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fi3Uiltiitbfai  CtmVetana. 

//r 


THE  BENSON  HBRARY  OF  HYMNOLOGY 
Endowed  by  the  Reverend 

LOUIS  FlTZGERALD  BENSON,  D.D. 

LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 
V»    £.         PRINCETON,  NEW  JERSEY 


THE 

IRISH  ARCELEOLOGICAL  AND  CELTIC  SOCIETT, 

FOR  THE 

PUBLICATION  OF  THE  MATERIALS  FOR  IRISH  HISTORT. 


prcsibcnt : 


HIS  GRACE  THE  DUKE  OF  LEINSTER. 

lHcc-}Jrcsib,ents: 
THE  MOST  NOBLE  THE  MARQUESS  OF  EILDARE,  M.R.I.A. 
THE  RIGIIT  HON.  TIIE  EARL  OF  DUXRAVEN,  M.R.I.A. 
THE  RIGHT  HON.  LORD  TALBOT  DE  MALAHIDE,  M.R.I.A. 
VERY  REV.  C.  W.  RUSSELL,  D.  D.,  M.  R.  I.  A..  President  of  Mavnooth  ( 

CotUUÍl  : 
RIGHT  REV.  CHARLES  GRAVES,  D.  D.,  M.  R.  I.  A.,  Bishop  of  Limerkk. 
REV.  JAMES  GRAVES,  A.B.,  M.R.I.A. 
W.  H.  HARDINGE,  ESQ.,  M.R.I.A. 
D.  H.  KELLY,  ESQ.,  M.R.I.A. 
SIR  THOMAS  A.  LARCOM,  E.C.B.,  M.R.I.A. 
JOHN  C.  O'CALLAGHAN,  ESQ.,  M.R.I.A. 
REV.  WILLIAM  REEVES,  D.D.,  M.  R.  I.  A. 
AQUILLA  SMITn,  M.D.,  M.R.I.A. 
SIR  W.  R.  WILDE,  M.D.,  Viee-President  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academv. 

Sccreíarg : 

J.  T.  GILBERT,  M.R.I.A.,  F.S.A. 

faasurcr : 

THE  BANK  OF  IRELAND. 


The  esistiug  materials  íbr  Irish  liistory  have  hitherto  heeu  but 
to  a  small  exteut  accessible  to  the  studeut,  The  published 
authorities  have  been  so  much  exhausted,  aud  the  works  com- 
piled  from  them  are  so  insufficient,  that  the  expectation  of  any 
reliable  history  of  Ireland  has  been  generally  deferred,  under 


(     2     ) 

the  conviction  that,  before  a  work  of  that  nature  can  be  pro- 
duced,  great  additions  must  be  made  to  the  sources  of  information 
at  present  extant  in  print. 

The  immediate  object  of  this  Societv  is  to  print  in  the  ori- 
ginal,  with  accurate  English  translations  and  annotations,  the 
unpublished  documents  illustrative  of  Irish  history,  especiallv 
those  in  the  ancient  and  obsolete  language  of  the  countrj. 
The  publication  of  these  manuscripts  will  render  many  important 
literary  monuments  accessible,  not  only  for  historical  inquiry, 
but  for  the  purposes  of  comparative  philology. 

The  production  of  twenty-one  volumes,  bearing  upon  Irish 
history,  has  been  accomplished  b}r  the  Irish  Archa3ological  So- 
ciety,  founded  in  1 840,  and  the  Celtic  Society,  established  in 
1845.  The  present  Society  was  formed  by  the  union  of  these 
two  bodies  in  1854,  underthe  name  ofthe  "  Irish  Archa)ological 
and  Celtic  Society,"  for  the  preservation  of  the  monuments 
illustrative  of  Irish  history,  and  for  the  publication  of  the  his- 
toric,  bardic,  eeclesiastical,  and  topographical  remains  of  Irish 
literature,  especially  such  as  are  extant  in  the  Irish  language. 

The  Society  does  not  undertahe  in  advance  to  issue  books 
within  limited  periods  or  for  distinct  years. 

The  Books  printed  by  the  Society  are  to  be  obtained  only  by 
its  Subscribers,  who  are  divided  into  two  classes :  Members, 
who  pay  three  pounds  admission  fee,  and  one  poxmd  per  annum  ; 
and  Associates,  who  pay  an  annual  subscription  of  one  pound, 
without  any  entrance  fee.  Members  may  eompound  for  the 
future  annual  subscriptions  by  the  pavment  of  ten  pounds,  in- 
cluding  the  subscription  for  the  current  year.  Members  alone 
are  eligible  to  the  Council,  and  they  only  can  vote  at  general 
meetings  of  the  Society.  The  works  published  severallv  by  the 
"  Irish  Archceological  Society"  and  the  "  Celtic  Society"  mav  be 
obtained  by,  and  through,  Members,  at  the  charges  specified  in 
the  joint  Catalogue,  copies  of  which  can  at  all  times  be  obtained 
free  of  expense  on  application  to  the  Hon.  Secretarv,  1 9.  Dawson- 
street,  Dublin. 


(     3     ) 


PUBLICATIONS 


IEISH  AECH.EOLOG-ICAL  AND   CELTIC   SOCIETT. 


Liber  IIvmnorum  :  The  Book  of  Hymns  of  tlie  Ancient  Cluirch  of  Ireland ;  from 
the  original  MS.  in  the  Librarv  of  Trinitv  College,  Dublin.  Edited  bv  the  Rev.  James 
Hexthohn  Todd,  D.  D.,  Pres.  R.  I.  A.,  Senior  Fellow  of  Trinitv  College.  Part  I. 
Containing  the  following  Latin  Hvmns,  with  Irish  Scholia  and  Gloss  :  — 

i.  Tlie  Alphabetical  Hvmn  of  St.  Sechnall,  or  Secundinus,  in  praise  of  St.  Patrick. 
2.  The  Alphabetical  Hvmn  in  praise  of  St.  Brigid,  attributed  to  St.  Ultan,  Bishop  of 
Ardbreecan.  3.  The  Hymn  of  St.  Cummain  Fota.  4.  The  Hymn  or  Praver  of  St. 
Mugint. 

Tiie  Life  of  St.  Columba,  by  Adamxax,  Ninth  Abbot  of  Hy  [or  Iona].  The 
Latin  lext  taken  from  a  MS.  of  the  early  part  of  the  eighth  centurv,  preserved  at 
Schaffhausen  ;  accompanied  by  Tarious  Readings  from  six  other  MSS.,  found  in  different 
parts  of  Europe  ;  and  illustrated  by  copious  Notes  and  Dissertations.  By  the  Rev. 
"N'illiam  Reeves,  D.  1).,  M.  B  ,  M.  R.  I.  A.  With  Maps,  and  coloured  Facsimiles  of 
the  MSS. 

Irish  GlossEs  ;  A  Mediaeval  Tract  on  Latin  Declension,  with  examples  explained 
in  Irish.  From  a  Manuscript  in  the  Librarv  of  Trinitv  College,  Dublin.  Together  with 
the  Lorica  of  Gildas,  and  the  Middle  Irish  Gloss  thereon,  from  the  Leabhar  Breac. 
Edited,  witli  a  Commentarv,  Xotes,  and  Indices  Verbornm,  by  Wiutlev  Stoees,  A.  B. 

Three  Fragments  of  Ancient  Irish  Annnls,  hitlierto  unpublished.  Edited,  from  a 
MS.  in  the  Burgundian  Librarjr,  Brussels,  with  a  Translation  and  Notes,  by  John 
O'Dosovan,  LL.  D.,  M.  R.  I.  A. 

The  Topographical  Poems  of  Seaan  O'Dubhagain  and  Gilla-na-naomh  O'Huidhrin, 
enumerating  the  principal  Families  and  Territories  of  Ireland,  and  their  Chiefs,  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  Iri>h  Text  edited,  with  Translati  n  and  copious  iUustrative 
Notes,  hy  John  O'Doxovan,  LL.  D.  ;  with  the  following  introductory  Essavs  by  the 
Editor :  — 

1.  On  the  Poems  of  O'Dubhagain  and  O'IIuidhrin.  2.  Of  the  ancient  names  of 
tribes  and  territories  in  Ireland.  3.  Of  ancient  Irish  surnames  and  agnomina.  4.  Of 
the  Irish  names  anciently  assuraed  by  the  English  in  Ireland.  5.  Of  tlie  assumption 
of  English  names  by  the  native  Irish.  6.  Of  tlie  Irish  families  who  retaiucd  their  an- 
cient  names  on  the  Continent  and  in  Ireland.  7.  Of  Irish  familv-names  anglicised  and 
altered.  8.  Of  ancient  Irish  Christian  or  baptismal  names  of  men,  and  their  modernized 
forms.     g.  Of  ancient  Irish  female  names  and  their  changes. 


(  4  ) 

pelipe  na  Naomh  nCpennach  :  orCalendar  of  Native  Saints  o£  Ireland,  usually 
styled  the  Martyrology  of  Donegal ;  compiled  by  Friar  Michael  O'Clerigli.  Edited, 
from  the  original  Manuscript  in  the  Librarv  of  the  Dultes  of  Burgundy,  at  Brussels, 
with  Translation,  by  J.  O'Donovax,  LL.  D.,  and  Introduction,  Notes,  and  Indexes,  bv 
J.  H.  Todd,  D.  D.,  and  W.  Reeves,  D.  D. 

Liber  Hymnorum  :  The  Book  of  Hymns  of  the  Ancient  Church  of  Ireland  ;  from 
the  original  MS.  in  the  Library  of  Trinity  College,  Dnblin.  Edited  by  the  Rev.  James 
Henthorn  Todd,  D.  D.,  Senior  Fellow  of  Trinitv  College.     Part  II. 

Sanas  Cuormaic  :  Cormac's  Glossarv.  Translated  and  annotated  by  the  late 
Joiin  O'Donovan,  LL.  D.  Edited,  with  Notes  and  Indices,  by  Whiti.ey  Stok.es, 
LL.  D. 

In  Progress. 
Liber  Hymnorum.     Fart  III. 

The  Antiphonary  oi' Bangor,  Co.  Down,  from  the   original  Manoscrípt  in  the 

Ambrosian  Librarv  at  Milan.     Edited  by  the  Rkv.  W.  Reeves,  D.  D. 

Treatise  on  the  Ogiiam,  or  Occult  Forms  of  Writing  of  the  Ancient 
Irish.     Edited  by  the  Right  Rev.  Ciiarles  Graves,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  LimericU. 

Tracts  of  S.  Adamnan  :  comprisiug — i.  The  Life  of  S.  Adamnan  in  Irish,  from 
a  Brussels  Manuscript ;  translated  by  the  late  Dr.  O'Donovan.  2.  The  Latin  Tract 
De  Locis  Sanctis,  from  the  text  of  Mabillon  ;  collated  with  that  of  Gretser,  and  a  Ma- 
nuscript  in  the  British  Museum.  3.  The  pir,  orVision,  of  Adamnan,  from  the  Leabhar 
Breac  ;  translated  by  the  late  Professor  O'Currv,  and  collated  with  the  ancient  copy 
in  the  Leabhar  na  hUidhrc.  4.  The  Scnm  Qoaiimam,  or  Shrine  nf  Adamnan  ;  a 
Poem  copied  from  a  Brussels  Manuscript,  and  translated  by  the  late  Dr.  (J'Donovan. 
Edited,  with  Introduction  and  Notes,  by  the  Rev.  W.  Reeves,  D.  D. 

Misceli.any  of  the  Irish  Archaeological  and  Celtic  Society. 


The  Council  will  receive  Donations  or  Subscriptions  to  be  applied  especially  to  anv 
of  the  Publications  in  progress. 

Subscriptions  are  received  by  Edward  Clibborn,  Esq.,  19,  Dawson-street  Dublin. 
Persons  desirous  of  becoming  Subscribers  to  the  Societv  are  requested  to  comniunicate, 
by  letter,  with  the  Honorary  Secretarv,  at  No.  19,  Dawson-strcet,  Dublin. 

nihcr,  1869. 


Dígítízed  by  the  Internet  Archíve 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/leabharim02todd 


&' 


FE 


4gLpe 

|6Dc6TlOR  ]TT)Ul)Jn.  TheBooh 
of  Hymns  of  the  Ancient  Church 
of  Ireland. 


[ffiUlS^ 


Fasciculus    II. 

Containing 


V.  The  Hymn  of  St.f'olnianMacTJiCluasaigh. 

VI.  The  Hymn  of  St.  Cuchuimne. 

VII.  The  Hymn  of  St.  Hilary  in  Praise  of  Christ. 

VIII.  The  Hymn  of  St.  Colman  Mac  Murchon, 

in  Praise  of  Michael  the  Archangel. 

IX.  The  Hymn  of  St.  Oengus  Mac  Tipraite  in 

Praise  of  St.  Martin. 
X.  Gloria  in  Excelsis  Deo. 
XI.  The  Magnificat,  or  Hymn  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin. 
XII.  The  Benedictus,  or  Hymn  of  Zacharias. 


XIII.  Te  Deum  Laudamus. 

XIV.  The  Hynm  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Pro- 

sator." 
XV.  The    Hvmn    of  St.  Columba,    "  In   te, 

Christe." 
XVI.  TheHymnof  St.Columba,  "NoliPater." 
XVII.  The  Prayer  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 
XVIII.  The  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  Eing 
of  Edessa. 
XIX.  Prefatory   Kemarks    on   the   Hymn   of 
St.  Fiacc,  in  Praise  of  St.  Patrick. 


EDITED, 

FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  MANVSCRIPT  IX  THE  LIBRARV  OF  TRINITT  COLLEGE,  DUBLIX, 

Cctul)  QCumsIatíon  nnB  iíious, 
v 

By  James  Henthorn  Todd,  D.  D.,  M.  R.  I.  A.,  F.  S.  A., 

Senior  Fellow  of  Trinitj'  College,  and  Prxcentor  of  St.  ratrick's  Cathedral,  Dublin. 


D  UB  LIN: 

^rinfet)  at  tí)e  fctníbei-sítj)  1$xs$5, 
FOE  THE  IEISH  AECH^OLOGICAL  AND  CELTIC  SOCIETY, 

1869. 


DUBLIN  : 

}@timeí>  at  ti)c  SRnibersít»  ^iress, 

BT  M,  H.  GILL. 


THE 


IRISH  ARCHiEOLOGICAL  AND  CELTIC  S0CIETY. 


MDCCCLXIX. 


^Srrsiijcnt  ■■ 
HIS  GRACE  THE  DTTXE  OF  LEINSTER. 

#ict-|)rcsiiirtris: 

The  Mosi  Xoble  the  Marquis  of  Kildake,  M.  R.  I.  A. 

The  Right  Hon.  the  Eakl  of  Dunraven,  M.  R.  I.  A. 

The  Right  Hon.  Loed  Talbot  De  Malahide,  M.  R.  I.  A. 

Veky  Rev.  C.  ~W.  Russell,  D.  D.,  President  of  Mavnooth  CoUege. 

Countit: 

Right  Rev.  Chaeles  Gkaves,  D.D.,  Bishop  |  Major-Gexeral  Sik  Thomas  A.  Larcom, 

of  Limerick. 
Rev.  James  Geaves,  A.  B.,  M.  R.  I.  A. 
W.  H.  Hardinge,  Esq,  M.R.I.  A. 
D.  H.  Kelly,  Esq.,  M.  R,  I.  A. 
Johx  C.  O'Callaghan,  Esq.,  M.  R.  I.  A. 


K.  C.  B.,  M.  R.  I.  A. 
Rev.  William  Reeves,  D.D.,  M.  R.  L  A, 
Aquilla  Smith,  M.  D.,  M.  R.  I.  A. 
Sir  W.  R.  Wilde,  M.D.,  Vice-President 

of  the  Royal  Irish  Acadeniv. 


Jsrcrrtarg : 
J.  T.  Gilbeet,  M.  R.  I.  A.,  F.  S.  A. 

^rtasurcr : 
The  Baxe  of  Ireland. 


19,  Dawson-street,  Dublin, 
November,  1869. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

This  Fasciculus  contains  all  the  sheets  which  the  late  lamented 
Editor  signed  for  the  Press,  hefore  ill  health  and  other  obstacles 
interrupted  the  progress  of  the  work.  It  is  issued  by  direction  of  the 
Council  in  its  present  state,  as  a  second  instalment  of  the  publication 
from  the  Editor's  pen ;  with  the  reasonable  hope  that,  as  Doctor  Todd 
has  left  some  materials  for  the  continuation,  and  as  there  are  two 
Members  of  the  Society  prepared  to  take  up  the  work  where  he  left  off, 
another  Fasciculus,  carrying  on  the  pagination  and  matter  as  originally 
proposed,  will  be  ready  for  delivery  at  no  distant  period. 


J.  T.  Gilbeiít,  Hon.  Secreta/ry. 


19,   DaWSON'-STREET,   DlliI.IN, 

Xovcmbcr,  1869. 


121 


V.  THE  HIMN  OF  ST.  COLMAN  MAC  UI  CLUASAIGH. 


THE  íbllowing  composition  is  of  the  nature  of  wThat  the  ancient  Irish 
ecclesiastics  called  a  Luirech,  or  Lorica,  i.  e.,  a  Hyrnn  to  be  recited  as  a 
protection  against  pestilence,  assaults  of  demons,  or  other  apprehended  evils. 
The  recitation  of  such  hymns,  or  pravers,  was  regarded  as  the  buchling  on  of 
spiritual  armour,  and  hence  they  received  the  name  of  Lorica,  in  allusion 
probably  to  Eph.  vi.  14,  seq.,  or  rather  perhaps  to  Ps.  xci.  (Vulg.  xc.)4,  5,  6. 
An  example  of  a  hymn  of  this  kind,  wdiich  is  evidently  Irish,  and  is  attri- 
buted  to  one  "  Lathacan1  Scotigena,"  will  be  found  in  Mone's  collection, 
Hymn.  Lat.  Medii  JEvi,  vol.  1.  p.  367. 

Of  the  Colman  Avho  is  said  to  have  been  the  author  ofthe  íbllowing  Hymn, 
we  know  little  except  wdiat  we  learn  from  the  Preface  of  the  Scholiast.  He 
is  there  said  to  have  been  the  son  of  the  grandson  of  Cluasach  ;  but  who  this 
Cluasach  Avas,  or  what  family  bore  his  name,  the  Editor  is  unable  to  say.  It 
appears,  however,  that  Colman  was  a  Fer-Leghinn,  i.  e.,  Lecturer  or  Profes- 
sor,  in  the  theological  school  or  seminary  of  Cork,  and  that  the  Hymn  was 
composed  as  a  protection  against  the  great  pestilence  which  devastated  Ire- 
land  in  the  seventh  centurv.  This  seems  to  fix  the  date  of  its  composition 
to  shortly  before  A.  D.  664,  in  which  year  (according  to  the  chronologv  of  the 
Four  Masters)  the  two  sons  of  Aedh  Slaine,  Diarmaid  and  Blathmac,  joint 
kings  of  Ireland,  with  a  great  number  of  eminent  saints  and  ecclesiastics, 
perished  in  the  plague.     There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Colman  to  whom 

1  Lathacan This   is   probably  the   name  identifv  any  of  them  with  this  "  Lathacan." 

which  in  Irish  authorities  is  written  Laidh-  The   Four  Masters  record   the   death  of  a 

geann.     Saints  of  this  name  are  celebrated  in  Laidhgenn,  son  of  Baeth,  of  Clonfert  Molua, 

the   Irish  Calendars,   at  Jan.    12,   May  20,  A.  D.   6.0;  the  Annals  of  Ulster   call   him 

Oct.  23,  and  Nov.  28 ;  but  it  is  not  easy  to  "  Laidggenn  sapiens  mac  Baith  Bannaigh." 

R 


1 2  2  The  Hymn  of  St.  Colman. 

this  hymn  is  attributed  by  the  Scholiast  must  be  rcgarded  as  the  same  who, 
under  the  name  of  "Colman  Ua  Cluasaigh,"  is  mentioned  by  the  Four  Masters 
as  the  tutor  of  St.  Cummain,  or  Cummine  Fota,  Bishop  of  Clonfert,  andauthor 
of  an  elegy  on  the  death  of  that  prelate,  A.  D.  66 1,  which  has  been  already 
quoted.2 

It  is  believed  that  this  Hymn  has  never  before  bcen  published,  nor  has  the 
Editor  been  able  to  find  any  other  MS.  copy  of  it  than  that  from  which  it  is 
now  printed.  It  is  written  in  a  dialect  of  Irish,  which  fully  confirms  the  early 
date  assigned  to  it.  The  Editor  has  endeavoured,  in  the  Notes  appended  to 
the  text,  to  point  out  the  more  important  grammatical  and  philological  pecu- 
liarities  of  its  idiom,  and  he  takes  this  opportunity  of  acknowledging  his  obli- 
gations  to  Dr.  O'Donovan  and  Mr.  Curry.  To  the  former  gentleman  he  is 
particularly  indebted  for  much  valuable  philological  and  grammatical  matter 
whieh  is  embodied  in  the  notes ;  and  Mr.  Curry  has  given  essential  aid  in 
the  translation,  as  wellas  in  deciphering  and  interpreting  the  obscmities  of  the 
MS.  from  which  the  text  and  its  gloss  have  been  printed.  He  has  also  to  re- 
turn  thanks  to  Dr.  Reeves  íbr  many  valuable  suggestions. 

2  See  page  86,  supra.     The  Four  Masters  fixed,  and  that  it  continned  with  more  or  Iess 

fix  the  death  of  Colraan  Ua  Cluasaigh  at  the  inteusity  for  some  years.     It  may,  therefore, 

same  year  as  that  of  his  pupil  Cummine  Fota  be  true,  that  our  author  composed  the  hymn 

(viz.  A.  D  601)  ;  whereas  the  Scholiast's  Pre-  on  the  occasion  of  the  plague  in  which  the 

face  states  that  the  presenthymnwas  composed  kings  of  Ireland  perished  in  664,  although  he 

on  the  occasion  of  the  pestilence  in  which  the  himself  died  of  the  same  plague  in  661.     See 

kings  Diarmaid  and  Blathmac  died,  viz.  A.  D.  Dr.  Wilde's  Report  on  the  Tuhles  of  Deuths, 

664.    But  it  is  well  known  that  the  exact  date  (Census   of    Ireland    for   1851,    vol.    v.    p. 

of  this  celebrated  plague  is  not  very  accurately  49  sa. 


SCN  D6.  Colman  mac  hui  Chluapaig  pep  legmb  Copcaise  ípe  bo  pi^ne  m  ímmanpa  bia 
poepab  ap  ín  mbuibechaip  po  boe  íppemip  mac  nOeba  Sldne.  Ctp  popcap  ímba 
bome  ín  hCpinn  ín  can  pem,  -]  pobe  a  mmmac  conna  póichcip  acc  cpi  nói  ímmaipe  bo 
cech  pip  ín  hCpmn  .1.  anoibo  móm, -]  anoi  bomin,  -\  a  noí  bo  chaill.  copo  chpoipcpec 
maichepepnCpenn,im  meicnOiba  Slane,  impechmepabaip,-|  ím  Oilepan,-]  ímTTlan- 
chan  Leich,  -|  ím  pochaibe  apchena,  ím  huacigub  na  nboine  ap  bo  bechaib  cepca  bib 
ann  ap  a  nimmeb.  Conib  aipe  pem  cuccab  in  buibechaip  poppu.  conib  be  ac  baca- 
cap  meic  Oeba  Sláne  ípm  bliabam  pm.  -|  na  ppuiche  po  ptíibpem  -]  aln  muln. 
Oicunc  aln  combab  Cholman  bo  ^nech  uile.  Ocbepac  paipenn  aile  na  bepnai  achc 
ba  pann  be  namma  ■]  m  pcol  bia  bfnaim  o  pin  ímmach  .1.  lech  pann  cech  pip  bib.  1 
Copcais  bo  pi^neb  m-ampfip  ba  mac  Qeba  Slóne  .1.  blaichmac  -]  Oiapmaic.  ípe  .h". 
cuccaic  a  benma.  Cfibm  móp  bo  pacab  pop  pipu  hepmn  .1.  ín  buibe  connaill. 
co  po  pipepcap  hCpenn  hule,  -|  co  na  papcaib  achc  cech  cpep  bune  m  hCpinn 
1  mbechaib.  -\  conib  bia  n-anacul  co  na  pcoil  bo  pone  aj)  m  ceibm  pm  bo  pine 
Colman  ín  nimmunnpa,  -]  íp  ann  bo  pola  bopom  a  benam  m  can  po  chinpcanaprup 
'apcnam  co  apaile  mpe  mapa  hCpfnn  amaig  pop  cecheb  in  cebmapa  co  mbeap  .i,r. 
[conna]  ecuppu  "|cip,  aj\  ni  cic  ceibm  capaip  mnunn,  uc  pepunc  pepici,  co  po 
íappaig  apcnle  ben  pcol  Cholman,  ciapen  1  capla  boib  bul  pop  fec  comuo 
ann  pein.  acpubaipc  Colman,  cia  pen  on  cpa,  ol  peippom,  achc  SCN  Oe  : 
|lap  íppeb  po  chpiallpacpom  bul  pop  ínpib  mapa  ímmach  pop  cecheb  pep 
(m  n^ulup. 


N  Oe  oowpe  porooncc  mac  Tname  tíon  peCaOaR 
paoessani  oun  tnnocItc  cto  ciasam  cotn  nmaoaT? 

cerc  poss  no  ucmaTlle  íceTí  suiOe  no  sessam 
TíUTT?e  NTme  prci  cech  cness  ísseo  accach  aoessam 

Gloss. —  1.  Donfe. — .1.  pon  pucca  leip  [may  it  be  given  by  him].     Fordonte 1. 

popunb  be  .1.  ci  popn  [on  ns  come,  i.  e.  come  upon  us].  Ron  feladar. — .1.  bo  pacu 
apial  copunb  biapbicm  [may  He  put  his  veil  over  us  for  our  protection].  2.  Faoessam — .1. 
paoeppicm  [may  protect].     Innocht. — .i.  in  nocte  tribulationis.     Cia  tiasam. — .1.  cepe  leach  Ciapam 

[wheresoever  we  go].     Cain 1.   alamb  [beautiful].     Timadar.- — .1.  cib  ímbai  ]'inn  biap  bicin   .1. 

boné  ap  nbibm  [although  numerous,  we  are  to  be  protected,  i.  e.  he  does  protect  us].  3.  Foss. — 
.1.  Clb  poppibechc  [whetherat  rest].  Utmaille. — .1.  cib  pop  micechc  [whethera  going].  4.  Ruire. — 
.1.  popi  [great  King].      Fri. — .1.  contra.     Adessam. — .1.  acchimic  [we  beseech]. 

1.  Sen   de. — For   a   translation  of  the      tional  ísote   (p.   132).     The  reader  avíII 
Preface  and  of  the  Hymn,  see  the  Addi-      ohserve  that  eaeh  line  contains  íbnrteen 

R2 


1 24  Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh 

1C 


5e  abeil  meic  aoaim  heLi  eNoc  Oiancobam  5 


N 

a 


non  soercac  arc  Oia  Nsalarc  secip  lech  poNihbich  po^am 

oe  ocus  abrmham  isac  in  mac  aOamrca 
ímmuN  cisac  an  ceOmaNN  Nach  on  camle  aOamNa 

ílme  acham  cru  ceclmim  ocus  íoseph  on  uasal 
tcon  soercac  a  NenNaischi  co  m-s  niI  aiNslech  Nuasal       1 


Gloss. — 5.  Itge. — .1.  ^uibmic  [we  beseech].  Abeil. — .i.  luetus.  Adaim. — ,i  terrenus,  vel  terrigena, 
vel  terra  rubra  interpretatur,  6.  Dia  ngalar. — .1.  ap  lll  galup  nbian  .1.  ap  in  bui&e  connaill  [í'rom 
the  sudden  pestilence,  i.  e.  from  the    bnidhe   connailQ.     Fogair.  — í.    pogpaijep    .1.    tjone    coma- 

cluum    [that   gives    warning,    i.  e.    that  makes  threatening].     7.   Noe Noe    consolatio  interpretatur, 

quia  per  ipsum  mundus  consolatus  est,  in  reparatione  hominum.  Abraham. — .i.  pater  excelsus  interpre- 
tatur.  Isac. — .i.  risus  interpretatur,  quia  per  miraculum  datus  est.  8.  Immun  tisat. — .1.  tnpac 
linmunt)  [may  they  come  about  us].  Adamna. — .1.  at>amm,  .1.  gopca  [.i.  the  spelling  might  to  be 
(It)amni,  i.  e.  famine],  .i.  quia  per  Adam  venit  dolor.  9.  Athair. — .i.  Jacob.  Tri  cethrur. — .i.  xii.  pa- 
triarchse.  Joseph. — .i.  augmentum  interpretatur.  An  uasal. — .1.  an  uapal  pep  [the  noble  man]. 
10.   Nil  ainglech [of  many  angels]  .i.  quia  [multos  ]  angelos  tenet. 


syllablcs  ;  and  that  therc  is  rhyme  or  as- 
sonancc  hetwcen  the  final  syllahlcs  of 
each  Hne.  The  word  Sen  in  rnodern 
Irish  signifies  luck  or  prosperity,  hut  in 
the  ancient  language  it  is  of  frequent  oc- 
cm*rencc  in  the  sense  of  lenedietion,  as  in 
the  Feilire  of  Aengus,  Sen  a  Chpipc  mo 
labpa,  "Blcss,  0  Christ,  my  hps."  Sen 
TDe  is  the  blessing  of  God,  t)e  being  the 
genitive  case  of  tha,  God.  Bonfe.— This 
seems  like  a  future,  or  optative  of  some 
old  verb,  rjunaim,  or  Donaim.  In  the 
Gloss  on  popOonce,  we  are  told  that 
Oe  or  ce  is  for  ci,  come;  and,  there- 
fore,  the  passage  is  paraplrrascd  thus : 
' '  May  the  blcssing  of  God  bc  given  by 
Him,  may  it  come  upon  us."  In  morc 
modcrn  Irish,  Sen  De  50  O-C151O,  op- 
painn  50  O-C151O.  Ron  feladar. — Thc 
word  pon  is  a  synthctic  union  of  the 
vcrbal  prcfix  po,  with  ínn  the  accusa- 
tivc  form  of  pmn,  us.  The  termination 
aOap    reprcsents,    in    the    modcrn   lan- 


guage,  the  3rd  person  plural  of  the  pre- 
terite;  whereas,  in  pelaOap,  it  is  thc 
3rd  singular  present  indicative  active, 
with  an  optative  signification.  Dr.  O'Do- 
novan  mentions  epcap,  or  apcap,  as  a 
termination  of  the  3rd  person  singular 
prcteritc  (Gramm.  p.  157).  But  aOap  as 
a  tcrmination  of  the  31'd  person  singular 
present  is  the  ancicnt  form  of  the  verb 
deponcnt;  (see  Zeuss,  Grammat.  Celt., 
p.  444-5).  The  verb  pelaim,  or  pia- 
laim,  is  evidently  the  Latin  velare.  See 
the  Gloss.  TDac  lTláipe,  now  usually 
written  Tllac  TTluipe,  is  the  ordinary  Irish 
designation  of  our  Lord. 

2.  Faoessam. — Sce  line  52.  This  word 
is  a  substantive,  and  wc  must  understand 
somc  word  signifying  give,  or  grant,  to 
obtain  the  inteipretation  of  "Mayhc  pro- 
tect."  The  termination  pam,  or  ptum,  ille, 
ipse,  is  the  cmphatic  tcrmination.  Zeuss, 
p.  334.  paoipeam  is  still  uscd  to  sig- 
nify  help,  succour.      t)un  is  thc  ancient 


Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh. 


l25 


►Naiosium  moisi  Dejscuisech  rcoNSNaiD  crcia  TCubrcum  maine 
)  íesu  aaríON  macc  amrca  OauiO  in  silla  oono 


ob  cosNapochaiDib  sech  no  Nemi  rcoNSNaoa 
pachi  piaoac  NONaNsec  La  sechc  maccu  rr 

oin  bapcaisc  aosluiNNem  nop  oiciu  oun  rcop  snoouo 


lesu  con  apscalaib  rcop  Oiari  cobam  pm  sabuo 


■j 


Gloss. — ii.  Snaidsiitm. — .1.  pon  pnabe  pmb  [may  he  protect  us].  Moisi. — .i.  aquaticus,  interpre- 
tatur,  quia  de  Nilo  flumine  sumptus  est.  Ronsnaid. — i.  populum  Israel.  12.  Jesu. — .1.  mac  Nún 
[son  of  Nun].  Aaron. — .i.  mons  fortitudinis  interpretatur.  Dauid. — .i.  fortis  manus  interpretatur. 
13.  Job. — .i.  dolens  interpretatur.     14.  Fiadat. — .1.  piaba    1.  po  oia,   .1.  bia  maich  [piaba,  i.e.  po. 

good,  and  bia,   God,  the  good  God].      15.  Eoin i.  in   quo  gratia   interpretatur.     Baptaist. — .i.  qui 

Christum  baptizavit.  Adsluinnem. — .1.  aplumbmeic  ap  capbep  ppip  in  hac  laube  [we  declare  our 
love  (or  reverence)  for  him  in  this  song  of  praise].  16.  Apstalaib. — Apostolus  Grece,  missus  interpre- 
tatur  Latine.     Diar  cobair. — .1.   cipac  biap  cobaip  [mav  they  come  to  our  relief]. 


í'orm  of  tiuinn,  i.  e.,  t)0  mn,  to  us. 
lnnochc  would  now  be  written  anochc, 
hac  nocte.  Zeuss,p.  1130.  Tiasam. — Here 
we  have  the  ancient  termination  of  the 
ist  person  plural,  am,  instead  of  the  mo- 
dern  mío,  or  maoiO.  The  am  is  clearlj- 
the  Latin  amas.  The  modern  Irish  to 
express  "  wheresoever  we  go"  would  be, 
cibe  dic  a  O-céijmío. 

4.  Issed. — For  íp  eO,  est  id  :  eO  is  the 
ancient  neuter  form  of  the  pronoun. 
Zeuss,  p.  333.  Attach. — Or  acach,  are- 
([uest  or  supplication,  .1.  ^uióe.  O'Clerj. 
Adessam. — This  is  a  ist  person  plural, 
according  to  the  Gloss. 

5.  Itge. — Or  ícce,  a  form  of  accach, 
v.  4.  The  interprctations  given  in  the 
Gloss  of  the  proper  names  Abel  and  Adam, 
are  taken  from  St.  Jerome. 

6.  Ron  soerat. — pon,  for  po  mn,  see 
note,  v.  1.  The  termination  poep-ac 
would  now  be  poep-aió,  3rd  person  plu- 
ral.  Secij). — Sometim.es  written  cécip,  the 
same  as  the  modem  jibe,  for  510  be,  or 
ció  b'e,  whatsoever.    Fon  mhith. — It  will 


be  observed  that  here,  and  in  several 
othcr  places  in  this  iIS.,  as  n^le,  ver.  37, 
haihsliu,  ver.  43,  the  eclipsing  m  or  n  is 
mai-ked  with.  a  dot ;  and  in  the  Gloss  011 
ver.  5,  m  jalup  nOian. 

7.  Xoe. — The  interpretations  given  in 
the  Gloss  of  the  proper  names,  Noe,  Abra- 
ham,  Isaac,  are  from  St.  Jerome. 

8.  Tisat. — See  above,  v.  2,  note.  Here 
we  have  the  old  tcrmination  of  thc  3rd 
person  plivral,  which  is  now  aiO.  This 
word  would  now  be  written  C151O,  or  ciag  • 
aiO.  Damna. — Damnatio.  The  gloss  on 
this  word  seems  to  consider  the  prep.  a 
an  cssential  part  of  it ;  and  tells  us  that 
aOamna,  or  aOanmi,  signifjing  famine, 
or  hunger,  is  derived  from  Adam,  because 
by  Adam  came  all  suffering. 

9.  Ailme. — For  ailim,  or  ailem. — Tlie 
transposition  of  the  e  may  possibly  be  an 
error  of  the  ti-anscriber. 

11.  Snaidnium. — May  he protect.  Onthe 
termination  pium,  see  notc,  v.  2.  Moisi. 
— The  gloss  interprets  the  name  of  Moses 
"aquaticus."   St.  Jerome,  more  correctly, 


i2Ó  Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh. 

■|Y\ame  íoseph  Oon  rinstíqc  ec  spmicus  scepaNi 


C 


as  cach  1N5  oon  porcslaice  caichmec  aNma  151100 

ech  marccm  cech  Oictmubach  cech  Noeb  t?o  bai  hiNseNiriNai 
rcop  sciach  Oun  Diarc  NimOesaiLrcop  saisechuaN  pruDemNai  20 


U 


egem  uesum  rcosamus  in  nosctus  semnoNibus 
aNachc  Noe  a  luchclach  Diluui  cempoTubus 


Gloss.— 17.  Maire. — .i.  stilla  vel  stella  maris,  interpretatur.     Joseph. — .1.  aice  ípu   [the  tutor  (or 

foster-father)  of  Jesus].     Don  ringrat 1.  pon  cogpac  biapnanacul  [may  they  come  to  our  protec- 

t'ron].      Spiritus i.  anima  vel  gratia  ejus.      Stefani. — .i.    coronatus  interpretatur.      18.  Forslaice. — .1. 

pori  puaplaice  [may  it  deliver  us].  Taithmet. — .1.  pop  aiclimec  [commemorate].  19.  Martir. — 
.i.  pro  Deo.  Dithrubach. — [a  hermit]  .i.  pro  Deo.  Noeb. — [saint]  .i.  pro  Deo.  Hi  ngenmnai. — .i.  virg- 
[initate].     21.  ln  nostris. — .i.  in  Scotica  lingua,  vel  huius  ymni.     22.   Anacht. — .1.   ín  pí  poanachc 

[the  King  who  saved].  A  luchtlach 1.  luchc  locha,  no  a  luchc  bub  .1.  [his  company  on  the  water, 

or  his  black  company]  Noe  cuin  suis  tribus  filiis  et  .iiii.  uxores  eorum. 


"  sumptus  ex  aqua,  sive  assumptio."  The 
interprctations  of  Aaron  and  of  David, 
gloss,  v.  12,  althougli  not  very  correct, 
are  from  St.  Jerome.  The  interpretation 
of  Dct/oid,  "manus  fortis,"  occui's  in  Ori- 
gen  and  other  ancient  writers,  and  seems 
to  have  been  takcn  from  ^l,  snfficiens,  and 
"V,  manus — an  etymology  which  cxhibits 
a  curious  ignorance  of  Hebrew.  Ronsnaid. 
— i.  e.,  po  inn  pno.10,  or  po  pnaiO  ínn, 
wlio  protectcd  us. 

13.  Sech. —  Over,  bei/ond, — prater,  ul- 
tra,  supra.     Zeuss,   Gramm.  Celt.  p.  612. 

14.  Fiadat. — This  is  a  very  ancient 
word,  signifving  the  true  or  good  God. 
The  gloss,  as  above,  is  an  attcmpt  to  give 
its  etymology.  The  scholiast  thcre  tells 
us  that  piaOac  is  thc  same  as  piaOa, 
which  is  dcrived  from  po  Oia,  which  hc 
explains  Dia  nmich,  good  God — po, 
good ;  t)ia,  God. — See  above,  p.  84, 
note  q. 

1 5.  Rop. — For  po  ba,  which  in  modem 
[rish  is  50  mba,  mag  he  be  ;  whcrc  it  is 


to  be  observed  that  the  ancient  po  is  the 
equivalent  of  50,  giving  the  optative  sense, 
and  not  a  mere  sign  of  the  preterite  indi- 
cative.  Ditiu. — This  word  is  now  OíOm, 
or  Oíoean. 

1 7.  Maire. — The  interpretation  of  the 
name  of  Mary,  "stilla  maris,"  is  evidently 
founded  on  the  Hebrew  form  of  the  name 
Miriam,  as  if  froni  ~10,  a  drop,  and  □"', 
the  sea.  Stella  seems  a  misspelling  oístilla, 
having,  so  far  as  I  know,  no  foundation 
in  any  Hebrew  etymology.  But  it  occurs 
in  all  the  editions  of  St.  Jcrome's  In- 
terpretatio  Nominum  Ilebraicorum,  whcre 
we  have  the  following: — "Mariam  ple- 
rique  íestimant  interpretari  illunúnant 
me  isti,  vel  illuminatrix  [from  tlie  root 
HS"l],  vcl  smgrna  maris  [D>_~lt3],  sed 
mibi  nequacpaam  vidctur.  Mcbus  autem 
est,  ut  dicamus  sonare  eam  stellam  [read 
stiUam~\  maris,  sive  amarum  mare  [root 
~|"1Q].  Seiendumqne  quod  Maria,  sermone 
SviD,  domina  nuncupetur."  Don  ring- 
rat. — This    is  glossed  pon    rospac,   the 


Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh. 


127 


m 


elchiseOech  rce;c  salem  iNcercco  Oe  semiNe 
non  soeiíac  a  aiRNighe  ab  ottini  porcmioiNe 


Socerc  soercus  loch  01  cheiN  qui  perc  seculo  habecun  25 

uc  nos  omNes  puecamuR  libercarce  OiSNecun 

abream  Oe  utí  no  salOai  SNaiOsium  rcurci  rcoNSNaOa 
soeiísum  soercus  in  popul  limpa  poncis  íN^aba 

Gt,oss. — 23.  Melchisedcch. — .i.  rex  justitise  interpretatur.  25.  Soerus. — .1.  po  poepapcap  [who 
delivered].  Loth. — .i.  declinans,  interpretatur.  Loth  mac  Aran,  mic  Thara,  frater  Sarra  [Lot  tlie 
son  of  Haran,  son  ofTara,  brother  of  Sara].  28.  Soersum. — .1.  yio  poepa  r-inn  [may  he  reseue  us]. 
Limpa. — .1.  cohoiTi  abcnnn  [that  is  a  river].  Ingaha. — 1.  íp  in  gabub  ípabacap  sine  aqua  quando 
venit  ex  Egvpto  [.i.  the  need  in  which  they  were  without  water,  when  they  caine  out  of  Egypt]. 


t>on,  or  pon,  bcing  quod  nos  (see  note 
on  v.  6).  The  verbs  pin^pac  and  co- 
5pac  are  the  3rd  person  plural  pre- 
sent,  of  which  the  modern  form  would 
be  pm^paiO  and  co^paiO.  The  meaning 
seems  to  be,  "May  they  be  plcased  to  come 
to  our  protcction."  Cospaim  is  to  choose, 
to  will,  to  desire. 

18.  Ignati. — Over  this  word  is  a  note 
taken  from  some  ancicnt  martyrology :  a 
portion  of  it  has  been  cut  away  by  the 
binder.  What  remains  is  as  follows : — 
".1.   Ignatius    episcopus    sccundus    post 

Petrum  in  Antiochia primus,  et 

passus  sub  Trajano  imperatore.     Ignatius 

a  lconibus  et  aliis  bestiis    .  ." 

It  will  be  observcd  that  Ignatius  is 
here  stylcd  "secundus  post  Petrum,"  in- 
stead  of  "  tertius,"  as  in  tbc  Roman  Mar- 
tyrology,  Feb.  1. 

22.  A  luchtlach. — The  gloss  on  this 
word  gives  two  meanings  of  it,  derived 
from  the  double  signiíication  of  locb, 
which  may  mcan  either  water,  or  hlach. 

23.  Rex  Salem. — Here  in  the  MS. 
we  have  the  following  note  as  a  gloss : 


"  Hieronvmus.  Aiunt  Ebrei  hunc  esse 
Scm  filium  Noe ;  et  supputantes  annos 
vitae  ipsius  .cccc.  ostendunt  eum  usque 
ad  Isac  vixisse.  Alii  bunc  esse  quendam 
Cannancum  et  ignotum  cujus  Ebrei  ge- 
nealogiam  ignorant.  Secundum  autem 
Augustinum  et  Origcnem,  non  homo  fuit, 
sed  angelus  Domini.  Homo  sine  patre 
et  sine  matre  et  sine  genealogia  esse 
non  potcst."  And  in  the  margin  :  "  Hi- 
eronvmus.  Salcm,  non  ut  Josephus  et 
nostrorum  omncs  arbitrantur,  idcm  est  et 
Hierusalcm,  sed  oppidum  iuxta  Scitho- 
polim,  quod  appellatur  Salcm,  ct  dicitur 
venisse  Jacob  in  Salem  civitatem  regionis 
Sichem,  qua)  est  in  tcrra  Chanaan." — See 
St.  Jeromc's  Qucest.  Hehr.  in  Gen.  [in  c. 
xiv.  18],  and  Epist.  73  ad  Evangelum, 
de  Melchisedec,  n.  2  and  7  (ed.  Vallars.), 
in  which  last  placc  the  above  extract  about 
Salcni  occurs  ncarly  verbatim.  Cf.  August. 
Quast.  inLTeptat.  lib.  i.  74  [inGen.  xxv.  22]. 
24.  Ron  soerat. — For  po  ínnpoepac  a 
aipmgbe ;  in  modern  Irish,  50  po  poepaió 
a  upnaigce  mn,  Mai/ his  prai/ers  deliver 
us. 


128 


Hymnus  S.  Cohnani  Mic  Ui  Cluasa'njh. 


VI 


F 

G 


utn  auachc  cri  maccu  as  utínn  ceNeO  co  rcuaoi 
ron  noin  amal  no  anachc  OauiO  Oe  maNu  solai 

laichem  Nime  locharcNais  arcOoNrcoisse  Oian  01051 
NaO  leic  suum  pnopecam  ulli  Cconutti  otíi 


3° 


mal  poeOes  in  aiNsel  carcslaic  pecRum  a  slabrceio 
Oo  rcoicerc  Oun  oiarc  porccachc  uop  rceiD  rcemunN  cech  Namneio 


Gloss 29.  liuri. — .1.  popi  [.i.  Great  King].     Anacht. — .1.  po  cmjercap  [.i.  saved  or  protected]. 

31.   Flaithem. — .1.  plaich  em   [.i.  noble  sovereign].     Locharnaig. — .1.  polupca   [luminous].     Ardon- 
roigse l.  ap  po  aipchípe  [.i.  may  be  bave  mercy].     34.  Do  roiter. — .i.  a  Deo. 


25.  Soter. — Here  our  author  cmploys 
a  (iivelc  word,  upon  which  the  scholiast 
lias  written  the  followirig  note  in  the  mar- 
gin  of  the  MS. :  "  Soter,  .i.  Ehreice,  ihs, 
Grece ;  Salvator,  Latine;"  where  the 
words  "Ebreice"  and  "Grece"  oughtto  he 
transposed.  Soerus. — The  relative  form  of 
tlie  present  indicative  active,  wlio  delivers. 
The  gloss  says  it  is  put  for  the  pretcrite 
ro  soerastar,  who  delivercd.  Loth. — 
Intcrpretcd  in  the  gloss  declinans,  frorn  St. 
Jerome,  but  it  really  means  vclamen,  a 
veil,  or  covering.  Qui  per  secula. — i.  c, 
the  Saviour  who  lives  throiighout  all  ages, 
and  is  as  able  to  deliver  us  now  as  he  was 
to  deliver  Lot  (cf.  2  Pet.  ii.  7),  we  pray 
him  that  he  vouchsafe  to  deliver  us  all. 

27.  Abram. — Here  we  have  the  gloss : 
".1.  Patcr  cxcelsus  intei-pretatur,  Abba 
ciiim  pater,  ram,  excelsus.  Abraham  pa- 
ter  multarum  interpretatixr,  et  subintelligc 
gentium." 

2  7 .  De  Ur. — In  the  margin  is  the  follo w- 
ing  notc  011  this  word:  "  In  Ebrco  habetur 
in  Ur  Chcthisim,  i.  in  ignc  Caldeorum.  Tra- 
dunt  autem  Ebrei  cx  hac  occasione  istius- 
modi  fabulam;  quod  Abraham  in  igncm 


misus  est,  quia  ignem  adorare  nolucrit, 
qucm  Caldei  colunt,  et  Dei  auxilio  liberatus 
de  ididolatriaj  igne  profugerit :  quod  in  se- 
quentibus  scribitur,  egressum  esse  Tharam 
cum  sobole  sua  de  regione  Caldeorum;  ]>ro 
quo  in  ebreo  habetur  de  incendio  Caldeo- 
rum,  et  nrissus  est  Aram  adhuc  ante  con- 
spectum  patris  sui  Thara  in  igne  Calde- 
orum,  quod  videlicet  ignem  nollens  adorare 
igne  consumptus  est.  Loquitur  autem  Do- 
minus  postea  ad  Ahram  diccns,  Ego  sum 
qui  eduxi  te  de  igne  Caldeorum."  These 
words  occui'  in  St.  Jerome's  Quast.  Hebraic. 
in  Gen.  xi.  28. 

27.  Ronsnada. — Eorpo  e  pnabaió,  he 
who  protccted  him. 

28.  Soersum. — The  gloss  on  this  word 
is  worthy  of  notice,  as  it  tells  iis  that  thc 
ancient  termination  pum  in  vcrbs,  in- 
stanccs  of  which  frequently  occur  in  this 
Hymn,  is  the  pronoun  pinn,  tce,  or  us. 
Thus  paoeppam,  may  he  protect  us,  vcr.  2 ; 
ciaciapam,  whercver  we  go,  vcr.  2 ; 
pnaiOpium,  protect  us,  vcr.  11,  27. 

29.  Tri  maccit. — Hcic  we  find  the  fol- 
lowingnote:  ".1.  Sedrac,  Misac,  Abdinago, 
nomina  eorum  apud  Caldcos ;   Annanias. 


D 


Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh.  129 

íarc  piabac  TíONColomaT?  nosctío  opeiíe  O15NO  35 

rcobem  occa  ím  bTch  bechaio  in  parcaOisi  tccsno 


G 


maL  soerms  ionos  paich  a  brcu  rml  mom  moNarc  ú^le 
snoiOsiunn  beo"  tíi  comcach  crceN  seN  Oe  OONpe  potíDoncc 


R 


o  pm  a  pTaba  t?o  pm  Tíoercchau  in  suiOise 
rco  bec  maccaN  placha  Oe  hi  cimcuaiTíc  Na  sculese 

0  pm  a  piaOa  rcop  pm  ríisam  huile  sich  tno  R15 
sechríoiseO  ríoissam  hi  plaich  Nime  cocrussam 

obbem  ceN  es  hillechu  La  haiNgLiu  ím  bich  bechu 


40 


Gt-oss. — 35.  Diarfiadat. — .1.  oap  oia  maich  [to  our  good  God].  Rontolomar. — .1.  pocholc- 
nagem  [we  desire].  38.  Tomtach. — 1.  comaichmech  [forgiving].  39.  A  fiadu. — .1.  a  be  maicti 
[O  good  God].  Roerthar. — .1.  poepmchip  [let  it  be  granted,  or  performed].  40.  Maccan. — 
.1.  meiccbecca  acbulac  pochecop  in  sanctitate  post  baptismum  [little  children  who  die  imme- 
diately  in  huliness  after  baptism].  41.  Sith. — .i.  celum.  43.  Hillethu. — '.l.  hl  pappil)5e  [in  expansion, 
or  space]. 


Azarias,  Misael,  nomina  eorum  apud  Ebre- 
os.    Et  in  igne  misi  sunt ;  quia  noluerunt 
adorare  formam  Jíabcodonostor." 
30.  Ron  nain. — Quod  nos  protegat. 

32.  Nadleic. — Forna  Oo  léic  :  na,  the 
negative  relative,  "  who  not ;"  00  léic, 
nowoo  leis  (from  lei^im,  "I  leave,  or 
permit").  Suum profetam. — Here  we  have 
the  following  note:  "  .1.  Danielcm,  qui 
bis  in  Babilonia  traditus  est  leonibus,  et 
fuit  cum  eis  in  lacu  leonum  per  ebdoma- 
dam  plenam  sine  cibo." 

33.  Foedes. — Over  this  word  is  the 
following  note  :  ' '  Herodcs  Agrippa  occi- 
dit  Jacobum  filium  Zebedei,  et  tradidit 
Petrum  iiii.  quatemionibus  in  carcerem 
ad  custodiendum,  et  liberavit  eum  Domi- 
nus  per  angelum  suum." — poebep,  now 
paoioep,  is  the  historical  present  of 
paoióim,  I  send. 


36.  Róbem,  and  in  1.  43,  robbem,  for  co 
po  be  ínn,  L  e.,  50  po  be  pmn,  that  we 
may  be:  in  modem  lrish,  50  pabamap, 
50  pabamuiO,  or  50  paib  pmn. 

37.  lonas. — ~We  have  here  this  note  : 
".1.  Dolens,  sive  Columba,  interpretatur ; 
íilius  Amathi  et  viduae  quam  suscitavit 
Helias  quando  hospitavit  apud  eam,  fu- 
giens  Achab  regem  in  tempore  famis." — 
See  St.  Jerome's  Prcefat.  in  Jonam. 

43 .  Beíh  u. — Here  an  entire  line  is  omit- 
ted  in  the  MS.,  without  any  mark  of  omis- 
sion.  In  the  margin  there  is  a  note  which 
has  been  so  injured  by  the  plough  of  the 
binder,  that  it  is  very  obscure.  "What  re- 
mains  is  as  follows  : — "LechpanO  po,  1 
ípeao  apaili  ín  Lechpanb  aili  occaineb 

biacopachc acip oen- 

jalup  mapu  Lechpann  cech  ai  bib  bo 
ponpac  anuap.    NoipeabCholman  ím- 


'3° 

R 


Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh. 

erccns  paichi  ceN  Dibao  aiN^iL  apscaiL  arco  pe^ao 
camsec  l\  an  Nacharc  NemDa  rcia  sLua^  NDenriNa  OiarcseNaD  45 

seN  Oe 


b 
b 


eNDachc  porc  ei?lam  pacrmic  coNNoebaib  herceNN  ímme 
beNNachc  poiísiN  cactrRisse  ocus  por?  cach  pil  inoi 

eNNachc  pon  eríLam  bmsio  con  ogaib  herceNN  ímpe 
cabrmiD  huile  caiN  porjgaLL  beNOachc  pon  onoon  brcisce 


Gloss. — 44.  Reraig. — .1.  popíg,  no  pepíg  [great  kings,  or  noble  kings],  .i.  qui  fuerunt  ante  diluvium. 
Cendibad. — .i.  in  poena.  Ard fegad. — 1.  íp  apb  pejab  [it  is  a  noble  sight]  angelorum  et  apostolorum. 
45.  Tairset. — .i.  hue  usque  cecinit  Colman.  46.  For  erlam. — eplam,  .1.  ép  ellam,  .1.  aobul  ellam 
ppi  beaiiaim  pepca  "]  mípbaile  [Erlam,  i.  e.  a  ready  champion,  i.  e.  very  ready  to  perform  wonders 
and  miracles].  Patraic. — .1.  pop  m  eplam  ap  pacpaic  [on  the  patron  who  is  Patrick].  47.  Indi. — 
.1.  mce  [in  it]. 


oppo  aonup  do  pi^rie  ín  ímniunb  co 
liuile  1  popacaib  m  lechpann  po 
ap  po  eccomlanpaigOia  mo  checepnpem 
ecomlanaispe  pe  amolaOpom;  which 
may  be  translated:  "  This  is  a  half  stanza, 
and  there  is  another,  viz.,  the  remaining 
half  stanza,  lamenting  their  coming  .... 

out  of  the  land on  aceount  of 

the  plague,  if  it  was  half  a  stanza  each  of 
them  made  all  along  down.  Or  it  was 
Colman  alone  who  composed  the  whole 
hymn,  and  he  left  this  half  stanza,  so  that 
if  God  should  leave  him  with  the  loss  of 
his  company,  His  praise  should  be  left 
deíicient  by  him."  The  meaning  of  this 
last  clause  seems  to  be,  that  if  we  suppose 
Colman  alone  to  have  composed  the  hymn, 
he  may  have  left  the  stanza  deficient  de- 
signedly,  intending  to  complete  it  by  an 
expression  of  thankfulness  or  praise,  if  he 
and  his  company  should  escape  the  pesti- 
lence.  But  if  God  did  not  think  fit  to 
preserve  them,  then  the  intended  praises 
of  God  must  remain  unsung.     The  for- 


mer  clause  is  very  obscure,  because  de- 
fective.  Perhaps  the  meaning  may  be, 
that  as  each  of  the  scholars  made  half  a 
stanza,  one  half  stanza  woiúd  necessarilv  be 
left  deíicient,  if  the  number  of  scholars 
should  be  diminished  [by  the  plague]. 
At  all  events  it  is  evident  that  the  defect 
is  an  original  one,  and  was  so  regarded  by 
the  ancient  scholiast,  who  has  in  this  note 
given  us  Ms  explanation  of  it. 

4.5.  Sen  De. — These  are  the  words  with 
which  the  hymn  begins,  placed  here  as  a 
sort  of  colophon,  according  to  a  custom  al- 
ready  noticed  at  p.  23  above.  The  gloss 
here  shows  that  this  was  understood  by 
the  scholiast  to  have  been  the  end  of  the 
original  Hymn,  as  it  says  "  Huc  usque 
cecinit  Colman;"  and indeed  the  remaindcr 
bears  evident  marks  of  having  been  added 
at  a  later  age.  See  note  on  line  51,  p. 
136,  infra. 

50.  Columcille. —  The  gloss  on  this 
line  is  an  explanation  of  the  reason  why 
Colum  received  the  appellation  of  Colum- 


b 
F 


Hymnus  S.  Colmani  Mic  Ui  Cluasaigh. 

eNOachn  porc  columcille  coNNoebaib  albaN  alla 
porc  aNmaiN  aoamNON  aiN  rcola  caiN  porcs  Na  cIonno 

or  poesam  R15  no  NOula  comaircche  NachaN  berca 
tn  spmur  Noeb  reoNbuoeNa  ctuosc  TíONsoeua  rcoNseNa 

scn  oe 


5° 


Openc  ppo  nobip  pancci  ílli  ín  celip,  quopum  memopiam  paci- 
mup  ín  ceppip,  uc  oeleancup  oelicca  nopcpa  pep  ínuocacionem 
pancn  nominip  cui  íhu,  ~|  mipepepe  qui  pegnap  ín  pecula  peculo- 
pum.     Qmen. 

Gloss. — 50.   Colum. — .1.  collum  aji  o  oiucecc  dictus  est  [he  is  called  Collum  (Columba),  from  his 

harmlessness].     Cille.—.i.  quia  frequenter  veniebat  ad  Oapu nchlll,  .1.  acelai^  t)ubh 

7>laipe  quia  a  .  .  .  .  .  do  campum  ppo  ciuicace  uemec  l  .  .  .  .  epe  ec  oicebanc 

e^peccem    [cil]le  moe  biccup  [epc].     Alban. — .1.    ppi  muip  anaip  [by  the  sea  on 

the  east]. 


cille,  or  Colum  of  the  Church.  It  is  so 
obliterated,  that  nothing  can  be  read  with 
certaintj,  except  the  words  above  given, 
which  suffice  to  show  that  the  substance 
of  the  note  was  the  same  with  that  given 
in  Irish  by  the  annotator  of  the  Feilire 
of  Aengus  (in  the  Leabhar  Breac)  at  the 
9th  June,  in  these  words : — Colum  ppo 
pimplicicace  eiup  Oiccup  eyc.  Cille  .1. 
ap  chiachcain  comenicc  on  cill  ín  po 
le^  a  palmu  hi  comOail  na  lenab  co- 
mocup.  OaheaO  aobepcippen  ecappu, 
m  canic  ap  Colum  becni  on  chill  .1. 

0  Chelaig  Dubslaippi  hi  Cip  Lu^Oach 

1  Cinel  Conaill.  "He  was  called  Colum 
(a  dove),  for  his  simplicitv,  and  Citte  (of 


the  Church),  from  his  coming  frequently 
from  the  church  in  which  he  read  his 
Psalms,  into  the  companj  of  the  neigh- 
bouring  children ;  and  they  uscd  to  say 
thcn  amongst  thcmselves,  '  Has  our  little 
Colum  comc  from  the  church'  (cill),  i.  c. 
from  Tulach  Dubhglaisse  in  Lugaidh's 
territorj-  in  Cinel  Conail."  TulachDubh 
glaisse  [now  Templcdouglas,  ncar  Kil- 
macrenan]  was  the  name  of  the  church 
in  which  St.  Columcille  was  baptLzed. — 
O'Donnell,  Vit.  S.  Columba,  lib.  i.  c.  25 
(apud  Colgan,  Triad.  Thaum.  p.  393). — 
See  Adamnan's  Lifc  of  St.  Columba, 
edited  by  Dr.  Reeves,  Append.  to  Pre- 
face,  p.  lxx.,  lxxi..  notes  l  and  u. 


S2 


(     l32    ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTE. 


Translation  of  the  Scholiasfs  Preface  and  of  the  Hijmn. 

THE   following   is   a   literal   translation   of  tlie   Preface,    and   of  the   forcgoing 
Hynm  : 

Sen  t>e.  Colman,  Mac  Ui  Cluasaigh,  Reader  of  Cork,  composed  this  Hymn,  to  protect  himself  from 
the  buidhechair  [yellow  pestilence],  which  was  [prevalent]  in  the  reign  of  the  sons  of  Aedh  Slanea.  For 
the  people  were  verynumerous  in  Erinn  at  that  time;  and  sogreat  were  their  numbers,  that  the  land  could 
aftbrd  but  thrice  nine  ridges  to  each  man  in  Erin,  viz.,  nine  of  bog,  nine  of  field,  and  nine  of  wood  ;  therefore 
the  noblemen  of  Erin  fasted  along  with  the  sons  of  Aedh  Slane,  withFechinb  of  Fabhar,  andwith  Aileran', 
and  with  Manclian  of  Liath',  and  with  very  many  besides,  for  the  reduction  of  the  population,  because  of 


a  The  sons  of  Aedh  Slaine. — Diarmaid  and 
Blathmac,  the  sons  of  Aedh  Slane,  reigned  con- 
jointly  from  A.  D.  658  to  664,  in  which  last  year 
they  died  of  the  great  pestilence  (Four  Masters. 
fíeating.  O'Flahertg).  On  the  history  of  tliis  pesti- 
lence  see  Dr.  O'Conor's  note  on  the  Annals  of 
Tíghernach,  Rer.  Hib.  Script.  vol.  ii.  p.  204. 

b  Fechin. — Of  Fabhar,  or  Fore,  in  the  county  of 
Westmeath.  See  his  Life  in  Colgan,  at  20U1  of 
Jau.,   Actt.  SS.,  p.  130. 

c  Aileran. — This  word  is  somewhat  obscure  in  the 
MS. ;  but  I  think  I  have  correctly  deciphered  it. 
Aileran  was  of  the  celebrated  school  or  University  of 
Cluain-iraird,  now  Clonard,  in  the  county  of  Meath, 
and  was  surnamed  CosnaiÓe,  or  The  Wise.  Fle- 
m  ing,  or  his  Editor,  Sirinus,  has  published  Aileran's 
"  Intecpretatio  mvstica  progenitorum  D.  Jesu 
l.'hristi,"  from  a  MS.  in  the  Monastery  of  St.  Gall: 
Collectan.  Sacr.  p.  182,  sq. ;  and  Colgan  attributes 
to  him  the  Life  of  Patrick,  whieh  stands  fourth 
in  his  collection  ;   Trias  Thaum.,  p.  35. 


d  Manchan  ofLiath.  —  The  Annals  of  Tighernach 
call  him  Bishop  of  Liath,  now  Liath-Manchain,  or 
Lemanaghan,  in  the  King's  County;  a  place  which 
was  originally  called  Tuaim  nEirc,  or  Erc's  Tumu- 
lus  (Four  Masters,  A.  D.  645).  The  word  Liath, 
(or  Leigh,  which  is  the  genitive  form  of  Liath),  sig- 
nifies  gray,  or  boggy  land.  The  following  interest- 
ing  mention  of  St.  Manchan  occurs  in  the  Martvr- 
ology  of  Donegal  at  January  24: — lílanehtín 
Lech,  maclnbaige.  TTIeUa  ainm  a  mhacaip 
1  a  tieipi  beipbpecap  .1.  ^pella-]  5peiUpech. 
Qcá  a  eaglaip banab  ainm  Liac  lllanchdm,  no 
leic  nianchtíin,  a  nDealbna  mec  Cocltíin. 
Qctít)  a  caifi  ípin  mbaile  cebna  1  r-cpfn  actí 
ap  na  cumc-acgo  tieppgatgce  le  clripaibtion 
lec  apcig  1  6  útiia  bon  letc  amutg  tiíbpein 
ap  na  pionnab  50  po  beppsaigce.  "Manchan 
of  Liath,  the  son  of  Indaigh  \_flius  Indaigh,  Colgan, 
Actt.  SS.,  p.  330,  n.  6].  Mella  was  the  name  of 
his  mother.  His  two  sisters  were  Grella  and  Grell- 
seach.      His  church,  which  is  named  Liath  Man- 


j;OTE.]  Translation.  133 

the  scarcitj'  of  food,  which  was  the  consequence  of  their  great  numbers.  And  it  was  on  that  account  that 
the  buidhechair  was  sent  upon  them  :  so  that  the  sons  of  Aedh  Slane  died  of  it  in  that  year,  also  the 
learned  men  above  mentioned,  et  alii  multi. 

Some  say  that  it  was  Colman  composed  the  whole  of  it.  Other  people  say  that  he  composed  but  two 
stanzas  of  it  only,  and  that  the  schoole  made  the  rest,  i.  e.,  each  man  of  them  made  each  a  half  stanza. 

It  was  composed  in  Cork,  in  the  time  of  the  two  sons  of  Aedh  Slane,  viz.,  Blaithmac  and  Diarmaid. 
And  this  was  the  occasion  on  which  it  was  composed :  a  great  plague  that  was  sent  upon  the  men  of  Erin, 
viz.,  the  buidhe  connaill  [or  yellow  plague],  which  pervaded  all  Erin,  and  left  only  one  out  of  every  three 
pereons  alive  in  Erin ;  and  it  was  to  save  them  [i.  e.,  the  survivors],  with  his  own  school,  from  that  pesti- 
lence,  that  Colman  composed  this  Hymn.  And  the  place  where  he  happened  to  compose  it  was  in  the 
course  of  his  voyage  to  a  certain  island  of  the  sea  of  Erin,  flying  abroad  from  this  pestilence,  until 
there  were  nine  waves  between  him  and  the  land,  for  the  plague  did  not  extend  further,  as  the  learned 
relate.  And  a  certain  man  of  the  school  of  Colman  asked  what  blessing  there  was  for  them,  in  search  of 
which  they  had  set  out  on  that  journey.  Then  Colman  said,  "What  blessing  dost  thou  need,"  said  he, 
"  but  The  blessing  of  Godf?"  For  what  they  desired  was  to  go  out  upon  the  islands  of  the  sea,  to  escape 
from  the  distemper. 


rilHE  blessing  of'  God  come  upon  us  ;  may  the  Son  of  Mary  cover  us  ; 
-*-    May  He  protect  us  this  night,  wherever  we  go  though  great  our  numbers. 


w 


HETHER  at  rest  or  in  motion  ;  wiiether  sitting  or  standing ; 
The  King  of  Heaven  be  against  every  assault ;  this  is  the  supplication  that  we 
offer  up. 


fT^HE  Prayer  of  Abcl,  son  of  Adam,  of  Heli  and  Enoch,  be  our  help  ;  5 

-*-    May  they  free  us  from  the  sudden  pestilence,  whatsoever  part  of  the  world  it 


N 


threatens. 

OE,  and  Abraham  ;  Isaac,  the  admirable  son  ; 
May  they  come  around  us  against  the  pestilence,  that  we  come  not  to  trouble. 


chain,   or   Leith    Manchain,    is    in    Delbhna   Mec  Dr.  Carte,  of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society,  to  make  a 

Cochlain.     His  relics  are  in  the  same  place,  in  a  model  of  it  in  electrotvpe,  which  was  exhibited  in 

shrine  that  is  beautifully  ornamented,  with  boards  the  Antiquarian  Department  of  the  Dublin  Exhibi- 

in  the  inside,  and  bronze  on  the  outside  of  them,  and  tion  in  1853.     This  beautiful  model  is  now  in  the 

splendidly  carved."     This  remarkable  shrine   still  possession  of  John  Lentaigne,  Esq.,  of  Dublin. 

exists.     It   is  preserved   in   the   Roman   Catholic  e  The  school — i.  e.  the  school  over  which  he  pre- 

chapel  at  Lemanachain,  although  the  relics  of  the  sided,  or  his  scholars.     See  note  on  line  43,  supra. 

saint  have  long  since  disappeared  from  it.     It  is  f  The  blessing  of  God. — Alluding  to  the   words 

greatly  mutilated ;  but  enough  remained  to  enable  with  which  the  Hymn  begins. 


1 34  TJw  Hymn  of  St.  Colman  Mac  Ui  Cluasaigh.  [n0tb. 

["  BESEECH  thc  father  of  thrice  four  persons,  and  Joseph  the  illustrious ; 
-*-  May  their  prayers  to  the  nohle  King  of  many  angels  deliver  us.  i  o 

"j\TAT  Moses  the  good  lcader  protcct  us,  who  protected  in  crossing  the  Red  Sea ; 
Jesus ;  Aaron  son  of  Amra ;  David  the  bold  youth. 

TOB,  with  his  diseases,  protect  us  against  the  poison  : 

The  prophets  of  the  Lord  guard  us,  with  the  seven  sons  of  Maccabaeus. 

TOHN"  the  Baptist  we  name ;  be  he  our  covering,  be  he  our  protection  :  1 5 

"    Jesus,  with  His  Apostles,  be  our  help  against  danger. 

"jl/TART,  Joseph,  guard  us,  and  the  spirit  of  Stephen ; 

Out  of  cvery  difticulty  may  it  deliver  us,  to  invoke  the  name  of  Ignatius. 

Tp  VERT  Martyr,  every  Hermit,  every  Saint  who  was  in  chastity, 

-^^^  Be  a  shield  to  us,  for  our  defence ;  be  an  arrow  from  us  against  demons.  20 

~D  EGEM  regum  rogamus,  in  nostris  sermonibus, 

Who  saved  ~Noe  and  his  company,  diluvii  temporibus. 

1\TELCHISEDECH,  rex  Salem,  incerto  de  semine, 
-*-*-*-  May  his  prayers  deliver  us  ab  omni  formidine. 

T  I  iHE  Saviour  who  delivered  Lot  from  the  fire,  qui  per  secula  habetur,  25 

-*-    Ut  nos  omnes,  precamur,  liberare  dignetui-. 

\  BRAM  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees ;  may  the  Lord  who  protected  him  protect  us  ; 
-^^  May  He  save  us,  who  saved  the  people,  when  in  want  of  lvmpha  fontis. 

T  I  ^HE  Lord,  who  delivered  the  three  youths  from  the  oven  of  red  fire, 

Deliver  us,  as  he  delivered  David  de  manu  Golia3.  30 

9.  The  father. — "Thefather  of  thrice  four,"  viz.,       icalingiia;  or  "  iii  this  our  hymn,"  in  sermonibus 
Israel,  the  father  of  the  twelve  patriarchs.  hujus  hymni.     As  the  original  is  here  partlv  Irish 

10.  To  the  nohle  King,  i.  e.  their  pravers  addressed       and  partlv  Latin,  I  have  translated  the  Irish  only, 
to  the  noble  King.  leaving  tho  Latin  lines  as  they  stand  in  the  text. 

1 8.  May  it  deliver  us,  i.  e.  may  the  invocation  of           23.  Incerto. — Alluding  to  Heb.  vii.  3. 
the  name  of  Ignatius  deliver  us.  28.  Lijmpha  fontis Num.  xx.  2,  sq. 

21.  ln  nostris. — The  Gloss on  the  origuial  of  this  29.  Red  jire. — Literally,    "from  a   furnace,   or 

passage  gives  two  interpretations  of  it — either  "  in  oven,  of  fire  with  reducss :   "  Ceciderunt  in  medio 

our  vernacular  Scottish  or  Irish  lauguage,"  in  Scot-  camino  ignis  ardentis  colligati." — Dan.  iii.  23. 


notb.]  Translation.  1 3  5 


T 
L 


T 


HE  noble  Sovereign  of  the  brilliant  heaven,  may  He  liave  mercy  on  our  misery : 
"WT10  did  not  leave  suum  prophetam  ulli  leonum  ori. 

IKE  as  He  sent  the  Angel  to  deliver  Peter  from  his  chains  ; 
So  may  He  scnd  to  us  for  our  relief :  may  He  make  smooth  for  us,  whatsoever 
is  not  smooth. 

0  our  Lord  we  submit  our  will,  nostro  opere  digno,  3  5 

That  we  may  be  with  Him  in  eternal  life,  in  Paradisi  regno. 


A 


S  He  delivered  Jonas  the  prophet  from  the  whale's  belly — grcat  deed, 
The  good  King  grant  us  powerful  protection;  the  blessing  of  God  come  upon  us. 


M 
M 


AY  it  be  true,  0  Lord,  may  it  be  true,  that  this  prayer  be  granted  ; 
That  the  children  of  God's  kingdom  may  be  around  this  School.  40 

AY  it  be  true,  0  Lord,  that  it  become  true,  that  we  all  reach  the  peace  of  the  King, 
That  wherever  we  go,  or  arrive,  we  may  reach  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 


THAT  we  be  without  age,  in  endless  space,  with  angels,  in  life  cternal. 
*         #         #         #         #         #         #         #         #         #         #         # 


M-TRLA-RCHS,  Prophets,  without  fail,  Angels,  Apostles,  glorious  vision  ! 
Come  they  with  our  Heavenly  Father ;  against  hosts  of  demons  to  bless  us.      45 

S6N  t>e. 


A 


BLESSING  upon  the  Patron  Patrick,  with  the  saints  of  Erin  around  him  : 
A  blessing  upon  this  city,  and  upon  every  one  that  is  thercin. 


34.  Not  smooth. — Literally,  " May everv  rough-  Endless  space:  literallv,  in  broadness,  or  expan- 

ness  [everything  that  is  not  sinooth,  cech  n-am-  sion.      lli    [for   1.    in]    léchu,    breadth,    extent, 

peit>]  be  made  smooth  before  us."  glossed  by  papmrige,  space,  expansion,  room. 

37.    Whale's  helly. — Literally,  "  From  the  belly  44.    Glorious  vision. — Literally,    "high-seeing," 

of  the  great  animal,"  míl,  or  míol,  móp,  is  the  apb-pegab:  which  perhaps  may  mean  that  angels 

name  still  given  to  a  whale  both  in  Ireland  and  in  and  apostles  behold  us  from  on  high. 
Scotland.  45.    Come,   i.  e.   may  they  come :  caippec    is 

40.   Children  of  GoaTs  hingdom,  i.  e.  the  angels.  the    3rd    person    plural.     Protect    us. — Literally, 

A  different  interpretation  is  given  in  the  Gloss,  viz.  "be    for    our    blessing,"    or    "  protection,"   biaji, 

the  spirits  of  children  who  die  after  baptism,  before  now   b'ap,    i.  e.   t»0   ayi,  for    our,  pénao,  bless- 

the  commission  of  actual  sin.  ing, 

43.    Without  age,    i.  e.  without  growing  old. —  46.    The  Patron The  word  translated  patron 


i36 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Colman  Mac  Ui  Cluasaigh, 


[NOTE. 


\    BLESSING  upon  the  Patron  Brígid,  with  the  virgins  of  Erinn  around  her, 


JA. 


Give  ye  all,  without  guile,  a  blessing  upon  the  dignitj  of  Brígid. 


\   BLESSLNG  on  Colum-cille,  with  the  saints  of  Alba  along  with  him, 
-^~  On  the  soul  of  the  pure  Adamnan,  who  put  a  law  on  the  clans. 


5° 


TTPON  tho  protection  of  the  Eing  of  the  Elements,  a  guardianship  from  whicb  \ve 
^-^        cannot  be  taken, 

May  the  Holy  Ghost  inspire  us  ;  may  Christ  dcliver  us  ;  may  He  bless  us. 

S6N  oe. 


/^VBENT  pro  nobis  sancti  ilh  in  coelis,  quorum  memoriam  facimus  in  terris,  ut  dcle- 
^S  antur  delicta  nostra  per  invocationem  sancti  nominis  tui  Jesu,  et  miserere,  qui 
regnas  in  secula  seculorum.     Amen. 


'seplam,  which  originally,  perhaps,  signified  noble, 
but  is  now  applied  to  the  saint  who  is  regarded  as 
a  patron.  The  verses  which  follow  from  line  46  to 
theend  formed  no  part  of  the  original  Hymn,  which 
ended  at  line  45,  as  is  evident  from  the  repetition  of 
the  first  words,  Sen  be,  according  to  a  practice 
that  has  been  already  noticed.     See  p.  23. 

47.  This  city,  i.  e.  this  monastery :  the  place 
in  which  these  additional  verses  were  added.  Thus 
the  Annals  of  Ulster  (A.  D.  806)  record  the  founda- 
tion  of  the  Columbian  monasterv  of  Kells  in  these 
words:  "  Constructio  nova?  civitatis  Columbajcille 
in  Ceuinnus."  It  is  in  this  sense  the  word  is  used 
in  the  Hymn  of  St.  Mugint,  w.  2  and  5  (pp.  95,  96 
snpra),  a  fact  which  was  overlooked  when  the  note, 
p.  95,  was  written. 

49.  Diynity. — So  the  word  ojiban  is  explained 


in  several  ancient  Glossaries.  Ojiban  .1.  uapal 
5pa&,  "  a  noble  degree,  or  dignity"  (MS.  H.  3,8,  p. 
550,  Trin.  Coll.  Dubl.)  Opban  .1.  uapal  uc  epc 
papugaó  opban  .1.  papugab  m  uapail — "  a 
noble  person,  as,  to  violate  an  ordan,  is  to  violate 
(or  insult)  a  noble  person." —  O'Davoren,  Gloss. 

50.  Alony  with  him. — QUe,   now  ímaille. 

51.  A  law. — Cain,  a  rule,  precept,  commandment, 
from  canon.  This  is  a  remarkable  allusion  to  the 
Cain  Adamnain  (canon,  or  code  of  laws  drawn  up  by 
Adamnan),  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Annals 
and  Brehon  Laws ;  and  proves  that  these  last  four 
stauzas  must  have  been  added  in  or  after  the  eighth 
century.  For  the  Cain  Adamnani  was  compiled 
A.  D.  697,  and  Adamnan  died  A.  D.  704.  See 
Adamnan's  Life  of  St.  Columba,  edited  by  Dr. 
Eeeves,  p.  178,  and  note  h. 


(    *37    ) 


VI.  THE  HTMN  OF  ST.  CUCHUIMNE. 


THE  following  Hymn  has  been  published  by  Mone,  in  his  Hymni  Latini 
Medii  JEvi  (vol.  ii.  p.  383),  from  a  collation  of  three  MSS.  The  first 
is  that  preserved  at  Bále,  of  which  some  account  has  already  been  given, 
p.  55,  supra.  The  second  is  a  MS.  of  the  ninth  century,  in  an  Irish  hand,  now 
at  Karlsruhe.  The  third  isa  MS.  of  the  eighth  century,  according  to  Mone's 
judgment,  also  preserved  at  Rarlsruhe,  and  written  in  a  French  hand.  Both 
these  Karlsruhe  MSS.  belonged  formerly  to  the  monastery  of  Reichenau. 

The  readings  of  these  MSS.  are  given  in  the  notes  :  those  of  the  Bále  MS. 
are  denoted  by  the  letter  B. ;  and  those  of  the  two  Ivarlsruhe  MSS.  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  spoken  of  above,  by  the  letters  K.  and  R.  The  MS. 
B.  has  been  collated  by  the  Editor  himself ;  but  the  readings  of  K.  and  R.  are 
given  on  the  authority  of  Mone. 

None  of  these  MSS.  have  the  introductory  Scholium  or  Preface,  which  is 
nowfor  the  first  time  printed,  from  the  Dublin  Liber  Hymnorum ;  but  in  the 
Codex  B,.  we  find  the  title  "  Himnus  Sanctcs  Maria." 

How  far  we  can  depend  upon  Mone's  judgment  in  the  opinion  he  has 
given  of  the  age  of  these  MSS.  seems  doubtful;  for  he  assigns  the  Bále  MS. 
to  the  eighth  century,  which  is  at  least  a  century,  if  not  two  centuries,  older 
than  the  true  date,  so  far  as  the  Greek  Psalter  is  concerned  :  and  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  observed  that  the  Hymn  Cantemus  has  been  written  in  a  hand 
of  about  two  centuries'  later  date.  Those  who  are  not  accustomed  to  Irish 
MSS.  are  very  naturally  disposed  to  make  them  older  than  they  really  are, 
because  the  Irish  sci-ibes  retained  the  old  forms  of  handwriting  much  lon^er 
than  Continental  transcribers. 

The  Scholium  prefixed  to  the  Hymn  identifies  the  author  of  it  with  the 
"Cuchuimne  sapiens,"  who  is  said  by  our  Annalists  to  have  died  early  in  the 

T 


138  The  Hymn  of  St.  Cuchuimne. 

eighth  century  ;  and  the  age  of  the  MSS.  in  wbich  the  Hymn  has  been  íbund 
confirms  the  high  antiquity  thus  ascribed  to  it.  In  the  Additional  Note  B  the 
Editor  has  collected  all  that  he  has  been  able  to  discover  of  the  history  of 
Cuchuimne. 

The  classical  reader  will  not  form  a  high  idea  of  our  author's  skill  in 
Latin  prosody.  The  following  anomalies  may  be  taken  as  specimens  : — 
Cantémus,  line  1  ;  Utéro,  line  8;  Extetit,  line  10;  Humáne,  line  12:  Mull- 
rrem,  lincf!  13,  14  ;  Loricam,  line  21  ;  Pirce,  dirce,  line  24. 


CQNGeTTlUS  m  omni  bie.  Cuchuimne  pecic  hunc  CJ-mnum  bo  molab  Ulaipe  ose.  ln 
aimpip  ímoppo  Lomgpis  meicc  Oen^upa  ■]  Qbamnam  paccup  epc.  lncepcum  epc 
uepo  ín  cpuo  loco  eum  pecic.  Ipe  po  chunn  abenma  bia  poepab  ap  m  bpoch  bea- 
chaib  ip  pabai.  cpjia  coniugem  habuic,  ■)  ín  mala  uica  cum  ílla  puic.  no  commab 
bo  pechiftub  pemi  an  eich  na  bpoachc  leip  bia  legunb  bo  gpech  ímmolabpa  bo 
TUaipe. 
Uc  Qbamnan  bipcic : 

Cuchuimne  [Cuchuimne],  TJo  leg  puche  co  bpumne, 
Qllech  aile  apaca,  TCo  leic  ap  a  chaillecha. 

Cuchuimne  bi^cic : 

Cuchuimne  [Cuchuimne],  Tío  le^  puche  co  bpuinme, 
Qllech  aile  apaca,  Lejpaib  leicpib  caillecha. 
Uel, 

ailech  naile  apaibcui,  Legpaib  huile  conop  pui. 

Cpe  pichim  ban  pecic.  -\  pn.  coibcil  ann,  -|  ba  líne  in  cech  coibcil,  -|  ;cu.  pillaba  cech  Ime. 


NUGTTIUS  in  oiuni  oie  coNciNeNces  uarcie 
coNclamaNces  Oeo  Oisnuiu  q-uiNum  saNccae  maTuae 

ís  perc  chOTíUTn  hiNC  ec  íNOe  collauOemus  marciam 
uc  uo;c  pulsec  omNem  aurcem  perc  Lauoem  uicarciam 

aiua  oe  ctuou  íuoae  summi  maceR  oomiNi  5 

opoRCUNam  Oeoic  cuTcam  esrcocaNCT  homiNi 

2.  Maria. — Maria  stilla  maris  interpretatur  ;  et  significat 


Gloss. — i.    Varie. — i.  inter  duos  choros, 
aeclesiam  inventam  in  amaritudine  seculi. 

i.  Concinentes.— Concinantes,  B.    Con- 
cinnantes  variae,  B.  R. 

2.  Marice. — See  the  note,  p.  126,  supra. 

3.  Chorum. — Corum,   B.     The  ancient 
custom  of  alternate  singing  is  here  alluded 


to.     4.    Collaudemus. — Collaudamus,     B. 
Conlaudamus,  K.     Conlaudemus,  R. 

5.  Juclce. — Juda,  B.    Summi. — Summa, 
B.  B. 

6.  Egrotanti. — This  seems  an  allusion 
T  2 


140  Hymnus  S.  Cuchuimnei. 


5 

h 
h 

P 


abruel  aoue;cic  uercbum  sinu  pacrus  pacenNo 
quoo  coNcepcum  ec  suscepcum  in  ucerco  macercNO 


aec  esc  summa  haec  esc  soncco  uinso  ueNermbilis 
quae  e;c  piOe  non  rcecessic  seo  e;cscecic  scabilis 

uic  macm  Nec  íNueNca  aNce  Nec  posc  simiCrs 
Nec  Oe  pnole  puic  plaNe  humaNae  otusinis 


er*  muliercem  ec  li^Num  muNOus  pruus  peruic 
peií  mucierus  umcucem  ab  salucem  rceonc 


m 


arua  macen  mircaNOa  pacnem  suum  ebioic  i5 

perc  quem  aqua  lace  locus  cocus  muNOus  cneoioic 


h 


aec  coNcepic  marcsanecam  non  sunc  uono  somNia 
prco  qua  soni  ctíiscioni  ueNOUNc  sua  omNia 


Gloss 7.    Verbum. — .i.  annuntiationem  verbi,  .i.  ave  maria  plena  gratia.     8.    Conceptum — .i.  di- 

vina  operante  potentia  credentis  viscera  fecundantur.     13.  Lignum — .i.  prevaricationis.     15.  Patrem. — 
.i.  omnium  creator  de  creatura  sua  procreatur.     Fons  uitre  de  riuulo  suo  oritur.     Uitis  uera  de  uirgultu 

suo  nascitur,  et  in  ligno  mortali  arbor  uitas  inseritur,  et  porta in  se  virtus  ab  infirmis  portatur. 

17.   Margaretam. — .i.  Christum. 

to  some  legend,  unless  we  take  homini  to  human   nature   ( plane).     The   preceding 

signify  mankind  in  general.  line  is  not  unlike  the  words  of  St.  An- 

7.  Patris. — Prius,  B.  R.     An  obvious  selm,  quoted  by  Mone :  "Nihil  est  sequale 
error.     Paterno. — Paternae,  R.  Marise,  nihil  nisi  Deus  majus  Maria." — 

8.  TJtero. — The  second  syllable  is  here  Opp.  S.  Anselmi,    Orat.  51.  \_Ed.  Bened. 
long.  Paris.  1721,  p.  281,  col.  1.  E.] 

9.  Qua. — Hsec  fide,  R.  15.  Maria. — This  stanza,  w.  15,  16,  is 
1  o.  Extetit. — The    second    syllable   is      omitted  by  B.     Patrem  suum. — So  in  the 

long.  Hymn    beginning    Dies    lata    celebratur 

1 1 .  IIuic. — This  word  is  here  a  dissyl-      (Daniel.  Thesaur.  Ugmnol.,  vol.  ii.  p.  2 1 2 
lable.     Matri. — Matre,  R.    Inventa. — In-      there  is  the  same  idea : — 

ventani,   R.  "  Nova  prorsus  genitura 

12.  Prole. — Flore,  R.  Plane. — Plana,  R.  Creatorem  creatura 
Humane  originis. —  This  appears  strange                      Patrem  parit  filia. 
language,   not  very   consistent  with  the  16.  Lotus. — Lota,  R. 

doctrine   of  the  Incarnation,   if  we   are  1 7.  Margaretam. — Margaritam,  B.  Hcec. 

to  take  the  words  in  their  literal  meaning      — Quae,  R.     Mone  erroneouslv  gives  Quc 
— that  the  Blcssed  Virgin  wasnot  of  mere      as  the  reading  of  B. 


Hymnus  S.  Cuchuimnei. 


141 


'ONicam  perc  cocum  ce;ccam  ctíisct  maceR  pecercac 
'   quae  percacca  ctusci  morcce  sorcce  scacim  sceceRac 


1N 


Iouamus  arcma  Lucis  lorNcam  ec  saleam 
uc  simus  oeo  prcepecci  suscepci  perc  t 

/-vmeN  ameN  aOTurcamus  mercica  puercpercae 


uc  simus  Oeo  prcepeccT  suscepcT  perc  marciam 

<\  ameN  aOTurcamus  mercica  puercpercae 
uc  non  possic  plamma  pircae  nos  omae  Deceperce 


Gi.oss. — 19.   Tonicam. — Coijiciur  hmaip  ímlibain  [a  suitable,  long  tunic].      Totum. — .i.  corpu?. 
Textam. — .i.  cen  uaim  anb  ecip  [without  any  seam  in  it  at  all].     20.   Sorte. — .i.  sine  partitione.     21. 

Loricam. — Lorica  dicta  eo  quod  loris  caret.     23.  Amen i.  vere,  vel  fideliter.     Puerpera i.  puerum 

partens  in   retate  pueri,  id  est  in  decimo  vel  in  xi.     24.  Pirce. — i.  e.  m   nabniat)   gpanna  [the  ug]y 
torch]. 


