She was
considered
to have been a nymph, the wife of Fannus and the sister of Amata.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
Reeves' Adamnan's "Life
of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 5, and notes, pp. 107 to Hi.
« He was the fifth Abbot of Iona. His creatures of God. See Rev. S. Baring-
festival was kept on the 12th of August. He
died A. D. 652, according to Tigeinachi An- naies. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum
Gould's " Lives of the Saints," vol. vi. , June
9, p. 105.
8z See an account of this incident in Col-
4i2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
ing her so seriously to your care, arises from the circumstance, that she is of the same country with ourselves. "82 The brother obeyed willingly, and on the third day, at the place and time appointed, he expected the arrival of their winged guest. The crane reached the Isle accordingly, and the monk took her up from the shore. He brought her weak and faint to a lodging that
83 After
in the evening, and not having any communication with the brother, by a pre-
"
was where he fed her near,
carefully.
coming
home to the
monastery,
God's blessing you have, my child, for tending so carefully the strange guest, who must make no long delay in her pilgrimage, but who shall return back to her native soil, after three days'
abode with us. " And as the saint had pronounced, the event showed to be true. 8* For, after three days' kindly entertainment, the crane gracefully lifted
herself, and gently soared upwards into the air. She sailed to a great height, in presence of her officious ministers. Afterwards, she kept her course,
and
and religious duties that pertained to his office in Ireland. This we know, from thefrequentmessageshesentthither. Onacertainday,theholymanordered one of his monks, named Trenan,86 of the tribe Mocuruntir,8? in Fer-Ros? ,88
8
to go on a commission to Ireland, ^ or as it is called, to Scotia. 9° Preparing
that ship, in which he designed to sail, and to obey the orders of the man of
ternatural intuition our saint said :
directly
towards
Ireland,
straight
fly
God,
Trenan
complained
before that one of the sailors was 1 him, wanting. ^
as she could
While living in Iona, Columba was obliged to watch over the ecclesiastical
Answering immediately, Columba uttered these words : "The sailor, who
you say is wanting, I cannot find at present. Go in peace, however, you shall
have a favourable and good wind until you arrive in Ireland. ? 2 You shall find a man coming to meet you from a distance, who will be the first to seize
the prow of your ship, in Scotia ;93 he will accompany you in your journey for some days in Ireland,9+ and he shall join you, on your return to us. He is a man chosen by God, who in this monastery will live piously the remain- der of his days. " Receiving the saint's blessing,9S Trenan sailed without ever slackening sail along the whole voyage. As his little ship was nearing
^ It is termed " Hiberniam " in the ori- ginal Latin.
9° Its equivalent is Hibernia.
»* See this account in Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. . cap. xviii. , p. 342. In a note, Colgan
" Trias Vita S. Thaumaturga," Quarta
gan's
Columbas, lib. i. , cap. xlviii. , p. 349; Vita Quinta S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. lv. , p. 419.
83 The Lives of the Irish Saints abound
with legends concerning their familiarity with birds.
8+ This touching incident has been ren-
dered into beautiful English verse by refers to the Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae,"
Thomas D'Arcy McGee.
85 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i , cap. 48, pp.
90, 91.
84 A Trenanus is mentioned in S. Baithe-
neus' Life as one of hi-, fraternity. See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Junii ix. , p. 237, and Colgan's " Acta Sane- torum Hiberniae," xxiii. Martii, De S. Tre- nano Monacho, p. 726.
8? In Irish, UlAc-Ui-nuncin. The three
Magi, who opposed St. Patrick, are slated by Tirechan to have been of the race of Run-
tir, in the Liber Armacanus, fol. 100, a.
88
According to the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the Dal-Ruinntir occupied Clunin- chaoin in Fer Ross, now Clonkeen in the west of the county of Louth. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Septima S. Patricii, lib. Hi. , cap. lxvi, p. 162.
for an account of him, at that date. See n. 60. Also Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. xcii. , p. 426.
91 The Latin word in the original is Hi- bernia.
93 In the original, but equivalent to Ire- land.
94 Hibernia in the original.
9S " He gave a benedi—ction as a formal
exeat from the island. " Leslie Stephen's
" of National vol. Dictionary Biography,''
xi. , Art. St. Columba, p. 411.
9° Many persons of this name are honoured
in our Irish Calendars ; but, Colgan would not undertake to identify the present Lais-
"
rean among them. See
tuiga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xviii. , n. 61, p. 376.
w This tribe name is applied to St. Fin-
home on a calm 8s day.
places his festival, at the 23rd of March, and "
tan, in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"
Life
Trias Thauma-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 413
Laisrean96 Mocumoie 97—who is also called Hortulanus98—came forwardbeforetheothers,andhecaughttheprow. Thesailorsknewthatit was of him the saint had foretold this incident. 9? On another occasion, our
100
the
saint directed his messenger, who was named Lugaidus,
Lather,
101 to make a
voyage,
was his Lugaidus making
port,
to Ireland. 102 Whilst
preparations for the voyage, among the articles that belonged to St. Columba's
ship, he found a leathern vessel for holding milk. 103 He immersed it in the
sea-water, in order to moisten it ; and, to prevent its being carried away by the tide, he put upon it stones of considerable size. He then went to St.
