An Essay on the Antient and Modern State of Ireland
TekstFrom this Country he sailed to an Island on the Coast of the County of Dublin, called after him Inis Phadring, and by the English, Holm Patrick at this Day, where he and his faithful Companions rested after their Fatigues. From Inis Phadring, he sailed Northward to that Part of Ulster called Ulidia, and put in at Inbherslaying Bay. When he and his Fellow Labourers landed, Dichu, the Son of Trichem, Lord of the County, being informed that they were Pirates, came out with armed Men in order to kill them: But being struck with the venerable Appearance of St. Patrick, he gave him Audience, and listened attentively to the Word of Life preached by him; he changed his wicked Purpose, believed, and was baptized, and brought over all his Family to the Faith: It is further observed of him, that he was the first Person in Ulster, who embraced Christianity. He dedicated the Land whereon his Conversion was wrought to the Service of God, where a Church was erected, changed after to an eminent Monastery. He travelled hence by Land to Clunebois in Dalaradia, to endeavour the Conversion of his old Master Milcho, whose Service he had left thirty-eight Years before; but this obstinate Prince, hearing of the great Success of St. Patrick's preaching, and ashamed to be persuaded in his old Age, to forsake the Religion of his Ancestors, (by one especially who had been his Servant, in a most inferior Station,) made a funeral Pile of his House and Goods, and by the Instigation of the Enemy of Mankind, burned himself therein: Thus ended Milcho McHuanan.
Hence St. Patrick returned to Inis, the Habitation of Dichu, and in his Journey converted great Numbers to the true Faith of Christ. In some time, he took his Leave of Dichu, and bent his course Southward by Sea, keeping the Coast on his Right-hand, and arrived at Port Colbdi, where he landed, and committed the Care of his Vessel to his Nephew Luman, desiring him to wait for him there forty Days, while he and his Disciples were travelling in the inner Parts of the Country to preach the Gospel. His Intention in this Journey was, to celebrate the Festival of Easter in the Plains of Bregia, and to be in the Neighbourhood of the Great Triennial Convention at Tarah, which at this Season was held by King Leogair, and all his Tributary Princes, Nobles, Druids, Annalists, and Fileas. St. Patrick wisely foreseeing that whatever Impressions he should make on this august Assembly must have an Influence on the whole Kingdom, and therefore, being supported with invincible Christian Fortitude, resolved not to be absent from a Place where his Presence was so conducive to the Ends of his Holy Ministry.
Never did the Spirit of popular Freedom exert itself more powerfully or harmoniously, than in those truly parliamentary Triennial Conventions of Ireland, where the supreme Monarch, the Provincial Kings, the feudatory Lords, the Nobles, landed Men, Druids, &c. by the unbiased Suffrages of the People, convened for the Peace, good Government and Security of each particular Province, as well as those of the whole Kingdom. Many Centuries had this wise Constitution subsisted here, before our Neighbours, even of South Britain, knew any thing relative to Houses, or Raiment; it being notorious that so late as the Arrival of Julius Cæsar among them, they painted their Bodies, to render them terrible, and lived in the open Fields. It is really somewhat surprzing that People so near in Situation, should differ so essentially in Disposition, as the Inhabitants of those Islands have in all Ages; Hospitality having been the distinguishing Attribute of the Irish, and it's opposite Defect, that of the Britons; the Account given of them by Horace 1700 and odd Years ago, Visam Britannes Hospitibus feros, being as literally applicable to them at this Day, where the Force of Education doth not operate to mitigate their natural Ferocity.
But to return: St. Patrick in his Way to Tarah, took up his Lodgings at the House of the hospitable Sesgnen in Meath, who kindly received and welcomed him. St. Patrick preach'd Christ and his Gospel to him; he believed, and was baptized with his whole Family.
