^7 They were placed on a high hill,*^ and somewhat
separated
from another, on which are the ruinous circumvallations of the ancient Dun-Keltair,'9 around the base of which the waters of Lough Strang- ford once flowed.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
22.
atAgallamh na Seanoiridhe ; again, in 23.
L.
22, at p.
^»WefindaMS. yetextant,intituled:
"Prophetia S. Patris Patricii de Dublinia,"
MS. Lambeth. 523 ff. 11 7-1 1 7 b. veil. 8yo. , 316. Hodges and Smith Collection. Re- xiv. cent. ferences are made to St. Patrick, in those
It must be remarked, notwithstanding,
7* This is classed, 23. L. 34, and it is na Huidhre, fol. 74. a. There is a re-
Guiric, Laisren and Beoc, in the
Leabhar
778. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [. March 17.
that many of the foregoing pieces^^ are spurious, unauthenticated, and written at times, long subsequent to the period of our great Patron Saint, so that we may regard them, as having no real value, to illustrate the present record of his life.
CHAPTER XXVI
ST. PATRICK S PREDICTION, THAT ST. BENIGNUS SHOULD SUCCEED HIM IN THE SEE OF ARMAGH—THE IRISH APOSTLE RECEIVES A WARNING FROM HEAVEN, REGARDING HIS DEATH, AND WHERE IT SHOULD TAKE PLACE—HE DEPARTS THIS LIFE AT SAUL —HIS FUNERAL OBSEQUIES—DISPUTE CONCERNING THE POSSESSION OF HIS SACRED REMAINS DETERMINED BY A MIRACLE—HIS BURIAL AT DOWNPATRICK.
According to several of his Acts, the Irish Apostle announced, that St. Benignus should succeed him, in the See of Armagh ; and, it is said, the event corresponded with such a prediction. Thus, Tirechan,^ Probus,^ the
Thirds and the Tripartite* Lives, with Jocelyn's Lifes of our holy Apostle, all aver ; but, it has been thought, only was that event accomplished, after St. Patrick's death. ^ However, the demise of St. Benignus has been placed, so early as a. d. 467 or 468. 7 Owing to this annalistic statement, Colgan felt so puzzled, that he threw out a most extravagant conjecture. ^ The Benignus, who died in 468, he thinks, ought to be regarded, as a different person from that Benignus, who succeeded after St. Patrick's death. Consequently, according to Colgan, the Armagh Benignus must have lived, after a. d. 493.
Manuscripts, classed 23. A. 40. , at p. 65. ; in23. C. 18. ,atp. 28. ; in23. C. 33. ,atp, 177, in a Poem, by Caoilte ; in 23. D. 9. ,
of
Synchronisms the Saints; in 23. D. 15. , at p. 138. ; in 23. E. 16. ,atp. 354,inaPoemonthe
Christian Kings of Connaught ; in 23. E. 20. , at p. 19, at an account of Tara ; in 23.
E. 26. ,atp. 250;again,in23. E. 26. ,at p. 185, and, again, at p. 301, where allusion ismadetoCashel; in23. F. 10. ,atp. 2. ; in 23. F. 16. , at p. 147, in a Poem on Tadhg O'Brien ; in 23. K. 32. , at pp. 150, 164, 181, 182, 196, 200, 202 ; in 23. ]\1. 45. , at p. 293, in relation with Oisin ; in 23. Q. at fol. 127, b. a. , where there is a
*'
Liber Hymno- rum," a Manuscript, belonging to Trinity College, Dublin, and classed E. 4. 2. , has
at No. I. A Latin Plymn in praise of St. Patrick. Also, at No. 19, the Irish
Hymn of St. Fiech, first Bishop of Sletty, on St. Patrick, is given in 34 stanzas. A note is prefixed, giving an account of a dia- logue, between St. Patrick and Dubtach, the poet and master of St. Fiech.
^* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," for an account of the writers, who have treated about St. Patrick. Quarta Appen- dix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , pp. 216 to 219. —
Chapter xxvi. ' Tirechan has these
words: "Ipse est Benignus episcopus su—c- cessor Patricii in Ecclesia Machine. "
Ussher's " Primordia," cap. xvii. , p. 875.
* He thus states : "Jam te fill meum suc- cessorem dignum esse sentio futurum. " See
Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. i. , p.
52-
3 In the Third Life, the saint is introduced,
as ofhim " meiheres saying : quia regni
est. " See Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxxvi. , p. 24.
* The Tripartite states, that he also was destined to succeed in the Primacy. " Hie
heres regni mei erit, hoc est, erit post me supremus Ecclesiae Hibernicae moderator. "
See Septima Vita S, Patricii, lib. i. , cap. xlv. , p. 124.
5 Where he writes : "ipsum successorum
ministerii sui, sicut et fuit, fore praedixit.
Idem namque Benignus in regimine Pontifi- catus Primatusque totius Hiberniae successit S. Patricio," &c. See Sexta Vita S. Patri- cii, cap. xxxix. , p. 74, In another passage, Jocelyn represents St. Patrick, as retaining the primacy until the time of his death. See ibid. , cap. cxci. , p. 107.
^
This is stated, in a Life of St. Benignus, as also, in the Acts of St. Moctheus, ([uoted by Ussher. See " De Primordiis," cap. xvii. , p. 876.
' IntheUlsterAnnals. SeeUssher's"Pri- mordia," cap. xvii. , p. 877. In Dr. O'Dono- van's "Annals of the Four Masters;," vol. i. ,
pp. 146, 147, and, also, in Harris' Ware, vol. ""
i. , ArchbishopsofArmagh atBeniguu^,
p. 35, the statement accords.
