Mochoemocus

ON ST. MOCHOEMOCUS, OR PULCHERIUS, ABBOT OF LIATHMORE IN IRELAND.

CIRCA THE MIDDLE OF THE SEVENTH CENTURY. MARCH 13.

Preliminary Commentary.

Mochoemocus or Pulcherius, Abbot of Liathmore in Ireland (St.)

[1] In the sixth century of the Christian era, in the province of Munster in Ireland, St. Ita flourished, whom we recorded on the fifteenth of January, distinguished by the prophetic spirit and illustrious by the glory of miracles; but she was not a little more useful to her homeland by the excellent education of her nephew St. Mochoemocus, nephew of St. Ita, whom she had obtained by her prayers as a son for her previously barren sister, and whom she herself admirably trained in every virtue, until, when older in age, having been transferred to the training of St. Comgall, Abbot of Bangor, he made such progress that he was found apt to be ordered to erect a new arena of virtue, and disciple of St. Comgall of Bangor, destined to gather a new army for Christ the Leader; which he did most successfully in Ely, the extreme north-eastern region of Munster, establishing the monastery of Liathmore there. he founds the monastery of Liathmore: We must conceive that this was done before the end of the sixth century, since Colganus promises to demonstrate that Comgall, founder of the monastery of Bangor fifty years before, departed to the heavens in the year 600.

[2] Given this, since the Irish Annals record that St. Ita died in the year 569 and that Mochoemocus lived until the year 655, it would follow that he who had completed twenty years of age before the death of his aunt and dies after his hundredth year of life, had surpassed the hundredth year of life when he died, or perhaps had reached the age of 114; so that Colganus' conjecture, correcting the Irish verse in which he is said to have lived four hundred and fourteen years by the change of a single number, should not be entirely rejected. Colganus thinks that this verse was added in the margin of the hagiological work of Marianus Gorman, Abbot of Louth, composed in Irish meter, by the hand of a certain interpolator. That it was at least corrupted, no one can doubt; which

we could judge how long ago it was done from the age of those whom this error led astray, if Colganus, who knew them, had also named those writers.

[3] known in German and Irish Martyrologies: Besides the Irish authors who mention this saint for this day, Peter Canisius mentions him in his Martyrology printed in German, in these words: In Ireland, of St. Confessor Mothomogus; and from him Ferrarius in his Catalogue, but transcribing Mothemogus, citing Canisius, who alone, he says, among all the writers of Martyrologies mentions him, with no mention, however, of place or time being made. And by this he sufficiently indicates that he had not seen the Cologne Martyrologies of Usuard augmented by the Carthusian Hermann Greven in the years 1515 and 1511, from which, writing Mothomogus, Canisius incorrectly transcribed the name. The Irish hagiologies of St. Aengus and others, on this same thirteenth day of March, count among the Saints Cuangusius, the successor of Mochoemocus, in which also St. Cuangusius, his successor, and the annals report him dead in the year 746. Since this year is distant by almost an entire century from the year 655 which we named above, it is evident that he did not succeed him immediately; so that it is not surprising that no mention of Cuangusius is made in the Acts of St. Mochoemocus. Since I have found nothing else about him elsewhere, I refrain from inquiring further, until it is established by more certain arguments that he was venerable to his people through an ecclesiastical Office or other public veneration.

[4] Acts of his life written by a disciple or other contemporary, Indeed, it could not have been possible that the Acts would mention him, since we have evidence that they were written in the same century in which St. Mochoemocus died, from number 34, where concerning St. Cainnechus, who traversed a day's journey to St. Mochoemocus with scarcely any interval of time, it says thus: God, who conducted him most swiftly, Himself knows what happened to him; because it was hidden from him and from us, except that he would travel on his own strength. Now this Saint died before the year 600; about whom the author of this Life seems to write as one known to himself while living, and who can therefore be estimated to have been one of the first disciples of St. Mochoemocus. Certainly, neither does the title of Archbishop, attributed to the Bishop of Emly and later transferred to Cashel, derogate from the antiquity of these Acts (for it can be said that in the seventh century the Irish and Munstermen came to know this honorific title through frequent commerce with the English, which had been attributed to the English Metropolitans from almost the very first institution of the English Church), nor is there anything else in them from which one could clearly infer that they are of a later date. Indeed, what is rare among Irish writers, nothing in these same Acts will occur to you that would make the author's credibility suspect. For although they contain wonderful and great things, nevertheless no circumstances are mixed in of the sort that we can hardly excuse in the Acts of many Irish Saints without admitting that they sound somewhat fabulous.

[5] published from the Kilkenny manuscript: We give these Acts, communicated to us by the Reverend Father Hugh Ward from the Kilkenny Codex, collated with the edition of the Reverend Father John Colgan in the Acts of the Saints of Ireland for this day. Whoever wrote these also seems to have written certain other Lives from the same Codex, such as those of St. Ita and St. Maidoc; for the style of all of them is similar, simple and clear, but less exact according to the rules of grammar, especially in that he very frequently uses the nominative case in the construction of participles instead of, as they call it, the absolute ablative. The name Pulcherius, in which the Latin name Pulcherius occurs, which occurs quite frequently in this and the Life of St. Ita, means the same in Latin as the Irish name Mochoemocus. Whether it is also used by other writers, we cannot determine from the authors whom Colgan cites in the Appendix as making honorable mention of St. Mochoemocus; for he produces the words of none of them, nor does he himself say that any of them uses the name Pulcherius.

LIFE, by an Anonymous Contemporary Author. From the Kilkenny Manuscript.

Mochoemocus or Pulcherius, Abbot of Liathmore in Ireland (St.)

BHL Number: 5975

BY A CONTEMPORARY AUTHOR, FROM THE MANUSCRIPT.

CHAPTER I

The conception, birth, and education of St. Pulcherius under the care of his aunt St. Ita.

[1] The most blessed Abbot Mochoemoc drew his paternal origin from the province of Connacht, born to Beoanus, an artisan, namely from the tribe of Conmhaicne; whose father abandoned his homeland on account of enmity and came to the region of Munster, and lived in the territory of Ui Chonaill Gabhra with his people, in the district called Corcobaiscinn. He was an honorable artisan in wood and stone, and a bold warrior, whose name was Beoanus. by his barren wife Nessa He loved a certain beautiful woman, very modest and noble, from Munster, namely from the tribe of the Na Deisi, who was the sister of the most holy virgin Ita. This woman was called Nessa, and she wished to live in chastity forever, like the holy virgins who had never known a man. But the holy virgin Ita, her sister, gave her to Beoanus as a wife, by his sister St. Ita, an excellent artisan; for the Blessed Ita, prophetess of God, knew by divine will that this was to be.

