Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Life of St. Columba (Author: [unknown])

Chapter 16

Regarding a certain unhappy man who lay with his mother

AT another time, the saint called out the brethren at the dead of night, and when they were assembled in the church said to them: ‘Now let us pray fervently to the Lord, for at this hour a sin unheard of in the world has been committed, for which rigorous vengeance that is justly due is very much to be feared.’ Next day he spoke of this sin to a few who were asking him about it. ‘After a few months,’ he said, ‘that unhappy wretch will come here to the Iouan island (Hy, now Iona) with Lugaid, who is unaware of the sin.’ Accordingly after the few months had passed away, the saint one day spoke to Diormit, and ordered him, ‘Rise quickly; lo! Lugaid is coming. Tell him to send off the wretch whom he has with him in the ship to the Malean island (Mull), that he may not tread the sod of this island.’ He went to the sea in obedience to the saint's injunction, and told Lugaid as he was approaching all the words of the saint regarding the unhappy man. On hearing the directions, that unhappy man vowed that he would never eat food with others until he had seen St. Columba and spoken to him. Diormit therefore returned to the saint, and told him the words of the poor wretch. The saint, on hearing them, went down to the haven, and as Baitan was citing the authority of Holy Scriptures, and suggesting that the repentance of the unhappy man should be received, the saint immediately replied to him, ‘O Baitan! this man has committed fratricide like Cain, and become an adulterer with his mother.’ Then the poor wretch, casting himself upon his knees on the beach, promised that he would comply with all the rules of penance, according to the judgment of the saint. The saint said to him, ‘If thou do penance in tears and lamentations for twelve years among the Britons and never to the day of thy death return to Scotia (Ireland), perhaps God may pardon thy sin.’ Having said these words, the saint turned to his own friends and said, ‘This man is a son of perdition, who will not perform the penance he has promised, but will soon return to Scotia (Ireland), and there in a short time be killed by his enemies.’ All this happened exactly according to the saint's prophecy; for the wretched man, returning to Hibernia about the same time, fell into the hands of his enemies in the region called Lea (Firli, in Ulster), and was murdered. He was of the descendants of Turtre.