The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-11-07

HISTORY OF THE MANUSCRIPT
WAS CALLED THE CANON oI
ST. PATRIcK-HELD IN REVER
ENcE BY THE ANCIENT IRISH
USED IN TAKING oATHS OF
SOLEMN OCCASIONS - kNoWP
TO ST. BERNARD-KlNG BRlAr
8oRU'S COMPRESSOR, AT oRDEF
OF THE KING, CONFIRMS PRIV
lLEGEs OF ARMAGH AND RE
CORDS IT IN THE BooK-coN
NECTED WITH VENERABLE OIL
YER PLUNKETT-DoWNFALL or
THE HEREDITARY KEEPER OF
THE BOOK.
In the Book of Armagh we have the
writing of a choice Irish penmar
which, though 1897 years DID, is as
legible as if written yesterday. In
some passages the writer makes use
of the Greek uncial characters; but as
rule he uses the old Pointed Irish
style. In early times Ireland was
famous for multiplication of copies of
the Latin Scriptures. The Danes and
the English destroyed most of these,
as we'll as of the other old books of
Erin; today the English government
does not consider it safe for the Irish
to know that their country once stood
at the head of European civilization.
And Trinity College, Dublin, has al
ways been foremost in playing this
game of politics for England; wherein
that institution has been true to the
spirit of the Elizabethan freebooters
who founded it for the perversion of
the Irish. But even Trinity has had
exceptions among her alumni. Some
of them have been shamed by German
scholars into trying to do for the old
Irish what scientific investigators
think worth doing for the Zulus and
the Maoris. Others have been won
by the charm of old Irish civilization
and have learned from the old books
and old monuments which have escap-
ed the deliberate ravages of the Eng.
lish disciples of Omar and of Attila,
to honor and love their native land,
and to stand for her right to free
place among the nations.
Known as Canon of Patrick.
The Book was written in Armagh in
monastery on the hill which was
called Drum Saileach, the ridge of
the osiers. The hill was called Rath
Dairi when st. Patrick saw it for the
first time. But the place was also
called the Height of Macha, Ard
Macha, from prehistoric times, and in
the Anglicized form of Armagh we
have link with a past of more than
two thousand years. At the end of
the Confession of st. Patrick in the
book, we have a passage in Latin
which may be rendered as follows:
so far the volume which Patrick
wrote with his own hand. On the sew
enteenth day of March Patrick was
taken to Heaven" This cannot mean
that st. Patrick himself actually pro-
duced the manuscript which we pos
sess today or any part of it; variety
of considerations make that quite
clear. But it is implied that Ferdom-
mach believed that he was copying
from a manuscript which st. Patrick
had written, or at least, from an au.
thentic copy of such manuscript. 1t
seems, however, that after the time
of Ferdomnach the notion gained Gre
denCe that the book contained the
handwriting Of st. Patrick himself and
thus it came to be known as Canon
Padruig, the Canon of Patrick. Canon
among the ancient Irish was some
times used as the equivalent of the
word Testament, as when we speak
of the Old or the New Testament.
Thus the Canon of Patrick would be
the Testament of Patrick. Edward
Lhwyd, keeper of the Ashmolean Mu.
scum, Oxford, i'll an account of the
book which he wrote in the year 1907
and which was preserved by the Rev
erend DR.. Charles O'Conor, Librarian
of Stowe, thought that the title Canon
of Patrick was due to some rules for
harmonizing the four Gospels which
are included in the manuscript.
Under date A. d. 937 the Four Mas
ters record that "a case was provided
for the Canon Padruig by Donnchadh,
son of Flann, King of Ireland This
seems to be the earliest mention of
our Manuscript by the Irish Annal-
lists; and we infer that by that name
it was at that date known to the Irish
Church.
King Brian at Armagh.
In the year 1904, King Brian Boru
made royal progress through Ire
land, receiving the submission of the
people as he went along. Having ar
rived at Armagh, he remained in that
city for a week and presented a gold
en- ring of twenty ounces as an offer
ing on ST. Patricks altar. In reference
to this we find an interesting record
written in the margin of the book OF
Armagh in hand that is undoubtedly
ancient, but much later and less ele.
CANT than that of Ferdomnach. Here
is a translation of the record: Saint
Patrick, when going to heaven, de.
creed that the entire fruit of his labor,
as we'll of baptism and of causes as OF
arms. should be rendered to the apos.
tolic see which in the Scotic Qrish)
tongue is called Ardmacha. Thus
have found in the records of the Scots