The House on the Naas Road

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 2, 11 January 1923, Page 15

The House on the Naas Road

(By S. A. Roche, in the Catholic Bulletin.)

.: Aengus was the only son of Conor, who had been a « skilful sea captain and 'a thrifty merchant till he got tired of wandering. Then he took a Danish woman to wife and built himself a fine house at the seaward point of Howth Head and settled down to grow old comfortably. .' There Aengus was born, and so he remembered the sea further back than anything elsealways the sea and the. two blots in it to northward, along the shore, the little one —they called it just the "Island"and the larger ono further away—they called that one "Lamb's Island." There was always good wine and mead and provisions , and the best of company at Conor's house while Aengus was growing up. Friends rode out there from Dublin and visitors from far inland, even from the other side of the Shannon; and the hearty sea captains who sailed Conor's ships ; for him, and even foreigners camepeople who were not Irish at allneither Irish nor Danish, but very strange people from places altogether unknown to everyone except seamen and wanderers. To these foreigners Conor spoke in their own tongue• for he had been everywhereand made them welcome and entreated them to stay with him till their business in Ireland. was done and their time come for going over-seas again. Gladly they stayed in that hospitable house, and when they thanked their host at parting, Conor would say . to them : - • . "Foolish thanks! Have not the men of your country entertained me many times in the old days? If you must thank me, let it be when next you come here." Come soon again, or we shall hold your thanks empty! Is it not so, little son?" "Yes, truly," the boy would say, "come soon again!" When Aengus Avas 16 his father died. About this time the boy was to have gone abroad for travel and to learn the business of a trader; but when Conor was dead the widow would not let her son go, and he stayed with her for five years. Then she died also and he was alone, and his heart heavy within him. So he took money and bade the servants keep the house ever ready for his return. He, appointed a. man over his business and so fared to Dublin.port and thence overseas, wandering many years on strange seas and in strange lands, seeing much and doing much, good and evil, with which we are not now concerned. On a certain spring day he was coming to the quay in a city of foreigners (the city is now Bordeaux and the foreigners we call Frenchmen —he had other names for them) when he saw in the open square an old man speaking from the top of a little mound, and Aengus understood him to recommend a new God to the people. " The people were not greatly interested. They were mostly idle, worthless fellows who scarcely understood what the man said, for he spoke with some difficulty, as one speaking a newly acquired tongue. They listened because the sun Avas pleasantly warm and some of them had no work to do; even some would not do what work they had. Aengus was a little amused; the speaker spoke'very earnestly about his God and recommended Him with many •strong praises and promises. Aengus Avas sceptical about Gods. He had travelled a great deal and had never seen that those Avho paid attention to Gods came off any better than others. He .was about to move away Avhen one of the idlers threw a stone which cut the preacher's mouth a little. This annoyed Aengus very much. He disliked cruelty and had been taught to respect visitors and old men, so he turned on the stone-thrower and beat him Avith his stick. Immediately the old man cried to him to desist,. Avhich astonished Aengus so much that he paused, and while he paused the offender fled. < "Young man," said the preacher, "I thank you for your protection, but to you and to all that listen I sav, Thou shalt not kill.' " \ " >'. ' - .; * "I had N nG thought to kill the fellow," said Aengus; "but it Avere a shame for "a young man to stand by and see an old one stoned. Igoto my ship.; do you, sir, if you are , Avise, go elseAvhere also. Here busy people will .not listen to you and idle ones will throw stones." . * . J , ./ "At least," replied the other, "I will go with you as far as your ship. It is right that I should thank you, arid, i

