No More Learning

34 gee Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 520, 521.
35 And on the 8th of March, as appears
by a manuscript entry, on the fly-leat of an Abridgment of the Public Printed Irish
Statutes, now in the possession of R. Clayton Browne, Esq. , D. L. , Browne's Hill, Car-
low. See Miss Stokes'
"
Christian Inscrip-
Sancti
720 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February27.
soul of that person would be conducted to Heaven, on whose wasting body,
the hands of St. Ita should be placed. But, the holy virgin, sincerely humble, remonstrated with the abbot and assured him, that he had enter- tained too exalted opinion of her sanctity, by supposing her touch could give him any sort of guarantee, that God's blessed Angels would receive his soul
on her account, and after death. St. immediately
"
Comgan replied,
I say, that because of what I have asked, no demon shall dare approach our
path, nor in any manner accuse us. " His request was complied with, and
after St. Ita had predicted the holy man's future happiness, he departed,3S before the year 569,39 supposed to have been that of St. Ita's death. As we have already indicated, the whole foregoing account must be referred to a Comgan, who flourished some centuries before the present saint. We find him placed after St. Diarmaid, in the government of Kilieshin Monastery, and he cannot have enjoyed this position, before the close of the ninth century. -^® Probably this was about the time, when our St. Comgan was abbot over that establishment.
It is supposed, by Dr. Laniganj-^^ that his departure occurred atCeann-Indis, and in his assumed native country, Thomond, from the circumstance of it
being nearer to St. Ita's monastery, at Cluain-Credhail,'^^ than was Gleann- Usshin, over which, it is thought, he had been abbot. Again, Dr. Lanigan sup- poses, that Ceann-indis could not have been very far from Cluain-Credhuil,
and that probably it was within a few miles, being separated, perhaps, by little more than the River Shannon. But, we have already seen, all this is built
upon the authority of a conjectural gloss, over St. Comgan's name, and on his presumed identity with a Comgan, living in the sixth century. In addi- tion to all this, Archdall tells us, in one place, that St. Comgan died, on the
27th of February, a. d. 565, and at a respectable old age. 43 In another part of his work, that writer merely states, how our saint, whom he calls St. Com- gall, died before the year 569. 44 The Abbot of Kilieshin did not bear the latter name,45 but he was called Comdan, Comdhan, or Comghan. ^^ How- ever, the probable date for his death was towards the close of the ninth, or aboutthebeginningofthetenth,century. Atthisday,heiscommemorated in our Irish Calendars. We find the simple entry, Comgan, of Gliuni Usin,
inserted in the Martyrology of Tallagh,47 at the 27th of February. St. ^ngus '*
the Culdee, likewise, has placed his festival in the Feilire. 4^ The Kalendar
Lea- bharBreac copy,withitsEnglishtransla- 38 The time of that Comgan must have tion, has —been furnished by Professor
been in the sixth century. O'Looney 39 This was the year of St. Ita's death,
according to Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of "b. 111. kl. tA cefA-o ^Xbuii-oi,
niae," p. 67.
xv.
Januarii.
Vita S. Itce,
cap.
x. ,
the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 206, 207.
•mo)\ Al/Ai-oib Laiiiai]' ;
jTeiL chortigAiii Cenx)inT)if ;
4° See Archdall's
"
Monasticon Hiber-
nicum," p. 398.
4' See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
land," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect, iii. , n. 18, p. 89.
4» Dr. Lanigan imagines the Abbot would not have required her attendance, at his death, had she been separated from him by a greater distance.
43 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiberni* cum," p. 398.
44
Ibid. , p. 43.
45 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Iliber-
nise," xxvii. Februarii, pp. 417, 418.
4* In the Irish language, the letters g and
d aspirated sound similarly.
47 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xVii.
^ipec
cinx)
lohAnif.
4'* The following stanza, from the "
"
:
With the suffering of Abundus, Great his gifts of poems ;
The feast of Comgan, Cend
Inis,
The finding of the head of
John [the Baptist].
The foreign saint here mentioned seems to have been identical with Abundantius or Abundius, one of the Martyrs of Thessa* lonica, in Macedonia, and whose feast occurs at this day. See an account, in the BoUan- dists' "Acta Sanciorum," tomus iii. , Feb* ruarii xxvii. , pp. 676, 677.
Truly,
February 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of Cashel, the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, and the Martyrology of Cathal Maguire, have entered his festival, at the 27th of February. '*! ? The
Martyrology of Donegal,5° on this day, records, Comdhan [/>. , Diarmaid],^' of Glenn Uissen. s- This holy man appears to have been greatly venerated,
in Ireland, where his Office, containing nine Lessons, was lormerly recited. 53 At the iii. of the March Kalends, or at the 27th of February, we learn from the Kalendar of Diummond, that in the Island of Hibernia, the Natalis of the holy Confessor Comgan, who went to Christ, was celebrated. s^ No further biographical statements, in reference to him, have been preserved.
