White — Latin Writings of St. Patrick. 



203 



was undertaken, and who kindly communicated to me an unpublished 

 paper of critical notes on the Biblical quotations in St. Patrick's 

 writings ; and in this connexion I must acknowledge my obliga- 

 tions to Mr. Y. C. Burkitt, of Cambridge, who was good enough 

 to read over the proof-sheets of my own notes on the Biblical citations, 

 and supplied me with some important references, especially to St. 

 Cyprian. I am also indebted to Prof. H. J. Lawlor, d.d., for some 

 valuable suggestions. 



If this paper contributes in any degree to the presentation of 

 the mind of St. Patrick — his qualitas — in somewhat sharper outline 

 than has hitherto been the case, it will have fulfilled its purpose. 

 The scope of the paper is very limited, as I have deemed it advisable 

 to confine myself altogether to St. Patrick's Latin Writings. The 

 critical narrative of his personal history is in more competent hands. 



INTRODUCTOKY MATTEE. 



The Manuscripts and Text. 



The manuscripts of the Lihri Sancti Patricii that are at present known 

 to scholars are six in number : — 



(1) . That contained in folios 22-24 of the Book of Armagh, in the 

 Library of Trinity College, Dublin. These leaves present considerably 

 more than half the Confessio. It is only necessary here to note that 

 the Book of Armagh was transcribed between a.d. 807 and a.d. 846, 

 by Ferdomnach, the official scribe of Armagh (see Graves, Proceedings^ 

 Royal Irish Acad., vol. iii. p. 316 ; Bury, jEng. ITist. Review, Ap., 

 1902, p. 238, n.). This ms. is cited as A. The first person to make 

 literary use of A was Ussher in his Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti- 

 quitates, DuUinii, 1639. Ussher's citations will be noticed further on 

 when the Bollandist text comes under consideration. The Confessio 

 was printed in extenso by Sir James Ware in the editio princeps. 

 S. Patricio, Qui Hilernos ad fidem Ckristi convertit, adscripta opuscula, 

 Londini, 1656. 



I am indebted to Dr. Gwynn for permission to use the proof-sheets 

 of his reproduction of the Book of Armagh for the purposes of this 

 edition. 



(2) . The MS. which is cited by Haddan {Councils, Sfc, Haddan and 

 Stuhhs) as B, was first published — at least so far as the writings of St. 



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