Preface #

¹ Indeed, my lord, many have endeavored to compose narratives, certainly according to what their fathers and those who were ministers of the word from the beginning handed down to them. Yet, due to the extremely challenging nature of the narrative work, the diverse opinions, and the many suspicions of many people, they have never arrived at a unified and certain path of history.

² Therefore, if I am not mistaken, following one of our proverbs—“just as children are led into the amphitheater”—into this perilous and deep sea of sacred narrative, with the swelling heaps of obstinate waves and amidst the sharpest rocks of Charybdis over unknown waters, untried by any rafts except for one known and occupied by my father, I have launched the boyish paddle-boat of my humble ingenuity.

³ But lest I seem to boast greatly from little, I will attempt—faithfully yet with difficulty—to narrate a few matters from the many deeds of Saint Patrick, with little skill, uncertain authors, fading memory, a dull mind, and humble words. However, I do so with the most fervent affection for your holiness, sanctity, and the command of your authority.

⁴ I will speak about:

⁵ The birth of Patrick and his first captivity.

⁶ His voyage among the nations and the divine provision of food for himself and the pagans in their distress.

⁷ I will also discuss his second capture, which he endured at the hands of his enemies for sixty days.

⁸ His ordination, where he was recognized.

⁹ His age when he sought to visit the Apostolic See, desiring to learn wisdom.

¹⁰ The discovery of Saint Germanus in Gaul.

¹¹ The reason why he did not go further.

¹² Regarding his age when the angel visited him to tell him to come again to Ireland, and immediately after his death.

¹³ His return from Gaul and the ordination of Palladius. After Palladius, the bishop, died, Saint Patrick, bearing baptism, was sent to a pagan king in Temoria. This was when he came on his first journey to the island to redeem himself before calling others to admonition.

¹⁴ About the death of Milcon and Patrick’s prophecy concerning his descendants.

¹⁵ About the counsel of Saint Patrick when there was a question about the celebration of the first Easter.

¹⁶ About the offerings during the first Easter on the island and the pagan festival in Temoria on the same night that Saint Patrick worshiped on Easter.

¹⁷ About the king Loiguire leaving Temoria to go to Patrick on Easter night.

¹⁸ About the death of his sons.

¹⁹ About the king summoning Patrick.

²⁰ About the conversion of the druids and magicians that night.

²¹ About the divine power overcoming and striking fear into the king and his men before Patrick and the punishment Patrick inflicted on Easter morning at Temoria.

²² About the faith of Dubthach mac Culugir.

²³ About Patrick’s confrontation with a magician that night and the miraculous works.

²⁴ About Patrick’s word and the conversion of King Loiguire and Patrick’s influence over his kingdom afterward.

²⁵ About Patrick’s teachings, baptisms, and signs following the example of Christ.

²⁶ About Patrick and Mac Cuill and his conversion through the word.

²⁷ About the death of Moneisen.

²⁸ About the story of Daire and his horse and the offering of Armagh to Patrick.

²⁹ About the people working on Sunday in violation of Patrick’s command.

³⁰ About Patrick’s prophecy that the fruitful land would be turned into saltwater.

³¹ About the death of the Saxon woman Moneisen.

³² About the vision where Saint Patrick saw heaven open and the Son of God with His angels.

³³ Concerning the conflict of Saint Patrick against Coirthech, the king of Ailech.

³⁴ These few details about the knowledge and virtues of Saint Patrick were written by Muirchu Maccu Machtheni at the request of Aido, the bishop of the city of Sletty.

Chapter 1 #

¹ Patrick, also called Sochet, was of the British race and born in Britain. He was the son of Cualfamus, a deacon, who, as he himself tells us, was the son of Potitus, a presbyter from the town of Bannavem Thaburinde, located not far from the sea. It has been repeatedly confirmed that this town is unquestionably Ventre. His mother’s name was Concessa.

² When he was sixteen years old, Patrick, along with others, was taken captive to this island of barbarians and kept in slavery in the house of a certain chieftain, a heathen and harsh man. Patrick spent six years in captivity, as was the custom of the Hebrews, living in the “fear and trembling” of God, according to the saying of the Psalmist. In many vigils and prayers, he (St. Patrick) used to pray a hundred times during the day and a hundred times during the night, gladly giving to God the things that are God’s, and beginning to fear God and to love the Almighty Lord. Up to that time, he had been ignorant of the true God, but then the Spirit was fervent within him.

³ Finally, after enduring many tribulations, after suffering hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, after the toil of tending cattle, after visits from the angel Victorious sent by God, after great miracles known to nearly everyone, and after receiving answers from God—of which I will cite only one or two as examples: “You fast to good purpose, you who are soon to go to your native land”, and, “Behold, your ship is ready”.

⁴ The ship, however, was not nearby but about two hundred miles away in a place he had never been to. After all these things—things almost impossible for anyone to fully recount—he left behind the cruel pagan man and his deeds and sailed to Britain in the twenty-third year of his life on the ship that had been made ready for him. He traveled with strange, barbaric, and pagan men who worshipped many false gods, yet he kept close fellowship with the heavenly and eternal God.

