and
Discipline
of the Early Irish Church," chap, ii.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
Mochta raised an objection, that such an age seemed incredible, as the human body, composed of flesh, bones, nerves and skin, was so fragile, and liable to
a much earlier decay.
To this observation St. Patrick replied, that the whole
—is an following
English
translation ofthe
of andEdanO'Kelly,Bishop King Oirgiall,
stanza
:
of a. d. i Clogher,
See Sir Ware, James
" The teeth of Mochta, of good habits, Three hundred years durable the
rigour,
Without a word of error escaping
from them,
Without a bit of fat passing down
them. "
148.
"De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus,"
cap. xxvi. , p. 175.
» See his Life, at the 17th of March, in
the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
I0
6 However, this appears to have been an
erroneous rendering for Lugh-magh, inter- papa no>ter. " See Ussher's "Veterum
preted "the Plain of Lug," or perhaps more
Epistolarum Ilibernicarum Sylloge," Epis.
xi. , p. 32.
13 See Archbishop Ussher's " Britannica-
rum Ecclesiarum Anticpiitates," cap. xviii. , p. 445.
** See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xcviii. ,
p. 167.
»s See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
correctly Lubh-magh, meaning
the grassy
Plain. " See
Colgan's
Hibernise," xxiv. Martii, Vita S. Mochtei
Episcopi Lugmadensis, n. 7, p. 731.
7 This is rendered into the Plain of the Oirgiall or of the Orientals.
8
There was a Monastery of Canons Regu- lar established here by Donat O'Carroll,
"
" Acta Sanctorum
See ibid. , chap. xxi. ""
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap.
xxiii. , p. 266.
13
about a. d. 634, calls him "Sanctus Patricius
Cummian, in his Paschal Epistle, written
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 277
of the Canonical Scriptures had been inspired by God, and traced with his finger, so that in no one case could they be derogated from or discredited.
Moreover, he argued, that the Omnipotent could as readily prolong the life of man to a thousand years as to a single day, according to that of the Psalmist. " A thousand years before His eyes are but as yesterday, which has passed away. " While hesitating about or discussing that question, St.
M
Patrick pronounced the following prophecy :
Since you are incredulous
regarding what is contained in the Sacred Scripture, you shall have this
confirmed by personal experience, as three hundred years on earth shall be
the term of your own life, nor shall you enter into God's glorious kingdom
until that be completed. " This prediction, it is said, was realised, and Mochta
in course of time repented of his error. However, Archbishop Ussher x s very
properly observes, that such a fable may be classed with other incredible
l6
inserted in Jocelyn's Life of St. Patrick.
While residing in his monastery at Ard-Patrick, the blessed Apostle, as we
are told by Jocelyn, proposed to build a church, in a place sufficiently fair
prodigies
1
which was afterwards called Ludha. ? But an then
and
ing enjoined that he should desist therefrom, saying:
of the Lord arrive from Britain, named Mocteus, who, for the sake of God
deserting his country and his parents, shall come into Hibernia, wherein this place shall he build and dwell, and finish his days in piety. " Then, obeying the angel, St. Patrick turned unto the eastern side of the place, and there built to the honour of the God of Ja^ob a tabernacle. 18 And Mocteus com- ing to Louth erected an oratory or a cell, and all other offices fitting for a monastic establishment. Often, St. Patrick was wont to visit him, and to
conferwithhimonthingspertaininguntoGod. Theyusuallymetataplace calledLeach-Mochta. '9 Onacertainday,whiletheyweresittingtogether, and communing about God, St. Patrick received from the hands of an angel the Divine command, that he should absolutely confer on Mocteus that place which he had built, with all matters pertaining thereto, and that he himself should fix his cathedral seat in Ardmachia, afterwards called Armagh. And Patrick willingly did as the Lord had enjoined, although Mochta pro- posed to resign Louth to the Irish Apostle. But, St. Patrick declared, the
; 20
; but, supposi- tion that Mochta may have held the office as Vicar but for a few days, and
fitting,
"
appear-
will of the Lord should not be changed. Thereupon, Mochta said
shall depart before you from this life, I commend my religious family to your
" And, I commend mine to you, should I be
care. " Then replied Patrick
called before you to the Lord. " Accordingly, as. St. Patrick died first the death of the just, so Mochta is said to have ruled after him in the See of Armagh, to which his disciple, St. Benignus, was afterwards elevated. Thence retiring, St. Patrick commended unto Mocteus twelve lepers, to whom he had ministered in Christ when Mocteus assumed the care and
quitates," cap. xvii. , p. 445.
16
Here Archbishop Ussher quotes Gui-
"
Discursibus Panegyricis de pp. 124, 125.
17 In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,
lielmi Thyrsei, S. Patricio,"
2° See "Trias Colgan's
however, it is called Lugmhaugh.
18 ""
:
the custody of all these matters.
Apostle, it may seem strange not to find his name on the Catalogue of Arch- bishops and Primates of Armagh ai this is accounted for on a
angel
Soon shall a servant
Now, as our saint survived the Irish
"" Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," Vita
Tripartita S. Patricii," pars, iii. , cap. lxvii. , p. 162.
Jocelyn states, that in his time, it was called after St. Patrick.
*9 In " St. Mochta's Rock. " See English
Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxxxiv. , pp.
94, 95.
See Ussher's Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 454.
