Religion & morality > Chronicles of the kirk, or, Scenes and stories from the history of the Church of Scotland

HISTOEY OF THE CHUECH OF SCOTLAND. 15
ing his Theological College at Iona. To this re¬
nowned seat of learning students flocked from all
lands, so that it became the chief seminary of learn¬
ing and piety at that time in Europe. The public
labours of Columba were not more admirable than
were his private virtues. The name of Saint was
given him when a child, nor was he ever known
during a long life to act unworthily of the honour¬
able appellation. He was never known to speak an
idle word, or to make the slightest deviation from
the truth, even in compliment or in jest. A frequent
and favourite guest in kings’ palaces, he was yet
a stranger to flattery and incapable of the mean acts
of adulation. Aodh, king of Ireland, asked him on
one occasion, “ whether he thought that he should be
saved?” “ No,” replied Columba, “except you re*-
pent.”
A soldier one day asked him to bless his sword.
“ God grant, then,” said Columba, “ it may never
shed a drop of blood.” Much of his time was spent
in travelling from one Court to another to heal divi¬
sions and to prevent wars. Instead of deciding
these quarrels by stroke of sword, as rival clans and
hostile nations were accustomed to do, it became the
almost invariable practice to refer them to the arbi¬
tration of Columba. He was equally successful in
preserving the peace of the churches. At a hill,