Chapter 2 #

¹ And so, for three days and three nights, like Jonah, he was tossed by storms among the ungodly. After that, he endured an exhausting journey of twenty-eight days through the desert—like Moses, though not in every way—while the pagans, who were close to dying from hunger and thirst, complained just as the Israelites had done. The shipmaster urged and tempted him, asking him to pray to his God on their behalf so that they might not perish. Moved by their pleas, he had compassion on the crowd, was troubled in spirit, honored for his faithfulness, and glorified by God. God provided them with plenty of food from a herd of swine, just as He had once provided quails for the Israelites. There was wild honey as well, just as had once provided for John. However, while John ate locusts, swine’s flesh was given instead, as was fitting for these wicked pagans. But holy Patrick ate none of it, as it had been offered in sacrifice to idols. Yet he remained unharmed, neither hungry nor thirsty.

² That same night, as he slept, Satan attacked him fiercely, shaping enormous rocks and crushing his limbs with them. But he called out twice to Elijah, and the sun rose upon him, driving away all the darkness with its light, and his strength was restored.

Chapter 3 #

¹ And again, after many years, he was taken captive by foreigners. On the first night, he received an answer from God: “For two months you will be with them, that is, with your enemies.” And so it happened, for on the sixtieth day the Lord freed him from their hands and provided him and his companions with food, fire, and shelter until, on the tenth day, they reached inhabited land.

Chapter 4 #

¹ And again, after a few years, he found rest once more in his native land with his relatives, who welcomed him as a son. They begged him that, after so many tribulations and trials, he should remain with them for the rest of his life. But he refused. And there, many visions were revealed to him.

Chapter 5 #

¹ At thirty years of age, having matured, as the Apostle says, “into a perfect man, into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”, he set out to visit and honor the Apostolic See, the head of all the churches in the world. Being already knowledgeable in the sacred mysteries to which God had called him, he sought to deepen his understanding and fulfill them, so that he might preach and share God’s grace with foreign nations, bringing them to the faith of Christ.

Chapter 6 #

¹ He crossed the southern British sea and began his journey, intending to traverse the Gallic Alps to the farthest point, as he had resolved in his heart. Along the way, he encountered a very holy bishop named Germanus-God’s precious gift-who was presiding over his city of Alsiodorum. He stayed with him for a considerable time, just as Paul sat at the feet of Gamaliel. In complete humility, patience, and obedience, he eagerly learned, cherished, and preserved knowledge, wisdom, chastity, and all that benefited the spirit and soul. He pursued these virtues with profound reverence and love for God, in sincerity and purity of heart, remaining a virgin both in body and mind.

Chapter 7 #

¹ When he had spent a long time there, which some reckon as forty years and others as thirty, the ancient and very trustworthy one named Victoricus—who, when he was in slavery in Ireland, had told him all things before they came to pass—visited him frequently in visions. Victoricus told him that the time had come for him to go and, with the Gospel net, fish for the wild and savage tribes to whom God had sent him to teach. In one vision, it was said to him, “The boys and girls of the Wood of Fochlath are calling you”, and so forth.

Chapter 8 #

¹ At the prompting of a suitable occasion and with his divine helper by his side, he embarked on the journey he had begun, prepared for the long-awaited work of the Gospel. Germanus sent an elder with him, Segitius, a presbyter, to serve as a witness and companion, since Patrick had not yet been ordained to pontifical rank by the holy lord Germanus.

² They were aware that Palladius, the archdeacon of Pope Celestinus, bishop of Rome and the forty-fifth successor of Saint Peter the Apostle, had already been consecrated and sent to convert this island, which lay under the harshness of winter. But God prohibited him, for no one can receive anything from earth unless it is given to him from heaven. The wild and rough people did not readily receive his teaching, nor did he himself desire to spend a long time in a land not his own.

³ Thus, he returned to the one who had sent him. Upon his return, he crossed the first sea, and continuing his journey by land, he died in the country of the Britons.

Chapter 9 #

¹ When news came of the death of St. Palladius in Britain—brought by the disciples of Palladius, namely Augustinus, Benedictus, and others, who returned and reported it in Ebmoria—Patrick and those with him turned aside to a certain renowned man, a chief bishop named Amathorex, who dwelt in the vicinity. There, St. Patrick, knowing the things that were to come, received the episcopal rank from Amathorex, the holy bishop.

² On the same day that Patrick was consecrated, Auxilius, Iseminus, and others received lower degrees of ministry. Then, after receiving blessings and completing everything according to custom—and with a particular relevance to Patrick, this verse from the Psalmist was sung: “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek”—the revered traveler boarded a ship prepared for him in the name of the Blessed Trinity and set sail for Britain. Setting aside anything that might delay his journey on foot, except for the basic necessities of life (for no one seeks the Lord through laziness), he crossed the sea swiftly with the help of a favorable wind.

