CHAP. I. maimed could, by the constitution, sit on the throne. He resigned his situation with great calmness, and spent the remainder of his life in philosophic retirement, having composed different works, especially " an Advice to a King," for the benefit of his son, who, he expected, would some time or other ascend the throne.

Soon after his death, his son, Carbry attained, as he expected, the sovereign power, and profiting by his father's instructions, framed some useful institutions, for the purpose of restraining those violent passions which too frequently were allowed to operate without controul. Yet his precepts seemed not to have had a suitable influence on his own conduct, for though it was his duty, as monarch of Ireland, to promote the happiness of all his subjects, yet he led an army into Leinster, to enforce the payment of the odious Baromean tribute. In his reign, the national militia, so useful and so much famed by the bards, for reasons not sufficiently known, was disbanded.

Flacha, of the house of Heremon, who was elected his successor, was attacked by a faction termed the Collas, who were enraged at the partiality he showed to his son, Mure doch, a young man possessed with a desire of military glory. The king lost his life in a battle with these, one of whom usurped his throne, but was afterwards banished by Muredoch with the whole party to Albany. In three years they returned, having obtained their pardon from Muredoch, who also supplied them with seven thousand men to procure a settlement in Ulster. But this monarch, during the absence of his party, was attacked by Collach, one of his chieftains, and deprived of his kingdom and life.

The usurper was soon slain by the king's son, Eochaid, who, as well as Cremthan, the next successor to the throne, went over to North Britain, in order to assist the Picts against the Romans, and their British auxiliaries. It must. be observed, however, that the Irish monarchs had frequently sufficient employment at home, without going abroad on foreign expeditions; for, beside contending with the provincial kings, who were often turbulent, they were frequently engaged in warfare with colonies of the Scandinavian Goths, already mentioned, who at different times invaded their

country with success These colonies were termed Scots; CHAP. I. and in the fourth century of the Christian era, obtained such power as to cause this island to be called Scotia or Scotland, an appellation in later times transferred to another country. In this same century, it is reported, that they, led on by Oscar, son of Oshin, and grandson of the hero Fin, engaged in a great battle with the Irish, under a prince of Leinster, in which the latter were victorious. This prevented the subjugation of Ireland at that time. They continued, however, masters of the ports, but the native princes seemed to have considerable authority in the interior parts of the country.

Of all the Irish monarchs at that time, who were most successful, both in repelling foreign invasion, and in subduing rebellious chieftains, Nial the Great, or 'Nial of the Nine Hostages, the immediate successor of Cremthan, was certainly the most remarkable. When he had sufficiently established his authority at home, he followed the example of his predecessors, in going over to North Britain, to accompany the Picts in their expeditions against the unfortunate Britons. He broke through the wall built by the Romans to prevent the incursion of the Picts, attacked the people, desolated the country, and returned home laden with plunder. He also made two expeditions, of a similar kind, into Gaul, assisted in the first by the Saxons, and, in the second, by the general of the Dulraidas, but was murdered, on the banks of the Loire, in 406, by a son of the king of Leinster, who went over to Gaul for that very purpose. The country was thus happily freed from depredation.

In the reign of his nephew Dathy, who succeeded him, the Romans, distressed on the continent by the northern nations, were obliged to withdraw their forces from Britain, which afforded an opportunity to Dathy, and his friends. the Picts, to ravage the country. He also led an army to Gaul, where he perished, by a stroke of lightning, at the foot of the Alps.

His successor was Laogary, the son of Nial the Great, who ascended the throne in 428. Soon after his accession, he made a descent on Britain, and compelled the people to

Nial.

CHAP. I. pay him a tribute. Yet, he was unsuccessful in enforcing the payment of the Baromean tribute, being defeated in battle and taken prisoner by Cremthan the king of Leinster. In order to regain his liberty, he took an oath never more to demand this odious tribute, but being absolved by the druids, he broke his engagement, and continued still to pursue his iniquitous claim. These priests had long before corrupted both religion and morality, and, of course, were injurious to the state.

