No More Learning

Since the time of Dr. Lanigan, much has been published, that should have tended to lighten his labours, had such materials been accessible to him. Only to a limited extent could manuscripts or works published, in Irish, and without a translation, have been available ; for he does not appear to have had a sufficient knowledge of that language, in which the most valuable materials for historic purposes had been clothed. In some instance? , it is true, he professes to derive the meaning of proper names, places and pre-
10235. M. J. Brenan's
mortalwork,andin1822it wasfirst
his Life and Times," chap, xxxii. , pp. 224 lished in four octavo volumes. See Rev,
"
Lanigan,
pub-
Ecclesiastical History of
^ About the year 1813, he commenced Ireland," Nineteenth Century, chap, iii. , the arraugemeat of materials for this im- pp. 650, 651.
Ixvi INTRODUCTICN,
fixes, from our national tongue. 3° Yet, in such cases, he often had recourse to glossaries, or to the kind assistance of persons, more accurately versed than he was in a knowledge of Irish etymologies and structural peculiarities.
So much as could have been reasonably expected has been accomplished by Dr. Lanigan, in the publication of his learned, well-arranged, and valuable Ecclesiastical History. Had he given us a complete and connected series of Irish Saints' Lives, somewhat on the plan now adopted, and with the necessary materials within his reach, he should have found it a much less
laborious task, although forming a more comprehensive design, than that he attempted, when engaging upon his very celebrated historical work. But
the duration of an ordinary lifetime, even with possession of the highest abilities, and the utmost desirable leisure, could hardly have sufficed for
including complete Lives, or even extended notices, regarding all the Saints to be found in our Calendars, with adequate notes or critical disquisitions.
As it Dr. stands.
" Ecclesiastical
of be Ireland," may
Lanigan's
considered a chronological arrangement of our principal saints' biographies,
with their Acts necessarily abridged, while, for the most part, their recorded miracles have been suppressed. To arrange incidents, and to produce a
continuous, really important narrative of ecclesiastical affairs, without running into personal and obscure details, become tasks of extreme difficulty.
Subsequent to Christianity being established in this country, and previous to the English invasion, for many centuries our National Church was singularly free, not only from inroads of heresy and schism, but even from very radical changes in her governmental rites and general discipline. From the time Faith had been first securely established in Ireland, and to the period last named, our Church met with little opposition from native dynasts or kings. Even Danish and Norwegian spoliations were of too sporadic a character permanently to affect her material or spiritual interests. With such diffi- culties to encounter, and precluding the possibility of framing a luminous and connected narrative, Dr. Lanigan has contrived to present a clear, con- secutive and recondite history. 31 After a careful examination of this historio- grapher's work, the present writer is greatly under an impression, that the author was only careful to correct and improve his style, throughout the text of his history, and that he allowed the original draft of his notes to stand without much alteration as to mere phraseology. Perhaps, he shrank from the additional and very considerable time and labour that must have
3° In one passage, Dr. Lanigan leaves his readers to infer, that he had some general acquaintance with the Irish language. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xviii. , § v. , n. 59, p. loo.
3« It is to be regretted that in many in- stances his notes have been disfigured by writing in a careless style, while occasional
acrimonious remarks —however justly me- rited by writers to whom they apply— de- tract much from the literary merits of his
work. They partake more of the pamphle- teer's or the polemic's questionable temper, than the dignified tone and calm judgment
of an accomplished historian, conscious of his own intellectual superiority.
History
3* Although not observing minor graces of composition throughout his notes ; yet, in a critical and historical point of view,
their value is unquestionable to the student of this island's ecclesiastical history and anti-
quities.
33 About the year 1830, this work com-
menced. The very complete materials for county and parish histories, which were the
result, had been originally preserved in the Ordnance Survey Office, at Moun joy Bar-
hour has he passed in the Ordnance Survey Library, with the privilege, a:corJel by
Major-General Sir H. Jam^s, Chief Super- intendent of the Depariment, Colonel Georg* A. Leach, R. E. , and Lieutenant-Colonel Berdoe Wilkinson, R. E. , Local Directors, to take transcripts or copies, and otherwise consult ancient and modern records or maps, illustrating the past and present history or topography of Ireland. Especially, to the obliging and talented chief clerks, Messrs.