Chapter 10 #

¹ Now in the days when these things took place, there was in the aforesaid country a certain great king, a fierce and pagan High-King of the barbarians, reigning in Temoria, the capital of the kingdom of the Irish, named Loiguire, the son of Neill, who is the ancestor of the royal lineage of almost the entire island.

² Now he had around him wise men, magicians, augurs, enchanters, and inventors of every evil art, who, through their heathen and idolatrous religion, had the skill to know and foresee all things before they came to pass. Among these were two who were held in higher regard than the others, whose names were Lothroch, otherwise called Lochru, and Lucetmael, otherwise called Ronal. These two, by their magical arts, frequently foretold the coming of a certain foreign religion, resembling a kingdom, with a strange and harmful doctrine, brought from a distant land across the seas, proclaimed by a few, accepted by many, and honoured by all. They predicted that this religion would overturn kingdoms, slay kings who resisted it, lead away multitudes, destroy all their gods, and, having cast down all the resources of their art, would reign forever and ever.

³ Moreover, they identified the one who would bear and advocate this religion. They prophesied in the following words, cast into poetical form, which they frequently uttered, especially in the two or three years preceding Patrick’s arrival. These are the words of the poem, though they are somewhat obscure due to the idiom of the language:

⁴ “Adze-head will come
With his crooked-headed staff,
And his house [chasuble] holed for his head.
He will chant impiety from his table in the east of his house.
His whole household will respond to him, ‘So be it, So be it.’”

⁵ Which can be more plainly expressed in our language: “When, therefore, all these things come to pass, our kingdom, which is a heathen one, will not stand”.

⁶ And so it came to pass. For when Patrick arrived, the worship of idols was overthrown, and the faith of Christ—our Catholic faith—filled the whole land. But let this suffice on this matter. Let us return to our subject.

Chapter 11 #

¹ Once the holy voyage was completed, the Saint’s ship, filled with extraordinary spiritual treasures from across the seas, arrived at a suitable harbor in the land of the Coolenni, a well-known harbor in our country called the Mouth of the Dee.

² And when he arrived, it seemed to him that nothing could be better than to first secure his own ransom. So he traveled to the northern region, carrying a twofold ransom from slavery—earthly and heavenly—to the heathen man Miliucc, in whose household he had once lived in captivity, intending to deliver from spiritual bondage the very man whom he had once served as a captive.

³ So he turned the prow of his ship toward the most easterly island, which to this day bears his name. From there, he left behind Breg and the Conaille territory, as well as the land of the Ulaid to the left, and entered the farthest point of a lough called Brene. He and those with him in the ship landed at the mouth of the Slain. They hid their skiff and went a short distance inland to rest.

⁴ A swineherd discovered them, belonging to a man named Dichu, who, though a heathen, had a naturally good disposition. Dichu lived in a place now known as Patrick’s Barn. The swineherd, thinking they were thieves or robbers, went and informed his master Dichu, who came upon them unexpectedly. Dichu had resolved in his heart to kill them, but when he saw the face of St. Patrick, the Lord changed his heart for good. Patrick preached the faith to him, and Dichu was the first to believe in Patrick. The Saint stayed with him for a few days.

⁵ But desiring to go quickly to visit the aforementioned Miliucc, to bring him his ransom and convert him to the faith of Christ, he left his ship in Dichu’s care and set out on a land journey into the land of the Cruidneni, eventually reaching Mount Mis. Long before, during the time of his captivity as a slave, he had seen the angel Victoricus ascending from this mountain into heaven before his eyes, moving swiftly and leaving the print of his foot on the rock of a second mountain.

Chapter 12 #

¹ Now when Miliucc heard that his slave was coming to see him with the intent of compelling him, as it were, to adopt a religion he disliked at the end of his life, he feared being placed in subjection to a slave and that the slave might rule over him. Therefore, at the instigation of the devil and of his own will, he cast himself into the flames. Gathering all his possessions around him, he was consumed by fire in the house where he had lived as king.

² Now St. Patrick was standing in the aforementioned place on the southern side of Mount Mis, where he had come with such a gracious purpose. It was there that he first caught sight of the country where he had been a slave, a place now marked by a cross. As he looked upon that land for the first time, he saw under his eyes the burning pyre of the king.

³ And so, astonished by this deed, he remained silent for two or three hours. Then, with sighs, tears, and groans, he spoke these words: “I do not know; God knows. As for this man, the king, who has thrown himself into the flames to avoid becoming a believer at the end of his life and serving the everlasting God—I do not know; God knows. None of his sons will sit as king on the throne of his kingdom from generation to generation, and his descendants will remain in servitude forevermore.”

⁴ Having said this, he prayed and armed himself with the sign of the cross. He then quickly set out for the land of the Ulaid, taking the same route by which he had come, and arrived once more at the Plain of Inis, to Dichu. There he stayed for many days, traveling throughout the surrounding region, selecting clergymen, and performing acts of love. It was there that the faith began to grow.

Chapter 13 #

¹ Now in those days, the Passover drew near, which was the first Passover celebrated to God in the Egypt of this island, just as it had once been celebrated in Goshen.

