This was
supposed
to have been derived from the name of Gaul.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
1691.
Here, also, died and was interred the renowned King Arthur—said to have been St.
David's nephew—on the 21st of May, A.
D.
542.
too forward zeale, and ouer-hasty actions in these behalfes, hath left vnto vs a want of many truths, and cause to wish that some of their imployments had beene better spent. " —See Speed's " Historie of Great Britaine. " Booke vii. , chap, xii. , pp. 272, 273.
'^ See Cough's Camden's "Britannia. "
'5 The principal one of these was St. Patrick Senior,towhomMarianusO'Corman alludes in his Martyrology, at the 24th of
:
a. d. here 435,
—
and his Queenes at his feete Monument, among
According to a bardic tradition, Speed re-
lates, that his body was deposited between
two Pyramids, standing in the churchyard August, in these words " S. Patricius
of Clastonbury. King Henry II, of Eng- Senex in Ros-dela in regione de Magh-
"
land caused the ground to be digged, and lacha, et in Clais na ngaehkel, id est,
at seven foot depth was found a huge broad
stone, wherein a Leaden Crosse was fastened,
and in that side that lay downward, in rude
and barbarous letters (as rudely set and con-
trived) this inscription written vpon that
side of the lead that was towards the stone. "
There is an engraving of this lead cross,
with an inscription, in very ancient lettering,
given : IIic JACET sepultus inclitus
Rex Arturius in insula Avalonia. Glastoniae Hibernorum quiescit senior Patri-
The cross of lead and its inscription had been long preserved in the Treasury or
Register of Glastonbury church, until the time of Henry VIII. , according to Stowe. The body of Queen Gueneuer, Arthur's wife, was found beside his own. Both were
cius. Haec enim est civitas in Aquilonari regione Saxonum, et Scoti habitant earn.
Ejus autem reliquiae jacent in reliquiario S. Patricii Ardmachias. " The Martyrologies
of St. . (Engus, Maguire and Donegal, as we are told, have similar accounts, regarding this St. Patrick Senior, at the 24th of
enclosed in the trunk of a tree, nine feet be- "''
low the huge broad stone. " Ten wounds
were traceable on the skull of King Arthur.
Finely platted tresses, in colour like gold,
remained on the queen's skull. On being
touched, these latter turned into dust. Of
this exhumation, Giraldus Cambrensis was
an eye-witness. "The bones of King
Arthur and of Queen Guineuer, his wife, by the direction of Henry de Bloys, Nephew to
King Henry the Second, and Abbot of
August. However, in The Martyrology of Donegal," published by Drs. Todd and Reeves, I find no mention regarding him, at the date in question.
'* He is said to have been the son of Nazaleod or Uther, and to have succeeded him, A. D. 514. The war of Badon and King Arthur's great victory are commemo- rated at A. D. 516. See "Annales Cam- briae," edited by Rev. John Williams, ab
Glassiae Hibernorum, qua est urbs in Aquilonari regione Saxonum : in qua olim
suscepta peregrinatione solebant Hibemi habitare : ejus autem reliquiae jacent in re- liquiario Senioris Patricii Ardmachias. " And the Calendar of Cashel, at the same day, has
"
quiescit in Ros dela in regione Maclacha
the following account :
Patricius Senior
quiescit. Sed secundum aliquos, et verius,
;
B
i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March i.
the heroic leader of the Britons, and the terror of their foes. We read, that
having been mortally wounded by ]\Iodred,'7 in Cornubia, near the river Kemelen, in the year of our Lord 542, Arthur had been brought to the Island of Avallon, so that his wound might be healed. Here he died, and was buried in the cemetery of the monks, during summer, and about the feast of Pentecost. His queen Guenevera was interred beside him. We are told, they rested in their grave for 648 years, when their remains were after- wards removed to the church. ^^ before the death of
larger Immediately
Arthur, in 542, he is said to have bequeathed his British crown to a kinsman,
named Constantine, son to Cador, Chief of Cornubia. Then, we are in-
formed, the most holy Archbishop of Caerleon, David, died in his city of Menevia, and within the Abbey, which he loved more than all the other reli- gious houses in his diocese. This was because, it had been founded by St. Patrick, who predicted his own nativity. ^9 Whilst sojourning in this monas- tery with his confreres, a sudden weakness, betokening the approach of death, came over him. By order of Malgon, King of the Venedoti, he was buried in the Church of Menevia. Then, after giving an account of Constantine's wars, it is said, he was killed by Conan, in the third year of his reign,^° which must have been, a. d. 545. ^'
Another recorded religious foundation, effected by St. David, was at Bath,^^ in Somersetshire. Here, we are told, that owing to his blessing,
Ithel, p. 3. Many fabulous and romantic Walter of Oxford, Geoffrey of Monmouth,
things have been related, concerning this re- Matthew of Westminster, Alan Insulensis, nownedchampionoftheBritishnation. He and the Annals of Winion monastery.
powerfully resisted the Pagan Saxons ; but, whether he was king of the Britons in
general, or only a Prince over Cornwall, is
uncertain. See Echard's " of History Eng-
Amongst Scottish writers, are John Fordun, John Major, and Hector Boetius, who ac- cord in tiieir several works. These are cited and followed Ussher.
vol. book
land," i. , i. , chap, ii. ,
'9
by Here, evidently,
the tradition popular
cent,
41. In another account, I find Uter" called Pendragon, of his Royal Banner bom ever before him ; wherein was pourtrayed a Dragon with a Golden Head, as in our English camps it is a—t this day born for the Imperial Standard. " Sir Richard Baker's
"Chronicle of the of Kings
Bollandist who "recte erui editor, says :
infra ex Vita, num. 17. mortuum esse anno
intermedio DXLIV. , quo cyclo solis XXL, litteris Dominicalibus CB, Kalendaj Martiae in feriam tertiam convenere : qui obitus ejus
"' characteres ibidem observantur. See 'Acta
Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii i. Vita S. Davidis. Commentarius Pr£evius, sect, ii. , n. 14, pp. 40, 41.
^^ The name, in the original account, is Badum. Camden has a description concern- ing it, in his account of Somersetshire. See
England," p. 4. By the same author, we are told, that Arthur was son "of the fair Lady Igren ;" but, we may well doubt the veracity of this account, as it has been connected with a fabulous and
an absurd tradition.
