No More Learning

May
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 87
of their death. In after times, their posterity even became esteemed as the
bards of kings. 7^
At another time, two lepers visited Brigid, and entreated her to cleanse
them from their leprosy. Then praying to God, the saint blessed some water, in which she told these lepers they should wash each other. 77 While one washed his companion, this latter was freed from his leprosy. Clean garments were then put upon him. The virgin afterwards said to the re- stored man, " Do you, in like manner, wash your companion. " Finding that he was cleansed and had clean garments, the person addressed felt pleased at his good fortune ; but, he had a great repugnance to touch his afflicted fellow-man. Our saint observed, he should do for his neighbour, Avhat he wished the latter to do for him ; yet, still he objected and absolutely refused. Then Brigid, rising up, washed that leper with her own hands, until he was cleansed. Afterwards, she had him clothed with clean gar-
"
ments. He who had been first healed then said, Just now, I feel sparks
of fire settling on my shoulders. " Immediately his whole body was covered
anew with leprosy, as a punishment for his pride or want of charity. Thus
was fulfilled that
Scripture sentence,
" He who exalteth himself shall be
humbled and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. "78 The restored ;
man rejoiced and gave thanks to God, who had healed him, through Brigid's transcendent merits. 79
Two other lepers seeking alms came to the charitable abbess. But, she had nothing to give at the time, save a cow, and this she offered for division between them. One gave thanks to God for her gift ; but the other, who
was proud and ungrateful, said, unless the whole cow were bestowed, he should not receive that part of it, which might fall to his lot. ^° Then our
saint addressed the humble " Do leper :
you
wait awhile with
me,
until the
Lord send us something, and let the other man have this cow to himself. "
The covetous man departed with the animal, but after awhile he found him-
self unable to drive it. At length, wearied with such vain efforts, he re-
turned to St. Brigid. He even insulted her with reproaches, conveyed in
"
these terms :
I could not urge the animal forward, because you have not
given her, with a willing mind, besides you are too exacting and severe. " The abbess endeavoured to appease him, but she could not succeed. This
conduct, so perfectly unjustifiable, much displeased her. At length, she
said to the insolent " Thou art a son of fellow,
perdition,
now become docile, yet this shall not profit you in the least. " At that
very moment, a man presented himself with a cow, which he destined as an
offering for St. Brigid. This gift, however, our virgin handed over to the good leper. Then both lepers drove their respective cows towards a river. ^' Here the unthankful man was drowned, nor was his body afterwards re-
covered. The humble leper safely escaped from danger, and brought his cow with him. ^^
7^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. Ixxvi. , pp. 536, 537. Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. l-j PP- 557> 558, ibid.
77 This account is contained in Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 395 to 398.
7^ Luke, xviii. 14.
79 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. li. , p. 558. Also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap.
Ixxvii. , p. 537, /<J/^.
^°See "La Santit^ Prodigiosa. Vita di
S. Brigida Iberaese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 398 to 401.
*' In Professor O'Looney's Life of St. Brigid, where this miracle is recorded, the river in question is called the Bearbha, or Barrow ; and, from this it would seem, St. Brigid was hardly in Munster at the time of its occurrence, see pp. 33 to 36.
^^
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. lii. , p.
and cow shall your
88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February i.
