The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings
History
The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings
Patrick, Saint, 373?-463?
_Of the Evil-doer Swallowed up by the Earth._
And in that church the holy prelate stood before the altar on a certain
day, celebrating the divine mysteries, when an evil-doer, a bondsman of
Satan, thrusting with accursed boldness a rod through the window,
overturned the chalice, and sacrilegiously poured out on the altar the
holy sacrifice. But the Lord instantly and terribly avenged this
fearful wickedness, and in a new and unheard-of manner destroyed the
impious man. For suddenly the earth, opening her mouth (as formerly on
Dathan and Abiron), swallowed up this magician, and he descended alive
into hell. And the earth, thus disjoined and rent asunder, closed on
him again; but to this day a ditch yet remaining declareth the judgment
of the divine wrath. But the holy sacrificer, being struck with
sorrow, mourned with heavy mourning over the chalice that had been
filled; and the chalice, with the divine sacrifice entire therein,
stood erect before him, being raised by the divine Power, nor did any
trace of the offering remain to be seen.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
_Of the Aged Man restored unto his Youth._
And Dichu had a brother named Rius, far advanced in years and in
unbelief, the tabernacle of whose body, for very age, was bending unto
the grave; and this man heavily grieved for the death of the magician
and for the conversion of his brother. And his wisdom was wholly of
this world, and he believed in no life but the present life; for he
thought that he had lost his brother, who, believing in Christ, labored
with all his strength after the glory to come, which he had revealed to
his followers. Therefore for many days he opposed and troubled
Patrick, and strove to stop his mouth, lest he should spread abroad the
Word of God, and increase the number of the believers. But the saint,
desiring to gain him unto Christ, met him with true and lively
arguments, persuading him from the very kinds and natures of all
created things to believe that God was the Creator of all; and, that he
might the more thoroughly lead him into the way of truth, he promised
unto him a miracle, saying, "Now that the power of all thy limbs and of
all thy senses fail thee, and are nearly dead, and that thy life is
almost gone from thee, if Christ should restore unto thee the strength
of the grace of thy early youth, wouldst thou not be bound of right to
believe in Him?" And the man answered: "If thou canst through Christ
perform on me such a miracle, forthwith will I believe in him." Then
Saint Patrick prayed, and, laying his hand on him, he blessed him, and
immediately he became beautiful and strong, and flourished again as in
his early youth. And great marvel seized on all who witnessed this
miracle, and their mouths were opened to the praise of Christ and to
the veneration of Saint Patrick.
CHAPTER XXXV.
_Of the Death of Rius._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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