The Confession of St. Patrick
by
St. Patrick
About The Confession of St. Patrick by St. Patrick
Title: The Confession of St. Patrick
URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/patrick/confession.html
Author(s): Patrick. St. (c. 390-c. 461
Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Source: The Robot Wisdom Pages, Jorn Barger(?)
Rights: Public Domain
Date Created: 2004-05-22
CCEL Subjects: All
The Confession of St. Patrick St. Patrick
Table of Contents
About This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. ii
Title Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1
Kidnapped by Pirates at Age 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 2
Embarrassed at Lack of Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3
Finds God While Herding Pigs (?). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4
Escapes, Guided by a Voice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5
Recalled to Ireland by Dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6
ASCII Outline-Map of Ireland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 7
A Childhood Confession Returns to Haunt Him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8
Boasts of Bringing Religion to the Irish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 11
Baptizes a beautiful Irish Princess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 12
...And this is my confession before I die. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 15
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The Confessio of Saint Patrick
From The Robot Wisdom Pages
The Confession of St. Patrick St. Patrick
1. I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most
contemptible to many, had for father the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Potitus, a priest, of the
settlement [vicus] of Bannavem Taburniae; he had a small villa nearby where I was taken captive.
I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken
into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people, according to our deserts, for quite drawn
away from God, we did not keep his precepts, nor were we obedient to our priests who used to
remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought down on us the fury of his being and scattered
us among many nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I, in my smallness, am now to be
found among foreigners.
2. And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so
late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had
regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance. And he watched over me before
I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected
me, and consoled me as a father would his son.
3. Therefore, indeed, I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces
has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God,
and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every
nation under heaven.
4. For there is no other God, nor ever was before, nor shall be hereafter, but God the Father,
unbegotten and without beginning, in whom all things began, whose are all things, as we have been
taught; and his son Jesus Christ, who manifestly always existed with the Father, before the beginning
of time in the spirit with the Father, indescribably begotten before all things, and all things visible
and invisible were made by him. He was made man, conquered death and was received into Heaven,
to the Father who gave him all power over every name in Heaven and on Earth and in Hell, so that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe. And we look
to his imminent coming again, the judge of the living and the dead, who will render to each according
to his deeds. And he poured out his Holy Spirit on us in abundance, the gift and pledge of
immortality, which makes the believers and the obedient into sons of God and co-heirs of Christ
who is revealed, and we worship one God in the Trinity of holy name.
5. He himself said through the prophet: Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you,
and you shall glorify me. And again: It is right to reveal and publish abroad the works of God.
6. I am imperfect in many things, nevertheless I want my brethren and kinsfolk to know my
nature so that they may be able to perceive my soul s desire.
7. I am not ignorant of what is said of my Lord in the Psalm: You destroy those who speak a
lie. And again: A lying mouth deals death to the soul. And likewise the Lord says in the Gospel:
On the day of judgment men shall render account for every idle word they utter.
8. So it is that I should mightily fear, with terror and trembling, this judgment on the day when
no one shall be able to steal away or hide, but each and all shall render account for even our smallest
sins before the judgment seat of Christ the Lord.
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9. And therefore for some time I have thought of writing, but I have hesitated until now, for
truly, I feared to expose myself to the criticism of men, because I have not studied like others, who
have assimilated both Law and the Holy Scriptures equally and have never changed their idiom
since their infancy, but instead were always learning it increasingly, to perfection, while my idiom
and language have been translated into a foreign tongue. So it is easy to prove from a sample of
my writing, my ability in rhetoric and the extent of my preparation and knowledge, for as it is said,
wisdom shall be recognized in speech, and in understanding, and in knowledge and in the learning
of truth.
10. But why make excuses close to the truth, especially when now I am presuming to try to
grasp in my old age what I did not gain in my youth because my sins prevented me from making
what I had read my own? But who will believe me, even though I should say it again? A young
man, almost a beardless boy, I was taken captive before I knew what I should desire and what I
should shun. So, consequently, today I feel ashamed and I am mightily afraid to expose my ignorance,
because, [not] eloquent, with a small vocabulary, I am unable to explain as the spirit is eager to do
and as the soul and the mind indicate.
11. But had it been given to me as to others, in gratitude I should not have kept silent, and if it
should appear that I put myself before others, with my ignorance and my slower speech, in truth,
it is written: The tongue of the stammerers shall speak rapidly and distinctly. How much harder
must we try to attain it, we of whom it is said: You are an epistle of Christ in greeting to the ends
of the earth ... written on your hearts, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. And again,
the Spirit witnessed that the rustic life was created by the Most High.
