Patrick ; and owing to the context, in
Creatorem earum, et per auxilium Sancti Spiritus.
Creatorem earum, et per auxilium Sancti Spiritus.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
See "I)e Garalt, Abbot of Eliterid and Bishop of Gestis Pontificum Anglorum," lib.
iii.
, Mayo, Art.
iii.
; but, the accompanying sect.
129, p.
268.
Edition of N.
E.
S.
A.
illustration presents another view of the Hamilton.
Dugdale's ** Monasticon Anglicanum," there
is a fine copperplate engraving of the ruined abbey on Lindisfarne Island, with a view of the ruined castle on its steep crag seen through the arch in the distance. See p. 687.
body was honourably interred at Ubbenford, now Norham, near the River
September 4. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 93
many of their followers then deserted them, so that none were left with St. Cuthbert's remains but the bishop, the abbot, and seven other persons, who had devoted themselves to his service. After they had shifted about for seven years, and when Haldena, the Danish tyrant, had fled from the Tyne, the body of St. Cuthbert was brought to the Monastery of Crec, where the monks were lovingly received and hospitably entertained for four months. " At length, King Guthred was received as King at Oswiesdune, both by the DanesandNorthumbrians,andhegaveprotectiontothemonks. In882, the relics of St. Cuthbert rested at Cunecasestre or Conchester, a small town a few miles from the Roman Wall, and now known as Chester upon the street. There the Bishop's see continued for one hundred and thirteen years. King Alfred and the Danish leader gave to that church all the land lying between the Tyne and the Tees, with protection for a month to all
12
persons that fled to the saint's shrine. St. Cuthbert'sremainstoRiponforgreatersecurityfromtheDanes. Four monthsafterwards,theywerebroughttoDurham. Thenachapelhadbeen constructed on a grand elevation over the River Tyne, and a monastery had been established near it, owing to the willing labour of the country people. Like many of the ancient religious houses in those troublesome times, the site was fortified as a protection against unscrupulous aggressors. In fine, on the 4th of September, a. d. 999, Bishop Aldune had St. Cuthbert's remains encased in a shrine, and there they were solemnly exposed for the veneration of pious pilgrims. The Bollandists have an entry of the translation of St. Cuthbert's relics at the 4th of September,^ as found in many ancient Martyrologies. On the annual recurrence of this anniversary, we find it
x
called the Feast of the Translation of St. Cuthbert * in various Irish
Kalendars. In the Annals of the Cistercian Monks, its commemoration
is likewise recorded. 15 In the Irish Church, to celebrate this event, an
office had been instituted. 16 It was comprised in Nine Lessons. 1? It
would seem, however, to have been introduced into our Island by the Anglo-
18
In the Scottish Kalendars,'9 this Festival of the Translation of St. Cuthbert's relics, is to be found, and with a concurrence that shows it to have been one of particular devotion. Thus, at the 4th of September, it
Normans.
occurs in the Kalendars of
20 of 21 of Culenros,
22 Arbuthnott,
of the Aberdeen
11
Hyrdmanistoun, 2 3 and of Thomas
the vol. Saints,"
Breviary,
Dempster. ^
latio Sancti Cuthberti, ix. Lect.
l8
In T. C. D. , a MS. , classed B, 3, 18, 19 (the Sarum Breviary, England), records at Nones ii. September(Septeniber 4th),Trans- latio S. Cuthberti, Lect. iii.
I9 See Forbes' "Kalendars of "Bishop
Scottish Saints. "
See Sir William DugdaleVMonasticon Anglicanum," &c. , edition of John Caley, Esq. , Henry Ellis, LL. B. , and Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel, M. A. , vol. i. , pp. 221, 222.
12
See Rev. S. Baring Gould's "Lives of
ix. , September 4U1, p. 51. 13 See "Acta Sanctorum Septembris,"
tomus ii. Die Quarta Septembris. Among thepretermittedFeasts,p. 2.
20
Thus :—"Translatio Sancti Cuthberti
14
at September 4th, Nonas ii. , Visitatio Sancti Cuthberti Epis. et Conf.
*S The Translation of St, Cuthbert there
occurs, at the 4th of September, p. 398.
16 At September the 4th, Nones ii. , Translatio Sancti Cuthberti Episcopi et
— Thus Ibid. p. 61.
