¹ After blessed Patrick had converted the Irish people to the faith of Christ by signs and wonders, crossing the sea he came to Britain and happily ended his life in a good old age at Glastonbury. For the Irish, because St Patrick had been sent to them as apostle from Rome, used often to visit the town of Glastonbury as pilgrims, for the sake of prayer and devotion.

² Now in Ireland there was a certain king’s son named Indract, imbued with the study of letters, distinguished for his virtues, and conspicuous before God and men for the honour of all his conduct; and that he might deserve to possess heavenly joys, he resolved utterly to tread underfoot royal delights and the world’s blandishments with their desires, and to flee them with all affection. So taking with him nine companions, together with his sister named Dominica, he set out on a journey towards Rome for the sake of pilgrimage.

³ And when they had landed in Britain by a prosperous voyage at a port named Tamerunta, for a long time they led a most strict life there in God’s service, and built an oratory in which they might continually give themselves to prayers. Now Indract fixed the staff of his pilgrimage in the ground in that same place: and without delay it put forth roots, leaves and foliage in the sight of all, and in process of time grew into a very great and shady oak. He also made a certain little pond, from which he took fish daily according to a fixed number; and he found neither more nor fewer, but always the same number of fish in the pond without diminution. For it happened that one of his companions, yielding to a devilish temptation, presumed to steal one fish on a certain day: and the Lord being offended, one fish was diminished daily from the number until all the fish had failed. Seeing this, the man of God Indract was astounded, and fearing that his remaining in that place no longer pleased God, with the unanimous consent of the brethren he said farewell to his sister and hastened swiftly to Rome with his companions.

⁴ But returning into Britain, he purposed to go towards Glastonbury to St Patrick and pour out prayers to God. For in those days Ine, king of the West Saxons, held his court at a town named Pedret, whose ministers were scattered through the villages round about. Among them was a certain son of iniquity named Hona, who, spying out Indract the man of God and his companions departing from Glastonbury, cruel lictor that he was, reckoned their scrips to be filled with money. And when the servants of God were resting on their beds, departing not far from Glastonbury, at Shapwick, the same minister of Satan with his accomplices violently entered the house in which the innocents were sleeping, and with drawn swords did not fear to slaughter them; and taking the holy bodies, they hid them in a certain deep pit lest they should be found.

⁵ Now King Ine, one night being troubled by an excessive pain of the stomach, went out of his chamber to soothe his noxious pains and perhaps relieve his distress; and looking up to heaven, he saw a column as of clear fire stretching from the place in which the holy bodies were hidden up to heaven, whose splendour followed his eyes wherever he turned them. And when for three nights he had seen the same vision, taking certain men with him he came to the place, and finding the bodies of the martyrs, caused them to be buried with great honour at Glastonbury. And they place Indract at the left horn of the altar, opposite the shrine of blessed Patrick, and his companions around the circuit of the pavement.

⁶ But the murderers of the innocents, standing there with the rest, were seized by demons and so horribly tormented that, still alive, they tore their own flesh, ending their lives miserably not long after with great cries.

⁷ A certain woman who had served idols from her infancy, unable to be converted to the way of life by any preachings, when she saw the column seen by the king over the saints’ bodies, not daring to approach the holy bodies, after she had confessed her sins to a priest and obtained the grace of baptism, hastened to the place of the saints with great devotion; and there openly recounting to all what she had seen, she made eighty persons of both sexes receive the faith of Christ.

⁸ For the king of the West Saxons had a son stricken with an incurable disease: and when he had commanded him to be brought to the saints’ tombs, he was at once restored to his former health.

⁹ A certain rich man accustomed to visit the saints’ tombs on one occasion brought his wife with his little son, named Guthlac, scarcely able to speak, to St Indract’s tomb. And when, wearied with vigils, they had begun to sleep, there appeared to the little boy a man arising from the left side of the altar, beautiful and comely, adorned with a clerical tonsure; and holding out a book to the child, he said: “Do you wish, my son, to read in this?” And when he granted that he wished it, he straightway taught him. And the boy, waking from sleep, related the matter to his mother as he had seen it. And when the clerics held out a book to the boy, he at once read, and without stumbling of tongue expounded what he had read.

A Further Story #

¹ When a certain monk was going about in the city with a young girl and begging alms, certain men, scandalised at seeing them, reported to St John the Almsgiver that he was disgracing the monastic life by having a woman. Then the saint, wishing to check the sin, ordered the woman to be scourged and the monk to be beaten and thrust into prison. When this was done, the monk appeared to him in a vision by night, showing him his back putrefied by the stripes, and said: “Does it please you so, lord patriarch? Truly, in this matter, as a man, you have erred.” And saying this, he departed. Now in the morning the holy man, mindful of the vision, sent for the monk who was in prison, and had him stripped before him, that he might see his back, whether it was as he had seen in his sleep. When this was done, by God’s will the garment in which he was clothed was loosed and fell down: and all saw that he was a eunuch. Then the holy man said that he had sinned ignorantly against God and against him; yet admonishing him that a monk ought not thus to take a woman about with him to the scandal of onlookers. But he humbly gave his account, saying: “Lately, when I was at Gaza, as I was going out of the city this woman met me, saying that she was a Hebrew and wished to become a Christian; and earnestly adjuring me with dreadful words not to let her perish. Fearing therefore the judgement of God, I took her, and baptised her, and was going about with her in simplicity of heart, asking a little sustenance whereby I might bring her into a monastery.” Then the saint, having related the vision, brought forth a hundred pieces of money to give him. But he, wishing to receive nothing, said: “A monk, if he has faith, does not need these; and if he needs these, he does not have faith.” This above all gave assurance to all who heard that he was a servant of God.