'* It may not be an "improbable conjecture, to suppose, that these visions might have been par- tially the effect of a delirium,s consequent on the illness of our saint, and partly the cogitation of a pious and contemplative mind, agitated and excited by a
feverish
state of the body.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
, chap, xix.
, p.
214.
'° See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nias," xvi. Januarii, lib. i. , cap. xi. , xii. , xiii. , p. 77. Also in Vita S. Furssei, ix. Februarii, cap. v. , pp. 285, 286, iMJ. In Desmay's Life of our saint, it is said, the monks who entertained envy towards him, lived at Clonfert ; leaving us to infer, of course, that from this same place, Fursey removed to Rathmat. The same writer also
R
and since known as St. was Mary's,
laid, and the church itself was afterwards built by
Rev. Peter Conway, P. P. It is situated near the ivied-ruins of Kilfursa. An account of the ceremony, and some notices of Kil- fursa old church, will be found in the Free- man's Jownal, bearing date August 1 7th,
1859.
"At that time, accompanied by the hospi- Vol. I,
242 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i6.
in our saint's acts are altogether judiciously rejected by Lanigan as being fabulous. This astute Doctor supposes, that soon after St. Fursey's birth, which was probably in Connaught, his father Fintan returned to Munster, where he took care to have his son duly instructed and educated in religious matters by some bishops. After Fursey had made great progress in piety and learning, leaving his parents, he repaired to a more distant part of Ire- land, for the purpose of acquiring greater perfection. ^' It is supposed that this distant locality^^ was the small island of Inisquin,^^ incorrectly called Esbren, in our saint's acts. ^* At the time of Furse/s arrival there, his
spiritual father, St. Meldan,^^ is conjectured to have governed its monastery, saidtohavebeenfoundedbySt. Brendan. ^^ ThisMeldanbelongedtothe
sept of Hua-Cuinn, that had possession of the country about Lough Orbsen, or Loagh Corrib. That country was sometimes called Hibh-sen, that is, Hibh-Orbsen, being contracted for Orbsen, in the latter instance. Either, as founder of the monastery, or as successor to St. Brendan, Meldan^7 was abbot
of
Inisquin, probably a bishop. ^9
beginning
about the
of the seventh ^"^ He was also most century.
Inchiquin, an island containing over 229 acres, was formerly called Inis- UiChuinn. 3° Itreceivedthisname,mostprobably,fromSt. Meldanus^'and hisbrothers,whowerepatronymicallycalledUiChuinn. 3' Theyaresaidto
states, that at the instance of King Brandubh, his brothers, Feradach and ^dphind, were induced to visit . Fursey. In other instances he substantially agrees with accounts, con- tained in the older acts, regarding incidents given in the text.
*< See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xvi. Januarii. Vita S. Fursaei, lib. i. , cap. vii. , p. 76.
^s Cathal Maguire says, that Meldan was
the spiritual father of St. Fursey. He is
called in Fursey's Acts a colleague of
Fursey. See Colgan, lib. ii. , cap. xvi. , and
p. 90
^ That this was the monastery, to which
St. Fursey retired, is plain from all that has been said about his having been in the island
Esbren, or Inisquin.
*7 The author of St. Fursey's Acts, wish-
ing to uphold the storj' of Fursey having been a disciple of St. Brendan, did not like to call Meldan his superior. Yet, what is said helps to prove that, at least, St. Fursey lived in the same monastery with St. Meldan. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii , chap, xvi. , § vii. , n. 65, P- 454-
^'
In a note, Dr. Lanigan adds : "This is
the most correct account of Fursey's younger
days that I have been able to collect from
tie oldtr acts, ^uhich make mention, only
in general terms, of his parents, &c. Nothing
is said of what part of Ireland they lived in ;
but the manner in which his leaving them is
spoken of, seems to indicate that it was at a
considerable distance from the place which
he went to. After telling us, that he had
got an excellent education, &c. , in the
country where his parents lived, they add :
"
Patriam parentesque relinquens Sacroe Scripturse. studiis aliquot vacabat annis. " It is not meant, that he left Ireland, for it is plain from the sequel, that he only removed to another part of it. Now this was Inisquin. "
" If St. Fursey's parents had continued to reside in Connaught he would have been still so near them as scarcely to justify the phrase, leaving his country and parents. It is to be
observed, notwithstanding the supposed ac- cident of his having been born in Connaught, that Munster is constantly called his patria or country. Desmay says, that Fintan re- turned with his family to Munster when St. Fursey was only a boy. He adds, that Fintan left Fursey behind him in the island with St. Brendan.
'^
called Prxsiil; and it is said that his memory was universally respected. See
''^ At the 7th of February Colgan has ob- served, that two Meldans are called bishops by St. . /Engus the Culdee. One of these seems to have been St. Meldan of Inisquin, See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , § vii. , pp. 449, 450, and nn. 66, 67, pp. 454, 455.
Townland Maps for the County of Galway. "
Sheet a moat or rath, no 41. ICxcepting
feature of antiquity is now marked on it.
3' This saint's feast occurs at the 7th of
=^3 Dr.
from the old acts, that Fursey was a grown up young man when he left his father's house and repaired to Inisquin. " See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , § vii. , n. 63, p. 454.
Lanigan observes,
' ' We know
In the older acts of Fursey Meldan is
" lib. i. , cap. xxi.
also those in
Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae,"
3° It is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
February.
3^ See Sir William Wilde's Lough
" Corrib, its Shores and Islands; with Notices
January i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 243
have built a monastery there about the year 580. No trace of it now exists. 33 It is thought, that after St. Fursey remained for some years with St. Meldan-
at Lough Corrib, he erected there a monastery, at a place adjoining his superior's habitation. This house of Fursey's was named Rathmat, and it was soon supplied with a considerable number of religious persons. When it was properly established Fursey felt a great desire to have some of his rela- tions instructed there. 34 With such an object in view, he set out for Munster, as is stated in the old acts of our saint. In the later acts, as we have already seen, his brothers, Foillan and Ultan, are alluded to, as having been with him at Rai;hmat,35 also called Rathmuighe. 3^ In these also, the object of Fursey's journey to Munster is represented as being a desire to see his other relations, and sow the seeds of the Divine Word among them through his spiritual. exhortations. But their authority is not of equal weight with that of his original acts. According to these, it does not appear, that any of Fursey's relations had been at Rathmat, before he resolved on visiting theprovinceofMunster. 37 Afterthisvisit,heprobablyinducedsomeofthe Momonians to embrace a religious life, and to accompany him on his return to Lough Corrib.