In T. C. D. a MS. classed B, 3, 9, records
:
Translatio Sancti Cuthberti. "
fuerit in quorundum. "—Ibid. , p. 120. The Confessoris, ix. Lect. , is found in the latter words we apprehend to mean, unless
Calendar list of the MS. Culdee Antiphon-
arium of Armagh Metropolitan Church, and classed B. I. I. , T. C. D.
the office interfere with one of a superior rite.
24 See " Menologium Scoticum," where we
" Dunelmice Cuthberti praesulis, monachi Maelrosiensis. MA. "—Ibid. , p. 210.
* A MS. in T. C. D. , classed B, 3,13, con- read tains at September the 4th, Nones ii. , Trans-
:
In 995, Bishop Aldune conveyed
Episcopi. " Ibid. ,p. 45. 2I "
aa
Thus : "Translatio Sancti Cuthberti
Episcopi. "—Ibid. , p. 104.
23Thus "TranslationsCuthbertiEpis- :
copi et Confessoris, ix. Lect. nisi factum
94 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September4.
Article III. —St. Ness, Nessa, or Munessa, of Ernaidh, said to havebeenUrney,intheCountyofTyrone. [FifthCentury. ] Those, who treat about the bountiful designs of the Almighty in reference to the present holy virgin, have remarked, that she was possessed with the graces of the Holy Spirit, through the virtues which are innate in a good disposi- tion; and from the divers species of all created things, she understood the Creator J and He thus
;
being
understood,
she loved Him with all her
heart,
and with all her soul. For the love and desire of such affection, she looked
down with disregard on all the riches, the delights, the splendours, and the
charms of this world's glory, while she despised them in her heart. At this
date there is a brief notice of St. Monessa, Virgin, in Rev. S, Baring-
"2
Gould's Lives of the Saints. " In the opinion of Colgan, this was the
holy virgin mentioned in the various lives of St. Patrick, as having been bora in Britain of royal parentage. 3 The Bollandists have acts of St. MunessaorMonessa,Virgin,atthe4thdayofSeptember. * Thoseactsare chiefly extracted from the various Lives of St. Patrick, as published by
Thereis a
5-
had also a
6
They
baptised by St. Patrick, and who died in Ireland. Munessa,? Momessa, or 8
Colgan.
formerly sent by the Jesuit Father Stephen White to Father Rosweyd, which referred to St. Muneria or Munessa, daughter to a King of the Britons,
prefixed commentary.
Manuscript
Memessa, as she has been variedly called, was a noble and beautiful damsel, said to have been the daughter of a prince, who reigned in a certain part of Britain. By Probus she has been called Muneria. 9 She is also denominatedNessandNessa. Thisvirginwasofroyalbirth,andsheis
to have been the
of a British 10 Without king.
generally supposed
telling us in what country the baptism of Memessa took place, Jocelyn would fain make us believe, that St. Patrick went to Great Britain after his mission had commenced. " The saint's 12 is
See vol. ix. , September 4, pp. 47, 48.
11 See ''Trias Colgan's
3 See " Trias
S. Patricii, cap. Ixxviii. , and nn. 74, 75, pp.
Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clix. , p. ioo, and
Thaumaturga,"
Tertia Vita
7 1 hus is this pious virgin called in
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," by the sect. 1, p. 319.
daughter
authority, however, vastly preferable to that of a writer, who in the same chapter has so many apparent
Article hi. —* Scotus and other theolo-
gians have taught, that from the promptings of the natural law and reason, God may be known and loved by the human creature, not, however, with a love to ensure salva- tion. In the case of the present holy virgin, said to have known God through the natural law, yet the concurrence ofDivine Grace assisting her is not excluded in the words of the writer of St. Patrick's Third Life, where
author of Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxviii. p. 27. See also n. 74, p. 34, ibid.
8 Thus styled by Jocelyn. See Vita Sexta S. Patricii, cap. clix. , p. 100.
9 See Probus or Quinta Vita S. Patricii,
lib. ii. , cap. xxv. , p. 59. Colgan states, that this writer wrongly calls her Muneria, and that Joceline is also incorrect in writing her name Memessa. See n. 74, p. 34.
10 This is expressly stated in various Lives he writes, "per illas creaturas cognovit of St.
Patrick ; and owing to the context, in
Creatorem earum, et per auxilium Sancti Spiritus. "
which allusion is made to her, it may also be inferred from the life by Probus.
