^ Their names follow on a plan similar to
9* Here in the 10 folia, other tracts occur,
which as they are not attributed to the
authorship of St.
9* Here in the 10 folia, other tracts occur,
which as they are not attributed to the
authorship of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
^7 Ofthe Metrical Irish "Felire" or Festology—sometimes called the Martyr-
ology of Aengus Ceile De—six copies, at least, are known to be extant, and four of these are on vellum. Two copies are preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford ; one copy is kept in the Franciscan Library, Dublin ; one in the Burgundian Library, Brussels f^ one, a transcript, made for Dr. Todd, by Profes—sor O'Curry ; and one, found in the celebrated Leabhar Mbr Di^naDoighr'e^ commonlycalledtheLeabharBreacp°andnowinposses- sion of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. 7^ We are indebted to the late distinguished Irish scholar. Professor Eugene O'Curry, for a particular de- scription and analysis of Angus' metrical Festology or Fdire. T^ This com- position, considered to be one of the first in date and importance among our Kalendars, consists of three distinct parts. IYiq first part, knoAvn as the In- vocation, contains five quatrains,73 which ask grace and sanctification from Christ on the poet's work. 74 It is \vritten in the ancient Conachlann, as
*7 Dr. Ledwich strives to show, that this Martyrology was first written in the ninth century, because it has the names of Moel- ruan, Aengus, and other later saints. See
"Antiquities of Ireland," p. 365. "It is true that, considered in its present state,"
says Dr. Lanigan, "it was not completed until even the end of that century ; but does
it follow that Aengus and Moelruan had no share in drawing it up ? He adds, that in
its second preface, it cites the Martyrology ofSt. Jerome. Herethedoctoriswrong;
Library of the Royal Irish Academy. "— "TractsRelatingtoIreland. " Muirchear-
tach MacNeill's Circuit of Ireland, page 32, Mr. O'Donovan's Note 36, I. A. S. 's Publi- cations. Copies of the Leabhar Breac have
been lately multiplied by the lithographic
process.
7' " There is a short history of the author,
and the tract prefixed to this copy, which commenced, as such Gaedhlic documents usually do, with giving the name of the author,thetime,theplace,andtheobject
for this Martyrology is quoted, not in any of the composition. There is, then, a short
preface to the Mart)rrology of Tallagh, alias that of Aengus and Moelruan, but in the
disquisition on this arrangement, in which
the usages of the philosophers and the order
second preface to ih&Festilogium of Aengus. " "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. See
iii. , chap, xx. , § x. , n, 102, p. 249.
^This is a of " S. copy Festilogium
Engusii Keledei," in Irish, and beautifully written by Michael O'Clery. The accom-
panying gloss and notes are very full, and
"
Vol. xvii. . No. 5102 of the " Inventaire. "
Irish Aca-
Royal
*9 It was compiled about A. D. 1400.
of the creation are referred to as precedents. "
*'
Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xvii. , p. 363.
72 In O'Reilly's "Chronological Account of nearly Four Hundred Irish Writers," p. liii. , it receives the designation of a Hier- ology.
73 A quatrain means four rhymed lines.
T" We are that General Val* informed,
lancey and Theophilus O'Flanagan, having met with this poem-—which is rather a con-
the
Festilogium" occupies fifty-one pages.
See "
of the
Proceedings demy," vol. iii. , p. 489.
7° " A of his copy
one—in the leabhar Breac, and finding the name of Christ contractedly
called '
is preserved in the Leabhar Breac, in the
poem,
Felire,^
spicuous
written CR, with a horizontal dash over these two letters, considered they had found anaddresstothesun. Thiswasasupposed
proof of the former worship of that luminary by the ancient Irish. The letters C R were presumed to have been a contraction for Creas, which, from the books of Indian Brahmins and the Sanscrit, Vallancey con- jectured to be a name for the sun, common
"Sanctify, O Christ ! my words : — O Lord of the seven heavens ! Grantmethegiftofwisdom,
O Sovereign of the bright sun !
" O bright sun, who dost illumine
The heavens with all thy holiness !
O King who governest the angels ! O Lord of all the people !
These views of
highly poetical translation of Aengus' poem, were embodied inasmallprintedpamphlet. Thiswasad-
dressed " To the President and Members of the Royal Irish Academy, as a Proof of the Ancient Histoiy of Ireland," by General Vallancey.
75 Such is the English equivalent.
7* An illustration, in the Irish language and character, will be found in "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Appendix No. cxiii. , p. 6io,' and which has been published from the ori-
containedintheLeabharBreac. The five Irish stanzas have been thus rendered into English, by Mr. O'Curry : —
*
both to Ireland and India.
General with a Vallancey,
' ' O Lord of the
ginal,
INTRODUCTION.
modem Gaelic scholars call " chain-verse. "7s By such metrical arrangement,
the last words of each quatrain are identical, or nearly so, with the first words
of that succeeding. 7^ The second part, ^o. are told, is a poem, by way of
preface, and it consists of 220 quatrains. But of these, only eighty are found
prefixed to the main poem, or chief subject matter. The remaining 140
quatrains are postfixed to the main poem, and these are called the post or
second preface. We may rather, perhaps, consider them in the light of
those verses, which many of our mediaeval and modern poets designate the
" as the conclusion of a Those stanzas are of a similar L'Envoy," poem.
character, and follow in a like measure, as they are indeed a continuation of the Invocation. Eighty stanzas, prefixed to the main poem in very beauti-
ful and forcible language, give us a glo%ving account regarding the sufferings and tortures of the early Christian martyrs ; how their persecutors' names have been forgotten, while those of their victims were remembered with honour, veneration, and affection ; how Pilate's wife sinks into oblivion, while the Blessed Virgin Mary has been remembered and venerated from earth's uttermost bounds to its centre. Even in Ireland, the enduring supre- macy of Christ's Church had been manifested. Tara had been abandoned
and had become a desert, because its kings were vain-glorious, while Armagh remained the populous seat of dignity, piety, and learning. Cruachain, a former royal residence of the Connaught kings, is deserted, while Clonmac- nois resounds with the dashing of chariots and the tramp of multitudes to honour St. Ciaran's shrine. Aillinn's royal palace had passed away, while
"
"
people
O King all righteous and good !
MayIreceivethefullbenefit Of praising Thy Royal hosts,
Thy royal hosts I praise,
Because Thou art my Sovereign ;
I have disposed my mind
To be constantly beseeching Thee,
I beseech a favour from Thee,
That I be purified from my sins
Through the peaceful bright -shining flock,
The royal host whom I celebrate. " —Ibid. , Lect. xvii. , pp. 365, 366.
!
