The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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 chiefs of Momonia was a certain wicked man named
Cearbhallus, and he always hindered Saint Patrick, so that a church
could not be builded in the lands of his inheritance. And not far from
this man's dwelling was a lake which was fair and pleasing to the eye,
but a lofty mountain which stood between intercepted all the delight
from his view. Him did the saint address for the building of a church,
exhorting and entreating; but long time he resisted. And on a certain
day this wicked man, endeavoring with subtle argument to circumvent the
saint, said unto him: "If in the name of the Lord thy God thou wilt
remove yonder mountain, so that mine eyes may be freely satisfied with
this desired lake, then shall thou build a church on my land
wheresoever thou mayest please." This he required, because he deemed
it impossible to be done. Then the saint having prayed raised his eyes
of faith and love unto the prepared Mountain which is exalted on the
top of the mountains; and forthwith the mountain was laid low, and
swallowed in the earth, and permitted unto the man a free view of the
lake. But when Saint Patrick began to build the church, this man of
hardened heart would not suffer it to be finished, for he feared where
no fear was, and dreaded lest thereby he should be deprived of his
inheritance. Then the saint prayed again unto the Lord, and the
mountain was lifted up unto its former height. And he foretold that
the wicked man should in a short space lose the possession of his land,
and that no one of his race should ever be a prince or a bishop. And
the prophecy of the saint was fulfilled, for as his eyes were prevented
from the sight of the lake, so was his life closed by death.
CHAPTER CXXX.
_Euchodius is cursed by the Saint, and his Son is blessed._
A certain wicked tyrant, named Euchodius, reigned in Ulydia; and he
commanded two holy virgins, for that they rejected wedlock, to be bound
with chains and cast into the water; and he set at naught Saint Patrick
interceding for them. Wherefore the saint punished him with the
sentence of his malediction, and foretold that not one of his seed
should reign after him, but that his kingdom should be transferred to
Kerellus, his younger brother. And his wife, who was then in travail,
earnestly besought the saint that he would bless her and the child
which she carried in her womb. Then the saint blessed them both, and
prophesied that she would bring forth a most holy son, whose death
should be doubtful and unsearchable. And the woman brought forth a
son, who was named Dovengardus; and he was renowned for his sanctity
and his miracles, whereof many and wondrous traditions are told among
that people. And Euchodius in a short time lost both his life and hit
kingdom, and thereto not one of his race succeeded. But his
aforementioned brother and his descendants through many years possessed
the kingdom of Ulydia.
CHAPTER CXXXI.
_Of Saint Sennachus the Bishop._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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