1 Therefore, we have reason to
mistrust
many
improbable accounts which they present.
improbable accounts which they present.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
Kavanaghs interred within the choir.
The date of death inscribed on their headstones is 1717 and 1753 respectively.
23 Such is the substance of information
and of descriptive particulars obtained by a visit to this place in April, 187 1.
24 See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Tertia ad Acta S. Columbse, pars, i. , p. 470.
25 See the "Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
222, 223.
26
See "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," Sheet 16.
27 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (k), p. 212.
28
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," QuartaVitaS. Columbre,n. 2Q, pp. 373,374.
i.
"9 In the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. See the Fifth Chapter of his Life,
3° See the -drmalA Ubvoh, or "Annals of Ulster," edited by William M. Hennessy, vol. i. , pp. 102, 103.
31 See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hiberni- carum Scriptores," tomus ii.
32 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 222, 223.
33
jror jts supposed position in Wicklow,
see Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart,
or Book of Rights," n. (d), p. 207.
34 "ErnineusidestMornocusdeRath-noi
in Hi-Garrchon, id est, in Fotharta Lagenise, et de Kill-Droigneach in Hi-Drona. "
& " Erneneus, id est Mernocus filius
Cresseni, de Rath-naoi in Hy-Garchon in
Lagenia, et Kill-Droighneach in Hi- Drona. "
268
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 18.
referred
by
Bishop Forbes, to the ist of March, or to the 18th 6 August,*
whereheisidentifiedwithSt. ErnenusorErnin,i. e. , MernogofRathnoiin
Ui Garchon, i. e. , in Fotharta, Leinster, and of Cill-draighnech in Ui Drona.
This saint is known in Scotland as Marnan, or with the diminutive termina- tionasMarnochorMarnock. However,althoughtheScottishsaintMarnan or Marnock is praised for his episcopal virtues and his gift for preaching the word of God, and so far resembling the Irish St. Ernan, yet it is not probable they could have been one and the same person. Of late years, a handsome Catholic Chapel has been built at Rathnew, by Rev. Canon William Dillon, P. P. of Wicklow, and it has been dedicated to St. Ernin. It may be well to observe,thatthewordMernocisacontractionofMo-Ernin-occ. Suchaname ispreservedinthetwoKilmarnocksandalsoinInchmarnoc,Scotland. 37 The
" and the suffix " indicate the prefix mo, signifying my," occ, meaning little,"
idea of affection and familiarity, as annexed to the original name. *8
Article III. —St. Feidhlimjdh, Son of Crimhthann, King of Munster. At this date, the name of Feidhlimidli has not been entered in the Martyrology of Tallagh ; but, it has been introduced into copies, tran- scribed after the death of Saints Maelruin and yEngus, at the 28th of the pre- sentmonth. ThisprinceiscalledFeidhlimidh,MacorsonofCrimhthainn. HeruledasKingofMunster. Thisprinceissaidtohavebeenthebestof the Irish in his time ; and yet, he died of an internal wound, inflicted through the miracle of God and of St. Kiarain. An Irish elegy was composed after his death. He this life, on the 18th of
Article IV. —Reputed Feast of Salust, Companion of St. Dysibod. Atthe8thofJuly,wheretheActsofSt. Disibodaretobefound, allusion has been made already to one of his missionary companions, named
departed
day has been assigned, as the festival for this pious prince of Munster, viz. , the 281I1 of August. To this latter date, the reader is referred for some notices concerning him.
ever,
sanctity
Camerarius has
given Bollandists, having
p. 392.
was celebrated on the 25th of October.
38 See Rev. William- Reeves' Adamnan's
chap. ii.
a See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Au-
11
Life of St. Col—umba," n. (i. ), pp. 25, 26.
gusti xviii.
Among the pretermitted saints,
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
' Article iii. See
p. 518.
Article v. — See "Acta Sanctorum,"
2
no memorial of his
or veneration,
August,
him a festival, at the 18th of How- August.
Salust. 1
the
merely note the entry of his name, as found in the "Vita S. Disibodi,"
published by Surius.
Article V. —Reputed Feast of St. Jeron or Hieron, Martyr, in
Holland. On the 18th of in a Calendar, noticed the Bollandists, 1 August, by
was found an unwarranted feast set down for St. Jeron or Hieron, Martyr, in Holland. However, it seems to have been a mistake, as his true festival was on the day 'preceding, where we have already inserted his Acts.