9 The Irish Apostle's retirement from the
busy scenes of missionary life is beautifully told, in Aubrey De Vere's poem, " The Ar-
at andinthe pp. 65, 408,
Poem, by- Caoilte. In the
" Thaumatin-ga, Septima
"See "Trias
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , p. 293-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 779
Being in Ulidia, full of days and of good works, and now faithfully finish- ing the time for his appointed ministry,? Patrick saw as well by Divine revela- tion, as by the threatening dissolution of his earthly tabernacle, that the evening of his life was drawing near. '° This foreknowledge moved him to go towards the city of Armagh, which he earnestly desired to be the place for his resurrection. According to some accounts, the saint is said to have been at Saul," when his last illness overtook him ;" and, according to another account, at Dundalethglass, or Dunlethglaisse,^3 now the city of Down,^ near
the waters of Lough Strangford. It is better known still, as Downpatrick, having been called after the ancient Dun, or fortress, united with the name of our great Apostle. It is built, on the sides of several small hills. These form a sort of amphitheatre, by their convergence into that valley, through which themainstreetruns. ^5 There,anancientabbeyandabeautifulroundtower^^ formerly stood, at the south-west of Down Cathedral, but these structures were demolished in 1789.
^7 They were placed on a high hill,*^ and somewhat separated from another, on which are the ruinous circumvallations of the ancient Dun-Keltair,'9 around the base of which the waters of Lough Strang- ford once flowed. The chief, from whom the fort derived its ancient name of Dun-Celtair, or Rath-Celtair, was Celtair, the son of Duach, one of the
raignment of St. Patrick. " See "The that venerable monument was pulled down,
the mischievous hand of man doing more in a short time, than the lightnings and storms of heaven did, perhaps, in a thousand years.
'7 Incidentally, while delivering an inte- resting antiquarian discourse in Down- patrick, the learned lecturer. Rev. William Reeves, referred to the round towers, which he held were places of refuge in the times of invasion, for those who were attached to the
Legends of St. Patrick," pp. 194 to 209.
'° Thus is this incident related, in St.
Fiech's Hymn : —
pAC^Aicc oiAtnbAi ilLob)\A At)cob]\A •oub DO niAche
"Oo buix) Aingeb a]\a chenn |"0|\i'ec iinme- •oon bAiclie.
—
services of the adjoining churches, or who lived in the adjacent monastic establish- ments, as well as for therein the
It is thus rendered into English :
"
when he was in sickness, desired
Patrick,
to go to Ardmagh :
An angel went to meet him on the road, in the middle of the day. "
depositing
utensils used in tlie performance of worship.
—See " Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol.
See Report in the UlsUr Observer of Sep-
tember 29th, 1S64.
'^ The accompanying illustration of the
former Round Tower and Cathedral, at Down, has been drawn by William F. Wakeman, on the wood, and taken from an original sketch, in the possession of Very
iv. , pp. 290, 291. See, likewise, Vita Prima
S. I'atricii or Fiech's Hymn, and the
Scholiast ad Stroph. 23, 24, and nn. aa, bb,
cc, pp. 3, 5, 6. We are told, by Colgan, Rev. Dean Reeves. The engraving is by
this angel was a distinct one fiom Victor, and that he was sent by the latter, to dis- suade St. Patrick from his original purpose.
" So states, the Scholiast on St. P'iach's Hymn. St. Patrick lived here, according to his bardic testament, for thirty years.
" See the Tripartite Life, lib. iii. , cap. clxvii. Also, Fiech's Scholiast ad Strophe
23, nn. (aa), p. 5. "Trias Thaumaturga. " ^3 It is said to have been so called, from the circumstance of an Angel having set at liberty a captive, who was confined in this fort, by breaking asunder his glass or fetters. •* See Vita Tertia S. Patricii. , cap.
Ixxxviii. , p. 28.
'5 See J. B. Doyle's "Tours in Ulster,"
p. 73-
'^ Owing to the barbarous, ruthless, taste-
less, unjustifiable conduct of certain parties, then connected with the town or county.
Mrs. Millard. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1790.
'9 In his interesting and learned Lecture, during the month of September, 1864, before the Downpatrick Young Men's Christian As-
sociation, the Rev. William Reevessays, that it is "one of the finest specimens of Celtic entrenchments to be found in the West of Europe. Noonecanwalkroundthefosses and entrenchments of that enormous structure, without being forcibly struck by their extent and boldness ; and if disposed to carry the imagination backwards, one may picture to the mind the stirring scenes which passed here, when that great munition was in its full strength and beauty, and filled with a dense assembly of rude but powerful occu- pants ; when its trenches were deep and filled with water ; when its ramparts were lofty and pallisaded ; and when chiefs with
78o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
celebrated heroes of what was called the Red Branch Order in this country, anddescendedfromRuryMor,intheillustriouslineoftheClannaRury. He wasthesonofUitechar,sontoFachtna,sonofRury. AndConchobhar MacNessa, King of Ulster, was brother to his father Uitechar.
Cumcraigh, son of this Connor MacNessa, was his first cousin, and he was King of
Ulster, reigning at Emania, a. d. 53. Amidst all the fiction and hyperbole, which characterize the bardic stories of Ireland, we can, in this case, discern
Downpatrick Cathedral and Round Tower, as they stood in the Eighteenth Century.
some vestiges of true history, and pronounce of this Dun, that about the
Christian era, it was the abode of a famous chief, far and wide renowned for
hismilitaryexploits. Hebelongedtoadistinguishedrace,whichleftitsim-
press upon many places in the vicinity, where their names are to this day
preserved ; while many of the principal families, belonging to the adjacent district, derived their origin from the stock of whom he descended.
