New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-13

their PatriCk's Erodt Of their masters. which they
20 expressly 70 town. though half dozen miles
OF. 70 spend. whore sometimes il amounts g"
piece Of and very few or the jealous
are found sober at ni~ht"
The Trinity legend OF the zhar-o-t 7p7eq-s hrst
IN literature in t727. IN Caleb ThrekeId's Synopsis
Stirrum HiherJcarum." Under the heading %
''TrifoIium pratease album" occurs the following
passage: This plant Is worn by the people in
their hits on the 18th day - March yearly. which
IS called Saint Patrick Doy. il being current
tradition that by This three-Ieavod grass no en-
Dramatically set forth 70 them the rlyrtery or
the Holy Trinity However. when they wet their
Seamar-oge. they often commit excess i1 li4uor
which Is not wight keeping OF da- TO the
Lord. error generally leading tp deh1uch-ry.'
Speaking OF St Patrick himself Professor Mac
lean. IN his Literature 81 the CeIts. says; IT Is
Characteristic OF age To- doubt. n not 70 deny
the historical reality Of many ~ the historic figures
that hover In the background ~ history. And such
a doubt has extended even to ST. Patrick. due
largely to the fact that ne IS not mentioned nv the
early historians. Prosper Of Aquitaine "a D. 47e-'6
and Bede "a. n. 6T3-770 both ~ whom attribute
the conversion 81 Ireland 20 P7lladius~ This
seeming omission. however. has been explained BY
the theory that St Patrick and Pauadlus are one
and the same person. Suc~at the SAINTS bap-
tismal name. in the ancient British language means
god Of war Cmodern Welsh "hvgad." warIfke)
and IS accurately translated by PailaGirs (fronl
Pallas). common Roman name IT that period As
a citizen. n r. frfh fra
saint must have had more than one name ard
doubtless his prsenoneu was Pat-iCius II would
therefore. be appropriate 20 call him St Patricius
for, as Andrew Lang says. st. Patrick almost
inevitably suggests an Trishman and PatriciuS was
none" The authentic records Of St. PatricK-s life
are fairly numerous and Of great age dating back
elmOst to his own HANDWRITING. The first IS the
autobioEra phical confession preserved -, an
abridged form IN the Book Of Armagh one ~ the
finest and oldes; Of tho Irish manuscripts. written
IN So by scribe. Ferdounach. That the scribe
had before him tho actual autograph manuscript
the saint may be inferred from his own words:
Thus far tho volume which Patrick wrote with
his own hand. On the seventeenth day Of March
was Patrick translated to the heavens" The docu-
ment Is in Latin. rude ard archaic IN Its compost
ton. answering to the description ST. Patrick gives
OF his own writing In addition to the Con
fessiOn there are the "Epistes to Coroticus (aIsO
IN LATIN. and the hymn variously known as tho
'Lorica." ''Deer's Cry" or Guards Cry Gin
Gaelic assigned TO st. Patrick
The Confession" st. Patrick tells US. was writ
ten in his old age and that its object was to de
fend himself from the charge Of presumption in
undertaking the work he tried TO perform among
the Irish. The work. though called confession"
is rather to he considered apologize pro vita
sua." It has been described the fervid outpour-
ings OF a jealous early Christian. anxious only 20
clear himself from the charges Of worldliuess and
absolutely devoid Of those appeals 10 general In
terest which met with in most OF such me-
mOrs. vein OF warm piety runs through the
whole. In the Confession the saint says that
he was born OF Christian parents and belonged 70
n Christian people. being the OF CalpOrnius.
a deacon, who was Of the town OF Bannauen
Taberniae. He also Of aristocratic birth. his
father being decurio. that Is, of the council
or maEistracy OF a Roman provincial town. Here
st. Patrick was taken captive in his sixteenth
year. with many others and brought 20 Hbernia,
or Ireland. His words. with many thou
sands OF others are regarded mere Celtic
exaggerations. lie remained six years in slavery
in Ireland his daily occupation being 20 herd
swine. While so occupied the love OF God kindled
in his heart and he became religious enthusiast.
undergoing extreme fasting and penance
one night in n dream. voice TO him.
saying: Thy fasting Is well; thou shalt soon re-
turn to thy country Later the dream was
repeated the same voice assuring him that the
ship was now ready two hundred miles away.
The saint soon after managed TO escape. and fed
to port where he found vessel manned by
pagans about to sail and after much difficulty
them 10 take him board. After a
voyage OF three days they reached land. probably
In GauI where for twenty-eight days he wandered
through a desert. Afterward he is at home with
his people in Brftannls q. e.. In the Roman prov
ince Of Britain and his parents and friends be-
seechirg him. he says. mot to expose himself TO
fresh dangers, but 70 remain with them hence
forth" But an angel came in the guise OF man
from Ireland and showed him n letter which
called upon him leave his native land and kin
dred and go TO Ireland to preach the Gospel. a
command which he Immediately obeyed- OF the
location OF Bannauen Tabernae. or OF Nemthur.
the alternative name OF the saints birthplace
given in the Hymn of Fiacc there 20 be
considerable doubt. Many places have cOntended
for the honor but authorities seem to be