White — Latin Writings of St. Patrick. 287 



explained from the great similarity of the letters f and f (s) in mss. 

 Atnicitias (CF4) is a not very intelligent attempt to solve the 

 difficulty by a reference to the context, "Fac nobiscum amicitiam," 

 and mammas (BF3E) is a natural substitution for the not very 

 obvious diminutive mammellas, 



"We may, I think, dismiss the idea that there is any reference here 

 to the Vulg. of Is. Ix. 16, " Suges lac gentium, et mamilla regum lacta- 

 beris." Whatever may be the case with regard to the^N". T., there 

 are no traces of the Vulg. in Patrick's citations from the 0. T. ; and 

 he quotes Isaiah five times. The LXX is irXovrov /Jao-iXewv </)ay€o-at, 

 " Divitias regum comedes" (Hieron. in Esai.). Some plausibility 

 is given to the reference by the transposition of clauses effected by 

 Dr. W. Stokes, who places quia gentes erant immediately after Dei. The 

 words of Isaiah convey a promise of an advantageous domination over 

 the Gentiles. Here the context implies that sugere mammellas refers 

 to some compliance with heathen customs, some form of ratification of 

 friendship, which Patrick judged to be inconsistent with his " fear of 

 God " ; but that his hope of converting some of the heathen sailors to 

 Christianity induced him to remain in their company. Prof. Bury 

 takes a similar view. See his note on p. 321. 



P. 240, 1. 16. (^^wz^^s = ' heathen ' : cf. Conf. 34, 37, 48, Ep. 1, 14. 



P. 240, 1. 17. — Ohtinui. — Ducange assigns to oltinere in Low Latin 

 the meanings occupare, tiincere, superare. It does not, of course, mean 

 to ' remain ' or ' stay,' but the context demands that sense to be assigned 

 to the word here : " So I clave to them " (Ferguson). 



P. 240,1. 18. — Terram caepimus. — Muirchu (B), cap. 1, says: ''Ad 

 Britanias nauigauit." This, Professor Bi^ry considers a blunder due 

 to a misunderstanding of the statement in § 23, " Et iterum post 

 paucos annos in Britannis eram." {Guardian^ Nov. 20, 1901.) But 

 see Introd., p. 225. 



P. 241, 1. 6. Refecti. — The ellipse of est or sunt after the past 

 participle is common in St. Patrick: cf. Ep. 3, "Dum crudeliter 

 trucidati atque mactati." 



P. 241, 1. 6. Canes eorum repleti stmt. — The reading carnes (CFi*) 

 is due to some scribe who did not understand how the dogs came to 

 be with the sailors. JReuelati (BFgPt) is plainly an emendation of 

 releuati (CF4), and means that the dogs that were left behind, having 

 somehow obtained food, overtook their masters. 



P. 241, 1. 12. Deo gratias must be connected with what follows, 

 as in Conf. 23, 42, Ep. 17. Vita ii. 19 represents the words as having 

 been actually spoken by Patrick in reply to the heathen : " Et dixit P., 

 Deo gratias ago." Muirchu (B), cap. 2, extends the abstinence of 