INTRODUCTION. Ixvii
devolved upcn him, by instituting a more careful revision and exami- nation. 3*
Prizing greatly the researches of previous investigators, many additional facts have been ascertained since their time, and many errors of those laborious, critical, and learned writers having been detected, are more easily corrected or refuted. Systematic efforts have been made, by eminently gifted histo- rians and archaeologists, to overturn visionary speculations, and to place our archaic studies on the firm basis of scientific research. Periodical litera- ture and able contributors served to elicit and record many local traditions and facts of importance. These were popularized, and even the sympathy and enquiries of distant scholars were directed to Ireland. It was then known, almost for the first time, that our country was yet covered with the ruins of churches and monasteries, capable of being identified with numerous saints, clerics, and students. The Irish Ordnance Survey staff of Antiqua- ries was organized, and foremost among these able directors were the late John O'Donovan, LL. D. , George Petrie, LL. D. , Sir Thomas Larcom, and ProfessorEugeneO'Curry. Sofarasavailablemanuscriptsandpublished works, in various languages, had reference to local history, tradition, and topo- graphy, suitable and requisite extracts were furnished by competent scribes. 33 Those afforded a vast amount of special information for purposes of local investigators, fully conversant with the subject, when sometimes set apart, or frequently in communication, visiting and examining on the spot ancient buildings and remains, by the additional light of documents supplied to them. 3* Observations and accurate measurements were usually taken down
racks, Phcenix Park, Dublin. Afterwards, Joseph Mooney and John O'Lalor, the the most important of those manuscripts, in writer feels most grateful. For their solici- a historical sense, were transferred to the tude and unremitting attention to afford Library of the Royal Irish Academy. every facility during his researches, he is Owing to the kindness of his learned and truly indebted.
lamented friend, the late John O'Donovan, 3^ At the request of Rev. James Graves, LL. D. , the writer was introduced to the A. 15. , M. R. I. A. , the writer prepared a
chiefs of this department, who, on all occa^
Eions, have manifested uniform courtesy,
and furnished every possible facility to the writer, while he had been very constantly oc- cupiedinpreparingthepresentserialvolumes for the press. Many a solitary and studious
pretty complete catalogue of the Ordnance Survey materials for County and Parish
Histories, which were published seriat. in in the "Transactions of the Kilkenny and Souih-East of Ireland Archaeological So- ciety. "
Ixviii INTRODUCTION,
amid the ecclesiastical and civic ruins, or on the sites of duns, battlefields, and ancient remains. Popular traditions were noted and tested by com-
parison with existing records. Using great care and accuracy, ancient divi- sions of Ireland were traced out, according with the most correct modem mapsandmeasurements. Changesofnamesanddifferencesoforthography, at various dates, and in different authorities, were duly recorded. The statements of writers, imperfectly acquainted with old documents, and who frequently mistook local positions, were at once corrected, not alone by in- disputableinferences,butoftenbymostconvincingtestimony. Therecordsof our ancient Annals, Poems, Calendars, and Martyrologies, in many in- stances, were elucidated by local monuments and popular traditions, coupled with the nomenclature of ancient districts, parishes, and townlands, in the several Irish counties. In many instances, the memory of former patron days and festivals, referring to early Irish Saints, had been obliterated, at particular localities ; yet, in a vast number of cases, the district or parish patron saint had not been unknown, especially to the older living inhabi- tants. The holy wells, where devotions to certain patron saints had been heretofore practised, but of late years discontinued, were closed or diverted to other channels, in various places ; still, in most cases, the position of those wells could be shown, while popular traditions connected them with the old saints and their festival days, even when the existing nomenclature
hardly afforded any other clue towards investigation. Penitential stations
and pilgrimages were not altogether forgotten, in remote districts of country,
before the introduction of modern influences and customs.
