There they lived,
presided
over by a chief or abbot,
corded ; but, he had probably a good know- ledge of both dialects.
corded ; but, he had probably a good know- ledge of both dialects.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
, p.
14.
34 The only time Adamnan notices St. Columba going by land, instead of sailing down Loch Ness, is when he went on the north side of the lake, and then he appears See Vita S.
said to have founded the Abbey of Bangor at, or a little after, the middle of the sixth
century.
4° His festival is assigned to the nth of
October. A similar story is told regarding him. See ibid.
4I The Pictish Chronicle states: "In
octavo anno — est Sancto regni ejus baptisatus
of the
a Columba. " "Chronicles Picts,
Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," edited by William F. Skene, p. 7.
*3 Itis stated, in the Vita S. Comgalli, cap.
— after his foundation 44, that the seventh year
to have crossed the river.
Columbae,
lib. ii. ,
cap. 58,
and lib.
iii. ,
cap. 15.
35 In an Irish Life of St. Columba, which
belongs to the Advocate's Library, Edin-
burgh.
36 This incident is contained, only in the
Manuscript quoted.
3? land
:
F.
of Ancient Alban," vol.
book ibid.
chap,
iii. ,
pp.
107, 108, and n.
44,
See William
Skene's "Celtic Scot- ii. ,
a ii. ,
of
—he visited Britain. visit to a. d. 565.
a. d. assigned to 559
This should bring his
History
Bangor monastery
38 Adamnan says of him, that he was " fastu elatus regio. "
3J His feast occurs, at the loth of May. There his Life is given in the Fifih Volume of this work, Art. i. There is an account of St. Comgall signing the doors of King Bridseus with a sign of the Holy Cross, and of their falling broken to the earth, in Flem-
« This is a British name, and it is found in the Life of St. Nennoca applied to a king, belonging to the race of Gurthiem. See the Bollandists' " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Junii iv. , pp. 408, 409.
44 — that she had been made It would seem,
in some war with the Gaelic colonists of the south.
a captive
probably
388 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J une 9.
"
he to his " for it, God will effect the cure of sick
River Ness, he took therefrom a white stone.
Bless this white stone," said
companions, through persons among those Gentile people. "
wards " Now Broichan is added,
many Saying these words, he soon after-
smitten, since the of the Angel
grievously
Lord sent from Heaven hath broken into many pieces that glass he was about to drink from, while himself is left panting, as if giving forth his last sighs before death. In this place, let us wait a little while, and expect two messengers from the king, and shortly to be sent, that we may hasten to assist Broichan dying, for now placed in great danger he is prepared to liber- ate the bond-woman. " When Columba had finished speaking, two knights had been sent by the king, and these informed the saint and his companions, how the words he spoke had been miraculously fulfilled. They added : " The king and his familiars have sent us to you, that you come and assist his tutor Broichan, who is now dying. " Whereupon, the saint, hearing these words of the messengers, sent two of his companions to the king, with that
"
If in the first place, Broichan will liberate his slave, then let this stone be dipped in water of which he shall drink, and then be restored to health ; but, if he refuse her liberty, he shall immediately die. " Then, the two messengers, obeying the orders of our saint, went to the royal court, and repeated his words to the king. This message being communicated to him and to Broichan, both were in great fear. How- ever, the slave was set at liberty. Immediately, the stone was placed in water,
butitcouldnotbesubmerged. Thatstone,contrarytotheordinarylawof nature,floatedlikeanappleoranut,whenplacedinthewater. Ofthelatter, Broichan drank, and he was rescued from death, while his former health re- turned. That white stone was kept, afterwards, among the king's treasures ; and, in like manner, when placed in the water, from which sick persons drank, their illness was miraculously removed. Another very wonderful circumstance relating to the stone was, that when the Almighty had decreed the death of persons in extremity, the stone could not be found among the king's trea- sures. Nay more, when King Brude's own death occurred, and while he was in agony, the miraculous stone could not be found in that treasury, to which it had been consigned. 45 The chief among the Magi seems to have been Broichan,46 and those who were his companions exerted themselves to pre- vent the missionaries from preaching to the people. One evening, while the saint and a few of his brethren were celebrating Vespers near the royal resi- dence or castle, some of those Magi coming near them did all they could to hinder them being heard by the inhabitants. But, all their efforts were fruit- less. On seeing this, the saint began the forty-fourth psalm,4? according to the order in the Septuagint and Latin versions of the Holy Scriptures. 48 St. Columba raised his voice, and the sound became loud like thunder, so that the king and people listened to him in silent amazement. 4? After the fore-
" :
white stone, which he had blessed. He said,
going events, Broichan one day accosted the holy man saying
45 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Colunibse, lib. ii. , cap. xxxiii. , xxxiv. , xxxv. , pp. 357, 358. Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. lxxvi. , lxxvii. , lxxviii. , pp. 423, 424.
Hebrew and the authorized English Protes- Psalms, vol. i. , p. 158.
Tell me
46 We are informed, that there is a Castle
Broichin, in the Island of Raasay, near
Skye. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's similarity of thought and expression in both "Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 33, n.