Several ancient roads branch from the Cathedral, and from Dun-Keltair, in various directions. The celebrated old fortress,^" lying on the north-west side of the town, takes up a vast extent of ground, and it comprehends, at least, three quarters of an English mile, within the circuit of all its works. The circumference, at least, is 2,100 feet ; the conical height is 60 feet j while the diameter at the top bears a just proportion, with the other parts. The
their goklen collars, and bards with tlieir
tuneful harps, represented the military and social excellence of their day. "
'° Dr. John O'Donovan, who visited Downpatrick, in April, 1834, thus writes
*'
The rath near Downpatrick is the largest barbaric fortress I have yet
seen. Sir James Kinge called it, in 1612, ' the round mount, alias Downeroskae,' but it is unquestionably the Down Celtair and Arx Lethglasse of the old writers of the Life
of St. Patrick. Downeroskae seems a name derived from its situation, and signifying,
'
the fortress in the marsh. ' It was ancientl\ , and to a late period, almost entirely siu- rounded with water, and that part of it to which there was access from dry land is con-
siderably higher and more steep than where it was surrounded by the water. "—"The
regarding it ;
County of Down Ordnance
Letter of John O'Donovan, dated from Downpatrick, April 28th, 1834, p. 98.
Survey
Letters. "
March 17. ] LIVES OP THE IklSH SAINTS. 781
most considerable of the three great artificial ramparts surrounding it cannot be less than thirty feet broad. ^^
According to some respectable authorities, and to tradition, over the church he established, at Down, St. Patrick governed as its first bishop, the
Primatial See of Armagh not having been founded for many years afterwards, as appears by all the Lives of our illustrious Apostle-^^ That he was the first bishop, over Down, continued to be the living tradition of the country, so late as 1680. ^3 And, it would seem, that he used often to resort thither, even to the very close of his life. Then, while on his way southwards towards Armagh, according to the legend of his Acts,'-* a bush seemed to be in a blaze,'5 and from
:
it the Angel Victor came. He spoke to holy Patrick these words " It is not
there thy resurrection hath been decreed ; go back to the Sabhall, that place whence you came ; for, it is there God hath decreed, that you shall die, and
not in Ard-Macha. God has granted thee, that thy dignity and rule, thy devotion and teaching, shall be in Ard-Macha, as if thou thyself wert alive there. "^^ Whereupon,hearingthesewordsoftheAngel,thesaintwasgrieved; but, quickly returning to himself, he embraced that mandate of Divine Provi- dence, with much devotion and thanksgiving, while submitting his own will to the will of God, he returned unto Ulidia.
The Angel left advice with St. Patrick, as to how he should be buried ; because, a contest was anticipated, among the people of different territories.
"' See Walter Harris' " Ancient and
Present State of the County of Down,"
I wish that I, succeeding him in place As Bishop, had an equal share of grace.
"
chap, xvii. , p. 220.
—
^* his
During lifetime,
we have records of
Vol. of
i. , "Archbishops Cashel," p.
bishops at Raholp and Bright—
John W. Hanna, in a learned article, con- tributed to the Ulster Weekly Examiner of June 8th, 1872. From this we have drawn much valuable information. After the bishops alluded to, no successors appear. It
would be marvellous, and contrary to their ecclesiastical discipline, if Down and Saul
of— ou Trinity College, Dublin, expressly
jUTje.
writes
" :
This town was the first
place
in
this kingdome that St. Patrick was bishop
of, though in Armagh is the Primacy of this
kingdome * * * and for proof of Doun being the first Bishoprick, I have observed on the epitaph of Meilerus M'Grath, Lord Archbishop of Cashel, who was first of all Lord Bishop of Doun, before he conform'd to the reformed religion, in Queen Eliza- beth's reign, the verses are as followeth,
— sanctissimus
These stanzas are thus rendered into Eng- lish :—
" Patrick came southwards towards Victor ; he it was that went to meet him :
The bush, in which Victor rested, was in a
these being the first two disticks thereof
:
:
Thy dignity (shall be) return thanks to Christ :
at
" Venerat in Dunum dim,
primo
Armagh :
To Heaven thou shalt come ; thy prayer
Patricius, nostri gloria magna soli.
Huic ego succedens, utinam tam sanctus
ut ille,
Sic Duni primo tempore Prsesul eram.
Which has been thus translated —
is granted thee. "
by Hanis, in his edition of Ware's Bishops :"
Vita S.
Quinta Patricii,
lib.
iv. ,
ii. , cap. xxxii. ,
*'
Patrick, the glory of our Isle and Gown, First sat a Bishop in the See of Down,
Lord speaking to Moyses, from the bviming bush. See Exodus, iii.
"
60.
'^ This has a probable original, in our
writes Mr.
485-
'* Thus is the matter related, in the 24th
should have no governing bishop.
*3 Then, one Downing, in his manuscript Afbe^AC oixTJOAn 'oo ITlAche, •00 C|\i]^c
description of the county, written for Sir AclAigce buiue,
William Petty, and preserved in the library Oo chum nime mofpegA, i\o |\AchA 'ouic
and 25th stanzas of St. Fiach's Hymn
— :
Oo ^Aich ^A'oei' CO UiccojA, h& he ai|\'o
LAfpAij" in muine imb<ii, a"^ in cen atj- glA'OAI'CAlA.
blaze : spoke.
" He said
from the flame he (the angel)
—"Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol.
pp. 290, 291. See, Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxviii. , p. 28. Also, Probus, or
p.
7§2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i^
for the possession of his sacred remains. The following directions were then given : First, that two young and strong oxen should be brought from the herds of Conall's territory, viz. : from Finnabhair, or Clocher ; and that, after death, Patrick's body should be placed in a wagon, to be drawn by them, so that what way soever those young oxen might go of their own accord, such place where they stopped must be the locality selected for his interment. Secondly, it was ordered, that his remains should be buried deeply in the earth, so that the height of a man or a cubit must mark his grave, and that the precious re- mains might not be taken out of it. The blessed Patrick assented to these commandsoftheAngel,andthenhereturnedtoSaul. Therehedisposedall his temporal and eternal affairs, while waiting for his final summons.
