3 This, however, is only an
inference
of Colgan, who places the death of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
*Here the entry reads: epf 5uAii\e iri
5
See notices of St. Findsech, virgin, at
5obuil. — Article v.
that day.
*See Dr. O'Donovan's "Leabhar na g-
Ceart, or. Book of Rights," n. (v), p. 188.
'Divi Hilarii Pictavorum
^ See Lewis'
"
Episcopi, in Evangelium Matthasi Canones seu Commentarius, Canon xvii. ,p. 547.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 26, 27. We suspect here an error of con-
of Ireland," vol. —ii. , p. 671. '
Topographical Dictionary
Article vi. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiii.
January 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 437
Donegal,^ we read of Mochua, as having had a festival on this day. We are
left in doubt regarding his locality. In the Martyrology of Tallagh, the simple name of Mochua is united with Mochonna Ernaidhe. It has been conjectured,3 that the present saint may have been the Mochua alluded to in the acts of St, Feichin, Abbot of Fore,* and to whom he was united in bonds of the closest friendship, s If so, this saint was Abbot of Ard-Slaine.
Article VII. —St. Fincheall of Sliabh-Guaire, now Slieve-gory, CountyofCavan. Theprayer,breathedbySt. Patrickfortheperseverance in Ireland in the Faith he then preached, was answered by an echo from hill and dale, from camp and cottage, from plebeian and noble. ' Finche, of Sleibh Guaire, occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 25th of January. Whether this name Finnche is intended to correspond with Fincheall, or with the virgin, Finche, whose feast is this day commemorated, must remain unde- termined. In the Martyrology of Donegal,3 we find entered, as having a festival at this date, Fincheall, of Sliabh Guaire. This is still the name of a mountainousdistrictinthebaronyofClankee,andcountyofCavan. * We cannot discover the place of this saint more particularly marked. To our
mind, there is considerable confusion in the entries of more than one saint's name, in the Irish calendars, at this day.
Article VIII. —St. Finche, Virgin. Without any other designation,
this entry, Finche, virgin, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ for this day. We desire the reader's attention to preceding remarks.
Article IX. —Mac h Grecca, of Finchill, or Findchill. We are at a loss to find more precise information regarding the present saint and his place, than what occurs in our most ancient calendar. Mac h Grecca I. finchill is mentioned in the pubHshed Martyrology of Tallagh,* as one venerated on the 25th of January. In the unpublished, and more correct Franciscan version, slight literal variations' only occur.
Article X. —Reputed Festival of St. Falbeus, Abbot. Among the saints who have been passed over by the BoUandists at this day, is the Abbot Falbeus. ' He was a Scot, and most probably an Irishman. We are told by Dempster^ that he belonged to Argyle, that he was a friend of St.
'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
26, 27.
3 By Colgan. See "Acta Sanctorum
Hibemiae," xx. Januarii. Secimda Vita S. Fechini, n. 37, p. 142.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (z), p. ii, and vol. ii. , n. (z), pp. 866, 867, and n. (k), p. 1036, ibid. —
* See his Life at the 20th of
5 SeetheSecondLifeofSt. Fechin,chap.
and Reeves, —26, pp. 27.
xliv. , pp. 138, 139—. Article vii.
'
p. xiii. — ^'Itreads:
See Miss Cusack's (Sister Mary Francis Clare's) "Illustrated
mAch. 5^eccAein —
History of Ireland," chap, ix. , p. 135.
Januarii," tomus ii. , xxv. Januarii. Praeter- missi et in alios dies rejecti, p. 610.
^ See his " Scoticum. " Also Menologium
^
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiii.
In
the Franciscan we read the copy
following insertion, pin'oche u -plebi 5u<xn\e.
Bishop Forbes' Saints," p. 191.
"
Kalendars of Scottish
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 26, 27.
January.
Article viii.
'
Edited by
Drs.
Todd
Articleix. EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,
Vitrochill. Article x. 'See "Acta Sanctorum
438 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 25.
Columba,andthathehadbeendistinguishedforhispiety. ButDavidCame- rarius appears to have known nothing regarding this Scottish abbot. Ferra- rius alludes to his festival as having been at this date, citing as authorities the English and Scottish Martyrologies. Besides St. Failbe II. , venerated at the loth of March,3 and St. Failbe I. , at the 22nd,'* there were four other distinguishedecclesiasticsbearingthisname. s Moreshallbesaidregarding these, in subsequent pages of this work.
