" Obeying her com- mands, they found a chain, exactly
resembling
the one which had been given
away.
away.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
, chap, ix.
, sec.
iv.
, n.
Supposed by Colgan, to have been St. Brigid ol Cluain-fidhe, whose life is to be found, at the 30ih of September.
3'
some natural curative in its properties
65, pp. 449, 450. 3*^
working of this miracle. ^Qcibid, pp. 312, 313.
^^ In the supplement for use of the Irish clergy, postfixed to "BreviariumRomanum,"
Lanigan's
waters, while the Abbess had her own part in the
37 See ii, xi. Corinthians,
' '
Noct. ii. ,Lect vi.
44 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
29, 30. This circumstance shows the
Pars we Hiemalis,
et variis
read,
languoribus aegrotanti-
:
place
39 Abbate D. Giacomo Certani imagines, Die. i. Februarii. Officium S. Brigidae.
could not have been Kildare.
bus sanitatem suis precibus impetravit. "
—
that St. Brigid was then engaged superin-
tending some operatives, who were building
a church or monastic establishment for her. *'
Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. xxvi. , See La Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S. p. 553. See also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidae,
Brigida Ibemese. " Libro Quarto, p. 309. 40 See ibid. p. 310.
4' See ibid. p. 311.
4»
cap. Ivi. , p. 533, ibid. Vita Sexta S. Bri-
gidae, sec. lix. , p. 594. ibid.
45 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La
Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida
Certani thinks, that like the baths at
mundavit,
leprosos saepius
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIISITS, 133
thee. "46 When he had spoken these words, he fled away, with loud out- cries,47
One rainy day, after serving as a shepherdess, St. Brigid had returned to her cell, her garments being saturated with rain. -*^ After a while, the sun
began to shine, and one of its rays penetrating the wall of this cell, appeared to our saint as a line,'»9 for holding clothes. 5° On this she placed her moist
garments. 5^ At the time, a certain wise and pious man preached God's holy
word, while the Saint's attention was so entirely engaged by his precepts of
instruction, that totally forgetful of all earthly concerns, midnight found her in the same entranced attitude. ^' To this unusual period the sun's rays re- mained within her cell,53 while the garments of our holy abbess hung thereon, until a certain inmate of the house reminded her respecting that error of visual sense. 54 This miracle is alluded to in various offices of St. Brigid. ss In some of her lives, it is added, that certain persons, journeying by night through the Liffey plains, related how they saw these rays brightening the whole cham- paign, until those arrived, in the middle of the night, at St. Brigid's ceU. Then, all gave thanks to God, and admired all the miraculous manifestations
of Brigid's sanctity. s^
In honour of a certain great festival, the holy Abbess had prepared a
sumptuous banquet. Yet, before the time for its intended consumption had arrived, she distributed the viands among some poor visitors. The nuns of
our Saint's monastery regretted this occurrence, as many persons were ex-
pected to come, on occasion of their solemnity. Brigid prayed to the Lord
that night ; and, it so happened, a rich inhabitant, living within that district,
had been conveying in waggons certain viands,57 which were provided for
that rich
neigh- Concerning this circumstance, God's devoted servant, being preternaturally admonished, went out to meet him, and to enquire about his destination. The fortuitous visitor was inspired to offer the whole of his store to the Abbess, and he told her,
the 58 king.
lost the
bour came directly to the gate of St. Brigid's monastery.
going incident, also adds :
"Was there ever "
Having
way, however,
it
yet chanced,
Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 341 to 343. 4^ The Rev. S. Baring-Gould, who, in his account of St. Brigid, relates the fore-
si See Camerarius, "De Statu Ilominis Veteris simul ac novae Ecclesiae, et Sanctis Regni Scotiae," lib. i. , cap. iii. , sec. ii. , p. 140.
^2 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La
"
a better sermon preached in fewer words ?
—"Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. February Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida
1st, p. 20.