Article 1 1. —St. Comman, Mac Ua Theimhne. Remarking that
Father John Colgan passes over this saint, at the 27th of February, the
Bollandists briefly notice him, although confessing they knew notliing of his
history. ^ This name occurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'* at the same date, and it is written there, Comman mac h. Themin. That of Marianus
O'Gorman, in the ecgraph, or extract, furnished to the Bollandists,3 had " Comanus filius Va Temne ;" while, we find mentioned, in the Martyrology
of Donegalj-^ that Comman, Mac Ua Theimhne, had a festival, celebrated on this day. His place is not recorded.
Article III. —Reputed Festival of Socman and Sophan, Bishops. Dempster' has, at the 27th of February, a festival for St. Soghan and St.
49 See
niae," xxvii. hcbmarii, n. 15, p. 418.
Colgan's
50 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
58, 59.
5' In a note, Dr. Todd here adds to his
text, "The words within brackets are
written as a gloss, but in the original hand, over the name Comdhan. ''
5^ The O'Clerys slate, that he was son to Diarmaid, son to Deghadh, descended from the race of Cormac Cas, son to Oilill Oluim.
53 A MS. , belonging to T. C. D. , classed, B. I, 4, contains, at li'ebruary the 27th, or Kal. iii. Martii, Sancti cogAni Abbatis, ix. Lect.
^
whom other writers at the 26th of this month. =" place,
Sophan, Bishops,
Ferrarius seems to follow Dempster, in this statement. The Bollandists
think it clear, that Soganus has been written for S. Oganus, by some incon- siderate writer ; but, they are of opinion, there are no grounds whatever for Sophanus having been set down as an individual, distinct from S. Ophanus. 3
Article IV. —Reputed Festival of St. Hildulph, First Bishop of
Treves, or Triers, Germany. [Seventh and Eighli Centuries. ] In the Life' of St. Florentius,^ Bishop of Sirasburgh, mention is made^ of St. Hil-
dulf. Confessor, who, with St. Argobasf^ and Theodatus, erected an oratory at the wood, called Hasle. s The Bollandists barely allude to him, at the 27th of February. ^ They promise a further consideration of this saint, whom
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
3 By Father John Colgan.
^ Edited by Drs. TocU and Reeves, pp.
58, 59.
Article hi. —' See "iMenologium Scoti-
cum. "
^ See Bishop Forbes' "Kalcndars of
Scottish Saints," p. 193.
3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomusiii. , Feb-
ruarii xxvii. Among the pretermiued saints,
p. 673.
Article iv. — This was found, in an
old manuscript, -the style of which was
changed by Surius.
= His feast occurs, at the 7th of November. 3 See Surius' " De Probatis Sanctorum
*'
54 See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Historiis," tomus vi. Vita S. Florentii
Scottish Saints,—" p. 6. Episcopi Argentinensis, &c. Novembris '"
Article II. See Acta Sanctorum," vii. , p. 147.
tomus iii. , Februarii xxvii. Among the ^ see hisLife, at the 21st of July,
s it is said to have been where the River = Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvii. Bruscha flows from the Vosges Mountains.
pretermitted saints, p. 672.
722 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS, [February27.
they suppose to be the first bishop of Treves, or Triers,? in Germany, at the nth of July. ^ At the same date, fuller notices of the holy prelate shall be given. David Camerarius inserts him, in the Calendar, at the 27th of Feb- ruary.
Article V. —Reputed Festival of a St. Oganus, Bishop. At the
27th of February, the holy Bishop Oganus was venerated, according to Floratius and Henry Fitzsimon. '^ The same date has been assigned, by Dempster, for his festival. ^' The reader is referred to the account of this bishop, which will be found at the previous day.
Article VI. —Reputed Festival of St. Eluius, Elueus, Helv^us, OR Alb^us, a supposed Bishop of Menevia, Wales. {^Fifth Century\ For notices of the present saint, who is mentioned under different forms of name, the Breviary of Sarum' is cited by John Wilson, in the second edition of his English Martyrology. ^ Albaeus is said to have baptized St. David,3 when theformerreturnedfromIreland,andtouchedataport,calledGleysad. The Bollandists seem to infer, that the present holy man cannot be distinct, from St.
Helv3eus, or Ailba2us,4 a Munster Bishop ; yet, they do not understand why Wilson placed his festival, at this date, when it should rather be assigned tothe12thofSeptember. Atthislatterdate,weshallhavemoretosay,re- garding St. Ailbceus, or Ailbe, Bishop of Emly.
