*5 ConorO'Brien
gave his hand to Cormac MacCarthy, brought him again into the world, made
him king of Desmond, while he dethroned and banished Donogh Mac
Carthy,whofledforrefugeintoConnaught.
gave his hand to Cormac MacCarthy, brought him again into the world, made
him king of Desmond, while he dethroned and banished Donogh Mac
Carthy,whofledforrefugeintoConnaught.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
97
returned from his first visit to Lismore, if not in the year 1 1 20, at least shortly afterwards,39 and thenceforward continued his zealous ministrations in the Northern Province, until disturbances breaking out, about the year 1127, the holy Bishop of Connor was obliged to fly, with a band of religious, and to take refuge with Cormac MacCarthy, son of Muireadhaech, son to Carthach, and King of South Munster. '«° This latter pious monarch took them under h—is special protection, and enabled them to found a monastery in Ibracense supposed to be Ibrach orlveragh—a province under King Cormac's just and prosperingrule. Hewasmostanxioustofoundandtoendowchurchesand monasteries, while he gave jewels, sacred vessels, and books to the clergy for these institutions. *' But, this religious patron experienced, also, the unfavoura- ble vicissitudes of those unquiet times ; for, a confederacy had been formed against him, and of too powerful a nature to be successfully resisted. This quarrel seems to have been forced upon him, owing to the ambition of his brother Donough, who engaged the warlike Toirdhealbhach O'Conchobhair, Monarch of Ireland, to aid his efforts. Accordingly, with the forces of Leth- cuin, in the year 1 127, a great army was led by Turlough O'Conor to Cork, himself going by land, and a fleet of one hundred and fifty ships moving by sea roundtothatcity. DonoughMacCarthy,withhispeopleandotherEugenian princes joining him, caused Cormac, son of Muireadhach, son of Carthach, to be dethroned,*' and Donough was proclaimed King of Desmond. *' That divi- sion of Munster is called Deas-Mhuraha, while another division, which is named Tuath-Mhumha, better known as Thomond, was granted to Con- chobhar or Conor O'Brien. ** During the sojourn of Malchus in Lismore,
have formed the acquaintance of King Cor-
mac Mac Carthy, during his 6r. st stay at Lis-
more, and long previous to 1 127, the year of that king's expulsion and restoration.
posed, that the expulsion and restoration of
Cormac MacCarthy took place, during the time of our saint's first residence in Lismore.
* In Harris' Ware, after stating that our saint had been under the government of Malchus at Lismore, we find the following
But, in this he was evidently mistaken, as will be seen, by referring to dates contained in our annals ; and, the mistake has led him into many subsequent errors, altogether irre- concilable OTth the of
incorrect account —" Upon
his return to Ulster (he was admitted into Priest's orders, in the year 1 120, by Archbishop Celsus, in
chronology Malachy's life. The saint was ordained, in the year 1119,ifnotintheyearprevious; and,itis probable enough, he visited Lismore, not
:
the 25th year of his age), vol. i. ,
hops of Armagh," p. 54. Whilst Dr. Lani- gan takes Harris to task, for placing the re- turn of St. Malachyto Ulster, in 1120, and for not noting in St. Bernard's Life of him, the fact of his having said Mass, and conse-
quently, of having been a priest, and even a Vicar-General, at Armagh, before going to Lismore ; the learned doctor endeavours to show, that our saint did not go to the latter city, until later than 1 120. See " Ecclesias-
tical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxvi. , sec. viii. , n. 60, p. 77. Elsewhere, we have seen, that he refers this first visit of Malachy to Lismore, to about the year 1 123. Again, Dr. Lanigan maintains, that the first return of St. Malachy, from Lismore, was probably in 1 127, the year m which he became inti- mate with Cormac MacCarthy, at Lismore. See ibid. , p. 76. But, with regard to the period of our saint's return, Harris is far nearer the truth, than Dr. Lanigan. The latter, assuming St. Bernard's narrative to follow the chronological series of St. Mala- chy's actions, and testing it by the date foiind in oui native annals, naturally sup-
"
Archbis-
long afterwards.
" We must allow him some considerable
time, after his arrival at Armagh, to have built the oratory at Bangor, and to have for- med a character for himself, in ministerial experience and real, before hewas elevated to the See of Connor, in 1 124.
• He is also styled, chief king of Desmond
"
Annals of Kilronan," and, in the "Annals of the FourMasters,"ata. d. 1138. Itisevident, from references made to our ancient an- lulists, that St Bernard has misplaced some of the foregoing and following accounts, in the Life of our St. Malachy. In due chro- nological order, several of them should have found insertion, after the expulsion of St. Malachy from the See of Connor, which took
place about the year 1127.
" According to the Annals of Kilronan
and of the Four Masters, these benefactionsof this pious monarch are placed, at a. d. 1 138.
"
See Dr. Petrie's
and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sub- sec, i. , P-3II.
and Bishop-king of Ireland, in the
Ecclesiastical Architecture
98 LIVES OF THE IfilSH SAINTS. [April io.
this quarrel arose between Cormac MacCarthy, king of Munster,'t5 and his brotherDonogh. Itwasendedbyavictoryobtainedovertheformer,who was driven from his kingdorn. 4^ In his distress, he fled to the holy Bishop
Malchus, but without any desire of asking interference, in the recovery of his
title and possessions. It was rather through a desire of courting obscurity for the remainder of his life, which he intended to devote to prayer and pen- ance. On the arrival of the dethroned monarch, Malchus was anxious to show him those marks of honour, which were suitable to his former rank ;but, the fallen monarch would not permit such demonstrations, saying, that he preferred the entertainment afforded to the brothers of the poor community, by which the bishop was surrounded. He declared himself willing to set aside his royal ornaments, in joining this band of religious ; and, to await rather the will of Almighty God, in his regard, than seek to establish his power by re- newed violence, and through the effusion of human blood. This declaration pleased the holy bishop ; so that, in compliance with the wishes of Cormac,'*? a poor habitation was set apart for his accommodation, and his diet consisted solely of bread and water. Malachy was named as his spiritual director, and his holy presence and conversation so wrought on the king, that he was
often accustomed, in the words of Holy Writ, to cry out
:
" How sweet are
thy words to my palate ! more than honey to my mouth. "*^ The austerities
of the royal penitent were extraordinary. His couch was frequently watered
with tears, after the example of the holy David. *' In order to extinguish the motions of concupiscence, he was in the habit of plunging each day, into a
bath of cold water, that the flesh might be kept in subjection to the spirit. He often addressed Almighty God, in that short prayer of the Royal Psalmist :
" See my abjection and my labour, and forgive me all my sins. ''^" His prayers wereheard,bytheSovereignJudge,towhomtheywereaddressed; and,in a manner, different from his expectations or intention. As Cormac is styled
Bishop of the Kings,5" or Bishop-king, 5" it is reasonably supposed, that on his expulsion from the throne of Cashel in 1127, this monarch was obliged to take refuge in Lismore, where he was forced to receive a bachall, or crozier. Though there is nothing improbable in the circumstance, that a deposed prince of his high character for piety, should have received the episcopal rank, to reconcile him to his fallen condition, the statement in the Annals of
*' At A. D. 1 127, it is recorded in the wliich refer this quarrel to the year 11 27. It
" Annals of Innisfallen," as we are told ; yet, I cannot find it in that copy, published by Dr. O'Conor, in his " Rerum Hibernica- rum Scriptores Veteres," tomus ii. , which is defective at the date, nor is the omission to be found in^^the supplement.
must have occurred, after the expulsion of Malachy, from the See of Connor,
*' In alluding to him, Gratianus Lucius styles him a saint, and he appears to have deserved such a title.
