691 See an account of this reliquary, and
the charters concerning it, in the "Collec-
tions of Aberdeen," pp.
the charters concerning it, in the "Collec-
tions of Aberdeen," pp.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
That Manuscript, which usually goes by the name of the Cathach, is regarded as having belonged to Columba himself, and to
" Britannicarum Ecclesiarum cap. xv. , p. 232.
of this wasascribed. Ofla'
a miraculous however, it must beob-
Chapter
work, ,
efficacy
^
served, that pending changes in the arrange- ment of the Museum, the Cathach has been restored to Sir Richard O'Donnell, Bart.
661 This is said to have been sent to Down, but it would appear to have been lost.
66z Whether it be identical with the Bell of
Armagh, now preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, or some other Bell of St. Patrick, cannot be determined.
663 Allusion has been made to it already, in the Third Chapter of this biography.
664 On the fly-leaf of this Mauuscript, now Vol. VI. —No. 10.
words " Rogo beatitudinem tuam sancte
preesbiter Patrici ut quicumque nunc libel-
lum manu tenuerit meminerit Columbse scriptoris qui hoc scripsi . . . met evan-
gelium per xii dierum spatium. " Below this in a more angular but not later hand follows : " Ora pro me frater mi Dominus tecum sit. " This leaf has been placed as fol. 12b b, but recte zyjb b. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam- nan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 23, p. 242, n. (i).
6o? See " Rerura Hibernicarum Scripto- 10
seen ; n the Seventh
Antiquitates,"
mounte—d case
in the Hibernicis literis incisa
—now lost "
:
terms Inscriptio
cruci argentere in operimento hujus Libri in transversa crucis parte, nomen artificis indi- cat ; et in longitudine tribus lineis a sinistra et totidem dextra, ut sequitur : >Jf OftOI U •acus betTOAChc choUumb chilXe
On the :
Colophon
are inscribed these
following
578 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINtS. [June 9.
66 —
— The Book of Kells held to have been in Codices. ?
of St. Columba is among the most ancient, valuable and beautiful manuscripts in existence. It has obtained its present name, from the fact that in Archbishop
Wehavealreadydescribedthis
certain specified conditions. 6" For a long time, the custody of this reliquary was hereditary in the O' Morrison family, who were the herenaghs of Clon- many,aparishofInishowen. Thiscaseisofwood,anditisoverlaidwith
6"
Ussher'stime,it hadbeenkeptinKells. 6?
in a
cover of some unknown Manuscript, which is now lost, and it was traditionally held to have been at one time the property of St. Columcille. However, there seems to be better foundation for the opinion, that it belonged rather
precious Codex,
previous part
of this
biography.
to St. 6? 2 who left Cairnech,
the and the Cathach,
with two other
Bell of St. Patrick, both blessed by him, to the clanns Conaill and Eogain, on
it,
gifts,
viz.
:
6? * ornamented with ecclesiastical
being figures, resembling
wrought silver,
those on the case of the Cathach. It also bears an inscription in Irish,
and running on the upper side in two lines. 6? 6 Theabolition of old church tenures in the seventeenth century reduced the O'Morrisons to penury, and they were induced to part with it. That interesting reliquary of the Misach often changed hands, and it was carried away into England. Finally, it became the property of Edwin, third Earl of Dunraven, who presented it to the of St. Columba, near Dublin, where at it is 6? ? The
College
present preserved.
Dudh Duaibseach was that Bell, which according to the Irish tradition had
been used by St. Columkille, in Seangleann, when engaged in combat with the demons. 6? 8 It was preserved, probably, in the parish ofGlencolumkille,
in Donegal ; but, at present, nothing appears to be known concerning it. Again a Red Stone 6 ? s is mentioned, which is said to have been employed by
St. Columbatochasethedemonsfrom
680 Itseemstohavebeen
Seangleann. preserved in Glencolumkille, in the time of O'Donnell,
681
who, however, calls it a Blue Stone. The Glassan was a Bell, which is said to have been given by St. Columkille to his disciple Finbarr,682 who was first minister of The Dubh Diglach was a Bell
the church of Drumcolumkille, in Sligo. 683
res. " Tomus i.
676 clxxx. , and l'rolegomina, pars ii. , p. English:
Epistola Nuncupatoria, p.
— thus be translated into They may
clxxxv.
