#jjj ,transcriber's notes3  #a7 ,page   
numbers in the main text have been      
retained in braces4 ,page breaks within 
long footnotes are not marked4  #b7 ,the
 original of this work is printed very  
badly4 ,in most cases1 the original text
 is obvious and has been restored       
without any special notations in the    
transcription4 ,in those cases where it 
was not possible to determine the       
original text with much certainty       
7usually numbers and rare proper nouns  
which cannot be deduced from context7 a 
pair of braces  indicates where the     
illegible text was4 ,sometimes the      
braces contains text like this1         
indicating a possible but not certain   
reconstruction4  #c7 ,the original had  
both numbered footnotes1 used for       
references1 and footnotes with symbols1 
used for extended comments4 ,this       
transcription does not preserve that    
distinction2 all the notes have been    
numbered or renumbered as needed4  #d7  
,in a few cases1 footnotes appear on the

 bottom of the page that do not appear  
in the text 7presumably because of the  
poor printing noted above74 ,in this    
case1 the footnote is marked in the text
 at a likely location1 and the footnote 
begins ,footnote not in text to indicate
 that this was done4  #jjf              
,,archbishop',s ,,house1 #deb ,,madison 
,,avenue4 ,imprimatur ,michael          
,augustinus ,archeispo ,neo ,june #bhth1
 #ahie4  ,,advertisement4               
,,notwithstanding that several editions 
of ,butler's ,lives of the ,saints have 
been issued from the ,american press1   
and circulated extensively throughout   
the ,united ,states1 yet the publishers 
of the present one are led to believe   
that there are vast numbers of persons  
still unsupplied1 and desirous of       
possessing a work so replete with       
instruction and edification for         
,christian families4 ,this edition is   
reprinted from the best ,london edition1
 without the omission of a single line  
or citation from the original4 ,to      

render the work as complete as possible1
 we have added the ,lives of ,st4       
,alphonsus ,liguori1 and other ,saints  
canonized since the death of the        
venerable author1 and not included in   
any former edition4 ,this edition also  
contains the complete notes of the      
author1 which have been shamefully      
omitted in an edition published by a    
,protestant firm of this city4  ,the    
present edition is illustrated with fine
 steel engravings of many of the        
,saints1 and when bound will form four  
very handsome volumes1 uniform with the 
,life of ,christ1 and the ,life of the  
,blessed ,virgin4  ,,the ,,publisher    
,,new ,,york1 ,sept41 #ahie4   #jjg     
,,preface  ,,the ,,lives ,,of ,,the     
,,saints is republished4 ,this          
work--this inestimable work1 is at      
length given to the public4 ,hitherto   
the circulation of it was confined to   
those who could afford to purchase it in
 ,,twelve volumes1 and at a             
proportionate price4 ,it is now         

stereotyped1 printed in good character1 
on fine paper1 and published at a price 
not only below its value1 but below the 
hopes of the publisher4 ,it is therefore
 now1 and for the first time1 that ,,the
 ,,lives ,,of ,,the ,,saints are1       
properly speaking1 given to the public4 
,and what is the nature and character of
 this work1 which is thus placed within 
the reach of almost every family in     
,ireland8 ,we presume to say1 that ,the 
,lives of the ,saints is an historical  
supplement to the ,old and ,new         
,testaments2 an illustration of all that
 ,god has revealed1 and of all the      
sanctity which his divine grace has     
produced among the children of men4 ,it 
is a history1 not so much of men1 as of 
all ages and nations2 of their manners1 
customs1 laws1 usages1 and creeds4 ,it  
is a succinct1 but most accurate and    
satisfactory account of all that the    
,church of ,god has done or suffered in 
this world from the creation to almost  
our own days3 an account not extracted  

from authentic records only1 but one    
which exhibits at every page the living 
examples1 the speaking proofs1 of       
whatever it sets forth or asserts4 ,as  
drawings taken by an artist1 and        
afterwards carved on plates of steel or 
copper1 present to us views of a        
country1 or of the productions of the   
earth and sea1 so ,the ,lives of the    
,saints exhibit to the reader images the
 most perfect of whatever the human     
race1 in times past1 has yielded to ,god
 in return for his countless mercies4   
,but ,the ,lives of the ,saints are not 
confined to history1 though they embrace
 whatever is most valuable in history1  
whether sacred1 ecclesiastical1 or      
profane4 ,no6 ,this work extends        
farther2 it presents to the reader a    
mass of general information1 digested   
and arranged with an ability and a      
candor never surpassed4 ,here1 no art1  
no science1 is left unnoticed4          
,chronology1 criticism1 eloquence1      
painting1 sculpture1 architecture--in a 

word1 whatever has occupied or          
distinguished man in #jjh times of      
barbarism or of civilization2 in peace  
or in war2 in the countries which       
surround us1 or in those which are far  
remote2 in these later ages1 or in times
 over which centuries upon centuries    
have revolved2 all1 all of these are    
treated of1 not flippantly nor          
ostentatiously1 but with a sobriety and 
solidity peculiar to the writer of this 
work4  ,but there is one quality which  
may be said to characterize ,the ,lives 
of the ,saints4 ,it is this3 that here  
the doctrines of the ,catholic ,church  
are presented to us passing through the 
ordeal of time unchanged and            
unchangeable1 while her discipline is   
seen to vary from age to age2 like as a 
city fixed and immoveable1 but whose    
walls1 ramparts1 and outworks1 undergo1 
from one period to another1 the         
necessary changes1 alterations1 or      
repairs4 ,here are pointed out the      
persecutions which the ,saints          

endured1--persecutions which patience   
overcame1 which the power of ,god       
subdued4 ,here are traced the causes of 
dissension in the ,church2 the schisms  
and heresies which arose2 the errors    
which the pride and passions of bad men 
gave birth to2 the obstinacy of the     
wicked1--the seduction of the           
innocent1--the labors and sufferings of 
the just2 the conflicts which took place
 between light and darkness1--between   
truth and error2 the triumph1 at one    
time of the city of ,god1 at another1   
the temporary exaltation of the empire  
of ,satan4 ,in this work1 we see the    
great and powerful leaders of ,god's    
people1 the pastors and doctors of the  
,church1 displaying lights gives them   
from heaven1 and exercising a courage   
all-divine2 while crowds of the elect   
are presented to us in every age        
retiring from the world1 hiding their   
lives with ,christ in ,god1 and         
deserving1 by their innocence and       
sanctity1 to be received into heaven    

until ,christ1 who was their life1 will 
again appear1 when they also will appear
 along with him in glory4 ,here we      
behold the ,apostles1 and their         
successors in the several ages1 calling 
out to the nations who sat in darkness  
and in the shadow of death1 ,arise1 thou
 who sleep eat1 and ,christ will        
enlighten thee6--men of ,god1 and gifted
 with his power1 who1 by preaching      
peace1 enduring wrongs1 and pardoning   
injuries1 subdued the power of tyrants1 
stopped the mouths of lions1 upturned   
paganism1 demolished idols1 planted     
everywhere the standard of the cross1   
and left to us the whole world          
illuminated by the rays of divine truth4
 ,here is seen the meek martyr who      
possessed his soul in patience1--who1   
having suffered the two of goods1 the   
loss of kindred1 the lose of fame1 bowed
 down his head beneath the axe1 and     
sealed1 by the plentiful effusion of his
 blood1 the testimony which he bore to  
virtue and to truth4 ,here the youthful 

virgin1 robed in innocence and sanctity1
 clothed with the visible protection of 
,god1 is seen at one time to yield up   
her frame1 unfit1 as yet1 for torments1 
to the power of the executioner2 while  
her spirit1 ascending #jji like the     
smoke of incense1 passed from earth to  
heaven4 ,at another time we behold her  
conducted1 as it were1 into the         
wilderness by the ,spirit2 where1 having
 left the house of her father1 the      
allurements of the world1 and the       
endearments of life1 she dedicates her  
whole being to the service of ,god1 and 
to the contemplation of those invisible 
goods which he has reserved for those   
who love him4  ,in ,the ,lives of the   
,saints we behold the prince and the    
peasant1 the warrior and the sage1 the  
rich and the poor1 the old and the      
young1 the peasant and the mechanic1 the
 shepherd and the statesman1 the wife   
and the widow1 the prelate1 the priest1 
and the recluse1--men and women of every
 class1 and age1 and degree1 and        

condition1 and country1 sanctified by   
the grace of ,god1 exhibiting to the    
faithful reader models for his          
imitation1 and saying to him1 in a voice
 which he cannot fail to understand1 ,go
 thou and do likewise4  ,it is on this  
account we have ventured to designate   
,the ,lives of the ,saints an historical
 supplement to the ,old and ,new        
,testaments4 ,we think this work        
deserves to be so considered1 on account
 of the close resemblance it bears to   
the historical portions of holy writ4   
,let the divine economy1 in this        
respect1 be for a moment the subject of 
the reader's consideration4  ,when ,god 
was pleased to instruct men unto        
righteousness1 he did so1 as the whole  
series of revelation proves1 by raising 
up from among the fallen children of    
,adam men and women of superior         
virtue1--men and women whose lives1 like
 shining lights1 could direct in the    
ways of peace and justice the footsteps 
of those who looked towards them4 ,he   

did more3 he caused the lives of those  
his servants whom he sanctified and     
almost glorified in this world1 to be   
recorded by their followers2 and his own
 ,spirit did not disdain to inspire the 
men who executed a work so salutary to  
mankind4 ,from ,adam to ,noe1 from ,noe 
to ,abraham1 from ,abraham to the days  
of ,christ1 what period is not marked by
 the life of some eminent saint2 and    
what portion of the ,old ,testament has 
always been and still is most           
interesting to true believers8 ,is it   
not that which instructs us as to the   
life and manners of those patriarchs1   
prophets1 and other holy persons of whom
 we ourselves are1 according to the     
promise1 the seed and the descendants8  
,the innocence of ,abel1 the cruel deed 
of ,cain1 the piety of ,seth1 the       
fidelity and industry of ,noe1 furnish  
to us the finest moral instruction      
derived from the primeval times4 ,the   
life of ,abraham is perhaps the most    
precious record in the ,old ,testament6 

,who even now can read it1 and not      
repose with more devotion on the        
providence of ,god8 ,who can contrast   
his life and conduct with that of all   
the sages of paganism1 and not confess  
there is a ,god2 yea6 a ,god who not    
only upholds this #jaj world1 and fills 
every creature in it with his           
benediction1 but who also conducts by a 
special providence all those who put    
their trust in him1--a ,god who teaches 
his elect1 by the unction of his        
,spirit1 truths inaccessible to the wise
 of this world2 and who makes them1 by  
his grace1 to practise a degree of      
virtue to which human nature unassisted 
is totally unable to attain8 ,the ,god  
of ,abraham1 of ,isaac1 and of ,jacob1  
is exceedingly glorified by the virtues 
of those great men2 and that glory is   
exalted1 and we are led to adore it1    
because the lives of those men have been
 written for our instruction4 ,is not   
,moses the keystone1 as it were1 of the 
,jewish covenant8 ,are they not his     

trials1 his meekness1 his attachment to 
,god and to ,god's people1 his incessant
 toils1 and patience1 and               
long-suffering1 even more than the      
miracles wrought by his interposition1  
which render the law published by him1  
and the ministry established by him1    
worthy of all acceptation in our eyes8  
,who can contemplate the rejection of   
,saul1 and the election of ,david1--the 
wisdom of ,solomon in early life1 and   
his utter abandonment in his latter     
days1--and not be stricken with a       
salutary dread of the inscrutable       
judgments of a just ,god8 ,who can read 
the life of ,judith1 and not wonder8--of
 ,susanna1 and not love chastity and    
confide in ,god8 ,who has read the      
prophecies of ,isaiah1 and not believed 
the gospel which he foretold8 ,and what 
example of a suffering ,saviour so full1
 so perfect1 and expressive1 as that    
exhibited in the life of ,jeremiah8 ,if 
thus1 then1 from the beginning to the   
day of ,christ1 the ,spirit of ,god     

instructed mankind in truth and virtue1 
by writing for their instruction the    
,lives of the ,saints1 what can better  
agree with the ways of that ,god1 than  
to continue the record--to prolong the  
narrative8 ,if this mode of instruction 
has been adopted by the master1 should  
it not be continued by the servant8--if 
employed when the people of ,god were   
only one family1 should it not be       
resorted to when all nations were       
enrolled with that people8 if this mode 
of instruction was found useful when the
 knowledge of the ,lord was confined to 
one province1 should it not be preserved
 when that knowledge covered the whole  
earth even as the waters cover the sea8 
,and is it not therefore with justice we
 have said that ,the ,lives of the      
,saints might not improperly be         
designated an historical supplement to  
the ,old and ,new ,testaments8  ,and in 
good truth1 who can peruse the life of  
,peter1 and not be animated with a more 
lively faith8 ,who can read of the      

conversion of ,paul1 of his zeal and    
labor1 and unbounded love1--who can     
enter with him into the depths of those 
mysterious truths which he has revealed1
 and contemplate along with him the     
riches of the glory of the grace of     
,god1 and not esteem this world as dung2
 or experience some throes of those     
heavenly desires1 which urged him so    
pathetically to exclaim1 ,i #jaa wish to
 be dissolved1 and to be with ,christ8  
,who can read the life of the evangelist
 ,john1 and not feel the impulse of that
 subdued spirit1 of that meek and humble
 charity1 which so eminently            
distinguished him as the beloved        
disciple of the ,lord8 ,and if we       
advance through the several ages that   
have elapsed since our ,saviour ascended
 into heaven1 we shall find each and all
 of them instructing us by examples of  
the most heroic virtue4 ,the age of the 
martyrs ended1 only to make room for    
that of the doctors and ascetics2 so    
that each succeeding generation of the  

children of ,god presents to us the     
active and contemplative life equally   
fruitful in works of sanctification4 ,an
 ,athanasius1 a ,jerom1 a ,chrysostom1  
or an ,augustin1 are scarcely more      
precious as models in the house of ,god1
 than an ,anthony1 a ,benedict1 an      
,arseneus1 or a ,paul4 ,nor has the     
,almighty limited his gifts1 or confined
 the mode of instruction to those       
primitive times when the blood of the   
,mediator was as yet warm upon the      
earth1 and the believers in him filled  
more abundantly with the first-fruits of
 the ,spirit4 ,no2 he has extended his  
grace to every age6 ,only take up the   
history of those holy persons1 men and  
women1 whose lives shed a lustre upon   
the ,church within these last few       
centuries1 and you will acknowledge that
 the arm of the ,lord is not shortened1 
and1 to use the words of the ,psalmist1 
that ,sanctity becometh the house of the
 ,lord unto length of days1 or to the   
end of time4  ,as therefore it hath     

pleased ,god to raise up for our help   
and edification so many and so perfect  
models of ,christian perfection1 and    
disposed by his all wise providence that
 their lives should have been written   
for our instruction1 we should not be   
faithful co-operators with the grace    
given to us1 if we did not use our best 
efforts to learn and to imitate what our
 ,father in heaven has designed for our 
use4  ,but ,the ,lives of the ,saints   
are a history1 not so much of men1 as of
 all ages and nations1--of their        
manners1 customs1 laws1 usages1 and     
creeds4 ,and in this licentious age1 an 
age of corrupted literature1 when that  
worldly wisdom or vain philosophy which 
,god has declared to be folly1 is again 
revived2 in this age1 when history has  
failed to represent the truth1 and is   
only written for base lucre's sake1 or  
to serve a sect or party1 what can be so
 desirable to a ,christian community1 as
 to have placed in their hands a sincere
 and dispassionate account of the       

nations which surround us1 and of the   
laws and manners and usages1 whether    
civil or religious1 which have passed1  
or are passing into the abyss of time8  
,if the wisdom of ,god warns us to train
 up youth in the way in which they      
should walk1 and promises that even when
 old they will not depart from it1 there
 is no duty more sacred1 or more        
imperative or parents and pastors1 than 
to remove from their reach such #jab    
books as are irreligious1 immoral1 or   
untrue1 and to place in their hands such
 works only as may serve to train their 
minds and affections to the knowledge of
 truth and to the love of virtue4       
,history is1 of its nature1 pleasing and
 instructive2 it leaves after it the    
most lasting impressions2 and when      
youth1 as at present1 is almost         
universally taught to read1 and works of
 fiction or lying histories placed      
constantly in their way1 is it not      
obvious that every parent and every     
pastor should be careful not only to    

exclude from their flocks and families  
such impious productions1 but also to   
provide the youth committed to their    
care with works of an opposite          
description8 ,but we make bold to say1  
that in no work now extant can there be 
found condensed so vast a quantity of   
historical information as is contained  
in ,,the ,,lives ,,of ,,the ,,saints3   
nor is it the store of knowledge here   
amassed which renders the work1 as a    
history1 of so much value2 but it is the
 judicious arrangement1 the undoubted   
candor1 the dispassionate judgment of   
men1 manners1 and things1 which the     
venerable historian everywhere displays4
  ,he has been able to trace events to  
their true causes2 to point out the     
influence of religion upon human policy1
 and of that policy on the ,church of   
,god2 to exhibit the rise and fall of   
states and empires1--the advancement or 
declension of knowledge1--the state of  
barbarism or civilization which         
prevailed in the several countries of   

the world1--the laws1 the manners1 the  
institutions1 which arose1 were changed1
 improved1 or deteriorated1 in the      
kingdoms and empires which brought forth
 the elect of ,god in every age3 but in 
his narration there is always found to  
prevail a spirit1 wanted in almost every
 history written in our times--a spirit 
which assigns to the power and          
providence of ,god the first place in   
the conduct of human events1 and which  
makes manifest to the unbiased reader   
the great and fundamental truth of the  
,christian ,religion1 that all things   
work together to the good of those who1 
according to the purpose or design of   
,god1 are called to be ,saints4  ,the   
great characteristic1 however1 of this  
work1 and that which1 perhaps1 in these 
times and in this country1 constitutes  
its chief excellence1 is1 that it       
exhibits to the reader the doctrine and 
discipline of the ,catholic             
,church1--the former always the same1   
yesterday1 to-day1 and forever--the     

latter receiving impressions from       
abroad1 and moulding itself to the      
places1 times1 and circumstances1 in    
which the ,church herself was placed4   
,in other works may be found arguments  
and proofs in support of the dogmas of  
faith and the doctrines of the ,catholic
 ,church1 set forth in due order and    
becoming force2 but such works are of a 
controversial nature1 and not always    
suited to the taste or capacity of every
 class of readers3 not so ,the ,lives of
 the ,saints4 ,this work presents to us 
the religion of ,christ as it was first 
planted1 as it grew #jac up1 and        
flourished1 and covered with its shade  
all tribes1 and tongues1 and peoples1   
and nations4 ,the trunk of this mighty  
tree is placed before our eyes1 standing
 in the midst of time1 with ages and    
empires revolving about it1 its roots   
binding and embracing the earth1 its top
 touching the heavens1 its branches     
strong and healthful--bearing foliage   
and fruits in abundance4 ,but to drop   

this allegory4 ,the ,lives of the       
,saints demonstrate the doctrines of the
 ,church1 by laying before us the       
history of the most precious portion of 
her children3 of her martyrs1 her       
doctors1 her bishops2 of holy and devout
 persons of all ranks and conditions2 of
 what they believed1 and taught1 and    
practised1 in each and every age3 so    
that if no ,gospel had been written1 or 
liturgy preserved1 or decree recorded1  
we should find in ,the ,lives of the    
,saints sufficient proofs of what has   
always1 and in every place1 and by all  
true believers1 been held and practised 
to the ,church of ,god4  ,in this work  
there is no cavilling about texts1 no   
disputes about jurisdiction1 no sophisms
 to delude1 no imputations to irritate1 
no contradictions to confound the       
reader2 but in place of all these there 
is found in it a simple detail of the   
truths professed1 and of the virtues    
practised by men and women1 who were not
 only the hearers of the law but the    

doers thereof4 ,whosoever seeks for     
wisdom as men seek for gold1 will find  
it in the perusal of ,the ,lives of the 
,saints3 for here not theory or         
speculation1 but living examples1 make  
truth manifest1 and exhibit at once and 
together all the marks of the ,church of
 ,god in the life and conduct of her    
children4 ,these children will all be   
found to have denied themselves1 to have
 taken up the cross1 to have followed   
,christ1 and to have convinced the world
 by their sanctity that they were the   
children of ,god--that they were perfect
 even as their heavenly ,father was     
perfect4 ,these children of the ,church 
will be found a ,catholic or universal  
people1 collected from all ages and     
nations1 offering the same sacrifice1   
administering or receiving the same     
sacraments1 and yielding to the same    
authority a reasonable obedience4       
,finally1 there will be found included  
in this great family the ,apostles and  
their disciples1 and the descendants of 

those disciples1--faithful men keeping  
the deposit of the faith1 or            
transmitting it to others through all   
the vicissitudes to which this world is 
a prey1 even to that hour when the dead 
will arise and come to judgment4 ,thus  
it is that ,the ,lives of the ,saints   
put to silence the gainsayers1 and      
convince1 not by argument1 but by       
historical and incontrovertible details 
of facts and of the lives of men1 that  
the ,church of ,god is one1 that she is 
holy1 that she1 though universal1 is not
 divided1 that she is built upon the    
,apostles1 as upon an immoveable #jad   
foundation1 ,jesus ,christ himself being
 the chief corner-stone4 ,this work     
strips schism of her mask1 and stops the
 mouth of heresy4 ,it points out1 with  
an evidence not to be impeached1 the day
 of separation1--when schism commenced1 
and the hour of revolt and rebellion1   
when the heretic said1 like ,lucifer1 in
 the pride of his heart1 ,i ,,will ,,not
 ,,serve4 ,if ever there was a work     

which rendered almost visible and       
tangible to the sight and touch of men  
that promise of the ,redeemer to his    
,church1 ,and the gates of hell shall   
not prevail against her1 surely this    
work is ,,the ,,lives ,,of ,,the        
,,saints4  ,who1 therefore1 is a        
,catholic1 and would not possess such a 
treasure8 ,how great is the benefit     
derived to the public from the low price
 and convenient form in which this work 
is given to them6 ,if infidelity1 and   
immorality1 and heresy have opened wide 
their mouths1 and are everywhere        
devouring their victims1 is it not a    
blessing from ,god that the children of 
the ,church should be preserved from    
them1 and fed with the wholesome food of
 pious reading8 ,if the spirit of error 
or of that worldly wisdom which is folly
 with ,god1 has filled our shops and    
streets with circulating poison in the  
shape of books1 is not the ,spirit of   
truth1 and of ,him who has overcome the 
world1 to have also such means of       

instruction as may save and strengthen  
those whom ,god1 by his grace1 has      
translated into the kingdom of his      
beloved ,son8 ,accept1 therefore gentle 
reader1 of ,the ,lives of the ,saints2  
,which1 for their own worth's sake1 and 
for your good1 we have endeavored to    
recommend4 ,and with it permit us also  
to recommend to your pious prayers the  
spiritual wants of him who has thus     
addressed you4  ,,james ,,doyle  #jae   
,,an ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,life ,,and  
,,writings ,,of ,,the ,,rev4 ,,alban    
,,butler2 ,,interspersed ,,with         
,,observations ,,on ,,some ,,subjects   
,,of ,,sacred ,,and ,,profane           
,,literature ,,mentioned ,,in ,,his     
,,writings4 ,,by ,,charles ,,butler1    
,,esq4 ,,barrister ,,at ,,law4  ,quare  
quis tandem me reprehendat1 si quantum  
ad caeteris festos dies ludorum         
celebrandos1 quantum ad alias           
voluptates1 et ad ipsam requiem animi et
 corporis conceditur temporis3 ,quantum 
alii tempestivis conviviis1 quantum     

aleae1 quantum pilae1 tantum mihi egomet
 ad haec studia recolenda1 sumpsero4    
,,cic4 ,,pro ,,archia  #a4  ,,the       
,reverend ,alban ,butler was the second 
son of ,simon ,butler1 ,esq41 of        
,appletree1 in the county of            
,northampton1 by ,miss ,ann ,birch1     
daughter of ,thomas ,birch1 ,esq41 of   
,gorscot1 in the county of ,stafford4   
,his family1 for amplitude of           
possessions1 and splendor of descent and
 alliances1 had vied with the noblest   
and wealthiest of this kingdom1 but was 
reduced to slender circumstances at the 
time of his birth4 ,a tradition in his  
family mentions1 that ,mr4 ,simon       
,butler 7our author's grandfather7 was  
the person confidently employed by the  
duke of ,devonshire and the earl of     
,warrington1 in inviting the prince of  
,orange over to ,england2 that he       
professed the protestant religion1 and  
that his great zeal for it was his      
motive for embarking so warmly in that  
measure2 but that he never thought it   

would be attended with the political    
consequences which followed from it2    
that1 when they happened1 they preyed   
greatly on his mind2 that to fly from   
his remorse1 he gave himself up to      
pleasure3 and that in a few years he    
dissipated a considerable proportion of 
the remaining part of the family estate1
 and left what he did not sell of it    
heavily encumbered4  ,at a very early   
age our author was sent to a school in  
,lancashire1 and there applied himself  
to his studies with that unremitted     
application which1 in every part of his 
life1 he gave to literature4 ,sacred    
biography was even then his favorite    
pursuit4 ,a gentleman1 lately deceased1 
mentioned to the editor that he         
remembered him at this school1 and      
frequently heard him repeat1 with a     
surprising minuteness of fact1 and      
precision of chronology1 to a numerous  
and wondering audience of little boys1  
the history of the chiefs and saints of 
the ,saxon aera of our history4 ,he then

 also was distinguished for his piety1  
and a punctual discharge of his         
religious duties4 ,about the age of     
eight years he was sent to the ,english 
college at ,douay4 ,it appears1 from the
 diary of that college1 that ,mr4       
,holman1 of ,warkworth1 7whose memory1  
for his extensive charities1 is still in
 benediction in ,oxfordshire and        
,northamptonshire17 became security for 
the expenses of his education4 ,about   
this time he lost his father and mother4
 ,the latter1 just before she died1     
wrote to him and his two brothers the   
following beautiful letter3  ,,my ,,dear
 ,,children4  ,since it pleases         
,almighty ,god to take me out of this   
world1 as no doubt wisely foreseeing ,i 
am no longer a useful parent to you1    
7for no person ought to be thought      
necessary in this world when ,god thinks
 proper to take them out27 so ,i hope   
you will offer the loss of me with a    
resignation suitable to the religion you
 are of1 and offer #jaf yourselves4 ,he 

who makes you orphans so young1 without 
a parent to take care of you1 will take 
you into his protection and fatherly    
care1 if you do love and serve him who  
is the author of all goodness4 ,above   
all things1 prepare yourselves while you
 are young to offer patiently what      
afflictions he shall think proper to lay
 upon you1 for it is by this he trieth  
his best servants4 ,in the first place1 
give him thanks for your education in   
the true faith1 7which many thousands   
want27 and then ,i beg of you earnestly 
to petition his direction what state of 
life you shall undertake1 whether be for
 religion1 or to get your livings in the
 world4 ,no doubt but you may be saved  
either way1 if you do your duty to ,god1
 your neighbor1 and yourselves4 ,and ,i 
beg of you to make constant resolutions 
rather to die a thousand times1 if      
possible1 than quit your faith2 and     
always have in your thoughts what you   
would think of were you as nigh death as
 ,i now think myself4 ,there is no      

preparation for a good death but a good 
life4 ,do not omit your prayers1 and to 
make an act of contrition and examen of 
conscience every night1 and frequent the
 blessed sacraments of the church4 ,i am
 so weak ,i can say no more to you1 but 
,i pray ,god bless and direct you1 and  
your friends to take care of you4       
,lastly1 ,i beg of you never to forget  
to pray for your poor father and mother 
when they are not capable of helping    
themselves3 so ,i take leave of you1    
hoping to meet you in heaven1 to be     
happy for all eternity4  ,your          
affectionate mother1 ,,ann ,,butler4    
,though our author's memory for the     
recollection of dates was1 in his very  
earliest years1 remarkable1 he found1   
when he first came to the college1 great
 difficulty in learning his lessons by  
heart2 so that1 to enable him to repeat 
them in the school as well as the other 
boys1 he was obliged to rise long before
 the college hour4 ,by perseverance1    
however1 he overcame this disheartening 

difficulty4 ,even while he was in the   
lowest schools1 he was respected for his
 virtue and learning4 ,one of his       
school-fellows writes thus of him3 ,the 
year after ,mr4 ,alban ,butler's arrival
 at ,douay1 ,i was placed in the same   
school1 under the same master1 he being 
in the first class of rudiments1 as it  
is there called1 and ,i in the lowest4  
,my youth and sickly constitution moved 
his innate goodness to pay me every     
attention in his power2 and we soon     
contracted an intimacy that gave me     
every opportunity of observing his      
conduct1 and of being fully acquainted  
with his sentiments4 ,no one student in 
the college was more humble1 more       
devout1 more exact in every duty1 more  
obedient or mortified4 ,he was never    
reproved or punished but once2 and then 
for a fault of which he was not guilty4 
,this undeserved treatment he received  
with silence1 patience1 and humility4   
,in the hours alloted to play he        
rejoiced in the meanest employments     

assigned to him by his companions1 as to
 fetch their balls1 run on their        
errands1 c4 c4 ,though often treated    
with many indignities by his thoughtless
 companions1 on purpose to try his      
patience1 he never was observed to show 
the lest resentment1 but bore all with  
meekness and patience4 ,by the frequent 
practice of these virtues he had        
attained so perfect evenness of temper1 
that his mind seemed never ruffled with 
the least emotion of anger4 ,he         
restricted himself in every thing to the
 strictest bounds of necessity4 ,great  
part of his monthly allowance of        
pocket-money1 and frequently of his     
daily food1 went to the poor4 ,so       
perfectly had he subjected the flesh to 
the spirit1 that he seemed to feel no   
resistance from his senses in the       
service of ,god and his neighbor4  ,as  
he advanced in age his learning and     
virtue became more and more conspicuous4
 ,monsieur ,pellison1#a in his life of  
the famous ,huet1 bishop of ,avranches1 

observes1 that from his tenderest youth 
he gave himself to study2 that at his   
rising1 his going to bed1 and during his
 meal1 he was reading1 or had others to 
read to him2 that neither the fire of   
youth1 the interruption of business1 the
 variety of his employments1 the society
 of his friends1 nor the bustle of the  
world1 could ever moderate his ardor of 
study4 ,the same may be said of our     
author4 ,he generally allowed himself no
 more than four hours sleep1 and often  
passed whole nights in study and prayer4
 ,all his day was spent in reading4     
,when he was alone1 he read2 when he was
 in company1 he read2 at his meals1 he  
read2 in his walks1 he read2 when he was
 in a carriage1 he read2 when he was on 
horseback1 he read2 whatever he did1 he 
read4 ,it was his custom to make        
abridgments of the principal works he   
perused1 and to copy large extracts from
 them2 several bulky volumes #jag of    
them have fallen into the hands of the  
editor4 ,many were surprised to see the 

rapidity with which he read1 or rather  
ran through books1 and at the same time 
acquired a full and accurate knowledge  
of their contents4  ,footnotes3 #a4     
,histoire de l',academie1 #a vol4 #ajb4 
,,ii  ,after our author had completed   
the usual course of study1 he was       
admitted as alumnus of ,douay college1  
and appointed professor of philosophy4  
,the ,newtonian system of philosophy was
 about that time gaining ground in the  
foreign universities4 ,he adopted it1 in
 part1 into the course of philosophy    
which he dictated to the students4 ,he  
read and considered with great attention
 the metaphysical works of ,woolfe and  
,leibnitz4 ,he did not admire them1 and 
thought the system of pre-established   
harmony laid down in them irreconcilable
 with the received belief or opinions of
 the ,roman ,catholic church on the     
soul2 and that much of their language1  
though susceptible of a fair            
interpretation1 conveyed improper       
notions1 or1 at least1 sounded          

offensively to ,catholic ears4 ,the late
 ,mr4 ,john ,dunn1 his contemporary at  
the college1 frequently mentioned to the
 editor the extreme caution which our   
author used in inserting any thing new  
in his dictates1 particularly on any    
subject connected with any tenet of     
religion4 ,after teaching a course of   
philosophy1 he was appointed professor  
of divinity4 ,on this part of his life  
the editor has been favored by a        
gentleman deservedly damed for his      
erudition and piety1 the reverend       
,robert ,bannister1 with a long letter1 
of which the reader is presented with an
 extract4  ,i was contemporary with ,mr4
 ,alban ,butler in ,douay college eight 
years2 viz4 from ,october1 #agda to     
,october1 #agdi4 ,but as ,i was but a   
boy the greater part of that time1 ,i   
had not any intimacy with him1 nor was  
,i capable of knowing any thing         
concerning his interior1 the manner of  
his prayer1 or the degrees to which he  
ascended in it1 or any extraordinary    

communications or elevations to which   
the ,holy ,ghost1 the great master and  
teacher of contemplation1 might raise   
him4 ,all that ,i can say is1 that he   
opened ,douay college great door to me  
and a gentleman whom ,i knew not1 but   
who was so good as to bring me from     
,lisle in his coach1 on ,sunday between 
ten and eleven1 the #aeth of ,october1  
#agda2 and the first sight of him       
appeared to me then so meek and so      
amiable1 that ,i thought ,i would choose
 him for my ghostly father2 but another1
 ,i suppose in rotation1 adopted me4    
,mr4 ,alban was my sole master in my    
first year of divinity in #agdi1 and    
dictated the two treatises ,de ,decalogo
 et ,de ,incarnatione2 he also presided 
over my defensions upon those two       
treatises1 and over ,mr4 ,james         
,talbot's 7the late bishop of ,london7  
upon universal divinity4 ,as to heroic  
acts of virtue1 which strike with       
admiration all that see or hear of them1
 ,i cannot recollect more than a        

uniform1 constant observance of all the 
duties of a priest1 professor1 and      
confessarius4 ,he was always at morning 
meditations1 seldom omitted the         
celebration of the holy sacrifice of the
 mass1 which he said with a heavenly    
composure1 sweetness1 and recollection2 
studying and teaching assiduously1      
dictating with an unwearied patience so 
equally and leisurely1 that every one   
could1 if he wished to do it1 write his 
dictates in a clear and legible hand2   
nor do ,i remember that he ever sent a  
substitute to dictate for him2 so exact 
and punctual he was in his duty as a    
professor4 ,i never knew one more ready 
to go to the confession-seat1 at the    
first intimation of any1 even the least 
or youngest boy4 ,he heard his penitents
 with wonderful meekness2 and his       
penetration1 learning1 judgment1 and    
piety1 were such as to move them to     
place in him a singular confidence4 ,he 
frequently visited the military         
hospital1 to instruct1 exhort1 and hear 

the confessions of ,irish soldiers4 ,he 
sometimes assembled a number of them    
7when they happened to be quartered in  
,douay7 in the college-church of ,st4   
,thomas of ,canterbury1 and preached to 
them4 ,in one of his sermons ,i remember
 he told them1 for their example and    
encouragement1 that there are more      
soldiers saints than of any other       
vocation1 or state1 or condition4 ,as   
poor1 and often distressed1 ,irish men  
and women frequently came to ,douay1 he 
was always ready to relieve them1 and   
administer both corporal and spiritual  
succors4 ,it can never be forgotten what
 attention1 solicitude1 and care he had1
 in the year #agde1 of our ,english     
soldiers1 wounded and maimed1 who were  
brought prisoners to ,douay1 and        
quartered in the barracks1 in great     
numbers1 after the battle of ,fontenoy4 
,he animated both by words and example  
all the young priests1 and all in holy  
orders at the college1 to visit them1 to
 instruct and instil into them serious  

thoughts of saving their souls by       
embracing the only saving faith1 and by 
true repentance4#jah ,he also procured  
for them temporal succor and relief so  
beneficently1 that the duke of          
,cumberland1 then generalissimo of the  
,british and allied armies1 being       
informed of it1 promised him a special  
protection whensoever he came over into 
,england4 ,scarce any thing affords one 
a better proof of ,mr4 ,alban's eminent 
spirit of piety and great understanding1
 discretion1 and light in spiritual     
matters1 than his familiarity and       
friendship with ,m4 ,jean ,baptiste de  
,villers1 president of the seminary des 
,eveques in the university of ,douay1   
who died ,october the #gth1 #agdf1 the  
death of a saint1 after having lived the
 life of one for seventy-eight years4   
,this ,m4 de ,villers was eminent in all
 supernatural and moral virtues1 but he 
concealed them under an amiable         
simplicity1 and a plain unaffected      
behavior or exterior1 unless charity and

 zeal for the glory of ,god and         
salvation of souls required their open  
and full exertion2 and1 notwithstanding 
his great learning1 7which he had       
acquired by an excellent genius and     
diligent application to sacred studies17
 and his great and solid fund of piety1 
he was as docile as an infant2 so       
timorous and diffident of his own       
judgment1 that he would neither do nor  
decide any thing without counsel4 ,with 
this sentiment of diffidence and        
humility1 he often visited 7says ,m4    
,leroy1 the faithful imitator and writer
 of the history of his life7 a young    
professor1 a foreigner1 7that is1 ,alban
 ,butler17 and passed an hour or two in 
his company in the afternoon1 once every
 week1 and sometimes twice1 several     
years1 until his edifying death4 ,their 
conversation together was solely about  
various points of morality2 about the   
direction of souls1 and the method of   
arriving at perfection in every action  
and intention2 how to teach devout      

persons a habit of making continual     
aspirations to ,god1 by acts of love1   
oblation1 entire sacrifice of their     
hearts1 of humility1 c4 ,m4 de ,villers 
would not suffer more than half a small 
fagot to be kindled for him in the      
severest weather1 saying to ,mr4 ,alban1
 'the other part may serve some poor    
person4' ,as to wine1 or any other      
liquor1 he never drank any but at       
meal-time4 ,i remember to have heard an 
instance of ,mr4 ,alban's meekness1 for 
,i am not a witness of it4 ,when he was 
presiding over one of his students in   
divinity in the public hall of ,douay   
college1 a disputant1 who was probably  
much offended at some proposition in the
 thesis1 as being opposite to some      
favorite opinion of his school or       
religious family1 said to him with      
intolerable rudeness1 habes mel in ore1 
sed fel in corde3 to which he made no   
reply1 nor showed the least resentment4 
,mr4 ,alban ,butler was totally averse  
to the system of probabilism1 and to all

 assertions that favor laxity in morale4
 ,this is evident from the dictates     
which he delivered to us1 from his      
treatise ,de ,decalogo1 de actibus      
humanis1 in his ,epitome moralis        
sacramentorum1 c4 ,it is still more     
evident from his ,epitome de sex        
prioribus conciliis oecumenicis in calce
 tractanus de ,incarnatione1 that he had
 the highest veneration for the holy    
see1 and for him who sits in the chair  
of ,st4 ,peter2 that he constantly held 
and maintained the rights and singular  
prerogatives of ,st4 ,peter and his     
successors1 in calling1 presiding over1 
and confirming general or oecumenical   
councils2 the pope's superiority over   
the whole church1 and over the whole    
college of bishops1 and over a general  
council2 the irreformability of his     
doctrinal decisions in points of faith  
and morale2 his supreme power to        
dispense 7when there is cause7 in the   
canons of general councils2 in short1   
the plenitude of his authority over the 

whole chorus1 without exception or      
limitation1 ,nihil excipitur ubi        
distinguitur nihil4  ,,iii4  ,from the  
letter of which we have presented the   
reader with an extract1 it appears what 
our author's sentiments were on the     
nature and extent of the spiritual power
 of the see of ,rome4 ,it has frequently
 been said that he was the editor of    
doctor ,hulden's ,analysis ,fidei3 had  
this been the fact1 it would have been a
 strong proof of an alteration of his   
sentiments on those points2 but1 after  
particular inquiry1 the editor finds the
 assertion to be wholly unfounded4  ,on 
the celebrated questions1 ,of the       
infallibility of the ,pope1 and his     
right to the deposing power1 our author 
thus expresses himself in one of his    
letters on ,mr4 ,bower's ,history of the
 ,popes2 ,mr4 ,bower having been        
educated in the ,catholic schools1 could
 not but know that1 though some private 
divine think that the pope1 by the      
assistance of some special providence1  

cannot err in the decisions of faith    
solemnly published by him1 with the     
mature advice of his council1 or of the 
clergy or divines of his church1 yet    
that this is denied by others2 and that 
the learned ,bossuet1 and many others1  
especially of the school of ,sorbon1    
have written warmly #jai against that   
opinion2 and that no ,catholic looks    
upon it as an article or term of        
communion4 ,it is the infallibility of  
the whole church1 whether assembled in a
 general council1 or dispersed over the 
world1 of which they speak in their     
controversial disputations4 ,yet this   
writer1 at every turn1 confounds these  
two things together only to calumniate  
and impose on the public4 ,if he had    
proved that some popes had erred in     
faith1 he would have no more defeated   
the article of supremacy1 than he would 
disinherit a king by arraigning him of  
bad policy4 ,the ,catholic faith teaches
 the pope to be the supreme pastor of   
the church established by ,christ1 and  

that this church1 founded by ,christ on 
a rock1 shall never be overcome by hell1
 or cease to be his true spouse4 ,for he
 has promised that his true ,spirit     
shall direct it in all truth to the end 
of the world4 ,but ,mr4 ,bower never    
found the infallibility of the pope in  
our creed2 and knows very well that no  
such article is proposed by the church1 
or required of any one4 ,therefore the  
whole chain of his boastings which is   
conducted through the work falls to the 
ground4  ,what he writes against the    
deposing power in popes1 certainly      
cannot be made a reproach against the   
,catholics of ,england1 ,france1 ,spain1
 c4 ,it is a doctrine neither taught nor
 tolerated in any ,catholic kingdom that
 ,i know of1 and which many ,catholics  
write as warmly against as ,mr4 ,bower  
could wish4  ,,iv4  ,while our author   
continued at the college of ,douay1 his 
first publication made its appearance3  
this was his ,letters on the ,history of
 the ,popes1 published by ,mr4          

,archibald ,bower4 ,that gentleman had  
entered into the society of ,jesus1 and 
acquired a reputation for learning and  
talents4 ,he came into ,england1        
embraced the religion of the established
 church1 and endeavored to recommend    
himself to the favor of his new friends 
by his ,history of the ,lives of the    
,popes4 ,he also published an account of
 his escape from ,italy1 and of his     
motives for quitting it4 ,the truth of  
the account became a subject of         
controversy4 ,it was disbelieved1 not   
only by ,catholics but by ,protestants4 
,dr4 ,douglas1 the present bishop of    
,salisbury1 wrote an excellent pamphlet 
to expose its falsehood and absurdity4  
,it carried great improbability on the  
face of it4 ,mr4 ,bower was a lively    
writer1 and defended himself with       
adroitness2 but he was not equal to the 
composition of the history which he     
undertook to write4 ,he was of the      
numerous list of authors who1 when they 
sit down to write1 have to learn what   

they shall write1 rather than to write  
what they have already learned4 ,the    
errors which our author exposes in his  
letters are sometimes the errors of a   
very young writer4 ,the letters are     
written with ease and good-humor2 they  
show various and extensive learning1 a  
vigorous and candid mind4 ,they met with
 universal applause4  ,v4  ,in the year 
#agde1 our author accompanied the late  
earl of ,shrewsbury and the honorable   
,james ,talbot and ,thomas ,talbot on   
their travels through ,france and       
,italy4 ,he wrote a full1 entertaining1 
and interesting account of them4 ,as it 
will be published1 the editor makes no  
extracts from it in this place4 ,he was 
always solicitous that the noble        
personages committed to his care should 
see whatever deserved attention1 and be 
introduced to persons distinguished by  
their rank1 talents1 or virtue4 ,he drew
 out for them a comparative view of the 
,greek1 ,roman1 and ,gothic             
architecture2 an account of the         

different schools of painting2 and an   
abridgment of the lives1 and remarks on 
the different characters1 of the most   
eminent painters4 ,these will be found  
in his travels4 ,he kept them from all  
stage entertainments3 ,the stage        
entertainments1 he says1 in one of his  
letters1 ,i can give no account of1 as  
we never would see any2 they being      
certainly very dangerous1 and the school
 of the passions and sin1 most justly   
abhorred by the church and the fathers4 
,among us1 ,collier1 ,law1 c42 among the
 ,french1 the late prince of ,condi1    
,doctor ,voisin1 ,nicole1 c41 have said 
enough to satisfy any ,christian2 though
 ,tertullian1 ,st4 ,cyprian1 ,st4       
,chrysostom1 are still more implacable  
enemies of the stage4 ,however1 we saw  
the stages for their architecture1 where
 this was curious4 ,his opinion of the  
evil tendency of stage entertainments   
continued with him through life4  ,,vi4 
,on his return from his travels our     
author was sent on the ,english mission4

 ,he #jbj had long been engaged in his  
great work of the ,lives of the ,saints1
 and was then bringing it to a          
conclusion4 ,he naturally1 therefore1   
wished to be settled in ,london1 for the
 convenience of its public libraries1   
and the opportunities it affords of     
intercourse with men of letters4 ,but   
the vicar-apostolic of the middle       
district claimed him as belonging to    
that district1 and appointed him to a   
mission in ,staffordshire4 ,this was a  
severe mortification to our author2 he  
respectfully remonstrated2 but the      
vicar-apostolic was inexorable1 and     
required his immediate obedience4 ,a    
gentleman who lived in the same house   
with him at the time1 has mentioned to  
the editor1 that he was with him when   
the summons came2 and that on receiving 
it1 he appeared much hurt1 retired for  
half an hour to his oratory1 and soon   
after set off for his country mission4  
,from ,staffordshire he removed to      
,warkworth1 the seat of ,francis ,eyre1 

esquire1 to whom these sheets are       
dedicated4 ,he had the highest opinion  
of a good missioner1 and frequently     
declared that he knew of no situation so
 much to be envied1 while the missioner 
had a love of his duties1 and confined  
himself to them3 none so miserable1 when
 the missioner had lost the love of     
them1 and was fond of the pleasures of  
life4 ,such a one1 he used to say1 would
 seldom have the means of gratifying his
 taste for pleasure2 he would frequently
 find that1 in company1 if he met with  
outward civility1 he was the object of  
silent blame2 and that if he gave       
pleasure as a companion1 no one would   
resort to him as a priest4 ,he had a    
manuscript written by a ,mr4 ,cox1 an   
,english missioner1 who lived in the    
beginning of the present century1 in    
which these sentiments were expressed   
forcibly and with great feeling3 he     
often mentioned it4 ,but no person was  
less critical on the conduct of others1 
none exacted less from them1 than our   

author4 ,he was always at the command of
 a fellow-clergyman1 and ready to do him
 every kind of good office4 ,to the     
poor1 his door was always open4 ,when he
 resided in ,london1 in quality of      
chaplain to the duke of ,norfolk1 he was
 under no obligation1 strictly speaking1
 of attending to any person except the  
duke himself and his family2 but he was 
at the call of every one who wanted any 
spiritual or temporal assistance which  
it was in his power to afford4 ,the     
poor1 at length1 flocked to him in such 
numbers that1 much in opposition to his 
wishes1 his brother1 with whom he then  
lived1 was obliged to give general      
orders that none of them should be      
admitted to him4 ,he was ever ready to  
oblige4 ,moss4 ,olivet relates of ,huet1
 the bishop of ,avranches1 that he was  
so absorbed in his studies as sometimes 
to neglect his pastoral duties2 that    
once a poor peasant waited on him       
respecting some matter of importance1   
and was refused admittance1 his lordship

 being at his studies3 upon which the   
peasant retired1 muttering1 with great  
indignation1 that he hoped they should  
ever have another bishop who had not    
finished his studies before he came     
among them2 but our author's being at   
his studies1 was never a reason with him
 for refusing to see any one4 ,it was   
often unpleasant to observe how much his
 good-humor1 in this respect1 was       
abused4  ,,vii4  ,our author did not    
remain long in ,staffordshire4 ,edward1 
duke of ,norfolk1 7to whom the present  
duke is second in succession17 applied  
to the late ,mr4 ,challoner for a person
 to be his chaplain1 and to superintend 
the education of ,mr4 ,edward ,howard1  
his nephew and presumptive heir4 ,mr4   
,challoner fixed upon our author to fill
 that situation4 ,his first residence1  
after he was appointed to it1 was at    
,norwich in a house generally called the
 duke's palace4 ,thither some large     
boxes of books belonging to him were    
directed1 but by mistake were sent to   

the bishop's palace4 ,the bishop opened 
them1 and finding them fall of ,roman   
,catholic books1 refused to deliver     
them4 ,it has been mentioned1 that after
 the battle of ,fontenoy1 our author was
 very active in serving the ,english    
prisoners1 and that the duke of         
,cumberland returned him thanks for his 
conduct1 and made him an offer of his   
services1 if he should have occasion for
 them after his return to ,england4 ,on 
this seizure of his books1 our author   
applied to the duke2 his highness       
immediately wrote to the bishop1 and    
soon after the books were sent to their 
owner4  ,mr4 ,edward ,howard1 by our    
author's advice1 was first sent to the  
,school of the ,english clergy1 at a    
small village near ,douay1 called       
,esquerchin1 of which the most pious and
 respectable ,mr4 ,tichborne ,blunt was 
president4 ,after some years he was sent
 to complete his education at ,paris2   
and thither our author accompanied him4 
,mr4 ,edward ,howard was the ,marcellus 

of the ,english ,catholics2 #jba never  
did a noble youth raise greater         
expectations2 but he was suddenly taken 
ill and died after an illness of a few  
days4 ,on that melancholy occasion the  
family expressed great pleasure in the  
recollection of the religious education 
he had received from our author4        
,,viii4  ,during our author's stay at   
,paris he finally completed and sent to 
the press his great work on the ,lives  
of the ,saints4 ,we have seen that1 from
 his tenderest years1 he had discovered 
his turn for sacred biography4 ,at a    
very early period of his life he        
conceived the plan of his work2 and from
 that time pursued it with undeviating  
attention4 ,he qualified himself for an 
able execution of it1 by unremitted     
application to every branch of profane  
or sacred literature connected with it4 
,he was1 a perfect master of the        
,italian1 ,spanish1 and ,french         
languages4 ,the last he spoke and wrote 
with fluency and purity4 ,he was also   

perfect master of the ,latin and ,greek 
languages4 ,at an advanced period of his
 life he mentioned to the editor that he
 could then understand the works of ,st4
 ,john ,chrysostom as easily in the     
original as in the ,latin               
interpretation2 but that the ,greek of  
,saint ,gregory ,nazianzen was too      
difficult for him4 ,a few years before  
he died he amused himself with an       
inquiry into the true pronunciation of  
tee ,greek language1 and in preparing   
for the press some sheets of an intended
 ,greek grammar4 ,to attain that degree 
of knowledge of the ,greek language is  
given to few3 ,menage mentions that he  
was acquainted with three persons only  
who could read a ,greek writer without  
an interpreter4 ,our author had also    
some skill in the oriental languages4   
,in biblical reading1 in positive       
divinity1 in canon law1 in the writings 
of the fathers1 in ecclesiastical       
antiquities1 and in modern controversy1 
the depth and extent of his erudition   

are unquestionable4 ,he was also skilled
 in heraldry3 every part of ancient and 
modern geography was familiar to him4   
,he had advanced tar beyond the common  
learning of the schools in the different
 branches of philosophy2 and even in    
botany and medicine he was deeply read4 
,in this manner he had qualified himself
 to execute the work he undertook4      
,,ix4  ,the present section is intended 
to give ,an account of some of the      
principal works he consulted in the     
composition of it4 ,it will contain1    
#ast1 some remarks on the attention of  
the church1 during the early ages of    
,christianity1 to preserve the memory of
 the martyrs and saints3 #b;dly1 some   
account of the acts of the martyrs2     
#c;dly1 some account of the sacred      
calendars3 #dthly1 some account of the  
,martyrologies3 #ethly1 some account of 
the ,menaeon and ,menologies of the     
,greek church2 #fthly1 some account of  
the early ,agiographists3 #gthly1 some  
account of the ,bollandists3 and1       

#hthly1 some account of the process of  
the beatification and canonization of   
saints4  ,,ix4 #a4 ,the ,roman ,catholic
 church has ever been solicitous that   
the lives and miracles of those who have
 been eminent for their sanctify should 
be recorded for the edification of the  
faithful4 ,st4 ,clement the ,second1    
successor of ,st4 ,peter in the see of  
,rome1 is said to have divided the      
fourteen districts of that city among   
seven notaries1 assigning two districts 
to each of them1 with directions to form
 a minute and accurate account of the   
martyrs who suffered within them4 ,about
 one hundred and fifty years from that  
time1 pope ,fabian put the notaries     
under the care of deacons and           
subdeacons4 ,the same attention to the  
actions and sufferings of the martyrs   
was shown in the provinces4 ,of this1   
the letter of the church of ,smyrna1    
giving an account of the martyrdom of   
,st4 ,polycarp1 the letter of the       
churches of ,lyons and ,vienne1 giving  

an account of the martyrs who suffered  
in those cities2 and the letter of ,st4 
,dionysius1 the bishop of ,alexandra1 to
 ,fabius1 the bishop of ,antioch1 on the
 martyrs who suffered under the emperor 
,decius1 are remarkable instances4 ,our 
ancestors1 says ,pontius1 in the        
beginning of the acts of ,st4 ,cyprian1 
held those who suffered martyrdom1      
though only catechumens1 or of the      
lowest rank1 in such veneration1 as to  
commit to writing almost every thing    
that related to them4 ,nor was this     
attention confined to those who obtained
 the crown of martyrdom4 ,care was taken
 that the lives of all should be written
 who were distinguished by their        
virtues1 particularly if they had been  
favored with the gift of miracles4      
,,ix4 #b4 ,the lives of the martyrs and 
saints1 written in this manner1 were    
called their acts4 ,they were often     
collected into volumes4 ,one of the     
earliest of these #jbb collections was  
made by ,eusebius1 the father of church 

history4 ,some of the lives he inserted 
in the body of his great historical     
work3 he also published a separate      
collection of them2 it was greatly      
esteemed1 but has not reached our time3 
many others were published4 ,these      
accounts of the virtues and sufferings  
of the martyrs were received by the     
faithful with the highest respect4 ,they
 considered them to afford a glorious   
proof of the truth of the ,christian    
faith1 and of the holiness and sublimity
 of its doctrines4 ,they felt themselves
 stimulated by them to imitate the      
heroic acts of virtue and constancy     
which they placed before their eyes1 and
 to rely on the assistance of heaven    
when their own hour of trial should     
arrive4 ,thus the vocal blood of the    
martyrs was a powerful exhortation1 both
 to induce the infidel to embrace the   
faith of ,christ1 and to incite the     
faithful to the practice of its         
precepts4 ,the church1 therefore1 always
 recommended the frequent reading of the

 acts of the martyrs1 and inserted the  
mention of them in her liturgy4 ,this   
,ruinart proves by many examples3 he    
also shows that the greatest care was   
taken to procure the genuine acts of the
 martyrs2 or1 when they could not be    
had1 to procure exact accounts of their 
trials and sufferings4 ,by this means   
the church was in possession of         
authentic histories of the persecutions 
she had suffered1 and through which she 
had finally triumphed over paganism1 and
 of particular accounts of the principal
 sufferers4 ,the greatest part of them  
was lost in the general wreck which     
sacred and profane literature suffered  
from the barbarians who overturned the  
,roman empire4 ,in every age1 however1  
some were found who carefully preserved 
whatever they could save of those sacred
 treasures4 ,copies were frequently made
 of them2 and this in this1 as in every 
other important branch of ,christian    
learning1 the chain of tradition has    
been left unbroken4 ,much1 however1 of  

these sacred documents of church history
 has been irretrievably lost2 and1      
speaking generally1 the remaining part  
came down to us in an imperfect state4  
,hence ,vives1 at the end of the        
fifteenth century1 exclaimed1 ,what a   
shame it is to the ,christian world1    
that the acts of our martyrs have not   
been published with greater truth and   
accuracy6 ,the important task of        
publishing them in that manner was at   
length undertaken by ,dom ,ruinart1 a   
,maurist monk1 in his ,acta primorum    
martyrum sincera et selecta4 ,he        
executed it in a manner that gained him 
universal applause4 ,his prefatory      
discourse1 respecting the number of     
martyrs1 has been generally admired4 ,an
 invaluable accession to this branch of 
sacred literature was published by      
,stephen ,evodius ,assemani1 in two     
volumes folio1 at ,rome in #agdh4 ,the  
title of the work expresses its         
contents3 ,acta ,sanctorum ,martyrum    
orientalium et occidentalium editore    

,stephano ,evodio ,assemano1 que textum 
,chaldaicum recensuit1 notis vocalibus  
animavit1 ,latine vertit1 et            
annotationibus illustravit4 ,it is to be
 observed1 that the eastern and western 
martyrs mentioned in this place1 are not
 the martyrs of the eastern of ,greek   
church1 and the martyrs of the ,latin or
 western church1 in which sense the     
words eastern and western are generally 
used by ecclesiastical writers4 ,by the 
eastern martyrs1 ,assemani denotes the  
martyrs who suffered in the countries   
which extend from the eastern bank of   
the ,euphrates1 over ,mesopotamia and   
,chaldea to the ,tigris and the parts   
beyond it2 by the western1 he denotes   
the martyrs who suffered in ,syria1     
,palestine1 and ,egypt4 ,stephen        
,assemani was the nephew of ,joseph     
,assemani1 whose ,kalendaria will be    
mentioned in another place4 ,joseph was 
first praefect of the ,vatican library2 
,stephen was archbishop of ,apamea2 both
 of them were ,maronite monks1 and sent 

into the east by pope ,clement ,,xii4 to
 purchase manuscripts4  ,,ix4 #c4 ,it   
was the pious custom of the early       
,christians to celebrate yearly the     
memory of the martyrs1 on the days on   
which they suffered4 ,on that day the   
martyr was considered to be born to a   
life of glory and immortality1 and1 with
 respect to that second life1 it was    
called the day of his birth4 ,the       
different churches1 therefore1 were     
careful to preserve an exact account of 
the particular days on which the martyrs
 obtained the crown of martyrdom4 ,the  
book which contained this account was   
called a ,calendar4 ,at first the       
calendar contained the mention of the   
martyrs only2 but1 in the course of     
time1 the confessors1 or those who1     
without arriving at the glory of        
martyrdom1 had confessed their faith in 
,christ by their heroic virtues1 were   
admitted to the same honor4 ,the        
calendars were preserved in the         
churches2 a calendar of the ,church of  

,rome was published by ,boucher2 another
 by ,leo ,alatius2 a third by ,joannes  
,fronto1 chancellor of ,paris1 and canon
 regular of the church of ,st4          
,genevieve at ,paris4 ,a most ancient   
calendar of the church of ,carthage was 
published by ,mabillon4 ,but under this 
head no publication is more respectable 
than ,joseph ,assemani's ,kalendaria    
,ecclesiae universae notis illustrata4  
#jbc  ,,ix4 #d4 ,the calendars gave rise
 to the ,martyrologies2 the object of   
them was to collect1 in one volume1 from
 the calendars of the different         
churches1 the names of the martyrs and  
confessors throughout the world1 with a 
brief mention of the day of their       
decease1 and the place in which they    
suffered1 or which they had illustrated 
by their birth1 their residence1 their  
rank1 or their virtues4 ,the ,roman     
,martyrology is mentioned in the        
following terms by ,st4 ,gregory1 7,lib4
 #h4 ,epist4 ,indict4 #a47 in a letter  
to ,eulogius1 the bishop of ,alexandria3

 ,we1 says his holiness1 have the names 
of almost all the martyrs collected into
 one volume1 and referred to the days on
 which they suffered2 and we celebrate  
the solemn sacrifice of the mass daily  
in their honor4 ,but our calendar does  
not contain the particulars of their    
sufferings2 it only mentions their      
names1 and the place and time of their  
martyrdom4 ,the ,roman calendar seems to
 have been adopted generally through the
 western church4 ,it certainly was      
received in ,england4 ,at the council   
held at ,shovesham in #gdg1 by          
,cuthbert1 the archbishop of            
,canterbury1 it was ordered1 ,that      
throughout the year1 the feasts of the  
saints should be celebrated on the days 
appointed by the ,martyrology of the    
church of ,rome1 with the proper psalms4
 ,it was once generally believed to have
 been composed by ,st4 ,jerom2 but this 
opinion is now universally rejected4 ,it
 suffered much in the middle ages4 ,pope
 ,gregory ,,xiii41 immediately after he 

had completed the great work of         
reforming the calendar1 used the most   
earnest endeavors to procure a correct  
edition of the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,he 
committed the care of it to some of the 
most distinguished writers of his time  
on ecclesiastical subjects4 ,among them1
 ,bellarmin1 ,baronius1 and ,gavant     
deserve particular mention4 ,with this  
edition ,baronius himself was not       
satisfied4 ,he published another edition
 in #aehf3 and afterwards1 at the       
instigation of cardinal ,sirlet1        
published a still more correct edition1 
with notes1 in #aeih4 ,he prefixed to   
his edition a dissertation1 in which he 
appears to have exhausted the subject4  
,a further correction of the ,roman     
,martyrology was made by pope ,urban    
,,viii4 ,they were all surpassed by that
 published by pope ,benedict ,,xiv41 at 
,cologne1 in #agea4 ,but the most useful
 edition is that published at ,paris1 in
 #affa1 by father ,lubin1 an            
,augustinian friar4 ,it is accompanied  

with excellent notes and geographical   
tables4 ,politus1 an ,italian divine1   
published1 in #agea1 the first volume of
 a new edition of the ,roman            
,martyrology4 ,it comprises the month of
 ,january1 but the plan of annotation is
 so extended1 that it fills five hundred
 folio pages of the smallest print2 from
 the time of ,drackenborch's edition of 
,livy1 so prolix a commentary had not   
been seen4 ,among other principal       
,martyrologies1 is that of the          
,venerable ,bede4 ,after several faulty 
editions of it had appeared1 it was     
correctly published by ,henschenius and 
,papebroke1 and afterwards by ,smith1 at
 the end of his edition of ,bede's      
,ecclesiastical ,history4               
,notwithstanding ,bede's great and      
deserved celebrity1 the ,martyrology of 
,usuard1 a ,benedictine monk1 was in    
more general use2 he dedicated it to    
,charles the ,bald1 and died about #hge4
 ,it was published by ,solerius at      
,antwerp1 in #agad1 and by ,dom         

,bouillard1 in #agah2 but the curious   
still seek for the earlier edition by   
,molanus1 in #aefh1 as1 in the          
subsequent editions1 some parts of it   
were omitted4 ,another ,martyrology of  
renown is that of ,ado2 he was          
archbishop of ,vienne1 in ,dauphine1 and
 died in #hge4 ,the best edition of it  
is that by ,roswede1 in #afac1 published
 at ,rome in #agde4--,such have been the
 exertions of the church of ,rome1 to   
perpetuate the memory of those who have 
illustrated her by their virtues4       
,during the most severe persecutions1 in
 the general wreck of the arts and      
sciences1 in the midst of the public and
 private calamities which attended the  
destruction of the ,roman empire1 the   
providence of ,god always raised some   
pious and enlightened men1 who preserved
 the deposit of faith1 sod transmitted  
to future times the memory of whatever  
had been most virtuous in former ages or
 their own4  ,,ix4 #e4 ,the ,greek      
church has also shown great attention to

 preserve the memory of the holy martyrs
 and saints4 ,this appears from her     
,menaeon and ,monologue4 ,the ,menaeon  
is divided into twelve months1 and each 
month is contained in a volume4 ,all the
 saints1 whose festivals occur in that  
month1 have their proper day assigned to
 them in it3 the rubric of the divine   
office1 to be performed on that day1 is 
mentioned2 the particulars of the office
 follow2 an account of the life and     
actions of the saint is inserted2 and   
sometimes an engraving of him is added4 
,if it happen that the saint has not his
 peculiar office1 a prose or hymn in his
 praise in generally introduced4 ,the   
greater solemnities have an appropriate 
office4 ,from this the intelligent      
reader will observe that the ,menaeon of
 the ,greeks is #jbd nearly the same as 
a work would be1 which should unite in  
itself the ,missal and ,breviary of the 
,roman ,catholic church4 ,it was printed
 in twelve volumes in folio at ,venice4 
,bollandus mentions that ,raderus1 a    

,tyrolese ,jesuit1 had translated the   
whole of the ,menaeon1 and pronounced it
 to be free from schism or heresy4  ,the
 ,menologium answers to the ,latin      
,martyrology4 ,there are several        
,menologia1 as1 at different times1     
great alterations have been made in     
them4 ,but the ground-word of them all  
is the same1 so that they are neither   
wholly alike nor wholly different4 ,a   
translation of a ,menologium into ,latin
 by cardinal ,sirlet1 was published by  
,henry ,canisius1 in the third volume of
 his ,lectiones ,antiquae4 ,the ,greek  
original1 with a new version1 was       
published by ,annibal ,albani1 at       
,urbino1 in #agbg4 ,from these works it 
is most clear that the ,greek church    
invokes the saints1 and implores their  
intercession with ,god3 ,haud obscure   
ostendit1 says ,walchius1 ,graecos eo   
cultu prosequi homines in sanctorum     
ordinem ascriptos1 ut ilios incocent4   
,bib4 ,theologica1 vol4 iii4 #ffh4 ,from
 the ,menaeon1 and the ,menologium1     

,raderus published a collection of pious
 and entertaining narratives1 under the 
title of ,viridarum ,sanctorum4 ,it is  
to be wished that some gentleman would  
employ his leisure in a translation of  
it4 ,we should then be furnished1 from  
the works of the ,agiographists of the  
eastern church1 with a collection of    
pious and instructing narratives1       
similar to those in the well-known      
,histoires ,choisies4 ,one of the most  
curious articles inserted in the ,acta  
,sanctorum of the ,bollandists1 is the  
,muscovite or ,russian ,calendar1 with  
the engravings of the saints4 ,it was   
first published by father ,possevin4 ,he
 praises the ,russians for the great    
attention to decency which they observe 
in their pictures and engravings of holy
 subjects4 ,he mentions that the        
,russians1 who accompanies him in his   
return to ,rome1 observed with surprise 
in the ,italian paintings of saints1 a  
want of the like attention4 ,father     
,papebroke1 when he cites this passage1 

adopts the remark1 and loudly calls on  
,innocent ,,xii4 to attend to the       
general decency of all public paintings 
and statues4 ,a ,greek ,calendar of the 
,saints in hexameter verse accompanies  
the ,russian ,calendar1 in the ,acta    
,sanctorum2 both are illustrated with   
notes by father ,pane broke4  ,,ix4 #f4 
,we proceed to the ,lives of the        
,saints1 written by individuals4 ,for   
these our attention must be first       
directed to the ,agiographists of the   
,greek church4 ,the eighth century may  
be considered as the period when        
,grecian literature had reached its     
lowest state of depression2 in the      
ninth1 ,bardas ,caesar1 the brother of  
the empress ,theodora1 protected        
letters2 from that time they were       
constantly cultivated by the ,greeks2 so
 that ,constantinople1 utile it was     
taken by ,mahomet1 was never without its
 historians1 poets1 or philosophers4    
,compared with the writings of the      
ancients1 their compositions seem       

lifeless and unnatural2 we look among   
them in vain either for original genius 
or successful imitation4 ,still they are
 entitled to our gratitude2 many of the 
precious remains of antiquity have come 
down to us only in their extracts and   
abridgments2 and their voluminous       
compilations have transmitted to us much
 useful information which has no other  
existence4 ,sacred biography1 in        
particular1 has great obligations to    
them4 ,the earliest work on that subject
 we owe to the care which the emperor   
,constantine ,porphyrogenitus bestowed  
on the literary education of his son2 an
 example which1 at the distance of about
 six hundred years1 was successfully    
rivalled by the elegant edition of the  
,delphin ,classics1 published under the 
aspics of ,lewis ,,xiv4 ,but the ,greek 
emperor had this advantage over the     
,french monarch1 that he himself was the
 author of some of the works published  
for the use of his son4 ,in the first   
7published by ,lerch and ,reisch at     

,leipsic1 in #agea7 he described the    
ceremonial of the ,byzantine court2 the 
second 7published by ,banduri1 in his   
,imperium ,orientale7 is a geographical 
survey of the provinces1 or1 as he calls
 them1 the ,themata of the empire2 the  
third1 which some ascribe to the emperor
 ,leo1 his father1 describes the        
prevailing system of military tactics2  
the forth delineates the political      
relations and intercourse of the court  
of ,byzantium with the other states4    
,his ,geoponics 7published by ,nicholas 
,niclas at ,leipsic1 in #agca1 in two   
volumes1 #hvo47 were written with a view
 of instructing his subjects in         
agriculture4 ,by his direction1 a       
collection of historical examples of    
vice and virtue was compiled in         
fifty-three books1 and ,simeon          
,metaphrastes1 the great logothete1 or  
chancellor of the empire1 composed his  
,lives of the ,saints4 ,several of them 
were published1 with a ,latin           
translation1 by the care of ,lipoman1   

the bishop of ,verona4 ,cardinal        
,bellarmin accuses ,metaphrastes of     
giving too much loose to his            
imagination4 ,he inserts1 #jbe says the 
cardinal1 such accounts of conversations
 of the martyrs with their persecutors1 
and such accounts of conversions of     
bystanders1 as exceed belief4 ,he       
mentions many and most wonderful        
miracles on the destruction of the      
temples and idols1 and on the death of  
the persecutors1 of which nothing is    
said by the ancient historians4 ,we next
 come to ,jacobus de ,voragine1 a       
,dominican friar and archbishop of      
,genoa1 in #abib4 ,his ,golden ,legend  
was the delight of our ancestors during 
the ages which preceded the revival of  
letters4 ,the library of no monastery   
was without it4 ,like the essays of     
,montaigne1 it was to be found on the   
shelf of every private person2 and1 for 
a long time after the invention of      
printing1 no work more often issued from
 the press4 ,after enjoying the highest 

degree of reputation1 it lost much of   
its celebrity1 in consequence of the    
,lives of ,saints published by          
,mombritius in two immense volumes1 in  
folio1 about the year #adhj1 from       
manuscripts in the library of the church
 of ,st4 ,john of ,lateran and in       
consequence of the ,lives of ,saints    
published by ,surius1 a ,carthusian     
monk4 ,the first edition of ,surius's   
work was published in #aegj-ge1 in six  
volumes2 the second appeared in #aegh1  
the third and most complete was         
published1 in twelve volumes1 in #afae4 
,that he frequently shows too much      
credulity1 and betrays a want of taste1 
must be admitted2 but his works are     
allowed to breathe a spirit of piety2   
his candor1 and desire to be accurate1  
are discernible in every part of his    
writings2 and his learning1 for the age 
in which he lived1 was considerable4 ,in
 ,ribadeneira the line of ancient       
,agiographists respectably finishes4    
,while candor and good taste must allow 

that1 even in the ,lest of the          
compilations we have mentioned1 there is
 a great want of critical discernment1  
and that they are wholly deficient in   
elegance1 and the artificial beauties of
 composition1 justice requires that     
their defects should not be exaggerated4
 ,still less should an intention to     
deceive1 even on the pretence of        
edification1 be imputed to them4        
,whatever may have been either the error
 or the criminality of some of her      
members1 the church herself1 in this1 as
 in every other instance1 has always    
inculcated the duty of sincerity and    
truth1 and reprobated a deviation from  
them1 even on the specious pretence of  
producing good4 ,on this subject our    
author thus forcibly expresses himself1 
in one of his letters on ,mr4 ,bower's  
,history of the ,lives of the ,popes3   
,it is very unjust to charge the popes  
or the ,catholic church with            
countenancing knowingly false legends2  
seeing all the divines of that communion

 unanimously condemn all such forgeries 
as lies in things of great moment1 and  
grievous sins2 and all the councils1    
popes1 and other bishops1 have always   
expressed the greatest horror of such   
villanies2 which no cause or            
circumstances whatever can authorize1   
and which1 in all things relating to    
religion1 are always of the most heinous
 nature4 ,hence the authors1 when       
detected1 have been always punished with
 the utmost severity4 ,dr4 ,burnet      
himself says1 that those who feigned a  
revelation at ,basil1 of which he gives 
a long detail1 with false circumstances1
 in his letters on his travels1 were all
 burnt at stakes for it1 which we read  
more exactly related by ,surius in his  
,commentary on his own times4 ,the truth
 is1 that many false legends of true    
martyrs were forged by heretics1 as were
 those of ,st4 ,george1 condemned by    
pope ,gelasius1 as many false gospels   
were soon after the birth of            
,christianity1 of which we have the     

names of near fifty extant4 ,other      
wicked or mistaken persons have         
sometimes been guilty of a like         
imposture4 ,a priest at ,ephesus forged 
acts of ,st4 ,paul's voyages1 out of    
veneration for that apostle1 and was    
deposed for it by ,st4 ,john the        
evangelist1 as we learn from            
,tertullian4 ,to instance examples of   
this nature would form a complete       
history2 for the church has always most 
severely condemned all manner of        
forgeries4 ,sometimes the more virtuous 
and remote from fraud a person is1 the  
more unwilling he is to suspect an      
imposture in others4 ,some great and    
good men have been imposed upon by lies1
 and have given credit to false         
histories1 but without being privy to   
the forgery2 and nothing erroneous1     
dangerous1 or prejudicial was contained 
in what they unwarily admitted4         
,however1 if credulity in private       
histories was too easy in any former    
age1 certainly skepticism and infidelity

 are the characters of this in which we 
live4 ,no histories1 except those of    
holy scripture1 are proposed as parts of
 divine revelation or articles of faith2
 all others rest upon their bare        
historical authority4 ,they who do not  
think this good and sufficient in any   
narrations1 do well to suggest modestly 
their reasons2 yet may look upon them at
 least as parables1 and leave others the
 liberty of judging for themselves      
without offence4 ,but ,mr4 ,bower says1 
p4 #agg1 ',the ,roman ,breviary is the  
most authentic book the #jbf church of  
,rome has1 after the scripture2 it would
 be less dangerous1 at least in ,italy1 
to deny any truth revealed in the       
scripture1 than to question any fable   
related in the ,breviary4' ,catholic    
divines teach that every tittle in the  
holy scriptures is sacred1 divinely     
inspired1 and the word of ,god dictated 
by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,even the          
definitions of general councils do not  
enjoy an equal privilege2 they are      

indeed the oracles of an unerring guide 
in the doctrine of faith2 which guide   
received1 together with the scriptures1 
the true sense and meaning of the       
articles of faith contained in them2    
and1 by the special protection of the   
,holy ,ghost1 invariably preserves the  
same by tradition from father to son1   
according to the promises of ,christ4   
,but the church receives no new         
revelation of faith1 and adds nothing to
 that which was taught by the apostles3 
#b;dly1 ,its decisions are not          
supernaturally infallible in matters of 
fact1 as scripture histories are1 but   
only in matters of faith4 ,nor do       
,catholics say that its expressions1    
even in decisions of faith1 are strictly
 dictated by the ,holy ,ghost1 or       
suggested from him1 by any immediate    
revelation or inspiration2 but only that
 the church is directed by his          
particular guidance1 according to his   
divine truths1 revealed and delivered to
 his church by his apostles4 ,as to the 

,roman ,breviary1 the prayers consist1  
for the greatest part1 of the psalms1   
and other parts of the holy scriptures1 
to which the same respect is due which  
we pay to the divine books4 ,the short  
lessons from the ,homilies1 or other    
works of approved fathers1 especially   
those fathers who are mentioned by      
,gelasius ,i4 in his decree1 carry with 
them the authority of their venerable   
authors4 ,as it was the custom in the   
primitive ages to read1 in the churches 
or assemblies1 the acts of the most     
illustrious martyrs1 of which frequent  
mention is made in those of ,st4        
,polycarp1 c41 some short histories of  
the martyrs and other saints have been  
always inserted in the ,breviary1 to    
which only an historical assent is due1 
whence they have been sometimes altered 
and amended4 ,these are chiefly such as 
are judged authentic and probable by the
 cardinals ,baronius and ,bellarmin1 who
 revised those lessons1 in the last     
correction under ,clement ,,viii4       

,gavant1 who was himself one of the     
revisers of the ,breviary1 and secretary
 to the congregation1 writes thus1 7in  
,breviar4 sect4 #e1 c4 #ab1 n4 #ae1 p4  
#ah37 ',the second lessons from the     
histories of the saints were revised by 
,bellarmin and ,baronius1 who rejected  
what could be justly called in question3
 in which difficult task they thought it
 best to restore the truth of history   
with the least change possible1 and to  
retain those things which had a certain 
degree of probability1 and had the      
authority of some grave voucher1 though 
the contrary sentiment had perhaps more 
patrons4' ,in computing the years of the
 popes1 the chronology of ,baronius was 
judged the most exact1 and retained4    
,historical facts1 nowise revealed or   
contained in scripture1 cannot be made  
an object of divine faith4 ,if edifying 
histories are inserted in the           
church-office1 they stand upon their own
 credit4 ,such only ought to be chosen  
which are esteemed authentic4 ,this rule

 has been always followed when any were 
compiled4 ,if the compilers are found   
afterwards to have been mistaken1 it is 
nowhere forbid to correct them4#a ,this 
has been often done by the order of     
several popes4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,nimia 
profecto almplicitate peccant qui       
scandalizantur quoties     audiunt      
aliquid ex jam olim creditia et juxta   
breviarii prescriptum     hodiedum      
recitandis1 in disputationem            
adduci4--,diss4 ,ballandice4     vol4   
#b1 p4 #adj4  ,,ix4 #g4 ,among the      
modern collections of the ,lives of     
,saints1 of which our authors availed   
himself1 in the work we are speaking of1
 the histories which different religious
 have written of their own orders1 hold 
a distinguished place4 ,but he was      
indebted to no work so much as the ,acta
 sanctorum of the ,bollandists4 ,that   
noble collection was first projected by 
,father ,roswede of the society of      
,jesus4 ,he died before he had          
completely digested his plan4           

,fortunately for the lovers either of   
sacred history or sacred literature1 it 
mm taken up by father ,bollandus of the 
same society1 and has been carried down 
to the eleventh day of ,october         
inclusive4 ,those who1 after            
,bollandus's decease1 succeeded him in  
his undertaking1 were from him called   
,bollandists4  ,as far as the editor has
 been able to learn1 the work was       
composed by the following authors1 and  
published in the number of volumes and  
years following3            ,no4 of     
,vols4    ,years of their ,months4   all
 in folio4   appearance4                
,authors4 ,january     ,two1            
#afdc 44444444444 ,bollandus and        
,henschenius ,february    ,three1       
#afeh 44444444444 ,bollandus and        
,henschenius ,march       ,three1       
#affh 44444444444 ,henschenius and      
,papebrochius ,april       ,three1      
#afge 44444444444 ,henschenius and      
,papebrochius ,may         ,seven1      
#afhj-afhh4444444 ,henschenius1         

,papebrochius1                          
,baertius1 and ,janningus  #jbg  ,june  
,six1           #afie--agae444444       
,henschenius1 ,papebrochius1            
,baertius1 ,janningus1                  
and ,sollerius ,july        ,seven1     
#agai--agca444444 ,janningus1           
,sollerius1                             
,pinius1 ,cuperius1 and                 
,boschinus4 ,august      ,six1          
#agcc--agdc444444 ,sollerius1 ,pinius1  
,cuperius1 ,boschius1 and               
,stiltingus ,september   ,eight1        
#agdf--agfb444444 ,pinius1 ,stiltingus1 
,limpenus1 ,veldius1                    
,suyskenius1 ,pericrius1                
and ,cleus4 ,october     ,five          
#agfe--aghf444444 ,stiltingus1          
,suyskenius1                            
,perierius1 ,byeus1 ,boaeus1            
,gnesquierus1 ,hubenus1                 
and ,fronsonus4  ,antwerp was the scene 
of the labors of the ,bollandists4 ,they
 were engaged on them1 when the enemies 
of every thing sacred arrived there     

under ,pichegru4 ,the most eminent of   
the ,bollandists was ,father ,papebroke1
 a rival of the ,petaviuses1 the        
,sirmonds1 and ,mabillons3 one of those 
men who exalt the character of the      
society to which they belong1 and the   
age in which they live4 ,the ,spanish   
,inquisition condemned some of the      
volumes in which he was concerned1 but  
afterwards retracted the censure4       
,several dissertations1 replete with    
various and profound erudition1 are     
interspersed in the body of the work2   
they are equally distinguished by the   
learning1 and the soundness and sobriety
 of criticism which appear in them4 ,it 
would be an irreparable loss to the     
,christian world that the work should   
not be completed4 ,the principal        
dissertations have been printed1 in     
three volumes folio1 at ,venice1 in     
#agdi-ei4 ,those who wish to see an     
account of the controversy which        
produced or was occasioned by the       
sentence of the ,inquisition1 may       

consult the ,acta ,eruditorum1 #afif1 p4
 #acb-ejj4  ,,ix4 #h4 ,another source of
 information1 of which our author       
availed himself in the composition of   
his work1 was the ,acts of the          
,beatification and ,canonization of the 
,saints4  ,the name of ,martyr was given
 by the ancient church to those who had 
suffered death for the faith of ,christ2
 the name of ,confessor was applied to  
those who had made a public profession  
of their faith before the persecutors4  
,it was afterwards extended to those who
 had edified the church by their heroic 
virtues4 ,st4 ,martin of ,tours is      
generally supposed to have been the     
first saint to whom the title of        
confessor was applied in the last sense4
  ,originally1 every bishop had the     
privilege of canonizing saints1 or      
declaring them entitled to the honors   
which the ,catholic church bestows on   
her saints4 ,the council of ,cologne1   
cited by ,ivo of ,chartres1 forbids the 
faithful to show any public mark of     

veneration to any modern saint1 without 
the permission of the diocesan4 ,a      
capitulary of ,charlemagne in #hja is to
 the same effect4  ,pope ,alexander     
,,iii4 is supposed to have been the     
first pope who reserved the exclusive   
privilege of canonizing saints to the   
holy see4 ,it was recognised by the     
church of ,france at a council at       
,vienne1 in which the bishops1          
addressing themselves to pope ,gregory  
,,ix41 expressly say1 that no sanctity1 
however eminent1 authorizes the faithful
 to honor the memory of a saint1 without
 the permission of the holy see4  ,the  
present mode of proceeding in the       
canonization of saints1 principally     
takes its rise from the decree of pope  
,urban ,,viii41 dated the #acth of      
,march1 #afbe4 ,by that he forbade the  
public veneration of every new saint1   
not beatified or baptized2 and          
particularly ordered that no one1 even  
in private1 should paint the image of   
any person1 whatever might be his       

reputation for sanctity1 with a crown or
 e of light round his head2 or expose   
his picture in any sacred place1 or     
publish a history of his life1 or a     
relation of his virtues and miracles1   
without the approbation of his diocesan3
 that if1 in a work so approved of1 the 
person were called saint1 or blessed1   
those words should only be used to      
denote the general holiness of his life1
 but not to anticipate the general      
judgment of the church4 ,his holiness   
adds a form of protestation to that     
effect1 which he requires the authors to
 sign1 at the beginning and end of their
 works4 ,this regulation of pope ,urban 
is so strictly attended to1 that a      
single proof of the infraction of it1   
and even the omission of a definite     
sentence that there has been no         
infraction of it1 makes the canonization
 of the saint impossible1 and           
invalidates the whole of the            
proceedings4 ,the only exception is1 in 
favor of those saints who are proved to 

have been immemorially venerated for a  
hundred years and upwards1 before #afcd1
 the year in which pope ,urban's bull   
was confirmed4  ,the beatification of a 
saint is generally considered as a      
preliminary to his canonization4 ,it is 
a kind of provisional permission1       
authorizing the faithful to honor #jbh  
the memory of the person beatified2 but 
qualified as to the place or manner4 ,a 
decree of pope ,alexander ,,viii4 in    
#afei1 prohibits the faithful from      
carrying those honors farther than the  
bull of beatification expressly permits4
  ,the proceedings of beatification or  
canonization are long1 rigorous1 and    
expensive4 #ast1 ,the bishop of the     
diocese institutes a process1 in the    
nature of an information1 to inquire    
into the public belief of the virtues   
and miracles of the proposed1 and to    
ascertain that the decree we have       
mentioned of pope ,urban ,,viii4 has    
been complied with3 this proceeding     
begins and ends with the bishop1 his    

sentence being conclusive4 #b;dly1 ,the 
acts of this proceeding1 with the       
bishop's sentence1 are sealed up1 then  
taken to the congregation of rites3 and 
deposited with the notary4 #c;dly1 ,the 
solicitors for the congregation petition
 for publication of the proceedings4    
#dthly1 ,this is granted2 and the       
proceedings1 being first legally        
verified1 are opened before the         
cardinal-president of the congregation1 
#ethly1 ,the pope is then requested to  
refer the business to a particular      
cardinal to report upon it4 #fthly1     
,this being granted1 the writings of the
 proposed1 if he be the author of any1  
are laid before the cardinal-reporter4  
#gthly1 ,he appoints a commission to    
assist him1 and1 with their assistance1 
makes his report4 ,if one formal error  
against faith1 one direct opinion       
contrary to morals1 be round in them1 it
 puts a total end to the proceedings1   
unless the author1 in his life1         
expressly retracted it4 ,a general      

protestation2 says ,benedict ,,xiv41 the
 most sincere submission of all opinions
 to the authority of the ,catholic      
church1 saves the author from           
criminality1 but does not prevent the   
effect of this rigorous escalation4     
#hthly1 ,hitherto the proceedings are   
not in strictness before the pope2 but1 
from this sage of the business1 the     
affair wholly devolves on his holiness4 
,he signs a commission to the           
congregation of rites to institute and  
prosecute the process of beatification2 
but1 before this commission is granted1 
ten years must have expired1 from the   
time when the acts of the diocesan were 
first lodged with the congregation of   
rites4 #ithly2 ,the congregation of     
rites appoints commissaries1 whom the   
pope delegates1 to inform themselves of 
the virtues and miracles are the        
proposed4 ,the commissaries usually are 
bishops1 and the bishop of the diocese  
where the proposed is buried is usually 
one of them2 but laymen are never       

employed4 ,the proceedings of the       
commissaries are secret1 and carried on 
and subscribed with the strictest order 
and regularity1 and in great form2 the  
last step in their proceedings is to    
visit the tomb of the deceased1 and to  
draw out a verbal process of the state  
in which his remains are found4 ,the    
original of the proceedings is left with
 the bishops2 a legalized copy is taken 
of them1 and returned by a sworn courier
 to the congregation of rites4 #ajthly1 
,the solicitors for the congregation    
then pray for what is called a decree of
 attribution1 or that an inquiry may be 
made into each particular virtue and    
miracle attributed to the proposed3     
#aathly1 ,upon this1 they proceed to    
make the inquiry1 beginning with the    
virtues and ending with the miracles2   
but of the former they can take on      
notice in this stage of the business1   
till fifty years from the time of the   
proposed's decease3 in the case of a    
martyr1 his martyrdom alone1 with proof 

both of the heroism with which it was   
suffered1 and of its having been        
suffered purely and absolutely in the   
cause of ,christ1 is supposed to make an
 inquiry into his virtues unnecessary4  
#abthly1 ,the final determination of the
 cause is settled in three extraordinary
 congregations1 called the              
antepreparatory1 the preparatory1 and   
the general4 ,the virtues to be approved
 of must be of the most heroic kind3 the
 number of miracles is1 in strictness1  
limited to two4 ,the pope collects the  
vows of the assembly2 and two-thirds of 
it1 at least1 must agree in opinion1    
before they come to a resolution4 ,he   
then pronounces what is called a private
 sentence1 before the promoter and the  
secretary of the congregation of ,st4   
,peter4 #acthly1 ,a general congregation
 is then held1 to determine whether it  
be advisable to proceed to the          
beatification of the proposed4 #adthly1 
,three consistories are afterwards held4
 l#ethly1 ,the pope then signs the brief

 of beatification4 ,the publication of  
it is performed in the church of the    
,vatican4 ,the solicitor for the        
beatification presents the brief to the 
cardinal-prefect2 he remits it to the   
cardinal-archpriest of the church where 
the ceremony is held4 ,the              
cardinal-archpriest reads it aloud2 the 
,te ,deum is sung1 a collect in honor of
 the beatified is read1 and mass is     
solemnized in his honor4 #afthly1 ,when 
the proceedings for the beatification   
are completed1 the proceedings for the  
canonization begin4 ,but it is necessary
 that1 before any thing be done in them1
 new miracles should be wrought4 ,when  
the solicitor for the canonization is   
satisfied that he can prove by judicial 
evidence the existence of these         
miracles1 he presents a petition for    
resuming the #jbi cause4 #agthly1 ,three
 congregations extraordinary1 a general 
assembly1 and three consistories1 are   
held for the purpose of pronouncing on  
the new miracles1 and determining       

whether it be prudent to proceed to     
canonization4 #ahthly1 ,this being      
determined upon1 the pope issues the    
brief of canonization1 and1 soon after1 
the ceremonial follows4 ,it begins by a 
solemn procession3 an image of the saint
 is painted on several banners4 ,when   
the procession arrives at the church    
where the ceremony is performed1 the    
pope seats himself on his throne1 and   
receives the usual homage of the court4 
,the solicitor for the cause and the    
consistorial advocate place themselves  
at the feet of his holiness1 and request
 the canonization2 the litanies are     
sung2 the request is made a second time2
 the ,veni ,creator is sung2 the request
 is made a third time2 the secretary    
announces that it is the will of the    
pope to proceed immediately upon the    
canonization2 the solicitor requests    
that the letters of canonization may be 
delivered in due form2 his holiness     
delivers them1 and the first            
prothonotary calls on all the assembly  

to witness the delivery4 ,the ,te ,deum 
is sung1 and high mass is solemnized4   
,the decree of canonization is usually  
worded in these terms3 ,to the glory of 
the ,holy ,trinity1 for the exaltation  
of the ,catholic faith1 and the increase
 of the ,christian religion3 ,in virtue 
of the authority of ,jesus ,christ1 of  
the holy apostles ,st4 ,peter and ,st4  
,paul1 and our own1 after due           
deliberation and frequent invocations of
 the heavenly light1 with consent of our
 venerable brethren1 the cardinals1     
patriarchs1 archbishops1 and bishops1   
present at ,rome1 we declare the blessed
 ,n4 to be a saint1 and we inscribe him 
as such in the catalogue of the saints4 
,in the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and  
,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4  ,such is the      
outline of the process of canonization4 
,it must be added1 that the strictest   
evidence is required of every thing     
offered in proof4 ,it is laid down as a 
universal rule1 which admits of no      
exception1 that the same evidence shall 

be required1 through the whole of the   
process1 as in criminal cases is        
required to convict an offender of a    
capital crime2 and that no evidence of  
any fact shall be received1 if a higher 
degree of evidence of the same fact can 
possibly be obtained4 ,hence1 a copy of 
no instrument is admitted1 if the       
original be in existence2 no hearsay    
witness is received1 if ocular testimony
 can be produced4 ,the rigorous         
examination of every circumstance       
offered to be proved has excited the    
surprise of intelligent ,protestants4   
,miracles1 which to them seemed proved  
to the utmost degree of demonstration1  
have1 to their surprise1 been rejected4 
,whatever there is most awful in        
religion1 most sacred in an oath1 or    
most tremendous in the censures of the  
church1 is employed in the process of   
canonization to elicit truth and detect 
falsehood4 ,every check and countercheck
 is used1 which slowness of proceeding1 
or a repetition of it in other stages   

and under different forms1 can effect4  
,the persons employed in it are the     
members of the ,roman ,catholic church1 
the most exalted by their rank1 and the 
most renowned for their virtues and     
talents4 ,when the proceedings are      
concluded1 they are printed and exposed 
to the examination of the whole world4  
,the sixth volume of the celebrated     
treatise of ,benedict ,,xiv4 on the     
beatification and canonization of       
saints1 contains the acts of the saints 
canonized by himself4  ,x4  ,with these 
helps our author sat down to his work4  
,we may suppose him addressing to the   
saints1 whose lives he was about to     
write1 a prayer similar to the beautiful
 prayer addressed to them by ,bollandus 
at the end of his general preface1 and  
which may be thus abridged3 ,hail1 ye   
citizens of heaven6 courageous warriors6
 triumphant over the world6 from the    
blessed scenes of your everlasting      
glory1 look on a low mortal1 who        
searches everywhere for the memorials of

 your virtues and triumphs4 ,show your  
favor to him2 give him to discover the  
valuable monuments of former times2 to  
distinguish the spurious from the       
legitimate2 to digest his work in proper
 order and method2 to explain and       
illustrate whatever is obscure4 ,take   
under your protection all who have      
patronized or assisted him in his       
undertakings3 obtain for all who read   
his work1 that they imitate the examples
 of virtue which it places before their 
eyes2 and that they experience how      
sweet1 how useful1 and how glorious it  
is to walk in your steps4  ,in the      
preface to the ,french translation1 the 
work is said to have cost our author the
 labor of thirty years4 ,it was his     
practice1 when he began to write the    
life of any saint1 to read over and     
digest the whole of his materials1      
before he committed any thing to paper4 
,his work evidently shows1 that his mind
 was full of its subject1 #jcj and that 
what he wrote was the result of much    

previous information and reflection4 ,on
 many occasions he must have written on 
subjects which were new to him2 but1    
such is the mutual connection and       
dependence of every branch of           
literature1 that a mind stored like his 
was already in possession of that kind  
of knowledge1 which would make him      
apprehend1 with great ease1 whatever he 
had to learn2 and would instruct him1   
though the subject were new to him1     
where he might express himself          
decisively1 and where he should doubt4  
,how extensive and profound his general 
knowledge was1 appears from this1 that a
 person who happens to have made any    
subject1 treated of by him1 his         
particular study1 will seldom read what 
our author has written upon it without  
finding in it something original1 or1 at
 least1 so happily expressed or         
illustrated as to have the merit of     
originality4 ,in some instances1 as in  
his account of the ,manichaens1 in the  
life of ,st4 ,augustine1 and of the     

crusades1 in the life of ,st4 ,lewis1 he
 shows such extent and minuteness of    
investigation1 as could only be required
 from works confined to those subjects4 
,in other instances1 where his materials
 are scanty1 so that he writes chiefly  
from his own mind1 as in the lives of   
,st4 ,zita or ,st4 ,isidore of          
,pelusium1 he pours an unpremeditated   
stream of piety1 which nothing but an   
intimate acquaintance with the best     
spiritual writers could produce4  ,the  
sameness of a great number of the most  
edifying actions which our author had to
 relate1 made it difficult for him to   
avoid a tiresome uniformity of          
narrative3 but he has happily surmounted
 this difficulty4 ,another difficulty he
 met with1 was the flat and inanimate   
style of the generality of the writers  
from whom his work was composed4 ,happy 
he must have been1 when the authors he  
had to consult were ,st4 ,jerome1       
,scipio1 ,maffei1 ,bouhours1 or         
,marsollier4 ,but most commonly they    

were such as might edify but could not  
delight4 ,he had then to trust to his   
own resources for that style1 that      
arrangement1 those reflections1 which   
were to engage his reader's attention4  
,in this he has certainly succeeded4    
,few authors on holy subject have       
possessed1 in a higher degree1 that     
indescribable charm of style which      
rivets the reader's attention to the    
book1 which never places the writer     
between the book and the reader1 but    
insensibly leads him to the conclusion1 
sometimes delighted1 but always         
attentive and always pleased4  ,his     
style is peculiar to himself2 it        
partakes more of the style of the       
writers of the last century than of the 
style of the present age4 ,it possesses 
great merit1 but sometimes is negligent 
and loose4 ,mr4 ,gibbon mentioned it to 
the editor in warm terms of             
commendation2 and was astonished when he
 heard how much of our author's life had
 been spent abroad4 ,speaking of our    

author's ,lives of the ,saints1 7vol4   
iv4 #deg17 he calls it a work of        
merit1--the sense and learning belong to
 the author--his prejudices are those of
 his profession4 ,as it is known what   
prejudice means in ,mr4 ,gibbon's       
vocabulary1 our author's relatives      
accept the character4  ,having lived so 
long in the schools1 he must have had a 
strong predilection for some of the     
opinions agitated in them2 and frequent 
opportunities of expressing it occurred 
in his work4 ,he seems to have          
cautiously avoided them3 a single       
instance1 perhaps1 is not to be found1  
where any thing of the kind is          
discoverable in any of his writings4 ,he
 has carefully brought before the reader
 every circumstance arising from his    
subject1 that could be offered in proof 
or illustration of the particular tenets
 of the ,roman ,catholic church2 but he 
does it without affectation1 and rather 
leaves the reader to draw his own       
conclusions1 than suggests them to him4 

