¹ A certain man in Ireland, of Leinster stock, named Dubtacus, bought a slave-girl named Brocsech, adorned with good morals, and seduced by unlawful love, he lay with her. When his wife saw that she was pregnant, deeply grieved she said to her husband: “Drive her out and sell that slave-girl, lest her offspring happen to surpass mine.” The husband at last, forced, sold her to a certain druid.

² And when the little girl Brigid was born, they saw the cloth touching her head burning with a flame of fire; and when those present quickly stretched out their hands, they saw no fire. But the holy girl, loathing the druid’s food, daily brought up what she ate. The druid, considering the reason, said: “I am unclean, and this girl, full of the Spirit of God, cannot take my food.” And choosing a white cow, he gave it to the girl; and living on its milk, from childhood she grew into the pursuit of good things. Always intent on purity and sobriety, and ever growing from good to better, she was marvellous in the signs of her virtues. For when she pastured the druid’s cows, whatever milk she could gather she distributed to the poor and needy.

³ And when the druid saw but little butter in a great vessel, he was very angry. Seeing this, the holy virgin poured out prayers to God, and by divine power filled that vessel with butter to the brim. Astonished at this, the druid believed in Christ, gave the girl twelve cows, and sent her free with her mother to her father.

⁴ After this her father thought to sell her, because she secretly gave to the poor whatever she could take away. And coming to the king, he asked him to buy his daughter into slavery. And the king said to her: “Why did you give your father’s sword to a pauper?” She said: “I gave it to Christ. If my God asked me for yourself and my father, I would, if I could, give you to him with all that you have.” And the king said: “This daughter of yours, as I see, is too great for me to buy, and too precious for you to sell.” And he gave the virgin a sword, to give to her father.

⁵ When she saw herself sorely pressed by her friends to take a husband, she asked the Lord to put some deformity upon her body, so that men might cease to seek and desire her. And at once one of her eyes burst and melted in her head. And taking three girls with her, she went to Bishop Machilla, St Patrick’s disciple. And the holy bishop, looking upon her, saw a column of fire appear above her head. For while prayers were being read, Brigid with bowed head touched the wooden foot of the altar with her hand, and from that hour that foot remains green without decay and without failing for ever. And when the veil was received, her eye was restored to perfect health.

⁶ Now before Easter she made ale from one measure of malt, and sent it divided to eighteen churches round about; and it sufficed abundantly for all who wished to taste of it through the octave of Easter. At that same Easter a certain leper came and asked blessed Brigid to give him a cow. But she, having no cow, said to him: “Do you want us to ask God that you may be healed of your leprosy?” And he said: “That is better to me than all gifts.” Then she, blessing water, sprinkled the leper’s body: and he was at once made whole, and giving thanks to God, remained with the holy virgin until his death.

⁷ Two paralysed virgins, taking water blessed with salt from St Brigid, received health and gave thanks to God. Two blind Britons, with a leprous servant guiding them, came to her church from abroad and asked healing from her. She said to them: “Wait a little while, and going into the guest-house, eat; meanwhile we shall pray to God for your healing.” But they, indignant, said: “You heal the sick of your own race, but us, as strangers, you neglect to cure for Christ’s sake.” Then she, accepting the reproach, went out to them and sprinkled them with blessed water; and the leper being cleansed, the blind men received sight.

⁸ A certain virgin, invited by St Brigid when she sat at table, saw a demon sitting near. “If it is possible,” said the guest, “I want to see him.” Brigid said: “It is not impossible; but first let your eyes be signed, so that you may bear to look upon his face.” And when her eyes were signed, she saw the enemy, a foul and black figure with a huge head, and through every door flame and smoke breathed out. “Speak to us, demon,” said Brigid. And he said: “O holy virgin, I cannot speak to you, nor can I despise your commands, since you do not despise God’s commands and are gracious to his poor and little ones.” “Why,” said the virgin, “have you come here?” “I dwell with this virgin,” he said, “and I have a place in her by reason of her sloth.” “See,” said Brigid to the virgin, “whom you used to nourish for many years.” And from that day the virgin was freed from the demon.

