In former days there were great schools in Ireland, where every sort of learning was taught to the people, and even the poorest had more knowledge at that time than many a gentleman has now. But as to the priests, their learning was above all, so that the fame of Ireland went over the whole world, and many kings from foreign lands used to send their sons all the way to Ireland to be brought up in the Irish schools.
Now, at this time there was a little boy learning at one of them who was a wonder to everyone for his cleverness. His parents were only labouring people, and of course poor; but young as he was, and as poor as he was, no king"s or lord"s son could come up to him in learning.
Even the masters were put to shame; for when they were trying to teach him he would tell them something they never heard of before, and show them their ignorance. One of his great triumphs was in argument; and he would go on till he proved to you that black was white, and then when you gave in, for no one could beat him in talk, he would turn round and show you that white was black, or maybe that there was no colour at all in the world. When he grew up his poor father and mother were so proud of him that they resolved to make him a priest, which they did at last, though they nearly starved themselves to get the money. Well, such another learned man was not in Ireland, and he was as great in argument as ever, so that no one could stand before him.
Even the bishops tried to talk to him, but he showed them at once they knew nothing at all.
Now, there were no schoolmasters in those times, but it was the priests taught the people; and as this man was the cleverest in Ireland, all the foreign kings sent their sons to him, as long as he had house-room to give them. So he grew very proud, and began to forget how low he had been, and worst of all, even to forget G.o.d, who had made him what he was. And the pride of arguing got hold of him, so that from one thing to another he went on to prove that there was no Purgatory, and then no h.e.l.l, and then no Heaven, and then no G.o.d; and at last that men had no souls, but were no more than a dog or a cow, and when they died there was an end of them. "Whoever saw a soul?" he would say. "If you can show me one, I will believe." No one could make any answer to this; and at last they all came to believe that as there was no other world, everyone might do what they liked in this; the priest setting the example, for he took a beautiful young girl to wife. But as no priest or bishop in the whole land could be got to marry them, he was obliged to read the service over for himself. It was a great scandal, yet no one dared to say a word, for all the king"s sons were on his side, and would have slaughtered anyone who tried to prevent his wicked goings-on. Poor boys; they all believed in him, and thought every word he said was the truth. In this way his notions began to spread about, and the whole world was going to the bad, when one night an angel came down from Heaven, and told the priest he had but twenty-four hours to live. He began to tremble, and asked for a little more time.
But the angel was stiff, and told him that could not be.
"What do you want time for, you sinner?" he asked.
"Oh, sir, have pity on my poor soul!" urged the priest.
"Oh, no! You have a soul, then," said the angel. "Pray, how did you find that out?"
"It has been fluttering in me ever since you appeared," answered the priest. "What a fool I was not to think of it before."
"A fool, indeed," said the angel. "What good was all your learning, when it could not tell you that you had a soul?"
"Ah, my lord," said the priest, "If I am to die, tell me how soon I may be in Heaven?"
"Never," replied the angel. "You denied there was a Heaven."
"Then, my lord, may I go to Purgatory?"
"You denied Purgatory also; you must go straight to h.e.l.l," said the angel.
"But, my lord, I denied h.e.l.l also," answered the priest, "so you can"t send me there either."
The angel was a little puzzled.
"Well," said he, "I"ll tell you what I can do for you. You may either live now on earth for a hundred years, enjoying every pleasure, and then be cast into h.e.l.l for ever; or you may die in twenty-four hours in the most horrible torments, and pa.s.s through Purgatory, there to remain till the Day of Judgment, if only you can find some one person that believes, and through his belief mercy will be vouchsafed to you, and your soul will be saved."
The priest did not take five minutes to make up his mind.
"I will have death in the twenty-four hours," he said, "so that my soul may be saved at last."
On this the angel gave him directions as to what he was to do, and left him.
Then immediately the priest entered the large room where all the scholars and the kings" sons were seated, and called out to them--
"Now, tell me the truth, and let none fear to contradict me; tell me what is your belief--have men souls?"
"Master," they answered, "once we believed that men had souls; but thanks to your teaching, we believe so no longer. There is no h.e.l.l, and no Heaven, and no G.o.d. This is our belief, for it is thus you taught us."
Then the priest grew pale with fear, and cried out--"Listen! I taught you a lie. There is a G.o.d, and man has an immortal soul. I believe now all I denied before."
But the shouts of laughter that rose up drowned the priest"s voice, for they thought he was only trying them for argument.
"Prove it, master," they cried. "Prove it. Who has ever seen G.o.d? Who has ever seen the soul?"
And the room was stirred with their laughter.
The priest stood up to answer them, but no word could he utter. All his eloquence, all his powers of argument had gone from him; and he could do nothing but wring his hands and cry out, "There is a G.o.d!
there is a G.o.d! Lord have mercy on my soul!"
And they all began to mock him! and repeat his own words that he had taught them--
"Show him to us; show us your G.o.d." And he fled from them, groaning with agony, for he saw that none believed; and how, then, could his soul be saved?
But he thought next of his wife. "She will believe," he said to himself; "women never give up G.o.d."
And he went to her; but she told him that she believed only what he taught her, and that a good wife should believe in her husband first and before and above all things in Heaven or earth.
Then despair came on him, and he rushed from the house, and began to ask every one he met if they believed. But the same answer came from one and all--"We believe only what you have taught us," for his doctrine had spread far and wide through the country.
Then he grew half mad with fear, for the hours were pa.s.sing, and he flung himself down on the ground in a lonesome spot, and wept and groaned in terror, for the time was coming fast when he must die.
Just then a little child came by. "G.o.d save you kindly," said the child to him.
The priest started up.
"Do you believe in G.o.d?" he asked.
"I have come from a far country to learn about him," said the child.
"Will your honour direct me to the best school they have in these parts?"
"The best school and the best teacher is close by," said the priest, and he named himself.
"Oh, not to that man," answered the child, "for I am told he denies G.o.d, and Heaven, and h.e.l.l, and even that man has a soul, because he cannot see it; but I would soon put him down."
The priest looked at him earnestly. "How?" he inquired.
"Why," said the child, "I would ask him if he believed he had life to show me his life."
"But he could not do that, my child," said the priest. "Life cannot be seen; we have it, but it is invisible."
"Then if we have life, though we cannot see it, we may also have a soul, though it is invisible," answered the child.
When the priest heard him speak these words, he fell down on his knees before him, weeping for joy, for now he knew his soul was safe; he had met one at last that believed. And he told the child his whole story--all his wickedness, and pride, and blasphemy against the great G.o.d; and how the angel had come to him, and told him of the only way in which he could be saved, through the faith and prayers of someone that believed.
"Now, then," he said to the child, "take this penknife and strike it into my breast, and go on stabbing the flesh until you see the paleness of death on my face. Then watch--for a living thing will soar up from my body as I die, and you will then know that my soul has ascended to the presence of G.o.d. And when you see this thing, make haste and run to my school, and call on all my scholars to come and see that the soul of their master has left the body, and that all he taught them was a lie, for that there is a G.o.d who punishes sin, and a Heaven, and a h.e.l.l, and that man has an immortal soul destined for eternal happiness or misery."
"I will pray," said the child, "to have courage to do this work."
And he kneeled down and prayed. Then when he rose up he took the penknife and struck it into the priest"s heart, and struck and struck again till all the flesh was lacerated; but still the priest lived, though the agony was horrible, for he could not die until the twenty-four hours had expired.
At last the agony seemed to cease, and the stillness of death settled on his face. Then the child, who was watching, saw a beautiful living creature, with four snow-white wings, mount from the dead man"s body into the air and go fluttering round his head.