Columba, and told him what he had done. The saint smiled and said
"> I do not think this vessel shall accompany you to Ireland on the present occa-
sion. " " "canInottakeitwithmeinthe Why," rejoined Lugaidus,
ship? " The saint replied : "You can learn the reason, some other time, as the event
shall prove. " On the following day, Lugaidus went to take that vessel out ofthewater,buttheebbofthetideIO* hadcarriedit awayduringthenight. He then returned in grief to the saint, and on his bended knees confessed the negligence of which he had been guilty. St. Columba consoled him, saying: "Do not grieve for the perishable things of this world; the ebbing tide 10s
106
carried away the vessel, but the returning tide,
bring it back to the spot where you placed it. " At nine o'clock, on that same day, and soon after the departure of Lugaidus, the saint addressed those who
stood near him and said
:
" Let one of you go to the sea, because the lea-
thern vessel, which was carried away by the ebbing tide, and for the loss of
which Lugaidus was so much afflicted, has been brought back to its place, by
the returning tide. " Upon hearing these words, a certain active youth ran
to the sea; where he found the vessel, as the saint had predicted. He
immediately took it out of the water, and with great joy he hastened back to
the holy man, into whose hands he delivered it, amid the great admiration of
10 the beholders. ?
Our holy Abbot often saw, by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, the souls of some just men carried by angels to the highest Heavens ; while he had visions, likewise, of reprobates, who were carried by demons to hell. 108
In the middle of
region Ireland,
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 2, p. 20.
there lived a certain I09 who was a smith,
93 The modern term would be
t>ir\.
50,|vdAt)-
'°gy>" v°l. *"•> P- 693.
'°5 In his celebrated work, De Civitate
Dei, St. — the
Augustine explains mythologi-
cal meaning of Salacia the wife of Neptune
l
-9 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
and
100 Said by Colgan to have been vene-
rated in the church of Tir-da-Craobh, at the
—
"
while Venilia was another
Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 18, nn. (a, b, c, d, e), p. 47.
pagan deity, whose personality was not known; yet were two distinct deities imagined most irra-
31st of January.
101"" ""
102
It signifies vigour or fortitude.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columba? , lib. ii. , cap. xxxviii. , p. 359, and n. 30, p. 384. Also n.
67, P- 377. See likewise, Quarta Appen- Manuscripts. See vol. ii. , p. 853.
dixadActa S. Columbae, cap. x. , num. 76, p. 491.
103 jror household use in the monastery,
a pail seems to have been preferred ; but, it is probable, the leathern vessel was deemed more convenient on a sea voyage.
See Dr. William Smith's "Dictionary of Greek and Roman [Biography and Mytho-
104 " Called
venilia," in the text of Adam- nan. Venilia was a Roman divinity con- nected with the winds {vend) and the sea.
She was considered to have been a nymph, the wife of Fannus and the sister of Amata.
"
See Dr. William Smith's Dictionary of
Greek and Roman Biography and Mytho- logy," vol. iii. , p. 1237.
I0' To the foregoing narrative, Adamnan adds: In the two miracles which we have
just recorded, and which regard such com-
salacia," by Adamnan. Sala- cia was the name of a female divinity, and evi- dently drawn from sal, the salt or open sea.