,those expressions which good manners   
and good taste reject1 are never to be  
found in his works4  ,but the chief     
merit of his works is1 that they make   
virtue and devotion amiable3 he preaches
 penance1 but he shows its rewards2 he  
exhorts to compunction1 but he shows the
 sweetness of pious sorrow2 he enforces 
humility1 but he shows the blessedness  
of a humble heart2 he recommends        
solitude1 but he shows that ,god is     
where the world is not4 ,no one reads   
his work who does not perceive the      
happiness1 even in this world1 of a holy
 life1 or who does not wish to die the  
death of a saint4 ,most readers of it   
will acknowledge that1 sometimes at     
least1 when they have read it1 every    
worldly emotion has died within them1   
and they have felt themselves in a      
disposition of mind suited to receive   
the finest impressions of religion4  ,at
 the finishing of his work he gave a    
very edifying instance of humility4 ,the
 manuscript of the first volume having  

been submitted to ,mr4 ,challoner1 the  
vicar-apostolic of the ,london district1
 he recommended the omission of all the 
notes1 not #jca excepting that beautiful
 note which gave an account of the      
writings of ,st4 ,john ,chrysostom4 ,his
 motive was1 that1 by being made less   
bulky1 the work might be made less      
expensive1 and1 consequently1 more      
generally useful4 ,it is easy to suppose
 what it must have cost our author to   
consign to oblivion the fruit of so much
 labor and so many vigils4 ,he obeyed1  
however1 and to this circumstance it is 
owing that1 in the first edition1 the   
notes in question were omitted4  ,,xi4  
,,xi4 #a4 ,it has been objected to our  
author's work on the ,lives of the      
,saints1 that the system of devotion    
which is recommended by it1 is1 at best1
 suited to the cloister4 ,but no work   
has ever appeared1 in which the         
difference between the duties of a man  
of the world and the duties of a        
religious is more strongly pointed out4 

,whenever the author has occasion to    
mention any action of any saint1 which  
is extraordinary or singular in its     
nature he always observes1 that it is of
 a kind rather to be admired than       
imitated4  ,,xi4 #b4 ,it has been       
objected1 that the piety which it       
inculcates is of the ascetic kind1 and  
that the spirit of penance1 voluntary   
mortification1 and contempt of the      
world1 which it breathes everywhere1 is 
neither required nor recommended by the 
gospel4 ,but no difference can be found 
between the spirit of piety inculcated  
by our author1 and that inculcated by   
the most approved authors of the ,roman 
,catholic church4 ,less of penance1 of  
voluntary mortification1 or of contempt 
of the world1 is not recommended by     
,rodriguez1 by ,thomas of ,kempis1 by   
,st4 ,francis of ,sales1 by ,bourdaloue1
 or ,massillon1 than is recommended by  
our author4 ,speaking of those who      
confound nature with grace1 and who look
 on the cross of ,jesus ,christ as an   

object foreign to faith and piety2--,it 
was not thus1 says ,massillon1 in his   
sermon on the ,incarnation1 it was not  
thus that the apostles announced the    
gospel to our ancestors4 ,the spirit of 
the gospel is a holy eagerness of       
suffering1 an incessant attention to    
mortify self-love1 to do violence to the
 will1 to restrain the desires1 to      
deprive the senses of useless           
gratifications2 this is the essence of  
,christianity1 the soul of piety4 ,if   
you have not this spirit1 you belong    
not1 says the apostle1 to ,jesus        
,christ2 it is of no consequence that   
you are not of the number of the impure 
or sacrilegious of whom the apostle     
speaks1 and who will not be admitted    
into the kingdom of ,christ4 ,you are   
equally strangers to him2 your          
sentiments are not his2 you still live  
according to nature2 you belong not to  
the grace of our ,saviour2 you will     
therefore perish1 for it is on him      
alone1 says the apostle1 that the       

,father has placed our salvation4 ,a    
complaint is sometimes made that we     
render piety disgusting and             
impracticable1 by prohibiting many      
pleasures which the world authorizes4   
,but1 my brethren1 what is it we tell   
you8 allow yourselves all the pleasures 
which ,christ would have allowed        
himself2 faith allows you no other2 mix 
with your piety all the gratifications  
which ,jesus ,christ would have mixed in
 his2 the gospel allows no greater      
indulgence--,o my ,god1 how the         
decisions of the world will one day be  
strangely reversed6 when worldly probity
 and worldly regularity1 which1 by a    
false appearance of virtue1 give a      
deceitful confidence to so many souls1  
will be placed by the side of the       
crucified ,jesus1 and will be judged by 
that model6 ,to be always renouncing    
yourselves1 rejecting what pleases1     
regulating the most innocent wishes of  
the heart by the rigorous rules of the  
spirit of the gospel1 is difficult1 is a

 state of violence4 ,but if the         
pleasures of the senses leave the soul  
sorrowful1 empty1 and uneasy1 the rigors
 of the cross make her happy4 ,penance  
heals the wounds made by herself2 like  
the mysterious bush in the scripture1   
while man sees only its thorns and      
briers1 the glory of the ,lord is within
 it1 and the soul that possesses him    
possesses all4 ,sweet tears of penance6 
divine secret of grace6 ,o that you were
 better known to the sinner6 ,the       
pretended esprits forts1 says           
,bourdaloue1 in his sermon on the       
scandal of the cross1 and the           
humiliations of ,jesus ,christ1 the     
noblest of all his sermons1 in the      
opinion of the cardinal de ,maury1 do   
not relish the rigorous doctrines       
announced by the ,son of ,god in his    
gospel2 self-hatred1 self-denial1       
severity to one's self4 ,but when       
,christ established a religion for men1 
who were to acknowledge themselves      
sinners and criminals1 ought he1 as ,st4

 ,jerome asks1 to have published other  
laws8 ,what is so proper for sin as     
penance8 what is more of the nature of  
penance1 than the sinner's harshness and
 severity to himself8 ,is there any     
thing in this contrary to reason8 ,they 
are astonished at his ranking poverty   
among the beatitudes2 that he held up   
the cross as an attraction to his       
disciples to follow him2 that he        
declared a love of #jcb contempt was    
preferable to the honors of the world4  
,in all this ,i see the depth of his    
divine counsels4 ,such is the language  
of ,bourdaloue and ,massillon1 preaching
 before a luxurious court1 to the       
best-informed and most polished audience
 in the ,christian world4 ,it is        
apprehended that no other language is   
found in our author's ,lives of the     
,saints4  ,,xi4 #c4 ,some 7but their    
number is small7 have imputed to our    
author too much credulity respecting    
miracles4 ,a chain of agiographists     
might be supposed3 on the first link of 

it we might place ,surius1 as possessing
 the utmost degree of the belief of     
miracles1 consistent with any degree of 
judgment2 on the last we might place    
,baillet and ,launoy1 as possessing the 
utmost degree of the belief of miracles1
 consistent with any degree of deference
 to the general opinions of pious       
,catholics4 ,between them we might place
 in succession1 according to their      
respective degrees of supposed belief1  
,ribadeneira1 ,baronius1 the            
,bollandists1 ,tillemont1 and ,fleury4  
,with which of these writers shall we   
class our author8 certainly neither with
 ,surius1 nor with ,baillet or ,launoy4 
,the middle links represent those to    
whom the most liberal ,roman ,catholic  
will not impute too much credulity1 or  
the most credulous too much freedom4    
,perhaps our author should rank with the
 ,bollandists1 the first of this middle 
class2 and generally he who thinks with 
father ,papebroke on any subject of     
ecclesiastical literature1 may be sure  

of thinking right4 ,to those who wholly 
deny the existence of miracles these    
sheets are not addressed2 but the ,roman
 ,catholic may be asked on what         
principle he admits the evidence for the
 miracles of the three first centuries1 
and rejects the evidence for the        
miracles of the middle age2 why he      
denies to ,st4 ,austin1 ,st4 ,gregory1  
the venerable ,bede1 or ,st4 ,bernard1  
the confidence he places in ,st4        
,justin1 ,st4 ,irenaeus1 or ,eusebius4  
,,xii4  ,some years after our author had
 published the ,lives of the ,saints1 he
 published the ,life of ,mary of the    
,cross2 a nun in the ,english convent of
 the ,poor ,clares at ,rouen4 ,it is    
rather a vehicle to convey instruction  
on various important duties of a        
religious life1 and on sublime prayer1  
than a minute account of the life and   
actions of the nun4 ,it was objected to 
this work1 as it had been to the        
,saints' ,lives1 that it inculcated a   
spirit of mystic prayer1 the excesses of

 which had been formally condemned1 and 
the propriety of which1 even in a very  
qualified view of it1 was doubtful4  ,it
 must be admitted by those who urge this
 objection1 that1 both in the ,saints   
,lives and in the work of which we are  
speaking1 our author uses very guarded  
expressions4 ,he always takes care to   
mention that1 in the practices of       
devotion1 as in every other practice1   
the common is the safest road3 that many
 of the greatest saints have1 through   
the whole of their lives1 confined      
themselves to the usual modes of prayer 
and meditation2 that the gift of        
contemplation is given to few2 that1    
like every other practice of devotion1  
contemplation has its dangers2 and that1
 without a perfect spirit of humility1  
it is much exposed to illusion2 but he  
delivers1 at the same time1 an explicit 
opinion1 that contemplation is a gift of
 heaven2 that the happiness of a soul on
 whom ,god bestows it1 is above         
description2 and that every joy which   

this life affords is contemptible in    
comparison of it4 ,this certainly is    
catholic doctrine4  ,it is natural to   
suppose that1 at a time when every art  
and science was deluged in a quantity of
 barbarous words1 and metaphysics were  
carried into every subject1 the doctrine
 of prayer would often be involved in   
similar intricacies and refinements4    
,the fact certainly is1 that many       
writers of the middle age1 on the       
subject of prayer1 introduced into their
 writings a wonderful degree of         
metaphysical subtilty4 ,but1 if their   
doctrine be divested of those           
subtilties1 and expressed in plain      
language1 it will be found that nothing 
in what our author1 with other          
spiritualists1 calls mystical theology1 
contradicts common sense4 ,with them he 
divides the progress of a ,christian1 in
 his advances towards perfection1 into  
three stages1 the purgative1 the        
contemplative1 and the unitive4 ,in the 
first stage he places sinners on their  

first entrance1 after their conversion  
into a spiritual life2 who bewail their 
sins1 are careful to avoid relapsing    
into them1 endeavor to destroy their had
 habits1 to extinguish their passions2  
who fast1 watch1 prey1 chastise the     
flesh1 mourn1 and are blessed with a    
contrite and humble heart4 ,in the      
second stage he places those who divest 
themselves of earthly affections1 study 
to acquire purity of heart1 and a       
constant habit of virtue1 the true light
 of the soul2 who #jcc meditate         
incessantly on the virtues and doctrines
 of ,christ1 and thereby inflame        
themselves to the imitation of him4     
,those he supposes to be arrived at the 
third stage whose souls1 being thus     
illuminated1 are united to ,god1 and    
enjoy his peace which passeth           
understanding4 ,according to our author1
 the prayer of a person who is arrived  
at the last stage1 is very different    
from that of a beginner in spiritual    
life4 ,to present a pious subject to his

 mind1 to place it in the various points
 of view in which it should be          
considered1 to raise the devout         
sentiments which the consideration of it
 should produce1 and to form the        
resolutions which those sentiments      
should inspire1 must1 our author        
observes1 be a work of exertion to a    
beginner4 ,but when once he has arrived 
at that state of perfection as to have  
detached himself from those objects     
which are the usual incitements to sin1 
and to which1 from the natural          
propensity of the human heart1 the      
imaginations of man forcibly lead1 and  
when an ardent love of virtue1 piety1   
and whatever relates to them1 is        
habitual in her2 then1 our author       
supposes1 that what before was exertion 
becomes the usual state of the soul2 a  
thousand causes of distraction cease to 
exist1 and all the powers of the mind   
and affections of the heart rest with   
ease and pleasure on the subject of her 
meditation2 ,god communicates to her his

 perfections2 he enlightens her in the  
mysteries of religion1 and raises in her
 admirable sentiments of wonder and     
love4 ,this our author calls the prayer 
of contemplation4 ,in process of time1  
he supposes that the habit of devotion  
increases3 that the soul acquires a     
stronger aversion from every thing that 
withholds her from ,god1 and a more     
ardent desire of being united to him2   
and that1 by continually meditating on  
the sublime truths and mysteries of     
,christianity1 she is disengaged from   
earthly affections1 is always turned to 
,god1 and obtains a clearer view of his 
perfections1 of her obligations to him1 
and of the motives which entitle him to 
her love4 ,then1 according to our       
author1 every thing which is not ,god   
becomes irksome to her1 and she is      
united to him in every action and every 
thought4 ,at first1 the soul1 by our    
author's description1 calls to her mind 
the presence of ,god2 afterwards she    
habitually recollects it2 at length     

every thing else disappears1 and she    
lives in him4 ,even in the first stage1 
when the sinner first turns from vice1  
and determinately engages in the        
practice of a virtuous life1 our author 
pronounces that the comforts which she  
experiences in reflecting on the        
happiness of the change1 exceed the joys
 of this world3 he supposes her to say1 
in the words of ,bourdaloue1 7,sur la   
,choix mutuel de ,dieu et de l',ame     
,religieuse17 ,i have chosen ,god1 and  
,god has chosen me2 this reflection is  
my support and my strength1 it will     
enable me to surmount every difficulty1 
to resist every temptation1 to rise     
above every chagrin and every disgust4  
,from the moment this choice is made1 he
 supposes1 with the same eloquent       
preacher1 in his sermon for the feast of
 ,st4 ,mary ,magdalen1 that the soul1   
exposed till then to all the vexations  
which the love of the world inevitably  
occasions1 begins to enjoy a sweet      
tranquillity2 conscience begins to      

experience the interior joy of pious    
hope and confidence in the mercies of   
,god1 and to feel the holy unction of   
grace2 in the midst of her penitential  
austerities she comforts and strengthens
 herself by the thought1 that she is    
making some satisfaction and atonement  
to ,god for her sins1 that she is       
purifying her heart1 and disposing it to
 receive the communications of heaven4  
,this comfort and sensation of          
happiness1 he observes1 must necessarily
 increase as the charms of virtue are   
unveiled to the soul1 and she acquires a
 continual habit of thinking on ,god4   
,who can express1 he makes the soul     
exclaim with the same author1 the secret
 delights which ,god bestows on a heart 
thus purified and prepared8 how he      
enlightens her6 how he inflames her with
 divine love6 with what visitations he  
favors her6 what holy sentiments and    
transports he excites in her6 but1 when 
she lives for ,god alone1 then1 in our  
author's language1 ,god communicates    

himself with her1 and her happiness1 as 
far as happiness is attainable in this  
life1 is complete4 ,here1 according to  
,thomas of ,kempis1 7and what ,catholic 
recuses his authority87 begins the      
familiaritas stupenda nimis4 ,what is   
the hundred-fold of reward1 cries       
,bourdaloue1 7,sermon sur le            
,renoncement ,religieuse17 that thou1 ,o
 ,god1 hast promised to the soul which  
has left every thing for thee8 ,it is   
something more than ,i have said upon   
it3 it is something that ,i cannot      
express2 but it is something with which1
 sinful and weak as ,i am1 ,god has more
 than once favored me4--,thou promisedst
 me a hundred-fold1 says ,st4 ,bernard3 
,i feel it2 thou hast more than         
performed thy promise4 ,necessitas good 
cogit1 defendit4 ,in defence of our     
author1 this short exposition of his    
doctrine seemed necessary3 and it may be
 confidently asked #jcd in what it      
differs from the doctrine of ,rodriguez1
 of ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 of         

,bourdaloue1 or of many other authors1  
in whom the universal opinion of the    
,catholic world recognises1 not only    
true devotion and piety1 but extreme    
good sense and moderation4 ,nor should  
it be forgotten that1 if the prelates   
assembled at ,issy1 in #afie1 declared1 
7,art4 #bb17 that1 without any          
extraordinary degrees of prayer1 a      
person may become a very great saint1   
they had previously declared1 7,art4    
#ba17 that even those which are passive1
 and approved of by ,st4 ,francis of    
,sales and other spiritualists1 cannot  
be rejected4 ,the authors on these      
subjects1 whom our author particularly  
recommended1 were ,balthazar1 ,alvarez  
de ,paz1 and ,st4 ,jure4 ,the latter was
 one of the ,jesuits who came into      
,england during the reign of ,charles   
the ,first4 ,his most celebrated work   
is1 a ,treatise on the ,knowledge and   
,love of ,god1 in five volumes1--a noble
 effusion of the sublimest piety4 ,the  
only work by which he is known in this  

country is1 his ,life of the ,baron de  
,renty3 our author esteemed it much1 but
 thought it censurable for mentioning1  
in terms of commendation1 the mode in   
which the baron1 to save his honor1     
indirectly put himself in the way of    
fighting a duel4  ,another spiritualist1
 whom our author greatly admired1 was   
the celebrated ,henry ,marie de ,boudon4
 ,he frequently mentioned1 in terms of  
the highest admiration1 the humility and
 resignation with which ,boudon bore the
 calumnies of his prelate and           
fellow-clergy4 ,he often related that   
part of his life1 when1 being abandoned 
by the whole world1 a poor convent of   
religious received him into their house1
 and he knelt down to thank ,god that   
one human being still existed who was   
kindly disposed to him4 ,his writings   
are numerous3 the style of them is not  
elegant1 and they abound with low       
expressions2 but they contain many      
passages of original and sublime        
eloquence4 ,our author was also a great 

admirer of the works of ,father ,surin1 
particularly his ,fondemens de la ,vie  
,spirituelle1 edited by ,father ,bignon4
 ,in this species of writing1 few works1
 perhaps1 will give the reader so much  
pleasure as the ,morale de l',evangile1 
in #d vols4 #hvo41 by ,father ,neuvile1 
brother to the celebrated preacher of   
that name4 ,it is to be hoped that it   
will be translated into ,english4#a ,our
 author greatly lamented the            
consequences of the altercation between 
,fenelon and ,bossuet4 ,he thought the  
condemnation which had been passed #jce 
on it on the abuses of devotion1 had    
brought devotion itself into discredit1 
and thrown a ridicule on the holiness of
 an interior life4 ,of ,fenelon he      
always spoke with the highest respect4  
,one of the editors of the last edition 
of his works is now in ,england3 he has 
declared that it appeared from          
,fenelon's papers1 that his exertions1  
to the very last1 to ward off the       
sentence of the condemnation of his     

works1 were most active4 ,this enhanced 
the value of his sacrifice4 ,our author 
thought that ,valart had abundantly     
proved that ,thomas of ,kempis was not  
the author of the ,imitation of ,christ2
 but that he had not proved it to be    
written by ,gersen1 the abbot of        
,vercelli3 he also differed from ,valart
 in his opinion of the general merit of 
the works of ,thomas of ,kempis2 his    
treatises ,de ,tribus ,tabernaculis and 
,de ,vera ,compunctione 7the latter     
particularly7 he thought excellent4#b   
,footnotes3 #a4  ,for this and many     
other valuable works we naturally look  
to     ,stonyhurst4 ,if the ,musae      
,exulantes1,the title assumed by them1  
in the     preface to the ,latin        
translation of ,cato4 in the swamps of  
,bruges1     could produce an elegant   
and nervous translation of ,cato1 will  
their     notes be less strong or less  
sweet in their native land8 ,may we not 
expect from ,stonyhurst other           
,petaviuses1 other ,sirmonds1 other     

,porees1 future ,strachans1 future      
,stanleys1 future ,heskeys1 future      
,stricklands4 ,if any of them would     
favor us with a translation of          
,father ,montreuil's ,vie de ,jesus     
,christ1 he would supply the            
,english ,catholic with the present     
desideratum of his library1 an          
interesting and accurate life of        
,christ4 ,a literary history of the     
gospels1 showing the state of the text1 
and the grammatical     peculiarities of
 their idiom1 and containing a short    
account of the     early versions1 would
 be an invaluable work4 ,the excellent  
translation by ,mr4 ,combes1 the        
professor of divinity in ,st4 ,edmund's 
,college1 of selected parts of ,st4     
,basil and ,st4 ,john ,chrysostom1      
shows his ability to execute such a     
work1 and leads us to hope it     for   
him4 ,the mention of these gentlemen    
naturally makes us reflect     on the   
singular kindness shown by this country 
to the foreign     exiles4 ,the editor  

begs leave to copy what has been said by
 him on     this subject in a small work
 entitled ,hors ,biblicae4 ,after       
mentioning some of the most splendid of 
the biblical exertions of     the       
,english1 the compiler of that work     
says1 ,yet1 useful and     magnificent  
as these exertions have been1 an edition
 of the ,new     ,testament has lately  
appeared in this country1 which1 in one 
point     of view1 eclipses them all4   
,it has been our lot to be witnesses of 
the most tremendous revolution that     
,christian ,europe has known3 a     new 
race of enemies to the ,christian       
religion has arisen1 and1 from     ,rome
 to ,hungary1 has struck at every altar 
and shaken every throne4     ,one of    
their first enormities was1 the murder  
of a large proportion     of their      
clergy1 and the banishment of almost the
 whole of the     remaining part4 ,some 
thousands of those respectable exiles   
found     refuge in ,england4 ,a private
 subscription of #cc1ggel1 #aes4        

#i-a_/b;d4 was immediately made for     
them4 ,when it was exhausted1 a         
second was collected1 under the auspices
 of his majesty1 and     produced       
#da1cjdl4 #abs4 #f-a_/d;d4 ,nor is it   
too much to say1 that     the           
beneficence of individuals1 whose       
charities on this occasion are     known
 to ,god alone1 raised for the sufferers
 a sum much exceeding     the amount of 
the larger of the two subscriptions4    
,when at length     the wants of the    
sufferers exceeded the measure of       
private charity1     government took    
them under its protection1 and1 though  
engaged to a     war exceeding all      
former wars in expense1 appropriated1   
with the     approbation of the whole   
kingdom1 a monthly allowance of about   
#hjjjl4 for their support2 an instance  
of splendid munificence and             
systematic liberality1 of which the     
annals of the world do not     furnish  
another example4 ,the management of the 
contributions was     intrusted to a    

committee1 of whom ,mr4 ,wilmot1 then   
one of the     members of parliament for
 the city of ,coventry1 was president3  
on     him the burden of the trust      
almost wholly fell1 and his humanity1   
judgment1 and perseverance1 in discharge
 of it1 did honor to himself     and his
 country4      ,it should be observed1  
that the contributions we have mentioned
 are     exclusive of those which were  
granted for the relief of the lay       
emigrants4      ,so suddenly had the    
unhappy sufferers been driven from their
     country1 that few of them had      
brought with them any of those books    
of religion or devotion which their     
clerical character and habits of        
prayer had made the companions of their 
past life1 and which were to     become 
almost the chief comfort of their future
 years4 ,to relieve     them from this  
misfortune1 the ,university of ,oxford1 
at her sole     expense1 printed for    
them1 at the ,clarendon ,press1 two     
thousand     copies of the ,latin       

,vulgate of the ,new ,testament1 from an
 edition of     ,barbou1 but this number
 not being deemed sufficient to satisfy 
the     demand1 two thousand more copies
 were added1 at the expense of the      
marquess of ,buckingham4 ,few will      
forget the piety1 the blameless         
demeanor1 the long1 patient suffering of
 these respectable men4     ,thrown on a
 sudden into a foreign country1         
differing from theirs in     religion1  
language1 manners1 and habits1 the      
uniform tenor of their     pious and    
unoffending lives procured them         
universal respect and     good-will4    
,the country that received them has been
 favored4 ,in the     midst of the      
public and private calamity which almost
 every nation     has experienced1      
,providence has crowned her with glory  
and honor2     peace has dwelt in her   
palaces1 plenty within her wells2 every 
climate has been tributary to her       
commerce1 every sea has been     witness
 of her victories4 #b4  ,our author was 

a great admirer of the writings of      
,abraham ,woodhead3     he purchased his
 manuscripts1 and1 by his will1         
bequeathed them to     the ,english     
,college at ,douay4 ,mr4 ,woodhead is   
one of the writers to     whom the      
celebrated ,whole ,duty of ,man has been
 attributed4 ,on that     subject the   
editor is in possession of the following
 note in our     author's handwriting3  
,mr4 ,simon ,berrington1 who died in    
#ageh1     endeavored to give ,mr4      
,woodhead the honor of being the author 
of the     ,whole ,duty of ,man1 and    
other works of the same kind2 but there 
is a     difference of style between    
them1--there occurring in the ,whole    
,duty     of ,man1 and the other works  
of that author1 scarce any parentheses1 
with which all ,mr4 ,woodhead's works   
abound4 ,nevertheless1 certain it     is
 that ,dr4 ,john ,pell1 dean of ,christ 
,church1 7afterwards bishop of          
,oxford17 who published the other works 
of the author of the ,whole     ,duty of

 ,man1 namely1 the ,ladies' ,calling1   
the ,art of ,contentment1     the       
,government of the ,tongue1 the ,lively 
,oracles given unto us1 c41     in      
folio1 at ,oxford1 in #afge-gh1 and     
wrote the preface which he     prefixed 
to this edition1 and who was the only   
person then living     who knew the     
author of the ,whole ,duty of ,man1 gave
 this book of the     ,whole ,duty of   
,man to his bookbinder1 and ,hawkins1   
his bookseller in     ,london1 with     
other pieces of ,mr4 ,woodhead's1 and   
ordered ,mr4     ,woodhead's name to be 
added to the title of this1 as well as  
of the     other works which he gave to 
be bound4 ,if ,mr4 ,woodhead wrote that 
celebrated work1 it was before he       
travelled abroad1 or had any            
thoughts of embracing the ,catholic     
faith4 ,the same anecdote has     been  
mentioned to the editor by the late ,mr4
 ,challoner4  ,,xiii4  ,some time after 
our author's return to ,england1 from   
his travels with ,mr4 ,edward ,howard1  

he was chosen president of the ,english 
,college at ,st4 ,omer's4 ,that college 
was originally founded by the ,english  
,jesuits4 ,on the expulsion of the      
society from ,france1 the ,english      
,jesuits shared the fate of their       
brethren4  ,on his being named to the   
presidency of the ,english college at   
,st4 ,omer's1 doubts were suggested to  
him on the justice or propriety of his  
accepting the presidency of a college   
which1 in fact1 belonged to others4 ,he 
advised with the bishop of ,amiens and  
the bishop of ,boulogne upon this point1
 and they both agreed in opinion that he
 might safely accept it4  ,he continued 
president of the college of ,st4 ,omer's
 till his decease4 ,it was expected by  
his friends1 that his office of         
president would leave him much time for 
his studies2 but these expectations     
wholly failed4 ,he was immediately      
appointed vicar-general to the bishops  
of ,arras1 ,st4 ,omer's1 ,ipres1 and    
,boulogne4 ,this involved him in an     

immensity of business2 and1 his         
reputation continually increasing1 he   
was consulted from every part of ,france
 on affairs of the highest moment4 ,the 
consequence was1 that1 contrary to the  
wishes and expectations of his friends1 
he never was so little master of his    
time as he was during his residence at  
,st4 ,omer's4 ,the editor has been      
favored with the following letter1 which
 will show the esteem in which our      
author was held by those who1 at the    
time we speak of1 lived in habits of    
intimacy with him4  ,you have occasioned
 me1 sir1 to experience a heartfelt     
satisfaction in allowing me an          
intercourse with you on the subject of  
the late ,mr4 ,butler1 your uncle2 and  
to communicate to you the particulars   
within my knowledge1 concerning the     
life1 the eminent virtues1 and uncommon 
abilities of that celebrated gentleman4 
,never was ,i acquainted with any of my 
contemporaries who was at once so       
learned1 so pious1 so gentle1 so modest2

 and1 whatever high opinion might be    
conceived of him from a perusal of his  
immortal work on the ,lives of the      
,saints1--that masterpiece of the most  
extensive erudition1 of the most        
enlightened criticism1 and of that      
unction which commands the              
affections1--such an opinion is greatly 
inferior to the admiration which he     
inspired in those persons who1 like     
myself1 had the happiness to live in    
intimate connection with him4 ,the      
paternal kindness1 and1 ,i am bold #jcf 
say it1 the tender friendship with which
 he honored my youth1 have indelibly    
engraved on my heart the facts ,i am    
about to relate to you with the most    
scrupulous exactness4 ,monsieur de      
,conzie1 now bishop of ,arras1 having   
been raised to the see of ,st4 ,omer's  
in #agff1 caused me to be elected a     
canon in his cathedral church3 he       
nominated me one of his vicars-general1 
and ,i repaired thither on the #eth of  
,october1 #agfg4  ,that prelate1 whose  

high reputation dispenses with my       
encomiums1 mentioned your uncle to me on
 the very day of my arrival4 ',i am here
 possessed1' said he2 'of a hidden      
treasure2 and that is ,mr4 ,butler1 the 
president of the ,english college4 ,i   
for the first time saw him1' added he1  
'during the ceremony of my installation4
 ,he was kneeling on the pavement in the
 midst of the crowd2 his countenance and
 deportment had something heavenly in   
them3 ,i inquired who he was1 and upon  
his being named to me1 ,i caused him1   
though reluctant1 to be conducted to one
 of the first stalls in the choir4 ,i   
will entreat him1' said moreover the    
prelate1 'to favor you with his         
friendship3 he shall be your counsel2   
you cannot have a better4' ,i made      
answer1 that ,monsieur de ,beaumont1 the
 illustrious archbishop of ,paris1 in   
whose palace ,i had enjoyed the         
invaluable benefit of passing two years1
 had often spoken of him to me in the   
most honorable terms2 that he had       

commissioned me1 at my departure1 to    
renew to him the assurance of his       
particular esteem2 and that ,i would    
neglect nothing to be thought worthy of 
his benevolence4  ,i was so happy as to 
succeed in it within a short time4 ,his 
lordship1 the bishop1 condescended to   
wish the joy of it1 and intrusted me    
with the design he had formed of        
honoring the assembly of his            
vicars-general1 by making him our       
colleague4 ,i was present when he       
delivered to him his credentials2 which 
moment will never forsake my            
remembrance4 ,i beheld your dear uncle  
suddenly casting himself at the         
prelate's knees1 and beseeching him1    
with tears in his eyes1 not to lay that 
burden upon him4 ,ah6 my lord1 said he  
to him1 ,i am unable to fill so         
important a place2 nor did he yield but 
upon an express command3 ,since you     
require it shall be so1 said he1 ,i will
 obey2 that is the first of my duties4  
,what an abundant source of reflections 

was this for me1 who was then but       
twenty-six years of age4 ,it was then   
especially that ,i resolved to make up  
for my inexperience1 by taking him for  
my guide who had been giving me that    
great example of ,christian humility4   
,the bishop had already showed him his  
confidence1 by placing his own nephew in
 the ,english college1 as also that of  
the bishop of ,senlis1 his friend1 and  
the son of one of his countrymen4 ,i had
 the charge of visiting them frequently4
 ,i used to send for them to dine with  
me on every school holiday4 ,if one of  
them had been guilty of a fault1 the    
punishment ,i inflicted was1 that he    
should desire ,mr4 ,butler to keep him  
at home4 ,but it almost always proved   
useless2 he would himself bring me the  
delinquent1 and earnestly solicit his   
pardon2 ,depend upon it1 said he to me  
one day1 he will behave better for the  
future4 ,i asked him what proof he had  
of it4 ,sir1 answered he1 in the        
presence of the lad1 he has told me so4 

,i could not forbear smiling at such    
confidence in the promises of a         
school-boy of ten years old2 but was not
 long before ,i repented4 ,in a private 
conversation he observed to me1 that one
 of the most important rules in         
education is to impress children with a 
persuasion that the vices we would keep 
them from1 such as lying and breaking   
one's word1 are too shocking to be      
thought possible4 ,a maxim this worthy  
of the great ,fenelon1 his beloved      
model1 and which common tutors do not so
 much as surmise4  ,those three youths1 
our common functions of vicars-general1 
the delightful company of your uncle1   
and the frequent need ,i had of drawing 
from that source of light1 carried me   
almost every day to the ,english        
college4 ,i could delineate to you1 sir1
 his ordinary course of life in the     
inward administration of that house2 ,i 
could tell you of his assiduousness at  
all the exercises2 of his constant      
watchfulness2 of the public and private 

exhortations he made to his pupils1 with
 that persuasive eloquence we meet with 
in his writings2 of his pious solicitude
 for all their wants2 and of their      
tender attachment to him4 ,his room was 
continually filled with them4 ,he never 
put on the harsh end threatening        
magisterial look3 he was like a fond    
mother surrounded by her children2 or he
 was rather1 according to the           
expression1 the eagle not disdaining to 
teach her young ones to soar1 and       
carrying #jcg them on her expanded      
wings1 to save them from a fatal fall4  
,but ,i leave to his worthy co-operators
 the satisfaction of detailing to you   
those particulars1 which ,i only        
transiently beheld1 and which ,i never  
saw without being affected4 ,how many   
interesting anecdotes will they have to 
acquaint you with6  ,every instant that 
,mr4 ,butler did not dedicate to the    
government of his college he employed in
 study2 and1 when obliged to go abroad1 
he would read as he walked along the    

streets4 ,i have met him with a book    
under each arm1 and a third in his      
hands1 and have been told that1         
travelling one day on horseback1 he fell
 a reading1 giving the horse his full   
liberty4 ,the creature used it to eat a 
few ears of corn that grew on the       
road-side4 ,the owner came in haste1    
swearing he would be indemnified4 ,mr4  
,butler1 who knew nothing of the damage 
done1 no sooner perceived it1 than1     
blushing1 he said to the countryman1    
with his usual mildness1 that his demand
 was just2 he then draws out a louis    
d'or1 and gives it to the fellow1 who   
would have been very well satisfied with
 a few pence1 makes repeated apologies  
to him1 easily obtains forgiveness1 and 
goes on his way4  ,notwithstanding such 
constant application1 the extensiveness 
of his knowledge was next to a prodigy4 
,whenever ,i happened to consult him on 
any extraordinary question1 upon which  
the authors most familiar to us were    
silent1 he would take me to the library 

of the abbey of ,st4 ,bertin1 would ask 
for old writers1 whose names ,i was     
scarce acquainted with1 and point out to
 me1 even before ,i had opened them1 the
 section and chapter in which ,i should 
find my difficulty solved4  ,nor would  
,i have you think1 sir1 that the        
ecclesiastical sciences were the only   
that he had applied to4 ,a couple of    
anecdotes ,i am going to relate1 and    
which ,i could hardly have believed had 
,i not been witness to them1 will prove 
to you that every kind of information   
was reunited in his intellect1 without  
the smallest confusion4  ,monsieur de   
,conzie1 after his translation from the 
bishopric of ,st4 ,omer's to that of    
,arras1 invited him to come and see him 
there4 ,my brother vicars and myself    
sought one day for a question which he  
should not be able to answer1 and       
thought we had found one4 ,accordingly1 
we asked him what was the name of a pear
 called1 in ,french1 bon ,chretien1     
before the coming of ,christ1 and       

,christianity4 ,there are1 answered he1 
two systems on that point2 and then     
quotes as two modern naturalists1 sets  
forth their opinions1 and unfolds to us 
the authorities with which they backed  
them4 ,i had the curiosity to ascertain 
one of those quotations1 and found it   
accurate to a tittle4  ,a few days      
after1 the bishop of ,arras1 having his 
drawing-room filled with company1 ,mr4  
,president was announced4 ,the          
bystanders thinking it to be the first  
president of the council d',artois1     
opened him a gangway to come at the     
prelate2 they behold a priest enter1    
whom1 by his bashful and modest looks1  
they take for some country curate1 and1 
by a simultaneous motion1 they close up 
the passage which they had made4 ,the   
bishop1 who had already descried his    
dear president of the ,english college1 
perceived also the motion and resolved  
to put the authors of it to the blush4  
,he observed in one corner of the room a
 group of military men2 he goes up to   

them1 and1 finding they were conversing 
upon the question keenly debated at that
 time1 whether in battle the thin order1
 observed in our days1 be preferable to 
the deep order of the ancients2 he      
called to ,mr4 ,butler1 and asked him   
what he thought of it4 ,i then heard    
that amazing man talk on the art of war 
with the modest tone of a school-boy1   
and the depth of the most consummate    
military man4 ,i observed admiration in 
the countenance of all those officers2  
and saw several of them1 who1 being too 
far off1 stood up upon chairs to hear   
and see him4 ,they altogether put to him
 questions upon questions1 and each of  
his answers caused fresh applause4  ,his
 lordship left us to go and join another
 group1 consisting of magistrates1 who  
were discussing a point of common law2  
and1 in like manner1 called upon his    
oracle1 who1 by the sagacity of his     
reflections1 bore away all suffrages1   
and united their several opinions4  ,the
 prelate1 next1 taking him by the hand1 

presented him to the ladies1 seated     
round the fireplace1 and asked him1     
whether the women in ancient times wore 
their head-dresses as high as ours then 
did4 ,fashions1 answered he1 like the   
spokes of a wheel turning on its axis1  
are always replaced by those very ones  
which they have set aside4 ,he then     
described to us the dresses1 both of the
 men and women1 in the various ages of  
our monarchy3 and1 to go still further  
back1 added he1 the #jch statue of a    
female ,druid has been found1 whose     
head-dress measured half a yard to      
height2 ,i have been myself to see it1  
and have measured it4  ,what astonished 
me most was1 that studies so foreign to 
the supernatural objects of piety1 shed 
over his soul neither aridity nor       
lukewarmness4 ,he referred all things to
 ,god1 and his discourse always         
concluded by some ,christian            
reflections1 which he skilfully drew    
from the topic of the conversation4 ,his
 virtue was neither minute nor          

pusillanimous3 religion had1 in his     
discourse as well as in his conduct1    
that solemn gravity which can alone make
 it worthy of the ,supreme ,being4 ,ever
 composed1 he feared neither            
contradictions nor adversities3 he      
dreaded nothing but praises4 ,he never  
allowed himself a word that could injure
 any one's reputation2 his noble        
generosity was such1 that1 as often as  
,i happened to prize in his presence any
 one of his books1 or of the things     
belonging to him1 ,i the same day found 
them in my possession4 ,in short1 ,i    
will confess it1 to my confusion1 that  
for a long time ,i sought to discover a 
failing in him2 and ,i protest1 by all  
that is most sacred1 that ,i never knew 
one in him4 ,these are the facts1 sir1  
you were desirous of knowing2 in the    
relation of which ,i have used no       
exaggeration1 nor have had anything to  
dissemble4 ,i have often related these  
facts to my wondering friends1 as a     
relief to my heart2 and indeed1         

notwithstanding the distance of time1   
they recur as fresh to my remembrance as
 if just transacted before my eyes4  ,i 
was at a distance from ,st4 ,omer's when
 death robbed me of my respectable      
friend4 ,time has not alleviated the    
sorrow which the loss of him fixed      
deeply in my breast4 ,i have preciously 
preserved some of his presents1 and     
carefully concealed them at my leaving  
,france4 ,may ,i one day find again     
those dear pledges of a friendship1 the 
recollection of which is1 in our        
calamities1 the sweetest of my          
consolations4 ,i have the honor to be1  
with the highest regard1 sir1 your most 
obedient1 c4  ,l',abbe de la ,,sepouze4 
,at the ,hague1 ,december #cj1 #agid4   
,during our author's stay at ,st4       
,omer's1 a thesis was printed and       
publicly defended1 in a neighboring     
university1 which excited his attention4
 ,mr4 ,joseph ,berington presided at the
 defensions of it4 ,it certainly        
contained many propositions which were  

offensive to pious ears2 but respectable
 persons are said to have declared1 that
 it contained nothing materially        
contrary to the faith of the ,roman     
,catholic church2 and the editor feels  
it a duty incumbent on him to add1 that 
one of the bishops1 to whom our author  
was grand-vicar1 mentioned to the       
editor1 that he thought his vicar had   
shown too much vivacity on that         
occasion4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,sieni      
aquila provocans ad volandam pullos suos
 et super eos     volians expandit alas 
suas--,deuteron4 cap4 #bb4  ,,xiv4      
,both from our author's letters1 and    
from what is recollected of his         
conversations1 it appears that he often 
explicitly declared that1 if powerful   
measures were not adopted to prevent it1
 a revolution in ,france would take     
place1 both in church and state4 ,he    
thought irreligion1 and a general       
corruption of manners1 gained ground    
everywhere4 ,on the decay of piety in   
,france1 he once mentioned in confidence

 to the editor a circumstance so        
shocking1 that even after what has      
publicly happened1 the editor does not  
think himself justifiable in mentioning 
it in this place4 ,he seems to have     
augured well on the change of ministry  
which took place on the expulsion of the
 ,choiseuls4 ,he was particularly       
acquainted with the cardinal de ,bernis1
 and the mareschal de ,muy4 ,of the     
latter he writes thus in one of his     
letters4 ,mr4 de ,muy1 who has sometimes
 called upon me1 and often writes to me1
 as the most affectionate of friends1 is
 unanimously called the most virtuous   
and upright nobleman in the kingdom4    
,the late dauphin's projects in favor of
 religion he will endeavor to execute4  
,he is minister of war4 ,the most heroic
 piety will be promoted by him by every 
method3 if ,i gave you an account of his
 life1 you would be charmed by so bright
 a virtue4  ,,xv4  ,our author had      
projected many works besides those which
 we have mentioned4 ,among them his     

,treatise on the ,moveable ,feasts may  
be reckoned4 ,he very much lamented that
 he had not time to complete3 what he   
had prepared of it1 he thought too      
prolix1 and1 if he had lived to revise  
it1 he would have made great alterations
 in it4 ,some time after his decease1 it
 was published under the inspection of  
,mr4 ,challoner4 ,he proposed writing   
the lives of bishop ,fisher and sir     
,thomas #jci ,more1 and had made great  
collections1 with a view to such a work3
 some of them are in the hands of the   
editor1 and are at the command of any   
person to whom they can be of use4 ,he  
had begun a treatise to explain and     
establish the truths of natural and     
revealed religion2 he was dissatisfied  
with what ,bergier had published on     
those subjects4 ,he composed many       
sermons1 and an immense number of pious 
discourses4 ,from what remained of the  
three last articles1 the three volumes  
of his discourses1 which have appeared  
since his decease1 were collected4 ,the 

editor is happy in this opportunity of  
mentioning his obligations to the ,rev4 
,mr4 ,jones1 for revising and           
superintending the publication of them4 
,they are acknowledged to possess great 
merit2 the morality of them is entitled 
to great praise2 the discourse on       
conversation shows a considerable       
knowledge of life and manners4 ,having  
mentioned his sermons1 it is proper to  
add1 that as a preacher he almost wholly
 failed4 ,his sermons were sometimes    
interesting and pathetic2 but they were 
always desultory1 and almost always     
immeasurably long4 ,the editor has      
lately published his ,short ,life of    
,sir ,toby ,matthews4  ,he was very     
communicative of his manuscripts1 and   
consequently many of them were lost2 so 
that1 on an attentive examination of    
them1 after his decease1 none but those 
we have mentioned were thought fit for  
the press4  ,,xvi4  ,the number of      
letters written by our author exceeds   
belief2 if they could be collected1 they

 would be found to contain an immense   
mass of interesting matter on many      
important topics of religion and        
literature4 ,he corresponded with many  
persons of distinction1 both among the  
communicants with the see of ,rome1 and 
the separatists from her4 ,among the    
former may be reckoned the learned and  
elegant ,lambertini1 who afterwards1    
under the name of ,benedict ,,xiv41 was 
honored with the papal crown3 among the 
latter may be reckoned ,dr4 ,louth1 the 
bishop first of ,oxford1 afterwards of  
,london1 the celebrated translator of   
,isaiah4 ,in a ,latin note on           
,michaelis1 our author speaks of that   
prelate as his intimate acquaintance1   
necessitate conjunctissimus4  ,he had   
the happiness to enjoy the friendship   
and esteem of many persons distinguished
 by rank1 talents1 or virtue4 ,the holy 
bishop of ,amiens spoke of him in the   
highest terms of admiration and regard4 
,in the life written in ,french of that 
excellent prelate1 he is mentioned as   

the most learned man in ,europe4 ,he is 
styled by father ,brotier1 in his       
preface to his edition of ,tacitus1     
sacra eruditione perceleber4 ,the late  
,mr4 ,philips1 in the preface to his    
life of cardinal ,pole1 mentioning the  
edition of his letters by cardinal      
,quirini1 expresses himself thus3 ,they 
were procured for the author by ,mr4    
,alban ,butler1 to whom the public is   
indebted for the most useful and        
valuable work which has appeared in the 
,english language on the ,lives of the  
,saints1 and which has been so much     
esteemed in ,france1 that it is now     
translating into the language of a      
country celebrated for biography1 with  
large additions by the author4 ,this    
gentleman's readiness on all occasions  
to assist the author in his undertaking1
 was answerable to his extensive        
knowledge and general acquaintance with 
whatever has any relation to erudition4 
,our author was not satisfied with the  
,french translation of his work3 the    

writers professed to translate it       
freely2 but he thought that they abused 
the privilege of free translation1 that 
they misrepresented his meaning1 that   
their style was affected1 and that the  
devotional cast which he had labored to 
give the original1 was wholly lost in   
their translation4 ,the editor has heard
 that a translation of it was begun in  
the ,spanish and ,italian languages1 but
 he has seen no such translation4 ,dr4  
,kennicot spoke loudly of our author's  
readiness and disinterested zeal to     
oblige4 ,even the stern ,mr4 ,hollis    
mentions him in his memoirs with some   
degree of kindness4 ,no person was more 
warmly attached to his friends4 ,with   
his affectionate and generous           
disposition1 no one was more sensible of
 unkindness than he was2 but none       
forgave it more readily4 ,it was his    
rule to cultivate those who were        
inimical to him by every mark of        
attention and act of kindness2 and      
rather to seek than avoid an intercourse

 with them4 ,his incessant attention to 
his studies frequently made him absent  
in society3 this sometimes produced     
whimsical incidents4  ,whatever delight 
he found in his literary pursuits1 he   
never sacrificed his religious duties to
 them1 or permitted them to trespass on 
his exercises of devotion4 ,huet1 whom1 
from his resemblance to our author in   
unremitted application to study1 the    
editor has often had occasion to        
mention1 laments his own contrary       
conduct in #jdj very feeling terms3 ,i  
was entirely carried1 says he1 7,de     
,rebus ad eum ,pertinentibus1 #agd17 by 
the pleasure found in learning3 the     
endless variety which it affords had    
taken up my thoughts1 and seized all the
 avenues of my mind1 that ,i was        
altogether incapable of any sweet and   
intimate communication with ,god4 ,when 
,i withdrew into religious retirement1  
in order to recollect my scattered      
thoughts1 and fix them on heavenly      
things1 ,i experienced a dryness and    

insensibility of soul by which the ,holy
 ,spirit seemed to punish this excessive
 bent to learning4 ,this misfortune our 
author never experienced4 ,a            
considerable portion of his time was    
devoted to prayer4 ,when it was in his  
power1 he said mass every day2 when he  
travelled1 he rose at a very early hour1
 that he might hear it3 he never        
neglected the prayer of the ,angelus1   
and1 when he was not in the company of  
strangers1 he said it on his knees4 ,he 
recommended a frequent approach to the  
sacrament of the altar3 some1 under his 
spiritual direction1 communicated almost
 every day4 ,the morale severe of the   
,jansenists he strongly reprobated in   
discourse1 and no person receded further
 from it in practice3 but he was an     
admirer of the style of the gentlemen of
 ,port ,royal1 and spoke with praise of 
their general practice of avoiding the  
insertion of the pronoun ,i in their    
writings4 ,he thought the ,bible should 
not be read by very young persons1 or by

 those who were wholly uninformed3 even 
the translation of the whole divine     
office of the church he thought should  
not be given to the faithful            
promiscuously4 ,in the printed          
correspondence of ,fenelon1 a long      
letter by him on frequent communion1 and
 one on reading the ,bible1 7they       
deserve to be translated and generally  
read17 express exactly our author's     
sentiments on those subjects4 ,all      
singularity in devotion was offensive to
 him4 ,he exhorted every one to a       
perfect discharge of the ordinary duties
 of his situation1 to a conformity to   
the divine will1 both in great and      
little occasions1 to good temper and    
mildness in his intercourse with his    
neighbor1 to an habitual recollection of
 the divine presence1 to a scrupulous   
attachment to truth1 to retirement1 to  
extreme sobriety4 ,these1 he used to    
say1 were the virtues of the primitive  
,christians1 and among them1 he said1 we
 should always look for perfect models  

of ,christian virtue4 ,fleury's account 
of them1 in his ,manners of the         
,christians1 he thought excellent1 and  
frequently recommended the perusal of   
it4 ,he exhorted all to devotion to the 
,mother of ,god2 many1 under his care1  
said her office every day4 ,the         
advantage of mental prayer he warmly    
inculcated4 ,in the conduct of souls he 
was all mildness and patience3 motives  
of love were oftener in his mouth than  
motives of fear3 for to him that loves1 
nothing1 he used to say1 with the author
 of the ,imitation of ,christ1 is       
difficult4 ,he often sacrificed his     
studies and private devotions to the    
wants of his neighbor4 ,when it was in  
his power he attended the ceremony of   
the salut at the parish church2 and on  
festivals particularly solemnized by any
 community of the towns in which he     
resided1 he usually assisted at the     
divine service in their churches4 ,he   
was very abstemious in his diet2 and    
considered systematic sensuality as the 

ultimate degradation of human nature4   
,he never was heard to express so much  
disgust1 as at conversations where1 for 
a great length of time1 the pleasures of
 the table1 or the comparative          
excellence of dishes1 had been the sole 
topic of conversation2 yet he was very  
far from being an enemy to rational     
mirth1 and he always exerted himself to 
entertain and promote the pleasures of  
his friends4 ,in all his proceedings he 
was most open and unreserved3 from      
selfishness none could be more free4    
,dr4 ,kennicot often said that1 of the  
many he had employed in his great       
biblical undertaking1 none had shown    
more activity or more disinterestedness 
than our author4 ,he was zealous in the 
cause of religion1 but his zeal was     
without bitterness or animosity3 polemic
 acrimony was unknown to him4 ,he never 
forgot that in every heretic he saw a   
brother ,christian2 in every infidel he 
saw a brother man4 ,he greatly admired  
,drouen de ,sacramentis1 and ,boranga's 

,theology4 ,tournely he preferred much  
to his antagonist ,billouart4 ,he       
thought ,houbigant too bold a critic1   
and objected some novelties to the      
,hebraizing friars of the ,rue ,st4     
,honore4 ,he believed the letters of    
,ganganelli1 with the exception of two  
or three at most1 to be spurious4 ,their
 spuriousness has been since placed     
beyond controversy by the ,diatribe     
,clementine1 polished in #aggg4         
,caraccioli1 the editor of them1 in his 
,remerciement a l',auteur de l',annee   
,litteraire de la part de l',editeur des
 ,lettres du ,pape ,ganganelli1         
acknowledges that he filled sixty pages 
at least of them with thoughts and      
insertions of his own compositions4 ,in 
the handwriting of a gentleman1         
remarkable for his great accuracy1 the  
editor has before him the following #jda
 account of our author's sentiments on  
usury3 ,mr4 ,alban ,butler's opinion of 
receiving interest for money1 in a      
letter dated the #bjth of ,june1 #agce1 

but copied anno #agch4--;,in ,england1  
and in some other countries1 the laws   
allow of five per cent41 and even an    
action at law for the payment of it4    
,this is often allowable in a trading   
country2 and1 as it is the common       
practice in ,england1 ,i shall not blame
 any one for taking or even exacting    
interest-money2 therefore will say      
nothing against it in general3 but1 in  
my own regard1 ,i am persuaded it is not
 warrantable in conscience1 but in three
 cases2 viz4 either for a gain ceasing1 
as merchants lend money which they would
 otherwise employ in trade1 lucrum      
cessans3 or1 secondly1 some detriment   
the lender suffers by it1 damnum        
emergens3 or1 thirdly1 some hazard in   
the principal money1 by its being       
exposed to some more than ordinary      
danger in being recovered safely4 ,some 
time afterwards the said ,alban ,butler 
was convinced there was no occasion of  
scruple in receiving interest for money1
 so that it was at a moderate or low    

rate of interest2 and that there was    
reason to believe the borrower made full
 the advantage of the money that he paid
 for it by the interest4  ,our author's 
love of learning continued with him to  
the last4 ,literary topics were         
frequently the subject of his familiar  
conversation4 ,he was a great admirer of
 what is called the simple style of     
writing2 and once mentioned that1 if he 
could acquire a style by wishing for it1
 he should wish for that of ,herodotus4 
,he thought the orator appeared too much
 in ,cicero's philosophical works1      
except his ,offices2 that work he       
considered to be one of the most perfect
 models of writing which have come down 
to us from antiquity4 ,he professed to  
discover the man of high breeding and   
elegant society in the commentaries of  
,caesar2 and to find expressions in the 
writings of ,cicero which showed a      
person accustomed to address a mob1 the 
foex ,romani populi4 ,he believed the   
works of ,plato had been much           

interpolated2 and once mentioned1       
without blame1 father ,hardouin's       
opinion that they were wholly a         
fabrication of the middle age4 ,of the  
modern ,latin poets1 he most admired    
,wallius1 and in an illness desired his 
poems to be read to him4 ,he himself    
sometimes composed ,latin poetry4 ,he   
preferred the ,paradisus ,animae to its 
rival prayer-book1 the ,coeleste        
,palmetum4 ,of the last he spoke with   
great contempt4 ,the little rhyming     
offices1 which fill a great part of it1 
are not very interesting2 but the       
explanation in it of the psalms in our  
,lady's office1 of the psalms in the    
office for the dead1 of the gradual and 
seven penitential psalms1 and of the    
psalms sung at vespers and complin1 is  
excellent4 ,a person would deserve well 
of the ,english ,catholics who should   
translate it into ,english4 ,the        
,coeleste ,palmetum was the favorite    
prayer-book of the ,low ,countries4 ,by 
,foppen's ,bibliotheca ,belgica1 it     

appears that the first edition of it was
 printed at ,cologne1 in #affj1 and     
that1 during the first eight years after
 its publication1 more than #ad1jjj     
copies of it were sold4 ,most readers   
will be surprised1 when they are        
informed that our author preferred the  
sermons of ,bossuet to those of         
,bourdaloue but in this he has not been 
absolutely singular2 the celebrated     
cardinal de ,maury has avowed the same  
opinion2 and1 what is still more        
extraordinary1 it has also been avowed  
by father ,neuville4 ,bossuet's         
,discourse upon ,universal ,history may 
be ranked among the noblest efforts of  
human genius that ever issued from the  
press4 ,in the chronological part of it1
 the scenes pass rapidly but distinctly2
 almost every word is a sentence1 and   
every sentence presents an idea1 or     
excites a sentiment of the sublimest    
kind4 ,the third part of it1 containing 
his reflections on the events which     
produced the rise and fall of the       

ancient empires of the earth1 is not    
inferior to the celebrated work of      
,montesquieu on the greatness and fall  
of the ,roman empire2 but1 in the second
 part1 the genius of ,bossuet appears in
 its full strength4 ,he does not lead   
his reader through a maze of            
argumentation2 he never appears in a    
stretch of exertion2 but1 with a        
continued splendor of imagery1          
magnificence of language1 and vehemence 
of argument1 which nothing can          
withstand1 he announces the sublime     
truths of the ,christian religion1 and  
the sublime evidence that supports them1
 with a grandeur and force that         
overpower and disarm resistance4        
,something of this is to be found in    
many passages of his sermons2 but1 in   
general1 both the language and the      
arguments of them are forced and        
unnatural4 ,his letters to the nuns are 
very interesting4 ,let those who affect 
to talk slightingly of the devotions of 
the religious1 recollect that the       

sublime ,bossuet bestowed a considerable
 portion of his time upon them4 ,the    
same pen that wrote the discourse on    
universal history1 the funeral oration  
of the prince of ,conde1 and the        
,history of the ,variations1 was at the 
command of every religious who requested
 #jdb from ,bossuet a letter of advice  
or consolation4 ,was he at ,versailles1 
was he engaged on any literary work of  
importance1 was he employed on a        
pastoral visit of his diocese1 still1   
say the ,benedictine editors of his     
works1 he always found time to write to 
his correspondents on spiritual         
concerns4 ,in this he had a faithful    
imitator in our author4 ,no religious   
community addressed themselves to him   
who did not find in him a zealous       
director1 an affectionate and steady    
friend4 ,for several among the religious
 he had the highest personal esteem4    
,those who remember him during his      
residence at ,st4 ,omer's1 will         
recollect his singular respect for ,mrs4

 ,more1 the superior of the ,english    
convent of ,austins at ,bruges4 ,he was1
 in general1 an enemy to the private    
pensions of nuns2 7see ,boudon's ,letter
 ,sur le ,relachement qui s'est         
introduit dans l',observation du ,voeu  
de ,pauvrete1 ,lettres de ,boudon1 vol4 
#a1 p4 #ejj27 but in this1 as in every  
other instance1 he wished the reform1   
when determined upon1 to proceed gently 
and gradually4  ,all who leave had an   
opportunity of observing the ,english   
communities since their arrival in this 
country1 have been edified by their     
amiable and heroic virtues4 ,their      
resignation to the persecution which    
they have so undeservedly suffered1     
their patience1 their cheerfulness1     
their regular discharge of their        
religious observances1 and1 above all1  
their noble confidence in ,divine       
,providence1 have gained them the esteem
 of all who know them4 ,at a village    
near ,london1 a small community of      
,carmelites lived for several months1   

almost without the elements of fire1    
water1 or air4 ,the two first 7for      
water1 unfortunately1 was there a       
vendible commodity7 they could little   
afford to buy2 and from the last 7their 
dress confining them to their shed7 they
 were excluded4 ,in the midst of this   
severe distress1 which no spectator     
could behold unmoved1 they were happy4  
,submission to the will of ,god1        
fortitude1 and cheerfulness1 never      
deserted them4 ,a few human tears would 
fall from them when they thought of     
their convent2 and with gratitude1 the  
finest of human feelings1 they abounded2
 in other respects they seemed of       
another world4 ,whatever1 says ,dr4     
,johnson1 withdraws us from the power of
 our senses2 whatever makes the past1   
the distant1 or the future1 predominate 
over the present1 advances us in the    
dignity of human beings4 ,it would be   
difficult to point out persons to whom  
this can be better applied than these   
venerable ladies1 whose lives are more  

influenced by the past1 the distant1 or 
the future1 or so little influenced by  
the present4  ,our author was not so    
warm on any subject as the calumnies    
against the religious of the middle age3
 he considered the civilization of      
,europe to be owing to them4 ,when they 
were charged with idleness1 he used to  
remark the immense tracts of land1      
which1 from the rudest state of nature1 
they converted to a high state of       
husbandry in the ,hercynian wood1 the   
forests of ,champagne and ,burgundy1 the
 morasses of ,holland1 and the fens of  
,lincolnshire and ,cambridgeshire4 ,when
 ignorance was imputed to them1 he used 
to ask1 what author of antiquity had    
reached us1 for whose works we were not 
indebted to the monks4 ,he could less   
endure that they should be considered as
 instruments of absolute power to       
enslave the people3 when this was       
intimated1 he observed that1 during the 
period which immediately followed the   
extinction of the ,carlovingian dynasty1

 when the feudal law absolutely         
triumphed over monarchy1 the people were
 wholly left to themselves1 and must    
have sunk into an absolute state of     
barbarism1 if it had not been for the   
religious establishments4 ,those1 he    
said1 softened the manners of the       
conquerors1 afforded refuge to the      
vanquished1 preserved an intercourse    
between nations3 and1 when the feudal   
chiefs rose to the rank of monarchs1    
stood as a rampart between them and the 
people4 ,he thought ,st4 ,thomas of     
,canterbury a much injured character4   
,he often pointed out that rich tract of
 country1 which extends from ,st4       
,omer's to ,liege1 as a standing        
refutation of those who asserted that   
convents and monasteries were inimical  
to the populousness of a country3 he    
observed1 that the whole income of the  
smaller houses1 and two-thirds of the   
revenues of the greater houses1 were    
constantly spent within twenty miles    
round their precincts2 that their lands 

were universally let at low rents2 that 
every abbey had a school for the        
instruction of its tenants1 and that no 
human institution was so well calculated
 to promote the arts of painting1       
architecture1 and sculpture1 works in   
iron and bronze1 and every other species
 of workmanship1 as abbeys or           
monasteries1 and their appendages4      
,thus1 he used to say1 though the       
country in view was originally a marsh1 
and has for more than a century wholly  
survived its commerce1 it is the most   
populous country in ,europe2 and        
presents on the face of it as great a   
display #jdc of public and private      
strength1 wealth1 and affluence1 as can 
be found in any other part of the world4
 ,fortunately for him1 he did not live  
to be witness to the domiciliary visit  
which1 in our times1 it has received    
from ,france4 ,what would he have       
thought1 if any person had told him1    
that1 before the expiration of the      
century in which he lived1 the ,french  

themselves would1 in perfect hatred of  
,christ1 destroy the finest churches of 
,france8 ,at their profanation of his   
favorite church of ,st4 ,bertin1 in the 
town of ,st4 ,omer's1 that is said to   
have happened which ,victor ,vitensis   
relates to have happened in the         
persecution of the ,vandals1 7,hist4    
,pers4 ,van4 #ca37 ,introeuntes maximo  
cum furore1 corpus ,christi et sanguinem
 pavimento sparserunt1 et illud pollutis
 pedibus calcaverunt4  ,,xvii4  ,our    
author enjoyed through life a good state
 of health1 but somewhat impaired it by 
intense application to study4 ,some     
years before his decease he had a slight
 stroke of the palsy1 which affected his
 speech4 ,he died on the #aeth of ,may1 
#aggc1 in the sixty-third year of his   
age4 ,a decent monument of marble was   
raised to his memory in the chapel of   
the ,english college at ,st4 ,omer's1   
with the following inscription upon it1 
composed by ,mr4 ,bannister3  ,hic jacet
 ,r4 ,d4 ,albanus ,butler 7,bouteillier7

 ,praenobilis ,angius4 ,sacerdos et     
,alumnus ,collegii ,anglorum ,duaci4    
,ibidem ,s4 ,t4 ,professor1 ,postmodum  
,missionarius in ,patria4 ,praeses ,,ii4
 ,collegii ,regii ,anglorum ,audomari4  
,vicarius ,generalis ,illustrissimorum  
,philomelien4 ,deboren4 ,atrebaten4     
,audomarea ,ex vetusta ,ortus prosapia  
,in utrisque ,angliae et ,galliae       
,regnis ,ampla et ,florente4            
,suavissimis ,moribus1 ,summis          
acceptissimus1 ,infimis benignus1       
,omnium necessitatibus inserviens1 ,pro 
,deo4  ,propter ,doctrinam et ,ingenium1
 ,doctissimis1 ,propter ,pietatem1      
,bonis omnibus1 ,percharus4             
,nobilissimaee ,juventutis              
,institutionem1 ,sacrarum ,virginum     
curam1 ,reverendissimorum ,antistitum   
negotia1 ,suscepit1 promovit1 expedivit1
 ,opera1 ,scriptis1 ,hortatubus4        
,sanctorum rebus gestis a ,puentia      
inhaerens1 ,acta omnia pernoscens1      
,mentem et ,sapientiam alte imbibens4   
,multa scripsit de ,sanctorum vitis1    

,plena ,sanctorum ,spiritu1 librata     
judicio1 polita stylo1 ,summae ubertatis
 et omnigenae eruditiouis4 ,apastolicae 
sedis et omnis officii semper           
observantissimus4 ,pie obiit #ae ,mensis
 ,maii #aggc4 ,natus annis #fc4         
,sacerdos #ci4 ,praeses #g ,hoc moerens 
posuit ,carolus ,butler ,monumentum     
,pietatis sum in ,patruum ,amantissimum4
  #jdd blank #jde  ,,preface  ,as in    
corporal distempers a total loss of     
appetite1 which no medicines can        
restore1 forebodes certain decay and    
death2 so in the spiritual life of the  
soul1 a neglect or disrelish of pious   
reading and instruction is a most fatal 
symptom4 ,what hopes can we entertain of
 a person to whom the science of virtue 
and of eternal salvation doth not seem  
interesting1 or worth his application8  
,it is impossible1 says ,st4            
,chrysostom1#a that a man should be     
saved1 who neglects assiduous pious     
reading or consideration4               
,handicraftsmen will rather suffer      

hunger and all other hardships than lose
 the instruments of their trade1 knowing
 them to be the means of their          
subsistence4 ,no less criminal and      
dangerous is the disposition of those   
who misspend their precious moments in  
reading romances and play-books1 which  
fill the mind with a worldly spirit1    
with a love of vanity1 pleasure1        
idleness1 and trifling2 which destroy   
and lay waste all the generous          
sentiments of virtue in the heart1 and  
sow there the seeds of every vice1 which
 extend their baneful roots over the    
whole soil4 ,who seeks nourishment from 
poisons8 ,what food is to the body1 that
 our thoughts and reflections are to the
 mind3 by them the affections of the    
soul are nourished4 ,the chameleon      
changes its color as it is affected by  
sadness1 anger1 or joy2 or by the color 
upon which it sits3 and we see an insect
 borrow its lustre and hue from the     
plant or leaf upon which it feeds4 ,in  
like manner1 what our meditations and   

affections are1 such will our souls     
become1 either holy and spiritual or    
earthly and carnal4 ,by pious reading   
the mind is instructed and enlightened1 
and the affections of the heart are     
purified and inflamed4 ,it is           
recommended by ,st4 ,paul as the summary
 of spiritual advice4#b ,devout persons 
never want a spur to assiduous reading  
or meditation4 ,they are insatiable in  
this exercise1 and1 according to the    
golden motto of ,thomas a ,kempis1 they 
find their chief delight in a closet1   
with a good book4#c ,worldly and tepid  
,christians stand certainly in the      
utmost need of this help to virtue4 ,the
 world is a whirlpool of business1      
pleasure1 and sin4 ,its torrent is      
always beating upon their hearts1 ready 
to break in and bury them under its     
flood1 unless frequent pious reading and
 consideration oppose a strong fence to 
its waves4 ,the more deeply a person is 
immersed in its tumultuous cares1 so    
much the greater ought to be his        

solicitude to find leisure to breathe1  
after the fatigues and dissipation of   
business and company2 to plunge his     
heart1 by secret prayer1 in the ocean of
 the divine immensity1 and1 by pious    
reading1 to afford his soul some        
spiritual refection2 as the wearied     
husbandman1 returning from his labor1   
recruits his spent vigor and exhausted  
strength1 by allowing his body necessary
 refreshment and repose4  ,the lives of 
the saints furnish the ,christian with a
 daily spiritual entertainment1 #jdf    
which is not less agreeable than        
affecting and instructive4 ,for in      
sacred biography the advantages of      
devotion and piety are joined with the  
most attractive charms of history4 ,the 
method of forming men to virtue by      
example1 is1 of all others1 the         
shortest1 the most easy1 and the best   
adapted to all circumstances and        
dispositions4 ,pride recoils at         
precepts1 but example instructs without 
usurping the authoritative air of a     

master2 for1 by example1 a man seems to 
advise and teach himself4 ,it does its  
work unperceived1 and therefore with    
less opposition from the passions1 which
 take not the alarm4 ,its influence is  
communicated with pleasure4 ,nor does   
virtue here appear barren and dry as in 
discourses1 but animated and living1    
arrayed with all her charms1 exerting   
all her powers1 and secretly obviating  
the pretences1 and removing the         
difficulties which self-love never fails
 to raise4 ,in the lives of the saints  
we see the most perfect maxims of the   
gospel reduced to practice1 and the most
 heroic virtue made the object of our   
senses1 clothed as it were with a body1 
and exhibited to view in its most       
attractive dress4 ,here1 moreover1 we   
are taught the means by which virtue is 
obtained1 and learn the precipices and  
snares which we are to shun1 and the    
blinds and by-ways in which many are    
bewildered and misled in its pursuit4   
,the example of the servants of ,god    

points out to us the true path1 and     
leads us as it were by the hand into it1
 sweetly inviting and encouraging us to 
walk cheerfully in the steps of those   
that are gone before us4  ,neither is it
 a small advantage that1 by reading the 
history of the saints1 we are introduced
 into the acquaintance of the greatest  
personages who have ever adorned the    
world1 the brightest ornaments of the   
church militant1 and the shining stars  
and suns of the triumphant1 our future  
companions in eternal glory4 ,while we  
admire the wonders of grace and mercy1  
which ,god hath displayed in their      
favor1 we are strongly moved to praise  
his adorable goodness4 ,and1 in their   
penitential lives and holy maxims1 we   
learn the sublime lessons of practical  
virtue1 which their assiduous meditation
 on the divine word1 the most consummate
 experience in their deserts1 watchings1
 and commerce with heaven1 and the      
lights of the ,holy ,ghost1 their       
interior ,master1 discovered to them4   

,but it is superfluous to show from     
reason the eminent usefulness of the    
example1 and the history of the saints1 
which the most sacred authority         
recommends to us as one of the most     
powerful helps to virtue4 ,it is the    
admonition of ,st4 ,paul1 that we       
remember our holy teachers1 and that1   
having the end of their conversation    
before our eyes1 we imitate their       
faith4#d  ,for our instruction the ,holy
 ,ghost himself inspired the prophets to
 record the lives and actions of many   
illustrious saints in the holy          
scriptures4 ,the church could not1 in a 
more solemn manner1 recommend to us to  
have these great models often before our
 eyes1 than by inserting in her daily   
office an abstract of the lives of the  
martyrs and other saints2 which constant
 sacred custom is derived from the      
primitive ages1 in which the histories  
of the martyrs were publicly read at the
 divine office1 in the assemblies of the
 faithful1 on their annual festivals4   

,this is testified of the acts of ,st4  
,polycarp in the life of ,st4 ,pionius1 
and1 by ,st4 ,austin1#e of those of     
,,ss4 ,perpetua and ,felicitas1 c4 ,the 
council of ,africa1 under ,aurelius1    
archbishop of ,carthage1 in #cig1       
mentions the acts of the martyrs being  
allowed to be read in the church on     
their anniversary days4#f ,st4          
,caesarius permitted persons that were  
sick and weak1 to hear the histories of 
the martyrs sitting1 when they were of  
an uncommon length2 but complained that 
some who were healthful unreasonably    
took the same liberty4#g  #jdg  ,all    
great masters of a spiritual life       
exceedingly extol the advantages which  
accrue to souls from the devout reading 
of the lives of eminent saints2 witness 
,st4 ,nilus1#h ,st4 ,chrysostom1 and    
others4 ,many fathers have employed     
their pens in transmitting down to      
posterity the actions of holy men4 ,and 
the histories of saints were the        
frequent entertainment and delight of   

all pious persons1 who ever found in    
them a most powerful means of their     
encouragement and advancement in virtue1
 as ,st4 ,bonaventure writes of ,st4    
,francis of ,assisium4 ,by the          
remembrance of the saints1 as by the    
touch of glowing stones of fire1 he was 
himself enkindled1 and converted into a 
divine flame4 ,st4 ,stephen of          
,grandmont read their lives every day1  
and often on his knees4 ,the abbot ,st4 
,junian1 ,st4 ,antoninus1 ,st4 ,thomas1 
and other holy men are recorded to have 
read assiduously the lives of the       
saints1 and by their example to have    
daily inflamed themselves with fervor in
 all virtues4 ,st4 ,boniface of ,mentz  
sent over to ,england for books of the  
lives of saints1#i and1 by reading the  
acts of the martyrs1 animated himself   
with the spirit of martyrdom4 ,this     
great apostle of ,germany1 ,st4 ,sigiran
 and others1 always carried with them in
 their journeys the acts of the martyrs1
 that they might read them wherever they

 travelled4 ,it is related of ,st4      
,anastasius the martyr1 that while he   
read the conflicts and victories of the 
martyrs1 he watered the book with his   
tears1 and prayed that he might suffer  
the like for ,christ4 ,and so much was  
he delighted with this exercise that he 
employed in it all his leisure hours4   
,st4 ,teresa declares how much the love 
of virtue was kindled in her breast by  
this reading1 even when she was a child4
 ,joseph ,scaliger1 a rigid ,calvinist  
critic1 writes as follows on the acts of
 certain primitive martyrs3#aj ,the     
souls of pious persons are so strongly  
affected in reading them1 that they     
always lay down the book with regret4   
,this every one may experience in       
himself4 ,i with truth aver1 that there 
is nothing in the whole history of the  
church with which ,i am so much moved3  
when ,i read them ,i seem no longer to  
possess myself4  ,it would be very easy 
to compile a volume of the remarkable   
testimonies of eminent and holy men     

concerning this most powerful help to   
virtue1 and to produce many examples of 
sinners1 who have been converted by it  
to an heroic practice of piety4 ,st4    
,austin mentions two courtiers who were 
moved on the spot to forsake the world1 
and became fervent monks1 by            
accidentally reading the life of ,st4   
,antony4#aa ,st4 ,john ,columbin1 from a
 rich1 covetous1 and passionate         
nobleman1 was changed into a saint1 by  
casually reading the life of ,st4 ,mary 
of ,egypt4#ab ,the duke of ,joyeuse1    
marshal of ,france1 owed his perfect    
conversion to the reading of the life of
 ,st4 ,francis ,borgia1 which his       
servant had one evening laid on the     
table4 ,to these the example of ,st4    
,ignatius of ,loyola1 and innumerable   
others might be added4 ,dr4 ,palafox1   
the pious ,binni of ,osma1 in his       
preface to the fourth tome of the       
letters of ,st4 ,teresa1 relates1 that  
an eminent ,lutheran minister at        
,bremen1 famous for several works which 

he had printed against the ,catholic    
church1 purchased the life of ,st4      
,teresa1 written by herself1 with a view
 of attempting to confute it2 but1 by   
attentively reading it over1 was        
converted to the ,catholic faith1 and   
from that time led a most edifying life4
 ,the examples of ,mr4 ,abraham         
,woodhead and others were not less      
illustrious4  ,but1 to appeal to our own
 experience--who is not awakened from   
his spiritual lethargy1 and confounded  
at his own cowardice1 when he considers 
the fervor and courage of the saints8   
,all our pretences and foolish          
objections are silenced1 when we see the
 most perfect maxims of the gospel #jdh 
demonstrated to be easy by example4     
,when we read how many young noblemen   
and tender virgins have despised the    
world1 and joyfully embraced the cross  
and the labors of penance1 we feel a    
glowing flame kindled in our own        
breasts1 and are encouraged to suffer   
afflictions with patience1 and          

cheerfully to undertake suitable        
practices of penance4 ,while we see many
 sanctifying themselves in all states1  
and making the very circumstances of    
their condition1 whether on the throne1 
in the army1 in the state of marriage1  
or in the deserts1 the means of their   
virtue and penance1 we are persuaded    
that the practice of perfection is      
possible also to us1 in every lawful    
profession1 and that we need only       
sanctify our employments by a perfect   
spirit1 and the fervent exercises of    
religion1 to become saints ourselves1   
without quitting our state in the world4
 ,when we behold others1 framed of the  
same frail mould with ourselves1 many in
 age or other circumstances weaker than 
ourselves1 and struggling with greater  
difficulties1 yet courageously          
surmounting1 and trampling upon all the 
obstacles by which the world endeavored 
to obstruct their virtuous choice1 we   
are secretly stung within our breasts1  
feel the reproaches of our sloth1 are   

roused from our state of insensibility1 
and are forced to cry out1 ,cannot you  
do what such and such have done8 ,but to
 wind up this discourse1 and draw to a  
conclusion2 whether we consult reason1  
authority1 or experience1 we may boldly 
affirm that1 except the sacred writings1
 no book has reclaimed so many sinners1 
or formed so many holy men to perfect   
virtue1 as that of ,the ,lives of       
,saints4  ,if we would read to the      
spiritual profit of our souls1 our      
motive must be a sincere desire of      
improving ourselves in divine love1 in  
humility1 meekness1 and other virtues4  
,curiosity or vanity shuts the door of  
the heart to the ,holy ,ghost1 and      
stifles in it all affections of piety4  
,a short and humble petition of the     
divine light ought to be our            
preparation2 for which we may say with  
the prophet1 ,open thou mine eyes1 and  
,i will consider the wonderful things of
 thy law4#ac ,we must make the          
application of what we read to          

ourselves1 entertain pious affections1  
and form particular resolutions for the 
practice of virtue4 ,it is the          
admonition of a great servant of        
,god1#ad ,whatever good instructions you
 read1 unless you resolve and           
effectually endeavor to practise them   
with your whole heart1 you have not read
 to the benefit of your soul4 ,for      
knowledge without works only accuseth   
and condemneth4 ,though we cannot       
imitate all the actions of the saints1  
we can learn from them to practise      
humility1 patience1 and other virtues in
 a manner suiting our circumstances and 
state of life2 and can pray that we may 
receive a share in the benedictions and 
glory of the saints4 ,as they who have  
seen a beautiful flower-garden1 gather a
 nosegay to smell at the whole day2 so  
ought we1 in reading1 to cull out some  
flowers1 by selecting certain pious     
reflections and sentiments with which we
 are most affected2 and these we should 
often renew during the day2 lest we     

resemble a man who1 having looked at him
 self in the glass1 goeth away1 and     
forgetteth what he had seen of himself4 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,st4 ,chrys4 ,conc4 #c1
 de ,lazaro4 t4 #a1 p4 #gch1 ed4        
,montfauc4 #b4  #a ,tim4 iv4 #ac4 #c4   
,in angelo cum libello4 #d4  ,heb4 xii4 
#e4  ,st4 ,aug4 ,serm4 #bhj1 t4 #e1 p4  
#aacd4 #f4  ,can4 #dg1 ,conc4 t4 #b1 p4 
#ajgb4 #g4  ,st4 ,caesar4 ,serm4 #ie1   
vel apud ,st4 ,aug4 t4 #e1 ,append4     
,serm4 #cjj4 #h4  ,st4 ,nilius1 l4 #d1  
ep4 #a1 ,discipulo suo1 p4 #deh4 ,item1 
,tr4 e     ,monastica ,exercitatione1 c4
 #cd et c4 #dc1 p4 #dj et ,peristeria1  
sect4 #d1     p4 #ii4 #i4  ,st4 ,bonif4 
ep4 #ce1 ,bibl4 ,patr4 #aj4 ,animadv4 in
 ,chronic4 ,eus4 ad ann #bahg4 #aa4     
,conf4 l4 #h1 c4 #f4 #ab4 ,fleury1 l4   
#ig1 n4 #b1 t4 #bj4 #ac4 ,ps4 cviii4    
#ah4 #ad4 ,lansperg4 ,enchir4 c4 #aa4   
#jdi  ,,an ,,introductory ,,discourse4  
,,the lives of the principal martyrs1   
fathers1 and other more illustrious     
saints1 whose memory is revered in the  