Article VI. —St. Ronan. There are several saints bearing this name, included in the Irish Calendars ; but of most, we have nothing left to deter- mine their identity or period, or even the localities with which they were
36 See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 472, 473. — Volume
Article iv. ' See the Seventh
37 In the Breviary of Aberdeen, the festi- of this work, at that date, Art. ii. , Life val of a St. Mernoc, patron of Kilmarnock, of St. Disibod, Bishop and Confessor,
1
a. d. x Another 845.
August 18. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 269
respectively connected. At the 18th of August, the Martyrology of Donegal 1 registers a festival in honour of Ronan, having in like manner, no further designation. In Scotland, also, this name appears to have been known, and it is found as a compound word in local denominations. On the east side of
Iona, there is an old church, Tempul Ronain, and a village at a landing place, 2
called Port Ronan, a little to the south of the cathedral and chief group of
antiquities there. Tempul Ronain was formerly a parish church, dependent on the Monastefy of Iona. It had a nunnery connected, in which several
prioresses
are said to have been buried. 3 Towards the close of the last cen-
St. Ronan's Bay and Village, Iona.
tury, the nunnery church was quite entire, one end of it being arched and verybeautiful; thenalsostoodtheparishchurchentire,buttottering. 4This was a building about the size of St. Oran's chapel, and north-east of the nunnery,butinsideofitsenclosures Itisnotknown,however,towhichof the saints named Ronan, this place had been dedicated.
Article VIL—St. Colman, of Chule or Cuile. According to the
of * and of 2 veneration was given to Colman, Martyrologies Tallagh Donegal,
of Chule or Cuil, at the 18th of August. There was an ancient castle, and
perhaps a church, at Coole, in the old territory, known as Dealbhna Eathra,
otherwise Delvin Mac Coghlan, included in the present barony of Garrycastle,
King's County.
3
tomus iii. , Augustii xviii.
termitted feasts, p. 518. x
2 The accompanying illustration is from a Article \ti. Edited by Rev.
Among the pre-
" Additional Notes
Article vi. — Edited by Drs. Todd of St. Columba. "
P,
and Reeves, pp. 222, 223. Topographia Hye—nsis, sect, i. , p. 416. 1
Dr. sketch taken on the spot, by Miss Mary Kelly, p. xxxii. In the Irish of the Book
McHardy. It was transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, and it was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
of
of Leinster Copy, the entry is Colman Chute, at the xv. of the September Kalends. 2 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
222, 223.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. v. , n. (y), p. 1346.
3 to Martin's " According
Description the Western Isles of Scotland," p. 262.
4 See "Old Statistical Account of Scot-
land," chap, xiv. , p. 202.
s See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life
270 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19. Article VIII. —St, Odhran. The simple entry, Odhran, occurs in the
1
at the 18th of August. Nothing more particular is on record regarding him.
ArticleIX. —St. Martan. WereadintheMartyrologyofTallagh,
2
ARTICLE I. —ST. MOCHTA OR MOCHTEUS, BISHOP OF LOUTH, COUNTY OF LOUTH.
FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES,
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—SOURCES FOR THE ACTS OF ST. MOCHTA OR MOCHTEUS—HIS ORIGIN AND BIRTH—HE LEAVES BRITAIN FOR IRELAND—HIS STUDIES THERE—HIS JOURNEY TO ROME AND PURSUITS—HE RECEIVES THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFF'S BENEDICTION AND RETURNS WITH TWELVE DISCIPLES TO IRELAND.
TO enjoy the greatest of temporal blessings, health, and its usual
concomitant, a good old age, the moral laws of temperance, industry
\
Martyrology of Donegal,
that a festival in honour of Martan was celebrated at the 18th of August.
&meteent! j 2Bap of augusit
and regularity of life must co-operate. We must be self-denying and even conquer our natural inclinations, for the sake of best observing both the moralandthephysicallawsofourbeing. Asageneralrule,amanwhobest obeys the moral law for adequate religious reward best obeys the other, for social and economic reasons. Hence it so frequently happens, that even those who practise penance and mortification, within reasonable limits, and who otherwise lead holy lives, are allowed by the Almighty to remain long in this world, before they are called to enjoy the rewards of eternal life. In the present instance, the servant of God whose Acts are here under con- sideration lived for many years, according to received traditions
it may be, that these have been exaggerated, but it seems most likely that, the patriarchal St. Mochta's days were long in the land, which he blessed and improved by
his Christian career and faithful ministry.
The only old authority—if it can be so called—for St. Mochta's Acts is a
Latin Life, but apparently not very ancient, and written long after his time.
However, this Life has been chosen for most of the statements which refer
to his early period, and it has been printed by our later hagiographers. Those
Acts, although short, seem to have been composed by a foreigner, and they are crammed with fables.
