The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick Part 13

And there was in that place a certain magician named Lochu, who was highly favored with the king, and he uttered blasphemies against the Lord and his Christ. For being driven mad by the delusions of devils, he declared himself to be a G.o.d; and the people, being dazzled with his cheats, and stubbornly adhering to his pernicious doctrine, worshipped him even as a deity. Therefore he continually blasphemed the ways of the Lord, and those who were desirous to be converted from idolatry did he labor to subvert in their faith, and to pervert from Christ. And almost in the same manner as Simon Magus resisted Saint Peter did he oppose Saint Patrick. And on a certain time, when he was raised from the earth by the prince of darkness and the powers of the air, and the king and the people beheld him as if ascending into the heavens, Saint Patrick thus prayed unto the Lord: "O omnipotent G.o.d! destroy this blasphemer of Thine holy name, nor let him hinder those who now return or may hereafter return unto Thee!" And he prayed, and the magician fell from the air to the earth at the feet of the man of G.o.d, and his head was stricken against a stone, and, bruised and wounded, he expired, and his spirit descended into h.e.l.l.

CHAPTER XLIII.

_Of the Miraculous but Terrible Rescue of Saint Patrick._

But the king, being much grieved at the death of the magician, burned with anger, and, with all the manifold mult.i.tude of his people, he arose to destroy the saint. And he, beholding their violence, and singing forth with a loud voice, began this verse from the Psalms: "Let G.o.d arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let them who hate His face be put to confusion." Then the Lord, the protector of His chosen ones in the time of need, saved from this mult.i.tude his faithful servant; for, with a terrible earthquake, and with thundering and the stroke of the thunderbolt, some he destroyed, some he smote to the ground, and some he put to flight. Thus, as was said by the prophet, "The Lord shot forth His arrows, and He scattered them; He poured forth His lightnings, and He overturned them." For He sent among them, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, the spirit of giddiness; and He set the idolaters against the idolaters, like the Egyptians against the Egyptians; each man rushed on his fellow, and brother fought against brother, and the chariots and their riders were cast to the ground and overturned; and forty and nine men were slain, and hardly did the rest escape. But the king trembled at the rebuke of the Lord, and at the breath of the spirit of His anger, and ran into a hiding-place with only four of his people, that he might conceal himself from the terrors of the face of the Lord. But the queen, entreating for the pardon of the king, reverently approached, and, bending her knee before Saint Patrick, promised that her consort should come unto him and should adore his G.o.d. And the king, according to her promise, yet with a designing heart, bended his knees before the saint, and simulated to adore the Christ in which he believed not. There, with the tongue of iniquity and the heart of falsehood, he promised that if on the morrow he would vouchsafe to visit his palace, he would obey all his precepts.

But the man of G.o.d, though the Lord suffered not the wickedness which this unworthy king had conceived in his heart, confidently trusting in the protection of the Lord, a.s.sented to his entreaty.

CHAPTER XLIV.

_How the Saint Escaped the Deadly Snares._

And the king, bidding farewell to the bishop, returned to his palace, and in the several places through which the saint was to pa.s.s he laid an ambush; and divers rivers crossed the road, which might in many parts be forded, nigh unto the shallows whereof he placed nine chariots with some of his murderous servants, that if the saint should escape the one he might meet with the other, and so that in no wise could he pa.s.s unharmed. But on the morrow Patrick, with eight persons only and the boy Benignus, going in a straight road to Teomaria, where the king then resided, pa.s.sed through them who had laid snares for his life; and their eyes were bound, that they could not behold him; but to their sight appeared eight stags with one hind pa.s.sing over the mountains; and thus, the Lord being his protector, did the saint and his companions escape the contrivers of his destruction. Therefore he came unto the royal city, and found the king at supper with his companions.

And at his entrance no one arose excepting a certain bard of the king named Dubhtach, who devoutly saluted the saint, and besought and obtained of him that he should be made a Christian. And Dubhtach the first among them all believed in the Lord, and it was remembered to his justification; for, being baptized and confirmed in the faith of Christ, the strains that erewhile he had poured forth in the praise of his false G.o.ds, now converting to a better use, he composed more excellent poems unto the praise of the All-powerful and the honor of His saints.