tionally to preside over the same continous moving of the salt-water. See lib. vii. , cap. 22. Also Confessiones lib. iv. , cap. 10, II. This matter is further illustrated in Zeuss' learned "GrammaticaCeltica,'' where allusion is made to certain Irish glosses, in
Io6 " Called
and surnamed
after your departure, must
:
4M LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
man IID much addicted to the practice of alms-deeds and of other good works. When this virtuous artisan had lived to a good old age, and had come to the final period of his mortal life, our saint spoke to a tew seniors that were
:
about at Iona, after this manner " The smith, Columbus
lasting rewards. His soul is now carried by Angels to the joys of a heavenly
country, because he expended all his earnings in providing for the poor. "
Another time did he see the soul of a poor but very holy woman coming in
company with the Angels, to meet her husband's soul after her decease. This
he made known by words to one of his monks, named Genereus, who was a
Saxon '" by birth, and who then worked at his trade as a baker. 112 At the
same day of the month, and at the end of that same year, our saint spoke to
him,
did not toil in vain, for with the labour of his hands he hath purchased ever-
Genereus "Iseeawonderfulevent behold,thatwomanofwhomIspoke
;
to thee last year meets the soul of her husband—a poor and holy man—in
him the saint said
:
" This day, a certain clergyman of your province, whose
:
thefirmament. WithAngelsonherside,sheengagesinaconflictwiththe adversepowerstosavehissoul. "3 Bytheirunitedefforts,andthroughthe merits of his own good works, this poor man's spirit escapes from demoniac assaults, and it is brought to a place of eternal rest. " 11 * A certain pilgrim came to sojourn with our saint, in the Island of Hy, for some months. "s To
name I know not as yet, is now carried between the Angels to Heaven. " On
hearing this, the brother began to muse within himself, regarding the district
M I know a servant of Christ, named Diarmitius, 110 who built him a little monastery in the same territory, wherein I resided. " "It is the very same
1 ' 8 in order andtorecollect,ifpossible,theman'sname. Afteralittlewhile,hesaidto
6 "' of Arterie," or as called by the Scots,
Indairthir,
to think of
the saint
:
answered the " whom the celestial person you name," saint,
now
to the joys of Paradise. " Nor is it a matter of little moment, to observe how the glorious saint kept from the notice of men many secrets that were revealed to him by the Almighty. This he did for two reasons, as himself signified to a few of his monks. First, he wished to remove ostentation and self-esteem; andsecondly,hedesiredtoavoidanymolestation,thatinnumera- ble crowds should cause him, while enquiring after sev—eral peculiarly per- sonalmatters. 120 Oneofthesaint'smonks,calledBrito,21 amanmuchgiven
mon and trifling things as a wooden stake and a leathern vessel, there may, neverthe- less. be observed, as we noticed before, thegift of prophecy united with the power of work- ing miracles. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam- nan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap.
38, andnn. (d, e, t), pp. 155 to 157.
108 " See Colgan's
Trias Thaumaturga," Prima Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxvi. , p.
Pistoi, "a baker" is the correct read ing ; although Colgan and the Bollandisls have pictor, "a painter," in their text,
324.
'°9 He is called a "faber ferraiius," in
most of the accounts, which means an iron or blacksmith. In the Third Life, by John of Teignmouth, he is named Columbus, and Colgan finds a feast for St. Columbus Faber, at the 7th ofJune.
1,0 Adamnan calls him, in the title to his
chapter Columbus, a blacksmith, and sur-
named Coilriginus.
111 He was probably a convert from pagan-
ism, who had emigrated to Scotland, and he seems to have been one of the earliest on re- cord, as Christianity was not introduced
lli See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxiv. , p. 328, Tertia Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxix, p. 334 ; Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. ix. , pp. 365. 366, and n. 13, p. 386.
bring
among the English Saxons, until late in the sixth and the beginning of the seventh cen- tiny. See Dodd's "Church History of England from the commencement of the six- teenth century to the Revolution in 1688," with Notes, Additions and a continuation by the Rev. M. A. Tierney, F. S. A. , vol. i. , part i. , Art. i. , pp. 20, 24 to 26.
'"
"4 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnau's " Life of St. Columba,' lib. iii. , and nn. (a, b, c, d, a, b), cap. 9, pp. 207 to 209.
,,s See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. vii. , p. 365, and nn. 1 ;, 12, p. 386.
"6 A part of Eastern Ultonia, called
spirits
Coilrignius,
-
June 9. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 415
to exercises of piety and good works—fell sick, and he was reduced to the
last 122 This while St. Columba lived in Hy. Our saint extremity. occurred,
went to visit him at the hour of his departure. He remained a few moments at the patient's bedside, and then bestowed his benediction. Not wishing toseehismonkdepart,theabbotsoonleftthehouse. Thatbrotherafterwards died. The saint then saw Angels and devils contending for possession of his soul. At last, the Angels prevailed, and conducted Brito's soul to the joys of paradise. Columba was then walking near his monastery, 123 with his eyes raisedtoHeaven. Foralongtime,hewaswraptinwonderandadmiration.
victorious ; but, he charged that monk, not to reveal it all the days of
6
What is known among the Highlanders, as the reputed gift of "second
12? to have had a more mental illumination, as charac- sight," appears
teristicofourholyAbbot. Buthiswasaclearandspiritualvision,inwhich
12 I25 All this the saint told one of his monks, named Aedh, * son to Liber,
a holy and religious man, who alone was present on the occasion. That monk fell on his knees, and besought Columba to relate the cause of his ecstasy. At last, the holy man told what he had seen, and that the Angels were at last
Columba's life. "
the intellect was free from all illusion. 128
Columba interrupted suddenly his sacred studies. 17 ? In a smiling manner, he
then said
:
" I must hasten to pray on behalf of a poor kinswoman of mine on
themother'sside,'30andnowlivinginIreland. 131 Shecallethoftenonthename
of Columba, hoping confidently through his intercession, that God will deliver
her from the pains of childbirth. "1 ^2 After these words, the blessed abbot, through a tender pity towards his poor distressed kinswoman, ran to the
church, and falling on his knees, directed fervent prayers to our sweet Saviour, on behalf of the patient. After finishing his prayer, he went out of the oratory,
sayingtohismonks "OurLordJesus,whodeignedtobebornofawoman,
:
hath been favourable and propitious to this poor female, whom he hath relieved from her anguish ; for, she is safely delivered of a son, nor shall she die on this occasion. " At the very same hour, our saint prophesied after this manner, the afflicted woman recovered her health, as was afterwards reported, by some that came out of Ireland, where she dwelt. 133 Upon a certain very cold winter day, the saint sorrowed much, and he wept exceedingly. 134 His
Orior, in the Diocese of Armagh. "' In other words, by the Irish.
