No More Learning

* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
^ The Irish text is 'OAb|\eccoc CuAniniA 'Oe^con, at this same date.
3 gee "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Maii ix. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 358.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 122,123.
K
122, 123.
7 Dr. Todd in a note says at Sage, "The
more recent hand adds, 'Sapiens. Mart. Taml. '
^ See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 318,319.
——
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
ology of Donegal,* a festival in honour of Cenmar s was celebrated on this day. We believe that an error has been admitted, in giving this name to a person, rather than to a place. *
Article V. —Festival of St. Brendan of Birr, King's County. \Sixth Cenfiiry. '] We find in the Franciscan copy of the Tallagh Martyrology, a festival set down for Brinnaind of Birr,' at the 9th of May. A festival in honour ofBrennan Biorroris registered, also, in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the corresponding day. He was son to Neman, and the founder of Birr, in the King's County. 3 He was a contemporary and friend of St. Colum- kille. * The Bollandistss refer to the Martyrology of Tallagh, for the festival of St. Brendan of Birr, as occurring at this date. His deatli is referred, by some writers, to a. d. 544; and, by others, to a. d. 571. * St. Columba? is said to have had an immediate revelation regarding his death, and at the very time it occurred, while he was residing, at lona. ^ However, the true date for his feast, is at the 29th day of November. 9
Article VI. St. Lamhruadh. A record of Lamruaid appears in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 9th of May. From the same authority, the Bollandists =* enter Lam-ruadus, at this date. The name of Lamhruadh occurs, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having been venerated, and on this day.
Article VII. St. Cetfaidh. On this day, as we read in the Martyr- ology of Donegal,' veneration was given to Cetfaidh. Elsewhere, we do not find an entry of him.
Article VIII. St. Beatus, Hermit, Lake of Thun, Switzer- land. \Probably in the Sixth and Serenth Centuries. '] There seems to be some confusion in those accounts, which had formerly prevailed, relating to St. Beatus, Hermit of Thun, whose feast has been assigned to the 9th of May, in several German and other Martyrologies, but who has been con- founded apparently with another holy man, and similarly named, Beatus of
5 In a note, Dr. Todd says at Cenmar, "The more recent hand adds, ' T3<\b|\icin, Mar. Videtur esse quern. Mart. Tanil. vocat 'D^b]\ec65 Cuahia Ol^e<^nlAn, 9 Maii. "
^ The reader is referred to the quotation, from the Franciscan copy of the Tallagh Martyrology, in the former account of St. Santan of Cill-da-leis, which latter is pre- ceded by the word Cent)in<\]\.
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxiii.
^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 206, 207.
' See his Life, at the 9th of June.
^ g^g j^g^ j^,. ^ Reeves' Adamnan's ' ' Life of St. Columba,"tlib. iii. , cap. xi. , pp. 209, 210.
» See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Iliber- nice," Februarii xxviii. , Vita S. Aidi, Epis. et Confessoris, n. 6, p. 422.
enters LAm|\udi'o.
- See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Article V. —
be bT\irinAinT) or bjAeniiAinx) bii\oi\.
—
Kelly, p. xxiii. The Franciscan copy also
'
The Irish text appears to
Article vl
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
3 SeeRev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life
of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. iii. , and nn. Maii ix. Among the pretermitted feasts,
(b. c), pp. 192 to 194.
* See his Life, at the 9th of June.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Maii ix. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 359-
p. 358.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
122, 125.
Article vii. —' Edited by Drs. Todd
and Reeves, pp. 122, 123.
[May 9.
Article viii. —' He was also an anchoret, at Laon, in the third century.
^ For the history of this latter holy person, the reader is referred to Dom Lelong's " His- toire du Diocese de Laon," a. d. 17S3, 4to, as also to " Les Petits Bollandistes," Vies des Saints, tome v. , Mai ix« jour, pp. 407 to 409.
3 By Rev. S. Baring-Gould.
'» See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Mail
De Sancto Beato Vindocini in Dioecesi Carnotensi, ]ip. 364 to 368.