Article VII. —St. Oda, or Odda, Virgin, at Rhoda, Belgium.
[Duri/ig or after the Eighth Century^ Dempster, in his Scottish Menology, and Ferrarius, in his general Catalogue, insert a festival for St. Oda, Virgin, of Rhoda, in Taxandria, of Brabant, at the 27th of February. The Bollan- dists briefly allude to her, at the same date, although referring her festival to the 27th of November. ^ Dempster== states, that at Rhoda,3 St. Odda, a Virgin, was venerated, at the 27th of February. She was daughter to a king, and patroness of this place. Othbert, the Bishop, raised her precious re- mains, in 1103,'^ to a place of honour. s It is said, by Dempster, that she was daughter to Eugene V. , King of the Scots, and a virgin, who led a most holylife. ^ However,theauthoritiesquotedbyhim,7onlymakeherdaughter
^ See ** Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Feb- ruariixxvii. Amongthepretermittedsaints, p. 673.
7 This was a large and noted to\vn, before Augustus settled a colony in it; subse-
3 See his Life, at the 1st of March,
4 See his Life,—at the I2th of September. Article vii. ' See " Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus iii. , Kebruarii xxvii. Among the
quently,
it became an
arcliiepiscopal city.
=^ See " Scoticum. " Menologium
"
3 This was a town in Gallia Narboncnsis. See Baudrand's edition of Ferrarius' " No- vum Lexicon Geographicum," tomus ii. , p. 130, Pliny mentions it, as a colony of the
*'
Rhodii, lib. iii. , 4.
and has left no trace. " William Smith's "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geo- graphy," vol. ii. , p. 712.
bus SS. Canonicorum," at the 27t]i of November.
s See Bishop Forbes' ** Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 193.
"See "Historia Eccleslastica Gentis
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xiv. , num. 971, pp. 509, 510.
7 Thus state the English Martyrology,
See
pp. 563, 564. Irish edition.
Encyclopedia
Britannica," vol.
xviii. ,
^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Julii xi. De S. Hildulpho, Confessore, &c. ,
pp. 205 to 238. —
Article v. See O'Sullevan Beare's
"Historise Catholicne Iberniae Compen-
dium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xii. , p. 56.
= See " Ilistoria Eccleslastica Gentis
—The place is gone
^
Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xiv. , num. 987. ^
Article VI. — "Officium S. Uavidis Episcopi," Lect. vi. , at the 1st of March.
=
The IBoUandists remark, that all mention of him is omitted, in the first edition. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Februarii xxvii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 673.
pretermitted saints, p. 673.
* See Constantinus Ghinius' " In Natali-
February 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
to a King of the Scots. ^ It is thought, she flourished, about the year 500,
althoughanothermoreprobablestatementhas700,and713. Shewasseizedwith
bhndness, but going to the tomb of St. Lambert,^ Bishop and Martyr, at ''°
she there prayed and recovered her sight. " Through gratitude, she
Liege,
then vowed her virginity to God ; nor, afterwards, could her father persuade hertomarry. FollowingaDivineimpulse,OddawenttoTaxandria,andby her residence, she sanctified the whole Rhodan territory. It is related, that while she secretly prayed in a wood, a magpie betrayed this secret to men. Hence, in art, she is painted with a magpie. Renowned for her virtues and miracles, she was called, at last, to the nuptials of her Divine Spouse, and her body was deposited in a collegiate church at Rhoda, where she is commemo- ratedaschiefpatroness. '^ Wearetold,thathermemorywasgreatlyvenerated, and that churches were erected to her honour, in various parts of the kingdom of Scotland. ^3 Her festival occurs, in the Kalendar of King Charles First's Prayer-book,^4 probably in virtue of her royal descent. Her Acts are said to be more fully written, in the Scotichronicon, by the Monk of Paisley, by John Molan,^5 by Constantinus Ghinius, in the English Martyrology, and in other works. In the anonymous Catalogue of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, and in the ^' Historia Sanctorum Lovanii/' ^^ as also in Father Henry Fitzsimon's list of Irish Saints, at the 27th of February,^7 we find entered, St.
Oda, Virgo. However, the the eighth centurv.
"
English Martyrology" refers her feast, to the 27diofNovember. ByFatherStephenWhite,'^sheissaidtohavelivediu
Cto^ntg--®igftt6'JBap of jfefaruarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. SILLAN, SIOLLAN, SILVAN, OR SYLVAN, ABBOT OF, BANGOR, COUNTY OF DOWN.
[SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES. ]
the middle of the sixth century, the famous abbey of Bangor, in
ABOUT
reputation his sanctity acquired, that in a short time, he had several thousand monks under his jurisdiction. This parent establishment was the fruitful
the of was founded St. Such was the county Down, by Comgall.
Constantinus Ghinius, the Benedictine Ka-
leniiar, Jacobus Cheyn^us, Adamus Valas-
sar, &c.
®
This should give Ireland, at least, as clear a claim to her nativity, as Scotland.
9 His feast occurs, on the 17th of Sep-
""
See Constantinus Ghinius, In Natali-
bus SS. Canonicomm. "
^3 Xhe Scottish Breviary is quoted. See
Dempster's "Historia Ecclesiastica Gcntis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xiv. , num. 971, p. 510.
tember. Hisdeathtook A. D. place
'•» At the of November, as Ode, 27th
709.
"^ A city of Belgium, on the River Maas
Virgin. See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars
or Meuse. -
" On this subject, Petrus Transianus Bas-
of Scottish Saints," pp. 257, 425.
'5 in Natalibus Sanctorum Belgii.
'^ See Fol. ccxii. , ccxiii.
'7 See O'Sullevan Beare's "Historia?
Catholicaj Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. ,
lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49, and cap. xii. , p. 56. I^Iolanus is cited as authority.
'^
See "Apologia pro Ilibernia," cap. v. , p. 63.
tidasus composed these Latin lines : —
" Impuras mundi sordes vix ante videbas, Nunc tamen, Odda, vides, et generosa
fugis.
Consulto maleacuta Deus duo lumina credo,
Ut meliora tibi redderet, abstulerat. "
724 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [FebruarycS.
motherofmanyotherhouses,bothinIrelandandinScotland. '' Notonlyin
these countries, but in many others, on the Continent, a number of holy men went forth in crowds, or as swarms of bees,=^ to spread the Faith of Christ, andtoplantthegermsofsanctityandsacredlearning. Oneofthebrethrenof this monastery, named Luanus, is said to have founded one hundred religious houses. From this single instance, St. Bernard leaves his readers to infer, how great must have been the multitude of hcjly persons, that issued from this foundation, and how many blessings it must have conferred on religion. In his perfervid language,^ the great Cistercian founder compares its mission- aries to a full flood. In particular instances, they gained others to live under their rule. Thus great and apostolic men there educated went forth as apostles, to various countries in Europe, where their names are still held in continuous benediction. This hive of wisdom worthily sustained the fair fame of our Island, in the early ages of faith. 4
Some brief notices of the present pious Prepositus and Magister of Bangor have been entered by Colgan,5 at this date, in his celebrated hagio- logical collection. The Bollandists merely allude to this holy man. ^ Sillan, Silvan,orSylvan,wassontoComin,Cumen,orCaimin. 7 Hisfatherisalso called Mac Cumminn^ and Ma Comyn. s Sillan wasborn, probably a little before or about the middle of the sixth century, but the place does not appear to be known. Itissaid,hebecameadiscipletoSt. Comgall,'°thefirstAbbotof Bangor. Sillan was distinguished for his virtues and learning. On account of his erudition and proficiency in scriptural knowledge, he was chosen as professorandrector,overthemonasticschool. Hence,heenjoyedthetitle of Magister, or Master.
The present town of Bangor is delightfully situated. " It recedes from
the rocky shores of the bay, along a gentle ascent, at the upper extremity of which may be seen the Protestant church, within an enclosed graveyard, where no very ancient monuments are now to be found. An old castle, yet standing on the verge of the i)ort, attracts the gaze of a visitor, as he arrives fromBelfastinasteamer. Thatandtheadjoiningscenemayberecognised in the engraving," which accompanies this memoir. The name Bangor is popularly supposed to have had the signification of White-choir; and, this is the explanation of its nomenclature, given by Sir James Ware. Nearly a similar explanation of the name is given by Colgan, when treating of Biuigor, in Wales. '3 In reference to the building erected by St. Malachy,'^ during the twelfth century, Harris says, that Bangor had its name, a Pulchro Choro^ or from its fair and white choir. He asserts, that it was thus designated, from
Article I. —* "Malta millia monacho- ^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
rum geuerans, nuiltoiimi moiinsierioiiim Februarii xxviii. Among ihe preieimitled ""
caput. "— Opera Sancli Beniardi, Vita saints, p. 717.
S. M. ilacluce, cap. vi. , sect. 12. Keating,
"
^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 232, 233.
^ See " Annales Ultoiiienes. "
« According to the "Annals of Clonmac-
noise. "
History of Ireland" assures us, that forty thousand monks were at one time sub- ject to St. Comgall. See Dermod OCon- nor's Translation, book ii. , p. 28.