A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

622 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[569]Odissus, who was of the village of Bannavis Tabernia; he hadnear by a little estate where I was taken captive. I was then nearlysixteen years old. But I was ignorant of the true God 213 andI was taken into captivity unto Ireland, with so many thousandmen, according to our deserts, because we had forsaken God andnot kept His commandments and had not been obedient to ourpriests who warned us of our salvation. And the Lord broughtupon us the fury of His wrath and scattered us among manynations, even to the end of the earth, where now my meannessappears to be among strangers. And there the Lord opened thesenses of my unbelief, that I might remember my sin, and that Imight be converted with my whole heart to my Lord God, wholooked upon my humbleness and had mercy upon my youth andignorance, and guarded me before I knew Him, and before Iknew and distinguished between good and evil, and protected meand comforted me as a father a son.… And again after a few years 214 I was with my relatives inBritain, who received me as a son, and earnestly besought methat I should never leave them after having endured so manygreat tribulations. And there I saw in a vision by night a mancoming to me as from Ireland, and his name was Victorinus, andhe had innumerable epistles; and he gave me one of them and Iread the beginning of the epistle as follows: “The voice of theIrish.” And while I was reading the epistle, I think that it was atthe very moment, I heard the voice of those who were near thewood of Fochlad, 215 which is near the Western Sea. And thusthey cried out with one voice: We beseech thee, holy youth, tocome here and dwell among us. And I was greatly smitten inheart, and could read no further and so I awoke. Thanks be toGod, because after many years the Lord granted them according213 I.e., not necessarily a pagan, but he did not love God, or was not yet“converted.”214 In the meanwhile he had escaped to France and lived there.215 Where Patrick had lived as a slave.