Att text: The late 8^th/early 9^th century manuscript containing this Confession attributes it to St. Patrick. However, scholarship rejects this on stylistic grounds (Berger, 1894; Wright, 1887).

Berger, S. (1894) ‘Confession des péchés attribuée à saint Patrice’, Revue Celtique, 15, pp. 155–176.
Wright, C.H.H. (1887) The writings of Saint Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland. London: Religious Tract Society.

¹ [Here] begins the Confession of Saint Patrick, Bishop. God, my God, omnipotent King, I humbly adore Thee. Thou art King of kings. Lord of lords. Thou art the Judge of every age.^ Thou art the Redeemer of souls. Thou art the Liberator of those who believe. Thou art the Hope of those who toil. Thou art the Comforter of those in sorrow. Thou art the Way to those who wander. Thou art Master to the nations. Thou art the Creator ofall creatures. Thou art the Lover ofall good. Thou art the Prince of all virtues. Thou art the joy of all Thy saints. Thou art life perpetual.4 Thou art joy in truth. Thou art the exultation in the eternal fatherland. Thou art the Light of light.7 Thou art the Fountain of holiness. Thou art the glory of God the Father in the height. Thou art Saviour ofthe world. Thou art the plenitude of the Holy Spirit.’ Thou sittest at the right hand of God the Father on the throne, reigning for ever.

² I seek for forgiveness of my sins, O my God, Jesus Christ. Thou art He who desirest no one to perish, ‘but will have all men saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ Thou, O God, with Thy holy and chaste mouth hast said : In whatever day the sinner may be converted ’living he shall live and shall not die.’ I will return to Thee, O God, and with all my heart will cry to Thee, my God, and to Thee now I desire to confess my sins. My transgressions are multiplied above me," because my sins have no number before Thine eyes. O Lord, I appear [i.e., stand before Thee] a witness accused by conscience. I dare not ask what I do not deserve to obtain. For Thou knowest. Lord, all things which are done in us, and we blush to confess what by ourselves we do not fear to commit. In words alone [tantum] we obey Thee, in heart we lie. And what we do not say we desire we approve of by our acts. Spare, Lord, those confessing, pardon those sinning. Pity those asking Thee, for in Thy mysteries my perception is weak. Show, Lord, Thou who dost not receive prayers [verba] from us ‘‘S with hard heart, that through Thee Thou mayest bestow pardon on us, O Jesus Christ our Lord.

³ I will confess to Thee, my God, because I have sinned in heaven and in earth, and before Thee, and before Thy angels, and before the face of all Thy saints.

⁴ I have sinned by negligence of Thy commands and of my deeds.

⁵ I have sinned by pride and by envy.

⁶ I have sinned by detraftion and by avarice.

⁷ I have sinned by luxury and by malice.

⁸ I have sinned by fornication and by gluttony.

⁹ I have sinned by false testimony and by hatred of men.

¹⁰ I have sinned by theft and by robbery [rapinam].

¹¹ I have sinned by blasphemy and by the desire of the flesh.

¹² I have sinned by drunkenness and by hateful tales.

¹³ I have sinned by contentions and by quarrelling. I have sinned by swearing and anger.

¹⁴ I have sinned by earthly and transitory joy.

¹⁵ I have sinned by fear and by the weakness (?) of my mind [suavitatem mentis meae].

¹⁶ I have sinned by deceit and by murmuring.

¹⁷ I have sinned by the instability of faith of mind, and by the impiety of doubt.

¹⁸ I have sinned by unmercifulness and by despising of men.

¹⁹ I have sinned by corrupt and wicked works [&] judgments.

²⁰ I have sinned by negligence and by forgetfidness of the works of God.

²¹ I have sinned by wandering and subtlety of my mind.

²² I have sinned by impatience and by imperfeftion of hope.

²³ I have sinned by hardness and by blindness of heart and mind.

²⁴ I have sinned by forgetfulness of the love of God and of my neighbour.

²⁵ I have sinned by disobedience and by the loss of good ordinances.

