The Purgatory of St. PatrickCalderón de la Barca, Pedro
Religion
The Purgatory of St. Patrick
Calderón de la Barca, Pedro
Patrick, Saint, 373?-463? -- Drama
The remaining half of 'Mateo Rodulfo' turns out to be Ranulphus or
Ralph, Higden, the Monk of Chester, whose Polychronicon is quoted
both by Messingham and Montalvan. The 'Domiciano' of the next line,
which is 'Dominicano' in Montalvan, has so completely got rid of the
name to which it belongs, that without the aid of Calderon's
authorities, Messingham and Montalvan, it would be impossible to know
who was meant. In Messingham the reference is to 'Jacobus Januensis,
the Dominican, in the Life of St. Patrick,' and in Montalvan to
'Jacobo Januense, o Genuense, Dominicano.' The person thus disguised
is the famous Jacobus de Voragine, the Dominican, author of 'The
Golden Legend,' who was Bishop of Genoa in 1292, and died at a very
advanced age in 1298. Of the 'Legenda Aurea', the fiftieth chapter
is devoted to St. Patrick.
'Membrosio' is called 'Mombrisio' in Montalvan, and 'Mombrusius' in
Messingham. Correctly it was neither. The writer referred to is
'Boninus Mombritius', a fine copy of whose 'Sanctuarium' is in the
British Museum. At fol. 188, t. ii, there is a full account of the
Purgatory, the name of the adventurous visitor being 'Nicolaus'. Of
Mombritius, whom he calls Bonin Mombrice, the same writer (Baillet),
from whom I have already quoted, says:--
"Cet homme peu connu d'ailleurs etoit Milanois de naissance,
conseiller on fils de conseiller au senat de Milan; il vivoit du tems
de Galeas Marie, duc de Milan, qui fut tue l'an 1476, et du Pape
Sixte IV., qui mourut en 1484. Il s'etoit deja fait regarder comme
grammairien, poete, orateur et philosopohe par divers ouvrages, mais
aucun ne lui fit tant d'honneur que son 'Sanctuaire', qui est le
titre qu'il donna a son recueil d'actes des Saints dedie a Simonete,
secretaire des ducs de Milan." -- 'Discours', p. lvii.
'Marco Marulo' is Marcus Marulus, Cap. xiv., Lib. 6, of whose work,
"De religiose vivendi institutione per exempla," is entitled "De
revelationibus infernalium poenarum." -- 'Apul Sanctam Coloniam.
Anno M.D.XXXI.
In this there is an account of a certain Irish monk, "cui Petro nomen
fuit," who appears to have entered the Purgatory in vision. This is
probably the passage which Messingham and Montalvan quote, though a
different reference is given.
'Maurolicus Siculus', who follows next in Messingham and Montalvan,
is omitted by Calderon.
"David Roto, y el prudente Primado de toda Hibernia," are one and the
same person. This was the famous David Rothe, Bishop of Ossory, so
intimately connected in 1642 with the Confederation of Kilkenny, of
which an excellent history has been written by the Rev. Charles
Meehan, M.R.I.A. The epithet "prudente" seems to have been a happy
condensation of the many terms of encomium lavished upon this
celebrated man by Messingham. Alluding again to his classification
of his authorities under the first four letters of the alphabet,
Messingham says:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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