^ Psalm cxviii. 103.
"See Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran's "Gene- ral History of Ireland," vol. ii. , book xii. , chap, v. , p. 309.
' " I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my jjed: I will water my couch with my tears. "—Psalm vi.
*< See Gratianus Lucius' " Cambrensis Eversus," &c. , vol. ii. , cap. xxi. , pp. 388, 389.
7.
so Psalm xxiv. 18.
5t While Dr. Petrie remarks, that the en-
<5 See an account of this religious prince
try of Cormac's death, in the Annals of Kil-
and of his actions, in Daniel MacCarthy's (Glas) Historical Pedigree of the Sliochd
Feidhlimidh, the MacCarthys of Gleanna- croim," xxvil. Cormac Muithamnach, Bis- hop King of Cassil, A. D. 1 124 to 1 138, pp. 15 to 22.
ronan and of theFour Masters, at A. D. 1138, ""
*'' S. Bernardi Vita S. Malachise,
This order of account would seem to conflict with the statements ol the early Irish amials,
that " evidences to me to favour the appear
cap.
iv.
leaves it optional with the reader whetiier
he should consider him a bishop in reality,
or only in a figurative sense," owing to the
want of punctuation between the terms, """
bishop and king," states nevertheless,
conclusion that Cormac was really a bishop, '
as well as King of Munster,"
April io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 99
Innisfallen53isnotsufficient,toestablishthatsuchwasthefact; astheword bachall is used in the Irish authorities, not only to denote the crozier of a
bishop, abbot, or abbess, but also the penitential staff of a pilgrim. Yet, there is another historical evidence of much higher authority, because a con- temporaneous one, which should go far indeed to establish the fact, that Cormac had received an episcopal crozier, and that he enjoyed the dignity of a bishop,''* notwithstanding that certain writers 55 consider him to have been honoured with the title of bishop, solely for his piety and liberality to the church. 5* He built two churches, at Lismore, as we are informed. He erected, also, that beautiful structure, known as Teampull Chormaic, on the Rock of Cashel, and from him its name is derived. '? The consecration of the latter took place seven years after his expulsion. In the year 1 130 5^ as one ac- count states, or rather in 1 134,59 while the archbishop and bishops of Munster, and the magnates of Ireland, both lay and ecclesiastical, were present on the occasion, it is related, this fine specimen of ecclesiastical architecture was dedicated. Other accounts have it, in the year 1135;*° while this consecration has, even been assigned to a. d. ii38. '* Solicitous to acquire a heavenly crown, the possession of a temporal one was completely removed, not only from his desires, but even from his reflections. Yet, God, who is the vindi- cator of innocence, and the scourge of the oppressor, furnished, in this instance, a memorable example of the usually short duration of injustice, by hurling
5* In a note (r), to his work, ibid. . Dr. O'Dbnovan remarks, that the Irish words
pel indicates a period long prior to the times of Cormac MacCarthy, dating back to the time of Cormac MacCulinan ; it is quite certain, that his conjecture is incorrect, as
fully shown by Mr. Petrie, in his learned
'
work, Dr.
already quoted. Lanigan sup-
poses it possible, the two Cormacs had some- thing to do with that structure ; Cormac MacCulinan being its founder, and Cormac MacCarthy its restorer. He thinks it pro- bable, that a chapel, founded by the former,
"
of Ireland, as Mr. Petrie has translated them,
might also be rendered,
bishop-king," i. e.
"
Ecclesiastical Architecture and
in his
Round Towers of Ireland. "
53 At A. D. 1 127.
5* Mr. Petrie then quotes an entry, found
at the end of the Gospel of St. John, in a
MS. copy of the Gospels, written in Ireland,
and now preserved among the Harleian
MSS. in the British Museum, n. 1802. The had been injured in H2I, when Turlogh
writer invokes a prayer, for himseIC stating
O'Conor burned Cashel, and hence the need of reparation by Cormac MacCarthy. And, as
Turlogh burned Lismore, Dr. Lanigan also thinks, that what is said of the two churches built there by Cormac MacCarthy, as re-
siastical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxvi. , sec. vii. ,nn. 57, 58, pp. 75, 76. All these suppositions of Dr. Lanigan are com-
that he, Maelbrighte h-Ua Maeluanaig, "
wrote the Book at Armagh the year in
which Cormac Mac Carthaig, royal bishop of Munster and of all Ireland also in his time, hath been killed. " Dr. O'Conor, in his " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores Vete- res," tomus i. . Prolegomena, pars, ii. , p. cxiiii. , gives a facsimile of the original en- try, and he seems to have entertained no
doubt, that Cormac was a royal bishop, as •"
"
be understood, in like' manner. See " Eccle-
pletely disproved by Dr. Petrie, who shows he is here called. See Ecclesiastical Archi- conclusively, that Cormac MacCarthy was
tecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part
ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 307, 308.
55 Such as Dr. O'Brien and Dr. Lanigan.
the original founder of Cormac's Chapel, on the Rock of Cashel, and that from him, also, its name is derived. See " Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland,"
5* In Dr. O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 1058, 1059, part ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 289 to 314.
when recording the death of this monarch, who is there called efpuccpij, in the ori- ginal Irish, we have these terms rendered,
5* See the "Chronicon Scotorum,"
edited by William M. Heimessy, at this year,
P- 335-
5» "The Annals of the con- Kilronan,"
tinuation of the "Annals of Tighernach,"
" of the Bishop
Kings. "
5' Although Dr. Lanif^an maintains, that
"
the church, founded at Cashel by Cormac
MacCarthy, must either not be confounded
with that which is commonly known as same year.
Cormac's Chapel, or that the latter had been
only repaired by him ; and, although he lays, that the architecture of Cormac's Cha-
'o
nals of Clonmacnoise places this event, in the year 1135.
lated in the
Annals of Innisfallen," should
and the "Annals of the Four Masters,
sign the consecration of this church to the
Mageoghegan's translation of the An-
as-
100 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April io.
the usurper from his throne. A neighbouring petty king, or chieftain,** Conor 0'Brien,''3 moved with indignation against the usurper, on account of the dis- orders introduced by his violent proceedings, and seeing the whole kingdom
a prey to the rapine of freebooters, the insolence of subordinates, and the evils
of anarchy, sought an interview with the dethroned monarch, and made an offer
of alliance, in order to effect his restoration. This Conor O'Brien disavowed,
likewise, the authority of Turlough O'Conor, Monarch of Ireland. He endea-
voured at first, but in vain, to arouse the ambition of Cormac ; and, when
his solicitations were disregarded, on this score, he represented the attempt
as a matter of duty to the oppressed poor, to his ravaged kingdom, and to
the justice of God himself, who would not withhold his interposition, in so
righteous a cause. When enforcing his views, Conor O'Brien was sustained
by a number of southern chiefs, for he was abetted by Turlough O'Brien, his
brother, and by O'Sulllvan, O'Donohue, O'Mahoney, O'Keefe, O'Moriarty,
and O'Faolain. '* It required the positive command of Malchus, and the
earnest advice of Malachy, to induce the king to attempt the recovery of his
former possessions. Relying altogether on their judgment, and for the reasons
urged by them, he accepted the offers of assistance made by his faithful ally.