⁹ A certain woman brought a little gift of apples to the handmaid of God, and at once lepers came asking alms from her. “Divide these apples among them,” said the saint. Hearing this, the woman snatched her apples back to herself, saying: “These apples I brought for you and your virgins, not for lepers.” When this displeased St Brigid, she said: “You do ill in forbidding alms to be given; therefore your trees shall have no fruit for ever.” Then the woman went out and found none in her orchard, which she had left full of apples, and it remained barren ever after.

¹⁰ When she sat in her chariot with her girls, she saw a man with his wife and household and cattle carrying heavy burdens in the heat of the sun, wearied with fatigue. And pitying them, she gave them the horses of her chariot to carry the loads, and remained sitting by the road with her girls, saying: “Dig under the neighbouring turf, that water may burst out, so that those who come thirsty and have food may take a drink.” Then, as they dug, a clear and bright river at once began to gush out. A little later a certain duke came, and hearing what blessed Brigid had done with the horses, gave her two untamed horses: and at once, as if they had always been under the chariot, they were made tame. Certain lepers came to St Brigid asking for her chariot; and she at once gave them the chariot with the horses.

¹¹ A certain woman said that the child she had borne belonged to a certain bishop, St Patrick’s disciple, named Broon. When he denied it, St Brigid called the woman and said: “By whom did you conceive this child?” And she said: “By Bishop Broon.” Then Brigid signed that woman’s mouth with the sign of the cross, and at once her whole head with the tongue swelled up. Then Brigid, blessing the infant’s tongue, said: “Who is your father?” He said: “Bishop Broon is not my father, but that ugly and vile man who sits lowest among the people.” Then all giving thanks to God, the woman did penance.

¹² When a certain demoniac learned that he was being brought to St Brigid, he fell to the ground saying: “You shall not carry me there.” “Do you indeed know her place?” they said. “I know it,” he said, “and I will not go to her.” And when they could not move him, they sent someone to bring St Brigid. And the demon, seeing Brigid coming towards him from afar, fled from the man.

¹³ To a certain virgin seeking alms Brigid said: “I have heard that there are many sick in your country: take therefore my girdle, and by it, dipped in water, you shall heal them in the name of Jesus Christ, and they will give you food and clothing.” So taking the girdle with her, she healed the sick, and receiving gains and being made rich, she distributed much to the poor.

¹⁴ Once on a certain feast day, when a certain common man with all his household was lodging with St Brigid, thieves coming to his house stole his cattle, and coming to a river, found it so filled with abundance of water that they could not cross. So binding their weapons and clothes upon the cattle’s heads, they forced the cattle to enter the water. But they returned with great force and, the naked men running after them, came by a straight course to Brigid’s dwelling; and the thieves, giving praise to God, did penance in Brigid’s monastery.

¹⁵ A certain queen came to Brigid with many gifts, among which was an exceedingly beautiful silver chain. The girls snatched this away and hid it in their treasures, the rest being given to the poor by the saint. Not long after, when a poor man begged alms and she had nothing, she took the chain and gave it to the pauper. Seeing this, the girls said: “We have lost through you what God sent us; you give everything to the poor and leave us destitute.” And she said: “Seek the chain where I am accustomed to pray in the church: perhaps you will find it there.” The chain being found and shown to all, they kept it ever after as a testimony of her virtue.

¹⁶ And when she had cleansed a certain leper of his leprosy, she sent to St Patrick to preach the word of God to her. And while he met together with his disciples and her, the holy bishop preached for three days and nights without ceasing to speak, and the sun did not set for them, but they all believed it was one hour. But a certain man ignorant of these things, coming up, said to St Patrick: “Why do you sit here so long?” The saint answered: “What hour of the day is it?” And he said: “You have stayed here for three days.” Patrick said: “We should have been here for forty days and nights if no one had come here, feeling no weariness or hunger, the divine grace granting it.”

¹⁷ When a certain queen had borne a son, though barren, at the prayers of St Brigid, a certain demoniac driven by fury and afflicting many was brought to St Brigid. She said to him: “Preach to me the word of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He said: “O holy virgin Brigid, I am compelled unwillingly to fulfil your command. Love God and all will love you; honour God and all will honour you; fear God and all will fear you.” Having said this, he fled with a great cry.

