King Murchertachus and the clergy of his kingdom petitioned Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, who was then primate of that part of Ireland, to let Waterford be made a bishop's see; to which petition he consented, and ordained one Malchus, whom they had elected, first bishop of the place. Nay, both these catalogues also take notice of four archbishoprics in Ireland, which number of metropolitans was first introduced by Pope Eugenius, anno 1151, as Baronius 27 has observed out of

Roger Hoveden 28; and the same thing is noted by Matthew Paris 29, Simeon Dunelmensis 30, Gervasii Chronicon 31, and others of our English writers. Yet because we have no catalogues of Irish dioceses older or more authentic than these, it will not be amiss to insert them in this place. That in Camden 32 has the four archbishoprics and their suffragans in this order.

Sub Archiepiscopo Armachano.

1. Midensis, or Elnamirand. 2. Dunensis, or Dundalethglas. 3. Clochorensis, or Lugundunensis. 4. Connerensis. 5. Ardachadensis. 6. Rathbotensis. 7. Rathlucensis. 8. Daln-liguirensis. 9. Dearrihensis.

Sub Archiepiscopo Dublinensi.

1. Glendelacensis.

2. Fernensis. 3. Osseriensis, or De Ca

nic. 4. Lechlinensis. 5. Kildarensis.

Sub Archiepiscopo Cassiliensi.

1. Laoniensis de Kendalnan. 2. Limricensis. 3. De Insula Gathay. 4. De Cellumabrath. 5. Melicensis, or De Emileth. 6. Rossiensis, or Roscreensis. 7. Waterfordiensis, or De Batilfordian. 8. Lismorensis. 9. Clonensis, or De Cluanania. 10. Corcagiensis. 11. De Rosalither. 12. Ardefertensis.

Sub Archiepiscopo Tuamensi.

1. Duacensis, or Killmacduoc. 2. De Mageo. 3. Enachdunensis. 4. De Cellaiaro. 5. De Roscomon. 6. Clonfertensis.

28 [A native of Yorkshire, an old English historian, at the end of the twelfth and beginning of the thirteenth century. His Annales, commencing at the year 731, the period where Bede left off, and continuing to the year 1202, were edited by Savile, Lond. 1596. fol., and were reprinted at Francfort in 1601.

29 His Historia Major Angliæ extends from William the Conqueror to the last year of Henry the Third. See Oper. Paris. 1644. (p. 60 g.) Johannes Papiro Cardinalis, legatione fungens in Hibernia, quatuor ibi constituit archiepiscopos, &c.

30 Another English historian of the twelfth century. Historia Ecclesia Dunnelmensis, &c. Ed. Bedford, Lond. 1732. 8vo. See also in Twysden's Historia Anglicanæ Scriptores, Lond. 1652. p. I.

31 A monk of the monastery of Christ's Church, Canterbury. He flourished in the thirteenth century. Among some other works, his Chronicle extended from 1122 to 1200. See in Twysden as above, Lond. 1652. p. 1338.

32 Britannia, Lond. 1607. pp. 735, 736. ED.]

7. Achadensis. 8. Ladensis, or Killaleth. 9. De Conany. 10. De Killmunduach. 11. Elphinensis.

The other catalogue in the Provinciale Romanum, published by Carolus à Sancto Paulo in the Appendix to his Geography, advances the number of suffragans to fifty-three, in the following order.

Sub Archiepiscopo Armachano.

1. Connerinensis. 2. Deconnannas. 3. Dedamlialiagg. 4. Dedundaleglas. 5. Deardarchad. 6. Dedarrich. 7. Ingundunum. 8. Deralhboth. 9. Dunensis, or Drumorensis. 10. Elualnirand, or Midensis. 11. Derathlurig. 12. Renensis, or Reuelensis, or Crocorensis. 13. Cluanensis, or Cluanerdensis. 14. Rochinosensis, or Rathbotensis. 15. Artagadonensis, or Ardocadensis. 16. Conerensis. 17. Heugamensis.

Sub Archiepiscopo Dublinensi.

1. Glendelacensis. 2. Caldetensis, or Kiscarensis. 3. Glensis, or Gluisonensis. 4. Ossinensis. 5. Darensis. 6. Gaininch. 7. Licelinensis.

Sub Archiepiscopo Cassellensi, [or Cassiliensi.]

1. Decendaluensis, or Laonensis. 2. Derostreensis, or Wldifordianus. 3. Deartefertensis. 4. Lunech. 5. Lismorensis. 6. Firmaberensis, or Fymbarrensis. 7. De Insula. 8. Deduanamensis, or Cluanensis. 9. Laudensis. 10. Carthax. 11. Tubricensis. 12. Decellininabrach. 13. Deconeagia, vel Corcagensis. 14. Artfertelensis. 15. Denulech, or Umblicensis. 16. Derosailitchir. 17. Waterfordensis.

Sub Archiepiscopo Tuamensi.

1. Demageonensis. 2. Achadensis. 3. Nelfinensis. 4. Decellaid. 5. Deconairi. 6. Eacdunensis. 7. Roscomon. 8. Decelmundaiach. 9. Cluartifertensis. 10. Deculuanferd. 11. Duacensis. 12. Bladensis.

