^s Hence, Patrick received the
denomination
Cothraige,^^ because he served four families.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
We have no good authority for Niall of theNineHostageshavingvisitedGaul,untiltheclosingperiodofhishfe; and, this is a well-noted event, in the annals of our country.
33 King Niall's expe- dition to Gaul, in the ninth year of his reign,34 and the consequent captivity of St.
Patrick, at that time, can hardly be considered as worthy of credit.
35 Atalaterperiodofhiscareer,itwasmorelikelytobetrue.
Thatcelebrated Irish warrior, after having ravaged the coasts of Great Britain and Gaul, was killed by Eochod, the son of Ennius Kinsellaich,36 who had laid a revengeful plot to take the monarch's life.
37 This happened, in the twenty-seventh year of his reign, or about the year 405,3^ near the Portus Iccius, in Gaul.
39 Roderick O'Flaherty adds, that Niell was killed, near the Eoire,-*" by a poisoned arrow, which had been shot across that river,^' while he was engaged prosecuting a war in Armorica.
''^ Lynch mentioned the Loire, like- wise,^ but he has omitted other circumstances,44 given by O'Flaherty, whose account of the place, where those transactions occurred, is quite contradic-
tory. It seems probable, that the death of King Niall occurred, a. d. 404 ; for,inthefollowingyear,Dathy,^^hissuccessor,ascendedthethrone. ''^ Most
Eochod's return as a hostage. This latter adventurous prince contrived to escape once more from his guards, and he tracked Niall on his Gallic expedition.
3* Or A. M. 5604, according to Gratianus Lucius. This was Dr. John Lynch's compu- tation.
Iccian Sea. It is now known as the Strait of Dover.
'°
O'Flaherty incorrectly quotes Ussher, to show, that the Mare Iccium extended so far as the Loire.
*' The words are "venenata sagitta trans
Ligerim jacta propter mare Ictium confossus est. "
"''See "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap, Ixxxv. , p. - 403.
mitted to visit his father. Having violated clesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
makes his reign commence, in 352. Ussher
has him on the throne, A. D. 360. See his
" Index Chronologicus," ad A. D. CCCLX. , and
*'
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. XV. , p. 306, 307, 370, and p. 512.
"
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 126, 127.
3' See Dr. O'Donovan's
3* " General
See, Keating's History
39 See "Trias Colgan's
of Ireland," book i. , p. 320. Duffy's edition.
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Cohimba," n. 33, p. 449. This place derived its name from the Icht or
33 In his " Ogygia," Roderick O'Flaherty has a pretty full account of this monarch's
reign, from A. D. 379 to 305, pars, iii. , cap. Ixxxv. , Ixxxvi. , pp. 393 to 412.
34 According to the ancient writer, quoted
by Keating.
35 Yet, this has been stated, in a Manu-
script, quoted by Dr. Jeoffry Keating. See
*'
General History of Ireland," part i. , p. 320. Also, it is in a passage, as given by Ussher, from his Tripartite copy of St. Patrick's Life. The author thought, that St. Patrick's captivity happened, in the first year of the Emperor Julian's reign. See • Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 432. Julian the Apostate died about A. D. 363, so that his period does not synchronise, with the reign of Niall of the
•^ See "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. i. , chap, viii. , p. 497. Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition. ** Lynch should have written Liania, for Liane, instead of Ligeris, for the Loire. The Liane is a small stream, that falls into the sea below Boulogne. Across that river, a manindeedmighthaveshotanarrow. But no person could be found strong enough to make an arrow fly, from one side of the Loire to the other, and near to where it hostage, by Niall, and to have been per- joins the ocean. See Dr. Lanigan's " Ec-
Nine Hostages.
3* He was King of Leinster.
37 Eochod is said to have been held as a
this parole, Eochod also wasted the lands of
chap, iv. , sect, iv. , n. 20, pp. 13S to 140.
a bard to Niall, and killed his son to avenge a slight received, on his way home. The incensed monarch tiiereupon burst into Leinster, with an ainiy, and insisted on
*s He was son to son of Fiachra,
Muighmheadhoin.
Eochaidh
Lcedghen,
"^ See O'Flaherty 's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap, Ixxxvii. , p, 41 j.