19.  Tonicam Tunicam,  K.  Hatt.Paris. 

Hist.  Angl.  p.  80,  mentions  this  tradition : 
"  A.  D.  m.clvi.  in  pago  Parisiacensi,  mo- 
nasterio  Argentoilo,  revelatione  divina, 
tunica  Salvatoris  inconsutilis  et  subcon- 
fusci  coloris  reperta  est,  quam  sicut  literae 
cum  ea  reperta?  indicabant,  gloriosa  ilater 
ejus  fecerat  ei  dum  adhuc  puer  esset." 
Other  authorities  tell  us  that  it  was 
found  in  a  vLUage  called  Zaphah,  not 
fai-  from  Jerusalem,  A.  D.  593,  in  the  time 
of  Pope  Gregorv  I.  See  Jo.  Iperii  Chron. 
S. Bertini,  part  iii.  (ap.  Martene  et  Durand. 
Thes.  Anecdot.  tom.  iiL  45 1  E.),  and  Brevia 
aliquot  Chronica  (ibid.  1391.C).  P>ut  these 
Chronicles  mahe  no  mention  of  any  let- 
ters  found  with  it,  or  of  its  having  been 
wrought  by  the  hands  of  the  B.  Virgin. 
Jíeither  is  that  tradition  mentioned  by 
Adamnan  in  his  Tract  De  locis  sanctis  ; 
but  it  is  adopted  by  Baronius  (Annal. 
A.D.  34,  n.  cxii.),  Benedict  XIV.  (Z)e 
Festis  Bomini,  I.  vii.  91.  Opp.  tom.  Ls.  p. 
8  2 ) ,  and  many  other  theologians .  The  ear- 
liest  writer  quoted  for  this  tradition  is  Eu- 
thvmius   Zvgabenus,  who  says  :   "Hanc 


vero  tunicam  e  traditione  patrum  acce- 
pimus  opus  fuisse  Dei  Matris  a  supe- 
rioribus  partibus  contextam,  veluti  sunt 
apud  nos  capitis  aut  pedum  hyemaha 
operimenta." — Comment.  in  Quat.  JEcang. 
in  Matt.  xxvii.  35  (Bill.  Patr.  Lugdun., 
tom.  xix.  p.  588,  E.).  This  author  flou- 
rished  at  the  beginning  of  the  tvrelfth 
centuiy ;  so  that  the  present  Hj-mn  is  a 
niuch  older  authoritj-.  Totum. — Totam, 
B.  Christi.— Christo,  K. 

21.  Loricam. — Luricam,  B.  Lurica, 
R.     Et  galeam. — Vicaria?,  R. 

22.  Prefecti.— Perfecti,  B. 

23.  Adjuramus. — Adoramus,  K.  Ado- 
remus,  B.  In  R.  the  last  two  stanzas  are 
reduced  to  one  ;    thus  : 

"  Amen,  amen,  adoremus,  angelis  sub  testibus, 
Ut  fruamur  et  scribamur  litteris  coelestibus ;" 
the  intervening  clauses  being  omitted. 
Puerperae. — The  gloss  on  this  word  seems 
to  allude  to  the  legend  in  the  Evange- 
lium  de  Nativ.  Marice,  the  Protevangelium 
Jacobi,  &c,  that  Mary  was  dedicated  to 
God  at  three  years  of  age,  and  lived  in 
the  temple  until  ten  or  eleven  years  old. 


14^ 


Hyiunus  S.  Cuchui/unei. 


X 


pi  NomeN  íNuocemus  aN^elis  sub  resnbus 
ur  prcuamuT?  er  scTupamim  lireTus  celesnbus 


caNcemus. 


Sanccae  TTla|iiae  mepicum  ímplopamup  Dignifpmum 
uc  mepiamup  polium  habicape  alcippmum. 


Gloss. — 26.  Literis. — .i.  in  memoria  Dei. 


24..  Decepere. — Decerpere,  B. 

26.  Scripamur. — Scribamur,  B.  The 
gloss  on  this  verse  intimates,  that  to  be 
written  "  literis  celestibus"  signiíies  that 
we  are  written  in  the  memory  of  God. 

27.  Sancta  JHarice. — It  is  evident  that 
in  these  lines  (omitted  in  R.  and  K.)  there 
is  a  rude  rhythm,  or  assonance,  and  each 
line  consists  of  eight  syllables  : — 

"  Sancta  MariíE  meritum 
Imploramus  dignissimum, 
Ut  mereamur  solium, 
Habitare  [Habere,  B.]  altissimum." 

ln  the  Bále  MS.  we  íind  here  the  fbl- 


lowing  Collect,    in  the   later   handwrit- 
ing:— 

"Singularis  meriti,  sola  sine  exem- 
plo,  Mater  et  Virgo  Maria,  quam  Deus 
ita  mente  et  corpore  custodivit,  ut  digna 
existes  ex  qua  sibi  nostras  redemptionis 
pretium  Dei  Filius  corpus  adaptaret ;  ob- 
secro  te  misericordissima  per  quam  to- 
tus  salvatur  mundus,  intercede  pro  me 
spurcissimo,  et  cunctis  iniquitatibus  foedo, 
ut  qui  ex  meis  iniquitatibus  nil  aliud  dig- 
nus  sum  quam  aeternum  subire  suppli- 
cium,  tuis  Virgo  spendidissima  salvatus 
meritis  perenne  consequar  regnum." 


(    »43   ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTES. 


Note  A. 
The  Scholiasfs  Preface. 

THE  following  is  a  translation  of  the  Scholium  or  Preface  to  this  Hymn,  which  is 
in  the  usual  mixture  of  Irish  and  Latin  : — 

Cantemus  in  omni  die Cuchuimne  composed  this  Hvmn  in  praise  of  the  Virgin  Mary.     Now  it  was 

in  the  time  of  Loingsech,  son  of  Oengusa,  aml  of  Adamnan,  it  was  composed.  It  is  uncertain,  however,  iu 
what  place  he  composed  it.  This  was  the  reason  whv  he  composed  it,  to  deliver  himself  from  the  evil  life 
he  was  leading,  quia  conjugemb  habuit,  et  in  mala  vita  cum  illa  fuit.  Or  it  was  to  facilitate  his  progress 
in  what  he  had  not  yet  completed  of  his  studies,  that  he  made  this  praise  of  Mary.     As  Adamnan  said  :  — 

Cuchuimne,  [Cuchuininer], 

Read  learned  writings  half  way  . 
The  other  half  of  his  eareer 
He  abandoned  for  his  women. 


*  Loingsech,  son  of  Oengus. — He  was  king  of 
Ireland,  according  to  OTlaherty's  Chronology, 
from  A.  D.  695  to  704,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle 
of  Corann,  county  of  Sligo,  in  this  latter  year.  Dr. 
O'Conor's  Tighernach  gives  703  as  the  date  of 
this  battle,  which,  however,  ought  to  be  704,  for 
he  adds : — "  iv.  id.  Julii,  vi.  hora  diei  Sabbati  hoc 
bellum  confectum  est."  In  704,  the  4th  of  the  Ides 
nf  July  fell  on  Saturday ;  in  703  on  Thursdav  : 
therefore  it  is  evident  that  Tighernach  intended  the 
vear  704.  The  Four  Masters  give  the  date  701, 
which  is  irreconcilable  with  the  dav  of  the  week 
on  which  Tighei'nach  (doubtless  from  some  ancient 
authority)  tells  us  the  battle  was  fought.  Adam- 
nan  died  the  same  year,  704.  Ussher,  Index 
Chron. 


b  Conjugem. — Meaning,  it  is  to  be  presumed, 
Concubinam.  Vid.  Adamnan,  Vit.  S.  Col.  (ed. 
Reeves),  pp.  75-77. 

c  Cuchuimne. — In  the  original  this  word  occurs 
but  once  ;  but  it  was  evidentlv  intended  to  be  rt- 
peated,  as  the  metre  requires  ;  see  page  82,  supru, 
note  °.  Dr.  O'Donovan  overlooked  this  when  he 
printed  these  verses  in  his  edition  of  the  Four 
Masters,  A.  D.  742. 

d  Halfwag.  —  Co  bpuimne  is  literally  "to  the 
ridge,"  i.  e.  to  the  top  or  ridge  of  a  hill,  whicfa  i> 
half  way  across.  The  meaning  is,  that  Cuchuimne 
spent  one-half  of  his  time  in  the  study  of  learned 
authors,  or  that  he  had  perused  one-half  of  the 
learned  writers.  when  he  abandoned  himself  to  an 
irregular  life. 


1 44  The  Scholiasfs  Preface. 

ruchuimne  said  [in  replv] — 

Cuchuimne  [Cuchuimne], 

Read  learned  writings  half  way. 

Thc  other  half  of  his  careere 

He  will  read, — he  will  abandonf  women. 


[Noie  A. 


Or. 


The  other  half  of  his  career — 

He  will  read  them  all  until  he  becomes  a  sage. 


He  composed  it  in  rhvthm  ;  and  there  are  thirteen  chapters  in  it;  and  two  lines  in  each  chapter;  and 
twelve  svllables  in  each  line. 


The  verses,  here  attributed  to  Adamnan,  are  transcribed  in  a  hand  of  the  í'our- 
teenth  eentury,  in  the  margin  of  the  Dublin  MS.  of  the  Annals  of  IJlster,  at  A.  D.  746; 
but  are  there  attributed,  not  to  Adamnan,  but  to  the  Nurse  of  Cuchuimne :  they  are 
given  thus : — 


TTIuime  Con-cuimne  cecinic  :- 

Cucuimne  [Cucuimne], 
T?o  leg  puici  co  bpuimne, 
Gllech  naill  hiapaca 
Tío  leici  ap  cailleca. 

Qn  00  Concuimne  pomboi, 
Ttnpualaib  be  conib  poi, 
TJo  leic  caillecha  ha  paill 
Tío  leis  aluill  apich  mboi. 


The  Nurse  of  Cuchuimne  sang  : — 

Cuchuimne  !   [Cuchuimne  !] 

He  read  learned  writings  half  way  ; 

The  other  half  of  his  career 

He  abandoned  for  women. 

Happy  is  it  for  Cuchuimue, 

Ile  has  gone  forward  uutil  he  has  become  a  sage  ; 

He  has  abandoned  women  to  neglect ; 

He  has  read  the  other  halfof  his  victoriouslife. 


This  seems  to  be  a  more  ancient  form  of  this  curious  distich  than  either  of  the  two 
texts  of  it  which  are  given  above,  or  than  that  of  the  Four  Mastcrs,  at  A.  D.  742, 
which  is  as  follows,  withDr.  O'Donovan's  translation  (the  metrical  arrangement  being 
corrected  to  correspond  with  the  above)  : — 


'  Career The  word  paca  may  be  the  genitive 

case  of  pac,  prosperity,  increase,  progress,  advance- 
ment ;  but  Dr.  O'Donovan  has  rendered  it  "  career" 
(Fotir  Mast.  A.  D.  742),  taking  it  to  be  paca 
running,  racing; — course,  carcer. 

f  He  will  abandun. — The  plav  upon  the  words 
po  les  "  he  read,"  and  po  leic,  "he  abandoned," 
is  evidently  the  point  of  the  first  stanza ;  and  so  in 


Cuchuimne's  answer  there  is  a  play  upon  po  le^, 
"  he  read,"  le^paib,  "  he  will  read,"  and  leijjpib, 
"  he  will  lcave,  dismiss,  or  abandon."  It  is  not  to 
be  supposed  that  these  verses  can  be  really  the  com- 
position  of  Adamnan  ;  and  accordinglv  the  Dublin 
MS.  of  the  Annals  of  Ulster  attributes  them,  not  to 
Adamnan,  but  to  Cuchuimne's  nurse;  showing  that 
he  was  not  known  with  certainty  to  be  the  author. 


XoTE  B.] 


History  of  Cuchuimne. 


'45 


Cucuimne,  [Cucuimne], 
T?o  leg  puiche  co  bpuimne, 
QUech  aile  appatha, 
Tío  lecc  aj\  a  chaillecha. 

Ppipccap  Cucuimne: — 

Cucuimne,  [Cucuimne], 
T?o  léig  púiche  co  bpuimne, 
QUech  aile  apaib  cui, 
Lespaio  huile  copop  pui. 


Cuchuimne,  [Cuchuimne], 
Eead  the  authors  half  through ; 
The  other  half  of  his  career 
He  abandoned  for  his  hags. 

Cuchuimne  replied : — 

Cuchuimne,  [Cuchuimne], 
Read  the  authors  half  through  ; 
During  the  other  half  of  his  career 
He  will  read  till  he  become  an  adept. 


The  meaning,  however,  in  all  these  readings  of  the  couplet  is  the  same  :  that  Cu- 
chuimne,  after  spending  some  years  in  scholar-like  study,  was  seduced  into  a  life  of 
profligacj- ;  hut  that  he  at  length,  on  the  remonstrance  of  his  friends,  abandoned  his 
vices,  and  resumed  with  zeal,  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  the  studies  becoming  an 
ecclesiastic. 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  remark,  that  there  is  great  internal  evidenee  of  truth 
in  this  record  of  the  weahness  of  Cuchuimne.  Xo  mere  inventor  of  legends  would  have 
narrated  such  an  event  in  the  life  of  a  writer  whom  he  was  quoting  as  the  author  of  a 
religious  Hymn.     See  the  remarks  alreadv  made  on  this  subject,  p.  92,  supra. 


Note  B. 

Sistortj  of  Cuchuimne. 

The  information  given  us  in  the  Prcfaee,  or  Scholium,  prefixed  to  the  Hymn,  'and 
translated  in  the  foregoing  note,  contains  nearly  all  the  information  vre  possi  <> 
respecting  Cuchuimne.  He  is  there  said  to  have  lived  in  the  reign  of  Loingseach  Mac 
Aengusa  (who  was  King  of  Ireland,  A.  D.  695  to  703),  and  appears  to  have  survived 
that  monarch  some  years.  The  Annah  of  Ulster  record  his  death  at  the  year 
746,  in  thcse  words  :  "Cu-cumine"  [read  Cucuimne,  as  in  the  Dublin  MS.]  "sapiens 
obiit."  Tighcrnach  [Dublin  MS.]  seems  to  have  made  the  ycar  747,  and  gives 
the  obit  thus:  "  Cuimine  sapiens  obiit."  The  Four  Masters  give  the  date  742, 
and  translate,  apparently  from  the  L'lster  Annals,  thus  : — 

Cucuimne'  eccnaió  cogaioe  eipióe  t>o  ecc.  "  Cucuimne,  he  was  a  choice  sage,  died." 

They  then  quote  the  same  verses  which  are  given  by  the  Scholiast  of  the  Book  of 
Hvmns,  attributing  them,  as  that  Book  does,  to  Adamnan. 

»  Cucuimne — Cucummne  is  the  reading  in  Dr.       press  ;  for  theMS.  in  the  Librarv  ofTrinitv  College, 
O'Donovan's  text,  but  it  seems  to  be  an  error  of  the       Dublin,  reads  Cvcvimne. 

u 


146  The  Hymn  of  St.  Cuchuimne.  [notec. 

Froni  thcse  vcrscs  (scc  Note  A),  it  appears  that  Cuchuimne  for  a  time  had  led  an 
Lrregulax  life,  "  quia  conjugem  habuit,  et  in  mala  vita  cum  illa  fuit."  But  during  thc 
latter  part  of  his  life  he  repented,  and  the  present  Hymn  may  he  received  as  an  evi- 
dcnce  that  his  thoughts  were  sinecrcly  occupied  in  holy  things.  His  name  does  not 
occur  in  any  of  the  Irish  Calendars  01*  Martyrologies,  notwithstanding  which,  Colgan 
does  not  hcsitate  to  give  him  the  title  of  saint. 

The  name  Cu-chuimne  [signifying  Uound  of  Memoryh~]  is  not  of  frequent  occur- 
rence  in  Irish  Church  history,  although  Cumminc,  Cummeni,  Cummain,  which  are, 
perhaps,  forms  of  the  samc  name,  are  more  frequent.  Colgan''  has  given  the  following 
account  of  the  author  of  this  Hymn  : — ' '  Sanctus  Cuchumncus  (qui,  addito  Mo  more 
Hibcrnis  familiari,  potuit  Moclmmneus  appellari),  floruit  juste  tempore  Sancti  Aidi 
Sleptcnsis,  amio  698  mortui.  Hic  enim  in  laudcm  Dciparse  Virginis  composuit  Hym- 
num,  penes  me  extantem,  qui  incipit ; 

'  Cantemus  in  omni  die,  concinnantes  varié, 
Conclamantes  Deo  dignum  hymnum  S.  Marice.1 

Et  ut  colligitur  ex  argumento  eidcni  Hymno  prsefixo,  author  fioruit  tcmpore  Adamnani 
Ahbatis,  et  Longseci  Hibemia3  Regis,  qui  ccepit  regnare  anno  694..  Vixit  tamen 
postea  usque  ad  annum  746,  quo  Annales  Ultonicnscs  rcfcrunt  Cucumneum  Sapientem 
obiisse ;  vel  saltem  usque  ad  annum  724  [read  742],  in  quem  cjus  mortem  refcrunt 
Quatuor  Magistri  in  Annalibus." — Tr.  Tlutum.,  p.  218,  b.  This,  however,  thc 
reader  will  perceive,  givcs  us  no  information  bcyond  what  we  have  already  gleancd 
from  thc  authoritics  citcd  above:  andColgan  has  suppressed  all  mcntion  of  Cuchuimne's 
irregular  lifc,  although  he  declarcs  him  to  have  been  contemporaiy  with  Adamnan,  to 
whom  thc  vcrses  rebuhing  that  irrcgularity  are,  in  the  Book  of  Hymns,  ascribed.  He 
must,  thcreforc,  have  secn  those  verses. 


NOTE    C. 

Maria  Stilla  Maris. 

The  Gloss  on  thc  name  Maria  (ver.  2,  p.  139,  supra,  and  also  in  the  preceding  Hymn, 
ver.  17,  p.  126),  intcrprcts  the  name  as  signifying  in  Hebrcw  "  Stilla  maris,"  from 
~!!2,  a  drop,  and  D\  the  sea.     See  above,  p.  126,  note. 

b  Hound  of  Memori/. — "  Hound"  was  an  lionour-  mistaken    the   name."     He   was   speaking   of  the 

able  title  amongst  the  ancient  Irish.     The  name  Maccuthenius,  or  Mochucumneus,  who  is  said  to 

may  perhaps  be  equivalent  to  the  medúeval  name  liave  written  Acts  ofSt.  Patrich;  and  he  savs  tliat, 

Jíemorius,  or  Memorianus.  allowing  for  the  Irish  custom  of  prefixing  Mo,  my, 

'-  Colgan. — Hanis  (Ware's   JVritcrs  of  Ireland,  to  the  names  of  saints,  there  are  two  or  three  sainta 

)>.  40)  has  mistaken  this  passage  of  Colgan.     Col-  whose  names  are  mcntioned   in    Irish   historv  (of 

gan  docs  not  identify  Mocuthcnius  with  the  author  whom  our  author  is  one),  any  one  of  whom  mav 

of  this  Hymn,  nor  does  he  say  "that   Ussher  had  liave  been  the  biographer  of  St.  Patrick. 


note  c.]  Maria  Stilla  Maris.  1 47 

Nothing  is  more  common  in  the  orthography  of  Irish  MSS.  of  the  eighth  and  fol- 
lowing  centuries,  than  to  find  e  for  *,  as  ancella,  for  ancilla;  antestes,  for  antistes,  &c. ; 
and  also  i  for  e,  as  adoliscens,  libliothica,  &c.  (see  Reeves'  Pref.  to  Adamnarís  Life  of 
Columla,  pp.  xvi.  xvii.)  And  in  the  present  case  it  seems  almost  certain  that  the 
ancient  authors  who  devised  this  etymology  for  the  Hebrew  proper  name  Miriam, 
(which  was  Latinized  Maria),  intended  Stilla maris,  "  a  drop  of  the  sea,"  and  not  stella, 
"  a  star  of  the  sea ;"  the  former  having  some  foundation  in  Hebrew,  the  latter  none. 
And  the  common  confusion  in  the  orthography  of  the  period,  together  with  the  general 
ignorance  of  Hebrew,  has  led  to  the  popular  adoption  of  the  more  poetical  designation 
of  "  star,"  instead  of  "  drop,"  of  the  sea.  Modern  writers,  although  they  very  gene- 
rally  explain  this  allusion  to  the  sea,  as  if  Maria  was  derived  from  the  Latin  Mare, 
by  a  further  confusion,  leave  stella  unexplained.  See  Daniel,  Thesaur.  Hymnol., 
tom.  i.  p.  205.  There  can  be  little  doubt,  therefore,  that  St.  Jerome,  when  he  inter- 
prets  Miriam,  "Stella  maris"  (see  the  passage  quoted  above,  p.  126),  wrote  and  meant 
stilla,  "  a  drop  of  the  sea,"  and  that  stella  is  a  mistahe  of  liís  transcribers  or  editors. 
Nevertheless,  this  error  has  prevailed,  and  is  adopted  in  many  ecclesiastical  hymns  in 
use  at  the  present  day;  e.  g.  in  the  celebrated  one — "Ave  maris  stella,  Dei  Mater 
alma,"  wliich  is  still  retained  in  the  Roman  Breviary.  And  so  also  in  the  Hymn 
beginning — "  Salve  Mater  Salvatoris"  (Daniel,  Thesaur.  Hijmnoh,  tom.  ii.  p.  83) 
we  have  the  lines — 

"  0  Maria,  stella  maris,  Dignitate  singularis, 
Super  omnes  ordinaris,  Ordines  coelestium." 

And  the  same  interpretation  is  given  to  the  name  by  ahnost  all  mediajval  writers,  of 
whom  it  may  sufSce  to  quote  St.  Bernard  (in  Homil.  ii.  super  Missus  est,  n.  17) — "Lo- 
quamur  pauca"  (he  says)  "  super  hoc  nomine,  quod  interpretatum  Maris  stella  dicitur,  et 
Matri  Virgini  valde  convenienter  aptatur.  Ipsa  namque  aptissime  sideri  comparatur," 
&c. — Opp.  Ed.  Bened.,  iii.  p.  742. 

Nevertheless,  the  word  stilla  was  known  tothese  writers  as  signifving  "a  drop," 
which  is  cvident  from  the  Hymn  beginning  "  0  felicem  geniti'icem"  (Daniel,  Thesaur. 
Ihjmnol.,  ii.  p.  205),  in  which  these  lines  occur  : — 

"  0  mamilla  cujus  stilla  fuit  ejus  pabulum, 
Qui  dat  terraa  fructum  ferre,  pascit  omne  saeculum." 

It  may  be  observed,  that  in  the  interpretations  of  proper  names  given  in  the  ancient 
Irish  Gospels  called  the  Book  of  Kells  and  the  Book  of  Duirow,  preserved  in  the 
Library  of  Tiinity  CoEege,  Dublin,  Maria  is  explained  stilla  (not  stella)  maris.  "VVe 
have,  likewise,  "  Maria  stilla  maris,"  Boolc  of  Armagh,  fol.  32,  aa.  See  also  line  14 
of  the  following  Hymn,  where  we  read,  "  Tunc  magi  stellam  secuti,"  showing  that  the 
scribe  of  the  Book  of  Hymns  did  not  confound  stilla  and  stella. 

U2 


(     148     ) 


VII.  THE  HYMN  OF  ST.  HILAM  IN  PRAISE  OF  CHEIST. 


THIS  Hymn  was  first  published  by  George  Cassander,  who  says  that  he 
found  it  in  an  ancient  volume  which  contained  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict, 
and  several  Hvmns1.     He  notes  it  "  incerto  auctore." 

It  occurs  also  in  the  Antiphonarium  Benchorense,  and  has  been  printed  by 
Muratori2  from  that  MS. 

It  has  also  been  reprinted  recently,  from  the  text  of  Cassander,  by  Daniel, 
in  his  Thesaurus  Hjmnolorjicus,  vol.  i.  p.  191. 

In  the  Bangor  Antiphonary  this  Hymn  stands  first,  with  the  title 
"  Hi/mnum3  S.  Hilarii  de  Chrisio." 

The  Preface  in  the  Book  of  Hymns,  now  for  the  first  time  published, 
expressly  names  St.  Hilary  of  Poictiers,  and  the  authority  of  these  two  ancient 
MSS.  is  suflficient  to  prove  that  the  tradition  of  the  Irish  Church  attributed 
the  authorship  of  the  Hymn  to  that  prelate. 

Bede4  quotes  this  Hymn  in  his  Tract  De  arte  metrica  (cap.  23),  and  gives 
the  first  two  lines  as  an  example  of  the  "  Metrum  Trochaicum  tetrametrum  ;" 
he  aseribes  it  to  no  author,  but  simply  styles  it  "  Hymnus  ille  pulcherrimus," 
as  if  it  was  then  well  known. 

If  the  Hymn  had  been  the  composition  of  so  celebrated  a  personage  as 

1  "  Hjmns Repertum  in  vetustissimo  li-  mistake,  arising  from  his  not  understanding 

bro  Bencdicti  regulam  cum  hymnis  continente,  the  contraction  "  Hymn3 ,"  which  is  Hijmnus. 

unde    et    plerosque    alios    desumpsimus." —  IIis  want  of  familiaritv  with  Irish  MSS.  has 

Hijmni  Ecclesiast.  (Opp.,   Paris,   16 16   fol.)  led  him  into  several  similar  errors,  and  tlicre 

p.  186.  is  rcason   to  think  that  he  has   altercd   the 

2  Muratori. — See  abovc,  p.  7.  ancicnt  original  spelhng  of  the  MS.  to  bring  it 

3  Hjmnum. — Muratori,  in  liis  transcript  of  intoconformitvwith  the  rcceived  orthographv. 
the  Bangor  MS.,  gives  Hjmnum  throughout  4  Bede. — See  Additional  Note  at  the  end 
as  a  neuter  nominative.     This,  no  doubt,  is  a  ofthisHvmn. 


TJie  Hymn  of  St.  Hilary.  149 

Hilary  of  Poictiers,  it  is  not  likely  that  Bede  could  have  been  ignorant  of  the 
fact,  or,  knowing  it,  that  he  would  have  omitted  to  name  the  author,  inasmuch 
as  he  gives  frequently  the  names  of  the  authors  of  the  hymns  he  quotes,  such 
as  Sedulius,  Prudentius,  St.  Ambrose,  Paulinus,  &c,  many  of  them  obscure, 
when  compared  with  St.  Hilary  of  Poictiers. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  also,  that  the  Hymn  seems  to  contain  allusions  to  a 
monastic  society,  and  if  so,  cannot  have  been  the  composition  of  an  author 
who  lived  before  the  institution  of  the  co^nobitic  life  in  the  Western  Church. 
For  instance,  the  first  line,  "  Hvmnum  dicat  turba  fratmm ;"  line  65,  "  Ante 
lucem  turba  fratrum  concinemus  gloriam  ;"  and  line  71,  "  Ante  lucem  decan- 
tantes." 

It  may  be  said  that  "  turba  fratrum"  does  not  necessarily  imply  a  society 
of  " friars,"  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  word.  For  in  the  Hjmn1  "  Lauda 
Syon  Salvatorem,"  attributed  to  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  we  have  the  lines : — 

"  Quem  in  sacra;  mensa  coenas 
Turbae  fratrum  duodena? 
Datum  non  ambigitur." 

where  Turbce  fratrum  evidently  signify  the  twelve  Apostles ;  but  St.  Tho- 
mas  may  have  adopted  the  phraseology  of  a  later  age,  wherein  the  Apostles 
were  not  unfrequently  spoken  of  as  a  sort  of  monastic  confraternity  ;  and  the 
passages  of  the  present  Hymn,  above  referred  to,  plainly  speak  of  a  Turbafra- 
trum  living  together,  and  rising  before  the  dawn,  to  sing  together  the  praises 
of  God,  in  evident  allusion  to  a  monastic  society. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  fourth  Council  of  Toledo2  (A.  D.  633)  speaks  of 
hymns  at  that  time  in  use  in  the  Church,  "  quos  beati  Doctores  Hilarius  et 
Ambrosius  ediderunt;"  so  that  there  were  hymns3  then  attributed  to,   or 

1  Hymn — Daniel,  Thesaur.  IIymnologic,  which  were  not  to  be  found  in  the  Scriptures, 
vol.  ii.  p.  97.  nor  of  apostolic  tradition  :  "  quos  [hvmnos] 

2  Toledo. — Can.  13  (Hardouin,  Concil.,  tamen  (piidem  specialitcr  reprobant,  pro  eo 
tom.  iii.  583  D).  quod  de  Scripturis  sanctorum  canonum,  vel 

3  H>jmns.—lt  would  secm  tbat  there  was  apostolica  traditione  non  existunt."  The 
then  a  feeling  in  the  Spanish  Church  not  un-  Council  answers,  that  the  same  objection 
like  that  of  the  modern  English  Puritaus  ;  would  apply  to  the  pravers,  collects,  and  the 
for  the  canon  of  the  Council  of  Tolcdo  here  whole  liturgy  of  the  Church,  and  therefore 
referred  to  is  directed  against  some  who  ob-  concludes,  "excommunicatione  plectendi  qui 
jected  to  use  in  the  Church  service  bymns  hvmnos  rejicere  fuerint  ausi." — ubi  supra. 


150  Tlie  Hymn  of  St.  Hilary. 

lcnown  to  be  the  composition  of  St.  Hilai^,1  which  are  no  longer  known  as 
such ;  and  St.  Jerome  expressly  mentions  a  Liber  Htjmnorum,  by  St.  Hilary, 
as  extant  in  his  time2.  This,  however,  would  bnly  render  it  more  probable 
that  a  hymn,  whose  author  was  unknown,  should  be  attributed  to  an  author 
who  was  known  to  have  composed  hymns,  and  whose  name  stood  high  in  the 
Church.  There  is,  therefore,  in  the  fact  that  St.  Hilary  wrote  hymns,  nothing 
to  weaken  the  force  of  the  arguments  above  alluded  to  ;  especially  when  we 
observe  that  the  style  of  the  present  Hymn  is  rude  and  unpolished,  and  in  no 
way  similar  to  that  of  St.  Hilary's  acknowledged  writings3. 

The  Legend  recorded  in  the  Scholiast's  Preface4  seems  to  connect  the  Hymn 
with  Hilary  of  Arles,  who  flourished  in  the  middle  oí'  the  fifth  century,  rather 
than  with  Hilary  of  Poictiers.  Por  in  his  time  the  monastic  life  had  begun  in 
the  West,  and  he  is  said  to  have  crossed  the  Alps  on  foot,  in  order  to  plead 
his  cause  before  Pope  Leo5. 

Be  this,  however,  as  it  may,  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  the  present  Hymn 
is  a  composition  of  great  antiquity.  Its  doctrine  is  throughout  in  accordance 
with  that  of  the  primitive  Church,  and  its  language  and  diction  are  consistent 
with  an  early  date.  It  may  probably  be  assigned  to  the  fifth  or  sixth 
century. 

1  S.   Iíilanj. — Isidore,   Bisliop   of  Seville,  tom.  ii.  ed.  Vallarsii). 

tells  us  that  St.  IIilary,  of  Poictiers,  was  the  3  Writings This  seems  to  have  been  Mu- 

first  Christian  author  of  hymns  :  "  Sunt  au-  ratori's  opinion,  for  in  his  preface  to  the  An- 

tem  Divini  Hymni,  sunt  et  ingenio  humano  tiphonarium  Benchorense  he  says :    "  At  in 

eompositi.     Hilarius,  autem,  Gallus,  Episco-  Hymno  nunc  a  nobis  producto  majorem  for- 

pus  Pictaviensis,  elocpientia  conspicuus,  car-  tasse   elegantiam   desiderabunt   nonnulli,   ut 

mine  floruit  prhnus.     Post  quem  Ambrosius  eum  S.  Hilario  adscribant." — Opere  (Arezzo, 

Episcopus,  vir  magna?  gloriai  in  Christo,  et  in  1770),  tom.  xi.  part  3,  p.  222. 

ecclesia  clarissimus  doctor,"  &c — Isidor.  His-  i  Preface. — See  p.  162,  infra. 

pal.,Z>e  Offciis,  1.  c.  6,  n.  2  (0py?.  ed.  Arevalo,  5  Pope  Leo.—Sec    Tillemont,    Mémoires, 

tom.  vi.  p.  369.     Pioma3,  1802).  tom.  xv.  p.  72  (Viede  S.  Hilaire,  art.  15),  and 

3  Inhis  tirne Devirisillustr.,c.  100  (Opp.  the  authorities  there  quoted. 


q-mNUTTl  OICOC.  hilapiup  6ipipcopup  -\  ppmcepp  cvuicacip  crue  bicicup  piccauip 
pecic  hunc  C^-mnum  Chpipco  m  monce  *5aT15aT11>  laT1  comailc  na  ppamne  íllic 
icesbcnp  mb  Lacpamb.  Ocup  íap  na  clu^ub  buibe  bo  Oia  po  chmpac  m  meic 
bfchaib  popc  conapbac  mo  cruam  mpancep.  amal  cappappem  bo  pacupc  boi  occo. 
Camic  amsel  -|  apbepc  ppiu.  mpi  pemcenciam  e^epicip  m  mpepnum  íbicip. 
egepunc  epgo  pemcenciam  -\  bebic  Oeup  ínbulsenciam  eip  pep  ipcam  laubem. 
pic  nobip  conuemc  canepe  popc  ppanbium. 

aiicep,  locup  .1.  ppecup  m  peccope  moncip  louip  mcep  Olpep  ín  cpoa  philophi  [sic]  ancea 
puepunc.  Cempup,  Ualenciam  -]  Ualencip.  peppona  hilapiup.  Caupa  .1.  Ongelup 
popculauic  cpjcmbo  uemc  ab  Supannam  upbem  cum  cpicfncip  uipip  .1.  .c.  be 
clepicip,  1  .cc.  be  laicip.  Unup  uepo  be  clepicip  mopcuup  e^c  ppo  ppisope  hiemip, 
1  hilapiup  opauic  ppo  puo  monacho.  ílla  aucem  nocce  angelup  bi;cic  ab  eum, 
bebec  ce  pcpucapi  pcpipcupap  -\  cj.mnum  pacepe  Oeo.  llle  aucem  pecic  íuprca 
ímpepium  an^eli,  1  mopcuum  pupcicauic  pep  spaciam  t)ei. 

TTIecpum  cpoiachum  cecpamecpum  epc.  hic  pecipic  pponbeum  ommbup  locip,  ppaecep 
cepcium  locum,  -\  cpochia  omnibup  locip.  m  cfuo  alicpjanbo  cepcio  loco  ppiopip 
ueppiculi  pponbeum  pepepiep.  uc  paccop  celi  -\  ceppae  paccop.  -|  uepbip 
pupgac  leppae  mopbum.  Cuppic  aucem  alcepmp  ueppibup  íca  uc  ppiop  ueppup 
habeac  pebep  .1111.  popcepiop  uepo  .111.  -|  pillabam. 

C^-mnup    5Pece>  ^aur   mcepppecacup    Lacme,    uel   cmmup   memopia    bicicup,  picuc  m 

ppalcepio  5Peeo  C^-mnop  cepcmon.  hoc  epc  memop  puic  nopcpi.  -|  íp  bo  molab  Oe 

m  campiub  ap  bip  q-mnup  -\  íp  popbmmup  canaip  uc  aguprmup  bicic  íp  na  beccabib- 

C^-nmop  ppmium  Oauib  ppopeca  m   laubem   Oei    compopuippe    mampepcum 

epc. 


TTI  NUTTl  Oicac  curcba  pTíacmjm  q.mNum  concus  percsoNec 
crmisco  rcesi  coNciNeNces  lauoem  Oemus  Oebicam 


Gloss. —  1.  Hi/mnum. — .i.  laudem.  Fratrum. — .i.  in  Christo.  Cantus. — .i.  noruinati- 
vus.  2.  Concinentes. — .i.  a  verbo  concino  .1.  a  comchanam  [we  sing  together].  Demus.. — 
i.  laudes  demus  debitas. 


1.  Tmnum  dicat. — For  a  trans- 
lation  of  the  Preface,  see  Addi- 
tional  ]S"ote,  p.  162.  The  various  readings 
of  the  Antiphonariuiu  Benchorense  have 
been  marked  B.  in  the  follovdn;;  notes  : 


thosc  of  Cassander,  C.  Fratrum. — Fide- 
liuni,  B.,  vdiich  does  not  suit  the  metre. 
Bede  reads  Fratrum.     See  Addit.  2sTote. 

2.   Concinentes. — Concinnentur,  B.,   an 
evident  mistahe.    Lauclem. — Laudes,  B.C. 


152  Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 


•u  Oei  Oe  corcoe  ueNbum  cu  uia  cu  uercicas 
'  lesse  umga  cu  uocaius  ce  LeoNem  Lesimus. 


t) 
1N 

F 

u 


excrca  pacrcis  ttions  ec  agNiis  aNsuLarus  cu  Lapis, 
spoNsus  íOem  eL  coLumba  pLamma  pascorc  ionuo. 


prcopecis  inucniris  noscno  nocus  saecuLo 
aNce  saecLa  cu  puisci  paccoR  prumi  saecuLi 

accor?  caeLi  ec  cermae  paccorc  coNsTíesacorc  cu  maTus 
oiTTNiumcfue  cu  cNeacorc  cruae  pacer*  Nasci  íubec 


ínSiNis  necepcus  membTíis  sabNieLis  nuncio 
cncscic  aLbus  pnoLe  soncco  nos  moNemuN  cNebene 

em  Nouam  Nec  aNce  uisam  uinsinc  puenpeNa 
cunc  111051  sceLLam  secuci  pNinn  aooTíONC  paNnuLum 


Cíloss. — 3.  De  corde — .i.  de  secreto  Divinitatis.      Verbnm. — i.  filius.      Via Ut  dicitur  Ego  snm  via 

et  veritas  et  vita ;  et  iterum  Nemo  venit  ad  patrem  nisi  per  me.     4.  Jesse. — .i.   genitus.      Virga. — Ut 

dicitur  Exeat  virga  de  radice  iesse.     Leonem. — Ut  dicitur  Vicit  leo  de  tribu  iuda.     5.  Dextra i.  vita 

eterna.       Mons. — Ut  dicitur  Erit  in  novissimis  diebus  proeparatus  mons.     Agnus. — .i.  Ecce  agnus  Dei  qui 

tollit  peccatum  mundi.     Lapis. — .i.   Lapidem  quem  reproba[verunt ]     6.   Sponsus. — .i.  sicut 

sponsus  procedens  de  thalamo  suo El. — .i.  Deus.      Columba.- — Ut  dicitur,  Sponsa  mea,  columba 

mea.  Pastor. — i.  Ego  sum  pastor  bonus,  et  iterum,  Ego  sum  ianua  per  me  si  quis  intraverit  salvabitur. 
7.  Nostro. — .i.  in  novo  testamento.  Secla. — .i.  ante  omnia  saecula.  8.  Fuisti — .i.  per  temetipsum  qui  es 
siue  initio  et  sine  fine.  Primi  seculi. — .i.  mundi  creatio  in  principio,  secundum  saeculum  quando  reformabi- 
tur  in  tine  saeculi,  aliter  primum  seculum  creatio  Adae  in  principio  mundi,  secundum  seculum  formatio 
hominis  per  Christum.  10.  Omniumque. — .i.  elimentorum;  ut  dicit  Johannes  Omnia  per  ipsum  facta  sunt. 
Jubet. — .i.  fiat  lux  ct  facta  est  lux.  11.  Gabrielis. — i.  ave  Maria  gratia  plena,  ecce  concipies  et  paries 
tilium  et  vocabis  nomen  eius  Jesum.  12.  Albus. — .i.  Mariaí.  13.  Puerpera — .i.  puerum  prius  parens,  vel 
in  aatate  pueri  parens  Christum,  .i.  in  x°.  vel  in  xii°.  anno.  14.  Magi. — .i.  quasi  magis  guari,  qui  philo- 
sophantur  in  omni  re ;  ut  est,  Ecce  magi  ab  oriente  venerunt  Hier 

The  remaindcr  of  this  line,  the  last  six  6.  Idem  el. — Idem  vel,  B.  C.     But  tlie 

words  of  line  3,  and  the  whole  ofline^  reading  "  idem  El "  is  undoubtedly  eorrect. 

are  wanting  in  B.,  from  a  defect  in  the  MS.  El  is  the  Hehrew  bs,   God,  as  the  Gloss 

Lebitam. — Dehitas,  B.  C.  explainsit.  (SeeIsidor.HispaL,^ywo/o^/., 

5.  Dextra. — In  the  margin  is  the  fol-  vn.  i.  n.  3.) 
lowing  note  : — "  Dextra  Dei  dicitur  quia  7.  I'rofetis. — Prophetis,  B.  C. 

sicut  facit  aliquis  omnia   qua3  vult   per  9.  Et  terra. — Terraí,  B.  C. 

dexteram,  sic  Deus  Tater  omnia  fecit  per  1 1.   Gabrielis. — Gabriele,  C. 

Christum.     Ideo  Columba  dicitur  propter  12.  Albus. — Evidentlj-  meaning  Alvus, 

simplicitatcm  suam.    Flamma,  ut  dicitur,  as  thc  Gloss  proves.     Ahus  is  the  reading 

Deus  meus  flamma  devorans  ét  ignis  con-  of  B.  C.     The   remainder   of  this,    and 

sumens."  the  next  four  lincs,  are  effaccd  in  B. 


o 


Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  lauclem  Christi.  153 

PperceNces  cus  ec  aurmm  oisno  rce<5i  muNeRa  15 

nio^r  euoon  NUNCiacum  íNuiOeNS  poceNciae 

•um  íubec  parcuos  Necaru  curcbam  pecic  marccmum 
)  perccim  íNpaNS  oculeNOus  niLi  pLumeN  quo  pLuic 


q 
q 


ui  nepencuTí  posc  ercoOem  NucmeNOus  Na^arcech 
muLca  panuus  muLca  aOuLcus  si^Na  pecic  ceLicus 


uae  LaceNc  ec  quae  LesuNcurc  cormm  muLcis  cescibus 
prmeOicaNS  ceLesce  rcesNum  Oicca  paccis  apprcobac 


Gi.oss. — 15.  Offerentes. — .1.  ap  a  chumbpi  na  cucc  mippam.  no  ni  challa  anb  in  ueppu 
[it  was  for  brevity  he  did  not  introduce  myrrh  ;  or  it  would  not  fit  in  the  verse],  vel  quia  postea  dicetur. 
16.  Nuntiatum. — .i.  opus  nascendi.  Invidens. — .i.  Herodes.  Potentia. — .i.  Christi.  17.  Jubet. — .i. 
Herodes.  Parvos. — Cepc.cia  lin  na  mac  paibepocheppunblahepoib  [ni-haiibr-a,Question;  what 
isthe  numher  of  tlie  children  here  put  to  death  by  Herod?  The  answer  isnot  difficult]  duo  milia  .c.  xl.  ut 
(jregorius  manifestat  in  sacramentario.  18.  Fertur. — .i.  ducitur.  Quatuor  annis  fuit  Christus  in  Egipto 
fugiens  Herodem.  Eliopolis  .i.  solis  civitas,  nomen  civitatis  in  qua  Christus  in  Egipto  habitavit.  Eleos, 
sol,  polis,  civitas,  interpretatur.  Ubi  ut  aiunt  in  die  adventus  illius  in  urbem  omnia  idula  ejus  comminuta 
sunt.     Affrodius  vero  nomen  priucipis  illius  qui  Christum  et  parentes  ejus  benigne  suscepit.     19.   Refertur. 

— .1.  bepap  [is  related].     Post  Erodem i.  post  mortem  Herodis.      20.  l'arvus. — .1.  parvulus.    Adultus. 

— .i.  anpopopbaip  [as  he  grew].  Celitus — .i.  per  virtutem  celestem.  21.  Quee  latent — .i.  m  na  hi  nuc 
peppa  [the  things  that  are  not  known].  Leguntur. — .1.  na  hl  po  peppa  [the  things  that  are  known]. 
Testibus. — .i.  apostolorum  et  discipulorum. 

1 3.    Virgine  pucrpera. — Virginem  puer-  [Melchar  was  the  presenter  of  the  gold  ; 

íni'am.    C.  Caspar  brought  the  costly  franlrincense  ; 

,+.  Primi.-In   the  upper  margin  of  Patifarsat  brought  the  goodly  myrrh ; 

,  .  ..      .....    .  And  thev  oftered  them  to  the  roval  Lord.] 

the  page  (p.  1 3  01  the  Mo. )  ís  a  note  on 

this  word,  which  is  in  some  places  ille-  Gregorius.     Auro    sapientia    designatur. 

gible.     The  following  is  aU  that  can  now  Ture  autem  QUod  Deo  ^cenditur  virtus 

he  deciphered  :— " Primi  .1.   na  °rationis  exprimitur.     Per  mirram  carnis 

lupsbe  [the  shepherds] ;  vel  Primi  ex  gen-  nostra3  m°rtrficatio  hguratur.     Nos  itaque 

tibus  hi  fuerunt,  quia  prius  ante  eos  ado-  nato  Domino  offeramus  aurum,  ut  hunc 

raverant  eum  pastores,  ante  xiii ubi(lue  re£nare  fateamur.     Offeramus  tus 

iuxta    turrim    Gadder.     Molcho    eorum  ut  ^amus  quod  is  qui  in  tempore  appa- 

senior  qui  aurum  Deo  regi  ohtulit.     Se-  ruit  Deus  ante  tempora  extitit,     Offera- 

cundus  Caspar  iuvenis  qui  tus  Deo  obtulit,  mus  mirrain  ut  eum  1uem  credimus  in  suu 

Tertius  Pati[farsat  qui]  mirram  homini  d™^  inipassibilcm,   credamus  etiam 

obtulit.     Unde  quidam  dixit:—  m  nostl'a  Msse  mortali  cam&"     This  ci" 

„,  ,  ,  .        .       .      .  tation,  with  some  unimportant  variations, 

TTIelch  ap  obnachcaib  mb  oip;  L 

Cappap  cucc  m  cup  bmioip  ;  wil1  he  found  m  the  treatise  of  St-  Gre" 

pacipappac  cuc  m  mip  maich ;  g°ry  tne  Great,  In  Evang.,  Lib.  1.  Hom.  x. 

Conapcapac  bonb  pislaich.  (Ed.  Eeued.,  tom.  i.  1470.  C.)    See  a  curi- 

X 


»54 

t) 
U 


Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Cliristi. 

ebiles  pacic  uiserce  cecos  luce  TÍXumTNac 
ueiíbis  purcgac  lepriae  morcbum  morccuos  rcesuscTcac 

íiium  guoo  Oeercac  iOtus  mocaTu  acfuam  Tubec 
Nupcus  meno  rceceNcis  ptíoptnnonOo  poculo 


*5 


p 


aNe  quiNO  pTsee  bTNo  quiNque  pascTc  rmlTa 
ec  pepercc  prcasmeNca  ceNae  cerc  caceuNTs  conuibus 


Gi.oss. — 25.  Idris. — .1.  aj\  na  uipci  ler cjiaib  [in  tho  water  vessels].     Motari. — .i.  a  sna  natura  in 
vinum.     26.  Iietentis — .i.  hominibus.     Propinando. — .1.  anbab  poomlce  ín  uaip  pm  [what  had  been 

distributed  at  that  time].     Poculo. — .i.  fit  poculum culum  lepcan  [a  vessel].     27.  Pascit. — 

.i.  Christus.     Milia. — .i.  virorum,  exceptis  mulieribus  et  parvulis. 


ous  Irish  poem  on  the  Three  Magi,  pub- 
lished  by  Dr.  Reeves  from  the  Gospels  of 
Maelbrighte,  Proceedings,  R.  I.  Acadermj, 
vol.  v.  p.  47.  The  custoni  ofofFeriiig  gold, 
franhmcense,  and  myrrh,  on  the  altar, 
on  the  feast  of  Epiphanj',  is  still  kept  up 
at  the  royal  chapel  of  St.  James's  Palaco. 
Parvulum. — In  the  left-hand  margin  is 
this  notc  : — "  Pulcherrime  munerum  sa- 
cramcnta  Juvencus  prespiter  uno  versi- 
culo  comprehendit : — 
'  Tus,  aurum,  mirram,  regique,  hominique,  deoque, 
Dona  ferunt.'" 
See  Juvcnci  Historia  Erangelica,  lib.  r. 
Biblioth,  Patrum  (Lugd.  1667),  tom.  iv. 
p.  57.  F. 

15.  Tm.— Thus,  C. 

16.  Erodii. — Herodi,  C. 

17.  Tum. — Cum,  B.  The  Gloss  gives 
2 1 40  as  the  number  of  the  martvred  Inno- 
cents,  on  the  authority  of  the  Sacramen- 
tary  of  St.  Gregory.  Put  nothing  of  thc 
kind  is  to  be  found  in  that  work,  as  we 
now  have  it. 

1 8.  Oculendus. — Occulendue,  B.  Occi- 
dendus,  C. 


19.  Erodem. — Hcrodem,  B.  C. 

20.  Celitus. — Coelitus,  B.  C.  Multa 
parvus. — Alluding,  probably,  to  themira- 
cles  said  to  havc  been  wrought  by  our 
Lord  during  His  infancy.  Sce  Thilo,  Codex 
Apocr.  N.  T.  (Lips.  1832).  I.  A.  Fabricii, 
Codex  Apocr.  ~N.  T.  (Hamburgi,  1703), 
especially  thc  Evangelium  Infantice. 

21.  Qucb  latent. — Alluding  to  St.  John 
xxi.  25. 

22.  Approbat. — Adprobat,  B.  I)Uta 
factis. — In  the  margin  is  the  following 
note  : — "Dictafactis  .i.  viviíicat  mortuos, 
illuminat  cecos." 

23.  Facit. — Pccit,  B.  C.  Cecos. — Cae- 
cos,  B.     Illuminat. — Inluminat,  B. 

24.  Morbum. — Bede  reads  (De  arte  me- 
trica,  c.  23),  "  Verbis  purgas  lcpra?  mor- 
bos,"  where purgas  is  an  evident  mistake. 
Mortuos  resuscitat. — In  the  margin  is  the 
following  note  : — "  Tres  tantuni  homines 
Christus  suscitavit,  .i.  Lazarus,  et  íilia 
Jari  principis  sinagoge,  atque  fihus  viduae. 
Hi  tres  homines  significant  peccata  homi- 
num.  Fiha  principis,  suscitata  in  cubiculo, 
significat  pcccatum  cordis.  Filius  viduse, 


Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 


*55 


'imba  e?  otttnt  bTscumbeNce  Tu^em  lauoem  peRCucic 
'  Duooecim  uiros  pRobauTC  peR  quos  uica  dtsctcur 


3° 


ex  c 
1N 


X  CfUlS   UNUS   TNUeNTCUR   CtlRTSCl   ÍUOOS   CRODTCOR 
SCRUUNCUR  mTST    Ob   ONNO  pROOTCORTS   OSCUlO 


1N 


Noceus  capcus  ceuecuR  ncc  RepusNONS  Ductcur 
stsctcur  palsTS  gRossacuR  oppeueNDus  poncto 


Gloss. — 29.  Diseumbente 1.  cmi  o  miap aigetnnt)  ulebuben  [the  thing from  which  thewholecom- 

panvwas  served].   Unde  discus  dirivatur,  .1.  miap  [a  dish].  Pertulit. — .i.  Christns.   30.  Viros i.  apostolos. 

Probnvit. — .i.  elt-git.    Vita.  —  .i.  futura.   31.  Quis. — .i.  apostolis.    Judas. — .i.  utChristus  dixit  Dnus  vestrum 

me  traditurus  est vel  osculum  pacis  et  amoris  et  mortis  est,  ut  iudas  dixit  Quemcunque  osculatus 

fuero  ipse  est.  32.  Instruuntur. —  i.  ab  iudeis  et  sacerdotibus.  Misi. — .i.  latrones.  33.  Jnnocens. — .i. 
Cbristus.  Tenetur. — .1.  apgaibchaip  [is  seized].  34.  Sistitur. — .i.  ducitur.  Falsis. — .i.  verbis  vel 
conviciis.     Pontio L  prasidi  regis  mundL 


suscitatus  in  ostio  ci^itatis,  significat  pec- 
catum  verbi  prolatum  foris.  Lazarus,  sus- 
citatus  de  sepulcro,  significat  peccatum 
actionis  cum  m[orte]."  This  interpreta- 
tion  was  common  in  the  micldle  ages ;  and 
mav  be  found  for  substance  in  St.  Gregorj, 
Moral.,  Lib.  iv.  52  (Oj)p.  Eol.  Bened., 
tom.  i.  125,  C.) 

25.  Idris. — Hidriis,  B.  Hvdriis,  C. 
Motari. — Mutari,  B.  C.  TJnder  each  word 
in  this  line  is  a  very  small  letter, 
thus : — 

uinum  cruob  beepar  íbTHT1 

e  <l  tl  e 

mocapi  acpjam  íubec 

c  b  a 

and  similar  lettcrs  occur  in  the  next  linc. 
and  elsewhere  in  several  parts  of  the  MS. 
They  are  evidentlj  intended  to  mark  the 
grammatical  ordcr  of  the  words,  for  the 
sake  of  persons  not  familiarlv  acquainted 
with  Latin.  Tahing  the  words  in  the 
order  of  the  letters  as  above,  the  line 
reads  thus  :  "  Jubet  ac^uam  mutari  quod 
deerat   vinum   hydris."     This   was  pro- 


X 


bably  deemed  the  more  necessary  in 
this  line,  because  the  construction  lcaM- 
it  doubtful  whether  "  vinum  mutari 
aquam"  means  "  wine  to  be  changed  into 
water,"  or  "  water  to  be  changed  into 
wine." 

26.  Mero  retentis. — Moerore  tentis,  C. 
An  erroneous  reading,  which  Daniel  hí\» 
inadvertently  copied.  Propinnando.  — 
Propinato,  C.  Poculo. — Populo,  B.,  pro- 
bably  a  mistahe  of  Muratori's  transcript. 
This  is  the  onlv  word  which  he  could 
read  of  the  line ;  and  the  next  two  lines 
were  also  illegible  to  him  in  the  MS. 

27.  Pane  quino. — In  the  margin  is  the 
following  note  :  "  Mo  bich  [or  it  is]  binus 
et  quinus  secundum  veteres.  Nunc  autem 
bini  et  quini,  ut  Priscianus  dicit." — 
See  Priscian,  De  Figurii  numerorum,  c.  vi. 
(Opp.  ed.  Aug.  Kriel.  Lips.  1820,  vol.  ii. 
p.  398). 

28.  Et  fefert. — C.  gives  tliis  line  thus  : 
"Et  refectis  fragmenta  ccenae  ter  quater- 
nis  corbibus."  Caternis  coruilus  in  the 
2 


iS6 

í) 

t) 


Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 

íscucic  obiecca  prcaeses  Nullum  críemeN  iNueNic 
seO  cum  curcba  íuoeorcum  prco  saluce  cesams 

íceneNC  cVmiscum  NecaNOum  curcbis  sonccus  crcaoicim 
impns  ueríbis  srcassacurc  spuca  plasrca  susciNec 


35 


ScaNOeríe  cnucem  íubecurc  íNNoceNS  pr*o  no;ciis 
moRce  caríNis  cruam  sercebac  morccem  uicic  omNium  4o 

^•iiiii  oeum  cLamoríe  masNO  pacrcem  peNOeNS  íNuocac 
vJ    morís  secuca  membrm  chrusci  la;cac  scrncca  uincucu 

Gloss. — 35.   Objecta. — .1.  na  cacpai  bopaca  pop  Cpiopc  [the  charges  that  were  made  against 
Christ].     Invenit. — .i.  in  Christo,  ut  dicitur  Innoceus  ego  sum  a  sa[nguine]  iusti  huius.     36.    Cesaris. 

—  Op  ba  rocpat)  bopibe  nomen  regis  [for  the  name  of  king  was  an  insult  to  him] regem  esse 

dicebat.     Cessar  dictus   a  cesso  [i.  e.  cíbso]    m[atris]   utero.     37.   Turbis. —  .i.  iudeorum.      Traditur 

.i.  Christus.  38.  Sputa — .1  Tia  paile  [spittle].  Flayra.—.\.  na  ppaigle  [scourges].  39.  Jvlietur. 
— .i.  a  iudeis  ut  dicitur  crucifigate  crucifigate.  Xoxiis. — .i.  pro  hominibus.  40.  Gerebat. — .i.  portabat. 
Omnium. — .i.  hominum.  41.  Clamore. — i.  quando  dixit  Ileli  Heli  et  in  manus  tuas  domine  commendo. 
42.   Stricta. — .i.  nervi  corporis  Christi. 


text  is  evidently  an  antiquated  spelling 
of  "  quaternis  corbibus;"  and  fefert  is  an 
error  of  transcription  for  "refert."  Cor- 
vibus. — Over  tliis  word  is  the  following 
note  :  "  Curvus,  cpom  [crooked,  bent]  ; 
Corvus,  piach  [a  raven].  Cophinus  .  . 
.   .  .  quod  est  hic." 

30.  Duodccim. — To  be  read  as  a 
trisvllable,  which  is  remarked  by  the 
scholiast  in  tlie  following  marginal  an- 
notation  :  "  Lcge  dodecim  sine  .u.  in 
scandcndo." 

31.  Quis. — Queis  [i.  e.  quibus],  B.  C, 
which  would  spoil  thc  mctre. 

32.  Misi. — Missi,  B.  C.  On  this  word 
there  is  the  following  curious  note  in  the 
margin :  "  Misi. — .1.  o  Chaipbap  íp  et> 
po  paiOeOpom  [i.  e.  it  was  by  Caiaphas 
he  was  sent],  quia  ille  sacerdos  fuit  ilhus 
arrni,  sed  causa  metri  dicit  ab  Anna,  et 
in  libris  historitirum  refertur  quod  .x\\. 
fuisscnt  principes  intcr  Annam  et  Caifam, 


sed  filia  Annas  coniux  fuit  Caifas."  Conf. 
S.  John,  xviii.  13.  It  is  probable  tliat  the 
Libri  Historiarum  here  quoted  are  a  gene- 
ral  reference  to  the  Histories  of  Joseplius, 
which  were  known  in  the  middle  agee 
from  the  abridgment  under  the  namc  of 
Hegesippus,  and  the  Latin  version  as- 
cribed  to  Buífinus.  It  appeai's  that  there 
were  exactly  sevcn  High  Bricsts  (inclu- 
sivc)  between  the  first  priesthood  of  Annas 
and  that  of  Caiaphas,  in  which  our  Lord 
was  crucificd.  They  are  thus  enumerated 
byAug.  Tornielli,  Annal.  Sacr.,  tom.  i. 
p.  384  (fol.  Lucsb,  1757):— 

70.  Ananus,  qui  et  Annas,  socer  Caiaphae. 

7 1.  Ismael,  l'abi  f. 

72.  Eleazar,  Anani  f. 

73.  Simon,  Camithi  f. 

74.  Josephus,  qui  et  Caiaphas. 

75.  Iterum  Annas. 

76.  Iterum  Caiaphas,  sub  quo  Christus  passus  est. 

The  numbcrs  signify  tliat  Annas  was  tlic 


Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 


*57 


U 

a 


ela  cempli  scisa  ponounc  no;c  obscurmc  saeculum 
excicuNcur?  De  sepulcrcis  ououm  clausa  corcporm 

ppuic  íoseph  beacus  conpus  mirma  perjlicum 
LiNcheo  RUOi  ligacum  cum  oolorce  condidic 


45 


m 


íCices  serjuarje  corjpus  onnos  prciNceps  prcaecepic 
uc  uioercec  si  preobarcec  criruscus  quoo  spopoNOercec 


a 


Nselum  Dei  crcemeNces  uesce  amiccum  caNOiDa 
quo  caNDONe  clarncacis  uelCus  uicic  semcum 


Gloss. — 43.    Vela. — .i.  ut  dicitur  Ecce  velum  templi  scisum  est  in  duas  partes.     Nox i.  tenetaw 

sancts  sunt  super  universam  terram  a  sexta  hora  usque  ad  nonam  horam.  44.  Excitvntur. — ut  dicitui 
Multa  corpora  sanctorum  resurrexerunt  post  resurrectionem  suam,  et  apparuerunt  multis  in  hierusalem. 
45.  Affuit. — .i.  venit  dives  ab  arimathea  nomine  ioseph.  46.  Iiudi — .i.  novo.  Co/.didit. — .i.  sepelivit. 
47.  Milites. — .i.  romanorum.  Annas.  .i.  pro  caifa  hic  iterum  annas  dicitur.  48.  Spoponderet. — .i. 
tertia  die  resurgere,  et  dicit  iterum  Solvite  templum  hoc  et  in  triduo  resuseitabo  illud.  jo.  Sericum. — .i. 
Seres  .i.  nomen  gentis  a  quo  et  sericum  vestimentum 


^oth  froni  Aaron,  inclusive;  Ismael  the 
7ist,  &c. 

34.  Grassatur. — Grassantur,  B.  Gras- 
satur,  C,  who  suggests  gravatur  in  the 
margin.      Offerendus. — Oíferentes,  B. 

35.  Diseutit. — This  line  and  the  next 
are  omitted  in  B.     Cremen. — Crinien,  C. 

36.  Ccesaris. — The  Gloss,  in  a  mixture 
of  Irish  and  Latin,  tells  us  that  "  the  name 
of  King  was  regarded  as  an  insult  by 
the  Romans."  Bome  words  are  illegible ; 
but  the  meaning  seems  to  be,  that  the 
name  of  "  Ca;sar"  came  to  be  substituted 
for  "  King." 

37.  Necandwm. — Negandum,  B.  C. 

38.  Grassatur. — Grassantur,  B.  Gra- 
vatur,  C. 

39.  Crucem. — In  the  left-hand  margin 
there  is  the  following  note :  "  Quare 
noluit  Dominus  alia  morte  mori  nisi 
morte  crucis,   quia  crux  magnum  miste- 


rium  habet.  Si  enim  crux  in  terra  pro- 
iicitur  per  .1111.  ejus  partes,  .1111.  partes 
mundi  demonsfrat.  In  hoc  voluit  Domi- 
nus  demonstrare  quod  non  venit  unam 
partem  mundi  redimere  sed  totrrm  huma- 
num  genus."  A  similar  interpretation  of 
the  four  points  of  the  cross  is  given  in  the 
Sermo  de  Sijmbolo,  published  with  the 
worhs  of  St.  Augustine  (Ed.  Bened.,  tom. 
vi.  Append.  279  B.)  Another  note  in  the 
right-hand  margin  is  as  follows  :  "  Qua- 
tuor  ligna  fuerunt  in  cruce  Christi,  cebip 
a  cop-]  cuppip  acenga  -]  ^iup  ín  jeinb 
Oo  pacao  cpeche  1  beche  in  clap  ín  po 

pcpibab  m  cicul [cedar  was  its 

foot  (or  shaí't),  and  cypress  was  its  tongue, 
and  deal  was  the  piece  that  went  across, 
and  birch  was  the  board  on  which  the  title 
was  written  .  .  .  .] 

42.  JJembra    Christi. — These    are  the 
onlv  words  hcre  legible  in  B 


158  Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 


t) 


emoinc  sarum  sepulcrco  surcseNS  crmiscus  TNCiser? 
haec  utoic  moea  meNca;c  haec  Ne^ac  cum  uiOctuc 


Femiuae  prcimum  moNeNcurc  saluacorcem  uiuene 
cfuas  salucac  ípse  mescas  complec  crnsces  sauoio 


8 


egue  a  moncuis  pacenua  suscicacum  Oe^ccerca  s.< 

cencia  Oie  rceOTSse  nuucioc  aposcolis 


Tíl 
t) 


0£  uioecurc  a  beacis  quos  pRobauic  pT?acrubus 
cruoo  TieOTSsec  ambiseNces  íNCNec  tonuts  clausis 


ac  Ooccns  prcaecepca  le^TS  oac  OTUTNum  spiTucum 
spmTcum  Oei  peNpeccum  cntntcocts  utncuIuttt  60 

Gloss. — 51.  Demovit i.  angelus removit.     Intíger. — .i.  corpore  et  anima.    52.  Haecvidit. — .i.  mira 

opera  resurrectionis.  Haec. — Eadem  opera.  53.  Feminae. — .i.  Maria  Magdalena  et  Maria  Jacobi,  et 
Josetis  et  Salamona  monita?  sunt  circa  resurrectionem  Christi  manifestam.  54.  Salvtat. — .i.  benedicit  ange- 
lus  vel  christus.  Mestas. —  i.  tristes  mulieres.  Gaudio. — .i.  resurrectiouis  christi.  55.  Paterna. — .i. 
virtute  patris.  56.  Redisse. — .i.  ad  vitam.  Nuntiat.— .i.  christus  per  mulieres.  57.  Frubavit. — .i. 
elegit,  vel  bonis  operibus,  id  est  spe  et  flde  et  caritate.  Fratribus. — .i.  apostolis.  58.  Redisset. — .i. 
resurrexisset.     Ambigentes. — .i.  dubitantes,  .i.  Tomas  et  ceteri  de  resurrectione  Christi.     59.  Docens. — 

.i.  christus.     Dat 1.  bo  pac  pach  ín  ppipca  noeb  popaib  bia  nnrichapc  [He  sent  the  gift  of 

the  Holy  Spirit  upon  theui  after  Low  Sunday]  quamvis  plenius  dedit  inpentecostem.  60.  Vinculum. — 
.1.  ria  po  choimmbe  combab  beba  110  cechapba.  achb  cneaba  [that  it  may  not  be  supposed 
that  thev  are  two  or  four,  but  three]  semper  eo  quod  patrem  et  filium  coniuugit,  vel  vinculum  quod 
homines  ad  deum  couiungit. 

43.  Scisa. — Scissa,  B.  C.      Pandunt. —  tenuissima  fila  neunt,    et  unde   sericum 
Pendent,  B.  C.  vestimentum  efficitur." — Seelsid.  Hispal. 

44.  Excituntur.— Excitantur,  B.  C.  Etijmol.,  lib.  xix.  c.  27. 

45.  Affuit.— Adfuit,   B.  C.     Mirra. —  51.  Demovit. — Demovet,  C.     Sepulwo. 
Myrra,  B.  C.  — There  is  an   erasure  before  the   word 

46.  Lintheo. — Linteo,  B.  C.  sepulcro.      Perhaps   the    scribe   had   ori- 

47.  Praecepit. — Prsecipit,  B.  C.  ginally  written  "  e  sepulcro;"  but  per- 

48.  Quod. — Quao,  C.     Spoponderet. —  ceiving  that  the   metre  •would  not  bear 
Spoponderat,  B.  C.  this  addition,  he  erasedthe  "e."   Surt/ens. 

50.    Vellus. — In  thc  margin  there  is  the  — Surgit,  C.     Intiger. — Integer,  B.  C. 
following  note  :    "Vellus  sericum   .1.  in  52.  Judea    mentax. — Judaea    mendax, 

cnai  pepicoa  [i.  e.  the  silk-worm  cocoon]  B.  C.    Viderit. — Viderct,  B.  C.    Thenext 

.1.  cenele  ecui^  maich  pein  [i.  e.  a  kind  two  lincs  are  illegible  in  B. 
of  costly  cloth]   sunt  apud   cthiopiam  et  54.  Mestas. — Moestas,    C.     Tristes. — 

indos    quidam   in   arboribus   vermes,    et  Tristeis,  C. 
pompices  appellantur,   qui  araneae  more  56.  Redisse. — Bediise,  B.  Butthemetre 


p 


Hjmnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi.  1 59 

rcaecepic  cocum  perc  orcbem  bapci9aTU  crieOulos 
NomeN  pacrcis  íNuocaNces  coNpiceNces  pilium 


m 


iscica  pibe  rceuelac  cinccos  soncco  spmicu 
poNce  cinccos  íNNOuacos  pilios  paccos  Oei 


Q 

5 


ncc  lucem  cimba  prmcTCum  coNciNNemus  sloTuam  65 

qua  DocemuTí  nos  pucurci  sempicercNa  secuLa 


alLi  concus  salli  pLausus  prjotximum  seNCic  Oiem 
nos  caNcaNces  ec  prcecaNces  cruae  pucurca  crceoimus 


m 


aiescacemcriie  ímmeNsam  coNciNemus  lugiceri 
aNce  lucem  NUNCiemus  crmiscum  rce^em  saeculo  70 


Guws. — 61.  Frecepit. — .i.   Ite  docete  omnesgentes  baptizautes  eos  in  nomine  patris  et  filii  et  spiritus 

sancti.     63.  Rerelat. — .i.  innovat.      Tinctos i.   baptizatos.      64.  Fonie. — .i.    babtismi.     Innovatos. — 

.i.  gratia  spiritus  sancti.  65.  Lucem. — .i.  diei.  Turba. — .i.  vocata.  Fratrum. — .i.  in  christo.  66. 
Docemur. — Cumt>ach  gnechisi  Gochepcaig  pil  hic  [It  is  a  verb  in  a  passive  form  here]  ut  Prisei- 
anus  dicit.  Futuri. — Vel  os  [i.  e  vel  futuros].  Sempiterna. — .i.  apud  deum.  67.  Galli  cantus.  —  Sicut 
canit  gallus  ante  lucem  sic  decet  nos  cantare  ante  lucem  matutini  temporis,  vel  ante  diem  iudicii.  68. 
Futura. — .i.  praemia  celestia.     69.  Majestatemque. — .i.  Dei. 

requires  a  trisvllable ;  so  that  rediisse  must  lus  .1.  cailtech  [a  cock]  .1.  a  galea  capitis 

have  been  pronounced  "redisse,"  or  "red-  dictus  est.     Job  dicit  Quis  dedit  gallo  sci- 

yisse,"  whether  so  written  or  not.  entiam [Job,  xxxviii.  36.]"    In 

58.  Intret. — Intrat,  B.   C.     Cassander  the  upper  margin  there  is  a  note  which 

puts  a  comma   after   redisset,   instead  of  has  no  connexion  with  the  text,  except 

after  ambigentes :  the  meaning  is,  "  they  that    the    mention    of  the    cock's   crow 

doubted  whether  he  would  return."  appears  to  have  suggested  St.  Peter.     lt 

61.  Praecepit — Erecipit,  B.  C.     Bapti-  is  taken  from  the   Quastiones  ex   Vet.  et 

zari. — Baptizare,  C.  Novo  Testamento,  printed  with  the  works 

63.  Mistica. — Mystica,  B.  C.  of  St.  Augustine  (Ed.  Bencd.,  tom.  iii. 

65.  Ante  lucem. — Part  of  this  line  and  Append.),  but  now  acknowledged  to  be 

the  whole  ofthe  next  are  illegible  in  B.  spurious.    This  note  is  as  follows :   "Tunc 

Concinnemus. — Concinimus,  C.  Muratori's  Salvator  ciim  pro  se  et  Petro  darijubet, 

transcript  of  B.  gives  "Concinit,"  which  pro  omnibus  solvisse  videtur;  quia  vero 

is  probablv  wrong.  omnes  in  Salvatore  erant  causa  magisterii, 

67.   Galli  cantus. — In   the   margin   is  ita   et   post  Salvatorem  in  Petro   omnes 

the  following  note  :   "  Galli  plausus,  galli  contincntur.    Ipsum  enim  post  se  relicpait 

cantus.     Gallus  .1.  Gall  a  candore.     Gal-  pastorem.     Deniaue  dicit  illi,  Ecce  Sata- 


160  Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 

/"vncc  lucem  OecaNcaNces  chiusco  nesi  Oottiino 


5 


ec  Cfui  in  íllum  rcecce  crcounc  TíesNacum  cum  eo 

loma  pacTU  TNseNTco  slorua  untscntco 
stttiuI  cum  soncco  sptrtcu  in  sempTcercNa  secula 


Gloss. — 71.   Decantantes. — .i.  laudem.     72.   Regnaturi. — .i.  sunt.      Cum  eo. — .i.  cum  christo.     73. 
Gloria. — i.  sit.      Gloria. — .i.  sit.      Unigenito. — .i.  filio. 


nas  expostulavit  ut  vos  ventilet  velut  tri- 
ticum,  cgo  autem  rogavi  pro  te,  ne  deíiciat 
fides  tua,  et  tu  couversus  coníirma  fratres 
tuos.  Manifestum  est  in  Petro  oinnes 
contineri,  rogans  enim  pro  Petro  pro  om- 
nibus  rogasse  cognoscitur.  Semper  enim 
in  prseposito  populus  aut  corripitur  aut 
laudatur." — Qucest.  ex  X.  Test.  lxxv.  ( Opp. 
S.  Aug.,  tom.  iii.,  Append.  p.  73,  B.)  St. 
Augustine,  in  one  oí'  his  acknowledged 
writings  (lib.  iv.  ad  Bonifacium,  c.  4) 
quotes  a  passage  under  tlie  name  of  Hi- 
lary  (but  without  saying  what  Hilary), 
which  is  found  verbatim  in  these  Questiones. 
Tliis  gavc  rise  to  the  opinion  that  they 
were  by  Hilary  of  Poictiers,  wliich  is, 
however,  not  likely.  Cave  and  others, 
who  think  Hilary,  the  Poman  deacon, 
under  Pope  Damasus,  to  have  been  in- 
tended,  are  morc  probably  right.  On  the 
whole,  the  dccision  of  the  Benedictine 
editors  of  St.  Augustine  seems  well 
fbunded — viz.,  that  thc  Qucestiones  were 
compiled  at  differcnt  times,  and  from  the 
works  of  various  authors,  and  so  may 
have  includcd  an  extract  from  some  writer 
namcdHilary.  Thc  editors  say :  "Hicnos, 
ut  de  commentariorum  auctore  nihil  pro- 
nunticmus,  juvat  in  subjectas  Quíestiones 
obsei*vare,  MStorum  codicum  eam  a  nobis 
deprehensam  esse  varietatcm,  quae  efficere 


possit,  ut  jam  demum  revocetur,  atque 
invalescat  opinio  Erasmi  ct  aliorum  qui 
primum  suspicabantur  non  unius  hominis 
esse  illud  Quasstionum  opus,  in  quo  eadem 
quaj  dicta  sunt  iterari,  et  propositis  titulis 
rursum  tractari  eandem  quaestionem  ;  tum 
dissimile  dicendi  genus  adhiberi;  nec  ipsa 
constanter  cadem,  sed  plane  contraria  dog- 
mata  propugnari  cernebant." — Ibid.,j>.  34. 
Ccillier  (Hist.  des  Auteurs  Eccles.,  tom.  xi. 
p.  415)  is  of  the  same  opinion.  He  says: 
"  Quelques  uns  ont  cru  que  c'étoit  l'ou- 
vrage  d'Hilaire,  Diacre  de  l'Eglise  Ro- 
maine,  sous  le  Pontificat  du  Pape  Damase. 
On  y  trouve  en  effet  plusieurs  opinions  ct 
plusieui's  maximes  exprimées  dans  les 
mémes  termes,  que  dans  le  Commentaire 
sur  S.  Paul,  qui  porte  le  nom  de  cet 
Autcur.  Mais  il  a  apparcnce  que  toutes  ces 
questions  ne  sont  pas  d'une  méme  per- 
sonne,"  &c. 

68.  Cantantes. — Canentes,  B.  Cante- 
mus,  C. 

69.  Concinemus. — Concinnemus,B.  Con- 
cinimus,  C.     Iugiter. — Uniter,  B.  C. 

71.  Bccantantes. — B.  reads:  "Ante  lu- 
cem  nunticmus  Christum  regcm  saeculo." 
C.  reads  :  "  Ante  lucem  nuncicmus  Chris- 
tum  regcm  Domim." 

72.  m.—Om.,  B. 

73.  Gloria. — C.  ha3only  "Gloria,  &c." 


Hymnus  S.  Hilarii  in  laudem  Christi. 


161 


Ue  oecec  9-mnup  Oeup  ín  Sion  ~|  cibi  peooecup  uocum  ín 
hiepupalem. 

Cancicip  ppipicualibup  Oileccaci  c^mnop  Chpipce  conponancep 
canimup  cibi  quibup  cua  Oomine  maiepcap  poppic  placapi  oblaca 
Oeo  lauoip  hopcia  ppipicali  pep  ce  Chpipce  lepu  paluacop. 

Unicap  ín  cpmicace  ce  oeppecop  Oomine  uc  me  pempep 
cpahap  cocum  cibi  uocum  uouepe. 


Te  decet. — This  antiphon  (which  is  from 
Ps.  briv.  Vulg.)  and  the  following  col- 
lects  are  omitted  in  B.  Over  the  word 
Sion  is  the  gloss,  "et  non  in  íhethrali- 
bus;"  and  over  the  word  Hierumlem, 
"  quia  ibi  habitas."  The  word  thethrali- 
bus  seems  to  be  some  corrupt  reading  or 
eiTor  of  the  scribe. 

The  antiphon  and  collects  at  the  end 
of  this  Hymn  are  in  the  angiúar  charac- 
ters  already  noticed  (see  pp.  23,  80),  but 


in  the  handwriting  of  the  original  scribe. 
The  last  of  these  seems  to  admit  of  a 
metrical  aiTangement: — 

"  Unitas  in  Trinitate 
Te  deprecor  Domine, 
Ut  me  semper  trahas  totum, 
Tibi  votum  vovere." 

In  which  lines,  however,  we  must  not 
look  for  any  very  strict  observance  of  the 
rules  of  Prosody.  Vovere  seems  to  have 
the  penultimate  shoi-t. 


(       162      ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTE. 


Translation  of  tlie  Prefaee. 

THE   following   is   a   literal   translation   of  the  Scholiast's  Preface,  which  is  in 
the  usual  rude  mixture  of  Irish  and  Latin: — 

Hymnum  Dicat.  Hilarya,  bishop  and  princeb  of  the  citv  which  is  called  Pictavis  [Poictiers],  made 
this  hymn  to  Christ,  in  Mount  Garganum,  after  eating  his  dinner  there  in  the  house  of  the  robber.  And 
after  giving  thanks  to  God,  there  came  the  sons  of  lifec  afterwards,  so  that  they  were  not  larger  than 
infants,  as  it  seemed  to  a  priest  who  was  with  them.  An  angel  came  and  said  to  them,  "  Unless  you  do 
penance,  you  shall  go  to  hell."  Therefore  they  did  penance,  and  God  gave  them  pardon  (indulgentiam),  by 
means  of  this  Hymn  (per  istam  laudem).  Thus  it  is  our  duty  to  sing  after  dinner  (sic  nobis  convenit  canere 
post  prandium). 

Another  account: — The  place  [where  this  Hymn  was  written]  was  a  cave  on  the  breast  of  the  Mount 
of  Joved,  in  the  Alps,  in  which  i)hilosopherse  were  before.     The  time  was  the  reign  of  Valentian  [sic]  and 


1  Hilary. — A  large  proportion  of  this  Preface  is 
in  rude  Latin,  mixed  with  sentences  of  Irish.  The 
Editor  has  thought  it  advisable  to  translate  the 
whole  into  English,  adding  some  few  explauatoiy 
notes. 

'» Prince. — "Ililarius  episcopus  et  princeps  civita- 
tis  que  dicitur  Pictavis."  St.  Hilary  was  ofa  noble 
family  of  Poictiers,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  reason 
why  he  is  here  called  "  princeps." 

e-  The  sons  oflife That  is  Christians;  see  above 

p.  30,  note  ".  The  Editor  has  not  been  able  to  fmd 
any  life  of  St.  IIilary  which  mentions  this  strange 
legend.  During  thc  Arian  persecution  he  was  ba- 
nished  (A.  D.  356),  and  took  refuge  in  Phrvgia. 
After  his  recall  he  visited  Milan  and  other  parts  of 


Italv  ;  but  we  find  no  mention  of  his  having  been 
at  Mount  Garganum,  in  Apulia,  a  place  which  was 
not  known  in  Church  history  for  at  least  a  centurv 
later,  when  it  became  sacred  as  the  scene  of  a  re- 
puted  apparition  of  St.  Michael  the  Archangel 
(Baron.  ad  an.  492,  et  Martyrol.  Rom.  ad  8  Maii. 
Actt.  SS.  Bol/and.,  tom.  viii.  Sept.,  p.  58).  It  is 
not  easy  to  see  the  point  of  the  storv  told  above  of 
the  "  sons  of  life"  seeming  not  larger  than  infants 
to  the  priest  who  was  with  them  (or  with  him,  i.  e. 
with  Hilary,  as  it  might  be  rendered).  It  does  not 
at  first  sight  appear  to  have  much  connexion  with  the 
dutv  of  saying  grace  after  dinner,  which,  neverthe- 
less,  seems  to  be  intended  as  its  moral,  from  the 
words  "sic  nobis  convenit  canere  post  prandium." 


NOTE.  ] 


Translation  of  the  Preface. 


163 


Valens.  The  person  [i.  e.  the  author  of  the  Hymn]  was  Hilarius.  The  cause  [i.  e.  the  occasion  of  writing 
the  Hvmn]  was  this :  an  angel  demanded  it  (postulavit),  when  he  came  to  the  city  Susannaf,  with  three 
hundred  men,  viz.,  one  hundred  clerics,  and  two  hundred  larmen.  But  one  of  the  clerics  died  from  the 
cold  of  the  winter,  and  Hilary  prayed  for  his  monks  ;  and  that  very  night  an  angel  said  unto  him,  "  It 
behoves  thee  to  search  the  Scriptures,  and  compose  a  hymn  to  God."  And  he  did  as  the  angel  comrnanded, 
and  raised  the  dead  by  the  grace  of  God. 

The  metreh  is  trochaic  tetrameter.     It  receives  a  spondee  in  all  places  (except  in  the  third  place),  and 


d  Mount  ofJove. — This  is  also  a  place  which  was 
not  celebrated  in  ecclesiastical  history  until  long 
after  the  time  of  St.  Hilary.  It  is  now  well  known 
to  all  European  tourists  underthe  name  of  Mount  St. 
Bernard,  so  called  from  the  celebrated  monastic  Hos- 
pice  founded  there  in  the  tenth  centurv  by  St.  Ber- 
nard  of  Menthon,  Archdeacon  of  Aoust,  who  died 
A.  D.  1008.  Up  to  his  time  the  site  of  the  present 
Hospice  was  occupied  by  a  pillar  stone,  and  some  say 
an  image  of  Jupiter,  with  an  eye  of  carbuncle,  which 
cured  diseases,  and  uttered  oracles.  This  was  over- 
thrown  by  St.  Beraard,  who  founded  in  its  place  the 
present  monastery.  See  Actt.  SS.  Bollandi,  ad  15 
Junii.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  fame  of  this 
event  may  have  influenced  the  Scholiast,  who  was 
probably  a  contemporary  of  St.  Bernard  of  Menthon, 
in  fixing  upon  the  Mons  Jovis  as  the  scene  of  his 
legend.  He  gives  the  date  of  St.  Hilary  with  tole- 
rable  correctness,  when  he  says  that  the  Hymn  was 
composed  in  the  reign  of  Valentinian  and  Valens 
(A.  D.  364-375).  The  year  368  is  usually  given 
as  that  of  St.  Hilarv's  death. 

e  Philosophers. —  The  original  has  "  philophi," 
which  seems  a  mistake  for  "  philosophi." 

fSusanna This  is  some  corruption  :    possibly 

Soissons.  The  Editor  has  not  been  able  to  find  this 
story  of  the  hundred  clerics  and  two  hundred  laymen 
in  auy  of  the  Lives  of  St.  Hilary. 

s  His  monh.  — In  Irish  writers  the  monk  of  a 
bishop  signifies  his  attendant,  or  vassal.  The  word 
does  not  necessarily  implv  that  the  person  so  desig- 
nated  was  a  monk,  properly  so  called.  Mr.  Curry 
has  referred  the  Editor  to  the  following  passage  in 
the  Leabhar  Gabhala  of  the  0'Clerys,  p.  176,  where 
Aedh  Ollan,  King  of  Ireland,  is  styled  the  "  Gospel 
monk"  of  Congus,  abbot  or  bishop  of  Armagh:  Con- 
5up  comaribo.  pacriaigbopisni  ín  pannpobo 


gpepacc  Oeba  Ollain  a  rhanaig  poipcela 
\m  blogcnl  pápaigce  a  cille,  "  Congus,  successor 
of  Patrick,  composed  the  following  verse  to  induce 
Aedh  Ollan,  his  Gospel  monh,  to  avenge  the  viola- 
tion  of  his  church."  This  the  Four  Masters  (at 
A.  D.  732)  understand  as  implying  that  Congus 
was  the  anmchara  or  spiritual  adviser  of  Aedh,  i.  e. 
his  Gospel  master,  so  that  Aedh  would  therefore  be 
the  spiritual  monk,  i.  e.  servant  or  disciple  in 
Christ  of  Congus.  The  word  occurs  again,  in  the 
same  sense,  p.  200  of  the  same  MS. ;  and  so,  in  the 
Brehon  Laws,  manach  [a  monk]  means  a  servant 
or  slave,  as  Manach-gobla,  a  gallows'  slave,  i.  e.  a 
person  redeemed  by  purchase  or  entreaty  from  the 
gallows,  and  who  became  servant  or  slave  for  life 
to  the  person  by  whom  he  was  redeemed. 

h  The  metre. — This  paragraph,  as  already  re- 
marked,  is  from  Bede's  tract,  De  Arte  metrica,  c.  23, 
with  some  slight  variations.  Bede's  words  are  as 
follows : — "  Metrum  trochaicum  tetrametrum,  quod 
a  poetis  Groecis  et  Latinis  frequentissime  ponitur, 
recipit  locis  omnibus  trocheum,  spondeum  omnibus 
praeter  tertium.  Currit  autem  alternis  versiculis, 
ita  ut  prior  habeat  pedes  quatuor,  posterior  pedes 
tres  et  syllabam.  Hujus  exemplum  totus  hymnus 
ille  pulcherrimus : — 

Hymnum  dicat  turba  fratrum, 
Hymnum  cautus  personet. 
Christo  regi  concinentes, 
Laudes  demus  debitas. 

"  In  quo  aliquando  et  tertio  loco  prioris  versiculi 
spondeum  reperies :  ut 

Factor  coeli  terne  factor, 
Congregator  tu  maris. 


Et 


Verbis  purgas  lepra;  morbos." 


Y  2 


164 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Hilary. 


[NOTE. 


a  trochee  in  all  places.     In  which  thou  mayest  sometimes  fiud  a  spondee  in  the  third  place  of  a  prior ' 
verse : 

Factor  cceli  et  tcrrae  factor    .... 
and — 

Verbis  purgat  leprae  morbum. 

Moreover,  it  runs  in  alternate  verses,  so  that  the  prior  verse  has  four  feet,  the  posterior  three,  and  a 
svllable. 

Ymnus,  in  Greek,  signifies  Laus  (praise)  in  Latin  ;  or  Ymnus  means  MemoryJ,  as  in  the  Greek  Psal- 
ter,  Vmnostestmon,  that  is,  He  was  mindful  of  us.  And  it  is  of  the  praise  of  God  especially  that  a  Hymn 
is  lawful ;  and  it  is  to  music  it  is  suug,  as  Augustink  says,  in  the  Decades1.  Hymnos  primum  Davidm  pro- 
pheta  [sic]  in  laudem  Dei  composuisse  manifestum  est. 


'  Prior. — This  Hymn  has  been  written  in  the  MS. 
from  which  it  is  now  printed,  in  lines,  not  in  the 
versiculi  of  which  Bede  speafcs.  Each  line  consists 
of  two  versiculi,  which  Bede  calls  prior  and  poste- 
rior, — the  prior  consisting  of  four  feet,  the  poste- 
rior  of  three  and  an  half.  The  third  foot  of  the 
prior  versiculus  may  be  a  spondee,  instead  of  a 
trochee,  of  which  he  gives  two  examples ;  but  the 
third  foot  of  the  posterior  versicle  must  always  be  a 
trochee. 

i  Memorij There    seems   some   strange   confu- 

sion  here  between  the  words  hymnns  and  fivr)p.r). 
The  passage  quoted  from  "  the  Greek  Psalter"  is 
apparently  from  Ps.  cxiii.  20,  Sept.,  Ktipio<; 
pvijaQúe,  i'ipuiv.  The  scribe  having  seen  the  last 
two  words  written,  "  mnestesemon,"  or  "  mnistesi- 
mon,"  transformed  them  into  "ymnos  testmon," 
retaining  the  correct  translation  "  mernor  fuit 
nostri." 

k  Augustin. — The  sentiment  here  quoted  from  St. 
Augustin  is  that  given  iu  Irish  which  precedes,  not 
the  Latin  words  which  follow,  this  reference ;  and 


the  passage  intended  is  probably  from  the  Enarr.  in 
Ps.  lxxii.  1.  "  Hymni  laudes  suntDei  cumcantico; 
hymni  cantus  sunt  continentes  laudem  Dei.  Si  sit 
laus,  et  non  sit  Dei,  non  est  hymnus :  si  sit  laus,  et 
Dei  laus,  et  non  cantetur,  non  est  hymnus." —  Opp. 
tom.  iv.  (Ed.  Bened.)  p.  753.  A  similar  passage 
occurs,  Enarr.  in  Ps.  cxlviii.  17;  Ibid.  p.  1682; 
see  also  Isidorus  Hispal.,  Etymol.  vi.  c.  19,  n.  17. 

