No More Learning

** "
AccordingtoDr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four Masters," Ainmire, son of Sedna, was monarch of Ireland, from A. D. 564 to
566. See vol. i. , pp. 204, 205.
'3 This visit to Ireland, if admitted, must
have been only a few years before the death
^ See
•5 See *' Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
Sancta," part—i.
Chap. hi. 'This celebrated king
of the Silures, an ancient tribe of Britons, rallied around him those driven by Cerdic, an
January 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 481
as a renowned king over all Britain. ' His advent to royal sway is assigned to the beginning of the sixth century. 3 So much is he the hero of the Welsh bards and of romance,* that his actions have been strangely confused and misunderstood. ^ Lancashire and the north-western parts of England seem to have been the scenes in the first part of King Arthur's career f afterwards it lay in the south. 7 Here he fought the battles of Llongborth, supposed by some writers to be Portsmouth, and Badon, identified by others with Bath. ^ Hoel or Huel, the elder brother of Gildas, refusing to obey Arthur, came from Scotland and ravaged South Britain. ^ Arthur found it necessary to attack with vigour, and having overcome him, Huel was killed. '° This action took place at a spot, now called Carrig-Howel, in the island of Anglesey. " One writer asserts, that Arthur was not yet a king," when this
Anglo-Saxon and pagan king, into the wes- ternpartsofEngland. Hebravelydefended the faith and liberty of the Christian Britons about the close of the fifth and beginning of the sixth
Arthur's twelve battles, in the "Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius," edited by Rev. James Henthorn Todd and the Hon, Algernon Herbert, that of Mons Ba-
century.
(i),
clopedia," vol. i. , p. 450.
pp. 108 to 113.
* the first Among
^ See Chambers' "
—See Chambers' "
See sec. xxiv. and n. Yet, in another version of Supposing Gildas Albanius to have Nennius' Historia Britonum," cap. LXii. , died in 512, and to have been brother to LXiii. , Arthur is represented as general and Huel, Ussher places the commencement of not king at the battle of Bath. Dr. Lanigan
Ency- *"
King Arthur's reign and the death of Hocl, at A. D. 508. He says, we should not believe Caradoc of Lanncarvan ; for this writer as- serts, that Hoel was a vigorous and able
thinks, that Ussher should have placed Ar- thur's birth before A. D. 493, and at a year which might enable him to have part in that battle, where, however, he did not command
as a king. Now Ambrosius was old enough *' "
young man, at the time he was killed. See Index Chronologicus," p. 525.
to be a general in 455. See Ussher's In-
3
tremely inconsistent with himself in his chronological inferences ; for by, his own confession, Ussher makes Gildas and King Arthur contemporaries, according to Cara- doc. Ussher also places the birth of King Arthur at A. D.
the British Church," chap. iv.
dex *
Stillingfleet remarks,
that Ussher is ex-
Chronologicus," p. 520.
Arthur was the eldest son of Uther.
493.
See "
Antiquities
of
7Le Vicomtcdela Villemarque's "Contes Populaires des Anciens Bretons," published at Paris, in two volumes, A. D. 1842, con- tains an interesting account of King Arthur. The reader is likewise referred to Ritson's "King Arthur. "
books of the
Caxton Press, a. d. 1485, appeared the p. 450.
Encyclopedia,"
vol,
highly-popular romance,
and Actes of Kyng Arthur; of his Noble
Knyghtes of the Rounde Table, theyr Mer- veyllous Enquests and Aduentures, Thach- yeuyng of the Sane Greal; and in the end Le Morte Darthur, with the Dolourous Deth
and— out of
Worlde of them the
it seems certain,
"
printed ''
i. ,
Departyng thys
al. This has been re-edited with an Intro- duction and Notes, by the Poet Robert Southey, in two large 4to volumes, published at London, A. D. 1817.