,catholic church1 are here presented to 
the public4 ,an undertaking of this kind
 seems not to stand in need of an       
apology4 ,for such are the advantages   
and so great the charms of history1     
that1 on every subject1 and whatever    
dress it wears1 it always pleases and   
finds readers4 ,so instructive it is1   
that it is styled by ,cicero1 ,the      
mistress of life1#a and is called by    
others1 ,moral philosophy exemplified in
 the lives and actions of mankind4#b    
,but1 of all the parts of history1      
biography1 which describes the lives of 
great men1 seems both the most          
entertaining1 and the most instructive  
and improving4 ,by a judicious choice   
and detail of their particular actions1 
it sets before our eyes a living image  
of those heroes who have been the object
 of the admiration of past ages2 it     
exhibits to us a portraiture of their   
interior virtues and spirit1 and gives  
the most useful and enlarged view of    
human nature4 ,from the wise maxims1    

experience1 and even mistakes of great  
men1 we learn the most refined lessons  
of prudence1 and are furnished with     
models for our imitation4 ,neither is   
the narration here interrupted1 nor the 
attention of the reader hurried from one
 object to another1 as frequently       
happens in general history4 ,on these   
and other accounts are the lives of     
eminent personages the most agreeable   
and valuable part of history4 ,but1 in  
the lives of the saints1 other great    
advantages occur4 ,here are incidentally
 related the triumphs of the church1 the
 trophies of the most exalted virtue1   
and the conversion of nations4 ,what are
 profane histories better than records  
of scandals8 ,what are the boasted      
triumphs of an ,alexander or a ,caesar  
but a series of successful plunders1    
murders1 and other crimes8 ,it was the  
remark of the historian ,socrates1 that 
if princes were all lovers of peace and 
fathers of their people1 and if the     
lives of men were a uniform and steady  

practice of piety1 civil history would  
be almost reduced to empty dates4 ,this 
reflection extorted from the pen of a   
famous wit of our age1 in his history of
 the empire of the ,west since          
,charlemagne1 the following confession3 
,this history is scarcely any more than 
a vast scene of weaknesses1 faults1     
crimes1 and misfortunes2 among which we 
find some virtues1 and some successful  
exploits1 as fertile valleys are often  
seen among chains of rocks and          
precipices4 ,this is likewise the case  
with other histories4#c ,but the lives  
of the saints are the history of the    
most exemplary and perfect virtue and   
prowess4 ,while therefore all other     
branches of history employ daily so many
 pens1 shall this1 which above all      
others deserves our attention1 be alone 
forgotten8 ,while every other part of   
the soil is daily raked up1 shall the   
finest spot be left uncultivated8 ,our  
antiquaries must think themselves       
obliged by this essay1 as the greatest  

part of these saints have been the      
objects of the veneration of the whole  
,christian world during several ages4   
,their names stand recorded in the      
titles of our churches1 in our towns1   
estates1 writings1 and #jej almost every
 other monument of our ,christian       
ancestors4 ,if the late learned bishop  
,tanner1 by his ,notitia ,monastica1    
deserved the thanks of all lovers of    
antiquity1 will they not receive        
favorably the history of those eminent  
persons of whom we meet so frequent     
memorials8  ,besides the principal saint
 for each day1 in this collection is    
added a short account of some others who
 were very remarkable in history1 or    
famous among our ancestors4 ,the        
,english and ,scottish churches had1 by 
the mutual intercourse and neighborhood 
of the nations1 a particular devotion to
 several ,french saints1 as appears from
 all their ancient breviaries1 from a   
complete ,english manuscript calendar1  
written in the reign of ,edward ,,iv41  

now in my hands1 and from the titular   
saints of many monasteries and parishes4
 ,our ,norman kings and bishops honored 
several saints of ,aquitain and         
,normandy by pious foundations which    
bear their names among us3 and portions 
of the relics of some ,french saints1 as
 of ,st4 ,salvius1 kept in the cathedral
 of ,canterbury1 have rendered their    
names illustrious in this kingdom4 ,the 
mention of such1 were it but for the    
satisfaction of our antiquaries1 c41    
will1 it is to be hoped1 be pardoned4   
,though the limits of this work would   
not allow long abstracts of these       
secondary lives1 yet some               
characteristical circumstances are      
inserted1 that these memoirs might not  
sink into a bare necrology1 or barren   
list of dates and names4 ,for1 unless a 
narration be supported with some degree 
of dignity and spirit1 and diversified  
by the intermixture of various events1  
it deserves not the name of history2 no 
more than a plot of ground can be called

 a garden1 which is neither variegated  
with parterres of flowers1 nor checkered
 with walks and beds of useful herbs or 
shrubs4 ,to answer the title and design 
of this work1 a short account is given  
of those fathers whose names are famous 
in the history of the church1 and in the
 schools1 but who have never been       
honored among the saints4 ,but such     
fathers or other eminent persons are    
spoken of only in notes upon the lives  
of certain saints1 with which they seem 
to have some connection4 ,it was the    
compiler's intention to insert among the
 lives of the saints an account of none 
to whom public veneration has not been  
decreed by the authority of the ,holy   
,see1 or at least of some particular    
churches1 before this1 on many just     
accounts1 was reserved to the chief     
pastor of the church4 ,the compiler     
declares that the epithets of ,saint and
 ,blessed are never employed in this    
work1 but with entire submission to the 
decrees of ,urban ,,viii4 on this       

subject2 and that if they are anywhere  
given to persons to whom the supreme    
pastors of the church have never        
juridically granted this privilege1 no  
more is meant by them1 than such persons
 are esteemed holy and venerable for the
 reputation of their virtue2 not that   
they are publicly honored among the     
saints4 ,the same is to be understood of
 miracles here related1 which have not  
been judicially examined and approved1  
the part of an historian differing      
entirely from an authentic decision of  
the supreme judge4  ,the actions of     
several apostles and other illustrious  
saints were never committed to writing3 
and1 with regard to some others1 the    
records of their transactions1 by       
falling a prey to the moths or flames1  
have perished in the general wreck3 yet 
their names could not be omitted4 ,if   
their history affords little to gratify 
vain curiosity1 at least a heart which  
seeks and loves ,god will find1 even in 
these scanty memoirs1 every thing       

interesting and entertaining4 ,if the   
names of some saints have been          
transmitted down to us without          
particular accounts of their lives1#d   
their virtues shine with no #jea less   
lustre in heaven2 and this very         
circumstance is pleasing and favorable  
to humility1 which studies and loves to 
lie concealed and unknown2 and it was   
pointed out by the hidden life of       
,christ4 ,it is also objected1 that     
certain actions of some saints1 which   
were performed by a special instinct of 
the ,holy ,ghost1 are to us rather      
objects of admiration than imitation2   
but even in these we read lessons of    
perfect virtue1 and a reproach of our   
own sloth1 who dare undertake nothing   
for ,god4 ,but some may say1 ,what      
edification can persons in the world    
reap from the lives of apostles1        
bishops1 or recluses8 ,to this it may be
 answered1 that though the functions of 
their state differ from ours1 yet       
patience1 humility1 penance1 zeal1 and  

charity1 which all their actions        
breathe1 are necessary virtues in all   
persons4 ,christian perfection is in its
 spirit and essence everywhere the same1
 how much soever the means or exercises 
may vary4 ,though edification be the    
primary view in works of this nature1   
the other ends of history are not       
neglected1 as it becomes more           
entertaining and useful in proportion as
 it is more clear1 complete1 and        
important4 ,this1 it is hoped1 will     
excuse certain short digressions which  
are sometimes inserted1 and which the   
laws of correct writing allow when not  
too long1 frequent1 or foreign1 when    
they have a natural connection with the 
subject1 and when the want of regularity
 is compensated by greater perspicuity  
and utility4 ,this liberty is more      
freely taken in parts which would have  
otherwise seemed barren4 ,notes are     
added1 which seemed useful to the bulk  
of those for whom this work was         
designed1 or likely to attract the      

curiosity of some to whom these lives   
would otherwise have seemed obscure1 or 
not sufficiently interesting4 ,this     
method renders sacred biography a more  
universal improvement in useful         
knowledge1 and by enlarging the view1   
becomes more satisfactory and engaging4 
,certain critics of this age1 as they   
style themselves1 are displeased with   
all histories of miracles1 not          
considering that these wonders are1 in a
 particular manner1 the works of ,god1  
intended to raise our attention to his  
holy providence1 and to awake our souls 
to praise his goodness and power1 often 
also to bear testimony to his truth4    
,entirely to omit the mention of them   
would be an infidelity in history1 and  
would tend1 in some measure1 to obstruct
 the great and holy purposes for which  
they were effected4 ,yet a detail of all
 miracles1 though authentically         
attested1 is not the design of this     
work4 ,wherefore1 in such facts1 it     
seemed often sufficient to refer the    

reader to the original records4 ,but    
miracles may be the subject of a        
particular disquisition4  ,a tedious    
sameness in the narration hath been     
carefully avoided1 and in relating      
general virtues1 it is hoped that the   
manner1 diction1 and thoughts will be   
found new4 ,where memoirs allowed it1   
such a collection of remarkable actions 
and sayings of the saints hath been     
selected as seems neither trifling nor  
redundant2 and may serve to express     
their character and spirit4 ,in this    
consists the chief advantage of         
biography1 as in painting1 a portraiture
 draws its life from the strength of the
 features4 ,by thus singular excellency 
doth ,plutarch charm his readers1 cover1
 or at least compensate for1 his neglect
 of style and method1 and other         
essential blemishes1 and make even the  
most elegant writers who have attempted 
a supplement to his #jeb lives1#e to    
appear tedious and dull to one who hath 
first read his work4 ,what eloquence    

could furnish so fine a description1 or 
convey so strong a idea of the pride of 
,alexander1 as the short answers of that
 prince to the ,cynic philosopher1 or to
 ,darius8 or of the modesty of ,phocion1
 as the well-chosen circumstances of his
 disinterestedness and private life8#f  
,in these lives of the saints pious     
reflections are sometimes interspersed1 
though in general sparingly1 not to     
swell the volume1 or seem to suspect the
 judgment of the reader1 or to forestall
 the pleasure of his own reflections4   
,the study and exercise of virtue being 
the principal end which every good      
,christian ought to propose to himself  
in all his actions and undertakings1 and
 which religious persons have           
particularly in view in reading the     
lives of saints1 in favor of those who  
are slow in forming suitable reflections
 in the reading1 a short instruction1   
consisting of maxims drawn from the     
writing or example of each saint1 is    
subjoined to the principal life for each

 day1 which may be omitted at           
discretion4 ,a succinct account of the  
writings of the fathers is given in     
marginal notes1 as a key to young       
theologians in studying their works3    
their ascetical lucubrations are        
principally pointed out1 in which their 
spirit is often discovered1 even to     
better advantage than in the best       
histories which are left us of their    
actions4  ,the compiler's first care in 
this work1 hath been a most scrupulous  
attachment to truth1 the foundation1 or 
rather the soul of all history1         
especially of that which tends to the   
advancement of piety and religion4 ,the 
indagation is often a task both nice and
 laborious4 ,if we weigh the merit of   
original authors1 some we shall find    
careless and injudicious1 and many write
 under the bias of party prejudice1     
which strangely perverts the judgment4  
,by this1 ,james ,basnage could1 in his 
,history of the ,jews1 7b4 #f17         
notoriously mistake and misrepresent1 by

 wholesale1 the clearest authorities1 to
 gratify his prepossession against an   
incontestable miracle1 as the most      
learned ,mr4 ,warburton hath            
demonstrated in his ,julian1 7b4 #b1 ch4
 #d47 ,some write history as they would 
a tragedy or a romance2 and1 seeking at 
any rate to please the reader1 or       
display their art1 often sacrifice the  
truth for the sake of a fine conceit1 of
 a glittering thought1 or a point of    
wit4#g ,another difficulty is1 that     
ancient writings have sometimes suffered
 much by the bold rashness of modern    
critics1 or in the manuscripts1 by the  
slips of careless copiers4#h ,again1    
authors who polish the style1 or abridge
 the histories of others1 are seldom to 
be trusted2 and experience will show us 
the same of translations4 ,even ,henry  
,valois1 the most learned and celebrated
 ,greek interpreter1 is accused of      
having sometimes so far mistaken the    
sense of ,eusebius1 as to have given in 
his translation the contradictory of the

 meaning of his author4  ,a greater     
mischief than all these have been the   
forgeries of impostors1 especially      
heretics4 ,indeed1 if the father of     
lies1 by the like instruments1 #jec     
found means to counterfeit forty-eight  
or fifty false gospels1 of which a list 
is given by ,calmet1#i is it surprising 
that1 from the same forge1 he should    
have attempted to adulterate the        
histories of certain saints8 ,but the   
vigilance of zealous pastors1 and the   
repeated canons of the church1 show1    
through every age1 how much all         
forgeries and imposture were always the 
object of their abhorrence4 ,pope       
,adrian ,i41 in an epistle to           
,charlemagne1 mentions this constant    
severe law of the church1 and says1 that
 no acts of martyrs are suffered to be  
read which are not supported by good    
vouchers4#aj ,the council in ,trullo1#aa
 and many others down to the present    
age1 have framed canons for this        
purpose1 as ,f4 ,honoratus of ,st4 ,mary

 shows4#ab ,pope ,gelasius ,i41 in his  
famous ,roman council in #did1 condemns 
the false acts of ,st4 ,george1 which   
the ,arians had forged1#ac c4           
,tertullian#ad and ,st4 ,jerom#ae inform
 us1 that1 in the time of the apostles1 
a certain priest of ,asia1 out of       
veneration for ,st4 ,paul and ,st4      
,thecla1 forged false acts of their     
peregrinations and sufferings2 but for  
this crime he was deposed from the      
priesthood by ,st4 ,john the            
,evangelist4 ,no good end can1 on any   
account1 excuse the least lie2 and to   
advance that pious frauds1 as some      
improperly call them1 can ever be       
lawfully used1 is no better than        
blasphemy4 ,all wilful lying is         
essentially a sin1 as ,catholic divines 
unanimously teach1 with ,st4 ,austin1   
against the ,prisciallianists4 ,it is   
contrary and most hateful to the ,god of
 truth1 and a heinous affront and injury
 offered to our neighbor3 it destroys   
the very end and use of speech1 and the 

sacred bond of society1 and all commerce
 among men2 for it would be better to   
live among dumb persons1 than to        
converse with liars4 ,to tell any lie   
whatsoever in the least point relating  
to religion1 is always to lie in a      
matter of moment1 and can never be      
excused from a mortal sin1 as ,catholic 
divines teach4#af ,grotius1 the         
,protestant critic1 takes notice that   
forgeries cannot be charged upon the    
popes1 who1 by the most severe canons1  
forbid them1 punish the authors if      
detected1 and give all possible         
encouragement to judicious critics4#ag  
,this also appears from the works of    
innumerable learned men among the       
,catholics1 and from the unwearied      
labors with which they have given to the
 public the most correct editions of the
 ancient fathers and historians4 ,good  
men may sometimes be too credulous in   
things in which there appears no harm4  
,nay1 ,gerson observes1#ah that         
sometimes the more averse a person is   

from fraud himself1 the more unwilling  
he is to suspect imposture in others4   
,but no good man can countenance and    
abet a known fraud for any purpose      
whatever4 ,the pretence of religion     
would exceedingly aggravate the crime4  
,if any particular persons among the    
monks could be convicted of having      
attempted to palm any false writing or  
lie on the world1 the obligations of    
their profession would render their     
crime the more odious and enormous4 ,but
 to make this a charge upon that        
venerable order of men in any age1 is a 
most unjust and a notorious slander4    
,melchior ,cano1 who complains of       
interpolations which have crept into    
some parts of sacred biography1         
justifies the monks from the infamous   
imputation which some1 through ignorance
 or malice1 affect to cast upon them2#ai
 and ,mabillon has vindicated them more 
at large4#bj ,on their diligence and    
scrupulosity in general1 in correctly   
copying the manuscripts1 see ,dom4      

,coutant1#ba and the authors of the new 
#jed ,french ,diplomatique4#bb ,in the  
,penitentia of ,st4 ,theodore the       
,studite1 a penance is prescribed for a 
monk who had made any mistake in copying
 a manuscript4 ,in #aaif1 in the general
 chapter of the ,cistercians1 it was    
ordered that the church of ,lyons and   
the monastery of ,cluni should be       
consulted about the true reading of a   
passage in a book to be copied4         
,anciently1 books were chiefly copied   
and preserved in monasteries1 which for 
several ages were the depositories of   
learning4 ,mr4 ,gurdon#bc and ,bishop   
,tanner#bd take notice1 that in ,england
 the great abbeys were even the         
repositories of the laws1 edicts of     
kings1 and acts of parliament4 ,the     
history of ,wales was compiled and kept 
through every age1 by public authority1 
in the monastery of ,ystratflur for     
,south ,wales1 where the princes and    
noblemen of that country were interred2 
and in the abbey of ,conwey for ,north  

,wales1 which was the burying-place of  
the princes of that part4               
,conringius1#be a ,german ,protestant1  
writes1 ,in the sixth1 seventh1 and     
eighth centuries there is scarce to be  
found1 in the whole ,western church1 the
 name of a person who had written a     
book1 but what dwelt1 or at least was   
educated in a monastery4 ,before        
universities were erected1 monasteries1 
and often the palaces of bishops1 were  
the seminaries of the clergy1 the       
nurseries for the education of young    
noblemen1 and the great schools of all  
the sciences4 ,to the libraries and     
industry of the monks we are principally
 indebted for the works of the ancients 
which we possess4 ,grateful for this    
benefit1 we ought not to condemn them   
because1 by a fatality incident to human
 things1 some works are come down to us 
interpolated or imperfect4#bf           
,accidental causes have given frequent  
occasions to mistakes1 which1 when we   
consider1 we cannot be surprised if     

sometimes good men have been deceived by
 false memoirs4 ,as to authors of wilful
 forgeries1 we have no name harsh enough
 to express1 nor punishment equal to    
their crime4 ,but the integrity even of 
,geoffry of ,monmouth is no longer      
impeached1 since it hath been proved    
that in his ,british history he was not 
the author of the fables which he       
published upon the credit of other      
vouchers4  ,nevertheless1 upon these1   
and the like accounts1 history calls    
aloud for the discernment of criticism4 
,and many learned men1 especially of the
 monastic order1 have1 for our          
assistance1 with no less industry than  
success1 separated in ancient writings  
the sterling from the counterfeit1 and  
by collating manuscripts1 and by        
clearing difficult points1 have rendered
 the path in this kind of literature    
smooth and secure4 ,the merit of        
original authors hath been weighed2 we  
have the advantage of most correct      
editions of their works2 rash and       

groundless alterations of some modern   
critics1 and the blunders of careless   
copiers or editors are redressed2       
interpolations foisted into the original
 writings are retrenched2 and a mark    
hath been set on memoirs of inferior    
authority4 ,moreover1 the value of      
ancient manuscripts1 being known1 ample 
repositories of such monuments have been
 made1 curious lists of which are       
communicated to the public1 that any    
persons may know and have recourse to   
them4 ,it must also be added1 that the  
laborious task of making the researches 
necessary for this complicated work1    
hath been rendered lighter by the care  
with which several judicious and learned
 men have compiled the lives of many    
particular saints4 ,thus have ,mabillon 
and #jee ,bulteau writ the lives of the 
saints of the order of ,st4 ,benedict2  
the elegant ,touron of that of ,st4     
,dominick2 ,le ,nain1 of the ,cistercian
 order2 ,tillemont1 the ,maurist        
,benedictin monks1 and ,orsi1 these of  

the principal fathers of the church1    
c4#bg ,the genuine acts of the primitive
 martyrs1 the most valuable monument of 
ecclesiastical history1 have been       
carefully published by ,ruinart4 ,some  
of them are presidial acts1 i4e4        
extracted from the court registers2     
others were written from the relations  
of eye-witnesses of undoubted veracity4 
,to this treasure an accession1 which   
the learned ,orsi and others doubt not  
to call of equal value1 hath been lately
 made by the publication of the genuine 
acts of the martyrs of the ,east1 or of 
,persia1 and of the ,west1 or           
,palestine1 in two volumes1 folio1 at   
,rome4 ,those of the ,east were written 
chiefly by ,st4 ,maruthus1 a neighboring
 bishop of ,mesopotamia3 the others seem
 to contain the entire work of ,eusebius
 on the martyrs of ,palestine1 which he 
abridged in the eighth book of his      
history4 ,both parts were found in a    
,chaldaic manuscript1 in a monastery of 
,upper ,egypt1 and purchased by ,stephen

 ,evodius ,assemani1 archbishop of      
,apamea1 and his uncle ,joseph ,simonius
 ,assemani1 first prefect of the        
,vatican library1 at the charges of pope
 ,clement ,,xii41 who had sent the      
former into the ,east on that errand4   
,the manuscripts are deposited in the   
,vatican library4 ,joseph ,assemani is  
known in the republic of letters by his 
invaluable ,oriental library1 his       
,italicae ,historiae ,scriptores1 his   
,kalendaria ,ecclesiae ,universae notis 
,ilustrata1 c41 and ,stephen1 by his    
share in the publication of the works of
 ,st4 ,ephrem1 and by the ,acta         
,martyrum ,orientalium et               
,occidentalium4 ,the learned ,jesuits at
 ,antwerp1 ,bollandus and his           
continuators1 have given us the ,acta   
,sanctorum1 enriched with curious       
remarks and dissertations1 in forty-one 
large volumes in folio1 to the #eth day 
of ,september4 ,to mention other        
monuments and writers here made use of1 
would be tedious and superfluous4 ,the  

authorities produced throughout the work
 speak for themselves3 the veracity of  
writers who cannot pretend to pass for  
inspired1 ought to be supported by      
competent vouchers4  ,the original      
authors are chiefly our guides4 ,the    
stream runs clear and pure from the     
source1 which in a long course often    
contracts a foreign mixture2 but the    
lucubrations of many judicious modern   
critics have cast a great light upon    
ancient historians3 these1 therefore1   
have been also consulted and compared1  
and their labors freely made use of4    
,footnotes3 #a4  ,cicero1 l4 #b1 de     
,orat4 c4 #i4 #b4  ,voss4 ,ars ,hist4   
cap4 #e4 #c4  ,voltaire's ,annals of the
 ,empire of ,germany4 #d4  ,some call in
 question the existence of certain      
saints1 as ,,ss4     ,bacchus1          
,quirinus1 ,mercurius1 ,nilammon1       
,hippolytus1 c41 because     these names
 are of pagan original4 ,but that       
,christians often     retained those    
names is evident1 not only from the     

oldest     ,martyrologies1 but from     
,eusebius1 ,theodoret1 and other ancient
     writers1 who often mention         
,christians named ,apollonius and       
,apollinerius1 from ,apollo c41 and ,st4
 ,paul speaks of a disciple     called  
,hermes1 or ,mercurius2 and had another 
named ,dionysius1 or     ,bacchus4 ,dr4 
,geddes and others object to the        
existence of ,st4     ,almnachius1 ,st4 
,george1 ,st4 ,wenefred1 c41 but we     
shall find their     honor supported in 
this work by irrefregable authorities4  
,longinus     not only signifies a      
spear1 but was a ,roman name1 and that  
of a     soldier and martyr1 on the     
#aeth of ,march3 whether he be the      
person     who opened the side of       
,christ with a spear or no1 is a point  
of less     importance4 ,mr4 ,addison   
and ,dr4 ,middleton thought they had hit
 on a     great discovery when they     
transformed ,mount ,soracte into ,st4   
,orestes4 ,but that mountain is commonly
 called1 not ,st4 ,orestes1 but     ,san

 ,sylvestro1 together with the monastery
 on its summit4 ,moreover1     we find  
both in the ,roman ,martyrology and     
,greek ,menaea two saints of     the    
name of ,orestes recorded1 the one on   
the #ith of ,november1 the     other on 
the #aith of ,december1 who both        
suffered under ,dioclesian1     one in  
,armenia1 the other in ,cappadocia4 ,the
 latter is also named by     ,st4       
,gregory ,nazianzen1 in his oration on  
,st4 ,basil4 ,if1 by slips of           
copiers1 mistakes have happened to some 
names1 of accidental     circumstances2 
or if certain private persons should be 
convicted of     having been any time   
deceived in some saint1 this would not  
affect     the credit of authentic      
general ,martyrologies4 #e4  ,mrs4      
,dacier1 ,mr4 ,rowe4 #f4  ,this made    
,theodorus ,gaza say1 that if learning  
must suffer a general     shipwreck1 and
 he had only his choice left him of     
preserving one     author1 ,plutarch    
should be the man4 #g4  ,with this fault

 the famous king of ,prussia1 who is    
perfectly     acquainted with the       
affairs of the ,north1 charged the      
florid author     of the history of     
,charles ,,xii4 of ,sweden4 ,nor could  
this historian1     as it is said1 give 
any other answer to the complaint of the
     ,hamburghers1 that he had          
notoriously slandered them with regard  
to     their conduct towards the        
citizens of ,altena1 than that his      
fiction     was plausible and ingenious1
 founded in their mutual jealousy1      
according to the maxim of dramatic      
writers1 ,feign with     probability4   
,of this cast1 indeed1 though we have   
many modern     examples1 we know1      
perhaps1 none among the authors of      
antiquity4 #h4  ,thirty thousand various
 readings were found by ,mr4 ,mills in  
the     ,greek ,new ,testament2 ,dr4    
,bentley reckoned twenty thousand in    
,terence1 and twice as many as there are
 verses in the poet ,manilius4     ,even
 the most valuable ,vatican and         

,alexandrian manuscripts of the         
,bible abound in faults of the copiers2 
and editions of works made     from     
single manuscripts are always very      
defective4--witness those of            
,cornelius ,nepos1 and the ,greek       
,hesychius4 ,patrick ,young1 7called in 
,latin1 ,patricius ,junius17 when keeper
 of the king's library at     ,london1  
scrupled not to erase and alter several 
words in the most     valuable          
,alexandrian ,greek manuscript copy of  
the ,bible1 as is     visible to this   
day4 ,what wonder1 then1 7how           
intolerable such     liberties are17 if 
the like has been sometimes done by     
others in     books of less note1 with a
 presumption like that of ,dr4 ,bentley 
in     his amendments of ,horace4 #i4   
,prelim ,dissert4 on ,st4 ,matthew4 #aj4
 ,sine probabilibus autoribus1 ,conc4 t4
 #g1 #ied4 #aa4 ,can4 #fb4 #ab4 ,regies 
de la ,critique1 t4 #b1 p4 #ab1 #bj1 et 
,diss4 #c1 p4 #acd4 #ac4 ,see ,mabillon1
 ,disquis4 de ,cursu ,gallic4 ,sec4#a4  

#ad4 ,tert4 l4 de ,bapt4 c4 #ag4 #ae4   
,catal4 ,vir ,illustr4 c4 #g4 #af4 ,see 
,nat4 ,alexander1 ,collet1 ,henno1 c41  
in ,decalogum de ,mendacio4 #ag4 ,grot4 
l4 de ,antichr4 t4 #c1 ,op4 ,theolog4   
#ah4 ,gerson1 ep4 ad ,morel4 #ai4 ,de   
,loc4 ,theol4 l4 #aa1 c4 #e4 #bj4       
,diplomat4 l4 #c1 c4 #c4 #ba4 ,coutant1 
,vindic4 veter4 ,cod4 ,confirm4 p4 #cb1 
#eej1 c4 #bb4 ,diplom4 t4 #d1 p4 #deb1  
c4 #bc4 ,gurdon1 ,hist4 of ,parliament1 
t4 #a4 #bd4 ,pref4 to ,notitia          
,monastica1 in folio4 #be4 ,dissert4 #c1
 de ,antiq4 ,acad4 #bf4 ,how easy was   
the mistake of a copyist or bookseller1 
who ascribed     the works of some      
modern ,austin to the great doctor of   
that name8 or     who1 finding several  
sermons of ,st4 ,caesarius annexed in   
the same copy     to those of ,st4      
,austin1 imagined them all to belong to 
one title8     ,several disciples       
published1 under the names of ,st4      
,austin1 ,st4     ,gregory1 or ,st4     
,zeno1 sermons or comments which they   

had heard from     their mouths3 by the 
same means we have three different      
editions of     the confession of ,st4  
,ephrem4 ,we have already seen many     
works     falsely published under the   
name of ,boerhaave1 which never came    
from     his pen2 as1 ,the ,method of   
,studying ,physic1 ,materia ,medica1    
,praxis     ,medica1 and a spurious     
edition of his ,chemistry1 which seem   
all to     come from the pens of his    
scholars4 #bg4 ,among the compilers of  
the lives of saints1 some wanted the    
discernment of criticism4 ,simeon       
,metaphrastes1 patrician1 first         
secretary and chancellor to the emperors
 ,leo the ,wise1 and     ,constantine   
,porphyrogenitus1 in #iab1 7of whose    
collection one     hundred and          
twenty-two lives are still extant17     
sometimes altered     the style of his  
authors where it appeared flat or       
barbarous1 and     sometimes inserted   
later additions and interpolations1     
often not     sufficiently warranted1   

though not by him forged2 for ,psellus1 
in     his panegyric1 furnishes us with 
many proofs of his piety4 ,see ,cave1   
7,hist4 ,liter4 t4 #b1 p4 #hh17 who1    
with other judicious critics1           
entertains a much more favorable opinion
 of ,metaphrastes than     ,baillet4    
,see ,metaphrastes vindicated by ,leo   
,allatius4 7,diatr4 de     ,nilis1 p4   
#bd47 ,james de ,voragine1 of the order 
of ,st4 ,dominick1 and     archbishop of
 ,genoa1 author of the ,golden ,legend1 
in #abij1 wrote     still with less     
judgment1 and1 in imitation of ,livy1   
often made the     martyrs speak his own
 language4 ,lippoman1 bishop of ,verona 
in #aeej1     and ,laurence ,surius1 a  
,carthusian monk of ,cologne in #aegj1  
sometimes     wanted the necessary helps
 for discernment in the choice of       
materials4 ,the same is to be said of   
,ribadeneira1 except in the     lives of
 saints who lived near his own time1    
though a person     otherwise well      
qualified for a writer of sacred        

biography4 ,several     who have        
augmented his works in ,france1 ,spain1 
or ,italy1 labored     under the same   
misfortune and often gathered together  
whatever the     drag-net of time had   
amassed4 ,john ,capgrave1 an ,austin    
friar1 some     time confessor to the   
duke of ,gloucester1 who died at ,lynn  
in     ,norfolk1 in #adhd1 compiled the 
legend of the saints of ,england1 from  
a more ancient collection1 the          
,sanctilogium of ,john of ,tinmouth1 a  
monk of ,st4 ,alban's1 in #acff1 of     
which a very fair manuscript copy       
was1 before the last fire1 extant in the
 ,cottonian library4 ,by the     melting
 of the glue and warping of the leaves1 
this book is no     longer legible      
unless some such method be used as that 
which is     employed in unfolding the  
parched and mouldering manuscripts found
     in the ruins of ,herculaneum4      
,on the other hand1 some ,french critics
 in sacred biography have     tinctured 
their works with a false and pernicious 

leaven1 and1 under     the name of      
criticism1 established skepticism4  #jef
 blank page #jeg  ,,contents4           
,,january4   #a4 ,,the ,circumcision of 
our ,lord444444444444444444444  #ei ,st4
 ,fulgentius1 ,bishop and               
,confessor4444444444444  #fc ,st4       
,odilo1 or ,olon1 ,sixth ,abbot of      
,cluni444444444  #fi ,st4 ,almachus1 or 
,telemachus1 ,martyr44444444444444  #ga 
,st4 ,eugendus1                         
,abbot444444444444444444444444444444    
#ga ,st4 ,fanchea1 or ,faine1 ,virgin1  
of ,ireland44444444  #gb ,st4 ,mochua1  
or ,moncain1 alias ,claunus1 ,abbot   in
                                        
,ireland44444444444444444444444444444444
44444  #gb ,st4 ,mochua1 alias ,cronan1 
of ,bella1 ,abbot in                    
,ireland44444444444444444444444444444444
44444444  #gb  #b4 ,st4 ,macarius1 of   
,alexandria1 ,anchoret444444444444  #gc 
,,ss4 ,martyrs for the ,holy            
,scriptures44444444444444  #gf ,st4     
,concordius1                            

,martyr444444444444444444444444444  #gg 
,st4 ,adalard1 or ,alard1 ,abbot and    
,confessor4444444  #gg  #c4 ,st4 ,peter 
,balsam1                                
,martyr4444444444444444444444444  #hj   
,st4 ,anterus1                          
,pope44444444444444444444444444444444   
#ha ,st4 ,gordius1                      
,martyr444444444444444444444444444444   
#ha ,st4 ,genevieve1 or ,genovefa1      
,virgin1 ,patroness of                  
,paris4444444444444444444444444444444444
44444444  #hb  #d4 ,st4 ,titus1         
,disciple of ,st4 ,paul1                
,bishop4444444444  #hf ,st4 ,gregory1   
,bishop of ,langres4444444444444444444  
#hh ,st4 ,rigobert1 or ,robert1         
,bishop444444444444444444  #hh ,st4     
,rumon1 ,bishop in                      
,england444444444444444444444  #hh  #e4 
,st4 ,simon ,stylites1                  
,confessor44444444444444444444  #hi ,st4
 ,telesphorus1 ,pope and ,martyr        
4444444444444444  #ic ,st4 ,syncletica1 
,virgin 44444444444444444444444444  #ic 

#f4 ,the ,epiphany of our               
,lord4444444444444444444444444  #ie ,st4
 ,melanius1 ,bishop and                 
,confessor444444444444444 #ajj ,st4     
,nilammon1                              
,hermit44444444444444444444444444444    
#ajj ,st4 ,peter1 ,abbot in             
,england4444444444444444444444 #ajj  #g4
 ,st4 ,lucian1 ,priest and              
,martyr44444444444444444444 #aja ,st4   
,cedd1 ,bishop of                       
,london44444444444444444444444 #ajc ,st4
 ,kentigerna1 ,widow1 of                
,ireland4444444444444444 #aje ,st4      
,aldric1 ,bishop of ,mans1              
,confessor444444444444 #aje ,st4        
,thillo1                                
,recluse444444444444444444444444444444  
#ajf ,st4                               
,canut4444444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #ajg  #h4 ,st4 ,apollinaris1 the 
,apologist1 ,bishop44444444444 #ajh ,st4
 ,severinus1 ,abbot1 and ,apostle of    
,noricum1   or ,austria                 
444444444444444444444444444444444444    

#aaj ,st4 ,lucian1 ,apostle of          
,beauvais1 in ,france1                  
,martyr444444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #aab ,st4 ,pega1 ,virgin1 of   
,england444444444444444444444 #aab ,st4 
,vulsin1 ,bishop in                     
,england44444444444444444444 #aab ,st4  
,gudula1 ,virgin1 ,patroness of         
,brussels44444444 #aac ,st4 ,nathalan1  
,bishop of ,aberdeen1 ,confessor444444  
#aac  #i4 ,st4 ,peter of ,sebaste1      
,bishop and ,confessor4444444 #aad ,st4 
,julian and ,st4 ,basilissa1            
,martyrs444444444444 #aad ,st4          
,marciana1 ,virgin and                  
,martyr444444444444444444 #aaf ,st4     
,brithwald1 ,archbishop of              
,canterbury4444444444 #aag ,st4 ,felan1 
or ,foelan1 ,abbot in ,ireland          
4444444444 #aag ,st4 ,adrian1 ,abbot at 
,canterbury444444444444444444 #aah ,st4 
,vaneng1                                
,confessor4444444444444444444444444444  
#aah ,st4 ,william1 ,confessor1         
,archbishop of ,bourges4444 #abj ,st4   

,agatho1                                
,pope444444444444444444444444444444444  
#abb ,st4 ,marcian1                     
,priest444444444444444444444444444444   
#abc  #aa4 ,st4 ,theodosius the         
,cenobiarch1 ,abbot4444444444444 #abd   
,st4 ,hyginus1 ,pope and                
,martyr444444444444444444444 #abg ,st4  
,egwin1 ,bishop in ,england1            
,confessor4444444444 #abh ,st4 ,salvius1
 or ,sauve1 ,bishop of ,amiens4444444444
 #abh  #ab4 ,st4 ,arcadius1             
,martyr44444444444444444444444444444    
#abi ,st4 ,benedict ,bishop1            
,abbot44444444444444444444444 #aca ,st4 
,tygrius and ,st4 ,eutropius1           
,martyrs44444444444 #acc ,st4 ,aelred1  
,abbot in ,england444444444444444444444 
#acc  #ac4 ,st4 ,veronica1 ,virgin1 of  
,milan4444444444444444444 #ace ,st4     
,kentigern1 ,bishop of ,glasco1         
,confessor4444444 #acg ,the ,octave of  
the ,epiphany44444444444444444444444    
#aci  #ad4 ,st4 ,hilary1                
,bishop4444444444444444444444444444444  

#adj ,st4 ,felix1 ,priest and           
,confessor444444444444444444 #adg ,st4  
,isaias1 ,st4 ,sabbas1 c4 ,martyrs of   
,sinai44444 #adi ,st4 ,barbasceminus1 c4
 ,martyrs 444444444444444444 #aej  #ae4 
,st4 ,paul1 the ,first                  
,hermit44444444444444444444444 #aea ,st4
 ,maurus1                               
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444444  
#aed ,st4 ,main1 ,abbot1 ,native of     
,england444444444444444 #aee ,st4 ,john 
,calybite1                              
,recluse44444444444444444444444 #aee    
,st4 ,isidore of ,alexandria1 ,priest   
and ,hospitaller #aef ,st4 ,isidore of  
,scete1 ,priest and ,hermit4444444444   
#aeg ,st4 ,bonitus1 ,bishop of          
,auvergne1 ,confessor4444444 #aeg ,st4  
,ita1 or ,mida1 ,virgin of ,ireland1    
,abbess444444 #aeh  #af4 ,st4           
,marcellus1 ,pope and                   
,martyr4444444444444444444 #aeh ,st4    
,macarius the ,elder1 of                
,egypt44444444444444444 #aei ,st4       
,honoratus1 ,archbishop of ,arles1      

,abbot44444444 #afb ,st4 ,fursey1 ,abbot
 ,in ,ireland444444444444444444444 #afc 
,,ss4 ,five ,friars1 ,minors1           
,martyrs44444444444444444 #afd ,st4     
,henry1                                 
,hermit44444444444444444444444444444444 
#afd  #ag4 ,st4 ,antony1 ,abbot1        
,patriarch of ,monks444444444444 #afe   
,,ss4 ,speusippus1 ,eleusippus1 and     
,meleusippus1                           
,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #agb  #jeh  ,st4 ,sulpicius the
 ,pious1 ,archbishop of ,bourges444 #agc
 ,st4 ,sulpicius de ,debonnaire1        
,archbishop   of                        
,bourges44444444444444444444444444444444
44444 #agc ,st4 ,milgithe1 ,virgin1 of  
,england44444444444444444 #agd ,st4     
,nennius1 or ,nennidhius1 ,abbot ,in    
,ireland44444 #agd  #ah4 ,st4 ,peter's  
,chair at ,rome444444444444444444444444 
#age ,st4 ,paul and ,thirty-six         
,companions in ,egypt1                  
,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #agf ,st4 ,prisca1 ,virgin and 

,martyr44444444444444444444 #agf ,st4   
,deicolus1 ,abbot1 ,native of ,ireland  
4444444444 #agg ,st4 ,ulfrid1 or        
,wolfred1 ,bishop and ,martyr44444444   
#agg  #ai4 ,st4 ,maris1 ,st4 ,martha1   
,st4 ,audifax1 and ,st   ,abachum1      
,martyrs4444444444444444444444444444444 
#agh ,st4 ,canutus1 ,king of ,denmark1  
,martyr4444444444444 #agi ,st4 ,henry1  
,archbishop of ,upsal1                  
,martyr44444444444 #ahj ,st4 ,wulstan1  
,bishop of ,worcester1 ,confessor444444 
#aha ,st4 ,blaithmaic1 ,native of       
,ireland1 ,abbot of ,hij in             
,scotland4444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #ahb ,st4 ,lomer1 or           
,laudomarus1 ,abbot444444444444444444   
#ahb  #bj4 ,st4 ,fabian1 ,pope and      
,martyr4444444444444444444444 #ahc ,st4 
,sebastian1                             
,martyr4444444444444444444444444444 #ahc
 ,st4 ,euthymius1                       
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444 #ahe
 ,st4 ,fechin1 ,abbot in                
,ireland444444444444444444444 #ahg  #ba4

 ,st4 ,agnes1 ,virgin and               
,martyr444444444444444444444 #ahh ,st4  
,fructuosus1 ,bishop of ,tarragon1 and  
his   ,companions1                      
,martyrs4444444444444444444444444444    
#aij ,st4 ,vimin1 or ,vivian1 ,bishop   
and ,confessor1 in                      
,scotland4444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #aib ,st4 ,publius1 ,bishop and
 ,martyr4444444444444444444 #aib ,st4   
,epiphanius1 ,bishop of                 
,pavia444444444444444444 #aib  #bb4 ,st4
 ,vincent1                              
,martyr444444444444444444444444444444   
#aic ,st4 ,anastasius1                  
,martyr444444444444444444444444444 #aif 
#bc4 ,st4 ,raymund of ,pennafort1       
,confessor44444444444444 #bjj ,st4 ,john
 the ,almoner1 ,confessor1 ,patriarch of
                                        
,alexandria44444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #bjc ,st4 ,emerentia1 ,virgin  
and ,martyr44444444444444444 #bjf ,st4  
,clement of ,ancyra1 ,bishop and        
,martyr444444444 #bjg ,st4              

,agathangelus1                          
,martyr4444444444444444444444444 #bjg   
,st4 ,ildelfonsus1                      
,archbishop4444444444444444444444 #bjg  
,st4 ,eusebius1                         
,abbot444444444444444444444444444444    
#bjh  #bd4 ,st4 ,timothy1 ,bishop and   
,martyr4444444444444444444 #bjh ,st4    
,babylas1 ,bishop of ,antioch1 ,martyr  
4444444444 #baa ,st4 ,suranus1 ,abbot in
 ,umbria444444444444444444444 #bac ,st4 
,macedonius1 ,anchoret ,in              
,syria4444444444444444 #bac ,on the life
 and ,writings of ,theodoret1 ,bishop of
                                        
,cyrus4444444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #bac  #be4 ,the ,conversion of 
,st4 ,paul44444444444444444444444 #baf  
,st4 ,juventius and ,st4 ,maximinus1    
,martyrs444444444 #bai ,on the ,life and
 ,writings of ,julian the ,apostate44   
#bai ,st4 ,projectus1 ,bishop of        
,clermont1 ,martyr44444444 #bbj ,st4    
,poppo1 ,abbot of                       
,stavello444444444444444444444 #bba ,st4

 ,apollo1 ,abbot in                     
,thebais444444444444444444444 #bbb ,st4 
,publius1 ,abbot near ,zeugma1 upon the 
,euphrates444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #bbb  #bf4 ,st4 ,polycarp1     
,bishop of ,smyrna1 ,martyr44444444444  
#bbc ,st4 ,paula1                       
,widow444444444444444444444444444444444 
#bbi ,st4 ,conon1 ,bishop of the ,isle  
of ,man4444444444444 #bcb  #bg4 ,st4    
,john ,chrysostom1 ,archbishop of       
,constantinople4444444444444444444444444
444444444 #bcc ,on the ,writings of that
 ,father4444444444444444444 #beb ,st4   
,julian1 ,first ,bishop of ,mans1       
,confessor444444 #bge ,st4 ,marius1     
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444444  
#bge  #bh4 ,commemoration of ,st4       
,agnes44444444444444444444444 #bgf ,st4 
,cyril1 ,patriarch of                   
,alexandria444444444444444 #bgf ,on the 
,writings of that                       
,father4444444444444444444 #bgi ,st4    
,thyrsus1 ,st4 ,leucius1 and ,st4       
,callinicus1                            

,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #bhc ,st4 ,john of ,reomay1    
,abbot444444444444444444444444 #bhc ,b4 
,margaret1 ,princess of ,hungary1       
,virgin444444444 #bhd ,st4 ,paulinus1   
,patriarch of ,aquileia1 ,confessor444  
#bhd ,b4 ,charlemagne1                  
,emperor44444444444444444444444444 #bhg 
,st4 ,glastian1 ,bishop and ,confessor  
in ,scotland444 #bhi  #bi4  ,st4        
,francis of ,sales1 ,bishop and         
,confessor4444444 #bhi ,st4 ,sulpicius  
,severus4444444444444444444444444444    
#cjc ,on the ,writings of that          
,saint44444444444444444444 #cje ,st4    
,gildas the ,wise1 or ,badonicus1       
,abbot1    ,native of ,england          
4444444444444444444444444444 #cjf ,st4  
,gildas the ,albanian1 or the ,scot1    
,confessor44 #caj  #cj4 ,st4 ,bathildes1
 ,queen of ,france4444444444444444444   
#caj ,st4 ,martina1 ,virgin and         
,martyr4444444444444444444 #cab ,st4    
,aldegondes1 ,virgin and                
,abbess4444444444444444 #cac ,st4       

,barsimaeus1 ,bishop and                
,martyr44444444444444444 #cac  #ca4 ,st4
 ,peter ,nolasco1                       
,confessor444444444444444444444 #cad    
,st4 ,serapion1 ,martyr in              
,england444444444444444444 #cag ,st4    
,cyrus and ,st4 ,john1                  
,martyrs444444444444444444 #cag ,st4    
,marcella1                              
,widow444444444444444444444444444444    
#cah ,st4 ,maidoc1 or ,maodhog1 ,bishop 
of ,ferns in                            
,ireland44444444444444444444444444444444
44444444 #cah   #jei  ,,january ,i4     
,,the ,,circumcision ,,of ,,our ,,lord#a
  ,,circumcision was a sacrament of the 
,old ,law1 and the first legal          
observance required by ,almighty ,god of
 that people1 which he had chosen       
preferably to all the nations of the    
earth to be the depositary of his       
revealed truths4--,these were the       
descendants of ,abraham1 whom he had    
enjoined it1 under the strictest        
penalties1#b several hundred years      

before the giving of the law to ,moses  
on ,mount ,sinai2 and this on two       
several accounts3 ,first1 as a          
distinguishing mark between them and the
 rest of mankind4 ,secondly1 as a seal  
to a covenant between ,god and that     
patriarch3 whereby it was stipulated on 
,god's part to bless ,abraham and his   
posterity2 while on their part it       
implied a holy engagement to be his     
people1 by a strict conformity to his   
laws4 ,it was1 therefore1 a sacrament of
 initiation in the service of ,god1 and 
a promise and engagement to believe and 
act as he had revealed and directed4    
,circumcision is also looked upon by    
,st4 ,austin1 and by several eminent    
modern divines1#c to have been the      
expedient1 in the male posterity of     
,abraham1 for removing the guilt of     
original sin1 which in those who did not
 belong to the covenant of ,abraham1 nor
 fall under this law was remitted by    
other means1 probably by some external  
act of faith4  ,this law of circumcision

 continued in force till the death of   
,christ3 hence our ,saviour being born  
under the law1 it became him1 who came  
to teach mankind obedience to the laws  
of ,god2 to fulfil all justice1 and to  
submit to it4 ,therefore1 he was made   
under the law1 that is1 was circumcised1
 that he might redeem them that were    
under the law1 by freeing them from the 
servitude of it2 and that those1 who    
were in the condition of servants       
before1 might be set at liberty1 and    
receive the adoption of sons in baptism2
 which by ,christ's institution1        
succeeded to circumcision4 ,on the #jfj 
day he was circumcised he received the  
name of ,,jesus1 the same which had been
 appointed him by the angel before he   
was conceived4#d ,the reason of his     
being called ,,jesus is mentioned in the
 gospel3#e ,for he shall save his people
 from their sins4 ,this he effected by  
the greatest sufferings and             
humiliations2 having humbled himself1 as
 ,st4 ,paul says1#f not only unto death1

 but even to the death of the cross2 for
 which cause ,god hath exalted him1 and 
hath given him a name which is above all
 names2 that at the name of ,,jesus     
every knee should bow3 agreeably to what
 ,christ says of himself1#g ,all power  
is given unto me in heaven and in       
earth4#h  ,christ being not only        
innocent1 but incapable of sin1 could   
stand in no need of circumcision1 as an 
expedient then in use for the remission 
of sin4 ,he was pleased1 however1 to    
subject himself to this humbling and    
painful rite of the ,mosaic dispensation
 for several reasons3 as1 ,first1 to put
 an end in an honorable manner to a     
divine1 but temporary1 institution1 by  
taking it upon his own person4          
,secondly1 to prove the reality of his  
human body2 which1 however evident from 
this and so many other actions and      
sufferings of his life1 was denied by   
several ancient heretics4 ,thirdly1 to  
prove himself not only the son of man1  
but of that man in particular of whose  

seed the ,messiah was promised to come3 
thus precluding any future objection    
that might be raised by the ,jews       
against his divine mission in quality of
 ,messiah1 under the pretence of his    
being an alien2 and hereby qualifying   
himself for free conversation with them 
for their own spiritual advantage3      
setting us all a pattern of undergoing  
voluntarily several hardships and       
restraints1 which1 though not necessary 
on our own account1 may be of great use 
to promote the good of others4 ,christ  
not being like other ,jewish children1  
who could not know or fear the pain of  
circumcision1 when they were going to   
suffer the operation1 was perfectly     
sensible of it beforehand1 and with     
calmness and intrepidity offered himself
 willingly to suffer the knife1 and shed
 the first-fruits of his sacred blood in
 this painful manner4 ,under the smart  
this divine infant shed tears1 but not  
as other children2 for by them1 with the
 most tender love and compassion1 he    

bewailed chiefly our spiritual miseries1
 and at the same time presented with joy
 his blood as the price of our          
redemption to his ,father4 ,fourthly1 by
 thus humbling himself under this       
painful operation1 he would give us an  
early pledge and earnest of his love for
 us1 of his compassion for our miseries1
 and of his utter detestation of sin4   
,the charity and zeal which glowed in   
his divine breast1 impatient1 as it     
were1 of delay1 delighted themselves in 
these first-fruits of humiliation and   
suffering for our sakes1 till they could
 fully satiate their thirst by that     
superabundance of both1 in his passion  
and death4 ,with infinite zeal for his  
,father's honor1 and charity for us     
sinners1 with invincible patience1 and  
the most profound humility1 he now      
offered himself most cheerfully to his  
,father to undergo whatever he was      
pleased to enjoin him4 ,fifthly1 he     
teaches us by the example of voluntary  
obedience to a law that could not oblige

 him1 to submit with great punctuality  
and exactness to laws of divine         
appointment2 and how very far we ought  
to be from sheltering our #jfa          
disobedience under lame excuses and     
frivolous pretexts4 ,sixthly1 by this   
ceremony1 he humbled himself to satisfy 
for our pride1 and to teach us the      
sincere spirit of humility4 ,what       
greater humiliation can be imagined than
 for ,him who is the eternal ,son of    
,god1 in all things equal to his        
,father1 to conceal these glorious      
titles under the appearance of a sinner8
 ,what a subject of confusion to us1    
who1 being abominable criminals1 are    
ashamed to pass for what we are1 and    
desire to appear and be esteemed what we
 are not6 ,shall we not learn from this 
example of ,christ to love humiliations1
 especially as we cannot but acknowledge
 that we deserve every reproach and all 
manner of contempt from all creatures8  
,seventhly1 by beginning the great work 
of our salvation in the manner he was   

one day to finish it2 suffering in his  
own person the punishment of sin1 to    
deliver us from both sin and its        
punishment1 he confounds the impenitence
 of sinners who will suffer nothing for 
their own sins2 and inculcates the      
necessity of a spiritual circumcision1  
whereof the external was but the type   
and figure1 as the apostle puts us in   
mind4#i  ,it is manifest1 beyond all    
contradiction1 from several texts of the
 ,old ,testament1#aj that men under that
 dispensation ought not to have rested  
in the external act alone1 but should   
have aspired from the letter to the     
spirit1 from the carnal to a spiritual  
circumcision4 ,these texts1 at the same 
time that they set forth its necessity1 
describe it as consisting in a readiness
 and willing disposition to conform to  
the will of ,god1 and submit to it when 
known1 in every particular4 ,they in    
consequence require a retrenchment of   
all inordinate and superfluous desires  
of the soul1 the keeping a strict guard 

and government over ourselves1 a total  
abstinence from criminal1 and a prudent 
reserve even in the lawful              
gratifications of sense and appetite4   
,if such instances of spiritual         
circumcision were required of those     
under the ,old ,law1 to qualify them for
 acceptance with ,god1 can any thing    
less than the same entitle us           
,christians to the claim of spiritual   
kindred with faithful ,abraham1 and to  
share of that redemption which ,christ  
began this day to purchase for us at the
 expense of his blood8 ,we must cut off 
whatever inordinate or superfluous      
desires of riches1 honors1 or pleasures 
reign in our hearts1 and renounce       
whatever holds us wedded to our senses  
or the world4 ,though this sacrifice    
required the last drop of our blood1 we 
ought cheerfully to make it4 ,the       
example of ,christ powerfully excites us
 not to spare ourselves4 ,a thousand    
irregular affections reign in our souls1
 and self-love is master there4 ,this   

enemy is only to be expelled by         
compunction1 watchfulness over          
ourselves1 perfect obedience1 humble    
submission to correction1 voluntary     
self-denials1 and patience under        
crosses4 ,to these endeavors we must    
join earnest prayer for the necessary   
grace to discover1 and courageously     
crucify whatever opposes the reign of   
the pure love of ,god in our affections4
 ,if we are conscious to ourselves of   
having taken a contrary course1 and are 
of the unhappy number of the            
uncircumcised to heart2 what more proper
 time to set about a thorough           
reformation1 by cutting off whatever is 
inconsistent with or prejudicial to the 
true ,christian spirit1 than this very  
day1 the first of the new year8 that so 
it may be a new year to us in the most  
,christian and beneficial sense of the  
word4#aa  #jfb  ,wherefore1 after having
 consecrated its first-fruits to ,god1  
by the most sincere and fervent homage  
of praise and adoration2 after having   

paid him the just tribute of            
thanksgiving for all his benefits1 and  
in particular for the mercy by which he 
vouchsafes us still time to appease his 
anger1 and serve him2 it becomes us to  
allot some part of this day to tears of 
compunction for our past offences1 and  
to the diving into the source of our    
spiritual sloth and other               
irregularities1 with a view to the      
amendment of our lives1 and the         
preventing of relapses3 not contenting  
ourselves with general purposes1 which  
cost self-love so little1 the           
insufficiency of which our own          
experience has convinced us of2 we must 
lay the axe to the root1 and seriously  
resolve to decline1 to the best of our  
power1 the particular occasions which   
have betrayed us into sin1 and embrace  
the most effectual means of reformation 
of life and improvement in virtue4      
,every year ought to find us more       
fervent in charity2 every day ought our 
soul to augment in strength1 and be     

decked with new flowers of virtue and   
good works4 ,if the plant ceases to     
grow1 or the fruit to ripen1 they decay 
of course1 and are in danger of         
perishing4 ,by a rule far more sacred1  
the soul1 which makes not a daily       
progress in virtue loses ground3 a      
dreadful symptom in the spiritual life4 
,the more intense ought our fervor to   
be1 as we draw the nearer to the end of 
our course3 ,so much the more1 says the 
apostle1 as you perceive the day to     
approach1#ab the day of retribution to  
each according to his works1 which will 
be that of our death1 which may be much 
nearer than we are willing to imagine4  
,perhaps we may not live to the end of  
this very year3 it will be the case of  
thousands1 who at this time are as      
regardless of it as we can be4 ,what    
security can we have against a surprise1
 the consequences whereof are infinite  
and irretrievable1 except that of a     
sincere and speedy conversion1 of being 
upon our guard against temptations1 of  

dedicating effectually this ensuing year
 and the remainder of our short lives to
 ,god1 our last end and only good1 and  
frequently imploring his grace and      
mercy4 ,it is our blessed ,saviour's    
advice and injunction3 ,watch ye        
therefore2 praying at all times #jfc 444
 that you may be accounted worthy 444 to
 stand before the ,son of man4#ac  ,the 
,christian's devotion on this day ought 
to consist1 first1 in the solemn        
consecration of the first-fruits of the 
year to ,god2 and secondly1 in honoring 
the mystery of the ,incarnation of the  
,son of ,god1 particularly his birth and
 circumcision4 ,the church invites us on
 this day to unite our homage with the  
seraphic ardors and transports of       
devotion with which the glorious ,mother
 of ,god assisted at these wonderful    
mysteries which we commemorate1 but in  
which she acted herself so great a part4
 ,with what sentiments did ,mary bear in
 her womb1 bring forth1 and serve her   
adorable son1 who was also her ,god8    

with what love and awe did she fix her  
eyes upon him particularly at his       
circumcision1 who can express in what   
manner she was affected when she saw him
 subjected to this painful and humbling 
ceremony8 ,filled with astonishment1 and
 teeming affections of love and         
gratitude1 by profound adorations and   
praise she endeavored to make him all   
the amends in her power1 and the best   
return and acknowledgment she was able4 
,in amorous complaints that he would    
begin1 in the excess of his love1 to    
suffer for us in so tender an age1 and  
to give this earnest of our redemption1 
she might say to him3 ,truly than art to
 me a spouse of blood4#ad ,with the     
early sacrifice ,christ here made of    
himself to his ,father1 she joined her  
own offering her divine son1 and with   
and through him herself1 to be an       
eternal victim to his honor and love1   
with the most ardent desire to suffer   
all things1 even to blood1 for the      
accomplishment of his will4 ,under her  

mediation we ought to make him the      
tender of our homages1 and with and     
through this holy ,redeemer1 consecrate 
ourselves to ,god without reserve4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,in the ancient        
sacramentary of the ,roman church1      
published by     cardinal ,thomasius1   
7the finishing of which some ascribe to 
,pope     ,gelasius ,i41 others more    
probably to ,leo ,i41 though the ground 
was     doubtless the work of their     
predecessors17 this festival is called  
the ,octave of our ,lord's ,nativity4   
,the same title is given to it in       
the ,latin calendar 7or rather          
collection of the gospels read at ,mass 
throughout the year7 written above #ijj 
years ago1 presented to the     public  
by ,f4 ,john ,fronteau1 regular canon of
 saint ,genevieve's at     ,paris1 and  
by ,leo ,allatius4 ,the inference which 
,baillet draws from     thence that the 
mystery of our ,lord's circumcision was 
not then     commemorated in the office 
of this day1 is a notorious mistake4    

,for     ,thomassin takes notice from   
,ivo of ,chartres1 that the word ,octave
     here implies the circumcision of   
our ,lord1 which was performed on       
the eighth day after his birth2 and in  
the above mentioned     ,sacramentary   
express mention is made of the          
circumcision in the     ,secret of the  
,mass4 ,in ,f4 ,froubeau's calendar the 
gospel read on     this day is the      
history of the circumcision given1 by   
,st4 ,luke4 ,an     old ,vatican ,,ms4  
copy of ,st4 ,gregory's ,sacramentary   
and that of     ,usuard's ,martyrology  
kept at ,st4 ,germain des-,pres1 express
 both the     titles of the ,octave day 
and of the circumcision4      ,durandus 
in the #acth century1 7,ration4 offic4  
l4 #f1 c4 #ae17 ,john     ,beleth1 a    
theologian of ,paris1 7c4 #ga17 and     
several missals of the     middle ages  
prescribe two masses to be said on this 
day1 one on the     circumcision1 the   
other on the ,b4 ,virgin ,mary4         
,micrologus 7c4 #ci7     assigns this   

reason1 that as the ,b4 ,virgin1 who had
 so great a share     in the birth of   
,christ1 could not be mentioned in that 
solemn     office1 therefore a          
commemoration of her is deferred to the 
,octave     day4 ,the second ,mass is   
now abolished3 but in a great part of   
the     office a regard is had to the   
,b4 ,virgin4 ,in ,f4 ,fronteau's ,roman 
calendar1 after the title of the ,octave
 is added1 ,natale ,s4 ,mariae     for  
which ,dom ,martenne would have us read 
,s4 ,martinae2 but without     grounds4 
,for1 as ,pope ,benedict ,,xiv4         
observes1 7,comment4 de ,festis         
,domini1 c4 #a17 the original           
unquestionably means a festival of the  
,b4 ,virgin ,mary4 ,the word ,natale1   
which was used originally for the       
birth-day of the emperors1 was          
afterwards taken for any annual         
feast4 #b4  ,gen4 xvii4 #c4  ,grounding 
their opinion on ,gen4 xvii4 #ad1 c4 #d4
  ,luke i4 #ca4 #e4  ,matt4 i4 #ba4 #f4 
,phil4 ii4 #h1 #i1 #aj4 #g4  ,matt4     

xxviii4 #ah4 #h4  ,the ,jews generally  
named their children on the day of their
     circumcision1 but this was not of  
precept4 ,there are several             
instances of children named on the day  
of their birth1 7,gen4 xxx47     which  
could not be that of their circumcision 
by an express law     requiring the     
interval of eight days from their birth2
 the child     being presumed too weak  
and delicate to undergo the operation   
sooner1 without danger of its life4 ,it 
seems to have been the     practice     
among the ,jews for children to be      
circumcised at home2 nor     was a      
priest the necessary or ordinary        
minister1 but the father1     mother1 or
 any other person could perform the     
ceremony1 as we see in     the time of  
,abraham1 7,gen4 xvii42 ,acts vii47 and 
of the ,maccabees1     7#a ,mac4 #a47   
,st4 ,epiphanius1 7,haer4 #bj47 ,whence 
,f4 ,avala1 in his     curious work     
entitled ,pietor ,christianus1 printed  
at ,madrid in     #agcj1 shows that it  

is a vulgar error of painters who       
represent     ,christ circumcised by a  
priest in the temple4 ,the instrument   
was     sometimes a sharp stone1 7,exod4
 iv4 ,jos4 v417 but doubtless most      
frequently of iron or steel4 #i4  ,rom4 
ii4 #bi4 #aj4 ,deut4 x4 #af2 xxx4 #f2   
,jer4 iv4 #d4 #aa4 ,the pagan ,romans   
celebrated the ,saturnalia1 or feast of 
,saturn1     from the #agth of ,december
 during seven days3 at which time slaves
     dined with their masters1 and were 
allowed an entire liberty of     speech1
 in the superstitious remembrance of the
 golden age of the     world1 in which  
no distinction of ranks was yet known   
among men4     7,macrob 1 #aj4 ,horat4  
c47 ,the calends also of ,january were  
solemnized with licentious shows in     
honor of ,janus and the goddess         
,strenia3 and it is from those infamous 
diversions that among     ,christians1  
are derived the profane riots of new    
year's day1     twelfthtide1 and        
shrovetide1 by which many pervert these 

times into     days of sin and          
intemperance4 ,several councils severely
 condemn     these abuses2 and the      
better to prevent them1 some churches   
formerly     kept the #ast of ,january a
 fast-day1 as it is mentioned by ,st4   
,isidore of ,seville 7lib4 #b offic c4  
#dj7 ,alcuin 7lib4 de div offic7     c4 
,dom ,martenne observes1 7lib4 de       
antiquis ritibus in celebr4 div4        
offic4 c4 #ac17 that on this account the
 second council of ,tours in     #efg   
ordered that on the calends of the      
circumcision the litany be     sung1 and
 high mass begun only at the eighth     
hour1 that is1 two in     the afternoon1
 that it might be finished by three1 the
 hour at which     it was allowed to eat
 on the fasts of the stations4 ,we have 
among     the works of the fathers many 
severe invectives against the           
superstitions and excesses of this time4
 ,see ,st4 ,austin1 7serm4 #aih1     in 
hunc diem17 ,st4 ,peter ,chrysologus1   
7serm4 in calendas17 ,st4     ,maximus  

of ,turin1 7,hom4 #e1 apud ,mabill4 in  
,musaeo ,italico17 ,faustinus     the   
,bishop1 7apud ,bolland4 hac die4 p4    
#c17 c4 ,the ,french name     ,etrennes 
is pagan1 from strenae1 or new-year     
gifts1 in honor of the     goddess      
,strenia4 ,the same in ,poitou and      
,perche1 anciently the     country of   
the ,druids1 is derived from their      
rites4 ,for the     ,poitevins for      
,etrennes use the word ,auguislanneuf1  
and the     ,percherons1 ,equilans1 from
 the ancient cry of the ,druids1 ,au guy
     l'an neuf1 i4e4 ,ad ,viscum1 annul 
novus1 or to the mistletoe the          
new-year1 when on new-year's day the    
,pagans went into the forests to        
seek the mistletoe on the oaks4 ,see    
,chatelain1 notes on the ,martyr4       
,jan4 #a1 p4 #g4      ,the ancients     
began the year1 some from the autumnal1 
others from the     vernal equinox4 ,the
 primitive patriarchs from that of      
autumn1 that     is1 from the month     
called by the ,hebrews ,tisri1 which    

coincides with     part of our          
,september and ,october4 ,hence it seems
 probable1 that the     world was       
created about that season2 the earth1 as
 appears from ,gen4     iii4 #b1 being  
then covered with trees1 plants1 fruits1
 seeds1 and     all other things in the 
state of their natural maturity and     
perfection4 ,the ,jews retained this    
commencement of the year1 as a     date 
for contracts and other civil purposes2 
as also for their     sabbatical year   
and jubilee4 ,but ,god commanded them to
 begin their     ecclesiastical year1 or
 that by which their religious festivals
 were     regulated1 from the spring    
equinox1 or the ,hebrew month ,nisan1   
the     same with part of our ,march and
 ,april1 ,exod4 xii4 #b4 ,christian     
nations commenced the year1 some from   
the #beth of ,march1 the feast     of   
the ,annunciation1 and bordering upon   
the spring equinox2 others     from     
,christmas2 others from its octave day1 
the first of ,january1 in     which our 

ancestors have often varied their       
practice4 ,europe is now     agreed in  
fixing the first of ,january for this   
epoch4      ,the ,julian year1 so called
 from ,julius ,caesar1 from whom the    
,roman     calendar received its last   
reformation1 consisted of #cfe days and 
#f     hours1 which exceed the true     
solar year by #aa minutes1 for          
astronomers compute the yearly          
revolution of the sun not to exceed     
#cfe days1 #e hours1 #dh minutes1 and   
#cg seconds1 according to ,cassini1     
but according to ,keil #eg seconds1 or  
almost #di minutes4 ,this error1        
becoming daily more sensible1 would have
 occasioned the autumnal     equinox to 
have at length fallen on the day        
reckoned the solstice1     and in       
process of time1 on that held for the   
vernal equinox4 ,the     ,golden number1
 or ,grecian cycle of the lunar years1  
was likewise     defective4 ,the remedy 
both which1 pope ,gregory ,,xiii41 in   
#aehe1     established the new style4   

,scaliger1 ,tachet1 and ,cassini have   
demonstrated that cycles might be chosen
 still more exact by some     few       
seconds3 however1 this adopted by pope  
,gregory1 besides being     the easiest 
in the execution1 admits of no material 
error1 or     sensible inconveniency4   
,this correction of the style was       
received by     act of ,parliament1 in  
,great ,britain1 in #ageb2 for the      
promoting of     which1 great praise is 
due to the two illustrious ornaments of 
the     republic of letters1 the earls  
of ,chesterfield and ,macclesfield4 #ab4
 ,heb4 x4 #be4 #ac4 ,luke xxi4 #cf4 #ad4
 ,exod4 v4 #be4  ,,the ,,life ,,of ,s4  
,,fulgentius1 ,b4,c4  ,extracted from   
his works1 and from his life1 accurately
 written by a disciple of great         
abilities1 the companion of his exile3  
and dedicated to ,felician1 his         
successor in the see of ,ruspa4 ,the    
author declares himself a monk3         
consequently was not the deacon         
,ferrandus1 as some critics imagine4    

,a4,d4 #ecc4  ,,fabius ,,claudius       
,,gordianus ,,fulgentius was the        
descendant of a noble senatorian family 
of ,carthage3 but much decayed in its   
splendor by the invasion of the         
,vandals4 ,his father ,claudius1 being  
unjustly deprived of his house in       
,carthage1 which was made over to the   
,arian priests1 settled at an estate    
belonging to him at ,telepte1 the       
capital city of the province of         
,byzacena4 ,our saint was born in #dfh1 
about thirty years after the ,barbarians
 had dismembered ,africa from the ,roman
 empire4 ,he was educated in sentiments 
of piety with his younger brother1 under
 the care of his mother ,mariana1 who   
was left a young widow4 ,being1 by her  
particular direction1 taught the ,greek 
very young1 he spoke it with as proper  
and exact an accent as if it had been   
his native language4 ,he also applied   
himself to ,latin1 and all the useful   
parts of human literature1 under masters
 distinguished for consummate abilities3

 yet he knew how to mingle business with
 study2 for he took upon himself the    
regulation of the family concerns1 in   
order to ease his mother of the burden4 
,his prudent circumspection in all the  
affairs he transacted1 his virtuous     
conduct1 his mild carriage to all1 and  
more especially his deference for his   
mother1 without whose express orders or 
approbation he never did any thing1     
caused him to be beloved and admired    
wherever his name was known4 ,he was    
chosen procurator1 that is1             
lieutenant-governor1 and general        
receiver of the taxes of ,byzacena4 ,but
 it was not long before #jfd he grew    
disgusted with the world2 and being     
justly alarmed at its dangers he armed  
himself against them by pious reading1  
assiduous prayer1 and rigorous fasting4 
,his visits to monasteries were         
frequent2 and happening among other     
books of spiritual entertainment1 to    
read a sermon of ,st4 ,austin on the    
thirty-sixth psalm1 in which that father

 treats of the world and the short      
duration of human life1 he felt within  
him strong desires of embracing the     
monastic state4  ,huneric1 the ,arian   
king1 had driven most of the orthodox   
bishops from their sees4 ,one of these1 
named ,faustus1 had erected a monastery 
in ,byzacena4 ,it was to him that the   
young nobleman addressed himself for    
admittance2 but ,faustus immediately    
objecting the tenderness of his         
constitution1 discouraged his desires   
with words of some harshness2 ,go1 said 
he1 and first learn to live in the world
 abstracted from its pleasures4 ,who can
 well suppose1 that you on a sudden1    
relinquishing a life of softness and    
ease1 can take up with our coarse diet  
and clothing and can inure yourself to  
our watchings and fastings8 ,the saint1 
with downcast eyes1 modestly replied3   
,he1 who hath inspired me with the will 
to serve him1 can also furnish me with  
courage and strength4 ,this humble1 yet 
resolute answer1 induced ,faustus to    

admit him on trial4 ,the saint was then 
in the twenty-second year of his age4   
,the news of so unthought of an event   
both surprised and edified the whole    
country2 many even imitated the example 
of the governor4 ,but ,mariana his      
mother1 in transports of grief1 ran to  
the monastery1 crying out at the gates3 
,faustus6 restore to me my son2 to the  
people1 their governor3 the church      
always protects widows2 why then rob you
 me1 a desolate widow1 of my son8 ,she  
persisted several days in the same tears
 and cries4 ,nothing that ,faustus could
 urge was sufficient to calm her1 or    
prevail with her to depart without her  
son4 ,this was certainly as great a     
trial of ,fulgentius's resolution as it 
could well be put to2 but the love of   
,god1 having the ascendant in his       
breast1 gave him a complete victory over
 all the suggestions of nature3 ,faustus
 approved his vocation1 and accordingly 
recommended him to the brethren4 ,the   
saint having now obtained all he wished 

for in this world1 made over his estate 
to his mother1 to be discretionally     
disposed of by her in favor of his      
brother1 as soon as he should be arrived
 at a proper age4 ,he totally abstained 
from oil and every thing savory2 from   
wine also1 drinking only water4 ,his    
mortifications brought on him a         
dangerous illness2 yet after recovery he
 abated nothing in them4 ,the           
persecution breaking out anew1 ,faustus 
was obliged to withdraw2 and our saint1 
with his consent1 repaired to a         
neighboring monastery1 of which ,felix1 
the abbot1 would fain resign to him the 
government4 ,fulgentius was much        
startled at the proposal1 but at length 
was prevailed upon to consent that they 
should jointly execute the functions4   
,it was admirable to observe with what  
harmony these two holy abbots for six   
years governed the house4 ,no           
contradiction ever took place between   
them2 each always contended to comply   
with the will of his colleague4 ,felix  

undertook the management of the temporal
 concerns2 ,fulgentius's province was to
 preach and instruct4  ,in the year     
#dii1 the country being ravaged by an   
irruption of the ,numidians1 the two    
abbots were necessitated to fly to      
,sicca ,veneria1 a city of the          
proconsular province of ,africa4 ,here  
it was1 that an ,arian priest ordered   
them to be apprehended and scourged on  
account of their preaching the          
consubstantiality of the ,son of ,god4  
,felix1 seeing the executioners seize   
first on ,fulgentius1 cried out3 ,spare 
that poor brother of mine1 whose        
delicate complexion cannot bear         
torments2 let them rather be my portion 
who am strong of body4 ,they            
accordingly1 at the instigation of this 
wicked priest1 fell on ,felix first1 and
 the old man endured their stripes #jfe 
with the greatest alacrity4 ,when it was
 ,fulgentius's turn to experience the   
same rigorous treatment1 he bore the    
lashes with great patience2 but feeling 

the pain excessive1 that he might gain a
 little respite and recruit his spirits1
 he requested his judge to give ear to  
something he had to impart to him4 ,the 
executioners thereupon being commanded  
to desist1 he began to entertain him    
with an account of his travels4 ,this   
savage monster expected nothing more    
than some overtures to be proposed to   
him of an intention to yield2 but       
finding himself disappointed1 in the    
utmost rage1 ordered his torments to be 
redoubled4 ,at length having glutted his
 barbarity1 the confessors were         
dismissed1 their clothes rent1 their    
bodies inhumanly torn1 and their beards 
and hair plucked off4 ,the very ,arians 
were ashamed of such cruelty1 and their 
bishop offered to punish the priest1 if 
,fulgentius would but undertake his     
prosecution4 ,his answer was1 that a    
,christian is never allowed to seek     
revenge2 and for their parts it was     
incumbent on them not to lose the       
advantage of patience1 and the blessings

 accruing from the forgiving of         
injuries4 ,the two abbots1 to avoid an  
additional effort of the fury of these  
heretics1 travelled to ,ididi1 on the   
confines of ,mauritania4 ,here          
,fulgentius went aboard a ship for      
,alexandria1 being desirous1 for the    
sake of greater perfection1 to visit the
 deserts of ,egypt1 renowned for the    
sanctity of the solitaries who dwelt    
there4 ,but the vessel touching at      
,sicily1 ,st4 ,eulalius1 abbot at       
,syracuse1 diverted him from his        
intended voyage1 on assuring him1 that a
 perfidious dissension had severed this 
country from the communion of ,peter1#a 
meaning that ,egypt was full of         
heretics1 with whom those that dwelt    
there were obliged either to join in    
communion1 or be deprived of the        
sacraments4 ,the liberality and         
hospitality of ,fulgentius to the poor1 
out of the small pittance he received   
for his particular subsistence1 made    
,eulalius condemn himself of remissness 

in those virtues1 and for the future    
imitate so laudable an example4  ,our   
saint having laid aside the thoughts of 
pursuing his voyage to ,alexandria1     
embarked for ,rome1 to offer up his     
prayers at the tombs of the apostles4   
,one day passing through a square called
 ,palma ,aurea1 he saw ,theodoric1 the  
king of ,italy1 seated on an exalted    
throne1 adorned with pompous state1     
surrounded by the senate1 and his court1
 with all the grandeur of the city      
displayed in the greatest magnificence3 
,ah6 said ,fulgentius1 how beautiful    
must the heavenly ,jerusalem be1 if     
earthly ,rome be so glorious6 ,what     
honor1 glory1 and joy will ,god bestow  
on the saints in heaven1 since here in  
this perishable life he clothes with    
such splendor the lovers and admirers of
 vanity6 ,this happened towards the     
latter part of the year #ejj1 when that 
king made his first entry into ,rome4   
,fulgentius returned home in a short    
time after1 and was received with       

incredible joy4 ,he built a spacious    
monastery in ,byzacena1 but retired to a
 cell himself1 which was situate on the 
sea-shore4 ,here his time was employed  
in writing1 reading1 prayer1            
mortification1 and the manual labor of  
making mats and umbrellas of palm-tree  
leaves4 ,faustus1 who was his bishop1   
obliged him to resume the government of 
his monastery2 and many places at the   
same time sought him for their bishop4  
,king ,thrasimund having prohibited by  
edict the ordination of orthodox        
bishops1 several sees by this means had 
been long vacant and destitute of       
pastors4 ,the orthodox prelates resolved
 to remedy this inconveniency1 as they  
effectually did2 but the king receiving 
intelligence of the matter1 caused      
,victor1 the primate of ,carthage1 to be
 apprehended4 ,all this time our saint  
lay concealed1 though sought after      
eagerly by many citizens for their      
bishop4 ,thinking the danger over1 he   
appeared again3 but ,ruspa1 now a little

 town called #jff ,alfaques1 in the     
district of ,tunis1 still remained      
without a pastor2 and by the consent of 
the primate1 while detained in the      
custody of the king's messengers1       
,fulgentius was forcibly taken out of   
his cell1 and consecrated bishop in     
#ejh4  ,his new dignity made no         
alteration in his manners4 ,he never    
wore the orarium1 a kind of stole then  
used by bishops1 nor other clothes than 
his usual coarse garb1 which was the    
same in winter and summer4 ,he went     
sometimes barefoot3 he never undressed  
to take rest1 and always rose to prayer 
before the midnight office4 ,his diet   
chiefly consisted of pulse and herbs1   
with which he contented himself1 without
 consulting the palate's gratification  
by borrowed tastes3 but in more advanced
 years1 finding his sight impaired by   
such a regimen1 he admitted the use of a
 little oil4 ,it was only in very       
considerable bodily indispositions1 that
 he suffered a drop or two of wine to be

 mingled with the water which he drank2 
and he never could be prevailed upon in 
any seeming necessity to use the least  
quantity of flesh-meat1 from the time of
 his monastic profession till his death4
 ,his modesty1 meekness1 and humility1  
gained him the affection of all1 even of
 the ambitious deacon ,felix1 who had   
opposed his election1 and whom the saint
 received and treated with the most     
cordial charity4 ,his great love for a  
recluse life induced him to build a     
monastery near his own house at ,ruspa1 
which he designed to put under the      
direction of his ancient friend ,felix2 
but before the building could be        
completed1 or he acquit himself to his  
wish of his episcopal duties1 orders    
were issued from ,king ,thrasimund1 for 
his banishment to ,sardinia1 with others
 to the number of sixty orthodox        
bishops4 ,fulgentius1 though the        
youngest of this venerable body1 who    
were transported from ,carthage to      
,sardinia1 was notwithstanding their    

sole oracle in all doubts1 and their    
tongue and pen upon all occasions2 and  
not only of them1 but even of the whole 
church of ,africa4 ,what spread a       
brighter lustre on these amiable        
qualities1 were the humility and modesty
 with which he always declared his      
sentiments3 he never preferred his      
counsel to that of another1 his opinion 
he never intruded4 ,pope ,symmachus1 out
 of his pastoral care and charity1 sent 
every year provisions in money and      
clothes to these champions of ,christ4#b
 ,a letter of this pope to them is still
 extant1#c in which he encourages and   
comforts them2 and it was at the same   
time that he sent them certain relics of
 ,,ss4 ,nazarius and ,romanus1 that the 
example and patronage1#d as he expresses
 it1 of those generous soldiers of      
,christ1 might animate the confessors to
 fight valiantly the battles of the     
,lord4 ,saint ,fulgentius1 with some    
companions1 converted his house at      
,cagliari into a monastery2 which       

immediately became the comfort of all in
 affliction1 the refuge of the poor1 and
 the oracle to which the whole country  
resorted for deciding their             
controversies without appeal4 ,in this  
retirement the saint composed many      
learned treatises for confirming and    
instructing the faithful in ,africa4    
,king ,thrasimund1 hearing that he was  
their principal support1 and their      
invincible advocate1 was desirous of    
seeing him2 and having accordingly sent 
for him1 appointed him lodgings in      
,carthage4 ,the king then drew up a set 
of objections1 to which he required his 
immediate answer3 the saint without     
hesitation complied with1 and discharged
 the injunction2 and this is supposed to
 be his book1 entitled1 ,an ,answer to  
,ten ,objections4 ,the king equally     
admired his humility and learning1 and  
the orthodox triumphed exceedingly in   
the advantage their cause gained by this
 piece4 ,to prevent a second time the   
same effect1 the king1 when he sent him 

new objections1 ordered them to be only 
read to him4 ,fulgentius refused to give
 an answer in writing1 unless he was    
allowed #jfg to take a copy of them4 ,he
 addressed1 however1 to the king an     
ample and modest confutation of         
,arianism1 which we have under the title
 of his ,three ,books to ,king          
,thrasimund4 ,the prince was pleased    
with the work1 and granted him          
permission to reside at ,carthage2 till 
upon repeated complaints from the ,arian
 bishops of the success of his          
preaching1 which threatened they said1 a
 total extinction of their sect in      
,carthage1 he was sent back to ,sardinia
 in #ebj4 ,being ready to go aboard the 
ship1 he said to a catholic1 whom he saw
 weeping3 ,grieve not1 ,juliatus6 for   
that was his name1 ,i shall shortly     
return1 and we shall see the true faith 
of ,christ flourish again in this       
kingdom1 with full liberty to profess   
it2 but divulge not this secret to any4 
,the event confirmed the truth of the   

prediction4 ,his humility concealed the 
multiplicity of miracles which he       
wrought1 and he was wont to say3 ,a     
person may be endowed with the gift of  
miracles1 and yet may lose his soul3    
miracles ensure not salvation2 they may 
indeed procure esteem and applause2 but 
what will it avail a man to be esteemed 
on earth1 and afterwards be delivered up
 to hell torments8 ,if the sick1 for    
whom he prayed1 recovered1 to avoid     
being puffed up with vain-glory1 he     
ascribed it wholly to the divine mercy4 
,being returned to ,cagliari1 he erected
 a new monastery near that city1 and was
 exceedingly careful to supply his monks
 with all necessaries1 especially in    
sickness2 but would not suffer them to  
ask for any thing1 alleging1 ,that we   
ought to receive all things as from the 
hand of ,god1 with resignation and      
gratitude4 ,thus he was sensible how    
conducive the unreserved denial of the  
will is for perfecting ourselves in the 
paths of virtue4  ,king ,thrasimund died

 in #ebc1 having nominated ,hilderic his
 successor4 ,knowing him inclined to    
favor the orthodox1 he exacted from him 
an oath1 that he would never restore    
their profession4 ,to evade this1       
,hilderic1 before the death of his      
predecessor1 signed an order for the    
liberty of the orthodox churches1 but   
never had the courage to declare himself
 of the same belief2 his lenity having  
quite degenerated into softness and     
indolence4 ,however1 the professors of  
the true faith called home their        
pastors4 ,the ship which brought them   
back1 was received at ,carthage with the
 greatest demonstrations of joy3 the    
shore echoed far and near with repeated 
acclamations1 more particularly when    
,fulgentius appeared on the upper deck  
of the vessel4 ,the confessors went     
straight to the church of ,st4 ,agileus1
 to return thanks to ,god1 and were     
accompanied by thousands2 but on their  
way1 being surprised with a sudden      
storm1 the people1 to show their        

singular regard for ,fulgentius1 made a 
kind of umbrella over his head with     
their cloaks to defend him from the     
inclemency of the storm4 ,the saint     
hastened to his own church1 and         
immediately set about the reformation of
 the abuses that had crept in during the
 persecution1 which had now continued   
seventy years2 but this reformation was 
carried on with a sweetness that won1   
sooner or later1 the hearts of the most 
vicious4 ,in a council held at ,junque1 
in #ebd1 a certain bishop1 named        
,quodvultdeus1 disputed the precedency  
with our saint1 who made no reply1      
though he would not oppose the council1 
which ordered him to take the first     
place4 ,the other resented this as an   
injury offered to the dignity of his    
see2 and ,st4 ,fulgentius1 in another   
council soon after1 publicly requested  
that ,quodvultdeus might be allowed the 
precedency4 ,his talents for preaching  
were singular2 and ,boniface1 the       
archbishop of ,carthage1 never heard him

 without watering1 all the time1 the    
ground with his tears1 thanking ,god for
 having given so great a pastor to his  
church4#e  #jfh  ,about a year before   
his death1 he secretly retired from all 
business into a monastery on the little 
island1 of rock1 called ,circinia1 in   
order to prepare #jfi himself for his   
passage to eternity1 which he did with  
extraordinary fervor4 ,the necessities  
and importunities of his flock recalled 
him to ,ruspa a little before his exit4 
,he bore the violent pains of his last  
illness for seventy days with admirable 
patience1 having this prayer almost     
always in his mouth3#f ,lord1 grant me  
patience now1 and hereafter mercy and   
pardon4 ,the physicians advised him the 
use of baths2 to whom he answered ,can  
baths make a mortal man escape death1   
when his life is arrived at its final   
period8 ,he would abate nothing of his  
usual austerities without an absolute   
necessity4 ,in his agony1 calling for   
his clergy and monks1 who were all in   

tears1 he begged pardon if he had ever  
offended any one of them2 he comforted  
them1 gave them some short1 moving      
instructions1 and calmly breathed forth 
his pious soul in the year #ecc1 and of 
his age the #feth1 on the #ast of       
,january1 on which day his name occurs  
in many calendars soon after his death1 
and in the ,roman2 but in some few on   
the #afth of ,may1--perhaps the day on  
which his relics were translated to     
,bourges1 in ,france1 about the year    
#gad1 where they still remain           
deposited4#g ,his disciple relates1 that
 ,pontian1 a neighboring bishop1 was    
assured in a vision of his glorious     
immortality4 ,the veneration for his    
virtues was such1 that he was interred  
within the church1 contrary to the law  
and custom of that age1 as is remarked  
by the author of his life4 ,st4         
,fulgentius proposed to himself ,st4    
,austin for a model2 and1 as a true     
disciple1 imitated him in his conduct1  
faithfully expounding his doctrine1 and 

imbibing his spirit4  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,a comumnione ,petri perfida dissentio  
separavit4 ,vit ,s4 ,fulg4 c4 #ab4 #b4  
,anastas4 in ,symmacho4 ,bar4 ad ann4   
#ejd4 ,fleury1 ,liv4 #ca4 #c4  ,inter   
opera ,ennodii4 t4 #d4 ,conc4 ,labb4    
col4 #acjj4 #d4  ,patrocinia4 #e4  ,s4  
,fulgentius1 in his first letter1 to a  
gentleman whose wife in a     violent   
sickness had made a vow of continency1  
proves that a vow of     chastity ought 
not to be made by a person engaged in a 
married     state1 without the free     
consent of the husband4 ,in his second1 
to     ,galla1 a most virtuous ,roman   
lady1 he comforts her upon the death of 
her husband1 who1 he says1 was only gone
 a little before her to     glory2 and  
he sets before her the divine mercy1    
which by this means     calls her to a  
more heroic practice of all virtues in  
the state of     widowhood1--especially 
continence1 plainness in dress1         
furniture1     and diet1 profuse        
alms-deeds1 and holy prayer1 the        

exercise whereof     ought to be her    
most assiduous employment4 ,herein he   
warns her that     vanity and pride are 
our most dangerous enemies1 against     
which we     must diligently watch and  
arm ourselves4 ,in his third letter1    
addressed to the holy lady ,proba1      
sister to ,galla1 consecrated to        
,god by a vow of virginity1 he shows the
 excellency of that virtue1     and     
recommends1 at length1 temperance1      
penance1 and perfect     humility1 as   
its essential attendants1 without which 
it cannot     render a soul the spouse  
of ,christ1 who chose her poor1 and     
bestowed     on her all she had4 ,in his
 fourth letter1 to the same lady1 he    
again     puts her in mind of the       
extreme danger of pride and vain-glory1 
and     lays down excellent precepts    
concerning the necessity of assiduous   
prayer and compunction2 in which spirit 
we are bound to weep     continually    
before ,god1 imploring his mercy and    
succor under the     weight of our      

miseries1 and to pay him the constant   
tribute of     praise and thanksgiving  
for all his benefits and gratuitous     
favors4     ,his letter to the abbot    
,eugypius1 is a commendation of         
fraternal     charity1 a principal fruit
 of which is1 to pray for one another4  
,in     the sixth letter1 he            
congratulates with ,theodorus1 a        
senator1 upon     his conversion from   
the world1 promising himself that such  
an     example would have great         
influence over many3 for those who are  
raised above others by their rank in the
 world1 either draw many     with       
themselves into eternal damnation1 or   
are to many an occasion     of          
salvation4 ,the saint strenuously       
exhorts him to the study of the     most
 profound humility1 which is the only   
greatness of a ,christian1     and is   
always attended with its sister virtue1 
meekness4 ,the seventh     letter of    
this father is addressed to the         
illustrious and venerable     lady      

,venantia1 and contains a strong        
exhortation to the spirit and           
practice of penance1 with advice against
 despair4 ,the sermons and     homilies 
of ,s4 ,fulgentius are usually short3 we
 have near one     hundred extant which 
bear his name1 but some of these belong 
to ,s4     ,austin4 ,the danger and evil
 of presumption and pride1 are points   
which he takes every occasion to        
inculcate3 he teaches that it is        
impossible to know ,god1 and his        
benefits and goodness1 unless we        
have a true knowledge of ourselves1 and 
our own frailty and     miseries4 7,hom4
 #ad1 p4 #abc4 ,bibl4 ,patr4 ,lugdun4   
,t4 #i1 part #a47 ,in     his sermons   
and letters1 he frequently enforces the 
obligation of     alms-deeds4 ,his other
 works are chiefly polemical1 against   
the     ,arians1 ,pelagians1 and        
,nestorians4 ,in his books against the  
,sermon     of ,fastidiosus1 7an ,arian 
priest17 to ,felix the ,notary2 ,on the 
,orthodox ,faith1 to ,donatus1 against  

,fabian2 ,three ,books to ,king         
,thrasimund2 ,ten ,answers to ,ten      
,objections of the ,arians1 c41 he      
explains the trinity of persons in one  
divine nature1 solidly     answers the  
objections of the ,arians1 and          
frequently shows that     prayers which 
are addressed to the ,father1 or to the 
,son1 or to the     ,holy ,ghost1 are   
addressed to the whole ,blessed         
,trinity4 7,lib4 #i1     contra ,fabium1
 p4 #fbj1 c47 ,showing that the ,father1
 ,son1 and ,holy     ,ghost are equally 
to be adored1 he distinguishes the      
worship of     ,latria1 or adoration1   
which is due to ,god alone1 and that of 
,dulia1 which is given to creatures4    
7,ib4 lib4 #d1 p4 #eib47 ,pinta1     an 
,arian bishop1 having published a       
treatise against our saint's     books  
to ,king ,thrasimund1 ,st4 ,fulgentius  
answered him by a work     which is     
lost4 ,for that which we have among his 
writings1 is the     performance of some
 other ,catholic controvertist of the   

same age1 as     the learned agree4     
,this author's style falls short of ,st4
     ,fulgentius's3 he quotes the       
,scripture according to the ,old ,italic
     ,version2 our saint always makes   
use of the ,vulgate4 ,he understood     
not the ,greek tongue1 in which ,st4    
,fulgentius was well skilled4 ,and      
the author of our saint's life mentions1
 that in his book against     ,pinta he 
referred to his books to ,king          
,thrasimund1 which is not     found in  
this work4      ,one of the most famous 
among the writings of ,st4 ,fulgentius1 
is that     entitled1 ,on the ,two-fold 
,predestination1 to ,monimus1 in answer 
to     certain difficulties proposed to 
him by a friend of that name4 ,in       
the first book he shows1 that though    
,god foresees sin1 he     predestinates 
no one to evil1 but only to good1 or to 
grace and     glory4 ,in the second book
 he proves1 that the sacrifice of       
,christ's     body and blood is offered 
not to the ,father alone1 as the ,arians

     pretended1 but to the whole        
,blessed ,trinity4 ,in this and the     
third     book he answers certain other 
difficulties4 ,in his two books1 ,on the
     ,remission of ,sins1 to ,euthymius1
 he proves that sins can never be       
forgiven without sincere repentance1 or 
out of the pale of the true     church4 
,when ,peter1 a deacon1 and three other 
deputies from the     ,scythian monks in
 the ,east1 arrived at ,rome1 to be     
informed of the     sentiments of the   
western churches concerning the late    
errors     advanced in the ,east1       
against the mystery of the ,incarnation1
 and in     the ,west1 by the           
,semipelagians against the necessity of 
divine     grace1 they consulted the    
sixty ,african bishops who were at that 
time in banishment1 in ,sardinia4 ,st4  
,fulgentius was pitched upon to     send
 an answer in the name of this venerable
 company of ,confessors4     ,this      
produced his book1 ,on the ,incarnation 
and ,grace1 in the first     part of    

which he confutes the ,nestorians and   
,eutychians1 and in the     second the  
,semipelagians4 ,his three books1 ,on   
the ,truth of     ,predestination and   
,grace1 addressed to ,john the          
,archimandrite1 and     ,venerius1      
deacon of ,constantinople1 are another  
fruit of the leisure     which his exile
 gave him4 ,in the first part he shows1 
that grace is     the pure effect of the
 divine goodness and mercy2 in the      
second1     that it destroys not        
free-will2 and in the third1 that the   
,divine     election both to grace and  
glory is purely gratuitous4 ,in another 
treatise or letter1 to the same ,john   
and ,venerius1 who had consulted     the
 ,confessors in ,sardinia about the     
doctrine of ,faustus of ,riez1 he       
confutes ,semipelagianism4 ,in the      
treatise1 ,on the ,incarnation1 to      
,scarilas1 he explains that mystery1    
showing that the ,son became            
man1--not the ,father1 or the ,holy     
,ghost2 and that in ,god the trinity    

destroys not the unity of the nature4   
,ferrand1 the learned deacon of         
,carthage1 consulted ,st4 ,fulgentius   
about the baptism of a certain          
,ethiopian1 who had desired that        
sacrament1 but was speechless and       
senseless when it was administered to   
him4 ,our saint1 in a short     treatise
 on this subject1 demonstrates this     
baptism to have been     both necessary 
and valid4 ,by another treatise1        
addressed to this     ,ferrand1 he      
answers five questions proposed by him1 
concerning the     ,trinity and         
,incarnation4 ,count ,reginus consulted 
him1 whether the     body of ,christ was
 corruptible1 and begged certain rules  
for leading     a ,christian life in a  
military state4 ,st4 ,fulgentius        
answered the     first point1 proving   
that ,christ's mortal body was liable to
 hunger1     thirst1 pain1 and          
corruption4 ,the second part of moral   
instructions1     which he lived not to 
finish1 was added by ,ferrand the       

deacon4 ,st4     ,fulgentius's book1 ,on
 ,faith1 to ,peter1 is concise and most 
useful4     ,it was drawn up after the  
year #ebc1 about the time of his return 
from ,sardinia4 ,one ,peter1 designing  
to go to ,jerusalem1 requested     the  
saint to give him in writing a          
compendious rule of faith1 by           
studying which he might be put upon his 
guard against the heresies     of that  
age4 ,st4 ,fulgentius executed this in  
forty articles1 some     copies and     
forty-one4 ,in these he explains1 under 
anathemas1 the     chief mysteries of   
our faith3 especially the ,trinity4     
,incarnation1     sacrifice of the      
altar1 7cap4 #ai4 p4 #dge17 absolute    
necessity of the     true faith1 and of 
living in the true church1 to           
steadfastness1 in     which he strongly 
and pathetically exhorts all ,christians
 in the     close of the work1 7c4 #dd1 
#de47 ,for if we owe fidelity to our    
temporal prince1 much more to ,christ   
who redeemed our souls1 and     whose   

anger we are bound to fear above all    
things1 nay1 as the only     evil truly 
to be dreaded4 ,the writings of this    
father discover a     deep penetration  
and clear conception1 with an admirable 
perspicuity     in the diction2 but     
seeming apprehensive of not having      
sufficiently     inculcated his matter1 
he is diffusive1 end runs into          
repetitions4     ,his reasoning is just 
and close1 corroborated by ,scripture   
and     tradition4 ,the accurate ,f4    
,sirmond published part of his writings1
     but the most complete edition of   
them was given at ,paris1 in #dvo41     
#aehd4 #f4  ,domine1 da mihi modo       
patientiam1 et postea indulgentiam4 #g4 
,see ,gall4 ,christ4 ,nov4 ,t4 l1 p4    
#aba4 and ,baillet1 p4 #af4 ,the written
     relation of this translation is a  
production of the tenth century1     and
 deserves no regard2 but the constant   
tradition of the church and     country 
proves the translation to have been made
 7,see ,hist4 ,liter4     de la ,france1

