242 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



If this Itinerary is fairly correct, we have the following approximate 

 figures for the distances on land travelled by St. Malachy and his companions 

 in travel : — 



Miles. 

 From Cairngarroch to Rome and back, . . . 3023 



From Cairngarroch to York, .... 225 

 From York to Clairvaus, .... 541 



From Cairnfrnrroeh to Dover (third journey), . 495 



From Canterbury to Home, .... 1013 

 From the French const to Clairvaux, . 2G6 



From Clairvaux to Lausanne, .... 167 

 From Clairvaux to Martigny, .... 211 

 From Clairvaux to Rome, .... 732 



We must now attempt to estimate the time occupied by St. Malachy's 

 journeys. In the Middle Ages a courier could go from Eomc to England in 

 a month. Iiul that meant lliat he covered thirty-three miles of road every 

 day. More ordinary travellers si)ent seven weeks on the way, going twenty 

 wiles a day.' Malachy must have travelled much more slowly. He was 

 accompanied by a considerable number of attendants. On his second journey 

 he left four of them at Clairvaux, otliers at other Cistercian houses, and 

 apparently some at Cairngarroch, where lie constructed a monastery ; yet he 

 was not wiiliout companions when he reachetl Bangor.* We cannot suppose 

 theJ-cfore, tliat the band of travellers was originally less than twelve in 

 number, lint they had only tliree or four iiorses.' Most of them, therefore, 

 must always have been on foot, and the whole of the long journeys, to 

 and from Rome, must have been accompli.shed at a walking-pace. They 

 would certainly rest on Simdays. And some of them were men who 

 practised a>isterities not conducive to physical vigour. It is hardly possible 

 that they could have advanced at a more rapid rate than 100 miles a week, 

 or a little over sixteen miles a day. On the subsequent journey to Clair- 

 va\ix, at any rate from Cairngarroch to the Strait of Dover, progress seems 

 to have been even slower than before.* 



This hypothesis gives the following results : — The journey from Bangor 



' Two milea off the utraight road froiu TherouAuno tu ArraH. 



' In VUa Prinui, iv, -14, it iit said that Clain'iiux is three miles from Bar-»ur-.\ube. In 

 there an error in the text t 



' See Eputuliit CniUuarietitu (C%ron. of Richard I, vol. ii), ed. StubbsfR. S.), p.cxxi ff. 

 ' Vii.i, ii 35, aa, 40. ■■ lb., i 3«. 



" See below, p. 249 f. 