5 Thus Matthew of Westminster glowing account of the battle of Bath, A. D. 520, when Arthur is said to have commanded
**
the Britons. See Flores Historiarum,"
pp. 186, 187. Yet, several writers assert,
that his uncle Ambrosius Aurelianus, who
reigned in Britain until very near the end of
the fifth century, was general-in-chief at that
battle. Now Arthur was a warlike young
prince,beforethedeathofAmbrosius. See
William of Malmesbury, " De Gestis Regum
Angliae," lib. i. , cap. i. So is Arthur re-
gests
King Arthur,
presented about 490, according to the
"Usher believes he has shown, that
Hoel's brother, Gildas Albanicus, was bom in 525 ; but supposing the battle to have been fought in 505, this assumed Gildas could not have been Hoel's brother. Dr. Lanigan
The Byrth, Lyf,
9 While Ussher places the birth of Gildas Badonicus at A. D. 520, he came to be bom after he had taught in Ireland, and after the death of his brother Hoel. To get over such absurdities, two Gildases had to be supposed. But whatever may be arranged, regarding
gives
Westminster, at the early age of fifteen, Arthur was elected King of Britain, A. D. 516. See "Flores
"
Vol. I. 2 I
a
'° to Matthew of According
Chronicon Britannicum. " In the list of denies that Ussher has proved his position,
donis is omitted.
of
that the real and only Gildas was bom before A. D. 520, See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix,, sec. x. , n. 164, p. 484.
Historiamm," p. 185. In this or the suc- ceeding year, it is said this battle was fought.
See Warrington's 69.
"
History of Wales,'" p.
" See Rowland's " Mona Antiqua," p. 180.
482 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 29.
battle was fought. ^3 This, however, does not accord with the account left byCaradocorCapgrave; forwhentreatingaboutthecauseofthisquarrel and battle, both represent^him as King of Britain. ^* Having heard about his brother's death, Gildas left Ireland. ^s Arthur met him, and entreated forgivenessforcausingthedeathofHuel. Thiswasobtained,andanumber of bishops, abbots, clergy, and laity, interposed kindly offices, to effect a com- plete reconciliation between them. Gildas gave King Arthur the kiss of peace. The latter, repenting his conduct towards Hoel, shed tears, and accepted a suitable penance from the bishops who were present. To the end of his life, this homicide was a source of bitter regret to the magnanimous Arthur. ^^ Cadoc of Lanncarvan had desired to purchase an elegant and a sweetly-soundinglittlebell,broughtbyGildasfromIreland; butherefused to sell if He desired to bring it to Rome. Yet it was found, when Gildas there presented this bell to the Pope, it could not be made to ring. Having learned what had occurred, the Pope then wished that so holy a man as Cadoc, who had seven times visited Rome and thrice Jerusalem, should be gratified with the possession of this bell. On his return, Gildas gave it to Cadoc. At his request, Gildas then taught a school at Lanncar- van,'^ where he remained for a single year. Here he was most usefully em- ployed in directing the students, from whom he would only accept their prayers in retiun. Here too he wrote a beautiful copy of the Gospels. '9 This was
^° and
Lanncarvan. ^' Attheexpirationofayear,="heissaidtohaveretiredwith
Cadoc to the Holmes. '3
In the islands of Ronech and Echni both these holy men applied to
prayer and study, for at Lanncarvan the crowd of visitors was too great to afford them sufficient leisure. We are told, an oratory was erected in one ofthoseislands,'*andafountainwasmiraculouslyproduced. '^ TheOrkney
ornamented with and gold
precious stones,
kept
in veneration at great
and rebukes him for disbelieving Caradoc's statements about Gildas, which Ussher him- self often follows. He " not
and John Capgrave.
^^ So is it stated, in John of Teignmouth's
Life of Cadoc.
'^ We refer to the Acts of St. Cadoc at the
24th of January, for what occurred at this time.
'9 It was kept at Lanncarvan to the time of Caradoc.
'~The Welsh had such a reverence for
this volume, that they scrupled opening it.
" To the time of Caradoc in the twelfth
also Caradoc's
reject asseition,
that Gildas was contemporary with King. Arthur, who, according to Ussher, was bom in 493. "Who would say that a man bom in said year wa—s
contemporary with another bom in 425 ? " "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. x. , n. 164, p. 483.
'3 In the year A. D. 508, according to Row- land, in " Mona Antiqua. "
century.
"^ Ussher makes Cadoc flourish so
'* The romantic
history
of
King Arthur, "
early as 500. Then he says, Gildas Albanius
originally written for Macmillan's Maga-
zine," by Herbert Coleridge, is to be found
taught in his school A. D. 508, just four years
before he died. See "Index " Chronologicus,
A. D. D. DViil. DXil. , pp. 524, 525, But he could hardly have flourished so early, or
"
asks, Why
to an old version of " Le English
prefixed
Morte Arthur," edited from the Harleian
MS. 2252 in the British Museum, by F. J. Fumival, A. M. , Camb.
