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tion of Easter commonly received abroad: neither did the northern Irish, nor the Picts, nor the Britons, many years after this admonition given by the Church of Rome, admit that observation among them, to speak nothing of his folly in saying, that the Britons received the faith from the Irish: when the contrary is so well known, that the Irish rather received the same from the Britons.

That the common custom of celebrating the time of Easter was not always observed by the southern Irish, may appear by those words of Bede, in the third book of his history and the third chapter: "Porro gentes Scottorum, quæ in australibus Hiberniæ insulæ partibus morabantur, jamdudum ad admonitionem apostolicæ sedis antistitis Pascha canonico ritu observare didicerunt." For if (as this place clearly proveth) "the nations of the Scots, that dwelt in the southern parts of Ireland, did learn to observe Easter after the canonical manner, upon the admonition of the bishop of Rome;" it is evident, that before that admonition they did observe it after another manner. The word jamdudum, which Bede here useth, is taken among authors oftentimes in contrary senses: either to signify a great while since, or else, but lately, or erewhile. In the former sense it must be here taken, if it have relation to the time wherein Bede did write his book and in the latter also it may be taken, if it be referred to the time whereof he treateth (which is the more likely opinion) namely to the coming of bishop Aidan into England, which fell out about half a year after that Honorius had sent his admonitory letters to the Irish; who, as he was the first bishop of Rome we can read of, that admonished them to reform their rite of keeping the time of Easter: so that the Irish also much about the same time conformed themselves herein to the Roman usage, may thus be manifested.

:

When bishop Aidan came into England from the island Hy, now called Y-Columkille, the college of monks there

f St. Patrick, and his followers.

g Bed. lib. 3. hist. cap. 5.

was governed by Segenius, who in the inscription" of the epistle of the clergy of Rome sent unto the Irish, is called Segianus. Now there is yet extant in Sir Robert Cotton's worthy library, an epistle of Cummianus directed to this Segienus (for so is his name there written) abbot of Y-Columkille, wherein he plainly declareth, that the great cycle of five hundred and thirty-two years, and the Roman use of celebrating the time of Easter according to the same, was then newly brought in into this country. "For the first year (saith he) wherein the cycle of DXXXII. years began to be observed by our men, I received it not, but held my peace, daring neither to commend it nor to dispraise it." That year being past, he saith he consulted with his ancients, who were the successors of bishop Ailbeus, Queranus Coloniensis, Brendinus, Nessanus and Lugidus; who being gathered together in Campo-lene, concluded to celebrate Easter the year following together with the universal Church. "Butk not long after (saith he) there arose up a certain whited wall, pretending to keep the tradition of the elders, which did not make both one, but divided them, and made void in part that which was promised: whom the Lord (as I hope) will smite, in whatsoever manner he pleaseth."

To this argument, drawn from the tradition of the elders, he maketh answer: that "they did simply and faithfully observe that which they knew to be best in their days, without the fault of any contradiction or animosity, and did so recommend it to their posterity;" and opposeth

h Bed. lib. 2. cap. 19.

i Ego enim primo anno quo cyclus DXXXII. annorum a nostris celebrari orsus est; non suscepi, sed silui, nec laudare nec vituperare ausus. Cummian. epist. ad Segienum.

* Sed non post multum surrexit quidam paries dealbatus, traditionem seniorum servare se simulans; qui utraque non fecit unum sed divisit, et irritum ex parte fecit quod promissum est: quem Dominus, ut spero, percutiet quoquo modo voluerit. Ibid.

Seniores vero, quos in velamine repulsionis habetis, quod optimum in diebus suis esse noverunt simpliciter et fideliter sine culpa contradictionis ullius et animositatis observaverunt, et suis posteris sic mandaverunt. Ibid.

thereunto" them unanimous rule of the universal Catholic Church:" deeming this to be a very harsh conclusion, "Rome" erreth, Jerusalem erreth, Alexandria erreth, Antioch erreth, the whole world erreth; the Scotish only and the Britons do alone hold the right;" but especially he urgeth the authority of the first of these patriarchal sees, which now (since the advancement thereof by the emperor Phocas) began to be admired by the inhabitants of the earth, "as the place which God had chosen; whereunto, if greater causes did arise, recourse was to be had, according to the synodical decree, as unto the head of cities;" and therefore he saith, that they sent some unto Rome, who returning back in the third year, informed them, that they met there with a Grecian, and an Hebrew, and a Scythian, and an Egyptian, in one lodging; and that they all, and the whole world too, did keep their Easter at the same time, when the Irish were disjoined from them by the space of a whole month. "And we have proved (saith Cummianus) that the virtue of God was in the relics of the holy martyrs, and the Scriptures which they brought with them. For we saw with our eyes, a maid altogether blind opening her eyes at these relics, and a man sick of the palsy walking, and many devils cast out." Thus far he.

The northern Irish and the Albanian Scotish on the other side, made little reckoning of the authority, either of the bishop or of the Church of Rome. And therefore Bede, speaking of Oswy king of Northumberland, saith that "notwithstanding he was brought up by the

m Universalis Ecclesiæ Catholicæ unanimem regulam. Cummian. epist. ad Segienum.

a Roma errat, Hierosolyma errat, Alexandria errat, Antiochia errat, totus mundus errat: soli tantum Scoti et Britones rectum sapiunt. Ibid.

