They are shown, on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Down," Sheet 38.
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Down," Sheet 38.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
"—"Sexta Vita S.
Patricii," cap.
xxxiv.
, p.
72.
^5 He is called the son of Trichem, in the Second (cap. xxxi. , p. 14), Third (cap. xxxii. , p. 23), and Fourth Lives (cap. xxxvii. , p. 39). He is said to have lived, towards the south of Dichuo's residence. Had the writers of these Acts known, that Dichuo was his son, it appears strange, that they
now co-extens—
have not so
in the same
ive with the
designated him, and,
modern barony of Lecale manner, because it be-
longed to a chief so named, who flourished about A. D. 700. In it were situated the city
with to Rus. regard
Now Island Mahee.
=3 Now Kilclief.
-' His feast is supposed to fall on the 7tk
as
However, the notion, that Dicho and Rus were brothers, has probably had its origin,
they did,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 547
been subjected to, in the country, whither he had now come, in order to
proclaim Christ's Gospeh That swineherd of Dichu, however, thought those strangers, whom he met, were pirates or thieves. ^7 At once, he communi- cated such intelHgence to his master, and brought him to the place, whither they had come. The chieftain, Dichuo, was a man of great strength, of gigantic stature, and of a fierce spirit. In a transport of rage, this chief set his dogs to worry or devour them. ^^ Whereupon, St. Patrick cried out : "NetradasDoniinebestiisanimasconfitentestibi. "^9 Yet,anattackinganimal no sooner saw God's servant, than he became mute, and apparently stiff as a stone. On seeing this, it is said,3° that Dichuo drew out a sword, thinking to kill the saint. But God, opposing the shield of his divine protection, all Dichu's strength failed him. That celebrated miracle, which the Book of Kings relates to have been formerly \vrought on Jeroboam, St. Patrick more profitablyrenewedonthisoccasion. Whenthatkingwassacrificingtoidols, and had stretched out his hand to seize the prophet, who was reproving him, forthwith his arm stiffened. On his repentance, however, the prophet healed him, yet the king did not when healed forsake his error. 3^ Such a paralysis, as we are told, grew over all his body, that Dichuo could neither stir hand nor foot. This punishment, however, led to his conversion. The noble, seeingthisgreatmiraclewroughtuponhimself,becameanotherman; forhe, and all his household, inspired by God and believing in Christ, were baptized. Dichu having obtained health both of soul and body, bestowed upon Saint Patrick the place, where that miracle happened, with all necessary appurte-
nances, for the building of a church. Then the saint imparted to him a
special blessing. 3^ Hence, from accounts, Dichu or Dichuo is generally held tohavebeenthefirstconvert,madeinUlsterj33 but,heseems,eventohave been the first in Ireland, received by St. Patrick into the Church. 34
Contrary to the usual practice of church-building, Dichu's bam ran from north to south. 35 However, this granary was actually converted into a
church ; and, probably, St. Patrick obtained a spot of ground adjoining it, foraplaceofinterment,orforecclesiasticalpurposes. s^ Thisplacegotthe name of Sabul Patric, or Sabhall, now Saul. 37 It was called, Sabhall Padrurc,38 or Saint Patrick's Bam, even to the twelfth century, when Jocelyn wrote his
from such a circumstance. Then, four more brothers, and all belonging to the most noble house of Dalfiatach, are mentioned. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect. ii. , n. 17, p. 215.
=* Now Downpatrick.
^'^
See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick," p. 382.
No one of his sept or kindred Shall di«, except after a long life. "
—"
Miss Cusack's Life of St. Patrick," p.
382.
33 So Colgan conjectures, as he thinks,
owing to the Tripartite statement, that Sineli had been the first made in Ireland.
See lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , p. 124. In thissup- position, he is followed by Harris, in his edition of Sir James Ware's Works, vol. i.
" of 12. Archbishops Armagh," p.
34 xhe Second Life expresses this most
clearly, "crediidtet baptizatus est, et pri-
mus Scotorum per Patricium confessus est. "
See cap. xxix. , p. 14. The Fourth Life
adds to the account of his belief and baptism,
"
" XXIX. , p. 14.
"/ See
Secunda Vita S. Patricii," cap.
*9 See the Seventh P' 114'
Life,
lib.
i. , cap. xlvii. ,
**
3' See iii. Kings, xiii. 4.
3^
"
By Jocelyn.