'S Dr. Lanigan observes, that as Hoel was
killed before Gildas died, Ussher was obliged
to antedate King Arthur's death. "But
even admitting that it began in 508, it is
truly strange that he did not give up the
whole hypothesis. For in that year his Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Albanius was, according to him, 83 years of
age, and Hoel, whom he allowed to be t—he elder brother, must have been still more. "
"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. x. , n. 164, p. 483.
'^AccordingtoCaradocofLanncarvan,
Even admit- ting that Cadoc's school existed in that year, it is odd that Ussher would fain make us believe that a man of 83 years old, as his Albanius must have been at that time, woul—d
have had a school in 508.
"
pp. 484, 485.
'3 These islands were m the Bntish Channel.
* Situated in the Sabmina, an ancient name for the River Severn.
"sAccordingtoJohnCapgrave. Itissaid
have undertaken such a troublesome task.
Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. x. , n. 165,
January 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 483
pirates obliged them to leave it at last, for they made captives of servants there, and then plundered the monastic establishment. Thence Gildas, in great grief of mind, is said to have taken a boat and to have sought Glastonbury, where he was joyfully received by the abbot. There he taught the monks and other pupils, always planting in their hearts the seed of heavenly doc-
"
Historiae de Regibus Britannise," according to some accounts.
^^ During his residence there, Glastonbury was besieged with a large ^my by King Arthur. This was caused by violence offered to his queen, Guenever. She had been carried off by King Meluas, who ruled over the maritime parts in that district. The abbot and Gildas, with the clergy, persuaded Meluas to restore Guenever to Arthur. Then a pacifica- tion ensued, and so pleased were both kings, that they bestowed large tracts
oflandforthemonasteryatGlastonbury. Theypromised,thatitandthe adjoining territory should be a place of sanctuary, which no man must dare to violate. They also visited the church of St. Mary there, and prayed before its altar, ^7 At length, King Arthur was mortally wovmded in a battle
fought at Camlan, in Cornwall, against his own nephew Modred, who had revolted. His death occurred a. d. 542, at Glastonbury, and there he was buriedintheIsleofAvalon. ^^ Hisqueenseemstohavebetakenherselfto a convent after his death, and to have ended her days in a religious state. ^9 Yetherbodywasafterwardsinterredbesidethatofherhusband. Giraldus Cambrensis relates, that he was present when King Arthur's tomb was opened by order of King Henry II. There the bones and sword of the hero were found, with the remains of his wife, Gwenhouar, a. d. 1179. 3°
While Childeric,3^ son of Meroveus, is incorrectly said to have been King of the Franks,3^ Gildas left Great Britain, and sailed over to Armorica or Little Britain. 33 Here there is an interruption of the narrative, owing to a defect in the manuscript, containing the life of our saint, by the Monk of
trine. There he wrote
that Gildas here slept on a rock, and that
until the well sprang forth, his only drink
was rain-water, lodged in hollows among the cliffs.
"^
See the notices of Caradoc of Lanncar- van and of John Capgrave. " De Excidio Britannice Liber Querulus vfus first printed
at London in
printed —both in England and on the Con- tinent. '' Chambers' "Encyclopedia," vol, iv. , p. 752.
^^ All the foregoing narrative, from Caradoc of Lanncarvan, is applied to Gildas Albanius by Ussher and Colgan. See cap. xiv. , xv. ,
xvi. , xviii. , xix. , xx. xxi. , xxii. , xxiii. Col- gan's "Acta Sanctorum HibemicC," p, 180.
"^
See Chambers' "Encyclopedia," vol. i. , p, 450.
*9 Guinevere's death took place in a nun- nery, when she,
^ See David Powel's •' Historic of Cam-
bria," p. 238.
3i See his reign, described in L, P. Anque-
til's *'Histoire de France. " Premiere Race dite de Merovingiens, sec. i. , pp. 43, 44.
