The  bishops,  who  are  styled  '  ecclesiastica  pro-
enies  Fedelmtheo,'  the  ecclesiastical  clan  or
'escendants  of  Fedlimidy — are  then  enumerated.^
^  And  these,' ^  says  our  author,  '  were  all  bishops
ind  princes  (or  chieftains)  venerating  St.  Patrick
ind  his  successors.'  In  other  words,  they  be-
longed to  the  first  order  of  saints,  and  gave
allegiance  to  the  Church  of  Armagh ;  and  we
may  infer  incidentally  that  this  was  not  then
universally  done,  or  else  it  would  not  have  been
here  so  particularly  mentioned  in  especial  praise
of  these  bishops.
It  will  be  noticed  that  Cathlaid,  the  pilgrim  cathiaidthe
to  whom  Fortchern  resigned  the  Church,  is  not  p*^*™°*
nientioncd  in  the   list.     From  which  we    may
conclude,  either  that  he  is  to  be  identified  with
'Aedh  the  great,'  whose  name  immediately  fol-
lows that  of  Fortchern,  or  else  that  he  was  not
a  bishop^,  but  only  an  abbat,  who  governed  the
Wse  as  co-arb,  Fortchern  continuing  to  reside

^  Enumerated.      See   the  names,  *  Episcopum  nationeBritannum,'but

Append.  B,  p.  261.  without  any  authority.    Actt.  SS.,  p.
Thgse,     "  Hii   omnes  episcopi  365,  col.  i.     Even   Jocelin,   whose

™ttnnt  et  principes  venerantes  Sane-  words  he  cites,  calls  him  simply  pe-

^  Patricium  et  successores   ejus.'  regrinusy  but  adds  *genere  Britanno.*

^b.Ardm.,  fol.  14.  The  word/f7»-  The   Book   of  Armagh  has  pere-

^^^  is  frequently  applied  to  a  bishop  grinus  only.      His   bemg  called   a

or  abbat  in  the  Collection  of  Irish  pUgrimy  or  as  Colgan  understands

^ons,   published    by    D' Achery,  it,  a  Briton,  militates  against  identi-

^    already     frequently     quoted.  fying  him   with  *  Aedh  the  great,'

^ficil.i.p.  495  (ex  libr.  xviii.  c.  6),  whom  the   Irish  genealogies  repre-

p.  499  (ex  Ubr.  xxxvi.).  sent  as  the  nephew  of  Fortchern.
