due venera

spect;

987 is a fact abundantly testified by the evidence of viewed by our ancient records; an instance or two in illus- them with tration of which may be inserted here for the tion and resatisfaction of the reader. And first, in the Life as illustrated of St. Columba attributed to Adamnanus, we in Adamnanus' Life are informed that on a certain occasion there of St. Cocame to visit the Saint, a strange bishop from lumba, the province of Munster, "who from feelings of humility did all in his power to conceal his rank, so that no person might know that he was a bishop:" but however on the Lord's day, when the bishop, having been requested by Columba to consecrate the Holy Eucharist, had invited him to come forward" that they might break the bread of the Lord together, as two presbyters, the Saint on this coming up to the altar, and casting a sudden glance at his face, addresses him in these words-" The blessing of Christ be on thee brother; break thou this bread by thyself alone, as it is meet for a bishop to do. For now know we that thou art a bishop; why then hast thou thus far attempted to disguise thyself, that we should not render thee the veneration due unto thine office."*

dotes of bi

Again, when the monks of Hy were sending and in Aidan to be their missionary in the Northum- Bede's anecbrian realm, they took care to have him first "elevated to the episcopal order."t

Adamn. Vit. S. Col. lib. i. 26, Canis. (44. Colg.)

Under

† p. 174 sup.

shops Aidan

and Finan.

Case of

Cedd's con

this Aidan was founded the church of Lindisfarne, after the model of its parent Hy: and from Lindisfarne again, bishop Finan having sent Cedd, a presbyter, to preach the Word among the East Angles, and learning afterwards what good success had attended his labours, he "appointed him bishop over that nation, having secration by called in two other bishops to assist him in the ordination service. And he then having been thus promoted to the episcopal order, returned once more to his province, and pursuing with greater authority the work he had already begun, erected churches in different places, and ordained priests and deacons, to assist him in the preaching of the faith and the administering of baptism."

three bi

shops.

The unbroken lines of Irish episcopal succession

varied as to position, from place to place, in

the course of years.

This latter passage, and the one from Dallan Forgaill above cited, clearly testify, that the distinction of Christian ministers into three orders was well known and in use among the ancient Irish. But that any of the present dioceses of Ireland has enjoyed a regular and unbroken succession of bishops belonging to a particular locality, from the very commencement, we have no evidence, but rather the contrary;—a circumstance which need excite little surprise, when we consider the manner in which the several sees first came into existence. On this topic we

V. Bed, Ec. Hist. iii. 22.

cannot suggest to the reader any observations more to the purpose than those comprised in the following judicious remarks of the reverend and learned author of the "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor, and Dromore," (p. 136.)

sees of Ire

a monastic

"Most of the ancient sees of Ireland appear The ancient to have had a monastic origin, the founders being land mostly either bishops, or presbyters who associated traceable to bishops with them in the government of their origin. houses. But in such cases the memory of the founder was revered more as the father or first abbot than as bishop, and hence it was that the term comorba, coworba, which was applied to a successor in the government of the institution, had reference to his abbatial, not episcopal office. Of these successors some were only superiors, and others, according to their inclination or qualifications, were advanced to the episcopal rank. Hence while the abbatial succession was carefully maintained, there were occasional breaks in the episcopal line. Not that it is likely that the compass of a modern bishopric was ever without some one monastic establishment which had a bishop, but that the succession was not uninterruptedly preserved in any one monastery, not even in that one which, by some accident came to be the cathedral of the diocese. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that

Several ancient sees often com

prehended in a single modern dio

cese;

as in the cases of Meath,

Down,

the diocesan arrangement, if any existed, was very fluctuating, according as one religious establishment started into existence, enjoying the superintendence of a distinguished head, or another sunk into obscurity, or was governed by a presbyter or lay abbot. Such an interruption,' observes Dr. Lanigan, 'might have occurred in less distinguished sees or places, owing to the singular practice in Ireland of raising persons to the episcopacy, here and there, without confining such promotions to old established sees, or places where there had been bishops in former days. The appointment of a bishop in a new spot might have prevented the regular continuation of others in a contiguous place which had bishops before.' ”*

The larger dioceses of Ireland, as they now stand, are generally formed of collections of the smaller sees of ancient times which have been reduced to the condition of parishes, and of districts not in primitive times assigned to any diocese. So the modern diocese of Meath includes within its limits upwards of 20 churches which are on record as having been at one time or another the seats of bishops; (including the five mentioned at p. 617 sup.) In like manner Down includes, besides the ancient see of Dunlethglas, (afterwards called Dundalethglas, and

Lanigan, Ec. Hist. iii. 235.

now Downpatrick) the following churches, which were formerly at one time or another superintended by bishops, viz, Rathcolpa, now Raholp; Nendrum, now Mahee Island, in Lough Strangford; Maghbile, now Moville; Beannchair, now Bangor; and Rathmurbuilg, now Maghera, about 9 miles S.W. of Downpatrick. In like and Connor. manner we find in Connor as it stands at present, the ancient sees of Connor, Airthirmuighe, (now Armoy,) Cuilrathain, (now Coleraine,) Rechran or Rathlin Island, &c.; and so of the other sees of Ireland. From the scanty records of such matters which remain to us, the Rev. Wm. Reeves has collected the names and obits of 38 bishops who flourished in Churches now included in the union of Down, Connor, and Dromore, before the settlement of the dioceses at Rathbreasail, i. e. in the period from A.D. 493 to A.D. 1118.*

of any particular eccle

foundation

From a slight glance through the recorded The cowarb obits of the eminent clerics connected with any of those ancient sees, we may easily see the truth siastical of the assertion already made, that the Coworba, at one time or successor of the founder of the Church, was a bishop, at in some cases abbot, sometimes bishop, and time not. sometimes both. Thus in the case of the see of Down, the most ancient obits on record

another