www.archive.org/…/stfurseyslifevi…
Fursey had not long arrived at his destination when a sudden
illness seized him. He became so enfeebled that his friends
fancied his last hour was at hand. Recovering himself, how-
ever, he arose, and, supporting himself with difficulty on the
arm of a companion, went out, walked a few steps from the
house, and began to recite the evening office. Completely
absorbed in prayer, his lips murmured the words of the sacred
psalmody. Suddenly he felt himself enveloped in darkness.
All power of movement forsook him, and he was carried back
into the house apparently in a dying state.

Pri sently, in the midst of the dense obscurity, he perceived

that four hands stretched downwards towards him, caught him

by the arms, and bore him aloft. After a while, becoming

more accustomed to the darkness, he plainly discerned four

I wings expanded upwards, and white as the driven snow.

The hands and wings he could now distinctly see, but the rest

of the angelic forms were only dimly visible. But when they

had ascended still higher, he was able to distinguish the

fao • of his conductors, illumined with a wondrous

l Mther, his eyes were filled with the radiance ema-

from their faces, though he could not, on account of

"f brilliance, distinguish any corporeal form. At

ame time he became conscious that a third angel walked

him, clothed in luminous vesture, carrying a white

I armed with a sword keen as a flash of lightning.

Ilous splendour of the angels, the harmonious

their wings, the melody of their songs, and the

ll >' " f their a pect, penetrated his soul with inex-

I ■•-!, as they moved along they sang— the

intoning thi opening phrase, the others joining in

thi i hant And the burden of their song was

ST. FURSEY'S LIFE AND VISIONS 249

this — The saints shall advatue from virtue to virtue, the G<>J of
gods shall be seen in Zion. Higher and higher rose the vo
the psalmody rolling on in ever-increasing power ; and then
the music sank in dulcet modulation, and seemed to die away
in the ethereal distance, until, caught up again by myriads of
angelic voices, the strain burst forth into a resounding chorus,
of which Fursey could distinguish one verse only — They shall
come out before the face of Christ. All the heavenly faces which
he now beheld seemed to him alike, but the light was so
dazzling that it veiled the corporeal form and hid it from his
view.

Fain would he have tarried in this world of indescribable
splendour and harmony, but it could not be, — he must fill up
the term of his earthly probation ; and the angels, promising to
return to him before long, led him back to life.

Meanwhile the night had passed away, and the crowing of
the cock announced the rising morn. The music of the
heavenly choirs no longer filled his ear. Nothing was audible
but the dissonance of human voices wailing and lamenting.
At that moment those who were standing round the inanimate
body uncovered the face ; a faint blush mantled the pale cheeks,
and the servant of God, opening his eyes, addressed the
mourners, and asked them wherefore they lamented and why
so great a rout was made. Thereupon the men related all that
had occurred,— telling him how on the previous evening he had
expired, and how they had remained ever since in the same
spot, watching beside his corpse. Then Fursey arose. The
splendid and "gracious presence of the angels came back to his
remembrance, and, recollecting that they had promised to
return, he regretted that he had not beside him some wise and
prudent man to whom he might recount all that he had seen
and heard. And in order that the angels on their return might
not find him unprepared, he asked to receive the Communion
of the Body and Blood of the spotless Lamb. Thus he re-
mained all that day and the next in a state of great exhaustion.

But in the night, about the hour of tierce, while relatives,
friends, and several of the neighbours were assembled in the
house, he was again wrapped in sudden darkness. His feet
grew stiff and cold ; and extending his hands in the attitude of
prayer, he awaited death in joyful expectation, for he remem-
bered the enchanting vision of which these signs had been the

2 5 o ST. FCRSEY'S LIFE AND VISIONS

forerunners once before. Overpowered, as it were, with sleep,
he fell back on his couch. Immediately his ears were assailed
with terrific cries, as of countless voices shouting and bidding
him depart out of the body and come away. But, opening his
i yes, he saw only the three angels standing at his side. The
voices of men were hushed, and their forms had vanished.
Already the heavenly orchestra and the beauty of the celestial
visitants filled him with delight. The angel at his right hand
said to him : " Be not afraid; you shall be defended."

