Brioco urbis
Briocensis
(vulgo S.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
Brioc's life.
' We find, also, that an old Memorial of St.
Brioc^ is cited, by Archbishop Ussher.
The Acts of St.
Brieuc, or Brioc, have been edited in French, by Albert le Grand, in his Lives of the Saints belonginL^to Armoric Britain.
3 The Life of this saint has been Avritten, also in French,* by L.
G.
de la Devison, a canon of Brieux church.
5 This iDook was published in the year 1637,^ and it is held in high esteem.
7 The BoUandists have also published this saint's Acts, at the xst of May ; and, these consist of his Life, taken from his Proper Office for the church of St.
Brioc, in nine para'::,raphs, with annotations.
^ There are three additional paragraphs, containing an account of the Translation of this saint's
relics, the whole being preceded by seven paragraphs, forming an introduc- tory Dissertation. 9 These Acts are edited by Father Godefrid Henschenn. In Baillet's work,'° at the ist of May, we have a Life of St. Brieu, or Briocus. In the First Volume of I^obineau's Saints of Bretagne," we find an account of St. Brieuc, the first Bishop and Patron of Brieux. " The Rev. Alban Butler,'3 and Godescard,''* have notices regarding him. Lately, Lobineau's Lives of the Saints of Bretagne, has been edited, 's with many corrections and additions, by L'Abbe Tresvaux, Canon, Vicar-General and Official of Paris. '^
3* Dempster has a St. Celiach who is
venerated, according to him, at the 14th of
February ; but. from the account, he differs
from the pre. -;ent venerable bishop. See in one volume, iSm. o, published at Saint
•' llistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lil). iii. , num. 272, pp. 160, 161.
Brieuc, a. d. 1771.
7 See Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bre-
tagne," par ^L L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i,,
_
* This is printed, from an ancient Manu- script, found in the public Library at Rotho- mag. No. 70.
9 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. . Mail i. De Sancto Brioco, Episcopo in Britannia Armorica, pp. 91 to 94.
'° See " Les Vies des Saints," tome ii. , pp. 24, 25.
" It was pubhshed, at Rennes, A. D. 1724, in folio. " Ce livre a d'exactitude, mais il manque d'onction. "—Feller's Dictionnaire Ilisiorique. Art. Lobineau.
"See "LTIistoire des Saints de Bre- tagne," tome i. , at May 1st, pp. 70 to 87. His period is referred to A. n. 502.
'3 See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. v. , May i.
'* See " Les Vies des Peres et des Mar- tyrs," at the 1st of May.
'5 This work was printed at Paris, in five volumes, A. D. 1836, 8vo.
'* It is entitled, "Les Vies des Saints De Bretagne et des Per- sonnes d'une eminente picte qui ont
35 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxiii.
3* It is written there CellAin Vi pAcVi- p. 70.
|\ACV|.
37 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. See
Appendix to the Introduction, n. xlvii. , and
pp. 116, 117. —Chapter —
Article ii. i. ' The Bol-
landists and Baillet had no knowledge con- cerning this legend, which was discovered at a time later than that at which they wrote. Hence, they have not been able to speak about our saint, in an exact manner ; and they should not be too scrupulously fol- lowed, in all their statements regarding St. Brieuc.
' See, also, John Leland's Itinerary, vol.
iii. , p. 15.
3 This work is intituled, " De Vitis Sanc-
torum Britannia Armoricoe. "
* It is intituled : " Vie et Miracles de
Saint Brieuc et de Sunt Cjuillaume," (en- semble la Translation de Rellques dudit Saint Brieuc et la canonization dudit Saint Guillaume, &c. ) Tliis little work was pub- lished in one volume, i2mo. at Saint Brieuc.
5 We regret our not being able to procure
a copy of his Life.
* See " Les Annales Briochines," par
I'Abbe Ruffelct, chanoine de la cathedrale,
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 17
The Life of St. Brioc/^ is said to have been drawn, from the original Legend of this saint, discovered in part, by Father Lobineau ; as also, from the ancient Breviary, containing a Legend of St. Brioc's Life. The Petits Bol- landistes have their notices regarding him. '^ Li nearly all the great French Biographical Dictionaries, the name of St. Brieux, Brioc, or Brieuc, is to be found. Thus, in the early part of this century, it was produced in a volumin- ous work. ^9 The Life of St. Brieux also appears, in the " Biographie Univer- selle, Ancienne et Moderne,=° edited by M. Michaud ; in the Dictionnaire Universel, Historique, Critique et Bibliographique ;^' as likewise, in the "Nou- velle Biographie Generale,"^^ the most extended of such works. Also, St. Briocus ''3 is noticed, in a recent English collection of Biographies, very care- fully compiled,'''^ as likewise, in the Rev. S. Baring-Gould's work. ^s Monta- lembert has classed this holy man, with the seven chief missionary bishops of Bretagne ;^^ and, the same writer has notices of S:. Brieux's works, after he had chosen that country for his monastic establishment. ^7
This saint appears to have been variously named, Broc, Brieuc, Brio- magleorVriomacle,andLatinizedasBriocus,BriociusandBriomaclus. Inthe Breton dialect, he is called Briec. There are several authors, who make him a native of Ireland. ^^ A certain writer, while treating this Life, calls St. Briocus a Briton : it is admitted, he states, that Briton apparently sometimes included Hibernia or Ireland. ^9 Among those, who make St. Briea a native of Ireland, are William Camden,3° and Archbishop Ussher. 3' Hennschenius
vecu dans cette Province," par Dom. Guy Alexis Lobineau, Pretre, religieux Benedic- Un de la congregation de Saint Maur, Nou- velle edition, revue coirigee et considera- blement augmentee, &c. , &c.
