THE PBESIDENT's ADDRESS. 27 



without providing them witli whetstones. The poor fellows had 

 their palms raw and bleeding-. Patrick remonstrated with their 

 master, but when he would not listen, he brought him to a 

 proper sense of humanity by fasting against him.* 



We find the same thing in Wales. St. Oadoc was offended 

 with Maelgwn Gwynedd. Some of his men had carried off a 

 very beautiful girl from his land, the daughter of the steward of 

 the establishment. The men of Cadoc's ecclesiastical tribe went 

 in pursuit, and in revenge massacred three hundred of Maelgwn's 

 attendants. The King, "in raging and furious anger," marched 

 against Cadoc's tribe to wreak vengeance. Cadoc could not 

 resist by force of arms, so he and all his men instituted a fast 

 against the King, who at once gave way. An interesting point 

 in this story is that the person called iu to settle the difference 

 was Maucen, who may be our Cornish St. Mawgan.f 



An. odd story is that of the men of Leinster, who sent a 

 deputation to the great St. Columba to obtain of him the promise 

 that they should never be defeated by any foreign king. 

 Columba demurred to giving them this assurance, whereupon 

 they undertook a fast against him, and he gave way.;|: 



St. Caimin of Iniskeltra, to obtain the destruction of the 

 army of the King of Connaught, he being engaged by the Kirg 

 of Ulster, fasted against Connaught for three whole days and 

 nights. 



I have already spoken of the cursing of King Diarmid and 

 Tara by S. Euadhan, assisted by eleven saints of Ireland. In 

 the narrative there is a point of interest connected with this 

 practice of fasting. The twelve Saints instituted their fast 

 against the King, fasting alternate days. Thereupon he, in 

 retaliation, fasted against them, and so long as one kept even 

 with the other, neither could get the mastery, so the Saints 

 bribed the king's steward, with a promise of heaven, to tell his 

 master a lie, and to assure him that he had seen the twelve 



* " Tripartite Life," p. 219. 



+ " Cambro-British Saints," p. 94. 



J " Book of Leinster," quoted in " Anecdota Oxoniensis," " The Book of 

 Liamore," p. 308. 