1  The  Decades. — The  Commentaries  (or  "  Enar- 
rationes" )  of  St.  Augustin  on  the  Psalms  were 
anciently  divided  into  fifteen  decades.  See  Cassio- 
dorus  (Prolog.  in  Psalm.),  quoted  by  the  Benedic- 
tine  editors  (Opp.  S.  Aug.,  tom.  iv.  Prafat.)  See 
also  Isid.  Hispal.,  Epist.  iii.  Braulioni  Archidiacono, 
"  Dum  pariter  essemus,  postulavi  te,  ut  mihi  deca- 
dem  sextam  sancti  Augustini  transmitteres." 

m  David. — "  Psallere  usum  esse  primum  post 
Moysem  David  prophetam  in  magno  mysterio  prodit 
ecclesia." — Isidor.  Hispal.,  De  Officiis,  1.  c.  5,  n.  1. 
"  Hymnos  primum  eundem  David  prophetam  con- 
didisse  ac  cecinisse  manifestum  est,  deinde  et  alios 
prophetas." — Ibid.,  c.  6,  n.  1. 


(     i65    ) 


VIII.  THE  HTMN  OF  ST.  COLMAN  MAC  MURCHON,  IN  PRAISE  OF 
MICHAEL  THE  ARCHANGEL. 


THE  following  Hymn,  so  far  as  the  Editor  knows,  has  never  before  been 
printed.  It  is  ascribed  in  the  Preface  to  the  three  sons  of  "Murchu  of 
the  Connacians,"  or  of  Connaught  (see  Addit.  Note),  the  eldest  of  whom 
was  Colman  a  bishop,  and  the  other  two  were  priests. 

Two  saints  called  Murchu  occur  in  the  Calendars  of  the  Irish  Church. 
One  of  tbese,  whose  day  was  the  8th  of  June,  is  mentioned  in  the  Feilire,  or 
Festilogium,  of  Aengus  the  Culdee,  and  in  that  oí'  Marianus  Gorman,  but 
without  any  particulars  to  indicate  his  date  or  history.  In  the  Martyrology 
of  Tallaght,  and  in  that  of  Donegal  (as  also  in  the  gloss  on  Marianus  Gorman), 
he  is  called  "  the  son  of  Hua  Mactein,"  which  gives  us  but  little  information. 

The  other  (June  12)  is  merely  named  in  the  Martyrologies  of  Tallaght 
and  Mar.  Gorman  ;  but  his  name  does  not  occur  in  the  Feilire  of  Aengus,  so 
that  he  is  probably  of  later  date  than  the  former.  The  Martyrology  of  Done- 
gal  has  the  following  note  on  his  name  : — 

Tílupchu. — acdTTlupcu  bo  pliocc  Conmll  Murchu There  is  a  Murchu  ofthe  race 

Cpemcainne  mic  Neill  Naoi-síallaig,  -[  aca  of  Conall  Cremhthainn,  son  of  Niall  of  the 
CiUTIlupchon  ip  m  cConainn,  anaiceCéipe  Nine  Hostages.  And  there  is  a  Cill  Mur- 
Copamn,  a  cConnaccaib  ;  -[  pe§  an  ípo  u  cnon  [or  Church  of  Murchu,  now  Kilmorgan\, 
W™-  in  Corann,  near  Ceis  Corainn,  in  Connaught. 

And  see  if  this  is  his  festival. 

This  proves  that  the  eminent  Irish  scholar,  Michael  OClery,  the  compiler 
ofthe  Martyrology  of  Donegal,  was  not  able  to  say  who  the  Murchu  was 
whose  festival  was  celebrated  on  the  1 2th  of  June.  He  suggests  that  there 
was  a  Murchu,  a  descendant  of  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages :  and  that  there 


1 66  The  Hymn  of  St.  Colman. 

was  also  a  Murchu  (who  may,  perhaps,  have  been  the  same),  to  whom  a 
church  was  dedicated  in  the  baronv  of  Corran,  near  Ceis-Corainn  (now 
Keshcorran,  or  Iveshcorrin),  a  remarkable  hill  in  the  countv  of  Sligo.  The 
father  of  Colman  and  his  brothers,  the  reputed  authors  of  this  Hymn,  is  said 
to  have  been  oo  Chonachchaib,  "  of  the  Connaughtmen,"  and,  therefore,  may 
possibly  have  been  the  Murchu  of  Cill  Murchon,  situated1  as  just  described. 
But  this  is  uncertain ;  and,  indeed,  has  little  evidence  to  support  it  except  the 
identity  of  the  name. 

The  Four  Masters,  at  A.  D.  731,  record  the  death  of  "  Colman  Mac 
Murchon  (or  son  of  Murchu),  abbot  of  Maghbile,"  i.  e.  Movilla,  the  church 
founded  by  St.  Finian2,  at  the  head  of  Strangford  Lough,  which  was  occa- 
sionally  a  bishop's  see  in  the  seventh  century  ;  but  Dr.  Reeves  has  remarked, 
that  from  the  year  731  forward  (the  year  at  which  the  Four  Masters  place  Col- 
man's  death)  Movilla  is  noticed  in  the  Annals  as  governed  by  abbots  only. 

The  Four  Masters  do  not  call  this  Colman,  who  died  731,  a  bishop,  but 
only  abbot ;  it  does  not  follow,  however,  that  he  was  not  a  bishop ;  and  it  is 
most  probable  that  he  was  the  Colman  Mac  Murchon  to  whom  the  Scholiast 
has  ascribed  the  authorship  of  the  following  Hymn. 

The  Editor  has  not  found  any  other  copy  of  it  than  that  in  the  Liber 
Hymnorum,  from  which  it  is  now  printed.  From  the  anecdotes  preserved  in 
the  Scholiast's  Preface,  it  is  probable  that  the  author  and  his  brothers  were 
of  the  number  of  the  Irish  ecclesiastics  who,  in  the  eighth  and  following  cen- 
turies,  devoted  themselves  to  missionary  labour,  or  monastic  retirement,  on  the 
Continent  of  Europe ;  and  this  may  account  for  the  scanty  notice  of  this 
Colman  Mac  Murchon  which  remains  in  the  native  records  of  his  country  ; 
although  the  Scholiast  tells  us  that  he  afterwards  returned  to  Ireland  with 
his  brothers — "  et  postea  ad  Hiberniam  venerunt" — where  he  appears  to  have 
died  Abbot  of  Movilla. 

1  Situated. — It  is  about  two  miles  E.  by  2  S.  Finian — See  above,  p.  98,  and  Reeves' 

N.  from  Ballvmotc. —  Ord.  Surv.,  sheet   33.      Eccles.  Antiquit.  of  Down  and  Connor,  pp. 
See  Colgan,  Actt.  SS.,  p.  465,  col.  1,  N°.  31.      151,  152. 


1N  Cpmicace  ppep  niea.  Cpi  meicc  ITlupchon  bo  Chonnachcaib  bo  ponpab  m  molabpa  bo 
ltlíchel.  Colman  a  pmpep  -\  eppcob  pibe  -\  pacaipc  m  biap  aile.  Caupa  .1.  t)ia 
nailichpe  bo  chocap  co  camic  ambchine  mop  pop  muip  lchc.  Co  nbeochocap  mn 
alaile  mpi,  1  co  canic  sopca  mop  boib.  Conib  bia  poepab  ap  m  ^opca  pem  bo  pon- 
pac  m  molabpa.  No  ip  bo  poepab  mpe  'Róbain  ap  bemnaib.  Qp  po  boe  apaile  eppcop 
capmcechcach  1  nci  peme  sem,  1  ín  phpancaib  aca,  1  popcea  ab  Tiibepmam  uenepunc. 
lncepcum  epc  aucem  m  qno  cempope  paccup  epc.  Cpe  pichim  ban  boponab  -\  .pzi. 
caipcell  beac  ann,  -\  ba  Imi  m  cech  caibbail,  -\  pe  pillaba  bes  cechai.  lp  po  1  ip- 
pichmi  bo  peip  in  omme  bo   bic   ann. 


cmNicace  spes  mea  pi;ca  non  in  omiNe 
ec  arcchaNseÍAim  Oeprcecorc  rmchaelem  NomiNe 

c  sic  obums  ac  misus  mihi  Oeo  Ooccorce 
horca  ericus  oe  uica  ísca  acque  corcporce 

e  me  Oucac  in  amamim  miNiscerí  íNensiae  5 

ípse  pmNceps  ceNebrmmim  accrae  pes  supenoiae 

Oiucomum  succunrmc  michaelis  ec  arcchaNseli 
ao  me  horca  qua  sauOebiiNC  íusci  accrue  aNseli. 

Gi.oss. — r.  In   Trinitate. — .i.  trinitas  .i.   quasi  trina  unitas.    Fixa. — F.st  vel  erit.     In  omine Ideo 

dixit  non  in  ominequia  aliquis  monacbua  audiuit  vocem  avis  surg[entis  super]  pectus  maris,  etdixit  bonum 

omen,   et  tunc   Colman   dixit  In  trinitate.     Omen,  .i.  cel   [an   omen]   ab  ominor.      Non  in  omine .1. 

pcapami  ppip  m  cel  ap  a  abecchl  [I  reject  augurv,  because  ofits  abomination].  2.  Archangetum. — 
Angeli  .i.  nuntii,  archangeli,  .i.  summi  nuntii,  interpretantur.  Hir.  [Ilicronvmus].  Michaelem. — Qui 
prseest  Judcis  ;  vcl  qui  sicut  dcus  interpretatur,  coqne  in  fine  seculi  aduersus  eum  qui  se  aduersus  Deum 
erexerit  mittcndus.  3.  Doctore. — .i.  de.  5.  Amarum. — .i.  locum,  vel  in  infernum.  Inergia:. — .i.  iniquse 
operationis  sed  meliiis  trunsfiguratiotiis  ut  iesus  dicit  quod  transfigurat  se  in  angelum  lucis.  6.  lpse  prin- 
ceps  —  i.  diabulus  ut  apostolus  dicit.  7.  Adiutorium. — .i.  deprecor.  Succurrat. — .i.  veniat  cito.  8. 
Justi. — .i.  animaj  sanctorum. 


1 .  In  Trinitate. — For  a  translation  of 
the  Preface,  sce  Addit.  Note.  Non  in 
omine. — The  Gloss  appears  to  allude  to 
some  legend  of  a  bird  which  appeared  on 


the  sea,  which  a  monk  exclaimed  was  ;i 
good  omen — "Bonum  omen:"  whereupon 
Colman  repeated  the  words,  "  My  sure 
hopc  is  in  the  Trinitj,  not  in  an  omen." 


i68       Hxjmnus  S.  Colmani  in  laudem  S.  Michaelis  Archangeli. 


a 


llum  TC050  nc  Oemiccac  mihi  crcuces  species 
Nimici  seo  oeOucac  ubi  rceSNi  Tíecnjies 


Oiuuec  me  saNccus  rmchel  Oiebus  ac  uoccibus 
uc  me  poNac  tn  boNONum  saNccorcum  coNSorccibus. 


qnccus  michel  íNcenceoac  aoiucorc  pnobabilis 
1   puo  me  cjuia  sum  peccacor*  accu  accfue  prca^ilis 

.onccus  rmchel  me  OepeNOac  semperc  suis  umibus 
1    aNima  esneOieNce  cum  saNccoTmm  milibus. 


'5 


Gloss 9.  Illum. — .i. 

coelo  sive  in  terra. 


Michaelem.      Truces.- 


3.  Doctore. — The  second  syllable  is 
here  made  short.  It  is  intended,  no 
doubt,  for  Ductore. 

5.  Inergice. — For  energice.  Here  used 
for  diabolical  influence.  Persons  pos- 
sessed  with  devils  were  called  JSnergu- 
meni. — Comp.  2  Thes.  ii.  9,  11. 

6.  Pes  Superbice. — Ps.  xxxv.  12,  Vulg. 

7.  Et  archangeli. — The  metre,  as  well 
as  the  sense,  of  this  line  would  be  iin- 
proved  if  et  were  omitted.  Adjutorium 
seems  to  have  been  pronounced  in  four 
s}-llables,  and  Michaelis  in  three. 

9.  Speeies. — In  the  "  Fragmentum  Sy- 
nodi  Ibernensis"  (Martene,  Thes.  JVov. 
Anecd.,  tom.  iv.  p.  i,sq.  Villanueva,  Opusc. 
S.  Patricii,  p.  1 69)  this  word  is  used  to  sig- 
nify  theface.  "  Sanguis  Episcopi,  vel  ex- 
celsi  principis,  vel  scribae,  qui  ad  terram 
effunditur,  si  collirio  indiguerit,  eum  qui 
effuderit  sapientes  cmcifigi  judicant,  vel 
vii.  ancillas  reddat.  Si  in  specie  [i.  e.  if 
the  wound  bc  in  the  face]  tertiam  partem 
de  argento."  And  again,  "  Sanguis  pres- 
byteri  qui  ad  ten-am  effunditur  doncc  col- 


i.    grandai.     10.    Ubi. — Est.     Requies. — .i.  sive  in 

lyrium  suffert,  manus  interfectoris  ab- 
scindatur,  vel  dimidium  vii.  ancillarum 
reddat,  si  de  industria  :  si  autem  non  de 
industria,  ancillaB  pretio  sanetur.  Si  ad 
ten'am  non  perveniat,  percussor  ancil- 
lam  reddat ;  si  in  specie  ejus,  tertiam  par- 
tem  de  argento  retribuat,"  &c.  If  the 
word  species  be  taken  in  the  same  sense 
here,  the  text  may,  perhaps,  be  thus  trans- 
lated  :  "I  beseech  hhn  not  to  cast  down 
upon  me  the  horrible  faces  of  the  enemy, 
but  to  lead  me  where  there  is  the  rest  of 
[God's]  Idngdom."  The  Gloss  renders 
truces  by  grandai,  or  grandce,  i.e.  great, 
large,  from  grandus  for  grandis. 

1 1.  Adjuvet  me. — On  the  upper  margin 
of  the  page  (fol.  1 6  a)  of  the  MS.  there  is 
a  note,  or  extract,  of  no  interest,  from 
some  medieval  author.  It  has  no  reference 
whatsoever  to  thc  text,  and  is  in  someplaces 
illegible. 

13.  Probabilis. — Meaning  approved,  to 
be  highlg  lauded,  or  approved. 

16.  Anima  egrediente. — "  May  St.  Mi- 
chael,  with  mjriads  of  the  saints,  conti- 


Hymnus  S.  Colmani  in  laudem  S.  Michaelis  Archangeli.      169 
qcinccus  sabrnel  sqnccus  Raphiel  arcfue  omues  aN^eci 


e 
5 


íNcercceOaNc  prco  me  semperc  simul  ec  arcchaNseli 

cercNa  possiNc  piíescarce  rcesis  rcegNi  aulia 
uc  posseoeam  cum  chrnsco  parcaoisi  gauoia 

Lonia  sic  semperc  oeo  pacm  accrue  pilio 
simul  cum  spmicu  soncco  in  uno  consiIio. 


Goiuuec  nop  apclianjelup  panccur  michel  Di^nippmup  quem 
necipene  animar  miccac  ceur  alorpmur. 

Gloss. — 17.   Gabriel.—A.  fortitudo  Dei  interpretatur.     Iiaphiel. — .i.  medicina  Dei  interpretatur,  eo 
quod  medicinavit  tobiam  de  cecitate.     19.  Possint. — .i.  angeli  et  archangeli.     Aulia. — .i.  regia  domus. 
Archangelus. — .i.  summus  nuntius  interpretatur.     Michel. — .i.  qui  sicut  Deus  interpretatur. 


nuallj'  defenrl  mc  by  liis  power  [cspccially]      small  i  is  written,  indicating  a  correction 


when   my   soul  is    departing    [from   the 
body]." 

Adiuuet  nos. — Thcse  lines  are  in  a  dif- 
ferent  character,  but  by  the  original  scribc, 
like  thc  similar  lincs  after  the  other 
Hymns,  of  which  we  havc  alreadv  fre- 
quentlv  spohcn.     Ovcr  the  a  in  mittat  a 


of  the  reading,  from  mittat  to  mittit. 
There  is  evidentlv  a  distich  -with  a  rude 
rhyme.     The  verscs  may  bc  rcad  thus  : — 

"  Adjuvet  nos  archangelus, 
Sanctus  Michael  dignisaimus, 
Quem  recipere  animas 
Mittat  Deus  altissimus.'" 


z 


I7o 


ADDITIONAL  NOTE. 


TJie  Selwliasfs  Prefacc. 

fl^HE  Prcface  of  the  Sclioliast  is  for  the  most  part  in  Irish,  but,  as  in  former 
-L  instances,  mixed  with  Latin  words.  The  whole  has  bcen  here  translated,  with- 
out  distinguishing  the  phrases  that  arc  in  Latin  : — 

In  Trinitate  spes  mea.  The  thvee  sons  of  Murchu  of  the  Connacians  made  this  Hymn  to  Miehael. 
Colman",  the  eldest  of  them,  was  a  bishop ;  the  other  two  were  priests.  The  Causeb  was  this :  they  went 
on  a  pilgrimage,  and  a  great  tempest  arose  on  the  Iccian';  sea,  and  they  came  to  a  certain  island,  and  a 
great  hunger  came  on  them,  and  it  was  to  deliver  them  from  this  hunger  thev  composed  this  Hymn.  C)r, 
it  was  to  free  the  island  of  Rodan'1  from  Demons.  For  there  had  been  a  certain  transgressing  bishop  in 
it  before  that ;  and  it  is  in  France.  And  afterwards  they  went  to  Ireland.  It  is  uncertain,  however,  at 
what  time  tliis  Ilvmn  was  composed.  It  is  made  in  rhymc,  and  there  are  eleven1'  chapters  in  it,  and  two 
lines  in  each  chapter,  and  sixteenf  syllables  in  each  line.  It  isont'í  the  rhyme  is,  on  account  of  the  omine 
being  in  it. 


fl  Coiman. — See  what  has  been  alreadv  said  of 
him  in  the  introductory  remarks,  p.  165. 

h  The   Cause That  is,  the  occasion  on  which 

the  Hymn  was  composed. 

'  Iccian  Sca. — i.  e.  the  British  Channel,  Irish 
Nennius,  p.  31,  n.  p.  272  ;  Genealogies  of  Hy 
Fiachrach,  p.  18,  n. 

''  Rodan. — The  Editor  has  not  been  able  to  iden- 
tify  this  island,  unless  it  be  the  Isle  St.  Roui,  oti'  the 
coast  of  Brittanv.  There  is  a  St.  Rodincus,  or  St. 
Rouin,  an  Irishman,  whose  original  nanie  was 
probably  Rodan.  He  founded  the  Abbey  of  Beau- 
lieu  in  Argonne,  and  died  A.  D.  680,  on  the 
1 7th  Sept.,  at  which  day  his  name  occurs  in  the 
Calendar  of  the  Church  of  France.  See  Menard, 
1.  ii.,  Observatt.  in  Martyrol.  Bcncd.,  and  Mabillon, 


Act.  SS.  Bened.,  where  his  life  is  given :  Sec.  iv. 
part  ii.,  App.,  p.  543.      Venet.,  1738. 

e  Eleven.- — The  MS.  has  .ti.  cuiprell  bec, 
a  mistake  for  .1.  caipcell  oec,  or  .pci.  caipcell, 
"  eleven  chapters." 

f  Sixteen This  is  also  a  mistake,  for  the  lines 

liivi-  onIy  tifteen  syllables.  But  line  7  seems  tn 
liave  seventeen  syllables,  or  sixteen  if  we  read 
Michaelis  as  a  trisyllable.  But  in  line  2  Michaelem 
is  read  in  four  syllables,  and  in  lines  11.  13,  and 
15,  where  the  name  Michael  is  a  dissvllable,  it  is 
written  Michel. 

8  It  is  on  i. — i.  e.  the  rhyme  is  on  the  vowel  i, 
as  om'me,  and  nomxne,  ver.  1  and  2.  Every  line 
has  i  either  in  the  last  or  penultimate  syllable,  ex- 
cept  lines  3,  4,  where  the  last  sjllablc  is  e. 


(     i7i     ) 


IX.  THE  HTMN  OF  ST.  OENGUS  MAC  TIPRAITE  IN  PEAISE  OF 

ST.  MARTIN. 


THIS  Hymn  has  never  before  been  prínted.  It  is  ascribed  in  the  Preface 
to  Oengus  Mac  Tipraite,  priest,  or  abbot,  of  Cluain  Fota  Baitain-abha', 
a  contemporarv  of  St.  Adamnan  ;  and  is  said  to  have  been  written  on  the  occa- 
sion  of  Adamnan's  visitation  of  the  Columban  íbundations  in  Ireland,  A.  D. 
692  or  697.  Oengus,  however,  lived  to  A.  D.  745,  at  which  year  the 
Annals  of  Ulster  record  his  death  in  these  words :  "  Mors  Oengusa  fihi 
Tipraiti  abbatis  Cluana  Fota ;"  as  also  the  Annals  of  Tighernach,  in  the  words, 
bapp  QeTijupa  meic  GippaiOe  Qb  Cluana  poca  baicam  aba,  "Deathof  Aengus 
son  of  Tipraide,  abbot  of  Cluain  Fota  Baitain-abha."  The  Four  Masters  alter 
the  date  given  by  the  earlier  annalists  to  741.  But  all  these  authorities  agree 
in  styling  Oengus  Abbot  of  Cluain  Fota  Baitain-abha :  they  probably  under- 
stood  our  Scholiast  to  have  meant  abbot,  when  he  calls  him  priest  of  that 
monastery. 

The  Hvmn  is  in  extremely  rude  Latinity,  and  irregular  metre,  with  rhvnie 
or  assonances  at  the  end  oí'  the  lines.  Nothing  is  known  of  the  author  except 
what  is  recorded  in  the  Preface,  and  in  the  Annals  above  quoted.  His  name 
does  not  occur  in  the  Calendars  or  Martyrologies  of  the  ancient  Church  of 
Ireland. 

1  Cluain  Fota  Baitain-abha This  namc  preserved.     One   of  the   earliest  bishops  of 

signifies  "  the  long  lawn  or  meadow  of  Bai-  Clonfad  was  Etchein,  who  ordained  St.  Co- 

tan  of  the  river,"  now  Clonfad,  baronv  of  lumba — See  the   Legend,    Obits  of  Christ 

Farbill,    county  of  Westmeath.     Baitan   of  Church,  Introd.,  p.  liv.,  and  comp.  Reeves' 

the  river  may  have  been  the  founder  of  the  Adamnan.   Vit.    S.   Columba,  App.  to  Pref., 

monasterv,  01*  else,  perhaps,  a  chieftain  who  p.  lxxii.     He  died  A.  D.  577  or  578.    Four 

was  the  original  owner  of  the  soil;  but  no  Masters  in  anno  ;    Colgan,  Act.  SS.,  nthof 

other  notice  of  him  appears  to  have  been  Feb. ;  Lanigan,  Eccles.  Hist.,  vol.  ii.  p.  125. 


mQRClNG.  Ocnjjup  macc  cippaice  paeopc  cluuna  poca  bairan  aba  ípe  t>o  ponui  hunc 
c;.iiinum.  1  cluuin  pocu  puccup  epc.  Cciupa  uucem  abamnan  boi  pop  cuaipc  cell 
coluim  cille  m  hepenn  co  poachc  co  uipneach  nube  co  po  ^apeb  bo  cecli  pip.  gpaib 
popp  a  paba  Uut>  ipin  cip  ;  co  puachc  m  cepuacpa  oengup  ín  aibche  pcle  mapccun. 
cc  cimuic  ualbe  uc  pecic  hunc  q.mnum  ín  honopem  mapcmi  bia  poepub.  uenic  rjia 
oengup  bo  chum  [nci]  bala  appabapach  -\  a  ímmun  eplam  leip.  -|  cappap  oo 
aoamncin  mupccin  pop  a  laim  beip  Oengupa  -|  acpcichc  cpa  abamnun  peme,  ec 
honopipicauic  eum  cum  opculo  ec  oninep  nnpabcincup  caupam  honopip  ec  biiic 
Qbanman  uc  uibic  mapcmum  pecum,  conib  op  niapcan  bo  bich  ímmaille  ppip  bo 
pac  honop  bo.  po  poepat)  cpa  cmilaib  pem  oengup.  ec  opcenbic  c^mnum  puum  ec 
lautiauic  abamnan  qiiinum  ec  bi,ric  snuip  aipnuciu  pop  m  ci  gebup  ícbul  t>o  chuni 
bala  no  aipechca  ocup  comub  biciu  ap  cech  nsalcip.  ocup  nem  apa  subcnl  po  lige 
po  eipge.  Cpe  pichim  ban  bo  ponab,  pe  ccnbbill  ann  -]  ba  line  cech  caibbill. 
nnpecpa  ban  ann  ec  non  uecpicilem  numepum  pillabapum  pinjulae  Uniae 
pepucmc. 


Q1?<~1N6  re  Oeprcecorc  pr?o  me  ríosanis  pacrcem 
elmiscum  ac  spmicum  saNccum  liabeNcem  marciam 
macTíem 

auciNus  miTíUS  morce  one  lauoauic  oeum 
pimo  coROe  caNcauic  acque  amauic  eum 

Leccus  Oei  uiui  sisnci  sibi  saLucis  5 

oonouic  oeus  pacis  masNe  acque  umcucis 

enbum  oei  Locucus  secucus  in  maNOacis 
umcucibus  ímplecis  iuotícuis  rcesuscicacis 


U 


Gloss. — 3.   More. — .i 

rl,-tis. — arneu. 


caritatis  atque  religionis. 


Loeutus. — est.     Secutus i.    Deum.     !<.   Im- 


1.  Martinc. — For  ;i  translation  of  thc  rude ;  í'or  habentem  agrees  grammatically 
Preface  see  Addit.  Note.  with    Spvritum    Smctum,    although,    oi' 

2.  Habentem. — This  scerus  hetcrodox,  course,  intended  to  agree  with  Chnstum. 
or  at   least  very   badly   expressed,    and  8.  Impletia. — The   Gloss    "  Aincn"  on 


Hymnus  S.  Oengusii  Meic  Tipraite. 


i7: 


.aNaNS  honnNes  ceprca  curca  ouptTce  mma 
1   masNicuDiNe  maLa  esrcecuOTNe  oma 


t) 


eUTTT    001TTTNUTT1    NOSCTCUITT   paSSUlTI   pTCO    NObTS  TTTme 

uoliiNcaTue  pnopcerc  nos  OepRecarce  marcnNe 

marccTNe. 


Sanccup  mancinup  aohuc  cacacominup  hac  me  uepce  concepri" 

oicic  oominup  omnipocenp. 
Peji  mepica  ma|icini  pancci  acque  oigmppmi  nop  ppecamun  uc 

meneamun  pegnum  oei  uiui  alcippimi.     Qmen. 

Gloss. — 9.  Duplice. — .  i.  auinia  et  corpore.      10.   Magnitudine. — .i.   peccati.     Egretudine. — .i.    cor- 
poris. 

( 'atacominus i.  adiutor  fidei  interpretatur. 


this  word  is  in  a  more  recent  hand,  and  is 
written  under,  not  over,  the  word.  Jfor- 
tuis  remseitatU.  —  Sulp.  Severi  Be  Vit. 
B.  Martini,  c.  5,  6  (Bibl.  Patr.,  tom.  vi.. 
350  H..  351  A.     Lugd.  1677). 

9.  Lepra. — Ibid.,  c.  19  (ubi  stvpr.,  353 
A.)  Cura  dupliec. — With  a  twofold  cure, 
ot'  mind  as  well  as  hody  :  converting  them 
to  tlie  íaith,  as  well  as  healing  them  of 
bodily  disease.  Cura  is  here  used  in  the 
sense  of  curatio  morli. 

12.  Martine. — The  Hvmn  endshere.  as 
\ve  infer  from  the  repetition  of  thc  last 
word,  Martine,  whieh  is  also  the  flrst  word 
of  the  Hymn.  It  is  one  of  the  artifices 
of  Irish  poetiT  to  make  a  poem  hegin  and 
end  with  the  same  word  (see  ahove,  p.  23). 
What  follows  is  in  a  different  character, 
although  by  the  original  seribe  (see  above, 
pages  23.  80,  161). 

('atacominm. — i.  e.  Catechumenm,  a  Ca- 
techumen.     In  the  Gloss  this  word  is  ex- 


plained  adiutor  fidei,  wbich  is,  perhaps,  a 

mistahe  for  "auditor  fidei." — Isidor.  His- 
pal.,  Eti/molog.,  vii.  e.  14.  The  allusion 
is  to  the  following  legend,  told  by  Suljti- 
tius  Severus  in  his  Life  of  St.  Martin  : — 
Duriiig  his  milit;uy  career,  St.  Martin 
found  one  dav  at  the  gate  of  the  city  of 
Amiens  a  poor  man,  naked,  and  shivering 
with  the  intense  cold  of  a  more  tluin 
usually  severe  winter.  ííone  of  the  by- 
passers  took  any  notice  of  the  wretched 
suppliant's  appeals  to  their  iharitv ;  but 
St.  Martin,  moved  by  compassion,  took  off 
his  own  cloak  (chlamvdem),  and  drawing 
liis  sword,  divided  it  into  two  equal  parts, 
one  of  which  he  gave  to  the  poor  man. 
At  this  time  St.  Martin  was  only  a  Cate- 
chumen,  ;md  liad  not  as  yet  been  bap- 
tized,  although  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age.  He  entered  the  city  amid  the 
jeers  of  manv,  who  ridiculed  his  appear- 
ance  in  his  cloak  cut  short ;  but  that  same 


l74 


Hymnus  S.  Oengusii  Meic  Tipraite. 


night  he  saw  in  a  drcam  Chríst  Himself, 
clothed  in  that  very  half  of  the  cloak 
which  had  been  given  to  the  poor  man,  and 
being  called  upon  to  recognise  the  gar- 
ment,  he  heard  Jesus  say  to  the  surround- 
ing  angels,  "  Martin,  although  only  a 
Catechumen,  hath  covered  Me  with  this 
robe" — "  Nocte  igitur  insecutá,  cum  se 
sopori  dedisset,  vidit  Christum  clamvdis 
suae,  quá  texerat  pauperem  parte  vcsti- 
tum.  Intueri  diligentissime  Dominum, 
\ estemque  quam  dederat  jubctur  agnos- 
cere.  Mox  ad  angelorum  circumstantium 
multitudinem,  audit  Jesum  clara  voce  di- 
eentem :  Martinus,  adhuc  Catechumenus, 
hac  Me  veste  contexit.  Vere  memor  Domi- 
nus  dictorum  suorum  (qui  ante  prsedixe- 


rat :   Quamdiu  fecistis  hac  uni  ex  minimis 

istis,  mihi  fecistis),  se  in  paupere  prof'essus 

est  fuisse  vestitum,"  &c.     Upon  this,  St. 

Martin   was   immediately  baptized,    but 

continued  almost  two  ycars  longer  in  the 

army,  to  complete  the  tenn  of'  his  militarj- 

service. — Sulp.  Severi,  De  Vita  S.  Martini, 

c.  2  {Billioth.  Patr.,  tom.  vi.,   350   A.) 

Lib.  Arrnac.  in  Vit.  S.  Martini,  foL  192, 

where  the  form  Catacominus,  fbr  Catechc- 

menus,  occurs. 

Pcr  merita. — There  is  here  a  rhyme  or 

jingle :— 

"Per  merita  Martiui 
Sancti  atque  clignissimi 
Xos  precamur 
Ut  mereamur 
Eegnum  Dei  vivi  altissimi." 


(     *75    ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTE. 


The  Scholiasfs  Preface. 

THE  Prefaee,  or  Argument,  details   a   curious  legend,  which  is  quite  consistent 
with  the  date  aLready  assigned  to  the  author  of  this  Hymn     It  is  in  the  usual 
mixture  of  Latin  and  Irish,  and  may  bc  translated  as  follows  : — 

Martine.  Oengus  Mac  Tipraite»,  priest  of  Cluain  Fota  Baitain-abha,  was  the  person  who  composed 
this  Hymn.  It  was  composed  in  Cluain  Fota.  The  Causeb  was  this  :  Adamnan  was  making  his  visitation' 
of  the  churches  of  CoTum-cille  in  Erinn,  when  he  arrived  at  Uisneach  of  Meath  ;  and  every  man  of  grade', 
against  whom  there  was  any  accusation  in  that  country,  was  summoned  to  him ;  and  the  proclamatioi: 
reached  Oengus  on  the  eve  of  the  festival  of  Martin;  and  he  feared  greatlyp,  so  that  he  made  this  Hymn  in 
honour  of  Martin,  to  deliver  himself.  Then  Oengus  came  to  the  assemblv  on  the  morrowf,  and  his  Hvmii 
ready  with  him  ;  and  Martin  appeared  to  Adamnan  on  the  right  hand  of  Oengus,  and  Adamnan  rose  np 
before  him  [i.  e.  before  Oengus],  and  did  him  honour  with  a  kiss,  and  all  wondered  at  the  cause  of  the 
lionour;  and  Adamnan  said  when  he  saw  Martin  with  him,  [i.  e.  with  Oengus],  that  it  was  because  Martin 
was  with  him  that  he  gave  him  this  honour.  Thus  did  Oengus  deliver  himself ;  and  he  showed  liis 
Hymn,  and  Adamnan  praised  the  Hymn,  and  said,  An  honourable  aspect"  shall  be  upon  every  one  that 


"  Oengus    Mac    Tipraite. — See   what   has   been 
said  of  him,  p.  171,  svpra. 

b  The  Cause. — That  is,  the  cause  or  occasion  011 
whicli  it  was  composed. 

His  Hsitation. — This  fixes  the  date  to  A.  D. 
692  or  697. — See  Reeves'  Adamn  ,  p.  xlix.  Us- 
neach  is  in  the  parish  of  Conrv,  diocese  of  Meatli, 
a  littlesouth  of  which,  in  the  parish  of  Ardmurcher, 
is  Sui&e  Qóarhnain  (now  Syonan),  "sessio 
Adamnani,"  which  was  probably  the  spot  where  the 
visitation  or  s>-nod  alluded  to  iu  the  text  was  held. 
— Reeves'  Adamnan.,  App.  to  Tref.,  p.  lxv. 

d  Ofgrade. — That  is,   everj-  man    who  was   in 
holy  orders. 


e  Hefeared  greatlg. — Are  we  to  infer  from  this 
that  Oengus  was  one  of  those  against  whom  some 
accusation  had  been  brought  ?  If  so,  his  fears  may 
have  arisen  froin  the  apprehension  that  justice  waa 
not  always  to  be  expected  from  the  ecelesiastical 
tribunals  of  that  period. — See  Reeves'  Adamnan, 
lib.  iii.  c.  3,  p.  192,  and  note  ». 

f  On  the  morrow. — The  Irish  word  is  anpabíi- 
pacli,  which  would  be  now  written  a  mtípach ; 
a  curious  instance  of  the   interchange   of  b   and 

711. 

s  An  honourable  aspect. — That  is,  his  very  out- 
ward  appearance  shall  be  such  as  to  command 
respect  from  all  who  see  him. 


176 


Hi/mn  of  St.  Oengus  Mac  Tipraite. 


sings  it  in  going  to  an  assembly,    or  courth,    and  it  shall  be  a  protection  against  everv  disease,    and 
against  poison,  to  him  who  sings  it  lving  down  and  rising  up. 

It  is  composedin  rhyme;  there  are  six  chapters  in  it,  and  two  lines  in  eaeli  chapter;  it  isin  assonances'  ; 
and  the  lines  do  not  each  preserve  the  same  numberi  of  svllables. 


h  An  assembh/  or  covrt. — DalCI  TIO  apechca. 
ÍDald  (the  same  word  used  above,  where  it  is  said 
that  Oengus  went  to  tlie.  assembly,  at  which  he 
was  to  receive  the  judgment  of  Adamnan)  is  a 
general  term  for  any  meeting ;  aipeachc  is  pro- 
perlv  a  court  or  diet  of  princes,  or  officials,  for 
inakinglaws,  orhearingcivilcauses;  from  aipeoc, 
a  chieftain,  or  noble. 

1  In  assonances. — Recpa,  repetition  of  the  same 
sound  at  the  end  of  each  line.  • 

1  The  same  number. — The  lines  have  generallv 


fourteen  svllables.  Verse  2  has  sixteen  syllables, 
but  may  be  reduced  to  fourteen,  if  we  elide  the 
final  svllable  of  Christum  before  ac,  and  pronounce 
Mariam  as  a  dissjllable,  Marjam.  Verses  S  and 
1 2  have  fifteen  syllables  ;  in  verse  8,  mortuis  is  pro- 
nounced  as  a  dissvllable;  and  inverse  12,  voluntari/ 
is  pronounced  vohintarje,  four  svllables  onlv.  But 
in  verse  4,  the  final  svllable  of  atque  is  not  elidetl 
before  amavit.  Martinus  is  apparently  pronounced 
Marfínus,  with  the  penultimate  short ;  andthere  are 
several  other  irregularities. 


(     '77    ) 


X.  GLOEIA  IN  EXCELSIS  DEO. 


IT  may  be  convenient  to  give  here  a  translation  of  the  Scholiast's  Preface1, 
or  Introduction,  to  this  well-known  Hymn  : — 

"  Gloria  in  excelsis.  The  angelsof  God  sang  the  first  verse  of  this  Hymn  on  the  night  of 
the  Lord's  Nativitv.  They  made  it  at  the  Tower  of  Gabder,2  a  mile  from  Jerusalem  eastward. 
To  make  known  that  He  who  was  then  born  was  the  Son  of  God  they  made  it.  In  the  time 
of  Octavin  Augustus  it  was  composed.  But  Ambrose  made  this  Hvmn,  from  the  second  verse 
to  the  end  of  the  Hymn." 

From  the  notice  of  this  Hymn  in  the  fourth  Council  of  Toledo  (  A.  D.  633), 
it  would  seem  that  the  author  or  authors  of  it  were  then  unknown  :  the  Council 
(can.  13),  speaking  ofthose  who  atthat  time  objected  to  the  use  of  all  hvmns 
of  human  composition,  say  :  "  Respuant  ergo  et  illum  hvmnum  ab  hominibus 
compositum,  quem  quotidié  publico  privatoque  officio  in  fine  omnium  psalmo- 
rum  dicimus,  Gloria  et  honor  Patri,  et  Filio,  et  Spiritui  Sancto,  in  secula  secu- 
lorum,  Amen.  Nam  et  ille  hymnus  qucm  nato  in  carne  Christo  Angeli  ceci- 
nerunt,  Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo,  et  in  terra  pax  hominibus  bona  voluntatis ;  ct 
reliqua  quas  ibi  sequuntur  ecclesiastici  Doctores  composuerunt."  As  Hilary 
and  Ambrose  had  been  mentioned  just  before  as  the  authors  of  hymns  (see 
above,  p.  149),  it  is  not  likely  that  the  Council  would  have  spoken  thus,  if 
either  of  those  Fathers  had  been  then  reputed  the  author  of  this  Hymn. 

It  is  most  commonly  attributed  to  St.  Hilary3,  of  Poictiers,  and  is  entitled, 
"  Hymnus  S.  Hilarh  ad  Missam"  in  the  Cod.  Vatic.  5729  (an  ancient  MS.  of 

iPreface Another  version  of  this  Preface  3  To  St.  Hilary — Some  have  made  Pope 

will  be  found  in  Addit.  Note  A    at  the  end  Telesphorus  (A.  D.  150)  the  author  (as  Rha- 

ofthisHjmn.  banus,  Amalarius,  Walafridus  Strabo,  &c.), 

-  Ttie  Tower  of  Gabder See  Additional  misunderstanding,  as  itwould  seem,  the  words 

Xote  B.  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis,  where  Telesphorus  is 

2  A 


178 


Gloria  in  Excelsis  Deo. 


the  Hicronymian  Bible).  But  as  this  Hymn  was  in  use  as  a  morning  hymn 
(Trpoatvxn  íwdivíi)  in  the  Greek  Church4,  and  is  found  in  a  Greek  dress  in 
the  Apostolical  Constitutions  (lib.  vii.  c.  47),  Cardinal  Thomasius5  suggests, 
with  great  probability,  that  St.  Hilary  was  only  the  translator,  and  that  he 
had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  it  into  use  in  the  Western  Church : 
"  Forte  hic  primus  hymnum  hunc  Latinum  fecit,  primusque  ex  Oricnte  in 
Occidentem  invexit." 

The  Editor  has  found  no  authority  except  that  of  the  Scholiast  of  the 
Book  of  Hymns,  now  before  us,  for  attributing  this  Hymn  to  St.  Ambrose. 
The  reasons  already  given  for  supposing  it  more  ancient  than  St.  Hilary 
are  of  equal  force  against  the  opinion  that  St.  Ambrose  was  the  author6. 


said  to  have  appointed  this  Hymn,  or  rather, 
}>erhaps,  only  the  first  verse  of  it,  to  be  sung 
on  the  night  of  Christmas :  "Ut  Ilvmuus  An- 
gelicus  in  nocte  Nativitatis  Domini  diceretur." 
It  is  remarkable  that  in  the  Liturgy  of  St. 
James  only  the  words  of  the  angels,  and  not 
the  remainder  of  the  Hymn,  are  to  be  found. 
— J.  A.  Fabricii,  Cod.  Apocr.  N.  T.,  pt.  iii. 
tom.  ii.  p.  64 ;  and  so  also  in  the  Ordo  Missce 
for  Christmas  Day,  in  the  Missale  Gothi- 
cum,  pubhshed  by  Mabillon,  De  Liturg. 
Gallicana,  pt.  iii.  p.  192.  But  Alcuin,  Ho- 
norius  Augustodunensis,  Hugo  de  St.  Vic- 
tore,  and  many  othcrs,  mamtain  that  Hilary 
was  the  author. 

*  Greeh  Church. — See  Ussher,  De  Sijmbolis 
(Works  by  Elrington,  vol.  vii.  p.  335).  It  is 
calledin  the  Greek  Church  >)  p,tyáXn  0oKo\oyía, 
"  the  great  Doxology"  (Goar.  Rituale  Grascor., 
p.  54-5S).  In  the  Codex  Alexandrinus  (Edit. 
Baber^vol.iii.^óg)  this  Hymn  isentitled  vjxvoc 
iuOivbc ;  and  in  the  Vatican  MS.,  5729, "  Hym- 
nus  Angelorum"  (Card.  Thomasii,  Psalter. 
Opp.  cd.  A.  F.  Vezzosi,  Rom.,  1748,  tom.  iii. 
p.  616).  See  also  Cave,  Hist.  Liter.,  vol.  ii., 
Dissert.  ii.  p.  28,  voc.  iwdivbc,  Oxon.,  fol.  1473. 


s  Thomasius Psalter.,  Opp.,  loc.  cit.;  and 

so  Alcuin  speaks  of  the  Gloria  in  excelsis  as 
having  been  "auctus  et  consummatus"  by 
St.  Hilary.  Quoted by  Mabillon,  De  Liturg. 
Gallic,  p.  29. 

6  The   author Mention  is  made   of  this 

Hymn  in  the  Treatise  De  Virginitate,  pub- 
hshed  among  the  works  of  St.  Athanasius 
(toni.ii.,  Ed.  Bened.)  ;  and  if  that  tract  were 
genuine,  this  would  be  a  strong  argument 
against  the  opinion  that  the  Hymn  was  of 
Latin  origin,  or  that  it  had  either  St.  Hilary 
or  St.  Ambrose  for  its  author.  For  the  Tract 
De  Virginitate  speaks  of  the  IIymn  as  used 
in  the  morning,  or  near  morning  (irpbg  ópOpov), 
by  an  established  custom ;  which  it  could 
scarcely  have  been  in  the  time  of  Athanasius, 
if  Hilary  or  Ambrose  had  been  the  author. 
However,  although  Bellarmine,  Nat.  Alexan- 
der,  and  other  lcarned  men,  have  upheld  the 
genuineness  of  tlie  treatise  De  Virginitate, 
there  is  now  scarcely  any  one  who  does  not 
acquiesce  in  the  judgment  of  the  Benedictine 
editors,  that  it  cannot  be  an  authentic  work 
of  St.  Athanasius — See  Oudin.,  De  Scripto- 
ribus,  tom.  1.  p.  340. 


5l>OT?ld  1N  epTCeLSlS.  an^eli  bei  cecmepunc  ppimum  ueppum  huiup  c,-mni  m  nocce 
bommicae  naciuicacip.  lc  cup  gabbep  imoppo  bo  ponpac  .1.  mile  o  Tiiepupa- 
lem  paip.  bo  paillpi^ub  ímoppo  connib  macc  be  m  ci  po  genaip  ann  bo  ponpac 
he.  ln  aimpip  occauín  au^upci  bo  ponab.  Ombpopiup  aucem  pecic  huno 
qnmum  a  pecunbo  ueppu  upque  ab  pmem  c,-mm. 


t) 


CORIG  in  ejcelsis  Oeo  ec  in  cercrca  pa;c 
homiNibus  boNae  uoLuncocis 

Lauoamus  ce  beNeOiciTnus  ce  aoorcamus  ce 
SloTíipicamus  ce  masNipicamus  ce 

rcacias  a^imus  cibi  prcopceT?  ma^Nam  miseTíicorc- 
01  am  cuam  5 

OomiNe  rce.t  celescis  oeus  pacerc  omNipoceNs 

ormNe  piLi  UNiseNice  íesu  chrcisce 
saNcce  spinicus  Oei  ec  omues  oicimus   anieN 


Gloss.  —  1.  ln  excehis. — i.  in   celis.      In   terra. — .i.  in  ecclesia  sancta.      i.    Bona    voluntatis .i' 

eis  qui  nullunt  [nolunt]  deum  offendere  sed  placere  cogitatione  et  uerbo  et  opere.     3.  Laudamus. — .i.   [in 

uita]  hac  nostra  vel  in  teorica  vita.     Benedicimus. — i actuali  vita.     Adoramus. — .i.  sub- 

jectione  corporis  et  anima;,  .i.  totis  viribus.     4.   Glorificamus. — .i.  coram  Deo  Patre.     Magnijicamus. — 
.i.  coram  hominibus  bono  opere. 


1.  Gloria. — For  a  translation  of  the 
Preface,  see  above,  p.  177. 

4.  Magnificamus  te. — Omitted  in  the 
text  of  this  Hymn  as  now  used. 

5. — Misericordiam. — An  ancient  hand 
has  writtcn  in  the  margin  Gloriam. 

6. — Domine  rex. — "  Domine  Deus  rex" 
is  the  reading  now. 

7. — Domine  fili. — The  present  text  is 

2 


"  DomineFili  unigenite  Jesii  Christc,  Do- 
mine  Deus,  Agnus  Dei,  Filius  Patris. 
Qui  tollis  peccata  mundi,  miserere  nobis. 
Qui  tollis  peccata  mundi  suscipe  depre- 
cationem  nostram.  Qui  sedes  ad  dexte- 
ram  Patris,  miserere  nobis.  Quoniam  tu 
solus  sanctus,  tu  solus  Dominus,  tu  solus 
altissimus,  Jesu  Christe,  cum  sancto  Spi- 
ritu  in  gloria  Dei  Patris.  Amen." 
A2 


]  80  Gloria  in  Excelsis  Deo. 


t) 


omiNe  piLi  oei  pacrcis  a^Ne  Oei  qui  coLLis  peccaca  ttiunOi 
miserceTíe  Nobis.  10 


■  uscipe  orcacioNem  Noscttam  qui  seOes  ao  Oe;ccermm  pacrcis 
1    misercerce  noois  OomiNe. 


q 


m 


uoNiam  cu  soLus  sonccus  cu  solus  OomiNus  cu  soLus 
sLoTíiosus  cum  spmicu  saNcco  in  sLoRia  oei  pacrcis  ameN 


oimn  cemporce  beNeOicimus  ce  ec  LauOamus  15 

iiomeN  cuum  in  aeceNNum  ec  in  seculum  seculi   amen 


t) 

b 


iJ5Narce  OomiNe  noccc  ísca 
siiie  peccaco  nos  cuscoome 


t) 


eNeOiccus  es  oomiNe  Oeus  pacnum  Noscnonum  ec  lauoabile 
ec  sLoNiosum  NomeN  cuum  in  aeceRNum  ec  in  seculum  se- 
cuLi  ameN.  20 

omiNe  Oeus  saLucis  meae 
in  Oie  cLamaui  ec  Nocce  conam  ce 


Gloss. — 13.   Tu  solus i.  per  temetipsura.      15.  In  omni  tempore. — .i.  in  prosperis  et  in  adversis. 

16.  Nomen. — .i.  filiuni  tuum.  17.  Nocte. — .i.  hujus  seculi.  18.  Peccato. — .i.  sine  mortali  crimine. 
19.  Patrum. — .i.  patriarcharum  et  apostolorum.  20.  In  seculum. — .i.  hic  et  in  futuro.  22.  ln  die. — 
.i.  iu  prosperis.     Nocte. — .i.  in  tenebris  seculi  hujus. 

15.  In  omni  tempore. — "WTiat  follows  is  in   the   Ambrosian   copy   of  this  Hymn 

an  addition,  of  the  nature  of  an  antiphon,  (Thomas.,  loc.  cit.),    and  is  also  usually 

like  the  similar  additions  at  the  end  of  incorporated  in  the  Te  Deum,  but  with  the 

the  foregoing  Hymns ;  but  in  this  case  it  reading  die  isto,  instead  of  nocte  ista,  as 

is  written  in  the  same  characters  as  the  above.     This  peculiaritj'  of  the  Irish  copy 

text.     The  verse  In  omni  tempore  is  added  seems  to  show  that  in  the  ancient  Church 

to  this  Hymn  in  the  copy  of  it  printed  by  of  Ireland  the  Hj*mn  was  used  at  night ; 

Cardinal  Thomasius  from  the  Ambrosian  a  fact  which  is  expressly  stated  to  have 

Breviary  (Psaltcr.  Opp.,  ubi  supr.,  p.  613),  been  the  case,  in  another  copy  of  the  pre- 

but   with   the   variation,    "  per   singulos  face,  which  will  be  given  in  !STote  A,  from 

dies    [instead   of  "  in    omni    tempore'']  the  Leabhar  Breac. 

benedicimus  te,"  which  is  the  reading  of  18.  Sinepeccato. — Sine  peccatis.     Tho- 

the  modem  Vulgate,  Ps.  cxliv.  2.  mas.,  loc.  cit. 

17.  Ditjnarc. — This  verse  is  found  also  19.  liencdictus. — Dan.  iii.  26,  Vulg. 


Gloria  in  Excelsis  Deo. 


181 


inc: 


CRec  orcacio  mea  in  coNspeccu  cuo 


ncIino  aimem  cuam  ao  prcecem  meam  Oomiue 


►cuco  cmcumOabic  ce  uercicas  eius 
*  non  cimebis  a  cimoRe  noccutíno 


25 


Gloss. — 24.  Precem. — .i.  quia   in   hoc   corpore  possitus  fundo 25.   Scuto .i.  licet  iu 

errore  fuimus  quando  nox  est,   non  timebis  quia  habes  scutum  ueritatis.     26.  Timebis. —  i.  a  tenebrosa 
sasione  inimicorum. 


21.  Domine  Deus. — This  and  the  next 
clause  are  from  Ps.  lxxxvii.  2,  3,  Vulg. 

25.  Scuto. — This  clause  is  from  Ps.  xc. 
4,  5,  Vulg. 


of  inrasion,  attacJc,  unless  we  suppose  u 
mistake  of  transcription  for  "tenebrosa 
invasione."  The  verb  Saisire  was  used 
by  IvoCarnotensis  in  the  eleventh  centurv, 


26.   Timebis. — The  gloss  over  this  word      which  was,  probablv,  about  our  scholiast'< 
seems  to  use  sasio  for  saisio,  in  the  sense      time. — See  Du  Cange. 


(       182      ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTES. 


Note  A. 

The  Scholiast's  Preface. 

ATRANSLATION"  of  thc  Scholiast's  Preface  has  already  been  given  (p.  177, 
supra).  There  is,  howcvcr,  another  copy  of  this  Preface  in  the  marginal 
notes  to  the  Felire  of  Aengus  in  the  Leabhar  Breac  (fol.  49  b,  in  marg.  inf.)  a  MS. 
bclonging  to  the  Royal  Irish  Academy.  This  has  been  probably  taken  from  another 
copy  of  thc  Book  of'  Hymns,  and  is  worth  preserving  here  : — 


5loriia  in  epccelpip  t)eo.  Qitrgil  bo  pon- 
pac  m  pepp  coipech  oon  ímanpo,  orbce  na 
iSeine.  hic  cop  abep  mioppo  bo  ponpac  .1. 
mile  0  rtiepupalem  paip.  t)ia  poillpiusub 
oonib  mac  t)e  mcíi  pojjenaip  anbboponpac 
he.  ln  aimpip  hoccauin  ímoppo  bo  ponab 
he.  Qmbpopiup  bm  bo  pome  m  cuilleb  .1. 
a  pecunbo  ueppu  upcrue  m  pmcm  laubip, 
ic 

Qmbpopiup  pui  eppucc  ípe  bo  pome  hunc 
ínmum  bo  molab  lepu.  ocup  m  oibche  ap 
bip  a  cancam.  Cpia  pichim  bm  bo  ponab. 
un.  capcil  mb,  ocup  .uu.  line  m  cech  capicil 
ocup  .uu.  piUaeba  cecha  line. 


Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo.  The  angels  raade  the 
first  verse  of  this  Hvmn,  on  the  night  of  the  Xati- 
vity  :  and  in  the  tower  of  Ader  thev  made  it,  which 
is  a  mile  from  Jerusalem,  eastwards.  To  make 
known  that  He  who  was  then  born  was  the  Son  of 
God  they  made  it.  And  in  the  time  of  Octavin 
they  made  it.  But  Ambrosius  made  the  remain- 
der,  from  the  second  verse  to  the  end  of  the  hyran, 
etc. 

Ambrose  the  learned  bishop,  it  was  he  who  made 
this  Hymn  iu  praise  of  Jesus ;  and  at  nigtit  it  is 
right  to  sing  it.  And  it  is  made  in  rhythm. 
There  are  seven  chapters  in  it,  and  seven  lines  in 
each  chapter,  and  seven  syllables  in  each  line. 


It  will  bc  obscrvcd,  that  in  this  version  of  the  Preface  St.  Ambrose  is  st<ited  to 
have  been  thc  author  of  the  Hymn ;  and  it  is  also  cxprcssly  said  that  it  was  thc  usage 
to  sing  it  at  night,  which  accounts  for  the  alteration  nocte  ista  instead  of  die  isto,  al- 
ready  noticed,  p.  180,  note.  The  concluding  paragraph,  which  tclls  us  that  thc  Hymn 
is  in  rhythm,  consisting  of  seven  chaptcrs,  with  sevcn  lines  in  each  chaptcr,  and  seven 
sjdlables  in  cach  linc,  is  an  evidcnt  mistahe. 


noteb.]  The  Tower  Gabder,  or  Gadder.  183 


Note  B. 

The  Tower  Gabder,  or  Gadder. 

Mention  of  the  Tower  Gadder*  has  already  been  made,  as  the  seene  of  the  angelical 
vision,  which  appeared  to  the  shepherds  on  the  night  of  our  Lord's  ííativitv. 

This  Tower  is  stated  in  the  Scholium,  or  Preface  to  the  prescnt  IIymn,  to  have  been 
a  mile  from  Jerusalem;  but  St.  Jerome  and  Yen.  Bede  speak  of  it  as  a  mile  from  Bethle- 
hem,  which  accords  better  with  the  Gospel  narrative.  The  latter  says  (Comment.  in 
Luc.  ii.  8)  :  "  Meminit  et  Micha  propheta  loci  hujus  et  temporis,  dicens,  'Et  tu  turns 
gregis  nebulosa,  filice  Sion  usque  ad  te  venient,  et  veniet  potestas  prima,  regnum  filice  Sion' 
Turris  quippe  gregis,  quao  Hebraice  Ader  vocatur,  mille  circiter  passibus  a  eivitate 
Bethleem  ad  orientem  distat,  vaticinio  sui  nominis  pastores  hos  multo  ante  demon- 
strans  ad  quam  usque  filiae  Sion,  angelicao  videlicet  potestates,  pastoribus  apparendo, 
vencrunt." 

St.  Jerome,  on  Gen.  xxxv.  21,  says  :  "  Et  profectus  cst  Israel,  et  extendit  taberna- 
culum  suum  trans  turrim  Ader.  Hunc  locum  Hebraoi  esse  volunt  ubi  postea  templum 
aedificatum  est ;  et  turrim  Ader,  turrim  gregis  signiíicarc,  hoc  est,  congregationis  et 
ccetus ;  quod  et  Michaoas  propheta  testatur,  dicens,  Et  tu  turris  gregis  nebulosa,  filia 
Sion,  &c. :  illoque  tempore  Jacob  trans  locum,  ubi  postea  templum  aedineatum  est,  ha- 
buisse  tcntoria.  Scd  si  sequamur  ordinem  via^"  [i.  e.  the  order  of  Jacob's  journey] 
"pastorum  juxta  Bethlecm  locus  est,  ubi  vel  angelorum  grex  in  ortu  Domini  cecinit ; 
vel  Jacob  pecora  sua  pa\*it,  loco  nomen  imponens :  vel  quod  veríus  est,  quodam  vaticinio 
futurum  jam  tunc  mysterium  monstrabatui'."  Here  it  will  be  seen  that  St.  Jerome 
decides  rightly  that  thc  Tower  Ader,  in  (Jenesis,  must,  from  the  tenor  of  the  narra- 
tive,  have  bcen  ncar  Bethlehem,  and  that  the  turris  gregis  nebulosa,  mentioned  in  Mi- 
cah  (iv.  8),  -\vhich  the  tradition  of  the  Jews  supposed  to  have  been  the  site  of  the 
temple,  was  a  different  tower,  near  or  in  Jerusalem.  Qucext.  in  Genes.  (Opp.,  tom.  iii., 
Edit.  Tallarsii,  Venet.,  1767,  col.  361,  B.  C).  In  another  place,  describing  the 
travels  or  pilgrimage  of  St.  Paula,  St.  Jerome  says:  "Haud  procul  inde"  [scil.  aBeth- 
lehem]  "desccndit"  [Paula]  "adturrim  Ader,  id  est  gregis ;  juxta  quam  Jacob 
pavit  gregcs  suos,  et  pastores  nocte  vigilantes  audirc  meruerunt,  Gloria  in  excelsis 
Deo,"  etc.  Epitaph.  Paulce,  Epist.  cviii.  ad  Eustochium  (Opp.,  ubi  supr.,  tom.  i.  col. 
699  D.) 

a  Gadder. —  In  a  raarginal  note  on  the  Hymn  Christ  "  juxta  turrira  Gadder." — See  p.  153  (uote 
attribnted  to  St.  Hilary  in  praise  of  Christ  (So.  vn.  on  line  14).  Gabder  is  an  erroneous  form  of  the 
supra),  the  angels  are  said  to  havo  first  worshipped       name. 


184  Gloria  in  Excelsis  Deo.  [noteb. 

The  tradition  of  the  Hebrews,  alludcd  to  by  St.  Jerome,  is  probably  the  same  as 
that  preserved  in  the  Targum  of  Jonathan  on  Gen.  xxxv.  2 1 ,  whose  words  are  : — 

\0    rP33tt?»b   D~)S1  np^  bl23T  37D^  "  And  Jacob  journeyed,  and  arose,  and 

]DriDT    S"iriS    "nri     sbinnb    Sbnb  spread  his  tents  beyond  the  tower  of  Eder, 

FpDn     SITB7B     S3bD    ''banMl    VPIS  the  place  where  the  King  Messiah  shall 

:  S^DV  reveal  Himself,  in  the  end  of  days." 

Herc  it  is  cvident  that  thc  Migdal  Eder,  or  Tower  of  Eder,  near  Bethlehem,  is  al- 
luded  to;  for  Eethlehcm  was  known  to  the  Jews,  even  beforc  our  Lord's  Xativity,  as 
the  predicted  birthplace  of  Messiah  (Matt.  ii.  4-6).  But  "  the  place  where  Messiah 
shall  reveal  Himself"  was  probably  taken  to  signify  the  Temple,  by  the  Jews  who 
eonimunicated  or  interpreted  this  tradition  to  S.  Jerome. 

The  name  "n37"b"DíD,  Tower  of  Eder  (Gcn.  xxxv.  21,  Mic.  iv.  8),  signifies  turris 
gregis,  as  it  is  rendered  in  the  Vulgate  Version,  and  this  may,  perhaps,  have  given 
occasion  to  the  tradition  that  the  place  so  called  ncar  Bethlehein  (a  watch-towcr 
probably  for  shei)herds)  was  the  place  from  which  the  shepherds  (Luke  ii.)  saw 
the  vision  of  angels,  that  announced  the  Nativity.  Still  it  cannot  be  doubted,  from 
the  testimony  of  St.  Jerome,  and  the  words  of  the  Targumist  above  quoted,  that  some 
ancient  traditions  of  the  Jews  were  connectcd  with  the  place. 

But  there  were  certainly  two  places  so  called,  one  near  Bethlehem,  which,  as  wc 
have  seen,  is  that  mentioned  Gen.  xxxv.  2 1  ;  the  other  in  or  near  Jerusalem,  which  is 
cvidently  the  place  intended,  Mic.  iv.  81'. 

It  appears,  from  the  passage  above  quoted,  that  Bedc  had  a  different  reading 
of  this  latter  text  from  that  of  the  present  Vulgate  Version:  "Et  tu  turris  gregis 
nebulosa,  filise  Sion  usque  ad  te  venient"  [instead  of  "  Et  tu  tuiris  grcgis  nebulosa  filia; 
Sion,  ad  te  veniet"],  which  he  interprets,  "And  as  for  thee,  0  dark  tower  of  the 
fiock,  the  daughters  of  Sion"  [i.  e.  the  angels  who  appeared  to  the  shepherds]  "  shall 
come  to  thee."  Vfhereas,  the  Vulgate  is,  "  And  thou,  0  dark  tower  of  the  flock  of 
the  daughter  of  Zion,  it"  [i.  e.  the  hingdom]  "  shall  come  to  thee."  The  English 
version,  following  the  Masoretic  punctuation,  which  separates  bQ37  (rendered  nebulosa 
by  thc  Vulg.)  from  ->~n?"7"UD,  the  tower  ofEdar,  is  as  follows: — "  And  thou,  0 
tower  of  the  flock"  \_Margin,  "  0  tower  of  Edar"],  "  the  strong  hold  of  thc  daughter 
of  Zion,  unto  thee  shall  it  come,  even  the  first  dominion." 

But  the  accentuation  followed  by  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgatc  seems  more  probable, 
except  that  we  ought,  perhaps,  to  take  bS3?"- l"TS"b"l2í3,  Migdal-Edar-Ophel,  as  a 
propcr  name,  signifying,  "  the  tower  of  Edar  Ophel;"  thc  epithet  Ophel  (Ca- 
liginosa,    Vulg.,   avx^^,  LXX.,  or,  as  it  may  be  also  rendered,   "  of  the  liill"), 

b  See  Llghtfoot,  Chorographical  Decad.,  sect.  4,  5  (Works  by  Titman,  vol.  x.  p.  221,  sj.) 


noteb.]  The  Tower  Gabder,  or  Gadder.  185 

having  been,  perhaps,  added  to  distinguish  it  from  the  TWer  of  Edar  near  Bethlehem ; 
so  that  the  meaning  will  then  be:  "And  thou,  0  Tower  of  Edar,  of  the  hill,  of  the 
daughter  of  Zion"  [i.  e.  of  Jerusalem],  "  unto  thee  shall  it  come,  even  the  first 
dominion." 

That  there  was  a  place,  and  apparently  a  fortiiication,  on,  or  near  to,  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem,  which  was  called  Ophel,  is  evident  from  2  Chron.  xxvii.  3  (where  the 
Hebrewis,  "  on  the  wall  of  the  Ophel,"  bS3?n  ntSirn).  Comp.  2  Cliron.  xxxiii.  14, 
ríeh.  iii.  27,  and  xi.  21,  where  in  every  case  the  Masoretic  punctuation  under- 
stands  thc  article,  even  when  it  is  not  expressed  in  the  letters.  And  so  Josephus, 
De  Betto  Jud.,  lib.  vi.  c.  6,  §  3,  speaks  of  this  place,  tov  '0<fi\úv  icaXov/uevov 
ixprjip-av ;  so  that  it  seems  to  have  retained  its  name  down  to  tho  latest  period  of  Jew- 
ish  history. — See  Eeland.  Palcest.,  p.  855,  who  infers  that  Ophel  was  not  a  hill, 
from  its  not  having  been  so  called  by  Josephus.  On  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  most 
recent  authorities  on  the  geography  of  the  Holy  Land  interprets  the  word  "  a  swelling 
mound,"  from  bS37,  to  swell.     Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine,  App.,  §  26,  p.  490. 

It  should  be  observed,  in  conclnsion,  thatthe  Septuagint  translators,  in  Gen.  xxxv., 
transpose  the  mention  of  Migdal  Edar,  and  make  Jacob  to  have  encamped  there  before, 
not  after,  he  came  to  the  place  where  Rachel  died :  they  have,  in  fact  (if  the  present 
text  be  correct)  inserted  ver.  2 1  after  the  word  Bethel  in  ver.  1 6 ;  and  thcy  render  it 
evrj^e  ttjv  oicrjvrjv  aviov  ÍTreiceiva  toí/  Trvp^ov  TaSep. 

It  was,  probably,  fi-om  the  Septuagint,  or  from  some  Ante-Hieronymian  Latin  version 
founded  on  the  Septuagint,  that  our  Scholiast  copied  his  spelling  of  the  name  Turris 
Gadder  (p.  153,  note) ;  for  "the  Tower  of  Gabder,"  in  the  Preface  to  the  present 
Hymn,  is  evidently  a  corruption  of  Gadder.  But  in  thc  Preface,  as  given  in  the 
Leabhar  Breac  (see  Note  A,  p.  182,  supra)  it  is  callcd  "  the  tower  Ader,"  as  in  thc 
modern  Latin  Vulgate. 


2  B 


(     i86     ) 


XI.  TnE  MAGNIFICAT,  OR  HYMN  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIEGIN. 


THERE  is  no  need  of  any  prefatorv  remarks  to  introduce  to  the  reader  the 
following  well-known  Hymn,  Avhich  is  taken  from  St.  Luke,  i.  46-55, 
and  has  formed  a  part  of  the  service  of  the  Church  for  at  least  a  thousand 
years. 

The  following  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  Scholiast's  Preface,  which  is, 
as  usual,  in  a  mixture  of  Latin  and  Irish  : — 

Magnificat.  Mary,  the  Mother  of  the  Lord,  rnade  this  Hyian  ;  and  it  was  in  the  time  of 
Octavianus  Augustus  she  made  it ;  for  in  tlie  forty-second  year  of  his  empire  Christ  was  born ; 
and  it  was  in  a  certain  mountain  city  of  the  mountains1  of  thetribe  of  Judah  in  the  neighbour- 
hood  of  Jerusalem ;  and  this  was  the  peculiar  city  of  Zacharias.  There  John  Baptist  was 
born ;  and  it  was  to  that  city  that  Mary  came  to  visit  EHzabeth,  when  she  heard  that  she  was 
pregnant,  i.  e.  in  the  sixth  month2.  And  it  was  there  that  speech  was  restored  to  Zacharias, 
and  that  he  composed  the  Benedictus  ;  and  it  was  then  that  she  composed  the  Magnificat.  And 
this  was  thc  cause3,  viz.,  Mary  came  to  visit  Elizabeth  the  wife  of  Zacharias,  because  she 
heard  that  she  was  pregnant  after  a  very  long  barrenness ;  for  all  her  rclations  were  visiting 
her.  Therefoi'e  Mary  entering  the  door  of  her  house,  Elizabeth  said,  whilst  the  babe  moved 
in  her  womb,  Behold  the  mother  of  my  Lord  hath  come  to  me.  And  for  this  reason  they 
say  that  John  prophesied  before  he  was  bom ;  and  then  Mary  said,  Magnificat ;  and  at 
that  time  Mary  conceived  her  Son. 

There  is  a  copy  of  this  Preface  in  the  marginal  notes  to  the  Felire  of 
Aengus  in  thc  Leabhar  Breac  (fol.  49,  b,  in  marg.  iiif),  but  it  is  so  nearly 
identical  with  that  here  given,  that  it  has  not  been  thought  worth  while  to 
transcribe  it.  The  variations  are  little  more  than  diíferences  of  spelling,  or 
the  use  of  Irish  for  Latin,  and  vice  versá. 

'Of  the  mountains. — See  St.Luke,  i.  39.  3  The  cause — i.  e.  the  occasion  on  which 

2  Sixth  vwnth St.  Luke,  i.  36.  the  Hymn  was  composed. 


lTlCI(5NipiCaC.  TTlapia  macep  bomini  pecic  hunc  c^mnurn.  In  cempope  uepo  occauiam 
ausupci  pecic.  m  .pcl.  mo  enim  pecunbo  anno  ímpepu  eiup  chpipcup  nacup  epc.  ocup 
íp  ín  apaile  cachpaig  pliaboa  hi  cpeib  íuba  hi  pail  hiepupalem,  ocup  íp  1  pebe  cachip 
oilep  gachaip.  íbi  íohannep  bapcica  nacup  efc,  -\  ip  bon  cachpaigpem  canic  maipe 
bo  pip  elicabech  ín  can  acchuala  a  bich  alacca  .1.  ípm  c-pepeb  míp.  Ocup  íp  mci  bo 
pacabep  labpa  bo  cachap  i  íp  mce  00  pone  gachap  benebiccup,  -\  íp  ínce  bo  ponab 
TTlasnipicac.  1S  e  mioppo  ín  pochunb  .1.  maipe  canic  bo  pip  elicabech  pecche 
gachaip,  aji  íc  chuala  a  bich  coppach  popc  lonsippimam  pcepilicacem.  Omnep 
enim  co^naci  eiup  uipicabanc.  lncpanp  epgo  mapia  hopcium  bomup  puae  elicabech 
bi,zic  cum  mocacione  mpancip  m  ucepo  puo,  en  macep  bomini  uenic  ab  me  -|  ob  ib 
bicunc  íohannem  ppopecappe  ancequam  nacup  eppec.  -]  cunc  mapia  bipcic  magtu- 
picac,  i  m  hoc  cempope  pilium  puum  mapia  concepic. 


^NipiCClo  aNima  mea  OomiNum 

ec  e;culcauic  spirncus  meus  m  oeo  satu- 

caru  meo 

uia  ríesperic  humilicacem  aNcillae  suae 
ecce  eNim  ex  hoc  beacam  me  OiceNc 
omNes  seNeTíaciONes 

Gloss 1.  Anima. — Ejus  anima  dominum  magnificat  qui  omnes  interioris  hominis  affectus  divinis 

laudibus   ac  servitiis  mancipat.     2.   Salutari. — .i.  ut  dicit  psalmista  Anima  mea  exultabit  Deo  et  dilec- 
tabitur  super  salutari  suo.     3.  Humilitatem. — i.  virginitatem. 


1.  Magnificat. — A  translation  of  the 
Preface  has  alreadv  been  given,  p.  186. 

3.  Hiimilitatem. — TJndcr  and  over  this 
line,  in  the  form  of  a  gloss,  is  the  follow- 
ing  note  from  Bede  :  ".i.  Cujus  humilitas 
respicitur  recte  ab  omnibus  beata  cognomi- 
nanda  gratulatur,  sicut  e  contrario  super- 
bia  dispecta  condemnatur  Evse.    Ita  sicut 

2 


intravit  mors  in  mundum  per  superbiam 
Euac,  per  humilitatem  Mariae  vitaí  pan- 
ditur  introitus  humano  generi."  It  is  re- 
markable  that  the  erroneous  interprctation 
of  the  name  of  Eve,  whieh  occurs  in  this 
passage,  as  now  printed  by  the  editors  of 
Bede,  is  here  omitted.  The  words  fol- 
lowing  "condenmatur  Evae"  in  the  printed 

B2 


188  Hymnus  Beatce  Virginis. 

uia  pecic  rmhi  magNa  qui  pocews  esc 
ec  saNccum  Nomen  ems 


q 

e 

F 
0 


c  miseTíiconOia  eius  in  prcoseNies  ec  prcoseNies 
cimeNCibus  eurn 


ecic  poceNciam  in  brcachio  suo 
Oispe;cic  supercbos  meNce  corcois  sui 

eposuic  poceNces  Oe  seOe 
ec  e;talcauic  humiLes 


e 

8 


sumeNces  ímpleuic  boNis 
ec  Oiuices  Oemisic  íNONes 


uscepic  ísrmel  puercum  suum 
memoríaTíe  miseTiicorcOiae  suae 


is 


Gloss. — 7.  Progenies. — .i.  in  omni  gente  qui  timet  eum  et  operatur  iusticiam.     9.  Potentiam. .i. 

quia  omnia  per  filium  Dei  patris  facta  sunt,  ideo  eum  brachium  Jomini  dicitur  [sic].  10.  Superbos. — .i. 
filios  diabuli  quia  initium  est  omnis  peccati  superbia.  11.  Potentes. — .i.  confidentes  in  uirtute  sua.  De 
sede. — .i.  superbise.  12.  Humiles. — .i.  qui  dicunt  cum  apostolo  omnia  possuraus  in  Christo.  13.  —  Esu- 
rientes. — .i.  satiabuntur  perfecti  quia  eterna  bona  esuriunt.  Bonis. — .i.  celestibus.  14.  Divites. — .i.  qui 
de  terrenis  diuitiis  supeibiunt  inanes  totius  beatitudinis  demittentur  a  domino  in  die  iudiciL  15.  Suscepit. 
— i.  Deus. 


editions  are,  "  id  est  vae,  sive  calamitatis 
nomine  mulctata  tabescit."  But  the 
reading  of  our  MS.  is,  probably,  correct, 
and  these  words  are  the  addition  of  some 
ignorant  transcriber,  not  of  Bede. —  Com- 
ment.  in  Luc.  i.  ( Opp.  ed.  Giles,  x.  p.  295). 

6.  Sanctum  nomen. — Over  this  line  is 
the  following  note  from  Bede  :  "  Sanctum 
nomen  ejus  vocatur  quia  singularis  cul- 
mine  potcntia?  transcendit  omnem  creatu- 
ram."  The  printcd  cditions  of  Bede  read 
potenti,  but  "potentiae"  is  certainlv  bet- 
ter.  The  Gloss  as  given  above  on  lines  7 
and  8  is  also  from  Bede. 

-j.  In  progenics. — "  A  progenie  in  pro- 
genies"  ( Vulg.)  \  but  "in  progenies  et  pro- 


genies,"  was  the  reading  of  Bede. 

1  o.  Superbos. — In  the  margin  there  is 
this  note  :  "  Commemorat  hic  beata  Maria 
quomodo  per  omne  labentis  seculi  tempus 
Creator  justus  ac  misericors  etsuperbis  re- 
sistere  et  humilibus  dare  gratiam  consue- 
vit."  This  is,  no  doubt,  from  some  an- 
cient  author.  Dispexit.  —  Dispersit.  — 
Vulg. 

15.  Suscepit. — In  the  margin  is  the 
following  note  from  Bedc  :  "  Bene  autem 
Domini  et  Johannis  cxortum  matres  pro- 
fetando  prseveniunt,  ut  sicut  peccatum  a 
mulicribus  coepit,  ita  etiam  bona  a  muli- 
eribus  incipiant,  et  quaa  per  unius  deccp- 
tionem  periit,  duabus  certatim  praeconan- 


Hymnus  BeatcB  Virglnis.  189 

►ícuc  locucus  esc  ao  pacrces  nosctíos 

)  abrcaham  ec  semiNi  eius  usque  m  seculum 


Gue  mania  plena  ^pacia  Dominur  cecum,  beneoicca  cu  íncen 
muliepe]"  "|  beneoiccup  ppuccup  uencnir  cui.  Spinicup  panccur 
pupenueniec  ín  ce  1  uincur  alcirpimi  obumbnabic  cibi 

Gloss. — 17.  Ad  patres. — .i.  ad  patriarchas.     18.  Semini. — .i.  non  camale  sed  spiritale  semen  sig- 
uificat  .i.  filiis  promissionis  in  Christo. 

tibus  mundo  vita  reddatur." — Comm.  in  from  Bede.      Usque. — Omitted  in    Vulg., 

Luc.  i.  55.  and  in  the  Ante-Hieron.  version  edited  by 

16.  Memorare. — Recordatus,  Vulg.  Bede  Sabatier  from  tbe  MS.  Colbert. 

reads  Memorari,    and   the  Ante-Hieron.  Ave  Maria. — This  is  in  the  more  angu- 

version  (ap.  Sabatier)  has  memoriá.  lar  character,  alreadv  frequently  spoken 

1 8.  Semini. — The  gloss  on  this  word  is  of,  but  by  the  original  scribe. 


(      i9o     ) 


XII.  THE  BENEDICTUS,  OR  HYMN  OF  ZACHAEIAS. 


THIS  celebrated  Hymn  is  taken  from  St.  Luke  i.  67-79  5  Dut  tne  text  differs 
both  from  tlie  Ante-Hieronymian  version  and  the  modem  Vulgate.  Some 
of  the  more  remarkable  variations  are  given  in  the  Notes.  The  Scholiast's  Pre- 
face  is  in  Latin,  without  any  admixture  of  Irish.    It  may  be  thus  trauslated  : — 

Benedictus  Dominus.  Zacharias,  the  father  of  John  Baptist,  niade  this  Hymn  {hanc 
laudem)  to  the  Lord.  And  he  made  it  in  the  time  of  Octavianus  Augustus.  The  cause  was 
this  :  Zacharias  once  on  a  tinie  entered  the  temple  to  sacrifice  for  the  people,  after  the  manner 
of  a  priest,  because  he  was  born  of  the  seed  of  Aaron,  and  of  the  course1  of  Abia  in  particular. 
It  was  the  lot  of  his  week ;  for  from  the  time  of  David  the  priests  were  divided  into  twenty- 
four  diiferent  courses2,  and  each  one  exercised  his  ininistry  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath.  For 
from  the  time  of  Aaron  to  David  one  succeeded  the  other3.  Zacharias4  then,  entering  the  tem- 
ple,  to  make  an  oflering  for  himself  and  for  the  people,  looking  to  the  right,  saw  the  angel  Gabriel 
sitting  at  the  horn  of  the  altar,  who  said  to  him,  Fear  not,  for  I  have  come  not  to  bring  thee 
fear,  but  joy.  For  Elizabeth  shall  bring  forth  unto  thee  a  son,  and  he  shall  be  called  John, 
and  he  shall  be  great  before  God  and  men.  And  Zacharias  said,  How  shall  this  be,  seeing  we 
have  passed  the  time  for  having  children  ?  The  angel  answered,  If  a  man  were  to  promise 
thee  this,  thou  mightest  doubt  his  word ;  but  I  am  an  angel  of  God,  and  I  stand  in  His 
presence,  and  I  bring  unto  thee  His  words ;  and  thou  oughtest  not  to  doubt  what  I  have  said ; 
and,  therefore,  from  this  day  until  the  boy  is  born,  thou  shalt  not  speak.  And  so  it  was,  until 
that  which  was  promised  had  been  fulfilled.  For  Elizabeth  conceived  and  bare  a  son,  and  the 
kinsmen  inquired  of  his  mother  concerning  the  namc  of  the  boy,  and  his  mother  answered, 
He  shall  be  called  John  ;  but  others,  contradicting,  said  that  he  should  be  called  after  the 
name  of  his  father.  But  Elizabeth  bade  them  ask  his  father  to  write  the  name  of  his  son. 
Zacharias,  therefore,  being  so  called  upon,  spoke  and  said5,  The  boy  shall  he  called  John : 
and  immediately  he  praised  the  Lord,  saying,  Benedictus  Dominus  Deus  Israel. 

1  Course uDe  vicce  [i.  e.  de  vice]  Abia."      — See  p.  78,  note  on  line  31,  supra. 

Luc.  i.  5.  s  Sjwke  and  said. — This  varies  from  the 

2  Courses "  Intercognationes."  TheVulg.       Gospel  narrative.     It  is  curious  that  in  the 

uses  the  word  vices.     1  Paral.  xxiv.  19.  Book  of  Armagh  the  scribe  had  originall) 

s  y/í(?  0ther "  Unus  post  unum  tenebat."      written  dixit,  but  erased  that  word,  and  sub- 

4  Zachurias. — In  the  original  "Stacharias."      stituted  "  scripsit  dicens." 


$*y 


beNeDlCCUS  OOTWNUS.  ^achapiap  pacep  íohanmp  bapcica  pecic  hanc  laubem 
bomiTio.  1n  cempope  uepo  occauiam  augupci  pecic.  Caupa  aucem  alicfuanbo  p ca- 
chapiap  in  cemplum  uc  ímmolapec  populo  mope  pacepbocali  mcpauic.  cpjia  be 
pemme  aapon  -|  be  uicce  abia  ppecialicep  nacup  epc.  popp  eiup  pepcimanae  puic. 
Q  cempope  emm  bauib  pacepbocium  ín  ,1,11111  íncepcognacionep  biueppap  biuipum 
epc.  i  a  pabbaco  upcfue  at>  pabbacum  unupcpnpcfue  mmipcepio  puo  ucebacup.  O 
cempope  enim  aapon  upcpie  ab  bciuib  unup  popc  unum  cenebac.  lncpanp  ep^o 
pcachapiap  m  cemplum  uc  ppo  pe  -|  populo  oppeppec  appicienp  m  bepecepam  an- 
gelum  ^abpielem  pebencem  ín  copnu  alcapip  uibic  -|  bicencem  pibi  Noli  cimepe 
cfuia  non  ab  cimopem  cibi  appepenbum  ~pet>  ab  gaubium  ueni.  eiicabech  enim 
papiec  cibi  pilium  -\  uocabicup  íohannep  -\  magnup  epic  copam  beo  i  hommibup.  -j 
pcachapiap  bi,xic  cpjomobo  piec  hoc  cfuomam  ppecepnupepic  nop  cempup  pupienbi 
Ongeluppepponbic,  Si  homo  cibi  hoc  ppomiccepec  bebep  uepba  eiup  bubicape,  e^o 
uepo  angelup  bei  pum,  -j  conpipco  ín  ppepencia  eiup,  -|  uepba  eiup  cibi  popco.  -|  non 
bebep  bubiccipe  cfue  bi,xi.  -\  ob  íb  ab  hac  bie  upcpje  puep  napcacup  non  locfuepip.  -\ 
íca  paccum  epc,  bonec  implecum  epc  cfuob  ppomippum  epc.  Concepic  enim  elica- 
bech  -]  pepepic  pilium,  ec  cosnaci  be  nomme  puepi  macpem  eiup  mceppogabanc,  -] 
pepponbic  macep  eiup  íohannep  uocecup.  aln  uepo  concpabicencep  bicebanc 
nomme  pacpip  uocecup.  eiicabech  aucem  bi,xic  uc  pogapenc  pcicpem  uc  pcpibcic 
nomen  piln  pui.  9achapiap  uepo  íca  pogacup  locucup  epc  -\  bi,nc,  uocecup  puep 
íohannep.  -\  concmuo  lciubauic  bominum  bicenbo  benebiccup  bommup  beup  ippael. 


GNGOlCUUS  DomiNus  Oeus  ísrcael. 
cfuia  uisicauic  ec  pecic  TceOempciONem  plebis 
suae 


e 


c  erce;tic  cotcnu  salucis  Nobis 
in  oomu  OauiO  puem  sui 


Gloss. — 2.  Fisitavit. — .i.  plebera  hanc  visitando  suam  esse  fecit ;  quia  sua 
fidei  sublimitate  eam  perfecit.  3.  Cornu. — .i.  cornu  salutis,  firmam  celsitudi- 
nem  salutis  dicit,  cornu  excedit  carnera,  et  ideo  cornu  salutis  regnum  salvatoris 
christi  vocatur. 


1.  Benedictus. — For  a  translation  of 
the  Preface,  see  last  page.  The  Gloss 
has  been  taken  altogcther  from   Bede's 


Commentarj  on  St.  Luke,  cap.  1.,  al- 
though  the  text  of  the  Hymn  does  not 
agree  "with  that  given  in  the  printed  works 


l92  Hymnus  Zacharice. 


W 

a 


-ícuc  locucus  esc  perc  os  saNccoTuim 
1   prcopecaRum  suorcum  crui  ab  aeuo  sunc 

c  libercauic  nos  ab  íuimicis  nosctus 
ec  Oe  maNu  omNium  cfui  nos  ooercuNC 

0  pacieNOam  nuseniconOTam  cum  pacrubus  nosctus 
ec  memorcarce  cescameNCi  sut  soncct 


1U 


STuiiaNOum  cfuoo  tutíoutc  ao  abnaliam 
pacrcem  Noscrcum  oacurcum  se  NObTS 


U 


c  siNe  cTmorce  Oe  maNTbus  íNTmicorcum  noscroruttt 
libenacT  semriamus  íLLi 


1N 


saNccTcace  ec  tusctcto  corcam  ípso  i5 

omNibus  Oiebus  nosctus 


e 


c  cu  puen  pnopeca  alcissTnu  uocabems 
pnaeTbis  eNTm  aNce  pacTem  OomTNT  parmne  utos  eTus 


Gloss. — 6.  Profetarum. — Profetíe  specialiter  appellati  sunt,  qui  de  aduentu  Christi  manifeste  sunt  lo- 
cuti.     Ab  aevo. — .i.    ab  initio.     7.  Liberavit. — .i.    filius  Dei.     8.  De   manu. — .i.    de  potestate.     Otn- 

nium i.  ininiieorum.      Qui  nos  odtrunt. — .i.  homines  perversos  et  immundos  spiritus  significat.     De 

manu  quorum  et  interim  spe  salvi  facti  sumus  et  in  futuro  reipsa  salvandi.     10.    Testamenti. — .i.  disposuit 

Deus  testamentum  nos  esse  liberaturum  de  semine  patriarcharum.     11.  Ad  Abraham .i.  fides  gentium 

et  sacrosanctus  ecclesise  cultus  est  promisus  Abrahaa,  Domino  ad  eum  dicente,  In  te  benedicentur  omnes 
gentes  terra;.  Dixit  Dominus  ad  David,  Cum  impleveris  dies  tuos,  ut  vadas  ad  patres  tuos,  suscitabo 
semen  tuum,  et  ego  ero  ei  in  patrem,  et  ipse  erit  mihi  in  filium,  ipse  axlificabit  mihi  domum.     ij.  In  sanc- 

titate. i.  ostendit  hic  profeta  quomodo  Domino  serviendum  est,  in  sanctitate  ^-idelicet  et  iustitia.     17. 

Altissimi. — .i.  audiant  mansueti  quod  Christum  Domimun  quem  Johannes  profetando  praiibit  altissimum 
vocat.  18.  Praeibis. — .i.  in  vitam  et  mortem.  Parare. — .i.  ut  dixit  parate  viam  Domini  rectas  facite 
semitas  Domini  nostri.      Vias  eius. — i.  Christi. 

ofthat-writer.    It  seems  unneeessary  to  oc-  7.  Et  lilcravit. — This  is  the  reading  of 

cupyspacebypointingoutthesevariations,  the  Ante-Hieronymian  version,  instead  of 

or  the  abridgnients  and  omissions  in  Bede's  "salutem  ex  inimicis  nostris,"  as  in  the 

Commentary,  necessary  to  reduce  it  to  an  modern  Vulgate. — See  Sabatier,  in  loc. 
interlinear  gloss  :  any  rcader  who  has  ac-  10.  Memorare. — For  "memorari."  Here 

cess  to  Bede  can  make  this  comparison  our  MS.  has  the  reading  of  the  modern 

for  himself.  Vulg.     The  old  version  was  "  et  memo- 

6.  Ah  aevo. — "  Qui  a  seculo  suntpro-  ratus  est." 
phetarum  ejus." — Vulg.  13.  Be  manibus. — "Demanu." — Vulg. 


Hymnus  Zacharice. 


193 


VA     1N 


0  oaNDam  scieHCiam  salucis  plebi  ems 


NemisioNem  peccacorcum  eoTíum 


p 


erc  uisceua  misenicoTíOiae  Oei  noscht 
in  qinbus  uisicauic  nos  oiueNS  ex  alco 


LumTNarje  lus  gui  tn  ceNebrus  ec  umbrca  morccis  seOeNc 
ao  Ottítscnoos  peOes  noscnos  tn  uto  pacis 


Puep  aucem  cjiepcebac  ec  conpojicabacujT  111  ppijncu  ec 
epac  ín  oepejicip  locip  upque  ao  oiem  opcencionip  puae  ar> 
lpnael. 

Gloss. — 19.   Scientiam .L  futuram.     22.    Oriens. —  i.  Ecce  vir,  inquit  profeta,  oriens  nomen  eius. 

qui  ideo  recte  oriens  vocatur,  qui  nobis  ortum  uer«  lucis  aperiens,  filios  noctis  et  tenebrarum  lucis  efFecit 
filios.  23.  Illuminare  his. — .i.  his  qui  in  peccatis  et  ignorantia?  cecitate  vixerunt,  agnitionis  amorisque 
sui  radios  infundere.  24.  Pedes  nostros. — Pedes  nostri  in  viam  pacis  diriguntur  cum  actionum  nostraruni 
iter  per  omnia  redemptoris  nostri  gratiae  concordat. 

Ptier  autem. — .i.  predicator  penitentia?  futurus,  optimum  est  ut  solitudinis  aspera  sequatur. 


