75,
English writers,
'^Exquisitely does the good Catholic Count de la Villemarque conclude this ac-
count in the following poetical language : " Vau touchant d'un cocur dont le dernier battement fut pour son pays !
English writers,
'^Exquisitely does the good Catholic Count de la Villemarque conclude this ac-
count in the following poetical language : " Vau touchant d'un cocur dont le dernier battement fut pour son pays !
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
" " And conscience ?
" " It is the eye of God in the soul of raan.
"^'
The holy monk had also —the feeling and sound sense of a good citizen, when
he uttered these words^^ " The best of patriots," said St. Cadoc, "is he :
who tills the soil. "^3 The accounts of his intellectual tastes in literature show most clearly, that he had the lively and instinctive soul of a poet, and he very justly considered that without the glow of poesie, science must be deprived of a considerable share of value. ^'*
After his return from Ireland, at the desire of St. Cadocus, in Llancarvan, for one year Gildas taught all that resorted to him. ^s He desired nothing as stipend but the prayers of his scholars. The two celebrated sages of the Britons were most intimate friends at Llancarvan. There, likewise, Gildas copied out with his own hand a book of the Gospels. Afterwards this was carefullypreservedinthechurchofSt. Cadoc. Insucceedingagesthiscopy was highly reverenced by the Welsh. They used it, in all their most solemn oaths and covenants,^^ according to a manner practised, likewise, by the ancient Irish. Caradoc of Lanncarvan tells us, that after one year, both Cadoc and Gildas left Llancarvan, by reason of the great confluence of people thither, and they retired into the solitude of the islands of Ronech and Echni,^^ there to employ themselves in prayer and contemplation. During a period of Saxon invasion, the idolaters spread havoc and profanation throughout the Welsh dominions. St. Cadoc was obliged to fly for refuge to French Armorica, and there he founded a new monastery on a small deserted island
58 This saint's festival is celebrated on the 6th of November.
ss Near the sea-coast, and not far from Llancarvan.
'* See " La Legende Celtique. " St. Kadok, §vii. ,p. 164.
*5 This we learn from Caradoc of Llan- carvan.
'* See Challoner's " Britamiia Bishop
Sancta," part i. , p. 73.
^7 Elsewhere, we find these islands called
Barren or Barry Island and Echni or the Flat Holmes in the Bristol Channel. Thither
especially during the days of Lent, St. Cadoc resorted. Rev. W. J. Rees' " Lives of the
Carabro-British Saints," p. 336, and n. i.
*<> See his life at the of
*'
29th January.
See "Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales,"
vol. iii. , p. 28.
^-
See Le Vicomte de la Villemarque's
" La " Legende Celtique.
p. 165.
St.
Kadoc, § vii. ,
63 "The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales," vol. iii. , p. 28.
The best
42 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 24.
of the Morbihan Archipelago. Here, at first, the only access scholars firom the mainland had to his school was through means of boats. But Cadoc built a stone bridge four hundred and fifty feet long across the strait. Here in his modest retreat, he practised monastic austerities, and taught his scholars to commit Virgil to memory. The famous historian Gildas was his companion. One day, while with the holy abbot Cadoc, he discussed the probablestateinwhichVirgil'ssoulwasinthatlifebeyoi^dthegrave. ^^ The volume containing the works of that poet fell from Cadoc's hand into the sea. For the loss of this prized copy, he greatly grieved ; but during sleep he experienced a consoling vision. The codex was miraculously preserved andrestoredtohimonthefollowingday. ^9. Afterasojournofmanyyears in Armorica, leaving a new and flourishing community there, under the guid- ance of another shepherd, named Katg\valader,7° Cadoc resolved on return- ing to Britain. He often said to his disciples, "Do you wish for glory? March to the tomb ! "7' To this goal his own steps were fast hastening.
As regards the subsequent place of St. Cadoc's course, some writers state, that he visited Italy, some again that he returned to Wales, while others assert, that he resolved on making a pilgrimage to the church of St. Andrew in Scotland. It is even reported, that he wished to search in this latter country for a Cambrian poet, the friend of Taliesin and of Aneurin. The Saxon invasions had driven this celebrated bard into the wilds of Caledonia for refuge, and here he lived in a state of great poverty and only half clad The ruder sort of people called him Merzin the Fool, and persecuted him ; frequently casting stones after him. He is said to have been discovered by St. Cadoc, finally, but in a Avretched condition. From Cadoc he obtained every religious consolation, and after a blessing received, the bard on the
"
summit of a hill sang with a loud voice, honourofmyKing,bothGodandMan. IshallsingHismerciesfromageto
andeven Kadoc " the hear
age, beyond ages. " replied, May Almighty you !
MaytheAngelofGodwaituponyou. " Thatevening,whenFaithunder the guise of a saint had embraced him, his lifeless body lay on the border of a river, for the Pictish shepherds had stoned to death the noble Cambrian minstrel they thought to have been a fool. So fare the just too fi-equently in a contest with the world. It is the prolonged struggle between brute force and the spirit, the superior and brighter gift of heaven, and which ought there seek its home. 7^
The happy death of St. Cadoc soon followed. Authors are not agreed, however, for some suppose him to have laid down the burden of his flesh, by a natural death, in his own monastery of Llancarvan. 73 Others state that he went abroad, and to Beneventum. 74 They make him a bishop there, and afiirm, that he ended his days by martyrdom. Others again, distinguished twosaints,bearingthenameofCadocus. OneofthesewasabbotofLlan- carvan ; the other, whom they also call Sophias, is said to have been Bishop
'* This too will naturally suggest Dante's Vision of Virgil, who lived at Rome under the good Augustus, — "During the time of false and lying gods. "
Moines d'Occident. " Tome iii. , liv. x. ,
chap, ii. , pp. 71, 72.
