lxv., the civ., the cxiii.,
and then the whole 15 songs of degrees, during which they sat. When this
was done, a bright cloud overshadowed the island, a cloud so bright that
it blinded the sight of the voyagers, but they could still hear the
sacred song going on without ceasing until midnight (_vigilie matutinae_)
when they heard sung Psalms cxlviii., cxlix., and cl., and then what are
called '12 Psalms according to the Psalter, up to "The fool hath said in
his heart,"'--an apparent reference to the present Roman Breviary
arrangement by which the xth is united (as in the Septuagint) with the
ixth, and the vth transferred out of its order. As day broke, the cloud
passed away from over the island and the companies sang Psalms li., xc.,
and lxiii., and at 9 A.M. xlvii., liv., and cxvi. From what this
peculiar arrangement of the Psalms is taken, I do not know. It is not
that of the Monastic Breviary, nor of the Roman, nor of the Greek
Church, nor is it that of the Mozarabic, at least at present, but from
its excessive irregularity, in which it resembles the Mozarabic, I guess
that it may belong to some Ephesine rite, as introduced by Patrick into
Ireland, and that it is here set down at length because it was becoming
obsolete in the days of the writer. Then they went to Communion. After
this, two of the company of young men brought a basket full of the
purple fruit, and put it into the ship, saying, 'Take ye of the fruit of
the strong men's isle, and give us our brother and depart in peace.'
Then Brendan called the brother to him and said, 'Kiss thy brethren, and
go with them that call thee. I tell thee, brother, that in a good hour
did thy mother conceive thee, who hast earned to dwell with such a
congregation.' So they bade him farewell with tears, and when he came to
the companies, they sang, 'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity,' and then the _Te Deum_, and the
voyagers set out again upon their way.

The voyage now continues with two or three comparatively trivial
adventures. For twelve days they lived upon the juice of the scaltae,
after which they fasted for three days. Then a bird brought them a
branch of an unknown tree, bearing a bunch of bright red grapes, whereon
they lived for four days, and then fasted for three more. On the last of
these they sighted the island where grew the grapes. It was thickly
wooded, with trees bending under the weight of the fruit, filled with