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i. There was a venerable man, Gerald by name, the most holy abbot of many monks, who was descended from noble parents, especially from a king and queen. His mother, before she bore this blessed fruit in her womb, also carried a certain bloody mass within her bowels, which is sometimes called a paralyzed piglet. Therefore, with the providence of a heavenly physician against this incurable infirmity [of] a salutary antidote, she conceived this infant in her womb, and at length gave birth to the aforesaid mass. For he entered this world in such a way that he held that mass, which weighed down the bowels of his mother, with his right hand as a sign of his future holiness. This mass, hardened in the manner of a stone, is sometimes called the stone of Saint Gerald. This stone confers bodily health on many, and especially on women laboring in childbirth, if they drink water from its lotion, it gives singular protection.

ii. At the same time, when Saint Columba died at the island, and his disciple Colman was ordained abbot of the same monastery, the nobles of that land and the founders of churches conspired against him, and sent him into exile. | So he boarded a ship and came to the English land. The people and clergy of England, hearing also the fame of the sanctity of such a great bishop Colman, received him with great reverence, and afterwards, having discovered the evident signs of his sanctity, by the unanimous consent of the clergy and people, made him archbishop of all England. But while he was probably governing the church, the king of the land, named Cusperius, entrusted his four sons, born of Queen Benicia, to his care; that he might instruct them in morals and doctrines. The names of these sons were Gerald, Balanus, Bericert, who was called by another name Rutulus, and Hucbritann. These four, therefore, sufficiently instructed, both in the liberal arts and in theological faculty, he himself eventually promoted to the monastic life and to ecclesiastical orders. But Saint Gerald, who had been younger than the other brothers, nevertheless shone forth more brilliantly in dignity and miracles; for on account of his holiness he was appointed abbot of Winchester, where he cured many sick people; and he healed the lame and the paralytic, and those afflicted with every kind of disease, by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The fame of his holiness also spread far and wide, and he humbly gathered many monks to obey him.

iii. If anyone doubts why such a noble abbot came to the island of Ireland with his brothers, and remained there until the end of his life, he can observe that he came to that island for three reasons. The first reason was that the prelates of England, together with the clergy, conspired against the holy Archbishop Colman as a stranger, and rashly expelled him from their borders. But his true disciples, namely Abbot Gerald with his brothers, both because of their magisterial love and because of his morals and honesty, followed him to Ireland with three thousand men of good will. The second reason was why they abandoned the English land, because their mother having died and their father holding another in crime, [and in contempt of the law] ® divine''*, they avoided the association of their wicked father, and deserted their own country for Christ®. For they wanted to live with the saint, and to flee the company of the wicked. The third reason was, that they might fulfill the Lord's commandment, which was said: * Get out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,' '" most perfectly, despising the vanities of the world." So that they might be perfect disciples of him who said in his gospel: ' He that hateth not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, yea, and his own life also, cannot be my disciple.' Therefore they left their father and the land of their nativity, and went to Ireland.

iv. Having therefore prepared a fleet of ships, not a small one. and having gathered together the things necessary for the journey, they entered the ships and committed themselves to the Governor of all; and they landed successfully at the enemy's river Muadj^'* in the land of Conaccia. In that land there was a certain prince of the Creoles, holding the principality, who was very hostile to the holy men who served there. He was called [CG: Aillil]; from him also afterwards a great posterity sprang up in that region. And when it was reported to the king of the arrival of so great a multitude of foreigners to the province, he quickly sent messengers to the borders of his lands, gathered an army, and endeavored either to extinguish them altogether, or to reduce them to slavery. Then, as a providential counselor sent by God, he asserted the truth about the king's secretaries, saying that they were religious men, and friends of the God of heaven; and that he who offended them would undoubtedly offend their God. And he said: 'God is my witness that what I say to you is true. You must therefore restrain your impulse, and recall your purpose; for behold, I myself have seen that they are monks, wearing long hoods, and holding bright books in their hands; and that they are devoutly praying to God. I have also seen some of you throwing arrows at them; but they do not reach them at all, nay, rather they fall on the shore of the sea, God protecting them. I therefore give you sound advice: do not allow them to suffer in this place; lest divine vengeance befall you.'

