45 The Apostle Ninian is stated to have been born of
Christian
parents, who held an influential position in that part of the country.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
Elrington, vol.
vi.
" Britan- nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
vm.
p.
209, and cap.
xiv.
, p.
565.
Editio
to the Drummond Missal.
In England, likewise, a debase-
,6
A. D. 1 in and Walter Espec, 131, Yorkshire,
he entered it in 11 33. He became its Abbot in
1143, and he died on the Ides of January,
A. D. 1166, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. » See " Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kenti-
gem. " Compiled in the twelfth century. Edinburgh, 1874, 8vo.
l8 In " Vitae Antiquae Sanctorum, qui habi- taverunt in ea parte Britannise nunc vocata Scotia vel in ejus Insulis," pp. I to 23.
I9 It was classed Laud. F. xv. cent. xii. ;
and, at present, Laud. Misc. 668, ff. 78^-89, sect. xii.
20 Classed Cott. Tib. D. iii. , fol. 186-192,
This was a Cistercian foundation of
366 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 25.
However, Bishop Forbes has amended Pinkerton's readings from that copy, and in more than one instance, he has supplied a sentence. In addition to
these emendations, he has collated it with a 2° Life of Manuscript
Ninian, found in the British Museum. In the Burgundian Library at Bruxelles, there is a volume of Lives of the Saints, in which the Life of St. Ninian is given in
an abridged form. This is in the Sanctilogium Manuscript, attributed to John of Tinmouth. " From this latter, John Capgrave seems to have drawn his Acts of this saint. 32 Before the time of 23 a metrical 2« was
Alcuin, composition extant, and it praised the great miracles ascribed to Bishop Nynias. In his extreme old age, the Scottish poet, John Barbour, composed a metrical Life of St. Ninian. as The Bollandists have published the Acts of St. Ninian. 26
They have used that Life compiled by Capgrave, and they have given comments upon it. They have mention of two other Manuscript Lives of this saint ; one of these belonged to the monastery of Rubese Vallis, and the other to
2
the Carthusian Convent, at Cologne. ? These latter have not been found,
although sought for by Bishop Forbes. Nearly all the modern ecclesiastical and civil historians of Scotland have some account of this early Christian
in their Various other missionary country.
such as Dean 28 Cressy,
writers, 2x
Bishop Challenor, 9 the Rev. Alban Butler, 3° and the Rev. Thomas Innes,3 commemorate this proto-Scottish saint. Among the "Lives of the English
compendious accounts of St. Ninian. — According to the earliest Scottisli traditions, the Picts
— ofScythianorigin36andtohaveatfirstsoughtasettlementinIreland were
the most ancient inhabitants, who occupied the northern parts of the Island of Britain, while the Britons coming over from Armorica took possession of the more southern parts. 37 When the Romans had invaded and subdued the
sjcc. xiii. It is supposed to have been a and those Manuscripts are now in the Library
transcript from the Bodleian exemplar, and ithasfewvariationsfromthatManuscript.
31 He places these Lives in the order of the Calendar, beginning with St. Edward the Confessor, at January 5th.
32 See " Nova Legenda Anglie," fol. ccxli. , ccxliii.
34 Alcuin adds : "quae nobis per fideles
nostros discipulos Ebora—censis Ecclesise
Scholasticosdirectasunt. " MS. Cott. Vesp.
A. xiv. , f. 160*. See Sir Thomas DufTus John Barrow, D. D. , late Principal of St.
Edmund Oxford, Hall,
3 3 Including Introduction, these chapters contain 140 pages. Published in 1845,
London, Toovey,. i2mo.
34 See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
pp. 421 to 425.
M See "Lives of the Saints," vol. x. ,
September 16th, pp. 262 to 265.
36 Such is the account given by Venerable
"
there is one for St.
Advertisement and Preface, with ten chapters following, and under distinct
Ninian, Bishop
headings. 33 Besides, Bishop Forbes,34 and Rev. S. Baring-Gould,35 have
Saints,"
other principal Saints," vol. ix. , September xvi. 31 See "Civil and Ecclesiastical History to the brothers serving God, at Candida Casa. of Scotland," book i. , sect, xxvii. , xxviii. ,
33 This he states, in a letter addressed
" of Manu- Descriptive Catalogue
Hardy's
scripts relating to the Early History of Great Britain," vol. i. , p. 45.
3s This was discovered by Henry Brad-
shaw, Esq. , in the University Library of
Cambridge.
86 In a Historico-Critical Commentary, in
Four sections and Forty-eight paragraphs. "
See Acta Sanctorum,' tomus v. , Septem- bris xvi. , pp. 318 to 328.
Bede, in his
Anglorum," lib. i. , cap. i.
27 According to a Decree of Napoleon I. , issued in 1809 or 1810, such of the Carthu- sian Manuscripts there as had not been sent to the National Library at Paris, were as- signed, with those belonging to the other local convents, to the Ecole Centrale, at Cologne,
37 Tn rcfCrence to the early people of Bri- tain, the reader is referred, for a more de- tailed account than that here given, to the Third Volume of this work, at March 17th, Art. i. Life of St. Patrick, chap. ii.
of Candida a an Casa,3 having
of the Marzellen Gymnasium there. 38 "
See ChurchHistoryofBrittany,book viii. , chap, xii. , pp. 154, 155.
