236 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academji. 



Aniuds of Ulster we appeal to the lists of comarbs of Patrick.^ The sum of 

 the periods of office of the coiuaibs as given in them from the electiou of 

 Maelcobha to that of Cellach is 217 years. But be it noted that to get this 

 total we must first emend Todd's lists from the manuscripts, and then form 

 a list for ourselves by comparing the lists with each other. No one of Todd's 

 three lists would give us the co.rrect total. If we suppose, as is very likely, 

 that St. Bernard was working on such a list of comarbs, liis discrepancy is 

 easily accounted for : a few omissions of x or i, or confusions of v. with ii 

 or X with V, in the figures would reduce the total to a number less than 200. 

 We may defend St. Bernard by assinning that the figures in his document 

 were not absolutely correct, or that lie made excusable errors in reading 

 them. 



I may mention here some other passages of the Life of St. Malachy, in 

 wliich, as 1 think, it has l>een too ligiitly assumed that the writer is guilty of 

 exaggeration. I'erhaps no sections of it have given rise to so much discussion 

 as those in which the following statements occui-^ : — 



" Malacliy instituted anew the most saving usage of Confession, the 

 Sacrament of Confirmation, the marriage contract— of all ui which they 

 were either ignorant or negligent." 



" Thei-e was no giving of tithes <>r first fruits, no entry into lawful 

 marriages, no making "f confessions." 



" [I'.y the exertions of Malachy] everywliere the ecclesiastical customs 

 are itjceived, the contrary are rejected, churches are re-built . . . the solemnities 

 of the Sacraments ai-e duly celebrated, confessions are made . . . the celebra- 

 tion of marriage graces those wlio live together."^ 



The tii-st of tliese sentences refers to the diocese of Armagh, the others to 

 the neighbouring diocese of Down, is it jxissible that there can liave Ijcen 

 such laxity as tliey proclaim in tlie Iri.sh Church of the twelftli century, 

 especially in the matter of sexual morality ? I am not concerned here to 

 answer that nuestion. What I desire to show is that St. Bernard may well 

 have based his statements on reports from Ireland, to which he added nothing. 

 In a medieval antiphouary of the CImrch of Armagh, preserved in Trinity 



' Todd, I.e. 



' Cp. I«nigan, Ecd. Hint, u/ Iirland, iv, 70 ff., 88, &c. 



' $ 7. " I'sum saluberrimum confessiuois, sacraiuentum confirinationis, contractuni 

 cuaiugioruDi, (|Dae omnia ant ignorabant aut negligcbant." 



) 16. " Non decimas dare, Don primitias. iioii Icgitima inire coniugia, non facere 

 confessiones. " 



§ IT. " Kecipiuntur ubique eccleaiaHticae cousuetudines, contrariae reiiciuntur, 

 reaedificantur Imsilicac.ordiiiatur clems in illis, sacramcotonini rite solleninia celebrantur, 

 confessiones fiunt, ad ecclcsiam conueniunt picbes, concubinatua honestat celebritas 

 nuptiarum." 