²⁶ I have sinned by the loss of heavenly desires and by the love of earthly things.

²⁷ I have sinned by inclinations to evil, and by deceitful arguments.

²⁸ I have sinned by evil examples, and by the un cleanness of humanity.

²⁹ I have sinned by vain melancholy, and by stupor of mind.

³⁰ I have sinned by feigned humility, and loss of the love of God.

³¹ I have sinned by cursing, and by divinations.

³² I have sinned by the non-accomplishment of my vows and by wicked inventions.

³³ I have sinned by [over-] investigation of the majesty of God, and of heavenly life.

³⁴ I have sinned by pomps of the body, and by can vassing for the favours of men.

³⁵ I have sinned by the intemperance of mirth and madness.

³⁶ I have sinned by laziness and indolence of mind.

³⁷ I have sinned by counsels of iniquity, and by returning of evil.

³⁸ I have sinned by concupiscence and by perpetration of lust.

³⁹ I have sinned by consent to, and by knowledge of, evil ads and words.

⁴⁰ I have sinned by works upon the Lord’s day and by illuring imaginations.

⁴¹ I have sinned by sorrow of the world, and by love of money, and by ambitions after honours.

⁴² I have sinned by restlessness and by bitterness of mind.

⁴³ I have sinned by useless joy, and by scurrility, by grievous words, and by intemperance of clamour.

⁴⁴ I have sinned by desperation, and by impurity of confession.

⁴⁵ I have sinned by imperfection, and negligence of amendment.

⁴⁶ I have sinned by presumption and despair.

⁴⁷ I have sinned by acceptance of unjust gilts and by the punishments of impious afts.

⁴⁸ I have sinned by pretence, and by pleasing of myself.

⁴⁹ I have sinned by silence concerning righteousness, and iniquity, and flattery.

⁵⁰ I have sinned by rioting and by taking of polluted food, and by suggestions of the devil, and by the delight of the spirit, and by knowledge of the flesh.

⁵¹ I have sinned in my eyes and in my ears.

⁵² I have sinned in my hands, and in my mouth, and in my lips, and in all my deeds.

⁵³ I have sinned in tongue and in throat.

⁵⁴ I have sinned in neck and in breast.

⁵⁵ I have sinned in heart and in cogitations.

⁵⁶ I have sinned in mind and in operations.

⁵⁷ I have sinned in hands and in feet.

⁵⁸ I have sinned in bones and in flesh.

⁵⁹ I have sinned in marrow and in veins.

⁶⁰ I have sinned in my mind and in my whole body.

⁶¹ If now Thy vengeance will be upon me as great as my sins have been multiplied in myself, how shall I sustain Thy judgment ? But I have Thee as the High Priest to whom I confess all my sins. [I do] that to Thee alone, my God, because ‘I have sinned against Thee alone, and done evil before Thee.’ And because Thou art, O God, alone without sin, I beseech Thee, O Lord my God, by Thy passion, and by the sign of Thy salvation bringing cross, and by the shedding of Thy blood, in order that Thou mayest grant to me remission of all my sins. I beg Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, that Thou wilt not render to me according to my deserving, but according to Thy great compassion. Judge me, O Lord, according to the judgment of Thy indulgence. I beg Thee and I adjure Thee, O my God omnipotent, that Thou mayest plant in me Thy love and fear. Awake in me repentance of my sins, and sorrow, for Thy name’s sake. Give to me the remembrance of Thy commands, and assist mc, O my God, blot out my iniquity from Thy sight, and turn not away Thy face from my prayer. Cast me not out from Thy presence.’ Leave me not, my God, neither depart from me, but con firm me in Thy will. Teach me what I ought not to do, what to do, or to speak, what to keep silent. Defend me, O Lord my God, against the darts of the devil, and against the angel of hell suggesting and teaching many evil things. Do not desert me, O Lord my God, nor leave Thy miserable servant, but assist me, my God, and perform in me Thy teaching. Teach me to do Thy will, because Thou art my teacher and my God,39 who reignest for ever and ever. Amen,