Many other. actions of St. Brigid, and worthy of being recorded, took place, while she dwelt in the Munster province. There she also blessed many churches and monasteries. Afterwards, she set out on a journey to her own city, in the province of Leinster. Travelling through the plain of Femhin, in her chariot, she met a husbandman, cultivating his field, or en- closing it with a hedge. The charioteer 'of the holy virgin said to him : " Allow us to pass the chariot of St. Brigid through your land, and after- wards you can surround your field, with a hedge. " The husbandman refused this request, however, and told the charioteer he must drive round the cir-
"
cuit of the field. ^3 Our holy virgin hereupon replied :
Let us do as he re- quires, lest anything happen on this man's account. " Still, the charioteer disobeyed her, and drove his horses into the man's field. On seeing this, however, the owner furiously struck the horses' heads with a club. This assault caused the animals to prove restive. Although, St. Brigid was then thrown out of her chariot, she suffered no further injury, while her charioteer was hurt by the fall. Afterwards, her horses stood quietly, the holy woman to avoid this because I foresaw he was
" Did I not tell
doomed to death and destruction. " The rude agriculturist was about to repeat his violent behaviour, disregarding the wickedness he meditated against God's holy servant. But the Almighty avenged the injury and insult offered to his saint ; for that insolent boor was prostrated on the earth, and there he died. ^* We are next told, that the pious abbess came towards Leinster's bounds, and entered a province or region, called Labrathi,^s or Labraide. This is supposed^^ to be an equivalent for Hy-Kinsellach. ^7 There, she dwelt in a certain spot. ^^ Whilst here, a woman, accompanied by a leprous daughter, visited our holy virgin, to interest this latter in her cure. The charitable servant of God fasted, and blessed some water, ^9 with which she ordered the leprous girl to be washed. No sooner had the
patient been sprinkled with this water, than she was cleansed from her leprosy. Both the mother and her daughter then gave thanks to God and to St. Brigid. 9°
saying,
you
man,
558. Also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. Ixxix. , p. 537, ibid. This miracle, accord- ing to Colgan, is alluded to, in the Vita
to Bressal Belach, King of Leinster, was the founder of the Hy Kinselach family. From a son Enda, surnamed Kinselach, and his
family, this territory had been called Hy- "
Sexta S. Brigidse, § xvii,, p. 585, where a
portion is truncated, through the fault of Kenselach. See Trias Thaumaturga. "
him who copied the original MS. See ibid. ^ n. II, p. 598. Yet, it may be doubted, if the latter fragmentary account had not refer- ence, rather to a miracle, which is related
in Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. ci. , p. 540, and in Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. Ixx. , p. 560, ibid.
*3 See D. Giacomo Certani's "La San- titi Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Iber- nese. " LibroQuinto,pp. 401to404.
*^See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. liii. , p. 558. Also,VitaTertiaS. Brigidac,cap. Ixxx. , p. 537, ibid. In the latter life, it is said, . St. Brigid went from Cliach plain to Leinster, to assist the poor of her race, in this latter province. It is stated, also, that she was hurt, as well as her charioteer, when
she fell from the chariot. The work, at which the man was engaged, is said to have been enclosing his field with a hedge,
^s A certain Labratius or Lauradius, son
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 50, p. 544. Also, Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of
Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , § iv. , and n. 57, pp. 390, 391.
^
By Colgan.
^7 If SO, it was a well-known territory in
southern Leinster.
^ See the account given in Abbate D.
Giacomo Certani's "La Santiti Prodigiosa.
Vita di S. Brigida Ibemese. " Libro Quinto,
p. 404, et seq.
^9 There was a well, bearing the name of
Tobar-Brigdhe in Hy-Kinscllagh. It was much resorted to, on account of various
cureswroughtthere,inColgan'stime. This distinguished Irish hagiologist and antiqua- rian is of opinion, that this spring, which was situated in the Leinster province, must have been one mentioned in St. Brigid's
Acts, as having had a miraculous origin. See " Trias Thaumaturga," n. 44, p. 544.
9° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 89
We are told,9'^ that Brigid, with her religious daughters, took a journey towards Connaught ; as, for special reasons, she wished to leave her own
province of Leinster. On arriving in Connaught, she dwelt, for a time, in the plain of Hai. 92 'pj^jg ^^g a large and an extensive plain, situated in the
countyofRoscommonandprovinceofConnaught. Whilethere,shebuilt cells and monasteries, in the surrounding country. Then, also, did she take possession of that parish, about which she uttered the prophecy during her
" This shall be mine, this shall be mine. "93 It is posed, that some of the cells and monasteries, said to have been founded there, and in its neighbourhood, by St. Brigid, were probably Kill-bride,94
in the territory of Siol-Muireadhaigh ; Druim-na-bfeadh,9S and Disert, within the district Tir-Mhaine ; and Druim-dhaim or Druim-dubhain,? ^ in the territory of Tiroilill. 97
In the Third Life of St. Brigid, an account relating to this journey is given, and towards the end of that treatise. ^^ It is probable enough, as numbers of pious females flocked from various districts in Ireland, to embrace a religious rule, under our saint's direction, that she might have judged it ex- pedient, to extend her institute, in various districts of which several pious postulants were natives.