The time now arrived when the Christian religion was more openly professed in Ireland, though some feeble efforts had been tried to introduce it before. The honour of this St. Patrick. conversion is usually ascribed to St. Patrick, who is reported to be a native of North Britain, and to have entertained a partiality for the Irish, from the circumstance of his being a captive in Ireland in his youth. He arrived here, it is said, on his spiritual enterprise, with authority from Pope Celestine, about 432, when he was in his sixtieth year. Yet, the very existence of this saint has of late been controverted, and such powerful arguments produced, as the most zealous of his advocates and admirers will find diffi

cult to answer. It appears, that he is not mentioned in any writing of authentic date before the ninth century, a period remarkable for fabricating the lives of saints, nor by the ecclesiastic historians of the intermediate time, Beda, Cogitosus, Adamnan, and Cummian, who, it might be supposed, would not have omitted to take notice of so great a missioner, if any account of him had reached them. In the calendar, it is owned, his name is frequently found, but this is very suspicious authority. The stories also transmitted to us of his exploits and miracles, have, it is said, too much the appearance of legendary fiction. Yet, it is odd, that the imposture should have been palmed on the world so long, and never discovered till the present time.

In converting the natives to Christianity, by whomsoever this useful work was effected, great policy was displayed in endeavouring to make it agreeable to the order of the druids. As certain hereditary priveleges and possessions were annex

See Ledwich's Antiquities of Ireland, where this abstruse subject is amply discussed with singular ingenuity and learning.

ed to that order, it was appointed, in conformity to this idea, CHAP. I. that the office of pastors of the several churches should be confined to certain families, and that the lands set apart for their support should descend by regular inheritance. This tended in some degree to reconcile the druids to Christianity, who were before most averse to it, as it showed a respect to their ancient customs, and as they might obtain the same advantage from the present religion, which they enjoyed from the last. Still the work of conversion proceeded slowly, as it appears that paganism prevailed very much here, even at the end of the sixth century.

The missionaries, however, were so fortunate as to convert, among other persons of rank, Laogary, the monarch, who, notwithstanding, seems not to have been much improved in morality by his change of religion. Once more he joined the Picts with an army in their predatory invasions of Britain, which was continually harassed by their attacks, until the battle of Stamford, in Lincolnshire, took place, in which the Britons were victorious by the assistance of the Saxons, who, being invited as auxiliaries, afterwards took possession of the kingdom.

Laogary, who died in 456, was succeeded by Oliol Molt, of the family of Heremon, who, notwithstanding the failure of his predecessor, led an army into Leinster to enforce the payment of the Baromean tribute, and fought a battle there, of which the event is not related. Soon after, he was engaged in a contest with Leuighad, the son of Laogary, a competitor for the throne, who, when he came to age, demanded it as the right of his family, and slew Oliol on the plains of Ocha. Leuighad was now crowned monarch, having an undisputed title to the crown, as he was descended from Heremon, and of the house of Nial.

The different claims to that honour, between the families of Heber and Heremon, produced, for several ages, a variety of contests, of which, and of the reigns themselves, it may be needless to relate the particulars. Yet, for the two succeeding centuries, notwithstanding these violent contests, Christianity and learning made a successful progress in Ireland. The complete conversion of the island was Complete owing to the clergy of South Britain, who took refuge here conversion.

CHAP. I. from the Anglo-Saxon pagans, the sanguinary conquerors These contributed to found here mo

Learned

men.

of their country.

nasteries and seminaries of learning, which had so much increased in the seventh century as to cause Ireland to be called the island of saints and scholars. Missionaries were then sent from it to different parts of the continent, to propagate the Christian religion and scholastic philosophy, the fashionable learning of the times. This literary pre-eminence, in those dark ages, was not only owing to the asylum it then afforded to men of a contemplative turn, during the troubles on the continent, and Saxon wars in South Britain, but also to the discouragement of knowledge and free inquiry, visibly shewn by the Roman pontiff, who was well assured that ignorance would promote that spiritual dominion at which he aimed. Literature, however, was entirely confined to the monasteries, which, by their institution, being detached from society, had but little influence on the great body of the people, who were involved in extreme barbarism. Yet, furious and savage as they were, those asylums of piety were respected by them in their most bloody intestine commotions.

The fame of those seminaries at that time certainly extended very far, and attracted students from Britain and the continent. Yet the number has been greatly exaggerated by the monkish historians, who tell us there were seven thousand at Armagh, and at least as many at Lismore. From those repositories of learning certainly proceeded many saints and scholars, of whom it may be sufficient to mention a few.

About the middle of the sixth century flourished Columand pious ba, or Columb-Cill, who, after founding a monastery at Derry, established a celebrated abbey in the isle of Ilay, one of the Hebrides, which, for almost two hundred years, disseminated Christian knowledge and literature through North Britain and Northumberland. Hence he was honoured with the title of the Apostle of the North Britains. His biographer, St. Canice, the patron saint of Kilkenny, who also wrote hymns in his praise, immediately succeeded

him.

In the seventh century flourished, beside a number of