Lawlok — The Cathach of St Columba. 30§ 



the defence is the same : the manifest favonr of God reverses human 

 judgements. It may be that the brethren who stood by Finuian were less 

 inclined than their master to forgive the violent conduct of Columba, and 

 that he found it necessary to vindicate his revived affection for his headstrong 

 pupil. But, be that as it may, that there had been contention between 

 Finnian and Columba does not make the scene described for us by Adamnan 

 impossible. It rather gives it an added pathos. 



It is not my purpose to prove that there is no legendary element in the 

 tale of the copying of St. Finnian's book as related by O'Donnell. On the 

 contrary, there are in it two trivial miracles which must at once be set aside. 

 Columba, we are told, was enabled to write at night by supernatural light 

 which streamed from the fingers of his right hand This is a commonplace 

 of Irish hagiographers ; it comes from the stock of miraculous embellishments 

 wherewith they delighted to adorn their anecdotes. St. Canice, retiring into 

 a wood alone, read by night, light shining from his uplifted hand.' When 

 St. Columba of Terryglass read in the night time, his fingers became, as it 

 were, lamps of fire.- St. Maccartin, too, when reading by night, was assisted 

 by supernatural light, though we are not told that it came from his hand.^ 

 St. Flannan ground at the mill by the light of the fingers of his left hand.* 

 St. Buite of Monasterboice kindled a fire with dames that issued from his 

 fingers ;° and St. Patrick wrought a similar miracle." When St. Fin tan of 

 Dun Bleisc put three of his fingers into the mouth of one who was possessed, 

 the devil fled, as from flames of fire." Whatever may be the ultimate 

 origin of these stories,^ they are, of course, legendary ; and so is the light 

 that came from Columba's right hand. But we can take it out of the 

 story without tearing away with it anything that is essential. Working at 

 night was apparently not uncommon in ancient Ireland, and it did not 

 necessarily involve any miracle. St. Finnian, in our story, was apparently 



' Vita S. Cainnici, 35 (Plummer, i. 165). 



'^Acta S. Columbae de Tyre da Glass, 6 (Cod. Sal., col. 447). 



= Acta S. Maccartini, 4 (Cod Sal., col. 802). 



* Acta S. Flamiani, 5 {ih., 647). 



5 Vita S. Boecii, 19 (Plummer, i. 93). 



° Stokes, p. 151. 



'Vita S. Fintaui de Duleug, 12 (Cod. Sal., col. 230). 



*Mr. T. J. Westi'opp calls my attention to an interesting parallel in an unexpected 

 quarter. Mr. E. W. Lane gives the following, from El Jabartee's History, vol. i, 

 obituary of tlie year 1188, as an example of the "innumerable miracles related to have 

 been performed Ijj' Muslim saints." The lamp of a certain saint "happening to go out 

 one night while he was reading alone in the riwak of the Jabart (of which he was the 

 sheykh), in the great mosque of El- Azhar, the forefinger of his right hand emitted a light 

 which enabled him to continue his reading until his nakeeb had trimmed and lighted 

 another lamp" (" Thousand and One Nights," 1839, i. 234). 