INTRonUCTION,
St. Brigid'schurchatKildareretaineditsdazzlingsplendour. Ulster'sroyal palace at Emania had disappeared, while the holy Coemghen's church at
Gleann-da-locha remains in full glory. The monarch Leaghaire's pomp and pride Avere extinguished, while St. Patrick's name continues to shine with undiminished lustre. Thus, the poet contrasts fleeting and forgotten names and reputations of great men and establishments, belonging to the pagan and secular world, with the stability, freshness, and splendour of Christian Churches, and with the ever-flourishing names of their illustrious, although often humble founders. The thirdpai't is properly the Felire or Festological
Poem itself, and it is comprised within 365 quatrains, which, the reader will observe, form a stanza for each day in the year. The author has imposed on himself the task of introducing into each stanza some saints' names or festivals commemorated on that particular day to which they refer. 77 The Circum- cision of our Lord is placed at the head of the Festivals, and with it the Felire begins. 7^ This poem is not wholly confined to notices of the Irish saints, as the festivals of many foreign ones are generally first introduced. The whole of this, which is the chief poem, as also the first preface, is thickly interlinedwithanancientglossandcommentary. Theseexplaindifficultor obsolete words and passages. Sometimes, notes may be found on the sites of ancient churches, connected with Irish saints, who lived to the time of our author. Occasional passages from their Lives and Miracles will be seen. Those notes are interspersed over the margin, and they require close and accuratestudytoconnectthemwiththeirappropriatetextualpassages. The three parts, or cantos, into which the entire poem has been divided, may be treated, indeed, as one continuous composition. The last words of the In- vocation are the first words to the first preface of eighty stanzas ; while the last words of this preface are the first words of the main poem ; and again, the last words of this chief poem are the first words of the post or second preface, which consists of 140 stanzas. This latter division concludes the work, and in it yEngus recapitulates the subject of his Felire,Ti teaching the faithfulhowtoreadanduseit,andexplainingitsarrangement. Hedeclares, though great the number, he has only been able there to enumerate the princes of the saints. He recommends it for pious meditation to the faithful, and indicates spiritual benefits to be gained by reading or reciting it. He says he had travelled far and near to collect the names and history of subjects for his praise and invocation. For the foreign saints, he consulted St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, and Eusebius. He collected the festivals of our Irish saints,
"See "The Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. Intro-
duction, p. xiv.
78 In the "Lectures on the Manuscript
Materials of Ancient Irish History," Ap- pendix No. cxiv. , p. 611, may be seen the first stanza of this part of the poem in the Irish language and character, as extracted
from the original found in the "Leab/tar Brmc. "
79 The Felire or Festology is closely con • nected with lives of the saints. That of Aengus especially receives the praise of M. de la Villemarque in the November number of the French " Le
Correspon-
periodical, dant," for 1863.
*> See " Manuscript Materials of Ancient
Irish History," Lect. xvii. , pp. 365 to
370. — *' This is done in the following order :
The elders or ancients under Noah ; the
prophets under Isaiah ; the patriarchs under
Abraham ; the apostles and disciples under
treat,
whereupon, he resolves to change his course, that no one may have cause for complaint. Then,hecommencesanothermovingappeal to our Lord for himself and all men. He beseeches mercy according to the merciful worldly interposition of Divine clemency in times past. Thus Enoch and Elias had been saved from dangers in this world ; Noah had been saved from the deluge ; Abraham had been saved from plagues and from the Chaldeans ; Lot had been saved from the burning city ; Jonas had escaped fromthewhale Isaachadbeendelivered
;
Peter thewiseorlearnedmenunderPaul ;
;
INTROD UCTION. XXlU
from " the countless hosts of the illuminated books of Erinn. " ^ He then says, having already mentioned and invoked the saints at their respective festival days, he will now invoke them in classes or bands, under certain heads or leaders. ^'
Towards the saints of his country, . ^ngus seems to have entertained an extraordinary veneration. According to Colgan's account, he wrote five
distinct " De Sanctis Hiberniae," which Tracts,^^'
in a
about their several lives, or on matters pertaining to them. ^s in the first
the martyrs under Stephen ; the spiritual
directors under old Paul ; the virgins of the
world under the Blessed Virgin Mary ; the
holy bishops of Rome under Peter ; the
bishops of Jerusalem under Jacob or James ;
the bishops of Antioch also under Peter ;
the bishops of Alexandria under Mark ; a
division of them under Honoratus ; a division
of learned men under the gifted Benedict ;
all the innocents who suffered at Bethlehem
under Georgius ; the priests under Aaron ;
the monks under Anthony ; a division of
the world's saints under Martin ; the noble
saints of Erinn under St. Patrick ; the saints
of Scotland under St. Colum Cille ; while destruction of the Israelites from Mount
the last great division of Erinn's saintly
virgins has been placed under holy St.
Brigid of Kildare. In an eloquent strain,
Aengus then continues to beseech our fiery furnace ; of Tobias from his blindness ; Saviour's mercy for himself and for all man- of Peter and Paul from the dungeon ; of
Job from demoniac tribulations ; of David from Saul ; of Joseph from his brothers' hands ; of the Israelites from Egyptian
kind, through the merits and sufferings of
those saints he has named and enumerated.
He asks through the merits of their dis-
membered bodies ; through their bodies bondage ; of Peter from the sea-waves ; of
piercedwithlances; throughtheirwounds;
through their groans ; through their relics ;
through their blanched countenances ;
through their bitter tears ; through all the household, to be saved, as St. Patrick had sacrifices offered of the Saviour's own Body been, from the poisoned drink at Teamhar and Blood, as it is in heaven, upon the holy [Tara], and as St. Coemhghin [Kevin] had altars ; through the blood that flowed from been at Gleann da locha [Glendalough],
the Saviour's own side ; through His sacred
Humanity ; and through His Divinity in union with the Holy Spirit and the Hea-
from perils of the mountain.
*^ See likewise Rev. Matthew Kelly's
" Dissertations chiefly on Irish Church His-
venly Father. After this long invocation, tory. " Edited by Rev. D. M'Carthy, D. D. , Aengus says the brethren of his order deemed pp. 215, 216.
all his
prayers
and
petitions
too little
;
^3 It may be observed, that these tracts
from his father's hands. He entreats Jesus,
through intercession of His Holy Mother, to save him, as Jacob was saved from the
hands of his brother, and as John [Paul] was saved from the viper's venom. He again recurs to examples found in the Old Testament. He mentions the saving of David from Goliath's sword ; the saving of Susanna from her dangers ; of Nineveh from
;
Gilba [Gilboa] ; of Daniel from the lion's
den ; of Moses from the hands of Faro
[Pharaoh] ; of the three youths from the
Johnfromthefierycaldron; ofMartinfrom the priest of the idol. Again, he beseeches Jesus, through intercession of the heavenly
particular manner,
4-
foregoing.
over three columns.
