312 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



se recoleret nullum lunieu ex more dei seruo niolente misisse, nuntium suum illuc misit, 

 ufc idem nuntius caute notaret quid regius iuuenis, pauper spiritu factus, ibidem perageret. 

 Sed idem lumtius tanquam explorator peditentim per fisurat; ac rimas hostioli prospiciens, 

 quinque digitos sinistre mauus amici dei ceu quinque luminaria molendinum totaliter 

 dilucidare preuiderat. Verum qui diceute scriptura " Nullus gladius acutiorquam conscia 

 uirtus " iuuenis deo dilectus, hanc dei uirtutem semper latere uolens, ne plausus et fauor 

 populi magnitudiue rei geste mentem eius extolleret, oommotus aliquantulum animo, 

 eidem legato celeri iraprecatus ait, "Quia," inquit, "me o iuuenis in secreto dei opera 

 agentem temerario oculo uidere presumpsisti, grus domestica, que in cella tecum cora- 

 moratur, eundem oculum, cum redieris, tibi eruat." Qnod ita factum est. Nam cum 

 idem iuuenis cuvsitans rem ordine gestam paudere citius desideraret, iuxta uiri sancti 

 imprecationem grus autelata in hostio celle puero celerarii unum oculorum rostro tere- 

 brauit. Cuius uulueris dolore puer idem damans et plangens, circumstantibus claustri 

 senioribus ao sancto patri Molue que miracula queque lumiuaria erga uirura dei in 

 molendino tierenfc, quanta etiam ]jroprii corporis dampna pro tarn furialilius ausis receperit 

 lacrimosis questibus intimauit. Quod senior sanctus ipsius claustri Molua abbas audiens 

 dixit . . . Et ea uelocitate, sic deo uolente, oculum sanitati restituit sicut eundem subita 

 cecitate lumine priuauit. 



The Life of St. Flannaii has the marks of a comparatively late date; 

 and it is scarcely possible that O'Donnell, or any earlier writer on St. Columba, 

 borrowed from it. This extract from it is, therefore, only another witness to 

 the fact that the episode related by O'Donnell comes from a tradition both 

 ancient and widely known. 



But tlie discussion of these miracles has consumed too much space. Let 

 us return to O'Donnell, and we shall nnd, if I am not mistaken, some 

 indications of truth in his narrative. I begin with the lesser points. The 

 pei'son whom St. Columba visited, and from whom he borrowed the book, was 

 Finnian of Druini Fiun,whic]i is certainly the place now known as Dromin, 

 Co. Louth. That tliere was a church of St. Fintan at Dromin in the early 

 part of tlie fifteenth century is proved by the appointment of Nicholas 

 Alyxander as its rector on 20 February, 141v;.' Thus there can be no 

 question that a saint named Fintan, or Finnian, or Finn, was the founder 

 of Dromin, and that it takes its name from him. But I have found no 

 mention of any such person in the Kalendars. This may be explained either 

 by supposing that this Finnian was a very obscure saint, or that Dromin was 

 a minor foundation of a man whose name is usually associated with another 

 place. In either case it may be regarded as extremely unlikely that a spurious 

 legend would give him such prominence under this title. A concocted story, 

 even if founded on some shreds of fact, would rather have substituted a better 

 known for the less familar name, so as to make the opponent of Columba a 

 saint of high repute. Now Eeeves states positively that St. Finnian of 



'Register of Archbishop Fleming, f. 45 (Calendar in Proceedings, vol. xxx, sec. C, 

 p. 148, no. 192). 