They bore him upwards, ascending higher and higher, until
the roof of his dwelling sank out of sight. Onwards he went,
amidst the outcries and howlings of demons calling to one
another to stop his progress, while he could distinctly hear one
of the infernal spirits summoning the rest to come on and wage
war before his face. On his left he saw, as it were, a dark
cloud sweeping onwards — a whirlwind of hellish shapes twisted
together in horrible confusion. Presently these writhing forms
became disentangled, and marshalled their ranks in battle array
before him. As far as his eye could reach, the figures of the
demons showed black and terrible; while their long distended
necks, their lean visages, and great bullet heads awakened
feelings of the utmost loathing. When they flew hither and
thither, or rushed to battle, he could distinguish nothing but a
sinister shadow, an incompact mass of dreadful shapes, enough
to make the soul wither away with fear. Moreover, their
features were obscured by the denseness of the shadow in
which they were immersed ; just as, on the other hand, he had
not been able to discern the traits of the angelic faces in the
ex< ess of light that surrounded them.

I orthwith began the onslaught of the satanic hosts. The
demons shot their fiery arrows against the servant of God; but
the darts struck the white buckler of the warrior angel, and fell
away, innoxious and extinguished. In the presence of the
I equipped for the contest, the hostile ranks were over-
►wn. " Bar not the passage," said the angel, remonstrating
with his adversaries ; " it is of no avail. This man has no part
111 V" 1 perdil But the devils, awfully blaspheming,

amoured for their prey, crying out that it was unjust of God
inm rs from damnation when it was written, that: Not
V they u 'ho sin, but they who agree with sinners are worthy of
death. Still the contest continued, and it seemed to Fursey

ST. FURSEY 'S LIFE AND VISIONS 251

that the thunder and clash of the combat must be heard
throughout the whole earth.

Satan, though vanquished, raised his head again like a serpent
crushed but venomous. "Many times," he shrieked, "has
this man spoken idle words, and he must not enjoy eternal
life without expiating his sins." " Not so," replied the guardian
spirit ; " if you can bring up no capital accusations against him,
he shall not perish for venial faults." Then urged the reviler :
" If you ivill not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you
your sins." " When did He take revenge ? " replied the angel ;
" or whom did He ever injure ?" " It is not written," said the
demon, " that you must not revenge yourself, but If you do not
forgive from your heart." "Forgiveness was in his heart,"
answered the angel, "though, yielding somewhat to a human
custom, he did not outwardly show it." Then, persisted Satan :
"Since he has contaminated himself with the sinful habits of
men, he shall receive sentence from the Supreme Judge." " Be
it so," concluded the angel. "He shall be arraigned before
the Lord."

Repulsed for the third time, the old serpent's venom was
not yet exhausted. "If God is a just God, this man shall
never enter into eternal life ; for it stands recorded : Unless
you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven. Fursey has by no means fulfilled
this precept." "He shall be judged before the Ford," was
again the angel's answer. And then the signal for the fight
once more was given, and the battle raged until the hosts of
hell were overthrown.

Then the angel on the right desired Fursey to look back
upon the world. Casting his eyes downward, he beheld a dark
and obscure valley underneath him, and saw four great fires
kindled there at some distance from one another. And as he
could not, in answer to the angel's query, tell what these fires
might signify, his heavenly conductor said: "These are the
four fires that consume the world, even though all sin was
effaced by baptism, by faith in Christ, and by renouncing Satan
with all his works and pomps. The first is falsehood ; for men
fail to fulfil the engagement they made in baptism to renounce
the devil and his works. The second is covetousness, which
sets a higher value on the riches of the world than on heavenly
things. The third is dissension ; for men do not hesitate, even

2 5 2 ST. FURSEY'S LIFE AND VISIONS

in needless matters, to injure the soul of their neighbour. And
the fourth is iniquity j for they think little of dealing deceitfully
and despoiling the poor."

