No More Learning

^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," v©l. ii. , pp. 1 146, 1147.
March 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 971
put out his eyes. As a just retribution, Donat avenged his confederate's quarrel, took the monarch unprepared, and slew him, in the battle of Letter Luin. 30 These and such like tumults bore heavily on the spirits of our primate,wholovednothingmorethanpeace. Hisgriefsoonafterwardswas increased, in 11 66, by the accidental burning down of a great part of Armagh. 3' In 1167, a great assembly of the clergy and princes of Leth- Cuin, or the northern parts of Ireland, was convened, at Athboy, by Roderick
andMonarchofIreland. 3^ At
of
Archbishop of Armagh, Laurence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dublin, Cadla O'Dubhai, Archbishop of Tuara, besides many other bishops and princes, assisted. They passed many laws, at this great Convention, both for the public peace, as also to promote the discipline and good government of the Church. A restitution of his prey, to the Coarb of St. Patrick, by the people ofHy-Failghe,ofOffaly,wasdecreedatthisSynod. 33 Anotherwasheld,at Armagh, in 11 70, by this prelate, and by the Irish clergy. The chief subject of their consultations, however, was to enquire into the cause of the invaders' arrival, in their country, and their designs upon its independence. They concluded, that the sins of the people had subjected them to Divine vengeance. The practice of buying English children from merchants and pirates, and of making them slaves, was very properly condemned. Regarding this matter, a resolution was entered upon, and by public consent they made a decree, that all the English, who were in servitude, should have their
O'Connor, King
Connaught,
this, Gelasius,
liberty. By a common vice of their country, the English had a custom, to sell their children and kinsfolk as slaves, and to send them into Ireland, at that time, although their sellers were neither in want, nor in extreme
34 poverty.
In the eighty-fifth year of his age, A. D. 11 72,33 Gelasius made his fourth and lastvisitation,roundallConnaught. ThishecontinuedthroughUlster,until
He now
he came to Armagh, where he spent the chief residue of his life.
began a due and a final preparation, for the enjoyment of eternal rewards. His employment on this occasion 3^ most probably hindered him from wait- ing on King Henry II. , while this monarch was at the Council of Cashel, A. D. 1 1 72. Afterwards, the primate went to Dublin, in the depth of winter. He submitted to the king, as to his supreme temporal sovereign. He had a white cow driven before him, during his long journey, and wherever he went. On the milk of this animal alone he lived, and in the opinion of the vulgar, as Cambrensis tells us, he was reckoned a saint. 37 He lived, nearly
3° Moore states, that this is " a wild tra—ct
in the neighbourhood of Lough Neagh. " " History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xxvi. , p. 196. It is now called the Fevvs,
honour of St. Patrick and to the Lector of
so that he should
Armagh, give lectures to
the students of Ireland and of Alba, or
33 See Rev. Robert " Memoir In- King's
troductory to the Early History of the Primacy of Armagh," p. 109.
3» On this
the length of two streets the fire extended, from the cross of Columcille to the cross of
occasion, throughout
34 ggg Giraldus Cambrensis' "Opera Omnia," edited by Dimock, vol. v. "Ex- cross of Rath Gate. All the Rath was pugnatio Hibemica," lib. i. , cap. xviii. , p.
Bishop Eugene, and from the cross of Bishop Eugene in the second street to the
burned, with its churches, excepting the 258.
Regies of St. Peter and St. Paul, and a few houses. A street to the west of the Rath, from the cross of Seachnall to the cross of Brigid, excepting a small portion, was con- sumed.
3* This year, too. King Roderick O'Conor niade a grant of ten cows each year, on be- half of himself and of his successors, in
3S See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. iii. , pp. 6, 7, and n. (u. ) Ibid.
3* Cambrensis imputes his absence, how-
Scotland, generally.
ever, to his extreme old age, and infirmities. "
37 See Expugnatio Hibernica," lib. i. , "
cap. xxxv. , p. 283. Opera Omnia," vol. v. Edited by Dimock.
