Celian, a
Scottish
Martyr, with his holy brethren, Aedh and Tadg, with Anurma,wifetotheKingoftheGoths.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
vii.
, Art.
Wurtz-
The spacious episcopal palace is not far from the cathedral, in which are to be seen several fine monuments of the deceased bishops of Wurtzburg.
63 There is a notice of this Festival, at the same date, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. vi.
64 The interior presents an uncommonly striking appearance, it being decorated with fresco paintings, rich and in the most gar-
Franconia.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8. Bishop of Wurtzburg ;59 by some writers, however, it is thought probable, he
60
had been consecrated as Bishop before he left Ireland.
—A magnificent cathedral
133
Fa9ade
silver shrines. 6*
of Cathedral Wurtzburg.
A portion of the martyrs' relics were said to remain, encased
6? See " Opuscula Prosa et Metro," Ar- gumento etiam Varia, tomus I. The dedi- cation of this work is dated by Frater Bona- venture Baron, at Herbipolis, 6. Nones of May, 1666, and the first folio volume was
:
Nee pateris nisi quum faemina pul- sa thoro est.
Vivis Apostolicos Kyliane superstes honores,
Baptista pariter funere functus obis. " Lib. ii. , n. 20, p. 26.
69
there in 1668. The second folio volume appeared at Lyons—, in 1669.
published
68 Thus run these lines
—
" Pellis idola adytis, Christum Kyliane reponis :
Among
Wurtzburg, it is intituled, Codex Evangelio- rum quo usus est S. Kilianus.
79 See an admirable article ** Irish Art in
the building of which is
said to have taken place in
1042 61 and which now ;
fronts on one of the chief streets in Wurtzburg—has
two
towers on the facade, and they are crowned with tapering spires to lanthron finials, which are again
62
Over the entrance door of
fine design are two grand
rose-windows with a circularly-headed window in a compartment between them. On building this new cathedral, a shrine was prepared within its walls, for the reception of the holy martyrs' remains, and to this they were transferred on the 25th of March. 63 The year when this Translation took place has not been discovered. Under the tabernacle of thehighaltarwithin6« are preserved the heads of St. Kilian, St. Colman and St. Totnan, in magnificent
of the Elector of 66 Brunswick-Lunenburg.
and in
the occasion of his death, with the reverence paid to his memory.
Throughout Germany, but especially in Franconia, extraordinary venera- tion has been entertained and manifested in regard to the revered Martyrs,
Kilian, Colman and Totnan. But, as we may naturally suppose, Wurtzburg claims to concentrate most that cultus, which its good Catholic people pay to their Irish patrons. An ancient illuminated copy in Irish handwriting, of the
in a rich
Among the elegant Epigrammatic Latin Poems 6 ? of Father Bonaventure Baron, there is one on St. Kilian, the Irish Martyr ; and, it pithily describes
68
shrine,
possession
imposing flanking
surmounted with crosses.
the at Manuscripts preserved
triplet
July 8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
i 39
6^ is
1
Wurtzburg, in Windsheim the principal church^ built a. d. 1190, was dedi-
catedtoSt. Kilian, InHailbrun,inthecountryoftheSuevi,therewasalso achurch,andinitarememorialrepresentationsofthesaint. InHalle,there was a church, dedicated to him, with memorials. In the town of Huxar, and near the monastery of Corbei, before the year 1000, a church had been built and dedicated to St. Kilian; while, it is related, at a. d. 1088, that oblations
2
Epistles
Kilian,
of St.
and of the Latin
Gospels belonging
to St.
Paul,
yetpreservedinWurtzburg. 7° Itliasbeendescribed,byM. Wattenbach,an eminent German antiquary. It is traditionally believed by the people, that it had been stained with the martyrs' blood. Before the irreligious innovations of Luther and his brother reformers in Germany, in nearly all the imperial cities there, churches and chapels had been dedicated to those martyrs. Besides
were made to its certain altar, by
at
the capital city of Austria, there is annually a solemn celebration of the Feast of the holy Patrons of Franconia. 73 The church of Lambach,74 a town in Upper Austria, had for its special Patrons, Saints Kilian, Colman and Tot-
nan, and there 75 the people had great devotion for their memory.
Having related the foregoing Elevations and Translations of those holy
Martyrs' relics, it is difficult to find what honours were paid to them in Wurtz-
burgh, before the close of the fifteenth and beginning oi the sixteenth century.
Yet, in a Missal, which is printed in Teutonic or Gothic characters, we have
a Mass in honour of St. Kilian, both on the vigil and on the day for his chief
Feast. We have also an Office^6 which had been recited in Lambach, with
an Octave. 77 Its divisions have been noted by the Bollandists, and certain
extracts from it are reproduced ; but, various passages prove, that some inter-
of Acts have been admitted to its Lessons. We learn,? 8 polations Egilward's
that in the early part of the last century, very special veneration was given to St. Kilian,andtohiscompanionMartyrs,inthecityofWurtzburg. Onthe eve of their chief Festival, 8th of July, it was the custom there, to sound the great cathedral bell for the Ave Maria at noon, when all the bells in the city and its suburbs gave forth a sonorous and continuous peal, to assemble the clergyandpeoplefortheFirstVespersofthechiefFeast. 79 Havingfinishedwith Complin, an hour's interval was allowed, when Matins and Lauds were recited in the collegiate church of the New Monastery for the following Festival Day. The senior Dean of the cathedral church presided on the occasion. The Prince Bishop of the city and all his canons were present to chaunt First Vespers in the cathedral. This celebration was continued all the remaining days of the Octave; while the Abbot of St. Benedict's Order with his monks,
secular clergy of the collegiate churches in the city, and all the parish priests
Bavaria," by Miss Stokes, in " The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland," vol. i. , part ii.
Fourth series, January, 1871, pp. 352 to 359.
71 Over its high altar, this saint's passion
7 This is stated, by Christian Francis Paulinus, in his Chronicle of Huxar, pub- lished at Frankford, a. d. 1698, fol. 6, 7.
73 This is stated, by Galenius, in his Ca- lendar, on this day; and, it may be found, from the Offices celebrated at Osnaburg Min- den, and other places.
74 See an account of it in the "Gazetteer
of the world," vol. viii. , p. 634.
75 A noble Benedictine Abbey and Church
are here to be seen.
7<5 It is intituled: "viir. Julii. In Festo
SS. Kyliani et Sociorum Martyrum, Patro- norum Ecclesise Lambacensis. "
77 it extends to nearly three entire folios in
4to, or to 24 pages.
? 8 The account in the text Father Soller
had from the learned, most reverend and
illustrious John Bernard, Bishop of Chryso-
politanus, suffragan of Wurtzburg.