Within a few days after this, as the most holy senior, St. Patrick, sat near
the city of Down, and not far from its church, he preached regarding the glory of Heaven, to a great multitude of religious and ecclesiastical men. Then, a wonderful splendour illuminated a certain place, in the eastern part of the churchyard. The pearl of Ireland, the illustrious St. Brigid, happened to be present. ^7 The saint commanded her, to declare this mystery of, and to account for, that Divine light. She then told, in the hearing of all the assembly, how that celestial light had consecrated and designated the place, where a saint, most glorious and most dear to God, should shortly be interred. Then, a holy virgin,^^ named Ethembria,^^ who was there, asked St. Brigid, to particularize the great person, who should there be deposited. The holy Brigid thereupon declared, that it should be the place of sepulture, for the PatronandApostleofIreland,St. Patrick; and,then,addedfurther,thatshe would account herself most happy, if his sacred body might be wrapped in a winding-sheet, which she had spun and woven with her own hands. This she had prepared, for such a sacred purpose. Soon, the great light dis- appeared, but a vision of St. Patrick ascending to Heaven accompanied its
vanishing. The blessed Apostle, knowing by Divine inspiration the holy virgin's desire, commanded her to go, and to bring that sheet, wherein the illustrious womanwouldhavehisbodywrapt. HethenwenttothemonasteryofSaul, where falling sick, he expected the end of this life, or rather the beginning of another life that hath no end. The holy virgin Brigid was so wearied with the length and difficulty of her journey, that she could not come to him, so soon as she purposed. 3° The Blessed Bishop, knowing in what distress the pious virgin was, sent chariots, to meet herself, and four other pious virgins, coming to Saul, where the saint lay sick. She soon presented him with the
=*
Jocelyn adds the following words : si proxima essem, vestimentum dedissem. "Therefore, remember thy word, where- Beatus vero Patricius respondit ; expectabit
with thou gayest hope unto thy first con- verts, the sons of Dichu, when instructed of heaven, thou didst foretel unto them, that in their land thou wouldst die and be buried. "
egens : venias. Quedam vero sanctimoniahs
Virgo B. Brigidam de paupere secreto sci- scitata est. Cui Brigida ait ; Sanctus Pater noster Patricius proximo huic loco sepultus jacebit ; et non post multum ad alterum transferetur, ibique sanctum ipsius et vene- rabile corpus requiescet. "
=*
Nothing seems to be known with certainty, regarding this saint, who is also called Cethuberis. Some other variations of her name occur. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, nn. 82, 181, pp. 112, 116.
=' She was the first nun, in all Ireland, who had embraced virginity, and who liad been consecrated by St. Patrick,
*7 The Fourth Life has it, that the multi- tude there " quidam beatam Brigidam inter- rogant," as if she were distinct from the great Patroness of Ireland. Then, however, do we read " Quae respondit Non me
:;
sed S. Patricium interrogate. Audiens autem Patricius S. Brigidam loquentem dixit ; ^qualiter sumus : quapropter liujus rei mysterium revela prassentibus. At illi ilia
inquit j Angeli sui est visitatio cujusdam . sancti viri ad locum sepulchri ejus, quo cor-
Patricius deinde
ait, animam fore propriori in loco, qui ves-
3" The Fourth Life of St. Patrick
puto
tern quiescent! dabit. Brigida dixit j Ego for this purpose, with five virgins, when
pus ejus requiescet.
states, that she journeyed to the plain of Bregia,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 7^3
sheet, which he received very gratefully. Then, kissing his feet and hands, she and her virgins received his last benediction.
Spent in years, and weakness of body coming on him, as closed the gate of life on earth, the portals of Heaven began to open before Patrick's view, bring- ingthecrowntoreleasehimfromallinfirmity. TheAngelhadadmonished the holy man, to receive the last Sacraments, at the hands of his disciple St. Tassach,3itheBishop. 3^ Elevatinghiseyes,PatricksawJesus,standinginthe midst of a multitude of Angels. Then, blessing his disciples, and rendering thanks to God, he passed out of this life, resigning his spirit to Heaven. Thus was he destined to see the Lord, face to face. His blessed soul was received into the joy of life supernal, by the all-immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, and by sacred choirs of Virgins, with the Patriarchs, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and the Angels. No wonder that he was honoured by all the saints, since there shone in him the virtues of all the saints. An Angel he was, not alone by nature, but by his virtues and office ; for, his lips kept science, and the law of life, which he taught to the people. He was a Prophet, for few of the Prophets were imbued with a greater foresight of future things. He may well be regarded as an Apostle, for everywhere in Ireland, and in the neighbouring Islands, it is said, he left proofs of his Apostle- ship. AMartyrhewas,inregardofthemanyconflictshehadagainstkings, Magicians, Idolaters, and Devils, even although his life was spared, notwith- standing his many trials. Rightly was he called the Confessor of God, who continually preached the name of Christ, and who, by his words, his example, and his miracles, excited people, tribes and tongues, to the confession of God's name, against human sin, and in favour of the Divine promise. Rightly was he called a virgin, who remained a virgin in his body, in his heart, and in his faith, and by his three-fold virginity, who pleased the Spouse of virgins, and the Virgin of virgins. Rightly is he numbered among the angelic choirs, and the assemblies of all saints, who was the sharer in all holy acts, and the exemplar of all virtues. It has been stated, that for three-and-thirty years, he gave himself to the sweet rest of contemplation, either at Armagh, or at Saul monastery. During this time, he never went abroad, according to the same authority,
unless it were for great affairs. It is said, he held a Council once each year, for the redress of existing abuses, or to serve the good government of those churches he had founded.