2a See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber* Colgan's
:
" If I
278 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19.
until St. Patrick's regular successor had been duly elected and consecrated. We find Sechnall and Sen-Patrick preceding St. Binen or Benignus, and pro- bably as co-adjutors to the Irish Apostle, while their deaths occurred before he had been called away from this life. 22
The foundation of Louth monastery must have been after the middle of thefifthcentury. Theyear454isthoughttohavebeenthelatestprobable date for St. Patrick's erection of Armagh See. Now, it seems likely, the foundation of Louth monastery by Mochta must have been subsequent to that epoch, since he should be too young, when the Irish Apostle lived —at
Ardpatrick, to have been the superior over a monastery. At a. d. 454 allowing Mochta to have lived one hundred years—the saint could not have
been more than nineteen years old, if his death occurred in 535-23
The first work in which Mochta engaged, after coming to Lugmud, was
to lay out a cemetery. Then the Angel again gave him the ceraculum, to which allusion has been already made. He also lighted a fire. On seeing
it, the Magi said
:
" Unless that fire be extinguished immediately, ours shall
fail, and that must perpetually last. " Whereupon, they endeavoured to
extinguish it by pouring water, but the more did they bring, the more that
fire increased. Then disappointed, they left that place, and there Mochta
began to build, and he succeeded in erecting a noble monastery. So great
was the reputation of St. Mochta in all parts of Ireland, that as bees flock to
a flower-garden, so did disciples come to range themselves under his guid-
ance, and to embrace that austere discipline recommended to them by his
example and precepts. As an effulgent star, he shone brightly above others, andheseemedtothinkofnothingmorethanofarrivingatperfection. Soon an immense number of fervent disciples were under his direction. This saint is classed among the founders of religious orders in Ireland ; and, he is said to have had among his disciples no fewer than one hundred bishops and three
in all
up
from his school, wonderfully propagated the kingdom of Christ. Nor is it
necessary to suppose, that all of these were in Louth, at the same time. *6
However, they promoted and practised Gospel works, removed Gentile superstitions, and substituted Christian observances ; they brought many into the true fold, and these were regenerated in the waters of Baptism, while it pleased the Almighty to confirm their ministry by the gift of miracles.
hundred ? + whom he trained priests,
sanctity ;*i
and forth who, going
nise," Martii xxiv. , Vita S. Mochtei Epis- copi Lugmadensis, n. io, p. 731.
It is thus translated into English : —
" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect,
" No poverty had Mochta
In the burgh of Louth,
Three hundred priests and one hundred
bishops
Together with him.
Eighty psalm-singing noble —
His household, vastest of courses Without plowing, without reaping',
a3 See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
xii. , p. 308, and n. 124, p. 310.
24 This is affirmed in an Irish Poem, which
the O'Clerys quote in their entry regarding St. Mochta's feast, at the 19th of August.
as In a note to that copy of the " Feilire "
"
Breac," there is th—e following quotation
youths,
of St. iEngus, contained in the
Leabhar
!
reading. "
from an Irish poem
ttirvbo bochcAi x>o lYlochcd
tugbAit) tirr
ccc. raccApc &\\ cec ercop
-dpAen pnirr.
OchcmogA rAerxclaiTo rAbroach
AcheAjLdch ai-oble pemeAtro CenA^ cenbuAin cencir\<vo
Cen 5nimf\<vo Achctrxvo teigeAno.
without kiln-drying. Without work save only
"
:
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. . p. exxxii.
28
Colgan remarks, that in those early days of the Irish Church, the number of episcopal Sees was very great, as was the number of cities, towns and villages, and besides the
August 19. ] LIVES OJB THE IRISH SAINTS. 279
Lest his verbal instructions and precepts might be forgotten, Mochta wrote
a Rule of Holy Institutes, so that not only the living generation of his com-
munity, but those who were to succeed, should be guided in the true ways of
2
salvation. This Rule afterwards bore his name. ? However, it does not seem
to have been preserved. Among the most valuable of those ecclesiastical fragments of ancient Irish literature we possess, may be classed that Formula of Faith, ascribed to St. Mochta of Louth,28 and which was first published
2
by the learned Muratori, in his Anecdota Ambrosiana. 9 It was discovered
by him among the Manuscripts,3° which belonged to the celebrated monas-
tery ofBobbio,31 originally founded by the great Irish ccenobiarch, St. Colum- banus,32 in the sixth century. The Codex, from which it has been copied, must have been written in the eighth century. 33 Not only is it a most ancient expositor of the doctrines taught in the early Church of Ireland, but it has passing ecclesiastical and historic allusions of great value for the investigation of its state and condition. In it, the writer expounds the doc- trine of the Church regarding the Most Holy Trinity, and as a defence against the dangerous errors then propagated by Eutyches 34 and the Novatians. 33 He also laments, that what was the error of a particular individual, Celestius, 36 should not be imputed to his country, which at that time was only on the way to truth and still free from heresy. 37 He also deprecates the prejudice against the province to which he belonged, and from which he came as a pilgrim. 38 The intrinsic evidence contained in that tract seems to point the allusion to Britain, at that time a Roman province. The teaching of the Irish
monasteries, that had their own proper bishops. Similar accounts are contained, in the Acts of our Irish Saints, regarding such places as Clonard, Bangor, and several other localities that might be named.
27 He is therefore regarded as one of the great coenobiarchs of the Irish Church.
Nestorius ; but, about the year 448, he fell into various errors, and especially against the doctrine of the Incarnation of Christ, in which he denied the distinction of the Divine and human nature. See Cave's " Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Historia Literaria," vol. i. , pp. 439, 440.
35 From Novatian these heretics of the third century took their name, and in lapse 460. "The intrinsic arguments which of time added other errors to those received from their chief. In the East, they continued to the seventh century, and later still in the West. See L'Abbe " Dictionnaire
28 Under the name of Bachiarius Macceus, and thought to have been written about a. d.
Muratori and others refer to are—all in favour
of his claims to Irish birth. " Rev. Dr.
Moran's on the Doctrines, "Essays Origin,
Bergier's
de Theologie," tome iii. , pp. 472 to 474.
and Discipline of the Early Irish Church," chap, ii. , n. , p. 239.