(a). It is not pretended, however, that it
had connexion with the present Broichan.
alphabet. See this last argument ably stated, v This is the 45th, according to the in Henstenberg's Commentaries on the
tantversionoftheBible. ThattheCatholic Church division is correct can hardly be doubted; for,itissupportedbytheautho- rity of the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. It is also shown by the —omission of the usual title to the loth psalm
in the authorized version—by the striking
parts,andfromthepeculiarstructureindicated by the successive letters of the Hebrew
if as separated
June 9. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
389
Columbawhatdayyouproposesailinghence? " "Thethirddayfromthis,"
" God and life
it. " " That
the
returned Broichan, " for I shall be able to raise a contrary wind, and to bring a thick darkness over your course. " However, Columba said : "The Omni- potence of God doth rule all things, and in his name and through his guidance areallmovements. " Accordingtohiswordandproposal,onthatthirdday, Columba with a great crowd following came to the long Loch of the River Ness. TheMagibegantorejoice,whentheysawagreatdarknesscoming, and a storm raging in a point directly opposed to his course. However, Columba went on board his vessel and raised his heart to the Almighty in prayer. The sailors still hesitated, while he ordered the sails to be set against the tempest. Waving an adieu to the multitude of spectators on shore, when returning from the country of the Picts, where he had been for some time, he thus confounded the Druids, by hoisting his sail, when the wind was against him, and by making as rapid a voyage, as if the gale had been favourable. Soon, indeed, the winds changed, and they fell off to light breezes, which bore him pleasantly along his course, while the ship, in which he then happened to be, came safely to anchor, after the storm had ceased.
replied
saint,
permitting
you
cannot
do,"
ThePictshebroughtovertothefaithbywordandexample. 50 Itisvery
probable, that he did not then remain, until the conversion of their whole
nation was completed. It will be easily admitted, however, that a church existed, from an early time of Columba's mission, at the king's residence. It cannot be doubted, that the holy man's exertions were attended with great success, and that he erected some churches and religious houses in that country, even during the time of his first preaching there. We find, indeed, that he visited those parts more than once. It appears, also, that there were Magi and Pagans still remaining, in the times of some of his later excursions through the Pictish territories. We may be assured, that he left spiritual in- structors to provide for the religious wants of the new converts there, and to propagate the Christian faith, during the times of his occasional absence. 51 Who they were is very imperfectly recorded ; so that, although two or three of them may be guessed at, an exact account is not to be expected of their names and acts. In the same obscurity is involved the history of the churches and ecclesiastical institutions first established, in these newly-converted pro- vinces. Itmusthavebeenonthisoccasion,andsoonaftertheconversionof King Brude, that St. Columba visited the north-eastern region of Scotland, he and his followers making their first appearance at Aberdour, or the Mouth of the Dour, a small stream or burn. There is a picturesque bay, at the place, about midway between Fraserburgh and Banff, in from the rocky coast of the Moray Firth. On a platform overlooking an expansion of the ravine there, and locally called " the den," about a hundred yards from the mouth of that stream,standtheruinsoftheoldParishChurchofAberdour. Thechurch had been there from time immemorial ; probably, ever since there were Chris- tian churches in that part of the country. 52 According to the Celtic legend
contained in the Book of " Columcille and Deer,
son of
his pupil, came from Hi, as God had shown to them, unto Abbordoboir, and Bede the Pict was mormaer of Buchan before them, and it was he that gave themthattowninfreedomforeverfrommormaerandtoisech. "" Fromthis
** St. Adamnan follows the order of the Latin Church, for he quotes the words of the 33rd psalm by that name, in his Third Book, cap. 23.
« See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 37, pp. 73, 74.
Drostan,
s° See Venerable Bede's " Historia Eccle- siastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv. , pp. i68, 169.
SI See Father Thomas Innes' "Civil and
Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book ii. , sect, xliii. , p. 193.
Cosgrack,
3QO LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
they proceeded inland, and established the important missionary centre of Deer, on the banks of the Ugie. But, it is extremely probable, that they remained some time at Aberdour, 5 * taking advantage of the friendly disposi- tion of the mormaer, and establishing a monastery or missionary centre among the numerous population, which there is reason to believe then clustered round the bay. 55
It is said, that St. Columba penetrated even into the Orkney Islands, and that he formed cells in them. For this statement, however, there is no evidence to be found in his ancient Acts. It is founded, probably, on the fact of his having in 570 5fi met with one of the Orcadian chiefs, 5 ? at the court of Biideus II. , King of the Picts, and of having arranged with him to sendhisdiscipleCormactotheOrkneys. Duringthesaint'sabodeinPict- land,58 he preached by an interpreter 50 to a certain countryman, who em- braced the Christian religion, with his wife, children, and domestics. Within a few days, one of this countryman's sons fell sick, and he was brought almost to death's door; whereupon, certain Magicians began to deride the man, to extol the power of their own god, and to inveigh against the weak- ness of the Christian Deity. When these things were made known to the
saint, being influenced with a zeal for God's honour, and together with some
companions, he went to that house, where the comfortless parents celebrated
the doleful funeral for their dead son. 60 the to confide wake, Desiring parents
in the Divine Omnipotence, our saint was shown into that place, where the body was stretched. Then, having ordered those who were assembled there to with- draw, he went on his knees, prayed most fervently for some time, and direct-
" In the name of the Lord Jesus
ing his eyes to the body, Columba said
Christ, resume thy life, arise, and stand upon thy feet. " Immediately, the
52 By means of the Book of Deer, a docu-
ment brought to light about i860, the data
can now be assigned with great probability to the last quarter of the sixth century.
