y, and had the comfort of seeing it crowned with abundant
success. His death took place on the 17th of March, 493.

The greater number of the Irish are now Romanists, and fancy that St.
Patrick was so too, and that he was sent by the Pope to Ireland. But he
has left writings which clearly prove that this is quite untrue. And
moreover, although the bishops of Rome had been advancing in power, and
although corruptions were growing on the Church in his time, yet
neither the claims of these bishops, nor the other corruptions of the
Roman Church, had then reached anything like their present height. Let
us hope and pray that God may be pleased to deliver our Irish brethren
of the Romish communion from the bondage of ignorance and error in which
they are now unhappily held!

The Church continued to flourish in Ireland after St. Patrick's death,
and learning found a home there, while wars and conquests banished it
from most other countries of the west. In the year 565, the Irish Church
sent forth a famous missionary named Columba, who, with twelve
companions, went into Scotland. He preached among the Northern Picts,
and founded a monastery in one of the western islands, which from him
got the name of Icolumbkill (that is to say, the _Island of Columba of
the Churches_). From that little island the light of the Gospel
afterwards spread, not only over Scotland, but far towards the south of
England, and many monasteries, both in Scotland and in Ireland, were
under the rule of its abbot.

For hundreds of years the schools of Ireland continued to be in great
repute. Young men flocked to them from England, and even from foreign
lands, and many Irish missionaries laboured in various countries abroad.
The chief of those who fall within the time to which this little book
reaches, was Columban (a different person from Columba, although their
names are so like). He left Ireland with twelve companions, in the year
589, preached in the east of France for many years, and afterwards in
Switzerland and in Italy, and died in 615, at the monastery of Bobbio,
which he had founded among the Apennine mountains. One of his disciples,
Gall, is styled "The Apostle of Switzerland," and founded a great
monastery, which from him is called St. Gall.

CHAPTER XXVI.

CLOVIS.

A.D. 496.

The most famous and the most important of all the conversions which took
place about this time was that of Clovis, king of the Franks. From being
the chief