[2] At a certain time Beoanus the artisan built a certain splendid edifice in the monastery of St. Ita. When it was completed, St. Ita said to him: Ask the price you wish, master, for the labor of your craft. He said: Promise me in Christ, holy Mother, what I shall ask. And the virgin promised him whatever he would ask. Then Beoanus said to the Saint of God: You yourself know, pious Mother, a son is promised: that your sister, my wife, is barren, and we have no heir. Therefore pray to God for us, that we may have a son. The holy virgin said to him: You shall have a son chosen before God and men. This prophecy was fulfilled after a time.

[3] meanwhile Beoanus falls in battle, A certain cruel king named Crunmhoel, from the southern part of Ui Chonaill, greatly offended the tribe called Corcobaiscinn and once came with a large army to devastate this district; and he made great slaughter among the soldiers who resisted him, among whom Beoanus the artisan was beheaded. His wife, however, was still barren and had no heir. She came to the battlefield with her people to seek her husband's corpse; having found the head, she could not identify the body. She took it with her and showed it to St. Ita, her sister, weeping and saying: This is not, dear sister, his severed head is brought to St. Ita: what you promised us, saying that he would leave a son after him; and behold, my womb remains closed in barrenness, since he has been killed. St. Ita said to her: Do not weep, sister; God is powerful to help us and to fulfill my promise. Go, therefore, and join the head to its body. Her sister Nessa answered St. Ita: We certainly cannot identify his body in the great carnage of the slain, because of the excess of blood. The holy virgin said: Call him by name three times in memory of the Most Holy Trinity, she commands it to be fitted to its trunk, and he will rise to you and come; and you will place the head upon him, and he will say to you: O woman, why did you call me? For I was well. And the woman did according to this command. And he, strong in soul and with a healthy and whole body, and restored to life, through the fulfillment of God's power, said to his wife what the holy prophetess Ita had said.

[4] Then he and his wife went together and came to St. Ita, giving thanks and bending their knees. The Blessed Ita said: Do you wish to remain, my friend, in this life, she blesses him for the procreation of a son, or to go now to heaven? Beoanus answered her, saying: I count this whole world as nothing, and like smoke in comparison with eternal joy. Then St. Ita said to him: It is good, however, that the price which I promised should be paid to you. There St. Ita washed him with water, and afterwards no wound was found in him; and she blessed him and consecrated him and sent him with his wife to his home. And Beoanus himself slept with his wife; and the Lord opening her womb, she conceived a son full of God's grace and venerable.

[5] At that time St. Fachtna, a wise and upright man, had by some chance been made blind and could see nothing. This Saint lived in the southern part of Ireland near the sea, in his monastery which he himself founded St. Fachtna, having become blind, (where a city grew in which there has always remained a great school of scholars, which is called Ross-ailithre). There now St. Fachtna poured out a prayer to the Lord, that He would show him a remedy by which he might recover the sight of his eyes. Then an Angel of the Lord came to him, saying: You will not be able to find healing for your eyes unless you wash your eyes and face with the milk of the breasts of the wife of Beoanus the artisan, who has never yet given birth; by the milk of Nessa's pregnancy but by the gift of God she now has a holy conception in her womb. And the Angel, having said this, departed. But the Saint of God did not know Beoanus the artisan and did not know in what region of Ireland he lived, as the Angel had indicated to him.

[6] And the Saint said to his followers: I know what I will do; I will go to the Prophetess of God, the Blessed Ita, and she will answer my question for me. And he directed his journey to St. Ita, a journey of five days. and finding it through St. Ita's guidance, And when he entered the district of Corcobaiscinn, his disciples heard men at a certain mill naming Beoanus the artisan; and they asked them whether they knew this Beoanus the artisan, or whether they knew where he lived. Then one of them said to them: Do you see that woman going to the village? When they answered, We see her, he said to them: She is the wife of Beoanus the artisan. Then one of them ran after her, saying to her: Wait, blessed woman, a little while, until our holy elder comes, who wishes to greet you. She stood in the place, saying: Truly it is a great happiness for me that a servant of God wishes to greet me. The holy Fachtna, now arriving, asked her whether she was the wife of Beoanus the artisan. She answered in her sober and modest way: I am, my lord. The Saint said: Do you have a conception in your womb? She said to him: The Lord God in His goodness has granted me, who was barren, to have one.

[7] Then the Saint, identifying himself by name, told her what had happened to him. The blessed woman said to him: My lord, my breasts do not yet give milk. The Saint said to her: In the name of the Most Holy Trinity and through the holiness of your offspring, milk them, and they will assuredly give milk. She, acting according to the word of the man of God, her breasts poured forth

milk abundantly. he anoints his eyes and receives his sight: The Saint, therefore, washing his eyes with the milk of the breasts of the Blessed Nessa, wife of Beoanus the artisan, immediately received his sight there; and seeing clearly heaven and earth, he gave thanks to his God and blessed that woman and her offspring. And commending his prayer and the blessing of St. Ita through the same woman Nessa, he returned rejoicing in Christ with his companions to his monastery.

[8] When the Blessed Nessa was near to childbirth, she came with her husband to the monastery of St. Ita, to speak with her. she herself, furnished with her sister's blessing, And when they had returned, the pains of childbirth seized Nessa, and she sat in a chariot. When St. Ita heard the sound of the chariot, she said to her companions: That chariot sounds as if a king were in it; see under whom it runs. Messengers, returning to the Saint of God, said: Your sister Nessa sits alone in the chariot. The Saint said: Truly it sounds as if a king were in it, because the son who is in her womb will, by God's grace, sit great in the kingdom of heaven.

[9] When she came to her home, she gave birth to a son full of grace; and on the following day it was announced to St. Ita that her sister Nessa had given birth to a son. And the Saint rejoiced greatly, saying: How did Beoanus merit to have such a son, she gives birth to Mochoemocus or Pulcherius: who will be great before God and men, whose memory will be forever? And she added, saying: He will be beautiful and will live to old age. Hence they gave him the first name, that is, Coemghin; but the Saint of God herself changed this name, calling him by the name of endearment by which he is commonly known, that is, Mochoemoc, which in Latin is said to be "My beautiful young man." From the font of baptism, the grace of God appeared with him in signs and wonders.

