"" In
addition
to MSS.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
^ There is a Life of St. David, thus classed,
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of Giraldus7 This latter has been inserted in Capgrave's collection. Leland, in the reign of Henry VIII. , wrote one, and this has been published in his Collectanea} There is, likewise, an ancient Welsh Life, extant in the British Museum ;9 and another in the College of Jesus, Oxford. '" Colgan, at the ist of March, publishes a Life of St. David," which has been copied from a
MS. belonging to the monastery of All Saints in Lough-Ree, county of Long- ford. " Some writers imagined it might be the same as that mentioned by
Ussher, and which had been written by Ricemarchus. But they are evidently different ; for, the lengthy passage, quoted by Ussher, is not given in the Life
published by Colgan. Perhaps, the author of this tract was Augustin Mag- raidin, a member of All Saints' Monastery, and who wrote many Lives of Saints. It had been formerly communicated to the Bollandists, by Father Hugh Ward. This differs but little from a Life published by the Bollandists, and which was taken from a MS. of Utrecht. There are other Lives of St. David. '3 In the opinion of the Bollandists, Colgan's copy had been taken from more recent Acts of St. David ; but, while an attempt had been made to polish style, certain false glosses had been inserted. The authors of St. David's old Acts, for the most part, are unknown. Therefore, are they often quoted as anonymous writers. '* There seems to be no deficiency of manu- script and printed materials extant, for compiling the Life of St. David, the illustriousPatronofWales. SirThomasDuffusHardy,DeputyKeeperofthe Public Records, enumerates, and partially describes, no fewer than twenty- one distinct copies of biographies or fragments, relating to this saint. ^s Many of these, however, appear to have been composed from some common original. Nevertheless, verbal differences, and even whole sentences, abridged or interpolated, may be detected, on an examination of those several codices. '^
MS. Bodl. Tanner, 15. f. 139, veil. fol. dble. cols. XV. cent. This is an abridgment of the MS. Cott. Vespas. A. xiv. , with a very few slight insertions, and two late miracles, added at the end. It is found in Capgrave's " Nova Legenda Anglias. " Also, one similar, MS. Cott. Tiber. E. i. 22, ff. 48 b. —51 b. vel. large fol.
MS. Bibl. Pub. Cant. Ff. I. 27. 28. ff.
618—635b. veil. xiii. cent. Thisappearsto
have been written by Ricemarchus, as stated
towards the end. Apparently it is an abbre-
viation of the Cottonian MS. Vespas. A.
xiv. There are enumerated, likewise, MS.
Cott. Nero, E. i. ff. 364—368. veil, large
fol. —xi. cent, and MS. Bodl. 793 (2641. ) ff.
221 veil, 8vo, xii. cent. There 236. long
are MS. Lives of St. David, known as, MS. 9 Cotton MSS. Tiber. D. xxii. ff. 136— Bodl. Rawl. B. 505. pp. 217—223. Veil,
^ Vol. iv. , p. 107.
"
sult
Church," chap. v.
Antiquities of the British
fol. xiv. cent. , and MS. Bodl. Rawl, b. 485. f. iii. veil. 4to, xiv. cent. These seem to havebeenabridgedfromMS,Cott. Vespas. A. xiv. (No. 356. ) A similar copy has been printed by Colgan, for his Life of this saint. A MS. Reg. 13. C. i. ff. 171—174, Paper 4to, xvii. cent. , is also known. A fragment of St. David's Life is found in the MS. Harl. 310. f. 166. Paper 4to, xvii. cent. It is only a single leaf, beginning and ending abruptly. An excerpt from St David's Life occurs in MS. Lambeth. f. 61.
cent. Apparently, it is the same as MS, Cott. Vespas. A. xiv. (No. 356). Also, a MS. Sloane, 4788. f. 84 b. (olim MS, Cla-
Stillingfleet's
585.
There is mention, likewise, of MS. Bodley Digby. 112. f. 99—114 b. veil. 4to, xii.