CHAPTER IV.
ST. fursey's illness—HIS VISIONS—HIS SPIRIT RETURNS TO HIS INANIMATE BODY,
When Fursey arrived near his paternal residence, according to the old acts, he was taken suddenly ill, and then conveyed to a neighbouring house. For several hours he remained in such a state as to be thought at the point of death. But, in his other acts, it is said, that this illness seized upon him
just as he was setting out for Munster, and that in consequence, complying with the request of his companions, he returned to his monastery. ^ During
this sickness, Fursey had very extraordinary visions, which are related at great length in some of his acts ; although in other lives of our saint they are given in a form more or less abridged. The father of Enghsh ecclesiastical historytreatsoftheminratherasuccinctmanner. ^ Butforfurtheredifying details he refers to the little book of the holy ecstatic's life, then apparently well-known. 3 But in St. Fursey's Acts, which are published by Colgan, ac-
of Lough Mask," chap, v. , p. 99. of all his relations seems to have inflamed 33 See John O'Donovan's letter, dated our saint in undertaking his journey to
" Ecclesiastical containing Information relative to the An- History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , §
Tuam, September 20th, 1838, in "Letters Munster. See Dr.
tiquities of the County of Galway, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol. i. , p. 172.
3"* In the old acts, after the words quoted
by Dr. Lanigan, in his note 63, it is merely said, that he built a monastery in a certain
Lanigan's
viii. , p. 455, —and n. 71, pp. 456, 457, ibid.
^ When relating the vision, most probably Venerable Bede overlooked the details of him, etiam parentum suorum," and these Fursey's journey. Bede states, that this
spot, whither some religious persons went to "
he took care of with pious solicitude.
35 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xvi. Januarii. Vita S. Furssei, n. i,
p- 91-
3* Ibid. , cap. xi. , and n. 14.
37 Their statements seem to have been de-
rived from a misinterpretation of the text in the more ancient acts. It is however true that the promotion of the spiritual welfare
illness seized the saint in his monastery, but such a statement does not agree with published accounts. See "Historia Ec- clesiastica Gentis Anglomm," lib. iii. , cap. xix. , p. 210.
3 Bede says he only introduced some of these details into his own history. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. xix. , pp. 209 to 214.
'
Chap. iv.
every other instance, are most worthy of
The old in this as in acts,
credit. On this point Capgrave agrees with them, in his Life of St. Fursey.
244 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i6.
counts concerning these ecstasies are greatly amplified.
'* It may not be an "improbable conjecture, to suppose, that these visions might have been par- tially the effect of a delirium,s consequent on the illness of our saint, and partly the cogitation of a pious and contemplative mind, agitated and excited by a feverish state of the body. He was subsequently able to recollect and relate those visions, perhaps nearly according to the order in which they are foundwritten. ^ Thisconjecturewillnotappearsurprisingtothosewhohave
had experience of vivid impressions, created by a disordered imagination, and during a state of fever. After recovery, indelible recollections are left on the
memory in a great variety of instances. '
In his old acts,^ we are- told, that while our saint was being borne by some
companions to his cell, the holy man was transported in spirit, from the ninth
hour of day to the first cock crowing, and during the night-time. 9 Desmay occasionallyaddscircumstancesnotgivenintheseacts. Hestates,thatFursey
had scarcely left his monastery for the purpose of proceeding to Munster, when he was seized with a sudden illness. This attack rapidly approached to a crisis, leaving all his attendants under an impression that his last hour on earth had arrived. Being carried to this monastery, he was laid on a bed. When the symptoms of suffering had somewhat abated, he was rapt intoanecstasy,duringwhichhehadseveralvisions. ^" Theserepresentedthe state of man in sin, sure remedies for sin, as also those virtues which are parti- cularlypleasinginGod'ssight. Asthesaintlayduringthistimewithoutexclama- tion, motion, or respiration, the religious who were present gave way to sighs and tears, for they thought him already dead, because no sign of sensation or life appeared. However, at the early dawn of morning, Fursey was restored to the use of his faculties. Then he began to inform the monks, regarding those revelations made to him by the Almighty, during his ecstasy. In the first place, no sooner had he ceased to feel pulsation, then he found himself surrounded by shadows of deep and horrible obscurity. Then two angels,
"
Fleury writes :
pour convertir ses parents, il tomba malade et fut reduit en tel etat, qu'on le crut mort, ce qui arriva plusiers fois. II eut cependant des visions merveilieuses, touchant I'etat de I'autre vie, et re9ut d'excellentes instruc- tions, par des anges et des saints eveques, qui lui apparurent. " "Histoire Ecclesiastique," livre xxviii. , § xxviii.
Latin Christianity," book xiv. , chap. ii.
i The vision of Frate Alberico is very closely modelled on that of St. Fursey.
The former was a monk of Monte Cassino. Hi's vision was written in Latin, in the latter half of the twelfth century.
^Published by Colgan at the l6th of
January.
9 This records the first ecstatic ^'ision which
Etant retoume chez lui
s The same venerable chronicler tells us,
that one of the old brothers of his monastery
was wont to relate the visions of St. Fursey,
which the saint himself communicated to a
very trustworthy and religious man, who
heard thes2 narratives from the lips of to have been the earliest of its class, and to Fursey himself when he was among the
East Angles. These had such an effect on
the auditor's imagination and sensibilities,
that, although the weather was extremely
cold, and althcagh wearing only a thin gar-
ment in winter time, drops of perspiration
flowed from his body, owing to the excite-
ment these sublime and terrific visions caused.
