Knowing the boundless
liberality of the saint, a young man, addicted to pleasantry, resolved to play off a joke at her expense, by obtaining under false pretences one of her sheep, that grazed on the pastures around ; although rich, and having no
<8 See At)bate D.
liberality of the saint, a young man, addicted to pleasantry, resolved to play off a joke at her expense, by obtaining under false pretences one of her sheep, that grazed on the pastures around ; although rich, and having no
<8 See At)bate D.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
When this had been effected, these cows gave such a quantity of milk, that all vessels in the place were soon filled.
It is even said, the milk flowed in a stream along the ground towards a certain hollow, which was filled with this nourishing fluid.
In after-times, that spot received
"
the corresponding Irish name, Locti-leamnachta,='^ or
the lake of milk. "
The situation of Tolach or Tulloch na n-Espoc in Ui Briun Chualann
identifies it with the ancient church of Tullagh, between Loughlinstown and
Cabinteely. It gives name to the parish of Tully,=7 in the barony of Rath-
down, and county of Dubfin. On a green eminence, and embosomed
among venerable elder trees, thickly interlaced with a few hawthorn and
ash trees, are the ruins of its old church. The semi-circular choir-arch, the
diminutive proportions of this buiiding, and the rude stone crosses, with
there, bespeak antiquity.
the road outside the graveyard p the other remains in an opposite field. 3° Various stone fragments are scattered around the latter. Owing to these circumstances, it has been inferred, that Tullagh had been one of those sanctuaries or asylums, benevolently intended to protect the penitent or the persecuted, at a time when violence prevailed, and too often fmstrated—the
by t8 feet
have drawn and described these objects. 34 A pictoral illustration35 of the
other memorials its ^^ One of the crosses stands on
—f 3^ The demands o justice. existing
chancel 25 to which a corresponding nave had never been built. Judging by the marks on its western wall, the old nave to which it was added measured only 1 5 feet in width. 32 Here are some curiously incised rude stonemonuments. 33 ThelateGeorgeV. DuNoyerandMr. H. Parkinson
John F. Shearman, "Lough Minane" is in-
and it bears some carvings in alto-relievo, on one side.
3i ** ofthe See John D'Alton's History
remains are a
good-sized
"
"The early annalists of Ireland give
ordinarily such a representation of the pre-
lates whom we now speak of, and of the
functions which these dignitaries admi- the Danes, and dedicated to their martyr-
terpreted =4
the kid's pool. "
nistered, as shows, that they regarded these
ecclesiastics as really belonging to the epis- copal order,"—Rev. P. J. Carew's " Eccle-
siastical History of Ireland," chap, iv. , pp. 127,128.
="5 Called also Blath or Flora. She is
honoured with a festival, at the 29th of
January.
king St. Olave, who was slain on the 29th of July, A. D. 1030. See pp. 930, 93I.
3^ "The opes of all the windows have been built up, so that the mouldings cannot beseen; butthemerefactofthewindows having round arches internally is not incon- sistent with the late date (viz. , perhaps after the 12th or 13th century) ascribed above to
=^
In his additions to St. ^nguss the the church. "—Dr. J. A. Purefoy CoUes'
Culdee's Martyrology, at the ist of Febru-
ary, Charles Maguire relates, the foregoing incidents.
^^ It is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Dublin," Sheets 22, 23, 25, 26.
communication in the "Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland," A. D. 1870, vol. i. , part i. Fourth series, n. i. , pp. 210, 211.
33 Of these two illustrations are given by Dr. J. A. Purefoy Colles. See ibid. , p. 210.
34 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," vol. viii. , p. 61, and vol. x. , pp.
340 to 342.
3S This is from a drawing by Bigari, which
was in possession of the Right Hon. William Conyngham. It represents the scene par-
=8 See
D'Alton's "
of the
John
County of Dublin," p. 931.
History
^ This is of a northern order, and sup- posed to be a perforated Odin cross, by Led- wich, who is a very poor authority on the
subject.
3°
This is of the Maltese shape, very tall,
County of Dublin. " The author supposes
this church to have been originally built by
144 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
old church has been given by Grose,3^ with a letterpress account by I. ed- wich. 37 Some of the features represented as existing in the last century have
3^
To our saint, as to a common centre of gravitation, a crowd of poor and
since disappeared.
afflicted persons daily resorted, to seek relief in their various necessities ;39
TuUagh Old Church, County Dublin.
some expecting bread, cheese, butter, meal or corn ; others requiring milk or some other kind of liquid ; some asking for linen, wool and coverlids ; as they severally stood in need of these various articles/^ And, as works of charity must be performed by persons, who seek the kingdom of God and His justice,^^ so this bounteous virgin, filled with the spirit of Christian magnanimity, could never bear to send the necessitous away unconsoled. Although, she often laboured under an insufficiency, or a total want of means,togivealms; yet,theDivinericheswerecopiouslyshoweredupon her, in one way or another. The Almighty never refuses His assistance, whenever a sincere and an energetic effort of real charity is exercised, by any of His creatures. This was fully illustrated, on a certain occasion, when a great number of paupers came to our saint, earnestly wishing to procure a draught of beer, which they asked from her in charity. As the legend re- lates, she had not this beverage, at the time, to assuage their thirst, and as she did not wish to refuse these poor people their request, Brigid thought of
tially denuded of trees, with a fine cross in
the foreground.