^»WefindaMS. yetextant,intituled:
"Prophetia S. Patris Patricii de Dublinia,"
MS. Lambeth. 523 ff. 11 7-1 1 7 b. veil. 8yo. , 316. Hodges and Smith Collection. Re- xiv. cent. ferences are made to St. Patrick, in those
It must be remarked, notwithstanding,
7* This is classed, 23. L. 34, and it is na Huidhre, fol. 74. a. There is a re-
Guiric, Laisren and Beoc, in the
Leabhar
778. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [. March 17.
that many of the foregoing pieces^^ are spurious, unauthenticated, and written at times, long subsequent to the period of our great Patron Saint, so that we may regard them, as having no real value, to illustrate the present record of his life.
CHAPTER XXVI
ST. PATRICK S PREDICTION, THAT ST. BENIGNUS SHOULD SUCCEED HIM IN THE SEE OF ARMAGH—THE IRISH APOSTLE RECEIVES A WARNING FROM HEAVEN, REGARDING HIS DEATH, AND WHERE IT SHOULD TAKE PLACE—HE DEPARTS THIS LIFE AT SAUL —HIS FUNERAL OBSEQUIES—DISPUTE CONCERNING THE POSSESSION OF HIS SACRED REMAINS DETERMINED BY A MIRACLE—HIS BURIAL AT DOWNPATRICK.
According to several of his Acts, the Irish Apostle announced, that St. Benignus should succeed him, in the See of Armagh ; and, it is said, the event corresponded with such a prediction. Thus, Tirechan,^ Probus,^ the
Thirds and the Tripartite* Lives, with Jocelyn's Lifes of our holy Apostle, all aver ; but, it has been thought, only was that event accomplished, after St. Patrick's death. ^ However, the demise of St. Benignus has been placed, so early as a. d. 467 or 468. 7 Owing to this annalistic statement, Colgan felt so puzzled, that he threw out a most extravagant conjecture. ^ The Benignus, who died in 468, he thinks, ought to be regarded, as a different person from that Benignus, who succeeded after St. Patrick's death. Consequently, according to Colgan, the Armagh Benignus must have lived, after a. d. 493.
Manuscripts, classed 23. A. 40. , at p. 65. ; in23. C. 18. ,atp. 28. ; in23. C. 33. ,atp, 177, in a Poem, by Caoilte ; in 23. D. 9. ,
of
Synchronisms the Saints; in 23. D. 15. , at p. 138. ; in 23. E. 16. ,atp. 354,inaPoemonthe
Christian Kings of Connaught ; in 23. E. 20. , at p. 19, at an account of Tara ; in 23.
E. 26. ,atp. 250;again,in23. E. 26. ,at p. 185, and, again, at p. 301, where allusion ismadetoCashel; in23. F. 10. ,atp. 2. ; in 23. F. 16. , at p. 147, in a Poem on Tadhg O'Brien ; in 23. K. 32. , at pp. 150, 164, 181, 182, 196, 200, 202 ; in 23. ]\1. 45. , at p. 293, in relation with Oisin ; in 23. Q. at fol. 127, b. a. , where there is a
*'
Liber Hymno- rum," a Manuscript, belonging to Trinity College, Dublin, and classed E. 4. 2. , has
at No. I. A Latin Plymn in praise of St. Patrick. Also, at No. 19, the Irish
Hymn of St. Fiech, first Bishop of Sletty, on St. Patrick, is given in 34 stanzas. A note is prefixed, giving an account of a dia- logue, between St. Patrick and Dubtach, the poet and master of St. Fiech.
^* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," for an account of the writers, who have treated about St. Patrick. Quarta Appen- dix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , pp. 216 to 219. —
Chapter xxvi. ' Tirechan has these
words: "Ipse est Benignus episcopus su—c- cessor Patricii in Ecclesia Machine. "
Ussher's " Primordia," cap. xvii. , p. 875.
* He thus states : "Jam te fill meum suc- cessorem dignum esse sentio futurum. " See
Quinta Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. i. , p.
52-
3 In the Third Life, the saint is introduced,
as ofhim " meiheres saying : quia regni
est. " See Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxxvi. , p. 24.
* The Tripartite states, that he also was destined to succeed in the Primacy. " Hie
heres regni mei erit, hoc est, erit post me supremus Ecclesiae Hibernicae moderator. "
See Septima Vita S, Patricii, lib. i. , cap. xlv. , p. 124.
5 Where he writes : "ipsum successorum
ministerii sui, sicut et fuit, fore praedixit.
Idem namque Benignus in regimine Pontifi- catus Primatusque totius Hiberniae successit S. Patricio," &c. See Sexta Vita S. Patri- cii, cap. xxxix. , p. 74, In another passage, Jocelyn represents St. Patrick, as retaining the primacy until the time of his death. See ibid. , cap. cxci. , p. 107.
^
This is stated, in a Life of St. Benignus, as also, in the Acts of St. Moctheus, ([uoted by Ussher. See " De Primordiis," cap. xvii. , p. 876.
' IntheUlsterAnnals. SeeUssher's"Pri- mordia," cap. xvii. , p. 877. In Dr. O'Dono- van's "Annals of the Four Masters;," vol. i. ,
pp. 146, 147, and, also, in Harris' Ware, vol. ""
i. , ArchbishopsofArmagh atBeniguu^,
p. 35, the statement accords.