47 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
VitaQuarta S. Brigidas. Lib. ii. , cap. xxxv. ,
Ibernese," Libro Sesto, pp. 479, 480.
^4 The account in the Third Life coincides with that recorded in the text. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " See Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. xcii. , p. 539. This miracle is related, likewise, in the Fifth Life, with a greater amount of amplification, ibid. Vita Quinta S. Brigidae, cap. xliii. ,pp. 577, 578. See, also. Vita Sexta S. Brigidae, sec. vii. ,
p. 555. Also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap.
exactly
Ixv. , p. 534.
48 "
Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii,, cap. xv. , p. 552. In the First Metrical Life, we are told, she returned from tending her sheep. This duty had caused the rain to drench her garments. Ibid. Vita Prima S. Brigidae, sec. 17, p. 516.
49 In the Second Life, this same occupa-
p. 583, ibid.
^s Petrus de Natalibus has a similar ac-
count. See also De " Officia Pro- Burgo's
tion is as a cause for her assigned
exposure
to the shower ; but, it is there stated, that pria Sanctorum Hiberniae. i. Februarii,
through a defect of vision, she saw not a OfficiumS. Brigidae, Noct. ii , Lect. v. ,p. 12.
"
line, but a tree, taking the form of a sun- s^ See,
beam. —/(! 5zV! ^. Vita SecundaS. Brigidae, cap. tia S. Brigidae, cap, xciii. , p. 539. Vita
vii. , p, 519,
5° The legends in several cases—as in the
present instance— give us an insight regard- ing many domestic usages of our ancestors.
QuartaS. Brigida;, lib. ii. , cap. xvi. , p. 552. ^7 And, as we are informed, these were
furnished to celebrate that festival,
^s Probably the King of Leinster. His
53 See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's
"
Lives of
the Saints," vol. ii. February i. , p. 19.
Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Ter-
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
it was a Providential circumstance, that he had thus strayed, although in a well-known country. He promised, likewise, to prepare some other provi- sions for his lord, the king. Receiving an account of what had happened, the latter transferred that villager, with all his family, to serve God and the
holy virgin, Brigid, as a perpetual vassal, living on her own property. The king, moreover, sent another waggon, loaded with provisions, for the use of our saint, on occasion of this great solemnity, so that she was fully enabled to supply the wants of all her guests. 59 The holy abbess thus realized, even
in a material way, the force of these Gospel words, that for religious fidelity she should receive an hundred fold. ^° A certain queen,^^ among other
valuable presents to St. Brigid, had presented her with an ornamental silver chain. ^2 Having received our Saint's blessing, that queen returned home, while Brigid's nuns, taking the chain from the hands of their abbess, deposited* it among their church treasures. Yet, as the holy abbess was accustomed to distribute all her possessions to the poor, a destitute person coming to her received the aforesaid chain. ^3 Our saint took it from her church valuables, as she had nothing else to bestow.
"
monstrances, our Saint said :
go and seek your chain,^+ which, perhaps, you will find.
" Obeying her com- mands, they found a chain, exactly resembling the one which had been given
away. Then they presented it to St. Brigid, asking her pardon. The holy
to God He will return and earthly things : you earthly
The nuns ever afterwards preserved that chain,^^ as a
" O
we lose whatever God gives us through charitable Christians ; for, you
said to their
to
mother, owing
leave us nothing, since you bestow all upon the poor. " To evade their re-
learning this,
superioress,
your generosity,
abbess
heavenly favours. '^^s
replied:
" Give
My daughters, whilst I remain in the church,
standing memorial of the extraordinary charity characterizing their holy superioress. A certain leper, belonging to the race of Neill,^7 coming to St.
name or district, However, is not recorded, conclusive evidences of our early civiliza- in St. Brigid's ancient Lives ; although, tion.