vious writers had agreed, that nothing was known or could be discovered, regarding individual saints, or their exact localities ; yet, those Ordnance Survey antiquaries were enabled to demonstrate the inaccuracy of such statements, by furnishing necessary and conclusive evidence to substantiate opposite opinions. Various styles of building, the forms of different objects and their constituent materials or position, often afforded intrinsic evidence, regarding \ urposes for which such erections had been designed, as also indi- cating their periods, apart from extrinsic evidence, pertaining to their origin and history. Artists who had been engaged on the survey rendered very material assistance in this branch of enquiry, by delineating most accurately ancient buildings, crosses, inscriptions, &c. , which abounded in different places. 35 Accurate criticism was brought to bear on every object and record, for the purpose of arriving at correct conclusions ; while vague etymological conjectures and groundless theories were set aside, for more legitimate modes of demonstration. Former writers had created a great
35 All these collections are exceedingly Taluab'e, as tending very fully to illustrate l. -eland's civil and ecclesiastical history and topography, not even omitting the records of her natural productions and social condition.
Although in a shape sufficiently classified for reference, it is to be regretted, they have not yet been properly digested for publi-
cation, with a view of rendering them generally accessible*
Although pre-
tNTRODUCTION. Ixbc
amount of popular delusion on the subject of Irish history and antiquities. Those writers, having neither requisite capabilities to decipher ancient Irish
manuscripts, nor opportunities for historic investigation afforded, had the pretension and imprudence often to dogmatize on ill-constructed theories and obscure matters. When the test of strict examination had been applied, their ignorance and incompetency were fully manifested. Published pro- ductions often tended to spread a thicker mist over those dark passages of enquiry, even where they professed to guide. The masters of a new and better school were consequently obliged to pursue their investigations, not only without deriving much aid from writers who had preceded them, but firequently were they obliged to controvert absurd or unfounded state-
ments, and to dissipate existing prepossessions.
The establishment of our Irish Archaeological and Celtic Societies procured
the translation and publication, at various intervals, of important manuscripts —especially from the Irish language—and other historic documents were edited by most competent scholars. The independent issue of Dr. O'Dono-
"
Annals of the Four Masters," of Dr. Petrie's learned work on the ancient " Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," the historical works of Dr. William Reeves, Rev. M. J. Brenan, Dr. James Henthom Todd, John D'Alton, Rev. Dr. Kelly, Professor Eugene O'Curry, Right Rev. Patrick F. Moran, D. D. , Bishop of Ossory, and many
other writers, gave a signal impulse to the study of national antiquities. Their works naturally induced enquiry, regarding our Irish Saints' Lives, the homesteads where they Hved, and the places which had been hallowed by their traces. 3^ To all the foregoing authorities has the writer frequently
referred, because he felt satisfied, that nothing which zeal, industry, and ability could master had been left unattempted, in order to render our historic literature reliable and complete. Besides, he has adopted indepen- dent means to procure information. Through local enquiries and personal investigation, or through epistolary correspondence, the writer has often discovered traditions and remains, of exceeding great value for his purpose.
Section VI. —The Chief Foreign Ecclesiastical and other Writers, WHOSE Works serve directly or incidentally to elucidate Irish Hagiology.
As we have already indicated. Acts of the Saints and Martyrologies were compiled for the Eastern and Western Churches, from a very early period. St. Clement I. , Pope and Martyr, who lived in the first century,' had the city
3* We may observe, that a crown octavo M. A. , and publ—ished in London,
'
volume appeared in 1873, and intituled, Section vi. From A. D. 91 to 1 00 was
"Biographical Sketches of Ancient Irish the duration of his Pontifical dignity. . See Saints «nJ other Missionaries. " This was Sir Harris Nicholas' "Chronology of His« written by the Rev. Herbert . M'Laughlin, tory," p. 209.
van's most important
Ixx INTRonUCTION.