5 These comprise a preliminary disserta- tion, in six paragraphs, with Vita ex MSS. Bodecensi et VUrajectino, in seven para- graphs, with notes, as also Appendix de Veneratione S. Beati apud Heluetios : et num alius Beatus fidem Christi illis annun- tiarit, which is comprised in six para- graphs.
* These have been edited, by Father Godefrid Henschenn.
7 According to this writer, when St. Bar- nabas preached in parts of Scotia and Bri- tain, Suetonius, a young man, believed in Christ, was baptized, and called Beatus then he went to Rome, whence he was sent by the Apostle St. Peter to convert the Hel- vetians.
® He writes : " Fecit ille opus suum annis aliquot strenue, et post amore solitarige vitee inflammatus, in eremum secessit, draconem interfecit, obiitque feliciter anno Christi CXII. , circiter setatis xc. Et puto eumdem
esse de quo Martyrologium Romanum ix Maii, Molanus, Canisius, alhque. "—" De Vitis Eremitarum," lib. iv. , cap. i.
' In the work : *' Rerum Germanicarum Commentarii,"lib. iii. , p. 161, of the edition, published in 1531, or p. 172 of the edition published in 1551.
" At Selestad.
" At Strasburgh.
" See Franciscus Guillimann, " De
Rebus Helvetiorum sive Antiquitatum Libri v. ," lib. i. , cap. xv.
'3 See "flistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. ii. , num. 159, p. 90.
'' See " Fides Regia Britannicos, sive An- nales Ecclesise Britannicoe," &c. , tomus i. , ad annum 59, num. 10, 11, 12.
'5 Then, he is thought to have been sent to St, Peter, at Rome.
'* " On donne douze ans a S. Lin, et toute- fois il est plus vraisemblable qu'il ne sur- vecut aux apotres qu'un an on deux, et par consequant qu'ils I'avoient etabli eveque de Rome, pour la gouverner sous eux, comme ils en usoient dans les autres eglises. " L'Abbe Fleury's " Histoire Ecclesiastique," tome i. , liv. ii. , sect, xxvi. , p. 192.
^^ See his Life, at the 21st of November. '^ See his Life, at the i6th of October.
'5 See J. S. Buckingham's "Belgium, the
Rhine, Switzerland, and Holland," vol. ii. , chap, v. , p. 78.
ix.
;
^° Dempster writes
:
" Frustra Personius
—
May 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
Vendome,' sometimes called St. Beat or Bie. ^ This latter is said to have come into Gaul, at a very early age, having been sent by St. Peter. It has been conjectured, 3 some ancient writer, having found on record, that he had a mission from the Apostolic See, thought he should ascribe that act to the first of the Apostles.
Therefore, it seems likely enough, that incidents in the lives of both Beati have been ascribed, and in a mistaken way, sometimes to one, or sometimes to another, of these holy persons. The Bollandists '< have Acts 5 of St. Beatus, at the 9th of May. ^ A Life of St. Beatus was pub- lished at Basle, in 151 1, by Daniel Agricola ;7 and, this has been the autho- rity for subsequent statements made regarding him, by the Cartliusian George Carnefelt,^ and by the learned Beatus Rhenan,9 born in the year 1485,'° while he died, a. d. 1547. '' According to some, he was at first called Suetonius, and he is said to have had a companion, named Achates ; both of whom were sent into Helvetia, at the instance of St. Peter. ^^ By Dempster,'3 who makes him a Scotchman by birth, Suetonius is resolved into Setonius, or Scton, the name of a Scottish family illustrious in rank. Michael Alford "* will have it, that Sue- tonius was the son of a British nobleman, and that he had been converted to theChristianFaith,bytheearlierpreachersoftheGospel,inBritain. After Baptism,heissaidtoharebeencalledBeatus. 's InhisEnglishMartyrology, at the 9th of May, John Wilson states, that the Pontiff, St. Linus,'* conse- crated St. Beatus, as a Priest. However, this holy man came from Ireland, most probably, as a companion of St. Columbanus,'? St. Gall,'^ and other devoted missionaries, when they visited Switzerland. Others have it, that Beatus came from Britain ;'9 which, after all, may not be inconsistent, with the accident of his nativity in our Island. However, it is generally allowed
eum Anglum facit, cum et Vita ejus et Georgius Garnefelt disei te Scotice asserunt lib. iv. de Vita Eremitarum cap. i. Ad hos accedit Beatus Rhenanus, lib. iii. Rerum Germanicar. Stumfius Chron. Helvetior. , lib. vii. , cap. xxii. Gul. Eisengrin, par. v. , distinct ii. , cent, ii. , et prKter hos etiam hsereticus Pantaleon de Viris Germanise par. iii. et Scotis favet Georg. Wicelius lib. v. , cap. xxxiii. "—''Historia Ecclesiastics Gentis Scotorum," tomusi. , lib. ii. , num. 159, p. 90.