17.  Altissimi. — In  the  gloss  on  this 
word  the  allusion  to  the  Arians  in  Bede 
'ia  omitted.  Bede's  words  are  :  "  Audiant 
sane  Arriani,  et  erubescant ;  audiant 
mansueti,  et  líetentur,  quod  Christum 
Dominum  quem  Johannes  prophetando 
praeibat,  Altissimum  vocat."  The  allu- 
sion  is  to  Ps.  xxxiii.  3,    Vulg. 

22.  Oriens. — The  Gloss  refers  to  Zech. 
vi.  12;  and  is  taken  from  Bede  on  Luc. 
i.  78. 

23.  Sedent. — Here  our  MS.  follows  the 


modern  Vulg.  The  old  version  was,  "qui 
in  tenehris  sunt,  et  in  umbra  mortis  S(  - 
dentibus." 

24.  In  via. — In  viam.      Vulg. 

Puer  autem. — Thisverse,  whichis  from 
St  Luke,  i.  80,  is  in  the  smaller  charac- 
tcr.  It  differs  from  the  modern  Vulg.  in 
rcading  "  in  spiritu"  for  spiritu;  and 
"  dcsertis  locis"  for  desertis:  but  agrees 
with  it  in  reading  "  ostcnsionis"  instead 
of  "  progressionis,"  as  in  the  older  vcr- 
sion.     See  Sabatier,  in  loc. 


2C 


(      194     ) 


XIII.  TE  DEUM  LAUDAMUS. 


THIS  celebrated  Hymn  has  no  Preface,  like  the  other  Hymns  in  this 
volume,  if  we  except  thc  short  title,  "  Haec  est  Laus  Sanctse  Trinitatis 
quam  Augustinus  sanctus,  et  Ambrosius  composuit." 

This  is  an  evident  allusion  to  the  legend,  that  the  hymn  was  composed  at 
the  baptism  of  St.  Augustine,  one  verse  being  uttered  by  him,  and  the  next, 
alternately,  by  St.  Ambrose,  who  baptized  him.  The  earliest  authority  for 
this  story  is  believed  to  be  the  Chronicle  once  attributed  to  Dacius,  Bishop  of 
Milan,  A.  D.  527,  but  now  known  to  be  of  a  much  later  date,  inasmuch  as  it 
carries  on  the  history  to  A.D.  1067  (vid.  Cave,  Hist.  JLiter.,  sub  Dacio,  tom.  i. 
p.  511,  Oxon.  1 740).  But  from  the  allusion  to  it  here,  it  appears  that  the  story 
was  more  widely  known  at  that  period,  and  had  found  its  way  to  Ireland. 

Abbo  of  Fleuri'  attributes  the  authorship  of  the  Te  Deum  without  hesita- 
tion  to  St.  Hilary  of  Poictiers.  He  calls  it  "  Dei  palinodia,  quam  composuit 
Hilarius  Pictaviensis  episcopus,"  and  suggests  that  the  reading  suscepisti 
(which  must,  therefore,  have  been  ancient,  and  which,  it  will  be  observed,  is 
the  reading  of  our  MS.)  is  erroneous  ;  for  he  says  it  ought  to  be,  "  Tu  ad  liber- 
andum  suscepturus  hominem,"  &c.  Accordingly,  this  has  ever  since  been,  or 
at  least  is  now,  the  received  reading,  although  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  the 
old  svscepisti  was  not  better.     See  note  on  the  passage,  p.  197,  line  23,  infra. 

Archbishop  Ussher  appears  to  have  had  in  his  possession  a  copv  of  the 
Irish  Book  of  Hymns,  in  which  the  Te  Deum  was  ascribed  to  one  Nicetas2 : 

1  Abbo  of  Fleuri. —  Quoted  by  the  Bened.  and  addressed  to  the   English  monks  ofhis 

editors  of  St.   Hilary's  works,  Pref,  p.  vii.  order.     It  is  published  by  Mabillon,  Annal., 

n.  22.     The  passage  occurs  in  the  "  Prologus  lib.  xlix.  n.  69,  tom.  iv.  p.  29,  and  Append., 

in  Abbonis  libellum  de  Grammatiea,"  written  p.  687. 

by  Abbo  in  the  form  of  a  letter  on  the  occa-  2  Nicetas See  above,  p.  9  ;  and  Ussher"s 

sion   of  his  mission  to  England,  A.  D.  985,  Works,  by  Elrington,  vii.  300. 


Te  Deum  Laudamus.  195 

and  he  adds  that,  in  a  Gallican  Psalter3,  then  in  the  Cotton  Library,  written 
about  the  time  of  Henry  I.  (A.D.  1 100),  it  is  attributed  to  St.  Nicetius,  who 
may,  perhaps,  be  the  Bishop  ofTreves  (A.D.  541),  or  the  Bishop  ofLyons  of 
the  same  name  ( A.  D.  570),  or  some  other,  but  probably  the  same  to  whom 
the  Irish  authority  attributed  it  under  the  name  of  Nicetas. 

An  excellent  summary  of  what  has  been  written  on  the  question  of  the 
authorship  of  this  Hymn  will  be  found  in  the  notes  of  Meratus  tothe  Thesaur. 
Sacror.  Ritaum  of  Barth.  Gavantus,  Aug.  Vind.,  1763,  fol.,  tom.  ii.p.  162,  sq. 
See  also  Daniel,  Thesaur.  Htjmnol.,  vol.  ii.  p.  279,  sq. 

In  the  Antiphonary  of  Bangor  the  Te  Deum  is  entitled,  "  Hymnus  in  die 
Dominico."  The  readings  of  this  MS.,  as  edited  by  Muratori,  are  marked  B. 
in  the  following  Notes. 

3  Psalter "InLatino-Gallicoquoque  psal-  verensis  hie  intelligendus  fuerit  Nicetius  sive 

terio,  circa  tempore  Henrici  I.  exarato  inscri-  Lugdunensis,  sive  quis  alius." — Ibid.     This 

bitur  iste  hymnus  Sancti  Niceti  (Hibernieae  Psalter  no  longer  cxists  in  the  remains  of  the 

nostra?  traditioni  satis  consentanee)  sive  Tre-  Cotton  Library  in  the  British  Museum. 


2C  2 


II eC    epc     laup    panccae    Cpvmcacip    quam    Ousupcmup     panemp     ec     Ombpopiup 
compopuic. 


GUOQUG  pueni  OomiNum 
lauoace  NomeN  oomiNi 

rF-e  Oeum  lauoamus 

O   ce  oomiNum  coNpicemurc 

e  aeceNNum  pacNem 
omNis  ccTíNa  ueNenacurc 

•íbi  omNes  aNseli 

'   cibi  caeli  ec  uNiuercsae  pocescaces 

■íbi  hiNuphiN  ec  ga^ophiN 
'  íNcessabili  uoce  prcoclamaNC  OiceNces 
sonccus  sonccus  sonccus  OomiNus  Oeus  sabaoch 


p 


LeNi  sunc  celi  ec  UNiuercsa  cercTía 
hoNoue  sLoNiae  cuae 


Gloss 3.  Laudamus. — .i.  ore,  vel   opere.     4.    Confitemur. — .L    corde.     11.   Sanctus. — .i.   sanctus 

ter  dicitur,   quia  unus  et  trinus  est  dcus.      12.    Unitersa  terra. — .i.  aeclesia  per  quadratum  orbem  defusa 
non  desinit  laudare  et  orare  deum. 


1 .  Laudate. — This  verse  prcfixed  to  the 
Te  2)«</«  is  fi'om  Ps.  cxii.  1.,  Vulg.  It 
occurs  also  in  B. 

7.  Hwuphin. — In  thc  inargin  there  is 
thc  fbllowing  note  :  "  Sciendum  est  quod 
hiruphim  ct  saraphim  per  .m.  litteram 
prolata'iuxta  proprietatem  linguae  ehreae 
masculini  sunt  ct  pluralis  numeri  tantum. 


Si  autcm  per  .n.  litteram  dicantur  graeca 
sunt  et  ncutri  gcncris,  et  pluralis  nume- 
ri."  In  B.  we  have  "  Cherubim  et  Sera- 
plum ;"  but  Muratori  lias  everywhere 
altered  the  orthographv  of  the  MS. 

10.  Dicentes. — Om.  B.  and  Vulg.  But 
it  is  found  in  the  Vat.  MS.  82,  citcd  by 
Daniel,  Tlmaur.  Ili/mnol.,  ii.  p.  298. 


Te  Deum  Laudamus. 


197 


RF-e  slorciosus  aposcoloRum  choRus 
\J  ce  pRopecaRum  lauOabilTS  NumeRus 


»5 


ce  perc  ORbem  ceRRORum  soncco  coNpTcecuR  aeclesTa 

icRem  TmmeNsae  maTescacTS  cuae 

ueNenaNOum  cuum  ueRum  ec  uNT^eNTCum  pTlium 


p 

^aNccum  cruocpje  paRaclTCum  spiRTCum 


C 
N 


cu  Re;c  sloRTae  chRTSce 

u  pacRTS  sempTceRNUs  es  ptIius 
cu  ao  LibeRONOum  muNOum  suscepTSCi  homiNem 


|ON   hORRUlSCT   UTR^TNTS   UCeRUTTT 

cu  Oeuicco  ttiorcis  aculeo 

apeRuisci  CReoeNCTbus  Re^Na  caeloRum 


25 


G1.OSS. — 14.    Apostolorum- 
fidelium. 


■.i.    misorum.     15.    Profetarum. — .i.    providentium.      16.  Martirum.- 


12.  Universa  terra. — B.  also  reads  uni- 
versa;  but  thc  word  is  omitted  in  the  Vul- 
gate  text  of  this  Hymn. 

13.  Honore. — So  also  B.  The  common 
text  has  Majestatis. 

18.  Tuce. —  Om.  B.  Tuce  is  omitted 
also  iu  thc  Vulgate  text  of  this  Hymn. 

19.  Unigcnitum. — The  Vidgate  text  is 
unicum.  But  B.,  as  also  the  Cod.  Tho- 
masii Alex.,  citedby  Daniel,  ubisupr.,  read 
unigenitum.     B.  omits  et. 

23.  Tu  acl  liberandum. — The  common 
reading  is,  "  Tu,  ad  liberandum  suscep- 
turus  hominem,"  which  is  rendered  in 
the  Prayer-Book  of  thc  Anglican  Church, 
' '  When  Thou  tookest  upon  Thee  to  deli- 
ver  man."  But  "  ad  liberandum  suscep- 
turus  hominem"   would  seem  rather  to 


mean,  ' '  when  Thou  wast  about  to  take 
upon  Thec  man  [i.  c.  human  nature],  for 
the  purpose  of  deliverance,  Thou  didst 
not  abhor,"  &c.  Perhaps  the  translators 
of  the  English  Prayer-Book  may  have 
intended  the  insertion  of  a  parenthesis, 
"when  Thou  tookest  upon  Thee  (to  deli- 
ver)  man,  Thou  didst  not  abhor,"  &c. 
But  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  make 
tliis  intclligible  in  reading.  Some  of  the 
old  English  versions  which  we  find  in  the 
Primers  of  the  fifteenth  ccntury  appear  to 
have  omitted  suscepturus,  for  they  read, 
"  Thou  wert  not  skoymous  [squeamish]  of 
the  maydens  womb  to  delyuer  mankind." 
— Maskell,  Mon.  Rit.Eccl.  Anglic.,  vol.  ii. 
p.  14.  Others  seem  to  have  connected 
suscepturus  and  virginis  uterum,  "  Thou 


198 


Te  Deum  Laudamus. 


e 


■u  ao  De;ccercam  Dei  seDes  in  sLorna  pacrcis 
'  iuoe;c  CReDems  esse  ueNcurcus 

■u  ercso  quessunus  uobis  cuis  pamuLis  subueNi 

'  cpjos  prcecioso  saN^uiNe  rceDemisci  3o 

ceRNam  pac  cum  scinccis  cuis  sLoTuam  muNercaTU 
saLuum  pac  popuLum   cuum  OomiNe 
ec  beNeOic  herceoicaci  cuae 
ec  rcese  eos  ec  e;ccoLLe  íLLos  usque  in  secuLum 


Gloss. — 32.    Popnlum. — .i.    christianum.     33.    Hereditati. — .i.    aeclesiae.     34.  Rege. — .i.    in  bonis 
operibus.     Extolle. — .i.  defende.     In  seculum. — .i.  in  uita  aeterna. 


wcrt  no3t  skoymes  to  takc  the  maidenes 
wornbe,  for  to  deliver  mankynde." — Ibid., 
p.  231.  In  the  Primer  of  1535,  as  edited 
by  Dr.  Burton  (Three  Primers  put  forth 
xn  the  Heipi  of  Hennj  VIII.,  Oxford,  1 834, 
p.  82),  tliis  verse  is  thus  rendered:  "Thou 
(when  Thou  shouldest  take  upon  Thee  our 
nature  to  deliver  man)  didst  not  abhor  the 
virgin's  womb."  It  appears  from  these 
discrepancies  that  there  was  anciently  a 
difficulty  in  the  interpretation  of  this  pas- 

sage Comp.  Daniel,   Thesaur.  Hijmnol., 

ii.  299.  But  our  MS.  agrees  with  B., 
inserting  the  word  mundum,  and  giving 
suscepisti  for  suscephirus.  These  read- 
ings  remove  all  difficulty,  and  are  very 
probably  the  true  text :  "  Thou  tookest 
upon  Thee  man  to  deliver  the  world; 
Thou  didst  not  abhor  the  Virgin's  womb  : 
Having  overcome  the  sting  of  death, 
Thou  didst  open  the  hingdom  of  heaven 
to  believers." 

27.  Sedes. — This  is  the  modern  read- 
ing.  But  B.  has  sedens,  which  is  better. 
In  gloria  patris. — It  is  doubtful  whether 


thc  construction  should be  sedes  [sedens~\  in 
gloria  Patris — "  Thou  sittest  at  the  right 
hand  of  God  in  the  glory  of  the  Father," 
or,  in  gloria  Patrisjudex  venturus,  "Wc 
believe  that  Thou  shalt  come,  in  the  glory 
of  the  Fathei',  to  be  our  Judge." 

29.  Tu. — Te,  B.,  which  is  also  the  mo- 
dem  text.  Nobis. — OmittedinVulg.  text. 
But  B.  reads  nolis.  Quessimus. — For 
Quassumus. 

3 1 .  Eternam  fac. — The  common  text, 
as  given  in  the  Roman  Breviary,  and 
translated  in  the  English  Prayer-Book,  is, 
"  ^tema  fac  cum  sanctis  tuis  in  gloria 
numerari,"  "  Make  them  to  be  numbered 
with  thy  saints,  in  glory  everlasting." 
But  B.  and  all  copies  of  the  Te  Deum 
which  I  have  seen  in  any  MS.  older  than 
the  sixteenth  centmy,  have,  "  Eterna  fac 
cum  sanctis  tuis  [B.  omits  tuis]  gloria 
munerari ',"  or  "  in  [or  cum]  gloria  mune- 
rari,"  which  the  old  English  versions 
published  by  Mr.  Mashell  render,  "Make 
hcm  to  bc  rewardid  with  thi  seyntis : 
in  blisse,  with  everlastinge  glorie   (Mio- 


p 


Te  Deum  Laudamus. 

en  sinsuIos  Dies  beNeDicimus  ce 
ec  lauDamus  uomeu  cuum  in  aeceuNiim 
ec  in  seculum  seculi. 


199 
35 


F 


,iac  Domiue  miseniconDia  cua  superc  mos 
quemaDmoDum  spercauimus  in  ce. 


Gi.oss. 

38.  Fiat- 


-35.  Per  singulos  dies. —  i.  in  prosperis  et  in  adversis  sine  ullo  intervallo  te  benedieimus. 
i.  oratio  aeclesiae. 


num.  Rit.  ii.  14),  or  "  Make  hein  to  be 
rewarded  with  thi  seyntis  in  endeles 
blisse"  (ibid.,  230,  232);  and  every  one 
aequainted  with  the  black  letter  writing 
of  the  fifteenth  century  will  at  once  see 
how  easily  munerari  may  be  mistaken  for 
numerari.  That  munerari is  the  trueread- 
ing,  can  scarcely,  I  think,  admit  of  a  doubt ; 
but  atcrnam  and  gloriam  are  certainly  cor- 
rupt,  and  scarcely  make  sense.  We  ought, 
evidentlv,  to  read  eterna  and  gloria,  as  in 
B.  It  is  also  clear  that  the  English  Praver- 
Book  and  older  versions  have  misinter- 
preted  this  passage  by  the  insertion  of 
the  word  t/icm  :  "  Make  them,"  &c. ; 
for  the  construction  plainly  is,  "  Quos 
redemisti  fac  munerari,"  and  the  verse, 
"  whom  tliou  hast  redeemcd,"  ought 
therefore  to  be  connected  ^svith  that 
which  follows,  not  with  that  which  pre- 
cedes  :  "  "We  therefore  pray  Thee  help 
Thy  sen-ants :  make  Thou  to  be  rewardcd 
with  Thy  saints,  in  glory  everlasting,  those 
whom  Thou  hast  redeemed  with  Thy 
precious  blood."  Daniel  says:  "Procul 
dubio  in  hac  voce"  \munerar%\  "  tenes 
scripturam  antitpoissimam  et  genuinam. 
Xumerari  primum  occurrit  in  Brev.  Italis 
v.  c.  in  Franc.  anni  1495"  [i- 0.  a  Francis- 
can  Brevian-,  printed  at  Venice  in  that 


year]  "et  Lg."  [by  these  letters  he  refers 
to  the  Heurcs  a  lusage  de  Lengres,  printed 
at  Troyes,  without  a  date].  "Seculo  de- 
cimo  sexto  ecclesia  Romana  in  ejusmodi 
litibus  intcrdum  iraXi'^ovaa  recentiorem 
scripturam  in  tcxtum  reeepit." — Loe.  cif. 
32.  Salvum  fac. — This  is  Ps.  xxvii.  9. 
Vulg.  The  Te  Deum,  properly  so  called, 
ends  at  line  3 1  :  all  that  follows  is  from 
the  Psalms,  and,  as  will  be  seen  (see  note 
on  line  38),  was  varie.d  at  different  times, 
and  in  different  iISS. 

34.  In  seculum. — Ad  seculum,  B.  The 
common  text  reads,  "  in  a?ternum." 

35.  Per  singulos. — This  is  Ps.  cxliv.  2, 
Yulg.,  with  the  change  oíbencdicimus  and 
laudamus  for  benedicam  and  laudabo. 

36.  In  cetemum. — The  common  ti  xt 
reads  in  seculum.     B.  reads  in  eternum. 

37.  Seculi.     B.  adds  Amen. 

38.  Fiat  Domine. — Ps.  xxxii.  22,  Vulg. 
The  common  text  reads,  "Fiat  misericor- 
dia  tua,  Domine,"  but  B.  agrees  with  our 
MS.  Between  lincs  37  and  38  our  MS. 
omits  the  two  verses  of  the  common  text, 
"  Dignare  Domine,  die  isto,  sine  peccato 
nos  custodire:  miserere  nostri  Domine, 
miserere  nostri;"  and  after  v.  38  it  also 
omits  the  verse,  "  In  te  Domine  speravi : 
non  confundar  in  aeternum."     And  the 


200 


Te  Deum  Laudamus. 


Ue  pacpem  aoopamup  ecepnum.  ce  pempicepnum  pilium  ínuo- 
camup.  ceque  ppipicum  panccum  ín  una  oiuinicacip  pubpcancia 
manencem  conpicemup. 

Uibi  uni  t>eo  m  cpwicace  oebicap  lauoep  "|  gpaciap  pepepimup 
uc  ce  mceppabili  uoce  lauoape  mepeamup  pep  ecepna  pecula. 


sanie  verses  are  omitted  in  B.  These  are, 
therefore,  in  all  probability,  interpolations 
of  a  later  date.  The  last  is  obviouslv 
taken  from  Ps.  xxxi.  i ,  or  Ps.  lxxi.  i ,  and 
Miserere  nostri  is  from  Tob.  viii.  10  (  Vulg.) 
The  other  verse,  Dignare  Domine,  occurs, 
as  Ussher  has  remarked,  in  the  Greek 
Hxjmnus  Vespertinus,  which  he  has  pub- 
lished  in  his  Tract.  de  Sgmbolo  Romance 
Ecclesia,]).  43  (TVorhs,  Elrington's  edit., 
vol.  vii.  p.  337);  and  he  might  have 
added,  that  there  also  it  is  preceded  by 


the   verse,    Per  singulos    dies,   from    Ps. 
cxliv.  2. 

Te  patrem. — What  follows,  although 
by  the  same  scribe,  is  in  a  somewhat 
different  and  more  angular  character, 
and  was  not,  therefore,  intended  as  a 
part  of  the  Te  Deum.  It  does  not  occur 
in  B. ;  but  TJssher  found  it  in  his  copy  of 
the  Liber  Hgmnorum,  and  quotes  it  with- 
out  any  variation,  as  above,  except  that 
the  concluding  words  were  in  his  copy, 
"per  eterna  secula  seculorum.     Amen." 


(  2QI   ) 


XIV.  THE  HTMN  OF  ST.  COLUMBA,  "ALTUS  PROSATOR." 


THE  following  Hyma  was  first  printed  by  Colgan  from  an  ancient  copy 
of  the  Book  of  Hymns,  supposed  to  be  that  which  is  now  at  St.  Isidore's 
in  Rome.  He  tells  us  that  in  that  MS.  it  had  two  Prefaces,  partly  in  Latin 
and  partly  in  Irish,  of  which  he  has  given  only  the  substance ;  and  that  there 
were  Arguments  prefixed  to  each  stanza,  of  which  he  has  translated  the  Irish 
words1  that  occurred  intermixed  with  Latin  in  the  original,  his  object  in  the 
publication  having  been  historical  or  religious,  not  philological.  It  is  evident, 
however,  that  the  text  of  the  Hymn,  as  Colgan  has  printed  it,  is  in  many  places 
corrupt,  arising  from  errors  of  the  press,  or  of  transcription,  so  that  there  is 
great  need  of  a  more  correct  and  careful  edition  of  it.  But  it  unfortunately 
happens  that  a  leaf  of  the  Dublin  MS.  is  lost,  which  renders  the  present 
text  iraperfect  from  stanza  O  to  X,  inclusive :  and  the  only  other  copy  of 
the  Hymn  to  which  the  Editor  has  access, — that  preserved  in  the  Leabhar 
Breac,  a  MS.  of  the  fifteenth  century,  in  the  Library  of  the  Royal  Irish  Aca- 
demy, — is  even  still  more  defective,  all  being  lost  after  stanza  H.  We  must, 
therefore,  still  depend  upon  Colgan's  copy  for  the  missing  stanzas. 

The  Altus  of  St.Columba,  in  one  account  of  it,  is  said  to  have  been  composed 
as  a  penitential  exercise  for  the  three  battles2,  of  which  he  had  been  the  occasion 
in  Ireland  ; — but  a  second  tradition,  recorded  also  in  the  Preface,  tells  us  that 
it  was  an  extemporaneous  eífusion.  The  former  account  rej)resents  it  to  have 
been  composed,  after  seven  years  of  study,  in  the  Black  Church  of  Derrv, 

1  Irish  words "  Hvmnus   primus   habuit  nisi  quod  quaedam  hinc  inde  interjecta  ver- 

duas  praefationes,  partim  Latino,  partim  Hi-  ba  Hibernica,    reddamus  Latina." — Colgan, 

bernico  idiomate  praefixas,  quarum  summam  Triad.  Thaum.,  p.  473. 

tantum  hic  exhibemus.     Singulse  etiam  stro-  s  Battles See  Reeves's  Adamnan,  p.  253, 

phae,  seu  capitula,  habent  prsefixa  sua  argu-  who  quotes  the  preface  as  given  in  the  Leabhar 

menta,  quae  ab  aliquo  veteri  Scholiastaviden-  Breac  ;  which  will  be  found,  with  a  transla- 

tur  adjectae,   in   quibus   nihil  immutavimus,  tion,  in  Addit.  Note  A. 

2  D 


202  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Prosator." 

in  Ireland :  the  latter  states  that  it  was  uttered  exteinporaneously  in  Hy. 
Few  can  doubt  that,  if  we  are  to  treat  such  legends  as  deserving  of  criticism, 
the  former  is  in  every  point  of'  view  the  more  probable  tradition.  O'Don- 
nell1  (if  we  may  trust  Colgan's  version)  omits  all  mention  of  the  occasion  on 
which  the  Hymn  was  composed. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  Altus  has  not  been  mentioned  by  Adamnan  ;  but 
this  circumstance  cannot,  perhaps,  be  urged  as  an  argument  against  the  au- 
thenticitj  of  the  Hymn,  because  the  plan  of  Adamnan's  work  did  not  necessa- 
rily  require  him  to  notice  the  writings  of  St.  Columba.  lf,  however,  a  mission 
from  St.  Gregory  the  Great  to  the  distant  Abbot  of  Hy  had  been  the  occasion 
of  a  miraculous  composition  of  this  Hymn, — and  miraculous  itmust  have  been, 
if  so  elaborate  a  production  had  been  extemporaneous, — it  would  very  naturallv 
have  fallen  within  the  scope  of  St.  Adamnan's  memoir;  and  the  circumstance 
could  scarcely  have  been  omitted  by  him,  if  he  had  known  of  it.  We  may, 
therefore,  fairly  conclude,  that  this  legend,  at  least,  if  not  the  Hymn  itself, 
was  unhnown  to  Adamnan. 

But  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  reject  the  former  and  less  marvel- 
lous  tradition — that  the  Hymn,  if  genuine,  was  composed  in  Ireland,  before 
St.  Columba's  removal  to  Hy ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  story  of  a  mission 
fi'om  Rome  to  that  Ultima  Thule  of  Chi'istendom,  with  gifts  and  i'elics  pi'e- 
sented  by  Pope  Gregory  the  Great  to  Columba,  was  a  legend  invented  after 
the  tixne  of  Adamnan. 

The  Hymxi  is  written  in  a  rxide  Latinity,  each  strophe  of  six  (or,  as  in  the 
first  stanza,  seven)  double  lines,  beginning  witlx  a  letter  of  the  alphabet  in 
order ;  the  metre  a  species  of  Tx-ochaic  dimeter,  or  tetrameter,  as  Bede  calls 
it  (see  p.  163,  note  h),  to  be  scanned  Avithout  synalephe,  with  a  i'hymeor  asso- 
nance  at  the  end  of  the  lines.  Tlxus  the  first  strophe,  divided  into  its  lines, 
will  be  as  follows  : — 

Altus  prositor  vetustus,  Christus  et  Sanctus  Spiritus. 

Dierum  et  ingenitus,  Coeternus  in  gloria 

Erat  absque  origine,  Deitatis  perpetua. 

Primordi  et  crepidine,  Non  tres  Deos  depromimus, 

Est  et  erit  in  secula,  Sed  unum  Deum  dicimus. 

Seculorum  infinita.  Salva  fide  in  personis 

Cui  est  unigenitus  Tribus  gloriosissimis. 

1  O'Donnell Vit.  quinta  S.  Cohimba',  lib. ii.       Sce  Addit.  Note  A,  where  thc  passage  from 

c.  20,  21,  rip.  Colgan,  Triad.  Thaum.,p.  412.       O'Donnell  is  given. 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Prosator."  203 

There  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  the  IIymn  is  of  considerable  antiquity,  and 
that  it  is  Irish.  It  quotes  in  many  places  a  Latin  version  of  the  Scriptures 
older  than  the  recension  of  St.  Jerome  ;  it  is  written  in  a  barbaric  style,\vith 
many  words  of  rare  occurrence — some  of  them  unhnown  even  to  the  re- 
searches  of  Dn  Cange.  Dr.  Reeves  has  noticed  the  word  Dialis,  which  seems 
peculiar  to  this  Hymn  and  to  Adamnan,  in  the  sense  ofdivine,  sacrcd1.  Some 
other  examples  will  be  pointed  out  in  the  Notes. 

In  the  following  pages  the  Hymn  has  been  printed  as  in  the  MS.,  with 
two  lines  in  one — the  double  line  consisting  of  sixteen  syllables,  as  stated  in 
tlie  ancient  Preface. 

To  each  strophe,  or  stanza,  is  prcfixed  a  Scholium,  containing  what  the 
Vetus  Scholiasta,  as  Colgan  terms  him,  calls  "TheTitle"  and  "  The  Argu- 
ment."  The  Title  is  a  short  summary,  in  Latin,  of  the  subject  treated 
of  in  the  stanza  to  which  it  is  prefixed.  The  Argument  is  a  text — 
sometimes  two  or  more  texts — of  Scripture,  011  which  the  principal  thought 
or  subject-matter  of  the  stanza  is  founded.  Thus  The  Title  of  stanza  A  is, 
"  De  Unitate  et  Trinitate  trium  Personarum."  The  Argument  (Dan.  "sii.9), 
"  Vetustus  dierum  sedebat  stiper  scdem  suam."  Sce  these  Scholia  translated 
in  Addit.  Note  C. 

In  the  Additional  Notes  will  be  fbund  the  Preface  as  given  in  the  Leabhar 
Breac,  with  the  Gloss  and  Scholia  of  thc  same  MS. ;  the  Preface,  as  abridged 
and  translated  into  Latin  by  Colgan  from  the  MS.  supposed  to  be  now  in 
Rome ;  and  an  attcmpt  to  give  an  English  translation  of  the  entirc  Hymn. 

In  the  notes  at  the  bottom  of  thc  pages  the  various  readings  of  Colgan's 
printed  eopy  are  maihed  C. ;  and  those  of  the  MS.  fragment  in  the  Leabhai 
Breac  are  marhed  B. 

1  Scc  lleeves,  Adamnan.  Glossar.  in  voce. 


2D2 


COCUS  huiup  q.mm  hf.  Cempup  Gebtím  meicc  ^abptíin  pi^  Qlban,  ocup  Oeba  meicc 
ainmepech  píg  hepenn.  TTlupiciup  aucem  uel  poccap  ippe  ba  pí  poman  cunc. 
Peppo  Collumcille  be  nobile  senepe  pcocopum.  Columba  bicicup  uc  epc  epcoce 
ppubencep  picuc  peppencep  ec  pimplicep  picuc  columbae.  Caupa  quia  uoluic 
beum  laubape.  ]Dep  pepcim  annop  hunc  q.mnum  pcpucanp  in  nigpa  cellula  pme 
lumine  .1.  aj\  chumchib  bil^uba  m  ínab  cacha  cule  bpemne  bo  bpipiub  pop  Oiapmaic 
mac  CepbaiU.  -]  na  cacha  aile  po  bpipce  cpe  na  pocun.  Uel  uc  aln  bicunc,  íp  co 
hopunn  bo  ponab  .1.  apaile  lache  po  bói  columcille  m  lif,  -\  ní  btíi  nech  oca  acc 
boíchfn,  -|  111  boí  biab  occu  acc  cpiachap  copca.  Clpbepo  íapum  Columcille  ppi 
btíichm,  Oo  poilec  oigib  huapliu  cucunn  mbiu  a  baichin  .i.  muincip  gpiguip  canca- 
cap  conapcebaib  bopom  ;  -|  apbepcpom  ppi  baichfn,  bf  1  popp  ícppichalaim  na  nóe^eb 
conbisuppa  bon  muiliunn.  5cnbibpom  paip  a  epe  biapaile  chloich  bof  íp  mb  peclep  .1. 
blachnac  a  hamm,  -|  mapaib  beop,  -]  íp  puppi  bo  gnichep  pomn  ípm  phpomcig.  ba 
cpom  cpa  lepeom  a  epe,  conbepna  ín  ímmunpa  cpia  opb  aipgicpech,  o  ca  pen  con- 
bice  m  mulenn  .1.  abiucop  labopancium  -]c.  ln  can  mioppo  bo  pac  ín  céc  poca 
íp  111  mulenn  íp  ann  bo  chuaib  ícenn  m  chetma  caipcill,  ocup  íp  ímmaille  popcaich 
m  bolc  bo  blich  -\  ín  cimmun  bo  benam.  Ocup  íp  co  hoponn  bo  ponab  pic.  lp  ín 
choiciub  bliabam  pepcac  aj\  .ccccc.  íap  ngein  cpipc  bo  chuaib  colum  cille  bo  hi,  uc 
beba  bicic,  anno  bommicae  mcapnaciomp  .ccccclpcu.  quo  cempope  gubepnaculum 
pomani  ímpepn  popc  íupcmianum  íupcinup  mmop  accepic.  Uenicbe  hibepniu  ppep- 
picep  ec  abbap  habicu  ec  uica  monachi  mpi^mp  nomme  Columbi  bpicomam  ppe- 
bicacupup  uepbum  Oei  ppoumcup  pepcimcpionulium  piccopum.  bpubi  aucem 
piliup  lllelchon  pegebac  piccop  cunc,  ec  íppe  immolauic  columbo  hí,  ubi  columbup 
cum  eppec  annopum  .l,x;cui.  pepulcup  epc.  popc  uepo  .;c;e;mii.  e;c  cnjo  íppe  bpicu- 
niam  ppebicacupup  abnc. 

líucob  cpa  m  cimmonpa  bo  spiguip  paip,  ícommam  na  naipceba  cuccha  huab  .1.  m  cpoip, 
.1.  m  mópgem  a  hammpibe,  -\  ímmain  na  pechcmame.  TCo  cloimcloipec  ímoppo  na 
mimain.  chuipchibe  cpi  caipcil  ann  bo  ponab  ^P'Suip  .1.  hic  publacup,  ocup  opbem, 
1  uasacup.  O  bochocap  ímoppo  1  cenn  caippenca  mb  ímmuin  bo  gpi^uip,  bo  beo- 
chacap  aingil  be  combicip  mnapeppom  coppoicheb  leopeom  ín  caipcel  pen,  accpai- 
geb  spiguip  ap  a  pomn  peom  connice  pen.  O  popecheb  ímoppo  pen  no  paibicip 
ínna  hungil,  no  paibeb  bna  5P'5uip,  co  capnic  mcimmun  ponbmnap  pm.  Tío  choch- 
luig  cpa  Spi^uip  u  coibpena  cucupom  appo  picippeom  íce  po  chóimchlóipec.  acbe- 
pacpom  bna  ba  hiac.  -\  popboe  bil^ub  be.  Ocup  acbepibpom  nobbai  lochc  pop  pin 
cmimun  aóc  a  laisec  bo  molub  ín  cpfnoic  ann  pep  pe,  cia  po  molab  cpia  na  bulib. 
Ocup  bo  poachc  m  cmchpechabpm  co  columcille,  -\  ípe  pem  pochun  benma  m  ce 
chpipce.  Opb  aipsicpech  pil  hfc  mope  ebpeo,  apinbipip  cuchalcba  cucab  pocha  ín 
óaipcilpe  .1.  cpecem  oenacub  co  poipicin  cpebocub.  Cpe  pichim  bna  bo  ponab,  -\  bi 
epnail  puippipibe  .i.  apcipicialip  i  uul^apip.   Qptipicialip  ubi  piunc  cpai^ib  comam- 


Hijmnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


205 


pepba  compoblaibe  cocucpummap  po  aippe-j  ceip.  -\  copop  pubpequenp  ctillocppe- 
cebencip  innacuaplucab.  uuljapip  ímoppo  bu  ímbi  ímpecpa  pillab  -\  cechpaimchm 
ocup  lechpann,  -\  ipeb  6n  pil  htc.  Sé  líne  bna  m  cech  caipciul.  -\  .pcui.  pillaba  cech 
lim  cen  mocha  ín  cec  caipcell.  un.  line  imoppo  anbpom  ap  íp  molab  be  pil  annpme. 
Cubaib  bna  ínb  numuip  ecucpummapm  ppip  na  caipcil  apchena  ap  ecucpumma  bia 
ppia  bulib.  Numip  peba  aucem  in  cpeacupip  quia  pe;c  biebup  paccae  punc. 
Opopcec  ciculum  ec  apgumencum  eppe  ance  unumcruemque  capiculum. 
TCopé  cpa  bligeb  gabala  huiup  c^mni  co  pa  sabchu  quip  pocepc  Deo  ecip  cech  ba  caipcil,  1 
íp  be  no  biab  a  pach  paip  apip  amlaib  po  chanac  ppiup.  Gccaac  cpa  pacha  ímba  pop 
ínb  ímmunpa,  .1.  omgil  ippecnapcup  ceinbechip  íc  o  scibail.  Ni  pmnpa  bemun  péc  inct 
nob  séba  cech  bia.  -|  ni  ímbepcpac  bna  namaic  he  ípinb  lo  ín  ^eba.  ocup  bna  ni  bia 
bebaib  íp  ín  C15  íngebchap  cosnocach.  On^ib  bna  ap  cech  mbap  acc  ec  ppi 
abapc.  -\  bna  m  bia  sopca  na  nocca  ip  m  pupc  m  sebcap  commemcci  aliae  mulccie 
punc 

ÍSSG  ín  cicul  be  umcace  -\  cpmicace  cpium  pepponapum.    lp  pi 

ímoppo  mb  apsumamc  ín  chanom  poppa  pochaiscep  m  caipcel  uc  m 

Dumelo  uel  ín  Cpoiu  legicup,  Uecupcup  biepum  pebebac  pupep  pebem 

puam.  Uecupcupbiepum  aecepnup  cempopum  epac.  Uecupcupbiepum 

beup  bicicup,  ppo  mulcicubme  biepum  ance  quop  beup  epac,  uel 

quia  puic  [unce]  omnia  cempopci.     Canom  bna  pachcibo  beppeom 

ínce  guiu  íppe  ppopeca  puic.     Ocup  6  Ocimul  pampiub  cuc  cip  ípe 

po  po  bebenchu  -\  po  po  poepiu.    lpe  bna  Columcille  po  po  beben- 

chu  -\  po  po  poepiu  bo  pachib  hepenn. 

LUUS  ptíosicotj  uecuscus  Diercum  ec  inscnicus 
eT?an  absque  otnsinc  ptnttiotíOii  ec  crcepiOiNe 
esc  ec  ercic  tn  secula  seculoTuim  íNpiNica 
cut  esc  UNTgeNTcus  chrciscus  ec  sonccus  spi- 

TUCUS 

coaeceRNUs  in  5loT?ia  oiecacis  penpecuae  5 
non  ctns  Oeos  OepTíomimus  seo  uNum  Oeum 

oicimus 
salua  piOe  in  percsoNis  crcibus  sloTiiosissimis 


Gloss 1.  Prositor. — .i.  genitor,    .1.   mrcibbul  ....   [the  awful  .  .  .  ].      L'etus- 

tus. — .i.  eternus,  .1.  pimclnp  na  namipep,  .1.  pimu  -\  coipech  biap  cempopu  [i.  senior 
of  the  times,  ,i.  elder  and  first  of  our  times].  Dierum. — .i.  temporum.  2.  Absque  ori- 
gine. — .1.  cen  achap   no   cen  bunab  [without  father,  or  without  origin].    3.  Secula. 

— .i.  futurorum.     Seculorum i  praesentium.     4.  Vnigenitus. — Primogenitus,  quia  nemo 

ante  ipsum  est,  unigenitus  quia  nemo  post  ipsum  est.     C/iristus. — Misias  ebraice,  Christus 


grece,  Unctus  latine.    7.   Salva.- 

Altus. — For  a  translation 
of  the  Preface,  and  of  the  Scho- 


mtigra. 

lia  or  arguments  prefixed  to  each  stanza, 
see  Add.  Notes  A  and  C.     It  will  be  oh- 


2o6 


Hijmnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


b 


lSein  cicul.  De  popmacione.  ípc.  spiabuum.  cpibup  ppaecepmip pip  non 
l>ep  ignopanciam  pub  ppo  angupna  eapiculi  ppaecepmipic.  1S1  ímoppo 
ínb  ajigamamc.     piac  lu,i  -\  pcicca  e^c. 

onos  crceauic  angelos  orcoiNes  ec  arichaNselos 
prnNcipacuum  ac  seOium  pocescacum  umcucium. 
uci  non  essec  bouicas  ociosa  ac  maiescas  10 

cruNicacis  in  oniNibus  lansicacis  miiNeiubus 
seo  habenec  celescia  in  cnnbus  prceuisilia 
osceNOeríec  masNoperce  possibili  pcicimiNe. 


Gloss. — 8.    Archangelos. — .i.    bonos.     9.     Sedium. — .i.    troni.      TJirtutium. — .i.    causa    ritlmii.      10. 

Uti i.  ut.     Bonitus. — .i.  benevolentia.      Otiosa. — .i.  sine  operatione.  .1.  ancach   no  bímain  cen- 

maine  boépmub  [dilatorv  or  lazy,  without  giving  away  goods].  12.  Huberet. — .i.  ut.  ('elestia. — .i. 
elimenta  vel  ministeria.  Previgilia — .1.  nupemiaba  -|  na  honope,  .1.  cecb  gpab  opailiu  [i.  e.  the 
pre-eminences  and  honors,  i.e.  of  each  more  beautiful  grade],  .i.  quasi  privata  lex.  13.  Mugnopere — .1. 
on  mópgmm.  no  m  mojignecheb,  .1.  commóp,  .1.  ónb  aipnep  pocbmai,  .1.  on  molab  pochmai 
bo  bepac  amgil  bicencep  panccup  panccup  panccup  bommup  [i.  e.  from  the  great  deed,  or 
tbe  great  agent,  .i.  very  great,  .i.  from  the  glorious  testimony,  .i.  from  the  glorious  praise  which  the  angels 
give,  saving,  Holv,  Holy,  Holy  Lord]. 


served  that  in  the  Scholium  prcfixed  to 
this  stanza,  Dan.  vii.  9,  is  quoted  from  an 
Antc-Hieronymian  version :  vetustus,  not 
antiquus,  dierum.  It  is  curious  that  the 
scholiast  seems  unccrtain  whethcr  tliis 
passage  was  in  Danicl  or  Isaiah  :  hut  the 
words  "vel  in  Esaia"  were  probablv  the 
insertion  of  some  transcriher.  They  oc- 
cur  in  C,  hut  not  in  B.  Prositor. — Pro- 
sator,  C.  Prosetor,  B.  Prosator  is  Eather, 
Creator,  from prosero,  to  bring  forth,  bcget. 
Thc  Gloss  explains  the  word genitor.  Thc 
Isidorian  Glossaries  have  "  Prosatrix,  ge- 
netrix."  Opp.  Isidori  Uisp.,  tom.  vii. 
(Append.,  xxiv.  p.  483)  40,  Romce,  1803. 
Dierum. — To  hc  read  as  a  trisyllable. 

2.  Primordii. — Primordio,  C.  Primor- 
di,  B.  It  must  he  pronounccd  Primordi 
to  suit  the  metre.  Crepidinc. — Y.pijTrh, 
border,  edcje,  foundation.  Crepido  is  used 
lrc<picntly  in  theVulgate,  Ex.  ii.  5;  Lev. 
1.  15  ;  Judic.  vii.  22,  et  alibi.    TheGrech 


Kp))irl?  is  explained,  gradus;  iasis,  ripa, 
fundamentum,  Glossar.  in  Octateuch  :  tcp-n- 
7rícujfia,  fundamentum,  basis.     Ezek.  xliii. 
14.     Aquil.  and  Vulg. 

4.  Christus. — The  Gloss  on  this  word  is 
l'rom  Isidor.  JEtymolog.,  lib.  xvii.  c.  2, 
n.6. 

5.  Dietatis. — Deitatis,  C.  Perpetuae. — 
Perpetua,  C.  A  more  reccnt  hand  has 
written  "  vcl  a"  over  the  íiníil  ac  in  the 
MS.  Perpetua  is  nccessaiy  to  rhvrnc  with 
gloria. 

6.  Tris. — Tres,  C.  Dicimus. — "Drím," 
C,  an  evident  mistake  ;  for  Domi- 
num  would  be  inconsistent  with  tlic 
rhyme. 

7.  Sal/oa. — TJnder  this  line  are  the 
words  ln  inip  chachalacoa    ....    [thc 

Catholic  faith ],  with  some  other 

words  very  obscurc,  but  which  may  bc 
rcad  -j  pop  a  ínchaib  Oonrpa  [mav  I  be 
on  its  protcction]. 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


207 


Oe  cpanpmiópacione  .yc.  5pabuum  ppmcipip,  ípe  m  cicul.  Clpinb  apoca- 
lipp  ímoppo  bo  bepap  mb  apsamainc  íb  epc  uibi  pcellam  be  celo  cecibipe  m 
ceppam.  -|  m  epaia,  cpjomobo  cecibipci  tucipep  cfui  mane  opiebcmip. 


c 


eci  De  T?e5Ni  apice  scocionis  aNsecicae 
cCarcicace  prcaepulsoTus  ueNuscace  specuniNis 
supenbieNOo  nuerjac  luciperi  cfuem  poRmaueTíac 
aposcacaecfue  aNseli  eooem  6apsu  lugubrci 
auccoius  ceNooojiae  peiíuicacis  iNuiOiae 
cecercis  RemaNeNCibus  in  suis  pruNcipacibus. 


J5 


GLOSS.^-15.   Speciminis. —  .i.  msnee  [form,  beauty].    16.   Lucifer. — .i.  lucem  ferens.     Formaverat. — 

.i.  Deus.     17.  Apostat<z .i.  ruerant,  .1.  na  liumgil  bipceinmnecha,  .1.  onbipunb  cuicim  [.i.  the 

lapsed  angels,  .i.  from  their  lamentab'.e  fall].  Lugubri. — .1.  choincech  [lamentable],  .1.  uabib 
peiTI  "1  alup  [from  themselves  and  others]  quia  demones  suum  lapsum  lugent.  18.  Cenodoxiae.  .i. 
inanis  glorise  vel  superbia?,  vel  na  glope  epcone  [the  common  glory]  nam  cenon  greee  comune  latine 
dicitur,  .1.  epcon  [common]  doxia  vero  gloria.  Pervicacis.  Pervicax  dicitur  qui  in  proposito  suo  ptrrse- 
verat  usque  in  victoriam.     19.   CeterU. — .i.  angelis. 


8.  Bonos. — In  the  Scholium  prehxed  to 
this  stanza,  or  capitulum,  the  text  Fiat 
lux  is  quoted  as  the  record  of  the  crea- 
tion  of'  angels,  who  are  gencrally  as- 
sumed  by  divines  to  have  been  includcd 
in  the  word  Light. — See  Isidor.  Hispal., 
Sentent.,  lib.  i.  c.  10,  n.  3,  who  says, 
"  ante  omncm  creaturam  angcli  facti  sunt, 
dum  dictum  cst,  Wiat  lux"  The  nine 
orders  or  degrees  of  angcls  are  usually 
enumcratcd  thus  :  Angcli,  Archangeli, 
Throni,  Dominationes,  Virtutes,  Princi- 
patus,  Potestates,  Chcrubim,  Scraphim. 
See  Isidor.  Hispal.,  Etgmolog.,  lib.  vii. 
c.  5.  Of  these  our  author  mcntions  only 
six,  omitting  thrcc  (viz.,  Dominationes, 
Cherubim,  and  Scraphim),  which  the 
Scholiast  tclls  us  were  omittcd,  not  be- 
cause  he  was  ignorant  of  thcm,  but  be- 
causc  he  found  it  impossiblc  to  bring  them 
into  the  limits  of  his  versc.  The  Gloss 
informs  us  that  the  author  gave  the  name 
of  sedes  to  one  of  these  orders,  instead  of 


throni,  and  that  he  wrote  virtutium,  in- 
stead  of  rirtutum,  for  the  sake  of  the 
metre.  In  the  margin  there  are  the  fol- 
lowing  notcs :  one  in  Latin  (which  the 
Editor  has  not  found  in  the  works  of  Isi- 
dore) — "  Ante  omnem  diem  et  ante  omnc 
tempus  condidit  Deus  angelicam  creatu- 
ram  et  informem  materiam,  Isidorus  di- 
cit."  The  other  in  Irish: — lp  aipe  po 
pechmall  lupupbín  ]  papaphm  pech 
na  bí  aile  apice  aca  pia  o  Oomib  íap 
necap^nu  1  acpeb.  lpeacpo  1.  na  .1,1. 
nspaopa  .1.  angeli  apcbangeli  uipcu- 
cep  pocepcacep  ppincipacup  Oomina- 
cionep  cponi  bipuplum  -|  papapbim. 
["The  reason  he  has  passed  over  the  Hiru- 
phin  and  Saraphin  beyond  the  others  is, 
because  thcy  are  farther  from  men  in  their 
distance  and  residence.  And  these  are  the 
nine  orders,  viz.,  angels,  archangels,  vir- 
tues,  powers,  principalities,  dominions, 
thrones,  Hiruphim,  and  Saraphim"].  Or- 
dines — Archangclos  et  ordines,  C. 


208 


Hi/mnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


t) 


De  jiuma  bicibuli  in  cicul  .1.  be  mocanone  nommip  lucipepi  ín  bpaco- 
nem.  ipi  ímoppo  ínb  apsamainc,  uc  epc  ín  apocalippi  ecce  bpaco  puphup 
habenp  capica  .un.  -]  copnua  .£.  -\  caubci  eiup  cpa,ric  pecum  cepciam  pcip- 
cem  pibepum  uel  pcellapum. 

naco  masNus  Oecemumus  cemubilis  ec  aNcicruus  20 

cfiu  puic  seripeNS  lubrucus  sapieNciori  orriNibus 
bescns  ec  aNimaNcibus  cercrcae  períaciombus 
cercciam  parccem  siOermm  crca;cic  secum  in  bar<acVmum 
locoríum  íNpercNalium  Oiuercsoruimcrue  carccercum 
nepusa  ueru  lumiNis  pariasico  priaecipices  i5 

Gloss. — 20.  Draco. — .i.  diabulus.     Deterrimus. — .i.  pessimus,  vel  teterrimus,  .i.  horribilissimus.    21. 

Lvbricus. — .1.  plemon  [slipperv].   Sapientior 1.  cuachllU  [more  subtle,  cunning]  blb  [est]  sapientia 

in  bono  et  in  malo,  in  bono,  ut  dauid  dicit  Initium  sapientise  etc.  [Ps.  cx.  10].  in  malo,  ut  christus  Perdam 
sapientiam  sapientium  hujus  niundi  [lCor.  i.  15].  22.  Animantibus. — ,i.  animalibus.  23.  Tertiam  par- 
tem. — .i.  de  omnibus  angelis  vel  de  consentientibus.  Siderum. — .i.  graduum  celestium  .i.  angelorum. 
liarathrum. — .i.  in  infernum  .1.  mibciile  chpo  [i.  e.  into  the  city  of  death].  25.  Parasito. — .1.  onb 
puip|>eoip  .1.  uab  pem  ap  puippeop  ....  [from  a  mountebank,  i.e.  of  his  own  accord  he  is  a 
mountebank].    Praecipites. — .1.  ínna  pinbpcnscechab  .1.  ípepn  [i.e.  the  precipitous  places,  viz.  hell]. 


9.  Principatuum. — Principatum,  B.  Vir- 
tutium. — Virtutum,  C.     Tirtutium,  B. 

11.  Largitatis. — Largiatatis,  J3. 

12.  Previgilia. — Privilegia,  C.  Prive- 
legia,  B.  The  Gloss  assumes  the  reacling 
Privilcgia,  which  is  necessarv  to  agree 
with  Celestia. 

1 3.  Fatimine. — Fatimini,  B.  This  word 
does  not  occur  in  the  dictionarics,  nor  in 
Du  Cange.  It  secms  to  signiíj  expression, 
manifestation,  from  fator,for,  to  speah;  or 
fateor,  to  manifest.  See  Beeves,  Adam- 
nan,  Glossar.  in  voc.  Fanien,  p.  444. 

14.  Celi. — For  Transmigratione  in  the 
Seholium,  C.  has  translatione.  The  word 
secms  to  be  applied  here  to  the  fall  of  the 
angels,  who  are  called  "  the  nine  orders  or 
degrees  of  Prince,"  in  reference,  appa- 
rentlv,  to  the  passages  of  Scripture  in 
which  Satan  is  called  Prince  ( John,  xii.  3 1 , 
xiv.  30,  xvi.  1 1  ;  Eph.,  ii.  2). 

15.  Speciminis. — Here  used  to  denote 
honour,  glory,  ornament,  a  sense  in  which 
thc  word  occurs  in  Seneca  and  Apuleius. 


17.  Apostatm. — In  the  margin  is  this 
note :  "  Apostata  grece,  recessor  a  fidc 
vilis  interpretatur  latine  ;  vel  lugubrium 
lignum  est  super  quod  etiam  aves  stare 
non  possunt,  a\\  alemni  cucab  uabpibe 
pop  cech  plemon  [from  its  slipperiness ; 
the  name  was  given  from  this  to  everv- 
thing  slipperj]."  Does  this  note  confound 
lugubris  and  lubricus  ? 

1 8.  Cenodoxice. — Intcrprcted  in  the  Gloss 
inanis  gloria,  /cevtj  co £•).  Isidor.  Hisp.  uses 
the  word :  "Multos  autem  ex  eis  [mo- 
nachis]  ccnodoxia?  morbus  commaculat." 
De  eccl.  Officiis.,  lib.  ii.  16,  n.  18.  SeeDu 
Cange,  Glossar.  in  roc.  The  second  etj-- 
mology,  Kotvrj  co|r),  isamistahe.  The  con- 
struction  is,  "And  the  apostate  angels" 
[ruerunt,  fell],  "  by  the  same  lamcntable 
fall  of  the  author  of  vain  glory,  of  obstinatc 
hate,  the  others  remaining  in  thcir  prin- 
cipalities."  Pervicacis. — The  Gloss  is 
from  Isidor.  Hispal.,  Etgmol.,  lib.  x.  211. 

20.  Deterrimus. — Tetcrrimus,  C.  An- 
tiquus Apoc.  xii.  9,  xx.  2. 


e 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator."  209 

De  epeacione  elimencopum  munbi  i  hommip  pegencip  ea  popcea  mope 
iti  cicul.  lpi  nnoppo  1110  apsamamc.  ln  ppmcipio  pecic  oeup  celum  -| 
ceppam  uc  ín  genepi  oicicup. 

^ccelsus  itiunoi  machiNam  pReuioeus  ec  arunoNiam 
caelum  ec  cermam  pecermc  marce  ec  acruas  conoidic 
heubarjum  cruocrue  seNmiNa  uinsuccottum  aRbuscula 
solem  luNam  ac  siDena  í^Nem  ac  Necessarua 
aues  pisces  ec  peccorca  bescias  ec  aNimacia  30 

homiNem  oemum  rceserce  pnocoplascum  pTíaesagmiNe. 

GlOSS. — 26.  Machinam. — .i.  materiam,  .i.  massam.  Armoniam. — .1.  m  ímchuibbiup  pil  ecer\  na 
oule  [i.  the  harmonv  that  is  between  things  created].  27.  Caelum.  —  .i.  invisibilis  omnis  creatura. 
Terram. — .i.  omnis  creatura  visibilis  terra  voeatur.  Mare. — .i.  a  maritudine  dictum,  vel  a  meando.  28. 
Herbarum. — .i.  christus.  30.  Bestias. — .i.  quioquid  ore  et  ungene  [read  unguine]  sevit,  bestia  dicitur. 
31.  Hominem. — .i.  Adam,  .i.  omnia  elementa  terrena.  Protoplastum. — .i.  protos,  gra?ce :  primus,  latine  : 
plastus,  .i.  formatus,  .1.  m  cecchpuca  [the  first  created]  .i.  corpus.  Prasagmine. — .1.  o  plosaipchin- 
nechc  [.i.  host  =  leadership] . 

21.  Lubricus. — In  the  margin  there  is  this  word  is  written  .1.  ;c.  \_vel  x],  and  a 
the  following  note:    "  Lubricus  a  libro,  more  recent  hand  has  written  ;c  on  the 

quod  est  nomen cui  oblenita  line  below.     Eefugax  is  the  reading  of  C. 

scilipes  adhcrere  non  possunt, Refugas,  B.    Parasito. — The  Gloss  takes 

finitatem  omnis  levis  de  quo this  word  to  signifj  abuífoon,  or  mounte 

quis  labitur  lubricus  dicitur,  c-on  clipunn  bauk.  DuCange  has  shown  that  parasitus 

peinbice  eom  ín  a  bapp,   -\  bia   cacc  was  used  to  signifj-  a  domestic  servant, 

00  ^nicep  m  cpipic  [from  that  tree,  on  who  lives  at  his  master's  table.     But  it  is 

whose  top  there  areusuallybirds,  and  from  not  casy  to  make  sense  from  either  of 

whose  dimg  silk  is  made].  The  remainder  these  significations  in  the  passage  before 

of  this  note  is  vciy  obscure,  andthe  Editor  us.     Perhaps   we   should  read  paradiso. 

has  not  suecceded  in  reading  it :  it  con-  The  gloss  over  Prcccipites  secms   to  un- 

cludes  with  the  words  "in  barathro,  .i.  in  derstand  tocos.     There  is   evidentlv  cor- 

inferno."     Lulrum,  in  the  Glossary  of  Pa-  ruption  in  the  text. 

pius,  is  cxplaincd  "rasile  lignum."      Tho  26.  Excetsus. — In    the    margin  is  this 

object  of  the  first  part   of  this  notc   is  note :   "  .  .  .  .    dicit.     Oportuit  ut  terre 

evidentbj  to  derive    the   word   Lubricus  celestis   creatura  prece    ..."     ísothing 

from  the  name  of  a  tree,  so  slippery  that  morc  is  legible.   It  was  evidently  a  passage 

even  flics  cannot  walk  on  its  branches. —  quoted  from    some   ecclesiastical  writer, 

See  the Gloss  on  this  passage  in  the  Leabhar  perbaps  Bede ;  but  the  cditor  has  not  been 

Breac,  Addit.  Xote  B.  able  to  find  it.     Armoniam. — Ermoniam, 

22.  Feracioribus. — Ferocioribus,  B.  C. 

25.  Refuga.—Oxex  the  last  syllablc  of  27.  Et  terram Terram,  C. 

2E 


2IO 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


F 


Ipe  ín  cicul,  be  laube  bei  ab  angelir  ín  cruapca  pepia  bicencep  panccup, 
panccup,  panccup,  bommup  beup  pubaoch.  lpi  íno  apsamcimc.  Cfuanbo 
peci  celum  -|  ceppam  collaubauepunc  me  angeli,  uc  ín  pcipiencia  palomo- 
nip  bicicup. 

,accis  simuL  siOerubus  echerus  LumiNaríibus 
coLLauoauercuNc  aNseLi  paccurm  pRaemircabii.i 
ímmeNsae  moLis  OomiNum  opipicem  ceLesnuin 
pnecoNio  LauDabiLe  Oebico  ec  ímmobiLe  35 

coNceNcuque  esNesio  srmces  eseNUNc  oomiNo 
amorce  ec  arcbiouo  non  Nacurme  DONarno. 


Gloss. — 32.  Etheris. — .1.  ínb  echuup  [the  ether,  or  aír].     33.    Collaudaverunt. — i.  me,  .i.  post- 

quam  creati  sunt  angeli  dixerunt,  sanctus,  sanctus,  sanctus,  dominus  deus  sabaoth.     34.   Molis i.  non 

corporalis  molis.  Opificem. — .1.  gnimtx'nmcub  [a  work  doer],  .i.  opus  et  faciens.  36.  Concentvque. — 
.1.  on  chocecul  epepgnci  [with  magnificent  singing  together].  Grates. —  i.  pro  gratias,  causa  rithmi. 
37.  Amore. — .i.  pra?.  Arhitrio. — Arbitrium  est  proprium  conatus  animi.  Natura. — .1.  ni  in  aicniub  po 
chlannao  molab  be  [not  in  their  nature  was  implanted  the  praise  of  God],  sed  in  voluntate  et  potestate 
sua,  sicut  intendit  ante  ubi  dicit  amore  et  arbitrio,  ut  dicunt,  ap  conicpaicip  facere  malum  ma  ni  bech 
5pab  be  occa  [as  they  say  that  they  would  have  been  able  to  do  evil  if  they  had  not  had  the  love  of  God]. 


29.  Ae  sidera. — Ac  sydera,  C.,B.  Et 
necessaria. — Et  om.,  B.     Ac  necessaria,  C. 

30.  Peccora. — Pecora,  C.  Et  animalia. 
— Et  om.,  C. 

3 1 .  Prcesagmine. — On  this  word  is  the 
following  note  in  the  margin  :  "  Praesag- 
mine  .1.  o  pemchapchecul  .1.  chpipci  no 
o  plo^aipchinneclic  .1.  o  aipchin  agmi- 
nis  hommum.  Proesagmen  enim  a  prse- 
sule  et  agmen  componitur.  Agmen  Dei 
plosaipchirmechc.  co  po  bai  Oo  Qoam 
uc  ....  dicit  ....  creavit.  Adam 
uero  ....  non  fuit."  Here  somc  words 
are  illegible ;  but  what  remains  may  be 
thus  rendered  :  "  Prsesagmine,  i.  e.  pro- 
phecy,"  [from  prasagire,  or  preesagaré], 
"i.  e.  of  Christ,  or  host  =  leadcrship,  i.  e. 
the  beginning  of  the  host  of  manhind" 
[Adam  being,  as  it  were,  the  leader  or 
chieftain  of  the  human  race].  "  Praosag- 
menis  compounded  of  prcesul  and  agmen." 
The  rcmaining  words  rclating  to  Adam 


are  unintelligible,  but  may,  perhaps, 
receive  some  light  from  the  Gloss  in 
the  Leabhar  Brcac,  where  we  read  that 
God  gave  all  things  to  Adam  :  "  Adam 
vero  nominibus  ea  nominavit."  This, 
thcrcfore,  is  the  prcesagmen,  by  which 
man  bore  rule  over  the  inferior  animals, 
whether  we  tahe  that  word  to  signify 
prophecg  (exercised  in  Adam's  naming 
all  beasts),  or  to  denote  superiority, 
power,  or  pre-eminence,  according  to 
the  second  ctymology  given  of  it.  See 
Addit.  Note  B. 

32.  Factis. — The  Scholium  preíixed  to 
this  stanza  is  thus  translatcd: — "  This  is 
the  Title,  I)e  laude  Dei  ab  angelis  in 
quarta  feria,  dicentes[_dicentibus,C\  Sanc- 
tus,  Sanctus,  Sanctus,  Dominus  Deus  Sab- 
aoth.  This  is  the  Argument,  Quando  feci 
celiim  et  terram,  collaudaverunt  mc  angeli, 
ut  in  sapientia  Salomonis  dicitur."  We 
have  here  thc  ancient  opinion  that  the 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


21 1 


5 


Oe  peccaco  abae  -|  be  pecunba  puina  biabuli  ín  pebuecione  abae  m 
cicul.  lpi  ínb  apgumainc,  lllalebiccup  epip  peppenp  ceppam  comebepip 
ommbup  biebup  uicae,  uc  ín  genepi  bicicup. 

rcassacis  prumis  Ouobus  sebuccisque  parceNcibus 
secuNOo  rcuic  gabuLus  cum  suis  sacilicibus 
quonum  hormorce  uulcuum  soNoque  uolicaNCium  4o 

coNsceríNarjeucurí  homiNes  mecu  cercrnci  priagiles 
non  ualeuces  carjNalibus  haec  íNcueru  uisibus 
qui  nunc  li^aNCurc  pascibus  ercsascolorcum  Ne;cibus. 


Gloss. — 38.    Grassatis. — .i.    a   diabulo.      Seductisqne. — .i.    ab    hora  conditionis.      Parentihus .i. 

Adam  et  Eva.     39.  Secundo. — .i.  primo  de  celo  ad  terram  ;  secundo  ad  infernum.      Zabuhis. — .i.  diabulus. 
Cum  suis. — .i.  cum  malis  suis  factoribus.      Satilitibus. — Satilis  a  satis  uilis.     40.    Quorum. — .i.  demonio- 

rum.     Volitantium Vel  demonum,  vel  ferarum.    41.    Consternarentur.  —  .1.  no  pailgipicip  [thev  would 

have  hidden  themselves].     Fragiles. — .i.  fragilis  dicitur  eo  quod  facile  frangi  potest.     42.  Hac  intueri. — 
.i.  agmina  diabulica  uolitantia.     43.    Qui. — .i.  satiles.     Ergastolorum. — .1.  na  piagcapcap   no  mno 

nsuncopcap  [i.  e.  the  penal  dungeons,  or  the  wounding  dungeons] ergastulum  enim  opus  ex 

....  longurn  in  teinpus. 


stars,  created  on  the  fourth  day  (Gen.  i. 
14-19),  were  the  angels.  This  opinion 
is  founded  on  Job,  xxxviii.  7,  which  is 
probabry  the  passage  intended  by  our 
Scholiast,  for  nothing  of  the  sort  occnrs  in 
the  AVisdom  of  Solomon.  St.  Gregorj 
the  Great,  in  his  commentarj  on  the  pas- 
sage,  says  :  "  Quia  enim  prima  in  tempore 
condita  natura  rationabilium  spiritunm 
creditur  non  immerito  matutina  astra  an- 
geli  vocantur." — Moral.,  lib.  xx^áii.  c.  14. 
The  Ante-HieronjTnian  version  of  Job, 
xxxviii.  7,  as  givcn  by  Sabatier,  from  the 
MS.  Majoris  Monast.,  is  as  follows  : — 
"  Quando  facta  sunt  simul  sidera,  lauda- 
verunt  me  voce  magna  omnes  angeli  mei" 
(which  is  a  litcral  translation  of  the  Sep- 
tuagint).  It  -will  be  observed  that  this 
older  version,  and  notthe  presentVulgate, 
has  been  quoted  by  our  Scholiast. 

35.  Laudahile. — Laudabili,  C.  Immo- 
bile. — Immobili,  C. 

38.   Grassatis. —  Grassareis  to  torment, 

2 


to  assault.  See  p.  156,  line  38,  where 
we  have,  "impiis  verbis  grassatur."  "He 
[Christ]  is  assailed  with  impious  words." 

39.  Scamdo. — The  Gloss  explains  that 
the  first  fall  of  the  Devil  was  from  heaven 
to  earth  (see  lines  20,  sq.) ;  the  second 
(after  the  fall  of  Adam)  from  earth  to  hell. 
The  common  opinion  of  dhines  is  that 
the  first  fall  of  Satan  took  place  before  the 
creation  of  man,  and  immediately  after 
his  own  creation :  an  inference  which  some 
deduce  from  the  text,  "  Ab  initio  mendax 
fuit."  Jo.  viii.  44.  See  Isidor.  Hispal. 
Sentcntiar.  1.  x.  7.  Zabulus,  for  diabulus, 
as  the  Gloss  explains ;  fi'om  which  we  may 
infer  that  when  this  MS.  was  transcribed, 
the  orthography  s  for  di  was  becoming 
obscure.     Satilitilus Satellitibus,  C. 

41 .  Consternarentnr. — Consternerentur, 
C,  an  error  probably  of  the  press.  The 
Gloss  intimates  that  the  consternation  is 
increased  by  the  demons  being  usually 
invisible. 
E  2 


212 


Hymnus  S.  Columbos  "  Altus  Prosator." 


h 


Oe  eieccione  biabuli  e,r  umcace  angelopum  m  cicul.  Ipi  imoppo  íno 
apsumamc  quob  bicicup  m  genepi  lTlalebicce  peppenp.  Cc  m  euangelio 
bicicup  Uabe  pecpo  pucunap  -]  non  cempcabip  bommum  beum  cuum  -|  illi 
poli  pepuiep. 


ic  subLacus  e  meoio  oeieccus  esc  a  oonriiNO 
cuius  acms  spacium  coNscipacim  saciLicum 
^Lobo  íuuisibilium  cimbioo  percoueLLium 
Ne  maLis  e;cempLarcibus  ímbuci  ac  sceLerubus 
nuLLis  uNCfuam  ceseNcibus  sepcis  ac  paruecibus 
poNNicaNeNCim  homiNes  paLam  omNium  ocuLis 


45 


Gi.oss. — 44.  Hic. — .i.  diabulus.     Sublatus. — .i.  a  praesentia  dei,   vel  ex  unitate  fratrum.     Dejectus. 

.1.  pocapcpab  [.i.  is  cast  down].     45.   Constipatur. — .1.    Imcup    [is  filled,  crowded].      Satilitum 1. 

nunumup  [.i.  the  mercenarv  attendants].  46.  PerdueUvim. — .1.  mnun  becuchucV)  [of  the  two  battling 
ones],  .i.  inter  se  inuicem  semper,  no  cacli  [or  battle]  contra  deum  et  homines,  .i.  quasi  duobus  bellis 
bellatorum  quia  duellis  bellum  ....  hostes  duellium,  .1.  ttumcib  [enmitv]  perduellis  inimicus.  47. 
Malis — i.  demonum.  Exemplaribus — .1.  ona  engpaipib  [by  their  examples].  Imbuti. — .i.  homines. 
48.  Septis. — .i.  sepes  lignorum  dicitur,  paries  autem  lapidum.  49.  Fornicartntur . —  i.  perdirentur,  vel 
peccarent,  pro  omni  peccato  fornicatio  pouitur. 


43.  Ligantur. — Ligatiir,  C.  This  read- 
ing  agrees  better  with  the  Gloss  over  qui, 
which  seems  to  take  qui  as  singular  ;  but 
li(jantur  is  evidently  the  true  reading,  and 
is   the   reading   also   of  B.     Fascibus. — 

Faucibus,  C.      Ergastolorum 'Ep'-jaaiij- 

pwv,  a  prison  where  the  convicts  are 
compelled  to  labour.  "  Carcer,  vel  locus 
ubi  damnati  marcnora  secant." — Isidori 
Gloss.  Or  the  í'etters  with  Avhich  prison- 
ers  are  secured. — Du  Cange,  in  voc. 

44.  JIic. — There  is  a  mark  like  this,  : — ; 
over  this  word,  and  a  similar  mark  under 
the  word  "  zabulus"  in  ver.  39,  which 
seem  intended  to  show  that  hic  refers  to 
zabulus.  Henee  the  Gloss  ".i.  diabulus" 
is  written  under  JIic,  not  over  it,  to  avoid 
interfering  with  the  grammatical  mark. 
Deiectus. — Diectus,  B. 

45.  Cujus Alluding,  probably,  to  the 

Apostle's  saving,  Eph.  ii.  2,  "  Princeps 
potestatis  aerishujus;"  the  meaning  m  iil 


then  be,  "  the  space  of  his  air  [i.e.  the 
Devil's  air]  is  filled  by  a  crowd  of  satel- 
lites."  Or  perhaps  the  construction  is 
"  cujus  satellitum;" — "by  the  crowd  of 
whose  [i.  e.  the  devil's]  satellites  the  air 
is  filled  or  choked  up."  Satilitttm. — 
Satellitum,  C. 

46.  Pcrducllium. — The  construction 
seems  to  be  "  Globo  turbido  satellitum 
in\*isibilium  perduellium."  The  Gloss 
derives  duellum  from  duo  and  bellum  ; 
but  Isidore  of  8c\ille,  on  the  contrary, 
derives  bellum  from  duellum  :  "  postea" 
(he  says)  "detracta  et  mutata  litera" 
[i.  e.  detracta  litera  d,  et  mutata  u  in  i] 
"dictum  est  bellum." — Mgmolog.,  lib. 
xviii.  c.  1,  n.  9. 

47.  Ne  malis. — This  seems  to  be  given 
as  the  reason  why  tlie  devdls  are  invisible, 
ltst,  il'  tlieir  wickedness  were  visible,  men 
should  imitate  them,  in  open  shameless- 
ness.     Imbuti. — C.  omits  this  word,  pro- 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator, 


21 


1N 


De  eo  quob  uehunc  nubep  aguap  ab  eelum.  lp  pe  m  cicul.  lSpi  mb- 
apgamamc,  uc  bauib  bicic,  ébucenp  nubep  ab  e,rcpemo  ceppae.  -|  alibi 
bicic.  qui  ppobucic  uencop  be  cepaupip  puip. 

ueliuNc  Nubes  poNcias  e;c  poNcibus  brcumalias  50 

cnibus  pRopuNOiombus  occioni  ooorcaNCibus 
marcis  ceti  climacibus  cerculeis  cuubiNibus 
príopucimas  se^icibus  uinns  ec  sercmiNibus 
a^icacae  plamiNibus  cesaurcis  emercseNcibus 
cfuicpie  paluDes  maruNas  euacuaNC  Recipuocas.      55 


Gloss. — 50.  Inveltunt .1.  conocbac  no  ímupchupic  [thev  raise  or  carrv].     Pontias i.  tnna 

lipu  [tlieseas].     Brumalias. — .i.  brama,  a  brevi  motu  solis  in  eo,  íp  aipe    ....    mam  pech 

apimmub  upce  bruma  edax,  vel  edacitas  iuterpretatur.  52.  Climatibus. — .1.  o  apbaib  [from 
hitrh  places].  Turbinibus.—A.  o  na  connaib  bubglappaib  no  o  na  hachchmb  bubslap- 
paib    [from  the   dark-green   waves,    or  from   the   dark-green  fields].     53.    Profuturas. — .1.  mna    hi 

capmm^pic  [those  over  which  tbey  will  pass].     Segitilus. — .i.  bonis  hominibus.      Viniis .i.  justis. 

Germinibtu i.    vilibus    hominibus.     54.     Flaminibus. — .i.    ventis.     Emergentibus. — .i.     exaltautibus. 

55.  Quique. — .i.  venti.  Paludes. — .i.  profundiores  fontes  vel  tesauri,  .i.  ad  falles  ['?  folles]  uentorum  qui 
sunt  in  tesauris.     Reciprocas. — .1.  nahab  ....  [tbe  causes  ?]. 


bably  by  an  error  of  the  press,  for  the 
omission  would  be  a  violation  both  of  the 
metrc  and  sense. 

50.  Pontias — The  Gloss  explains  this 
word  as  if  it  signified  seas,  from  pontus ; 
but  it  is  not  found  in  any  of  the  printcd 
Glossaiics  of  mediaoval  Latinity.  Bruma- 
lias. — Brumalibus,  C.  Undcr  this  word, 
and  also  undcr^owí/f/s,  are  two  dots,  show- 
ing  the  opinion  of  the  Scholiast  that  they 
are  to  be  construed  together.  The  Gloss  on 
this  word  is  in  some  places  illegible ;  it 
gives  the  usual  etjmiologies  ofBruma,  viz. 
quasi  brevissima  dies ;  or  from  the  Greek 
fipujfia,  "edaeitas,"  because  in  winterani- 
mals  eat  most.—  Isid.  Hispal.,  Et;/mol.  v. 
xxxv.  6.  The  Irish  words  in  the  Gloss,  so 
far  as  they  ai-e  legible,  seem  to  indicate 
another  dcrivation,  probably  that  ofHiems, 
ap  ímmut)  upce,  "from  abuudance  of 
water."     Isid.  Hispal.,  in   his  Glossary, 


gives  the  word  Brumalia,  which  he  ex- 
plains  "resinosa  pluvia,"  i.  e.  fetid  rain. 
See  also  Du  Cange,  in  v.  Bromosus.  The 
adjective  Brumalius  is  of  unusual  occur- 
rence,  and  was  unhnoMTi  to  Du  Cange. 

51.  Oeeiani. — Oceani,  C.  Dodrantibus. 
— In  this  line  there  are  dots  under  tribus, 
profundioribus,  and  dodrantibus,  showing 
that  they  are  grammatically  connected. 
Dodrans  is  explained  by  Du  Cange,  from 
Tapias,  "  tres  qua;libet  partes,  quarta  re- 
mota,"  which  is  the  sense  in  which  the 
word  is  used  in  classical  Latin  ;  but  it  is 
not  easy  to  see  how  it  can  have  that  sig- 
nification  here  :  "  the  three  deeper  three- 
foiu-ths  of  the  ocean"  is  a  strange  expres- 
sion.  In  the  margin  there  is  a  note  which 
is  almost  wholly  illcgible,  and  has  been 
partly  cut  off  by  the  plough  of  the  modeni 
bindcr ;  it  appears  to  be  intendcd  chieflv 
to  explain  dodrans. 


214 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


f 


Oe  incolepabile  pena  peccacopum   ín  inpepno  ín  cicul.    lpi  mbapga- 
mainc  quot)  íob  bicic  Ccce  si^ancep  gémunc  pub  aquip. 

aOuca  ac  cmaNNica  muNOicrue  momeNcaNia 
rcesum  prceseNCi  ^Loma  nucu  oei  Oepossica 
ecce  sigaNces  semerce  sub  acfins  masuo  uLcerce 
compTíobaNCUT?  tnccnOio  aovmi  ac  supLicio 
cocicicfue  camjboibus  scrmNsuLaci  cuT?5eNcibus         60 
sciLLis  obcecci  pLuccibus  eLiOUNCurc  ec  scriopibus. 


Gloss. — 56.   Momentania i.  in  momentum  temporis.     58.    Gigantes. — .i.  potentes  in  inferno.      Sub 

aquis. — .i.  sub  unda  penarum,  .i.  poena  intolerabili.     59.    Comprobantur  — .i.  in  scriptura.     Aduri. — .1. 

coloipcicep  [to  be  burned].    60.  Cocitique. — .1.  lechl  ippipn  [instead  of  hell].    Carubdibus i.  O  na 

paebchopaib  [bna  ?]  po  mapbab,  ap  mec  a  anpcnb  mcpaebchope  íncamlaigcep  00  paeb- 
chopib  cocici  ~\  íp  chcipcaib  bo  pop  íppepnb  [.i.  it  is  by  the  whirlpools  they  are  killed  :  because  of 
the  greatness  of  the  storm  of  the  whirlpool,  that  are  compared  to  the  whirlpools  of  Cocitus ;  and  it  leads 

to  hell].     Strangulati .i.  retenti.     61.  Fluctibus. — .1.  6  na  connaib  pcillecbcub,  .1.  o  chonnaib 

ín  cpaebchope  tnamb  amm  pcilla,  et  in  Sicilia  est,  -[  apmeic  bna  a  anpaib  beop  [i.  from  the 
waves  of  Scilla,  .i.  from  the  wraves  of  the  whirlpool  whose  name  is  Scilla,  and  is  in  Sicily,  aud  in  conse- 
quence  of  the  greatness  of  its  swelling  likewise]. 


54.  Flaminibus. — Over  this  word,  and 
also  over  emergentibus,  are  two  vertically 
placed  dots  (:),  showing  that  these  words 
were  to  be  construed  together.  The  ex- 
istence  of  dots  and  marks,  to  show  the 
granrmatical  connexion  of  the  words,  is  a 
remarhable  proof  that  in  the  age  when  the 
Book  of  Hijmns  was  transcribed,  the  Latin 
text  of  such  hjinns  as  that  now  before  us 
was  beginning  to  be  obscure. 

56.  Tirannica. — Tyrannica,C.  líomen- 
tania. — Momentanea,  C. 

57.  Depossita. — Deposita,  C 

58.  Gigantes. — Job,  xxvi.  5. 

59.  Aduri. — Adusti,  C.  Suplicio. — 
Supplicio,  C. 

60.  Cocitique. — Quotidieque,  C.  This 
is  a  manifest  mistake  of  transcription. 
Carubdibus. — Chaiydibus,  C,  an  error  of 
the  press  for  Chartjbdibus.  Turgentibus. 
— Gurgitibus,  C  In  thc  margin  of  the  MS. 
there  is  thc  following  note : — "  Cocitus  .1. 


nomen  quarti  fluminis  in  inferno.  [Quatu- 
or]  flumina  infernus  tenet,  id  est,  Cocitus, 
absque  gaudio  interpretatur.  Strix"  [leg. 
Styx]  "  [tris]titia  interpretatur.  Flegiton 
[Flegethon]  flammeus  interpretatur ;  et 
Acliiron.  Vel  .iiii.  nomina  unius  fluminis. 
Carubdibus  turgentibus. — .1.  o  na  capcib 
cpuachbaib,  no  gapbaib  no  bpucb- 
achaib  no  o  na  paebchopib  bopp 
paOaisic"  [.i.  from  the  mountainous,  or 
rough  or  boiling  rocks,  or  from  the  swel- 
ling  whirlpools].  "  Strangulati — .i.  re- 
tenti,  .1.  ceccai  Oe  pcillip"  [held  by  the 
rocks].  "1  pe  pcel  popaichmencap  hic 
[this  is  the  story  that  is  commemorated 
here].  Scilla  filia  Porci "  [Phorcys]  "ada- 
mata  est  a  Glauco  Deo  maris,  quod  displi- 
cuit  Circe  filie  solis.  Sciens  autem  Circe 
fontem  ad  quem  Scilla  quotidie  veniebat 
venificia  fecit.  Postquam  vcnit  Scilla  ad 
illum  ut  lauarct  manus  fontem,  conuersa 
cst  statim  in  beluam  mtu'inam  et  noluit 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


215 


l 


ln  cicul.  De  mobepacione  pluuiae  uemencip  e;r  lióacip  aquip  nubibup 
ne  papicep  pluanc.  lpi  ímoppo  ínt»  apgamamc.  quoo  lob  tncic.  qui  pup- 
penOic  aquap  m  nubibup,  ne  papicep  pluanc  beoppum. 

í^acas  acpjas  Nubibus  prcecpjeNceT?  crcebrcac  dottiinus 
uc  Ne  emimpaNC  prconNus  simuL  rcupcis  obncibus 
cfuarcum  ubenioNibus  ueuis  ueLuc  ubembus 
peoecemcTm  uacaNcibus  ceLLi  perccrcaccus  tscius         65 
SeLLiDis  ac  percueNcibus  Oiuercsis  in  cemporcibus 
uscruam  inpLuunc  pLumiNa  NUNCfuam  oepicieucia. 


Gloss. — 62.    Crebrat. — .1.   pichlaib    [drops,   filters].     63.     Simiil  rvptis 1.    Onacabpipci    na 

ppicecoippe,  no  anaca  pailpigclie  nci  ppicecoiiipe  [the  barriers  are  broken,  or  the  barriers  are 
made  manifest]  .i.  ruptis  lij;ationibus  quibus  quodammodo  nubibus  aqua.     64.     Quarum — .i.  imbrium. 

Uberioribus. — .i.  pro    uberibus  hic  cauga  ritbini.     65.  Pedetemtim i.  paulatim,   .i 

Natantibus i.  aquis.      Telli. — Tellus  telli,  secunda;  declinationis,  ut  Augustinus  dicit  et  masculiui  gene- 

ris,  et  potest  dici  tellus  et  feminini  generis,  hic  et  haec  tellus  telluris.     l'ertractits—.l.   cpi  picllipi.     66. 

Gellidis. — .i.  hiems  et  ver.     Ferventibus. — .i.  Eestas  et  autumnus.     67.    Usquam i.  ubique.      Influunt. 

—.1.  coippmmc  [they  well,  i.  e.  burst  up  as  from  a  well].     Deficientia. — eoque  es  ea  tolluntur. 


ad  homines  uenire  propter  formam  suam, 
proiecit  se  in  mare.  Uidcns  mater  Carub- 
dis  filiam  suam  Scillam  in  mare  nanteni, 
exiit  in  mare  ut  teneret  eam,  sed  non  po- 
tuit,  et  frequentcr  [ven]tis  affligebant, 
ut  ferunt  fabulaí,  uidens  Xeptunus  quod  in 
mare  ....  mittit  tridentem  in  mare  et 
statuit  eas  in  scopolos  et  fbrit  Scillam  in 
Sicilia  et  Carubdim  in  Italia  cominus  et 
uix  nautac  nauigare  possunt  inter  eas  sine 
periculo." 

62.  Crehrat. — Crebrare,  or  C'ribrare,  is 
to  sift ;  to  drop  through  a  chink  or  fissure. 
Hence  it  is  explained  in  the  Gloss,  pich- 
lait),  he  drops,  filters.  The  word  is  also 
written  cribare,  and  crevare.  French, 
crever.     See  Du  Cange,  v.  Crevare. 

63.  Obiicibus. — Obicibus,  C. 

65.  Pedetemtim. — Pedetentim,  C.  Telli. 
— Terrae,  C.  The  Gloss  proves  that  telli 
was  the  ancient  reading ;  for  it  quotes 
Augustine  to  show  that  tellus,  telli,  of  the 


second  dcclcnsion,  was  masculine;  tellus, 
telluris,  of  the  third  declension,  feminine. 
The  Editor  has  not  found  anything  of  this 
kind  in  the  works  of  St.  Augustine,  nor 
in  the  spm-ious  work  JDe  Grammatica,  at- 
tributed  to  him,  and  printed  in  the  Appen- 
dix  to  the  Benedictine  edition  of'his  writ- 
ings.  It  is  true  that  Augustine  has  a  re- 
niark  on  thc  male  and  female  power  of 
the  earth,  Be  Civit.  Dei,  vii.  23,  which 
may  perhaps  be  what  our  Scholiast  al- 
ludes  to;  but  he  says  nothing  about  a 
masculine  tellus,  having  its  genitive  telli. 
Speaking  of  Van-o,  who  made  Tellus  a  god- 
dess,  and  Telumon  a  god.  Hc  savs  (loc.  iif.  : 
"  Adhuc  respondeatur,  quam  partem  ter- 
ra?  permeet  pars  mundani  animi,  ut  deum 
faciat  Tellumonem.  iSTon,  inquit,  sed 
una  eademque  terra  habet  geminam  \i'm, 
et  masculinam,  quod  semina  producat ;  et 
femininam,  quod  recipiat  atque  enutriat : 
inde  a  vi  feminina  dictani  esse  Tettwrem, 


2l6 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "  Altus  Prosator." 


m 


Oe  punbamenco  ceppe  "|  be  abipo  ípe  m  cicul.  tpi  aucem  mb  cipsamamc 
cpiob  íob  bicic  cpn  puppenbic  ceppcim  [pupep  mliHum].  ec  alibi  bicic 
lllolip  Tiiunrji  uipcuce  Oei  concmocup.  -|  m  ppulmo  cpui  punbapci  ceppam 
pupep  pcabilicacem  puum. 

05111  Dei  umcucibus  appeNOicuTí  Oialibus 
SLobus  ceimae  ec  cmculus  abq-ssi  masNae  inoicus 
suppulca  Oei  íDuma  omNipoceNcis  ualioa  7o 

coluniNis  ueluc  ueccibus  eiiNOem  susceNCONCibus 
pTíomoNCOTíiis  ec  rcupibus  soli[Di]S  puNOamiNibus 
ueluc  quibusoam  bassibus  pmmacis  immobilibus. 


Gloss. — 68.  Appenditur. — Cpcaicip  [kept  up,  sustained].     Diaiibus. — .i.  divinis.     Dius  secundum 

veteres  no  cotnbab  choip  ann [or  that  wbich  ought  to  be  in  it ]     69.   Circulut. 

— .1.  mb  abtp  mop  tn  po  tn  clannab  bligeb  ctpcuil  [the  great  abyss,  in  whieh  was  implanted  the 

]aw  of  a  circle].     Iduma i.  manu,  iduma  ebraice,  cirus  grece,  manus,  latine.      l'alida. — .i.  forte.     72. 

J'romontoriis.  —  .1.  o paib. 


a  masculina  Telumonem."  Pertractus. — 
Per  tractus,  C.  Istius. — There  is  a  gloss 
under  this  word  whieh  is  now  iile- 
gible ;  it  may  possibly  belong  to  tem- 
poribus,  the  last  word  of  the  next 
line. 

70.  Iduma. — The  Gloss  tells  us  that 
this  is  a  Hebrew  word,  signifying  the 
hand,  and  identical  with  the  Greek  ciros, 
i.  e.  xeiP>  ana  the  Latin  manus.  It  is 
evidently  from  T,  a  liand,  and  seems  like 
a  corruption  of  the  dual  D^T,  as  ciros 
seems  taken  from  the  genitive  xeV°si  or 
perhaps  also  from  the  plural  x^lP"-  The 
remarkable  word  Iduma  is  not  found  in 
Du  Cange,  or  in  any  of  the  Glossaries  of 
mcdiseval  Latin  to  which  the  Editor  has 
access ;  and  this  passage  seems  to  be  the 
only  instance  of  its  use  as  a  Latin  word, 
in  the  sense  of  poiver,  might,  authoritg. 
It  would  have  been  wholly  unintelligiblc 
but  for  the  gloss. 

71.  Eundem. — Over  this  word  there  is 


the  following  curious  grammatical  note  : 
"  .<_,.  vel  :"  theíirst  of  these  marks  (._,). 
occurs  under  the  word  "globus,"  and  the 
second  (:)  under  the  word  "  circulus,"  in 
line  69 :  the  meaning  therefore  is,  that 
eundem  signifies  either  "  eundem  globum" 
or  "  eundem  circulum."  In  like  manner 
the  mark  (  •■)  occurs  under  iduma,  and 
also  under  valida,  in  line  70 ;  showing 
that  valida  is  to  be  construed  as  agreeing 
with  iduma. 

7  2 .  Promontoriis. — The  Gloss  upon  this 
word  is  not  legible,  with  the  exceptiorj 
of  the  letters  which  have  been  above 
given ;  the  meaning  is,  therefore,  obscure. 
Perhaps  tlie  hiatus  may  be  supplicd  by 
reading,  o  [na  pop]paib,  the  Irish  trans- 
lation  of  promontoriis.  Solidis. — Thc  text 
in  the  MS.  has  solis ;  but  a  coeval  hand 
has  writtcn  sotidis  in  the  margin,  which 
is  necessary  both  for  the  sense  and  the 
metre.  The  letters  Ol  have  thercfore 
becn  added,  witliin  brackcts,  in  the  tcxt. 