From the House of Sesgnen, he moved Westward, and arrived on Easter Eve at Fierta-fir-feic, on the Northern Banks of the River Boyne, where he rested, resolving there to prepare for the next Day's Solemnity. It was penal for any Person at the Time of the Celebration of this solemn Convention at Tarah, to kindle a Fire in the Province, before the King's Bonfire first appeared. I am of Opinion this was a religious Ceremony, as the chief Deity of the ancient Inhabitants, in exterior Worship especially, was Bel, or Belus; whence Apollo or Ap-haul, the Son of the Sun, whom they emblematically worshipped, by those fiery Offerings; whence the first Day of May, peculiarly dedicated to this Bel, is even now in Irish, called Lha-Bel-Thinih, and probably from the same Source may be derived the Custom of lighting up Bonfires, and Sops, on the Eve of the 24th Day of June. St. Patrick however, either not knowing or not minding this Ceremony, lighted up a Fire before his Booth, which altho' eight Miles distant from Tarah, was very visible. It was seen with Astonishment from Court, and the Druids informed the King, that if he did not immediately extinguish the Fire, he who kindled it, and his Successors, should for ever hold the Principality of Ireland; which hath hitherto turned out a true Prediction of those Heathen Priests, in a Primatial and Spiritual Principality.
The King dispatched Messengers to bring Patrick before him, and gave his positive Orders, that nobody should presume to rise out of his Seat, or pay him the least Honour: But Ere, the Son of Dego, ventured to disobey this Command; he arose, and offered the Holy Father his Seat. St. Patrick preached to him and converted him. He became a Person of eminent Sanctity, and after some Time was consecrated by St. Patrick, Bishop of Slain.
The Day following, when St. Patrick and two of his Disciples appeared unexpectedly at Court, and preached to the King and his Nobles, Dubtach, the King's Poet Laureat, payed Honour and Respect to the Saint, and was converted by his Preaching. Fiech, a young Poet, who was under the Tuition of Dubtach, was also converted, and afterwards made Bishop of Sletty, and is said to have been the Author of a celebrated Poem, composed in Praise of St. Patrick. Anselm, Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, relates the Conversion of Tingar, the Son of Clito, (one of the Nobles in this Assembly,) in the same Manner. The Queen also, and many others of the Court, became Christians; and altho' the King held out for a long Time with great Obstinacy, yet at last he submitted to be baptized. St. Patrick is said here to have wrought many Miracles: There could not truly, even according to the Purposes of human Wisdom, have happened a more solemn or weighty Occasion, for God Almighty's supporting this Holy Preacher by Miracles, than when the collective Body of the whole Nation was assembled together; from whose Report and Conviction, the Influences of his blessed Works and Doctrine must of Course spread through the whole Kingdom.
His Conduct and Proceedings here, with a particular Detail of the Miracles wrought by him, may be had at large in the History of his Life, published by John Colgan.
From Tarah, the Saint proceeded next to Talten, not far from thence, at the Season of the Royal Diversions: Here he preached to Cairbre, and Conall, the two Brothers of King Leogin; the former received him with great Indignity, and perversely shut his Ears against his Doctrine; but Conall believed, and was baptized, and gave St. Patrick a Place to build a Church on.
This Conall was Great-Grand-Father to Columb-Kill. He spent the Remainder of this Year in Meath and Louth, and the Districts adjoining, preaching, and converting great Numbers of People. The Taltenian Sports above-mentioned, have been much celebrated by the Irish Historians, and Antiquaries. They were a kind of warlike Exercises, somewhat resembling the Olympick Games, consisting of Racing, Tilts, Tournaments, Wrestling, Leaping, Vaulting, and all other manly and martial Exercises, which gave Rise to the many hyperbolical Tales, formerly related of those Taltenian Sports. They were exhibited every Year at Talten, a Mountain in Meath, for fifteen Days before, and fifteen Days after the First of August. Their first Institution is ascribed to Lughaid-lam-fadha, the twelfth King of Ireland, who began his Reign A. M. 2764 (a sufficient Proof of Ireland's Antiquity as a Kingdom). They were ordained by Lughaid, in Gratitude to the Memory of Tailte, the Daughter of Magh-More, (a Prince of some Part of Spain) who having been married to Eochaid, King of Ireland, took the same Lughaid under her Protection, and had the Care of his Education in his Minority. From this Princess both the Sports, and the Place where they were celebrated, took their Names: From Lughaid, the First of August was called Lugnasa, or the Memory of Lughaid, Nasa signifying Memory, in the Irish Language.