^^ See Le Vicomte de la Villemarque's
"La Legende Celtique. " Saint Kadok, § xv. , pp. 206 to 210. Also Pieces Justifica-
tives, No. iv. , pp. 31 1, 312, ibid.
'^ See Bishop Challoner's "Britamiia
Sancta," part i. , p. 73.
? * Some modems take this to be Bene-
vento, in Italy. See Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , January xxiv.
Divina
's This legend is very beautifully narrated in Le Vicomte de la Villemarque's "La
LegendeCeltique. " St. Kadok,§xiv. ,pp. 201 to 204.
7° In English, "the king of battles. "
7' See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les
Longfellow's translation of Dante's Commedia. " Inferno, canto i. , 71, 72.
"
I shall pour forth a joyous cry in
January 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 423
of Beneventum and a martyr. 75 An ancient life of St. Caidoc, however, states, that he died at Bennevenna, which was the former Roman name for a place, now known as Wedon in Northamptonshire. 7^ His last prayer is said to have
"
been offered for his well-beloved Britons. 77
King, Jesus Christ my Saviour, grant me one favour : protect the Christians of my country I May their trees always bear fruit, may their lands always produce grain. Shower down on them all manner of blessings ; but above all be merciful to them, that having honoured me on earth, they may glorify
Thee eternally in heaven ! " Then was heard a voice from an azure cloud,
"
Kadok, good servant, ascend to the kingdom of My Father : I joyfully grant thy request. In truth, I tell thee, whoever shall be in sorrow, and shall in-
voke My name, remembering thee, shall be delivered from his sufferings. "? ^ He was succeeded at Llancarvan by his disciple, Ellenius. He was one that in no way degenerated from the virtues of his master. He was truly an excellent disciple of an excellent master :79 and he brought to its full perfec- tion that famous college,^" so much renowned of old among the Britons. ^' Cadoc is thought to have been honoured at Rennes, in France. ^^ The particular year of his death is not known. The EngUsh Martyrology and Ferrarius^3 state that he suffered martyrdom on the 24th of January, about A. D, 490 or 500 ; while Pitseus^* and Harpsfeld bring his term of life down to the year 570. ^5 This latter date seems more in accordance with historic coincidences and the greatest weight of authority. In Armoric Britain he
seems to have been commemorated on the 21st of September; and to that day the reader is referred for further notices in reference to this holy abbot.
In Scotland it is said that Cambuslang is dedicated to St. Cadoc,^^ and
through the adjoining parish of Carmunnock nms a range of the Cathkin
hills. ^7 These separate Strathclyde from Ayrshire ; while they terminate in Renfrewshire or Strathgray. ^^ While he lived, this holy man caused social
security and religious peace to prevail around his monastery and throughout his domains ; while this happy state of being passed into a popular Welsh sentiment. ^9 With energy and success, he accomplished that noble mission
""
See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia parti. , p. 74. Spelman's Concilia. "
Sancta," part i. , p. 73.
? * It seems in France, a tradition has long
^' ^'
See John Leland.
Under the name of Cado or Caduad.
prevailed, that St. Cadoc was martyred by
the Saxons. This subject is represented on
an ancient picture in the church of the Is-
land of St. Cado, in the Commune of Belz, ®3 Morbihan. See Le Vicomte Hersart de la
<'
Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum qui in
Villemarque's
Kadok, § xvi. , n. i. , p. 215.
'7 See
ibid. , p.
216.
^^ See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
niK,"xxiv. Januarii. First Life of St. Cadoc, cap. v. and n. 9, p. 159. Second Life of St. Cadoc, cap. x. and nn. 2, 13, pp. 160, 161.
^* Rees' " Essay on the Welsh Saints," p.
1 77.
*' Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of the
Scottish Saints," pp. 292, 293.
^^ These must constitute the "montem
Bannaue," and B passing into M in Welsh when in combination, the name is preserved in Carmunnock. See Skene's "Four An-
cient Books of Wales," vol. i. , p. 174.
^' See Le Comte de Montalembert's "Les
Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. x. , chap. ii. , pp. 65, 66.
"La St. Legende Celtique. "
** In his account of the num.
75,
English writers,
'^Exquisitely does the good Catholic Count de la Villemarque conclude this ac-
count in the following poetical language : " Vau touchant d'un cocur dont le dernier battement fut pour son pays ! Des fruits et du ble pour le corps; de I'indulgence pour les ames, et, par surcroit la joie, toujours la joie au lieu des pleurs, pour prix du souvenir fulele ! "
^9 According to Leland.
^^ In divers ancient synods of Llandaff, there is mention of the monasteries of St. Cadocus, St. Iltutus, and St. Docuinus, and of their abbots. Those three religious houses were the most celebrated of that diocese. See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia Sancta,"
Saviour all powerful, invisible
From this saint, a small island on the coast
of Vennes is called Enes-Caduad, according ta Chatelain,
Martyrologio Romano non sunt," p. 43.