Article XI. —Feast of St. Paul's Conversion, This great Apostle of the Gentiles was specially a vessel of election, and in all Christian coun- tries, from a very early period, his conversion has been commemorated. The Feliere of St. ^ngus contains no festival for an Irish saint at the 25th of January, as may be seen in the following Irish extract,' and its EngHsh
furnished Professor — translation, by O'Looney
; but, instead,
it thus alludes to
the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle O. mii. kt. —Til 'oe'obAt aLaicVii
Co C]M]"C cecTiAing |-AicVie poi A Tti-bAichey bi\ecViA.
D. uiii. kl. —Not insignificant the festival,
A festival on which solemnity is made
To Christ multitudes repaired Paul in the judgment of baptism.
Article XII. —Reputed Festival of Blessed Paul, Hermit, and a Disciple of St. Patrick. \Fifth Century. '] Without any better warrant than the fact of St. Paul's conversion having been kept as a festival on this day, Colgan has introduced the acts of an Irish St. Paul,' whose period is said to lie in the fifth and sixth centuries. ^ This holy man is thought to have lived during the first age of Christianity in our island, and to have been a disciple of the great apostle, St. Patrick. Whether Paul accompanied this illustrious mis- sionary to Ireland, or whether he was a native of our country, does not appear. The accounts regarding him are evidently too much confused, and too considerably intermingled with fables, to allow any very clear deductions for the composition of a correct biography. About the year 442,3 Colgan thinks he was instructed in piety and literature by St. Patrick. Whether before or after this time, the blessed Paul lived as a hermit, seems unknown. He is represented as having been among the earliest of St. Patrick's converts.
But the great apostle, being obliged frequently to travel about, and finding
'See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," X. Martii. Vita S. Failbei sive Fal- vei, p. 576,
Article xi. —' Taken from the Leabhar
Breac, E. I. A.
Article xil. —' So is he called in " Co-
dex Insulensis," by John Capgrave, and by others who have written the acts of St.
*St&ibid. ,xx\i. Martii. Senioris, pp. 719, 720.
Vita S. Failbei
5 These are thus enumerated by Bishop
Forbes: i. Failbe the Little, Abbot of Clon-
macnoise, who died in 711. 2. The son of
Guari, successor of St. Maelnibba at Apur-
crossan, who perished by shipwreck, with
twenty-two companions, in 732. 3. The
Abbot of Erdain, who died in 766. 4. at A. D. 592. Then, it being supposed Paul Failbe, called the Little, who was Abbot of lived under him for fifty years, the present Hy from 747 to 754. See "Kalendarsof date is assumed to be correct. See ibid. , the Scottish Saints," pp. 335, 336. n. 2, p. 167.
:
Brendan, the Voyager.
' See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemice," xxv.
Januarii. De B. Paulo, Eremita, pp. 166 to 168, and n. I.
3 This, however, is only an inference of Colgan, who places the death of St. Patrick
January 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 439
that Paul, with some of his fellow-disciples,* evinced a pious disposition, he was committed to the charge of St. Fiac,5 of Domnach-Fiec, still better kno^vn as Abbot and Bishop of Sletty,^ on the banks of the River Barrow,' near Carlow, but in the Queen's County, and province of Leinster, Here, no doubt, the humble disciple became a proficient in monastic obedience and sacred learning ; however, he did not long remain^ under the care of Fiac, having entertained a fixed resolve to join his great master, St. Patrick. With him, according to a very doubtful story, Paul afterwards lived several yearsinthemonasteryofDownpatrick. 9 Therehehadchargeoftheceme- tery, and he interred the departed faithful. His course of life was spent in great humility and piety. It is said, that Paul spent altogether fifty years under the guardianship of St. Patrick, whom he survived. The illustrious apostle of Ireland appeared on the second day after his death to this humble disciple, and admonished him to seek a desert island far out in the ocean, and apart from all human intercourse. There, it is stated, he spent thirty
additional years of his life, miraculously supported, yet living in the most
austere manner. ^° to some he was found in that remote According accounts,
haunt bySt. Brendan, "while engaged on his memorable and miraculous voyage ofadventure,whenhepassedsevenyearsontheAtlanticocean. " Besides the legendary cast of this narrative, and a want of apparent connection be- tsveen the Paul there named with the holy hermit who lived so long as a companion of St. Patrick ; the period for extension of his life must preclude all reasonable probability, that the great apostle's disciple could have sur- vived and have borne the rigours of his isolated position until the time of St. Brendan's supposed visit to him. ^3 Most likely, however, if Paul sur- vived his great master, St. Patrick, and lived a hermit in some island off the shore, only a few years elapsed until he was called away to join him in bliss, as a reward for his exemplary fidelity and piety during Ufe.