1 Therefore, we have reason to mistrust many
improbable accounts which they present. This chief ancient Life of St. Mochteus was written by some anonymous author, and it was published from
Book of Leinster Copy,
Article i. —Chapter i. —* Such is
Article viii. — Edited by Drs. Todd and 222,
Reeves, pp. — 223.
'
Article ix. Edited by
Rev.
In Irish, the entry is tttApcan, in the
Kelly, p. xxxii. 2
"
chap, vii. , sect, vii. , n. 75, p. 349.
Dr.
statement of Rev. Dr. Lanigan. See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
the
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 271
a Salamancan Manuscript by Colgan, at the 24th of March. 2 At that day, notices of this holy man have been already set down, as relating to one of his festivals, in the Third Volume of this work ;3 but, the present date appears tohavebeenregardedashischieffeast. ArchbishopUssherstates,thatheused some Manuscript, from which his account of this saint, called Moctheus, was taken ;* but, it does not appear to have been materially different from the fore- mentioned Life of our saint, and to this he makes additions, by quoting from later writers. The Bollandists have published the Acts of St. Mochta, in a more enlarged form. s To these, they add a Previous Commentary,6 besides notes. ? Some notices regarding this saint have been set down by Bale 8 and Pitts,9 in their respective collections. From Colgan's collections, Bishop Challoner IO and the Rev. Alban Butler " have given some notices of this saint. Likewise, the Rev. Dr. 12 and Rev. S. x 3 have
1
Bollandistes. * In the Codex Salmanticensis, a Manuscript IS preserved in
the Burgundian Library at Bruxelles, there are Acts of St. Mocteus ; and
Lanigan Baring-Gould accounts of him. At this date, also, a notice of him occurs in the Petits
this has been Manuscript
the
Marquis of Bute, it having been edited by the Jesuit Fathers Carolus de
Smedt and
Joseph
s See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
iii. , Augusti xix. De S. Mocteo vel Mochteo,
Episcopo Lugmadensi in Hibernia, pp. 736 to 747.
6
In four sections and thirty-five para-
graphs.
I These Acts are edited by Father John
Pinius, S. J.
8 See "Scriptorum Illustrium Majoris
Britannise, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus," cent, i. , cap. xlvi.
9 See "Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," num. xxxvii.
10 See " Britannia Sancta," part ii. , p. 89. " "See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs
and other principal Saints," vol. vii. , August xix. , p. 89.
12
See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, xii. , pp. 308 to 312.
published
by
Right
John Patrick,
measure to illustrate St. Mochta's Acts while allusions to him are to be ;
found, in the Lives of other Irish saints. Thispatriarch'snameisfoundundervariousforms. ItisusuallyLatinized
Mochteus. He may be the Maucteus or Mochod who is named in the
18 T
Annals of Ulster. By Joceline, he is called Mocteus. 9 Other writers name
him Macteus, Mauctanus, and Mocthseus. In some editions of Adamnan, his name is written Mauctaneus,20 and in others Maucteus. 21 The latter is the form adopted by Henricus Canisius. Also, his name has been written Maveteus. ByPittsandotherwriters,suchasPossuevin,Bale,Gesner,his name is given Maccaeus. This name is commonly written Mochta in Irish, and sometimes Machta. Some writers have asserted,22 that his proper name was Bacchiarius, and that his cognomen was Macceus. However, Colgan supposes such variation to arise from the carelessness of scribes ; by substi-
8"
See Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xxiv. Also, chap, vii. , sect, vii. , pp. 346, 347,
Martii. Vita S. Mochtei Episcopi Lugma- 349.
densis, pp. 729 to 737.
3 See Art. ix.
4 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xvii. , pp. 444 to 446.
'3 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. ,
August 19, p. 182.
I+ See "Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
e
xix Jour d'Aout, p. 19.
l5 It is classed vol, xxii.
l6 Under the title " Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernias," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 903 to 914.
*? See his Life, at the 17th of March, in
the Third Volume of this work, Art i. ,
chap. xxi.
l8
SeeatA. D. 471, 511, 527.
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxxxiv. , cxxxv. , pp. 94, 95.
20 As in that of St. Columba's Acts taken "ex Membranis Augia Divitis, in Ger- mania," and edited by Colgan, in " Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columba, Secunda Prsefacio, p. 336.
=' "
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life
of St. Columba," Secunda Prsefacio, p. 6. "Among these are Pitts, Gesner and Bale.