668 See " voce Archceologia,," p. 4326,
'-'Brian, son of Brian O'Muir- guissan, covered me, Anno Domini, 1534. "
677 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes M,
Or\oi-o ; and p. 435c, n. 417.
169 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's pp. 32S to 330, with notes. .
*' Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
M. p. 327.
67" See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xv. , p. 361.
** See the Fourth Chapter.
673 See an account of this saint, in the
6? b See the Sixth Chapter of this biogra-
phy.
bTM In Irish called Cloch Ruadh.
t8° A poem on its virtues has been ascribed
to St. Columba in the Laud Manuscript, at p. 05.
ThirdVolumeofthis Art i.
work,
atMarch
681 Sec "Trias Colgan's
673 This is stated in an ancient tale, known
as the Death of Muircertach Mac Erca, to
be found among the Manuscripts of Trinity College, Dublin, and classed II. 16, col. 312.
*? * A representation of it may be seen in Sir William Betham's " Irish Antiquarian
Researches," part i. , p. 213. *" It reads thus :
D|\iAn mac b]\i<Mn 1 tnuipgiufr-A t>
O cumu&ig me <\ "0° ttt° ccccc
»xxiiii.
p. 403.
682 Colgan is unable to determine, whether
his feast should be referred to the 25th of July or to the 9th of September. A cross is said, likewise, to have been presented to him.
683 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta
Vita S. Columboe, lib. i. , cap. civ. , pp. 406,
407, and n. 87, p. 451.
6a* It is to be found, in the Laud Manu-
script, at p. 28.
«** See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
28th,
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba;, lib. i. , cap. lxx. \i\. ,
possession
6 ? " The Misach was the
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. $79
belonging to St. Columba, and mentioned in an old poem. 68* The Cloch Ruadh or Red Stone is said to have been that on which his mother lay, at the time of St. Columba's birth. 68s In the time of Prince O'Donnell, this was preserved in that part of the north, where he was born, and it seems to have
been in of one charge
in the seventeenth 686 century.
O'Nahan,
The foregoing relics of St. Columba belonged to Ireland, but there were
others, which seem to have been preserved in Scotland. Among the latter are noted the Blathnat or Moelblatha, which was the traditional stone, from which St. Columcille lifted up the sack, or sieve of oats, as already related. 68? The Brecbannoch appears to have been a Banner, in some way connected with
St. Columba's 688 either history,
use or 68? It was held in vene- blessing. great
by
ration, in the beginning of the thirteenth century ;
since, we find it was then in custody of the monks of Arbroath,69° and that they had an endowment for its safe custody, while it probably served the double purpose, of being carried in religious procession on festival days, and of being borne in any battle, as occasion might arise. 6? 1 The Cath-bhuaidh, Anglicized " Battle Victory," was a crozier of St. Columcille, to which miraculous virtues were attributed. 6? 2 This was used, also, when military expeditions had been
6? 3 abattlewas theFortrenns6? * fought by
695 when the men of Alba a 6? 6 gained signal victory.
Afterwards, placing their trust in St. Columba's intercession, many other en- gagements redounded to their success/? ? What has become of that relic, we are now unable to learn.
History records various miracles long after the holy man's departure, and attributed to his intercession. During the dreadful tumults of war, St. Columba often obtained from God, by his prayers, that some kings should be conquered, and that other kings should come off victorious. Such a great privilege he
68 enjoyed, not only while dwelling in this mortal life, but even after his death. ?
This was exemplified especially, in the case of Oswald, the powerful King of Northumbria, and the sixth Saxon Bretwalda. God, from whom all the saints derive their honour, made Columba while in heaven a most powerful and
6
victorious patron on the day of battle. ? ? During his lifetime, the Britons
asinthe against Lochlanns,
organized, the
year 918,
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xxiii. , p. 393.
680
According to the Ulster Inquisitions at Donegal, in 1609, two Gorts or fields were held by him, as the keeper of this relic.
68? See Chapter the Sixteenth of this bio-
graphy, n. 86.
688 It seems to have been kept in the
parish of Forglen in Banffshire, by the here- ditary tenants of the church lands.
689 King William the Lion had possession of this reliquary ; but, it is not known how he obtained it.
^ This has for meaning " the men of Fortreen,"or of Pictland, and it is used for Albanaigh, at large.
695 They were the Norwegians, according to
"
Dr. Paul O'Brien's
Sax-Bhearla, or an Irish English Dictionary, See sub-voce bocbAnmc.