Article XIIL—St. Poppo, St. Pappan, or Poppon, Abbot of
* Among these are noted, with him, the following six:—Mo-chatoc of Inis-Fail, Au- gustin of Inis-beir, Tegan, Diermit, Nennid,
"
and Fedhelim. See Colgan's Trias Thau-
maturga,"SeptimaVitaS. Patricii,lib. iii. , cap. xxii. , p. 155.
s See his life, at the I2th of October.
*
a great c\'cle of years, St. Brendan is stated to have found him in a distant island of the ocean. —
'"T—here is a St. Polan also called St.
Paul ofCill-mona,andwhosefeastoccurs
at the 2ist of May. Although Colgan does not consider, from the name of his place, he could have been identical with the St. Paul visited on the remote island by St. Brendan
Originally wTitten Sliebhte or Sliebtach,
"the house near the mountains," z. ^. , of
Slieve Margy. See Dr. P. ""W. Joyce's the Navigator, yet there are apparently
"Origin and History of Irish Names of Places," part iv. , chap, i. , p. 367.
"> An ancient tumulus, containing cinery urns, was opened here several years ago. In the year 1834 two stone crosses were in this churchyard, and apparently erected in the ninth century. See an article and an en-
still fewer incidents to be reconciled in this
latter case than in the accounts left us re-
garding the present St. Paul,
" See his life, at the 1 6th of May.
—"
imitation of the history of St. Paul of Egypt,
the first with this that hermit; difference,
the Irish Paul is made to pass his lonely days in a desert island. " See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , § xiii. , n. 186,
p. 495.
'3 Colgan's Chronological Index to the
"Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," assigns the death of St. Paul to A. D. 522.
— Ruins of graving the subject being Sletty
in
Penny Journal," vol. iii. , No. 118, p. II2,
Oct. 4th, 1834. At present only one of those stone crosses is to be found.
^
So Colgan assumes, as otherwise it must prove difficult to account for his spending fifty years under the guidance of St. Patrick.
'Such is the account Paul himself is re- presented as giving, when, after the lapse of
Church, Queen's County"
desert,
the "Dublin
instead of
a continental
"Dr. Lanigan very curtly dismisses this *'
story as being a corrupt and ridiculous
440 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 25.
Stabuletum. {EleventhCentury^ Thisholyman,whoisheldbysometo have been a native of our island, was in great repute for sanctity. His acts have been collected and repeatedly published. Thus one of the earliest printed accounts of the saints—that work by Lippeloo'—has biographical notices concerning him. The acts of this saint, in thirty paragraphs, have beeninsertedbySuriusinhiscollection,atthisdate. ^ Mir3eus3andMartene^ have also notices of him for the 25th of January. Molanus, in like manner, has not failed to include St. Poppo in his catalogue,s Again, the acts of St. Poppan, Abbot of Stabuletum, and of his mother, St. Adelwiva, are to be found in the Bollandist collection. ^ Baillet^ and Butler^ both include him. The Rev. S. Baring-Gould has stated, that this saint's name is not to be found in the old Martyrologies,9 and that to Baronius is owing his insertion intheRomanMartyrology. Therecanbenodoubt,thatgreatconfusion has arisen regarding the Irish relationship of this celebrated abbot ; for while some writers ascribe his birth to our island, others again more correctly assign the nativity of Poppan, Abbot of Stabuletum, to Flanders. Accord- ing to Dr. Meredith Hanmer, St. Pappan was a native of Santry,'° a small village in the neighbourhood of our Irish metropolis. This statement, like- wise, appears to rest on mediaeval tradition. To our concluding remarks, we request the reader's attention. The chief ancient biographers of Poppan, and of his blessed mother, Adelwiva," were Everhelmus, Abbot of Altmont, inHannonia,andOnulphus,amonk,whocontributedapreface. Butindeed it seems rather difficult to assign his exact share of the composition to each writer of this very interesting and authentic memoir. According to it, the father of our saint was Tizekinus, and his mother was Adelwiif. The saint himself was a seven months' child. He was born a. d. 978," in the district of Listrogaugirem, in Flanders, through which the River Lisa flows, until it joinstheScheltatGand. 's Hewasnurturedwithgreatcare,whileaninfant, his constitution being weak. During youth he served in the army ; yet lov- ing spiritual exercises, he soon renounced the world, to embrace a religious life. ^* This was owing to a special intervention of Providence, for he had been engaged to marry the daughter of his friend Frumhold. But as the time appointed drew nigh, Poppo mounted his horse and proceeded with some retainers to fetch home his intended bride. He had not gone far
Articlexiii. —' See"VitseSanctorum,"
tomus i. , XXV. Januarii, at pp. 454 to 463.
