THE president's ADDRESS. 31 



Paganism. They strove to outstrip them, for if they fell short 

 of the self-torture practised by the latter, they could not hope to 

 gain the ear of the princes and impress the imaginations of the 

 vulgar. 



In the instance of St, Findchua, we have a man emerging 

 from Paganism, practising frightful austerities, and eagerly 

 invoked to occupy the place hitherto assigned to the Druid. 

 Surely he simply trod the same path as that pursued by the 

 necromancers before him. 



Of St. Kevin it is said that he remained for seven years 

 without sleep, and that he held up one arm till it became rigid, 

 and a blackbird laid and hatched her eggs in his palm.* 



St. Ere is said to have spent the day immersed in a river. 

 St. Itha to have had only earth for her bed. 



This immoderate and astounding self-torture enabled the 

 saints in Celtic lands, with all confidence, to appropriate to them- 

 selves the keys of heaven and hell, and to give assurance of 

 celestial felicity to whom they would, and denounce to endless 

 woe whoever offended them. 



St. Patrick is said to have promised heaven to a story-teller, 

 who had amused him with old bardic tales, and to a harper for 

 having performed well on his instrument-! As we have already 

 seen, the twelve saints of Ireland promised heaven to the 

 unfaithful steward on condition that the should tell his master 

 a lie, and so deceive him to his destruction. 



Senan of Iniscathy threatened King Lugaid to deprive him 

 of heaven, if he thwarted him, and he left assurance with his 

 community that no man buried in his churchyard should go to 

 hell.:}: St. Finnian of Clonard made the same promise relative 

 to his own burial ground. § 



So much, then, for the ferocious self-torture exercised by the 

 early Celtic saints. 



* Irish Liber Hymnorum, ii. 192; Giraldus Camb., Top. Hibern. ii, 48; 

 Book of Lismore, p. 334. 



t " SilvaGadelica," ii, pp. 137, 191. 

 X " Book of Lismore," pp. 210, 214. 

 § Ibid, p. 219. 