And while they were yet speaking, the fires spread far and
wide, until, uniting in one vast conflagration, the flames
approached to where Fursey and the angels stood. Filled with
dread, he cried to the guardian spirit : " See, the fire rushes on
to destroy me!" But the angel, reassuring him, bade him
have no fear. " The fire you have not kindled," he said,
" never will consume you. Great and terrible as these flames
are, they burn only in proportion to the measure of each man's
sins. For all iniquity shall be consumed in him ; and as the
body is inflamed with sinful desires, so shall the soul feel the
scorching pain in just retribution." Then one of the angels,
going before, opened a way through the furnace, — the flames
rising up like a wall on either hand, — and the other protecting
spirits, spreading their wings and shielding him, on each side.
The fires were alive with unclean spirits flying about, exciting
a horrible commotion in the midst of the flames, and arming
for a new contest. Immediately the battle began again. One
of the devils, raising his voice, cried out : " Surely, The servant
who knows the unit of his Lord, and doth it not, shall be beaten
with many strifes ? " " And in what," inquired the angel, " has
this man failed to do the behests of his Master ? " " He has
accepted the gifts of the wicked," was the rejoinder. " But
In' believed they had repented of their sins," said his defender,
"lie ought to have waited," retorted the accuser, " until they
proof of the sincerity of their repentance before he received
their presents ; for Gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and destroy
the words of the just." The angel answered : " He shall be
judged before the Lord."

( >n< e more the arch-deceiver, worsted in his attack, vomited
forth blasphemies against the Creator. "Hitherto we used to
believe in a God of truth," he shrieked, "but we were mistaken.
Did not the prophet Isaiah affirm that the sin which was not
punished on earth should be purged in the next world when
I"' < ried to the Jews : If you be willing and will hearken to me,
you (hall eat the good things of the /and. But if you will not,
"""' ""' to wrath, the sword shall devour you? Now this

" u " did ik.i expiate his sins while on earth, and he is notreceiv-
menthere. Where, then, is God's justice?" "Cease

ST. FC/RSEY'S LIFE AND VISIONS 253

to blaspheme," broke in the indignant angel; "you know not
the secret judgments of the Lord." " What secret is there
here?" persisted Satan. "As long as there is hope of repent-
ance," rejoined the angel, " the Divine Mercy never abandons
the human soul." " But there is no time here for repentance,"
objected the Evil One. " Perchance there may be," observed
the heavenly spirit ; " you cannot fathom the depth of the
mysteries of God." Then the demon, silenced on this side
also, shouted to his satellites to depart and leave them, since
there was no justice to be expected.

But another of the accursed troop broke in : " Wait ; there
is still a narrow gate, which few succeed in passing through.
Let us lie in ambush for him there. It is written : Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.' 1 The angel answered, that Fursey
had done good to his neighbour ; but the adversary rejoined,
that it was not enough to do good, unless he loved his neighbour
as himself. To which it was replied, that the performance of
good deeds was the fruit of charity, and that God would render
to everyone according to his works. But the demon insisted
that the man's charity did not fulfil the precept, and that he
had earned damnation. Then the infernal host hurried for-
ward to give battle. But the heavenly spirits came off victorious
in the contest.

Defeated for the sixth time, the demon, still according to his
wont, flew into a passion of impious rage, saying that if God
was not unjust, if falsehood and the breaking of promises were
really displeasing in His sight, Fursey could not escape con-
demnation ; for though he engaged to renounce the world, he
had loved the world, contrary to the precept of the apostle when
he said : Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world;
he had been deterred neither by his own promise nor by the
command of the apostle. To which the angel replied, that
Fursey valued not the goods of the world for his own advantage,
but that he might distribute them to the needy. " No matter
in what way the riches of the world are prized," insisted the
the old serpent, "it is against the law of God and contrary to
the Christian obligation of baptism."

Again the angels prevailed, and their adversaries retreated
before them. But Satan returned to pursue his insidious
attacks : " Lf thou wilt not announce to the unjust man his
iniquity, I will require his blood at thy hand. Thus it stands

254 ST. FURSEY' S LIFE AND VISIONS

written," he said ; " and this man has not preached repentance
to sinners, as he was bound to do." Answering him, the angel
said : "Yet also it stands written : The prudent shall keep silence
at that time, for it is an evil time ; and when hearers despise the
word, the teacher's tongue is tied." But the wily enemy urged :
"The truth must be preached despite of suffering, despite of
death. One should neither consent nor hold his peace."