^ See " De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis,"
vol. i. , XXV. Januarii, pp. 420 to 431.
3 See "Fasti Belgici et Burganici," xxv.
CoUectio," tomus ii.
the 25th of January, St. Poppo is recorded
in a single paragraph, at p. 15.
Poppo,AbbotofStavelo,asanIrishsaint. 9 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. i. , p.
375-
" See his' " Chronicle of Ireland," p.
named Adu- Adalunif,
Adelwis, Adalwyf by Surius, Saussay, Menard and in certain Codices. In the Flemish, or Teutonic dia- lects, her name is variedly interpreted as compounded with nobility, in character and
degree.
" Rev. S. Baring-Gould's " Lives of the
Saints," vol. i. , xxv. January, p. 375.
'3 The Bollandists note " Agrum ilium Lisn: vicinum Buzelinus noster lib. I. GalloflandrijE, Legiensem, Lsetigum, Lae- tiensem pagum, ant regionem, vocari in ve- teribus monumentis testatur. " Note (a) to
cap. i. , p. 253.
'< See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , xxv. January.
Januarii. ^ See "
variously naluva, Adunaliva,
Amplissima Prsefatio, p. 17.
5 In the " Natales Sanctorum Belgii," at
*
These are contained in sixteen chapters,
andseventyparagraphs. See"ActaSanc- torum," tomus ii. , xxv. Januarii, pp. 637 to 652, according to the old edition. Tomus iii. , pp. 251 to 266 in the new edition.
7 See "Les Vies des Saints. " At the 2Sth of January, there are notices of St. Poppon, Abbot of Stavelo or Stabelo.
^ See *' Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , xxv. Janu- ary. Again Butler's Abbreviator, the Irish Cistercian Monk, at p. 1 1 1, has a uotice of St.
185.
" She is
.
January 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 441
before a dazzling flash of light illuminated his soul, while his body was en- vironed with a blaze of glory. As this faded away, he spurred on his horse, andthenhenoticedthataflameburntonthepointofhisspear. Hethought atallchurchtaperwasinhishand. Afterwards,turningtohiscompanions,
" God calls me to another life. "'s
St. Poppo made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and to Rome. Afterwards he
assumed the monastic habit at St. Thierry's, near Rheims. He was succes-
sively made prior over St. Vedast's, provost of Vennes, and abbot of Beau- lieu. This latter house he rebuilt. Subsequently he was chosen abbot over St. Vedast. He is said to have travelled into France, where he founded or governed many religious houses, over which he placed superiors, who were distinguished for zeal and piety. St. Poppan arrived there, it has been re- ported, during the reign of Henry the Emperor, to whom he had an intro- duction, and by whom he was most courteously and magnificently entertained. The emperor conceived a great veneration and esteem for him ; while, on account of his many shining virtues and sterling qualities, this saint obtained a high place in his favour and confidence. On a certain occasion, at court, the monarch, wishing to entertain himself and his nobles by an unworthy action, and one unbecoming the dignity and character of a monarch, was severely reproved by this saint. According to the practices of low buffoonery, then common at courts, the emperor had a certain person smeared over with honey. In this condition he was exposed to some domesticated bears. These at once set upon the man, and after feasting upon the honey that covered all parts of his body, the unfortunate wretch was with difficulty rescued from their rough embraces, and he had a narrow escape from a miserable death. The emperor was so diverted with such a degrading spectacle, that he did not at first advert to the man's danger. But the re- proof of Pappan was justly severe and effective ; it was especially high- minded and courageous, when directed against an arbitrary exercise of power. These ignoble and dangerous sports were abandoned by the emperor and
his courtiers. '^ Henry, moreover, so much admired the Christian feeling and candour of Pappan, that he was rewarded with the abbacy of Stabu-
letumj'^ much against his own expectation, and without his wishes being consulted. His elevation to this dignity took place, it is supposed, about
the year 1014. '^ He was also abbot over Malmedy, about one league apart. Both houses were in the diocese of Liege.