^' The Lake of Thun is about ten miles long, and from three to four wide, with a depth of at least two thousand feet in the middle ; and mountains of from four to five thousand feet high rise on each side, beauti- fully clothed with lawns, woods, cattle, and dwellings ; presenting several views of the snowy Alps, in openings on the south side of the Lake. "—J. S. Buckingham's " Belgium, the Rhine, Switzerland, and Holland," vol. ii. , chap, v. , p. 78. A very beautiful engrav- ing of Thun, from the cemetery, is presented as an illustration.
" Thus is the scenery described, by the Rev. S. Baring-Gould. "Thesunset, asI sat in the door of the hermit's cave ; and as I walked back to Unterseen, its orange fires fell and touched with flame every while and heaven aspiring peak ; and the spotless Jung- frau seated amidst a glorious company of mountain forms, each with its flaming brow, called up a thought of the events of that first
Whitsun day, when
" The fires that rushed on Sinai down
In sudden torrents dread.
Now gently light, a glorious crown,
On every saintly head. "
^3 Allusion is made to it, by C. Corn.
Tacitus, in " Historiarum," lib. iv. , cap. Ixi. -^ See " Chronicon Episcopatus Constan- tiensis," edited by Joannes Pistorius, and
brought down to the year 1607.
-5 See " Gazetteer of the World," vol. xiv. ,
P-
505-
'* See Dr. William Smith s " Dictionary
—
148 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 9.
he was a Scot. ^° Like many of our Irish ascetics, he desired to serve God, in sohtude ; and, accordingly, he selected a spot where he might live, and still enjoy the most romantic scenes of nature. Along the borders of the deep Lake of Thun,^' he found a series of high precipices, and high up on the face of these rocks was a cave, about thirty feet above a large stream, which spouts from the rock, and which afterwards forms a fine cascade of 800 feet. This plunges into the still mirror of the lake, which it strews with bub- bles. ^^ Thereisasupposition,thatBeatuscamefromRometoVindonissa,^3 the ancient Castrum Vindocinum, identical with the modern town of Win- disch, in Switzerland. According to one account,'4 St. Beatus is regarded as thefirstBishopofWindisch yet,thisdoesnottally,withthemorereliable
;
histories. The ancient Vindonissa was formerly one of the most important
towns of the Romans, in Helvetia ; but, it was destroyed by the Germans, in 570. ^5 After its destruction, the seat of the bishopric was transferred to Constance,^^ a delightfully situated city on the Rhine, and near the beautiful lakesonamed. ^7 NearthislakeofThun,St. Beatuslivedinacave,yetto be seen on the face of a steep rock, high over that sheet of water. The scenery around is most glorious and sublime. -^ The cave itself is now screened by a fir-wood, which clings to the ledges of rock. Formerly, its wide entrance was walled up, so as to leave only a door and a window ; but, thestoneshavenowfallen. ^9 Accordingtoapopularlegend,beforeSt. Beatus settled in this cave, it had been occupied, by a monstrous serpent, which he precipitated into the lake beneath. His secluded habitation contained an altar, which is now overthrown. If we are to believe Dempster, he died a. d. 112, and in the ninetieth year of his age. 3° At the 9th of May, this same writer 3' notes the festival of the holy man, Beatus, in Helvetia. ^^ After the
of Greek and Roman Geography," vol. ii. , p. 13"-
-' See William Coxe's " Travels in Swit- zerland, and in the country of the Grisons," &c. , vol. i. . Letter 3, pp. 14 to 16.