9' As the brothers, who were sons to
part ii», sect, ii. , pp. 137, 138. He was wrong in stating, that a copy of this was in
that part of the Book of Leinster, kept in Trinity College, Dublin. He alluded to
Aed,toNessan,&c. orasonof—. ,
9^ As the daughters of — or the daughter
— Book of " of fol. 16, col. I. yEngus'
INTROD UCTION.
Treatise, he gives the different distinctions of those saints in classes ; he enu-
merates 345 bishopSj^-^ 299 abbots and priests,^^ and seventy-eight deacons. ^^ These he has comprised within the hmits of three chapters. The second Tract is known as the " Homonymi," or the enumeration of saints bearing similar names, but distinguished by various other titles. ^7 It mentions 855 distinct persons, under sixty-two different names, and it is divided into two parts; thefirstpartcontainingfiftychapters,onholymenofthesamename,^^ and the second, twelve chapters on holy women. ^9 The third Treatise, known as the " Book of Sons," divides the saints into another classification. 9° It names saints, who are descended from the same father, and afterwards only sons, each cited by the father's name. 9' Lastly, are enumerated female saints, in their descent from the same father. ? ^ The names of ninety-four fathers,93 who had one saint, or more saints than one, as children, are here preserved, although the number of saints cannot always be discovered. ^* The fourth Tract comprises the names of 210 saints, with their maternal genealogy. 9s It would appear from this title, that the paternal genealogy of these saints had beenpreviouslywritten,eitherbyanotherhand,orbythatofyEngus. The fifth " Book of Litanies" enumerates, in form of an invocation, a long list of saints. 9^ In several of its invocations, the principal name, with associated disciples, is generally found. 97 This name usually pertains to the saint who
seem to be comprised in the ten folia, ex- tracted from the Book of Leinster.
^* In the itn folia, these names begin with Patrick, and end with Cobthach, fol. II,
col.
^s At the end of col. 4, this list begins,
and it occupies nearly four columns.
^ These begin at fol. 12, col. 4.
^^ Half-way down col. 5, this commences.
Copies of this list are contained in the " Book
of Ballymote," as also, in the "Book of Lecain. "
^ Thus all those named Aedan are given first : all those named Aed, Brenain, Coluim, &C, , are regularly tabulated, in alphabetical order.
^ Their names follow on a plan similar to
9* Here in the 10 folia, other tracts occur,
which as they are not attributed to the
authorship of St. ^ngus, Colgan passes over.
95 At fol. 18, and on the first column of fol. 19, these matrons are numbered from I
93, by Colgan for purposes of reference ; while the numbers thus given correspond
"
with the figures quoted in his
torum Hibemire," and "Trias Thau-
the
9° At fol. 15, col. 3. This list extends terior to the Anglo-Norman Invasion,"
of Irish Saints," and not to his "Litany. " This is to be found in the ' ' Leabhar-Mor Duna Doighre. " the worn state of this old Codex. See See Professor O'Curry's "Lectures on the "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xi. Martii. Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish His-
Vita S. ^ngussii, cap. xiv. , p. 581. tory," Lect. xviii. , n. 47, p. 381.
93 Colgan adds, that he omitted other
names,
which he could not to read, owing
"
9^ This begins near the top of col. 2, fol.
19.
97 In Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nige," Martii viii. Vita S. Senani, n. 11,
p. 535, a part of this Litany is quoted. Dr. Petrie also introduces this extract into his " Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland an-
maturga.
Pedigrees
Acta Sanc-
INTRODUCTION. XXV
presided over a particular monastery,? ^ with the number of holy disciples under his nile ;99 or to a saint who was buried at some particular church, with
his who " in the Lord '°° or to some companions, slept /' perchance
apostle, who, with his numerous band of missionaries, went forth to preach the Gospel
to benighted nations. ^°^ The names, or native places of many foreigners, who flocked to the hives of learning and sanctity in Ireland, are noted in an especialmanner/"^ HerearefoundinvokedthenamesofItalian,Egyptian? British, and Gallic saints, who had been buried in Ireland. ^°3
It has been incorrectly asserted, that the foregoing work is sometimes
called " altogether
which means, the Metrical or Yet, it would appear from Colgan's statement, that the
Psalter. ^°4 Saltair-na-rann" was
Saltair-na-rann,"
Multipartite "
a distinct treatise. '°5 After
describing
" De Sanctis
Hibemiae,"
'-" Some years ag;o, Dr. Todd examined
characters ; while on the opposite side, there is a correct English translation, by a
this MS. , containing ten folia, which he
foimd to have constituted a part of the "Book
of Leinster. " This fact would seem to iden-
tify it with the MS. seen at Louvain, and
described by Father Soller, the BoUandist,
as we have already stated. In point of an- the Archives of St. Isidore's Franciscan tiquity, this version dates back to the first Convent, at Rome.
'°^
See Dr. Lanigan's" Ecclesiastical His- contain the Martyrology of Tallaght—to tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , § x. ,
half of the twelfth century. These folia
which allusion has been already made—to- gether with five of seven works attributed to ^ngus. Ward and Colgan consulted this MS. ; for their readings seem to have been marked, and these are very useful in assisting the Irish scholar to decipher certain words. However legible in their time, these are nearly altogether defaced at present. In Ward's and O'Sheerin's Acts of St. Rumold, published at Louvain in 1662, this Litany is quoted at great length, p. 206. With the exception of the groups of seven bishops, nearly all the saints, whose intercession is
invoked, are given.
99 The 8vo paper MSS. , No. 40, 4, in the
p. 247. In note 106, p. 251, he remarks
"Litany of St.
"" See also Harris' Ware, vol. iii. ,
"WritersofIreland,"booki. , chap,v. ,pp.
52, 53-
"^ There is an incomplete copy of this
Litany in the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A. copy. ^=^3 The portion of this work, known as the Litany, has been translated and published
"
for the first time in the Irish Ecclesiastical
Record," vol. iii. Nos. xxxii. and xxxiii. ,
for May and June, 1867. The original Irish occupies one side of the page, in the Irish
R. I. A. , contains the
yEngus. "
'°° At the end of the
in the ten folia, there is some memorandum in Irish.