29 See vol. ii. , pp. I, et seq.
30 These were afterwards transferred to
the Ambrosian Library at Milan. On occa- t
sion of a visit to that place, in October,
the courteous Librarian offered an opportunity for the examination of the fine collection of Manuscripts and books under his custody, but the writer had to regret a want of time to inspect those valuable de- posits.
31 There Muratori states, it was a Codex traced more than one thousand years before he wrote.
32 See his Life, in the Eleventh Volume of this work, at the 2 1st of November.
36 That Celestius, called a Scot by the
ancient writers, was originally from Hibernia
is shown by Ussher, in the quotations he
presents in "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. viii. , pp. 112, 113.
37 He thus " Si unius argues : pro culpa
totius Provincial anathematizanda generatio est, damnetur et ilia beatissima discipula, hsec est Roma, de qua nunc non una, sed duse vel tres, aut eo amplius haereses pullula- runt ; et tamen nulla earum Cathedram Petri, hoc est sedem Fidei, aut tenere potuit, aut movere. Damnentur postremo et omnes Provincice, de quibus diversi erroris rivuli manavere. "
1886,
38 To this objection he admirably 33 So it is stated, by Montfaucon, who answers: M Verumtamen si magnopere describes this Manuscript in his " Museum quseritur, ubi natus sim, accipiatur mea,
Italicum," p. 18.
34 At first Eutyches, a priest of Constan-
tinople, strenuously defended the Catholic faith in the Council of Ephesus against
quam in Baptismi nativitate respondi ; non enim mihi Patria confessionem, sed confessio Patriam dedit ; quia credidi, et accepi. "
» This profession of Faith states :
280 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 19
theological schools in reference to the Sacrament of Penance is laid down there, and it is described as the only means of salvation left the sinner, who has made a shipwreck of his baptismal innocence. 3? He also declares the Old and New Testament should be received with equal reverence, and that all Scripture not agreeing with the Sacred Canons should be rejected/
He is said to have written an 1 but the of it has been Epistle,* genuineness
contested. This attributed tract appears, however, to have been written by a Priest, and if the production of this saint—which may well be doubted— either he was not advanced to the grade of a bishop, or he wrote, at least, beforeattainingthelatterdignity. Otherworkshavebeenattributedtohim, but not on sufficiently good grounds, and these are thus enumerated, by Colgan, in the following order. I. De Fide contra Querulos,42 lib. i. II. De Reparatione Lapsi, sive de Fructu Pcenitentiae ad Januarium/3 lib. i. III. De Fine Salamonis,44 lib. i. IV. Chronicorum/s lib. i. V. De Judi- ciis Nativitatum, 46 lib. i. VI. Qusedam ad Theologiam Spectantia. *7 How- ever, it is thought, that these, or, at least, some of them, may not be different from what Mocteus is supposed to have written regarding Faith and on receiving the Fallen/8 Yet, Sir James Ware was in error, when he supposed a passage in the Ulster Annals referred to the present Mochta/9 where it was stated, at the year cdlxxl, that the first prey was taken from Ireland, by the Saxons, and this is set down on the authority of Macteus. s° However, the Mocteus here indicated differed from our saint, since he was a bishop,
Magh,s
" Pcenitentiam peccatorum plenissima fide suscipimus ac veluti secundam gratiam
suspicamur, sicut Apostolus ad Corinthios dicit: Volui per vos venire, ut secundam gratiam habeatis. "
40 The whole text of that valuable tract has been published in an accessible form by Rev.
scribe,
to 303.
41 It was headed with these words :
" Maucteus peccator presbyter, sancti Patricii discipulus, in Domino salutem. " See Sir James Ware, " De Scriptoribus Hibernire,"
to was a learned Bishop of Louth who died in the year 823. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 434, 435-
x andwhodieda. t>. Thislatterlearned 889. 5'
andanchorite,at
man must have written some Chronicle, and he refers to Cuanach's writings for confirmation of his statements The present holy man is to be distin- guished, likewise, from St. Mochta de Insula,** son of Cernachan, who died in 922,55 at his church of Inis Mochta, now Inishmot, in the County of Meath.
46 For this Possuevin, Gesner, Bale, Pitts and other writers, are mentioned.
48 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii xxiv. Appendix ad Vitam S. Mochtei, cap. iv. , pp. 735, 736.
49 See "De Scriptoribus Hiberniae," lib. ii. , cap. i. , p. 106.
50 To this is added, "Sic in libro Cuanach Church. " Appendix, No. V. , pp. 297 inveni. " The Cuana or Cuanus here alluded
Dr. Moran, in his
"
Essays on the Origin,
Doctrines, and Discipline of the Early Irish
Chronicum Scotorum," pp. 172, 173. 42 This is stated on the authority of William M. Hennessy's edition.
Genadius, Honorius and Possuevin. 51 He is also called the foster-son of 43 This is given on the authority of Possue- Fethghna. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals vin, Mirseus, Gesner, Bale, and other of the Four Masters," vol. i„ pp. 544.
writers. It has been published in the 545-
lib. ii. , cap. i. , p. 106.
•"
edition. This tract indicates, that the author was a learned man, profoundly versed in a knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, as also, an elegant and a judicious writer.
53 " See Colgan's
nian," Martii xxiv.
Acta Sanctorum
Bibliotheca Patrum," tomus iii. , Cologne
Hiber- Appendix ad Vitam S.
March, in the Third Volume of this woik, 44 This is stated, on the authority of Art. vii.
"
5 1 His death is placed at A. D. 893, in the
47 Harpsfeld is quoted.
Mochtei, cap. iv. , p. 736.
s4 See an account of him, at the 26th of
64. 55 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Fulbertus Carnotensis,
45 For this statement, reference is made Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 610, 611, and
Epist.
to Sir James Ware, and to the Ulster Annals. n. (c), ibid.
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 281
CHAPTER III.
MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ST. MOCHTA—HIS MANNER OF LIVING AT LOUTH—HIS PRE-
DICTIONS—HE SURVIVES TO A GREAT AGE—HIS DEATH—COMMEMORATIONS THE CALENDARS—MEMORIALS OF THE SAINT—CONCLUSION.
IN
Several wonderful miracles performed by this saint are recorded. Among these, it is related, that the Magus Hoa had an unmarried daughter, whom Mochta had converted to the Christian faith. Her parents wished her to espouse a certain nobleman. But, having received a zone from the saint, and desirous of keeping her vow of perpetual virginity, she bound the zone around her waist. The very night appointed for her marriage, that virgin was found dead. According to the custom of those times, she was waked for seven days, before her consignment to the tomb. Then, some of her
friends said
:
" If Mochteus could bring her to life, we should give her to
him and to God. " Having heard of this, the saint came near the deceased,
and praying fervently, that virgin was restored to life. Afterwards, she pre-
sented herself and all she possessed to him and to God ; while she lived thirty
additional years, and employed herself in making habits for the monks. The
same Hoa had been espoused to the daughter of a certain Magus, and her
name was 1 he was afflicted with an which caused Brigit. However, infirmity,
himtokeephisbedforonewholeyear. Duringthistime,ashislawfulwife,
she affectionately ministered to him, while she moved him to embrace the
true faith, and to receive Baptism, stating that he should live and be saved
as a consequence. He yielded to her persuasions. Mochta was called to
give him the necessary instructions and to administer Baptism. Then he
said " Believe that after this, you shall obtain not temporal but eternal :
salvation. This is the living and saving, your wife Brigit promised you, for, aftersevendayshence,youshallberemovedfromthislife. " Meantime,Hoa
devoutly performed penance, and died within the term prescribed. Then, Brigit bestowed her farm on the servant of God, and wished to live under
his rule. But, Mochta said " Your future resurrection shall be in your
:
own country : there near the house of your parents, shall you build a cell, in a place surrounded by a thicket, and in the middle of it grows a tree, where a fierce boar now tamed lies at the roots, That animal shall be served up as food for those building your cell. " As predicted, all this happened.
Next have we the account of a certain robber condemned to death, by a kingnamedAilell. 2 Onaccountofhisafflictedparents,oursaintpetitioned for his release, but could not obtain it. The robber had a large stone
Chapter hi—* In the times of St. Patrick and of St. Mochta, three virgins, bearing this name, were known in Ireland. First, the celebrated St. Brigid, Patroness of Kildare, venerated at the 1st of February ; secondly, St. Brigid, daughter of Daire, and belonging to the royal family of Lein- ster, venerated at the 13th or 24th of May; and thirdly, St. Brigid, daughter of Aid, descended from a Dalaradian family, and whose feast occurs, on the 30th of Septem- ber. The known circumstances of her Acts preclude the suspicion of the first-named being identical ; but, Colgan hesitates between the two latter, as being that
Brigit mentioned in the text. However, it seems just as likely, that her name has not been at all inscribed on the Irish Calen- dars.
No attempt has been made to discover who this king may have been, or where he ruled. There was a monarch of Ireland, Oilioll Molt, the son of Dathi, and who reigned from A. D. 459 to a. d. 478. See
"
Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 144 to 151. His period well corresponds with the times of St.
Mochta. AnotherAilill,KingofLeinster, flourished somewhat later, and he appears, likewise, to have been a contemporary.
282 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 19.
suspended from his neck, and he was then thrown into the sea. Nevertheless, Mocteus brought him to life, and afterwards as a monk, he became a model
of perfection. Another equally stupendous miracle is related, in reference to a disciple of St. Patrick, named Fintan,3 who had been torn into pieces by some enemies. These left the remains among rocks, in the bottom of a deep valley, while his illustrious master was celebrating the Lenten fast and con- tendingwithdemonsonthetopofCruachanMountain. Oursaintbrought Fintan to life, and so restored him, that not even the trace of a wound was tobeseenonhisbody. Afterwards,sometimehavingelapsed,hebecame abbot over a monastery, in Latin called Cella Orientis, and in Irish known as Kill Oirthir.
One night when the festival of Christmas was being celebrated in the monastery of St. Mocteus, the holy Priest Corban * arrived there to the great joy of the monks. While engaged celebrating the nocturnal Lauds, in one of the choirs distinct from that of St. Mochta, there was a boy, who had a remarkably clear voice. Whereupon, our saint asked Corban s if his boy had as clear a voice as another called to him, and who had not yet learned the alphabet. Having brought to him the person designated, and signing his mouth with a cross, Mocteus then said " the Psalms like to that
: Sing
,; Ibar 6 was the thus called, and without more ado, he to youth began
boy.
sing so clearly, that his voice filled the whole church. Afterwards, he became
a bishop.
The Legend of our saint's Acts states, that certain monks coming to Louth,
no bread was ready for their entertainment, but the abbot ordered a calf to be killed. In the morning, however, the calf was found with its mother. In the land of Hi-Meith,? he converted to a monastic life some pagan homi- cides, who had carried the heads of those killed to a house of hospitality belongingtoacertainman. Heenteredtherewithhisdisciplesandothers
6
According to Colgan, this does not seem to have been the Bishop Ibar, the son of Lugne, and who is said to have preached the Gospel in Ireland before the time of St. Patrick. His festival is given in our Calen- dars, at the 23rd of April, where his Acts
3 Among the twenty-three or twenty-four
saints, named Fintan, in the Irish Calendars,
Colgan thinks it most likely, he may be
identified with St. Fintan, the son of Fer-
guss, son to Endeus Niadh. His grand-
father lived about the year of our Lord 430.
and Illand, King of Leinster, who died a. d.