V. While these things were being said by the aforesaid councillor, behold a messenger came to the king, who told him that his only daughter was now dead. And hearing of the death of his only daughter, because he had no son, the king was greatly afraid. But afterwards, having regained his strength, he said to his companions: 'O most cordial councillors, and faithful friends entrusted with secrets, let none of you reveal before these holy strangers that my daughter is dead, but that my only son is dead.' And he added, saying: * And unless they raise a son for me in place of the one born, I will utterly * take them captive.' And when the holy abbot and his more mature companions were brought before the king, the king said to them: 'If you wish to found an abbey in our lands, rich in goods and lands, see that my son, who is now dead, who is the only hope of my kingdom, is raised from the jaws of death by your God. If you cannot obtain this, you will depart from our borders without honor, or you will remain with us in servitude.* Hearing these words, therefore, the holy men hastened to the place where the royal girl lay dead; and turning to her, Saint Gerald prayed thus: 'O eternal God, who art the protector of all who hope in you, who lift up the distresses of your faithful, who dried up the Red Sea for the captive Israelites, who miraculously freed Peter from his bonds, mercifully free us also, who are captives of these barbarians, from this knot of difficulty, namely, the death of the king's daughter, so that you may make of the dead daughter a son of the living by your wonderful power, [and] through our ministry grant him the senses and movements of life. After this prayer, turning to the king, he said: * O king, tell me in truth whether he is born or not, whom you desire to be raised to life.' To whom the king said: 'O holy man, save your reverence, my only son has expired, whom you deign to call back to life.' Then the holy abbot Gerald said: 'Whether he is a son or a daughter, may God, who is the giver of life, and to whom all things are possible, deign to resurrect a male child for you.' Having said this, he poured blessed water from the stone, which he had carried with him from his mother's womb, with the sign of the cross into its mouth; and to the admiration of those present, the royal youth immediately rose from the bier. In this unusual miracle, unbelief is cast away, but the faith of the believers is strengthened, and God is proclaimed wonderful in his saints by all. This young man, thus miraculously resurrected, was also baptized by the man of God, and with the consent of his parents he was called by this name Catholus [CG: Probably Cathal]. For from him, because of the blessing of the man of God, many strong nobles and powerful men in that land came forth. Then the king and his leaders provided their new son with thirty villages of land with their contents.

vi. But the holy abbot Gerald, desiring to multiply the worship of God more in the land, said to the king: 'O king, since a useful and magnificent gift has been given to you by God through our prayers, lest it happen to you to be rejected by the giver of all good things; it is fitting for you to provide the servants of the Most High with a place where they can conveniently serve God.' [And the king said] ^ : I grant all my seed * for your and your successors' 1 service for ever.^ And the son, having risen from the dead, said to the abbot: 'O most holy abbot, in one of my fields I grant a monastery site with three villages and the tenths of my fields to you and your successors for ever.' And having preordained these, and having established them by decree, holy Gerald greatly filled the abbey named, which he named Elitheria from the outcome of the matter. For when a certain Christian was giving a milch cow with her calf to a man of God for the use of the monks, behold, a wolf, coming unexpectedly, killed the calf. But the cow, deprived of the comfort of the calf, refused to give milk back, as was her custom. Then Gerald said to the brothers: 'Let the slayer of the calf come in his place, and take his place.' Which was done. For the wolf, obeying the orders of the holy abbot, and hastening to the cow, behaving like a calf, offered milk copiously to the milkers in his presence. But because the wolf's ferocity bore the obedience of gentleness with annoyance, nature dictated, or rather the Spirit of God suggested it to it ^^, ascending to the nearest mountains, snatched the calf from its mother, and substituted a living cow as a substitute for itself. But he, pondering the fact that the deer had taken his beloved son away from him, followed her footsteps and reached the monastery, and remained there until the end of his life. Hence, from that deer's miraculous stay there, that abbey was named Elitheria; for deer in Irish sounds the same as elit.

vii. These and many other prodigies shown there by the man of God Gerald, the king of the land and the rest of the land considered him a holy man and worthy of reverence, and powerful to ^^ impossible things. Hence the king complained about a certain very hard and large rock, which was in the middle of the river, named Muady ^, which caused no small nuisance to fishermen and others sailing there. 'A stone,' he says, 'of offense, and a rock of stumbling^ is the aforementioned rock to us all; for it presents an obstacle to schools of fish wishing to run from the sea to fresh waters, and it frequently breaks the nets of fishermen, We therefore pray unanimously your paternal piety, that that stone may be taken up from the midst of the river by the power given to you by your God; and thereby your God may be praised in his miracles.' Then Saint Gerald, wishing to strengthen the people newly converted ^ in the faith of the Trinity, threw that pebble, which he had carried with him from his mother's womb in his hand, upon that great rock; and soon that great rock was divided into very small pebbles. Then all who were present burst forth in praise of Almighty God and his saint; and they offered a tithe* of the fishing of that river to Saint Gerald and his successors for ever.