Bytheirconjoinedefforts,theusurperwasforcedtoabdicate.
*5 ConorO'Brien
gave his hand to Cormac MacCarthy, brought him again into the world, made
him king of Desmond, while he dethroned and banished Donogh Mac
Carthy,whofledforrefugeintoConnaught. ** Ontakingpossessionofhis former inheritance, Cormac was saluted with the general acclaim of his sub-
jects, and the disorders of the State were, afterwards, in a great measure, obliterated. Hewasmostdesiroustoservethebestinterestsofreligion,and he often visited St. Malachy and his religious, in the monastery which had been founded at Ibrach. On the death of the Archbishop of Armagh, St. Celsus, or Ceallach,'? about a. d. 1129, great disorders ensued, as a kinsman of his, named Maurice, intruded uncanonically on the Primatial See, and con- trary to the dying wishes of the holy Prelate, who earnestly recommended St. Malachy O'Morgair to fill the office. In the year 1132, St. Malchus, Bishop of Lismore, and St. Gillebert,'* Bishop of Limerick, as also Legate of the Apostolic See, convoked a Council of Bishops and Princes of Ireland. Then and there, they unanimously elected St. Malachy as Primate, he being, at that time, in the thirty-sixth year of his age. *9 With much reluctance to abandon his monastic life, and urging various reasons for declining the pre- ferred distinction, St. Malachy at length consented. The death of King Cormac occurred, in the year 1 138, when he was treacherously slain, in his own house, by Toirdhealbach, son of Diarmaid O'Brien, and by the two sons of O'Conor Kerry. 70 We seek, but without result, the name of the Bishop- King Cormac, in the lists of Irish Prelates, at the time of his death. He was biiried
' See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Archi-
tecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part
ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 290, 291.
'^
St. Bernard remarks: "neque enim
but he does not enter into the particulars as to date and names of the chief actors, ex- cepting the name of Cormac, which is mentioned, in the ninth chapter of the Life of St. Malachy.
unum est Hibemia regnum, sed divisa in
plura. "
'3 He then held the principality of Tho- mond, under a sort of vassalage to Turlogh O'Conor, acknowledged as the chief monarch of Ireland.
'* The "Annals of Innisfallen," at A. D. II27.
^ These events are related, at A. D. 1 127, in the " Annals of Innisfallen. "
'5 St. Bernard
foregoing transactions, as found in the text,
^ See Father White's " Stephen
pro Hibemia," cap. iv. , p. 31.
gives
the substance of the
Apologia
'? His festival occurs, at the 6th of April, where his Life will be found,
'»
His feast has been assigned to the 4th of February, where fiirther particulars re- garding him may be seen.
April io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
within that beautiful erection, known as Connac's Chapel, and which yet re- mains, in a very perfect state, as one of the group of ruins, surmounting the celebrated Rock of Cashel, in the County of Tipperary. ? ' According to tra- dition, the tomb of this Cormac MacCarthy lay within a quadrangular recess, placed in the north wall of Cormads Chapel, and between the doorway and the tower. A tomb, which is to be found there at present, however, is not the origmal one. This had been removed into a small chapel, in the north transept of the cathedral, more than a century since, and after the abandon- ment of that noble edifice, in the time of Archbishop Price. '^ It is now popularly called " the Font," an object which in some measure it resembles, being divested of the covering stone. This is said to have been ornamented with a cross, and to have exhibited an Irish inscription, containing the name ofCormac,kingandbishopofMunster. P Onopeningthetomb,therewas discovered a crozier of exceeding beautiful workmanship, and which, from its form and style of ornament, there is every reason to believe, must have been of cotemporaneous age with the chapel. It is certain, at all events, that its age cannot be many years later ;'< while, it is a most interesting art-object, still preserved," and the Irish public has been familiarized with its form,
throughengravinganddescription. ? * OwingtotheperiodwhenSt. Malachus lived, it is not wonderful, that his name has been omitted from the Martyr-
ology of Tallagh ; it is missing, likewise, from Father Henry Fitzsimons' Cata- logue of Irish Saints. Sir James Ware doubts, if Malchus, Bishop of Lismore, be not the same person as Maelmonechus O'Lonsec, who died a. d. 1150. The Irish Annals call the latter bishop of Lismore. " Malachy, Bishop of Lismore, in Argyle, is set down in the Menologium Scotorum,'^ at the loth of April; while, Dempster cites for authorities, John Molanus'' andtheScoti- chronicon f° but, the placing of this saint's Lismore, in Scotland, seems to be an
J" See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 1058, 1059.
'" In the interesting periodical, published in Dublin, A. D. 1840-41, entitled, "The Irish
character of which is said to refer obviously, to the twelfth century. The length and breadth of the tomb are such, as to fit exactly in the recess, from which it is said to have been removed.
among the antiquities in the Museum of Cluny, is ascriued by the learned author of "Les Arts au . Moyen Age," to the com- mencement of the twelfth century.
"
marks, written by Mr. Petrie, and referring
Penny Journal,
we find the following re-
"
It can scarcely
'« Dr. Petrie remarks, that a perfectly similar head of a crozier, which is pre. ^erved
to Connac's Chapel.
be doubted that this was the finest architec-
tural woilc hitherto erected in Ireland, but
its proportions were small ; and when, in
1 1 52, the archbishopric of . Vlunster was fixed
at Cashel by Cardinal John Paparo, the Papal
Legate, it became necessary to provide a in the possession of the Cooper family, of
church of greater amplitude. The present cathedral was in consequence erected by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, anil endowed with ample provisions in lands, and the older church was converted into a chapel, or chapter-house," vol. L, No. 3, p. 18.
'^ Such was the information, received by Dr. Petrie, (rom the late Mr. Austin Cooper.
Cashel, lor a considerable perioti, passed into my possesMon at the sale of the museum of the
late Dr. Tuke, it having been purchased by
him at the sale of the library of ihe celebra-
ted Joseph Cooper Walker, author of the
Memoirs of the Irish Bards, and other works,
and to whom it h. id been given by Mr.
Austin Cooper. "—Dr. Petrie's "Eccle-
siastical Architecture and Round Towers of
Ireland, " ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 288 to 307. part
'J Weare told, that this
and in- scription were ground off its surface by a tradesman of the town of Cashel, who ap- propriated the stone as a monument for him- self and family. With a number of other interesting engravings, relating to Cormac's Chapel, . Mr. Petrie, also, presents us with one, representing the portion of this tomb remaining, which displays many interlaced traceries, sculptured on the fiont, and the
sculpture
'
" " The Cashel crozier, after having been
T' See ibid. , pp. 312 to 314.
