great caution, as Lanigan points out: "The scholia of the Scholiast,"
he remarks, "are not the composition of one person. For instance, in
scholion 5, the Letha mentioned in the hymn is properly explained by
Armorica, or the maritime tract on the North-West of Gaul; while in
scholion n it is interpreted of Latium, in Italy. In scholion 9 we read
that on a certain occasion St. Patrick said, 'Dar mo dhe broth,' which
is explained, 'God is able to do this if He choose'; and yet
immediately after it is added that 'Dar mo dhe broth' was a sort of
asseveration familiar to St. Patrick, signifying 'By my God, Judge, or
judgment.' On the whole, it is evident that the scholia, as we have
them at present, are a compilation of observations, some more, some
less ancient, extracted from various writers" ("Eccl. Hist, of
Ireland," vol. L, c. iii., p. 81).

The scholion (i) on St. Fiacc's opening words: "Natus est Patritius
Nemturri"--"St. Patrick was born at Nemthur"--is as follows: "Nemthur
is a city in the Northern parts of Britain, viz. Alcluid (nempe
Alcluida)." By comparing this scholion with the scholion given later on
(c. iii.), it will be seen that the same pen has not written both
scholia. The scholion referred to is this: "The cause of St. Patrick's
captivity was this: His father, Calphurnius, and his mother, Conchessa,
and his five sisters, Lupita, Tigris, Liemania, and Darerca, Cinnena
was the name of the fifth, and his brother deacon, Senanus, all
together travelled from Britain Alcluid southwards over the Sea of
Ictium to Armorican Lethania, or Britannia Lethania, both on business
and because a certain relative of theirs dwelt there, and the mother of
the above-named children, namely Conchessa, was of the Franks, and a
near relative of St. Martin. At that time, however, seven sons of
Fachmad, King of the Britons, broke loose from Britain and plundered
Armorican Britain in the territory of Letha, where St. Patrick happened