53 the " town " which the mormaer By
ss See "The Scotsman," of Friday, August 15th, 1884, No. 12,822.
57 See
bestowed on St. Columba and his com- Scotland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , p. 281.
panions we are to understand one of those s« Probably that part which bordered on duns or raths, consisting of a space sur- Loch Ness. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam- rounded by a rude circular wall of unce- nan's "Life of St. Colnmba," lib. ii. , cap. mented stones and earth, of which so many 32, pp. 145, 146, and 11. (a).
remains have been found scattered all over 59 Whether the
the country. Within these stood the houses language was Gaelic or Piciish is not re-
of wood or wicker-work where the chief and his immediate retainers lived ; while the still ruder huts of the clansmen were clustered round for protection. The Colomban monasteries were of much the same nature. Within a rude fort of stone or earth stood the church, built of wooden planks, with more or fewer huts composed of wicker-work coated with clay for the clerics.
There they lived, presided over by a chief or abbot,
corded ; but, he had probably a good know- ledge of both dialects.
*° A stanza from the Amhra of
relates the different r—aces of Britain to whom
forth to convert and instruct the surrounding population, and returning to the monastery for mutual protection and en- couragement.
5* The parish of A—berdour had for its
patron St. Drostan a confirmation of
thelegendintheBookofDeer. Perhapsa
more telling confirmation is to be found in
the fact, that a beautiful and powerfuljspring
of water that issues in the green brae facing
the broad shore is still popularly know as
" 6t the Durstanwal. "
sallying
:
& See "Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 540.
John
Hill Burton's " of History
interpreter's
vernacular
the saint preached
p&i|\enn <\UbAn co muir» ti-lcc, jaoitnL, Cjuncrug Sal\, S^. \o-D]mc,
^Xr peAjvr* peAfanb ye&\\ 00 coix> Crvioca oLiA-OAin prxioccAix) •001b.
—
" The people of Alba to the Ictian Sea
[British Channel],
The Gaedhil, Cruithneans, Saxons,
Saxon-Brits:
Best of men was the man who went
[to them] :
Thirty years did he preach to them. "
See Matt. ix. The details of this mira
Thus it is rendered into English
:
:
Columkille,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 391
boy returned to life, and opened his eyes. Lifting him up, and taking him by the hand, the saint conducted him to his parents. Upon this, the people
present raised a shout of joy and admiration. 61
62 while multitudes embraced the true Faith, in that part of the country, to the great discomfiture of the Magi and of their adherents. 63 Another time that the saint was tra- velling over Drumbriton,64 when he came near Loch Ness,6s he had a revela-
tion,andhesaidtohisattendants "Letusgoquicklytomeettheholyangels
:
sent from the highest heavens, to bring with them the soul of a pagan, and who now awaits our arrival, that we may baptize in due time before his death this man, who has led a blameless 66 life from youth to a great age. " Having said this much, the holy man walked quickly before his attendants, until he came to a 6 ? on the west side of
into and the God of the Christians was jubilation,
glorified ;
district,
Arochdan. 68 There, he found an aged man, whose name was Emchat, and who, on hearing the word of God preached by the saint, believed and was
69 fullof and and Immediately after, joy confidence,
accompanied
baptized.
by angels, he passed to the Lord. ? His son Virolec believed, also, and was
1
baptized, together with all his household. ?
After his return from the first visit to Pictland, the holy Abbot must
have spent some time, in completing the material works required for his monastic establishment on Iona ; perhaps, too, in framing rules for the monks, and in training them to habits of religious discipline. We shall endeavour here
2 which is intended to be
ment and economy for St. Columba monastery,? 3 when it had been fully formed
under his superintendence. For the religious residence proper of Iona, a certain considerable space ? 4 was marked off by the Vallum^ or raised en-
closure; whiletheChurch,Hospice,Refectory,andtheKitchen,werebuilt
to some present
idea,?
explanatory
of the
arrange-
cle are told in a manner somewhat similar. 62 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 32,
and nn. (b, c), pp. 145, 146.
63 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Prima Vita S. Columba? , cap. xxii. , p. 323 ; Secunda Vita S. Columbae, cap. x. , p. 326 ; Tertia Vita S. Columba? , cap. xxi. , p. 333 ; Quarta Vita S. Columba, lib. ii. , cap. xxxii. , p. 357, and Quinta Vita S. Columba? ,
There are remains of other ancient cemete-
ries in the glen, and these are called Kill-
meechal, Killyeenan and Crochan-boora.
c8
This district is called Airchartan, or Glen Urquhard, in William F. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. , book ii. , chap, iii. , p. 120.
