No More Learning

Senan, who died about A. D. 581, and of Exposition of Christ's genealogy, which
St. Columba, who died about A. D. 597. Again, there is an appearance of the author having lived, after the sixth century, because he alludes to St. Baithen, and to his monas- tery, at Inis-Baithen, at cap. xxviii.
Sedulius acknowledges he had inserted in a collection of illustrations on St. Matthew. This has been regarded, as a testimony of its
superior excellence, in that line of writing.
'"
"9 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 276, 277.
"° He also wrote, it is said, an allegorical
By Colgan.
p. 44.
long
410 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
the Fifth Life of our saint, according to Colgan's arrangement "^—had been
composed—in part, at least—during the tenth century. It consists of Two
Books : the First Book contains forty-seven, and the Second, forty-one,
chapters. It has been established, beyond cavil, that this work was com-
posed, in the ninth century. "3 The learned Ussher"* thought it worth
alluding to ; the Bollandists refused to print it, however, considering it
abounded too much in fables. "^ Attributed to him, as the real author, it
was first published, among the works of Venerable Bede. "^ By John
Pitts,"7however,ithadbeenascribedtoGiraldusCambrensis. "^ AManu-
script copy of this Life is extant. "? In it, the Acts of our saint are arranged,
with attention to '^° Probus to have been great regularity. Colgan supposes
identical with Cseineachair,^^^ who was a Lector in the College of Slane, and whose death is recorded, at the year 948, when hewasmurderedby the Danes. "^
Several other writers, such as Sir James Ware,^^3 Bishop Nicolson,"* Rev. Dr.
Lanigan,^^s &c. , incline to Colgan's opinion,"^ in reference to the age when Probuslived. Ithasbeenthought,thatthePaulinus,whomheaddresses,andat whose request the book had been composed, "7 can have been no other than Msel PoiV^^ or Mal-Paulinus,'^9 Bishop and Abbot over Indenen,^3o not far removed from Slane. ^^i He died, a. d. 920. Yet, the Paulinus mentioned was nootherthanthePatriarchofAquilea,whodiedJanuarynth,a. d. 804. Mes- singham places Probus, in the eighth century. ^32 However, in reality he be- longed more to the ninth, and Probus was a native of Ireland ;'33 but, he settled
^" See Quinta Vita S. Patricii, with notes, at pp. 51 to 60. The paging, however, is quite incorrect : the notes follow, at pp. 61
to 64.
"3 Colgan thinks, however, that this work
had been interpolated by others, and that its
text had been corrupted, by ignorant persons. "4 See " Britannicamm Ecclesiarum An-
IV. , p. 38.
'^5 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
land," vol. i. , chap, iii. , sect ii. , p. 82.
tiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 426.
"5 Tillemont also condemned it. See Paulinus, to whom Probus dedicated his
" HistoriaEcclesiastica," tomusxvi. , p. 782.
*'*
See the edition of his works, printed at Basil, A. D. 1563, vol. iii.
"7 See " Relationum Historicarum de Rebus Anglicis," c. 299.
118
Life of St. Patrick. Hence, we should in- fer, that Probus wrote either before, or, at the very latest, in the year A. D. 920.
'^9 Colgan remarks, that the names are
identical, according to the structural pecu- Piobably, because he found it in a liarities of the Irish language. See "Trias
Manuscript, containing the Works of Cam- Thaumaturga," n. 38, p. 64, and Quarta brensis. However, the latter does not name Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, p. 219.
it, in that Catalogue he gives of all his Works.
"
"9 It is described, as a " Vita S. Patricii Episcopi. " It is classed, MS. Bibl. Pub. Cant. , ff. I. 27. 21. , veil, fol. , xiii. cent. See
See Wharton's
'3° See Archdall's "Monasticon Hibemi- cum," at Indenen, in the county of Meath, p. 540.
Anglia Sacra," torn, ii. , De Libris a se scriptis, pp. 439 to 446.
"3' See Colgan s " Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Patricii, n. 38, p. 64.
See Ussher's
Britannicannn Ecclesiarum
'^3 See " De
lib.
