31 



ledge regarding the history of his country — the cravings of which made 

 such an impression on Colgan's mind that he thrice alludes to it, and on 

 two ditferent occasions calls himpatriarim antiquitatum sitientissimus'^' — 

 there was a total freedom from selfishness. He sought the honour of his 

 country, not of himself ; and was satisfied that the fruits of his labours, 

 if only made to redound to the credit of loved Ireland, should pass into 

 other hands, and under their names be employed in their several pro- 

 jects, and at their discretion. Thus, in the Benedictine library of Key- 

 sersheym, in Switzerland, he copied the life of St. Colman, the patron 

 saint of Austria, for Hugh Ward.f At the monastery of St. Magnus, 

 in Ratisbon, he found the life of St. Erhard, of that city, and sent a 

 transcript to Ussher.J To this prelate, so opposed to him in matters of 

 polemical controversy, he made acceptable communications regarding St. 

 Brigid,§ and St. Columba ;|| and that this literary generosity was duly 

 felt, while his qualities of head and heart were appreciated, appears not 

 only from the Primate's public acknowledgments,^ but from the very 

 interesting glimpse at private life which the following letter afi'ords. 



To Colgan he transmitted a life of St. Patrick, which he copied from 

 an ancient manuscript at Biburg, in Bavaria from St. Magnus's, at 

 Eatisbon, he sent himUltan's Life of St. Brigid;ff and from Dilingen, 

 as I have already observed, he sent him the text for the Life of St. Co- 

 lumba. To his untiring generosity Fleming, also, was indebted for two 

 contributions for his Collectanea of Columbanus's writings.JJ 



* See note f f, p. 30, supra^ and note ff on this page. See also the extract from 

 Colgan's Preface, at p. 32, infra. 



t ''Vita S. Colmanni, quam sua manu exaratam e Csesariensi Benedictinorum in 

 Suevia coenobii Codice MS, nobis transmisit R, P. Stephanus Vitus Doctor S. Theologise, 

 et historiarum eruditissimus." Vardsei Rumoldus, p. 236. 



% Ita Conradus a Monte Puellarum Canonicus Ratisbonensis, in vita S. Erhardi, 

 quam ex codice MS. monasterii S. Magni Ratisbonge a se descriptam communicavit mihi 

 Stephanus Vitus." Ussher, Ec. Brit. Antiqq., cap. 16, vol. vi., p. 269. 



§ " Ex bibliotheca Cassinensi et Constantini Cajetani abbatis deprompta communi- 

 cavit nobis Stephanus Vitus." Ibid. p. 274, note^. 



II See the references in note **, p, 30, supra. 



^ See the three immediately preceding notes. " Id anonymus vita ipsius scriptor ex 

 Adamnano fusius explicat : quod, quoniam ex edito Adamnani opere desideratur, ut a Ste- 

 phano Vito humanissime communicatum accepimus, lectori hie integrum proponendum 

 censuimus." Ussher, ut supra, p, 466. 



** " Hanc nobis, ex membranis vetustis Biburgensibus in Bavaria descriptam, com- 

 municavit vir doctissimus, et patriarum antiquitatum zelosissimus investigator, P. 

 Stephanus Vitus Societatis Jesu." Colgan, Trias Thaum., p. 29 b. 



ft Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, Authore S. Vltano, descripta per Rev. Patrem Stephanum 

 Vitum, Soc. Jesu. "P. Stephanus Vitus concivis noster, vir patriarum antiquitatum 

 scientissimus et sitientissimus." Ibid^ p. 542 a. 



XX " Exemplar quo utimur, mihi exhibuit, cum Epistola et Sermone S. Columbani me- 

 moratis, R. Pater Stephanus Vitus Societat. Jesu, Sac. Theologise Doctor, et Professor 

 emeritus, antiquitatum suae gentis Hibernicge studiosissimus inquisitor (Patri Mattheo 

 Radero in sua Bavaria Sancta, ob uberem et accuratam rerum tam doraesticarum, quam 

 externarum peritiam, raerito dictus Polyhistor)." Collectanea Sacra, p. 3. 