*
27, 34. QuaitaVitaS. Patricii, cnp. lxxxviii. , p. 46.
4 See "Acta Sanctorum Septembris," tomus ii. Die Quarta Septembris. De S. Munessa seu Monessa, Virg. in Hibernia, pp. 225 to 228. Edited by Father Con- stantine Suysken.
s In eight paragraphs.
6
Marked with this title *J« MS. 167, D. Nomina Sanctarum Faminarum quarumdam ex Prosapia Regum Scotorum Hibernia;.
86.
12 It is generally allowed, that St. Patrick
did not write his Confession, until he had established his see at Armagh, and towards the close of his life. In it, he declares, that he would be afraid to be out of Ireland, even for so short a time as should enable him to visit his relatives, lest he should disobey the commands of Christ our Lord, who had ordered him to come among the Irish, and to remain with them for the rest of his life. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Eccle- siastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , cap. vii. ,
cap. xcii. , p.
September 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 95
1
misstatements. * In the Triparite Life of St. Patrick, it is said, that the
daughter of a British king—seemingly this Munessa or Muneria—came into Ireland. She went to Kill-na-ningen, near Armagh, to be instructed by the
to the same account. As the
made her beautiful, writes Jocelyn, and the elegance of her form made her
lovely, while in her countenance the lilies and the roses of the garden were
mingled together ; very many princes of royal lineage desired her in marriage. However, in nowise could she be persuaded or compelled to give her consent. She had early formed the desire of becoming a Christian. Yet, had she not been washed in the holy font, though in her manners she represented the purity of Christian faith. Her parents being Heathens, endeavoured with words and with stripes, to frustrate her resolution ; but the firmness of her virgin purpose being built on the rock of Christ, could neither be subverted by their persuasions, nor by force. Nor could she, through any of their evil
1
doings, be moved from her fixed determination. * Having a long time thus
6
vainly laboured, by united consent, her parents brought her to St. Patrick,' the fame ot whose holiness was proved and published through all that country, by many signs and miracles. Then, they unfolded to him the purpose ol their daughter, earnestly entreating him, that he would bring her to the sight of that God, whom she so loved, and towards whom her heart had yearned. ' 7 The saint hearing this rejoiced in the Lord, giving thanks to Him, whose
x4
saint, according
spring-time
of her
youth
13 As for instance, concerning thirty British
bishops who are said to have been in Ireland.
He also states the Isle of Man had been then
subject to Britain ; not to mention the fall of
Merlin, the magician, and other absurd
narratives. See Colgan's " Trias Thauma-
turga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xc, of the declivity," but the name is also obso- p. 86.
14 " See Colgan's
Dr. as "thehillof "andhe Reeves grief ;
Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap.
states, that the tradition of the country con- nected the memory of the nine pilgrim
virgins with Armagh Breague, in Upper Fews. Somewhat similar to the foregoing account is that in the Latin Tripartite Life, as published by Colgan, part iii. , chapters lxxiii. , lxxiv. In notes appended, he seems
lxxiii. , p. 163.
'5 The following account of the incidents
contained in the text varies considerably in
detail, yet referring apparently to the same subject matter. "One time there came
nine daughters of the King of the Long-
bards, and the daughter of the King of to regard Cruimthir, or Crumtheris, as a
Britain, on a pilgrimage to Patrick ; they
stopped at the east side of Ard-Macha,
where Coll-na-ningean is to-day. There
came messengers from them to Patrick, to
know if they should proceed to him. Patrick
said to the messengers that three of the
maidens would go to heaven, and in that
place (i. e. Coll-na-ningean) their sepulchre is. 'And let the other maidens go to
Druim-fenneda, and let one of them proceed as far as that hill in the east. ' And so it was done. Cruimthir went afterwards, and occupied Cengoba ; and Benen used to carry fragments of food to her every night from Patrick. And Patrick planted an apple tree in Achadh-na-elti, which he took from the fort, in the north of the place, i. e. Cengoba ; and hence the place is called Abhall-Patrick, in Cengoba. It was the milk of this doe, moreover, that used to be given to the lap-dog that—was near the
different person from the King of Britain's daughter, Munessa.
maiden, i. e. Cruimthir. " Miss M.
Life of St. Patrick, it may be supposed the baptism of Munessa must have been per- formed in Ireland. It is there stated, that her parents, hearing about the great reputa- tion of St. Patrick, brought her to him. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. lxxviii. , p. 27.