Litany,
"
competent scholar, writing under the initials B. M. C. Explanatory notes are found at the foot of nearly all those pages. A learned dissertation precedes this Litany, taken from
" Under this title,
says {ib. , p . 582) that it appears in some old Irish MSS. , and that he got a part of it, with the inscription, from Saltair-na-rann composed by Aengus Cele-De. He observes that the latest saint mentioned in it is St. Tigeniach,sonofSt. Mella,andfounderof Doire-melle (see chap, xix. , sec. 13), who died abbot of Kill-achad, in the now county of Cavan, on the 4th of November, A. D. 805 (806). See AA. SS. p. 796, and Arch- dall at Kilachad. This is a strong proof of the assertion that Aengus was the author of this work. " He seems also to have written —at least a great part of it—after the ninth
century commenced.
'°5 There is a MS. Martyrology, entitled,
on this passage :
Colgan
Saltair-na-Rann," preserved in the British Museum [Egerton, 185]. It is a thin, small quarto-sized volume in verse, and with the exception of a few pages, it has been written in the bold and accurate hand of Dubhal- tach Mac Firbisigh, about the year 1650. It consists of sixty-seven pages, containing five quatrains, or twenty lines, on each page. The title is in accordance with the second quatrain, which, as Anglicized, thus begins : "The Saltair of the verses shall be the name
Of my poem : it is not an unwise title. "
xxvi INTRODUCTION.
he mentions the " Saltair-na-rann" as having been composed in the Irish
language ; and, of course, as being distinct from the first named treatise, which had been written mostly in Latin. '°^ Yet, it must be confessed, that the sentences employed by Colgan in his account are rather ambiguous. ^°7
"
The work entitled,
De Sanctis Hibemiae,'' does not appear to have been a
metrical composition, as may be seen in extracts taken from it, and found in
many of Colgan's notes. The " Saltair-na-rann" comprises a History of the
Old Testament,^°^ written in verse,'°3 and which is attributed to ^ngus as its
author. We are informed, that the Chronicle of ^ngus Ceile De, known as
"""
Saltair-na-rann," /. e. Saltair of the Poems" or Verses," has been so
because " sailm" means a " It contains one hundred and psalm. ""°
called,
fifty poems, composed in the finest style of the Gaelic language, as under- stoodintheeighthcentury. '" Thiswork,attributedto^ngusCeileDe, has been called " and it is distributed into
Saltair-na-rann,""
Written in the form of prayers, it tends to raise the reader's mind to the love
of God, and to the celebration of His praise, for all the Creator's works are referred to His greater glory, and rest upon His power, as their final cause.
voted to him. The modem writer, who supplied Mac Firbis's omissions, has ad- mitted some incorrections. See "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient
Irish History," Lect. xvii. , pp. 360, 361, and Appendix, No. cix. , p. 609.
'"s Harris this work had been written says,
"
conflatura in quibusdam antiquis patriae a distinct work from the " Psaltar-na-
This "Saltair-na-Rann," however, is en-
tirely distinct from that of Aengus Ceile
De. '°*
Dr. Geoffrey Keating attributes to the
" authorship of St. iEngus a Saltair-na-
'*
Rann. " See History of Ireland. " Pre-
face. »o7
membranis patrio sermone intitulatur Sal-
tuir-na-rann : quae vol Latine reddita Psal-
terium metricum, nunc Psalterium multipar-
titum denotat. Et in utroque sensu, diversa
S. — recte sic inscribi Aengussii opera pote-
rant. V "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," xi. MartiL Vita S. Aengussii, cap. xv. , pp. 581, 582.
O'Mahony's edition, p.
Ixii.
Opus ex jam memoratis opusculis
in elegant metre, but he seems to regard it as
«* The other " Saltair-na-Rann," to
which allusion has been made in a preceding
note, contains three hundred and twelve
quatrains, written in the inferior Gaelic of
the sixteenth, if not of a later century. Yet,
it is not, strictly speaking, a Gaelic Martyr-
o'ogy J for all the Irish saints Professor
O'Curry could discover in it were , St. Pat-
rick, St. Brigid of Kildare, St. Ciaran of property of Sir William Betham. It is Saighir, and St. Ciaran of Clonmacnois.
to the
According poet's arrangement, every
of six folio — written upwards pages, closely
quatrain commenced with a saint's name, on the largest size vellum. " "Chronolo-
but sometimes there are three or even four quatrains devoted to one day, as the number
gical Account of nearly Four Hundred Irish
Writers," p. liv.
"3 In Harris' vol. " Writersof Ware, iii. ,
"
Ireland, book i. , chap, v. , p. 33, it is said,
of festivals to fall within it. happened
Every saint, however, has a separate quatrain de-
Rann. "
"" Dr. Jeoffrey Keating adds, that "sal-
tair" means a
"
a psaltery," or a book con-
taining many "duans," or "verses. " See
of Ireland. " Preface.
"History O'Mahony's
edition, p. Ixxi.
'"The VIII. vol. of O'Longan MSS. , in
the R. I. A. , contains Poems of Aengus the
Culdee, pp. 52 to 54.
'" This is most probably the work de-
scribed by O'Reilly, where he says
" :
Aen- Psalter-na-rann,' which is an abridged history of the descendants of Abraham, from the birth of Isaac until after the death of Moses The Psal- ter-na-rann is preserved in a large MS. , the
gus also wrote the
'
written in a fine strong hand, and occupies
parts. "3
INTR OD UCTION. xxvu The foregoing reasons are assigned for this work deserving the title of " Sal-
"
testifies and evidence persuades us, that it had been thus inscribed and com-
MS. , from which the treatise,
Homonymi," already described, has been ex-
that some ascribed to Aengus a Psalter-na- Rann, being a miscellany on Irish affairs, in
''
greatly contributed for many years to the advancement and preservation of Ireland's orthodox and persecuted faith. At length, having endured various trials and tortures,
multipartite psalter. ""S Colgan adds, both authority
tair-na-rann,""< or the
posed by St. -^ngus. The authority assigned is that of an old parchment
"
tracted. It was sent from Ireland"^ to Colgan. It bore the following title :
*'
Homonymi Hiberniae Sancti ex Saltair-na-rann, quod composuit . ^ngus- sius Keledeus. " We are the more induced to believe, that this had been a work of St. ^ngus, since there is no saint found in any portion of it, who had not departed life before his time, or who had not been, at least, his con- temporary. "7 For,althoughourannalsrelatethedeathofSt. Melditribius in the year 840, yet, it is doubtful, if he be the saint bearing that name, and mentioned in the fortieth chapter of the second tract, as already described. "^
There are some Pedigrees of Irish saints yet existing, and these have beengenerallyascribedtoAengusCeileDe. SeveralcopiesofthisTreatise are preserved in our ancient MSS. ; but it is doubtful, if any such copies datebackintheirpresent,state,tothetimeofAengus. Inthosecopieswe po ssess, there may be defections or additions, as compared with the original
prose and verse, Latin and Irish.