"
'' In I'olydori Vergilii Urbinatis An-
"
glicse Historian Libri Vigintiseptem, lib.
iii. , p. 60, this enemy of King Arthur is called "Mordredum nepotem. " He is said
to have excited insurrection, during the
king's absence on a warlike expedition,
the of Rome for its Mor- having city object.
dred is also said to have been killed in this battle. Polydore Virgil was bom about A. D. 1470, and he died in 1555. See notices
Coigau's Martii.
" Acta Sanctoram i. Hibemix,"
Vita S. Davidis, sect, ix. , p. 426,
regarding him and his writings, in the
''
Bio-
Camden's Brittannia," where it is de- scribed, as lying on the noble river Avon. It
"
is an ancient city,
its baths, TSara Qep/xa, or the IVartit
Waters; byAntoninusAqU/ESOLIS,bythe
Britons Yr ennaint twymin and. Caer
Badon, by the Saxons BathaucesU-r, Hat Bathan, and from the resort of the sick Akemanccstcr, q. d. the city of the sick ; by
Stcj)lianus Badiz<i, by us at present Bath,; and in niudcni Lutiu Bathouia, It stands
graphic Universelle, Ancienne et Modeme,
cr. Redige par une Societe de Gens de
Lcttres et de Savants. " Tome xxxv. , pp.
260, 261, 262.
called by Ptolemy from
'"
The foregoing account is set down in
some ancient records of Glastonbuiy church. "
See Monasticon Anglicanum," vol. i. , p. 7. 'i'lie writers of British history, who con-
firm this statement, are Tliomas Rudburii,
vi. , p.
has confounded the great Apostle of Ireland, with a St. Patrick, designated Senior.
^ Godfrey, or Geoffrey, of Monmouth,
gives the foregoing account in his Chronicle,
lib. ii. , cap. 2, 3, 4.
""
Such, at least, is the inference of the
and n. 13, p. 431, ibid. Also, Gough's ''
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 19
water, which heretofore had proved most deleterious to health, became after- wards most salubrious to persons washed by it. ^3 Whether, this account has any reference to the famous Thermal and warm water fountains, so well known and so long resorted to by invalids, we have no means left for ascer- taining. But, there is every reason for supposing such identification. =*+ Theseappeartohavebeenknown,fromthemostremoteantiquity. Yet,we can find no very satisfactory account, regarding the religious foundation of St. David, at this place. Probably, the materials used in its construction were not destined for a durability, greater than had been eftected in the case of Glastonbury. In all likelihood, it perished, during the destructive wars waged, at this period of British history.
Manyothermonasterieswereerectedbyoursaint. *s Yet,thesereligious
works seem to have been undertaken and executed, at a time, when social
disturbances prevailed over a great portion of Britain. ^^ The Picts, Scots
and Saxons had already made inroads on the disunited aboriginal inhabitants.
In 449, the Saxons first landed, as pretended auxiliaries of the Britons, on
theIsleofThanet. But,theysoonfoundorsoughtapretextforquarrelling
with their allies. The Saxon invasion of England levelled churches and
monasteries of the conquered Britons ; whilst Paganism and barbarism
triumphed over the early victories of Christianity, in Southern England. The
two last bishops of these vanquished Britons abandoned their churches and
pastoral charges of London and York, in 586. Carrying with them relics of
saints and consecrated vessels, they followed tribes of their people and race,
seeking refuge westwards amongst the inaccessible mountains of Wales. ^^
The Saxons now dreamed only of conquest, and an unrelenting struggle con-
tinued, almost without intermission, for a period of one hundred and fifty
years. Indeed, it never entirely ceased, until the warlike Saxon finally yielded
to the hardy and enterprising Danes and Normans, in the eleventh century.
Waleshadits
part,
intheseinternecinecontests ^ the of f but, early history
in a small plain, fenced as it were on every side by hills of equal height, from whence
perpetual springs descend into the city to the great convenience of the inhabitants. " See vol. i. , p. 61.
^3SeeTanner's"NotitiaMonastica; or, an Account of All the Abbies, Priories and Houses of Friers, formerly in England and
Wales," edited by James Nasmith, M. A. , Somersetshire. V. Bath, n. (k). This erudite and valuable edition is without any paging.
^'* We are informed by a modem Protes- tant historian, that "giving to the Bath
garded as identical with, "Seciunnistre. " In the text of Giraldus Cambrensis, we
waters the virtues they still retain
"
is one of
and learnedly written, on the history of this
early period, or ages subsequent thereto, and
which will give the reader more accurate
those miracles attributed to St. David.
"
See Eng- land," vol. i. , book ii. , p. 43. Translated
byN. Tindal, M. A.
'= In addition to those already named, the
Utrecht MS. says: "Postea Caulam et Keptum, Coluam et Glastum, deinde Seum- nistre, postea Raclam : hinc Langhemalach,
in quo postea altare missum accepit. " We are told, by the Bollandist editor, that these seven monasteries have been omitted, by other writers ; probably, because they had ceased to exist, at the period of their writing.
Two additional monasteries are named by
accounts, than Sharon Turner's
History of
Mon. De " of Thoyras Rapin's History
the in four volumes, 8vo. Anglo-Saxons,"
This work was first published in London, at
the close of the last, and beginning of the
present century,
^7 See Le Comte de Montalembert's work,
" Les Moines d'Occident, depuis Saint Benoitjusqu' a Saint Bernard," Tome iii. , livre X. , xii. For an interesting account of the Saxon conquests, over the Britons, may be consulted that interesting work : Percie Enderbie's " Cambria Triumphans, or Bri-
tain in its pe~fect lustre, shewing the Origin
and Antiquity of that illustrious Nation,
Second Tome, First Book,
-^
" Capgrave :
Lemustir et aliud in Govvir in Wallia. " But, perhaps, the fust may be re-
See that valuable and compendious
read :
''
Postea Croulam et Reptum, Colvan
et Glascum. Ex hinc Leonis monasterium,
Ragalan quoque in Wintse, et Langevelach
apudGoer,ubie—taltaremissumaDomino postea suscepit. " Lect. iii. Ricemarc has Repetun, for Reptum ; Colguan, for Colvan ; Leuministre, for Leonis ; Raglaiii in 7-e-
gione Guent, for Ragalan ; and Cuhir, for Goer.
^^ I know of no other work more
elegantly
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
this province requires further elucidation, from its numerous records yet
^9 existing.
