Having
attained
a good old age, he was crowned with this martyrdom, in Kentyre,^° towards the close of the sixth century.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
There is an Irish Poem, by Rumann Mac Colman, which enables us to identify the Constantine, King and Martyr, who is entered in the Carthusian Auctarium, to the great work of Usuard,^' and to whom several important Scottishchurcheshavebeendedicated.
Thelegendiswildandstrange,and not without some confusion, as to date.
^^ From a careful examination of what Rumann Mac Colman states,^3 it is evident, that Constantine, the British King, settled at Rahen, long before the time of St.
Mochuda.
According to Bishop Forbes, there seem to have been two distinct saints, bearing this name : one was King of the Britons, who resigned his crown and came to Scotland, where he converted Kintyre, and who died, a. d. 588 ; while another was Constantine, son of Fergus, of the Picts, who succeeded Mochuda, at Rathin, somewhat later than the year 630. ^'* Born about the beginning of the sixth century, our Constantine was the son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall,^5 according to one account. ^^ The Breviary of Aberdeen^^ calls him, the son of Paternus, King of Cornubia, and it states, that he married the daughter of the King of Lesser Britannia. He is said, by some writers, to have ruled over the Britons, and by others, it is related, that he was King over the Picts. The former account accords best with historic truth. He
was a nephew of the renowned King Arthm", and during his early life, he was a soldier, remarkable, too, for his fiery valour. He has been classed among those famous Knights of the Round Table. ^^ At all events, he figures promi- nently in ancient British history. ^9 When his valiant uncle had obtained a glorious victory, and yet had received his death wound, on the field of Cam- Ian, A. D, 542,3° Arthur is said to have nominated Constantine as his successor ; and, the British forces continued for several years afterwards, to fight under his banner, against the Saxon inva'ders. Nevertheless, if we may credit the fierce invective against him which Gildas wrote, his early life was stained with
gross iniquity. Some writers tell us that, to secure his supremacy, he cruelly murdered the two sons of Mordred, King of the Britons, and who, from their
father's position and their relationship to King Arthur, might, he feared, lay claim to the throne. 3^ Other writers, however, intimate, that those young
"^ See " Rerum Scoticarum Historia," lib.
""^At'die uth'ofMaSi,'^''In Scotia S. Constantiniregisetmartyris. "
-See Bishop Forbes' -Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 311, 312.
*3 See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Archi-
^9 As one of '"^
""'
lecture of
subsect. 2, pp. 353 to 356.
3° gge Matthew of "
'*
That of the Rev, John Adams.
Quhen he saw the greit calamitie
And seruitude tha Britis war in brocht, He traistit weill the greit falsheid tha
wrocht
In the defrauding of the King Modreid,
Quhilk richteous was till Uter to succeid j
Into his mynd thairfoir he dred so soir, That was tlie caus that tha war puneist foir, Within himself richt havelie he buir,
Ireland," &c. , part ii. ,
sect,
iii. ,
Westminster, "Floras Historiarmn, a. d, dxlii. , p. 192.
=* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of the ScottishSaints,"p,312.
3i The " Bulk of the Chronicles of Scot* "
=s See Matthew of Historiarum," A. D. dxlii. , p, 192,
' ' Flores
=7 See Pars Hyemalis, fol. Ixvii,
"* " In Harding's
are told, that
Metrical Chronicle," we
"
Duke Cador's sone of Cornwall bounteous Afore had been one of the table rounde In Arthure's time,"
Westminster,
"
land says:—
fellowship of famous
Kni^h^s^^'"'^
-. tt, "r. v
Whereof the world holds record. "
"
See John Speed's
taine," book vii. , chap. 12, pp. 335, 336.
uv u
, »,
Historie of Great Bri-
320 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
men stirred up rebellion against him, making common cause with the Saxon foe,32 and thus bringing down just retribution upon themselves. 33 However, thosewhohadrebelledagainsthimweresubdued. Oneofhisopponents fled to the Church of St. Amphibalus, at Winchester, where he thought to take sanctuary. Notwithstanding, he was murdered by Constantine himself, before the altar. His other adversary became a refugee in London. Yet, he too was taken prisoner, in a monastery, and put to a cruel death. 34 These sacrilegious and wicked proceedings caused Gildas^s to pen that celebrated Epistle, in which he so vehemently inveighs against the king. Constantine is called, in it, the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia ; while, he is also accused of being a murderer, a perjurer and an adulterer. This was written in or soon after a. d. 543. Constantine, King of Cornwall, became the chief sovereign of the league, formed by the lesser British Kings, after the death of King Arthur. 3^ We may fairly infer, that in consequence of Gildas' invective, Constantine was filled with remorse, and reflecting on hispreviouswickedness,heresolvedtobecomeatruepenitent. Theperiod assigned for this change of heart is referred to a. d. 588. 37 According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, the untimely death of his wife,32 daughter to the King of lesser Britain, caused Constantine to abandon his kingdom and to resolve on leading a religious life. 39 Both causes probably combined to induce him to leave his country and friends. So completely did he sever himself from the world, that he was supposed by some to have been killed in battle. '*" Somewritersaffirm,thathewasmurderedbyConan,hissuccessor. ^ But, in reality, he seems first to have retired to the monastery, at Menevia, having left to his son, the charge of his kingdom. Thus, he seemed in complete isolation, and a general impression prevailed, that he had departed from this life. But some say, writes Florilegus, that he became a monk, and died only in a religious sense. '*^ This latter hypothesis, no doubt, is the correct one.