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 48^
likely, some delay about his being recognised as king occurred, in consequence ofNiell'shavingfallenfarfromhisowncountry. Sometimewasrequisite,
therefore, to take proceedings necessary for appointing a new monarch,'»7 Uncertain as to whether or not, St. Patrick had first visited our shores, as a captive on board that Gallic expeditionary fleet ; we cannot wholly trust the account given, by the Scholiast, on St. Fiach's Hymn. +s It states, like- wise, that with his sister Lupita, Patrick had been conveyed to Conall Mur- themne,''9 identified by Colgan,5° with the present county of Louth. s^ The Second Lifes^ and the Fourth Life53 nearly accord with the foregoing account. The Fifth Life merely tells us, that when a boy of sixteen, Patrick, with many others, was brought to our island of barbarians. 54 Their captors are called pirates, by Jocelyn. ss Again, the Irish Tripartite Life^'^ is so cir- cumstantial as to relate, that the seven sons of the pirate British King Fecht- mad, when putting out to sea with these captives, went around Erin north- wards, and there landed on the coast, when they sold Patrick to Miliuc, son of Euan, i. e. , to the King of Dal-Araidhe. The pirates and their crew then appear to have visited Conaille-Muirthemhne, where Lupait and Tigris are stated to have been sold as slaves, while these sisters and their brother were
mutually ignorant of their respective conditions, in servitudes^
The blighting influences of slavery darkened even the errors of Paganism,
among the Celtic nations. s^ Yet, the light of Christianity was destined to
dawn upon Ireland ; and, a slaveys was to become the chief minister, under
God, for proclaiming Gospel truth, and for entering an earnest and exemplary
protest, against the abuses of slavery, at that time so generally prevailing,
among the most enlightened people in the world. According to the account left us, in St. Fiech's Hymn,^° our saint was obliged to serve four different
families,^' who were Magicians,^^ or as others relate, four brothers f'^ and,
*'^ See on this subject Harris' Ware, vol.
ii. , "Antiquities of Ireland," chap, x. , pp. 61 to 68.
^^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Scholia Veteris Scholiasts, n. 5 e, p. 4.
53 See the Sixth Life, cap. xiii. , p. 67. St. Patrick is compared with Josepli, who at the early age of sixteen was brought as a
captive to Egypt, and from being a slave he was afterwards elevated to the highest digni- ties and power in the country, where he once
•s We are informed, by Ussher, that the
Campus Murthemne, in which the race of served in so lowly a station. - See Gen. Conall chiefly lived, had been called Mag- xxxvii. , xli.
hery Conall, in his time. See his Pri-
mordia," cap. xv. , pp. 705, 706.
50 He calls it, the plain of southern Ulto-
nia, extending from Mount Breagh, near Drogheda, to the sea of Dun-Dclgad, near Dundalk.
5' See "Trias Thaumaturga," n. 16, p. 8.
5* See cap. xii. , p. 12, Ilere his sister's
name is not given. The Third Life only
states, he was sixteen, when, with others, he
s^ See Miss Cusack's Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," p. 376.
S7 See the Seventh Life, pars, i. , cap. xvi. , p. 119.
ss jn Ireland, and Britain, the strange Druidic rites and doctrines that prevailed, at this period, and a prophecy, that one should come from Britain into Ireland, in a fleet, to overthrow the Pagan idols and temples, are alluded to, in Stanihurst's
" Vita S. Patricii Hibernise lib. Apostoli,"
i. , pp. 18 to 20.
59 See Le Comte De Montalembert's
was taken p. 22.
away
to Ireland.
See
cap» xiii. ,
""
S3 This remarks, tiiat St. Patrick was
captured, and brought away with Lupita in
an Irish pirate fleet, accustomed to prey on
theBritons. Theauthorattributeshiscap-
tivity to a dispensation of Providence, l^A15e, cechA]\ r|\ebo oia pognAO. Thus
he was enabled to learn in his whereby youth
the language of that nation, for which he
was destined to be the future Apostle. See
cap. XV. , p. 37.
5* By such a term were the Christian used to do the work of four tribes. " See
"
writers accustomed to describe Pagan Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. iv. , pp.
people. See lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 51. 284, 285, and n. 13.
" Les Moines d'Occident," tome ii. , livre
ix. , chap, i. , p. 453.