39 See "Britannia Sancta," part ii. , pp. 130 to 133.
3° See M Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
pp. 32 to 34, sect, xxxi. , xxxii. , xxxiii. , xxxiv. , xxxv. , 391046.
3*
ThishasbeenattributedtotheRev.
said to have been
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
July 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 367
latter, Agricola erected a rampart, from the mouth of the Clyde t© that of the
Forth, about a. d. 88, to guard his conquests from the Pictish incursions. 38
Afterwards, it was found to be necessary, in the time of the Emperor Hadrian
—about a. d. 120—to erect that celebrated barrier, known as the Roman
Wall, and extending from the River Tyne to the Solway, in order to restrain
the Picts. 39 In fine, when the Emperor Severus came to Britain a. d. 210,
he cleared the northern frontier of enemies, and then erected another stone
wall, almost parallel with that of Hadrian. Many remains of this are to be
seen, at the present day. Under Roman auspices, the Christian religion
made its way into the Island of Britain ; and, even in the second century, it
hadbeenestablished; whiletherearecurrentreports,thatithadpenetrated
to regions not yet brought under subjection to the Empire. 4° The people of those distant places were termed Barbarians, by the Roman writers, as in
contrast with the provincial Britons. Already, Christian communities and churches had existed at the end of the third century, within the Roman pro- vince of North Britain. Especially, Christianity was introduced among the Southern Picts. These were distinguished from their compatriots the Northern Picts, who remained pagans, and who lived beyond the mountains on the
north-west. The was Gospel
to these St. Columba,*1 after by
only preached
a. d. 563, when he visited their remote and almost unknown region. It is
probable enough, that many of the Roman Christians, during those early ages of persecution, sought refuge from their persecutors, in the most remote pro- vincesoftheEmpire. Itiscertain,moreover,thatChristiansoldierswerein great numbers enrolled among the armies maintained by the Roman Emperors. Although the conquerors carried their victorious arms northward of the Forth, their incursions into these places were characterized, more as a military than as a civil occupation. Religious influences were not much
appreciated or permanent, among the inhabitants of British origin, as pro- bably few Christian missionaries were to be found accompanying the Roman
legions.
According to Ailred's Life, Nenius was descended from a noble family in
the Island called Britannia, and as supposed in that western part of it, where the ocean stretching as an arm makes two angles, one on either side, dividing the realms of the Scots and the Angles/3 His father is called a king, and he professed the Christian religion, being distinguished for his faith and piety. The inference to be drawn, from the very particular geographical account of Ailred, leads us to believe that St. Ninian was the son of a Cumbrian regulus, and that his native place was in a country lying on the coast of Solway Firth. 43 It is doubtful, however, as to whether St. Ninian had been born in GallowayorinCumberland. DuringthetimeoftheRomanoccupationof Northern Britain, Christianity appears to have made considerable progress in that portion of the country now known as Galloway/4 The birth of St. Ninian has been assigned to the year 360 ; so that it should seem, he was born
38 See James Pettit Andrews' " History of
Great Britain, connected with the Chrono-
logy of Europe," with Notes, vol. i. , p. 3.
39 See John Hill Burton's "History of
Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , pp. 18, 19.
40 See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot- land: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. ,
book ii. , chap, i. , pp. I, 2.
41 See his Life in the Sixth Volume of this
43 The Cumbrian Britains had kings of their own, until a. d. 946, when Dunmail, the last of their kings, fell in defence of their narrow territories, and Edmund gave their country to the Scottish Kings. On the cession of Cumberland to Henry II. in 1 153, the Solway became the boundary between England and Scotland.
44 The Roman General Theodosius first erected that district into a Roman province, 42 In the middle of the twelfth century, about the year 369. It was called by the
'work, at the 9th of June, Art. i. , chap. ix.
when Ailred wrote. name of Valentia.
368 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 25.
before the erection of the territory of the Gallgaedhels into a province of Rome.
45 The Apostle Ninian is stated to have been born of Christian parents, who held an influential position in that part of the country. More than ordinary means, for forwarding the education and culture of their child, wereplacedattheircommand. HismotherperhapsbelongedtotheGaelic race, inasmuch as the legend relates, that she requested her son to associate
6 when the latter had undertaken the conversion of Ireland. A tradition of Scotland holds, that St. Ninian was a nephew to St. Martin of Tours 4 ? but, it is possible, this rumour arose on account of his
himself with St.