"
Hardy's Descriptive supposed testimony
Sir Thomas Duffus "
Catalogue of Materials relating to the His- tory of Great Britain and Ireland," vol. , i. , part i. , p. 66.
"° See " Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Ap- pendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , p. 219. '=' See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 662, 663.
'" Others again, such as Pitts, calling him Eluodugus Probus, make him a Briton.
'3^ See The
Florilegium Insulas Sanctorum,"
"
Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 426.
Scriptoribus Hibernice,"
of Alcuin has
proved, according to some writers, that in the eighth century, a Probus had been held
in repute ; for, he is named, among respect- able authors, whose works were preserved, at that period, in the library, attached to York Cathedral. See Gale's "XV. Scrip- tores," De Pontificibus et Sanctis Ecclesiai Eboracensis, p. 730. See also Rt. Rev. Dr. Milner's "Tour in Ireland," p. 94. Addi- tional note.
'33 See Baronius, in his notes to the
" Romanum," at March Martyrologium
xvii. , p. 128, Romoe, 1586, fol.
'34 All that is known, regarding himself
i. , cap. vi. , p. 49.
"•• See "Irish Historical Library," chap.
'-*
See Quinta Vita S. Patricii, n. 2, p. 61.
'^7 See ibid. , lib. ii. , cap. xli.
'°* " See Dr. O'Donovan's
Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 606, 607. Rev. Dr. O' Conor, in his edition of the " Annals of the Four Masters," thinks this was the
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 411
in Germany. He was a distinguished Poet, and an inmate of St. Alban's Mon- astery, at Mayence, and he became intimate with Lupus of Ferrieres, several of whoseepistlesareaddressedtoProbus. ^34 Hisdeathisassignedtothe25thof June, A. D. 859, in the Annals of Fulda. 'ss Probus adheres very closely to St. Patrick's " and to that Letter, which had been written
toCorcticus, assomeofhischiefmaterialsfornarrative. Hisbookshavebeenelaborated,with
Confession,^'
some taste, if failing in judgment ; while they are regarded with favour, by dis- criminating critics. Probus omits all mention of various miracles, attributed
to St. Patrick ; and, hence in his accounts, we do not find exact concordance, withsomeofourApostle'slaterActs. Yet,thisoughtnotrenderthemtheless acceptable, to persons of discretion and discernment. ^36 However, the Bol- landists regard it, as an interpolated production. '37 Various opinions have
'38 there are intrinsic evidences, in those Two Books of which the work consists, to show that he must have been a native of this Island. He remarks, that St. Patrick entered upon our sea,'39 when leaving Great Britain for Ireland. Again, he calls St. Patrick, our most holy father. '4° He represents, that haven, where St. Patrick landed, as having been a very celebrated one with
us. ^*^ From the mention Probus makes of Normandy, in his work,''*^ it appears pretty certain—in the opinion of Dr. Lanigan—that his era cannot
be assigned to any period, previous to the tenth century. Some writers have imagined, however, that this author flourished so early, as the sixth '^3 or
been entertained, concerning the country and period of Probus' birth ;
but,
seventh '44 our best critics have ; yet,
good reasons,
for
deeming
his
biography
of our saint a much later compilation. Quite different from him was a
certain Probus, mentioned in a Poem,"t5 published by Gale, and attributed
to Alcuin "^^ but, he was a celebrated grammarian, M. Valerius Probus,"f^
;
and, he is classed with others, who treated such subjects. ''*^
and his writings, has been carefully collected,
"
'35 See Pertz's " Monumenta Germanise Historica," vol. i. , Rudolfi Fuldensis An-
"
mannicz quas in hac vita habentur, fuisse non
a Probo, sed ab —librario
aliquo interserta,
vel pro aliis substituta. " Ibid. , n. I, p. 61. Pitts says Probus flourished, a. D. 590.
'** Dempster styles him, Mellanius Probus Scotus, who wrote two books on St.
the authors of the
Histoire Litteraire
by
de la France," tome v. , pp. 209 et seq.
nales, p. 373.
'3* See, Dr. Lanigan's
Ecclesiastical Patrick's Life, although he acknowledges. History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, iii. , sect. that these he had not seen. Yet, by Dempster ii. , and notes, pp. 81 to 83. Probus is said to have been a very old writer.