6^6 According to the " Annals of the Four Masters," the Lochlanns went from Loch Dachaech, an ancient name for Waterford Harbour, to Alba under their leader Ottir. They were opposed by Constantine, the son of Aedh. Ottir was slain on this occasion. See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. ii. ,
592, 593.
6* See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes M,
6j° to
According Registrum
Veterum de
pp.
Aberbrothoc, p. 10.
691 See an account of this reliquary, and
the charters concerning it, in the "Collec-
tions of Aberdeen," pp. 50S to 517. Pub- lication of the Spalding Club.
692 There is an account of this, in an
anonymous collection of Irish Annals preser-
ved in the Burgundian Library, at Brussels, and written in the Irish language.
693 This victory is recorded in the Annals of Ulster, at A. D. 917.
pp. 332 to 334.
6*8 To this account, Adamnan adds
M cuidam victoriali et fortissimo quasi
:
—
pro- pugnatori, a Deo omnium san—ctorum con- donatum est honorificatore. " Rev. Dr.
"
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 13.
6
? » Prayers to the saints are inculcated
Focaloir Goodhilge-
580 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIKTS. [June 9.
had gradually retreated before the encroachments of the Anglo-Saxons, in thenorthernpartsofEngland. TheBritonsoftheprovinceofBernicia7°°
01 about the 2 and the Britons year 547 ;? °
had to the incursions of yielded
Ida,?
of Deira ? °3 had been assailed and defeated by Seomil, while Ella one of his
descendants formed there a new kingdom, in the year 560. The grandson of Idawasanambitiousarestlessandsanguinaryprince, namedAedilfrid, King
ofBernicia,whohadwagedanunrelentingwaragainsttheBritons. Healso vanquished Aidan and the Scots, in 603. ? °4 Excluding his brother-in-law Edwin,7°5 the son of Ella,? 06 from the throne of the Deire, on the death of his father ; Aedilfrid was at length encountered and slain, by Redwald,? ? King oftheEastAngles,a. d. 616. ThekingdomofNorthumbria,whichhadbeen formed by the union of Bernicia and Deira under Aedilfrid, then reverted to Edwin, who became the fifth Bretwalda. The children of the deceased king
08
were compelled to take refuge in Scotland, where during the lifetime of Edwin,? they remained in exile. There, Eanfrid the eldest received protection from the reigning princes, and there he renounced paganism, so long as he remained. The second son of Aedilfrid was named Oswald/00 and he was only twelve years old, at the time of his expulsion. Under adversity, however, a great favour was accorded him, for having been enlightened with the gift of Divine Faith andbeingduly instructed, the young prince and twelve men were baptized with him,? 10 while they had been companions of his exile among the Scots. ? 11
resistedtheinfluencesof
13 at Edwin,with length
Having long
all his nobles and a great number of the people, received baptism from Pauli-
I
nus, at York, during the Easter of 62 7. ? 3 Under Edwin, its first Christian
king, Northumbria, including the provinces of Bernicia and Deira, then
received the 1 * and he had a Faith,?
5 For several the years,
glorious reign. ? '
Britons offered a stern resistance to the victorious Saxons, and under various
here, and the source of their efficacy is as-
signed to God, by Adamnan.
700 The Britons called it Bryneich, and it
was bounded on the south by the River Tees.
? 01 He is said to have riled as king twelve years, from a. d. 547 to 559.
7°2 See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "History of England," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 68.
' oi This name is said to have been derived from Deyfyr, and this province was bounded by the right bank of the River Tees.
704 his and
Fearing power encroachments,
King Aidan resolved to march against him,
and he proceeded so far as Degsastan, where
the Scots and Northumbrians engaged in
at Heathfield. See Rev. M. A. Tiemey's
Dodd's "Church History of England," vol. i. ,
part i. , Art. i. , p. 36.
? °9 He was afterwards venerated as a saint,
and his festival has been assigned to the 12th
of August,
7'° See Venerable Bede's " Historia Ec-
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. i. , ii. , iii. , pp. 161 to 168.
*" See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. i. ,
battle. See Henrici Archidiaconi Hunten- "
until the year mdclxviii. , Book ii. , cent, vii. , sect. 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, pp. 72, 73. London, 1655, f°l-
? '3 See"Eulogium(HistoriarumsiveTern- poris) : Chronicon ab orbe condito usque ad Annum Domini mccclxvi. , a Monacho quodam Malmesburiensi exaratum," edited by Frank Scott Haydon, B. A. , vol. i. , cap. lxxii. , p. 214.
dunensis Historia Anglorum," edited by Thomas Arnold, M. A. , lib. ii. , sect. 28, p. 55.
