Page:The most ancient lives of Saint Patrick - O'Leary.djvu/113

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Patrick went into the district of Mughorna, to Domhnach-Maighen especially. When Victor, who was in that place, heard that Patrick had come to it, Victor went, to avoid Patrick, from the residence to a thorny brake at the side of the town. God performed a prodigy for Patrick. He lighted up the brake in the dark night, so that everything therein was visible. Victor went afterwards to Patrick, and gave him his submission; and Patrick gave him the church, and imposed the degree of bishop on Victor, and left him in Domhnach-Maighen. And Patrick blessed Mudhorna, and said that the most illustrious of laics and clerics should be of them. And he bade farewell to them, and left a blessing with them. Afterwards Patrick went to Fera-Ros, to Enach-Conglais, where he remained a Sunday. There it was that the Ui-Lilaigh gave the poison to Patrick in the lumps of curds. Patrick blessed the pieces, and made stones of them.

When Patrick went on Monday across the ford southwards, the Ui-Lilaigh went with fifty horsemen upon the ford after him to slay him. Patrick turned towards them upon the bank to the south of the ford, and he raised his left hand, and said: "You shall neither come out of the ford here nor go the other way; but you shall be in that water for ever." The water immediately went over them. Ath-O'Lilaigh is the name of the ford for ever, and the stone lumps are at Enach-Conglaise, in commemoration of the miracle, to this present day.

He afterwards went to Rath-Cuile, where he blessed the Fera-Cuile—i.e., the Ui-Seghain. He went to Bile-Tortan after that, and constructed a church for Presbyter Justin near Bile-Tortan, which is near the community of Ard-Breccan. When Patrick was journeying to the territory of