This remarkable division of Britain, now for many ages past united to England, had been called " Britannia Secunda," under Roman rule. For- merly, it had been governed by its own rulers. When the Anglo-Saxons occupied most other parts of Britain, and had given different names to kingdoms founded by them, many people, retaining the name of Britons, fled into Wales, so that they might not dwell with the idolatrous Anglo-Saxons. In Wales, they lived under the rule of petty kings. Aftenvards, it is said, to have been named Cambria, or even, as many think, this had been its original denomination. Itisstillpoeticallyknownbythislattername. Amongthe people of Armoric Gaul and those Britons very friendly relations existed. The Armoric district was even called Britain, by the Gauls ; whilst the other Britain or Cambria had been designated Gualla and then Wallia.
This was supposed to have been derived from the name of Gaul. 3° Such derivation appears more probable, than one offered by an old English chronicler, that Wales took its appellation from a Princess, named Walia. 3^
AftergivinganaccountofSt. David'svariousreligiousfoundations,the Utrecht MS. relates, that he restored sight to a King Ertig,^^ who was a relation of his own. 33 Having established the cenobitical rule, in houses of his appointment, he prepared for a return to the place, whence he had set out, namely, Menevia, and there Bishop Duisdianus^* lived. He is also called Gweslan, and he was nearly related to St. David. 35 Here, while con- versing together on pious topics and in a friendly manner, they proposed re-
:
But an
said in their
" one in a hundred Scarcely
Angel
chap. i. , p. i8, chap, ii. , p. 21. There we
maining.
shall enjoy Heavenly rewards, in the place where you purpose serving God. But near this, there is another spot," showing Rossina valley,3^ " and of those
'*
Manual of British and Irish History," illustrated with Maps, Engravings, and Statistical, Chronological and Genealogical Tables,
work, the Rev. Thomas Flanagan's
autres qui chercherent une patrie dedans leur
propre patrie, se refugierent es pays appellez depuis et maintenent encor par les Anglois
Walla, ou Galles, & Coniwal. Appella- tions derivees du mot Welsh, ou Walsh, c'est k dire estranger & d'autre nation, entre les Germains. Car quant a ceux qui les ont voulu tirer des Gaulois, comme Bucanan, ou d'une Princesse appellee Walia, comme GeofroydeMonmouhh,il semblequeleurs conjectures sont foibles, & sans aucun fon- dement. "
3^ He is " cui nomen Pro-
" Some maintain that the inhabitants of Wales are not ancient Britons but Picts. Their principal reasons are, that the Welsh have not retained the old name Silures and Ordovices ; that the genealogies of their principal families almost invariably lead back to the Pictish kingdom of Strathclyde, or
;
language of the Picts, if we may judge from
Welsh. These
themselves conclusive, and they take it for granted that the Picts were a different race from the ancient Britons, a position by no means substantiated, and generally denied. " See ibid. , p. 24, note.
*9 The Welsh language affords upwards of a thousand, we will venture to say two thousand manuscripts of very considerable antiquity. See " The Mgvyrian Archiaology of Wales," vol. i. Preface.
3° See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
Martii i. Vita S. Davidis. Commentarius
Praevius, sect, i. , num. i. , p. 38.
3' Du Chesne, in his " Histoire Generale
read
the Valley of the Clyde
one or two words that remain, was decidedly
reasons, however,
are not in
33 HereRicemarc "Duo interposes :
and that the
called, Ergin
prius, by Giraldus. Lect. iii. Ricemarc
d'Angleterre, D'Ecosse, et DTrlande," divina providentia fidelium animarum the- Livre v. , p. 263, after giving an account of sauros elegit. " Lect. iii.
the dispersion into Armorica, adds : "Les 37 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
hearing :
has it,
''
"
Pepiau regem Erging. "
quo- que sancti Boducat et Maitrun in provincia
Celgueli dederunt sibi manus. "
34 QJraldus writes
:
" Erat autem codem
tempore ibidem episcopus avunculus ejus, vir venerabilis, cui nomen Gistlianus. " In another account, we have, " Giustilianus fratruelis ejus. "
3S See Rt. Rev. Patrick F. Moran's
"Early Irish Missions," No. i. , p. 21.
3* Ricemarc adds: "Quern vulgari no-
mine Hoduant Britones vocitant. " Giraldus
adds:
"
ubi sacrum hodie cimiterium extat,
longe religioni et sanctas congregation! com- petentior. Ex hoc nempe maximos sibi
[March i.
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
who shall be buried in its cemetery, scarcely one shall suffer the pains of hell, provided they fall not from the faith. "37
In a short time, the celebrity of St. David, as a master of the spiritual life, spread abroad, throughout his own country, and in more distant lands. Soon,manydisciplesbegantocollectaroundhim. Amongthese,wefind the Irish Saint Moedoc or Aidan, afterwards bishop of Ferns,3S gj_ Eiiud,39 who is called, also, Teilo,4° Theliaus, Teilaus, Teilanus or Teleanus, together withIsmael. Regardingthislatter,littleappearstobeknown; but,accord- ing to some accounts, Ismael is represented as the immediate successor of St. David. IsmaelisalsosaidtohavebeenadiscipleofDubricius,andto havebeenconsecratedbyTeilo. Whilethesethreesaints,withotherfellow- disciples, were one day in company, an Angel directed their course towards a place, where a fire was kindled. From this spot a column of smoke ascended. It seemed, not only to cover all the land of Britain, but it even enveloped the whole Island of Hibernia. We are told, that a certain in- habitant, named Boia,t' living in that part of Wales, trembled when he witnessed this sign. He felt so very much depressed in mind, that he spent the whole day in grief and fasting. When his wife asked the cause for his
: extraordinarydepressionofcountenanceandspirits,Boiarepliedtoher "I
have seen a smoke arising from Rossina valley, covering, as it were, the wholeland,andIfearthemysteryitconceals. Fromthisomen,Iundoubt- ingly anticipate, that he, who hath lighted such a fire, must excel all other
Martii i. Vita S. Davidis, cap. ii. , sect. 5,
p. 42.
2^ His Life will be found, at the 31st of
Jacitary.
