Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-16
ST. PATRICK LEGEN DIS

A good deal of scholarly research has re-
Gently been given to st. Patrick by both
British and German authorities. and 1t Is
now admitted that the chief documents con-
corning him are genuine and that he really
lived and carried on in Ireland q work such
as has been attributed to him by tradition
Lately new biography giving st. Patrick
an unauestioned place in history has been
published by Prof. Bury of Kings College,
Cambridge.
Three men of Patrick's own time bore
the same name and have survived In rec
ords. This has confused scholars who
paid no attention to the myths. One was
an earlier bishop of IRELAND named Fat
raic. Another person named Sen Patrafc,
and also called odd Patrick" is now treat
ed q myth by Investigators. Saint Pat
| rick's own name was q Latin pseudonym.
and as he wrote 1t, "Patricius, means
"patrician,' or gentleman" strengthening
the former belief that he was traditional.
or the personifcation of a class In ancient
Irish affairs.
That sPatrick really lived is now beyond
dispute The important facts about him,
indeed, are in his own writing, or at least
exist as later manuscript copies of docu-
ments he penned himself. There are two
of these The more Informative Is his
Confession" written when he was an Old
man, and the other his Letter to CorO-
ticus," written against British chieftain
who had carried off some Irish converts
as slaves. Scholars who formerly doubted
the genuineness of the confession have
since admitted its authenticity, ana Fr0L.
Bury demonstrates that 1t could hardly
be forgery because the text, on criticai
examination by the most searching modern
! methods is consistent In every detail, while
the strong personal feeling displayed Is the
highest proof of all that 1t Is genuine
document And the letter Is identical In
style. There are also many other docu-
ments Of Patrick's time or later. from,
which a compact body of genuine informa-
ton has been Sffted.
The legends that have grown up around
him are much more beautiful than ascer-
tanned fact surviving in the OLD manu-
scripts Under a heather religion, Ireland
priests were the powerful Druds, priests
and magicians who had supernatural lore
skill in poetry and knowledge Of the laws
and history of the island. They were nat,
urally opposed to new creed that wouio
abolish their power Yet it Is conJectured
great. because they had little organization
And Patrick very wisely engrafted Chris
tianity onto old pagan beliefs me Irssn
believed in demons. So did the Christian
with him exorcists whose special function
! was to deal with demons. Patrick believed
as firmly in the evil powers the Druids
| fought as they themselves So both met on
common ground. His aim was to show,
| not that they were wrong, but that his
| belief and his God were more potent than
theirs. The new creed, too, spread slowly,
exciting little opposition.
This is the fact of the matter But the
| legends tell more interesting story, and
myths though they are, their beauty is COM
polling.
The legends relate that Patrick resolved
I to celebrate the first Easter after his land
| ing in Ireland with a Paschal fire on the
Hill of Slane. King Loigaire. the ruler OF
| ireland. was holding that night solemn
| festival in his palace at Tara. 1t was the
pagan custom that no fire be lit this night
until one had been kindled In the royal
| house Suddenly the king and his mobiles
! from the Hill Of Slane. In alarm the Druid
magicans were consulted, and said, oh.
| king. unless this FIRE which you see be
| quenched this same night. 1t will never be
! come us all and seduce all the folk Of your
realm Logaire replied. I'VE will put to
death those who do such sin against our
kingdom"
his queen two chief SCORERS and attendants
| drove through the night toward Patrick's
| fire, wheeling contrary to the suns course
to win magic power o over, over him. Patrick was
arise at his coming" said the SCORERS.
| for whoever rises will afterwards worship
! him. But one Ere rose, and Patrick
blessed him, and he was converted Lochru.
| against the Christian faith. Patrick prayed.
and Lochru was lifted up by invisible
| powers and dashed to death.
Then the king cried. Lay hands upon
| this fellow and a great darkness fell. and
| teh earth quaked, and the horses fed, and
all but the king and queen and the other
| sorcerer were killed. The king in fear bent
| the knee to the saint. but secretly purposed
| to say him. Presently, instead Of Patrick
| and his eight companions. he saw only
| eight deer and a fawn, running toward the
wilderness. LOigaire returned to Tara in
| the dawn. dlsheartened and ashamed.
Another legend relates how Patrick came
| to the king. entering his palace through the
closed door. Lucetmael. Druid sorcerer.
he sat at table. Patrick blessed the cup.
! the liquor was frozen to ice. and when the
! vessel was inverted the poison drop fell
out. Lucetmael then caused snow to fall
waist high the plain outside.
Now remove It, said the saint.
Il cannot" answered the Druid.
You can do evil, but not good" said
Patrick, and blessed the plain. when the
snow vanished without rain, mist or wind.
The Druid brought down darkness. Only
Patrick could remove it. The saint then
proposed ordeal. Lucetmael was placed
In hut with Patrick's pupil, Benignus.
1t was built half of dry wood, half Of
green. Benignus placed in the dry
half the Druid in the green, and fire ap-
piled. The Druid was consumed Being
nus was unframed. Lucetmael had been
clothed in Patrick's robe This was I'M
burnt Benignus was draped in the Druid's
robe which was consumed to ashes This
latter ordeal is supposed to perpetuate an
ancient Irish custom of burning a human
victim in spring and spreading his ashes
over fields to make them fruitful. Later
in Irish history a straw figure was burned
instead. In ancient Germany tree was
burned.
Two naidens, daughters of the high
king, lived at Crochan to be educated by
the Druids. They went one day to foun-
tain to draw water and found Patrick and
his companions sitting there. They ques-
toned him, thinking his supernatural and
he converted and baptized them in the
fountain. They Immediately fell asleep in
death and were buried near the fountain.
In all these poetic old stories. woven
around the saint by an imaginative people,
and polished by centuries Of telling, there
are grains of historical fact such as names
of persons and places. records of ancient
customs and other hints, that throw light
on Patrick's real work. He lived thirty
one years in Ireland, and founded many
churches made the nation Christian a
whole and brought Ireland into connection