prow, and began to spread his wings for joy, and looked kindly upon the holy father Brendan.  Then the man of God, when he understood that the Lord had had regard unto his prayer, saith unto the bird, “If thou be the messenger of God, tell me whence be these birds, and wherefore they be gathered here.”  And it said, “We are of that great ruin of the old enemy; but we have not fallen by sinning or consenting; but we have been predestinated by the goodness and mercy of God, for wherein we were created, hath our ruin come to pass, through his fall and the fall of his crew.  But God the Almighty, Who is righteous and true, hath by His judgment sent us into this place.  Pains we suffer not.  The presence of God in a sense we cannot see, so far has He separated us from the company of them that stood firm.  We wander through the divers parts of this world, of the sky, and of the firmament, and of the earths, even as other spirits who are sent forth [to minister].  But upon the holy days of the Lord, we take bodies such as Thou seest, and by the ordinance of God we dwell here, and praise our Maker.  As for thee, thou and thy brethren are a year upon the way, and yet there await you six.  And where this day thou hast kept the Passover, there shall ye keep it every year, and afterwards shall thou find that which thou hast set in thine heart, even the land promised unto the Saints.”  And when the bird had so spoken, it rose from the prow, and returned unto the others.  And when the hour of evening came, they all began to flap their wings, and to sing as it were with one voice, saying, “Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion, and unto Thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem, through our ministry.”  And they repeated that verse even for the space of an hour, and the song and the sound of their wings was like harmony (carmen cantus) for sweetness.  Then holy Brendan saith unto his brethren, “Refresh your bodies, since this day the Lord hath satisfied your souls by His Divine rising again.”  And when supper was ended, and the work of God done, the man of God and they that were with him gave their bodies unto rest until the third watch of the night.  And the man of God woke and roused the brethren for the watches of the night, and he began holily to sing that verse, “O Lord, open Thou my lips.”  And when the word of the man of God was finished, all the birds sang out with wings and voices, saying, “Praise ye the Lord, all His Angels, praise ye Him all His hosts.”  Likewise at even for the space of an hour, they sang ever, and when the dawn glowed they began to sing, “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,” with the same harmony and length of singing as in the Morning Praises:  likewise, at the third hour that verse, “Sing praises to our God, sing praises, sing praises unto our King, sing ye praises with understanding:”  at the sixth hour, “May the Lord cause His face to shine upon us, and be merciful unto us:”  and at the ninth hour they sang, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”  So by day and by night these birds gave praise to God.’