1,8
Rendered into Latin, by Colgan, Orientalis Regio. " Its people are some-
"
times called Orientales," and also "Ar-
therii," now represented by the two baronies of Airthir, in the county of Armagh, and the
I2t
This seems to have been his proper name.
I22
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. iii. , cap. vi. , p. 365, and n. 10, p. 386; Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. lxxxii. , p. 425. Also Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap.
"
country of the O Hanlons. See
Stuart's " Historical Memoirs of the
James x. , num. 2, p. 487.
I23 Adamnan " in sui deam- County states, plateola
of Armagh," chap, iv. , p. 130.
119 He is said by Colgan, to have been ap-
parently Diermit, son to Meachuir, of Air-
thetmuige, in the territory of Tuath-Ratha,
and having a festival at the 16th of January,
bulans monasterii," which seems to mean within its enclosure.
I24 Colgan thinks he was that Bishop Aidan, who was afterwards sent in 635 to convert the Northumbrians, and who died
or another Diermit, venerated at the 12th of in 651. But, the present occurrence was
October, according to the Irish Calendarists.
However, Tuath-Ratha is now called Toora,
a part of Magheraboy barony, in the county
of Fermanagh ; whereas the church men-
tioned in the text was on the east side of
Armagh County.
120
See Rev. Dr. Reeves Adamnan 's "Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 7, and nn. (a, b, c, d), pp. 204, 205.
soon after A. D. 563, when the present Aed- han was an adult; and, it is not probable,
that he could undertake active missionary duties sixty or seventy years after the latter period.
I2s Colgan acknowledges, that of the various Aedhsor Aedhans mentioned in our Calendars, he cannot find any of them called son of Liber or Liberius.
Being
in the Island of one
Hy day,
4i6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
familiar servant Diarmitius asked him the cause of his sorrow. He received
:
thisanswer "Omylittlechild,Idonotgrieveatthispresenttimewithout
cause, seeing how Laisran J 35 has engaged my monks, already wearied with
their labours, in the building of a great house. 1 ^6 This has distressed me
very much. " Wonderful to be spoken, at the self-same moment, Laisran,^
who was in the of 1 ^8 forced in a manner living monastery Durrow, being
by
same secret monitor, and being influenced interiorly, had commanded the
monks to cease from work. He had ordered some meat to be prepared for
their refreshment, and he gave them leave to rest, not only for that day, but
also, so long as the severe season continued. Hearing in spirit these comfort-
able words spoken by Laisran, '39 our saint ceased weeping, and he rejoiced
exceedingly; while he told the brethren, then present in Iona, all that had
passed.
Moreover, St. Columba gave his benediction to Laisran, for afford-
ing timely relief to the monks, at " the plain of the oaks. " 1 '* Another time in
Iona,141 the saint called upon a brother, named Leugaidh,'42 and spoke to him
in this manner
" :
Be to ready
pass speedily
into Ireland,
J«
for I must send
youasamessengeruntothemonasteryofClochairMacDaimene. 144 Forthis
last night, the holy virgin Maugina, 14 * daughter of Daimen, on coming after
Mass out of the oratory, by chance stumbled, and broke in a compound frac-
ture her thigh-bone. By invoking often my name, she hopeth through my intercessiontoreceivesomecomfortfromGod. " Leugaidusbeingreadyto depart, the saint gave him a box, made of pine, with a certain hallowed present within it. He also said : "This Benediction, 146 when you arrive where Maugina is, you shall steep in water. This you shall cause to be poured on the broken bone, in God's name, and after that, the severed bone shall knit together again, and the virgin shall recover her health. I hereby write in your pre- sence, on the cover of this box, the number of three-and-twenty years, that she shall live in this world after her cure. "14? Leuguid left nothing unper- formed, that the saint gave him in charge to accomplish, and so, this holy virgin instantly recovered her health. 148 She lived out the number of three- and-twenty years, in the exercise of good works, according to the saint's pro- phecy. 14? WhenonecalledNeman,'5°sonofGruthriche,wascorrectedforhis
,aS See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Quarta Vita S.
of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 5, and notes, pp. 107 to Hi.