wrote no such work," says Dr. Lanigan,
"and his ovily Psalter, ox Saltair-na-rann,
were those above mentioned.
ology of Aengus Ceile De—six copies, at least, are known to be extant, and four of these are on vellum. Two copies are preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford ; one copy is kept in the Franciscan Library, Dublin ; one in the Burgundian Library, Brussels f^ one, a transcript, made for Dr. Todd, by Profes—sor O'Curry ; and one, found in the celebrated Leabhar Mbr Di^naDoighr'e^ commonlycalledtheLeabharBreacp°andnowinposses- sion of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. 7^ We are indebted to the late distinguished Irish scholar. Professor Eugene O'Curry, for a particular de- scription and analysis of Angus' metrical Festology or Fdire. T^ This com- position, considered to be one of the first in date and importance among our Kalendars, consists of three distinct parts. IYiq first part, knoAvn as the In- vocation, contains five quatrains,73 which ask grace and sanctification from Christ on the poet's work. 74 It is \vritten in the ancient Conachlann, as
*7 Dr. Ledwich strives to show, that this Martyrology was first written in the ninth century, because it has the names of Moel- ruan, Aengus, and other later saints. See
"Antiquities of Ireland," p. 365. "It is true that, considered in its present state,"
says Dr. Lanigan, "it was not completed until even the end of that century ; but does
it follow that Aengus and Moelruan had no share in drawing it up ? He adds, that in
its second preface, it cites the Martyrology ofSt. Jerome. Herethedoctoriswrong;
Library of the Royal Irish Academy. "— "TractsRelatingtoIreland. " Muirchear-
tach MacNeill's Circuit of Ireland, page 32, Mr. O'Donovan's Note 36, I. A. S. 's Publi- cations. Copies of the Leabhar Breac have
been lately multiplied by the lithographic
process.
7' " There is a short history of the author,
and the tract prefixed to this copy, which commenced, as such Gaedhlic documents usually do, with giving the name of the author,thetime,theplace,andtheobject
for this Martyrology is quoted, not in any of the composition. There is, then, a short
preface to the Mart)rrology of Tallagh, alias that of Aengus and Moelruan, but in the
disquisition on this arrangement, in which
the usages of the philosophers and the order
second preface to ih&Festilogium of Aengus. " "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. See
iii. , chap, xx. , § x. , n, 102, p. 249.
^This is a of " S. copy Festilogium
Engusii Keledei," in Irish, and beautifully written by Michael O'Clery. The accom-
panying gloss and notes are very full, and
"
Vol. xvii. . No. 5102 of the " Inventaire. "
Irish Aca-
Royal
*9 It was compiled about A. D. 1400.
of the creation are referred to as precedents. "
*'
Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xvii. , p. 363.
72 In O'Reilly's "Chronological Account of nearly Four Hundred Irish Writers," p. liii. , it receives the designation of a Hier- ology.
73 A quatrain means four rhymed lines.
T" We are that General Val* informed,
lancey and Theophilus O'Flanagan, having met with this poem-—which is rather a con-
the
Festilogium" occupies fifty-one pages.
See "
of the
Proceedings demy," vol. iii. , p. 489.
7° " A of his copy
one—in the leabhar Breac, and finding the name of Christ contractedly
called '
is preserved in the Leabhar Breac, in the
poem,
Felire,^
spicuous
written CR, with a horizontal dash over these two letters, considered they had found anaddresstothesun. Thiswasasupposed
proof of the former worship of that luminary by the ancient Irish. The letters C R were presumed to have been a contraction for Creas, which, from the books of Indian Brahmins and the Sanscrit, Vallancey con- jectured to be a name for the sun, common
"Sanctify, O Christ ! my words : — O Lord of the seven heavens ! Grantmethegiftofwisdom,
O Sovereign of the bright sun !
" O bright sun, who dost illumine
The heavens with all thy holiness !
O King who governest the angels ! O Lord of all the people !
These views of
highly poetical translation of Aengus' poem, were embodied inasmallprintedpamphlet. Thiswasad-
dressed " To the President and Members of the Royal Irish Academy, as a Proof of the Ancient Histoiy of Ireland," by General Vallancey.
75 Such is the English equivalent.
7* An illustration, in the Irish language and character, will be found in "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Appendix No. cxiii. , p. 6io,' and which has been published from the ori-
containedintheLeabharBreac. The five Irish stanzas have been thus rendered into English, by Mr. O'Curry : —
*
both to Ireland and India.
General with a Vallancey,
' ' O Lord of the
ginal,
INTRODUCTION.
modem Gaelic scholars call " chain-verse. "7s By such metrical arrangement,
the last words of each quatrain are identical, or nearly so, with the first words
of that succeeding. 7^ The second part, ^o. are told, is a poem, by way of
preface, and it consists of 220 quatrains. But of these, only eighty are found
prefixed to the main poem, or chief subject matter. The remaining 140
quatrains are postfixed to the main poem, and these are called the post or
second preface. We may rather, perhaps, consider them in the light of
those verses, which many of our mediaeval and modern poets designate the
" as the conclusion of a Those stanzas are of a similar L'Envoy," poem.
character, and follow in a like measure, as they are indeed a continuation of the Invocation. Eighty stanzas, prefixed to the main poem in very beauti-
ful and forcible language, give us a glo%ving account regarding the sufferings and tortures of the early Christian martyrs ; how their persecutors' names have been forgotten, while those of their victims were remembered with honour, veneration, and affection ; how Pilate's wife sinks into oblivion, while the Blessed Virgin Mary has been remembered and venerated from earth's uttermost bounds to its centre. Even in Ireland, the enduring supre- macy of Christ's Church had been manifested. Tara had been abandoned
and had become a desert, because its kings were vain-glorious, while Armagh remained the populous seat of dignity, piety, and learning. Cruachain, a former royal residence of the Connaught kings, is deserted, while Clonmac- nois resounds with the dashing of chariots and the tramp of multitudes to honour St. Ciaran's shrine. Aillinn's royal palace had passed away, while
"
"
people
O King all righteous and good !
MayIreceivethefullbenefit Of praising Thy Royal hosts,
Thy royal hosts I praise,
Because Thou art my Sovereign ;
I have disposed my mind
To be constantly beseeching Thee,
I beseech a favour from Thee,
That I be purified from my sins
Through the peaceful bright -shining flock,
The royal host whom I celebrate. " —Ibid. , Lect. xvii. , pp. 365, 366.
!
