Hence St. Patrick returned to Inis, the Habitation of Dichu, and in his Journey converted great Numbers to the true Faith of Christ. In some time, he took his Leave of Dichu, and bent his course Southward by Sea, keeping the Coast on his Right-hand, and arrived at Port Colbdi, where he landed, and committed the Care of his Vessel to his Nephew Luman, desiring him to wait for him there forty Days, while he and his Disciples were travelling in the inner Parts of the Country to preach the Gospel. His Intention in this Journey was, to celebrate the Festival of Easter in the Plains of Bregia, and to be in the Neighbourhood of the Great Triennial Convention at Tarah, which at this Season was held by King Leogair, and all his Tributary Princes, Nobles, Druids, Annalists, and Fileas. St. Patrick wisely foreseeing that whatever Impressions he should make on this august Assembly must have an Influence on the whole Kingdom, and therefore, being supported with invincible Christian Fortitude, resolved not to be absent from a Place where his Presence was so conducive to the Ends of his Holy Ministry.
Never did the Spirit of popular Freedom exert itself more powerfully or harmoniously, than in those truly parliamentary Triennial Conventions of Ireland, where the supreme Monarch, the Provincial Kings, the feudatory Lords, the Nobles, landed Men, Druids, &c. by the [pg 020] unbiased Suffrages of the People, convened for the Peace, good Government and Security of each particular Province, as well as those of the whole Kingdom. Many Centuries had this wise Constitution subsisted here, before our Neighbours, even of South Britain, knew any thing relative to Houses, or Raiment; it being notorious that so late as the Arrival of Julius Cæsar among them, they painted their Bodies, to render them terrible, and lived in the open Fields. It is really somewhat surprzing that People so near in Situation, should differ so essentially in Disposition, as the Inhabitants of those Islands have in all Ages; Hospitality having been the distinguishing Attribute of the Irish, and it's opposite Defect, that of the Britons; the Account given of them by Horace 1700 and odd Years ago, Visam Britannes Hospitibus feros, being as literally applicable to them at this Day, where the Force of Education doth not operate to mitigate their natural Ferocity.
But to return: St. Patrick in his Way to Tarah, took up his Lodgings at the House of the hospitable Sesgnen in Meath, who kindly received and welcomed him. St. Patrick preach'd Christ and his Gospel to him; he believed, and was baptized with his whole Family.
From the House of Sesgnen, he moved Westward, and arrived on Easter Eve at Fierta-fir-feic, on the Northern Banks of the River Boyne, where he rested, resolving there to prepare for the next Day's Solemnity. It was penal for any Person at the Time of the Celebration of this solemn Convention at Tarah, to kindle a Fire in the Province, before the King's Bonfire first appeared. I am of Opinion this was a religious Ceremony, as the chief Deity of the ancient Inhabitants, [pg 021] in exterior Worship especially, was Bel, or Belus; whence Apollo or Ap-haul, the Son of the Sun, whom they emblematically worshipped, by those fiery Offerings; whence the first Day of May, peculiarly dedicated to this Bel, is even now in Irish, called Lha-Bel-Thinih, and probably from the same Source may be derived the Custom of lighting up Bonfires, and Sops, on the Eve of the 24th Day of June. St. Patrick however, either not knowing or not minding this Ceremony, lighted up a Fire before his Booth, which altho' eight Miles distant from Tarah, was very visible. It was seen with Astonishment from Court, and the Druids informed the King, that if he did not immediately extinguish the Fire, he who kindled it, and his Successors, should for ever hold the Principality of Ireland; which hath hitherto turned out a true Prediction of those Heathen Priests, in a Primatial and Spiritual Principality.
The King dispatched Messengers to bring Patrick before him, and gave his positive Orders, that nobody should presume to rise out of his Seat, or pay him the least Honour: But Ere, the Son of Dego, ventured to disobey this Command; he arose, and offered the Holy Father his Seat. St. Patrick preached to him and converted him. He became a Person of eminent Sanctity, and after some Time was consecrated by St. Patrick, Bishop of Slain.
The Day following, when St. Patrick and two of his Disciples appeared unexpectedly at Court, and preached to the King and his Nobles, Dubtach, the King's Poet Laureat, payed Honour and Respect to the Saint, and was converted by his Preaching. Fiech, a young Poet, who was under the Tuition of Dubtach, was also converted, [pg 022] and afterwards made Bishop of Sletty, and is said to have been the Author of a celebrated Poem, composed in Praise of St. Patrick. Anselm, Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, relates the Conversion of Tingar, the Son of Clito, (one of the Nobles in this Assembly,) in the same Manner. The Queen also, and many others of the Court, became Christians; and altho' the King held out for a long Time with great Obstinacy, yet at last he submitted to be baptized. St. Patrick is said here to have wrought many Miracles: There could not truly, even according to the Purposes of human Wisdom, have happened a more solemn or weighty Occasion, for God Almighty's supporting this Holy Preacher by Miracles, than when the collective Body of the whole Nation was assembled together; from whose Report and Conviction, the Influences of his blessed Works and Doctrine must of Course spread through the whole Kingdom.
