Boulogne-Sur-Mer: St. Patrick's Native TownFleming, William
History
Boulogne-Sur-Mer: St. Patrick's Native Town
Fleming, William
Patrick, Saint, 373?-463?
The events may be briefly stated as follows: Niall succeeded Criomthan
in the year 376. In the ninth year of his reign, or A.D. 385, he
prepared an expedition against the Picts, who were harassing the Scots
settlers in North Britain. Having completed his task, he overran
England, and finished his raid by crossing over to Armorica, before
returning triumphant to Ireland with St. Patrick amongst his captives.
Now St. Patrick, who was born in the year 373, passed his thirteenth
and fourteenth years while King Niall was chastising the Picts in
Scotland and ravaging Britain; but he had reached his fifteenth year in
the year 388, when the Irish fleet sailed from Armorica to Ireland. The
words of the Saint in his Epistle to Coroticus: "Have I not tender
mercy towards the nation which formerly took me captive," place the
Saint's capture by the Irish Scots beyond doubt, whilst they confirm
Keating's declaration that King Niall captured St. Patrick in his first
raid to Armorica.
The capture of the Saint in Armorica is confirmed by the Scholiast, by
the Tripartite Life, and by Probus. St. Patrick, as we have already
seen, was captured while residing at his father's "villula" in the
suburban district of Bonaven Tabernise, or Bononia, where the Roman
encampment stood. This account harmonises with the "Celtic Legend,"
which narrates that at that period, "when Bononia was invaded by the
Irish pirates, a mutiny broke out among the soldiers in the encampment,
which rendered the city an easy prey to the invaders. Calphurnius, the
Roman officer defending Caligula's tower, was slain, and his son
Patrick was carried into captivity" ("La Legende Celtique per le
Vicomte Hersart de la Villemarque," p. 8).
According to the "Book of Sligo," as has been seen already, the Apostle
of Ireland first saw the light of day on Wednesday, April 5th; not on
Wednesday, April 5th, 372, as Usher imagined, for, as Ware points out,
April 5th did not fall on Wednesday, 372, but on Wednesday, 373. There
is overwhelming evidence to prove that St. Patrick died in the year
493, having attained the 120th year of his age. Usher, Ware, the
Tripartite Life, the "Vita Secunda," the "Vita Quarta," the "Leabhar
Braec," the "Annals of the Four Masters," the "Annals of Innisfail,"
the "Book of Howth," the "Annals of Tigernasch," the "Chronicon
Scotorum," the "Annals of Boyle," Marianus Scotus, Nennius, Geraldus
Cambrensis, Florence of Worcester, and Roger of Wendover all maintain
this. The year of the Saint's birth may, therefore, be accurately
obtained by subtracting 120 from 493, the date of his death. This
process will show that St. Patrick was born in 373, and captured in the
very year of King Niall's raid into Armorica, 388, when the Saint had
attained his fifteenth year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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