better can' I thank you than by giving you the Word if, indeed, you have not yet heard it." "I am from . Ireland, '.'/Void ■ Aengus, "and I am ■. not greatly„ concerned with Gods. We; have, already enough. I cannot;see that any of them, except perhaps Mananan, do much good." . . /'"'."..'• That was how Aengus first met the Christians, for the hew God whom the old man preached was Christ, and the outcome, was that when Aengus "sailed for Dublin ho was a baptised Christian, although certainly no great theologian, nor altogether sure of his new faith. He said good-bye to the priest at the pierhead, adding: "I shall see you again next;, year." "Sooner if God wills it," said the priest smiling, and went up again to the town. When Aengus got back to the house on Howtk Head he gave a great feast to his friends. They ate well and drank well and then they sat round the fire and talked merrily. There-was a young man there. Fergus Ruadh Ua Conaill he was called. This Fergus was a friend of Aengus, and the business of the one went' with the business of the other, for when Aengus' ships unloaded at Dublin port it was Fergus who bought the cargoes and traded with them inland. Fergus spoke, round the fire, of the house on the Naas road. "What house is that?" asked Aengus. j "You have been away," answered Fergus, "or you would not ask. It is the house of one Gormlaith. She is a witch woman and can work magic; everyone knows it." "Does she do good or evil?" asked Eurian MacNeasa, who had been away with Aengus. "Both," said Fergus. "But it is safer to avoid her. I know her well, however, and she has done me no harm." "Fergus," said Aengus, "I have not yet spoken of it, but I have come back with a new God. Later I will tell you of'Him; but now I will only say that witches have no power over those that adore Him. So, at least, His priests say. It is in my mind to see if this be so; therefore I will go to-morrow with you to this house and put the matter to the test." Upon thai;, Fergus argued with him for a. long time, but in the end he consented, and on the following morning they got early to horse and rode to Dublin, and from Dublin along the Naas road till they came to the house of the witch. She sat outside the house in the spring sunshine, neither old nor uncomely, and she smiled at Fergus as they drew up to her, but it was a cold smile and her eyes had no part in it. "Health and life, Gormlaith," said Fergus. "To you also!" she replied. ■-'■' ■ '- "Here is my friend Aengus," said Fergus, "and he is fain to see you do some marvel. He has been abroad; he says there is a new God, and that you magicians have power no longer." ■• - "You mock me, friend said she. "I am no magician but a simple woman. The silly country people tell foolish stories about me. That is all. But come in and rest' a while by my fire; you have ridden far and to no purpose." - They tied their reins to a tree that grew by the house and; they went in and sat by the fire. Aengus looked... at the fire once and it was but a wood fire. He looked again and it was no longer a fire, nor was he in the witch's house, but.lie was a child once more in" the old house on Howth road. He saw again his dead father and his dead mother and lived again all his life; 'but changed as in an evil dream. For all that he saw evil neither love nor hospitality, but violence and robbery; his father stabbed the sleeping guest; his mother poisoned the wine that she poured. They died, hosts and guests both, with agony and ravings, and before his eyes the souls came J forth from their bodies in the shape of monstrous evil birds and -fled screaming away. "All his life he saw mirrored and it was all evil;.all his deeds wicked; all his friends deceitful and loathsome. '.,' *■ * '_ .'.•' ' Lastly, after'many, years, he saw himself die, and the manner of his death was dreadful, so that the sweat stood out upon his forehead as he looked. Then there was darkness, and in the, darkness he heard a voice, and it was the voice of Fergus. "•- ; - ~ ' - "Are you ill, Aengus?" said Fergus/ "Why do you stare at the fire? What has: come on you?','- \ :• r ' > The illusion ' went from him. "I was ill," said he