^* The Abbate D. Giacomo re- Certani,
lating these occurrences, without any seem- ing warrant, but the promptings of his own
bright Italian imagination, converts the "chain of silver" in St. Brigid's ancient
"
Lives into "Collana d'oro," or
necklace. " See " La Santit^ Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese;" Libro Quarto,
^s See Trias Thaumaturga. VitaQuar- ta S. Brigida^, lib. ii. , cap. xviii. , p. 552. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. 1. , p. 532, ibid. Vita Sexta S. Brigidse, sec. xlii. , p. 591. ibid.
^ In the Metrical Acts, we have foUow- ing minute description of this ornament :
" Vertice cui summo fuerat formata Humani capitis : subtilis lucet imago Filis argenti preciosa, ac textilis hamis Spherula in alternis fulvis prsefulgida
gemmis. "
From the minute foregoing
Abbate D. Giacomo Certani
—who chroni-
cles these incidents—makes all this occur at
Kildare, without any apparent authority.
See "La Santith, Prodigiosa. Vita di S.
Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quarto, pp. 280
10283.
59 See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita
Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. xvii. , p. 552. Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. xlix. , p. 532, ibid. Vita Sexta S. Brigidse, sec.
xli. , pp. 590, 591, ibid.
St. Luke, vi. 38.
Her name or place of residence is not
given, in St. Brigid's Latin Lives. But, in
Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of the Saint,
she is called the Queen of Crimthan, son
of Enna Cennsellach, King of Leinster.
east of Leinster.
a golden
^ ^*
See From this we pp. 35, 36.
may pro- bably draw an inference, that St. Brigid was then living somewhere in the east or south-
figura
fashioned.
^' This leper appears to have belonged to the territory of Meath, which is usually
^'
man attached to one of its ends.
It is said to have had the figure of a
*'3 Almost are daily
objects of ancient Irish art and ornament among " the finds " of our rural population ; and, several most interestin£T specimens have found their place in our museums. These furnish the most
this chain must have been elaborately and richly
pp. 283 to 287. ""
Brigid's nuns, on
description,
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
Brigid, asked her for a cow and calf, which the abbess directed her herdsman to give. He enquired from our saint, what sort of a cow and calf he should select. She told him, to choose the best out of their herd. ^^ Then the herd- man and the leper selected those of prime shape and condition. Yet, they found it a matter of great difficulty to separate the calf from a particular cow belongingtotheherd,althoughthatcowwasnotitsdam. Thiswastoldto the saint by the poor leper, when Brigid desired one of her servants,^9 then engaged at cooking,7° to go and assist him in driving home those animals. Her servant enquired, who had been left to cook, when our abbess said, he should return to take charge of that work, within a very short time. The
man did as he had been desired, and, with the leper, he accomplished a journey usually occupying of two days, but he effected it within an hour.
Their destination was towards the north, and to a place, called Brigh-Chob- thuigh Chaoil. 7^ It escapes our present power of identification. On return- ing to St. Brigid, her servant found the flesh-meat in the cauldron, but not yet cooked. These miraculous events are accorded to St. Brigid's merits. All, to whom they became known, were greatly edified. ^^
A certain king, accompanied by a large retinue, came to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, where St. Brigid Hved. 73 He spent the eve of this festival
with her. On the following morning, having heard Mass, he set out, with his horsemen and chariots, for his own castle. When this day's solemnities
had been celebrated, according to custom, our pious abbess superintended those tables that were set for the abundant refection of rich and poor. But, among the number of her guests, an insolent or a demented leper,74 through some whimsical impulse, refused to partake of food, if he did not first obtain a spear 7S which belonged to the king. The leper was asked, why he had not demanded it, on the previous day ; while, at the same time, all who were present pressed him to eat. They could not, however, procure his compliance. The leper remarked, it was only on the present occasion he desired that gift. The compassionate abbess could not bring herself to par- take of food, while that leper was fasting. She immediately despatched messengers on horseback after the king, to ask his spear as a gift. These
set out, and overtook the dynast, as he was crossing the ford of a small
stream. There they preferred our saint's request. ? ^ The king joyfully pre- sented his spear to them, with the remark, that he would give up all his
"
called in St. Brigid's Lives,
Neill,"thatis, oftheSouthernO'Neills. The Northern O'Neills principally lived in Ultonia or Ulster, during our Saint's life-
Brigidse, sec. xlv. , p. 592. 73TheAbbateD. GiacomoCertaniwrites:
** II Re della Lagena era venuto a Killda-
time. See Colgan's n. 26,p. 543.