424 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 24.
which constituted the glory of his life. An abbot and a prince, he was a man held in great honour and reverence. A quasi-feudal chief and an austere
solitary, his personal character was both courageous and compassionate. He became the protector and client of his vassals, the guardian of the poor and
oppressed, the shield of female virtue, at a time when pillage, tyranny and violencesogreatlyprevailed. Thenobleelevationofhisthoughtsisbestex-
pressed in the aphorisms, so full of practical wisdom and happy conception, which have come down to our times. Those are wild flowers, full of fresh-
ness and of sweet odour, all the more graceful, because they are simple and
natural; andamongthejewelsofCelticliterature,theydeservetobesetand
preserved, giving with the " flash of the gem" its true [solidity and priceless worth.
Article III. —The Blessed Felix O'Dulanus, or O'Dullany, Bishop OF OssoRY. \Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. '] The pastors of the fold arethefaithfulstewardsofGod'shouse,whichistheChurch. Theseareto distribute spiritual food, which is the word of God, to the people, whether it be contained in the Scripture, or be learned from tradition. * From certain manuscript annals of Kilkenny, the Cistercians'* have placed this holy man among their beatified, as it is related he was distinguished by the gift of miracles. 3 He was born sometime during the twelfth century, and he is said to have become a Cistercian monk. The monastery to which he belonged is not clearly known ; yet, most probably, it lay within the bounds of Ossory diocese. '^ Perhaps it was at Jerpoint, in the county of Kilkenny, and where hisremainswereafterwardsentombed. s HeiscalledAbbotofOssory,^and this appears to have been the only established house of the order in that
diocese, during the present distinguished prelate's lifetime. 7 It would seem, that he exercised conjointly—at least for some time—the ofiices of bishop and abbot in Ossory. To this see he succeeded in 1178. ^ It is stated, that he lived at Aghaboe, whence he removed the episcopal seat to Kilkenny. Here he is thought by some to have laid the foundations of the existing mag- nificent cathedral of St. Canice's ;9 the greatest attraction in that fine old City of the Confederation. According to one account, the present bishop lived to dedicate this noble cathedral to St. Canice. '° However, it is supposed, that such transfer and dedication, could not have taken place during the lifetime
Article hi. —' See Rev. Joseph Dixon's "General Introduction to the Sacred Scrip-
tures," vol. i. Dissertation x. , p. 240.
Donat O'Donaghoe. See Jacobi Grace,
"
AnnalesHibernioe. " Edited by Rev. Richard Butler, M. R. I. A. , p. 17. Also "Annales Breves Hiberniae," auctore Thaddaeo Dowling. Edited by Rev. Richard
Butler, M. R. I. A. , p. 13.
^ See " Harris' Ware," vol. i. , Bishops of
Ossory, p. 403.
7 Ledwich gives Delany as another form
ofhisname. See"AntiquitiesofIreland,"
p. 329.
^ Qjj ^j^g death, this year, of Donald
O'Fogarty.
» The Life of St. Canice will be found at
the nth of October.
'See
Chrysostom Henrique's
" Mene-
logium Cisterciensium," at the 24th day of
January.
^ See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum
Januarii,"tomusii. ,xxiv. Januarii. Pra;ter- missi et in alios dies reject! , p. 562.
* From the foundation of Mellifont Abbey,
A. D. 1 142 to A. D. 1 160, no less than thirty-
two noble Cistercian abbeys vi'ere founded
in Ireland. See an account of those several
erections in Sir James Ware's treatise,
"
Archiepiscoponim Casseliensium et Tu- amensium Vitse duobus expressK Com- mentariolis. Quibus adjicitur Historia Csenobiorum Cisterciensium Hibemife," pp.
'
60 to 81.
This house was founded A. D. 1 180, by
"
" Harris cites a manuscript treatise,
Synopsis de Viris illustribus Cistertientium
Kilkenniensis,
Hibemorum," by John Hartrey, a Cistercian monk of Holy Cross Abbey, for this state- ment.
January 24. ]
LIVES OJ^ THE IRISH SAINTS,
425
of Bishop O'Dullany. St. Canice's cathedral, for the most part, was built earlyinthethirteenthcentury. Itisthought,inthetimeofBishopO'Dullany, aparishchurchofconsiderableimportanceoccupieditssite. Thatchurchmay haveoweditserectiontotheblessedprelateFelix. " Threegreatchanges,at irregular intervals, were made in the original plan of the cathedral now remain- ing. The round tower, adjoining the present cathedral, is of a period long anterior : its supposed erection lies between the sixth and the ninth century. "
Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny.
Its architectural features are doubtless very ancient Iooking. »3 The whole group of buildings is on a commanding site, and within the enclosure of an extensive old burial-ground. '* It is probable, the building of St. Canice's cathedral had been commenced during the episcopacy of Hugh Rufus or de Rous ;'s nor does the see appear to have been changed from Aghaboe, until afterthedeathofBlessedFehxO'Dullany. *^ Aghaboewasformerlyarural
" See that invaluable work, "The His- tory, Architecture and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny," by the Rev. James Graves, A. B. , and John G. Augustus Prim, sect, i. , chap, i. , pp. 29 to 32, and nn. (c, d, a), ibid.
'^ See "The
Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i. , chap, iv. , p.
'* The accompanying view was drawn on the spot by William F. Wakeman, and afterwards on wood, for the engravers, William and Alfred Oldham, of No. 8 Lower Gloucester-street, Dublin.
'5 A most learned and exhaustive account
of this fine structure will be found in "The
History, Architecture, and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kil-
kenny," sect, i. , chap. ii.
'* See Dr. "Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
124.
'3 Several most beautiful wood
History, Architecture,
and
engravings of its details are in the work already quoted.