506, is said to have been his cousin-german,
on the father's side. These lived contem- may be seen, in the Fourth Volume of poraneously with St. Patrick and St. this work, Art. ii.
a much earlier decay.
To this observation St. Patrick replied, that the whole
—is an following
English
translation ofthe
of andEdanO'Kelly,Bishop King Oirgiall,
stanza
:
of a. d. i Clogher,
See Sir Ware, James
" The teeth of Mochta, of good habits, Three hundred years durable the
rigour,
Without a word of error escaping
from them,
Without a bit of fat passing down
them. "
148.
"De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus,"
cap. xxvi. , p. 175.
» See his Life, at the 17th of March, in
the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
I0
6 However, this appears to have been an
erroneous rendering for Lugh-magh, inter- papa no>ter. " See Ussher's "Veterum
preted "the Plain of Lug," or perhaps more
Epistolarum Ilibernicarum Sylloge," Epis.
xi. , p. 32.
13 See Archbishop Ussher's " Britannica-
rum Ecclesiarum Anticpiitates," cap. xviii. , p. 445.
** See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xcviii. ,
p. 167.
»s See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
correctly Lubh-magh, meaning
the grassy
Plain. " See
Colgan's
Hibernise," xxiv. Martii, Vita S. Mochtei
Episcopi Lugmadensis, n. 7, p. 731.
7 This is rendered into the Plain of the Oirgiall or of the Orientals.
8
There was a Monastery of Canons Regu- lar established here by Donat O'Carroll,
"
" Acta Sanctorum
See ibid. , chap. xxi. ""
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap.
xxiii. , p. 266.
13
about a. d. 634, calls him "Sanctus Patricius
Cummian, in his Paschal Epistle, written
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 277
of the Canonical Scriptures had been inspired by God, and traced with his finger, so that in no one case could they be derogated from or discredited.
Moreover, he argued, that the Omnipotent could as readily prolong the life of man to a thousand years as to a single day, according to that of the Psalmist. " A thousand years before His eyes are but as yesterday, which has passed away. " While hesitating about or discussing that question, St.
M
Patrick pronounced the following prophecy :
Since you are incredulous
regarding what is contained in the Sacred Scripture, you shall have this
confirmed by personal experience, as three hundred years on earth shall be
the term of your own life, nor shall you enter into God's glorious kingdom
until that be completed. " This prediction, it is said, was realised, and Mochta
in course of time repented of his error. However, Archbishop Ussher x s very
properly observes, that such a fable may be classed with other incredible
l6
inserted in Jocelyn's Life of St. Patrick.
While residing in his monastery at Ard-Patrick, the blessed Apostle, as we
are told by Jocelyn, proposed to build a church, in a place sufficiently fair
prodigies
1
which was afterwards called Ludha. ? But an then
and
ing enjoined that he should desist therefrom, saying:
of the Lord arrive from Britain, named Mocteus, who, for the sake of God
deserting his country and his parents, shall come into Hibernia, wherein this place shall he build and dwell, and finish his days in piety. " Then, obeying the angel, St. Patrick turned unto the eastern side of the place, and there built to the honour of the God of Ja^ob a tabernacle. 18 And Mocteus com- ing to Louth erected an oratory or a cell, and all other offices fitting for a monastic establishment. Often, St. Patrick was wont to visit him, and to
conferwithhimonthingspertaininguntoGod. Theyusuallymetataplace calledLeach-Mochta. '9 Onacertainday,whiletheyweresittingtogether, and communing about God, St. Patrick received from the hands of an angel the Divine command, that he should absolutely confer on Mocteus that place which he had built, with all matters pertaining thereto, and that he himself should fix his cathedral seat in Ardmachia, afterwards called Armagh. And Patrick willingly did as the Lord had enjoined, although Mochta pro- posed to resign Louth to the Irish Apostle. But, St. Patrick declared, the
; 20
; but, supposi- tion that Mochta may have held the office as Vicar but for a few days, and
fitting,
"
appear-
will of the Lord should not be changed. Thereupon, Mochta said
shall depart before you from this life, I commend my religious family to your
" And, I commend mine to you, should I be
care. " Then replied Patrick
called before you to the Lord. " Accordingly, as. St. Patrick died first the death of the just, so Mochta is said to have ruled after him in the See of Armagh, to which his disciple, St. Benignus, was afterwards elevated. Thence retiring, St. Patrick commended unto Mocteus twelve lepers, to whom he had ministered in Christ when Mocteus assumed the care and
quitates," cap. xvii. , p. 445.
16
Here Archbishop Ussher quotes Gui-
"
Discursibus Panegyricis de pp. 124, 125.
17 In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,
lielmi Thyrsei, S. Patricio,"
2° See "Trias Colgan's
however, it is called Lugmhaugh.
18 ""
:
the custody of all these matters.
Apostle, it may seem strange not to find his name on the Catalogue of Arch- bishops and Primates of Armagh ai this is accounted for on a
angel
Soon shall a servant
Now, as our saint survived the Irish
"" Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," Vita
Tripartita S. Patricii," pars, iii. , cap. lxvii. , p. 162.
Jocelyn states, that in his time, it was called after St. Patrick.
*9 In " St. Mochta's Rock. " See English
Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxxxiv. , pp.
94, 95.
See Ussher's Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 454.
