COKNISH DEDICATIONS. 145 



When we come to fixing tlie date of S. Finbar we meet with 

 difficulties. He was a contemporary of S. David, S. Aedh, and S. 

 Cadoc. S. David's death can hardly be placed later than 550. As 

 I shall shew, when we come to S. Aedh (Hugh) of Ferns, there 

 were two of this name, and Aedh the disciple of S. David died 

 between 565 and 570. S. Cadoc is thought to have died as early 

 as 520, but was probably somewhat later. 8. Senan, who sent 

 monks to S. Finbar died 510-520. 



Leland, quoting from the Life of S. Wymer, i.e. S. Fingar, 

 mentions Barricius as " Socius Patricii," and says that he came 

 to Cornwall, and implies that he did so along with Fingar and 

 Piala. If so, he must have been associated with S. Senan and 

 S. Breaca. Now we are told in his Life that among the holy 

 women under his direction was a Brig, i.e. Breaca. And as we 

 have seen, he was on friendly terms with S. Senan. Leland is 

 certainly wrong in calling him a companion of S. Patrick, but if 

 S. Patrick died in 493, then it is by no means impossible that he 

 may have seen and spoken with him. But no mention of Patrick 

 occurs in Finbar's Life. Usually, Finbar's death is set down as 

 taking place in 623 : this I consider far too late, and I should 

 rather be disposed to place it at 560. 



It remains to give a few of the legendary tales that have 

 attached themselves to Finbar. 



As we have seen, the story went that he had been consecrated 

 in heaven, Christ took him by the hand and lifted him up, that 

 like S. Paul, he might see the ineffable glories there. Ever after, 

 that hand blazed with light, so that Finbar was obliged to keep 

 it covered with a glove. 



One day Finbar was sitting under a hazel-bush with S. 

 Lasrean, talking about heavenly things, and when they were 

 about to part, the latter besought his friend for a token that God 

 was with him. Now it was in the season of early spring ; Finbar 

 prayed, and the hazel-catkins that were swaying above their heads 

 fell off, nuts formed, and leaves appeared. Then Finbar, smiling, 

 filled his lap with ripe hazel-nuts, and offered them to S. Lasrean. 



In the Life of Monynna — the Cornish Morwenna — he is said 

 to have visited her monastery. Seeing the approach of the 

 bishop, Monynna was aghast, as in the monastery was only one 