" "SeeArchdeaconHenryCotton's Fasti
Ecclesiae Hiberniz," vol. i. , Diocese of Lis-
more, p. 161.
'"Thus Thomas Dempster writes: "I—n
Argadia Malachi Lismorensis episcopi. " Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 196.
102 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April io.
invention of Thomas Dempster himself. Of this holy man, it is recorded, that being advanced in years, the wisdom of God enlightened his spirit, and that he attained a plenitude of days and virtues.
Article VI. —St. Paternus, Recluse and Martyr, at Paderborn, IN Lower Saxony. SJLlevenih Century? ^ In the remarkable self-imolation of this faithful servant of Christ, we must admire his observance of what he deemed to be a duty, and adore the inscrutable ways, whereby Divine Provi- dence regulates the life of man. At the loth of April, Colgan's list discloses the present saint's name. ' It would seem, our national hagiologist had his Acts ready for publication, because being an Irish Scot, and celebrated by his countryman, the Blessed Marianus ScOtus,^ the Chronographer, his glori- ous death caused him to be greatly reverenced in Germany. This St. Paternus
'is called a Scot, and he is noticed in the Bollandists' colIection,3 where the circumstances related of him are set forth, in seven paragraphs. From all
we may reasonably infer, this celebrated recluse was born in Ireland, and pro- bably, about the commencement of the eleventh century. Whether he became a recluse in his own country, or not, is hardly known ; however, he seems to have left it, for the Continent, in order to adopt a course of life, attended with perfect self-denial, and practices of the greatest austerity. He travelled to Paderborn, in Germany, where a bishopric had been estabUshed, by the Emperor Charlemagne, about the close of the eighth century j-t while its cathedral was consecrated by Pope Leo III. ,s in person, during the year 796. Here, too, Charlemagne and other Emperors sometimes resided, and helddietsoftheEmpire. * ItsBishopbecamesuffragantotheArchbishopof Mentz, a sovereign of the country, and a Prince of the Empire, while he ruled with extensive privileges. ? The name of this city is said to have been derived, {xovxpader, "a rivulet," which rises just under the high altar of the
cathedral, and from born, "a spring. "^ century, walls were built about this city.
" " Theologus Lovaniensis. "
^° A Magno Macullone excriptum. Articlevl—' See"CatalogusActuum
Sanctorum quK MS. habentur, ordine Men- slum et Dierum. "
= See account of him, in our First Volume of this work, and at the 30th of January, Article xi.
3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Aprilis X. De B. Paterno Recluso, Paderbornte in Saxonia Inferior! . , pp. 896, 897.
« Near this city, Quintilius Varus, with the Roman army under his command, was totally routed by the Germans, under Arminius.
5 He ruled from a. d. 795 to 816. Sec Sir Harris Nicolas' " Chronology of History," p. 210.
'At Paderborn, Charlemagne held his first court, after the defeat of the Saxons. See Elisee Reclus' " Nouvelle Geographie Uni- verselle la Terre et les Hommes," tome iii. ,
•
chao. iii. , sect, vii. , p. 74' ? 'Seethe"EncyclopediaBritannica, vol.
xiii. , pp. 581, 582. Moore's Dublin Edition. * To this and other incidents connected
with it, Ferdinand, Bishop of Paderborn, Co-
In the beginning of the eleventh At the time of our saint's arrival.
Comes Pyrmontanus, alludes, in the following Latin Epigram : —
," Hie, ubi fons Paderse, media surgentis in urbe,
Ducovetus magni^nomen ab amne Padi ;
Marte diu ancipiti Carolus certare coactus,
Delegit castris consiliisque locum : Jussit et, his undis lustratam, subdere
gentem
Saxonicam vero colla superl)a Deo.
Hie Leo, Romana deductus ab urbe sacellum
Sacravit, primum Relligionis opus. Hie Sedes, longo, fuit, ordine deinde
secutis
Terrarum Dominis, inclyta, C:esa- ribus.
Virginis hie conjux, virgo Cunigunda, mariti,
Accepitmeritisregiasertacomis, Vastum aliussubeat septena per ostia
pontum,
Nobilius nuUus me caput amnis
adjutor
Monasteriensis, S. R. L, Princeps and
habet. "
April io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 103
there were two distinct monasteries in it ; one belonging to the bishop
of the place, and, probably, it was occupied, by a community of Cathe- dral Canons, while the other was in possession of a congregation of monks, to which Paternus belonged. In this very solitary place of abode, the Blessed Patemus lived for many years, quite retired from any commerce with the world. A year before his death, in a spirit of prophecy, he foretold a great fire, which should consume the city, where he dwelt, because of the sins of its
people. This occurred in the year 1058. In it, he also perished'; for, with the spirit of a martyr, Patemus refused safety, by a strict observance of his rule of life. 9 As a demonstration of his sanctity, the mat on which he slept escaped the flames ;'° and, it was afterwards held in great veneration, by the citizens of Paderbom. After his death, his sepulchre was illustrated by mira- cles," as Marianus Scotus relates. The latter pious Irishman had set out from Cologne, on Monday after the Octave of Easter, a. d. 1059, with a view of becoming an iiiclusus, at Fulda. He resolved to visit Paderbom, on the way ; and, he tells us, that then, in the very cell, where Blessed Patem lived, he prayed on that same mat, which had escaped the flames. By the constant tradition and piety of the people of Paderbom, St. Paternus had been re- garded from times remote, as one of the tutelary patrons of their city. His name is recorded, by many ^vrite^s and calendarists ; such as, by Trithemius, VVion, Dorgan, Menard, Bucelin, Ferarius, Wilson, Camerarius, Dempster, andSimonMartin. Yet,theknowledgeofPatem'splaceofsepulchrehad passed away from the menwry of the people, nor were his miracles distinctly remembered, in the latter times. Citing Arnold Wion, Dempster notices " the present saint, in his Calendar, at this date, and as belonging to Scotland. '3 In terms of high commendation, St. Peter Damien,''* a contemporary, men- tions this saint, in that apologetical Epistle he wrote, and (which referred toresigningtheEpiscopaloffice. Hisreflectionsarechieflyonthesubjectof Patem's devotion to duty, and on his leaving to the disposition of Divine Providencehisownlife,whileagreatpubliccalamitywasimpending. The result of his trust, as the holy Cardinal observes, should cause us to fear, rather than question, the judgments of God. While it can scarcely be doubt- ful, that a prophet, who had a knowledge of the approaching destruction of a burning city, should have no revelation regarding his own death; the human mind may well cease to wonder, at the depths and mystery of the Almighty's terrible punishments inflicted on men, and in which so holy a ser- vantpaidtheforfeitofhislife, whilesomanywereguiltyofcrimes,notex- piated by a tme change of heart.
Article VII. —St. Waldetrude's Coxjntess, and Wife of St. Vincent, of Castrilocus. \Snenth Century^ The feast ofSt. Waldetmde, Patroness of Mons, has been placed by Convxus, and in a Manuscript Bene- dictine Martyrology,' at tiic 10th of April. Notices of this holy woman will be found, on the day previous.