CHAPTER XLV.

_Of the Poison mingled in the Wine._

But the King Leogaire, fermenting with the gall of wickedness and deceit, knowing and marvelling how often the saint had escaped his snares, turned himself to other inventions, and whom he could not slay with the sword he plotted to destroy with poison. Therefore, by the hand of a certain evil-doer named Lugaich Mael, he gave his cup unto Patrick, whereof, that servant of Satan mingling poison with the wine, did the saint drink. But the man of G.o.d, taking the cup and invoking the name of the Lord, bended it forward, and all that was deadly therein poured he into the hollow of his hand unmixed with the rest of the liquor; then making the sign of the cross, what remained he blessed, and, to the confusion of the poisoner and the admiration of all who sat around, drinking thereout, he received neither hurt nor damage.

CHAPTER XLVI.

_Of the Fantastic Snow._

Then, being utterly covered with shame, did the magician more and more grieve; and lest he should appear to be vanquished, he challenged Patrick to bring down signs from heaven. And the saint answered that he would not tempt the divine will; but the magician by his enchantments sprinkled all those parts with the coldest snow, and afflicted all the inhabitants with cold. And the saint urged him, urging and pressing that he would remove the snow from the earth and the cold from the inhabitants; and thus compelled, the magician confessed that by all his enchantments he could not do that thing.

Therefore, O impious man! said the saint, out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, and prove that thou art the worker of wickedness and minister of Satan; thou who canst cause evil only, and canst not at all produce good. Then raising his consecrated hand, blessed he the plain and all the places around in the name of the Holy Trinity; and forthwith all the fantastic snow which could not melt in the accustomed manner vanished. And all around marvelled, confessing the hand of the Lord working in Patrick, and detesting the deceitful works of the magician.

CHAPTER XLVII.

_How the Darkness was Dispersed._

And the magician, beholding how his art was scorned and set at small account, once again by his enchantments covered the places that had been whitened with snow, even with a palpable cloud of thick darkness.

And fear and trembling came on all whom it covered, or at least they experienced how closely it shaded them from the brightness of the true faith. Nor let it be marvelled that strangers to the darkness of the true light which illuminates every man entering this world should be involved in the darkness of magicians, who, with blind and hardened heart, worshipped the prince of darkness. And Patrick in his wonted words addressed the magician, that he would make this cloud to pa.s.s away; but the magician answered even as before. Then did the son of light pour out a prayer unto the Eternal Light, the Sun of Justice, and immediately the material sun arose and shone forth, and the darkness was dispersed. And the people which had hitherto sat in darkness, now beholding the great light, proclaimed their thanks and their praises, and magnified Patrick, who was the preacher of the Eternal Light.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

_How the Magician and his Garment were consumed, and Benignus and the Garment of St. Patrick preserved unhurt._