So wranguslie he tuke on him sic cuir, In the defrauding of the richteous air. "
32 See Matthew of Westminster, " Flores Historiarum," at A. D. 543, p. 192.
33 " He was," says Fabyan, " by the two
sonnes of Mordred grievously vexed, for so
Quhat wes the caus he puneist him so soir,
Richt quyetlie on to Ybernia,
Into ane bark he passit on ane da ; Kinrik and Croun and all the world for-
suik,
And syne on him religious habit tuke. "
myche as they claymed the lande by the
ryghte of tytle of theyr father. So that be- 39
'«
Constantinus, paterni regis Cornubia:
twene hym and them were foughten many
filius, regis Britannise minoris filiam duxit in
uxorem, sed ecce ! sinistrante fortuna mori-
tur regina ; de cujus mortis dolore cum rex
and sundry bataylles. "
3* See Matthew of Westminster's
a. d. dxliii. ,
35 See his Life, at the 29th of January.
3* See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect. X. , n. 168, pp. 486, 487.
37 According to the Annals of Tighernach and of Ulster. See Ussher's " Index Chro-
Historiarum,"
p. 192.
consolari
filio suo et — noluerit, regnum ipsius
nologicus," at A. D. dlxxxviii.
Britan-
Conanus ;
"
empto,
nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," p. 533. *'
Proripuitque sibi regiones, rege per- nunc debiliter nee cum ratione
38Th—e BulkofChroniclesofScotland"
states
**
Quas —"
:
" Thairfoir his ladie, plesant and preclair, The quhilk he louit ouir all erthlie thing,
And sonis als after him suld quhilk
gubernat. " 1132 to 1 136.
Vita Merlini," 11.
ring, The hand of God departit hes him fro,
*' See of Monmouth's Geoffrey
And left himself richt destitute in wo.
^^ He tuum. "
writes,
See " Annales Alford,
Syne quhen quhairfoir,
he knew the caus
quhy
and
Ecclesire,"
"
" Prselia dira movens violavit cuncta
"
Flores
regimen consultius commisit et tradidit. "
*'
Breviarium Aberdonense," fol. Ixvii.
^° " Nee cum pace fuit, quoniam cognatus in ilium,
book xi. , chap. xv.
A. D. 545, tome ii.
History, "et sancte demum mor-
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 321
and it receives confirmation, from the following passage in a Life of St. David : 43 " When the fame of David's holiness was spread abroad, kings, princes, and men of the world, left their posts, and sought his monastery.
Hence, it came to pass, that Constantine, King of the Cornishmen, forsook his kingdom, and submitted his stubborn neck, which had never before been bridled, to the yoke of humility, in the cell of his father, and there he remained a long time performing faithful services. " Afterwards, bidding adieu to all his friends, and going on ship-board, he sailed over to Ireland, and there he desired to remain unknown and unnoticed for the remainder of his days. Some contradictions of narrative remain to be solved, in reference to his stay. According to Hector Boece,44 when Constantine retired to Ireland, with his wifeandchildren,heassumedthedisguiseofapoorman. Helabouredfor some time in the service of a miller, for love of Christ. It is generally held, however, that he took service in a monastery. At length, a monk discovered whoConstantinewas; foroneday,thinkinghimselftobealone,hethussoli-
" Am I plumedhelmet,andwhosebodywascladinacoatofmail-armour? " This he repeated more than once, and each time he replied in a negative sense. A monk or some other person was lurking near, and these expressions were overheard. Thewordswerereportedtotheabbotandtotheothermembers of his religious community. They hasten to him without delay, and bring Constantine within their enclosure. ^s At last, the royal exile was persuaded to assume the religious habit, in their monastery, and to shave his head, as the sign of his profession. He began his studies, and in due course, he be- came a priest. t^ While living in the Irish monastery, Constantine was a pattern of all virtues to the other monks. *? He is said, to have sought out St. Columba, and to have been selected by him to seek out St. Kentigern, in Galloway, where he was elected abbot, and where he reformed the morals of his flock. s We are informed, that King Constantine came to the monastery of Rahen, in the time of St. Carthage ; yet, this is quite incorrect, for, it seems evident, he had long preceded Carthage, in that place, where he cleared a plain, which after him was called Magh Constantine. *^ In the Festilogy of
loquized :
Constantine, King
of whose head bore the Cornubia,
"
abdicated his kingdom, he there became a monk, or according to some
Calendars, an abbot. According to Colgan, Constantine entered Rahen, in the barony of Ballycowan, King's County, as a monk, and some writers state,
St. ^ngus, he is called,
King of Rathen," but this only means, that having
he immediately succeeded St. Carthage as abbot there ^° \
this account It should then be allowed, that he must have been alive, after the year 630, or thereabouts : and, this cannot be asserted of a man, who had been King of Cornubia, or Cornwall, in 543. We find it related, that this distinguished stranger obtained a large tract of land, near Rahen, which he cleared. s^ This belonged
*3 The original was written in the twelfth died in 778, See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals
or thirteenth century. of the Four Masters," at A. D. 703, 765.
•* "
See Hystorie Scotorum," lib. ix. Also the "Annals of Tighernach," at A. D.
This writer is silent as to his early excesses.
appears altogether inconsistent, with the facts of history.