12. I am, then, first of all, countryfied, an exile, evidently unlearned, one who is not able to see
into the future, but I know for certain, that before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in deep
mire, and he that is mighty came and in his mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and
placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for his
great favours in this world and for ever, that the mind of man cannot measure.
13. Therefore be amazed, you great and small who fear God, and you men of God, eloquent
speakers, listen and contemplate. Who was it summoned me, a fool, from the midst of those who
appear wise and learned in the law and powerful in rhetoric and in all things? Me, truly wretched
in this world, he inspired before others that I could be if I would such a one who, with fear and
reverence, and faithfully, without complaint, would come to the people to whom the love of Christ
brought me and gave me in my lifetime, if I should be worthy, to serve them truly and with humility.
14. According, therefore, to the measure of one s faith in the Trinity, one should proceed without
holding back from danger to make known the gift of God and everlasting consolation, to spread
God s name everywhere with confidence and without fear, in order to leave behind, after my death,
foundations for my brethren and sons whom I baptized in the Lord in so many thousands.
15. And I was not worthy, nor was I such that the Lord should grant his humble servant this,
that after hardships and such great trials, after captivity, after many years, he should give me so
much favour in these people, a thing which in the time of my youth I neither hoped for nor imagined.
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16. But after I reached Ireland I used to pasture the flock each day and I used to pray many
times a day. More and more did the love of God, and my fear of him and faith increase, and my
spirit was moved so that in a day [I said] from one up to a hundred prayers, and in the night a like
number; besides I used to stay out in the forests and on the mountain and I would wake up before
daylight to pray in the snow, in icy coldness, in rain, and I used to feel neither ill nor any slothfulness,
because, as I now see, the Spirit was burning in me at that time.
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17. And it was there of course that one night in my sleep I heard a voice saying to me: You do
well to fast: soon you will depart for your home country. And again, a very short time later, there
was a voice prophesying: Behold, your ship is ready. And it was not close by, but, as it happened,
two hundred miles away, where I had never been nor knew any person. And shortly thereafter I
turned about and fled from the man with whom I had been for six years, and I came, by the power
of God who directed my route to advantage (and I was afraid of nothing), until I reached that ship.
18. And on the same day that I arrived, the ship was setting out from the place, and I said that
I had the wherewithal to sail with them; and the steersman was displeased and replied in anger,
sharply: By no means attempt to go with us. Hearing this I left them to go to the hut where I was
staying, and on the way I began to pray, and before the prayer was finished I heard one of them
shouting loudly after me: Come quickly because the men are calling you. And immediately I went
back to them and they started to say to me: Come, because we are admitting you out of good faith;
make friendship with us in any way you wish. (And so, on that day, I refused to suck the breasts
of these men from fear of God, but nevertheless I had hopes that they would come to faith in Jesus
Christ, because they were barbarians.) And for this I continued with them, and forthwith we put to
sea.
19. And after three days we reached land, and for twenty-eight days journeyed through
uninhabited country, and the food ran out and hunger overtook them; and one day the steersman
began saying: Why is it, Christian? You say your God is great and all-powerful; then why can you
not pray for us? For we may perish of hunger; it is unlikely indeed that we shall ever see another
human being. In fact, I said to them, confidently: Be converted by faith with all your heart to my
Lord God, because nothing is impossible for him, so that today he will send food for you on your
road, until you be sated, because everywhere he abounds. And with God s help this came to pass;
and behold, a herd of swine appeared on the road before our eyes, and they slew many of them,
and remained there for two nights, and the were full of their meat and well restored, for many of
them had fainted and would otherwise have been left half dead by the wayside. And after this they
gave the utmost thanks to God, and I was esteemed in their eyes, and from that day they had food
abundantly. They discovered wild honey, besides, and they offered a share to me, and one of them
said: It is a sacrifice. Thanks be to God, I tasted none of it.