'^ See tome i. , pp. 70 to 87 of this edi- tion.
'^ See "Vies des Saints," &c. , tome v. , Premier Jour de Mai, pp. 194 to 196.
'9 See " Biographie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne, ou Histoire, par ordre Alpha- betique, de la Vie publique et privee de tous les Hommes qui se sont fait remarquer par leurs ecrits, leurs actions, leurs talents, leurs vertus ou leurs crimes, ouvrage entierement neuf, redige par une societe des gens de lettres et de savants," tome v. , pp. 597, 598. This, the first edition, was issued at Paris, A. D. 181 1, et seq. , 8vo.
^° See " Biographie Universelle Ancienne et Moderne ou Histoire, par ordre Alphabe- tique, de la Vie publique et privee de tous les Plommes qui se sont fait remarquer par leurs ecrits, leurs actions, leur talents, leurs vertus ou leurs crimes. " Nouvelle Edition, publiee sous la direction de M. Michaud revue, corrigee, et considerablement aug- mentee d'Articles omis ou nouveaux : ouv- rage redige par une Societe de gens de Lettres et de Savants. Paris, 1843, et seq. , Imp. 4to.
'^ Neuvieme Edition, d'apres la Huitieme Edition publiee par MM. Chaudon et De- landine, tomeiii. , Art. Brieuc (saint), p. 292, Paris, 8vo.
" Edited by M. le Dr. Hoefer, tome vii. . Art. Brieuc, Brioc or Briock (saint), col. 390» 391.
^3 See "Dictionary of Christian Biogra- phy, Literature, Sects and Doctrines, being a continuation of the Dictionary of the Bible," edited by William Smith, D. C. L. , LL. D. , and Henry Wace, M. A. , &c. , vol. i. , p. 338.
^^ It was published in London, a. d. 1877, et seq. , in Roy. 8vo shape.
*5 See " Lives ofthe Saints," vol. v. , May I, pp. 20, 21.
^'^ See"LesMoinesd'Occident,"tomeii. , liv. vii. , chap, iv. , p. 314.
^^ See ibid. , liv. viii. , chap. iii. , p. 433.
^^ See "Dictionnaire Universel, Histori- que, Critique et Bibliographique," tome iii. , where it is entered, at Art. Brieuc (saint). There we read, "Briocus natif d'Irlande," &c. , p. 292.
=9 See the Tractarian " Lives of the Eng- lish Saints," vol. ix. , chap, x. , p. 96.
3° See " Britannia,i' in that part which treats of Hibernia, and especially on the county of Cork, p. 739.
3' After giving au extract from Saussaius' Galilean Martyrology, referring to our saint, Ussher adds : " Hffic Saussaius de S.
Brioco urbis Briocensis (vulgo S. Brieu) ab ejus nomine nuncupatse in Britannia Armorica primo Episcopo '• quern alii non Bi-iianniam (id enim Saussaius voluit quum patria Ang- lumfmsse scripsit) sed Hibo-num, e territorio
;
neque German! Aiitissiodorensis sed Germani Parisieiisis, in schola ipsius Episcopali, discipulum fuisse tradiilerunt : qua in re, quid fuerit causae cur ab aliorum sententia discesserit, in Commen- tariis quos pol—licetur Apodictitis ut ostendat expectamus. " " Btitannicarum Ecclesiarum
Corcagiensi oriundum ;
i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May
says,3' that " Corriticiana gens " is incorrectly located, by some writers, in Ire- land ; while, it should be taken for theCeretici, orCoretani,ofBritain. 33 Certain writers have alleged, this country of the Coriticians was identical with the pre- sent county of Cork, in Ireland. There, at the present time, is the second city of Ireland, near a spacious harbour. 34 Some state, that St. Brieuc had perhaps a master named St. Gormain, as his instructor, who might have been incor- rectly called St. Germain. It is known, that there were many saints in Ireland bearing the former name. ^s Where the country, thus denominated Corititaina, was situated, has occasioned no little difference of opinion. 3^ Many writers
General View of the City of Cork.
state, that St. Brieuc was a native of insular Britain. 37 According to some ac- counts, the "Cereticagens3^ had been located, in that particularpartof it,which was opposite to the Irish coast, and which, having once received the Chris-
Antiquitates," cap. xi. , pp. 184, 185.