"
legend,
as found in the
« Such is the
Breviary of Aberdeen. "
** The Irish Annals abound with examples
*^ See Hector Boece's " Scoto- Hystorie
of the exchange of the regal for the monastic
or clerical condition. Thus, at A. D. 703,
Ceallach, King of Connaught, Sellach of the
Dalriada, in 723, and Echtan of the Picts in
724 are examples. Niall Freasach, King of Ireland, after a reign of seven years, retired
to Hy, and, having taken the religious habit
Aberdeen. "
*^ Such is the Poet Rumann Mac Col-
man's account.
so This, however, is not the opinion of Dr. Petrie. See " Ecclesiastical Architecture of
Ireland," &c. , part ii. , sect, iii. , subsect. 2, pp. 353 to 356.
723, 724.
ram," lib. ix. " *^ Such is the account, in the
Breviary of
but,
X
32 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March ii.
"
Constantine's plain. " There was a town and church in this plain called Cell-Belaigh. These, Rumann, a poet, endowed with a third of his wealth. Such was the influx of foreigners here, at one time, that, as we are told, they inhabited ex- clusively seven streets. s^ It must be observed, however, that too much obscurity prevails, in reference to the period, when this royal penitent lived in Ireland. After spending some time there, Boece states, that the bishop of the district where he lived sent hun to instruct the people of Scotland in the Faith of Christ. 53 Fordun tells us,54 that Constantine, King of Cornwall, was a contemporary with St. Columba,5s and that he came with the latter, in
565,toScotia,wherehepreachedthefaith,bothtotheScotsandPicts. How-
ever, it is very remarkable, that neither Cumineus, Adarnnan,^^ Prince O'Don- nell, nor any other early writer of St. Columba's Acts, class him among those hiscompanions,whoarenamed. 57 NordoeshisnameappearamongSt. Co- lumba's disciples, as found in any of his Acts, so that we must relegate this statement to the file of spurious traditions. At what particular period he left Rahen for Scotland is altogether uncertain. Ussher thinks, it was when St. Columba last left Ireland. s^ Constantine founded the church of Govan,59 on the River Clyde. It is said, he desired the crown of martyrdom, and he heard a voice from heaven assuring him, that his wishes should be crowned. He converted the inhabitants of Kyntyre or Cantire to Christianity. Some wicked persons came to the place, where he lived, and, according to the Aberdeen Breviary, they cut off his hand, which was again healed. Then, they inflicted various wounds, cutting off his arm, and leaving him almost dead, they departed. Callmg his brethren towards him, Constantine felt consoled, and soon he slept in peace.
Having attained a good old age, he was crowned with this martyrdom, in Kentyre,^° towards the close of the sixth century. He was slain, by the Scottes, according to Boece, and " eckit to the nowmer of martiris. " ^^ While the Breviary of Aberdeen places his death, so early as s76,^^ Ussher^3 and Colgan have 590,^'^ while Bishop Forbes gives a. d. 596. ^5 it is related, that he was buried in his own church, at Govan. This great penitent, on the authority of Scottish writers, is classed
to Rahen Monastery, and it was called Magh-Constantine, or
^^
churches were formerly dedicated to his memory,^? as Boece takes occasion
5' The foregoing particulars are related by
Annals of Tighernach, at the year 747, The
original of his poem is said to have been
copied from the Book of Rahin, See, Dr,
"
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol, iii. , chap. Ixxv. , pp. 624, 625,
among St. Columkille's disciples, by Colgan.
Several of the Scottish
Rumann Mac Colmain, called the of Virgil
F. S. A. , Scot "
of the Ireland, and whose death is entered in the of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol, ii,, pp.
212 to 216,
^ See "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. Martyr- ology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen, from a MS. of the sixteenth century, com-
municated by David Laing, Esq. , F,S,A. , 5^ See Rev. A, Cogan's Diocese of Scotland, p. 262.
Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ire- land," &c. , part ii. , sect, iii. , subs. 2, pp. 353 to 356. "
Petrie's
53 See " Scotorum," lib, ix.
rum," tomus Martii xi. De S. Constan- ii. ,
tino Rege, &c. , num. i, p. 64.
"
Hystorie
Scotichronicon," vol. i. , lib. iii. ,
54 See
cap. 26, p. 130. Goodall's edition.
"
*3 gee Index Chronologicus, A. D. DXC.
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates,"
55 See his Life, at the 9th of June.
5* See his Life, at the 23rd ol September.
pp. 533, 534.
^* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise,"
Lanigan's
xiv. , n. 161, p. 166.
5* This departure is placed at A. D. 590.
See Index Ciironologicus. "Britannicarum
Ecclesiarum Antiquitntes," pp. 533, 534.
"5 See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 311.
°*
See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columba, cap. x. , p. 4S9.
5s See
"
