The Journey
After three days we reached land, and then for twenty-eight days we journeyed through uninhabited country. The food ran out and hunger overtook us. One day the steersman said to me, “Why are we hungry, Christian? You say your God is great and all-powerful, then why can you not pray for us? Otherwise, we may perish of hunger.” I said to them confidently, “Be converted by faith with all your heart to my Lord God, because nothing is impossible for him and everywhere he abounds. Today he will send you food on your road until you are full.” And with God’s help this came to pass. A herd of swine appeared on the road before our eyes, and they slew many of them. We remained there for two nights, and the men were full of meat and well restored; whereas before this many of them had fainted and would otherwise have been left half dead by the wayside. After this they gave the utmost thanks to God, and I was highly esteemed in their eyes, and from that day on they had food abundantly. On the journey God provided us with food and fire and dry weather every day, until on the tenth day we came upon people.
Recalled to Ireland by a Dream
After a few years I was again in Britain with my parents and kinsfolk, and they welcomed me. They asked me to promise that after the great tribulations I had endured I would not go anywhere else away from them. But then one night in a vision, I saw a man whose name was Victoricus. He came from Ireland bringing innumerable letters, and he gave me one of them. In the beginning of the letter it said, ‘The Voice of the Irish,’… and it said they were crying with one voice, ‘We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and again walk among us.’ And I was stung intensely in my heart so that I could read no more, and thus I awoke. Thanks be to God, because after so many years the Lord answered their prayers. And another night I heard a voice say, ‘He who gave his life for you, he it is who speaks within you.’ And thus I awoke, joyful…
Many gifts were offered to me, with weeping and tears, to keep me from going to Ireland, and those who offered the gifts were offended when I went against the wishes of a good number of my elders and went anyway. But guided by God, I neither agreed with them nor deferred to them, and this was not by my own grace, but by God who is victorious in me and withstands them all. All this was so that I might come to the Irish people and preach the Gospel. And there I would have to endure insults from unbelievers, hear scandal of my travels, endure many persecutions to the extent of prison, and give up my free birthright for the advantage of others. And if I should be worthy, I am ready to give even my life, without hesitation and most willingly, for His name. I choose be devoted to God even unto death, if God grant it to me. God granted me so much grace that through me many people were reborn in God and clergy were ordained everywhere for them.