Baring-Gould. The lives of the saints. 1897. Volume 6

8/3/2019 Baring-Gould. The lives of the saints. 1897. Volume 6.

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THE

JLrteS of ti)e t)atnts

REV. S. BARING-GOULDSIXTEEN VOLUMES

VOLUME THE SIXTH

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\jOi'\^ THE

litaes of t|)e ^ainteBY THE

REV. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A.New Edition in i6 Volumes

Revised with Introduction and Additional Lives ofEnglish Martyrs, Cornish and Welsh Saints,

and a full Index to the Entire Work

ILLUSTRATED BY OVER 400 ENGRAVINGS

VOLUME THE SIXTH3une

191181LONDONJOHN C. NIMMONEW YORK : LONGMANS, GREEN, 6- CO.

MDCCCXCVII* ^


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Trinted by Ballantvne. Hanson


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CONTENTSA PAGE

S. Adalbert .... 361 .^milian .... 360 Agrippina .... 308 Alban, M., at Mainz 288 Alban, M., at Veru-

1am 294 Aldate of Gloucester 203 Alena 246B. AleydisofScharem-beke 147S. Aloysius Gonzaga . 291 Anectus .... 387 Anthelm of Bellay . 378 Antidius .... 352 Antony of Padua . 181 Aphrodisius . . . 282,, Aquilina . . . .177SS. Ariald and Herlem-

bald 389B. ArnulfofVillars . 488

PACKSS. Aucejas and Luceja 342 Aureus and Justina 221S. Aventine .... 75 Avitus 237

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*- -*VI Contents

S. Calliope ....SS. Cerealis and othersS. Chlodulfof Metz,, Clothilda . . .,, Clotsendis . . . Colman of Dromore,, Columba . . . Corbican . . .,, Crescens . . .

SS. Crescentia andothers . .S. Cunera ....,, Cuno ....SS. Cyriac and Julitta

PAGEn1278223

4867190

373386207154

6219

DDavid 372Deodatus .... 259Dionysius of Bul-garia 385Donatus .... 484Dorotheus of Tyre . 40Dulas 208

EEdward,Translation

of 281Elizabeth of Schoe-

nau 252Emma 461Engelmund . . .291Erasmus .... 20Eskill 171Eusebiusof Ctesarea 2S2Eusebius of Samo-

sata 285Evermund. . . .132

S. Febronia .... 343SS. Felician and Primus 87S. Felicula . . . .176

PAGESS. Felinus and Gratian i Felixand Fortunatus 143 Felix and Maurus . 221S. Felix of Sutri . . . 307,, Florentia .... 279

SS. Fortunatusand Felix 143 Four Martyrs of Ge-rona 78S. Francis Caracciolo. 37

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSPentecost : Descent of the Holy Ghost Frontispiece

After a Picture by Hemmling iri the Museum atMunich.Corpus Christi toface p. i

Frovi the Vienna Missal.

Pentecost : Descent of the Holy Ghost 6S. Clotilda ,,22

After Cahier.

Baptism of Clovis ,,24After a Painting by D. F. Laugi^E.

A Semi-choir of Friars o?i p. igS. Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz . . to face p. 48

From an Engraving in "Images de Saints etSaintes issus de la fainille de I'EmpereurMaximilien Icr."

S. Claudius !> 56After Cahier.

S. Gilbert of Auvergne .... 66S. Medard 80

After Cahier.VOL. VI. '^ b*- ijf


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List of Illustrations xi

S. Bernard of Menthon {see p. 213). . . onp.iiZTailpiece 230SS. Peter and Paul {seeJime loMi) . . . ,,281S. Alban ioface p. 296Nativity of S. John the Baptist . . . o)i p. yi2Zacharias writing the Name of John . toface p. 324

After ]o\\^ D. Ghirt.andago.

S. John bidding Farewell to his Parents 324After Fra Filippo Lippi.

S. John the Baptist in the Desert . ., 326After Campagnola.

S. John baptizing Jesus .... ., 328From a Fresco.

Beheading of S. John the Baptist . . 330The Blinding of S. Solomon . , . . onp. 340S. Sampson Xenodochus {see p. 3S7) . . . 385S. Ladislas ,, 406S. Peter toface p. 418S. Peter cutting off the Ear of MalchusThe Disciples flee away... ,, 420

From a Painting on wood by DuciO, SixteenthCentury, in the Cathedral of Sienna.


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CORPUS CHRISTI.From the Vienna Missal.

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Lives of the SaintsJune 1.

S. NicOMEDE, P.M. at Route, circ. a.d. go {see Sept. 15///).S. Clarus, B.M. at Lectoure in France.^SS. Florentinus and Comp., MM. at Perugia.SS. Gratian and Felinus, MM. nt Perugia.SS. Ammon, Zeno, and Others, MM. at Alexandria, a.d. 249.SS. Reverian, B. and Comp., MM. at Antun, a.d. 272.S. Secundus, M. at Amelia, in Umbria, circ. a.d. 303.S. Pamphilus, P.m., Valens, D.M., and Paul, M. at Casareain Palestine, a.d. 309.S. Caprasius, Ab. ofLerins, circ. a.d. 430.S. Ronan, H. in Brittany, 6th cent,S. WiSTAN, K.M. at Evesham, a.d. 749.S. Symeon, H. at Treves, a.d. 1035.S. Inigo, Ab. at Ogni, near Butgos, in Spain, a.d. 1057.S. CuNO, Archb. Elect of Treves, M, at Tholey, a.d. 1066.S. Peter of Pisa, H. at Montebello, in Umbria, a.d. 1435.

SS. GRATIAN AND FELINUS, MM.(uncertain.)[Roman Maxtyrology, inserted by Baronius in these words : "At

Perugia the holy martyrs Gratian and Felinus, soldiers who, after suffer-ing various tortures under Decius, received the crown of martyrdom."And Baronius quotes as his authority the Acts preserved at Perugia. Buthe laboured under a very serious mistake. The so-called Acts of SS.Gratian and Felinus, used as lections in the Arona Passionale, are ex-tracted from the Acts of SS. Florentinus and Companions, martyrs atPerugia commemorated the same day. But these Acts are in their turn notgenuine ; they are, in fact, the Acts of SS. Secundianus and Comp. (Aug.9th), which have been adapted "by some monk, more pious than learned,"says Henschenius,we should have said " as unscrupulously as ignorantly," by merely altering the names of persons and places so as to make theActs serve for the Perugian martyrs, of whom, therefore, we may con-clude that nothing was known. Consequently the less said about SS.Gratian and Felinus, patrons of Arona, or of SS. Florentinus andCompanions at Perugia, the better. The relics of SS. Gratian andFelinus are now at Arena. Those of S. Florentinus were translated toDouai.j

* The BoUandists suppose that severalperhaps fivesaints of the same namehave been confounded in one, consequently the life of S. Clarus is in inextricableconfusion.

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2 Lives of the Saints. uunei-

SS. PAMPHILUS AND OTHERS, MM.(a.d. 309.)

[Roman Martyrology, together with the Deacon Valens, and Paulusand seven others, MM. But by Usuardus, Ado, Notker, &c., Pamphilusalone, and the others on Feb. i6th. Authority :Eusebius, a friend,perhaps a kinsman of S. Pamphilus. Eusebius says in his Eccl. Hist,that Pamphilus was "a name thrice dear to him," "Pamphilus was aman distinguished above the rest of us by his devotion to the HolyScriptures." Eusebius wrote a separate Ufe of his friend, and refers tothis in his history. The life, which was in three books, has been lost, butMetaphrastes apparently borrowed from it his account of the saint.]

[AINT PAMPHILUS was a native of Berytus,and was of a rich and honourable family. Inhis youth he studied in the famous schools ofhis native town, and attained great proficiency

in every branch of learning then taught. He afterwardsmoved to Alexandria, and became a disciple of Pierius,the scholar of Origen, in the great catechetical school ofAlexandria. He spent large sums in collecting books, andhaving formed an extensive library, bestowed it on theChurch of Csesarea in Palestine, where he took up hisabode, Pamphilus there established a school of sacredliterature, and to his labours the Church was indebted fora correct edition of the Bible, which he transcribed himself.He held Origen in high esteem, and during his imprison-ment wrote an apology for him in five books, of which thefirst is extant in a Latin translation. He also wrote anabridgment or exposition of the Acts of the Apostles,still extant. He was remarkable for his charity to thepoor, his humility of spirit, and his grave austere life. Hewas ordained priest, and his eloquence caused him to beespecially obnoxious to the heathen.

la 307, Urbanus, the governor of Palestine, caused himto be apprehended and cruelly tortured. He was thenconsigned to prison, where he remained nearly two years.