See ibid. , pp. 213, 2i\.
* The Rev. Dean Milman, alluding to those visions of the mediceval times, calls our saint, "the French monk, St. Farcy;" and he adds, that these " were among the mo5t po]jular and wide-spread legends of the ages preceding Dante. " See "History of
have been the original of many similar sub- sequent ones, such as the vision of Adamnan, of Tundal, of Frate Alberico, &c. There can scarcely be a doubt entertained, that it furnished Dante, in a great measure, with the idea and plan of his sublime poem, the " Divina Commedia. " Even various pas- sages, as will afterwards ajipear, seem drawn from St. Fursey's vision : for the coincidences are too strikingly similar to be fortuitous, It is true, Dante gleaned from more ancient and classical sources, what he has super- added to the Christian vision of hell, purga- tory, and heaven.
the saint experienced, the others are found
related in due order. See Colgan's Sanctorum Hibemiae," xvi. Januarii. S. Furscei, n. 1 8, p. 90.
"
Acta Vita
"This "Vision of St. Fursey" appears
ANUARY- 1 6. ] LIVES OF The IRISH SAINTS. 645
having white wings, supported him with their hands, which were visible. On account of dazzhng brightness, he could not see their bodies, which were
covered their bodies. " Fursey saw a third angel, armed with a white shield and burnished sword, proceeding through the medium of air. A most fragrant odour had been diffused over every place where they went. While bearing our saint through a dense atmospheric darkness, they chanted with voices
After the manner of the
tion, two of these wings extended towards the heavens, while two wings
covered their by
wings.
Prophet
"
go from virtue to virtue, the God of Gods shall be seen in Sion. "»3 Having sung these words, with exquisitely modulated voices, they said to Fursey,
" Know what you have seen and heard, with a contemplative spirit, and having had your soul restored to your body, become a more zealous labourer for the harvest of God. " Having thus spoken, they seemed to restore his soul to his body,''* and departed trom Fursey, much against his inclination. However, they promised to return to him again, within a short time.
And now, whilst all had despaired of his recovery, the servant of God
arose, at an early hour in the morning. Having called together a large congregation of people, he related in detail what in spirit he had seen and heard. He explained to them, that the darkness through which he had been conducted signified the world, overshadowed by original sin. The three angels, whose faces and voices were undistinguishable, as they were indivisible in charity, represented the Holy and undivided Trinity, ^5 m the unity of the Godhead, according to the Patriarch Abraham's faith. '^ It was to be understood, from the circumstance of their bodies being covered with wings, in such a manner as to conceal it from view, that the Deity's in- scrutable decrees were concealed from human cognizance,'? as his presence was from mortal view, according to that expression of St. John, the Apostle
and " No man hath seen God at Evangelist,
of inexpressible harmony" these words of the Royal Psalmist,
They shall
the two which covered their bodies were also to be understood the fear of infidelity,
" I amnot
to be called an
because I persecuted the Church of God ;" and of penance, when he says, " The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to
come,thatshallberevealedinus. "'9 Furseylikewiseunderstoodthenecessity for love and hope, by the two wings, which extended to heaven ; because of
according
to that ofthe
Apostle,
worthy
Apostle,
love,
the Doctor of the Gentiles
says exultingly,
" God forbid that I should
" See Ezechiel, chap. i.
As rainbow is from rainbow : third
and the
"
" With the song
My spirit reel'd, so passing sweet the strain. "
—Rev. Henry Francis Gary's translation of Dante's "DivinaCommedia. " II Paradiso, canto xxvii. , 3.
to 120. Desmay tells us, that our saint, in this vision, by a certain rapid intuition of an ecstatic spirit, had arrived at some knowledge
'3 Psalms, Ixxxiii. , 8. "•See Bede's " Historia
Ecclesiastica
Gentis Anglorum," hb. iii. , cap. xix. , p. 210.
'5 Dante likewise ends his immortal poem, the "DivinaCommedia," with an admirable vision of the Most HoiyTrinity, thus rendered in the Rev. Mr. Gary's translation :—
" In that abyss Of radiance, clear and lofty, seem'd,
methought,
Three orbs of triple hue, dipt in one
bound :
And, from another, one reflected seem'd, 1
any
time. "'^
By
wings
Ezechiel's • appari-
—Seem'd tire, breathed equally from both.
regarding the hidden mystery of the Trinity, through an enigma of similitude, as fonnerly, when Abraham saw three angels, he adored onlyoneGod. SeeGenesisxviii.
'' Colgan adds, likewise, in a note to this passage, that we are not to understand the saint had a clear, but rather an obscure and rapid vision of the Most Holy Trinity, dur- ing his remarkable ecstasy. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," ix. Februarii. Vita S. Fursxi, n. 8, p. 299.
'^John, i. , ib. i John, iv. , 12. ''Romans, viii. , lb.
"II Paradiso," canto xxxiii. , 115 '*
"
246 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January l6 glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. '"'° Besides, St. Gregory
" The love of God is never for if it exists it works out results
idle,
and regarding hope, the Apostle St. Paul observes,
great
says,
j" Our conversation is in heaven. "^' By the white shield and shining sword, he understood, " the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. "^" He warned the people, that by such armour they should resist diabolic as- saults, and with it, in eloquent words, he cautioned them to keep vigil. He compared that versicle the angels repeated, to Jacob's ladder, which this
Patriarch saw erect, and the foundation of which was placed on the love of
God and of our neighbour ; while its steps were formed of patience, charity, concord, humility and other virtues. And, as each one of the faithful shall practise these virtues, so shall an ascent towards heaven be afforded to him. ^3
After Fursey had related these and other particulars of like import to
all that surrounded him, he predicted a future and more grievous struggle
against the powers of hell which yet awaited him, according to the angels' prediction. Then imparting a benediction to the crowd, his hearers departed for their respective homes. Filled with compunction, he remained in his
small cell, recollecting the angelic glories of which he had been a spectator, andthoseheavenlydelightswhichhehadexperienced. Oftenanddeeplydid he revolve in mind that duty of solicitude he had been admonished to extend towards his subjects. Yet he lamented and complained that he had no man
living with him possessing wisdom and force of mind, or who might give those
counsels requisite for their mutual instruction, and to fortify him against the predicted struggle, when the angels should revisit him. He poured forth many sighs from the depths of his soul, and offered tearful prayers to the Almighty on bended knees. His illness still proving serious in character, he devoutly asked to have the Holy Communion administered to him, by way of viaticum. He spent three days in vigils, fasts and devout prayers, while his bodily infirmities continued, with scarcely a moment's intermission.