972 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 27.
two years, after this journey. At length, worn out with old age and labour, the terra of his existence closed. He departed this life, in the year 11 73,
according to the Annals of Innisfallen,38 a. nd those of the Four Masters, and
on the Wednesday after Easter. 39 At this very same year, it is recorded,
that Hugh Magennis and the Clann-Aedha, plundered the large third of Armagh city,4° which was one of its chief divisions. ^^ But, whether this destruction occurred, before or after the death of Gelasius, is not recorded. Magennis was killed, however, three months after this plundering. St. Gelasius died, on the 27th of March, a. d. 1174, according to Harris' Ware,<^ and when he had attained the eighty-seventh year of his age. He is com- memorated, in the Martyrologies of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Cathal Maguire. Wefindmentioned,intheMartyrologyofDonegal,43ashavinga festival on this day, Gelasius, i. e. GioUa-Mac-Liag, successor of Patrick. This illustrious prelate bears a very high cliaracter, among our Irish writers, for his holiness, capacity, learning, wisdom, humanity, and hospitality.
Article II. —St. Rudbert, or Rupert, Bishop of Saltzburgh.
\Seveiith or Eighth Century? ^ This holy man was a great lover of chastity and temperance. His zeal for the conversion of souls was very great, and he
was so charitable, that he always gave abundantly of his substance, thus im- poverishing himself, in order to enrich the poor. Also, in fasting, in watch- ing, and in other acts of mortification, he took care to ensure a victory over temptations. ' The record of this renowned saint is contained in a very
ancient Life, said to have been written, by Arno, Bishop of Saltzburgh, who flourished in the year 800. ^ His Acts are to be found, likewise, in the
collections of Lippeloo,3 of Canisius,* of Colgan,^ of Brunner,^ of Rader,? of John Aventinus,^ of Jacobus Januensis, of Surius,9 of Cornelius Grazius,'° of Haruaeus," of Valentinus Leuctius," of Marcus Velsirus,'3 of Wigulseus Hun- dius,*< of Petrus de Natalibus,'5 of Arnold Wion,'^ and of Petrus Cratepolius. '? Also, notices will be found, in the Chronicon Generale Mundi,'^ in the work of Gaspard Brusch,'9 in that of Le Cointe,^ of the Bollandists,^' of the
3^ These, as we are told by Harris, often anticipate the Christian era, by one
"
rum mentions, St. Rupert, Bishop, at the
27th of March, pp. 1078 to 1085.
* In " Lectiones," tomus vi. Antiquae
year.
39
s He takes
iii. , them,
from various in sources,
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition,
vol.
pp. 12, 13.
^° See ibid. , pp. 10, 1 1, and n. (i. )
•' There were four altogether, so far as
we find them specially designated, viz. : 1. Rath Ardmacha, perhaps that portion on which stood the Cathedral, or more probably, the great fort of Macha ; 2, the Trian Massan ; 3, the Trian Mor ; and 4, the Trian Saxon, inhabited chiefly by English
his "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," Martii xxvii. Vita S. Ruperti Episcopi, with an Appendix in six Chapters, and notes, pp. 756 to 770.
^In"AnnaIium Boiorum," lib. v. , cap, i. andviii.
'*
? In
^ In " Annalium Boioram," lib. iii.
'In his work "De Probatis Sanctorum
students and English merchants. See
" '°
Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima
In "Vitis Sanctorum," tomus i. " At the 27th of March.
Appendix
ad Acta S.
Patricii, pars, iii. , p.
" His work is language,
300.
** See vol. i. ,
pp. 57 to 61.
ts Edited
by
by the BoUandists.
written,
'* In
golstadt, A. D. 1582, fol.
'^ Lib.
'* "
in the German
In-
"Archbishops of Armagh,"
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp.
—
an ancient writer of his Acts, as published
"Metropolis Salisburgensis. "
88, 89. Article ii.
'
Such is the testimony of
ii. , cap. v.
Lignum Vitae," lib. ii. , cap. liii.
to Andreas Brunner, in " An- nalium Boiorum," lib. v. , cap. i. and viii.
'? " De Episcopis Germaniae. "
^
** See "Acta Sanctorum Iliber- Colgan's
nia? ," xxvii. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S. Ruperti, cap. ii. , p. 767.
According
3 The First Volume of his " Vitse Ssuicto*
Vitis. "
'3
£il). iv.
