ship and no man therein.  Thereupon Declan said:—­“Let us enter the ship in the name of Christ, and He who has sent it to us will direct it skilfully to what harbour soever He wishes we should go.”  At the word of Declan they entered in, and the ship floated tranquilly and safely until it reached harbour in England.  Upon its abandonment by Declan and his disciples the ship turned back and went again to the place from which it had come and the people who saw the miracles and heard of them magnified the name of the Lord and Declan, and the words of the prophet David were verified:—­“Mirabilis Deus in Sanctis Suis” [Psalm 67(68):36] (God is wonderful in His Saints).

13.  After this Declan came to Ireland.  Declan was wise like a serpent and gentle like a dove and industrious like the bee, for as the bee gathers honey and avoids the poisonous herbs so did Declan, for he gathered the sweet sap of grace and Holy Scripture till he was filled therewith.  There were in Ireland before Patrick came thither four holy bishops with their followers who evangelized and sowed the word of God there; these are the four:—­Ailbe, Bishop Ibar, Declan, and Ciaran.  They drew multitudes from error to the faith of Christ, although it was Patrick who sowed the faith throughout Ireland and it is he who turned chiefs and kings of Ireland to the way of baptism, faith and sacrifice and everlasting judgment.

14.  These three, scil.:—­Declan, Ailbe and Bishop Ibar made a bond of friendship and a league amongst themselves and their spiritual posterity in heaven and on earth for ever and they loved one another.  SS.  Ailbe and Declan, especially, loved one another as if they were brothers so that, on account of their mutual affection they did not like to be separated from one another—­except when their followers threatened to separate them by force if they did not go apart for a very short time.  After this Declan returned to his own country—­to the Decies of Munster—­where he preached, and baptized, in the name of Christ, many whom he turned to the Catholic faith from the power of the devil.  He built numerous churches in which he placed many of his own followers to serve and worship God and to draw people to God from the wiles of Satan.

15.  Once on a time Declan came on a visit to the place of his birth, where he remained forty days there and established a religious house in which devout men have dwelt ever since.  Then came the seven men we have already mentioned as having made their abode around Magh Sgiath and as having prophesied concerning Declan.  They now dedicated themselves and their establishment to him as they had promised and these are their names:—­Mocellac and Riadan, Colman, Lactain, Finnlaoc, Kevin, &c. [Mobi].  These therefore were under the rule and spiritual sway of bishop Declan thenceforward, and they spent their lives devoutly there and wrought many wonders afterwards.