This  goes  to  show  that  slavery  had  not  yet  been  abolished  in
Ireland ;  but  that  the  Church  took  every  opportunity  of  pro-
moting its  abolition,  not  indeed  by  violence  or  injustice,  but
by  the  gentler  method  of  persuasion  and  mercy.  These  peni-
tential canons  have  been  published  by  Wasserschleben  at
HaUe  in  1851,  from  manuscripts  in  the  libraries  of  St  Gall,
Paris,  and  Vienna.  There  is  also  extant  in  MSS.  an  interest-
ing romantic  dialogue  said  to  have  taken  place  between  Tuan
Mac  Cairill  and  Finnian  of  Moville.  In  all  probability,
however,  it  is  a  composition  of  a  much  later  date,  and  the
dialogue,  though  highly  interesting,  is  purely  imaginary.
There  is  a  copy  of  this  romantic  tale  in  the  book  known  as
Leabhar  na  h-Uidhre,  an  ancient  work  said  to  have  been
originally  written  at  Clonmacnoise,  in  the  lifetime  of  its
founder,  St.  Ciaran.
St.  Finnian  died  in  a.d.  589,  according  to  the  Annals  of
Ulster,  at  a  very  great  age.  In  those  days,  when  men  led
temperate  and  active  lives,  free  from  care,  and  always  rejoic-
ing in  God,  it  was  no  unusual  thing  to  live  to  the  age  of  one
hundred,  or  even  one  hundred  and  twenty,  like  St.  Patrick
and  St.  Kevin  of  Glendaloch.  This  date,  too,  goes  to  show
that  Finnian  of  Moville  was  identical  with  St.  Frigidian  ot
Lucca  in  Italy,  for  the  death  of  the  latter  is  assigned  to  a.d.