79 It is remarkable, that without the choir, at this time, and for the ensuing three days, the right of asylum in the city was pro- claimed by the public herald, for all who had left it, charged with a public crime, and who feared prosecution or punishment for their
delinquencies.
was delineated. 2
pious patrons. 7
Likewise,
Vienna,
i 4o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
in the vicinity, assisted. They generally came in procession, and bearing the reliquaries of saints kept in their respective churches. Early on the morning of July 8th, the Little Hours of Prime and Tierce were publicly recited in the cathedral. Afterwards, the canons of the cathedral assisted at a First Solemn Mass. This ended, from seven to eight o'clock, the Assistant
Bishop of the diocese usually preached on a subject appropriate for the occasion. Afterwards, at eight o'clock, the Prince Bishop and the clergy in solemn procession went from the cathedral to the place where the tombs of
themartyrswere,inthecollegiatechurchoftheNewMonastery. Thence they returned to the great cathedral, where the heads of the Martyrs, placed in their respective silver statues, were exposed on the high altar. Then the Prince Bishop commenced the celebration of a Second High Mass. In the evening, Second Vespers of the Feast were sung, the Bishop Assistant or the Cathedral Dean usually presiding. Then the clergy of the various city and adjoining churches returned to them, and bearing back their respective relics in solemn procession. During the whole octave, and while the relics of Saints Kilian, Colman and Totnan were exposed on the Cathedral Altar, a Pontifical Mass was celebrated each morning, by a Bishop, or by an Abbot, ofthediocese. OnthedayoftheOctaveitself,agrandprocession,atwhich all the cathedral canons were present, went around the city. A singular cus- tom was observed on the occasion of these processions, that the regular soldiers and citizens—sometimes to the number of six thousand—lined the
route,andpresentedarmsinhonouroftheirsaintlyPatrons. Again,during that whole Octave, the most solemn cultus was observed in the secular collegi-
8o
Also, in the seminary of St. Kilian, and in the church of the celebrated Hos- pital of Julianus, special veneration was paid to the holy Martyrs, whose relics
were there exposed. Until the political changes of the present century took place, doubtless these magnificent celebrations took place ; but, even yet, in the Catholic city of Wurtzburg, the Festival of its holy Martyrs and Patrons is held, with appropriate religious rites and ceremonies.
In Ireland, the memory of those holy Martyrs has been preserved in churches, chapels, and religious institutes, which have been erected in their honour, and which have been specially dedicated to them. On an elevated and a beautiful situation at Greystones, county of Wicklow, in the diocese of Dublin, the foundation stone of a chapel dedicated to St. Kilian was laid, on
the 14th of October, 1866, by the Very Rev. Monsignor Walter Lee, P. P. , of
requirements of that fashionable watering place necessitated the enlargement of the primitive erection ; and accordingly, on Sunday, August 1st, 1886, His Grace the Most Rev. William J. Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, visited Grey-
ate church
of St. John the Evangelist, where the tombs of the martyrs lay.
Bray.
designed
early English style
of Gothic
architecture,
81 It was
in the
and it measured 72 feet by 22. However, the growing population and
82 foundationstoneoftransepts, extendingeastandwest,withachoirinaddi- tion, and designed by P. F. Comber, C. E. , of Bray. These have greatly
enlargedthe building,nowexceedingconsiderablyover100feetinlength.
80 Known in Latin Records as "Novum be until it became ne- deferred, absolutely
Monasterium. " cessary to proceed with the building, owing 8' Thesite,halfanacreofl—and,hadbeen toaclauseinthelease,whichlimitedthe
stones, where, with the impressive ceremonies of the church,
he laid the
Mr. Thomas Phelan a — granted by gentleman
then about to emigrate to America on a lease for 500 years, at a nominal annual rent of is. , if demanded. For want of funds, the
erection of
time to within ten
ajsuccursal,
church there had to
83 A handsome statue of St. Kilian,
82
years,
The proceedings are reported, at some
length, in the Freeman 's Journal of August 2nd, 1886.
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. i 4 i
Besides the Ven. and Very Rev. Monsignor Dean Lee,83 and several priests, a large assemblage of parishioners and strangers was present. The whole build-
ing, in its present completed form, presents an exceedingly commodious and a handsome succursal church. It seems the clergy and people of Mullagh
parish held a tradition, that the holy Apostle of Franconia, the Martyr St. Kilian,had been born there, and accordingly it had been resolved to honour his
memory. Wherefore,consideringhimtobetheirpatron,onThursday,June 25th, 1857, the foundation stone of a new Catholic church, dedicated to St. Kilian, and to be erected in the mediaeval style of Gothic architecture, was blessed. The stone was laid, in the presence of several of the clergy, belong- ing to the surrounding parishes, and of a large concourse of the respectable parishioners. The Very Rev. Matthew McQuaid, P. P. and V. F. , delegated by the Right Rev. Dr. Browne, Bishop of the diocese, officiated on the occa- sion. 8* This church was afterwards completed, in an excellent architectural style, and it was opened in honour of Franconia's and Ireland's illustrious Apostolic Bishop and Martyr. The Catholic church in the beautiful vale of Clara, near Glendalough, county ofWicklow, was authorized to be dedicated to SS. Patrick and Kilian. 85 Its situation is in a secluded spot, beside the rushing Avonmore River, a few miles above where it unites with the Avonbeg, at the celebrated " Meeting of the Waters/' In the United States of America, we find churches and schools dedicated to St. Kilian, at Fond du Lac County, at Hartford, Washington County, and at Hudson, Walworth County, State of Wisconsin, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee ; as also, in the Diocese of Green Bay, and at New Franklin, Brown County.
From an early period, the Martyrologies and Calendars have recorded the FeastofthoseholyMartyrs. Thus,intheHieronymiancopyofUsuard,belong-
86
ing to Lucca, there is an insertion ;
to St. Martin, at Treves. 8? The Martyrologists, Wandalbert,88 Raban,89 and Ado, or his interpolator, placed it, on the 8th of the Ides of July ; while the principal festival of those Martyrs has been assigned to this date, the pre- sumed anniversary of their Martyrdom. Notkerhas rather lengthened notices
of those saints, and evidently drawn from ancient Acts, closely corresponding with those referred to, in the earlier paragraphs of the present biography.
Trithemius, Ghinnius, Bucelin, Maurolycus, Felicius, Galesinius, Dorgan, and Menard, have a record of their Festival, and of the saints' names, more or less
wrought by Herr Arnold Fussenging, an emi- nent Bavarian artist, and now mounted over the
high altar of the church, was a personal gift of the Dean, to whom the credit of erecting the whole of this handsome church is due.
84 The foregoing account has been taken
from a contemporaneous newspaper, the
Catholic Telegraph of July 18th, 1857. It had
been sent by a local correspondent.