7°5 At this time, he was only about three
years[old, and he had been conveyed for pro- tection to Cadvan, the King of North "Wales.
706 His daughter had been married to Aedilfrid.
? °7 He had given refuge to Edwin, when obliged to ily from North Wales, and from
"
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. ,
cap. i. , ii. , pp. 161 to 163.
? 'S Eadwine "left his name to the fronti—er
fortress of Eadwinesburh, or Edinburgh. ''
Edward A. Freeman's " of the Nor- History
man Conquest of England," vol. i. , chap, ii. , sect. 3, p. 36,
other
? °8 His rule lasted from 616 to 633, when
he fell in the forty-seventh year of his age,
places.
Christianity,?
p. 15.
"'-' SeeThomasFuller's"
Church-History of Britain ; from the Birth of Jesus Christ,
? '« See Venerable Bede's
Historia Ec-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 581
leaders—especially under the renowed King Arthur—the invaders were fre- quently kept in check. However, there was generally a want of cohesion amongthescatteredanddisorganizedtribes. Atthistimelivedaveryvaliant and fierce British King of Gwynez or North Wales, designated Cation ? l6 or Cathluon, by some writers, while by others, he was called Cadwalla, or Ced- wallinus. ? ^ Although a Christian by name and profession, he was a barba- rian in mind and morals ; in his brutal fury, sparing not even women or innocent children, but even consigning them to torments and death. For a long time, he ravaged all those places open to his incursions. 7 l8 This ruffian king was utterly devoid of principle, as shown by the actions he perpetrated, and the alliances he formed. At length, Cadwalla formed a resolution to throw off the Saxon yoke. He knew, that Penda King of Mercia bore with great impatience the superiority of the King of Northumbria, and that being a brave and an experienced warrior, he also had the ambition to extend his sway. Accordingly, having arranged to unite their forces, they marched into York- shire, where they were opposed by the Northumbrian army, under the leader- ship of their king. Aided by Penda and the Mercians, Cadwalla gained a decisive victory, and slew Edwin with his son Osfrid,? ^ at Hatfield Chase,720 October 12th, 633. ? 21 A great number of their followers fell in that battle. Other writers have an earlier date for this encounter, under its British name of 22it
being variedly assigned
While Ceadwalla mercilessly spread devastation through the province of Northumbria, after that signal victory, Penda and his Mercians marched against the East Angles, and vanquished them in battle. On the death of Edwin, Paulinus fled for refuge to Kent. The conversion of Northumbria
was checked by the death of Edwin, and especially by the apostacy of Osric, 7 2 7
to become his successors. While a
Osric, prince
Haethfield,?
to and 26 626,723 629,724 630,725 631. 7
and 2S who Eanfrid,7
aspired
of mature age and experienced in battle, was received as King of Deira, so
EanfridbecameKingofBernicia. 729 WhenCaedwallawasinthecityofYork, Osric endeavoured to surprise him ; but the latter was attacked in an
716 Thus is he named by Adamnan.
>
372 373> nn- I5> 16.
630, "Gueith [Hibernicecach, or 'prselium']
717 " See
Meiceren
; et ibi interfectus est cum Etguin
Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 338, and pp.
duobus filiis suis. Catguollaun autem vic-
torfuit,"p. 7. In like manner, at]A. n. 630, we "—
718 See Venerable Bede's •' Historia Ec- have Bellum filii Ailli. " Rev. Dr.
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. xx.
O'ConorVRerumHibernicarumScriptores," tomus iv. , Annales Ultonienses.
72<s In Annals, we find at Tighernach's
a. d. 631, cAch 1C1V1 ecuiti tnAc A1LI1 (prae- Hum inter Edwin filium Aelli et Anfraith, qui decollatus est, in quo Osualt mac Etal- fraith victor erat, et Cathlon rex Britonum cecidit. ) Again, in the Annals of Ulster, at A. c. 631, we find Bellum Cathloen regis Bri- tonum et Ainfrit. In the " Annales Cam-
719 See Rev.
cle," p. 35.
720 In Yorkshire.
" Saxon Chroni- It is called likewise,
J. Ingram's
Heathfield.
