176 Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tar a Hill. 



A short distance to the south-east of Adamnan's cross was situated, accord- 

 ing to the prose account, which is corroborated by the verse, the house from 

 which Benen, the disciple of St. Patrick, escaped, and in which Lucad the 

 Bald, the druid of king Laogaire, was burned. The site here pointed out is 

 also within the boundary of the churchyard. The legend with which this fea- 

 ture was connected is of the class commonly found in the lives of the saints, and 

 is given with various degrees of detail in all the lives of St. Patrick. Its origin, 

 however, is of very high antiquity, as it appears in the tripartite life, and in the 

 notices of the saint's life, by Maccuthenius and Tirechan, preserved in the Book 

 of Armagh. The story is thus told by Maccuthenius ; and, as the text is very 

 corrupt, an English translation is added : (Fol. 5, p. a, col. 2, et seq.) 



His autetn omnibus in conspectu regis [mi- 

 rabiliter gestis — Prohus'] inter magum Patri- 

 ciumque, ait res ad illos ; libros vestros in 

 aquam mittite, et ilium cujus libri inlessi 

 evasserunt, adorabimus, Respondit Patricius, 

 faciam ego ; et dixit magus, nolo ego ad judi- 

 cium aquse venire cum isto, aquam enim deum 

 habet ; certe audivit babtisma per aquam a 

 Patricio datum. Et respondens rex ait, per- 



" All these things being done in sight of the 

 king, between the magician \_Lucetmail^ and Pa- 

 trick ; the king says to them, cast your books 

 into the water, and him whose books shall escape 

 uninjured, we will adore. Patrick answered, I 

 will do so. And the magician said, I am unwilling 

 to come to the trial by water with that man, 

 because he has water as his god : for he had 

 heard that baptism was given by Patrick with 