85 By His Eminence Paul Cardinal Cullen,
:
89Hewrites "InpagoAustrioe,etcastro,
nomine Wirziburg, juxta Moiii fluvium, sanctorum natale Chiliani martyris et duo- rum sociorum ejus, qui ab Hibernia Scoto- rum insula venientes, nomen Christi in dictis locis pnedicaverum ibique ob veritatis confessionem, a quodam judice iniquo, no- mine Gosberto, trucidati sunt, etposteamul- tis signis veri Christi Martyres esse clarue- runt. "
on November at of 14th, 1864, request
Very
9° Thus " in Germania : Herbipoli
Rev. Richard Galvin, P. P. , Rathdrum.
8° " In Austria, passio S. Kiliani. " The Bollandist Soller deems this to have been an
sancti Chiliani Episcopi, qui a Romano Pontifice ad praedicandum Evangelium missus, cum
as also, in an old Martyrology, belonging
multis ad Christum perduxisset, una cum addition to the sociis Colomano — et Totnano
original. ""
*7 Thus entered
Ermipolis nuncupatur, Kyliani episcopi et
martyris. "
88 He states :
"
S. Kiliane bishop of h*er-
In
Octavo ante Idus Cilianum Procopi- umque. "
et cono trucidatus est. "
Editio novissima, Romae, 1878, fol.
9I Thus, in Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
"
Scottish Saints:''
bipolis Scotismon vnder heraclius. 630. " Seep. 157.
:
Vuirceburg, quae
Maityrologium Romanum Gregorii XIII. ," &c, p. 98.
Presbytero Dia-
prse-
i 4 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
exactly rendered. The Roman Martyrology has a succinct and an accurate entry regarding them, and likewise at this date. 9° In nearly ail the more recent Acts, Martyrologies and Calendars of Saints, in like manner are to be foundplacedthenamesofSaintsKilian,ColmanandTotnan. IntheScot- tish Kalendars, St. Kilian and his companions are entered, at the 8th of July, viz. : in Adam King's Kalendar^1 and in Dempster's Menologium Scoticum. 92 Also, their feast is set down in R. Chambers' " Book of Days. "93 In reference—evidently to these Martyrs—there is a curious entry 94 placed in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at this day, the 8th of July, in honour of St.
Celian, a Scottish Martyr, with his holy brethren, Aedh and Tadg, with Anurma,wifetotheKingoftheGoths. Weareinformed,thattheywere massacred by the prefect of the Royal Palace, and in the Hippodrome of the king's residence. On Convceus' List of Irish Saints, St. Chilianus, St. Colo- natus or Colomanus, and Totnanus, Martyrs, are set down at the 8th of
6 Father Fitz-simon has also Totnanus, at this same date, and Henry
July. 9
as he states, by universal assent. 97 Father Stephen White 98 commemorates
these three holy companions, Kilianus, Colonatus and Totnanus, martyrs, at the present date. The martyrdom of these three saints is noted in Vene- rable Bede's Martyrology,99 according to the statement of Father Stephen White. 100 For this introduction, the Roman Martyrology is quoted. At the 8th of July, veneration was given to Kilianus, Colmanus et Colonatus,
Totnanus, Diaconus, according to the Martyrology of Donegal.
101
There is
a Cillian, son of Dodhnan, adds the calendarist, at the 23rd of October. Then
he " inde error 102 but the writer of this note intended says : ;" probably only
it for a memorandum, to guide himself or his readers to a better intelligence, regarding the present Kilian or the Cillian, son of Dodnan, entered by him at the 23rd of October. At the same date, in the Martyrology of Donegal, 103 we
find the names of Cele-clerech, Bishop, Aedh, and Tadhg. 10* These three 10
suffered Martyrdom, in Uairseburg, s in Almania.
91 Thus : "In Franconia Kiliani, Totnani, Martyris et sociorum (Colonati et Totnani) Colmani et Ervvaldi monachorum, gentis ejus, qui de Ibernia Scotorum insula,
Apostolor—um, qui a Geilana martyris affici jussi, M. " Ibid. , p. 205.
venientes, nomen Christi in prasdictis locis
praedicaverunt, ibique ob confessionem veri-
93 See vol. ii. , July 8, col. 555.
martyris cum Sanctis fratribus Aedh ocus
tatis sub quodam judice Dosberto trucidati 94 It runs thus: " S. Celiani Scotti sunt, et multis postea signis veri Christi
ocus Amarma Gotho- conjuge Regis
martyres esse claruerunt. "
pp. 22, 23.
MI Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Tadg
rum truncati a prepositodomus regiaein ippo-
dromia Palatii regis. " These words are
from a gloss to Marianus O'Gorman's 190, 191.
I02 A note Dr. Todd at Inde error: Martyrology. by says
95 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxviii. u It is not very clear what the error was to 96 Thus: " S. Chilianus Epis. Hiperbo- which our author here alludes. He probably
lensis genere et martyris nobilissimus.
meant the error in the name. He does not, however, quote the Mart. Rom. correctly; perhaps for " Colmanus et Colonatus," we should read Colmanus vel Colonatus. "
103 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
190, 191.
I04 There can be no doubt, that the
Chilianus of the Rom—an Martyrology, and
"
Colomanus, et Totnanus martyres et socii
Wiziburgi. 8 Julii. "
S. Colonatus, seu
beati Chiliani Albiniaci. 8 Julii. "
See ibid. ,
cap. x. , p. 48.
97 See O'Sullevan Beare's Historic
" Catholicae Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. ,
lib. iv. , cap. xii. , pp. 55, 57.
98 This writer remarks
tres martyres, Gyralde. " See "Apologia
pro Hibernia," cap. ii. , p. 15, cap. iii. , p. 23.
99 In these terms
pago Austria et Castro nomine Wurtzbourg, juxta Maenum fluvium, natale S. Kiliani
:
:
martyrs notwithstanding
"en tibi novos
his fellow
the are the same as
" Octavo idus Julii in
variation in the names—
Cele-clerech, Aedh, and Tadg.
ios A note by Dr. Todd says at Uairse-
burg : "i. e. , Wirtzburg in Franconia. " The more recent hand adds here in Roman letters, u Vide aliter apud. M. Taml. "
I0° See iii. , "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap.
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 143
With regard to the great Apostles of Gentile nations, we may safely assert, that the person, who imparts Christian knowledge to those who have it not, islikeonewhogivessighttoablindman. Heisatrueenlightenerofmen. Although, indeed, the words of a preacher may contain little that is very striking or remarkable, and although intellectually, the holy man may be below mediocrity ; yet, the true preacher knows how to teach old and young, the doctrines and precepts of Jesus, with a startling and an awakening freshness, which present them as with a voice of power, thrilled and inspired by an eloquence from on high. When this is felt by his hearers to be earnest, and when it is known his own life is one of self-sacrifice, the mustard seed soon begins to take root and to grow into a large tree. The labours and zeal of those Apostles of Franconia, as on this day celebrated, flourished and faded, for a brief time ; but, their blood sealed and watered that soil, where they preached words of efficacy. In after time, the withered plant revived, and it became that seed, which gave many Christians to the Church.