² They then took counsel about where they should hold the first Passover among the nations to whom God had sent them. After many suggestions were made, it was ultimately decided—through the divine inspiration given to Saint Patrick—that this great feast of the Lord, the chief of all feasts, should be celebrated in the great plain where the chief kingdom of those tribes resided, the very heart of heathenism and idolatry. It was deemed fitting that this unconquered stronghold of idolatry should be struck at its core by the mallet of a mighty work combined with faith, wielded by the spiritual hands of Saint Patrick and his companions, so that it would never again rise against the faith of Christ. And so it came to pass.

Chapter 14 #

¹ So they carried their boat down to the sea and left the good man Dichu in full faith and peace. They departed from the Plain of Inis, leaving on the right everything that had previously been naturally on the left, entrusting the spiritual care of these matters to the future fulfillment of their ministry. They were carried safely and prosperously to the harbor at the Mouth of the Colpdi. Leaving the ship there, they traveled on foot to the aforementioned great plain, until at last, in the evening, they arrived at the Graves of the Men of Fecc, which, as the story goes, had been dug by the men—the slaves—of Feccol Ferchertni, one of the nine great prophets of Breg. Having set up his tent there, St. Patrick, along with his companions, offered to the Most High God the due vows of the Paschal feast and the sacrifice of praise with all devotion, according to the words of the prophet.

Chapter 15 #

¹ Now it happened that in that year, the heathen were accustomed to celebrate an idolatrous feast with numerous incantations, magical practices, and other superstitious rites of idolatry. Kings, satraps, leaders, princes, and the chief men of the people had gathered together for this occasion. Additionally, magicians, enchanters, augurs, and those who sought out and taught every craft and cunning were summoned to Loiguire, just as they had once been called to King Nebuchadnezzar in Temoria, their Babylon.

² And it was on the same night that St. Patrick was observing the Paschal feast that they were celebrating their heathen festival. Moreover, there was a custom among them, proclaimed to all by an edict, that whoever in the entire district, whether near or far, kindled a fire on that night before one had been lit in the royal house—namely, in the palace of Temoria—would have his soul cut off from among his people.

³ Accordingly, Saint Patrick, in his celebration of the holy Paschal feast, kindled a divine fire—bright and blessed—which, as it burned and shone through the night, was seen by nearly all the inhabitants of the plain.

⁴ Accordingly, it came to pass that it was seen from Temoria, and when it was observed, all looked upon it with amazement. When all the nobles, elders, and magicians had been assembled, the king said to them: “What is this? Who has dared to commit such impiety in my kingdom? Let him be put to death!” All the nobles and elders replied: “We do not know who has done this thing.”

⁵ Then the magicians answered, saying: “O king, live forever! Concerning this fire which we see, and which has been kindled this night before one was lit in your house—that is, in the palace of Temoria—unless it is extinguished tonight, the night on which it has been kindled, it will never be extinguished. Furthermore, it will surpass all the fires of our religion. The one who kindled it, along with the kingdom from which it is kindled this night, will prevail over us all, including you. It will draw away all the people of your kingdom, and all kingdoms will yield to it. He will fill all things and reign forever and ever”

Chapter 16 #

¹ When King Loiguire heard these words, he was deeply troubled, much like Herod of old, and all the city of Temoria was likewise disturbed. He responded, saying: “It will not be so! Let us go now to see the outcome of this matter, and we will seize and kill those who have committed such an impiety against our kingdom.”

² And so, having yoked nine chariots in accordance with the tradition of the gods, and taking with him for the confrontation the two magicians who surpassed all others—namely, Lucetmael and Lochru—Loiguire set out at the close of that night from Temoria to The Graves of the Men of Fecc. He directed the faces of both the men and the horses to the left, in accordance with their custom of what was deemed fitting in such a case.

³ As they traveled on their way, the magicians said to the king: “O king, you must not enter the place where the fire is, lest perhaps you end up worshiping the one who kindled it. Instead, you should remain outside it, nearby, and he will be summoned to you, that he may bow before you and acknowledge your dominion over him. We and he will then debate in your presence, O king, and in this way, you will test us.”

⁴ The king replied: “You have given good counsel; I will do as you have said.”

⁵ When they arrived at the appointed place, they dismounted from their chariots and horses. They did not enter the enclosure of the place where the fire had been kindled but took their seats close by.

Chapter 17 #

¹ And St. Patrick was summoned to the king outside the place where the fire had been kindled. The magicians said to their people: “Let us not rise up at the approach of this man, for whoever rises up at his approach will later believe in him and worship him.”

² At last, St. Patrick rose, and when he beheld their numerous chariots and horses, he approached them, singing with both voice and heart the verse of the Psalmist: “Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God”. Yet they did not rise at his approach. However, one man, aided by the Lord and unwilling to obey the words of the magicians, rose up. This was Ercc, the son of Daig, whose relics are now venerated in the city called Slane. Patrick blessed him, and he believed in the everlasting God.