It is thus expressed :—
The
Who gave me the Sabhall ;
May he be hereafter, Heavenly, joyous, glorious.
blessing
of God on
Dichu,
— ut
primus Scotorum, fertur, per Patricium
" The blessing of God on Dichu—
confessus est. " Cap. xxxiii. , p. 39. Pro- bus, also, has a like statement. See the Fifth Life, lib. i. , cap. xxviii. , p. 49,
35 See the Third Life, cap. xxxi. , p, 23,
and the Sixth Life, cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
Dichu with full folds
^ See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical
(flocks) ;
548 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
Life of our great Apostle. 39 In process of time, it is said, the saint built thereon a fair monastery, which he furnished with a company of perfect monks. Here, in after Hfe, St. Patrick spent a considerable portion of his days,4° and there, too, he departed from this world. A small modem Pro- testantchurchhasbeenbuiltintheoldcemetery. Anot—heraccounthasit, that extensive ruins of the ancient monastery in Saul said to have been
Saul Church and Churchyard, County of Down.
originally founded a. d. 433—existed even in the present century. *^ A few
fragments of a former church are there ;' and, it may be satisfactory to know, that its great altar-stone is now used, for the same holy purpose, in the
Catholic parish church of Saul. '«3
his own
Over his monks, here, St. Patrick placed
spring
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect, ii. , pp. 212, 213.
37 An account of this place will be found,
"
in Rev. William Reeves'
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix O, pp. 220 to 223.
3^ See Probus' or
*'
Quinta Vita S. Pa-
Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
*° St. Patrick writes, or has written for
where it is
reum," lib. i. , cap. xxviii. , p. 49.
"
tricii,"
called,
39 See
Ecclesiastical
the cemetery, at Saul, are represented in the accompanying illustration, drawn on the wood, from a local sketch, by William F.
Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard. 43 This has been built, in the adjoining
townland of Ballysugagh. Of this precious
relic, the parishioners are excessively proud.
4* that in no other Acts Colgan remarks,
of St. Patrick, except in those by Jocelyn, nor in other Saints' Lives, could he find any-
thing about Dunnius. He thinks, however,
that probably he may be the same as a Mo-
" Patricii hor-
as their abbot. •<5 For their he use, too,
St.
caused
a place, not far distant from Saul, and where a number of springs known as
Dunnius,''4 by prayer
disciple,
a fountain to
from the earth. •'^
This was— at probably
in his the — who is Marianus him, Testament, following holy duinus, mentioned, by
reminiscence of a sojourn here
" Thirty years was I myself At'Saul with purity. "
*' See Philip Dixon Hardy's "Northern '
Tourist, p. 84.
*' These, with the modem church, in
:
O'Gorman,
29th
at the
p. 110, to Jocelyn's Acts of St. Patrick.
*s On the ruins of this place, we find a few very indifferent metrical lines, introduced into Philip Dixon Hardy's "Northern Tourist," &c. , p. 84.
<«See "Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
of See n. May. 33,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 549
the Struell Wells47—are now the resort of pilgrims, especially during the summer months •^ The people living there naturally feel very indignant, at any desecration of these healing springs, in which, as they relate, St. Patrick remained whole nights immersed.
One day, as the holy missionary offered Mass in the church at Saul, a sacrilegious Magician,"? and a child of perdition, stood without, and with a rod, thrust in through the window,5o he cast down the chahce, and spilled its contents ; but, God immediately and severely punished so wicked a sacrilege, the earth opening, after a most strange manner, swallowed the Magician alive. s^ In the time of Jocelyn, the people of Down showed a great fissure in the earth, where this miracle is reported to have occurred. s^ The saint sorrowed much, for the effusion of the chalice, and, being afflicted, he shed tears. But, as related, by Divine virtue, the chalice was erected in its own place, and, with the elements so entire, that there appeared no sign nor mark of the former effusion. 53
Many ancient writers declare, that St. Patrick had a great desire to con- vert Milcho, or Miliuc, in whose service he had been, as a swineherd, all the timeofhisbondage. AknowledgeofthetrueGod,andofhisreligion,this chieftain seems not to have as yet received. With him, on Slemish, in the county of Antrim, the saint suffered much, in the days of his captivity ; and, near the mountain Mis, Milcho yet lived. St. Patrick must have given him offence, for becoming a fugitive slave ; and, we are not enlightened, as to the hope of pardon from a former master, he seems to have entertained, and the
still more sublime hope of converting that pagan chief to Christianity. But, the holy Apostle does not appear to have remained more than a few dayss* with Dichu. Leaving his bark on the sea-shore, and under care of that chief,5S St. Patrick travelled inwards by land to seek his former master, Milcho. s^ who lived at a considerable distance. Our saint thus taking leave of Dichuo, who is said, by various old writers, to have been his first begotten in Christ, after having come to preach in Ireland ; as he had purposed, Patrick journeyed through the lands of the Crutheni. 57 The saint hoped by his preaching, to subdue this man, likewise, to the sweet yoke of our Saviour.
^7 These are noted on the townland, so been left open ; for, it is not likely this
named, in the parish of Down, and barony
of Upper Lecale.
