ve her virginity for Christ,
Father Finnianus said to Saint Kiaranus, "Son, let this virgin,
Christ's handmaid, daughter of an earthly king, read with thee in the
meanwhile, till such time as a cell of virgins shall be built for
her." Which duty Saint Kiaranus obediently accepted, and the virgin
read with him the Psalms and other lections. Now when holy Father
Finnianus was establishing that virgin and other holy virgins in a
cell, the blessed fathers questioned Saint Kiaranus as to her manners
and her virtue. To them Kiaranus said; "Verily, I know naught of her
virtues, of manners or of body; for God hath known that never have I
seen her face, nor aught of her save the lower part of her vesture,
when she was coming from her parents; nor have I held any converse
with her save only her reading." For she was wont to take her
refection, and to sleep, with a certain holy widow. And the virgin
spake the like testimony of Saint Kiaranus, and many were confirmed in
the true faith by other testimonies of them.

XXII. THE STORY OF CIARAN'S GOSPEL

18. Saint Kiaranus was reading the gospel of Matthew with holy Father
Finnianus, along with others. And when he had come to the place where,
in the middle of the book, it is written "All things whatsoever ye
would that men should do unto you, so do ye unto them," Saint Kiaranus
said to Saint Finnianus, "Father, enough for me is this half of this
book which I have read, that I may fulfil it in deed; verily this one
sentence is enough for me to learn." Then one of the school said to
them all, "Henceforth a fitting name for Kiaranus is '_Leth-Matha_'
(Half-Matthew)." To him the holy elder Finnianus said, "Nay; a fitting
name for him is '_Leth n-Eirenn_' (Half-Ireland); for his parish shall
be extended through the middle of Ireland." This prophecy excited much
envy against Saint Kiaranus.

XXIII. THE BLESSING OF CIARAN'S FOOD

19. On another day, when Saint Kiaranus was alone in his cell, he came
to table to take food; and wishing to partake after a blessing, he
said, "_Benedicite._" When he saw that no one answered "_Dominus_," he
rose from the table, tasting nothing that day. He did the like on the
following day, still rising from the table without food. On the third
day, after having thus fasted for three days, he came to table and
said, "_Benedicite_"; and lo, a voice from Heaven said unto him, "The
Lord bless thee, weary Kiaranus; now is thy prayer full-ripe. For it
is enough