St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh Part 9

[250] Donough Mac Carthy. See next note. There is a brief notice of him in Tundale, p. 42.

[251] That the narrative of this and the following section is historical, but that St. Bernard has misplaced it, is proved by the following extract from _A.T._ under the year 1127: "A hosting by Toirdelbach, king of Ireland [really of Connaught], till he reached Corcach, he himself on land and his fleet at sea going round to Corcach, ravaging Munster by sea and by land so that he drove Cormac mac meic Carthaig into Lismore in pilgrimage. And Toirdelbach divided Munster into two parts, the southern half [Desmond] to Donnchad mac meic Carthaig; and the northern half [Th.o.m.ond] to Conchobar o Briain.... Cormac mac meic Carthaig came from his pilgrimage, and made an alliance with Conchobar o Briain and with all the men of Muma, save those of Tuathmuma. Donnchad mac meic Carthaig came from them--for he was not in the alliance--with 2000 men."

The other Annals have notices to the same effect. These events occurred in 1127, three years after Malachy returned from his long stay at Lismore, and was made bishop of Connor (- 16). If he had the part which is ascribed to him in the restoration of Cormac, he must therefore have paid two visits to Lismore, which St. Bernard has confounded. That he was in the south of Ireland for a considerable time prior to 1129 will appear later (p. 40, n. 2).

[252] Rom. xii. 19.

[253] _Necessitatem in uirtutem conuert.i.t._ Apparently a proverbial expression. Cp. Quintilian _Declam._ iv. 10: "Faciamus potius de fine remedium, de necessitate solatium"; Jer. _Adv. Rufin._ iii. 2: "Habeo gratiam quod facis de necessitate uirtutem"; _Ep._ 54. 6 (Hilberg): "Arripe, quaeso, occasionem et fac de necessitate uirtutem." Chaucer's "To maken vertu of necessitee" is well known (_Knightes Tale_, 3042, _Squieres Tale_, 593, _Troilus and Criseyde_, iv. 1586).

[254] Gen. ix. 6.

[255] Gen. iv. 10.

[256] Ps. cxix. 103.

[257] Ps. vi. 6 (vg.).

[258] Ps. xxiv. 18.

[259] Ps. lxvi. 20.

[260] Ecclus. li. 11.

[261] Ps. x.x.xvii. 37 (vg.).

[262] Ps. cxlvi. 7.

[263] 2 Chron. x.x.xvi. 22.--Conor O'Brien. See p. 21, n. 3. It appears from the last sentence of the pa.s.sage there quoted that Donough MacCarthy, to whom Turlough O'Conor had given the kingdom of Desmond, had driven out O'Brien from Th.o.m.ond. This explains the anxiety of the latter to make alliance with Cormac. His action was less disinterested than St. Bernard represents it.

[264] Luke xxi. 15.

[265] Malchus.

[266] Judas Maccabaeus.

[267] 1 Macc. iii. 60.

[268] Mark vi. 20.

[269] Ps. cxix. 46.

[270] Acts ix. 15.

CHAPTER II

_Malachy's pity for his deceased sister. He restores the Monastery of Bangor. His first Miracles._

11. (6). Meanwhile Malachy's sister, whom we mentioned before,[271]

died: and we must not pa.s.s over the visions which he saw about her. For the saint indeed abhorred her carnal life, and with such intensity that he vowed he would never see her alive in the flesh. But now that her flesh was destroyed his vow was also destroyed, and he began to see in spirit her whom in the body he would not see. One night he heard in a dream the voice of one saying to him that his sister was standing outside in the court, and that for thirty entire days she had tasted nothing; and when he awoke he soon understood the sort of food for want of which she was pining away. And when he had diligently considered the number of days which he had heard, he discovered that it went back to the time when he had ceased to offer the _living bread from heaven_[272]

for her. Then, since he hated not the soul of his sister but her sin, he began again the good practice which he had abandoned. And not in vain.

Not long after she was seen by him to have come to the threshold of the church, but to be not yet able to enter; she appeared also in dark raiment. And when he persevered, taking care that on no single day she should be disappointed of the accustomed gift, he saw her a second time in whitish raiment, admitted indeed within the church, but not allowed to approach the altar. At last she was seen, a third time, gathered in the company of the white-robed, and _in bright clothing_.[273] You see, reader, how much _the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth_.[274] Truly _the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force_.[275] Does not the prayer of Malachy seem to you to have played the part as it were of a housebreaker to the heavenly gates, when a sinful woman obtained by the weapons of a brother what was denied to her own merits? This _violence_, good Jesus, Thou who _sufferest_ dost exercise, strong and merciful _to save_,[276] _showing_ mercy and _strength with thine arm_,[277] and preserving it in thy sacrament for _the saints which are in the earth_,[278] _unto the end of the world_.[279] Truly this sacrament is strong to _consume_ sins,[280]

to defeat opposing powers, to bring into heaven those who are returning from the earth.

12. (7). The Lord, indeed, was so preparing His beloved Malachy in the district of Lismore for the glory of His name. But those who had sent him,[281] tolerating his absence no longer, recalled him by letters.

