The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran Part 6

_Propheta qui nouissimus fuerit praesagminibus,_[6]

for it was by reason of his n.o.bility and his reverence before the Lord that he was foretold of prophets long before his birth, as Isaac was foretold, and John the Baptist, and Jesus, which is something yet n.o.bler.[7] First Patrick son of Calpurn prophesied of him in Cruachan Aigli, after the tree had closed around his relics in the place where that settlement is now. Brigit prophesied of him when she saw the fire and the angel, fifty years before Ciaran, in the place where the Crosses of Brigit are to-day. Becc mac De prophesied, saying there--

Son of the wright with choruses, with choirs, In comely cloak, with chariots, with chants.

Colum Cille prophesied in Ard Abla to Aed son of Brandub (or of Brenainn).

II. THE ORIGIN AND BIRTH OF CIARAN: THE WIZARD'S PROPHECIES

2. Now this is the genealogy of Ciaran--

Ciaran, son of Lairne, son of Bresal, son of Beoit " Cuiltre " Dega "

Olchan " Gluinech " Reo-soirche, son of Dichu " Coirpre " Reo-doirche "

Corc " Lug " Tigernmas "

Cuindiu " Meidle " Follach "

Cuinnid " Dub " Eithrial "

Fiac " Lugna " Irel the prophet, son of Mael-Catrach, son of Feidlimid " Eremon "

Laire " Echu " Mil of Spain.

Beoit son of Olchan of the Latharna of Mag Molt of the Ulaid was earthly father of Ciaran. Darerca daughter of Ercan son of Buachall was his mother, as Ciaran said--

Mother mine, a woman good, she Darerca hight; Father, of Molt's Latharna he was Beoit the wright.

Of the Ciarraige of Irluachra was his mother, that is, more especially, of the Glasraige. Glas the Poet was her grandfather. Now this was the cause of the coming together of those twain. When Beoit went to visit his brethren who were in the territory of Cenel Fiachrach, and when he saw the maiden Darerca before him, he asked for her of her [friends and her][8] parents, so that she was given him to wife. Thereafter she bore five sons to him, and this is the order in which they were born: Lucoll her firstborn, Donnan the second, Ciaran the third, Odran the fourth, Cronan the fifth--he was a deacon, but the other four sons were archpresbyters. Furthermore she bore three daughters to him; two of them were virgins, to wit Lugbec and Rathbeo; Pata was the third daughter, and she was a pious widow. These are the graveyards wherein are the relics of those saints; Lucholl and Odran in Isel Chiarain, Donnan and Ciaran in Cluain maccu Nois, Cronan the deacon and Beoit and the three daughters in _Tech meic in tSaeir_.

Now there was an impious king in the land of Ui Neill at that time, Ainmire son of Colgan his name. He impressed the tribelands and the septs under a grievous tax. So Beoit went, a-fleeing from that king, into the land of the Connachta, to Cremthann son of Lugaid son of Dallan King of Ireland, to Raith Cremthainn in Mag Ai. The day on which Ciaran was conceived was the sixth of the calends of June, and he was born on the sixth of the calends of March.

The birth of Ciaran was prophesied by Lugbrann the wizard of the aforesaid king. The wizard _dixit_--

Oengus' steed he made alive, while he yet in cradle rested; G.o.d this marvel did contrive, by Ciaran, in swathing vested.

One day when the wizard heard the sound of the carriage [he spake thus: "See, lads," said he, "who is in the carriage][9]--for here is the sound of a carriage that bears a king." When the lads went out they saw no one save Beoit and Darerca in the carriage. When the lads mocked the wizard, thus spake he: "The child who is in the womb of the woman," said he, "shall be a great king: as the sun s.h.i.+neth among the stars of heaven, so shall he s.h.i.+ne, in signs and wonders that cannot be related, upon the earth."

Thereafter was Saint Ciaran born, in Mag Ai at Raith Cremthainn. He was baptized by deacon Iustus, for it was fitting that the true one should be baptized by a True One.

III. HOW CIARAN RAISED THE STEED OF OENGUS FROM DEATH

3. A certain day the horse of Oengus son of Cremthann died, and he had great sadness because of the death of his horse. Now when Oengus slumbered, an angel of G.o.d appeared to him in a dream, and thus he spake with him: "Ciaran son of the wright shall come, and shall raise thy horse for thee." And this was fulfilled, for Ciaran came at the word of the angel, and blessed water, and it was put over the horse, and the horse arose from death forthwith. Then Oengus gifted a great land to G.o.d and to Ciaran in return for the raising of the horse; Tir-na Gabrai is the name of the land.

IV. HOW CIARAN TURNED WATER INTO HONEY

4. A certain day his mother upbraided him. "The little village lads,"

said she, "bring with them honey out from the combs to their folks, but thou bringest it never to us." When Ciaran heard that, he went to a certain spring, and he fills his vessel from it, and blesses it: so that it became choice honey, and he gives that honey to his mother; so she was thankful. That is the honey which was given to deacon Uis (= Iustus) as a fee for baptizing him.

