260 Proceedings of the Rii//al Irish Academy. 



some time after the fouiKlatioii of Melliloiil in 1 14J.' There is little in the 

 Life which may not have been leanieil from them, from Malachy, or from his 

 companions in travel, who were at (Jlairvaux for a fortnight before his death.^ 

 Various incidents of Malachy's life may also have been communicated to 

 St. Bernard in letters written to him by Irish acquaintances.^ It should be 

 borne in mind that he may have been collecting materials for a Life of 

 Malachy for many yeai's. Material for his own Life had been gathered 

 during his lifetime by the monk William, with tiie intention of publishing it 

 after his death. What he wrote was actually given to the world long before 

 that event, and now forms the first hook of the Vila Prima.* This was probably 

 not without pjirallel. Tliere is at any rate evidence that St. Bernanl knew a 

 good deal about 3k[alachy"s career wiiile lie was still alive. For example, in his 

 first senuou on St. Malachy (§ 6), which I have tried to show was delivered on 

 the day of his burial, he gives an account of the contest for tiie .see of A rmagh, 

 the story of wliich occupies a seventh part of the Vita. In the sermon, of 

 coui-se, St. Bernanl iloes not ent«r into details ; but he displays accurate 

 knowledge, and we may believe that he was aware of much to wiiich he does 

 not allude. I see im reason, therefoi-e, to doubt that St. Bernard was 

 sutliciently equipped with information to write the Life inunediately after 

 the request tliat he should do so came to him from Ireland. In view of his 

 ignorance of the Pope's movements in the latter part of 1148, I am therefore 

 dispased to dale it« composiiion in the tii-st weeks of 1149. 



6. The Datk of Strmo li in Transitu, .V. Mnlachiae. 



The second Sermon on the Passing of Malachy was certainly preached on 

 an anniversaiy, not on the actual day, of liis death. This is shown by the 

 references in § 7 to Malachy's "festival," and his "delicious feast," for which 

 St. Bernard and his hearere were met together. The date is therefore 

 2 Novemlier in 1149, 1150, 1151, or 1152; for St. Bernard died 20 August, 

 1153.' To guide us in our choice among those years, I can find no indicAtions 

 except coincidence.^ with other compositions of St. Bernard. 



In the printed text of the sermon tlieie is a vtry remarkuble coincidence 

 with Ep. o74. The passage in wliich it is contained is in § 5, and runs 

 thus : — 



■ See Bern.. Ep. .')57, and for the founding of Mellifont, Anitai* of SI. Mary's .ihbty, 

 Annalu of boyU, and Cl>n>'» Annah, ». a. 1142. 

 ' Sftm. i 111 <r<iFw. .Va/., ^ 1. 

 J Cp. E}>i>. M\. 3.56, 357 ; VUa. Prael. 2. 

 * f'ila Prinui, i, Praef. 

 ' Pfid. V. 15. 16. 