But the magician, loving darkness rather than light, and darkening himself in the delusions of his darkness, stubbornly persevered in his malice, and still contentiously affirmed that his wicked and perverse opinions excelled the doctrines of the saint. And the king feared that the works of the magician would be overturned, and he proposed a certain trial to be made between them: "Let your books be plunged into the water, and he whose writings are blotted or effaced, let his preaching be disbelieved; but he in whose writings no blemish shall be found, let his preaching be admitted and confirmed." And Patrick a.s.sented to this decision, but the magician refused; for he affirmed that Patrick worshipped the element of water for a G.o.d, inasmuch as he baptized with water in the name of his G.o.d. Then the king changed the trial, and appointed that each book should be cast into the fire, and that of him whose book should remain unhurt the doctrine should be received of all. And the saint accorded to this sentence, but the magician, distrusting himself, accorded not; for he said that Patrick worshipped, in their turn, now the fire, now the water, and that therefore he held propitious to him either element. And Patrick replied that he adored no element, but that he worshipped the Creator of all the elements. While, therefore, the dispute waxed high, and the people varied from the one side unto the other, the wisdom of the Lord inspiring them to distinguish the light of the true faith from the darkness of idolatry, and the soundness of holy doctrine from the vanity of magical delusion, a new trial by fire is sought out. Then with the agreement of all, and Patrick and the evil-doer consenting, in a new manner a new house is builded, whereof the one-half is made of wood which was green, the other of wood which was dry and eaten of worms; and the boy Benignus and the magician, each being bound hand and foot, are placed over against each other, the boy, arrayed in the magician's garment, is placed in the dry part of the building, and the magician, clothed in the robe of Saint Patrick, is placed in the green part, and the fire is put thereto. And behold an event marvellous and much unwonted! The fire, furiously raging, consumed the magician, even to ashes, with the green part of the building wherein he stood; and the robe of the saint wherewith he was clad was neither scorched nor soiled; but the blessed youth Benignus, standing in the dry part thereof, the fire touched not, yet reduced to a cinder the garment of the magician that wrapped him round. Behold, therefore, herein repeated the miracles which are recorded in the Holy Writ, as when the three youths were cast into the furnace, the fire burned only their bonds, and hurted not themselves; so destroyed it the magician, with the green part of the house, yet hurted not the vest of Patrick, and, leaving the boy with the dry part of the house uninjured, it consumed the garment of the evil-doer.

CHAPTER XLIX.

_Of Many who were Swallowed up by the Earth, and how the rest were Converted unto G.o.d._

But the heart of Leogaire was hardened, as was formerly the heart of Pharao before Moses against the commands of the Lord. For though so many miracles had been wrought, he feared not to provoke the high G.o.d, and to offend his servant Patrick. Therefore, showing himself to be a second Nero, in revenge for the death of the evil-doer, he appointed several of his people to destroy the saint. And, as is testified by the Holy Writ, a wicked prince always hath wicked ministers, many of his servants put themselves forward, voluntary, prompt, and earnest to so great a sacrilege. But G.o.d, the all-powerful protector of His beloved, armed the zeal of the creature against these senseless idolaters, and ere they could effect their wickedness he swept them from the earth and destroyed them. For the earth opened and swallowed them up, and so many of the people of Teamhrach as were consenting thereto; and the abyss opened its mouth and devoured them, even alive.

And they who remained, and all the dwellers of that land seeing or hearing of these things, feared with mighty fear; and, lest they should be punished with the like punishment, they believed in Christ, and crowded together unto the font. And the king trembled, and threw himself at the feet of Patrick, and besought pardon, and promised that he would thenceforth obey him. And the saint forgave him; yet, though he a long time instructed him in the faith of the Lord Jesus, in no wise could he persuade him unto baptism. Therefore he dismissed him, that, following his free will, he might go on in the inventions of his own heart, nor seem to be compelled unto the faith; yet, at the revelation of the Spirit, what he foreknew of the king and his posterity thus was prophesied by the saint: "Since thou hast always resisted my doctrine, nor ceased to afflict me beyond measure; moreover, since thou thoughtest scorn to believe in the Creator of all things, therefore art thou the child of perdition, and thou, with all that were partners in thine offence, shouldst justly, even at this instant, go into eternal punishment; but since thou humbly besought of me forgiveness, and, like the King Achab, hast humbled thyself before my G.o.d, the Lord will not at this time bring on thee the evil which thou hast deserved; yet shall none of thy seed sit on thy throne after thee, but they shall become servants unto thy brother, who will believe in Christ, and to his posterity for ever and ever." But the queen believed in Christ, and was baptized and blessed of Patrick, and at length, with a pious end, rested in the Lord. And he went forward with his people, baptizing in the name of the Holy Trinity all those who believed, while the Lord a.s.sisted and confirmed his labors with manifold miracles.

CHAPTER L.

