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Culdees. monasteries of nuns, viz. that of La Conception and of 

 < ~*"V^"' Santa Teresa, are all buildings of a very superior or- 

 der. 



The climate of Cuenca is mild and healthy ; but sud- 

 den tempests, accompanied with dreadful thunder and 

 lightning, often take place when the sky is clear. Eve- 

 ry kind of flesh ; and pulse, vegetables, and fruits, 

 abound in the neighbourhood. 



The women of this province are very industrious ; 

 and the baizes and other articles which they fabricate, 

 which are esteemed for their quality and brilliancy of 

 colour, form a great article of commerce. A hat ma- 

 nufactory was established here some years ago, which 

 has proved one of the best and most useful in the city. 

 Sugar is made in great quantities, and is in high re- 

 pute ; and the conserves of fruits, called the caxelas 

 de Cuenca, are much admired. Large cheeses, resem- 

 bling those of Parma, are made in Cuenca, and find a 

 ready sale in Limn, Quito, and other cities. In the 

 territory to the south of the city is the height of Tar- 

 qui, where the base was measured by Bouguer and 

 Condamine for their trigonometrical operations. This 

 city was founded in 1557 by Gil Ramirez Davalos. 

 Ulloa states the population of this town at 20,000 or 

 30,000 ; but, according to much later accounts, it does 

 not exceed 14,000. West Long. 79° 14' 15", South 

 Lat. 2° 55' 3". See Peru and Quito. (*-) 



CULDEES, a body of religious, who chiefly resided 

 in Scotland, Ireland, and some of the adjacent isles. 

 The name has been also written Keldecs and Kyldees. 

 Various etymons have been given of it. Two of these 

 seem to have superior claims to attention. It may be 

 deduced either from Irish ceile, or gil'e, a servant, and 

 De, Dia, God ; or from aril, ceal, in Welsh eel, a se- 

 questered corner, a retreat. The latter seems to de- 

 rive support from the established sense of Kil, retained 

 in the names of so many places, which, in an early 

 age, have been consecrated to religion. 



It is more than probable, that Christianity had found 

 its way into Scotland before the close of the second 

 century ; and that it continued to be professed by a 

 few scattered individuals, even before the arrival of 

 Ninian, in the beginning of the fifth. But we have no 

 proof of the existence of any religious societies obser- 

 ving a particular institute till the year 563, when Cc- 

 lumba landed in Hii, or Iona; which, in honour of him, 

 was afterwards called I-colum-hll, i. e. the isle of Co- 

 lum, or Columba, of the cells. He was born in Ireland, 

 A. 521 ; and, after founding many seminaries of reli- 

 gion there, prompted by zeal for the propagation of 

 Christianity, set sail for Scotland with twelve compa- 

 nions. According to Bede, having converted the north- 

 ern Picts, he received from Brudi, their king, the is- 

 land of Hii in possession, for the purpose of erecting a 

 monastery. Here he almost constantly resided till 

 the year 597, when he died. He made occasional vi- 

 sits to the mainland, proceeding even as far as to In- 

 verness ; also to Ireland, where he was held in high es- 

 timation. As he was himself much devoted to the stu- 

 dy of the Holy Scriptures, he taught his disciples to 

 confirm their doctrines by testimonies brought from 

 this unpolluted fountain, and declared that only to be 

 the divine counsel which he found there. His follow- 

 ers, faithful to his instructions, " would receive those 

 things only which are contained in the writings of the 

 prophets, evangelists, and apostles, diligently obser- 

 ving the works of piety and purity ;" Bede, Hist. iii. 4. 

 They lived, indeed, according to a certain institute, 



which, it is said, was composed by their venerable in- 

 structor. But there was this remarkable distinction 

 between them and those societies properly called mo- 

 nastic, that they were not associated expressly for the 

 purpose of observing this rule. While they seem to 

 have reckoned something of this kind necessary for the 

 preservation of order, and for the attainment of habits 

 of diligence, their great design was, by the instruction 

 of those committed to their charge, to train them up 

 for the work of the ministry. Hence it has been justly 

 observed, that the Culdean fraternities may more pro- 

 perly be viewed as colleges than as monasteries, as be- 

 ing, in fact, the seminaries of the church both in North 

 Britain and in Ireland. There were also Culdees in 

 Wales ; and for many ages, the Christians of that coun- 

 try held the same doctrines, and observed the same 

 rites, with their Scottish and Irish brethren. The 

 presbyters not only acted as the ministers of religion 

 to those in their vicinity, but were still instructing 

 others, and sending forth missionaries whenever they 

 had a call, or any prospect of success. 



In each regular establishment of the Culdees, it would 

 appear that there were twelve brethren, with one who 

 presided over them. Their ecclesiastical government 

 has been viewed as materially the same with the Pres- 

 byterian. Their president, or abbot, was not a bishop, 

 but a presbyter ; to whose authority, as we learn from 

 Bede, even the bishops of the district were subject. In 

 their meetings, all matters were settled by plurality of 

 voices. The members of this council had the general 

 designation of seniores, or elders. To them, collective- 

 ly, belonged the trial of the gifts of those who had 

 been educated in their seminaries, when they were to 

 be employed in the public ministry ; from them they 

 received ordination and mission ; and to them they 

 were amenable in the discharge of their office. Those 

 whom they thus employed are, by ancient writers, of- 

 ten denominated bishops. But that they attached to 

 this designation no dignity superior to that of presby- 

 ter, appears incontrovertible from their being after- 

 wards called to account, and sometimes censured by 

 the fraternity. It has been asserted, by the friends of 

 diocesan episcopacy, that a bishop must always have re- 

 sided at Iona for the purpose of conferring ordination. 

 But there is not the slightest evidence of this. The 

 contrary appears from all the records of these early 

 ages. We learn from the Saxon Chronicle, that " there 

 was always an abbot at Hii, but no bishop." 



It is a singular fact, that those who were first ac- 

 knowledged as bishops in the northern parts of Eng- 

 land, and were indeed instrumental in the introduction 

 of Christianity there, were not only trained up at Iona, 

 but received all their authority from the council of se- 

 niors in that island. This was the case with respect 

 to Corman, the bishop of the Northumbrians, as well 

 as Aidan, Finan, and Colman, who succeeded each 

 other in this mission. From the testimony of Bede it 

 is evident, that by means of Scottish missionaries, or 

 of those Avhom they had instructed and ordained, not 

 only the Northumbrians, but the Middle-Angles, the 

 Mercians, and East-Saxons, all the way to the river- 

 Thames, that is, the inhabitants of by far the greatest 

 part of the country now called England, were convert- 

 ed to Christianity, and for some time acknowledged 

 subjection to the ecclesiastical government of the Scots, 

 The latter lost their influence, merely because their 

 missionaries chose rather to give up their charges, than 

 to submit to the prevailing influence of the church M' 



Oil Wee-" 