ARTICLE II. —ST. DISIBOD, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR. [SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. ] CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—STATE OF GERMANY IN PAGAN AND EARLY CHRISTIAN TIMES—BIOGRA- PHIES OF ST. DISEN OR ST. DYSIBOD—HIS IRISH BIRTH—HIS YOUTHFUL DISPOSI- TIONS AND EDUCATION—ADVANCED TO THE PRIESTHOOD—ELECTED AS BISHOP— TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES IN HIS NEW POSITION—HE RESOLVES TO LEAVE IRELAND FOR A DISTANT COUNTRY.
not wholly reliable in all statements, the most valuable and
authentic account of we is that furnished ALTHOUGH Pagan Germany 1 possess by
the celebrated Roman historian, Caius Cornelius Tacitus. 2 We are, however, more concerned with the subsequent state and condition of that most impor- tant country, which extended from the Rhine to the Vistula, and from the Danube to the German Ocean and the Baltic Sea. 3 According to Rhineland tradition, the first teacher of Christianity, Crescens or Clemens, came with the twenty-second Roman Legion, which had been with Titus in Palestine. Afterwards, it was quartered at Mainz, about a. d. 78. In Mainz, he began to announce the truths of the Gospel. A teacher, named Eucharius, in Trier or Treves, also aided his efforts, to preach and propagate the Christian Reli- gion throughout that wild tract of country, lying between the Main, the Rhine, the Moselle, and the Saar. In the year from the foundation of Rome 651, or before the birth of Christ, 102, Marius delivered Rome from the
:
Situ, Moribus et Populis Germaniae, pp. 415 to 430. Edinburgi, 1826, 8vo.
3 He was born about the year 810, after the building of Rome, or the year 57, after the birth of Christ. He wrote this Treatise, a. d. 98, M. Cocceius Nerva, Aug. iv. , and M. Ulpius Trajanus Caesar II. being then
—l
1. See A. R. consuls.
Article 11. —Chapter
Carson's edition " C. Cornelii Taciti Opera
ad Fidem optimorum Exemplarium. " De extent. See Rev. Fathers Catrou and
3 Some ancient writers give it even a larger
Rouille's "Roman History; with Notes Historical. Geographical and Critical," done into English from the original French, vol. vi. , book lxii. , sect, xxx. , n. 105, p. 90.
* See Jules Zeller's " Hisioire d'Alle-
magne," tome i. , liv. i. , chap, ii,, sect, ii. , pp. 53 to 62.
144 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
incursions of the Cimbri and Teutones—who were Germans—for the first time;* afterwards,Caesarmadesomeattemptstorestrainthemfrominvad- ingGaul;5 Drusus,TiberiusandVarusconductedvariousRomanexpeditions against them, and with varying success or reverse f Germanicus in the year of Christ, a. d. 13, made a final attempt to subdue Germany, but notwith- standing his valour and military skill, he did not succeed in re-establishing the Roman dominion there. ? Although divisions prevailed among the German nations contending for supremacy, and although the Romans took care to foment and avail of those dissensions ; yet, were they unable to effect more thananoccasionalandaprecarioussupremacy. Galbasucceeded,however, in causing the Catti to abandon that district of Germany between the Lahn, the Maine and the Rhine, and it was distributed among the Roman veterans,
8
during the time of the Emperor Caligula.
began to spread ;9 although the vast extent of Germany north and east was notsubjecttoRomandominion. Itseemsprettywellestablished,thatlong before Constantine made Christianity a state religion, it obtained a firm foot-
very interesting glimpse depicting
when the " Mosella w" Idyll
1
the Belgse. ? Long before the age of Disibod and his companions, however,
the Nahegau, and even the wooded country between the Nahe and the
holdIO withinthat
particular territory. "
A the state of that district, about
371,
was written, has been left us by the poet Ausonius. ^ In it, we have a descrip-
graphically
tion of his journey from Mainz to the sources of the Moselle. 14 He crossed
theNaheat 1* andhe Bingen,
the roadovertheHuns- military
passed by
rucken to Neumagen,16 on the Moselle, below Treves, and at the frontiers of
5 See his work " Commentariorum de
Bello Gallico," lib. i. , cap. xxxi. to liv.
6"
See Carlo Denina's Rivoluzioni della
Germania," tomo primo libro i. , capo ii. ,
13 He was a native of Bourdeaux in France, 7 See Histoire des Allemands, traduite and he lived from about the year 320 to
pp. 12 to 21. Fizenze, 1804, 8vo. "
de l'Allemand de Schmidt, par J. C. de la
Profcsseur a tome Veaux, Royal Berlin, i. ,
liv. L, chap, vi. , pp. 66 to 93. A Liege, 1784, et seq. 8vo.
8
These various incidents of early German history are very lucidly set forth, in Jules
"
Histoire d'Allemagne," tome i. , liv. ii. , chap, iv. , pp. 129 to 183.
9 We do not know exactly, what amount
of actual facts underlines the rhetorical
statements of St. Justin Martyn, of St.
Irenaeus, and of Tertullian, when they tell
us, that in the second century of our era, the
Christian religion had not only spread on the Naua or Nahe. There is a common
Zeller's
Transieram celerem nebuloso flumine
Nauam,
Addita miratus veteri nova moenia
Vico,
^Equavit Latias ubi quondam Gallia
throughout the Roman Empire, but among the tribes and peoples beyond, and expressly among the Germans.
10 There Roman remains have from time
readingof Vicum for Vincum, but theltenera- rium Antonini gives the name as Vincum. The modern name could hardly come from Vicum or Vicus.
16 where Constantine estab- Noiomagum,
lished an enormous military settlement, is
easily recognised as Neumagen on the Moselle.
1 The two points at the beginning and end
to time been in considerable found,
quanti- ties. Numerous graves were in and near Kreuznach, in which coins and human re- mains have been found. There are no traces proving the pagan custom of cremation upon
any of the latter. They were uniformly east of the poet's journey being fixed, the old and west in position, which also marks Roman road from Bingen to Treves over the
Christian burial from the earliest times.
"
Herr Heep has some interesting obser- vations regarding the castra stativa, at this northern end of the Ilunsrucken, and in the
Hunsrucken, appears to have been that direc- tion in which the writer pursued his solitary way. Trackless forests spread on either side
of the route.
400. 14
"
The
following
are the
opening
lines
:
—
There, likewise, Christianity
villa rustics around.
12
See "Corpus Poetarum Latinorum," Ausonii Burdigalensis Idyllia, x. , pp. 1091 to 1095.