721 See Venerable Bede's " Historia Ec-
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. ,
cap. 12, 20.
722 Thus designated in Stevens' edition of
the "Historia Britonum," by Nennius, briae, at A.
" Britannicarum Ecclesiarum cap. xv. , p. 232.
of this wasascribed. Ofla'
a miraculous however, it must beob-
Chapter
work, ,
efficacy
^
served, that pending changes in the arrange- ment of the Museum, the Cathach has been restored to Sir Richard O'Donnell, Bart.
661 This is said to have been sent to Down, but it would appear to have been lost.
66z Whether it be identical with the Bell of
Armagh, now preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, or some other Bell of St. Patrick, cannot be determined.
663 Allusion has been made to it already, in the Third Chapter of this biography.
664 On the fly-leaf of this Mauuscript, now Vol. VI. —No. 10.
words " Rogo beatitudinem tuam sancte
preesbiter Patrici ut quicumque nunc libel-
lum manu tenuerit meminerit Columbse scriptoris qui hoc scripsi . . . met evan-
gelium per xii dierum spatium. " Below this in a more angular but not later hand follows : " Ora pro me frater mi Dominus tecum sit. " This leaf has been placed as fol. 12b b, but recte zyjb b. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam- nan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 23, p. 242, n. (i).
6o? See " Rerura Hibernicarum Scripto- 10
seen ; n the Seventh
Antiquitates,"
mounte—d case
in the Hibernicis literis incisa
—now lost "
:
terms Inscriptio
cruci argentere in operimento hujus Libri in transversa crucis parte, nomen artificis indi- cat ; et in longitudine tribus lineis a sinistra et totidem dextra, ut sequitur : >Jf OftOI U •acus betTOAChc choUumb chilXe
On the :
Colophon
are inscribed these
following
578 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINtS. [June 9.
66 —
— The Book of Kells held to have been in Codices. ?
of St. Columba is among the most ancient, valuable and beautiful manuscripts in existence. It has obtained its present name, from the fact that in Archbishop
Wehavealreadydescribedthis
certain specified conditions. 6" For a long time, the custody of this reliquary was hereditary in the O' Morrison family, who were the herenaghs of Clon- many,aparishofInishowen. Thiscaseisofwood,anditisoverlaidwith
6"
Ussher'stime,it hadbeenkeptinKells. 6?
in a
cover of some unknown Manuscript, which is now lost, and it was traditionally held to have been at one time the property of St. Columcille. However, there seems to be better foundation for the opinion, that it belonged rather
precious Codex,
previous part
of this
biography.
to St. 6? 2 who left Cairnech,
the and the Cathach,
with two other
Bell of St. Patrick, both blessed by him, to the clanns Conaill and Eogain, on
it,
gifts,
viz.
:
6? * ornamented with ecclesiastical
being figures, resembling
wrought silver,
those on the case of the Cathach. It also bears an inscription in Irish,
and running on the upper side in two lines. 6? 6 Theabolition of old church tenures in the seventeenth century reduced the O'Morrisons to penury, and they were induced to part with it. That interesting reliquary of the Misach often changed hands, and it was carried away into England. Finally, it became the property of Edwin, third Earl of Dunraven, who presented it to the of St. Columba, near Dublin, where at it is 6? ? The
College
present preserved.
Dudh Duaibseach was that Bell, which according to the Irish tradition had
been used by St. Columkille, in Seangleann, when engaged in combat with the demons. 6? 8 It was preserved, probably, in the parish ofGlencolumkille,
in Donegal ; but, at present, nothing appears to be known concerning it. Again a Red Stone 6 ? s is mentioned, which is said to have been employed by
St. Columbatochasethedemonsfrom
680 Itseemstohavebeen
Seangleann. preserved in Glencolumkille, in the time of O'Donnell,
681
who, however, calls it a Blue Stone. The Glassan was a Bell, which is said to have been given by St. Columkille to his disciple Finbarr,682 who was first minister of The Dubh Diglach was a Bell
the church of Drumcolumkille, in Sligo. 683
res. " Tomus i.
676 clxxx. , and l'rolegomina, pars ii. , p. English:
Epistola Nuncupatoria, p.
— thus be translated into They may
clxxxv.
668 See " voce Archceologia,," p. 4326,
'-'Brian, son of Brian O'Muir- guissan, covered me, Anno Domini, 1534. "
677 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes M,
Or\oi-o ; and p. 435c, n. 417.