[10] who, illuminated by a globe of heavenly fire, On a certain day his mother, going outside, left her little son in the chamber alone to sleep. But looking behind her, she saw a globe of fire ascending through the house upward. Running quickly back to the house and crying out, the fire vanished and in no way appeared; but she found the little child with a cheerful face and a ruddy complexion, so that she could neither look at him nor touch him. In this way it was revealed to his mother. All who saw or heard this did not doubt that the holy infant was being visited by the fire of the Holy Spirit.

[11] he remains under his aunt's instruction until the age of 20: After this, his father and mother came to St. Ita, saying: The grace of God, O Lady, appears wonderfully in your little boy, our son, and he is not suited to our carnal ways, and he cannot live with us, because we are carnal, but he is spiritual. St. Ita said to them: Bring him here, for it is fitting that I should raise him. And for twenty years the most Blessed Abbess Ita instructed him in honorable manners and the knowledge of letters for God, calling him by the name we spoke of above, Mochoemhog, so that he might become a Priest and build a place for God. And the Saint of God predicted that in the place where St. Mochoemhog would depart to heaven, a city would grow there in his honor. St. Mochoemhog said to her: It will be, pious mother, as you say.

CHAPTER II

He becomes a monk under St. Comgall: he builds a cell at Enachtrum and a monastery at Liathmore.

[12] Then, with the blessing and permission of his parents and his glorious foster-mother Ita, having become a monk under St. Comgall, who was his maternal aunt, having taken five disciples with him, St. Pulcherius proceeded to the northern part of Ireland, that is, to the province of Ulster, to the holy Abbot of many monks, Comgall. The holy Comgall received him with joy, and after many days St. Pulcherius was ordained a Priest under him.

[13] One day, while St. Comgall and St. Pulcherius were praying together, the Prior of his monastery, a vision of one demon sitting on the royal fortress, in which they then were, came to them, saying: I marvel greatly, O friends of God, at the vision which by God's permission I have just seen on the road by which I was coming, and my mind is disturbed by the fear and horror of it. For I saw one demon sitting upon the king's fortress as if at leisure; but a very great multitude of demons stands fiercely around the enclosure of this our monastery, as if ready for battle. The grace of God showed this vision to that Prior; but his appearance was changed by the fear and horror of the demons. While the holy Father Comgall was still silent, St. Pulcherius said: Let us rise, Father, and give thanks to God, many besieging the monastery, because the brothers maintain the service of God, and unjust hatred rises against us, when the devil gathers a multitude of demons to our place. But where the devil is served, one demon is seen there at leisure, as if an overseer awaiting his service. For a king sends his soldiers there in warlike arms where there is a fierce fight against him; but where he has peace, he sends only a messenger. So now the Devil acts against those who resist him.

[14] Then the holy elder Comgall said: Truly, my son, you have explained what God showed to His servant. he aptly explains it; St. Pulcherius said to him: Rise, Father, and let us firmly hold our spiritual arms and pray to Christ, so that the Brothers may see the demons fleeing from here by the power of Christ, and so that they may trust in Christ with us, seeing this with their Prior. Go around the monastery from the left, and I will go to the right; and let us cast out the demons, commanding them in the name of Christ not to gather here again until the Day of Judgment. When the Saints had done this, many saw the scurrilous demons in flight; and arriving at the king's fortress, they sat there as if in a garrison. The Brothers, seeing this and afterwards hearing about it, were greatly strengthened in Christ. That fortress is called Rath Theamain, in which was the King of the Ulstermen; and the monastery is called Bangor, in which and in the cells under St. Comgall there are said to have been three thousand monks.

[15] he is sent forth to erect a new monastery, After St. Father Comgall saw this, he said to the Blessed Pulcherius: My son, it is fitting that you be a father of others and build a place for God where He Himself shall direct you. And these Fathers were sent together with their disciples by St. Comgall, to nurture servants of Christ in diverse places throughout Ireland: namely St. Pulcherius, and the most Blessed Lachteanus, who founded the distinguished monastery of Achadh-ur, that is, "green or soft field," because of the moisture of the streams that pass through there; and many other holy places were built by him; and St. Molua, son of Coche, and St. Finnbarr, and St. Luchtigern: all these were found approved in Christ Jesus.

[16] The holy Pulcherius also came with his monks to a place called Enachtrum, which is on Mount Bladhma in the region of the Leinstermen, and began to build a cell there. he builds at Enachtrum, A certain secular man came to him, saying: Do not labor here in vain, for this place will not be yours. St. Pulcherius said to him: I will remain here until someone, taking my hand, seizes me by force to expel me. Then that man took the hand of the man of God, wishing to expel him. St. Pulcherius said to him: By what name are you called, O man? He said: Bronach is my name, which in Latin means "sad." The holy man said to him: You have a fitting name, for here and in the future you will be sad. From this point, you and your offspring, by God's will, will be expelled by the lord of this region; but I shall be in this place until a man of God named Coemhan the place he will yield to St. Coemhan, comes to me, to whom I will leave this place, who will be surnamed from this place, and whose resurrection will be here. That man, hearing such a prophecy and knowing his own guilt against the lord, departed in anger without penance after the injury done; and immediately all the things which the holy man had predicted befell him. And when the Blessed Coemhan came to St. Pulcherius there, he left that place to him; and he remained there in great holiness until his death. The holy Pulcherius, however, proceeded to the region of Munster.

[17] The holy Pulcherius came to the eastern part of Munster, which is called Ely, facing the western

land of the Leinstermen, In the region of Ely which is called Osraige, he received a place there called Cluain-mor. Finally, the holy man Pulcherius went to greet a certain powerful lord named Coemhan, dwelling nearby in his fortress, which is called Raith-eanaigh. This man was devout and faithful, and had a church in his fortress; he kindly received the man of God and honored him. While the holy man was staying in that church for part of a night, the wife of Coemhan, looking outside from the upper story, saw the church surrounded on every side by a wall of fire; and she called her husband, and he saw it likewise. Then they understood that they had a remarkable guest; recognized by heavenly light; and he, standing in the church, was visited by the visitation of Angels; and marveling, they returned and gave thanks to God. On the next day that man said to St. Pulcherius: My lord, we know that you are a man of God, and many will come to you, and you will not be able to find a spacious place in this narrow district of mine. But I would love for us to go to my lord, the chief of the region of Ely, so that he may give you a suitable and spacious place; and this pleased the man of God.

