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031 - Saints Priests The Priest's Soul - The Priest of Coloony · Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty of Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry. This
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  Speaker 1: is a libervox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dotal recording by Lucy Kempton. Fairy and Folk Tales
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  Speaker 1: of the Irish Peasantry, edited and selected by W. B. Yates.
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  Speaker 2: Section thirty Saints Priests everywhere in Ireland are the holy wells.
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  Speaker 2: People as they pray by them, make little piles of
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  Speaker 2: stones that will be counted at the last day, and
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  Speaker 2: the prayers reckoned up. Sometimes they tell stories. These following
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  Speaker 2: are their stories. They deal with the old times, whereof
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  Speaker 2: King Alfred of Northumberland wrote, I found in Innisfail the
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  Speaker 2: fair in Ireland, while in exile there women of worth,
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  Speaker 2: both grave and gay men, many clerics and many laymen.
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  Speaker 2: Gold and silver, I found and money, plenty of wheat,
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  Speaker 2: and plenty of honey. I found God's people rich in pity,
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  Speaker 2: found many a feast and many a city. There are
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  Speaker 2: no martyrs in the stories that ancient chronicer Giraldus taunted
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  Speaker 2: the Archbishop of Cashel because no one in Ireland had
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  Speaker 2: received the crown of martyrdom. Our people may be barbarous,
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  Speaker 2: the prelate answered, but they have never lifted their hands
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  Speaker 2: against God's saints. But now that a people have come
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  Speaker 2: amongst us who know how to make them. It was
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  Speaker 2: just after the English invasion, we shall have martyrs plentifully.
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  Speaker 2: The bodies of the saints are fastidious things. At a
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  Speaker 2: place called four Mile Water in Wexford, there is an
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  Speaker 2: old graveyard full of saints. Once it was on the
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  Speaker 2: other side of the river, but they buried a rogue
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  Speaker 2: there and the whole graveyard moved across in the night,
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  Speaker 2: leaving the rogue corpse in SoLIT It would have been
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  Speaker 2: easier to move merely the rogue corpse, but they were
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  Speaker 2: saints and had to do things in style. The priest's
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  Speaker 2: soul Lady Wylde. In former days there were great schools
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  Speaker 2: in Ireland where every sort of learning was talked to
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  Speaker 2: the people, and even the poorest had more knowledge at
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  Speaker 2: that time than many a gentleman has now. But as
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  Speaker 2: to the priests, their learning was above all, so that
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  Speaker 2: the fame of Ireland went over the whole world, and
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  Speaker 2: many kings from foreign lands used to send their sons
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  Speaker 2: all the way to Ireland to be brought up in
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  Speaker 2: the Irish schools. Now, at this time there was a
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  Speaker 2: little boy learning at one of them, who was a
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  Speaker 2: wonder to everyone for his cleverness. His parents were only
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  Speaker 2: laboring people, and of course poor, but young as he was,
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  Speaker 2: and as poor as he was, no king or lord's
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  Speaker 2: son could come up to him in learning. Even the
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  Speaker 2: masters were put to shame, for when they were trying
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  Speaker 2: to teach him, he would tell them something they never
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  Speaker 2: heard of before and show them their ignorance. One of
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  Speaker 2: his great triumphs was in argument, and he would go
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  Speaker 2: on till he proved to you that black was white.
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  Speaker 2: And then when you gave in, for no one could
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  Speaker 2: beat him in talk, he would turn round and show
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  Speaker 2: you that white was black, or maybe that there was
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  Speaker 2: no color at all in the world. When he grew up,
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  Speaker 2: his poor father and mother were so proud of him
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  Speaker 2: that they resolved to make him a priest, which they
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  Speaker 2: did at last, though they nearly starved themselves to get
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  Speaker 2: the money. Well, such another learned man was not in Ireland,
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  Speaker 2: and he was as great in argument as ever, so
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  Speaker 2: that no one could stand before him. Even the bishops
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  Speaker 2: tried to talk to him. But he showed them at
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  Speaker 2: once that they knew nothing at all. Now there were
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  Speaker 2: no schoolmasters in those times, but it was the priests
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  Speaker 2: taught the people. And as this man was the cleverest
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  Speaker 2: in Ireland, all the foreign kings sent their sons to him,
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  Speaker 2: as long as he had house room to give them.
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  Speaker 2: So he grew very proud and began to forget how
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  Speaker 2: low he had been, and a worst of all, even
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  Speaker 2: to forget God, who made him what he was. And
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  Speaker 2: the pride of arguing got hold of him, so that
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  Speaker 2: from one thing to another, he went on to prove
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  Speaker 2: that there was no purgatory, and then no hell, and
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  Speaker 2: then no heaven, and then no God, and at last
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  Speaker 2: that men had no souls, but were no more than
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  Speaker 2: a dog or a cow, and when they died there
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  Speaker 2: was an end of them. Whoever saw a soul, he
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  Speaker 2: would say, if you can show me one, I will believe.
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  Speaker 2: No one could make any answer to this, and at
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  Speaker 2: last they all came to believe that as there was
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  Speaker 2: no other world, every one might do as they liked.
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  Speaker 2: In this the priest setting the example, for he took
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  Speaker 2: a beautiful young girl to wife. But as no priest
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  Speaker 2: or bishop in the whole land could be got to
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  Speaker 2: marry them. He was obliged to read the service over
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  Speaker 2: for himself. It was a great scandal, Yet no one
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  Speaker 2: dared to say a word, for all the king's sons
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  Speaker 2: were on his head side and would have slaughtered any
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  Speaker 2: one who tried to prevent his wicked goings on poor boys.
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  Speaker 2: They all believed in him and thought every word he
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  Speaker 2: said was the truth. In this way, his notions began
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  Speaker 2: to be spread about, and the whole world was going
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  Speaker 2: to the bad When one night an angel came down
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  Speaker 2: from heaven and told the priest he had but twenty
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  Speaker 2: four hours to live. He began to tremble and asked
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  Speaker 2: for a little more time, but the angel was stiff
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  Speaker 2: and told him that could not be. What do you
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  Speaker 2: want time for, you, sinner? He asked, Oh, sir, have
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  Speaker 2: pity on my poor soul. Urged the priest. Oh no,
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  Speaker 2: you have a soul. Then said the angel, Pray, how
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  Speaker 2: did you find that out? It has been fluttering in
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  Speaker 2: me ever since you appeared, answered the priest, What a
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  Speaker 2: fool I was not to think of it before a fool? Indeed,
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  Speaker 2: said the angel, What good was all your learning when
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  Speaker 2: it could not tell you that you had a soul. Ah,
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  Speaker 2: my Lord, said the priest. If I am to die,
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  Speaker 2: tell me how soon I may be in heaven, never,
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  Speaker 2: replied the angel. You denied there was a heaven, Then
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  Speaker 2: my lord, may I go to purgatory? You denied purgatory? Also,
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  Speaker 2: you must go straight to hell, said the angel. But
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  Speaker 2: my Lord, I denied hell, also answered the priest. So
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  Speaker 2: you can't send me there either. The angel was a
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  Speaker 2: little puzzled, well, said he. I'll tell you what I
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  Speaker 2: can do for you. You may either live now on
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  Speaker 2: earth for a hundred years, enjoying every pleasure, and then
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  Speaker 2: be cast into Hell for ever. Or you may die
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  Speaker 2: in twenty four hours in the most horrible torments and
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  Speaker 2: pass through purgatory there to remain till the day of judgment.
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  Speaker 2: If only you can find some one person that believes,
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  Speaker 2: and through his belief, mercy will be vouchsafed to you
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  Speaker 2: and your soul will be saved. The priest did not
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  Speaker 2: take five minutes to make up his mind. I will
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  Speaker 2: have death in the twenty four hours, he said, so
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  Speaker 2: that my soul may be saved at last. On this
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  Speaker 2: the angel gave him directions as to what he was
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  Speaker 2: to do and left him. Then immediately the priest entered
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  Speaker 2: the large room where all the scholars and king's sons
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  Speaker 2: were seated, and called out to them, Now tell me
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  Speaker 2: the truth, and let none fear to contradict me. Tell me,
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  Speaker 2: what is your belief? Have men souls? Master? They answered?
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  Speaker 2: Once we believed that men had souls, But thanks to
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  Speaker 2: your teaching, we believe so no longer. There is no hell,
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  Speaker 2: and no heaven and no God. This is our belief,
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  Speaker 2: for it is thus that you taught us. Then the
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  Speaker 2: priest grew pale with fear and cried out, listen, I
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  Speaker 2: taught you a lie. There is a God and man
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  Speaker 2: has an immortal soul. I believe now all I denied
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  Speaker 2: before put the shouts of laughter that rose up round
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  Speaker 2: the priest's voice, for they thought he was only trying
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  Speaker 2: them for argument. Prove it, Master, they cried, prove it?
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  Speaker 2: Who has ever seen God? Who has ever seen the soul?
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  Speaker 2: And the room was stirred with their laughter. The priests
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  Speaker 2: stood up to answer them, but no word could he utter.
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  Speaker 2: All his eloquence, all his powers of argument had gone
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  Speaker 2: from him, and he could do nothing but wring his
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  Speaker 2: hands and cry out, there is a God. There is
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  Speaker 2: a God. Lord, have mercy on my soul. And they
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  Speaker 2: began to mock him and repeat his own words that
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  Speaker 2: he had taught them. Show him to us, show us
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  Speaker 2: your God. And he fled from them, groaning with agony,
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  Speaker 2: for he saw that none believed, and how then could
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  Speaker 2: his soul be saved. But he thought next of his wife.
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  Speaker 2: She will believe, he said to himself, women never give
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  Speaker 2: up God. And he went to her, but she told
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  Speaker 2: him that she believed only what he taught her, and
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  Speaker 2: that a good wife should believe in her husband first
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  Speaker 2: and before and above all things in heaven or earth.
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  Speaker 2: Then despair came on him, and he rushed from the
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  Speaker 2: house and began to ask every one he met if
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  Speaker 2: they believed. But the same answer came from one and all,
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  Speaker 2: We believe only what you have taught us. For his
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  Speaker 2: doctrine had spread far and wide through the country. Then
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  Speaker 2: he grew half mad with fear, for the hours were passing,
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  Speaker 2: and he flung himself down on the ground in a
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  Speaker 2: lonesome spot, and wept and groaned in terror, for the
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  Speaker 2: time was coming fast when he must die. Just then
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  Speaker 2: a little child came by God, Save you kindly, said
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  Speaker 2: the child. To him, the priests started up. Do you
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  Speaker 2: believe in God? He asked. I have come from a
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  Speaker 2: far country to learn about him, said the child. Will
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  Speaker 2: your honor direct me to the best school they have
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  Speaker 2: in these parts? The best school and the best teacher
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  Speaker 2: is close by, said the priest, and he named himself.
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  Speaker 2: Oh no, not to that man, answered the child, for
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  Speaker 2: I am told that he denies God and heaven and hell,
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  Speaker 2: and that even that man has a soul because he
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  Speaker 2: cannot see it. But I would soon put him down.
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  Speaker 2: The priest looked at him earnestly. How he inquired why,
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  Speaker 2: said the child. I would ask him, if he believed
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  Speaker 2: he had life, to show me his life. But he
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  Speaker 2: could not do that, My child, said the priest. Life
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  Speaker 2: cannot be seen. We have it, but it is invisible.
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  Speaker 2: Then if we have life, though we cannot see it,
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  Speaker 2: we may also have a soul, though it is invisible,
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  Speaker 2: answered the child. When the priest heard him speak these words,
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  Speaker 2: he fell down on his knees before him, weeping for joy.