20. The very same night while I was sleeping Satan attacked me violently, as I will remember
as long as I shall be in this body; and there fell on top of me as it were, a huge rock, and not one
of my members had any force. But from whence did it come to me, ignorant in the spirit, to call
upon Helias ? And meanwhile I saw the sun rising in the sky, and while I was crying out Helias,
Helias with all my might, lo, the brilliance of that sun fell upon me and immediately shook me
free of all the weight; and I believe that I was aided by Christ my Lord, and that his Spirit then was
crying out for me, and I hope that it will be so in the day of my affliction, just as it says in the
Gospel: In that hour , the Lord declares, it is not you who speaks but the Spirit of your Father
speaking in you.
21. And a second time, after many years, I was taken captive. On the first night I accordingly
remained with my captors, but I heard a divine prophecy, saying to me: You shall be with them
for two months. So it happened. On the sixtieth night the Lord delivered me from their hands.
22. On the journey he provided us with food and fire and dry weather every day, until on the
tenth day we came upon people. As I mentioned above, we had journeyed through an unpopulated
country for twenty-eight days, and in fact the night that we came upon people we had no food.
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23. And after a few years I was again in Britain with my parents [kinsfolk], and the welcomed
me as a son, and asked me, in faith, that after the great tribulations I had endured I should not go
an where else away from them. And, of course, there, in a vision of the night, I saw a man whose
name was Victoricus coming as it from Ireland with innumerable letters, and he gave me one of
them, and I read the beginning of the letter: The Voice of the Irish , and as I was reading the
beginning of the letter I seemed at that moment to hear the voice of those who were beside the
forest of Foclut which is near the western sea, and the were crying as if with one voice: We beg
you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us. And I was stung intensely
in my heart so that I could read no more, and thus I awoke. Thanks be to God, because after so
many ears the Lord bestowed on them according to their cry.
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24. And another night God knows, I do not, whether within me or beside me ... most words
+ ... + which I heard and could not understand, except at the end of the speech it was represented
thus: He who gave his life for you, he it is who speaks within you. And thus I awoke, joyful.
25. And on a second occasion I saw Him praying within me, and I was as it were, inside my
own body , and I heard Him above me that is, above my inner self. He was praying powerfully
with sighs. And in the course of this I was astonished and wondering, and I pondered who it could
be who was praying within me. But at the end of the prayer it was revealed to me that it was the
Spirit. And so I awoke and remembered the Apostle s words: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our
weakness; for we know not how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
sighs too deep for utterance. And again: The Lord our advocate intercedes for us.
26. And then I was attacked by a goodly number of my elders, who [brought up] my sins against
my arduous episcopate. That day in particular I was mightily upset, and might have fallen here and
for ever; but the Lord generously spared me, a convert, and an alien, for his name s sake, and he
came powerfully to my assistance in that state of being trampled down. I pray God that it shall not
be held against them as a sin that I fell truly into disgrace and scandal.
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27. They brought up against me after thirty years an occurrence I had confessed before becoming
a deacon. On account of the anxiety in my sorrowful mind, I laid before my close friend what I had
perpetrated on a day nay, rather in one hour in my boyhood because I was not yet proof against
sin. God knows I do not whether I was fifteen years old at the time, and I did not then believe
in the living God, nor had I believed, since my infancy; but I remained in death and unbelief until
I was severely rebuked, and in truth I was humbled every day by hunger and nakedness.
28. On the other hand, I did not proceed to Ireland of my own accord until I was almost giving
up, but through this I was corrected by the Lord, and he prepared me so that today I should be what
was once far from me, in order that I should have the care of or rather, I should be concerned
for the salvation of others, when at that time, still, I was only concerned for myself.
29. Therefore, on that day when I was rebuked, as I have just mentioned, I saw in a vision of
the night a document before my face, without honour, and meanwhile I heard a divine prophecy,
saying to me: We have seen with displeasure the face of the chosen one divested of [his good]
name. And he did not say You have seen with displeasure , but We have seen with displeasure
(as if He included Himself) . He said then: He who touches you, touches the apple of my eye.
30. For that reason, I give thanks to him who strengthened me in all things, so that I should not
be hindered in my setting out and also in my work which I was taught by Christ my Lord; but more,
from that state of affairs I felt, within me, no little courage, and vindicated my faith before God
and man.
31. Hence, therefore, I say boldly that my conscience is clear now and hereafter. God is my
witness that I have not lied in these words to you.
32. But rather, I am grieved for my very close friend, that because of him we deserved to hear
such a prophecy. The one to whom I entrusted my soul! And I found out from a goodly number of
brethren, before the case was made in my defence (in which I did not take part, nor was I in Britain,
nor was it pleaded by me), that in my absence he would fight in my behalf. Besides, he told me
himself: See, the rank of bishop goes to you of which I was not worthy. But how did it come
to him, shortly afterwards, to disgrace me publicly, in the presence of all, good and bad, because
previously, gladly and of his own free will, he pardoned me, as did the Lord, who is greater than
all?