Notices of the early History of
" Ecclesiastical His-
57 See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect. Martii xi. De S. Constantino Rege, p. 578.
the Parish of Govan," By J. C. Roger, Esq. ,
*' *^
See Bellenden's Boece, vol. ii,, p. 88,
See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
Proceedings
Society
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 323
to state. ^^ Besides the church of Govan,^9 the churches of Kirkconstantine,7° of Kenneil, or KinnouV' and Dunnechtyn or Dunnichen? ^ held the earlier King Constantine in esteem as chief patron. 73 The following churches are dedicated to a later King Constantine : Kilchousland in Cantyre,74 St. Cows- tin in Stornoway,7s St. Constantine in Inverness,? ^ Garabost in Ey, St. Cows- Ian or St. Cutchew,77 Crawfordjohn,7^ Edigham Chapel,79 Urr,^° and Colmanell. ^' It seems undecided to what Constantine, Chonsland Chapel,^* near Cranston, had been dedicated. ^3 Several local memorials of Constan- tine's veneration remain in Cornwall, although we have no historical record of his mission there. From a very remote period, a parish has been called after him, in the Deanery of Kirrier. Some crumbling ruins, denominated St. Constantine's Chapel, with a welP"* near, were on the shore of St. Merrin, not far from Padstow. As a rule, whenever an ancient church bears the name of a British Saint, that saint was generally its founder ; churches only which owe their origin to monastic institutions being an exception, and some- times deriving their names from that of the parent monastery. We may be- lieve then, that on the site of the Parish Church of St. Constantine, as well as on that of the old chapel, on the sands of St. Merrin, oratories of the saint himself once stood. ^5 At what time of his life, Constantine occupied those places, we have not sufficient data to determine ; but, we are told, in an old Life of St. Petrock, that on his return to Cornwall, a certain rich man, called Constantine, who lived in the vicinity of the saint's hermitage, was restored to
''^
May we not venture to identify this Constantine with the saint of that name, and
suppose, that he built those oratories, immediately after his conversion, and before his departure to Ireland ? It may be, that he was attracted to the coast of St. Merrin, by its contiguity to Petrock's abode at Padstow ; and, as regards the other centre of his ministerial labours in the parish, which still preserves his name, there could have been no spot in his native land more likely at that time to kindle the interest and zeal of a courageous follower of Christ, for it was one of the strongholds of Druidism. On the bleak granite
health by his prayers, and that afterwards he became a Christian teacher.
^ See Bisliop Challoner's " Britannia Sancta," part i. , pp. 169, 170.
pars, ii. , p. 381. Martin's " Western Isies," p. 27.
'* Sae "Origines Parocliiales Scotiae,"
*®
^See the "
See Bellendeii's Edition, vol. ii. , p. 88.
the
p. 17,
land," Lanark, p. 675,
Statistical Account of
Forfar-
*5 " St. Merran or Adjoining
of Martyrology Aberdeen,"
i. ,
pars, p. 163.
'^ See "Lib, Cart. Sanctse 42, 55.
Parochiales
" New Statistical Account of Scot-
"Origines
Scotise," pars, i. ,
Crucis," pp.
'° See "
122. This may have been identical with Govan.
7' Near Perth. See "
Aberdeen," "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. xxiii. , p. 551.
7= See ibid. , vol. i,, p. 422. Also " New
^' See 61. ibid. , pp. 19,
Registrum Glasg. ,"
vol.
i. , p.
*^ See " New Statistical Account of Scot-
shire, p. 152. There is St. Cousland's Fair
"
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. Martyr-
ology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen,
and St. Cousland's Flaw.
Martyrology
of
^^ See Forbes' " Kalendars of Bishop
Scotland,"
Harlyn Warren was in ancient times a village with
a chapel, or, as it is said, a parish church, 73 See Proceedings of the Society of dedicated to St. Constantine ; some ruins of
from a MS. of the sixteenth century, p. 262. "
this building still remain, consisting of part of the east end, some broken arches and pillars, and a considerable part of the tower ; a richly-ornamented aisle is said to have been standing till about the year 1780. "— Lyson's "Cornwall," p. 226.
^^ " Quadam die [Petrocus] vidit cervum
ad se fugientem, quem Constantini cujusdam divitis servi venatores cum canibus seque- bantur. Hunc sanctus pietatis affectu con-
7^ See Origines Parochiales Scotiae," pars, ii. , p, 19, "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 536.
? 5 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- land," Inverness, p. 115.
'* See «'(5/^. , p. 126.
77 See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae,"
*°
See ibid. , p. 68,
land," Edinburgh, p. 192.
Scottish Saints," p. 314.
^'» It is built round with stone and arched
over—Hals.
324 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
downs, in its vicinity, there were many Druidical monuments, which in those remote days were high places of superstition. ^7 Various doubts have been thrown upon the identity of the Cornish Constantino, with the saint of that name, who toiled and died in Scotland, at the close of the sixth century. Haigh conjectures, that the Constantine, who abdicated his throne, whose conversion is recorded in the Annals of Cambria, Ulster, and Tighearnach, who sojourned in St. David's monastery, and subsequently evangelized the Picts of Cantyre, was a son of Muircheatach, an Irish king, who was banished from his own country, and who reigned for seven years in Britain ; but, his conjecture is supported by no historical evidence whatever. ^^ All the best autliorities concur, in designating the Scottish Constantine, as the son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall ; and, the identity receives further confirmation, from the fact, that the festival of the saint, in the Calendars both of Scotland andofIreland,isMarchnth. IntheCornishparishesabovementioned,his
feast is still kept on the Sunday nearest to that day. ^9 Besides, the allusion ""
to Constantine, King of Rathain, in the Feilire of St. ^ngus, the name of
Constantine, a Briton,5° with the words, "no Mac Fergusa do Cruthnech- "
aibh 9'' added, is the record we find in the Martyrology of Tallagh,92 con- cerninghim,atthenthofMarch. TheCalendarofCashel,accordingto Colgan, notices, also, St. Constantine of British origin, Abbot of Cul Rathain Mochudda, in the country of Delbhna, Meath : Marianus O'Gorman has Constantine a Briton, while his commentator adds, that he was the son of Ferguss, of Cruthenian origin, or according to others, a Briton, Abbot of Rathen of St. Mochuda. At this date, likewise, Cathal Maguire alludes to him, as being Constantine, King of the Britons, who abdicated his sove- reignty, and as a pilgrim came to Rathen, during the time of St. Mochudda. The same writer adds, that he was comorban or successor of St.