16
Hon.
de Backer. Various Lives of St. Patrick J 7 serve in a
272
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19,
tuting B for m, and cchi for chte or cte, besides setting up ri for ;/ ; thus pre- senting Bacchiarius, or as Honorius has it Baccseianus, when Machtheanus, or as Adamnan writes this name Mauctaneus, should be read. Moreover, to account for the mistakes that have been made regarding the spelling of his name, or the rendering of it under such very distinct forms ; Colgan offers a supposition, that it may have arisen, because works or a work written may have been found, in some instances, now under the name of Bachiarius, and again under that of Mocteus.
The present saint has' probably been confounded with Bachiarius,*? a Christian philosopher, who is noticed by Gennadius 2J> of Marseilles, who flourished towards the close of the fifth century, under the empire of Anastasius. That Bachiarius is stated to have been desirous of serving God by a pilgrimage undertaken to preserve his own integrity of life, and to have written useful works, only one of which on Faith, had been read by Genna- dius. 25 Another writer of the twelfth
century,
and scholastic of the church Augustodunensis, in Burgundy, seems to have
copied the foregoing account of Gennadius, when treating about Bachiarius,
regarding whom little appears to be known. Yet, it is stated, that he was a
2? 28 in at anda Briton, by Bale and Pitts, educated the Monastery Bangor,
disciple of St. Patrick. By Miraeus, he is called an Irishman, and he is
thought to have flourished about the year 440. He is also called Maccaeus 2 9 ;
yet not by the two earlier writers that have here been named. By Bale, lie is designated Bachiarius Macceus ; by Pitts, Bacharius Maccaeus ; and by Gesner, Barchiarius Macceus ; while by others, he is called Bacciarius and Bacchianus. The name is also found written Baitharius, Batchianus and Batchanus. Nevertheless,PossevindistinguishesBacciarius,fromMaccaeus, the Briton, and the disciple of St. Patrick, regarding whom he does not profess to know so much as should lead him to pronounce any opinion^ The learned Muratori is of opinion, that Bachiarius, whose little tract on Faith,
12
or as sometimes called the Apology^ had been edited by him,3 was not
a Briton, although he could not determine to what other country that writer belonged.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii xxiv. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochtei, cap. 4, p. 735.
24 He was a Priest, who wrote various
works, but of these none have been pre- served, except a book, sometimes quoted as
potuit scribere commode atque orthodoxe sed in auctore ignoto nihil praescribo. Vixisse ferunt an. cdlx. "—" In Apparatu Sacro. "
3 ' This Manuscript was found in the Am- brosian Library, at Milan ; and Muratori thought that it was at least one thousand
23 See
Colgan's
corum Historia Literaria," &c, vol. p. 213.
2 7 See " Illustrium Scriptorum
ii. ,
" De Virislllustribus,"and sometimes " De
Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis," with another,
intituled " Epistola de Fide mea," and rum Historia Literaria," vol. i. , p. 429.
sometimes known as " Libellus de Ecclesias-
ticis Dogmatibus. " The first of these works
contains one hundred short notices of eccle-
siastical writers from about A. D. 392 to A. D. probaverit, haec autem si improbaverit,
" Ecclesiasticorum Historia Literaria," vol. i. ,
495. See Dr. William Cave's
Scriptorum
;
pp. 464, 465.
iS It is added " in quo satisfacit Pontifici :
Urbis, adversus querelos et infamatores pere-
grinationis sua? , et indicat, se non timore
hominum, sed Dei, earn peregrinationcm years old, judging from the form of the
26 known as Honorius, a priest
Majoris Britannice, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam
vocant, Catalogus," cent, i. , cap. xlvi. 28 "
See Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," num. xxxvii.
29 "
See Cave's Scriptorum Ecclesiastico-
9° He writes : Quod autem asserant ipsum edidisse librum de fide perseverante : alterum vero de judiciis nativitalum ; illam si recte
letters. He believed, likewise, that Bachia- rius must have written it about A. C. cccxc.
32 In his " Anecdota ex collection, quae
Ambrosianse Bibliothecae Codicibus nunc See an account of himself and of his primum eruit, Notis et Disquisitionibus
suscepisse, ut exiens de terra sua, et cogna-
t—ione sua, cohoeres fieret Abrahns patriarchae. " "
Miracus, Eibliotheca Ecclesiastica," cap.
xxiv. , p. 50. 16
writings
in Cave's " Ecclesiasti- auxit. " Ludivico Antonio Muratori, tomus Scriptorum
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 273
Before our saint was ushered into the world, his future holiness had been indicated in a miraculous manner. 33 The name given to his mother is Cumain or Cumman, by one authority,34 while the name of his father appears to be unknown. His coming into this world may probably be referred to the beginningofthefifthcentury. St. MochteuswasaBritonbybirth,according
to the account contained in his Acts, and as found in other ancient writings.