33. I have said enough. But all the same, I ought not to conceal God s gift which he lavished
on us in the land of my captivity, for then I sought him resolutely, and I found him there, and he
preserved me from all evils (as I believe) through the in-dwelling of his Spirit, which works in me
to this day. Again, boldly, but God knows, if this had been made known to me by man, I might,
perhaps, have kept silent for the love of Christ.
34. Thus I give untiring thanks to God who kept me faithful in the day of my temptation, so
that today I may confidently over my soul as a living sacrifice for Christ my Lord; who am I, Lord?
or, rather, what is my calling? that you appeared to me in so great a divine quality, so that today
among the barbarians I might constantly exalt and magnify your name in whatever place I should
be, and not only in good fortune, but even in affliction? So that whatever befalls me, be it good or
bad, I should accept it equally, and give thanks always to God who revealed to me that I might trust
in him, implicitly and forever, and who will encourage me so that, ignorant, and in the last days, I
may dare to undertake so devout and so wonderful a work; so that I might imitate one of those
whom, once, long ago, the Lord already pre-ordained to be heralds of his Gospel to witness to all
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peoples to the ends of the earth. So are we seeing, and so it is fulfilled; behold, we are witnesses
because the Gospel has been preached as far as the places beyond which no man lives.
35. But it is tedious to describe in detail all my labours one by one. I will tell briefly how most
holy God frequently delivered me, from slavery, and from the twelve trials with which my soul
was threatened, from man traps as well, and from things I am not able to put into words. I would
not cause offence to readers, but I have God as witness who knew all things even before they
happened, that, though I was a poor ignorant waif, still he gave me abundant warnings through
divine prophecy.
36. Whence came to me this wisdom which was not my own, I who neither knew the number
of days nor had knowledge of God? Whence came the so great and so healthful gift of knowing or
rather loving God, though I should lose homeland and family.
37. And many gifts were offered to me with weeping and tears, and I offended them [the donors],
and also went against the wishes of a good number of my elders; but guided by God, I neither
agreed with them nor deferred to them, not by my own grace but by God who is victorious in me
and withstands them all, so that I might come to the Irish people to preach the Gospel and endure
insults from unbelievers; that I might hear scandal of my travels, and endure man persecutions to
the extent of prison; and so that I might give up my free birthright for the advantage of others, and
if I should be worthy, I am ready [to give] even m life without. hesitation; and most willingly for
His name. And I choose to devote it to him even unto death, if God grant it to me.
38. I am greatly God s debtor, because he granted me so much grace, that through me many
people would be reborn in God, and soon a after confirmed, and that clergy would be ordained
everywhere for them, the masses lately come to belief, whom the Lord drew from the ends of the
earth, just as he once promised through his prophets: To you shall the nations come from the ends
of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited naught hut lies, worthless things in which
there is no profit. And again: I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles that you may bring
salvation to the uttermost ends of the earth.
39. And I wish to wait then for his promise which is never unfulfilled, just as it is promised in
the Gospel: Many shall come from east and west and shall sit at table with Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob. Just as we believe that believers will come from all the world.
40. So for that reason one should, in fact, fish well and diligently, just as the Lord foretells and
teaches, saying, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, and again through the prophets:
Behold, I am sending forth many fishers and hunters, says the Lord, et cetera. So it behoved us
to spread our nets, that a vast multitude and throng might be caught for God, and so there might be
clergy everywhere who baptized and exhorted a needy and desirous people. Just as the Lord says
in the Gospel, admonishing and instructing: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always to the end of time. And again he says:
Go forth into the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptized
shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And again: This Gospel of the
Kingdom shall be preached throughout the whole world as a witness to all nations; and then the
end of the world shall come. And likewise the Lord foretells through the prophet: And it shall
come to pass in the last days (sayeth the Lord) that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your
sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall
dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my
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Spirit and they shall prophesy. And in Hosea he says: Those who are not my people I will call
my people, and those not beloved I will call my beloved, and in the very place where it was said
to them, You are not my people, they will be called Sons of the living God .