³ And as they began to debate, the second magician, named Lochru, became insolent in the presence of the Saint and, with arrogant words, dared to disparage the Catholic faith. While he uttered such things, St. Patrick fixed him with a stern gaze, much as Peter once looked upon Simon. With a loud and confident voice, he called upon the Lord, saying: “O Lord, who can do all things, in whose power all things hold together, and who has sent me here—let this impious man, who blasphemes Your name, be removed from this place and die swiftly.”

⁴ When he had spoken, the magician was caught up into the air and then cast down, his skull striking a rock. He was shattered and killed before their eyes, and the heathen were filled with fear and dismay.

Chapter 18 #

¹ Now the king and his people, enraged with Patrick because of this event, sought to kill him, saying: “Seize this man who is destroying us!” Then St. Patrick, seeing that the ungodly heathen were about to attack him, stood and cried out with a clear voice: “Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate Him flee before Him”.

² Immediately, darkness descended, and a terrible commotion arose. The ungodly men turned upon one another, each attacking his neighbor. A great earthquake struck, and “He bound the axles of their chariots and drove them with violence”, so that they fled in panic—chariots and horses alike—across the plain. In their headlong flight, only a few survived, escaping half-alive to the mountain of Monduirn. At Patrick’s curse, seven times seven men were struck down in the sight of the king and his elders, leaving only the king, his wife, and two companions alive, and they were filled with fear.

³ The queen then approached Patrick, pleading: “O righteous and mighty man, do not destroy the king, for he will come and kneel before you and worship your Lord.” Compelled by fear, the king came and knelt before the Saint, pretending to worship the Lord, though he did so unwillingly.

⁴ And after they had parted, the king went a short distance and then summoned St. Patrick with deceitful words, intending to kill him by some means. But St. Patrick, perceiving the wicked intentions of the treacherous king, blessed his companions—eight men and a lad—in the name of Jesus Christ and approached the king.

⁵ As the king counted them while they came, they suddenly vanished from his sight, for they were taken away and hidden from him. To the heathen onlookers, it appeared as though only eight stags and a fawn were walking toward the wilderness. King Loiguire, with the few who had survived, returned at dawn to Temoria, saddened, humbled, and deeply humiliated.

Chapter 19 #

¹ Now, on the following day, which was the day of the Paschal feast, the kings, princes, and magicians of all Ireland were gathered at a banquet in Loiguire’s house, for it was the most important of their festivals. As they ate and drank wine in the palace of Temoria, some spoke aloud while others pondered the events that had occurred.

² Then St. Patrick came, accompanied by only five men. The doors were shut, much like when Christ appeared to His disciples, and he entered to contend for the holy faith and to preach the word of God in Temoria before all the tribes of the Irish people assembled there.

³ When he entered the banqueting hall of Temoria, none among them rose at his approach, except for one alone: Dubthach mac Lugir, an outstanding poet. With Dubthach at that time was a young poet named Fiacc, who later became a renowned bishop and whose relics are now honored at Sleibti.

⁴ This Dubthach, as mentioned, alone among the heathen rose in honor of St. Patrick; and the Saint blessed him, and he was the first to believe in God that day, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

⁵ So, when Patrick appeared, the heathen invited him to partake of food so they might test him concerning the things that were to come. He, however, knowing what was to come, did not refuse to eat.

Chapter 20 #

¹ While all were feasting, the magician Lucetmael, who had taken part in the contest the night before and whose comrade had died, was eager even that day to contend with St. Patrick. To initiate his challenge, he placed something from his own vessel into Patrick’s cup while the others looked on, to see what Patrick would do. St. Patrick, perceiving the nature of the trial, blessed his cup in the sight of all, and behold, the liquid turned to ice. He then turned the vessel upside down, and only the drop that the magician had added fell out. Afterward, he blessed the cup again, and the liquid was restored to its natural state, and all were filled with wonder.

² After the trial of the cup, the magician said, “Let us perform miracles on this great plain.” Patrick replied, “What miracles?” The magician said, “Let us bring snow upon the earth.” Patrick answered, “I do not wish to bring things that are contrary to the will of God.” The magician declared, “I will bring it in the sight of all.” Then he began his magical incantations and brought snow over the entire plain to the depth of a man’s waist; and all who saw it marveled. St. Patrick then said, “Behold, we see this thing; now take it away.” The magician replied, “I cannot take it away until this time tomorrow.” And the Saint said, “You are able to do evil, but not good; I am not like you.” He then blessed the whole plain, and the snow vanished more swiftly than a word could be spoken, without any rain, cloud, or wind. The multitude cried out in astonishment and marveled greatly.

³ Shortly after this, the magician invoked his demons and brought upon the earth a very thick darkness as a supposed miracle, and all murmured at it. The Saint said, “Drive away the darkness.” But the magician could not do so in this case either. St. Patrick, however, prayed and uttered a blessing, and suddenly the darkness was driven away, and the sun shone forth. And all shouted aloud and gave thanks.