» Allusion is made to this occurrence, in Sigebert's Chronicle, as also in the "Specu- lum Historiale" of Viiicentius Bellovacensis, lib. XXV. , cap. xxxv.
returned from his first visit to Lismore, if not in the year 1 1 20, at least shortly afterwards,39 and thenceforward continued his zealous ministrations in the Northern Province, until disturbances breaking out, about the year 1127, the holy Bishop of Connor was obliged to fly, with a band of religious, and to take refuge with Cormac MacCarthy, son of Muireadhaech, son to Carthach, and King of South Munster. '«° This latter pious monarch took them under h—is special protection, and enabled them to found a monastery in Ibracense supposed to be Ibrach orlveragh—a province under King Cormac's just and prosperingrule. Hewasmostanxioustofoundandtoendowchurchesand monasteries, while he gave jewels, sacred vessels, and books to the clergy for these institutions. *' But, this religious patron experienced, also, the unfavoura- ble vicissitudes of those unquiet times ; for, a confederacy had been formed against him, and of too powerful a nature to be successfully resisted. This quarrel seems to have been forced upon him, owing to the ambition of his brother Donough, who engaged the warlike Toirdhealbhach O'Conchobhair, Monarch of Ireland, to aid his efforts. Accordingly, with the forces of Leth- cuin, in the year 1 127, a great army was led by Turlough O'Conor to Cork, himself going by land, and a fleet of one hundred and fifty ships moving by sea roundtothatcity. DonoughMacCarthy,withhispeopleandotherEugenian princes joining him, caused Cormac, son of Muireadhach, son of Carthach, to be dethroned,*' and Donough was proclaimed King of Desmond. *' That divi- sion of Munster is called Deas-Mhuraha, while another division, which is named Tuath-Mhumha, better known as Thomond, was granted to Con- chobhar or Conor O'Brien. ** During the sojourn of Malchus in Lismore,
have formed the acquaintance of King Cor-
mac Mac Carthy, during his 6r. st stay at Lis-
more, and long previous to 1 127, the year of that king's expulsion and restoration.
posed, that the expulsion and restoration of
Cormac MacCarthy took place, during the time of our saint's first residence in Lismore.
* In Harris' Ware, after stating that our saint had been under the government of Malchus at Lismore, we find the following
But, in this he was evidently mistaken, as will be seen, by referring to dates contained in our annals ; and, the mistake has led him into many subsequent errors, altogether irre- concilable OTth the of
incorrect account —" Upon
his return to Ulster (he was admitted into Priest's orders, in the year 1 120, by Archbishop Celsus, in
chronology Malachy's life. The saint was ordained, in the year 1119,ifnotintheyearprevious; and,itis probable enough, he visited Lismore, not
:
the 25th year of his age), vol. i. ,
hops of Armagh," p. 54. Whilst Dr. Lani- gan takes Harris to task, for placing the re- turn of St. Malachyto Ulster, in 1120, and for not noting in St. Bernard's Life of him, the fact of his having said Mass, and conse-
quently, of having been a priest, and even a Vicar-General, at Armagh, before going to Lismore ; the learned doctor endeavours to show, that our saint did not go to the latter city, until later than 1 120. See " Ecclesias-
tical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxvi. , sec. viii. , n. 60, p. 77. Elsewhere, we have seen, that he refers this first visit of Malachy to Lismore, to about the year 1 123. Again, Dr. Lanigan maintains, that the first return of St. Malachy, from Lismore, was probably in 1 127, the year m which he became inti- mate with Cormac MacCarthy, at Lismore. See ibid. , p. 76. But, with regard to the period of our saint's return, Harris is far nearer the truth, than Dr. Lanigan. The latter, assuming St. Bernard's narrative to follow the chronological series of St. Mala- chy's actions, and testing it by the date foiind in oui native annals, naturally sup-
"
Archbis-
long afterwards.
" We must allow him some considerable
time, after his arrival at Armagh, to have built the oratory at Bangor, and to have for- med a character for himself, in ministerial experience and real, before hewas elevated to the See of Connor, in 1 124.
• He is also styled, chief king of Desmond
"
Annals of Kilronan," and, in the "Annals of the FourMasters,"ata. d. 1138. Itisevident, from references made to our ancient an- lulists, that St Bernard has misplaced some of the foregoing and following accounts, in the Life of our St. Malachy. In due chro- nological order, several of them should have found insertion, after the expulsion of St. Malachy from the See of Connor, which took
place about the year 1127.
" According to the Annals of Kilronan
and of the Four Masters, these benefactionsof this pious monarch are placed, at a. d. 1 138.
"
See Dr. Petrie's
and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sub- sec, i. , P-3II.
and Bishop-king of Ireland, in the
Ecclesiastical Architecture
98 LIVES OF THE IfilSH SAINTS. [April io.
this quarrel arose between Cormac MacCarthy, king of Munster,'t5 and his brotherDonogh. Itwasendedbyavictoryobtainedovertheformer,who was driven from his kingdorn. 4^ In his distress, he fled to the holy Bishop
Malchus, but without any desire of asking interference, in the recovery of his
title and possessions. It was rather through a desire of courting obscurity for the remainder of his life, which he intended to devote to prayer and pen- ance. On the arrival of the dethroned monarch, Malchus was anxious to show him those marks of honour, which were suitable to his former rank ;but, the fallen monarch would not permit such demonstrations, saying, that he preferred the entertainment afforded to the brothers of the poor community, by which the bishop was surrounded. He declared himself willing to set aside his royal ornaments, in joining this band of religious ; and, to await rather the will of Almighty God, in his regard, than seek to establish his power by re- newed violence, and through the effusion of human blood. This declaration pleased the holy bishop ; so that, in compliance with the wishes of Cormac,'*? a poor habitation was set apart for his accommodation, and his diet consisted solely of bread and water. Malachy was named as his spiritual director, and his holy presence and conversation so wrought on the king, that he was
often accustomed, in the words of Holy Writ, to cry out
:
" How sweet are
thy words to my palate ! more than honey to my mouth. "*^ The austerities
of the royal penitent were extraordinary. His couch was frequently watered
with tears, after the example of the holy David. *' In order to extinguish the motions of concupiscence, he was in the habit of plunging each day, into a
bath of cold water, that the flesh might be kept in subjection to the spirit. He often addressed Almighty God, in that short prayer of the Royal Psalmist :
" See my abjection and my labour, and forgive me all my sins. ''^" His prayers wereheard,bytheSovereignJudge,towhomtheywereaddressed; and,in a manner, different from his expectations or intention. As Cormac is styled
Bishop of the Kings,5" or Bishop-king, 5" it is reasonably supposed, that on his expulsion from the throne of Cashel in 1127, this monarch was obliged to take refuge in Lismore, where he was forced to receive a bachall, or crozier. Though there is nothing improbable in the circumstance, that a deposed prince of his high character for piety, should have received the episcopal rank, to reconcile him to his fallen condition, the statement in the Annals of
*' At A. D. 1 127, it is recorded in the wliich refer this quarrel to the year 11 27. It
" Annals of Innisfallen," as we are told ; yet, I cannot find it in that copy, published by Dr. O'Conor, in his " Rerum Hibernica- rum Scriptores Veteres," tomus ii. , which is defective at the date, nor is the omission to be found in^^the supplement.
must have occurred, after the expulsion of Malachy, from the See of Connor,
*' In alluding to him, Gratianus Lucius styles him a saint, and he appears to have deserved such a title.