23 Such is the substance of information
and of descriptive particulars obtained by a visit to this place in April, 187 1.
24 See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Tertia ad Acta S. Columbse, pars, i. , p. 470.
25 See the "Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
222, 223.
26
See "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," Sheet 16.
27 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (k), p. 212.
28
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," QuartaVitaS. Columbre,n. 2Q, pp. 373,374.
i.
"9 In the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. See the Fifth Chapter of his Life,
3° See the -drmalA Ubvoh, or "Annals of Ulster," edited by William M. Hennessy, vol. i. , pp. 102, 103.
31 See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hiberni- carum Scriptores," tomus ii.
32 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 222, 223.
33
jror jts supposed position in Wicklow,
see Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart,
or Book of Rights," n. (d), p. 207.
34 "ErnineusidestMornocusdeRath-noi
in Hi-Garrchon, id est, in Fotharta Lagenise, et de Kill-Droigneach in Hi-Drona. "
& " Erneneus, id est Mernocus filius
Cresseni, de Rath-naoi in Hy-Garchon in
Lagenia, et Kill-Droighneach in Hi- Drona. "
268
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 18.
referred
by
Bishop Forbes, to the ist of March, or to the 18th 6 August,*
whereheisidentifiedwithSt. ErnenusorErnin,i. e. , MernogofRathnoiin
Ui Garchon, i. e. , in Fotharta, Leinster, and of Cill-draighnech in Ui Drona.
This saint is known in Scotland as Marnan, or with the diminutive termina- tionasMarnochorMarnock. However,althoughtheScottishsaintMarnan or Marnock is praised for his episcopal virtues and his gift for preaching the word of God, and so far resembling the Irish St. Ernan, yet it is not probable they could have been one and the same person. Of late years, a handsome Catholic Chapel has been built at Rathnew, by Rev. Canon William Dillon, P. P. of Wicklow, and it has been dedicated to St. Ernin. It may be well to observe,thatthewordMernocisacontractionofMo-Ernin-occ. Suchaname ispreservedinthetwoKilmarnocksandalsoinInchmarnoc,Scotland. 37 The
" and the suffix " indicate the prefix mo, signifying my," occ, meaning little,"
idea of affection and familiarity, as annexed to the original name. *8
Article III. —St. Feidhlimjdh, Son of Crimhthann, King of Munster. At this date, the name of Feidhlimidli has not been entered in the Martyrology of Tallagh ; but, it has been introduced into copies, tran- scribed after the death of Saints Maelruin and yEngus, at the 28th of the pre- sentmonth. ThisprinceiscalledFeidhlimidh,MacorsonofCrimhthainn. HeruledasKingofMunster. Thisprinceissaidtohavebeenthebestof the Irish in his time ; and yet, he died of an internal wound, inflicted through the miracle of God and of St. Kiarain. An Irish elegy was composed after his death. He this life, on the 18th of
Article IV. —Reputed Feast of Salust, Companion of St. Dysibod. Atthe8thofJuly,wheretheActsofSt. Disibodaretobefound, allusion has been made already to one of his missionary companions, named
departed
day has been assigned, as the festival for this pious prince of Munster, viz. , the 281I1 of August. To this latter date, the reader is referred for some notices concerning him.
ever,
sanctity
Camerarius has
given Bollandists, having
p. 392.
was celebrated on the 25th of October.
38 See Rev. William- Reeves' Adamnan's
chap. ii.
a See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Au-
11
Life of St. Col—umba," n. (i. ), pp. 25, 26.
gusti xviii.
Among the pretermitted saints,
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
' Article iii. See
p. 518.
Article v. — See "Acta Sanctorum,"
2
no memorial of his
or veneration,
August,
him a festival, at the 18th of How- August.
Salust. 1
the
merely note the entry of his name, as found in the "Vita S. Disibodi,"
published by Surius.
Article V. —Reputed Feast of St. Jeron or Hieron, Martyr, in
Holland. On the 18th of in a Calendar, noticed the Bollandists, 1 August, by
was found an unwarranted feast set down for St. Jeron or Hieron, Martyr, in Holland. However, it seems to have been a mistake, as his true festival was on the day 'preceding, where we have already inserted his Acts.
Article VI. —St. Ronan. There are several saints bearing this name, included in the Irish Calendars ; but of most, we have nothing left to deter- mine their identity or period, or even the localities with which they were
36 See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 472, 473. — Volume
Article iv. ' See the Seventh
37 In the Breviary of Aberdeen, the festi- of this work, at that date, Art. ii. , Life val of a St. Mernoc, patron of Kilmarnock, of St. Disibod, Bishop and Confessor,
1
a. d. x Another 845.