Bavaria Sancta," tomus i.
March 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 973
Benedictines,"* of the Cistercian Monk,»3 of Eaillet,^* and of Alban Butler. =5 According to several writers, St. Rupert was by birth a Frenchman. ^^ Other accounts have it, that his origin —had been derived from the French kings, and from the chieftains of Scotia '^^ interpreted, by most writers, to mean Hi- bernia. "^ Several writers have asserted, that St. Rupert lived, during the fifth and sixth centuries. Bishop De Burgo has very particularly noted the year of his birth to be a. d. 53 y. ''^ Upon no slight grounds, Mabillon and Bulteau think this saint lived a whole century later than is generally supposed, and that he flourished in the seventh and eighth centuries. There are, no doubt, irreconcilable statements to be found in his Acts, which seem to have been derived from uncertain traditions, and all of which cannot be received as authentic. According to Dempster,3° St. Rupert descended from a race of
havetreatedabouttheirgreatApostle drawingtheiraccountsfromBishop
Arno of Saltzburgh, —or from some anonymous disciple 3^ of St. Eberhard,
Bishop of Saltzburgh, have agreed, that their patron belonged to Ireland, and this also the more ancient accounts seem to establish. 33 It is thought,
moreover, that the foreign name Rupert, or Rudpert, may have been a modification, from the Irish name Robertach, or Rophartach. 34 He was of royal blood, and the Acts attributed to Bishop Arno state,35 that he was baptized in Scotia, by St. Patrick.
3^ However, our saint was still more illus-
'9 "In Monasteriorum Germanias praci- Irish form. Yet, he acknowledges, that by
to Scotia. 3'' — most of the German
chiefs, belonging However, writers,
who
puorum Chronologia. " Ingolstadt, a. d. the maternal line, he may have been con- "
1551. fol. nectedwithsomeIrishprincesSee Eccle-
-° *'
In Annates Ecclesiastici Franco- siastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap,
rum. " Paris, A. D. 1665, <'i'j^(;r. , fol.
MS. Florentino et Canisio, in Two Chapters : monastery, at Saltzbourg, this even having thenVitaIIexMS. Rubese-Vallis,inTwo beendrawn,fromastillolderrecord. Chapters. Notes are appended to these -^ On this matter, the reader may consult chapters, pp. 699 to 706. Caspar Bruschius, treating on the Monastery
'-In the Third volume of the "Acta of St. Peter at Saltzburgh, Petrus Cratepo-
*'
Martii xxrii. There is a previous commen-
tary, in Two Sections. Afterwards, Vita ex be found in a Manuscript, belonging to a
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti," from the year of Christ 700 to 800 (Saculum iii.
Pars we find a Life of St. Prima),
lius, "De Episcopis Germanice," Viguleus
Rudbert, Bishop of Saltzburg, with previous observa-
lius " De Vitis Sanctorum," tomus Grazius,
tions. The Life is in six
i. , Matthew Rader and Andrew Brunner.
"
is an Elogium Historicum in seventeen
paragraphs, and there is an Appendix, in
seven paragraphs, pp. 339 to 347.
=3 At the 27th of March, the name of St.
Rupert, or Robert, Bishop of Saltzbourg, C, is set doNvn.
^* In " Les Vies des Saints," tome i. , is registered St. Rupert, or Robert, Bishop of Salzburg, at the 27lh of March, pp. 349 to 352.
3° See " Menologium Scoticum," in Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish
Saints," p. 194.
3' Both Dempster and Camerarius, at the
27th of March, endeavour to claim Rupert, as a Scotchman.
3* He is said, by Bmnner, to have written the Acts of St. Rupert, a. d. 1186.
33 See Andrew Brunner, "Annalium
Boiorum," lib. v. , cap. i.
3« See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber*
"
other Principal Saints," vol. iii, March xxvii.