Thus, fiercely disputing and fighting, the demons raged, until
at length, by the judgment of God, victory remained with the
angels, and their adversaries were utterly routed.

Then around the saint a flood of light was shed ; and the
angels and the elect burst forth into a canticle, singing of the
shortness of time and the lightness of labour when compared
with the eternity of glory that is won by the faithful soul.
Fursey was transported with delight ; and raising his eyes, he
beheld a multitudinous host resplendent as the sun ; and the
shimmer of their wings was like the rippling of waves on a
luminous sea. These blessed ones drew near and surrounded
him ; and the trouble and the terror into which the fire and the
demons had thrown him were banished far away. And also
appeared two venerable men of his own nation, whom he knew
on earth and thought were dead. Approaching, they told him
they were Beoan and Meldan, and entered familiarly into
conversation with him.

At this moment, in the serene distance of the heavens, an
ethereal gate opened wide its portals. Two angels entered in
through the opening; and immediately the celestial radiance
encircled them with a still greater intensity, while the pure
spirits abiding in that inner heaven sang, in four alternate
« hoirs,— Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. And while his
soul was inebriated with the ineffable joys and enchanting
psalmody of paradise, the bright cohorts of the celestial army
marshalled their ranks on each side of him. One of the blessed
spirits asked him if he knew whence issued these joyous
a< i filiations ; and as he could not tell, the angel said : " It is
n the choirs of heaven, of which we form a part." The
anwhile rose higher and higher, with a more thrilling
and penetrating harmony; and Fursey, bewildered with joy,
mpp( at the music was for his delectation, said to the

n sp.nt: "My soul is enraptured in listening to these
heavenly sounds." "It is a delight," replied the angel, "of which

ST. FURS FY'S LIFE AND VISIONS 255

we are oftentimes deprived while engaged in the service of men.
And yet, after all our labour, the Evil One destroys our work
by corrupting the human heart. In this realm of peace and
purity," he added, "no judgment is pronounced except against
the wickedness of mankind." Fursey's soul was completely
absorbed in the transports and festivities of heaven.

And now, from the invisible paradise, came forth Meldan and
Beoan, clothed in glory like the angels; and, drawing near to
Fursey, they directed him to return to the earth and resume his
mortal life. In speechless tribulation this order was received ;
and while the angels were engaged in restoring their sorrow-
stricken charge, the saints said to him : "Why are you afraid?
Your earthly course will seem no more than a single day's
journey. Go forth and announce to mankind that the day of
justice draws nigh." Fursey then inquired of them whether the
dissolution of the world was at hand. They replied that the
time had not yet come, though it was not far off; that famine
and pestilence would first afflict mankind ; and that a sign
should be seen in the sun.

Beoan continued for a long time speaking to Fursey, showing
how the anger of God was hanging over the people, threatening
especially their princes and teachers. In grave discourse,
worthy of God and of heaven, he imparted salutary counsels
and instruction, which he charged Fursey to transmit to Ireland.
" Depart now," he said in conclusion, " and tell the princes ot
the land that they must renounce iniquity, do penance, and
work out their salvation. Declare to the rulers of the Church
that God is a jealous God when the world is preferred before
Him, and that to neglect the care of souls is to serve the

world." . ,

Then the multitude of the blessed who had been with
Fursey vanished, and he remained alone with his three angels.
Immediately they began their earthward journey, and soon
approached the fiery furnace. As on the first occasion the
angel walked in advance, opening a passage and driving back
the flames on the right hand and the left. But behold ! from
the midst of the flames a human form, hurled by the demons,
struck against the saint's shoulder, and the reprobate s cheek
touched the living man's jaw. Fursey felt his shoulder and
cheek burn, and he understood that this was the person who
on his deathbed bequeathed to him a garment. 1 he angel

256 ST. FURSEY' S LIFE AND VISIONS

seized the lost one and cast him back into the fire. But the
malign spirit cried : " Why do you reject what you once
accepted? You had a share in this one's goods; take now your
portion of his punishment." The angel replied, that it was not
from avarice that Fursey had accepted the gift, but for the
good of the man's soul. The fire approached no nearer.
However, the angel said : " The fire you kindled has burned
you; if you had not accepted the present of the man who died
in his sins, you would not have felt in your body the fire of his
chastisement." And then the heavenly guardian exhorted him
in his turn to preach repentance to mankind.