August 18. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 269
respectively connected. At the 18th of August, the Martyrology of Donegal 1 registers a festival in honour of Ronan, having in like manner, no further designation. In Scotland, also, this name appears to have been known, and it is found as a compound word in local denominations. On the east side of
Iona, there is an old church, Tempul Ronain, and a village at a landing place, 2
called Port Ronan, a little to the south of the cathedral and chief group of
antiquities there. Tempul Ronain was formerly a parish church, dependent on the Monastefy of Iona. It had a nunnery connected, in which several
prioresses
are said to have been buried. 3 Towards the close of the last cen-
St. Ronan's Bay and Village, Iona.
tury, the nunnery church was quite entire, one end of it being arched and verybeautiful; thenalsostoodtheparishchurchentire,buttottering. 4This was a building about the size of St. Oran's chapel, and north-east of the nunnery,butinsideofitsenclosures Itisnotknown,however,towhichof the saints named Ronan, this place had been dedicated.
Article VIL—St. Colman, of Chule or Cuile. According to the
of * and of 2 veneration was given to Colman, Martyrologies Tallagh Donegal,
of Chule or Cuil, at the 18th of August. There was an ancient castle, and
perhaps a church, at Coole, in the old territory, known as Dealbhna Eathra,
otherwise Delvin Mac Coghlan, included in the present barony of Garrycastle,
King's County.
3
tomus iii. , Augustii xviii.
termitted feasts, p. 518. x
2 The accompanying illustration is from a Article \ti. Edited by Rev.
Among the pre-
" Additional Notes
Article vi. — Edited by Drs. Todd of St. Columba. "
P,
and Reeves, pp. 222, 223. Topographia Hye—nsis, sect, i. , p. 416. 1
Dr. sketch taken on the spot, by Miss Mary Kelly, p. xxxii. In the Irish of the Book
McHardy. It was transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, and it was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
of
of Leinster Copy, the entry is Colman Chute, at the xv. of the September Kalends. 2 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
222, 223.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. v. , n. (y), p. 1346.
3 to Martin's " According
Description the Western Isles of Scotland," p. 262.
4 See "Old Statistical Account of Scot-
land," chap, xiv. , p. 202.
s See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life
270 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19. Article VIII. —St, Odhran. The simple entry, Odhran, occurs in the
1
at the 18th of August. Nothing more particular is on record regarding him.
ArticleIX. —St. Martan. WereadintheMartyrologyofTallagh,
2
ARTICLE I. —ST. MOCHTA OR MOCHTEUS, BISHOP OF LOUTH, COUNTY OF LOUTH.
FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES,
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—SOURCES FOR THE ACTS OF ST. MOCHTA OR MOCHTEUS—HIS ORIGIN AND BIRTH—HE LEAVES BRITAIN FOR IRELAND—HIS STUDIES THERE—HIS JOURNEY TO ROME AND PURSUITS—HE RECEIVES THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFF'S BENEDICTION AND RETURNS WITH TWELVE DISCIPLES TO IRELAND.
TO enjoy the greatest of temporal blessings, health, and its usual
concomitant, a good old age, the moral laws of temperance, industry
\
Martyrology of Donegal,
that a festival in honour of Martan was celebrated at the 18th of August.
&meteent! j 2Bap of augusit
and regularity of life must co-operate. We must be self-denying and even conquer our natural inclinations, for the sake of best observing both the moralandthephysicallawsofourbeing. Asageneralrule,amanwhobest obeys the moral law for adequate religious reward best obeys the other, for social and economic reasons. Hence it so frequently happens, that even those who practise penance and mortification, within reasonable limits, and who otherwise lead holy lives, are allowed by the Almighty to remain long in this world, before they are called to enjoy the rewards of eternal life. In the present instance, the servant of God whose Acts are here under con- sideration lived for many years, according to received traditions
it may be, that these have been exaggerated, but it seems most likely that, the patriarchal St. Mochta's days were long in the land, which he blessed and improved by
his Christian career and faithful ministry.
The only old authority—if it can be so called—for St. Mochta's Acts is a
Latin Life, but apparently not very ancient, and written long after his time.
However, this Life has been chosen for most of the statements which refer
to his early period, and it has been printed by our later hagiographers. Those
Acts, although short, seem to have been composed by a foreigner, and they are crammed with fables.