⁴ When all these things had been done by the magician and Patrick in the sight of the king, the king said to them, “Throw your books into water, and we will worship him whose books come out unharmed.” Patrick replied, “I will do it.” But the magician said, “I do not wish to enter into a trial by water with this man, for water is his God.” He had evidently heard of baptism by water as given by Patrick. Then the king said, “Throw them into fire.” Patrick replied, “I am ready.” But the magician, unwilling, said, “This man alternates between worshiping water and fire as his God every other year.” And the Saint answered, “That is not so. Instead, you yourself will go, and one of my lads will go with you, into a house separated and shut up. My garment will be placed around you, and your garment around me, and thus you will be set on fire together; and you will be judged in the sight of the Most High.”

⁵ This suggestion was accepted, and a house was constructed for the trial, with one half made of green wood and the other half of dry wood. The magician was placed in the part of the house made of green wood, and one of Saint Patrick’s lads, named Benineus, was placed with the magician’s cloak in the part made of dry wood. The house was then sealed from the outside and set on fire before the entire multitude.

⁶ As Patrick prayed, the flame consumed the magician and the half of the house made of green wood, leaving only Saint Patrick’s cloak untouched, as the fire did not harm it. Benineus, on the other hand, remained unharmed in the half of the house made of dry wood. Just as it is said of The Three Children, the fire did not touch him, nor was he afraid, nor did it harm him in any way. Only the magician’s cloak, which was around him, was burned, according to the will of God.

⁷ The king was greatly enraged with Patrick because of the death of his magician, and he almost rushed upon him with the intent to kill him; but God prevented him. For at Patrick’s prayer and cry, the wrath of God fell upon the ungodly people, and many of them perished. Then St. Patrick said to the king, “Unless you believe now, you will die swiftly, for the wrath of God will fall upon your head.” The king was filled with great fear, “and his heart was moved, and his whole city with him”.

Chapter 21 #

¹ When the elders and all his senate had gathered together, King Loiguire said to them, “It is better for me to believe than to die.” After consulting with them, he believed that day, following the advice of his counselors, and turned to the everlasting Lord God of Israel; and many others believed as well. Then St. Patrick said to the king, “Because you resisted my teaching and were a stumbling block to me, although the days of your reign will be prolonged, none of your descendants will ever be king.”

Chapter 22 #

¹ Now St. Patrick, following the command of the Lord Jesus to “go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”, departed from Temoria and preached, “the Lord working with him, and confirming the word with accompanying signs.”

Chapter 23 #

¹ In the time of St. Patrick, there lived in the land of the Ulaid people a man named Maccuil-maccu-Greccae. This man was such an ungodly and savage tyrant that he was called Cyclops. He was depraved in his thoughts, violent in his words, malicious in his actions, bitter in spirit, wrathful in disposition, villainous in body, cruel in mind, heathenish in life, and monstrous in conscience, descending to such a depth of ungodliness that one day he acted as follows.

² There is a mountainous, rugged, and steep place in Druimm-maccu-Echaid, where he daily exercised his tyranny, committing acts of the greatest cruelty and slaughtering strangers who passed by in a brutal manner.

³ One day, as he sat at this place, he saw St. Patrick shining with the radiant light of faith and adorned with a wondrous crown of heavenly glory. He beheld him walking with unwavering confidence in the truth of his doctrine along a path in harmony with it. He thought to kill him and said to his followers, “Look, here comes that deceiver and corrupter of mankind, who performs his juggling tricks to mislead and beguile many. Let us now go and test him, and we will see whether the God in whom he boasts has any power.” They then tested the holy man in the following way:

⁴ They placed one of their own, who was in perfect health, among them, covering him with a blanket and pretending he was on the verge of death, intending to test the Saint through such a deception. They called the holy man a fraud, his miracles mere trickery, and his prayers nothing more than charms and incantations.

⁵ When St. Patrick and his disciples arrived, the heathen people said to him, “Look, one of us is now sick. Come and chant over him some of the spells of your religion, so that perhaps he may be healed.” But St. Patrick, fully aware of their deceit and trickery, replied boldly and fearlessly, “It is no wonder he is sick.” When his companions uncovered the face of the man pretending to be sick, they discovered that he was already dead. Stricken with awe and wonder at such a miracle, they said to one another with groans, “Truly, this is a man of God; we have done wrong in testing him.”

⁶ But St. Patrick, turning to Maccuil, said, “Why did you wish to test me?” The cruel tyrant replied, “I am sorry for having done this, and I will do whatever you command me. I now surrender myself into the power of your most high God, whom you proclaim.” The Saint said, “Then believe in my God, the Lord Jesus, confess your sins, and be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” In that moment, he was converted and believed in the everlasting God.

