The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-03-27
: MISCELLANY.


st. Patrick was born in 1877 at Banavem, in
Northern France, probably in the neighbor.
hood of the present Boulogne, of I'd if TIA.
BILE and well-to-do family. Both tnu. l.-rents
were Christians, and the son was educated in
the Christian faith. But when he was about
is years old he felt, as boys of that age are
apt to feel, that he had outgrown the teach
ings of his childhood, and his aspirations took
a direction of their own. Then it happened
that swarm of Irish pirates swept down on
Banavem, and among the booty which they
carried off was young Patrick, who now be-
/ came u swine-h erderon the hills of ireland.
On his lonely walks. with much to fear be-
side the masters whip, and nothing to love
but flock Of swine, the picture of his faith.
erland and friends followed him a long way,
but then 1t vanished still longer went the
image of his home and his mother, but that
too faded only the memory of the teachings
Of his childhood kept alive to the last ; it
grew warm in his heart, and "on the bare
knees in the snow he learned to pray" After
six years he returned home, for it was part Of
the old Breton laws that no 1rishman shall
hold fellow-man in slavery more than six
years, hut in the very JOY Of the return to
the cradle of his life new and strange idea
arose in the young mans mind, and, although
1t took manp years to ripen, caused much
confusion and cost great troubles while de-
veloping, it finally grew to be the single and
settled purpose of his life. ~ never went to
Ireland of my own free will, but was every
day against it, until it was brought down.
But this was rather good for me, for from
this time, by the help of God, began to a.
mend, and He prepared me that day for what
should be, which before had been far from
me, to wit, that should have a care and a
great anxiety for the salvation of others
Then after this did pot think of myself
In 432 St. Patrick returned to Ireland, and
landed at Inver Dea, supposed to be the pres
ent Wicklow. He left the island no more,
and at last he almost forgot the use of his
mother tongue. He preached on Tara Hills,
where the Kings assembled the people to
hear the Breton lawsIead to :them,s and he
preached in the Valley Of Slaughter, where
the Druids assembled the nations to sacrifice
the Cean Groith. He found many adversaries,
as he who offers love always shall, but he also
/ found many friends, and when he died, March
| II, 465, in the neighborhood of Armagh, he
had consec, ated $50 Bishops and heard
| Christ's sufferngs and death sung in Irish
verses to Dubtach's harp--tha. is, he had
Christianized ireland. IS
/ There are still extant two literary docu-
ments bearing the name of st. Paterick !: A
Letter. to sCorotictes, a British chieftain whom
he communicated because he refused to set
free his prisoners Of war, and Confession,
written some years before his death and no
scholar, either Protestant or Roman Catholic,
has ever raised any serious doubt about their
genuineness. The Letter is short and of no
independent value the Confession is more
! elaborate in some respects complete, and a
great treasure. 1t is the only source from
which we know anything directly of the char
acter and method of St. Patrick, and tits con-
sequently of the greatest interest as psychic
logical evidence. 1t is, furthermore, the only
source from which we know anything directly
of the life and work of St. Patrick and it is
consequently of the highest Importance as
historical evidence. Nevertheless, although
this Confession, written by st. Patrick's own
hand, il one of the most interesting and most
Important monuments IN the records of the
history of Christianity. it has never been US.
ed generally, even not mentioned by that
swarm of biographers which St. Patrick found
among the Roman Catholic priests and monks
from the eleventh century mp to our time
and the reason Of this astonishing lack Of APP
probation is very significant. Such words as
Rome, Pope, Saints, Virgin, &C., do not oc
cur in this book and other words such as
Monastery, Monk, Priest, Bishop, &c, occur
only in sense very different from that ac
cepted by the Roman Catholic Church. Hence
the shyness of all Roman Catholic authors
with respect TO this book. 1t tells too plainly
the disagreeable fact that ST.. Patrick was moi
4 Roman Catholic. The Christianity which
hhe lived and died in, and which he taught til,
Irish people, was derived from the Greek, moi
e from the Roman Church. 1t is possible t.
trace the footprints from st. John in Patmo'
Ito St. Patrick at Benavem, and not one steI
is missing. But even without the aid of tina
=