^ This miracle is related, also, in Colgan's "Trias Thuamaturga," Secunda Vita S. Columba? , cap. xvi. , pp. 326, 327 ; Textia Vita S. Columba? , cap. xxxiv, p. 334 ; Quarta Vita S. Columba? , lib. iii. , cap. xiv. , p. 366 ; Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. ii. , cap. xci. , p. 426.
? ° This incident of God's providence, in
reserving for the dying the grace of spiritual succour, finds a parallel in the history of the Catholic Church of Scotland, about the middle of the seventeenth century, when two Irish missionaries arrived just in time, and most unexpectedly, to administer the sacraments to a Catholic on the point of death. This interesting anecdote is given, in Rev. Dr. J. F. S. Gordon's " Scotichroni-
lib. ii. , cap. lxxv. , p. 423. "
64 Latinized Britannia: Dorsum. " O'Don- nellwritesit Druim-Brettan.
65 Adamnan styles it " secus Nisa? flumi- nis lacum," which shows that the river gave the name of Ness to the Loch.
65 As the reward of any good natural act,
man is not more deserving of God's mercy ;
he is only less undeserving. But —God does
sometimes give of His bounty an—d the
doctrine is beautifully illustrated here even
to infidels, those aids by which they may
observe the law of nature and avoid griev-
ous sin. If they do so, He will, of His own
goodness, too, enlighten them by faith,
either through other men, or by internal
illumination, or by sending an angel from of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 14, and nn. Heaven, if necessary, or by whatever means
He chooses.
67 There was formerly a church, at Temple-
house, the entrance of Glen Urquhart, at an
ash-tree, and it is said, that a cemetery occu- pied the space now crossed by the road.
(a, b, c, d), pp. 214, 215.
7 * To the Rev. Dr. Reeves, we are mainly
Lough Ness,
and called Glen- locally
Lamentation was changed
con," vol. i. , Appendix, pp. xvi. , xvii.
7 ' See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
indebted for the patient study of Adamnan's text, which furnished the details, and which is mostly quoted in the succeeding notes, ex- changing only the pagination of Dr. Reeves
392 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
on the level within
it,
or in the also called the plateola. ? 6 A fosse courtway,
or ditch was dug round the inner rampart. The church or oratory of the
monastery was the most important of all the buildings within the enclosure. 77
It contained an 8 of stone, and this was remote in situation
altar,? probably
fromthedoor. 79 Onitweretheusualvessels,thechalice8oand
patena.
81 We
can hardly, at present, have any correct idea regarding the size and situation
of this church, 82 as the mediaeval erections of a later period have long since
83
inIrishdenominatedanerdomh^ Thisservedthepurposesofasacristy, and it opened, most probably, on the exterior as internally. Here may have been kept the clocca^ or bell, by which the community was summoned to the
sacred offices. The lodgings or hospitia of the community appear to have been detached huts,87 originally formed of wattles 88 or of wood. 8? Among the
peculiarities regarding St. Columba's manner of living, in his monastic society,
and itbyadoor,wasachamber8* ordetachedcell,calledanexedra,orexedriola,
displaced it.
Attached to the church on one side,
communicating with
Adamnan makes
frequent
mention of the abbot's
or 1 or little house,? hospice,?
hospice,? others,? ^
2 which he
a styles hut,93
or a little
hut,? *
at some distance from the
sat and
8 or
oraccompanied by tvvomonks,
asbuiltwith 6andsituateonaneminence. ? 7 Herethefounder joists,9
one 100 who read to attendant, occasionally
who stood at the door his orders. 102 waiting
with a lock and 10* At key.
a
read,? ? having Here was his bed. 103 The door was
wrote,?
101
for the Book and Chapter, as found in the
him,
the in monastery
whenevera
provided, also, stranger arrived,
ios orhutwas
Iona,
prepared for his sojourn. The guest-house or quarter assigned for visitors seems to have been incapable of receiving many strangers, although much fre-
"
Life of St. Columba. "
is in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, and it gives a very interesting account of the ruin then existing.
73 For a better understanding of the site
and the immediate geographical surround-
ings, the reader is invited to compare our
description,withthemodernMapofthat
part of Iona, which presents the features of scription with fine copperplates—of Iona greatest historic interest, in William F. and its Antiquities. See vol. ii. , part i. , pp. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of 276 to 298.
Ancient p. 100. 74 St
Alban,"
vol.
ii. ,
book
ii. , chap, iii. ,
84 See Adamnan's " Life of St. lib. iii. , cap. 19.
Columba,"
Adamnan represents St. Columba as alluding to the future moral greatness of his monastery,yetspeakingofitinam—aterial
85 The Irish version of Venerable Bede's abstract of Adamnan renders exedra by the termirvoum. SeeteAbharvb|\eac,fol. 69b.
fashion "quamlibet angusto et vili. " of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 23.
"Life
86 See Adamnan's " Life of St.
Columba,"
75 In most of the other Irish monasteries, the vallum was of a circular figure, and it was intended more for the restraint than for the security of the inmates.