⁷ Moreover, he was baptized. Then Maccuil said, “I confess to you, my holy lord Patrick, that I intended to kill you. Therefore, pronounce what punishment is fitting for a crime so great and grievous.” Patrick replied, “I cannot judge, but God will judge. However, you must now go forth unarmed to the sea and leave this Irish land quickly, taking nothing with you of your possessions except a cheap and small garment to cover your body. Eat and drink nothing from the produce of this island. Bear a mark of your sin on your head, and when you reach the sea, lock your feet together with an iron fetter and throw the key into the sea. Place yourself in a boat made of a single hide, without rudder or oars, and be ready to go wherever the wind and waves may carry you. Wherever Divine Providence brings you, dwell there and obey the commandments of God.” Maccuil said, “I will do as you have instructed. But what will we do about the dead man?” Patrick replied, “He will live and rise again without pain.” So Patrick raised him up at that very moment, and he lived again in full health.

⁸ And Maccuil departed as quickly as possible to the sea south of the Plain of Inis, holding steadfastly to his faith. On the shore, he locked his feet together and threw the key into the sea as he had been instructed. He then set out to sea in a small boat, and the north wind carried him southward, casting him onto an island called Evonia. There he encountered two renowned men, radiant in faith and learning, who were the first to proclaim the word of God and administer baptism in Evonia. Through their teaching, the inhabitants of the island were converted to the Catholic faith. Their names were Conindri and Rumili.

⁹ When they saw a man dressed in only a single garment, they were astonished and took pity on him. They pulled him from the sea and received him with joy. In the land appointed to him by God, where he found spiritual fathers, he subjected both his body and soul to their rule. He spent the remainder of his life with those two holy bishops until he became their successor in the episcopate. This is Maccuil, Bishop of Man and prelate of Arddae Huimnonn.

Chapter 24 #

¹ There was in the country of Airthir a certain wealthy and honorable man named Daire. Patrick asked him to grant a place for the practice of religion. The rich man said to the Saint, “What place do you desire?” Patrick replied, “I desire that you give me that high ground called the Ridge of the Willow, so I may build a place there.” But Daire refused to give Patrick the high ground and instead granted him another place on lower ground, where the Graves or Church of the Relics now stands, near Armagh. There, St. Patrick lived with his followers.

² Some time later, a groom of Daire came, leading his fine horse to graze on the grassland of the Christians. Patrick was offended by the horse trespassing on his land and said, “Daire has acted foolishly by sending brute beasts to disturb the small holy place he gave to God.” But the groom, like one who is deaf and hears not, and as one who is mute and does not open his mouth, said nothing and left the horse there overnight. The next morning, when the groom returned to check on the horse, he found it already dead. Grieved, he went back to his lord and said, “See, that Christian has killed your horse; he was upset at the disturbance to his place.” Daire, angered, said, “Let him be killed as well; go now and slay him.”

³ As they were going forth, a death stroke, swifter than speech, struck Daire. His wife said, “This death stroke is because of the Christian. Let someone go quickly and bring his blessing to us, so you may be healed; and let those who went to kill him be stopped and called back.” So two men went to the Christian and, hiding what had occurred, said to him, “Behold, Daire is ill; may something from you be brought to him, that he might be healed.” St. Patrick, knowing what had happened, said, “Certainly.” He blessed some water and gave it to them, saying, “Go, sprinkle your horse with this water and take it away with you.” They did as he instructed, and the horse came back to life. They then took the horse with them, and Daire was healed by the sprinkling of the holy water.

⁴ After these events, Daire came to show his respect to St. Patrick, bringing with him a remarkable bronze pot holding three gallons, which had come from overseas. Daire said to the Saint, “Behold, this bronze pot is for you.” And St. Patrick replied, “Grazacham” [meaning “Thank you”]. When Daire returned to his house, he said, “That man is foolish, saying nothing more gracious than ‘Grazacham’ in return for a remarkable three-gallon bronze pot.” Then Daire said to his servants, “Go, and bring back our pot.”

⁵ So they went to Patrick and said, “We are here to take back the pot.” Yet St. Patrick, even then, said, “Grazacham. Take it away.” And they took it.

⁶ When Daire questioned his servants, he asked, “What did the Christian say when you took the pot back?” They answered, “He just said ‘Grazacham.’” Daire responded, “Grazacham when it is given! Grazacham when it is taken away! His expression is so good that the pot must be returned to him with his ‘Grazacham.’”

⁷ This time, Daire came himself, bringing the pot back to Patrick, and said, “This pot must stay with you, for you are a steadfast and unchangeable man. Moreover, as for that piece of land you once desired, I now give it to you, as far as it is mine to grant. Dwell there.”

⁸ And that is the city now called Ardd-Machae. Both St. Patrick and Daire went out to inspect the admirable and worthy gift being offered. They ascended the high ground and found a hind with her little fawn lying in the spot where the altar of the Northern Church in Ardd-Machae now stands.

⁹ St. Patrick’s companions wanted to take the fawn and kill it, but the Saint would not allow this to be done. Instead, St. Patrick himself lifted the fawn and carried it on his shoulders. The hind followed him gently, like a tame sheep, until he released the fawn in another wood located on the northern side of Ardd-Machae. To this day, the learned say that certain signs of his power remain in that place.