They are shown, on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Down," Sheet 38. The most
minute and accurate description of the
locality and of the penitential stations will
be found, in the Rev. James O'Laverty's xxxiii. , p. 72, and "Septima Vita S. learned work, "An Historical Account of
Patricii," lib, i. , cap. xlviii. , p. 124. Hence arose a common proverb, among the Irish : Ui pu a -mAOin rHAnce-p (Mantes not worthy of his wealth). It is remarkable, that this legend is not to be found in tlie IrishversionoftheTripartiteL—ife,
of many cures effected there are told by niultis diebus. "
the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient
and Modern," vol. i. , pp. 248 to 253.
4^ During a visit, paid to Saul and to this place, in May, 1874, the writer had an opportunityforseeingthosesprings,some of which are roofed overhead, and they are used, also, for bathing purposes. Relations
54 Some of St. Patrick's Acts—
Catholics, living in the neighbourhood. Here, too, is shown the chair or bed of St. Patrick.
55 gee the Third Life, cap. xxxiv. , and
<9 In the Latin Tripartite, he is noticed as
Mantes nomine. " tricii," cap. xxxiv. , p. 23; Quarta Vita 50 From such narratives as these, we may S. Patricii," cap. xxxiii. , xxxiv. , p. 39 ;
Tertia Vita S. Pa- ""
accidentally alight on an interesting fact or inference. It seems probable, no glass was in the window mentioned : it must have
" Quinta Vita S. Patricii," lib. i. , cap.
xxix. , p. 49.
s? Sometimes ceilled C\. \t riA Ci\«icne, or
wicked action could have been otherwise so
readily perpetrated.
5' gee the Third Life, cap. xxxii. , p. 23.
^ It is compared to the punishment of Dathan and Abiron.
"
S3 ggg Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap.
such as the SecondandtheFourthLives have"non
the Fifth Life, lib. i. , cap. xxii. "
s^ gee Secunda Vita S. Patricii," cap.
xxii. , xxx. , p. 14;
"
550 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
The Crutheni,s8 or — —sometimes confounded Cruithneach,
with the Dal-Aradii^° in general, had settled in the northern parts of Ireland. ^^ Those former people were Picts. ^^ Although belonging to the same race, they must be distinguished, however, from the Picts of Northern Britain. ^3 Ussher's opinion was, that those Crutheni possessed only the northern part of Dal-aradia,^* or that tract, since called Clandeboy. ^s Dal-aradia^^ must not be confounded with the Dalrieda region. ^7 The former comprehended the
South and South-East parts of Antrim County. Another writer thinks it in- cludedthegreatestpart—ifnotall—ofDownCountybesidesf^ but,thisis
" Fort of the Cruithne," and it apparently was in the district, now called Coleraine
"
Irish word c|\uic, meaning "colour," as the
Latin writers called them Picti, or Fictores,
from the artificial colouring of their bodies.
To the Albanian Picts, the latter terms have
been applied, by Irish and classic authors ;
the native term, C|\uicne, is used, however,
by purely Irish writers, to express both the
Albanian and Irish Picts. We know not,
if the latter were accustomed to paint their
bodies, as were those in Scotland. The by Innes, makes allusion to the Picts of Ire-
" Country of the Cruithne. " These are thought to have been so called, from the
Irish Picts have been called, Y Gwydhyl Phichtiaid, by the Welsh writers.
s* The Second Life has this account : " Cumque vellet ire et visitare praedictum
« * * "relicta
land. See " Critical Essay," vol. ii.
^3 As Bede tells us, some of the Picts
touched at Ireland, before they occupied the northern parts of Great Britain. See
hominem
" Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 23.
Miliuc,"
navi, coepit per terram iter dirigere ad
^^ See " 1047.
Angloriim," Primordia," cap. xvii. , pp. 1019,
regionem Cruthenorum, ad montem Miss. " See
donee
*'
perveniret Secunda Vita S.
Quarta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxiv. , p.
Patricii," cap. xxx. ,p. 14.
the same words, in the Fourth Life. See
39. The account, given by Probus, very *'
nearly corresponds. See Quinta Vita S. Patricii," lib. i. , cap. xxix. , p. 49. Through
an error of transcription, however, Egli ap- pears, and not Mis, in this latter text. Egli
"
is in the Connaught province. See Quinta
Vita S, Patricii," n. 31, p. 63.
59 See "Trias Thaumaturga. " The
Second Life, n. 50, p. 19 ; the Third Life, I'S'jP-32; theFourthLife,n. 26,p. 49; the Fifth Life, n. 31, p. 63. In O'Flaherty's marginal notes, to the copy of this work, in the Dublin Society's Library, he follows Colgan.