N 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "Altus  Prosator."  217 

Oe  mpepno  in  ump  popico  m  copbe  ceppae  i  penip  eiup  -|  loco.  ipe  m 
ricul.  Tpi  mbapsamainc,  epuipci  animam  meam  e;c  ínpepno  [mpepiopi. 
uc  m  euange]lio  bicicup  Sepulcup  epc  biuep  m  inpepno.  ~\  alibi  lce  male- 
bicci  m  aecepnum  isnem.  -|  alibi  Uepmip  eopum  non  mopicup  -|  í^nip  eiup 
non  e^cin5[mcup]. 

uLLi  uiOecur?  Oubium  in  inns  esse  íNpercNum 
ubi  habeNCurc  ceNebrcae  uercmes  ac  Oirme  besciae  75 

ubi  15NIS  soLphomus  arcOeNS  plammis  eOacibus 
ubi  IÍU51CUS  homiNiim  pLecus  ac  scmooR  OeNcium 
ubi  seheNNae  semicus  cermibiLis  ec  aNciquus 
ubi  arcooií  pLammacicus  sicis  pamiscfue  hoiíTíiOus 


<T 


Oe  laube  bei  ab  angelip  m  cicul.  lpi  ímoppo  mb  apgamainc,  acbepap 
111  Qpocdlippi, — ln  cipcuicu  cpom  uibi  pebep  .pcptim.  pemopep  pebencep  ín 
uepce  alba  -|  capicibup  eopum  copona  aupca  uibi. 

mNomim  caNCioNibus  seOuLo  ciNNieNcibus 
crcopoOis  sonccis  miLibus  ON5cLor<um  uerjNONCibus       130 
quacuonque  pLeNissnnis  aNimaLibus  ocuLis 
CLiin  U151NC1  peLicibus  quacuorc  seNiombus 
conoNas  aOmicceNCibus  a^Ni  oei  sub  peOibus 
Lauoacuu  crcibus  uicibus  crinicos  ecercNaLibus. 

(Jloss. — 74.  In  imis. — .i.  in  profundis  terroe.  Infernum — Infemus  dicitur  quia  infra  sit.  Sicut  in 
medio  animalis  cor,  ita  infernus  in  medio  terrse  est.  75.  Tenehrae — .i.  tenebrse  dictae  sunt  quia  tenent 
umbras.  129.  Tinnicntibus. — .1.  ambinmgec  na  cancana  [.i.  they  harmonize  tlie  songs].  130. 
Vemantibus. — .1.  immemeni0'ecip  uile  [which  they  all  used  to  practise  (?)  often].  131.  Animalibus. — 
.i.  evangelistis,  132.  Viginti. — .i.  cum  .xii.  patriarchia  et  xii.  profetis,  vel  cum  .xii.  profetis  et  ,xii. 
apostolis,  vel  íi^ura  .iiii.  evangelistarum  cuin  .xxiiii.  libris  veteris  legis. 

74.  Duhium. — In  the  inargin  there   is  76.  Holpliorius. — Sulphumis,  C. 

this  noU- :   "  Dubium  quasi  duvium,    in-  79.  Famisque. — In  the  Irish  orthogra- 

certus   duarum   viarum."     And  so   Isid.  phy    of  i  f'or  e,  famisque  stands  for  fa- 

Hisp.,  "  Dubiw,   incertus,   quasi  daarum  mesque,    "  and   hungcr."      C.   reads  sitis 

riarum." — Etjjmol.,  s.   77.     Infermm. —  fumusque,    a    manifest    mistake.     A  leaf 

The  Gloss  is   from   Isid.  Hisp.  J'hjmol.,  0f  the  Dublin  copy  of  the  Liber  Htjm- 

1.  xiv.  c.  9:  "Inferus  appellatur  eo  quod  norum   is   lost   after  this   linc.     It  con- 

infra  sit,"  and,  "Quomodo  autemcor  ani-  tained   the    stanzas  0   to  X,    inclusive, 

malis  in  medio  est,  ita  et  infcrnus  in  me-  which    will   be    found  (takcn  from  Col- 

dio  terrae  esse  perhibetur."     These  words  gan's  copy  of  this  Hvmn)    in  the   Ad- 

occur  also  in  St.  Jerome'e  Comm.  on  Jon.,  dirional   Note  D.      It    is   greatly  to    be 

i.  4.  regretted    that    the    MS.   of   the    Liber 

2  F 


2l8 


Hijmnus  S.  Columbce  uAltus  Prosator." 


% 


Oe  upcione  ímpiopum  nolencep  chpipcum  cpebepe.    •]  be  ^aubio  íupco- 
pum  m  cicul.     lp  pi  mioppo  mb  apgamamc  cpjob  bicicup  m  apocalippi 

lip  ígmp  conpuTnec   abueppapiop.    -|  alibi  bicic  apopcolup  lllan- 

pionep  mulcae  punc  opuo  pacpem,  -]  chpipcup  bicic,  ln  bonm  pucjnp  mei 
mulcae  manpionep  punc. 

elus  15NIS  pumbuNOus  coNsumec  aouercsarcios  135 

NoleNces  chiuscum  cReOerce  oeo  a  pacrce  ueNisse 
nos  ueno  euoLabimus  obuiam  ei  procinus 
ec  sic  cum  ípso  eiumus  in  oiuercsis  orOinious 
OiSNicacum  piío  memcis  pRemiormm  percpecuis 
peRmaNSURi  in  sloma  a  seculis  in  slorua.  140 

Gloss.  — 135.   Consumet. — .i.   vindicta  a   deo  patre.      Adversarios. — .i.   veriti  dei.       137.  ATos. — .i. 

genus  humanum.     Erolabimus i.  in  die  iudicii.    Obviam. — .i.  ma Protinus. — .i.  in  ictu  oculi. 

138.    Cum  ipso. — .i.  erunt  sancti  cum  Christo  post  mortem.     In  diversis. — .i.  ut  dicitur  redd[ere  uni- 

cuique]  secundum  opus  suum.      140.    Gloria. — .i.  in  regno.     A  seculis.  .i.  presentibus.     In  gloria .i. 

intíuita 


Iígmnorum  uow  preserved  at  the  College 
of  St.  Isidore  at  Roine  is  wholly  inac- 
cessible  to  the  Editor,  as  it  would  have 
doubtless  supplied  defects  of  this  kind, 
;uid  probablv  cleared  up  mauy  obscuri- 
ties,  especially  as  Colgan  has  printed  the 
hymn  with  sevcral  inaccuracies,  and  with 
an  entire  disregard  of  the  Irish  peculiari- 
ties  of  spelling. 

1 30.  Tropodis. — Tripodiis,  C.  Vernan- 
tibus. —  Vernare  is  sometimes  used  in  the 
sense  of  canere,  to  sing.  See  Du  Cange, 
Glossar.  in  v.  Perhaps  this  may  be  its 
signifieation  here.  The  Irish  gloss  is  ob- 
scure. 

133.  Admittentibus. — For  mittentibus, 
evidently  for  the  sake  of  the  metre. — 
Apoc,  iv.  10. 

134.  Tribus  vicibus. — Alluding  to  the 
triple  Sanctus. — Apoc,  iv.  8. 

135.  Zetus. — The  Scholium  is  as  fol- 
lows  : — "  De  ustione  [vastatione,  C.~]  itn- 
piorum  nolcntes  [nolcntium,  C.]  Christum 
credere,  et  de  gaadio  justorum,  is  the  Title. 


But  this  is  the  Argument :  quod  dicitur 

in  Apocalipsi, tis  ignis  consu- 

met  adversarios,  et  alibi  dicit  apostolus, 
Mansiones  tnultae  sunt  apud  Patrem,  et 
Christus  dicit,  In  domu  Patris  mei  multoe 
mansiones  sunt."  The  passage  here  quoted 
from  the  Apocalvpse  rcally  occurs  Hebr.  s. 
27,  the  scribe  having  apparently  mistakcn 
Apostoius  for  Apocatgpsis.  A  part  of  the 
first  word  is  illegiblc ;  it  is  probablv  ter- 
ribilis,  from  the  first  clause  of  thc  verse. 
Colgan  gives  it  thus : — "Argum.  ut  in 
Apocal.  Tribus  ignibus  consumet  adversa- 
rios.''  But  no  such  words  occur  in  the 
Apoc.  The  first  line  of  this  stanza  evi- 
dently  contains  an  ancicnt  reachng  :  "  Ze- 
lus  ignis  consumet  advcrsarios,"  which 
seems  more  immediately  taken  from  the 
Greek  (nvpos  £íy\os)  than  "ignis  aemu- 
latio,"  which  is  tlie  rcading  of  the  modern 
Vulgate,  as  well  as  of  the  Ante-Hierony- 
mian  version,  as  printcd  by  Sabatier.  The 
second  passage  quoted,  Mansiones  multcB 
sunt  apud  Patrem,  docs  not  occur  in  any 


Hymnus  S.  Columbce  "A  Itus  Prosator" 


219 


C[uip  pocepc  oeo  placepe  nouippimo  ín  cempope 
Uapiacip  ínpignibup  uepicacip  opoimbup 
G^cepcip  concempcopibup  munoi  ppepencip  ipciup. 


Oeum  pacpem  ín^enicum  celi  ac  ceppae  oominum 
Qb  eooemcfue  pilium  pecula  ance  ppimogenicum 
Deumque  ppipicum  panccum  uepum  unum  alcippimum 
lnuoco  uc  aujcilium  mihi  opopcunippimum 
TTlinimo  ppepcec  omnium  pibi  oepepuiencium 
Cjuem  angelopum  milibup  conpociabic  oominup. 


of  thc  Apostolical  Epistlcs,  and  is  probablv 
only  a  repetition  of  the  verse  quoted  im- 
mcdiatelj  after  from  St.  John,  xiv.  3  :  "  In 
domu  Patris  mei  multa  mansioncs  sunt" 

138.  Cttm  ipso.  —  The  allusion  is  to 
1  Thess.  iv.  17. 

140.  A  seculis  in  gloria. — A  seculis  in 
secula,  C,  which  reading  seems  more  pro- 
bable ;  the  repetition  of  "in  gloria"  being 
a  manifest  blunder  of  transcription. 


Quis  potest. — Thc  two  following  stanzas 
are  in  the  smaller  and  more  angular  eha- 
racter,  which  has  already  becn  several 
times  noticcd.     C.  omits  I)eo.    Thc  Pre- 


face  tells  us  that  this  triplet  is  to  be  sung 
between  each  "Capitulum"  of  theHvmn. 
See  p.  223. 

Norissimo. — Over  this  word  there  is  the 
gloss,  "  .i.  infine  mundi,"  with  some  otlicr 
words  now  illegible. 

Primogenitum. — A  gloss  over  this  wofd 
is  "  vel  progenitum  ;"  but  this,  as  well  as 
the  reading  of  the  text,  is  inconsistent 
with  the  metre.     C.  reads  genitum. 

Angelorum. — There  is  a  gloss  ovcr  this 
word  which  is  almost  illegible.  All  that 
ean  be  read  with  anv  certainty  is  as  fol- 

lows  : — ".i.  is angeli  in 

celo." 


2  F  2 


(       220       ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTES. 


Note  A. 
The  Prefaee  to  the  Hymn. 

THE  following  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  Preface,  which,  as  usual,  is  in  a  mix- 
ture  of  Latin  and  Irish  : — 

The  Placea  of  this  Hymn  was  Híb.  The  Timer  was  that  of  Aedán  son  of  Gabran,  King  of  Alba,  and 
of  Aed  son  of  Ainmire,  King  of  Erinn.  But  Mauritius  or  Foccas  was  then  King  of  the  Romans.  The 
PersonJ  was  Columcille  of  the  noble  race  of  the  Scots.  He  is  called  Columba,  from  the  text  Estote  pru- 
ilentes  sicul  serpentes,  et  simplices  sicut  Columbas.  The  Causee  was  because  he  was  desirous  of  praising 
God.  For  seven  years  he  was  searching  out  this  Hymn  in  the  Black  Cellf  without  light,  i.  e.  beseeching 
forgiveness  for  the  battle  of  Cuil  Dremne  whicli  he  had  gaineds  over  Diarmait  son  of  Cerball1',  and  the 
other  battles  that  were  gained  on  his  account.  Vel  ut  alii  dicunt,  it  was  composed  extemporaneously ;  viz. — 
On  a  certain  day  Columcille  was  in  Hí,  and  no  one  was  with  him  except  Boithin,  and  they  had  no  food 
except  a  sieve  full  of  oats.     Then  said  Columcille  to  Boithin,  "  Illustrious  guests  are  coming  to  us  to-day. 


■  The  Place. — i.  e.  where  it  was  composed. 

i>  Hí. — Now  called  Iona :  a  curious  mistake,  as 
Dr.  Reeves  has  shown,  for  Ioua  (the  adjective 
formed  from  Hí,  or  I,  its  ancient  name),  properlv 
Insula  Ioua :  Reeves'  Adamnan,  Add.  Note  D, 
p.  258. 

0  The  Time. — Our  author  fixes  the  date  by 
the  reigns  of  the  king  of  Scotland,  Aedan,  son 
of  Gabran  (A.  D.  574-606  ;  0'Flaherty,  Ogyg. 
p.  47  3)  ;  the  king  of  Ireland,  Aed,  son  of  Aiumire 
(A.D.  572-599;  'bid.  p.431);  and  the  Roman  em- 
perors,  Maurice  (A.  D.  582-601)  and  Phocas  (A.  D. 
602  sq.).  On  the  chronology  of  these  last  the  Scho- 
liast  speaks  doubtingly  :  "  Mauritius  or  Foccas." 
St.  Columbkille  died  A.D.  597,  before  Phocas 
came  to  the  throne. 


■'  Terson. — i.  e.  the  author  of  the  Hymn.  See 
the  genealogy  of  St.  Columba,  Reeves'  Adamnan, 
p.  342  (Geneal.  Table). 

1  Cause i.  e.  the   occasion   on  which  he  com- 

posed  the  Hymn. 

f  Blach  Cell. — In  Nigra  Cellula,  called  in  Irish 
Duibh-rer/les.  This  was  a  name  of  St.  Columba's 
church  in  Derry  in  Ireland,  Reeves,  ib.  p.  277, 
Ord.  Mem.  of  Templemore,  p.  241,  and  the  Preface 
to  this  Hymn  in  the  Leabhar  Breacc  has  so  inter- 
preted  it.     See  p.  223. 

8  Gained.  —  Lit.  "  broken."  For  an  account 
of  the  battle  of  Cuil-Dreimne,  see  Reeves,  ib. 
p.  247  sq. 

h  Diarmait  son  of  Cerball. — King  of  Ireland, 
A.  D.  544-565.    See  Reeves,  ibid.  pp.  67,  68,  notes. 


Note  A.] 


The  Preface  to  the  Hymn. 


221 


O  Boitbin"  (namelv,  the  people  of  Gregorv',  who  came  with  presents  to  him),  and  he  said  to  Boithin, 
"  Remaiu  thou  here  ministering  to  theguests,  whilst  I  go  to  the  mill."  He  took  uponhim  his  burdenfrom 
off  a  certain  stone  that  was  in  the  Reclesk,  Blathnat'  was  its  name,  and  it  exists  still ;  and  it  is  upon  it  that 
division  is  made  in  the  refectorym.  However  his  burden  was  heavy  to  him,  so  that  he  made  this  Hvnm  in 
alphabetical  order,  froin  that  place  uutil  he  arrived  at  the  mill,  i.  e.  Adjutor  laborantium",  etc,  aud  wheu 
he  cast  the  first  charge"  into  the  mill,  it  was  then  he  began  the  first  chapter ;  and  it  was  at  the  same  time 
that  the  grinding  of  the  sack  and  the  composition  of  the  Hvmn  were  finished.  And  it  was  extempora- 
neously  it  was  made  thus.  In  the  vear  five  hundred  and  sixtv-five  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  Columbcille 
came  to  Hí,  as  BedaP  savs :  "  In  the  vear  of  our  Lord's  Incarnation,  565,  at  which  time  Justinus  minor, 
after  Justinian,  received  the  government  of  the  Roman  Empire,  there  came  to  Britain,  from  Ireland,  a 
presbyter  and  abbot,  illustrious  by  the  habit  and  life  of  a  monk,  bvname  Columbus0,  to  preach  the  word  of 
God  to  the  provinces  of  the  northern  Picts"r.  Now  Brudi,  son  of  Melcho,  was  then  king  of  the  Picts,  and 
he  it  was  that  granted*  Hí  to  Columbus,  where  Columbus  was  buried,  after  he  had  been  there  seveutv-six 
years,  and  thirtv-three  after  he  had  gone  to  Britain  to  preach. 

Now  this  Hymn  was  brought  to  Gregorv  to  the  East,  in  rettirn  for  the  gifts  which  were  brought  from 
him.  viz.,  the  Cross',  i.  e.  the  Mórgemmu  [great  gem]  was  its  name ;  and  the  Hvmns  of  the  Weekv.  But  thev 
interchanged"  the  Hvmns.    Three  chapters  were  put  into  it,  which  Gregory  made1,  viz.,  Hic  sublatus,  and 


1  Gregorij. — Meaning  Gregory  I.,  who  became 
Pope  A.  D.  590.     See  Reeves,  ibid.  pp.  319,  323. 

k  The  Recies. — The  abbeychurch  of  Hí :  Reeves, 
ib.  p.  276. 

1  Blathnat. — The  Preface  to  this  Hvmn  in  thc 
Leabhar  Breacc  (see  p.  223)  calls  this  stone  Moel- 
blatha.     Reeves,  ib.  p.  330. 

m  Refectory — Ppoincig,  Dinner  house  :Domut 
prandii. 

"  Adjntor  laborantium. — This  seems  to  imply 
that  St.  Columba  ou  this  occasion,  whilst  carrjing 
his  burden  to  the  mill,  composed  a  hvmn  beginning 
Adjutor  laborantium  (which  does  not  appear  to  be 
now  extant) ;  and  that  the  hvmn  Altus  prosator 
was  composed  during  the  grinding  of  the  corn.  Or 
are  we  to  nnderstand  that  the  Altus  was  called 
Adjutor  laborantium  ? 

0  Charge. — pocci.  A  living  word  to  this  day  in 
Munster,  to  denote  the  feed  or  handful  given  from 
time  to  time  to  a  hand-mill. 

v  Beda.—Hist.  Eccl.  lib.  iii.  c.  4. 

1  Columbus. — By  this  form  of  the  name  he  is 
frequently  called  in  Scotlaud  to  this  day.  And  it  is 
the  correct  Latinization  of  the  old  Irish  Colomb 
gen.  Coluimb(Lib.  Ardmach.),  amasc.  a-stem. 

r  Picts. — Here  the  extract  from  Bede  ends ;  but 


the  remainder  of  the  passage  quoted  in  the  Preface, 
and  which  is  in  Latiu,  is  abridged  from  Bede, 
although  not  in  his  exact  words. 

Granted. — "  Immolavit."     See  Reeves'  Adam- 
nan,  p.  435. 

1  The  Cross. — See  O'Donnell,  Vit.  S.  Columb. 
lib.  ii.  c.  20  (Colg.,  Tiiad.  Thaum.  p.  412).  It 
would  seem  that  this  was  an  altar  cross,  decorated 
with  geins,  &c.  It  seems  to  have  been  preserved  in 
O'Donnell's  time  (1532)  in  Tory  Island,  but  is  nut 
now  known  to  exist Reeves,  ibid.  p.  319. 

u  Mórgemm. — SeeReeves,  ibid.  pp.  318,  319. 

v  Hgmns  of  the  Weeh. — i.  e.  a  book  containing 
hvmns  for  every  day  of  the  week. — Reeves,  ibid. 
Could  this  have  been  a  copv  of  the  celebrated  Anti- 
p/tonart/  of  St.  Gregory,  still  known  by  his  name  ? 
See  the  Preface  to  this  Hvmn  in  the  Leabhar  Breacc, 
p.  223,  infra. 

w  They  interchanged. — i.  e.  the  messengers  who 
brought  the  Hvmn  to  Pope  Gregory  substituted 
stanzas  of  Gregory's  composition  instead  of  the  ori- 
giual  stanzas  of  the  Hymn.  The  Preface  in  the 
Leabhar  Breacc,  and  that  given  by  Colgan,  repre- 
sent  this  as  having  been  done  to  test  the  miraculous 
powers  of  St.  Gregorv.  The  storv,  as  given  in  the 
text,  is  not  so  intelligible,  and  there  has  probablv 


222 


The  Ili/mn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Prosator."  [Notea. 


Orbem,  and  Vagatur.  Now  when  they  began  reading>'  the  Hymn  to  Gregory,  the  Angels  of  God  came, 
and  they  stood  until  that  chapter  was  come  to ;  Gregory  also  stood  at  that  part  until  that  time.  But  when 
that  was  passed,  the  angels  sat  down ;  then  Gregorv  sat  down,  and  so  the  Hymn  was  finislied  in  that 
mannerz.  Gregory  then  demanded  from  themu  their  confession,  for  he  knew  that  it  was  they  who  had  in- 
terchanged  [the  hymns].  And  they  acfcnowledged  that  it  was  they,  and  they  were  forgiven  for  it.  And 
they  said''  that  there  was  no  fault  in  the  Hymn  except  the  scanty  praise  of  the  Trinity  whieh  it  contained 
per  se ;  although  He  [the  Trinitv]  was  praised  in  His  creatures.  And  this  criticism  reached  Columcille, 
and  that  was  the  cause  of  his  composing  [the  Hymn]  In  Te  Christe. 

It  is  in  alphabetical  order,  after  the  manner  of  the  Hebrewsc.  It  is  out  of  the  Catholic  Faith  the 
foundation  of  this  chapterJ  was  taken,  i.  e.  belief  in  Unity,  with  confession  of  Trinity.  And  it  was  made 
in  rhythm  ;  and  there  are  two  varietiese  of  that,  viz.,  Artificialis  and  eulgaris.  "  Artificialis,"  wbere  there 
are  feet  of  equal  time  and  equal  division,  with  an  equality  in  arsis  and  thesis',  and  so  that  the  subsequent 
comes  into  the  place  of  the  preceding  in  the  resolution.  "  Vulgaris,"  where  there  is  a  correspondence  in 
svllables,  and  in  every  verse  and  half  verse",  and  it  is  that  which  is  here. 

Now  there  are  six  lines  in  each  chapter,  and  sixteen  svllables  in  each  line,  cxcept  that  in  the  tirst 
chapter  there  are  seven  lines,  because  in  it  is  the  Praise  of  God ;  for  that  odd  nuniber  is  suitable  compared 
with  the  other  chapters,  because  of  the  inequality  of  His  creatures1';  but  the  number  six  is  in  the  creatures, 
because  they  were  made  in  six  davs.     There  ought  to  be  a  Title  and  an  Argument  before  every  chapter. 


been  some  error  of  transcription.  See  O'Donncll, 
loc.  cit.  c.  2 1 . 

x  Gregorij  made.  —  The  other  account  (see  Col- 
gan,  Tr.  Thaum.  p.  473,  and  the  Preface  in  the 
Leabhar  Breacc,  p.  224)  states  that  the  messengers 
omitted  three  chapters  of  St.  Columba's  hvmu,  aud 
substituted  three  oftheir  own  composition. 

y  Reading. — Literally  oj  shewing  ;  i.e.  submitting 
the  hymu  to  him  for  his  approval;  caippenca, 
gen.  sing.  of  caippenab. 

'  In  that  manner. — The  meaning  is  explained  by 
other  versions  of  this  Preface.  So  long  as  the 
messengers  read  the  genuine  composition  of  St.  Co- 
lumba,  the  Angels  and  the  Pope  remained  standing, 
the  posture  of  reverence ;  when  the  readers  came  to 
the  spurious  stanzas,  the  Angels  sat  down,  and  the 
Pope  also  sat.  In  Colgan's  version  ofthe  story,  the 
Angels  are  represented  as  being  visible  to  Gregory 
during  the  recitation  of  the  genuine  parts  of  the 
hymn  only,  and  the  Pope  stood  in  reverence  to 
them.  But  when  they  vanished  at  the  repetition  of 
the  spurious  stanzas,  the  Pope  sat  down.  The  An- 
gels  of  course  were  visible  to  Gregory  alone.  "  In 
this  manner"  the  hymn  was  finished ;  the  Pope 
standing  during  the  portions  of  it  that  were  really 


written  by  Columba,  and  sitting  down  when  the 
substituted  stanzas  were  recited. 

a  From  them. — i.  e.  from  the  messengers. 

h  They  said. — Colgan's  version  and  the  Preface 
in  the  Leabhar  Breacc  represent  this  as  having  been 
said  by  Gregorv,  as  his  judgment  upon  the  Hvmn. 
But  O'Donnell  omits  the  cireumstance  altogether. 

c  Ofthe  Hebrews. — i.  e.  after  the  manner  of  the 
alphabetical  Psalms  of  the  Hebrew  Bible. 

''  This  chapter. — i.  e.  of  the  first  chapter  of  the 
Hymn. 

e  Two  varieties. — 6pncnl,  a  division,  or  varietv. 

f  Arsis  and  thesis. — "Apcric  and  8s<7tc.  "  Arsis 
est  vocis  elevatio,  id  est,  initium  ;  Thesis,  vocis  po- 
sitio,  hoc  est,  finis." — Isidor.  Hispal.,  Etgmolog. 
lib.  iii.  c.  20. 

s  Halfverse This  seems  to  mean  that  there  is 

assonance  or  rhyme  in  the  middle  of  every  line:  as, 
vetusíus,  ingeniíus ;  origi?ie,  crepidinc  ;  secula,  in- 
finita,  &c.  See  the  corresponding  passage  in  the 
Preface  in  the  Leabhar  Breacc,  p.  225,  infra. 

h  OfHis  creatures i.  e.  as  compared  with  Him. 

The  first  stanza  relating  to  God,  and  the  remainder 
to  His  creatures,  it  was  fit  that  the  first  should 
consist  of  a  greater  number  of  lines. 


XOTE  A.] 


The  Preface  in  the  "  Leabhar  Breacc." 


223 


Now  tlie  proper  manner  of  singing  this  Hymn  is,  that  Quis  po'est  Deo'  be  sung  between  every  two 
chapters:  and  it  is  thus  that  its  grace  shall  be  [upon  him  that  sings  it],  because  it  was  so  it  was  sung  at 
first.  Now  there  are  many  graces  upon  this  Hvmn,  viz.,  Angels  present  whilst  it  is  sung;  the  Devil 
shall  not  knowthe  path  of  hira  who  sings  it  every  day ;  and  neither  shall  his  enemies  perceive  him  in  the 
day  on  which  he  sings  it ;  and,  moreover,  tliere  shall  be  no  strife  in  the  house  in  which  it  is  frequentlv 
sung.  It  protects  against  every  kind  of  death,  exeept  death  on  the  pillowi ;  and  there  shall  be  neither 
hunger  nor  nakedness  in  the  place  where  it  is  frequentlv  sung :  et  alia?  multsek  sunt. 


The  Preface  in  the  Leabhar  Brcacc,  fol.  109  a,  differs  in  some  particulars  from  the 
foregoing.    It  is  as  follows,  with  a  literal  translation  : 


Qlcup  ppopecop.  Columcille  pecic  hunc 
c^mnum  Cpimcaci  pep  pepcem  annop  ín 
cellula  nigpa  .1.  ípin  búibpeclep  int)oipe 
Choluimcille.  no  íp  cuhobunb  cena  bopó- 
nab  uc  alíí  bicunc  .1.  lncan  poboi  Colum- 
cille  ín  híí  u  oenup  aóc  boechtn  na  pappab 
namá.  1S  anb  cpa  popaillpigeb  bo  Colum- 
cille  oeisib  bo  chibechc  chuci  .1.  ÍTloppep- 
piup  be  mumcip  ^T11;}0'!1  cancacop  cuice- 
pium  6  Tíoim  conapcabaib  leo  bo  .1.  ín 
niúpsemm  Coluimcille,  .1.  cpopp  eppibe 
mbíu,  i  mimunb  na  pechcmame,  -|  ímmunb 
cec  nóibce  ípincechcmuin  -|  alia  bona. 
T?oiappoif;  cpa  Columcille  bo  boechm  cib 
bo  biub  boi  ípin  choiccenb.  Gca,  ol  boe- 
chm,  cpiachap  copci  ann.  Ppichailpiu  na 
haigebu  a  boechm,  ol  ColumciUe,  conóe- 
chabpa  bon  hiuilenb.  luppm  gebib  ciia 
Columcille  paip  m  mboilc  bon  cloich  pil  íp- 
ín  ppomncis  ín  híí,  -j  ípe  a  hamm  na  clochi 
pin,  lTloelblacha,  -]  ponap  popdcbab  pop 
cac  ihbiub  bobepap  poppi.  Ip  mppin  oc 
bul  bo  Columcille  bon  muilenb  íp  anb  bo- 
pijme  111  nnunn  becpo  .1.  Qbiucop  labopan- 
cium.  -|  ip  íapnupb  upgicpech  aca. 

lncan  cpa  bopac  Columcille  m  cécpoba 


Altus  prosetor.  Columcille  fecit  hunc  hvmnum 
Trinitati  per  septem  annos  in  cellula  nigra,  i.  in  the 
Black  Recles  in  Derry  of  Columcille,  or  as  others 
say,  it  was  composed  extemporaueously'.  viz.. 
at  the  time  when  Columcille  was  at  Hy  alone, 
Boethin  only  excepted.  And  it  was  then  revealed 
to  Columcille  that  guests  were  comingto  him.  viz.. 
seven  of  the  people  of  Gregorv  who  came  to  him 
from  Rome  with  gifts  for  him,  viz.,  the  Mórgemm'" 
[great  gem]  of  Columcille,  that  is,  a  cross,  extant 
this  day ;  and  the  Hvmn  of  the  week,  and  a 
favmn  for  everv  night  of  the  we^-k,  and  other  gifts. 
Then  Columcille  asked  Boethin  how  mucb  food 
there  was  iu  the  kitchen:  "  There  is,"  said  Boetliin. 
"a  sieve  of  oats  there."  "Attend  thou  to  the 
strangers,  O  Boethin."  said  Columcille,  "whilst  I 
go  to  the  mill."  After  this  Columcille  took  upon 
him  the  sack  from  the  stone  that  is  in  the  refec- 
torv  in  Hy,  and  the  name  of  that  stone  is  Moel- 
blatha,  and  luck  was  left  upon  all  food  that  is  laid 
upon  it.  It  was  after  that,  when  Columcille  was 
going  to  the  mill,  that  he  composed  this  little  hvmn. 
i.e.  Adjutor  laborantium^  ;  and  it  is  in  alphabetical 
order  it  is. 

When  Columcille  had  put  the  first  feed  into  the 


'  Quis  potest  Deo. — This  antiphon  occurs  at  tfae 
end  of  the  Hymn.     See  p.  219,  supra. 

i  On  the  pillow. — i.  e.  it  protects  from  all  kinds 
of  violent  death,  but  not  from  ordinary  or  natural 
death.     Cf.  Reeves'  Adnmnan,  pp.  37,  44. 

k  .4/íír  multa:. — i.  e.  there  are  many  other  privi- 
leges,  alice  multa  gratias,  attached  to  the  singing  of 


this  Hymn. 

1  Extemporaneoushj. — There  are  here  two  ac- 
counts  :  one,  that  this  Hymn  occupied  its  author 
seven  years  of  studv ;  the  other,  that  it  was  com- 
posed  extemporaneouflv.     Seeabove,  p.  220. 

"'  Mrrgemm.  —  See  above,  p.  221. 

n  Laborantium. — See  above,  p.  221,  note". 


224 


The  Hijmn  of  St.  Columba,  "Altus  Prosator."  [notea. 


im  bel  ín  muilinb  ip  ant)  bochuaib  hi  cenb 
mb  OIcup,  -\  íp  ímalle  popcais  íncimon  bo 
benum  ocup  mcapbup  bo  bleich  ;  -|  ní  cpia 
copab  pcpucam  boponab,  peb  pep  gpaciam 
Oommi. 

ln  cempope  Oebrtin  mic  5°bpan  pig  Ql- 
l)iin,  -|  Oeba  mic  ammipech  pi^  Cpenn,  -| 
pálcup  bm  bo  pi  TCómain  mcanpm. 

Caupa,  cnjia  uoluic  beum  laubape  .1.  bo 
cumcib  bil^uba  bona  cpi  cachaib  bopoine 
meipmn  .1.  Cach  Cúile  l?achm  m  Oat  Qpaibe 
ecappu  -]  ComgaTI  [bennchuip]  1  copnam 
chille  .1.  TCopp  copcióaip,  -|  cach  belai^ 
peba  appab  Chluana  lilpaipb'  -]  cach  Cuile 
trpemne  1  connacca,  -\  ba  bo  Oiupmcnc  mac 
Cepbcull  bopaca  ahbip.  Ouccup  epc  ab  5T11- 
^opium,  ecpupaci  punc  mnnpcpi  cpia  capi- 
cula  be  pe,  .1.  Tiic  publacup  -|  Opbem  mppa, 
-]  Chpipco  be  coebp,  -\  cpia  capicuTa  ppo  eip 
mpepuepunc,  -\  mimpcpip  cancancibup  q-m- 
num  (5pi5opio,  ^T^Sop'^r  ^10  ruppeínc, 
bonec  aubipec  aTiena  capicuTa  cpia.  Cc 
ícepum  pebic  bonec  ppoppia.  Suppe;nc 
ícepum  i  bipeic  íTTip  conpicemmi  cpjob  egip- 
cip.  lTTi  conpeppepunc, -]  bi;nc  íTTip  cancace 
igicup  cfmnum  pecunbum  opbmem  a  puo 
cniccope  biccum,  -\  1TT1  cancauepunc,  -]  íTTe 
popc  lcuiuumc  Tuubep.  Seb  bi;nc,  mmup 
quam  bebuic  Oeup  memopcipi  m  eo  memo- 
pacup  epc.  ppepencep  angeln  pempep  pue- 
punc  cpjanbo  cancacup,  pic  uibic  5T115°T11'ur 
anseTop.  lTTuTce  punc  gpacie  cfmni  huiup. 
Cfmpcpjip  eum  cancauepic  ppecpiencep 
nuncpjam  ab  peppecucionem  mimicopum  -\ 


mouth  of  the  mill,  it  was  then  that  he  began  tlie 
Altvs ;  and  it  was  at  one  and  the  sanie  time  that 
the  hymn  was  composed,  and  the  grinding  of  the 
corn  completed  ;  ar.d  it  was  not  as  the  result  of 
studv  it  was  composed,  sed  per  gratiam  Domini. 

[It  was  composed]  in  the  time  of  Aedan  son  of 
Gabhran,  King  of  Alba,  and  of  Aed  son  of  Ain- 
mire,  King  of  Erinn,  and  Falcus  [Phocas]  was  the 
King  of  the  Eomans  at  that  time. 

The  Cause  was  because  he  was  desirous  of  prais- 
ing  God,  i.  e.  to  ask  forgiveness  for  the  three  battles 
which  he  had  caused  in  Erinn,  viz.,  the  battle  of  Cuil 
Rathain  [Coleraine]  in  DalAraide,  between  him  and 
Comgall  [of  Bennchor]  contendingforachurch,  viz., 
Ross  Torathair ;  and  the  battle  of  Belach-feda,  of 
the  weir  of  Clonard  ;  and  the  battle  of  Cul  Dremnc 
inConnacht;  and  itwas  against  Diarmait  Mae  Cer- 
baill  he  fought  them  both".  DuctusP  est  ad  Gre- 
gorium,  et  furati  sunt  ministril  tria  capitula  de  se, 
viz.,  Hic  suhlatus,  et  Orbem  infra,  et  Christo'  de. 
ccelis.  Et  tria  capitula  pro  eis  inseruerunt,  ct  minis- 
tris  cantantibus  ymnum  Grigorio,  Grigorins  hic 
sunvxit,  donec  audiret  aliena  capitula  tria;  et  ite- 
rum  sedit  donec  propria.  Surrexit  iterum,  et  dixit 
illis  Confitemini  quod  egistis ;  illi  confesserunt.  et 
dixit  illis  Cantate  igitur  ymnum  secundum  ordinem 
a  sno  auctore  dictum  ;  et  illi  cantaverunt,  et  ille 
post  laudavit  laudes.  Sed  dixit,  Minus5  quani  de- 
buit  Deus  memorari  in  eo  memoratus  est.  Presentes 
Angeli  semper  fuerunt  quando  cantatur;  sic  vidit 
Gregorius  angelos.  Multa;  suntgratia  hj-mni  hujus. 
Quisquis  eum  cantaverit  frequenter  nunquam  ad 
persecutionem  inimicorum  et  demonum  eveniet  1  i 
quod  timet  pervenire ;  et  nescict  diabolus  mortem 
ejus.     Et  liberetab  omni  morte  absque  pretiosa',  et 


0  Both. — See  Reeves'  Adamnan,  pp.  253-4. 

i>  Ductus. — i.  e.  Hymnus  ductus  est.  See  above, 
p.  221. 

q  Ministri. —  i.  e.  tliose  who  bruught  tlie  IIymn 
to  Gregory. 

'  Cliristo. — In  the  Preface  (Book  of  IIymns,  see 
p.  221,  supra),  and  also  in  Colgan's  Preface, 
the  third  stanza,  said  to  have  been  omitted  by  St. 
Columba's  messengcrs,  was  Vagatur  ex  climatico. 


s  Minus This  is  the  same  objection  which  is 

statcd  above  (p.  222),  and  in  Colgan's  Preface  (see 
p.  227,  infra),  that  the  author  had  not  been  sufli- 
ciently  earnest  in  the  praise  of  the  Triniiv. 

1  Pretiosa Over  this  word  is  the  gloss,  .1.  bap 

pe  hcibctpr,  "i.e.  death  011  tlie  pillow"  (mt  aln>\c, 
p.  223).  Is  there  an  allusion  here  to  the  text, 
"  Pretiosa  in  conspectu  Domini  mors  sanctorum 
ejus,"  tlie  meaning  of  "absque  pretiosa"  being  "ex- 


XoTE  A.] 


The  Preface  in  the  "  Leabhar  Breacc." 


22 


bemonum  euemec  ei  cpiob  cimec  pepue- 
nipe,  "i  nepciec  biabulup  mopcem  eiup.  Qc 
libepec  ab  omm  mopce  abpque  ppeciopa, 
T  non  epic  ín  mpepno  popc  biem  lubicn, 
eciampi  mala  mulca  e^epic,  -\  habebic  bi- 
uiciap  mulcan  lonsuicubmem  peculi.  Opb 
ubsicpech  bna  pil  pop  mnimmunpo,  .1. 
mope  ebpeopum.  In  lín  licep  bin  pil  ípin 
apsicip,  ípe  11  n  ccipicel  pil  ípm  ímun.  Ni 
ícneppaib  bna  a  caipicel  bobepac  ebpabi 
allicpe,  acc  ccic  licip  op  a  caipicel  cu 
popba  ín  nnmuin.  -\  íppeb  pobepa  pm  ap 
aca  cmll  acaibpeom  m  ommbup  licepapum, 
-\  ípi  pm  ciull  bopeich  cpiapna  caipceluib. 
lpeb  imoppo  pobepa  bo  ebpabaib  pechimm 
uipb  alphubeci  pui.  .1.  .ttii.  liccepae  upub 
ebpeop,  up  ip  bu  lebop  pop  .pipc.  pil  1  pe- 
caplaicc.  lpeb  bna  pobepa  bcispejjuib  .1111. 
bcpe  .ptp.  accu,  .pc.  penpup  hommip  -\  .pz. 
manbaca  le^ip  -|  .1111.  euun^elia.  lpeb  bna 
pobepa  bo  TCómancaib  .111.  licpe  .,t,t.  accu, 
.1.  .pt.  penpup  hommum  beop,  -\  .,t.  manburu 
legip,  1  cprmcap. 

Cpia  piclnmm  bna  boponab  íncimmonptt, 
-|  ucac  bi  cpnail  poppipibe  .1.  apci- 
piciulip  i  uulgapip.  apcipicialip  epc  ubi 
piunc  pebep  cum  cempopibup  aeqrjip  -\ 
aecpju  bnnpione  -\  cum  aecpio  ponbepe,  .1. 
appip  -|  cepip,  i  ubi  pic  pubpecfuenp  ppo 
ppecebence  ín  lupe  pepoluciomp.  Ip  hi 
ímoppo  m   uuloopip  bu  ímmbí  ín  ppecpai 


non  erit  in  inferno  post  diem  judicii,  etiamsi  irala 
multa  egerit,  et  habebit  divitias  multas,  et  longi- 
tudiuem  seculi.  There  is  alphabetical  order  iu 
this  hymn  after  the  manner  of  the  Hebrewsu.  The 
number  of  letters  in  the  alphabet  is  the  number 
of  chapters  that  is  in  this  hvmn.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever,  at  the  sides  of  their  chapters  that  the  Hebiews 
place  their  letters,  but  each  letter  is  over  its  chapter' 
to  the  end  of  the  hymn.  And  the  reason  of  that 
is,  that  tliev  have  a  meaning"  in  all  their  letters 
[leg.  in  omnibus  literis  eorum],  aud  this  is  the 
meaning  that  runs  through  the  chapters.  And  this 
is  the  reason  why  the  Hebrews  have  followed  the 
order  of  their  own  alphabet  (.i.  xxii.  litterse  apud 
Hebraeos),  because  there  are  twenty-two  books  in  the 
Old  Testaments.  But  the  reason  why  the  Greeks 
have  twentv-four  letters  is,  because  there  are  ten 
senses  of  man,  and  ten  Commandments  of  the  Law, 
and  four  Gospels.  And  the  reason  why  the  Romans 
liave  three-and-t\venty  letters  is,  that  there  are  ten 
senses  of  man,  and  ten  Commandments  of  the  Law, 
and  the  Trinitv. 

Now  this  Hvmn  is  compoíed  in  Rhytbm,  of  which 
there  aretwokinds,  Artijicialis  and  Vulgaris.  The 
Artificialis  is  where  the  feet  are  made  with  equal 
times,  and  equal  division,  and  with  equal  weight, 
viz.,  arsis  and  thesis ;  arid  where  the  subsequent  is 
for  the  precedent  in  the  right  of  resolution.  And 
this  is  the  fulgaris,  where  there  is  correspondence 
of  svllables,  iu  quatrains  and  half  quatrains ;  and 


cept  that  death.  which  is  precious  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord"  (Ps.  cxvi.  15),  viz.,  Martyrdom. 

u  Hebrews. — See  above,  p.  222,  note'. 

v  Over  its  chapter The  allusion  is  evider.tlv  to 

Ps.  cxviii.  (Heb.  cxix.),  where  the  acrostical  or 
alphabetical  order  is  not  in  the  verses,  but  in  stanzas 
of  eight  verses ;  aud  the  Latin  MSS.  of  the  Bible 
usually  write  the  uame  of  the  Hebrew  letter,  Aleph, 
Beth,  &c,  over  each  stanza.  In  like  manner,  the 
acrostical  letter  in  the  preseut  Hymn  belongs  to  the 
stanza  of  six  verses,  but,  as  our  scholiast  remarUí, 
is  written,  not  orer,  but  at  the  side  of  each  stanza. 


"  A  meaning. — i.  e.  the  Hebrew  letters  have  each 
a  particular  signification  :  Aleph  is  an  ox  ;  Beth,  a 
house  ;  Gimel,  a  camel,  &c. ;  aud  the  stanzas  com- 
mencing  with  tliese  letters  have  a  meaning  corre- 
sponding  to  tlie  signification  of  the  letters.  It 
would  be  very  difficult  to  justify  this  theorv  by  ac- 
tual  analvsis  of  the  I'salm. 

r  Old  Testament. — The  Irish  is  pecaplaicc, 
sometimes  written  becepleic  and  pecaplaicc, 
which  is  not  a  Celtic  word,  but  probably  a  corrup- 
tion  of  tbe  Latin  vetus  lex;  or  rather,  perhaps,  of 
the  oldei-  base  of  those  words. 


2G 


226  The  Hymn  of  S.  Columba,  "Altus  Prosator"  [notea. 

pillab,  .1.  cechpumchan,  -|  lechpanb ;  ocup  this  is  what  is  in  this  Hvmn.     Now  there  are  six 

ipeb  pin  pil  ípin  nniiiun.     Sepc  liniae  ímoppo  liues  in  every  Capituhtm,  except  the  first  Capitu- 

ín  unoquoque  capiculo,  epccepco  ppimo  ca-  lum,  and  sixteen  syllables  in  everyline;  and  seven 

piculo ;    ocup  pe  pillaib  .?.  m  cac  line.   -\  lines  in  the  first  capitulum.    It  is  fit  that  there 

un.  Imiap  ITl  ppimo  capiculo.     Cubuib  cpa  should  be  six  lines  in  which  is  narrated  all  that  was 

pénapbachc   bo   beinh    ípna    caipcelaib   hi  íinished  in  six  days.     And  it  is  fit  that  there  should 

pail  innipin    bonbulib    popopbaichea    rpia  be  seven  lines  in  that  [first]  chapter,  for  this  reason, 

penaip.       Cubaib    ímoppo    pepcmapbachc  because  it  tells  of  God,  for  God  is  not  comparable  to 

bo  beich   ípm   chaipciul   ap   m   púchpa.    .1.  His  creatures ;  or  it  signifies  the  seven  grades  of  the 

quob  nappac  be  beo,  quob  beup  ímpap  epc  Church;  orthat  the  number  seven  denotes  univer- 

cpeacupip  puip.  uel  .uíi.  gpabup  ecclepiae  salitjr;  or  it  signifies  the  seven  gifts  of  the  Holy 

PSmpicac,  uel  quob  pepcenapiup  uniuep-  Ghost. 
picacem  pijmipicac.  uel  .un.  bona  ppipicup 
pancci  pignipicac, 

Tíobe  cpa  bli^eb  gabala  ínb  miuinpeo  co  And  the  rule  for  singing  this  hymn  is,  that  Quis 

po^abcha  quip  pocepc,  ecip  cac  bá  chaip-  potest  be  sung  between  eveiy  two  chapters  of  it. 

ciul  be.    Ocup  ip  be  pm  nobiab  a  pach  paip,  And  it  is  thus  that  one  may  have  the  benefit  of  it, 

ap  íp  amlaib  pocec  apcup.  ipl.  for  it  was  thus  it  was  first  sung,  etc. 

On  the  lower  margin  of  the  page  of  the  Leabhar  Breacc,  in  which  the  foregoing 
Prefaee  occurs,  there  is  the  following  quatrain,  in  a  hand  coeral  with  the  MS. : — 

5eib  m  alcup  cobapeclic. 

Na  bam  cepc  bo  beman  bup. 

NippiL  gulap  ipin  bich. 

Na  cich  na  cuippe  pop  cul., 
Sing  the  Altus  seven  times, 

Yield  not  thy  right  to  the  hard>  demon. 

There  is  no  disease  in  the  world, 

No  difficulty  that  it  will  not  banish1. 

The  following  is  Colgan's  abridged  translation  of  the  Preface  given  in  his  iIS., 
which  is  supposed  to  be  the  same  that  is  now  preserved  in  the  College  of  S.  Isidore  at 
Rome : — 

Locus,  in  quo  hic  Hymnus  compositus  erat,  est  Insula  Hiensis.  Author  S.  Columba  Kille  de  nobili  genere 
Scotorum.  Tempore  Aidi  filij  Anmirij,  Hibernia?  Eegis,  et  Aidani  filij  Gaurani,  Regis  Albanix,  seu  Scotia; 
Albieusis ;  fuit  compositus.  Causa  motiva  fuit,  tiim  vt  Deus  in  suis  operibus  laudetur,  túm  ad  deprecan- 
dam  veniam  propter  tria  prailia  inter  Hibernia;  Principes  conserta,  quibus  adoriundis  S.  Columba  causam 
praíbuit.  Erant  ha;c,  proelium  de  Cuilrathen,  prajlium  de  Cuilfeadha,  et  pra;lium  de  Cuile-dreimne .  Ferunt 
nonnulli  S.  Columbam  septem  annis  materiam  hujus  Hymni  meditatum,  antequam  ipsum  Opusculum  com- 
posuerit.  Alii  veró  tradunt  ipsura  ex  tempore  illud  composuisse  tali  occasione.  Cúm  S.  Columba  et 
S.  Baitheneus  die  quadam  in  Insula  Hiensi  ab  alijs  sequestrati  agerent ;  S.  Columba  ad  Baithenum  ait ; 

y  Hard. — Obdurate,  tyrannical,  hard-hearted.  »  Banish Literally,  put  behind. 


note  a.]  Tlie  Preface  in  the  "  Leabhar  Breacc"  227 

Fili  supervenient  hodie  nobiles  et  peregrini  hospites  á  Gregorio  Pontifice  Summo  cum  gratis  donarijs  ad  nos 
missi.  iEquum  ergó  est  tantis  hospitibus  de  decente  refectione  provideatur.  Et  cum  posteá  virSanctus  in- 
telligeret  nihil  domi  reperiri,  quo  vllo  modo  etiam  minús  decenter,  quám  par  erat,  possent  refici,  praster  vnnm 
frumenti  mensuram ;  tunc  ipse  cucurrit  festinus  ad  vicinum  molendinum  :  et  antequám  molendinum  injecta 
grana  contriverat,  vel  in  farinam  resolverat,  ipse  Hvmnum  absolvit.  Ordine  Alphabetico  Hymnus  hic 
compositus  est.  Qutelibet  ejus  stropha  (excepta  prima,  quae  septem  constat)  sex  versiculis,  seu  lineis  con- 
stat ;  et  singuloe  lineie  sedecim  svllabis.  Opusculum  hoc  iam  absolutum,  fuit  ab  authore  per  quosdam  dis- 
cipulos  praesentatum  et  oblatum  Gregorio  Magno  Pontifici  in  recognitionem  pretiossissimi  donarii  (nempe 
Sanctissima?  Crucis,  quse  Mor-gheam,  id  est  Magna,  seu  Pretiosa  gemma,  vocatur)  quod  idem  Sanctissimus 
Pontifex  ante  S.  Columbse  per  suos  legatos  miserat.  Pro  tribus  autem  capitulis,  seu  strophis  ejusdem 
Opusculi,  á  S.  Columba  compositis ;  qui  incipiunt ;  Hic  sublatus  é  medio,  &c.  Orbem  infrá  rt  hgimus,  &c. 
Vagatur  ex  climatico,  &c.  discipuli  eius  legati  sustituerunt  tres  alios  á  se  compositos,  vel  animo  expis- 
candi  summe  tunc  pnedicatam  S.  Pontificis  virtutem  et  sanctimoniam  ;  velreverá  dispositione  occtdta  Divini 
Numinis  volentis  vtriusque  Sancti  eximiam  virtutem  reddere  orbi  notiorem.  Cúm  enim  Hvmnus  ille  corám 
Gregorio  recitaretur,  Angeli  Dei  recitantes  stipabant :  quibus  visis  Pontifex  Sanctus  é  sede  assurgens,  in 
pedes  se  erexit;  et  sic  stans  venerabundus  perstitit,  donec  ad  supposititias  strophas  perventum  esset:  quibus 
legi  cceptis  Angeli  recedebant,  ac  illis  recedentibus  Pontifex  illicó  in  sede  subsedit.  Ac  postquam  jam  tertió 
alternatis  vicibus  Pontifex  ad  lectionem  supposititiorum  capitulorum  resedisset,  ac  ad  genuinorum  resump- 
tionem  assttrrexisset :  tandem  finitú  Hvmni  lectione  Gregorius  II vmnum  depravatum  esse  in  spiritu  recog- 
noscens,  missos  nuncios  adiurat,  quatenus  fateantur,  an  ipsi  vel  alij  aliqua  in  Hvmno  immutaverint.  Illi 
religione  perculsi,  suam  culpam,  miraculo  proditam,  fatentur,  veniamque  supplices  deprecantur,  ac  obtinent 
á  Clementi  Pontifice,  qui  et  Opusculum  magnopere  laudavit,  solumque  illud  sibi  in  eo  displicere  dixit,  quod 
author  parcitlS  in  eo  de  Trinitate  disseruerit,  quám  optaret.  Et  htec  fuit  occasio,  ob  quam  S.  Columba  com- 
posuerit  alium  subsequentem  Hvmnum,  qui  incipit ;  In  te  Christe  credentium  &c.  Plures  pie  creduntur 
gratias  et  virtutes  huic  Hymno  divinitús  concessae.  Prima,  quod  pie  eum  recitantes,  nec  á  daemone  sint  in- 
festandi,  nec  ab  hoste  vulnerandi,  eo  die  quo  eura  recitaverint.  Secunda,  qttod  á  litibus  et  discordijs  domus 
illa  sit  immunis  in  qua  consueverit  recitari.  Tertia,  quod  locus  in  quo  consueuerit  recitari,  a  fame  et  inopia 
sit  prseservandus.  Quarta,  quod  rjuotidie  eum  recitans,  non  aliíi  quám  naturali  et  placida  morte  sit  interi- 
turus,  &c. —  Triad.  Thaum.,  p.  473. 

O'Donnell,  in  his  Life  of  St.  Columba,  as  published  in  a  Latin  abridgment  by 
Colgan,  has  also  given  the  Legend  relating  to  the  occasion  of  composing  the  Altus,  in 
a  form  evidentlv  taken  from  some  copy  of'  the  Book  of  Hymns.  As  Colgan's  work  is 
very  scarce,  and  as  this  narrative  shows  how  O'Donnell  understood  some  passages  of 
the  Prefaces,  it  may  be  well  to  insert  his  version  of  the  story  here  : — 

Sanctus  Gregorius  Papa  cúm  die  quadam  Rorax  in  sua  Ecclesia  sacrosancto  interesset  Missa?  sacrificio, 
vidit  crucem  ligneam  Angelorum  manibus  super  altare  collocari :  quam  quidam  ex  adstantibus  Clericis  dúm 
inde  levare  aut  alió  transferre  niterentur,  nequaquam  loco  dimovere  potuerunt.  Cunctis  eam  ob  rem  admi- 
rationeattonitis,  summusipse  Pontifex  aecessit,  crucemquecontinuo  levans;  Hajc,  infit,  palám  ad  adstantes, 
nec  mihi,  nec  cuipiam  vestrum ;  sed  cuidam  Dei  servo,  cui  nomen  Columba,  extremum  orbem  incolenti,  á 
Deo  est  destinata!  Quare  accersitos  quosdam  Clericos  jttbet  ut  se  itineri  accingant,  et  demissum  caslitús 
donum  pnememorato  Christo  famulo  in  Hy  insulam  perferant.  Ijs  profectis,  et  jam  Hiensi  ccenobio  vicinis 
S.  Columba  de  eorum  adventu  et  suscepti  itineris  causa  ab  Angelo  admonitus;  hac  nocte,  inquit  ad  suos, 
venerabiles  ad  nos  hospites  Gregorij  Papne  nuntij  divertent :  curate  igitur  ut  ijs  bene  sit  de  ccena  provisum. 

2G  2 


228  Tlu  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  uAltus  Prosator."  [Noteb. 

I'auló  post  citm  illi  advenissent,  nihilque  in  Monasterio  repertum,  quod  tantis  hospitibus  dignum  erat  ap- 
poni,  proeter  unum  subcineritium  panem,  et  poculum  unum  vini  in  usum  sacrificij  reservatum  ;  vir  Sanetus 
eam  ob  rem  verecundatus,  illa  ipsa  adferri  jussa  in  Christi  nomine  benedixit,  et  iam  hospitibus  apposita, 
Christo  annuente  sic  multiplicavit,  ut  hospitibus  totique  famillae  reficiendis  abundé  suffecerint.  Porró 
nuntii  Pontificis  commissum  donum  viro  Sancto  consignarunt ;  estque  illud  celebre  monumentum  qtiod  in 
Torachia  occidua  Hiberniae  insula  (cujus  supra  mentio  saepiús  facta  est)  in  memoriam  Columbae  asseruatum 
Crux  magna  vulgó  appellatur. 

Post  haec  S.  Columba  tres  é  suis  discipulis  Eomam  ablegavit,  qui  rj-thmum  quem  in  Sanctissimae 
Trinitatis  laudem  ipse  composuerat  paucis  verbis  multa  obstrusiora  sacrse  scripturae  mvsteria  complexus, 
Sancto  Gregorio  Magno  praesentarent.  Nuntii  ergó  Romam  perlati  priusqúam  creditam  opellam  Pontifici 
])orrexerant,  tr!a  ex  eius  medio  capitula,  substitutis  totidem,  qua;  ipsi  fuerant  commenti,  temeru  expunxe- 
runt,  experimentum  scilicet  ea  re  facturi  an  Gregorius  cujus  túm  fama  sanctitatis  increbuerat,  supposititia 
metra  a  reliquis  disceraeret;  vel  an  pari  laudi  utraque  commendaret.  Rvthmum  itaque  sic  interpolatum 
cum  Sancto  Antistiti  prassentassent,  et  corám  eo,  eique  assistente  purpuratorum  corona  iussi  legere  coepis- 
sent.  Magnus  Pontifex  se  in  pedes  erexit,  sicque  venerabundus  perstitit,  donec  ad  apochripha  illa  capitula 
perventura  erat:  quibus  legi  cceptis,  continuó  resedit ;  sed  iara  perlectis  iterato  surgens,  reliqua  stans  ex- 
cepit.  Ad  haec  admirati  quidam  praesentium  optimatum,  cúm  insuetae  et  aliquantisper  interruptae  venera- 
tionis  causam  sciscitarentur ;  respondit  Pontifex  se  ideó,  dúm  Rvthmi  initiura  perlegeretur,  stetisse,  quod 
intereá  Angelos  Sanctos  stipasse  legentium  latera  conspexisset ;  posteá  veró  subsedisse,  quód  boni  Genii 
aliquantisper  disparuissent ;  iisque  iterum  se  venerabundum  surrexisse,  et  in  eo  situ  in  finem  perseverasse. 
Ad  h;ec  audita  nuntii  simid  admiratione  attoniti,  simul  etiam  religione  perculsi,  suam  imposturam,  certam 
scilicet  interruptae  Angelorum  praeseutiae  causam  humiliter  fassi,  temeritatis  veniam  obtinuerunt  á  Clementi 
Pontilice;  qui  et  oblatura  rvthmum  magnopere  laudauit,  et  autborem  Apostolica;  sedis  indultis  auctum, 
suo  nomiue  salutari  mandauit. —  Triad.  Thaum.,  p.  412. 


Note  B. 
The  Gloss  in  tJie  Leahhar  Breaec. 
As  the  various  readings  of  the  text,  or  rather  fragment  ofthe  text,  ofthisHvmn, 
preserved  in  the  Leahhar  Breacc*,  have  been  alreadv  fully  given  in  the  notes,  it  will 
onlv  be  necessarv  to  publish  here  the  interlinear  Gloss  which  occurs  in  that  MS.  It 
is  quite  diíferent  from  the  Gloss  in  the  Liber  Ilt/mnorum,  although  in  some  placcs  thej 
coincide,  as  if  tahen  from  some  common  source.  It  is  necessary  to  state  that  this 
fragment  contains  only  the  stanzas  or  "  Capitula"  A  to  H,  inclusive.  The  numbers 
refer  to  the  lines  of  the  Hymn. 

1.  Altus\  bib  bna  alcup  -\  almnp  riic  plumt)  hnaiple,  ec  íoeo  ponicup  luc,  ap  plumtnb 
liuaiple  acup  íple  do  uc  cicepo  bicic  alcum  mape  ec  alcum  celum.     Qlmup  imoppo 

a  Leabhar  Breacc. — "  Speckled  Book,"    in   Old  shown  by  the  corresponding  word  in  Welsh,  viz., 

Irish  lebap  bpecc.    Theadjective  Breacc  hasge-  brych,  where  the  ch  has  certainlv  arisen  from  the 

nerallv  hitherto  been  spelt  Breae,  incorrectlv,  how-  combination   cc,  as  in  iechnit  (sanitas),  Old  Irish 

ever;    the    ancient    orthography   was  brecc,   as  is  lcc ;    bichnn    (parvus),     0.    Ir.    beco ;    pechawt 


nóte  b.]  The  Gloss  in  the  "  Leahhar  Breacc."  229 

huaiple  cancum   copneip.     ["Now  altus  and  almus  both  denote  nobilitv:  and  therefore  it 

(viz.  ahus)  is  put  here,  for  it  denotes  high  aud  low,  as  Cicero  says,  Altum  mare,  et  altum  ccelum. 

Almus  signifies  nobleness  onlv."] 
Prosetor''.  In  the  margin  is  this  note,  "  Seminator,  vitis;  sertor,  agri;  sator,  horti ;  sero,sevi,  statum 

[leg.  satum]  ;  uminor,  idem  ;  sator;  prosero,  vi,  prositatum ;  mcop  contjeni   [tbe  tor  makes] 

prosetor." 
Vetustus'\  .i.  qui  sperit  \jju.  fuerat]  ante  tempore. 
Dierum.  dies  .i.  a  dividendo  lucem  a  tenebris. 

2.  Absque  origine.  .i.  Deus  Pater  origine  erat  prius  in  tempore. 

Primordi.  .i.  quando  in  forma  venit,  vel  materia  uniuscuiusque  rei  in  masa  [Jeg.  massa]. 

Crepidine".  .1.  cen  popcent)  [without  end],  ap  po^abap  crepido  hic  m  copc  cpich  no  cen- 
pocha  [for  crepido  is  sometimes  found  to  signifv  end  or  termination],  ut  in  lege  dicitur  s[acerdos 
decurrere  faciet]  sanguinem  ad  crepidinem  altaris,  id  est,  ad  fundamentum  [Lev.  i.  ij]. 

3.  Est  et  eritr.  .i.  non  proprie  dicitur  de  deo  erat,  vel  erit,  sed  tantum  est,  quia  presens  est;  sed  elimenta 

erant  ante,  quia  ut  augustinus  ait  erant  in  notitia  dei  et  non  erant  sua  natura. 

4.  Cui  est'.   .i.  nemo  potest  esse  e-t. 

C/iristns.  A.  misias  in  ebreo,  christus  in  greco,  unctus  in  latino 

5.  Coeternush.  .i.  ut  dicitur  genuit  verbum  omni  modo  simile  sibi  qua  locutio  patris  est  filius  ut  dicit  dauid 

semel  locutus  est  [Ps.  Ixi.  12]  id  est  filium  unum  genuit. 

6.  Non  tris.  .\.  si  dicamus  tris  personas  unum  esse  deum  confitemur,  si  unum  deum  confitemur  tris  personas 

credimus,  .i.  ut  dicit  hironimus'  si  unus  sol  est  in  intigra  cum  luce  et  calore,  ita  est  sol  deus  pater,  lux 
est  filius,  calor  est  spiritus  sauctus. 

8.  Creavit.  Deus  .i.  altus  prosetor. 

Angelos.  .i.  angelus  grece.  maloch,  ebreice.  nuntius,  latine. 

9.  Sedium.  .i.  tronum  \read  thronorum]. 

10.  Uti.  .i.  prout. 

Bonitas.  \.  Dei  beueuolentia.  Otiosa.  .1.  beaich  no  bímtím.  .1.  cen  maine  beipniub  [lazy  or 
idle,  i.  e.  not  to  bestow  wealth]. 

11.  Trinitatis.  .i.  trinitas  quasi  trina  unitas. 


(peccat-um),   O.  Ir.  peccat)  ;  mgnijeh  (frequens),  d  Vetustus. — The  word  sperit  in  this  Gloss  seems 

O.  Ir.  menicc;  and  the  other  examples  given  by  a  mistake.     Perhaps  we  should  reidfiiit,  orfuerat. 

Zeuss,  Gramm.  Celtica,  i.  173.  e  Crepidine. — See  the  note  on  this  word,  p.  206, 

b  Altus. — This   is   an    attempt  to  explain    why  snpra. 

altus,    uot   ahnus,    is   used   in   the   Hymn :  altus  f  Est  et  erit. — The  Editor  has  been   unable  to 

having  a  more  extensive  signification.  find  the  words  here  quoted  from  St.  Augustine. 

c  Prosetor. — Tliis  note  is  inteuded  to  give  the  s  Cui  est. — The  reference  is  probably  to  Exod.  iii. 

etymology  of  Frosator.     It  explains  that  we  use  14,  "Nemo  potest  esse  est." 

seminator,  of  a  vine  ;  sertor,  of  land  ;  and  sator,  of  h  Coeternus. — The  interpretation  here  given  to 

a  garden.      Uminor  ought  probably  to  be  seminor.  the  words,  "  semel  locutus  est,"  will  be  found   in 

There  is  evidently  some  corruption  ;  but  the  mean-  St.  Augustine ;  Enarr.  in  Ps.lxi.  12,  "  Apud  se  semel 

ing  seems  to  be   that,  as  from   sero,  sevi,  satum,  Deus  locutus  est,  quia  unum  Verbum  genuit  Deus." 

comes  sator,  so  also  from  prosero,  prosevi,  prosa-  >  Hironimus.—  The  Editor  has  uot  found  this  pas- 

tum,  we  have  the  noun  in  tor,  " prosator."  sage  in  St.  Jerome's  works. 


230  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "Altus  Prosator."  [Note  b. 

Largiatatis.  .1.  apip  eplabap  poboi  bia  ppia  abúli  [becanse  God  was  munificent  to  his 
creatures]. 

12.  Haberet.  Ut. 

Celestia.  .i.  misterio,  vel  elimenta. 

Privelegia.  [sic]  .1.  pomiab  no  beppcugub  angil  pech  na  búli  apchena  [the  great  dignity  or 
illustriousness  of  angels  above  all  the  other  creatures]. 

13.  Magnopere.  .1.  ínmopjmechie  [leg.  ímmópgnechlb,  which  is  an  exact  translation  of  magnopere]. 
Fatimini.  .1.  ont)t  ap  peceop  [from  the  word  feteor  (i.  e.  fateor  orfator)]. 

14.  Celi.  .i.  Celum  a  celsitudine  sua  nomen  rectisime  accepit. 
Apice.  Apicem  dicit.     .i.  culmen  regni  aut  summitatem. 

15.  Venustate.  i.  quasi  honorabilitate.     Speciminis,  1.  na  belbl,  no  in   gnée  [of  the  countcnance,  or 

outward  appearance]. 
Lucifer.  i.  lucem  ferens. 
Formaverat.  i.  deus. 

16.  Apostatosque.  .1.  nanbipceinmnech  [the  fallen  ones]  apostata  grece:  recessor  a  fide  vel  viles  [read 

vilis]  interpretatur. 
Lugubri.  .i.  lugubri.  i.  flebili.  i.  ímmopbuba  boibpim  uobeppm  1  bona  builib  apcena  uaip  po- 

mell  caipmcechc  anselopum  íac  [.i.  in  great  melancholy  to  themselves,  and  to  other  crea- 

tures  also,  because  the  transgression  of  the  angels  deceived  them]. 
iS.   Cenodoxiae.  .i.  ceno,  uanae,  doxia  grece  gloria  interpretatur.  .1.  m  beimiaic  pfp  [of  the  perpetual 

oblivion],  a  diabnlo  contra  hominem. 
19.    Ceteris.  .i.  angeli  perfecti. 

In  suis  principatibus.  .i.  in  proposito  suo  perseverant  in  celo. 
20     Draco.  .i.  diabulus,  duplex  consiliator  interpretatur;  dia,  Grece,  duo,  latine;  bulus,  Grece,  consilia- 

tor,  latine. 
21.   Serpens.   .1.  111  aplach  poptíbam  [the  tempting  of  Adam]. 

21.  Lubricus.  .i.  lubricus,  eoque  ibi  labitur,  lubrum  .1.  cpant)  ín  opience  pop  na  lenam  cuile  ap  a 

(p)lémni  pet)  cabenc,  1  bobepap  uatj  ap  cac  plemon  -|  eóm  btre  m  abaip  -|  íp  bia 
caccpibe  bogmrheb  ín  pipic  [i.e.  a  tree  in  the  East  on  which  flies  stick  because  of  its 
lubricity,  sed  cadent,  and  from  it  the  name  is  given  to  everything  slippery  ;  and  it  is  from  the 
dung  of  birds  that  live  in  its  top  that  the  silk  was  manufactured]. 
Sapientior.  .i.  sapientia  fit  in  bono  et  in  malo,  in  bono  ut  dicitur,  initium  sapientie  timor  domini,  ut 
dicit  christus,  perdam  sapientiam  sapientium  huius  mundi,  vel  sapientia  bupbbu  [follv],  nt  dicit 
sapientia  hujus  mundi. 

22.  Bestiis.  .i.  bestia  ab  essu  [from  eating]  more  feriatatis  [sic]  dicta  est. 
Terrae.  .i.  terra  dicta  est  a  torrento,  eoque  commouentium  gressibus  atteritur. 
Ferocioribus.  .i.  ferox  eoque  feriatatem  exerceat. 

23.  Tcrtiam partem.   .i.  graduum  celestium. 
Siderum.  .i.  angelorum. 

Traxit.   .i.  draco. 

Barathrum.  .1.  in  puteum  .i.  quasi  voratrum  .i.  uorago  ut  circirius  ['?]  dicit,  Baratrum  .i.  hiatus  terre  .i. 
putereus  in  profundo  maris  et  terre.  Baratrum  .1.  loc  ílltíicep  penopi  1  ni  ceU^lchep  af  CO 
brtp.  1  bobepap  uab  ap  cach  gpaim  apchena  [i.  e.  a  place  into  wliich  old  people  are  cast, 
tbey  are  not  let  out  of  it  till  death,  and  the  name  is  given  from  it  to  every  kind  of  incarceratíon 
besides]. 


xoteB.]  The  Gloss  in  the  "  Leabhar  Breacc"  23  1 

24.  Infernalium.   Á.  in  puteum. 

Carcerum.  .i.  isidorus  dicit  eo  quod  homines  coercentur.     [Etgrnol.  lib.  v.  c.  27,  xv.  c.  2.] 

25.  Refugas.  .1.  elachcha  [i.  deserters]. 
Veri  luminis.  .i.  christi. 

Parasito.  .1.  parasita,  puippeoip  Tio  bpecaipe  no  bpenchuchl  [i.  parasita,  a  buffoon  or  deluder, 

or  a  stinking  pond,  den,  or  dungeon]. 
Precipites.  .1.  innac[p]apcapci  a  biabulo  [i.  e.  cast  down  by  the  devil]. 

26.  Excelsus.  .i.  deus  .i.  quasi  valde  excelsus. 

Machinam.  i.  mmaip  no  ín  chuichech  [the  mass,  or  the  machine]. 

Armoniam.  .1.  mcimchuibbiup  pil  ecip  na  buile  [the  harraonv  which  is  between  the  creatures], 
ut  dicit  boetiuai,  .1.  bume  o  buine  [between  man  and  man]  et  cetera. 

27.  Celum  et  terram.  .i.  pro  omni  creatura  uisibile,  vel  corpus. 
Mare.  .i.  seculum  vel  scribtura. 

Aquas.    mapaic,  ebraice;   maron,  grece;  mare,   latine  dicitur ;  aquas  dicuntur  tribulationes  seculi, 
vel  doctrina  scribturne. 

28.  Herbarum.  .i.  herba  quasi  serpa,  eo  quod  serpit. 

Virgultorum.  .1.  mnacaille  no  ínnapuba  [i.  e.  of  the  wood,  or  of  the  forest]. 
Arbuscula.  .1.  na  pualapcachu. 

29.  Solem.  .i.  christum. 
Lunam.   ,i.  ecclesiam. 
Sidera.  .i.  justi. 

Ignem.  .i.  uindicte  vel  gratiae,  et  preces  sancti. 

Bestias.  .i.  ferociores  seculi,  ut  dicitur,  quicquid  ore  bibit  bestia  nominatur. 

31.  Hominem.  .i.  adam  vel  christum.     Demum  .1.  pabCOlb. 
Regere.  .i.  omnia  elimenta. 

Protoplastum.  .1.  cecchpuca  [first-formed],  protos,  grece ;  primus,  latine;  plastum,  grece;  forma- 
tuin  latine  dicitur ;  vel  protoplastum  grece,  corpus  latine  dicitur. 

32.  Etheris.  .1.  inecheoip  [of  the  ether,  or  air]. 

33.  Conlaudaverunt.  Postquam  creati  sunt  dicentes,  sanctus,  sanctus,  sanctus  dominus  deus  sabaoth. 
Preemirabili.  .1.  apmnoppeb  nbepmaip  [i.  e.  on  the  great  operator]. 

J4,   Molis.  Non  corporalis  molis. 

PresagmineK  Presagmine  .1.  o  chaipcecul  no  o  plosaipcemcechc  [leg.  plog  aipchembechc] 
ap  ppepul  i  asmen  pil  anb  -\  íppeb  pem  poboi  bo  abam  [i.  e.  from  instruction,  or  from  host- 
leadership  :   for  presul  and  agmen  are  in  it ;  and  that  is  what  was  Adam's]  uc  bl^tlC  cíc,  dona- 
vit  deus  cunccta.     Adam  vero  nominibus  ea  nominavit. 
Opijicem.  .1.  snimbenmaib.  .i.  opus  et  faciens. 

35.  Preconio.  .1.    ónbupbonail  molbchaige.  .i.  [from  the  praiseful  exclamation]  sanctus,  sanctus, 

sanctus  dominus  deus  sabaoth. 

36.  Concentuque.  .1.  on  caipchecul  épep^na  [i.  e.  from  the  illustriousinstruction]. 
Grates.  pro  gratias,  sed  causa  rithmi. 

Boetius. — The  Editor  has  not  succeeded  in  veri-  blunder  for  cip,  i.  e.  cipme,  or  Hieronymus,  for 

fving  this  reference.  so  the  Irish  call  St.  Jerome  ;   but  the  Editor  has 

k  Presagmine. — In  the  Gloss  on  this  word,   cíc  not  found  the  words  quoted  in  any  of  St.  Jerome's 

seems  as  if  intended  for  Cicero,  but  is  possibly  a  writings. 


232  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "Altus  Prosator."  [Noteb. 

37.  Amore.   .i.  pro. 

Arbitriu.  .i.  arbitrium  est  proprium  [sic~\  conatus  anime. 

Natura.  .1.  [ní]  mnanatcniub  pochlannab  niolab  bé  [(not)  in  their  nature  was  the  praise  of 
God  planted],  sed  in  voluntate  et  postetate  [potestate]  sua,  sicut  ostendit  ante,  ubi  dixit,  amore  et 
arbitrio,  quod  dicit  augustinus  natura  quae  nec  recipit  miuus  nec  plus  quam  quod  ab  origine  trahit, 
non  invitus  ergo  laudante  dominum  sed  ex  voluntate. 

38.  Grasatis.  .i.  a  diabulo. 
Primis  duobus.  i.  adam  et  eua. 

39.  Zabulus.  .1.  pocul  gpecba  [a  Greek  word],  de  consiliariis  interpretatur,  vel  iufirmus  lap  ^ennairli 

no  comab  bon  pocul  ap  biabulup  bosnechea  cabulup  cpta.  .9.  a  .b.  cpia  chepcab,  or 
zabulus,  was  made  from  the  word  diabulus,  through  z  from  d  [i.  e.  by  changing  d  to  z],  through  con- 
traction  [lit.  cuttiug-down]. 

40.  Quorum.  .1.  demoniorum. 

41.  Consternarentur.  .1.  na  palsicip  [what  they  concealed]  quia  invisibiles  sunt  demones. 
Fragiles.  .1.  fragilis  dicit  eo  quod  facile  frangi  potest. 

42.  Non  valentes.  .1.  na  paillptgcip  [i.  e.  what  they  revealed]. 
Hec  intueri.   .1.  agmina  diabulitica,  vel  carectera  et  volitantia. 

43.  Fascibus.  Fascibus  .i.  mnagpnmib  .).  111  a  commib  amail  gpmtie  .1.  cac  conionb  bib  ínuluc 

pamgnupca  uniail  ^pmne  [i.  e.  inthe  bundles,  i.  e.  in  their  comonds  [assemblies?]  likebundles, 
i.  e.  each  comond  of  them  iu  its  proper  place  like  a  bundle. 

44.  Suhlatus.  .1.  diabulus,  ,i.  a  conspectu  dei  vel  ex  unitate. 

45.  Cujus.  .i.  diabuli. 

Constipatur.  .1.  blucaip  no  Uncap  [i.  e.  is  closed,  or  is  filled]. 
Satilitum.  .1.  nanatnup  [i.  e.  of  the  soldiers]. 

46.  Globo.  .1.  o  chuaipc  no  o  buibm  [i.  e.  by  a  circle,  or  by  a  crowd]. 

Perduellium.  .1.  mnanbechach,  inter  seipsos  invicem  semper,  110  cach  contra  deum  et  ho- 
mines.  Duellum  .i.  quasi  duobus  bellis  bellatorum  .i.  qui  bellis  bellum  interpretatur  vel  liostis  ut 
cic  dixit.     Alitcr  perduellium.  .1.  namcibe,  quia  fit  perduellis  inimicus. 

47.  Exemplaribus.  .1.  o  éngpaphib  bentonum  [i.  e.  from  the  examples(?)  of  demons]. 
Imbuti.  .1.  popcchl. 

4S.   Septis.  -i.  septus  a  quo  septis  est,  semper  labidum  [read  lapidum]  est.  Septus  autem  lignorum.  .i.  cus- 

todias  angelicas  et  uirtutes  christi  significat. 
49.   Fornicarentur.  .i.  perdirentur,  pro  omni  peccato  fomicatio  ponitur  hic,  .i.  quia  non  delarent  [ii'r]  ho- 

mines  peccata  sua  si  uide[rentur]. 

On  tlie  lower  margin  of  tliis  page  (109  b)  occurs  the  following  quatrain  : — 

putl  cpmi,  puil  cpint 

nablesatp  bobochc  be  bí: 

btmmba  babechaib  cipe, 

cepachc  ocup  óibele. 
There  are  three  things,  there  are  three  thiugs 

Tliat  are  unlawful  to  the  poor  of  the  living  God : 

Tlianldessness  for  their  life,  whatsoever  it  be, 

Dissatisfaction  and  o'i6eie(predpitancy?) 


nothC.]  Translation  of  the  Hymn,  §c.  233 

Note  C. 

Translation  of  the  Hymn,  and  of  the  Scholia  prefixed  to  its  several  Stanzas. 

Ix  the  following  attempt  to  translate  this  Hymn,  the  Editor  is  not  at  all  sure  that  he 
has  always  succeeded  in  expressing  the  author's  meaning'.  The  Latinity  is  extremelv 
rude,  and  the  readings  in  some  places  corrupt ;  nevertheless,  the  translation,  and  notes 
appended  to  it,  may  possihlj"  be  an  assistance  to  some  readers : — 

Capitulum  A. 

The  Titlek  is,  De  unitate  et  Trinitate  trium  personarum,  and  tbe  Argument  is  the  Canon  [i.  e.  the  text  of 
Scripture]  upon  which  the  Capitulum  is  founded,  as  is  read  in  Daniel  [vii.  9]  or  in  Isaias  [vi.  1  ?],  Vetustus 
dierum  sedebat  super  sedem  suam.  Vetustus  dierum  a?ternus  temporum  erat.  Vetustus  dierum  Deus  dici- 
tur,  pro  multitudiue  dierum  ante  qtios  Deus  erat;  vel  quia  fuit  [per]  omnia  tempora.  It  is  the  canon  of  a 
prophet  he  gives  in  it,  quia  ipse  propheta  erat ;  and  it  is  from  Daniel  in  particular  he  takes  it,  because 
he  was  the  latest  and  noblest:  but  Colum-cille  was  the  latest  and  noblest  of  the  prophets  of  Erinn. 

The  High  Father,  the  Ancient  of  Days,  and  unbegotten, 

Was  without  origin  of  begiuning,  and  foundation1 ; 

Is  and  shall  be  to  infinite  ages  of  ages ; 

With  whom  is  Christ  the  Onlv-begotten,  and  the  IIoly  Ghost 

Coeternal  in  the  glory  of  the  everlasting  Godhead  :  5 

We  preachm  not  three  Gods,  but  we  sav  there  is  one  God, 

Saving  our  faith  in  three  most  glorious  Persons. 

Catitulum  B. 
This  is  thc  Title",  De  formutione  novem  graduum,  tribus  pratermissis,  non  per  ignorantiam,  sed  pro 
angustia  capituli  pretermiait.     But  the  Argument  is,  Fiat  lux  etfacta  est : — 

He  created  the  good  Angels,  Archangels,  and  the  Orders 
Of  Principalities0,  and  Thrones,  Powers  and  Virtues 


'  Meaning. — Dr.  John  Smith,  Minister  of  C'amp-  narum   íp  lie   1T1   Cirul  [this  is  the  Title].     lpi 

belton,  in  his  Life  oj'  St.  Columba  (Edinb.  1798),  ímoppo  in  apgamanic  [this,  however,  is  the  Ar- 

has  given  iu  his  Appendix  (p.  137)  a  very  loose  gument],  ut  dicitur  in  Danelio  [_sic\,  Ecce  videbam 

poetical  paraphrase  of  tbis  Hymn,  which,  however,  sedes  possita  et  vetustus  dierum  sedebat  super  scdem 

throws  no  light  on  its  philological  diffictilties,  and  suam." 

can  scarcely  be  called  a  translation.  '  Fouudation. —  Crepido   may    signify  '  founda- 

k  The  Title — Colgan  has  abridged  the  Scholium  tion;'  and  therefore  absque  crepidine,  '  without  anv- 

thus:   "Titulusest;  De  Vnitate  et  Trinitate  perso-  thing  to  stand  on,'    'self-dependent.'      See   note, 

narum.      Argumentum  veró   ex   illo  Danielis   vel  p.  206.     But  perhaps  it  mav  also  signifv  '  breach,' 

Isaise  :   Vetustus  dierum  sedebat  super  sedem  sua?n,"  'interval,'   'fissure.'      See  Du  Cange,  invoc,    and 

See  note,  p.  206,  supra.     The  Leabhar  Breacc  has,  compare  the  use  of  the  word  crebrare,  lineÓ2  (p.  215, 

"  De  unitate  et  Trinitate  Dietatis  [sic]  trium  perso-  supra,  aud  Lote). 

2  H 


234 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Prosator."  [Notec. 


That  the  Goodness  and  Majesty  of  the  Trinitv  might  not  be  inactiveP  10 

In  all  functions  of  bountifulness, 

But  raight  have  something  whereby  to  show  forth 

Celestial  privilegesí  largely  in  all  possible  expression. 

Capitulom  C. 

De  transmigratione'  novem  graduum  principis,  this  is  the  Title.  But  it  is  from  the  Apocalypse  the 
Argument  is  taken,  i  e.  Vidi  Stellam  de  celo  cccidisse  in  terram  :  et  in  Esaia,  Quomodo  cecidisti  Lucifer, 
qui  mane  orieharis. 

From  the  summit  of  the  Uingdom  of  heaven,  of  angelic  rank, 

From  the  brightness  of  effulgence,  from  the  loveliness  of  beauty,  15 

Lucifer,  whom  God  had  made,  fell  by  being  proud, 

And  the  apostate  angels,  with  the  same  mournful  fall 

Of  the  author  of  vain-glory,  and  of  obstinate  envy ; 

The  rest  remaining  in  their  Principalities. 


m  We  preach. — "  Depromimus,"  weput  forward,' 
'  we  propound,'  or  '  teach. ' 

11  T/iis  is  the  Title. — Colgan  gives  the  Scholium 
thus :  "  Tit.  De  formatione  novem  graduum  Ange- 
lorum,  tribus  prsetermissis :  non  per  ignorantiam, 
sed  per  augustiam  capituli  praitermissis.  Argu- 
mentum  ex  illo,  Fiat  lux  etfacta  est."  The  Scho- 
lium  in  the  Leahhar  Breacc  is  as  follows:  "  De 
formatione  .ix.  graduum,  tribus  prsetermissis,  ípe 
ín  cicul  [this  is  the  Title].  lpi  mioppo  in 
apgamamc  [this,  however,  is  tbe  Argument], 
Quod  in  Genesi  dicitur,  Fiat  lux  etfacta  est  lux." 

°  Principalitie.s. — The  readingof  C,  "Archange- 
los  et  ordines,"  has  been  adopted  in  the  translatiou. 
See  p.  207,  note.  See  Col.  i.  16:  "  Sive  throni, 
sive  dominationes,  sive  principatus,  sive  potestates." 

Vulg.     Our  author  uses  sedes  for  throni,  for  the 

sake  of  his  metre.    See  note,  p.  207,  supra. 

p  Lnactive. — "  Uti  non  esset  bonitas  otiosa." 
These  words  occur  in  the  Treatise,  De  Ecclesiasticis 
Dogmatibus,  which  is  attiibuted  to  Gennadius  of 
Marseilles  (Ceillier,  Hist.  des  Auteurs  Eccl.  xv.  475), 
and  which  has  also  been  published  in  the  works  of 
St.  Augustine  (Ed.  Bened.  viii.  App.  p.  75),  and  of 
Isidore  of  Seville(Zír/.  Romte,  1803,  tom.  vii.  App. 
No.  13).  The  words  of  this  Treatise,  which  our 
author  evidently  borrowed,  are  as  follows: — "  In 
principio  creavit  Deus  ccelum  et  terram,  et  aquam 


ex  nihilo.  Et  quum  adhuc  tenebrse  ipsam  aquam 
occultarent,  et  aqua  terram  absconderet,  facti  sunt 
angeli,  et  omnes  coelestes  virtutes,  ut  non  esset 
otiosa  Dei  honitas,  sed  haberet,  in  quibus  ante 
spatia  bonitatem  suam  ostenderet,"  &c.  —  c.  10. 
On  the  author  and  antiquity  of  the  book,  De 
Eccl.  Dogmatihus,  see  the  Lsidoriana,  tom.  ii.  of 
the  Works  of  S.  Isidore  (supr.  cií.),  p.  31,  cap.  83, 
n.  10,  sq. 

1  Privileges.  —  The  reading  Privilegia  is  here 
adopted,  for  tbe  reason  assigned  in  the  note  on 
line  12,  p.  208.  It  has  been  found  impossible  to 
make  the  lines  of  the  translation  coincide  with 
those  of  the  original,  and  there  seemed  no  object 
iu  attempting  to  be  so  rigidlv  literal. 

r  De  transmigratione Colgan  reads:  "Tit.  De 

translatione  novem  graduum  principis.  Argumentum 
ex  illo  Apocalipsis,  Vidi  stellam  de  calo  cecidisse. 
Et  ex  Isaia.  Quomodo  cecidisti  Lucifer,  qui  mane 
oriebaris."  TheScholium  in  tlie  Leahhar  Breacc  is, 
"  De  transmigratione  .ix.  graduum  angelorum,  vel 
de  peccato  Adae,  ípe  m  cicul  [this  is  the  Title]. 
lpi  ímoppo  m  apgumamc  [this,  however,  is  the 
Argument],  quod  dicitur  in  Apocalipsi,  Vidi  Stel- 
lam  cecidisse  in  terram.  Et  in  Essia  dicitur,  Quo- 
modo  Lncifer  cecidisti  mane  oriebaris.,'  The  pas- 
sages  of  Scripture  quoted  are  Apoc.  ix.  1,  and  Is. 
xiv.  12.     See  the  notes  on  this  Capitulum,  p.  208. 


NOTE  C.] 


Translation  of  the  Hymn,  <fyc 


*3S 


Capitulum  D. 

De  ruina?  Diaboli,  is  the  Title :  i.  e.  De  mutatione  nominis  Luciferi  in  Draconem.  And  this  is  the 
Argument,  ut  est  in  Apocalypsi,  Ecce  Draco  Rufus  habens  capita  septem,  et  cornua  decem,  et  cauda  ejits 
traxit  secum  tertiam  partem  siderum  vel  stellarum  [Apoc.  xii.  3]. 

The  Dragon,  great,  most  foul,  terrible  and  old,  20 

Who  was  the  shppery  serpent,  more  wise 

Than  all  the  beasts  and  fiercer'  animals  of  the  earth, 

Drew  with  him  the  third  part  of  the  stars, 

Into  the  pit  of  infernal  places,  and  of  diverse  prisons, 

Desertersu  of  the  true  Light,  cast  headlongv  by  the  parasite.  25 

Capitulum  E. 

De  creatione  elementorum  mundi  et  hominis  regentis  ea  postea  more,  is  the  Titlew.  And  this  is  the  Ar- 
gument:  In  principio  fecit  Deus  celum  et  terram,  ut  in  Genesi  dicitur  [Gen.  i.  1]. 

The  Most  High*  in  His  foresight  had  made  the  structure  and  harmony  of  the  world, 

The  Heavens  and  the  Earth,  founded  the  sea  and  waters, 

The  buds  also  of  grasses,  the  twigs  of  shrubs, 

The  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  the  fire  and  necessary  things, 

Birds,  fishes,  and  cattle,  beasts,  and  animals.  30 

Lastlv,  the  first-createdí  man,  to  rule  with  pre-eminence. 


8  De  ruina. — Colgan  gives  the  Scholium  thus : 
"  Tit.  De  ruina  Diaboli.  Argumen.  vt  est  in  Apoca- 
lypsi,  Ecce  Draco  magnus,  rufus,  habens  capita 
septem  et  cornua  decem:  et  cauda  ejus  traxit  tertiam 
partem  syderum  seu  síe/Zariím."  The  Scholium  in 
B.  is,  "De  ruina  diabuli  vel  de  motatione  [sic~]  no- 
minis  Luciferi  in  Draconem,  Ece  [síe]  Draco  ru- 
phus  habens  .vii.  capita  et  .x.  cornua,  etcauda  ejus 
traxit  tertiam  partem." 

