caillecha ille?' ar epscop Mel. ^ Dothabairt grad aithrige,' ar Ma^ caille. ^Dober sa on,' ar epscop Mel. larsein tra. doerlegait gradafuirri, 7 is grad ejoscuip dorala do epscop Mel do thabairtfor Brigit, ciarbo grad athrige nama rop ail disi fein ; 7 is andsein rochongaib Mac caille caille uas cind Brigte, ut ferunt periti ; 7 is dosen dliges coinarba Brigte do gres grad n-ejoscuip 5 Juirri 7 honoir epscuip : Cein robas ic erlegind grad Juirrise, is amlaid roboi, 7 coss na haltore na Idini ; 7 roloscthe secht necailse forin chois sein, 7 ni rolosced hi and • Dicunt alii commad i Feraib Telech nobeth ind eclas i tarla grada for Brigit ; 1 is inAi-dachud epscuip Mel ata, ut alii dicunt. larsen tra ropi-idchai epscoip Mel .uiii. biate euangelii doib anoctor caillech 10 iar ndul doib ule fo gradaib, 7 doraiga each, ai dib a biait ; doraiga dano Brigit biait na trocars • Is and asber^ na tomelad biad cen (joraicept) di reme dogres; 7 Nait Fraig (ise) robo fer legind disi o sen amach, 7 do Feraib Turbi doside, ' When Brigit desired to have the order of penitence conferred on her, she went to Cruachan Bri Ele in Offaly, since she had 15 heard that bishop Mel was there, together with seven nuns. And when they arrived, the bishop was not there to meet them, but he had gone northward into the district of Hiii Neill. So on the morrow she went, with Mac Caille to guide her, northward over the Bog of Faichnech. And God so wrought that the bog became a smooth flowering mead. 20 Now when they drew nigh to the stead wherein was bishop Mel, Brigit bade Mac Caille place a veil over her head, so that she might not go to the clerics without a veil over her head. And that would be the veil which is commemorated. After she had arrived in the house wherein was bishop Mel, a fiery column flamed out of her head up to the ridge- 25 pole of the church. And bishop Mel beheld that, and asked : ' Who are the nuns?' said he. Mac Caille said to him: 'That,' said he, 'is the famous nun from Leinster, even Brigit.' 'My welcome to her,' said bishop Mel. ' It is I who foretold her, when she was in her mother's womb,' said he. (Once on a time when bishop Mel had gone to the house 30 of Dubthach, he saw (his) wife in grief. He asked : ' what ails the good woman.' 'I have reason,' said she, 'for the handmaid who is washing your feet is preferred to me by Dubthacli.' 'That is fitting for thee,' said bishop Mel, 'for thy seed shall serve that of the handmaiden.') 'Where- fore have the nuns come hither 1' said bishop Mel. 'To have the order 35 of penitence conferred,' said Mac Caille. 'I will confer it,' said bishop Mel. So thereafter the orders were read out over her, and it came to pass that bishop Mel conferred on Brigit the episcopal order, though it was only the order of penitence that she herself desired. And it was then that Mac Caille held a veil over Brigit's head, ut ferunt periti. And 40 hence Brigit's successor is always entitled to have episcopal orders and the honour due to a bishop. While the order was being read over her, thus she was, with the foot of the altar in her hand. And seven churches were burnt over that foot, and it was not burnt there Others say that the church in which Brigit was ordained was in Fir Telech. Or it is in 45 Ardagh of bishop Mel, ut alii dicunt. So after that bishop Mel preached the eight beatitudes of the Gospel to the eight nuns, after they had all been ordained, and each of them chose her beatitude. Now Brigit chose the beatitude of mercy. On that occasion she said that she would never partake of food without being previously preached to, and Natfraich was 50 lector to her always from that time forward, and he was of the Fir Turbi"' F™*^ 3. ,i. rochongaib T 4. .i. mac mathair side do epscop Mel J ise side rosen caille for cenn niBrigte. Mac caille ro(s)gaib in caille ipsa) ciund cein roboi Mel oc senad inna cail{leY, 'he was brother to bishop Mel, [1] [2]
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330
Old-Irish Verse.
