famed for his studious occupations. Educated first by
Finnian of Moville, then by another tutor of the same
name at the famous school of Clonard, he journeyed to
other centres for further instruction after his ordination.
From youth he loved books and studies. He is represented
as reading out of doors at the moment when the murderer
of a young girl is struck dead. In later life he realized
the importance of monastic records. He had annals
compiled, and bards preserved and arranged them in the
monastic chests. At Iona the brethren of his settlement
passed their time in reading and transcribing, as well as in
manual labour. Very careful were they to copy correctly.
Baithen, a monk on Iona, got one of his fellows to look
over a Psalter which he had just finished writing, but
only a single error was discovered.[1] Columba himself
became proficient in copying and illuminating. He could
not spend an hour without study, or prayer, or writing, or
some other holy occupation.[2] He transcribed, we are told,
over three hundred copies of the Gospels or the Psalter--a
magnification of a saint's powers by a devout biographer,
but significant as it testifies to Columba's love of
studious labours, and shows how highly these ascetics
thought of work of this kind. On two occasions, being a
man as well as a saint, he broke into violence when crossed
in his love of books. One story tells how he visited a holy
and learned recluse named Longarad, whose much-prized
books he wished to see. Being denied, he became wroth
and cursed Longarad. "May the books be of no use to
you," he cried, "nor to any one after you, since you withhold
them." So far the tale is not improbable, but a little