viii. After this, the famous king of Connacht, named Ragallus, having heard the fame of Saint Gerald and his followers, ^ sent messengers to him, that the holy man might deign to come to his presence, promising lands and all that was necessary for the building of an abbey for himself and his monks. And when the king's messengers reported these words to Saint Gerald and the rest of the college of saints, they entered into a council and presented themselves to the king's presence. The king also received them kindly and with great reverence; and fulfilling the work promised by the messengers, he donated land for the building of an abbey, which was afterwards called Mainz**.

ix. In the same region there was also a certain famous magician, who had many disciples of his art. | He also lived with his followers on a certain hill near the monastery of the saints, claiming for himself the hereditary right in that land. Hence to this day it is called the Hill of the Magi.'' The holy monks also, [who lived with the man of God, with the fervor of the spirit pursuing beautiful* fruits here and there, ®, built a very great fire '". The aforementioned magician, looking at the smoke of this fire, said to his followers'^: 'I have learned from the art of magic that that fire lit today, unless it is quickly extinguished, will not be extinguished until the end of time.' Leaving that place, and taking his weapons, he mounted his horse, that he might more speedily extinguish the fire. But by the will of God it happened that the feet of his horse were held very firmly, as if they were fixed, on a certain rock; and the magician himself clung to his back so that he could not move from there. The magician, therefore, astonished at what had happened to him, and feeling that divine virtue prevailed over his own powers, said to his friends: * Be aware, my friends, that whatever spirits there are who are suffocating with magical arts, they are overcome by the prayers of these men before the God of heaven. Wherefore, earnestly supplicate these little Christians, that they may absolve me from this intolerable torment; and I consecrate myself and all my seed to the service of them and their successors for ever.' Therefore, having thus uttered the vow, he and his horse are miraculously freed from their bonds; but on the same rock the traces of the horse remain indelibly impressed * to this day.

X. After this the holy man divided his brethren into three companies, one of which he appointed to the Anglicans, that they might bring the necessary provisions for the brethren who were toiling there. He also appointed another company to build the walls around the monastery; and they should eventually build churches and cloisters. He also appointed a third part of the college to celebrate the divine office; so that they too might devoutly sing the masses and canonical hours, and pray with a pure heart for the Christian people. Therefore, with such ordinances infused by the heavenly dispenser, under the pious shepherd Gerald the Lord's fold grew in sublimity of honor and reverence; and he himself finally completed it.

xi. After all this, some robbers, nine in number, who were related to each other, came to the territory of the man of God, and carried off the oxen from there. And when the man of God had learned the order of the matter, he pursued them by the trail, and found them on an island of a certain lake, where they were wont to hide their robberies. And when they would not of their own accord give him access, God, who dried up the Red Sea at the pleasure of the will of his servant Moses, annihilated that water as if it had never been there. Seeing which, those nine evildoers, prostrated themselves before the man of God, did penance, and vowed that they would serve him and his successors in future. Then Saint Gerald said to them: 'I do not refuse your service and servitude; but lest the justice of God should seem to have lost its rigour, let your seed not increase after you beyond the number of nine.'

