PATRICK, SAINT, a distinguished missionary of the 5th c., commonly known as the apostle of Ireland. There is some uncertainty as to the date and place of his birth. The year of his birth is variously assigned to the years 377 and 387, of which the latter, if not even a later date, is more probable. Of the place, it is only known for certain, from his own confession, that his father had a small farm near Bonavem Tabernite; and in one of the ancient lives he said to have been born at Nemtbur. Arguing on these data, connected with other collateral indications, some writers assign his birthplace to the present Boulogne-snr-Mer; others to a place i•the estuary of the Clyde (called from him Kilpatrick) at or near the modern Dumbarton. his father, he himself tells, was a deacon named Calpurnius; his mother, according to the ancient biographers, was named Conches or Conchessa; according to sonic of these authorities, a sister of St. Martin of Tours. Patrick's original name is said to have been Succat, Patricius being the Roman appellative by which he was known. In his 16th year he was seized, while at his father's farm of Bonavem Tabernim, by a band of pirates, and with a number of others was carried to Ireland, and sold to a petty chief, in whose he remained for 6 years; after which lie succeeded in effecting his escape, and. probably after a second captivity, went to France, where lie became a monk, first at Tours, and in the celebrated monastry of Lerins. In the year 431 he went to Rome, whence h was as sent by the pope of the day, Celestine, to preach in Ireland; Palladius, who had been sent as missionary to that country a short time before, having died. Such is the received account of his mission; but Dr. Todd, his latest biographer, regards this statement as erroneous, and fixes the date of his coming to Ireland 8 years later. He was ordained in France, and arrived in Ireland in 432. His mission was eminently successful. Ile adopted the expedient of addressing himself first to tilt chiefs, and of improving, as far as possible, the spirit of clanship, and other existing usages of the Irish for the improving, ance of his preaching; nor can it be doubted that he had much success in Christianizing the ancient Irish system of belief and of practice. By degrees he visited a large portion
of the kingdom, and baptized great numbers as well of the chieftains as of the people. According to the accounts of his Irish biographers, lie founded 365 churches, and bap tized with his own hand 12,000 persons. He is said also to have ordained a vast number of priests, and to have blessed very many monks and nuns. After he had been about 20 years engaged in his missionary enterprise, he is said to have fixed his see at Armagh about the year 454; and having procured two of his disciples to be ordained bishops, he held probably more than one synod, the decrees of which have been a subject of much controversy. He di:al at a place called Saul, near Downpatrick; and his relics were pre served at Downpatrick down to the period of the reformation. The place is still vener ated by the people. The date of his death is much disputed; the Bollandists placed it in 460, while Usslier holds it to have been 493. Dr. Todd inclines strongly to the latter opinion, in which case Patrick's age would have been 126, or at least 116. The only certainly authentic literary remains of St. Patrick are his "confession" and a letter, both of very rude Latinity, but of much historical interest. The letter is addressed to Coroticus, who is supposed to have been a Welsh chieftain named Ca radoc (from whom Cardigan is named), who had made a descent on the Irish coast, and slain or carried off, with circumstances of great cruelty, a number of the Irish, many of whom were neo phytes. These, with some other remains ascribed to him, as also decrees of synods, were published in Wilkins's COnCilia, and separately'by Ware, Opuscula S. _Mirka Adscripla (1656) and by Villanueva (Dublin. 1835). The latest biography of St. Patrick is that of the rev. J. it Todd, 1 vol. 8vo (Dublin, 1863).