According to Mirseus, he began to reign
A. D. 456, and after a lapse of nine years he
was — a. d. 464, died a. d. deposed, having
""
482. " Chronicon Belgii. Yet, Gordon, in his Annals, Claudius Robert, in his Cata-
loguejof the Kings of Gaul, and other writers, tell us, that he reigned from A. D. 460 to 483. ^2 This is an evident chronological blun- der admitted by the Monk of Ruys. Chil- deric reigned about the middle of the fifth century, and he was succeeded by a son
Clovis, the first Christian king.
33 Ussher believes it was his Gildas Al-
banius who went thither at the age of thirty, Yet, elsewhere, Ussher applies to Badonicus thepassingofseveralyearsinBritanny. On
1525,
and has been often re-
' ' for her
And for the power of ministration in her, And likewise for the high rank she had bome, Was chosen Abbess, there, an Abbess, lived For three brief years, and there, an Abbess,
good
deeds and her
depend for Badonicus, notwithstanding an agreement in so many points with Caradoc, who is thought to have treated solely about Albanius. While the former, according to Ussher, wrote the querulous Epistle, he incorrectly
the Monk of does this writer pure life, Ruys
past
To—wherebeyondthesevoicesthereispeace. complains,that'theMonkofRuysconfounded
"
"
See Alfred Tennyson's "Idylls of the supposed Gildases. See Britan-
the two
King. "—Guinevere, p. 261. nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," p. 444.
484 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 29.
Ruys. 34 GildaswentintoArmorica,accordingtoanoldchronicle,33soearly as A. D. 520 ;3^ or if we adopt Mabillon's calculation, a. d. 538 ;37 while the
more generally-received opinion refers his voyage thither to about a. d. 550. 2^ However, Ussher brings St, Gildas Badonicus to Lesser Britain, a. d. 554. 29
The saint selected for a monastic site an elevated spot, where some ancient fortification had been constructed,'*° and this position overlooked the sea, at a place called Ruys. Here he chose an insulated position, where he might have leisure to pass the life of a hermit. At this period, he is said to have been about thirty years of age, and he lived for some time there as a solitary. But as light cannot be hidden under a bushel, and is thought to find its fitting rest on a candlestick, so did the fame of Gildas for learning andsanctityspreadabroad; whiletheparentsandguardiansofyouthflocked thither to place them under his direction. Gildas accepted the charge, and grounded them thoroughly, not alone in secular learning, but likewise in spiritual knowledge. In the monastery, which he built, this holy man established a most edifying and salutary rule. So illustrious was his life, that
from all the districts around, the infirm, weak, and lepers came to seek
healing, through his prayers and merits. The Almighty was pleased to work visible miracles through him, not alone during the time he lived there, but even long after his death. '*^
Still the holy man wished to obtain a stricter retirement. He therefore sought a grotto, at some distance from that monastery. This was hollowed in a rock, which was high, and extending from east to west, upon the bank of a river, called Blavet. There Gildas devoted to heavenly contemplation and Divine love many of his solitary hours. *" Not far from this cave, and on its right-hand side, he built an oratory of stone ;<3 and, by a miracle, he produced a fountain from the adjoining rock. While here, Gildas desired to close the eastern window of his oratory with glass,^ which he wanted ; but betaking himself to prayer, he arose, and going to a certain rock, he found there glass of an excellent quality.
3* According to John de Bosco's version of the old manuscript he used. But Gononus, in " Vitis Patrum Occidentis," lib. i. , sup- plies an account of Gildas coming to Ar- morica, and there dwelling in the Island of Hoartha.
35 The "Chronicon Britannicum," pub- lished by Lobineau. This British chronicle has no allusion save to the one Gildas, nor to any circumstances which might serve to indicate a second person of this name.
3* The life by the Monk of Ruys makes him out to have been thirty years of age at the time, and this would place the date of his birth at or about 490.
ing exactly that austere mode of living prac- tised by our early Irish saints.
3 The Monk of Ruys says, "erigensparie-
"
tem congruum, fecit oratorium.
^ The manufacture and use of glass are
referredtotimesremote. Wehavethetesti- mony of Lactantius, a writer who lived at the beginning of the fourth century, that glass was used for windows in his time. See
"
passage.
Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti. "
3T See
tomus i. , lib. vi. , sec. xix. , p. 151.
"
3^ See Chambers' "Encyclopedia," Art. Gildas," vol. iv. , p. 752.
39 See "Index Chronologicus," ad A. D.
DLiv. , p. 531.