^ There do we read : bACUiN ite Coch-
it is rendered into " he English : Cothraige
was called, for as slave he served four famihes. " In a comment, attached to this passage, it is explained "? >. because he
490 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
hence, he was called, by a servile name,^-* distinct from his own. Our saint wasfoundperfectlydocileandfaithful,indischarginghishumbleoffices. In fine, one of his taskmasters purchased him from the others.
^s Hence, Patrick received the denomination Cothraige,^^ because he served four families. ^7 The name of his last purchaser was Milcho, Milchon, or as some- times called, Miliac, or Milcon mac Cubuain. ^^ The Confession of St. Patrick affords- no clue to his rank, circumstances, or profession ; for, in it, that person for whom he wrought, during the six years of his captivity, is merely called a man. ^9 Some writers relate, that he was a Magus ; and, as
a consequence, devoted to Pagan superstitions. Again, he is called a king,7° orratheralittlepotentate,^'orchief,wholivedinDaleradia. 7^ Heisrepre- sented, as having been a harsh man. Patrick was obliged to herd flocks or cattle,73 according to his own Confession while other accounts have 7+
; it, that the saint was entrusted, with the care of a drove of hogs. 75 These
animals were probably roving through the mountains, vallies, or woods, and feeding on acorns, roots, grass, or whatever else might fall in their way. 7^
and the— our Jocelyn,77 Tripartite,7S
Milchuo's
By appointment, according
to
saint was condemned to the servile task of keeping swine a very menial
employment for such a tenderly-reared boy. According to hi—s own words, the holy youth spent his time, on a mountain in Hibernione as he con- stantly writes the name of our island. The truest and most reliable version of the captivity, to which St. Patrick had been subjected, may best be gleaned
^'
served this master for four years, in the most laborious manner.
^' See " Confessio S. Patricii," p. 6. Ware's edition.
""
Cuboin Magus. " See Usshcr's Primor- was on his arrival in Ireland, apud quem-
dia," cap. xvii. , p. 829.
*3 See the Fourth Life, cap. xv.
'^ See Fiach's Hymn, strophe 3, p. I, and n. df. , p. 4. Also the Second Life has
See Fiech's Hymn, strophe 3, p. i.
The Tripartite Life has a similar statement.
See lib. i. , cap. xvii. , p. 119.
*' "
Tirechan writes : Cothirthiac servivit
quatuor domibus Magorum ; et empsit ilium
unus ex eis, cui nomen erat Miliuc Mac families. But, he relates, that St. Patrick
it Quotirche, cap. xii. , p. 12. The Third king, called Milchon, ruling in the northern Life has Coithrige, cap. xiii. , p. 22. The part of the island. See " Sexta Vita S.
Fourth Life has Quadriga, cap. xv. , p. 37. The Seventh Life has Cothraige, lib. i. , cap.
xvii. , p. 119.
^5 The Second Life states, that the saint,
being brought into the Dailaraidian country, served four substantial masters, with all the devotedness of his heart. One of them
Patricii," cap. xiii. , p. 67.
7^ Fiech's Scholiast states, that he was
called Michul, or Milchuo, the son of Hua Euan, and king over nortliern Dal-aradia.
named Miliuc,
"a or " part,"
that he was a faithful servant, bought St. Patrick from the other
and from a Aradius,
seeing
portion,"
King of Ultonia, belonging to the race of
masters, to serve himself alone. See Se- Fiach. See n. 18, p. 8.
cunda Vita S. Patricii, cap. xii. , p. 12.
^ Dr. Todd has a paper on the meaning
"
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. vi. , p. 292. See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick,
Apostle of Ireland," p. 376. Here, there is a
73 He says, "quotidie pecora pascebam. " —"Confessio S. Patricii," cap. ii. , num. 6, p. 190.
' Thus, Harris very incorrectly makes St. Patrick state, that his constant business was to feed the hogs.
75 " Patricius cus- Jocelyn says, porcorum
todias mancipatur. "
7^ Unacquainted with this practice, which
is so general to this day in the old and
new world, Harris thought, perhaps, that the saint was employed feeding them in
troughs.
7' See Sexta Vita S. Patricii,cap. xiii. , p. 67. 7^ See pare, i. , cap. xviii. , p. 119. Col-
of this name, in the
in the Lives of manuscript Tripartite
hiatus,
the Bodleian and British Museum Libraries.