'° They were called after Fiacha Araidhe, a king of Ulster, who flourished A. D. 236. See "Annales Tigemaci," p. 42. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii.
*' Among other northern tribes, converted by St. Patrick, those of the Cruithne and Dahiaraide are distinguishably mentioned, in the Third Life, cap. Ivii. , p. 25. There- fore, although the Crutheni lived in a part of Dal-Aradia, it is thought, by Dr. Lani- gan, that they did not occupy the whole of it. There was a tribe, or a people, called
to have been distinct from them. Some of the Crutheni might, perhaps, have been found in other parts of Ulster. The Tripartite Life men- tions a place, called Dun-cruthen, or the
fast, of Massarene, and of Antrim. See "
Dal-aradians, supposed
quite
^ This latter comprehended the North,
North-West, and part of the South, in
AntrimCounty. IthasbeencalledReuta,
likewise, and, by a corruption, "the
Routs. " Foramoreparticulardescription
and historical notices of both territories, the
reader is referred to Rev. William Reeves'
"
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix FF, Dalriada, and GG, Dalaradia, pp. 318 to 348.
/«See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Arch- bishops of Armagh," p. 8. Also, "Anti- quities of Ireland," p. 48, vol. ii.
^^ The Rev. Dr. Reeves supposes, that the more extensive application of name, as
in "
given O'Flaherty's Ogygia," pars, iii. ,
cap. xviii. , p. 190, must apply to Fiacha Araidhe's descendants, rather than to Dala- radia, which as a territorial designation re- ferred to a northern portion, now nearly
'*
We find nearly
*5 That district, alluded to by Ussher, is what has been denominated North Clande-
boy. It was so called, as distinguished from South Clandeboy. This latter lay in the county of Down. It extended from Carrickfergus Bay, and from the River Lagan, westwards to Lough Neagh. It consequently contained the baronies of Bel-
barony. See
Septima Vita S. Patricii,"
lib. ii. , cap. cxxv. , p. 146, and n. 187, p. "
181. The "Book of Lecan states, that
there was a place in Dal-Araidhe, called xitc riA n-lnge^nn, or "Mount of the Maidens. " From this, the maidens, given by Heremon to the Cruithne, took their de- parture for Albain, fol. 141.
Dubourdieu's Statistical Survey of Antrim," chap, i. , sect, i. , p. 3.
^*
to Sliabh Mis, now Slemish, in Antrim barony.
by Colganss
*^ The " Chronicon Pictorum," published
This extended, it is said, from Newry,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 551
very questionable. ^9 According to a s—tatement of Ussher,7° Dalrieda stretched aboutthirtymiles—fromGlenfinnaght oneoftheGlynnesintheeasternpart ofAntrimCounty totheBushRiver. ? '
In some accounts we read, that Milchuo was a man of very avaricious disposition, and desirous, on every occasion, to increase his wealth. Hence, we are told, that St. Patrick brought with him a quantity of gold, to please the dynast, who feared, that his efficacious preaching and gift of miracles should soften an obdurate heart, and withal Milchuo disdained to receive the doctrine of one, who in former times had been his slave. Thus, the force of human respect was added to a naturally cold, callous and pagan disposition ; so that, the zealous labour and tender feelings of the holy missionary, for his old master, proved unavailing. 7^ When Milchuo heard, that the Priest of the Most High was approaching, the wicked spirit urged him to a diabolical act. This child of perdition gathered together all his substance, his gold and silver, and cast them into the fire. Then throwing himself on the flames, he made himself an holocaust for the infernal demons. 73 In the townland of Killycarn,74 and parish of Skerry, there is a large rath, under which are some beehived erections, constructed in a Cyclopean manner, and this is popularly beheved to have been one of Milchuo's residences. The holy prelate, be- holding from the neighbouring mountain of Mis^s the deadly end of that wicked prince, saw his soul in the form of a fiery serpent plunged into hell. For two or three hours remaining silent, and contemplating the infinite depths
of the of — with tears and judgments God, heavy
St. Patrick at
sighs, length
" :
may be loosed. " All this came to pass, according to the word of the man of God. Fornoneofhisraceascendedafterhim,tothethroneofhiskingdom; but, in a short time, all his generation quickly perished, from the face of the
earth, by the sword, or by famine, or in captivity, and in the lowest servitude. Thus,theLordvisitsthesinsofthefathersontheirchildren; and,thus,the axe is appHed to the tree of death, lest it should bring forth branches of iniquity. 76 However, there seems to be an inconsistency, in the Tripartite Lifeofoursaint,incommonwithotherLives,relatingthisprediction. For, it makes Guasact,77 afterwards a holy bishop at Granard,? ^ the son of this
uttered these words
posterity
of this
king, who,
conterminous with the modern diocese of
Milchuo's discourtesy towards St. Patrick.