During the middle of the third night, his parents, relations and neighbours are said to have been in attendance. On a sudden, the feet of our saint be- came stiff and cold, and while his hands were extended in prayer, the moment
of his expected vision seemed approaching. It was accompanied with signs similar to those accompanying his former revelation. During the time his trancecontinued,itappearedasifthesoulhadpartedfromhisbody. Sink- ing down on the bed, he heard terrific voices, as it were of a great multitude, calling out, and requiring him to leave —the prison of the flesh. On opening his eyes,'-* the saint beheld three angels two of these being stationed one on each side of him, whilst the other being armed stood at his head. Although deprived of human sight and speech, he saw these holy angels by miracle, and heard their canticles chanted with strains of inconceivable melody. Then the angel of the Lord, who stood at his right hand, consoled our saint,
for shall be defended. " The bore St. you angel
and " Fear said,
Fursey
not,
aloft, until he saw neither roof nor house. But on his passage, he heard
"°Galatians, vi. , 14. " Philippians, iii. , 20.
»»Ephesians, vi. , 17,
•3 These visions of St. . Fursey, are sup-
posed, by Ozanam, to have been, among elude, that no functions could have been other medijBval legends, forerunners of exercised by those of the body, which then Dante's "Divina Commedia. " See " Des seemal inanimate.
Sources Poetiques de la Divine Comedie,"
*'
p. 46.
=^ It is to be supposed, the ancient
chronicle refers to those of the soul, by
metaphor; as this narrative leads us to con-
January i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 247
demoniac clamour and howling,^3 whilst one of the evil spirits cried out, *' Let us go before his face and wage war. " Then Fursey saw a black cloud, gathering on the left side, and an army of demons marshalling its ranks before him. To his mental vision, the bodies of these demons appeared utterly deformed and black,^^ with necks of squalid leanness and horrid shape, extended,^7 their heads being unnaturally swollen. ^^ But when they flew
of deformed bodies3° their faces he could not see on account of the gloomy darkness. While the demons cast their fiery arrows against cur saint ; these missives were repelled and extinguished by the angelic buckler. The glory of those angels rendered them as it were invisible to human sight, and the demons retreated in view of the warrior spirit, who remonstrated with his adversaries,
saw a
" Do not retard our for this man has no by saying, journey,
or— the saint along fought, only
shadowy representation^?
part perdition. " The devil contradicted him, with blasphemies, saying, that God was unjust, who would not condemn a man in league with enemies, since it
" Not worthy of death. "
who sin, but
Our saint heard a confused clamour of battle, while the
is
written,
only they
they
who
agree
with are sinners,
angel contended with his spiritual enemies ; so that it seemed as if the out- cries of these demons might be heard, throughout the entire extent of earth. When Satan was vanquished, raising his venomous serpent-like head, he in-
"
enjoy
eternal
life,
impunity. "
spirit replied,
you
offences. "3i
father
enemy said, you
" When
Fursey hath often spoken idle words, nor ought he
" Unless forgive men,
there is no question regarding revenge, but about not forgiving from
sidiously cried out,
The blessed
The old " If do not neither will
with
convict him of great crimes, he shall not be lost on account of smaller
offences. "32 The
forgive you your
hath he avenged himself, or to whom hath he done an injury ! " The devil
"
your
said,
holy angel answered,
theheart. " Theholyangelexcusedoursaintbysaying,thatinhishearthefor-
gave all, even though he yielded somewhat to human infirmity. The devil
answered, as Fursey had done evil through habit, that so he should receive
judgment from the Supreme Judge. The guardian angel returned for answer, "WearejudgedbeforetheLord. " Thearch-enemybeingthusthricevan-
's " And now begin the dolesome notes to grow
casso. " — Dante's " Divina Com-
Audible unto me
. . . .
media. " Inferno, canto xx. , 10, ii. *** ''
tempest,
If by opposing winds 'tis combated.
The infernal hurricane that never rests Hurtles the spirits onward in its ra-
pine ; Whirlingthemround,andsmiting,it
molests ihem.
There are the — the shrieks,
kettle or pipkin to boil meat in. This comparison affords proof of the existence of such an object of domestic economy be- ing in use, when the ancient author of our saint's acts wrote.
translation of Dante's "Divina Commedia. " Inferno, canto v. , 25 to 35.
,si5
" Divenner membra che non fur mai viste.
__
Ogni primaio aspetto ivi era casso.
Dante's "Divina Commedia. " Inferno,
canto XXV. , 75 to 84.
Catholic doctrine regarding the distinction of sin, and by a fair inference purgatorial and eternal punishments.
^' Matthew, vi. , 15.
•7
"
Mirabilmente apparve esser travolto Ciascun dal mento al principio del
;
.
The narrative in simili- states, Capite
plaints,
tudine cacabi intumescente vidit. " The
I came into a place mute of all light,
Which bellows as the sea does in a compared, viz. , "cacabus," means a
object to which the heads of the demons is
"Divina Commedia. " Inferno, xxxi. , lo, II.
3" The writer of St. Fursey's Acts puts
"
Livido e nero come gran di pepe. — ^i Here do w,q find a clear exposition of
"There Was less than day and less than night,
that far
advanced not. "—Rev.
eye Henry
'^^ . , . . .
Mine
and the laments. " Longfellow's Francis Gary's translation of Dante's
Sed quis prudentium lector
this query,
ignoret, hiec etiam de inimundis spiritibus ad terrorem animcE videntis fieri ? "
in
your
24 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [January i6.
