Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/270

 2G0 Journal of Philology. writings of the fathers, the canons of the councils, &c, although per- haps not necessarily excluding the Old and New Testament. Still if they had intended to say that St Patrick was remarkable for a diligent study of Biblical learning, in our sense of the word, they would probably have used the word Bibliotheca, or they would have said more fully, the prophetic, evangelical, and apostolical writings, or at least they would have qualified the word Scriptures, by the epithet Canonical. To prove this it will be necessary to say a few words on the manner in which other Irish writers about St Patrick, have spoken of his studies in sacred learning. The oldest of all, St Fiech, bishop of Sletty, in his metrical life of St Patrick, written in the antient Irish language, thus speaks : Do faidh tar Ealpa uile De muir ba hamra reatha, Conidh fargaibh la Gorman, An deas an deisciort Leatha. A ninnsibh mara Toirrian Ainis indibh, ad rime ; Leghais canoin la German, Is eadh ad fiadhad line. He travelled beyond all Alps* Across the sea (prosperous was the journey,) He sojourned with German In the southern part of Armoricaf. In the islands of the Tyrrhene sea He dwelt as I record He read the Canons with German, As histories relate. Here it will be observed that what St Fiech, writing in Irish, de- scribes as the Canons is translated by the subsequent biographers of St Patrick, in their Latinity, sacras scripturas and cozlestes scripturas. And it is remarkable that the passage of Nennius, quoted by Mr Hard- wick, in which that writer tells us of Patrick's having read through the sanctas scripturas, is translated in the Irish Version of the Historia Britonum, "do cuaid d'foglaim bo deas, co ro leig in canoin la German." " He went to the South to study, and he read the Canons with Ger- mant" So also the ancient notes on St Fiech's metrical life, published by Colgan under the title of Scholia Veteris Scholiastce, which he supposes This word in so ancient an Irish writer does not necessarily mean the range of mountains now called the Alps, it seems rather intended to describe the distance of St Patrick's travels " beyond all alps (or lofty mountains) across the sea." t Colgan, following the authority of the ancient scholiast, translates this word Latium ; but it seems much more pro- bable that it was used in its original meaning to denote Armorica, " the southern part of Armorica," or " south of the southern part of Armorica," as the words seem literally to mean, being apparently a description of the geogra- phical position of Auxerre. See Irish version of Nennius, Addit. Notes, No. xi. p. xix. See also Du Cange, Glossar. v. Lcti. $. Irish version of Nennius (pub- lished for the Irish Archoeol. Society,) p. 1 06. We may remark here that the Irish Version makes no mention of Rome, whilst the Latin Nennius makes no mention of German, in this account of St Patrick's studies. By the passage of St Fiech's poetical life, above quoted, it appears certain, that by the South, in the Irish Nennius, is meant Armorica, the supposed residence of St German-