Palladius,*
;
having been for some time under the discipline of that great master. It is stated,48 moreover, that Nennio was born in North Wales, which then repre- sented an extensive territory extending to the Derwent in Cumberland. Afterwards,it wasnarrowedbytheSaxonencroachmentstoitsmodernlimits. The senior Ninian is said to have been a descendant from Caractacus, ances- tor of Lucius, the first Christian king in Britain, and of many other distin- guishedsaintsandecclesiasticsbelongingtotheancientBritishChurch. Of these was Pepiau, surnamed Spumosus, a petty king of Ergyng, and Eywas in Herefordshire, grandfather of St. Dubritius. His brother Ninian was ancestortotheearlykingsofGlamorganshire. Intheancientgenealogies, patronymics and ancestral names were preserved and transmitted from one generation to another. So far as can be ascertained, the nam—e Ninian occurs in this particular family, and also in an older collateral line namely, that of
Nenius, or Nyniau, son of Beli Mawr/9
Ninian was baptized while an infant. The grace of baptismal innocence
hepreservedfromhisveryboyhood. HeobservedthelawsofGoddayand night, and with holy dispositions, he preserved a matured mind. Whatever
was contrary to religion, adverse to chastity, opposed to* good morals, or dis- cordantwithtruth,hecarefullyavoided. Thepiousyouthappliedwithgreat avidity to the study of the Sacred Scriptures. He meditated on their maxims, while in his mind treasures of Christian truth were hoarded for the nourish- ment of his own soul. According to Camerarius,50 Ninian lived with the Culdees, before leaving his native country for Rome ; but, this account is not to be credited, and it seems altogether inconsistent with his early age. St.
Ninio, senior, may have been, perhaps, a student in the College of Caerwor- gorm, some years before that institution was destroyed by the Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages, towards the close of the fourth century. While Ninian was yet a child, he manifested a very great desire, for frequenting those churches which were around him. 51 From such account, we may well infer, that Christianity was then generally established in that district of Scot- land. Ninian was sparing in the use of diet, and very reticent of his words. He was averse from jesting, and grave in his behaviour. He also learned to
:
this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail againstit. 53 Wherefore,heconsidered,thatinthefaithofPeternaughtcould
of the thewordsofHolyWrit,andonthepromisesofChristtoSt. Peter "On
subject
the flesh to the
government
spirit.
<s See Ussher's" Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates," Index Chronologicus, A. D. CCCLX. , pp. 509, 510.
—46 See an account of him a—t the 6th ofJuly
printed work of Rev. John Francis Shear-
man, " The Celtic Races of Great Britain
and Armorica," chap, iv. , p. 94.
s°See "De Fortitudine Scotorum," p. 173.
" Mira ill! circa ecclesias devotio erat. " Ailred's Vita S. Niniani, cap. i.
53 See Rev. Thomas Innes' "Civil and
Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book i. , num. xxviii. , p. 33.
his chief feast Volume of this work, Art. i.
in the present
5'
the day for
—
47 His chief festival occurs, on the nth of November.
48 According to Leland, Bale and others.
52 He dwelt on especially
July 25. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
369
be inferior, naught obscure, naught imperfect, and naught against which false doctrine and perverse opinions could prevail. He also conceived a most earnest desire, to visit the See of Peter ; and besides, he wished to leave his native land and kinsfolk, so that he might better attain to the heavenly king- dom. Atlength,throughanimpulseoftheHolyGhost,despisingrichesand all human grandeur, while renouncing all carnal affections, this noble youth resolved on making a pilgrimage abroad for his spiritual improvement. 54
Passing into Italy by the Gallic Alps, he made a journey onwards to Rome, where he is said to have arrived, in the year 370, when Damasus was Pope. 5* It is stated, moreover, that a law s 6 of Valentinian induced many to visit that city. Having arrived in the Eternal City, Ninian satisfied his devotion, by visiting the shrines of the Apostles ; while, with prayers and tears, he com- mended the desire of his heart to their patronage. He then sought an inter- view with the Father of the Faithful, and explained to him the cause for his journey. Greatly commending his devotion, the Pope received him with the affectionofafather. HecommittedNiniantothecareofmasters,whowere fit to instruct him in the Holy Scriptures, as also in the doctrine and discip- line of the Church. This son of a British chieftain passed twenty-four years in the Eternal City, learning Divine wisdom. 57 Being chaste in body, and
prudent in mind, provident in counsel, and "circumspect in all his actions, Niniangainedthecommendationofall, andsoonhebecamedailymorein
favour with the 8 He supreme bishop. *
while in Rome, that things contrary to sound doctrine had been impressed on himself and on his countrymen, by unskilled teachers. These teachings he now sought to unlearn. There his ecclesiastical studies appear to have commenced, and it hasbeenstated,^thatheresidedinRomefortwenty-fouryears. Hislearning and exemplary life caused the Pope to take notice of him. 6° The Sovereign Pontiff being informed there was a nation in the north-western part of Britain, that had not yet embraced the Christian faith, Ninian was deemed by birth, influence, talents, and virtues, eminently qualified to become a missionary
among
that
people.
61 He had now
passed
several
years
at Rome
in the exercises of piety, in the study of the Scriptures, as also learning the doc-
trineanddisciplineoftheChurch. Atlength,hewasconsecratedabishop,
anddestinedtoexercisetheofficeinhisowncountry. Perhaps,throughthe
solicitude of St. Palladius, he had been elevated to that dignity. It is stated,
likewise, that Ninian was one of the thirty-two bishops ordained by Pope
62
CHAPTER II.