*s See
Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
^*
It m—ust be remarked, that the Rev. Dr. nice," xxvii. Martii, n. 2, p. 761. Also,
paragraphs ;
there
Officia Sanctorum Hi- Propria
Lanigan in a too summary manner—dis- misses the idea, that Rupert was a native of
3S Various other German writers have a Irish connexions. Yet, Lanigan's chief similar statement, such as the anonymous
Ireland,
and the that he had probability,
arguments seem to be, that there are absurd accounts in those Acts, which ascribe his baptism to St. Patrick, that he died after-
wards in the seventh, or eighth, century, and that his name Rudpert, or Rupert, is not an
writer of his Acts, as published by Canisius, Cornelius Grazius, &c.
3* This is clearly a mistake, as referring to the Apostle of Ireland, when we take into account the years in which the present saint
xix. , sect, vi. , and n. 65, pp. 162 to 164.
*' This account, remarks Canisius, is taken from an ancient history, which was to
Hundius, in Metropoli Salisburgensi, Corne-
-9 See
beniise," Die xxvii. Martii, lect. iv. , p. 40.
Appendix ad Acta S. Ruperti, cap, iii. pp. 767, 768.
974 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 27.
trious for his faith and piety ; as, likewise, for his ecclesiastical learning, and for the extraordinary virtues and self-abnegation he practised, from his youth,
and as he grew to manhood. Despising riches and pleasures, leaving his parents and native country, he is said to have visited Rome, where he made
a pilgrimage to the sacred places, with great devotion. There, too, he learned what places he should select, for his future mission and government. We are told, likewise, that his brother Trudbertus 37 and his sister Erentrude 3^ were his companions, as they had resolved on missionary labours and sacri- ficesabroad,whenleavingtheirowncountry. Thetimeforseparationfrom his brother and sister had now come ; and Trudbert, leaving with them the bounds of Italy, came to a valley, called Prysgangia, or Brisgangia,39 not far fromtheRiverRhine. Here,hehadresolvedontakinguphisresidence, and here, too, he began to cultivate some wild land, near his hermitage. But, soon it was destined to become the place of his martyrdom. Meantime, the holy Rupert and his angelic sister Erentrude continued their journey, along the bed of the Rhine, until they came to Bormacia,*° now known as
Worms,-*' on that great river.
as
bert,*3 variously written,
At this time, Hilpert,*=^ Hildebert, or Ch—ilde-
is said to have flourished, and the year in
*5 This was not the Childebert, who died A. D. 560, or 561, but rather Childebert, son of Sigebert, who ruled over Austrasia, and
was —over that king part
of the
country
the
peopleofwhicharecalledVangiones, andduringthesecondyearofhis
reign, St. Rupert arrived. He drew persons from the neighbourhood, as
from remote provinces, to receive his doctrine, advice and instructions. He removed all their doubts and scruples. He comforted the afflicted, while he cured the sick. He healed the disorders of souls, and moved many by his great example. At tliis time, he was in the fortieth year of his age. ** So distinguished were his merits, that these caused him to be elevated, with universal acclaim, to the Episcopal See, at Worms. +s However, a tyrant, named Borcharius, hating the Church and clergy, and ruling that people, among whom he lived—they being for the most part idolaters—could not bear the lustre of such sanctity, which condemned their irregularities and superstitions. About the year 580,*^ it is said, they beat him with rods, loaded him with all manner of outrages, and then expelled him their city. *7 This he bore with great meekness and patience. For two years, he is said to have wandered, as an exile, and during this interval, he made a second journey to Rome, in the time of Pope Pelagius II. *^ While here, he prayed to the Almighty for light to guide his future course, and feeling that Germany was destined to become the theatre of his labours, Rupert set out once more
which he died. Noticing this difficulty,
Colgan considered, that the nephew of the
great St. Patrick, or Patricius Junior, may afterwards over Burgundy, from the year have been meant. See "Acta Sanctorum 576 to 596, according to Mirasus, in his Hibernise," Martii xxvii. Appendix ad Eelgic Annals.
Acta S. Ruperti, cap. iii. , pp. 767, 768. Yet, it seems better to dismiss this account, as derived from a false tradition.
•* According to the Life, published by Canisius.
*5 According to Dempster, he founded 37 His festival belongs to the 26lh of this See. "Menologium Scoticum," in
April.
3^ By some writers, however, she is called
"
Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish
Saints," p. 194.
"** This the lifetime of happened, during
Childebert, son of Sigebert.
^' See Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of
the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. iii. , Alarch xxvii.
