THOMAS AQUINAS. See AQUINAS.
St Thomas's Day, a festival of the Christian church, observed on December 21. in commemoration of St Thomas the apostle.
St Thomas of Canterbury's Day, a festival of the Romish church, observed on December 29. in memory of Thomas Becket archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered, or, as the Romanists say, martyred, in the reign of King Henry II.
THOMAS the Reynour, called also Thomas Lermont, and Thomas of Erceeldon, was born at Erceeldon, a village near Melrose in Tweeddale, in what year is uncertain; but he was an old man when Edward I. was carrying on war in Scotland.
The character of Lermont as a prophet, and which was common to him with Linus, Orpheus, and other early poets in many countries, arose, if we may believe Mackenzie in his Lives of Scottish Writers, from his having conferences with Eliza, a nun and prophetess at Haddington. Lermont put her predictions into verse, and thus came in for his share of the prophetic spirit. None of these ancient prophecies now remain; but the following, which pretends to be one of them, is given from a manuscript of the time of Edward I. or II. The countess of Dunbar is the lady famous for the defence of her castle against the English. Her proper title was Countess of March; but it was common in these times to style a nobleman from his chief residence. Thus Gilbert Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, is called Earl of Striguil, from his residence at Striguil-castle, near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, &c.
La Countesse de Donbar demande a Thomas de Effedoune, quant la guerre d'Escoce prendreit fin. E yl la repoundy, et dyt.
When man as mad a kyng of a capped mon.
When mon is levere other mons thyng than is owen.
When londe thouys forest, and forest ys felde.
When hares kendles othe herston.
When Wyt and Wille werres togedere.
When mon makes stables of kyrkes; and flees castles wyth lyes.
When Rokefourn nys no burgh; ant market is at Forwyleye.
When the alde is gan, and the newe is come that doue noht.
When Bambourne ys donged with dede men.
When men ledes men in ropes to buyen ant to sellen.
When a quarter of whaty whete is chaunged for a colt of ten markes.
When prude prikes, ant pees is leyd in prisonn.
When a Scot ne may hym hude ase here in forme, that the Englysh ne shal hym fynde.
When ryht ant wrong astente the togedere,
When laddes weddeth lovedies.
When Scottes then so falle, that for faute of ship, hy
drouneth himselfe.
When that this be?
Nouthen in thynge tyme, ne in myne.
Ah comen, ant gone,
Withanne twenty wynter ant on.
In fact, the prophecies of Lermont appear to have been merely traditional; nay, it seems doubtful if he ever pretended to such folly, notwithstanding MacKenzie's story of Eliza. The reverence of the people for a learned and respectable character seems to have been the sole foundation of Thomas's claim to prophecy. But, in the 16th century, prophecies were made, and ascribed to him, as well as others given to Bede, Merlin, &c. (A). They were printed at Edinburgh, 1615; reprinted 1680, and 1742.