3' See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Maii
i. , n. (a), p. 94.
33 See Vita ex officio proprio Ecclesiae S.
Brioci.
3* The accompanying illustration of the
City of Cork is taken from a photograph, and it has been drawn by William F. Wakc- nian, on the wood, which was engraved, by Mrs. Millard.
35 The Abbe Tresvaux would not under-
take to pronounce definitively on this matter,
only so far as Ireland was concerned. He Cornwall. " "Lives of the Fathers, Mar-
supposed our Island as having no claim whatever to the birth of St. Brieuc.
3^ L'Abb^ Tresvaux remarks, that while
tyrs and other principal Saints," vol. v. , May I.
39 Nennius, speaking of the Island of Bri-
it has been universally acknowledged, that this saint was a native of the " Coriticiana regio," the position of such territory is not known with certainty.
37 See M. le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle Bio- graphic Generale," tomevii. , col. 390.
3^ The Rev. Alban Butler assigns different
opinions, respecting the province of Coriti-
ciana, " which some take for Cerctica, now
Cardigansliiie ; others for the Coretans,
situated on the Trent, now in Staffordshire
and Derbyshire others will have it to be —;
May I. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
19
tian faith, always retained it, even when their fellow-countrymen, the Britons,39 were oppressed by the Saxon, and driven for refuge, towards inaccessible and remotepartsofWales. AccordingtoAndrewSaussayj^oSt. Briocissaidto have been an Englishman by birth—for he places that province of the Cori- ticiana in England—but, for this remark, he has been corrected by Dean Cressy, who notes, "he should have said a Brittain. "^' Henschennius seems to entertain an opinion, that this saint was a native of that part of England, known as Coretana. The same writer also remarks, that the Coretani were known to have been a people of the Britons, subject to the Romans, and to have held that part, in which the large Mercian kingdom extended, from ocean to the bounds of the Ceretici. At the year of Christ 586, we read in Matthew of Westminster, that the Archbishops, Theonus of London and Tha- diocus of York, seeing all the churches hitherto subject to their jurisdiction destroyed, fled into Cambria, of which Ceretica forraed a part. ^" Many of the clergyandpeopleimitatedtheirexample; while,thesearesupposedtohave beensubjectsofThadiocus,knownasCoretaniorCoritani. Hence,thebirth and age ofSt. Brioc are thought to bereferable to that time. ^3 The "Coriticiana regio"'*^ is said to be the country of theCeretes,to the west of ancient Cambria, or modern Wales, and it was opposite the coast of Ireland, according to some writers. In Latin, this tract was named " Ceretica " or the " Cereticana regio," being shown at present as Cardigan-shire. Such an opinion, so far as the birth of this saint is concerned, seems to rest for a foundation, on the similarity of these names, Coriticiana, and Ceretica, or Cereticana, as also on the circumstance, that Brioc had been the son of a Breton nobleman, the termBretonusuallyreferringtotheinhabitantsofWales. Othersderivethe origin of our saint from that country, belonging to the ancient Coritans or Coritaves, who were situated on the River Trent, and who inhabited the pre-
sent counties of Stafford and Derby. ts Having found in the geographer Ptolemy's works a Corinium, near the Severn, and about the source of the Thames, where the present county ofGloucester lies, and as there appears to be no great difference between the Coriticiana regio and the Coriniana regio^ M. Abbe Tresvaux is inclined to believe, this might be the part of the country, where St. Brieuc was born. Besides, this situation was sufficiently near to Cambria ; whence, it would seem, were derived those parents, of whom St. Brieux was bonL-^^ There are other writers, such as le P. Albert and Bertrand
tain, says, that its inhabitants consist of four different people, the Scots, the Picts, the Saxons, and the Ancient Britons. See the curious version in Irish of the Historia Bri- tonum, or History of the Britons, which has for its title LeAbhA^ 'bt^eAchnAcli Amifo pf, for an account of these early colonists of our Islands. This work has been edited, with a Translation and Notes, by James Henthorn Todd, D. D. , M. R. I. A. , and by the Hon. Algernon Herbert ; it was published by the Irish Arch^ological Society, at Dublin, in 1848.
*° In his " Martyrologium Gallicanum," at the 30th of April.
"*' See his "Church History of Brittany," Book ix. , chap, xiv. , pp. 189, 190.
*^ See " Flores Historiarum," pp. 198 to 200.
^ In the Life of our saint, as published in L'Abbe Tresvaux's edition of Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne," we are told, that our saint's father lived in that part of Great Britain, " cortnue alors sous le nom de Coriticiana regio. "
^s Their supposition has been founded on the circumstance, that St. German of Aux- erre had not been known to the Ceretes, but only to the Coritans.
