holy men of foreign countries; but from the "host of Ireland's books" he extracted all the information he needed with respect to the saints of his native Church.

Aengus wrote another work upon a similar subject, in which the names of the Irish saints were arranged in a very fanciful order. The fifth book of this work is a collection of "Litanies;" and companies of saints are invoked in them, in a long series of daily prayers. They are classified in a manner not uncommon among the Irish; as (for example) those who were educated under the same master; or who united under the same leader to preach to the heathen; or those who were buried in the same monastery. After thus enumerating various companies of domestic and foreign saints, the litany proceeds to invoke bishops of Churches celebrated in Ireland, in companies of seven; as the seven holy bishops of Ardpatrick, the seven holy bishops of Killdecedan, &c.

It appears from this work, that the practice of invocating the saints obtained in Ireland towards the close of the eighth century. Whether the custom was of longer standing in the Irish Church, or whether it gained admission even at this period into any of the public liturgies, it would not, perhaps, be easy to determine. There is an ancient liturgy still in existence, which invokes several of the older Irish saints; but there are no certain means of ascertaining the period when these invocations were introduced

into it. In other communions they found their way into the public litany about the seventh or eighth century; and it is probable that the custom was soon adopted by the Irish, whose reverence for their holy men amounted to a superstition. However, no evidence exists of its prevalence in earlier ages, which appear to have been free from a practice that has proved so hurtful to the well-being of the Church.

CHAPTER VIII.

ST. KILIAN, BISHOP OF FRANCONIA VIRGILIUS OF SALTZBURG CLEMENS AND ALBINUS JOHN SCOTUS ERIGENA

COLUMBANUS is an example of an Irish monk carried into distant countries through that extreme love of asceticism which formed so prominent a feature in the religion of those times. He is a type of a large class of monks in the Irish Church, who, it must be acknowledged, pushed their attachment to the monastic life somewhat too far. Those who search into the history of Ireland will not fail to perceive, that a larger proportion of monks and hermits flourished in that country than was, perhaps, altogether compatible with a healthy state of religion. Yet if they all were the equals of Columbanus in piety and in learning, it is difficult to complain of their numbers being too great.

St. Kilian may be adduced as an instance of the other class of Irish monks, who were prevailed on to leave their own country by a spirit chiefly missionary. These, indeed, forined a numerous body of holy and disinterested men, who thought no sacrifice too great to be made in behalf of the kingdom of Christ. It

was not the expectation of any temporal advantage that induced such persons to encounter the trials and dangers of a missionary life: but it was the simple desire of doing good, of advancing the interests of the Church, of reclaiming the outcasts, and bringing back the lost. And there is nothing more honourable to the ancient Church in Ireland than this factadmitted by every historian-that, although so remote and isolated in its position, it nevertheless almost equalled Rome herself in the number of its missionaries. Scarcely is there a country in the south and west of Europe where Irish monks did not preach the Gospel, or erect monasteries.

St. Kilian was born of noble parents, some time in the seventh century, and from childhood was devoted to the service of religion. At the proper age he was admitted into one of the Irish monasteries, where he cheerfully submitted to the rigorous discipline of the place, "taking up his cross," writes his biographer," and following Christ." His deportment here soon won the affection of the other monks; and they gave him a proof of it by electing him their abbot, having first prevailed on him to take holy orders.

This situation Kilian did not hold for any length of time. Anxious to visit other lands, he crossed over into Britain, and thence proceeded to Germany, passing through Gaul. He took up his abode at Wurtzburg, with the monks that accompanied him from Ireland, of whom one was a priest named Co

loman, and another Totman, a deacon.

It was their

wish to preach the Gospel to the people with whom they were sojourning; but before they did so, Kilian visited Rome to obtain the sanction and support of Conon, the pope. According to some accounts, it was this prelate from whom St. Kilian received episcopal consecration, although other writers maintain that he was a bishop before leaving Ireland. Returning to Germany, St. Kilian commenced his labours, and these were attended with much success. He converted Gozbert, the duke of Franconia, to the Christian faith, and many others in the province shortly followed their ruler's example. But an unhappy circumstance soon occurred, that brought his mission to an untimely end. It happened that the converted prince had married his brother's wife before he became a Christian. St. Kilian was aware of this, but had been unwilling to remonstrate upon the unlawfulness of such a marriage until Gozbert should be somewhat confirmed in his attachment to Christianity. He feared at first lest the stern morality of the Gospel might terrify the weak convert, and cause him to fall back into his former course of idolatry. A seasonable opportunity, however, arrived at length, and Kilian addressed the duke in these words: "My son, whom I have begotten in the Gospel, I rejoice greatly at the progress you are making in the faith. Yet it grieves me much that you are entangled

1 Lanigan, vol. iii. p. 120.

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