The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick: Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings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?
Two brothers of the Ulstermen, Dubhan and Dubhaedh, stole Patrick's two
garrons from the land (_tir_) to the east of the Nemhed
(Tir-suidhe-Patrick is its name). They carried them off into the moor to
the south. Dubhan said; "I will not take what belongs to the
_tailcenn_." "I will take what comes to me," said Dubhaedh. Dubhan went
and did penance. "Your comrade's journey is not a good one," said
Patrick. He got a fall, so that his head was broken, and he died.
Dubhan became a disciple, and was ordained; and Patrick said: "Here thy
resurrection shall be." Another time, in carrying a bag of wheat from
Setna, son of Dallan, to Patrick, the manna which dropped from heaven, in
a desert place, over Druim-mic-Ublae, Patrick's horse [fell] under it. A
grain of the wheat dropped out of the bag, and the horse could not rise
until there came from Patrick. "This is the reason," said Patrick
through prophecy, "a grain of wheat that fell out of the sack, in the
spot where the cross is on the way southwards to the Nemhed." "Nenihed
then will be the name of the place where the horse stopped," said
Patrick; and so it is.
Another time Sechnall went to Armagh, and Patrick was not there. He saw
before him two of Patrick's horses unyoked, and he said: "It were fitter
to send those horses to the bishop--_i.e._, to Fiacc." When Patrick
returned, this thing was told to him. The chariot was attached to the
horses; and he sent them on without a man with them until they were in
the disert with Mochta. They went right-hand-wise on the morrow to
Domhnach-Sechnaill. They then went eastwardly to Cill-Auxili. They went
afterwards to Cill-monach; then, after that, to Fiacc to Sleibhte. The
reason for giving the chariot to Fiacc was because he used to go every
Whit-Saturday as far as the hill of Druim-Coblai, where he had a cave.
Five cakes with him, as report says. On Easter-Saturday he used to come
to Sleibhte, and used to bring with him a bit of his five cakes. The
cause of giving the chariot to Fiacc was that a chafer had gnawed his
leg, so that death was nigh unto him.
Sechnall said to Patrick: "When shall I make a hymn of praise for thee?"
"You are not required," observed Patrick. "I have not said to thee,
'Shall it be done?'" said Sechnall, "for it will be done, truly." "My
_debroth_," said Patrick, "it is time it were finished now"; for Patrick
knew that it would not be long until Sechnall's time [arrived], for he
was the first bishop who went under the clay of Eriu.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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