1  Fiercer. — B.  and  C.  read  ferocioribus,  which  is 
followed  in  the  translation. 

u  Deserters. — The  reading  of  B.  is  here  adopted, 
refugas,  the  acc.  pl.  of  refuga,  in  apposition  with 
tertiam  partem  (line  23)  : — "  He  drew  with  him  the 
third  part,  &c,  who  were  deserters,  &c." 

'  Cast  headlong The  Editor  is  by  no  means  sure 

that  he  has  translated  this  passage  rightlv :  he  has 
left  the  word  parasite  untranslated,  because  he  knows 
not  how  to  render  it  consistently  with  the  Gloss  (see 
p.  209,  supra,  note  on  1.  25).    Heis  verv  much  dis- 


posed  to  adopt  the  coujecturalreadingparaa*iso,  and 
to  translate,  "  cast  down  from  paradise."  Or  per- 
haps  the  meaning  may  be,  "  cast  down  from  being 
(in  a  goodsense)  a  parasite,"  i.e.  a  servant  entitled 
to  sit  at  his  master's  table. 

"  The  Title.  —  C.  omits  mundi.  For  "  postea 
more,"  C.  reads  "postea  more  regis;"  and  B.,  "ea 
more  regis,"  omitting  "postea."  The  insertion  of 
regis  is  necessary  to  the  sense.  In  C.  and  B.  the 
words,  "  ut  in  Genesi  dicitur,"  are  before,  not  after, 
the  quotation. 

x  Most  Iligh. — The  Latin  is  ExceJsus,  but  the 
Gloss  in  the  Leabhar  Breacc  is,  ".i.  Deus  .i.  quasi 
valde  excelsus."  The  construction  evidently  is, 
"Excelsus  [Deus]  prasvidens  fecerat" — the  Most 
High  in  His  Provideuce,  &c. 

>  First  created. — So  protoplastum  is  evidentlv  to 
be  understood.  The  animals  were  brought  to  Adam 
to  be  named,  as  a  symbol  of  his  pre-eminence  and  su- 
periorit)'.   See  the  note  on  Prasagmine,  p.  2 10, supra. 


2  H2 


236 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Coltnnba,  " Altus  Prosator."         [Notec. 


Capitulum  F. 

This  is  the  Title*,  De  Laude  Dei  ab  angelis  in  rjuartaferia  dicentes*,  Sanctus,  Sanctus,  Sanctus,  Domi- 
nus,  Deus  Sabaoth.  This  is  the  Argument,  Quando  feci  celum  et  terram,  collaudaverunt  me  angeti,  ut  in 
Sapientia  Salomonisb  dicitur. 

The  stars,  the  luminaries  of  the  ether,  being  made  together 

With  wondrous  structurec ;  the  angels  joined  in  praising 

The  Lord  of  the  immense  mass,  the  Architect  of  the  heavenlv  bodies, 

With  glorious,  meet,  and  unceasing'1  praise,  35 

And  with  noble  concent  gave  thanks  to  the  Lord, 

In  love  and  free  will,  not  from  endowment  of  naturee. 

Capitulum  G. 

De  peccato  Adce,  et  de  secunda  ruina  Diabuli  in  seductione  Ada,  is  the  Titlef.  This  is  the  Argument, 
Matedictvs  eris  serpens,  terram  comederis  omnibus  diebus  vitm,  ut  in  Genesi  dicitur  [Gen.  iii.  14]. 

Our  first  two  parents  having  been  assailed  and  seduced, 

The  Devil  falls  a  second  times,  with  his  satellites, 

(That,  by  the  horror  of  whose  countenances,  and  their  noise  as  they  flv,  40 

Frail  men  terrified  by  fear  might  be  affrighted, 

Uuable  with  bodily  sight  to  look  on  these  things), 

Whoh  are  now  bound  with  the  ties'  and  bonds  of  their  prison-houses. 


z  Title. — See  the  note,  pp.  210,  211. 

*  Dicentes. — It  is  so  also  in  B. ;  Colgau  has  cor- 
rected  it  into  dicentibus. 

h  Sapientia  Salamonis.  —  See  the  note,  p.  211, 
supra.  Both  B.  and  C.  put  the  clause  "  ut  in  Sa- 
pieutia  Solomonis  dicitur"  before,  not  after,  the 
quotation,  "  Quando  feci  celum,"  &c.  It  is  re- 
markable  that  S.  Gregory  Nazianzen  (Orat.  xix. 
tom.  i.  p.  373,  Ed.  Bened.j  quotes  a  passage  from 
Job  as  the  words  of  Solomon  (ró  2oXo/iwi>roc), 
wliich  the  Benedictine  editors  suppose  to  be  a 
mistake:  "  Lapsus  memoriá  hic  videtur  Gregorius" 
(they  say)  "dum  Salomoni  tribuit  verba  qute  in 
libro  Job  occurrunt ;"  but  others  see  in  this  a  con- 
firmation  of  the  opinion  tliat  Soloinon  was  the  author 
or  translator  of  the  Book  of  Job. — llardouin,  Chro- 
nol.  Vet.  Test.  (Opp.  Select.,  fol.  Amstel.  1709,  p. 
533).  The  editor  is  nut  aware  of  any  other  instauce 
of  the  Book  of  Job  being  cited  under  the  name  of 
Sapientia  Salomonis. 


c  Wondrous  structure. — "  Factis  factura  prasmi- 
rabili,"  seems  to  bc  the  connexion. 

d  Unceasing . — This  seems  to  be  the  meaning  of 
*immobite :  immovable  praise  is  uuceasing,  ever- 
lastiug  praise. 

"  Necessitg  of  nature "  Donario,"  gift  or  en- 

dowment  of  nature.  Their  praise  was  tlie  result  of 
love  and  free  will,  not  arising  from  any  natural  or- 
ganization  or  necessity.     See  the  Gloss,  p.  210. 

f  T/ie  Title C.  has  only,  "  Tit.  De  peccato  Adae, 

Argum.,  ut  in  Genesi  dicitur,  Matedicta  serpens  com- 
edes,  tenam  omnibus  diebus  vita:  tuce."  B.  gives 
the  Scholium  thus  :  "lpe  in  cicul  [this  is  the 
Title],  De  peccato  Ad;e.  1]'  lu  ínb  apgumanr: 
[this  is  the  Argument],  quod  in  Genesi  dicitur  Ma- 
ledictus  esse  [sic]  serpens."     See  Gen.  iii.  14. 

s  A  second  time. — See  note,  p   211. 

11  IFho. — i.  e.  the  Devil  and  his  satellites. 

1  Ties. —  "  Fascis"  seems  here  used  in  the  sense  of 
fascia,  a  tie  or  ligature. 


NoTE  C.] 


Translation  of  the  Hymn,  §c. 


m 


Capitulum  H. 
De  ejeclione  Diabuli  ex  unitate  angelorum,  is  the  TitleJ.      But  this  is  the  Argument,  what  is  said  in 
Genesis,  Maledicte  serpens.    Aud  in  the  Gospel  is  said,   Vade  retro  Satanas  [Mat.  iii.  10],  et  non  temptabis 
Dominum  Deum  tuum  et  illi  soli  servies  [Mat.  iii.  7]. 

He,  talten  from  the  midstk,  is  cast  down  by  the  Lord, 

And  the  space1  of  the  air  is  thickly  filled  45 

With  the  turbid  crowd  of  his  rebellious  satellites 

Invisible, — lest  men  infected  by  their  evil  examples  aud  crimes, 

No  screens  or  walls  ever  hiding  them, 

Should  openly  commit  fornication™  before  the  eyes  of  all. 

Capitulum  I. 
De  eo  quod  vehunt  nubes  aquas  ad  celum,  this  is  the  Title".    And  this  is  the  Argument,  as  David  savs, 
Educens  nubes  ab  e.vtremo  terra: ;  and  elsewhere  he  says,  Qui  producit  ventos  de.  thesauris  suis. 

The  clouds  carry  the  wintry  floods  from  the  springs,  50 

From  the  three"  deeper  regions  of  the  ocean  sea, 

To  the  climates  of  heaven,  in  azure  whirlwinds ; 

[Floodsi']  which  are  to  become  profitable  to  the  crops,  vineyards,  and  buds, 

[The  clouds]  being  driven  by  the  winds  issuing  from  their  treasure-houses, 

And  whichi  emptv  in  turns  the  pools  of  the  sea.  55 


J  Title. — C.  gives  "the  Argument"  thus:  "Ar- 
gum.  vt  in  Genesi  dicitur;  Maledicta  [sic]  serpens 
comedes  terram  omnibus  diebus,  Sfc.  Et  vt  in  Evan- 
gelio ;  T~ade  retro  sathana,  Sfc" 

k  The  midst. — i.e.  from  the  midst  of  the  an- 
gels,  or  of  heaven.  The  Gloss  in  13.  explains  it, 
"  .i.  a  conspectu  Dei,  vel  unitate." 

1  And  the  space. — "Cujus"  is  paraphrased,  and 
his,  as  best  expressing  the  meaning.  See  the  note, 
p.  212. 

m  Fornication. — The  Gloss  explains  that  forni- 
carentur  here  signifies  "  perdirentur" — lest  men 
should  destroy  themselves  after  the  example  of  the 
devils;  or  that  fornication  is  put  for  all  sin — "  pro 
omni  peccato  fornicatio  ponitur." 

n  Title — C.  reads,  "  De  eis  qui  vehunt  aquas  ad 
celum ;"  and  for  "  et  alibi  dicit"  C.  has  "  et  vt  idem 
alibi  dicit."  The  words  quoted,  however,  occur  in 
the  same  passage,  Ps.  cxxxiv.  7,  Vulg. 

"  The  three. — It  does  not  appear  why  our  au- 
thor  speaks  of  "  three"  dodrantes  of  the  sea;  even 


though  that  word  be  used  in  the  general  sense  of  a 
region  or  division  of  the  ocean,  which  the  Editor 
has  assumed  to  be  its  meaning  here,  in  order  to 
escape  the  difficulty  of  a  literal  translation.  See  the 
note,  p.  213.  He  has  also  taken  "occiani"  as  in 
apposition  with  "maris;"  or  perhaps  we  might 
translate,  "  the  sea  of  ocean." 

p  [Floods.] — The  word  "profuturas"  must  agree 
with  "pontias,"  and  "agitatte"  with  "nubes."  To 
express  this  in  English  it  was  necessary  to  repeat 
the  words  floods  and  clouds  here  given  within 
brackets. 

1  And  which. — The  Gloss  tells  us  that  "  quique" 
refers  to  "  venti."  If  so,  the  antecedent  "  flamini- 
bus"  would  have  required  "quaque;"  and  as  this 
would  be  as  consistent  with  the  metre  as  "  quique." 
it  is  strange  that  our  author  should  Iiave  adopted 
the  latter,  if  he  had  meant  flaminibus  to  be  the  an- 
tecedent.  It  seems  to  the  Editor  more  probable 
that  the  reference  is  to  the  word  "  fontibus"  (line  50), 
as  "nubes"  and  "pontias"  in  the  sameline  were  just 


238 


T/ie  Hymn  of  St.  Colu.:iba,  "  Altus  Prosator."        •  [note  c. 


Catitulum  K. 

De  intolerabili  poena  peccatorum,  is  the  Titler.     This  is  the  Argument,  quod  Job  dicit,  Ecce  Gigantes 
gemunt  sub  aquis  [Job,  xxvi.  5]. 

The  tottering  and  tyrannieal  and  temporarv  present  glory 

Of  the  world  and  of  kiugs,  set  asides  by  the  will  of  God, 

Lo  !  the  giants  are  justlv  doomed'  to  groan  under  waters 

With  great  torment ;  to  be  bumt  up  with  fire  and  punishment, 

And  smothered  with  the  swelling  Charybdis'su  of  Cocytus,  60 

Overwhelmed  with  Scvlla's,  are  dashed  to  pieces  with  waves  and  rocks*. 

Capituixm  L. 
The  Title"  is,  De  moderatione  pluvim  venientis  ex  ligutis  aquis  nubibus  ne  pariter  fluant .     And  this  is 
the  Argument,  quod  Job  dicit,  Qui  suspendit  aquas  in  nubibus  ne  pariter  fluant  deorsum  [Job,  xxvi.  8]. 

The  Lord  drops  down  continuallv  the  waters  bound  up  in  the  clouds, 

Lest  they  should  break  forth  all  at  once,  bursting  their  barriers, 

From  whose*  very  fertilizing  streams,  gradually  flowing, 

As  from  udders,  through  the  regions  of  this  earth,  65 

Cold  and  warm^  at  different  seasons, 

The  never-failing  rivers  are  constantly  flowing  in. 


before  disposed  of.  Thus  the  first  three  lines  of  this 
stanza  are  a  statement  of  the  author's  notion  of  the 
natural  phenomenon  of  rain.  The  clouds  carry  up 
to  heaven,  from  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep,  the 
waters — whose  uses  he  then  proceeds  in  the  next 
three  lines  to  explain :  they  are  carried  up,  in  order 
that  they  may  become  profitable  to  the  crops  and 
vegetation  of  the  earth ;  the  clouds  are  driven  and 
carried  about  by  the  winds ;  and  the  springs  or  foun- 
tainsofthe  ocean,  being  thus  alternately  exhausted 
and  replenished,  produce  the  reciprocal  flux  and  re- 
flux  of  the  tides.  If  this  interpretation  be  correct, 
we  have  here  a  curious  ancient  philosophical  theory 
of  the  cause  of  the  tides. 

r  Title. — Colgan  gives  the  Scholium  thus:  "  Tit. 
De  intolerabili  poena  peccatorum  infinita.  Argu- 
mentum  vt  in  Libro  Job  dicitur,  Ecce  Gigantes  ge- 
munt  sub  aquis." 

Set  aside. — i.  e.   their    glory  being  set   aside, 
"  Gloria  nutu  Dei  deposita." 

'  Justhj  doomed. — "  Comprobantur,"  lit.  are  ap- 
proved :    that  is,    it  is   evident  to  all  that  their 


doom  is  just.  The  meaning  seems  to  be,  that  the 
antediluvian  giants,  who  were  supposed  to  be  kings, 
havinghad  their  temporal  worldly  glorv  put  an  end 
to  by  the  just  judgment  of  God,  were  cast  into  hell. 

u  Chari/bdis's. —  It  is  necessary  to  retain  the 
words,  Charybdis,  Cocytus,  and  Scvlla,  because  they 
seem  to  have  been  intentionallv  used  by  our  author 
as  mythologically  counected  with  the  punishment  of 
the  giants  in  hell. 

'  Rocks. — "  Scropibus,"  apparently  for  scrupis, 
rough  or  sharp  stones. 

w  The  Title. — Colgan  gives  the  Scholium  thus : 
"De  moderatione  pluviaj  veheruentis.  Argumen- 
tum,  vt  in  libro  Iob  dicitur,  Qui  suspendit  aquas  in 
nubibus,  ne  pariter  fluant." 

x  From  whose. — i.  e.  of  the  waters,  for  quarum 
can  only  refer  to  aquas.  The  waters  bound  up  in 
the  clouds  are,  as  it  were,  the  breasts,  or  udders, 
from  which  the  rivers  of  the  earth  are  supplied. 

y    Cold  and  warm i.  e.  from  whose  fertilizing 

streams,  which  are  cold  and  warm  at  different 
seasons. 


NOTE  C.  ] 


Translation  of  the  Hymn,  §c. 


239 


Capitulum  M. 
De  fundamento  terra:  et  de  abisso,  this  is  the  Title*.     And  this  is  the  Argument,  quod  Job  dicit,  Qui 
suspendit  terram  [super  nihilum].     Et  alibi  dicit,  Moles  mundi  virtute  Dei  continetur.     Et  in  Psalmo, 
Qui  fundasti  terram  super  stabilitatem  suam. 

By  the  Divine  powers  of  the  great  God  are  sustained 

The  globe  of  Earth,  and  the  establisheda  circle  of  the  great  abyss. 

The  strong  handb  of  the  omnipotent  God  70 

Supporting  on  columns,  as  on  beams  sustaining  the  samec  ; 

The  promontories  and  rocks,  on  solid  foundationsd, 

Immovable  as  on  certain  strengthened  bases. 

Capitulum  N. 
De  inferno  in  imis  posito  in  corde  terra:  et  penis  ejus  et  loco,  this  is  the  Titlee.     And  this  is  the  Argu- 
ment,  Eruisti  animam  tneam   ex  inferno  [inferiori.     Ut  in  Evang]elio  dicitur.      Sepultus  est  dives  in 
inferno.     Et  alibi  Ite  Maledicti  in  eternum  ianem.     Et  alibi  Vermis  eorum  non  moritur,  et  ignis  eius  non 
exting[uitur\. 

To  no  man  seemeth  it  doubtful  that  Hell  is  in  the  lowest  places, 

Where  are  darlmess,  worms,  and  dreadful  beasts,  75 

Where  is  sulphureous  fire  blazing  with  consuming  flames, 

Where  are  the  groans  of  men,  weeping,  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

Where  is  the  terrible  and  ancientf  wail  of  Gehenna. 

Where  is  the  fiery  horrid  burning  of  thirst  and  huuger. 

Capitulum  O. 
TheTitleS  is,  Ofthe  inhabitants  of  Hell,  whofrom  very  shame  bow  down  inthe  name  ofthe  Lord.    The 


'  Tlie  Title. — The  Scholium,  as  given  by  Colgan, 
is  as  follows :  "  Tit.  De  fundamento  terra;,  et  de 
abvsso.  Argumen.  vt  in  Libro  Iob :  Qui  suspendit 
terram  suprá  nihilum.  Et  vt  in  eodem  alibi,  Mules 
mundi  virtute  Dei  continentur.  Et  vt  in  Psalmo, 
Fundasti  terram  super  stabilitatem  suam."  The 
passages  quoted  are  Job,  xxvi.  7,  and  Ps.  ciii.  5. 
The  second  passage  is  quoted  as  from  the  Book  of 
Job.  The  reader  will  observe  the  Irish  orthography 
"  abiso"  for  abgsso,  and  "  molis"  for  moles. 

a  Established. —  "  Inditus,"  appoiuted,  fixed, 
settled. 

b  Strong  hand. — See  notes,  p.  2 1 6,  above.  Suf- 
fulta  seems  to  be  used  here  in  an  active  sense — 
"  supporting." 

e  The  same. — Scil.  the  globe  of  earth. 


d  On  solid  foundations. — i.  e.  resting  on  solid 
foundations ;  an  ablative  absolute. 

e  Title. — The  words  and  parts  of  words  supplied 
in  brackets  are  obscure  in  the  MS.  Colgan  gives 
the  Scholium  thus :  "Tit.  De  inferno  in  imis  po- 
sito  in  corde  teme,  et  poenis  ejus,  ac  loco.  Argu- 
mentum  vt  in  Psalmo:  Et  eruisti  animam  meam  ex 
inferno  inferiori.  Et  in  Evangelio :  Sepultus  est  in 
Inferno.  Et  alibi ;  Ite  Maledicti  in  ignem  aternum." 
The  passages  of  Scripture  referred  to  are,  Ps.  lxxxv. 
13  ;  Luc.  xvi.  22  ;  Matt.  xxv.  41  ;  Marc.  ix.  48. 

f  Ancient. — Or  perhaps  antiquus  may  be  used  in 
the  sense  of  perpetual,  usual,  constant. 

e  Title. — This  and  the  seven  following  stanzas 
are  supplied  from  Colgan,  a  leaf  being  lost  in  the 
Dublin  MS.     See  above,  p.  217,  and  Note  D. 


240 


The  ITymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Prosator."  [Xotec. 


Argument,  as  in  the  Apoealypse  [read  in  tbe  Apostle(Phil.  ii.  9)],  Donavit  illi  nomen,  quod  est  super 
onme  nomen,  Sfc.     And  as  in  the  same  [Apoc.  v.  1],  Vidi  librum  in  dextra  sedeniis  super  thronum,  &fc. 

Below  the  earth'1,  as  we  read,  ive  know  there  are  dwellers  80 

Whose  knee  in  praver'  oft  bendeth  to  the  Lord, 
To  whom  it  is  impossible  to  unroll  the  book  written, 

And  sealed)  with  [seven]  seals, 

Which  Hek  had  opened,  and  so  became  victorious, 

Fulíilling  the  prophesied  pre-eminence1  of  His  adveut.  85 

Capitulum  P. 
The  Title  is,  De  Paradiso  Ada,  id  est,  loco  deliciarum.    The  Argument,  as  is  said  in  Genesis,  Planta- 
verat  Paradisum  volupta\tis~\  a  principio  [Gen.  ii.  8].     And  in  the  Apocalvpse  [ii.  7],  Dabo  ei  manducare 
de  ligno  quinto  [leg.  vitee],  quod  est  in  Paradiso  Dei  mei.     Aiui  again  [xxii.  2],  Ex  utraque  parte  flumi- 
nis  lignum  vitce,  afferens  duodecim  fructus  per  singulos  menses,  etfolia  ligni  in  curationem  gentium. 

Tbat  Paradise  was  planted  by  the  Lord  from  the  beginning, 

We  read  in  the  most  noble  beginning  of  Genesis, 

From  whose  fountain  four  rivers  are  flowing, 

And  in  whose  flowery  midst  is  placed'"  the  tree  of  life, 

Whose  leaves  bringing  health  to  the  Gentiles  do  not  fall,  90 

Whose  joysn  are  unspeakable  and  abundant. 

Capitulum  Q. 
The  Title0  is,  De  ascensione  Moysis  ad  Dominum  in  monte  Sinai;  as  is  said  in  the  Law,  Moyses  ascen- 
dit,  et  descendit  gloria  ejus  super  montem  Sinai  [Exod.  xxiv.  15,  16].      Or  the  more  correct  Title  is,  De 


h  Below  the  earth. —  This  seems  founded  on 
Apoc.  v.  3:  "No  man  in  heaven,  or  in  earth,  or 
under  the  earth,  could  open  the  book ;"  and  cf.  v. 
13;  also  Phil.  ii.  10.  Iu  the  title  they  are  spoken 
of  as  the  "incola?  inferni  qui  vel  rubore  flectuut  in 
nomine  Doinini." 

'  In  prayer. — This  word  seems  here  to  be  an 
adverb;  "  precario  fleetit,"  bends  praverwise,  or  in 
praver. 

J  Sealed. — Colgan  gives  this  line  imperfectly 
thus  : — 

"Ob  signatum  signaculis  ....  monitis;" 
the  intermediate  words  having  doubtless  been  illegi- 
ble  in  tbe  MS.     Perhaps  the  hiatus  may  be  thus 
supplied: 

"Obsignatum  signaculis  septem  licet  pramonitis." 

•'  Although  having  hccn  forewarnetl  and  called  upon  to 
do  so."— Apoc.  v.  2. 

k  Which  He. — "  Idem"  seems  to   refer  to  Do- 


mino,  ver.  81.  But  the  construction  is  obscure,  and 
the  text  probably  corrupt — "  Which  [book]  He  the 
same  Lord  had  opened,  by  wbich  [book]  He  had 
become  Conqueror" — Victor,  alluding  to  Apoc.  v.  5 : 
"  Ecce  vicit  Leo  de  tribu  Juda,"  &c. 

1  Pre-eminence. — "  Praisagmina."  See  p.  209, 
snpra,  and  note,  p.  210;  also  Add.  Note  B,  p.  23. 
But  it  is  probable  that  "prasagmen"  is  here  used 
in  tbe  sense  of  prophecv :  "fulfllling  the  propheti- 
cal  predictions  of  His  coming." 

m  Is  placed. — "Cujus  et  tua"  in  Colgan's  text, 
which  makes  no  sense,  is  corrected  in  his  errata  to 
"cujus  et  situm,"  and  the  line  has  been  translated 
accordinglv. 

n  JHwse  joys. — For  "cujus  inenarrabiles"  in  the 
original  of  this  line,  as  given  by  Colgan,  perhaps 
we  should  read  "  cujus  sunt  innarrabiles." 

0  Title. — The  second  version  of  the  Title  and  Ar- 
gument  hcre  given  is  a  proof  of  the  antiquitv  of  the 


note  c.]  Translation  of  the  Hymn,  §c.  24 1 

mirabilibus  glorim  adventus  Domini  in  montem.     But  the  Argument  is,  Facta  sunt  tonitrua,  et  roces,  et 
fulgura,  et  terrat  motus  [Apoc.  xvi.  18]. 

Who  hath  ascended  to  Sinai,  the  appointedP  mountain  of  the  Lord  ? 

Who  hath  heard  the  thunders  beyond  measure  resounding  ? 

Who  the  clang  of  the  enormous  trumpeti  roaring  ? 

Who  hath  seen  also  the  lightnings  flashing  around  ?  95 

Who  the  lamps'  and  darts  and  falling  rocks? 

Who  but  Moses  the  judge  of  the  people  of  Israel  ? 

Capitulum  R. 
The  Title  is,  De  Die  judicii,  et  nominibus  ejus.     The  Argument,  what  Zephaniah  savs,  Juxta  est  dies 
Domini  magnus  et  velox  nimis,  Sfc.  [Zeph.  i.  14-16]. 

The  day  of  the  Lord,  of  the  King  of  Kings  most  righteous,  is  at  hand  : 

A  day  of  wrath  and  vengeance,  of  darkness  and  cloud ; 

And  a  day  of  wonderful  strong  thunders  ;  100 

A  day  of  trouble  also,  of  grief  and  sadness ; 

In  which  shall  cease  the  love  and  desire  of  women, 

And  the  strife  of  men,  and  the  lust  of  this  world. 

Capitulcm  S. 
The  Title  is,  De  tremebunda  pra-sentia  Dei,  in  die  judicii.    The  Argument,  as  in  the  second  Epistle  to 
the  Corinthians  [v.  10],  Oportet  nos  omnes  stare  ante  Tribunal  Christi,  fyc.    And  as  is  said  in  the  Gospel, 
Filius  hominis  venturus  est  in  gloria  sua,  tunc  reddet  unicuique  secundum  opera  sua  [Matt.  xvi.  27]. 

We  sliall  be  standing  trembling  before  the  judgment-seat  of  the  Lord ; 

And  we  shall  give  an  account  of  all  our  deeds;  105 

Beholding  also  our  crimes  laid  open  before  our  sight, 

And  the  books  of  conscience  opened  before  us, 

We  shall  break  forth  into  most  bitter  weeping  and  sobs, 

The  necessary  matter5  of  working  being  withdrawn. 

CaPITULUM  T. 

The  Title  is,  De  resurrcctione  prolis  Adat.  The  Argument,  as  in  the  Apocalvpse  [read  in  the  Apostle 
(1  Thes.  iv.  16)],  Ipse  Dominus  ut  injussu,  et  in  voce  Archangeli  in  tuba  descendet  de  coelo.  Andagain 
[Apoc.  x.  7],  In  diebus  vocis  septimi  angeli,  cum  cceperit  tuba  canere,  consummabitur  mysterium  Dei. 


Hymn,  showing  that  several  ancient  copies  of  it  ing.     See  p.  245,  infra. 

were  in  circulation  before  the  MS.  froni  which  Col-  r  The  lamps. — Alluding  to  Exod.  xx.  18. 

gan  edited  it  was  written.  s  The  necessart/  matter. — The   meaning  is  ob- 

f  Appointed. — "  Condictum."     So  Gen.  xvii.  14,  scure ;  the  author  probably  intended  to  say  that 

"  Juxta  condictum  revertar  ad  te."  there  shall  then  no  longer  be  any  power  of  doing 

1  Trumpet. — Lit.  "  the  clang  of  the  trumpet,"  or  good  or  evil :  and  so  no  place  for  rcpentance;  there 

''jthe  clang  of  tbe  enormity  of  the  trumpet."    Per-  being  no  longer  any  "  materia  operandi" — no  means 

strepere,  not  perstrepera,  is  probablv  the  true  read-  of  making  amends. 

21 


242  Tlie  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Altus  Prosator"  [Note  c. 

The  trumpet  of  the  first  Archangel  sounding  wondrous  things,  1 10 

The  strongest  cloisters,  and  cemeteries',  shall  hurst, 

The  melting  coldu  of  the  men  of  this  present  world, 

The  bones  gathering  together  from  all  sides  to  their  joints, 

The  ethereal  souls  meeting  the  same, 

And  returning  again  to  their  due  mansions.  1 15 

CaPITULUM  U. 
The  Title  is,  De  tribus  sideribus,  thronos  septem  significantibus.     The  Argument,  as  in  the  Book  of 
Job,    Quifecit  Oriona,  et  interiora  Austri  [Job,  ix.  9].     Numquid  Luciferum  et  Vesperum  in  tempora 
certa  constituisti  [Job,  xxxviii.  22]. 

[This  Capitulum  is  so  corrupt  in  Colgan's  Edition  of  the  Hymn,  that  the  Editor  does  not  venture 
to  attempt  a  translation.     See  Note  D.] 

CAPJTtl.UM  X. 
Tlie  Title  is,  De  diejudicii  et  prafulgente  ligno  crucis.     The  Argument,  as  in  the  Apocalvpse  [vi.  15, 
16],   Abscondent  se  in  speluncis  et  petris  montium;  et  tunc  dicent  montibus,  super  nos  cadite.     And  in 
the  Gospel  [Matt.  xxiv.  29],   Statim  post  turbationem  dierum  illorum  sol  obscurabitur,  et  luna  non  dabit 
lumen  suum,  et  stella:  cadent  de  caúo. 

Christ  the  Most  High  Lord  coming  down  from  Heaven, 

The  most  glorious  sign  and  banner  of  the  Cross  shall  shine, 

And  the  two  principal  luminaries  being  struck, 

The  stars  shall  fall  to  the  earth,  as  fruit  from  the  fig-tree,  125 

And  the  compass  of  the  world  shall  be  as  the  burning  of  a  furnace, 

Theu  shall  the  hosts  hide  themselves  in  the  caves  of  the  mountains. 

Capitulum  Y. 
De  Laude  Dei  \_Domini.  C.]  ab  angelis,  is  the  Title.     But  this  is  the  Argument,  wliat  is  said  in  the 
Apocalvpse  [iv.  4],  In  circuitu  throni  vidi  sedes,  xxiv.  seniores,  sedentes  in  veste  alba  et  capitibus  eorum 
corona  aurea  vidi. 

By  the  chaunting  of  hymns  continually  resounding 

Thousands  of  Angels  singing  in  holy  dancesv ;  130 


1  Cemeteries. — See  Du  Cange,  iu  v.,  Polgandrum,  Perhaps  we  should  read  "  hominem  ;"  and  translate, 

Polyandrium.  ''The  cold  of  this  present  world,  melting  [i.  e.  dis- 

u  The  cold. — This  liue  is  very  obscure,  and  the  solving  or  destroying]  man,  shall  burst  the  cloisters 

readings   probably  corrupt.     Is  the  word  frigora  and  cemeteries."     The  translation  given  above  is 

the  subject  or  object  of  erumpent  9     And  is  liques-  an  atlempt  to  render  literally  the  existing  text ;  it 

centia  a  participle? — if  so,  what  is  the  construction?  assumes/ri'<7ora  to  be  the  object  of  erumpent. 

"  Liquescentia"  occurs  in  Du  Cange  as  a  substan-  '  Dances. — "  Tropodiis,"  perhaps  for  tripudiis,  as 

tive,  in  the  sense  of  "  apparentia,  vel  defectus,  vel  in  C, — a  word  which  is  used  in  the  Vulg.,  Esth.  viii. 

liquiditas."    But  this  gives  no  very  good  sense.  16,  to  denote  "dances"as  a  manifestation  of  joy, 


note  c.]  Translation  of  the  Hi/mn,  Ófc.  243 

And  the  four  Animals  full  of  eyes, 

^Vith  the  four-and-t«*enty  blessed  elders, 

Casting  their  crowns  under  the  feet  of  the  Lamb  of  God, 

The  Trinitv  is  praised,  with  three  eternal  repetitionsw. 

Capituluji  Z. 
De  ustione  impiorum  nolentes  [sic]  Christum  credere,  et  de  gaudio  justorum,  is  the  Title.     But  this  is  tlie 
Argument,  what  is  said  in  the  Apocalvpse  [read  "in  the  Apostle"],  Terribilis  ignis  consumet  adversa- 
rios  [Hebr.  x.  27].    And  elsewhere  the  Apostle"  says  Mansiones  multa:  sunt  apud  Patrem  ;  and  Christ 
says,  In  domu  Patris  mei  multce  mansiones  sunt  [John,  xiv.  3]. 

The  furious  indignation  of  fire  shall  devour  the  adversaries,  135 

Who  refuse  to  believe  that  Christ  is  come  frora  God  the  Father, 

But  we  shall  flyr  forthwith  to  meet  Him, 

And  so  shall  we  be  with  Him  in  various  orders  of  dignities 

According  to  the  perpetual  merits  of  our  rewards, 

To  remain  in  glory,  for  ever  and  ever*.  140 


At  the  end  of  the  Hymn  are  two  Antiphons,  in  the  same  metre  as  the  Hynrn  itselí', 
and  probablj*  coeval  -witri  it,  or  nearly  so.  The  former  of  these,  as  the  Preface  tells 
us,  is  to  be  sung,  in  reciting  the  Hymn,  after  each  Stanza  or  Capitulum ;  but  no  men- 
tion  is  made  of  the  second.  The  former  is  therefore  certainly  older  than  this  Preface  ; 
the  latter  probably  more  modern,  although  it  is  also  evidently  veiy  ancient. 

The  former  may  be  translated  thus  : — 

Wlio  can  please  God,  in  this  last  time? 
When  the  noted  marks  of  truth  are  changed, 
Except  the  despisers  of  this  present  world. 

The  second  Antiphon  is  an  express  invocation  of  the  Trinitv,  and  was  probably  in- 
tended  to  be  used  instead  of  the  former,  in  order  to  meet  the  objection  which  had  been 
madea,  that  the  author,  in  this  Hj*mn,  had  not  dwelt  sufficientlv  on  the  praises  of  the 
Trinity.     See  the  next  Hymn. 

"  gaudium,  honor,  et  tripudium."      Ternantibus  is  audierit  per  tantum  spatium,  quo  posset  dici  Pater 

rendered  "  singing."     See  Du  Cange,  in  voc,  who  noster." 

cites,  in  proof  of  this  signitication,   a  passage  from  "  Repetitions. — "  Vices,"  changes,  alluding  to  the 

the  Life  of  St.  Peter,  afterwards  Pope  Celestine  V.  "  Sanctus,  Sanctus,  Sanctus." — Apoc.  iv.  8. 

(Acta  SS.  tom.  iv.  Maii,  p.  423);  wherethe  word  is  s  The  Apostle. — See  above,  note,  p.  218. 

applied  tothe  singing  of  angels,  a  great  company  of  J  We  shallfiy. — This  seems  founded  on  1  Thess. 

whom  was  seen  by  the  Saint  in  vision :   "et  in  ore  iv.  13-17. 

cujusque  illorum  erant  rosae  rubere,  et  cum  illis  ro-  z  For  ever  and  ever The  reading  of  C.  is  here 

sis  vernabant  dilectabiliter  nimis ;  ita  quod  post-  adopted.     See  p.  219,  note. 

quam    excitatus    fuisset   a   somno,    cantum   illum  a  Made. — This  objection  is  stated  in  the  Preface 

2  12 


244  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "Altus  Prosator"  [Noted. 


This  secoud  Antiphon  may  be  thus  translated  : — 

God  the  Father,  unbegotten,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth, 

And  the  Son,  begotten  of  Him,  before  all  worlds, 

And  the  Holy  Ghost,  one,  true,  most  High  God, 

I  invoke  ;  that  He  may  give  most  ready  help, 

To  me  the  least  of  all  His  servants, 

Whom  the  Lord  hath  made  one  with  the  myriads  of  Angelsb. 


Note  D. 

The  Stanzas  missing  in  the  Dubliti  Copy  of  the  Liber  Hi/mnórum. 

The  following  are  the  Stanzas  wanting  in  the  Dublin  MS.  in  consequence  of  the  loss 
of  one  leaf,  as  already  mentioned,  p.  2 1 7,  note  on  line  79.  As  the  Editor  has  no  access 
to  any  other  copy  of  this  Hymn  except  that  printed  by  Colgan  in  the  Trias  Thauma- 
turga,  and  as  that  work  is  now  very  scarce,  he  has  thought  fit  to  preserve  tbe  missing 
stanzas  here,  although  Colgan's  text  is  full  of  inaccuracies  and  errors  of  the  press,  some 
of  which  will  be  corrected,  wherever  the  correction  is  obvious  and  certain;  and  some 
other  conjectural  emendations  will  be  suggested  in  the  notes  : — 

Tit.  De  incolis  infirmi,  qui  vel  rubore  flectunt  in  nomine  Domini.  Argumentumc  :  ut  in  Apocalipsi ; 
Donavit  illi  nornen,  qtcod  est  super  omne  nomen,  §"c.  Et  ut  in  eadem,  Tidi  librum  in  dextra  sedentis 
super  thronum,  $fc. 

Orbem  infra,  ut  legimus'1,  incolas  esse  novimus,  80 

Quoruni  genu  praecarioe  frequenter  flectit  Domino, 
Quibusque  impossibile  librum  scriptum  revolveref, 

Obsignatum?  signaculis rnonitis, 

Quem  idem  resignaverat,  per  quem  victor  extiterat, 

Explens  sui  proesagmina  adventus  prophetalia.  85 

Tit.  De  Paradiso  Ad*,  id  est,  loco  deliciarum.     ArtGUM.h  Ut  in  Genesi  dicitur  ;  Plantaverat  Paradi- 


(see  p.  222),  "  And  they  said   that  there  was  no  e  Prtecario. — See  above,  p.  240,  note. 

fault  in  the  Hymn,  except  the  scanty  praise  of  the  f  Revohere — The  Vulgate  has  "aperire  librum." 

Trinity  which  it  contained  per  se,"  &c.  Sabatier  does  not  mention  the  reading  revolrere, 

b  Angels. — Perhaps  alluding  to  Mark,  xii.  25.  which  seems  to  be  ancient,  from  its  agreement  witli 

1  Argumentum. — The  first  passage  here  quoted  as  the  original  roll  form  of  books. 

from  the  Apocalypse,  is  really  from  Phil.  ii.  9,  by  a  s  Obsignatum — See  the  conjectural  emendation 

mistake  that  often  occurs  of  "Apoc."  for  "Apostle."  of  this  line  alreadv  proposed,  note,  p.  240,  supra. 

The  second  is  from  Apoc.  v.  1.  h  Argumentum. — Colgan  gives  the  first  quotation 

d  Ut  legimvs. — Alluding   to   Phil.  ii.   10;  Apoc.  from  the  Apocalypse  thus :  "  Dabo  ei  manducare  de 

v.  3,  13.  ligno  quinto,"  which  is  an  obvious  error  of  tran- 


q; 


note  d.]  The  Stanzas  missing  in  the  Dublin  Copy.  245 

sum  vohiptatis  a  principio.  Et  in  Apocalipsi :  Dabo  ei  manducare  de  Hgno  quinto  [leg.  vitce"]  qnod  est  in 
paradiso  Dei  mei.  Et  alibi,  Ex  utraque  parte  fluminis  lignum  vit<B  afferens  duodecim  fructus  per  singu- 
los  menses,  et  folia  ligni  in  curationem  gentium. 

Plantatum  a  prohemio  Paradisum  a  Domino 
Legimus  in  Primordio  Genesis  nobilissimo. 
Cujus  ex  fonte  flumina  quatuor  sunt  mananti*, 
Cujus  et'  situm  florido  lignum  vitae  est  medio 

Cujus  non  cadunt  foliak  gentibus  salutifera  90 

Cujus  inenarrabiles1  deliciae  ac  fertiles. 

TlT.  De  ascensione  Moysism  ad  Dominum  in   monte  Sinai.     Argvjm.   Quod  in  Lege  dicitur,  Moyses 
ascendit,  et  descendit"  gloria  ejus  super  montem  Sinai.     Vel  verior  titulus  est,  De  mirabilibus  glorice  ad- 
ventus  Domini  in  montem.     Argumentum  vero,  Facta  sunt  tonitrua  et  voces,  et  fulgura,  et  terrce  motus. 
iuis  ad  condictum  Domini  montem  conscendit  Sinai, 
j  Quis  audivit  tonitrua  supra  modum  sonantia  ? 
Quis  clan^orem"  perstreperae  enormitatis  buccinse  ? 

Quis  quoque  vidit  fulgura  in  gyro  coruscantia  ?  95 

Quis  lampades  et  jacula,  saxaque  collidentia  ? 
Praeter  Israelitici  Moysen  judicem  populi? 

Tit.  De  die  Judicii  et  nominibus  ejus.  Argum.  Quod  Sophonias  dixit,  Juxta  est  dies  Domini  magnus, 
et  velox  nimis  ;  dies  illa,  dies  irce,  etfuroris,  et  angustice ;  die  culamitatis  et  miserice;  dies  tenebrarum  et 
caliginis  ;  dies  nebulcc  et  turbinis  ;  dies  tubce  et  clangoris. 

1  egis  regum  rectissimi,  prope  est  dies  Domini ; 
JDies  irse  et  vindictae,  tenebrarum  et  nebulae ; 

Diesque  mirabilium  tonitruorum  fortium;  100 

Dies  quoque  angustiae,  mceroris  ac  tristitia? ; 

In  quo  cessabit  ir.ulierum  amor  et  desiderium, 

Hominumque  contentio,  mundi  hujus  et  cupido". 

scription  for  "  de  ligno  vitae,"  vitce  having  been  pro-  the  press,  which  he  has  corrected  as  above  in  liis  Er- 

bably  mistaken  for  cto.     Manducare  is  an  ancient  rata. 

reading,  for  which  the  modern  Vulgate  has  edere,  '  Inenarrabiles. — See  note,  p.  240. 

Apoc.  ii.  7.      The   "Commentarv  on   the   Apoca-  m  Moysis. — Colgan  prints  Magsis,  which  is  evi- 

lypse,"  printed  with  the  works  of  St.  Augustine,  dentlv  an  error  of  the  press. 

reads  manducare.      In   the    other  passage  of  the  n  Descendit. — Colgan  puts  a  full  stop  after  this 

Apocalypse  referred  to  (xxii.  2),  the  modern  Vul-  word,  which  of  course  is  also  an  error  of  the  press. 

gate  reads  sanitatem  for  curationem,  which  last  is  °  Quis  clangorem. — Colgan  prints  this  line  thus  : 

the  reading  of  the  ante-Hieronymian  version,  and  is  "Quis  clangorem  derstremere  ormitatis  buccinae," 

so  quoted  by  St.  Hilary  and  St.  Ambrose.     See  Sa-  but  he  corrects  it  in  his  Errata  as  above  :  where 

batier,  in  loco.  perstreperce  seems  to  be  an  adjective  agreeing  with 

'  Cujus  et. — Colgan  has  printed  this  line  thus  :  buccincc,  unless  we  sbould  read  perstrepere.     See 

"Cujus  et  tua  florido  lignum  vitx  est  medio,"  above,  p.  241,  note. 

but  he  corrects  it  as  above  in  his  Errata.  P  Cupido.  —  The    penultimate    syllable    is    here 

k  Folia. — Colgan  h&sfalia,  an  obvious  error  of  short. 


r; 


246  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "Altus  Prosator."  [NoteD. 


ot 


Tit.  De  tremebunda  preesentiá  Dei  in  die  judicii.  Argum.  ut  in  secunda  Epistola  ad  Corinthios, 
Oportet  nos  omnes  stare  ante  Tribunal  Christi,  ut  referat  unusquisque  propria  sui  corporis  prout  gessit, 
sive  bonum,  sive  malum.  Et  ut  in  Evangelio  dicitur,  Tilius  hominis  venturus  est  in  gloria  sua,  tunc  reddet 
unicuique  secundum  opera  sua. 

I  tantes  erimusi  pavidi  ante  tribunal  Domini ; 

'Reddemusque  de  omnibus  rationem  effectibus1' ;  105 

Videntes  quoque  posita  ante  obtutus  crimina, 
Librosque  conscientia;  patefactos  in  facie, 
Iu  fletus  amarissimos  ac  singultus  erumpemuss, 
Subtracta  necessaria  operandi  materia. 

Tit.  De  resurrectione  prolis  Ad&.  Argum.  Ut  in  Apocalvpsi,  Ipse  Dominus  ut  in  jussu  et  voce 
Archangeli  in  tuba  descendet  de  coelo.  Et  iterum;  tn  diebus  vocis  septimi  Angeli,  cum  caeperit  tuba 
canere,  consummabitur  mijsterium  Dei. 

Tuba1  primi  Archangeli  strepente  admirabilia,  110 

Erumpent  munitissima  claustra  ac  poliandria, 
Mundi  prsesentis  frigora  hominum  liquescentia, 
Undique  conglobantibus  ad  compagines  ossibus, 
Animabus  íetherialibus  eisdem  obeuntibus, 
Rursumque  redeuntibus  debitis  in  mansionibus. 

Tit.  De  tribus  si/deribus'1  thronos  septemv  significantibus.     Argum.  Ut  in  libro  Job,  Qui  fecit  Oriona 
et  interiora  Austri.    Nunquid  luciferum  et  vesperum  in  tempora  certa  constituisti. 
'agatur  ex  climaticow  Orion  cceli  cardine, 
Derelicto  Virgiliox  astrorum  splendissimo, 


v: 


1  Erimus The  penultimate  is  here  apparentlv  salis  exprimitur,  quse  in  Johannis  Apocalypsi  per 

long.  septem  Ecclesias,  septemque  candelabras  figuratur?" 

r  Effectibus. — Acts   or   deeds,    as    contradistin-  Compare  also  the  Glossa  Ordinaria,  in  loc,  which 

guished  from  thoughts  or  intentions.  is  founded  on  this  passage  of  St.  Gregory. 

s  Erumpemus. — The    peuultimate  is  here  made  w  Climatico. —  Clima  is  inclinatio  (see  Du  Cange 

short.  in  voc.)  ;  and  this  line  may  possibly  be  rendered 

1  Tuba. — Alluding  to  1  Thess.  iv.  16,  a  passage  "  Orion  wanders  from  the  inclined  pole  of  heaven," 

which  is  quoted  in  the  Scholium  as  if  it  was  in  the  meaning  the  North  Pole,  which  appears  in  these  la- 

Apocalypse,  by  an    error   that  repeatedly   occurs.  titudes  above  the  horizou— "  Cardines  extremaí  axis 

But  Apoc.  viii.  7,  seems  also  to  be  referred  to.  partes   sunt."  —  Isid.   Hispal.    De  Natura    rerum, 

u  De  tribus  syderibus. — Sidus  is  properly  a  con-  C.  xii.  n.  3  (Opp.  Hom<B,  1 803,  tom.  vii.  p.  2 1 ). 

stellation  consisting  of  several  stars,  "  Sidera  vero  x  Virgilio. — Usuallv  written  Vergilia,  sometimes 

sunt  stellis   plurimis  facta,   ut  Hyades,   Pleiades"  Virgilice,  the  constellation  called  the  Pleiades ;  so 

(Isidor.  Hispal.  Etgmol.  lib.  iii.  60).  called  accordiug  to  some  (e.  g.  Voss.  in  Etijmol.), 

v  Thronos  septem This  is  probably  an  allusion  "a  virgula,  quod  virgulaí  more  porrigantur."     But 

to  St.  Gregor.  Moral.  lib.  ix.  (in  Job,  ix.  9),  "Quid  others  derive  the  name  from  ver,  as  Festus,  who 

namque  Arcturi  nomine,  quiin  cceli  axe  constitutus,  says  "Vergiliie  dicta;,  quia  earum  ortu  ver  finitur, 

septem  stellarum  radiis  fulget,  nisi  Ecclesia  univer-  et  a?stas  incipit."     And  so  also  Isid.  Hispal.  De 


note  e.]  The  Religious  Use  of  the  "Altus."  247 


Per  methas  Tithis>  ignoti  Orientalis  circuli 
Girans  certis  arabagibus  redit  priscis  reditibus, 
Oriens  post  biennium,  vesperugo'  in  vesperum, 
Sumpta  in  proplasniatibus*  tropicis  intellectibus. 


Tit.  De  die  judicii  et  prafulgtnte  ligno  crucis.     Arg.  ut  in  Apoealipsi,  Abscondent  se  in  speluncis  et 
petris   montium  ;  et  tunc  dicent  montibus,  super  nos  cadite.     Et  in  Evangelio ;   Statim  post  turbalionem 
dierum  illorum,  sol  obscurabitur,  et  luna  non  dabit  lumen  suum,  et  stella  cadent  de  coelo. 
'to  de  coelis  Domino  descendente  altissimo, 
-PrEefulgebit  clarissimum  signum  crucis  et  vexillura 
Tactisque  luminaribus  duobus  principalibus 

Cadent  in  terram  sydera,  ut  fructus  de  ficulnea,  125 

Eritque  mundi  spatium,  ut  fornacis  incendium, 
Tunc  in  moutium  specubus  abscondent  se  exercitus. 


x: 


Note  E. 

The  Religious  useofthe  "Alttis" — Legend  oj '  Maehuthain  O'  Cearbhaill. 

The  Editor  is  indebted  to  his  friend  Professor  Curry  for  permission  to  extract  the 
following  curious  Legend  from  the  interesting  and  valuable  volume  of  Lectures  on 
Irish  History  and  Literature,  which  that  gentleman  is  about  to  publish.  There  are 
very  few  allusions  to  the  "Altus"  in  Irish  history,  and  of  these  the  greater  pai't  occur 
in  the  biographies  of  its  author ;  the  following  singular  Legend  is  the  only  allusion  to 


Naturú  rerum,  c.  xxvi.  n.  6  (tom.  vii.  p.  39,  edit.  word  metastasis,  or  metathesis,  in  the  acc.  plur.  ;  the 

Areval.   Romce,    1803): — "  Has   [Pleiades]   Latini  "metastases  ofthe  unknown  eastern  circle," — which 

vergilias  appellaverunt,  eo  quod  vere  oriantur,"  &c.  may  signify  the  inverted  or  unseen  portions  of  the 

(Couf.  Ejusd.  Etgmol.  lib.  iii.  cap.  lxxi.  n.  13).    St.  eastem  circle,  viz.,  that  part  of  it  which  was  be- 

Ambrose  (Z>e  interpellatione  Job,  lib.  i.  c.  iv.  n.  1 1)  low  the  horizon.      See  Bede,  de  Temporum  ratione, 

quotes  Job.  ix.  9  from  an  ancient  Latin  version,  cap.  34,  where  the  ancient  theory  which  our  author 

thus  :  "  Qui  facit  vergilias,  et  hesperuin,  et  septem-  seems  to  have  had  iu  view  is  explained  (ed.  Giles, 

trionem,  et  austri  ministerium."     The  text  of  this  tom.  vi.  p.  214,  seq.). 
Capitulum  is  so  evidently  corrupt,  that  until  access  z  Vesperugo. — An  evening  star. 

can  be  had  to  the  copy  preserved  at  Rome,  which  is  "  Proplasmatibus. — The  Greek  word,  TrpbirXaa- 

the  only  other  MS.  of  tlie  Hymn  known  to  exist,  it  pa,  signifies  a  clay  model  for  the  use  of  an  artist : 

would  be  waste  of  tinie  to  attempt  a  translation.  but  this  can  scarcely  be  its  meaning  here.    This  last 

)'  Tithis. — Perhaps  we  should  read   Hyadis,  or  line,  which  seems  quite  unintelligible,  is  evidently 

Hiadis  ;  Hia  being  pronounced  as  a  monosyllable ;  corrupt ;  but,  without  the  aid  of  another  MS.,  correc- 

unless  "metas  Tithis"  be  a  corruption  of  the  Greek  tion  is  impossible. 


248  Tlie  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "Áltus  Prosator."  [Note  e. 

the  religious  use  of  the  Hymn  which  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Editor.  From 
this  story  it  appears  that  the  recitation  of  the  Hymn  was  practised  as  a  religious  exer- 
cise,  and  that  it  was  supposed  to  be  efficacious  in  obtaining  from  the  Almighty  the  re- 
covery  of  the  sick. 

The  Legend  was  extracted  by  Mr.  Curry  from  the  "Liber  Flavus  Fergusorum,"  a 
MS.  in  vellum,  of  the  flfteenth  century,  in  two  volumes,  quarto,  now  in  the  possession 
of  James  Marinus  Kennedy,  Esq.,  0^47,  Gloucester-street,  Dublin,  by  whom  it  was  rn- 
herited  from  his  ancestor,  Dr.  John  Eergus,  an  eminent  Irish  scholar  and  antiquary, 
who  was  well  known  as  a  physician  in  Dublin  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  give  the  readcr  some  short  account  of  Maelsuthain  TJa 
Cearbhaill,  or  O'Carroll,  to  whom  the  following  Legend  relates.  He  was  chieftain  of 
the  Eoghanacht  Locha  Léin,  that  is,  of  the  descendants  of  Eoghan  Mor,  son  of  Oilliol 
Olum,  who  inhabited  a  district  including  Loch  Léin,  the  present  Lake  of  Killarney,  in 
the  barony  of  Magunihy,  county  of  Kerry.  He  was  a  man  of  eminent  learning,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  collected  the  materials  from  which  the  Annals  of  Inisfallen  (an 
island  in  the  lower  Lake  of  Killarney)  were  compiled".  In  the  story  which  follows  he 
is  called  Gnmchapa,  or  Counsettor  of  the  celebrated  Brian  Boroimhe,  King  of  Ireland, 
and,  as  Mr.  Curry  thinks,  was  probably  the  tutor  or  teacher  of  that  monarch.  The 
Book  of  Armaghc,  a  MS.  now  in  the  Library  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  contains  a  cu- 
rious  note  in  the  handwriting  of  Maelsuthain  Ua  Cearbhaill,  written  about  A.D.  1002, 
in  the  presence  of  King  Brian  Boroimhe,  which  the  Editor  of  this  work  had  the  honour 
of  exhibiting  to  her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  at  her  visit  to  the  Great  Dublin  Exhibi- 
tion  of  1853. 

At  the  close  of  his  life  Maelsuthain,  as  the  Legend  relates,  devoted  himself  to  pe- 
nitential  exercises,  and  appears  to  have  become  a  monk  in  the  religious  establishment 
of  this  island  of  Inisfallen.  His  death  is  thus  recorded  by  the  Four  Masters  at  the 
year  1009,  the  true  date  being  1010: — 

lllaolruchain  lla  CeaptiaiU  00   muincin  Maelsuthain  Ua  Cearbhaill,  of  the  familv  [i.  e.  re- 

lnri    paitleno,    pputiraoi    íancaip    bomam  ligiouscomtnunity]ofInisFaithlenn,  chiefdoctor  of 

ína  airnpip,  -\  cigepna  eoganacca  Loca  Lém,  the  western  world  in  his  time,  and  Lord  of  the  Eogh- 

oécc.  anacht  of  Loch  Léin,  died. 


b  Compihd See  O'Reillv's  Irish  Writers  (Trans-  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Reeves  a  sum  of 

act.  Iberno-Celtic  Society),  at  the  year  1009.  money  sufficient  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  pub- 

c  Booh.  ofArmagh. — This  most  remarkable  MS.  lication  of  the  MS.,  and  we  may  shortly  expect  to  see 

was  purchascd  by  His  Grace  the  Lord  Primate  of  it  in  print,   with  introductory  matter   and  notes, 

Ireland,  and  presented  to  the  Libraiy  of  Trinity  Col-  under  the  able  editorial  skill  of  that  accomplished 

lege  in  the  year  1854.    His  Grace  has  subsequently  scholar. 


Note  E.] 


The  Religious  use  of  the  "  Altus." 


249 


"We  may  now  give  the  Legend  itself,  with  Mr.  Curry's  translation : — 


Cpiap  poslainncis  camicubap  o  cumnipi 
00  beanum  leismn  bmnpaibi  anmcapab 
bpiam  nuc  Cemneibig  .1.  muilpucain  huac 
Ceapbaill,  beosanacc  loca  lém,  aip  ba  he 
ecnaibi  ba  peapp  ma  mmpip  he.  lp  amlaib 
po  babap  ín  cpiap  poglainncisipi,  -\  com- 
cpuc,  -\  combealba,  -|  aenamm  poppo  .1.  borh- 
nall  an  camm.  T?o  babap  ímoppo  cpi  bli- 
abna  ac  poglaim  occo.  Q  cinn  cpi  bliaban  a 
bubpabap  ppi  noibi:  ípp  ail  linn,  ap  piab, 
bul  copoici  lepupalem  ípm  cip  luba,  gu  po 
ímcibpib  ap  copa  cech  conaip  po  imig  an 
cSlamicib  a  calam.  a  bubaipc  in  caibi :  Ní 
pachaib  no  511  pcisbachai  luach  mo  paeip 
[paecip]  acumpa.  Q  bubpabap  na  balcaib: 
Ni  puilacumn,  a^  piab;  m  bo  bepmuipbuicc, 
aóc  bemuib  cpi  bliaona  aile  05  omuloib  bu- 
ícc,  mab  ail  leacc.  Ni  h-ail,  appe,  acc  beb 
cobpaib  mo  bpeic  pein  bam,  no  ben  bap  ne- 
apgame.  Oobepum,  oppiab,  biapoibacumn. 
No  naipc  poppo  po  poipcela  m  coimbeab, 
pachaib,  appe,  m  conaip  ípaillib,  -\  bibmapb 
pib  a  naempeacc  a])  an  cupup,  -\  ípi  bpecich 
concim  opuibpi,  canbulap  nearh  íap  nesaib 
buib,  no  co  cipbaibcucumpa  ap  búp  bia  mn- 
pin  bam  ce  pab  mo  paesail,  -\  co  po  ínnipbi 
an  pagaim  cennpa  m  coimbi.  ^60^1111310116 
buicpi  an  ni  pin  a  hucc  an  coimbi,  appiab;  po 
inupib  [anb]  pm,  -|  pucpab  beannaccain  leo  o 
na  noibi,  "|  po  pagpac  beannaccam  aigi  bna. 
Tío  pippicc  cech  conaip  po  cualabap  m 
cSlamici  bo  micicc.  Nanicabap  bna  po- 
beoib  copuici  lepupalem,  -\  puapupbap  bap 
aneinpeacc  ann,  -\  po  habnaiceab  co  nonoip 
moip  íab  m  lepupalem.  Camic  TTTicel  apc- 
amseal  o  Dia  a^a  ceann.  1  bubpabap  pum : 
ni  pagum  no  50  planaibim  m  bpeach  cu^pam 
ppia  ap  noibi  po  poipcela  Cpipc.  laichigib 
[read  unchigib],  ap  mc  aingil,  -\  mnpibbo  cpi 
bliabna  co  leich  0151  bo  paegal,  -\  a  bul  m 


There  came  three  students  at  one  time  from  Cuin- 
nire^  toreceive  educatiou  from  the  Anmchara  [soul- 
friend]  of  Brian5IacCeinneidighethat  is,  Maelsuthain 
UaCearbhaill,  of  theEoganacht  ofLochLein,  because 
he  was  the  best  sage  of  his  time,  These  three  stu- 
dents  resembled  each  other  in  figure,  in  features,  and 
in  their  name,  which  was  DomnaU.  They  remained 
three  jrears  learningwith  him.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  they  said  to  their  preceptor :  "  It  is  our  de- 
sire,"  said  they,  "  to  goto  Jerusalem,  in  the  land  of 
Judea,  in  order  that  our  feet  may  tread  every  path 
which  the  Saviour  trod  on  earth."  The  tutor  an- 
swered :  "  You  shall  not  go  until  you  have  left  with 
me  the  reward  of  my  labour."  Tbe  pupils  said : 
"  We  have  not, "  said  they,  "  anything  that  we 
could  give  thee,  but  we  will  remaiu  three  years  more, 
to  serve  thee  humblj',  if  thou  desire  it."  "  I  do 
not  wish  that,"  said  he,  "  butyou  shall  grant  me  my 
own  demand,  or  I  will  lay  my  curse  upon  you."  "  We 
will  grant  thee  that,"  said  thej',  "ifwecan."  He 
then  bound  them  by  an  oath  on  the  Gospel  of  the 
Lord.  "  You  shall  go  inthe  path  that  you  desire," 
said  he,  "  and  j'ou  shall  die  all  at  the  same  time  to- 
gether,  on  the  pilgrimage.  And  the  demaud  I 
require  from  j'ou  is,  that  you  go  not  to  heaven  after 
your  deaths,  until  you  have  first  visited  me,  to  tell 
me  the  length  of  my  life,  and  until  j'ou  tell  me 
whether  I  shall  obtain  the  peace  of  the  Lord."  "  We 
promise  thee  this,"  said  they,  "for  the  sake  of  the 
Lord  ;"  and  theu  they  departed,  and  they  took  a 
blessing  with  them  from  their  tutor,  and  they  left 
him  their  blessing  also.  They  walked  in  every  path 
in  which  they  had  heard  the  Saviour  had  walked. 
They  came  at  last  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  they  found 
their  joint  death,  and  were  buried  with  great  honour 
in  Jerusalem.  Then  Michael  the  Archangel  came 
from  God  for  them.  But  they  said :  "  We  will  not  go, 
until  we  fulfil  the  promise  we  made  to  our  preceptor, 
on  theGospelof  Christ."  "Go,"said  theangel,  "and 
tell  him  that  he  has  still  three  years  and  a  half  to 


*  Cuinnire. — The  ancient  church  from  which  the  e  Brian  Mac  Ceinneidigh. — Brian,  son  of  Cen- 

diocese  of  Connor,  in  TJlster,  is  now  named.  neidigh,  orEennedj':  the  celebratedBrianBoroimhe. 

2K 


250  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,"  Altus  Prosator."  [Notee. 


ippmn  co  bpach,  íappm  bepup  an  bpeach 
allo  bpacha  paip. 

lnbip  bumn,  ap  piab,  cibma  cupcap  m  ip- 
pinn  é.  Op  cpi  pachuib,  a^  ín  camgil,  .1.  apa 
meb  coppcep  an  canoin,  a^up  a  meb  bo 
liinanh  ppipib  coimpiceann,  agup  ap  cpe^ab 
an  alcupa.        ,*. 

Ipeimoppopacap  ap  cpeigpmm  ancalcup 
.1.  mac  maic  pobaeib  acom  [read  occo]  .1. 
maelpabpaic  a  amm.  TCopsob  galup  baip  in 
mac.  TJo  sob  an  cQlcup  po  peacc  ma  cimcill 
ap  baió  conabbaó  mapb  in  mac.  Nip  cap- 
baib  boibpmrh  pm,  uaip  ba  mapb  m  mac  pa 
ceboip.  lbubaipc  lTlaelpucam  nach  sebab 
olcup  cpe  bicurii  o  nac  pacaib  anoip  ac 
t)ia  paip.  1  n1  beapanoip  cuc  Oia  bon  Ql- 
cup  san  plamci  biaó  mac  pan,  acc  peapp 
leip  ín  macbo  beich  ebip  mumncip  nenhe  na 
ebip  muinncip  calman.  po  baeb  lllaelpu- 
cam  peacc  mblia&na  cen  Qlcup  bo  gobail. 
lappm  cangabap  a  cpiup  balcab  bo  asal- 
uib  TTIaeilpucam  ipeecaib  cpi  colum  ngeal, 
1  peappam  pailci  ppiu.  Inmpib  barii  ce  pab 
mo  paegail,  1  an  pabunn  pocpuici.  Qcac,  ap 
piabpom,  cpi  bliaona  bo  paegul  acub,  -\  bo 
bul  a  nippinn  cobpach  íappin.  Cib  íma  mbe- 
ínn  a  mppinn,  ap  eipm.  ap  cpi  pachaib,  a\i 
piabpum,  -|  po  nmpibap  na  cpi  paca  a  bu- 
bpumnp  pomumn.  Ni  ba  pip  mo  bulpa  an 
íppmn,  ap  pe,  uaip  na  cpi  huilc  pin,  appe, 
acaic  ocompa  amu,  m  biab  ocompa  aniu,  m 
biab  ocumpa  opunn  amach,  -\  cpeispeabpana 
huilc  pm,  1  logpaib  t)ia  bam  íab,  amail  po 
geall  pem  an  can  a  bubaipc:  "impiecap  im- 
ptf  m  guacumque  hopa  conueppup  puepic 
non  nocebic  ei."  Ni  bén  bna,  ciall  uaim  pém 
ípm  canómi  [acc]  amail  no  geib  ípna  leo- 
bpuib  biabuib.      5e^aí)  ^na  ceí)  pleócam 


live,  and  that  he  goes  to  hell  for  ever,  after  the  sen- 
tence  is  passed  upon  him  on  the  day  of  judgment." 

"Tell  us,"  said  tbey,  "  why  he  is  sent  to  hell." 
"  For  three  causes,"  said  the  angel,  "  viz.,  because 
of  how  much  he  interpolates  the  canonf;  and  be- 
cause  of  the  number  of  women  with  whom  he  has 
lain;  and  for  having  abandoned  the  Altus." 

The  reason  wliy  he  abandoned  the  Altus  was  this : 
He  had  a  good  son,  whose  name  was  Maelpa- 
trick.  This  son  wasseized  with  a  mortal  sickness, 
and  the  Altus  was  sung  seven  times  around  him,  that 
the  son  should  not  die.  This  was,  however,  of  no  avail 
for  them,  as  the  son  died  forthwith.  Maelsuthain 
then  said  that  he  wouldnever  again  sing  tbe  Altus, 
as  he  did  not  see  that  God  honoured  it.  But  it  waa 
not  in  dishonour  of  the  Altus  that  God  did  not  re- 
store  his  son  to  health,  but  because  He  chose  that  the 
youth  shouldbe  among  the  family  ofheaven,  rather 
than  among  the  people  of  earth.  Maelsuthain  had 
then  been  seven  years  without  singing  the  Altus. 
After  this  his  three  pupils  came  to  talk  to  Mael- 
suthain,  in  the  forms  of  three  white  doves,  and 
he  bade  them  welcome.  "  Tell  me"  [said  he] 
"  what  shall  be  the  length  of  my  life,  and  if  I  shall 
receive  the  heavenly  reward."  "  Thou  hast,"  said 
thej',  "  tbree  years  to  live,  and  thou  goest  to  hell  for 
everthen."  "  What  should  I  go  to  hell  for?"  said 
he.  "  For  three  causes,"  said  they ;  and  they  re- 
lated  to  him  the  three  causes  that  we  have  already 
mentioned.  "  It  is  not  true  that  I  shall  go  to  hell," 
said  he,  "for  those  three  vices  that  are  mine  this  day, 
shall  not  be  mine  even  this  day,  nor  shall  they  be 
mine  from  this  time  forth,  and  I  will  abandon  these 
vices,  and  God  will  forgive  me  for  them,  as  He  Him- 
self  hath  promised,  when  He  said  :  '  Impietas  impii 
in  quacumque  hora  conversus  fuerit  non  nocebit 
ei'  [Ezek.  xxxiii.,  12].  I  will  put  no  seuse  of  my 
own  into  the  canon,  but  such  as  I  shall  find  in  the 


f  The  Canon. — This  apparently  signifies  the  code 
of  ecclesiastical  laws,  which  ^laelsuthain  was  called 
upon  to  administer  as  chieftain  of  histribe,  and  which 
he  had  probably  often  interpreted  so  as  to  suit  his 
own  secular  interests  or  inclinations :  for  he  after- 


wards  in  this  narrative  is  made  to  promise,  "  I  will 
put  no  sense  of  my  own  into  the  Canon,  but  such  as 
I  shall  find  in  the  divine  books."  But  the  word  Ca- 
non  is  used  also  to  signify  the  Old  or  New  Testament. 
See  Reeves,  Adamnan,  p.  359,  note  °. 


Note  E.] 


The  Religious  use  ofthe  "  Altus." 


25: 


cech  lai.  Seacc  mbliaona  accupa  ^en  Glcup 
bo  sabail,  -|  gebab  m  cdlcup  po  peacc  cec 
noiciO  cen  beo  beo,  -]  bo  ben  cpegmup  ceca 
peaccmume.  Oenaib  pi  bno  cocc  bocum 
neuhe,  ap  pe,  "j  C151  allo  ineipbeaccabmnipin 
pcel  baih.  Ciucpamuib,  a^  piab,  1  bo  cuabap 
a  cpiup  pon  cuapapcbail  cebna,  -\  po  bean- 
naccpab  bo,  "|  po  beannac  pum  baib  piurh. 
lllo  an  eipbecca  cangubap  a  cpiup  pon  cua- 
pupcbail  cebna,  -\  po  beannachachu  [1  bean- 
nacha]  cach  ba  ceile  bib,  -|  po  piappaió  bib : 
m  mann  mo  beacapci  mbiu  ac  Oia  -|  an  la  eile 
cangabuip  bom  asalluib.  Ni  hinann  umoppo, 
appiab,  uaip  bo  ceapbenab  bumne  cma&pa 
ap  neirh,  -]  íp  leop  Imnib  a  peabup.  Cansa- 
mapne  aniu,  amail  po  seallamapne,  ap  bo 
ceannpa,  -]  cap  Imn  ap  amup  an  maib  pm,  co 
pobuip  1  ppacpacup  Oe  -|  an  aencaiOna  Cpi- 
noibi,  i  mumncipi  neiriie,  co  bpac  na  mbpe- 
ach. 

lp  annpm  po  cmoilib  pacaip  [pacaipc]  -\ 
cleipib  ímba  CU151,  -\  po  honsab  he,  -\  ni  po 
PSappab  a  balcaib  ppip  no  gu  nbeóabap  bo 
cum  neuhe.  -\  íppe  pcpepcua  [pcpepcpa]  m 
pip  maich  pm  aca  ín  ínnip  paiclenn  ípm 
eclaip  pop.    pmic. 


divine  books.  I  will  perform  an  hundred  genuflec- 
tions  every  day.  Seven  years  have  I  been  without 
singing  the  Altus,  and  now  I  will  sing  the  Altus 
seven  times  every  nigbt  while  I  live ;  and  I  will 
keep  a  three  days'  fast  every  week.  Go  you  now 
to  heaven,"  said  he,  "  and  come  on  the  day  of  my 
deatb  to  tell  me  the  result."  "  We  will  come,"  said 
they  ;  and  the  tbree  of  them  departed  as  thev  came, 
first  leaving  a  blessing  with  bim,  and  receiviug  a 
blessing  from  bim.  On  the  dav  of  his  death  the 
tbree  came  in  the  same  forms,  and  they  saluted  him. 
and  he  returned  their  salutation,  and  said  to  tbem: 
"  Is  my  life  the  same  before  God  that  it  was  on  the 
former  day  that  ye  came  to  talk  to  me?"  "It  is 
not,  indeed,  tbe  same,"  said  they,  "  for  we  were 
shown  thy  place  in  heaven,  and  we  are  satisfied 
with  its  goodness.  We  have  come,  as  we  promised, 
for  tbee,  and  come  now  with  us  to  the  place  which 
is  prepared  fcí:  thee  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  in 
the  uuity  of  the  Trinity,  and  of  tbe  hosts  of  heaven, 
until  the  judgment  of  judgments." 

There  then  assembled  about  bim  many  priests  and 
ecclesiastics,  and  he  was  anointed,  and  his  pupils 
parted  not  from  him  until  tbey  all  went  to  beaven  to- 
gether.  And  it  is  this  good  man's  writings  ["  screp- 
tras"]  that  are  in  Inisfallen,  in  the  church,  still. 


Another  brief  allusion  to  the  Attun  occurs  in  the  Mesea,  or  "  Intoxication,"  of  St. 
Columcillc,  a  pretended  prophecy  attributcd  to  that  saint,  and  said  to  have  been  written 
a  week  before  his  death.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  forgery  (which  was  probably  com- 
posed  in  the  seventeenth  century),  St.  ColumciEe  is  made  to  say  that  he  leaves  the  Attus, 
with  somc  other  of  his  compositions,  as  a  legacy  to  the  men  of  Ireland\ 


e  Screptra. — This  word  appears  to  be  a  corrup- 
tion  of  Scriptura ;  but  whether  it  signifies  here  a 
single  work,  or  a  collection  of  MSS.,  Mr.  Curry 
professes  himself  unable  to  determine.  The  Four 
Masters  mention  the  burning  of  Armagh,  A.  D. 
1020,  inwbicb  the  onlv  house  tbat  escaped  was  the 
Ceach  pcpepcpa,  "Domus  Scripturarum,"  the 
Bibliotheca  or  Library  (as  Colgan,  and  O'Dono- 
van,  translate  it),  but  which  was  more  probably  the 
Scriptorium,  i.  e.  the  house  or  apartment  in  which 
books  were  written.  See  Maitland,  Dark  Ages,  p. 
405,  sq.     But  at  the  date  1417  (p.  829),  the  Four 


Masters  record  the  burning  of  the  Churcb  of  Inis 
Mor  [now  Church  Island]  in  Loch  Gill,  near  Sligo, 
in  whicb  the  "  Screaptra  Ui  Chuirnín,"  or  MSS.  of 
O'Cuirnín,  and  the  "  Leabbar  Gearr"  [short  book] 
of  the  same  family,  were  burned.  See  Dr.  O'Dono- 
van's  notes  on  this  passage. 

h  Ireland. — Seethis  passage  quoted  by  Dr.  Reeves, 
Adamnan,  p.  lxxx.,  where,  however,  in  the  tbird 
line,  for  05  pigan  epca,  read  momheapsa,  and 
translate  "  My  Amhra,  my  Mesca,  pure,  bright." 
For  a  further  account  of  the  Mesca,  see  Prof.  Curn's 
Lectures,  p.  406,  sq. 

K2 


(       252       ) 


XV.  THE  IIYMN  OF  ST.  COLUMBA,  "IN  TE  CIIRISTE." 


r  I  ^HE  following  Hymn  was  first  printed  by  Colgan,  probably  from  the  MS. 
-"-  now  preserved  at  St.  Isidores  College  in  Rome.  Colgan's  text  is  the 
only  copy  of  the  Hymn  to  which  the  Editor  has  access  for  collation  with  the 
Dublin  MS. ;  and  is  referred  to  in  the  notes  by  the  letter  C.  It  is  the  more  to  be 
regretted  that  we  have  not  access  to  the  Isidorian  MS.,  because  the  Irish  Pre- 
face  is  in  many  places  illegible,  and  the  preface,  as  published  by  Colgan,  is 
either  a  mere  abridgment  of  his  original,  or  must  have  been  translated  from  a 
diíferent  text. 

Colffan's  version  of  the  Preface1  is  as  follows : — 


*&' 


"  In  te  Christe,  &fc  S.  Columba  composuit  hunc  hymnum  cursivo  rvthmo.  Et  causa 
fuit,  quod  parce  disserucrit  de  sacro-sancta  Trinitate  in  Hymno  prascedenti,  quem  alioquin 
optimum  pronunciavit  S.  Gregorius  Papa." 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  all  that  is  now  legible  of  the  Irish  Pre- 
face  in  the  Dublin  MS.  oí'the  Liber  Ihjmnorum  : — 

"  In  te  Cliriste.  Columcille  made  this  Hynin.  He  made  it  in  rhythm :  sixteen  syllables 
in  each  line  :  but  some  say  that  it  was  not  Columcille  at  all  that  composed  it,  [except]  from 
the  words  "  Christus  Redemptor,"  to  [the  words]  "  Christus  crucem,"  and  that  is  the  reason 
why  many  repeat  that  part  only.  The  place3  was  Hy ;  the  time,  that  of  Aedh  son  of  Ainmire ; 
the  cause  was,  when  he  sent  [messengers  to  Rome]  with  the  Altus,  Gregory  found  fault  witli 
Columcille,  because  he  had  put  into  it  [too  scanty  praise  of  the  Trinity]." 

In  this  translation  the  Editor  has  supplied  within  brachets,  by  conjccture, 
what  appears  to  have  been  the  sense  of  the  matter  contained  in  the  passages 
now  illegible ;  guided  by  the  account  of  the  occasion  upon  which  this  Hymn 

i  Preface Trias  Thaum.,  p.  475.  Hymn  was  composed.      See  above,  p.  220, 

*  The  place. — That  is,  the  place  where  the      and  notes. 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  In  Te  Chríste."  1 53 

was  composed,  as  told  in  the  Preface  to  the  Altus.  It  will  be  observed,  how- 
ever,  that  the  censure  said  to  have  been  passed  by  Pope  Gregory  upon  the 
Altus  is  differently  expressed  in  the  three  versions  of  its  Preface,  which  have 
been  already  given  at  length1.  In  the  version  given  in  our  Dublin  MS.,  the 
censure  is  put  into  the  mouth  of  St.  Columba's  messenger  (which  is  most  pro- 
bably  a  mistake  of  transcription  in  the  MS.),  but  the  censure  itself  is  thus  ex- 
pressed, — "  that  there  was  110  fault  in  the  Hymn  except  the  scanty  praise  of  the 
Trinity  which  it  contained  per  se ;  although  He  [the  Trinity]  was  praised  in 
His  creatures"2.  In  the  Leabhar  Breacc  Pope  Gregory  is  represented  as  stat- 
ing  his  objection  thus3,  "minus  quam  debuit  Deus  memorari  in  eo  memoratus 
est."  But  the  Preface  in  Colgan's  MS.,  or  at  least  Colgan's  translation  of  it,  sug- 
gests  a  somewhat  different  sense ;  for  Gregory,  he  says,  "  opusculum  magnopere 
laudavit,  solumque  illud  sibi  in  eo  displicere  dixit,  quod  author  parcius  in 
eo  de  Trinitate  disseruerit,  quam  optaret"4.  And  again,  in  his  version  of  the 
Preface  to  the  Hymn  now  before  us,  he  uses  the  same  word,  "quod  parce 
disseruerit  de  sacrosancta  Trinitate  ;"  as  if  the  objection  was  that  the  Hymn  did 
not  contain  a  sufficiently  explicit  declaration  or  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity.  But  the  meaning  evidently  is,  that  the  author  of  the  Altus  did 
not  celebrate  directly  the  praises  of  the  Almighty  as  such,  but  only  Hispraises 
"  in  His  creatures ;"  and  the  word  Triniti/  is  evidently  used  as  equivalent  to 
Deus,  or  the  Deity,  without  any  reference  to  the  author's  orthodoxy,  or  to  his 
opinions  on  the  Catholic  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  which  were  not  disputed. 

It  is  remarkable  that  Colgan's  version  of  the  Preface  to  the  following  Hymn 
omits  all  notice  of  the  curious  statement  made  in  the  Irish  Preface,  now  for  the 
first  time  printed,  that  some  doubted5  its  genuineness,  and  that  mamj  were  in 
the  habit  of  reciting  only  lines  17-22  (or  perhaps  the  meaning  may  be  lines 
17-25),  as  believing  that  portion  of  the  Hymn  only  to  be  the  genuine  compo- 
sition  of  St.  Columcille. 

In  connexion  with  this  doubt,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  Hymn  plainly  divides 
itself  into  two  parts,  the  first  ofwhich  ends  (at  line  16)  with  a  doxology,  exactly 
at  the  place  where  the  genuine  composition  of  St.  Columba  is  said  to  begin, 

1  At  length. — See  Note  A  to  tbe  Altus,  p.      debuit  niemorari." 

220,  sq.  *  Optaret See  p.  227. 

2  Creatures — See  p.  222.  5  Doubted. — Tbe   early  record   of  sucb   a 

3  Thus Supra,\).  224.    Tbe  construction  doubt  is  a  curious  evidence  of  tbe  antiquity 

is  "  In  eo  memoratus  est  Deus,  minus  quam  of  the  Hjinn. 


254  The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  uIn  Te  Christe." 

and  thus  may  seem  to  have  been  a  distinct  composition  in  itself.  There  is 
also  this  peculiaritv,  tending  to  the  same  conclusion,  tliat  in  this  first  part  the 
lincs  (with  three  exceptions)  begin  with  the  word  Deus ;  whilst  in  the  re- 
mainder  of  the  Hymn  every  line  (one  excepted)  begins  with  the  word  Christus. 

Be  this,  however,  as  it  may,  it  does  not  at  first  sight  seem  very  clear  how 
the  Hymn  can  have  been  understood  to  have  supplied  the  defect  of  the  Altus, 
"  quod  parcius  de  Trinitate  disseruerít;"  for,  with  the  exception  of  the  Doxo- 
logies  (lines  15,  16,  and  26-29),  there  is  no  allusion  in  it  to  the  Trinity  as 
such,  neither  is  there  in  it  anything  more  express  or  distinct,  considered  as  a 
confession  of  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  than  that  contained  in  the  first 
"  Capitulum"  of  the  Altus. 

But  we  have  seen  that  the  objection  to  the  Altus  was,  not  that  the  author 
of  the  Hymn  was  unsound  in  faith,  or  in  any  wayheterodox  on  the  ductrine  of 
the  Trinity,  but  that  in  his  Hymn  he  had  not  made  the  praise  of  the  Trinity, 
i.  e.  of  God  Almighty,  sufficiently  protninent  or  dhect;  in  other  words,  the 
real  fault  was,  not  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  was  insufficiently  achnow- 
ledged,  but  that  the  Hymn  was  mainly  occupied  in  the  praise  of  created  things, 
or  of  God  as  Creator,  and  not  so  much  in  the  direct  praise  of  God  in  His  es- 
sence  and  attributes. 

In  this  point  of  view,  the  Hymn  In  Te  Christe  fully  supplies  the  defect. 
It  commences  by  a  prayer  to  Christ  as  God,  to  have  mercy  on  all  the  faithful. 
It  prays  to  God  to  make  haste  to  help  all  those  who  are  in  labour  or  distress. 
And  then  it  proceeds  to  praise  God,  as  the  Father  of  the  faithful ;  the  Life  of  the 
living ;  the  God  of  all  gods ;  the  Virtue  of  all  virtues ;  the  Creator  of  all  things ; 
the  Judge  of  judges;  the  Prince  ofprinces;  the  God  of  the  elements;  the  God 
of  good  help ;  the  God  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  ;  the  King  of  glory  ;  the 
God  of  the  quick ;  the  God  of  eternal  light ;  the  ineffable  God  ;  the  High 
God,  worthy  of  all  love,  inestimable,  bountiful,  long  suffering,  teacher  of  the 
teachable  ;  the  God  who  maketh  all  things,  whether  new  or  old. 

With  this  supplement  to  the  Altus,  it  could  not  possibly  havc  been  ob- 
jected  that  there  was  in  it  "  a  scanty  praise  of  the  Trinity  per  se"  that  is,  of 
God  Almighty  as  such. 

The  Hvmn  then  takes  up  the  praise  of.Christ: — He  is  the  Redeemer  of  the 
Gentiles  ;  the  Lover  of  virgins;  the  Fountain  of  the  wise ;  the  Faith  of  be- 
lievers  ;  the  Breastplate  of  soldiers  ;  the  Creator  of  all  things  ;  thc  Health  of 
the  living ;  the  Lilc  of  the  dying  :  He  hath  crowned  our  army  with  a  crowd 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  In  Te  Christe."  255 

of  Martyrs ;  He  hath  ascended  the  cross ;  He  hath  saved  the  world ;  He 
hath  redeemed  us,  and  suffered  for  us ;  He  hath  descended  into  hell ;  He  hath 
ascended  into  heaven  ;  He  hath  sat  down  with  God  (ubi  nunquam  defuerat) 
on  that  throne  which,  as  God,  He  had  never  left. 

This  summarv  of  the  Hymn  strongly  confirms  the  opinion  already  ex- 
pressed,  that  the  defect  which  it  was  supposed  to  supply  in  the  Altus  was  not 
a  theological  defect  in  the  confession  of  Trinitarian  doctrine,  but  a  deficiency 
in  the  direct  praise  of  God  and  of  Christ. 

The  language  of  the  Hymn  is  evidently  ancient.  Among  its  peculiarities 
may  be  noted  the  use  of  the  pluperfect  for  the  perfect;  "  Christus  crucem  as- 
cenderat ;"  "  mundum  salvaverat;"  "  nos  redemerat;"  "caílurn  ascenderat." 
"  Cum  Deo  sederat,  ubi  nunquam  defuerat."  This  peculiarity  will  be  ob- 
served  also  in  the  writings  of  Adamnan. 


1N  Ce  CiTRISCG.  Columcille  boponai  mmmmonpa.  Cpe  pichim  bopponai,  pe  piUabn 
bec  ín  cech  Ime.  Ocbepac  u°  paipen  conach  e  Columcille  ecip  bopponai  [f]  oca 
Chpipcup  pebempcop  -|  .  .  .  .  chpipcup  cpucem,  -\  íp  aipe  íma  acbepac  mulci  íllam 

papcem.    l-ocup  hi,  cempup  Oeba  meic  ammipech.    Caupa  apala  ac  po 

nab con  alcup,  -]   ípeb  on  pomchpech  ^re^oip  im  Columcille  opo 

chup 


ce  crmisce  CNeoeNCium  misercearus  omNium 
cu  es  Oeus  in  secula  seculorcum  m  slorcia 

gus  in  aoiucoTuum  incgnOg  LaboTíaNCium 
ao  OoLoNiim  nemeoium  pesciNa  in  aiirilium 

gus  pacerc  cneDeNcium  Oeus  uica  uiueNCium       l 
Ogus  DcoNum  omNium  ogus  uitccus  umcucium 


gus  poNiriacorc  omNium  Ogus  gc  iuOe;c  íuOicum 

Ogus  gc  prjiNccps  piUNCipum  elimeNCONiim  omnium 

eus  opis  e^cimiae  celescis  rnemisolimae 
Oeus  r*e;c  nesni  in  slorua  Oeus  ípse  uiueNcium 

eus  aeceríNi  lumiNis  oeus  iNeNarcrcabilis 
Oeus  alcus  amabilis  oeus  íNescimabilis 


t) 


i.  In  te  Christe. — This  Hymn  has  no 
gloss,  except  over  the  word  eximia:  (ver. 
9),  where  the  gloss,  although  nearly  il- 
legible,  appcars  to  be  .1.  e;ccelpa. 

3.  Laborantium. — Are  these  words  al- 
ludcd  to  in  the  preface  to  the  Altus  ?  see 
above,  p.  221,  note  n. 

6.    Virtxdium. — This  anomalv  is  neces- 


sary  for  the  metre.     C.  reads,  "Deus  vir- 
tutis  \-irtutum." 

7.  Et  judex. — C.  omits  et  here  and  in 
the  ncxt  line.  J3ut  in  hoth,  et  is  necessarv 
to  the  metrc. 

8.  Hierusolimae. — Ierosolyma3,  C. 

11.  Inenarralilis. — This  word  is  also 
used,  line  91  of  the  preceding  hymn. 


D 
t) 
C 
C 
C 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  In  Te  Christe."  257 

eus  Ior^us  LoNsaNimis  oeus  ooccor  oocibilis 
oeus  cfui  pacic  oniNia  nouo  cuncco  ec  ueceRa 


ei  pacRis  in  NoimNe  pilicfue  sui  príospene  i5 

saucci  spmicus  ucicfue  rcecco  uaoo  iceNeRe 

Viriscus  ReOempcoR  seNcium  chRiscus  amacoR  uiRSiNum 
chRiscus  pons  sapieNcium  chRiscus  piOes  cReoeNCium 


C 


hruscus  CoRica  milicum  chRiscus  CReacoR  omNium 

chRiscus  salus  uiueNcium  ec  uica  moRieNCium  20 

oronouic  e;ceRCicum  noscrutti  cum  cuRba  maRciRum 
chRiscus  cRUcem  asceNOeRac  chRiscus  muNOum  saluaue- 
roc 

hRiscus  ec  nos  ReOemeRec  chRiscus  pro  Nobis  passus  esc 
chRiscus  íNpeRNum  peNecRac  chRiscus  caelum  asceNOeRac 


>hRiscus  cum  Oeo  seoeRac  ubi  NUNCfuam  oepueRac  25 


5 


LoRia  haec  esc  alcissuno  Oeo  pacRi  íN^eNico 
hoNOR  ac  summo  pilio  unico  UNigeNico 


8 


piRicuicpje  obcimo  soncco  peRpecco  seOulo 
ameN  piac  peRpecua  in  sempiceRNa  seeula. 

in  ce  ;cpe  crc. 


13.   Doctor  docibilis Teacher  of  the  29.  Perpetua C.  reads,  "  fiat  et  ha?c 

teachable  man.  perpetua,  in  sempitema  secula,"     At  the 

1 5.  Filique. — Filiique,  C.  end  are  added  the  words  with  which  the 

16.  Itenere. — Itinere,  C.     "  I  walk  in  hymn  begins,  according  to  the  usual  cus- 
the  rigbt  way  of  God  the  Father,  &c."  tom  of  Irish  scribes,   to  show  that  the 

23.  Redemeret. — Eedemerat,  C.  hymn  ends  here,  and  that  the  words  that 

24.  Christus  infernum C.   omits  this  follow  are  no  part  of  it.     See  above,  p. 

line.  23,  n.,  and  see  also  p.  80,  where  the  en- 

28.    Obtimo,— Optimo,    C.      Sedulo. —  tire  of  the  first  verse  of  a  Hymn  is  repeated 

A.men,  C.  at  the  end. 

2L 


258 


The  Hijmn  of  St.  Columba,  "  In  Te  Christe." 


Ppoce^aí:  nop  alcippimup  ce  puip  panccip  peoibup 
Dum  pibi  q.mnop  canimup  fcecim  pcacucip  uicibup 
Sicque  nobip  ppiopiciup  tuebup  acque  noccibup. 


3 1 .    Tmnos. — Hymnos,  C.     Decim — 
Decem,  C. 