« He was the fifth Abbot of Iona. His creatures of God. See Rev. S. Baring-
festival was kept on the 12th of August. He
died A. D. 652, according to Tigeinachi An- naies. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum
Gould's " Lives of the Saints," vol. vi. , June
9, p. 105.
8z See an account of this incident in Col-
4i2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
ing her so seriously to your care, arises from the circumstance, that she is of the same country with ourselves. "82 The brother obeyed willingly, and on the third day, at the place and time appointed, he expected the arrival of their winged guest. The crane reached the Isle accordingly, and the monk took her up from the shore. He brought her weak and faint to a lodging that
83 After
in the evening, and not having any communication with the brother, by a pre-
"
was where he fed her near,
carefully.
coming
home to the
monastery,
God's blessing you have, my child, for tending so carefully the strange guest, who must make no long delay in her pilgrimage, but who shall return back to her native soil, after three days'
abode with us. " And as the saint had pronounced, the event showed to be true. 8* For, after three days' kindly entertainment, the crane gracefully lifted
herself, and gently soared upwards into the air. She sailed to a great height, in presence of her officious ministers. Afterwards, she kept her course,
and
and religious duties that pertained to his office in Ireland. This we know, from thefrequentmessageshesentthither. Onacertainday,theholymanordered one of his monks, named Trenan,86 of the tribe Mocuruntir,8? in Fer-Ros? ,88
8
to go on a commission to Ireland, ^ or as it is called, to Scotia. 9° Preparing
that ship, in which he designed to sail, and to obey the orders of the man of
ternatural intuition our saint said :
directly
towards
Ireland,
straight
fly
God,
Trenan
complained
before that one of the sailors was 1 him, wanting. ^
as she could
While living in Iona, Columba was obliged to watch over the ecclesiastical
Answering immediately, Columba uttered these words : "The sailor, who
you say is wanting, I cannot find at present. Go in peace, however, you shall
have a favourable and good wind until you arrive in Ireland. ? 2 You shall find a man coming to meet you from a distance, who will be the first to seize
the prow of your ship, in Scotia ;93 he will accompany you in your journey for some days in Ireland,9+ and he shall join you, on your return to us. He is a man chosen by God, who in this monastery will live piously the remain- der of his days. " Receiving the saint's blessing,9S Trenan sailed without ever slackening sail along the whole voyage. As his little ship was nearing
^ It is termed " Hiberniam " in the ori- ginal Latin.
9° Its equivalent is Hibernia.
»* See this account in Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. . cap. xviii. , p. 342. In a note, Colgan
" Trias Vita S. Thaumaturga," Quarta
gan's
Columbas, lib. i. , cap. xlviii. , p. 349; Vita Quinta S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. lv. , p. 419.
83 The Lives of the Irish Saints abound
with legends concerning their familiarity with birds.
8+ This touching incident has been ren-
dered into beautiful English verse by refers to the Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae,"
Thomas D'Arcy McGee.
85 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i , cap. 48, pp.
90, 91.
84 A Trenanus is mentioned in S. Baithe-
neus' Life as one of hi-, fraternity. See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Junii ix. , p. 237, and Colgan's " Acta Sane- torum Hiberniae," xxiii. Martii, De S. Tre- nano Monacho, p. 726.
8? In Irish, UlAc-Ui-nuncin. The three
Magi, who opposed St. Patrick, are slated by Tirechan to have been of the race of Run-
tir, in the Liber Armacanus, fol. 100, a.
88
According to the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the Dal-Ruinntir occupied Clunin- chaoin in Fer Ross, now Clonkeen in the west of the county of Louth. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Septima S. Patricii, lib. Hi. , cap. lxvi, p. 162.
for an account of him, at that date. See n. 60. Also Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. xcii. , p. 426.
91 The Latin word in the original is Hi- bernia.
93 In the original, but equivalent to Ire- land.
94 Hibernia in the original.
9S " He gave a benedi—ction as a formal
exeat from the island. " Leslie Stephen's
" of National vol. Dictionary Biography,''
xi. , Art. St. Columba, p. 411.
9° Many persons of this name are honoured
in our Irish Calendars ; but, Colgan would not undertake to identify the present Lais-
"
rean among them. See
tuiga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xviii. , n. 61, p. 376.
w This tribe name is applied to St. Fin-
home on a calm 8s day.
places his festival, at the 23rd of March, and "
tan, in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"
Life
Trias Thauma-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 413
Laisrean96 Mocumoie 97—who is also called Hortulanus98—came forwardbeforetheothers,andhecaughttheprow. Thesailorsknewthatit was of him the saint had foretold this incident. 9? On another occasion, our
100
the
saint directed his messenger, who was named Lugaidus,
Lather,
101 to make a
voyage,
was his Lugaidus making
port,
to Ireland. 102 Whilst
preparations for the voyage, among the articles that belonged to St. Columba's
ship, he found a leathern vessel for holding milk. 103 He immersed it in the
sea-water, in order to moisten it ; and, to prevent its being carried away by the tide, he put upon it stones of considerable size. He then went to St.
