_The Prophecy of the Saint on a Certain Bishop and on the one who
consecrated him._
A certain powerful man had endowed with lands and possessions a church
that he was about to build on his own estate; the which to govern,
Saint Patrick would have appointed one among his disciples who was able
unto the gaining of souls. But the man refused, saying that in his own
family he had a priest whom he willed to place over his own church.
Then the saint, deeming it unworthy to contend for such a matter,
departed from the man. And he on the morrow brought unto the saint his
son, desiring that he might be consecrated unto the bishopric of that
church. And for that the saint apart from his companions pursued in
solitude his studies and his prayers, the man, turning from him, went
unto two of his disciples, who were elsewhere appointed bishops, and
addressed them for the consecration of his son. And one of them denied
his request, saying that he could do no such thing without the consent
and the approbation of the saint; but the other, induced either by
entreaty or reward, presumed to do what the man required. The which
having discovered, Saint Patrick, afflicting the presumer with the
affliction of penance sufficiently severe, foretold that through all
his life he should suffer the want of bread. And he declared that the
bishop so consecrated was worthy of degradation and contempt, and that
his church should be exceeding poor, so that it should not be able to
defend itself even from two men. And that which the saint foretold
unfailingly came to pass--whereby a prudent man may take heed, lest
misled by ambition he should ever attempt the like.