chy: his devotion to the Church is
witnessed to by the beautiful edifice built by him at Cashel, still
known as "Cormac's Chapel," which was consecrated in 1134; and by his
title of "Bishop-King," which has been the subject of so much
discussion. See Petrie, pp. 283-307; and for the crozier found in
Cormac's supposed tomb, G. Coffey, _Guide to the Celtic Antiquities of
the Christian Period in the National Museum, Dublin_, p. 64. But it
must be added that the contemporary Vision of Tundale, which
apparently emanated from Cormac's kingdom of Desmond, while bearing
emphatic testimony to his generosity to "Christ's poor and pilgrims,"
charges him with heinous crimes strangely inconsistent with St.
Bernard's sketch of his character (Tundale, p. 44 f.).

[370] It seems that the successor (coarb) of the founder of a church
was supposed to speak with his authority. Cp. the Epistle of Cummian
in Ussher, p. 442.

[371] Cp. Sec. 65. It is generally believed that St. Patrick was buried
at Downpatrick (see Reeves, p. 223 ff.); but Olden contended (not
convincingly) that the statement made here by St. Bernard is correct
(_R.I.A._ xviii, 655 ff.), while Bury (_Life of St. Patrick_, p. 211)
has "little hesitation in deciding that the obscure grave was at
Saul."

[372] This word cannot have been in St. Bernard's document, for it is
unknown in early Irish ecclesiastical terminology, and in Irish
hierarchical arrangements it would have no meaning. The context proves
that the persons to whom it is here applied are the abbots of Armagh,
of whom Cellach was one. It probably represents a Latin rendering of
"coarb (successor) of Patrick," a title commonly given to the abbots
of this period. The document portrayed the coarbs as rulers of the
church of Armagh. St. Bernard would naturally infer that they were
bishops. When he found that their authority extended beyond Armagh he
would no less naturally style them archbishops or metropolitans. Cp.
Serm. i, Sec. 6, where the story of Secs. 19-31 is briefly summarized.

[373] Armagh.

[374] _Quasi generationibus quindecim._ The "quasi-generations" are
apparently the periods of office of successive coarbs. St. Bernard
seems to have written "fifteen" in mistake for "twelve." See
Additional Note B, p. 165.

[375] Adulterous, because it took possession of the church, which
should have been married to true bishops. Cp. Sec. 20, "the adultery
of the church," Malachy "being joined to another spouse;