Columba, and told him what he had done. The saint smiled and said
"> I do not think this vessel shall accompany you to Ireland on the present occa-
sion. " " "canInottakeitwithmeinthe Why," rejoined Lugaidus,
ship? " The saint replied : "You can learn the reason, some other time, as the event
shall prove. " On the following day, Lugaidus went to take that vessel out ofthewater,buttheebbofthetideIO* hadcarriedit awayduringthenight. He then returned in grief to the saint, and on his bended knees confessed the negligence of which he had been guilty. St. Columba consoled him, saying: "Do not grieve for the perishable things of this world; the ebbing tide 10s
106
carried away the vessel, but the returning tide,
bring it back to the spot where you placed it. " At nine o'clock, on that same day, and soon after the departure of Lugaidus, the saint addressed those who
stood near him and said
:
" Let one of you go to the sea, because the lea-
thern vessel, which was carried away by the ebbing tide, and for the loss of
which Lugaidus was so much afflicted, has been brought back to its place, by
the returning tide. " Upon hearing these words, a certain active youth ran
to the sea; where he found the vessel, as the saint had predicted. He
immediately took it out of the water, and with great joy he hastened back to
the holy man, into whose hands he delivered it, amid the great admiration of
10 the beholders. ?
Our holy Abbot often saw, by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, the souls of some just men carried by angels to the highest Heavens ; while he had visions, likewise, of reprobates, who were carried by demons to hell. 108
In the middle of
region Ireland,
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 2, p. 20.
there lived a certain I09 who was a smith,
93 The modern term would be
t>ir\.
50,|vdAt)-
'°gy>" v°l. *"•> P- 693.
'°5 In his celebrated work, De Civitate
Dei, St. — the
Augustine explains mythologi-
cal meaning of Salacia the wife of Neptune
l
-9 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
and
100 Said by Colgan to have been vene-
rated in the church of Tir-da-Craobh, at the
—
"
while Venilia was another
Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 18, nn. (a, b, c, d, e), p. 47.
pagan deity, whose personality was not known; yet were two distinct deities imagined most irra-
31st of January.
101"" ""
102
It signifies vigour or fortitude.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columba? , lib. ii. , cap. xxxviii. , p. 359, and n. 30, p. 384. Also n.
67, P- 377. See likewise, Quarta Appen- Manuscripts. See vol. ii. , p. 853.
dixadActa S. Columbae, cap. x. , num. 76, p. 491.
103 jror household use in the monastery,
a pail seems to have been preferred ; but, it is probable, the leathern vessel was deemed more convenient on a sea voyage.
See Dr. William Smith's "Dictionary of Greek and Roman [Biography and Mytho-
104 " Called
venilia," in the text of Adam- nan. Venilia was a Roman divinity con- nected with the winds {vend) and the sea.
She was considered to have been a nymph, the wife of Fannus and the sister of Amata.
"
See Dr. William Smith's Dictionary of
Greek and Roman Biography and Mytho- logy," vol. iii. , p. 1237.
I0' To the foregoing narrative, Adamnan adds: In the two miracles which we have
just recorded, and which regard such com-
salacia," by Adamnan. Sala- cia was the name of a female divinity, and evi- dently drawn from sal, the salt or open sea.