[18] Before they came to the chief, his druid said to the chief: A certain man will come to you today, my lord; and if you permit him to dwell in this region, the power of this land will fall to him, and he will be powerful, he refuses the fortress offered to him by the chief; and lord of your region forever. The chief said to the druid: If he comes to me in arms, I will firmly resist him; but if he comes simply as a gentle preacher of Christ, in whom we have believed, it pleases me. Afterwards St. Pulcherius arrived at the chief's fortress with his guide, and the chief, seeing him, became very glad at his arrival and bent his knees before the feet of the Saint. The chief, hearing St. Pulcherius, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: Servant of the living God, behold, I offer you my royal fortress with all that is in it, and with its fields. The holy man said to him: Let us give thanks to God for your goodness, O adherent of the Christian faith; but I shall not be here, nor shall I accept your fortress. Rather, find me a suitable place in the wilderness, for that pleases me more.

[19] After this the chief said: I have a certain place in the wilderness, very secluded, he accepts a suitable wilderness, planted with a great and very dense forest, situated beside the shore of the lake of Lurgan; and I offer it to you and to God with its boundaries, if it pleases you. And this greatly pleased the Saint of God; and the chief ordered his swineherd, who knew the wilderness well, to lead the Saint of God with his disciples to the aforesaid place. The swineherd refused, saying: I cannot go, my lord, with him, because very many of my pigs are missing, which I must seek, not knowing what has happened to them. The Saint said to him: Come with me, and when you return, you will find all your pigs, which you seek, safe in the courtyard of this fortress. The swineherd, now believing the Saint's words, went joyfully with him; and when he returned with a blessing, he found his pigs, just as had been told him.

[20] When the holy Pulcherius arrived at that place, his bell rang clearly. and by the sign of his bell, For when the holy man Pulcherius came from his nurse, the holy Virgin Ita, she gave him a small bell, saying: This bell will be silent until you arrive, my son, at the place of your resurrection; but there it will ring clearly. When the man of God heard the voice of his bell, he rejoiced and gave thanks to Christ, knowing that he would rise again there. Immediately St. Pulcherius found there, under the shade of a certain tree, a very large boar, very grey with its bristles; which, laying aside its wildness, stood tame before the Saint of God. Then the Saint said to his disciples: he builds Liathmore, As is the color of this boar, so shall the name of this place be forever. For "grey" in Latin is "liath" in Irish, and the place is named by the same name, that is, Liath. First, with a three-day fast, St. Pulcherius consecrated the place to God.

[21] The visitation of Angels had previously been frequent at that place, which was shown to the holy Bishop Colman, in a place previously honored by angelic apparitions, son of Daire. For he was in his monastery, which in Irish is called Doire-mor, that is, "great grove"; and it is situated on the border of the Munstermen and the Leinstermen, but is placed within the region of the Munstermen, namely in the region of Ely. This Bishop Colman was born of the royal family of Munster, that is, the Eoganacht. A certain one of the brothers of the same Bishop, exploring the aforesaid forest before St. Pulcherius had come there, brought from it sweet fruits and gave them to the holy Bishop. The Bishop asked him whence he had brought the fruits. He said: I brought them to you, my lord, from that forest. Then St. Colman the Bishop said to him: A multitude of Angels ascending and descending has often appeared to me from that forest, like a swarm of bees; there will be a great army of the Lord's household there. The brother said: Give me, father, permission to go there and to remain there. St. Colman said to him: Go in peace, and if you can live there, I myself will go to you, so that our resurrection may be there. But that brother found five monks beginning to work there; and seeing them, he returned without delay and informed Bishop Colman. The Blessed Colman said to him: That place has been reserved by God for them. Go, therefore, Brother, and ask their Abbot whether he will come to me or whether I should go to him. When the holy Abbot Pulcherius heard this, he said: I will go to the Supreme Pontiff, for I ought to be instructed by his holy examples.

[22] and offered through Bishop Colman. And the holy Bishop greatly rejoiced at his coming, and the Pontiff commanded him in charity to bathe; and the blessed Abbot, out of obedience, bathed himself. Afterwards the Saints spoke with each other, namely Bishop Colman and Abbot Pulcherius. The Bishop prophesied, saying: My Brother and fellow servant in Christ, this place of mine will frequently be deserted, so that not even a priest will be able to live here, on account of the wars which will often occur on the border. But your place will always be inhabited and will grow ever greater. St. Pulcherius said to him: I, Father, out of honor for you, will command that from my place, whenever yours is deserted, a priest should come here and celebrate. For there are four miles between these places, and no more. Then, confirming friendship with each other, and blessing each other and their places, the Blessed Pulcherius returned with his companions to his place; and the holy Bishop remained in his place. From then on St. Pulcherius began to build a monastery in his place, and a city grew there, as the most blessed Prophetess St. Ita had predicted, which is called the City of Liath-Mochoemoc. And the fame of the religious life of the Blessed Pulcherius spread far and wide, and many flocked to him from all sides and submitted themselves to the yoke of Christ under him.

CHAPTER III

Affairs conducted with the chiefs of Ely and the King of Cashel.

[23] Ronanus wishing to expel Pulcherius, Afterwards the above-mentioned chief, who had kindly received St. Pulcherius and given him his place with other gifts, died. Another arose after him named Ronanus, son of Bledinus, who decreed to expel St. Pulcherius from his territories; and he came with many soldiers in a fury of anger to expel the Saint of God with insult. But as he descended to the place, his feet stuck to the ground, and he could in no way move himself from the spot. And seeing some monks, they were called to him, and he said to them: Call your holy Abbot to me; he is fixed to the ground, for behold, a miracle has been done in me, because an evil thought against the Saint of God was in my heart. The monks said to him: He is now offering sacrifice to God, and afterwards he will sing the Third Hour, and until these things are done we dare not inform him. When the Third Hour had been celebrated, the Brothers informed the Saint about what had happened to the chief. The Saint answered: Today I will not go outside until the Ninth Hour has been celebrated. The chief therefore remained in the same way, immovable, until the Ninth Hour. When the Ninth Hour had now been sung, St. Pulcherius came to the chief, saying to him: Tyrant, what good is your earthly power and cruelty to you now? and, released, he offers himself and his possessions to the Saint. You came to destroy this place, in which indeed you will be buried. The chief said to him: Servant of God, whatever you tell me I will do; but I beg you, release me from this bond. Then the Saint commanded him to go, and he was immediately released. And straightaway, in the presence of his nobles, he offered the same place, just as his predecessor had done, to God, and himself and his

offspring decreed to be buried in that place; and the holy man, blessing him, departed rejoicing. He was very obedient to St. Pulcherius, and the Saint loved him greatly.