*7 Colgan observes, that in order to spell it correctly, the word should be, CcothirUgh, from Ceothir, four, and tegh, a house. See
"Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Patricii, n. 15, p. 17.
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Appendix Secunda ad Acta S. Patricii, p.
196.
"Trias
Tirechan
states,
that St. Patrick
gan's
Thaumaturga. "
7" Probus says nothing about the four
dam — immitem gentilem regem
in servitute detentus. " " Quinta Vita S. Patricii," lib.
i. , cap. ii. , p. 51.
7' Jocelyn calls his master, a petty Pagan
"
p. 4. Dalaradia is the eastern and maritime
Prima Vita S. Patricii,"
See Scholia 8.
part of Ulster, taking its name from Dal,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 491
from his own Confession. It has not been compHcated with those incidents, whichhavefoundinsertion,intheworksofsubsequentwriters. Thatmountain, where he tended flocks, is said to have been in Dalaradia. It is called Mis,79 at present Sliebh-mis,^° or Slieve Mish, a wild and an elevated peak, in the county of Antrim. ^' Here, he passed many an hour in solitude, but even then, heheldcommunionwiththeLord. ^^ TheloveandfearofGodgrewwithin him, while he felt not the traces of evil, nor of idleness, as Divine' Faith and the
Distant View of Slieve Mish, County of Antrim.
Holy Spiritfglowed through his soul. In devotion, and in the care of his salvation, St. Patrick exercised himself, bearing in patience God's own dis-
pensation. Frequently, during the day, did he prostrate himself in prayer, before God ; nearly one hundred times did he recite some form of entreaty,
on some special days, and nearly as often during the night. The spirit of the Lord was so fervent within him, that he arose before the dawn, to engage
in those pious exercises, even when frost, snow and rain covered the ground. ^3 Even then, psalms and hymns were frequently recited by the pious youth. ^+
Jocelyn goes still further ; for, he says, that St. Patrick, from a very early time of his life, used to read the Psalter every day. ^5 While enduring six years of oppressive captivity, the blessed saint, with incessant tears and fervent prayers, did not cease to solicit the Divine Majesty to procure his
'9 Near it was a valley, named Arcuil.
^^ The "et etiam in holy Apostle says,
silvis et monte manebam,—et ante lucem ex- "
80 To the Rev.
P. P. of
John Lynch, Ballymena, the writer is specially indebted
for procuring a photograph of Slieve Mis citabar ad orationem. " Confessio S.
Mountain, as seen from his library window, and at some distance. From the photograph
Patricii," cap. ii. , num. 6, p. 190. ^^ See ibid.
WilliamF. Wakeman question, produced
84 "
— enim et Frequenter psalmos hymnos
in
the accompanying illustration on wood, and it has been engraved by George A. Hanlon.
ruminabat. " Probus,' Vita S. Patricii, lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 51.
*' Fiech's Scholiast, n. See,
^2 See Sexta Vita S. 67.
9 i. , p. 4, and the Tripartite Life, lib, i. , cap. xix , p.
Patricii, cap. xii. , p.
492 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
freedom, and a return to his country, to his parents^^ and to his friends. ^'
No doubt, with these prayers were united petitions for his own deUverance, as also for the conversion of his master and of the Irish people. As re- garded his fasts, they were excessive for his time of youth, as he lived on roots, herbs, and such other coarse food, and even oftentimes, he supported life, without any corporal sustenance. ^^ Nor could the rigour of the seasons, inclemency of the weather, or any other circumstance, cause him, at any time, to intermit his devotional exercises.
The saint does not hesitate to aver, that when a boy, he had been care-
less, in reference to the fulfilment of his religious duties. ^9 But, in his state
of slavery and exile, this youth, of naturally good parts, reflected on his mis- spent time, and felt truly contrite for his former follies. Afflictions were the
salt, that preserved him from an indulgence in youthful pleasures, and they became a means for reviving the inspirations of Divine Grace, in his soul.