This latter occurs in John of
"
Teignmouth's Sanctilogium. "
182. veil. 8vo. Its subject is the Passion of St. David and St. Margaret.
'°
Classed,MS. cxix. f. 91.
" The copy he procured was taken from
the Manuscript Codices, belonging to Rt. Rev. David Routh, Bishop of Ossory.
"See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernias,"
Martii i. Vita S. Davidis Episcopi Mene-
vensis, pp. 425 to 432, with accompanying notes.
'^ Concerning which the reader may con-
'" See Ussher's "Index Chronologicus," A. D. DXXIX. , p. 528.
'5 See "Descriptive Catalogue of Mate-
rials relating to the History of Great Britain
and Ireland to the End of the Reign of rendon, 39. ) Paper, fol. xvii. cent. We
Henry VII. ," vol. i. , part i. , pp. 118 to 124.
"" In addition to MSS. already mentioned, as serving to illustrate our saint's biography, the following are extant : One described, as
meet with a MS. C. C. C. Cant, 161. veil, folio, xiii. cent. —Likewise, a MS. Bodl. 336.
b. veil, folio, xiv. cent. In addition to these, there is a MS. Bodl.
(2337. ) pp. 319 322
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
In a collected edition of Giraldus Cambrensis' complete works'? is to be
found his Life of St. David, '^
from Wharton's text. It is collated
reprinted
with fragments, quoted by Ussher, and compared with 'older Lives, published
by the Bollandists, and by other editors. In a Proaemium to this wor—k, Giraldus declares, that he had been urged by certain canons and religious—
notwithstanding his literary engagements, and almost against his own will to undertake and finish this biography, in a style worthy of the subject.
However, notwithstanding such assertion, this Life of St. David by Giraldus may be regarded as little more than an abridgment of Ricemarc's compilation. This latter, as a bishop, ruled over St. David's, and he died about a. d. 1096, or 1099. '9 Giraldus often retains Ricemarc's very words, inserting a few
additions,ofnogreatimportance. Anyalterationsarechieflyconfinedto softening down ruder and plainer language, found in the more ancient Life. '° The author says, that he supplied some unimportant omissions and rescinded superfluous comments, in earlier accounts referring to the holy Menevian bishop. This Life seems to have been undertaken by Giraldus, from a sense of duty he owed to that ecclesiastical foundation, from which his dignity and emoluments were chiefly derived. With expressions of humility, he declares an intention to exercise some judgment and discretion, in pruning or select- ing materials for this work, and in treading his way through a difficult course. His Life of St. David is divided into Ten Lessons, with a collect at the close, andaResponsoryfortheChoir. Suchanarrangementindicates,thatithad been composed for an office or choral service, probably on the feast day of Menevia'spatronsaintandfounder. Thiswasinaccordancewiththeusage of early British and Gallic churches ; when the Lives of martyrs, confessors and writings of the Fathers, formed part of the daily lessons. '^' Such custom was a stimulus to literary exertion. Generally writers of 'known ability and piety were engaged, for the purpose of re-writing or emending ancient Lives or Offices of saints. The responsibihty of composing or re-editing a saint's or a martyr's Life, to be inserted in a church office, usually urged an eccle- siastic to develop for such task his best mental efforts of thought and taste. "
In that invaluable archaeological work of Rev. Rice Rees, where eccle- siastical antiquities of the Welsh principality are so admirably treated, there is a very interesting account regarding St. David, even although it be occasionally clouded with the author's peculiar prejudices. ^3 However, in that spirit of provincial patriotism so honourable to them, the Welsh writers
285. ff. 136. b. veil, fol. , dble. cols. xiii. cent. A fragment of St. David's Life, is found, as
classed, MS. Bibl. du Roi. 5352. 40. olim.
Colbert, veil. xiv. cent. In fine, among the
Lambeth MSS. 12, there is met "Legenda
Davidis. " The foregoing are all in the
Latin language. It is quite possible, many other MS. Lives of this saint may still be
discovered, in various British and Continental libraries.