Trias Thaumaturga,"
"
ria," &c.
Prodigiosa.
regio nepotum
^2 These incidents are related, as if occur- -
ring while St. Brigid was at Kildare—a came to Kildare, on this occasion, cannot gratuitous, yet a probable supposition—of be established from those accounts con- Abbate D. Giacomo Certani. See "La tained in St. Brigid's more ancient Lives.
Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quarto, pp. 290 to 292.
^ The Third Life calls him a carter or
groom.
7° As we are told, the servant was boiling
some meat in a cauldron.
74 in Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid, pp. 35, 36, he is called "Lo- man, Brigid's leper," as if he were some person kept in her employment, or some charitably maintained poor simpleton, whose mind and body were wasted through disease.
7= Several fine specimens of ancient bronze
and iron spear-heads are yet preserved in the Royal Irish Academy Museum,
^^ So explained by Colgan, in a note, See, Vita Tertia S. Brigida, n. 29, p. 543.
7' See •' Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga. " Prima Vita S. Brigidse, stanza 26, p. 516.
72 See ibid. Secunda Vita S. Brigidse, cap. xvi. , p. 520, Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, cap. lii,, p. 532, Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. xxii. , p. 553. Sexta Vita S.
—La Santita S. Brigida Ibernese. "
Vita di Libre Quarto, p. 303, Yet,althoughitmayfairlybeinferred, that he was the King of Leinster, that he
13^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February i.
arms, if Brigid required him. Our saint's messengers then asked what caused a delay, which prevented the king from proceeding further on his
journey.
His retinue repUed, although riding much, they knew God's pro-
vidence had delayed them, that Brigid might be released from the leper's
importunity. Giving praise to God and to our saint, the royal cortege soon
arrived at their home. Her messengers returned to the holy abbess with the king's spear. This she immediately handed to the leper. Then, the
saint and her guests partook of the banquet provided, 77 and while thankmg the Almighty for favours received,7S there can hardly be a doubt, she felt grateful to the high-minded and generous dynast, who had so great a re- verence for his pious hostess.
Unless referred to an early period of her life, it is very difficult to recon-
cile with exact chronology the following statements, contained in St. Brigid's
Acts. The holy abbess possessed that benign and ingenious power, which
could pacify those fiery and passionate spirits, whose ebullitions gave rise to
so and public quarrels. Her blessing was the — of many private harbinger
peace. 79 One day, walking near the road-side, Connall, son to Niall sup- posed to be the Monarch of the Nine Hostages—came towards Brigid, who was accompanied by her nuns. Now, the last-mentioned celebrated king had two sons2° so named ; one being distinguished as Connall Crimthann,^^ while the other was called Connall Gulban. ^" As the latter^3 died, a. d. 464,^*
"
77 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. great prey of horses ; but, he was pursued
Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. , ii. , cap. xxv. , and overtaken at Loch Saloch, near Fe- P- 553- See also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, nagh, in the county of Leitrim. Here, he cap. Iv. , p. 533, ibid. was slain and buried. The account of
7** See the Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's Conall Gulban having been buried by St. accountoftheforegoingoccurrencesin"La Caillinissaidtobeananachronismanda Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida fabrication of the writer of St. Caillin's
Ibernese. " Libro Quarto, pp. 303 to 308. 79 See L. Tachet de Barneval's "Histoire
Legendaire de I'lrlande," chap, viii. , pp. 80,81.