Cannas,
Infietseque jacent inopes super arva catervae. "
,s The former name of Bingen was Vin- cum. It is easily recognised, by its situation
July 8.
The spacious episcopal palace is not far from the cathedral, in which are to be seen several fine monuments of the deceased bishops of Wurtzburg.
63 There is a notice of this Festival, at the same date, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. vi.
64 The interior presents an uncommonly striking appearance, it being decorated with fresco paintings, rich and in the most gar-
Franconia.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8. Bishop of Wurtzburg ;59 by some writers, however, it is thought probable, he
60
had been consecrated as Bishop before he left Ireland.
—A magnificent cathedral
133
Fa9ade
silver shrines. 6*
of Cathedral Wurtzburg.
A portion of the martyrs' relics were said to remain, encased
6? See " Opuscula Prosa et Metro," Ar- gumento etiam Varia, tomus I. The dedi- cation of this work is dated by Frater Bona- venture Baron, at Herbipolis, 6. Nones of May, 1666, and the first folio volume was
:
Nee pateris nisi quum faemina pul- sa thoro est.
Vivis Apostolicos Kyliane superstes honores,
Baptista pariter funere functus obis. " Lib. ii. , n. 20, p. 26.
69
there in 1668. The second folio volume appeared at Lyons—, in 1669.
published
68 Thus run these lines
—
" Pellis idola adytis, Christum Kyliane reponis :
Among
Wurtzburg, it is intituled, Codex Evangelio- rum quo usus est S. Kilianus.
79 See an admirable article ** Irish Art in
the building of which is
said to have taken place in
1042 61 and which now ;
fronts on one of the chief streets in Wurtzburg—has
two
towers on the facade, and they are crowned with tapering spires to lanthron finials, which are again
62
Over the entrance door of
fine design are two grand
rose-windows with a circularly-headed window in a compartment between them. On building this new cathedral, a shrine was prepared within its walls, for the reception of the holy martyrs' remains, and to this they were transferred on the 25th of March. 63 The year when this Translation took place has not been discovered. Under the tabernacle of thehighaltarwithin6« are preserved the heads of St. Kilian, St. Colman and St. Totnan, in magnificent
of the Elector of 66 Brunswick-Lunenburg.
and in
the occasion of his death, with the reverence paid to his memory.
Throughout Germany, but especially in Franconia, extraordinary venera- tion has been entertained and manifested in regard to the revered Martyrs,
Kilian, Colman and Totnan. But, as we may naturally suppose, Wurtzburg claims to concentrate most that cultus, which its good Catholic people pay to their Irish patrons. An ancient illuminated copy in Irish handwriting, of the
in a rich
Among the elegant Epigrammatic Latin Poems 6 ? of Father Bonaventure Baron, there is one on St. Kilian, the Irish Martyr ; and, it pithily describes
68
shrine,
possession
imposing flanking
surmounted with crosses.
the at Manuscripts preserved
triplet
July 8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
i 39
6^ is
1
Wurtzburg, in Windsheim the principal church^ built a. d. 1190, was dedi-
catedtoSt. Kilian, InHailbrun,inthecountryoftheSuevi,therewasalso achurch,andinitarememorialrepresentationsofthesaint. InHalle,there was a church, dedicated to him, with memorials. In the town of Huxar, and near the monastery of Corbei, before the year 1000, a church had been built and dedicated to St. Kilian; while, it is related, at a. d. 1088, that oblations
2
Epistles
Kilian,
of St.
and of the Latin
Gospels belonging
to St.
Paul,
yetpreservedinWurtzburg. 7° Itliasbeendescribed,byM. Wattenbach,an eminent German antiquary. It is traditionally believed by the people, that it had been stained with the martyrs' blood. Before the irreligious innovations of Luther and his brother reformers in Germany, in nearly all the imperial cities there, churches and chapels had been dedicated to those martyrs. Besides
were made to its certain altar, by
at
the capital city of Austria, there is annually a solemn celebration of the Feast of the holy Patrons of Franconia. 73 The church of Lambach,74 a town in Upper Austria, had for its special Patrons, Saints Kilian, Colman and Tot-
nan, and there 75 the people had great devotion for their memory.
Having related the foregoing Elevations and Translations of those holy
Martyrs' relics, it is difficult to find what honours were paid to them in Wurtz-
burgh, before the close of the fifteenth and beginning oi the sixteenth century.
Yet, in a Missal, which is printed in Teutonic or Gothic characters, we have
a Mass in honour of St. Kilian, both on the vigil and on the day for his chief
Feast. We have also an Office^6 which had been recited in Lambach, with
an Octave. 77 Its divisions have been noted by the Bollandists, and certain
extracts from it are reproduced ; but, various passages prove, that some inter-
of Acts have been admitted to its Lessons. We learn,? 8 polations Egilward's
that in the early part of the last century, very special veneration was given to St. Kilian,andtohiscompanionMartyrs,inthecityofWurtzburg. Onthe eve of their chief Festival, 8th of July, it was the custom there, to sound the great cathedral bell for the Ave Maria at noon, when all the bells in the city and its suburbs gave forth a sonorous and continuous peal, to assemble the clergyandpeoplefortheFirstVespersofthechiefFeast. 79 Havingfinishedwith Complin, an hour's interval was allowed, when Matins and Lauds were recited in the collegiate church of the New Monastery for the following Festival Day. The senior Dean of the cathedral church presided on the occasion. The Prince Bishop of the city and all his canons were present to chaunt First Vespers in the cathedral. This celebration was continued all the remaining days of the Octave; while the Abbot of St. Benedict's Order with his monks,
secular clergy of the collegiate churches in the city, and all the parish priests
Bavaria," by Miss Stokes, in " The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland," vol. i. , part ii.
Fourth series, January, 1871, pp. 352 to 359.
71 Over its high altar, this saint's passion
7 This is stated, by Christian Francis Paulinus, in his Chronicle of Huxar, pub- lished at Frankford, a. d. 1698, fol. 6, 7.
73 This is stated, by Galenius, in his Ca- lendar, on this day; and, it may be found, from the Offices celebrated at Osnaburg Min- den, and other places.
74 See an account of it in the "Gazetteer
of the world," vol. viii. , p. 634.
75 A noble Benedictine Abbey and Church
are here to be seen.
7<5 It is intituled: "viir. Julii. In Festo
SS. Kyliani et Sociorum Martyrum, Patro- norum Ecclesise Lambacensis. "
77 it extends to nearly three entire folios in
4to, or to 24 pages.
? 8 The account in the text Father Soller
had from the learned, most reverend and
illustrious John Bernard, Bishop of Chryso-
politanus, suffragan of Wurtzburg.