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June I.] ^S. PamphiTus. 3Urbanus was succeeded in the governorship of Palestine

by Firmilian, who caused S. Pamphilus and Valens, anaged deacon of the Church of Jerusalem, and Paul ofJamnia, a devout Christian, to be brought before him.He ordered them all to be racked and then executed.Porphyrius, a slave of S. Pamphilus, then asked thegovernor to be allowed to bury the body of his masterwhen dead. Firmilian asked if he, also, were a Christian,and when Porphyrius admitted that he was, ordered theexecutioners to torment him with their utmost ingenuity.But though his flesh was torn off his bones, and his bowelswere exposed, he did not open his mouth. He finishedhis martyrdom by a slow fire, and died crying upon Jesus,the Son of God. Seleucus, a Cappadocian, for carryingthe news of his slave's victory to Pamphilus, was con-demned to be beheaded with the rest. He had alreadybeen scourged for the faith in 298. Firmilian had in hisfamily a servant named Theodulus, whom he especiallyregarded for his honesty and diligence ; but being informedthat he was a Christian, and had embraced one of themartyrs, he condemned him to be crucified the same day.Julian, a catechumen, for embracing the dead bodies ofthe martyrs in the evening, was burnt over a slow fire. S.Pamphilus, with his companions Valens and Paul, wasbeheaded on the i6th Feb., 309. The bodies of themartyrs were left exposed to be devoured by wild beastsbut were not touched by them, and after four days weretaken away and buried. Eusebius of Csesarea, the his-torian, who has written the life of S. Pamphilus, and whohad been his fellow prisoner, out of respect for his memory,took the surname Pamphili.

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*4 Lives of the Saints. [junei.

S. RONAN, B.H.(6th cent.)

[Venerated in Brittany, and especially at Quimper, There was anotherS. Ronan, first abbot of Drumshallon, in Ireland, who died of the greatplague in the year 665. Another S. Ronan was brother of S, Carnech,who died in 530. Another S. Ronan was a monk, who having learnedabroad the right time for celebrating Easter, endeavoured to fbrce S.Finan, the successor of S. Aidan in the see of Lindisfame, to give up theKeltic rite for the Roman one. Ronan, says Bede III., c. 28, " nequaquaraFinanum emendare potuit ; quia potius, quod esset homo ferocis animi,acerbiorem castigando et apertum veritatis adversarium reddidit." It isnot easy at first sight to determine whether by the "man of ferocious orrough mind" Bede meant Finan or Ronan ; but the phrase "castigando,"used by him to denote Ronan's mode of arguing, a mode very unbecomingtowards a bishop, inclines one to think that he alluded to Ronan, whoappears to have been a bitter (acerrimus) disputant. Colgan says that thisS. Ronan was venerated in Brittany, and he has printed the Acts of theBrittany saint on Jan. 8th, the day on which the Ronan mentioned byBede is venerated. But he made a mistake, the two saints are quitedistinct. Authority : The life of S. Ronan in the Quimper Breviary.In France S. Ronan is called S. Renan.']

S. Ronan, an Irish bishop, left his native island at theend of the 5th century, and came to Leon in Brittany,where he retired into a hermitage in the forest of Nevet.He received Grallo, king of Brittany, in his little cell onmany occasions, as the king loved to spend long hourswith him, hearing him speak and asking him questions.The story told in the Quimper Breviary is that the wife ofthe king, whose name was Queban, one day put her littledaughter, aged five, in a box with bread and milk, whilstshe devoted her time to more agreeable pursuits thanlooking after the children. But the little girl got a crustdown her throat and choked. The queen, in a greatfright, shut up the box and rushed screaming about inquest of her child, who, she pretended, had strayed. Shefound her way to the hermits' cell, where her husband wasconversing on theology with the Irish saint. The woman

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at once began to storm at the hermit for detaining the kingso long from home. " But for you !" exclaimed she, withtruly feminine rapidity of arriving at a conclusion, "mydaughter would not have been lost."

"Fie, bold woman," said S. Ronan ; "tell no morefalsehoods, the child is in a box with a bowl of milk andsome bread at home." And he rose up, and followed bythe king and the queen, sought the palace, where he foundthe damsel, in the box, as he had said. Then Queban wasstoned with stones till she died, and Ronan, casting him-self on his knees, restored the dead girl to life.

S. WISTAN, K.M.(a.d. 749.)

[Anglican Martyrologies. Authorities :William of Malmesbury inhis History and in his Gesta Pontificum. Also a legend given by Cap-grave. ]

WiTLAF, king of Mercia, had a son named Wimund,who had married Elfleda, daughter of Ceolwulf Wimunddied of dysentery before his father, and left a son, Wistan,who was still a child when his grandfather Witlaf died.Bertulf, the brother of Witlaf, at once seized on the throne,but it was necessary to put Wistan, the rightful heir, out ofthe way. Bithfar, the son of Bertulf, accordingly havinggone in quest of the boy, asked him for a kiss, and whilstthe child was kissing him, he struck him on the head withthe haft of his dagger, and a follower ran him through withhis sword. The body, it is pretended, was discovered by acolumn of light standing over it, and it was removed to Reptonand afterwards to Evesham. The place of the murderwas afterwards called Wistanstow.

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^-junsz.] SS. Potkinus & Others.

June 2.SS. PoTHiNUS, B., AND COMH, MM. at Lyons, a.d. 177.SS. Marcellinus, p., Peter, xorcist, Atiu Comp., MM. ai

Rome, circ. A.D. 304.S. Erasmus, B.M. at Gaeta, circ. ad. 304.S. EuGENius I., Po^e 0/Koine, a.d. 657.S. Adalgisl, C. in Picardy, -jth cent.S. Stephen, B.M. at Norrtelge, in Sweden,


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8 Lives of the Saints. [june2.

of God. Their animosity runs so high, that we are notonly driven from private houses, from the baths andpublic places, but even forbidden to show ourselves atall. But the grace of God, which overmasters all thepowers of hell, hath rescued the weak from the danger,and from the temptation of the fiery trial, and exposedsuch only to the combat as are strong."

At first the people attacked them in a tumultuousmanner, struck them, dragged them about the streets,threw stones at them, plundered them. But afterwardsthey proceeded more regularly. The tribune and themagistrates of the town ordered them to appear in thepublic place where they were examined before the popu-lace, made a glorious confession of their faith, and thenwere sent to prison, where they were to wait the arrival ofthe governor. When the judge came to town, they werecarried before him, and used with so much cruelty, thatVettius Epagathus, one of the number, fired with a holyresentment at their treatment, desired to be heard on thatsubject "He was full of the love of God and his neigh-bour; a man so virtuous, that, though young, he maybe said, like Zacharias, to have walked in all the com-mandments blameless. He undertook the defence of theinjured brethren; and promised to show that the Christianswere guilty of no impious practices. But the crowd brokeinto noisy and tumultuous opposition ; and the governor,determined not to grant him that reasonable request,interrupted him, by asking whether he was a Christian.Upon his boldly declaring his faith, he was ranked amongthe martyrs, with the additional title of The Advocateof the Christians ; which, indeed, was justly his due. Andnow it was easy to distinguish between such as camehither well prepared for the trial, and resolved to sufferall extremities, and such as were not. The former finished

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has shown us that those whom men despise, and whosecondition places them below the regard of the world, areoften raised to the highest honours by Almighty God onaccount of their ardent love for Him. She was of so weaka constitution, that we were all alarmed for her, and hermistress, one of the martyrs, was full of apprehension lestshe should not have the courage and resolution to makean open confession of her faith. But Blandina was somightily assisted and strengthened, that she bore all thetorments her executioners, who relieved each other, couldply her with from break of day till night ; they ownedthemselves conquered, protested they had no more torturesin reserve, and wondered how she could live after whatshe had endured at their hands. The frequent repetitionof these words, "I am a Christian, no wickedness istransacted among us :" took off the edge of her pains, andmade her appear insensible to all she suffered.