•'9 According to some writers, this saint
immediately succeeded St. David, as bishop of Menevia. But, Giraldus Cambrensis tells us, that a Cenaucus or Kinocus was the immediate successor of our saint, and that
See Itinerarium Cambrise," lib. ii. , cap. i. , and Vita S. Davidis. Amongst the Charters of Donations granted by King Ido, son to Ynir Guent, as found in the Registry of Landaff, we find foremost the signatures of clergy, Teliaus Archiepiscopus ; "ille nimirum," adds Ussher, " quem Dividi sue
Menevenses, in sede vero Ladave—nsi Dubri- "
cio successisse alii tradiderunt. "Britan-
nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates,"cap. v. , p. 52. As Teilo succeeded Dubricius, in
the see of Landaff, it has been conjectured, that some error must have occurred in
placing his name amongst the Archbishops of St. David's See. —Examine " The Beau-
morganshire, on the 25th of November. Here, it is said, he had been educated under St. Dubritius and St. David. As another saint, bearing this name, has not been dis- covered, Herman Greuen or the Carthusian
Martyrology records his festival probably at "
the 9th of February, In Britannia S. Teil-
lani Confessoris. " The English Martyrology does not make him a confessor, but a martyr. It says, that he fell by the hand of a noble, called Gueddan, A. D. 626. Colgan remarks, that in the beginning of the seventh century a Saint Telleus or Telleanus, an Irishman, lived. He was descended from the family of Colla Dacrioch, as appears in the Mar- tyrologium Genealogicum, cap. 12, and Vita S. Munnse, cap. 10. He had been venerated at the church of Tegh-telle, in Westmeath, on the 25th of June, as would appear from the Martyrologies of Tallagh, Marianus O'Gorman, Maguire and Donegal. But, until the Acts of this Telleus or Teilo, mentioned in the text, came into Colgan's hands, or some valid source of evidence be- came available, our Irish hagiologist would not pronounce for their identity or distinc- tion. See "Acta Sanctomm Hiberniae," i. Martii. Vita S. Davidis, n. 16, pp. 431, 432.
after him came Eliud Teliau or Teilanus. "
ties of England and Wales," &c. South Wales. By Thomas Rees, F. S. A. Vol. xviii. , p. 847. Yet, his name, Eliud or Teilaus, is given as third in succession from St. David, in a list of Menevian
't" Teilo is said to have been, not a
but a fellow-disciple, with St. David. In the Utrecht MS. , the names of saints, men- tioned in the text, are not given.
'""Baia vocatus Scottus," says Rice- marc. HewasprobablyaDruidicalchief,
bishops, drawn up by Giraldus ; while, in another
disciple,
list, prepared by Godwin, on the authority of an ancient document, belonging to St. David's church, Eliud is represented as the second and Theliaus as the third bishop, suc-
our saint. See
Hence, to me, it does not seem clear, that Eliud was identical with Teilo. This latter, also known as Teilaus or Teleanus, was venerated, we are told, at Landaff, in Gla-
and he had - fortress in the strong
ceeding
ibid. , pp. 845, 846.
neigh- bourhood. See Rev. John Adams' " Chro-
nicles of Cornish Saints," V. S. David.
*^ The place where St. David and his
monks then lived is designated, "CoUegii
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i.
inhabitants of this land in power and glory. " His wife, who participated in these prejudices of her husband, advised the latter to gather a number of his followers and massacre those, who had lighted the fire. Having prepared to obey these her instructions, six of his followers were seized with fever on the way. The rest of these retainers, finding their object could not be accom- plished, returned, only to hear from Boia's wife, that their cattle had perished during their absence. On learning this news, they said one to another,
" Let us go back, and on bended knees entreat God's servants to remove theirbanfromourselvesandfromourcattle. " Thistheydidinallhumility, confessing their fault and shedding an abundance of tears, whilst they said : " May the land in which you live belong to you for ever. " St. David had compassion on them, and he affectionately told them, their animals should againcometolife; and,ashehadpromised,soithappened.
By other improper means, we are informed, Boia's wife contrived to render this place of habitations^ distasteful to the monks, and they proposed that St. David should abandon it. But their said "
holy superior : As, through many tribulations, persecutions and continuous wars against seven nations, whose destruction God had ordered, his Israelites came to the Land
of Promise ; so, at the present time, those, who desire rest in a heavenly country, must be exposed to many adversities, and yet not fail, but valiantly resist every effort of the enemy, through God's assistance. Be you, there-
fore, faithful, nor let the enemy rejoice at your flight. For we must remain, andBoia,withhiswife,shallyieldtous. " Withsuchwords,hefortifiedthe minds of his disciples, and rendered them inflexible in their purpose. The very next day, Boia's wife lapsed into insanity, nor did she ever recover from it. ss Boia himself soon perished, receiving an unexpected stroke from the hands of an enemy ; a fire or lightning sent from heaven burned his dwell- ing ; and, in these visible judgments, the power of God was terribly mani- fested. -**
CHAPTER IV.
ST. DAVID FOUNDS HIS MONASTERY—RULES THERE ESTABLISHED FOR HIS MONKS— THEIR OBSERVANCES AND AUSTERE PRACTICES—PERSONAL EXAMPLE OF OUR SAINT —HIS PREACHING AND PERFECT PIETY—MANY ILLUSTRIOUS PERSONS ARE AT- TACHED TO ST. DAVID'S RULE OF OBSERVANCE—HIS jpRACLES—VARIOUS HOLY IRISHMEN BECOME HIS DISCIPLES
WITH A SPECIAL VENERATION.
Through Divine agency, his adversaries having been removed, St. David founded a very celebrated monastery, on that identical spot, pointed out by the Angel. He then commenced, by setting his house in order. He decreed, whatever his brethren might there acquire, by daily labour, should be appropriated for their common support. This holy man recognised the fact, proved by experience, that idleness is the source and origin of most
p. 43.
*3 The Utrecht MS. adds, to this account
Poenitentia," in the Utrecht MS. And to this, the editor has appended the following
" Albertus le Grand in Vita S. Seztii
note
eremetorium hujus Sancii Britannis ait vocari I'eneti Sant Sezni : et alibi insinuat pro pcenitentiali /^a«<r vocem accepi, id est, loco pxnitentia cxercenda dcstinato ; fortassis hie qiioque —rectitis Penetia, sai Poenitentialia lege- retur. " Vita S. Davidis, cap. ii. , n. (e),
of Boia's wife
vigna (in cujus martyrii sede fons sanitatura i^edditor emanavit). "
:
:
"occisa innocenti prius
—IRELAND HAS ALWAYS REGARDED ST. DAVID
** See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Iliber- nix," i. Martii. Vita S. Davidis, sects, x. , xi. , p. 426.
pri-
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
vices.
too forward zeale, and ouer-hasty actions in these behalfes, hath left vnto vs a want of many truths, and cause to wish that some of their imployments had beene better spent. " —See Speed's " Historie of Great Britaine. " Booke vii. , chap, xii. , pp. 272, 273.
