221 



brated seminary at Louth.* Ibar, his contemporary, had a school 

 at Beg-erin.-f- In the sixth century, a great university was esta- 

 bUshed at Clonard,:J; which, in the enthusiasm of monkish praise, 

 is termed the repository of saints, the hive of Christian wisdom, and 

 the cradle of sanctity. Other schools were established at Roscar- 

 berry,§ Cork, II Lismore, Roscrea, Clonfert, Clonmacnois, in the 

 romantic valleys of Glendaloch, at Cashel, Leighlin, Fore, Kildare, at 

 Slane, where Dagobert, the prince of Austrasia, during the exile be- 

 fore mentioned,** is supposed to have received his education j-f-f- at 

 Bangor, Down, in the island of Inisbofin, and at Mayo. .j, 



The last establishment was founded by Colman, peculiarly for the 

 converted Saxons, J;|l who gladly availed themselves of so noble an 

 exercise of friendship ;§§ so much so indeed, that this literary resort be- 

 came an object of proverbial notoriety, and the Irish nation is enthu- 

 siastically commemorated by Bede, not only as bestowing education 

 and morality on every class of his countrymen, but even supply- 

 ing them with sustenance, books, and all attendance of masters, jjll 



* Archdall Mon. Hib. p. 469. f See Lanigan's Eccl. Hist. vol. 1. p. 404. 



X Ware's Antiquities, p. 24 1 . 



§ Acta Sanctorum, p. 196, and Ware's Antiquities, p. 242. 



jl Smith's Cork, vol. 1. p. 369. ** Ante, p. 173. 



ff Mezeray's France, tom. 1. p. 245. 



J J "Invenit locum in Hibemia insula aptum monasterio constituendo, qui lingua Scoto- 

 rum Magh-eo nominatur ; * * * " Et constructo statim monasterio, * * * * 

 Anglos ibidem collocavit, quod usque hodie ab Anglis tenetur incolis, et egregium examen 

 continet monachorum." — Bede, Eccl. Hist. lib. 3. c. 3. 



§§ " Anglo-Saxones etiam nostri ilia state in Hiberniam, tanquam ad bonarum literarum 

 mercaturam, undique confluxerunt, unde de viris Sanctis saepissime in nostris scriptoribus 

 legitur, amandatus est ad disciplinam in Hiberniam." — Camden's Britannia, p. 730. 



nil "Multi nobUium simul et mediocrium de gente Anglorum ***** relicta. 

 insulS, patria, vel divinae lectionis vel continentioris vitee gratia, illo (ad Hiberniam) secesserant; 

 ***** quos omnes Scotti libentissime suscipientes, victum eis quotidianum sine pretio, 

 libros quoque ad legendum et magisterium gratuitum prabere curabant."— Bede, Eccl. Hist, 

 lib. 3. c. 3. 