" The deacon Sanctus, too, endured most exquisite tor-ments, with more than human patience. The heathensindeed hoped these severities would at last force someunbecoming expressions from him ; but he bore up withsuch resolution that he would not so much as tell them hisname, his country, or station in the world ; and to everyquestion they put to him, answered in Latin, "I am aChristian :" nor could they get any other answer fromhim. The governor, and the persons employed in tor-menting the martyrs, were highly incensed at this ; and,having already tried all other arts of cruelty, they appliedhot plates of brass to the tenderest parts of his body : but,supported by the powerful grace of God, he still persistedin the profession of his faith. His body was so coveredwith wounds and bruises, that it was shapeless. Christ,who suffered in him, made him a glorious instrument forconquering the adversary, and a standing proof to others,

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^- *June a.] 6"vS. PotkuLUS & OtkeVS. I Ithat there is no ground for fear where the love of theFather dwells. Some days after, the martyr was broughton the stage again, for the pagans imagined, that as hiswhole body being so sore and inflamed, and he could notbear to be touched, it would now be an easy matter toovercome him by a repetition of the same cruelties ; or, atleast, that he must expire under their hands, and thusstrike a horror into the other Christians. But theysucceeded in neither of these objects; for, to the amaze-ment of all, his body under the latter torments recoveredits former strength and shape, and the perfect use of all hislimbs was restored : so that by this miracle of the grace ofJesus Christ, what was designed as an additional pain,proved an absolute and effectual cure. The devil thoughthimself secure of Biblis, one of the unhappy persons whohad renounced the faith ; and desirous to enhance herguilt and punishment by a false impeachment, caused herto be arraigned, believing it would be no hard matter tobrmg one so weak and timorous to accuse us of impieties.But the force of the torments had a very different effectupon her; they awakened her, as it were, out of a pro-found sleep ; and those transitory pains turned herthoughts upon the everlasting torments of hell. So that?contrary to what was expected of her, she broke out intothe expostulation, " How can it be imagined that theyshould feed upon children, whose religion forbids themeven to taste the blood of beasts ?"i From that momentshe publicly confessed herself a Christian, and was rankedamongst the martyrs. The most virulent torments beingthus rendered ineffectual by the patience of the martyrs,and the power of Jesus Christ, the devil had recourse toother devices. They were thrown into a dark and loath-

1 These Christians still observed the law of abstaining from eating blood,enacted by the Apostles, Acts xv. 20.

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They were distinguished from the others by their verylooks : when the martyrs appeared, it was easy to dis-cover cheerfulness and majesty blended in their faces :their very chains appeared graceful, and seemed morelike the ornaments of a bride than the marks of male-factors. But those who had basely deserted the causeof Christ, appeared gloomy and downcast. The verypagans reproached them with faint-heartedness for re-nouncing their principles. This sight had a happy in-fluence on several, strengthened them in their profession,and defeated all the attempts the devil could make ontheir constancy. After this, a great variety of torments wastried on the martyrs ; and thus they offered to the eternalFather a sort of chaplet, or crown, composed of every kindof flowers of different colours ; for it was fit that thesecourageous champions, who gained such glorious victoriesin so great variety of engagements, should receive thecrown of immortality. A day was set when the publicwas to be entertained at the expense of their lives, andMaturus, Sanctus, Blandina, and Attains were brought outto be thrown to the beasts for the diversion of theheathens. Maturus and Sanctus being conducted into theamphitheatre, were made to pass through the same tor-ments, as if they had not before felt the force of them,and looked like champions, who had worsted the adversaryseveral times, and were just entering on the last trial oftheir courage. Again they felt the scourges, and weredragged about by the beasts as before ; and, in short, theysuffered every torment the incensed multitude werepleased to call for. Presently all joined in asking that themartyrs should be put into the red-hot iron chair. Thiswas granted ; and the noisome smell of their roasted fleshdid not in any way abate their rage. They could extortnothing more from Sanctus than his former confession ;

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had died in prison were thrown to thj dogs, and astrict guard was kept, day and night, to prevent ourcarrying them off. The remains of the other martyrs, suchas the beasts or the fire had spared, their scattered half-burnt Hmbs, the heads and trunks, were carefully laidtogether, and watched by the soldiers several days. Somefoamed and gnashed their teeth at the sight of these relics,expressing their eager desire to inflict more exquisitetorments upon them ; while others laughed and scoffedat the martyrs, extolling their own idols, ascribing to themthe punishment of their enemies. Even those who hadbehaved themselves with most moderation, and felt somecompassion for their sufferings, could not forbear reproach-ing them now, by asking, Where is their God ? What haththis religion availed them, which they have preferred to lifeitself? These were the dispositions of the heathens onthis occasion, while we were most sensibly afflicted that wecould not bury our brethren. The soldiers were always onthe guard, not to be gained by entreaty or money, andtook care to keep the bodies unburied. The martyrs'bodies lay tlius exposed six days, and then were burnt toashes, and thrown into the Rhone, that no part of themmight remain above ground. This they did, as if they hadbeen superior to God, and could thereby have preventedthe resurrection, the hope of which, as they observed, hadanimated the martyrs. Let us now see, said the heathens,if they will ever return again to life, and whether their Godcan save them, and deliver them out of our hands."The dungeons in which S. Pothinus, S. Blandina, and

the other blessed martyrs were immured, are shownbeneath the venerable church of the Abbey of Ainay, atLyons. They are gloomy cells without light or air, belowthe bed of the river. The apertures by which they areentered are so low that the visitor is obliged to creep into

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*- -^June a.] 6'6'. Marcellinus & Comp. 19them upon hands and knees. They adjoin a crypt whichwas used as a chapel until the Revolution. Traces ofRoman work are there distinctly seen, and the walls arecovered with modern frescoes of the martyrs, and the floorlaid with fresh mosaics. It has been restored to use.

SS. MARCELLINUS, P., AND COMP., MM.(about a.d 304.)

[Roman and most other Latin Martyrologies. Authority :Theancient Acts, written after the time of Pope Dimasns (d. 384), wlioseepitaph on the mirtyrs is quoted. Damasus is said, when a boy, to haveheard the account of the martyrdom from the man who executed them.This man's name was Dorotheus, and on his conversion in his old age, hewas bapiized by Pope JuHus I. (d. 352.) The Acts are no doubt foundedon the popular remembrance of what this man related. Some of theincidents are evident exaggerations, but they occur in that part of thestory with the facts of which Dorotheus was not personally acquainted.The conversations are, of course, embellishments by the writer of theActs.]

S. Marcellinus was a priest, and Peter an exorcist atRome, who were imprisoned by order of Serenus, themagistrate. In prison Peter converted his jailor Arthemius,his wife, and daughter Paulina, and they were baptized byS. Marcellinus. Serenus ordered the jailor, his wife, anddaughter, to be crushed to death. Marcellinus and Peterwere sent with executioners into a solitary place that theymight die and be buried without witnesses. Marcellinusand the exorcist were bidden first clear of brambles andnettles the ground where they were to be laid. Thisthey cheerfully did, and then their heads were struck off.Their place of sepulture was however divulged, probablyby Dorotheus, the executioner, who afterwards became aChristian, and the bodies were removed to the Catacombof S. Tiburtius, on the Via Lavicana.The relics were afterwards removed to Germany, to the

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S. CLOTILDA. After Cahier.


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S. CLOTHILDA, Q.(about A.D. 540.)

[Roman and Gallican Maiiyrologies. Authority : Gregory of Tours,in his History ol the Franks, and Fredegar.]GoNDECAR, king of Burgundy, was killed in battle

against Attila, king of the Huns, and left four sonsGundebald, Chilperic, Gondemar, and Gondegisl. Thesebrothers divided Burgundy between them, but Chilpericand Gondemar combined to expel their brothers fromBurgundy. But Gundebald raising an army defeated them,burnt Gondemar in his castle, and killed Chilperic,his wife and sons, leaving only the two daughters alive,Sedelenda and Clothilda. Sedelenda entered a nunnery,but Clothilda was brought up in the palace of Gundebald.

In the midst of a fierce people, at a time when war wasthe constant occupation of princes, a gentle spirit mustneeds flee for refuge to religion as a port of tranquillity.Clothilda grew up full of piety and tenderness to sufferers.About the year 492 she was married to Clovis, king ofthe Franks, a heathen. Their first son was baptized, butdying shoitly after, the king attributed it to his baptism.A second son was born, and she persuaded him to allow itto be also baptized. He consented with hesitation, andthe child received the name of Clodomir at the sacredfont. Shortly after it fell ill, and the king was furious."This comes of your holy water!" he said. Clothildaprayed fervently, and obtained the life of the child. Afterthis she had a daughter who received her name, and wasmarried to Amalaric, king of the Visigoths.The gentle influence of Clothilda was daily softening theprejudices of her husband, and breakmg down the barriers

which prevented his conversion. But it was not to be inthe palace, but in the battle-field, that the warlike king

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^. __ ^24 Lives of the Saints. [June 3.would yield. The Franks and the Alemanni met in battleat Tolbiac. The Franks were worsted, and were flying,when Clovis thought of the God of Clothilda. Raising hishand to heaven he renounced Thorr and Odin, and vowedthat if he gained the victory, he would be baptized andbecome a Christian. The tide of battle turned ; the Ale-manni were routed, their king slain, and to preserve them-selves from annihilation, hailed Clovis as their sovereign.

Clothilda, without loss of time, sent the glad tidings toS. Remigius, bishop of Rheims. Clovis still hesitated, tillhe could consult his people. The obsequious warriorsdeclared their readiness to be of the same religion as theirking. To impress the minds of the barbarians, the bap-tismal ceremony was performed with the utmost pomp;the church was hung with embroidered tapestry and whitecurtains ; odours of incense like airs of Paradise werediffused around, and the building blazed with countlesslights. When the new Constantine knelt in the font,"Fierce Sicambrian," said the bishop, "gently bow thyneck : burn what thou hast adored, and adore what thouhast burned."

Three thousand Franks followed the example of Clovis.During one of the subsequent religious instructions, thebishop dwelt on the events of the Passion. " Hah !"exclaimed Clovis, "had I and my faithful Franks beenthere, the Jews had not dared to do it."At that time Clovis the Frank was the only orthodox

sovereign in Christendom. The Emperor Anastasius layat least under the suspicion of favouring the Eutychianheresy. The Ostrogoth Theodoric in Italy, the Visigothand Burgundian kings in France, the Suevian in Spain, theVandal in Africa, were Arians. The sincerity of Clovisin his conversion, has been controverted, and it has beenthought that there was in it something of political calcu-

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BAPTISM or CLOVIS.After a Pamtmg by D. F. Laugee. June 3.


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June 3.] ^S. Clothilda. 25

lation. But in looking closely, the hypothesis fails, a greatstruggle is discoverable in this barbarian, held back by hispagan superstitions, but attracted by Christian light andcivilization. The gods, from whom he beUeves himself tobe lineally descended, awe him, and he attributes to theiranger the death of his first-born. He hesitates to abandonthem for this new God, " this unarmed God, who is not ofthe race of Thorr and Odin," as he said. He also dreadedhis people, and he desired their consent. Nevertheless,the hopes of subjugating all Gaul held out to him as theprice of his abjuration, touched him, and the peril ofTolbiac decided him. Yet we must not forget the longused influence of his gentle wife, and the theological dis-cussions he held, of which if Gregory of Tours alters theexpressions, he at all events proves the existence. Onemust remember the testimony of Nicetius of Treves, when,in addressing the grand-daughter of Clovis, he wrote toher, "You have learnt from your ancestress Clothilda, ofhappy memory, how she drew to the faith her lordly hus-band, and how that he, a man of keen thought, would notyield till he was convinced of the truth." Clovis nowturned his arms against Alaric, king of the Arian Visigoths,who occupied a large portion of the south of Gaul. Thewar assumed a religious character, and when Clovis sentto the tomb of S. Martin at Tours, to ask for some omenof victory, the messengers entered the minster as themonks were singing " Thou hast girded me with strengthunto the battle ; thou shalt throw down mine enemiesunder me" (Ps. xviii. 39). A marvellous hind shows theFranks the ford across the river; and when Clovis isencamped before Poitiers, a flaming meteor hangs abovethe royal pavilion. Later, the invasion of Burgundy iscoloured with the same religious motives. Clovis fights toextend at once the kingdom of Christ and of himself.

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^- -'^June 3.] vS. Kevin. 29

save for the birds wliich fluttered singing around him, andperched on his shoulders.When far advanced in years he meditated a long pil-grimage, but was dissuaded by Carbhan, a hermit, who said

drily, " Birds do not hatch eggs whilst on the wing."Coemgen took the hint, and remained at Glendaloughperfecting his institutions, and extending them into dif-ferent places. When he felt his end approach, he receivedthe holy Viaticum from S. Mochnorog, a Briton, who had acell to the east of Glendalough, and died June 3rd, 618.

A Semi-clioir of Friars.

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* ^June 4.] 6". Quirmus. 31

find you wherever you were ? And He whom you callGod could not save you from falling into our hands nordeliver you out of t^iem now you are in them."Quirinus" The God whom we adore is ever presentwith us, to help in time of need. He was with me when Iwas taken, He is with me now, and He speaks to youthrough my mouth."Maximus"You talk much, and delay the execution of

the orders. Read the divine edicts, and comply with whatthey enjom."Quirinus" I pay no heed to these injunctions, becausethey are impious, and contrary to the commands of God,requiring us to sacrifice to imaginary divinities. The Godwhom I serve is everywhere ; He is in heaven and earthand sea. He is above all things, containing everything inHimself, and by Him and in Him all created thingssubsist."Maximjis^^ 0\A age has weakened your understanding,and you are deluded with idle tales. Obey and throw alittle incense on the fire to the gods, and you will be re-warded ; refuse, and expect torments and death."

Quirinus"What you threaten me with I count asgreat glory, and death will open to me eternal life. I willoffer no incense to demons, for I know well the altar ofmy God, on which I have often sacrificed oblations ofsweet savour."Maximus"Your craze is driving you to destruction.

Once for allWill you sacrifice to the Gods?"Quirinus"No. It is written 'the gods of the heathen

are but devils.'"The governor then said, "You shall be beaten withclubs, and if you persist in your obstinacy, I shall send

you to Amantius, governor of Pannonia Prima, for acapital sentence."


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146 Lives of the Saints. yun^n.

S. MACRA, V.M.(about A.D, 297.)

[Gallican Martyrologies on Jan. 6th. As this day is the Epiphany, thecommemoration of S. Marca is generally transferred. But on this day atFere-en-Tardenols in the department of Ai;ne, the translation of thearm of the saint from Fismes. Authority :The Acts in lections of theBreviary of Rheims.]

S. Macra was a wealthy and beautiful virgin who livednear the present city of Rheims, brought up by Christianparents. Rictiovarus carried out in Gaul the edict ofpersecution issued by Diocletian and Maximian. Macrawas denounced to him, and was brought before histribunal. " Know, tyrant !" she exclaimed, when placed onthe rack, " that you cannot pluck my faith from my heart.Jesus Christ is my all-in-all, He is my treasure, my life, mybliss, my capitol, my temple, my altar, and nothing canseparate me from Him."

She was taken off the rack and taken back to prison.Rictiovarus having moved to Fismes, she was conductedthere to hear her final sentence, and finding her stillconstant, he ordered her breasts to be cut off". After theexecution of this horrible sentence she was taken back toprison. During the night an old man, moved with com-passion, obtained access to her prison, and offered toanoint her wounds with a restorative ointment, but shedeclined his kindness, saying that she was quite ready toendure all the sufferings that were laid upon her, as draw-ing her nearer to her suffering Lord. Next day she wasthrown on a bed of red-hot coals, and died thereon.The head and other relics of S. Macra are preserved

at Fismes, her arm at Fere-en-Tardenois, and to the latterplace a pilgrimage is made on June nth.

In art S. Macra appears with her breasts on a plate.

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-^June II.] B. Aleydis. 147

B. ALEYDIS OF SCHAREMBEKE, V.(a.d. 1250.)[Belgian Martyrolojies, also the Martyrology of the Cistercian Order.

Authority :A life by a Cistercian, and a coniemporary.JThe blessed Aleydis of Scharembeke entered the

Cistercian Order at the age of seven, and lived in theconvent of Cambre, near Brussels. She devoted heraffections from earliest childhood to God. A sudden andterrible blow fell on her. She was attacked with leprosy.When the honible doubt which had assailed her at thefirst indications of the disease were changed into convic-tion that she was struck with that loathsome and incurabledisorder, the shock was almost beyond what she couldbear. She was obliged to live in a cell apart from all thesisters, to hold no communication with them, and to bealone in the world. When she entered for the first timethe lone cellremoved from the convent, where she wasto live and die, she burst forth into a cry of uncontrollableagony, and flung herself on the ground, but was caughtand held up ; then shuddering she opened her eyes andlooked, and One was staying her in His arms, whose faceshe knew, there was a wreath of thorns around Histemples, and there were nail-prints in His hands and feet." My child," said He, " I shall never leave thee norforsake thee."

She was not allowed to communicate of the preciousBlood, lest by touching the chalice with her lips, she mightcommunicate the contagion of her disorder to the othersisters.^ This was to her another grievous distress, for shecraved for the Blood with burning desire, and was incon-

1 " Postea pr2e ceteris, causa infirmitatis suae, a calice et Sanguine Domini secerneret amoveri (nam leprosis propter morbi perlculum, ne accedant ad Sang-uinem, est interdictum) ccepLt non modicum contristari."

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*June, 2.] 6^6'. Basiltdes & Conip. 145

June 12.SS. Basilides and Comp., MM. at Rome, circ. a.d. 296;S. Nazarius, M. at Rome.S. Maximus, M.B. of Naples, circ. 358,S. Onuphrius, H. in Egypt, 4th or i,th cent.S. TsRNAN, B. nf thi; Picts, in Scotlmd, a.d. 431.S. Pktkr, H. on Moun t Athos, before 8th cent.S. Cuneka, A'.V/. at Rhenen, in Holland.S. Leo III., Pope of Rome, a.d. 8i6.SS. MaRINus, ZiMius, and ViMius, Mks. at Griestadt, in Ba-varia,

nth cent.S. EsKiLL, M.B. of StreKgnas, in Stveden, nth cent.S, JoH.v OF Sagahun, C. at Salamanca, a.d. 1479.

SS. BASILIDES AND COMP., MM.(about a.d. 296.)

[Roman Martyrology, Bede, Usuardus, Ado, &c. These saints areBasilides, Cyrinus, Nabor and Nazarius ; bnt there are others, Basilides,Distrus, Polmachus, Zabinus, and others, MM. at Rome, commemoratedalso on this day in some Martyrologies, and with distinct Acts, thoughnot ancient. Sometimes the two Basilides are made into one, and thetwo groups of saints confounded into one, sometimes those from onegroup have found their way into the other. The perplexity is great, andthe Acts of both companies have been similarly n>ixed. The BreviaryLessons partake in the errors and confusion. After giving the lessons,Henschen and Papebroeck, the Bollandists, say : "Si antiquitus eademinvenirentur scripta, neminem futurum credo, cui talis narratio foret defictione suspecta ; sed cum ex Actis mox prcducendis appareat ruinosumtotius narrationis fundamentum esse, non potest firmum censeri quodsuperextructum est, quantavis verosimilitudinus specie niteat, dum in eoomittuntur omnia quae offendere possunt.'' .... " Hactenus Acta, nuncquidem in Breviario, satis ad speciem commode depurata, ut dixi ; sedhuic ipsi fidem minuentia, quam illud seorsim spectatum deberet obtinere;dum ex Actis cum ipso collatis apparet, quod non exiguas fidei nar-rationem prae oculis habuerit Petrus de Natalibus, scribens epitomenillam, unde postea sumptae quas nunc habemus Lectiones, quod tamenharum Auctores inculpabiliter latuit. Potuit quidem Petrus omittendoprudenter, ut rel atur, circumstantias et adjuncta prorsus inverosimilia ;sed non potuit sic efficere, ut assent in seipsis certiora toto, unde hausta

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f _ ,J,150 Lives of the Saints. [junen.sunt, textu." Papebroeck only hesitated to print above the Acts the titleof "Apocryphal," because offence had been given by the BoUandistFathers having headed the Apocryphal Acts of S. Venantius, May 14th,"Fabulous Acts," the Breviary Lections being taken from them.]

[AINTS BASILIDES, Cyrinus, Nabor, andNazarius, Roman soldiers, are said by theApocryphal Acts, on the persecution of Dio-cletian breaking out in the West, to have

escaped to the East, but their consciences reproachingthem, they returned to Italy, to their native province of" Aurelia," in a boat manned by angels. On their arrival,they were brought before Aurelius, proctor of the provinceof Aurelia, who ordered them to prison, where theyconverted their jailor. They were then sent to theEmperor Maximian, who after having tried them withvarious tortures, ordered them to be decapitated. Thebodies of SS. Nabor and Nazarius were given by PopePaul I. to the abbeys of S. Hilaire and Lorsch. But thebody of S. Nabor, together with those of SS. Basilides andCyrinus are claimed by the church of S. Celsus, at Milan.

S. ONUPHRIUS, H.(4TH OR 5TH CENT.)

[By the Greeks and Russians on this day, and inserted by Baronius onthis day in the Roman Martyrology. Authority :A v ry curiousaccount by Paphnutius, the abbot, who made a journey into the wilder-ness of Egypt, and on his return gave an account of his journeyto his monks, his interview with Onuphrius, and the sayings otthe hermit. All which, as he dictated, his monks took down in writing.It is not very clear what Paphnutius this was, whether Paphnutius thehermit who converted Thais the harlot, and who lived near Thebes, or heof the same name, abbot of the monastery which received S. Euphrosyne,or another Paphnutius commended by Palladius ; or again the Paph-nutius who was disciple of S. Macarius, or whether it was another alto-gether. Another version of the same journey is found in the Lives of the

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-*June I2.J ^. Onuphrius. 1 5 iFathers of the Desert, without the name of Paphnutius, not in the samewords, yet relating the same incidents with slight variations. This isperhaps another of the accounts written by one of the monks of Paph-nutius. And it is also possible that this is tlie basis of the " Peregri.nation," which is an amplification. There are so many improbabilitiesin the latter, that it is impossible to accept it as it stands.]

Paphnutius, an abbot in Lower Egypt, went a pilgrim-age into the desert to see how the hermits who Uved mdesolate places were serving God. And after many days'journey he found a cave in a barren and dry land, whereinlay a dead hermit, and he knew not his name. And whenhe touched him, he crumbled into dust, and his sheepskinthat hung against the side of the cave, in like manner fellto dust on being handled. Then Paphnutius stripped offhis own coat, and folded in it the bones of the ancienthermit, and scratched up the sand in the cave, and laidhim there. After that he went further into the wilds andfound a cave, and traces about it, as though it had beeninhabited, but none was there. So he opened his psalterand waited. Now when the sun set, he saw a monkcoming over the waste towards the cave, driving- a herd ofoxen. And when the monk opened his door and came in,and saw a man, he was aghast, thinking he beheld a spirit,and he stood still and prayed. But Paphnutius said," Fear not, servant of Jesus Christ." Then the hermitcame in, and told Paphnutius his story, and why he wasnow alone in the wilderness. And after a while Paphnutiusleft him, and plunged deeper still into the desert, andafter seventeen days he saw a man covered with hair,having only an apron of palm-leaves, and his aspect was sohorrible, that Paphnutius thought he saw a satyr, and heran up the side of a mountain. But the man called tohim, " Come down to me, man of God, for I am a manalso, dwelling in the desert for the !ove of God."Then Paphnutius came down and fell at his feet, but

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the hermit raised him, and said, " Arise, my son, lor thoualso, I perceive, art a father of the saints." Then theabbot arose, and the desert-dweller told him all his history." My name is Onuphrius, and I have spent sixty years inthe wilderness, wandering among the rocks like a wildbeast, and feeding on herbs and fruit." Then he said howhe had been a monk in the Thebaid, but had left themonastery, because he longed to be alone with God, andfar away in the desert he found an old hermit who in-structed him in the rudiments of the eremitical life, andafter that they separated, and met only once a year till theold hermit who had instructed him died.Then Paphnutius asked Onuphrius how he managed

about communicating on every Sabbath and Lord's Uay.The old man told him that an angel came through thedesert on the last day of the week, and also on the firstday, to give the Blessed Sacrament to the dwellers in theremote solitudes.Then Paphnutius and Onuphrius ate together in the

cell of the latter, which was shaded by a large date-palm,and they prayed together till late, and then slept. Nowwhen they rose in the morning Paphnutius saw that achange had come over the countenance of Onuphrius, andthat he was evidently dying. The old hermit, noticinghis anxious looks, said, "Fear not. I am going the wayof all flesh, and God has sent thee hither to bury me."Ihen followed a conversation, which is curious, and

which even if not authentic, yet exhibits the belief of theearly Christians in the invocation and intercession of thesaints.