^ He ruled from 578 to 590. See Sir
Harris Nicolas' "Chronology of History," p. 211.
*' He was a relative of Garibald, who
his niece. Her feast is
usually assigned
to
the 30th of June. The Translation of her
Relics is observed, on the 3rd of September.
39 This place is said to have been within the territory of the Rauraci, near the Hyrci- nian forest, in Upper Germany.
*" Sometimes written, Bormitomagum. *' In Latin, Wormacia.
*' We also find him called Hylderic.
March 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 975
for that country. But God, who protected his servant, had prepared for him a rich harvest of souls. At that time, Theodo, or Theodon the Elder, was Duke of Bavaria. At this time, too, he was a Pagan chief. ^9 Hearing about the great reputation and miracles of St. Rupert, that ruler sent messengers to him. These noblemen earnestly besought our saint, in the name of Theodon, to come and preach the gospel to his people, the Baioarians, or Bavarians. The old Reginum, afterwards called Rigensbourg, and now Ratisbon, was the capital of all those provinces. This happened two years after Rupert's expulsion from Worms, and about a. d. 582. However, according to the Salzburg tradition,5° he came to Ratisbon, during the first half of the sixth century f^ while several writers hold, that St. Rupert did not arrive there, before the time of Duke Theodo II. , a. d. 696,5^ and, in the second year of the reign of King Childebert III. 53 When our saint ap- proached the city, Theodo and all his courtiers came to meet him, and he was conducted to the court, in a sort of triumphal progress. Nevertheless, the Christian faith had been planted, in that country, two hundred years before, bySt. Severinus. s4 Hewasregarded,astheApostleofNoricum,orAustria. After his death, heresies and heathenish superstitions prevailed. These had almost entirely extinguished the light of the Gospel, for a long interval. St. Valentine,55BishopofPassau,hadalsolaboured,inthoseparts. Bagintrude, the sister of Duke Theodon, had been already a Christian. Therefore she hadreligiouslydisposedherbrother; and,throughhisexcellentexample,that whole country was ready to receive the Christian faith. Soon Rupert found the hearts, both of the nobles and of the people, quite docile to the Word of God. Having the help of other zealous priests, whom he had brought v/ith him, our saint instructed the chief. Having ordered a general fast, Rupert baptized Duke Theodon with the lords and people of that whole country. God confirmed his preaching by many miracles. At the chief's request, Rupert went afterwards on board a vessel, and he sailed down the Danube, through Norica, even to lower Pannonia. In the villages, towns, and castles, of these countries, the great herald of the Gospel proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation, and everywhere the empire of paganism began to crumble, while the practices of idolatry and superstition began to disappear. After Ratisbon, the capital, the second chief seat of his labours was Laureacum, now called Lorch,5^ where he healed several diseases, by prayer, and where he made many converts. Through the Alpine region of Carinthia,57 he travelled and preached. The Duke and his subjects desired that St. Rupert should definitely fix upon a place, for his permanent residence, as a bishop. He cametoalake,calledWalarius,^^otherwise,theWaller-zee. Here,heerected
was chief over the Bojari, or Bavarians, 5* Mabillon, Hansiz, and Wattenbach, who had settled in Noricum and Vindelicia. favour this view. In his History of the
Towards tlie close of the sixth century, he had become a Christian. See " Monu- menta Boica Monac. " This great work ap- peared, from a. d. 1769 to a. d. 1S61, in 37 vols.
5° This tradition has been defended, by
Koch-Sternfeld, in a Treatise, published a. d. 1850, On the true age when St. Rupert lived, and later still, A. D. 1866, by Friedrich, in his work. On the true age of St. Rupert, published at Bamberg.
s' The whole of this Chronological con- troversy has been ably treated, in Mohler's Church History, edited by Gams, vol. ii. , pp. 60 to 67.
Religion of the People, Gfrorer has given reasons for stating, that after Pepin's death, A. D. 714, he suddenly left Bavaria, a. d. 716, and returned to Worms, where he died, See vol. i. , pp. 280 et seq.
s^ He ruled from a. d. 695 to 711.
S4 j-jis feast occurs, at the 8th of January, and he died A.