3* See "Antiquities of Ireland," vol. i. ,
p. »5.
37 Ibid. , pp. 15, 16.
38 The accompanying original sketch, by
Mr. JohnO'C. Robinson, Blackrock, county of Dublin, was taken in October, 1875, on the spot. It was drawn on the wood, by
"William F. Wakeman, and engraved by
George A. Hanlon, Dublin.
39 See Surius' " De Probatis Sanctorum
Historiis," Februarius, tomus i. Vita S. Brigidae, Virginis, p. 808.
*° The attributes and characteristics of St. Brigid are expressed in the sixth Metrical Life ; where it is said, that various matters to bestow on the poor seemed as it were to
increase under her very look*
**
St. Matt* vi. , 33.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 14S
the place, where she might procure it, and how it might be obtained. While
her cogitations ran on this subject, she saw, at a little distance, water that
had been prepared for baths. -*' Asking for heavenly assistance, in enabling
her to satisfy the expectations of that thirsty flock, she besought the Saviour
of the world, who promises every request to those who ask in his name,^3
thathewouldenablehertoconvertthiswaterintobeer sothatherbeloved ;
poor should not return more sorrowful than they came, and be disappointed
in their petitions and expectations. For hope, often the only solace of miserable persons, had sustained them before their arrival, and as they felt assured their sufferings should be reHeved by Brigid, so must a refusal to assist them weigh more heavily on their spirits. '*'* Approaching near that water, the Abbess impressed a sign of the cross on it, and invoking the name of Christ, she blessed it.
Then, He, who had formerly changed water into wine, at the marriage feast of Cana, in Galileej-^s was pleased, through the merits of his holy servant, to change water into beer, in this pre- sent instance. And, as on the former occasion, joy was brought to the hearts of those, who celebrated the nuptials, by procuring that supply of wine, which had been desired ; so was St. Brigid rejoiced, when she had
been enabled to present the thirsting multitude of poor, with beer instead of water, thus satisfying both their requests and their necessities. ^^ Thus, she seemed never to tire in bestowing largesses on the poor and wretched.
Once it happened, there had been a want of bread, in a place where St. Brigid and her nuns lived. A certain well-disposed and benevolent man,^7 inhabiting the eastern part of the Liffy's plain, came to our abbess. He re- quested Brigid to permit some of her daughters to return with him, that they might bring* back measures of corn. When the nuns had been loaded with his gift, and had set out on their journey homewards, the Liffy was swollen beyond its banks, to such a degree, that they could not pass over, neither boat nor bridge affording them opportunity. There had been a ford, at the usual place of crossing. This men and animals could wade over, without
*' The author of our saint's Fifth Life re- marks, en parenthese, "nam et tunc et modo balneis tam Hiberniensium natio, quam Scotorum frequenter uti Solent. " Frequent allusions are made to this custom, in the acts of Irish saints, where we are informed, that guests in the monastic institutes, more especially, had baths prepared for their re- ception. It is likely, moreover, that these baths were much used in private families, at a very early period of our social existence, as a people ; and, the Scotch appear to have followed our old Irish practice, in this in- stance, as in many others. The custom, thus early prevailing, has long survived time's changes ; and, even among the pea- sant class of Irish, at this present day, the practice of feet bathing in warm water, be- fore retiring to rest for the night, is a very
common one. It is supposed to contribute very much to health and to bodily refresh- ment, as it undoubtedly does to comfort and to cleanliness.
^3 St. Matt, vii. , 7.
^ In the Second, Third and Fourth Lives of our Saint, the poor, in whose favour the foregoing miracle had been wrought, are
See Vita Secunda S. Bri- gidas, cap. ix. , p. 519. Vita Tertia S. Bri- gidae, cap. civ. , p, 540. Vita Quarta S. Bri- gidse, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxiii. , Colgan's "Trias
"
Thaumaturga.
occurrences, such as restoring sight to one born blind, &c. , are mentioned in her various offices. See "Chronica Generalis Mundi," Petrus de Natalibus, as also various Acts of the saint,
'>^ St. John ii. , I to 1 1,
"
Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Vita S. Brigidce, cap. xxxiv. , xxxv. , p. 575. Sexta Vita S. Brigidoe, § v. , p. 583.
Vita Prima S. Brigidse, § 19, p. 516.
*^ In the Sixth Life this benefactor of St.
Brigid is called a noble, and it is said,
" Ille dedit pueris saccos similagine plenos, Virginis ancillas dunisitdeniqueonustas. "
From this, it would appear, that the present made to St. Brigid consisted of fine flour, which her nuns carried in sacks. It is pro- bable, those religious were assisted by cer- tain boys, as mentioned, when they set out on their return.
Vol, II.
L
called
lepers.