=^ The Rev. S. Baring-Gould thus describes the appearance of this place, which he visited : " Tufts of pinks clung to the rock, and bunches of campanula dangled their blue bells at dizzy heights over the still water. Yellow cistus, golden poten- tilla, and spices of blue salvia made glorious harmonies of colour in the little dells that sank in green grassy slopes to tiny coves where nestled cottages, and a gaily painted boat was moored. '
'9 See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the Saints," vol. v. , May the Ninth, pp. 136 to 138.
3" See " Ilisloria Ecclcsiastica Gentis
——"
May 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
death of the saint, crowds of pious pilgrims used to visit his cave, and this
continued until after the so-called Reformation.
heresy on the reluctant peasants of Haslithal and Interlachen,33 in the inte- rests of Zwinglianism, the authorities of Berne were obliged to drive the Catholics away from the cave of their Apostle, at the point of the spear. 34 The Deposition of St, Beatus, Confessor, is noticed at the 9th of May, in the Roman Martyrology, and as a commemoration, at Windisch. 3s
where the ancient faith still maintains its ground, loving hearts have built a little chapel, dedicated to Beatus. It is on the nearest point in the Canton ofOb-walden. 36 Atthisplace,onthe9thofMay,ineachyear,asermonis preached by one of the Capuchin friars of Sarnen, when great crowds, who still honour the memory of their Apostle, visit there each year. 37
Article IX. Reputed Festival of St. Nicholas, Bishop and Martyr, Scotland. {Third Century. '] According to Dempster,^ there was one Nicholas, a Culdee, among the early bishops of Scotland, and it is said, that he suffered martyrdom, a. d. 296, during the persecution of the Emperor Maximianus. His body is said, to have been cut into pieces, and to have been deposited in a stone sepulchre, which was buried in the earth. On it, " S. Nocolai Episcopi," is stated to have been inscribed. ^ His sacred
remains are related to have been found,3 on the vii. of the May Ides—corres- ponding with this date a. d. 1262. 4 At the instance of the Bishop of Glas- gow, Alexander III. ,s King of Scotland,*' raised a magnificent church, at Peebles, in honour of St. Nicholas, and which was formerly much frequented by the faithful. In Dempster's "Menologium Scoticum,"? this feast is entered, as the Finding and Elevation of Nicholas, Bishop and Culdee, at the 9th of
Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. ii. , num. 159,
P- 90-
3' See"MenologiumScoticum.
3^ See BishopForbes' " Kalendars of Scot-
tish Saints, " p. 199.
33 This town is romantically situated,
between two Lakes, " with high mountains all around, and the snowy masses of the Ber- nese Alps full in front. "—J. S. Buckingham's " Belgium, the Rhine, Switzerland and Hoi- land," vol. ii. , chap, v. , p. 79.
3-* See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's " Lives of the Saints," vol. v. . May the Ninth, p. 137. 35 " In Castro V—indecino depositio sancti Beaticonfessoris. " " Martyrologium Roma-
num," Maii 9, p. 208.
3* Obwalden and Nidwalden are two divi-
sions of the present Canton of Unterwalden.
In 1870, Obwalden had a population of
14,415 souls. See Elisee Reclus' " Nou- ploits, in James Taylor's "Pictorial History velle Geographic Universelle," tome iii. ,
liv. iii. , chap, i. , sect, x. , p. 127.
* According to " Respublica sive Status Regni Scotas et HiberniK, Uiversorum Au- torum : " ipse ab equo lapso excussus fractis cervicibusinteriit,annoChristi1285,vixit annos 45, regnavit 37. "—Scotise Descriptio, p. 131. Lugd. Bat. Elzivir edition, a. d. 1627, 24mo.
' See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scot- tish Saints," p. 199.
,
an account of him in Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. v. , Maii ix. It seems to us, however, that the feast of St. Nicholas of Myra had been observed, on this day, in Scotland, where some of his relics were pro- bably received and preserved,
3 Yox an account of the Finding of St. Nicholas' relics, and of a certain " magnifica crux et venerabilis apud Pebles," and the subsequent foundation of the conventual Church of the Holy Cross, by King Alex- andcr IH,, a. d. 1261, the reader is referred to Goodall's edition of Fordun's "Scotichro- nicon," tomus ii. , lib. x. , cap. xiv. , p.