5
See notices of St. Findsech, virgin, at
5obuil. — Article v.
that day.
*See Dr. O'Donovan's "Leabhar na g-
Ceart, or. Book of Rights," n. (v), p. 188.
'Divi Hilarii Pictavorum
^ See Lewis'
"
Episcopi, in Evangelium Matthasi Canones seu Commentarius, Canon xvii. ,p. 547.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 26, 27. We suspect here an error of con-
of Ireland," vol. —ii. , p. 671. '
Topographical Dictionary
Article vi. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiii.
January 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 437
Donegal,^ we read of Mochua, as having had a festival on this day. We are
left in doubt regarding his locality. In the Martyrology of Tallagh, the simple name of Mochua is united with Mochonna Ernaidhe. It has been conjectured,3 that the present saint may have been the Mochua alluded to in the acts of St, Feichin, Abbot of Fore,* and to whom he was united in bonds of the closest friendship, s If so, this saint was Abbot of Ard-Slaine.
Article VII. —St. Fincheall of Sliabh-Guaire, now Slieve-gory, CountyofCavan. Theprayer,breathedbySt. Patrickfortheperseverance in Ireland in the Faith he then preached, was answered by an echo from hill and dale, from camp and cottage, from plebeian and noble. ' Finche, of Sleibh Guaire, occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 25th of January. Whether this name Finnche is intended to correspond with Fincheall, or with the virgin, Finche, whose feast is this day commemorated, must remain unde- termined. In the Martyrology of Donegal,3 we find entered, as having a festival at this date, Fincheall, of Sliabh Guaire. This is still the name of a mountainousdistrictinthebaronyofClankee,andcountyofCavan. * We cannot discover the place of this saint more particularly marked. To our
mind, there is considerable confusion in the entries of more than one saint's name, in the Irish calendars, at this day.
Article VIII. —St. Finche, Virgin. Without any other designation,
this entry, Finche, virgin, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ for this day. We desire the reader's attention to preceding remarks.
Article IX. —Mac h Grecca, of Finchill, or Findchill. We are at a loss to find more precise information regarding the present saint and his place, than what occurs in our most ancient calendar. Mac h Grecca I. finchill is mentioned in the pubHshed Martyrology of Tallagh,* as one venerated on the 25th of January. In the unpublished, and more correct Franciscan version, slight literal variations' only occur.
Article X. —Reputed Festival of St. Falbeus, Abbot. Among the saints who have been passed over by the BoUandists at this day, is the Abbot Falbeus. ' He was a Scot, and most probably an Irishman. We are told by Dempster^ that he belonged to Argyle, that he was a friend of St.
'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
26, 27.
3 By Colgan. See "Acta Sanctorum
Hibemiae," xx. Januarii. Secimda Vita S. Fechini, n. 37, p. 142.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (z), p. ii, and vol. ii. , n. (z), pp. 866, 867, and n. (k), p. 1036, ibid. —
* See his Life at the 20th of
5 SeetheSecondLifeofSt. Fechin,chap.
and Reeves, —26, pp. 27.
xliv. , pp. 138, 139—. Article vii.
'
p. xiii. — ^'Itreads:
See Miss Cusack's (Sister Mary Francis Clare's) "Illustrated
mAch. 5^eccAein —
History of Ireland," chap, ix. , p. 135.
Januarii," tomus ii. , xxv. Januarii. Praeter- missi et in alios dies rejecti, p. 610.
^ See his " Scoticum. " Also Menologium
^
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiii.
In
the Franciscan we read the copy
following insertion, pin'oche u -plebi 5u<xn\e.
Bishop Forbes' Saints," p. 191.
"
Kalendars of Scottish
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 26, 27.
January.
Article viii.
'
Edited by
Drs.
Todd
Articleix. EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,
Vitrochill. Article x. 'See "Acta Sanctorum
438 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 25.
Columba,andthathehadbeendistinguishedforhispiety. ButDavidCame- rarius appears to have known nothing regarding this Scottish abbot. Ferra- rius alludes to his festival as having been at this date, citing as authorities the English and Scottish Martyrologies. Besides St. Failbe II. , venerated at the loth of March,3 and St. Failbe I. , at the 22nd,'* there were four other distinguishedecclesiasticsbearingthisname. s Moreshallbesaidregarding these, in subsequent pages of this work.