According to Bishop Forbes, there seem to have been two distinct saints, bearing this name : one was King of the Britons, who resigned his crown and came to Scotland, where he converted Kintyre, and who died, a. d. 588 ; while another was Constantine, son of Fergus, of the Picts, who succeeded Mochuda, at Rathin, somewhat later than the year 630. ^'* Born about the beginning of the sixth century, our Constantine was the son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall,^5 according to one account. ^^ The Breviary of Aberdeen^^ calls him, the son of Paternus, King of Cornubia, and it states, that he married the daughter of the King of Lesser Britannia. He is said, by some writers, to have ruled over the Britons, and by others, it is related, that he was King over the Picts. The former account accords best with historic truth. He
was a nephew of the renowned King Arthm", and during his early life, he was a soldier, remarkable, too, for his fiery valour. He has been classed among those famous Knights of the Round Table. ^^ At all events, he figures promi- nently in ancient British history. ^9 When his valiant uncle had obtained a glorious victory, and yet had received his death wound, on the field of Cam- Ian, A. D, 542,3° Arthur is said to have nominated Constantine as his successor ; and, the British forces continued for several years afterwards, to fight under his banner, against the Saxon inva'ders. Nevertheless, if we may credit the fierce invective against him which Gildas wrote, his early life was stained with
gross iniquity. Some writers tell us that, to secure his supremacy, he cruelly murdered the two sons of Mordred, King of the Britons, and who, from their
father's position and their relationship to King Arthur, might, he feared, lay claim to the throne. 3^ Other writers, however, intimate, that those young
"^ See " Rerum Scoticarum Historia," lib.
""^At'die uth'ofMaSi,'^''In Scotia S. Constantiniregisetmartyris. "
-See Bishop Forbes' -Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 311, 312.
*3 See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Archi-
^9 As one of '"^
""'
lecture of
subsect. 2, pp. 353 to 356.
3° gge Matthew of "
'*
That of the Rev, John Adams.
Quhen he saw the greit calamitie
And seruitude tha Britis war in brocht, He traistit weill the greit falsheid tha
wrocht
In the defrauding of the King Modreid,
Quhilk richteous was till Uter to succeid j
Into his mynd thairfoir he dred so soir, That was tlie caus that tha war puneist foir, Within himself richt havelie he buir,
Ireland," &c. , part ii. ,
sect,
iii. ,
Westminster, "Floras Historiarmn, a. d, dxlii. , p. 192.
=* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of the ScottishSaints,"p,312.
3i The " Bulk of the Chronicles of Scot* "
=s See Matthew of Historiarum," A. D. dxlii. , p, 192,
' ' Flores
=7 See Pars Hyemalis, fol. Ixvii,
"* " In Harding's
are told, that
Metrical Chronicle," we
"
Duke Cador's sone of Cornwall bounteous Afore had been one of the table rounde In Arthure's time,"
Westminster,
"
land says:—
fellowship of famous
Kni^h^s^^'"'^
-. tt, "r. v
Whereof the world holds record. "
"
See John Speed's
taine," book vii. , chap. 12, pp. 335, 336.
uv u
, »,
Historie of Great Bri-
320 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
men stirred up rebellion against him, making common cause with the Saxon foe,32 and thus bringing down just retribution upon themselves. 33 However, thosewhohadrebelledagainsthimweresubdued. Oneofhisopponents fled to the Church of St. Amphibalus, at Winchester, where he thought to take sanctuary. Notwithstanding, he was murdered by Constantine himself, before the altar. His other adversary became a refugee in London. Yet, he too was taken prisoner, in a monastery, and put to a cruel death. 34 These sacrilegious and wicked proceedings caused Gildas^s to pen that celebrated Epistle, in which he so vehemently inveighs against the king. Constantine is called, in it, the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia ; while, he is also accused of being a murderer, a perjurer and an adulterer. This was written in or soon after a. d. 543. Constantine, King of Cornwall, became the chief sovereign of the league, formed by the lesser British Kings, after the death of King Arthur. 3^ We may fairly infer, that in consequence of Gildas' invective, Constantine was filled with remorse, and reflecting on hispreviouswickedness,heresolvedtobecomeatruepenitent. Theperiod assigned for this change of heart is referred to a. d. 588. 37 According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, the untimely death of his wife,32 daughter to the King of lesser Britain, caused Constantine to abandon his kingdom and to resolve on leading a religious life. 39 Both causes probably combined to induce him to leave his country and friends. So completely did he sever himself from the world, that he was supposed by some to have been killed in battle. '*" Somewritersaffirm,thathewasmurderedbyConan,hissuccessor. ^ But, in reality, he seems first to have retired to the monastery, at Menevia, having left to his son, the charge of his kingdom. Thus, he seemed in complete isolation, and a general impression prevailed, that he had departed from this life. But some say, writes Florilegus, that he became a monk, and died only in a religious sense. '*^ This latter hypothesis, no doubt, is the correct one.