From his Confessions, we learn to appreciate that spirit of profound humility, through which he compares himself to a stone, lying deeply buried in the mud ; and, he was grateful to the Almighty, who afflicted liim, because he also received support in this affliction. 9° From such acknowledgments, we may best judge, what opinion must be formed concerning those recorded boyish miracles, attributed to St. Patrick,9' by some of his biographers. Be- fore his liberation from slavery, other miraculous occurrences are said to have
taken place. 9^ On a certain day, being engaged at prayer, according to one account, an angel, who is called Victor,93 appeared to him, and assured him, that his fasts and prayers had ascended before the sight of God, and that his release was very near. ? -* Then, in a dream one night, he heard a voice saying :
^ According to Jocelyn, St. Patrick re- turned "propriis parentibus," who were, following his account, then living.
dulous—while it should also extend, through
the captive's instrumentality, over our whole island. Again, the romantic story, that St. Patrick was destined for wedlock, with a female slave, whom he found to have been his sister, deserves not any serious recital. See the Second Life, cap.
tory. It seems probable, that the death of King Niall occurred, a. d. 404 ; for,inthefollowingyear,Dathy,^^hissuccessor,ascendedthethrone. ''^ Most
Eochod's return as a hostage. This latter adventurous prince contrived to escape once more from his guards, and he tracked Niall on his Gallic expedition.
3* Or A. M. 5604, according to Gratianus Lucius. This was Dr. John Lynch's compu- tation.
Iccian Sea. It is now known as the Strait of Dover.
'°
O'Flaherty incorrectly quotes Ussher, to show, that the Mare Iccium extended so far as the Loire.
*' The words are "venenata sagitta trans
Ligerim jacta propter mare Ictium confossus est. "
"''See "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap, Ixxxv. , p. - 403.
mitted to visit his father. Having violated clesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
makes his reign commence, in 352. Ussher
has him on the throne, A. D. 360. See his
" Index Chronologicus," ad A. D. CCCLX. , and
*'
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. XV. , p. 306, 307, 370, and p. 512.
"
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 126, 127.
3' See Dr. O'Donovan's
3* " General
See, Keating's History
39 See "Trias Colgan's
of Ireland," book i. , p. 320. Duffy's edition.
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Cohimba," n. 33, p. 449. This place derived its name from the Icht or
33 In his " Ogygia," Roderick O'Flaherty has a pretty full account of this monarch's
reign, from A. D. 379 to 305, pars, iii. , cap. Ixxxv. , Ixxxvi. , pp. 393 to 412.
34 According to the ancient writer, quoted
by Keating.
35 Yet, this has been stated, in a Manu-
script, quoted by Dr. Jeoffry Keating. See
*'
General History of Ireland," part i. , p. 320. Also, it is in a passage, as given by Ussher, from his Tripartite copy of St. Patrick's Life. The author thought, that St. Patrick's captivity happened, in the first year of the Emperor Julian's reign. See • Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 432. Julian the Apostate died about A. D. 363, so that his period does not synchronise, with the reign of Niall of the
•^ See "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. i. , chap, viii. , p. 497. Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition. ** Lynch should have written Liania, for Liane, instead of Ligeris, for the Loire. The Liane is a small stream, that falls into the sea below Boulogne. Across that river, a manindeedmighthaveshotanarrow. But no person could be found strong enough to make an arrow fly, from one side of the Loire to the other, and near to where it hostage, by Niall, and to have been per- joins the ocean. See Dr. Lanigan's " Ec-
Nine Hostages.
3* He was King of Leinster.
37 Eochod is said to have been held as a
this parole, Eochod also wasted the lands of
chap, iv. , sect, iv. , n. 20, pp. 13S to 140.
a bard to Niall, and killed his son to avenge a slight received, on his way home. The incensed monarch tiiereupon burst into Leinster, with an ainiy, and insisted on
*s He was son to son of Fiachra,
Muighmheadhoin.
Eochaidh
Lcedghen,
"^ See O'Flaherty 's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap, Ixxxvii. , p, 41 j.