In the Year of the World 2700, Gideon then reigning fourth Judge of the Hebrews, appear'd many Heroes, as Hercules, Orpheus, Castor, Pollux, the Argonauts, Jason, Laomedon, Thesæus, Dedalus, &c. The Amazones, Heroines of Scythic Extraction, having lost their Husbands in Battle, took up Arms themselves, with a manly Spirit of Resentment, and (inspired with Love of their deceased Husbands, and Grief for so great and irretrievable a Loss!) subdued Asia, and built Ephesus. Hercules and Thesæus waged War against those Heroines, and defeated them, more to the Glory of the Vanquished than their own, those Matrons having defended themselves with surprizing Resolution. They cut off the Guards set over them, and escaped the Severity and Pride of their Conquerors. Hercules, in Honour of such extraordinary heroick Females, instituted the Olympick Games; as likewise did Thesæus, the Isthmian, in the Year of the World, about 2700, the Taltenian Sports, the very same with the Olympick, brought sixty-four Years after from Spain into Ireland, by Tailte, and her Followers. Now this Tailte, Queen of Ireland, was the Grand-daughter of an Amazone Princess, those immortal Females having, with their Progeny, Friends and Followers, to avoid the ruinous Hostilities of Hercules and Thesæus, sought Shelter in Spain, whither they imported the Learning of Trismegistus, the Grandson of Mercury, and Glory of Ægypt, together with all the literary Arts derived into Greece, from Phœnicia, by Cadmus, the Brother of Europa, about the Year of the World 2530, Othoniel then reigning the first Judge of the Hebrews. The Posterity of this ancient and illustrious Colony, about the Year of the World 3000, (Solomon then reigning with great Splendour, third King of the Hebrews) settled in this Kingdom, as before observed: So that, by an impartial Estimate of Dates, Periods, and Facts, our Origin is well ascertained, our early Possession of Letters, wise Policy, and the politer Arts, proved, and the Remark of an Italian Monk in the 7th Century, from the University of Mongret, in an Epistle to his Correspondent at Rome, justified, Nil mirum Populum hunc Celtico Scythicum è præclarâ Amazonidum stirpê oriundum, verâ Religionê et incorruptâ Fide illuminatum, sapientia Doctrina optimisque Morbidus ornatum, viros fortes et Fæminas castas plerumque procreare. A Rescript of this Original Epistle still extant, in the Vatican Library, some Years ago in the Hands of Father Don Levy, may therefore, I believe, be found in the College of Lombard at Paris.
In this shining Period were Cathedrals and Churches erected, Universities founded and established, Colleges, Seminaries and Schools propagated in many Parts of this Kingdom, which, at the same Time, became a peaceful and hospitable Retreat to religious and learned Men, disturbed on the Continent of Europe, by the frequent Invasions, and cruel Hostilities of the North-men, whose Piracies and Barbarity, even Ireland could not always escape! For, from the Time of Artigrius, Archbishop of Ardmagh in 822, for near 200 Years the cruel Danes miserably ravaged this Kingdom, destroying, by Fire and Sword, every Establishment, as well of Piety as Learning, (to both which, and to all religious Maxims of civilized Society, they had been avowed implacable Enemies) till they were themselves, in 1014, totally defeated at Clontarf, by the invincible Arms of the Great Monarch, Bryan Borou, from whom descended a Race conspicuous for exemplary Prelates, heroick Leaders, and steady Patriots.
The learned Author of the Dissertations before-mentioned, charges this Hero with a Violation of the Constitution of his Country: Yet the Violation seems of far earlier Date, when the supreme Monarchy was, by the Hugonian Law, inalienably united to one Family, whose Sovereignty, however founded originally, whether by Birth, or Election, was essential to the public Welfare: For we must allow that the Preservation of the People is the principal Law to which all others are subordinate. Salus Populi suprema Lex; and equally, that not only the Necessities, but the Safety also of the People, at that Time of Danger and Distraction, eagerly called forth the Conduct and Valour, the protective and restorative Abilities of that great and virtuous Man, of whom a faithful Historian, in his Detail of the Battle of Clontarf, says; Integrâ prius adept a Victoriâ rebus humanis eodem Diê excessit vir Bellô ac Pacê summus, Justitiæ, Religionis, Literarum, Cultor eximius, et cum Carolo Magno utique comparandus.
