a saint and a poet, was born in Ireland, and brought up to a religious life among the disciples of St Columba. He made uncommon progress in learning; and very early in life distinguished himself for poetical abilities, by the composition of a book of psalms, and a number of moral poems, intended also to be set to music. Jonas, a writer of ecclesiastical history, mentions, that Columbanus belonged originally to a monastery of the name of Benchor. The same monastery is mentioned by St Bernard in his life of his friend St Malachi; and he relates that it sent out a great number of monks, who spread over Europe. Columbanus passed from Britain into France, and founded the monastery of Luxeuille near Belançon. He had been kindly received and patronized by King Childebert; but he was afterwards expelled out of France by the wicked queen Brunichild. He retired to Lombardy in Italy, and was well received by King Argulphus. In Lombardy he again founded the monastery of Bobio. The Regula Canobialis and Penitentialis, which he established in that monastery, have been published in the Codex Regularum compiled by the learned Holstenius. He was contemporary with St Benedict. It was in the year 589 he went into France.