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 48^
likely, some delay about his being recognised as king occurred, in consequence ofNiell'shavingfallenfarfromhisowncountry. Sometimewasrequisite,
therefore, to take proceedings necessary for appointing a new monarch,'»7 Uncertain as to whether or not, St. Patrick had first visited our shores, as a captive on board that Gallic expeditionary fleet ; we cannot wholly trust the account given, by the Scholiast, on St. Fiach's Hymn. +s It states, like- wise, that with his sister Lupita, Patrick had been conveyed to Conall Mur- themne,''9 identified by Colgan,5° with the present county of Louth. s^ The Second Lifes^ and the Fourth Life53 nearly accord with the foregoing account. The Fifth Life merely tells us, that when a boy of sixteen, Patrick, with many others, was brought to our island of barbarians. 54 Their captors are called pirates, by Jocelyn. ss Again, the Irish Tripartite Life^'^ is so cir- cumstantial as to relate, that the seven sons of the pirate British King Fecht- mad, when putting out to sea with these captives, went around Erin north- wards, and there landed on the coast, when they sold Patrick to Miliuc, son of Euan, i. e. , to the King of Dal-Araidhe. The pirates and their crew then appear to have visited Conaille-Muirthemhne, where Lupait and Tigris are stated to have been sold as slaves, while these sisters and their brother were
mutually ignorant of their respective conditions, in servitudes^
The blighting influences of slavery darkened even the errors of Paganism,
among the Celtic nations. s^ Yet, the light of Christianity was destined to
dawn upon Ireland ; and, a slaveys was to become the chief minister, under
God, for proclaiming Gospel truth, and for entering an earnest and exemplary
protest, against the abuses of slavery, at that time so generally prevailing,
among the most enlightened people in the world. According to the account left us, in St. Fiech's Hymn,^° our saint was obliged to serve four different
families,^' who were Magicians,^^ or as others relate, four brothers f'^ and,
*'^ See on this subject Harris' Ware, vol.
ii. , "Antiquities of Ireland," chap, x. , pp. 61 to 68.
^^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Scholia Veteris Scholiasts, n. 5 e, p. 4.
53 See the Sixth Life, cap. xiii. , p. 67. St. Patrick is compared with Josepli, who at the early age of sixteen was brought as a
captive to Egypt, and from being a slave he was afterwards elevated to the highest digni- ties and power in the country, where he once
•s We are informed, by Ussher, that the
Campus Murthemne, in which the race of served in so lowly a station. - See Gen. Conall chiefly lived, had been called Mag- xxxvii. , xli.
hery Conall, in his time. See his Pri-
mordia," cap. xv. , pp. 705, 706.
50 He calls it, the plain of southern Ulto-
nia, extending from Mount Breagh, near Drogheda, to the sea of Dun-Dclgad, near Dundalk.
5' See "Trias Thaumaturga," n. 16, p. 8.
5* See cap. xii. , p. 12, Ilere his sister's
name is not given. The Third Life only
states, he was sixteen, when, with others, he
s^ See Miss Cusack's Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," p. 376.
S7 See the Seventh Life, pars, i. , cap. xvi. , p. 119.
ss jn Ireland, and Britain, the strange Druidic rites and doctrines that prevailed, at this period, and a prophecy, that one should come from Britain into Ireland, in a fleet, to overthrow the Pagan idols and temples, are alluded to, in Stanihurst's
" Vita S. Patricii Hibernise lib. Apostoli,"
i. , pp. 18 to 20.
59 See Le Comte De Montalembert's
was taken p. 22.
away
to Ireland.
See
cap» xiii. ,
""
S3 This remarks, tiiat St. Patrick was
captured, and brought away with Lupita in
an Irish pirate fleet, accustomed to prey on
theBritons. Theauthorattributeshiscap-
tivity to a dispensation of Providence, l^A15e, cechA]\ r|\ebo oia pognAO. Thus
he was enabled to learn in his whereby youth
the language of that nation, for which he
was destined to be the future Apostle. See
cap. XV. , p. 37.
5* By such a term were the Christian used to do the work of four tribes. " See
"
writers accustomed to describe Pagan Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. iv. , pp.
people. See lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 51. 284, 285, and n. 13.
" Les Moines d'Occident," tome ii. , livre
ix. , chap, i. , p. 453.
^ There do we read : bACUiN ite Coch-
it is rendered into " he English : Cothraige
was called, for as slave he served four famihes. " In a comment, attached to this passage, it is explained "? >. because he
490 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
hence, he was called, by a servile name,^-* distinct from his own. Our saint wasfoundperfectlydocileandfaithful,indischarginghishumbleoffices. In fine, one of his taskmasters purchased him from the others.