History of
Ireland," vol, iv. , chap.
426 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 24.
see or deanery,'7 having twelve surrounding rectories and vicarages subject to its inspection. Within an irregular figure, these contained about 60,000
'^
acres.
The first great change in the cathedral building took place within little
more than a century from the foundation having been laid. The annalist Clyn, living at the time, records, that in the year 1332, on Friday, the nth
Kalends of June, the belfry of St. Canice at Kilkenny fell, and great part of the choir. The ruins broke down the vestibule of the chapels and the bells, so that it was a horrid and pitiful spectacle to the beholders. '9 Bishop De Ledred, who filled the see at this time, and who continued to occupy it till 1360, re-erected the tower and repaired the general damage done by this catastrophe. The original choir-plan consisted of arches between the side chapels, with a row of clerestory windows above, and on either side. =° Only those arches nearest the tower had fallen, and had been built up in a solid, but in an unsightly manner, by Bishop Ledred. ^' Arches are found to have existed, till the same calamity destroyed them, between the choir aisles and transepts. These aisles had originally formed continuations of the northern andsouthernlateralaislesofthenave. " Aftertheancientcathedralpassed out of the hands of the CathoHc bishops, John Bale, when appointed to this see, in 1552, broke do\^^^ the statues and effigies of the saints there, sparing, however, the painted windows put up by Bishop De Ledrede. ^3
Never were the holy sacrifices and ceremonies of the Catholic Church
effected with greater magnificence and impressiveness, than during that time, when the Parliament and administrative affairs of the Irish Confederate
CatholicshadbeenlocatedinKilkenny. '4 DavidRoth,thelearnedBishop of Ossory, presided over the see. The Protestant Bishop Griffith WiUiams, who had been advanced to his dignity, in July, 1641, in three months after- wardsfledfromKilkenny. In1650,thesoldiersofCromwelltookpossession of this city. The new Cromwellian raiders made sad havoc in the cathedral, during the period of their occupation. Bishop Williams returned to the dio- cese of Ossor>', after the Restoration of Charles II. to the English throne. '^
xxix. , sec. xiv. , p. 237, and n. 92, pp. 239, 240.
'7 According to a Manuscript "Visitation
Book of Bishop Otway," preserved in the
episcopal palace, Kilkenny.
'* See Rev. Edward Ledwich's "Anti-
of the choir became apparent, as also a niche in the latter wall. This evidently had once formed portion of a sepulchral monu- ment. The j^^///ii and aumbrey have since been very beautifully restored.
=3 See "The History, Architecture and
Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St.
Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i. , chap, ii. , p. 37. -^ The fullest general account of these transactions will be found in Rev. Charles
"
P. Median's History of the Confederation
of Kilkenny. "
"s He inveighs most bitterly against those
"fanatic Limbs of the Beast," as he styled
quities of Ireland," p. 397. " '5 See Fratris Joannis Clyn,
Annales
Hiberniic," p. 24. Edition of the Irish
Archaeological Society by Very Rev. Richard Butler, M. R. I. A. K-^--^f^-
*° This was a late discovery, but previously anticipated by the accomplished writers of "The History, Architecture, and Antiqui- ties of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice," published in 1857, who had speculated that, the choir fittings being removed, and the various layers of plaster and dashing being hacked off the walls, those ancient architec- tural features must come to light.
the Cromwellians, for having "beheaded" most of his churches. Respecting the prin-
*' He had so
a fear of the tower fall-
and broken goodly Bells,
great
away
great
ing again, that he constructed solid walls,
as a support, where arches previously had
been, and thus he changed in a considerable
degree the plan of the internal church ar-
rangements.
-^ The recesses of the ancient sedilia in the
south and of an aumbrey in the north wall
—"The and fa- great,
cipal one he \vrites
mous, most beautiful Cathedral Church of St. Keney they have utterly defaced and ruined, thrown down all the Roof of it, taken
five
down all the Windows, and carried away every bit of the Glass that they say was worth a great deal ; and all the doors of it, that Hogs might come, and root, and the Dogs gnaw the Bones of the dead ; and they brake down a most exquisite Marble Font (whercm the Christians' Children were re-
January 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 427
But he exhibited more munificence than taste in the proceedings which he at once entered on with a view of repairing the injuries of this CromweUian visita- tion. He repaired the roofs and doors, but stopped up several windows, to save the expense of re-glazing, and made several other disfiguring changes,
which want of means, perhaps, as much as lack of taste, may have suggested. The monuments in particular appear to have been treated as mere rubbish. About a century ago. Bishop Pococke entered on a further work of " Re- storation. " But his very fine internal choir-fittings of carved oak, in the Corinthian style, were terribly incongruous. Hi—s colonnade, built against the gable of —the north transept, in the Ionic order in itself a very handsome structure formed a glaring excrescence, till it was removed within the past few years. He showed most commendable care for the ancient monuments, which he caused to be collected and arranged in the nave. However, he built up, or allowed to remain built up, considerable portions of nearly all the windows, which continued thus dwarfed of their fair proportions. He ex- pended a considerable sum of money in effecting these objectionable and un- architectural arrangements.
Latterly,however,agreatimprovementhasbeenaccomplished. Tore- move the unsightly additions of those three periods of change, and to bring
the old cathedral back as nearly as possible to its original purity of design, was the object of those works which the dean and chapter of St. Canice con- templated, and which were actually commenced in the month of November, 1864. In the form of a Latin cross and as a specimen of Irish architecture,
"
being thirteenth century, or,
elegance of the plan and the harmony of its proportions, are features which strike the visitor. The structure affords a good and chaste example of a pure and correct period. *^ The late restorations^? have been generally executed with taste and judgment.