In the 239th Page of the Dissertations, the excellent Author expresseth himself as follows:
“I now proceed to give some Account of the second Royal House of Scots, the oldest of the Milesian Race, and the Posterity of Eber.” This Race then being avowed the oldest, in Respect of Primogeniture, must, of Course, have been prior in Point of Dignity and Sway, or at least, equally entitled to the Election of the People to such Ranks; were not those by violent Measures annexed to the Heremonian Line: Yet, however this might have been, certain it is, that no Houses that we read of, ancient or modern, have produced a greater Number of truly heroick Princes, or of longer Continuance, than those of the North and South Hy-Nial; from whom also issued many noble Families of real Worth, and equal Renown. With Bryan, the happy Genius of Ireland, in a great Measure, expired: For the cruel Danes had, for near 200 Years before, so wofully overturned the Universities of Ardmagh, Dondaleith-Glass, Mongret, and Lismore, with all other Seminaries of Piety and Learning, (the only genuine Sources of national Greatness, Concord, good Discipline, and Happiness) had obliged, in the 8th Century, so many learned Men to seek that Shelter and Security on the Continent, which the barbarous Hostilities, and impious Manners of those Northerns, denied them at Home; had made such frequent lamentable Breaches in the antient, wise Constitution of the Kingdom; had, by the fatal Example of their profligate dissolute Lives, so vitiated the national Morality; and finally, had left behind them so many noxious Seeds of Faction and Anarchy, as, in less than two Centuries, gave up a Kingdom, of above 2000 Years Establishment, the unaccountable Prey of a few adventurous Normans!
Patrick governed the See of Dublin about ten Years, and, in a Voyage to England, perished by Shipwreck, in the British Sea, on the 16th of October, 1084; having been sent to Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, by King Tirdelvac.
Donat, or Dongus O'Haingly, having spent some Time in the Study of useful Learning in Ireland, went over into England, and became a Benedictine Monk at Canterbury. He was afterwards, (by the Consent of King Tirdelvac, and the Clergy of Dublin) consecrated, A. D. 1085, in the Cathedral of Canterbury, by the before-mentioned Lanfranc, to whom he made the following Profession of Obedience:
“I, Donat, Bishop of the See of Dublin in Ireland, do promise Canonical Obedience to you, O' Lanfranc, Archbishop of the holy Church of Canterbury, and to your Successors.”
It is evident that the Title of the Kings of England to this Kingdom, by Papal Donation, or Appointment, was very insufficient, if not absolutely trifling: Nor could a Right of Conquest be urged in any Period of the Reign of Henry the Second, or his Descendants. But the Great and Royal Families of Ireland, long the Prey of Faction, deliberately preferred a limitted and stipulated Submission to foreign Authority, to the various Evils arising from intestine Feuds and Animosities; and this, had the wise Conditions thereof been constantly attended to, with mutual Observance, had been a sound Title, well and judiciously founded.
True it is, that after the Surrender of the Crown by King John to the See of Rome, the Pope exerted some temporal Authority in this Kingdom, instanced in his having created Mc. Con More Mc. Namaras2 Duke of Klan Cullane, a Man of great Valour and Piety, supported by ample Possessions in the Baronies of Tulla and Bunratty, in the County of Clare; which extensive Districts entirely belonged to that ancient, hospitable, martial, and religious Race, of which Mc. Con More was Chief: The Mc. Namaras, more or less, have in all Ages made, and still continue to make, a distinguished Figure, as well in the Field, as in the learned Professions; and were formerly so warlike a People, that of themselves they formed an heroic Cavalry, justly stiled the Phalanx of that Part of Ireland wherein they resided.
How our Neighbours came to call us waild Ayrish, I am a Loss to conjecture; it being evident we have been a thousand Years, at least, in Possession of Letters, Laws, and Civility, before the Arrival of Julius Cæsar in Britain.
