The greatness of Patrick is beyond dispute: the first human being in the history of the world to speak out unequivocally against slavery… The horror of slavery was never lost on him:
“But it is the women kept in slavery who suffer the most – and who keep their spirits up despite the menacing and terrorizing they must endure. The Lord gives grace to his many handmaids; and though they are forbidden to do so, they follow him with backbone.”
Patrick has become a man who can give far more credibility to a woman’s strength and fortitude than could any classically educated man.
Thomas Cahill — How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
First Friday Book Synopsis 