Lawlou — Notes on St. BeninnVs Life of St. Malaahij. 233 



obedieucc, and lie himself alone presides over all. But a very evil custom 

 had developed, by the devilish ambition of certain powerful persons, that the 

 holy see [«■. uf Armagh] should be held by hereditary succession. For they 

 suffered none to be bishops, but those who were of their own tribe and family. 

 And for no short time had the execrable succession lasted, for fifteen genera- 

 tions (as I may call them) had already passed in this wickedness. And to 

 such a point had an evil and adulterous generation established for itself this 

 distorted right, rather this unrighteousness worthy of punishment by any 

 sort of death, that although at times clerics failed of that blood, yet bishops 

 never. In a word, there had been already eight before Cellach, married men 

 and without orders, albeit men of letters." ' 



The first thing to be noticed about this passage is that St. Bernard uses 

 in it the word metropolitan. This term cannot have been in the document 

 which lay before him ; for metropolitans, name and thing, were unknown in 

 Ireland at the period to which he refers. But whatever the original word 

 may have been which he represents by metropolitan, it is obvious that the 

 persons to whom he gives that title were the abbots of Armagh, commonly 

 known as comarbs of Patrick. Cellach was, in fact, elected comarb in August, 

 1105. Of the eight preceding comarbs, theu, St. Bernard makes the definite 

 statement that they were without orders. Let us see whether this statement 

 is supported by independent evidence. 



We turn to the Annals of Ulster, one of the most accurate of the native 

 Irish Chronicles, and of special authority for the Province of Ulster. They 

 give us the following particulars of ten successive comarbs of Patrick. 



1. Cathasach, " eminent bishop of the Goidhil," died 957. 



2. Muiredacli made a circuit of Counaught in 960, which implies that he 

 was then comarb. He was put out of the abbacy in 965. Died 966. 



[The Chronicon Scotorum (964) says he was "seven years in the govern- 

 ment," which harmonizes with the supposition that he succeeded Cathasach.] 



' Vita, § 19 : "Cuius revereutia et houore, tamquam apostuli illius gentis, qui totam 

 patriam coiiuertisset ad tideui, sedes ilia, in qua et uiuons praefuit et mortuus requiescit, 

 in tanta ab initio cuucti.s ueueratione habetur, ut uun modo episcopi et sacerdotes, et qui 

 de clero sunt, set etiani regum ac principum uniuersitas subjecta sit raetropolitano ui 

 onini obedientia, et unus ipse omnibus praesit. Verum mos pessimus inoleuerat quo- 

 ruudam diabolica anibitioue potentuni, sedem sanctam obtcutum iri in haereditaria suc- 

 cessione. Nee enim patiebantur episcopal!, nisi qui essent de tribu et fumilia sua. Kec 

 parum processerat exsecranda successio, decui-sis iam in hac malitia (juasi geuerationibus 

 quindecim. Et eo usque firmauerat sibi ius piauuin, imuio umni morte puuieudam in- 

 iuriam, generatio mala et adultera, ut etsi inteiduni defecissent clerici de sanguine illo, 

 sed episcopi nunquam. Denique iam octo extiteiant ante Celsum uiri uxorati et absque 

 ordinibus, litterati tamcn." 



