6 S/. Patrick and the Fishermen. 



the Saint, being displeased, pronounced 

 on them this sentence, even his maledic- 

 tion, that the river should no longer pro- 

 duce fishes. . . . From that day, therefore, 

 is the river condemned to unfruitfulness." 

 On another occasion the Saint condemned 

 the river "which is called Seyle," near 

 the place called Tailltion, to perpetual 

 sterility, on account of somebody's sins, 

 and the chronicle adds that the river 

 " even to this day beareth no fishes." 



In another chapter, which I quote from 

 only for the beauty of one or two expres- 

 sions in it, we are told how the Saint 

 persuaded to heaven the two daughters of 

 Leogaire, who were , " like roses growing 

 on a rosebed : and the one was of a ruddy 

 complexion, and she was called Ethne; 

 and the other was fair, and she was called 

 Fedella," who died, "and their friends 

 and their kindred gathered together and 

 bewailed them for three days, as was the 

 custom of the country and returned their 

 sacred remains unto the womb of the 

 Mother of all human kind." 



Irish fishermen seem to have been very 

 stingy in their dealings with St. Patrick. 

 When he was journeying round Connactia 

 preaching, he came to the river Dubh, 

 and entreated the fishermen that out of 

 a great draught of fishes which they had 