*-^ See, Colgan's
This and other miraculous
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
much difficulty, except in time of floods. The nuns then sat down on the river bank, and invoked St. Brigid to aid them, at this juncture. Imme-
diately, they were all transported with their burdens to the opposite bank, through St. Brigid's merits and the power of God ; but, removed by what means, or in what manner, remained a secret to them. Coming to their superioress, they related that miracle which had taken place, when the holy abbess told them, to conceal it from the world. '^^ Yet, a knowledge of this wonderful incident could not be suppressed, because others heard about it, before Brigid had issued her mandate. <9
One day, a certain bishop, with a large retinue, visited the abbess. She
was unprovided, at the time, with means necessary to afford refreshment for
such a large number of persons. The Almighty, however, miraculously and instantaneously supplied her with food, sufficient for the refection of her
guests. In like manner, on the same day, two other bishops arrived, at different hours. Those prelates were unexpected visitors to our saint. Still refreshmentwasfoundwondrouslyprovidedfortheirwants. 5° Thesaintly abbess had a cow, which gave an incredible quantity of milk. A certain avaricious man entreated her to make him a present of that animal. With this request, Brigid is said to have complied. But, before the man had driven the cow to his lands, she gave no more milk than was customary, with other animals of her class. Afterwards, a generous man bestowed another cow for Brigid's use. Through a special permission of Providence, this beast proved equal to the former, in giving a copious supply of milk. s^
At another a woman came to St. " O what time, Brigid, saying : mother,
shall I do, regarding this son of mine ? For, he is almost an al^ortion, being blind from his birth, and having a tabulated face. s" Hence, his father wished to deprive him of life. " Compassionating the distress of this woman, Brigid ordered the child's face to be washed in water that was near. Then, all former blemishes were removed, the Almighty restoring him, through St. Brigid's merits. This boy was called Cretanus or Crimthann,53 and he lived for a long time, after the removal of his deformity. 54
The following incidents are alluded to, in many of our saint's acts. A
certain necessity required St. Brigid's presence, in one of her fields, and in connection with the interests of her institution.
Knowing the boundless
liberality of the saint, a young man, addicted to pleasantry, resolved to play off a joke at her expense, by obtaining under false pretences one of her sheep, that grazed on the pastures around ; although rich, and having no
<8 See At)bate D. Giacomo Cettani's "La Life. In the Third
Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida tion about the second cow given to Sti
Ibernese. " LibfoSesto,pp. 502to504.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidce, lib. ii. , cap. Ixix. , J). 560. Vita Tertia S. Brigidas, cap. xcviii. , p. 539, ? ^? V/. See, also, Vita Sexta S. Bri- gidae, sec. Ix. , p. 594, ibid.
s" See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
Life,
Brigid.
S" Colgan explains the expressions, "ta-
bulatam laciem," to mean a iace, plain like the surface of a table, having all its parts of equal prominence, and of featureless defor* mity ; hence, deprived of those various or* gans of sense, to be found in more regularly formed features,
53 in the Third Life, he is called Cretanus,
_*9
tomus i. , Februarii. Vita iv. S. lib. ii. , cap. x. , p. 169.
Brigidae,
s* See Colgan s "Trias Thaumaturga. " and of him it is very unintelligibly said,
Quarta Vita S. Brigidre, lib. ii. , cap. Ixx. , p. 560. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. ci. , p. 540, ibid. In this latter* life, the mira- culous supply of milk is said to have occurred,
"quem affirmant usque ad mortem dolorem ccculorum habuisse, sed turn sanos occulos semper habebat. "
S4 gee, Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxi. , p. 560. Vita Tenia S. Brigidae, cap, cii,
inconsequenceof the arrival of three bishops
and their companions, most probably those
l^uests, already mentioned in the Fourth and n, 49, pp. 540, 545, ibid.
thefe iS 110 men*
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
real necessity to appear otherwise, he assumed the garments and disguise of a pauper. 55 Appearing to sustain upon a staff his Umbs, tottering with pre-
tended infirmity and want, he approached the holy abbess. His steps seemed unsteady, while drawing deep sighs, and with a voice broken and resumed only at intervals, he entreated that one sheep from her flock should be given to him. An appeal of the kind was seldom made in vain to St. Brigid; thelooks,gestures,andhabitofthepetitioner,inducinganopinionof hisextremepoverty. Hisrequestwascompliedwith,andasheepwasgiven, which he conveyed to a suitable hiding-place. Encouraged by the success of this sportive experiment, he returned again, in another assumed disguise and habit. Again, he pleaded want of means and health ; and, again he received a sheep trom the abbess. This he accepted with expressions of thanks, and removed it, to that place, in which he had left the other animal. This trick was repeated, no less than seven different times, and with like suc- cess. But, God would not permit His holy servant to suifer any loss, owing to her charitable credulity, nor would he allow the young man to derive any advantage, from his cunning deception. Those, who knew that St. Brigid had already lessened her flock by seven sheep, were surprised to find the originalnumberofanimals,whencountedintlieevening. Soboundlesswas her large-hearted charity, that it was often almost undiscriminating. Ihose sheep, which had been hidden by the young man, were not tound in their place of concealment, when it was examined jS^ so that the jest, he practised upon the saint, redounded to his own confusion and ridicule. 57 His day's futile labour and his falsely-assumed characters were made a subject tor pleasantry, and directed by his acquaintances against himself. This gave him more annoyance than the loss of those animals he had surreptitiously
acquired, in the hope of creating some merriment in the neighbournood. 5<* The illustrious rehgieuse exercised a mysterious sway over wild beasts of the forest, and birds of the air. 59 The following circumstance is attributed
to the all-subdumg influences of the gentle lady's virtues, and it is com- mended by Cogitosus to the attention of his brethren, for whose special edificationtheActsofholyBrigidhadbeencomposed. Toshowhoweven irrational animals became subject to her will and words, while remaining tame and domesticated, he instances a wild boar, aflrighted by his pursuers, that fledfromthewoods. Atlast,thatboarjoinedaherdolswine,belongingto St. Brigid. Finding him among her own animals, with her blessing the saint caused him to remain there in security, and he became perfectly domesti- cated. ^° One day, Brigid saw some wild ducks swimming in a river, and
55 In Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid—where this story is noticed—this deceiver is called a thief. See pp. 4I, 42.
