St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of ArmaghBernard, of Clairvaux, Saint
History
St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh
Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint
Malachy, Saint, 1094?-1148
[520] This probably represents the Saxon name Sighere. Jocelin, who
tells this story (_Vita S. Waltheni_ in _AA.SS._, Aug., i. 255), says
that Sycarus (or as the MSS. of his tract call him, Figarus) was a
priest _de Neubato_ (v.l. _Neuvelt_). _i.e._, I suppose, of Newbald, a
parish near Market Weighton, and about twenty-three miles from York.
[521] Acts xiv. 9.
[522] Rev. xix. 10.
[523] John i. 30.
[524] Ps. xciv. 11.
[525] Matt. v. 15; Mark iv. 21; Luke xi. 33.
[526] Gen. xli. 13 (vg.).
[527] Cp. § 39.
[528] 2 Kings vi. 18, etc.
[529] Printed text, _Wallenus_, obviously an error for _Walleuus_
(_Wallevus_), which is the reading of A. The name occurs also in the
form Waldeve. St. Waltheof was the younger son of Simon de St. Liz,
earl of Northampton, by his wife Matilda, daughter of Waltheof, earl
of Northumberland. After Simon's death Matilda married David,
afterwards (1124) king of Scots. That Waltheof was the stepson of
David I. is a fact not unimportant for readers of the _Life of St.
Malachy_. After living for some time in Scotland Waltheof retired to
the Augustinian priory of St. Oswald, Nostal. Subsequently, but at
what date seems to be unknown, he was appointed prior of Kirkham. But,
desirous of a more austere life, he resigned the priory, and entered a
Cistercian house at Wardon, Bedfordshire. From it he soon migrated to
Rievaulx in Yorkshire, and took the vows of the Order. On the
deposition of Richard, first abbot of Melrose, he was elected as his
successor in 1148. He died August 3, 1159. (Life by Jocelin in
_AA.SS._, Aug, i. 248). His visit to Malachy proves that the fame of
the latter had come to his ears--probably through the Scots who knew
him at Lismore (§ 8). It indicates also that Malachy stayed at York
long enough to allow the news of his arrival to be sent to Kirkham.
[530] The ruins of Kirkham Abbey remain in the parish of Weston, about
sixteen miles north-east of York. This house of Augustinian canons was
founded in 1121 by Walter Espec and his wife Adeline. The first prior
was William, rector of Garton, uncle of Espec. Dugdale (vol. vi. 1.
pp. 207-209), overlooking Waltheof, mentions no other before 1190.
[531] The first Cistercian monastery in Scotland, founded in 1136 by
David I. It was a daughter of Rievaulx, from which, as we have seen,
Waltheof was called to be its abbot. Its church of St. Mary was
consecrated July 28, 1146. It is on the bank of the Tweed, not far
from Old Melrose, the site of a community founded in the seventh
century, of which St. Cuthbert was a member. See James A. Wade,
_History of Melrose_.
[532] Deacons.
[533] _Runcinus_, the Old English _rouncy_ (Chaucer, _Prol._ 390).
From this incident the inference is clear that during the whole
journey to Rome and back most of Malachy's companions were always on
foot, and that the party went at a walking pace.
[534] 1 Sam. iii. 19. Cp. Matt. x. 29.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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