'^ See Cough's Camden's "Britannia. "
'5 The principal one of these was St. Patrick Senior,towhomMarianusO'Corman alludes in his Martyrology, at the 24th of
:
a. d. here 435,
—
and his Queenes at his feete Monument, among
According to a bardic tradition, Speed re-
lates, that his body was deposited between
two Pyramids, standing in the churchyard August, in these words " S. Patricius
of Clastonbury. King Henry II, of Eng- Senex in Ros-dela in regione de Magh-
"
land caused the ground to be digged, and lacha, et in Clais na ngaehkel, id est,
at seven foot depth was found a huge broad
stone, wherein a Leaden Crosse was fastened,
and in that side that lay downward, in rude
and barbarous letters (as rudely set and con-
trived) this inscription written vpon that
side of the lead that was towards the stone. "
There is an engraving of this lead cross,
with an inscription, in very ancient lettering,
given : IIic JACET sepultus inclitus
Rex Arturius in insula Avalonia. Glastoniae Hibernorum quiescit senior Patri-
The cross of lead and its inscription had been long preserved in the Treasury or
Register of Glastonbury church, until the time of Henry VIII. , according to Stowe. The body of Queen Gueneuer, Arthur's wife, was found beside his own. Both were
cius. Haec enim est civitas in Aquilonari regione Saxonum, et Scoti habitant earn.
Ejus autem reliquiae jacent in reliquiario S. Patricii Ardmachias. " The Martyrologies
of St. . (Engus, Maguire and Donegal, as we are told, have similar accounts, regarding this St. Patrick Senior, at the 24th of
enclosed in the trunk of a tree, nine feet be- "''
low the huge broad stone. " Ten wounds
were traceable on the skull of King Arthur.
Finely platted tresses, in colour like gold,
remained on the queen's skull. On being
touched, these latter turned into dust. Of
this exhumation, Giraldus Cambrensis was
an eye-witness. "The bones of King
Arthur and of Queen Guineuer, his wife, by the direction of Henry de Bloys, Nephew to
King Henry the Second, and Abbot of
August. However, in The Martyrology of Donegal," published by Drs. Todd and Reeves, I find no mention regarding him, at the date in question.
'* He is said to have been the son of Nazaleod or Uther, and to have succeeded him, A. D. 514. The war of Badon and King Arthur's great victory are commemo- rated at A. D. 516. See "Annales Cam- briae," edited by Rev. John Williams, ab
Glassiae Hibernorum, qua est urbs in Aquilonari regione Saxonum : in qua olim
suscepta peregrinatione solebant Hibemi habitare : ejus autem reliquiae jacent in re- liquiario Senioris Patricii Ardmachias. " And the Calendar of Cashel, at the same day, has
"
quiescit in Ros dela in regione Maclacha
the following account :
Patricius Senior
quiescit. Sed secundum aliquos, et verius,
;
B
i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March i.
the heroic leader of the Britons, and the terror of their foes. We read, that
having been mortally wounded by ]\Iodred,'7 in Cornubia, near the river Kemelen, in the year of our Lord 542, Arthur had been brought to the Island of Avallon, so that his wound might be healed. Here he died, and was buried in the cemetery of the monks, during summer, and about the feast of Pentecost. His queen Guenevera was interred beside him. We are told, they rested in their grave for 648 years, when their remains were after- wards removed to the church. ^^ before the death of
larger Immediately
Arthur, in 542, he is said to have bequeathed his British crown to a kinsman,
named Constantine, son to Cador, Chief of Cornubia. Then, we are in-
formed, the most holy Archbishop of Caerleon, David, died in his city of Menevia, and within the Abbey, which he loved more than all the other reli- gious houses in his diocese. This was because, it had been founded by St. Patrick, who predicted his own nativity. ^9 Whilst sojourning in this monas- tery with his confreres, a sudden weakness, betokening the approach of death, came over him. By order of Malgon, King of the Venedoti, he was buried in the Church of Menevia. Then, after giving an account of Constantine's wars, it is said, he was killed by Conan, in the third year of his reign,^° which must have been, a. d. 545. ^'
Another recorded religious foundation, effected by St. David, was at Bath,^^ in Somersetshire. Here, we are told, that owing to his blessing,
Ithel, p. 3. Many fabulous and romantic Walter of Oxford, Geoffrey of Monmouth,
things have been related, concerning this re- Matthew of Westminster, Alan Insulensis, nownedchampionoftheBritishnation. He and the Annals of Winion monastery.
powerfully resisted the Pagan Saxons ; but, whether he was king of the Britons in
general, or only a Prince over Cornwall, is
uncertain. See Echard's " of History Eng-
Amongst Scottish writers, are John Fordun, John Major, and Hector Boetius, who ac- cord in tiieir several works. These are cited and followed Ussher.
vol. book
land," i. , i. , chap, ii. ,
'9
by Here, evidently,
the tradition popular
cent,
41. In another account, I find Uter" called Pendragon, of his Royal Banner bom ever before him ; wherein was pourtrayed a Dragon with a Golden Head, as in our English camps it is a—t this day born for the Imperial Standard. " Sir Richard Baker's
"Chronicle of the of Kings
Bollandist who "recte erui editor, says :
infra ex Vita, num. 17. mortuum esse anno
intermedio DXLIV. , quo cyclo solis XXL, litteris Dominicalibus CB, Kalendaj Martiae in feriam tertiam convenere : qui obitus ejus
"' characteres ibidem observantur. See 'Acta
Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii i. Vita S. Davidis. Commentarius Pr£evius, sect, ii. , n. 14, pp. 40, 41.
^^ The name, in the original account, is Badum. Camden has a description concern- ing it, in his account of Somersetshire. See
England," p. 4. By the same author, we are told, that Arthur was son "of the fair Lady Igren ;" but, we may well doubt the veracity of this account, as it has been connected with a fabulous and
an absurd tradition.
