The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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?
divines and the clerics, he thought they were robbers or thieves, and
he went to tell his lord; whereupon Dichu came, and set his dog at the
clerics. Then it was that Patrick uttered the prophetic verse, "Ne
tradas bestis, etc., et canis obmutuit." When Dichu saw Patrick, he
became gentle, and he believed, and Patrick baptized him; so that he
was the first in Ulster who received faith and baptism from Patrick.
Then it was that Dichu presented the Sabhall to Patrick. Patrick said:
"The blessing of God on Dichu,
Who gave to me the Sabhall;
May he be hereafter
Heavenly, joyous, glorious.
"The blessing of God on _Dichu_--
Dichu with full folds (flocks);
No one of his sept or kindred
Shall die, except after a long life."
Patrick went to preach to Miliuc, as we have said, and took gold with
him to prevail on him to believe; for he knew that he (Miliuc) was
covetous regarding gold. But when Miliuc heard that Patrick had
arrived, he wished not to believe for him, and to abandon the pagan
religion. He thought it unbecoming to believe for his servant, and to
submit to him. The counsel that a demon taught him was this: He went
into his royal house with his gold and silver; and he set the house on
fire, and was burned with all his treasures, and his soul went to hell.
Then it was that Patrick proceeded past the northern side of Sliabh-Mis
(there is a cross in that place), and he saw the fire afar off. He
remained silent for the space of two or three hours, thinking what it
could be, and he said, "That is the fire of Miliuc's house," said
Patrick, "after his burning himself in the middle of his house, that he
might not believe in God in the end of his life. As regards the man
who persuaded him thereto," added he, "there shall not be a king or
righdamhna of his family, and his seed and race shall be 'in service'
for ever, and his soul shall not return from hell to the judgment, nor
after judgment." After he had said these words, he turned _deisel_
(right-hand-wise) and went back again into the territory of Uladh,
until he arrived at Magh-inis, to Dichu, son of Trichim, and he
remained there a long time disseminating faith, so that he brought all
the Ulidians, with the net of the Gospel, to the harbor of life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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