 ,t4 #f1 p4 #bfe47 ,the hutch in which  
these relics are     venerated at       
,bourget1 is called ,s4 ,fulgentius's4  
,the saint's head is     in the church  
of the archbishop's seminary1 which was 
anciently an     abbey1 and named       
,monte-maven4  ,,st4 ,,odilo1 ,,or      
,,olon1 ,,sixth ,,abbot ,,of ,,cluni    
,,his family was that of the lords of   
,mercteur1 one of the most illustrious  
of ,auvergne4 ,divine grace inclined him
 from his infancy to devote himself to  
,god with his whole heart4 ,he was very 
young when he received the monastic     
habit at ,cluni1 from the hands of ,s4  
,mayeul1 by whose appointment he was    
made his coadjutor in #iia1 though only 
twenty-nine years of age1 and from the  
death of ,s4 ,mayeul in #iid1 our saint 
was charged with the entire government  
of that great abbey4 ,he labored to     
subdue his carnal appetites by rigorous 
fasting1 wearing hair-cloth next his    
skin1 and studded iron chains4          
,notwithstanding those austerities      

practised on himself1 his carriage to   
others was most mild and humane4 ,it was
 usual with him to say1 that of two     
extremes1 he chose rather to offend by  
tenderness1 than a too rigid severity4  
,in a great famine in #ajjf1 his        
liberality to the poor was by many      
censured as profuse2 for he melted down 
the sacred vessels and ornaments1 and   
sold the gold crown ,s4 ,henry made a   
present of to that abbey1 to relieve    
their necessities4 ,he accompanied that 
prince in his journey to ,rome when he  
was crowned emperor1 in #ajad4 ,this was
 his second journey thither2 he made a  
third in #ajag1 and a fourth in #ajbb4  
,out of devotion to ,s4 ,bennet he paid 
a visit to ,mount ,cassino1 where he    
begged leave1 with the greatest         
earnestness1 to kiss the feet of all the
 monks1 which was granted him with great
 difficulty4 ,besides the journeys which
 the reformation he established in many 
monasteries obliged him to undertake1 he
 made one to ,orbe1 to wait on the      

empress ,alice4 ,that pious princess    
burst into tears upon seeing him1 and   
taking hold of his habit1 kissed it1 and
 applied it to her eyes1 and declared to
 him she should die in a #jgj very short
 time4 ,this was in #iii1 and she died  
on the #afth of ,december the same year4
 ,massacres and plunders were so common 
in that age1 by the right which every   
petty lord pretended of revenging his   
own injuries and quarrels by private    
wars1 that the treaty called the truce  
of ,god was set on foot4 ,by this1 among
 other articles1 it was agreed1 that    
churches should be sanctuaries to all   
sorts of persons1 except those that     
violated this truce2 and that from      
,wednesday till ,monday morning no one  
should offer violence to any one1 not   
even by way of satisfaction for any     
injustice he had received4 ,this truce  
met with the greatest difficulties among
 the ,neustrians1 but was at length     
received and observed in most provinces 
of ,france1 through the exhortations and

 endeavors of ,st4 ,odilo1 and ,b4      
,richard1 abbot of ,st4 ,vanne's1 who   
were charged with this commission4#a    
,prince ,casimir1 son of ,miceslaw1 king
 of ,poland1 retired to ,cluni1 where he
 professed the monastic state1 and was  
ordained deacon4 ,he was afterwards1 by 
a solemn deputation of the nobility1    
called to the crown4 ,st4 ,odilo        
referred the matter to pope ,benedict   
,,ix41 with whose dispensation ,casimir 
mounted the throne in #ajda1 married1   
had several children1 and reigned till  
his death in #ajeh4b  ,st4 ,odilo being 
moved by several visions1 instituted the
 annual commemoration of all the        
faithful departed1 to be observed by the
 members of his community with alms1    
prayers1 and sacrifices1 for the relief 
of the suffering souls in purgatory2 and
 this charitable devotion he often much 
recommended4 ,he was very devout to the 
,blessed ,virgin2 and above all sacred  
mysteries1 that of the divine           
,incarnation employed his particular    

attention4 ,as the monks were singing   
that verse in the church1 thou being to 
take upon thee to deliver man1 didst not
 abhor the womb of a virgin2 melting    
away with the tenderest emotions of     
love1 he fell to the ground2 the        
ecstatic agitations of his body bearing 
evidence to that heavenly fire which    
glowed in his soul4 ,most of his sermons
 and little poems extant1 treat of the  
mysteries of our redemption1 or of the  
,blessed ,virgin4#c ,he excelled in an  
eminent spirit of compunction1 and      
contemplation4 ,while he was at prayer1 
trickling tears often watered his       
cheeks4 ,neither importunities nor      
compulsion could prevail upon him to    
submit to his being elected archbishop  
of ,lyons in #ajca4 ,having patiently   
suffered during five years the most     
painful diseases1 he died of the cholic1
 at ,souvigny1 a priory in ,bourbonnois1
 while employed in the visitation of his
 monasteries1 ,january #a1 #ajdi1 being 
then eighty-seven years old1 and having 

been fifty-six years abbot4 ,he would be
 carried to the church1 to assist at the
 divine office1 even in his agony2 and  
having received the viaticum and        
extreme-unction the day before1 he      
expired on sackcloth strewed with ashes 
on the ground4 ,see his life1 by his    
disciple ,lotsald1 as also1 by ,st4     
,peter ,damian1 who wrote it soon after 
the saint's death1 at the request of    
,st4 ,hugh of ,cluni1 his successor1 in 
,bollandus1 and ,bibliotheca            
,cluniacensis by ,dom ,marrier1 and in  
,andrew ,duchesne1 fol4 ,paris1 #afad4  
,see likewise certain epistles of ,st4  
,odilo1 ib41 and fourteen ,sermons on   
the festivals of our ,lord1 the ,b4     
,virgin1 c41 in ,bibl4 ,patr4 ,lugdun4  
an4 #afgg1 ,t4 #ag1 p4 #fec4            
,footnotes3 #a4  ,glaber1 monk of       
,cluni1 in his history which he         
dedicated to ,st4     ,odilo1 l4 #d1 c4 
#e1 l4 #e1 c4 #a4 #b4  ,mab4 ,annal4 l4 
#eg1 n4 #de4 ,solignac1 ,hist4 de       
,pologne1 t4 #a4 #c4  ,ceillier         

demonstrates1 7,t4 #bj1 p4 #beh17       
against ,basnage1 7observ4 in     vit4  
,adelaid4 ,t4 #c1 le t4 ,canis1 p4 #ga17
 that the life of ,st4 ,alice     the   
empress is the work of ,st4 ,odilo1 no  
less than the life of ,st4     ,mayeul4 
,we have four letters1 some poems1 and  
several sermons of     this saint in the
 library of ,cluni1 7p4 #cgj17 and in   
that of the     ,fathers1 7,t4 #ag1 p4  
#fec47 ,two other sermons hear his name 
in     ,martenn 7,anned4 ,t4 #e47  #jga 
,,st4 ,,almachus1 ,,or ,,telemachus1 ,m4
  ,,was a holy solitary of the ,east1   
but being excited by the ardors of a    
pious zeal in his desert1 and pierced   
with grief that the impious diversion of
 gladiators should cause the damnation  
of so many unhappy souls1 and involve   
whole cities and provinces in sin2 he   
travelled to ,rome1 resolved1 as far as 
in him lay1 to put a stop to this crying
 evil4 ,while the gladiators were       
massacring each other in the            
amphitheatre1 he ran in among them2 but 

as a recompense for his kind            
remonstrance1 and entreating them to    
desist1 he was beaten down to the       
ground1 and torn in pieces1 on the #ast 
of ,january1 #djd4 ,his zeal had its    
desired success2 for the effusion of his
 blood effected what till that time many
 emperors had found impracticable4      
,constantine1 ,constantius1 ,julian1 and
 ,theodosius the elder1 had1 to no      
purpose1 published several edicts       
against those impious scenes of blood4  
,but ,honorius took occasion from the   
martyrdom of this saint1 to enforce     
their entire abolition4 ,his name occurs
 in the true martyrology of ,bede1 in   
the ,roman and others4 ,see ,theodoret1 
,hist4 l4 #e1 c4 #fb1 t4 #c1 p4 #gdj4a  
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the martyrologies of  
,bede1 ,ado1 ,usuard1 c4 mention ,st4   
,almachus1 ,m4     put to death at      
,rome1 for boldly opposing the          
heathenish     superstitions on the     
octave of our ,lord's nativity4 ,ado    
adds1 that     he was slain by the      

gladiators at the command of ,alypius1  
prefect of     ,rome4 ,a prefect of this
 name is mentioned in the reign of      
,theodosius1 the father of ,honorius4   
,this name1 the place1 day1 and         
cause seeming to agree1 ,baronius1      
7,annot4 ,in ,martyr4 ,rom47 ,bolland1  
and ,baillet1 doubt not but this martyr 
is the same with ,st4     ,telemachus1  
mentioned by ,theodoret4 ,chatelain1    
canon of the     cathedral at ,paris1   
7,notes sur le ,martyr4 ,rom4 p4 #h17   
and ,benedict     ,,xiv41 7in ,festo    
,circumcis4 ,t4 #aj1 p4 #ah47 think they
 ought to be     distinguished1 and that
 ,almachus suffered long before         
,telemachus4     ,wake1 7on             
,enthusiasm17 ,geddes1 c4 pretend the   
name to have been a     mistake for     
,almanachum2 but are convicted by       
,chatelain of several     unpardonable  
blunders1 and of being utterly          
unacquainted with     ancient ,,mss4 of 
this kind1 and the manner of writing    
them4 ,scaliger     and ,salmasius tell 

us that the word ,almanach is of ,arabic
     extraction4 ,la ,crosse observes1  
7,bibl4 ,univ4 ,t4 #aa17 that it occurs 
in ,porphyry1 7apud ,eus4 ,praef4       
,evang4 l4 #c1 c4 #d17 who says that    
horoscopes are found ,greek3 en tois    
almenichiaxois1 where it seems     of   
,egyptian origin4 ,but whatever be the  
meaning of that term in     ,porphyry1  
,du ,cange1 after the strictest search1 
assures us that the     barbarous word  
,almanach is never met with in any ,,ms4
 ,calendars or     ,ephemerides4 ,menage
 7,origine de la ,langue ,francoise ,v4 
,almanach7     shows most probably that 
the word is originally ,persian1 with   
the     ,arabic article prefixed4 ,it   
seems to have been first used by the    
,armenians to signify a calendar1 ib4   
,,st4 ,,eugendus1 ,,in ,,french ,,oyend1
 ,a4  ,,after the death of the two      
brothers1 ,st4 ,romanus and ,st4        
,lupicinus1 the holy founders of the    
abbey of ,condate1 under whose          
discipline he had been educated from    

seven years of age1 he was first        
coadjutor to ,minausius1 their immediate
 successor1 and soon after1 upon his    
demise1 abbot of that famous monastery4 
,his life was most austere1 his clothes 
being sackcloth1 and the same in summer 
as in winter4 ,he took only one small   
refection in the day1 which was usually 
after sunset4 ,he inured himself to cold
 and all mortifications2 and was so dead
 to himself1 as to seem incapable of    
betraying the least emotion of anger4   
,his countenance was always cheerful2   
yet he never laughed4 ,by meekness he   
overcame all injuries1 was well skilled 
in ,greek and ,latin1 and in the holy   
scriptures1 and a great promoter of the 
sacred studies in his monastery4 ,no    
importunities could prevail upon him to 
consent to be ordained priest4 ,in the  
lives of the first abbots of ,condate1  
of which a ,,ms4 copy is preserved in   
the ,jesuit's library in the college of 
,clermont1 at ,paris1 enriched with     
,,ms4 notes by ,f4 ,chifflet1 it is     

mentioned1 that the monastery which was 
built by ,st4 ,romanus1 of timber1 being
 consumed by fire1 ,st4 ,eugendus       
rebuilt it of stone2 and also near the  
oratory1 which ,st4 ,romanus had built1 
erected a handsome church in honor of   
,,ss4 ,peter1 ,paul1 and ,andrew1       
enriched with precious relics4 ,his     
prayer was almost continual1 and his    
devotion so tender1 that the hearing    
#jgb of a pious word was sufficient     
visibly to inflame his soil1 and to     
throw him sometimes into raptures even  
in public1 and at table4 ,his ardent    
sighs to be united with his ,god1 were  
most vehement during his last illness4  
,having called the priest among his     
brethren1 to whom he had enjoined the   
office of anointing the sick1 he caused 
him to anoint his breast according to   
the custom1 says the author of his life1
 and he breathed forth his happy soul   
five days after1 about the year #eaj1   
and of his age sixty-one4#a ,the great  
abbey of ,condate1 in ,franche-comte1   

seven leagues from ,geneva1 on mount    
,jura1 or ,mont-jou1 received from this 
saint the name of ,st4 ,oyend2 till in  
the thirteenth century it exchanged it  
for that of ,st4 ,claude2 who having    
resigned the bishopric of ,besanzon1    
which see he had governed seven years in
 great sanctity1 lived fifty-five years 
abbot of this house1 a perfect copy of  
the virtues of ,st4 ,oyend1 and died in 
#eha4 ,he is honored on the #fth of     
,june4 ,his body remains entire to this 
day2 and his shrine is the most         
celebrated place of resort for pilgrims 
in all ,france4#b ,see the life of ,st4 
,oyend by a disciple1 in ,bollandus and 
,mabillon4 ,add the remarks of ,rivet4  
,his4 ,liter4 ,t4 #c1 p4 #fj4           
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the history of the    
first ,abbots of ,condate1 compiled1    
according to     ,f4 ,chifflet1 in      
#abeb1 mentions translation of the      
relics of ,st4     ,eugendus1 when they 
were enshrined in the same ,church of   
,st4 ,peter1     which had been made    

with great solemnity1 at which this     
author had     assisted1 and of which he
 testifies that he had already wrote the
     history here quoted4 ,f4 ,chifflet 
regrets the loss of this piece1 and     
adds that the girdle of ,st4 ,eugendus1 
made of white leather1 two     fingers  
broad1 has been the instrument of       
miraculous cures1 and that     in #afja 
,petronilla ,birod1 a ,calvinist woman  
in that neighborhood1     was converted 
to the ,catholic faith1 with her husband
 and whole     family1 having been      
suddenly freed from imminent danger of  
death and     child-bearing1 and safely 
delivered by the application of this    
relic4 #b4  ,the rich abbey of ,st4     
,claude gave rise to a considerable town
 built     about it1 which was made an  
episcopal see by pope ,benedict ,,xiv41 
in     #agdc3 who1 secularizing the     
monastery1 converted it into a          
cathedral4 ,the canons1 to gain         
admittance1 must give proof of their    
nobility for sixteen degrees1 eight     

paternal and as many maternal4     ,st4 
,romanus was buried at ,beaume1 ,st4    
,lucinius at ,leunne1 and ,st4          
,oyend at ,condate3 whence this last    
place for several ages bore his         
name4  ,s4 ,,fanchea1 ,,or ,,faine1 ,v4 
,,her feast has been kept for time      
immemorial in the parish church of      
,rosairthir1 in the diocese of ,clogher1
 in ,ulster3 and at ,kilhaine near mount
 ,bregh1 on the borders of ,meath1 where
 her relics have been in veneration4    
,she seems to have been an abbess1 and  
is thought to have flourished in the    
sixth century1 when many eminent saints 
flourished in ,ireland4 ,her name was   
not known to ,bollandus or ,sir ,james  
,ware4 ,see ,chatelain4  ,s4 ,,mochua1  
,,or ,,moncain1 ,,abbot1  ,,otherwise   
,,called ,,claunus4  ,,having served his
 prince in the army1 he renounced the   
world1 and devoted himself to ,god in a 
monastic state1 with so much fervor as  
to become a model of perfection to      
others4 ,he is said to have founded     

thirty churches1 and one hundred and    
twenty cells1 and passed thirty years at
 one of these churches1 which is called 
from him ,teach ,mochua1 but died at    
,dayrinis on the #ast of ,january1 in   
the ninety-ninth year of his age1 about 
the sixth century4 ,see his life in     
,bollandus1 p4 #de4  ,,saint ,,mochua   
,,of ,,bella1  ,,otherwise ,,called     
,,cronan1  ,,was contemporary to ,s4    
,congal1 and founded the monastery 7now 
a town7 named ,balla1 in ,connaught4 ,he
 departed to our ,lord in the           
fifty-sixth year of his age4 ,see       
,bollandus1 p4 #di4  #jgc   ,,january   
,,ii4  ,s4 ,,macarius ,,of ,,alexandria1
  ,,anchoret4  ,from ,palladius1 bishop 
of ,helenopolis1 who had been his       
disciple1 c4 #bj4 ,rufin1 ,socrates1 and
 others in ,rosweide1 ,d',andilly1      
,cotelier1 and ,bollandus1 p4 #he ,see  
,tillemont1 t4 #h1 p4 #fbf4 ,bulteau1   
,hist4 ,mon4 d',orient1 l4 #a1 c4 #i1 p4
 #abh4  ,a4,d4 #cid4  ,,st4 ,,macarius  
the younger1 a citizen of ,alexandria1  

followed the business of a confectioner4
 ,desirous to serve ,god with his whole 
heart1 he forsook the world in the      
flower of his age1 and spent upwards of 
sixty years in the deserts in the       
exercise of fervent penance and         
contemplation4 ,he first retired into   
,thebais1 or ,upper ,egypt1 about the   
year #cce4a ,having learned the maxims1 
and being versed in the practice of the 
most perfect virtue1 under masters      
renowned for their sanctity2 still      
aiming1 if possible1 at greater         
perfection1 he quitted the ,upper       
,egypt1 and came to the ,lower1 before  
the year #cgc4 ,in this part were three 
deserts almost adjoining to each other2 
that of ,scete1 so called from a town of
 the same name on the borders of ,lybia2
 that of the ,cells1 contiguous to the  
former1 this name being given to it on  
account of the multitude of hermit-cells
 with which it abounded2 and a third1   
which reached to the western branch of  
the ,nile1 called1 from a great         

mountain1 the desert of ,nitria4 ,st4   
,macarius had a cell in each of these   
deserts4 ,when he dwelt in that of      
,nitria1 it was his custom to give      
advice to strangers1 but his chief      
residence was in that of the ,cells4    
,each anchoret had here his separate    
cell1 which he made his continued abode1
 except on ,saturday and ,sunday1 when  
all assembled in one church to celebrate
 the divine mysteries1 and partake of   
the holy communion4 ,if any one was     
absent1 he was concluded to be sick1 and
 was visited by the rest4 ,when a       
stranger came to live among them1 every 
one offered him his cell1 and was ready 
to build another for himself4 ,their    
cells were not within sight of each     
other4 ,their manual labor1 which was   
that of making baskets or mats1 did not 
interrupt the prayer of the heart4 ,a   
profound silence reigned throughout the 
whole desert4 ,our saint received here  
the dignity of priesthood1 and shone as 
a bright sun influencing this holy      

company1 while ,st4 ,macarius the elder 
lived no less eminent in the wilderness 
of ,scete1 forty miles distant4         
,palladius has recorded#b a memorable   
instance of the great self-denial       
professed and observed by these holy    
hermits4 ,a present was made of a       
newly-gathered bunch of grapes to ,st4  
,macarius3 the holy man carried it to a 
neighboring monk who was sick2 he sent  
it to another3 it passed in like manner 
to all the cells in the desert1 and was 
brought back to ,macarius1 who was      
exceedingly rejoiced to perceive the    
abstinence of his brethren1 but would   
not eat of the grapes himself4  ,the    
austerities of all the inhabitants of   
that desert were extraordinary2 but ,st4
 ,macarius1 in this regard1 far         
surpasses the rest4 ,for seven years    
#jgd together he lived only on raw herbs
 and pulse1 and for the three following 
years contented himself with four or    
five ounces of bread a day1 and consumed
 only one little vessel of oil in a     

year2 as ,palladius assures us4 ,his    
watchings were not less surprising1 as  
the same author informs us4 ,god had    
given him a body capable of bearing the 
greatest rigors2 and his fervor was so  
intense1 that whatever spiritual        
exercise be heard of1 or saw practised  
by others1 be resolved to copy the same4
 ,the reputation of the monastery of    
,tabenna1 under ,st4 ,pachomius1 drew   
him to this place in disguise1 some time
 before the year #cdi4 ,st4 ,pachomius  
told him that he seemed too far advanced
 in years to begin to accustom himself  
to their fastings and watchings2 but at 
length admitted him1 on condition he    
would observe all the rules and         
mortifications of the house4 ,lent      
approaching soon after1 the monks were  
assiduous in preparations to pass that  
holy time in austerities1 each according
 to his strength and fervor2 some by    
fasting one1 others two1 three1 or four 
days1 without any kind of nourishment2  
some standing all day1 others only      

sitting at their work4 ,macarius took   
some palm-tree leaves steeped in water1 
as materials for his work1 and standing 
in a private corner1 passed the whole   
time without eating1 except a few green 
cabbage leaves on ,sundays4 ,his hands  
were employed in almost continual labor1
 and his heart conversed with ,god by   
prayer4 ,if he left his station on any  
pressing occasion1 he never stayed one  
moment longer than necessity required4  
,such a prodigy astonished the monks1   
who even remonstrated to the abbot at   
,easter against a singularity of this   
nature1 which1 if tolerated1 might on   
several accounts be prejudicial to their
 community4 ,st4 ,pachomius entreated   
,god to know who this stranger was2 and 
learning by revelation that he was the  
great ,macarius1 embraced him1 thanked  
him for his edifying visit1 and desired 
him to return to his desert1 and there  
offer up his prayers for them4#c ,our   
saint happened one day inadvertently to 
kill a gnat that was biting him in his  

cell2 reflecting that he had lost the   
opportunity of suffering that           
mortification1 he hastened from his cell
 for the marshes of ,scete1 which abound
 with great flies1 whose stings pierce  
even boars4 ,there he continued six     
months exposed to those ravaging        
insects2 and to such a degree was his   
whole body disfigured by them with sores
 and swellings1 that when he returned he
 was only to be known by his voice4#d   
,some authors relate#e that he did this 
to overcome a temptation of the flesh4  
,the virtue of this great saint was     
often exercised with temptations4 ,one  
was a suggestion to quit his desert and 
go to ,rome1 to serve the sick in the   
hospitals2 which1 by due reflection1 he 
discovered to be a secret artifice of   
vain-glory inciting him to attract the  
eyes and esteem of the world4 ,true     
humility alone could discover the snare 
which lurked under the specious gloss of
 holy charity4 ,finding this enemy      
extremely importunate1 he threw himself 

on the ground in his cell1 and cried out
 to the fiends3 ,drag me hence if you   
can by force1 for ,i will not stir4     
,thus he lay till night1 and by this    
vigorous resistance they were quite     
disarmed4#f ,as soon as he arose they   
renewed the assault2 and he1 to stand   
firm against them1 filled two great     
baskets with sand1 and laying them on   
his shoulders1 travelled along the      
wilderness4 ,a person of his            
acquaintance meeting him1 asked him what
 he meant1 and made an offer of easing  
him of his burden2 but the saint made no
 other reply than this3 ,i am tormenting
 my tormentor4 ,he returned home in the 
evening1 much fatigued in body1 but     
freed from the temptation4 ,palladius   
informs us1 that ,st4 ,macarius1        
desiring to enjoy more perfectly the    
sweets of heavenly contemplation1 at    
least for five days without             
interruption1 #jge immured himself      
within his cell for this purpose1 and   
said to his soul3 ,having taken up thy  

abode in heaven1 where thou hast ,god   
and the holy angels to converse with1   
see that thou descend not thence3 regard
 not earthly things4 ,the two first days
 his heart overflowed with divine       
delights2 but on the third he met with  
so violent a disturbance from the devil1
 that he was obliged to stop short of   
his design1 and to return to his usual  
manner of life4 ,contemplative souls    
often desire1 in times of heavenly      
consolation1 never to be interrupted in 
the glorious employment of love and     
praise3 but the functions of ,martha1   
the frailty and necessities of the human
 frame1 and the temptations of the      
devil1 force them1 though reluctant1    
from their beloved object4 ,nay1 ,god   
oftentimes withdraws himself1 as the    
saint observed on this occasion1 to make
 them sensible of their own weakness1   
and that this life is a state of trial4 
,st4 ,macarius once saw1 in a vision1   
devils closing the eyes of the monks to 
drowsiness1 and tempting them by diverse

 methods to distractions1 during the    
time of public prayer4 ,some1 as often  
as they approached1 chased them away by 
a secret supernatural force1 while      
others were in dalliance with their     
suggestions4 ,the saint burst into sighs
 and tears2 and1 when prayer was ended1 
admonished every one of his             
distractions1 and of the snares of the  
enemy1 with an earnest exhortation to   
employ1 in that sacred duty1 a more than
 ordinary watchfulness against his      
attacks4#g ,st4 ,jerom#h and others     
relate1 that a certain anchoret in      
,nitria1 having left one hundred crowns 
at his death1 which he had acquired by  
weaving cloth1 the monks of that desert 
met to deliberate what should be done   
with that money4 ,some were for having  
it given to the poor1 others to the     
church3 but ,macarius1 ,pambo1 ,isidore1
 and others1 who were called the        
fathers1 ordained that the one hundred  
crowns should be thrown into the grave  
and buried with the corpse of the       

deceased1 and that at the same time the 
following words should be pronounced3   
,may thy money be with thee to          
perdition4#i ,this example struck such a
 terror into all the monks1 that no one 
durst lay up any money by him4          
,palladius1 who1 from #cia1 lived three 
years under our saint1 was eye-witness  
to several miracles wrought by him4 ,he 
relates1 that a certain priest1 whose   
head1 in a manner shocking to behold1   
was consumed by a cancerous sore1 came  
to his cell1 but was refused admittance2
 nay1 the saint at first would not even 
speak to him4 ,palladius1 by earnest    
entreaties1 strove to prevail upon him  
to give at least some answer to so great
 an object of compassion4 ,macarius1 on 
the contrary1 urged that he was         
unworthy1 and that ,god1 to punish him  
for a sin of the flesh he was addicted  
to1 had afflicted him with this         
disorder3 however1 that upon his sincere
 repentance1 and promise never more     
during his life to presume to celebrate 

the divine mysteries1 he would intercede
 for his cure4 ,the priest confessed his
 sin with a promise1 pursuant to the    
ancient canonical discipline1 never     
after to perform any priestly function4 
,the saint thereupon absolved him by the
 imposition of hands2 and a few days    
after the priest came back perfectly    
healed1 glorifying ,god1 and giving     
thanks to his servant4 ,palladius found 
himself tempted to sadness1 on a        
suggestion from the devil1 that he made 
no progress in virtue1 and that it was  
to no purpose for him to remain in the  
desert4 ,he consulted his master1 who   
bade him persevere with fervor1 never   
dwell on the temptation1 and always     
answer instantly the fiend3 ,my love for
 ,jesus ,christ will not suffer me to   
quit my cell1 where ,i am determined to 
abide in order to please and serve him  
agreeably to his will4  ,the two saints 
of the name of ,macarius happened one   
day to cross the #jgf ,nile together in 
a boat1 when certain tribunes1 or       

principal officers1 who were there with 
their numerous trains1 could not help   
observing to each other1 that those men1
 from the cheerfulness of their aspect1 
must be exceeding happy in their        
poverty4 ,macarius of ,alexandria1      
alluding to their name1 which in ,greek 
signifies happy1 made this answer3 ,you 
have reason to call us happy1 for this  
is our name4 ,but if we are happy in    
despising the world1 are not you        
miserable who live slaves to it8 ,these 
words1 uttered with a tone of voice     
expressive of an interior conviction of 
their truth1 had such an effect on the  
tribune who first spoke1 that1 hastening
 home1 he distributed his fortune among 
the poor1 and embraced an eremitical    
life4 ,in #cge1 both these saints were  
banished for the catholic faith1 at the 
instigation of ,lacius1 the ,arian      
patriarch of ,alexandria4 ,our saint    
died in the year #cid1 as ,tillemont    
shows from ,palladius4 ,the ,latins     
commemorate him on the #b;d1 the ,greeks

 with the elder ,macarius1 on the #aith 
of ,january4  ,in the desert of ,nitria 
there subsists at this day a monastery  
which bears the name of ,st4 ,macarius4 
,the monastic rule called ,st4          
,macarius's1 in the code of rules1 is   
ascribed to this of ,alexandria4 ,st4   
,jerom seems to have copied some things 
from it in his letter to ,rusticus4 ,the
 concord1 or collection of rules1 gives 
us another1 under the names of the two  
,,ss4 ,macariuses2 ,serapion 7of        
,arsinoe1 or the other of ,nitria27     
,paphnutius 7of ,becbale1 priest of     
,scete27 and thirty-four other          
abbots4#aj ,it was probably collected   
from their discipline1 or regulations   
and example4 ,according to this latter1 
the monks fasted the whole year1 except 
on ,sundays1 and the time from ,easter  
to ,whitsuntide2 they observed the      
strictest poverty1 and divided the day  
between manual labor and hours of       
prayer2 hospitality was much recommended
 in this rule1 but1 for the sake of     

recollection1 it was strictly forbid for
 any monk1 except one who was deputed to
 entertain guests1 ever to speak to any 
stranger without particular leave4#aa   
,the definition of a monk or anchoret1  
given by the abbot ,rance of la ,trappe1
 is a lively portraiture of the great   
,macarius in the desert when1 says he1 a
 soul relishes ,god in solitude1 she    
thinks no more of any thing but heaven1 
and forgets the earth1 which has nothing
 in it that can now please her2 she     
burns with the fire of divine love1 and 
sighs only after ,god1 regarding death  
as her greatest advantage2 nevertheless 
they will find themselves much mistaken1
 who1 leaving the world1 imagine they   
shall go to ,god by straight paths1 by  
roads sown with lilies and roses1 in    
which they will have no difficulties to 
conquer1 but that the hand of ,god will 
turn aside whatever could raise any in  
their way1 or disturb the tranquillity  
of their retreat3 on the contrary1 they 
must be persuaded that temptations will 

everywhere follow them1 that there is   
neither state nor place in which they   
can be exempt1 that the peace which ,god
 promises is procured amidst            
tribulations1 as the rose-bud amidst    
thorns2 ,god has not promised his       
servants that they shall not meet with  
trials1 but that with the temptation1 he
 will give them grace to be able to bear
 it3#ab heaven is offered to us on no   
other conditions2 it is a kingdom of    
conquest1 the prize of victory--but1 ,o 
,god1 what a prize6  ,footnotes3 #a4    
,some confound our saint with ,macarius 
of ,pisper1 or the disciple of          
,saint ,antony4 ,but the best critics   
distinguish them4 ,the latter1     with 
his fellow-disciple ,amathas1 buried    
,st4 ,antony1 who left him     his      
staff1 as ,cronius1 the ,priest of      
,nitria1 related to ,palladius4     ,to 
this ,macarius of ,pisper ,st4 ,antony  
committed the government of     almost  
five thousand monks as appears from the 
life of saint     ,posthumias4 #b4      

,hist4 ,lausiac1 c4 #bj4 #c4  ,pallad4  
,laus4 c4 #bj4 #d4  ,ib4 #e4  ,rosweide 
b4 #h1 c4 #bj1 p4 #gbb4 #f4  ,pallad4   
,laus4 c4 #bj4 #g4  ,rosweide1 ,vit4    
,patr4 l4 #b1 c4 #bi1 p4 #dha4 #h4  ,s4 
,hier4 ep4 #ah 7ol4 #bb7 ad4 ,eustoch4  
,t4 #d1 par4 #b1 p4 #dd1 ed4 ,ben4      
et ,rosw4 ,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #c1 c4 #cai   
#i4  ,acts viii4 #bj4 #aj4 ,concordia   
,regularum1 autore ,s4 ,benedicto       
,ananiae ,abbate1 edita ab     ,hugone  
,menardo1 ,o4,s4,b4 in #dto ,parisiis1  
#afch4 ,item1 ,codex ,regularum         
collectus a ,s4 ,benedicto ,ananiae1    
auctus a ,luca ,holstenio1 two vols4    
#dto4 ,romae1 #affa4 #aa4 ,c4 #fj1 p4   
#hji edit4 ,mena4 #ab4 #a ,cor4 x4 #ac4 
,on the same day  ,are commemorated many
 holy martyrs throughout the provinces  
of the ,roman empire2 who1 when         
,dioclesian1 in #cjc1 commanded the holy
 scriptures1 #jgg wherever found1 to be 
burnt1 chose rather to suffer torments  
and death than to be accessary sic4 to  
their being destroyed by surrendering   

them into the hands of the professed    
enemies of their ,author4#a  ,footnotes3
 #a4  ,see ,baron4 n4 annal4 et annot4  
in ,martyr4 ,rom4 ,eus4 l4 #h1 c4 #b4   
,h4     ,vales4 not4 ib4 p4 #afc4       
,ruinart1 in ,acta ,,ss ,saturn c4 and  
,s4     ,felicis4 ,fleury4 ,moeurs des  
,chret4 p4 #de4 ,tillem4 ,pers4 de4     
,dicol4     art4 #aj1 t4 #e4 ,lactant4  
de mort4 ,pers4 c4 #ae et #ah1 cum not4 
,baluz4     c4  ,also1 ,,st4            
,,concordius1 ,m4  ,a ,,holy subdeacon1 
who in the reign of ,marcus ,antoninus1 
was apprehended in a desert1 and brought
 before ,torquatus1 governor of ,umbria1
 then residing at ,spoletto1 about the  
year #agh4 ,the martyr1 paying no regard
 to his promises or threats1 in the     
first interrogatory was beaten with     
clubs1 and in the second was hung on the
 rack1 but in the height of his torments
 he cheerfully sang3 ,glory be to thee1 
,lord ,jesus6 ,three days after1 two    
soldiers were sent by ,torquatus1 to    
behead him in the dungeon1 unless he    

would offer sacrifice to an idol1 which 
a priest who accompanied them carried   
with him for this purpose4 ,the saint   
showed his indignation by spitting upon 
the idol1 upon which one of the soldiers
 struck off his head4 ,in the ,roman    
,martyrology his name occurs on the     
#ast1 in some others on the #b;d of     
,january4 ,see his genuine acts in      
,bollandus1 p4 #i1 and ,tillemont1 t4   
#b1 p4 #dci4  ,also1 ,,st4 ,,adalard1   
,,or ,,adalard4 ,a4,c4  ,pronounced     
,,alard4#a  ,,the birth of this holy    
monk was most illustrious1 his father   
,bernard being son of ,charles ,martel1 
and brother of king ,pepin1 so that     
,adalard was cousin-german to           
,charlemagne1 by whom he was called in  
his youth to the court1 and created     
count of his palace4 ,a fear of         
offending ,god made him tremble at the  
sight of the dangers of forfeiting his  
grace1 with which he was surrounded1 and
 of the disorders which reigned in the  
world4 ,lest he should be engaged to    

entangle his conscience1 by seeming to  
approve of things which he thought would
 endanger his salvation1 he determined  
to forsake at once both the court and   
the world4 ,his sacrifice was the more  
perfect and edifying1 as he was endowed 
with the greatest personal              
accomplishments of mind and body for the
 world1 and in the flower of his age2   
for he was only twenty years old1 when1 
in #ggc1 he took the monastic habit at  
,corbie in ,picardy1 a monastery that   
had been founded by queen ,bathildes1 in
 #ffb4 ,after he had passed a year in   
the fervent exercises of his novitiate1 
he made his vows2 the first employment  
assigned him in the monastery was that  
of gardener1 in which1 while his hands  
were employed in the business of his    
calling1 his thoughts were on ,god and  
heavenly things4 ,out of humility1 and a
 desire of closer retirement1 he        
obtained leave to be removed to mount   
,cassino1 where he hoped he should be   
concealed from the world2 but his       

eminent qualifications1 and the great   
example of his virtue1 betrayed and     
defeated all the projects of his        
humility1 and did not suffer him to live
 long unknown2 he was brought back to   
,corbie1 and some years after chosen    
abbot4 ,being obliged by ,charlemagne   
often to attend at court1 he appeared   
there as the first among the king's     
counsellors1 as he is styled by         
,hincmar1#b who had seen him there in   
#gif4 ,he was compelled by ,charlemagne 
#jgh entirely to quit his monastery1 and
 take upon him the charge of chief      
minister to that prince's eldest son    
,pepin1 who1 at his death at ,milan in  
#haj1 appointed the saint tutor to his  
son ,bernard1 then but twelve years of  
age4 ,in this exalted and distracting   
station1 ,adalard appeared even in      
council recollected and attentive to    
,god1 and from his employments would    
hasten to his chamber1 or the chapel1   
there to plunge his heart in the centre 
of its happiness4 ,during the time of   

his prayers1 tears usually flowed from  
his eyes in great abundance1 especially 
on considering his own miseries1 and his
 distance from ,god4 ,the emperor       
recalled him from ,milan1 and deputed   
him to pope ,leo ,,iii4 to assist at the
 discussion of certain difficulties     
started relating to the clause inserted 
in the creed1 concerning the procession 
of the ,holy ,ghost from the ,father and
 the ,son4 ,charlemagne died in #had1 on
 the #bhth of ,january1 having          
associated his son1 ,lewis le           
,debonnaire1 in the empire in the       
foregoing ,september4 ,while our saint  
lived in his monastery1 dead to the     
world1 intent only on heavenly things1  
instructing the ignorant1 and feeding   
the poor1 on whom he always exhausted   
his whole revenue1 ,lewis declared his  
son1 ,lothaire1 his partner and         
successor in the empire1 in #hag3       
,bernard1 who looked upon that dignity  
as his right1 his father ,pepin having  
been eldest brother to ,lewis1 rebelled1

 but lost both his kingdom and his life4
 ,lewis was prevailed upon1 by certain  
flatterers1 to suspect our saint to have
 been no enemy to ,bernard's            
pretensions1 and banished him to a      
monastery1 situated in the little island
 ,heri1 called afterwards ,hermoutier1  
and ,st4 ,philebert's1 on the coast of  
,aquitain4 ,the saint's brother ,wala   
7one of the greatest men of that age1 as
 appears from his curious life1         
published by ,mabillon7 he obliged to   
become a monk at ,lerins4 ,his sister   
,gondrada he confined in the monastery  
of the ,holy ,cross1 at ,poitiers2 and  
left only his other sister ,theodrada1  
who was a nun1 at liberty in her convent
 at ,soissons4 ,this exile ,st4 ,adalard
 regarded as his gain1 and in it his    
tranquillity and gladness of soul met   
with no interruptions4 ,the emperor at  
length was made sensible of his         
innocence1 and1 after five years'       
banishment1 called him to his court     
towards the close of the year #hba2 and1

 by the greatest honors and favors1     
endeavored to make amends for the       
injustice he had done him4 ,adalard     
7whose soul1 fixed wholly on ,god1 was  
raised above all earthly things7 was the
 same person in prosperity and          
adversity1 in the palace as in the cell1
 and in every station3 the              
distinguishing parts of his character   
were1 an extraordinary gift of          
compunction and tears1 the most tender  
charity for all men1 and an undaunted   
zeal for the relief and protection of   
all the distressed4 ,in #hbc1 he        
obtained leave to return to the         
government of his abbey of ,corbie1     
where he with joy frequently took upon  
himself the most humbling and mortifying
 employments of the house4 ,by his      
solicitude1 earnest endeavors1 and      
powerful example1 his spiritual children
 grew daily in fervor and divine love2  
and such was his zeal for their         
continual advancement1 that he passed no
 week without speaking to every one of  

them in particular1 and no day without  
exhorting them all in general1 by       
pathetic and instructive discourses4    
,the inhabitants of the country round   
his monastery had also a share in his   
pious labors1 and he exhausted on the   
poor the revenue of his monastery1 and  
whatever other temporal goods came to   
his hands1 with a profusion which many  
condemned as excessive1 but which       
heaven1 on urgent occasions1 sometimes  
approved by sensible miracles4 ,the good
 old man would receive advice from the  
meanest of his monks1 with an           
astonishing humility2 when entreated by 
any to moderate his austerities1 he     
frequently answered1 ,i will take care  
of your servant1 that he may serve you  
the longer2 meaning himself4 ,several   
hospitals were erected by him4 ,during  
his banishment1 another ,adalard1 who   
governed the monastery by his           
appointment1 began1 upon our saint's    
project1 to #jgi prepare the foundation 
of the monastery of ,new ,corbie1       

vulgarly called ,corwey1 in the diocese 
of ,paderborn1 nine leagues from that   
city1 upon the ,weser1 that it might be 
a nursery of evangelical laborers1 to   
the conversion and instruction of the   
northern nations4 ,st4 ,adalard1 after  
his return to ,corbie1 completed this   
great undertaking in #hbb1 for which he 
went twice thither1 and made a long     
stay1 to settle the discipline of his   
colony4 ,corwey is an imperial abbey2   
its territory reaches from the bishopric
 of ,paderborn to the duchy of          
,brunswick1 and the abbot is one of the 
eleven abbots1 who sit with twenty-one  
bishops1 in the imperial diet at        
,ratisbon3 but the chief glory of this  
house is derived from the learning and  
zeal of ,st4 ,anscharius1 and many      
others1 who erected illustrious trophies
 of religion in many barbarous          
countries4 ,to perpetuate the regularity
 which he established in his two        
monasteries1 he compiled a book of      
statutes for their use1 of which        

considerable fragments are extant3#c for
 the direction of courtiers in their    
whole conduct1 he wrote an excellent    
book1 ,on the ,order of the ,court2 of  
which work we have only the large       
extracts1 which ,hincmar has inserted in
 his ,instructions of king ,carloman1   
the master-piece of that prelate's      
writings1 for which he is indebted to   
our saint4 ,a treatise on the ,paschal  
,moon1 and other works of ,st4 ,adalard1
 are lost4 ,by those which we have1 also
 by his disciples1 ,st4 ,paschasius     
,radbertus1 ,st4 ,anscharius1 and       
others1 and by the testimony of the     
former in his life1 it is clear that our
 saint was an elegant and zealous       
promoter of literature in his           
monasteries3 the same author assures us1
 that he was well skilled1 and          
instructed the people not only in the   
,latin1 but also in the ,tudesque and   
vulgar ,french languages4#d ,st4        
,adalard1 for his eminent learning1 and 
extraordinary spirit of prayer and      

compunction1 was styled the ,austin1 the
 ,antony1 and the ,jeremy of his age4   
,alcuin1 in a letter addressed to him   
under the name of ,antony1 calls him his
 son2#e whence many infer that he had   
been scholar to that great man4 ,st4    
,adalard was returned out of ,germany to
 ,old ,corbie1 when he fell sick three  
days before ,christmas3 he received     
extreme unction some days after1 which  
was administered by ,hildemar1 bishop of
 ,beauvais1 who had formerly been his   
disciple2 the viaticum he received on   
the day after the feast of our ,lord's  
circumcision1 about seven o'clock in the
 morning1 and expired the same day about
 three in the afternoon1 in the year    
#hbg1 of his age seventy-three4 ,upon   
proof of several miracles1 by virtue of 
a commission granted by pope ,john      
,,xix4 7called by some ,,xx47 the body  
of the saint was enshrined1 and         
translated with great solemnity in      
#ajdj2 of which ceremony we have a      
particular history written by ,st4      

,gerard1 who also composed an office in 
his honor1 in gratitude for having been 
cured of a violent headache through his 
intercession3 the same author relates   
seven other miracles performed by the   
same means4#f ,the relics of ,st4       
,adalard1 except a small portion given  
to the abbey of ,chelles1 are still     
preserved at ,corbie1 in a rich shrine  
and two smaller cases4 ,his name has    
never been inserted in the ,roman       
,martyrology1 though he is honored as   
principal patron in many parish         
churches1 and by several towns on the   
banks of the ,rhine and in the ,low     
,countries4 ,see his life1 compiled with
 accuracy1 in a very florid pathetic    
style1 by way of panegyric1 by his      
disciple ,paschasius ,radbertus1 #jhj   
extant in ,bollandus1 and more correctly
 in ,mabillon1 7,act4 ,ben4 t4 #e1 p4   
#cjf1 also the same abridged in a more  
historical style1 by ,st4 ,gerard1 first
 monk of ,corbie1 afterwards first abbot
 of ,seauve-majeur in ,guienne1 founder 

by ,william1 duke of ,aquitain and count
 of ,poitiers1 in #ajhj4 ,the history of
 the translation of the saint's body1   
with an account of eight miracles by the
 same ,st4 ,gerard1 is also given us by 
,bollandus47  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,it was  
usual among the ancient ,french1 to add 
to certain words1     syllables1 or     
letters which they did not pronounce2 as
 ,chrodobert1     or ,rigobert1 for     
,robert3 ,cloves for ,louis2 ,clothaire 
for ,lotharie1     c4 #b4  ,hinc4 l4    
,inst4 ,regis1 c4 #ab4 #c4  ,published  
by ,d',achery1 ,spicil4 tom4 #d1 p4 #a1 
#bj4 #d4  ,from this testimony it is    
clear1 that the ,french language1 used  
by     the common people1 had then so   
much deviated from the ,latin as to be  
esteemed a different tongue2 which is   
also evident from ,nithard1 an          
officer in the army of ,lewis le        
,debonnaire1 who1 in his history of     
the divisions between the sons of ,lewis
 le ,debonnaire1 7published     among   
the ,french historians by du ,chesne17  

gives us the original act     of the    
agreement between the two brothers1     
,charles the ,bald1 and     ,lewis of   
,germany1 at ,strasburg1 in #hdb4 #e4   
,alcuin1 ,ep4 #ajg4 #f4  ,st4 ,gerard1  
of ,seauve-majeur1 died on the #eth of  
,april1 #ajie1 and     was canonized by 
,coelestine ,,iii4 in #aaig4 ,see his   
life1 with an     account of the        
foundation of his monastery1 in         
,mabillon1 ,acts1     ,sanctorum ad ,s4 
,benedict4 t4 #i1 p4 #hda4   ,,january  
,,iii4  ,,st4 ,,peter ,,balsam1 ,m4     
,from his valuable acts in ,ruinart1 p4 
#eja4 ,bollandus1 p4 #abh4 ,see         
,tillemont1 ,t4 #e4 ,assemani1 ,act     
,mart4 ,occid4 ,t4 #b1 p4 #ajf4  ,a4,d4 
#caa4  ,,peter ,,balsam1 a native of the
 territory of ,eleutheropolis1 in       
,palestine1 was apprehended at ,aulane1 
in the persecution of ,maximinus4 ,being
 brought before ,severus1 governor of   
the province1 the interrogatory began by
 asking him his name4 ,peter answered3  
,balsam is the name of my family1 but ,i

 received that of ,peter in baptism4    
,,severus4 ,of what family1 and of what 
country are you8 ,,peter4 ,i am a       
,christian4 ,,severus4 ,what is your    
employ8 ,,peter4 ,what employ can ,i    
have more honorable1 or what better     
thing can ,i do in the world1 than to   
live a ,christian8 ,,severus4 ,do you   
know the imperial edicts8 ,,peter4 ,i   
know the laws of ,god1 the sovereign of 
the universe4 ,,severus4 ,you shall     
quickly know that there is an edict of  
the most clement emperors1 commanding   
all to sacrifice to the gods1 or be put 
to death4 ,,peter4 ,you will also know  
one day that there is a law of the      
eternal king1 proclaiming that every one
 shall perish1 who offers sacrifice to  
devils3 which do you counsel me to obey1
 and which1 do you think1 should be my  
option2 to die by your sword1 or to be  
condemned to everlasting misery1 by the 
sentence of the great king1 the true    
,god8 ,,severus4 ,seeing you ask my     
advice1 it is then that you obey the    

edict1 and sacrifice to the gods4       
,,peter4 ,i can never be prevailed upon 
to sacrifice to gods of wood and stone1 
as those are which you adore4 ,,severus4
 ,i would have you know1 that it is in  
my power to revenge these affronts by   
your death4 ,,peter4 ,i had no intention
 to affront you4 ,i only expressed what 
is written in the divine law4 ,,severus4
 ,have compassion on yourself1 and      
sacrifice4 ,,peter4 ,if ,i am truly     
compassionate to myself1 ,i ought not to
 sacrifice4 ,,severus4 ,my desire is to 
use lenity2 ,i therefore still do allow 
you time to consider with yourself1 that
 you may save your life4 ,,peter4 ,this 
delay will be to no purpose1 for ,i     
shall not alter my mind2 do now what you
 will be obliged to do soon1 and        
complete the work1 which the devil1 your
 father1 has begun2 for ,i will never do
 what ,jesus ,christ forbids me4        
,severus1 on hearing these words1       
ordered him to be hoisted on the rack1  
and while he was suspended in the air1  

said to him scoffing3 ,what say you now1
 ,peter2 do you begin to know what the  
rack is8 ,are you yet willing to        
sacrifice8 ,peter answered3 ,tear me    
with iron hooks1 and talk not of my     
sacrificing to your devils3 ,i have     
already told you1 that ,i will sacrifice
 to that ,god alone for whom ,i suffer4 
,hereupon the governor #jha commanded   
his tortures to be redoubled4 ,the      
martyr1 far from fetching the least     
sigh1 sung with alacrity those verses of
 the royal prophet3 ,one thing ,i have  
asked of the ,lord2 this will ,i seek   
after3 that ,i may dwell in the house of
 the ,lord all the days of my life4#a ,i
 will take the chalice of salvation1 and
 will call upon the name of the ,lord4#b
 ,the governor called forth fresh       
executioners to relieve the first1 now  
fatigued4 ,the spectators1 seeing the   
martyr's blood run down in streams1     
cried out to him3 ,obey the emperors3   
sacrifice1 and rescue yourself from     
these torments4 ,peter replied3 ,do you 

call these torments8 ,i1 for my part1   
feel no pain3 but this ,i know1 that if 
,i am not faithful to my ,god1 ,i must  
expect real pains1 such as cannot be    
conceived4 ,the judge also said3        
,sacrifice1 ,peter ,balsam1 or you will 
repent it4 ,,peter4 ,neither will ,i    
sacrifice1 nor shall ,i repent it4      
,,severus4 ,i am just ready to pronounce
 sentence4 ,,peter4 ,it is what ,i most 
earnestly desire4 ,severus then dictated
 the sentence in this manner3 ,it is our
 order1 that ,peter ,balsam1 for having 
refused to obey the edict of the        
invincible emperors1 and having         
contemned our commands1 after           
obstinately defending the law of a man  
crucified1 be himself nailed to a cross4
 ,thus it was that this glorious martyr 
finished his triumph1 at ,aulane1 on the
 #c;d of ,january1 which day he is      
honored in the ,roman ,martyrology1 and 
that of ,bede4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,in the example of
 the martyrs we see1 that religion alone

 inspires true constancy and heroism1   
and affords solid comfort and joy amidst
 the most terrifying dangers1           
calamities1 and torments4 ,it spreads a 
calm throughout a man's whole life1 and 
consoles at all times4 ,he that is      
united to ,god1 rests in omnipotence1   
and in wisdom and goodness2 he is       
reconciled with the world whether it    
frowns or flatters1 and with himself4   
,the interior peace which he enjoys1 is 
the foundation of happiness1 and the    
delights which innocence and virtue     
bring1 abundantly compensate the loss of
 the base pleasures of vice4 ,death     
itself1 so terrible to the worldly man1 
is the saint's crown1 and completes his 
joy and his bliss4  ,footnotes3 #a4     
,ps4 xxvi4 #d4 #b4  ,ps4 cxv4 #d4  ,,st4
 ,,anterus1 ,,pope4  ,,he succeeded ,st4
 ,pontianus in #bce4 ,he sat only one   
month and ten days1 and is styled a     
martyr by ,bede1 ,ado1 and the present  
,roman ,martyrology4 ,see ,card4        
d',aguirre1 ,conc4 ,hispan4 ,t4 #c4 ,in 

the martyrology called ,s4 ,jerom's1    
kept at ,s4 ,cyriacus's1 it is said that
 he was buried on the ,appian road1 in  
the ,paraphagene1 where the cemetery of 
,calixtus was afterwards erected4  ,,st4
 ,,gordius4  ,,martyred at ,caesarea1 in
 ,cappadocia1 was a centurion to the    
army1 but retired to the deserts when   
the persecution was first raised by     
,dioclesian4 ,the desire of shedding his
 blood for ,christ made him quit his    
solitude1 while the people of that city 
were assembled to the ,circus#a to      
solemnize public games in honor of      
,mars4 ,his attenuated body1 long beard 
and hair and ragged clothes1 drew on him
 the eyes of the whole assembly2 yet1   
with this strange garb and mien1 the    
graceful air of majesty that appeared in
 his #jhb countenance commanded         
veneration4 ,being examined by the      
governor1 and loudly confessing his     
faith1 he was condemned to be beheaded4 
,having fortified himself by the sign of
 the cross1#b he joyfully received the  

deadly blow4 ,st4 ,basil1 on this       
festival1 pronounced his panegyric at   
,caesarea1 in which he says1 several of 
his audience had been eye-witnesses of  
the martyr's triumph4 ,hom4 #ag1 t4 #a4 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the ,circus was a     
ring1 or large place1 wherein the people
 sat and     saw the public games4 #b4  
,greek3 ,heautou ton tupon tou staurou  
perigrapsas4 ,st4 ,basil1 t4 #a1     p4 
#deb4  ,,st4 ,,genevieve1 ,,or          
,,genovefa1 ,v4  ,,chief ,,patroness    
,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,paris4  ,,her  
father's name was ,severus1 and her     
mother's ,gerontia3 she was born about  
the year #dbb1 at ,nanterre1 a small    
village four miles from ,paris1 near the
 famous modern stations1 or ,calvary1   
adorned with excellent sculptures1      
representing our ,lord's ,passion1 on   
,mount ,valerien4 ,when ,st4 ,germanus1 
bishop of ,auxerre1 went with ,st4      
,lupus into ,britain to oppose the      
,pelagian heresy1 he lay at ,nanterre in
 his way4 ,the inhabitants flocked about

 them to receive their blessing1 and    
,st4 ,germanus made them an exhortation1
 during which he took particular notice 
of ,genevieve1 though only seven years  
of age4 ,after his discourse he inquired
 for her parents1 and addressing himself
 to them1 foretold their daughter's     
future sanctity1 and said that she would
 perfectly accomplish the resolution she
 had taken of serving ,god1 and that    
others would imitate her example4 ,he   
then asked ,genevieve whether it was not
 her desire to serve ,god in a state of 
perpetual virginity1 and to bear no     
other title than that of a spouse of    
,jesus ,christ4 ,the virgin answered1   
that this was what she had long desired1
 and begged that by his blessing she    
might be from that moment consecrated to
 ,god4 ,the holy prelate went to the    
church of the place1 followed by the    
people1 and1 during long singing of     
psalms and prayers1 says                
,constantius1#a--that is1 during the    
recital of ,none and ,vespers1#b as the 

author of the life of ,st4 ,genevieve   
expresses it1#c he held his hand upon   
the virgin's head4 ,after he had supped1
 he dismissed her1 giving a strict      
charge to her parents to bring her again
 to him very early the next morning4    
,the father complied with the           
commission1 and ,st4 ,germanus asked    
,genevieve whether she remembered the   
promise she had made to ,god4 ,she said 
she did1 and declared she would1 by the 
divine assistance1 faithfully perform   
it4 ,the bishop gave her a brass medal1 
on which a cross was engraved1 to wear  
always about her neck1 to put her in    
mind of the consecration she had made of
 herself to ,god2 and at the same time1 
he charged her never to wear bracelets1 
or necklaces of pearls1 gold1 or silver1
 or any other ornaments of vanity4 ,all 
this she most religiously observed1 and 
considering herself as the spouse of    
,christ1 gave herself up to the most    
fervent practices of devotion and       
penance4 ,from the words of ,st4        

,germanus1 in his exhortation to ,st4   
,genevieve never to wear jewels1        
,baillet and some others infer1 that she
 must have been a person of quality and 
fortune2 but the ancient ,breviary and  
constant tradition of the place assure  
us1 that her father was a poor shepherd4
 ,adrian1 ,valois1 and ,baluze1 observe1
 that her most ancient life ought not to
 be esteemed of irrefragable authority1 
and that the words of ,st4 ,germanus are
 #jhc not perhaps related with a        
scrupulous fidelity4#d ,the author of   
her life tells us1 that the holy virgin 
begging one day with great importunity  
that she might go to the church1 her    
mother struck her on the face1 but in   
punishment lost her sight1 which she    
only recovered1 two months after1 by    
washing her eyes twice or thrice with   
water which her daughter fetched from   
the well1 and upon which she had made   
the sign of the cross4 ,hence the people
 look upon the well at ,nanterre as     
having been blessed by the saint4 ,about

 fifteen years of age1 she was presented
 to the bishop of ,paris to receive the 
religious veil at his hands1 together   
with two other persons of the same sex4 
,though she was the youngest of the     
three1 the bishop placed her the first1 
saying1 that heaven had already         
sanctified her2 by which he seems to    
have alluded to the promise she had     
already made1 in the presence of ,,ss4  
,germanus and ,lupus1 of consecrating   
herself to ,god4 ,from that time she    
frequently ate only twice in the week1  
on ,sundays and ,thursdays4 ,her food   
was barley bread with a few beans4 ,at  
the age of fifty1 by the command of     
certain bishops1 she mitigated this     
austerity1 so far as to allow herself a 
moderate use of fish and milk4 ,her     
prayer was almost continual1 and        
generally attended with a large flow of 
tears4 ,after the death of her parents  
she left ,nanterre1 and settled with her
 god-mother at ,paris2 but sometimes    
undertook journeys upon motives of      

charity1 and illustrated the cities of  
,meaux1 ,leon1 ,tours1 ,orleans1 and all
 other places wherever she went1 with   
miracles and remarkable predictions4    
,god permitted her to meet with some    
severe trials2 for at a certain time all
 persons indiscriminately seemed to be  
in a combination against her1 and       
persecuted her under the opprobrious    
names of visionary1 hypocrite1 and the  
like imputations1 all tending to asperse
 her innocency4 ,the arrival of ,st4    
,germanus at ,paris1 probably on his    
second journey to ,britain1 for some    
time silenced her calumniators2 but it  
was not long ere the storm broke out    
anew4 ,her enemies were fully determined
 to drown her1 when the archdeacon of   
,auxerre arrived with ,eulogies1 or     
blessed bread1 sent her by ,st4         
,germanus1 as a testimony of his        
particular esteem for her virtues1 and a
 token of communion4 ,this seems to have
 happened while ,st4 ,germanus was      
absent in ,italy in #ddi1 a little      

before his death4 ,this circumstance1 so
 providentially opportune1 converted the
 prejudices of her calumniators into a  
singular veneration for her during the  
remainder of her life4 ,the ,franks or  
,french had then possessed themselves of
 the better part of ,gaul2 and          
,childeric1 their king1 took ,paris4#e  
,during the long blockade of that city1 
the citizens being extremely distressed 
by famine1 ,st4 ,genevieve1 as the      
author of her life relates1 went out at 
the head of a company who were sent to  
procure provisions1 and brought back    
from ,arcis-sur-,aube and ,troyes       
several boats laden with corn4          
,nevertheless1 ,childeric1 when he had  
made himself master of ,paris1 though   
always a pagan1 respected ,st4          
,genevieve1 and1 upon her intercession1 
spared the lives of many prisoners1 and 
did several other acts of clemency and  
bounty4 ,our saint1 out of her singular 
devotion to ,st4 ,dionysius and his     
companions1 the apostles of the country1

 frequently visited their tombs at the  
borough of ,catulliacum1 which many     
think the borough since called ,saint   
,denys's4 ,she also excited the zeal of 
many pious persons to build there a     
church in #jhd honor of ,st4 ,dionysius1
 which ,king ,dagobert ,i4 afterwards   
rebuilt with a stately monastery in     
#fbi4f ,saint ,genevieve likewise       
performed several pilgrimages1 in       
company with other holy virgins1 to the 
shrine of ,st4 ,martin at ,tours4 ,these
 journeys of devotion she sanctified by 
the exercise of holy recollection and   
austere penance4 ,king ,clovis1 who     
embraced the faith in #dif1 listened    
often with deference to the advice of   
,st4 ,genevieve1 and granted liberty to 
several captives at her request4 ,upon  
the report of the march of ,attila with 
his army of ,huns1 the ,parisians were  
preparing to abandon their city1 but    
,st4 ,genevieve persuaded them1 in      
imitation of ,judith and ,hester1 to    
endeavor to avert the scourge1 by       

fasting1 watching1 and prayer4 ,many    
devout persons of her sex passed many   
days with her in prayer in the          
baptistery2 from whence the particular  
devotion to ,st4 ,genevieve1 which is   
practised at ,st4 ,john-le-rond1 the    
ancient public baptistery of the church 
of ,paris1 seems to have taken rise4    
,she assured the people of the          
protection of heaven1 and their         
deliverance2 and though she was long    
treated by many as an impostor1 the     
event verified the prediction1 that     
barbarian suddenly changing the course  
of his march1 probably by directing it  
towards ,orleans4 ,our author attributes
 to ,st4 ,genevieve the first design of 
the magnificent church which ,clovis    
began to build in honor of ,,ss4 ,peter 
and ,paul1 by the pious counsel of his  
wife ,saint ,clotilda1 by whom it was   
finished several years after2 for he    
only laid the foundation a little before
 his death1 which happened in #eaa4g    
,st4 ,genevieve died about the same     

year1 probably five weeks after that    
prince1 on the #c;d of ,january1 #eab1  
being eighty-nine years old4 ,some think
 she died before ,king ,clovis4         
,prudentius1 bishop of ,paris1 had been 
buried about the year #dji1 on the spot 
where this church was built4 ,clovis was
 interred in it3 his remains were       
afterwards removed into the middle of   
the choir1 where they are covered with a
 modern monument of white marble1 with  
an inscription4 ,st4 ,clotilda was      
buried near the steps of the high altar 
in #ede2 but her name having been       
enrolled among the saints1 her relics   
were enshrined1 and are placed behind   
the high altar4 ,those of ,st4 ,alda1   
the companion of ,st4 ,genevieve1 and of
 ,st4 ,ceraunus1 bishop of ,paris1 are  
placed in silver shrines on the altar of
 ,s4 ,clotilda4 ,the tombs of ,st4      
,genevieve and ,king ,clovis were near  
together4 ,immediately after the saint  
was buried1 the people raised an oratory
 of wood over her tomb1 as her historian

 assures us1 and this was soon changed  
into the stately church built under the 
invocation of ,,ss4 ,peter and ,paul4   
,from this circumstance1 we gather that 
her tomb was situated in a part of this 
church1 which was only built after her  
death4 ,her tomb1 though empty1 is still
 shown in the subterraneous church1 or  
vault1 betwixt those of ,prudentius1 and
 ,st4 ,ceraunus1 bishop of ,paris4 ,but 
her relics were enclosed1 by ,st4 #jhe  
,eligius1 in a costly shrine1 adorned   
with gold and silver1 which he made with
 his own hands about the year #fcj1 as  
,st4 ,owen relates in his life4 ,in #hde
 these relics1 for fear of the ,normans1
 were removed to ,atis1 and thence to   
,dravel1 where the abbot of the canons  
kept a tooth for his own church4 ,in    
#hej they were carried to ,marisy1 near 
,ferte-,milon1 and five years after     
brought back to ,paris4 ,the author of  
the original life of ,st4 ,genevieve    
concludes it by a description of the    
,basilick which ,clovis and ,st4        

,clotilda erected1 adorned with a triple
 portico1 in which were painted the     
histories of the patriarchs1 prophets1  
martyrs1 and confessors4 ,this church   
was several times plundered1 and at     
length burnt1 by the ,normans4 ,when it 
was rebuilt1 soon after the year #hef1  
the relics of ,st4 ,genevieve were      
brought back4 ,the miracles which were  
performed there from the time of her    
burial1 rendered this church famous over
 all ,france1 so that at length it began
 to be known only by her name4 ,the city
 of ,paris has frequently received      
sensible proofs of the divine           
protection1 through her intercession4   
,the most famous instance is that called
 the miracle of ,des ,ardens1 or of the 
burning fever4 ,in #aabi1 in the reign  
of ,louis ,,vi41 a pestilential fever1  
with a violent inward heat1 and pains in
 the bowels1 swept off1 in a short time1
 fourteen thousand persons2 nor could   
the art of physicians afford any relief4
 ,stephen1 bishop of ,paris1 with the   

clergy and people1 implored the divine  
mercy1 by fasting and supplications4    
,yet the distemper began not to abate   
till the shrine of ,st4 ,genevieve was  
carried in a solemn procession to the   
cathedral4 ,during that ceremony many   
sick persons were cured by touching the 
shrine2 and of all that then lay ill of 
that distemper in the whole town1 only  
three died1 the rest recovered1 and no  
others fell ill4 ,pope ,innocent ,,ii4  
coming to ,paris the year following1    
after having passed a careful scrutiny  
on the miracle1 ordered an annual       
festival in commemoration of it on the  
#bfth of ,november1 which is still kept 
at ,paris4 ,a chapel near the cathedral1
 called anciently ,st4 ,genevieve's the 
,little1 erected near the house in which
 she died1 afterward1 from this miracle1
 7though it was wrought not at this     
chapel1 but chiefly at the cathedral1 as
 ,le ,beuf demonstrates17 was called    
,st4 ,genevieve des ,ardens1 which was  
demolished in #agdg1 to make place for  

the ,foundling ,hospital4#h ,both before
 and since that time1 it is the custom1 
in extraordinary public calamities1 to  
carry the shrine of ,st4 ,genevieve1    
accompanied with those of ,st4 ,marcel1 
,st4 ,aurea1 ,st4 ,lucan1 martyr1 ,st4  
,landry1 ,st4 ,merry1 ,st4 ,paxentius1  
,st4 ,magloire1 and others1 in a solemn 
procession to the cathedral2 on which   
occasion the regular canons of ,st4     
,genevieve walk barefoot1 and at the    
right hand of the chapter of the        
cathedral1 and the abbot walks on the   
right hand of the archbishop4 ,the      
present rich shrine of ,st4 ,genevieve  
was made by the abbot1 and the relics   
enclosed in it in #abdb4 ,it is said    
that one hundred and ninety-three marks 
of silver1 and eight of gold1 were used 
in making it2 and it is almost covered  
with precious stones1 most of which are 
the presents of several kings and       
queens4 ,the crown or cluster of        
diamonds which glitters on the top1 was 
given by ,queen ,mary of ,medicis4 ,the 

shrine is placed behind the choir1 upon 
a fine piece of architecture1 supported 
by four high pillars1 two of marble1 and
 two of jaspis4#i ,see the ,ancient     
,life of ,st4 ,genevieve1 written by an 
anonymous author1 eighteen years after  
her death1 of which the best edition is 
given by ,f4 ,charpentier1 a ,genevevan 
regular canon1 in octavo1 in #afig4 ,it 
is interpolated in several editions4    
,bollandus has added another more modern
 life2 see also ,tillemont1 t4 #af1 p4  
#fba1 and notes1 ib4 p4 #hjb4 ,likewise1
 ,gallia ,christiana ,nova1 t4 #g1 p4   
#gjj4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,constant4 in   
vit4 ,s4 ,germani4 ,altiss4 l4 #a1 c4   
#bj4 #b4  ,nonam atque duodecim4 ,it    
deserves the attention of clergymen1    
that     though anciently the canonical 
hours were punctually observed in the   
divine office1 ,,ss4 ,germanus and      
,lupus deferred ,none beyond the hour1  
that they might recite it in the church1
 rather than on the road4     ,the word 
duodecima used for ,vespers1 is a clear 

demonstration that     the canonical    
hour of ,vespers was not five1 but six  
o'clock1--which1     about the equinox1 
was the twelfth hour of the natural day3
 which     is also proved from the name 
of the ,ferial hymn at ,vespers1 ,jam   
ter     quaternis1 c4 ,see ,card4 ,bona1
 de div4 ,psalmodia1 c4 #c4  ,apud      
,bolland4 #d4  ,see ,piganiol1 ,descrip4
 de ,paris1 t4 #h1 v4 ,nanterre4 #e4    
,paris was called by the ,romans the    
castle of the ,parisians1 being by      
its situation one of the strongest      
fortresses in ,gaul2 for at that        
time it was confined to the island of   
the river ,seine1 now called     the    
,isle du ,palais1 and the ,city3 though 
the limits of the city     are now      
extended somewhat beyond that island1 it
 is the smallest     part of the town4  
,this isle was only accessible over two 
wooden     bridges1 each of which was   
defended by a castle1 which were        
afterwards called the ,great and ,little
 ,chatelet4 7,see ,lobineau4     ,hist4 

de la ,ville de ,paris1 t4 l1 l4 #a47   
,the greatest part of the               
neighboring country was covered with    
thick woods4 ,the ,roman     governors  
built a palace without the island1 7now 
in ,rue de     l',harpe17 which ,julian1
 the ,apostate1 while he commanded in   
,gaul1     exceedingly embellished1     
furnished with water by a curious       
aqueduct1     and1 for the security of  
his own person1 contrived a             
subterraneous     passage from the      
palace to the castle or ,great          
,chatelet2 of all     which works       
certain vestiges are to be seen at this 
day4 #f4  ,some think that ,catualliacum
 was rather ,montmartre than ,st4       
,denys's1     and that the church built 
there in the time of ,st4 ,genevieve    
stood     near the bottom of the        
mountain1 because it is said in her life
 to     have been at the place where    
,st4 ,dionysius suffered martyrdom2 and 
it is added1 that she often visited the 
place1 attended by many     virgins1    

watched there every ,saturday night in  
prayer1 and that one     night when she 
was going thither with her companions in
 the rain1     and through very dirty   
roads1 the lamp that was carried before 
her     was extinguished1 but lighted   
again upon her taking it into her own   
hands3 all which circumstances seem not 
to agree to a place two     leagues     
distant1 like ,st4 ,denys's4 #g4  ,the  
author of the life of ,st4 ,bathildes   
testifies1 that ,clovis built     this  
church for the use of monks2 which      
,mabillon confirms by other     proofs1 
7,op4 ,posth4 t4 #b1 p4 #cef47 ,he      
doubts not but it continued in     their
 hands1 till being burnt by the ,normans
 in #hef 7as appears from     ,stephen  
of ,tournay1 ep4 #adf17 it was soon     
after rebuilt1 and given     to secular 
canons4 ,these1 in punishment of a      
sedition1 were expelled     by the      
authority of ,eugenius ,,iii41 and      
,suger1 abbot of ,st4 ,denys's1     and 
prime minister to ,lewis ,,vii41 or the 

,young1 in #aadh1 who     introduced    
into this church twelve regular canons  
of the order of     ,st4 ,austin1 chosen
 out of ,st4 ,victor's abbey1 which had 
been erected     about forty years      
before1 and was then most famous for    
many great     men1 the austerity of its
 rule1 and the piety and learning which 
flourished in it4 ,cardinal ,francis    
,rochefoucault1 the history of     whose
 most edifying life and great actions   
will be a model of all     pastoral     
virtues to all ages to come1 having     
established an     excellent reformation
 in the abbey of ,st4 ,vincent1 at      
regular     canons1 at ,senlis1 when he 
was bishop of that see1 being nominated 
abbot of ,st4 ,genevieve's by ,lewis    
,,xiii41 called from ,st4 ,vincent's    
,f4 ,charles ,faure1 and twelve others1 
in #afbd1 and by their means            
introduced the same reformation in this 
monastery1 which was     confirmed in   
#afcd1 when ,f4 ,faure was chosen abbot 
coadjutor to the     cardinal4 ,he died 

in odor of sanctity in #ffg1 the good   
cardinal     having passed to a better  
life in #afde4 #h4  ,de ,miraculo       
,ardentium4 ,see ,anonym4 ap4 ,bolland4 
et ,brev4 ,paris4 ad     #bf ,nov4 #i4  
,see ,piganiol1 ,descr4 de ,paris1 t4   
#e1 p4 #bch1 et ,le ,fevre ,calendrier  
,hist4 de l',eglise de ,paris1 ,nov #bf1
 et ,jan4 #c4 ,gallia ,christian4       
,nova1 t4 #g1 p4 #gjj4 ,le ,beuf l4 #b1 
p4 #ie1 et l4 #a1 p4 #chg4  #jhf        
,,january ,,iv4  ,,st4 ,,titus1         
,,disciple ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul1 ,b4  ,see 
,st4 ,paul1 ep4 ad ,tit4 and #a and #b  
ad ,cor42 also1 ,tillemont ,t4 #b1      
,calmet1 ,t4 #h1 ,le ,quien ,oriens     
,christianus1 ,t4 #b1 p4 #bef4 ,f4      
,farlat ,illyrici sacri4 ,t4 #a1 p4 #ced
 ad #cib4  ,,st4 ,,titus was born a     
,gentile1 and seems to have been        
converted by ,st4 ,paul1 who calls him  
his son in ,christ4 ,his extraordinary  
virtue and merit gained him the         
particular esteem and affection of this 
apostle2 for we find him employed as his

 secretary and interpreter2 and he      
styles him his brother1 and copartner in
 his labors2 commends exceedingly his   
solicitude and zeal for the salvation of
 his brethren1#a and in the tenderest   
manner expresses the comfort and support
 he found in him1#b insomuch1 that1 on a
 certain occasion1 he declared that he  
found no rest in his spirit1 because at 
,troas he had not met ,titus4#c ,in the 
year #ea1 he accompanied him to the     
council that was held at ,jerusalem1 on 
the subject of the ,mosaic rites4       
,though the apostle had consented to the
 circumcision of ,timothy1 in order to  
render his ministry acceptable among the
 ,jews1 he would not allow the same in  
,titus1 apprehensive of giving thereby a
 sanction to the error of certain false 
brethren1 who contended that the        
ceremonial institutes of the ,mosaic law
 were not abolished by the law of grace4
 ,towards the close of the year #ef1    
,st4 ,paul sent ,titus from ,ephesus to 
,corinth1 with full commission to remedy

 the several subjects of scandal1 as    
also to allay the dissensions in that   
church4 ,he was there received with     
great testimonies of respect1 and was   
perfectly satisfied with regard to the  
penance and submission of the offenders2
 but could not be prevailed upon to     
accept from them any present1 not even  
so much as his own maintenance4 ,his    
love for that church was very           
considerable1 and at their request he   
interceded with ,st4 ,paul for the      
pardon of the incestuous man4 ,he was   
sent the same year by the apostle a     
second time to ,corinth1 to prepare the 
alms that church designed for the poor  
,christians at ,jerusalem4 ,all these   
particulars we learn from ,st4 ,paul's  
two epistles to the ,corinthians4  ,st4 
,paul1 after his first imprisonment1    
returning from ,rome into the east1 made
 some stay in the island of ,crete1 to  
preach there the faith of ,jesus        
,christ3 but the necessities of other   
churches requiring his presence         

elsewhere1 he ordained his beloved      
disciple ,titus bishop of that island1  
and left him to finish the work he had  
successfully begun4 ,we may form a      
judgment1 says ,st4 ,chrysostom1#d from 
the importance of the charge1 how great 
the esteem of ,st4 ,paul was for his    
disciple4 ,but finding the loss of such 
a companion too material1 at his return 
into ,europe the year after1 the apostle
 ordered him to meet him at ,nicopolis  
in ,epirus1 where he intended to pass   
the winter1 and to set out for that     
place as soon as either ,tychichus1 or  
,arthemas1 whom he had sent to supply   
his place during his absence1 should    
arrive in ,crete4 ,st4 ,paul sent these 
instructions to ,titus1 in the canonical
 epistle addressed to him1 when on his  
,journey to ,nicopolis1 in autumn1 in   
the year #fd4 ,he ordered him to        
establish ,priests1#e that is1 #jhg     
bishops1 as ,st4 ,jerom1 ,st4           
,chrysostom1 and ,theodoret expound it1 
in all the cities of the island4 ,he    

sums up the principal qualities         
necessary for a bishop1 and gives him   
particular advice touching his own      
conduct to his flock1 exhorting him to  
hold to strictness of discipline1 but   
seasoned with lenity4 ,this epistle     
contains the rule of episcopal life1 and
 as such1 we may regard it as faithfully
 copied in the life of this disciple4   
,in the year #fe1 we find him sent by   
,st4 ,paul to preach in ,dalmatia4#f ,he
 again returned to ,crete1 and settled  
the faith in that and the adjacent      
little island4 ,all that can be affirmed
 further of him is1 that he finished a  
laborious and holy life by a happy death
 in ,crete1 in a very advanced old age1 
some affirm in the ninety-fourth year of
 his age4 ,the body of ,st4 ,titus was  
kept with great veneration in the       
cathedral of ,gortyna1 the ruins of     
which city1 the ancient metropolis of   
the island1 situated six miles from     
mount ,ida1 are still very remarkable4  
,this city being destroyed by the       

,saracens in #hbc1 these relics could   
never since be discovered3 only the head
 of our saint was conveyed safe to      
,venice1 and is venerated in the ,ducal 
basilica of ,st4 ,mark 7,see ,creta     
,sacra1 ,auctore ,flaminio ,cornelio1   
,senatore ,veneto4 ,venetiis1 anno      
#agee1 de ,s4 ,tito1 ,t4 #a1 p4 #ahi1   
#aie47 ,st4 ,titus has been looked upon 
in ,crete as the first archbishop of    
,gortyna1 which metropolitical see is   
fixed at ,candia1 since this new        
metropolis was built by the ,saracens4  
,the cathedral of the city of ,candia1  
which now gives its name to the whole   
island1 bears his name4 ,the ,turks     
leave this church in the hands of the   
,christians4 ,the city of ,candia was   
built in the ninth century1 seventeen   
miles from the ancient ,gortyn or       
,gortyna4 ,under the metropolitan of    
,candia1 there are at present in this   
island eleven suffragan bishops of the  
,greek communion4  ,when ,st4 ,paul     
assumed ,titus to the ministry1 this    

disciple was already a saint1 and the   
apostle found in him all the conditions 
which he charged him so severely to     
require in those whom he should honor   
with the pastoral charge4 ,it is an     
illusion of false zeal1 and a temptation
 of the enemy1 for young novices to     
begin to teach before they have learned 
themselves how to practise4 ,young      
birds1 which leave their nests before   
they are able to fly1 are sure to       
perish4 ,trees which push forth their   
buds before the season1 yield no fruit1 
the flowers being either nipped by the  
frost1 or destroyed by the sun4 ,so     
those who give themselves up to the     
exterior employments of the ministry1   
before they are thoroughly grounded in  
the spirit of the gospel1 strain their  
tender interior virtue1 and produce only
 unclean or tainted fruit4 ,all who     
undertake the pastoral charge1 besides a
 thorough acquaintance with the divine  
law1 and the maxims and spirit of the   
gospel1 and experience1 discretion1 and 

a knowledge of the heart of man1 or his 
passions1 must have seriously endeavored
 to die to themselves by the habitual   
practice of self-denial1 and a rooted   
humility2 and must have been so well    
exercised in holy contemplation1 as to  
retain that habitual disposition of soul
 amidst exterior employments1 and in    
them to be able still to say1 ,i sleep1 
and my heart watches2#g that is1 ,i     
sleep to all earthly things1 and am     
awake only to my heavenly friend and    
spouse1 being absorbed in the thoughts  
and desires of the most ardent love4    
,footnotes3 #a4  #b ,cor4 viii4 #af1    
xii4 #ah4 #b4  #b ,cor4 vii4 #f1 #g4 #c4
  #b ,cor4 xi4 #ac4 #d4  ,hom4 i4 in    
,tit4 #e4  ,greek3 ,presbuterous1 ,tit4 
i4 #e4 ,see the learned ,dr4 ,hammond's 
dissertation on this subject4 ,from the 
words of ,st4 ,paul1 ,tit4 i4 ,de       
,marca de ,concord4 l4 #a1 c4 #c1 n4 #b4
 and ,schelstrate1 ,t4 #b1 ,ant4        
,eccl4 ,diss4 #d1 c4 #b prove           
archbishops to be of apostolic          

institution4 #f4  ,st4 ,titus certainly 
preached in ,dalmatia1 #b ,tim4 iv4 #aj1
 c4 ,he is     honored in that country  
as its principal apostle1 on which see  
the     learned ,jesuit ,f4 ,fariat1    
,illyrici ,sacr4 ,t4 i4 p4 #cee4 ,saint 
,domnius1 who is honored among the      
saints on the #gth of ,may1 is said     
to have been ordained by him first      
bishop of ,salona1 then the             
metropolis1 which see was afterwards    
translated to ,spalatro4 #g4  ,cant4 v4 
#jhh  ,,st4 ,,gregory1 ,b4  ,,he was one
 of the principal senators of ,autun1   
and continued from the death of his wife
 a widower till the age of fifty-seven1 
at which time1 for his singular virtues1
 he was compelled from his private      
penitential life1 and consecrated bishop
 of ,langres1 which see he governed with
 admirable prudence and zeal            
thirty-three years1 sanctifying his     
pastoral labors by the most profound    
humility1 assiduous prayer1 and         
extraordinary abstinence and            

mortification4 ,an incredible number of 
infidels were converted by him from     
idolatry1 and worldly ,christians from  
their disorders4 ,he died about the     
beginning of the year #eda1 but some    
days after the ,epiphany4 ,out of       
devotion to ,st4 ,benignus1 he desired  
to be buried near that saint's tomb at  
,dijon1 which town was then in the      
diocese of ,langres1 and had often been 
the place of his residence4 ,this was   
executed by his virtuous son            
,tetricus--who succeeded him in his     
bishopric4 ,the #dth of ,january seems  
to have been the day of the translation 
of his relics4 ,he is mentioned in the  
,roman ,martyrology4 ,see his miracles  
recorded by ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours4    
,vit4 ,patr4 c4 #g4 ,hist4 ,franc4 l4   
#c1 c4 #ae1 #ai4 ,cointe ,annal4 et     
,gall4 ,christ4  ,,st4 ,,rigobert1 ,,or 
,,robert4  ,,he was abbot of ,orbais1   
afterwards bishop of ,rheims1 was       
favored with the gift of miracles1 and  
suffered an unjust banishment under     

,charles ,martel4 ,he was recalled by   
,pepin1 but finding ,milo in possession 
of his see1 retired to ,gernicour1 a    
village four or five leagues from       
,rheims1 where he led a retired life in 
the exercises of penance and prayer4 ,he
 died about the year #gej1 and was      
buried in the church of ,st4 ,peter at  
,gernicour1 which he had built4         
,hincmar1 the fifth bishop from him1    
translated his relics to the abbey of   
,st4 ,theodoric1 and nine years after1  
to the church of ,st4 ,dionysius at     
,rheims4 ,fulco1 ,hincmar's successor1  
removed them into the metropolitan      
church of our lady1 in which the greater
 part is preserved in a rich shrine2 but
 a portion is kept in the church of ,st4
 ,dionysius there1 and another portion  
in the cathedral of ,paris1 where a     
chapel bears his name4 ,see his         
anonymous life in ,bollandus2 also      
,flodoard1 l4 #b4 ,hist4 ,rhemens4 c4   
,,st4 ,,rumon1 ,b4,c4  ,,william of     
,malmesbury informs us1 that the history

 of his life was destroyed by the wars1 
which has also happened in other parts  
of ,england4 ,he was a bishop1 though it
 is not known of what see4 ,his         
veneration was famous at ,tavistock1 in 
,devonshire1 where ,ordulf1 earl of     
,devonshire1 built a church under his   
invocation1 before the year #ifj4       
,wilson1 upon informations given him by 
certain persons of that country1        
inserted his name on this day2 in the   
second edition of his ,english          
,martyrology4 ,see ,malmesb4 l4 #b4 ,de 
gestis ,pont4 ,angl4 in ,cridiensibus4  
#jhi   ,,january ,v4  ,,st4 ,,simeon    
,,stylites1 ,c4  ,from the account given
 of him by ,theodoret1 one of the most  
judicious and most learned prelates of  
the church1 who lived in the same       
country1 and often visited him2 this    
account was written sixteen years before
 the saint's death4 ,also from ,st4     
,simeon's life written by ,antony1 his  
disciple1 published genuine in          
,bollandus1 and the same in ,chaldaic by