Supposed by Colgan, to have been St. Brigid ol Cluain-fidhe, whose life is to be found, at the 30ih of September.
3'
some natural curative in its properties
65, pp. 449, 450. 3*^
working of this miracle. ^Qcibid, pp. 312, 313.
^^ In the supplement for use of the Irish clergy, postfixed to "BreviariumRomanum,"
Lanigan's
waters, while the Abbess had her own part in the
37 See ii, xi. Corinthians,
' '
Noct. ii. ,Lect vi.
44 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
29, 30. This circumstance shows the
Pars we Hiemalis,
et variis
read,
languoribus aegrotanti-
:
place
39 Abbate D. Giacomo Certani imagines, Die. i. Februarii. Officium S. Brigidae.
could not have been Kildare.
bus sanitatem suis precibus impetravit. "
—
that St. Brigid was then engaged superin-
tending some operatives, who were building
a church or monastic establishment for her. *'
Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. xxvi. , See La Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S. p. 553. See also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidae,
Brigida Ibemese. " Libro Quarto, p. 309. 40 See ibid. p. 310.
4' See ibid. p. 311.
4»
cap. Ivi. , p. 533, ibid. Vita Sexta S. Bri-
gidae, sec. lix. , p. 594. ibid.
45 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La
Santiti Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida
Certani thinks, that like the baths at
mundavit,
leprosos saepius
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIISITS, 133
thee. "46 When he had spoken these words, he fled away, with loud out- cries,47
One rainy day, after serving as a shepherdess, St. Brigid had returned to her cell, her garments being saturated with rain. -*^ After a while, the sun
began to shine, and one of its rays penetrating the wall of this cell, appeared to our saint as a line,'»9 for holding clothes. 5° On this she placed her moist
garments. 5^ At the time, a certain wise and pious man preached God's holy
word, while the Saint's attention was so entirely engaged by his precepts of
instruction, that totally forgetful of all earthly concerns, midnight found her in the same entranced attitude. ^' To this unusual period the sun's rays re- mained within her cell,53 while the garments of our holy abbess hung thereon, until a certain inmate of the house reminded her respecting that error of visual sense. 54 This miracle is alluded to in various offices of St. Brigid. ss In some of her lives, it is added, that certain persons, journeying by night through the Liffey plains, related how they saw these rays brightening the whole cham- paign, until those arrived, in the middle of the night, at St. Brigid's ceU. Then, all gave thanks to God, and admired all the miraculous manifestations
of Brigid's sanctity. s^
In honour of a certain great festival, the holy Abbess had prepared a
sumptuous banquet. Yet, before the time for its intended consumption had arrived, she distributed the viands among some poor visitors. The nuns of
our Saint's monastery regretted this occurrence, as many persons were ex-
pected to come, on occasion of their solemnity. Brigid prayed to the Lord
that night ; and, it so happened, a rich inhabitant, living within that district,
had been conveying in waggons certain viands,57 which were provided for
that rich
neigh- Concerning this circumstance, God's devoted servant, being preternaturally admonished, went out to meet him, and to enquire about his destination. The fortuitous visitor was inspired to offer the whole of his store to the Abbess, and he told her,
the 58 king.
lost the
bour came directly to the gate of St. Brigid's monastery.
going incident, also adds :
"Was there ever "
Having
way, however,
it
yet chanced,
Ibernese. " Libro Quinto, pp. 341 to 343. 4^ The Rev. S. Baring-Gould, who, in his account of St. Brigid, relates the fore-
si See Camerarius, "De Statu Ilominis Veteris simul ac novae Ecclesiae, et Sanctis Regni Scotiae," lib. i. , cap. iii. , sec. ii. , p. 140.
^2 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La
"
a better sermon preached in fewer words ?
—"Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. February Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida
1st, p. 20.
47 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
VitaQuarta S. Brigidas. Lib. ii. , cap. xxxv. ,
Ibernese," Libro Sesto, pp. 479, 480.
