Once the angels went, and took from off the road the stone which was before the chariot, and its name is Lec-na-naingel. It was from that place—i.e., from Druim-Chaile—that Patrick with his two hands blessed the macha. The way in which Patrick measured the rath—i.e., the angel before him, and Patrick behind, with his people, and with the holy men of Eriu, and the Bachall Isa in Patrick's hand. And he said that great would be the crime of any one who would transgress in it, as the reward would be great of such as fulfilled the will of God in it.
The way in which Patrick measured the ferta was thus, viz., one hundred and forty feet in the lis, and twenty feet in the great house, and seventeen feet in the kitchen, and seven feet in the chamber; and it was thus he always constructed the establishment.
The angel went to Patrick in Ard-Macha. "This day," said he, "the relics of the apostles are distributed in Rome throughout the four parts of the globe; and it would be becoming in you that you should go there." And the angel bore Patrick in the air. At the southern cross, in Aenach-Macha, it was that four chariots were brought to Patrick; at the northern cross, moreover, it was that God manifested to him the form he will have in the Day of Judgment. And he went in one day to Comur-tri-nuisce. He left Sechnall in the episcopacy with the men of Eriu until the ship would come which would bear him from the shore of Letha.
Patrick went subsequently, and arrived at Rome; and sleep came over the inhabitants of Rome, so that Patrick brought away a sufficiency of the relics. These relics were afterwards taken to Ard-Macha with the consent of God and with the consent of the men of Eriu.
What was brought were the relics of three hundred and sixty-five martyrs, and the relics of Peter and Paul, and Lawrence, and Stephen, and of many more; and a cloth in which was the blood of Christ and the hair of the Virgin Mary. Patrick left this collection in Armagh, according to the will of God, of the angel, and of the men of Eriu.
His relics—the relics of Letha—were stolen from Patrick. Messengers went from him to the Abbot of Rome. They brought an epistle from him, directing that they should watch the relics with lamps and torches by night for ever, and with Mass and psalmody by day, and prayers by night, and that they should elevate them every year (for multitudes desired to see them).
Two brothers of the Ulstermen, Dubhan and Dubhaedh, stole Patrick's two garrons from the land (tir) to the east of the Nemhed (Tir-suidhe-Patrick is its name). They carried them off into the moor to the south. Dubhan said; "I will not take what belongs to the tailcenn." "I will take what comes to me," said Dubhaedh. Dubhan went and did penance. "Your comrade's journey is not a good one," said Patrick. He got a fall, so that his head was broken, and he died. Dubhan became a disciple, and was ordained; and Patrick said: "Here thy resurrection shall be." Another time, in carrying a bag of wheat from Setna, son of Dallan, to Patrick, the manna which dropped from heaven, in a desert place, over Druim-mic-Ublae, Patrick's horse [fell] under it. A grain of the wheat dropped out of the bag, and the horse could not rise until there came from Patrick. "This is the reason," said Patrick through prophecy, "a grain of wheat that fell out of the sack, in the spot where the cross is on the way southwards to the Nemhed." "Nenihed then will be the name of the place where the horse stopped," said Patrick; and so it is.
Another time Sechnall went to Armagh, and Patrick was not there. He saw before him two of Patrick's horses unyoked, and he said: "It were fitter to send those horses to the bishop—i.e., to Fiacc." When Patrick returned, this thing was told to him. The chariot was attached to the horses; and he sent them on without a man with them until they were in the disert with Mochta. They went right-hand-wise on the morrow to Domhnach-Sechnaill. They then went eastwardly to Cill-Auxili. They went afterwards to Cill-monach; then, after that, to Fiacc to Sleibhte. The reason for giving the chariot to Fiacc was because he used to go every Whit-Saturday as far as the hill of Druim-Coblai, where he had a cave. Five cakes with him, as report says. On Easter-Saturday he used to come to Sleibhte, and used to bring with him a bit of his five cakes. The cause of giving the chariot to Fiacc was that a chafer had gnawed his leg, so that death was nigh unto him.
Sechnall said to Patrick: "When shall I make a hymn of praise for thee?" "You are not required," observed Patrick. "I have not said to thee, 'Shall it be done?'" said Sechnall, "for it will be done, truly." "My debroth," said Patrick, "it is time it were finished now"; for Patrick knew that it would not be long until Sechnall's time [arrived], for he was the first bishop who went under the clay of Eriu.
When he was composing the hymn, they were holding an assembly near him. It was commanded to them from him that they should go away from the place. They began to mock him. He told them that the ground would swallow them; and it swallowed twelve chariots of them at once. Sechnall said to Patrick's people at Ferta-Marta: "A good man is Patrick, but for one thing." When he heard these words with his people, he asked Sechnall for the previous message, and Sechnall said; "O my lord! the reason I have said it is because little do you preach of charity." "Young man," said Patrick, "it is for charity that I preach not charity; for if I did preach it, I would not leave a stud of two chariot horses to any of the saints, present or future, in this island; for all belong to me and them."