** Nor was it very distant from those places, where St. Germain of Auxerre preached, so that St. Brieuc could easily have gone to hear and see him. This same writer states, that he consulted the truly learned Dr. John Lingard, in 1834, regard- ing this matter. He replied, that according to his opinion, the Coritician tribe inhabited that part of the country, known as the county of Cardigan, at the present time. He
*3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , i. Maii.
Acta S. Brioci, Commentarius Prjevius, said, also, that in any case, it ought to be sect. 4, p. 92, held as certain, that St. Brieuc had been a
Breton. See Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne," par M. L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i. , n. i. , p. 71.
*' Saussay says "nobili editus stirpe. "
" Martyrologium Galiicanum," at Apiilis
XXX.
^ Thus he is named, by Albert le
Grand.
*9 In the Proper Office of our saint, we
read, in the first Lesson : " Briocus nobilis genere, ex gente Corriiiciana, non sine alto Numinis concilo editus est. "
5° See M. Michaud's " Biographic Univer- selle Ancienne et Modeme," tome v. , p. 528.
5? See Lobineau's "Vies des Saints de Bretagne," par ]NL L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i. , pp. 71, 72.
5* St. Geraian of Auxerre is said to have travelled and preached in Britain, about the year 429, and to have prolonged his life until the year 520. An account of St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerie, will be found in "Histoire Literaire de la France," tome ii. , Cinquieme Siecle, sect, i. , ii. , pp. 256 to 261.
5' By Father Hennschenn.
^° Cressy in his " Church History of Brit- tany," Book ix. , chap, xiv. , p. 190, and at theyear439,observes,that "CertainIrish Historians would challenge S. Briocus to their countiy, as having been born in the
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May I.
d'Argentre, whohavewishedtomakeoursaintanativeofCornwall. However, this latter district was formerly called Cornubia or Kerno. v.
Brioc was of a distinguished line/7 and son to a nobleman of great distinc- tion, called Cerpus, or Cerpo. *^ He lived in a province, named Corrititiana. *? Others call it Carticiana ;S° and, while some persons take it to have been the country of Cornouailles, others will have it to be Ceretica, now Cardigan- shire. The supposition most generally entertained is, that this territory formed a portion of the British Isles. s' His mother is called Eldruda; and, this name is thought to have been derived, from a Breton word, composed off//, andofdriid. ,saidtomean"illustrious,"or"well-beloved,"52byAlbert le Grand, who most probably took the ancient Acts of St. Brioc, as authority. The name Eldrude is supposed undoubtedly to have been a Saxon one ; and, Henschenn pretends, from this clue, we may derive the conclusion, that our saint was not born, until some time had elapsed after the Saxons' arrival in England. Thisconjectureshouldfavourtheopinionofthose,whoplacehis birth, at the time when St. Germain of Paris S3 lived, about the year 550,5* or a little latter. But, we are not obliged to suppose, that Eldruda was solely a Saxon name ; for, it was also a Breton one ; being compounded from the re- duplicative preposition ^//and Drud. ^^ According to some authorities, Brioc was born, early in the year 409,s^ or 410. 57 This chronology supposes, that he was a disciple of St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre,58 to whom his parents had committed him, and who brought him to Gaul, This is thought,59 to strengthen the opinion of St. Brioc having been a Coretan. ^° Hennschen deems it scarcely probable, that St, German's labours and fame reached the Ceretici of Wales, as they were more rude and uncultivated than other Britons. ^'
5' Dr. Lanigan has only a passing allu-
sion to St. Briocus, without hazarding any
statement of his own, as to the country of territory of Cork. But his having been a
his birth. Yet, he gives references to Ussher and Camden. See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, i. , sect, ix. , and nn. 78, 79, 80, p. 21.
5= See M. Michaud's " Biographie Univer- selle, Ancienne et Modeme," tome v. , p. 528.
53 His feast occurs, at the 28th of May. His Life has been written, by Fortunatus of Poitiers. St. Germain died, a. D. 576.
5^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Maii i. Acta S. Brioci, Commentarius Praevius, sect. 2, p. 92.
55 See Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne," par M. L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i. , n, 2, p. 71.
5* See Baillet's " Vies des Saints," tome ii. , p. 24.
disciple of St. Germanus, who had nothing to do with Ireland, proves him a Brittain. And whereas, Bishop Usher conjectures that the master of St. Briocus might have been ano- ther St. Germanus, Bi>hop of Paris, who lived in the following age : His living with Conanus and relation of kindred to him de- monstrate him both a Brittain, and more ancient than the youni^er St. Germanus. "
^' Yet, the BoUandist writer observes, as Briocus flourished towards the close of the sixth century, it might be possible, that he had been born among the Ceretci, in Cam- bria or Wales, or among the Coretani, who had been banished thither. Or, might not the mother of our saint, supj. osed to have been a Saxon by birth, and perhaps also a pagan, have married a Briton, Cerpo, when
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 21
Neither had the Pelagian heresy reached them, nor were the Saxons desirous of carrying their conquests, into those remote regions, which they inhabited. ^* Following the account of Andrew Saussay, who makes St. Germain of Aux- erre ^3 to be a contemporary and master of St. Brioc, the birth of this latter holy man should be referred to the fifth century. However, it is thought, that the original Acts ^4 of St.
