from God to go to Erinn, to strengthen faith and belief, that
you may bring the people, by the net of the Gospel, to the harbor of
life; for all the men of Erinn call out your name, and they think it
seasonable and fit that you should come." Patrick afterwards bade
farewell to Germanus, and gave him a blessing; and a trusted senior
went with him from Germanus, to guard him and testify for him; his name
was Segetius, and he was by grade a priest, and he it was who usually
kept the _Ordo_ of the church besides Germanus.

Patrick went subsequently on the sea, his company being nine. Then he
went upon an island, where he saw a withered old woman on her hands at
the door of a house. "Whence is the hag?" asked Patrick; "great is her
infirmity." A young man answered, and said: "She is a descendant of
mine," said the young man; "if you could see the mother of this girl, O
cleric! she is more infirm still." "In what way did this happen?"
enquired Patrick. "Not difficult to tell," said the young man. "We
are here since the time of Christ. He came to visit us when He was on
earth amongst men; and we made a feast for him, and he blessed our
house and blessed ourselves; but this blessing reached not our
children; and we shall be here without age or decay for ever. And it
is long since thy coming was foretold to us," said the young man; "and
God 'left it with us' [_i.e._, prophesied to us] that thou wouldst come
to preach to the Gaeidhel; and He left a token with us, _i.e._, His
_bachall_ (crozier), to be given to thee." "I will not take it," said
Patrick, "until He Himself gives me His _bachall_." Patrick remained
three days and three nights with them; and he went afterwards into
Sliabh-Hermoin, near the island, where the Lord appeared unto him, and
commanded him to go and preach to the Gaeidliel; and He gave him the
Bachall-Isa, and said that it would be of assistance to him in every
danger and every difficulty in which he would be. And Patrick besought
three requests of him--viz., (1) to be at His right hand in the kingdom
of heaven; (2) that he (Patrick) might be the judge of the Gaeidhel on
the Day of Judgment; and (3) as much as the nine companions could carry
of gold and silver to give to the Gaeidhel for believing.

The Airchinnech that was in Rome at that time was Celestinus, the
forty-second man from Peter. He sent Palladius, a high deacon, with
twelve men, to instruct the Gaeidhel (for to the comarb of Peter