^5 He is called the son of Trichem, in the Second (cap. xxxi. , p. 14), Third (cap. xxxii. , p. 23), and Fourth Lives (cap. xxxvii. , p. 39). He is said to have lived, towards the south of Dichuo's residence. Had the writers of these Acts known, that Dichuo was his son, it appears strange, that they
now co-extens—
have not so
in the same
ive with the
designated him, and,
modern barony of Lecale manner, because it be-
longed to a chief so named, who flourished about A. D. 700. In it were situated the city
with to Rus. regard
Now Island Mahee.
=3 Now Kilclief.
-' His feast is supposed to fall on the 7tk
as
However, the notion, that Dicho and Rus were brothers, has probably had its origin,
they did,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 547
been subjected to, in the country, whither he had now come, in order to
proclaim Christ's Gospeh That swineherd of Dichu, however, thought those strangers, whom he met, were pirates or thieves. ^7 At once, he communi- cated such intelHgence to his master, and brought him to the place, whither they had come. The chieftain, Dichuo, was a man of great strength, of gigantic stature, and of a fierce spirit. In a transport of rage, this chief set his dogs to worry or devour them. ^^ Whereupon, St. Patrick cried out : "NetradasDoniinebestiisanimasconfitentestibi. "^9 Yet,anattackinganimal no sooner saw God's servant, than he became mute, and apparently stiff as a stone. On seeing this, it is said,3° that Dichuo drew out a sword, thinking to kill the saint. But God, opposing the shield of his divine protection, all Dichu's strength failed him. That celebrated miracle, which the Book of Kings relates to have been formerly \vrought on Jeroboam, St. Patrick more profitablyrenewedonthisoccasion. Whenthatkingwassacrificingtoidols, and had stretched out his hand to seize the prophet, who was reproving him, forthwith his arm stiffened. On his repentance, however, the prophet healed him, yet the king did not when healed forsake his error. 3^ Such a paralysis, as we are told, grew over all his body, that Dichuo could neither stir hand nor foot. This punishment, however, led to his conversion. The noble, seeingthisgreatmiraclewroughtuponhimself,becameanotherman; forhe, and all his household, inspired by God and believing in Christ, were baptized. Dichu having obtained health both of soul and body, bestowed upon Saint Patrick the place, where that miracle happened, with all necessary appurte-
nances, for the building of a church. Then the saint imparted to him a
special blessing. 3^ Hence, from accounts, Dichu or Dichuo is generally held tohavebeenthefirstconvert,madeinUlsterj33 but,heseems,eventohave been the first in Ireland, received by St. Patrick into the Church. 34
Contrary to the usual practice of church-building, Dichu's bam ran from north to south. 35 However, this granary was actually converted into a
church ; and, probably, St. Patrick obtained a spot of ground adjoining it, foraplaceofinterment,orforecclesiasticalpurposes. s^ Thisplacegotthe name of Sabul Patric, or Sabhall, now Saul. 37 It was called, Sabhall Padrurc,38 or Saint Patrick's Bam, even to the twelfth century, when Jocelyn wrote his
from such a circumstance. Then, four more brothers, and all belonging to the most noble house of Dalfiatach, are mentioned. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect. ii. , n. 17, p. 215.
=* Now Downpatrick.
^'^
See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick," p. 382.
No one of his sept or kindred Shall di«, except after a long life. "
—"
Miss Cusack's Life of St. Patrick," p.
382.
33 So Colgan conjectures, as he thinks,
owing to the Tripartite statement, that Sineli had been the first made in Ireland.
See lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , p. 124. In thissup- position, he is followed by Harris, in his edition of Sir James Ware's Works, vol. i.
" of 12. Archbishops Armagh," p.
34 xhe Second Life expresses this most
clearly, "crediidtet baptizatus est, et pri-
mus Scotorum per Patricium confessus est. "
See cap. xxix. , p. 14. The Fourth Life
adds to the account of his belief and baptism,
"
" XXIX. , p. 14.
"/ See
Secunda Vita S. Patricii," cap.
*9 See the Seventh P' 114'
Life,
lib.
i. , cap. xlvii. ,
**
3' See iii. Kings, xiii. 4.
3^
"
By Jocelyn.