^ Psalm cxviii. 103.
"See Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran's "Gene- ral History of Ireland," vol. ii. , book xii. , chap, v. , p. 309.
' " I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my jjed: I will water my couch with my tears. "—Psalm vi.
*< See Gratianus Lucius' " Cambrensis Eversus," &c. , vol. ii. , cap. xxi. , pp. 388, 389.
7.
so Psalm xxiv. 18.
5t While Dr. Petrie remarks, that the en-
<5 See an account of this religious prince
try of Cormac's death, in the Annals of Kil-
and of his actions, in Daniel MacCarthy's (Glas) Historical Pedigree of the Sliochd
Feidhlimidh, the MacCarthys of Gleanna- croim," xxvil. Cormac Muithamnach, Bis- hop King of Cassil, A. D. 1 124 to 1 138, pp. 15 to 22.
ronan and of theFour Masters, at A. D. 1138, ""
*'' S. Bernardi Vita S. Malachise,
This order of account would seem to conflict with the statements ol the early Irish amials,
that " evidences to me to favour the appear
cap.
iv.
leaves it optional with the reader whetiier
he should consider him a bishop in reality,
or only in a figurative sense," owing to the
want of punctuation between the terms, """
bishop and king," states nevertheless,
conclusion that Cormac was really a bishop, '
as well as King of Munster,"
April io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 99
Innisfallen53isnotsufficient,toestablishthatsuchwasthefact; astheword bachall is used in the Irish authorities, not only to denote the crozier of a
bishop, abbot, or abbess, but also the penitential staff of a pilgrim. Yet, there is another historical evidence of much higher authority, because a con- temporaneous one, which should go far indeed to establish the fact, that Cormac had received an episcopal crozier, and that he enjoyed the dignity of a bishop,''* notwithstanding that certain writers 55 consider him to have been honoured with the title of bishop, solely for his piety and liberality to the church. 5* He built two churches, at Lismore, as we are informed. He erected, also, that beautiful structure, known as Teampull Chormaic, on the Rock of Cashel, and from him its name is derived. '? The consecration of the latter took place seven years after his expulsion. In the year 1 130 5^ as one ac- count states, or rather in 1 134,59 while the archbishop and bishops of Munster, and the magnates of Ireland, both lay and ecclesiastical, were present on the occasion, it is related, this fine specimen of ecclesiastical architecture was dedicated. Other accounts have it, in the year 1135;*° while this consecration has, even been assigned to a. d. ii38. '* Solicitous to acquire a heavenly crown, the possession of a temporal one was completely removed, not only from his desires, but even from his reflections. Yet, God, who is the vindi- cator of innocence, and the scourge of the oppressor, furnished, in this instance, a memorable example of the usually short duration of injustice, by hurling
5* In a note (r), to his work, ibid. . Dr. O'Dbnovan remarks, that the Irish words
pel indicates a period long prior to the times of Cormac MacCarthy, dating back to the time of Cormac MacCulinan ; it is quite certain, that his conjecture is incorrect, as
fully shown by Mr. Petrie, in his learned
'
work, Dr.
already quoted. Lanigan sup-
poses it possible, the two Cormacs had some- thing to do with that structure ; Cormac MacCulinan being its founder, and Cormac MacCarthy its restorer. He thinks it pro- bable, that a chapel, founded by the former,
"
of Ireland, as Mr. Petrie has translated them,
might also be rendered,
bishop-king," i. e.
"
Ecclesiastical Architecture and
in his
Round Towers of Ireland. "
53 At A. D. 1 127.
5* Mr. Petrie then quotes an entry, found
at the end of the Gospel of St. John, in a
MS. copy of the Gospels, written in Ireland,
and now preserved among the Harleian
MSS. in the British Museum, n. 1802. The had been injured in H2I, when Turlogh
writer invokes a prayer, for himseIC stating
O'Conor burned Cashel, and hence the need of reparation by Cormac MacCarthy. And, as
Turlogh burned Lismore, Dr. Lanigan also thinks, that what is said of the two churches built there by Cormac MacCarthy, as re-
siastical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxvi. , sec. vii. ,nn. 57, 58, pp. 75, 76. All these suppositions of Dr. Lanigan are com-
that he, Maelbrighte h-Ua Maeluanaig, "
wrote the Book at Armagh the year in
which Cormac Mac Carthaig, royal bishop of Munster and of all Ireland also in his time, hath been killed. " Dr. O'Conor, in his " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores Vete- res," tomus i. . Prolegomena, pars, ii. , p. cxiiii. , gives a facsimile of the original en- try, and he seems to have entertained no
doubt, that Cormac was a royal bishop, as •"
"
be understood, in like' manner. See " Eccle-
pletely disproved by Dr. Petrie, who shows he is here called. See Ecclesiastical Archi- conclusively, that Cormac MacCarthy was
tecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part
ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 307, 308.
55 Such as Dr. O'Brien and Dr. Lanigan.
the original founder of Cormac's Chapel, on the Rock of Cashel, and that from him, also, its name is derived. See " Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland,"
5* In Dr. O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 1058, 1059, part ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 289 to 314.
when recording the death of this monarch, who is there called efpuccpij, in the ori- ginal Irish, we have these terms rendered,
5* See the "Chronicon Scotorum,"
edited by William M. Heimessy, at this year,
P- 335-
5» "The Annals of the con- Kilronan,"
tinuation of the "Annals of Tighernach,"
" of the Bishop
Kings. "
5' Although Dr. Lanif^an maintains, that
"
the church, founded at Cashel by Cormac
MacCarthy, must either not be confounded
with that which is commonly known as same year.
Cormac's Chapel, or that the latter had been
only repaired by him ; and, although he lays, that the architecture of Cormac's Cha-
'o
nals of Clonmacnoise places this event, in the year 1135.
lated in the
Annals of Innisfallen," should
and the "Annals of the Four Masters,
sign the consecration of this church to the
Mageoghegan's translation of the An-
as-
100 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April io.
the usurper from his throne. A neighbouring petty king, or chieftain,** Conor 0'Brien,''3 moved with indignation against the usurper, on account of the dis- orders introduced by his violent proceedings, and seeing the whole kingdom
a prey to the rapine of freebooters, the insolence of subordinates, and the evils
of anarchy, sought an interview with the dethroned monarch, and made an offer
of alliance, in order to effect his restoration. This Conor O'Brien disavowed,
likewise, the authority of Turlough O'Conor, Monarch of Ireland. He endea-
voured at first, but in vain, to arouse the ambition of Cormac ; and, when
his solicitations were disregarded, on this score, he represented the attempt
as a matter of duty to the oppressed poor, to his ravaged kingdom, and to
the justice of God himself, who would not withhold his interposition, in so
righteous a cause. When enforcing his views, Conor O'Brien was sustained
by a number of southern chiefs, for he was abetted by Turlough O'Brien, his
brother, and by O'Sulllvan, O'Donohue, O'Mahoney, O'Keefe, O'Moriarty,
and O'Faolain. '* It required the positive command of Malchus, and the
earnest advice of Malachy, to induce the king to attempt the recovery of his
former possessions. Relying altogether on their judgment, and for the reasons
urged by them, he accepted the offers of assistance made by his faithful ally.