ofRomedividedamongsevennotaries—onenotaryforeachofits districts'—
and it was their charge, to make a diHgent investigation, regarding the acts and sufferings of the martyrs, so as to write them with accuracy and care. 3 Those notaries diligently recorded in ecclesiastical tablets the days called Fasti. From those noles were compiled Martyrologies, which were read on theeveoftheMartyrs'Festivals. * Itwouldseem,likewise,thatourIrishec- clesiasticswerequiteconversantwithsuchdocuments. Brieflymustwere- capitulate this species of literaiure, which has a collateral affinity with our na- tionalhagiology,throughvariousstagesofitsdevelopment. Thewritingsof the first and most celebrated fathers of the Church abound in anecdotes or
noticesoftheirholypredecessorsorcontemporaries. ButchieflyinEurope— excluding consideration of Irish writers already referred to—St. Sulpicius
Severus,5 who flourished in the fourth and fifth centuries, Rufinus and St.
Gregory, Bishop of Tours,^ born at Auvergne, and who died at Rome a. d. 595 o^ 59^>^ cultivated letters, in connexion with sacred history and bio- graphy. The Greek and Eastern Churches were sedulous in committing to writing the acts of saints and martyrs. ^ The Rule of St. Benedict? re- quired the reading of passages from Lives of the Fathers of the Church, after meals, and to instruct his monks ;'° while a decree of Pope St. Gelasius" had enumerated those Livesof those Holy Fathers, Anthony," Paul,-3 Hilarion,'*
* See Rev.
Joseph Mullooly's
" Saint
and Civil History of France, in sixteen books, is of the greatest possible value to
the antiquary ; because, it is a repertory of
the ancient usages and laws of the Gauls,
hardly to be found elsewhere. See Collier's
"
Great Historical, Geographical, Genealo- gical and Poetical Dictionary," voL i. , art. Gregory of Tours.
Clement, Pope and Martyr, and his Basi-
lica in Rome," chap, iii. , pp. io2, 103.
'*
Breviarium Romanum," Officium S. dementis, P. M. , ii. noct. , lect. iv. , die xxiii. Novembris.
"
Osservazloni sul Cimi- terii de Martiri," lib. i. , cap. xi.
5 This holy and learned man died in the earlier part of the fifth century, and his festival is kept on the 29th of January. His best known works are, a Life of St. Martin,
3 See
< See Boldetti's '
I^s BoUandistes et I'Hagiographie An- cienne et Moderne," par MM. J. Camandet World to A. D. 4CXJ. His works were et J. Fevre, pp. 97 to 104. The reader
Bishop of Tours, and an Abridgment of Sacred History, from the beginning of the
issued at Verona in 1741, in two folio volumes, and they have been carefully edited by F. Jerom de Prato, with various readmgs, dissertations and notes. The life of this saint is included.
' His complete works have been edited
by Ruinart, in a folio volume, published at Paris,A. D. 1699. Thisisagoodbutscarce edition. See Watts' "Bibliotheca Britan- nica ; or a General Index to British and Foreign Literature," vol. i. , p. 439, r. s.
' His feast occurs on the 1 7th of Novem- ber, the day of his death. He wrote various books on the glories, virtues and miracles of the Martyrs, Fathers and other saints, espe- cially of the French.
But his Ecclesiastical
may also consult John Albert Fabricius,
'*
Bibliotheca Graeca," editio tertia, in 14 volumes, 4to, published at Hamburg, from 1 718 to 1728.
9 This great founder of Monasticism had his feast on the 21st of March.
"
Cap. Ixii, "Hisfeastoccursatthe2lstofNovem*
ber. He ruled over the Church, from A. D. 492 to 496, when he died.
^
These, however, have little reference to
the matter of Irish hagiography. An inte-
resting and a brief account of such writings
may be found in a work lately published,
"
"
His feast occurs on the 17th of Janu-
ary.
'3 His festival is assigned to the ISth of
January.
'* His festival takes place on the 21st of
October.
'*
Decretum Gratiani," Dist. , xv.