ON HIS RETURN FROM ROME, ST. NINIAN VISITS ST. —MARTIN OF TOURS—TAKING LEAVE OF HIM, ST. NINIAN RETURNS TO BRITAIN DISTURBED STATE OF SCOT- LAND AT THAT PERIOD—ST. NINIAN'S RECEPTION THERE ON HIS RETURN—HIS MISSIONARY ZEAL AND LABOURS—HE FOUNDS CANDIDA CASA OR WHITHORN— MIRACLES.
On his return from Rome, Ninian was moved with an earnest desire to visit
Ciricius.
the great St. Martin, Bishop of Tours.
54 See Right Rev. Alexander Penrose Forbes' " Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kenti- gem. " Life of S. Ninian, chap. 'i. , pp. 8, 9.
At this time, he was famous for sanc-
s6 This was given from Treves, and it soon became known in Britain,
57 Possibly, it is thought, under St. Jerome and St. Damasus.
"
gia Britannica, sive Annales Ecclesioe Bri- tannicse," &c, tome i. , A. C. 370, sect, i. , pp.
ss According to Alford. See 467, 468.
Fides Re-
learned,
many
employed
" Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book i. ,
ss gee Rev. Thomas Innes' num. xxviii. , p. 34.
Civil and
v IA
370 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 25.
tity and miracles. Ninian turned aside from his direct journey, and went to that city. There, St. Martin received him with great affection and respect. He
knew by revelation, that his visitor was wonderfully sanctified, and destined by Divine Providence to become a profitable instrument for the salvation of many others. St. Ninio is said to have lived as a disciple with St. Martin of Tours;1 however, there seems to be no warrant for considering him to have been more than a visitor. For some time, at least, Ninian was in friendly conversation with that celebrated cenobite. Ninian besought St. Martin to furnish him with skilled masons, so that he might accomplish a cherished purpose, to build churches, and to establish offices in conformity with the
usages
of the
Holy
request
willingly granted.
Roman Church. This
4
St. Martin
Some of the religious of Marmoutier set out to join in this enterprise. His first effort was to reproduce on the Scottish coast a house somewhat resem- bling their cherished home of piety and learning. Having taken an affec- tionate leave of St. Martin, Ninian continued under the guidance of Christ his journey towards Britain. He safely arrived in Valentia, which was his ownpartofthatcountry. ThedateforhisreturntoBritainisnotrecorded in his Life. 3 But from what has been already stated, an inference may be drawn, that it must have taken place before the year 397,* when St. Martin died, according to the most common opinion of historians. 5 The turbulent Picts had then made settlements in that province, which lay between the Roman walls. In the fourth century, the Roman Governor, Maximus Clemens, attacked with great vigour the Picts and Scots. 6 These had made incursions into the Roman provinces,? and for a time he repressed their incursions. 8 Being proclaimed Emperor by the Roman soldiers in Britain, Maximus resolved on usurping the empire. Accordingly, in the year 383, ambitious to secure to himself the empire of the west, he passed over to Gaul, with these troops he commanded, and a large army of native Britons.
Many of these never saw their own country again, 9 and it is thought some of them were placed in Armorica, called Lesser Britain. 10 The numerous British levies which passed over to Gaul with Conan of Meriadog, and his brother-in-law Maximus Clemens, were founders of the first Christian kingdom, erected on the north-western coast of Gaul. " On the present
SJ By various writers. However, the Bol- landists think he did not remain there lor so
60 '* " See Rev. Jeremy Collier's Ecclesiasti-
Ninian, Bishop of Candida Casa, chap, vi. , pp. 75 to 85.
says: C'est une grande question de savoir si S. cal History of Great Britain, chiefly of Martin est mort en Tan 397 ou en l'an 400, England, from the first Planting of Chris- y ayant bien des raisons de parte d'autre. II tianity to the Reign of King Charles II. , nous en paroist neanmoins davantage pour withabriefAccountofReligioninIreland," l'an397. "—"Memoirespourserviral'His-
a
long period.
4 Le Sieur Nain de Tillemont
vtil. i. , p. 43. 61 "
See Lives of English Saints. " Life of St. Nini. in, Bishop of Candida Casa, chap. v. , pp. 56 to 94.
i le was elected January 12th, 383, and
he died —22nd, A. D. so late as a. d.
CHAPTER
'6 He was consecrated
See Tiro
February 398.
placed
See
444. p. 13.
"Chronicle. "
11.
Bishop of that See, July 3rd, a. d. 371.
Prosper's
» See Gregory of Tours' " Historia. "
8 See " Chronicle. "
' According to the statement of Gildas.
I0 "
See Rev. Ur. Dodd's Church History
of England from the commencement of the gem," compiled in the twelfth century. Sixteenth Century to the Revolution in
There he
departed
this life, November nth,
Sigebert's
about the close of the Fourth century. His
Life has been written by Sulpicius Severus.
Edited by Alexader Penrose Forbes, D. C. L. ,
Bishop of Brechin. Life of St. Ninian,
chap, ii. , p. 10.
i See "Lives of the English Saints," St.
a"
See Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kenti-
toire ecclesiastique," tome x. , p. 340. Also a learned note in the same volume, pp.
to the Drummond Missal.
