146 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



little barrel of beer to serve for the sisters, and the travellers 

 approaching were many and thirsty. Hastily she had a vat filled 

 with water, and it turned into very respectable swipes. The 

 origin of the story is not far to seek. The good abbess not having 

 a sufficiency of ale, watered clown her supply, and S. Finbar 

 courteously assured her that the liquor was so good that he would 

 not drink too much of it. 



In the gloss in the Lebbar Brecc on the Martyrology of 

 Oengus is a curious story of Finbar and Scuthin meeting on the 

 sea, probably as the former was on his way from Cornwall, and 

 the latter on his way to Rome. Finbar was in a boat, but 

 Scuthin was walking on the water. " How come you to be 

 making your progress thus ?" asked Finbar. " Why not," 

 answered Scuthin, " I am walking on a green shamrock- spread 

 plain." Then he stooped, picked a purple flower and threw it to 

 Finbar, who dipped his hand in the sea, caught a salmon, and 

 cast the fish to Scuthin. 



Scuthine and Brendan were bosom friends, and the former had 

 been a disciple of S. David. 



S. Finbar's Day is Sept. 25th. He occurs in all the Irish 

 Myi'tyrologies. 



In Nasmith's edition of William of Worcester the day is 

 given as SejDt. 26th, but this is probably a misprint for the 25th. 



There are extant several lives of S. Finbar. One in MS. in 

 Bp. Marsh's Library, S. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, has never 

 been printed. It contains some details so fabulous, that the 

 BoUandist Fathers shrank from publishing it. By the favour of 

 the librarian, I have been enabled to obtain a copy. 



Another life, free from much that scandalised the BoUandists, 

 is in the Burgundian Library at Brussels, and one is in the Book 

 of Fermoy, which is probably the same ; so also some MSS. Lives 

 are in the Libraries of Trinity Coll., Dublin, and the Royal 

 Irish Academy. 



In Art, S. Finbar should be represented as a bishop holding 

 a branch of hazel-nuts, or with his right hand emitting rays of 

 light. 



