Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 38.djvu/98

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Modestus
92
Modwenna

on the sequestration of Christopher Webb, M.A., to whom he resigned the living on the Restoration in 1660 (Clutterbuck, Hertfordshire, iii. 171, 173 n.) He appears to have died in 1670.

His works are:

  1. 'The Churches Troubles and Deliverance, or certaine Sermons tending to shew the Reasons why the Lord doth sometimes bring his People into extremities,' London [12 Aug.], 1642.
  2. 'The Nationall Covenant. Or a Discourse on the Covenant. Wherein also the severall parts of the late Protestation are proved to be grounded on Religion and Reason,' London [20 Aug. 1642], 4to.
  3. 'A View of the Solemn League and Covenant for Reformation, Defence of Religion, the Honour and Happynesse of the King, and the Peace, Safety, and Union of the Three Kingdoms,' London, 1644, 4to. The copy in the British Museum is dated in manuscript, 21 Sept. 1643.
  4. 'The Covenanters Looking-Glasse; discovering his duty and dignity, &c.; also an Epistle containing a relation of all the most principal things done in the Parliament of England, since their first sitting to the present day,' London, 1644, 4to.
  5. 'A New Catechisme,' London, 1647, 8vo.
  6. 'Gospel Duty and Dignity. A Discourse of the Duty of Christians, and their Priviledges by Christ,' London, 1648, 4to.
  7. 'Christmas, the Christians grand Feast: its Original, Growth, and Observation, also of Easter, Whitsontide, and other Holydayes modestly discussed and determined, also the beginning of the year & other things observable,' London, 1651, 4to.
  8. 'Christian Advice to Old and Young, Rich and Poor,' London, 1671, 8vo. Prefixed is a portrait of the author, engraved by Cross at the expense of Edward Brewster.

[Addit. MS. 5876, f. 90; Bodleian Cat.; Calamy's Life of Baxter, i. 368, ii. 531; Granger's Biog. Hist, of England, 5th edit. iii. 340; Palmer's Nonconformist's Memorial, 2nd ed. ii. 303; Cat, of Dr. Williams's Library, ii. 253; Watt's Bibl. Brit.]

T. C.

MODESTUS, Saint (fl. 777), missionary to the Carinthians and regionary bishop, was an Irishman by birth (Ep. vii. quoted by Dempster, Hist. Eccles. Gent. Scot. xii. No. 920). He was a disciple of St. Fergil or Virgilius [q. v.], bishop of Salzburg, who sent him with a band of missionaries to preach among the Carinthians, then under the rule of Chetmar. Modestus received authority as a bishop, but probably, after the Irish custom, was without a definite see. It is only in the late anonymous life of Gebehard (Mon. Germ. Scriptores, xi. 38 1. 38), that he is called bishop of Liburnia. Modestus and his companions founded one church at S. Maria in Solio, now Maria-Saal, another at a place called Liburnia or Tiburnia, the site of which is probably now marked by a field called Lurnfeld, in Spital, Upper Carinthia, and a third at a place, Adandrinas or Undrimas, spelt by the manuscripts in a variety of ways, believed to be a valley situated between S. Vitus and Maria-Saal (ib. xi. p. 71. 30 and p. 87; Eichhorn, Beiträge zur Gesch. Kärnthen, ii. 95). Modestus is said to have baptised St. Domitian, a Carinthian prince, at Milstadt, which may, perhaps, be identical with Adandrinas (Hansitz, Ger. Sac. ii. 92; Acta SS. 1 Feb. 700). According to the older manuscripts, Modest us stayed in Carinthia till his death; one late manuscript says he died in France (Hansitz, ib.), but his tomb is shown at Maria-Saal (Eichhorn, p. 112, §4). His feast is celebrated on 5 Dec. (Dempster, Menology, in Forbes, Kal. Scottish Saints, p. 221). Dempster calls him a companion of St. Boniface [q. v.], and Ferrarius says he is mentioned in Boniface's life (Cat. Gen. SS. qui in Martyrol. Rom. non sunt, 1625, p. 468). It is probable that in both cases St. Fergil was meant.

A manuscript by him, 'ad ecclesiam suam,' was said to be at Salzburg, and a volume of his letters at Strasburg (Dempster, Hist. Gent. Scot. loc. cit.) Neither manuscript can now be traced.

[Gresta Archiep. Salisbury; the Life of St. Virgilius, by a disciple of Eberhard; the anonymous Life of St. Gebehard, all in Pertz's Mon. Grerm. Scriptores, vol. xi.; Tanner's Bibliotheca Britannica.]

M. B.

MODWENNA or MONINNE, Saint (d. 518), was the daughter of Maucteus (Mochta), king of Iveagh in Uladh and of the territory round Armagh. He was of the race of Irial, son of Conal Cearnach, the original possessors of Iveagh. Modwenna's mother, Coman, was daughter of Dallbronach, ruler of a terriority in Magh-Breagh (Meath), whose fort, 'Fossa [i.e. Raith] Dallbronig,' is mentioned in the ' Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.' She is said to have been originally called Darerca, and Ussher doubtfully identifies her with a so-called sister of St. Patrick of that name. But St. Darerca's festival was held on 22 March,while that of Modwenna was dated 6 July. The name Moninne, by which the saint is generally known in Ireland, was believed to have some connection with that of Nine the poet, who was cured of dumbness through her prayers. When St. Patrick was in her neighbourhood she visited him, and he 'blessed her [which appears to mean that he baptised her] at the little fishpond of a Hospitaller,' which was thenceforward credited with healing virtues. Tak-