^4 The account in the Third Life coincides with that recorded in the text. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " See Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. xcii. , p. 539. This miracle is related, likewise, in the Fifth Life, with a greater amount of amplification, ibid. Vita Quinta S. Brigidae, cap. xliii. ,pp. 577, 578. See, also. Vita Sexta S. Brigidae, sec. vii. ,
p. 555. Also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap.
exactly
Ixv. , p. 534.
48 "
Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii,, cap. xv. , p. 552. In the First Metrical Life, we are told, she returned from tending her sheep. This duty had caused the rain to drench her garments. Ibid. Vita Prima S. Brigidae, sec. 17, p. 516.
49 In the Second Life, this same occupa-
p. 583, ibid.
^s Petrus de Natalibus has a similar ac-
count. See also De " Officia Pro- Burgo's
tion is as a cause for her assigned
exposure
to the shower ; but, it is there stated, that pria Sanctorum Hiberniae. i. Februarii,
through a defect of vision, she saw not a OfficiumS. Brigidae, Noct. ii , Lect. v. ,p. 12.
"
line, but a tree, taking the form of a sun- s^ See,
beam. —/(! 5zV! ^. Vita SecundaS. Brigidae, cap. tia S. Brigidae, cap, xciii. , p. 539. Vita
vii. , p, 519,
5° The legends in several cases—as in the
present instance— give us an insight regard- ing many domestic usages of our ancestors.
QuartaS. Brigida;, lib. ii. , cap. xvi. , p. 552. ^7 And, as we are informed, these were
furnished to celebrate that festival,
^s Probably the King of Leinster. His
53 See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's
"
Lives of
the Saints," vol. ii. February i. , p. 19.
Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Ter-
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
it was a Providential circumstance, that he had thus strayed, although in a well-known country. He promised, likewise, to prepare some other provi- sions for his lord, the king. Receiving an account of what had happened, the latter transferred that villager, with all his family, to serve God and the
holy virgin, Brigid, as a perpetual vassal, living on her own property. The king, moreover, sent another waggon, loaded with provisions, for the use of our saint, on occasion of this great solemnity, so that she was fully enabled to supply the wants of all her guests. 59 The holy abbess thus realized, even
in a material way, the force of these Gospel words, that for religious fidelity she should receive an hundred fold. ^° A certain queen,^^ among other
valuable presents to St. Brigid, had presented her with an ornamental silver chain. ^2 Having received our Saint's blessing, that queen returned home, while Brigid's nuns, taking the chain from the hands of their abbess, deposited* it among their church treasures. Yet, as the holy abbess was accustomed to distribute all her possessions to the poor, a destitute person coming to her received the aforesaid chain. ^3 Our saint took it from her church valuables, as she had nothing else to bestow.
"
monstrances, our Saint said :
go and seek your chain,^+ which, perhaps, you will find.
" Obeying her com- mands, they found a chain, exactly resembling the one which had been given
away. Then they presented it to St. Brigid, asking her pardon. The holy
to God He will return and earthly things : you earthly
The nuns ever afterwards preserved that chain,^^ as a
" O
we lose whatever God gives us through charitable Christians ; for, you
said to their
to
mother, owing
leave us nothing, since you bestow all upon the poor. " To evade their re-
learning this,
superioress,
your generosity,
abbess
heavenly favours. '^^s
replied:
" Give
My daughters, whilst I remain in the church,
standing memorial of the extraordinary charity characterizing their holy superioress. A certain leper, belonging to the race of Neill,^7 coming to St.
name or district, However, is not recorded, conclusive evidences of our early civiliza- in St. Brigid's ancient Lives ; although, tion.