The holy monk had also —the feeling and sound sense of a good citizen, when
he uttered these words^^ " The best of patriots," said St. Cadoc, "is he :
who tills the soil. "^3 The accounts of his intellectual tastes in literature show most clearly, that he had the lively and instinctive soul of a poet, and he very justly considered that without the glow of poesie, science must be deprived of a considerable share of value. ^'*
After his return from Ireland, at the desire of St. Cadocus, in Llancarvan, for one year Gildas taught all that resorted to him. ^s He desired nothing as stipend but the prayers of his scholars. The two celebrated sages of the Britons were most intimate friends at Llancarvan. There, likewise, Gildas copied out with his own hand a book of the Gospels. Afterwards this was carefullypreservedinthechurchofSt. Cadoc. Insucceedingagesthiscopy was highly reverenced by the Welsh. They used it, in all their most solemn oaths and covenants,^^ according to a manner practised, likewise, by the ancient Irish. Caradoc of Lanncarvan tells us, that after one year, both Cadoc and Gildas left Llancarvan, by reason of the great confluence of people thither, and they retired into the solitude of the islands of Ronech and Echni,^^ there to employ themselves in prayer and contemplation. During a period of Saxon invasion, the idolaters spread havoc and profanation throughout the Welsh dominions. St. Cadoc was obliged to fly for refuge to French Armorica, and there he founded a new monastery on a small deserted island
58 This saint's festival is celebrated on the 6th of November.
ss Near the sea-coast, and not far from Llancarvan.
'* See " La Legende Celtique. " St. Kadok, §vii. ,p. 164.
*5 This we learn from Caradoc of Llan- carvan.
'* See Challoner's " Britamiia Bishop
Sancta," part i. , p. 73.
^7 Elsewhere, we find these islands called
Barren or Barry Island and Echni or the Flat Holmes in the Bristol Channel. Thither
especially during the days of Lent, St. Cadoc resorted. Rev. W. J. Rees' " Lives of the
Carabro-British Saints," p. 336, and n. i.
*<> See his life at the of
*'
29th January.
See "Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales,"
vol. iii. , p. 28.
^-
See Le Vicomte de la Villemarque's
" La " Legende Celtique.
p. 165.
St.
Kadoc, § vii. ,
63 "The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales," vol. iii. , p. 28.
The best
42 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 24.
of the Morbihan Archipelago. Here, at first, the only access scholars firom the mainland had to his school was through means of boats. But Cadoc built a stone bridge four hundred and fifty feet long across the strait. Here in his modest retreat, he practised monastic austerities, and taught his scholars to commit Virgil to memory. The famous historian Gildas was his companion. One day, while with the holy abbot Cadoc, he discussed the probablestateinwhichVirgil'ssoulwasinthatlifebeyoi^dthegrave. ^^ The volume containing the works of that poet fell from Cadoc's hand into the sea. For the loss of this prized copy, he greatly grieved ; but during sleep he experienced a consoling vision. The codex was miraculously preserved andrestoredtohimonthefollowingday. ^9. Afterasojournofmanyyears in Armorica, leaving a new and flourishing community there, under the guid- ance of another shepherd, named Katg\valader,7° Cadoc resolved on return- ing to Britain. He often said to his disciples, "Do you wish for glory? March to the tomb ! "7' To this goal his own steps were fast hastening.
As regards the subsequent place of St. Cadoc's course, some writers state, that he visited Italy, some again that he returned to Wales, while others assert, that he resolved on making a pilgrimage to the church of St. Andrew in Scotland. It is even reported, that he wished to search in this latter country for a Cambrian poet, the friend of Taliesin and of Aneurin. The Saxon invasions had driven this celebrated bard into the wilds of Caledonia for refuge, and here he lived in a state of great poverty and only half clad The ruder sort of people called him Merzin the Fool, and persecuted him ; frequently casting stones after him. He is said to have been discovered by St. Cadoc, finally, but in a Avretched condition. From Cadoc he obtained every religious consolation, and after a blessing received, the bard on the
"
summit of a hill sang with a loud voice, honourofmyKing,bothGodandMan. IshallsingHismerciesfromageto
andeven Kadoc " the hear
age, beyond ages. " replied, May Almighty you !
MaytheAngelofGodwaituponyou. " Thatevening,whenFaithunder the guise of a saint had embraced him, his lifeless body lay on the border of a river, for the Pictish shepherds had stoned to death the noble Cambrian minstrel they thought to have been a fool. So fare the just too fi-equently in a contest with the world. It is the prolonged struggle between brute force and the spirit, the superior and brighter gift of heaven, and which ought there seek its home. 7^
The happy death of St. Cadoc soon followed. Authors are not agreed, however, for some suppose him to have laid down the burden of his flesh, by a natural death, in his own monastery of Llancarvan. 73 Others state that he went abroad, and to Beneventum. 74 They make him a bishop there, and afiirm, that he ended his days by martyrdom. Others again, distinguished twosaints,bearingthenameofCadocus. OneofthesewasabbotofLlan- carvan ; the other, whom they also call Sophias, is said to have been Bishop
'* This too will naturally suggest Dante's Vision of Virgil, who lived at Rome under the good Augustus, — "During the time of false and lying gods. "
Moines d'Occident. " Tome iii. , liv. x. ,
chap, ii. , pp. 71, 72.
