In Add. Notices Lomman (p. 335) is described as his sister’s son, and four brothers of Lomman are named as bishops in Ireland; and (p. 340) a brother of Patrick is mentioned as father of Náo and Naí. It is to be observed that none of the names are Latin. Does Patrick’s statement in the Letter against Corot. 377₁₅ (quis me compulit—alligatus spiritu—ut non uideam aliquem de cognatione mea?) justify the inference that none of his cognati were in Ireland?
[The story which places Patrick’s capture in Armorica (Vit. Trip. p. 16; Probus, i. 12; Schol. on hymn Gen. P., etc.) has obviously no historical value, being clearly prompted by the motive of connecting Patrick with Brittany. It has an interest, however, in preserving the name “Sechtmaide, king of the Britons”—a reminiscence apparently of the Emperor Septimius Severus.]
[P. 26.]—Men-servants and maid-servants. This addition to the data of the Confession comes from the Letter against Coroticus, 377₁₉.
[P. 31.]—Port to which Patrick escaped. He mentions the distance himself: ducenta milia passus (Conf. 361₃₃). Wicklow would suit either theory of the place of captivity. Of course the distance must not be pressed too closely, but it is to be remembered that Patrick wrote when he had fuller knowledge of the geography than he can have had at the time of his escape. The reason for conjecturing Wicklow is that it seems to have been a port where foreign ships might be looked for; both Palladius and Patrick landed there. Muirchu calls it portum apud nos clarum (275₁₂).
[P. 32.]—Suck their breasts: sugere mammellas eorum, Conf. 362₁₈. I conjecture that the origin of this remarkable phrase, which clearly means to enter into a close intimacy, was a primitive ceremony of adoption. Among some peoples, when a child is adopted, a rite of mock-birth is performed; for instance, the child is placed under the dress of the adoptive mother, and creeps out. For the custom of mock-suckling see Frazer’s Golden Bough,² vol. iii. p. 380, note. The make-believe suckling is analogous to, and has the same emblematic meaning as, a make-believe parturition; and it will be admitted that this explanation satisfies perfectly the present context: “I declined to let myself be adopted by them.” It is not necessary to infer that a literal adoption was proposed to Patrick by any of the crew; the expression is merely figurative for a close and abiding intimacy (just as we use colloquially the phrase “to be adopted”).
It has been thought that the expression is taken from the Vulgate rendering of Isaiah lx. 16: suges lac gentium et mamilla regum lactaberis. Even if it were so, the point of the phrase would not be explained, but Mr. White has shown on other grounds the improbability of such a reference. There are no other vestiges of the use of the Vulgate in Patrick’s citations from the O.T., whereas there is unmistakable evidence of his use of an Old-Latin version (see White, Proc. of R.I.A. 1905, p. 231, and the note on the passage).
[P. 34.]—They came to the habitations of men: Conf. 363₃₁,₃₄ ad homines. This is certainly the right reading, and stood in the MS. used by Muirchu (495₃₂). The Cod. Arm. gives omnes, which is unsuitable in the context.
[Ib.]—“Thou shalt remain with them two months.” Patrick refers here to a second captivity (363₂₅), and his words (which are not lucid) misled his biographers (beginning with Muirchu) into supposing that he was captured on some later occasion. But I cannot think that his words: et iterum post annos multos adhuc capturam dedi, refer to the two months which he spent with the traders. They come in curiously after the incident of the dream, and before the mention of the two months. Post annos multos cannot naturally be taken of the six years of his captivity in Ireland, but must mean a term of years after his escape. I believe that the sentence is a parenthetical reference to his life-work in Ireland, conceived as a second captivity. “And again, after many years, my captivity was continued.” The motive of this abrupt observation was the preceding dream, to which he attributes great significance; it furnishes, in fact, the interpretation of the dream. The second banishment to Ireland is prefigured by the great stone which lay upon his body, and which he could not resist; the sun which lightened its weight is the divine guiding which made that banishment endurable.
Chapter III
[P. 37.]—Patrick at Lérins. Dictum Patricii, see above, [App. A, i. 3]; Tírechán, 302₂₃ erat hautem in una ex insolis quae dicitur Aralanensis annis xxx, mihi testante Ultano episcopo. It seems obvious that the Bollandists and Todd were right in supposing that Aralanensis arose from Lerinensis. The more recent view that Arelate is meant seems very improbable; though the name Arelate may conceivably have influenced the corruption (cp. [App. C, 6], ad fin.).