2a See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber* Colgan's
:
" If I
278 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 19.
until St. Patrick's regular successor had been duly elected and consecrated. We find Sechnall and Sen-Patrick preceding St. Binen or Benignus, and pro- bably as co-adjutors to the Irish Apostle, while their deaths occurred before he had been called away from this life. 22
The foundation of Louth monastery must have been after the middle of thefifthcentury. Theyear454isthoughttohavebeenthelatestprobable date for St. Patrick's erection of Armagh See. Now, it seems likely, the foundation of Louth monastery by Mochta must have been subsequent to that epoch, since he should be too young, when the Irish Apostle lived —at
Ardpatrick, to have been the superior over a monastery. At a. d. 454 allowing Mochta to have lived one hundred years—the saint could not have
been more than nineteen years old, if his death occurred in 535-23
The first work in which Mochta engaged, after coming to Lugmud, was
to lay out a cemetery. Then the Angel again gave him the ceraculum, to which allusion has been already made. He also lighted a fire. On seeing
it, the Magi said
:
" Unless that fire be extinguished immediately, ours shall
fail, and that must perpetually last. " Whereupon, they endeavoured to
extinguish it by pouring water, but the more did they bring, the more that
fire increased. Then disappointed, they left that place, and there Mochta
began to build, and he succeeded in erecting a noble monastery. So great
was the reputation of St. Mochta in all parts of Ireland, that as bees flock to
a flower-garden, so did disciples come to range themselves under his guid-
ance, and to embrace that austere discipline recommended to them by his
example and precepts. As an effulgent star, he shone brightly above others, andheseemedtothinkofnothingmorethanofarrivingatperfection. Soon an immense number of fervent disciples were under his direction. This saint is classed among the founders of religious orders in Ireland ; and, he is said to have had among his disciples no fewer than one hundred bishops and three
in all
up
from his school, wonderfully propagated the kingdom of Christ. Nor is it
necessary to suppose, that all of these were in Louth, at the same time. *6
However, they promoted and practised Gospel works, removed Gentile superstitions, and substituted Christian observances ; they brought many into the true fold, and these were regenerated in the waters of Baptism, while it pleased the Almighty to confirm their ministry by the gift of miracles.
hundred ? + whom he trained priests,
sanctity ;*i
and forth who, going
nise," Martii xxiv. , Vita S. Mochtei Epis- copi Lugmadensis, n. io, p. 731.
It is thus translated into English : —
" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect,
" No poverty had Mochta
In the burgh of Louth,
Three hundred priests and one hundred
bishops
Together with him.
Eighty psalm-singing noble —
His household, vastest of courses Without plowing, without reaping',
a3 See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
xii. , p. 308, and n. 124, p. 310.
24 This is affirmed in an Irish Poem, which
the O'Clerys quote in their entry regarding St. Mochta's feast, at the 19th of August.
as In a note to that copy of the " Feilire "
"
Breac," there is th—e following quotation
youths,
of St. iEngus, contained in the
Leabhar
!
reading. "
from an Irish poem
ttirvbo bochcAi x>o lYlochcd
tugbAit) tirr
ccc. raccApc &\\ cec ercop
-dpAen pnirr.
OchcmogA rAerxclaiTo rAbroach
AcheAjLdch ai-oble pemeAtro CenA^ cenbuAin cencir\<vo
Cen 5nimf\<vo Achctrxvo teigeAno.
without kiln-drying. Without work save only
"
:
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. . p. exxxii.
28
Colgan remarks, that in those early days of the Irish Church, the number of episcopal Sees was very great, as was the number of cities, towns and villages, and besides the
August 19. ] LIVES OJB THE IRISH SAINTS. 279
Lest his verbal instructions and precepts might be forgotten, Mochta wrote
a Rule of Holy Institutes, so that not only the living generation of his com-
munity, but those who were to succeed, should be guided in the true ways of
2
salvation. This Rule afterwards bore his name. ? However, it does not seem
to have been preserved. Among the most valuable of those ecclesiastical fragments of ancient Irish literature we possess, may be classed that Formula of Faith, ascribed to St. Mochta of Louth,28 and which was first published
2
by the learned Muratori, in his Anecdota Ambrosiana. 9 It was discovered
by him among the Manuscripts,3° which belonged to the celebrated monas-
tery ofBobbio,31 originally founded by the great Irish ccenobiarch, St. Colum- banus,32 in the sixth century. The Codex, from which it has been copied, must have been written in the eighth century. 33 Not only is it a most ancient expositor of the doctrines taught in the early Church of Ireland, but it has passing ecclesiastical and historic allusions of great value for the investigation of its state and condition. In it, the writer expounds the doc- trine of the Church regarding the Most Holy Trinity, and as a defence against the dangerous errors then propagated by Eutyches 34 and the Novatians. 33 He also laments, that what was the error of a particular individual, Celestius, 36 should not be imputed to his country, which at that time was only on the way to truth and still free from heresy. 37 He also deprecates the prejudice against the province to which he belonged, and from which he came as a pilgrim. 38 The intrinsic evidence contained in that tract seems to point the allusion to Britain, at that time a Roman province. The teaching of the Irish
monasteries, that had their own proper bishops. Similar accounts are contained, in the Acts of our Irish Saints, regarding such places as Clonard, Bangor, and several other localities that might be named.
27 He is therefore regarded as one of the great coenobiarchs of the Irish Church.
Nestorius ; but, about the year 448, he fell into various errors, and especially against the doctrine of the Incarnation of Christ, in which he denied the distinction of the Divine and human nature. See Cave's " Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Historia Literaria," vol. i. , pp. 439, 440.
35 From Novatian these heretics of the third century took their name, and in lapse 460. "The intrinsic arguments which of time added other errors to those received from their chief. In the East, they continued to the seventh century, and later still in the West. See L'Abbe " Dictionnaire
28 Under the name of Bachiarius Macceus, and thought to have been written about a. d.
Muratori and others refer to are—all in favour
of his claims to Irish birth. " Rev. Dr.
Moran's on the Doctrines, "Essays Origin,
Bergier's
de Theologie," tome iii. , pp. 472 to 474.
and Discipline of the Early Irish Church," chap, ii. , n. , p. 239.
29 See vol. ii. , pp. I, et seq.
30 These were afterwards transferred to
the Ambrosian Library at Milan. On occa- t
sion of a visit to that place, in October,
the courteous Librarian offered an opportunity for the examination of the fine collection of Manuscripts and books under his custody, but the writer had to regret a want of time to inspect those valuable de- posits.