9 The Irish Apostle's retirement from the
busy scenes of missionary life is beautifully told, in Aubrey De Vere's poem, " The Ar-
at andinthe pp. 65, 408,
Poem, by- Caoilte. In the
" Thaumatin-ga, Septima
"See "Trias
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , p. 293-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 779
Being in Ulidia, full of days and of good works, and now faithfully finish- ing the time for his appointed ministry,? Patrick saw as well by Divine revela- tion, as by the threatening dissolution of his earthly tabernacle, that the evening of his life was drawing near. '° This foreknowledge moved him to go towards the city of Armagh, which he earnestly desired to be the place for his resurrection. According to some accounts, the saint is said to have been at Saul," when his last illness overtook him ;" and, according to another account, at Dundalethglass, or Dunlethglaisse,^3 now the city of Down,^ near
the waters of Lough Strangford. It is better known still, as Downpatrick, having been called after the ancient Dun, or fortress, united with the name of our great Apostle. It is built, on the sides of several small hills. These form a sort of amphitheatre, by their convergence into that valley, through which themainstreetruns. ^5 There,anancientabbeyandabeautifulroundtower^^ formerly stood, at the south-west of Down Cathedral, but these structures were demolished in 1789.
^7 They were placed on a high hill,*^ and somewhat separated from another, on which are the ruinous circumvallations of the ancient Dun-Keltair,'9 around the base of which the waters of Lough Strang- ford once flowed. The chief, from whom the fort derived its ancient name of Dun-Celtair, or Rath-Celtair, was Celtair, the son of Duach, one of the
raignment of St. Patrick. " See "The that venerable monument was pulled down,
the mischievous hand of man doing more in a short time, than the lightnings and storms of heaven did, perhaps, in a thousand years.
'7 Incidentally, while delivering an inte- resting antiquarian discourse in Down- patrick, the learned lecturer. Rev. William Reeves, referred to the round towers, which he held were places of refuge in the times of invasion, for those who were attached to the
Legends of St. Patrick," pp. 194 to 209.
'° Thus is this incident related, in St.
Fiech's Hymn : —
pAC^Aicc oiAtnbAi ilLob)\A At)cob]\A •oub DO niAche
"Oo buix) Aingeb a]\a chenn |"0|\i'ec iinme- •oon bAiclie.
—
services of the adjoining churches, or who lived in the adjacent monastic establish- ments, as well as for therein the
It is thus rendered into English :
"
when he was in sickness, desired
Patrick,
to go to Ardmagh :
An angel went to meet him on the road, in the middle of the day. "
depositing
utensils used in tlie performance of worship.
—See " Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol.
See Report in the UlsUr Observer of Sep-
tember 29th, 1S64.
'^ The accompanying illustration of the
former Round Tower and Cathedral, at Down, has been drawn by William F. Wakeman, on the wood, and taken from an original sketch, in the possession of Very
iv. , pp. 290, 291. See, likewise, Vita Prima
S. I'atricii or Fiech's Hymn, and the
Scholiast ad Stroph. 23, 24, and nn. aa, bb,
cc, pp. 3, 5, 6. We are told, by Colgan, Rev. Dean Reeves. The engraving is by
this angel was a distinct one fiom Victor, and that he was sent by the latter, to dis- suade St. Patrick from his original purpose.
" So states, the Scholiast on St. P'iach's Hymn. St. Patrick lived here, according to his bardic testament, for thirty years.
" See the Tripartite Life, lib. iii. , cap. clxvii. Also, Fiech's Scholiast ad Strophe
23, nn. (aa), p. 5. "Trias Thaumaturga. " ^3 It is said to have been so called, from the circumstance of an Angel having set at liberty a captive, who was confined in this fort, by breaking asunder his glass or fetters. •* See Vita Tertia S. Patricii. , cap.
Ixxxviii. , p. 28.
'5 See J. B. Doyle's "Tours in Ulster,"
p. 73-
'^ Owing to the barbarous, ruthless, taste-
less, unjustifiable conduct of certain parties, then connected with the town or county.
Mrs. Millard. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1790.
'9 In his interesting and learned Lecture, during the month of September, 1864, before the Downpatrick Young Men's Christian As-
sociation, the Rev. William Reevessays, that it is "one of the finest specimens of Celtic entrenchments to be found in the West of Europe. Noonecanwalkroundthefosses and entrenchments of that enormous structure, without being forcibly struck by their extent and boldness ; and if disposed to carry the imagination backwards, one may picture to the mind the stirring scenes which passed here, when that great munition was in its full strength and beauty, and filled with a dense assembly of rude but powerful occu- pants ; when its trenches were deep and filled with water ; when its ramparts were lofty and pallisaded ; and when chiefs with
78o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
celebrated heroes of what was called the Red Branch Order in this country, anddescendedfromRuryMor,intheillustriouslineoftheClannaRury. He wasthesonofUitechar,sontoFachtna,sonofRury. AndConchobhar MacNessa, King of Ulster, was brother to his father Uitechar.
Cumcraigh, son of this Connor MacNessa, was his first cousin, and he was King of
Ulster, reigning at Emania, a. d. 53. Amidst all the fiction and hyperbole, which characterize the bardic stories of Ireland, we can, in this case, discern
Downpatrick Cathedral and Round Tower, as they stood in the Eighteenth Century.
some vestiges of true history, and pronounce of this Dun, that about the
Christian era, it was the abode of a famous chief, far and wide renowned for
hismilitaryexploits. Hebelongedtoadistinguishedrace,whichleftitsim-
press upon many places in the vicinity, where their names are to this day
preserved ; while many of the principal families, belonging to the adjacent district, derived their origin from the stock of whom he descended.