•7 The author of St. Patrick's Fourth Life
states, that nine daughters of a King of the Lombards were received, with the daughter of a King of Britain, at this time, and that all were recommended by the Irish Apostle to places where they might serve God for the rest of their lives. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. lxxxviii. , p. 46. Colgan thinks those daughters of the King of Britain are pro- bably not different from the daughters of
venerated on the of
Enoch, 9th September.
See ibid. , note 69, p. 50.
F. Cusack'b " Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of
Ireland. " William M. Hennessy's transla- tion of the Irish Tripartite Life of St.
Patrick, part iii. , pp. 485, 486. Coll-na- ningean is rendered "the hazel tree of the virgins," but the denomination is now obso- lete. Druim-fenneda is rendered " the ridge
lete. Cengoba is explained by the Rev.
16
Following the context of the Third
96 LIVESOETHEIRISHSAINTS. [September4.
breath doth blow even whither and how he listeth ; and who oftentimes calleth to Himself, without any preaching, those whom he had predestined for eternal life. Afterwards, having expounded to the damsel the rules of Christian Faith, he catechised and baptised her, while confessing her belief in the true Faith. He also strengthened her with the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. St. Ness, or Munessa, is classed among the holy virgins, who received the veil from St. Patrick. 18 The chief incidents of her life must be referred to between the year 432, when St. Patrick came to open his mission in Ireland, and to about the year 460, when he is thought to have departed this life, in the opinion of Fathers Papebroke and Suyskens. The latter supposed, that the
baptism and reception of St. Munessa happened during the last five years of J
the life of Ireland's great Apostle. 9 Having received the Holy Viaticum, Munessa fell to the ground in the midst of her prayers, and breathed forth her spirit. Thus she ascended from the font, spotless and washed from all sin, led by angels to the sight of her fair and beautiful beloved. Then did St. Patrick, and all who were present, glorify God. With honourable sepulture, they committed Munessa's holy remains to the earth. 20 The various Lives of St. Patrick do not name the place of this interment, nor where, in aftertime, the community of holy women was established, as he
21
tells us, that in his own day, the memory of St. Muneria had been observed
had then predicted.
Probus, or the author of the Apostle's Fifth Life, only
in that same 22 which place,
to have been known to him tradition. by
appears
The death of this holy virgin has been assigned to a. d. 450, in one of the
23 sent
by
Father
White2* to Father The Rosweyde.
Stephen
Martyrology of Donegal 2S states, that veneration was given at the 4th of
Manuscripts,
September,toNessofErnaidh. AccordingtoWilliamM. Hennessy,this
26
place is to be identified with Urney, in the County of Tyrone.
present Munissa be identical with the King of Britain's daughter, who with nine daughters of the Lombard King, lived or died at Coll-na-ningean, near Armagh, or at another place, called Druim-Fennedha, the foregoing statement of Mr. Hennessy cannot be admitted. Nor can the distinction between that
foregoing daughter of the British King and the present St. Munessa be 2
regarded as properly established. 7
Article IV. —St. Comhgall, of Both-Conais, County of Donegal. ^'eve? tth Century,,] At the 4th of September, we find entered in the
18
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
19 See "Acta Sanctorum Septembris,"
tomus ii. Die Quarta Septembris. De S.
Munessa seu Monessa, Virg. in Hibernia.
Commentarius prrcvius, sect. 6, p. 226.
in ipsa vetere Scotia seu Hiberniaaut mortui
sunt, aut post mortem eo translati. Ex
quorum plurimis pauciorum, qui sequuntur, nomina nic (sell. Dilingen, as seams) ubi dego, reperta dabo. "
=•» Thus written: " Muneria, quae et Me-
messa virg<>, filia regis, baptisata a S- Patricio, qui ejus aniinam in coelum ascen- dentem viderat circa annum salutis CCCCL. "
=5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
2t,6 237,
=6 See where mention is made of this place,
at lhe IIth of February, as also at the 1st
:°
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clix. , p. 100. 21 "
See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum
Septembris," tomus ii. Die Quarta Sep- tembris. De S. Munessa seu Monessa, Virg. in Hiberma. Commentanus proevius, sect 2, p. 226.
"See Colgan's 'Trias Thaumaturga,'
Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. 11. , cap. xxvi. ,
P- 59- ^ and nn. 70, 71, p. 50, and Septima Vita S.