79 It is remarkable, that without the choir, at this time, and for the ensuing three days, the right of asylum in the city was pro- claimed by the public herald, for all who had left it, charged with a public crime, and who feared prosecution or punishment for their
delinquencies.
was delineated. 2
pious patrons. 7
Likewise,
Vienna,
i 4o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
in the vicinity, assisted. They generally came in procession, and bearing the reliquaries of saints kept in their respective churches. Early on the morning of July 8th, the Little Hours of Prime and Tierce were publicly recited in the cathedral. Afterwards, the canons of the cathedral assisted at a First Solemn Mass. This ended, from seven to eight o'clock, the Assistant
Bishop of the diocese usually preached on a subject appropriate for the occasion. Afterwards, at eight o'clock, the Prince Bishop and the clergy in solemn procession went from the cathedral to the place where the tombs of
themartyrswere,inthecollegiatechurchoftheNewMonastery. Thence they returned to the great cathedral, where the heads of the Martyrs, placed in their respective silver statues, were exposed on the high altar. Then the Prince Bishop commenced the celebration of a Second High Mass. In the evening, Second Vespers of the Feast were sung, the Bishop Assistant or the Cathedral Dean usually presiding. Then the clergy of the various city and adjoining churches returned to them, and bearing back their respective relics in solemn procession. During the whole octave, and while the relics of Saints Kilian, Colman and Totnan were exposed on the Cathedral Altar, a Pontifical Mass was celebrated each morning, by a Bishop, or by an Abbot, ofthediocese. OnthedayoftheOctaveitself,agrandprocession,atwhich all the cathedral canons were present, went around the city. A singular cus- tom was observed on the occasion of these processions, that the regular soldiers and citizens—sometimes to the number of six thousand—lined the
route,andpresentedarmsinhonouroftheirsaintlyPatrons. Again,during that whole Octave, the most solemn cultus was observed in the secular collegi-
8o
Also, in the seminary of St. Kilian, and in the church of the celebrated Hos- pital of Julianus, special veneration was paid to the holy Martyrs, whose relics
were there exposed. Until the political changes of the present century took place, doubtless these magnificent celebrations took place ; but, even yet, in the Catholic city of Wurtzburg, the Festival of its holy Martyrs and Patrons is held, with appropriate religious rites and ceremonies.
In Ireland, the memory of those holy Martyrs has been preserved in churches, chapels, and religious institutes, which have been erected in their honour, and which have been specially dedicated to them. On an elevated and a beautiful situation at Greystones, county of Wicklow, in the diocese of Dublin, the foundation stone of a chapel dedicated to St. Kilian was laid, on
the 14th of October, 1866, by the Very Rev. Monsignor Walter Lee, P. P. , of
requirements of that fashionable watering place necessitated the enlargement of the primitive erection ; and accordingly, on Sunday, August 1st, 1886, His Grace the Most Rev. William J. Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, visited Grey-
ate church
of St. John the Evangelist, where the tombs of the martyrs lay.
Bray.
designed
early English style
of Gothic
architecture,
81 It was
in the
and it measured 72 feet by 22. However, the growing population and
82 foundationstoneoftransepts, extendingeastandwest,withachoirinaddi- tion, and designed by P. F. Comber, C. E. , of Bray. These have greatly
enlargedthe building,nowexceedingconsiderablyover100feetinlength.
80 Known in Latin Records as "Novum be until it became ne- deferred, absolutely
Monasterium. " cessary to proceed with the building, owing 8' Thesite,halfanacreofl—and,hadbeen toaclauseinthelease,whichlimitedthe
stones, where, with the impressive ceremonies of the church,
he laid the
Mr. Thomas Phelan a — granted by gentleman
then about to emigrate to America on a lease for 500 years, at a nominal annual rent of is. , if demanded. For want of funds, the
erection of
time to within ten
ajsuccursal,
church there had to
83 A handsome statue of St. Kilian,
82
years,
The proceedings are reported, at some
length, in the Freeman 's Journal of August 2nd, 1886.
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. i 4 i
Besides the Ven. and Very Rev. Monsignor Dean Lee,83 and several priests, a large assemblage of parishioners and strangers was present. The whole build-
ing, in its present completed form, presents an exceedingly commodious and a handsome succursal church. It seems the clergy and people of Mullagh
parish held a tradition, that the holy Apostle of Franconia, the Martyr St. Kilian,had been born there, and accordingly it had been resolved to honour his
memory. Wherefore,consideringhimtobetheirpatron,onThursday,June 25th, 1857, the foundation stone of a new Catholic church, dedicated to St. Kilian, and to be erected in the mediaeval style of Gothic architecture, was blessed. The stone was laid, in the presence of several of the clergy, belong- ing to the surrounding parishes, and of a large concourse of the respectable parishioners. The Very Rev. Matthew McQuaid, P. P. and V. F. , delegated by the Right Rev. Dr. Browne, Bishop of the diocese, officiated on the occa- sion. 8* This church was afterwards completed, in an excellent architectural style, and it was opened in honour of Franconia's and Ireland's illustrious Apostolic Bishop and Martyr. The Catholic church in the beautiful vale of Clara, near Glendalough, county ofWicklow, was authorized to be dedicated to SS. Patrick and Kilian. 85 Its situation is in a secluded spot, beside the rushing Avonmore River, a few miles above where it unites with the Avonbeg, at the celebrated " Meeting of the Waters/' In the United States of America, we find churches and schools dedicated to St. Kilian, at Fond du Lac County, at Hartford, Washington County, and at Hudson, Walworth County, State of Wisconsin, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee ; as also, in the Diocese of Green Bay, and at New Franklin, Brown County.
From an early period, the Martyrologies and Calendars have recorded the FeastofthoseholyMartyrs. Thus,intheHieronymiancopyofUsuard,belong-
86
ing to Lucca, there is an insertion ;
to St. Martin, at Treves. 8? The Martyrologists, Wandalbert,88 Raban,89 and Ado, or his interpolator, placed it, on the 8th of the Ides of July ; while the principal festival of those Martyrs has been assigned to this date, the pre- sumed anniversary of their Martyrdom. Notkerhas rather lengthened notices
of those saints, and evidently drawn from ancient Acts, closely corresponding with those referred to, in the earlier paragraphs of the present biography.
Trithemius, Ghinnius, Bucelin, Maurolycus, Felicius, Galesinius, Dorgan, and Menard, have a record of their Festival, and of the saints' names, more or less
wrought by Herr Arnold Fussenging, an emi- nent Bavarian artist, and now mounted over the
high altar of the church, was a personal gift of the Dean, to whom the credit of erecting the whole of this handsome church is due.
84 The foregoing account has been taken
from a contemporaneous newspaper, the
Catholic Telegraph of July 18th, 1857. It had
been sent by a local correspondent.