In England, likewise, a debase-
,6
A. D. 1 in and Walter Espec, 131, Yorkshire,
he entered it in 11 33. He became its Abbot in
1143, and he died on the Ides of January,
A. D. 1166, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. » See " Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kenti-
gem. " Compiled in the twelfth century. Edinburgh, 1874, 8vo.
l8 In " Vitae Antiquae Sanctorum, qui habi- taverunt in ea parte Britannise nunc vocata Scotia vel in ejus Insulis," pp. I to 23.
I9 It was classed Laud. F. xv. cent. xii. ;
and, at present, Laud. Misc. 668, ff. 78^-89, sect. xii.
20 Classed Cott. Tib. D. iii. , fol. 186-192,
This was a Cistercian foundation of
366 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 25.
However, Bishop Forbes has amended Pinkerton's readings from that copy, and in more than one instance, he has supplied a sentence. In addition to
these emendations, he has collated it with a 2° Life of Manuscript
Ninian, found in the British Museum. In the Burgundian Library at Bruxelles, there is a volume of Lives of the Saints, in which the Life of St. Ninian is given in
an abridged form. This is in the Sanctilogium Manuscript, attributed to John of Tinmouth. " From this latter, John Capgrave seems to have drawn his Acts of this saint. 32 Before the time of 23 a metrical 2« was
Alcuin, composition extant, and it praised the great miracles ascribed to Bishop Nynias. In his extreme old age, the Scottish poet, John Barbour, composed a metrical Life of St. Ninian. as The Bollandists have published the Acts of St. Ninian. 26
They have used that Life compiled by Capgrave, and they have given comments upon it. They have mention of two other Manuscript Lives of this saint ; one of these belonged to the monastery of Rubese Vallis, and the other to
2
the Carthusian Convent, at Cologne. ? These latter have not been found,
although sought for by Bishop Forbes. Nearly all the modern ecclesiastical and civil historians of Scotland have some account of this early Christian
in their Various other missionary country.
such as Dean 28 Cressy,
writers, 2x
Bishop Challenor, 9 the Rev. Alban Butler, 3° and the Rev. Thomas Innes,3 commemorate this proto-Scottish saint. Among the "Lives of the English
compendious accounts of St. Ninian. — According to the earliest Scottisli traditions, the Picts
— ofScythianorigin36andtohaveatfirstsoughtasettlementinIreland were
the most ancient inhabitants, who occupied the northern parts of the Island of Britain, while the Britons coming over from Armorica took possession of the more southern parts. 37 When the Romans had invaded and subdued the
sjcc. xiii. It is supposed to have been a and those Manuscripts are now in the Library
transcript from the Bodleian exemplar, and ithasfewvariationsfromthatManuscript.
31 He places these Lives in the order of the Calendar, beginning with St. Edward the Confessor, at January 5th.
32 See " Nova Legenda Anglie," fol. ccxli. , ccxliii.
34 Alcuin adds : "quae nobis per fideles
nostros discipulos Ebora—censis Ecclesise
Scholasticosdirectasunt. " MS. Cott. Vesp.
A. xiv. , f. 160*. See Sir Thomas DufTus John Barrow, D. D. , late Principal of St.
Edmund Oxford, Hall,
3 3 Including Introduction, these chapters contain 140 pages. Published in 1845,
London, Toovey,. i2mo.
34 See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
pp. 421 to 425.
M See "Lives of the Saints," vol. x. ,
September 16th, pp. 262 to 265.
36 Such is the account given by Venerable
"
there is one for St.
Advertisement and Preface, with ten chapters following, and under distinct
Ninian, Bishop
headings. 33 Besides, Bishop Forbes,34 and Rev. S. Baring-Gould,35 have
Saints,"
other principal Saints," vol. ix. , September xvi. 31 See "Civil and Ecclesiastical History to the brothers serving God, at Candida Casa. of Scotland," book i. , sect, xxvii. , xxviii. ,
33 This he states, in a letter addressed
" of Manu- Descriptive Catalogue
Hardy's
scripts relating to the Early History of Great Britain," vol. i. , p. 45.
3s This was discovered by Henry Brad-
shaw, Esq. , in the University Library of
Cambridge.
86 In a Historico-Critical Commentary, in
Four sections and Forty-eight paragraphs. "
See Acta Sanctorum,' tomus v. , Septem- bris xvi. , pp. 318 to 328.
Bede, in his
Anglorum," lib. i. , cap. i.
27 According to a Decree of Napoleon I. , issued in 1809 or 1810, such of the Carthu- sian Manuscripts there as had not been sent to the National Library at Paris, were as- signed, with those belonging to the other local convents, to the Ecole Centrale, at Cologne,
37 Tn rcfCrence to the early people of Bri- tain, the reader is referred, for a more de- tailed account than that here given, to the Third Volume of this work, at March 17th, Art. i. Life of St. Patrick, chap. ii.
of Candida a an Casa,3 having
of the Marzellen Gymnasium there. 38 "
See ChurchHistoryofBrittany,book viii. , chap, xii. , pp. 154, 155.
