Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Life of Mac Creiche (Author: [unknown])

p.53

chapter 1

1

Incipiunt pauca de mirabilibus Mheic Creche; to wit, Mac Creiche, son of Pesslan, son of Erce; of Corcumruad Ninois was his race. Nine score years was the length of his age from the day of his birth to the day of his death. This was the beginning of his grace, that he went into the hermitage which is between Formael (a place name), and the Eidnech (a river). Clúain hÍ was the name of the place in which he was pursuing his devotions.

2

This was the size of the structure, viz. four stones; to wit, a stone at the back, a stone at either side, and a stone in front. There Mac Creiche began to keep Lent, for the fear and dread of hell. And he took no food with him into the hermitage, except one single loaf and four sprigs of cress; and of them he ate nothing except on Sunday only. And when Lent was over, he took no food on Easter Sunday, except bread and thin drink. There his relatives found him afterwards in the hermitage; and he was taken home, and ward was kept on him for some time afterwards.