Several ancient roads branch from the Cathedral, and from Dun-Keltair, in various directions. The celebrated old fortress,^" lying on the north-west side of the town, takes up a vast extent of ground, and it comprehends, at least, three quarters of an English mile, within the circuit of all its works. The circumference, at least, is 2,100 feet ; the conical height is 60 feet j while the diameter at the top bears a just proportion, with the other parts. The
their goklen collars, and bards with tlieir
tuneful harps, represented the military and social excellence of their day. "
'° Dr. John O'Donovan, who visited Downpatrick, in April, 1834, thus writes
*'
The rath near Downpatrick is the largest barbaric fortress I have yet
seen. Sir James Kinge called it, in 1612, ' the round mount, alias Downeroskae,' but it is unquestionably the Down Celtair and Arx Lethglasse of the old writers of the Life
of St. Patrick. Downeroskae seems a name derived from its situation, and signifying,
'
the fortress in the marsh. ' It was ancientl\ , and to a late period, almost entirely siu- rounded with water, and that part of it to which there was access from dry land is con-
siderably higher and more steep than where it was surrounded by the water. "—"The
regarding it ;
County of Down Ordnance
Letter of John O'Donovan, dated from Downpatrick, April 28th, 1834, p. 98.
Survey
Letters. "
March 17. ] LIVES OP THE IklSH SAINTS. 781
most considerable of the three great artificial ramparts surrounding it cannot be less than thirty feet broad. ^^
According to some respectable authorities, and to tradition, over the church he established, at Down, St. Patrick governed as its first bishop, the
Primatial See of Armagh not having been founded for many years afterwards, as appears by all the Lives of our illustrious Apostle-^^ That he was the first bishop, over Down, continued to be the living tradition of the country, so late as 1680. ^3 And, it would seem, that he used often to resort thither, even to the very close of his life. Then, while on his way southwards towards Armagh, according to the legend of his Acts,'-* a bush seemed to be in a blaze,'5 and from
:
it the Angel Victor came. He spoke to holy Patrick these words " It is not
there thy resurrection hath been decreed ; go back to the Sabhall, that place whence you came ; for, it is there God hath decreed, that you shall die, and
not in Ard-Macha. God has granted thee, that thy dignity and rule, thy devotion and teaching, shall be in Ard-Macha, as if thou thyself wert alive there. "^^ Whereupon,hearingthesewordsoftheAngel,thesaintwasgrieved; but, quickly returning to himself, he embraced that mandate of Divine Provi- dence, with much devotion and thanksgiving, while submitting his own will to the will of God, he returned unto Ulidia.
The Angel left advice with St. Patrick, as to how he should be buried ; because, a contest was anticipated, among the people of different territories.
"' See Walter Harris' " Ancient and
Present State of the County of Down,"
I wish that I, succeeding him in place As Bishop, had an equal share of grace.
"
chap, xvii. , p. 220.
—
^* his
During lifetime,
we have records of
Vol. of
i. , "Archbishops Cashel," p.
bishops at Raholp and Bright—
John W. Hanna, in a learned article, con- tributed to the Ulster Weekly Examiner of June 8th, 1872. From this we have drawn much valuable information. After the bishops alluded to, no successors appear. It
would be marvellous, and contrary to their ecclesiastical discipline, if Down and Saul
of— ou Trinity College, Dublin, expressly
jUTje.
writes
" :
This town was the first
place
in
this kingdome that St. Patrick was bishop
of, though in Armagh is the Primacy of this
kingdome * * * and for proof of Doun being the first Bishoprick, I have observed on the epitaph of Meilerus M'Grath, Lord Archbishop of Cashel, who was first of all Lord Bishop of Doun, before he conform'd to the reformed religion, in Queen Eliza- beth's reign, the verses are as followeth,
— sanctissimus
These stanzas are thus rendered into Eng- lish :—
" Patrick came southwards towards Victor ; he it was that went to meet him :
The bush, in which Victor rested, was in a
these being the first two disticks thereof
:
:
Thy dignity (shall be) return thanks to Christ :
at
" Venerat in Dunum dim,
primo
Armagh :
To Heaven thou shalt come ; thy prayer
Patricius, nostri gloria magna soli.
Huic ego succedens, utinam tam sanctus
ut ille,
Sic Duni primo tempore Prsesul eram.
Which has been thus translated —
is granted thee. "
by Hanis, in his edition of Ware's Bishops :"
Vita S.
Quinta Patricii,
lib.
iv. ,
ii. , cap. xxxii. ,
*'
Patrick, the glory of our Isle and Gown, First sat a Bishop in the See of Down,
Lord speaking to Moyses, from the bviming bush. See Exodus, iii.
"
60.
'^ This has a probable original, in our
writes Mr.
485-
'* Thus is the matter related, in the 24th
should have no governing bishop.
*3 Then, one Downing, in his manuscript Afbe^AC oixTJOAn 'oo ITlAche, •00 C|\i]^c
description of the county, written for Sir AclAigce buiue,
William Petty, and preserved in the library Oo chum nime mofpegA, i\o |\AchA 'ouic
and 25th stanzas of St. Fiach's Hymn
— :
Oo ^Aich ^A'oei' CO UiccojA, h& he ai|\'o
LAfpAij" in muine imb<ii, a"^ in cen atj- glA'OAI'CAlA.
blaze : spoke.
" He said
from the flame he (the angel)
—"Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol.
pp. 290, 291. See, Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxviii. , p. 28. Also, Probus, or
p.
7§2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i^
for the possession of his sacred remains. The following directions were then given : First, that two young and strong oxen should be brought from the herds of Conall's territory, viz. : from Finnabhair, or Clocher ; and that, after death, Patrick's body should be placed in a wagon, to be drawn by them, so that what way soever those young oxen might go of their own accord, such place where they stopped must be the locality selected for his interment. Secondly, it was ordered, that his remains should be buried deeply in the earth, so that the height of a man or a cubit must mark his grave, and that the precious re- mains might not be taken out of it. The blessed Patrick assented to these commandsoftheAngel,andthenhereturnedtoSaul. Therehedisposedall his temporal and eternal affairs, while waiting for his final summons.