relics, the whole being preceded by seven paragraphs, forming an introduc- tory Dissertation. 9 These Acts are edited by Father Godefrid Henschenn. In Baillet's work,'° at the ist of May, we have a Life of St. Brieu, or Briocus. In the First Volume of I^obineau's Saints of Bretagne," we find an account of St. Brieuc, the first Bishop and Patron of Brieux. " The Rev. Alban Butler,'3 and Godescard,''* have notices regarding him. Lately, Lobineau's Lives of the Saints of Bretagne, has been edited, 's with many corrections and additions, by L'Abbe Tresvaux, Canon, Vicar-General and Official of Paris. '^
3* Dempster has a St. Celiach who is
venerated, according to him, at the 14th of
February ; but. from the account, he differs
from the pre. -;ent venerable bishop. See in one volume, iSm. o, published at Saint
•' llistoria Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lil). iii. , num. 272, pp. 160, 161.
Brieuc, a. d. 1771.
7 See Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bre-
tagne," par ^L L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i,,
_
* This is printed, from an ancient Manu- script, found in the public Library at Rotho- mag. No. 70.
9 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. . Mail i. De Sancto Brioco, Episcopo in Britannia Armorica, pp. 91 to 94.
'° See " Les Vies des Saints," tome ii. , pp. 24, 25.
" It was pubhshed, at Rennes, A. D. 1724, in folio. " Ce livre a d'exactitude, mais il manque d'onction. "—Feller's Dictionnaire Ilisiorique. Art. Lobineau.
"See "LTIistoire des Saints de Bre- tagne," tome i. , at May 1st, pp. 70 to 87. His period is referred to A. n. 502.
'3 See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. v. , May i.
'* See " Les Vies des Peres et des Mar- tyrs," at the 1st of May.
'5 This work was printed at Paris, in five volumes, A. D. 1836, 8vo.
'* It is entitled, "Les Vies des Saints De Bretagne et des Per- sonnes d'une eminente picte qui ont
35 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxiii.
3* It is written there CellAin Vi pAcVi- p. 70.
|\ACV|.
37 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. See
Appendix to the Introduction, n. xlvii. , and
pp. 116, 117. —Chapter —
Article ii. i. ' The Bol-
landists and Baillet had no knowledge con- cerning this legend, which was discovered at a time later than that at which they wrote. Hence, they have not been able to speak about our saint, in an exact manner ; and they should not be too scrupulously fol- lowed, in all their statements regarding St. Brieuc.
' See, also, John Leland's Itinerary, vol.
iii. , p. 15.
3 This work is intituled, " De Vitis Sanc-
torum Britannia Armoricoe. "
* It is intituled : " Vie et Miracles de
Saint Brieuc et de Sunt Cjuillaume," (en- semble la Translation de Rellques dudit Saint Brieuc et la canonization dudit Saint Guillaume, &c. ) Tliis little work was pub- lished in one volume, i2mo. at Saint Brieuc.
5 We regret our not being able to procure
a copy of his Life.
* See " Les Annales Briochines," par
I'Abbe Ruffelct, chanoine de la cathedrale,
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 17
The Life of St. Brioc/^ is said to have been drawn, from the original Legend of this saint, discovered in part, by Father Lobineau ; as also, from the ancient Breviary, containing a Legend of St. Brioc's Life. The Petits Bol- landistes have their notices regarding him. '^ Li nearly all the great French Biographical Dictionaries, the name of St. Brieux, Brioc, or Brieuc, is to be found. Thus, in the early part of this century, it was produced in a volumin- ous work. ^9 The Life of St. Brieux also appears, in the " Biographie Univer- selle, Ancienne et Moderne,=° edited by M. Michaud ; in the Dictionnaire Universel, Historique, Critique et Bibliographique ;^' as likewise, in the "Nou- velle Biographie Generale,"^^ the most extended of such works. Also, St. Briocus ''3 is noticed, in a recent English collection of Biographies, very care- fully compiled,'''^ as likewise, in the Rev. S. Baring-Gould's work. ^s Monta- lembert has classed this holy man, with the seven chief missionary bishops of Bretagne ;^^ and, the same writer has notices of S:. Brieux's works, after he had chosen that country for his monastic establishment. ^7
This saint appears to have been variously named, Broc, Brieuc, Brio- magleorVriomacle,andLatinizedasBriocus,BriociusandBriomaclus. Inthe Breton dialect, he is called Briec. There are several authors, who make him a native of Ireland. ^^ A certain writer, while treating this Life, calls St. Briocus a Briton : it is admitted, he states, that Briton apparently sometimes included Hibernia or Ireland. ^9 Among those, who make St. Briea a native of Ireland, are William Camden,3° and Archbishop Ussher. 3' Hennschenius
vecu dans cette Province," par Dom. Guy Alexis Lobineau, Pretre, religieux Benedic- Un de la congregation de Saint Maur, Nou- velle edition, revue coirigee et considera- blement augmentee, &c. , &c.