This seems to have been the greatest number of bishops that ever Ireland had since it was a Christian nation. For as to the

pretence of some modern writers, that there were at one time no less than three hundred and sixty-five bishops ordained by St. Patrick, it is solidly refuted by Dr. Maurice 27, who shows plainly that the story is not to be understood of so many bishops at once, but of that number in the reign of four kings successively, and in the compass of one hundred years; which any one that carefully reads Bp. Usher's Antiquities 28, whence the ground of the story is fetched, will easily discern: and it is no hard matter to conceive then how there might be three hundred and fifty, or, as Nennius tells the story, three hundred and sixty-five bishops in the compass of a whole century, though there were not above fifty or threescore at any one time living together. Another error committed by Carolus à Sancto Paulo in reference to the bishops of this nation, which makes the whole number of them subject to a single abbot, has been already rectified in speaking of the ascetics 29, where I have shown he mistakes Hibernia for the little Isle of Huy in the north of Scotland; where a monastery was founded by Columbanus, the abbots of which, by an unusual custom,' as Bede calls it, had some sort of superiority over the province of the northern Picts, and the provincial bishops too; but this has no relation to Ireland, nor any other part of Scotland than what has been now mentioned.

As to the original state of dioceses in Scotland, Carolus à Scotland. Sancto Paulo, for want of light from ancient history, could give no account of them, and therefore he only sets down the modern names. Under the archbishop of St. Andrews eight dioceses. 1. Dunkeld. 2. Brechin 3. Aberdeen. 4. Rosse. 5. Moravia, or Muray, [or Moray.] 6. Caithness. 7. Dumblain, [or Dunblane.] 8. The islands called Orchades, [or Orcades.] Under the archbishop of Glasgow three. 1. Candida Casa, or Whitern. 2. Lismore. 3. The Islands, that is, the Hebrides, [or Hebudes,] or Western Islands, whereof Iona was one of the chief. The principal town of this island, called Sodora, was made a bishop's see by Gregory IV, anno 840, whence the bishop of all those forty-four islands, to

27 Defence of Diocesan Episcopacy. (pp. 153-155.) This order of saints lasted for four reigns, &c.

28 Ch. 17. pp. 491, seq. (Works,

v. 6. p. 517.) Sub B. Patricio epi-
scopi clari, &c.

29 See b. 7. ch. 3. s. 14. v. 2.
p. 374.

gether with the Isle of Man, which then was but a part of that diocese, had the name of Episcopus Sodorensis. But when the Isle of Man fell into the hands of the English, the Western Islands withdrew their obedience from their ancient bishop, who commonly lived in this island, and set up another bishop of their own, who for a long time retained the title of Sodorensis, but at last he relinquished that title to the bishop of the Isle of Man, and took the name of Insulanus, Bishop of the Isles, which he still retains. The Provinciale Romanum makes no mention either of this diocese of these islands, or that other of the Orchades; but speaks of one called Dearegarchel, belonging to the Pope, and makes Glasgow only a suffragan to St. Andrews. By which it appears that it is not many ages since Glasgow was made an archbishopric, the bishop of St. Andrews being then the only metropolitan among them. But about ancient dioceses we must not be very solicitous; for whatever fabulous writers affirm, it is certain from Bede that no part of this nation, possessed by the Picts, was converted till the fifth century, when first, in the time of Arcadius and Honorius, the southern Picts were converted by Ninias [or Nynias], a Briton, who built a church at Candida Casa, which was the first cathedral in that part of Scotland, and which gave the denomination of Whitern to the place, as Bede 30 observes, because the church was built of stone, which was not a very usual thing among the Britons in those days.' The northern Picts were not converted till above an hundred and

fifty years after this. For their apostle was Columbanus, the

30 Hist. 1. 3. c. 4. (p. 106.) Siquidem anno incarnationis Dominicæ quingentesimo sexagesimo quinto, quo tempore gubernaculum Romani Imperii, post Justinianum, Justinus Minor accepit, venit de Hibernia presbyter et abbas, habitu et vita monachi insignis, nomine Columba, Britanniam; prædicaturus verbum Dei provinciis Septemtrionalium Pictorum, hoc est, eis, quæ arduis atque horrentibus montium jugis, ab australibus eorum sunt regioni. bus sequestratæ. Namque ipsi Australes Picti, qui intra eosdem montes habent sedes, multo ante tempore, ut perhibent, relicto errore idololatriæ, fidem veritatis accepe

rant, prædicante eis verbum Nynia episcopo reverentissimo et sanctissimo viro, de natione Britonum, qui erat Romæ regulariter fidem et mysteria veritatis edoctus; cujus sedem episcopalem, sancti Martini episcopi nomine et ecclesia insignem, ubi ipse etiam corpore una cum pluribus sanctis requiescit, jam nunc Anglorum gens obtinet. Qui locus ad provinciam Berniciorum pertinens, vulgo vocatur Ad Candidam Casam; eo quod ibi ecclesiam de lapide, insolito Britonibus more, fecerit. See before, b. 8. ch. 1. s. 10. v. 3. p. 17. n. 89. and ch. 2. 8. I. p. 40. n. 92.