"
'' In I'olydori Vergilii Urbinatis An-
"
glicse Historian Libri Vigintiseptem, lib.
iii. , p. 60, this enemy of King Arthur is called "Mordredum nepotem. " He is said
to have excited insurrection, during the
king's absence on a warlike expedition,
the of Rome for its Mor- having city object.
dred is also said to have been killed in this battle. Polydore Virgil was bom about A. D. 1470, and he died in 1555. See notices
Coigau's Martii.
" Acta Sanctoram i. Hibemix,"
Vita S. Davidis, sect, ix. , p. 426,
regarding him and his writings, in the
''
Bio-
Camden's Brittannia," where it is de- scribed, as lying on the noble river Avon. It
"
is an ancient city,
its baths, TSara Qep/xa, or the IVartit
Waters; byAntoninusAqU/ESOLIS,bythe
Britons Yr ennaint twymin and. Caer
Badon, by the Saxons BathaucesU-r, Hat Bathan, and from the resort of the sick Akemanccstcr, q. d. the city of the sick ; by
Stcj)lianus Badiz<i, by us at present Bath,; and in niudcni Lutiu Bathouia, It stands
graphic Universelle, Ancienne et Modeme,
cr. Redige par une Societe de Gens de
Lcttres et de Savants. " Tome xxxv. , pp.
260, 261, 262.
called by Ptolemy from
'"
The foregoing account is set down in
some ancient records of Glastonbuiy church. "
See Monasticon Anglicanum," vol. i. , p. 7. 'i'lie writers of British history, who con-
firm this statement, are Tliomas Rudburii,
vi. , p.
has confounded the great Apostle of Ireland, with a St. Patrick, designated Senior.
^ Godfrey, or Geoffrey, of Monmouth,
gives the foregoing account in his Chronicle,
lib. ii. , cap. 2, 3, 4.
""
Such, at least, is the inference of the
and n. 13, p. 431, ibid. Also, Gough's ''
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 19
water, which heretofore had proved most deleterious to health, became after- wards most salubrious to persons washed by it. ^3 Whether, this account has any reference to the famous Thermal and warm water fountains, so well known and so long resorted to by invalids, we have no means left for ascer- taining. But, there is every reason for supposing such identification. =*+ Theseappeartohavebeenknown,fromthemostremoteantiquity. Yet,we can find no very satisfactory account, regarding the religious foundation of St. David, at this place. Probably, the materials used in its construction were not destined for a durability, greater than had been eftected in the case of Glastonbury. In all likelihood, it perished, during the destructive wars waged, at this period of British history.
Manyothermonasterieswereerectedbyoursaint. *s Yet,thesereligious
works seem to have been undertaken and executed, at a time, when social
disturbances prevailed over a great portion of Britain. ^^ The Picts, Scots
and Saxons had already made inroads on the disunited aboriginal inhabitants.
In 449, the Saxons first landed, as pretended auxiliaries of the Britons, on
theIsleofThanet. But,theysoonfoundorsoughtapretextforquarrelling
with their allies. The Saxon invasion of England levelled churches and
monasteries of the conquered Britons ; whilst Paganism and barbarism
triumphed over the early victories of Christianity, in Southern England. The
two last bishops of these vanquished Britons abandoned their churches and
pastoral charges of London and York, in 586. Carrying with them relics of
saints and consecrated vessels, they followed tribes of their people and race,
seeking refuge westwards amongst the inaccessible mountains of Wales. ^^
The Saxons now dreamed only of conquest, and an unrelenting struggle con-
tinued, almost without intermission, for a period of one hundred and fifty
years. Indeed, it never entirely ceased, until the warlike Saxon finally yielded
to the hardy and enterprising Danes and Normans, in the eleventh century.
Waleshadits
part,
intheseinternecinecontests ^ the of f but, early history
in a small plain, fenced as it were on every side by hills of equal height, from whence
perpetual springs descend into the city to the great convenience of the inhabitants. " See vol. i. , p. 61.
^3SeeTanner's"NotitiaMonastica; or, an Account of All the Abbies, Priories and Houses of Friers, formerly in England and
Wales," edited by James Nasmith, M. A. , Somersetshire. V. Bath, n. (k). This erudite and valuable edition is without any paging.
^'* We are informed by a modem Protes- tant historian, that "giving to the Bath
garded as identical with, "Seciunnistre. " In the text of Giraldus Cambrensis, we
waters the virtues they still retain
"
is one of
and learnedly written, on the history of this
early period, or ages subsequent thereto, and
which will give the reader more accurate
those miracles attributed to St. David.
"
See Eng- land," vol. i. , book ii. , p. 43. Translated
byN. Tindal, M. A.
'= In addition to those already named, the
Utrecht MS. says: "Postea Caulam et Keptum, Coluam et Glastum, deinde Seum- nistre, postea Raclam : hinc Langhemalach,
in quo postea altare missum accepit. " We are told, by the Bollandist editor, that these seven monasteries have been omitted, by other writers ; probably, because they had ceased to exist, at the period of their writing.
Two additional monasteries are named by
accounts, than Sharon Turner's
History of
Mon. De " of Thoyras Rapin's History
the in four volumes, 8vo. Anglo-Saxons,"
This work was first published in London, at
the close of the last, and beginning of the
present century,
^7 See Le Comte de Montalembert's work,
" Les Moines d'Occident, depuis Saint Benoitjusqu' a Saint Bernard," Tome iii. , livre X. , xii. For an interesting account of the Saxon conquests, over the Britons, may be consulted that interesting work : Percie Enderbie's " Cambria Triumphans, or Bri-
tain in its pe~fect lustre, shewing the Origin
and Antiquity of that illustrious Nation,
Second Tome, First Book,
-^
" Capgrave :
Lemustir et aliud in Govvir in Wallia. " But, perhaps, the fust may be re-
See that valuable and compendious
read :
''
Postea Croulam et Reptum, Colvan
et Glascum. Ex hinc Leonis monasterium,
Ragalan quoque in Wintse, et Langevelach
apudGoer,ubie—taltaremissumaDomino postea suscepit. " Lect. iii. Ricemarc has Repetun, for Reptum ; Colguan, for Colvan ; Leuministre, for Leonis ; Raglaiii in 7-e-
gione Guent, for Ragalan ; and Cuhir, for Goer.
^^ I know of no other work more
elegantly
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
this province requires further elucidation, from its numerous records yet
^9 existing.