Article XI. —Feast of St. Paul's Conversion, This great Apostle of the Gentiles was specially a vessel of election, and in all Christian coun- tries, from a very early period, his conversion has been commemorated. The Feliere of St. ^ngus contains no festival for an Irish saint at the 25th of January, as may be seen in the following Irish extract,' and its EngHsh
furnished Professor — translation, by O'Looney
; but, instead,
it thus alludes to
the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle O. mii. kt. —Til 'oe'obAt aLaicVii
Co C]M]"C cecTiAing |-AicVie poi A Tti-bAichey bi\ecViA.
D. uiii. kl. —Not insignificant the festival,
A festival on which solemnity is made
To Christ multitudes repaired Paul in the judgment of baptism.
Article XII. —Reputed Festival of Blessed Paul, Hermit, and a Disciple of St. Patrick. \Fifth Century. '] Without any better warrant than the fact of St. Paul's conversion having been kept as a festival on this day, Colgan has introduced the acts of an Irish St. Paul,' whose period is said to lie in the fifth and sixth centuries. ^ This holy man is thought to have lived during the first age of Christianity in our island, and to have been a disciple of the great apostle, St. Patrick. Whether Paul accompanied this illustrious mis- sionary to Ireland, or whether he was a native of our country, does not appear. The accounts regarding him are evidently too much confused, and too considerably intermingled with fables, to allow any very clear deductions for the composition of a correct biography. About the year 442,3 Colgan thinks he was instructed in piety and literature by St. Patrick. Whether before or after this time, the blessed Paul lived as a hermit, seems unknown. He is represented as having been among the earliest of St. Patrick's converts.
But the great apostle, being obliged frequently to travel about, and finding
'See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," X. Martii. Vita S. Failbei sive Fal- vei, p. 576,
Article xi. —' Taken from the Leabhar
Breac, E. I. A.
Article xil. —' So is he called in " Co-
dex Insulensis," by John Capgrave, and by others who have written the acts of St.
*St&ibid. ,xx\i. Martii. Senioris, pp. 719, 720.
Vita S. Failbei
5 These are thus enumerated by Bishop
Forbes: i. Failbe the Little, Abbot of Clon-
macnoise, who died in 711. 2. The son of
Guari, successor of St. Maelnibba at Apur-
crossan, who perished by shipwreck, with
twenty-two companions, in 732. 3. The
Abbot of Erdain, who died in 766. 4. at A. D. 592. Then, it being supposed Paul Failbe, called the Little, who was Abbot of lived under him for fifty years, the present Hy from 747 to 754. See "Kalendarsof date is assumed to be correct. See ibid. , the Scottish Saints," pp. 335, 336. n. 2, p. 167.
:
Brendan, the Voyager.
' See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemice," xxv.
Januarii. De B. Paulo, Eremita, pp. 166 to 168, and n. I.
3 This, however, is only an inference of Colgan, who places the death of St. Patrick
January 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 439
that Paul, with some of his fellow-disciples,* evinced a pious disposition, he was committed to the charge of St. Fiac,5 of Domnach-Fiec, still better kno^vn as Abbot and Bishop of Sletty,^ on the banks of the River Barrow,' near Carlow, but in the Queen's County, and province of Leinster, Here, no doubt, the humble disciple became a proficient in monastic obedience and sacred learning ; however, he did not long remain^ under the care of Fiac, having entertained a fixed resolve to join his great master, St. Patrick. With him, according to a very doubtful story, Paul afterwards lived several yearsinthemonasteryofDownpatrick. 9 Therehehadchargeoftheceme- tery, and he interred the departed faithful. His course of life was spent in great humility and piety. It is said, that Paul spent altogether fifty years under the guardianship of St. Patrick, whom he survived. The illustrious apostle of Ireland appeared on the second day after his death to this humble disciple, and admonished him to seek a desert island far out in the ocean, and apart from all human intercourse. There, it is stated, he spent thirty
additional years of his life, miraculously supported, yet living in the most
austere manner. ^° to some he was found in that remote According accounts,
haunt bySt. Brendan, "while engaged on his memorable and miraculous voyage ofadventure,whenhepassedsevenyearsontheAtlanticocean. " Besides the legendary cast of this narrative, and a want of apparent connection be- tsveen the Paul there named with the holy hermit who lived so long as a companion of St. Patrick ; the period for extension of his life must preclude all reasonable probability, that the great apostle's disciple could have sur- vived and have borne the rigours of his isolated position until the time of St. Brendan's supposed visit to him. ^3 Most likely, however, if Paul sur- vived his great master, St. Patrick, and lived a hermit in some island off the shore, only a few years elapsed until he was called away to join him in bliss, as a reward for his exemplary fidelity and piety during Ufe.