""
'37 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Martii xvii. Commentarius Praevius ad Acta S. Patricii, sect, iv. , num. 20, p. 521.
See Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomus ii. , lib. xv. , num. looi, pp.
523, 524, 527. Elsewhere, Dempster most
absurdly contradicts his statement, where he
that St. Mellanius to whom asserts, Probus,
he assigns a feast at the 22nd of October, flourished a. d. 260. See num. 924, pp. 487, 488, ibid. How then could he have written the Acts of St. Patrick? Colgan also questions Dempster's authority for the statement, for it rests not on that of certain
'3* See, Ussher's
"
Primordia," cap. xvii. ,
and
" Trias
Thaumaturga,"
p. 817,
Quinta Vita S. Patricii, n. 2, p. 61.
'39 See ibid. , where he calls it "mare
nostrum in nomine S. Trinitatis adiit," lib.
i. , cap. XXV. , p. 49.
'^ See lib. ii. , cap. xli. of Probus' Life,
p. 61.
141 «
Utique apud
i. , cap. xxvii. Ibid.
authors he Patricii, n. i, p. 61.
Vita S.
Colgan's
'4^ See lib.
'"•3 In reference to his
*4S <<
writes :
"
Priscianusve,"
i. , cap.
x. , p. 51.
nos lib. clarissimum,"
See Quid Probus, atque
j. and
Ibid. period, Colgan
Donatus, 1556.
quod floruerit aliquanto ante annum 646, quod suaderi potest, ex eo quod in calce hujus vitse dicat eam se scripsisse instantia vel rogatu cujusdam Paulini : quem opinari licet fuisse S. Paulinum Epis-
copum Roffensem, qui juxta Matthaeum having been preserved in the library. See
Florilegum in suo Chronico defunctus est anno 646, sed banc sententiam tenentem oporteret assere nomine Aiiglia et Noii-
v. 1552.
'"'^ He is mentioned, by Suetonius, " De
Illustribus Grammaticis," 24. See, also,
Quinta Focas,
Verse
'** Here Gale was mistaken, for it is suffi-
ciently plain, that this Poem had been written after his time. Not to adduce further proofs, it will suffice to remark, Alcuin's own works are mentioned in it, as
quotes.
412 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
The Sixth Life of St. Patrick,'t? as placed in Colgan's collection, was written, by Joceline, or Jocelyn, a Welchman,^5o about the commencement
of the thirteenth — The author received his
century. education,
at the cele- bratedAbbeyofFurness nowknownasDalton-in-Furness,intheunionof Ulverston, and hundred of Lonsdale, Lancashire, England. 's^ It is said to have been founded, at the instigation, and by the labours, of some Irish
monks,in1127,byStephen,afterwardsKingofEngland, Tocolonizethis valley, he removed some Cistercian monks, from Tulketh, in Amounderness. From the Monastery of Furness,^52 Joceline is said to have returned to Black- friars' Abbey, at Chester. With a great number of his brother monks, he thence removed to Down, ^53 in Ireland, at the invitation of John De Courcy. The latter placed them, in the monastery of Secular Canons, whom he had driven away, and most unjustly dispossessed of th—eir property. ^s4 Their
successfulchieftain,residentinthatpartofUlster isthecauseassignedfor
their expulsion. '55 Regarding the demerits and misleading tendency of this work, Harris has spoken,^^6 ^^d it precludes the necessity, for any further comments, in reference to it. ^57 We are told, that it had been compiled, at
William a Beckett's "Universal Bio- '5' See an interesting account of it, in
"
graphy," vol. iii. , pp. 541, 766. Lewis'
^*^ Casimir Oudin thought it probable, land," vol. ii. , pp. 5, 6.
the author was Fridegod, a monk, who '52 At the time it was suppressed, the
in the hostile of —
patriotism, animating army Dunlevy legitimate
lived early in the tenth century. See value is set down as ;^966 7s. id. See ""
Commentarius de Scriptoribus Ecclesias- ticis," tomus ii. , col. 467, 468.
'*9 See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, Archiepis-
copi, Primatis et Apostoli Hibernise.