I am equally at a Loss to know why a Man should become a standing Jest for his Ignorance in an alien Tongue, almost the constant Fate of our Countrymen in Britain, where, whoever is not smartly expert in the English Language, is immediately denominated a Teague, a Paddy, or I know not what, in the Stile of Derision: At the same Time that the most awkward-tongued Irishman in London speaks English with far more Propriety, and a better Accent, than the smartest British Petit Maitre in Paris doth French.
Some dramatick Scriblers, (probably of our own degenerate Growth) the better to qualify them for eleemosinary Dinners, gave Rise to this impertinent Treatment of a Nation, which, from the concurrent Testimonies of all the Dispassionate and Learned, can, in Reality, be as little the Object of Scurrility, as any other.
Why should even poor Teague prove so constant a Butt, to Farce-wrights, and Hackney Laughers; when, upon Examination, he is, by a thousand Degrees, preferable to the British Hobbinol, or French Gregoire? For Teague is a very Pattern of Hospitality; so much so, that if a Gentleman should happen to miss his Road, and be nessitated to seek the Shelter of Teague's Cabbin, or Hut, was poor Teague trusting to two Sheep for his worldly Subsistance, he would kill one, and sell the other, at the next Village or Inn, for the better Entertainment of his Guest, and think himself happy in such an Occasion of approving his Generosity and Respect: He would the next Morning abandon his Spade, and chearfully trot ten Miles to shew such bewilder'd Gentleman the right Road. He is naturally civil, generous, and hospitable, (for scarce a Night passeth that poor Travellers are not entertained in his Cottage,) extremely respectful to his Superiors, and to his Lord and Master faithful to Death. The military Annals of Europe proclaim his Capacity and Taste for Fighting; then if you should take this identical Teague's infant Son, and give him a regular liberal Education, it is one hundred to one, but he turns out a Gentleman of Merit, Learning, Worth, and Politeness; whereas it would certainly require more than Herculean Labour to chissel a French Paisan, a primitive Westmoreland, or Devonshire Boor, not only into the Form of an elegant, but even into that of a sociable Creature.
The Insignificancy of those Jesters and Spatterers, will more clearly appear, if we look back to the wise, free, and truly parliamentary Constitution of this Kingdom; if we recollect the vast Length of its Duration, as a free and independant State; the military Prowess of its Inhabitants in all Ages; their victorious Conflicts with the Romans, and with the French under Henry the Vth, and the Black Prince; their having founded a Monarchy in North Britain, whence, by a Right of Descent, in Addition to every other, his present Majesty, (whom God long preserve,) by the special Providence and infinite Mercy of Heaven, ruleth over us: If we consider the Number of our Universities, Colleges, and Academies, religious Monasteries and pious Seminaries, resorted to from all civilized Parts of Europe, our Metropolitical and Diocesan Cathedrals; on such impartial Review, surely, the foregoing Tribe of Sneerers and Flouters must dwindle into deserved Contempt.
I shall close this feeble Attempt on the antient State of Ireland, with the Description thereof by Donat, Bishop of Fesulæ, near Florence, in the 7th or 8th Century; referring, at the same Time, to the most authentick British Antiquaries, Campden, Giraldus Cambrensis, Buchanan, Ware, &c. for Confirmation of what hath been previously observed on the same Subject.
Finibus Occiduis describitur optima Tellus,
Nomine et Antiquis Scotia scripta Libris —
Insula dives Opum, Gemmarum, Vestis et Auri,
Commoda Corporibus, Aere sole Solo;
Melle fluit pulchris et lacteis Scotia Campis
Vestibus atque Armis, frugibus, arte viris.
Ursorum Rabies, nulla est ibi; sæva Leonum
Semina, nec unquam Scotica Terra tulit
Nulla Venena nocent, nec Serpens serpit in Herbâ,
Nec conquesta canit Garula Rana Lacu;
In qua Scotorum Gentes habitare merentur
Inclita Gens Hominum Milite, Pace, Fide.
Thus Englished by the Ingenius and Reverend Mr. Dunkin: