Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

282 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[329]was reared. I was cook in the monastery there, and the food ofthe Church I used to sell for myself, so that I had at last muchtreasure of raiment and brazen vessels and gold-bound books andall that man desires. Great was my pride and arrogance.“One day as I dug a grave in which to bury a churl who hadbeen brought on to the island, a voice came from below where aholy man lay buried, and he said: ‘Put not the corpse of a sinneron me, a holy, pious person!’ ”After a dispute the monk buried the corpse elsewhere, and waspromised an eternal reward for doing so. Not long thereafter heput to sea in a boat with all his accumulated treasures, meaningapparently to escape from the island with his plunder. A greatwind blew him far out to sea, and when he was out of sight ofland the boat stood still in one place. He saw near him a man(angel) sitting on the wave. “Whither goest thou?” said the man.“On a pleasant way, whither I am now looking,” said the monk.“It would not be pleasant to thee if thou knewest what is aroundthee,” said the man. “So far as eye can see there is one crowdof demons all gathered around thee, because of thy covetousnessand pride, and theft, and other evil deeds. Thy boat hath stopped,nor will it move until thou do my will, and the fires of hell shallget hold of thee.”He came near to the boat, and laid his hand on the arm of thefugitive, who promised to do his will.“Fling into the sea,” he said, “all the wealth that is in thy boat.”“It is a pity,” said the monk, “that it should go to loss.”“It shall in nowise go to loss. There will be one man whomthou wilt profit.”The monk thereupon flung everything into the sea save onelittle wooden cup, and he cast away oars and rudder. The mangave him a provision of whey and seven cakes, and bade himabide wherever his boat should stop. The wind and waves carriedhim hither and thither till at last the boat came to rest uponthe rock where the wanderers found him. There was nothing