39 See "Britannia Sancta," part ii. , pp. 130 to 133.
3° See M Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
pp. 32 to 34, sect, xxxi. , xxxii. , xxxiii. , xxxiv. , xxxv. , 391046.
3*
ThishasbeenattributedtotheRev.
said to have been
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
July 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 367
latter, Agricola erected a rampart, from the mouth of the Clyde t© that of the
Forth, about a. d. 88, to guard his conquests from the Pictish incursions. 38
Afterwards, it was found to be necessary, in the time of the Emperor Hadrian
—about a. d. 120—to erect that celebrated barrier, known as the Roman
Wall, and extending from the River Tyne to the Solway, in order to restrain
the Picts. 39 In fine, when the Emperor Severus came to Britain a. d. 210,
he cleared the northern frontier of enemies, and then erected another stone
wall, almost parallel with that of Hadrian. Many remains of this are to be
seen, at the present day. Under Roman auspices, the Christian religion
made its way into the Island of Britain ; and, even in the second century, it
hadbeenestablished; whiletherearecurrentreports,thatithadpenetrated
to regions not yet brought under subjection to the Empire. 4° The people of those distant places were termed Barbarians, by the Roman writers, as in
contrast with the provincial Britons. Already, Christian communities and churches had existed at the end of the third century, within the Roman pro- vince of North Britain. Especially, Christianity was introduced among the Southern Picts. These were distinguished from their compatriots the Northern Picts, who remained pagans, and who lived beyond the mountains on the
north-west. The was Gospel
to these St. Columba,*1 after by
only preached
a. d. 563, when he visited their remote and almost unknown region. It is
probable enough, that many of the Roman Christians, during those early ages of persecution, sought refuge from their persecutors, in the most remote pro- vincesoftheEmpire. Itiscertain,moreover,thatChristiansoldierswerein great numbers enrolled among the armies maintained by the Roman Emperors. Although the conquerors carried their victorious arms northward of the Forth, their incursions into these places were characterized, more as a military than as a civil occupation. Religious influences were not much
appreciated or permanent, among the inhabitants of British origin, as pro- bably few Christian missionaries were to be found accompanying the Roman
legions.
According to Ailred's Life, Nenius was descended from a noble family in
the Island called Britannia, and as supposed in that western part of it, where the ocean stretching as an arm makes two angles, one on either side, dividing the realms of the Scots and the Angles/3 His father is called a king, and he professed the Christian religion, being distinguished for his faith and piety. The inference to be drawn, from the very particular geographical account of Ailred, leads us to believe that St. Ninian was the son of a Cumbrian regulus, and that his native place was in a country lying on the coast of Solway Firth. 43 It is doubtful, however, as to whether St. Ninian had been born in GallowayorinCumberland. DuringthetimeoftheRomanoccupationof Northern Britain, Christianity appears to have made considerable progress in that portion of the country now known as Galloway/4 The birth of St. Ninian has been assigned to the year 360 ; so that it should seem, he was born
38 See James Pettit Andrews' " History of
Great Britain, connected with the Chrono-
logy of Europe," with Notes, vol. i. , p. 3.
39 See John Hill Burton's "History of
Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , pp. 18, 19.
40 See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot- land: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. ,
book ii. , chap, i. , pp. I, 2.
41 See his Life in the Sixth Volume of this
43 The Cumbrian Britains had kings of their own, until a. d. 946, when Dunmail, the last of their kings, fell in defence of their narrow territories, and Edmund gave their country to the Scottish Kings. On the cession of Cumberland to Henry II. in 1 153, the Solway became the boundary between England and Scotland.
44 The Roman General Theodosius first erected that district into a Roman province, 42 In the middle of the twelfth century, about the year 369. It was called by the
'work, at the 9th of June, Art. i. , chap. ix.
when Ailred wrote. name of Valentia.
368 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 25.
before the erection of the territory of the Gallgaedhels into a province of Rome.
45 The Apostle Ninian is stated to have been born of Christian parents, who held an influential position in that part of the country. More than ordinary means, for forwarding the education and culture of their child, wereplacedattheircommand. HismotherperhapsbelongedtotheGaelic race, inasmuch as the legend relates, that she requested her son to associate
6 when the latter had undertaken the conversion of Ireland. A tradition of Scotland holds, that St. Ninian was a nephew to St. Martin of Tours 4 ? but, it is possible, this rumour arose on account of his
himself with St.