•3 Marked MS. 167 F , and having the Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. lxxiii. , p. 163, and nn. title: "Octavus Catalogus Sanctorum, qui 100, IOI, p. 187.
and 3rd of August.
«7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. lxxxviii. , p.
Dugdale's ** Monasticon Anglicanum," there
is a fine copperplate engraving of the ruined abbey on Lindisfarne Island, with a view of the ruined castle on its steep crag seen through the arch in the distance. See p. 687.
body was honourably interred at Ubbenford, now Norham, near the River
September 4. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 93
many of their followers then deserted them, so that none were left with St. Cuthbert's remains but the bishop, the abbot, and seven other persons, who had devoted themselves to his service. After they had shifted about for seven years, and when Haldena, the Danish tyrant, had fled from the Tyne, the body of St. Cuthbert was brought to the Monastery of Crec, where the monks were lovingly received and hospitably entertained for four months. " At length, King Guthred was received as King at Oswiesdune, both by the DanesandNorthumbrians,andhegaveprotectiontothemonks. In882, the relics of St. Cuthbert rested at Cunecasestre or Conchester, a small town a few miles from the Roman Wall, and now known as Chester upon the street. There the Bishop's see continued for one hundred and thirteen years. King Alfred and the Danish leader gave to that church all the land lying between the Tyne and the Tees, with protection for a month to all
12
persons that fled to the saint's shrine. St. Cuthbert'sremainstoRiponforgreatersecurityfromtheDanes. Four monthsafterwards,theywerebroughttoDurham. Thenachapelhadbeen constructed on a grand elevation over the River Tyne, and a monastery had been established near it, owing to the willing labour of the country people. Like many of the ancient religious houses in those troublesome times, the site was fortified as a protection against unscrupulous aggressors. In fine, on the 4th of September, a. d. 999, Bishop Aldune had St. Cuthbert's remains encased in a shrine, and there they were solemnly exposed for the veneration of pious pilgrims. The Bollandists have an entry of the translation of St. Cuthbert's relics at the 4th of September,^ as found in many ancient Martyrologies. On the annual recurrence of this anniversary, we find it
x
called the Feast of the Translation of St. Cuthbert * in various Irish
Kalendars. In the Annals of the Cistercian Monks, its commemoration
is likewise recorded. 15 In the Irish Church, to celebrate this event, an
office had been instituted. 16 It was comprised in Nine Lessons. 1? It
would seem, however, to have been introduced into our Island by the Anglo-
18
In the Scottish Kalendars,'9 this Festival of the Translation of St. Cuthbert's relics, is to be found, and with a concurrence that shows it to have been one of particular devotion. Thus, at the 4th of September, it
Normans.
occurs in the Kalendars of
20 of 21 of Culenros,
22 Arbuthnott,
of the Aberdeen
11
Hyrdmanistoun, 2 3 and of Thomas
the vol. Saints,"
Breviary,
Dempster. ^
latio Sancti Cuthberti, ix. Lect.
l8
In T. C. D. , a MS. , classed B, 3, 18, 19 (the Sarum Breviary, England), records at Nones ii. September(Septeniber 4th),Trans- latio S. Cuthberti, Lect. iii.
I9 See Forbes' "Kalendars of "Bishop
Scottish Saints. "
See Sir William DugdaleVMonasticon Anglicanum," &c. , edition of John Caley, Esq. , Henry Ellis, LL. B. , and Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel, M. A. , vol. i. , pp. 221, 222.
12
See Rev. S. Baring Gould's "Lives of
ix. , September 4U1, p. 51. 13 See "Acta Sanctorum Septembris,"
tomus ii. Die Quarta Septembris. Among thepretermittedFeasts,p. 2.
20
Thus :—"Translatio Sancti Cuthberti
14
at September 4th, Nonas ii. , Visitatio Sancti Cuthberti Epis. et Conf.
*S The Translation of St, Cuthbert there
occurs, at the 4th of September, p. 398.
16 At September the 4th, Nones ii. , Translatio Sancti Cuthberti Episcopi et
— Thus Ibid. p. 61.
In T. C. D. a MS. classed B, 3, 9, records
:
Translatio Sancti Cuthberti. "
fuerit in quorundum. "—Ibid. , p. 120. The Confessoris, ix. Lect. , is found in the latter words we apprehend to mean, unless
Calendar list of the MS. Culdee Antiphon-
arium of Armagh Metropolitan Church, and classed B. I. I. , T. C. D.
the office interfere with one of a superior rite.