His Conduct and Proceedings here, with a particular Detail of the Miracles wrought by him, may be had at large in the History of his Life, published by John Colgan.
From Tarah, the Saint proceeded next to Talten, not far from thence, at the Season of the Royal Diversions: Here he preached to Cairbre, and Conall, the two Brothers of King Leogin; the former received him with great Indignity, and perversely shut his Ears against his Doctrine; but Conall believed, and was baptized, and gave St. Patrick a Place to build a Church on.
This Conall was Great-Grand-Father to Columb-Kill. He spent the Remainder of this Year in Meath and Louth, and the Districts adjoining, preaching, and converting great Numbers of People. The Taltenian Sports above-mentioned, [pg 023] have been much celebrated by the Irish Historians, and Antiquaries. They were a kind of warlike Exercises, somewhat resembling the Olympick Games, consisting of Racing, Tilts, Tournaments, Wrestling, Leaping, Vaulting, and all other manly and martial Exercises, which gave Rise to the many hyperbolical Tales, formerly related of those Taltenian Sports. They were exhibited every Year at Talten, a Mountain in Meath, for fifteen Days before, and fifteen Days after the First of August. Their first Institution is ascribed to Lughaid-lam-fadha, the twelfth King of Ireland, who began his Reign A. M. 2764 (a sufficient Proof of Ireland's Antiquity as a Kingdom). They were ordained by Lughaid, in Gratitude to the Memory of Tailte, the Daughter of Magh-More, (a Prince of some Part of Spain) who having been married to Eochaid, King of Ireland, took the same Lughaid under her Protection, and had the Care of his Education in his Minority. From this Princess both the Sports, and the Place where they were celebrated, took their Names: From Lughaid, the First of August was called Lugnasa, or the Memory of Lughaid, Nasa signifying Memory, in the Irish Language.
In the Year of the World 2700, Gideon then reigning fourth Judge of the Hebrews, appear'd many Heroes, as Hercules, Orpheus, Castor, Pollux, the Argonauts, Jason, Laomedon, Thesæus, Dedalus, &c. The Amazones, Heroines of Scythic Extraction, having lost their Husbands in Battle, took up Arms themselves, with a manly Spirit of Resentment, and (inspired with Love of their deceased Husbands, and Grief for so great and irretrievable a Loss!) subdued Asia, and built Ephesus. Hercules and Thesæus waged [pg 024] War against those Heroines, and defeated them, more to the Glory of the Vanquished than their own, those Matrons having defended themselves with surprizing Resolution. They cut off the Guards set over them, and escaped the Severity and Pride of their Conquerors. Hercules, in Honour of such extraordinary heroick Females, instituted the Olympick Games; as likewise did Thesæus, the Isthmian, in the Year of the World, about 2700, the Taltenian Sports, the very same with the Olympick, brought sixty-four Years after from Spain into Ireland, by Tailte, and her Followers. Now this Tailte, Queen of Ireland, was the Grand-daughter of an Amazone Princess, those immortal Females having, with their Progeny, Friends and Followers, to avoid the ruinous Hostilities of Hercules and Thesæus, sought Shelter in Spain, whither they imported the Learning of Trismegistus, the Grandson of Mercury, and Glory of Ægypt, together with all the literary Arts derived into Greece, from Phœnicia, by Cadmus, the Brother of Europa, about the Year of the World 2530, Othoniel then reigning the first Judge of the Hebrews. The Posterity of this ancient and illustrious Colony, about the Year of the World 3000, (Solomon then reigning with great Splendour, third King of the Hebrews) settled in this Kingdom, as before observed: So that, by an impartial Estimate of Dates, Periods, and Facts, our Origin is well ascertained, our early Possession of Letters, wise Policy, and the politer Arts, proved, and the Remark of an Italian Monk in the 7th Century, from the University of Mongret, in an Epistle to his Correspondent at Rome, justified, Nil mirum Populum hunc Celtico Scythicum è præclarâ Amazonidum stirpê oriundum, verâ Religionê et [pg 025] incorruptâ Fide illuminatum, sapientia Doctrina optimisque Morbidus ornatum, viros fortes et Fæminas castas plerumque procreare. A Rescript of this Original Epistle still extant, in the Vatican Library, some Years ago in the Hands of Father Don Levy, may therefore, I believe, be found in the College of Lombard at Paris.