INTRonUCTION,
St. Brigid'schurchatKildareretaineditsdazzlingsplendour. Ulster'sroyal palace at Emania had disappeared, while the holy Coemghen's church at
Gleann-da-locha remains in full glory. The monarch Leaghaire's pomp and pride Avere extinguished, while St. Patrick's name continues to shine with undiminished lustre. Thus, the poet contrasts fleeting and forgotten names and reputations of great men and establishments, belonging to the pagan and secular world, with the stability, freshness, and splendour of Christian Churches, and with the ever-flourishing names of their illustrious, although often humble founders. The thirdpai't is properly the Felire or Festological
Poem itself, and it is comprised within 365 quatrains, which, the reader will observe, form a stanza for each day in the year. The author has imposed on himself the task of introducing into each stanza some saints' names or festivals commemorated on that particular day to which they refer. 77 The Circum- cision of our Lord is placed at the head of the Festivals, and with it the Felire begins. 7^ This poem is not wholly confined to notices of the Irish saints, as the festivals of many foreign ones are generally first introduced. The whole of this, which is the chief poem, as also the first preface, is thickly interlinedwithanancientglossandcommentary. Theseexplaindifficultor obsolete words and passages. Sometimes, notes may be found on the sites of ancient churches, connected with Irish saints, who lived to the time of our author. Occasional passages from their Lives and Miracles will be seen. Those notes are interspersed over the margin, and they require close and accuratestudytoconnectthemwiththeirappropriatetextualpassages. The three parts, or cantos, into which the entire poem has been divided, may be treated, indeed, as one continuous composition. The last words of the In- vocation are the first words to the first preface of eighty stanzas ; while the last words of this preface are the first words of the main poem ; and again, the last words of this chief poem are the first words of the post or second preface, which consists of 140 stanzas. This latter division concludes the work, and in it yEngus recapitulates the subject of his Felire,Ti teaching the faithfulhowtoreadanduseit,andexplainingitsarrangement. Hedeclares, though great the number, he has only been able there to enumerate the princes of the saints. He recommends it for pious meditation to the faithful, and indicates spiritual benefits to be gained by reading or reciting it. He says he had travelled far and near to collect the names and history of subjects for his praise and invocation. For the foreign saints, he consulted St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, and Eusebius. He collected the festivals of our Irish saints,
"See "The Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. Intro-
duction, p. xiv.
78 In the "Lectures on the Manuscript
Materials of Ancient Irish History," Ap- pendix No. cxiv. , p. 611, may be seen the first stanza of this part of the poem in the Irish language and character, as extracted
from the original found in the "Leab/tar Brmc. "
79 The Felire or Festology is closely con • nected with lives of the saints. That of Aengus especially receives the praise of M. de la Villemarque in the November number of the French " Le
Correspon-
periodical, dant," for 1863.
*> See " Manuscript Materials of Ancient
Irish History," Lect. xvii. , pp. 365 to
370. — *' This is done in the following order :
The elders or ancients under Noah ; the
prophets under Isaiah ; the patriarchs under
Abraham ; the apostles and disciples under
treat,
whereupon, he resolves to change his course, that no one may have cause for complaint. Then,hecommencesanothermovingappeal to our Lord for himself and all men. He beseeches mercy according to the merciful worldly interposition of Divine clemency in times past. Thus Enoch and Elias had been saved from dangers in this world ; Noah had been saved from the deluge ; Abraham had been saved from plagues and from the Chaldeans ; Lot had been saved from the burning city ; Jonas had escaped fromthewhale Isaachadbeendelivered
;
Peter thewiseorlearnedmenunderPaul ;
;
INTROD UCTION. XXlU
from " the countless hosts of the illuminated books of Erinn. " ^ He then says, having already mentioned and invoked the saints at their respective festival days, he will now invoke them in classes or bands, under certain heads or leaders. ^'
Towards the saints of his country, . ^ngus seems to have entertained an extraordinary veneration. According to Colgan's account, he wrote five
distinct " De Sanctis Hiberniae," which Tracts,^^'
in a
about their several lives, or on matters pertaining to them. ^s in the first
the martyrs under Stephen ; the spiritual
directors under old Paul ; the virgins of the
world under the Blessed Virgin Mary ; the
holy bishops of Rome under Peter ; the
bishops of Jerusalem under Jacob or James ;
the bishops of Antioch also under Peter ;
the bishops of Alexandria under Mark ; a
division of them under Honoratus ; a division
of learned men under the gifted Benedict ;
all the innocents who suffered at Bethlehem
under Georgius ; the priests under Aaron ;
the monks under Anthony ; a division of
the world's saints under Martin ; the noble
saints of Erinn under St. Patrick ; the saints
of Scotland under St. Colum Cille ; while destruction of the Israelites from Mount
the last great division of Erinn's saintly
virgins has been placed under holy St.
Brigid of Kildare. In an eloquent strain,
Aengus then continues to beseech our fiery furnace ; of Tobias from his blindness ; Saviour's mercy for himself and for all man- of Peter and Paul from the dungeon ; of
Job from demoniac tribulations ; of David from Saul ; of Joseph from his brothers' hands ; of the Israelites from Egyptian
kind, through the merits and sufferings of
those saints he has named and enumerated.
He asks through the merits of their dis-
membered bodies ; through their bodies bondage ; of Peter from the sea-waves ; of
piercedwithlances; throughtheirwounds;
through their groans ; through their relics ;
through their blanched countenances ;
through their bitter tears ; through all the household, to be saved, as St. Patrick had sacrifices offered of the Saviour's own Body been, from the poisoned drink at Teamhar and Blood, as it is in heaven, upon the holy [Tara], and as St. Coemhghin [Kevin] had altars ; through the blood that flowed from been at Gleann da locha [Glendalough],
the Saviour's own side ; through His sacred
Humanity ; and through His Divinity in union with the Holy Spirit and the Hea-
from perils of the mountain.
*^ See likewise Rev. Matthew Kelly's
" Dissertations chiefly on Irish Church His-
venly Father. After this long invocation, tory. " Edited by Rev. D. M'Carthy, D. D. , Aengus says the brethren of his order deemed pp. 215, 216.
all his
prayers
and
petitions
too little
;
^3 It may be observed, that these tracts
from his father's hands. He entreats Jesus,
through intercession of His Holy Mother, to save him, as Jacob was saved from the
hands of his brother, and as John [Paul] was saved from the viper's venom. He again recurs to examples found in the Old Testament. He mentions the saving of David from Goliath's sword ; the saving of Susanna from her dangers ; of Nineveh from
;
Gilba [Gilboa] ; of Daniel from the lion's
den ; of Moses from the hands of Faro
[Pharaoh] ; of the three youths from the
Johnfromthefierycaldron; ofMartinfrom the priest of the idol. Again, he beseeches Jesus, through intercession of the heavenly
particular manner,
4-
foregoing.
over three columns.