 ,cosmas1 a priest2 all three           
contemporaries and eye-witnesses4 ,this 
work of ,cosmas has been lately         
published by ,monsignor ,stephen        
,assemani1#a from a ,chaldaic ,,ms1     
which he proves to have been written in 
the year #dgd1 fifteen years only after 
the death of ,st4 ,simeon4 ,also from   
the ancient lives of ,,ss4 ,euthyinius1 
,theodosius1 ,auxentius1 and ,daniel    
,stylites4 ,evagrius1 ,theodorus        
,lector1 and other most faithful writers
 of that and the following age1 mention 
the most wonderful actions of this      
saint4 ,the severest critics do not     
object to this history1 in which so many
 contemporary writers1 several of them  
eye-witnesses1 agree2 persons of        
undoubted veracity1 virtue1 and         
sagacity1 who could not have conspired  
in a falsehood1 nor could have imposed  
upon the world facts1 which were of     
their own nature public and notorious4  
,see ,tillemont1 ,t4 #ad4  ,a4,d4 #dei4 
,,st4 ,,simeon was1 in his life and     

conduct1 a subject of astonishment1 not 
only to the whole ,roman empire1 but    
also to many barbarous and infidel      
nations4 ,the ,persians1 ,medes1        
,saracens1 ,ethiopians1 ,iberians1 and  
,scythians1 had the highest veneration  
for him4 ,the kings of ,persia thought  
his benediction a great happiness4 ,the 
,roman emperors solicited his prayers1  
and consulted him on matters of the     
greatest importance4 ,it must1          
nevertheless1 be acknowledged1 that his 
most remarkable actions1 how            
instrumental soever they might be to    
this universal veneration and regard for
 him1 are a subject of admiration1 not  
of imitation4 ,they may serve1          
notwithstanding1 to our spiritual       
edification and improvement in virtue2  
as we cannot well reflect on his fervor1
 without condemning and being confounded
 at our own indolence in the service of 
,god4  ,st4 ,simeon was son to a poor   
shepherd in ,cilicia1 on the borders of 
,syria1 and at first kept his father's  

sheep4 ,being only thirteen years of    
age1 he was much moved by hearing the   
beatitudes one day read in the church1  
particularly these3 ,blessed are they   
that mourn2 blessed are the clean of    
heart4 ,the youth addressed himself to a
 certain old man1 to learn the meaning  
of those words2 and begged to know how  
the happiness they promised was to be   
obtained4 ,he told him that continual   
prayer1 watching1 fasting1 weeping1     
humiliation1 and patient suffering of   
persecutions1 were pointed out by those 
texts as the road to true happiness2 and
 that a solitary life afforded the best 
opportunities for enforcing the practice
 of these good works1 and establishing a
 man in solid virtue4 ,simeon1 upon     
this1 withdrew to a small distance1     
where1 falling prostrate upon the       
ground1 he besought ,him1 who desires   
all may be saved1 to conduct him in the 
paths which lead to happiness and       
perfection2 to the pursuit of which1    
under the help of his divine grace1 he  

unreservedly from that moment devoted   
himself4 ,at length1 falling into a     
slumber1 he was favored with a vision1  
which it was usual with him afterward to
 relate44 ,he seemed to himself to be   
digging a pit for the foundation of a   
house1 and that1 as often as he stopped 
for taking a little breath1 which was   
four times1 he was commanded each time  
to dig deeper1 till at length he was    
told he might desist1 the pit being deep
 enough to receive the intended         
foundation1 on which he would be able to
 raise a superstructure of what kind1   
and to what height he pleased4 ,the     
event1 says ,theodoret1 verified the    
prediction2 the actions of this         
wonderful man were so superior #jij to  
nature1 that they might well require the
 deepest foundation of humility and     
fervor whereon to raise and establish   
them4  ,rising from the ground1 he      
repaired here paired in the original    
text to a monastery in that neighborhood
 under the direction of a holy abbot1   

called ,timothy1 and lay prostrate at   
the gate for several days1 without      
either eating or drinking2 begging to be
 admitted on the footing of the lowest  
servant in the house1 and as a general  
drudge4 ,his petition was granted1 and  
he complied with the terms of it with   
great fervor and affection for four     
months4 ,during this time he learned the
 ,psalter by heart1 the first task      
enjoined the novices2 and his           
familiarity with the sacred oracles it  
contains1 greatly helped to nourish his 
soul in a spiritual life4 ,though yet in
 his tender youth1 he practised all the 
austerities of the house2 and1 by his   
humility and charity1 gained the        
good-will of all the monks4 ,having here
 spent two years1 he removed to the     
monastery of ,heliodorus1 a person      
endowed with an admirable spirit of     
prayer2 and who1 being then sixty-five  
years of age1 had spent sixty-two of    
them in that community1 so abstracted   
from the world1 as to be utterly        

ignorant of the most obvious things in  
it1 as ,theodoret relates1 who was      
intimately acquainted with him4 ,here   
,simeon much increased his              
mortifications2 for whereas those monks 
ate but once a day1 which was towards   
night1 he1 for his part1 made but one   
meal a week1 which was on ,sundays4     
,these rigors1 however1 he moderated at 
the interposition of his superior's     
authority1 and from that time was more  
private in his mortifications4 ,with    
this view1 judging the rough rope of the
 well1 made of twisted palm-tree leaves1
 a proper instrument of penance1 he tied
 it close about his naked body1 where it
 remained unknown both to the community 
and his superior1 till such time as it  
having eat into his flesh1 what he had  
privately done was discovered by the    
stench proceeding from the wound4 ,three
 days successively his clothes1 which   
clung to it1 were to be softened with   
liquids1 to disengage them2 and the     
incisions of the physician1 to cut the  

cord out of his body1 were attended with
 such anguish and pain1 that he lay for 
some time as dead4 ,on his recovery1 the
 abbot1 to prevent the ill consequences 
such a dangerous singularity might      
occasion1 to the prejudice of uniformity
 in monastic discipline1 dismissed him4 
,after this he repaired to a hermitage1 
at the foot of mount ,telnescin1 or     
,thelanissa1 where he came to a         
resolution of passing the whole forty   
days of ,lent in a total abstinence1    
after the example of ,christ1 without   
either eating or drinking4 ,bassus1 a   
holy priest1 and abbot of two hundred   
monks1 who was his director1 and to whom
 he had communicated his design1 had    
left with him ten loaves and water1 that
 he might eat if he found it necessary4 
,at the expiration of the forty days he 
came to visit him1 and found the loaves 
and water untouched1 but ,simeon        
stretched out on the ground1 almost     
without any signs of life4 ,taking a    
sponge1 he moistened his lips with      

water1 then gave him the blessed        
,eucharist4 ,simeon1 having recovered a 
little1 rose up1 and chewed and         
swallowed by degrees a few              
lettuce-leaves1 and other herbs4 ,this  
was his method of keeping ,lent during  
the remainder of his life2 and he had   
actually passed twenty-six ,lents after 
this manner1 when ,theodoret wrote his  
account of him2 in which are these other
 particulars1 that he spent the first   
part of ,lent in praising ,god standing2
 growing weaker1 he continued his prayer
 sitting2 and towards the end1 finding  
his spirits almost quite exhausted1 not 
able to support himself in any other    
posture1 he lay on the ground4 ,however1
 it is probable1 that in his advanced   
years he admitted some mitigation of    
this wonderful austerity4 ,when on his  
pillar1 he kept himself1 during this    
fast1 tied to a pole2 but at length was 
able to fast the whole term1 without any
 support4 ,many attribute this to the   
strength of his constitution1 which was 

naturally very #jia robust1 and had been
 gradually habituated to such an        
extraordinary abstinence4 ,it is well   
known that the hot eastern climates     
afford surprising instances of long     
abstinence among the ,indians4#b ,a     
native of ,france has1 within our       
memory1 fasted the forty days of ,lent  
almost in that manner4#c ,but few       
examples occur of persons fasting       
upwards of three or six days1 unless    
prepared and inured by habit4  ,after   
three years spent in this hermitage1 the
 saint removed to the top of the same   
mountain1 where1 throwing together some 
loose stones1 in the form of a wall1 he 
made for himself an enclosure1 but      
without any roof or shelter to protect  
him from the inclemencies of the        
weather2 and to confirm his resolution  
of pursuing this manner of life1 he     
fastened his right leg to a rock with a 
great iron chain4 ,meletius1 vicar to   
the patriarch of ,antioch1 told him1    
that a firm will1 supported by ,god's   

grace1 was sufficient to make him abide 
in his solitary enclosure1 without      
having recourse to any bodily restraint3
 hereupon the obedient servant of ,god  
sent for a smith1 and had his chain     
knocked off4  ,the mountain began to be 
continually thronged1 and the retreat   
his soul so much sighed after1 to be    
interrupted by the multitudes that      
flocked1 even from remote and infidel   
countries1 to receive his benediction2  
by which many sick recovered their      
health4 ,some were not satisfied unless 
they also touched him4 ,the saint1 to   
remove these causes of distraction1     
projected for himself a new and         
unprecedented manner of life4 ,in #dbc1 
he erected a pillar six cubits high1 and
 on it he dwelt four years2 on a second 
twelve cubits high1 he lived three      
years2 on a third1 twenty-two cubits    
high1 ten years3 and on a fourth1 forty 
cubits high1 built for him by the       
people1 he spent the last twenty years  
of his life4 ,thus he lived thirty-seven

 years on pillars1 and was called       
,stylites1 from the ,greek word ,stylos1
 which signifies a pillar4 ,this        
singularity was at first censured by    
all1 as a mark of vanity or             
extravagance4 ,to make trial of his     
humility1 an order was sent him1 in the 
name of the neighboring bishops and     
abbots1 to quit his pillar and new      
manner of life4 ,the saint1 ready to    
obey the summons1 was for stepping down3
 which the messenger seeing1 said1 that 
as he had shown a willingness to obey1  
it was their desire that he might follow
 his vocation in ,god4 ,his pillar      
exceeded not three feet in diameter on  
the top1 which made it impossible for   
him to lie extended on it2 neither would
 he allow a seat4 ,he only stooped1 or  
leaned1 to take a little rest1 and often
 in the day bowed his body in prayer4 ,a
 certain person once reckoned one       
thousand two hundred and forty-four such
 reverences of adoration made by him in 
one day4 ,he made exhortations to the   

people twice a day4 ,his garments were  
the skins of beasts1 and he wore an iron
 collar about his neck4 ,he never       
suffered any woman to come within the   
enclosure where his pillar stood4 ,his  
disciple ,antony mentions1 that he      
prayed most fervently for the soul of   
his mother after her decease4  ,god is  
sometimes pleased to conduct certain    
fervent souls through extraordinary     
paths1 in which others would find only  
dangers of illusion1 vanity1 and        
self-will1 which we cannot sufficiently 
guard ourselves against4 ,we should     
notwithstanding consider1 that the      
sanctity of these fervent souls does not
 consist in such wonderful actions1 or  
miracles1 but in the perfection of their
 unfeigned charity1 patience1 and       
humility2 and it was the exercise #jib  
of these solid virtues that rendered so 
conspicuous the life of this saint2     
these virtues he nourished and greatly  
increased1 by fervent and assiduous     
prayer4 ,he exhorted people vehemently  

against the horrible custom of swearing1
 as also1 to observe strict justice1 to 
take no usury1 to be assiduous at church
 and in holy prayer1 and to pray for the
 salvation of souls4 ,the great         
deference paid to his instructions1 even
 by barbarians1 is not to be expressed4 
,many ,persians1 ,armenians1 and        
,iberians1 with the entire nation of the
 ,lazi in ,colchis1 were converted by   
his miracles and discourses1 which they 
crowded to hear4 ,princes and queens of 
the ,arabians came to receive his       
blessing4 ,vararanes ,v4 king of        
,persia1 though a cruel persecutor1     
respected him4 ,the emperors ,theodosius
 the younger1 and ,leo1 often consulted 
him1 and desired his prayers4 ,the      
emperor ,marcian visited him1 disguised 
in the dress of a private man4 ,by his  
advice the empress ,eudoxia abandoned   
the ,eutychian party a little before her
 death4 ,his miracles and predictions   
are mentioned at large in ,theodoret and
 others4 ,by an invincible patience he  

bore all afflictions1 austerities1 and  
rebukes1 without ever mentioning them4  
,he long concealed a horrible ulcer in  
his foot1 swarming with maggots4 ,he    
always sincerely looked upon1 and       
treated himself1 as the outcast of the  
world1 and the last of sinners2 and he  
spoke to all with the most engaging     
sweetness and charity4 ,domnus1         
patriarch of ,antioch1 administered unto
 him the holy communion on his pillar3  
undoubtedly he often received that      
benefit from others4 ,in #dei1 according
 to ,cosmas1 on a ,wednesday1 the #b;d  
of ,september1 this incomparable        
penitent1 bowing on a pillar1 as if     
intent on prayer1 gave up the ghost1 in 
the sixty-ninth year of his age4 ,on the
 ,friday following his corpse was       
conveyed to ,antioch1 attended by the   
bishops and the whole country4 ,many    
miracles1 related by ,evagrius1#d       
,antony1 and ,cosmas1 were wrought on   
occasion2 and the people immediately1   
over all the ,east1 kept his festival   

with great solemnity4#e  ,the           
extraordinary manner of life which this 
saint led1 is a proof of the fervor with
 which he sought to live in the most    
perfect sequestration from creatures1   
and union with ,god and heaven4 ,the    
most perfect accomplishment of the      
,divine ,will was his only view1 and the
 sole object of his desires2 whence upon
 the least intimation of an order from a
 superior1 he was ready to leave his    
pillar2 nor did he consider this        
undertaking as any thing great or       
singular1 by which he should appear     
distinguished from others4 ,by humility 
he looked upon himself as justly        
banished from among men and hidden from 
the world in ,christ4 ,no one is to     
practise or aspire after virtue or      
perfection upon a motive of greatness1  
or of being exalted by it4 ,this would  
be to fall into the snare of pride1     
which is to be feared under the cloak of
 sanctity itself4 ,the foundation of    
,christian perfection is a love of      

humiliation1 a sincere spirit of        
humility4 ,the heroic practice of virtue
 must be undertaken1 not because it is a
 sublime and elevated state1 but because
 ,god calls us to it1 and by it we do   
his will1 and become pleasing to him4   
,the path of the cross1 or of contempt1 
poverty1 and sufferings1 was chosen #jic
 by the ,father for his divine ,son1 to 
repair his glory1 and restore to man the
 spiritual advantages of which sin had  
robbed him4 ,and the more perfectly we  
walk in his spirit1 by the love and     
esteem of his cross1 the greater share  
shall we possess in its incomparable    
advantages4 ,those who in the practice  
of virtue prefer great or singular      
actions1 because they appear more       
shining1 whatever pretexts of a more    
heroic virtue1 or of greater utility to 
others they allege1 are the dupes of a  
secret pride1 and follow the corrupt    
inclinations of their own heart1 while  
they affect the language of the saints4 
,we are called to follow ,christ by     

bearing our crosses after him1 leading  
at least in spirit a hidden life1 always
 trembling in a deep sense of our       
frailty1 and humbled in the centre of   
our nothingness1 as being of ourselves  
the very abstract of weakness1 and an   
unfathomed abyss of corruption4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,act4 ,mart4 ,t4 #b1   
app 4 #b4  ,lettres edifiantes et       
curieuses4 #c4  ,don ,claude ,leaute1 a 
,benedictin monk of the congregation of 
,st4     ,maur1 in #agca1 when he was   
about fifty-one years of age1 had fasted
     eleven years1 without taking any   
food the whole forty days1 except       
what he daily took at mass2 and what    
added to the wonder is1 that     during 
,lent he did not properly sleep1 but    
only dozed4 ,he could not     bear the  
open air2 and towards the end of ,lent  
he was excessively     pale and wasted4 
,this fact is attested by his brethren  
and     superiors1 in a relation printed
 at ,sens1 in #agca2 and recorded by    
,dom ,l',isle1 in his ,history of       

,fasting2 and by ,feyjoo1 in his        
,theatro     ,critico ,universal4 #d4   
,evagrius1 l4 #a1 c4 #ac1 #ad4 #e4      
,monsignor ,majelli1 a domestic prelate 
to pope ,benedict ,,xiv41 in his        
dissertation on the ,stylites1 or       
religious men living on pillars1        
represents the pillar of ,st4 ,simeon   
enclosed with rails around the     top4 
,whenever he slept a little he leaned on
 them1 or his staff4     ,this author   
shows the order of the ,stylites to have
 been propagated     in the ,east from  
saint ,simeon1 down to the ,saracen and 
,turkish     empires4 ,the inclemency of
 the air makes that manner of life      
impracticable to the ,west4 ,however1   
,st4 ,gregory of ,tours mentions     one
 7l4 #h4 c4 #ae7 ,vfilaick1 a ,lombard1 
and disciple of the abbot     ,st4      
,yrier1 who leaving ,limousin went to   
,triers1 and lived some time     on a   
pillar in that neighborhood4 ,he engaged
 the people of the     villages to      
renounce the worship of idols1 and to   

hew down the great     statue of ,diana 
at ,ardens1 that had been famous from   
the time of     ,domitian4 ,the bishop  
ordered him to quit a manner of life too
 severe     for the cold climate4 ,he   
instantly obeyed1 and lived afterwards  
in a     neighboring monastery4 ,he     
seems to have been the only ,stylite of 
the ,west4 ,see ,fleury1 l4 #ce1 ,t4 #h1
 p4 #ed4  ,,st4 ,,telesphorus1 ,p4,m4   
,,he was a ,grecian by birth1 and the   
seventh bishop of ,rome4 ,towards the   
end of the year #abh1 he succeeded      
,saint ,sixtus ,i41 sat eleven years1   
and saw the havoc which the persecution 
of ,adrian made in the church4 ,he ended
 his life by an illustrious martyrdom1  
says ,eusebius2#a which is also         
confirmed by ,st4 ,irenaeus4#b          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,hist4 l4 #d1 c4 #aj4  
#b4  ,l4 #c1 c4 #c4  ,,st4 ,,syncletica1
 ,v4  ,,she was born at ,alexandria in  
,egypt1 of wealthy ,macedonian parents4 
,from her infancy she had imbibed the   
love of virtue1 and in her tender years 

she consecrated her virginity to ,god4  
,her great fortune and beauty induced   
many young noblemen to become her       
suitors for marriage1 but she had       
already bestowed her heart on her       
heavenly spouse4 ,flight was her refuge 
against exterior assaults1 and1         
regarding herself as her own most       
dangerous enemy1 she began early to     
subdue her flesh by austere fasts and   
other mortifications4 ,she never seemed 
to suffer more than when obliged to eat 
oftener than she desired4 ,her parents1 
at their death1 left her heiress to     
their opulent estate2 for the two       
brothers she had died before them2 and  
her sister being blind1 was committed   
entirely to her guardianship4           
,syncletica1 having soon distributed her
 fortune among the poor1 retired with   
her sister into a lonesome monument1 on 
a relation's estate2 where1 having sent 
for a priest1 she cut off her hair in   
his presence1 as a sign whereby she     
renounced the world1 and renewed the    

consecration of herself to ,god4        
,mortification and prayer were from that
 time her principal employment2 but her 
close solitude1 by concealing her pious 
exercises from the eyes of the world1   
has deprived us in a great measure of   
the knowledge of them4  ,the fame of her
 virtue being spread abroad1 many women 
resorted to her abode to confer with bet
 upon spiritual matters4 ,her humility  
made her unwilling to take upon herself 
the task of instructing1 but charity1 on
 the other side1 opened her mouth4 ,her 
pious discourses were inflamed with so  
much zeal1 and accompanied with such an 
unfeigned humility1 and with so many    
tears1 that it cannot be expressed what 
deep impressions they made on her       
hearers4 ,oh1 said the saint1 how happy 
should we be1 did we but take as much   
pains to gain heaven and please ,god1 as
 worldlings do to heap up riches and    
perishable goods6 by land they venture  
among thieves and robbers2 at sea they  
expose themselves to the fury of winds  

and storms2 #jid they suffer shipwrecks1
 and all perils2 they attempt all1 try  
all1 hazard all2 but we1 in serving so  
great a master1 for so immense a good1  
are afraid of every contradiction4 ,at  
other times1 admonishing them of the    
dangers of this life1 she was accustomed
 to say1 ,we must be continually upon   
our guard1 for we are engaged in a      
perpetual war2 unless we take care1 the 
enemy will surprise us1 when we are     
least aware of him4 ,a ship sometimes   
passes safe through hurricanes and      
tempests1 yet1 if the pilot1 even in a  
calm1 has not a great care of it1 a     
single wave1 raised by a sudden gust1   
may sink her4 ,it does not signify      
whether the enemy clambers in by the    
window1 or whether all at once he shakes
 the foundation1 if at last he destroys 
the house4 ,in this life we sail1 as it 
were1 in all unknown sea4 ,we meet with 
rocks1 shelves1 and sands2 sometimes we 
are becalmed1 and at other times we find
 ourselves tossed and buffeted by a     

storm4 ,thus we are never secure1 never 
out of danger2 and1 if we fall asleep1  
are sure to perish4 ,we have a most     
intelligent and experienced pilot at the
 helm of our vessel1 even ,jesus ,christ
 himself1 who will conduct us safe into 
the haven of salvation1 if1 by our      
supineness1 we cause not our own        
perdition4 ,she frequently inculcated   
the virtue of humility1 in the following
 words3 ,a treasure is secure so long as
 it remains concealed2 but when once    
disclosed1 and laid open to every bold  
invader1 it is presently rifled2 so     
virtue is safe so long as secret1 but1  
if rashly exposed1 it but too often     
evaporates into smoke4 ,by humility1 and
 contempt of the world1 the soul1 like  
an eagle1 soars on high1 above all      
transitory things1 and tramples on the  
backs of lions and dragons4 ,by these1  
and the like discourses1 did this devout
 virgin excite others to charity1       
humility1 vigilance1 and every other    
virtue4  ,the devil1 enraged to behold  

so much good1 which all his machinations
 were not capable to prevent1 obtained  
permission of ,god1 for her trial1 to   
afflict this his faithful servant1 like 
another ,job3 but even this served only 
to render her virtue the more           
illustrious4 ,in the eightieth year of  
her age she was seized with an inward   
burning fever1 which wasted her         
insensibly by its intense heat2 at the  
same time an imposthume was formed in   
her lungs2 and a violent and most       
tormenting scurvy1 attended with a      
corroding hideous stinking ulcer1 ate   
away her jaws and mouth1 and deprived   
her of her speech4 ,she bore all with   
incredible patience and resignation to  
,god's holy will2 and with such a desire
 of an addition to her sufferings1 that 
she greatly dreaded the physicians would
 alleviate her pains4 ,it was with      
difficulty that she permitted them to   
pare away or embalm the parts already   
dead4 ,during the three last months of  
her life1 she found no repose4 ,though  

the cancer had robbed her of her speech1
 her wonderful patience served to preach
 to others more movingly than words     
could have done4 ,three days before her 
death she foresaw1 that in the third day
 she should be released from the prison 
of her body2 and on it1 surrounded by a 
heavenly light1 and ravished by         
consolatory visions1 she surrendered her
 pure soul into the hands of her        
,creator1 in the eighty-fourth year of  
her age4 ,the ,greeks keep her festival 
on the #dth1 the ,roman ,martyrology    
mentions her on the #eth of ,january4#a 
,the ancient beautiful life of ,s4      
,syncletica is quoted in the old lives  
of the fathers published by ,rosweide1  
l4 #f1 and in the ancient notes of ,st4 
,john ,climacus4 ,it appears1 from the  
work itself1 that the author was        
personally acquainted with the saint4   
,it has been ascribe to ,st4            
,athanasius1 but without sufficient     
grounds4 ,it was translated into #jie   
,french1 though not scrupulously1 by    

d',andilly1 ,vies des ,,ss4 ,peres des  
,de certs1 ,t4 #c1 p4 #ia4 ,the         
antiquity of this piece is confirmed by 
,montfaucon1 ,catal4 ,bibl4 ,coislianae1
 p4 #dag4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,she must   
not have lived later than the fourth    
century1 for we find     her life quoted
 in the fifth and sixth2 and as she     
lived eighty-four     years1 she could  
not at least be much younger than ,st4  
,athanasius4     ,from the age in which 
she lived1 she is thought by some to    
have been     the first foundress of    
nunneries1 of religious women living in 
community1 as ,st4 ,antony was of men4  
,on this head consult ,helyott1         
,hist4 des ,ord41 and ,mr4 ,stevens in  
his ,english ,monasticon1 c4 #a1 p4     
#af4 ,however1 ,st4 ,antony's sister    
found a nunnery erected when she     was
 but young1 and this was prior to the   
time of ,constantine the     ,great4    
,,january ,,vi4  ,,the ,,epiphany ,,of  
,,our ,,lord4  ,,epiphany1 which in the 
original ,greek signifies appearance or 

manifestation1 as ,st4 ,austin          
observes1#a is a festival principally   
solemnized in honor of the discovery    
,jesus ,christ made of himself to the   
,magi1 or wise men2 who1 soon after his 
birth1 by a particular inspiration of   
,almighty ,god1 came to adore him and   
bring him presents4#b ,two other        
manifestations of our ,lord are jointly 
commemorated on this day in the office  
of the church2 that at his baptism1 when
 the ,holy ,ghost descended on him in   
the visible form of a dove1 and a voice 
from heaven was heard at the same time3 
,this is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am 
well pleased4#c ,the third manifestation
 was that of his divine power at the    
performance of his first miracle1 the   
changing of water into wine1 at the     
marriage at ,cana1#d by which he        
manifested his glory1 and his disciples 
believed in him4#e ,upon so many        
accounts ought this festival to         
challenge a more than ordinary regard   
and veneration2 but from none more than 

us ,gentiles1 who1 in the persons of the
 wise men1 our first-fruits and         
forerunners1 were on this day called to 
the faith and worship of the true ,god4 
,nothing so much illustrates this mercy 
as the wretched degeneracy into which   
the subjects of it were fallen4 ,so     
great this1 that there was no object so 
despicable as not to be thought worthy  
of divine honors1 no vice so detestable 
as not to be enforced by the religion of
 those times of ignorance1#f as the     
scripture emphatically calls them4 ,god 
had1 in punishment of their apostasy    
from him by idolatry1 given them over to
 the most shameful passions1 as         
described at large by the apostle3      
,filled with all iniquity1 fornication1 
covetousness1 maliciousness1 envy1      
murder1 contention1 deceit1 whisperers1 
detracters1 proud1 haughty1 disobedient1
 without fidelity1 without affection1   
without mercy1 c4#g ,such were the      
generality of our pagan ancestors1 and  
such should we ourselves have been1 but 

for ,god's gracious and effectual call  
to the true faith4  ,the call of the    
,gentiles had been foretold for many    
ages before in the clearest terms4      
,david and ,isaias abound with          
predictions of this import2 the like is 
found in the other prophets2 but their  
completion was a mercy reserved for the 
times of the ,messiah4 ,it was to him1  
who was also the consubstantial ,son of 
,god1 that the eternal ,father had made 
the promise of all nations for his      
inheritance2#h who being born the       
spiritual king of the #jif whole world1 
for the salvation of all men1#i would   
therefore manifest his coming both to   
those that were near1 and those that    
were afar off2#aj that is1 both to ,jew 
and ,gentile4 ,upon his birth1 angels#aa
 were dispatched ambassadors to the     
,jews1 in the persons of the poor       
shepherds1 and a star#ab was the divine 
messenger on this important errand to   
the ,gentiles of the ,east2#ac          
conformably to ,balaam's prophecy1#ad   

who foretold the coming of the ,messias 
by that sign4  ,the summons of the      
,gentiles to ,bethlehem to pay homage to
 the world's ,redeemer was obeyed by    
several whom the scripture mentions     
under the name and title of ,magi1#ae or
 wise men2 but is silent as to their    
number4 ,the general opinion1 supported 
by the authority of ,st4 ,leo1          
,caesarius1 ,bede1 and others1 declares 
for three4#af ,however1 the number was  
small1 comparatively to those many      
others that saw that star1 no less than 
the wise men1 but paid no regard to this
 voice of heaven3 admiring1 no doubt1   
its uncommon brightness1 but culpably   
ignorant of the divine call in it1 or   
hardening their hearts against its      
salutary impressions1 overcome by their 
passions1 and the dictates of self-love4
 ,in like manner do ,christians1 from   
the same causes1 turn a deaf ear to the 
voice of divine grace in their souls1   
and harden their hearts against it in   
such numbers1 that1 notwithstanding     

their call1 their graces1 and the       
mysteries wrought in their favor1 it is 
to be feared1 that even among them many 
are called1 but few are chosen4 ,it was 
the case with the ,jews1 with the most  
of whom1 ,st4 ,paul says1 ,god was not  
well pleased4#ag  ,how opposite was the 
conduct of the wise men6 ,instead of    
being swayed by the dictates of         
self-love1 by the example of the crowd1 
and of many reputed moral men among     
them1 they no sooner discovered the     
heavenly messenger1 but1 without the    
least demur1 set out on their journey to
 find the ,redeemer of their souls4     
,convinced that they had a call from    
heaven by the star1 which spoke to their
 eyes1 and by an inward grace1 that     
spoke to their hearts1 they cut off all 
worldly consultations1 human reasonings1
 and delays1 and postponed every thing  
of this kind to the will of ,god4       
,neither any affairs to be left         
unfinished1 nor the care of their       
provinces or families1 nor the          

difficulties and dangers of a long and  
tedious journey through deserts and     
mountains almost unpassable1 and this in
 the worst season of the year1 and      
through a country which in all ages had 
been notoriously #jig infested with     
robbers3 nothing of all this1 or the    
many other false lights of worldly      
prudence and policy1 made use of1 no    
doubt1 by their counsellors and         
dependents1 and magnified by the enemy  
of souls1 could prevail with them to set
 aside or defer their journey2 or be    
thought deserving the least attention1  
when ,god called4 ,they well know that  
so great a grace1 if slighted1 might    
perhaps have been lost forever4 ,with   
what confusion must not this their      
active and undaunted zeal cover our     
sloth and cowardice6  ,the wise men     
being come1 by the guidance of the star1
 into ,jerusalem1 or near1 it1 it there 
disappears3 whereupon they reasonably   
suppose they are come to their journey's
 end1 and upon the point of being       

blessed with the sight of the new-born  
king3 that1 on their entering the royal 
city1 they shall in every street and    
corner hear the acclamations of a happy 
people1 and learn with ease the way to  
the royal palace1 made famous to all    
posterity by the birth of their king and
 ,saviour4 ,but to their great surprise 
there appears not the least sign of any 
such solemnity4 ,the court and city go  
quietly on in seeking their pleasure and
 profit6 and in this unexpected juncture
 what shall these weary travellers to8  
,were they governed by human prudence1  
this disappointment is enough to make   
them abandon their design1 and retreat  
as privately as they can to screen their
 reputation1 and avoid the raillery of  
the populace1 as well as to prevent the 
resentment of the most jealous of       
tyrants1 already infamous for blood4    
,but true virtue makes trials the matter
 and occasion of its most glorious      
triumphs4 ,seeming to be forsaken by    
,god1 on their being deprived of        

extraordinary1 they have recourse to the
 ordinary means of information4 ,steady 
in the resolution of following the      
divine call1 and fearless of danger1    
they inquire in the city with equal     
confidence and humility1 and pursue     
their inquiry in the very court of      
,herod himself3 ,where is he that is    
born king of the ,jews8 ,and does not   
their conduct teach us1 under all       
difficulties of the spiritual kind1 to  
have recourse to those ,god has         
appointed to be our spiritual guides1   
for their advice and direction8 ,to obey
 and be subject to them1#ah that so ,god
 may lead us to himself1 as he guided   
the wise men to ,bethlehem by the       
directions of the priests of the ,jewish
 church4  ,the whole nation of the      
,jews1 on account of ,jacob's and       
,daniel's prophecies1 were then in the  
highest expectation of the ,messiah's   
appearance among them2 the place of     
whose birth having been also foretold1  
the wise men1 by the interposition of   

,herod's authority1 quickly learned1    
from the unanimous voice of the         
,sanhedrim1 or great council of the     
,jews1#ai that ,bethlehem was the place 
which was to be honored with his birth2 
as having been pointed out by the       
prophet ,micheas1#bj several ages       
before4 ,how sweet and adorable is the  
conduct of divine providence6 ,he       
teaches saints his will by the mouths of
 impious ministers1 and furnishes       
,gentiles with the means of admonishing 
and confounding the blindness of the    
,jews4 ,but graces are lost on carnal   
and hardened souls4 ,herod had then     
reigned upwards of thirty years2 a      
monster of cruelty1 ambition1 craft1 and
 dissimulation2 old age and sickness had
 at that time exasperated his jealous   
mind in an unusual manner4 ,he dreaded  
nothing so much as the appearance of the
 ,messiah1 whom the generality then     
expected under the notion of a temporal 
prince1 and whom he could consider in no
 other light than that of a rival and   

pretender to his crown2 so no wonder    
that he was startled at the news of his 
birth4 ,all ,jerusalem1 likewise1       
instead of rejoicing at such happy      
tidings1 were alarmed and disturbed     
together with him4 ,we #jih abhor their 
baseness2 but do not we1 at a distance  
from courts1 betray several symptoms of 
the baneful influence of human respects 
running counter to our duty8 ,likewise  
in ,herod we see how extravagantly blind
 and foolish ambition is4 ,the divine   
infant came not to deprive ,herod of his
 earthly kingdom1 but to offer him one  
that is eternal2 and to teach him a holy
 contempt of all worldly pomp and       
grandeur4 ,again1 how senseless and     
extravagant a folly was it to form      
designs against those of ,god himself6  
who confounds the wisdom of the world1  
baffles the vain projects of men1 and   
laughs their policy to scorn4 ,are there
 no ,herods now-a-days2 persons who are 
enemies to the spiritual kingdom of     
,christ in their hearts8  ,the tyrant1  

to ward off the blow he seemed          
threatened with1 has recourse to his    
usual arts of craft and dissimulation4  
,he pretends a no less ardent desire of 
paying homage to the new-born king1 and 
covers his impious design of taking away
 his life1 under the specious pretext of
 going himself in person to adore him4  
,wherefore1 after particular examination
 about the time when the wise men first 
saw this star1 and a strict charge to   
come back and inform him where the child
 was to be found1 he dismisses them to  
the place determined by the chief       
priests and scribes4 ,herod was then    
near his death2 but as a man lives1 such
 does he usually die4 ,the near prospect
 of eternity seldom operates in so      
salutary a manner on habitual sinners1  
as to produce in them a true and sincere
 change of heart4  ,the wise men readily
 comply with the voice of the           
,sanhedrim1 notwithstanding the little  
encouragement these ,jewish leaders     
afford them from their own example to   

persist in their search2 for not one    
single priest or scribe is disposed to  
bear them company1 in seeking after1 and
 paying due homage to their own king4   
,the truths and maxims of religion      
depend not on the morals of those that  
preach them2 they spring from a higher  
source1 the wisdom and veracity of ,god 
himself4 ,when therefore a message comes
 undoubtedly from ,god1 the misdemeanors
 of him that immediately conveys it to  
us can be no just plea or excuse for our
 failing to comply with it4 ,as1 on the 
other side1 an exact and ready          
compliance will then be a better proof  
of our faith and confidence in ,god1 and
 so much the more recommend us to his   
special conduct and protection1 as it   
did the wise men4 ,for no sooner had    
they left ,jerusalem1 but1 to encourage 
their faith and zeal1 and to direct     
their travels1 ,god was pleased to show 
them the star again1 which they had seen
 in the ,east1 and which continued to go
 before them till it conducted them to  

the very place where they were to see   
and adore their ,god and ,saviour4 ,here
 its ceasing to advance1 and probably   
sinking lower in the air tells them in  
its mute language3 ,here shall you find 
the new-born king4 ,the holy men1 with  
an unshaken and steady faith1 and in    
transports of spiritual joy1 entered the
 poor cottage1 rendered more glorious by
 this birth than the most sumptuous     
stately palace in the universe1 and     
finding the child with his mother1 they 
prostrate themselves1 they adore him1   
they pour forth their souls in his      
presence in the deepest sentiments of   
praise1 thanksgiving1 and a total       
sacrifice of themselves4 ,so far from   
being shocked at the poverty of the     
place1 and at his unkingly appearance1  
their faith rises and gathers strength  
on the sight of obstacles which1 humanly
 speaking1 should extinguish it4 ,it    
captivates their understanding2 it      
penetrates these curtains of poverty1   
infancy1 weakness1 and abjection2 it    

casts them on their faces1 as unworthy  
to look up to this star1 this ,god of   
,jacob3 they confess him under this     
disguise to be the only and eternal     
,god3 they own the excess of his        
goodness in becoming man1 and the excess
 of human misery1 which requires for its
 relief so great a humiliation of the   
,lord of glory4 ,st4 ,leo thus extols   
their faith and devotion3 ,when a star  
had conducted them to adore ,jesus1 they
 did not find him commanding devils1 or 
raising the dead1 #jii or restoring     
sight to the blind1 or speech to the    
dumb1 or employed in any divine actions2
 but a silent babe1 under the care of a 
solicitous mother1 giving no sign of    
power1 but exhibiting a miracle of      
humility4#ba ,where shall we find such a
 faith in ,israel8 ,i mean among the    
,christians of our days4 ,the wise men  
knew by the light of faith that he came 
not to bestow on us earthly riches1 but 
to banish our love and fondness for     
them1 and to subdue our pride4 ,they had

 already learned the maxims of ,christ1 
and had imbibed his spirit3 whereas     
,christians are for the greatest part   
such strangers to it1 and so devoted to 
the world1 and its corrupt maxims1 that 
they blush at poverty and humiliation1  
and will give no admittance in their    
hearts to the humility and the cross of 
,jesus ,christ4 ,such by their actions  
cry out with those men in the gospel3   
,we will not have this man to reign over
 us4#bb ,this their opposite conduct    
shows what they would have thought of   
,christ and his humble appearance at    
,bethlehem4  ,the ,magi1 pursuant to the
 custom of the eastern nations1 where   
the persons of great princes are not to 
be approached without presents1 present 
to ,jesus1 as a token of homage1 the    
richest produce their countries         
afforded1 gold1 frankincense1 and myrrh4
 ,gold1 as an acknowledgment of his     
regal power3 incense1 as a confession of
 his ,godhead3 and myrrh1 as a testimony
 that he was become man for the         

redemption of the world4 ,but their far 
more acceptable presents were the holy  
sentiments and affections of their      
souls2 their fervent charity1 signified 
by gold2 their devotion1 figured by     
frankincense2 and the unreserved        
sacrifice of themselves by              
mortification1 represented by myrrh4#bc 
,the divine king1 no doubt1 richly      
repaid their generosity by favors of a  
much greater excellency1 the spiritual  
gifts of his grace4 ,it is with the like
 sentiments and affections of love1     
praise1 gratitude1 compunction1 and     
humility1 that we ought frequently1 and 
particularly on this solemnity1 to draw 
near1 in spirit1 to the infant ,jesus2  
making him an affectionate tender of our
 hearts1 but first cleansed by tears of 
sincere repentance4  ,the holy kings    
being about to return home1 ,god1 who   
saw the hypocrisy and malicious designs 
of ,herod1 by a particular intimation   
diverted them from their purpose of     
carrying back word to ,jerusalem1 where 

the child was to be found4 ,so1 to      
complete their fidelity and grace1 they 
returned not to ,herod's court2 but1    
leaving their hearts with their infant  
,saviour1 took another road back into   
their own country4 ,in like manner1 if  
we would persevere in the possession of 
the graces bestowed on us1 we must      
resolve from this day to hold no        
correspondence with a sinful world1 the 
irreconcilable enemy to ,jesus ,christ2 
but to take a way that lies at a        
distance from it1 ,i mean that which is 
marked out to us by the saving maxims of
 the gospel4 ,and pursuing this with an 
unshaken confidence in his grace and    
merits1 we shall safely arrive at our   
heavenly country4  ,it has never been   
questioned but that the holy ,magi spent
 the rest of their lives in the fervent 
service of ,god4 ,the ancient author of 
the imperfect comment on ,st4 ,matthew1 
among the works of ,st4 ,chrysostom1    
says1 they were afterwards baptized in  
,persia1 by ,st4 ,thomas the apostle1   

and became themselves preachers of the  
gospel4 ,their bodies were said to have 
been translated to ,constantinople under
 the first ,christian emperors4 ,from   
thence they were conveyed to ,milan1    
where the place in which they were      
deposited is still shown in the         
,dominicans' church of that city4 ,the  
emperor ,frederick ,barbarossa having   
taken ,milan1 caused them to be         
translated to ,cologne in ,germany1 in  
the twelfth century4  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,st4 ,aug4 ,serm4 #bjc1 ol4 #fd1 de div4
 #b4  ,according to ,papebroch1 it was  
pope ,julius the ,first1 in the fourth  
century1 by whom the celebration of     
these two mysteries1 the     nativity   
and manifestation of ,christ to the     
,magi1 was first     established in the 
western church on distinct days4 ,the   
,greeks still     keep the ,epiphany    
with the birth of ,christ on            
,christmas-day1 which     they call     
,theophany1 or the manifestation of     
,god1 which is the     ancient name for 

the ,epiphany in ,st4 ,isidore of       
,pelusium1 ,st4     ,gregory ,nazianzen1
 ,eusebius1 c4 ,see ,thomassi ,tr4 des  
,fotes1     ,martenne ,anecd4 ,t4 #e1 p4
 #bjf1 ,b4 et in ,nota1 ib4 #c4  ,matt4 
iii4 #ag4 #d4  ,footnote3 ,jo4 ii4 #aa4 
#e4  ,bollandus 7,pref4 gen4 c4 #d7 and 
,ruinart 7in ,cal4 in calce4 act4       
,mart47 quote a fragment of ,polemeus   
,sylvius written in #ddh1 in which      
is said that all these three            
manifestations of ,christ happened on   
this day1 though ,s4 ,maximus of ,turin 
was uncertain4 #f4  ,acts xvii4 #cj4 #g4
  ,rom4 i4 #h4  ,ps4 ii4 #h4 #i4  #a    
,tim4 ii4 #d4 #aj4 ,eph4 ii4 #ag4 #aa4  
,luke ii4 #aj1 #aa4 #ab4 ,this          
phenomenon could not have been a real   
star1 that is1 one of the     fixed1 the
 least or nearest of which is for       
distance too remote1 and     for bulk   
too enormous1 to point out any          
particular house or city     like       
,bethlehem1 as ,st4 ,chrysostom well    
observes2 who supposes it to     have   

been an angel assuming that form4 ,if of
 a corporeal nature1 it     was a       
miraculous shining meteor1 resembling a 
star1 but placed in     the lower region
 of our atmosphere2 its motion1 contrary
 to the     ordinary course of the      
stars1 performing likewise the part of a
     guide to these travellers2         
accommodating itself to their           
necessities1 disappearing or returning  
as they could best or least     dispense
 with its guidance4 ,see ,s4 ,thomas1 p4
 #c1 quaest #cf1 a4 #g4     ,federicus  
,miegius ,diss4 ,de ,stella a ,magis    
conspecta in ,thesauro                  
,dissertationum in ,nov4 ,testament4    
,amstelodami4 ,an4 #agjb1 ,t4 #a1       
,benedictus ,,xiv4 de ,canoniz4 l4 #d1  
part #a1 c4 #be4 #ac4 ,what and where   
this ,east was1 is a question about     
which interpreters     have been much   
divided4 ,the controverted places are   
,persia1 ,chaldea1     ,mesopotamia1 and
 ,arabia ,felix4 ,as they lay all more  
or less eastward     from ,palestine1   

so1 in each of these countries1 some    
antecedent     notions of a ,messias may
 be accounted for4 ,in ,persia and      
,chaldea1 by     the ,jewish captivity  
and subsequent dispersion2 also the     
prophecies     of ,daniel4 ,in ,arabia1 
by the proximity of situation and       
frequent     commerce4 ,in ,mesopotamia1
 besides these1 the aforesaid prophecy  
of     ,balaam1 a native of that        
country4 #ad4 ,num4 xxiv4 #ag4 #ae4 ,in 
the eastern parts1 particularly in      
,persia1,magi was the title     they    
gave to their wise men and philosophers4
 ,in what veneration     they were there
 held appears from the most important   
affairs1 sacred     and civil1 being    
committed to their administration4 ,they
 were deemed     the oracles of the     
eastern countries4 ,these that came to  
,bethlehem     on this solemn occasion  
are vulgarly called kings1 as they very 
likely were at least of an inferior and 
subordinate rank4 ,they are     called  
princes by ,tertullian1 7,l4 contra     

,judaeos1 c4 #i1 ,l4 #e1 contra         
,marcion47 ,see ,gretser1 l4 #a4 de     
,festis1 c4 #cj1 7,t4 #e1 ,op4 nup4 ad4 
,ratisp47 ,baronius ad ann4 l1 n4 #cj1  
and the learned author ,annot4     ad   
histor4 vitae ,christi1 ,urbini1 anno   
#agcj1 c4 #g1 who all agree that     the
 ,magi seem to have been governors1 or  
petty princes1 such     anciently being 
often styled kings4 ,see a full account 
of the ,magi1     or ,magians1 in       
,prideaux's ,connexion1 p4 #a1 b4 #d4   
#af4 ,st4 ,leo1 ,serm4 #cj1 c4 ,st4     
,caesar4 ,serm4 #aci1 c4 ,see ,maldonat4
 on     ,saint ,matt4 ii4 for the       
grounds of this opinion4 ,honoratus of  
,st4     ,mary1 ,regles de la ,critique1
 l4 #c1 diss4 #d1 a4 #b1 ,f4 ,ayala in  
,pictor     ,christian4 l4 #c1 c4 #c1   
and ,benedict ,,xiv4 de ,festis         
,christi4 l4 #a1 c4     #b1 de ,epiph4  
n4 #g1 p4 #bb4 ,this last great author  
quotes a picture     older than ,st4    
,leo1 found in an ancient ,roman        
cemetery1 of which a     type was       

published at ,rome in a collection of   
such monuments printed     at ,rome in  
#agcg4 ,t4 #a41 ,tab4 #bb4 #ag4 #a ,cor4
 x4 #e4 #ah4 ,heb4 xiii4 #ag4 #ai4 ,this
 consisted principally of the chief     
priests and scribes or     doctors of   
the law4 #bj4 ,ch4 v4 #b4 #ba4 ,ser4    
#cf1 in ,epiph4 #g1 n4 #b4 #bb4 ,luke   
xix4 #ad4 #bc4 ,myrrh was anciently made
 use of in embalming dead bodies3 a fit 
emblem of mortification1 because this   
virtue preserves the soul from     the  
corruption of sin4  #ajj  ,s4           
,,melanius1 ,b4,c4  ,,he was a native of
 ,placs or ,plets1 in the diocese of    
,vannes in ,brittany and had served ,god
 with great fervor in a monastery for   
some years1 when ,noon the death of ,st4
 ,amandus1 bishop of ,rennes1 he was    
compelled by the clergy and people to   
fill that see1 though his humility made 
great opposition4 ,his virtue was       
chiefly enhanced by a sincere humility1 
and a spirit of continual prayer4 ,the  
author of his life tells us1 that he    

raised one that was dead to life1 and   
performed many other miracles4 ,king    
,clovis after his conversion held him in
 great veneration4 ,the almost entire   
extirpation of idolatry in the diocese  
of ,rennes was the fruit of our saint's 
zeal4 ,he died in a monastery which he  
had built at ,placs1 the place of his   
nativity1 according to ,dom ,morice1 in 
#dij4 ,he was buried at ,rennes1 where  
his feast is kept on the #fth of        
,november4 ,in the ,roman ,martyrology  
he is commemorated on the #fth of       
,january4 ,st4 ,gregory1 of ,tours1     
mentions a stately church erected over  
his tomb4 ,solomon1 sovereign prince of 
,brittany1 in #hdj1 founded a monastery 
under his invocation1 which still       
subsists in the suburbs of ,rennes1 of  
the ,benedictin order4 ,see the         
anonymous ancient life of ,st4 ,melanius
 in ,bollandus2 also ,st4 ,greg4 ,tour4 
l4 de glor4 ,conf4 c4 #ee4 ,argentre1   
,hist4 de ,bretagne4 ,lobineau1 ,vies   
des ,saints de ,bretagne1 p4#cb ,morice1

 ,hist4 de ,bretagne1 note #bh1 p4 #icb4
  ,,saint ,,nilammon1 ,a ,,hermit1      
,,near ,,pelusium1 ,,in ,,egypt1  ,,who 
being chosen bishop of ,geres1 and      
finding the patriarch ,theophilus deaf  
to his tears and excuses1 prayed that   
,god would rather take him out of the   
world than permit him to be consecrated 
bishop of the place1 for which he was   
intended4 ,his prayer was heard1 for he 
died before he had finished it4#a ,his  
name occurs in the modern ,roman        
,martyrology on this day4 ,see ,sozomen1
 ,hist4 l4 #h1 c4 #ai4  ,footnotes3 #a4 
,a like example is recorded in the life 
of brother ,columban1     published in  
,italian and ,french1 in #agee1 and     
abridged in the     ,relation de la     
,mort do quelques religieux de la       
,trappe1 ,t4 #d4 p4     #ccd1 #cdb4 ,the
 life of this holy man from his         
childhood at ,abbeville1     the place  
of his birth1 and afterwards at         
,marseilles1 was a model of             
innocence1 alms-deeds1 and devotion4 ,in

 #agaj he took the ,cistercian          
habit1 according to the reformation of  
la ,trappe1 at ,buon ,solazzo in        
,tuscany1 the only filiation of that    
,institute4 ,in this most rigorous      
penitential institute his whole         
comportment inspired with humility      
and devotion all who beheld him4 ,he    
bore a holy envy to those whom     he   
ever saw rebuked by the ,abbot1 and his 
compunction1 charity1     wonderful     
humility1 and spirit of prayer1 had long
 been the     admiration of that fervent
 house1 when he was ordered to prepare  
himself to receive holy orders1 a thing 
not usually done in that     penitential
 institute4 ,the abbot had herein a     
private view of     advancing him to the
 coadjutorship in the abbacy for the    
easing of     his own shoulders in      
bearing the burden of the government of 
the     house4 ,columban1 who1 to all   
the orders of his superior1 had never   
before made any reply1 on this occasion 
made use of the strongest               

remonstrances and entreaties1 and would 
have had recourse to flight1     had not
 his vow of stability cut off all       
possibility4 ,being by     compulsion   
promoted gradually to the orders of     
deacon1 he most     earnestly prayed    
that ,god would by some means prevent   
his being     advanced to the           
priesthood2 soon after he was seized    
with a lameness     in his hands1 #agad1
 and some time after taken happily out  
of this     world4 ,these simples are   
most edifying in such persons who were  
called to a retired penitential life4   
,in the clergy all promotion to         
ecclesiastical honors ought to be       
dreaded1 and generally only             
submitted to by compulsion2 which       
,stephen1 the learned bishop of         
,tourney1 in #aagi1 observes to be the  
spirit and rule of the     primitive    
church of ,christ1 7ser4 #b47 ,yet too  
obstinate a resistance     may become a 
disobedience1 an infraction of order and
 peace1 a     criminal pusillanimity1   

according to the just remark of ,st4    
,basil1     ,reg4 disput4 c4 #ba        
,innocent ,,iii4 ep4 ad ,episc4         
,calarit4 ,decret4 l4     #b1 tit4 #i1  
de ,renunciatione4  ,,saint ,,peter1    
,,disciple of ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 
and first abbot of ,st4 ,austin's1 in   
,canterbury1 then called ,st4 ,peter's4 
,going to ,france in #fjh1 he was       
drowned near the harbor of ,ambleteuse1 
between ,calais and ,bologne1 and is    
named in the ,english and ,gallican     
,martyrologies4 ,see ,bede1 ,hist4 l4   
#a1 c4 #cc4  #aja   ,,january ,,vii4    
,,st4 ,,lucian1 ,,priest ,,and ,,martyr4
  ,from his panegyric by ,st4           
,chrysostom1 at ,antioch1 in #chg1 and  
pronounced on his festival1 ,t4 #b1 p4  
#ebd4 ,and also from ,st4 ,jerom de     
script c4 #gg4 ,eusebius1 l4 #h1 c4 #ab1
 l4 #i1 c4 #f1 and ,rufinus4 ,see       
,tillemont ,t4 #e1 p4 #dgd4 ,pagi1 an4  
#caa4  ,a4,d4 #cab4  ,,st4 ,,lucian1    
surnamed of ,antioch1 was born at       
,samosata1 in ,syria4 ,he lost his      

parents while very young2 and being come
 to the possession of his estate1 which 
was very considerable1 he distributed   
all among the poor4 ,he became a great  
proficient in rhetoric and philosophy1  
and applied himself to the study of the 
holy scriptures under one ,macarius at  
,edessa4 ,convinced of the obligation   
annexed to the character of priesthood1 
which was that of devoting himself      
entirely to the service of ,god and the 
good of his neighbor1 he did not content
 himself with inculcating the practice  
of virtue both by word and example2 he  
also undertook to purge the scriptures1 
that is1 both the ,old and ,new         
,testament1 from the several faults that
 had crept into them1 either by reason  
of the inaccuracy of transcribers1 or   
the malice of heretics4 ,some are of    
opinion1 that as to the ,old ,testament1
 he only revised it1 by comparing       
different editions of the ,septuagint3  
others contend1 that he corrected it    
upon the ,hebrew text1 being well versed

 in that language4 ,certain1 however1 it
 is that ,st4 ,lucian's edition of the  
scriptures was much esteemed1 and was of
 great use to ,st4 ,jerom4#ab  #ajb  ,s4
 ,alexander1 bishop of ,alexandria1 says
 that ,lucian remained some years       
separated from the catholic communion1#c
 at ,antioch1 under three successive    
bishops1 namely1 ,domnus1 ,timaeus1 and 
,cyril4 ,if it was for too much favoring
 ,paul of ,samosata1 condemned at       
,antioch in the year #bfi1 he must have 
been deceived1 for want of a sufficient 
penetration into the impiety of that    
dissembling heretic4 ,it is certain1 at 
least1 that he died in the catholic     
communion2 which also appears from a    
fragment of a letter written by him to  
the church of ,antioch1 and still extant
 in the ,alexandrian ,chronicle4 ,though
 a priest of ,antioch1 we find him at   
,nicomedia1 in the year #cjc1 when      
,dioclesian first published his edicts  
against the ,christians4 ,he there      
suffered a long imprisonment for the    

faith2 for the ,paschal ,chronicle      
quotes these words from a letter which  
he wrote out of his dungeon to ,antioch1
 ,all the martyrs salute you4 ,i inform 
you that the pope ,anthimus 7bishop of  
,nicomedia7 has finished his course by  
martyrdom4 ,this happened in #cjc4 ,yet 
,eusebius informs us1 that ,st4 ,lucian 
did not arrive himself at the crown of  
martyrdom till after the death of ,st4  
,peter of ,alexandria1 in #caa1 so that 
he seems to have continued nine years in
 prison4 ,at length he was brought      
before the governor1 or1 as the acts    
intimate1 the emperor himself1 for the  
word#d which ,eusebius uses may imply   
either4 ,on his trial1 he presented to  
the judge an excellent apology for the  
,christian faith4 ,being remanded to    
prison1 an order was given that no food 
should be allowed him2 but1 when almost 
dead with hunger1 dainty meats that had 
been offered to idols were set before   
him1 which he would not touch4 ,it was  
not in itself unlawful to eat of such   

meats1 as ,st4 ,paul teaches1 except    
where it would give scandal to the weak1
 or when it was exacted as an action of 
idolatrous superstition1 as was the case
 here4 ,being brought a second time     
before the tribunal1 he would give no   
other answer to all the questions put to
 him1 but this3 ,i am a ,christian4 ,he 
repeated the same while on the rack1 and
 he finished his glorious course in     
prison1 either by famine1 or1 according 
to ,st4 ,chrysostom1 by the sword4 ,his 
acts relate many of his miracles1 with  
other particulars2 as that1 when bound  
and chained down on his back in prison1 
he consecrated the divine mysteries upon
 his own breast1 and communicated the   
faithful that were present3 this we also
 read in ,philostorgius1#e the ,arian   
historian4 ,st4 ,lucian suffered at     
,nicomedia1 where ,maximinus ,,ii4      
resided4  ,his body was interred at     
,drepanum1 in ,bithynia1 which1 in honor
 of him1 ,constantine the ,great soon   
after made a large city1 which he       

exempted from all taxes1 and honored    
with the name of ,helenopolis1 from his 
mother4 ,st4 ,lucian was crowned in     
#cab1 on the #gth of ,january1 on which 
day his festival was kept at ,antioch   
immediately after his death1 as appears 
from ,st4 ,chrysostom4#f ,it is the     
tradition of the church of ,arles1 that 
the body of ,st4 #ajc ,lucian was sent  
out of the ,east to ,charlemagne1 who   
built a church under his invocation at  
,arles1 in which his relics are         
preserved4#g         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the first thing  
that is necessary in the service of     
,god1 is earnestly to search his holy   
will1 by devoutly reading1 listening to1
 and meditating on his eternal truths4  
,this will set the divine law in a clear
 and full light1 and conduct us1 by     
unerring rules1 to discover and         
accomplish every duty4 ,it will awake   
and continually increase a necessary    
tenderness of conscience1 which will add
 light and life to its convictions1     

oblige us to a more careful trial and   
examination of all our actions1 keep us 
not only from evil1 but from every      
appearance of it1 render us steadfast   
and immoveable in every virtuous        
practice1 and always preserve a quick   
and nice sense of good and evil4 ,for   
this reason1 the word of ,god is called 
in holy scripture1 ,light1 because it   
distinguisheth between good and evil1   
and1 like a lamp1 manifesteth the path  
which we are to choose1 and disperseth  
that mist with which the subtilty of our
 enemy and the lusts of our heart have  
covered it4 ,at the same time1 a daily  
repetition of contrition and compunction
 washes off the stains which we discover
 in our souls1 and strongly incites us1 
by the fervor and fruitfulness of our   
following life1 to repair the sloth and 
barrenness of the past4 ,prayer must be 
made our main assistant in every step of
 this spiritual progress4 ,we must pray 
that ,god would enable us to search out 
and discover our own hearts1 and reform 

whatever is amiss in them4 ,if we do    
this sincerely1 ,god will undoubtedly   
grant our requests2 will lay open to us 
all our defects and infirmities1 and1   
showing us how far short we come of the 
perfection of true holiness of life1    
will not suffer any latent corruptions  
in our affections to continue           
undiscovered1 nor permit us to forget   
the stains and ruins which the sins of  
our life past have left behind them4    
,footnotes3 #a4  ,st4 ,hier4 ,catal4    
,vir4 illustr4 c4 #gg1 ,ep4 #ajg1 et    
,praef4 in ,paralip4     ,item ,synopsis
 ap4 ,st4 ,athan4 ad fin4 #b4  ,the     
,greek translation of the ,old          
,testament1 commonly called of the      
seventy1 was made by the ,jews living at
 ,alexandria1 and used by all     the   
,hellenist ,jews4 ,this version of the  
,pentateuch appeared about     two      
hundred and eighty-five years before    
,christ1 according to ,dr4     ,hody1   
7de ,bibliorum ,textibus1 ,original4 et 
,versionibus1 p4 #egj1     c47 that of  

the other parts somewhat later1 and at  
different times1     as the style seems 
to prove4 ,the ,jews even of ,palestine 
at first     gloried in this            
translation1 as ,philo testifies2 but it
 being     employed by the ,christians  
against them1 they began1 soon after the
     beginning of the second century1 to
 condemn it1 alleging that it was       
not always conformable to the ,hebrew   
original4 ,this text had then           
suffered several alterations by the     
blunders1 and1 according to             
,kennicott1 some few by the wilful      
malice of transcribers2 though     these
 differences are chiefly ascribed by    
,origen to alterations of     the       
,hebrew text1 introduced after the      
version was made4 ,the seventy     being
 exploded by the ,jews1 three new       
versions were set on foot     among     
them4 ,the first was formed in #abi1 by 
,aquila1 of ,sinope1 in     ,pontus1    
whom the emperor ,adrian1 when he built 
,jerusalem1 under the     name of       

,a,elia1 appointed overseer of that     
undertaking4 ,he had been     baptized1 
but for his conduct being expelled from 
among the     ,christians1 became a     
,jew1 and gave his new translation out  
of hatred     to the ,christians4 ,a    
second was published about the year     
#age1 by     ,theodotion1 a native of   
,ephesus1 some time a ,christian1 but a 
disciple first of the heretic ,tatian1  
then of ,marcion4 ,at length he     fell
 into ,judaism1 or at least connected   
obedience to the ,ritual ,law     of    
,moses with a certain belief in ,christ4
 ,his translation1 which     made its   
appearance in the reign of ,commodus1   
was bolder than that     of ,aquila4    
,the third version was formed about the 
year #bjj1 by     ,symmachus1 who having
 been first a ,samaritan1 afterwards1   
upon some     disgust turned ,jew4 ,in  
this translation he had a double view of
     thwarting both the ,jews and       
,christians4 ,st4 ,jerom extols the     
elegance of his style1 but says he      

walked in the steps of     ,theodotion2 
with the two former translators he      
substituted ,greek3     neanis for      
,greek3 parthenos in the famous prophecy
 of ,isaiah1 7c4     vii4 v4 #ad17 and  
in that of ,jacob1 7,gen4 xlix4 #aj17   
,greek3 ta     apokeimena autoi for     
,greek3 oi apokeitai ,both which        
falsifications ,st4 ,justin ,martyr     
charges upon ,aquila1 7,dial4 cum       
,tryphon4 p4 #bbd1 #cie1 #bhd1 ed4      
,thirlbii47 and ,st4 ,irenaeus          
reproaches     ,aquila and ,theodotion  
with the former1 7p4 #bec1 ed4 ,grebe47 
,many     additions from these versions1
 and several various readings daily     
creeping into the copies of the seventy1
 which were transcribed1 to     apply a 
remedy to this danger1 ,origen compiled 
his ,hexapla1 c41 of     which see some 
account in the appendix to ,april #ba4  
,before the year     #cjj three other   
corrected editions of the old ,greek    
version were     published1 the first by
 ,lucian1 the second by ,hesychius1 and 

the     third by ,pamphilus the martyr4 
,the first was made use of in the       
churches1 from ,constantinople to       
,antioch2 that of ,hesychius was        
received at ,alexandria1 and in the rest
 of ,egypt2 and the third in     the    
intermediate country of ,palestine1 as  
we are informed by ,st     ,jerom1      
7,praef4 in ,paralip4 et ,praef4 in     
,explic4 ,daniel47 ,the edition     of  
,lucian came nearest to the ,greek3     
koine or common edition of     the      
seventy1 and was the purest as ,st4     
,jerom 7ep4 ad ,suniam et     ,fretel4  
,t4 #b1 col4 #fbg17 and ,euthymius      
affirm1 and is generally     allowed by 
modern critics1 says ,mr4 ,kennicott1   
7diss4 #b1 p4 #cig47     ,the excellent 
,vatican ,,ms4 of the seventy1 published
 7though with     some amendments from  
other ,,mss47 by ,cardinal ,carafa1 at  
the command     of ,sixtus ,v41 in      
#aehg1 is said in the preface to have   
been written     before the year #cij2  
but ,blanchini 7,vindiciae vet4 ,cod4 p4

 #cd7     supposes it somewhat later4   
,it is proved from ,st4 ,jerom's letter 
to     ,sunia and ,fretela1 and several 
instances1 that this ,vatican ,,ms4     
comes nearest to the ,greek3 koine1 and 
to ,lucian's edition1 as     ,grabe1    
7,see ,annot4 in ep4 ad ,sun4 et        
,fretel4 ,t4 #b1 col4 #fga17            
,blanchini1 7,vindiciae1 p4 #bef7 and   
,kennicott 7diss4 #b1 p4 #daf7 take     
notice3 the old ,alexandrian ,,ms4 kept 
in the ,british ,museum at     ,london1 
is thought by ,grabe to have been       
written about the year #cif2     by     
,mills and ,wetstein1 7in their         
,prolegom4 in ,nov4 ,test4 ,gr47 about  
one hundred years later4 ,it was        
published by ,grabe1 though not pure2   
for in some places he gives the reading 
of this ,,ms4 in the margin1     and    
prefers some other in the text4 ,though 
none of ,origen's ,asterics     are     
retained1 it comes nearest to his       
edition in the ,hexapla1 as     ,grabe1 
,montfaucon1 and ,kennicott agree3 in   

some places it is     conformable to    
,theodotion1 or ,symmachus1 and seems   
mostly the     ,hesychian edition4 ,see 
,montfaucon1 ,praelim4 in ,hexapla2     
,kennicott1     diss4 #b4 #c4  ,greek3  
,aposunagwgos emo ne4 #d4  ,greek3      
,arxontos #e4  #b ,b4 #b1 c4 #ab1 #ac4  
#f4  ,the ,arians boasted that ,arius   
had received his impious doctrine from  
,st4 ,lucian3 but he is justified with  
regard to that calumny by the           
silence of ,saint ,athanasius2 the      
panegyrics of ,st4 ,chrysostom and      
,st4 ,jerom2 the express testimony of   
the ancient book1 ,on the     ,trinity1 
among the works of ,st4 ,athanasius1    
,dial4 #c1 tom4 #b1 p4 #agi2     his    
orthodox confession of faith in         
,sozomen1 l4 #c1 c4 #e1 p4 #ejb2 and    
the authority of the church1 which from 
his death has always ranked     him     
among her illustrious martyrs4 #g4      
,saussaye ,mart4 ,gallic4 t4 #a1 p4 #ag4
 ,chatelain1 p4 #aad4  ,,st4 ,,cedd1    
,,bishop ,,of ,,london4  ,,he was       

brother to ,st4 ,chad1 bishop of        
,litchfield1 and to ,st4 ,celin1 and    
,cimbert1 apostolic priests1 who all    
labored zealously in the conversion of  
the ,english ,saxons1 their countrymen4 
,st4 ,cedd long served ,god in the      
monastery of ,lindisfarne1 founded by   
,st4 ,aidan1 and for his great sanctity 
was promoted to the priesthood4 ,peada1 
the son of ,penda1 king of ,mercia1 was 
appointed by his father king of the     
midland ,english2 by which name ,bede   
distinguishes the inhabitants of        
,leicestershire1 and part of            
,lincolnshire and ,derbyshire1 from the 
rest of the ,mercians4 ,the young king1 
with a great number of noblemen1        
servants1 and soldiers1 went to ,atwall1
 or ,walton1 the seat of ,oswy1 king of 
the ,northumbers1 and was there baptized
 with all his attendants1 by ,finan1    
bishop of ,lindisfarne4 ,four priests1  
,saint ,cedd1 ,adda1 ,betta1 and ,diuma1
 the last a ,scot1 the rest ,english1   
were sent to preach the gospel to his   

people1 the midland ,english2 among whom
 great multitudes received the word of  
life with joy4 ,king ,penda himself     
obstructed not these missionaries in    
preaching the faith in other parts of   
,mercia1 but hated and despised such as 
embraced the gospel1 yet lived not up to
 it1 saying1 ,such wretches deserved the
 utmost contempt1 who would not obey the
 ,god in whom they believed4 ,st4 ,cedd1
 after laboring there some time with    
great success1 was called from this     
mission to a new harvest4 ,sigbercht1 or
 ,sigebert1 king of the ,east-,saxons1  
paying a visit to ,oswy1 in #ajd        
,northumberland1 was persuaded by that  
prince to forsake his idols1 and was    
baptized by bishop ,finan4 ,when he was 
returned to his own kingdom1 he         
entreated king ,oswy to send him some   
teachers1 who might instruct his people 
in the faith of ,christ4 ,oswy called   
,st4 ,cedd out of the province of the   
midland ,english1 and sent him with     
another priest to the nation of the     

,east-,saxons4 ,when they had travelled 
over that whole province1 and gathered  
numerous churches to our ,lord1 ,st4    
,cedd returned to ,lindisfarne1 to      
confer with bishop ,finan about certain 
matters of importance4 ,that prelate    
ordained him bishop of the              
,east-,saxons1 having called two other  
bishops to assist at his consecration4  
,st4 ,cedd going back to his province1  
pursued the work he had begun1 built    
churches1 and ordained priests and      
deacons4 ,two monasteries were erected  
by him in those parts1 which seem       
afterwards to have been destroyed by the
 ,danes1 and never restored4 ,the first1
 he founded near a city1 called by the  
,english ,saxons1 ,ythancester1 formerly
 ,othona1 seated upon the bank of the   
river ,pante1 7now ,froshwell17 which   
town was afterwards swallowed up by the 
gradual encroaching of the sea4 ,st4    
,cedd's other monastery was built at    
another city called ,tillaburg1 now     
,tilbury1 near the river ,thames1 and   

here ,camden supposes the saint chiefly 
to have resided1 as the first ,english  
bishops often chose to live in          
monasteries4 ,but others generally      
imagine1 that ,london1 then the seat of 
the king1 was the ordinary place of his 
residence1 as it was of the ancient     
bishops of that province1 and of all his
 successors4 ,in a journey which ,st4   
,cedd made to his own country1          
,edilwald1 the son of ,oswald1 who      
reigned among the ,deiri1 in ,yorkshire1
 finding him to be a wise and holy man1 
desired him to accept of some           
possessions of land to build a          
monastery1 to which the king might      
resort to offer his prayers with those  
who should attend the divine service    
without intermission1 and where he might
 be buried when he died4 ,the king had  
before with him a brother of our saint1 
called ,celin1 a priest of great piety1 
who administered the divine word1 and   
the sacraments1 to him and his family4  
,st4 ,cedd pitched upon a place amidst  

craggy and remote mountains1 which      
seemed fitter to be a retreat for       
robbers1 or a lurking place for wild    
beasts1 than a habitation for men4 ,here
 he resolved first to spend forty days  
in fasting and prayer1 to consecrate the
 place to ,god4 ,for this purpose he    
retired thither in the beginning of     
,lent4 ,he ate only in the evening1     
except on ,sundays1 and his meal        
consisted of an egg1 and a little milk  
mingled with water1 with a small portion
 of bread1 according to the custom of   
,lindisfarne1 derived from that of ,st4 
,columba1 by which it appears that1 for 
want of legumes so early in the year1   
milk and eggs were allowed in that      
northern climate1 which the canons      
forbade in ,lent4 ,ten days before the  
end of ,lent1 the bishop was called to  
the king for certain pressing affairs1  
so that he was obliged to commission his
 priest1 ,cynibil1 who was his brother1 
to complete it4 ,this monastery being   
founded in #feh1 was called ,lestingay4 

,st4 ,cedd placed in it monks1 with a   
superior from ,lindisfarne2 but         
continued to superintend the same1 and  
afterwards made several visits thither  
from ,london4 ,our saint excommunicated 
a certain nobleman among the            
,east-,saxons1 for an incestuous        
marriage2 forbidding any ,christian to  
enter his house1 or eat with him4       
,notwithstanding this prohibition1 the  
king went to a banquet at his house4    
,upon his return1 the holy bishop met   
him1 whom1 as soon as the king saw1 he  
began to tremble1 and lighting from his 
horse1 prostrated himself at his feet1  
begging pardon for his offence4 ,the    
bishop touched him with the rod which he
 held in his hand1 and said1 ,o king1   
because thou wouldst not refrain from   
the house of that wicked excommunicated 
person1 thou thyself shalt die in that  
very house4 ,accordingly1 some time     
after1 the king was basely murdered1 in 
#ffa4 by this nobleman and another1 #aje
 both his own kinsmen1 who alleged no   

other reason for their crime1 than that 
he was too easy in forgiving his        
enemies4 ,this king was succeeded by    
,suidhelm1 the son of ,sexbald1 whom    
,st4 ,cedd regenerated to ,christ by    
baptism4 ,in #ffd1 ,st4 ,cedd was       
present at the conference1 or synod1 of 
,streneshalch1 in which he forsook the  
,scottish custom1 and agreed to receive 
the canonical observance of the time of 
,easter4 ,soon after1 a great pestilence
 breaking out in ,england1 ,st4 ,cedd   
died of it1 in his beloved monastery of 
,lestingay1 in the mountainous part of  
,yorkshire1 since destroyed by the      
,danes1 so that its exact situation is  
not known4 ,he was first buried in the  
open cemetery1 but1 not long after1 a   
church of stone being built in the same 
monastery1 under the invocation of the  
,blessed ,virgin1 the mother of our     
,lord1 his body was removed1 and laid at
 the right hand of the altar4 ,thirty of
 the saint's religious brethren in      
,essex1 upon the news of his death1 came

 to ,lestingay1 in the resolution to    
live and die where their holy father had
 ended his life4 ,they were willingly   
received by their brethren1 but were all
 carried off by the same pestilence1    
except a little boy1 who was afterwards 
found not to have been then baptized1   
and being in process of time advanced to
 the priesthood1 lived to gain many     
souls to ,god4 ,st4 ,cedd died on the   
#bfth of ,october1 but is commemorated  
in the ,english ,martyrology on the #gth
 of ,january4 ,see ,bede1 ,hist4 l4 #c1 
c4 #ba1 #bb1 #bc4 ,wharton ,hist4       
,episc4 ,lond4 c4  ,,st4 ,,kentigerna1  
,,widow4  ,,she is commemorated on the  
#gth of ,january1 in the ,aberdeen      
,breviary1 from which we learn1 that she
 was of royal blood1 daughter of ,kelly1
 prince of ,leinster in ,ireland1 as    
,colgan proves from ancient monuments4  
,she was mother of the holy abbot ,st4  
,foelan1 or ,felan4 ,after the death of 
her husband1 she left ,ireland1 and     
consecrated her to ,god in a religious  

state1 and lived in great austerity and 
humility1 and died on the #gth of       
,january1 in the year #gbh4 ,adam ,king 
informs us that a famous parish church  
bears her name at ,locloumont1 in       
,inchelroch1 a small island into which  
she retired some time before her death1 
that she might with greater liberty give
 herself up to heavenly meditation4 ,see
 ,brev4 ,aberden4 et ,colgan ad #g ,jan4
 p4 #bc4  ,,st4 ,,aldric1 ,,bishop ,,of 
,,mans1 ,c4  ,,this saint was born of a 
noble family1 of partly ,saxon and      
partly ,bavarian extraction1 about the  
year #hjj4 ,at twelve years of age he   
was placed by his father in the court of
 ,charlemagne1 in the family of ,lewis  
le ,debonnaire1 where1 by his           
application to the exercises of         
devotion1 and to serious studies1 and by
 his eminent virtue1 he gained the      
esteem of the whole court4 ,but the     
false lustre of worldly honors had no   
charms to one who1 from his infancy1 had
 entertained no other desire than that  

of consecrating himself to the divine   
service4 ,about the year #hba1 bidding  
adieu to the court1 he retired from     
,aix-la-chapelle to ,metz1 where he     
entered himself amongst the clergy1 in  
the bishop's seminary1 and received the 
clerical tonsure4 ,two years after1 he  
was promoted to the holy orders of      
deacon1 and1 after three years more1 to 
the priesthood4 ,the emperor ,lewis le  
,debonnaire called him again to court1  
and made him his first chaplain and his 
confessor4 ,in #hcb1 ,st4 ,aldric was   
chosen bishop of ,mans1 and consecrated 
on the #bb;d of ,december4 ,the emperor 
arrived at ,mans three days after1 and  
kept the #ajf ,christmas holydays with  
him4 ,the holy pastor was humble1       
patient1 severe towards himself1 and    
mild and charitable to all others4 ,he  
employed both his patrimony and his     
whole interest and credit in relieving  
the poor1 redeeming captives1           
establishing churches and monasteries1  
and promoting piety and religion4 ,in   

the civil wars which divided the ,french
 monarchy1 his fidelity to his prince1  
and to his successor ,charles the ,bald1
 was inviolable1 for which he was for   
almost a year expelled1 by the factious1
 from his see2 though it is a subject of
 dispute whether this happened in the   
former or in the latter reign4 ,it was a
 principal part of his care1 to maintain
 an exact discipline in his clergy2 for 
whose use he drew up a collection of    
canons1 of councils1 and decretals of   
popes1 called his ,capitulars1 which    
seems to have been the most learned and 
judicious work of that kind which that  
age produced1 so that the loss of it is 
much regretted4#a ,some fragments have  
reached us of the excellent regulations 
which he made for the celebration of the
 divine service1 in which he orders ten 
wax candles1 and ninety lamps with oil1 
to be lighted up in his cathedral on all
 great festivals4#b ,we have three      
testaments of this holy prelate         
extant4#c ,the last is an edifying      

monument of his sincere piety3 in the   
two first1 he bequeaths several lands   
and possessions to many churches of his 
diocese1 adding prudent advice and      
regulations for maintaining good order1 
and a spirit of charity1 between the    
clergy and monks4 ,in #hcf1 he was      
deputed by the council of               
,aix-la-chapelle1 with ,erchenrad1      
bishop of ,paris1 to ,pepin1 king of    
,aquitain1 who was then reconciled with 
the emperor his father2 and that prince 
was prevailed on by them to cause all   
the possessions of churches1 which had  
been seized by those of his party1 to be
 restored4 ,our saint assisted at the   
eighth council of ,paris1 in #hdf1 and  
at the council of ,tours1 in #hdi4 ,the 
two last years of his life he was       
confined to his bed by a palsy1 during  
which time he redoubled his fervor and  
assiduity in holy prayer1 for which he  
had from his infancy an extraordinary   
ardor4 ,he died the #gth of ,january1   
#hef1 having been bishop almost         

twenty-four years4 ,he was buried in the
 church of ,st4 ,vincent1 to which1 and 
the monastery to which it belongs1 he   
had been a great benefactor4 ,his relics
 are honorably preserved there at this  
day1 and his festival has been kept at  
,mans from time immemorial4 ,see his    
life published by ,baluze1 ,t4 #c1      
,miscell4 from an ancient ,,ms4         
belonging to his church4 ,the author    
produces many original public           
instruments1 and seems to have been     
contemporary4 7,see ,hist ,lit4 de la   
,france1 ,t4 #e1 p4 #ade47 ,another     
life1 probably compiled by a canon of   
the cathedral of ,mans1 in the time of  
,robert1 successor to ,saint ,aldric1 is
 given us by ,mabillon1 ,annal4 ,t4 #c1 
p4 #df1 #bdf1 #cig1 c41 but inserts some
 false pieces4 7,see ,hist4 ,lit4 ib4 p4
 #adh47 ,the life of ,st4 ,aldric1 which
 we find in ,bollandus1 is a modern     
piece composed by ,john ,moreau1 canon  
of ,mans4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,see        
,baluze1 ,capitul4 ,regnum ,fr4 ,t4 #b1 

p4 #dd4 #b4  ,ibid4 p4 #adc4 #c4  ,ib4  
p4 #fc1 #gj1 #gb1 #hj4  ,,saint         
,,thillo1  ,,called ,,in ,,france       
,,theau1 ,,in ,,flanders ,,tilloine1    
,,or ,,tilman1 ,c4  ,,he was by birth a 
,saxon1 and being made captive1 was     
carried into the ,low ,countries1 where 
he was ransomed and baptized by ,st4    
,eligius4 ,that apostolical man sent him
 to his abbey of ,solignac1 in          
,limousin4 ,st4 ,thillo was called      
thence by ,st4 ,eligius1 ordained       
priest1 and employed by him some time at
 ,tournay1 and in other parts of the    
,low ,countries4 ,the inhabitants of the
 country of ,isengihen1 near ,courtray1 
regard him as their apostle4 ,some years
 after the death of ,st4 ,eligius1 ,st4 
,thillo returned to ,solignac1 #ajg and 
lived a recluse near that abbey1 in     
simplicity1 devotion1 and austerities1  
imitating the ,antonies and ,macariuses4
 ,he died in his solitude1 about the    
year #gjb1 of his age ninety-four1 and  
was honored with miracles4 ,his name is 

famous in the ,french and ,belgic       
calendars1 though it occurs not in the  
,roman4 ,st4 ,owen1 in his life of ,st4 
,eligius1 names ,thillo first among the 
seven disciples of that saint1 who      
worked with him at his trade of         
goldsmith1 and imitated him in all his  
religious exercises1 before that holy   
man was engaged in the ministry of the  
church4 ,many churches in ,flanders1    
,auvergne1 ,limousin1 and other places1 
are dedicated to ,god1 under his        
invocation4 ,the anonymous life of ,st4 
,thillo1 in ,bollandus1 is not          
altogether authentic2 the history which 
,mabillon gives of him from the         
,breviary of ,solignac1 is of more      
authority1 7,mab4 ,saec4 #b1 ,ben4 p4   
#iif47 ,see also ,bulteau1 ,hist4 ,ben4 
,t4 i4 l4 #c1 c4 #af4 ,molanus in       
,natal4 ,sanct4 ,belgii1 c4  ,,st4      
,,canut1  ,,second son of ,eric the     
,good1 king of ,denmark1 was made duke  
of ,sleswig1 his elder brother ,nicholas
 being king of ,denmark4 ,their father1 

who lived with his people as a father   
with his children1 and no one ever left 
him without comfort1 says the ancient   
chronicle ,knytling-,saga1 p4 #ga1 died 
in ,cyprus1 going on a pilgrimage to the
 holy land1 in which he had been        
received by ,alexius ,comnenus1 emperor1
 at ,constantinople1 with the greatest  
honor1 and had founded an hospital at   
,lucca for ,danish pilgrims4 ,he died in
 #aajc1 on the #aath of ,july4 ,mallet1 
#a4 #b1 p4 #aab4  ,canut set himself to 
make justice and peace reign in his     
principality3 those warriors could not  
easily be restrained from plundering4   
,one day1 when he had condemned several 
together to be hanged for piracies1 one 
cried out1 that he was of blood royal1  
and related to ,canut4 ,the prince      
answered1 that to honor his extraction1 
he should be hanged on the top of the   
highest mast of his ship1 which was     
executed4 7,helmold1 l4 #f1 c4 #di7     
,henry1 king of the ,sclavi1 being dead1
 and his two sons1 ,st4 ,canut his      

nephew succeeded1 paid homage to the    
emperor ,lothaire ,,ii4 and was crowned 
by him king of the ,obotrites1 or       
western ,sclavi4 ,st4 ,canut was much   
honored by that emperor1 in whose court 
he had spent part of his youth4 ,valor1 
prudence1 zeal1 and goodness1 endeared  
him to all4 ,he was slain by conspiracy 
of the jealous ,danes1 the #gth of      
,january1 #aacj1 and canonized in #aaga4
 ,his son became duke of ,sleswig1 and  
in #aaeh king of ,denmark1 called       
,valdemar ,i4 and the ,great1 from his  
virtuous and glorious actions4  #ajh    
,,january ,,viii4  ,,st4 ,,apollinaris1 
,,the ,,apologist1  ,,bishop  ,from     
,eusebius1 ,theodoret1 ,st4 ,jerom1 c4  
,see ,tillemont1 ,mem4 t4 #b1 p4 #dib1  
and ,hist des ,emp4 t4 #b1 p4 #cji4     
,a4,d4 #age4  ,,claudius ,,apollinaris1 
bishop of ,hierapolis1 in ,phrygia1 was 
one of the most illustrious prelates of 
the second age4 ,notwithstanding the    
great encomiums bestowed on him by      
,eusebius1 ,st4 ,jerom1 ,theodoret1 and 

others1 we know but very little of his  
actions2 and his writings1 which then   
were held in great esteem1 seem now to  
be all lost4 ,photius1#a who had read   
them1 and who was a very good judge1    
commends them both for their style and  
matter4 ,he wrote against the           
,encratites1 and other heretics1 and    
pointed out1 as ,st4 ,jerom testifies1#b
 from what philosophical sect each      
heresy derived its errors4 ,the last of 
these works was against the ,montanists 
and their pretended prophets1 who began 
to appear in ,phrygia about the year    
#aga4 ,but nothing rendered his name so 
illustrious1 as his noble apology for   
the ,christian religion1 which he       
addressed to the emperor ,marcus        
,aurelius1 about the year #age1 soon    
after the miraculous victory that prince
 had obtained over the ,quadi by the    
prayers of the ,christians1 of which the
 saint made mention4  ,marcus ,aurelius 
having long attempted1 without success1 
to subdue the ,germans by his generals1 

resolved in the thirteenth year of his  
reign1 and of ,christ #aga1 to lead a   
powerful army against them4 ,he was     
beyond the ,danube1 7for ,germany was   
extended much further eastward than it  
is at present17 when the ,quadi1 a      
people inhabiting that tract now called 
,moravia1 surrounded him in a very      
disadvantageous situation1 so that there
 was no possibility that either he or   
his army could escape out of their      
hands1 or subsist long where they were1 
for want of water4 ,the twelfth legion1 
called the ,melitine1 from a town of    
that name in ,armenia1 where it had been
 quartered a long time1 was chiefly     
composed of ,christians4 ,these1 when   
the army was drawn up1 but languid and  
perishing with thirst1 fell upon their  
knees1 as we are accustomed to do at    
prayer1 says ,eusebius1 and poured forth
 earnest supplications to ,god in this  
public extremity of their state and     
emperor1 though hitherto he had been a  
persecutor of their religion4 ,the      

strangeness of the sight surprised the  
enemies1 who had more reason to be      
astonished at the event2 for all on a   
sudden the sky was darkened with clouds1
 and a thick rain showered down with    
impetuosity just as the ,barbarians had 
assailed the ,roman camp4 ,the ,romans  
fought and drank at the same time1      
catching the rain1 as it fell1 in their 
helmets1 and often swallowing it mingled
 with blood4 ,though by this means      
exceedingly refreshed1 the ,germans were
 much too strong for them2 but the storm
 being driven by a violent wind upon    
their faces1 and accompanied with       
dreadful flashes of lightning1 and loud 
thunder1 the ,germans were deprived of  
their sight1 beaten down to the ground1 
and terrified to such a degree1 that    
they were entirely routed and put to    
flight4 ,both heathen and ,christian    
writers give this account of the        
victory4 ,the heathens ascribe it1 some 
to the power of #aji magic1 others to   
their gods1 as ,dio ,cassius2#c but the 

,christians unanimously recount it as a 
miracle obtained by the prayers of this 
legion1 as ,st4 ,apollinaris in his     
apology to this very emperor1 who adds1 
that as an acknowledgment1 the emperor  
immediately gave it the name of the     
,thundering ,legion1 and from him it is 
so called by ,eusebius1#d ,tertullian1#e
 ,st4 ,jerom1#f and ,st4 ,gregory of    
,nyssa4#g  ,the ,quadi and ,sarmatians  
brought back thirteen thousand          
prisoners1 whom they had taken1 and     
begged for peace on whatever conditions 
it should please the emperor to grant it
 them4 ,marcus ,aurelius hereupon took  
the title of the seventh time emperor1  
contrary to custom1 and without the     
consent of the senate1 regarding it as  
given him by heaven4 ,out of gratitude  
to his ,christian soldiers1 he published
 an edict1 in which he confessed himself
 indebted for his delivery to the shower
 obtained1 ,,perhaps1 by the prayers of 
the ,christians2#h and more he could not
 say without danger of exasperating the 

pagans4 ,in it he forbade1 under pain of
 death1 any one to accuse a ,christian  
on account of his religion2 yet1 by a   
strange inconsistency1 especially in so 
wise a prince1 being overawed by the    
opposition of the senate1 he had not the
 courage to abolish the laws already    
made and in force against ,christians4  
,hence1 even after this1 in the same    
reign1 many suffered martyrdom1 though  
their accusers were also put to death2  
as in the case of ,st4 ,apollonius and  
of the martyrs of ,lyons4 ,trajan had in
 like manner forbid ,christians to be   
accused1 yet commanded them to be       
punished with death if accused1 as may  
be seen declared by him in his famous   
letter to ,pliny the ,younger4 ,the     
glaring injustice of which law          
,tertullian demonstrates by an          
unanswerable dilemma4  ,st4             
,apollinaris1 who could not see his     
flock torn in pieces and be silent1     
penned his apology to the emperor1 about
 the year #agb1 to remind him of the    

benefit he had received from ,god by the
 prayers of the ,christians1 and to     
implore his protection4 ,we have no     
account of the time of this holy man's  
death1 which probably happened before   
that of ,marcus ,aurelius4 ,the ,roman  
,martyrology mentions him on the #hth of
 ,january4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,we believe the same great 
truths1 and divine mysteries1--we       
profess the same faith which produced   
such wonderful fruits in the souls of   
the saints4 ,whence comes it that it has
 not the like effects in us8--that      
though we acknowledge virtue to be the  
richest treasure of the soul of man1 we 
take little pains about it1 passionately
 seek the things of this world1 are cast
 down and broken under every adversity1 
and curb and restrain our passions only 
by halves8--that the most glorious      
objects1 ,god and heaven1 and the       
amazing and dreadful truths1 a judgment 
to come1 hell1 and eternity1 strike us  
so feebly1 and operate so little in us8 

,the reason is plain3 because we        
meditate not sufficiently on these great
 truths4 ,our notions of them are dim   
and imperfect2 our thoughts pass so     
slightly over them1 that they scarce    
retain any print or traces of them4     
,otherwise it is impossible that things 
#aaj so great and terrible should excite
 in us no fear1 or that things in their 
own nature infinitely amiable1 should   
enkindle in us no desire4 ,slight and   
faint images of things move our minds   
very weakly1 and affect them very       
coldly1 especially in such matters as   
are not subject to our senses4 ,we      
therefore grossly deceive ourselves in  
not allotting more time to the study of 
divine truths4 ,it is not enough barely 
to believe them1 and let our thoughts   
now and then glance upon them3 that     
knowledge which shows us heaven1 will   
not bring us to the possession of it1   
and will deserve punishments1 not       
rewards1 if it remain slight1 weak1 and 
superficial4 ,by serious and frequent   

meditation it must be concocted1        
digested1 and turned into the           
nourishment of our affections1 before it
 can be powerful and operative enough to
 change them1 and produce the necessary 
fruit in our lives4 ,for this all the   
saints affected solitude and retreats   
from the noise and hurry of the world1  
as much as their circumstances allowed  
them4  ,footnotes3 #a4   #b4  ,ep4 #hc1 
ad ,magn4 #c4  ,b4 #ga4 #d4  ,hist4 ,b4 
#e1 c4 #e4 #e4  ,apol4 c4 #e4 ,l4 ad    
,scap4 c4 #d4 #f4  ,chron4 #g4  ,or4 #b1
 de #dj mart4 #h4  ,christianorum       
,,forte militum precationibus impetrato 
imbri4     ,tertull4 ,apolog4 c4 #e4    
,euseb4 l4 #e1 c4 #e4 ,some take the    
word forte     here to signify1         
casually1 accidentally1 as hap was4     
,several     learned ,protestants have  
written in defence of this miracle3 see 
,mr4     ,weston's dissertation in      
#agdh4 ,the exceptions of ,le ,clerc1   
,hist4     ,eccl4 p4 #gdd1 and of       
,moyle1 in his essay on the ,thundering 

,legion1     deserve no notice4 ,the    
deliverance of the emperor is           
represented on     the ,columna         
,antoniniana1 in ,rome1 by the figure of
 a ,jupiter     ,pluvius1 being that of 
an old man flying in the air1 with his  
arms     expanded1 and a long beard     
which seems to waste away in rain4 ,the 
soldiers are there represented as       
relieved by this sudden tempest1     and
 in a posture1 partly drinking of the   
rain-water1 and partly     fighting     
against the enemy2 who1 on the contrary 
are represented as     stretched out on 
the ground with their horses1 and upon  
them only     the dreadful part of the  
storm descending4 ,the original letter  
of     ,marcus ,aurelius concerning this
 matter1 was extant when ,tertullian    
and ,st4 ,jerom wrote4 ,see ,hier4 in   
,chron4 ,euseb4 ad annum #agf4 ,tert4   
,apol4 c4 #e1 et lib4 ad ,scapul4 ,the  
letter of ,marcus ,aurelius to the      
senate now extant1 is rejected as       
supposititious by ,scaliger1            