Onuphrius said, " Do thou, my brother, when thoureturnest to Egypt, call for a memorial of me like incense,in the midst of the brethren and of the whole Christianpeople. For if any one in my name, and in memorial of


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me, shall offer aught to the Lord our God, he shall benumbered among the elect, and shall be released fromtemptation. This is what I have besought of the Lord.And if any one shall give food to one of the brethren, orto a beggar, in my name, I will be mindful of that manbefore our God in the day of judgment, and he will enterinto eternal life."Then said Paphnutius, "But what if a poor man have

nothing to offer, or have food wherewith to feed a beggar,in thy name, will he be without thy benediction ?"

Onuphrius answered, " If any one shall offer incense inmy name to the Lord, he will receive the same advantage."

Paphnutius said, " But if he be too poor to provideincense ?"Then Onuphrius made answer, " If there be any too

poor to offer incense, or make any oblation, then let himarise and pour forth his prayer to the Almighty God, andlet him recite the holy creed in memorial of me, and I willbe mindful of that man, and I will pray for him, that hemay inherit eternal blessedness."Then said Paphnutius, " Would that when thou art

dead I might tarry here, in thy cell after thee."But Onuphrius answered, " That may not be, thy work

is in Egypt with thy brethren. Return therefore thitherand tarry there till God doth call thee."Then Paphnutius fell at his feet and said, " Bless me, O

father, that I may obtain mercy of the Lord, and that as Ihave been found worthy to entreat thee here, so may I beworthy to do so in future."And Onuphrius blessed him, saying, " Dear brother

Paphnutius, the Lord my God will not forsake thee,because of thy petition, but will bless thee and confirmthee in His love. He will enlighten thine eyes, that thoumayest see His goodness; He will deliver thee from all

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the snares and assaults of the devil, and will finish in theethe good work that thou hast begun. May His angelsprotect thee in the terrible day of the Lord !" And thenthe old man knelt down and said, "Into Thy hands, OLord, I commend my spirit," and he bowed his face to theground, and was dead.

But when Paphnutius saw that he was dead, he took offthe tunic he had upon him, and tore it in half, and withhalf he clothed the dead hermit, and he made a grave, andburied him. And lo ! the date palm drooped and diedalso. So Paphnutius knew that it was God's will that heshould leave that spot, and he returned into Egypt, andtold what he had seen.

S. CUNERA.(date uncertain.)

[Venerated in the diocese of Utrecht. Molanus in his additions toUsuardus. Cologne and Lubek Martyrologies, Saussaye in his GallicanMartyrology, &c. Authorities :The legend of S. Cunera in the lessonsfor the church at Rhenen, and other versions, all founded on populartradition, and all utterly worthless.]The legend of S. Cunera is a wonderful combination of

improbabilities and impossibilities, and it is not practicablefor any one to say what a foundation of truth may underliethe fabulous character which the story now presents.According to the household tale which was adopted aslections for the festival at Rhenen, "there is a certain partof Europe, according to Isidore, called the Orcades,consisting of thirty-three islands, which were governed bya king of Orkney, but now by the king of England, inwhich land is a great royal city, anciently called Orcada,but now Jork (York?)" In this city reigned KingAurelius, who marched at the head of his armies in

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i"ne3] 6'. Gerard. 179

B. GERARD, MK.(a.d. 1 138.)

[Gallican Martyrologies. Authority :A life written by Conrad ofEberbach, monk of Clairvaux, about the year 1180 ; also the letters of S.Bernard.]The Blessed Gerard, cellarer of Clairvaux, was the

second brother of S. Bernard. The future abbot of Clair-vaux endeavoured to persuade him to follow him intosolitude, but Gerard refused. "I know," said Bernard,"that adversity alone will open thine understanding to thetruth. The day will come and draws nigh when that sideof thine will be pierced, and the wound will open a wayto grace to enter thine heart, and lead thee to follow me."Not long after, Gerard was wounded at the siege of

Grancey, and taken prisoner. Thinking that he would notlive, he sent for Bernard, but Bernard would not go tohim, saying, "The wound is not mortal, nay rather it willbring him to life." Gerard recovered, and escaping fromprison, placed himself under his brother's direction.

S. Bernard was preaching on the Canticles when hisbrother died. He broke off suddenly, and in the pathetic20th sermon poured forth the grief that consumed hisheart, "My sons, be well assured my grief is just, mywound is to be pitied. Ye see how my faithful comradehas deserted me in the way we were treading together.How watchful, how diligent, how sweet he was ! Who ismore necessary to me ? to whom was I dearer ? A brotherby blood, he was more than a brother in religion. I wasinfirm in body, and he held me up; feeble-hearted, andhe cheered me ; slothful, and he stimulated me ; forgetful,and he reminded me. How hast thou been torn from me,from my hands, man of one mind with me, man after myown heart ? We loved each other in life, how is it thai

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J< ^182 Lives of the Saints. [luneij.

the coast of Sicily, and he disembarked at Messina.There, hearing that the great S. Francis, founder of hisorder, was holding a chapter at Assisi, he hasted thither,hoping to assist at the chapter and see that great saint.On his arrival, the chapter was concluded, but he saw andreceived the blessing of S. Francis. Then he soughtadmission into one of the convents of the order in Italy,but not one of the guardians present at Assisi would receivehim, because of his sickly appearance. At last a guardianof the Romagna province had compassion on him, andsent him to the hermitage of S. Paolo, near Bologna, wherea few Minorites resided. There he was made to serve inthe kitchen, and no one suspected the talents and learningof the pale sickly young friar. But one day the Bishop ofForli was holding an ordination there, and there werepresent a great many Dominicans. There had been amisunderstanding about who was to preach on the occa-sion ; the Franciscan superior naturally considered that theDominicanswhose sj^ecial vocation was the pulpitwouldpreach. But the Dominicans excused themselves, sayingthat they had come quite unprepared, and had supposedthat the guardian had made arrangements that one of hisown friars should preach. The guardian was perplexed,he had no one in the little convent fit to mount the pulpit,and as a make-shift he fell back on Antony, who, as hecould see, had more natural intelligence and polish thanthe other friars, who were from a low rank, and somewhatrough and uncouth. Antony exclaimed that his properwork was washing up dishes and scrubbing the floors, butthe superior overruled his objections, and before thebishop, the critical Dominicans, and his companions anxiousand uneasy, Antony appeared in the pulpit. But no soonerhad he delivered his text, and introduced his subject, thanthe attention of everyone was arrested. His face lighted

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-*June 13.] 6'. Antony of Padua. 189on its knees before the Host. The mule had broken itshalter and escaped from the stable.

This incident has caused the mule to be regarded as anemblem of the Saint, and appears in representations of S.Antony, kneeling at his side. But perhaps the Saint ismost generally represented with the infant Jesus in hisarms.

S. Antony is iavoked for the recovery of things thathave been lost, and by travellers. He is patron of Flemishmen, and of the city of Padua,

S. Antony of Padua. The eelf-mutilation inflicted by one of his penitents (after Catiei)

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relieved of the irksom: presence of the prior by the deathof the latter.Before he died, the monks of Lindisfarne and Colding-ham came to visit him. He was asked where he wouldlike to be buried, and he replied that he wished to liein that wild, wave-beaten islet. A few days before hisend, there was a sound in the ante-room of his cell "as ofmice dancing," and on the roof " as of sparrows creepingabout with their beaks and claws." Something black felldown behind the monk who was nursing the sick hermit,so that he nearly fainted with terror. He died after hehad spent more than forty-two years in the island, whichhe rendered fragrant with his virtues.