[24] And it happened after a time that Duke Ronanus died and was buried with St. Pulcherius, Pulcherius prays for him after his death, as he himself had chosen. After the death of Ronanus, a certain scribe came to the monastery of St. Pulcherius, and hearing the Saint of God commending the soul of Duke Ronanus to God, he greatly rebuked the Saint for commending the soul of a man who had departed this world in his pleasures. And St. Finian was then in the monastery of Liath with other Saints, and that scribe raised a great dispute before St. Finian against the Blessed Pulcherius about the soul of Duke Ronanus. But the holy man Pulcherius, opposing many examples of divine mercy to him, said: The soul of Ronanus is in God's power to forgive him his sins for my sake. So that you may know, you who are blinded in your knowledge, that this is so and that your contention is useless, death is imminent for you, and your tomb will be forever unknown to all men; but I will not curse you, lest you be excluded from the kingdom of God. And that scribe, departing unexpectedly by God's will, was killed by his own people, and where he is buried is unknown to all, according to the word of the man of God, St. Pulcherius.

[25] and buries his slain son; After this, Suibhne, son of Diarmaid, seized the chieftaincy of the region of Ely. For he expelled Foelan, son of Duke Ronanus, from the region, and he was an exile from him. But after a time, St. Mochoemocus made peace between them. Slebinus, however, son of Suibhne, killed by his own hand through treachery Foelan, son of Ronanus, whom St. Pulcherius had commended to him and his father in trust. Hearing this, St. Pulcherius was greatly displeased, and he himself went to bring his body to burial. And St. Pulcherius, placing his whip upon the ground, forgot it there; and it grew into a great tree, which remains to this day and is itself called by the name of Mochoemoc as a sign of his power. When they came to the monastery, the Abbot St. Cainnech came there, and when they wished to commit the body to the earth, the Blessed Cainnech said to St. Pulcherius: This man, who was suddenly killed, you should not bury among your monks. and that his body should be transferred to the monks' graves, And St. Pulcherius answered: I do not wish to contradict you, Father; but his body will be buried separately for the time being. Yet his soul is in the presence of God in heaven; and therefore his resurrection ought to be among the monks. My staff and chrismale will be buried with him for the time being in the outer place, and they will not be removed from there until the body of Slebinus, who treacherously killed this young man, comes here. His hand, by God's vengeance, will fall sooner from his side -- the hand with which he killed this man; and from that he will immediately die and will be buried here. But this Foelan will come again, and he predicts the killer's punishment: and afterwards will be buried among the monks. And all things happened thus.

[26] Slebinus, when his right hand fell from his side, died; and when his body came to the monastery, the body of Foelan was taken out of the tomb, and then it was washed with water, and with all standing by, he came back to life before the Saint. And he, receiving the sacrifice from the hand of St. Pulcherius, said to him: My son, do you wish to live here in this world for a time, or to depart now to heaven? And he, giving clear testimonies about the rest of the just and about the punishments of the wicked, said to St. Pulcherius: Lord Father, the glory of this world is nothing; let me therefore quickly depart to Christ. And the Saint, blessing him, he immediately and happily gave up his spirit; and his body was buried with due honor among the monks. by which the tyrant father is brought to repentance, Slebinus, however, his killer, was buried outside, where Foelan had previously been interred. Suibhne, the Duke and father of Slebinus, seeing that God's vengeance had suddenly fallen upon his son, came and did penance before St. Pulcherius, saying: Holy lord father and master, shepherd of Christ's faithful, I will gladly suffer martyrdom or go on a distant pilgrimage, if you command; and whatever you tell me, with Christ's help, I will fulfill. The man of God, seeing him visited with true penance, said to him: Confess your sins, and henceforth be faithful in all things, and give alms to Christ's churches for the soul of Ronanus your predecessor; for God is ready to give pardon to those who turn to Him. That Duke did what was commanded him joyfully, and in his fortress, on a certain island in the middle of the river Suir, he died a good death.

[27] At one time Failbhe Fland, King of the Munstermen, who reigned in the royal citadel of Cashel, King Failbhe contending with Pulcherius, ordered his charioteers to pasture his horses in the field of St. Pulcherius's monastery, in which there was much hay. When St. Pulcherius heard this, he hastened there and harshly drove the horses from his field and treated them roughly. When this was reported to the King, he angrily ordered his hostages from the region of Ely, whom he held in chains, to be killed, unless the Duke of Ely and the parents of the hostages expelled St. Pulcherius from their territory. The man of God, knowing this edict, went swiftly to the city of Cashel to speak with the King there; and arguing angrily with each other, the King said to the holy man: Little baldy, no honor will be given you here, but you will be expelled from our kingdom. The Saint said to him: If I am bald, you will be one-eyed. he is punished in his eye: At this word, sharp pains began intolerably to burn the King's eye, and immediately its light was extinguished. And the King's friends begged the holy man with great entreaties to help the King in the name of God. The Saint said: His pains will be stopped, but he will not see light. Then the Saint blessed water; and the King, washing his eye with it, his pains were relieved, but he was deprived of sight -- about which the King did not care, because the pains had stopped tormenting his eye. And so the King slept the following night.

[28] the Saints appear to him On that very night, indeed, a wonderful vision by divine dispensation appeared to the King; for he saw a beautiful elder of lightning-like form coming to him, who, taking the King's hand, led him from his seat to the southern wall of the citadel of Cashel and placed him there; and he saw the whole plain of Femyn, over which the citadel of Cashel looks, full of a white assembly of Saints, of lofty and beautiful form. Then the King asked the elder what that venerable Assembly was. And the elder said to the King: The holy Archbishop Patrick, Patron of Ireland, and all the saints of Ireland are with him in this Assembly, who come to help the holy Pulcherius, whom you despise. I tell you, O King, that unless you grant him what he asks, you will quickly die and be plunged into the depths of hell.

[29] The King was still sleeping, and he saw that the elder again held his hand and the Saints of Ireland gathered to help Pulcherius: and, leading him with him, placed him upon the northern wall of the citadel. And a vision similar to the first appeared, that is, the plain of Monael full of most beautiful choirs, covered with white veils. For the citadel of Cashel stands on the border of two beautiful plains, namely Femyn and Mossadhe. And the King again asked the elder, and the elder said to him: The most glorious Virgin Brigid is there, and St. Ita with all the Virgins of Ireland, who have come to the aid of St. Pulcherius, whom you have unjustly offended. And behold, I prophesy to you, O Father of your country, unless you grant him his will, you will perish, and none of your seed will reign forever. After this the elder departed from him, and the King rose from sleep; and awakening, he told his friends and counselors what he had seen, who said to him: Unless you do what has been commanded you, your last day has come. On the following day, the King, sitting on his tribunal, summoned St. Pulcherius before him, and told him in the presence of all the people the things which the Angel had shown him in dreams. The holy man gave thanks to God and to His Saints; and the King humbly fulfilled the will of St. Pulcherius. And the Saint, blessing the King, the King sent him back to his monastery with great honor.