7,animadv4 ,in ,eus4 ad an4 #ahi474;,it 
is published in the new edition of      
the works of ,marcus ,aurelius1 printed 
by ,robert ,fowlis in #agdh1 t4     #a1 
p4 #abg1 in ,greek1 t4 #b1 p4 #abf1 in  
,latin1 with notes1 ib4 p4 #bab4        
,mamachi1 t4 #a1 p #cff4  ,,st4         
,,severinus1 ,,abbot1  ,,and ,,apostle  
,,of ,,noricum1 ,,or ,,austria4  ,from  
his life1 by ,eugippius his disciple1   
who was present at his death4 ,see      
,tillemont1 t4 #af1 p4 #afh4 ,lambecius 
,bibl4 ,vend4 t4 #a1 p4 #bh1 and        
,bollandus1 p4 #dig4  ,a4,d4 #dhb4  ,,we
 know nothing of the birth or country of
 this saint4 ,from the purity of his    
,latin1 he was generally supposed to be 
a ,roman2 and his care to conceal what  
he was according to the world1 was taken
 for a proof of his humility1 and a     
presumption that he was a person of     
birth4 ,he spent the first part of his  
life in the deserts of the ,east2 but1  
inflamed with an ardent zeal for the    
glory of ,god1 he left his retreat to   

preach the gospel in the ,north4 ,at    
first he came to ,astures1 now          
,stokeraw1 situate above ,vienna2 but   
finding the people hardened in vice1 he 
foretold the punishment ,god had        
prepared for them1 and repaired to      
,comagenes1 now ,haynburg on the        
,danube1 eight leagues westward of      
,vienna4 ,it was not long ere his       
prophecy was verified2 for ,astures was 
laid waste1 and the inhabitants         
destroyed by the sword of the ,huns1    
soon after the death of ,attila4 ,st4   
,severinus's ancient host with great    
danger made his escape to him at        
,comagenes4 ,by the accomplishment of   
this prophecy1 and by several miracles  
he wrought1 the name of the saint became
 famous4 ,favianes1 a city on the       
,danube1 twenty leagues from ,vienna1   
distressed by a terrible famine1        
implored his assistance4 ,st4 ,severinus
 preached penance among them with great 
fruit2 and he so effectually threatened 
with the divine vengeance a certain rich

 woman1 who had hoarded up a great      
quantity of provisions1 that she        
distributed all her stores among the    
poor4 ,soon after his arrival1 the ice  
of the ,danube and the ,ins breaking1   
the country was abundantly supplied by  
barges up the rivers4 ,another time by  
his prayers he chased away the locusts1 
which by their swarms had threatened    
with devastation the whole produce of   
the year4 ,he wrought many miracles2 yet
 never healed the sore eyes of ,bonosus1
 the dearest to him of his disciples1   
who spent forty years in almost         
continual prayer1 without any abatement 
of his fervor4 ,the holy man never      
ceased to exhort all to repentance and  
piety3 he redeemed captives1 relieved   
the oppressed1 was a father to the poor1
 cured the sick1 mitigated or averted   
public calamities1 and brought a        
blessing wherever he came4 ,many cities 
desired him for their bishop2 but he    
withstood their importunities by urging1
 that it was sufficient he had          

relinquished his dear solitude for their
 instruction and comfort4  #aaa  ,he    
established many monasteries1 of which  
the most considerable was one on the    
banks of the ,danube1 near ,vienna2 but 
he made none of them the place of his   
constant abode1 often shutting himself  
up in a hermitage four leagues from his 
community1 where be wholly devoted      
himself to contemplation4 ,he never ate 
till after sunset1 unless on great      
festivals4 ,in ,lent he ate only once a 
week4 ,his bed was sackcloth spread on  
the floor in his oratory4 ,he always    
walked barefoot1 even when the ,danube  
was frozen4 ,many kings and princes of  
the ,barbarians came to visit him1 and  
among them ,odoacer1 king of the        
,heruli1 then on his march for ,italy4  
,the saint's cell was so low that       
,odoacer could not stand upright in it4 
,st4 ,severinus told him that the       
kingdom he was going to conquer would   
shortly be his2 and ,odoacer seeing     
himself1 soon after1 master of ,italy1  

sent honorable letters to the saint1    
promising him all he was pleased to ask2
 but ,severinus only desired of him the 
restoration of a certain banished man4  
,having foretold his death long before  
it happened1 he fell ill of a pleurisy  
on the #eth of ,january1 and on the     
fourth day of his illness1 having       
received the viaticum1 and arming his   
whole body with the sign of the cross1  
and repeating that verse of the         
psalmist1 ,let every spirit praise the  
,lord1#a he closed his eyes1 and expired
 in the year #dhb4 ,six years after1 his
 disciples1 obliged by the incursions of
 ,barbarians1 retired with his relics   
into ,italy1 and deposited them at      
,luculano1 near ,naples1 where a great  
monastery was built1 of which           
,eugippius1 his disciple1 and author of 
his life1 was soon after made the second
 abbot4 ,in the year #iaj they were     
translated to ,naples1 where to this day
 they are honored in a ,benedictin      
abbey1 which bears his name4 ,the ,roman

 and other ,martyrologies place his     
festival on this day1 as being that of  
his death4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,a perfect spirit of       
sincere humility is the spirit of the   
most sublime and heroic degree of       
,christian virtue and perfection4 ,as   
the great work of the sanctification of 
our souls is to be begun by humility1 so
 must it be completed by the same4      
,humility invites the ,holy ,ghost into 
the soul1 and prepares her to receive   
his graces2 and from the most perfect   
charity1 which he infuses1 she derives a
 new interior light1 and an experimental
 knowledge of ,god and herself1 with an 
infused humility far clearer in the     
light of the understanding1 in which she
 sees ,god's infinite greatness1 and her
 own total insufficiency1 baseness1 and 
nothingness1 after a quite new manner2  
and in which she conceives a relish of  
contempt and humiliations as her due1   
feels a secret sentiment of joy in      
suffering them1 sincerely loves her own 

abjection1 dependence1 and correction1  
dreads the esteem and praises of others1
 as snares by which a mortal poison may 
imperceptibly insinuate itself into her 
affections1 and deprive her of the      
divine grace2 is so far from preferring 
herself to any one1 that she always     
places herself below all creatures1 is  
almost sunk in the deep abyss of her own
 nothingness1 never speaks of herself to
 her own advantage1 or affects a show of
 modesty in order to appear humble      
before men1 in all good1 gives the      
entire glory to ,god alone1 and as to   
herself1 glories only in her            
infirmities1 pleasing herself in her own
 weakness and nothingness1 rejoicing    
that ,god is the great all in her and in
 all creatures4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,ps4  
#aej4  #aab  ,,st4 ,,lucian1  ,,apostle 
,,of ,,beauvais1 ,,in ,,france4  ,,he   
preached the gospel in ,gaul1 in the    
third century2 came from ,rome1 and was 
probably one of the companions of ,st4  
,dionysius1 of ,paris1 or at least of   

,st4 ,quintin4 ,he sealed his mission   
with his blood at ,beauvais1 under      
,julian1 vicar or successor to the      
bloody persecutor ,rictius ,varus1 in   
the government of ,gaul1 about the year 
#bij4 ,maximian1 called by the common   
people ,messien1 and ,julian1 the       
companions of his labors1 were crowned  
with martyrdom at the same place a      
little before him4 ,his relics1 with    
those of his two colleagues1 were       
discovered in the seventh age1 as ,st4  
,owen informs us in his life of ,st4    
,eligius4 ,they are shown in three gilt 
shrines1 in the abbey which bears his   
name1 and was founded in the eighth     
century4 ,rabanus ,maurus says1 that    
these relics were famous for miracles in
 the ninth century4  ,st4 ,lucian is    
styled only martyr1 in most calendars   
down to the sixteenth century1 and in   
the ,roman ,martyrology1 and the        
calendar of the ,english ,protestants1  
in all which it is presumed that he was 
only priest2 but a calendar compiled in 

the reign of ,lewis le ,debonnaire1#a   
gives him the title of bishop1 and he is
 honored in that quality at ,beauvias4  
,see ,bollandus1 p4 #edj2 though the two
 lives of this saint1 published by him1 
and thought to be one of the ninth1 the 
other of the tenth age1 are of little or
 no authority4 ,tillemont1 ,t4 #d1 p4   
#ecg4 ,loisel and ,louvet1 ,hist4 de    
,beauvais1 p4 #gf4  ,footnotes3 #a4     
,spicileg4 ,t4 #aj1 p4 #acj4  ,,st4     
,,pega1 ,v4  ,,she was sister to ,st4   
,guthlack1 the famous hermit of         
,croyland1 and though of the royal blood
 of the ,mercian kings1 forsook the     
world1 and led an austere retired life  
in the country which afterwards bore her
 name1 in ,northamptonshire1 at a       
distance from her holy brother4 ,some   
time after his death she went to ,rome1 
and there slept in the ,lord1 about the 
year #gai4 ,ordericus ,vitalis says1 her
 relics were honored with miracles1 and 
kept in a church which bore her name at 
,rome1 but this church is not now known4

 ,from one in ,northamptonshire1 a      
village still retains the name of       
,peagkirk1 vulgarly ,pequirk2 she was   
also titular saint of a church and      
monastery in ,pegeland1 which ,st4      
,edward the ,confessor united to        
,croyland4 ,she is called ,st4 ,pee in  
,northamptonshire1 and ,st4 ,pege at    
,croyland4 ,see ,ingulph4 et ,ord4      
,vitalis1 l4 #d4 ,florence of           
,worcester1 ad ann4 #gad4 ,harpsfield1  
sec4 #h1 c4 #ai4  ,,st4 ,,vulsin1       
,,bishop ,,of ,,shireburn1 ,c4          
,,william of ,malmesbury informs us1    
that ,st4 ,dunstan1 when bishop of      
,london1 appointed him abbot of twelve  
monks at ,thorney1 since called         
,westminster1 where ,saint ,mellitus had
 built a church in honor of ,st4 ,peter4
 ,vulsin was afterwards chosen bishop of
 ,shireburn2 his holy life was crowned  
with a happy death in #igc4 ,he is      
called ,ultius by ,matthew of           
,westminster1 #aac but his true ancient 
name1 given by ,capgrave1 is ,vulsin4   

,see ,malmesbury de ,pontif4 ,angl4 l4  
#b4 ,capgrave and ,harpsfield1 saec4    
#aj1 c4 #i1 saec4 #aa1 c4 #af4  ,,st4   
,,gudula1 ,v4  ,,called ,,in ,,brabant  
,,goule1 ,,or ,,ergoule1 ,,in ,,flemish 
,,sinte-,r-,,goelen1  ,,patroness ,,of  
,,brussels4  ,,st4 ,,amalberge1 mother  
of this saint1 was niece to ,pepin1     
mayor of the palace4 ,gudula was        
educated at ,nivelle1 under the care of 
,st4 ,gertrude1 her cousin and          
god-mother2 after whose death1 in #ffd1 
she returned to the house of count      
,witger1 her father1 and having by vow  
consecrated her virginity to ,god1 led  
there a most austere and holy life1 in  
watching1 fasting1 and prayer4 ,by her  
profuse alms1 in which she bestowed her 
whole revenue on the poor1 she was truly
 the mother of all the distressed2      
though her father's castle was two miles
 from the church of our ,saviour at     
,morzelle1 she went thither early every 
morning1 with a maid to carry a lantern 
before her2 and the wax taper being once

 put out1 is said to have miraculously  
lighted again at her prayers1 whence she
 is usually represented in pictures with
 a lantern4 ,she died on the #hth of    
,january1 not in #fgj1 as ,miraeus says1
 but in #gab1 and was buried at ,ham1   
near ,villevord4 ,in the reign of       
,charlemagne1 her body was removed to   
the church of our ,saviour at ,morzelle1
 and placed behind the high altar2 this 
emperor1 out of veneration of her       
memory1 often resorted thither to pray1 
and founded there a nunnery1 which soon 
after changed its name of ,st4 ,saviour 
for that of ,st4 ,goule3 this house was 
destroyed in the irruptions of the      
,normans4 ,the relics of ,st4 ,gudula1  
by the care of ,charles1 duke of        
,lorrain1 7in which ,brabant was then   
comprised17 were translated to          
,brussels1 in #igh1 where they were     
first deposited to the church of ,st4   
,gery1 but in #ajdg1 removed into the   
great collegiate church of ,st4         
,michael1 since called from her ,st4    

,gudula's4 ,see her life wrote by       
,hubert of ,brabant1 in the eleventh    
century1 soon after this translation of 
her relics to ,st4 ,michael's1 who      
assures us that he took the whole       
relation from an ancient life of this   
saint1 having only changed the order and
 style4  ,,st4 ,,nathalan1 ,,bishop ,,of
 ,,aberdeen1 ,c4  ,,he possessed a large
 estate1 which he distributed among the 
poor2 and seeing that agriculture is an 
employment best suiting a life of       
contemplation1 he made this an exercise 
of penance1 joining with the same       
assiduous prayer4 ,he was a proficient  
in profane and sacred learning1 and     
being made bishop1 7to which dignity he 
was raised by the pope1 in a journey of 
devotion which he made to ,rome17 he    
continued to employ his revenues in     
charities as before1 living himself in  
great austerity by the labor of his     
hands1 and at the same time preaching   
the gospel to the people4 ,by his means 
,scotland was preserved from the        

,pelagian heresy4 ,he was one of the    
apostles of that country1 and died in   
#deb4 ,he resided at ,tullicht1 now in  
the diocese of ,aberdeen1 and built the 
churches of ,tullicht ,bothelim1 and of 
the ,hill2 in the former of these he was
 buried1 and it long continued famous   
for miracles wrought by his relics1     
which were preserved there till the     
change of religion4 ,see ,king1 the     
,chronicles of ,dumferling1 and the     
lessons of the ,aberdeen ,breviary on   
this day4 ,the see of ,aberdeen was #aad
 not then regularly established2 it was 
first erected at ,murthlac by ,st4      
,bean1 in the beginning of the eleventh 
century1 and translated thence to       
,aberdeen by ,nectan1 the fourth bishop1
 in the reign of king ,david4#b ,see    
,hector ,boetius in the lives of the    
bishops of ,aberdeen1#c and ,spotswood1 
b4 #b1 p4 #aja4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,the  
,aberdeen ,breviary resembles that      
called of ,sarum1 and contains     the  
feasts of many ,french saints4 ,it was  

printed at ,edinburg1 by     ,walter    
,chapman1 in #aeji4 #b4  ,few authentic 
memoirs of the ancient ,scotch church1  
or history1 have     been handed down to
 us1 except those of certain noble      
families4 ,a     catalogue of the       
bishops of ,galloway1 from ,st4         
,ninianus1 in #dej2 of     the          
archbishops of ,glascow1 from ,st4      
,kentigern2 of ,st4 ,andrew's1     from 
the year #hdj2 and of the bishops of the
 other sees1 from the     twelfth       
century1 is printed at the end of an old
 edition of     ,spotsword in #aff and  
reprinted by bishop ,burnet1 in an      
appendix to     his memoirs of the house
 of ,hamilton4 #c4  ,de vitis episcopor4
 ,aberd4 ,praelo4 ,afrensiano1 anno     
#aebb4   ,,january ,,ix4  ,,st4 ,,peter 
,,of ,,sebaste1 ,b4,c4  ,from the life  
of his sister ,st4 ,macrina1 composed by
 their brother ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa2 
and from ,st4 ,gregory ,naz4 ,or4 #bj4  
,see also ,theodoret1 ,hist4 ,eccl4 l4  
#d1 c4 #cj4 ,rufin1 l4 #b41 c4 #i1 and  

the judicious compilation of ,tillemont1
 in his life of ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa1
 art4 #f1 t4 #i1 p4 #egb4  ,about the   
year #chg4  ,,the family of which ,st4  
,peter descended1 was very ancient and  
illustrious2 ,st4 ,gregory ,nazianzen   
tells us1 that his pedigree was made up 
of a list of celebrated heroes2 but     
their names are long since buried in    
oblivion1 while those of the saints     
which it gave to the church1 and who    
despised the world and its honors1 are  
immortal in the records of the church1  
and are written in the book of life2 for
 the light of faith1 and the grace of   
the ,almighty1 extinguishing in their   
breasts the sparks of worldly ambition1 
inspired them with a most vehement ardor
 to attain the perfection of ,christian 
virtue1 and changed their family into a 
house of saints2 three brothers were at 
the same time eminently holy bishops1   
,st4 ,basil1 ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa1   
and ,st4 ,peter of ,sebaste2 and their  
eldest sister1 ,st4 ,macrina1 was the   

spiritual mother of many saints and     
excellent doctors2 their father and     
mother1 ,st4 ,basil the ,elder1 and ,st4
 ,emolia1 were banished for their faith 
in the reign of the emperor ,galerius   
,maximian1 and fled into the deserts of 
,pontus2 they are recorded together in  
the ,roman ,martyrology1 on the #cjth of
 ,may3 the grandmother of our pious and 
fruitful family of saints1 was the      
celebrated ,st4 ,macrina the ,elder1 who
 was instructed in the science of       
salvation1 by ,st4 ,gregory             
,thaumaturgus4 ,st4 ,peter of ,sebaste  
was the youngest of ten children1 and   
lost his father in his cradle1 some     
think before he was born2 and his eldest
 sister1 ,macrina1 took care of his     
education1 in which it was her only aim 
to instruct him in the maxims of        
religion1 and form him to perfect piety2
 profane studies she thought of little  
use1 to one who designed to make        
salvation the sole end of all his       
inquiries and pursuits1 nor did he ever 

make them any part of his employment1   
confining his views to a monastic state4
 ,his mother had founded two            
monasteries1 one for men1 the other for 
women2 the former she put under the     
direction of her son ,basil1 the latter 
under that of her daughter ,macrina4    
,peter1 whose thoughts were wholly bent 
on cultivating the seeds of piety that  
had been sown in him1 retired into the  
house governed by his brother1 situated 
on the bank of the river ,iris2 when    
,st4 ,basil was obliged to quit that    
post1 in #cfb1 he left the abbacy in the
 hands of ,st4 ,peter1 who discharged   
this office for #aae several years with 
great prudence and virtue4 ,when the    
provinces of ,pontus and ,cappadocia    
were visited by a severe famine1 he gave
 a remarkable proof of his charity2     
human prudence would have advised him to
 be frugal in the relief of others1 till
 his own family should be secured       
against that calamity2 but ,peter had   
studied the principles of ,christian    

charity in another school1 and liberally
 disposed of all that belonged to his   
monastery1 and whatever he could raise1 
to supply with necessaries the numerous 
crowds that daily resorted to him1 in   
that time of distress4 ,soon after ,st4 
,basil was made bishop of ,caesarea in  
,cappadocia1 in #cgj1 he promoted his   
brother ,peter to the priesthood2 the   
holy abbot looked on the holy orders he 
had received as a fresh engagement to   
perfection4 ,his brother ,st4 ,basil    
died on the #ast of ,january1 in #cgi1  
and his sister ,macrina in ,november1   
the same year4 ,eustathius1 bishop of   
,sebaste1 in ,armenia1 a violent ,arian1
 and a furious persecutor of ,st4       
,basil1 seems to have died soon after   
them1 for ,st4 ,peter was consecrated   
bishop of ,sebaste in #chj1 to root out 
the ,arian heresy in that diocese1 where
 it had taken deep root2 the zeal of a  
saint was necessary1 nor can we doubt   
but ,god placed our saint in that       
dignity for this purpose4 ,a letter     

which ,st4 ,peter wrote1 and which is   
prefixed to ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa's   
books against ,eunomius1 has entitled   
him to a rank among the ecclesiastical  
writers1 and is a standing proof1 that  
though he had confined himself to sacred
 studies1 yet by good conversation and  
reading1 and by the dint of genius1 and 
an excellent understanding1 he was      
inferior to none but his incomparable   
brother ,basil1 and his colleague       
,nazianzen1 in solid eloquence4 ,in     
#cha1 he attended the general council   
held at ,constantinople1 and joined the 
other bishops in condemning the         
,macedonian heretics4 ,not only his     
brother ,st4 ,gregory1 but also         
,theodoret1 and all antiquity1 bear     
testimony to his extraordinary sanctity1
 prudence1 and zeal4 ,his death happened
 in summer1 about the year #chg1 and his
 brother of ,nyssa mentions1 that his   
memory was honored at ,sebaste 7probably
 the very year after his death7 by an   
anniversary solemnity1 with several     

martyrs of that city4#a ,his name occurs
 in the ,roman ,martyrology1 on the #ith
 of ,january4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,we admire to see 
a whole family of saints6 ,this prodigy 
of grace1 under ,god1 was owing to the  
example1 prayers1 and exhortations of   
the elder ,st4 ,macrina1 which had this 
wonderful influence and effect2 from her
 they learned most heartily and deeply  
to imbibe the true spirit of self-denial
 and humility1 which all ,christians    
confess to be the fundamental maxim of  
the gospel2 but this they generally     
acknowledge in speculation only1 whereas
 it is in the heart that this foundation
 is to be laid3 we must entertain no    
attachment1 says ,st4 ,gregory of       
,nyssa1#b to any thing1 especially where
 there is most danger of passion1 by    
some sensual pleasure annexed2 and we   
must begin by being upon our guard      
against sensuality in eating1 which is  
the most ancient enemy1 and the father  
of vice3 we must observe in our whole   

life the most exact rule of temperance1 
never making the pleasure of sense our  
end1 but only the necessity of the use  
we make of things1 even those in which a
 pleasure is taken4 ,in another treatise
 he says1#c he who despises the world1  
must also renounce himself1 so as never 
to follow his own will1 but purely to   
seek in all things the will of ,god2 we 
are his in justice1 his will must be the
 law and rule of our whole life4 ,this  
precept of dying to ourselves1 that     
,christ may live in us1 and all our     
affections and actions governed by his  
spirit1 is excellently inculcated by    
,st4 ,basil the ,great4#d  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,st4 ,gr4 ,nyss4 ep4 ad ,flav4 t4  
#c1 p4 #fde4 #b4  ,st4 ,gr4 ,nyss4 de   
,virg4 c4 #i4 #c4  ,st4 ,basil1 in ,ps4 
#cd1 de ,bapt4 l4 #a1 et interr4 #bcg4  
#d4  ,id4 de perfecta ,christi forma4   
#aaf  ,,ss4 ,,julian ,,and ,,basilissa1 
,,mm4  ,,according to their acts1 and   
the ancient ,martyrologies1 though      
engaged in a married state1 they by     

mutual consent lived in perpetual       
chastity1 sanctified themselves by the  
most perfect exercises of an ascetic    
life1 and employed their revenues in    
relieving the poor and the sick2 for    
this purpose they converted their house 
into a kind of hospital1 in which1 if we
 may credit their acts1 they sometimes  
entertained a thousand indigent persons4
 ,basilissa attended those of her sex1  
in separate lodgings from the men1 of   
whom ,julian took care1 who from his    
charity is surnamed the ,hospitalarian4 
,egypt1 where they lived1 had then begun
 to abound with examples of persons1    
who1 either in cities or in deserts1    
devoted themselves to the most perfect  
exercises of charity1 penance1 and      
contemplation4 ,basilissa1 after having 
stood severe persecutions1 died in      
peace2 ,julian survived her many years1 
and received the crown of a glorious    
martyrdom1 together with ,celsus a      
youth1 ,antony a priest1 ,anastatius1   
and ,marcianilla the mother of ,celsus4 

,they seem to have suffered in the reign
 of ,maximin ,,ii41 in #cac1 on the #fth
 of ,january2 for1 in the most ancient  
lectionary used in the church of ,paris1
 under the first race of the ,french    
kings1 quoted by ,chatelain1#a and      
several ancient calendars1 their        
festival is marked on that day1 or on   
the eve4 ,on account of the concurrence 
of the ,epiphany1 it was deferred in    
different churches to the #g1 #h1 #i1   
#aj1 #aa1 #ab1 #ac1 #ad1 #ag1 #bg1 #bh1 
or #bith1 of ,january2 #ab1 #ac1 #ad1   
#ag1 #ai1 #bd1 or #bgth1 of ,february2  
#bj1 #ba1 or #bb;d of ,june2 or #cast of
 ,august4 ,the menology1 published by   
,canisius1 places the martyrdom of ,st4 
,julian and his companions1 at          
,antinopolis in ,egypt2 certain ancient 
,,ms4 copies of the ,martyrology1 which 
bear the name of ,st4 ,jerom1 say more  
correctly ,antinous3 by mistaking the   
abbreviation of this name in some ,,ms4 
copies1 several ,latins have read it    
,antioch2#b and the ,latin acts say     

these martyrs suffered at ,antioch in   
,egypt3 but no town of that name is ever
 mentioned in that country2 though      
,seleucus1 the son of ,antiochus1 gave  
it to sixteen cities which he built in  
,asia1 as ,appian takes notice4 ,many   
churches and hospitals in the east1 and 
especially in the west1 bear the name of
 one or other of these martyrs3 at      
,antioch1 in ,syria1 our ,st4 ,julian   
was titular saint of a famous church and
 ,st4 ,julian of ,anazarbus1 of two     
others4 ,chatelain#c proves from ancient
 images and other monuments1 that four  
churches at home1 and three out of five 
at ,paris1 which bear the name of ,st4  
,julian1 were originally dedicated under
 the name of ,st4 ,julian the           
hospitalarian and martyr2 though some of
 these latter afterward took either ,st4
 ,julian bishop of ,mans1 confessor1 or 
,st4 ,julian of ,brioude1 martyr1 for   
patron4 ,the same has happened to some1 
out of the great number of churches and 
hospitals in the ,low ,countries1       

erected under his invocation2 but the   
hospitalarian and martyr is still       
retained in the office of the greatest  
part1 especially at ,brussels1 ,antwerp1
 ,tournay1 ,douay1 c4 ,in the time of   
,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 the skull of  
,st4 ,julian1 husband of ,st4           
,basilissa1 was brought out of the east 
into ,france1 and given to queen        
,brunehault2 she gave it to the nunnery 
which she founded at ,etampes2 part of  
it is at present in the #aag monastery  
of ,morigny1 near ,etampes1 and part in 
the church of the regular canonesses of 
,st4 ,basilissa1 at ,paris4#d           
,footnotes3 #a4  ,notes sur le          
,martyrol4 #f ,jan41 p4 #ajf4 ,mabill4  
,lit4 ,gallic4 l4 #b1     pp4 #aae1     
#aaf4 #b4  ,the abbreviation ,antio for 
,antinous1 found in a ,,ms4 copy        
mentioned     by ,chatelain1 p4 #ajf1   
was probably mistaken for ,antioch1 a   
name     better known4 ,certain         
circumstances related from the false    
acts of     these martyrs1 by ,st4      

,antoninus1 gave occasion to the        
painters in     ,italy to represent ,st4
 ,julian as a sportsman with a hawk on  
his     hand2 and in ,france1 as a      
boatsman1 in a barge2 and the postilions
     and bargemen keep his feast1 as of 
their principal patron4 #c4  ,notes on  
,jan4 #f1 p4 #aji4 #d4  ,see ,chatelain1
 notes on ,jan4 #f1 p4 #aaj1 from a     
,,ms4 at ,morigny4   ,,st4 ,,marciana1  
,v4,m4  ,,she was a native of ,rusuccur 
in ,mauritania1 and courageously        
despising all worldly advantages1 to    
secure to herself the possession of the 
precious jewel of heavenly grace1 she   
was called to the trial in the          
persecution of ,dioclesian1 which was   
continued in ,africa under his          
successors1 till the death of ,severus1 
who was declared ,caesar in #cje1 and   
slain in #cji4 ,st4 ,marciana was beaten
 with clubs1 and her chastity exposed to
 the rude attempts of pagan gladiators1 
in which danger ,god miraculously       
preserved her1 and she became the happy 

instrument of the conversion of one of  
them to the faith3 at length she was    
torn in pieces by a wild bull and a     
leopard1 in the amphitheatre at         
,caesarea in ,mauritania4 ,she is the   
same who is commemorated on the #abth of
 ,july1 in the ancient breviary of      
,toledo2 and in the ,roman1 and some    
other ,martyrologies1 both on the #ith  
of ,july1 and on the #ith of ,january4  
,see a beautiful ancient hymn in her    
praise1 in the ,mozarabic breviary1 and 
her acts in ,bollandus1 though their    
authority is not altogether certain4    
,consult ,tillemont1 t4 #e1 p4 #bfc4    
,chatelain1 notes on the #ith of        
,january p4 #adf4  ,,st4 ,,brithwald1   
,,archbishop ,,of ,,canterbury4  ,,he   
was abbot of ,glastenbury1 but resigning
 that dignity1 came to the little       
monastery of ,riculf1 or ,riculver1 near
 the isle of ,thanet1 in ,kent1 that he 
might improve himself in the study of   
the ,holy ,scriptures1 in the           
neighborhood of ,st4 ,theodorus2 after  

whose death he was promoted to the see  
of ,canterbury1 in #fib1 in which he sat
 thirty-seven years and six months1 a   
living icon of perfection to this       
church4 ,he died in #gca4 ,see ,john of 
,glastenbury1 published by ,hearne2     
,william of ,malmesbury1 in the         
antiquities of ,glastenbury1 published  
by ,thomas ,gale2 and ,bede1 l4 #e1 c4  
#i1 and #bd4  ,,st4 ,,felan1 ,,or       
,,foelan1 ,,abbot  ,,his name is famous 
in the ancient ,scottish and ,irish     
,calendars4 ,the example and            
instructions of his pious parents1      
,feriach and ,st4 ,kentigerna1 inspired 
him from the cradle with the most ardent
 love of virtue4 ,in his youth1         
despising the flattering worldly        
advantages to which high birth and a    
great fortune entitled him1 he received 
the monastic habit from a holy abbot    
named ,mundus1 and passed many years in 
a cell at some distance from the        
monastery1 not far from ,st4 ,andrew's4 
,he was by compulsion drawn from this   

close solitude1 being chosen abbot4 ,his
 sanctity in this public station shone  
forth with a bright light4 ,after some  
years he resigned this charge1 and      
retired to his uncle ,congan1 brother to
 his mother1 in a place called ,siracht1
 a mountainous part of ,glendarchy1 now 
in ,fifeshire1 where1 with the          
assistance of seven others1 he built a  
church1 near which he served for several
 years4 ,god glorified him by a         
wonderful gift of miracles2 and called  
him to the reward of his labors on the  
#ith of ,january1 in the seventh        
century4 #aah ,he was buried in         
,straphilline1 and his relics were long 
preserved there with honor4 ,this       
account is given us of him in the       
lessons of the ,aberdeen ,breviary4#a   
,the ,scottish historians#b attribute to
 the intercession of ,st4 ,felan a      
memorable victory obtained by king      
,robert ,bruce1 in #acad1 over a        
numerous army of ,english1 at           
,bannocburn1 not far from ,sterling1 in 

the reign of ,edward ,,ii4 of ,england1 
who narrowly escaped1 being obliged to  
pass the ,tweed in a boat1 with only one
 companion4 ,see ,lesley1 l4 #ag2       
,boetius1 l4 #ad4 ,chatelain certainly  
mistakes in confounding this saint with 
,st4 ,finan1 bishop of ,lindisfarne4#c  
,footnotes3 #a4  ,t4 #a1 part #b1 fol4  
#bh4 #b4  ,hector ,boetius1 l4 #ad1 c4  
#c4  ,st4 ,felan flourished in the      
county of ,fife1 and probably in the    
monastery of ,pettinuime1 where his     
memory was famous1 as is     testified  
by the author of ,,ms4 memoirs on the   
,scottish saints1     preserved in the  
college of the ,scots at ,paris1 who    
declares himself     to have been a     
missionary priest in ,scotland to #afji4
 ,the county of     ,fife was famous for
 the rich and most ancient monasteries  
of     ,dumferling1 ,lindore1 ,st4      
,andrew's1 or ,colrosse1 or ,courose1   
,pettinuime1 ,balmure1 and ,petmoace2   
and two stately nunneries3              
,aberdaure and ,elcho4 ,all these noble 

buildings they levelled to the          
ground with incredible fury1 crying1    
,pull down1 pull down3 the     crows'   
nest must be utterly exterminated1 lest 
they should return     and attempt again
 to renew their settlement4 ,ib4 ,,ms4  
fol4 #g4  ,,st4 ,,adrian1 ,,abbot ,,at  
,,canterbury  ,,divine ,providence      
conducted this holy man to ,britain1 in 
order to make him an instructor of      
innumerable saints4 ,adrian was an      
,african by birth1 and was abbot of     
,nerida1 not far from ,naples1 when pope
 ,vitalian1 upon the death of ,st4      
,deusdedit the archbishop of            
,canterbury1 judged him1 for his skill  
in sacred learning1 and experience in   
the paths of true interior virtue1 to be
 of all others the most proper person to
 be the doctor of a nation1 zealous in  
the pursuit of virtue1 but as yet       
ignorant in the sciences1 and in the    
canons of the church4 ,the humble       
servant of ,god found means to decline  
that dignity1 by recommending ,st4      

,theodorus as most capable1 but refused 
not to share in the laborious part of   
the ministry4 ,the pope therefore       
enjoined him to be the companion1       
assistant1 and adviser of the apostolic 
archbishop1 which charge ,adrian        
willingly took upon himself4 ,in        
travelling through ,france with ,st4    
,theodorus1 he was stopped by ,ebroin1  
the jealous mayor of the palace1 who    
feared lest the emperor of the ,east had
 given these two persons1 who were his  
born subjects1 some commission in favor 
of his pretensions to the western       
kingdoms4 ,adrian stayed a long time in 
,france1 at ,meaux1 and in other places1
 before he was allowed to pursue his    
journey4 ,st4 ,theodorus established him
 abbot of the monastery of ,,ss4 ,peter 
and ,paul1 afterward called ,st4        
,austin1 near ,canterbury1 where he     
taught the learned languages and the    
sciences1 and principally the precepts  
and maxims of our divine religion4 ,he  
had illustrated this island by his      

heavenly doctrine1 and the bright       
example of his virtues1 for the space of
 thirty-nine years1 when he departed to 
our ,lord on the #ith of ,january1 in   
the year #gaj4 ,his tomb was famed for  
miracles1 as we are assured by ,joscelin
 the ,monk1 quoted by ,william of       
,malmesbury and ,capgrave2 and his name 
is inserted in the ,english calendars4  
,see ,bede1 l4 #d1 c4 #a1 l4 #e1 c4 #ba4
 ,malmesb4 de ,pontif4 ,angl4 and       
,capgrave4  ,,st4 ,,vaneng1 ,c4  ,,from 
various fragments of ancient histories  
of his life1 the most modern of which   
was compiled in the twelfth century1 it 
appears that ,vaneng was made by        
,clotaire ,,iii4 governor of that part  
of ,neustria1 or ,normandy1 which was   
anciently inhabited by the ,caletes1 and
 is called ,pais de ,caux1 #aai at which
 time he took great pleasure in hunting4
 ,nevertheless1 he was very pious1 and  
particularly devout to ,st4 ,eulalia of 
,barcelona1 called in ,guienne1 ,st4    
,aulaire4 ,one night be seemed1 in a    

dream1 to hear that holy ,virgin and    
,martyr repeat to him those words of our
 blessed ,redeemer in the gospel1 that  
it is easier for a camel to pass through
 the eye of a needle1 than for a rich   
man to be saved4 ,soon after this he    
quitted the world1 assisted ,st4        
,vandrille in building the churches of  
,,ss4 ,peter and ,paul at ,fontenelles1 
and founded in the valley of ,fecam#a a 
church in honor of the holy ,trinity1   
with a great nunnery adjoining1 under   
the direction of ,st4 ,owes and ,st4    
,vandrille4 ,hildemarca1 a very virtuous
 nun1 was called from ,bourdeaux1 and   
appointed the first abbess4 ,under her1 
three hundred and sixty nuns served ,god
 in this house1 and were divided into as
 many choirs as were sufficient1 by     
succeeding one another1 to continue the 
divine office night and day without     
interruption4 ,st4 ,vaneng died about   
the year #fhh1 and is honored1 in the   
,gallican and ,benedictin               
,martyrologies1 on the #ith of ,january2

 but at ,st4 ,vandrille's1 and in other 
monasteries in ,normandy1 on the #cast  
of ,january4 ,this saint is titular     
patron of several churches in ,aquitain 
and ,normandy2 one near ,touars in      
,poictou has given its name to the      
village of ,st4 ,vaneng4 ,his body is   
possessed in a rich shrine1 in the      
abbatial church of ,our ,lady at ,ham1  
in ,picardy1 belonging to the regular   
canons of ,st4 ,genevieve4 ,see         
,mabillon1 t4 #b1 p4 #igb2 ,bollandus1  
and chiefly the life of ,st4 ,vaneng1   
judiciously collected and printed at    
,paris in #agjj2b also1 the breviary of 
the abbey of ,fontenelle1 now ,st4      
,vandrille's4 ,the abbeys of ,fecam1    
,st4 ,vandrille1 ,jumiege1 ,bec1 ,st4   
,stephen's at ,caen1 ,cerisy1 c41 are   
now of the reformed congregation of ,st4
 ,maur1 abbot of ,st4 ,benignus1 at     
,dijon1 whose life ,bollandus has given 
us among the saints1 ,january #a4       
,fecam1 honored by the dukes of         
,normandy above all their other         

monasteries1 is the richest and most    
magnificent abbey in ,normandy4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the monastery of      
,fecam was ruined in the invasion of the
 ,normans4     ,rollo1 who came into    
,france in #hgf1 was baptized1 and1     
after having     founded the duchy of   
,normandy1 died in #iag4 ,his sepulchral
 monument     is shown in one of the    
chapels near the door in the cathedral  
at     ,rouen4 ,his son ,william built a
 palace at ,fecam1 where his son        
,richard was born4 ,the church of the   
,holy ,trinity being     re-established1
 this ,richard placed in it secular     
canons2 but1 on     his death-bed1      
ordered it to be put into the hands of  
the monks4     ,this was executed by his
 successor1 the monks being sent by     
,william     the most holy abbot4 #b4   
,ferrarius1 an ,italian servite1        
,du-,saussaye1 ,bollandus1 and ,f4      
,giry1     place among the saints of    
this day1 ,sithride1 or ,sedredo1 an    
,english     virgin1 and second abbess  

of ,farmoutiers4 ,bede tells us 7l4 #c1 
c4 #h7     that she was daughter of ,st4
 ,hereswide1 by a former husband1 before
     she married ,annas1 king of the    
,east ,angles1 and that going to the    
monastery of ,brie1 7now ,farmoutiers17 
she was second abbess between     ,st4  
,fara and ,st4 ,aubierge1 ,king ,annas's
 own daughter4 ,but though ,st4         
,aubierge be honored at ,farmoutiers in 
,july1 with great solemnity1     and    
,st4 ,arthongate in ,february1 the name 
of ,sedredo is not found in     the     
calendar of any church1 nor are any of  
her relics enshrined like     the       
others1 unless she be the same with ,st4
 ,sissetrudis1 who in some     calendars
 is named on the #fth1 in others on the 
#gth of ,may4 ,but ,st4     ,sissetrude 
is called by ,jonas of ,bobio1 cellerer1
 not abbess4 ,see     ,chatelain1 c4 #c4
  #abj   ,,january ,x4  ,,saint         
,,william1 ,,confessor1  ,,archbishop   
,,of ,,bourges4  ,from his life written 
by a faithful acquaintance at ,bourges1 

7abridged by ,surius17 and again by     
,peter1 a monk of ,chaalis1 both soon   
after his death3 collected by ,dom le   
,nain1 in his history of the            
,cistercians1 t4 #g4 ,see also the notes
 of ,bollandus1 with a fragment of a    
third life1 and ,gallia ,christ4 ,nov4  
t4 #b4 p4 #fc4  ,a4,d4 #abji4  ,,william
 ,,berruyer1 of the illustrious family  
of the ancient counts of ,nevers1 was   
educated by ,peter the ,hermit1         
archdeacon of ,soissons1 his uncle by   
the mother's side4 ,he learned from his 
infancy to despise the folly and        
emptiness of the riches and grandeur of 
the world1 to abhor its pleasures1 and  
to tremble at its dangers4 ,his only    
delight was in exercises of piety and in
 his studies1 in which he employed his  
whole time with indefatigable           
application4 ,he was made canon1 first  
of ,soissons1 and afterwards of ,paris2 
but he soon took the resolution of      
abandoning all commerce with the world1 
and retired into the solitude of        

,grandmont1 where he lived with great   
regularity in that austere order1 till  
seeing its peace disturbed by a contest 
which arose between the fathers and     
lay-brothers1 he passed into the        
,cistercian1 then in wonderful odor of  
sanctity4 ,he took the habit in the     
abbey of ,pontigny1 and shining as a    
perfect model of monastic perfection1   
was after some time chosen prior of that
 house1 and afterwards abbot1 first of  
,fountaine-,jean1 in the diocese of     
,sens1 7a filiation of ,pontigny1       
founded in #aabd1 by ,peter de          
,courtenay1 son of king ,louis the      
,fat17 and some time after1 of ,chaalis1
 near ,senlis1 a much more numerous     
monastery1 also a filiation of          
,pontigny1 built by ,louis the ,fat in  
#aacf1 a little before his death4 ,st4  
,william always reputed himself the last
 among his brethren4 ,the universal     
mortification of his senses and         
passions1 laid in him the foundation of 
an admirable purity of heart1 and an    

extraordinary gift of prayer2 in which  
he received great heavenly lights1 and  
tasted of the sweets which ,god has     
reserved for those to whom he is pleased
 to communicate himself4 ,the sweetness 
and cheerfulness of his countenance     
testified the uninterrupted joy and     
peace that overflowed his soul1 and made
 virtue appear with the most engaging   
charms in the midst of austerities4  ,on
 the death of ,henry de ,sully1         
archbishop of ,bourges1 the clergy of   
that church requested his brother ,endo1
 bishop of ,paris1 to come and assist   
them in the election of a pastor4       
,desirous to choose some abbot of the   
,cistercian ,order1 then renowned for   
holy men1 they put on the altar the     
names of three1 written on as many      
billets4 ,this manner of election by    
lots would have been superstitious1 and 
a tempting of ,god1 had it been done    
relying on a miracle without the warrant
 of divine inspiration4 ,but it deserved
 not this censure when all the persons  

proposed seemed equally worthy and fit1 
as the choice was only recommended to   
,god1 and left to this issue by         
following the rules of his ordinary     
providence1 and imploring his light1    
without rashness1 or a neglect of the   
usual means of scrutiny3 prudence might 
sometimes even recommend such a method1 
in order to terminate a debate when the 
candidates seemed equally qualified4    
,god1 in such cases is said sometimes to
 have miraculously interposed4  #aba    
,eudo1 accordingly1 having written three
 billets1 laid them on the altar1 and   
having made his prayer drew first the   
name of the abbot ,william1 on whom1 at 
the same time1 the majority of the votes
 of the clergy had made the election    
fall1 the #bc;d of ,november1 #abjj4    
,this news overwhelmed ,william1 with   
grief4 ,he never would have acquiesced1 
had he not received a double command in 
virtue of obedience1 from the pope1 and 
from his general the abbot of ,citeaux4 
,he left his clear solitude with many   

tears1 and was received at ,bourges as  
one sent by heaven1 and soon after was  
consecrated4 ,in this new dignity his   
first care was to conform both his      
exterior and interior to the most       
perfect rules of sanctity2 being very   
sensible that a man's first task is to  
honor ,god perfectly in his own soul4   
,he redoubled all his austerities1      
saying1 it was now incumbent on him to  
do penance for others1 as well as for   
himself4 ,he always wore a hair-shirt   
under his religious habit1 and never    
added1 nor diminished1 any thing in his 
clothes1 either winter or summer4 ,he   
never ate any flesh-meat1 though he had 
it at his table for strangers4 ,his     
attention to feed his flock was no less 
remarkable1 especially in assisting the 
poor both spiritually and corporally1   
saying1 that he was chiefly sent for    
them4 ,he was most mild to penitent     
sinners2 but inflexible towards the     
impenitent1 though he refused to have   
recourse to the civil power against     

them1 the usual remedy of that age4     
,many such he at last reclaimed by his  
sweetness and charity4 ,certain great   
men1 abusing his lenity1 usurped the    
rights of his church2 but the saint     
strenuously defended them even against  
the king himself1 notwithstanding his   
threats to confiscate his lands4 ,by    
humility and resolution he overcame     
several contradictions of his chapter   
and other clergy4 ,by his zeal he       
converted many of the ,albigenses1      
contemporary heretics1 and was preparing
 himself for a mission among them1 at   
the time he was seized with his last    
illness4 ,he would1 notwithstanding1    
preach a farewell sermon to his people1 
which increased his fever to such a     
degree that he was obliged to set aside 
his journey1 and take to his bed4       
,drawing near his end1 he received first
 extreme unction1 according to the      
discipline of that age2#a then1 in order
 to receive the viaticum1 he rose out of
 bed1 fell on his knees melting in      

tears1 and prayed long prostrate with   
his arms stretched out in the form of a 
cross4 ,the night following1 perceiving 
his last hour approach1 he desired to   
anticipate the nocturns1 which are said 
at midnight2 but having made the sign of
 the cross on his lips and breast1 was  
able to pronounce no more than the two  
first words4 ,then1 according to a sign 
made by him1 he was laid on ashes in the
 hair-cloth which he always privately   
wore4 ,in this posture he soon after    
expired1 a little past midnight1 on the 
morning of the #ajth of ,january1 in    
#abji4 ,his body was interred in his    
cathedral2 and being honored by many    
miracles1 was taken up in #abag2 and in 
the year following he was canonized by  
pope ,honorius ,,iii4 ,his relics were  
kept with great veneration till #aefb1  
when they were burnt1 and scattered in  
the winds by the ,huguenots1 on occasion
 of their plundering the cathedral of   
,bourges1 as ,baillet and ,bollandus    
mention4 ,a bone of his arm is shown    

with veneration at ,chaalis1 whither it 
had been sent soon after the saint's    
body was taken up2 and a rib is         
preserved in the church of the college  
of ,navarre1 at ,paris1 on which the    
canons of ,st4 ,bourges bestowed it in  
#acii4b ,his festival is kept in that   
church with great1 solemnity1 and a     
great concourse of devout persons2 ,st4 
,william being regarded in several parts
 of ,france as one of the patrons of the
 nation1 though his name is not         
mentioned in the ,roman ,martyrology4   
,the celebrated countess ,maud1 his     
niece1 out of veneration for his memory1
 bestowed certain lands in the #abb     
,nivernois1 on the church of ,bourges4#c
 ,b4 ,philip ,berruyer1 a nephew of ,st4
 ,william1 was archbishop of ,bourges   
from the year #abcf to #abfj1 in which  
he died in the odor of sanctity4 ,nangi 
ascribes to him many miracles1 and other
 historians bear testimony to his       
eminent virtue4#d ,dom ,martenne has    
published his edifying original life4#e 

99       99       99       99       99  
,if we look into the lives of all the   
saints1 we shall find that it was by a  
spirit and gift of prayer that the ,holy
 ,ghost formed in their hearts the most 
perfect sentiments of all virtues4 ,it  
is this which enlightens the            
understanding1 and infuses a spiritual  
knowledge1 and a heavenly wisdom1 which 
is incomparably more excellent than that
 in which philosophers pride themselves4
 ,the same purifies the affections1     
sanctifies the soul1 adorns it with     
virtues1 and enriches it with every gift
 of heaven4 ,christ1 who is the eternal 
wisdom1 came down among us on earth to  
teach us more perfectly this heavenly   
language1 and he alone is our master in 
it4 ,he vouchsafed also to be our model4
 ,in the first moment in which his holy 
soul began to exist1 it exerted all its 
powers in contemplating and adorning the
 divine ,trinity1 and employed his      
affections in the most ardent acts of   
praise1 love1 thanksgiving1 oblation1   

and the like4 ,his whole moral life was 
an uninterrupted prayer2 more freely to 
apply himself to this exercise1 and to  
set us an example1 he often retired into
 mountains and deserts1 and spent whole 
nights in prayer2 and to this employment
 he consecrated his last breath upon the
 cross4 ,by him the saints were inspired
 to conceive an infinite esteem for holy
 prayer1 and such a wonderful assiduity 
and ardor in this exercise1 that many   
renounced altogether the commerce of men
 to only that of ,god1 and his angels2  
and the rest learned the art of         
conversing secretly with heaven even    
amidst their exterior employments1 which
 they only undertook for ,god4 ,holy    
pastors have always made retirement and 
a life of prayer their apprenticeship or
 preparation for the ministry1 and      
afterward1 amidst its functions were    
still men of prayer in them1 having ,god
 always present to their mind1 and      
setting apart intervals in the day1 and 
a considerable part of the nights1 to   

apply themselves with their whole       
attention to this exercise1 in the      
silence of all creatures4  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,see ,bellarmin1 de ,arte moriendi4
 ,iuenin1 de ,sacram4 t4 #b1 et ,hist4  
des ,sacr4 t4 #g4 #b4  ,see ,chatelain4 
,not4 p4 #afa1 ,brev4 ,paris4 #c4       
,gallia ,christ4 ,nov4 t4 #b1 p4 #fc84  
#d4  ,ib4 p4 #fi4 #e4  ,martenne        
,anecdot4 t4 #c1 p4 #aibg4  ,,st4       
,,agatho1 ,,pope4  ,,agatho1 a ,sicilian
 by birth1 was remarkable for his       
charity and benevolence1 a profound     
humility1 and an engaging sweetness of  
temper4 ,having been several years      
treasurer of the church of ,rome1 he    
succeeded ,domnus in the pontificate in 
#fgi4 ,he presided by his three legates 
in the sixth general council1 and third 
of ,constantinople1 in #fhj1 in the     
reign of the pious emperor ,constantine 
,pogonatus1 against the ,monothelite    
heresy1 which he confuted in a learned  
letter to that emperor1 by the tradition
 of the apostolic church of ,rome3      

,acknowledged1 says he1 by the whole    
,catholic church1 to be the mother and  
mistress of all other churches1 and to  
derive her superior authority from ,st4 
,peter1 the prince of the apostles1 to  
whom ,christ committed his whole flock1 
with a promise that his faith should    
never fail4 ,this epistle was approved  
as a rule of faith by the same council1 
which declared1 that ,peter spoke by    
,agatho4 ,this pope restored ,st4       
,wilfrid to the see of ,york1 and was a 
great benefactor to the ,roman clergy   
and to the churches4 ,anastatius says1  
that the number of his miracles procured
 him the title of ,thaumaturgus4 ,he    
died in #fhb1 having held the           
pontificate #abc two years and a half4  
,his feast is kept both by the ,latins  
and ,greeks4 ,see ,anastatius published 
by ,bianchini2 also ,muratori and       
,labbe1 ,conc4 t4 #f1 p4 #aaji4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,the style of this pope's letters is    
inferior to that both of his            

predecessors and successors4 ,the reason
 he alleges in excusing the legates whom
 he sent to ,constantinople for their   
want of eloquence1 because the graces of
 speech could not be cultivated amidst  
the incursions of barbarians1 while with
 much difficulty they earned ,thor daily
 subsistence by manual labor2 ,but we   
preserve1 said he1 with simplicity of   
heart1 the faith1 which our fathers have
 handed down to us4 ,the bishops1 his   
legates1 say the same thing3 ,our       
countries are harassed by the fury of   
barbarous nations4 ,we live in the midst
 of battles1 inroads1 and devastations2 
our lives pass in continual alarms and  
anxiety1 and we subsist by the labor of 
our hands4  ,,st4 ,,marcian1 ,,priest1  
,,and ,,treasurer ,,of ,,the ,,church   
,,of ,,constantinople1 ,,in ,,the       
,,fifth ,,age1  ,,was born at           
,constantinople1 though of a ,roman     
family related to the imperial house of 
the ,theodosiuses4 ,from his childhood  
he served ,god in continual watching1   

fasting1 and prayer1 in imitation of    
,st4 ,john the ,baptist2 and for the    
relief of the necessitous he gave away  
immense occult alms4 ,the time which was
 not employed in these charities1 he    
spent in holy retirement and prayer4 ,in
 the reign of the emperor ,marcian1     
,anatolius the archbishop1 offering     
violence to the saint's humility1       
ordained him priest4 ,in this new state 
the saint saw himself under a stricter  
obligation than before of laboring to   
attain to the summit of ,christian      
perfection2 and while he made the       
instruction of the poor his principal   
and favorite employment1 he redoubled   
his earnestness in providing for their  
corporal necessities1 and was careful   
never to relax any part of his          
austerities4 ,the severity of his morals
 was made a handle1 by those who feared 
the example of his virtue1 as a tacit   
censure of their sloth1 avarice1 and    
irregularities1 to fasten upon him a    
suspicion of ,novatianism2 but his      

meekness and silence at length triumphed
 over the slander4 ,this persecution    
served more and more to purify his soul1
 and exceedingly improve his virtue4    
,this shone forth with greater lustre   
than ever1 when the cloud was dispersed2
 and the patriarch ,gennadius1 with the 
great applause of the whole body of the 
clergy and people1 conferred on him the 
dignity of treasurer1 which was the     
second in that church4 ,st4 ,marcian    
built or repaired in a stately manner a 
great number of churches in             
,constantinople1 confounded the ,arians 
and other heretics1 and was famous for  
miracles both before and after his happy
 death1 which happened towards the end  
of the fifth century4 ,he is honored    
both in the ,greek ,menaea1 and ,roman  
,martyrology1 on the #ajth of ,january4 
,see his ancient anonymous life in      
,surius1 and ,bollandus2 also ,cedrenus1
 ,sozomen1 and ,theodorus ,lector1 l4   
#a4 ,codinus ,orig4 ,constant4 p4 #fj4  
,see ,tillemont1 t4 #af1 p4 #afa4  #abd 

,,january ,,xi4  ,,st4 ,,theodosius1    
,,the ,,cenobiarch4  ,from his life by  
,theodorus1 bishop of ,petra1 some time 
his disciple1 in ,surius and ,bollandus1
 and commended by ,fleury1 ,baillet1 c4 
,a4,d4 #ebi4  ,,st4 ,,theodosius was    
born at ,mogariassus1 called in latter  
ages ,marissa1 in ,cappadocia1 in #dbc4 
,he imbibed the first tincture of virtue
 from the fervent example and pious     
instructions of his virtuous parents4   
,he was ordained reader1 but some time  
after being moved by ,abraham's example 
to quit his country and friends1 he     
resolved to put this motion in          
execution4 ,he accordingly set out for  
,jerusalem1 but went purposely out of   
his road1 to visit the famous ,st4      
,simeon ,stylites on his pillar1 who    
foretold him several circumstances of   
his life1 and gave him proper           
instructions for his behavior in each4  
,having satisfied his devotion in       
visiting the holy places in ,jerusalem1 
he began to consider in what manner he  

should dedicate himself to ,god in a    
religious state4 ,the dangers of living 
without a guide1 made him prefer a      
monastery to a hermitage2 and he        
therefore put himself under the         
direction of a holy man named ,longinus1
 to whom his virtue soon endeared him in
 a very particular manner4 ,a pious lady
 having built a church under the        
invocation of the ,blessed ,virgin1 on  
the high road to ,bethlehem1 ,longinus  
could not well refuse her request1 that 
his pupil should undertake the charge of
 it2 but ,theodosius1 who loved only to 
obey1 could not be induced by any       
entreaties to consent to this proposal3 
absolute commands were necessary to     
force him to a compliance4 ,nor did he  
govern long2 for dreading the poison of 
vanity from the esteem of men1 he       
retired into a cave at the top of a     
neighboring desert mountain1 and        
employed his time in fasting1 watching1 
prayers1 and tears1 which almost        
continually flowed from his eyes4 ,his  

food was coarse pulse and wild herbs3   
for thirty years he never tasted so much
 as a morsel of bread4 ,many desired to 
serve ,god under his direction3 he at   
first determined only to admit six or   
seven1 but was soon obliged to receive a
 greater number1 and at length came to a
 resolution1 which charity extorted from
 him1 never to reject any that presented
 themselves with dispositions that      
seemed sincere4 ,the first lesson which 
he taught his monks was1 that the       
continual remembrance of death is the   
foundation of religious perfection2 to  
imprint this more deeply in their minds1
 he caused a great grave or pit to be   
dug1 which might serve for the common   
burial-place of the whole community1    
that by the presence of this memorial of
 death1 and by continually meditating on
 that object1 they might more perfectly 
learn to die daily4 ,the burial-place   
being made1 the abbot one day1 when he  
had led his monks to it1 said1 ,the     
grave is made1 who will first perform   

the dedication8 ,basil1 a priest1 who   
was one of the number1 falling on his   
knees1 said to ,st4 ,theodosius1 ,i am  
the person1 be pleased to give me your  
blessing4 ,the abbot ordered the prayers
 of the church for the dead to be       
offered up for him1 and on the fortieth 
day1 ,basil wonderfully departed to our 
,lord in peace1 without any apparent    
sickness4 ,when the holy company of     
disciples were twelve in number1 it     
happened that at the great feast of     
,easter they had nothing to eat2 they   
had not even bread for the sacrifice3   
some murmured2 the saint bid them trust 
#abe in ,god and he would provide3 which
 was soon remarkably verified1 by the   
arrival of certain mules loaded with    
provisions4 ,the lustre of the sanctity 
and miracles of ,st4 ,theodosius1       
drawing great numbers to him who desired
 to serve ,god under his direction1 his 
cave was too little for their reception2
 therefore1 having consulted heaven by  
prayer1 he1 by its particular direction1

 built a spacious monastery at a place  
called ,cathismus1 not far from         
,bethlehem1 at a small distance from his
 cave1 and it was soon filled with holy 
monks4 ,to this monastery were annexed  
three infirmaries2 one for the sick1 the
 gift of a pious lady in that           
neighborhood2 the two others ,st4       
,theodosius built himself1 one for the  
aged and feeble1 the other for such as  
had been punished with the loss of their
 senses1 or by falling under the power  
of the devil1 for rashly engaging in a  
religious state through pride1 and      
without a due dependence on the grace of
 ,god to carry them through it4 ,all    
succors1 spiritual and temporal1 were   
afforded in these infirmaries1 with     
admirable order1 care1 and affection4   
,he erected also several buildings for  
the reception of strangers1 in which he 
exercised an unbounded hospitality1     
entertaining all that came1 for whose   
use there were one day above a hundred  
tables served with provisions3 these1   

when insufficient for the number of     
guests1 were more than once miraculously
 multiplied by his prayers4 ,the        
monastery itself was like a city of     
saints in the midst of a desert1 and in 
it reigned regularity1 silence1 charity1
 and peace4 ,there were four churches   
belonging to it1 one for each of the    
three several nations of which his      
community was chiefly composed1 each    
speaking a different language2 the      
fourth was for the use of such as were  
in a state of penance1 which those that 
recovered from their lunatic or         
possessed condition before1 mentioned1  
were put into1 and detained till they   
had expiated their fault4 ,the nations  
into which his community was divided1   
were the ,greeks1 which were far the    
most numerous1 and consisted of all     
those that came from any provinces of   
the empire2 the ,armenians1 with whom   
were joined the ,arabians and ,persians2
 and1 thirdly1 the ,bessi1 who          
comprehended all the northern nations   

below ,thrace1 or all who used the      
,runic or ,sclavonian tongue4 ,each     
nation sung the first part of the mass  
to the end of the gospel1 in their own  
church1 but after the gospel1 all met in
 the church of the ,greeks1 where they  
celebrated the essential part of the    
sacrifice in ,greek and communicated all
 together4#a  ,the monks passed a       
considerable part of the day and night  
at their devotions in the church1 and at
 the times not set apart for public     
prayer and necessary rest1 every one was
 obliged to apply himself to some trade1
 of manual labor1 not incompatible with 
recollection1 that the house might be   
supplied with conveniences4 ,sallust1   
bishop of ,jerusalem1 appointed ,st4    
,sabas superior general of the hermits1 
and our saint of the ,cenobites1 or     
religious men living in community       
throughout all ,palestine1 whence he was
 styled the ,cenobiarch4 ,these two     
great servants of ,god lived in strict  
friendship1 and had frequent spiritual  

conferences together2 they were also    
united in their zeal and sufferings for 
the church4  ,the emperor ,anastasius   
patronized the ,eutychian heresy1 and   
used all possible means to engage our   
saint in his party4 ,in #eac he deposed 
,elias1 patriarch of ,jerusalem1 as he  
had banished ,flavian ,,ii41 patriarch  
of ,antioch1 and intruded ,severus1 an  
impious heretic1 into that see1         
commanding the ,syrians to obey and hold
 communion with him4 ,,ss4 ,theodosius  
and ,sabas maintained boldly the right  
of ,elias1 and of ,john his successor2  
whereupon the imperial officers thought 
it most advisable to connive at their   
proceedings1 considering the great      
authority they had acquired by #abf     
their sanctity4 ,soon after1 the emperor
 sent ,theodosius a considerable sum of 
money1 for charitable uses in           
appearance1 but in reality to engage him
 in his interest4 ,the saint accepted of
 it1 and distributed it all among the   
poor4 ,anastasius now persuading himself

 that he was as good as gained over to  
his cause1 sent him an heretical        
profession of faith1 in which the divine
 and human natures in ,christ were      
confounded into one1 and desired him to 
sign it4 ,the saint wrote him an answer 
full of apostolic spirit2 in which1     
besides solidly confuting the ,eutychian
 error1 he added1 that he was ready to  
lay down his life for the faith of the  
church4 ,the emperor admired his courage
 and the strength of his reasoning1 and 
returning him a respectful answer1      
highly commended his generous zeal1 made
 some apology for his own               
inconsiderateness1 and protested that he
 only desired the peace of the church4  
,but it was not long ere he relapsed    
into his former impiety and renewed his 
bloody edicts against the orthodox1     
dispatching troops everywhere to have   
them put in execution4 ,on the first    
intelligence of this1 ,theodosius went  
over all the deserts and country of     
,palestine1 exhorting every one to be   

firm in the faith of the four general   
councils4 ,at ,jerusalem1 having        
assembled the people together1 he from  
the pulpit cried out with a loud voice3 
,if any one receives not the four       
general councils as the four gospels1   
let him be anathema4 ,so bold an action 
in a man of his years1 inspired with    
courage those whom the edicts had       
terrified4 ,his discourses had a        
wonderful effect on the people1 and ,god
 gave a sanction up his zeal by         
miracles3 one of these was1 that on his 
going out of the church at ,jerusalem1 a
 woman was healed of a cancer on the    
spot1 by only touching his garments4    
,the emperor sent an order for his      
banishment1 which was executed2 but     
dying soon after1 ,theodosius was       
recalled by his ,catholic successor1    
,justin2 who1 from a common soldier1 had
 gradually ascended the imperial throne4
  ,our saint survived his return eleven 
years1 never admitting the least        
relaxation in his former austerities4   

,such was his humility1 that seeing two 
monks at variance with each other1 he   
threw himself at their feet1 and could  
not rise till they were perfectly       
reconciled2 and once having             
excommunicated one of his subjects for a
 crime1 who contumaciously pretended to 
excommunicate him in his turn1 the saint
 behaved as if he had been really       
excommunicated1 to gain the sinner's    
soul by this unprecedented example of   
submission1 which had the desired       
effect4 ,during the last year of his    
life he was afflicted with a painful    
distemper1 in which he gave proof of an 
heroic patience1 and an entire          
submission to the will of ,god2 for     
being advised by one that was an        
eye-witness of his great sufferings1 to 
pray that ,god would be pleased to grant
 him some ease1 he would give no ear to 
it1 alleging that such thoughts were    
impatience1 and would rob him of his    
crown4 ,perceiving the hour of his      
dissolution at hand1 he gave his last   

exhortation to his disciples1 and       
foretold many things1 which accordingly 
came to pass after his death3 this      
happened in the one hundred and fifth   
year of his age1 and of our ,lord #ebi4 
,peter1 patriarch of ,jerusalem1 and the
 whole country1 assisted with the       
deepest sentiments of respect at the    
solemnity of his interment1 which was   
honored by miracles4 ,he was buried in  
his first cell1 called the cave of the  
magi1 because the wise men1 who came to 
adore ,christ soon after his birth1 were
 said to have lodged in it4 ,a certain  
count being on his march against the    
,persians1 begged the hair shirt which  
the saint used to wear next his skin1   
and believed that he owed the victory   
which he obtained over them1 to the     
saint's protection through the pledge of
 that relic4 ,both the ,roman and ,greek
 calendars mention his festival on the  
#aath of ,january4  #abg         99     
99       99       99       99  ,the     
examples of the ,nazarites and ,essenes 

among the ,jews1 and of many excellent  
and holy persons among the ,christians  
through every age1 demonstrate that many
 are called by ,god to serve him in a   
retired contemplative life2 nay1 it is  
the opinion of ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1
 that the world is to some persons so   
full of ambushes and snares1 or         
dangerous occasions of sin1 that they   
cannot be saved but by choosing a safe  
retreat4 ,those who from experience are 
conscious of their own weakness1 and    
find themselves to be no match for the  
world1 unable to countermine its        
policies1 and oppose its power1 ought to
 retire as from the face of too potent  
an enemy2 and prefer a contemplative    
state to a busy and active life3 not to 
indulge sloth1 or to decline the service
 of ,god and his neighbor1 but to       
consult his own security1 and to fly    
from dangers of sin and vanity4 ,yet    
there are some who find the greatest    
dangers in solitude itself2 so that it  
is necessary for every one to sound his 

own heart1 take a survey of his own     
forces and abilities1 and consult ,god1 
that he may best he able to learn the   
designs of his providence with regard to
 his soul2 in doing which1 a great      
purity of intention is the first        
requisite4 ,ease and enjoyment must not 
be the end of ,christian retirement1 but
 penance1 labor1 and assiduous          
contemplation2 without great fervor and 
constancy in which1 close solitude is   
the road to perdition4 ,if greater      
safety1 or an unfitness for a public    
station1 or a life of much business 7in 
which several are only public nuisances7
 may be just motives to some for        
embracing a life of retirement1 the     
means of more easily attaining to       
perfect virtue may be such to many4 ,nor
 do true contemplatives bury their      
talents1 or cease either to be members  
of the republic of mankind1 or to throw 
in their mite towards its welfare4 ,from
 the prayers and thanksgivings which    
they daily offer to ,god for the peace  

of the world1 the preservation of the   
church1 the conversion of sinners1 and  
the salvation of all men1 doubtless more
 valuable benefits often accrue to      
mankind1 than from the alms of the rich1
 or the labors of the learned4 ,nor is  
it to be imagined1 how far and how      
powerfully their spirit1 and the example
 of their innocence and perfect virtue1 
often spread their influence2 and how   
serviceable persons who lead a holy and 
sequestered life may be to the good of  
the world2 nor how great glory redounds 
to ,god1 by the perfect purity of heart 
and charity to which many souls are thus
 raised4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,le     
,brun1 ,explic4 des ,ceremonies de la   
,messe1 t4 #d1 pp4 #bcd-bce1            
dissert4 l4 #d1 art4 #b4  ,,st4         
,,hyginus1 ,p4 ,,and ,m4  ,,he was      
placed in the chair of ,st4 ,peter after
 the martyrdom of ,st4 ,telesphorus1 in 
the year #aci4 ,eusebius informs us1#a  
that he sat four years4 ,the church then
 enjoyed some sort of calm1 under the   

mild reign of the emperor ,antoninus    
,pius2 though several martyrs suffered  
in his time by the fury of the populace1
 or the cruelty of certain magistrates4 
,the emperor himself never consented to 
such proceedings2 and when informed of  
them by the governors of ,asia1 ,athens1
 ,thessalonica1 and ,larissea1 he wrote 
to them in favor of the ,christians1 as 
is recorded by ,st4 ,justin and         
,eusebius4#b  ,but the devil had        
recourse to other arts to disturb the   
peace of ,god's church4 ,cerdo1 a wolf  
in sheep's clothing1 in the year #adj1  
came from ,syria to ,rome1 and began to 
teach the false principles which        
,marcion adopted afterward with more    
success4 ,he impiously affirmed that    
there were two ,gods2 the one rigorous  
and severe1 the author of the ,old      
,testament2 the other merciful and good1
 the author of the ,new1 and the father 
of ,christ1 sent by him to redeem man   
from the tyranny of the former2 and that
 ,christ was not really born of the     

,virgin ,mary1 or true man1 but such    
#abh in shadow only and appearance4 ,our
 holy pope1 by his pastoral vigilance   
detected that monster1 and cut him off  
from the communion of the church4 ,the  
heresiarch1 imposing upon him by a false
 repentance1 was again received2 but the
 zealous pastor having discovered that  
he secretly preached this old opinions1 
excommunicated him a second time4#c     
,another minister of ,satan was         
,valentine1 who being a ,platonic       
philosopher1 puffed up with the vain    
opinion of his learning1 and full of    
resentment for another's being preferred
 to him in an election to a certain     
bishopric in ,egypt1 as ,tertullian     
relates1#d revived the errors of ,simon 
,magus1 and added to them many other    
absurd fictions1 as of thirty ,a,eones  
or ages1 a kind of inferior deities1    
with whimsical histories of their       
several pedigrees4 ,having broached     
these opinions at ,alexandria1 he left  
,egypt for ,rome4 ,at first he          

dissembled his heresies1 but by degrees 
his extravagant doctrines came to light4
 ,hyginus1 being the mildest of men1    
endeavored to reclaim him without       
proceeding to extremities2 so that      
,valentine was not excommunicated before
 the first year of ,st4 ,pius his       
immediate successor4  ,st4 ,hyginus did 
not sit quite four years1 dying in #adb4
 ,we do not find that he ended his life 
by martyrdom1 yet he is styled a martyr 
in some ancient calendars1 as well as in
 the present ,roman ,martyrology2       
undoubtedly on account of the various   
persecutions which he suffered1 and to  
which his high station in the church    
exposed him in those perilous times4    
,see ,tillemont1 t4 #b1 p4 #beb4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,eus4 l4 #d1 c4 #aa4   
#b4  ,eus4 l4 #d1 c4 #cj4 #c4  ,st4     
,epiph4 hom4 #da2 ,iren4 l4 #c1 c4 #d2  
,euseb4 c4 #d4  ,tertull4 l4 contra     
,valent4 c4 #d4  ,,st4 ,,egwin1 ,b4,c4  
,,he was of the royal blood of the      
,mercian kings1 devoted himself to the  

divine service in his youth1 and        
succeeded ,oor in the episcopal see of  
,worcester1 in #fib4 by his zeal and    
severity in reproving vice1 he stirred  
up some of his own flock to persecute   
him1 which gave him an opportunity of   
performing a penitential pilgrimage     
,rome4 ,some legends tell us1 that      
setting out he put on his legs iron     
shackles1 and threw the key into the    
river ,severn1 others say the ,avon2 but
 found it in the belly of a fish1 some  
say at ,rome1 others in his passage from
 ,france to ,england4 ,after his return1
 with the assistance of ,coenred or     
,kenred1 king of ,mercia1 he founded the
 famous abbey of ,evesham1 under the    
invocation of the ,blessed ,virgin4     
,after this he undertook a second       
journey to ,rome1 in the company of     
,coenred1 king of the ,mercians1 and of 
,offa1 of the ,east ,saxons1 who gave up
 their temporal principalities to labor 
with greater earnestness to secure an   
eternal crown4 ,st4 ,egwin died on the  

#cjth of ,december1 in #gag1 and was    
buried in the monastery of ,evesham4    
,his body was translated to a more      
honorable place in #aahc1 probably on   
the #aath of ,january1 on which day many
 ,english ,martyrologies mark his       
festival4 ,see his life in ,capgrave1   
the ,annals of ,worcester1 in ,wharton's
 ,anglia ,sacra2 ,malmesbury1 l4 #d1 de 
,pontif4 ,ang4 ,harpsfield4 ,saec4 #h1  
c4 #ae1 #ah1 and ,dr4 ,thomas in his    
,history the ,cathedral of ,worcester4  
,monast4 ,anglic4 vol4 #a1 p4 #add1 and 
vol4 #b1 p4 #hea4 ,leland's             
,collections1 vol4 #a1 pp4 #bdj and     
#bih2 vol4 #c1 p4 #afj4 ,dr4 ,brown     
,willis1 ,history of ,abbeys1 t4 #a1 p4 
#ij4  ,,st4 ,,salvius1 ,,or ,,sauve1    
,,bishop ,,of ,,amiens1  ,,famous for   
miracles1 succeeded ,ado in #fgb1 and   
flourished in the reign of ,theodoric   
,,iii4 ,his relics rest at ,montreuil1  
in ,picardy1 in the ,benedictin #abi    
,abbey which bears his name1 whither    
they were translated from the cathedral 

of ,amiens1 several years after his     
death1 as is related in his anonymous   
life1 a piece of uncertain authority    
with regard to his actions4 ,a relic of 
this saint was formerly kept with great 
veneration in the cathedral of          
,canterbury1 mentioned in the history of
 that church1 c4 ,this saint must not be
 confounded with ,st4 ,salvius of ,alby1
 nor with the martyr of this name in    
,africa1 on whose festival ,st4 ,austin 
made a sermon4 ,see his anonymous life  
in ,bollandus2 also ,baillet4 ,gall4    
,christ4 ,nova1 t4 #aj1 p4 #aaed4 ,this 
seems the day of his translation1 and   
the #bhth of ,october that of his death4
   ,,january ,,xii4  ,,st4 ,,arcadius1  
,,martyr4  ,from his ancient acts1 much 
esteemed by ,baronius1 and inserted by  
,ruinart in his authentic collection4   
,st4 ,zeno of ,verona made use of them  
in his forty-ninth sermon on this       
martyr4 ,see ,tillemont4 t4 #e p4 #eeg4 
,,the time of this saint's martyrdom is 
not mentioned in his acts2 some place it

 under ,valerian1 others under          
,dioclesian3 he seems to have suffered  
in some city of ,mauritania1 probably   
the capital1 ,caesarea4 ,the fury of the
 tyrants raged violently1 and the devil 
had instigated his soldiers to wage1    
like so many wolves1 a bloody war       
against the servants of ,jesus4 ,upon   
the least suspicion they broke into     
houses1 made rigorous searches1 and if  
they found a ,christian1 they treated   
him upon the spot with the greatest     
cruelty1 their impatience not suffering 
them to wait the bringing him before a  
judge4 ,every day new sacrileges were   
committed2 the faithful were compelled  
to assist at superstitious sacrifices1  
to lead victims crowned with flowers    
through the streets1 to burn incense    
before idols1 and to celebrate the      
enthusiastic feasts of ,bacchus4        
,arcadius1 seeing his city in great     
confusion1 left his estate and withdrew 
to a solitary place in the neighboring  
country1 serving ,jesus ,christ in      

watching1 prayer1 and other exercises of
 a penitential life4 ,his flight could  
not be long a secret2 for his not       
appearing at the public sacrifices made 
the governor send soldiers to his house2
 who surrounded it1 forced open the     
doors1 and finding one of his relations 
in it1 who said all he could to justify 
his kinsman's absence2 they seized him1 
and the governor ordered him to be kept 
in close custody till ,arcadius should  
be taken4 ,the martyr1 informed of his  
friend's danger1 and burning with a     
desire to suffer for ,christ1 went into 
the city1 and presenting himself to the 
judge1 said3 ,if on my account you      
detain my innocent relation in chains1  
release him2 ,i1 ,arcadius1 am come in  
person to give an account of myself1 and
 to declare to you1 that he knew not    
where ,i was4 ,i am willing1 answered   
the judge1 to pardon not only him1 but  
you also1 on condition that you will    
sacrifice to the gods4 ,arcadius        
replied1 ,how can you propose to me such

 a thing8 ,do you not know the          
,christians1 or do you believe that the 
fear of death will ever make me swerve  
from my duty8 ,jesus ,christ is my life1
 and death is my gain4 ,invent what     
torments you please2 but know that      
nothing shall make me a traitor to my   
,god4 ,the governor1 in a rage1 paused  
to devise some unheard-of torment for   
him4 ,iron hooks seemed too easy2       
neither plummets of lead1 nor cudgels   
could satisfy his fury2 the very rack he
 thought by much too gentle4 ,at last   
#acj imagining he had found a manner of 
death suitable to his purpose1 he said  
to the ministers of his cruelty1 ,take  
him1 and let him see and desire death1  
without being able to obtain it4 ,cut   
off his limbs joint by joint1 and       
execute this so slowly1 that the wretch 
may know what it is to abandon the gods 
of his ancestors for an unknown deity4  
,the executioners dragged ,arcadius to  
the place1 where many other victims of  
,christ had already suffered2 a place   

dear and sweet to all who sigh after    
eternal life4 ,here the martyr lifts up 
his eyes to heaven1 and implores        
strength from above2 then stretches out 
his neck1 expecting to have his head cut
 off2 but the executioner bid him hold  
out his hand1 and joint after joint     
chopped off his fingers1 arms1 and      
shoulders4 ,laying the saint afterward  
on his back1 he in the same barbarous   
manner cut off his toes1 feet1 legs1 and
 thighs4 ,the holy martyr held out his  
limbs and joints1 one after another1    
with invincible patience and courage1   
repeating these words1 ,lord1 teach me  
thy wisdom3 for the tyrants had forgot  
to cut out his tongue4 ,after so many   
martyrdoms1 his body lay a mere trunk   
weltering in its own blood4 ,the        
executioners themselves1 as well as the 
multitude1 were moved to tears and      
admiration at this spectacle1 and at    
such an heroic patience4 ,but ,arcadius1
 with a joyful countenance1 surveying   
his scattered limbs all around him1 and 

offering them to ,god1 said1 ,happy     
members1 now dear to me1 as you at last 
truly belong to ,god1 being all made a  
sacrifice to him6 ,then turning to the  
people1 he said1 ,you who have been     
present at this bloody tragedy1 learn   
that all torments seem as nothing to one
 who has an everlasting crown before his
 eyes4 ,your gods are not gods2 renounce
 their worship4 ,he alone for whom ,i   
suffer and die1 is the true ,god4 ,he   
comforts and upholds me in the condition
 you see me4 ,to die for him is to live2
 to suffer for him is to enjoy the      
greatest delights4 ,discoursing in this 
manner to those about him1 he expired on
 the #abth of ,january1 the pagans being
 struck with astonishment at such a     
miracle of patience4 ,the ,christians   
gathered together his scattered limbs1  
and laid them in one tomb4 ,the ,roman  
and other ,martyrologies make honorable 
mention of him on this day4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,we      
belong to ,god by numberless essential  

titles of interest1 gratitude1 and      
justice1 and are bound to be altogether 
his1 and every moment to live to him    
alone1 with all our powers and all our  
strength3 whatever it may cost us to    
make this sacrifice perfect and         
complete1 if we truly love him1 we shall
 embrace it with joy and inexpressible  
ardor4 ,in these sentiments we ought1 by
 frequent express acts1 and by the      
uninterrupted habitual disposition of   
our souls1 to give all we are and have  
to ,god1 all the powers of our souls1   
all the senses and organs of our bodies1
 all our actions1 thoughts1 and         
affections4 ,this oblation we may       
excellently comprise in any of the first
 petitions of our ,lord's prayer3 the   
following is a form of an oblation to   
our divine ,redeemer1 which ,st4        
,ignatius of ,loyola drew up and used to
 repeat3 ,o sovereign king1 and absolute
 ,lord of all things1 though ,i am most 
unworthy to serve you1 nevertheless1    
relying on your grace and boundless     

mercy1 ,i offer myself up entire to you1
 and subject whatever belongs to me to  
your most holy will2 and ,i protest1 in 
presence of your infinite goodness1 and 
in presence of the glorious ,virgin your
 mother1 and your whole heavenly court1 
that it is my most earnest desire1 and  
unshaken resolution1 to follow and      
imitate you the nearest ,i am able1 in  
bearing all injuries and crosses with   
meekness and patience1 and in laboring  
to die to the world and myself in a     
perfect spirit of humility and poverty1 
that ,i may be wholly yours and you may 
reign in me in time and eternity4  #aca 
,,saint ,,benedict ,,biscop1  ,,commonly
 ,,called ,,bennet4  ,,he was nobly     
descended1 and one of the great officers
 of the court of ,oswi1 the religious   
king of the ,northumbers3 he was very   
dear to his prince1 and was beholden to 
his bounty for many fair estates1 and   
great honors2 but neither the favors of 
so good and gracious a king1 nor the    
allurements of power1 riches1 and       

pleasures1 were of force to captivate   
his heart1 who could see nothing in them
 but dangers1 and snares so much the    
more to be dreaded1 as fraught with the 
power of charming4 ,at the age therefore
 of twenty-five1 an age that affords the
 greatest relish for pleasure1 he bid   
adieu to the world1 made a journey of   
devotion to ,rome1 and at his return    
devoted him wholly to the studies of the
 scriptures and other holy exercises4   
,some time after his return to ,england1
 ,alcfrid1 son of king ,oswi1 being     
desirous to make a pilgrimage to the    
shrines of the apostles1 engaged ,biscop
 to bear him company to ,rome4 ,the king
 prevented his son's journey2           
nevertheless our saint travelled thither
 a second time1 burning with an earnest 
desire of improving himself in the      
knowledge of divine things1 and in the  
love of ,god4 ,from ,rome he went to the
 great monastery of ,lerins1 then       
renowned for its regular discipline2    
there he took the monastic habit1 and   

spent two years in the most exact       
observance of the rule1 and penetrated  
in every exercise with its true spirit3 
after this he returned to ,rome1 where  
he received an order of pope ,vitalian  
to accompany ,st4 ,theodorus1 archbishop
 of ,canterbury1 and ,st4 ,adrian1 to   
,england4 ,when he arrived at           
,canterbury1 ,st4 ,theodorus committed  
to him the care of the monastery of     
,,ss4 ,peter and ,paul1 near that city1 
which abbacy he resigned to ,st4 ,adrian
 upon his arrival in ,england4 ,st4     
,bennet stayed about two years in ,kent1
 giving himself up to religious         
exercises and sacred studies1 under the 
discipline of those two excellent       
persons4 ,then he took a fourth journey 
to ,rome1 with a view of perfecting     
himself in ecclesiastical discipline1   
and the rules and practice of a monastic
 life2 for which purpose he made a      
considerable stay at ,rome and other    
places3 he brought home with him a      
choice library1 relics and pictures of  

,christ1 the ,blessed ,virgin1 and other
 saints4 ,when he returned to           
,northumberland1 king ,egfrid 7in whose 
father's court ,st4 ,bennet had formerly
 lived7 bestowed on him seventy ploughs 
or families of land for building a      
monastery2#a this the saint founded on  
the mouth of the river ,were1 whence it 
was called ,weremouth4 ,when the        
monastery was built1 ,st4 ,bennet went  
over to ,france1 and brought back with  
him skilful masons1 who built the church
 for this monastery of stone1 and after 
the ,roman fashion2 for till that time  
stone buildings were very rare in       
,britain1 even the church of            
,lindisfarne was of wood1 and covered   
over with a thatch of straw and reeds1  
till bishop ,eadbert procured both the  
roof and the walls to be covered with   
sheets of lead1 as ,bede mentions4#b    
,st4 ,bennet also brought over glaziers 
from ,france1 for the art of making     
glass was then unknown in ,britain4 ,in 
a fifth journey to ,rome1 ,st4 ,bennet  

furnished himself with a larger stock of
 good books1 especially the writings of 
the fathers1 also of relics and holy    
pictures1 with which he enriched his own
 country4  ,his first monastery of      
,weremouth was entitled from ,saint     
,peter1 prince of the apostles2 and such
 was the edification which it gave1 that
 the same #acb king added to the saint a
 second donation of lands1 consisting of
 forty ploughs2 on which ,biscop built  
another monastery1 at a place called    
,girwy1 now ,jarrow1 on the ,tine1 six  
miles distant from the former1 and this 
latter was called ,st4 ,paul's2 these   
two monasteries were almost looked upon 
as one2 and ,st4 ,bennet governed them  
both1 though he placed in each a        
superior or abbot1 who continued subject
 to him1 his long journey to ,rome and  
other avocations making this            
substitution necessary4#c ,in the church
 of ,st4 ,peter at ,weremouth he placed 
the pictures of the ,blessed ,virgin1   
the twelve apostles1 the history of the 

gospel1 and the visions in the          
revelation of ,st4 ,john3 that of ,st4  
,paul's at ,jarrow1 he adorned with     
other pictures1 disposed in such manner 
as to represent the harmony between the 
,old and ,new ,testament1 and the       
conformity of the figures in one to the 
reality in the other4 ,thus ,isaac      
carrying the wood which was to be       
employed in the sacrifice of himself1   
was explained by ,jesus ,christ carrying
 his cross1 on which he was to finish   
his sacrifice2 and the brazen serpent   
was illustrated by our ,saviour's       
crucifixion4 ,with these pictures1 and  
many books and relics1 ,st4 ,bennet     
brought from ,rome in his last voyage1  
,john1 abbot of ,st4 ,martin's1         
precentor in ,st4 ,peter's church1 whom 
he prevailed with pope ,agatho to send  
with him1 and whom he placed at         
,weremouth to instruct perfectly his    
monks in the ,gregorian notes1 and      
,roman ceremonies for singing the divine
 office4 ,easterwin1 a kinsman of ,st4  

,bennet1 and formerly an officer in the 
king's court1 before he became a monk1  
was chosen abbot before our saint set   
out for ,rome1 and in that station      
behaved always as the meanest person in 
the house2 for though he was eminently  
adorned with all virtues1 humility1     
mildness1 and devotion seemed always the
 most eminent part of his character4    
,this holy man died on the #fth of      
,march1 when he was but thirty-six years
 old1 and had been four years abbot1    
while ,st4 ,bennet was absent in the    
last journey to ,rome4 ,the monks chose 
in his place ,st4 ,sigfrid1 a deacon1 a 
man of equal gravity and meekness1 who  
soon after fell into a lingering decay1 
under which he suffered violent pains in
 his lungs and bowels4 ,he died four    
months before our saint4 ,with his      
advice1 two months before his death1    
,st4 ,bennet appointed ,st4 ,ceolfrid   
abbot of both his monasteries1 being    
himself struck with a dead palsy1 by    
which all the lower parts of his body   

were without life2 he lay sick of this  
distemper three years1 and for a        
considerable time was entirely confined 
to his bed4 ,during this long illness1  
not being able to raise his voice to the
 usual course of singing the divine     
office1 at every canonical hour he sent 
for some of his monks and while they1   
being divided into two choirs1 sung the 
psalms proper for the hour of the day or
 night1 he endeavored as well as he     
could to join not only his heart1 but   
also his voice1 with theirs4 ,his       
attention to ,god he seemed never to    
relax1 and frequently and earnestly     
exhorted his monks to a constant        
observance of the rule he had given     
them4 ,you must not think1 said he1 that
 the constitutions which you have       
received from me were my own invention1 
for1 having in my frequent journeys     
visited seventeen well-ordered          
monasteries1 ,i informed myself of all  
their laws and rules1 and picking out   
the best among them1 these ,i have      

recommended to you4 ,the saint expired  
soon after1 having received the viaticum
 on the #abth of ,january1 in #fij4 ,his
 relics1 according to ,malmesbury1#d    
were translated to ,thorney abbey1 in   
#igj1 but the monks of ,glastenbury     
thought themselves possessed at least of
 part of that treasure4#e ,the true name
 of our saint was ,biscop #acc          
,baducing1 as appears from              
,eddius-,stephen1 in his life of ,st4   
,wilfrid4 ,the ,english ,benedictins    
honor him as one of the patrons of their
 congregation1 and he is mentioned in   
the ,roman ,martyrology on this day4    
,see his life in ,bede's history of the 
first abbots of ,weremouth1 published by
 ,sir ,james ,ware1 at ,dublin1 in      
#affd4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,a plough1 or  
family of land1 was as much as one      
plough1 or one yoke     of oxen could   
throw up in a year1 or as sufficed for  
the maintenance     of a family4 #b4    
,hist4 l4 #c1 c4 #be4 #c4  ,the abbeys  
of ,weremouth and ,jarrow were destroyed

 by the ,danes4 ,both     were rebuilt  
in part1 and from the year #ajhc were   
small priories or     cells dependent on
 the abbey of ,durham1 till their       
dissolution th     of ,henry ,,viii4 #d4
  ,malmes4 l4 #d1 de ,pontif4 #e4  ,see 
,monast4 ,ang4 t4 #a1 p4 #d1 and ,john  
of ,glastenbury1 ,hist4 ,glasten4       
,,tygrius1 ,a ,,priest1  ,,who was      
scourged1 tormented with the disjointing
 of his bones1 stripped of all his      
goods1 and sent into banishment2 and    
,,eutropius1 lector1 and precentor of   
the church of ,constantinople1 who died 
in prison of his torments1 having been  
scourged1 his cheeks torn with iron     
hooks1 and his sides burnt with torches2
 are honored in the ,roman ,martyrology 
with the title of martyrs on the #abth  
of ,january4  ,,st4 ,,aelred1  ,,abbot  
,,of ,,rieval1 ,,or ,,ridal1 ,,in       
,,yorkshire4  ,,he was of noble descent1
 and was born in the north of ,england1 
in #aaji4 ,being educated in learning   
and piety1 he was invited by ,david1 the

 pious king of ,scotland1 to his court1 
made master of his household1 and highly
 esteemed both by him and the courtiers4
 ,his virtue shone with bright lustre in
 the world1 particularly his meekness1  
which ,christ declared to be his        
favorite virtue1 and the distinguishing 
mark of his true disciples4 ,the        
following is a memorable instance to    
what a degree he possessed this virtue3 
a certain person of quality having      
insulted and reproached him in the      
presence of the king1 ,aelred heard him 
out with patience1 and thanked him for  
his charity and sincerity1 in telling   
him his faults4 ,this behavior had such 
an influence on his adversary as made   
him ask his pardon on the spot4 ,another
 time1 while he was speaking on a       
certain matter1 one interrupted him with
 very harsh1 reviling expressions3 the  
servant of ,god heard him with          
tranquillity1 and afterwards resumed his
 discourse with the same calmness and   
presence of mind as before4 ,his desires

 were ardent to devote himself entirely 
to ,god1 by forsaking the world2 but the
 charms of friendship detained him some 
time longer in it1 and were fetters to  
his soul2 reflecting1 notwithstanding1  
that he must sooner or later be         
separated by death from those he loved  
most1 he condemned his own cowardice1   
and broke at once those bands of        
friendship1 which were more agreeable to
 him than all other sweets of life4 ,he 
describes the situation of his soul     
under this struggle1 and says1 ,those   
who saw me1 judging by the gaudy show   
which surrounded me1 and not knowing    
what passed within my soul1 said1       
speaking of me3 ,oh1 how well is it with
 him6 how happy is he6 ,but they knew   
not the anguish of my mind2 for the deep
 wound in my heart gave me a thousand   
tortures1 and ,i was not able to bear   
the intolerable stench of my sins4 ,but 
after he had taken his resolution1 he   
says1 ,i began then to know1 by a little
 experience1 what immense pleasure is   

found in thy service1 and how sweet that
 peace is1 which is its inseparable     
companion4#a ,to relinquish entirely all
 his worldly engagements1 he left       
,scotland1 and embraced the austere     
,cistercian order1 at ,rieval1 in a     
valley upon the hanks of the ,rie1 in   
,yorkshire1 where a noble lord1 called  
,walter #acd ,especke1 had founded a    
monastery in #aabb4 ,at the age of      
twenty-four1 in #aacc1 he became a monk 
under the first abbot1 ,william1 a      
disciple of ,st4 ,bernard4 ,fervor      
adding strength to his tender delicate  
body1 he set himself cheerfully about   
practising the greatest austerities1 and
 employed much of his time in prayer and
 the reading of pious books4 ,he        
converted his heart with great ardor to 
the love of ,god1 and by this means     
finding all his mortifications sweet and
 light1 he cried out1#b ,that yoke doth 
not oppress1 but raiseth the soul2 that 
burden hath-wings1 not weight4 ,he      
speaks of divine charity always in      

raptures1 and by his frequent           
ejaculations on the subject1 it seems to
 have been the most agreeable occupation
 of his soul4 ,may thy voice 7says he7  
sound in my ears1 ,o good ,jesus1 that  
my heart may learn how to love thee1    
that my mind may love thee1 that the    
interior powers1 and1 as it were1 bowels
 of my soul1 and very marrow of my      
heart1 may love thee1 and that my       
affections may embrace thee1 my only    
true good1 my sweet and delightful joy6 
,what is love8 my ,god6 ,if ,i mistake  
not1 it is the wonderful delight of the 
soul1 so much the more sweet as more    
pure1 so much the more overflowing and  
inebriating as more ardent4 ,he who     
loves thee1 possesses thee2 and he      
possesses thee in proportion as he      
loves1 because thou art love4 ,this is  
that abundance with which thy beloved   
are inebriated1 melting away from       
themselves1 that they may pass into     
thee1 by loving thee4#c ,he had been    
much delighted in his youth with reading

