CORXISII DEDICATIONS. 145 



He was ordained bishop, and when at home was at Kilmain- 

 ham, but he was of a restless disposition, and was incessantly on 

 the move, accompanied by twenty-seven clerics, a peripatetic 

 school, like that of the bards. 



He visited Diarmid, son of Fergus, King- of Ireland (544- 

 565) and preached vigorously before him on the terrors of hell, 

 and so frightened many of his hearers that thirty of the Court 

 abandoned the world and became monks. The king moreover 

 was so panic-struck that to make his peace with God and the 

 Saint, he granted him " a scruple on every nose, and an ounce 

 of gold for every chieftain's daughter, on her marriage." 



Maignenn had a favourite ram that attended him on his 

 missionary tours, and the Saint was wont to fasten his book of 

 prayers round the neck of the beast, and make it carry the volume 

 for him. One day a thief stole and killed the ram. Maignenn 

 found out who was the culprit and went to his house, where he 

 cursed him that his eyes should go blind, and his belly swell till he 

 burst. The man was so terrified that he admitted that he had 

 kiUed and partly eaten the pet ram, and offered to do penance. 



S. Maignenn paid a visit to S. Molaiss of Leighlin, who was 

 wont, like an Indian fakir, to lie on the ground with his arms 

 and legs extended, upon his face, and to howl. He was covered 

 with thirty sores, and was enclosed in a narrow hovel. 



Maignenn asked him why he lived such a horrible life, and 

 Molaiss replied that — " his sinfulness like a flame pervaded his 

 body," and he lived in this manner to extirpate his sins. Maig- 

 nenn enjoyed the privilege of solemnly burying the fellow. 



He also paid a visit to an equally nasty saint, Findchu of 

 Kilgoban. "It was this Findchu who oftentimes occupied a 

 stone cell somewhat higher than his own stature, with a stone 

 overhead and one under foot, and two iron crooks, one on each 

 side of the cell ; on those he was wont to place his armpits, so 

 that neither did his head touch the stone above, nor his feet the 

 flag beneath. He was wont also to lie for the first night in the 

 grave with every corpse that was buried in the churchyard." 



Maignenn seems to have relished visiting these monsters of 

 asceticism. Another whom he favoured was Maelruan, whom lie 

 found in a well, up to his chin in water, lustily chanting the 



