¹ The blessed virgin Keyna was sprung from a royal stock in the western part of Greater Britain. Her father was Braghanus, king of the people of Brycheiniog. Now that king had twelve sons and as many daughters, all pleasing to God and of holy life. His eldest son was St Canochus; his eldest daughter Gladus, the mother of St Cadoc; his second daughter Melari, mother of the father of St David the archbishop of Menevia. But passing over the rest for the sake of brevity, we turn our pen to blessed Keyna.

² For before she was born, her mother in a vision saw her bosom full of myrrh and balsam, and her breasts radiant with heavenly light. She also saw that she had brought forth a snow-white dove for her offspring. And when the mother carefully brought up the daughter she had borne, a certain wondrous loveliness of spiritual grace appeared in the virgin’s face, so that at one time it shone like snow, at another like the sun’s brightness. And when she had come to marriageable years and many nobles sought her in marriage, the holy virgin, utterly refusing union with a man, consecrated her virginity to the Lord by a perpetual vow. On this account, she who was previously called Keyna was afterwards called in British “Keynwiri”, that is, “Keyna the virgin”.

³ At length she resolved to leave her country and seek a deserted place where she might devote herself to contemplation; and setting out on her journey and coming beyond the Severn, finding certain woody places, she asked the king of that province for that solitude in which she might serve God; who answered that he would cheerfully grant what she asked, but that the place was filled with so great a multitude of serpents that it was uninhabitable for men and beasts and wild animals alike. But the virgin steadfastly answered that she trusted in the help of the Most High, and that in his name she both wished and was able to put all that venomous multitude to flight. So when the place had been granted to the virgin, she prostrated herself in her accustomed prayers, and soon changed all that brood of vipers, made dead, into the hardness of stones. For the stones even to this day display the likeness of serpents through the fields and villages, as if sculptured by a mason’s art.

⁴ Now when many years had passed, and the fame of the holy virgin had been spread abroad everywhere, and she had built many oratories for the many who visited her, St Cadoc, visiting St Michael’s Mount for the sake of pilgrimage, found St Keyna his aunt in that same place; and filled with great joy, when he wished to bring her back to her own land, he was not permitted by the people of the land. At length, by angelic admonition, the holy virgin, returning to her own country and making herself a dwelling on a certain little hill at the roots of a certain great mountain, brought forth a spring from the earth by prayer poured out to God, which through the merits of the holy virgin afforded health in many infirmities.

⁵ And when, by the Holy Spirit’s revelation, the day of her consummation drew near, she saw in a vision of the night a column as of fire descend as far as the floor of her little bed — for she used to sleep on the bare floor with tree-branches strewn over it. And two angels appeared to her; one of whom, reverently approaching her, gently took off the hair-shirt with which she was clothed, and decently adorning her with a chasuble of fine linen together with a scarlet tunic, and also with a cloak woven with gold, said: “Be ready and come with us, that we may bring you into your Father’s kingdom.” And when, weeping for joy, she wished to follow the angels, waking she felt her body weighed down with fevers and her end at hand.

⁶ And summoning St Cadoc, she said: “This is the place which I love above all others: here shall my memory be: this place I shall often visit in spirit, if it be permitted — and it will be permitted, for the Lord has granted me this place to possess by right of inheritance. But it shall come to pass that this place will be inhabited by a sinful people, whom I will violently root out from these seats; and my tomb shall lie unknown for many days, until there come others whom I by my prayers shall bring here, protect and defend, and in this place the name of the Lord shall be blessed for ever.”

⁷ And when her soul was hastening to go out of the body, she saw before her an angelic host ready to receive her soul with joy into the palace of heaven without fear and danger. And when she had declared this to those standing by, that holy soul was loosed from the body, on the eighth of October. And as it went out of the body, her holy face smiled, putting on a rosy colour, and so great a fragrance of sweetness proceeded from the virginal body that all who were present thought they were placed with her in the glory of paradise. And St Cadoc buried her in her oratory, where in holy conversation she had led a most strict life pleasing to God for many years.

A Further Story #

¹ [Added in the Tiberius manuscript.] Two brothers, assailed by fornication, went away and took wives; but afterwards they said to one another: “What have we gained by deserting the angelic order and coming to this uncleanness, and after this we are to come to fire and torments? Let us return therefore to the desert, and do penance for the things we have presumed.” And when the brethren had received them and shut them up for a year, on each day there was given them equally a little bread and water. And when they came out, the elders saw one pale and exceedingly sad, but the other robust and bright. And they asked him who was sad and afflicted, saying: “How did you exercise yourself with your thoughts in your cell?” He answered: “I was turning over in my mind the punishments to which I was to come for the evils I had done; and from fear my bones cleaved to my flesh.” But the other, asked, said: “I was giving thanks to God because he delivered me from the defilement of the world and from the pains of the world to come, and called me back to this angelic manner of life; and remembering my God continually, I rejoiced.” And the elders said: “The penance of both is equal before God.”