66 Ficch, who most probably attended Patrick at his death, could not but know this to be a glaring fiction. Joceline himself, who usually far outstrips Fiech, reduces it to twelve days only, instead of three hundred," or 365 days; which he considered as utterly incredible, credulous as he was. Might not Fiech have intended it merely as a poctical licence, or hyperbole? Such are frequent in poetry, sacred and profane; "Moreover the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun; And the light of the Sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days : In the day that THE LORD bindeth up the breach of His people, And healeth the stroke of their wound." Lucem redde, dux bone, patriæ; Instar veris, enim, vultus ubi tuus Affulsit populo, gratior it dies, Isa. xxx. 26. Et soles melius nitent. Hor. Od. iv. 5, 5. Early in the spring of A. D. 433, the second of his mission, Patrick attacked the chief seat of Druidical idolatry, however hazardous the attempt. He pitched his tent at a place called Ferta fir Ficch, "the graves of the men of Fiech," on the north bank of the river Boyne, near Slane: and had the hardihood, on Easter-evc (March 25th, that year), to light up the paschal fire, about six miles distant from the temple of Temor," the great house," on the hill of Tarah," the law;" where the monarch of Ireland, Laogaire, with his assembled Druids, nobles and people, were preparing, the same evening (the eve of the vernal equinox*), to celebrate the solemnity of Baal's fire; when the sight of Patrick's fire, kindled earlier than the sacred fire, in express violation of the national law, struck the king and the whole assembly with the utmost astonishment and dismay: and the Druids declared to the king, that unless that fire was immediately extinguished, he who kindled it, and his successors, should hold the principality of Ireland for ever. On this occasion, when brought before the king, the Apostle boldly preached Christ to the whole assembly; and such was the reputation of his sanctity, that he not only escaped punishment, but even converted Dubtach, the king's bard, and Fiech, a young poet under his tuition, afterwards appointed bishop of Sletty; to whose conversion, we may be assured, the predictions of the Druids, which he has reco:ded, contributed not a little. *The modern Church of Rome, wishing to retain the pagan ceremony of Baal-tinne, yet not so as to interfere with the celebration of Easter, at the vernal equinox; with their usual accommodating policy, postponed it to May-day; which is now called by the vulgar, La Baal-tinne. On this day the May-pole is erected, that obscene emblem of the pagan Phallus, or Lingam. Laogaire himself is said, by the Monkish his torians, to have been converted; but it appears from the Irish annals, that he perished by lightning, in his infidelity, For, in A. D. 457, the twenty-ninth of his reign, Laogaire having invaded the Lagenians, or men of Leinster, to enforce the payment of tribute, was defeated by them, and taken prisoner, in the battle of Athadara," the ford of the oaks :" and in order to procure his release, he swore by the sun, the winds, and the elements, that he would invade them no more during his life. But the very next year, A. D. 458, he broke his oath, and invaded them again: wherefore he was slain near Cassia, between two hills, Erin and Albania, in the country of Faolan (perhaps Ophely): the sun and the winds slew him, because he forsware them, As the old poet said; Atbath Laogaire mac Neill for taob Caissi, glas antir; Duile De ad racgaidh raith-tuc sat dail mbais for san righ. 66 Laogaire, son of Neill, fell near Cassia, a green region; The elements of God, whose oath he had violated, Might not this legend somehow allude to the forementioned battle of Bethoron, in which the elements fought against the devoted Canaanites? This signal instance of divine vengeance, and the similar instance in Samuel's days, against the Philistines, would naturally strike great terror, and be recorded among their neighbours, the Phenicians, and handed down by tradition to their Irish colonies. The next great Druidical solemnity was held at Talte, à mountain in Meath, where the Taltine games, called Fogh more ratha, "the season of great festivity," were annually celebrated, for fifteen days before, and fifteen days after, the summer solstice. The Monkish writers say, they were instituted so early as A. M. 2764, or B. C. 1188, during the siege of Troy, by Lugaidh lam Fadah, the twelfth king of Ireland: but the Annals of the Four Masters, with more probability, depress them to A. M. 3370, or B. C. 582. See O'Conor, Prol. i. pp. 33, 34; Prol. ii. pp. 13, 35, 38. By a ûsual compromise with paganism, in the Old Roman Ecclesiástical Calendar, St. John Baptist's day, June 24, is substituted for the pagan solstice festival, and is there called solstitium vulgi, the "vulgar solstice:" on the vigil, or eve of which, in imitation of their pagan ancestors, the native Irish, still light up bon-fires, or sacred fires, on the hills; and, in sport, leap themselves, and drive their cattle, through the fires; as formerly practised in the horrid sacrifices to Baal. Patrick attended these games also, and is said to have made many converts, especially Connal, the brother of king Laogaire, and great grand father of St. Columbkille, who gave him ground to build a church upon. From thence he proceeded to Magh-Adair, the field of Adoration, in Cavan, on the confines of Connaught, where, at the autumnal equinox, was celebrated the third Druidical solemnity, called Oiche Samhin, and also Geimh-ratha (or, corruptly, Geimhre), "the season of groaning," from the groans and shrieks of the human victims then offered in sacrifices to their idol, Crom-cruach, noticed before. According to the Monkish historians, our Apostle pulled down this idol. The fourth Druidical solemnity of the year was celebrated at the winter solstice, called Iarratha (and, corruptly, Ear-rach), i. e. "the last season," or quarter of the year. The new-moon nearest to the winter solstice was celebrated by the Pagans with peculiar ceremonies and superstitious usages. In ancient times, the chief Druid, attended by crowds of people, went into the woods on that night, and cut with a golden sickle a branch of the misletoe of the oak, and carried it in procession to the sacred grove. The people also cut branches for themselves, and carried them home, after they had been blessed or consecrated by the chief Druid. Whence the usage of adorning the pews of our churches and chapels with ever-greens, in lieu of misletoe, at Christmas*. In the Christmas gambols of the Mummers, formerly celebrated in France, and still in Scotland, traces of Druidis |