xii. At the same time, the two kings of Ireland, who were then co-reigning, namely Diarmait and Blathmac, issued an edict in every part of Ireland, that all the clergy and laity should come to the city of Themoria [CG: Teamhair?] to hear the cause of the royal edict. For there was then a great famine in the land. For there was then such a multitude of men that the whole land was not sufficient for them for agriculture. Wherefore to each settler nine acres or seven of flat land, and eight of rough land, and nine of forest, were given as their lawful portion. And therefore the elders of the land made a plan, that the people should assemble in one place, and all, both laymen and clergy, should fast and pray to God, that he would deign to remove a part of that burdensome multitude of the lower people by some pestilence, so that the rest might live more comfortably. And when the people and clergy had assembled together, and on this matter in various ways also the holy men themselves who were present, They had felt, they chose two famous abbots and eminent in holiness, namely, Saint Gerald and Saint Fekin, so that what those two thought about asking for [this] thing, they would all unanimously agree. But these did not entirely agree among themselves in their judgment; because Saint Gerald said that it was not a just petition, that God should take away men by some pestilence ^ ; because He is able to feed many people with a small amount of food, as the children of Israel in the desert with manna, and as five thousand people with five loaves, and even with small grains and so few sown in the earth the whole human race annually. But Féichín asserted that the multitude of those asking should be believed; because all the elders of the land were asking that the great multitude of them might be taken away by some infirmity; because the large number of people was an occasion for famine. And when the multitude prevailed in asking for pestilence, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to a certain holy man ^, saying: ' Alas, that you have not asked for food from the Giver of all good things ^, because this is what you He would not deny it; for it is not more difficult for God to multiply food than for men. But because you have sought the death of the inferiors of the people against the will of God, therefore the greater shall die by the just judgment of God.' Which was done. For the wrath of God, being turned against the advocates of that counsel, killed those two servants, who were "correcting" them throughout the whole land, one with the king of Ulster, and the king of Monmouth, and with many others, "by the infirmity which is called jaundice. For this infirmity is called in Irish Budi Conayll. For so many men died of this pestilence, that not but a third part of the people remained. For of that passion died the holy Féichín, because he gave consent to others; and many others of the clergy. And the angel added: 'But because the holy abbot Gerald judged what was right in the eyes of the Lord, divine mercy will spare him.' Which all happened, as the angel foretold.

xiii. After this, Saint Gerald, hurrying to the land of Conacy, in the region called Corand, found a great multitude of men seized with the same pestilence. For a certain famous leader, Etranus by name, who incurred the same infirmity with the others, was in charge of the multitude. And because their infirmities were multiplied, afterwards they hastened to the physician who was able to "^ remove their infirmity. For seeing that the man of God, Gerald, had arrived in their borders, and firmly believing that he had sufficient power over the disease with which they were afflicted, behold, they ran to him from every side, saying: 'O holy man of God, have mercy on us, and heal our infirmities, for you are powerful.' For our infirmity is grievous, and we are about to die soon unless you come to our aid.' And the pious shepherd said to the leader: 'You with your offspring hasten under the cover of my hood, and place 'you' under it.' And when the duke and his children were fulfilling the orders of the pious abbot, behold, all the others of the people ran and attempted to place themselves under Gerald's garment. But since the small hood was not sufficient to contain them all within it, behold, divine virtue gave such a breadth to the garment that it was sufficient to contain them all within. Therefore, as many as were covered by the hood of Saint Gerald were healed of that infirmity. Therefore, lest they should appear ungrateful for the benefit of their deliverance, they promised their familiar service and seed after them to Saint Gerald.

xiv. After this, the holy abbot went to his monastery which was called Elitheria. Where, having heard of the death of his dear sister, Sigressia, and of a hundred nuns from her college, one with fifty of her disciples, who all died of that pestilence, he himself and his followers came to the church of Mainz. There also the most holy man remained until the end of his life, remaining in love for God and neighbor. At that time, the holy abbot Adampnanus [CG: Adamnán], After visiting all of Ireland, he went to Saint Gerald to enter into a fraternal fellowship with him. Saint Gerald donated to him a farm with a clear spring, and entrusted his church to him, so that he might defend it from the persecution of the laity after his death. All which Saint Adampanus promised to fulfill, and he fulfilled in deed.

XV. For not long after this time, after innumerable miracles, and the construction of monasteries, Saint Gerald rested in peace at the church of Mayo, on the third Ides of March. But after his death, Saint Adampanus ruled the church of Mayon untiringly for seven years, instructing the cloistered in perfect charity, causing volumes to be written, and writing with his own hand the book of the four Gospels, and also making bells for the reverence of the church. From there he went to the abbey of London, and there he died happily in Christ, and was buried.

xvi. Moreover, Saint Gerald, although he had performed many miracles in his life, nevertheless showed no less after his death, where the faith and devotion of the petitioners did not lack. After his death, Turgetius of Norway, a very cruel tyrant, ravaging all of Ireland, finally came to Mayon, and burned down the church, which had been built there by the saints and covered with leaden planks, in contempt of God and the saints. In this church also, a certain man, fleeing from the scythe of the pursuer, escaped unharmed through the merits of Gerald, like another Daniel. But a certain poor widow, through the merits of Gerald, remained there for a whole year, refreshed only by water and herbs. For when the commotions of the wars forced the citizens to abandon that church, so that during the persecution they did not dare to return to their own for a year, that widow alone, unable to walk behind others, was miraculously fed by God through his saint. In these and many other signs the Lord made his holy abbot Gerald wonderful, through whose merits and prayers may the divine piety deign to [have mercy on us. Amen.

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