'^ See tome i. , pp. 70 to 87 of this edi- tion.
'^ See "Vies des Saints," &c. , tome v. , Premier Jour de Mai, pp. 194 to 196.
'9 See " Biographie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne, ou Histoire, par ordre Alpha- betique, de la Vie publique et privee de tous les Hommes qui se sont fait remarquer par leurs ecrits, leurs actions, leurs talents, leurs vertus ou leurs crimes, ouvrage entierement neuf, redige par une societe des gens de lettres et de savants," tome v. , pp. 597, 598. This, the first edition, was issued at Paris, A. D. 181 1, et seq. , 8vo.
^° See " Biographie Universelle Ancienne et Moderne ou Histoire, par ordre Alphabe- tique, de la Vie publique et privee de tous les Plommes qui se sont fait remarquer par leurs ecrits, leurs actions, leur talents, leurs vertus ou leurs crimes. " Nouvelle Edition, publiee sous la direction de M. Michaud revue, corrigee, et considerablement aug- mentee d'Articles omis ou nouveaux : ouv- rage redige par une Societe de gens de Lettres et de Savants. Paris, 1843, et seq. , Imp. 4to.
'^ Neuvieme Edition, d'apres la Huitieme Edition publiee par MM. Chaudon et De- landine, tomeiii. , Art. Brieuc (saint), p. 292, Paris, 8vo.
" Edited by M. le Dr. Hoefer, tome vii. . Art. Brieuc, Brioc or Briock (saint), col. 390» 391.
^3 See "Dictionary of Christian Biogra- phy, Literature, Sects and Doctrines, being a continuation of the Dictionary of the Bible," edited by William Smith, D. C. L. , LL. D. , and Henry Wace, M. A. , &c. , vol. i. , p. 338.
^^ It was published in London, a. d. 1877, et seq. , in Roy. 8vo shape.
*5 See " Lives ofthe Saints," vol. v. , May I, pp. 20, 21.
^'^ See"LesMoinesd'Occident,"tomeii. , liv. vii. , chap, iv. , p. 314.
^^ See ibid. , liv. viii. , chap. iii. , p. 433.
^^ See "Dictionnaire Universel, Histori- que, Critique et Bibliographique," tome iii. , where it is entered, at Art. Brieuc (saint). There we read, "Briocus natif d'Irlande," &c. , p. 292.
=9 See the Tractarian " Lives of the Eng- lish Saints," vol. ix. , chap, x. , p. 96.
3° See " Britannia,i' in that part which treats of Hibernia, and especially on the county of Cork, p. 739.
3' After giving au extract from Saussaius' Galilean Martyrology, referring to our saint, Ussher adds : " Hffic Saussaius de S.
Brioco urbis Briocensis (vulgo S. Brieu) ab ejus nomine nuncupatse in Britannia Armorica primo Episcopo '• quern alii non Bi-iianniam (id enim Saussaius voluit quum patria Ang- lumfmsse scripsit) sed Hibo-num, e territorio
;
neque German! Aiitissiodorensis sed Germani Parisieiisis, in schola ipsius Episcopali, discipulum fuisse tradiilerunt : qua in re, quid fuerit causae cur ab aliorum sententia discesserit, in Commen- tariis quos pol—licetur Apodictitis ut ostendat expectamus. " " Btitannicarum Ecclesiarum
Corcagiensi oriundum ;
i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May
says,3' that " Corriticiana gens " is incorrectly located, by some writers, in Ire- land ; while, it should be taken for theCeretici, orCoretani,ofBritain. 33 Certain writers have alleged, this country of the Coriticians was identical with the pre- sent county of Cork, in Ireland. There, at the present time, is the second city of Ireland, near a spacious harbour. 34 Some state, that St. Brieuc had perhaps a master named St. Gormain, as his instructor, who might have been incor- rectly called St. Germain. It is known, that there were many saints in Ireland bearing the former name. ^s Where the country, thus denominated Corititaina, was situated, has occasioned no little difference of opinion. 3^ Many writers
General View of the City of Cork.
state, that St. Brieuc was a native of insular Britain. 37 According to some ac- counts, the "Cereticagens3^ had been located, in that particularpartof it,which was opposite to the Irish coast, and which, having once received the Chris-
Antiquitates," cap. xi. , pp. 184, 185.
3' See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Maii
i. , n. (a), p. 94.
33 See Vita ex officio proprio Ecclesiae S.
Brioci.
3* The accompanying illustration of the
City of Cork is taken from a photograph, and it has been drawn by William F. Wakc- nian, on the wood, which was engraved, by Mrs. Millard.