^* The Abbate D. Giacomo re- Certani,
lating these occurrences, without any seem- ing warrant, but the promptings of his own
bright Italian imagination, converts the "chain of silver" in St. Brigid's ancient
"
Lives into "Collana d'oro," or
necklace. " See " La Santit^ Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese;" Libro Quarto,
^s See Trias Thaumaturga. VitaQuar- ta S. Brigida^, lib. ii. , cap. xviii. , p. 552. Vita Tertia S. Brigidae, cap. 1. , p. 532, ibid. Vita Sexta S. Brigidse, sec. xlii. , p. 591. ibid.
^ In the Metrical Acts, we have foUow- ing minute description of this ornament :
" Vertice cui summo fuerat formata Humani capitis : subtilis lucet imago Filis argenti preciosa, ac textilis hamis Spherula in alternis fulvis prsefulgida
gemmis. "
From the minute foregoing
Abbate D. Giacomo Certani
—who chroni-
cles these incidents—makes all this occur at
Kildare, without any apparent authority.
See "La Santith, Prodigiosa. Vita di S.
Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quarto, pp. 280
10283.
59 See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita
Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. xvii. , p. 552. Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. xlix. , p. 532, ibid. Vita Sexta S. Brigidse, sec.
xli. , pp. 590, 591, ibid.
St. Luke, vi. 38.
Her name or place of residence is not
given, in St. Brigid's Latin Lives. But, in
Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of the Saint,
she is called the Queen of Crimthan, son
of Enna Cennsellach, King of Leinster.
east of Leinster.
a golden
^ ^*
See From this we pp. 35, 36.
may pro- bably draw an inference, that St. Brigid was then living somewhere in the east or south-
figura
fashioned.
^' This leper appears to have belonged to the territory of Meath, which is usually
^'
man attached to one of its ends.
It is said to have had the figure of a
*'3 Almost are daily
objects of ancient Irish art and ornament among " the finds " of our rural population ; and, several most interestin£T specimens have found their place in our museums. These furnish the most
this chain must have been elaborately and richly
pp. 283 to 287. ""
Brigid's nuns, on
description,
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
Brigid, asked her for a cow and calf, which the abbess directed her herdsman to give. He enquired from our saint, what sort of a cow and calf he should select. She told him, to choose the best out of their herd. ^^ Then the herd- man and the leper selected those of prime shape and condition. Yet, they found it a matter of great difficulty to separate the calf from a particular cow belongingtotheherd,althoughthatcowwasnotitsdam. Thiswastoldto the saint by the poor leper, when Brigid desired one of her servants,^9 then engaged at cooking,7° to go and assist him in driving home those animals. Her servant enquired, who had been left to cook, when our abbess said, he should return to take charge of that work, within a very short time. The
man did as he had been desired, and, with the leper, he accomplished a journey usually occupying of two days, but he effected it within an hour.
Their destination was towards the north, and to a place, called Brigh-Chob- thuigh Chaoil. 7^ It escapes our present power of identification. On return- ing to St. Brigid, her servant found the flesh-meat in the cauldron, but not yet cooked. These miraculous events are accorded to St. Brigid's merits. All, to whom they became known, were greatly edified. ^^
A certain king, accompanied by a large retinue, came to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, where St. Brigid Hved. 73 He spent the eve of this festival
with her. On the following morning, having heard Mass, he set out, with his horsemen and chariots, for his own castle. When this day's solemnities
had been celebrated, according to custom, our pious abbess superintended those tables that were set for the abundant refection of rich and poor. But, among the number of her guests, an insolent or a demented leper,74 through some whimsical impulse, refused to partake of food, if he did not first obtain a spear 7S which belonged to the king. The leper was asked, why he had not demanded it, on the previous day ; while, at the same time, all who were present pressed him to eat. They could not, however, procure his compliance. The leper remarked, it was only on the present occasion he desired that gift. The compassionate abbess could not bring herself to par- take of food, while that leper was fasting. She immediately despatched messengers on horseback after the king, to ask his spear as a gift. These
set out, and overtook the dynast, as he was crossing the ford of a small
stream. There they preferred our saint's request. ? ^ The king joyfully pre- sented his spear to them, with the remark, that he would give up all his
"
called in St. Brigid's Lives,
Neill,"thatis, oftheSouthernO'Neills. The Northern O'Neills principally lived in Ultonia or Ulster, during our Saint's life-
Brigidse, sec. xlv. , p. 592. 73TheAbbateD. GiacomoCertaniwrites:
** II Re della Lagena era venuto a Killda-
time. See Colgan's n. 26,p. 543.
