- 208 



only says, that the Lord had permitted him " bibere calicem ejus," 

 but Seduhus is very full, where, speaking of the blood and water flow- 

 ing from the side of our Saviour, he adds " O quam catholicae dog- 

 mati sociatur haec causa ; O quantum trinitatis fidei conveniunt haec 

 sacrata. Corpus namque sanguis et aqua tria vitae nostrae sunt mune- 

 ra. Omnes enim, qui Christo duce nostro in aquarum fonte renascimur, 

 ejus corpus et sanguinem sumentes edimus ac potamus, ut sancti spi- 

 ritus esse mereamur."* Saint Patrick dwells much on the sanction of 

 everlasting rewards and punishments, and the resurrection of the just 

 on the last day, " cohseredes Christi et conformes futurae imaginis 

 ipsius," Sedulius also relies much on the resurrection-f- of the body, 

 and well defines the distinction between prescience and predestination,;]; 

 while* in reference to matrimony, Saint Patrick urges the divine power, 

 by which the contract made by the clergy thereby is ratified in 

 heaven, " summam divinam sublimem potestatem, quos ligarent super 

 terram ligatos esse et in coelis." 



Cumian, (to analyze his Essay,) in the first chapter treats of the 

 penance to be inflicted for sins of gluttony and drunkenness ; in the 

 second for sins of unchastity, to control which, the fourteenth canon 

 of the synod of Saint Patrick, as published by Spelman, also provides; 

 the third chapter regulates the scale of atonement for adultery, incest, 

 &c. ; while the nineteenth canon of the same synod further labours for 

 the suppression of these vices; and the seventeenth visits with pecu- 

 liar severity the breaking vows of chastity. The fourth chapter con- 

 cerns sacrilege and theft, as does the fifteenth canon of the synod; the 

 fifth, perjury, lying, &c. ; the sixth, murder and homicide, as does the 

 fourteenth canon of the synod ;§ the seventh condemns " maleficos et 



• Oper. Pasch. lib. 5. c. 1 8. f Epist. in Rom. c. 15. t Epist. in Rom. c. 8. 



§ Cities of sanctuai-y appear to have been established even at tliis early period, for Cogi- 

 tosus speaks of Kildare, " civitas est refugii tutissima deforis suburbana, in tola Scotorum 

 terra." 



