The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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?
And among the chief men of Hibernia was one named Eugenius, who had
long resisted the preaching of the saint, but, being at length
compelled by the argument of the living Word, and convinced by
indisputable miracles, he at length believed, and, by the water of the
holy font, was renewed in Christ. And this man was rich and powerful,
but in his countenance and his person he was more deformed than all his
people. And after complaining of his deformity unto the saint, he
besought him to banish by the sending up of his prayers the hideous
ugliness of his face, and thereby show the omnipotence of his God, on
whom all the people believed. At length the saint, being moved with
the entreaties of the man thus ashamed of himself, asked to whose form
he would desire to be likened. Then he, regarding the people placed
around him, preferred the form of Roichus, an ecclesiastic, the keeper
of Saint Patrick's books; and this man was by birth a Briton, by degree
a deacon, a kinsman of the holy prelate, and beautiful in his form
above all men in those countries dwelling. Nevertheless was he a man
of most holy life, so that he might say with the Psalmist, "Lord, by
thy will thou hast added righteousness to my beauty!" But the saint
caused them to sleep in one bed and under one covering; and, standing
over them, he lifted his pure hands in prayer. Wonderful and unwonted
event! When they awaked and arose, not any difference appeared in
their countenance; the tonsure alone distinguished the one from the
other. And all who beheld admired; but more exceedingly joyful was he
who experienced in himself this miracle.
CHAPTER LXXXV.
_The Stature of the same Man is increased unto a sufficient Height._
And since the saint had gratified Eugenius by his form being thus
improved, he, confiding in his prayers, added another entreaty. For he
was of very low stature; and therefore he besought the holy prelate
that, as man can nothing prevail by his own merits, he would, in the
name of his God, add to his stature one cubit. Then Patrick bade him
to show the height which he desired; and he raised himself on tiptoe,
leaning on his erected spear, and stretched the ends of his fingers as
far upward as he could, and desired that his stature might reach unto
the measure of that height; and behold, at the prayers of the saint,
the man, erewhile a dwarf, increased thereto; and, lest the miracle
should be deemed the work of magic or of falsehood, in that stature and
in that form did he continue unto his life's end.
CHAPTER LXXXVI.
_Of Saint Olcanus, the Teacher and Bishop, raised out of the Earth._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account