The Blinding of 8. Solomon (June 25th).

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June 25.] 6'S. Sosipater and Jason. 341

June 25.SS. Sosipater and Jason, Disciples ofS. Paul, zsi cent.S. Mnaason, 0/ Cyprus, Disciple of Christ, ist cent, (see July x'iih).SS. LuCEjA, V.M., AND Aucejas, K.M. at Rome, a.d. 301.S. Fedronia, V.M. in Mesopotamia, circ. a.d. 304.S. GallicANUS, M. in Egypt, a.d. 362.S. Antidius, B. of Besaitcon, circ. A.n. 411.S. Maximus, B. of Turin, circ. a.d. 466.S. Prosper, ofAquitain, C. at Ricz, a.d. 455.S. Prosper, B. ofReggio in ISIodena, about $th cent.S. Tygris, V. at S. fean-de-Maurienne, 6th cent,S. MoLACH, B. in Ross, jtk cent.S. jEmilian, M.B. ofNantes, circ. a.d. 726.SS. Peter and Febronia, Prince and Princess, aftenvaids

religious, in Russia.^S. Adalbert, D. at Egmond in Holland, Wi ant.S. William, ofMonte Virgine, Ab. in Italy, a.d. 1142.B. Henry Zdek, B. of Olmutz in Moravia, a.d. 1151.S. Solomon, K.I\I. in Brittany, a.d. 874.B. John of Spain, Prior in Savoy, a.d. 1160.Ven. Bertha, Reel, at Utrecht, a.d. 1514.

SS. SOSIPATER AND JASON.(iST CENT.)

[Greek Menology and Menaea ; Roman Martyrology, S. Sosipater ofBeroea alone, Ado, Usuardus, Notker names S. Sosipater only. But t^.Jason in the Roman Martyrology on July 12th. Authority :The accountsin the Menology and Menoea.J

AINTS SOSIPATER and Jason are mentionedby S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, xvi.21, as his kinsmen, and Jason is spoken of inthe Acts of the Apostles, xvii. 4. When S.

Paul was preaching in Thessalonica, a tumult arose, andthe multitude surrounded the house of Jason, where theybelieved S. Paul had taken refuge ; and when they couldnot find him, they drew Jason before the magistrates,

1 In the Rnssian Kalendar, date uncertain.


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^ ^350 Lives of the Saints. rj'meaj." My Lord ! My God ! see what I suffer, and receive mysoul into Thy hands." These were the last words shespoke.

" Cut off the other breast, and put fire to the wound,"said Selenus. He was obeyed. The mob swayed andquivered with indignation, and with a roar broke forth inexecration, " Cursed be Diocletian and all his gods !"Then Hieria and Thomais sent a girl running to the

convent to Bryene to tell her all. And the old abbessflung herself on the ground sobbing, " Bra ! bra ! bra !Febronia, my child !" then raising her arms and strainingeyes to heaven she cried, " Lord, regard thy humble hand-maiden, Febronia, and may my aged eyes see the workaccomplished, the battle fought, and my child numberedwith the martyrs.

In the meantime Selenus had ordered the cords to beremoved which bound Febronia to the stake. Then shefell in a heap on the sand, and her long hair flowed over,and clothed her bleeding body.

Primus said under his breath to Lysimachus, " The pooryoung girl is dead." " She has died to bring light andconviction to many hearls, perhaps to mine," saidLysimachus aloud. "Would that it had been in mypower to have saved her. Now let her finish her con-flict and enter into her rest."Then Hieria bursting into the arena stood wild with in-

dignation and anguish before the judge, and shrieked asshe shook her hands at him, "Oh, monster of cruelty,shame on thee, shame ! Thou born of a woman hastforgotten thy obligation to honour womanhood, and hastinsulted and outraged thy mother in the person of thispoor girl. God the Judge above judges will make a swiftwork with thee, and cut it short, and root thee out of theland of the living."

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^-;52 Lzves of the Saints. ciunc^s.

S. ANTIDIUS, B. OF BESANCON, M.(about A.D. 411.)

[Roman Martyrology. Bssancoa Breviary on June 17th. Authority : -A life based on popular tradition, or at all events containing such tra-ditions, adopted into the history, written apparently in the nth cent.]

S. Antidius, bishop of Besangon, is popularly reportedto have made a journey to Rome,^ moved by rumours ofthe pope having fallen into the sin of fornication. Hearrived at the Lateran as the pope was about to say masson Maundy Thursday. The bishop called him aside, andcharged him with his sin. The pope trembled, burst intotears, and confessed all. Then Antidius bade him remainwhere he was, whilst he took his place at the altar, and inthe ceremonies of the day. The people were confoundedto see a strange bishop on such a day officiating in theroom of the pope. Antidius, at the close of the function,made the Holy Father confess to him, gave him absolution,and departed.

It is a satisfaction to know that this story rests onpopular tradition only, and is unsubstantiated by history.In the irruption of the Vandals into Gaul, Antidius suffered.Besangon fell a prey to Crocus, a Vandal chief, who puthim to death in the castle of Rufec. When Count Ray-mund, in the 12th century, marched to the assistance ofAlphonso VI., king of Castile and Leon, against the Moors,he had a fioiure of this saint borne betore him on hisstandard. This image has remained in the chapel ofS. Vincent, near Lisbon, where it is held in high veneration.

^According to the legend he was carried thither on the back of a devil.

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*372 Lives of the Saiiits, ijuncab.

He ate only barley bread, and drank water, and prayedso incessantly that his back became bent, and his kneescallous. During the war waged by Clovis, king of theFranks, against Alaric, king of the Visigoths, a troop ofsoldiers approached his monastery. The monks, in theiralarm, implored the holy abbot to fly from their swords,and not expose his life to danger.

Maxentius, undeterred, advanced to meet the soldiers.His mildness, and the angelic sweetness of his face,arrested the sword of a barbarian, when it was alreadyraised to hew him down, and the man flinging himself atthe feet of the abbot, implored his pardon.

Maxentius received many benefits from King Clovis,and died at tlie age of seventy, in the monastery that bearshis name.He is called in France S. Maixent, or S. Maissent.In art he is represented with birds perched on his

shoulders, or caressing with one hand a bird resting on theother j as his gentleness is said to have attracted the forestsongsters about him when he walked, and when he sat inhis cell.

S. DAVID, H.(about a.d. 650.)

[Roman Martyrology and Greek Meniea.]S. David, a hermit at Thessalonica, was so illustrious in

the seventh century for his virtues that he became an objectof pubhc veneration, and was visited from all quaiters.His words were listened to with the greatest attention, hewas thought to prophesy, and to work miracles of healing.His powerful appeals to sinners caused the conversion ofgreat numbers.

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*-o88 hives of the Saints. [june27.

nople, where he devoted himself to the care of the sick,for whose accommodation he opened a hospital. Justinian,the emperor, being aflBicted with a distressmg disorder,which the physicians were unablt- to cure, appUed toSampson, who by his touch entirely removed the disease.The emperor in his gratitude would have lavished


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S. LADISLAS, K.(a.d. 1096.)