Palladius,*
;
having been for some time under the discipline of that great master. It is stated,48 moreover, that Nennio was born in North Wales, which then repre- sented an extensive territory extending to the Derwent in Cumberland. Afterwards,it wasnarrowedbytheSaxonencroachmentstoitsmodernlimits. The senior Ninian is said to have been a descendant from Caractacus, ances- tor of Lucius, the first Christian king in Britain, and of many other distin- guishedsaintsandecclesiasticsbelongingtotheancientBritishChurch. Of these was Pepiau, surnamed Spumosus, a petty king of Ergyng, and Eywas in Herefordshire, grandfather of St. Dubritius. His brother Ninian was ancestortotheearlykingsofGlamorganshire. Intheancientgenealogies, patronymics and ancestral names were preserved and transmitted from one generation to another. So far as can be ascertained, the nam—e Ninian occurs in this particular family, and also in an older collateral line namely, that of
Nenius, or Nyniau, son of Beli Mawr/9
Ninian was baptized while an infant. The grace of baptismal innocence
hepreservedfromhisveryboyhood. HeobservedthelawsofGoddayand night, and with holy dispositions, he preserved a matured mind. Whatever
was contrary to religion, adverse to chastity, opposed to* good morals, or dis- cordantwithtruth,hecarefullyavoided. Thepiousyouthappliedwithgreat avidity to the study of the Sacred Scriptures. He meditated on their maxims, while in his mind treasures of Christian truth were hoarded for the nourish- ment of his own soul. According to Camerarius,50 Ninian lived with the Culdees, before leaving his native country for Rome ; but, this account is not to be credited, and it seems altogether inconsistent with his early age. St.
Ninio, senior, may have been, perhaps, a student in the College of Caerwor- gorm, some years before that institution was destroyed by the Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages, towards the close of the fourth century. While Ninian was yet a child, he manifested a very great desire, for frequenting those churches which were around him. 51 From such account, we may well infer, that Christianity was then generally established in that district of Scot- land. Ninian was sparing in the use of diet, and very reticent of his words. He was averse from jesting, and grave in his behaviour. He also learned to
:
this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail againstit. 53 Wherefore,heconsidered,thatinthefaithofPeternaughtcould
of the thewordsofHolyWrit,andonthepromisesofChristtoSt. Peter "On
subject
the flesh to the
government
spirit.
<s See Ussher's" Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates," Index Chronologicus, A. D. CCCLX. , pp. 509, 510.
—46 See an account of him a—t the 6th ofJuly
printed work of Rev. John Francis Shear-
man, " The Celtic Races of Great Britain
and Armorica," chap, iv. , p. 94.
s°See "De Fortitudine Scotorum," p. 173.
" Mira ill! circa ecclesias devotio erat. " Ailred's Vita S. Niniani, cap. i.
53 See Rev. Thomas Innes' "Civil and
Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book i. , num. xxviii. , p. 33.
his chief feast Volume of this work, Art. i.
in the present
5'
the day for
—
47 His chief festival occurs, on the nth of November.
48 According to Leland, Bale and others.
52 He dwelt on especially
July 25. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
369
be inferior, naught obscure, naught imperfect, and naught against which false doctrine and perverse opinions could prevail. He also conceived a most earnest desire, to visit the See of Peter ; and besides, he wished to leave his native land and kinsfolk, so that he might better attain to the heavenly king- dom. Atlength,throughanimpulseoftheHolyGhost,despisingrichesand all human grandeur, while renouncing all carnal affections, this noble youth resolved on making a pilgrimage abroad for his spiritual improvement. 54
Passing into Italy by the Gallic Alps, he made a journey onwards to Rome, where he is said to have arrived, in the year 370, when Damasus was Pope. 5* It is stated, moreover, that a law s 6 of Valentinian induced many to visit that city. Having arrived in the Eternal City, Ninian satisfied his devotion, by visiting the shrines of the Apostles ; while, with prayers and tears, he com- mended the desire of his heart to their patronage. He then sought an inter- view with the Father of the Faithful, and explained to him the cause for his journey. Greatly commending his devotion, the Pope received him with the affectionofafather. HecommittedNiniantothecareofmasters,whowere fit to instruct him in the Holy Scriptures, as also in the doctrine and discip- line of the Church. This son of a British chieftain passed twenty-four years in the Eternal City, learning Divine wisdom. 57 Being chaste in body, and
prudent in mind, provident in counsel, and "circumspect in all his actions, Niniangainedthecommendationofall, andsoonhebecamedailymorein
favour with the 8 He supreme bishop. *
while in Rome, that things contrary to sound doctrine had been impressed on himself and on his countrymen, by unskilled teachers. These teachings he now sought to unlearn. There his ecclesiastical studies appear to have commenced, and it hasbeenstated,^thatheresidedinRomefortwenty-fouryears. Hislearning and exemplary life caused the Pope to take notice of him. 6° The Sovereign Pontiff being informed there was a nation in the north-western part of Britain, that had not yet embraced the Christian faith, Ninian was deemed by birth, influence, talents, and virtues, eminently qualified to become a missionary
among
that
people.
61 He had now
passed
several
years
at Rome
in the exercises of piety, in the study of the Scriptures, as also learning the doc-
trineanddisciplineoftheChurch. Atlength,hewasconsecratedabishop,
anddestinedtoexercisetheofficeinhisowncountry. Perhaps,throughthe
solicitude of St. Palladius, he had been elevated to that dignity. It is stated,
likewise, that Ninian was one of the thirty-two bishops ordained by Pope
62
CHAPTER II.