If God be just, this man shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For it is written, unless you be con- verted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom
quished, renewed his viperous attack, saying,
of heaven.
'° See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nias," xvi. Januarii, lib. i. , cap. xi. , xii. , xiii. , p. 77. Also in Vita S. Furssei, ix. Februarii, cap. v. , pp. 285, 286, iMJ. In Desmay's Life of our saint, it is said, the monks who entertained envy towards him, lived at Clonfert ; leaving us to infer, of course, that from this same place, Fursey removed to Rathmat. The same writer also
R
and since known as St. was Mary's,
laid, and the church itself was afterwards built by
Rev. Peter Conway, P. P. It is situated near the ivied-ruins of Kilfursa. An account of the ceremony, and some notices of Kil- fursa old church, will be found in the Free- man's Jownal, bearing date August 1 7th,
1859.
"At that time, accompanied by the hospi- Vol. I,
242 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i6.
in our saint's acts are altogether judiciously rejected by Lanigan as being fabulous. This astute Doctor supposes, that soon after St. Fursey's birth, which was probably in Connaught, his father Fintan returned to Munster, where he took care to have his son duly instructed and educated in religious matters by some bishops. After Fursey had made great progress in piety and learning, leaving his parents, he repaired to a more distant part of Ire- land, for the purpose of acquiring greater perfection. ^' It is supposed that this distant locality^^ was the small island of Inisquin,^^ incorrectly called Esbren, in our saint's acts. ^* At the time of Furse/s arrival there, his
spiritual father, St. Meldan,^^ is conjectured to have governed its monastery, saidtohavebeenfoundedbySt. Brendan. ^^ ThisMeldanbelongedtothe
sept of Hua-Cuinn, that had possession of the country about Lough Orbsen, or Loagh Corrib. That country was sometimes called Hibh-sen, that is, Hibh-Orbsen, being contracted for Orbsen, in the latter instance. Either, as founder of the monastery, or as successor to St. Brendan, Meldan^7 was abbot
of
Inisquin, probably a bishop. ^9
beginning
about the
of the seventh ^"^ He was also most century.
Inchiquin, an island containing over 229 acres, was formerly called Inis- UiChuinn. 3° Itreceivedthisname,mostprobably,fromSt. Meldanus^'and hisbrothers,whowerepatronymicallycalledUiChuinn. 3' Theyaresaidto
states, that at the instance of King Brandubh, his brothers, Feradach and ^dphind, were induced to visit . Fursey. In other instances he substantially agrees with accounts, con- tained in the older acts, regarding incidents given in the text.
*< See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xvi. Januarii. Vita S. Fursaei, lib. i. , cap. vii. , p. 76.
^s Cathal Maguire says, that Meldan was
the spiritual father of St. Fursey. He is
called in Fursey's Acts a colleague of
Fursey. See Colgan, lib. ii. , cap. xvi. , and
p. 90
^ That this was the monastery, to which
St. Fursey retired, is plain from all that has been said about his having been in the island
Esbren, or Inisquin.
*7 The author of St. Fursey's Acts, wish-
ing to uphold the storj' of Fursey having been a disciple of St. Brendan, did not like to call Meldan his superior. Yet, what is said helps to prove that, at least, St. Fursey lived in the same monastery with St. Meldan. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii , chap, xvi. , § vii. , n. 65, P- 454-
^'
In a note, Dr. Lanigan adds : "This is
the most correct account of Fursey's younger
days that I have been able to collect from
tie oldtr acts, ^uhich make mention, only
in general terms, of his parents, &c. Nothing
is said of what part of Ireland they lived in ;
but the manner in which his leaving them is
spoken of, seems to indicate that it was at a
considerable distance from the place which
he went to. After telling us, that he had
got an excellent education, &c. , in the
country where his parents lived, they add :
"
Patriam parentesque relinquens Sacroe Scripturse. studiis aliquot vacabat annis. " It is not meant, that he left Ireland, for it is plain from the sequel, that he only removed to another part of it. Now this was Inisquin. "
" If St. Fursey's parents had continued to reside in Connaught he would have been still so near them as scarcely to justify the phrase, leaving his country and parents. It is to be
observed, notwithstanding the supposed ac- cident of his having been born in Connaught, that Munster is constantly called his patria or country. Desmay says, that Fintan re- turned with his family to Munster when St. Fursey was only a boy. He adds, that Fintan left Fursey behind him in the island with St. Brendan.
'^
called Prxsiil; and it is said that his memory was universally respected. See
''^ At the 7th of February Colgan has ob- served, that two Meldans are called bishops by St. . /Engus the Culdee. One of these seems to have been St. Meldan of Inisquin, See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , § vii. , pp. 449, 450, and nn. 66, 67, pp. 454, 455.
Townland Maps for the County of Galway. "
Sheet a moat or rath, no 41. ICxcepting
feature of antiquity is now marked on it.
3' This saint's feast occurs at the 7th of
=^3 Dr.
from the old acts, that Fursey was a grown up young man when he left his father's house and repaired to Inisquin. " See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , § vii. , n. 63, p. 454.
Lanigan observes,
' ' We know
In the older acts of Fursey Meldan is
" lib. i. , cap. xxi.
also those in
Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae,"
3° It is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
February.
3^ See Sir William Wilde's Lough
" Corrib, its Shores and Islands; with Notices
January i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 243
have built a monastery there about the year 580. No trace of it now exists. 33 It is thought, that after St. Fursey remained for some years with St. Meldan-
at Lough Corrib, he erected there a monastery, at a place adjoining his superior's habitation. This house of Fursey's was named Rathmat, and it was soon supplied with a considerable number of religious persons. When it was properly established Fursey felt a great desire to have some of his rela- tions instructed there. 34 With such an object in view, he set out for Munster, as is stated in the old acts of our saint. In the later acts, as we have already seen, his brothers, Foillan and Ultan, are alluded to, as having been with him at Rai;hmat,35 also called Rathmuighe. 3^ In these also, the object of Fursey's journey to Munster is represented as being a desire to see his other relations, and sow the seeds of the Divine Word among them through his spiritual. exhortations. But their authority is not of equal weight with that of his original acts. According to these, it does not appear, that any of Fursey's relations had been at Rathmat, before he resolved on visiting theprovinceofMunster. 37 Afterthisvisit,heprobablyinducedsomeofthe Momonians to embrace a religious life, and to accompany him on his return to Lough Corrib.