'"but I am better. I do not like' this house. Let us go." , ' ; Outsido the house sat Gormlath. } "Away so soon?!' said/she. ; '.■",;:'.. .•'"-,_. ';'■•"■■ X v ■' "Aye," said Fergus. "My friend is unwell, but since you would not work magic for him there is nothing lost by haste. Farewell •' "Farewell," she replied, and was silent a little while, and then laughed dreadfully, high and long, so that they could hear her above the noise of their horses far upon their way. 1 ' "A > strange woman!" said Fergus. "She could have •- done magic upon you. had she wished." Aengus did not -answer; his heart was cold and little within him, and he believed no longer in the new God. For it was-in his mind that it is a poor and worthless God who cannot guard His own people from witches and evil magic. \ ■ ■ . '•-./.' ..-.V.' A month after that he was on the quay at Dublin, talking with one of his captains, when a man touched him on the shoulder. It* was the priest of Bordeaux. "I came but this hour," said he, "by the great ship that lies in the bay there, and' 10, the hand of God has guided me to where you stand,, the only man I know in all this island." Aengus greeted him courteously and brought him to the house at Howth, but the priest saw the shadow upon him. . "How is this, friend Aengus?" said lie, "you are not as I last saw you. Something has troubled you?" Aengus told him his story. - The priest smiled at him. "And so," said he, '•'you believe no longer in Christ?" . "It is a, poor God who cannot deliver His own from witchcraft," said Aengus. "Ah!" said the priest, "small faith! small faith! Nowhere any faith! Tell me, friend Aengus, does your ship go without oars?" "No," said Aengus. "Or your arrows," said the priest, "without the bow- ■■ string?" "These are riddles and idle talk." said Aengus. "Your God deserted .me, and 1 have deserted Him." " * "You blaspheme," said the priest, ■ "but you do it as one in ignorance, and doubtless it shall be pardoned to ; you. The ship goes not without its oars nor the arrow without the bowstring, nor does God protect you unless you have faith in His protection. 'lt is clear to me you had no faith and so the witchcraft overcame you. Tomorrow I will go with you to this house, and if God wills, you shall see how little witchcraft may avail against His folk." They went to bed, and in the morning they rose early and got to horse and rode into Dublin, and from Dublin along the Naas road till they came to the house of the witch. / She sat outside the house, young and comely, and as they drew up she smiled at them and bade them enter and rest. They entered and sat by the wood fire, the" priest on one side and Aengus on the other, and at the sight of the fire the priest crossed himself. Vj*' Presently it seemed to Aengus that there was no fire, but only a cloud about him, and remembering what he had seen before, his fear grew terrible, so that the sweat .came out upon his forehead. He heard then a long way off a very small voice, and it seemed to - him the priest's voice chanting a kind of song, and he hoard the words, "Ab omni main." Presently the cloud began to fade, and behind it he saw, as before, his youth, his life, and his last end, but now there was little, that was evil in it and much that ""was good and lovely. His vision ended. He saw again the house, the v wood fire, the priest from Bordeaux. i "Is it well with you,, my son?" said the priest/ .< "' . "I have seen.another vision," said Aengus, "but this , time it was a, good vision.". V . "That is good," returned the priest, "but this house is not good. Let us go out of it." : As they came out Gqrmlaith looked at .them and smiled, or began to smile, for when she saw the look on each man's : face v the smile went from her and her eyes grew angry. She went, up to the priest. * • '■-, '■- ■ '"What are you?" she asked, "and what do you here? Do you : not know the ' rules of out' craft ?.■ This .man is

mine. Bewitch others, if you will, but leave him to me." '"He/is not yours," the priest retorted, "nor mine, nor his own," but Another's, as you are and I am also. You ask me what I am, but 'I beseech God for the good of this man, and.for the good of this land, and it may be for your own good—l beseech Him," said he, extending his hand, "that He may show us what you are." Gormlaith started back from him, but even as. she moved, her appearance went from —youth and stature and comeliness'she stood before them incredibly old, bent, and deformed. The priest spoke'to her very gently. "Will you tell us now," said he, "who you are?" "Nay," she answered, "do not ask me! It is an ill telling. But do you be pleased' to take my weary life from me, for your magic is more potent than my magic, and it is clear to me that my time is come." "If it be God's will," said the priest, "let it be 'so," and as he spoke, where there had been a woman, there was but thin smoke and presently nothing. "Do you believe now in Christ?" said the priest. "Most certainly," said Aengus. "Have I not seen His power?" " ■ • <a "Ah!" said the priest, "power, always power! Thor or Christ, it is power these people look for! Well, one can but do one's best. They are a. fine folk and the work will be worth the trouble."