V. HOW CIARAN WAS DELIVERED FROM A HOUND

5. A certain day evil men incited a savage hound against Ciaran, to tear him. When Ciaran saw the hound, he sang this verse: _Ne tradas bestiis animam confitentem tibi._ And when he said this the hound fell forthwith and did not rise again.

VI. HOW CIARAN AND HIS INSTRUCTOR CONVERSED THOUGH DISTANT FROM ONE ANOTHER

6. This was the labour that his parents used to lay upon him, namely, herding, after the likeness of David son of Jesse, and of Jacob, and of the elders thenceforth, for G.o.d knew that he would be a wise shepherd of great flocks, that is, the flocks of the Faithful.

Thereafter a marvellous thing took place at Raith Cremthainn in Mag Ai: he was keeping the flocks of [his parents at Raith Cremthainn, and there was dwelling][10] his tutor, deacon Uis, at Fidharta, and there was a long s.p.a.ce between them: yet he used to hear what his tutor was saying as though they were side by side.

VII. CIARAN AND THE FOX

7. Then there came a fox to Ciaran from out the wood, and behaved tamely with him. It would often visit him, so that he bade it do him a service, namely, to carry his book of Psalms between him and his teacher, deacon Uis. For when he would say in Fidharta, "Say this in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,"

Ciaran would hear in Raith Cremthainn, from that on to the end of the lesson; and the fox would be awaiting the lesson obediently till its writing on wax was completed, and thereafter he would carry it with him to Ciaran.[11]

Once on a time his natural treacherousness broke forth in the fox, and he began to eat the book: for he was greedy for the leather that was bound around the book outside. While he was eating the book, there came Oengus son of Cremthann with kernes and with hounds, so that they chased him, and he found no sanctuary till he came under the cloak of Ciaran. The name of G.o.d and Ciaran's were magnified by the rescue of the book from the fox and by the rescue of the fox from the hounds.

The book is what is now called the "Tablet of Ciaran."

Most consonant with these things is it for evil men who are near to the Church, and who profit by the advantages of the Church--communion, and baptism, and food, and teaching--and withal stay not from persecuting the Church, until there come upon themselves the persecution of some king, or mortality, or a disease unknown: and then they needs must flee under the protection of the Church, as the fox went under the cloak of Ciaran![12]

VIII. HOW CIARAN SPOILED HIS MOTHER'S DYE

8. A certain day the mother of Ciaran was making blue dye, and she had reached the point of putting the garments therein. Then said his mother to him, "Get thee out, Ciaran." For they thought it unbecoming that males should be in the house when garments were being dyed. "May there be a dun stripe upon them!" said Ciaran. Of all the garments that were put into the dye, there was not one that had not a dun stripe upon it. The dye is prepared again, and his mother said, "Go out, Ciaran, this time, and now, Ciaran, let there be no dun stripe."

Then he said--

Alleluia Domine!

White my mother's dye let be!

When in my hand it's gone, Be it white as bone!

When boiling it is stirred, Be it white as curd!

Accordingly every garment that was placed therein was of a uniform whiteness. For the third time is the dye made. "Ciaran," said his mother, "hurt me not the dye now, but let it receive a blessing from thee." When Ciaran blessed the dye, never was dye made so good, before or since; for though all the garments of Cenel Fiachrach (_sic_) were placed in its _iarcain_, it would turn them blue; and at the last it turned blue the dogs and the cats and the trees that came in contact with it.

IX. HOW CIARAN RESTORED A CALF WHICH A WOLF HAD DEVOURED

9. Once he was tending kine. A miserable wolf came to him. Now this was a habitual expression with him, "Mercy on us." [He said to the wolf in compa.s.sion][13] "Rise and devour the calf and break or eat not its bones." The wolf went and did so. When the cow lowed a-seeking the calf, his mother spake thus to him: "Tell me, Ciaran, where is the calf of this cow? Let the calf be restored by thee, whatsoever death it has died." Ciaran went to the place where the wolf had devoured the calf, and collected the bones of the calf, and brought them before the cow, and the calf arose and stood up. _Ut dixit_--

One day when, a.s.siduously Ciaran the kine was havening, He a calf for charity Gave to a wolf ravening.[14]

X. HOW CIARAN WAS DELIVERED FROM ROBBERS

10. A certain day there came robbers from Ui Failge to slay people [in the land][15] of Cenel Fiachach, and they found Saint Ciaran a-reading with his herds; and they went forward to slay him. But they were smitten with blindness, and could stir neither foot nor hand, till they wrought repentance, and were loosed by the word of G.o.d and of Ciaran.

XIV. HOW CIARAN GAVE THE KING'S CAULDRON TO BEGGARS AND WAS ENSLAVED