Authore Jocelino Monacho Furnesio. After
John Speed's History of Great Britaine," book ix. , chap. 21, under the heading of Lancashire.
'53 Colgan's authority, for calling him a " monk of Chester, and afterwards of
the Prologue follows the Life, in one Down," has not been discovered. See Sir
hundred and to Thomas Duffus " Cata-
ninety-six chapters, pp. 64 Hardy's Descriptive
108. Colgan's notes succeed to p. 116; logue of Materials relating to the History of
and, he tells us, that he corrected some mis-
takes, found in previous editions, and that
he transferred, with some words changed,
the headings of chapters to the margin. We Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiastical An- are told, too, that this Life of St. Patrick
was first published, at Antwerp, A. D. 1514, through the care of the Rev. Francisc—an
Father, Cornelius Hugon, or —Fitz-Hugh as Harris renders the name Vicar Pro- vincial of the Irish Province. The following
Appendix P. , p. 229.
'55 It has been asserted, that to conciliate
the affections of the northern people, and to conquer, if possible, their very prejudices, before his invading Ulster, De Courcey had
"
vita gloriosi Archiprassulis Patricii Hibemiae successful invasion of a foreigner from
sentence is found, at the end :
Explicit Columkille's Prophecies, predicting the
Primatis, et Apostoli, per venerandum Pa-
trem Fratrem Cornelium Hugonis, Fratrem
Minorem de observantia, Provincise Hiber-
nise Provincialem Vicarium castigata soUi-
cite atque correcta ac impressoris artificiosa
sagacitate studiose oblata : ac per Adrianum '5* See Harris Ware, vol. i. , "Arch- Bergensem in mercurial! oppido Antuer-
piensi solerti cura impressum, ac inter sig-
num Missalis aurei commorantem. Juxta
ambitum Divse Virginis Marire, anno a
Nativitate Domini quingentessimo quarto B. 485, ff. 1-46, b. veil. 4to. xiv. cent. decimo supra millesimum 10. Kalendas
Septembris. " See n. i, pp. 108, 109. It was afterwards printed, in Messingham's
"
Florilegium Insulte Sanctorum," at Paris, A. D. 1624.
'SO Bishop Tanner says he w—as, "sive Anglus sive Cambro-Britannus. " " Biblio- theca Britannico-Iiibemica," p. 429.
"
lating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol, i,, part i,, pp. 64, 65,
the but un-
Topographical Dictionary of Eng-
Great Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p. 64, note.
'=* This is stated, by Pembridge. See
tiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore. "
Britain, proclaimed and published by his heralds. This they did, with great effect, at the head of his army. See Patrick
Lynch's "Life of St, Patrick," chap, v. , p. 36.
bishops of Armagh," pp. 3, 4.
'57 The following Manuscript Lives of St.
Patrick—appear to be copies of Jocelyn's
work
at the beginning and at the end, ff. 47-74.
Again, Vita S. Patricii, MS. Bodl. Rawl.
B. 505. ff. 1-89 b, veil, fol. dble. cols. xiv.
or XV. cent. See Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy's
:
Vita S. MS, Bodl. Rawl. Patricii,
This Life is followed by another, imperfect
Descriptive Catalogue of Materials re-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 413
the request of John De Courcey,'s8 ^\^q Anglo-Norman conqueror of Ulster. It has been written, in a style of classic elegance. ^sg very much admired, for theageinwhichitwasproduced. However,thiswriterfilledhiswork,with nearly all that could be gleaned, either from books or from tradition. He even added, what cannot be found, in other collections. His Life of St. Patrick thus became better adapted, for gratifying weak, ignorant, and imbe-
cile minds, than for forming the rehgious sentiment, or for improving the understanding of persons, living in a critical or an enlightened age. It is in- comparably the worst of all St. Patrick's Latin Lives, in a historic point of view, and, it deserves the least attention. Notwithstanding, it has been pub-
lished, much oftener, than his other biographies,'^" and, we may suppose here, as in other cases, the glamour of style led many to prefer its reading, to what might have contained more instructive matter. This Life has also been
translated, into English,'^' and, perhaps, into other languages.
The Seventh Life of St.