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  Speaker 2: For now he knew his soul was safe. He had
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  Speaker 2: met one at last that believed. And he told the
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  Speaker 2: child his whole story, all his wickedness and pride and
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  Speaker 2: blasphemy against the Great God, and how the Angel had
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  Speaker 2: come to him and told him of the only way
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  Speaker 2: in which he could be saved, through the faith and
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  Speaker 2: prayers of some one that believed. Now, then he said
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  Speaker 2: to the child, take this pen knife and strike it
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  Speaker 2: into my breast, and go on stabbing until you see
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  Speaker 2: the paleness of death on my face. Then watch, for
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  Speaker 2: a living thing will soar up from my body as
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  Speaker 2: I die, and you will then know that my soul
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  Speaker 2: has ascended to the presence of God. And when you
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  Speaker 2: see this thing, make haste and run to my school,
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  Speaker 2: and call on all my scholars to come and see
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  Speaker 2: that the soul of their master has left the body,
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  Speaker 2: and that all he taught them was a lie. For
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  Speaker 2: there is a God who punishes sin, and a heaven
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  Speaker 2: and a hell, and that man has an immortal soul
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  Speaker 2: destined for eternal happiness or misery. I will pray, said
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  Speaker 2: the child, to have courage to do this work. And
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  Speaker 2: he kneeled down and prayed. Then when he rose up,
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  Speaker 2: he took the pen knife and struck it into the
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  Speaker 2: priest's heart, and struck and struck again, till all the
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  Speaker 2: flesh was lacerated, but still the priest lived, though the
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  Speaker 2: agony was horrible, for he could not die until the
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  Speaker 2: twenty four hours had expired. At last, the agony seemed
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  Speaker 2: to cease, and the stillness of death settled on his face.
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  Speaker 2: Then the child who was watching saw a beautiful, living
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  Speaker 2: creature with four snow white wings, mount from the dead
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  Speaker 2: man's body into the air and go fluttering round his head.
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  Speaker 2: So he ran to bring the scholars, and when they
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  Speaker 2: saw it, they all knew it was the soul of
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  Speaker 2: their master, and they watched with wonder and awe until
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  Speaker 2: it passed from sight into the clouds. And this was
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  Speaker 2: the first butterfly that was ever seen in Ireland. And
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  Speaker 2: now all men know that the butterflies are the souls
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  Speaker 2: of the dead, waiting for the moment when they may
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  Speaker 2: enter purgatory, and so passed through torture to purification and peace.
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  Speaker 2: But all the schools of Ireland were quite deserted after
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  Speaker 2: that time, for people said, what's the use of going
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  Speaker 2: so far to learn? When the wisest man in all
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  Speaker 2: Irelands did not know if he had a soul till
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  Speaker 2: he was near losing it, and was only saved at last,
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  Speaker 2: through the simple belief of a little child. The priest
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  Speaker 2: of Cologney w b Yates, good Father John O'Hart in
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  Speaker 2: penal days rode out to a chonine in his free
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  Speaker 2: lands with his snipe, marsh and his trout in trust
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  Speaker 2: took he John's lands. Slavenes were all his race, and
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  Speaker 2: he gave them as dowers to his daughters, and they
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  Speaker 2: married beyond their place. But father John went up, and
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  Speaker 2: Father John went down, and he wore small holes in
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  Speaker 2: his shoes, and he wore large holes in his gown.
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  Speaker 2: All loved him only the chonin whom the devils have
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  Speaker 2: by the hair from their wives and their cats and
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  Speaker 2: their children, to the birds in the white of the air.
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  Speaker 2: The birds, for he opened their cages as he went up,
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  Speaker 2: up and down, and he said with a smile, have
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  Speaker 2: peace now, and went his way with a frown. But
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  Speaker 2: if when any one died, came keeners hoarser than rooks,
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  Speaker 2: he bade them give over their keening. For he was
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  Speaker 2: a man of books. And these were the works of John.
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  Speaker 2: When weeping, score by score people came in too coluny,
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  Speaker 2: for he died at ninety four, there was no human
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  Speaker 2: keening the birds from Nochna Rehea and the world round
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  Speaker 2: Knocknashee came keening in that day, keening for Minis Murray,
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  Speaker 2: nor stayed for bit or sup This way were all
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  Speaker 2: reproved to dig old customs. Up Coluny is a few
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  Speaker 2: miles south of the town of Sligo. Father O'Hart lived
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  Speaker 2: there in the last century and was greatly beloved. These
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  Speaker 2: lines accurately record the tradition. No one who has held
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  Speaker 2: the stolen land has prospered. It has changed owners many times.
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  Speaker 1: End of section thirty. Recording by Lucy Kempton