<° According to Mabillon, this was the
"
Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus
former site of a fort,
in monte Reuvisii. "
See
"
i. , lib. vi. , sec. xix. , p. 150.
' The Monk of Ruys affirms that these
wonders were wrought to his own time.
*' This furnishes an illustration represent-
At Ruys he also constructed a mill, for
"De Operibus Dei," cap. v. ,
"
Opera Lac-
tantii. " Paris, A. D. 1748. We can hardly
doubt of its early introduction, and perhaps
of its manufacture in Ireland. A strong in-
ference may be dra\vn from the present
"
In Ireland glass sands of the finest quality are. found in many localities ; for example, near Omagh is found a sand quite as pure as that of St. Gobin in France, and it is unnecessary to mention the well- known white sand from Muckish Mountain, in the county of Donegal. " See an excellent article on " Glass," in John Sproule's ad- mirable work, "The Resources and Manu- facturing Industry of Ireland,—as illustrated
by the Exhibition of 1853. " Class xxiv. , pp. 395 to 398. The initials, W. K. S. , are sufficient to proclaim the ability of the dis-
tinguished writer.
January 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 485
the purpose of grinding wheat, and this he turned with his own hands/s
While he dwelt in a cell, with some of his brethren, certain guests came to
him. These he received with great benignity. He led them to his oratory,
where, washing their feet and hands, Gildas charitably gave them whatever
he possessed. He even miraculously converted water into wine, which he
deemed necessary for their refreshment. All who witnessed this wonder of
Divine power gave thanks to God, who promised the faithful in his Gospel,
"
he that believeth in Me, the works that I do, he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do. ^^s While in Armorica, then called Letavia, or Le- tania,-*? the saint had enemies and perils to encounter ; but the Lord mira- culously delivered his servant from every evil. Even when he felt a great desire for returning to his native country, Almighty God designed that he should continue among the Britons, who then inhabited Armorica. ^
CHAPTER IV.
ST. GILDAS IS THOUGHT TO HAVE VISITED ROME AND RAVENNA—STATEMENTS RE- GARDING HIM—THE WORKS OF ST. GILDAS—HIS HISTORY OF THE BRITONS— HIS QUERULOUS EPISTLE—VARIOUS OTHER WRITINGS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM.
It is thought, the travels of Gildas extended beyond the limits of Gaul, while he was on the Continent. It has been stated, that he brought from Ireland a remarkable bell, which he destined for the altar of St. Pe—ter in Rome, and
for His H—
The result of an interview as our accounts
oliness the
notice it has been already given. Some writers have pronounced the Bard Aneurin to have been identical with Gildas : but it is more probable, he was brother to Caw, the saint's father. Our saint was thus of bardic family and connexions, and followed that profession himself for a time. Alawn, as we aretold,washisbardicname; andaWelshTriadrankshimamongthethree primary bards. Having preached to the Angles, then he went to Rome and he also visited Ravenna. =» Such at least are the accounts left us.
ing his proceedings, while engaged on this tour, we are furnished with no satisfactoryparticulars. Anotherwriterswouldhaveusbelieve,thatSt. Gildas wasAbbotofBangor,-*inNorthWales; butthisscarcelymeritsseriousat- tention. It is pretended, that he led an eremetical life in the mountains of
*3This mill was still extant, at that time when the Monk of Ruys wrote. He also states, that those infirm persons, who turned it with their hands, were often healed there, through the merits of St. Gildas.
*'John, xix. , 12.
*'^ Colgan tells us that British Armorica was called Leatha by the Irish. He would not undertake to say, however, that the country took its title from the ancient Irish or British word "Leatha," which signifies
"breadth," or "Leathan," which means "broad. " See No. 14, p. 194.
'
Chap. iv. In the life of Gildas by John
Capgrave, he quotes from a life of St. Cadoc, that it was intended to present this bell to Pope Alexander. But as this will not agree
with the Papal chronology, Colgan proposes to substitute Pope Anastasius II. , who sat
Regard-
A. D. 496, when Gildas Albanicus is said to
Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy's Descrip- tive Catalogue of Materials relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol. L, part i. Lylius Gyraldus says, that the most famous poets of Britannia were Plem- mydius, Oronius, and Gildas ; while the "Welsh Triad, 58, p.