[Roman Martyrology. Greatly venerated in Hungary. Authority :A life in the Hungarian Annals of Antonius Bonfinus.]Geiza and Ladislas were the sons of Bela, son of

Ladislas the Bald, son and successor of S. Stephen the firstChristian king of Hungary. The elder brother of Bela wasAndrew, who mounted the throne in 1047. As Andrewwas childless, he invited Bela to his court, gave him thetitle of duke, invested him with the government of a thirdpart of Hungary, and declared his son Geiza his successor.But having married the daughter of the prince of Russia,Andrew became the father of a son, named Solomon,whereupon he cancelled his nomination of Geiza to thesuccession. Thereupon Bela appealed to the Poles, and, atthe head of a Polish army, invaded the territories of hisbrother, and defeated him, and ascended the throne in1056. At the same time Andrew died, and his sonSolomon fled for safety to the court of the emperor HenryIV., whose daughter Sophia he had married. Bela diedin 1065, and Solomon at once advanced into Hungarywith the support of the emperor, to claim the throne.Civil war was prevented by the interposition of some ofthe bishops and magnates, and Geiza was persuaded toresign his claims to the rightful heir to the throne, and tocrown him solemnly on the following Easter at Fiinfkirchen.The Huns shortly after broke into the kingdom, andfortified themselves on the steep hill of Cherkel. Geiza,Ladislas, and the young king, marched against them,stormed the fort and routed the invading army. Ladislascut down four men who stood in his way, and in hewingdown a fifth was grievously wounded. However hemaintained his seat on horseback, and seeing a Hun

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^ _ ^404 Lives of the Saints. [lunea;.

marchtid into Croatia and Dalmatia and pacified the country.She named him her heir. Thus these provinces wereunited to the Hungarian crown.As Solomon was constantly engaged in fomenting

intestine discord, and endeavouring to attach to his causevarious foreign princes, the magnates and prelates ofHungary endeavoured to obtain a pacific settlement bygranting him a liberal pension, and wresting fromhim a resignation of his claims. Ladislas offered topartition the kingdom between them, but to this the estateswould not consent; they saw that this would enableSolomon to buy an army, and that Hungary would be-come a prey to civil war. Solomon reluctantly accededto the terms, and invited Ladislas to meet him on theMoschotz for conclusion of the agreement. Ladislas wason his way to the proposed meeting, when he received, orpretended to receive, information that Solomon meditatedtreachery. He therefore advanced armed to the placeof meeting, took his adversary prisoner, and locked himup in the strong fortress of Wissigrad.

Shortly after, the king resolved on the solemn translationof the body of S. Stephen, the first Christian king of Hun-gary ; but the stone which lay on his tomb beingunmoveable, Ladislas consulted a wise virgin of asceticlife, and she informed him that the immobility of thestone was a t.^ken of the indignation felt by S. Stephen asthe strife which was rending Hungary. Ladislas at oncebroke the chains of Solomon, and suffered him to go free.Solomon immediately took refuge among the Huns, andurged them to invade the kingdom. They required butlittle persuasion, and suddenly poured their hordes uponHungary. Ladislas summoned troops, and placing him-self at their head, arrested and defeated the barbarians.Solomon and the remainder of the horde escaped into

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}^ _ ^ju"'--27.] 6". Ladislas. 405Bulgaria, where they were attacked and defeated by theGreeks, and Solomon disappeared in a forest into which heescaped after the battle. What became of him is notknown. Some say that he perished in the forest, othersthat he spent many years there as a hermit, and finallyappeared at Pola in the reign of king Colman, where he isregarded as a saint, and has received public veneration onSept. 26th.

Another horde of Huns burst into Transylvania, whichthey devastated, and were returning laden with booty andcaptives, when they were overtaken by S. Ladislas. Afurious battle was waged. The fortune of the day wasturned by the Christian captives, men and women, wholoosed one another's bands, and snatching up any weaponsthey could lay hands on, assailed the Huns in the rear, asthey were engaging Ladislas and the Hungarian army.A third invasion of Hungary ensued, Ladislas againmarched against the Huns, killed their king, and havingrouted them, Hungary was thenceforth freed from theirassaults. The Hunnish war was succeeded by a Russianwar, for the defeated Huns had stirred up the Russians toattack Hungary. Ladislas reduced the Russians, and thenturned his arms against the Poles, who had also invadedhis territories. He defeated them, and captured Cracowafter a siege of three months, by an ingenious artifice.Learning that the citizens were suffering from famine, onenight he employed his soldiers in making a mound ofearth, in a conspicuous place, which he dusted over withflour. The starving citizens, seeing such abundancereign in the camp of the besiegers, opened their gates.From Poland he marched into Bohemia, and havingchastised that kingdom, which had in some way offendedhim, he returned covered with honour into Hungary.

Peter the Hermit having preached a crusaie for the re-'It >i


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^_ . *420 Lwes of the Saints. [june29.are facts inferred from Scripture, while very ancienttraditions, recorded by S. Clement of Alexandria andby other earlier, but less trustworthy writers, inform usthat her name was Perpetua, that she bore him adaughter, named Petronilla, and perhaps other children.Petronilla is numbered among the saints (May 31st.)S. Peter was probably about the age of thirty-five orforty at the date of his call. That call was precededby a special preparation. He and his brother Andrew,together with their partners SS. James and John, weredisciples of S. John the Baptist,^ and were in attendanceupon him when they were first summoned by Christ.This first call led to no immediate change in S. Peter'sexternal position. He and his fellow disciples do notseem to have immediately followed Christ as His regulardisciples. They returned to Capernaum, where theypursued their usual business, waiting for a further inti-mation of the will of God. The second call is recordedby SS. Matthew, Mark, and Luke ; the first call only byS. John.

It took place on the see of Galilee, near Capernaum,where the four disciples, SS. Peter, Andrew, James andJohn, were fishing. SS. Peter and Andrew were firstcalled.Our Lord then entered Simon Peter's boat and ad-

dressed the multitude on the shore. Immediately afterthat call. Our Lord went to the house of S. Peter, whereHe wrought the miracle of healing on the step-mother ofthe apostle, who was lying sick of fever. S. Peter thenfollowed Christ closely, and was in constant attendanceon Him in Galilee, Decapolis, Peraea and Judaea. Thespecial designation of S. Peter and the rest of theapostles took place some time afterwards.^ They appear

' John 1.35. ' Matt. x. 2-4 ; Mark iii. 13-9 ; Luke vi. 13.

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>J-

430 Lives of the Saints. a-'^ea?.

The death to which he was condemned was crucifixion,being of all others accounted the most shameful as wellas the most severe and terrible. But he entreated thefavour of the officers that he might not be crucified inthe ordinary way, but might suffer with his head down-wards and his feet up to heaven, affirming that he wasunworthy to suffer in the same posture wherein hisLord had suffered before him. " Happy man," says S.Chrysostom, " to be set in the readiest posture of travel-ling from earth to heaven." His body, after having beentaken down from the cross, is said to have been embalmedby Marcellinus the Presbyter, after the Jewish manner,and was then buried in the Vatican, near the TriumphalWay. Over his grave a small church was soon aftererected, which, being destroyed by Heliogabalus, hisbody was removed to the cemetery in the Appian Way,two miles from Rome, where it remained till the time ofCornelius, bishop of Rome, who re-conveyed it to theVatican. Here it rested somewhat obscurely until thereign of Constantine, who, out of the great reverencewhich he had for the Christian religion, caused manychurches to be built at Rome, but especially rebuilt andenlarged the Vatican in honour of S. Peter. In doingthis the emperor himself is said to have dug the firstspade-grafts of the foundation, and to have carried fromthe trench twelve baskets of rubbish with his ownhands, in honour of the twelve apostles. He enrichedthe church with a great number of gifts and orna-ments.The genuine writings of S. Peter are his two

Epistles which make up part of his Sacred Canonbesides these there were other writings ancientlyascribed to him, but which have been rejected by theFathers as spurious, though some of these are edifying

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*-Juno 29.] 6^ Paul. 441

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best that S. Paul should himself leave the city, whilstSilas and Timothy who had rejoined S. Paul, remainedbehind. Some of " the brethren " went with the apostleas far as Athens, where they left him, carrying back arequest to Silas and Timothy thg.t they would rejoinhim speedily.At Athens he witnessed the most profuse idolatry

side by side with the most pretentious philosophy. Thephilosophers encountered him with a mixture ofcuriosity and contempt. But anyone with a novelty inreligious speculation was welcome to them, and theybrought him to the Areopagus, that he might make aformal exposition of his doctrine to the assembledaudience. Here the apostle delivered that strikingdiscourse, reported in Acts xvii. 27-31.He gained but few converts at Athens, and soondeparted for Corinth. Athens was still the intellectual

capital of Greece, but Corinth was the head of its com-mercial and political life. Here, as at Thessalonica, hechose to earn his own subsistence by working at his tradeof tent-making. This trade brought him into close con-nexion with two p

Documents

Baring-Gould. The lives of the saints. 1897. Volume 6