So wranguslie he tuke on him sic cuir, In the defrauding of the richteous air. "
32 See Matthew of Westminster, " Flores Historiarum," at A. D. 543, p. 192.
33 " He was," says Fabyan, " by the two
sonnes of Mordred grievously vexed, for so
Quhat wes the caus he puneist him so soir,
Richt quyetlie on to Ybernia,
Into ane bark he passit on ane da ; Kinrik and Croun and all the world for-
suik,
And syne on him religious habit tuke. "
myche as they claymed the lande by the
ryghte of tytle of theyr father. So that be- 39
'«
Constantinus, paterni regis Cornubia:
twene hym and them were foughten many
filius, regis Britannise minoris filiam duxit in
uxorem, sed ecce ! sinistrante fortuna mori-
tur regina ; de cujus mortis dolore cum rex
and sundry bataylles. "
3* See Matthew of Westminster's
a. d. dxliii. ,
35 See his Life, at the 29th of January.
3* See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect. X. , n. 168, pp. 486, 487.
37 According to the Annals of Tighernach and of Ulster. See Ussher's " Index Chro-
Historiarum,"
p. 192.
consolari
filio suo et — noluerit, regnum ipsius
nologicus," at A. D. dlxxxviii.
Britan-
Conanus ;
"
empto,
nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," p. 533. *'
Proripuitque sibi regiones, rege per- nunc debiliter nee cum ratione
38Th—e BulkofChroniclesofScotland"
states
**
Quas —"
:
" Thairfoir his ladie, plesant and preclair, The quhilk he louit ouir all erthlie thing,
And sonis als after him suld quhilk
gubernat. " 1132 to 1 136.
Vita Merlini," 11.
ring, The hand of God departit hes him fro,
*' See of Monmouth's Geoffrey
And left himself richt destitute in wo.
^^ He tuum. "
writes,
See " Annales Alford,
Syne quhen quhairfoir,
he knew the caus
quhy
and
Ecclesire,"
"
" Prselia dira movens violavit cuncta
"
Flores
regimen consultius commisit et tradidit. "
*'
Breviarium Aberdonense," fol. Ixvii.
^° " Nee cum pace fuit, quoniam cognatus in ilium,
book xi. , chap. xv.
A. D. 545, tome ii.
History, "et sancte demum mor-
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 321
and it receives confirmation, from the following passage in a Life of St. David : 43 " When the fame of David's holiness was spread abroad, kings, princes, and men of the world, left their posts, and sought his monastery.
Hence, it came to pass, that Constantine, King of the Cornishmen, forsook his kingdom, and submitted his stubborn neck, which had never before been bridled, to the yoke of humility, in the cell of his father, and there he remained a long time performing faithful services. " Afterwards, bidding adieu to all his friends, and going on ship-board, he sailed over to Ireland, and there he desired to remain unknown and unnoticed for the remainder of his days. Some contradictions of narrative remain to be solved, in reference to his stay. According to Hector Boece,44 when Constantine retired to Ireland, with his wifeandchildren,heassumedthedisguiseofapoorman. Helabouredfor some time in the service of a miller, for love of Christ. It is generally held, however, that he took service in a monastery. At length, a monk discovered whoConstantinewas; foroneday,thinkinghimselftobealone,hethussoli-
" Am I plumedhelmet,andwhosebodywascladinacoatofmail-armour? " This he repeated more than once, and each time he replied in a negative sense. A monk or some other person was lurking near, and these expressions were overheard. Thewordswerereportedtotheabbotandtotheothermembers of his religious community. They hasten to him without delay, and bring Constantine within their enclosure. ^s At last, the royal exile was persuaded to assume the religious habit, in their monastery, and to shave his head, as the sign of his profession. He began his studies, and in due course, he be- came a priest. t^ While living in the Irish monastery, Constantine was a pattern of all virtues to the other monks. *? He is said, to have sought out St. Columba, and to have been selected by him to seek out St. Kentigern, in Galloway, where he was elected abbot, and where he reformed the morals of his flock. s We are informed, that King Constantine came to the monastery of Rahen, in the time of St. Carthage ; yet, this is quite incorrect, for, it seems evident, he had long preceded Carthage, in that place, where he cleared a plain, which after him was called Magh Constantine. *^ In the Festilogy of
loquized :
Constantine, King
of whose head bore the Cornubia,
"
abdicated his kingdom, he there became a monk, or according to some
Calendars, an abbot. According to Colgan, Constantine entered Rahen, in the barony of Ballycowan, King's County, as a monk, and some writers state,
St. ^ngus, he is called,
King of Rathen," but this only means, that having
he immediately succeeded St. Carthage as abbot there ^° \
this account It should then be allowed, that he must have been alive, after the year 630, or thereabouts : and, this cannot be asserted of a man, who had been King of Cornubia, or Cornwall, in 543. We find it related, that this distinguished stranger obtained a large tract of land, near Rahen, which he cleared. s^ This belonged
*3 The original was written in the twelfth died in 778, See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals
or thirteenth century. of the Four Masters," at A. D. 703, 765.
•* "
See Hystorie Scotorum," lib. ix. Also the "Annals of Tighernach," at A. D.
This writer is silent as to his early excesses.
appears altogether inconsistent, with the facts of history.
"
legend,
as found in the
« Such is the
Breviary of Aberdeen. "
** The Irish Annals abound with examples
*^ See Hector Boece's " Scoto- Hystorie
of the exchange of the regal for the monastic
or clerical condition. Thus, at A. D. 703,
Ceallach, King of Connaught, Sellach of the
Dalriada, in 723, and Echtan of the Picts in
724 are examples. Niall Freasach, King of Ireland, after a reign of seven years, retired
to Hy, and, having taken the religious habit
Aberdeen. "
*^ Such is the Poet Rumann Mac Col-
man's account.
so This, however, is not the opinion of Dr. Petrie. See " Ecclesiastical Architecture of
Ireland," &c. , part ii. , sect, iii. , subsect. 2, pp. 353 to 356.