It is thus expressed :—
The
Who gave me the Sabhall ;
May he be hereafter, Heavenly, joyous, glorious.
blessing
of God on
Dichu,
— ut
primus Scotorum, fertur, per Patricium
" The blessing of God on Dichu—
confessus est. " Cap. xxxiii. , p. 39. Pro- bus, also, has a like statement. See the Fifth Life, lib. i. , cap. xxviii. , p. 49,
35 See the Third Life, cap. xxxi. , p, 23,
and the Sixth Life, cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
Dichu with full folds
^ See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical
(flocks) ;
548 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
Life of our great Apostle. 39 In process of time, it is said, the saint built thereon a fair monastery, which he furnished with a company of perfect monks. Here, in after Hfe, St. Patrick spent a considerable portion of his days,4° and there, too, he departed from this world. A small modem Pro- testantchurchhasbeenbuiltintheoldcemetery. Anot—heraccounthasit, that extensive ruins of the ancient monastery in Saul said to have been
Saul Church and Churchyard, County of Down.
originally founded a. d. 433—existed even in the present century. *^ A few
fragments of a former church are there ;' and, it may be satisfactory to know, that its great altar-stone is now used, for the same holy purpose, in the
Catholic parish church of Saul. '«3
his own
Over his monks, here, St. Patrick placed
spring
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect, ii. , pp. 212, 213.
37 An account of this place will be found,
"
in Rev. William Reeves'
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix O, pp. 220 to 223.
3^ See Probus' or
*'
Quinta Vita S. Pa-
Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
*° St. Patrick writes, or has written for
where it is
reum," lib. i. , cap. xxviii. , p. 49.
"
tricii,"
called,
39 See
Ecclesiastical
the cemetery, at Saul, are represented in the accompanying illustration, drawn on the wood, from a local sketch, by William F.
Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard. 43 This has been built, in the adjoining
townland of Ballysugagh. Of this precious
relic, the parishioners are excessively proud.
4* that in no other Acts Colgan remarks,
of St. Patrick, except in those by Jocelyn, nor in other Saints' Lives, could he find any-
thing about Dunnius. He thinks, however,
that probably he may be the same as a Mo-
" Patricii hor-
as their abbot. •<5 For their he use, too,
St.
caused
a place, not far distant from Saul, and where a number of springs known as
Dunnius,''4 by prayer
disciple,
a fountain to
from the earth. •'^
This was— at probably
in his the — who is Marianus him, Testament, following holy duinus, mentioned, by
reminiscence of a sojourn here
" Thirty years was I myself At'Saul with purity. "
*' See Philip Dixon Hardy's "Northern '
Tourist, p. 84.
*' These, with the modem church, in
:
O'Gorman,
29th
at the
p. 110, to Jocelyn's Acts of St. Patrick.
*s On the ruins of this place, we find a few very indifferent metrical lines, introduced into Philip Dixon Hardy's "Northern Tourist," &c. , p. 84.
<«See "Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
of See n. May. 33,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 549
the Struell Wells47—are now the resort of pilgrims, especially during the summer months •^ The people living there naturally feel very indignant, at any desecration of these healing springs, in which, as they relate, St. Patrick remained whole nights immersed.
One day, as the holy missionary offered Mass in the church at Saul, a sacrilegious Magician,"? and a child of perdition, stood without, and with a rod, thrust in through the window,5o he cast down the chahce, and spilled its contents ; but, God immediately and severely punished so wicked a sacrilege, the earth opening, after a most strange manner, swallowed the Magician alive. s^ In the time of Jocelyn, the people of Down showed a great fissure in the earth, where this miracle is reported to have occurred. s^ The saint sorrowed much, for the effusion of the chalice, and, being afflicted, he shed tears. But, as related, by Divine virtue, the chalice was erected in its own place, and, with the elements so entire, that there appeared no sign nor mark of the former effusion. 53
Many ancient writers declare, that St. Patrick had a great desire to con- vert Milcho, or Miliuc, in whose service he had been, as a swineherd, all the timeofhisbondage. AknowledgeofthetrueGod,andofhisreligion,this chieftain seems not to have as yet received. With him, on Slemish, in the county of Antrim, the saint suffered much, in the days of his captivity ; and, near the mountain Mis, Milcho yet lived. St. Patrick must have given him offence, for becoming a fugitive slave ; and, we are not enlightened, as to the hope of pardon from a former master, he seems to have entertained, and the
still more sublime hope of converting that pagan chief to Christianity. But, the holy Apostle does not appear to have remained more than a few dayss* with Dichu. Leaving his bark on the sea-shore, and under care of that chief,5S St. Patrick travelled inwards by land to seek his former master, Milcho. s^ who lived at a considerable distance. Our saint thus taking leave of Dichuo, who is said, by various old writers, to have been his first begotten in Christ, after having come to preach in Ireland ; as he had purposed, Patrick journeyed through the lands of the Crutheni. 57 The saint hoped by his preaching, to subdue this man, likewise, to the sweet yoke of our Saviour.
^7 These are noted on the townland, so been left open ; for, it is not likely this
named, in the parish of Down, and barony
of Upper Lecale.
