White — Latin Writings of St. Patrick. 



281 



bolical style ; and it is not natural to take aptid plur. in connection 

 with rust, et min. He was riisticissimtis et minimus omn. fid. in his 

 own estimation, contemptihilissimus in that of others. 



P. 235, 1. 4. — Calpornum diaconum^ &c. — According to Ep. 10, 

 Patrick's father was a decurio in his native village, as well as a 

 deacon of the church : " Ingenuus fui secundum carnem, decorione 

 patre nascor." Muirchu (E), cap. 1, repeats the statement of the 

 Confession as to the ecclesiastical rank of Calpornus (" Cualfarni 

 diaconi ortus ") and Potitus ; Marianus Scotus, in his Chronicle, Ann. 

 372, reverses it: "Presbyter fuit ipse Calpum, filius diaconi nomine 

 Potid." Similarly Yit. Trip., p. 9 ; while the Hymn of St. Piacc 

 suppresses the fact that Patrick's father and grandfather were both 

 in Holy Orders : " Son of Calpurn, son of Otide, grandson of deacon 

 Odisse." The same pedigree is also found in the Leabhar Breac twice, 

 and in the Book of Leinster. 



If Odissus were a deacon, this would be a sufficient objection to the 

 insertion of the words filii Odissi (A after Potiti^ since preshyteri 

 would naturally be taken with Odissi, not with the remoter antecedent. 

 The Preface (13) to the Hymn of St. Sechnall agrees with Marianus 

 Scotus in the statement that Potitus was a deacon, not a presbyter. 

 The words are : " As to Patrick, his origin was of the Britons of Her- 

 cluaide : Calpurn was his father's name ; Potaid his grandfather's, who 

 was a deacon ; Conchess, fiu'ther, was his mother ; Lupait and Tigris 

 were his two sisters." 



Patrick's mother's name is also given by Muirchu (B), cap. 1 : " matre 

 etiam conceptus Concesso nomine," and the Vita iv. 1, which quotes as 

 if from the Confessio : " Ipse testatur lib. Epist., PJgo sum Patricius 

 Kalfurnii filius matrem habens Concliessaw,^ Marianus Scotus adds, 

 1. c, that she was sister to St. Martin of Tours. " She was a kins- 

 woman of Martin's." (Yit. Trip., p. 9.) 



The reading of E, Calpurnium diaconem quondam, is intended to 

 suggest that Calpurnius had renounced his orders before his marriage. 

 Jocelin, on the other hand (Yita vi. 1), represents his ordination as 

 having taken place after the birth of his children. 



P. 235, 1. 4. Filium quendam. — "A son." The reading quondam, 

 " Son of the late Potitus," is pointless. 



P. 235, 1. 5. — Qui fuit uico is also the reading of Muirchu (B), 

 cap. 1. 



P. 235, 1. 5. — Bannauem Taherniae. — The most ancient comment on 

 this name is that given by Muirchu (B), cap. 1, "Bannauem thaburindec 

 haut procul a mari nostro, quern uicum constanter indubitanterque 



K.I. A. PP.OC, VOL. 5XV., SEC. c] [24] 