[30] the same King rebuked by Pulcherius, At another time, King Failbhe Fland of Cashel offended Bishop Colman, son of Daire, the friend of St. Pulcherius, whom we mentioned above. And he asked St. Pulcherius to come with him to the King; and the two Saints set out together and came to the King. The King was then in the aforesaid royal city of Cashel. The King now refused to agree with the Saints, but answered them proudly in his power. Then St. Pulcherius said to him: It is not fitting for you to answer thus to the Supreme Pontiff, who is most holy according to God, and is not less than you in the nobility of this world; for you were both born of one nation. But two demons rule over you, of fornication riding upon you always: a demon of pride and another of fornication. The King answered: How shall I know if they thus dwell in me? St. Pulcherius said to him: You will have signs: one woman whom you love will die this night, and two horsemen on white horses will come to you early tomorrow morning and will converse with you, and you will not know whence they come or whither they go. Then the King, terrified by these words, sought pardon and piously fulfilled the will of the Saints.

[31] and of pride, Seeing this, the Blessed Pulcherius said to the demon who was urging pride upon the King: Flee, sower of tares, from this place, and sit upon that stone until your companion comes to you, and I will speak with you both there. Then he drove the other demon, who was kindling lust in the King, after his companion; and they said to the Saint: Where shall we go now? The Saint said to them: Go to those two rocks he is freed from the demons. which are on the northern side of this citadel of Cashel, where there is no access for men, and you will harm no one from there until the day of judgment. And that place has been fearsome from that time; and animals which climb there with difficulty are often frightened and disturbed, and their clamor and murmuring is frequently heard there. The King, knowing all this, gave thanks to God and honorably sent the Saints back to their places.

CHAPTER IV

Dead raised to life: familiarity with St. Cainnech.

[32] To free a Brother from danger, Certain monks of St. Pulcherius were working in the forest near the western side of the monastery; but one of them separated himself from the others, and alone he felled a great tree. As the tree fell, it pressed the Brother's head against another piece of wood; and, wonderful to say, it did not break his head, but the Brother could not move himself from that position, nor could he speak. When the hour came, the Brothers returned home, thinking that Brother had come with them. Afterwards, sitting at table, the pious father Pulcherius looked at the Brothers; not seeing that Brother, he asked where he was. And when all professed ignorance, the holy Father said: O my little sons, you have left your Brother forgotten in great danger. Saying this, he immediately rose from the table, and the Brothers following him, he went by a straight path to the place where the Brother was trapped as on a rack; but in no way could they help him, for if they cut the tree, the Brother would immediately die. by his word he raises a felled tree: Seeing this great danger, St. Pulcherius turned to the tree and said: I command you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, rise and stand in your former position. At this word, the tree immediately rose little by little and stood firmly in its place; but the mark of the cut was visible in the wood for a long time that it stood. The holy Father and his monks, receiving their Brother safe from such great danger, gave thanks to God, and returned with joy to their cell.

[32] he raises three dead to life: On another day the monks of St. Pulcherius were harvesting their crop, and three Brothers suddenly died in the field. Seeing this, the holy man went quickly to them; for he was greatly displeased that his monks should perish by sudden death. And he blessed water, which afterwards by divine power had the force of wine; and when he sprinkled the dead with the water, they rose alive, but they were weak. Tasting, however, that water, they became strong, and worked with the others, and ate, and lived for many days afterwards. Returning from there to his cell, the holy man saw a certain tree full of fruit which was useless to men because of its excessive bitterness; and he blessed the tree with the sign of the holy Cross, and its fruits were immediately turned to sweetness. he makes bitter fruits sweet, These three miracles were done in one day through the holy man by divine will: wine was made from water, the dead were raised, and bitterness was turned to sweetness.

[33] [He restores a dead young Brother to life; and permits a decrepit old man to depart to Christ.] Two Brothers once fell ill in the monastery of St. Pulcherius, a young man and a decrepit old man. While the holy Father was absent, the young man died and was buried; but the old man was still alive. When St. Pulcherius returned, praying to the Lord, he said: In what have I merited, my Lord Jesus Christ, that my young men, whom I would wish to raise for You so that they might serve You, die in the prime of their youth, strong as they are; and the decrepit old men, whom bodily strength has deserted, should live? Saying this, he ordered the tomb to be opened, and he said to his dead monk: Rise in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and he immediately rose, blessing Christ the Savior of all. Then St. Pulcherius asked the aforesaid sick old man whether he wished to depart to Christ; and the old man, receiving the sacrifice, happily gave up his spirit. Then an Angel of the Lord, coming to St. Pulcherius, said: As you know and will, servant of Christ, dispose and judge your household as long as you live. This privilege given to him by God, the holy man Pulcherius administered to his disciples by divine guidance.

[34] St. Cainnech covers a day's journey in a short space of time, On a certain appointed day, the Blessed Abbot Cainnech promised to come at the Ninth Hour to St. Pulcherius at Liath. The holy Abbot Cainnech forgot this promise, remaining in his own monastery until the Ninth Hour of the day, namely at Aghaboe in the region of Ossory. But remembering, he groaned to God because he had not fulfilled what he had promised to the Saint; and, inspired by God's dispensation, he began to run. But he was carried so swiftly that he sang the very Ninth Hour in the monastery of Liath with St. Pulcherius. God, who conducted him most swiftly, Himself knows what happened to him, because it was hidden from him and from us, except that he would travel on his own strength. A full day's journey for many foot-travelers lies between those two monasteries of Liath and Aghaboe. and he celebrates the sacrifice before St. Pulcherius: And St. Pulcherius ordered a bath to be prepared and said to St. Cainnech: Sing us a Mass meanwhile, Brother, until the Brothers return from their obediences. But St. Cainnech refused. Afterwards, sitting at table in the refectory, the Blessed Cainnech cut the bread, but the Brothers saw a stream of blood flowing from the bread to the ground. Then St. Pulcherius said gently to him: Lord Father, let us return to the church, and offer to God the sacrifice of praise, for I and the Brothers greatly desire this. And the Blessed elder Cainnech then sang the Mass to God, as St. Pulcherius desired. When the Saints returned after the sacrifice, they saw the bread clean and uncut; and giving thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, they ate it with spiritual joy.