723, 724.
ram," lib. ix. " *^ Such is the account, in the
Breviary of
but,
X
32 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March ii.
"
Constantine's plain. " There was a town and church in this plain called Cell-Belaigh. These, Rumann, a poet, endowed with a third of his wealth. Such was the influx of foreigners here, at one time, that, as we are told, they inhabited ex- clusively seven streets. s^ It must be observed, however, that too much obscurity prevails, in reference to the period, when this royal penitent lived in Ireland. After spending some time there, Boece states, that the bishop of the district where he lived sent hun to instruct the people of Scotland in the Faith of Christ. 53 Fordun tells us,54 that Constantine, King of Cornwall, was a contemporary with St. Columba,5s and that he came with the latter, in
565,toScotia,wherehepreachedthefaith,bothtotheScotsandPicts. How-
ever, it is very remarkable, that neither Cumineus, Adarnnan,^^ Prince O'Don- nell, nor any other early writer of St. Columba's Acts, class him among those hiscompanions,whoarenamed. 57 NordoeshisnameappearamongSt. Co- lumba's disciples, as found in any of his Acts, so that we must relegate this statement to the file of spurious traditions. At what particular period he left Rahen for Scotland is altogether uncertain. Ussher thinks, it was when St. Columba last left Ireland. s^ Constantine founded the church of Govan,59 on the River Clyde. It is said, he desired the crown of martyrdom, and he heard a voice from heaven assuring him, that his wishes should be crowned. He converted the inhabitants of Kyntyre or Cantire to Christianity. Some wicked persons came to the place, where he lived, and, according to the Aberdeen Breviary, they cut off his hand, which was again healed. Then, they inflicted various wounds, cutting off his arm, and leaving him almost dead, they departed. Callmg his brethren towards him, Constantine felt consoled, and soon he slept in peace.
Having attained a good old age, he was crowned with this martyrdom, in Kentyre,^° towards the close of the sixth century. He was slain, by the Scottes, according to Boece, and " eckit to the nowmer of martiris. " ^^ While the Breviary of Aberdeen places his death, so early as s76,^^ Ussher^3 and Colgan have 590,^'^ while Bishop Forbes gives a. d. 596. ^5 it is related, that he was buried in his own church, at Govan. This great penitent, on the authority of Scottish writers, is classed
to Rahen Monastery, and it was called Magh-Constantine, or
^^
churches were formerly dedicated to his memory,^? as Boece takes occasion
5' The foregoing particulars are related by
Annals of Tighernach, at the year 747, The
original of his poem is said to have been
copied from the Book of Rahin, See, Dr,
"
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol, iii. , chap. Ixxv. , pp. 624, 625,
among St. Columkille's disciples, by Colgan.
Several of the Scottish
Rumann Mac Colmain, called the of Virgil
F. S. A. , Scot "
of the Ireland, and whose death is entered in the of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol, ii,, pp.
212 to 216,
^ See "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. Martyr- ology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen, from a MS. of the sixteenth century, com-
municated by David Laing, Esq. , F,S,A. , 5^ See Rev. A, Cogan's Diocese of Scotland, p. 262.
Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ire- land," &c. , part ii. , sect, iii. , subs. 2, pp. 353 to 356. "
Petrie's
53 See " Scotorum," lib, ix.
rum," tomus Martii xi. De S. Constan- ii. ,
tino Rege, &c. , num. i, p. 64.
"
Hystorie
Scotichronicon," vol. i. , lib. iii. ,
54 See
cap. 26, p. 130. Goodall's edition.
"
*3 gee Index Chronologicus, A. D. DXC.
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates,"
55 See his Life, at the 9th of June.
5* See his Life, at the 23rd ol September.
pp. 533, 534.
^* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise,"
Lanigan's
xiv. , n. 161, p. 166.
5* This departure is placed at A. D. 590.
See Index Ciironologicus. "Britannicarum
Ecclesiarum Antiquitntes," pp. 533, 534.
"5 See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 311.
°*
See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columba, cap. x. , p. 4S9.
5s See
"