^
'7 Published under direction of the Master
of the Rolls, and edited by J. S. Brewer, M. A.
the End of the Reign of Henry VII. ," vol.
i. , part i. , p. 122.
"See Martene, " De Antiquis Ecclesix
Ritibus," vol. iii. , p. 13. This practice pre- vailed generally in tiie Western Church. St. Bernard wished that like readings should not be taken from modem and unauthenti- cated hagiologies ; but, rather from such as gave edification, and were redolent of eccle- siastical propriety. He wished them, like- wise, to accord with antiquity and veracity,
See, Epistola ad Monachos Arremarensis, ""
_
'^ See Giraldi Cambrensis' "
Opera,"
vol.
""of of Novelty style supplied the place
iii. , pp. 37810404.
*9,See, "Annales Menevensis," MS.
Harl. 838.
=° See Sir Thomas iDuffus Hardy's " Des-
criptive Catalogue of Materials relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland to
novelty and freshness of facts. And the new reading of an old Life proved an era in the literary career of a mecliceval author, not to be forgotten. " See J. S. Brewer's Giraldi
Cambrensis "Opera," vol. iii. Preface, pp. xlii. to xlv.
312 [al. 398]. Opera S. Bernardi.
'
[March i.
March i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of all denominations have cherished a great respect for their patron saint.
They have not failed to investigate, likewise, with considerable research and
accuracy, particulars having a special or an indirect bearing on his biography. The birth of St. David was foretold or indicated to his father. St.
Patrick, who was in Wales, thirty years before it happened, had a like revela- tion. =4 The father of our saint was potentate over a territory, known as
Keretica or Ceretica,^5 when, during sleep, he heard the voice of an angel. It admonished him, that while hunting on the following day, he should kill a stag, and with its carcass he should find a fish and hive of bees, near a river ; from these he was directed to take a honey-comb, with part of the fish and deer, for transmission to the monastery^^ of Manchan,^? as an offering on be- half of his son, not yet born. This presentation would be emblematic of St. David'stalentsandperfection. Forthehoney-combtypified,thatsweetness of heavenly wisdom, which would fill his mind ; while the wax, containing its store of honey, represented a mystic sense, included in historic or literal
The fish his prefigured
the ^^ and his selected sea-shore,
meaning.
aliment of bread and water solely ;
living by
for, he avoided every draught that could
inebriate. In fine, as the stag is supposed to renew its strength, so the holy David became transformed into a new man, having cast away the yoke of
toslakehis— atfountainsof
sin, by always desiring thirst, supernal
language, Dewid^9 wasbom,cannotbeascertainedwithanygreatdegreeofcertainty. The Bollandists set it down as happening, about the year 445. 3° But this date is founded on a rather arbitrary calculation, drawn from an incident, re- lated in the Life of St. Patrick. It is supposed probable, that this latter saint had predicted St. David's birth, about the year 414 or 415. At this time, St. Patrick was not a bishop, but he is supposed to have been a priest, and with- out any definite idea of devoting himself to glean that harvest of souls, which awaitedhislaboursinIreland. Hemighthavebeendissuaded,theysay,by
someangelicmonition,fromspendingasolitarylife, amongsttheIslandsof
The —
exact whenSt. David orasheiscalledintheWelsh
year,
Hetruria, in the Mediterranean Sea.
Afterwards, returning to Gaul, he be-
monastery, we are toW, was called " Vetus Rubus," in Latin ; and, it has been regarded,
'3 See " An Essay on the Welsh Saints,
or the Primitive Christians usually con-
sidered to have been the Founders of as identical with "Vetus Menevia. " On
Churches in Wales," sect, x. , pp. 191 to 202.
^* Ricemarchus, Giraldus Cambrensis,
John of Teignmouth, and John Capgrave agree in relating this tradition.
