Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The birth and life of St Mo Ling (Author: [unknown])

chapter 11

CHAPTER XI

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At that time, then, the Yew of Ross36 fell, and Molaisse distributed it to the saints of Ireland. So Moling went to ask him for some of the Yew of Ross. Of the tree Molaisse gave him the roofing of his oratory. Then Moling fetched Gobban the Wright to build his oratory. Eight wrights had Gobban, and eight women, and eight boys. They remained to the end of a year, and nought they did for him, yet none the worse was their entertainment. Every morning Gobban was enjoining them to go to the wood, and this he used to say every day: ‘Let us go to-day in the name of the Heavenly Father.’ Then on that day year he said: ‘Let us go in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.’ On that day year, then, Moling and Gobban wend throughout the wood, and they found a sufficient tree, and begin to fell it.

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The first chip that was knocked out of it chanced on Moling's eye and broke (it) in his head.37 He put his hood over his face, and told the wrights nothing whatever of his

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fracture, and said to them: ‘Do your work well so that I may go to perform my (canonical) hours.’ He left them, and as he was going a student38 chanced to meet him. ‘What is the matter with thine eye, O cleric?’ quoth he. ‘A chip struck across it.’ ‘Come that I may sing a spell to it,’ says the student. Moling comes, and then the student said: ‘A millshaft under thine eye: a holly-branch under thine eye: every trouble in thy cheek: a taloned griffin under thine eye!’

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When Moling looked a look39 past him, he knew not whether the student had gone into heaven or into earth. Howsoever the eye had been before him it was worse after him. It was a demon that came there.

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As Moling was on his way there he saw a sedate, grey-haired cleric beside him. ‘What is the matter with thine eye, O cleric?’ says he. ‘A chip struck over it,’ says Moling. ‘Come hither that I may chant a prayer to it.’Moling comes to him, and then he said:

    1. Mary's spittle, God's spittle,
      whole to which it is put, whole to which it goes:
      from Mary its healing has been given,
      whole be every eye round which it goes.
    2. A well that bathes eyes,
      which will be with health.
      He that succoured thine eyes
      succoured the eyes of Tobit.
    3. Luke
      [...]

      of the King of the (heavenly) City's household:
      that which succoured thine eyes
      succoured a serpent's eyes.
    4. May I see the serpent
      and its eyes after it:
      through Thy word, O Jesus,
      Luke the physician has healed.
    5. I succour thine eyes:
      I have no fault of leeches:
      as God succoured Mary,
      (God) the King without fault in His spittle.40

      6. Mary's spittle.

Moling's eye was healed at once, and his sight had never been better before. And after this the cleric did not appear to him. ‘In sooth,’ says Moling, ‘yon messenger was sent to me from my Lord to succour me.’

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