^s Hence, Patrick received the denomination Cothraige,^^ because he served four families. ^7 The name of his last purchaser was Milcho, Milchon, or as some- times called, Miliac, or Milcon mac Cubuain. ^^ The Confession of St. Patrick affords- no clue to his rank, circumstances, or profession ; for, in it, that person for whom he wrought, during the six years of his captivity, is merely called a man. ^9 Some writers relate, that he was a Magus ; and, as
a consequence, devoted to Pagan superstitions. Again, he is called a king,7° orratheralittlepotentate,^'orchief,wholivedinDaleradia. 7^ Heisrepre- sented, as having been a harsh man. Patrick was obliged to herd flocks or cattle,73 according to his own Confession while other accounts have 7+
; it, that the saint was entrusted, with the care of a drove of hogs. 75 These
animals were probably roving through the mountains, vallies, or woods, and feeding on acorns, roots, grass, or whatever else might fall in their way. 7^
and the— our Jocelyn,77 Tripartite,7S
Milchuo's
By appointment, according
to
saint was condemned to the servile task of keeping swine a very menial
employment for such a tenderly-reared boy. According to hi—s own words, the holy youth spent his time, on a mountain in Hibernione as he con- stantly writes the name of our island. The truest and most reliable version of the captivity, to which St. Patrick had been subjected, may best be gleaned
^'
served this master for four years, in the most laborious manner.
^' See " Confessio S. Patricii," p. 6. Ware's edition.
""
Cuboin Magus. " See Usshcr's Primor- was on his arrival in Ireland, apud quem-
dia," cap. xvii. , p. 829.
*3 See the Fourth Life, cap. xv.
'^ See Fiach's Hymn, strophe 3, p. I, and n. df. , p. 4. Also the Second Life has
See Fiech's Hymn, strophe 3, p. i.
The Tripartite Life has a similar statement.
See lib. i. , cap. xvii. , p. 119.
*' "
Tirechan writes : Cothirthiac servivit
quatuor domibus Magorum ; et empsit ilium
unus ex eis, cui nomen erat Miliuc Mac families. But, he relates, that St. Patrick
it Quotirche, cap. xii. , p. 12. The Third king, called Milchon, ruling in the northern Life has Coithrige, cap. xiii. , p. 22. The part of the island. See " Sexta Vita S.
Fourth Life has Quadriga, cap. xv. , p. 37. The Seventh Life has Cothraige, lib. i. , cap.
xvii. , p. 119.
^5 The Second Life states, that the saint,
being brought into the Dailaraidian country, served four substantial masters, with all the devotedness of his heart. One of them
Patricii," cap. xiii. , p. 67.
7^ Fiech's Scholiast states, that he was
called Michul, or Milchuo, the son of Hua Euan, and king over nortliern Dal-aradia.
named Miliuc,
"a or " part,"
that he was a faithful servant, bought St. Patrick from the other
and from a Aradius,
seeing
portion,"
King of Ultonia, belonging to the race of
masters, to serve himself alone. See Se- Fiach. See n. 18, p. 8.
cunda Vita S. Patricii, cap. xii. , p. 12.
^ Dr. Todd has a paper on the meaning
"
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. vi. , p. 292. See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick,
Apostle of Ireland," p. 376. Here, there is a
73 He says, "quotidie pecora pascebam. " —"Confessio S. Patricii," cap. ii. , num. 6, p. 190.
' Thus, Harris very incorrectly makes St. Patrick state, that his constant business was to feed the hogs.
75 " Patricius cus- Jocelyn says, porcorum
todias mancipatur. "
7^ Unacquainted with this practice, which
is so general to this day in the old and
new world, Harris thought, perhaps, that the saint was employed feeding them in
troughs.
7' See Sexta Vita S. Patricii,cap. xiii. , p. 67. 7^ See pare, i. , cap. xviii. , p. 119. Col-
of this name, in the
in the Lives of manuscript Tripartite
hiatus,
the Bodleian and British Museum Libraries.
*7 Colgan observes, that in order to spell it correctly, the word should be, CcothirUgh, from Ceothir, four, and tegh, a house. See
"Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Patricii, n. 15, p. 17.
^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Appendix Secunda ad Acta S. Patricii, p.
196.
"Trias
Tirechan
states,
that St. Patrick
gan's
Thaumaturga. "
7" Probus says nothing about the four
dam — immitem gentilem regem
in servitute detentus. " " Quinta Vita S. Patricii," lib.
i. , cap. ii. , p. 51.