tionally to preside over the same continous moving of the salt-water. See lib. vii. , cap. 22. Also Confessiones lib. iv. , cap. 10, II. This matter is further illustrated in Zeuss' learned "GrammaticaCeltica,'' where allusion is made to certain Irish glosses, in
Io6 " Called
and surnamed
after your departure, must
:
4M LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
man IID much addicted to the practice of alms-deeds and of other good works. When this virtuous artisan had lived to a good old age, and had come to the final period of his mortal life, our saint spoke to a tew seniors that were
:
about at Iona, after this manner " The smith, Columbus
lasting rewards. His soul is now carried by Angels to the joys of a heavenly
country, because he expended all his earnings in providing for the poor. "
Another time did he see the soul of a poor but very holy woman coming in
company with the Angels, to meet her husband's soul after her decease. This
he made known by words to one of his monks, named Genereus, who was a
Saxon '" by birth, and who then worked at his trade as a baker. 112 At the
same day of the month, and at the end of that same year, our saint spoke to
him,
did not toil in vain, for with the labour of his hands he hath purchased ever-
Genereus "Iseeawonderfulevent behold,thatwomanofwhomIspoke
;
to thee last year meets the soul of her husband—a poor and holy man—in
him the saint said
:
" This day, a certain clergyman of your province, whose
:
thefirmament. WithAngelsonherside,sheengagesinaconflictwiththe adversepowerstosavehissoul. "3 Bytheirunitedefforts,andthroughthe merits of his own good works, this poor man's spirit escapes from demoniac assaults, and it is brought to a place of eternal rest. " 11 * A certain pilgrim came to sojourn with our saint, in the Island of Hy, for some months. "s To
name I know not as yet, is now carried between the Angels to Heaven. " On
hearing this, the brother began to muse within himself, regarding the district
M I know a servant of Christ, named Diarmitius, 110 who built him a little monastery in the same territory, wherein I resided. " "It is the very same
1 ' 8 in order andtorecollect,ifpossible,theman'sname. Afteralittlewhile,hesaidto
6 "' of Arterie," or as called by the Scots,
Indairthir,
to think of
the saint
:
answered the " whom the celestial person you name," saint,
now
to the joys of Paradise. " Nor is it a matter of little moment, to observe how the glorious saint kept from the notice of men many secrets that were revealed to him by the Almighty. This he did for two reasons, as himself signified to a few of his monks. First, he wished to remove ostentation and self-esteem; andsecondly,hedesiredtoavoidanymolestation,thatinnumera- ble crowds should cause him, while enquiring after sev—eral peculiarly per- sonalmatters. 120 Oneofthesaint'smonks,calledBrito,21 amanmuchgiven
mon and trifling things as a wooden stake and a leathern vessel, there may, neverthe- less. be observed, as we noticed before, thegift of prophecy united with the power of work- ing miracles. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam- nan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap.
38, andnn. (d, e, t), pp. 155 to 157.
108 " See Colgan's
Trias Thaumaturga," Prima Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxvi. , p.
Pistoi, "a baker" is the correct read ing ; although Colgan and the Bollandisls have pictor, "a painter," in their text,
324.
'°9 He is called a "faber ferraiius," in
most of the accounts, which means an iron or blacksmith. In the Third Life, by John of Teignmouth, he is named Columbus, and Colgan finds a feast for St. Columbus Faber, at the 7th ofJune.
1,0 Adamnan calls him, in the title to his
chapter Columbus, a blacksmith, and sur-
named Coilriginus.
111 He was probably a convert from pagan-
ism, who had emigrated to Scotland, and he seems to have been one of the earliest on re- cord, as Christianity was not introduced
lli See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxiv. , p. 328, Tertia Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxix, p. 334 ; Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. ix. , pp. 365. 366, and n. 13, p. 386.
bring
among the English Saxons, until late in the sixth and the beginning of the seventh cen- tiny. See Dodd's "Church History of England from the commencement of the six- teenth century to the Revolution in 1688," with Notes, Additions and a continuation by the Rev. M. A. Tierney, F. S. A. , vol. i. , part i. , Art. i. , pp. 20, 24 to 26.
'"
"4 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnau's " Life of St. Columba,' lib. iii. , and nn. (a, b, c, d, a, b), cap. 9, pp. 207 to 209.
,,s See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. vii. , p. 365, and nn. 1 ;, 12, p. 386.
"6 A part of Eastern Ultonia, called
spirits
Coilrignius,
-
June 9. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 415
to exercises of piety and good works—fell sick, and he was reduced to the
last 122 This while St. Columba lived in Hy. Our saint extremity. occurred,
went to visit him at the hour of his departure. He remained a few moments at the patient's bedside, and then bestowed his benediction. Not wishing toseehismonkdepart,theabbotsoonleftthehouse. Thatbrotherafterwards died. The saint then saw Angels and devils contending for possession of his soul. At last, the Angels prevailed, and conducted Brito's soul to the joys of paradise. Columba was then walking near his monastery, 123 with his eyes raisedtoHeaven. Foralongtime,hewaswraptinwonderandadmiration.
victorious ; but, he charged that monk, not to reveal it all the days of
6
What is known among the Highlanders, as the reputed gift of "second
12? to have had a more mental illumination, as charac- sight," appears
teristicofourholyAbbot. Buthiswasaclearandspiritualvision,inwhich
12 I25 All this the saint told one of his monks, named Aedh, * son to Liber,
a holy and religious man, who alone was present on the occasion. That monk fell on his knees, and besought Columba to relate the cause of his ecstasy. At last, the holy man told what he had seen, and that the Angels were at last
Columba's life. "
the intellect was free from all illusion. 128
Columba interrupted suddenly his sacred studies. 17 ? In a smiling manner, he
then said
:
" I must hasten to pray on behalf of a poor kinswoman of mine on
themother'sside,'30andnowlivinginIreland. 131 Shecallethoftenonthename
of Columba, hoping confidently through his intercession, that God will deliver
her from the pains of childbirth. "1 ^2 After these words, the blessed abbot, through a tender pity towards his poor distressed kinswoman, ran to the
church, and falling on his knees, directed fervent prayers to our sweet Saviour, on behalf of the patient. After finishing his prayer, he went out of the oratory,
sayingtohismonks "OurLordJesus,whodeignedtobebornofawoman,
:
hath been favourable and propitious to this poor female, whom he hath relieved from her anguish ; for, she is safely delivered of a son, nor shall she die on this occasion. " At the very same hour, our saint prophesied after this manner, the afflicted woman recovered her health, as was afterwards reported, by some that came out of Ireland, where she dwelt. 133 Upon a certain very cold winter day, the saint sorrowed much, and he wept exceedingly. 134 His
Orior, in the Diocese of Armagh. "' In other words, by the Irish.