169 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's pp. 32S to 330, with notes. .
*' Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
M. p. 327.
67" See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xv. , p. 361.
** See the Fourth Chapter.
673 See an account of this saint, in the
6? b See the Sixth Chapter of this biogra-
phy.
bTM In Irish called Cloch Ruadh.
t8° A poem on its virtues has been ascribed
to St. Columba in the Laud Manuscript, at p. 05.
ThirdVolumeofthis Art i.
work,
atMarch
681 Sec "Trias Colgan's
673 This is stated in an ancient tale, known
as the Death of Muircertach Mac Erca, to
be found among the Manuscripts of Trinity College, Dublin, and classed II. 16, col. 312.
*? * A representation of it may be seen in Sir William Betham's " Irish Antiquarian
Researches," part i. , p. 213. *" It reads thus :
D|\iAn mac b]\i<Mn 1 tnuipgiufr-A t>
O cumu&ig me <\ "0° ttt° ccccc
»xxiiii.
p. 403.
682 Colgan is unable to determine, whether
his feast should be referred to the 25th of July or to the 9th of September. A cross is said, likewise, to have been presented to him.
683 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta
Vita S. Columboe, lib. i. , cap. civ. , pp. 406,
407, and n. 87, p. 451.
6a* It is to be found, in the Laud Manu-
script, at p. 28.
«** See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
28th,
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba;, lib. i. , cap. lxx. \i\. ,
possession
6 ? " The Misach was the
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. $79
belonging to St. Columba, and mentioned in an old poem. 68* The Cloch Ruadh or Red Stone is said to have been that on which his mother lay, at the time of St. Columba's birth. 68s In the time of Prince O'Donnell, this was preserved in that part of the north, where he was born, and it seems to have
been in of one charge
in the seventeenth 686 century.
O'Nahan,
The foregoing relics of St. Columba belonged to Ireland, but there were
others, which seem to have been preserved in Scotland. Among the latter are noted the Blathnat or Moelblatha, which was the traditional stone, from which St. Columcille lifted up the sack, or sieve of oats, as already related. 68? The Brecbannoch appears to have been a Banner, in some way connected with
St. Columba's 688 either history,
use or 68? It was held in vene- blessing. great
by
ration, in the beginning of the thirteenth century ;
since, we find it was then in custody of the monks of Arbroath,69° and that they had an endowment for its safe custody, while it probably served the double purpose, of being carried in religious procession on festival days, and of being borne in any battle, as occasion might arise. 6? 1 The Cath-bhuaidh, Anglicized " Battle Victory," was a crozier of St. Columcille, to which miraculous virtues were attributed. 6? 2 This was used, also, when military expeditions had been
6? 3 abattlewas theFortrenns6? * fought by
695 when the men of Alba a 6? 6 gained signal victory.
Afterwards, placing their trust in St. Columba's intercession, many other en- gagements redounded to their success/? ? What has become of that relic, we are now unable to learn.
History records various miracles long after the holy man's departure, and attributed to his intercession. During the dreadful tumults of war, St. Columba often obtained from God, by his prayers, that some kings should be conquered, and that other kings should come off victorious. Such a great privilege he
68 enjoyed, not only while dwelling in this mortal life, but even after his death. ?
This was exemplified especially, in the case of Oswald, the powerful King of Northumbria, and the sixth Saxon Bretwalda. God, from whom all the saints derive their honour, made Columba while in heaven a most powerful and
6
victorious patron on the day of battle. ? ? During his lifetime, the Britons
asinthe against Lochlanns,
organized, the
year 918,
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xxiii. , p. 393.
680
According to the Ulster Inquisitions at Donegal, in 1609, two Gorts or fields were held by him, as the keeper of this relic.
68? See Chapter the Sixteenth of this bio-
graphy, n. 86.
688 It seems to have been kept in the
parish of Forglen in Banffshire, by the here- ditary tenants of the church lands.
689 King William the Lion had possession of this reliquary ; but, it is not known how he obtained it.
^ This has for meaning " the men of Fortreen,"or of Pictland, and it is used for Albanaigh, at large.
695 They were the Norwegians, according to
"
Dr. Paul O'Brien's
Sax-Bhearla, or an Irish English Dictionary, See sub-voce bocbAnmc.
6^6 According to the " Annals of the Four Masters," the Lochlanns went from Loch Dachaech, an ancient name for Waterford Harbour, to Alba under their leader Ottir. They were opposed by Constantine, the son of Aedh. Ottir was slain on this occasion. See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. ii. ,
592, 593.