The  last  stanza,  Protegat  nos,  is  in  the 
angular  character  already  frequently 
mentioned.  In  the  margin  is  the  follow- 
ingnote: — Oeich  cpacha  Oo  chelebpaO 
colum  cille  uc  pepunc.  1  ípa  pcaip 
eom  cappion  puc  pom  pem,  "  Colum- 
cille  used  to  celehrate  ten  canonical  hours, 
as  they  say ;  and  it  was  from  John  Cas- 
sion's  history  he  took  this."  No  men- 
tion  is  made  of  this  custom  of  ohserv- 
ing  ten  canonical  hours,  in  the  lives  of 
St.  Columba;  hut  the  "John  Cassion" 
here  quoted  is  evidently  the  celehrated 
John  Cassian,  who  was  ordained  deacon 
by  St.  Chrysostom  (c.  A.  D.  404),  and 
whose  works  on  the  monastic  life  and  in- 
stitutes  were  so  widely  read  during  the 


middle  ages.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
propagate  in  the  west,  the  eastern  custom 
of  fixed  hours  of  prayer,  afterwards  called 
the  canonical  hours :  Instit.  lib.  iii.  c.  3 . 
But  it  does  not  appear  that  ten  such  hours 
were  enjoined  by  him.  In  the  ancient 
church  of  Ireland,  he  was  honoured  as  a 
saint  on  the  2  5th  of  íTovember,  at  which 
day  his  name  occurs  in  the  Felire,  or  me- 
trícal  calendar  of  ^Engus  the  Culdee ;  but 
the  more  modern  calendars  of  Marianus 
Gorman,  of  Tallaght,  and  of  Donegal,  make 
no  mention  of  him ;  no  doubt,  in  conse- 
quence  of  his  having  given  currency  to 
semipelagian  opinions.  Onthe  Continent 
several  churches  were  dedicated  to  him, 
and  he  was  honoured  as  a  saint  in  many 
places  on  the  z^xá.  July.  Tillemont,  Mé- 
moires,  tom.  xiv.  p.  187. 


(    259    ) 


XVI.  TIIE  HYMN  OF  ST.  COLUMBA,  "NOLI  PATER.' 


COLG AN  has  printed  two  copies  of  this  Hymn :  the  one  in  his  Abridg- 
ment  oí'O'Donnell's  Life  oí'  Columba1,  the  other  from  his  copy  of  the  Book 
of  Hymns2.  The  former  oí  these  seems  to  be  an  extract  only,  as  it  ends  with 
"  &c,"  and  omits  the  last  two  quatrains,  besides  other  variations  which  avíII  be 
pointed  out  in  the  notes.  The  latter  copy  Colgan  himself  describes  as  "  paulo 
correctiorem,  tametsi  non  plene  correctum"3,  which  implies  he  did  not  consider 
his  copy  of  the  Book  of  Hymns  as  perfect]y  accurate,  although  "  antiqua  manu 
descriptus."  How  far  the  present  edition  is  an  improvement  on  the  two  for- 
mer,  will  appear  from  the  following  pages. 

The  account  given  by  O'Donnell  of  the  occasion  upon  which  this  Hymn 
was  composed  is  evidently  taken  from  the  Preface  to  it  in  the  Book  of 
Hymns  ;  both  accounts  are  substantially  the  same.  The  Editor  will  not 
entei  into  any  discussiop  of  the  difficulty,  which  this  narrative  has  sug- 
gested,  as  to  the  date  of  the  donatioD  of  Daire  Calcaigh  (now  Londonderry) 
to  St.  Columba  by  Aedh,  son  of  Ainmire.  This  subject  has  been  examined  by 
Dr.  Reeves,  and  the  supposed  difficulty  completely  removed4 ;  it  will,  there- 
fore,  only  be  necessary  to  give  here  a  translation  of  the  Preface,  with  some  il- 
lustrative  notes  :  — 

Noli  Pater.  Columcille  composed  this  Hymn,  as  he  did  the  In  Te  Christe.  The  place 
was  the  door  of  Disert  Daire  Chalcaigh5.  The  time  was  the  same6,  viz.,  that  of  Aedh,  son  of 
Ainmire.     The  cause  was  this  .- — Once  upon  a  time  Columcille  came  to  Daire  to  a  conference'' 


1  Columba — Trias.  Thaum.,  p.  397.  of  the  monastic  establishments,  called  Deserts, 

2  Hymns. — Ibid.,  p.  476.  see  Reeves,  Adamnan,  p.  366. 

3  Correctum. — Ibid.,  p.  450,  note  47.  «  The  same.—i.  e.  the  same  as  that  in  which 
*  Removed. — Ileeves,    Adamnan,    pp.    160,  the  Hymn  In  te  Christe  was  composed. 

161,  note.  1  Conference. — "  Aliquando  venit  ad  collo- 

5  Disert  Daire  Chalcaigh. — For  the  nature  cium  [i.  e.  colloquium]  regis." 

2  L2 


260 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Noli  Pater." 


with  the  king,  so  that  he  [the  king]  granted  him  the  fort,  with  its  appurtenanees.  But  Co- 
luracille  refused  the  fort,  because  Mobí1  had  prohibited  him  to  receive  anytbing  of  the  world, 
until  he  had  heard  of  bis  [Mobí's]  death.  But  when  Columcille  afterwards  came  to  the  gate 
of  the  town2,  three3  of  the  people  of  Mobí  met  him  there,  and  they  had  Mobí's  girdle  with  them, 
and  they  said,  "  Mobí  is  dead."    And  Columcille  said  : 

Mobí's  girdle !  [Mobí's  girdle]  ! 
It  closed  not  upon  emptiness, 
Moreover,  it  opened  not  upon  satiety, 
Nor  did  it  shut  upon  falsehood. 
Columcille  wentback  to  theking,  and  he  said  to  the  king,  "The  offering  whichthou  ^avest 
to  me  yesterday,  give  to  me  now."   "  I  will  give  it,"  said  the  king.  The  town  was  then  burned, 


1  Mobí. — i.  e.  St.  Mobí  Clairenech,  or  the 
llat-faced,  otherwise  called  Berchan,  abbot 
of  Glas-naoidhen  (now  Glasnevin,  near  Dub- 
lin),  who  was  for  a  time  the  tutor  of  St.  Co- 
lumba  (O'Donnell,  lib.  i.,  c.  43,  Trias  Thaum., 
p.  396).  M.obí  having  been  compelled  to  close 
his  school  in  consequence  of  the  breaking  out 
of  apestilence,  S.Columba,  with  theother  scho- 
lars,was  sentaway,  and  tookhis  journey  towards 
Tirconnell,  having  first  received  from  Mobí  this 
injunction,  "  Ne  quain  terram  aut  fundum 
pro  exa;dificando  monasterio  aut  aliis  usibus 
acceptaret,  nisi  de  ipsius  scitu  et  venia." — 
O'Donnell,  ib.,  c.  46.  Reeves,  Adamnan,  p. 
1 60.  The  ancient  quatrain  quoted  above,  in 
praise  of  Mobí's  girdle,  occurs  in  a  poem  en- 
titled,  Itinerarium  na  paipnse  o  coluimcille 
ín  onoip  cpepa  lllobí.  "  Itincrarium  of  the 
sea  [i.  e.  verses  to  be  recited  on  a  journey  on 
the  sea],  from  Columldlle,  in  honour  of  Mobí's 
girdle."  An  imperfect  copy  of  this  poem  is 
preserved  in  the  G'Clery  MS.  of  Martyrologies, 
in  the  Burgundian  Library,  Brussels.  The 
stanza  with  which  we  are  concerned  is  given 
thus : — 

Qgr0  cpiop  lllobt, 

nip  bo  peimni  rmlo 

nip  nopslaó  ppí  ptíic 

'pmp  ma&aó  ppí  50. 


"  This  is  Mobí's  girdle ;  it  was  not  a  bulrush 
round  emptiness;  it  was  not  opened  upon 
satiety,  and  it  was  not  shut  upon  falsehood. 
In  theMartyrologyofDonegal,  at  Oct.  12,  the 
stanza  is  given  thus  : — 

Cpiop  lTlobí  [cpiop  TTIobí] 

mbbap  pibtie  ímlo 

mn  noplaicccb  pia  ptíic 

nm  biabab  ímgo. 

which  differs  from  the  former  chieflv  in  spell- 
ing.  The  great  dif£iculty  is  in  the  word  lua 
or  lo  ;  in  addition  to  the  meaning  given  to  it 
above,  whieh  seems  to  correspond  best  with 
the  next  line,  it  is  interpreted  in  ancient  glos- 
saries  .1.  uipce,  water ;  and  .1.  bpac  beps,  « 
red  cloak.  In  the  same  glossaries,  50  or 
5ua  is  explained  bpeg,  a  lie,  falsehood. 

2  Town — bale,  "ofthebally."  Theword 
docs  not  mean  what  wo  would  now  call  a  town. 
"  Town"  is  commonly  used  to  this  day  in  every 
part  of  Ireland,  even  by  those  who  onlv  speak 
English,  to  denote  a  place,  a  farm,  a  gentle- 
man's  demesne  or  property.  There  was  no 
town  (properly  so  called)  at  Derry,  in  St. 
Columba's  time,  but  only  a  dún,  or  fort,  the 
residence  of  a  chieftain. 

3  Three. —  O'Donnell  (loc.  cit.,  c.  48)  says 
two.  And  so  also  the  ancient  Irish  Life,  quoted 
byDr.  Reeves,  Adamnan,  p.  160,  note. 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  u Noli  Pater."  261 

witli  everything  that  was  in  it.  "  This  is  foolish,"  said  the  king,  "  for  if  it  were  not  burnt,  there 
would  never  have  been  any  lack  of  raiment  or  food  therein."  "  There  never  shall  be,"  said 
he  [Columcille]  ;  "from  henceforth,  whoever  shall  be  init,  shall  never  be  a  night  fasting." 
The  fire,  however,  in  consequenceofits  greatness,  threatened  to  burn  the  whole  Daire*,  so  that 
it  was  to  save  it,  at  that  tinie,  that  this  Hynin  was  composed.  Or  it  was  the  Dav  of  Judgment 
he  had  in  view  ;  or  the  fire  of  the  festival  of  John^.  And  it  is  sung  [as  a  protectiori]  against 
every  fire,  and  every  thunder-storm,  from  that  time  forth  ;  and  whosoever  sings  it  at  bed  tinie, 
and  at  rising,  it  protects  him  against  lightning,  and  it  protects  the  nine6  persons  whom  he  de- 
sires  [to  protect]." 

Colgan's  version  of  the  Preface  is  as  follows  : — 

Nolipater  indulgere.  S.  Columba  EiIIe  composuit  hunc  Hymnum  stvlo  nthmico  ex  tem- 
pore.  In  Daire  Chalgaich,  seu  Monasterio  Dorensi,  compositus  fuit.  Quidam  dieunt,  quod 
pra;  tremendi  et  extremi  Judicii  timore  illum  composuerit.  Alii  vero  dicunt  quod  quando  lo- 
cum  fundandi  Monasterii,  ab  Aido  Ainmirii  filio,  Hibernia;  Rege  donatum,  receperat,  tanquam 
prophanum  curaverat  flammis  absumi,  ut  sic  Deo  consecraretur ;  et  cum  incendii  flamma  per 
anioenum  vicinum  lueuni,  seu  arboretum,  depascendum  vento  et  tonitruis  perlata  pertingeret, 
hinc  Hymnum  hunc  composuerit,  ad  lucum  illum  ab  incendii  flammis  prasservanduin.  Duo 
privilegia  recitantibus  illum,  pie  creduntur  a  Domino  concessa.  Primum,  quod  pra?servet  re- 
citantes  a  fulminibus  et  tonitruis.  Secundum,  quod  eos,  qui  consuescunt  illuui  recitare  ves- 
peri,  dum  decumbunt,  et  mane  quando  surgunt,  ab  omni  adversu  casu  protegat. 

In  the  notes  to  the  following  Hymn,  the  various  readings  of  the  copy  of  it 
published  in  Colgan's  version  of  O'Donnell's  Life  of  St.  Columba  will  be 
marked  O'D. ;  and  those  of  the  copy  printed  by  Colgan  from  his  MS  of  the 
Liber  Hymnorum  will  be  distinguiched  by  the  letter  C. 

4  Daire i.  e.  thewhole  wood  ;  Dairehan  Pertz,  iii.  17,  and  compare  Grimm,  Deutsche 

oak  wood.  See Reeves' Adamnan,  p.  19,  notee,  AIythologie,   vol.    i.,    p.   570,    sq.    (2'1  edit. : 

andp.  160,  note.  Góttingen,  1844). 

s  John This  is  an  allusion  to  the  ancient  6  The  nine This  is  obscure ;  a  word  at  the 

custom  of  lighting  fires  on  St.  John's  Eve.  end  having  been  cut  offby  the  binder.     The 

Paciaudius,    in  his  learned   work,  De  cultu  meaning  seenis  to  be  that  the  recitation  of 

S.  Johannis  Buptist<r,   Roniíe,   1755,   40,  la-  the  Hymn  will  protect  not  onlv  him  who  sings 

bours  to  defend  this  custom  from  the  charge  it,  but  any  other  nine  persons  whom  he  may 

of  a  pagan  origin,  and  derives  it  from  our  desire  so  to  serve.    Colgan  loosely  renders  the 

Lord's  words  (John,  v.  35):  "  Ille  erat  lu-  clause,    "  ab  omni  adverso  casu  protegat ;" 

cerna  ardens  et  lucens  :  vos  autem  voluistis  he  probably  took  011510  to  signify  "  persecu- 

adhoram  exultare  in  luce  ejus."   Butthe  Ca-  tion,"  but  it  seems  to  be  a  verb,  and  occurs 

pitula  of  Charlemagne  (lib.  v.,  tit.  2)  condemn  snpra  p.  205,  line  12.  dnsio  occurs  also  as  an 

theSt.  John'sEve  fires  as  remnants  ofpagan-  adjective,   meaning  nequam.— Zeuss.  p.  24-, 

ism,  under  the  old  Gernian  term  of  nodfeuers.  line  17. 


N06l  pClCeTC.  ColumciUe  pecic  hunc  «jmnum  ;  eobem  mobo  uc  ln  ce^Xpe.  locup  bo- 
liup  bipipc  baipi  chalccng.  Cempup  aucem  .1.  Oeba  meic  ammepech.  Caupa,  co- 
lumcille  alicpianbo  uemc  ab  collocium  pegip  co  baipe  co  poebppcit>  m  popc  bo 
conaipliub.  Opaip  íapum'columcille  m  popc,  quia  ppohibuic  mobi  imme  accipepe 
munbum  co  clopab  a  éc. 

Incan  íapum  camc  columcille  co  bopup  m  bale,  ip  ann  pin  bopala  cpiap  bo  mumcip 
mobíbó,  1  cpipmobí  occu,  -]  bipfepunc,  mopcuupepc  mobí ;  -\  bi,xic  columciUe  : 

Cpip  mobí  [cpipmobt] 

m  po  íababimlua 

pech  m  po  oplaiccebpia  ptíich 

m  pobunabimgua. 
Luib  columcille  popcúlu  copm  píg,  -\  bi;nc  pesi:  lnn  ebpaipc  cucaipni  bampa  imbuapuc[h] 
cuc  bam  nunc.  Oobepchap,  cip  m  pí.  loipcchep  cptí  m  baile  coponeoch  bai  anb 
uile.  Cppach  pm,  ol  111  pi,  ap  mani  loipcche,  ni  biab  caclici  bpoic  na  bnb  ann  co 
bpach.  biaib  ímoppo  ann  o  pein  ímmach,  ap  pe,  íncí  biap  ann  m  bia  tíibch  \_leg.  aíbchi] 
cpoipcche.  Capmaipc  cpa  in  cene  apa  mec  lopcub  ín  bcupe  uile,  conib  apa  anó- 
cul  ín  can  pm  bopónab  mcimmonpa ;  no  íp  lache  bpacha  bopac  bia  aipe  ;  no  cene 
peile  eom,  -\  canaip  ppi  cech  cenib  -\  ppi  cech  copann  o  pein  ílle,  cipe  gabap  po 
li^e  i  poepse,  no  nanai^  ap  chemb  nsellan  -\  angib  m  nonbup  íp  ail  [boanaccil]  .... 


wOLl  pacen  iNOul5er<e  coNiciíua  cum  pul^uiíe 
ac  prcaNgamuT?  poiurnOiNe  huius  arcpie  uiuoiNe 

■e  cimemus  cercTíibilem  nuIíaiiti  crceOeNces  sinnlem 
)   ce  cuncco  conunc  caiuniNa  aNselorcum  perc  05- 
miua 

Gloss. — 1.  Indidgere. — i.  nos.     2.  Htijns. — .i.  tonitrui.    Uridine. — 1.  o  eplopcub  110  a  buibe- 
chuip  [from  buruing  or  from  the  yellow  pestilence].     3.  Similem. — .i.  Deo.    4.  Canunt. — .i.  laudant 


1 .  Indulgere. — Hcre  usecl  in  the  sense 
of  permit  or  suffer.  It  is  doubtful  whe- 
ther  the  gloss  ovcr  this  word  is  not  "  in 
or  "super  nos,"  which  would 
makc  better  sense  than  nos.     "Suffcr 


not  the   thunder  and   lightning   to    fall 
upon  us." 

2.  Ac — Ne,  O'D.  and  C.  UriAine.— 
Uredine,  C. ;  O'D.  reads  Vircdinc,  which 
only  can  be  the  Irish  spelling  of  Urcdine, 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Columba,  "  Noli  Pater." 

y-ecfue  e;culceNC  culmiNa  caeli  uasi  pen  pulmiNa 
{J     o  íhesu  amaNcissime  o  nex  Regum  Tíeccissime 


263 

5 


b 


eNeoiccus  m  secula  rcecca  neseus  rcesimiNa 
lohaNNes  corcam  oomiNO  aohuc  macrus  m  ucerco 


Tr^eplecus  oei  srcacia  prco  uino  accfue  siccerca 

eli^abech  ec  ^acharcias  umum  masNum  seNur 
íohaNNem  bapci9am  pnecuRSORem  OomiNi 


m 


auec  in  meo  conoe  Oei  amorus  plamma 
uc  in  angeNci  uase  aurii  ponicutí  semma. 


Gloss 5.  Exultent — .1.  palnugic  [welcome].      7.  Benedictus. — .i.  es.      8.  Johannes. — .i.  gratia 

Dei  interpretatur.     9.  Repletus i.  est.     Siccera. — .i.  sine  cera.     .1.  non  omni  liquori  ebrio  excep  .  .  .   . 

omnis  liquor  dulcis  sic 


viz.,  uipetnne;  the  u  suffering  ^vhat  Ger- 
man  philologists  call  umlaut,  from  the  e 

of'  the  following  syllable Zeuss.  Gram. 

Celt.,  p.  18  ;  Ebel,  Beitrage,  1.  164.  There 
is  no  such  ■svord  as  Viredo. 

4.  Cuncta. — Juxta,  O'D. 

5.  Exultent. — Exaltent,  O'D.  C.     Ful- 
mina. — Fulmina,  C. 

8.  Matris  in. — In  Matris,  O'D. 

9.  Siccera. — Sicera,  O'D.  C.     O'Don- 
nell's  extract  -ends  here.      See  Colgan, 


Trias  Thaum.,  p.  397.  The  gloss  upon  this 
word  runs  out  into  the  margin  of  the  page, 
and  is  partly  illegible. 

10.  Zacharias. —  Elizabeth  Zacharia?, 
C. 

11.  Babtizam. —  Babtistam,  C.  The 
use  of  z  for  st  in  our  MS.  has  alreadj  been 
noticed.     Seeabove,  p.  78,  n.  31. 

13.  Argenti. — Argenteo,   C.     Auri 

Aurea,  C.  These  readings  are  inconsistent 
with  the  metre. 


(       264      ) 


XVII.  THE  PRAYER  OF  ST.  JOHN  THE  EVANGELIST. 


^T^HE  íbllowing  docunient  is  called  "epistola"  in  one  place,  and  "ymnus" 
J-  in  anothev,  by  the  author  oí'  the  Scholium  or  Preface  ;  but  it  is  really  a 
prayer;  and  is  said  to  have  been  uttered  by  St.  John  the  Evangelist  over  the 
poisoned  cup,  oífered  to  him  by  the  heathen  priest  of  Ephesus. 

The  Legend  in  which  this  prayer  occurs,  and  which  is  given  at  length  in 
the  Preface,  has  appeared  in  two  several  works,  both  putting  forth  pretensions 
to  great  antiquity,  although  now  universally  admitted  to  be  spurious,  viz. : 
the  Acta  Apostolorum,  sive  Historia  certaminis  Apostolici,  attributed  to  Abdias, 
first  Bishop  of  Babylon  ;  and  the  Passio  S.  Johannis  Evangelistoz,  ascribed  to 
Mellitus,  Bishop  of  Laodicea,  or  rather  of  Sardes. 

The  impostor  who  was  the  author  of  the  former  of  these  worhs  calls  him. 
self  a  disciple  of  the  Apostles,  and  professes  to  have  been  ordained  first  Bishop 
of  Babylon  by  the  Apostles  themselves.  He  tells  us  also  that  he  composed 
the  work  in  the  Hebrew  language :  that  it  was  afterwards  translated  into  Greek 
by  his  own  disciple,  Eutropius,  and  into  Latin  by  Julius  Africanus  :  "qua; 
Africanus  Historiographus  in  Latinam  transtulit  linguam"1.  These  are  the 
words  of  the  author  himself,  who,  whilst  he  pretends  to  have  been  a  conteni- 
porary  of  the  apostles,  has  made  the  singular  blunder  of  attributing  the  trans- 
lation  of  his  work  into  Latin,  to  Africanus,  a  writer  of  the  third  centunf- ! 

1  Linguam. — Apost.  Hist.,  lib.  6,  fol.   83  been  first  written  in  Hebrew  was  a  deliberate 
(ed.  by  John  Faber).     Paris,  1571;  8°.     And  falsehood:  forexanrple,  suchplavsupon  words 

see  the  note  of  Fabricius  on  this  passage as  "  In  nominc  Domini  mei  Jesu  impetra- 

Cod.  Apocr.  N.  Test.  II.,  p.  389,  629.  bam  non  impcrabam"  (lib.  ix.  c.  21);    "  non 

2  Tlárd  centurij There  are  internal  evi-  everti,  sed  converti  eam"  (lib.  viii.  c.  8),  could 

denccs  that  Latin  was  the  original  language  of  scarceh/  have  becn  the  language  of  a  transla- 

the  book,  and  that  the  assertion  of  its  having  tor. 


ThePrat/er  o/  St.  John  tlie  Evangelist.  265 

But  it  is  unnecessary  for  the  object  of  the  Editor  to  discuss  the  question  of 
the  genuineness  of  a  \vork,  whose  pretensions  have  now  no  defenders1.  Its  au- 
thor  cannot  have  lived  before  the  fifth  century  ;  he  has  uniformly  quoted  the 
modern  Vulgate,  and  appears  to  have  also  used  the  Latin  version  of  the  writings 
of  Eusebius2.  There  is  good  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  the  Venerable  Bede 
had  seen  these  "  Acts  of  the  Apostles,"  for  he  seems  to  refer  to  them  under  the 
title  of  "  Histories  of  the  Passions  of  the  Apostles."  lf  so,  it  will  follow  that 
the  Pseudo-Abdias  cannot  have  lived  later  than  the  be<rinnin£  of  the  eighth  cen- 
tury.  The  passage  in  the  writings  of  Bede  referred  to  is  the  following : — 
"  Hos  [Simonem  scil.  Zelotem,  et  Judam  Jacobi]  referunt  Historiaj  in  quibus 
apostolorum  passiones  continentur,  et  a  plurimis  deputantur  apocryphae,  prae- 
dicasse  in  Perside,  ibique  a  templorum  pontificibus  in  civitate  Suanir  occisos, 
gloriosum  subiisse  martyrium"3.  The  Pseudo-Abdias  relates  the  story  of  the 
martyrdom  of  SS.  Simon  and  Jude,  in  the  city  of  Suanir  in  Persia,  in  ex- 
act  accordance  with  Bede's  citation,  which  renders  it  probable  that  the  "  His- 
torise  in  quibus  Apostolorum  passiones  continentur,"  referred  to  by  him,  was 
no  other  than  the  "  Historia  certaminis  Apostolici"  now  extant,  especially 
as  we  do  not  find  elsewhere  any  meution  of  the  city  of  Suanir4.  If  so,  we  see 
that,  even  at  that  tiine,  the  work  was  generally  rejected  as  spurious,  "  a  plu- 
rimis  deputantur  apocrypha3"5. 

Tlie  "  Passio  S.  Johannis  Evangelistae"  attributed  to  Mellitus,  has  still 

1  Defenders. — The  authorities  are  collected  3  Martyrium. — Bedae,  Retract.  in  Actt. 
in  the  Testimonia  et  Censurce  prefixed  to  the  Apostt.  i.  13  (Opp.  tom.  xii.,  p.  90,  ed.  Giles.) 
Historia  of  Abdias,  by  Joh.  Alb.  Fabricius,  4  Suanir. — Abdia?,  Hist.  Apostol.,  lib.  v. 
Codex  Apocr.  N.  Test.,  Hamburg,  1703,  tom.  c.  20,  sq.  Fabricius  says :  "  De  civitate  Persi- 
ii.  p.  388,  sq. ;  see  also  Ceillier,  Hist.  des  Au-  dis  cui  nomen  Suanir,  altum  apud  veteres 
teurs  Eccles.,  tom.  i.  p.  488;  Coci,  Censura,  silentium  " — Ubi  supr.,  p.  744.  Tillemont 
p.  82,  sq. ;  Baronii  Annal.,  A.  D.  51,  N°.  51.  suggests  that  Suanir   may  be  a  city  of  the 

2  Eusebius. — See  Abdias,  lib.  vi.  c.  4,  and  Suani  or  Surani,  mcntioned  by  Pliny.  Mém., 
Fabricius,  ubi  supr.,  p.  597,  not.  a.     Fabri-  t.  i.,  p.  400. 

cius  has  given  the  following  negative  opinion  s  Apocruphce. —  See  Oudin.  De  Scriptori- 

as  to  the  age  of  this  author:  "  Neque  tantse  bus  Eccles.,  tom.  ii.  418,  sq.,  where  the  argu- 

mihi   vidctur  hoc   scriptum    antiquitatis,    ut  ments  against  the  genuineness  of  the  work  are 

Hieronymis  et  Augustinis  possit  de  aetate  con-  stated.     Oudin,  however,  fixes  A.  D.  910,  as 

tendere.     Nam  ex  veteribus  nemo  ejus  me-  the   date  of  the  Pseudo-Abdias,    not  being 

minit,  et  scribendi  genus  ipsum,  et  usus  fami-  aware  that  the  book  was  known  to  Bede,  and 

liarior  Vulgata?  ac  versionuui  Rufini  sequiorem  that,  therefore,  it  must  have  been  extant  be- 

aetatem  arguunt.'"  fore  A.  D.  735,  when  Bede  died. 

2M 


166  The  Prayer  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

less  pretensions  to  antiquity.  Eusebius1  mentions  an  eminent  eaint  and 
wiúter,  Mellitus,  or  Mclito,  Bishop  of  Sardes  in  Lydia  (A.D.  170),  and  gives 
an  account  of  his  numerous  writings,  none  of  whioh  are  now  extant.  It 
is  probable,  theref'ore,  that  the  author  of  the  Passion  of  St.  John,  under  the 
name  of  Mellitus,  intended  to  personate  this  Melito  of  Sardes,  although  hehas 
styledhimself2  "  Mellitus  servus  Christi  Episcopus  Laudocia;"  (i.  e.  Laodiceae) ; 
but  in  another  Apocryphal  book3,  "  De  transitu  Marice"  which  is  generally 
supposed  to  be  by  the  same  author,  he  has  called  himself  "  Melito  servus 
Christi  et  episcopus  ecclesia?  Sardensis,"  intending,  no  doubt,  the  Melito  of 
Sardes,  mentioned  by  Eusebius,  and  from  Eusebius,  by  S.  Jerome4. 

It  is  not  easy  to  fix  the  precise  date  of  this  Pseudo-Melito,  or  Mellitus. 
The  book,  De  obitu  [or  transitu]  beatce  Marice,  is  twice  referred  to  by  the  Ven. 
Bede  (Retractt.  inActt.,  c.  viii.,  xiii.),  and  in  both  cases  with  strong  censure. 
That  book,  therefore,  must  be  older  than  the  eighth  century ;  and  so  will  fix 
the  date  of  the  "  Passio  S.  Johannis  Evang."  if  we  assume  that  both  works,  as 
both  bearing  the  name  of  Mellitus,  or  Melito,  are  by  the  same  author5. 

The  Legend  of  St.  John  and  the  poisoned  cup  occurs  in  the  Apostolica 
Historia  of  Abdias,  and  also  in  the  Passio  S.  Johannis  of  Mellitus,  in  nearly 
the  same  words,  and  it  is  evident  that  one  of  these  writers  (if  they  be  difFerent) 
must  have  copied  from  the  other,  or  both  from  some  common  source.  This 
Legend  is  given  in  the  Irish  Preface  to  the  following  Prayer,  with  some  vari- 
ations  from  the  narratives  of  Abdias  and  Mellitus,  which  will  be  pointed  out 
in  the  Additional  Notes,  so  far  as  they  are  of  any  importance. 

There  is  a  valuable  (although  not  perfect)  MS.  of  the  Pseudo-Abdias  in 
the  Library  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin  (G.  4.  16)  which  is  probably  of  the 
tenth  or  early  part  of  the  eleventh  century.  The  story  of  St.  John  and  the 
poisoned  cup  from  the  text  of  this  MS.  will  be  found  in  Note  B,  p.  272,  infra. 

In  thc  artistic  representations  of  St.  John  in  the  pictures  and  stained  glass 
of  the  middle  ages,  he  is  frequently  represented  holding  in  his  hand  a  cup,  or 

1  Eusebius,— Euseb.  Hist.  Eccl.,  lib.  iv.  c.  s  Autlwr.— Ceillier  says  (Ilist.  des  Auteurs 

26,  who  calls  him  Mí\íti»v  tíjc  iv  "ZápSioi  ira-  Eccles.,  tom.  ii.,  p.  79),  speaking  of  the  tract, 

poiKÍag  t7ríffK07Tot,\  -Pe  obitu  B  Marice,  "  L'Auteur  paroit  étre  le 

-  Sttjled  Inmself. J.  A.  Fabricii,  ubisupra,  méme  que  celui  du  livre  qui  a  pour  titre  :  La 

part  iii.,  p-  604.  Passion  de  S.  Jean  V Evangeliste  sous  le  nom 

3  Booli. — Fabricius.     Ibid.,  p.  623.  de  Mellitus,  Evóque  de  Laodicée."    See  also 

4  S.  Jerome. — De  Viris  Illustribus,  cap.  24.  Fabricius,  loc.  cit. 


The  Prayer  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  267 

chalice,  sometirnes  a  serpent,  sometimes  a  demon,  is  seen  issuing  from  the 
chalice.  These  representations  are  evidently  founded  on  the  Legend  with 
which  \ve  are  concerned;  the  serpent,  or  demon,  representing  the  flight  of' 
the  deadlv  influence  from  the  poisoned  cup. 

A  translation  of  the  Scholiast's  preface  will  be  found  in  Note  A,  p.  271, 
infra.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  some  words  in  this  preí'ace,  and  particularlv 
the  passage  with  which  it  concludes,  are  now  illegible  in  our  MS. 


2  M 


OCUS  ITieUS.  lohanneppiliup  ^gebebei  hancepipcolampecic.  ln  epepipbana  boponab, 
marmptp  ímoppo  bomicmni  boponab;  haec  epc  caupa  .1.  con[cmn]  móp  bopala 
ecip  eom  -|  apipcobim  .1.  pacapc  cempuil  beanae.  Conepbaipc  eom  ppi  apipcobhn, 
Ciagum  a  apipcobim  ol  pe,  co  cempul  cpipc  pil  ípm  cachpais  -\  accai^  beam  ann  co 
caich  m  cempul,  1  pega  lecpu  lanpm  co  cempul  beanae,  1  guibpecpa  cpipc  copo 
cuice,  t  bia  cech  cempul  beane  epumpa  íp  pepp  cpipc  ap  beam,  -\  íppeb  ay  chóip 
buicpiu  abpab  cpipc  lappem.  Oencap  íapum  ap  apipcobim.  ?  ocap  popc  co  cem- 
pul  cpipc,  opauic  apipcobmuip  cpibup  hopip  beanam,  ec  nec  camen  cecibic  cem- 
plum  chpipci.  e^tiepunc  popcea  tio  cemplum  beanae,  ec  opauic  íohannep  uc  ca- 
bepec  ec  pcacim  cecibic.  Cc  apipcobimup  cempcauic  occibepe  íohannem  peb  non 
aupup  epc  ppo  mulcicubme  Chpipcianopum.    1N  pail  ní  polaab  cumcabaipc  uaic 

beop  apipcobim,  ap  eoin.     Occi,  aj\  pe,  bianebapu  Itín  cailis  be  Imn ueneno 

ec  pi  non  epip  mopcuup  pcacim  cpebam  beo  cuo:  -\  biiric  lohannep,  buc  húc,  babi- 
cup,  a^  pe,  acc  co  capcap  bonacimmebaib  a]\  cpialcaip  bo  mapbab  íconb  pfsnunc, 
cpjia  non  meliup  epc  mopi  peppo  cpuam  ueneno,  uc  cimepec  íohannep  bijric  apipco- 
bmiup  hoc.  ec  ppimup  poppepcic  cani  uenenum  ec  pcacim  mopcuup  epc,  -\  popc  ca- 
nem  poppejric  pemiae,  -|  ílla  pimilicep  mopcua  epc,  -|  popcea  bacup  epc  íllip  pocup, 
-|  mopcui  punc  pcacim.  -\  pic  bebic  íohanni,  -]  bi;nc  íohannep  cunc,  beupmeup  pacep, 
.-|pl.  -]  bibic  1  non  nocuic  ei.  -\  haec  epc  caupa  bénma  huiup  c^mm.  -\  pupcicaci  punc 
cpui  mopcui  puepunc  ueneno.  -|  pic  cpebibic  apipcobimup,  -\  aln  mulci  cum  eo.  -\  pi 
arnp  cancauepic  hunc  q-mnum  m  licpjopem  auc  ín  alicruib  cfuob  popic  nocepe  m 
pamcacem  [pebic].  1N  pme  uniupcuiupcfue  anni  elegicup  be  populo  íuuenip 
panccup  pme  macula  peccaci,  uc  con  .  .  .  loh  .  .  .  -\  un^ep  eiup  cipcum  .  .  . 


GUS  meus  ec  pacerc  ec  pilius  ec  spirncus  sonccus 
cui  oiriNia  subiecca  sunc  ec  cui  omNis  crcea- 
curca  Oesercuic  ec  omNis  pocescas  subiecca  esc 
ec  mecuic  ec  e;cpauescic  ec  orcaco  pu^ic  ec  silic 


Gloss — 1.  Deusmevs. — Adit  tu  extinge.     2.  Cui. — .1.  ípbuicpiu  [itisto  thee].     Omnia. — 
1.  elimenta.     4.  Braco. — Multagenerasunt  draconuin.i.  terristres.  .  .  .  sed  omnes  igne  nocent. 


1 .  Deus  meus. — Thcgloss  overthese  words 
signifi.es  that  the  word  Deus  "goes  to"  tu 
extingue;  i.e.  that  Deus  is  in  apposition  with. 
tu  (line  11),  allbetween  being  a  parenthesis. 


4.  Draeo. — The  gloss  over  this  word, 
which  is  in  Latin,  runs  out  into  the  mar- 
gin,  and  is  partly  obliterated.  All  that 
is  legible  of  it  is  given  above. 


Tlie  Prager  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 


269 


uiperca  ec  rcubeca  ílla  quae  Dicicurc  rcaua  cpjieca  corcpes-    5 
cic  scorcpius  e^rciNSicurc  rcesulus  uincicutí  ec  spela^ius  ml 

Gloss 5.    Vipera. — i.  e.  vi  parens,  .1.  dente  nocet.      Quieta. — .1.  cmcach  .1.  blebmil.     6.  Regulus. 

— .1.  anela  nocet.     Spclagius. — .1.  uestigio  nocet. 


5.  Vipera. — The  etymology  in  the  gloss, 
"  vi  parens,"  is  an  allusion  to  the  ancient 
popular  opinion  as  to  the  parturition  of  the 
viper,  which  is  thus  descrihed  by  Isidorus 
Hispalensis : — "  Vipera  dicta,  quod  vi  pa- 
riat.  Xam,  quum  venter  ejus  ad  partum 
ingemuerit,  eatuli  non  expectantes  naturoe 
maturam  solutionem  corrosis  eius  lateri- 
bus  vi  erumpunt  cum  matris  interitu." — 
Etijmol.  lib.  xii.  cap.  iv.  n.  10.  (Opp. 
tom.  iv.,  p.  65.  Romee.  1801.)  Rana. 
— "  Ex  iis  [ranis,  sc.~\  quaedam  aquaticte 
dicuntur,  qusedam  palustres,  quaedam  ru- 
betae,  ob  id  quia  in  vepribus  vivunt  gran- 
diores  cunctarum." — Isid.  Hispal.,  ibid., 
cap.  vi.  n.  58  (Opp.  ib.  p.  85).  Quieta. 
— Over  this  word  ogcuts  the  gloss  in  Irish, 
which  is  given  above,  and  which,  pro- 
bably,  may  have  been  intended  to  ex- 
plain  Draco,  although,  for  want  of  room, 
Avritten  under  instead  of  over  that  'svord. 
But  it  may  have  been  intended  to  explain 
rana,  an  animalthen,  perhaps,  unhno'wnin 
Ireland.  The  word  ancach  occurs,  p. 
206,  supra  (line  10),  as  a  gloss  on  the 
word  "  otiosa."  Mr.  Curiy  thinhs  that  it 
signifies  here  the  remora,  or  echineis. 
Oletmríl  is  a  ichale;  bleb,  a  whale ;  "  gl. 
pistrix;  gl.  bellua  marina"  (Zeuss,  p.  100); 
míl,  a  beast ;  "Welsh,  mil.  So  that  the  au- 
thor  of  the  gloss,  having  no  idea  of  a  íi'og 
or  toad,  imagined  it  to  be  a  sca  monster, 
a  whale,  or  remora :  an  animal  able  to 
stop  the  progress  of  a  ship  at  sea,  by  ad- 


hering  to  the  keel.  In  O'Davoren's  glos- 
sary  we  have  "  bleth  .1.  mil  mór  [a  whale]  ; 
hlaid,  i.  e.  muir  [the  sea],  ut  est  blaidh- 
míP'  [a  sea-beast].  Stokes,  Three  Old- 
Irish  Glossaries,  pp.  59,  61.  Torpescit. — 
In  the  margin  are  these  words:   "  Colu- 

ber  cinere,  scorpius  cauda silius 

[?  basiliscus,  or  sibilus~\  ossibus  post  mor- 
tem  nocct,  serpens  linga  [i.  e.  lingua]  no- 
cet."  These  descriptions  are  not  from 
Isidore,  who  says,  however,  "  Sibilus  idem 
est  qui  regulus.  Sibilo  enim  occidit,  ante- 
quam  mordeat  vel  exurat." — Etijm.  xii., 
c.  iv.,  n.  9. 

6.  Rcgulus. — Is  the  Latin  equivalent 
for  the  Greek  Basiliscus,  and  denotes  the 
same  serpent : — "Basiliscus  graíce,  latine 
interpretatur  regulus,  eo  quod  rex  serpen- 
tum  est,  adeo  ut  eum  videntes  fugiant, 
quia  olfactu  suo  eos  necat ;  nam  et  homi- 
nem  vel  si  aspiciat  interimit.  Siquidem  ad 
ejus  aspectum  nulla  avis  volans  illaísa  tran- 
sit,  sed  quamvis  procul  sit,  ejus  ore  com- 
busta  dcvoratur." — Isid.  Etym.,  xii.,  cap. 
iv.  n.  6  (  Opp.  ut  sapr.,  p.  64).  This  explains 
the  gloss,  "  .i.  anela  [for  anhela~\  nocet;" 
{anhela  taken  as  a  subst.),  "by  breathing 
hurts."  In  the  margin  there  is  the  fol- 
lowing  note  : — "  Begulus,  .i.  rex  omnium 
serpentium,  nulla  auis  uolans  uiso  eo  po- 

test  euadere  i peste.  et  tamen 

mustella  eum  occidit."  This  seems  from 
Isidore,  who  adds,  after  the  words  above 
quoted,    "  A   mustelis   tamen   vincitur  : 


270 


The  Prayer  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 


NQxium  opercacuT?  ec  omNia  ueNeNaca  ec  aohuc  penocioT?a 
Tíepewcia  ec  aNimalia  nqcto  ceNebRaNcurc  ec  oniNes  aouerc- 
sae  salucis  humaNae  rcaoices  ONescuNC.  cu  e;tciN5e  hoc  ue- 
NeNacum  uinus.  ec  ejciNse  opeuacioNes  eius  morccipeuas  ec 
umes  cpias  in  se  habec  euacua  ec  Oa  in  couspeccu  cuo  om- 
Nibus  his  cruos  cu  crceasci  oculos  uc  uioeauc,  aimes  uc  au- 
oeaNC,  cotí  uc  masNicuOiNem  cuam  íNcellisaNC,  ameN.  ma- 
cheus  marccus  Lucas  íohaNNes. 

Gloss 10.    Operationes. — .1.  ueneni. 


quas   illi  homines   infenmt   cavernis,   in 
quibus  delitescit." — Ibid.,  n.  7,  p.  65. 

6.  Spelagius. —  Pseudo  -  Melito  and 
Pseudo-Abdias,  as  printed  by  Fabricius, 
both  read  phalangius ,-  but  tbe  Dublin  MS. 
of  tbe  latter  bas  sphalangius  :  tbis  is  the 
phalangium  (cfraXá^tov)  or  venomous  spi- 
der  of  Pliny,  Jlist.  Nat.  viii.  27,  et  alibi ; 
Vegetius,  DeReTet.,  iii.  80  (al.  8i),where 
some  edd.  have  sphalangiis.  The  gloss, 
"vestigio  nocet,"  seems  to  intimate  that 


this  spider  insinuates  his  poison  by  merely 
crawling  over  the  ílesh. 

12.  Audeant. — This  is  only  the  Irish 
orthography  of  e  for  i ;  for  audiant.  See 
Reeves1  Adamnan,  Pref.,  p.  xvi.,  xvii. 

13.  llatlieus. — This  is  a  curious  ex- 
ample  of  the  ancient  custom  of  invocat- 
ing  the  names  of  the  Evangelists,  as  a 
protection  against  evil:  "Matthew,  Mark, 
Luke,  and  John,  Bless  the  bed  that  we 
lye  on." 


(     271     ) 


ADDITIONAL  NOTES. 


Note  A. 
The  Scholiasfs  Preface. 
HIS  Preface  is  written  in  the  same  mixture  of  Latin  and  Irish  which  we  have  al- 


T 


ready  had  occasion  to  notice  in  the  other  Prcfaces.     The  following  is  a  literal 
translation  : — 

Beus  meus.  John,  son  of  Zebedee,  composed  this  Epistle.  In  Ephesus  it  was  eomposed.  In  thetime 
of  Domitian  it  was  composed.  This  was  the  cause  : — There  was  a  great  contest  between  Jolin  and  Aris- 
todemus,  the  priest  of  the  Temple  of  Diana,  so  that  John  said  to  Aristodemus,  "  Let  us  go,  O  Aristode- 
mus,"  said  he,  "to  theTempleof  Christ,  which  is  in  thecity,  and  pray  thou  there  toDiana  thattheTemple 
may  fall,  and  I  will  go  with  thee  afterwards  to  the  Temple  of  Diana,  and  I  will  pray  to  Christ  that  it  may 
fall ;  and  if  the  Temple  of  Diana  shall  fall  for  me,  then  Christ  is  better  than  Diana,  and  it  will  be  right 
for  thee  to  worship  Christ  henceforth."  "Let  this  be  done,"  said  Aristodemus.  They  went  then  to  tlie 
Temple  of  Christ.  Aristodemus™  prayed  for  three  hours  to  Diana;  and,  nevertheless,  the  Temple  of  Christ 
fell  not.  They  went  afterwards  to  the  Temple  of  Diana,  and  John  prayed  that  it  might  fall,  and  it  fell 
immediatelv.  Aud  Aristodemus  sought  to  kill  Johu  ;  but  durst  not,  owing  to  the  number  of  tlie  Chris- 
tians. 

"  Is  thereb  anything  that  would  banish  doubt  from  thee,  O  Aristodemus  ?"  said  John.  "  Tliere  is,"  said 
he;  "if  thou  drink  a  full  cup  of  ale  [mixed]  with  poison,  and  if  thou  shalt  not  be  dead,  I  will  at  once 
believe  in  thy  God  ;"  and  John  said,  "  Bring  it  hither,  it  shall  be  given,"  said  he.  "  But  let  it  be  given 
to  the  prisoners,  who  are  about  to  be  put  to  death  by  the  king  now,  for  it  is  not  better  to  die  by  the 
sword  than  by  poison."  Aristodemus  said  this  that  John  might  fear;  and  íirst  he  gave  the  poison  to  a 
dogc,  and  it  died  immediatelj* ;  and  after  the  dog  he  gave  to  au  ape,  and  it  died  lifcewise;  and  afterwards 
the  draught  was  given  to  them  [i.  e.  to  the  prisoners],  and  they  died  immediately.     And  so  he  gave  it  to 


a  Aristodemus. — From  this  word  to  the  end  of  the  king  now  ;"  the  remainder  is  Latin. 

paragraph  is  in  Latin.  c  To  a  dog. — There  is  nothing  about  these  experi- 

1  Is  there. — The  next  words  are  Irish,   to  the  ments  upon  the  dog  and  the  ape  in  the  original  Le- 

word  "  ale  ;"  then  Latin,  to  "  it  shall  be  given  ;"  gend,  as  given  by  the  Pseudo-Abdias  and  Mellitus. 

then  Irish,  to  the  words  "  to  be  put  to  death  by  the  See  Add.  Note  B. 


272  Tlie  Prayer  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  [xoteb. 

John  ;  and  John  said  then,  Deusmeus,  Puter,  Sfc,  and  he  drank,  and  itdid  him  no  hurt.  And  this  is  the 
cause  of  the  compositiond  of  this  hymn  ;  and  they  who  had  died  of  the  poison  were  raised,  and  so  Aristode- 
mus  believed,  and  manv  others  with  him.  Aíid  if  any  one  shall  sing  this  Hymn  over  drink,  or  anything 
that  might  prove  injurioua,  it  will  restore  him  to  health  [or  render  it  harmless.] 

"  At  the  end  of  every  year  there  Í3  elected  out  of  the  people  a  holy  youth,  without  stain  of  sin,  that 


The  remaining  words  are  illegible ;  a  few  letters  here  and  there  are  visible,  but  the 
deficiency  can  only  be  supplied  by  conjecture.  Dr.  O'Donovan  suggests,  "  at  tondeatur 
in  f  [i.  e.  in  feria]  Johannis,  et  ungetur  eius  circum  .  .  .  ."  or  "  ut  tondeat  eum  epis- 

copus  Johanni et  unges[?]  eius  circum  .  .  .  ."     The  name  Mael-eoin,  which 

signifies  "  tonsured  to  John,"  or  in  honour  of  John  (now  anglicized  Malone),  is  common 
in  Ireland,  and  bears  testimony  to  the  ancient  custom  of  tonsuring  in  honour  of  St. 
John. 


Note  B. 

The  Legcnd  of  St.  Jolin  and  the  poisoned  cup. 

The  following  is  the  Legend  of  St.  John  and  the  poisoned  cup,  as  it  is  given  in 
the  "Historia  certaminis  Apostolici"  of  the  Pseudo-Abdias.  The  text  is  taken  from 
the  ancient  MS.  of  this  work,  preserved  in  the  Library  of  Trinity  College,  Dubline, 
collated  with  the  printed  text  of  Abdias,  as  given  by  Fabricius,  and  also  with  that  of 
the  "  Passio  S.  JohannÍ3  Evangelistae"  by  the  Pseudo-Mellitusf,  as  published  by  the 
same  author :  the  readings  of  Abdias,  in  the  edition  of  Fabricius,  will  be  denoted  by  the 
letter  A,  those  of  Mellitus,  by  M. 

The  history  of  St.  John  is  the  flfth  book  of  the  work  of  Abdias,  and  the  following 
story  is  the  eighth  section  or  chapter  in  the  MS.,  the  nineteenth  in  the  edition  of  Fa- 
bricius  (Cod.  Apoc.  N.  Test.  ii.,  p.  573).  The  "  Passio  S.  Joannis  Evangelista?,"  by 
Mellitus,  was  printed  by  Franciscus  Maria  Florentinius,  MarUjrol.  S.  Hieromjmi,  p.  1 30, 
and  reprinted  by  Fabricius  (Op.  cit.  iii.,  p.  604). 

.viii.  Cum  autems  omnis  ciuitas  ephesiorum,  immo  omnis  prouincia  asioe  iohannem  excoleret1'  et  predi- 
caret,  accidit  ut  cultores  idolorum,  exitarent  seditionem.    Unde  factum  est  ut  iohaunem  traherent  ad  tem- 


11  Composition.  —  Here  the  one  word,    bénma,  s  Cum  autem — A.  reads  "  Dum  ha2c  fierent  apud 

"of  making,  or  composition"  [nom. tȎnum],  is  Irish,  Ephesum  et  omnes  indies  magis  magisque  A-i;i> 

all  the  rest  being  Latin.  provincia;  Joannem  et  excolerent  et  pra?dicarent, 

«  fiublin. — See  above,  p.  266.  accidit,"  &c. 

1  Mellitus See  p.  265-6,  supra.  h  Excoleret. — Excolerent  et  prajdicarent,  A.  M. 


Note  B.] 


The  Legend  qf  St.  John,  §c. 


273 


plum  dianae,  et  urgerent  eum  ut  ei  foeditatem  sacrificiorum  offeret.  Tunc'  beatus  iohannes  ait ;  ducamJ  uoa 
omnes  adk  ecclesiam  domini  ihú  xpi :  et  inuocantes1  nomen  eius,  faciam  cadere  templum  hoc,  et  comminui 
idolum  uestrum.  Quod  cumm factum  fuerit,  iustum  uobisn  uideri  debet :  ut  relicta  superstitione  eius  rei,  quse  a 
deo  meo  uicta  est,  et  confracta :  ad  ipsum0  conuertamini ;  Ad  hanc  uaeem  conticuit  populus!1 :  et  licet  essent 
pauci  qui  contradicerent  huic  diffinitioni:  pars  tamcn  maxima  adsensmm  adtríbuit.  Tunc  beatus  iohannes 
blandis  alloquiis  exhortabatur  populum :  ut  a  templo  longe  se  facerent.  Cumque  uniuersi  exteriorer  parte 
foris  exissent,  uoce  clara  omnibuss  dixit.  Ut  sciat  omnis  hsec  turba  quia  idolum  hoc  dianse  uestrse1  demo- 
nium  est  et  non  deus,  corruat  cum  omnibus  manu  factis  idolis,  quse  coluntur  in  eo  :  ita  utu  nullam  in  homi- 
nibus  lassionem  faciat.  Continuo  ad  hanc  uocem  apostoli  omnia  simul  cum  templo  suo  idola  ita  corruerunt 
ut  efficerentur  sicut  puluis  quem  proiicitv  uentus  a  facie  terrse.  Conuersi  sunt,v  eadem  die  duodecim  milia 
gentilium  exceptis  paruulis  et  mulieribus  et  baptismatis*  sunt  consecrati  uirtute.  Tunc  aristodimus  qui  erat 
pontifex  omniumJ  idolorum  repletus  spiritu  nequissimo  excitavit  seditionem  in  populo  ita  ut  populus 
contra  populum  pararetur  in  bellum.  Sed  beatus'  iohannes  ait ;  Dic  mihi  aristodime  quid  faciam  ut  tol- 
lam  indiguationem  de  animo  tuo.  Cuia  aristodimus  dixitb.  Si  uis  ut  credam  deo  tuo  dabo  tibi  uenenum 
bibere;  quod  cura  biberis  si  non  fueris  mortuus  apparebit  uerum  esse  deum  tuum.  Cui  sanctus  apostolus 
aitc.  Venenum  si  dederis  mihi  bibere  inuocato  nomine  domini  mei  non  poterit  nocere  mc' ;  Cui  aristodi- 
muse  ait  ;  Prius  est  ut  uideas'  bibentes  et  statim  morientes  ut  uel  sic  possit  cor  tuum  ab  hoc  poculo?  for- 
midare".  Cui'  beatus  iohannes  respondit.  Iam  dixi  tibi  tu  paratus  esto  credere  in  dominumJ  ihm  xpm 
cumk  me  uideris  post  ueneni  poeulum  sanum.  Perrexit  itaque  aristodimus  ad  proconsulem  :  et  petiit  ab  eo 
duos  uiros,  qui  pro  suis  erant  sceleribus  decollandi1 ;  et  statuens™  eos  in  medio  foro,  coram  omnin  pepulo  in 


'  Tunc Inter  hcec,  A. 

j  Ducam. — Ducamus  omnes  eos,  A. 

k  Ad. — In  ecclesia  Domini  mei,  M. 

1  Et  invocantes. — Et  invocantes  nomen  Dianoe 
vestrce  facite  cadere  ecclesiam  ejus,  et  consentiam 
vobis.  Si  autem  hoc  facere  non  potestis,  ego  invoco 
nomen  Domini  mei  Jcsu  Christi,  et  faciam,  &c,  M. 
Et  cum  invocaveritis,  A. 

m  Cum. — Ubi,  A.  Cum  fuerit  (omitting  factum), 
M. 

n  Vobis. — Nobis,  A. 

°  Ad  ipsum. — Ad  id  ipsum,  A. 

p  Populus Omnis  populus,  M. 

i  Adsensum. — Consensum,  A.  M. 

'  Exteriore. — Et  interiore,  M. 

'  Omnibus. — Voceclaraclamavit,  A.  Voce  clara 
coram  omnibus  dixit,  M. 

'  Vestrm. — Omit,  M. 

u  Ita  ut. — Ita  tamen  ut.  A. 

1  Projicit. — Projecit,  A. 

w  Conversi  sunt. — Conversi  sunt  autem  eo  die,  M. 
Itaque  conversa  sunt  eadem  die,  A. 

1  Baptismatis. — Et  baptizati  sunt  consecrati  vir- 


tute,  M.  Et  baptizati  sunt  a  beato  Joanne  et  vir- 
tute  consecrati,  A. 

y  Omnium. — Omit,  M.  Qna  cum  animadverte- 
ret  Aristodemus,  qui  erat  Pontifex  oinnium  illorum 
idolorum,  A. 

1  Sed  beatus  ....  uit. — Ad  quem  conversus  Jo- 
annes,  Dic  mihi  Aristodeme  (inquit),  A. 

*  Cui Omit,  M. 

^  Dixit.—Omh,  Á. 

c  Ait — Cui  apostolus  ait,  M.  Eespondit  Apos- 
tolus,  A. 

d  Socere  me. — Nocere  non  poterit,  A.  Non  po- 
terit  nocere  mihi,  M. 

e  Aristodimus. — Cui  rursus  Aristodemus,  A. 

'  Ut  videas. — Volo  ut  prius  videas,  A. 

s  Poculo. — Periculo,  M. 

h  Formidare. — Abhorrere,  A. 

'  Cui. — Ad  quem  beatusJoannes,  jam  antea  dixi 
tibi,  quia  paratus  sum  bibere  ut  credas,  A. 

J  In  dominum. — In  Domiuum  meum,  M. 

k  Cum. — Dum,  M. 

1  Decollandi. — De  quibus  debebat  ultimum  sup- 
plicium  sumi,  A. 


N 


274 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Jolin  the  Evangelist. 


[Note  B. 


conspectu  apostoli0  fecit  eos  bibere  uenenum :  qui  mox  ut  bibereutn  spiritum  exalauerunti.  Tunc  dicif 
aristodimus  Audi  me'  iobannes :  et'  aut  recede  ab  ista  doctrina  qua  deonim™  cultura  reuocastiv  populum, 
aut  accipe  et  bibe :  ut  ostendes"  omnipotentem  esse  deum  tuum  si  postea  quam  biberis,  potueris  incolumis 
permanere.  Tunc  beatus  iobannes  iacentibus  mortuis  bis  qui  uenenum  biberant  intrepidus11  et  constans  ac- 
cepit  calicem  et  signaculum  crucis  faciens  in  eo'  dixit.  Deus  meus*  et  pater  domini  mei1  ibQ  xpe  cuius 
uerbo  caeli  firmati  sunt,  cui  omnia  subiecta  sunt,  cui  omnis  creatura  deseruit  et  omnis  potestas  subiecta  est 
et  metuit0  et  expauescit.  Cumc  nos  te  ad  auxilium  inuocamus,  cuius  audito  nomine  serpens  conquiescit. 
Draco  fugit,  silet  uipera,  et  rubeta  illa  quae  dicitur  rana  inquietae'1  \_sic\  torpescit,  scorpiuse  extinguitur,  re- 
gulus  uincitur,  et  spbalangiusf  nihil  noxium  operatur,  et3  omnia  ueneuata'1  et  adhuc  ferociora  repentia  et 
animalia  noxia  te  reuerentur'  et  omnesJ  aduersse  salutis  humanse  radices  arescunt.  Tuk  extingue  hoc  uene- 
nosum'  uirus,  extingue  operationes  eiusm  mortiferas  et  uires  quas  in  se  habet  euacua,  et  dan  in  conspectu 
tuo°  omnibus  liis  quos  tu  creasti  oculos  ut  uideant,  aures  ut  audiantP  et  cor  ut  magnitudinem  tuam  intelle- 
gant,  et  cum  hoc  dixisset,  os  suum  et  totum  semetipsum  armauit'i  signo  crucis  et  bibit  totum  quod  erat  in 
caiice  et  postea  quam  bibit  dixit.  Peto  ut  propter  quos  bibi  conuertantur  ad  te  domine  et  salutem  quamr  [sic~\ 
te  est  te  inluminante  mereantur.  Attendente  autems  populo  iobannem  per  tres  boras  uultum  habere  hilarem 
et  nulla  penitus  signa  palloris  aut  trepidationis  habentem  clamare  coeperunt'.  Vnus  deus  uerus  est  quem 
colit  iohannes.     Aristodimus  auteru11  nec  sic  credebat  sed  populos  objurgabat  eum  ;  Ille  autem  conuersus 


m  Et  statuens. — Quos  cum  statuisset,  A. 

n  Omni Omit,  M. 

°  In  conspectu  Apostoli. — Omit,  M.  Aspiciente 
Apostolo,  A. 

p  Biberent. — Qui  moxbiberunt,  M.  Qui  mox  ut 
biberunt,  A. 

'i  Exalaverunt. — Exhalarunt,  M. 

r  Tuncdicit. — Tuncdixit,  M.  Tunc  conversus  ad 
Joannem  Aristodemus  :  Audi  me  (inquit)  et  recede, 
A. 

s  Me Omit,  M. 

t  Et.— Omit,  M. 

11  Qua  deorum. — The  MS.  at  first  had  qua  corum, 
but  a  later  hand  has  inserted  d.  Qua  a  deorum, 
A.  M. 

v  Revocasti. —  Iíevocas,  A. 

w  Ostendes. — Ostendas,  A.  M. 

11  Intrepidus. — Ut  intrepidus,  A. 

y  In  eo. — Omit,  A. 

'  Dcus  meus.  —  Deus  meus  Pater  et  Filius  et  Spi- 
ritus  sanctus  cui  omuia  subjecta  sunt,  M. 

a  Mei. — Nostri,  A. 

b  Et  metuit. — Quem  et  metuit,  A. 

c  Cum. — Itaque,  A. 

d  Inquietcc. — Inquieta,  A.     Quieta,  M. 

'  Scorpius, — Et  scorpius,  M. 


'  Sphalangius Phalangius,  A.  M. 

e  Et. — Denique,  M. 

11  Venenata. — Venena,  A. 

'  Reverentur. — This  worcl  is  inserted  over  an 
erasure,  by  a  haud  of  the  tbirteenth  or  fourteentli 
centurj'.  Tbe  original  reading  of  thisMS.  was  pro- 
bablv  tenebrantur,  as  in  the  Liber  Hymnorum  and 
M.,  or  terabrantur,  as  in  A. 

i  Et  omnes. — This  clause  to  "arescunt"  isomitt'  d 
iu  A. 

k  Tu Tu  inqnam  ille,  A. 

i  Venenosum. — Venenum,  M. 

^Ejus Onvit,  M. 

n  Et  da.—Omit,  M. 

°  Tuo. — Omit,  M. 

p  Audiant. — M.  omits  "  aures  ut  audiant." 

í  Armavit. — Et  cum  ha?c  dixisset,  os  suum  et  to- 
tum  semetipsum  armavit,  &c,  A.  Et  eum  dixisset 
totum  s:metipsum  ornavit  signo  crucis,  et  bibit 
omne  quod  eat  in  calice,  M. 

r  Quam. — Quas,  A    M. 

s  Autem. — Omit,  A.  Attendentes  autem  popnli, 
M. 

1  Coeperunt. — Voce  magna  coepit,  A. 

u  Autem. — Tamen  ne  sic  quideiu  credebat  popnlo 
objurgante  hunc,  A. 


Kote  B.] 


The  Legend  of  St.  John,  §c. 


V5 


ad  iohannem  dixit,  inestTmihi  adhuc  dubietas",  sed  si  istos  qui  hoe  ueneno*  mortui  sunt  in  nomine  dei  tui 
excitaueris  emundabitur  ab  omui  dubietate>"  meus  mea  ;  Populiz  autem  insurgebant  in  aristodimum  dicentes  ; 
iucedimus  et  te  et  domum  tuam  si  ausus  fueris  ultra  apostoluma  tuo  sermone  fatigare;  Tidens  autem 
iohannes  acerrime  seditionem  fieri  petiit  silentium  etb  omnibus  audientibus  ait ;  Prima  est  quam  de  virtuti- 
bus  diuinis  imitaric  debemus  patientia,  per  quam  ferre  possumus  incredulorum  insipieutiam ;  unde  si  adhuc 
aristodimus  ab  infidelitate  teuetur,  soluamus  nodos  infidelitatis  eius  et  licet  tarde  faciamusd  eum  agnoscere 
creatorem  suum;  Non  enim  cessabo  ab  hoc  opere  quo  medellae  citius  possit  eius  uulneribus  proueniref ;  et 
sicut  medici  habentes  inter  manus  aegrum  raedella?  indigentem,  ita  etiam  nos  si  adhuc  curatus  non  esth  de 
eo  quod  factum  est ;  Et  conuocans  ad  se  aristodimum  dedit  ei  tunicam  suam,  ipse  uero  pallio  amictus  coepit 
stare;  Cui  ait  aristodmms  ut  qnid  dedisti  mihi  tunicam  tuam  ;  Dicit  ei  iohannes;  ut  uel  sic  confusus  a 
tua  infidelitate  credas1 ;  Cui  aristodimus  ait,  et  quomodo  me  tunica  tua  facieti  ab  infidelitate  recedere.  Cui 
respondit  apostolus.  Uade  et  mitte  eam  super  corpora  defunctorum  et  dices  ita ;  Apostolus  domini  meik 
ihú  xpi  misit  me  ut  in  eius  nomine  exsurgatis  ut  cognoscant  omnes1  quia  uita  et  mors  famulantur  domino 
meo  ihfi  xpo.  Quod  cum  fecisset  aristodimus  et  uidisset  eos  exsurgere  adorans  iohannem  festinus  perrexit 
ad  proconsulem,  &c. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  transcribe  more  of  this  story,  as  we  have  here  all  of  it  that 
is  required  for  the  illustration  of  our  Irish  Scholiast,  proving  that  the  Abdian  or 
Mellitan  Legends  must  have  been  the  authoritv  from  which  he  derived  his  mate- 
rials.  It  will  be  seen  that  tbe  text  of  Mellitus  agi'ees  more  ncarlj  with  that  of  the 
ancient  Dublin  MS.  of  Abdias  than  with  thc  text  printed  by  Fabricius ;  but  it  is  certain 
that  thcy  are  in  reality,  so  far  as  this  Legend  is  concerned,  the  same,  and  not  two 
different  works. 


*  Inest. — Deest  mihi  adhuc  hoc  unum,  quod  si  is- 
tos,  A. 

w  Dubietas. — Dnbitatio,  M. 

1  Hoc  veneno. — Per  hoc  venenum,  M. 

>  Dulietate. — Incrediditate,  M.      Dubio,  A. 
'  «  Populi. — Qiu-e  cum  dixisset,   plebs  insurgebat 
in  Aristodemum  dicens,  A. 

*  Apostolorum. — Incendimus  te  et  domum  tuam 
si  ausus  fueris  ultra  Apostolum  Dei  in  tuo  sennone 
facere  laborare,  M.  Incendemus  te  et  domum  tuam 
si  pergas  ulterius  apostolum  sermonibus  tuis  fatigare, 
A. 

h  Et. — M.  omits  "  petiit  silentium  et." 

c  Imitari. — Prima  est  de  virtutibus  Divinis  quam 

videmur  imitari  patientiam,  M. 

d  Faciamus. — Faciamus  tamen  e'um,  M.      Solva- 

raus  nodos  infidelitatis  ejus.      Cogetur,  quantumvis 

sero,  agnoscere,  A. 


e  Medella. — Sic  a  prima  manu  :  but  the  firsf  /  has 
been  erased  by  a  later  hand.  The  same  is  the  case 
wherever  this  word  occurs. 

' Provenire. — Nou  enim  cessabo  hoc  opere,  quo- 
modo  ejus  possit  vulneribus  provenire,  M.  Non 
enim  cessabo  ab  hoc  opere  donec  medela  ejus  possit 
vulneribus  opitutari,  A. 

-'  Medella. — Varia  medela,  M. 

h  Xon  est. — Non  est  Aristodemus  his  quai  facta 
modo  sunt,  curabitur  illis  quajam  faciam,  A.  Non 
est,  ideoque  quod  factum  non  est  aliud  faeiamus,  M. 

'  Credas. — Thia  word  has  been  altered  by  a  more 
recent  hand  to  recedas  (asin  A):  the  c  being  erased 
and  ce  inserted.     Discedas,  M. 

j  Faciet. — Facit,  M. 

k  Mei.— Nostri,  A.  M. 
Omnes. — Ut   in   noraine    Dei  ejus    surgatis  et 
cognoscant  homines,  &c,  M. 

N2 


276  The  Hymn  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  [note  b- 

Therc  is  nothing,  however,  either  in  Mellitus  or  in  Abdias  to  correspond  -with  the 
concluding  paragraph  of  the  Irish  preface,  where  we  read  of  a  holy  youth  elected  an- 
nually  from  the  people  of  Ephesus,  who  (if  our  conjectural  reading  of  the  concluding 
very  ohscure  words  he  correct)  was  to  be  tonsured  in  honour  of  St,  John.  The  Editor 
has  heen  unahle  to  íind  anvthing  like  this  in  any  other  authority. 


(    *77    ) 


XVIII.  THE  EPISTLE  OF  CnRIST  TO  ABGARUS,  KING  OF  EDESSA. 


THIS  celebrated  Epistle,  together  with  the  Letter  of  Abgarus  to  Christ, 
to  which  it  professea  to  be  a  reply,  was  first  made  known  to  tlie  Church 
by  Eusebius,  the  great  ecclesiastical  historian  of  the  fourth  century.  He  tells 
us  expressly  that  he  had  them  from  the  records  of  Edessa,  the  city  of  which 
Abgarus1  was  the  "  toparch"  or  govcrnor;  and  that  down  to  his  own  time  the 
documents  were  preserved  amongst  the  antiquarian  muniments  of  Edessa.  He 
states  also  that  the  original  letters  were  written  in  Syriac,  and  that  he  had  in- 
troduced  them  into  his  Historv,  translated  from  the  originals  into  Greek2. 


1  Abgarus Written  Ábagarus  by  Ruffi- 

nus,  and  in  the  supposed  Decree  of  Gelasius. 
Eusebius  and  others  spell  the  name  Agbarus ; 
and  it  is  remarkable  that  (at  least  in  Vale- 
sius's  edition  of  Eusebius)  the  name  is  spelled 
Agbarus,  evervwhere  except  in  the  Epistles 
themselves,  where  we  have  Abgarus.  Vale- 
sius  prefers  the  former  spelling,  because  the 
word  Akbar  in  Arabic  signifies  poiverful, 
great  (Heb.  -oj),  and  the  name  is  said  to 
have  been  common  to  all  the  reguli  of  Edessa, 
as  Pharaoh  to  the  Ivings  of  Egypt.  But 
in  the  Syriac  Chronicle  of  Bar  Hebraeus, 
the  name  is  always  Abgar,  which  Bernstein, 
in  his  Svriac  Lexicon,  derives  from  the  Ar- 
menian  Avag-air  (primarius,  insignis),  an 
etymology  much  more  probable,  considering 
the  geographical  position  of  Edessa,  than  the 
derivation  from  Arabic.  The  idea  of  a 
correspondence  between  our  Lord  and  Ab- 


garus,  may  have  been  suggested  by  Matt. 
iv.  24, — "And  his  fame  went  through  all 
Syria." 

Buton  the  whole  of  this  history,  and  on  tlie 
name,  see  Theoph.  Siegfr.  Bnver,  Historia  Os- 
rhoena  et  Edessena,  ex  numis  illustrata,  lib.  ii. 
p.  73,  sq.,  lib.  iii.  p.  95. 

2  Greek. — The  following  are  the  words  of 
Eusebius, Hist.  Eccl.,  lib.  i.  c.  i^-.—  Exeig  icai 

TOVTtúV     áváypaiTTOV    TTjV    flaQTVpíaV,     fK    Twv 

icaTa  "ECtcrcrav  to  Tt]viKavra  f3acri\tvoiuivov 
ttóXiv  ypapfiarocpv\aKtíu>v  \t)<p6itcrav.  iv  yoi>v 
toÍq  avróBi  Srmoo-íoic  \apTaic;,  to'iq  tí'í  Tra\aiá 
Kai  ra  áp:<pi  tóv  "Ayi3apov  Trpax9ivTa  Ttipú- 
Xovai,  Kai  Tavra  tiatTi  Kai  vvv  t%  ÍkíÍvov  tti- 
cpv\ayp.íva  t'iprjTai.  ovSiv  £i  olov  Kai  avriuv 
iiraKovaai  tuív  í7riO"roX(Ji',  áirb  túv  ápvtíoiv 
>)ixlv  áva\rjtpdttcTuiv,  Kai  rbvSt  avTotg  pijpacriv 
Ík  Tr)g  ~2.vpiov  (phivijs  fitTaj3\i]9ticriZv  tov  rpó- 
7rov.     Then  follows  the  Epistle  itself. 


278  The  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  the  purposes  of  the  present  work  to  enter  at  length 
into  the  question  oftheauthenticity  or  genuineness  ofthe  Epistles.  That  Eu- 
sebius  believed1  in  theni,  and  that  they  were  received  as  genuine  in  the  Eastfor 
some  time,  are  facts  not  to  be  doubted.  But  it  is  evident  that  neither  St. 
Jerome  nor  St.  Augustine  had  any  faith  in  their  authenticity.  On  the  contrary, 
both  those  Fathers  declare  expressly  that  our  blessed  Lord  left  nothing  of  His 
own  writing2.  They  are  not  mentioned  by  St.  Chrysostom,  St.  Basil,  St. 
Gregory  Nazianzen,  or  any  of  the  Fathers  of  the  two  centuries  aí'ter  Eusebius. 

In  modern  times,  however,  eminent  nanies  areto  be  found  on  both  sides  of 
the  controversy.  Amongst  the  divines  of  the  Church  of  England — Bishop 
Montague,  Grabe,  and  Cave;  amongst  those  of  the  Church  of  Rome — Baro- 
nius,  Schelstraet,  Tillemont,  Asseman,  and  others,  have  advocated  the  ge- 
nuineness,  or  probable  genuineness,  oí'  the  Epistles.  On  the  other  side  are 
Bellarmin,  Natalis  Alexander,  Erasmus,  Melchior  Cauus,  Simon,  J.  A.  Fa- 
bricius,  Ceillier,  and  many  others3. 

The  Epistles  are  condemned  in  the  celebrated  Dccree  usually  attributed  to 
Pope  Gelasius,  and  published  in  the  collections  of  Councils  as  part  of  the  Acts 


1  Believed. — See  liis  Eccl.  Hist.,  ii.  c.  1. 

2  Of  His  own  writing. — So  St.  Jerome  in 
Ezek.  xliv.  29,  30.  "  Salvator  nullain  volu- 
men  doctrina;  suas  proprium  dereliquit,  quod 
inplerisque  apoerypkoruin  deliramenta  confin- 
gunt,  sed  Patris  et  suo  Spiritu  quotidie  loqui- 
tur  in  corde  credentium."  This  testimony  is 
the  stronger,  because  it  shows  that  he  was 
awarc  oí'  the  existcncc  of  apoervphal  writings 
attributed  to  our  Lord.  And  so  also  St.  Au- 
gustine,  in  a  passage  where  he  seems  almost  to 
allude  to  tbis  very  Epistle  to  Abgarus:— "  Si 
enim  prolatse  fucrint  aliqua;  literas,  quas  nullo 
alio  narrante  ipsius  Christi  esse  dicantur; 
undc  fieri  poterat  ut  si  vere  ipsius  essent,  non 
legerentur,  non  acciperentur,  non  praecipuo 
culmine  auctoritatis  eminerent  in  ejus  ecclesia, 
íiueb  ab  ipso  per  apostolos,  succedentibus  sibi- 
met  episcopis,  usque  ad  hajc  tempora  propa- 
o-ata  dilatatur;  etc."—  Contra  Faustum,  lib. 


xxviii.  c.  4  (Ed.  Bened.,  tom.  viii.,  439) ;  and 
this  is  indeed  au  argument  against  the  genu- 
ineness  of  the  Epistle  which  seems  very  diffi- 
cult  to  answer. 

3  Many  others. — An  excellent  summary  of 
the  literaturc  of  the  Epistles,  with  references 
to  the  authorities  on  both  sides,  will  be  found 
in  the  learned  work  of  the  Rev.  Eiehard  Gib- 
bings,  entitled  "  Roman  Forgeries  and  Fal^ifi- 
cations,"  although,  how  these  Epistles  came 
to  be  Romun  forgeries,  he  does  not  explain. 
The  reader  will  fiud  almost  everjthing  in  Fa- 
bricius,  Cod.  Apocr.  Novi  Tcst.,  tom.  i., 
p.  3 16*,  and  in  Ceillier,  llist.  des  Auteurs 
Eccl.,  tom.  i.,  p.  474,  sq. ;  add  also  Carpzov. 
Comment.  Critica  in  lifo-os  N.  Test.,  §  xix. 
Lips,  1730;  Cave,  Hist.  Litcr.  tom.  i.,  p.  2, 
sq.  (Oaron.  1740)  ;  and  Lardner,  Tleuthen  Tes- 
timonies,  ch.  i.  (Worka  by  Dr.  Ivippis,  vol.  vi. 
p.  596-) 


The  Ejjistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  Ring  of  Eclessa. 


79 


of'a  Synod'  of  seventy  Bisliops  held  at  Rome,  A.  D.  494  or  496.  Here  we 
read,  "  Epistola  Jesu  ad  Abagarum  regem  apocrypha.  Epistola  Abagari2  ad 
Jesum  apocrypha." 

From  this  it  appears  that  if  the  Decree  of  Gelasius  be  a  genuine  Decree  of 
that  Pope,  it  was  probably  unlsnown,  or  at  least  not  received3,  in  the  Church  of 
Ireland,  when  the  MS.  of  the  Liber  Hijmnorum  was  written.  For  the  Epis- 
tola  Jesu  is  manifestly  assumed  to  be  genuine,  aud  was  apparently  read,  as  a 
Lesson,  in  the  Irish  Church  in  some  office  of  public  or  private  devotion.  This, 
it  need  scarcely  be  observed,  did  not  imply  the  reception  of  the  Epistle  as 
Canonical  Scripture,  but  such  use  of  it  was  clearly  inconsistent  with  the  Ge- 
lasian  decree,  where  the  condemnation  of  the  document  as  Apocryphal  must 
have  signified  a  prohibition.     When  such  eminent  modern  scholars,  however, 


1  Synod. — Pagi  gives  496  as  the  date  of  tliis 
Svnod,  Crit.  in  Ann.  Baronii.  There  is,  how- 
ever,  much  doubt  as  to  the  antiquitv  of  the 
Acts  of  this  Council,  and  even  as  to  the  name 
of  the  Pope  by  whose  Decree  the  Apocrvphal 
books  were  condemned :  some  copies  attribut- 
ing  it  to  Pope  Damasus,  others  to  Hormisdaa, 
but  the  majority  to  Gelasius.  Even  the  text 
of  the  Decree  is  unsettled,  and  has  been  largely 
interpolated. 

2  Abaguri. —  Some  copies  omit  the  words 
"  Epistola  Abgari  ad  Jesum  apocrypha." 
This  omission  occurs  in  the  Decretum  Gra- 
tiani,D\st.xv  c. ;  Sancta  Romana  Ecclesia ; 
and  in  Ivo,  Liber  Decret.  :  but  in  the  Collec- 
tions  of  the  Councils  both  clauses  will  be 
found. 

3  Received On  the  date  and  genuineness 

of  the  supposed  Decree  of  Gelasius,  see  Bp. 
Pearson's  Vindicicc  Epistt.  S.  Ignatii,  Part  1., 
c.  iv.  p.  44  (4°,  Cantabr.  1672),  where  the 
whole  question  is  discussed.  A  good  sum- 
mary  of  the  arguments  against  the  Decree  is 
given  by  Cave,  Hist.  Liter.,  tom.  i.  p.  463 
(Oxon.  1740),  who  says  that  it  is  not  alluded 
to  by  any  author  before  the  year  840.  Mr. 
Gibbings,  however,  has  found  a  reference  to 


it  in  the  Opus  Caroli  Magni  contra  Sijnodum 
pro  adorandis  imaginibus,  writteii  about  790. 
(Roman  Forg.,  p.  4.)  Ceiller  (Hist.  dcs  Au- 
teurs  Eccl.,  tom.  xv.,  p.  630,  sq.)  admits  that 
the  Gelasian  Decree  must  have  been  interpo- 
lated,  although  he  inclines  to  believe  it  on  the 
whole  genuine,  and  says  that  it  is  cited  under 
the  title  of  Gchtsii  Papee  de  Libris  recipien- 
dis  et  non  recipiendis,  "  dans  une  acte  de  l'Ab- 
baye  de  saint  Riquier  en  43^-"  This  date, 
however,  is  a  mistake,  and  ought  to  be  831. 
For  the  doeument  referred  to  (which  occurs 
in  the  Chron  Centidense,  sive  S.  Richarii, 
lib.  iii.  cap.  3),  is  an  inventory  of  the  goods 
and  chattels  of  the  monastery,  including  its 
books,  drawn  up,  as  the  author  tells  us,  "  Anno 
Incarnationis  Domini  dcccxxxi.  Indictione 
ix.,"  by  order  of  the  Emperor  "  Hludovicus" 
(i.  e.  Louis  le  Débonnaire),  and  in  the  cigh- 
teenth  year  of  his  reign  :  Dacherii  Spicil.  ii., 
p.  310  (fol.  edit.).  In  this  catalogue  of  the 
books  of  the  monastery  there  occurs,  under  tlie 
heading  De  Canonibus,  a  copy  of  "  Gelasii 
Papae  de  libris  recipiendis  et  non  recipieudis." 
So  that  there  is  reallv  no  evidenee  that  this 
celebrated  Decree  had  any  existence  before 
the  latter  part  of  the  eighth  century.  And  it  is 


280  The  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa. 

as  Tillemont  and  Asseman,  Cave  and  Grabe,  have judged  favourably,  or  he- 
sitated,  at  least,  to  pronounce  the  Epistle  a  forgery,  we  may  well  excuse  the 
Irish  Churchmen,  of  an  age  eminently  uncritical,  for  having  adopted  the  Epis- 
tola  Jesu  without  questioning  the  authority  of  Eusebius. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  Preface  or  Scholium  prefixed  to  the 
Hymn,  which,  as  usual  in  this  collection,  is  written  partly  in  Irish,  partly  in 
Latin : — 

Beatus  es  et  reliqua.  Christ  himself  wrote  with  IIis  owa  hand  this  Epistle,  as  Eusebius 
relates  in  his  History.  And  it  was  at  Jerusalem  it  was  written  ;  in  the  time  of  Tiberius  Cae- 
sar  it  was  written.  And  this  was  the  cause  [of  writing  it]  ;  Abgarus,  the  Toparch,  Eing  of  the 
land  of  Armenia,  and  of  the  land  tothe  north  of  the  River  Euphrates,  was  in  severe  sickness  in 
the  city  of  Edessa,  sothat  anepistle  was  brought  from  him  to  Christ,  requesting  that  Ile  would 


remarkable  that  Pope  Adrian  I.,  in  his  letter 
to  Charlemagne,  in  defence  of  the  second 
Council  of  Nice  against  the  objections  of  the 
Gallican  bishops,  assumes  the  truth  of  the 
story  (which  was  assumed  also  in  the  Coun- 
cil),  that  our  Lord  had  written  to  Abgarus, 
and  quotes  the  authority  of  his  prcdecessor, 
Pope  Stephen,  who  (in  answertotheobjection, 
"  Quod  nulla  evangelii  lectio  tradat  Jesum  ad 
Abagarum  imaginem  misisse")  had  said  "  Sed, 
nec  illud  est  prsctereundum,  quod  relatione 
fidelium  de  partibus  orientis  advenientium, 
sa»pe  cognovimus.  In  quibus  licet  evangelium 
sileat,  tamen  nequaquam  in  omnibus  incredi- 
l)ile  fidei  meritum  :  et  hoc  aflirmante  de  ipso 
evangelista  :  Multa  quidem  et  ália  signafecit 
Jesus,  qiies  non  sunt  scripta  in  libro  hoc.  De- 
nique  fertur  ab  asserentibus  quod  Redemptor 
humani  gcneris,  appropinquante  die  passionis, 
euidam  regi  Edessenae  civitatis,  desideranti 
corporaliter  illam  cernere,  et  ut  persecutiones 
Judaeorum  fugeret  ad  illum  convocare,  ut 
auditas  miraculorum  opiniones,  et  sanitatum 
curationes  111 L  et  populo  suo  impertiret,  re- 
spondisset :  Quod  si  faciem  meam  corpora- 
liter  cernere  cupis,  en  tibi  vultus  mei  speciem 
transformatam  in  linteo  dirigo  :  per  quam  et 


desiderii  tui  fervorem  refrigeres,  et  quod  de  me 
audisti  impossibile  nequaquam  fieri  existimes. 
Postquam  tamen  complevero  ea  quae  de  me 
scripta  sunt,  dirigam  tibi  unum  de  discipulis 
meis,  qui  tibi  et  populo  tuo  sanitates  impertiat 
et  ad  sublimitatem  fidei  vos  perducat,  &c." 
— Hardouin,  Concil.  tom.  iv.,  p.  782.  Here  we 
have  the  authority  of  two  Popes,  sanctioning 
the  Epistlc  with  an  interpolation  which  is  not 
in  the  copy  given  by  Eusebius,  and  which,  we 
may  observe,  does  not  occur  in  the  Irish  Rook 
of  Hymns.  But  it  is  remarkable  that  thisletter 
of  Adrian  to  Charlemagne,  which  assumes  the 
gcnuineness  of  our  Lord's  Epistle  to  Abgarus, 
was  written  (A.  D.  792)  in  reply  to  that  very 
Opus  Caroli  magni,  of  7^p,  in  which  the  De- 
cree  of  Gelasius,  condemniug  the  Epistles,  was 
referred  to.  See  Piichard,  Analyse  des  C<>n- 
ciles,  tom.  i.,  p.  739  (Paris,  1772.  4°)-  Ceil- 
lier,  Hist.des  Auteurs Eccles.  xviii.  p.  230,  231. 
It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  Pope  Adrian  I.  can- 
not  have  regarded  the  Gelasian  "  Libellus" 
as  genuine,  for  he  passes  it  over  in  entire  si- 
lence  ;  and  the  same  remark  will  apply  to  the 
second  Council  of  Nice.  There  is,  therefore, 
some  confusion  about  this  matter,  which  nceds 
further  research. 


Tlie  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa.  28 1 

coiue  to  cure  him :  for  he  had  heard  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  He  had  cured  manv . 
So  that  it  was  in  praise  of  the  faith  of  Abgarus,  that  Christ  composed  this  Epistle.  And  this 
Epistle  is  in  the  city  of  Edisa. 

In  which  city  no  heretic  can  live,  no  Jew,  no  worshipper  of  idols.  Nor  have  barbarians 
ever  been  able  to  assail  it,  from  the  time  when  Evagarus,  King  of  the  said  city,  received  the 
Epistle  written  by  the  Saviour's  hand.  In  fine,  a  baptized  infant,  standing  upon  the  gate  and 
wall  of  the  city,  reads  this  Epistle.  If  ever  a  people  should  come  against  that  city,  on  the  day  in 
which  that  Epistle,  written  by  the  hand  of  the  Saviour,  is  read,  those  barbarians  are  brought 
to  make  peace,  or  are  put  to  flight,  routed. 

The  latter  half  of  this  Preface,  from  the  words  "  In  which  city  no  heretic 
can  live,"  &c,  to  the  end,  is  in  Latin ;  and  is  probably  an  extract  from  some 
ancient  legend  ;  in  it  the  name  ofthe  king  is  written  Evagarus,  instead  of  Ab- 
garus,  which  may  indicate  a  diíferent  source.  It  is  remarkable  that  no  allu- 
sion  is  made  to  the  miraculous  image  or  picture  of  our  Lord,  so  celebrated  in 
the  history  of  Edessa,  although  it  is  mentioned  by  Evagrius1,  whose  Eccle- 
siastical  History  was  compiled  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixth  century. 

This  may  be  regarded  as  evidence  that  the  Irish  Preface  wTas  compiled  from 
traditions  of  some  antiquity.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  privileges  of  Edessa, 
stated  by  our  Scholiast  as  resulting  from  the  possession  of  the  autograph  letter  of 
our  Lord,  exhibit  marks  of  more  modern  interpolation.  Evagrius,  indeed,  men- 
tions  the  general  belief  (rá  iraoá  to'iq  triaTolg  dpvXovusva)  that  Edessa  could 
never  be  taken  by  an  enemy, — although  he  acknowledges  that  this  was  not  said 
in  the  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus ;  but  he  seems  to  have  known  nothing  of  the 
belief  that  no  Jew,  or  heretic,  or  infidel,  could  live  in  the  city,  or  that  a  baptized 
child2,  standingon  the  walls  of  the  city,  was  wont  to  read  the  Epistle,  although 

1  Evagrius — Hist.  Eccles.,  lib.  iv.,  c.  27.  vit,  quod  si  quis  adversarius  ad  illam  la?den- 
%>ipovoi  Tr/vO[ÓTVKTov  tiKÓva  i)v  áv6pú>7ru>v  piv  dam  venisset,  cives infantem  super  portam  ci- 
\íip(Q  ovk  upyáaavTo-  'Ay/3ápy  8k  XpiaTÓc  ó  vitatis  afferebant,  et  Salvatoris  epistolam  sibi 
Oíóe,  tTti  avrbv  iteXv  iiróOei,  ■niirop.^t.  porrigebant,  qui  licet  alias  fari  nescius,  epis- 

2  Child.— John  of  Ypra,  in  his  Chronicle  of  to]am  prompte  legit,  et  mox  inimici  recesse- 
the  Monastery  of  St.  Bertin,  gives  the  corre-  runt .  quod  quidem  miraculum  toto  Abagari 
sponc]enceofourLordwithAbgarus(cap.43,  et  long0  post  hoc  tempore  duravit.'—JbA. 
part.  iii.),  andadds:  "  Post  ascensionem  vero  jperi{j  Qhron.  S.  Bertini  (apud  Martene  et 
Domini  Thaddseus  apostolus  ad  Abagarum  Durand.  Thesaur.  Novus  Anecd.,  tom.  iii., 
missus,  ipsum  cum  toto  populo  suo  baptizavit,  p>  6^  A).  jonn  0f  ypra  died  A.  D.  1383. 
et  eum  a  languore  solo  verbo  curavit,  juxta  See  also  Gilo  Parisiensis,  De  expeditione  Hie- 
Christi  promissum,  civitatemque  síc  assecura-  rosoin  lib.  iii.   (ibid.  p.  231,  A),  who,  speak- 

2  O 


282  The  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa. 


otherwise  unable  to  read,  or  even  to  speak,  (for  that  seems  to  be  the  meaning,) 
or  that  a  special  blessing  was  attached  to  the  reading  or  recitation  of  the 
Epistle. 