Besides the inconvenience of having so many persons living in the same establishment, it is likely, Brigid had been invited by some bishops, to found houses for religious women, in their respective dioceses, to forward thereby and diffuse more widely the interests of religion. 99 When necessity or duty required, consecrated virgins often appeared, and travelled on public roads. Although there are several places in Connaught mentioned, as bearing Brigid's name ; yet, we are not bound to believe, that nunneries or churches were established in all such localities by the holy \4rgin, nor during her lifetime. ^°° Many of these had probably been erected at periods long subsequent ; and their dedication, either to her conventual discipline, or possibly only under her invocation, may be fairly assumed, in the majority of cases. The series of our saint's transactions has been con- fused,andfrequentlyinverted,byherdifferentbiographers. Datesorlocalities for these narratives are not generally specified. With respect to the present
infancy, by saying :
sup-
Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. liv. , p. 558. Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. Ixxx. , P- 537. ibid.
the Franciscan order, but he deserved well of Ireland in general,
93 Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta it placed in the province of Connaught,
98 xhere the saint is said to have dwelt in theplainof"Air. " InanoteColganadds, 9' In Colgan's time, it was called, Ma- that in the Irish language, it is called, chaire Connacht ; and, in more ancient times, Maghair, i. <». ,*' the plain of slaughter. " In Mag-ai. the Fourth Life, lib. i. , cap. 49, we find
9'IntheFourthLife.
Vita S. Brigidse, lib. i. , cap. xlix. , and n. 20, pp. 549, 564.
9* Kill-brigde, already mentioned, was a chapel, in the parish of Kill-luckin.
95 Druim-na-bfeadh was a parochial church,
belonging to the diocese of Tuam, or other-
wise, of Elphin.
9^ Disert and Druimdhain were parochial
churches, belonging to the diocese of El-
"
phin. See
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. xvi,, pp. 624, 625.
97 In each of these places, St. Brigid was venerated, as the special patroness, accord- ing to a catalogue of churches, in Elphin diocese, sent to Colgan, by the Most Rev.
Boetius Egan, Bishop of Elphin. This worthy prelate was not only an ornament to
where St. Brigid and St. Broniusare known to have dwelt, at the time of the occurrences narrated. See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. xciv. , and n. 56, pp. 539, 544, 545.
99 Telia, or the country about Ardagh, of vhich St. Mel was bishop, having been par- ticularly mentioned as a district travelled by our saint, her frequent interviews with that prelate may have given rise to an opinion, that she received the religious veil, at his hands.
^°° See the observations of Dr. Lanigan on
this subject, and on matters preceding, in his "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol.
i. , chap, viii. , § iv. , and nn. 53, 60, pp. 389, 390, 391,
Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix
90
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
journey of our saint to Connaught, as in the other cases, Brigid and her companions, in travelHng from one place to another, were often obliged to
^°'
lodge at private houses.
While our saint remained in this part of the country, one day sheTwent
^^^
One of the clergy held the chalice, from which our saint refused to drink, on beholding within it the vision of a monster. The bishop demanded a reason for her refusal, and on being informed, he asked the assistant cleric, what crime he had committed, urging him at the same time to confess his sin, and glorify God. The cleric^°3 humbly confessed, that he had partaken of what had been stolen. The prelate then requested him to repent. On complying with this injunction, penitently weeping, our saint approached to partake of the chalice, andBrigidfoundthemonsterhaddisappeared. Thusthetearsofthiscleric procured pardon for his offence; while, the virgin and the bishop retired rejoic- mg from the church, after having been refreshed with our Lord's body and blood. '°+ At another time, a certain aged woman had a dangerous infirmity, and Brigid, with many holy women of the place, visited her, to watch and pray by her bedside. When this sick person was at the point of death, some
of her attendants suggested, that her better or superfluous garments might be removed, before departure, and especially to save the trouble of after-
wards washing them at a very cold time of the year. But, St. Brigid would not consent to this course, saying, the patient should not live long, and that
it was not charitable, to take away those garments she wore, as a protection from that season's inclemency. '°5 All who were there admired the saint's charity, and returned thanks to God. '°*^ We are told, also, that when St. Brigid dwelt in this part of the country, she was often accustomed to seek a pool of cold water, near the monastery. ^°7 There she remained immersed, while she prayed and wept during the whole night. This rigorous mortifi- cation at one time she endured, while snow and frost prevailed, and in pre- sence of one from among her sisterhood. But, as this rough corporal treat- ment surpassed the powers of nature to endure, for any continued length of time ; so, it pleased the goodness and mercy of God to prevent it, by a miracle. On a night immediately following the occurrence related, Brigid went with the same companion to renew like austerities, but on arriving at the pond, it was found to have become completely dry, nothing appearing but the exposed bottom sands. Surprised at this occurrence, the virgins re- turned home ; yet, at the earliest hour of day-break, on the following morn- ing, its waters were found to have returned to their usual level in the lough.