76 The Irish term for it is paicce. See
lib. i.
34 The only time Adamnan notices St. Columba going by land, instead of sailing down Loch Ness, is when he went on the north side of the lake, and then he appears See Vita S.
said to have founded the Abbey of Bangor at, or a little after, the middle of the sixth
century.
4° His festival is assigned to the nth of
October. A similar story is told regarding him. See ibid.
4I The Pictish Chronicle states: "In
octavo anno — est Sancto regni ejus baptisatus
of the
a Columba. " "Chronicles Picts,
Chronicles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," edited by William F. Skene, p. 7.
*3 Itis stated, in the Vita S. Comgalli, cap.
— after his foundation 44, that the seventh year
to have crossed the river.
Columbae,
lib. ii. ,
cap. 58,
and lib.
iii. ,
cap. 15.
35 In an Irish Life of St. Columba, which
belongs to the Advocate's Library, Edin-
burgh.
36 This incident is contained, only in the
Manuscript quoted.
3? land
:
F.
of Ancient Alban," vol.
book ibid.
chap,
iii. ,
pp.
107, 108, and n.
44,
See William
Skene's "Celtic Scot- ii. ,
a ii. ,
of
—he visited Britain. visit to a. d. 565.
a. d. assigned to 559
This should bring his
History
Bangor monastery
38 Adamnan says of him, that he was " fastu elatus regio. "
3J His feast occurs, at the loth of May. There his Life is given in the Fifih Volume of this work, Art. i. There is an account of St. Comgall signing the doors of King Bridseus with a sign of the Holy Cross, and of their falling broken to the earth, in Flem-
« This is a British name, and it is found in the Life of St. Nennoca applied to a king, belonging to the race of Gurthiem. See the Bollandists' " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Junii iv. , pp. 408, 409.
44 — that she had been made It would seem,
in some war with the Gaelic colonists of the south.
a captive
probably
388 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J une 9.
"
he to his " for it, God will effect the cure of sick
River Ness, he took therefrom a white stone.
Bless this white stone," said
companions, through persons among those Gentile people. "
wards " Now Broichan is added,
many Saying these words, he soon after-
smitten, since the of the Angel
grievously
Lord sent from Heaven hath broken into many pieces that glass he was about to drink from, while himself is left panting, as if giving forth his last sighs before death. In this place, let us wait a little while, and expect two messengers from the king, and shortly to be sent, that we may hasten to assist Broichan dying, for now placed in great danger he is prepared to liber- ate the bond-woman. " When Columba had finished speaking, two knights had been sent by the king, and these informed the saint and his companions, how the words he spoke had been miraculously fulfilled. They added : " The king and his familiars have sent us to you, that you come and assist his tutor Broichan, who is now dying. " Whereupon, the saint, hearing these words of the messengers, sent two of his companions to the king, with that
"
If in the first place, Broichan will liberate his slave, then let this stone be dipped in water of which he shall drink, and then be restored to health ; but, if he refuse her liberty, he shall immediately die. " Then, the two messengers, obeying the orders of our saint, went to the royal court, and repeated his words to the king. This message being communicated to him and to Broichan, both were in great fear. How- ever, the slave was set at liberty. Immediately, the stone was placed in water,
butitcouldnotbesubmerged. Thatstone,contrarytotheordinarylawof nature,floatedlikeanappleoranut,whenplacedinthewater. Ofthelatter, Broichan drank, and he was rescued from death, while his former health re- turned. That white stone was kept, afterwards, among the king's treasures ; and, in like manner, when placed in the water, from which sick persons drank, their illness was miraculously removed. Another very wonderful circumstance relating to the stone was, that when the Almighty had decreed the death of persons in extremity, the stone could not be found among the king's trea- sures. Nay more, when King Brude's own death occurred, and while he was in agony, the miraculous stone could not be found in that treasury, to which it had been consigned. 45 The chief among the Magi seems to have been Broichan,46 and those who were his companions exerted themselves to pre- vent the missionaries from preaching to the people. One evening, while the saint and a few of his brethren were celebrating Vespers near the royal resi- dence or castle, some of those Magi coming near them did all they could to hinder them being heard by the inhabitants. But, all their efforts were fruit- less. On seeing this, the saint began the forty-fourth psalm,4? according to the order in the Septuagint and Latin versions of the Holy Scriptures. 48 St. Columba raised his voice, and the sound became loud like thunder, so that the king and people listened to him in silent amazement. 4? After the fore-
" :
white stone, which he had blessed. He said,
going events, Broichan one day accosted the holy man saying
45 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Colunibse, lib. ii. , cap. xxxiii. , xxxiv. , xxxv. , pp. 357, 358. Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. lxxvi. , lxxvii. , lxxviii. , pp. 423, 424.
Hebrew and the authorized English Protes- Psalms, vol. i. , p. 158.
Tell me
46 We are informed, that there is a Castle
Broichin, in the Island of Raasay, near
Skye. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's similarity of thought and expression in both "Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 33, n.