24 See " Menologium Scoticum," where we
" Dunelmice Cuthberti praesulis, monachi Maelrosiensis. MA. "—Ibid. , p. 210.
* A MS. in T. C. D. , classed B, 3,13, con- read tains at September the 4th, Nones ii. , Trans-
:
In 995, Bishop Aldune conveyed
Episcopi. " Ibid. ,p. 45. 2I "
aa
Thus : "Translatio Sancti Cuthberti
Episcopi. "—Ibid. , p. 104.
23Thus "TranslationsCuthbertiEpis- :
copi et Confessoris, ix. Lect. nisi factum
94 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September4.
Article III. —St. Ness, Nessa, or Munessa, of Ernaidh, said to havebeenUrney,intheCountyofTyrone. [FifthCentury. ] Those, who treat about the bountiful designs of the Almighty in reference to the present holy virgin, have remarked, that she was possessed with the graces of the Holy Spirit, through the virtues which are innate in a good disposi- tion; and from the divers species of all created things, she understood the Creator J and He thus
;
being
understood,
she loved Him with all her
heart,
and with all her soul. For the love and desire of such affection, she looked
down with disregard on all the riches, the delights, the splendours, and the
charms of this world's glory, while she despised them in her heart. At this
date there is a brief notice of St. Monessa, Virgin, in Rev. S, Baring-
"2
Gould's Lives of the Saints. " In the opinion of Colgan, this was the
holy virgin mentioned in the various lives of St. Patrick, as having been bora in Britain of royal parentage. 3 The Bollandists have acts of St. MunessaorMonessa,Virgin,atthe4thdayofSeptember. * Thoseactsare chiefly extracted from the various Lives of St. Patrick, as published by
Thereis a
5-
had also a
6
They
baptised by St. Patrick, and who died in Ireland. Munessa,? Momessa, or 8
Colgan.
formerly sent by the Jesuit Father Stephen White to Father Rosweyd, which referred to St. Muneria or Munessa, daughter to a King of the Britons,
prefixed commentary.
Manuscript
Memessa, as she has been variedly called, was a noble and beautiful damsel, said to have been the daughter of a prince, who reigned in a certain part of Britain. By Probus she has been called Muneria. 9 She is also denominatedNessandNessa. Thisvirginwasofroyalbirth,andsheis
to have been the
of a British 10 Without king.
generally supposed
telling us in what country the baptism of Memessa took place, Jocelyn would fain make us believe, that St. Patrick went to Great Britain after his mission had commenced. " The saint's 12 is
See vol. ix. , September 4, pp. 47, 48.
11 See ''Trias Colgan's
3 See " Trias
S. Patricii, cap. Ixxviii. , and nn. 74, 75, pp.
Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clix. , p. ioo, and
Thaumaturga,"
Tertia Vita
7 1 hus is this pious virgin called in
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," by the sect. 1, p. 319.
daughter
authority, however, vastly preferable to that of a writer, who in the same chapter has so many apparent
Article hi. —* Scotus and other theolo-
gians have taught, that from the promptings of the natural law and reason, God may be known and loved by the human creature, not, however, with a love to ensure salva- tion. In the case of the present holy virgin, said to have known God through the natural law, yet the concurrence ofDivine Grace assisting her is not excluded in the words of the writer of St. Patrick's Third Life, where
author of Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxviii. p. 27. See also n. 74, p. 34, ibid.
8 Thus styled by Jocelyn. See Vita Sexta S. Patricii, cap. clix. , p. 100.
9 See Probus or Quinta Vita S. Patricii,
lib. ii. , cap. xxv. , p. 59. Colgan states, that this writer wrongly calls her Muneria, and that Joceline is also incorrect in writing her name Memessa. See n. 74, p. 34.
10 This is expressly stated in various Lives he writes, "per illas creaturas cognovit of St.
Patrick ; and owing to the context, in
Creatorem earum, et per auxilium Sancti Spiritus. "
which allusion is made to her, it may also be inferred from the life by Probus.
*
27, 34. QuaitaVitaS. Patricii, cnp. lxxxviii. , p. 46.
4 See "Acta Sanctorum Septembris," tomus ii. Die Quarta Septembris. De S. Munessa seu Monessa, Virg. in Hibernia, pp. 225 to 228. Edited by Father Con- stantine Suysken.
s In eight paragraphs.