85 By His Eminence Paul Cardinal Cullen,
:
89Hewrites "InpagoAustrioe,etcastro,
nomine Wirziburg, juxta Moiii fluvium, sanctorum natale Chiliani martyris et duo- rum sociorum ejus, qui ab Hibernia Scoto- rum insula venientes, nomen Christi in dictis locis pnedicaverum ibique ob veritatis confessionem, a quodam judice iniquo, no- mine Gosberto, trucidati sunt, etposteamul- tis signis veri Christi Martyres esse clarue- runt. "
on November at of 14th, 1864, request
Very
9° Thus " in Germania : Herbipoli
Rev. Richard Galvin, P. P. , Rathdrum.
8° " In Austria, passio S. Kiliani. " The Bollandist Soller deems this to have been an
sancti Chiliani Episcopi, qui a Romano Pontifice ad praedicandum Evangelium missus, cum
as also, in an old Martyrology, belonging
multis ad Christum perduxisset, una cum addition to the sociis Colomano — et Totnano
original. ""
*7 Thus entered
Ermipolis nuncupatur, Kyliani episcopi et
martyris. "
88 He states :
"
S. Kiliane bishop of h*er-
In
Octavo ante Idus Cilianum Procopi- umque. "
et cono trucidatus est. "
Editio novissima, Romae, 1878, fol.
9I Thus, in Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
"
Scottish Saints:''
bipolis Scotismon vnder heraclius. 630. " Seep. 157.
:
Vuirceburg, quae
Maityrologium Romanum Gregorii XIII. ," &c, p. 98.
Presbytero Dia-
prse-
i 4 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
exactly rendered. The Roman Martyrology has a succinct and an accurate entry regarding them, and likewise at this date. 9° In nearly ail the more recent Acts, Martyrologies and Calendars of Saints, in like manner are to be foundplacedthenamesofSaintsKilian,ColmanandTotnan. IntheScot- tish Kalendars, St. Kilian and his companions are entered, at the 8th of July, viz. : in Adam King's Kalendar^1 and in Dempster's Menologium Scoticum. 92 Also, their feast is set down in R. Chambers' " Book of Days. "93 In reference—evidently to these Martyrs—there is a curious entry 94 placed in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at this day, the 8th of July, in honour of St.
Celian, a Scottish Martyr, with his holy brethren, Aedh and Tadg, with Anurma,wifetotheKingoftheGoths. Weareinformed,thattheywere massacred by the prefect of the Royal Palace, and in the Hippodrome of the king's residence. On Convceus' List of Irish Saints, St. Chilianus, St. Colo- natus or Colomanus, and Totnanus, Martyrs, are set down at the 8th of
6 Father Fitz-simon has also Totnanus, at this same date, and Henry
July. 9
as he states, by universal assent. 97 Father Stephen White 98 commemorates
these three holy companions, Kilianus, Colonatus and Totnanus, martyrs, at the present date. The martyrdom of these three saints is noted in Vene- rable Bede's Martyrology,99 according to the statement of Father Stephen White. 100 For this introduction, the Roman Martyrology is quoted. At the 8th of July, veneration was given to Kilianus, Colmanus et Colonatus,
Totnanus, Diaconus, according to the Martyrology of Donegal.
101
There is
a Cillian, son of Dodhnan, adds the calendarist, at the 23rd of October. Then
he " inde error 102 but the writer of this note intended says : ;" probably only
it for a memorandum, to guide himself or his readers to a better intelligence, regarding the present Kilian or the Cillian, son of Dodnan, entered by him at the 23rd of October. At the same date, in the Martyrology of Donegal, 103 we
find the names of Cele-clerech, Bishop, Aedh, and Tadhg. 10* These three 10
suffered Martyrdom, in Uairseburg, s in Almania.
91 Thus : "In Franconia Kiliani, Totnani, Martyris et sociorum (Colonati et Totnani) Colmani et Ervvaldi monachorum, gentis ejus, qui de Ibernia Scotorum insula,
Apostolor—um, qui a Geilana martyris affici jussi, M. " Ibid. , p. 205.
venientes, nomen Christi in prasdictis locis
praedicaverunt, ibique ob confessionem veri-
93 See vol. ii. , July 8, col. 555.
martyris cum Sanctis fratribus Aedh ocus
tatis sub quodam judice Dosberto trucidati 94 It runs thus: " S. Celiani Scotti sunt, et multis postea signis veri Christi
ocus Amarma Gotho- conjuge Regis
martyres esse claruerunt. "
pp. 22, 23.
MI Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Tadg
rum truncati a prepositodomus regiaein ippo-
dromia Palatii regis. " These words are
from a gloss to Marianus O'Gorman's 190, 191.
I02 A note Dr. Todd at Inde error: Martyrology. by says
95 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxviii. u It is not very clear what the error was to 96 Thus: " S. Chilianus Epis. Hiperbo- which our author here alludes. He probably
lensis genere et martyris nobilissimus.
meant the error in the name. He does not, however, quote the Mart. Rom. correctly; perhaps for " Colmanus et Colonatus," we should read Colmanus vel Colonatus. "
103 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
190, 191.
I04 There can be no doubt, that the
Chilianus of the Rom—an Martyrology, and
"
Colomanus, et Totnanus martyres et socii
Wiziburgi. 8 Julii. "
S. Colonatus, seu
beati Chiliani Albiniaci. 8 Julii. "
See ibid. ,
cap. x. , p. 48.
97 See O'Sullevan Beare's Historic
" Catholicae Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. ,
lib. iv. , cap. xii. , pp. 55, 57.
98 This writer remarks
tres martyres, Gyralde. " See "Apologia
pro Hibernia," cap. ii. , p. 15, cap. iii. , p. 23.
99 In these terms
pago Austria et Castro nomine Wurtzbourg, juxta Maenum fluvium, natale S. Kiliani
:
:
martyrs notwithstanding
"en tibi novos
his fellow
the are the same as
" Octavo idus Julii in
variation in the names—
Cele-clerech, Aedh, and Tadg.
ios A note by Dr. Todd says at Uairse-
burg : "i. e. , Wirtzburg in Franconia. " The more recent hand adds here in Roman letters, u Vide aliter apud. M. Taml. "
I0° See iii. , "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap.
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 143
With regard to the great Apostles of Gentile nations, we may safely assert, that the person, who imparts Christian knowledge to those who have it not, islikeonewhogivessighttoablindman. Heisatrueenlightenerofmen. Although, indeed, the words of a preacher may contain little that is very striking or remarkable, and although intellectually, the holy man may be below mediocrity ; yet, the true preacher knows how to teach old and young, the doctrines and precepts of Jesus, with a startling and an awakening freshness, which present them as with a voice of power, thrilled and inspired by an eloquence from on high. When this is felt by his hearers to be earnest, and when it is known his own life is one of self-sacrifice, the mustard seed soon begins to take root and to grow into a large tree. The labours and zeal of those Apostles of Franconia, as on this day celebrated, flourished and faded, for a brief time ; but, their blood sealed and watered that soil, where they preached words of efficacy. In after time, the withered plant revived, and it became that seed, which gave many Christians to the Church.
