Page:The most ancient lives of Saint Patrick - O'Leary.djvu/218

 Spouse. And the saint thus answered: "Ye must first, with the mouth of your heart and of your body, devoutly receive the flesh and the blood of your Spouse, so that, being quickened with the living food, and having tasted of death, ye may pass from this impure world unto the starry bride-chamber." Then the virgins, believing in the word of the man of God, devoutly entreated and received the Eucharist, and, immediately falling asleep in the Lord, they quitted their earthly tabernacles, and went unto their heavenly Spouse. And their friends and their kindred gathered together and bewailed them for three days, as was the custom of the country, and returned their sacred remains unto the womb of the mother of all human kind. And on that spot was erected a church, which is now collated to the metropolitan seat of Ardmachia. And the two magicians, for that they had educated the damsels, were sorely grieved at their deaths, and reproached the saint with bitter and angry words; but he, touching the harp of David, and preaching unto them the kingdom of God, converted them unto the faith, and they were baptized.

And after these things had come to pass, a great and solemn council was held in a solemn place by the people