5" The matter is thus
the First Metrical Life ; according to the Latin version :
"
S7 See the foregoing account in Abbate D. Giaconio Certani's "La Sautita Prodi- giosa. " Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. Libro
Vir importunus, qui postulavit
A Brigida propter amurem Domini^ Accepit septem Verveces ab ea : Nee grex mde fuit diminutus. "
tuiga. "
5^ This is alluded to, in the Bollandists*
"Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii.
—Vita Prima S. Brigidae, § 18, p. 516. Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " It is in like manner mentioned, in Vita Secunda S. Brigidae, cap. viii. , p. 519. Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. ciii. , p. 540. Quarta Vita S. Jirigidae, lib, ii. , cap. Ixxii. , p. 560, ibid,
Vita Secunda S. Brigidae, cap. xix. , p. 520. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. cix. , p. 540. Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxiv. , p. 560. This circumstance is thus recorded in the First Metrical Life, according to thQ
Latin version :
briefly related,
Sesto, pp. 504
507.
in
to
^a Sucli is the detailed narrative, as fur-
nished in the Vita Quinta S. Brigidae, cap.
" xlii. , p. 577. Colgau's
Trias Thauma-
Vita ii. , cap. iv.
''"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
148 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
occasionally flying through the air. ^' These fowl she collected around her, in great numbers ; for, they flocked towards her, without any apparent ap-
prehension of danger, when they heard this holy virgin's gentle voice calling them. Forsometime,oursaintcaressedthem,andcoveredthemwithher hand; atterwards,sheallowedtheirreturntotheirfeatheredcompanions. ^*
By her extraordinary practices of piety, Divine power Avas manifested through her, in the following instance. '^^ There was a certain very strong man, named Lugid, who is said to have had the physical strength of twelve ordinary men, while his appetite for food was proportionately excessive. Lugid asked St. Brigid to petition God in his behalf, that his appetite might be restrained within reasonable bounds, while yet he might retain his bodily strength. The saint complied with his request, and gave him her blessing. ^^ Afterwards, this Lugid^^ was content with a quantity of food usually necessary for the support of an ordinary man, while his strength^^ continued equal to the united bodily prowess of twelve labourers. "^^
After St. Brigid came to her own city, certain religious men visited her,
and preached the Divine Word, in her presence. Afterwards, the abbess
told her cellarer or store-keeper^^ to prepare a dinner for her pious guests. Asking what kind of a meal should be prepared, she Avas told by Brigid, to setdifferentdishesbeforethem. ^9 But,asthestore-keeperhadnotmeans for complying with our saint's mandate, she requested the abbess to retire to thechurchandtopraythere,trustingtheresulttoDivineProvidence. As already remarked, such had been the boundless charity of Brigid, that she immediately distributed to those in need, whatever the Almighty bestowed on her. Well knowing the real state of affairs, the abbess told her store-
*'
solebat venire in
Versus Aquilonem, ubi est vallis nunc: Quern Brigida baculo benedixit j
At cum grege jugiter permansit. "
Certani's "La Santiti
S. Brigida Ibemese. "
Vita di Libro Sesto, pp.
Aper
ejus gregem,
Prodigiosa.
513, 5H.
"5 Surius, concealing the name of Lugid,
briefly relates this mii-acle, in "De Probatis
Sanctorum Historiis," &c. , tomus i. , Febru- This miracle is alluded to in our saint's arius. Vita S. Brigidre, Virginis, p. 809.
—Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sec. xxix. , p. 516.
offices.
'* Abbate D. Giacomo Certani, who re-
lates this incident, states, that over these
animals, St. Brigid exercised as absolute a
dominion as could our first parents have
practised in their terrestrial Paradise. See
" La Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Bri-
gida Ibemese. " Libro Sesto, pp. 516, this miracle is thus introduced :
"
—Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sec. 34, p. 517. ^^ In the Fourth Life of our saint, she is
called, "Cellaria," and in the Third "Coqua. " These and similar incidental notices, in the legends of our saints, serve to give us an idea, regarding various officials connected with ancient monasteries and nunneries, or relating to their domestic
economy.