The  testimonv  of  Evagrius,  that  no  promise  of  perpetual  security  from  hos- 
tile  aggression  was  contained  in  the  Epistle  of  Christ,  did  not  prevent  the  in- 
terpolation  of  such  a  promise  in  subsequent  editions  of  the  Epistle :  for  example, 
in  that  given  by  Constantine  Porphyrogenneta,  in  the  Narratio1  de  Edessena 
Christi  Imagine,  a  promise  is  added  at  the  end  of  the  Epistle,  that  Edessa 
shall  never  be  taken  by  its  enemies ;  na\  rrj  ttóXei  aov  javíiatTai  rb  íicavbv  7rpoe 
to  fxrjdáva  twv  í^pwv  naTia^vtsai  avTijg.  And  yet  the  Epistle  seems  to  have 
contained  this  clause,  or  some  equivalent  clause,  in  the  age  of  St.  Augustine :  for 
the  Count  Darius,  in  a  letter2  in  which  (if  its  text  be  not  interpolated)  he  asks 
Augustine  for  a  copy  of  the  Confessions,  enforces  his  request  by  the  example 
of  Christ,  who  condescended  to  give  a  favourable  reply  to  the  petition  of  Ab- 
garus,  "  preces  supplicis  non  dedignaretur," — and  even  granted  more  than  He 


ing  of  Edessa,  and  of  the  Epistle  of  Christ, 
says : 
"  Haec  ibi  temporibus  permansit  epistola  multis, 
Atque  ea  ab  adversis  tutavit  mcenia  cunctis, 
Nam  si  barbaricus  furor  illuc  perveniebat, 
Baptizatus  eam  puer  alta  ex  arce  legebat,"  etc. 

1  Narratio Published  by  Combefis,  Ma- 

nipul.  originum  rerumq.  C.politanarum,j).  81, 
quoted  by  Fabricius,  ubi  supr.,  p.  319. 

1  Letter Epist.   230   (Ed.   Bened.),   263 

(Ed.  Lovan.).  "Fertur  satrapae,  seu  regis 
potius  cujusdam  epistola,"  &c.  This  Epistle 
was  unlinown  to  Possidius,  and  appeared  first 
in  the  Louvain  edit.  of  St.  Augustine's  works. 
How  far  the  allusion  to  the  promise,  which  it 
distinctly  states  was  made  by  our  Lord  to 
Edessa,  "  per  epistolam,"  should  militate 
against  the  genuineness  of  the  letter  attri- 
buted  to  Darius,  cannot  be  discussed  here. 
It  is  certain,  from  the  testimony  of  Evagi'ius, 
that  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  century  the 
"  Epistola  Jesu"  contained  no  such  promisc ; 
and  the  answer  (Ep.  23O1  which  seems  not 
unworthy  of  St.  Augustine,  contains  no  allu- 


sion  to  the  use  which  Darius  made  of  our 
Lord's  supposed  Letter  to  Abgarus  ;  but 
simply  says,  "  Misi  et  alios  libros  quos  non 
petisti,  ne  hoc  tantummodo  facerem  quod  pe- 
tisti."  This  suggests  the  suspicion  that  the 
argument  from  our  Lord's  condescension 
to  Abgarus  may  have  been  introduced  into 
the  letter  of  Darius,  by  some  later  copyist. 
It  occupies  a  section  by  itself,  and  its  omission 
would  make  110  perceptible  hiatus  in  the  Epis- 
tle. — Ceillier  (Hist.  des  Auteurs  Eccles-,  tom. 
xi.,  p.  332)  says  that  Darius  spoke  of  the 
Letterof  Abgarus,  and  of  our  Lord's  reply,  in 
sm;h  a  manner  as  to  show  that  he  doubted  the 
authenticitv  of  both  :  "d'unu  maniere  qui  fait 
voir  qu'il  doutoit  de  l'autenticité  de  l'une  et 
de  Fautre."  This  opinion  seems  to  be  foundcd 
uj)on  the  words^/erfwr,  and  "  Laudasse  insu- 
per  suam  dicitur  civitatem."  Baronius  draws 
the  opposite  inference,  that  the  Epistles  were 
received  as  genuine  :  "  Eas  vero  absque  aliquá 
dubitatione  ab  antiquioribus  fuisse  receptas, 
testatur  epistola  Darii  comitis  ad  S.  Augusti- 
nuiii  seripta." — Annal.,  A.D.  31,  n   60. 


The  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa.  283 

was  asked, — by  promising  that  the  city  of  Abgarus  should  have  perpetual 
security  from  its  enemies — "  et  amplificato  petitionis  munere,  per  epistolam 
non  modo  salutem  ut  supplici,  sed  etiam  secmútatem  utregi,  traasnnsit ;  jussit 
insuper  ejus  urbem  áb  hostibus  in  perpetuum  esse  ac  semper  immunem." 

All  this  tends  to  show  that  a  belief  in  the  authenticity  of  our  Lord's  cor- 
respondence  with  Abgarus  was  of  great  antiquity,  and  that  legends  founded 
upon  that  belief  had  begun  to  be  invented  at  an  early  period.  And  the  omis- 
sion  of  all  allusion  to  the  Edessan  image,  or  picture,  in  the  Scholiast's  preface, 
may  be  tahen  as  evidence  that  the  Irish  Church  had  probably  received  the 
Epistola  Jesu  from  a  very  ancient  source  ;  for  this  connexion  of  it  with  the 
picture  of  our  Lord  was  one  of  the  circumstances  that  gave  celebrity  to  the 
Epistle,  and  caused  it  to  be  quoted  against  the  iconoclasts  in  the  second  Coun- 
cil  of  Nicasa. 

The  Latin  Version  of  the  Epistle  contained  in  the  Irish  Liber  Hymnorum, 
and  now  published,  appears  to  have  been  derivedfrom  the  translation  of  Euse- 
bius1  by  Ruffinus  ;  it  has  been  collated  with  a  printed  copy  of  Ruffinus  with- 
out  date,  but  published  early  in  the  sixteenth  century  under  the  title  of  "  Hys- 
toria  Ecclesiastica,"  with  the  following  colophon,  "  Venundantur  Parisiis  a 
Francisco  Regnault,  in  vico  Sancti  Jacobi  sub  signo  divi  Claudi."  The  read- 
ings  of  this  copy  are  distinguished  in  the  Notes  by  the  letter  R. 


1  Eusehius Since  the  foregoing  remarks 

were  written,  tlie  posthumous  work  of  thc  late 
Rev.  Dr.  W.  Cureton  has  appeared,  entitled 
"  Ancient  Syriac  Documents  relative  to  the 
earliestestablishment  of  Christianitv  in  Edessa 
and  the  neighbouring  countries."  Amongst. 
these  "  Documents"  the  Epistle  to  Abgarus  is 
given  from  a  very  antient  Syriac  version  of 


the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Eusebius.  The 
editor,  Dr.  William  AVright,  of  the  British 
Museum,  states  in  his  Preface,  that  Dr.  Cure- 
ton  was  a  beiiever  in  the  authenticity  of  the 
Abgaran  Epistles  ;  and  his  name  must  there- 
fore  be  added  to  the  list  of  those  divines 
of  the  Church  of  England  who  have  held 
that  opinion. 


2  O 


060CUS  CS  -]jil.  Cpipc  pein  popcpfb  cona  laim  innepipcil[p]e,  anial  abpéc  eupebiup 
ínnapcaip.  ln  hiepupalem  u"  popcpibab.  m  cempope  Cibepn  ceppcipip  pcpipca  epc. 
Caupa  u°  hec  epc,  Ob^apup  copapca  pí  cfpe  apmemae  -|  na  cípe  ppi  ppuch  neoppic 
uccuaich,  pobai  u'igcilup  cpum  m  Cbipa  ciuicace  cocuccab  epipcil  uab  co  Cpipc  co 
cípac-  biafc,  ap  acchuala  cop  bo  macc  Oé  hé.  -|  confcab  pochaibe.  Conio  ap  molab 
íppe  abgape  bopona  Cpipc  ínnepipcilpe.  Oca  cpa  mnepipcil  pe  ínCbipa  ciuicace. 
111  qua  ciuicace  nullup  hepecicup  pocepc  uiuepe,  nullup  uibeup,  nullup  íbulopum 
t 'ulcop.  Seb  necpue  bapbapi  aliquanbo  eam  muabepe  pocuepunc,  e,r  eo  cempope 
quo  euagcipuppe/t  eiupbem  ciuicacip  accepic  epipcolcim  manu  pciluacopippcpipcam. 
liunc  bemque  epipcolam  le^ic  mpanp  bapcigacup  pcanp  pupep  popcam  ec  mupum 
ciuicacip.  pi  quanbo  genp  uenepic  concpa  ciuicacem  íllam,  ín  eobem  bie  quo  lecca 
puepic  epipcola  manu  paluacopip  pcpipca  placancup  ílli  bcipbapi  auc  puscmcup 
mpipmaci. 


GGUUS  es  cfin  me  nom  uioisci  ec  ciíeoioisci  m 
me.  scrcipcum  esc  eNim  Oe  me,  cfuia  ln  cfui  uiOeNC 
me  non  crceOeNC.  ec  qui  ine  non  uiOcnc  ipsi  in 
me  cneoeNC  ec  uiueuc.  oe  eo  haucem  cfuoo  scrcip- 
sisci  mihi  uc  ueNmem  aO  ce.   oporjcec  me  omNia      5 

Gloss. — i.    Qui. — .i.  abgare.      2.    Scriptum  est. — .i.  in  cssaia  profota.      De  me — i.  de 
christo.     Hi. — .i.  iudei.      Vident. — .i.  corpore.     3.   Credent. — .i.    spiritu.    Et  qui. — .i.   gentes. 

.\on  uident. — .i.  corporaliter.     4.  Credent. — .i.  spiritualiter.     Uiuent. — .i.  in  perpetuum.     De  eo i.  sub- 

iutellige  respondeo,  vel  dico.     5.  Scripsisti i.  in  tua  epistola.     Adte i.  ad  edissam.      Opnrtet. — .i. 

liee  est  responsio  .i.  oportet  me  facere  oiimia  [qua;]  promisa  sunt  de  me  a  profetis. 


1 .  In  me. — Qui  eredidistí  in  me  cum  me 
ipse  non  videris,  R. 

2.  Scriptumest. — Is. vi.cp^Matt.xiii.  13. 

3.  Credent. — Quiahi  qui  me  vident  non 
credentin  mc,  R.  This  is  generallj  sup- 
posed  to  be  an  allusion  to  S.  John,  xx.  29  ; 
but  Eabricius  thinks  Is.  vi.  9,  and  lii.  15, 
much  morc  probably  the  passages  referred 
to.  Cod.  Apocr.  N.T.,  p.  318.  This  is 
confirmed  by  the  gloss.  i.  in  essaia  profeta. 
Tpsi  in  i/ie. — Et  qui  non  vident  mc  ipsi 
oredent  et  vivent,  R. 


4.  Scripsisti. — The  Epistle  of  Abgarus, 
as  given  by  Eusebius,  containcd  an  invi- 
tation  to  our  Lord  to  take  refuge  in  Edessa 
from  the  persecution  of  the  Jews ;  adding 
that  the  city,  although  small,  was  beauti- 
ful,  and  would  be  sufficient  for  both :  — 
Kai  ~/ap  7jKOvaa  ori  Kai  'Iofícuot  Kara~fo~{- 
r/v^ovoi  aov  Kat  j3ov\ovrai  KaKwaai  ae. 
ttoXví  <5e  fiiKporar>j  poi  eari  kui  aefivri,  íjra 
i^apKe7    afiporipoii. — Euscl).    Ilixt.   Eccl., 

lib.  i.  c.  13. 

5.  Venirem. — Vcniam,  R. 


The  Epistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  King  qf  Edessa.  285 


puopcerí  quae  misus  smn  hic  e;cpleT?e.  posceaquam  compleu- 
erco  ríecipi  me  ao  euni  a  quo  misus  sum.  cum  en^o  puerio 
asumpcus  miccam  cibi  aCiquem  e£  Oiscipulis  meis  qui  curcec 
esrjicuoiNem  cuam  ec  uicam  cibi  accjue  his  qui  cecum  suuc 
prcescec.  10 

Oomine  Oomine  oepenoe  nop  a  malip  ec  cupcooi  nop  ín  bonip  uc 
pmiup  piln  cui  hic  ec  ín  pucupo,  Ctmen.  Saluacop.  omnium 
Chpipce  peppice  ín  nop  íhepu  ec  mipepepe  nobip. 

Gloss. — 6.  Hic. — .i.  in  iudea  vel  in  hierusalem,  vel  in  hoc  mundo.  7.  Compleuero. — .i.  leges  et  profe- 
tias.  7.  Recipi  me. — ,i.  in  ascensiouem.  Ad  eum. — .i.  ad  patrem.  Misus. — i.  in  humanitate,  .i.  ad  sal- 
uandum  mundum.  8.  Asumptus.. — i.  a  patre  in.  celuni.  Mittam. — .i.  ad  te.  Tibi. — .i.  abgare.  Ali- 
quem.—.i.  tatheum.  Discipulis. — .i.  ex  apostolis.  9.  Tuam. — .i.  abgare.  Uitani. — .i.  perennem  et  doc- 
trinam  et  sanitatem.     Tecum  sunt. — .i.  in  fide  christiana. 


6.  Posteaquam. — Et  posteaquani  imple- 
vero,  R. 

7.  Acl  eum Ab  eo,  R.     Misus — The 

S.  Isidore  MS.  reads  líissus. 

8.  Aliqucm The  gloss  says  .i.  tathcum. 

So  the  name  Thaddaeus  is  given  in  Ruffin's 
translation  of  Eusebius :   in  the  original 

(loc.  Ct't.)  he  ÍS  Called  QaCCalov  vbv  a-rro- 
aro\ov  'éva  iwv  cficofirjicovTa.  This  cannot 
mean  that  Thaddaeus,  one  of  the  70,  was 
also  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  Eu- 
sebius,  therefore,  must  have  called  him  an 
apostle  in  a  secondary  sense,  as  having  been 
the  Apostle  of  Edessa.  He  expressly  dis- 
tinguishes  him  from  the  Twelve  Apostles, 
but  says  that  others  were  called  Apostles, 
lib.  i.  c.  12.  See  Tillemont,  Mémoires, 
tom.  i.,  p.  360,  and  note  5,  p.  613.  St. 
Jerome  (tn  S.  Matth.  c.  x.  4)  fell  into 
the  mistaheof  confounding  this  Thaddaeus 
with  the  Apostle  of  the  same  name  ;  and 
others  have  been  led  into  the  same  error. 
Bede  corrects  it,  Retractt.  in  Acta  Apost., 
c.  x.  It  is  probable  that  the  author  of  the 
gloss  followed  Jerome,  when  he  interprets 
"  ex  discipulis"  by  "ex  apostolis."     The 


HjTnn  of  St.  Cummain  Fota,  line  23  (see 
above,  p.  77),  also  follows  Jerome.  The 
Menology  of  the  Grcek  Church  identi- 
fies  Thaddasus  ofEdessa  with  the  Apostle 
Jude,   or  Thadda^us,   the  brother  of  our 

Loi'd  :  K(U  7rpos'' Av^apov  T07ráfi)^r]v  Tropev- 
6eiv   iOepaiTcvoQV   ainov  i'nrb   tm   vóaov. 

Men.  Greec.  ad  19  Jun.     Qui  curet. — Ut 

curet,  Jt.     TJt  qui  curat,  S.  Isidore  MS. 

9.  Egritudinem Abgarus  in  his  Epistle 

had  asked  our  Lord  to  come  and  hcal  him : 
"  et  oogritudinem  meam,  qua  jamdiu  la- 
boro,  curare." 

10.  Prestet. — The  S.  Isidore  MS.  adds 
here,  "  Salvus  erit  sicut  scriptum  est  qui 
credit  in  me  salvus  erit." 


Domine,  Domine. — The  prayers  which 
follow  are  in  the  angular  character  already 
frequently  spohen  of.  Tliey  seem  to  show 
that  this  Letter  to  Abgarus  was  read  in  the 
ancient  Irish  Church  as  a  Lesson  in  some 
office.  In  the  upper  margin  of  the  MS. 
there  are  some  sentences,  which  do  not  ap- 
pear  to  have  had  any  connexion  with  the 
text.    They  have  been  greatly  mutilated 


286  The  E-pistle  of  Christ  to  Abgarus,  Ring  of  Edessa. 


Guan^ebum  oommi  norcpi  íhepu  chpirci  libepec  nop,  ppocegac 
nop,  cupcooiac  nop,  oepenoac  nop,  ab  omni  malo,  ab  omni  pe- 
piculo,  ab  omni  lan^ope,  ab  omni  oolope,ab  omm  pla^a,  ab  omni 
ínuioia,  ab  ommbup  ínpiOnp  Oiabuli  ec  malonum  hominum  hic 
ec  in  pucupo.      Qmen. 


by  the  plough  of the  binder.  The  following 
words  are  all  that  are  now  legible  : — 
"  custodis  ....  nostram  sicut  de  anima 
christiana  dicitur.  Omnis  caro  fenum  est, 
et  reliqua"  [Is.  xl.  6].  "  Sed  gloria  eius 
filise  regis  ab  intus,  nam  extrinsecus  ma- 

ledicta  et  per ntiones  et  detrac- 

tiones  permittuntur  dc  quibus  tamen  in 
celis  merces  aeterna  est  quaj  sentitur  in 
corde  patientium  eorum  qui  iam  possunt 
ut  dicitur  .  .  glori .  .  .  .  in  tribulationibus. 
Hir.  illa  maledictio  beatitudinem  creat." 
Thc  word  JJir.  is  a  contraction  for  JJiero- 
mjmus ;  the  passage  alluded  to  occurs  in 
S.  Jerome's  Comment.  on  S.  Matt.  v.  1 1, 
"  Illud  maledictum  contemnendum  est 
quod  beatitudinem  creat,  quod  falso  male- 
dicentis  ore  profertur." 

After   the   foregoing  sheets   had  been 


"EvangeliumDomininostriJesuChristi 
liberet  nos,  protegatnos,  custodiat  nos,  vi- 
sitet  nos,  defendat  nos,  ab  omni  malo,  ab 
omni  plaga,  ab  omni  langore,  ab  omni  do- 
lore,  ab  omni  perturbatione,  ab  omni  pe- 
riculo,  ab  omni  invidia,  ab  omnibus  insi- 
diis  diaboli  et  malorum  hominum  hic  et 
in  futuro." 

The  IrishPreface  to  the  Epistle  of  Christ 
in  the  S.  Isidore  MS.  is  as  follows :  it  is 
in  some  places  illegiblc.  The  Editor  has 
marhcd  by  dots  the  passages  which  he 
has  been  unable  to  decipher  : — 

beacup  ep.  ltip  ,xpp  pecic  hanc  epip- 
rolam.  Oia  paba  pe,j  ec-ipae  ciuicacip  qni 
bolopem  pebip  habuic.  Cocucab  epipcil 
uab  co  cpipc  conbigpac  bia  acaUam  ocup 
biaic.  Ocup  ue...  cacheup  ipin  epifcil 
Copom  íapceppab  cpipc.    Ocup  ippe 


nic.    Ocup  acaac  m  ebipa 

worhed  off,  the  writer  had  the  privilege      m  epir.cli  -^  copop 

of  visiting  llome,  and  was  kindly  permit-  car  mx)ta  co baib  ojibaib.    Ocup 

ted  to  collate  the  Donegal  copy  of  the  5  nachnepe  cecba  bicli  pupe  [vel 

Liber  JJi/mnorum   in  the  Convent  of  S.  F'upc]  "ual'e  ípm cpin. 

Isidore,   which  is  undoubtcdly   the   MS.  Which  may  be  thus  translatcd : 


quotcd  by  Colgan,  and  of  which  a  full  ac- 
count  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  to 
this  Fasciculus. 

This  MS.  gives  the  concluding  praycrs 
or  collects,  after  the  Epistle,  thus  : — 

"  Domine,  Domine,  defende  nos  a  malis 
et  custodi  nos  in  bonis,  ut  simus  filii  tui 
hic  et  in  futuro,  qui  rcgnas  in  secula  se- 
('ulorum. 


Beatus  cs.  Jesits  Christ  made  this  epis- 
tle:  for  there  was  a  king  of  the  city  of 
Edessa,  who  had  a  maladv  in  the  foot :  and  a 
letter  was  brought  from  him  to  Christ,  re- 
questing  that  He  would  come  to  converse  wilh 
andhealhim.  And  Thaddseus  .  .  ~  .  the 
epistleunto  him  afterthe  crucifixion  of  Christ. 
And  it  was  he    .     .     .     .     and  they  are  in 

Edessa the  cpistle  was,  and 

and     .... 


(     *87     ) 


XIX.  THE  HYMN  OF  ST.  FIACC,  IN  PRAISE  OF  ST.  PATIUCX. 


HPHIS  Hymn  was  first  printed  by  Colgan.  He  gives  it  in  his  Trias  Thau- 
-*-  maturga  nnder  the  title  of  "  Hyranus,  seu  Vita  Prima  S.  Patricii  Hiber- 
nia3  Apostoli,  S.  Fieco  Episcopo  Sleptensi  Authore," — it  havingbeen  regarded 
by  him  as  the  earliest  of  the  seven  Lives  of  St.  Patrick  which  he  had  collected; 
although  it  was  evidently  never  intendcd  by  its  author  as  a  "  Life"  properly 
so  called,  but  only  a  Poetical  Panegyric  upon  the  Saint. 

Colgan  has  published  it  in  the  original  Irish,  with  a  Latin  translation  in 
parallel  columns ;  and,  although  subsequent  editors  have  not  scrupled  to  criti- 
cise  and  alter  his  translation,  none  of  thera  has  pretended  to  correct  his  text 
from  any  MS.  authority,  or  suggested  anything  better  than  conjectural,  and 
sometimes  ignorant,  emendations. 

There  is,  therefore,  in  reality  no  existing  printed  text  of  this  Hynm 
of  any  authority,  except  that  published  by  Colgan,  which  was  taken  from 
his  copy  of  the  Book  of  Hymns'  now  preserved  at  the  Franciscan  College  oí' 
S.  Isidore,  in  Roine.  Dr.  O'Conor's  edition2  does  not  profess  to  have  been 
collated  with  any  other  MS.  of  the  original,  and  is,  in  fact,  only  a  reprint  of 
Colgan's  text.  The  same  remark  will  apply  to  the  only  other  printed 
copy  which  has  appeared  with  any  pretensions  to  editorial  scholarship,  viz., 
that  published  by  Henry  Leo  (Halin  Saxonum,  1845),  on  ^he  occasion  of  a 
declaration  of  successful  corapetitors  for  Prizes  "  in  certamine  literario," 
proposed  in  honour  of  the  birth  day  of  Frederick  AVilliam  IV.,  King 
of  Prussia.     This  work  (which  does  not  appear  to  have  obtaincd  a  prize)  is 

1  Hymns — "  Extat  in  pervetusto  codice  part  i.,  p.  88,  sq.  O'ConorentitlesthisHvuin 
opusculorum  aliquot  sanctorum  Hiberniíe  "  Carmen  vetus  Hibernicum,  quodFieco,  &c, 
(qui  Liber  IIymnorum  inscribitur)  ex  quo  ip-  tribuitur,  .  .  .  ex  Codice  vetustissimo  Dun- 
sum  desumpsimus."—  Tr.  Thaum.,p.6.  gallense."    The  MS.  at  S.  Isidore's  is  entitled 

2  Edition — Rer.  Hib.  Scriptt.  Prolegom.,  in  a  hand  of  the  seventeenth  centurv,  "Ex  li- 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  PatricJc. 


entitled  "  Commentatio  de  Carmine  vetusto  Hibernico  in  S.  Patricii  laudem." 
It  consists  of  a  minute  analysis  of  the  original  text,  with  a  translation,  in  which 
the  author  does  not  display  any  exact  acquaintance  either  with  Irish  grammar 
or  with  Irish  history. 

The  other  editions  and  attempted  translations  of  the  Hymn,  which  have 
appeared  in  this  country,  add  nothing  to  the  illustration  of  it,  philologically 
or  historically,  and  do  not  require  any  detailed  notice'.     They  are  all  taken 


bris  de  conventus  [sic]  de  Dunnagall."    This 
is  on  the  lower  margin  of  p.  3. 

1  Notice. — The  following  is  a  list  of  all 
these  editions  with  which  the  editor  ís  ac- 
quainted : — 

1.  Vallancey,  in  the  first  cdition  of  his 
Trish  Grammar  (Dublin,  40,  i773),hasprinted 
this  Hymn  (p.  166  sq.)  with  Colgan's  Latin 
Translation.  O'Rcillj',  in  his  account  of  Irish 
writers  (Trans.  Iberno-Celtic  Soc.,y>.  xxxiii), 
says  that  this  Hymn  was  printed  "  in  the  first 
edition  of  Vallancey's  Irish  Grammar,  with  a 
faultu  English  translation."  But  this  Eng- 
lish  translation  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  copies 
of  the  first  edition  of  Vallancey's  Grammar 
which  are  now  preserved  in  the  public  libra- 
ries  of  Dublin,  nor  has  the  Editor  ever  seen  it ; 
and  there  is  reason  to  suspect  that  the  sheets 
which  contained  it  were  cancelled  by  the  au- 
thor  (aftcr  its  errors  were  discovered),  to  make 
room  for  Colgan's  Latin  version.  In  the  second 
edition  of  the  Grammar,  printed  in  8vo, Val- 
lancey  has  omitted  Fiacc's  Hymn  altogether. 

2.  Mr.  Patrich  Lynch,  in  the  Appendix  to 
his  Life  of  St.  Patrick  (Dublin,  1810,  8°), 
p.  328,  has  printed  this  Hymn  in  the  original 
Irish,  with  an  English  translation  of  his  own, 
and  Colgan's  Latin  Version.  Mr.  0'Reilly 
(loc.  cit.)  calls  this  "  a  correct  English  trans- 
lation;"  but  it  is  very  far  from  being  so. 

3.  The  Et.  Rev.  Dr.  Coyle,  alloman  Catholic 
bishop  in  Ireland,  in  a  work  called  "The  Pious 
Miscellany"  (Dublin,  1831,  12"),  of  which  the 
first  vol.  only  was  published,  has  printed  St. 


Fiacc's  Hymn,  in  the  original  Irish,  with  a 
loose  metrical  English  version  (p.  46,  sq.). 

4.  Mr.  Martin  A.  O'Brennan,  "  LL.  D., 
Member  of  the  Honorable  Society  of  Queen's 
Inns,"  has  published  this  Hymn  in  the  ori- 
ginal  Irish,  with  an  English  translation  and 
copious  notes,  in  vol.  1.,  p.  484,  of  a  work, 
the  first  volume  of  which  is  entitled,  "  O'Bren- 
nan's  Antiquities,"  and  the  second,  "ASchool 
History  of  Ireland,  from  the  Days  of  Partho- 
lan  to  the  Present  Day."  Dublin,  8°  (sine 
annó).  The  dedication  of  the  second  edition 
of  vol.  1.,  "  To  his  Grace  the  Most  Rev.  Jolrn 
Mac  Hale,"  is  dated  "  April,  1848." 

5.  0'Reilly  (ubi  supra)  states  that  in  1792 
[1791]  this  Hymn  was  published  by  Richard 
Plunket,  "  a  neglected  genius  of  the  countv 
Meath,  who,  in  pages  opposite  to  the  original 
text,  gave  a  version  into  modern  Irish." 
This  is  an  exceedingly  rare  tract,  8vo.  pp.  32. 
The  first  page  is  blanh ;  then  follow  two  ti- 
tles,  one  in  English  and  the  other  Irish,  on 
opposite  pages.  The  English  title  is  this : 
"An  Hymn  on  the  Life  of  St.  Patrick :  ex- 
tracted,  from  the  antient  Scvtho-Celtic  dia- 
lect,  into  Modcrn  Irish,  by  Richard  Plunket, 
late  Translator  of  the  New  Testament  into 
Irish,  who  has  now  the  Manuscript  in  his 
possession.  Dublin.  Printed  in  the  year 
m,dcc,xci."  The  Irish  title  is  :  "  Ilimhin  Pha- 
druig  Absdal.  Do  cumadh  re  Feiche  Easbug 
Shleibhte,  a  gcondae  na  Banrioghna,  disciobal 
agas  fcar  comhaimsire  do  Padraig  fein.  Air 
na  mhineadh  go  dcighneach  san  nuaghghaoi- 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  PatricL 


289 


from  Colgan's  Text  and  Version ;  some  with  arbitrary  alterations  ofthe  orig- 

inal,  and  translations  which,  so  far  as  they  differ  from  Colgan's,  may  be  de- 

scribed  as  the  offspring,  for  the  most  part,  of  presumptuous  ignorance. 

In  the  ancient  Scholium,  or  Preface,  prefixed  to  this  Hymn,  Fiacc '  of 

Slebte,  or  Slebhte,  is  unhesitatingly  pronounced  to  be  its  author.  This  ecclesias- 

tic,  who  was  honoured  as  a  saint  in  the  Irish  Church  on  the  i2th  of  October2, 

was  descended  from  Cathair  Mór  (Cathirius  Magnus,  as  0'Flaherty3  Latinizes 

the  name),  who  became  monarch  of  Ireland,  A.  D.  174,  and  was  killed  in  the 

battle  of  Taillte4    (now  Teltown,  in  Meath),   A.  D.    177.     Fiacc's  descent 

from  this  king  of  Ireland  may  be  gathered  from  the  Scholium  or  Preface  to 

the  Hymn  as  printed  by  Colgan,  thus : 

Catbair  Mór, 

.1 
Daire  Barrach, 

Bregan. 

Erc. 

Fiacc,  of  Slebhte. 


dhibg,  Re  Riostard  Pluxceád.  A  mbeul- 
athcliath  an  na  chur  a  gclo  san  mbliadban 
m.dcc.xci."  Then  follows  the  Hymn  in 
the  ancient  Irish,  as  given  by  Colgan,  witb  a 
translation  on  the  opposite  page  into  the  mo- 
dern  Irish  of  the  peasantry,  ending  on  p.  11. 
On  pp.  12  and  13  are  an  English  and  Irish 
title  to  S.  Brogan's  Life  of  S.  Bridget,  with 
the  Hymn  in  Colgan's  text,  and  a  translation 
into  vulgar  Irish  as  before,  to  p.  25.  Page  26 
is  blank ;  and  p.  27  is  a  title-page :  "  Short 
Directions  for  reading  Irish,  intended  for 
those  who  can  speak  and  understand  the 
language.  By  Bichard  Plunket,  late  trans- 
lator  of  the  New  Testament  into  Irish,  who 
has  now  that  manuscript  in  his  possession. 
Dublin  :  Printed  in  the  year  m.dcc.xci." 
This  ends  on  p.  31,  and  p.  32  contains  a  list 
of  Richard  Plunket's  works,  in  nine  articles. 

1  Fiacc His  name  is  written  by  Colgan 

Fiecus,  and  by  Lanigan,  Petrie,  and  others, 
Fiech.     It  has  been  so  written  in  tbe  early 

2l 


pages  of  this  work.  In  the  Book  of  Armagh 
the  name  is  written  Feec,  Fiacc,  nndFeccus. 
The  final  c  is  never  aspirated.  Colgan  has 
made  this  remark  (Tr.  Thaum.,  p.  7,  col.  2, 
not.  2).  In  the  Life  of  St.  Patrick  by  Probus 
(lib.  i.  c.  41  ;  Colgan,  p.  51),  St.  Fiacc  is 
called  Phiehg,  or  Pheg,  as  Ussber  more  cor- 
rectly  givesthe  name  in  quoting  tbispassage, 
Works,  vol.  vi.  p.  410,  Elringtoii's  edit. 
Althougb  the  name  is  writteni'Tac  in  the  Book 
of  Lecan  and  some  other  ancient  authorities, 
the  true  spelling  is  Fiacc,  which  is  the  same 
asFiaa.     The  Welsh  equivalent  is  Gwych. 

3  Octuber — His  name  occurs  at  this  date 
(together  witb  those  of  his  son  Fiachra,  and 
Mobi  Clairenech  of  Glasuevin)  in  the  ancient 
Felire,  or  Festilogium,  of  Aengus  the  Culdee, 
a  composition  of  the  ninth  century.  See  also 
Mart.  of  Donegal,  p.  273. 

3  O' Flaherty. — Ogyg.,  Part  iii.  c.  59,  p. 
310.     Conf.  Reeves,  Adamnan,  p.  22,  note. 

4  Taillte. — See  Leabhar  na  gCeart,  or  Book 


290  The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich. 

Daire  Barrach  was  the  ancestor  oí'  the  tribe  of  Ui  Bairrche1  (or  "  Descen- 
dants  of  Barrach"),  the  chieftain  of  which  clan  assumed  the  name  of  MacGorman 
in  later  times,  after  the  introduction  of  surnames:  and  the  church  of  Slébte 
now  Slatey,  or  Sletty,  is  situated  in  the  Queen's  County,  about  two  miles 
N.  N.  W.  of  the  town  of  Carlow,  in  the  raidst  of  the  country  then  inhabited 
by  the  tribe2  just  mentioned. 

The  Dublin  Book  of  Hymns  adds  another  generation,  if  we  have  rightly 
interpreted  the  words  "  In  Fiac  sin  mc  éside  mc  Ercha,  mc  Bregain,"  to  sig- 
nify  that  this  Fiacc  was  the  son  of  the  son  of  Erc,  son  of  Bregan,  or  Brecan. 
But  even  with  this  addition,  the  foregoing  genealogy  is  manifestly  inconsistent 
with  the  age  usually  assigned  to  St.  Fiacc.  The  narrative  which  makes  him  to 
have  been  consecrated  a  bishop  by  St.  Patrick,  assumes  that  he  must  have 
been  of  mature  age,  about  A.D.  448%  or  upwards  of  27oyears  after  the  death 
of  Cathair  Mór,  if  we  adopt  the  chronology  of  0'Flaherty,  and  326  years, 
if  we  are  guicled  by  the  Four  Masters.  This  is  altogether  too  long  a  period 
for  the  number  of  generations  which  the  above  genealogy  has  placed  between 
Fiacc  and  his  royal  ancestor ;  and  necessarily  leads  to  the  conclusion,  either  that 
some  intermediate  generations  have  been  omitted,  or  that  the  reign  of  Cathair 
Mór  is  antedated  in  our  annals :  for  the  only  remaining  alternative,  that  St. 
Fiacc  lived  before  the  age  of  St.  Patrich,  is  manifestly  untenable. 

The  supposition  of  an  error  in  the  number  of  the  generations  is  rendered 
probable  by  the  discrepancy  in  at  least  one  of  the  names  in  the  genealogy  as  it 
is  given  in  the  Preface  to  this  Poem  in  the  Dublin  Book  of  Hymns,  and  as  it  is 
found  in  the  Genealogia  Sanctorum,  or  Sanctilog'ium  Genealogicum  (as  Colgan 
calls  it),  in  the  Book  of  Lecan.  In  the  Dublin  Book  of  Hymns,  the  son  of 
Daire  Barrach  is  naraed  Bregan ;  in  the  Genealogia  Sanctorum,  he  is  named 
Fiac,  or  Fiacc;  and  that  thesewerein  reality  two,  andnot  the  same  individual4, 

of  Rights,  p.  205.     The  Four  Masters  give  as  -  Tribe. — This  district  was  called  Omurgv, 

the  site  of  this  battle  Magh  hAgha,  which  is  the  Anglicized  pronunciation  of  Ui  niBairr- 

probablv  a   place  near  Taillte.     They  have  che,  signifving  thc  countryofthe  UiBairrche, 

the  reign  of  CathairMór  A.D.  120-122.  The  or  Descendants  of  Barrach.     Slí-bte  signifies 

datesA.D.  174-177  are  0'Flaherty's.  "  mountainous." 

1  Ui  Bairrche See  Leabhar  na  gCeart,  3AboutA.D.$4&. — This  is  the  date  assigued 

or  Booh  ofRights,  and  Dr.  O'Donovan's  notcs,  by  Ussher   to   the   ordination   of  St.  Fiacc, 

p.  192,  sq.     Eithnea,  the  mother  of  St.  Co-  Itidex  C'hron.  (Works,  tom.  vi.,p.  571,  Elring- 

lumba,  was  also  of  the  Ui  Bairrche. — Reeves,  ton's  ed.). 

Adamnan,  pp.  8,  163,  notes.  ,*  Individual Colgan,  Tr.  Th.,  p.  8,  n.  4. 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  PatricJc. 


291 


is  evident  from  the  genealogv  of  St.  Diarmaid  (or  Modimog,  as  he  was  some- 
times  called),  of  Glenn-uisen1,  who  was  of  the  same  family,  and  whose  descent 
from  Cathair  Mór  is  given2  in  eight  generations  inclusive,  in  which  we  have 
Fiacc,  son  of  Daire  Barrach,  and  Brecan,  or  Bregan,  the  son  of  Fiacc,  so  that 
we  have  thus  an  approximation  to  a  more  correct  genealogv,  showing  the  re- 
lationship  of  both  saints,  as  follows  : — 

Cathair  Mór. 

Daire  Barracb. 

Fiacc. 

I 
Brecan. 

Erc. 


Fiacc,  of  Slebhte. 


Dallan. 

.    I 
Siabar. 


Diarmaid,  of  Glenn-uisen. 

It  may  be  observed  also  that  the  same  authoritv  gives  two  distinct  genea- 
logies  of  St.  Fiacc,  in  one  of  which  his  father  is  called  Erc3 — gen.  Erca  (as  in 
the  Booh  of  Ili/mns),  and  in  the  otherhis  father  is  Erchad4 — gen.  Erchada, 
son  of  Erc.  Assuming  that  a  generation  was  hei'e  again  omitted  (an  error 
that  would  be  facilitated  by  the  similarity  of  the  names),  Fiacc  will  appear  in 
the  seventh  generation  from  Cathair  Mór,  inclusive:  thus, — 


1  Glenn-uisen Now    Rilleshin,    in    the 

Queen's  County,  near  Carlow :  not  Glen  or 
Glin  in  the  Ring's  County,  as  Archdall  con- 
jectures. — See  Four  Mast.  at  A.D.  842,  and 
Dr.  O'Donovan's  note. 

2  Given Sanctilog.  Geneal.  Book  of  Le- 

can,  fol.  49  b.,  col.  1.  It  is  remarkable  that 
in  another  copy  of  the  genealogy  of  St.  Diar- 
maid,  given  in  the  same  tract  (fol.  53  b.,  col. 
4)  the  names  of  Erc  and  Brecan  or  Bregan 
are  omitted  :  thus,  "  Diarmaid,  i.  e.  Modimog 
of  Glenn-uisen,  s.  ofSiabarr;  s.  of  Dallan  ; 
s.  of  Fiacc  ;  s.  of  Daire  Barrach ;  s.  of  Ca- 
thair  Mór."    Here  two  generations  of  the  for- 

2  P 


mer  line  are  wanting.  This  proves  that  errors 
existed  in  tbe  pedigrees  of  this  race ;  and  wc 
know  that  omissions  of  this  kind  are  frequent 
in  all  genealogies. 

3  Erc B.  of  Lecan,  fol.  54,  b.  col.  2,  thus : 

"  Fiacc  of  Slebte,  s.  of  Erc  ;  s.  of  Fiacc  ; 
s.  of  Daire  Barrach;  s.  of  Cathair  Mór." 

4  Erchad. — Ibid.,  fol.  48,  a.  col.  4,  thus  : 
"  Fiacc  of  Sleibhte,  s.  of  Erchad  ;  s.  of  Fiacc  ; 
s.  ofDaire;  s.  of  Cathair."  It  will  be  ob- 
served,  however,  that  in  both  these  genealo- 
logies  Brecan  is  omitted,  as  ifhe  was  consi- 
dered  to  be  the  same  as  Fiacc,  s.  of  Daire 
Barrach. 


292 


The  Hymn  qf  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  PatricJc. 


Cathair  Mór. 

.1 
Daire  Barrach. 

Fiacc. 

Brecan. 

Erc. 

I 
Erchad. 


Fiacc,  of  Slebhte. 


Dallan. 


This  confirms  our  interpretation  of  the  genealogy  as  given  in  the  Dublin 
Book  ofHymns,  which  makes  Fiacc  the  grandsonof  Erc,  or  son  ofMac  Erca. 
There  is  reason,  however,  to  suspect  a  further  error.  For  in  the  genealogies 
of  the  families  descended  from  Daire  Barrach,  as  given  in  the  Book  of  Lecan1, 
there  is  the  following  statement : — 

lp  o  mac  enca  .1.  piac  mac  Dapa  eppoc 
plebce. 


It  is  from  Mac  Erca  that  Fiac,  son  of  Dara, 
bishop  of  Slebhte,  [descends]. 


This  seems  to  say  that  Fiacc  was  the  son  of  Dara,  and  descended  írom  Mac 
Erca,  or  Erc's  son.  Here  we  have  one  additional  generation,  supposing  Dara  to 
have  been  the  son  of  Erchad  Mac  Erca  ;  but  it  is  quite  as  probable  that  two 
or  more  generations  may  have  intervened  ;  for  in  the  Book  of  Leinster2  where 
there  is  an  entry  corresponding  to  the  above,  Fiacc  is  said  to  have  been  the 
son  ofthe  son  of  Dara  :  — 


lp  6  mac  meic  epca  .1.  piac  eppoc  Slebce 
.i.  mac  meic  Oapa. 


It  is  from  the  son  of  the  son  of  Erc,  i.  e.  Fiac, 
bishopof  Slebte,  i.e.  son  of  the  son  ofDara. 


Discrepancies  of  this  kind,  which  manifestly  exist  in  these  records,  prove 
that  the  chronological  difficulty  of  the  genealogy  may  be  altogether  the  result 
of  errors  in  the  transcription3.     We  may  therefore  assume  that  St.  Fiacc,  of 


1  Book  of  Lecan — Fol.  97  a.,  col.  1. 

2  Book  of  Leinster Fol.  2T9  a.     See  also 

Book  of  Ballymote,  fol.  73  b. 

3  Transcription.  — The  same  considerations 
will  enable  us  to  correct  the  genealogv  of  St. 
Ethnea,  mother  of  St.  Columba  (see  Reeves' 


Adamnan,  p.  8),  whieh  is  also  too  short  for 
the  chronologv,  she  being  sixth  in  descent 
from  the  same  Mac  Erca,  who  was  the  grand- 
father  or  great-grandfather  of  St.  Fiacc.  But 
her  genealogj',  as  given  in  the  Sanct.  Geneal. 
and  also  in  the  Felire  of  Aengus  (at  June  9), 


The  Htjmn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patriclc.  293 

Slebhte,  according  to  the  legend  recorded  in  the  preface  to  the  following 
Hymn,  may  have  been  descended  from  Cathair  Mór  perhaps  in  the  ninth  or 
tenth  generation,  and  therefore  a  contemporary  of  St.  Patrick.  The  date 
assigned  by  Ussher  to  St.  Fiacc's  ordination  is,  as  we  have  already  said,  448. 
At  that  time  he  must  have  been  about  thirty  years  of  age;  for  although  we 
cannot,  perhaps,  argue  that  he  could  not  in  Ireland  have  been  canonically 
consecrated  a  bishop  if  under  that  age,  it  is  most  probable  that  his  son  Fiachra 
had  been  born  before  Fiacc  was  admitted  to  holy  orders :  and  he  himself  must 
therefore  have  been  of  mature  age  at  that  time.  Assuming  these  premises, 
the  year  4 1 8  will  be  about  the  year  of  his  birth  ;  and  if  he  survived  St.  Pa- 
trick,  whose  death  is  generally  dated  493,  he  may  have  lived  to  be  about  the 
age  of  80  or  90.  In  this  there  is  nothing  improbable  or  actually  incredible  ; 
and  there  reinain  no  grounds  íbr  disturbing  the  Chronological  place  assigned 
to  Fiacc  of  Slebhte,  in  the  traditions  oí'  the  Irish  Church,  as  a  contemporary 
and  disciple  of  St.  Patrick. 

We  must  now  examine  the  question  oí'  the  authenticity  of  the  Hymn. 
Can  it  be  regarded  as  a  composition  of  this  remote  antiquity?  Is  it  possible  to 
receive  it  as  the  work  of  the  St.  Fiacc  who  was  consecrated  a  bishop  by 
St.  Patrick  ? 

The  celebrated  Jesuit,  Father  Daniel  Papebroch',  one  of  the  Bollandist 
collectors  of  the  great  Acta  Sanclorum,  has  refused  it  a  place  in  his  collection 
of  the  Lives  of  St.  Patrick,  because  he  considered  it  impossible2,  from  internal 

omits  all  mention  of  Mac  Eroa,  owing,  no  '  Papebroch.  — The  Comment.  Prcev.  on  the 

doubt,  to  the  same  similarity  of  names  whieh  Life  of  St.  Patrick  in  the  Acta  SS.  of  the 

has  occasioned  the  coufusion  in  the  case  of  St.  Bollandists  is  anonymous  ;  but  Father  Bveus, 

Fiacc.     If  St.  Columba  was  born  A.D.  521  in  his  Life  of  St.  Fiacc,  says  expresslv  that 

(Heeves,ibid.,ip.  lxix),thebirth  of  his  mother  Daniel  Papebroch  was  the  author — a  name 

cannot  have  been  much  before  A.D.  500,  or  of  high  authority. — Act.  SS.   Oct.,  tom.   vi. 

323yearsafter  the  deathof  Cathair  Mór.    It  is  De  S.Fieco.  Comm.  prav.  num.  3  (p.  97,  C). 
curious  that  Dr.  Reeves  (ibid.,  p.   164,  n.),  2  Impossible. — His  words  are  :  "  Hvmnum 

when   he   adopted   the   comnion    genealogy,  autem  jain  dictum  libenter  nos  quoque  hic 

which  makes  St.  F'mccfourth  in  descent  from  daremus  :   sed  fatemur  ingenue  vereri  nos  ne 

Daire  Barrach,  did  not  perceive  the  chrono-  non  ipsius  Fieci  sit,  ejus  saltem  qui  primus 

logical  difficulty ;  andyetheassumes  theearly  Sleptiis  a  S.  Patricio  est  constitutus  episco- 

dateA.  D.  120  of  the  reign  of  Cathair  Mór  pus." — Act.   SS.  Marlii,  tom.  ii.  p.   520  A 

(p.  8,  note),  by  which  that  difficulty  is  in-  But  the  Hvnin  is  ancient,  and  ought  to  have 

creased.  been  given. 


294  The  Hxjmn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich. 

evidcuce,  that  the  Hymn  could  reallv  have  been  written  by  a  contemporary  of 
St.  Patrick ;  and  this  decision  has  been  endorsed  by  a  later  Bollandist,  Cornelius 
Byeus,  the  learned  compiler  of  the  Life  of  St.  Fiacc,  at  the  i2th  of  October1. 

The  argiunents  adduced  by  these  authors,  against  the  great  antiquity  at- 
tributed  to  this  Hymn,  are  as  follows: — 

First, — It  can  scarcely  be  supposed  that  a  contemporary  of  St.  Patrick  could 
have  written  the  first  line  of  the  Hymn,  "  Patrick  was  born  at  Nemthur,  as 
has  been  related  in  histox-ies."  This  reference  to  histories  implies  such  an  in- 
terval  in  time  between  the  author  of  the  Hymn  and  the  age  of  St.  Patrick,  as 
would  make  the  narne  of  his  birth-place,  and  the  actions  of  his  life,  matter  of 
history:  "  vix  inducimur"  (says  Papebroch)  "  ut  Patricianas  vitas  statim  a 
morte  sci'iptas  intelligamus,  eo  nomine"2. 

Colgan  appears  to  have  felt  this  difficulty,  although  he  doesnot  state  it  in 
express  terms ;  but  he  anticipates  it  by  his  note  on  the  passage,  where  he 
admits  that  the  words,  "  as  is  recorded  in  histories,"  imply  the  existence  of 
"  Acts"  of  St.  Patrick  before  the  composition  of  the  Hymn  ;  he  argues,  how- 
ever,  that  thiscreates  no  difficulty,  because  Jocelin  (writing  about  1 185)  men- 
tions  four  lives  of  the  saint  written  during  his  lifetime  by  his  contemporaries 
and  disciples3,  St.  Loman,  St.  Mel,  St.  Benean,  or  Benignus,  and  St.  Patrick, 
junior. 

Another  passage  in  which  "  histories"  are  alluded  to,  is  ver.  12,  where  the 
author  says  that  St.  Patrick  read  the  Canons  with  St.  German,  "  as  histories 
relate,"  'sicut  testantur  hislorio?  (for  so  Colgan  correctly4  translates  the 
words). 

In  reply  to  these  objections,  Mr.  Patrick  Lynch5,  in  his  Life  of  St.  Patrick, 
suggests  that  our  author  never  quotes  histories,  except  when  he  has  occasion 
to  record  those  events  of  St.  Patrick's  life  which  had  taken  place  in  foreign 

1  October. — Actt.  SS.  Oct.,  tom.  vi.  p.  103.  4  Currectly. — The   old  word   líne,    or  Ifnl 

"-  Nomine Actt.  SS.  Martii,tom.  ii.  p.  520.  is  rightlv  translated  "  historiaí"  by  Colgan. 

3  Disciples. — Colgan,  Trias  Thaum.,  p.  6,  Lynch,  without  any  authority,  reads  linne, 

not.  3.     "  Ut  in  historiis  refertur,  c.  1.     In-  the  plural  of  lcm  [which  ought  to  be  lcmn], 

dicat   acta  Patricii   esse   ante  se    scripta,  et  with  iis  ;  and  Dr.  O'Conor  tells  us  that  líne  is 

recte :  quia  quatuor  alii  discipuli  ipsius  S.  Pa-  ecclcsim.     He  translatcs,  "Est  ita  testantur 

tricii,  nempe  S.  Lomanus,  S.  Mel,  S.  Benig-  ecclesia;."     Rer.  Hib.  Scriptt.,  tom.  i. ;  Pro- 

nus,  et  S.  Patricius  junior  scripscrunt  acta  leg.,  part.  i.  p.  xci.     But  the  plural  of  lann, 

Patricii  ante,  ut  testatur  Jocelin,  c.  186,  vi-  a  church,  would  be  lanna,  not  Itne. 
vente  etiam  adhuc  ipso  Patricio."  5  Lynch. — Life  of  St.  Patrick,  p.  327. 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich.  295 

countries,  before  Fiacc  became  known  to  his  master.  In  tlie  first  line  he  refers 
to  histories  (pcéla),  to  establish  St.  Patrick's  birth-place  ;  in  the  twelfth  line,  as 
translated  by  Colgan,  he  cites  histories  (lím)  to  prove  St.  Patrich's  residence  in 
the  islands  of  the  Tvrrhene,  or  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  his  ecclesiastical 
education  under  St.  German. 

It  should  be  observed  that  the  word  'pcél  (ver.  1),  translated  by  Colgan 
historv,  denotes  any  story,  tale,  or  narrative,  handed  down  by  traditien, 
written  or  unwritten,  true  or  false.  But  the  other  word  Ime  {linea) 
(ver.  12)  seems  to  imply  writing ;  and  the  fact  remains  that  the  author 
of  this  Hymn  has  referred  to  extant  tales,  or  stories,  traditions,  and  writings, 
as  authority  for  certain  facts  in  the  Life  and  Acts  of  St.  Patrich ;  the  im- 
probability  therefore  continues  in  all  its  f'orce  that  such  narratives  (whether 
they  i*ecorded-the  acts  of  the  saint  abroad  or  at  home)  could  have  been  circu- 
lated,  so  as  to  have  been  well  known  and  quoted  by  a  contemporary  of  the 
saint,  in  the  manner  in  which  our  author  cites  them.  It  might  be  thought  that 
Fiacc's  own  testimony,  if  he  had  been  personally  acquainted  with  St.  Patrick, 
would  have  been  better  than  the  testimony  of  any  tales  and  stories,  acts  or 
lives,  for  such  facts  as  the  place  of  the  Saint's  birth,  or  his  early  travels  and 
education.  It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  a  contemporary,  who  had  been  him- 
self  acquainted  with  his  hero,  could  have  referred  to  any  tales,  stories,  tradi- 
tions,  or  histories,  written  or  unwritten,  in  coníirmation  of  his  statements. 

Secondly, — Father  Papebroch  objects  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe  how  an 
author,  who  had  been  personally  acquainted  with  St.  Patrich,  could  have  in- 
troduced  iiito  his  poem  so  many  legends  manifestly  fabulous1. 

It  is  curious  that  Dr.  Lanigan  gives  an  opposite  jutlgment.  He  says,  "  In 
the  former,"  meaning  Fiacc's  Hymn,  "  which,  asalready  observed,  has  a  claim 
to  very  high  antiquity,  the  narrative  runs  smooth  and  regular ;  nor  do  we  find 
in  it  any  of  those  ridiculous  miracles  that  disgrace  some  of  the  later  Lives"2. 

1  Fabulous. — "  Vix  inducimur  ut  .  .  .   .  in-  who  was  a  contemporary  of  St.  Patrick ;  f'or 

telligamus  ....  tam  familiarem  ipsi  sancto  in  another  place  (to  which  he  refers  in  the 

poétam  tam  multa  fabulam  redolentia  huic  words  above  quoted)  he  says :  "TheBollan- 

suo  carmini  inseruisse." — Actt.   SS.  Mnrt.,  dists  and  some  otherjudicious  criticsdoubt  oí' 

tom.  ii.,  520  B.  his  (Fiacc's)  being  the  author  of  it.     But  it 

1  Lives Eccl.   Hist.,  vol.  i.,  p.  80   (2nd  does  not  íbllow  that  it  is  not  very  antient,  and 

edit.).     Lanigan,  however,    does   not  main-  most  probably  not  later  than  the  seventh,  or 

tain  that  this  hymn  was  written  by  the  Fiacc  perhaps  the  sixth  century."— Ibid.,  p.  57,  8. 


296  The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich 

Nevertheless,  thefollowing  miracles  are  mentioned  in  theHvmn  : — The  per- 
manent  impression  of  the  angel's  feet  onarock  (ver.  8);  apparitions  of  angels 
summoning  St.  Patriclí  to  return  to  Ireland  (ver.  14);  the  voices  of  the  chil- 
dren  in  Connaught,  heard  by  him  in  a  distant  country,  calling  upon  him  to  come 
to  their  aid  (ver.  16) ;  the  prophecies  of  his  coming  by  the  druids  of  Ireland 
(ver.  19-22);  his  extraordinary  austerities,  singing  100  psalms  every  night, 
statoding  in  a  well,  and  sleeping  upon  the  hard  stone,  covered  only  with  his 
wet  garments  (ver.  26-32);  healing  the  blind  and  lepers,  and  bringing  the 
dead  to  life  (ver.  34) ;  the  burning  bush  in  which  the  angel  appeared  to  him, 
and  foretold  the  supremacy  of  Armagh,  and  the  privileges  granted  to  the  re- 
citation  of  St.  Sechnall's  hymn  (ver.  48-52);  the  sun  standing  still,  in  imita- 
tion  of  the  miracle  of  Joshua  (ver.  55-60) ;  &c.  These  miracles,  however,  it 
may  be  said,  are  many  of  them  imitations  of  miracles  recorded  in  Scripture ; 
they  are  such  miracles  as  were,  in  that  age,  naturally  attributed  to  the  saint, 
and  easily  believed  to  have  been  performed  by  him,  even  among  his  immediate 
disciples ;  and,  as  Dr.  Lanigan  justly  observes,  they  are  not  of  the  same  "ridicu- 
lous"  character1,  as  some  of  the  miracles  which  "  disgrace  the  later  lives." 

We  may,  therefore,  reasonably  doubt  whether  this  argument  of  the  learned 
Bollandist  is  conclusive ;  for  it  is  certain  that  miracles,  quite  as  incredible  as 
these,  have  at  all  times,  down  to  our  own  "  enlightened"  age,  been  attributed 
to  individuals  eminent  for  sanctity,  even  by  those  who  were  their  compa- 
nions  and  personal  acquaintauces:  so  that  the  insertion  of  such  marvels  in  the 
biography  of  a  saint  is  not  of  itself  an  absolute  proof  that  the  author  lived  at 
a  period  long  subsequent  to  the  age  of  his  hero.  Dr.  Lanigan's  argument  is 
more  sound — that  the  comparatively  moderatc  character  of  these  miracles,  as 
contrasted  with  the  extravagant  marvels  of  thelater  lives,  mustbe  regarded  as 
an  evidence  of  the  higher  antiquity  of  this  Hymn,  even  though  we  may  hesi- 
tate  to  admit  that  it  was  written  by  a  contemporary  of  St.  Patrick. 

1  Ridiculous  character. — For  example,  his  afterwards  restored  to  its  owner  uninjured, 

lighting  a  fire  with  icicles  instead  of  sticks ;  &c.   &c.     Papebroch   has   rejected   a   great 

Jocel.,  c.  5  ;  the  water  congealing  in  a  kettle,  many  of  these  miracles,  and  thrown  them  into 

notwithstanding  the  fire  heaped  aroundit,i&.,  his  Appendix  to  the  Acta  S.  Patricii  (tom. 

c.  20;  his  stone  super-altar  floating  on  thesea,  ii.    Martii,  §  111.,  p.    584).     "  In   qua"    (as 

and  carrying  a  leper  after  the  ship,  c.  27;  the  Bveus  says)  "una  cum  aequá  juxta  ac  acri, 

same   altar  following  him  through  the   air,  qua  ibidem,  §  111.,  perstringuntur,  censurá, 

c  55  ;  the  kid  bleating  from  the  stomach  of  innoxie  legi  possent."     Act.  SS.  Oet.,  tom. 

the  man  who  had  stolen  and  eaten  it,  and  vi.  (ad  12  Oct.,  p.  98,  E.). 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich  297 

Thirdly.  Theapparent  allusionsto  the  desolation  of  Tara(ver.  20  and  44 ), 
an  event1  which  did  not  take  place  until  after  the  year  560,  is  evidence  that 
the  Hymn  could  not  have  been  written  before  the  latter  half  of  the  sixth 
century. 

If,  therefore,  St.  Fiacc,  of  Slebhte,  was  the  author,  he  raust  have  lived  to 
an  age  considerably  beyond  the  ordinary  term  of  human  life.  We  are  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  attributing  this  Hymn  to  a  writer,  who  must  have  flou- 
rished  at  the  latter  end  of  the  sixth  or  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century, 
unless  \ve  are  prepared  to  admit  that  St.  Fiacc  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
nearly  a  centurv  and  a  half ;  or  else  to  adopt  the  alternative,  which  Colgan 
prefers,  of  believing  the  allusion  to  the  desolation  of  Tara  to  be  a  really  in- 
spired  prediction2  of  that  event. 

Fourthly, — To  these  arguments  it  mav  be  added  that  the  author  lived  after 
the  Hymn  of  St.  Sechnall  had  become  popular,  and  its  use,  as  a  Lorica,  or 
protection  againstspiritual  dangers  to  those  who  recited  it,  had  been  recognised  ; 
and  also  after  the  story  of  Patrick  having  obtained  the  privilege  of  being  him- 
self  the  Judge  of  the  Irish  at  the  Day  of  Judgment  was  invented3.  This  is  evi- 
dent  from  lines  5  1,  52,  where  the  angel,  who  appeared  to  him  in  the  bush,  is 
introduced  as  announcing  that  his  petitions  were  granted  : 

He  [the  angel]  said,  Primacy  sball  be  at  Armagh ;  give  thanks  to  Christ. 

To  heaven  shalt  thou  come,  thy  prayers  are  granted  to  thee :    ' 

The  Hymn  thou  hast  chosen  in  thy  lifetiine  shall  be  a  corslet  of  protection  to  everv  one  : 

Around  thee,  in  the  day  of  judgment,  the  men  of  Erinn  shall  coine  to  judgment. 

1  Event. — See  the  authorities  for  the  curs-  follows  : — "  Observandum  quod  hic  dicit  S. 

ing   of  Tara  by  St.  Ruadan,    or  Rodan,  of  Fiecus  de  desertá  vel  deserendá  Temoriá,  cer- 

Lorrha,  collected  by  Dr.   Petrie,  Hist.  ancl  tum  propheticumque  fuisse  oraculum ;  vel  si 

Antiq.  ofTara  Hill,  p.  125  (Transact.  Roijal  suo  tempore  vidit  Temoriam  desertam  ipsum 

Irish  Acad.,  vol.  xviii.,  part  2).  produxisse  vitam  usque  ad  annum  540"  {leg. 

*  Prediction Papebroch  says:   "Qui  [sc.  560];  "  quod  mihi  non  probatur,   cum  fuerit 

Colganus]   ne  amittat  auctorem,  aut  ipsum  florentis  setatis  sub  adventu  Patricii  anno  432, 

plus  agquo  annosum  faciat,  ista  hymni  verba  &c."    Triad.  Thaum.,  p.  6,  not.  16.    But  the 

in  quibus  de  Temorise  desolatione,  post  an-  allusions  to  the  desolation  of  Tara  are  evi- 

num  DLX  factá,  agitur,  prophetico  spiritu  dently  references  to  an  eventpast,  and  do  not 

dicta  tanquam  de  re  futurá  mavult  credere  ;  pretend  to  be  predictions  of  the  future. 

nobis  autem  explicatione  tam  violentá  auget  3  Invented See  above,  p.    22,    note.     lt 

formidinem  prasdictam"  [formidinem,  sc.  ne  willbe  observed  that  nothing  of  this  sort  is  to 

non  ipsius  Fieci  sit].     Colgan's  words  are  as  be  found  in  the  Hymn  of  St.  Sechnall. 

*Q 


298  The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich. 

We  have  here  manifestlv  the  germ  of  the  legend  given  more  fully  by  Pro- 
bus1,  or  the  author  of  the  fifth  lif'e  in  Colgan's  Collection ;  and  there  exists  what 
is,  perhaps,  a  still  more  ancient  summary  of  the  privileges  of  St.  Patrick,  in 
Tirechan's  Annotations  on  the  saint's  life,  compiled  in  the  seventh  centuiy, 
and  preserved  in  the  Book  of  Armagh.2 

It  is  scarcely  credible  that  legends  of  this  character  could  have  been  cur- 
rent  so  soon  after  the  death  of  St.  Patrick  as  to  be  adopted  by  a  contempo- 
rary  and  disciple ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  enumeration  of  these  privileges 
by  Tirechan  is  an  earlier  form  of  the  legend  than  that  given  in  the  Hymn  by 
our  author.  For  Tirechan  makes  no  mention  of  the  apparition  of  the  an^el 
in  the  bush,  nor  of  St.  Patrick's  being  appointed  the  Judge  of  the  Irish.  It 
is  evident  also,  from  the  above-cited  stanzas,  that  the  Hymn  before  us  must 
have  been  written  after  the  question  of  the  Primacy  of  Armagh  had  become 
a  subject  of  debate ;  and  it  is  not  likely  that  this  could  have  been  the  case  in 
the  lifetime  of  a  contemporary  of  St.  Patriclc. 

It  is  remarkable  that  some  of  the  collections  in  the  Book  of  Armagh,  re- 
lating  to  the  Life  of  Patrich  (which  are  probably  the  originals  from  which  the 
biography,  attributed  to  Probus,  and  other  similar  works,  were  compiled)  are 
attributed  in  that  MS.  to  "  Muirchu  Maccumachtheni ;"  who,  it  is  expresslv 
said,  wrote  them  at  the  dictation  of  a  bishop  of  Slebhte,  "  dictante  Aiduo 
Slebtiensis  civitatis  episcopo"3.     Frohi  this  it  may  perhaps  be  inferred  that 

1  Probus Lib.  ii.,  c.  33 Triad.  Thaum.,  Ulster  record  tlie  death  of  Aedh,   at  699,  in 

p.  60.  thesewords:  QuiesAedoanachoriteoSleibtiu. 

2  Armagh — See  above,  p.  50  (where  Ti-  Tighernach  has  the  saine  words  at  A.  D.  700. 
rechan's  words  are  quoted)  ;  and  Petrie,  An-  Dr.  Reeves  has  given  a  curious  extract  from 
tia.  of  Tara  Hill,  p.  68.  the  Book  of  Arniagh,   showing  the  zeal  of 

Episcopo. — Lib.  Ardmach.,  fol.  20,  b.,  a.  this  Aedh  bishop  of  Sletty  for  the  church  of 

Soc    Petrie,    Antiq.    of  Tara   Hill,   p.    110  Armagh ;    Adamnan,    Additional  Notes,   p. 

(Trans.  lloval  Irish  Acad.,  vol.  xviii.,partii.)  323,  n.  •'.    This,  talcen  iu  connexion  with  the 

Colgan,  Triad.  Thaum.,  p.  218,  col.  1.     The  passages  of  the  hymn  above  cited,  advocating 

Aidus,  Bishop  of  Slebhte,  here  mentioned  was,  thc  primacy  of  Armagh,  is  an  additional  evi  - 

inallprobabilitv,  the  same  whose  death,  under  dence  that  the  Hymn  belongs  to  the  times  of 

the  name  of  "Aodh,  anchorite  ofSleibhte,"  Bp.  Aedh  (A.  D.  700),  rather  than  to  those 

is  recorded  by  the  Four  Mast.  A.  D.   698  :  of  Fiacc,  the  disciple  of  St.  Patrick.     The 

where  see  O'Donovan's  notes.     Ifso,  Muirchu  genealogy  of  Aedh  has  been  preserved.     He 

Maccumachtheni  must  be  regarded  as  an  au-  was  of  the  same  family  as  St.  Fiacc  ;  and  it 

thor  of  the  seventh  century.     The  Annals  of  it  is  remarkable  that  his  pedigree  is  defective 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  PatricTc. 


299 


St.  Fiacc  had  left  to  the  safe  keeping  of  his  successors  in  that  see  some  va- 
luable  historical  collections,  or  traditions  relating  to  St.  Patrich ;  these  are, 
very  probably,  the  "  histories"  referred  to  by  the  author  of  the  Hymn  now 
before  us,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  Hymn  itself  (having  been  compiled 
from  the  traditions  of  the  church  of  Slebhte,  derived  from  Fiacc,  the  disci- 
ple  of  St.  Patrick),  came  to  be  attributed  to  Fiacc  himself  as  its  author. 

Fifthly, — One  of  the  most  plausible  argumeuts  for  the  antiquity  of  the  Hymn 
is  derived  from  the  antiquity  of  the  Scholiast,  or  author  of  the  Preface  and  notes, 
who,  Colgan  maintains,  must  have  flourished  before  the  close  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury.  The  testimony,  therefore,  of  so  early  an  author,  who  asserts,  without 
hesitation,  that  the  hymn  was  composed  by  St.  Fiacc,  of  Slebhte,  must  neces- 
sarily  be  received  with  respect. 

Colgau's  reason  for  assigning  so  early  a  date  to  the  Scholiast  is  this  :  The 
Preface  states  expressly  that  St.  Fiacc,  having  been  consecrated  a  bishop  by 
St.  Patrick,  was  soon  afterwards  made  "  Archbishop  of  Leinster" — cmOeppog 
laigen — and  that  his  successors  continued  to  enjoy  that  dignity  ever  since. 

These  words  imply,  says  Colgan1,  that  the  successors  of  St.  Fiacc  continued  to 
hold  the  archiepiscopal  dignity  in  the  time  of  our  Scholiast ;  but  we  learn  from 


in  the  sarne  wav,  and  probably  owing  to  the 
sarne  cause— the  accidental  oinission  of  names 
of  similar  sound.  The  genealogv  is  as  fol- 
lows  (Book  of  Leinster,  fol.  238  «)  : — "Bishop 
Aedh,  s.  of  Brocan,  s.  of  Cormac,  s.  of  Diar- 
mait,  s.  of  Eochaidh  Guineach,  s.  of  Aongus, 
s.  of  Erc,  s.  of  Brecan,  s.  of  Fiacc,  s.  of  Daire 
Barrach,  s.  of  Cathair  mór."  On  comparing 
this  pedigree  with  that  of  St.  Fiacc,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  defect  occurs  in  the  same  place 
as  before,  viz.,  between  Erc  and  Aongus. 
For  Eochaidh  Guineach  slew  his  maternal 
grandfather,  Crimthan  King  of  Leinster, 
A.  D.  484,  accordingto  the  Chron.  Scotorum, 
dated  by  0'Flaherty  ;  it  is  impossible,  there- 
fore,  that  he  can  have  been  only  seventh  in 
descent  from  Cathair  mór.  But  the  genea- 
logy  between  bishop  Aedh  and  Eochaidh 
Guineach,  seems  to  be  correct,  and  is  quite 
consistent  with  the  date  assigned  to  the  death 


of  Aedh,  by  the  Annals  of  Ulster  and  Tiger- 
nach.  MurchuMaccumachtheniwasone  ofthe 
ecclesiastics  present  at  the  synod  of  Adani- 
nan,  which  exempted  women  from  service 
iu  war  ;  circ.  A.  D.  690.  Reeves,  Adam- 
nan,  App.  to  Pref.,  p.  1.  and  li.,  note  c.  See 
also  Colgan,  Tr.  Thaum.,  p.  218,  col.  1. 
Actt.  SS.  p.  465  a.,  n.  31. 

1  Colgan. — "  Hic  autem  obiter  observa  hu- 
jus  Scholiasta?  vetustatem,  qui  videtur  floruisse 
ante  sceculi  sexti  finem  :  nam  verbis  citatis  in- 
dicat  Successores  S.  Fieci  fuisse  Archiepisco- 
pos  Lagenise  usque  ad  sua  tempora.  Cogi- 
tosus  autem  Nepos  S.  Brigidae,  et  qui  floruit 
ante  finem  sasculi  sexti,  in  Prafatione  ad  vitam 
ejusdem  sanctae  Virginis,  indicat  Sedem  Ar- 
chiepiscopalem  Lageniensium  fuisse  Ivilldaria' 
suo  tempore  :  et  author  vitas  S.  Maidoci 
(quam  damus  ad  31  Januarii)  capite  28  ejus- 
dem  vita?,  scribit  eandem  Sedem  fuisse  per 
Q2 


300  The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patriclc. 

Cogitosus,  author  of  the  Life  of  St.  Bridget,  thatin  his  time  (the  lat'ter  halí'of' 
the  síxth  century,  as  Colgan  thought)  Ivildare  was  the  archiepiscopal  see  of 
Leinster;  and  the  author  ofthe  Life  of  St.  Aedan,  or  Moedóg,  states  that 
Brandubh,  King  of  Leinster,  together  with  a  synod  of  the  province,  had  made 
Ferns  the  archiepiscopal  see:  achange  which  must  have  taken  place  before  the 
end  of  the  sixth  century,  because  Iving  Brandubh  was  slain  inóoi,  according 
to  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters.  The  successors  of  St.  Fiacc  of  Slebhte, 
therefore,  cannot  have  continued  archbishops  much  longer  than  about  the  mid- 
dle  of  the  sixth  céntury,  which,  accordingly,  fixes  the  date  of  the  Scholiast. 

To  this  Father  B^eus1,  in  hislife  oí'St.  Fiacc,  replies  that  the  title  of  arch- 
bishop  was  not  given  to  any  bishops  in  Ireland,  until  the  twelfth  century ;  and, 
therefore,  he  concludes  that  the  Scholiast,  by  giving  that  title  to  St.  Fiacc, 
betrays  the  fact  that  he  himself  cannot  have  flourished  before  that  period. 
Byeusappears  to  draw  a  similar  inference  from  the  title  of  Archpoet,  given  by 
the  Scholiastto  Dubhtliach,  the  tutor  of  St.  Fiacc,  which,  hesays,  "savoursof 
the  eleventh  or  twelfth  century."  Butthis  very  title  ought  to  have  led  him  to 
recognize  his  mistake;  for  by  calling  Dubhthach  "  Archpoet  of  Ireland,"  the 
Scholiast  did  not  intend  to  say  that  Dubhthach  held  any  office,  or  exercised 
any  jurisdiction  over  the  other  poets  of  Ireland,  but  simply  that  he  was  the 
most  eminent  poet,  or  the  chief  poet  of  Ireland  ;  and  so,  in  like  manner,  when 
the  Scholiast  calls  Fiacc  Archbishop,  the  meaning  is  that  he  was  the  most  emi- 
nent,  or  remarkable  bishop  of  Leinster. 

BrandubiuniRegem  (qui  occubuit  anno  601),  ticae  haberent,   hincque    recte    dici   possent 

et  svnodum  Lageniensium  (•onstitutam  Fernrc.  primates,  extitcrint,  ii  tamen  non  prius  quam 

ídemque  scribit  Author  vitfe  S.  Molingi,  quam  sec.  circiter  xii,   uti    ad  xvii   Junii  diem  in 

ilamus  ad    17  Junii."     Triad.    Thaum.,i>.$,  Commentario  actis  S.  Molingi  Fernensis  epis- 

not.  8.     The  date  of  King  Brandubh's  death  copi  prrevio,  num.  8,  jam  docuimus,  appellari 

is  given  hy  the  Four  Mast.  601  ;  by  the  Ann.  eceperunt  archiepiscopi ;  quare  cum  nihilomi- 

Ult.,  604  ;    and  by  Tigernach  (or  rather  by  nus  S.  Fieco  archiepiscopi  titulum,  ac  praste- 

0'Flaherty,    who  has   dated  the  Annals   of  rea  Dubtacho,  cujus  ille  discipulus  extitisse 

Tigernach),  605.     This  last  is  no  doubt  the  perhibetur,  honoriíicam  archipoeta;,  appella- 

correct  year.  tioncm,  quae  seculum  xi.  aut  xii.  sapit,  attri- 

1  Byeus, — Actt.SS.  ad  12  Oct,,p.  98,  num.7.  buat  S.  Fiechi  scholiastes,  scriptorem  hunc, 

"At  vero,  etsi  quidem  inter  Hiberniaj  epis-  ut  jam  statui,  ante  sec.  vi.  linem  vel  paulo 

copos,  semper  aliqui,  qui  praj  aliis  quid  am-  duntaxat  post  floruisse,  quis  credat"  ?     See 

plioris  dignitatis  aut  jurisdictionis  ecclesias-  St.Patrich,  Apostle  of  Ireland,  p.  14,  sq. 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiaec  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich.  301 

The  mistalce  is  one  into  which  Colgan  him?elfhasfallen,and  which  impairs 
the  validity  of'his  argument  on  the  other  side;  f'or  the  Scholiast  does  not  use  the 
ecclesiastical  Greek  title  ^rc/i-bishop,  (which  in  its  strict  sense,  as  impljing 
canonical  jurisdiction  over  other  bishops,  was  unknown  in  Ireland  until  the 
twelfthcenturv),  but  Ard-epscop,  high  bishop;  Ard-jíle,  high  poet — that  is  to 
say,  chief'or  principal  bishop,  or  poet,  not  in  reference  to  jurisdiction,  but  in 
refereuce  to  respect  or  precedency.  In  this  sense,  there  is  nothing  inconsistent 
in  the  supposition  that  there  might  be  more  than  one  ard-,  or  chief-h'isho\)  in 
a  district ;  and,  consequenth',  when  our  Scholiast  calls  the  successors  of  St. 
Fiacc  in  Slebhte,  ard,  or  c/«/<?/-bishops,  and  says  that  they  were  so  regarded  down 
to  his  own  day,  it  does  not  at  all  f'ollow  that  the  bishops  of  Ivildare  and  Ferns 
may  not  have  also  been  considered  ard,  or  cfo'e/bishops,  at  the  same  time. 

The  passage  in  the  Preface  to  the  Life  of  St.  Bridget,  by  Cogitosus,  to 
which  Colgan  refers,  is  a  remarkable  evidence  of  this  loose  or  rather  ancient 
use  of  the  term,  even  as  it  stands  in  Colgan's  Latin  Version.  For  the  author 
tells  U8,  not  as  Colgan  represents  his  testimony,  that  Rildare  was  recently  made 
the  archiepiscopal  see  of  Leinster,  but  that  it  had  ahcays  been  an  archbishopric 
of  Ireland,  that  is  to  say,  a  chief  or  principal  bishopric  of' Ireland  :  his  words1 
are, — "  Quam  [sc.  cathedram]  semper  Archiepiscopus  Hiberniensium  Episco- 
porum,  et  Abbntissa,  quam  omnes  Abbatissa;  Scotorum  venerantur,  fbelici  suc- 
cessione,  et  ritu  perpetuo  dominantur."  It  is  evident  that  Cogitosus  must 
have  here  used  the  Irish  word  ard-epscop,  chief  bishop,  not  the  modern  ecclesi- 
astical  title  archbisliop,  of  which  he  could  have  known  nothing :  and  themean- 
ing  of  the  foregoing  passnge  was  simply  this,  that  the  see,  or  cathedra,  of  Kil- 
dare  was  always  governed  by  a  bishop  who  was  recognized  as  an  ard,  or  high 
bishop  [that  is,  as  holding  an  eminent  place  among  the  Irish  bishops],  and  by 
an  abbess,  who  was  regarded  with  veneration  by  all  other  abbesses  of'  the  Scots 
or  Irish. 

The  Bishop  of  Kildare  was  c/i«,/amongst  the  bishops,  in  the  same  sense  in 
which  the  Abbess  of' Ivildare  was  c/<íe/*amongst  the  abbesses  of  the  Scotic  na- 
tion;  and  itshouldbe  particularly  noticed  that  this,  he  says  expressly,  had  been 
alivai/s  the  case, — semper2,  i.  e.  f'rom  the  very  foundation  of  the  monasterv.    It 

1  His  words — Colgan,   Triad.   Thaum.,  p.  copus  Hiberniensium  Episcojiorum,"  &c.    He 
518.  says,    "Non   intelligit  quod   fuerit   omnium 

2  Semper — It  is  curious  to  read  Colgan's  Hibernorum"   [although  Cogitosus  expresslv 
note  on  the  words,  "  Quam  semper  Archiepis-  says  so],  "sed  solum  Lageniensium  Archie- 


302  The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich 

is  evident,  therefore,  that  Cogitosus  spohe  only  of  a  pre-eminence  of  dignitv 
or  respect,  notofmetropoliticalorarchiepiscopaljurisdiction;  and  such  pre-emi- 
nence  did  not  interfere  with  the  same  title  of  ard-epscop,  or  archbishop  (if  we 
choose  to  translate  it  so)  being  given  to  other  bishops  at  the  same  time,  and  even 
within  the  same  district,  such  as  Leinster. 

This  fallacy  runs  through  all  that  Colgan  has  written  on  the  subject;  and 
has,  in  all  probability,  also  unconsciously  interfered  with  the  exact  fidelity  of 
his  translations  from  the  Irish.  For  example,  in  translating  the  words  of  the 
Scholiast,  in  the  Preface  to  the  Hymn  before  us,  he  makes  his  author  say, — 
"Etpostea  ab  eodem  [sc.  Patricio]  consecratus  est[Fiecus]  Episcopus,  et  tan- 
dem  Lageniaj  Archiepiscopus  institutus :  quo  etiam  munere  ejus  Comorbani, 
sive  Successores  abindefunguntur"1.  Here  there  is  nothing  in  the  original  to 
represent  the  words  tandem  institutus,  or  munere  fungxmtur,  although  honest 
Colgan,  thinldng  only  of  the  modern  archiepiscopal  function,  doubtless  be- 
lieved  that  by  this  paraphrase  he  was  only  more  fully  expressing  the  meaning 
of  his  author.  But  the  original  says  merely  that  Fiacc  was  ordained  a  bishop  by 
St.  Patrich,  and  from  that  time  was  regarded  as  a  chieí'  or  eminent  bishop, 
as  were  his  successors  after  him. 

The  passage  quoted  by  Colgan,  from  the  Life  of  St.  Moedóc  of  Ferns,  has 
doubtless  sufFered  in  the  same  way  from  the  prepossession  of  its  translator,  who 
probably  lived  at  a  period  when  the  inodern  idea  of  an  archbishop  was  better 
lcnown.  He  tells  us  that  a  great  synod  held  in  Leinster  by  King  Brandubh, 
in  which  the  laity,  as  well  as  clergy,  had  seats,  decreed,  in  honour  of  St.  Moe- 
dóc,  and,  in  reward  for  his  services  to  the  King,  that  the  see  of  Ferns,  then 
recently  founded,  should  be  thenceforth  the  Archbishopric  of  Leinster  :  "  ut 
archiepiscopatus  omnium  Lagenensium  semper  esset  in  sede  et  cathedra  S. 
Moedóc;"  and,  accordingly,  the  saint  was  then  consecrated  archbishop  "by 
many  Catholics"2.     But  all  this,  most  probably,  means  no  more  than  that  St. 

piscopus.     Nec    hsec  dignitas   metropolitana  where  it  still  remains.     But  nothing  can  be 

sernper  Eildarise  fuit"     [although  Cogitosus  more   clear   than    tbat    Cogitosus    was    not 

says  expressly  tbat  it  was  ;  using  tbis  very  thinking  of  arcbiepiscopal  or  metropolitical 

word  semper].     Colgan  then  goes  on  to  say  jurisdiction,  in  tbe  ruodern  sense,  in  which  the 

that  St.  Fiacc,  as  bishop  of  Slebhte,  was  the  see  of  Dublin  now  possesses  it.     St.  Patrich, 

first  archbisbop  of  Leinster;  that  then  the  me-  Apostle  of  Ireland,  p.  17. 

tropolitical  jurisdiction  was  transferred  to  Kil-  '  Funguntur — Triad.  Tbaum.,  p.  4,  n.  1  a. 

dare;  tben  to  Ferns,  and  finally  to  Dublin,  '  Catholics — Colgan,  Actt.  SS.  ad  31  Jan., 


The  Hymn  of St.  Fiaca  in  praise  of  St.  Patriclc.  303 

Moedóc  and  his  successors  should  always  be  regarded  as  chieí'  or  eminent 
bishops'. 

It  follows  that  Colgan's  argument  to  prove  that  his  Scholiast  flourished  in 
the  sixth  century,  and  the  argument  of  Byeus,  bringing  him  down  to  the 
twelfth,  are  both  fallacious  ;  both  being  founded  on  the  same  assumption 
that  the  title  ard-epscop,  as  used  in  Irish  authorities,  was  equivalent  to  the  later 
eccleaiastical  term  Archbishop,  and  implied  canonical  or  metropolitical  j uris- 
diction. 

The  opinion  expressed  by  Papebroclr,  although  rejected  by  Byeus,  is, 
therefore,  in  the  Editor's  judgment,  more  near  the  truth,  viz.,  that  the  Scholiast 
is  to  be  regarded  as  an  author  of  the  eighth  (or,  perhaps  he  ought  rather  to 
have  said,as  he  spoke  only  of  Colgan's  Scholiast,  the  tenth  or  eleventh)  century. 

By  Colgan's  Scholiast  is  here  meant  the  author  of  the  Preface,  or  biographi- 
cal  account  of  St.  Fiacc,  prefixed  to  the  Hymn :  for  the  gloss  or  notes  may  perhaps 
be  from  a  still  later  hand.  These,  now  for  the  first  time  printed,  from  the  Dub- 
lin  MS.  of  the  Liber  fíymnorum,  are  manifestly  older  than  the  notes  published 
by  Colgan.  And,  nevertheless,  from  the  explanations  given  in  them  of  obscure 
and  obsolete  words,  it  is  evident  that  some  time  must  have  elapsed  between 
their  composition  and  the  composition  of  the  original  hymn.  The  prevailing 
character  of  these  notes  is  etymological  and  philological.  The  notes  printed 
by  Colgan  are,  for  the  most  part,  historical  and  legendary ;  and  they  contain 

p.  211,  cap.  2S.     "Et  magna  civitas  in  ho-  authorities  whieh  hc  there  quotes  to  prove 

nore  S.Moedoc  ibi  crcvit,  qua;  eodem  nomine  that  there  were  always  Archbishops  in  Ire- 

vocatur  .i.  Fearna.  Deinde  facta  synodo  mag-  land,  is  full  of  the  same  fallacv» 
ná  in  terra  Lagenensium  decrevi't  Rex  Bran-  2  Papebroch — See  his   Comm.  pravius  in 

dub  et  tam  laici,  quam  clerici  ut  archiepisco-  Actt.  S.   Patricii  (ad  xvii.  Mart.,  num.   15 

patus  omnium  Lageniensium  semper  esset  in  (p-  520  B),  where  he  says,  "  Sed  et  scholia  in 

sede  et  cathedra  S.  Moedoc.    Et  tunc  sanctus  hymuum  illum  scripta  non  videntur  nobis  tam 

Moedoc  a  multis  Catholicis  consccratus  est  esse  antiqua  quam  existimant  aliqui :  cuui  in 

archiepiscopus."     The  words  "  a  multis  Ca-  iis  non  pauca  occurrunt,  quae  seculo  septimo 

tholicis  cousecratus"  are  obscure.     Was  this  posteriorem  auctorem  sapiunt."     And  again, 

passage  written  at  a  time  when  a  bishop  might  num.   33    (p.  523  D.),  lie  says:    "  In  quem 

have  been  consecrated  in  Ireland  by  any  who  [hymnum  S.  Fieci]  antiqui  Scholiasta?  notíe 

were   not    Catholics?      What   non-Catholic  pertinent  ad  seculum  non  vi.,   sed   viii ,  ut 

bishops  were  then  in  Ireland?  illis  antiquior  sit  Vita  tum  illa  quam  Evi- 

1  Bishops Colgan's  elaborate  note  011  this  nus  scripsit,  tum  alia  quam  Tirechanus  fecit, 

passage  (Actt.  SS.,  p.  217,  n.  29),  with  the  qui  ambo  seeulo  vii.  floruere." 


;°4 


The  Hymn  of  St.  Fiacc  in  praise  of  St.  Patrich. 


also  such  legends  as  prove  thera  to  be,  beyond  all  doubt,  much  later  than  the 
Hymn. 

For  example,  the  Hymn  contains  no  allusion  to  the  celebrated  Baculus 
Jesu,  or  "  staffof  Jesus,"  which  St.  Patrick  was  said  to  have  received  from 
a  hermit  of  the  Tyrrhene  sea1,  and  which,  according  to  the  Tripartite  Life, 
was  also  tlelivered  to  him  by  Christ  Himself2.  But  the  story  is  alluded  to  in 
Colgan's  edition  of  the  Scholia,  where  it  is  said  that  Patrich  "  found"  the 
Baculus  in  an  island  of  the  Tvrrhene  sea,  called  Alanensis,  near  Mount  Armon3. 

This  story  can  scarcely  be  older  than  the  eighth  or  ninth  century.  It  is 
not  found  in  the  Book  of  Armagh,  nor  in  the  Second  Life,  published  by  Col- 
gan,  the  author  of  which  must  have  lived  some  time  after  the  death  of  St. 
Fiacc,  for  he  tells  us  expressly  that  the  relics  of  Fiacc  were  in  his  time  preserved 
in  the  church  of  Slebhte4.  It  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Life  by  Probus,  who, 
nevertheless,  notices  the  "  baculus"5  of  Patrick,  and  attributes  to  it  miraculous 
virtues,  but  without  any  intimation  that  it  was  "  the  Staff  of  Jesus;"  and  no 
allusion  to  itoccurs  in  theGloss  or  Scholia  of  the  Dublin  MS.,  which  are  now 
for  the  first  time  published. 

Again,  the  notes  of  Colgan's  MS.  are  the  only  authority  for  the  statement 
that  the  voices  of  the  children  of  Caille  Fochlad,  calling  upon  St.  Patrick  to 
come  and  save  them,  were  heard  in  Eome,  not  by  Patrick  only,  but  also  by 
Pope  Celestine0.     This  is  an  improvement  upon  the  story  told  in  the  Hymn 


1  Tijrrhene  Sea. — Vit.  3"%  cap.  23  ;  Vit. 
4",  cap.  29 ;  Vit.  6'-1  (Jocelin.)  cap.  24. 

2  Himself—Íí  Venit  ad  vicinuin  Montem 
Hernion,  in<fao  placuerit  Christo  ei  apparere  ; 
ibique  tanquam  alteri  Movsi  tradidit  jam 
laudatum  baculum,  qui  passim  Baculus  Jesu 
mincupatur." — Vit.  Trip.  i.,  c.  37- 

3  Armon.—  "Ettunc  invenitbaculum  Jesu, 
in  insula  Alanensi,  prope  Montera  Armon." 

4  Sleibhte "  Quidam    adolescens   nomine 

Fiec,  qui  postea  fuit  episcopus,  et  reliquhc 
eius  hi  Sleibhte  [venerantur]."  Vit.  2da,  c. 
38  (Triad.  Thaum.,  p,  15).  But  these  words 
are  closelv  connected  with  a  passage  in  the 
Book  of  Armagh,  whero  wc  read  (fol.  4,  b  2) 
— "  Quidam  adolescens  poeta  nomine  Feec, 
qui  postea  mirabilis  episcopus  fuit,  cujus  re- 


liquiaB  adorantur  hi  Sleibti."  The  Vita  se- 
cunda  calls  Fiec  "  adolescens,  "not  "  adoles- 
censpoeta  ;"  and  "  episcopus,"  not  "  mirabilis 
episcopus."  Is  this  evidence  that  the  Vita 
secunda  is  older  than  the  Book  of  Armagh  ? 

5  Baculus Vit.  5,  (Probus)  lib.  ii.,  c.  21. 

For  thc  more  recent  historv  of  this  celebrated 
Baculus,  see  Obits  and  Martijrol.  of  Christ's 
Church,  Introd.,  p.  xi ,  sq.,  where  the  Editor 
must  confess  to  an  oversight,  when  he  said 
that  the  Lives  of  St.  Patrick  all  speak  of  this 
baculus.  Comp.  St.  PatricJt,  Ajwstle  of 
Ireland,  pp.  323,  328,  331 

6  Celestine "  Ipse  Coelestinus  quando  or- 

dinabatur  Patricius,  audiebat  vocem  infan- 
tium  eum  advocantium." 


■: 


<H  '