The Irish standard., 1892-09-03

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on his voyage. These documents beal
dates ranging from the eleventh to the
fourteenth century; and it seems some
what strange that some Irish archaeology
cal scholar has not hunted them up and
translated them. General Butterfeld OF
this country, it will be remembered, has
recently interested himself in these man
uscripts, and perhaps his efforts may re-
suit in throwing greater light upon them
than heretofore. The fact that the Irish
people had some knowledge Of western
world, it is claimed, in the second place,
would appear proven from the teachings
of Virgilius, the Irish ecclesiastic, who
was accused of teaching heresy because
be insisted, in the eighth century, on the
existence of antipodal men, Called to
Rome to answer to these charges, Virgil
iue had no difficulty in justiiying himself,
and it is even said that he proved his
point by declaring there that there was
communication between the inhabitants
of western Ireland and a transatlantic
people.
In the ninth century, when the first
Norsemen landed at Iceland, according
to old Scandinavian sagas, they found
there people already christianized, who
suddenly took their departure, going
westward to country which was chen
known as s'Irland it Mikle,'' or Greater
Ireland, and leaving behind them some
books, bells and bishops oroziers. This
country was said to ''lie in the western
ocean, near to Vinland the Good, west
from Ireland;;"' from which description it
is contended that it was none other than
the places which St. Brendan had visited,
three centuries before, and where the
evidence OF his labors was still to be seen
in the profession by it's people of the
Christian religion. In the royal library
Of Copenhagen there are manuscripts
showing that this Greater Ireland was
known to the early Danish navigators,
one Of which contains the following pas
sage: "From Greenland, which is only
settled in its eastern part, one going west
reaches deserts and snow fields. Then
he comes to the Skrae]lingars, then to
Markland, then to Vinland the Good.
Next to Vinland is found Albania, or the
land of the white men, whittier they once
used to sail from ireland. In that land
men from Ireland and Iceland found Ar,
the son of Mar and Katla Of Reykianess,
of whom they had not heard for long
time. he held the office of prefect among
the natives. The Skraellingars said that
Albania was inhabited by people wear
ing long white robes, carrying piece Of
cloth on long pole and calling out with
very loud voice." This is thought to
be reference to 8 religious procession,
the pole with a cloth attached being a
banner, borne in the march, and the call
ing out in loud voice the singing of
hymns customary at such ceremonies.
OF the different countries mentioned in
the quotation given above, the Skraellin-
gars are believed to have beep resident
on the Esquimaux coast; Markland is
thought to have been Labrador; Vinland
the Good, New England, and Albania the
present Maryland and Virginia, the places
which St. Brendan reached after his voy-
age across the seas, and where he is said
to have spent seven years in missionary
labor.
Another evidence that there were Chris
tians in this country before the coming OF
the Spaniards is seen in what the histor-
ian Torfeus writes in his "Ancient Green
land'' concerning Ari Marsen, who, he
says, was converted to Christianity in
Greater Ireland and subsequently bap-
tised by Bishop John, an Irisbman. The
records of the Bremen cathedral bear
witness to the fact that such person as
Bishop John was consecrated in that city
by Archbishop Adalbert and sent to Ice
land. After staying in Iceland four
years, this prelate passed to Vinland,
which the historian describes as "a cer-
tain country in the west, where Irishmen
are thought to live" which would &C.
count for the bishops act in leaving Ice
land and coming to dwell among his own
countrymen. Many other indications of
the actuality of ST. Brendan's voyage
which brought him to this country could
be easily adduced, such, for instance, as
the fact that traditions of this trip may
be found in many of the sea-touching
lands of Europe; the circumstance that
the Dominican bishop of Genoa, in the
thirteenth century, gives "St. Brendan's
Lane" especial prominence in his Golden
Legend and the additional one that on
many old italian nautical maps the same
land is put down as far in the western
ocean, and is even said to have occnpied
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