The daily Nome industrial worker., 1918-03-16
Not that we love less, but we love liberty more
ST. PATRICK

In one of the incurstons of the Scots and Picts upon the neighboring Roman province south of the wall of Severus probably that of All A. D. the year af- ter Honorius refused aid to the Britons, a youth of about fifteen was carried off with many others from the district in the neighborhood of the wall at the head cf the SOlway, and solI as a slave on the opposite coast of Ireland in the ter :"ltory of the Irish PictS c'tilcd I)ai .Aralde This youth was q future apos tie of the Irish. As his name implies tells us so himself. He was the son of the deacon Calpurnius who was the son of Potitus, d priest. His father was a decurio or magistrate and. as Patrick according to tradition was born at Nemthur. He must have exercised his functions of magistrate at that place, but on the withdrawal of the Roman garrisons from Britain probably retired fer safety south of the wall of Severus, where. as Patrick tells Us, he had a small country place (villula) near the town (yicus) of Bannavem T&berniae, whence Patrick was carried off. The country along the south of the wall, especially near the Solway, was a region of camps of military posts to which the designation Tibernia would be appropriate. Bennavcm seems to be q Romanzed form of a British name signifing river foot" and most probably was the Banna of the Chorography of Ravenas, and of the inscription on an altar said to have been found at Birdoswald (the Romano British Amboglanna,) and now at Lanercost Priory. Te name also occurs on the well known bronze cup found about two hundred years ago at Rudge in Wiltshire, which dates from about $50. Banna must have been near Petriana, the former being prob
 
 the military station proper. Towards the end of the 4th century, before the withdrawal of the Roman garrisons, there were along the wall 10,30O foot and 1,5O0 horse according to the Notitia Imperii, so that Banravom Tsbcrniae, or Bannavem of military posts or en- campments, was descriptive of the dis trict, and the office of decurio in such q place one of considerable dignity.
 The youth Succat or Patrick remain ej in hard slavery for six years, tend ing cattle probably on Slcmish Moun- tain in the country Antim IIa| seems to have been of an enthusiastic temperament, and much given to pray CT and meditation. Learning oe menas to escape, it so filled his mind as to give rise to visions. The bays and creeks of the West and the North West of Ireland, especially Kiflala Bay. were much frequented in ancient times for they afforded secure retreats to sea rovers when they crept around the coast of Ireland and swooped down on that of Roman Britain, Ptolmy's town cf Nagnata was probably on tto bay just named; it is celebrated in the stories of tomorians, Norsemen and ctrer sea rovers. The kindred of the Ard Ri or paramont king of Ireland of the time. Dathi or rather Athi one of the greatest leaders of the invading Scots, dwelt there; it was consequent ly place which offered facilities for going to Britain, and from that place Patrick most probably succeeded in es- ,caping After his escape he appears to have conceived the noble idea Of devot- ing himself to the conversion of the Irish, and to have gone somewhere for a few years to prepare himself for the Priesthood His biographers have talk on him to Tours to St Martin, who was then dead several years, afterwards to thci s!and of Lerins in the Mediterran- can, and lastly to Rome, where he re- ceived mission from Pope Celestine. For all this there is no evidence what ever, the whole story being the result of the confusion of Palladius with the real Patrick The tradition of some conection between the Irish apostle and St Martin of Tours, the monastic type