Coltsfoot. _Tussilago Farfala._
Dedicated to _St. Zachery_.
Lasting Mercury. _Mercurialis perennis._
Dedicated to _St. Abraham_.
~March 16.~
_St. Julian_, of Cilicia. _St. Finian_, surnamed _Lobhar_, or the
Leper.
_St. Finian._
He was descended from Alild, king of Munster, built the abbey of
Innis-Fallen in an island on the lake of Loughlane, county of Kerry;
another at Ardfinnan, in Tipperary; and a third at Cluin-more Madoc, in
Leinster, where he was buried.[29]
It is related of St. Finian, that he visited St. Ruadanus, who had a
miraculous tree in his cell, dropping a liquor so peculiar, into a
vessel from nine o’clock to sun-set, that it sufficed to dine him and
all his brotherhood every day. St. Finian’s visit was to persuade St.
Ruadanus to live like other people; therefore, when St. Finian came to
the tree, he signed it with the sign of the cross, by virtue of which
the liquor ceased to flow after nine o’clock. This was in the absence of
Ruadanus, who being informed on his return, that St. Finian and others
had come to see him, he ordered his servant to prepare the miraculous
water dinner as usual; the servant surprised to find the vessel empty,
told his master, who bade him to fill it with common water from a
fountain, which he had no sooner done, than the water was changed into
the liquor that flowed from the tree. St. Ruadanus ordered the man to
carry it to St. Finian, who making a cross over the liquor, changed it
back to water, and said why is this liquor of a false name given to me?
St. Finian’s companions urged him to go and cross the fountain as he had
crossed the tree; but Finian answered, it would only grieve Ruadanus,
who would go to the next bog, and change the water there into the same
liquor. In the end, St. Finian and his companions persuaded St. Ruadanus
not to work any more miracles, but to live as others did, whereunto he
yielded. Thus St. Finian having out-miracled the miracle of St.
Ruadanus, and stopped him from working the same miracle again, departed
with his companions.[30]