7' Jocelyn calls his master, a petty Pagan
"
p. 4. Dalaradia is the eastern and maritime
Prima Vita S. Patricii,"
See Scholia 8.
part of Ulster, taking its name from Dal,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 491
from his own Confession. It has not been compHcated with those incidents, whichhavefoundinsertion,intheworksofsubsequentwriters. Thatmountain, where he tended flocks, is said to have been in Dalaradia. It is called Mis,79 at present Sliebh-mis,^° or Slieve Mish, a wild and an elevated peak, in the county of Antrim. ^' Here, he passed many an hour in solitude, but even then, heheldcommunionwiththeLord. ^^ TheloveandfearofGodgrewwithin him, while he felt not the traces of evil, nor of idleness, as Divine' Faith and the
Distant View of Slieve Mish, County of Antrim.
Holy Spiritfglowed through his soul. In devotion, and in the care of his salvation, St. Patrick exercised himself, bearing in patience God's own dis-
pensation. Frequently, during the day, did he prostrate himself in prayer, before God ; nearly one hundred times did he recite some form of entreaty,
on some special days, and nearly as often during the night. The spirit of the Lord was so fervent within him, that he arose before the dawn, to engage
in those pious exercises, even when frost, snow and rain covered the ground. ^3 Even then, psalms and hymns were frequently recited by the pious youth. ^+
Jocelyn goes still further ; for, he says, that St. Patrick, from a very early time of his life, used to read the Psalter every day. ^5 While enduring six years of oppressive captivity, the blessed saint, with incessant tears and fervent prayers, did not cease to solicit the Divine Majesty to procure his
'9 Near it was a valley, named Arcuil.
^^ The "et etiam in holy Apostle says,
silvis et monte manebam,—et ante lucem ex- "
80 To the Rev.
P. P. of
John Lynch, Ballymena, the writer is specially indebted
for procuring a photograph of Slieve Mis citabar ad orationem. " Confessio S.
Mountain, as seen from his library window, and at some distance. From the photograph
Patricii," cap. ii. , num. 6, p. 190. ^^ See ibid.
WilliamF. Wakeman question, produced
84 "
— enim et Frequenter psalmos hymnos
in
the accompanying illustration on wood, and it has been engraved by George A. Hanlon.
ruminabat. " Probus,' Vita S. Patricii, lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 51.
*' Fiech's Scholiast, n. See,
^2 See Sexta Vita S. 67.
9 i. , p. 4, and the Tripartite Life, lib, i. , cap. xix , p.
Patricii, cap. xii. , p.
492 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
freedom, and a return to his country, to his parents^^ and to his friends. ^'
No doubt, with these prayers were united petitions for his own deUverance, as also for the conversion of his master and of the Irish people. As re- garded his fasts, they were excessive for his time of youth, as he lived on roots, herbs, and such other coarse food, and even oftentimes, he supported life, without any corporal sustenance. ^^ Nor could the rigour of the seasons, inclemency of the weather, or any other circumstance, cause him, at any time, to intermit his devotional exercises.
The saint does not hesitate to aver, that when a boy, he had been care-
less, in reference to the fulfilment of his religious duties. ^9 But, in his state
of slavery and exile, this youth, of naturally good parts, reflected on his mis- spent time, and felt truly contrite for his former follies. Afflictions were the
salt, that preserved him from an indulgence in youthful pleasures, and they became a means for reviving the inspirations of Divine Grace, in his soul.
From his Confessions, we learn to appreciate that spirit of profound humility, through which he compares himself to a stone, lying deeply buried in the mud ; and, he was grateful to the Almighty, who afflicted liim, because he also received support in this affliction. 9° From such acknowledgments, we may best judge, what opinion must be formed concerning those recorded boyish miracles, attributed to St. Patrick,9' by some of his biographers. Be- fore his liberation from slavery, other miraculous occurrences are said to have
taken place. 9^ On a certain day, being engaged at prayer, according to one account, an angel, who is called Victor,93 appeared to him, and assured him, that his fasts and prayers had ascended before the sight of God, and that his release was very near. ? -* Then, in a dream one night, he heard a voice saying :
^ According to Jocelyn, St. Patrick re- turned "propriis parentibus," who were, following his account, then living.
dulous—while it should also extend, through
the captive's instrumentality, over our whole island. Again, the romantic story, that St. Patrick was destined for wedlock, with a female slave, whom he found to have been his sister, deserves not any serious recital. See the Second Life, cap.