Article XIIL—St. Poppo, St. Pappan, or Poppon, Abbot of
* Among these are noted, with him, the following six:—Mo-chatoc of Inis-Fail, Au- gustin of Inis-beir, Tegan, Diermit, Nennid,
"
and Fedhelim. See Colgan's Trias Thau-
maturga,"SeptimaVitaS. Patricii,lib. iii. , cap. xxii. , p. 155.
s See his life, at the I2th of October.
*
a great c\'cle of years, St. Brendan is stated to have found him in a distant island of the ocean. —
'"T—here is a St. Polan also called St.
Paul ofCill-mona,andwhosefeastoccurs
at the 2ist of May. Although Colgan does not consider, from the name of his place, he could have been identical with the St. Paul visited on the remote island by St. Brendan
Originally wTitten Sliebhte or Sliebtach,
"the house near the mountains," z. ^. , of
Slieve Margy. See Dr. P. ""W. Joyce's the Navigator, yet there are apparently
"Origin and History of Irish Names of Places," part iv. , chap, i. , p. 367.
"> An ancient tumulus, containing cinery urns, was opened here several years ago. In the year 1834 two stone crosses were in this churchyard, and apparently erected in the ninth century. See an article and an en-
still fewer incidents to be reconciled in this
latter case than in the accounts left us re-
garding the present St. Paul,
" See his life, at the 1 6th of May.
—"
imitation of the history of St. Paul of Egypt,
the first with this that hermit; difference,
the Irish Paul is made to pass his lonely days in a desert island. " See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , § xiii. , n. 186,
p. 495.
'3 Colgan's Chronological Index to the
"Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," assigns the death of St. Paul to A. D. 522.
— Ruins of graving the subject being Sletty
in
Penny Journal," vol. iii. , No. 118, p. II2,
Oct. 4th, 1834. At present only one of those stone crosses is to be found.
^
So Colgan assumes, as otherwise it must prove difficult to account for his spending fifty years under the guidance of St. Patrick.
'Such is the account Paul himself is re- presented as giving, when, after the lapse of
Church, Queen's County"
desert,
the "Dublin
instead of
a continental
"Dr. Lanigan very curtly dismisses this *'
story as being a corrupt and ridiculous
440 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 25.
Stabuletum. {EleventhCentury^ Thisholyman,whoisheldbysometo have been a native of our island, was in great repute for sanctity. His acts have been collected and repeatedly published. Thus one of the earliest printed accounts of the saints—that work by Lippeloo'—has biographical notices concerning him. The acts of this saint, in thirty paragraphs, have beeninsertedbySuriusinhiscollection,atthisdate. ^ Mir3eus3andMartene^ have also notices of him for the 25th of January. Molanus, in like manner, has not failed to include St. Poppo in his catalogue,s Again, the acts of St. Poppan, Abbot of Stabuletum, and of his mother, St. Adelwiva, are to be found in the Bollandist collection. ^ Baillet^ and Butler^ both include him. The Rev. S. Baring-Gould has stated, that this saint's name is not to be found in the old Martyrologies,9 and that to Baronius is owing his insertion intheRomanMartyrology. Therecanbenodoubt,thatgreatconfusion has arisen regarding the Irish relationship of this celebrated abbot ; for while some writers ascribe his birth to our island, others again more correctly assign the nativity of Poppan, Abbot of Stabuletum, to Flanders. Accord- ing to Dr. Meredith Hanmer, St. Pappan was a native of Santry,'° a small village in the neighbourhood of our Irish metropolis. This statement, like- wise, appears to rest on mediaeval tradition. To our concluding remarks, we request the reader's attention. The chief ancient biographers of Poppan, and of his blessed mother, Adelwiva," were Everhelmus, Abbot of Altmont, inHannonia,andOnulphus,amonk,whocontributedapreface. Butindeed it seems rather difficult to assign his exact share of the composition to each writer of this very interesting and authentic memoir. According to it, the father of our saint was Tizekinus, and his mother was Adelwiif. The saint himself was a seven months' child. He was born a. d. 978," in the district of Listrogaugirem, in Flanders, through which the River Lisa flows, until it joinstheScheltatGand. 's Hewasnurturedwithgreatcare,whileaninfant, his constitution being weak. During youth he served in the army ; yet lov- ing spiritual exercises, he soon renounced the world, to embrace a religious life. ^* This was owing to a special intervention of Providence, for he had been engaged to marry the daughter of his friend Frumhold. But as the time appointed drew nigh, Poppo mounted his horse and proceeded with some retainers to fetch home his intended bride. He had not gone far
Articlexiii. —' See"VitseSanctorum,"
tomus i. , XXV. Januarii, at pp. 454 to 463.
