Colt (prop, "l^?, a'yir, a young ass, Jndg. x, 4 ; xiii, 14; Job xi, 12; Zech. ix, 9; TcuiKog, Matt, xxi, 2, etc.), spoken of the yonng of the horse, ass, or cam- el. See Foal.
Colton, Calvin, D.D., was bom in Longmeadow, Mass., and graduated at Yale College in 1812. He studied divinity at Andover, and was ordained a Pres- byterian clergyman in 1815, when he settled at Ba- tavia, N. Y., where he preached until 1826, at which time he lost his voice, and thenceforth devoted his time to writing for periodicals. He travelled in Europe for several years, returning to New York in 1835, when he took orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church. After this he turned his attention to political subjects, and firom 1888 to 1842 wrote many pamphlets. He held for some years before his death the chair of Po- litical Economy in Trinity College, Hartford. Among his theological writings are The Genius and Mission of <Ae Proteiant Episcopal Church in the United States (12mo) ; The BeUgious State of the Country (12mo). He died at Savannah, March 20, 1857.
^ Colnmba wv the first of the nnmenras Irish mis- sionaries of the sixth and seventh centuries. He was Iwrn About A.D. 620, in Donegal, Ireland, of the royal family. His real name was Colum, but, fhmi iiis dove- like appearance in childhood, it was Latinized to Co- J«n»ba (dove). Among his own countrymen he was <^ed Cokm na CieUe, or ColumbkiUe, Colum of the Church. His mother, Ethena, was of the royal house of Lefaister. Before Columba went abroad on his mis- sion he had travelled over Leinster, Ck)nnaoght, Meath,
and other parts, preaching and calling upon all im- mediately to repent and b^eve in Christ. The Ven- erable Bede (EccL Hist. lib. iii) says, ** Before Columb came into North Britain he founded a noble monas- tery in Ireland, which, in the language of the Scots [Irish], was called Dairmach, that is, the 'Field of Oaks.* " Archbishop Usher, who studied the life of this saint carefully, says '*that, directiy or indirect- ly, Columba founded nearly one hundred monasteries in Ireland." The bishop may have meant simply Christian schools ; for, like his prototype St. Patrick, wherever he had built a church he founded a schooL With these early Irish Christians religion and learn- ing were twin sisters. But Columba is better known in histoiy as ** The Apostle of the Picts, or the West- ern Isles.*' Passing over on a religious visit to the Irish colony in Albyn or North Britain, the chief- tains of which were his own relatives, for the first time he was brought into contact with the Picts, who were then lagans. From that moment he re- solved to devote his life to their evangelization. For this purpose, about A.D. 568, Columba formed a com- pany of twelve, and embarked fot Druids* Island, situ- ated west of MuU, in the country afterwards called Scotland. Here he founded the monastery, or, more properly, the great theological school known on the Continent during the Dark Ages as **The Western Star of literature and religion.** ' Its government was wholly within itself, presbyterian and republican ; the abbot or head invariably to be a presbyter, and to be chosen only by the inmates. Having built his huts, and left some of his men to till the ground for their support, with a few atte^Mnts he set out to preach to the Picts and the Highlanders on the north side of the Grampian Range. At first he was sternly resisted by the chieftain and hb Druidic priest. At last^ how- ever, the king not only embraced Christianity, but became active in spreading it among his people. Co- lumba and his companions afterwards set sail for the Western and Orkney Islands, and founded several -churches and schools upon them. Having thus es- tablished his mission bejond the Grampian Hills, he returned to lona and Albyn. For several years his field of labor was very large, extending fh)m the Western Islands to the Lowland Picts, to the Irish col- ony in Argj'leshire, to the Anglc-Sazons in Northum- berland, and occasionally to Ireland. Although nev- er episcopally ordained, he thus became the greatest missionary bishop of his day. His last visit to Ireland was one of peace, to adjust a political difference be- tween two princes. On reaching lona, **the isle of his heart,** as he usually called it, he was very feeble. Finding that he was drawing near the close of life, he was taken to a littie eminence from which he could see the holy settlement, and from which he invoked God*s blessing upon it. Having returned, he began his favorite employment of transcribing the Scrip- tui«8. That night, being led to the altar, he fell on his knees and began to pray ; soon, however, he was discovered leaning against the railing in a dying state. The brotherhood, now gathering around him witii their lighted torches, began to weep and to crave his last blessing. Recovering for a moment, and feebly open- ing his eyes and smiling on all around, he attempted to raise his hand to pronounce the blessing, but it im- mediately fell. He then sank down in death, and breathed his last, in the 78th year of his age.
Columba was no ordinary man. In person he is said to have been very comely — ^beantiftil even to old age. He was never idle. When not engaged in study, prayer, or missionary duty, he employed himself in transcribing the Holy Scriptures. When travelling he was always seeking for opportunities to do good. If he met a child, he gave it his blessing ; if an adult, he inquired in regard to his soul. On entering a house, he invoked €k>d*s blessing upon it ; and often, when reach- ing the threshing-floor, he would request all to stop