[35] he predicts death for three brothers, At another time certain Brothers came to the monastery of Liath, wishing to see and speak with St. Pulcherius. At that time the holy man was working with his brothers in the field near the monastery. And asking which one was St. Pulcherius, he was pointed out to them. Seeing him working on his knees, they marveled. Speaking with him, he prophesied to them, saying: Brothers, think about the remedy of your souls, for death is imminent for you, and you will all die quickly, except that little boy who is with you. Those men, doubting this prophecy, did penance; and after a few days they died. For they were five in number, and St. Pulcherius kept their boy with him and taught him himself; and afterwards he grew into a holy man, whom they called the holy Abbot Dagan, and for his disciple Dagan, who now lies in his monastery called Inbher-Daoile in the eastern part of Ireland, in the region of the Leinstermen, namely situated in the district of Dalmascorb near the sea; and another boy studied with St. Dagan at the side of St. Father Pulcherius.

[36] On a certain day, the holy Father Pulcherius said to the Blessed Dagan: My son, if you read well, you will receive Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ from my hand before you die. But after a few days, this holy boy was killed. For the people of Ossory came to lay waste the region of Ely, and on that day St. Dagan with his companion was guarding the calves of the monastery; beheaded by enemies, for all the others were occupied in various labors. Soldiers of the Duke of Ossory, coming upon the pious shepherds, beheaded St. Dagan, but the other, though his throat was cut, escaped. At that time St. Cainnech was in the monastery of Liath; and the one whose throat had been cut, who had escaped, came to the Saints Pulcherius and Cainnech with his Brothers; and the grace of God immediately healed him through the Saints. The body of St. Dagan was brought back to the monastery like a trunk, and his head with it. And St. Pulcherius said to St. Cainnech: To this young man, holy Father, I promised to give the Lord's Communion before his death, but I have not yet fulfilled it. Let divine power be magnified in him through us. Therefore, Father, join his head to his body, or pray God to revive him. St. Cainnech said: praying with St. Cainnech, he restores him to life. In the name of Christ I will join the head to the body; but you ask God to send back his soul to him. The Blessed elder Cainnech set the head firmly, and it adhered to the body as before; but a scar, like a ring, remained around the neck until his death. And while St. Pulcherius prayed, and St. Cainnech still held him in his hands, the most blessed youth Dagan rose alive and healthy before the Saints, blessing the Lord; and he received Communion from the hands of St. Pulcherius, as had been promised to him. And afterwards St. Dagan himself lived for a long time, whose life shines with miracles, and in his aforesaid place he was the father of many monks.

[37] At a certain time Colman, son of Feradach, Duke of Ossory, thinking that his enemy, named Finan, was fleeing before him to the monastery of St. Pulcherius and hiding there, came and searched every building of the monastery to destroy him. St. Pulcherius said to him: he avenges the violation of ecclesiastical immunity: Against you I have asked three petitions from my God, but two have been denied, and the third has been granted to me. My first petition against you was that you should die quickly; but God has granted to St. Fachtna that you should live fourteen more years. My second petition was that you should not dwell in heaven; but because of holy Cainnech, heaven is granted to you. My third petition is that before the end of this month you should be separated from your kingdom; which petition has now been granted to me by the Lord. Hearing these words, the Duke did penance and offered oblations to God and St. Pulcherius. And the Saint said to him: You will now be driven from your power, and you will barely escape the danger of death; but because you have holy men as friends, you will rule in all your power after three days; and the holy Cainnech, now an old man, my friend, will help you in all things. Afterwards the Duke, rejoicing at such a prophecy, departed with a blessing.

[38] and with other Saints, St. Pulcherius entrusted a certain cell to his disciple called Mochumba, and he first built a church and refectory there. Meanwhile St. Pulcherius and St. Cainnech, and St. Molua son of Coche, and St. Mofecta, met one night at that same cell; and no building there was then roofed except the church alone. And that disciple, the superior of the place, said to them: Go into the church, for we have no other building prepared. St. Mofecta, who is also called Fecheanus, said to him: No; but we will go to the refectory, even though it is bare, and our God will not let wind or rain descend upon us this night. The Saints, eating there -- that is, in the bare refectory -- and remaining there, afterwards St. Molua said: In this place where such great charity has been shown to us, there will always be an abundance of riches. St. Pulcherius said: This bare roof of mine, under which the Lord in good weather has defended us this night from wind and rain, he blesses St. Mochumba's place. will be blessed, and a famous building here will never fail for all eternity. St. Cainnech said: A son of death will not die in this place. Thus the Saints blessed that place, and their blessing

never fails there. And the Fathers departing from there, that pious disciple Mochumba, the superior of the place, said to them: Holy ones of God, do you leave me alone here? The Saints said to him: We will be with you here spiritually; and you will be a Saint in this place, and you will join us at the judgment of God; and you will have this sign. Then the Saints placed five small stones there in the holy cemetery, which to this day remain immovable there by the grace of the Saints, as a sign of their promise, and no one can move them from there.

CHAPTER V

Pulcherius becomes famous for his great authority among Princes and for raising the dead.

[39] At another time, the chief of the Nephews of Aengus, of the tribe of the Na Deisi, A Chief who violates a sworn treaty, from which tribe the mother of St. Pulcherius was born, as we said above, and another chief of the same tribe, named Foelan, son of Eatach, who were enemies of each other, swore peace between themselves in the presence of St. Pulcherius, and each received the other in trust from the Saint's hand. But afterwards the chief of the Nephews of Aengus, not keeping his faith, killed Foelan, son of Eatach. Hearing this, the holy Father Pulcherius came in great anger to curse him or to call him to penance; but his heart was hardened, and he said: I do not care what you do, Pulcherius, because the most holy Cumin the Tall, son of Fiachna, has blessed me diligently and has promised me the kingdom of heaven and earth. Hearing these words, St. Pulcherius said: The one whom the most holy Cumin has blessed, I will not curse; but your wife and your son I will curse. Then that Lady came with her son to St. Pulcherius, bending their knees before him and saying: Spare us, Lord, in Christ's name, and remains impenitent and whatever you say to us we will gladly do; and you know, Lord Father, that our lord, who has offended you, we cannot correct.

[40] St. Pulcherius, accepting their satisfaction, said: I will curse that lake which surrounds him and is a great protection for him; for the fortress of that Chief, very secure, was in the middle of a very deep lake. And the holy man, cursing that lake, immediately the earth swallowed it, and dry land appeared in its place, while they did not know where the water had gone. The Chief still remained in the hardness of his heart. Then the Saint said: I will curse your daughter, whom you love greatly, and your strongest and swiftest horse, in which you trust for war. And cursing them, they immediately died. he is punished by his daughter's death: Seeing this, the Chief repented in his heart and made satisfaction to the Saint in the name of Christ, asking for his daughter, his lake, and his horse. And the Saint said: All things are possible to the Lord our God; but I will pray that the will of my Christ may be done. And when St. Pulcherius prayed, the lake was suddenly filled again with its waters, just as it had been before, and the daughter was raised, and the horse came back to life, strong and swift. Seeing this, the Chief offered a field to God and St. Pulcherius for building a church; until he repents, and St. Pulcherius, imposing penance upon him and establishing that cell, returned, giving thanks to God, to his monastery.

