106 Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 



of Palladius. The Annals of Ulster do, however, record both, and give their 

 authorities in a passage, the importance of which has not hitherto been suf- 

 ficiently appreciated. 



" An. ab incarnatione Domini ccccxxxi. Palladius ad Scotos a Celestino urbis Romae Episcopo, 

 ordinatur Episcopus, Actio et Valeriano Coss ; primus mittitur in Hiberniam, ut Christum credere 

 potuissent, anno Theodosii viii. 



" An. ccccxxxii. Patricius pervenit ad Hiberniam ix anno Theodosii junioris, primo anno Epis- 

 copatus Xisti xlii Episcopi Rom. Eccl. Sic enumerant Beda et Marcellinus, et Isidorus, in chronicis 

 suis." 



Here then are references made to authorities, which, if correct, should at once 

 settle the question ; but, unfortunately, no passages relating to Patrick's mission 

 are found in any printed edition or MS. copy of the works of the writers referred 

 to, while the mission of Palladius is recorded In them all. Indeed the silence 

 of Bede, as well as the earlier chroniclers, has long been felt as a negative argu- 

 ment, not easily refuted, against the mission of Patrick. But, however fatal this 

 silence, particularly of Bede, may be to the mission of a Patrick following 

 Palladius, in order of time, it should not be considered as an objection to the 

 existence of a preacher of the name in Ireland anterior to that period ; and indeed 

 the ancient churches and other monumental remains connected with his name, 

 found in all parts of Ireland, as well as the vivid traditions still universally cur- 

 rent, are sufficient to satisfy any candid inquirer, that such a personage must 

 have existed, whatever may have been the period at which he flourished. 



Another objection which has been made to the truth of these accounts is, 

 that, whether Palladius died, as the Bollandists state, on the Cth of July, 431 or 

 432, or the 24th of January, 432, as Lanigan argues from other authorities, 

 there would still be too little time between that and the period of the death of 

 Celestine, on the 6th of April that year, for the account of that event to have 

 reached Rome, or at all events, for Patrick to have travelled thither to be con- 

 secrated and commissioned by him ; and Lanigan acknowledges that Patrick 

 could not have heard of the death of Palladius until about the latter end of 

 February, or beginning of March. Dr. Lanigan, therefore, is obliged to reject 

 the fact stated in some of the lives respecting Patrick's visit to Rome and conse- 

 cration there by Pope Celestine, after the death of Palladius ; and he endeavours to 

 meet the difficulty by the supposition, which he thinks satisfactory, but for which 

 there is no authority, that St. Patrick was ordained second in the mission, 



