196 



Confession of Saint Patrick quotes from the septuagint version of the 

 Scriptures, and not from the more recent version of Saint Jerome,* 

 ergo, Saint Patrick must have existed before Saint Jerome. This 

 itself would not necessarily antedate Saint Patrick beyond the fourth 

 century, but it wholly wants the vis consequentite, and although the 

 version of Saint Jerome was written a few years before the time of 

 Saint Patrick's arrival in Ireland, it yet was not received into general 

 use but after much opposition, and until the sixth century. The sixth 

 objection is grounded on a passage in the letter to Coroticus, in which 

 the saint " speaks of the incursions of the Picts and Scots " as of then 

 passing events. -f* Had he done so, it would rather favour the ancient 

 chronology, for it was from the close of the fourth to the middle of 

 the fifth century, that these incursions became so insupportable ; but 

 no such historical date can be assigned ; as the letter merely alludes 

 to the Scots and Picts, as purchasing Christian slaves that had been 

 carried off with rapine and bloodshed, and upbraids Coroticus with 

 being the foul agent of bringing these unfortunate beings into the 

 hands of the Scots and Picts, (" in manus Scotorum atque Picto- 

 rum ; ") meaning by the Scots (as is evident by their connexion with 

 the Picts, and by his saying a few lines farther, that the Irish Scots 

 were converted,) that colony, which emigrated into Scotland in the 

 beginning of the fourth century, and thus farther strengthening the 

 commonly assigned era of that event. 



The seventh objection also relies on a passage in the letter to 

 Coroticus, where mention is made of pious men being sent with money 

 to redeem captives from amongst the Franks and other nations. | 



* See Researches, p. 273. t Researches, p. 279. 



X " Consuetude Romanorum et Gallorum Christianoruin, nuttunt viros sanctos idoneos 

 ad Francos et cajteras gentes, cum tot mil : solidorum ad redimendos caplivos baptizatos." 