¹⁸ When many lame, leprous, demoniac and sick people had been healed through St Brigid, two lepers came asking for health with tears. Then the saint, praying and blessing water, commanded them to wash one another in the water. When they were washed, one of them was cleansed. The saint said to him: “Wash your companion also.” But he, seeing himself cleansed and glorying in his own health, refused to touch the other’s leprosy; and after a little while he said: “I feel sparks of fire upon my shoulders.” And at once his whole body, the other being cleansed, was stricken with leprosy.

¹⁹ A certain man, forbidding Brigid’s charioteer and the chariot in which she sat to pass through his field, and striking the horses, fell to the ground and gave up the spirit.

²⁰ A certain woman being cleansed of the plague of leprosy, Brigid came, asked by her father, to the king of the Leinstermen, saying: “Let your sword be given to me for my father, and release one of your servants free to me.” The king said to her: “What will you give me for these two great requests?” And she said: “If you wish, I will give you eternal life, and your seed shall be kings for ever.” “A life which I do not see,” he said, “I do not seek, nor do I care for sons who shall be after me. But I earnestly desire two other things, namely that I may become long-lived in this life which I love, and that I may be victor in every place and battle.” “These two things,” said the saint, “shall be granted you.” And not long after, going out to battle with few against many, calling on St Brigid’s help, he saw St Brigid going before him with her staff, and a column of fire burning from her head up to heaven. And when his enemies were defeated, extolling the name of St Brigid with praises, he returned to his own rejoicing.

²¹ And when she was receiving the eucharist from the bishop’s hand, she saw in the chalice which the bishop’s servant held a deformed prodigy, namely the shadow of a he-goat. And refusing to drink from the chalice, she told the bishop of the vision. Then the bishop said to the servant: “What have you done? Give glory to God.” And the servant confessed that he had committed a theft and had killed one of his goats and eaten part of it. And when he had done penance with tears, Brigid, called back, saw nothing of the goat in the chalice.

²² On a certain night, in which there was snow and ice, while all slept, Brigid came to a certain lake, and that night she was praying and weeping in the lake: and she thought always to do thus on all nights and turn it into a habit; but the mercy of Christ did not suffer this to be done longer. For on another night she found the lake dry without water, and coming to the lake the next day she found it full of water. Likewise on a second night the lake again dried up, and by day it was found full.

²³ When a certain girl who had suffered shipwreck invoked the name of St Brigid, walking with dry feet upon the sea she escaped the danger of death. St Brigid’s girls, having received many measures of flour from a certain rich man and being unable to cross a certain water, invoking Brigid’s aid, were suddenly transported to the other bank of the river with their loads.

²⁴ A certain girl of Brigid’s, loving a certain man seduced by unlawful love, promised to go out to him in the night. And while St Brigid slept, she rose from her bed and burned with the violent fire of love, and a wondrous disturbance of thoughts rushed upon her. And fearing God and St Brigid, she prayed to the Lord to help her, being in such anguish. At last, finding a plan and lighting a small fire, she put her feet into the fire, and fire extinguished fire, and pain conquered pain. All this Brigid, divinely taught, knew; but she kept silence, so that the girl, tempted for a little while, might be proved. And when the girl confessed her sin in the morning, the saint said: “Because by fighting manfully this night you burned your feet, the fire of fornication shall not harm you in the present, and the fire of hell shall not burn you in the future.” Then blessed Brigid healed her feet, and no sign of burning appeared on them.

²⁵ When a very great rain flooded the province, the hurt of the raindrops did not touch Brigid’s harvesters from sunrise to sunset.

²⁶ A boy stricken blind from birth received sight; to a man begging alms seven times, seven rams were given out, and the number of the flock suffered no diminution.

²⁷ Water she turned into ale by her blessing, and offered it abundantly to thirsty lepers. A stone signed with the mark of the cross she changed into salt and gave to a needy man with cheerfulness.

²⁸ A certain very strong man who exceeded many in the devouring of food she healed of excessive eating, and with no loss of strength of his powers made him like other men in eating.

²⁹ Silver she received from God by praying, and a condemned man led to be slaughtered she redeemed by the price given to the king.

³⁰ One tunic she divided between two paupers, and each part was made a whole tunic by heavenly power.

³¹ The virgin Daria, stricken with blindness, said to St Brigid: “Bless my eyes, that I may see the world as I desire.” And when, her eyes being blessed, she at once saw, she said: “Shut my eyes again. For the more absent anyone is from the world, the more present they will be to God.” Then blessed Brigid shut her eyes again, as she asked.