35 The Abbe Tresvaux would not under-
take to pronounce definitively on this matter,
only so far as Ireland was concerned. He Cornwall. " "Lives of the Fathers, Mar-
supposed our Island as having no claim whatever to the birth of St. Brieuc.
3^ L'Abb^ Tresvaux remarks, that while
tyrs and other principal Saints," vol. v. , May I.
39 Nennius, speaking of the Island of Bri-
it has been universally acknowledged, that this saint was a native of the " Coriticiana regio," the position of such territory is not known with certainty.
37 See M. le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle Bio- graphic Generale," tomevii. , col. 390.
3^ The Rev. Alban Butler assigns different
opinions, respecting the province of Coriti-
ciana, " which some take for Cerctica, now
Cardigansliiie ; others for the Coretans,
situated on the Trent, now in Staffordshire
and Derbyshire others will have it to be —;
May I. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
19
tian faith, always retained it, even when their fellow-countrymen, the Britons,39 were oppressed by the Saxon, and driven for refuge, towards inaccessible and remotepartsofWales. AccordingtoAndrewSaussayj^oSt. Briocissaidto have been an Englishman by birth—for he places that province of the Cori- ticiana in England—but, for this remark, he has been corrected by Dean Cressy, who notes, "he should have said a Brittain. "^' Henschennius seems to entertain an opinion, that this saint was a native of that part of England, known as Coretana. The same writer also remarks, that the Coretani were known to have been a people of the Britons, subject to the Romans, and to have held that part, in which the large Mercian kingdom extended, from ocean to the bounds of the Ceretici. At the year of Christ 586, we read in Matthew of Westminster, that the Archbishops, Theonus of London and Tha- diocus of York, seeing all the churches hitherto subject to their jurisdiction destroyed, fled into Cambria, of which Ceretica forraed a part. ^" Many of the clergyandpeopleimitatedtheirexample; while,thesearesupposedtohave beensubjectsofThadiocus,knownasCoretaniorCoritani. Hence,thebirth and age ofSt. Brioc are thought to bereferable to that time. ^3 The "Coriticiana regio"'*^ is said to be the country of theCeretes,to the west of ancient Cambria, or modern Wales, and it was opposite the coast of Ireland, according to some writers. In Latin, this tract was named " Ceretica " or the " Cereticana regio," being shown at present as Cardigan-shire. Such an opinion, so far as the birth of this saint is concerned, seems to rest for a foundation, on the similarity of these names, Coriticiana, and Ceretica, or Cereticana, as also on the circumstance, that Brioc had been the son of a Breton nobleman, the termBretonusuallyreferringtotheinhabitantsofWales. Othersderivethe origin of our saint from that country, belonging to the ancient Coritans or Coritaves, who were situated on the River Trent, and who inhabited the pre-
sent counties of Stafford and Derby. ts Having found in the geographer Ptolemy's works a Corinium, near the Severn, and about the source of the Thames, where the present county ofGloucester lies, and as there appears to be no great difference between the Coriticiana regio and the Coriniana regio^ M. Abbe Tresvaux is inclined to believe, this might be the part of the country, where St. Brieuc was born. Besides, this situation was sufficiently near to Cambria ; whence, it would seem, were derived those parents, of whom St. Brieux was bonL-^^ There are other writers, such as le P. Albert and Bertrand
tain, says, that its inhabitants consist of four different people, the Scots, the Picts, the Saxons, and the Ancient Britons. See the curious version in Irish of the Historia Bri- tonum, or History of the Britons, which has for its title LeAbhA^ 'bt^eAchnAcli Amifo pf, for an account of these early colonists of our Islands. This work has been edited, with a Translation and Notes, by James Henthorn Todd, D. D. , M. R. I. A. , and by the Hon. Algernon Herbert ; it was published by the Irish Arch^ological Society, at Dublin, in 1848.
*° In his " Martyrologium Gallicanum," at the 30th of April.
"*' See his "Church History of Brittany," Book ix. , chap, xiv. , pp. 189, 190.
*^ See " Flores Historiarum," pp. 198 to 200.
^ In the Life of our saint, as published in L'Abbe Tresvaux's edition of Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne," we are told, that our saint's father lived in that part of Great Britain, " cortnue alors sous le nom de Coriticiana regio. "
^s Their supposition has been founded on the circumstance, that St. German of Aux- erre had not been known to the Ceretes, but only to the Coritans.
** Nor was it very distant from those places, where St. Germain of Auxerre preached, so that St. Brieuc could easily have gone to hear and see him. This same writer states, that he consulted the truly learned Dr. John Lingard, in 1834, regard- ing this matter. He replied, that according to his opinion, the Coritician tribe inhabited that part of the country, known as the county of Cardigan, at the present time. He
*3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , i. Maii.