6* See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes M,
6j° to
According Registrum
Veterum de
pp.
Aberbrothoc, p. 10.
691 See an account of this reliquary, and
the charters concerning it, in the "Collec-
tions of Aberdeen," pp. 50S to 517. Pub- lication of the Spalding Club.
692 There is an account of this, in an
anonymous collection of Irish Annals preser-
ved in the Burgundian Library, at Brussels, and written in the Irish language.
693 This victory is recorded in the Annals of Ulster, at A. D. 917.
pp. 332 to 334.
6*8 To this account, Adamnan adds
M cuidam victoriali et fortissimo quasi
:
—
pro- pugnatori, a Deo omnium san—ctorum con- donatum est honorificatore. " Rev. Dr.
"
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 13.
6
? » Prayers to the saints are inculcated
Focaloir Goodhilge-
580 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIKTS. [June 9.
had gradually retreated before the encroachments of the Anglo-Saxons, in thenorthernpartsofEngland. TheBritonsoftheprovinceofBernicia7°°
01 about the 2 and the Britons year 547 ;? °
had to the incursions of yielded
Ida,?
of Deira ? °3 had been assailed and defeated by Seomil, while Ella one of his
descendants formed there a new kingdom, in the year 560. The grandson of Idawasanambitiousarestlessandsanguinaryprince, namedAedilfrid, King
ofBernicia,whohadwagedanunrelentingwaragainsttheBritons. Healso vanquished Aidan and the Scots, in 603. ? °4 Excluding his brother-in-law Edwin,7°5 the son of Ella,? 06 from the throne of the Deire, on the death of his father ; Aedilfrid was at length encountered and slain, by Redwald,? ? King oftheEastAngles,a. d. 616. ThekingdomofNorthumbria,whichhadbeen formed by the union of Bernicia and Deira under Aedilfrid, then reverted to Edwin, who became the fifth Bretwalda. The children of the deceased king
08
were compelled to take refuge in Scotland, where during the lifetime of Edwin,? they remained in exile. There, Eanfrid the eldest received protection from the reigning princes, and there he renounced paganism, so long as he remained. The second son of Aedilfrid was named Oswald/00 and he was only twelve years old, at the time of his expulsion. Under adversity, however, a great favour was accorded him, for having been enlightened with the gift of Divine Faith andbeingduly instructed, the young prince and twelve men were baptized with him,? 10 while they had been companions of his exile among the Scots. ? 11
resistedtheinfluencesof
13 at Edwin,with length
Having long
all his nobles and a great number of the people, received baptism from Pauli-
I
nus, at York, during the Easter of 62 7. ? 3 Under Edwin, its first Christian
king, Northumbria, including the provinces of Bernicia and Deira, then
received the 1 * and he had a Faith,?
5 For several the years,
glorious reign. ? '
Britons offered a stern resistance to the victorious Saxons, and under various
here, and the source of their efficacy is as-
signed to God, by Adamnan.
700 The Britons called it Bryneich, and it
was bounded on the south by the River Tees.
? 01 He is said to have riled as king twelve years, from a. d. 547 to 559.
7°2 See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "History of England," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 68.
' oi This name is said to have been derived from Deyfyr, and this province was bounded by the right bank of the River Tees.
704 his and
Fearing power encroachments,
King Aidan resolved to march against him,
and he proceeded so far as Degsastan, where
the Scots and Northumbrians engaged in
at Heathfield. See Rev. M. A. Tiemey's
Dodd's "Church History of England," vol. i. ,
part i. , Art. i. , p. 36.
? °9 He was afterwards venerated as a saint,
and his festival has been assigned to the 12th
of August,
7'° See Venerable Bede's " Historia Ec-
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. i. , ii. , iii. , pp. 161 to 168.
*" See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. i. ,
battle. See Henrici Archidiaconi Hunten- "
until the year mdclxviii. , Book ii. , cent, vii. , sect. 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, pp. 72, 73. London, 1655, f°l-
? '3 See"Eulogium(HistoriarumsiveTern- poris) : Chronicon ab orbe condito usque ad Annum Domini mccclxvi. , a Monacho quodam Malmesburiensi exaratum," edited by Frank Scott Haydon, B. A. , vol. i. , cap. lxxii. , p. 214.
dunensis Historia Anglorum," edited by Thomas Arnold, M. A. , lib. ii. , sect. 28, p. 55.