^ In the Third Life, we read, that Brigid
*'See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. xcii. , p.
"
the corresponding Irish name, Locti-leamnachta,='^ or
the lake of milk. "
The situation of Tolach or Tulloch na n-Espoc in Ui Briun Chualann
identifies it with the ancient church of Tullagh, between Loughlinstown and
Cabinteely. It gives name to the parish of Tully,=7 in the barony of Rath-
down, and county of Dubfin. On a green eminence, and embosomed
among venerable elder trees, thickly interlaced with a few hawthorn and
ash trees, are the ruins of its old church. The semi-circular choir-arch, the
diminutive proportions of this buiiding, and the rude stone crosses, with
there, bespeak antiquity.
the road outside the graveyard p the other remains in an opposite field. 3° Various stone fragments are scattered around the latter. Owing to these circumstances, it has been inferred, that Tullagh had been one of those sanctuaries or asylums, benevolently intended to protect the penitent or the persecuted, at a time when violence prevailed, and too often fmstrated—the
by t8 feet
have drawn and described these objects. 34 A pictoral illustration35 of the
other memorials its ^^ One of the crosses stands on
—f 3^ The demands o justice. existing
chancel 25 to which a corresponding nave had never been built. Judging by the marks on its western wall, the old nave to which it was added measured only 1 5 feet in width. 32 Here are some curiously incised rude stonemonuments. 33 ThelateGeorgeV. DuNoyerandMr. H. Parkinson
John F. Shearman, "Lough Minane" is in-
and it bears some carvings in alto-relievo, on one side.
3i ** ofthe See John D'Alton's History
remains are a
good-sized
"
"The early annalists of Ireland give
ordinarily such a representation of the pre-
lates whom we now speak of, and of the
functions which these dignitaries admi- the Danes, and dedicated to their martyr-
terpreted =4
the kid's pool. "
nistered, as shows, that they regarded these
ecclesiastics as really belonging to the epis- copal order,"—Rev. P. J. Carew's " Eccle-
siastical History of Ireland," chap, iv. , pp. 127,128.
="5 Called also Blath or Flora. She is
honoured with a festival, at the 29th of
January.
king St. Olave, who was slain on the 29th of July, A. D. 1030. See pp. 930, 93I.
3^ "The opes of all the windows have been built up, so that the mouldings cannot beseen; butthemerefactofthewindows having round arches internally is not incon- sistent with the late date (viz. , perhaps after the 12th or 13th century) ascribed above to
=^
In his additions to St. ^nguss the the church. "—Dr. J. A. Purefoy CoUes'
Culdee's Martyrology, at the ist of Febru-
ary, Charles Maguire relates, the foregoing incidents.
^^ It is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Dublin," Sheets 22, 23, 25, 26.
communication in the "Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland," A. D. 1870, vol. i. , part i. Fourth series, n. i. , pp. 210, 211.
33 Of these two illustrations are given by Dr. J. A. Purefoy Colles. See ibid. , p. 210.
34 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," vol. viii. , p. 61, and vol. x. , pp.
340 to 342.
3S This is from a drawing by Bigari, which
was in possession of the Right Hon. William Conyngham. It represents the scene par-
=8 See
D'Alton's "
of the
John
County of Dublin," p. 931.
History
^ This is of a northern order, and sup- posed to be a perforated Odin cross, by Led- wich, who is a very poor authority on the
subject.
3°
This is of the Maltese shape, very tall,
County of Dublin. " The author supposes
this church to have been originally built by
144 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
old church has been given by Grose,3^ with a letterpress account by I. ed- wich. 37 Some of the features represented as existing in the last century have
3^
To our saint, as to a common centre of gravitation, a crowd of poor and
since disappeared.
afflicted persons daily resorted, to seek relief in their various necessities ;39
TuUagh Old Church, County Dublin.
some expecting bread, cheese, butter, meal or corn ; others requiring milk or some other kind of liquid ; some asking for linen, wool and coverlids ; as they severally stood in need of these various articles/^ And, as works of charity must be performed by persons, who seek the kingdom of God and His justice,^^ so this bounteous virgin, filled with the spirit of Christian magnanimity, could never bear to send the necessitous away unconsoled. Although, she often laboured under an insufficiency, or a total want of means,togivealms; yet,theDivinericheswerecopiouslyshoweredupon her, in one way or another. The Almighty never refuses His assistance, whenever a sincere and an energetic effort of real charity is exercised, by any of His creatures. This was fully illustrated, on a certain occasion, when a great number of paupers came to our saint, earnestly wishing to procure a draught of beer, which they asked from her in charity. As the legend re- lates, she had not this beverage, at the time, to assuage their thirst, and as she did not wish to refuse these poor people their request, Brigid thought of
tially denuded of trees, with a fine cross in
the foreground.
3* See "Antiquities of Ireland," vol. i. ,
p. »5.