When he was restored to his people,[282] now better instructed in all that was necessary, behold _a work prepared_ and kept by _G.o.d_[283] for Malachy. A rich and powerful man, who held the place of Bangor and its possessions, by inspiration of G.o.d immediately placed in his hand all that he had and himself as well.[284] And he was his mother's brother.[285] But kinship of spirit was of more value to Malachy than kinship of the flesh. The actual place also of Bangor, from which he received his name,[286] the prince[287] made over to him, that there he might build, or rather rebuild, a monastery. For indeed there had been formerly a very celebrated one under the first father, Comgall,[288]

which produced many thousands of monks, and was the head of many monasteries. A truly holy place it was and prolific of saints, _bringing forth_ most abundant _fruit to G.o.d_,[289] so that one of the sons of that holy community, Lugaid[290] by name, is said to have been the founder--himself alone--of a hundred monasteries. I mention this in order that the reader may infer from this one instance what an immense number of others there were. In fine, to such an extent did its shoots fill Ireland and Scotland[291] that those verses of David seem to have sung beforehand especially of these times, _Thou visitest the earth and blessest it; thou makest it very plenteous. The river of G.o.d is full of water: thou preparest their corn, for so thou providest for the earth, blessing its rivers, multiplying its shoots. With its drops of rain shall it rejoice while it germinates_;[292] and in like manner the verses that follow. Nor was it only into the regions just mentioned, but also into foreign lands that those swarms of saints poured forth as though a _flood had risen_;[293] of whom one, St. Columba.n.u.s, came up to our Gallican parts, and built the monastery of Luxovium, and was _made there a great people_.[294] So great a people was it, they say, that the choirs succeeding one another in turn, the solemnities of the divine offices went on continuously, so that not a moment day or night was empty of praises.[295]

13. (8) Enough has been said about the ancient glory of the monastery of Bangor. This, long ago destroyed by pirates,[296] Malachy eagerly cherished on account of its remarkable and long-standing prestige, as though he were about to _replant a paradise_,[297] and because _many bodies of the saints slept_ there.[298] For, not to speak of those which were _buried in peace_,[299] it is said that nine hundred persons were slain together in one day by pirates.[300] Vast, indeed, were the possessions of that place;[301] but Malachy, content with the holy place alone, resigned all the possessions and lands to another. For indeed from the time when the monastery was destroyed there was always someone to hold it with its possessions. For they were both appointed by election and were even called abbots, preserving in name but not in fact what had once been.[302] And though many urged him not to alienate the possessions, but to retain the whole together for himself, this lover of poverty did not consent, but caused one to be elected, according to custom, to hold them; the place, as we have said, being retained for Malachy and his followers. And perhaps, as afterwards appeared,[303] he would have been wiser to have kept it all; only he looked more to humility than to peace.

14. So, then, by the command of Father Imar, taking with him about ten brethren, he came to the place and began to build. And there, one day, when he himself was cutting with an axe, by chance one of the workmen, while he was brandishing the axe in the air, carelessly got into the place at which the blow was aimed, and it fell on his spine with as much force as Malachy could strike. He fell, and all ran to him supposing that he had received a death-wound or was dead. And indeed his tunic was _rent from the top to the bottom_,[304] but the man himself was found unhurt, the skin so very slightly grazed that scarcely a trace appeared on the surface. The man whom the axe had laid low, stood unharmed while the bystanders beheld him with amazement. Hence they became more eager, and were found readier for the work. And _this was the beginning of the miracles_[305] of Malachy. Moreover the oratory was finished in a few days, made of smoothed planks indeed, but closely and strongly fastened together--a Scotic work,[306] not devoid of beauty.[307] And thenceforward G.o.d was served in it as in the ancient days; that is, with similar devotion, though not with like numbers. Malachy presided over that place for some time,[308] by the ordinance of Father Imar,[309] being at once the ruler and the rule of the brethren. They read in his life how they should behave themselves, and he was their leader _in righteousness and holiness before G.o.d_;[310] save that besides the things appointed for the whole community he did many things of an exceptional kind, in which he still more was the leader of all, and none of the others was able to follow him to such difficult practices.

At that time and place a certain man was sick, and the devil stood by him and suggested in plain speech that he should never heed the admonitions of Malachy, but if he should enter his house, he should attack and kill him with a knife. And when this became known, those who ministered to him, the sick man himself informing them, brought word to Malachy and warned him. But he, seizing his accustomed weapons of prayer, boldly attacked his enemy, and put to flight both disease and demon. _But the_ man's _name was Malchus_.[311] He is brother according to the flesh of our Christian, abbot of Mellifont.[312] For both are still alive, now brothers yet more, in spirit.[313] For when he was delivered, immediately he was not ungrateful, but in the same place, having _turned[314] to the Lord_,[315] he changed both his habit and his mind. And the brethren knew that the evil one was envious of their prosperity; and they were edified and made more careful henceforth.

15. (9). At the same place he healed a cleric, named Michael, who was suffering from dysentery and despaired of, by sending him something from his table. A second time, when the same person was smitten with a very grave disorder, he cured him both in body and mind. And from that moment _he clave to_ G.o.d[316] and to Malachy His servant, fearing _lest a worse thing should come unto him_,[317] if once more he should be found ungrateful for so great a benefit and miracle. And at present, as we have heard, he presides over a monastery in the parts of Scotland; and this was the latest of all Malachy's foundations.[318] Through such deeds of Malachy both his reputation and his community increased daily, and his name became great both within and without the monastery, though not greater than the fact. For indeed he dwelt[319] there even after he was made bishop, for the place was near the city.[320]

FOOTNOTES:

[271] See - 6. Malachy's sister is here said to have died while he was at Lismore; but whether during his earlier or later visit to that place cannot be determined.

[272] John vi. 51.

[273] Acts x. 30.

[274] Jas. v. 16.

[275] Matt. xi. 12.

[276] Cp. Isa. lxiii. 1.

[277] Luke i. 51.

[278] Ps. xvi. 3.

[279] Matt. xxviii. 20.

[280] Ps vii. 9 (vg.).

[281] Cellach and Imar (- 8).

[282] That is to Armagh. But see p. 36, n. 5.

[283] Eph. ii. 10 (vg.).