9' As the brothers, who were sons to
part ii», sect, ii. , pp. 137, 138. He was wrong in stating, that a copy of this was in
that part of the Book of Leinster, kept in Trinity College, Dublin. He alluded to
Aed,toNessan,&c. orasonof—. ,
9^ As the daughters of — or the daughter
— Book of " of fol. 16, col. I. yEngus'
INTROD UCTION.
Treatise, he gives the different distinctions of those saints in classes ; he enu-
merates 345 bishopSj^-^ 299 abbots and priests,^^ and seventy-eight deacons. ^^ These he has comprised within the hmits of three chapters. The second Tract is known as the " Homonymi," or the enumeration of saints bearing similar names, but distinguished by various other titles. ^7 It mentions 855 distinct persons, under sixty-two different names, and it is divided into two parts; thefirstpartcontainingfiftychapters,onholymenofthesamename,^^ and the second, twelve chapters on holy women. ^9 The third Treatise, known as the " Book of Sons," divides the saints into another classification. 9° It names saints, who are descended from the same father, and afterwards only sons, each cited by the father's name. 9' Lastly, are enumerated female saints, in their descent from the same father. ? ^ The names of ninety-four fathers,93 who had one saint, or more saints than one, as children, are here preserved, although the number of saints cannot always be discovered. ^* The fourth Tract comprises the names of 210 saints, with their maternal genealogy. 9s It would appear from this title, that the paternal genealogy of these saints had beenpreviouslywritten,eitherbyanotherhand,orbythatofyEngus. The fifth " Book of Litanies" enumerates, in form of an invocation, a long list of saints. 9^ In several of its invocations, the principal name, with associated disciples, is generally found. 97 This name usually pertains to the saint who
seem to be comprised in the ten folia, ex- tracted from the Book of Leinster.
^* In the itn folia, these names begin with Patrick, and end with Cobthach, fol. II,
col.
^s At the end of col. 4, this list begins,
and it occupies nearly four columns.
^ These begin at fol. 12, col. 4.
^^ Half-way down col. 5, this commences.
Copies of this list are contained in the " Book
of Ballymote," as also, in the "Book of Lecain. "
^ Thus all those named Aedan are given first : all those named Aed, Brenain, Coluim, &C, , are regularly tabulated, in alphabetical order.
^ Their names follow on a plan similar to
9* Here in the 10 folia, other tracts occur,
which as they are not attributed to the
authorship of St. ^ngus, Colgan passes over.
95 At fol. 18, and on the first column of fol. 19, these matrons are numbered from I
93, by Colgan for purposes of reference ; while the numbers thus given correspond
"
with the figures quoted in his
torum Hibemire," and "Trias Thau-
the
9° At fol. 15, col. 3. This list extends terior to the Anglo-Norman Invasion,"
of Irish Saints," and not to his "Litany. " This is to be found in the ' ' Leabhar-Mor Duna Doighre. " the worn state of this old Codex. See See Professor O'Curry's "Lectures on the "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xi. Martii. Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish His-
Vita S. ^ngussii, cap. xiv. , p. 581. tory," Lect. xviii. , n. 47, p. 381.
93 Colgan adds, that he omitted other
names,
which he could not to read, owing
"
9^ This begins near the top of col. 2, fol.
19.
97 In Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nige," Martii viii. Vita S. Senani, n. 11,
p. 535, a part of this Litany is quoted. Dr. Petrie also introduces this extract into his " Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland an-
maturga.
Pedigrees
Acta Sanc-
INTRODUCTION. XXV
presided over a particular monastery,? ^ with the number of holy disciples under his nile ;99 or to a saint who was buried at some particular church, with
his who " in the Lord '°° or to some companions, slept /' perchance
apostle, who, with his numerous band of missionaries, went forth to preach the Gospel
to benighted nations. ^°^ The names, or native places of many foreigners, who flocked to the hives of learning and sanctity in Ireland, are noted in an especialmanner/"^ HerearefoundinvokedthenamesofItalian,Egyptian? British, and Gallic saints, who had been buried in Ireland. ^°3
It has been incorrectly asserted, that the foregoing work is sometimes
called " altogether
which means, the Metrical or Yet, it would appear from Colgan's statement, that the
Psalter. ^°4 Saltair-na-rann" was
Saltair-na-rann,"
Multipartite "
a distinct treatise. '°5 After
describing
" De Sanctis
Hibemiae,"
'-" Some years ag;o, Dr. Todd examined
characters ; while on the opposite side, there is a correct English translation, by a
this MS. , containing ten folia, which he
foimd to have constituted a part of the "Book
of Leinster. " This fact would seem to iden-
tify it with the MS. seen at Louvain, and
described by Father Soller, the BoUandist,
as we have already stated. In point of an- the Archives of St. Isidore's Franciscan tiquity, this version dates back to the first Convent, at Rome.
'°^
See Dr. Lanigan's" Ecclesiastical His- contain the Martyrology of Tallaght—to tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , § x. ,
half of the twelfth century. These folia
which allusion has been already made—to- gether with five of seven works attributed to ^ngus. Ward and Colgan consulted this MS. ; for their readings seem to have been marked, and these are very useful in assisting the Irish scholar to decipher certain words. However legible in their time, these are nearly altogether defaced at present. In Ward's and O'Sheerin's Acts of St. Rumold, published at Louvain in 1662, this Litany is quoted at great length, p. 206. With the exception of the groups of seven bishops, nearly all the saints, whose intercession is
invoked, are given.
99 The 8vo paper MSS. , No. 40, 4, in the
p. 247. In note 106, p. 251, he remarks
"Litany of St.
"" See also Harris' Ware, vol. iii. ,
"WritersofIreland,"booki. , chap,v. ,pp.
52, 53-
"^ There is an incomplete copy of this
Litany in the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A. copy. ^=^3 The portion of this work, known as the Litany, has been translated and published
"
for the first time in the Irish Ecclesiastical
Record," vol. iii. Nos. xxxii. and xxxiii. ,
for May and June, 1867. The original Irish occupies one side of the page, in the Irish
R. I. A. , contains the
yEngus. "
'°° At the end of the
in the ten folia, there is some memorandum in Irish.
Litany,
"
competent scholar, writing under the initials B. M. C. Explanatory notes are found at the foot of nearly all those pages. A learned dissertation precedes this Litany, taken from
" Under this title,
says {ib. , p . 582) that it appears in some old Irish MSS. , and that he got a part of it, with the inscription, from Saltair-na-rann composed by Aengus Cele-De. He observes that the latest saint mentioned in it is St. Tigeniach,sonofSt. Mella,andfounderof Doire-melle (see chap, xix. , sec. 13), who died abbot of Kill-achad, in the now county of Cavan, on the 4th of November, A. D. 805 (806). See AA. SS. p. 796, and Arch- dall at Kilachad. This is a strong proof of the assertion that Aengus was the author of this work. " He seems also to have written —at least a great part of it—after the ninth
century commenced.