Chapter 25 #

¹ On another occasion, when St. Patrick was resting on the Lord’s Day by the seaside, near the salt marsh on the northern shore, not far from the Hill of the Ox, he heard a great noise from heathen folk who were working on the Lord’s Day, building a rath. Patrick called to them and forbade them to work on the Lord’s Day. However, they refused to heed his words, laughing and mocking him instead.

² St. Patrick said, “Muderóit: although you labor, it will not profit you.” This was fulfilled, for that night a mighty wind arose and stirred up the sea, and the storm destroyed all the work of the heathen folk, just as the Saint had foretold.

Chapter 26 #

¹ The learned recount the story of a man who lived in the Plain of Inis, a man exceedingly harsh and greedy, who had descended into such foolishness and avarice that one day, upon seeing the two oxen that drew St. Patrick’s wagon resting and grazing after their sacred labors in a meadow on his farm, the foolish man violently and recklessly drove them away by force, even in the presence of St. Patrick.

² St. Patrick, enraged at him, cursed him, saying, “Muderóit: you have done wrong. This field of yours will bring no profit to you or your descendants forever; from this moment, it will be useless.” And so it came to pass, for on that very day, an overflowing flood of the sea came and surrounded the field, covering it entirely. As the prophet says, “A fruitful land was turned into a salt marsh because of the wickedness of those who lived there.” From the day St. Patrick cursed it until now, the land has remained sandy and barren.

Chapter 27 #

¹ And so, I will endeavor, if the Lord wills, to recount a few of the many miracles performed by Patrick, bishop and distinguished teacher of all Ireland, so to speak.

² Once, when all Britain was engulfed in the chill of unbelief, there was a noble daughter of a certain king named Moneisen, who was filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. When someone sought her hand in marriage, she would not consent. Though bathed in tears, she could not be compelled against her will to accept what she regarded as a lower way of life.

³ Amidst blows and floods of tears, she would ask her mother and nurse, “Who is the Maker of the orb that lights the whole world?” She received the reply that the Maker of the sun is He whose throne is in heaven.

⁴ When continually pressed to join herself to a husband in matrimony, she would say, enlightened by the radiant light of the Holy Spirit, “I will not do this thing.” For she sought, through the wonders of nature, the Maker of all creation, following in this respect the example of the patriarch Abraham.

⁵ Her parents, following advice given to them by God, heard of Patrick as a man who was visited by the everlasting God every seventh day, and they journeyed to the land of the Irish with their daughter, seeking Patrick. After much toil in their search, they found him. He began to question them as though they were new converts. The travelers then cried aloud, saying, “We have come to you, compelled by our daughter, who earnestly desires to see God.”

⁶ Filled with the Holy Spirit, Patrick raised his voice and asked her, “Do you believe in God?” She replied, “I believe.” He then baptized her with the sacred washing of the Spirit and water. Almost immediately afterward, she fell to the ground and yielded up her spirit into the hands of the angels. She was buried at the place where she died.

⁷ Patrick then prophesied that after twenty years, her body would be reverently carried from that spot to a nearby church. This prophecy later came to pass, and the relics of this maiden from across the seas are venerated there to this day.

Chapter 28 #

¹ There is a certain marvel, wondrously wrought, concerning the Christ-like and apostolic Patrick of whom we are speaking, which I will recount briefly. As an experience of one still living in the flesh, it is recorded only of him and of Stephen.

² Once, when Patrick was going at night to a solitary place to pray, he gazed upon the familiar marvels of the heavens. Wishing to test his holy servant, who was most dear and trustworthy to him, he said, “O my son, I beg you, tell me if you perceive the things that I perceive.” The young boy, whose name was Benignus, replied without hesitation, “I know now the things which you perceive, for I see the heavens opened, and the Son of God and His angels.” Then Patrick said, “Now I perceive that you are my worthy successor.”

³ Immediately, they quickened their steps to the accustomed place of prayer. These prayers were offered in the middle of a riverbed, and the little boy said, “I cannot endure the chill of the water,” for the water was too cold for him. Then Patrick told him to move from a higher to a lower place. Nevertheless, he was able to remain there for a long while, declaring that he felt the water warm. Eventually, unable to stand in that place any longer, he climbed onto the land.

Chapter 29 #

¹ I will not pass over in silence a certain wondrous deed of Patrick. The vile actions of a certain British king named Coroticus, a wretched and cruel tyrant, were reported to him. This man was a relentless persecutor and slayer of Christians. Patrick, however, sought to bring him back to the path of truth through a letter, but Coroticus mocked his salutary warnings. When this was reported to Patrick, he prayed to the Lord and said, “O God, if it be possible, banish this faithless man both from this world and the world to come.”

² Not long after, a magical spell was chanted before him, from which he learned that he would soon lose his royal throne. All the men dearest to him began to speak words of the same foreboding. Then, while he was in the midst of his court, he suddenly took on the form of a small fox—a pitiable sight—and departed in the presence of his friends. From that day and that hour, like water that flows away and is gone, he was never seen again.

³ These few details regarding the skill and powers of St. Patrick were compiled by Muirchu Maccu Machtheni under the direction of Áed, Bishop of the city of Slebte.