ON HIS RETURN FROM ROME, ST. NINIAN VISITS ST. —MARTIN OF TOURS—TAKING LEAVE OF HIM, ST. NINIAN RETURNS TO BRITAIN DISTURBED STATE OF SCOT- LAND AT THAT PERIOD—ST. NINIAN'S RECEPTION THERE ON HIS RETURN—HIS MISSIONARY ZEAL AND LABOURS—HE FOUNDS CANDIDA CASA OR WHITHORN— MIRACLES.
On his return from Rome, Ninian was moved with an earnest desire to visit
Ciricius.
the great St. Martin, Bishop of Tours.
54 See Right Rev. Alexander Penrose Forbes' " Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kenti- gem. " Life of S. Ninian, chap. 'i. , pp. 8, 9.
At this time, he was famous for sanc-
s6 This was given from Treves, and it soon became known in Britain,
57 Possibly, it is thought, under St. Jerome and St. Damasus.
"
gia Britannica, sive Annales Ecclesioe Bri- tannicse," &c, tome i. , A. C. 370, sect, i. , pp.
ss According to Alford. See 467, 468.
Fides Re-
learned,
many
employed
" Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book i. ,
ss gee Rev. Thomas Innes' num. xxviii. , p. 34.
Civil and
v IA
370 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 25.
tity and miracles. Ninian turned aside from his direct journey, and went to that city. There, St. Martin received him with great affection and respect. He
knew by revelation, that his visitor was wonderfully sanctified, and destined by Divine Providence to become a profitable instrument for the salvation of many others. St. Ninio is said to have lived as a disciple with St. Martin of Tours;1 however, there seems to be no warrant for considering him to have been more than a visitor. For some time, at least, Ninian was in friendly conversation with that celebrated cenobite. Ninian besought St. Martin to furnish him with skilled masons, so that he might accomplish a cherished purpose, to build churches, and to establish offices in conformity with the
usages
of the
Holy
request
willingly granted.
Roman Church. This
4
St. Martin
Some of the religious of Marmoutier set out to join in this enterprise. His first effort was to reproduce on the Scottish coast a house somewhat resem- bling their cherished home of piety and learning. Having taken an affec- tionate leave of St. Martin, Ninian continued under the guidance of Christ his journey towards Britain. He safely arrived in Valentia, which was his ownpartofthatcountry. ThedateforhisreturntoBritainisnotrecorded in his Life. 3 But from what has been already stated, an inference may be drawn, that it must have taken place before the year 397,* when St. Martin died, according to the most common opinion of historians. 5 The turbulent Picts had then made settlements in that province, which lay between the Roman walls. In the fourth century, the Roman Governor, Maximus Clemens, attacked with great vigour the Picts and Scots. 6 These had made incursions into the Roman provinces,? and for a time he repressed their incursions. 8 Being proclaimed Emperor by the Roman soldiers in Britain, Maximus resolved on usurping the empire. Accordingly, in the year 383, ambitious to secure to himself the empire of the west, he passed over to Gaul, with these troops he commanded, and a large army of native Britons.
Many of these never saw their own country again, 9 and it is thought some of them were placed in Armorica, called Lesser Britain. 10 The numerous British levies which passed over to Gaul with Conan of Meriadog, and his brother-in-law Maximus Clemens, were founders of the first Christian kingdom, erected on the north-western coast of Gaul. " On the present
SJ By various writers. However, the Bol- landists think he did not remain there lor so
60 '* " See Rev. Jeremy Collier's Ecclesiasti-
Ninian, Bishop of Candida Casa, chap, vi. , pp. 75 to 85.
says: C'est une grande question de savoir si S. cal History of Great Britain, chiefly of Martin est mort en Tan 397 ou en l'an 400, England, from the first Planting of Chris- y ayant bien des raisons de parte d'autre. II tianity to the Reign of King Charles II. , nous en paroist neanmoins davantage pour withabriefAccountofReligioninIreland," l'an397. "—"Memoirespourserviral'His-
a
long period.
4 Le Sieur Nain de Tillemont
vtil. i. , p. 43. 61 "
See Lives of English Saints. " Life of St. Nini. in, Bishop of Candida Casa, chap. v. , pp. 56 to 94.
i le was elected January 12th, 383, and
he died —22nd, A. D. so late as a. d.
CHAPTER
'6 He was consecrated
See Tiro
February 398.
placed
See
444. p. 13.
"Chronicle. "
11.
Bishop of that See, July 3rd, a. d. 371.
Prosper's
» See Gregory of Tours' " Historia. "
8 See " Chronicle. "
' According to the statement of Gildas.
I0 "
See Rev. Ur. Dodd's Church History
of England from the commencement of the gem," compiled in the twelfth century. Sixteenth Century to the Revolution in
There he
departed
this life, November nth,
Sigebert's
about the close of the Fourth century. His
Life has been written by Sulpicius Severus.
Edited by Alexader Penrose Forbes, D. C. L. ,
Bishop of Brechin. Life of St. Ninian,
chap, ii. , p. 10.
i See "Lives of the English Saints," St.
a"
See Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kenti-
toire ecclesiastique," tome x. , p. 340. Also a learned note in the same volume, pp.