(a). It is not pretended, however, that it
had connexion with the present Broichan.
alphabet. See this last argument ably stated, v This is the 45th, according to the in Henstenberg's Commentaries on the
tantversionoftheBible. ThattheCatholic Church division is correct can hardly be doubted; for,itissupportedbytheautho- rity of the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. It is also shown by the —omission of the usual title to the loth psalm
in the authorized version—by the striking
parts,andfromthepeculiarstructureindicated by the successive letters of the Hebrew
if as separated
June 9. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
389
Columbawhatdayyouproposesailinghence? " "Thethirddayfromthis,"
" God and life
it. " " That
the
returned Broichan, " for I shall be able to raise a contrary wind, and to bring a thick darkness over your course. " However, Columba said : "The Omni- potence of God doth rule all things, and in his name and through his guidance areallmovements. " Accordingtohiswordandproposal,onthatthirdday, Columba with a great crowd following came to the long Loch of the River Ness. TheMagibegantorejoice,whentheysawagreatdarknesscoming, and a storm raging in a point directly opposed to his course. However, Columba went on board his vessel and raised his heart to the Almighty in prayer. The sailors still hesitated, while he ordered the sails to be set against the tempest. Waving an adieu to the multitude of spectators on shore, when returning from the country of the Picts, where he had been for some time, he thus confounded the Druids, by hoisting his sail, when the wind was against him, and by making as rapid a voyage, as if the gale had been favourable. Soon, indeed, the winds changed, and they fell off to light breezes, which bore him pleasantly along his course, while the ship, in which he then happened to be, came safely to anchor, after the storm had ceased.
replied
saint,
permitting
you
cannot
do,"
ThePictshebroughtovertothefaithbywordandexample. 50 Itisvery
probable, that he did not then remain, until the conversion of their whole
nation was completed. It will be easily admitted, however, that a church existed, from an early time of Columba's mission, at the king's residence. It cannot be doubted, that the holy man's exertions were attended with great success, and that he erected some churches and religious houses in that country, even during the time of his first preaching there. We find, indeed, that he visited those parts more than once. It appears, also, that there were Magi and Pagans still remaining, in the times of some of his later excursions through the Pictish territories. We may be assured, that he left spiritual in- structors to provide for the religious wants of the new converts there, and to propagate the Christian faith, during the times of his occasional absence. 51 Who they were is very imperfectly recorded ; so that, although two or three of them may be guessed at, an exact account is not to be expected of their names and acts. In the same obscurity is involved the history of the churches and ecclesiastical institutions first established, in these newly-converted pro- vinces. Itmusthavebeenonthisoccasion,andsoonaftertheconversionof King Brude, that St. Columba visited the north-eastern region of Scotland, he and his followers making their first appearance at Aberdour, or the Mouth of the Dour, a small stream or burn. There is a picturesque bay, at the place, about midway between Fraserburgh and Banff, in from the rocky coast of the Moray Firth. On a platform overlooking an expansion of the ravine there, and locally called " the den," about a hundred yards from the mouth of that stream,standtheruinsoftheoldParishChurchofAberdour. Thechurch had been there from time immemorial ; probably, ever since there were Chris- tian churches in that part of the country. 52 According to the Celtic legend
contained in the Book of " Columcille and Deer,
son of
his pupil, came from Hi, as God had shown to them, unto Abbordoboir, and Bede the Pict was mormaer of Buchan before them, and it was he that gave themthattowninfreedomforeverfrommormaerandtoisech. "" Fromthis
** St. Adamnan follows the order of the Latin Church, for he quotes the words of the 33rd psalm by that name, in his Third Book, cap. 23.
« See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 37, pp. 73, 74.
Drostan,
s° See Venerable Bede's " Historia Eccle- siastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv. , pp. i68, 169.
SI See Father Thomas Innes' "Civil and
Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book ii. , sect, xliii. , p. 193.
Cosgrack,
3QO LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
they proceeded inland, and established the important missionary centre of Deer, on the banks of the Ugie. But, it is extremely probable, that they remained some time at Aberdour, 5 * taking advantage of the friendly disposi- tion of the mormaer, and establishing a monastery or missionary centre among the numerous population, which there is reason to believe then clustered round the bay. 55
It is said, that St. Columba penetrated even into the Orkney Islands, and that he formed cells in them. For this statement, however, there is no evidence to be found in his ancient Acts. It is founded, probably, on the fact of his having in 570 5fi met with one of the Orcadian chiefs, 5 ? at the court of Biideus II. , King of the Picts, and of having arranged with him to sendhisdiscipleCormactotheOrkneys. Duringthesaint'sabodeinPict- land,58 he preached by an interpreter 50 to a certain countryman, who em- braced the Christian religion, with his wife, children, and domestics. Within a few days, one of this countryman's sons fell sick, and he was brought almost to death's door; whereupon, certain Magicians began to deride the man, to extol the power of their own god, and to inveigh against the weak- ness of the Christian Deity. When these things were made known to the
saint, being influenced with a zeal for God's honour, and together with some
companions, he went to that house, where the comfortless parents celebrated
the doleful funeral for their dead son. 60 the to confide wake, Desiring parents
in the Divine Omnipotence, our saint was shown into that place, where the body was stretched. Then, having ordered those who were assembled there to with- draw, he went on his knees, prayed most fervently for some time, and direct-
" In the name of the Lord Jesus
ing his eyes to the body, Columba said
Christ, resume thy life, arise, and stand upon thy feet. " Immediately, the
52 By means of the Book of Deer, a docu-
ment brought to light about i860, the data
can now be assigned with great probability to the last quarter of the sixth century.
