Chapter XXXIV

Patricius absque elationis nævo
Multa bona excogitavit
In servitio filii Mariæ
Fælicibus natus est auspiciis.

St. Fiech, the author of the above Hymn, was a disciple to Duvhach, poet laureate of Laoree, monarch of Ireland. He was converted by St. Patrick, who taught him the elements of the Latin language, in which he was enabled to read the bible after fifteen days' study. Fiech was appointed bishop of Leinster by his holy master, upon which he founded a celebrated monastery, called from him _Domnach-Fiech_, on the mountain of Sletty, about a mile to the north of Carlow, in the territory of Leix, now in the barony of Slieve-Margey, and Queen's county. In this church, the remains of which still exist, he also established a college, celebrated for producing many saints, as may be seen in Colgan's Lives of Irish Saints, &c.

NOTES.

_The figures refer to the stanzas_.

(1) In the Latin translation accompanying Colgan's edition of this Hymn Nein Thur, or _Holy Tours_, is rendered into _Nemthur_, as if the two words were but one, designating a place of that name. In the fifth and ninth stanzas, the word _Lethu_ or _Letha_, is rendered by _Latium_ or _Italy_: upon which absurd translation, Colgan, without rectifying the mistake, observes that _Nisi Germanus dicatur degisse in eis (insulis Tyrrheni maris) videtur hic preposterus ordo_; "except St. German be said here to have lived in them, (the islands of the Tyrrhenian sea,) the order of time seems preposterous." So contradictory does this appear to the Latin translator, that he has totally mistranslated the 17th and 18th verses, in which _Letha_ again occurs, by his omitting the word altogether. The editor's reason for deviating from the Latin translation may be seen, at full length, in the preceding work.

(2) Colgan, from the psalter of Cashel, traces back St. Patrick's pedigree to the 17th progenitor, thus:

Calphurnius 1
Potitus 2
Mercutius 3
Oda, or Othus 4
Oricius 5
Muricius 6
Muricius 7
Oricius 8
Leo 9
Maximius 10
Otrasius 11
Ericius 12
Pelestius 13
Fierinius 14
Brittanus 15
Fergusius 16
Nemethus 17
&c. &c.

From the names of the above list, if they could be depended on, it would appear that St. Patrick's ancestors were of Roman origin.

(3) As Father Michael Clery, one of the annalists called the four masters was employed for fifteen years previously to the Anglo-Cromwellian invasion in collecting Irish manuscripts, and translating them into Latin for Colgan's Lives of the Irish Saints, it is very probable he was the translator of this Hymn into Latin at the same time. He was also the author of an Irish dictionary of difficult words. To the translation of such a scholar, made also at a time when the language was regularly studied in the seminaries of Ireland, great deference must be paid. In this third stanza, however, the editor has ventured to deviate from his version, which runs thus, according to the Latin words "St. Patrick was six years in slavery, during which he eat not the food of the (heathenish) people. For this reason he was called Cathraige, because he served four masters." Now, as _Cothraighe_ may also mean a supporter, maintainer, protector, &c. this last import of the word is adopted in the English translation.

(4) Instead of St. Patrick's running over the Italian "Alps," as the Latin translator affirms here, he travelled over all the mountains from the north to the south of Ireland, whence he took shipping for his native country; for _Ealpa uile_ denotes all mountains in general.

(5) Tassach was originally a brazier and silversmith, who ornamented the celebrated crozier of St. Patrick, called the _Staff of Jesus_. Tassach was afterwards a priest.

In the 5th, 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 18th stanzas, the English translation will be found to differ very materially from the Latin one. Some verses of the 28th and 31st stanzas, neither the editor nor some literary friends (of whose observations he has availed himself in translating other parts of the Hymn) could make any tolerable sense; he at the same time acknowledges, that he is far from being satisfied with the Latin translation. He thinks it necessary to observe here, once for all, that the Hymn has been faithfully collated with, and printed word for word, according to Father Colgan's edition.