ARTICLE II. —ST. DISIBOD, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR. [SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. ] CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—STATE OF GERMANY IN PAGAN AND EARLY CHRISTIAN TIMES—BIOGRA- PHIES OF ST. DISEN OR ST. DYSIBOD—HIS IRISH BIRTH—HIS YOUTHFUL DISPOSI- TIONS AND EDUCATION—ADVANCED TO THE PRIESTHOOD—ELECTED AS BISHOP— TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES IN HIS NEW POSITION—HE RESOLVES TO LEAVE IRELAND FOR A DISTANT COUNTRY.
not wholly reliable in all statements, the most valuable and
authentic account of we is that furnished ALTHOUGH Pagan Germany 1 possess by
the celebrated Roman historian, Caius Cornelius Tacitus. 2 We are, however, more concerned with the subsequent state and condition of that most impor- tant country, which extended from the Rhine to the Vistula, and from the Danube to the German Ocean and the Baltic Sea. 3 According to Rhineland tradition, the first teacher of Christianity, Crescens or Clemens, came with the twenty-second Roman Legion, which had been with Titus in Palestine. Afterwards, it was quartered at Mainz, about a. d. 78. In Mainz, he began to announce the truths of the Gospel. A teacher, named Eucharius, in Trier or Treves, also aided his efforts, to preach and propagate the Christian Reli- gion throughout that wild tract of country, lying between the Main, the Rhine, the Moselle, and the Saar. In the year from the foundation of Rome 651, or before the birth of Christ, 102, Marius delivered Rome from the
:
Situ, Moribus et Populis Germaniae, pp. 415 to 430. Edinburgi, 1826, 8vo.
3 He was born about the year 810, after the building of Rome, or the year 57, after the birth of Christ. He wrote this Treatise, a. d. 98, M. Cocceius Nerva, Aug. iv. , and M. Ulpius Trajanus Caesar II. being then
—l
1. See A. R. consuls.
Article 11. —Chapter
Carson's edition " C. Cornelii Taciti Opera
ad Fidem optimorum Exemplarium. " De extent. See Rev. Fathers Catrou and
3 Some ancient writers give it even a larger
Rouille's "Roman History; with Notes Historical. Geographical and Critical," done into English from the original French, vol. vi. , book lxii. , sect, xxx. , n. 105, p. 90.
* See Jules Zeller's " Hisioire d'Alle-
magne," tome i. , liv. i. , chap, ii,, sect, ii. , pp. 53 to 62.
144 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
incursions of the Cimbri and Teutones—who were Germans—for the first time;* afterwards,Caesarmadesomeattemptstorestrainthemfrominvad- ingGaul;5 Drusus,TiberiusandVarusconductedvariousRomanexpeditions against them, and with varying success or reverse f Germanicus in the year of Christ, a. d. 13, made a final attempt to subdue Germany, but notwith- standing his valour and military skill, he did not succeed in re-establishing the Roman dominion there. ? Although divisions prevailed among the German nations contending for supremacy, and although the Romans took care to foment and avail of those dissensions ; yet, were they unable to effect more thananoccasionalandaprecarioussupremacy. Galbasucceeded,however, in causing the Catti to abandon that district of Germany between the Lahn, the Maine and the Rhine, and it was distributed among the Roman veterans,
8
during the time of the Emperor Caligula.
began to spread ;9 although the vast extent of Germany north and east was notsubjecttoRomandominion. Itseemsprettywellestablished,thatlong before Constantine made Christianity a state religion, it obtained a firm foot-
very interesting glimpse depicting
when the " Mosella w" Idyll
1
the Belgse. ? Long before the age of Disibod and his companions, however,
the Nahegau, and even the wooded country between the Nahe and the
holdIO withinthat
particular territory. "
A the state of that district, about
371,
was written, has been left us by the poet Ausonius. ^ In it, we have a descrip-
graphically
tion of his journey from Mainz to the sources of the Moselle. 14 He crossed
theNaheat 1* andhe Bingen,
the roadovertheHuns- military
passed by
rucken to Neumagen,16 on the Moselle, below Treves, and at the frontiers of
5 See his work " Commentariorum de
Bello Gallico," lib. i. , cap. xxxi. to liv.
6"
See Carlo Denina's Rivoluzioni della
Germania," tomo primo libro i. , capo ii. ,
13 He was a native of Bourdeaux in France, 7 See Histoire des Allemands, traduite and he lived from about the year 320 to
pp. 12 to 21. Fizenze, 1804, 8vo. "
de l'Allemand de Schmidt, par J. C. de la
Profcsseur a tome Veaux, Royal Berlin, i. ,
liv. L, chap, vi. , pp. 66 to 93. A Liege, 1784, et seq. 8vo.
8
These various incidents of early German history are very lucidly set forth, in Jules
"
Histoire d'Allemagne," tome i. , liv. ii. , chap, iv. , pp. 129 to 183.
9 We do not know exactly, what amount
of actual facts underlines the rhetorical
statements of St. Justin Martyn, of St.
Irenaeus, and of Tertullian, when they tell
us, that in the second century of our era, the
Christian religion had not only spread on the Naua or Nahe. There is a common
Zeller's
Transieram celerem nebuloso flumine
Nauam,
Addita miratus veteri nova moenia
Vico,
^Equavit Latias ubi quondam Gallia
throughout the Roman Empire, but among the tribes and peoples beyond, and expressly among the Germans.
10 There Roman remains have from time
readingof Vicum for Vincum, but theltenera- rium Antonini gives the name as Vincum. The modern name could hardly come from Vicum or Vicus.
16 where Constantine estab- Noiomagum,
lished an enormous military settlement, is
easily recognised as Neumagen on the Moselle.
1 The two points at the beginning and end
to time been in considerable found,
quanti- ties. Numerous graves were in and near Kreuznach, in which coins and human re- mains have been found. There are no traces proving the pagan custom of cremation upon
any of the latter. They were uniformly east of the poet's journey being fixed, the old and west in position, which also marks Roman road from Bingen to Treves over the
Christian burial from the earliest times.
"
Herr Heep has some interesting obser- vations regarding the castra stativa, at this northern end of the Ilunsrucken, and in the
Hunsrucken, appears to have been that direc- tion in which the writer pursued his solitary way. Trackless forests spread on either side
of the route.
400. 14
"
The
following
are the
opening
lines
:
—
There, likewise, Christianity
villa rustics around.
12
See "Corpus Poetarum Latinorum," Ausonii Burdigalensis Idyllia, x. , pp. 1091 to 1095.
Cannas,
Infietseque jacent inopes super arva catervae. "
,s The former name of Bingen was Vin- cum. It is easily recognised, by its situation
July 8.