53 the " town " which the mormaer By
ss See "The Scotsman," of Friday, August 15th, 1884, No. 12,822.
57 See
bestowed on St. Columba and his com- Scotland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , p. 281.
panions we are to understand one of those s« Probably that part which bordered on duns or raths, consisting of a space sur- Loch Ness. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam- rounded by a rude circular wall of unce- nan's "Life of St. Colnmba," lib. ii. , cap. mented stones and earth, of which so many 32, pp. 145, 146, and 11. (a).
remains have been found scattered all over 59 Whether the
the country. Within these stood the houses language was Gaelic or Piciish is not re-
of wood or wicker-work where the chief and his immediate retainers lived ; while the still ruder huts of the clansmen were clustered round for protection. The Colomban monasteries were of much the same nature. Within a rude fort of stone or earth stood the church, built of wooden planks, with more or fewer huts composed of wicker-work coated with clay for the clerics.
There they lived, presided over by a chief or abbot,
corded ; but, he had probably a good know- ledge of both dialects.
*° A stanza from the Amhra of
relates the different r—aces of Britain to whom
forth to convert and instruct the surrounding population, and returning to the monastery for mutual protection and en- couragement.
5* The parish of A—berdour had for its
patron St. Drostan a confirmation of
thelegendintheBookofDeer. Perhapsa
more telling confirmation is to be found in
the fact, that a beautiful and powerfuljspring
of water that issues in the green brae facing
the broad shore is still popularly know as
" 6t the Durstanwal. "
sallying
:
& See "Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 540.
John
Hill Burton's " of History
interpreter's
vernacular
the saint preached
p&i|\enn <\UbAn co muir» ti-lcc, jaoitnL, Cjuncrug Sal\, S^. \o-D]mc,
^Xr peAjvr* peAfanb ye&\\ 00 coix> Crvioca oLiA-OAin prxioccAix) •001b.
—
" The people of Alba to the Ictian Sea
[British Channel],
The Gaedhil, Cruithneans, Saxons,
Saxon-Brits:
Best of men was the man who went
[to them] :
Thirty years did he preach to them. "
See Matt. ix. The details of this mira
Thus it is rendered into English
:
:
Columkille,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 391
boy returned to life, and opened his eyes. Lifting him up, and taking him by the hand, the saint conducted him to his parents. Upon this, the people
present raised a shout of joy and admiration. 61
62 while multitudes embraced the true Faith, in that part of the country, to the great discomfiture of the Magi and of their adherents. 63 Another time that the saint was tra- velling over Drumbriton,64 when he came near Loch Ness,6s he had a revela-
tion,andhesaidtohisattendants "Letusgoquicklytomeettheholyangels
:
sent from the highest heavens, to bring with them the soul of a pagan, and who now awaits our arrival, that we may baptize in due time before his death this man, who has led a blameless 66 life from youth to a great age. " Having said this much, the holy man walked quickly before his attendants, until he came to a 6 ? on the west side of
into and the God of the Christians was jubilation,
glorified ;
district,
Arochdan. 68 There, he found an aged man, whose name was Emchat, and who, on hearing the word of God preached by the saint, believed and was
69 fullof and and Immediately after, joy confidence,
accompanied
baptized.
by angels, he passed to the Lord. ? His son Virolec believed, also, and was
1
baptized, together with all his household. ?
After his return from the first visit to Pictland, the holy Abbot must
have spent some time, in completing the material works required for his monastic establishment on Iona ; perhaps, too, in framing rules for the monks, and in training them to habits of religious discipline. We shall endeavour here
2 which is intended to be
ment and economy for St. Columba monastery,? 3 when it had been fully formed
under his superintendence. For the religious residence proper of Iona, a certain considerable space ? 4 was marked off by the Vallum^ or raised en-
closure; whiletheChurch,Hospice,Refectory,andtheKitchen,werebuilt
to some present
idea,?
explanatory
of the
arrange-
cle are told in a manner somewhat similar. 62 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 32,
and nn. (b, c), pp. 145, 146.
63 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Prima Vita S. Columba? , cap. xxii. , p. 323 ; Secunda Vita S. Columbae, cap. x. , p. 326 ; Tertia Vita S. Columba? , cap. xxi. , p. 333 ; Quarta Vita S. Columba, lib. ii. , cap. xxxii. , p. 357, and Quinta Vita S. Columba? ,
There are remains of other ancient cemete-
ries in the glen, and these are called Kill-
meechal, Killyeenan and Crochan-boora.
c8
This district is called Airchartan, or Glen Urquhard, in William F. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. , book ii. , chap, iii. , p. 120.
