EO  happened  that  Fiacc  came  in  sight  of  the  fort  of  Dubhtach
on  his  return  from  his  visitation  in  Connaught.  "  There  is
the  man  himself,"  said  the  Arch-poet,  "  of  whom  we  have
been  speaking."  "But  he  may  not  wish  to  receive  orders,"
said  Patrick.  "Proceed  as  if  to  tonsure  me,"  replied  the
poet,  "and  we  shall  see."  Thereupon  St.  Patrick  made
preparations  as  if  to  tonsure  the  aged  poet — it  was  the  first
step  to  orders — whereupon  Fiacc  said,  "  it  would  be  a  great
loss  to  the  Bardic  order  to  lose  so  great  a  poet ;"  and  he
offered  himself  for  the  sei'vice  of  the  Church  instead  of
Dubhtaoh.  The  offer  was  gladly  accepted,  and  so  Fiacc  came
to  receive  £'rade,  or  orders,  and  finally  became  Ard-espog,  or
Chief  Bishop,  of  the  Leinster-men.  This  was  a  mere  title  of
honour  given  to  him  on  account  of  his  seniority  and  pre-
eminent merits.  In  the  canonical  sense  the  office  of
Archbishop  did  not  then  exist  in  Leinster,  nor  for  many
centuries  afterwards.  #

On  this  occasion  we  are  told  that  Patrick  wrote  an
'  Alphabet '  for  Fiacc — that  is,  a  brief  exposition  of  the
Christian  doctrine ;  and  he  is  said  to  have  learned  in  one
night,  or  as  others  say,  in  fifteen  days,  the  '  ecclesiastical
ordo,'  that  is,  the  method  of  administering  the  sacraments
and  celebrating  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  It  must  be  borne  in
mind  that  previously  Fiacc  was  an  accomplished  poet,  a  man
therefore  of  learning,  with  a  highly  trained  memory,  well
skilled  in  his  native  tongue,  and  perhaps  not  altogether
unacquainted  with  the  rudiments  of  the  Latin  language;  at
least  he  must  have  frequently  heard  it  at  Tara  and  elsewhere,
when  the  clergy  were  performing  their  functions.