CHAPTER IV.
ST. fursey's illness—HIS VISIONS—HIS SPIRIT RETURNS TO HIS INANIMATE BODY,
When Fursey arrived near his paternal residence, according to the old acts, he was taken suddenly ill, and then conveyed to a neighbouring house. For several hours he remained in such a state as to be thought at the point of death. But, in his other acts, it is said, that this illness seized upon him
just as he was setting out for Munster, and that in consequence, complying with the request of his companions, he returned to his monastery. ^ During
this sickness, Fursey had very extraordinary visions, which are related at great length in some of his acts ; although in other lives of our saint they are given in a form more or less abridged. The father of Enghsh ecclesiastical historytreatsoftheminratherasuccinctmanner. ^ Butforfurtheredifying details he refers to the little book of the holy ecstatic's life, then apparently well-known. 3 But in St. Fursey's Acts, which are published by Colgan, ac-
of Lough Mask," chap, v. , p. 99. of all his relations seems to have inflamed 33 See John O'Donovan's letter, dated our saint in undertaking his journey to
" Ecclesiastical containing Information relative to the An- History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , §
Tuam, September 20th, 1838, in "Letters Munster. See Dr.
tiquities of the County of Galway, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol. i. , p. 172.
3"* In the old acts, after the words quoted
by Dr. Lanigan, in his note 63, it is merely said, that he built a monastery in a certain
Lanigan's
viii. , p. 455, —and n. 71, pp. 456, 457, ibid.
^ When relating the vision, most probably Venerable Bede overlooked the details of him, etiam parentum suorum," and these Fursey's journey. Bede states, that this
spot, whither some religious persons went to "
he took care of with pious solicitude.
35 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xvi. Januarii. Vita S. Furssei, n. i,
p- 91-
3* Ibid. , cap. xi. , and n. 14.
37 Their statements seem to have been de-
rived from a misinterpretation of the text in the more ancient acts. It is however true that the promotion of the spiritual welfare
illness seized the saint in his monastery, but such a statement does not agree with published accounts. See "Historia Ec- clesiastica Gentis Anglomm," lib. iii. , cap. xix. , p. 210.
3 Bede says he only introduced some of these details into his own history. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. xix. , pp. 209 to 214.
'
Chap. iv.
every other instance, are most worthy of
The old in this as in acts,
credit. On this point Capgrave agrees with them, in his Life of St. Fursey.
244 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i6.
counts concerning these ecstasies are greatly amplified.
'* It may not be an "improbable conjecture, to suppose, that these visions might have been par- tially the effect of a delirium,s consequent on the illness of our saint, and partly the cogitation of a pious and contemplative mind, agitated and excited by a feverish state of the body. He was subsequently able to recollect and relate those visions, perhaps nearly according to the order in which they are foundwritten. ^ Thisconjecturewillnotappearsurprisingtothosewhohave
had experience of vivid impressions, created by a disordered imagination, and during a state of fever. After recovery, indelible recollections are left on the
memory in a great variety of instances. '
In his old acts,^ we are- told, that while our saint was being borne by some
companions to his cell, the holy man was transported in spirit, from the ninth
hour of day to the first cock crowing, and during the night-time. 9 Desmay occasionallyaddscircumstancesnotgivenintheseacts. Hestates,thatFursey
had scarcely left his monastery for the purpose of proceeding to Munster, when he was seized with a sudden illness. This attack rapidly approached to a crisis, leaving all his attendants under an impression that his last hour on earth had arrived. Being carried to this monastery, he was laid on a bed. When the symptoms of suffering had somewhat abated, he was rapt intoanecstasy,duringwhichhehadseveralvisions. ^" Theserepresentedthe state of man in sin, sure remedies for sin, as also those virtues which are parti- cularlypleasinginGod'ssight. Asthesaintlayduringthistimewithoutexclama- tion, motion, or respiration, the religious who were present gave way to sighs and tears, for they thought him already dead, because no sign of sensation or life appeared. However, at the early dawn of morning, Fursey was restored to the use of his faculties. Then he began to inform the monks, regarding those revelations made to him by the Almighty, during his ecstasy. In the first place, no sooner had he ceased to feel pulsation, then he found himself surrounded by shadows of deep and horrible obscurity. Then two angels,
"
Fleury writes :
pour convertir ses parents, il tomba malade et fut reduit en tel etat, qu'on le crut mort, ce qui arriva plusiers fois. II eut cependant des visions merveilieuses, touchant I'etat de I'autre vie, et re9ut d'excellentes instruc- tions, par des anges et des saints eveques, qui lui apparurent. " "Histoire Ecclesiastique," livre xxviii. , § xxviii.
Latin Christianity," book xiv. , chap. ii.
i The vision of Frate Alberico is very closely modelled on that of St. Fursey.
The former was a monk of Monte Cassino. Hi's vision was written in Latin, in the latter half of the twelfth century.
^Published by Colgan at the l6th of
January.
9 This records the first ecstatic ^'ision which
Etant retoume chez lui
s The same venerable chronicler tells us,
that one of the old brothers of his monastery
was wont to relate the visions of St. Fursey,
which the saint himself communicated to a
very trustworthy and religious man, who
heard thes2 narratives from the lips of to have been the earliest of its class, and to Fursey himself when he was among the
East Angles. These had such an effect on
the auditor's imagination and sensibilities,
that, although the weather was extremely
cold, and althcagh wearing only a thin gar-
ment in winter time, drops of perspiration
flowed from his body, owing to the excite-
ment these sublime and terrific visions caused.
See ibid. , pp. 213, 2i\.
