The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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?
Patrick went afterwards to Conall, the son of Niall, whose
residence was where Donagh-Patrick is this day, who received him with
great joy; and Patrick baptized him, and confirmed his royal seat for
ever. And Patrick said to him: "Thy brother's seed shall serve thy seed
for ever; and strive to exercise charity towards my successors after me,
and the sons of thy sons, that they may be perpetual subjects to my sons
of faith." Then it was that Conall measured a church for God and
Patrick, sixty feet in extent; and Patrick said: "Whichsoever of your
race diminishes this church shall not have a long reign, and he shall not
be prosperous." They went early on Sunday morning to Rath-Airthir,
Cinaed and Dubhdaleithe, the two sons of Cerbhall, son of Maelodhra, son
of Aedh-Slaine, when they saw a young man lying down--_i.e._, the son of
Bresal. One of them plunged a sword into him, and then throttled him.
The murderer then went past Tailten, up, on his straight road, and the
other went to Domnach-Patrick. It was then that Patrick blessed that
part of the plain of Tailte, so that dead bodies are never borne off from
it.
[A few lines of the MS. at this place are damaged.]
The Pasch being therefore finished, on the next day Patrick came to
_vadum duarum forcarum_ (Ath-da-laarg, near Kells; county Meath), and
founded a church there, and left the three brothers there with their
sister, viz., Cathaceus, and Cathurus, and Catnean; and Catnea, the
sister, who used to milk the deer. He went afterwards to Druim
Corcortri, and founded a church there, and he left in it Diarmaid, son of
Restitutus.
When Patrick was going eastwards to Tara, to Laeghaire (for they had
formed a friendship), from Domhnach-Patrick, he blessed Conall, son of
Niall. When he was going away, he threw his flagstone (_lec_) behind him
eastwards into the hill, _i.e._, where . . . . . .
[A folio of the original MS. is missing here.]
And Maine knelt to Patrick and performed penance, and Patrick said, "Rex
non erit qui te non habebit; and thy injunctions shall be the longest
that will live in Erinn. The person whom I have blessed also shall be a
king, _i.e._, Tuathal [Maelgarbh]." And he [Tuathal] assumed the
sovereignty afterwards, and banished Diarmaid MacCerbhaill, so that he
was on _Loch-Ri_, and on _Derg-Derc_, and on _Luimnech_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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