re, as well as in Irish ballads found in MSS. dating from the
seventeenth century onwards, the saint is a sour and intolerant cleric,
and the Fians are equally intolerant and blasphemous pagans. There is no
attempt at compromise; the saint rejoices that the Fian band are in
hell, and Oisin throws contempt on the God of the shaven priests. But
sometimes this contempt is mingled with humour and pathos. Were the
heroes of Oisin's band now alive, scant work would be made of the monks'
bells, books, and psalm-singing. It is true that the saint gives the
weary old man hospitality, but Oisin's eyes are blinded with tears as he
thinks of the departed glories of the Fians, and his ears are tormented
"by jangling bells, droning psalms, and howling clerics." These ballads
probably represent one main aspect of the attitude of the Church to
Celtic paganism. How, then, did the more generous _Colloquy_ come into
being? We must note first that some of the ballads have a milder tone.
Oisin is urged to accept the faith, and he prays for salvation. Probably
these represent the beginning of a reaction in favour of the old heroes,
dating from a time when the faith was well established. There was no
danger of a pagan revival, and, provided the Fians were Christianised,
it might be legitimate to represent them as heroic and noble. The
_Colloquy_ would represent the high-water mark of this reaction among
the lettered classes, for among the folk, to judge by popular tales, the
Fians had never been regarded in other than a favourable light. The
_Colloquy_ re-established the dignity of the Fian band in the eyes of
official Christianity. They are baptized or released from hell, and in
their own nature they are virtuous and follow lofty ideals. "Who or what
was it that maintained you in life?" asks Patrick. And Caoilte gives the
noble reply, "Truth that was in our hearts, and strength in our arms,
and fulfilment in our tongues." Patrick says of Fionn: "He was a king, a
seer, a poet, a lord with a manifold and great train; our magician, our
knowledgeable one, our soothsayer; all whatsoever he said was sweet with
him. Excessive, perchance, as ye deem my testimony of Fionn, although ye
hold that which I say to be overstrained, nevertheless, and by the King
that is above me, he was three times better still." Not only so, but
Caoilte maintains that Fionn and his men were aware of the existence of
the true God. They possessed the _anima naturaliter Christia