Notices of the early History of
" Ecclesiastical His-
57 See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect. Martii xi. De S. Constantino Rege, p. 578.
the Parish of Govan," By J. C. Roger, Esq. ,
*' *^
See Bellenden's Boece, vol. ii,, p. 88,
See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
Proceedings
Society
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 323
to state. ^^ Besides the church of Govan,^9 the churches of Kirkconstantine,7° of Kenneil, or KinnouV' and Dunnechtyn or Dunnichen? ^ held the earlier King Constantine in esteem as chief patron. 73 The following churches are dedicated to a later King Constantine : Kilchousland in Cantyre,74 St. Cows- tin in Stornoway,7s St. Constantine in Inverness,? ^ Garabost in Ey, St. Cows- Ian or St. Cutchew,77 Crawfordjohn,7^ Edigham Chapel,79 Urr,^° and Colmanell. ^' It seems undecided to what Constantine, Chonsland Chapel,^* near Cranston, had been dedicated. ^3 Several local memorials of Constan- tine's veneration remain in Cornwall, although we have no historical record of his mission there. From a very remote period, a parish has been called after him, in the Deanery of Kirrier. Some crumbling ruins, denominated St. Constantine's Chapel, with a welP"* near, were on the shore of St. Merrin, not far from Padstow. As a rule, whenever an ancient church bears the name of a British Saint, that saint was generally its founder ; churches only which owe their origin to monastic institutions being an exception, and some- times deriving their names from that of the parent monastery. We may be- lieve then, that on the site of the Parish Church of St. Constantine, as well as on that of the old chapel, on the sands of St. Merrin, oratories of the saint himself once stood. ^5 At what time of his life, Constantine occupied those places, we have not sufficient data to determine ; but, we are told, in an old Life of St. Petrock, that on his return to Cornwall, a certain rich man, called Constantine, who lived in the vicinity of the saint's hermitage, was restored to
''^
May we not venture to identify this Constantine with the saint of that name, and
suppose, that he built those oratories, immediately after his conversion, and before his departure to Ireland ? It may be, that he was attracted to the coast of St. Merrin, by its contiguity to Petrock's abode at Padstow ; and, as regards the other centre of his ministerial labours in the parish, which still preserves his name, there could have been no spot in his native land more likely at that time to kindle the interest and zeal of a courageous follower of Christ, for it was one of the strongholds of Druidism. On the bleak granite
health by his prayers, and that afterwards he became a Christian teacher.
^ See Bisliop Challoner's " Britannia Sancta," part i. , pp. 169, 170.
pars, ii. , p. 381. Martin's " Western Isies," p. 27.
'* Sae "Origines Parocliiales Scotiae,"
*®
^See the "
See Bellendeii's Edition, vol. ii. , p. 88.
the
p. 17,
land," Lanark, p. 675,
Statistical Account of
Forfar-
*5 " St. Merran or Adjoining
of Martyrology Aberdeen,"
i. ,
pars, p. 163.
'^ See "Lib, Cart. Sanctse 42, 55.
Parochiales
" New Statistical Account of Scot-
"Origines
Scotise," pars, i. ,
Crucis," pp.
'° See "
122. This may have been identical with Govan.
7' Near Perth. See "
Aberdeen," "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. xxiii. , p. 551.
7= See ibid. , vol. i,, p. 422. Also " New
^' See 61. ibid. , pp. 19,
Registrum Glasg. ,"
vol.
i. , p.
*^ See " New Statistical Account of Scot-
shire, p. 152. There is St. Cousland's Fair
"
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. Martyr-
ology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen,
and St. Cousland's Flaw.
Martyrology
of
^^ See Forbes' " Kalendars of Bishop
Scotland,"
Harlyn Warren was in ancient times a village with
a chapel, or, as it is said, a parish church, 73 See Proceedings of the Society of dedicated to St. Constantine ; some ruins of
from a MS. of the sixteenth century, p. 262. "
this building still remain, consisting of part of the east end, some broken arches and pillars, and a considerable part of the tower ; a richly-ornamented aisle is said to have been standing till about the year 1780. "— Lyson's "Cornwall," p. 226.
^^ " Quadam die [Petrocus] vidit cervum
ad se fugientem, quem Constantini cujusdam divitis servi venatores cum canibus seque- bantur. Hunc sanctus pietatis affectu con-
7^ See Origines Parochiales Scotiae," pars, ii. , p, 19, "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 536.
? 5 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- land," Inverness, p. 115.
'* See «'(5/^. , p. 126.
77 See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae,"
*°
See ibid. , p. 68,
land," Edinburgh, p. 192.
Scottish Saints," p. 314.
^'» It is built round with stone and arched
over—Hals.
324 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
downs, in its vicinity, there were many Druidical monuments, which in those remote days were high places of superstition. ^7 Various doubts have been thrown upon the identity of the Cornish Constantino, with the saint of that name, who toiled and died in Scotland, at the close of the sixth century. Haigh conjectures, that the Constantine, who abdicated his throne, whose conversion is recorded in the Annals of Cambria, Ulster, and Tighearnach, who sojourned in St. David's monastery, and subsequently evangelized the Picts of Cantyre, was a son of Muircheatach, an Irish king, who was banished from his own country, and who reigned for seven years in Britain ; but, his conjecture is supported by no historical evidence whatever. ^^ All the best autliorities concur, in designating the Scottish Constantine, as the son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall ; and, the identity receives further confirmation, from the fact, that the festival of the saint, in the Calendars both of Scotland andofIreland,isMarchnth. IntheCornishparishesabovementioned,his
feast is still kept on the Sunday nearest to that day. ^9 Besides, the allusion ""
to Constantine, King of Rathain, in the Feilire of St. ^ngus, the name of
Constantine, a Briton,5° with the words, "no Mac Fergusa do Cruthnech- "
aibh 9'' added, is the record we find in the Martyrology of Tallagh,92 con- cerninghim,atthenthofMarch. TheCalendarofCashel,accordingto Colgan, notices, also, St. Constantine of British origin, Abbot of Cul Rathain Mochudda, in the country of Delbhna, Meath : Marianus O'Gorman has Constantine a Briton, while his commentator adds, that he was the son of Ferguss, of Cruthenian origin, or according to others, a Briton, Abbot of Rathen of St. Mochuda. At this date, likewise, Cathal Maguire alludes to him, as being Constantine, King of the Britons, who abdicated his sove- reignty, and as a pilgrim came to Rathen, during the time of St. Mochudda. The same writer adds, that he was comorban or successor of St.