37 Ibid. , pp. 15, 16.
38 The accompanying original sketch, by
Mr. JohnO'C. Robinson, Blackrock, county of Dublin, was taken in October, 1875, on the spot. It was drawn on the wood, by
"William F. Wakeman, and engraved by
George A. Hanlon, Dublin.
39 See Surius' " De Probatis Sanctorum
Historiis," Februarius, tomus i. Vita S. Brigidae, Virginis, p. 808.
*° The attributes and characteristics of St. Brigid are expressed in the sixth Metrical Life ; where it is said, that various matters to bestow on the poor seemed as it were to
increase under her very look*
**
St. Matt* vi. , 33.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 14S
the place, where she might procure it, and how it might be obtained. While
her cogitations ran on this subject, she saw, at a little distance, water that
had been prepared for baths. -*' Asking for heavenly assistance, in enabling
her to satisfy the expectations of that thirsty flock, she besought the Saviour
of the world, who promises every request to those who ask in his name,^3
thathewouldenablehertoconvertthiswaterintobeer sothatherbeloved ;
poor should not return more sorrowful than they came, and be disappointed
in their petitions and expectations. For hope, often the only solace of miserable persons, had sustained them before their arrival, and as they felt assured their sufferings should be reHeved by Brigid, so must a refusal to assist them weigh more heavily on their spirits. '*'* Approaching near that water, the Abbess impressed a sign of the cross on it, and invoking the name of Christ, she blessed it.
Then, He, who had formerly changed water into wine, at the marriage feast of Cana, in Galileej-^s was pleased, through the merits of his holy servant, to change water into beer, in this pre- sent instance. And, as on the former occasion, joy was brought to the hearts of those, who celebrated the nuptials, by procuring that supply of wine, which had been desired ; so was St. Brigid rejoiced, when she had
been enabled to present the thirsting multitude of poor, with beer instead of water, thus satisfying both their requests and their necessities. ^^ Thus, she seemed never to tire in bestowing largesses on the poor and wretched.
Once it happened, there had been a want of bread, in a place where St. Brigid and her nuns lived. A certain well-disposed and benevolent man,^7 inhabiting the eastern part of the Liffy's plain, came to our abbess. He re- quested Brigid to permit some of her daughters to return with him, that they might bring* back measures of corn. When the nuns had been loaded with his gift, and had set out on their journey homewards, the Liffy was swollen beyond its banks, to such a degree, that they could not pass over, neither boat nor bridge affording them opportunity. There had been a ford, at the usual place of crossing. This men and animals could wade over, without
*' The author of our saint's Fifth Life re- marks, en parenthese, "nam et tunc et modo balneis tam Hiberniensium natio, quam Scotorum frequenter uti Solent. " Frequent allusions are made to this custom, in the acts of Irish saints, where we are informed, that guests in the monastic institutes, more especially, had baths prepared for their re- ception. It is likely, moreover, that these baths were much used in private families, at a very early period of our social existence, as a people ; and, the Scotch appear to have followed our old Irish practice, in this in- stance, as in many others. The custom, thus early prevailing, has long survived time's changes ; and, even among the pea- sant class of Irish, at this present day, the practice of feet bathing in warm water, be- fore retiring to rest for the night, is a very
common one. It is supposed to contribute very much to health and to bodily refresh- ment, as it undoubtedly does to comfort and to cleanliness.
^3 St. Matt, vii. , 7.
^ In the Second, Third and Fourth Lives of our Saint, the poor, in whose favour the foregoing miracle had been wrought, are
See Vita Secunda S. Bri- gidas, cap. ix. , p. 519. Vita Tertia S. Bri- gidae, cap. civ. , p, 540. Vita Quarta S. Bri- gidse, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxiii. , Colgan's "Trias
"
Thaumaturga.
occurrences, such as restoring sight to one born blind, &c. , are mentioned in her various offices. See "Chronica Generalis Mundi," Petrus de Natalibus, as also various Acts of the saint,
'>^ St. John ii. , I to 1 1,
"
Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Vita S. Brigidce, cap. xxxiv. , xxxv. , p. 575. Sexta Vita S. Brigidoe, § v. , p. 583.
Vita Prima S. Brigidse, § 19, p. 516.
*^ In the Sixth Life this benefactor of St.
Brigid is called a noble, and it is said,
" Ille dedit pueris saccos similagine plenos, Virginis ancillas dunisitdeniqueonustas. "
From this, it would appear, that the present made to St. Brigid consisted of fine flour, which her nuns carried in sacks. It is pro- bable, those religious were assisted by cer- tain boys, as mentioned, when they set out on their return.
Vol, II.
L
called
lepers.