1 Therefore, we have reason to mistrust many
improbable accounts which they present. This chief ancient Life of St. Mochteus was written by some anonymous author, and it was published from
Book of Leinster Copy,
Article i. —Chapter i. —* Such is
Article viii. — Edited by Drs. Todd and 222,
Reeves, pp. — 223.
'
Article ix. Edited by
Rev.
In Irish, the entry is tttApcan, in the
Kelly, p. xxxii. 2
"
chap, vii. , sect, vii. , n. 75, p. 349.
Dr.
statement of Rev. Dr. Lanigan. See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
the
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 271
a Salamancan Manuscript by Colgan, at the 24th of March. 2 At that day, notices of this holy man have been already set down, as relating to one of his festivals, in the Third Volume of this work ;3 but, the present date appears tohavebeenregardedashischieffeast. ArchbishopUssherstates,thatheused some Manuscript, from which his account of this saint, called Moctheus, was taken ;* but, it does not appear to have been materially different from the fore- mentioned Life of our saint, and to this he makes additions, by quoting from later writers. The Bollandists have published the Acts of St. Mochta, in a more enlarged form. s To these, they add a Previous Commentary,6 besides notes. ? Some notices regarding this saint have been set down by Bale 8 and Pitts,9 in their respective collections. From Colgan's collections, Bishop Challoner IO and the Rev. Alban Butler " have given some notices of this saint. Likewise, the Rev. Dr. 12 and Rev. S. x 3 have
1
Bollandistes. * In the Codex Salmanticensis, a Manuscript IS preserved in
the Burgundian Library at Bruxelles, there are Acts of St. Mocteus ; and
Lanigan Baring-Gould accounts of him. At this date, also, a notice of him occurs in the Petits
this has been Manuscript
the
Marquis of Bute, it having been edited by the Jesuit Fathers Carolus de
Smedt and
Joseph
s See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
iii. , Augusti xix. De S. Mocteo vel Mochteo,
Episcopo Lugmadensi in Hibernia, pp. 736 to 747.
6
In four sections and thirty-five para-
graphs.
I These Acts are edited by Father John
Pinius, S. J.
8 See "Scriptorum Illustrium Majoris
Britannise, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus," cent, i. , cap. xlvi.
9 See "Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," num. xxxvii.
10 See " Britannia Sancta," part ii. , p. 89. " "See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs
and other principal Saints," vol. vii. , August xix. , p. 89.
12
See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, xii. , pp. 308 to 312.
published
by
Right
John Patrick,
measure to illustrate St. Mochta's Acts while allusions to him are to be ;
found, in the Lives of other Irish saints. Thispatriarch'snameisfoundundervariousforms. ItisusuallyLatinized
Mochteus. He may be the Maucteus or Mochod who is named in the
18 T
Annals of Ulster. By Joceline, he is called Mocteus. 9 Other writers name
him Macteus, Mauctanus, and Mocthseus. In some editions of Adamnan, his name is written Mauctaneus,20 and in others Maucteus. 21 The latter is the form adopted by Henricus Canisius. Also, his name has been written Maveteus. ByPittsandotherwriters,suchasPossuevin,Bale,Gesner,his name is given Maccaeus. This name is commonly written Mochta in Irish, and sometimes Machta. Some writers have asserted,22 that his proper name was Bacchiarius, and that his cognomen was Macceus. However, Colgan supposes such variation to arise from the carelessness of scribes ; by substi-
8"
See Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xxiv. Also, chap, vii. , sect, vii. , pp. 346, 347,
Martii. Vita S. Mochtei Episcopi Lugma- 349.
densis, pp. 729 to 737.
3 See Art. ix.
4 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xvii. , pp. 444 to 446.
'3 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. ,
August 19, p. 182.
I+ See "Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
e
xix Jour d'Aout, p. 19.
l5 It is classed vol, xxii.
l6 Under the title " Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernias," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 903 to 914.
*? See his Life, at the 17th of March, in
the Third Volume of this work, Art i. ,
chap. xxi.
l8
SeeatA. D. 471, 511, 527.
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxxxiv. , cxxxv. , pp. 94, 95.
20 As in that of St. Columba's Acts taken "ex Membranis Augia Divitis, in Ger- mania," and edited by Colgan, in " Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columba, Secunda Prsefacio, p. 336.
=' "
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life
of St. Columba," Secunda Prsefacio, p. 6. "Among these are Pitts, Gesner and Bale.