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41. So, how is it that in Ireland, where they never had any knowledge of God but, always, until
now, cherished idols and unclean things, they are lately become a people of the Lord, and are called
children of God; the sons of. the Irish [Scotti] and the daughters of the chieftains are to be seen as
monks and virgins of Christ.
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42. And there was, besides, a most beautiful, blessed, native-born noble Irish [Scotta] woman
of adult age whom I baptized; and a few days later she had reason to come to us to intimate that
she had received a prophecy from a divine messenger [who] advised her that she should become a
virgin of Christ and she would draw nearer to God. Thanks be to God, six days from then,
opportunely and most eagerly, she took the course that all virgins of God take, not with their fathers
consent but enduring the persecutions and deceitful hindrances of their parents. Notwithstanding
that, their number increases, (we do not know the number of them that are so reborn) besides the
widows, and those who practise self-denial. Those who are kept in slavery suffer the most. They
endure terrors and constant threats, but the Lord has given grace to many of his handmaidens, for
even though they are forbidden to do so, still they resolutely follow his example.
43. So it is that even if I should wish to separate from them in order to go to Britain, and most
willingly was I prepared to go to my homeland and kinsfolk and not only there, but as far as Gaul
to visit the brethren there, so that I might see the faces of the holy ones of my Lord, God knows
how strongly I desired this I am bound by the Spirit, who witnessed to me that if I did so he would
mark me out as guilty, and I fear to waste the labour that I began, and not I, but Christ the Lord,
who commanded me to come to be with them for the rest of my life, if the Lord shall will it and
shield me from every evil, so that I may not sin before him.
44. So I hope that I did as I ought, but I do not trust myself as long as I am in this mortal body,
for he is strong who strives daily to turn me away from the faith and true holiness to which I aspire
until the end of my life for Christ my Lord, but the hostile flesh is always dragging one down to
death, that is, to unlawful attractions. And I know in part why I did not lead a perfect life like other
believers, but I confess to my Lord and do not blush in his sight, because I am not lying; from the
time when I came to know him in my youth, the love of God and fear of him increased in me, and
right up until now, by God s favour, I have kept the faith.
45. What is more, let anyone laugh and taunt if he so wishes. I am not keeping silent, nor am I
hiding the signs and wonders that were shown to me by the Lord many years before they happened,
[he] who knew everything, even before the beginning of time.
46. Thus, I should give thanks unceasingly to God, who frequently forgave my folly and my
negligence, in more than one instance so as not to be violently angry with me, who am placed as
his helper, and I did not easily assent to what had been revealed to me, as the Spirit was urging;
and the Lord took pity on me thousands upon thousands of times, because he saw within me that
I was prepared, but that I was ignorant of what to do in view of my situation; because many were
trying to prevent this mission. They were talking among themselves behind my back, and saying:
Why is this fellow throwing himself into danger among enemies who know not God? Not from
malice, but having no liking for it; likewise, as I myself can testify, they perceived my rusticity.
And I was not quick to recognize the grace that was then in me; I now know that I should have
done so earlier.
47. Now I have put it frankly to my brethren and co-workers, who have believed me because
of what I have foretold and still foretell to strengthen and reinforce your faith. I wish only that you,
too, would make greater and better efforts. This will be my pride, for a wise son makes a proud
father .
48. You know, as God does, how I went about among you from my youth in the faith of truth
and in sincerity of heart. As well as to the heathen among whom I live, I have shown them trust
and always show them trust. God knows I did not cheat any one of them, nor consider it, for the
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sake of God and his Church, lest I arouse them and [bring about] persecution for them and for all
of us, and lest the Lord s name be blasphemed because of me, for it is written: Woe to the men
through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed.
49. For even though I am ignorant in all things, nevertheless I attempted to safeguard some and
myself also. And I gave back again to my Christian brethren and the virgins of Christ and the holy
women the small unasked for gifts that they used to give me or some of their ornaments which they
used to throw on the altar. And they would be offended with me because I did this. But in the hope
of eternity, I safeguarded myself carefully in all things, so that they might not cheat me of my office
of service on any pretext of dishonesty, and so that I should not in the smallest way provide any
occasion for defamation or disparagement on the part of unbelievers.
50. What is more, when I baptized so many thousands of people, did I hope for even half a jot
from any of them? [If so] Tell me, and I will give it back to you. And when the Lord ordained
clergy everywhere by my humble means, and I freely conferred office on them, if I asked any of
them anywhere even for the price of one shoe, say so to my face and I will give it back.