6
Marked with this title *J« MS. 167, D. Nomina Sanctarum Faminarum quarumdam ex Prosapia Regum Scotorum Hibernia;.
86.
12 It is generally allowed, that St. Patrick
did not write his Confession, until he had established his see at Armagh, and towards the close of his life. In it, he declares, that he would be afraid to be out of Ireland, even for so short a time as should enable him to visit his relatives, lest he should disobey the commands of Christ our Lord, who had ordered him to come among the Irish, and to remain with them for the rest of his life. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Eccle- siastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , cap. vii. ,
cap. xcii. , p.
September 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 95
1
misstatements. * In the Triparite Life of St. Patrick, it is said, that the
daughter of a British king—seemingly this Munessa or Muneria—came into Ireland. She went to Kill-na-ningen, near Armagh, to be instructed by the
to the same account. As the
made her beautiful, writes Jocelyn, and the elegance of her form made her
lovely, while in her countenance the lilies and the roses of the garden were
mingled together ; very many princes of royal lineage desired her in marriage. However, in nowise could she be persuaded or compelled to give her consent. She had early formed the desire of becoming a Christian. Yet, had she not been washed in the holy font, though in her manners she represented the purity of Christian faith. Her parents being Heathens, endeavoured with words and with stripes, to frustrate her resolution ; but the firmness of her virgin purpose being built on the rock of Christ, could neither be subverted by their persuasions, nor by force. Nor could she, through any of their evil
1
doings, be moved from her fixed determination. * Having a long time thus
6
vainly laboured, by united consent, her parents brought her to St. Patrick,' the fame ot whose holiness was proved and published through all that country, by many signs and miracles. Then, they unfolded to him the purpose ol their daughter, earnestly entreating him, that he would bring her to the sight of that God, whom she so loved, and towards whom her heart had yearned. ' 7 The saint hearing this rejoiced in the Lord, giving thanks to Him, whose
x4
saint, according
spring-time
of her
youth
13 As for instance, concerning thirty British
bishops who are said to have been in Ireland.
He also states the Isle of Man had been then
subject to Britain ; not to mention the fall of
Merlin, the magician, and other absurd
narratives. See Colgan's " Trias Thauma-
turga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xc, of the declivity," but the name is also obso- p. 86.
14 " See Colgan's
Dr. as "thehillof "andhe Reeves grief ;
Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap.
states, that the tradition of the country con- nected the memory of the nine pilgrim
virgins with Armagh Breague, in Upper Fews. Somewhat similar to the foregoing account is that in the Latin Tripartite Life, as published by Colgan, part iii. , chapters lxxiii. , lxxiv. In notes appended, he seems
lxxiii. , p. 163.
'5 The following account of the incidents
contained in the text varies considerably in
detail, yet referring apparently to the same subject matter. "One time there came
nine daughters of the King of the Long-
bards, and the daughter of the King of to regard Cruimthir, or Crumtheris, as a
Britain, on a pilgrimage to Patrick ; they
stopped at the east side of Ard-Macha,
where Coll-na-ningean is to-day. There
came messengers from them to Patrick, to
know if they should proceed to him. Patrick
said to the messengers that three of the
maidens would go to heaven, and in that
place (i. e. Coll-na-ningean) their sepulchre is. 'And let the other maidens go to
Druim-fenneda, and let one of them proceed as far as that hill in the east. ' And so it was done. Cruimthir went afterwards, and occupied Cengoba ; and Benen used to carry fragments of food to her every night from Patrick. And Patrick planted an apple tree in Achadh-na-elti, which he took from the fort, in the north of the place, i. e. Cengoba ; and hence the place is called Abhall-Patrick, in Cengoba. It was the milk of this doe, moreover, that used to be given to the lap-dog that—was near the
different person from the King of Britain's daughter, Munessa.
maiden, i. e. Cruimthir. " Miss M.
Life of St. Patrick, it may be supposed the baptism of Munessa must have been per- formed in Ireland. It is there stated, that her parents, hearing about the great reputa- tion of St. Patrick, brought her to him. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. lxxviii. , p. 27.
•7 The author of St. Patrick's Fourth Life
states, that nine daughters of a King of the Lombards were received, with the daughter of a King of Britain, at this time, and that all were recommended by the Irish Apostle to places where they might serve God for the rest of their lives. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. lxxxviii. , p. 46. Colgan thinks those daughters of the King of Britain are pro- bably not different from the daughters of
venerated on the of
Enoch, 9th September.