This writer flourished in the sixth cen-
tury. See an account of him in Cardinal ''
INTRODUCTION. Ixxi
and all the hermits, as written by St. Jerome, to be received with due reve- rence. 's Cassiodorus,*^ recommends such studies. '' Pope St, Gregory the Great'^ has given us various accounts of early saints, in his celebrated Book of Dialogues, And,incontinuoussuccessionfromtheseearlyages,generations of saints and writers have left souvenirs of their holy predecessors behind them. '9 Especially the various religious congregations have been careful to preserve the memorials of their respective luminaries. In the large ecclesi- astical collections of the last centuries,'" much interesting information, re- garding Hagiography and early sacred literature, will be found. ''
Venerable Bede, born in 672, or as some will have it in 673," was a chief
ornament, during the seventh and eighth centuries. A very full and in-
teresting account of his indefatigable industry and comprehensive genius,'^ as also of his various works, will be found among Pitts''^ lives, and in different other biographies. To Bede has been attributed the composition of a Mar- tyrology in prose,'s as also a second Martyrology in hexameter verse. An edition of the former was published at Antwerp, a. d, 1564, or 1565. '^ This
"
cap. , Sancta Ecclesia,
Greek and Latin Fathers and writers in the Church. It appeared at Paris, during the present century.
* The work of Fabricius, "Bibliotheca Latina Medise et Infimae . ^Etatis" is most valuable. It was published in 6 thick i2mo
volumes, at Hamburg, from 1 734 to 1 746.
added a and an supplement,
'S See
Bellarmin, De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis," pp. 203, 204. Philip Labbe's edition. Operum tomus vii. Venice, 1 720 fol.
cially reverenced in the Irish Church—be- longs to the 1 2th of March. See a notice of him in R. Chambers' "Book of Days," vol. i. , p. 361. Edinburgh, 1864, imp. 8vo.
"See Ozanam's "CEuvres
tome v. This writer remarks: "Les in-
terpolations etaient faciles : les fables pene-
traient sans peine dans une suite de frag-
ments qui n'avaient pas de lien : chaque vol. i. , p. 642.
monastere eut son recueil ou *3 See Dr. Inett's " An-
" Omnia edition, Opera
'' A fine
Aurelii Cassiodorii Senatoris" was published at Venice in two folio volumes, A. D. 1 729.
'^ The feast of this Pontiff— great spe-
Padua, A. D. 1754, in 4to. Besides these,
Fabricius " Bibliotheca Ecclesi- compiled,
astica in qua continentur de Scriptoribus
Ecclesiasticis S. Hieronymus, Genadius, Isidorus, Trithemius et alii. " This folio
was published, at Hamburg, A. D. 1 718.
Completes,"
pp. 436, 437.
=0 "
See Bil)liothecce Patruum, et Vete-
nim Auctorum Ecclesiasticonim. " Per Margarlnum de la Eigne. This edition
"See " Britannica or the Biographica :
abrege grossi, selon le loisirdesescopistes. "—Des . Sources Poetiques de la Divine Comedie, sec. iii. ,
John Origines glicante : or, a History of the English ChurJi," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. i. , p. 130.
Magni Schoettgenius
edition by John Dom Maurus issued at
appeared at Paris in folio, a. d. 1610. An pp. 129 to 140.
enlarged and a corrected edition of this *3 The most elegant, and, we believe, exact work appeared at Cologne, in 14 folio edition of Bede's ' Martyrologium de Nata- volumes, a. d. 1618. The most extensive litiis Sanctorum ; cum Auclario Flori et
series, however, is the " Cursus Completus Patrilogiae," issued by the Abbe Migne, in 3CX) small folio volumes, of double columns. This series was intended to comprise all the
aliorum," has appeared among the series, " Patres Ecclesiffi Anglicanae. "
»« In Svo. See Watts' "Bibliotheca Britannica," vol. i. , p. 92, k. o.
lives of the most eminent persons, who have flourished in Great Britain and Ireland, from the earliest ages to the present Times,"
London and Oxford, a. d. 1704 and 1 710. fol.