This remarkable division of Britain, now for many ages past united to England, had been called " Britannia Secunda," under Roman rule. For- merly, it had been governed by its own rulers. When the Anglo-Saxons occupied most other parts of Britain, and had given different names to kingdoms founded by them, many people, retaining the name of Britons, fled into Wales, so that they might not dwell with the idolatrous Anglo-Saxons. In Wales, they lived under the rule of petty kings. Aftenvards, it is said, to have been named Cambria, or even, as many think, this had been its original denomination. Itisstillpoeticallyknownbythislattername. Amongthe people of Armoric Gaul and those Britons very friendly relations existed. The Armoric district was even called Britain, by the Gauls ; whilst the other Britain or Cambria had been designated Gualla and then Wallia.
This was supposed to have been derived from the name of Gaul. 3° Such derivation appears more probable, than one offered by an old English chronicler, that Wales took its appellation from a Princess, named Walia. 3^
AftergivinganaccountofSt. David'svariousreligiousfoundations,the Utrecht MS. relates, that he restored sight to a King Ertig,^^ who was a relation of his own. 33 Having established the cenobitical rule, in houses of his appointment, he prepared for a return to the place, whence he had set out, namely, Menevia, and there Bishop Duisdianus^* lived. He is also called Gweslan, and he was nearly related to St. David. 35 Here, while con- versing together on pious topics and in a friendly manner, they proposed re-
:
But an
said in their
" one in a hundred Scarcely
Angel
chap. i. , p. i8, chap, ii. , p. 21. There we
maining.
shall enjoy Heavenly rewards, in the place where you purpose serving God. But near this, there is another spot," showing Rossina valley,3^ " and of those
'*
Manual of British and Irish History," illustrated with Maps, Engravings, and Statistical, Chronological and Genealogical Tables,
work, the Rev. Thomas Flanagan's
autres qui chercherent une patrie dedans leur
propre patrie, se refugierent es pays appellez depuis et maintenent encor par les Anglois
Walla, ou Galles, & Coniwal. Appella- tions derivees du mot Welsh, ou Walsh, c'est k dire estranger & d'autre nation, entre les Germains. Car quant a ceux qui les ont voulu tirer des Gaulois, comme Bucanan, ou d'une Princesse appellee Walia, comme GeofroydeMonmouhh,il semblequeleurs conjectures sont foibles, & sans aucun fon- dement. "
3^ He is " cui nomen Pro-
" Some maintain that the inhabitants of Wales are not ancient Britons but Picts. Their principal reasons are, that the Welsh have not retained the old name Silures and Ordovices ; that the genealogies of their principal families almost invariably lead back to the Pictish kingdom of Strathclyde, or
;
language of the Picts, if we may judge from
Welsh. These
themselves conclusive, and they take it for granted that the Picts were a different race from the ancient Britons, a position by no means substantiated, and generally denied. " See ibid. , p. 24, note.
*9 The Welsh language affords upwards of a thousand, we will venture to say two thousand manuscripts of very considerable antiquity. See " The Mgvyrian Archiaology of Wales," vol. i. Preface.
3° See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
Martii i. Vita S. Davidis. Commentarius
Praevius, sect, i. , num. i. , p. 38.
3' Du Chesne, in his " Histoire Generale
read
the Valley of the Clyde
one or two words that remain, was decidedly
reasons, however,
are not in
33 HereRicemarc "Duo interposes :
and that the
called, Ergin
prius, by Giraldus. Lect. iii. Ricemarc
d'Angleterre, D'Ecosse, et DTrlande," divina providentia fidelium animarum the- Livre v. , p. 263, after giving an account of sauros elegit. " Lect. iii.
the dispersion into Armorica, adds : "Les 37 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
hearing :
has it,
''
"
Pepiau regem Erging. "
quo- que sancti Boducat et Maitrun in provincia
Celgueli dederunt sibi manus. "
34 QJraldus writes
:
" Erat autem codem
tempore ibidem episcopus avunculus ejus, vir venerabilis, cui nomen Gistlianus. " In another account, we have, " Giustilianus fratruelis ejus. "
3S See Rt. Rev. Patrick F. Moran's
"Early Irish Missions," No. i. , p. 21.
3* Ricemarc adds: "Quern vulgari no-
mine Hoduant Britones vocitant. " Giraldus
adds:
"
ubi sacrum hodie cimiterium extat,
longe religioni et sanctas congregation! com- petentior. Ex hoc nempe maximos sibi
[March i.
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
who shall be buried in its cemetery, scarcely one shall suffer the pains of hell, provided they fall not from the faith. "37
In a short time, the celebrity of St. David, as a master of the spiritual life, spread abroad, throughout his own country, and in more distant lands. Soon,manydisciplesbegantocollectaroundhim. Amongthese,wefind the Irish Saint Moedoc or Aidan, afterwards bishop of Ferns,3S gj_ Eiiud,39 who is called, also, Teilo,4° Theliaus, Teilaus, Teilanus or Teleanus, together withIsmael. Regardingthislatter,littleappearstobeknown; but,accord- ing to some accounts, Ismael is represented as the immediate successor of St. David. IsmaelisalsosaidtohavebeenadiscipleofDubricius,andto havebeenconsecratedbyTeilo. Whilethesethreesaints,withotherfellow- disciples, were one day in company, an Angel directed their course towards a place, where a fire was kindled. From this spot a column of smoke ascended. It seemed, not only to cover all the land of Britain, but it even enveloped the whole Island of Hibernia. We are told, that a certain in- habitant, named Boia,t' living in that part of Wales, trembled when he witnessed this sign. He felt so very much depressed in mind, that he spent the whole day in grief and fasting. When his wife asked the cause for his
: extraordinarydepressionofcountenanceandspirits,Boiarepliedtoher "I
have seen a smoke arising from Rossina valley, covering, as it were, the wholeland,andIfearthemysteryitconceals. Fromthisomen,Iundoubt- ingly anticipate, that he, who hath lighted such a fire, must excel all other
Martii i. Vita S. Davidis, cap. ii. , sect. 5,
p. 42.
2^ His Life will be found, at the 31st of
Jacitary.