'°5 There is a MS. Martyrology, entitled,
on this passage :
Colgan
Saltair-na-Rann," preserved in the British Museum [Egerton, 185]. It is a thin, small quarto-sized volume in verse, and with the exception of a few pages, it has been written in the bold and accurate hand of Dubhal- tach Mac Firbisigh, about the year 1650. It consists of sixty-seven pages, containing five quatrains, or twenty lines, on each page. The title is in accordance with the second quatrain, which, as Anglicized, thus begins : "The Saltair of the verses shall be the name
Of my poem : it is not an unwise title. "
xxvi INTRODUCTION.
he mentions the " Saltair-na-rann" as having been composed in the Irish
language ; and, of course, as being distinct from the first named treatise, which had been written mostly in Latin. '°^ Yet, it must be confessed, that the sentences employed by Colgan in his account are rather ambiguous. ^°7
"
The work entitled,
De Sanctis Hibemiae,'' does not appear to have been a
metrical composition, as may be seen in extracts taken from it, and found in
many of Colgan's notes. The " Saltair-na-rann" comprises a History of the
Old Testament,^°^ written in verse,'°3 and which is attributed to ^ngus as its
author. We are informed, that the Chronicle of ^ngus Ceile De, known as
"""
Saltair-na-rann," /. e. Saltair of the Poems" or Verses," has been so
because " sailm" means a " It contains one hundred and psalm. ""°
called,
fifty poems, composed in the finest style of the Gaelic language, as under- stoodintheeighthcentury. '" Thiswork,attributedto^ngusCeileDe, has been called " and it is distributed into
Saltair-na-rann,""
Written in the form of prayers, it tends to raise the reader's mind to the love
of God, and to the celebration of His praise, for all the Creator's works are referred to His greater glory, and rest upon His power, as their final cause.
voted to him. The modem writer, who supplied Mac Firbis's omissions, has ad- mitted some incorrections. See "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient
Irish History," Lect. xvii. , pp. 360, 361, and Appendix, No. cix. , p. 609.
'"s Harris this work had been written says,
"
conflatura in quibusdam antiquis patriae a distinct work from the " Psaltar-na-
This "Saltair-na-Rann," however, is en-
tirely distinct from that of Aengus Ceile
De. '°*
Dr. Geoffrey Keating attributes to the
" authorship of St. iEngus a Saltair-na-
'*
Rann. " See History of Ireland. " Pre-
face. »o7
membranis patrio sermone intitulatur Sal-
tuir-na-rann : quae vol Latine reddita Psal-
terium metricum, nunc Psalterium multipar-
titum denotat. Et in utroque sensu, diversa
S. — recte sic inscribi Aengussii opera pote-
rant. V "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," xi. MartiL Vita S. Aengussii, cap. xv. , pp. 581, 582.
O'Mahony's edition, p.
Ixii.
Opus ex jam memoratis opusculis
in elegant metre, but he seems to regard it as
«* The other " Saltair-na-Rann," to
which allusion has been made in a preceding
note, contains three hundred and twelve
quatrains, written in the inferior Gaelic of
the sixteenth, if not of a later century. Yet,
it is not, strictly speaking, a Gaelic Martyr-
o'ogy J for all the Irish saints Professor
O'Curry could discover in it were , St. Pat-
rick, St. Brigid of Kildare, St. Ciaran of property of Sir William Betham. It is Saighir, and St. Ciaran of Clonmacnois.
to the
According poet's arrangement, every
of six folio — written upwards pages, closely
quatrain commenced with a saint's name, on the largest size vellum. " "Chronolo-
but sometimes there are three or even four quatrains devoted to one day, as the number
gical Account of nearly Four Hundred Irish
Writers," p. liv.
"3 In Harris' vol. " Writersof Ware, iii. ,
"
Ireland, book i. , chap, v. , p. 33, it is said,
of festivals to fall within it. happened
Every saint, however, has a separate quatrain de-
Rann. "
"" Dr. Jeoffrey Keating adds, that "sal-
tair" means a
"
a psaltery," or a book con-
taining many "duans," or "verses. " See
of Ireland. " Preface.
"History O'Mahony's
edition, p. Ixxi.
'"The VIII. vol. of O'Longan MSS. , in
the R. I. A. , contains Poems of Aengus the
Culdee, pp. 52 to 54.
'" This is most probably the work de-
scribed by O'Reilly, where he says
" :
Aen- Psalter-na-rann,' which is an abridged history of the descendants of Abraham, from the birth of Isaac until after the death of Moses The Psal- ter-na-rann is preserved in a large MS. , the
gus also wrote the
'
written in a fine strong hand, and occupies
parts. "3
INTR OD UCTION. xxvu The foregoing reasons are assigned for this work deserving the title of " Sal-
"
testifies and evidence persuades us, that it had been thus inscribed and com-
MS. , from which the treatise,
Homonymi," already described, has been ex-
that some ascribed to Aengus a Psalter-na- Rann, being a miscellany on Irish affairs, in
''
greatly contributed for many years to the advancement and preservation of Ireland's orthodox and persecuted faith. At length, having endured various trials and tortures,
multipartite psalter. ""S Colgan adds, both authority
tair-na-rann,""< or the
posed by St. -^ngus. The authority assigned is that of an old parchment
"
tracted. It was sent from Ireland"^ to Colgan. It bore the following title :
*'
Homonymi Hiberniae Sancti ex Saltair-na-rann, quod composuit . ^ngus- sius Keledeus. " We are the more induced to believe, that this had been a work of St. ^ngus, since there is no saint found in any portion of it, who had not departed life before his time, or who had not been, at least, his con- temporary. "7 For,althoughourannalsrelatethedeathofSt. Melditribius in the year 840, yet, it is doubtful, if he be the saint bearing that name, and mentioned in the fortieth chapter of the second tract, as already described. "^
There are some Pedigrees of Irish saints yet existing, and these have beengenerallyascribedtoAengusCeileDe. SeveralcopiesofthisTreatise are preserved in our ancient MSS. ; but it is doubtful, if any such copies datebackintheirpresent,state,tothetimeofAengus. Inthosecopieswe po ssess, there may be defections or additions, as compared with the original
prose and verse, Latin and Irish.
wrote no such work," says Dr. Lanigan,
"and his ovily Psalter, ox Saltair-na-rann,
were those above mentioned.