Bytheirconjoinedefforts,theusurperwasforcedtoabdicate.
*5 ConorO'Brien
gave his hand to Cormac MacCarthy, brought him again into the world, made
him king of Desmond, while he dethroned and banished Donogh Mac
Carthy,whofledforrefugeintoConnaught. ** Ontakingpossessionofhis former inheritance, Cormac was saluted with the general acclaim of his sub-
jects, and the disorders of the State were, afterwards, in a great measure, obliterated. Hewasmostdesiroustoservethebestinterestsofreligion,and he often visited St. Malachy and his religious, in the monastery which had been founded at Ibrach. On the death of the Archbishop of Armagh, St. Celsus, or Ceallach,'? about a. d. 1129, great disorders ensued, as a kinsman of his, named Maurice, intruded uncanonically on the Primatial See, and con- trary to the dying wishes of the holy Prelate, who earnestly recommended St. Malachy O'Morgair to fill the office. In the year 1132, St. Malchus, Bishop of Lismore, and St. Gillebert,'* Bishop of Limerick, as also Legate of the Apostolic See, convoked a Council of Bishops and Princes of Ireland. Then and there, they unanimously elected St. Malachy as Primate, he being, at that time, in the thirty-sixth year of his age. *9 With much reluctance to abandon his monastic life, and urging various reasons for declining the pre- ferred distinction, St. Malachy at length consented. The death of King Cormac occurred, in the year 1 138, when he was treacherously slain, in his own house, by Toirdhealbach, son of Diarmaid O'Brien, and by the two sons of O'Conor Kerry. 70 We seek, but without result, the name of the Bishop- King Cormac, in the lists of Irish Prelates, at the time of his death. He was biiried
' See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Archi-
tecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part
ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 290, 291.
'^
St. Bernard remarks: "neque enim
but he does not enter into the particulars as to date and names of the chief actors, ex- cepting the name of Cormac, which is mentioned, in the ninth chapter of the Life of St. Malachy.
unum est Hibemia regnum, sed divisa in
plura. "
'3 He then held the principality of Tho- mond, under a sort of vassalage to Turlogh O'Conor, acknowledged as the chief monarch of Ireland.
'* The "Annals of Innisfallen," at A. D. II27.
^ These events are related, at A. D. 1 127, in the " Annals of Innisfallen. "
'5 St. Bernard
foregoing transactions, as found in the text,
^ See Father White's " Stephen
pro Hibemia," cap. iv. , p. 31.
gives
the substance of the
Apologia
'? His festival occurs, at the 6th of April, where his Life will be found,
'»
His feast has been assigned to the 4th of February, where fiirther particulars re- garding him may be seen.
April io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
within that beautiful erection, known as Connac's Chapel, and which yet re- mains, in a very perfect state, as one of the group of ruins, surmounting the celebrated Rock of Cashel, in the County of Tipperary. ? ' According to tra- dition, the tomb of this Cormac MacCarthy lay within a quadrangular recess, placed in the north wall of Cormads Chapel, and between the doorway and the tower. A tomb, which is to be found there at present, however, is not the origmal one. This had been removed into a small chapel, in the north transept of the cathedral, more than a century since, and after the abandon- ment of that noble edifice, in the time of Archbishop Price. '^ It is now popularly called " the Font," an object which in some measure it resembles, being divested of the covering stone. This is said to have been ornamented with a cross, and to have exhibited an Irish inscription, containing the name ofCormac,kingandbishopofMunster. P Onopeningthetomb,therewas discovered a crozier of exceeding beautiful workmanship, and which, from its form and style of ornament, there is every reason to believe, must have been of cotemporaneous age with the chapel. It is certain, at all events, that its age cannot be many years later ;'< while, it is a most interesting art-object, still preserved," and the Irish public has been familiarized with its form,
throughengravinganddescription. ? * OwingtotheperiodwhenSt. Malachus lived, it is not wonderful, that his name has been omitted from the Martyr-
ology of Tallagh ; it is missing, likewise, from Father Henry Fitzsimons' Cata- logue of Irish Saints. Sir James Ware doubts, if Malchus, Bishop of Lismore, be not the same person as Maelmonechus O'Lonsec, who died a. d. 1150. The Irish Annals call the latter bishop of Lismore. " Malachy, Bishop of Lismore, in Argyle, is set down in the Menologium Scotorum,'^ at the loth of April; while, Dempster cites for authorities, John Molanus'' andtheScoti- chronicon f° but, the placing of this saint's Lismore, in Scotland, seems to be an
J" See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 1058, 1059.
'" In the interesting periodical, published in Dublin, A. D. 1840-41, entitled, "The Irish
character of which is said to refer obviously, to the twelfth century. The length and breadth of the tomb are such, as to fit exactly in the recess, from which it is said to have been removed.
among the antiquities in the Museum of Cluny, is ascriued by the learned author of "Les Arts au . Moyen Age," to the com- mencement of the twelfth century.
"
marks, written by Mr. Petrie, and referring
Penny Journal,
we find the following re-
"
It can scarcely
'« Dr. Petrie remarks, that a perfectly similar head of a crozier, which is pre. ^erved
to Connac's Chapel.
be doubted that this was the finest architec-
tural woilc hitherto erected in Ireland, but
its proportions were small ; and when, in
1 1 52, the archbishopric of . Vlunster was fixed
at Cashel by Cardinal John Paparo, the Papal
Legate, it became necessary to provide a in the possession of the Cooper family, of
church of greater amplitude. The present cathedral was in consequence erected by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, anil endowed with ample provisions in lands, and the older church was converted into a chapel, or chapter-house," vol. L, No. 3, p. 18.
'^ Such was the information, received by Dr. Petrie, (rom the late Mr. Austin Cooper.
Cashel, lor a considerable perioti, passed into my possesMon at the sale of the museum of the
late Dr. Tuke, it having been purchased by
him at the sale of the library of ihe celebra-
ted Joseph Cooper Walker, author of the
Memoirs of the Irish Bards, and other works,
and to whom it h. id been given by Mr.
Austin Cooper. "—Dr. Petrie's "Eccle-
siastical Architecture and Round Towers of
Ireland, " ii. , sub-sec. i. , pp. 288 to 307. part
'J Weare told, that this
and in- scription were ground off its surface by a tradesman of the town of Cashel, who ap- propriated the stone as a monument for him- self and family. With a number of other interesting engravings, relating to Cormac's Chapel, . Mr. Petrie, also, presents us with one, representing the portion of this tomb remaining, which displays many interlaced traceries, sculptured on the fiont, and the
sculpture
'
" " The Cashel crozier, after having been
T' See ibid. , pp. 312 to 314.
" "SeeArchdeaconHenryCotton's Fasti
Ecclesiae Hiberniz," vol. i. , Diocese of Lis-
more, p. 161.