• This seemeth to have fallen out, either in the year 634. or 645. wherein Easter was solemnized at Rome the 24th day of April, and it appeareth by our annals, that Segenius was abbot of Y-Columkille from the year 624. until 652. P Vidimus oculis nostris puellam cœcam omnino ad has reliquias oculos aperientem, et paralyticum ambulantem, et multa dæmonia ejecta. Cummian.

Intellexerat enim veraciter Oswi, quamvis educatus a Scotis, quia Romana esset Catholica et apostolica Ecclesia. Bed. lib. 3. hist. cap. 29.

Scotish, yet he understood that the Roman was the Catholic and apostolic Church (or that the Roman Church was Catholic and apostolic);" intimating thereby, that the Scotish, among whom he received his education, were of another mind. And long before that, Laurentius, Mellitus and Justus, who were sent into England by pope Gregory to assist Austin, in a letter which they sent unto the "Scots that did inhabit Ireland" (so Bede writeth) complained of the distaste given unto them by their countrymen, in this manner: "We' knew the Britons, we thought that the Scots were better than they. But we learned by bishop Daganus coming into this island, and abbot Columbanus coming into France, that the Scots did differ nothing from the Britons in their conversation. For Daganus the bishop coming unto us, would not take meat with us, no not so much as in the same lodging wherein we did eat.”

And as for miracles, we find them as rife among them that were opposite to the Roman tradition, as upon the other side. If you doubt it, read what Bede hath written of bishop Aidan (" who of what merit he was, the inward judge hath taught, even by the tokens of miracles," saith he) and Adamnanus of the life of St. Colme or Columkille. Whereupon bishop Colman in the synod at Strenshal frameth this conclusion: "Ist it to be believed, that Colme our most reverend father, and his successors, men beloved of God, which observed Easter in the same

Scotos vero per

r Sed cognoscentes Britones, Scotos meliores putavimus. Daganum episcopum in hanc insulam, et Columbanum abbatem in Galliis venientem, nihil discrepare a Britonibus in eorum conversatione didicimus. Nam Daganus episcopus ad nos veniens, non solum cibum nobiscum, sed nec in eodem hospitio quo vescebamur, sumere voluit. Laurent. epist. apud Bed. lib. 2.

сар. 4.

* Qui cujus meriti fuerit, etiam miraculorum signis internus arbiter edocuit. Bed. lib. 3. hist. cap. 15. item 16, et 17.

Nunquid reverendissimum patrem nostrum Columbam, et successores ejus, viros Deo dilectos, qui eodem modo Pascha fecerunt, divinis paginis contraria sapuisse vel egisse credendum est ? cum plurimi fuerint in eis, quorum sanctitati cœlesti signa et virtutem quæ fecerunt miracula, testimonium præbuerunt: quos ut ipse sanctos esse non dubitans semper eorum vitam, mores et disciplinam sequi non desisto. Colman. apud Bed. lib. 3. hist. cap. 29.

manner that we do, did hold or do that which was contrary to the holy Scriptures? seeing there were very many among them, to whose heavenly holiness the signs and miracles which they did, bare testimony: whom nothing doubting to be saints, I desist not to follow evermore their life, manners, and discipline." What Wilfrid replied to this, may be seen in Bede: that which I much wonder at, among the many wonderful things related of St. Colme by Adamnanus, is this: that where he saith, that this saint during the time of his abode in the abbey of Clone (now called Clonmacnosh) did "by" the revelation of the Holy Ghost prophesy of that discord, which after many days arose among the Churches of Scotland (or Ireland) for the diversity of the feast of Easter." Yet he telleth us not, that the Holy Ghost revealed unto him, that he himself (whose example animated his followers to stand more stiffly herein against the Roman rite) was in the wrong, and ought to conform his judgment to the tradition of the Churches abroad, as if the Holy Ghost did not much care whether of both sides should carry the matter away in this controversy; for which (if you please) you shall hear a very pretty tale out of an old legend, concerning this same discord whereof St. Colme is said to have prophesied.

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Upon a certain time (saith my author) there was a great council of the people of Ireland in the White field: among whom there was contention about the order of Easter. For Lasreanus, the abbot of the monastery of Leighlin, unto whom there were subject a thousand and five hundred monks, defended the new order that lately came from Rome, but others defended the old. This Lasreanus or Lazerianus is the man, who in other legends

" Revelante Spiritu Sancto prophetavit de illa quæ post dies multos ob diversitatem Paschalis festi orta est inter Scotiæ Ecclesias discordia. Adamnan. vit. Columb. lib. 1. cap. 3.

w Quodam tempore erat magnum concilium populorum Hiberniæ in campo albo inter quos erat contentio circa ordinem Pascha. Lasreanus enim abbas monasterii Leighlinne, cui suberant mille quingenti monachi, novum ordinem defendebat qui nuper de Roma venit: alii vero veterem defendebant. Vit. S. Munna abbatis MS.

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