^^ See Le Vicomte de la Villemarque's
"La Legende Celtique. " Saint Kadok, § xv. , pp. 206 to 210. Also Pieces Justifica-
tives, No. iv. , pp. 31 1, 312, ibid.
'^ See Bishop Challoner's "Britamiia
Sancta," part i. , p. 73.
? * Some modems take this to be Bene-
vento, in Italy. See Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , January xxiv.
Divina
's This legend is very beautifully narrated in Le Vicomte de la Villemarque's "La
LegendeCeltique. " St. Kadok,§xiv. ,pp. 201 to 204.
7° In English, "the king of battles. "
7' See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les
Longfellow's translation of Dante's Commedia. " Inferno, canto i. , 71, 72.
"
I shall pour forth a joyous cry in
January 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 423
of Beneventum and a martyr. 75 An ancient life of St. Caidoc, however, states, that he died at Bennevenna, which was the former Roman name for a place, now known as Wedon in Northamptonshire. 7^ His last prayer is said to have
"
been offered for his well-beloved Britons. 77
King, Jesus Christ my Saviour, grant me one favour : protect the Christians of my country I May their trees always bear fruit, may their lands always produce grain. Shower down on them all manner of blessings ; but above all be merciful to them, that having honoured me on earth, they may glorify
Thee eternally in heaven ! " Then was heard a voice from an azure cloud,
"
Kadok, good servant, ascend to the kingdom of My Father : I joyfully grant thy request. In truth, I tell thee, whoever shall be in sorrow, and shall in-
voke My name, remembering thee, shall be delivered from his sufferings. "? ^ He was succeeded at Llancarvan by his disciple, Ellenius. He was one that in no way degenerated from the virtues of his master. He was truly an excellent disciple of an excellent master :79 and he brought to its full perfec- tion that famous college,^" so much renowned of old among the Britons. ^' Cadoc is thought to have been honoured at Rennes, in France. ^^ The particular year of his death is not known. The EngUsh Martyrology and Ferrarius^3 state that he suffered martyrdom on the 24th of January, about A. D, 490 or 500 ; while Pitseus^* and Harpsfeld bring his term of life down to the year 570. ^5 This latter date seems more in accordance with historic coincidences and the greatest weight of authority. In Armoric Britain he
seems to have been commemorated on the 21st of September; and to that day the reader is referred for further notices in reference to this holy abbot.
In Scotland it is said that Cambuslang is dedicated to St. Cadoc,^^ and
through the adjoining parish of Carmunnock nms a range of the Cathkin
hills. ^7 These separate Strathclyde from Ayrshire ; while they terminate in Renfrewshire or Strathgray. ^^ While he lived, this holy man caused social
security and religious peace to prevail around his monastery and throughout his domains ; while this happy state of being passed into a popular Welsh sentiment. ^9 With energy and success, he accomplished that noble mission
""
See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia parti. , p. 74. Spelman's Concilia. "
Sancta," part i. , p. 73.
? * It seems in France, a tradition has long
^' ^'
See John Leland.
Under the name of Cado or Caduad.
prevailed, that St. Cadoc was martyred by
the Saxons. This subject is represented on
an ancient picture in the church of the Is-
land of St. Cado, in the Commune of Belz, ®3 Morbihan. See Le Vicomte Hersart de la
<'
Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum qui in
Villemarque's
Kadok, § xvi. , n. i. , p. 215.
'7 See
ibid. , p.
216.
^^ See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
niK,"xxiv. Januarii. First Life of St. Cadoc, cap. v. and n. 9, p. 159. Second Life of St. Cadoc, cap. x. and nn. 2, 13, pp. 160, 161.
^* Rees' " Essay on the Welsh Saints," p.
1 77.
*' Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of the
Scottish Saints," pp. 292, 293.
^^ These must constitute the "montem
Bannaue," and B passing into M in Welsh when in combination, the name is preserved in Carmunnock. See Skene's "Four An-
cient Books of Wales," vol. i. , p. 174.
^' See Le Comte de Montalembert's "Les
Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. x. , chap. ii. , pp. 65, 66.
"La St. Legende Celtique. "
** In his account of the num.
75,
English writers,
'^Exquisitely does the good Catholic Count de la Villemarque conclude this ac-
count in the following poetical language : " Vau touchant d'un cocur dont le dernier battement fut pour son pays ! Des fruits et du ble pour le corps; de I'indulgence pour les ames, et, par surcroit la joie, toujours la joie au lieu des pleurs, pour prix du souvenir fulele ! "
^9 According to Leland.
^^ In divers ancient synods of Llandaff, there is mention of the monasteries of St. Cadocus, St. Iltutus, and St. Docuinus, and of their abbots. Those three religious houses were the most celebrated of that diocese. See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia Sancta,"
Saviour all powerful, invisible
From this saint, a small island on the coast
of Vennes is called Enes-Caduad, according ta Chatelain,
Martyrologio Romano non sunt," p. 43.
424 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 24.
which constituted the glory of his life. An abbot and a prince, he was a man held in great honour and reverence. A quasi-feudal chief and an austere
solitary, his personal character was both courageous and compassionate. He became the protector and client of his vassals, the guardian of the poor and
oppressed, the shield of female virtue, at a time when pillage, tyranny and violencesogreatlyprevailed. Thenobleelevationofhisthoughtsisbestex-
pressed in the aphorisms, so full of practical wisdom and happy conception, which have come down to our times. Those are wild flowers, full of fresh-
ness and of sweet odour, all the more graceful, because they are simple and
natural; andamongthejewelsofCelticliterature,theydeservetobesetand
preserved, giving with the " flash of the gem" its true [solidity and priceless worth.
Article III. —The Blessed Felix O'Dulanus, or O'Dullany, Bishop OF OssoRY. \Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. '] The pastors of the fold arethefaithfulstewardsofGod'shouse,whichistheChurch. Theseareto distribute spiritual food, which is the word of God, to the people, whether it be contained in the Scripture, or be learned from tradition. * From certain manuscript annals of Kilkenny, the Cistercians'* have placed this holy man among their beatified, as it is related he was distinguished by the gift of miracles. 3 He was born sometime during the twelfth century, and he is said to have become a Cistercian monk. The monastery to which he belonged is not clearly known ; yet, most probably, it lay within the bounds of Ossory diocese. '^ Perhaps it was at Jerpoint, in the county of Kilkenny, and where hisremainswereafterwardsentombed. s HeiscalledAbbotofOssory,^and this appears to have been the only established house of the order in that
diocese, during the present distinguished prelate's lifetime. 7 It would seem, that he exercised conjointly—at least for some time—the ofiices of bishop and abbot in Ossory. To this see he succeeded in 1178. ^ It is stated, that he lived at Aghaboe, whence he removed the episcopal seat to Kilkenny. Here he is thought by some to have laid the foundations of the existing mag- nificent cathedral of St. Canice's ;9 the greatest attraction in that fine old City of the Confederation. According to one account, the present bishop lived to dedicate this noble cathedral to St. Canice. '° However, it is supposed, that such transfer and dedication, could not have taken place during the lifetime
Article hi. —' See Rev. Joseph Dixon's "General Introduction to the Sacred Scrip-
tures," vol. i. Dissertation x. , p. 240.
Donat O'Donaghoe. See Jacobi Grace,
"
AnnalesHibernioe. " Edited by Rev. Richard Butler, M. R. I. A. , p. 17. Also "Annales Breves Hiberniae," auctore Thaddaeo Dowling. Edited by Rev. Richard
Butler, M. R. I. A. , p. 13.
^ See " Harris' Ware," vol. i. , Bishops of
Ossory, p. 403.
7 Ledwich gives Delany as another form
ofhisname. See"AntiquitiesofIreland,"
p. 329.
^ Qjj ^j^g death, this year, of Donald
O'Fogarty.
» The Life of St. Canice will be found at
the nth of October.
'See
Chrysostom Henrique's
" Mene-
logium Cisterciensium," at the 24th day of
January.
^ See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum
Januarii,"tomusii. ,xxiv. Januarii. Pra;ter- missi et in alios dies reject! , p. 562.
* From the foundation of Mellifont Abbey,
A. D. 1 142 to A. D. 1 160, no less than thirty-
two noble Cistercian abbeys vi'ere founded
in Ireland. See an account of those several
erections in Sir James Ware's treatise,
"
Archiepiscoponim Casseliensium et Tu- amensium Vitse duobus expressK Com- mentariolis. Quibus adjicitur Historia Csenobiorum Cisterciensium Hibemife," pp.
'
60 to 81.
This house was founded A. D. 1 180, by
"
" Harris cites a manuscript treatise,
Synopsis de Viris illustribus Cistertientium
Kilkenniensis,
Hibemorum," by John Hartrey, a Cistercian monk of Holy Cross Abbey, for this state- ment.
January 24. ]
LIVES OJ^ THE IRISH SAINTS,
425
of Bishop O'Dullany. St. Canice's cathedral, for the most part, was built earlyinthethirteenthcentury. Itisthought,inthetimeofBishopO'Dullany, aparishchurchofconsiderableimportanceoccupieditssite. Thatchurchmay haveoweditserectiontotheblessedprelateFelix. " Threegreatchanges,at irregular intervals, were made in the original plan of the cathedral now remain- ing. The round tower, adjoining the present cathedral, is of a period long anterior : its supposed erection lies between the sixth and the ninth century. "
Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny.
Its architectural features are doubtless very ancient Iooking. »3 The whole group of buildings is on a commanding site, and within the enclosure of an extensive old burial-ground. '* It is probable, the building of St. Canice's cathedral had been commenced during the episcopacy of Hugh Rufus or de Rous ;'s nor does the see appear to have been changed from Aghaboe, until afterthedeathofBlessedFehxO'Dullany. *^ Aghaboewasformerlyarural
" See that invaluable work, "The His- tory, Architecture and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny," by the Rev. James Graves, A. B. , and John G. Augustus Prim, sect, i. , chap, i. , pp. 29 to 32, and nn. (c, d, a), ibid.
'^ See "The
Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i. , chap, iv. , p.
'* The accompanying view was drawn on the spot by William F. Wakeman, and afterwards on wood, for the engravers, William and Alfred Oldham, of No. 8 Lower Gloucester-street, Dublin.
'5 A most learned and exhaustive account
of this fine structure will be found in "The
History, Architecture, and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kil-
kenny," sect, i. , chap. ii.
'* See Dr. "Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
124.
'3 Several most beautiful wood
History, Architecture,
and
engravings of its details are in the work already quoted.
History of
Ireland," vol, iv. , chap.
426 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 24.
see or deanery,'7 having twelve surrounding rectories and vicarages subject to its inspection. Within an irregular figure, these contained about 60,000
'^
acres.