'"Thus Thomas Dempster writes: "I—n
Argadia Malachi Lismorensis episcopi. " Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 196.
102 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April io.
invention of Thomas Dempster himself. Of this holy man, it is recorded, that being advanced in years, the wisdom of God enlightened his spirit, and that he attained a plenitude of days and virtues.
Article VI. —St. Paternus, Recluse and Martyr, at Paderborn, IN Lower Saxony. SJLlevenih Century? ^ In the remarkable self-imolation of this faithful servant of Christ, we must admire his observance of what he deemed to be a duty, and adore the inscrutable ways, whereby Divine Provi- dence regulates the life of man. At the loth of April, Colgan's list discloses the present saint's name. ' It would seem, our national hagiologist had his Acts ready for publication, because being an Irish Scot, and celebrated by his countryman, the Blessed Marianus ScOtus,^ the Chronographer, his glori- ous death caused him to be greatly reverenced in Germany. This St. Paternus
'is called a Scot, and he is noticed in the Bollandists' colIection,3 where the circumstances related of him are set forth, in seven paragraphs. From all
we may reasonably infer, this celebrated recluse was born in Ireland, and pro- bably, about the commencement of the eleventh century. Whether he became a recluse in his own country, or not, is hardly known ; however, he seems to have left it, for the Continent, in order to adopt a course of life, attended with perfect self-denial, and practices of the greatest austerity. He travelled to Paderborn, in Germany, where a bishopric had been estabUshed, by the Emperor Charlemagne, about the close of the eighth century j-t while its cathedral was consecrated by Pope Leo III. ,s in person, during the year 796. Here, too, Charlemagne and other Emperors sometimes resided, and helddietsoftheEmpire. * ItsBishopbecamesuffragantotheArchbishopof Mentz, a sovereign of the country, and a Prince of the Empire, while he ruled with extensive privileges. ? The name of this city is said to have been derived, {xovxpader, "a rivulet," which rises just under the high altar of the
cathedral, and from born, "a spring. "^ century, walls were built about this city.
" " Theologus Lovaniensis. "
^° A Magno Macullone excriptum. Articlevl—' See"CatalogusActuum
Sanctorum quK MS. habentur, ordine Men- slum et Dierum. "
= See account of him, in our First Volume of this work, and at the 30th of January, Article xi.
3 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Aprilis X. De B. Paterno Recluso, Paderbornte in Saxonia Inferior! . , pp. 896, 897.
« Near this city, Quintilius Varus, with the Roman army under his command, was totally routed by the Germans, under Arminius.
5 He ruled from a. d. 795 to 816. Sec Sir Harris Nicolas' " Chronology of History," p. 210.
'At Paderborn, Charlemagne held his first court, after the defeat of the Saxons. See Elisee Reclus' " Nouvelle Geographie Uni- verselle la Terre et les Hommes," tome iii. ,
•
chao. iii. , sect, vii. , p. 74' ? 'Seethe"EncyclopediaBritannica, vol.
xiii. , pp. 581, 582. Moore's Dublin Edition. * To this and other incidents connected
with it, Ferdinand, Bishop of Paderborn, Co-
In the beginning of the eleventh At the time of our saint's arrival.
Comes Pyrmontanus, alludes, in the following Latin Epigram : —
," Hie, ubi fons Paderse, media surgentis in urbe,
Ducovetus magni^nomen ab amne Padi ;
Marte diu ancipiti Carolus certare coactus,
Delegit castris consiliisque locum : Jussit et, his undis lustratam, subdere
gentem
Saxonicam vero colla superl)a Deo.
Hie Leo, Romana deductus ab urbe sacellum
Sacravit, primum Relligionis opus. Hie Sedes, longo, fuit, ordine deinde
secutis
Terrarum Dominis, inclyta, C:esa- ribus.
Virginis hie conjux, virgo Cunigunda, mariti,
Accepitmeritisregiasertacomis, Vastum aliussubeat septena per ostia
pontum,
Nobilius nuUus me caput amnis
adjutor
Monasteriensis, S. R. L, Princeps and
habet. "
April io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 103
there were two distinct monasteries in it ; one belonging to the bishop
of the place, and, probably, it was occupied, by a community of Cathe- dral Canons, while the other was in possession of a congregation of monks, to which Paternus belonged. In this very solitary place of abode, the Blessed Patemus lived for many years, quite retired from any commerce with the world. A year before his death, in a spirit of prophecy, he foretold a great fire, which should consume the city, where he dwelt, because of the sins of its
people. This occurred in the year 1058. In it, he also perished'; for, with the spirit of a martyr, Patemus refused safety, by a strict observance of his rule of life. 9 As a demonstration of his sanctity, the mat on which he slept escaped the flames ;'° and, it was afterwards held in great veneration, by the citizens of Paderbom. After his death, his sepulchre was illustrated by mira- cles," as Marianus Scotus relates. The latter pious Irishman had set out from Cologne, on Monday after the Octave of Easter, a. d. 1059, with a view of becoming an iiiclusus, at Fulda. He resolved to visit Paderbom, on the way ; and, he tells us, that then, in the very cell, where Blessed Patem lived, he prayed on that same mat, which had escaped the flames. By the constant tradition and piety of the people of Paderbom, St. Paternus had been re- garded from times remote, as one of the tutelary patrons of their city. His name is recorded, by many ^vrite^s and calendarists ; such as, by Trithemius, VVion, Dorgan, Menard, Bucelin, Ferarius, Wilson, Camerarius, Dempster, andSimonMartin. Yet,theknowledgeofPatem'splaceofsepulchrehad passed away from the menwry of the people, nor were his miracles distinctly remembered, in the latter times. Citing Arnold Wion, Dempster notices " the present saint, in his Calendar, at this date, and as belonging to Scotland. '3 In terms of high commendation, St. Peter Damien,''* a contemporary, men- tions this saint, in that apologetical Epistle he wrote, and (which referred toresigningtheEpiscopaloffice. Hisreflectionsarechieflyonthesubjectof Patem's devotion to duty, and on his leaving to the disposition of Divine Providencehisownlife,whileagreatpubliccalamitywasimpending. The result of his trust, as the holy Cardinal observes, should cause us to fear, rather than question, the judgments of God. While it can scarcely be doubt- ful, that a prophet, who had a knowledge of the approaching destruction of a burning city, should have no revelation regarding his own death; the human mind may well cease to wonder, at the depths and mystery of the Almighty's terrible punishments inflicted on men, and in which so holy a ser- vantpaidtheforfeitofhislife, whilesomanywereguiltyofcrimes,notex- piated by a tme change of heart.
Article VII. —St. Waldetrude's Coxjntess, and Wife of St. Vincent, of Castrilocus. \Snenth Century^ The feast ofSt. Waldetmde, Patroness of Mons, has been placed by Convxus, and in a Manuscript Bene- dictine Martyrology,' at tiic 10th of April. Notices of this holy woman will be found, on the day previous.
» Allusion is made to this occurrence, in Sigebert's Chronicle, as also in the "Specu- lum Historiale" of Viiicentius Bellovacensis, lib. XXV. , cap. xxxv.