1,8
Rendered into Latin, by Colgan, Orientalis Regio. " Its people are some-
"
times called Orientales," and also "Ar-
therii," now represented by the two baronies of Airthir, in the county of Armagh, and the
I2t
This seems to have been his proper name.
I22
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. iii. , cap. vi. , p. 365, and n. 10, p. 386; Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. lxxxii. , p. 425. Also Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap.
"
country of the O Hanlons. See
Stuart's " Historical Memoirs of the
James x. , num. 2, p. 487.
I23 Adamnan " in sui deam- County states, plateola
of Armagh," chap, iv. , p. 130.
119 He is said by Colgan, to have been ap-
parently Diermit, son to Meachuir, of Air-
thetmuige, in the territory of Tuath-Ratha,
and having a festival at the 16th of January,
bulans monasterii," which seems to mean within its enclosure.
I24 Colgan thinks he was that Bishop Aidan, who was afterwards sent in 635 to convert the Northumbrians, and who died
or another Diermit, venerated at the 12th of in 651. But, the present occurrence was
October, according to the Irish Calendarists.
However, Tuath-Ratha is now called Toora,
a part of Magheraboy barony, in the county
of Fermanagh ; whereas the church men-
tioned in the text was on the east side of
Armagh County.
120
See Rev. Dr. Reeves Adamnan 's "Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 7, and nn. (a, b, c, d), pp. 204, 205.
soon after A. D. 563, when the present Aed- han was an adult; and, it is not probable,
that he could undertake active missionary duties sixty or seventy years after the latter period.
I2s Colgan acknowledges, that of the various Aedhsor Aedhans mentioned in our Calendars, he cannot find any of them called son of Liber or Liberius.
Being
in the Island of one
Hy day,
4i6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
familiar servant Diarmitius asked him the cause of his sorrow. He received
:
thisanswer "Omylittlechild,Idonotgrieveatthispresenttimewithout
cause, seeing how Laisran J 35 has engaged my monks, already wearied with
their labours, in the building of a great house. 1 ^6 This has distressed me
very much. " Wonderful to be spoken, at the self-same moment, Laisran,^
who was in the of 1 ^8 forced in a manner living monastery Durrow, being
by
same secret monitor, and being influenced interiorly, had commanded the
monks to cease from work. He had ordered some meat to be prepared for
their refreshment, and he gave them leave to rest, not only for that day, but
also, so long as the severe season continued. Hearing in spirit these comfort-
able words spoken by Laisran, '39 our saint ceased weeping, and he rejoiced
exceedingly; while he told the brethren, then present in Iona, all that had
passed.
Moreover, St. Columba gave his benediction to Laisran, for afford-
ing timely relief to the monks, at " the plain of the oaks. " 1 '* Another time in
Iona,141 the saint called upon a brother, named Leugaidh,'42 and spoke to him
in this manner
" :
Be to ready
pass speedily
into Ireland,
J«
for I must send
youasamessengeruntothemonasteryofClochairMacDaimene. 144 Forthis
last night, the holy virgin Maugina, 14 * daughter of Daimen, on coming after
Mass out of the oratory, by chance stumbled, and broke in a compound frac-
ture her thigh-bone. By invoking often my name, she hopeth through my intercessiontoreceivesomecomfortfromGod. " Leugaidusbeingreadyto depart, the saint gave him a box, made of pine, with a certain hallowed present within it. He also said : "This Benediction, 146 when you arrive where Maugina is, you shall steep in water. This you shall cause to be poured on the broken bone, in God's name, and after that, the severed bone shall knit together again, and the virgin shall recover her health. I hereby write in your pre- sence, on the cover of this box, the number of three-and-twenty years, that she shall live in this world after her cure. "14? Leuguid left nothing unper- formed, that the saint gave him in charge to accomplish, and so, this holy virgin instantly recovered her health. 148 She lived out the number of three- and-twenty years, in the exercise of good works, according to the saint's pro- phecy. 14? WhenonecalledNeman,'5°sonofGruthriche,wascorrectedforhis
,aS See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Quarta Vita S.