_Of the Sisters and the Nephews of St. Patrick._

And the saint had three sisters, memorable for their holiness and for their justice, and they were pleasing unto the Lord; and of these the names were Lupita, Tygridia, and Darercha. And Tygridia was blessed with a happy fruitfulness, for she brought forth seventeen sons and five daughters. And all her sons became most wise and holy monks, and priests, and prelates; and all her daughters became nuns, and ended their days as holy virgins; and the names of the bishops were Brochadius, Broicha.n.u.s, Mogenochus, and Luma.n.u.s, who, with their uncle, Saint Patrick, going from Britain into Ireland, earnestly laboring together in the field of the Lord, they collected an abundant harvest into the granary of heaven. And Darercha, the youngest sister, was the mother of the pious bishops, Mel, Moch, and Munis, and their father was named Conis. And these also accompanied Saint Patrick in his preaching and in his travel, and in divers places obtained the episcopal dignity.

Truly did their generation appear blessed, and the nephews of Saint Patrick were a holy heritage.

CHAPTER LI.

_How Saint Luma.n.u.s Sailed against the Wind and the Stream._

And Saint Patrick, having sailed over from Ulidia, came unto the territory of Midia, at the mouth of the river Boinn, among barbarians and idolaters; and he committed his vessel and its tackle unto his nephew, Saint Luma.n.u.s, enjoining him that he should abide there at the least forty days, the while he himself would go forward to preach in the interior parts of the country. But Luma.n.u.s, abiding there the messenger of light, and being made obedient through the hope of obtaining martyrdom, doubled the s.p.a.ce of time that was enjoined unto him, which no one of his companions, even through the fear of their lives, dared to do. Yet was not this child of obedience disappointed of his reward. For while he received the seed of obedience, he brought forth unto himself the fruit of patience, and deserved to fertilize strange lands, even with the seed of the divine Word, to the flourishing of the flowers of faith and the fruits of justice; and the more devotedly he obeyed his spiritual father, the more marvellously did the elements obey him. And having fulfilled there twice forty days, and being wearied with the continual expectation of the saint's return, on a certain day, the wind blowing strongly against him, he hoisted the sails, and, trusting in the merits of Saint Patrick, even by the guidance of the vessel alone pa.s.sed he over unto the place where he was appointed to meet him. O miracle till then unheard and unknown!

The ship, without any pilot, sailed against the wind and against the stream, at the bidding of the man of G.o.d, and bore him with a prosperous course from the mouth of the Boinn even to Athtrym; and He who formerly turned back the stream of Jordan unto its fountain did, for the merits of Patrick, guide the vessel against the wind and against the stream.

CHAPTER LII.

_How Forkernus and his Parents were Converted and Baptized._

And Saint Luma.n.u.s having landed at the aforementioned town of Athtrym, he converted unto the faith of Christ first Forkernus, the son of a certain great man who there ruled, then his mother, a Britoness by nation, and lastly his father, Fethleminus, and in a fountain which by his prayers he produced out of the earth, even before their eyes, did he baptize them and many others. And these things being done, the holy prelate, in the twenty-fifth year before the foundation of Ardmachia, there builded a church, to the endowment and the enrichment whereof Fethleminus, that faithful servant of Christ, gave by solemn gift Athtrym and Midia, with many farms, and then crossing the river, he builded a habitation for himself and for his people, and there did he piously finish his days. And Luma.n.u.s, being consecrated the bishop of this church, sent his novice, Forkernus, to be instructed in letters, and, when he was sufficiently learned, advanced him to the priesthood.

And as the day of his death approached, he went with Forkernus unto his brother Brocadius, and commanded Forkernus on his obedience that he should, after his decease, take on himself the government of the church over which he presided. But he, refusing and protesting that it accorded neither to reason nor to justice that he should in the church of his father take on himself the guidance of souls, lest he should seem to hold in heritage the sanctuary of the Lord, his father and pastor bound him thereto by his iterated commands. Why need we many words? Luma.n.u.s would not bless him until he had promised to undertake this office. And at length Luma.n.u.s, having departed from this light unto the mansion of eternal light, Forkernus, as enjoined, took on himself the care of his church; and after he had presided over it only three days, he committed it unto a certain stranger, by birth a Briton, named Cathladius. Thus did the man of G.o.d fulfil the command of his father, and thus he took care that he should not set the example of selling the rights of the church or the heritage of his parents. But all the revenues of this church were by Luma.n.u.s transferred to Saint Patrick and his successors, and for ever after given unto the church of Ardmachia.