51. More, I spent for you so that they would receive me. And I went about among you, and
everywhere for your sake, in danger, and as far as the outermost regions beyond which no one
lived, and where no one had ever penetrated before, to baptize or to ordain clergy or to confirm
people. Conscientiously and gladly I did all this work by God s gift for your salvation.
52. From time to time I gave rewards to the kings, as well as making payments to their sons
who travel with me; notwithstanding which, they seized me with my companions, and that day
most avidly desired to kill me. But my time had not yet come. They plundered everything they
found on us anyway, and fettered me in irons; and on the fourteenth day the Lord freed me from
their power, and whatever they had of ours was given back to us for the sake of God on account of
the indispensable friends whom we had made before.
53. Also you know from experience how much I was paying to those who were administering
justice in all the regions, which I visited often. I estimate truly that I distributed to them not less
than the price of fifteen men, in order that you should enjoy my company and I enjoy yours, always,
in God. I do not regret this nor do I regard it as enough. I am paying out still and I shall pay out
more. The Lord has the power to grant me that I may soon spend my own self, for your souls.
54. Behold, I call on God as my witness upon my soul that I am not lying; nor would I write to
you for it to be an occasion for flattery or selfishness, nor hoping for honour from any one of you.
Sufficient is the honour which is not yet seen, but in which the heart has confidence. He who made
the promise is faithful; he never lies.
55. But I see that even here and now, I have been exalted beyond measure by the Lord, and I
was not worthy that he should grant me this, while I know most certainly that poverty and failure
suit me better than wealth and delight (but Christ the Lord was poor for our sakes; I certainly am
wretched and unfortunate; even if I wanted wealth I have no resources, nor is it my own estimation
of myself, for daily I expect to be murdered or betrayed or reduced to slavery if the occasion arises.
But I fear nothing, because of the promises of Heaven; for I have cast myself into the hands of
Almighty God, who reigns everywhere. As the prophet says: Cast your burden on the Lord and
he will sustain you.
56. Behold now I commend my soul to God who is most faithful and for whom I perform my
mission in obscurity, but he is no respecter of persons and he chose me for this service that I might
be one of the least of his ministers.
13
The Confession of St. Patrick St. Patrick
57. For which reason I should make return for all that he returns me. But what should I say, or
what should I promise to my Lord, for I, alone, can do nothing unless he himself vouchsafe it to
me. But let him search my heart and [my] nature, for I crave enough for it, even too much, and I
am ready for him to grant me that I drink of his chalice, as he has granted to others who love him.
58. Therefore may it never befall me to be separated by my God from his people whom he has
won in this most remote land. I pray God that he gives me perseverance, and that he will deign that
I should be a faithful witness for his sake right up to the time of my passing.
59. And if at any time I managed anything of good for the sake of my God whom I love, I beg
of him that he grant it to me to shed my blood for his name with proselytes and captives, even
should I be left unburied, or even were my wretched body to be torn limb from limb by dogs or
savage beasts, or were it to be devoured by the birds of the air, I think, most surely, were this to
have happened to me, I had saved both my soul and my body. For beyond any doubt on that day
we shall rise again in the brightness of the sun, that is, in the glory of Christ Jesus our Redeemer,
as children of the living God and co-heirs of Christ, made in his image; for we shall reign through
him and for him and in him.
60. For the sun we see rises each day for us at [his] command, but it will never reign, neither
will its splendour last, but all who worship it will come wretchedly to punishment. We, on the other
hand, shall not die, who believe in and worship the true sun, Christ, who will never die, no more
shall he die who has done Christ s will, but will abide for ever just as Christ abides for ever, who
reigns with God the Father Almighty and with the Holy Spirit before the beginning of time and
now and for ever and ever. Amen.
61. Behold over and over again I would briefly set out the words of my confession. I testify in
truthfulness and gladness of heart before God and his holy angels that I never had any reason,
except the Gospel and his promises, ever to have returned to that nation from which I had previously
escaped with difficulty.
14
The Confession of St. Patrick St. Patrick
62. But I entreat those who believe in and fear God, whoever deigns to examine or receive this
document composed by the obviously unlearned sinner Patrick in Ireland, that nobody shall ever
ascribe to my ignorance any trivial thing that I achieved or may have expounded that was pleasing
to God, but accept and truly believe that it would have been the gift of God. And this is my confession
before I die.
15
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