They are shown, on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Down," Sheet 38. The most
minute and accurate description of the
locality and of the penitential stations will
be found, in the Rev. James O'Laverty's xxxiii. , p. 72, and "Septima Vita S. learned work, "An Historical Account of
Patricii," lib, i. , cap. xlviii. , p. 124. Hence arose a common proverb, among the Irish : Ui pu a -mAOin rHAnce-p (Mantes not worthy of his wealth). It is remarkable, that this legend is not to be found in tlie IrishversionoftheTripartiteL—ife,
of many cures effected there are told by niultis diebus. "
the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient
and Modern," vol. i. , pp. 248 to 253.
4^ During a visit, paid to Saul and to this place, in May, 1874, the writer had an opportunityforseeingthosesprings,some of which are roofed overhead, and they are used, also, for bathing purposes. Relations
54 Some of St. Patrick's Acts—
Catholics, living in the neighbourhood. Here, too, is shown the chair or bed of St. Patrick.
55 gee the Third Life, cap. xxxiv. , and
<9 In the Latin Tripartite, he is noticed as
Mantes nomine. " tricii," cap. xxxiv. , p. 23; Quarta Vita 50 From such narratives as these, we may S. Patricii," cap. xxxiii. , xxxiv. , p. 39 ;
Tertia Vita S. Pa- ""
accidentally alight on an interesting fact or inference. It seems probable, no glass was in the window mentioned : it must have
" Quinta Vita S. Patricii," lib. i. , cap.
xxix. , p. 49.
s? Sometimes ceilled C\. \t riA Ci\«icne, or
wicked action could have been otherwise so
readily perpetrated.
5' gee the Third Life, cap. xxxii. , p. 23.
^ It is compared to the punishment of Dathan and Abiron.
"
S3 ggg Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap.
such as the SecondandtheFourthLives have"non
the Fifth Life, lib. i. , cap. xxii. "
s^ gee Secunda Vita S. Patricii," cap.
xxii. , xxx. , p. 14;
"
550 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
The Crutheni,s8 or — —sometimes confounded Cruithneach,
with the Dal-Aradii^° in general, had settled in the northern parts of Ireland. ^^ Those former people were Picts. ^^ Although belonging to the same race, they must be distinguished, however, from the Picts of Northern Britain. ^3 Ussher's opinion was, that those Crutheni possessed only the northern part of Dal-aradia,^* or that tract, since called Clandeboy. ^s Dal-aradia^^ must not be confounded with the Dalrieda region. ^7 The former comprehended the
South and South-East parts of Antrim County. Another writer thinks it in- cludedthegreatestpart—ifnotall—ofDownCountybesidesf^ but,thisis
" Fort of the Cruithne," and it apparently was in the district, now called Coleraine
"
Irish word c|\uic, meaning "colour," as the
Latin writers called them Picti, or Fictores,
from the artificial colouring of their bodies.
To the Albanian Picts, the latter terms have
been applied, by Irish and classic authors ;
the native term, C|\uicne, is used, however,
by purely Irish writers, to express both the
Albanian and Irish Picts. We know not,
if the latter were accustomed to paint their
bodies, as were those in Scotland. The by Innes, makes allusion to the Picts of Ire-
" Country of the Cruithne. " These are thought to have been so called, from the
Irish Picts have been called, Y Gwydhyl Phichtiaid, by the Welsh writers.
s* The Second Life has this account : " Cumque vellet ire et visitare praedictum
« * * "relicta
land. See " Critical Essay," vol. ii.
^3 As Bede tells us, some of the Picts
touched at Ireland, before they occupied the northern parts of Great Britain. See
hominem
" Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 23.
Miliuc,"
navi, coepit per terram iter dirigere ad
^^ See " 1047.
Angloriim," Primordia," cap. xvii. , pp. 1019,
regionem Cruthenorum, ad montem Miss. " See
donee
*'
perveniret Secunda Vita S.
Quarta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxiv. , p.
Patricii," cap. xxx. ,p. 14.
the same words, in the Fourth Life. See
39. The account, given by Probus, very *'
nearly corresponds. See Quinta Vita S. Patricii," lib. i. , cap. xxix. , p. 49. Through
an error of transcription, however, Egli ap- pears, and not Mis, in this latter text. Egli
"
is in the Connaught province. See Quinta
Vita S, Patricii," n. 31, p. 63.
59 See "Trias Thaumaturga. " The
Second Life, n. 50, p. 19 ; the Third Life, I'S'jP-32; theFourthLife,n. 26,p. 49; the Fifth Life, n. 31, p. 63. In O'Flaherty's marginal notes, to the copy of this work, in the Dublin Society's Library, he follows Colgan.
'° They were called after Fiacha Araidhe, a king of Ulster, who flourished A. D. 236. See "Annales Tigemaci," p. 42. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii.
