334 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



It is suggested then that, to some extent, our List, so far as the mere 

 names are concerned, is a copy of a list in the diptychs of Armagh, which was 

 supposed to enumerate the abbots. Is the existence of such a list supported 

 by independent evidence ? For an answer to that question we turn to Gaul, 

 from which the practice of reciting the names of the dead was probably 

 imported to Ireland. An obscure passage of Venantius Fortunatus^ informs 

 us that the names of deceased aposlolici procercs reliquique patruni of the 

 church of Tours, including St. Martin, were inscribed on ivory tablets, and 

 recited at Mass. This, says Mr. Edmund Bishop, "is good evidence of the 

 recital of individual names of the dead in Gaul (or at least of the bishops in 

 the church of Tours) by the sixth century."- Tliis will be granted ; but it is 

 evident that the jyroccrcs and patroni may be taken to include more than 

 bishops. We liave an even more instructive document. The diptychs of the 

 Mona.stery of the Apostles at Aries, founded by St. Aurelian about 548, are 

 preserved in the fonu in whicli they were used towards the end of the sixth 

 century.' The firat section runs thus : — " Simulque precantes oramus etiam, 

 Doinine, pro aniniabus famuloruni tuorum patrum atque institutorum quon- 

 dam nostrorum, Aureliani, Petri, Florentini, Redcmpti, Constantini, Himiteri, 

 Hilarini, Januarini, Kcparati, Cliildcberti, "Wilrogotae, uel omnium fratrum 

 nostrorum quog de hoc loco ad te uocare dignatus es." The patrcs and insti- 

 tutorts of this passage are no doubt equivalent to tlie proccres and patroni of 

 Venantius. Eleven persons are named under that head. The first is the 

 founder. Tliere follow eight ecclesiastics, of whom at least three were abbots 

 of tlie monastery : Florentinus, Redemptus, and Constantinus. Of the last 

 four we cannot speak with certainty. But two of thom were prominent monks 

 in 588: Januarinus, who in that year composed the epitaph of Florentinus, 

 and Hilarinus, who is mentioned in the epitaph.* Of the othei-s nothing is 

 known. But the probability is that all four were abbots. On the oilier 

 hand, Petrus was certainly not an abbot, for J'lorentinus was the imme- 



' tS<irmfn X, vii, 31-38 (MCiH, Audoren .liifvytjiju., iv, 1, p. 240) : 



Hunc iiucxiiic Martiiium colitis. (|iieiii, regDa, pntioDum, 



iios hiinc in terris, iios rnemor illc polis : 

 VoH intra an(;elicns tumias caiiat ille sub astris, 



cni ui>H ante homines fertJH li<iiiiiro diini. 

 Xuiuina uestra legal |iatrinrchi8 at^pie iiniplietiH 



cui hodie in tcmpln diptychus edit cliur. 

 Reddat apostolicos procerea relii)Uo8<|ue patroDua 

 quern uon hie colitis uel pia festa datis. 

 ' R. H. Connolly. Lilurfiiral It'imUieJi of Sarsui, p. lOO. 



' MaliiUoii, I>e Liturgia GaUicnnn, lib. i, c. 5, } 12 (p. 43) ; PL. Ixviii, .'Wo ; Reeves, 

 Adiimnan, p. 211 f. ; Warren, <>p. <-i<., 106 f. 



• Ceillier, Iliitoirf G'li^rnU dt* AnUnri Scurfs ei EcdetiattiquM, 1858-1863, xi, 321 f. 