16
Hon.
de Backer. Various Lives of St. Patrick J 7 serve in a
272
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19,
tuting B for m, and cchi for chte or cte, besides setting up ri for ;/ ; thus pre- senting Bacchiarius, or as Honorius has it Baccseianus, when Machtheanus, or as Adamnan writes this name Mauctaneus, should be read. Moreover, to account for the mistakes that have been made regarding the spelling of his name, or the rendering of it under such very distinct forms ; Colgan offers a supposition, that it may have arisen, because works or a work written may have been found, in some instances, now under the name of Bachiarius, and again under that of Mocteus.
The present saint has' probably been confounded with Bachiarius,*? a Christian philosopher, who is noticed by Gennadius 2J> of Marseilles, who flourished towards the close of the fifth century, under the empire of Anastasius. That Bachiarius is stated to have been desirous of serving God by a pilgrimage undertaken to preserve his own integrity of life, and to have written useful works, only one of which on Faith, had been read by Genna- dius. 25 Another writer of the twelfth
century,
and scholastic of the church Augustodunensis, in Burgundy, seems to have
copied the foregoing account of Gennadius, when treating about Bachiarius,
regarding whom little appears to be known. Yet, it is stated, that he was a
2? 28 in at anda Briton, by Bale and Pitts, educated the Monastery Bangor,
disciple of St. Patrick. By Miraeus, he is called an Irishman, and he is
thought to have flourished about the year 440. He is also called Maccaeus 2 9 ;
yet not by the two earlier writers that have here been named. By Bale, lie is designated Bachiarius Macceus ; by Pitts, Bacharius Maccaeus ; and by Gesner, Barchiarius Macceus ; while by others, he is called Bacciarius and Bacchianus. The name is also found written Baitharius, Batchianus and Batchanus. Nevertheless,PossevindistinguishesBacciarius,fromMaccaeus, the Briton, and the disciple of St. Patrick, regarding whom he does not profess to know so much as should lead him to pronounce any opinion^ The learned Muratori is of opinion, that Bachiarius, whose little tract on Faith,
12
or as sometimes called the Apology^ had been edited by him,3 was not
a Briton, although he could not determine to what other country that writer belonged.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii xxiv. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochtei, cap. 4, p. 735.
24 He was a Priest, who wrote various
works, but of these none have been pre- served, except a book, sometimes quoted as
potuit scribere commode atque orthodoxe sed in auctore ignoto nihil praescribo. Vixisse ferunt an. cdlx. "—" In Apparatu Sacro. "
3 ' This Manuscript was found in the Am- brosian Library, at Milan ; and Muratori thought that it was at least one thousand
23 See
Colgan's
corum Historia Literaria," &c, vol. p. 213.
2 7 See " Illustrium Scriptorum
ii. ,
" De Virislllustribus,"and sometimes " De
Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis," with another,
intituled " Epistola de Fide mea," and rum Historia Literaria," vol. i. , p. 429.
sometimes known as " Libellus de Ecclesias-
ticis Dogmatibus. " The first of these works
contains one hundred short notices of eccle-
siastical writers from about A. D. 392 to A. D. probaverit, haec autem si improbaverit,
" Ecclesiasticorum Historia Literaria," vol. i. ,
495. See Dr. William Cave's
Scriptorum
;
pp. 464, 465.
iS It is added " in quo satisfacit Pontifici :
Urbis, adversus querelos et infamatores pere-
grinationis sua? , et indicat, se non timore
hominum, sed Dei, earn peregrinationcm years old, judging from the form of the
26 known as Honorius, a priest
Majoris Britannice, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam
vocant, Catalogus," cent, i. , cap. xlvi. 28 "
See Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," num. xxxvii.
29 "
See Cave's Scriptorum Ecclesiastico-
9° He writes : Quod autem asserant ipsum edidisse librum de fide perseverante : alterum vero de judiciis nativitalum ; illam si recte
letters. He believed, likewise, that Bachia- rius must have written it about A. C. cccxc.
32 In his " Anecdota ex collection, quae
Ambrosianse Bibliothecae Codicibus nunc See an account of himself and of his primum eruit, Notis et Disquisitionibus
suscepisse, ut exiens de terra sua, et cogna-
t—ione sua, cohoeres fieret Abrahns patriarchae. " "
Miracus, Eibliotheca Ecclesiastica," cap.
xxiv. , p. 50. 16
writings
in Cave's " Ecclesiasti- auxit. " Ludivico Antonio Muratori, tomus Scriptorum
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 273
Before our saint was ushered into the world, his future holiness had been indicated in a miraculous manner. 33 The name given to his mother is Cumain or Cumman, by one authority,34 while the name of his father appears to be unknown. His coming into this world may probably be referred to the beginningofthefifthcentury. St. MochteuswasaBritonbybirth,according
to the account contained in his Acts, and as found in other ancient writings.