" Relationum Historicar- rem de Rebus Anglicis," tomus i. , pars, ii. ,
'* See
Pitseus,
Ixxli INTRODUCTION.
hovygvcr is regarded as spurious. '' Various editions of Bede's Martyrology -have since issued, and more or less perfect. '* His Martyrology appeared in the folio edition of this writer's works, which issued at Basle, a. d. i563,»9
in hexameter verse, has been published by D'Achery. 3' This Martyro- logiumPoeticum"willbefoundamongtheascetic'spoeticalworks;3' anda complete collection33 of his writings has been edited by the Rev. J. A. Giles, D. C. L. , from the original Latin, with an English translation. 3* No saint later than Wilfrid3s is found in the metrical Martyrology,36 while it omits severalsaintsfoundintheproseMartyrology,37attributedtoBede. s^ The former is a very brief composition, containing only a few hexameter lines,
and in that published at Cologne, a. d. 1612. 30 The Martyrology of Bede, "
"
astica Gentis Anglorum," is a work of rare value and authenticity. "' It was
under headings of the several months. 39 His celebrated
Historia Ecclesi-
' •yItissaidtobetakenfromAdo's Mar-
tyrology," and not to be Bede's compilation.
»•
735.
3* All that has reference to Irish saints
may be found under—the title Martius, and :
Hcnschinius at first attributed this to
Florvis, but afterwards to Bede. Edited in these two lines
from six different MSS. , he pub'ished it
in the "Acta Sanctorum" Januarii, tomus
i. , Prffifacio, p. 40, and again tomus ii. ,
Martii, Prolegomina, sec. 5 et seq. Smith
published it, "cum auctario Flori," in his
folio edition ; while Eckarthus gave a con-
tinuation to it, from a Wirceburg manuscript. See his work, "Commentaria de Rebus
" Patricius Domini servus conscendit ad
aulam,
Cuthbertus denas tenuit temasque Ka-
lendas. "
This Martyrology was first found by Ma- billon at Rheims, and bearing the name of Bede, as its author. The Rev. Mr. Giles calls it a "dull and heavy composition. "
37 As restored in the Bollandists' "Acta
Francise Oriental's et Episcopis Wirceburg,"
tomus i. , pp. 829, 830. Wirceburg, 1729. Sanctorum. "
Such is the statement of Mabillon in " Acta
Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti," sec. iii. ,
pars i.
^ In eight volumes. See vol. iii. , pp.
380 to 487.
3" In eight volumes. See vol. iii. , pp.
Mabillon's Acta Ordinis S. Benedicti, sec. iii. , p. 560, and sec. iv. , ii. , p. 85.
3* In Rev. J. A. Giles' edition, published at London in 1843, i^^ twelve volumes, 8vo.
In vol. i. , pp. 50 to 53, the " Martyrologium Poeticum," with a Prologue will be found ; and in vol. iv. , pp. 16 to 172, the "Martyr- ologium" in Prose is contained.
33 From previously printed editions, and from MSS.
"^ The enumeration of Venerable Bede's works is given in JohnofTrittenhem's "Ca- talogus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. Ii. , a, b.
35 He died A. D.
3* A Martyrology, forming a sort of al-
277 et seq. 3' See "
putus Vulgaris," is found in the folio editions
of Basle, vol. i. , pp. 242 to 266, an:l o Co-
logne, vol i. , pp. 191 to 213. This is said
to have been written by Wandelbertus Prumiensis. See Oudin, "Comment,"
tomus
and the new edition, vol. ii. , p. 23. Also,
tomus
39 " Two other tracts, entitled, ' Liber
Annalis,' and forming a kind of Martyro- logy) are found in Martene and Durand's
'
Collectio Veterum Scriptorum,' vol. vi. ; but they are of no importance, and the editors themselves allow, that very little of them can claim to be the production of
Bede. " See Rev. J. A. Giles' "Complete Works of Venerable Bede," vol. iv. , pp. iv. , v. .