* The Rev. Dean Milman, alluding to those visions of the mediceval times, calls our saint, "the French monk, St. Farcy;" and he adds, that these " were among the mo5t po]jular and wide-spread legends of the ages preceding Dante. " See "History of
have been the original of many similar sub- sequent ones, such as the vision of Adamnan, of Tundal, of Frate Alberico, &c. There can scarcely be a doubt entertained, that it furnished Dante, in a great measure, with the idea and plan of his sublime poem, the " Divina Commedia. " Even various pas- sages, as will afterwards ajipear, seem drawn from St. Fursey's vision : for the coincidences are too strikingly similar to be fortuitous, It is true, Dante gleaned from more ancient and classical sources, what he has super- added to the Christian vision of hell, purga- tory, and heaven.
the saint experienced, the others are found
related in due order. See Colgan's Sanctorum Hibemiae," xvi. Januarii. S. Furscei, n. 1 8, p. 90.
"
Acta Vita
"This "Vision of St. Fursey" appears
ANUARY- 1 6. ] LIVES OF The IRISH SAINTS. 645
having white wings, supported him with their hands, which were visible. On account of dazzhng brightness, he could not see their bodies, which were
covered their bodies. " Fursey saw a third angel, armed with a white shield and burnished sword, proceeding through the medium of air. A most fragrant odour had been diffused over every place where they went. While bearing our saint through a dense atmospheric darkness, they chanted with voices
After the manner of the
tion, two of these wings extended towards the heavens, while two wings
covered their by
wings.
Prophet
"
go from virtue to virtue, the God of Gods shall be seen in Sion. "»3 Having sung these words, with exquisitely modulated voices, they said to Fursey,
" Know what you have seen and heard, with a contemplative spirit, and having had your soul restored to your body, become a more zealous labourer for the harvest of God. " Having thus spoken, they seemed to restore his soul to his body,''* and departed trom Fursey, much against his inclination. However, they promised to return to him again, within a short time.
And now, whilst all had despaired of his recovery, the servant of God
arose, at an early hour in the morning. Having called together a large congregation of people, he related in detail what in spirit he had seen and heard. He explained to them, that the darkness through which he had been conducted signified the world, overshadowed by original sin. The three angels, whose faces and voices were undistinguishable, as they were indivisible in charity, represented the Holy and undivided Trinity, ^5 m the unity of the Godhead, according to the Patriarch Abraham's faith. '^ It was to be understood, from the circumstance of their bodies being covered with wings, in such a manner as to conceal it from view, that the Deity's in- scrutable decrees were concealed from human cognizance,'? as his presence was from mortal view, according to that expression of St. John, the Apostle
and " No man hath seen God at Evangelist,
of inexpressible harmony" these words of the Royal Psalmist,
They shall
the two which covered their bodies were also to be understood the fear of infidelity,
" I amnot
to be called an
because I persecuted the Church of God ;" and of penance, when he says, " The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to
come,thatshallberevealedinus. "'9 Furseylikewiseunderstoodthenecessity for love and hope, by the two wings, which extended to heaven ; because of
according
to that ofthe
Apostle,
worthy
Apostle,
love,
the Doctor of the Gentiles
says exultingly,
" God forbid that I should
" See Ezechiel, chap. i.
As rainbow is from rainbow : third
and the
"
" With the song
My spirit reel'd, so passing sweet the strain. "
—Rev. Henry Francis Gary's translation of Dante's "DivinaCommedia. " II Paradiso, canto xxvii. , 3.
to 120. Desmay tells us, that our saint, in this vision, by a certain rapid intuition of an ecstatic spirit, had arrived at some knowledge
'3 Psalms, Ixxxiii. , 8. "•See Bede's " Historia
Ecclesiastica
Gentis Anglorum," hb. iii. , cap. xix. , p. 210.
'5 Dante likewise ends his immortal poem, the "DivinaCommedia," with an admirable vision of the Most HoiyTrinity, thus rendered in the Rev. Mr. Gary's translation :—
" In that abyss Of radiance, clear and lofty, seem'd,
methought,
Three orbs of triple hue, dipt in one
bound :
And, from another, one reflected seem'd, 1
any
time. "'^
By
wings
Ezechiel's • appari-
—Seem'd tire, breathed equally from both.
regarding the hidden mystery of the Trinity, through an enigma of similitude, as fonnerly, when Abraham saw three angels, he adored onlyoneGod. SeeGenesisxviii.
'' Colgan adds, likewise, in a note to this passage, that we are not to understand the saint had a clear, but rather an obscure and rapid vision of the Most Holy Trinity, dur- ing his remarkable ecstasy. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," ix. Februarii. Vita S. Fursxi, n. 8, p. 299.
'^John, i. , ib. i John, iv. , 12. ''Romans, viii. , lb.
"II Paradiso," canto xxxiii. , 115 '*
"
246 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January l6 glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. '"'° Besides, St. Gregory
" The love of God is never for if it exists it works out results
idle,
and regarding hope, the Apostle St. Paul observes,
great
says,
j" Our conversation is in heaven. "^' By the white shield and shining sword, he understood, " the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. "^" He warned the people, that by such armour they should resist diabolic as- saults, and with it, in eloquent words, he cautioned them to keep vigil. He compared that versicle the angels repeated, to Jacob's ladder, which this
Patriarch saw erect, and the foundation of which was placed on the love of
God and of our neighbour ; while its steps were formed of patience, charity, concord, humility and other virtues. And, as each one of the faithful shall practise these virtues, so shall an ascent towards heaven be afforded to him. ^3
After Fursey had related these and other particulars of like import to
all that surrounded him, he predicted a future and more grievous struggle
against the powers of hell which yet awaited him, according to the angels' prediction. Then imparting a benediction to the crowd, his hearers departed for their respective homes. Filled with compunction, he remained in his
small cell, recollecting the angelic glories of which he had been a spectator, andthoseheavenlydelightswhichhehadexperienced. Oftenanddeeplydid he revolve in mind that duty of solicitude he had been admonished to extend towards his subjects. Yet he lamented and complained that he had no man
living with him possessing wisdom and force of mind, or who might give those
counsels requisite for their mutual instruction, and to fortify him against the predicted struggle, when the angels should revisit him. He poured forth many sighs from the depths of his soul, and offered tearful prayers to the Almighty on bended knees. His illness still proving serious in character, he devoutly asked to have the Holy Communion administered to him, by way of viaticum. He spent three days in vigils, fasts and devout prayers, while his bodily infirmities continued, with scarcely a moment's intermission.