 ,tully2 but after his conversion1 found
 that author1 and all other reading1    
tedious and bitter1 which was not       
sweetened with the honey of the holy    
name of ,jesus1 and seasoned with the   
word of ,god1 as he says in the preface 
to his book1 ,on spiritual friendship4  
,he was much edified with the very looks
 of a holy monk1 called ,simon1 who had 
despised high birth1 an ample fortune1  
and all the advantages of mind and body1
 to serve ,god in that penitential      
state4 ,this monk went and came as one  
deaf and dumb1 always recollected in    
,god2 and was such a lover of silence1  
that he would scarce speak a few words  
to the prior on necessary occasions4    
,his silence1 however1 was sweet1       
agreeable1 and full of edification4 ,our
 saint says of him1 ,the very sight of  
his humility stifled my pride1 and made 
me blush at the immortification of my   
looks4 ,the law of silence practised    
among us1 prevented my ever speaking to 
him deliberately2 but1 one day1 on my   

speaking a word to him inadvertently1   
his displeasure appeared in his looks   
for my infraction of the rule of        
silence2 and he suffered me to lie some 
time prostrate before him to expiate my 
fault2 for which ,i grieved bitterly1   
and which ,i never could forgive        
myself4#d ,this holy monk1 having served
 ,god eight years in perfect fidelity1  
died in #aadb1 in wonderful peace1      
repeating with his last breath1 ,i will 
sing eternally1 ,o ,lord1 thy mercy1 thy
 mercy1 thy mercy6  ,st4 ,aelred1 much  
against his inclination1 was made abbot 
of a new monastery of his order1 founded
 by ,william1 ,earl of ,lincoln1 at     
,revesby1 in ,lincolnshire1 in #aadb1   
and of ,rieval1 over three hundred      
monks1 in #aadc4 ,describing their life1
 he says1 that they drank nothing but   
water2 ate little1 and that coarse2     
labored hard1 slept little1 and on hard 
boards2 never spoke1 except to their    
superiors on necessary occasions2       
carried the burdens that were laid on   

them without refusing any2 went wherever
 they were led2 had not a moment for    
sloth1 or amusements of any kind1 and   
never had any lawsuit or dispute4#e ,st4
 ,aelred also mentions their mutual     
charity and peace in the most affecting 
manner1 and is not able to find words to
 express the joy he felt at the sight of
 every one of them4 ,his humility and   
love of solitude made him constantly    
refuse many bishoprics which were       
pressed #ace upon him4 ,pious reading   
and prayer were his delight4 ,even in   
times of spiritual dryness1 if he opened
 the divine books1 he suddenly found his
 soul pierced with the light of the     
,holy ,ghost4 ,his eyes1 though before  
as dry as marble1 flowed with tears1 and
 his heart abandoned itself to sighs    
accompanied with a heavenly pleasure1 by
 which he was ravished in ,god4 ,he died
 in #aaff1 and the fifty-seventh of his 
age1 having been twenty-two years abbot4
 ,see his works published at ,douay in  
#afbe1 and in ,bibl4 ,cisterc4 t4 #e1   

particularly his ,mirrour of ,charity2  
,hearne's ,notes on ,gulielmus          
,neubrigensis1 who dedicated to our     
saint the first book of his history1 t4 
#c1 p4 #a3 likewise his life in         
,capgrave1 and the annals of his order4 
,the general chapter held at ,citeaux in
 #abej1 declared him to be ranked among 
the saints of their order2 as ,henriquez
 and the additions to the ,cistercian   
,martyrology testify4 ,in the new       
,martyrology published by ,benedict     
,,xiv4 for the use of this order1 the   
feast of ,st4 ,aelred is marked on the  
#b;d of ,march1#f with a great eulogium 
of his learning1 innocence of life1     
wonderful humility1 patience1 heavenly  
conversation1 gift of prophecy1 and     
miracles4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,spec4  #a1 
c4 #bh4 #b4  ,spec4 l4 #a1 c4 #e4 #c4   
,ibid4 l4 #a1 c4 #a4 #d4  ,ibid4 l4 #a1 
c4 ult4 #e4  ,l4 #b1 c4 #b4 #f4  ,p4    
#cjd   ,,january ,,xiii4  ,,st4         
,,veronica1 ,,of ,,milan4  ,from her    
life1 in ,bollandus1 t4 #a1 p4 #hij4    

,a4,d4 #adig4  ,,all states furnish     
abundant means for attaining to sanctity
 and ,christian perfection1 and it is   
only1 owing to our sloth and tepidity   
that we neglect to make use of them4    
,this saint could boast of no worldly   
advantages either by birth or fortune4#a
 ,her parents maintained their family by
 hard labor in a village near ,milan1   
and were both very pious2 her father    
never sold a horse1 or any thing else he
 dealt in1 without being more careful to
 acquaint the purchaser with all that   
was secretly faulty in it1 than to      
recommend its good qualities4 ,his      
narrow circumstances prevented his      
giving his daughter any schooling1 so   
that she never learned to read2 but his 
own1 and his devout wife's example1 and 
fervent though simple instructions1     
filled her tender heart from the cradle 
with lively sentiments of virtue4 ,the  
pious #acf maid from her infancy applied
 herself to continual prayer1 was very  
attentive to the instructions given in  

the catechism2 and the uninterrupted    
consideration of the holy mysteries1 and
 the important truths of religion1      
engrossed her whole soul to themselves4 
,she was1 notwithstanding1 of all       
others1 the most diligent and           
indefatigable in labor2 and so obedient 
to her parents and masters1 even in the 
smallest trifles1 so humble and         
submissive to her equals1 that she      
seemed to have no will of her own4 ,her 
food was coarse and very sparing1 and   
her drink the same which the poorer sort
 of people used in that country1 water1 
except sometimes whey1 or a little milk4
 ,at her work she continually conversed 
in her heart with ,god2 insomuch that in
 company she seemed deaf to their       
discourses1 mirth1 and music4 ,when she 
was weeding1 reaping1 or at any other   
labor in the fields1 she strove to work 
at a distance from her companions1 to   
entertain herself the more freely with  
her heavenly spouse4 ,the rest admired  
her love of solitude1 and on coming to  

her1 always found her countenance       
cheerful1 yet often bathed in tears1    
which they sometimes perceived to flow  
in great abundance2 though they did not 
know the source to be devotion3 so      
carefully did ,veronica conceal what    
passed in her soul between her and ,god4
  ,through a divine call to a religious 
and conventual state of life1 she       
conceived a great desire to become a    
nun1 in the poor1 austere1 and edifying 
convent of ,st4 ,martha1 of the order of
 ,st4 ,austin in ,milan4 ,to qualify    
herself for this state1 being busied the
 whole day at work1 she sat up at night 
to learn to read and write1 which the   
want of an instructor made a great      
fatigue to her4 ,one day being in great 
anxiety about her learning1 the ,mother 
of ,god1 to whom she had always         
recommended herself1 in a comfortable   
vision bade her banish that anxiety2 for
 it was enough if she knew three        
letters3 ,the first1 purity of the      
affections1 by placing her whole heart  

on ,god alone1 loving no creature1 but  
in him and for him2 the second1 never to
 murmur1 or be impatient at the sins1 or
 any behavior of others1 but to bear    
them with interior peace and patience1  
and humbly to pray for them2 the third1 
to set apart some time every day to     
meditate on the passion of ,christ4     
,after three years' preparation1 she was
 admitted to the religious habit in ,st4
 ,martha's4 ,her life was entirely      
uniform1 perfect1 and fervent in every  
action1 no other than a living copy of  
her rule1 which consisted in the        
practice of evangelical perfection      
reduced to certain holy exercises4      
,every moment of her life she studied to
 accomplish it to the least tittle1 and 
was no less exact in obeying the order  
or direction of any superior's will4    
,when she could not obtain leave to     
watch in the church so long as she      
desired1 by readily complying1 she      
deserved to hear from ,christ1 that     
obedience was a sacrifice the most dear 

to him1 who1 to obey his ,father's will1
 came down from heaven1 becoming        
obedient even unto death4#b  ,she lay   
three years under a lingering illness1  
all which time she would never be       
exempted from any duty of the house1 or 
part of her work1 or make use of the    
least indulgence1 though she had leave2 
her answer always was1 ,i must work     
while ,i can1 while ,i have time4 ,it   
was her delight to help and serve every 
one4 ,she always sought with admirable  
humility the last place1 and the        
greatest drudgery4 ,it was her desire to
 live always on bread and water4 ,her   
silence was a sign of her recollection  
and continual prayer1 in which her gift 
of abundant and almost continual tears  
was most wonderful4 ,she nourished them 
by constant meditation on her own       
miseries1 on the love of ,god1 the joys 
of heaven1 and the sacred passion of    
,christ4 ,she always spoke of her own   
sinful life1 as she called it1 though it
 was most innocent1 with the most       

feeling sentiments of compunction4 ,she 
was favored by ,god with many           
extraordinary visits and #acg comforts4 
,by moving exhortations to virtue1 she  
softened and converted several obdurate 
sinners4 ,she died at the hour which she
 had foretold1 in the year #adig1 and   
the fifty-second of her age4 ,her       
sanctity was confirmed by miracles4     
,pope ,leo ,x41 by a bull in #aeag1     
permitted her to be honored in her      
monastery in the same manner as if she  
had been beatified according to the     
usual form4 ,the bull may be seen in    
,bollandus4#c ,her name is inserted on  
this day in the ,roman ,martyrology1    
published by ,benedict ,,xiv41 in the   
year #agdi2 but on the #bhth of this    
month1 in that of the ,austin friars1   
approved by the same pope4         99   
99       99       99       99           
,christian perfection consists very much
 in the performance of our ordinary     
actions1 and the particular duties of   
our respective stations4 ,god1 as the   

good father and great master of the     
family of the world1 allots to every one
 his proper place and office in it2 and 
it is in this variety of states by which
 it subsists2 and in their mutual       
dependence upon each other1 that its    
good order and beauty consist4 ,it is   
the most holy and wise appointment of   
providence and the order of nature1 that
 the different stations in the world be 
filled4 ,kings and subjects1 rich and   
poor1 reciprocally depend upon each     
other2 and it is the command of ,god    
that every one perform well the part    
which is assigned him4 ,it is1 then1 by 
the constant attendance on all the      
duties of his state1 that a person is to
 be sanctified4 ,by this all his        
ordinary actions will be agreeable      
sacrifices to ,god1 and his whole life a
 continued chain of good works4 ,it is  
not only in great actions1 or by fits   
and starts1 but in all that we do1 and  
in every moment1 that we are bound to   
live to ,god4 ,the regulation of this   

point is of essential importance in a   
virtuous life1 that every action may be 
performed with regularity1 exactitude in
 all its circumstances1 and the utmost  
fervor1 and by the most pure motive1    
referred solely to divine honor1 in     
union with the most holy actions and    
infinite merits of ,christ4 ,hence ,st4 
,hilary says1#d ,when the just man      
performs all his actions1 with a pure   
and simple view to the divine honor and 
glory1 as the apostle admonishes us1#e  
his whole life becomes an uninterrupted 
prayer2 and as he passes his days and   
nights in the accomplishment of the     
divine will1 it is true to say1 that the
 whole course of a holy life is a       
constant meditation on the law of ,god4 
,nevertheless this axiom1 that the best 
devotion is the constant practice of a  
person's ordinary duties1 is abused by  
some1 to excuse a life of dissipation4  
,every one is bound to live to himself  
in the first place1 and to reserve      
leisure for frequent exercises of       

devotion2 and it is only by a spirit of 
perfect self-denial1 humility1          
compunction1 and prayer1 and by an      
assiduous attention of the soul to ,god1
 that our exterior ordinary actions will
 be animated by the motives of divine   
faith and charity1 and the spirit of    
true piety nourished in our breasts2 in 
this consists the secret of a ,christian
 life in all states4  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,the print of the holy face of our      
,saviour on a linen cloth1 is kept      
in ,saint ,peter's church at ,rome1 with
 singular veneration4 ,it is            
mentioned in an ancient ceremonial of   
that church1 dedicated to     ,celestin 
,,ii4 in #aadc1 published by ,mabillon1 
7,museum ,ital4 t #b p4     #abb27 also 
in ,matthew of ,westminster1 ,flores    
,hist4 under ,innocent     ,,iii4 who   
died in #abaf2 and in a ,bull of        
,nicholas ,,iv4 in #abij4 ,it was       
called ,veronica1 or true image of our  
,lord's face1 from ,vera and            
,iconica1 a word used by ,st4 ,gregory  

of ,tours4 7,vit4 ,patr4 c1 #ab47       
for an image1 from the ,greek word      
,icon4 ,some moderns imagine that it    
served at the burial of out ,lord2      
others say1 that a devout woman         
wiped his face with it1 when he was     
fainting under the load of his          
cross1 going to mount ,calvary4 ,in some
 particular missals1 as in     that of  
,mentz in #adic1 among the votive       
masses1 is one de ,sancta     ,veronica 
sei vultu ,domini1 in the same manner as
 there is a mass1     ,on the cross4    
,such devotions are directed to honor   
our ,lord1 with     a remembrance of    
this relic1 memorial1 or pledge4 ,from  
this office     of the ,veronica is     
taken an ,anthem and ,prayer which are  
said in some     private churches1 as a 
commemoration of the holy face of       
,lucca1     which is a very ancient and 
miraculous crucifix1 in the chapel of   
the ,holy ,cross1 in the cathedral      
dedicated to ,st4 ,martin at ,lucca4 ,a 
copy of the true ,veronica is kept in   

the ,cistercian nunnery at              
,montreuil1 a present of ,urban ,,iv4 to
 this house1 his sister being a     nun 
there4 ,see his letter to them in       
,chiffleter1 de ,linteis                
sepulchralibus ,domini4 ,this letter was
 dated in #abdi1 when the     author was
 archdeacon and chaplain to ,innocent   
,,iv4 ,some private     writers and     
churches have given the name of ,st4    
,veronica to the     devout woman who is
 said to have presented this linen cloth
 to our     divine ,redeemer2 but       
without sufficient warrant4 ,see        
,rapebroch ,matt4     t4 #g1 p4 #cef1 n4
 #abf1 and ,chatelain4 ,notes on the    
,martyr1 on ,jan4     #ac1 pp4 #bja1    
#bbb4 #b4  ,phil4 ii4 #h4 #c4  ,t4 #a1  
p4 #hhi4 #d4  ,s4 ,hilar4 in ,ps4 i4 p4 
#bj4 #e4  #a ,cor4 x4 #ca4  ,,st4       
,,kentigern1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,glasco1 ,c4
  ,,in ,,ancient ,,british1 ,,kyndeyrn2 
,,surnamed ,,mungho1 ,,or ,,munghu4     
,,this eminent saint of the ancient     
church of ,north ,britain1 was of royal 

blood among the ,picts1 or original     
inhabitants of that country1 and born   
about the year #eaf4 ,he was placed very
 young under the discipline of ,st4     
,servanus1 bishop and abbot of ,culros1 
a monastery1 situated upon the frith    
which divides ,lothian from ,fife4 ,by  
this holy prelate he was trained up in  
the perfect spirit of ,christian        
meekness and piety4 ,for his innocence  
and great virtues he was beloved by his 
master1 and all who were acquainted #ach
 with that religious family1 above all  
his fellow-disciples1 for which reason  
he was called ,munghu1 or ,mungho1 which
 in the language of that country        
signified one dearly beloved2 and this  
is the name which the ,scots usually    
give him to this day4 ,when he was grown
 up1 by the direction of ,st4 ,servanus1
 he retired to a place called ,glasghu1 
where he led a solitary life in great   
abstinence1 till the clergy and people  
earnestly demanded him for their bishop4
 ,he was consecrated by an ,irish       

bishop1 invited over for that purpose1  
and fixed his see at ,glasghu1 or       
,glasco1 where he assembled a numerous  
company of religious brethren1 who      
formed their rule of life upon the model
 of the primitive ,christians at        
,jerusalem4 ,the saint's diocese was of 
vast extent1 reaching from sea to sea1  
and being wild and uncultivated1        
afforded continual exercise for his zeal
 and patience2 he travelled always on   
foot1 sparing no pains to spread the    
light of the gospel among the           
unbelievers1 of whom he converted and   
baptized great numbers4 ,the ,pelagian  
heresy having taken deep root among the 
,christians in those parts1 he so       
vigorously opposed that fatal1 growing  
evil1 as entirely to banish that hydra  
out of the church of the ,picts4        
,besides the recital of the whole       
,psalter1 he performed every day several
 other exercises of devotion2 lived in a
 constant union of his soul with ,god1  
and by perpetual abstinence1 rigorous   

fasts1 and other extraordinary          
austerities1 he made his whole life an  
uninterrupted course of penance4 ,every 
,lent he retired from the sight and     
conversation of men1 into some desert1  
to hold a close communication with ,god 
in solitude4 ,as both in his virtues and
 labors he imitated the apostles1 so    
,god was pleased to authorize his       
preaching1 by conferring on him an      
apostolic grace of the miraculous       
powers4 ,out of his monks and disciples1
 he sent many missionaries to preach the
 faith in the north of ,scotland1 in the
 isles of ,orkney1 in ,norway1 and      
,iceland4  ,the form of government among
 the ,straith-,cluid ,britons and the   
,cumbrians1 the latter inhabiting the   
country from the ,picts' wall1 to the   
,ribble in ,lancashire1 was in part     
aristocratical2 for many petty lords or 
princes enjoyed so great authority in   
their respective territories1 as often  
to wage war among themselves3 yet they  
all obeyed one monarch1 who usually     

resided at ,alcluyd1 or ,dunbritton4    
,besides the feuds and quarrels of      
particular chieftains and their clans1  
there happened about that time several  
revolutions in the monarchy4 ,we learn  
from the book entitled the ,triades1    
that when ,st4 ,kentigern was made      
bishop of ,glasco1 ,gurthmel ,wledig was
 king of the ,north ,britons1 and       
contemporary with ,arthur4 ,he was      
succeeded by ,rydderch1 surnamed ,hael1 
i4e4 ,the ,liberal1 who vanquished his  
enemies and rivals in war1 especially by
 the great victory of ,arderyth1 in     
#egg4a ,he was a religious and deserving
 prince1 and his magnificence1          
generosity1 and other virtues1 are      
extolled by the ancient author of the   
,triades1 by ,merlin1 ,taliessin1 the   
old laws of the ,britons1 and the       
authors of the lives of ,st4 ,kentigern 
and ,st4 ,asaph4 ,this prince1 however1 
was afterwards obliged by rebellious    
subjects1 under ,morcant ,mawr1 and     
,aeddon1 surnamed ,uraydog1 or ,the     

,treacherous1 to fly into ,ireland4 ,the
 impious ,morcant 7as he is styled in   
the fragment of ,st4 ,asaph's life1     
extant in ,coch-,asaph7 usurped the     
throne of the ,straith-,cluid ,britons2 
but the ,cumbrians1 who dwelt on the    
south side of the wall1 were protected  
by ,urien1 lord of ,rheged1 a nobleman  
who had lived at the court of king      
,arthur1 and whose great qualities are  
celebrated by the pens of               
,lhowarch-,hen1 7his cousin-german17    
,taliessin1 and the author of the       
,triades4 ,in the beginning of the      
usurpation of ,morcant ,mawr1 ,st4      
,kentigern was obliged to fly into      
,wales1 where he stayed some time with  
,st4 ,david1 at ,menevia1 #aci till     
,cathwallain1 7uncle to king ,maelgun   
,gwynedh1#b7 a religious prince of part 
of ,denbighshire1 bestowed on him the   
land at the meeting of the rivers ,elwy 
and ,cluid1 on which he built a famous  
monastery and school1 called from the   
river ,elwy1 ,llan-,elwy1 or absolutely 

,elgwy1 where a great number of         
disciples and scholars soon put         
themselves under his direction4 ,st4    
,kentigern was here when ,st4 ,david    
died1 in #edf1 or rather in #edd1 when  
the first of ,march fell on a           
,tuesday4#c ,after the death of the     
usurper ,morcant1 ,rydderch returned    
from ,ireland1 and recovered his crown1 
and ,st4 ,kentigern1 leaving his school 
to the care of ,st4 ,asaph1 7whose name 
the town1 which was raised at ,elgwy1   
bears to this day17 went back to        
,glasco1 taking with him several        
hundreds of his scholars2 their number  
having probably been much increased     
after the death of ,daniel1 bishop of   
,bangor1 which happened between the     
years #edb and #ede4 ,the return of ,st4
 ,kentigern to his see1 is generally    
placed about the year #efj1 nor can it  
be placed later1 since in #efe he had a 
conference with ,st4 ,columbo1 when that
 holy man came over to ,scotland1 in    
order to convert the northern ,picts1 to

 whom ,st4 ,kentigern had already sent  
missionaries4#d ,wharton therefore      
justly places the residence of ,st4     
,kentigern in ,wales1 from the year #edc
 to #efj4e ,king ,rydderch powerfully   
seconded the zeal of our saint in all   
his undertakings1 being his constant    
friend and protector2 as were the two   
princes who afterward succeeded him1    
,guallauc1 7who seems to have been his  
son17 and ,morcant ,mwynfawn1 7who was  
certainly his brother47 ,the valor of   
,rydderch1 and these two successors1    
which is highly commended by an ancient 
author in ,nennius1 and other ,british  
historians1 was the bulwark of their    
dominions against the inroads of the    
,saxons4 ,st4 ,kentigern employed his   
zeal all this time1 with wonderful      
success1 in correcting abuses1 reforming
 the manners of his flock1 and          
propagating the faith2 was favored with 
a wonderful gift of miracles1 and died  
in #fja1 aged eighty-five years4 ,his   
tomb1 in his titular church at ,glasco1 

was famous for miracles1 and his name   
was always most illustrious in the      
,scottish calendars4 ,see his ancient   
life1 ,leland de ,scriptor4 ,usher1     
,ant4 c4 #ae4 ,hector ,boetius1 ,leslie1
 c4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,vaughn's         
,dissert4 on the ,british ,chron4       
,carte4 t4 #a1 p4 #baa4 #b4  ,see ,notes
 on ,st4 ,gildas and ,st4 ,david4 #c4   
,usher1 ,ant4 ,brit4 c4 #ad4 #d4  ,vit4 
,s4 ,kentigerni4 ,usher1 ,antiqu4 c4    
#ae1 p4 #ceh4 #e4  ,wharton de          
,episcopis ,asaphensibus1 pp4 #cjj1     
#cjb4  ,this is also the ,octave of the 
,epiphany4#a ,the principal object of   
the devotion of the church on this day  
is the baptism of our ,saviour by ,st4  
,john in the ,jordan4 ,we learn from the
 great council of ,oxford1 in #abbb1b   
that it was then kept a holyday of the  
third class2 on which all were obliged  
to hear mass1 though they might work    
afterwards4 ,in ,france and ,germany all
 servile work was forbidden on it1 by   
the capitulars of ,lewis le             

,debonnaire4#c ,the emperor ,theodosius 
,,ii4 forbids all civil courts and      
transactions during eight days before   
the festival of the ,epiphany1 and as   
many after it4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,the   
church prolongs more solemn festivals   
during eight days1 with a     daily     
continuation of the sacred office proper
 to each such     festival4 ,this term  
is called its octave1 and the eighth day
 is     called the octave-day4 #b4      
,can4 #h4 #c4  ,l4 #b1 de feriis4  #adj 
,,january ,,xiv4  ,,st4 ,,hilary1       
,,bishop4  ,from his own writings1 and  
the histories of that age1 which furnish
 the most authentic memoirs of his life4
 ,see what ,dom ,coutant1 the           
,benedictin monk1 has recorded of him in
 his excellent edition of his works2 as 
also ,tillemont1 t4 #g1 ,ceillier1 t4   
#e1 and ,rivet1 ,hiss4 ,lit4 t4 #a1 part
 #b1 p4 #aci4 ,the two books1 the one of
 his life1 the other of his miracles1 by
 ,fortunatus of ,poictiers1 #fjj1 are   
inaccurate4 ,both the ,fortunatases were

 from ,italy2 and probably one was the  
author of the first1 and the other of   
the second book4  ,a4,d4 #cfh4  ,,st4   
,,austin1 who often urges the authority 
of ,st4 ,hilary against the ,pelagians1 
styles him the illustrious doctor of the
 churches4#a ,st4 ,jerom says#b that he 
was a most eloquent man1 and the trumpet
 of the ,latins against the ,arians2 and
 in another place1 that in ,st4 ,cyprian
 and ,st4 ,hilary1 ,god had transplanted
 two fair cedars out of the world into  
his church4#c  ,st4 ,hilary was born at 
,poictiers1 and his family one of the   
most illustrious in ,gaul4#d ,he spent  
his youth in the study of eloquence4 ,he
 himself testifies that he was brought  
up in idolatry1 and gives us a          
particular account of the steps by which
 ,god conducted him to the knowledge of 
his saving faith4#e ,he considered by   
the glimmering or faint light of reason1
 that man1 who is created a moral and   
free agent1 is placed in this world for 
the exercise of patience1 temperance1   

and other virtues1 which he saw must    
receive from ,god a recompense after    
this life4 ,he ardently set about       
learning what ,god is2 and after some   
researches into the nature of the       
,supreme ,being1 quickly discovered the 
absurdity of polytheism1 or a plurality 
of gods2 and was convinced that there   
can be only one ,god1 and that the same 
is eternal1 unchangeable1 all-powerful1 
the first cause and author of all       
things4 ,full of these reflections1 he  
met with the holy scriptures1 and was   
wonderfully affected with that just and 
sublime description ,moses gives of ,god
 in those words1 so expressive of his   
self-existence1#f ,i ,,am ,,who ,,am3   
and was no less struck with the idea of 
his immensity and supreme dominion1     
illustrated by the most lively images in
 the inspired language of the prophets4 
,the reading of the ,new ,testament put 
an end to1 and completed his inquiries2 
and he learned from the first chapter of
 ,st4 ,john1 that the ,divine ,word1    

,god the ,son1 is coeternal and         
consubstantial with the ,father4 ,here  
he checked his natural curiosity1       
avoided subtilties1 and submitted his   
understanding to divine revelation1     
resolving what seemed incomprehensible  
into the veracity and power of ,god2 and
 not presuming to measure divine        
mysteries by his shallow capacity4      
,being thus brought to the knowledge of 
faith1 he received the heavenly         
regeneration by baptism4 ,from that time
 forth he so squared his whole life by  
the rules of piety1 and so zealous were 
his endeavors to confirm others in the  
faith of the holy ,trinity1 and to      
encourage all to virtue1 that he seemed1
 though a layman1 already to possess the
 grace of the priesthood4  ,he was      
married before his conversion to the    
faith2 and his wife1 by whom he had a   
daughter named ,apra1 or ,abram1 was yet
 living1 when he was chosen bishop of   
,poictiers1 about the year #cec2 but    
from the time of #ada his ordination he 

lived in perpetual continency4#g ,he    
omitted no endeavors to escape this     
promotion3 but his humility only made   
the people the more earnest to see him  
vested with that dignity2 and indeed    
their expectations were not frustrated  
in him1 for his eminent virtue and      
capacity shone forth with such a lustre1
 as soon drew upon him the attention1   
not only of all ,gaul1 but of the whole 
church4 ,soon after he was raised to the
 episcopal dignity1 he composed1 before 
his exile1 elegant comments on the      
gospel of ,saint ,matthew1 which are    
still extant4 ,those on the ,psalms he  
compiled after his banishment4#h ,of    
these comments on the ,psalms1 and on   
,st4 ,matthew1 we are chiefly to        
understand ,st4 ,jerom1 when he         
recommends1 in a particular manner1 the 
reading of the works of ,st4 ,hilary to 
virgins and devout persons4#i ,from that
 time the ,arian controversy chiefly    
employed his pen4 ,he was an excellent  
orator and poet4 ,his style is lofty and

 noble1 beautified with rhetorical      
ornaments and figures1 but somewhat     
studied2 and the length of his periods  
renders him sometimes obscure to the    
unlearned1#aj as ,st4 ,jerom takes      
notice4#aa ,it is observed by ,dr4      
,cave1 that all his writings breathe an 
extraordinary vein of piety4 ,saint     
,hilary solemnly appeals to ,god1#ab    
that he held it as the great work of his
 life1 to employ all his faculties to   
announce ,god to the world1 and to      
excite all men to the love of him4 ,he  
earnestly recommends the practice of    
beginning every action and discourse by 
prayer1#ac and some act of divine       
praise2#ad as also to meditate on #adb  
the law of ,god day and night1 to pray  
without ceasing1 by performing all our  
actions with a view to ,god their       
ultimate end1 and to his glory4#ae ,he  
breathes a sincere and ardent desire of 
martyrdom1 and discovers a soul #adc    
fearless of death and torments4 ,he had 
the greatest veneration for truth1      

sparing no pains in its pursuit1 and    
dreading no dangers in its defence4 ,the
 emperor ,constantius1 having labored   
for several years to compel the eastern 
churches to embrace ,arianism1 came into
 the ,west3 and after the overthrow of  
the tyrant ,magnentius1 made some stay  
at ,arles1 while his ,arian bishops held
 a council there1 in which they engaged 
,saturninus1 the impious bishop of that 
city1 in their party1 in #cec4 ,a bolder
 ,arian council at ,milan1 in #cee1 held
 during the residence of the emperor in 
that city1 required all to sign the     
condemnation of ,st4 ,athanasius4 ,such 
as refused to comply were banished2     
among whom were ,st4 ,eusebius of       
,vercelli1 ,lucifer of ,cagliari1 and   
,st4 ,dionysius of ,milan1 into whose   
see ,auxentius1 the ,arian1 was         
intruded4 ,st4 ,hilary wrote on that    
occasion his first book to ,constantius1
 in which he mildly entreated him to    
restore peace to the church4 ,he        
separated himself from the three ,arian 

bishops in the ,west1 ,ursacius1        
,valens1 and ,saturninus1 and exhibited 
an accusation against the last in a     
synod at ,beziers4 ,but the emperor1 who
 had information of the matter from     
,saturninus1 sent an order to ,julian1  
then ,caesar1 and surnamed afterwards   
the ,apostate1 who at that time         
commanded in ,gaul1 for ,st4 ,hilary's  
immediate banishment into ,phrygia1     
together with ,st4 ,rhodanius1 bishop of
 ,toulouse4 ,the bishops in ,gaul being 
almost all orthodox1 remained in        
communion with ,st4 ,hilary1 and would  
not suffer the intrusion of any one into
 his see1 which in his absence he       
continued to govern by his priests4 ,the
 saint went into banishment about the   
middle of the year #cef1 with as great  
alacrity as another would take a journey
 of pleasure1 and never entertained the 
least disquieting thought of hardships1 
dangers1 or enemies1 having a soul above
 both the smiles and frowns of the      
world1 and fixed only on ,god4 ,he      

remained in exile somewhat upwards of   
three years1 which time he employed in  
composing several learned works4 ,the   
principal and most esteemed of these is 
that ,on the ,trinity1 against the      
,arians1 in twelve #add books4 ,in them 
he proves the consubstantiality of the  
,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,he    
teaches that the church is one1 out of  
which all heresies spring2 not that by  
this she is distinguished1 as standing  
always one1 always alone against them   
all1 and confounding them all3 whereas  
they by perpetual divisions tear each   
other in pieces1 and so become the      
subject of her triumph4#af ,he proves   
that ,arianism cannot be the faith of   
,christ1 because not revealed to ,st4   
,peter1 upon whom the church was built  
and secured forever2 for whose faith    
,christ prayed1 that it might never     
fail2 who received the keys of the      
kingdom of heaven1 and whose judiciary  
sentence on earth is that of heaven3#ag 
all which arguments he frequently       

urges4#ah ,he proves the divinity of    
,christ by the miracles wrought at the  
sepulchres of the apostles and martyrs1 
and by their relics3 for the devils     
themselves confess ,christ's godhead1   
and roar and flee at the presence of the
 venerable bones of his servants1#ai    
which he also mentions and urges in his 
invective against ,constantius4#bj ,in  
#ceh1 he wrote his book ,on ,synods1 or 
,on the ,faith of the ,orientals1 to    
explain the terms and variation of the  
eastern ,arians in their synods4  ,in   
his exile he was informed that his      
daughter ,apra1 whom he had left in     
,gaul1 had thoughts of embracing the    
married state2 upon which he implored   
,christ1 with many tears1 to bestow on  
her the precious jewel of virginity4 ,he
 sent her a letter that is still extant1
 in which he acquaints her1 that if she 
contemned all earthly things1 spouse1   
sumptuous garments1 and riches1 ,christ 
had prepared for her1 and had shown unto
 him1 at his prayers and tears1 an      

inestimable never-falling diamond1      
infinitely more precious than she was   
able to frame to herself an idea of4 ,he
 conjures her by the ,god of heaven1 and
 entreats her not to make void his      
anxiety for her1 nor to deprive herself 
of so incomparable a good4 ,fortunatus  
assures us that the original letter was 
kept with veneration in the church of   
,poictiers1 in the sixth century1 when  
he wrote1 and that ,apra followed his   
advice1 and died happily at his feet    
after his return4#ba ,st4 ,hilary sent  
to her with this letter two hymns1      
composed by himself2 one for the        
evening1 which does not seem to have    
reached our times2 the other for the    
morning1 which is the hymn ,lucis       
largitor splendide4  ,the emperor1 by an
 unjust usurpation in the affairs of the
 ,church1 assembled a council of ,arians
 at ,seleucia1 in ,isauria1 to undermine
 the great council of ,nice4 ,st4       
,hilary1 who had then passed four years 
in banishment1 in ,phrygia1 was invited 

thither by the ,semi-,arians1 who hoped 
from his lenity that he would be useful 
to their party in crushing the staunch  
,arians1 that is1 those who adhered     
strictly to the doctrine of ,arius4 ,but
 no human considerations could daunt his
 courage4 ,he boldly defended the       
decrees of ,nice1 till at last1 tired   
out with hearing the blasphemies of the 
heretics1 he withdrew to                
,constantinople4 ,the weak emperor was  
the dupe sometimes of the ,arians1 and  
at other times of the ,semi-,arians4    
,these last prevailed at ,seleucia1 in  
,september1 #cei1 as the former did in a
 council held at ,constantinople in the 
following year1 #cfj1 where having the  
advantage1 they procured the banishment 
of the ,semi-,arians1 less wicked than  
themselves4 ,st4 ,hilary1 who had       
withdrawn from ,seleucia to             
,constantinople1 presented to the       
emperor a request1 called his second    
book to ,constantius1 begging the       
liberty of holding a public disputation 

about religion with #ade ,saturninus1   
the author of his banishment4 ,he       
presses him to receive the unchangeable 
apostolic faith1 injured by the late    
innovations1 and smartly rallies the    
fickle humor of the heretics1 who were  
perpetually making new creeds1 and      
condemning their old ones1 having made  
four within the compass of the foregoing
 year2 so that faith was become that of 
the times1 not that of the gospels1 and 
that there were as many faiths as men1  
as great a variety of doctrine as of    
manners1 as many blasphemies as         
vices4#bb ,he complains that they had   
their yearly and monthly faiths2 that   
they made creeds to condemn and repent  
of them2 and that they formed new ones  
to anathematize those that adhered to   
their old ones4 ,he adds1 that every one
 had scripture texts1 and the words     
,apostolic ,faith1 in their mouths1 for 
no other end than to impose on weak     
minds3 for by attempting to change      
faith1 which is unchangeable1 faith is  

lost2 they correct and amend1 till weary
 of all1 they condemn all4 ,he therefore
 exhorts them to return to the haven    
from which the gusts of their party     
spirit and prejudice had driven them1 as
 the only means to be delivered out of  
their tempestuous and perilous          
confusion4 ,the issue of this challenge 
was1 that the ,arians1 dreading such a  
trial1 persuaded the emperor to rid the 
,east of a man that never ceased to     
disturb its peace1 by sending him back  
into ,gaul2 which he did1 but without   
reversing the sentence of his           
banishment1 in #cfj4  ,st4 ,hilary      
returned through ,illyricum and ,italy  
to confirm the weak4 ,he was received at
 ,poictiers with the greatest           
demonstrations of joy and triumph1 where
 his old disciple1 ,st4 ,martin1        
rejoined him1 to pursue the exercises of
 piety under his direction4 ,a synod in 
,gaul1 convoked at the instance of ,st4 
,hilary1 condemned that of ,rimini1     
which1 in #cei1 had omitted the word    

,consubstantial4 ,saturninus1 proving   
obstinate1 was excommunicated and       
deposed for his heresy and other crimes4
 ,scandals were removed1 discipline1    
peace1 and purity of faith were         
restored1 and piety flourished4 ,the    
death of ,constantius put an end to the 
,arian persecution4 ,st4 ,hilary was the
 mildest of men1 full of condescension  
and affability to all3 yet seeing this  
behavior ineffectual1 he composed an    
invective against ,constantius1 in which
 he employed severity1 and the harshest 
terms2 and for which undoubtedly he had 
reasons that are unknown to us4 ,this   
piece did not appear abroad till after  
the death of that emperor4 ,our saint   
undertook a journey to ,milan1 in #cfd1 
against ,auxentius1 the ,arian usurper  
of that see1 and in a public disputation
 obliged him to confess ,christ to be   
true ,god1 of the same substance and    
divinity with the ,father4 ,st4 ,hilary 
indeed saw through his hypocrisy2 but   
this dissembling heretic imposed so far 

on the emperor ,valentinian1 as to pass 
for orthodox4 ,our saint died at        
,poictiers1 in the year #cfh1 on the    
thirteenth of ,january1 or on the first 
of ,november1 for his name occurs in    
very ancient ,martyrologies on both     
these days4 ,in the ,roman breviary his 
office is celebrated on the fourteenth  
of ,january4 ,the one is probably that  
of some translation of his relics4 ,the 
first was made at ,poictiers in the     
reign of ,clovis ,i41 on which see      
,cointe4#bc ,from ,st4 ,gregory of      
,tours1 it appears that before his time 
some part of ,st4 ,hilary's relics was  
honored in a church in ,limousin4#bd    
,alcuin mentions the veneration of the  
same at ,poictiers2#be and it is related
 that his relics were burned by the     
,huguenots at ,poictiers4#bf ,but this  
we must understand of some small        
portion1 or of the dust remaining in his
 tomb4 ,for his remains were translated 
from ,poictiers to the abbey of ,st4    
,denys1 near ,paris1 as is proved by the

 tradition of that abbey1 a writer of   
the abbey of ,richenow1 in #adf the     
ninth century1#bg and other             
monuments4#bh ,many miracles performed  
by ,st4 ,hilary are related by          
,venantius ,fortunatus1 bishop of       
,poictiers1 and are the subject of a    
whole book added to his life1 which     
seems to have been written by another   
,fortunatus4 ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1   
,flodoard1 and others1 have mentioned   
several wrought at his tomb4 ,dom       
,coutant1 the most judicious and learned
 ,maurist monk1 has given an accurate   
edition of his works1 in one volume in  
folio1 at ,paris1 in #afic1 which was   
reprinted at ,verona by the ,marquis    
,scipio ,maffei1 in #agcj1 together with
 additional comments on several ,psalms4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,st4 ,hilary observes1 that         
singleness of heart is the most         
necessary condition of faith and true   
virtue1 ,for ,christ teaches that only  
those who become again as it were little

 children1 and by the simplicity of that
 age cut off the inordinate affections  
of vice1 can enter the kingdom of       
heaven4 ,these follow and obey their    
father1 love their mother2 are strangers
 to covetousness1 ill-will1 hatred1     
arrogance1 and lying1 and are inclined  
easily to believe what they hear4 ,this 
disposition of affections opens the way 
to heaven4 ,we must therefore return to 
the simplicity of little children1 in   
which we shall bear some resemblance to 
our ,lord's humility4#bi ,this1 in the  
language of the ,holy ,ghost1 is called 
the foolishness of the cross of         
,christ1#cj in which consists true      
wisdom4 ,that prudence of the flesh and 
worldly wisdom1 which is the mother of  
self-sufficiency1 pride1 avarice1 and   
vicious curiosity1 the source of        
infidelity1 and the declared enemy of   
the spirit of ,christ1 is banished by   
this holy simplicity2 and in its stead  
are obtained true wisdom1 which can only
 be found in a heart freed from the     

clouds of the passions1 perfect         
prudence1 which1 as ,st4 ,thomas shows1 
is the fruit of the assemblage of all   
virtues1 and a divine light which grace 
fails not to infuse4 ,this simplicity1  
which is the mother of ,christian       
discretion1 is a stranger to all        
artifice1 design1 and dissimulation1 to 
all views or desires of self-interest1  
and to all undue respect or             
consideration of creatures4 ,all its    
desires and views are reduced to this   
alone1 of attaining to the perfect union
 with ,god4 ,unfeignedly to desire this 
one thing1 to belong to ,god alone1 to  
arrive at his pure love1 and to do his  
will in all things1 is that simplicity  
or singleness of heart of which we      
speak1 and which banishes all inordinate
 affections of the heart1 from which    
arise the most dangerous errors of the  
understanding4 ,this is the essential   
disposition of every one who sincerely  
desires to live by the spirit of        
,christ4 ,that divine spouse of souls1  

loves to communicate himself to such4#ca
 ,his conversation 7or as another       
version has it1 his secret7 is with the 
simple4#cb ,his delight is in those who 
walk with simplicity4#cc ,this is the   
characteristic of all the saints3#cd    
whence the ,holy ,ghost cries out1      
,approach him not with a double         
heart4#ce ,that worldly wisdom is not   
subject to the law of ,god1 neither can 
it be4#cf ,its intoxication blinds men1 
and shuts their eyes to the light of    
divine revelation4 ,they arrogate to    
themselves the exclusive privilege of   
learning and clear understanding3 but   
the skepticism1 the pitiful             
inconsistencies1 and monstrous          
extravagances1 which characterize their 
writings and discourses1 make us blush  
to see so strong an alliance of         
ignorance and presumption2 and lament   
that the human mind should be capable of
 falling into a state of so deplorable  
degeneracy4 ,among the fathers of the   
church we admire men the most learned of

 their age1 the most penetrating and    
most judicious1 and at the same time    
#adg the most holy and sincere2 who1    
being endowed with true simplicity of   
heart1 discovered in the mysteries of   
the cross the secrets of infinite       
wisdom1 which they made their study1 and
 the rule of their actions4  ,footnotes3
 #a4  ,l4 #b1 adv4 ,julian1 c4 #h4 #b4  
,l4 #b1 adv4 ,rufin4 p4 #dae4 #c4  ,in  
,isa4 c4 #fj4 #d4  ,s4 ,hieron4 in      
,catal4 #e4  ,l4 #a1 de ,trin4 p4 #a-aj4
 #f4  ,exod4 iii4 #ad4 #g4  ,the        
contrary is certainly a mistake in ,dr4 
,cave2 for ,st4 ,jerom1     writing     
against ,jovinian1 says1 in  p4 #age1   
that though the church     was sometimes
 obliged to make choice of married men  
for the     priesthood1 because virgins1
 or unmarried1 could not always be      
found1 they notwithstanding lived ever  
after continent4 ,certe     confiteris1 
non posse esse episcopum qui in         
episcopatu filios     faciat3 alioqui si
 deprehensus fuerit non quasi vir       

tenebitur1 sed     quasi adulter        
condemnabitur1 ib4 ,and in his book     
against     ,vigilantius1 p4 #bh1 he    
observes1 that in the churches of the   
,east1     in ,egypt1 and in the        
apostolic see of ,rome1 those only were 
made     clergymen1 who were virgins1 or
 single2 or if they were married1       
they ceased to live as husbands4 ,aut   
virgines clericos accipiunt1     aut    
contintes2 aut si uxores habuerint1     
mariti esse desinunt1 p4     #bha4 #h4  
,s4 ,hilar4 in ,ps4 #ec1 n4 #h1 in ,ps4 
#fg1 p4 #ae1 and ,contant1 ,armon4 in   
,s4 ,hilar4 in ,psalmos1 p4 #afe4 #i4   
,ep4 ad ,laetam4 #aj4 ,on the           
interpretation of certain obscure       
passages of the works of     ,st4       
,hilary1 see ,dom ,coutant1 in an       
excellent preface to his edition     of 
this father's works2 also ,witasse de   
,incarn4 t4 #b1 c4 #aa4 ,ep4 #di1 ad    
,paulinum1 t4 #d1 p4 #efg4 #ab4 ,lib4   
#a1 de ,trinit4 #ac4 ,doubtless his love
 of prayer1 and the assiduous           

application of his     mind to that holy
 exercise1 moved him to make the ,psalms
 a main     object of his sacred studies
 and meditation4 ,his comments are      
elegant2 though in them he dwells much  
on the literal sense1 he     neglects   
not the mystical and allegorical1 every 
thing in these     divine oracles being 
prophetic1 as he takes notice1 7in ,ps4 
#adb1 n4     #a47 ,often he finds the   
immediate literal sense clear2 in other 
passages1 he shows ,christ and his      
,church to be pointed out4 ,the true    
sense of the holy scriptures he teaches1
 only to be opened to us by     the     
spirit of assiduous prayer1 7in ,ps4    
#abe1 n4 #b1 c47 ,the fatal     and     
opposite errors1 which the overweening  
spirit and study of a     false         
criticism have produced in every age1   
justify this general     remark of the  
fathers1 that though the succor of      
reasonable     criticism ought by no    
means to be neglected1 a spirit of      
prayer is     the only key which can    

open to us the sacred treasures of the  
divine     truths1 by the light which it
 obtains of the ,holy ,ghost1 and the   
spirit of simplicity1 piety1 and        
humility1 which it infuses4 ,in this    
disposition1 the holy doctors of the    
,church discovered in the divine        
oracles that spirit of perfect virtue1  
which they imbibed and     improved from
 their assiduous meditation4 ,st4       
,hilary remarks1 that     the first     
lesson we are to study in them is1 that 
of humility1 in     which ,christ has   
taught1 that all the titles and prizes  
of our     faith are comprised3 ,in     
humilitate docuit omnia fidei nomina et 
praemia contineri1 7in ,ps4 #aah1 l4    
#bj1 n4 #a1 p4 #ceh47 ,whence the       
royal prophet entreats ,god1 to consider
 nothing in him but his     lowliness of
 heart1 7v4 #aec1 ibid47 ,this holy     
father sticks not to     say1 humility  
is the greatest work of our faith1 our  
best sacrifice     to ,god1 7in ,ps4    
#acaa1 n4 #a4 p4 #ddb27 but true        

humility is     accompanied with an     
invincible courage1 and a firmness and  
constancy     in virtue1 which no fear  
of worldly powers is ever able to shake1
     7in ,ps4 xiv4 p4 #ff47 ,st4 ,hilary
 laments1 that even several pastors     
of the church thought it a part of piety
 to flatter princes4 ,but     true      
religion teaches us 7,matt4 x4 #bh7 only
 to fear things which are     justly to 
be feared1 that is1 to fear ,god1 to    
fear sin1 or what can     hurt our      
souls3 for what threatens only our      
bodies1 this is to be     despised1 when
 the interest of ,god and our souls is  
concerned4 ,we     indeed study out of  
charity to give offence to no one1 7#a  
,cor4 x4     #cb1 #cc27 but desire only 
to please men for ,god1 not by          
contemning     him1 7in ,ps4 #eb1 p4    
#hi1 #ij47 ,prayer is the great         
,christian duty1     which this holy    
doctor was particularly solicitous to   
inculcate1     teaching that it consists
 in the cry of the heart2 not in the    

lips1     as ,david cried to ,god in his
 whole heart1 ,ps4 cxviii4 v4 #ade1 7in 
,ps4 cxviii4 l4 #ai1 p4 #ceb47 ,we are  
to pour forth our souls before     ,god1
 with earnestness1 and with abundance of
 tears1 7in ,ps4 #da1 apud     ,marten4 
t4 #i1 p4 #ga47 ,amidst the dangers and 
evils of this life1 our     only comfort
 ought to be in ,god1 in the assured    
hope of his     promises1 and in prayer4
 7,ib47 ,that prayer is despised by     
,god1 which     is slothful and         
lukewarm1 accompanied with distrust1    
distracted with     unprofitable        
thoughts1 weakened by worldly anxiety   
and desires of     earthly goods1 or    
fruitless1 for want of the support of   
good works1     7in ,ps4 liv4 p4 #ajd47 
,all our actions and discourses ought to
 be     begin by prayer1 and the divine 
praise1 7in ,ps4 lxiv4 p4 #afb47 ,the   
day among ,christians is always begun by
 prayer1 and ended by hymns     to ,god1
 7ib4 n4 #ab1 p4 #afi47 ,by this public 
homage of the church1     and of every  

faithful soul in it1 ,god is            
particularly honored1 and     he        
delights in it4 7,st4 ,jerom4 in eund4  
,ps47 ,st4 ,hilary takes     notice1    
that the night is of all others the most
 proper time for     prayer2 as the     
example of ,christ1 ,david1 and other   
saints1     demonstrates1 7in ,ps4      
cxviii4 l4 #h1 p4 #bib47 ,he observes1  
that it     cannot be doubted1 but among
 all the acts of prayer1 that of the    
divine praise is in general the most    
noble and most excellent3 and     that  
it is for his infinite goodness and     
mercy1 in the first place1     that we  
are bound to praise him1 7in ,ps4 cxxxiv
 p4 #dfi47 ,next to     this1 he places 
the duty of thanksgiving4 7,ib47 ,to be 
silent in the     divine praises1 he    
calls the greatest of all punishments2  
and takes     notice1 that every one    
makes what he loves the chiefest object 
of     his joy3 as we see in the        
drunkard1 the covetous1 or the ambitious
     man3 thus the prophet makes the    

heavenly ,jerusalem the beginning of    
his joy2 always bearing in mind1 that   
this is his eternal country1     in     
which he will be associated with the    
troops of angels1 be     received into  
the kingdom of ,god1 and put in         
possession of its     glory2 he         
therefore finds all other things        
insipid1 and knows no     other comfort 
or joy but in this hope1 bearing always 
in mind1 that     the glorious          
inhabitants of that kingdom never cease 
singing the     divine praises1 saying1 
,holy1 holy1 holy1 c4 7in ,ps4 cxxxvi4  
n4 #aa1     p4 #did47 ,in another place 
he tells us1 that the prophet bears not 
the delays of his body1 7moras corporis 
sui non patitur17 sighing     with the  
apostle to be dissolved and clothed with
 immortality3 but     earnestly praying1
 that he may find mercy1 and be         
delivered from     falling into the lake
 of torments1 7in ,ps4 cxlii4 n4 #h1 #i1
 p4 #edi47     ,during this exile to    
meditate on eternity1 and on the divine 

law and     judgments1 ought to be our  
assiduous occupation1 7in ,ps4 cxlii4 n4
     #f1 p4 #edh17 especially in time of
 tribulations and temptations1 7in      
,ps4 cxviii4 l4 #ab1 n4 #aj1 p4 #cac47  
,the world is to be shunned1 at         
least in spirit2 first1 because it is   
filled on every side with     snares and
 dangers1 secondly1 that our souls may  
more freely soar     above it1 always   
thinking on ,god2 hence1 he says1 our   
souls must be1     as it were1 spiritual
 birds of heaven1 always raised high on 
the     wing2 and he cries out1 ,thou   
art instructed in heavenly science3     
what hast thou to do with anxious       
worldly cares8 ,thou hast renounced     
the world2 what hast thou to do with its
 superfluous concerns8 ,why     dost    
thou complain if thou art taken in a    
snare1 by wandering in a     strange    
land1 who oughtest to restrain thy      
affections from straying     from home8 
,say rather1 ,who will give me wings as 
of a dove1 and ,i     will fly1 and will

 be at rest8 ,ps4 liv4 #g1 7in ,ps4     
cxviii4 l4 #ad1     p4 #cbh47 ,to build 
a house for ,god1 that is1 to prepare a 
dwelling     for him in our souls1 we   
must begin by banishing sin1 and all    
earthly affections1 7in ,ps4 xxxi4 p4   
#gc27 for ,christ1 who is wisdom1       
sanctity1 and truth1 cannot establish   
his reign in the breast of a     fool1  
hypocrite1 or sinner1 7in ,ps4 xli4 p4  
#fj1 ap4 ,marten4 t4 #i47     ,it is    
easy for ,god1 by penance1 to repair his
 work1 howsoever it may     have been   
defaced by vice1 as a potter can restore
 or improve the     form of a vessel1   
while the clay is yet moist1 7in ,ps4   
ii4 p4 #dg37     but he often inculcates
 that repentance1 or the confession of  
sin1     is a solemn profession of      
sinning no more1 7in ,ps4 cxxxvii4 p4   
#dih1     in ,ps4 li4 and cxviii4 p4    
#bfc1 c47 ,every thing that is          
inordinate     in the affections must be
 cut off4 ,the prophet gave himself     
entire     to ,god1 according to the    

tenor of his consecration of himself4   
,whatever lives in him1 lives to ,god4  
,his whole heart1 his whole soul     is 
fixed on ,god alone1 and occupied in    
him1 and he never loses sight     of    
him4 ,in all his works and thoughts ,god
 is before his eyes4 ,totum     quod    
vivit1 ,deo vivit4 7,ps4 cxviii4 l4 #ad1
 n4 #af1 p4 #cbg47 ,upon     these      
words1 ,i am thy servant1 ,ps4 cxviii4  
v4 #abe1 he observes1     that every    
,christian frequently repeats this1 but 
most deny by their     actions what they
 profess in words1 ,it is the privilege 
of the     prophet to call himself the  
servant of ,god in every affection of   
his     heart1 in every circumstance and
 action of his life1 c4 7in ,ps4        
cxviii4 l4 #ag1 p4 #cci47 ,he teaches   
that the angels1 patriarchs1 and        
prophets are as it were mountains       
protecting the church1 7in ,ps4         
cxxiv4 n4 #f1 p4 #djd27 and that holy   
angels attend and succor the            
faithful1 7in ,ps4 cxxxvii4 p4 #dii27   

assist them in time of combat           
against the devils1 7in ,ps4 lxv4 p4    
#agh1 and in ,ps4 cxxxiv4 p4 #dge27     
carry up their prayers to their heavenly
 ,father with an eager zeal2     and    
looking upon this ministry as an honor1 
7in ,matt4 c4 #ah1 p4     #fii47 ,that  
the church of ,christ is one1 out of    
which1 as out of the     ark of ,noah1  
no one man be saved1 7in ,ps4 cxlvi41   
xiv41 lxiv41     cxxviii41 and cxvvii4  
in ,matt4 c4 #d1 and #g ,de ,trinit4 l4 
#g1 p4 #iag47     ,he mentions fast days
 of precept1 the violation of which     
renders a     ,christian a slave of the 
devil1 a vessel of death1 and fuel of   
hell1     7in ,ps4 cxviii4 l4 #ah1 p4   
#cdi47 ,this crime he joins with pride  
and     fornication1 as sins at the     
sight of which every good ,christian    
ought to pine away with grief and zeal1 
according to the words of     ,ps4      
cxviii4 v4 #aci4 ,saint ,hilary seems to
 have explained the whole     ,psalter1 
though only part is recovered by the    

editors of his works4     ,to the       
comments published by ,dom ,coutant at  
,paris1 in #afic1 the     marquis       
,scipio ,maffei added some others on    
several other ,psalms1 in     his       
edition at ,verona1 in #agcj4 ,dom      
,martenne1 in #agcc1 published          
others on certain other ,psalms1 which  
he had discovered in a     manuscript at
 ,anchin1 in his ,amplissima            
,monumentorum ,collectio1 t4     #i1 p4 
#ee4 ,these comments on the ,psalms1    
,st4 ,hilary compiled after     his     
exile1 as appears from certain allusions
 to his books on the     ,trinity1 and  
from his frequent reflections against   
the ,arians4     ,nothing of this is    
found in his commentary on ,st4         
,matthew1 which ,dom     ,coutant shows 
to have been the first of his works in  
the order of     time1 composed soon    
after he was raised to the episcopal    
dignity4 ,he     here and there borrows 
short passages from ,origen1 but sticks 
closer     to the literal sense1 though 

he sometimes has recourse to the        
allegorical1 for the sake of some moral 
instruction4 ,st4 ,hilary is     one of 
the first who published any ,latin      
comments in the holy     scriptures4    
,rheticius1 bishop of ,autun1 and ,st4  
,victorinus of     ,passaw1 though the  
latter wrote in ,greek1 had opened the  
way in the     ,west in the beginning of
 the same century4 ,st4 ,hilary1 in this
     commentary on ,st4 ,matthew1       
excellently inculcates in few words the 
maxims of ,christian virtue1 especially 
fraternal charity and     meekness1 by  
which our souls pass to divine charity  
and peace1 7in     ,matt4 c4 #d1 v4 #ah1
 #ai1 p4 #fbf37 and the conditions of   
fasting and     prayer1 though for the  
exposition of our ,lord's prayer1 he    
refers to     that of ,st4 ,cyprian2    
adding that ,tertullian has left us also
 a very     suitable work upon it2 but  
that his subsequent error has weakened  
the authority of his former writings    
which may deserve approbation1     7in  

c4 #e1 p4 #fcj47 ,the road to heaven he 
shows to be exceeding     narrow1       
because even among ,christians very few 
sincerely despise the     world1 and    
labor strenuously to subdue their flesh 
and all their     passions1 and to shun 
all the incentives of vice1 7in c4 #f1  
p4 #cfh47     ,st4 ,peter he calls the  
,prince of the ,college of the          
,apostles1 and     the ,porter of       
,heaven1 and extols the authority of the
 keys conferred     upon him1 7in ,matt4
 c4 #g1 p4 #fdb1 in c4 #af1 p4 #fij4    
,also #a4 #f4 de     ,trin4 p4 #hia1    
#ijc1 #iaad47 ,he proves that ,christ1  
in his bloody     sweat1 grieved more   
for the danger of his disciples and     
other     causes1 than for his own      
death2 because he had in his last supper
     already consecrated his blood to be
 poured forth for the remission     of  
sin4 ,numquid pati ipse nolebat4 ,atquin
 superius fundendum in     remissionem  
peccatorum corporis sui sanguinem       
consecraverat1 7,s4     ,hilar4 in      

,matt4 c4 #ca1 p4 #gdc47 ,his twelve    
books on the ,trinity he     compiled   
during his banishment in ,phrygia1      
between the years #cef and     #cei1 as 
is clear from his own express testimony1
 and that of ,st4     ,jerom4 ,in the   
first book of this immortal monument of 
his admirable     genius and piety1 he  
beautifully shows that man's felicity is
 only     to be found in ,god2 and that 
the light of reason suffices to         
demonstrate this1 which he illustrates  
by an account of his own     conversion 
to the faith4 ,after this he takes      
notice1 that we can     learn only by   
,god's revelation1 his nature1 or what  
he is1 he being     the competent       
witness of himself1 who it known only by
 himself1 7n4     #ah1 p4 #ggg47 ,in the
 second book he explains the ,trinity1  
which we     profess in the form of     
baptism1 and says1 that faith alone in  
believing1 and sincerity and devotion in
 adoring1 this mystery ought     to     
suffice without disputing or prying1 and

 laments1 that by the     blasphemies of
 the ,sabellians and ,arians1 who       
perverted the true     sense of the     
scriptures1 he was compelled to dispute 
of things     ineffable and             
incomprehensible which only necessity   
can excuse1 7n4     #be47 ,he then      
proves the eternal generation of the    
,son1 the     procession of the ,holy   
,ghost1 and their consubstantiality in  
one     nature1 7l4 #b and #c47 ,he     
checks their presumption in pretending  
to     fathom the ,trinity1 by showing  
that they cannot understand many        
miracles of ,christ or corporeal things1
 which yet they confess to be     most  
certain1 7l4 #c1 n4 #ai1 #bj1 #bd47 ,he 
detects and confutes the     subtilties 
of the ,arians1 in their various        
confessions of faith1 7l4     #d1 #e1   
#f17 also of the ,sabellians and        
,photinians1 7l4 #g27 and               
demonstrates the divinity of ,christ1   
from the confession of ,st4     ,peter1 
c41 7l4 #f17 and of the very ,jews1 who 

were more sincere than     the ,arians1 
acknowledging that ,christ called       
himself the natural ,son     of ,god4   
7,john x4 #ca1 c4 l4 #g1 n4 #b1 #c1 p4  
#ica47 ,the natural unity     of the    
,father and ,son1 he demonstrates from  
that text1 ,i and my     ,father are    
one1 and others1 7l4 #h17 and observes  
that both from the     testimony of     
,christ in the holy scriptures1 and from
 the faith of     the church1 we believe
 without doubting the ,eucharist to be  
the true     body and blood of ,christ1 
7l4 #h1 n4 #ad1 p4 #iee1 #ief47 ,he     
answers     several objections from     
scripture1 7l4 #i17 and shows there was 
something in ,christ 7viz4 the divine   
person1 c47 which did not     suffer in 
his passion1 7l4 #aj47 ,other objections
 he confutes1 7l4     #aa17 and in his  
last book defends the eternity of the   
,son of ,god4     ,between ,august in   
#ceh1 and ,may in #cei1 ,st4 ,hilary1   
after he had been     three years in    
banishment1 and was still in ,asia1     

published his book     ,on ,synods1 to  
inform the ,catholics in ,gaul1         
,britain1 and ,germany1     what        
judgment they ought to form of several  
synods1 held lately in     the ,east1   
chiefly by the ,arians and              
,semi-,arians3 a work of great use      
in the history of those times1 and in   
which ,st4 ,hilary's prudence1          
humility1 modesty1 greatness of soul1   
constancy1 invincible     meekness1 and 
love of peace1 shine forth4 ,in this    
work he mollifies     certain           
expressions of the ,semi-,arians in     
their councils1 because     writing     
before the council of ,rimini1 he       
endeavored to gain them by     this     
method1 whereas he at other times       
severely condemned the same2     as did 
also ,st4 ,athanasius1 in his book on   
the same subject1 and     under the same
 title1 which he composed after the     
council of ,rimini2     and expressly to
 show the variations of those heretics4 
7,see     ,coutant1 vit4 ,s4 ,hilar4 p4 

c4 ci4 et praef4 in ,s4 ,hilar4 de      
,synodis1     p4 #aadg47 ,fifteen       
fragments of ,st4 ,hilary's history of  
the councils     of ,rimini and         
,seleucia furnish important materials   
for the history     of ,arianism1       
particularly of the council of ,rimini4 
,in his first     book to the emperor   
,constantius1 which he wrote in #cee or 
#cef1 he     conjures that prince with  
tears to restore peace to the church1   
and     leave the decision of           
ecclesiastical causes to its pastors4   
,the     excellent request which he     
presented to ,constantius at            
,constantinople1 in #cfj1 is called his 
second book to that prince4     ,the    
third book ought to be styled1 with     
,coutant1 ,against     ,constantius3 for
 in it ,st4 ,hilary directs it to the   
,catholics1 7n4 #b     and #ab7 though  
he often uses an apostrophe to          
,constantius4 ,the saint     wrote it   
five years after the council of ,milan1 
in #cee1 as he     testifies2           

consequently in #cfj1 after that prince 
had rejected his     second request2 but
 it was only published after the death  
of that     emperor1 in the following   
year1 as is clear from ,st4 ,jerom3 ,he 
says     ,constantius1 by artifices and 
flattery1 was a more dangerous          
persecutor than ,nero and ,decius3 he   
tells him1 ,thou receivest the          
priests with a kiss1 as ,christ was     
betrayed by one3 thou bowest thy        
head to receive their blessing1 that    
thou mayest trample on their     faith3 
thou entertainest them at thy table1 as 
,judas went from table     to betray his
 master4 ,fleury 7l4 #ad1 n4 #bf7 bids  
us observe1 in     these words1 with    
what respect emperors then treated      
bishops4 ,st4     ,hilary in his elegant
 book against ,auxentius1 gives the     
catholics an     account of his         
conferences with that heretic at ,milan 
in #cfd4 #ad4 ,in ,ps4 #fd4 #ae4 ,in    
,ps4 #a1 p4 #ai1 #bj4 #af4 ,lib4 #g1 de 
,trinit4 n4 #d1 p4 #iag4 #ag4 ,lib4 #f1 

n4 #cg1 #ch1 p4 #ijd4 #ah4 ,in ,ps4     
#aca1 n4 #d1 p4 #ddg1 in cap4 #af1      
,matt4 n4 #g1 p4 #fij4 #ai4 ,lib4 #aa1  
de ,trinit4 n4 #c4 #bj4 ,lib4 #c1 adv4  
,constant4 n4 #h1 p4 #abdc1 ,ed4 ,ben4  
#ba4 ,this letter is commended by the   
most judicious critics1 ,baronius1      
,tillemont1 ,fleury1 and ,coutant1 a    
monk of the congregation of ,st4        
,maur1 in his edition of the works of   
,st4 ,hilary1 and others4 ,the     style
 is not pompous1 but adapted to the     
capacity of a girl of     thirteen years
 of age4 #bb4 ,facta est fides temporum1
 potius quam evangellorum1 l4 #b1 ad    
,const4     p4 #abbg4 ,tot nunc fides   
existere1 quot voluntates1 ib4 ,annuas  
atque     menstruas de ,deo fides       
decernimus1 decretis poenitimusm        
poenitentes     defendimus1 defensos    
anathematizamus4 ib4 p4 #abbh4 #bc4     
,cointe ,annal4 ,fr4 ad ann4 #ech1 n4   
#da1 #db1 #dc4 #bd4 ,l4 de ,gl4 ,conf4  
c4 #b4 #be4 ,alcuin1 ,hom4 de ,s4       
,willibrodo4 #bf4 ,baillet1 ,vie de ,s4 

,hilaire4 #bg4 ,ap4 ,mab4 anal4 t4 #d1  
p4 #fdd4 #bh4 ,aimion4 l4 #d1 c4 #ag    
#cc4 ,coutant1 ,vit4 ,s4 ,hilar4 p4     
cxxiv1 cxxv1     cxxix4 #bi4 ,s4 ,hilar4
 in ,matt4 c4 #ah1 v4 i4 p4 #fih4 #cj4  
#a ,cor4 i4 #ag1  iii4 #ah4 ,s4 ,hilar4 
l4 #c1 de ,trin4 n4 #bd1 #be1 pp4       
#hbb1 #hbc4 #ca4 #a ,par4 xxix4 #ag4    
#cb4 ,prov4 iii4 #cb4 #cc4 ,prov4 xi4   
#bj4 #cd4 #b ,cor4 i4 #ab4 #ce4 ,eccles4
 i4 #ci4 #cf4 ,rom4 viii4 #g4   ,,st4   
,,felix ,,of ,,nola1 ,p4 ,,and ,c4  ,,it
 is observed by the judicious           
,tillemont1 with regard to the life of  
this saint1 that we might doubt of its  
wonderful circumstances1 were they not  
supported by the authority of a         
,paulinus2 but that great miracles ought
 to be received with the greater        
veneration1 when authorized by          
incontestable vouchers4  ,st4 ,felix was
 a native of ,nola1 a ,roman colony in  
,campania1 fourteen miles from ,naples1 
where his father ,hermias1 who was by   
birth a ,syrian1 and had served in the  

army1 had purchased an estate and       
settled himself4 ,he had two sons1      
,felix and ,hermias1 to whom at his     
death he left his patrimony4 ,the       
younger sought preferment in the world  
among the lovers of vanity1 by following
 the profession of arms1 which at that  
time was the surest road to riches and  
honors4 ,felix1 to become in effect what
 his name in ,latin imported1 that is1  
happy1 resolved to follow no other      
standard than that of the king of kings1
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,for this purpose1     
despising all earthly things1 lest the  
love of them might entangle his soul1 he
 distributed the better part of his     
substance among the poor1 and was       
ordained ,reader1 ,exorcist1 and1       
lastly1 ,priest1 by ,maximus1 the holy  
bishop of ,nola2 who1 charmed with his  
sanctity and prudence1 made him his     
principal support in these times of     
trouble1 and designed him for his       
successor4#a  ,in the year #bej1 the    
emperor ,decius raised a bloody         

persecution against the church4         
,maximus1 seeing himself principally    
aimed at1 retired into the deserts1 not 
through the fear of death1 which he     
desired1 but rather not to tempt ,god by
 seeking it1 and to preserve himself for
 the service of his flock4 ,the         
persecutors not finding him1 seized on  
,felix1 who1 in his absence1 was very   
vigilant in the discharge of all his    
pastoral duties4 ,the governor caused   
him to be scourged2 then loaded with    
bolts and chains about his neck1 hands1 
and legs1 and cast into a dungeon1 in   
which1 as ,st4 ,prudentius informs us1#b
 the floor was spread all over with     
potsherds and pieces of broken glass1 so
 that there was no place free from them1
 on which the saint could either stand  
or lie4 ,one night an angel appearing in
 great glory1 filled the prison with a  
bright light1 and bade ,st4 ,felix go   
and assist his bishop1 who was in great 
distress4 ,the confessor1 seeing his    
chains fall off1 and the doors open1    

followed his guide1 and was conducted by
 heaven to the place where ,maximus lay1
 almost perished with hunger and cold1  
speechless1 and without sense3 for1     
through anxiety for his flock1 and the  
hardships of his solitary retreat1 he   
had suffered more than a martyrdom4     
,felix1 not being able to bring him to  
himself1 had recourse to prayer2 and    
discovering thereupon a bunch of grapes 
within reach1 he squeezed some of the   
juice into his mouth1 which had the     
desired effect4 ,the good bishop no     
sooner beheld his friend ,felix1 but he 
embraced him1 and begged to be conveyed 
back to his church4 ,the saint1 taking  
him on his shoulders1 carried him to his
 episcopal house in the city1 before day
 appeared1 where a pious ancient woman  
took care of him4#c  ,felix1 with the   
blessing of his pastor1 repaired        
secretly to his own lodgings1 and there 
kept himself concealed1 praying for the 
church without ceasing till peace was   
restored to it by the death of ,decius1 

in the year #bea4 #adh ,he no sooner    
appeared again in public1 but his zeal  
so exasperated the pagans that they came
 armed to apprehend him2 but though they
 met him1 they knew him not2 they even  
asked him where ,felix was1 a question  
he did not think proper to give a direct
 answer to4 ,the persecutors going a    
little further1 perceived their mistake1
 and returned2 but the saint in the mean
 time had stepped a little out of the   
way1 and crept through a hole in a      
ruinous old wall1 which was instantly   
closed up by spiders' webs4 ,his enemies
 never imagining any thing could have   
lately passed where they saw so close a 
spider's web1 after a fruitless search  
elsewhere1 returned in the evening      
without their prey4 ,felix finding among
 the ruins1 between two houses1 an old  
well half dry1 hid himself in it for six
 months2 and received during that time  
wherewithal to subsist by means of a    
devout ,christian woman4 ,peace being   
restored to the church by the death of  

the emperor1 the saint quitted his      
retreat1 and was received in the city as
 an angel sent from heaven4  ,soon      
after1 ,st4 ,maximus' dying1 all were   
unanimous for electing ,felix bishop2   
but he persuaded the people to make     
choice of ,quintus1 because the older   
priest of the two1 having been ordained 
seven days before him4 ,quintus1 when   
bishop1 always respected ,st4 ,felix as 
his father1 and followed his advice in  
every particular4 ,the remainder of the 
saint's estate having been confiscated  
in the persecution1 he was advised to   
lay claim to it1 as others had done1 who
 thereby recovered what had been taken  
from them4 ,his answer was1 that in     
poverty he should be the more secure of 
possessing ,christ4#d ,he could not even
 be prevailed upon to accept what the   
rich offered him4 ,he rented a little   
spot of barren land1 not exceeding three
 acres1 which he tilled with his own    
hands1 in such manner as to receive his 
subsistence from it1 and to have        

something left for alms4 ,whatever was  
bestowed on him1 he gave it immediately 
to the poor4 ,if he had two coats1 he   
was sure to give them the better2 and   
often exchanged his only one for the    
rags of some beggar4 ,he died in a good 
old age1 on the fourteenth of ,january1 
on which day the ,martyrology1 under the
 name of ,st4 ,jerom1 and all others of 
later date mention him4 ,five churches  
have been built at1 or near the place   
where he was first interred1 which was  
without the precinct of the city of     
,nola4 ,his precious remains are at     
present kept in the cathedral2 but      
certain portions are at ,rome1          
,benevento1 and some other places4 ,pope
 ,damasus1 in a pilgrimage which he made
 from ,rome to ,nola1 to the shrine of  
this saint1 professes1 in a short poem  
which he composed in acknowledgment1    
that he was miraculously cured of a     
distemper through his intercession4     
,st4 ,paulinus1 a ,roman senator in the 
fifth age1 forty-six years after the    

death of ,st4 ,damasus1 came from ,spain
 to ,nola1 desirous of being porter in  
the church of ,st4 ,felix4 ,he testifies
 that crowds of pilgrims came from      
,rome1 from all other parts of ,italy1  
and more distant countries1 to visit his
 sepulchre on his festival3 he adds1    
that all brought some present or other  
to his church1 as wax-candles to burn at
 his tomb1 precious ointments1 costly   
ornaments1 and such like2 but that for  
his part1 he offered to him the homage  
of his tongue1 and himself1 though an   
unworthy victim4 #e ,he everywhere      
expresses his devotion to this saint in 
the warmest and strongest terms1 and    
believes that all the graces he received
 from heaven were conferred on him      
through the intercession of ,st4 ,felix4
 ,to him he addressed himself in all his
 necessities2 by his prayers he begged  
grace in this life1 and glory after #adi
 death4#f ,he describes at large the    
holy pictures of the whole history of   
the ,old ,testament1 which were hung up 

in the church of ,st4 ,felix1 and which 
inflamed all who beheld them1 and were  
as so many books that instructed the    
ignorant4 ,we may read with pleasure the
 pious sentiments the sight of each gave
 ,st4 ,paulinus4#g ,he relates a great  
number of miracles that were wrought at 
his tomb1 as of persons cured of various
 distempers and delivered from dangers  
by his intercession1 to several of which
 he was an eye-witness4 ,he testifies   
that he himself had frequently          
experienced the most sensible effects of
 his patronage1 and1 by having recourse 
to him1 had been speedily succored4#h   
,st4 ,austin also has given an account  
of many miracles performed at his       
shrine4#i ,it was not formerly allowed  
to bury any corpse within the walls of  
cities4 ,the church of ,st4 ,felix1 out 
of the walls of ,nola1 not being        
comprised under this prohibition1 many  
devout ,christians sought to be buried  
in it1 that their faith and devotion    
might recommend them after death to the 

patronage of this holy confessor1 upon  
which head ,st4 ,paulinus consulted ,st4
 ,austin4 ,the holy doctor answered him 
by his book1 ,on the care for the dead3 
in which he shows that the faith and    
devotion of such persons would be       
available to them after death1 as the   
suffrages and good works of the living  
in behalf of the faithful departed are  
profitable to the latter4 ,see the poems
 of ,st4 ,paulinus on his life1         
confirmed by other authentic ancient    
records1 quoted by ,tillemont1 t4 #d1 p4
 #bbf1 and ,ruinart1 ,acta ,sincera1 p4 
#bef2 ,muratori1 ,anecd4 ,lat4          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,s4 ,paulin4 ,carm4    
#ai1 #bj4 ,seu ,natali1 #d4 #b4  ,de    
,cor4 hymn #e4 #c4  ,paulin4 ,carm4 #ai4
 #d4  ,dives egebo ,deo2 nam ,christum  
pauper habebo4 ,paulin4 ,carm4 #b4      
,natali ,s4 ,felicia #e4 #e4   ,ego     
munere linguae1       ,nudus opum1      
famulor1 de me mea debita solvens       
,meque ipsum pro me1 vilis licet hostia 
pendam4 ,natal4 #f #f4  ,nat4 #a1 #b1 c4

 #g4  ,nat4 #i1 #aj4 #h4  ,st4 ,paulin4 
,ep4 #bh  #cf4 ,carm4 #ac1 #ah1 #ba1    
#bb1 #bc1 #bi1 c4 #i4  ,st4 ,august4    
,ep4 #gh1 olim #acg1 lib4 ,de cura pro  
moritus1 c4 #af4  ,,ss4 ,,isaias1       
,,sabbas1  ,,and thirty-eight other holy
 solitaries on mount ,sinai1 martyred by
 a troop of ,arabians in #bgc2 likewise 
,paul1 the abbot2 ,moses1 who by his    
preaching and miracles had converted to 
the faith the ,ishmaelites of ,pharan2  
,psaes1 a prodigy of austerity1 and many
 other hermits in the desert of ,raithe1
 two days' journey from ,sinai1 near the
 ,red ,sea1 were massacred the same year
 by the ,blemmyans1 a savage infidel    
nation of ,ethiopia4 ,all these         
anchorets lived on dates1 or other      
fruits1 never tasted bread1 worked at   
making baskets in cells at a            
considerable distance from each other1  
and met on ,saturdays1 in the evening1  
in one common church1 where they watched
 and said the night office1 and on the  
,sunday received together the holy      

eucharist4 ,they were remarkable for    
their assiduity in praying and fasting4 
,see their acts by ,ammonius1 an        
eye-witness1 published by ,f4 ,combefis2
 also ,bulteau1 ,hist4 ,mon4 d',orient1 
l4 #b1 c4 #a1 p4 #bji4  ,also1 many holy
 anchorets on mount ,sinai1 whose lives 
were faithful copies of ,christian      
perfection1 and who met on ,sundays to  
receive the holy eucharist1 were        
martyred by a band of ,saracens in the  
fifth century4 ,a boy of fourteen years 
of age led among them an ascetic life of
 great perfection4 ,the ,saracens       
threatened to kill him1 if he did not   
discover where the ancient monks had    
concealed themselves4 ,he answered1 that
 death did not terrify him1 and that he 
could not ransom his life by a sin in   
betraying his fathers4 ,they bade him   
put off his clothes3 ,after you have    
killed me1 said the modest youth1 take  
my clothes and welcome3 but as ,i never 
saw my body naked1 have so much         
compassion and regard for my            

shamefacedness1 as to let me die        
covered4 ,the barbarians1 enraged at    
this answer1 fell on him with all their 
weapons at once1 and the pious youth    
died by as many martyrdoms as he had    
executioners4 ,st4 ,nilus1 who had been 
formerly governor #aej of               
,constantinople1 has left us an account 
of this massacre in seven narratives3 at
 that time he led an eremitical life in 
those deserts1 and had placed his son   
,theodulus in this holy company4 ,he was
 carried away captive1 but redeemed     
after many dangers4 ,see ,s4 ,nili1     
,septem ,narrationes2 also1 ,bulteau1   
,hist4 ,mon4 d',orient1 l4 #b1 c4 #b1 p4
 #bbj4  ,s4 ,,barbasceminus1  ,,and     
,,sixteen ,,of ,,his ,,clergy1 ,,mm4    
,,he succeeded his brother ,st4 ,sadoth 
in the metropolitical see of ,seleucia  
and ,ctesiphon1 in #cdb1 which he held  
six years4 ,being accused as an enemy to
 the ,persian religion1 and as one who  
spoke against the ,persian divinities1  
,fire and ,water1 he was apprehended1   

with sixteen of his clergy1 by the      
orders of king ,sapor ,,ii4 ,the king   
seeing his threats lost upon him1       
confined him almost a year in a         
loathsome dungeon1 in which he was often
 tormented by the ,magians with         
scourges1 clubs1 and tortures1 besides  
the continual annoyance of stench1      
filth1 hunger1 and thirst4 ,after eleven
 months the prisoners were again brought
 before the king4 ,their bodies were    
disfigured by their torments1 and their 
faces discolored by a blackish hue which
 they had contracted4 ,sapor held out to
 the bishop a golden cup as a present1  
in which were a thousand sineas of gold1
 a coin still in use among the          
,persians4 ,besides this he promised him
 a government1 and other great offices1 
if he would suffer himself to be        
initiated in the rites of the sun4 ,the 
saint replied that he could not answer  
the reproaches of ,christ at the last   
day1 if he should prefer gold1 or a     
whole empire1 to his holy law2 and that 

he was ready to die4 ,he received his   
crown by the sword1 with his companions1
 on the #adth of ,january1 in the year  
#cdf1 and of the reign of king ,sapor   
,,ii4 the thirty-seventh1 at ,ledan1 in 
the province of the ,huzites4 ,st4      
,maruthas1 the author of his acts1 adds1
 that ,sapor1 resolving to extinguish   
utterly the ,christian name in his      
empire1 published a new terrible edict1 
whereby he commanded every one to be    
tortured and put to death who should    
refuse to adore the sun1 to worship fire
 and water1 and to feed on the blood of 
living creatures4#a ,the see of         
,seleucia remained vacant twenty years1 
and innumerable martyrs watered all the 
provinces of ,persia with their blood4  
,st4 ,maruthas was not able to recover  
their names1 but has left us a copious  
panegyric on then heroic deeds1         
accompanied with the warmest sentiments 
of devotion1 and desires to be speedily 
united with them in glory4 ,see ,acta   
,mart4 ,orient4 per ,steph4 ,assemani1  

t4 #a1 p4 #c4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,the    
,christians observed for several ages1  
especially in the ,east1     the        
apostolic temporary precept of          
abstaining from blood4 ,acts1 xv4       
#bj4 ,see ,nat4 ,alexander ,hist4 ,saec4
 #a1 dissert #i4  #aea   ,,january ,,xv4
  ,,st4 ,,paul1 ,,the ,,first ,,hermit4 
,from his life1 compiled by ,st4 ,jerom1
 in #cfe4 ,pope ,gelasius ,i41 in his   
learned ,roman council1 in #did1        
commends this authentic history4 ,st4   
,paul is also mentioned by ,cassian1    
,st4 ,fulgentius1 ,sulpitius ,severus1  
,sidonius1 ,paulinus1 in the life of    
,st4 ,ambrose1 c4 ,st4 ,jerom received  
this account from two disciples of ,st4 
,antony1 ,amathas and ,macariux4 ,st4   
,athanasius says1 that he only wrote    
what he had heard from ,st4 ,antony's   
own mouth1 or from his disciples2 and   
desires others to add what they know    
concerning his actions4 ,on the various 
readings and ,,ms4 copies of this life1 
see the disquisition of ,p4 ,jem de     

,prato1 an oratorian of ,verona1 in his 
new edition of the works of ,sulpitius  
,severus1 t4 l1 app4 #b1 p4 #djc4 ,the  
,greek history of ,st4 ,paul the hermit1
 which ,bollandus imagines ,st4 ,jerom  
to have followed1 is evidently          
posterior2 and borrows from him1 as     
,jos4 ,assemani shows4 ,comm4 ,in       
,calend4 ,univ4 t4 #f1 p4 #ib4 ,see     
,gudij ,epistolae1 p4 #bgh4  ,a4,d4     
#cdb4  ,,elias and ,st4 ,john the       
,baptist sanctified the deserts1 and    
,jesus ,christ himself was a model of   
the eremitical state during his forty   
days' fast in the wilderness2 neither is
 it to be questioned but the ,holy      
,ghost conducted the saint of this day1 
though young1 into the desert1 and was  
to him an instructor there2 but it is no
 less certain1 that an entire solitude  
and total sequestration of one's self   
from human society1 is one of those     
extraordinary ways by which ,god leads  
souls to himself1 and is more worthy of 
our admiration1 than calculated for     

imitation and practice3 it is a state   
which ought only to be embraced by such 
as are already well experienced in the  
practices of virtue and contemplation1  
and who can resist sloth and other      
temptations1 lest1 instead of being a   
help1 it prove a snare and              
stumbling-block in their way to heaven4 
,this saint was a native of the ,lower  
,thebais1 in ,egypt1 and had lost both  
his parents when he was but fifteen     
years of age3 nevertheless1 he was a    
great proficient in the ,greek and      
,egyptian learning1 was mild and modest1
 and feared ,god from his earliest      
youth4 ,the bloody persecution of       
,decius disturbed the peace of the      
church in #bej2 and what was most       
dreadful1 ,satan1 by his ministers1     
sought not so much to kill the bodies1  
as by subtle artifices and tedious      
tortures to destroy the souls of men4   
,two instances are sufficient to show   
his malice in this respect3 ,a soldier  
of ,christ1 who had already triumphed   

over the racks and tortures1 had his    
whole body rubbed over with honey1 and  
was then laid on his back in the sun1   
with his hands tied behind him1 that the
 flies and wasps1 which are quite       
intolerable in hot countries1 might     
torment and gall him with their stings4 
,another was bound with silk cords on a 
bed of down1 in a delightful garden1    
where a lascivious woman was employed to
 entice him to sin2 the martyr1 sensible
 of his danger1 bit off part of his     
tongue and spit it in her face1 that the
 horror of such an action might put her 
to flight1 and the smart occasioned by  
it be a means to prevent1 in his own    
heart1 any manner of consent to carnal  
pleasure4 ,during these times of danger1
 ,paul kept himself concealed in the    
house of another2 but finding that a    
brother-in-law was inclined to betray   
him1 that he might enjoy his estate1 he 
fled into the deserts4 ,there he found  
many spacious caverns in a rock1 which  
were said to have been the retreat of   

money-coiners in the days of ,cleopatra1
 queen of ,egypt4 ,he chose for his     
dwelling a cat2 in this place1 near     
which were a palm-tree#a and a clear    
spring3 the former by its leaves        
furnished him with raiment1 and by its  
fruit with food2 and the latter supplied
 him with water for his drink4  #aeb    
,paul was twenty-two years old when he  
entered the desert4 ,his first intention
 was to enjoy the liberty of serving    
,god till the persecution should cease2 
but relishing the sweets of heavenly    
contemplation and penance1 and learning 
the spiritual advantages of holy        
solitude1 he resolved to return no more 
among men1 or concern himself in the    
least with human affairs1 and what      
passed in the world3 it was enough for  
him to know that there was a world1 and 
to pray that it might be improved in    
goodness4 ,the saint lived on the fruit 
of his tree till he was forty-three     
years of age1 and from that time till   
his death1 like ,elias1 he was          

miraculously fed with bread brought him 
every day by a raven4 ,his method of    
life1 and what he did in this place     
during ninety years1 is unknown to us3  
but ,god was pleased to make his servant
 known a little before his death4  ,the 
great ,st4 ,antony1 who was then ninety 
years of age1 was tempted to vanity1 as 
if no one had served ,god so long in the
 wilderness as he had done1 imagining   
himself also to be the first example of 
a life so recluse from human            
conversation3 but the contrary was      
discovered to him in a dream the night  
following1 and the saint was at the same
 time commanded1 by ,almighty ,god1 to  
set out forthwith in quest of a perfect 
servant of his1 concealed in the more   
remote parts of those deserts4 ,the holy
 old man set out the next morning in    
search of the unknown hermit4 ,st4      
,jerom relates from his authors1 that he
 met a centaur1 or creature not with the
 nature and properties1 but with        
something of the mixed shape of man and 

horse1#b and that this monster1 or      
phantom of the devil1 7,st4 ,jerom      
pretends not to determine which it was17
 upon his making the sign of the cross1 
fled away1 after having pointed out the 
way to the saint4 ,our author adds1 that
 ,st4 ,antony soon after met a satyr1#c 
who gave him to understand that he was  
an inhabitant of those deserts1 and one 
of that sort whom the deluded ,gentiles 
adored for gods4 ,st4 ,antony1 after two
 days and a night spent in the search1  
discovered the saint's abode by a light 
that was in it1 which he made up to4    
,having long begged admittance at the   
door of his cell1 ,st4 ,paul at last    
opened it with a smile3 they embraced1  
called each other by their names1 which 
they knew by divine revelation4 ,st4    
,paul then inquired whether idolatry    
still reigned in the world4 ,while they 
were discoursing together1 a raven flew 
towards them1 and dropped a loaf of     
bread before them4 ,upon which ,st4     
,paul said1 ,our good ,god has sent us a

 dinner4 ,in this manner have ,i        
received half a loaf every day these    
sixty years past2 now you are come to   
see me1 ,christ has doubled his         
provision for his servants4 ,having     
given thanks to ,god they both sat down 
by the fountain2 but a little contest   
arose between them who should break the 
bread2 ,st4 ,antony alleged ,st4 ,paul's
 greater age1 and ,st4 ,paul pleaded    
that ,antony was the stranger3 both     
agreed at last to take up their parts   
together4 ,having refreshed themselves  
at the spring1 they spent the night in  
prayer4 ,the next morning ,st4 ,paul    
told his guest that the time of his     
death approached1 and that he was sent  
to bury him2 adding1 ,go and fetch the  
cloak given you by ,st4 ,athanasius1    
bishop of ,alexandria1 in which ,i      
desire you to wrap my body4 ,this he    
might say with the intent of being left 
alone in prayer1 while he expected to be
 called out of this world2 as also that 
he might testify his veneration for ,st4