*5 See Giraldus' Life, lect. i. Camden re-
gards this district as conterminous with the
present Cardiganshire, in Wales. It appears to have been included within the territory of
Demetia. Itissupposed,bysomewHters, to have derived its name from King Ceretus
account of this incident, related in the text,
"
it was anciently called the
the Gift ;" and, because St. David afterwards became an alumnus there, and while still later, as archbishop, he was guardian of those precious treasures deposited at Me- nevia.
*? The Monastery of Ma—nchanj who was
or Caraticus, the paternal grandfather of St. David. The sea lay westward of this terri-
tory ; to the south, the Maridunenses or people of Caermarthen were separated by
the Tivy River ; to the north and east, ex- " tended the present Shires of Brecknock and Montgomery. The Britons called this dis-
trict Sire Aber-tivi. See Gough's Camden's
Monasterium. "
=s Wherefore, we are told, the Britons
=9 " Sanctus, quem tinctio baptism! Dauid, Ussher's "De Primordiis Britannicarum vulgus antem Dewi clamat," says the
"Britannia," vol. ii. , p. 524. See, also, Ecclesiarum," cap. xiv. , p. 442.
Utrecht MS. , published by the Bollandists.
30 also thatSt. Davidflourished xhey state,
in the hfth and sixth centuries,
^'^ "AdNautanum
ing to the Bollandist Utercht MS. This
Monasterium,"
accord-
at the 21st of March—seems to have been identified with that of Rosnat in Britain. Yet, says the Bollandist editor, it may be doubtful if it were identical with the Rosnat here men- tioned, and which, on account of many gifts
bestowed on it, received for its appellation,
the master of St. i^ndeus venerated
Depositi
called St. David " Dewi Deverur," which %\^\'ii&'i, David, the Waterman, \s:z\. . \.
water.
Monastery of
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March i.
came a disciple of St. Amator and St. Germanus, until by advice of this latter holy master, he sought Pope Celestine, and received episcopal ordination. In passing through Wales, about the period intimated by the Bollandists, it is supposed, he predicted St. David's birth to take place thirty years subse- quently ; for, they do not think it probable, this prophetic incident can be as- signed to A. D. 432, on his returning from Rome, or to about a. d. 459, when he madeathirdvisittothiscity,afterhavingestablishedhisseeofArmagh. 3' The nameofDavid'sfather—wasSanctus,32—sometimescalledSandde,orXantus,one oftheKingsofWales thatofhismotherhasbeenvariouslyrenderedNon,
Nonna, Nennita, Nonnita, Nemata,33 Melaria34 and Melari. ss Sheis said to have been the daughter of Bracan or Brecan, an Irish prince, who died a. d. 450. 2^ Our saint was a nephew to St. Canoe, of Gallen,37 in the King's County,32
according to this family connexion ; and, this latter holy man flourished, it is thought, towards the close of the fifth century. 39 David was born in Breck- nock, a part of Wales in which Nonna's father settled, and from him its present etymon has been derived. It would not, indeed, be an easy task, to deter- mine in a satisfactory manner, the variety of appellations bestowed on the mother of St. David, or to trace their respective affinities, if any such may happen to exist. It would seem, the revelation made to Ireland's great Apostle occurred subsequent to that previously related. If we credit Roth's MS. Life of our Saint, when venerable Patrick,t° having obtained his" Pontifical dignity, passed through Ceretica'*'' on returning from Rome, he cast his eyes over the beautiful vale, Rhos, or Rosina. ^^ Then, he desired to rest in a spot, suit- ablefordevoutprayerandcontemplation. Again,theAngelofGodwasheard
to " The Lord has not destined this say :
for
as a still
greater
David, who, thirty years hence, shall here be born. Let this prove a sign for you ; the wide extent of Irish shore shall be visible from this locality. " St. Patrick's eyes were raised from the ground, where he stood, when these
you,43
legation and charge await you. The whole land of Ireland, you are appointed to convert ; but, this spot must become the inheritance of a boy, named
3' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii i. Vita S. Davidis.