Trias Thaumaturga,"
"
ria," &c.
Prodigiosa.
regio nepotum
^2 These incidents are related, as if occur- -
ring while St. Brigid was at Kildare—a came to Kildare, on this occasion, cannot gratuitous, yet a probable supposition—of be established from those accounts con- Abbate D. Giacomo Certani. See "La tained in St. Brigid's more ancient Lives.
Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Quarto, pp. 290 to 292.
^ The Third Life calls him a carter or
groom.
7° As we are told, the servant was boiling
some meat in a cauldron.
74 in Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid, pp. 35, 36, he is called "Lo- man, Brigid's leper," as if he were some person kept in her employment, or some charitably maintained poor simpleton, whose mind and body were wasted through disease.
7= Several fine specimens of ancient bronze
and iron spear-heads are yet preserved in the Royal Irish Academy Museum,
^^ So explained by Colgan, in a note, See, Vita Tertia S. Brigida, n. 29, p. 543.
7' See •' Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga. " Prima Vita S. Brigidse, stanza 26, p. 516.
72 See ibid. Secunda Vita S. Brigidse, cap. xvi. , p. 520, Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, cap. lii,, p. 532, Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. xxii. , p. 553. Sexta Vita S.
—La Santita S. Brigida Ibernese. "
Vita di Libre Quarto, p. 303, Yet,althoughitmayfairlybeinferred, that he was the King of Leinster, that he
13^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February i.
arms, if Brigid required him. Our saint's messengers then asked what caused a delay, which prevented the king from proceeding further on his
journey.
His retinue repUed, although riding much, they knew God's pro-
vidence had delayed them, that Brigid might be released from the leper's
importunity. Giving praise to God and to our saint, the royal cortege soon
arrived at their home. Her messengers returned to the holy abbess with the king's spear. This she immediately handed to the leper. Then, the
saint and her guests partook of the banquet provided, 77 and while thankmg the Almighty for favours received,7S there can hardly be a doubt, she felt grateful to the high-minded and generous dynast, who had so great a re- verence for his pious hostess.
Unless referred to an early period of her life, it is very difficult to recon-
cile with exact chronology the following statements, contained in St. Brigid's
Acts. The holy abbess possessed that benign and ingenious power, which
could pacify those fiery and passionate spirits, whose ebullitions gave rise to
so and public quarrels. Her blessing was the — of many private harbinger
peace. 79 One day, walking near the road-side, Connall, son to Niall sup- posed to be the Monarch of the Nine Hostages—came towards Brigid, who was accompanied by her nuns. Now, the last-mentioned celebrated king had two sons2° so named ; one being distinguished as Connall Crimthann,^^ while the other was called Connall Gulban. ^" As the latter^3 died, a. d. 464,^*
"
77 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. great prey of horses ; but, he was pursued
Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. , ii. , cap. xxv. , and overtaken at Loch Saloch, near Fe- P- 553- See also, Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, nagh, in the county of Leitrim. Here, he cap. Iv. , p. 533, ibid. was slain and buried. The account of
7** See the Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's Conall Gulban having been buried by St. accountoftheforegoingoccurrencesin"La Caillinissaidtobeananachronismanda Santitk Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida fabrication of the writer of St. Caillin's
Ibernese. " Libro Quarto, pp. 303 to 308. 79 See L. Tachet de Barneval's "Histoire
Legendaire de I'lrlande," chap, viii. , pp. 80,81.