*' Among other northern tribes, converted by St. Patrick, those of the Cruithne and Dahiaraide are distinguishably mentioned, in the Third Life, cap. Ivii. , p. 25. There- fore, although the Crutheni lived in a part of Dal-Aradia, it is thought, by Dr. Lani- gan, that they did not occupy the whole of it. There was a tribe, or a people, called
to have been distinct from them. Some of the Crutheni might, perhaps, have been found in other parts of Ulster. The Tripartite Life men- tions a place, called Dun-cruthen, or the
fast, of Massarene, and of Antrim. See "
Dal-aradians, supposed
quite
^ This latter comprehended the North,
North-West, and part of the South, in
AntrimCounty. IthasbeencalledReuta,
likewise, and, by a corruption, "the
Routs. " Foramoreparticulardescription
and historical notices of both territories, the
reader is referred to Rev. William Reeves'
"
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix FF, Dalriada, and GG, Dalaradia, pp. 318 to 348.
/«See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Arch- bishops of Armagh," p. 8. Also, "Anti- quities of Ireland," p. 48, vol. ii.
^^ The Rev. Dr. Reeves supposes, that the more extensive application of name, as
in "
given O'Flaherty's Ogygia," pars, iii. ,
cap. xviii. , p. 190, must apply to Fiacha Araidhe's descendants, rather than to Dala- radia, which as a territorial designation re- ferred to a northern portion, now nearly
'*
We find nearly
*5 That district, alluded to by Ussher, is what has been denominated North Clande-
boy. It was so called, as distinguished from South Clandeboy. This latter lay in the county of Down. It extended from Carrickfergus Bay, and from the River Lagan, westwards to Lough Neagh. It consequently contained the baronies of Bel-
barony. See
Septima Vita S. Patricii,"
lib. ii. , cap. cxxv. , p. 146, and n. 187, p. "
181. The "Book of Lecan states, that
there was a place in Dal-Araidhe, called xitc riA n-lnge^nn, or "Mount of the Maidens. " From this, the maidens, given by Heremon to the Cruithne, took their de- parture for Albain, fol. 141.
Dubourdieu's Statistical Survey of Antrim," chap, i. , sect, i. , p. 3.
^*
to Sliabh Mis, now Slemish, in Antrim barony.
by Colganss
*^ The " Chronicon Pictorum," published
This extended, it is said, from Newry,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 551
very questionable. ^9 According to a s—tatement of Ussher,7° Dalrieda stretched aboutthirtymiles—fromGlenfinnaght oneoftheGlynnesintheeasternpart ofAntrimCounty totheBushRiver. ? '
In some accounts we read, that Milchuo was a man of very avaricious disposition, and desirous, on every occasion, to increase his wealth. Hence, we are told, that St. Patrick brought with him a quantity of gold, to please the dynast, who feared, that his efficacious preaching and gift of miracles should soften an obdurate heart, and withal Milchuo disdained to receive the doctrine of one, who in former times had been his slave. Thus, the force of human respect was added to a naturally cold, callous and pagan disposition ; so that, the zealous labour and tender feelings of the holy missionary, for his old master, proved unavailing. 7^ When Milchuo heard, that the Priest of the Most High was approaching, the wicked spirit urged him to a diabolical act. This child of perdition gathered together all his substance, his gold and silver, and cast them into the fire. Then throwing himself on the flames, he made himself an holocaust for the infernal demons. 73 In the townland of Killycarn,74 and parish of Skerry, there is a large rath, under which are some beehived erections, constructed in a Cyclopean manner, and this is popularly beheved to have been one of Milchuo's residences. The holy prelate, be- holding from the neighbouring mountain of Mis^s the deadly end of that wicked prince, saw his soul in the form of a fiery serpent plunged into hell. For two or three hours remaining silent, and contemplating the infinite depths
of the of — with tears and judgments God, heavy
St. Patrick at
sighs, length
" :
may be loosed. " All this came to pass, according to the word of the man of God. Fornoneofhisraceascendedafterhim,tothethroneofhiskingdom; but, in a short time, all his generation quickly perished, from the face of the
earth, by the sword, or by famine, or in captivity, and in the lowest servitude. Thus,theLordvisitsthesinsofthefathersontheirchildren; and,thus,the axe is appHed to the tree of death, lest it should bring forth branches of iniquity. 76 However, there seems to be an inconsistency, in the Tripartite Lifeofoursaint,incommonwithotherLives,relatingthisprediction. For, it makes Guasact,77 afterwards a holy bishop at Granard,? ^ the son of this
uttered these words
posterity
of this
king, who,
conterminous with the modern diocese of
Milchuo's discourtesy towards St. Patrick.
