Library › St Adamnán of Iona › Life of St Columba
Life of St Columba
St Adamnán of Iona, tr. Reeves, 1874
Book 1, 19. Of the Inkhorn, Awkwardly Spilled
Of the Inkhorn, awkwardly spilled
ON another day a shout was given on the other side of the Sound of the Iouan island (Sound of Iona); the saint hearing the shout, as he was sitting in his little hut, which was made of planks, said, “The man who is shouting beyond the Sound is not of very sharp wit, for when he is here to-day he will upset my inkhorn and spill the ink. Diormit, his minister, hearing this, stood a little in front of the door, and waited for the arrival of this troublesome guest, in order to save the inkhorn. But for some cause or other he had soon to leave his place, and after his departure the unwelcome guest arrived; in his eager haste to kiss the saint, he upset the inkhorn with the hem of his garment and spilled the ink.