to receive the Holy Eucharist, from a certain bishop.
"' The missionary state of things at the time warrants such a supposition.
under both species. We have also warrant for the Catholic dogmas of the Real Pre-
sence and Sacramental Confession, prevail- ing in the early Irish Church, from thefore- going narrative.
'°5 gee Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's
412.
'°* In giving an account of this circum-
stance, our saint is said to have wrought a miracle, recorded in the Third Life. It is also mentioned in the Vita Sexta S. BrigidJB, § Ivii. , p. 594,
'°7 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Bri- gida Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 412 to
417.
*°*
is called Bishop Bron. See " La Santitk
In D. Giacomo Certani's account, he
Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 408 to 410.
'°3ln Certanis account he is called a dea"con.
Such is the narrative as given in the
Fourth Life of our saint. An account in
the Third Life is nearly similar, only we are told in this latter, that one of the bishop's boys held the chalice In the former, it is said, "unus tunc deministrisChristi tenebat calicem. " It would seem from this anec- dote, according to the primitive discipline ef the Irish Church, in St. Brigid's time, that Holy Communion had been received
"La Santiti
Vita di S. Bri- gida Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 410 to
Prodigiosa.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 91
St. Brigid resolved the third night similarly to repeat her practice, when a similardisappearanceofthewaterstookplaceonherapproach. Thesewaters
returnedtothebedofthatloughearlyonthefollowingmorning. Almighty power was pleased to work such a miracle, on account of God's holy servant.
Always pleasing in his sight, as the beloved disciple, St. John, Brigid had been delivered from impending torture and death. A knowledge of this event, also, caused all persons to extol those wondrous favours of Heaven manifested towards the holy abbess, who was entreated by her friends to re- strain her mortifications, because they seemed to be providentially discou- raged. Coinciding in a like opinion, Brigid yielded her own desires to these
'°^
urgent requests, after such Divine warnings.
Following nearly the—order of events, henceforward, as recorded in the
Fourth Life of our saint although it is by no means certain, that the series of her actions as given in the Third Li—fe might not, on the whole, be more
strictly chronological and consecutive it will be necessary, mainly to accommodate those narratives contained in her other lives, to accounts com-
prised in the Second Book. ^°9 By adopting this course, we are brought im- mediately to the foundation of her great religious establishment at Kildare ; and, from the most reliable chronological date, a considerable period must have elapsed from the time of this erection to the year of her death. This appears the more necessary, to give some degree of probability to accounts regarding her various journeys in distant parts of the island, while promoting the great objects of her mission. Sufficient time should thus be allowed for accomplishing those excursions, and for the performance of many miracles, attributed to her, in connexion with various localities. It is to be regretted, however, that the places where they occurred are rarely mentioned, nor are
times usually specified, by any of her biographers.
