustration,onthetitle-page. Thewriterreplied,suchan
" On to-morrow, tell
effort exceeded his ability. Then the angel said
mistress, she must pour forth her prayers before God's throne, so that your corporal and mental vision may be able to behold accurately, and to under- stand with due perception, and that your hand maybe properly directed, in trac- ingcorrespondingcharacters. " Thefollowingnight,anangelagainappeared. He bore the same drawing, and presented many other illustrations. All of these,thatscribecarefullyimpressedonhismemory; while,withthegreatest exactness, he reproduced those different figures and tracings represented, introducingtheminsuitableplaces,throughouthisbook. Itisremarked,St. Brigid continued her prayers, during the progress of this wonderful work, until it issued from the scribe's hands, in a most perfect state. '9 Afterwards, this manuscript was an object of admiration to all persons of taste. It called forth the warm eulogistic commendations of Giraldus Cambrensis,=° who appears to have examined it with great interest and minuteness. ''^
It seems probable, that such a tradition as the foregoing may serve to
"
of Revelations. " However, it will be found, on enquiry, that no ancient
account for a rumour, regarding our saint having composed
Twelve Books
^^ The late lamented Rev. James Gaffney
Europe from the earliest times. Part i. , p.
" The wondrous excellence attained London: writes, 15.
privately printed, 4to,
no
by the Irish in the art of illuminating has never been equalled. "—*' The Ancient Irish Church," chap, iv. , p. no, n.
**
date.
='° He remarks: Here do you see the
Divinely-impressed face of Majesty; here *7 See Giraldi Cambrensis Opera. " the evangelistic and mystic forms, some
Edited by J^mes F. Dimock, M. A. , vol.
V. "Topographia Hibernica," distinctio
Edited by James F. Dimock, M. A. , vol. v. ness, you will see an erasure rather than a
"
Topographia Hibernica," distinctio ii. , ligature ; and where nothing but subtility is cap. xxxix. , p. 124. Alluding to the won- found, you little regard the perfection of derful " Book of Kells," it has been ob- subtility. But, if you strain the eye to a
ii. , cap. xxxviii. , p. 123. ^^ "
See Trias Thaumaturga," p. 607.
^5 See Giraldi Cambrensis "Opera. " and in the usual manner, with less acute-
served :
**
Of this very book, Mr. West-
more minute examination, and to a keen
perception of the very secrets of art, so delicate and refined, so thin and firm, so interlaced and branchy, so vivid are the colours, that you may note intricate illustra- tions: hence,youshouldbeinclinedtopro- nounce these, not produced by human in- dustry, but rather to regard them as angelic
wood examined the pages, as I did, for
hours together,- without ever detecting a
false line, or an irregular interlacement. In one space of about a quarter of an inch
superficial he counted, with a magnifying- glass, no less than one hundred and fifty-
eight interlacements, of a slender ribbon
pattern, formed of white lines, edged by compositions. See cap. xxxviii. , p. 123,
black ones, upon a black ground. No of the treatise already cited,
wonder that tradition should
allege
that
=*' The which Giraldus description, gives,
the of this volume in regarding appearance
his day, is a very interesting one, as recorded
"
these — lines should have been traced unerring
by angels. " "The Art of Illuminating:
what it was, —what it should —and how be,
in his
it may be practised. " An Essay, by Digby De Mirabilibus Hibernise. " Distinctio
Wyatt, Architect. Appended to a series of Secunda, cap. xxxviii. See Camden's
platesexecutedbyW. R. Tymms,illustrative "Anglica, Normannica, Hibernica, Cam- of the Art of Illuminating, as practised in brica, a veteribus scripta," p. 730.
work,
Topographia Hibemioe, sive,
:
your
having six, some four, and some two wings ; here the head of an eagle, there that of a calf, here the face of a man, and there that of a lion. Should you superficially look,
172 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February i.
writers of Saint Brigid's Acts have the least mention about her having written " Revelations," although they record pretty generally, that she had frequent
^'^
Hence, such a treatise must be regarded as spurious, ifreferredtotheauthorshipofthisholywoman. Wemayassumeveryfairly, that those " Twelve Books of Revelations " =^3 extant are rather attributable
to St. Brigid, Queen of Sweden, than to any Irish or Scottish Saint, bearing a like name. '-^ John Bale appears to have been the first author, who ascribes to our Irish St. Brigid the production in question. He tells us, those *' Revelations" were contained in Twelve Books, in the first edition of his
work ; although, he states, in the second edition, they were comprised in one book. ^s However,BaleseemstohavemisconstruedthemeaningofGiraldus, in his treatise on " The Wonders of Ireland. " Although this latter writer describes a book in relation to the concordance of the Four Gospels, accord- ing to St. Jerome, as having been written for St. Brigid, by a scribe, and under the direction of an angel ; still, Cambrensis has no mention whatever, regarding the holy abbess having composed a Book or Books of Revelations. Other authors have followed Bale, in his statement. Eisengrenius^^ and Antonio Possevino^^ are among these, while Gesner^^ and Dempster co- incide. =9
The holy Patroness of Ireland is said to have written some tracts. 3° The
principal and best authenticated among these was a Rule, thought to have
been composed by her, for the guidance of those female religious, who were members of her institute. 3^ A poem, in the Irish language, on the " Virtues of St. Patrick," is attributed to her; besides, a small treatise intituled,3^ " I'he Quiver of Divine Love," 33 and an Epistle, in Irish, to St. Aid or Aldus, son of Degil. In it she dissuades him from taking a journey. Colgan
prophetic inspirations.
^** — Nee defuit illi spiritus prophetiae, quo
multa futura veluti prgesentia indicabat. '
49, b.
In "Apparatus Sacer, tomus v. , p. 240.
•*
Oflficium S. Brigidae.