Fursey now found himself near to the earth, and directly
over his own dwelling ; yet he recognised neither the house
nor the crowd of mourners, nor even his own body lying before
him. And when the angel commanded him to assume again
his mortal vesture, he feared to approach, not knowing in the
least what corpse that was. " Shake off this fear," said the
angel ; " even in this earthly tenement you can keep yourself
from infirmity and evil. You have triumphed, even now,
over the assaults of the Wicked One; he shall never prevail
against you." Casting his eyes on the inanimate form, he
saw the breast opening as if to receive his soul. Bidding him
farewell, the angel said : " Pour spring water over your limbs,
and you will feel no pain, except in the place where the fire
touched you. Devote yourself to good works all the days of
your life. We shall follow your steps without ceasing, and in
the end receive you with joy into our company in heaven."

Awakening as if from the deep repose of death, Fursey
arose, and looking around, saw a crowd of his relations and
neighbours, and the people of the church, standing in the
place. Then he sighed, thinking of the magnitude of human
folly. And considering how perilous and difficult a passage
death is, and how divine the reward of those who reach the
abode of the blessed, he related in order all the things he had
witnessed. He asked to have fresh water from the fountain
poured over him, and this being done, the mark became
ible of the burn which the damned one inflicted on him.
Strange that the body should bear the mark of the pain which
tin: soul alone had suffered ! l

u 'J?} 8 /".'"I ° f , St - Furse y's vision is nearly altogether translated
from M. L. Iachet de Barneval's Histoire Ugendaire de FIrlande. The

ST. EURSEY'S LIFE AND VISIONS is?

Obedient to the instructions he had received in his mar-
vellous vision, Fursey lost no time in retracing his steps to
Lough Corrib, and preparing for the mission he now must
undertake. His journey to South Munster had not been
fruitless — a warm welcome had been given to him by his kins-
folk ; and on his departure from the principality, he had the
consolation of being joined by his brothers Foillan and Ultan,
who resolved to dedicate their life to the service of God
under monastic discipline. Leaving these young men in the
care of the monks, and resigning the government of Rathmat
into competent hands, the abbot bade adieu to the solitudes
he loved, and set forth to preach to princes and prelates, to
gentle and simple alike, — exhorting all to do penance, save
themselves from the evils to come, and aspire after the blessed-
ness of which he himself had lately had so astonishing a
revelation. Eloquence, prompted by the awful experiences of
a soul assailed by satanic wrath and wile, and inspired by the
ineffable joys prepared for the victors over sin and sorrow,
could not fail in power to exhort, entreat, arouse, and win to
God. During a year he preached assiduously, spending him-
self in labours for the salvation of the people, and reaping a
rich harvest wherever he sowed the good seed.

On the anniversary of the memorable day when the terrors
that encounter the disembodied soul and the glory that awaits
the just had been disclosed to him, he fell again into a trance,
and, save for a feeble fluttering of the heart, he seemed to
die. That night the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
instructed him minutely in the manner of announcing the
doctrine of salvation, and informed him that his labours in
Ireland should be continued for twelve years. Strengthened
and consoled by converse with God's messenger, Fursey was
able to receive the divine command, and to face the difficul-
ties, the toils, and the long-enduring course of this onerous
apostolate. Traversing a great part of the country, he carried
on his ministry with the zeal of an apostle and the self-
oblation of a saint,— the multitude hanging on his words, and
miracles confirming the doctrine which he taught. Trials,

accomplished author of that work has, in the chapter devoted to our saint,
drawn his material from the earliest sources. For this reason, it appears
to me that his presentment of the legend is at once more interesting and
more genuine than later and " improved " renderings.

17