While Brigid resided in the western province, the fame of her sanctity
beca—me diffused all over Ireland. Numbers flocked from all parts to visit
;
Butthe
in t—
he where
some for the of purpose holding
conferences or advice on re- seeking
her
ligious matters— others for—the relief of corporal and physical necessities.
those
she was born"° and had received her earliest education conceived them-
people
ofLeinster
especially
residing territory,
selves best entitled to the honour and advantages to be derived, from the holy virgin's local residence. Taking counsel together, they resolved on
sending a respectful request, through a deputation of her friends, that the virgin might be induced to revisit her own province, there to found a reli- gious house, which should become the parent establishment for her different institutes, throughout the whole island. Having arrived in Connaught, this deputation proceeded to unfold the object of their journey, and to enforce their wishes by such reasons as they supposed should soonest determine her acquiescence, in the unanimous opinion of those people whom they repre- sented. Brigid yielded without much difficulty to their desires. Having arranged matters, connected with her existing nunneries, in the western pro- vince, she set out towards her better known district""
Returning to Leinster, she was obliged to cross the river Shannon,'" and
'°^See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. i. , cap. 1. , li. , Hi. , pp. 549, 550. Also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. xcir. , xcv. , xcvi. p. 539, ibid.
'°9 Namely of St. Brigid's Fourth Life.
*'°
This place, however, was not within the bounds of ancient Leinster ; if we credit most accounts.
"' See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , § x. , pp.
405,406.
"""
Intra quam Kelltra est conventus rite
virorum
Prudenium, sacro Benedicti dogmate florens. "
So says the Sixth Life of our saint. The place here mentioned is situated between
93
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
we are told, that she came to a place called Ath-Liiain"3 for this purpose. The present town of Athlone"^ probably marks the spot. This is situated
nearly in the centre of Ireland, being partly in the county of Roscommon,
and partly in that of Westmeath. It is thought to have derived its name ""
from Ath, an Irish word signifying ford," and Lua? i, the moon,""s to which heathen deity it was said to have been dedicated in pagan times. "^
Near it is Tobar-Brigdhe, on the Connaught side. "7 Here, St. Brigid found some people, respectively belonging to the province of Connaught and to
the race of Neill, contending with each other. The Shannon, the largest of our Irish rivers, formed a boundary, between the ancient provinces of Meath and Connaught. The former of these provinces belonged to the Hi Niell family, because the southern O'Neills, or the posterity of Laogaire, Conall, Crimtham,Fiach,and Manius,four sons to Niell the great, King of Ireland, were its colonists. The companions of St. Brigid asked some ferry-men on the river bank to take them across, but the boatmen demanded a fare for this service. "^ This demand the sisters refused to comply with, and they de- clared their intention to walk across the river,"9 believing that through St.
Brigid's blessing the Almighty would preserve them, as he had formerly opened a passage through the Red Sea and the river Jordan, for his ser-
the ancient territories of Thomond and Con- Crown ; with numerous Notes and a copious
naught. It is an island in the Shannon, now Appendix. " Chap, xxi. , pp. 166 to 168,
called Inis-Keltra. The circumstance of the Benedictine institute mentioned, as flourish- ing there, at a time when the Sixth Life was written, may furnish a clue to the period of
and chap. xxx. xxxi. , pp. 208 to 220. "^"The derivation of the name would appear to be confirmed by the discovery of several lunettes and crescents of gold in an adjoining bog, which were sold to a Dublin are quoted by Archdall, who gives us no jeweller for £^$^, by whom they were account, however, regarding a Benedictine melted down. Had they been previously examined by a clever antiquary, they would most probably have thrown great light on early Irish history, as I have been informed
that some of them bore inscriptions which
its composition. The foregoing Latin lines
institute having been here established. Yet, he seems to refer its foundation to the
seventh or eighth century. See ticon Hibernicum," p. 48.
'*
Monas-
"3 In Irish, it is called Athluain, a town
lying between the ancient bounds of Con-
naught and Meath, where the Shannon sepa-
rated both provinces. A bridge thrown many miracles wrought there, not only across the river afforded a passage long be-
fore Colgan's time, and at present, more than one bridge spans the Shannon, at this place. In the Latin lives of St, Brigid, it
"
vadi luain," as ex-
Catholics, but those without the fold, were accustomed to visit it, coming from the most distant parts. Whereupon, the illustrious Lord Randall MacDonnell, Count of An- trim, distinguished as much for his Christian piety as by his noble birth, had it surrounded with handsome and firmly-pointed mason-
'•
work.