Acta S. Brioci, Commentarius Prjevius, said, also, that in any case, it ought to be sect. 4, p. 92, held as certain, that St. Brieuc had been a
Breton. See Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne," par M. L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i. , n. i. , p. 71.
*' Saussay says "nobili editus stirpe. "
" Martyrologium Galiicanum," at Apiilis
XXX.
^ Thus he is named, by Albert le
Grand.
*9 In the Proper Office of our saint, we
read, in the first Lesson : " Briocus nobilis genere, ex gente Corriiiciana, non sine alto Numinis concilo editus est. "
5° See M. Michaud's " Biographic Univer- selle Ancienne et Modeme," tome v. , p. 528.
5? See Lobineau's "Vies des Saints de Bretagne," par ]NL L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i. , pp. 71, 72.
5* St. Geraian of Auxerre is said to have travelled and preached in Britain, about the year 429, and to have prolonged his life until the year 520. An account of St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerie, will be found in "Histoire Literaire de la France," tome ii. , Cinquieme Siecle, sect, i. , ii. , pp. 256 to 261.
5' By Father Hennschenn.
^° Cressy in his " Church History of Brit- tany," Book ix. , chap, xiv. , p. 190, and at theyear439,observes,that "CertainIrish Historians would challenge S. Briocus to their countiy, as having been born in the
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May I.
d'Argentre, whohavewishedtomakeoursaintanativeofCornwall. However, this latter district was formerly called Cornubia or Kerno. v.
Brioc was of a distinguished line/7 and son to a nobleman of great distinc- tion, called Cerpus, or Cerpo. *^ He lived in a province, named Corrititiana. *? Others call it Carticiana ;S° and, while some persons take it to have been the country of Cornouailles, others will have it to be Ceretica, now Cardigan- shire. The supposition most generally entertained is, that this territory formed a portion of the British Isles. s' His mother is called Eldruda; and, this name is thought to have been derived, from a Breton word, composed off//, andofdriid. ,saidtomean"illustrious,"or"well-beloved,"52byAlbert le Grand, who most probably took the ancient Acts of St. Brioc, as authority. The name Eldrude is supposed undoubtedly to have been a Saxon one ; and, Henschenn pretends, from this clue, we may derive the conclusion, that our saint was not born, until some time had elapsed after the Saxons' arrival in England. Thisconjectureshouldfavourtheopinionofthose,whoplacehis birth, at the time when St. Germain of Paris S3 lived, about the year 550,5* or a little latter. But, we are not obliged to suppose, that Eldruda was solely a Saxon name ; for, it was also a Breton one ; being compounded from the re- duplicative preposition ^//and Drud. ^^ According to some authorities, Brioc was born, early in the year 409,s^ or 410. 57 This chronology supposes, that he was a disciple of St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre,58 to whom his parents had committed him, and who brought him to Gaul, This is thought,59 to strengthen the opinion of St. Brioc having been a Coretan. ^° Hennschen deems it scarcely probable, that St, German's labours and fame reached the Ceretici of Wales, as they were more rude and uncultivated than other Britons. ^'
5' Dr. Lanigan has only a passing allu-
sion to St. Briocus, without hazarding any
statement of his own, as to the country of territory of Cork. But his having been a
his birth. Yet, he gives references to Ussher and Camden. See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, i. , sect, ix. , and nn. 78, 79, 80, p. 21.
5= See M. Michaud's " Biographie Univer- selle, Ancienne et Modeme," tome v. , p. 528.
53 His feast occurs, at the 28th of May. His Life has been written, by Fortunatus of Poitiers. St. Germain died, a. D. 576.
5^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Maii i. Acta S. Brioci, Commentarius Praevius, sect. 2, p. 92.
55 See Lobineau's " Vies des Saints de Bretagne," par M. L'Abbe Tresvaux, tome i. , n, 2, p. 71.
5* See Baillet's " Vies des Saints," tome ii. , p. 24.
disciple of St. Germanus, who had nothing to do with Ireland, proves him a Brittain. And whereas, Bishop Usher conjectures that the master of St. Briocus might have been ano- ther St. Germanus, Bi>hop of Paris, who lived in the following age : His living with Conanus and relation of kindred to him de- monstrate him both a Brittain, and more ancient than the youni^er St. Germanus. "
^' Yet, the BoUandist writer observes, as Briocus flourished towards the close of the sixth century, it might be possible, that he had been born among the Ceretci, in Cam- bria or Wales, or among the Coretani, who had been banished thither. Or, might not the mother of our saint, supj. osed to have been a Saxon by birth, and perhaps also a pagan, have married a Briton, Cerpo, when
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 21
Neither had the Pelagian heresy reached them, nor were the Saxons desirous of carrying their conquests, into those remote regions, which they inhabited. ^* Following the account of Andrew Saussay, who makes St. Germain of Aux- erre ^3 to be a contemporary and master of St. Brioc, the birth of this latter holy man should be referred to the fifth century. However, it is thought, that the original Acts ^4 of St.