•'9 According to some writers, this saint
immediately succeeded St. David, as bishop of Menevia. But, Giraldus Cambrensis tells us, that a Cenaucus or Kinocus was the immediate successor of our saint, and that
See Itinerarium Cambrise," lib. ii. , cap. i. , and Vita S. Davidis. Amongst the Charters of Donations granted by King Ido, son to Ynir Guent, as found in the Registry of Landaff, we find foremost the signatures of clergy, Teliaus Archiepiscopus ; "ille nimirum," adds Ussher, " quem Dividi sue
Menevenses, in sede vero Ladave—nsi Dubri- "
cio successisse alii tradiderunt. "Britan-
nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates,"cap. v. , p. 52. As Teilo succeeded Dubricius, in
the see of Landaff, it has been conjectured, that some error must have occurred in
placing his name amongst the Archbishops of St. David's See. —Examine " The Beau-
morganshire, on the 25th of November. Here, it is said, he had been educated under St. Dubritius and St. David. As another saint, bearing this name, has not been dis- covered, Herman Greuen or the Carthusian
Martyrology records his festival probably at "
the 9th of February, In Britannia S. Teil-
lani Confessoris. " The English Martyrology does not make him a confessor, but a martyr. It says, that he fell by the hand of a noble, called Gueddan, A. D. 626. Colgan remarks, that in the beginning of the seventh century a Saint Telleus or Telleanus, an Irishman, lived. He was descended from the family of Colla Dacrioch, as appears in the Mar- tyrologium Genealogicum, cap. 12, and Vita S. Munnse, cap. 10. He had been venerated at the church of Tegh-telle, in Westmeath, on the 25th of June, as would appear from the Martyrologies of Tallagh, Marianus O'Gorman, Maguire and Donegal. But, until the Acts of this Telleus or Teilo, mentioned in the text, came into Colgan's hands, or some valid source of evidence be- came available, our Irish hagiologist would not pronounce for their identity or distinc- tion. See "Acta Sanctomm Hiberniae," i. Martii. Vita S. Davidis, n. 16, pp. 431, 432.
after him came Eliud Teliau or Teilanus. "
ties of England and Wales," &c. South Wales. By Thomas Rees, F. S. A. Vol. xviii. , p. 847. Yet, his name, Eliud or Teilaus, is given as third in succession from St. David, in a list of Menevian
't" Teilo is said to have been, not a
but a fellow-disciple, with St. David. In the Utrecht MS. , the names of saints, men- tioned in the text, are not given.
'""Baia vocatus Scottus," says Rice- marc. HewasprobablyaDruidicalchief,
bishops, drawn up by Giraldus ; while, in another
disciple,
list, prepared by Godwin, on the authority of an ancient document, belonging to St. David's church, Eliud is represented as the second and Theliaus as the third bishop, suc-
our saint. See
Hence, to me, it does not seem clear, that Eliud was identical with Teilo. This latter, also known as Teilaus or Teleanus, was venerated, we are told, at Landaff, in Gla-
and he had - fortress in the strong
ceeding
ibid. , pp. 845, 846.
neigh- bourhood. See Rev. John Adams' " Chro-
nicles of Cornish Saints," V. S. David.
*^ The place where St. David and his
monks then lived is designated, "CoUegii
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i.
inhabitants of this land in power and glory. " His wife, who participated in these prejudices of her husband, advised the latter to gather a number of his followers and massacre those, who had lighted the fire. Having prepared to obey these her instructions, six of his followers were seized with fever on the way. The rest of these retainers, finding their object could not be accom- plished, returned, only to hear from Boia's wife, that their cattle had perished during their absence. On learning this news, they said one to another,
" Let us go back, and on bended knees entreat God's servants to remove theirbanfromourselvesandfromourcattle. " Thistheydidinallhumility, confessing their fault and shedding an abundance of tears, whilst they said : " May the land in which you live belong to you for ever. " St. David had compassion on them, and he affectionately told them, their animals should againcometolife; and,ashehadpromised,soithappened.
By other improper means, we are informed, Boia's wife contrived to render this place of habitations^ distasteful to the monks, and they proposed that St. David should abandon it. But their said "
holy superior : As, through many tribulations, persecutions and continuous wars against seven nations, whose destruction God had ordered, his Israelites came to the Land
of Promise ; so, at the present time, those, who desire rest in a heavenly country, must be exposed to many adversities, and yet not fail, but valiantly resist every effort of the enemy, through God's assistance. Be you, there-
fore, faithful, nor let the enemy rejoice at your flight. For we must remain, andBoia,withhiswife,shallyieldtous. " Withsuchwords,hefortifiedthe minds of his disciples, and rendered them inflexible in their purpose. The very next day, Boia's wife lapsed into insanity, nor did she ever recover from it. ss Boia himself soon perished, receiving an unexpected stroke from the hands of an enemy ; a fire or lightning sent from heaven burned his dwell- ing ; and, in these visible judgments, the power of God was terribly mani- fested. -**
CHAPTER IV.
ST. DAVID FOUNDS HIS MONASTERY—RULES THERE ESTABLISHED FOR HIS MONKS— THEIR OBSERVANCES AND AUSTERE PRACTICES—PERSONAL EXAMPLE OF OUR SAINT —HIS PREACHING AND PERFECT PIETY—MANY ILLUSTRIOUS PERSONS ARE AT- TACHED TO ST. DAVID'S RULE OF OBSERVANCE—HIS jpRACLES—VARIOUS HOLY IRISHMEN BECOME HIS DISCIPLES
WITH A SPECIAL VENERATION.
Through Divine agency, his adversaries having been removed, St. David founded a very celebrated monastery, on that identical spot, pointed out by the Angel. He then commenced, by setting his house in order. He decreed, whatever his brethren might there acquire, by daily labour, should be appropriated for their common support. This holy man recognised the fact, proved by experience, that idleness is the source and origin of most
p. 43.
*3 The Utrecht MS. adds, to this account
Poenitentia," in the Utrecht MS. And to this, the editor has appended the following
" Albertus le Grand in Vita S. Seztii
note
eremetorium hujus Sancii Britannis ait vocari I'eneti Sant Sezni : et alibi insinuat pro pcenitentiali /^a«<r vocem accepi, id est, loco pxnitentia cxercenda dcstinato ; fortassis hie qiioque —rectitis Penetia, sai Poenitentialia lege- retur. " Vita S. Davidis, cap. ii. , n. (e),
of Boia's wife
vigna (in cujus martyrii sede fons sanitatura i^edditor emanavit). "
:
:
"occisa innocenti prius
—IRELAND HAS ALWAYS REGARDED ST. DAVID
** See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Iliber- nix," i. Martii. Vita S. Davidis, sects, x. , xi. , p. 426.
pri-
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
vices.