^ See " De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis,"
vol. i. , XXV. Januarii, pp. 420 to 431.
3 See "Fasti Belgici et Burganici," xxv.
CoUectio," tomus ii.
the 25th of January, St. Poppo is recorded
in a single paragraph, at p. 15.
Poppo,AbbotofStavelo,asanIrishsaint. 9 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. i. , p.
375-
" See his' " Chronicle of Ireland," p.
named Adu- Adalunif,
Adelwis, Adalwyf by Surius, Saussay, Menard and in certain Codices. In the Flemish, or Teutonic dia- lects, her name is variedly interpreted as compounded with nobility, in character and
degree.
" Rev. S. Baring-Gould's " Lives of the
Saints," vol. i. , xxv. January, p. 375.
'3 The Bollandists note " Agrum ilium Lisn: vicinum Buzelinus noster lib. I. GalloflandrijE, Legiensem, Lsetigum, Lae- tiensem pagum, ant regionem, vocari in ve- teribus monumentis testatur. " Note (a) to
cap. i. , p. 253.
'< See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , xxv. January.
Januarii. ^ See "
variously naluva, Adunaliva,
Amplissima Prsefatio, p. 17.
5 In the " Natales Sanctorum Belgii," at
*
These are contained in sixteen chapters,
andseventyparagraphs. See"ActaSanc- torum," tomus ii. , xxv. Januarii, pp. 637 to 652, according to the old edition. Tomus iii. , pp. 251 to 266 in the new edition.
7 See "Les Vies des Saints. " At the 2Sth of January, there are notices of St. Poppon, Abbot of Stavelo or Stabelo.
^ See *' Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , xxv. Janu- ary. Again Butler's Abbreviator, the Irish Cistercian Monk, at p. 1 1 1, has a uotice of St.
185.
" She is
.
January 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 441
before a dazzling flash of light illuminated his soul, while his body was en- vironed with a blaze of glory. As this faded away, he spurred on his horse, andthenhenoticedthataflameburntonthepointofhisspear. Hethought atallchurchtaperwasinhishand. Afterwards,turningtohiscompanions,
" God calls me to another life. "'s
St. Poppo made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and to Rome. Afterwards he
assumed the monastic habit at St. Thierry's, near Rheims. He was succes-
sively made prior over St. Vedast's, provost of Vennes, and abbot of Beau- lieu. This latter house he rebuilt. Subsequently he was chosen abbot over St. Vedast. He is said to have travelled into France, where he founded or governed many religious houses, over which he placed superiors, who were distinguished for zeal and piety. St. Poppan arrived there, it has been re- ported, during the reign of Henry the Emperor, to whom he had an intro- duction, and by whom he was most courteously and magnificently entertained. The emperor conceived a great veneration and esteem for him ; while, on account of his many shining virtues and sterling qualities, this saint obtained a high place in his favour and confidence. On a certain occasion, at court, the monarch, wishing to entertain himself and his nobles by an unworthy action, and one unbecoming the dignity and character of a monarch, was severely reproved by this saint. According to the practices of low buffoonery, then common at courts, the emperor had a certain person smeared over with honey. In this condition he was exposed to some domesticated bears. These at once set upon the man, and after feasting upon the honey that covered all parts of his body, the unfortunate wretch was with difficulty rescued from their rough embraces, and he had a narrow escape from a miserable death. The emperor was so diverted with such a degrading spectacle, that he did not at first advert to the man's danger. But the re- proof of Pappan was justly severe and effective ; it was especially high- minded and courageous, when directed against an arbitrary exercise of power. These ignoble and dangerous sports were abandoned by the emperor and
his courtiers. '^ Henry, moreover, so much admired the Christian feeling and candour of Pappan, that he was rewarded with the abbacy of Stabu-
letumj'^ much against his own expectation, and without his wishes being consulted. His elevation to this dignity took place, it is supposed, about
the year 1014. '^ He was also abbot over Malmedy, about one league apart. Both houses were in the diocese of Liege.