31 There Muratori states, it was a Codex traced more than one thousand years before he wrote.
32 See his Life, in the Eleventh Volume of this work, at the 2 1st of November.
36 That Celestius, called a Scot by the
ancient writers, was originally from Hibernia
is shown by Ussher, in the quotations he
presents in "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. viii. , pp. 112, 113.
37 He thus " Si unius argues : pro culpa
totius Provincial anathematizanda generatio est, damnetur et ilia beatissima discipula, hsec est Roma, de qua nunc non una, sed duse vel tres, aut eo amplius haereses pullula- runt ; et tamen nulla earum Cathedram Petri, hoc est sedem Fidei, aut tenere potuit, aut movere. Damnentur postremo et omnes Provincice, de quibus diversi erroris rivuli manavere. "
1886,
38 To this objection he admirably 33 So it is stated, by Montfaucon, who answers: M Verumtamen si magnopere describes this Manuscript in his " Museum quseritur, ubi natus sim, accipiatur mea,
Italicum," p. 18.
34 At first Eutyches, a priest of Constan-
tinople, strenuously defended the Catholic faith in the Council of Ephesus against
quam in Baptismi nativitate respondi ; non enim mihi Patria confessionem, sed confessio Patriam dedit ; quia credidi, et accepi. "
» This profession of Faith states :
280 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 19
theological schools in reference to the Sacrament of Penance is laid down there, and it is described as the only means of salvation left the sinner, who has made a shipwreck of his baptismal innocence. 3? He also declares the Old and New Testament should be received with equal reverence, and that all Scripture not agreeing with the Sacred Canons should be rejected/
He is said to have written an 1 but the of it has been Epistle,* genuineness
contested. This attributed tract appears, however, to have been written by a Priest, and if the production of this saint—which may well be doubted— either he was not advanced to the grade of a bishop, or he wrote, at least, beforeattainingthelatterdignity. Otherworkshavebeenattributedtohim, but not on sufficiently good grounds, and these are thus enumerated, by Colgan, in the following order. I. De Fide contra Querulos,42 lib. i. II. De Reparatione Lapsi, sive de Fructu Pcenitentiae ad Januarium/3 lib. i. III. De Fine Salamonis,44 lib. i. IV. Chronicorum/s lib. i. V. De Judi- ciis Nativitatum, 46 lib. i. VI. Qusedam ad Theologiam Spectantia. *7 How- ever, it is thought, that these, or, at least, some of them, may not be different from what Mocteus is supposed to have written regarding Faith and on receiving the Fallen/8 Yet, Sir James Ware was in error, when he supposed a passage in the Ulster Annals referred to the present Mochta/9 where it was stated, at the year cdlxxl, that the first prey was taken from Ireland, by the Saxons, and this is set down on the authority of Macteus. s° However, the Mocteus here indicated differed from our saint, since he was a bishop,
Magh,s
" Pcenitentiam peccatorum plenissima fide suscipimus ac veluti secundam gratiam
suspicamur, sicut Apostolus ad Corinthios dicit: Volui per vos venire, ut secundam gratiam habeatis. "
40 The whole text of that valuable tract has been published in an accessible form by Rev.
scribe,
to 303.
41 It was headed with these words :
" Maucteus peccator presbyter, sancti Patricii discipulus, in Domino salutem. " See Sir James Ware, " De Scriptoribus Hibernire,"
to was a learned Bishop of Louth who died in the year 823. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 434, 435-
x andwhodieda. t>. Thislatterlearned 889. 5'
andanchorite,at
man must have written some Chronicle, and he refers to Cuanach's writings for confirmation of his statements The present holy man is to be distin- guished, likewise, from St. Mochta de Insula,** son of Cernachan, who died in 922,55 at his church of Inis Mochta, now Inishmot, in the County of Meath.
46 For this Possuevin, Gesner, Bale, Pitts and other writers, are mentioned.
48 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Martii xxiv. Appendix ad Vitam S. Mochtei, cap. iv. , pp. 735, 736.
49 See "De Scriptoribus Hiberniae," lib. ii. , cap. i. , p. 106.
50 To this is added, "Sic in libro Cuanach Church. " Appendix, No. V. , pp. 297 inveni. " The Cuana or Cuanus here alluded
Dr. Moran, in his
"
Essays on the Origin,
Doctrines, and Discipline of the Early Irish
Chronicum Scotorum," pp. 172, 173. 42 This is stated on the authority of William M. Hennessy's edition.
Genadius, Honorius and Possuevin. 51 He is also called the foster-son of 43 This is given on the authority of Possue- Fethghna. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals vin, Mirseus, Gesner, Bale, and other of the Four Masters," vol. i„ pp. 544.
writers. It has been published in the 545-
lib. ii. , cap. i. , p. 106.
•"
edition. This tract indicates, that the author was a learned man, profoundly versed in a knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, as also, an elegant and a judicious writer.
53 " See Colgan's
nian," Martii xxiv.
Acta Sanctorum
Bibliotheca Patrum," tomus iii. , Cologne
Hiber- Appendix ad Vitam S.
March, in the Third Volume of this woik, 44 This is stated, on the authority of Art. vii.
"
5 1 His death is placed at A. D. 893, in the
47 Harpsfeld is quoted.
Mochtei, cap. iv. , p. 736.
s4 See an account of him, at the 26th of
64. 55 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Fulbertus Carnotensis,
45 For this statement, reference is made Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 610, 611, and
Epist.
to Sir James Ware, and to the Ulster Annals. n. (c), ibid.
August 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 281
CHAPTER III.
MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ST. MOCHTA—HIS MANNER OF LIVING AT LOUTH—HIS PRE-
DICTIONS—HE SURVIVES TO A GREAT AGE—HIS DEATH—COMMEMORATIONS THE CALENDARS—MEMORIALS OF THE SAINT—CONCLUSION.
IN
Several wonderful miracles performed by this saint are recorded. Among these, it is related, that the Magus Hoa had an unmarried daughter, whom Mochta had converted to the Christian faith. Her parents wished her to espouse a certain nobleman. But, having received a zone from the saint, and desirous of keeping her vow of perpetual virginity, she bound the zone around her waist. The very night appointed for her marriage, that virgin was found dead. According to the custom of those times, she was waked for seven days, before her consignment to the tomb. Then, some of her
friends said
:
" If Mochteus could bring her to life, we should give her to
him and to God. " Having heard of this, the saint came near the deceased,
and praying fervently, that virgin was restored to life. Afterwards, she pre-
sented herself and all she possessed to him and to God ; while she lived thirty
additional years, and employed herself in making habits for the monks. The
same Hoa had been espoused to the daughter of a certain Magus, and her
name was 1 he was afflicted with an which caused Brigit. However, infirmity,
himtokeephisbedforonewholeyear. Duringthistime,ashislawfulwife,
she affectionately ministered to him, while she moved him to embrace the
true faith, and to receive Baptism, stating that he should live and be saved
as a consequence. He yielded to her persuasions. Mochta was called to
give him the necessary instructions and to administer Baptism. Then he
said " Believe that after this, you shall obtain not temporal but eternal :
salvation. This is the living and saving, your wife Brigit promised you, for, aftersevendayshence,youshallberemovedfromthislife. " Meantime,Hoa
devoutly performed penance, and died within the term prescribed. Then, Brigit bestowed her farm on the servant of God, and wished to live under
his rule. But, Mochta said " Your future resurrection shall be in your
:
own country : there near the house of your parents, shall you build a cell, in a place surrounded by a thicket, and in the middle of it grows a tree, where a fierce boar now tamed lies at the roots, That animal shall be served up as food for those building your cell. " As predicted, all this happened.
Next have we the account of a certain robber condemned to death, by a kingnamedAilell. 2 Onaccountofhisafflictedparents,oursaintpetitioned for his release, but could not obtain it. The robber had a large stone
Chapter hi—* In the times of St. Patrick and of St. Mochta, three virgins, bearing this name, were known in Ireland. First, the celebrated St. Brigid, Patroness of Kildare, venerated at the 1st of February ; secondly, St. Brigid, daughter of Daire, and belonging to the royal family of Lein- ster, venerated at the 13th or 24th of May; and thirdly, St. Brigid, daughter of Aid, descended from a Dalaradian family, and whose feast occurs, on the 30th of Septem- ber. The known circumstances of her Acts preclude the suspicion of the first-named being identical ; but, Colgan hesitates between the two latter, as being that
Brigit mentioned in the text. However, it seems just as likely, that her name has not been at all inscribed on the Irish Calen- dars.
No attempt has been made to discover who this king may have been, or where he ruled. There was a monarch of Ireland, Oilioll Molt, the son of Dathi, and who reigned from A. D. 459 to a. d. 478. See
"
Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 144 to 151. His period well corresponds with the times of St.
Mochta. AnotherAilill,KingofLeinster, flourished somewhat later, and he appears, likewise, to have been a contemporary.
282 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 19.
suspended from his neck, and he was then thrown into the sea. Nevertheless, Mocteus brought him to life, and afterwards as a monk, he became a model
of perfection. Another equally stupendous miracle is related, in reference to a disciple of St. Patrick, named Fintan,3 who had been torn into pieces by some enemies. These left the remains among rocks, in the bottom of a deep valley, while his illustrious master was celebrating the Lenten fast and con- tendingwithdemonsonthetopofCruachanMountain. Oursaintbrought Fintan to life, and so restored him, that not even the trace of a wound was tobeseenonhisbody. Afterwards,sometimehavingelapsed,hebecame abbot over a monastery, in Latin called Cella Orientis, and in Irish known as Kill Oirthir.
One night when the festival of Christmas was being celebrated in the monastery of St. Mocteus, the holy Priest Corban * arrived there to the great joy of the monks. While engaged celebrating the nocturnal Lauds, in one of the choirs distinct from that of St. Mochta, there was a boy, who had a remarkably clear voice. Whereupon, our saint asked Corban s if his boy had as clear a voice as another called to him, and who had not yet learned the alphabet. Having brought to him the person designated, and signing his mouth with a cross, Mocteus then said " the Psalms like to that
: Sing
,; Ibar 6 was the thus called, and without more ado, he to youth began
boy.
sing so clearly, that his voice filled the whole church. Afterwards, he became
a bishop.
The Legend of our saint's Acts states, that certain monks coming to Louth,
no bread was ready for their entertainment, but the abbot ordered a calf to be killed. In the morning, however, the calf was found with its mother. In the land of Hi-Meith,? he converted to a monastic life some pagan homi- cides, who had carried the heads of those killed to a house of hospitality belongingtoacertainman. Heenteredtherewithhisdisciplesandothers
6
According to Colgan, this does not seem to have been the Bishop Ibar, the son of Lugne, and who is said to have preached the Gospel in Ireland before the time of St. Patrick. His festival is given in our Calen- dars, at the 23rd of April, where his Acts
3 Among the twenty-three or twenty-four
saints, named Fintan, in the Irish Calendars,
Colgan thinks it most likely, he may be
identified with St. Fintan, the son of Fer-
guss, son to Endeus Niadh. His grand-
father lived about the year of our Lord 430.
and Illand, King of Leinster, who died a. d.
506, is said to have been his cousin-german,
on the father's side. These lived contem- may be seen, in the Fourth Volume of poraneously with St. Patrick and St. this work, Art. ii.