7°5 At this time, he was only about three
years[old, and he had been conveyed for pro- tection to Cadvan, the King of North "Wales.
706 His daughter had been married to Aedilfrid.
? °7 He had given refuge to Edwin, when obliged to ily from North Wales, and from
"
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. ,
cap. i. , ii. , pp. 161 to 163.
? 'S Eadwine "left his name to the fronti—er
fortress of Eadwinesburh, or Edinburgh. ''
Edward A. Freeman's " of the Nor- History
man Conquest of England," vol. i. , chap, ii. , sect. 3, p. 36,
other
? °8 His rule lasted from 616 to 633, when
he fell in the forty-seventh year of his age,
places.
Christianity,?
p. 15.
"'-' SeeThomasFuller's"
Church-History of Britain ; from the Birth of Jesus Christ,
? '« See Venerable Bede's
Historia Ec-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 581
leaders—especially under the renowed King Arthur—the invaders were fre- quently kept in check. However, there was generally a want of cohesion amongthescatteredanddisorganizedtribes. Atthistimelivedaveryvaliant and fierce British King of Gwynez or North Wales, designated Cation ? l6 or Cathluon, by some writers, while by others, he was called Cadwalla, or Ced- wallinus. ? ^ Although a Christian by name and profession, he was a barba- rian in mind and morals ; in his brutal fury, sparing not even women or innocent children, but even consigning them to torments and death. For a long time, he ravaged all those places open to his incursions. 7 l8 This ruffian king was utterly devoid of principle, as shown by the actions he perpetrated, and the alliances he formed. At length, Cadwalla formed a resolution to throw off the Saxon yoke. He knew, that Penda King of Mercia bore with great impatience the superiority of the King of Northumbria, and that being a brave and an experienced warrior, he also had the ambition to extend his sway. Accordingly, having arranged to unite their forces, they marched into York- shire, where they were opposed by the Northumbrian army, under the leader- ship of their king. Aided by Penda and the Mercians, Cadwalla gained a decisive victory, and slew Edwin with his son Osfrid,? ^ at Hatfield Chase,720 October 12th, 633. ? 21 A great number of their followers fell in that battle. Other writers have an earlier date for this encounter, under its British name of 22it
being variedly assigned
While Ceadwalla mercilessly spread devastation through the province of Northumbria, after that signal victory, Penda and his Mercians marched against the East Angles, and vanquished them in battle. On the death of Edwin, Paulinus fled for refuge to Kent. The conversion of Northumbria
was checked by the death of Edwin, and especially by the apostacy of Osric, 7 2 7
to become his successors. While a
Osric, prince
Haethfield,?
to and 26 626,723 629,724 630,725 631. 7
and 2S who Eanfrid,7
aspired
of mature age and experienced in battle, was received as King of Deira, so
EanfridbecameKingofBernicia. 729 WhenCaedwallawasinthecityofYork, Osric endeavoured to surprise him ; but the latter was attacked in an
716 Thus is he named by Adamnan.
>
372 373> nn- I5> 16.
630, "Gueith [Hibernicecach, or 'prselium']
717 " See
Meiceren
; et ibi interfectus est cum Etguin
Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 338, and pp.
duobus filiis suis. Catguollaun autem vic-
torfuit,"p. 7. In like manner, at]A. n. 630, we "—
718 See Venerable Bede's •' Historia Ec- have Bellum filii Ailli. " Rev. Dr.
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. xx.
O'ConorVRerumHibernicarumScriptores," tomus iv. , Annales Ultonienses.
72<s In Annals, we find at Tighernach's
a. d. 631, cAch 1C1V1 ecuiti tnAc A1LI1 (prae- Hum inter Edwin filium Aelli et Anfraith, qui decollatus est, in quo Osualt mac Etal- fraith victor erat, et Cathlon rex Britonum cecidit. ) Again, in the Annals of Ulster, at A. c. 631, we find Bellum Cathloen regis Bri- tonum et Ainfrit. In the " Annales Cam-
719 See Rev.
cle," p. 35.
720 In Yorkshire.
" Saxon Chroni- It is called likewise,
J. Ingram's
Heathfield.
721 See Venerable Bede's " Historia Ec-
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. ,
cap. 12, 20.
722 Thus designated in Stevens' edition of
the "Historia Britonum," by Nennius, briae, at A.