*-^ See, Colgan's
This and other miraculous
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
much difficulty, except in time of floods. The nuns then sat down on the river bank, and invoked St. Brigid to aid them, at this juncture. Imme-
diately, they were all transported with their burdens to the opposite bank, through St. Brigid's merits and the power of God ; but, removed by what means, or in what manner, remained a secret to them. Coming to their superioress, they related that miracle which had taken place, when the holy abbess told them, to conceal it from the world. '^^ Yet, a knowledge of this wonderful incident could not be suppressed, because others heard about it, before Brigid had issued her mandate. <9
One day, a certain bishop, with a large retinue, visited the abbess. She
was unprovided, at the time, with means necessary to afford refreshment for
such a large number of persons. The Almighty, however, miraculously and instantaneously supplied her with food, sufficient for the refection of her
guests. In like manner, on the same day, two other bishops arrived, at different hours. Those prelates were unexpected visitors to our saint. Still refreshmentwasfoundwondrouslyprovidedfortheirwants. 5° Thesaintly abbess had a cow, which gave an incredible quantity of milk. A certain avaricious man entreated her to make him a present of that animal. With this request, Brigid is said to have complied. But, before the man had driven the cow to his lands, she gave no more milk than was customary, with other animals of her class. Afterwards, a generous man bestowed another cow for Brigid's use. Through a special permission of Providence, this beast proved equal to the former, in giving a copious supply of milk. s^
At another a woman came to St. " O what time, Brigid, saying : mother,
shall I do, regarding this son of mine ? For, he is almost an al^ortion, being blind from his birth, and having a tabulated face. s" Hence, his father wished to deprive him of life. " Compassionating the distress of this woman, Brigid ordered the child's face to be washed in water that was near. Then, all former blemishes were removed, the Almighty restoring him, through St. Brigid's merits. This boy was called Cretanus or Crimthann,53 and he lived for a long time, after the removal of his deformity. 54
The following incidents are alluded to, in many of our saint's acts. A
certain necessity required St. Brigid's presence, in one of her fields, and in connection with the interests of her institution.
Knowing the boundless
liberality of the saint, a young man, addicted to pleasantry, resolved to play off a joke at her expense, by obtaining under false pretences one of her sheep, that grazed on the pastures around ; although rich, and having no
<8 See At)bate D. Giacomo Cettani's "La Life. In the Third
Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida tion about the second cow given to Sti
Ibernese. " LibfoSesto,pp. 502to504.
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidce, lib. ii. , cap. Ixix. , J). 560. Vita Tertia S. Brigidas, cap. xcviii. , p. 539, ? ^? V/. See, also, Vita Sexta S. Bri- gidae, sec. Ix. , p. 594, ibid.
s" See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
Life,
Brigid.
S" Colgan explains the expressions, "ta-
bulatam laciem," to mean a iace, plain like the surface of a table, having all its parts of equal prominence, and of featureless defor* mity ; hence, deprived of those various or* gans of sense, to be found in more regularly formed features,
53 in the Third Life, he is called Cretanus,
_*9
tomus i. , Februarii. Vita iv. S. lib. ii. , cap. x. , p. 169.
Brigidae,
s* See Colgan s "Trias Thaumaturga. " and of him it is very unintelligibly said,
Quarta Vita S. Brigidre, lib. ii. , cap. Ixx. , p. 560. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. ci. , p. 540, ibid. In this latter* life, the mira- culous supply of milk is said to have occurred,
"quem affirmant usque ad mortem dolorem ccculorum habuisse, sed turn sanos occulos semper habebat. "
S4 gee, Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxi. , p. 560. Vita Tenia S. Brigidae, cap, cii,
inconsequenceof the arrival of three bishops
and their companions, most probably those
l^uests, already mentioned in the Fourth and n, 49, pp. 540, 545, ibid.
thefe iS 110 men*
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
real necessity to appear otherwise, he assumed the garments and disguise of a pauper. 55 Appearing to sustain upon a staff his Umbs, tottering with pre-
tended infirmity and want, he approached the holy abbess. His steps seemed unsteady, while drawing deep sighs, and with a voice broken and resumed only at intervals, he entreated that one sheep from her flock should be given to him. An appeal of the kind was seldom made in vain to St. Brigid; thelooks,gestures,andhabitofthepetitioner,inducinganopinionof hisextremepoverty. Hisrequestwascompliedwith,andasheepwasgiven, which he conveyed to a suitable hiding-place. Encouraged by the success of this sportive experiment, he returned again, in another assumed disguise and habit. Again, he pleaded want of means and health ; and, again he received a sheep trom the abbess. This he accepted with expressions of thanks, and removed it, to that place, in which he had left the other animal. This trick was repeated, no less than seven different times, and with like suc- cess. But, God would not permit His holy servant to suifer any loss, owing to her charitable credulity, nor would he allow the young man to derive any advantage, from his cunning deception. Those, who knew that St. Brigid had already lessened her flock by seven sheep, were surprised to find the originalnumberofanimals,whencountedintlieevening. Soboundlesswas her large-hearted charity, that it was often almost undiscriminating. Ihose sheep, which had been hidden by the young man, were not tound in their place of concealment, when it was examined jS^ so that the jest, he practised upon the saint, redounded to his own confusion and ridicule. 57 His day's futile labour and his falsely-assumed characters were made a subject tor pleasantry, and directed by his acquaintances against himself. This gave him more annoyance than the loss of those animals he had surreptitiously
acquired, in the hope of creating some merriment in the neighbournood. 5<* The illustrious rehgieuse exercised a mysterious sway over wild beasts of the forest, and birds of the air. 59 The following circumstance is attributed
to the all-subdumg influences of the gentle lady's virtues, and it is com- mended by Cogitosus to the attention of his brethren, for whose special edificationtheActsofholyBrigidhadbeencomposed. Toshowhoweven irrational animals became subject to her will and words, while remaining tame and domesticated, he instances a wild boar, aflrighted by his pursuers, that fledfromthewoods. Atlast,thatboarjoinedaherdolswine,belongingto St. Brigid. Finding him among her own animals, with her blessing the saint caused him to remain there in security, and he became perfectly domesti- cated. ^° One day, Brigid saw some wild ducks swimming in a river, and
55 In Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid—where this story is noticed—this deceiver is called a thief. See pp. 4I, 42.
