They  might  keep  their  harps,  and  sing  the  songs  of  Erin's
heroic  youth,  as  in  the  days  of  old.  But  the  great  Saint
taught  them  how  to  tune  their  harps  to  loftier  strains  than
those  of  the  banquet-hall  or  the  battle-march.  He  sought  to
drive  out  from  their  songs  the  evil  spirit  of  undying  hate  and
rancorous  vengeance,  to  impress  the  poet's  mind  with  some-
thing of  the  divine  spirit  of  Christian  charity,  and  to  soften
the  fierce  melody  of  his  war-songs  with  cadences  of  pity  for  a
fallen  foe.  He  taught  the  sons  of  the  Bards  how  to  chant
the  psalms  of  David,  and  sing  together  the  sweet  music  of
the  Church's  hymns.     Thus  by  slow  degrees  their  wild  ways

^  The  Legends  of  St.  Patrick,  by  Aubrey  de  Vera.
t


58      LEARNING  IN  IKELAND  IN  THK  TIME  OF   ST.  PATRICK.
were  tamed,  their  fierce  hearts  were  softentd,  and  the  evil
spirit  of  Discord  gave  place  to  the  heavenly  spirit  of  brotherly
Love.  f    A    f

The  Irish  people!  have  been  always  passionately  fond  o±
music,  and  this  was  especially  so  in  those  early  tinoes  when
other  strong  attractions  were  entirely  wanting.  Ihere  can
be  no  doubt  that  the  Church  music  exercised  a  great  in-
fluence in  attracting  the  new  converts  to  the  tervices  of  the
clergy  both  in  the  monastic  and  secular  Churches— a  fact  ot
which  St.  Patrick  "was  fully  sensible.  Hence  we  find  that
from  the  very  beginning  he  made  provision  to  have  his  new
converts  trained  in  psalmody.