^ This miracle is related, also, in Colgan's "Trias Thuamaturga," Secunda Vita S. Columba? , cap. xvi. , pp. 326, 327 ; Textia Vita S. Columba? , cap. xxxiv, p. 334 ; Quarta Vita S. Columba? , lib. iii. , cap. xiv. , p. 366 ; Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. ii. , cap. xci. , p. 426.
? ° This incident of God's providence, in
reserving for the dying the grace of spiritual succour, finds a parallel in the history of the Catholic Church of Scotland, about the middle of the seventeenth century, when two Irish missionaries arrived just in time, and most unexpectedly, to administer the sacraments to a Catholic on the point of death. This interesting anecdote is given, in Rev. Dr. J. F. S. Gordon's " Scotichroni-
lib. ii. , cap. lxxv. , p. 423. "
64 Latinized Britannia: Dorsum. " O'Don- nellwritesit Druim-Brettan.
65 Adamnan styles it " secus Nisa? flumi- nis lacum," which shows that the river gave the name of Ness to the Loch.
65 As the reward of any good natural act,
man is not more deserving of God's mercy ;
he is only less undeserving. But —God does
sometimes give of His bounty an—d the
doctrine is beautifully illustrated here even
to infidels, those aids by which they may
observe the law of nature and avoid griev-
ous sin. If they do so, He will, of His own
goodness, too, enlighten them by faith,
either through other men, or by internal
illumination, or by sending an angel from of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 14, and nn. Heaven, if necessary, or by whatever means
He chooses.
67 There was formerly a church, at Temple-
house, the entrance of Glen Urquhart, at an
ash-tree, and it is said, that a cemetery occu- pied the space now crossed by the road.
(a, b, c, d), pp. 214, 215.
7 * To the Rev. Dr. Reeves, we are mainly
Lough Ness,
and called Glen- locally
Lamentation was changed
con," vol. i. , Appendix, pp. xvi. , xvii.
7 ' See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
indebted for the patient study of Adamnan's text, which furnished the details, and which is mostly quoted in the succeeding notes, ex- changing only the pagination of Dr. Reeves
392 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
on the level within
it,
or in the also called the plateola. ? 6 A fosse courtway,
or ditch was dug round the inner rampart. The church or oratory of the
monastery was the most important of all the buildings within the enclosure. 77
It contained an 8 of stone, and this was remote in situation
altar,? probably
fromthedoor. 79 Onitweretheusualvessels,thechalice8oand
patena.
81 We
can hardly, at present, have any correct idea regarding the size and situation
of this church, 82 as the mediaeval erections of a later period have long since
83
inIrishdenominatedanerdomh^ Thisservedthepurposesofasacristy, and it opened, most probably, on the exterior as internally. Here may have been kept the clocca^ or bell, by which the community was summoned to the
sacred offices. The lodgings or hospitia of the community appear to have been detached huts,87 originally formed of wattles 88 or of wood. 8? Among the
peculiarities regarding St. Columba's manner of living, in his monastic society,
and itbyadoor,wasachamber8* ordetachedcell,calledanexedra,orexedriola,
displaced it.
Attached to the church on one side,
communicating with
Adamnan makes
frequent
mention of the abbot's
or 1 or little house,? hospice,?
hospice,? others,? ^
2 which he
a styles hut,93
or a little
hut,? *
at some distance from the
sat and
8 or
oraccompanied by tvvomonks,
asbuiltwith 6andsituateonaneminence. ? 7 Herethefounder joists,9
one 100 who read to attendant, occasionally
who stood at the door his orders. 102 waiting
with a lock and 10* At key.
a
read,? ? having Here was his bed. 103 The door was
wrote,?
101
for the Book and Chapter, as found in the
him,
the in monastery
whenevera
provided, also, stranger arrived,
ios orhutwas
Iona,
prepared for his sojourn. The guest-house or quarter assigned for visitors seems to have been incapable of receiving many strangers, although much fre-
"
Life of St. Columba. "
is in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, and it gives a very interesting account of the ruin then existing.
73 For a better understanding of the site
and the immediate geographical surround-
ings, the reader is invited to compare our
description,withthemodernMapofthat
part of Iona, which presents the features of scription with fine copperplates—of Iona greatest historic interest, in William F. and its Antiquities. See vol. ii. , part i. , pp. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of 276 to 298.
Ancient p. 100. 74 St
Alban,"
vol.
ii. ,
book
ii. , chap, iii. ,
84 See Adamnan's " Life of St. lib. iii. , cap. 19.
Columba,"
Adamnan represents St. Columba as alluding to the future moral greatness of his monastery,yetspeakingofitinam—aterial
85 The Irish version of Venerable Bede's abstract of Adamnan renders exedra by the termirvoum. SeeteAbharvb|\eac,fol. 69b.
fashion "quamlibet angusto et vili. " of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 23.
"Life
86 See Adamnan's " Life of St.
Columba,"
75 In most of the other Irish monasteries, the vallum was of a circular figure, and it was intended more for the restraint than for the security of the inmates.
76 The Irish term for it is paicce. See
lib. i.