The first great change in the cathedral building took place within little
more than a century from the foundation having been laid. The annalist Clyn, living at the time, records, that in the year 1332, on Friday, the nth
Kalends of June, the belfry of St. Canice at Kilkenny fell, and great part of the choir. The ruins broke down the vestibule of the chapels and the bells, so that it was a horrid and pitiful spectacle to the beholders. '9 Bishop De Ledred, who filled the see at this time, and who continued to occupy it till 1360, re-erected the tower and repaired the general damage done by this catastrophe. The original choir-plan consisted of arches between the side chapels, with a row of clerestory windows above, and on either side. =° Only those arches nearest the tower had fallen, and had been built up in a solid, but in an unsightly manner, by Bishop Ledred. ^' Arches are found to have existed, till the same calamity destroyed them, between the choir aisles and transepts. These aisles had originally formed continuations of the northern andsouthernlateralaislesofthenave. " Aftertheancientcathedralpassed out of the hands of the CathoHc bishops, John Bale, when appointed to this see, in 1552, broke do\^^^ the statues and effigies of the saints there, sparing, however, the painted windows put up by Bishop De Ledrede. ^3
Never were the holy sacrifices and ceremonies of the Catholic Church
effected with greater magnificence and impressiveness, than during that time, when the Parliament and administrative affairs of the Irish Confederate
CatholicshadbeenlocatedinKilkenny. '4 DavidRoth,thelearnedBishop of Ossory, presided over the see. The Protestant Bishop Griffith WiUiams, who had been advanced to his dignity, in July, 1641, in three months after- wardsfledfromKilkenny. In1650,thesoldiersofCromwelltookpossession of this city. The new Cromwellian raiders made sad havoc in the cathedral, during the period of their occupation. Bishop Williams returned to the dio- cese of Ossor>', after the Restoration of Charles II. to the English throne. '^
xxix. , sec. xiv. , p. 237, and n. 92, pp. 239, 240.
'7 According to a Manuscript "Visitation
Book of Bishop Otway," preserved in the
episcopal palace, Kilkenny.
'* See Rev. Edward Ledwich's "Anti-
of the choir became apparent, as also a niche in the latter wall. This evidently had once formed portion of a sepulchral monu- ment. The j^^///ii and aumbrey have since been very beautifully restored.
=3 See "The History, Architecture and
Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St.
Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i. , chap, ii. , p. 37. -^ The fullest general account of these transactions will be found in Rev. Charles
"
P. Median's History of the Confederation
of Kilkenny. "
"s He inveighs most bitterly against those
"fanatic Limbs of the Beast," as he styled
quities of Ireland," p. 397. " '5 See Fratris Joannis Clyn,
Annales
Hiberniic," p. 24. Edition of the Irish
Archaeological Society by Very Rev. Richard Butler, M. R. I. A. K-^--^f^-
*° This was a late discovery, but previously anticipated by the accomplished writers of "The History, Architecture, and Antiqui- ties of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice," published in 1857, who had speculated that, the choir fittings being removed, and the various layers of plaster and dashing being hacked off the walls, those ancient architec- tural features must come to light.
the Cromwellians, for having "beheaded" most of his churches. Respecting the prin-
*' He had so
a fear of the tower fall-
and broken goodly Bells,
great
away
great
ing again, that he constructed solid walls,
as a support, where arches previously had
been, and thus he changed in a considerable
degree the plan of the internal church ar-
rangements.
-^ The recesses of the ancient sedilia in the
south and of an aumbrey in the north wall
—"The and fa- great,
cipal one he \vrites
mous, most beautiful Cathedral Church of St. Keney they have utterly defaced and ruined, thrown down all the Roof of it, taken
five
down all the Windows, and carried away every bit of the Glass that they say was worth a great deal ; and all the doors of it, that Hogs might come, and root, and the Dogs gnaw the Bones of the dead ; and they brake down a most exquisite Marble Font (whercm the Christians' Children were re-
January 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 427
But he exhibited more munificence than taste in the proceedings which he at once entered on with a view of repairing the injuries of this CromweUian visita- tion. He repaired the roofs and doors, but stopped up several windows, to save the expense of re-glazing, and made several other disfiguring changes,
which want of means, perhaps, as much as lack of taste, may have suggested. The monuments in particular appear to have been treated as mere rubbish. About a century ago. Bishop Pococke entered on a further work of " Re- storation. " But his very fine internal choir-fittings of carved oak, in the Corinthian style, were terribly incongruous. Hi—s colonnade, built against the gable of —the north transept, in the Ionic order in itself a very handsome structure formed a glaring excrescence, till it was removed within the past few years. He showed most commendable care for the ancient monuments, which he caused to be collected and arranged in the nave. However, he built up, or allowed to remain built up, considerable portions of nearly all the windows, which continued thus dwarfed of their fair proportions. He ex- pended a considerable sum of money in effecting these objectionable and un- architectural arrangements.
Latterly,however,agreatimprovementhasbeenaccomplished. Tore- move the unsightly additions of those three periods of change, and to bring
the old cathedral back as nearly as possible to its original purity of design, was the object of those works which the dean and chapter of St. Canice con- templated, and which were actually commenced in the month of November, 1864. In the form of a Latin cross and as a specimen of Irish architecture,
"
being thirteenth century, or,
elegance of the plan and the harmony of its proportions, are features which strike the visitor. The structure affords a good and chaste example of a pure and correct period. *^ The late restorations^? have been generally executed with taste and judgment.