5" The matter is thus
the First Metrical Life ; according to the Latin version :
"
S7 See the foregoing account in Abbate D. Giaconio Certani's "La Sautita Prodi- giosa. " Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. Libro
Vir importunus, qui postulavit
A Brigida propter amurem Domini^ Accepit septem Verveces ab ea : Nee grex mde fuit diminutus. "
tuiga. "
5^ This is alluded to, in the Bollandists*
"Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii.
—Vita Prima S. Brigidae, § 18, p. 516. Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " It is in like manner mentioned, in Vita Secunda S. Brigidae, cap. viii. , p. 519. Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. ciii. , p. 540. Quarta Vita S. Jirigidae, lib, ii. , cap. Ixxii. , p. 560, ibid,
Vita Secunda S. Brigidae, cap. xix. , p. 520. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. cix. , p. 540. Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxiv. , p. 560. This circumstance is thus recorded in the First Metrical Life, according to thQ
Latin version :
briefly related,
Sesto, pp. 504
507.
in
to
^a Sucli is the detailed narrative, as fur-
nished in the Vita Quinta S. Brigidae, cap.
" xlii. , p. 577. Colgau's
Trias Thauma-
Vita ii. , cap. iv.
''"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
148 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
occasionally flying through the air. ^' These fowl she collected around her, in great numbers ; for, they flocked towards her, without any apparent ap-
prehension of danger, when they heard this holy virgin's gentle voice calling them. Forsometime,oursaintcaressedthem,andcoveredthemwithher hand; atterwards,sheallowedtheirreturntotheirfeatheredcompanions. ^*
By her extraordinary practices of piety, Divine power Avas manifested through her, in the following instance. '^^ There was a certain very strong man, named Lugid, who is said to have had the physical strength of twelve ordinary men, while his appetite for food was proportionately excessive. Lugid asked St. Brigid to petition God in his behalf, that his appetite might be restrained within reasonable bounds, while yet he might retain his bodily strength. The saint complied with his request, and gave him her blessing. ^^ Afterwards, this Lugid^^ was content with a quantity of food usually necessary for the support of an ordinary man, while his strength^^ continued equal to the united bodily prowess of twelve labourers. "^^
After St. Brigid came to her own city, certain religious men visited her,
and preached the Divine Word, in her presence. Afterwards, the abbess
told her cellarer or store-keeper^^ to prepare a dinner for her pious guests. Asking what kind of a meal should be prepared, she Avas told by Brigid, to setdifferentdishesbeforethem. ^9 But,asthestore-keeperhadnotmeans for complying with our saint's mandate, she requested the abbess to retire to thechurchandtopraythere,trustingtheresulttoDivineProvidence. As already remarked, such had been the boundless charity of Brigid, that she immediately distributed to those in need, whatever the Almighty bestowed on her. Well knowing the real state of affairs, the abbess told her store-
*'
solebat venire in
Versus Aquilonem, ubi est vallis nunc: Quern Brigida baculo benedixit j
At cum grege jugiter permansit. "
Certani's "La Santiti
S. Brigida Ibemese. "
Vita di Libro Sesto, pp.
Aper
ejus gregem,
Prodigiosa.
513, 5H.
"5 Surius, concealing the name of Lugid,
briefly relates this mii-acle, in "De Probatis
Sanctorum Historiis," &c. , tomus i. , Febru- This miracle is alluded to in our saint's arius. Vita S. Brigidre, Virginis, p. 809.
—Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sec. xxix. , p. 516.
offices.
'* Abbate D. Giacomo Certani, who re-
lates this incident, states, that over these
animals, St. Brigid exercised as absolute a
dominion as could our first parents have
practised in their terrestrial Paradise. See
" La Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Bri-
gida Ibemese. " Libro Sesto, pp. 516, this miracle is thus introduced :
"
—Vita Prima S. Brigidse, sec. 34, p. 517. ^^ In the Fourth Life of our saint, she is
called, "Cellaria," and in the Third "Coqua. " These and similar incidental notices, in the legends of our saints, serve to give us an idea, regarding various officials connected with ancient monasteries and nunneries, or relating to their domestic
economy.
^ In the Third Life, we read, that Brigid
*'See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. xcii. , p.