³² A certain woman brought her mute daughter to St Brigid; and when she saw her, she said to the girl: “Do you wish to remain a virgin?” — for she did not know that she was mute. The girl at once answered: “Whatever you command me, I will do.” And so remaining in virginity, she remained most eloquent until death.

³³ Once a certain countryman, seeing a fox in the king’s palace and thinking that it was not tame and domestic — for taught by various arts it used to make solace for the king — killed it in the sight of the multitude. Then he was bound and brought before the king, and was ordered to be killed unless another fox like it in all its cleverness were restored, and his wife and sons and all he had were reduced to slavery. Hearing this, St Brigid poured out prayers to God for the wretched man: and at once another fox, entering her chariot, began to sit tamely. When she offered it to the king, the king, seeing the fox playing with various arts and cleverness, appeased, released the guilty man free. But when Brigid returned home, the crafty fox, moving cleverly through the crowds, fled back to deserted places and its den.

³⁴ Once, necessity compelling her, the holy virgin asked honey from the Lord: and what she asked she found abundantly in the pavement of her house.

³⁵ A certain river she moved from its place to another place; and it runs to this day just as she appointed.

³⁶ Birds and ducks she often commanded to come to her, and touching and stroking them with her hand, she allowed them to return.

³⁷ Nine men binding themselves by wicked vows and oaths to kill a certain man on the first of July could in no way be recalled from their error by St Brigid’s preaching. But when Brigid prayed to God for the blinding of their hearts, they saw an image in the likeness of the man whom they had resolved to slaughter. Slaying it at once with their lances and swords, they went in to Brigid with bloodied weapons as if after the triumph of their adversary, and knowing the truth were converted to penance.

³⁸ A certain poor woman cut up her weaving timbers on which cloths were woven, and cooked a slain calf, and prepared food for St Brigid and those who came with her. In the morning she found the calf alive and whole, and the weaving timbers restored.

³⁹ To three lepers asking alms she gave a silver vessel, and when a quarrel arose among them over the vessel, she seized it and threw it against a stone, and at once made three parts of equal weight, and gave them to the paupers.

⁴⁰ And when the day of her death drew near, she called her foster-daughter and foretold her the day of her passing, and about the year of the Lord five hundred and eighteen, on the first of February, she departed to the Lord.

A Further Story #

¹ [Added in the Tiberius manuscript.] Not long before these times, when Italy had been laid waste by the Vandals and many were held in captivity in Africa, Paulinus, bishop of the city of Nola, lord of many estates, bestowed all that he could possess on redeeming captives. And when nothing at all remained which he could give to petitioners, a certain widow came and asked a ransom for redeeming her captive son. He said to her: “Woman, I have nothing that I can give: but take me and give me into slavery in your son’s place.” When this was done, the king’s son-in-law, who had captured the widow’s son, asked what skill he knew. “I know well how to tend a garden,” he said. So Paulinus being appointed to tend the garden, he distributed to all the poor the things that grew in the garden, and used to bring green herbs to his lord’s table.

² Then on a certain day he said to his master, who was speaking privately with him: “See what you do, and take thought how the kingdom of the Vandals should be ordered: for with all speed the king is about to die.” Hearing this, the king said: “I should like to see this man of whom you speak.” And when the king had suddenly caught sight of him, he grew troubled and said to his son-in-law: “What you heard is true: for this night I saw judges sitting in judgement-seats against me in my dreams, among whom that man also sat, and the scourge which I had once received against the Christians was being taken from me by their judgement. Inquire who he is, for I do not suppose him to be the common man he appears.” Then the king’s son-in-law secretly asked Paulinus who he was. He said to him: “I am your servant, whom you took for the widow’s son.” And when he insistently required him to declare not who he was, but who he had been in his own land, he testified that he had been a bishop. Hearing this, he was greatly afraid and humbly said: “Ask what you wish, that you may return to your land with great honour.” He said to him: “You can confer this one benefit, to release all the captives of my city.” And they all, sought out at once in the region of Africa, were released in satisfaction of the man of God. And not long after, the king died and lost the scourge which, by God’s appointment, he had received for the chastisement of his sons — to his own destruction. And the man of God, who had given himself alone into servitude, returned to liberty with many.