Within a few days after this, as the most holy senior, St. Patrick, sat near
the city of Down, and not far from its church, he preached regarding the glory of Heaven, to a great multitude of religious and ecclesiastical men. Then, a wonderful splendour illuminated a certain place, in the eastern part of the churchyard. The pearl of Ireland, the illustrious St. Brigid, happened to be present. ^7 The saint commanded her, to declare this mystery of, and to account for, that Divine light. She then told, in the hearing of all the assembly, how that celestial light had consecrated and designated the place, where a saint, most glorious and most dear to God, should shortly be interred. Then, a holy virgin,^^ named Ethembria,^^ who was there, asked St. Brigid, to particularize the great person, who should there be deposited. The holy Brigid thereupon declared, that it should be the place of sepulture, for the PatronandApostleofIreland,St. Patrick; and,then,addedfurther,thatshe would account herself most happy, if his sacred body might be wrapped in a winding-sheet, which she had spun and woven with her own hands. This she had prepared, for such a sacred purpose. Soon, the great light dis- appeared, but a vision of St. Patrick ascending to Heaven accompanied its
vanishing. The blessed Apostle, knowing by Divine inspiration the holy virgin's desire, commanded her to go, and to bring that sheet, wherein the illustrious womanwouldhavehisbodywrapt. HethenwenttothemonasteryofSaul, where falling sick, he expected the end of this life, or rather the beginning of another life that hath no end. The holy virgin Brigid was so wearied with the length and difficulty of her journey, that she could not come to him, so soon as she purposed. 3° The Blessed Bishop, knowing in what distress the pious virgin was, sent chariots, to meet herself, and four other pious virgins, coming to Saul, where the saint lay sick. She soon presented him with the
=*
Jocelyn adds the following words : si proxima essem, vestimentum dedissem. "Therefore, remember thy word, where- Beatus vero Patricius respondit ; expectabit
with thou gayest hope unto thy first con- verts, the sons of Dichu, when instructed of heaven, thou didst foretel unto them, that in their land thou wouldst die and be buried. "
egens : venias. Quedam vero sanctimoniahs
Virgo B. Brigidam de paupere secreto sci- scitata est. Cui Brigida ait ; Sanctus Pater noster Patricius proximo huic loco sepultus jacebit ; et non post multum ad alterum transferetur, ibique sanctum ipsius et vene- rabile corpus requiescet. "
=*
Nothing seems to be known with certainty, regarding this saint, who is also called Cethuberis. Some other variations of her name occur. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, nn. 82, 181, pp. 112, 116.
=' She was the first nun, in all Ireland, who had embraced virginity, and who liad been consecrated by St. Patrick,
*7 The Fourth Life has it, that the multi- tude there " quidam beatam Brigidam inter- rogant," as if she were distinct from the great Patroness of Ireland. Then, however, do we read " Quae respondit Non me
:;
sed S. Patricium interrogate. Audiens autem Patricius S. Brigidam loquentem dixit ; ^qualiter sumus : quapropter liujus rei mysterium revela prassentibus. At illi ilia
inquit j Angeli sui est visitatio cujusdam . sancti viri ad locum sepulchri ejus, quo cor-
Patricius deinde
ait, animam fore propriori in loco, qui ves-
3" The Fourth Life of St. Patrick
puto
tern quiescent! dabit. Brigida dixit j Ego for this purpose, with five virgins, when
pus ejus requiescet.
states, that she journeyed to the plain of Bregia,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 7^3
sheet, which he received very gratefully. Then, kissing his feet and hands, she and her virgins received his last benediction.
Spent in years, and weakness of body coming on him, as closed the gate of life on earth, the portals of Heaven began to open before Patrick's view, bring- ingthecrowntoreleasehimfromallinfirmity. TheAngelhadadmonished the holy man, to receive the last Sacraments, at the hands of his disciple St. Tassach,3itheBishop. 3^ Elevatinghiseyes,PatricksawJesus,standinginthe midst of a multitude of Angels. Then, blessing his disciples, and rendering thanks to God, he passed out of this life, resigning his spirit to Heaven. Thus was he destined to see the Lord, face to face. His blessed soul was received into the joy of life supernal, by the all-immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, and by sacred choirs of Virgins, with the Patriarchs, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and the Angels. No wonder that he was honoured by all the saints, since there shone in him the virtues of all the saints. An Angel he was, not alone by nature, but by his virtues and office ; for, his lips kept science, and the law of life, which he taught to the people. He was a Prophet, for few of the Prophets were imbued with a greater foresight of future things. He may well be regarded as an Apostle, for everywhere in Ireland, and in the neighbouring Islands, it is said, he left proofs of his Apostle- ship. AMartyrhewas,inregardofthemanyconflictshehadagainstkings, Magicians, Idolaters, and Devils, even although his life was spared, notwith- standing his many trials. Rightly was he called the Confessor of God, who continually preached the name of Christ, and who, by his words, his example, and his miracles, excited people, tribes and tongues, to the confession of God's name, against human sin, and in favour of the Divine promise. Rightly was he called a virgin, who remained a virgin in his body, in his heart, and in his faith, and by his three-fold virginity, who pleased the Spouse of virgins, and the Virgin of virgins. Rightly is he numbered among the angelic choirs, and the assemblies of all saints, who was the sharer in all holy acts, and the exemplar of all virtues. It has been stated, that for three-and-thirty years, he gave himself to the sweet rest of contemplation, either at Armagh, or at Saul monastery. During this time, he never went abroad, according to the same authority,
unless it were for great affairs. It is said, he held a Council once each year, for the redress of existing abuses, or to serve the good government of those churches he had founded.