During the middle of the third night, his parents, relations and neighbours are said to have been in attendance. On a sudden, the feet of our saint be- came stiff and cold, and while his hands were extended in prayer, the moment
of his expected vision seemed approaching. It was accompanied with signs similar to those accompanying his former revelation. During the time his trancecontinued,itappearedasifthesoulhadpartedfromhisbody. Sink- ing down on the bed, he heard terrific voices, as it were of a great multitude, calling out, and requiring him to leave —the prison of the flesh. On opening his eyes,'-* the saint beheld three angels two of these being stationed one on each side of him, whilst the other being armed stood at his head. Although deprived of human sight and speech, he saw these holy angels by miracle, and heard their canticles chanted with strains of inconceivable melody. Then the angel of the Lord, who stood at his right hand, consoled our saint,
for shall be defended. " The bore St. you angel
and " Fear said,
Fursey
not,
aloft, until he saw neither roof nor house. But on his passage, he heard
"°Galatians, vi. , 14. " Philippians, iii. , 20.
»»Ephesians, vi. , 17,
•3 These visions of St. . Fursey, are sup-
posed, by Ozanam, to have been, among elude, that no functions could have been other medijBval legends, forerunners of exercised by those of the body, which then Dante's "Divina Commedia. " See " Des seemal inanimate.
Sources Poetiques de la Divine Comedie,"
*'
p. 46.
=^ It is to be supposed, the ancient
chronicle refers to those of the soul, by
metaphor; as this narrative leads us to con-
January i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 247
demoniac clamour and howling,^3 whilst one of the evil spirits cried out, *' Let us go before his face and wage war. " Then Fursey saw a black cloud, gathering on the left side, and an army of demons marshalling its ranks before him. To his mental vision, the bodies of these demons appeared utterly deformed and black,^^ with necks of squalid leanness and horrid shape, extended,^7 their heads being unnaturally swollen. ^^ But when they flew
of deformed bodies3° their faces he could not see on account of the gloomy darkness. While the demons cast their fiery arrows against cur saint ; these missives were repelled and extinguished by the angelic buckler. The glory of those angels rendered them as it were invisible to human sight, and the demons retreated in view of the warrior spirit, who remonstrated with his adversaries,
saw a
" Do not retard our for this man has no by saying, journey,
or— the saint along fought, only
shadowy representation^?
part perdition. " The devil contradicted him, with blasphemies, saying, that God was unjust, who would not condemn a man in league with enemies, since it
" Not worthy of death. "
who sin, but
Our saint heard a confused clamour of battle, while the
is
written,
only they
they
who
agree
with are sinners,
angel contended with his spiritual enemies ; so that it seemed as if the out- cries of these demons might be heard, throughout the entire extent of earth. When Satan was vanquished, raising his venomous serpent-like head, he in-
"
enjoy
eternal
life,
impunity. "
spirit replied,
you
offences. "3i
father
enemy said, you
" When
Fursey hath often spoken idle words, nor ought he
" Unless forgive men,
there is no question regarding revenge, but about not forgiving from
sidiously cried out,
The blessed
The old " If do not neither will
with
convict him of great crimes, he shall not be lost on account of smaller
offences. "32 The
forgive you your
hath he avenged himself, or to whom hath he done an injury ! " The devil
"
your
said,
holy angel answered,
theheart. " Theholyangelexcusedoursaintbysaying,thatinhishearthefor-
gave all, even though he yielded somewhat to human infirmity. The devil
answered, as Fursey had done evil through habit, that so he should receive
judgment from the Supreme Judge. The guardian angel returned for answer, "WearejudgedbeforetheLord. " Thearch-enemybeingthusthricevan-
's " And now begin the dolesome notes to grow
casso. " — Dante's " Divina Com-
Audible unto me
. . . .
media. " Inferno, canto xx. , 10, ii. *** ''
tempest,
If by opposing winds 'tis combated.
The infernal hurricane that never rests Hurtles the spirits onward in its ra-
pine ; Whirlingthemround,andsmiting,it
molests ihem.
There are the — the shrieks,
kettle or pipkin to boil meat in. This comparison affords proof of the existence of such an object of domestic economy be- ing in use, when the ancient author of our saint's acts wrote.
translation of Dante's "Divina Commedia. " Inferno, canto v. , 25 to 35.
,si5
" Divenner membra che non fur mai viste.
__
Ogni primaio aspetto ivi era casso.
Dante's "Divina Commedia. " Inferno,
canto XXV. , 75 to 84.
Catholic doctrine regarding the distinction of sin, and by a fair inference purgatorial and eternal punishments.
^' Matthew, vi. , 15.
•7
"
Mirabilmente apparve esser travolto Ciascun dal mento al principio del
;
.
The narrative in simili- states, Capite
plaints,
tudine cacabi intumescente vidit. " The
I came into a place mute of all light,
Which bellows as the sea does in a compared, viz. , "cacabus," means a
object to which the heads of the demons is
"Divina Commedia. " Inferno, xxxi. , lo, II.
3" The writer of St. Fursey's Acts puts
"
Livido e nero come gran di pepe. — ^i Here do w,q find a clear exposition of
"There Was less than day and less than night,
that far
advanced not. "—Rev.
eye Henry
'^^ . , . . .
Mine
and the laments. " Longfellow's Francis Gary's translation of Dante's
Sed quis prudentium lector
this query,
ignoret, hiec etiam de inimundis spiritibus ad terrorem animcE videntis fieri ? "
in
your
24 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [January i6.
If God be just, this man shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For it is written, unless you be con- verted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom
quished, renewed his viperous attack, saying,
of heaven.