See ibid. , note 69, p. 50.
F. Cusack'b " Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of
Ireland. " William M. Hennessy's transla- tion of the Irish Tripartite Life of St.
Patrick, part iii. , pp. 485, 486. Coll-na- ningean is rendered "the hazel tree of the virgins," but the denomination is now obso- lete. Druim-fenneda is rendered " the ridge
lete. Cengoba is explained by the Rev.
16
Following the context of the Third
96 LIVESOETHEIRISHSAINTS. [September4.
breath doth blow even whither and how he listeth ; and who oftentimes calleth to Himself, without any preaching, those whom he had predestined for eternal life. Afterwards, having expounded to the damsel the rules of Christian Faith, he catechised and baptised her, while confessing her belief in the true Faith. He also strengthened her with the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. St. Ness, or Munessa, is classed among the holy virgins, who received the veil from St. Patrick. 18 The chief incidents of her life must be referred to between the year 432, when St. Patrick came to open his mission in Ireland, and to about the year 460, when he is thought to have departed this life, in the opinion of Fathers Papebroke and Suyskens. The latter supposed, that the
baptism and reception of St. Munessa happened during the last five years of J
the life of Ireland's great Apostle. 9 Having received the Holy Viaticum, Munessa fell to the ground in the midst of her prayers, and breathed forth her spirit. Thus she ascended from the font, spotless and washed from all sin, led by angels to the sight of her fair and beautiful beloved. Then did St. Patrick, and all who were present, glorify God. With honourable sepulture, they committed Munessa's holy remains to the earth. 20 The various Lives of St. Patrick do not name the place of this interment, nor where, in aftertime, the community of holy women was established, as he
21
tells us, that in his own day, the memory of St. Muneria had been observed
had then predicted.
Probus, or the author of the Apostle's Fifth Life, only
in that same 22 which place,
to have been known to him tradition. by
appears
The death of this holy virgin has been assigned to a. d. 450, in one of the
23 sent
by
Father
White2* to Father The Rosweyde.
Stephen
Martyrology of Donegal 2S states, that veneration was given at the 4th of
Manuscripts,
September,toNessofErnaidh. AccordingtoWilliamM. Hennessy,this
26
place is to be identified with Urney, in the County of Tyrone.
present Munissa be identical with the King of Britain's daughter, who with nine daughters of the Lombard King, lived or died at Coll-na-ningean, near Armagh, or at another place, called Druim-Fennedha, the foregoing statement of Mr. Hennessy cannot be admitted. Nor can the distinction between that
foregoing daughter of the British King and the present St. Munessa be 2
regarded as properly established. 7
Article IV. —St. Comhgall, of Both-Conais, County of Donegal. ^'eve? tth Century,,] At the 4th of September, we find entered in the
18
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
19 See "Acta Sanctorum Septembris,"
tomus ii. Die Quarta Septembris. De S.
Munessa seu Monessa, Virg. in Hibernia.
Commentarius prrcvius, sect. 6, p. 226.
in ipsa vetere Scotia seu Hiberniaaut mortui
sunt, aut post mortem eo translati. Ex
quorum plurimis pauciorum, qui sequuntur, nomina nic (sell. Dilingen, as seams) ubi dego, reperta dabo. "
=•» Thus written: " Muneria, quae et Me-
messa virg<>, filia regis, baptisata a S- Patricio, qui ejus aniinam in coelum ascen- dentem viderat circa annum salutis CCCCL. "
=5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
2t,6 237,
=6 See where mention is made of this place,
at lhe IIth of February, as also at the 1st
:°
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clix. , p. 100. 21 "
See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum
Septembris," tomus ii. Die Quarta Sep- tembris. De S. Munessa seu Monessa, Virg. in Hiberma. Commentanus proevius, sect 2, p. 226.
"See Colgan's 'Trias Thaumaturga,'
Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. 11. , cap. xxvi. ,
P- 59- ^ and nn. 70, 71, p. 50, and Septima Vita S.
•3 Marked MS. 167 F , and having the Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. lxxiii. , p. 163, and nn. title: "Octavus Catalogus Sanctorum, qui 100, IOI, p. 187.
and 3rd of August.
«7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. lxxxviii. , p.
