of Heaven to earn them?" When the maiden went home,
she tells that tale to her father and her mother. They came and
offered the maiden to Ciaran. "If she sacrifice her virginity to God,"
said Ciaran, "and if she serve Him, I will be in union with her." Then
the maiden offered her virginity to God and to Ciaran, and her folk
offered their perpetual service and perpetual subjecthood to Ciaran
from that onward.
When they went to their house, a portion was sent to Ciaran by them,
to wit, three wheaten cakes, with their meed of suet and flesh, and
a vessel full of ale. When the servants left it, and received a
blessing, he said, "Mercy on us," said he, "it is not right for us to
eat of this, with exclusion of the other brethren." Thereafter he cast
all the food, after shredding it fine, upon the mill, and he cast the
ale likewise, so that all was turned to fine flour.
When Ciaran perceived the servant spying on him at the roof-ridge,
he spake a word against him, saying, "May the crane," said he, "take
thine eye out of thy head!"[23] And so it came to pass; for a pet
crane plucked his eye out of his head, so that it was on his cheek as
he was going home. The bailiff came straightway with the servant, and
they did obeisance to Ciaran, and he offered the mill with all its
land to Ciaran for the healing of the lad. Ciaran laid his palm on the
eye and put it in its place, and he made the sign of the cross upon it
so that it became sound.
When he finished the grinding of the corn, four full sacks of
consecrated wheat were there, by the grace of God and of Ciaran. When
he reached his house with the wheat he made cakes for the elders. Now
these cakes were the best ever given to them; for from the time when
the mystic manna was received yonder by the sons of Israel, there was
not received the like of that food. For in this wise was it, with the
taste of every food of excellence, [both bread and flesh, and of every
excellent drink][24] both wine and mead; so that it filled and healed
all of them. For every man in sickness who was in the whole city,
whosoever ate any of it was whole forthwith.
The elders did not observe the nocturn that night until prime on the
morrow.
When Findian asked of Ciaran regarding the miracle that had taken
place, Ciaran related from beginning to [end][24] how the mill and the
land with its implements, or its men, had been offered to him as a
gift; "and there for thee, Findian, is all that land," s
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