[41] At another time the holy Bishop Furseus and the Blessed Abbot Pulcherius greatly loved a certain young man He brings about peace between Cuan and Scanlan, who was called their foster-son, because he had frequently spent his life from boyhood with them; and the Saints taught and nourished him in true religion and an honorable life. He was Scanlan, son of Foelan, of noble birth. Cuan, then the Duke, bound that young man and placed him in custody; for he greatly feared him, because the young Scanlan was entitled to be Duke, just as Cuan was. When the Saints Furseus and Pulcherius heard this, they immediately went to ask Duke Cuan for their beloved Scanlan. And St. Pulcherius said to the Duke: Lord Duke, release our friend to us unharmed, for he is innocent toward you. And the Duke said: Truly he has yet done me no harm, but I fear he will do so, contending against my region. St. Pulcherius answered, saying: I promise that he will not harm you in your lifetime. The Duke, becoming calm, said: I will do what you wish; but come with me to the city of Cashel, and I will release him to you before the King, so that he may be a witness. And arriving there, he gave them the young Scanlan before the King, and having made peace, they departed from each other.

[42] When, therefore, St. Pulcherius had gone to ask Duke Cuan for the young Scanlan, at that time the holy Archbishop of the city of Emly was staying with the King in the city of Cashel. And he said prophetically to the King: he punishes Cuan's new offense with death, Lord King, do you love your Duke Cuan? And the King said: Truly, I love him. The Bishop said to him: Send to him quickly, then, so that he may give satisfaction to St. Pulcherius; for on whatever day he displeases him, he will die. And so it happened afterwards. For when Duke Cuan again offended St. Pulcherius, and the holy man sought divine aid against him, he immediately died. Scanlan, son of Foelan, the foster-son of the Saints, was by the grace of St. Pulcherius appointed Duke of his region by the King. and transfers the chieftainship to Scanlan. And the King said to the aforesaid Bishop: Of what merit do you think, Lord Bishop, Pulcherius to be? The holy Bishop answered: I know this truly, that if St. Pulcherius had said that Mount Cuach should pass to the place of the plain of Femyn across the river Suir, and the plain of Femyn should go out of its place in exchange, the Lord would assuredly have done this for his honor. Then the King blessed God, giving Him thanks.

[43] A certain good man named Dima, a friend of St. Pulcherius, was faithful, whose father was Fiachenus. Dima himself, in the name of the Holy Trinity, asked St. Pulcherius that whenever he should fall ill, the holy man would deign to come to him, to the dead Dima so that he might receive the Lord's Communion from his hand at the hour of death; and the man of God promised him this. After a long time, Dima fell ill and sent a messenger to St. Pulcherius to come to him. But at that time the holy man was staying in the monastery called Inis-leamhnachta, in the southern part of the region of Ossory, near the arm of the sea into which the river Nore flows. Hearing this, Pulcherius set out in haste; but before he arrived, his friend Dima had died, and after raising him again, and there was great mourning over him. But he was not buried until St. Pulcherius arrived there; and the holy man that night kept vigil with the others around the body. At midnight, taking a burning lamp, St. Pulcherius rose alone to the bier, and signing the body with the sign of the holy Cross, he said to him: My dear friend Dima, rise in the name of Christ, that you may receive from my hand the divine Viaticum, he imparts Holy Communion, as your faith has required. At this word, Dima immediately rose, as if from a deep sleep, blessing God. And the holy man said to him: What pleases you now: to live again with your family, or to return to the rest which you have seen? Those who were in the house, hearing their conversation, gathered together and, seeing their lord alive, gave thanks to God. But he, choosing and praying to depart from this world, St. Pulcherius gave him Communion before everyone, and he offered his seed after him to be always buried with the Saint of God; and he fell asleep again in peace, and the holy Pulcherius arranged for his body to be buried in his monastery of Liath.

[44] Once the Blessed Abbot Pulcherius sent one of his monks to the western part of Ireland; To obtain the body of his dead monk, but he, on his return journey, died in the city of Emly, which is in the plain of Munster, and was buried there. This monk was called Cuanchear. When St. Pulcherius heard this, he went out to bring his body to his own monastery, but the Archbishop of that city would not release to him the body of his monk. And disputing with each other, St. Pulcherius said to the Pontiff: Do you think it just to keep the body of my monk, who offered his body and soul in my monastery? The Pontiff said to him: God knows, not I. Hearing this, St. Pulcherius said to him: So that you may know that you act unjustly, Lord Bishop, you will see the power of Christ in him. And the holy man, approaching the tomb of his monk, the tomb was opened by God before him; and the holy Father, taking the hand of his Brother, he calls him back to life, the Brother rose with him from the tomb. Then the Bishop, magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ with a great voice, said to all: I should not keep a living monk, whom my God has raised up for the merits of His servant, after the example of Lazarus. God knows that I did not do this out of malice, but wishing that holy relics might be in the cemetery of this Church. Afterwards, having received permission and the blessing of the Bishop, St. Pulcherius and his monk Cuanchear returned rejoicing in Christ to their monastery. Afterwards, Cuanchear himself, by the command of his master Pulcherius, built a monastery called Gassmore, and he himself remained there for many days in great holiness and divine miracles, and at a happy end he departed to Christ.

[45] By some chance a consecrated virgin named Cainer lost the light of her eyes, he restores sight to St. Cainer, and was blind for a long time. She was brought to St. Pulcherius and asked him in the name of Christ to bless her eyes. And the man of God consecrated water, blessing her eyes, and commanded her to wash her face with it. That holy virgin, washing her face with it, immediately received her sight before everyone; and seeing heaven and earth, she returned to her cell, and rejoicing from her heart she blessed God in His miracles through His holy servants. After

After St. Pulcherius had restored temporal light by God's gift, and she dies piously, God called him to dwell with the Saints in eternal light. Having fallen ill, he blessed his Brothers and their places, and in the presence of a gathered multitude of Saints, on the third day before the Ides of March, he most happily returned his holy soul to God, and was buried with due honor in his holy monastery of Liath; where through him many miracles are performed by Christ, to whom is honor and glory with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end.