 ,athanasius1 and his high regard for   
the faith and communion of the ,catholic
 church1 on account of which that holy  
bishop was then a great sufferer4 ,st4  
,antony was surprised to hear him       
mention the cloak1 which he could not   
have known but by divine revelation4    
,whatever was his motive for desiring to
 be buried #aec in it1 ,st4 ,antony     
acquiesced to what was asked of him3 so1
 after mutual embraces1 he hastened to  
his monastery to comply with ,st4       
,paul's request4 ,he told his monks that
 he1 a sinner1 falsely bore the name of 
a servant of ,god1 but that he had seen 
,elias and ,john the ,baptist in the    
wilderness1 even ,paul in ,paradise4    
,having taken the cloak1 he returned    
with it in all haste1 fearing lest the  
holy hermit might be dead1 as it        
happened4 ,while on his road1 he saw his
 happy soul carried up to heaven1       
attended by choirs of angels1 prophets1 
and apostles4 ,st4 ,antony1 though he   
rejoiced on ,st4 ,paul's account1 could 

not help lamenting on his own1 for      
having lost a treasure so lately        
discovered4 ,as soon as his sorrow would
 permit1 he arose1 pursued his journey1 
and came to the cave4 ,going in1 he     
found the body kneeling1 and the hands  
stretched out4 ,full of joy1 and        
supposing him yet alive1 he knelt down  
to pray with him1 but by his silence    
soon perceived he was dead4 ,having paid
 his last respects to the holy corpse1  
he carried it out of the cave4 ,while he
 stood perplexed how to dig a grave1 two
 lions came up quietly1 and1 as it were1
 mourning2 and tearing up the ground1   
made a hole large enough for the        
reception of a human body4 ,st4 ,antony 
then buried the corpse1 singing hymns   
and psalms1 according to what was usual 
and appointed by the church on that     
occasion4 ,after this he returned home  
praising ,god1 and related to his monks 
what he had seen and done4 ,he always   
kept as a great treasure1 and wore      
himself on great festivals1 the garment 

of ,st4 ,paul1 of palm-tree leaves      
patched together4 ,st4 ,paul died in the
 year of our ,lord #cdb1 the hundred and
 thirteenth year of his age1 and the    
ninetieth of his solitude1 and is       
usually called the first hermit1 to     
distinguish him from others of that     
name4 ,the body of this saint is said to
 have been conveyed to ,constantinople1 
by the emperor ,michael ,comnenus1 in   
the twelfth century1 and from thence to 
,venice in #abdj4d ,lewis ,i41 king of  
,hungary1 procured it from that         
republic1 and deposited it at ,buda1    
where a congregation of hermits under   
his name1 which still subsists in       
,hungary1 ,poland1 and ,austria1 was    
instituted by blessed ,eusebius of      
,strigonium1 a nobleman1 who1 having    
distributed his whole estate among the  
poor1 retired into the forests2 and     
being followed by others1 built the     
monastery of ,pisilia1 under the rule of
 the regular canons of ,st4 ,austin4 ,he
 died in that house1 ,january the #bjth1

 #abgj4  ,st4 ,paul1 the hermit1 is     
commemorated in several ancient western 
,martyrologies on the #ajth of ,january1
 but in the ,roman on the #aeth1 on     
which he is honored in the anthologium  
of the ,greeks4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,an eminent       
contemplative draws the following       
portraiture of this great model of an   
eremitical life3#e ,st4 ,paul1 the      
hermit1 not being called by ,god to the 
external duties of an active life1      
remained alone1 conversing only with    
,god1 in a vast wilderness1 for the     
space of near a hundred years1 ignorant 
of all that passed in the world1 both   
the progress of sciences1 the           
establishment of religion1 and the      
revolutions of states and empires2      
indifferent even as to those things     
without which he could not live1 as the 
air which he breathed1 the water he     
drank1 and the miraculous bread with    
which he supported life4 ,what did he   
do8 say the inhabitants of this busy    

world1 who think they could not live    
without being in a perpetual hurry of   
restless projects2 what was his         
employment all this while8 ,alas6 ought 
we not rather to put this question to   
them2 what are you doing while you are  
not taken up in doing the will of ,god1 
which occupies the heavens and the earth
 in all their motions8 ,do you call that
 doing nothing which is the great end   
,god #aed proposed to himself in giving 
us a being1 that is1 to be employed in  
contemplating1 adoring1 and praising    
him8 ,is it to be idle and useless in   
the world to be entirely taken up in    
that which is the eternal occupation of 
,god himself1 and of the blessed        
inhabitants of heaven8 ,what employment 
is better1 more just1 more sublime1 or  
more advantageous than this1 when done  
in suitable circumstances8 ,to be       
employed in any thing else1 how great or
 noble soever it may appear in the eyes 
of men1 unless it be referred to ,god1  
and be the accomplishment of his holy   

will1 who in all our actions demands our
 heart more than our hand1 what is it1  
but to turn ourselves away from our end1
 to lose our time1 and voluntarily to   
return again to that state of nothing   
out of which we were formed1 or rather  
into a far worse state8  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,pliny recounts thirty-nine different 
sorts of palm-trees1 and says     that  
the best grow in ,egypt1 which are ever 
green1 have leaves thick     enough to  
make ropes and a fruit which serves in  
some places to make     bread4 #b4      
,pliny1 l4 #g1 c4 #c1 and others1 assure
 us that such monsters have     been    
seen4 ,consult the note of ,rosweide4   
#c4  ,the heathens might feign their    
gods of the woods1 from certain         
monsters sometimes seen4 ,plutarch1 in  
his life of ,sylla1 says1 that     a    
satyr was brought to that general at    
,athens2 and ,st4 ,jerom tells     us1  
that one was shown alive at ,alexandria1
 and after its death was     salted and 
embalmed1 and sent to ,antioch that     

,constantine the ,great     might see   
it4 #d4  ,see the whole history of this 
translation1 published from an          
original ,,ms4 by ,f4 ,gamans1 a        
,jesuit1 inserted by ,bollandus in his  
collection4 #e4  ,f4 ,ambrose de        
,lombez1 ,capucin1 ,tr4 de la ,paix     
,interieure1 7,paris1     #ageh17 p4    
#cgb4  ,,st4 ,,maurus1 ,,abbot  ,,among 
the several noblemen who placed their   
sons under the care of ,st4 ,benedict1  
to be brought up in piety and learning1 
,equitius1 one of that rank1 left with  
him his son ,maurus1 then but twelve    
years old1 in #ebb4 ,the youth surpassed
 all his fellow monks in the discharge  
of monastic duties1 and when he was     
grown up1 ,st4 ,benedict made him his   
coadjutor in the government of ,sublaco4
 ,maurus1 by his singleness of heart and
 profound humility1 was a model of      
perfection to all the brethren1 and was 
favored by ,god with the gift of        
miracles4 ,st4 ,placidus1 a fellow monk1
 the son of the senator ,tertullus1     

going one day to fetch water1 fell into 
the lake1 and was carried the distance  
of a bow-shot from the bank4 ,st4       
,benedict saw this in spirit in his     
cell1 and bid ,maurus run and draw him  
out4 ,maurus obeyed1 walked upon the    
waters without perceiving it1 and       
dragged out ,placidus by the hair1      
without sinking in the least himself4   
,he attributed the miracle to the       
prayers of ,st4 ,benedict2 but the holy 
abbot1 to the obedience of the disciple4
 ,soon after that holy patriarch had    
retired to ,cassino1 he called ,st4     
,maurus thither1 in the year #ebh4 ,thus
 far ,st4 ,gregory1 ,dial4 l4 #b1 c4 #c1
 #d1 #f4  ,st4 ,maurus coming to ,france
 in #edc1 founded1 by the liberality of 
king ,theodebert1 the great abbey of    
,glanfeuil1 now called ,st4             
,maur-sur-,loire1 which he governed     
several years4 ,in #eha he resigned the 
abbacy to ,bertulf1 and passed the      
remainder of his life in close solitude1
 in the uninterrupted contemplation of  

heavenly things1 in order to prepare    
himself for his passage to eternity4    
,after two years thus employed1 he fell 
sick of a fever1 with a pain in his     
side3 he received the sacraments of the 
church1 lying on sackcloth before the   
altar of ,st4 ,martin1 and in the same  
posture expired on the #aeth of         
,january1 in the year #ehd4 ,he was     
buried on the right side of the altar in
 the same church1#a and on a roll of    
parchment laid in his tomb was inscribed
 this epitaph3 ,maurus1 a monk and      
deacon1 who came into ,france in the    
days of king ,theodebert1 and died the  
eighteenth day before the month of      
,february4#b ,st4 ,maurus is named in   
the ancient ,french litany composed by  
,alcuin1 and in the ,martyrologies of   
,florus1 ,usuard1 and others4 #aee ,for 
fear of the ,normans1 in the ninth      
century1 his body was translated to     
several places2 lastly1 in #hfh1 to ,st4
 ,peter's des ,fusses1 then a           
,benedictin abbey1 near ,paris1#c where 

it was received with great solemnity by 
,a,eneas1 bishop of ,paris4 ,a history  
of this translation1 written by ,eudo1  
at that time abbot of ,st4 ,peter's des 
,fusses1 is still extant4 ,this abbey   
des ,fusses was founded by              
,blidegisilus1 deacon of the church of  
,paris1 in the time of king ,clovis     
,,ii4 and of ,audebert1 bishop of       
,paris3 ,st4 ,babolen was the first     
abbot4 ,this monastery was reformed by  
,st4 ,mayeul1 abbot of ,cluni1 in #ihh3 
in #aecc it was secularized by ,clement 
,,vii4 at the request of ,francis ,i41  
and the deanery united to the bishopric 
of ,paris2 but the church and village   
have for several ages borne the name of 
,st4 ,maur4 ,the abbey of ,glanfeuil1   
now called ,st4 ,maur-sur-,loire1 was   
subjected to this des ,fosses from the  
reign of ,charles the ,bald to the year 
#ajif1 in which ,urban ,,ii41 at the    
solicitation of the count of ,anjou1    
re-established its primitive            
independence4 ,our ancestors had a      

particular veneration for ,st4 ,maurus1 
under the ,norman kings2 and the noble  
family of ,seymour 7from the ,french    
,saint ,maur7 borrow from him its name1 
as ,camden observes in his ,remains4    
,the church of ,st4 ,peter's des        
,fusses1 two leagues from ,paris1 now   
called ,st4 ,maurus's1 was secularized1 
and made a collegiate1 in #aecc2 and the
 canons removed to ,st4 ,louis1 formerly
 called ,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury's1  
at the ,louvre in ,paris1 in #agej4 ,the
 same year the relics of ,st4 ,maurus   
were translated thence to the abbey of  
,st4 ,germain-des-,prez1 where they are 
preserved in a rich shrine4#d ,an arm of
 this saint was with great devotion     
translated to mount ,cassino1 in the    
eleventh century1#e and by its touch a  
demoniac was afterwards delivered1 as is
 related by ,desiderius at that time    
abbot of mount ,cassino1#f who was      
afterwards pope1 under the name of      
,victor ,,iii4 ,see ,mabill4 ,annal4    
,bened4 t4 #a1 l4 #c and #d2 and the    

genuine history of the translation of   
the body of ,st4 ,maurus to the         
monastery des ,fosses1 by ,endo1 at that
 time abbot of this house4 ,the life of 
,st4 ,maurus1 and history of his        
translation1 under the pretended name of
 ,faustus1 is demonstrated by ,cointe   
and others to be a notorious forgery1   
with several instruments belonging to   
the same4#g  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,mab4     
,annal4 ,ben4 t4 #a1 l4 #g1 ad annos    
#eha1 #ehd4 #b4  ,all writers1 at least 
from the ninth century1 are unanimous in
     affirming with ,amalarius1 that    
,st4 ,maurus of ,anjou1 the ,french     
abbot1 was the same ,maurus that was the
 disciple of ,st4 ,benedict2     which  
is also proved against certain modern   
critics1 by ,dom ,ruinart     in his    
,apologia ,missionis ,st4 ,mauri1 in    
append4 #a4 annal4 ,bened4 per          
,mabill4 t4 #a1 p4 #fcj4 ,the arguments 
which are alleged by some for           
distinguishing them1 may be seen in     
,chatelain's notes on the     ,martyrol4

 p4 #bec4 ,in imitation of the          
congregation of ,,ss4 ,vane and         
,hydulphus1 then lately established in  
,lorraine1 certain ,french              
,benedictin monks instituted a like     
reformation of their order1 under       
the title of the congregation of ,st4   
,maurus1 in #afba1 which was            
approved of by ,gregory ,,xv4 and ,urban
 ,,viii4 ,it is divided into six        
provinces1 under its own general1 who   
usually resides at ,st4                 
,germain-des-,prez1 at ,paris4 ,these   
monks live in strict retirement1     and
 constantly abstain from flesh meat1    
except in the infirmary4     ,their     
chief houses are1 ,st4 ,maur-sur-,loire1
 ,st4 ,germain-des ,prez1     ,fleury1  
or ,st4 ,benoit-sur-,loire1 ,marmoutier 
at ,tours1 ,vendome1 ,st4     ,remigius 
at ,rheims1 ,st4 ,peter of ,corbie1     
,fecan c4 #c4  ,ib4 l4 #ae1 p4 #dfe1 l4 
#cf1 p4 #hb4 ,see ,dom ,beaunier1       
,recueil     ,historique des ,evech4 et 
,abbayes1 t4 #a1 p4 #ag4 #d4  ,dom      

,vaissette1 ,geographie ,histor4 t4 #f1 
p4 #eae1 and ,le ,beuf1 ,hist4     du   
,diocese de ,paris1 t4 #e1 p4 #ag4      
,piganiol1 ,descrip4 of ,paris1 t4 #h1  
p4 #afe1 t4 #c1 p4 #aad1 t4 #g1 p4 #gi4 
#e4  ,s4 ,odilo in vita ,s4 ,majoli2 et 
,leo ,ostiens in chron4 ,casin4 l4 #b1  
c4     #ee4 #f4  ,victor ,,iii4 ,dial4  
l4 #b4 ,ruinart1 ,apol4 ,miss4 ,s4      
,mauri1 p4 #fcb4     ,mabill4 ,annal4   
,bened4 l4 #ef1 c4 #gc4 #g4  ,dom       
,freville1 the ,maurist monk1 and curate
 of ,st4 ,symphorian's1 at     the abbey
 of ,st4 ,germain-des-,prez1 has        
nevertheless made use of     these      
pieces in a ,,ms4 history of the life   
and translations of this     saint1     
which he has compiled1 and of which he  
allowed me the     perusal4 ,when the   
relics of ,st4 ,maurus were translated  
to ,st4     ,germain-des-,prez1 those of
 ,st4 ,babolen1 who died about the year 
#fga1     and is honored is the ,paris  
breviary on the #bhth of ,june1 and     
several others which had enriched the   

monastery des ,fosses were     conveyed 
to the church of ,st4 ,louis1 at the    
,louvre4  ,,st4 ,,main1 ,,abbot  ,,this 
saint was a ,british bishop1 who1       
passing into ,little ,britain in        
,france1 there founded an abbey in which
 he ended his days4  ,,st4 ,,john       
,,calybite1 ,,recluse4  ,,he was the son
 of ,eutropius1 a rich nobleman in      
,constantinople4 ,he secretly left home 
to become a monk among the ,acaemetes4#a
 ,after six #aef years he returned      
disguised in the rags of a beggar1 and  
subsisted by the charity of his parents1
 as a stranger1 in a little hut near    
their house2 hence he was called the    
,calybite4#b ,he sanctified his soul by 
wonderful patience1 meekness1 humility1 
mortification1 and prayer4 ,he          
discovered himself to his mother1 in his
 agony1 in the year #dej1 and1 according
 to his request1 was buried under his   
hut2 but his parents built over his tomb
 a stately church1 as the author of his 
life mentions4 ,cedrenus1 who says it   

stood in the western quarter of the     
city1 calls it the church of poor       
,john2#c ,zonaras1 the church of ,st4   
,john ,calybite4#d ,an old church       
standing near the bridge of the isle of 
the ,tiber in ,rome1 which bore his     
name1 according to an inscription there1
 was built by pope ,formosus1 7who died 
in #hif17 together with an hospital4    
,from which circumstance ,du ,cange#e   
infers that the body of our saint1 which
 is preserved in this church1 was       
conveyed from ,constantinople to ,rome1 
before the broaching of the ,iconoclast 
heresy under ,leo the ,isarian1 in #gjf3
 but his head remained at               
,constantinople till after that city    
fell into the hands of the ,latins1 in  
#abjd2 soon after which it was brought  
to ,besanzon in ,burgundy1 where it is  
kept in ,st4 ,stephen's church1 with a  
,greek inscription round the case4 ,the 
church which bears the name of ,saint   
,john ,calybite1 at ,rome1 with the     
hospital1 is now in the hands of        

religious men of the order of ,st4 ,john
 of ,god4 ,according to a ,,ms4 life1   
commended by ,baronius1 ,st4 ,john      
,calybite flourished under ,theodosius  
the ,younger1 who died in #dej3         
,nicephorus says1 under ,leo1 who was   
proclaimed emperor in #deg2 so that both
 accounts may be true4 ,on his genuine  
,greek acts1 see ,lambecius1 ,bibl4     
,vind4 t4 #h1 pp4 #bbh1 #cie2           
,bollandus1 p4 #ajce1 gives his ,latin  
acts the same which we find in ,greek at
 ,st4 ,germain-des-,prez4 ,see          
,montfaucon1 ,bibl4 ,coislianae1 p4     
#aif4 ,bollandus adds other ,latin acts1
 to which he gives the preference4 ,see 
also ,papebroch1 ,comm4 ad ,januarium   
,graecum metricum1 t4 #a4 ,maij4 ,jos4  
,assemani1 in ,calendaria ,univ4 ad #ae 
,jan4 t4 #f1 p4 #gf4 ,chatelain1 p4     
#bhc1 c4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,papebroch   
supposes ,st4 ,john ,calybite to have   
made a long voyage at     sea2 but this 
circumstance seems to have no other     
foundation than     the mistake of those

 who place his birth at ,rome1          
forgetting that     ,constantinople was 
then called ,new ,rome4 ,no mention is  
made of any     long voyage in his      
genuine ,greek acts1 nor in the         
interpolated     ,latin4 ,he sailed only
 threescore furlongs from               
,constantinople to the     place called 
,greek3 ,gomon1 and from the peaceful   
abode of the     ,acaemetes' monk1      
7,greek3 ,eirenaion1 or dwelling of     
peace17 opposite     to ,sosthenium on  
the ,thrancian shore1 where the         
monastery of the     ,acaemetes stood4  
#b4  ,from ,greek3 kalube1 a cottage1 a 
hut4 #c4  ,cedr4 ad an4 #dfa4 #d4       
,zonaras1 p4 #da4 #e4  ,du ,cange1      
,constantinop4 ,christiana1 l4 #d1 c4   
#f1 n4 #ea4   ,,st4 ,,isidore1 ,,priest 
,,and ,,hospitaller1  ,,of              
,,alexandria4#a  ,,he was taken from his
 cell where he had passed many years in 
the deserts1 ordained ,priest1 and      
placed in the dignity of hospitaller1 by
 ,st4 ,athanasius4 ,he lived in that    

great city a perfect model of meekness1 
patience1 mortification1 and prayer4 ,he
 frequently burst into tears at table1  
saying3 ,i who am a rational creature1  
and made to enjoy ,god1 eat the food of 
brutes1 instead of feeding on the bread 
of angels4 ,palladius1 afterwards bishop
 of ,helenopolis1 on going to ,egypt to 
embrace an ascetic life1 addressed      
himself first to our saint for advice3  
the skilful director bade him go and    
exercise himself for some time in       
mortification and self-denial1 and then 
return for further instructions4 ,st4   
,isidore suffered many persecutions1    
first from ,lucius the ,arian intruder1 
and afterwards from ,theophilus1 who    
unjustly accused him of ,origenism4#b   
,he publicly condemned that heresy at   
#aeg ,constantinople1 where he died in  
#djc1 under the protection of ,st4      
,chrysostom4 ,see ,palladius in         
,lausiac1 c4 #a and #b4 ,socrates1 l4   
#f1 c4 #i4 ,sozomen1 c4 #c and #ab4 ,st4
 ,jerom1 ,ep4 #fa1 c4 #ae1 ad ,princip4 

,theodoret4 l4 #d1 c4 #ba4 ,pallad4 de  
,vita ,s4 ,chrys4 ,bulteau1 ,hist4 ,mon4
 d',orient4 l4 #a1 c4 #ae  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,a hospitaller is one residing in  
an hospital1 in order to receive     the
 poor and strangers4 #b4  ,st4 ,jerom's 
zeal against the ,origenists was very   
serviceable to the     church2 yet his  
translation of ,theophilus's book       
against the memory     of ,st4          
,chrysostom1 7ap4 ,fac4 herm4 l4 #f1 c4 
#d17 is a proof that it     sometimes   
carried him too far4 ,this weakens his  
charge against the     holy hospitaller 
of ,alexandria1 whom ,theophilus        
expelled ,egypt1 with     the four long 
brothers1 7,dioscorus1 ,ammonias1       
,eusebius1 and     ,euthymius17 and     
about three hundred other monks4 ,some  
accuse     ,theophilus of proceeding    
against them out of mere jealousy4 ,it  
is at     least certain1 that ,st4      
,isidore and the four long brothers     
anathematized ,origenism at             
,constantinople1 before ,st4 ,chrysostom

     received them to his communion1 and
 that ,theophilus himself was           
reconciled to them at ,chalcedon1 in the
 council at the ,oak1 without           
requiring of them any confession of     
faith1 or making mention of     ,origen4
 7,sozom4 l4 #h1 c4 #ag47 ,many take the
 ,st4 ,isidore1 mentioned     in the    
,roman ,martyrology1 for the            
hospitaller2 but ,bulteau observes1     
that ,st4 ,isidore of ,scete is rather  
meant2 at least the former is           
honored by the ,greeks4  ,,st4          
,,isidore1 ,p4,h4  ,,he was priest of   
,scete1 and hermit in that vast desert4 
,he excelled in an unparalleled gift of 
meekness1 continency1 prayer1 and       
recollection4 ,once perceiving in       
himself some motions of anger to rise1  
he that instant threw down certain      
baskets he was carrying to market1 and  
ran away to avoid the occasion4#a ,when1
 in his old age1 others persuaded him to
 abate something in his labor1 he       
answered3 ,if we consider what the ,son 

of ,god hath done for us1 we can never  
allow ourselves any indulgence in sloth4
 ,were my body burnt1 and my ashes      
scattered in the air1 it would be       
nothing4#b ,whenever the enemy tempted  
him to despair1 he said1 ,were ,i to be 
damned1 thou wouldest yet be below me in
 hell2 nor would ,i cease to labor in   
the service of ,god1 though assured that
 this was to be my lot4 ,if he was      
tempted to vain-glory1 he reproached and
 confounded himself with the thought1   
how far even in his exterior exercises  
he fell short of the servants of ,god1  
,antony1 ,pambo1 and others4#c ,being   
asked the reason of his abundant tears1 
he answered3 ,i weep for my sins3 if we 
had only once offended ,god1 we could   
never sufficiently bewail this          
misfortune4 ,he died a little before the
 year #cia4 ,his name stands in the     
,roman ,martyrology1 on the fifteenth of
 ,january4 ,see ,cassian4 coll4 #ah1 c4 
#ae and #af4 ,tillem4 t4 #h1 p4 #ddj4   
,footnotes3  #a4  ,cotellier1 ,mon4 ,gr4

 t4 #a1 p4 #dhg4 #b4  ,ib4 p4 #fhf4     
,rosweide1 l4 #e1 c4 #g #c4  ,cotel4 ib4
 t4 #b1 p4 #dh4 ,rosweide1 l4 #c1 c4    
#aja1 l4 #g1 c4 #aa4  ,,saint ,,bonitus1
 ,,bishop ,,of ,,auvergne1 ,c4          
7,,commonly1 ,,in ,,auvergne1 ,,bonet2  
,,at ,,paris1 ,,bont47  ,,st4 ,,bonet   
was referendary or chancellor1 to       
,sigebert ,,iii41 the holy king of      
,austrasia2 and by his zeal1 religion1  
and justice1 flourished in that kingdom 
under four kings4 ,after the death of   
,dagobert ,,ii41 ,thierry ,,iii4 made   
him governor of ,marseilles and all     
,provence1 in #fhj4 ,his elder brother  
,st4 ,avitus ,,ii41 bishop of ,clermont1
 in ,auvergne1 having recommended him   
for his successor1 died in #fhi1 and    
,bonet was consecrated4 ,but after      
having governed that see ten years1 with
 the most exemplary piety1 he had a     
scruple whether his election had been   
perfectly canonical2 and having         
consulted ,st4 ,tilo1 or ,theau1 then   
leading an eremitical life at ,solignac1

 resigned his dignity1 led for four     
years a most penitential life in the    
abbey of ,manlieu1 now of the order of  
,st4 ,bennet1 and after having made a   
pilgrimage to ,rome1 died of the gout at
 ,lyons on the fifteenth of ,january in 
#gaj1 being eighty-six years old4 ,his  
relics were enshrined in the cathedral  
at ,clermont2 but some small portions   
are kept at ,paris1 in the churches of  
,st4 ,germain l',auxerrois1 and ,st4    
,bont1 near that of ,st4 ,merry4 ,see   
his life1 #aeh written by a monk of     
,sommon in ,auvergne1 in the same       
century1 published by ,bollandus1 also  
le ,cointe1 an4 #fii4 ,gallia           
,christiana ,nova1 c4  ,,st4 ,,ita1 ,,or
 ,,mida1 ,v4 ,,abbess  ,,she was a      
native of ,nandesi1 now the barony of   
,dessee in the county of ,waterford1 and
 descended from the royal family4       
,having consecrated her virginity to    
,god1 she led an austere retired life at
 the foot of the mountain ,luach1 in the
 diocese of ,limerick1 and founded there

 a famous monastery of holy virgins1    
called ,cluain-cred-hail4 ,by the       
mortification of her senses and         
passions1 and by her constant attention 
to ,god and his divine love1 she was    
enriched with many extraordinary graces4
 ,the lesson she principally inculcated 
to others was1 that to be perpetually   
recollected in ,god is the great means  
of attaining to perfection4 ,she died   
,january #ae1 in #efi4 ,her feast was   
solemnized in her church of             
,cluain-cred-hail2 in the whole         
territory of ,hua-,conail1 and at       
,rosmide1 in the territory of ,nandesi4 
,see her ancient life in ,bollandus1    
,jan4 xvi41 and ,colgan1 t4 #a1 p4 #gb1 
who calls her the second ,st4 ,bridget  
of ,ireland4   ,,january ,,xvi4  ,,st4  
,,marcellus1 ,,pope1 ,m4  ,see the      
epitaph of eight verses1 composed for   
this ,pope1 by ,st4 ,damasus1 carm4 #dh1
 and ,tillemont1 t4 #e4  ,a4,d4 #caj4   
,,st4 ,,marcellus was priest under pope 
,marcellinus4 whom he succeeded in #cjh1

 after that see had been vacant for     
three years and a half4 ,an epitaph     
written on him by pope ,damasus1 who    
also mentions himself in it1 says1 that 
by enforcing the canons of holy penance1
 he drew upon himself the contradictions
 and persecutions of many tepid and     
refractory ,christians1 and that for his
 severity against a certain apostate1 he
 was banished by the tyrant             
,maxentius4#a ,he died in #caj1 having  
sat one year1 seven months1 and twenty  
days4 ,anastatius writes1 that ,lucina1 
a devout widow of one ,pinianus1 who    
lodged ,st4 ,marcellus when he lived in 
,rome1 after his death converted her    
house into a church1 which she called by
 his name4 ,his false acts relate1 that 
among his other sufferings1 he was      
condemned by the tyrant to keep cattle  
in this place4 ,he is styled a martyr in
 the sacramentaries of ,gelasius ,i4 and
 ,st4 ,gregory1 and in the              
,martyrologies ascribed to ,st4 ,jerom  
and ,bede1 which1 with the rest of the  

,western calendars1 mention his feast on
 the sixteenth of ,january4 ,his body   
lies under the high altar in the ancient
 church1 which bears his name1 and gives
 title to a cardinal in ,rome2 but      
certain portions of his relics are      
honored at ,cluni1 ,namur1 ,mons1 c4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,god is most wonderful in the whole     
economy of his holy providence over his 
elect3 his power and wisdom are exalted 
infinitely above the understanding #aei 
of creatures1 and we are obliged to cry 
out1 ,who can search his ways8#b ,we    
have not penetration to discover all the
 causes and ends of exterior things     
which we see or feel4 ,how much less can
 we understand this in secret and       
interior things1 which fall not under   
our senses8 ,remember that thou knowest 
not his work4 ,behold he is a great     
,god1 surpassing our understanding4#c   
,how does he make every thing serve his 
purposes for the sanctification of his  
servants6 ,by how many ways does he     

conduct them to eternal glory6 ,some he 
sanctifies on thrones2 others in        
cottages2 others in retired cells and   
deserts2 others in the various functions
 of an apostolic life1 and in the       
government of his church4 ,and how      
wonderfully does he ordain and direct   
all human events to their spiritual     
advancement1 both in prosperity and in  
adversity6 ,in their persecutions and   
trials1 especially1 we shall discover at
 the last day1 when the secrets of his  
providence will be manifested to us1 the
 tenderness of his infinite love1 the   
depth of his unsearchable wisdom1 and   
the extent of his omnipotent power4 ,in 
all his appointments let us adore these 
his attributes1 earnestly imploring his 
grace1 that according to the designs of 
his mercy1 we may make every thing1     
especially all afflictions1 serve for   
the exercise and improvement of our     
virtue4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,damasus1     
carm4 #bf4 #b4  ,job xxxvi1 #bc4 #c4    
,ib4  ,,st4 ,,macarius1 ,,the ,,elder1  

,,of ,,egypt  ,from the original authors
 of the lives of the fathers of the     
deserts1 in ,rosweide1 d',andilly1      
,bollandus1 #ae ,jan41 ,tillemont1 t4   
#ac1 p4 #egf1 collated with a very      
ancient manuscript of the lives of the  
,fathers1 published by ,rosweide1 c41 in
 the hands of ,mr4 ,martin1 of          
,palgrave1 in ,suffolk4  ,a4,d4 #cij4   
,,st4 ,,macarius1 the ,elder1 was born  
in ,upper ,egypt1 about the year #cjj1  
and brought up in the country in tending
 cattle4 ,in his childhood1 in company  
with some others1 he once stole a few   
figs1 and ate one of them3 but from his 
conversion to his death1 he never ceased
 to weep bitterly for this sin4#a ,by a 
powerful call of divine grace1 he       
retired from the world in his youth1 and
 dwelling in a little cell in a village1
 made mats1 in continual prayer and     
great austerities4 ,a wicked woman      
falsely accused him of having defloured 
her2 for which supposed crime he was    
dragged through the streets1 beaten1 and

 insulted1 as a base hypocrite1 under   
the garb of a monk4 ,he suffered all    
with patience1 and sent the woman what  
he earned by his work1 saying to        
himself3 ,well1 ,macarius6 having now   
another to provide for1 thou must work  
the harder4 ,but ,god discovered his    
innocency2 for the woman falling in     
labor1 lay in extreme anguish1 and could
 not be delivered till she had named the
 true father of her child4 ,the people  
converted their rage into the greatest  
admiration of the humility and patience 
of the saint4#b ,to shun the esteem of  
men1 he fled into the vast hideous      
desert of ,scete1#c being then about    
thirty years of age4 ,in this solitude  
he lived sixty years1 and became the    
spiritual parent of innumerable holy    
persons1 who put themselves under his   
direction1 and were governed by the     
rules he prescribed them2 but all dwelt 
in separate hermitages4 ,st4 ,macarius  
admitted only one disciple with him1 to 
entertain strangers4 ,he was #afj       

compelled by an ,egyptian bishop to     
receive the order of priesthood1 about  
the year #cdj1 the fortieth of his age1 
that he might celebrate the divine      
mysteries for the convenience of this   
holy colony4 ,when the desert became    
better peopled1 there were four churches
 built in it1 which were served by so   
many priests4 ,the austerities of ,st4  
,macarius were excessive2 he usually ate
 but once a week4 ,evagrius1 his        
disciple1 once asked him leave to drink 
a little water1 under a parching thirst2
 but ,macarius bade him content himself 
with reposing a little in the shade1    
saying3 ,for these twenty years1 ,i have
 never once ate1 drunk1 or slept1 as    
much as nature required4#d ,his face was
 very pale1 and his body weak and       
parched up4 ,to deny his own will1 he   
did not refuse to drink a little wine   
when others desired him2 but then he    
would punish himself for this           
indulgence1 by abstaining two or three  
days from all manner of drink2 and it   

was for this reason1 that his disciple  
desired strangers never to tender unto  
him a drop of wine4#e ,he delivered his 
instructions in few words1 and          
principally inculcated silence1         
humility1 mortification1 retirement1 and
 continual prayer1 especially the last1 
to all sorts of people4 ,he used to say1
 ,in prayer1 you need not use many or   
lofty words4 ,you can often repeat with 
a sincere heart1 ,lord1 show me mercy as
 thou knowest best4 ,or1 assist me1 ,o  
,god6#f ,he was much delighted with this
 ejaculation of perfect resignation and 
love3 ,o ,lord1 have mercy on me1 as    
thou pleasest1 and knowest best in thy  
goodness6#g ,his mildness and patience  
were invincible1 and occasioned the     
conversion of a heathen priest1 and many
 others4#h ,the devil told him one day1 
,i can surpass thee in watching1        
fasting1 and many other things2 but     
humility conquers and disarms me4#i ,a  
young man applying to ,st4 ,macarius for
 spiritual advice1 he directed him to go

 to a burying-place1 and upbraid the    
dead2 and after to go and flatter them4 
,when he came back1 the saint asked him 
what answer the dead had made3 ,none at 
all1 said the other1 either to          
reproaches or praises4 ,then1 replied   
,macarius1 go1 and learn neither to be  
moved with injuries nor flatteries4 ,if 
you die to the world and to yourself1   
you will begin to live to ,christ4 ,he  
said to another3 ,receive1 from the hand
 of ,god1 poverty as cheerfully as      
riches1 hunger and want as plenty1 and  
you will conquer the devil1 and subdue  
all your passions4#aj ,a certain monk   
complained to him1 that in solitude he  
was always tempted to break his fast1   
whereas in the monastery1 he could fast 
the whole week cheerfully4 ,vain-glory  
is the reason1 replied the saint2       
fasting pleases1 when men see you2 but  
seems intolerable when that passion is  
not gratified4#aa ,one came to consult  
him1 who was molested with temptations  
to impurity3 the saint1 examining into  

the source1 found it to be sloth1 and   
advised him never to eat before sunset1 
to meditate fervently at his work1 and  
to labor vigorously1 without sloth1 the 
whole day4 ,the other faithfully        
complied1 and was freed from his enemy4 
,god revealed to ,st4 ,macarius1 that he
 had not attained the perfection of two 
married women1 who lived in a certain   
town3 he made them a visit1 and learned 
the means by which they sanctified      
themselves4 ,they were extremely careful
 never to speak any idle or rash words3 
they lived in the constant practice of  
humility1 patience1 meekness1 charity1  
resignation1 mortification of their own 
will1 and conformity to the humors of   
their husbands and others1 where the    
divine law did not interpose3 in a      
spirit of recollection they sanctified  
all their actions by #afa ardent        
ejaculations1 by which they strove to   
praise ,god1 and most fervently to      
consecrate to the divine glory all the  
powers of their soul and body4#ab  ,a   

subtle heretic of the sect of the       
,hieracites1 called so from ,hierax1 who
 in the reign of ,dioclesian denied the 
resurrection of the dead1 had1 by his   
sophisms1 caused some to stagger in     
their faith4 ,st4 ,macarius1 to confirm 
them in the truth1 raised a dead man to 
life1 as ,socrates1 ,sozomen1           
,palladius1 and ,rufinus relate4        
,cassian says1 that he only made a dead 
corpse to speak for that purpose2 then  
bade it rest till the resurrection4     
,lucius1 the ,arian usurper of the see  
of ,alexandria1 who had expelled ,peter1
 the successor of ,st4 ,athanasius1 in  
#cgf sent troops into the deserts to    
disperse the zealous monks1 several of  
whom sealed their faith with their      
blood3 the chiefs1 namely1 the two      
,macariuses1 ,isidore1 ,pambo1 and some 
others1 by the authority of the emperor 
,valens1 were banished into a little    
isle of ,egypt1 surrounded with great   
marshes4 ,the inhabitants1 who were     
,pagans1 were all converted to the faith

 by the confessors4#ac ,the public      
indignation of the whole empire1 obliged
 ,lucius to suffer them to return to    
their cells4 ,our saint1 knowing that   
his end drew near1 made a visit to the  
monks of ,nitria1 and exhorted them to  
compunction and tears so pathetically1  
that they all fell weeping at his feet4 
,let us weep1 brethren1 said he1 and let
 our eyes pour forth floods of tears    
before we go hence1 lest we fall into   
that place where tears will only        
increase the flames in which we shall   
burn4#ad ,he went to receive the reward 
of his labors in the year #cij1 and of  
his age the ninetieth1 having spent     
sixty years in the desert of ,scete4#ae 
,he seems to have been the first        
anchoret who inhabited this vast        
wilderness2 and this ,cassian           
affirms4#af ,some style him a disciple  
of ,st4 ,antony2 but that quality rather
 suits ,st4 ,macarius of ,alexandria2   
for1 by the history of our saint's life1
 it appears that he could not have lived

 under the direction of ,st4 ,antony    
before he retired into the desert of    
,scete4 ,but he afterwards paid a visit1
 if not several1 to that holy patriarch 
of monks1 whose dwelling was fifteen    
days' journey distant4#ag ,this glorious
 saint is honored in the ,roman         
,martyrology on the #aeth of ,january2  
in the ,greek ,menaea on the #aith4 ,an 
ancient monastic rule1 and an epistle   
addressed to monks1 written in          
sentences1 like the book of ,proverbs1  
are ascribed to ,st4 ,macarius4         
,tillemont thinks them more probably the
 works of ,st4 ,macarius of ,alexandria1
 who had under his inspection at ,nitria
 five thousand monks4#ah ,gennadius#ai  
says that ,st4 ,macarius wrote nothing  
but this letter4 ,this may be understood
 of ,st4 ,macarius of ,alexandria1      
though one who wrote in ,gaul might not 
have seen all the works of an author    
whose country was so remote1 and        
language different4 ,fifty spiritual    
homilies are ascribed1 in the first     

edition1 and in some manuscripts1 to    
,st4 ,macarius of ,egypt3 yet ,f4       
,possin#bj thinks they rather belong to 
,macarius of ,pispir1 who attended ,st4 
,antony at his death1 and seems to have 
been some years older than the two great
 ,macariuses1 though some have thought  
him the same with the ,alexandrian4#ba  
,footnotes3 #a4  ,bolland4 #ae4 ,jan4 p4
 #ajaa1 ,sec4#ci4 ,cotel4 ,mon4 ,grt1 l4
 #a1 p4 #edf4 #b4  ,cotel4 ib4 p4 #ebe4 
,rosweide1 ,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #c1 c4 #ii1  
l4 #e1 c4 #ae1     ,sec4#be1 p4 #fbc4   
#c4  ,mount ,nitria was above forty     
miles from ,alexandria1 towards the     
,southwest4 ,the desert of ,scete lay   
eighty miles beyond ,nitria1 and     was
 rather in ,lybia than in ,egypt4 ,it   
was of a vast extent1 and then     were 
no roads thereabouts1 so that men were  
guided only by the stars     in         
travelling in those parts4 ,see         
,tillemont on ,st4 ,amon and this       
,macarius4 #d4  ,socrates1 l4 #d1 c4    
#bc4 #e4  ,rosweide1 ,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #c1

 ,sec4#c1 p4 #eje1 l4 #e1 c4 #d1        
,sec4#bf1 p4 #efi4 #f4  ,rosweide1 l4   
#c1 c4 #bj1 l4 #e1 c4 #ab4 ,cotel4 p4   
#ecg4 #g4  ,domine1 sicut scis et vis1  
miserere me6 #h4  ,rosweide1 l4 #c1 c4  
#abg4 ,cotel4 t4 #a1 p4 #edg4 #i4       
,rosweide1 l4 #e1 c4 #ae4 #aj4          
,rosweide1 l4 #g1 c4 #dh4 ,cotel4 t4 #a1
 p4 #ecg4 ,rosweide1 ib4 ,sec4#i4 #aa4  
,cassian ,collat4 #e1 c4 #cb4 #ab4      
,rosweide1 l4 #c1 c4 #ig1 l4 #f1 c4 #c1 
,sec4#ag1 p4 #feg4 #ac4 ,theodoret1 l4  
#d1 c4 #ah1 #ai4 ,socr4 l4 #d1 c4 #bb4  
,sozom4 l4 #f1 c4 #ai1 #bj4 ,rufin4 l4  
#b1 c4 #c4 ,s4 ,hier4 in ,chrom4 ,oros4 
l4 #g1 c4 #cc4 ,pallad4     ,lausiac4 c4
 #aag4 #ad4 ,rosw4 ,vit4 ,part4 l4 #e1  
c4 #c1 ,sec4#i4 ,cotel4 ,mon4 ,gr4 p4   
#ede4 #ae4 ,pallad4 ,lausiac4 c4 #ai4   
#af4 ,cassian4 ,collat4 #ae1 c4 #ac4    
,tillem4 ,note #c1 p4 #hjf4 #ag4 ,rosw4 
,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #e1 c4 #g1 ,sec4#i4     
,cotel4 ,apothegm4 ,patr4 #ecj4 ,tillem4
     art4 #d1 p4 #eha1 and ,note #d1 p4 
#hj4 #ah4 ,see ,tillem4 ,note #c1 p4    

#hjf4 #ai4 ,gennad4 ,cat4 c4 #aj4 #bj4  
,possin4 ,ascet4 pr4 p4 #ag4 #ba4       
,du ,pin allows these fifty homilies to 
be undoubtedly very ancient3     in     
which judgment others agree1 and the    
discourses themselves bear     evident  
marks4 ,du ,pin and ,tillemont leave    
them to ,st4 ,macarius of     ,egypt2   
and his claim to them is very well      
supported by the learned     ,english   
translator1 who published them with an  
introduction1 at     ,london1 in #agba1 
in octavo4 ,the censure of ,ceillier    
upon them seems     too severe4 ,certain
 passages1 which seem to favor          
,pelagianism1 ought     to be explained 
by others1 which clearly condemn that   
heresy2 or it     must be granted that  
they have suffered some alteration4 ,the
     composition is not very methodical1
 these homilies being addressed     to  
monks1 in answer to particular queries4 
,the author exceedingly     extols the  
peace and sweetness which a soul1       
crucified to the world1     enjoys with 

the consolations of the ,holy ,ghost1   
who resides in her4     ,but he says    
that the very angels deplore1 as much as
 their state     will permit1 those     
unhappy souls which taste not these     
heavenly     delights1 as men weep over 
a dear friend who lies sick in his      
agony1     and receives all nourishment 
from their hands4 7,st4 ,macar41 hom4 #a
      #ae47 ,prayer1 without which no   
one can be free from sin1 is a duty     
which he strongly inculcates1 7,hom4    
#b17 with perfect concord1 by     which 
we love1 and are inclined to condescend 
to indifferent things1     and to judge 
well of all men1 so as to say1 when we  
see one pray1     that he prays for us2 
if he read1 that he reads for us1 and   
for the     divine honor2 if he rest or 
work1 that he is employed for the       
advancement of the common good4 7,hom4  
#c47 ,the practice of keeping           
ourselves constantly in the divine      
presence1 he calls a principal     duty1
 by which we learn to triumph over our  

enemies1 and refer to     the divine    
honor all we do2 for this one thing is  
necessary1 that     whether we work1    
read1 or pray1 we always entertain this 
life and     treasure in our souls2     
having ,god constantly in our thoughts1 
and     the ,holy ,ghost in our breasts4
 7,hom4 #c47 ,a continual watchfulness1 
and strict guard upon all our senses1   
and in all our actions1 is              
necessary1 especially against vanity1   
concupiscence1 and gluttony2     without
 which1 failings will be multiplied2    
pure and faithful souls     ,god makes  
his chaste spouses2 they always think on
 him1 and place     all their desires on
 him2 but those who love the earth are  
earthly     in their thoughts and       
affections1 their corrupt inclinations  
gain     such a mastery1 that they seem 
natural to them4 ,vigilance is          
absolutely necessary to remove this     
insinuating enemy2 and purity of        
conscience begets prudence1 which can   
never be found under the     tyranny of 

the passions1 and which is the eye that 
guides the soul     through the craggy  
paths of this life4 ,pure souls are     
raised by     divine grace to dwell with
 ,god on earth by holy contemplation1   
and     are fitted for eternal bliss1   
7,hom4 #d27 true ,christians differ in  
their desires and actions from other    
men4 ,the wicked burn with     lawless  
passions1 and are disturbed with anxious
 desires and vain     wishes1 hunt      
after1 and think of nothing but earthly 
pleasures2 but     the true ,christian  
enjoys an uninterrupted tranquillity of 
mind and     joy1 even amidst crosses1  
and rejoices in sufferings and          
temptations1 hope and divine grace      
sweetening their severest trials4       
,the love of ,god with which they burn1 
makes them rejoice in all they          
suffer for his sake1 and by his         
appointment4 ,it is their most ardent   
desire to behold ,god in his glory1 and 
to be themselves transformed     into   
him4 7#b ,cor4 iii47 ,even now the      

sweetness with which ,god     overwhelms
 them1 renders them already1 in some    
measure1 partakers of     his glory2    
which will be completed in them in      
heaven4 7,hom4 #e47 ,in     prayer we   
must be freed from all anxious care1    
trouble of mind1 and     foreign        
thoughts2 and must cry out to ,god with 
our whole hearts in     tranquillity and
 silence2 for ,god descends only in     
peace and repose1     not amidst tumult 
and clamors4 7,hom4 #f47 ,a soul        
astonished to see     ,god1 who is      
crowned with infinite glory1 visit her  
with so much     sweetness1 absorbed in 
hi1 sovereignly despises all earthly    
things1     and cries out to his in     
strains of admiration at his            
condescension     and goodness4 7,hom4  
#g7 ,when a person1 endowed with the    
gift of     supernatural prayer1 falls  
on his knees to pray1 his heart is      
straight filled with the divine         
sweetness1 and his soul exults in       
,god as a spouse with her beloved4 ,this

 joy in one hour of prayer in     the   
silence of the night1 makes a soul      
forget all the labors of the     day2   
being wrapt in ,god1 she expatiates in  
the depth of his     immensity1 and is  
raised above all the toys of this world 
to     heavenly joys1 which no tongue   
can express4 ,then she cries out1 ,oh6  
that my soul could now ascend with my   
prayer out high1 to be for     evermore 
united with ,god6 ,but this grace is not
 always equal2 and     this light is    
sometimes stronger1 and this ardor is   
sometimes more     vehement1 sometimes  
more gentle2 sometimes the soul seems to
 herself     to behold a cross shining  
with a dazzling brightness1 wherewith   
her     interior man is penetrated4     
,sometimes in a rapture she seems       
clothed     with glory1 in some measure 
as ,christ appeared in his              
transfiguration4 ,at other times1       
overwhelmed with a divine light1     and
 drowned in the ocean of divine         
sweetness1 she scarce remains           

herself1 and becomes a stranger1 and1 as
 it were1 foolish to this     world1    
through the excess of heavenly          
sweetness1 and relish of     divine     
mysteries4 ,a perfect state of          
contemplation is granted to no     one  
in this life2 yet when we go to pray1   
after making the sign of     the cross1 
often grace so overwhelms the heart1 and
 the whole man1     filling every power 
with perfect tranquillity1 that the     
soul1     through excess of overflowing 
joy1 becomes like a little child1       
which knows no evil1 condemns no man1   
but loves all the world4 ,at     other  
times she seems as a child of ,god1 to  
confide in him as in her     father1 to 
penetrate the heavenly mansions which   
are opened to her1     and to discover  
mysteries which no man can express4     
7,hom4 #h47 ,these     interior delights
 can only be purchased by many trials2  
for a soul     must be dead to the      
world1 and burn with a vehement love of 
,god     alone1 so that no creature can 

separate her from him1 and she          
dedicate herself and all her actions to 
him1 without reserve4 7,hom4     #i47   
,for this1 a most profound humility1    
cheerfulness1 and courage     are       
necessary2 sloth1 tepidity1 and sadness 
being incompatible with     spiritual   
progress4 7,hom4 #aj47 ,the ,holy ,ghost
 is a violent fire in     our breasts1  
which makes us always active1 and spurs 
us on     continually to aspire more and
 more vehemently towards ,god4 7,hom4   
#aa47 ,the mark of a true ,christian is1
 that he studies to conceal     from the
 eyes of men all the good he receives   
from ,god4 ,those who     taste how     
sweet ,god is1 and know no satiety in   
his love1 in     proportion as they     
advance in contemplation1 the more      
perfectly they     see their own wants  
and nothingness3 and always cry out1 ,i 
am most     unworthy that this sun sheds
 its beams upon me4 7,hom4 #ae47 ,in the
     following homilies1 the author     
delivers many excellent maxims on       

humility and prayer1 and tells us1 that 
a certain monk1 after having     been   
favored with a wonderful rapture1 and   
many great graces1 fell     by pride    
into several grievous sins4 7,hom4 #ag47
 ,a certain rich     nobleman gave his  
estate to the poor1 and set his slaves  
at liberty2     yet afterwards fell into
 pride1 and many enormous crimes4       
,another1     who in the persecution had
 suffered torments with great constancy 
for the faith1 afterwards1 intoxicated  
with self-conceit1 gave great           
scandal by his disorders4 ,he mentions  
one who had formerly lived a     long   
time with him in the desert1 prayed     
often with him1 and was     favored with
 an extraordinary gift of compunction1  
and a miraculous     power of curing    
many sick persons1 was delighted with   
glory and     applause of men1 and drawn
 into the sink of vice4 7,hom4 #bg47 ,to
     preserve the unction of the ,holy  
,ghost1 a person must live in           
constant fear1 humility1 and            

compunction4 7,hom4 #ag47 ,without      
,christ     and his grace we can do     
nothing2 but by the ,holy ,ghost        
dwelling in     her1 a soul becomes all 
light1 all spirit1 as joy1 all love1 all
     compassion4 ,unless a person be    
animated by divine grace1 and           
replenished with all virtues1 the best  
instructions and exhortations     in    
their mouths produce very little good4  
7,hom #ah47 ,the servant of     ,god    
never bears in mind the good works he   
has done1 but1 after all     his labors1
 sees how much is wanting to him2 and   
how much he falls     short of his duty1
 and of the perfection of virtue1 and   
says every     day to himself1 that now 
he ought to begin1 and that to-morrow   
perhaps ,god will call him to himself1  
and deliver him from his     labors and 
dangers 7,hom4 #bf47 ,the absolute      
necessity of divine grace     he teaches
 in many places2 also the fundamental   
article of original     sin1 7,hom4 #dh4
 pag4 #aja1 t4 #d1 ,bibl4 ,patr4 ,colon4

 an4 #f7 which     the ,pelagians       
denied4  #afb  ,,st4 ,,honoratus1       
,,archbishop ,,of ,,arles4  ,he was of a
 consular ,roman family1 then settled in
 ,gaul1 and was well versed in the      
liberal arts4 ,in his youth he renounced
 the worship of idols1 and gained his   
elder brother1 ,venantius1 to ,christ1  
whom he also inspired with a contempt of
 the world4 ,they desired to renounce it
 entirely1 but a #afc fond ,pagan father
 put continual obstacles in their way3  
at length they took with them ,st4      
,caprais1 a holy hermit1 for their      
director1 and sailed from ,marseilles to
 ,greece1 with the design to live there 
unknown1 in some desert4 ,venantius soon
 died happily at ,methone2 and          
,honoratus1 being also sick1 was obliged
 to return with his conductor4 ,he first
 led an eremitical life in the          
mountains1 near ,frejus4 ,two small     
islands lie in the sea near that coast1 
one larger1 at a nearer distance from   
the continent1 called ,lero1 now ,st4   

,margaret's2 the other smaller and more 
remote1 two leagues from ,antibes1 named
 ,lerins1 at present ,st4 ,honore1 from 
our saint1 where he settled2 and being  
followed by others1 he there founded the
 famous monastery of ,lerins1 about the 
year #djj4 ,some he appointed to live in
 community2 others1 who seemed more     
perfect1 in separate cells1 as          
anchorets4 ,his rule was chiefly        
borrowed from that of ,st4 ,pachomius4  
,nothing can be more amiable than the   
description ,st4 ,hilary has given of   
the excellent virtues of this company of
 saints1 especially of the charity1     
concord1 humility1 compunction1 and     
devotion which reigned among them1 under
 the conduct of our holy abbot4 ,he was1
 by compulsion1 consecrated archbishop  
of ,arles in #dbf1 and died1 exhausted  
with austerities and apostolical labors1
 in #dbi4 ,the style of his letters was 
clear and affecting3 they were penned   
with an admirable delicacy1 elegance1   
and sweetness1 as ,st4 ,hilary assures4 

,the loss of all these precious         
monuments is much regretted4 ,his tomb  
is shown empty under the high altar of  
the church which bears his name at      
,arles2 his body having been translated 
to ,lerins in #acia1 where the greatest 
part remains4 ,see his panegyric by his 
disciple1 kinsman1 and successor1 ,st4  
,hilary of ,arles2 one of the most      
finished pieces extant in this kind4    
,dom ,rivet1 ,hist4 ,lit4 t4 #b1 p4     
#aef4  ,,st4 ,,fursey1  ,,son ,,of      
,,fintan1 ,,king ,,of ,,part ,,of       
,,ireland1  ,,was abbot first of a      
monastery in his own country1 in the    
diocese of ,tuam1 near the lake of      
,orbsen1 where now stands the church of 
,kill-fursa1 says ,colgan4 ,afterwards1 
travelling with two of his brothers1    
,st4 ,foilan and ,st4 ,ultan1 through   
,england1 he founded1 by the liberality 
of king ,sigibert1 the abbey of         
,cnobbersburg1 now ,burg-castle in      
,suffolk4 ,saint ,ultan retired into a  
desert1 and ,st4 ,fursey1 after some    

time1 followed him thither1 leaving the 
government of his monastery to ,st4     
,foilan4 ,being driven thence by the    
irruptions of king ,penda1 he went into 
,france1 and1 by the munificence of king
 ,clovis ,,ii4 and ,erconwald1 the pious
 mayor of his palace1 built the great   
monastery of ,latiniac1 or ,lagny1 six  
leagues from ,paris1 on the ,marne4 ,he 
was deputed by the bishop of ,paris to  
govern that diocese in quality of his   
vicar2 on which account some have styled
 him bishop4 ,he died in #fej at        
,froheins1 that is1 ,fursei-domus1 in   
the diocese of ,amiens1 while he was    
building another monastery at ,peronne1 
to which church ,erconwald removed his  
body4 ,his relics have been famous for  
miracles1 and are still preserved in the
 great church at ,peronne1 which was    
founded by ,erconwald to be served by a 
certain number of priests1 and made a   
royal collegiate church of canons by    
,lewis ,,xi4 ,saint ,fursey is honored  
as #afd patron of that town4 ,see his   

ancient life in ,bollandus1 from which  
,bede extracted an account of his       
visions in a sickness in ,ireland1 l4   
#c1 hist4 c4 #ai4 ,see also his life by 
,bede in ,,ms4 in the king's library at 
the ,british ,museum1 and ,colgan1 ,jan4
 #af1 p4 #ge1 and ,feb4 #i1 p4 #bhb4    
,,five ,,friars1 ,,minors1 ,,martyrs4   
,,berardus1 ,,peter1 ,,acursius1        
,,adjutus1 ,,and ,,otto1  ,,were sent by
 ,st4 ,francis to preach to the         
,mahometans of the ,west1 while he went 
in person to those of the ,east4 ,they  
preached first to the ,moors of         
,seville1 where they suffered much for  
their zeal1 and were banished4 ,passing 
thence into ,morocco1 they began there  
to preach ,christ1 and being banished1  
returned again4 ,the infidel judge      
caused them twice to be scourged till   
their ribs appeared bare2 he then       
ordered burning oil and vinegar to be   
poured into their wounds1 and their     
bodies to be rolled over sharp stones   
and potsherds4 ,at length the king      

caused them to be brought before him1   
and taking his cimeter1 clove their     
heads asunder in the middle of their    
foreheads1 on the #afth of ,january1    
#abbj4 ,their relics were ransomed1 and 
are preserved in the monastery of the   
holy cross in ,coimbra4 ,their names    
stand in the ,roman ,martyrology1 and   
they were canonized by ,sixtus ,,iv4 in 
#adha4 ,see their acts in ,bollandus and
 ,wading2 also ,chalippe1 ,vie de ,s4   
,francois1 l4 #c1 t4 #a1 p4 #bge4  ,,st4
 ,,henry1 ,,hermit4  ,,the ,danes were  
indebted in part for the light of faith1
 under ,god1 to the bright example and  
zealous labors of ,english missionaries4
 ,henry was born in that country1 of    
honorable parentage1 and from his       
infancy gave himself to the divine      
service with his whole heart4 ,when he  
came to man's estate he was solicited by
 his friends to marry1 but having a     
strong call from ,god to forsake the    
world1 he sailed to the north of        
,england4 ,the little island of ,cocket1

 which lies on the coast of             
,northumberland1 near the mouth of the  
river of the same name1 was inhabited by
 many holy anchorets in ,st4 ,bede's    
time1 as appears from his life of ,st4  
,cuthbert4#a ,this island belonged to   
the monastery of ,tinmouth1 and1 with   
the leave of the prior of that house1   
,st4 ,henry undertook to lead in it an  
eremitical life4 ,he fasted every day1  
and his refection1 which he took at most
 only once in twenty-four hours1 after  
sunset1 was only bread and water3 and   
this bread he earned by tilling a little
 garden near his cell4 ,he suffered many
 assaults both from devils and men2 but 
by those very trials improved his soul  
in the perfect spirit of patience1      
meekness1 humility1 and charity4 ,he    
died in his hermitage in #aabg1 on the  
#afth of ,january1 and was buried by the
 monks of ,tinmouth1 in the church of   
the ,blessed ,virgin1 near the body of  
,st4 ,oswin1 king and martyr4 ,see his  
life in ,capgrave and ,bollandus4       

,footnotes3 #a4  ,bede1 ,vit4 ,s4       
,cuthberti1 c4 #bd4  #afe   ,,january   
,,xvii4   ,,st4 ,,antony1 ,,abbot1      
,,patriarch ,,of ,,monks4  ,from his    
life1 compiled by the great ,st4        
,athanasius1 vol4 #b1 p4 #gdc1 a work   
much commended by ,st4 ,gregory         
,nazianzen1 ,st4 ,jerom1 ,st4 ,austin1  
,rufinus1 ,palladius1 c4 ,st4           
,chrysostom recommends to all persons   
the reading of this pious history1 as   
full of instruction and edification4    
,hom4 #h1 in ,matt t4 #g4 p4 #abh4 ,it  
contributed to the conversion of ,st4   
,austin4 ,confess4 l4 #h1 c4 #f and #bh4
 ,see ,tillemont1 t4 #g1 ,helyot1 t4 #a1
 ,stevens1 ,addit4 ,mon4 ,anglic4 t4 #a1
 ,ceillier1 c4  ,a4,d4 #cef4  ,,st4     
,,antony was born at ,coma1 a village   
near ,heraclea1 or ,great               
,heracleopolis1 in ,upper ,egypt1 on the
 borders of ,arcadia1 or ,middle ,egypt1
 in #bea4 ,his parents1 who were        
,christians1 and rich1 to prevent his   
being tainted by bad example and vicious

 conversation1 kept him always at home2 
so that he grew up unacquainted with any
 branch of human literature1 and could  
read no language but his own4#a ,he was 
remarkable from his childhood for his   
temperance1 a close attendance on church
 duties1 and a punctual obedience to his
 parents4 ,by their death he found      
himself possessed of a very considerable
 estate1 and charged with the care of a 
younger sister1 before he was twenty    
years of age4 ,near six months after1 he
 heard read in the church those words of
 ,christ to the rich young man3 ,go sell
 what thou hast1 and give it to the     
poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in   
heaven4#b ,he considered these words as 
addressed to himself2 going home1 he    
made over to his neighbors three hundred
 aruras1#c that is1 above one hundred   
and twenty acres of good land1 that he  
and his sister might be free forever    
from all public taxes and burdens4 ,the 
rest of his estate he sold1 and gave the
 price to the poor1 except what he      

thought necessary for himself and his   
sister4 ,soon after1 hearing in the     
church those other words of ,christ2 ,be
 not solicitous for to-morrow2#d he also
 distributed in alms the moveables which
 he had reserved2 and placed his sister 
in a house of virgins1#e which most     
moderns take to be the first instance   
mentioned in history of a nunnery4 ,she 
was afterwards intrusted with the care  
and direction of tethers in that holy   
way of life4 ,antony himself retired    
into a solitude1 near his village1 in   
imitation of a certain old man1 who led 
the life of a hermit in the neighborhood
 of ,coma4 ,manual labor1 prayer1 and   
pious reading1 were his whole           
occupation3 and such was his fervor1    
that if he heard of any virtuous        
recluse1 he sought him out1 and         
endeavored to make the best advantage of
 his #aff example and instructions4 ,he 
saw nothing practised by any other in   
this service of ,god1 which he did not  
imitate3 thus he soon became a perfect  

model of humility1 ,christian           
condescension1 charity1 prayer1 and all 
virtues4 ,the devil assailed him by     
various temptations2 first1 he          
represented to him divers good works he 
might have been able to do with his     
estate in the world1 and the            
difficulties of his present condition3 a
 common artifice of the enemy1 whereby  
he strives to make a soul slothful or   
dissatisfied in her vocation1 in which  
,god expects to be glorified by her4    
,being discovered and repulsed by the   
young novice1 he varied his method of   
attack1 and annoyed him night and day   
with filthy thoughts and obscene        
imaginations4 ,antony opposed to his    
assaults the strictest watchfulness over
 his senses1 austere fasts1 humility1   
and prayer1 till ,satan1 appearing in a 
visible form1 first of a woman coming to
 seduce him1 then of a black boy to     
terrify him1 at length confessed himself
 vanquished4 ,the saint's food was only 
bread1 with a little salt1 and he drank 

nothing but water2 he never ate before  
sunset1 and sometimes only once in two1 
or four days3 he lay on a rush mat1 or  
on the bare floor4 ,in quest of a more  
remote solitude he withdrew further from
 ,coma1 and hid himself in an old       
sepulchre2 whither a friend brought him 
from time to time a little bread4 ,satan
 was here again permitted to assault him
 in a visible manner1 to terrify him    
with dismal noises2 and once he so      
grievously beat him1 that he lay almost 
dead1 covered with bruises and wounds2  
and in this condition he was one day    
found by his friend1 who visited him    
from time to time to supply him with    
bread1 during all the time he lived in  
the ruinous sepulchre4 ,when he began to
 come to himself1 though not yet able to
 stand1 he cried out to the devils1     
while he yet lay on the floor1 ,behold6 
here ,i am2 do all you are able against 
me3 nothing shall ever separate me from 
,christ my ,lord4 ,hereupon the fiends  
appearing again1 renewed the attack1 and

 alarmed him with terrible clamors1 and 
a variety of spectres1 in hideous shapes
 of the most frightful wild beasts1     
which they assumed to dismay and terrify
 him2 till a ray of heavenly light      
breaking in upon him1 chased them away1 
and caused him to cry out3 ,where wast  
thou1 my ,lord and my ,master8 ,why wast
 thou not here1 from the beginning of my
 conflict1 to assuage my pains6 ,a voice
 answered3 ,antony1 ,i was here the     
whole time2 ,i stood by thee1 and beheld
 thy combat3 and because thou hast      
manfully withstood thine enemies1 ,i    
will always protect thee1 and will      
render thy name famous throughout the   
earth4 ,at these words the saint arose1 
much cheered1 and strengthened1 to pray 
and return thanks to his deliverer4     
,hitherto the saint1 ever since his     
retreat1 in #bgb1 had lived in solitary 
places not very far from his village2   
and ,st4 ,athanasius observes1 that     
before him many fervent persons led     
retired lives in penance and            

contemplation1 near the towns2 others   
remaining in the towns imitated the same
 manner of life4 ,both were called      
ascetics1 from their being entirely     
devoted to the most perfect exercises of
 mortification and prayer1 according to 
the import of the ,greek word4 ,before  
,st4 ,athanasius1 we find frequent      
mention made of such ascetics3 and      
,origen1 about the year #bai1f says they
 always abstained from flesh1 no less   
than the disciples of ,pythagoras4      
,eusebius tells us that ,st4 ,peter of  
,alexandria practised austerities equal 
to those of the ascetics2 he says the   
same of ,pamphilus2 and ,st4 ,jerom uses
 the same expression of ,pierius4 ,st4  
,antony had led this manner of life near
 ,coma1 till resolving to withdraw into 
the deserts about the year #bhe1 the    
thirty-fifth of his age1 he crossed the 
eastern branch of the ,nile1 and took up
 his abode in the ruins of an old castle
 on the top of the mountains2 in which  
close solitude he lived almost twenty   

years1 very #afg rarely seeing any man1 
except one who brought him bread every  
six months4  ,to satisfy the            
importunities of others1 about the year 
#cje1 the fifty-fifty of his age1 he    
came down from his mountain1 and founded
 his first monastery at ,phaium4#g ,the 
dissipation occasioned by this          
undertaking led him into a temptation of
 despair1 which he overcame by prayer   
and hard manual labor4 ,in this new     
manner of life his daily refection was  
six ounces of bread soaked in water1    
with a little salt2 to which he         
sometimes added a few dates4 ,he took it
 generally after sunset1 but on some    
days at three o'clock2 and in his old   
age he added a little oil4 ,sometimes he
 ate only once in three or four days1   
yet appeared vigorous1 and always       
cheerful3 strangers knew him from among 
his disciples by the joy which was      
always painted on his countenance1      
resulting from the inward peace and     
composure of his soul4 ,retirement in   

his cell was his delight1 and divine    
contemplation and prayer his perpetual  
occupation4 ,coming to take his         
refection1 he often burst into tears1   
and was obliged to leave his brethren   
and the table without touching any      
nourishment1 reflecting on the          
employment of the blessed spirits in    
heaven1 who praise ,god without         
ceasing4#h ,he exhorted his brethren to 
allot the least time they possibly could
 to the care of the body4               
,notwithstanding which1 he was very     
careful never to place perfection in    
mortification1 as ,cassian observes1 but
 in charity1 in which it was his whole  
study continually to improve his soul4  
,his under garment was sackcloth over   
which he wore a white coat of           
sheep-skin1 with a girdle4 ,he          
instructed his monks to have eternity   
always present to their minds1 and to   
reflect every morning that perhaps they 
might not live till night1 and every    
evening that perhaps they might never   

see the morning2 and to perform every   
action1 as if it were the last of their 
lives1 with all the fervor of their     
souls to please ,god4 ,he often exhorted
 them to watch against temptations1 and 
to resist the devil with vigor3 and     
spoke admirably of his weakness1 saying3
 ,he dreads fasting1 prayer1 humility1  
and good works3 he is not able even to  
stop my mouth who speak against him4    
,the illusions of the devil soon vanish1
 especially if a man arms himself with  
the sign of the cross4#i ,the devils    
#afh tremble at the sign of the cross of
 our ,lord1 by which he triumphed over  
and disarmed them4#aj ,he told them in  
what manner the fiend in his rage had   
assaulted him by visible phantoms1 but  
that these disappeared while he         
persevered in prayer4 ,he told them1    
that once when the devil appeared to him
 in glory1 and said1 ,ask what you      
please2 ,i am the power of ,god3 he     
invoked the holy name of ,jesus1 and he 
vanished4 ,maximinus renewed the        

persecution in #caa2 ,st4 ,antony1      
hoping to receive the crown of          
martyrdom1 went to ,alexandria1 served  
and encouraged the martyrs in the mines 
and dungeons1 before the tribunals1 and 
at the places of execution4 ,he publicly
 wore his white monastic habit1 and     
appeared in the sight of the governor2  
yet took care never presumptuously to   
provoke the judges1 or impeach himself1 
as some rashly did4 ,in #cab the        
persecution being abated1 he returned to
 his monastery1 and immured himself in  
his cell4 ,some time after he built     
another monastery1 called ,pispir1 near 
the ,nile2 but he chose1 for the most   
part1 to shut himself up in a remote    
cell upon a mountain of difficult       
access1 with ,macarius1 a disciple1 who 
entertained strangers4 ,if he found them
 to be ,hierosolymites1 or spiritual    
men1 ,st4 ,antony himself sat with them 
in discourse2 if ,egyptians1 7by which  
name they meant worldly persons17 then  
,macarius entertained them1 and ,st4    

,antony only appeared to give them a    
short exhortation4 ,once the saint saw  
in a vision the whole earth covered so  
thick with snares1 that it seemed scarce
 possible to set down a foot without    
falling into them4 ,at this sight he    
cried out1 trembling3 ,who1 ,o ,lord1   
can escape them all8 ,a voice answered  
him ,humility1 ,o ,antony6#aa ,st4      
,antony always looked upon himself as   
the least and the very outcast of       
mankind2 he listened to the advice of   
every one1 and professed that he        
received benefit from that of the       
meanest person4 ,he cultivated and      
pruned a little garden on his desert    
mountain1 that he might have herbs      
always at hand to present a refreshment 
to those who1 on coming to see him1 were
 always weary by travelling over a vast 
wilderness and inhospitable mountain1 as
 ,st4 ,athanasius mentions4 ,this       
tillage was not the only manual labor in
 which ,st4 ,antony employed himself4   
,the same venerable author speaks of his

 making mats as an ordinary occupation4 
,we are told that he once fell into     
dejection1 finding uninterrupted        
contemplation above his strength2 but   
was taught to apply himself at intervals
 to manual labor1 by a vision of an     
angel who appeared platting mats of     
palm-tree leaves1 then rising to pray1  
and after some time sitting down again  
to work2 and who at length said to him1 
,do thus1 and thou shalt be saved4#ab   
,but ,st4 ,athanasius informs us1 that  
our saint continued in some degree to   
pray while he was at work4 ,he watched  
great part of the nights in heavenly    
contemplation2 and sometimes1 when the  
rising sun called him to his daily      
tasks1 he complained that its visible   
light robbed him of the greater interior
 light which he enjoyed1 and interrupted
 his close application and solitude4#ac 
,he always rose after a short sleep at  
midnight1 and continued in prayer1 on   
his knees with his hands lifted up to   
heaven till sunrise1 and sometimes till 

three in the afternoon1 as ,palladius   
relates in his ,lausiac history4  ,st4  
,antony2 in the year #cci1 saw in a     
vision1 under the figure of mules       
kicking down the altar1 the havoc which 
the ,arian persecution made two years   
after in ,alexandria1 and clearly       
foretold it1 as ,st4 ,athanasius1 ,st4  
,jerom1 and ,st4 ,chrysostom assure     
us4#ad ,he would not speak to a heretic1
 unless to exhort him to the true faith2
 and he drove all such from his         
mountain1 calling them venomous         
serpents4#ae ,at the request of the     
bishops1 about #afi the year #cee1 he1  
took a journey to ,alexandria1 to       
confound the ,arians1 preaching aloud in
 that city1 that ,god the ,son is not a 
creature1 but of the same substance with
 the ,father2 and that the impious      
,arians1 who called him a creature1 did 
not differ from the heathens themselves1
 who worshipped and served the creature 
rather than the ,creator4 ,all the      
people ran to see him1 and rejoiced to  

hear him2 even the pagans1 struck with  
the dignity of his character1 flocked to
 him2 saying1 ,we desire to see the man 
of ,god4 ,he converted many1 and wrought
 several miracles3 ,st4 ,athanasius     
conducted him back as far as the gates  
of the city1 where he cured a girl      
possessed by the devil4 ,being desired  
by the duke or general of ,egypt1 to    
make a longer stay in the city than he  
had proposed1 he answered3 ,as fish die 
if they leave the water1 so does a monk 
if he forsakes his solitude4#af  ,st4   
,jerom and ,rufin relate1 that at       
,alexandria he met with the famous      
,didymus1 and told him that he ought not
 to regret much the loss of eyes4 which 
were common to ants and flies1 but to   
rejoice in the treasure of that interior
 light which the apostles enjoyed1 and  
by which we see ,god1 and kindle the    
fire of his love in our souls4 ,heathen 
philosophers1 and others1 often went to 
dispute with him1 and always returned   
much astonished at his humility1        

meekness1 sanctity1 and extraordinary   
wisdom4 ,he admirably proved to them the
 truth and security of the ,christian   
religion1 and confirmed it by miracles4 
,we1 said he1 only by naming ,jesus     
,christ crucified1 put to flight those  
devils which you adore as gods2 and     
where the sign of the cross is formed1  
magic and charms lose their power4 ,at  
the end of this discourse he invoked    
,christ1 and signed with the cross twice
 or thrice several persons possessed    
with devils2 in the same moment they    
stood up sound1 and in their senses1    
giving thanks to ,god for his mercy in  
their regard4#ag ,when certain          
philosophers asked him how he could     
spend his time in solitude1 without the 
pleasure of reading books1 he replied1  
that nature was his great book1 and     
amply supplied the want of others4 ,when
 others1 despising him as an illiterate 
man1 came with the design to ridicule   
his ignorance1 he asked them with great 
simplicity1 which was first1 reason or  

learning1 and which had produced the    
other8 ,the philosophers answered1      
,reason1 or good sense4 ,this1 then1    
said ,antony1 suffices4 ,the            
philosophers went away astonished at the
 wisdom and dignity with which he       
prevented their objections4 ,some others
 demanding a reason of his faith in     
,christ1 on purpose to insult it1 he put
 them to silence by showing that they   
degraded the notion of the divinity1 by 
ascribing to it infamous human passions1
 but that the humiliation of the cross  
is the greatest demonstration of        
infinite goodness1 and its ignominy     
appears the highest glory1 by the       
triumphant resurrection1 the miraculous 
raising of the dead1 and curing of the  
blind and the sick4 ,he then admirably  
proved1 that faith in ,god and his works
 is more clear and satisfactory than the
 sophistry of the ,greeks4 ,st4         
,athanasius mentions that he disputed   
with these ,greeks by an interpreter4#ah
 ,our holy author assures us1 that no   

one visited ,st4 ,antony under any      
affliction and sadness1 who did not     
return home full of comfort and joy2 and
 he relates many miraculous cures       
wrought by him1 also several heavenly   
visions and revelations with which he   
was favored4 ,belacius1 the duke or     
general of ,egypt1 persecuting the      
,catholics with extreme fury1 ,st4      
,antony1 by a letter1 exhorted him to   
leave the servants of ,christ in peace4 
,belacius tore the letter1 then spit and
 trampled upon it1 and threatened to    
make the abbot the next victim of his   
fury2 but five days after1 as he was    
riding with ,nestorius1 governor of     
,egypt1 their horses began to play and  
prance1 and the governor's horse1 though
 otherwise remarkably tame1 by #agj     
justling1 threw ,belacius from his      
horse1 and by biting his thigh1 tore it 
in such a manner that the general died  
miserably on the third day4#ai ,about   
the year #ccg1 ,constantine the ,great1 
and his two sons1 ,constantius and      

,constans1 wrote a joint letter to the  
saint2 recommending themselves to his   
prayers1 and desiring an answer4 ,st4   
,antony seeing his monks surprised1     
said1 without being moved3 ,do not      
wonder that the emperor writes to us1   
one man to another2 rather admire that  
,god should have wrote to us1 and that  
he has spoken to us by his ,son4 ,he    
said he knew not how to answer it3 at   
last1 through the importunity of his    
disciples1 he penned a letter to the    
emperor and his sons1 which ,st4        
,athanasius has preserved2 and in which 
he exhorts them to the contempt of the  
world1 and the constant remembrance of  
the judgment to come4 ,st4 ,jerom       
mentions seven other letters of ,st4    
,antony1 to divers monasteries1 written 
in the style of the apostles1 and filled
 with their maxims3 several monasteries 
of ,egypt possess them in the original  
,egyptian language4 ,we have them in an 
obscure1 imperfect1 ,latin translation  
from the ,greek4#bj ,he inculcates      

perpetual watchfulness against          
temptations1 prayer1 mortification1 and 
humility4#ba ,he observes1 that as the  
devil fell by pride1 so he assaults     
virtue in us principally by that        
temptation4#bb ,a maxim which he        
frequently repeats is1 that the         
knowledge of ourselves is the necessary 
and only step by which we call ascend to
 the knowledge and love of ,god4 ,the   
,bollandists#bc give us a short letter  
of ,st4 ,antony to ,st4 ,theodorus1     
abbot of ,tabenna1 in which he says that
 ,god had assured him in a revelation1  
that he showed mercy to all true adorers
 of ,jesus ,christ1 though they should  
have fallen1 if they sincerely repented 
of their sin4 ,no ancients mention any  
monastic rule written by ,st4           
,antony4#bd ,his example and            
instructions have been the most perfect 
rule for the monastic life to all       
succeeding ages4 ,it is related#be that 
,st4 ,antony1 hearing his disciples     
express their surprise at the great     

multitudes who embraced a monastic life1
 and applied themselves with incredible 
ardor to the most austere practices of  
virtue1 told them with tears1 that the  
time would come when monks would be fond
 of living in cities and stately        
buildings1 and of eating at dainty      
tables1 and be only distinguished from  
persons of the world by their habit2 but
 that still1 some among them would arise
 to the spirit of true perfection1 whose
 crown would be so much the greater1 as 
their virtue would be more difficult1   
amid the contagion of bad example4 ,in  
the discourses which this saint made to 
his monks1 a rigorous self-examination  
upon all their actions1 every evening1  
was a practice which he strongly        
inculcated4#bf ,in an excellent sermon  
which he made to his disciples1 recorded
 by ,st4 ,athanasius1#bg he pathetically
 exhorts them to contemn the whole world
 for heaven1 to spend every day as if   
they knew it to be the last of their    
lives1 having death always before their 

eyes1 continually to advance in fervor1 
and to be always armed against the      
assaults of ,satan1 whose weakness he   
shows at length4 ,he extols the efficacy
 of the sign of the cross in chasing    
him1 and dissipating his illusions1 and 
lays down rules for the discernment of  
spirits1 the first of which is1 that the
 devil leaves in the soul impressions of
 fear1 sadness1 confusion1 and          
disturbance4  #aga  ,st4 ,antony        
performed the visitation of his monks a 
little before his death1 which he       
foretold them with his last             
instructions1 but no tears could move   
him to die among them4 ,it appears from 
,st4 ,athanasius1 that the ,christians  
had learned from the pagans their custom
 of embalming the bodies of the dead1   
which abuse1 as proceeding from vanity  
and sometimes superstition1 ,st4 ,antony
 had often condemned3 this he would     
prevent1 and ordered that his body      
should be buried in the earth1 as the   
patriarchs were1 and privately1 on his  

mountain1 by his two disciples          
,diacarius and ,amathas1 who had        
remained with him the last fifteen      
years1 to serve him in his remote cell  
in his old age4 ,he hastened back to    
that solitude1 and some time after fell 
sick3 he repeated to these two disciples
 his orders for their burying his body  
secretly in that place1 adding2 ,in the 
day of the resurrection1 ,i shall       
receive it incorruptible from the hand  
of ,christ4 ,he ordered them to give one
 of his sheep-skins1 with a cloak#bh in 
which he lay1 to the bishop ,athanasius1
 as a public testimony of his being     
united in faith and communion with that 
holy prelate2 to give his other         
sheep-skin to the bishop ,serapion2 and 
to keep for themselves his sackcloth4   
,he added2 ,farewell1 my children1      
,antony is departing1 and will be no    
longer with you4 ,at these words they   
embraced him1 and he1 stretching out his
 feet1 without any other sign calmly    
ceased to breathe4 ,his death happened  

in the year #cee1 probably on the #agth 
of ,january1 on which the most ancient  
,martyrologies name him1 and which the  
,greek empire kept as a holyday soon    
after his death4 ,he was one hundred and
 five years old4 ,from his youth to that
 extreme old age1 he always maintained  
the same fervor in his holy exercises3  
age to the last never made him change   
his diet 7except in the use of a little 
oil7 nor his manner of clothing2 yet he 
lived without sickness1 his sight was   
not impaired1 his teeth were only worn1 
and not one was lost or loosened4 ,the  
two disciples interred him according to 
his directions4 ,about the year #efa1   
his body#bi was discovered1 in the reign
 of ,justinian1 and with great solemnity
 translated to ,alexandria1 thence it   
was removed to ,constantinople1 and is  
now at ,vienne in ,france4 ,bollandus   
gives us an account of many miracles    
wrought by his intercession2            
particularly in what manner the         
distemper called the ,sacred ,fire1     

since that time ,st4 ,antony's ,fire1   
miraculously ceased through his         
patronage1 when it raged violently in   
many parts of ,europe1 in the eleventh  
century4  #agb  ,a most sublime gift of 
heavenly contemplation and prayer was   
the fruit of this great saint's holy    
retirement4 ,whole nights seemed to him 
short in those exercises1 and when the  
rising sun in the morning seemed to him 
too soon to call him from his knees to  
his manual labor1 or other employments1 
he would lament that the incomparable   
sweetness which he enjoyed1 in the more 
perfect freedom with which his heart was
 taken up in heavenly contemplation in  
the silent watching of the night1 should
 be interrupted or abated4 ,but the     
foundation of his most ardent charity1  
and that sublime contemplation by which 
his soul soared in noble and lofty      
flights above all earthly things1 was   
laid in the purity and disengagement of 
his affections1 the contempt of the     
world1 a most profound humility1 and the

 universal mortification of his senses  
and of the powers of his soul4 ,hence   
flowed that constant tranquillity and   
serenity of his mind1 which was the best
 proof of a perfect mastery of his      
passions4 ,st4 ,athanasius observes of  
him1 that after thirty years spent in   
the closest solitude1 he appeared not to
 others with a sullen or savage1 but    
with a most obliging sociable air4#cj ,a
 heart that is filled with inward peace1
 simplicity1 goodness1 and charity1 is a
 stranger to a lowering or contracted   
look4 ,the main point in ,christian     
mortification is the humiliation of the 
heart1 one of its principal ends being  
the subduing of the passions4 ,hence1   
true virtue always increases the        
sweetness and gentleness of the mind1   
though this is attended with an         
invincible constancy1 and an inflexible 
firmness in every point of duty4 ,that  
devotion or self-denial is false or     
defective which betrays us into pride or
 uncharitableness2 and whatever makes us

 sour1 morose1 or peevish1 makes us     
certainly worse1 and instead of         
begetting in us a nearer resemblance of 
the divine nature1 gives us a strong    
tincture of the temper of devils4       
,footnotes3 #a4  ,st4 ,athanasius       
commends ,st4 ,antony's love of reading1
 both when he     lived with his father1
 7p4 #gie1 ,b47 and afterwards when he  
lived     alone1 7p4 #gig1 ,c47 which we
 cannot naturally understand of his     
hearing others read1 especially when he 
was alone2 therefore1 when     ,st4     
,athanasius says1 7p4 #gie1 ,a47 that in
 his childhood he never     applied     
himself to the study of letters1 ,greek3
 grammata mathein1     fearing the      
danger of falling into had company at   
school1 he seems     to mean only ,greek
 letters1 then the language of all the  
learned2     for he must have learned at
 home the ,egyptian alphabet4 ,in the   
same     manner we are to understand    
,evagrius and others1 who relate1 that a
     certain philosopher expressing his 

surprise how ,st4 ,antony could         
employ his time1 being deprived of the  
pleasure of reading1 the     saint told 
him that the universe was his book4     
7,socr4 l4 #d1 c4 #bc1     ,rosweide1   
,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #f1 c4 #d1 ,st4 ,nilus1 
l4 #d1 p4 #fj47     ,nevertheless1 ,st4 
,austin imagined that ,st4 ,antony could
 read no     alphabet1 and learned by   
heart and meditated on the scriptures   
only     by hearing them read by others 
7,s4 ,aug4 de ,doctr4 ,chr4 pr4 p4 #c1  
t4     #c47 ,see ,rosweide1 ,not4 in    
,vit4 ,s4 ,antonii4 ,bolland4 #ag ,jan4 
p4 #aai1     ,sec4#fd1 ,tillem4 note #a1
 p4 #fff4 #b4  ,matt4 xix4 #ba4 #c4  ,an
 aura was one hundred cubits of land4   
,see ,lexicon ,constantini4     ,fleury1
 l4 #h1 p4 #dah4 #d4  ,ibid4 vi4 #cd4   
#e4  ,greek3 ,parthenon1 as ,st4        
,athanasius calls it1 t4 #b1 p4 #gif1   
ed4     ,ben4 ,he mentions that ,st4    
,antony1 long after1 paid her a visit1  
when     she was very old1 and superior 
or mistress of many virgins1 ,greek3    

hathegoumenen allos parthenon1 n4 #ed4  
p4 #hcg4 #f4  ,orig4 lib4 #e1 p4 #bfd4  
#g4  ,his first monastery was situated  
near the confines of ,upper and         
,middle ,egypt3 it at first consisted of
 scattered cells4 ,to visit     some of 
these brethren1 he is mentioned by ,st4 
,athanasius 7,vit4 p4     #dfa7 to have 
crossed the ,arsinotic canal1 extremely 
infested with     crocodiles4 ,this is  
sometimes called his monastery near the 
river1     and was situated not far from
 ,aphroditopolis1 the lower and more    
ancient city of that name1 in           
,heptanomis1 or ,middle ,egypt4 ,st4    
,athanasius seems to place it in        
,thebais1 or ,upper ,egypt1 because it  
was near the borders1 and the boundaries
 of ,upper ,egypt were     extended much
 lower by those who divided ,egypt only 
into two parts1     the ,upper and the  
,lower2 as ,sozomen1 l4 #b1 c4 #bc1 and 
others1     frequently did4 ,st4        
,antony1 finding this solitude grow too 
public1     and not bearing the         

distraction of continual visits1 he     
travelled up     the river to seek a    
more remote wilderness2 but after       
mounting a     little way1 while he sat 
on the bank waiting to see a boat pass  
by1     he changed his design1 and      
instead of advancing southward1 he went 
with certain ,saracen merchants to the  
,east1 and in three days1     doubtless 
on a camel1 arrived at the great        
mountain towards the ,red     ,sea1     
where he spent the latter years of his  
life2 yet he frequently     visited his 
first monastery1 near ,aphroditopolis4  
,st4 ,hilarion going     from this      
latter to ,st4 ,antony's great monastery
 on the mountain1     performed that    
journey in three days1 on camels1 which 
a deacon1     named ,baisan1 let to     
those who desired to visit ,st4 ,antony4
 ,this     latter1 near which the saint 
died1 always continued a famous         
pilgrimage4      ,pispir was the        
monastery of ,st4 ,macarius1 but is     
sometimes called     ,st4 ,antony's1 who

 often visited it4 ,this was situated on
 the ,nile1     in ,thebais1 thirty     
measures or ,greek3 semeia from ,st4    
,antony's     mountain1 according to    
,palladius1 7,laus4 c4 #fc47 ,this some 
understand of ,roman miles1 others of   
,egyptian schaeni of thirty     furlongs
 each2 thirty schaeni are nine hundred  
stadia1 or one hundred     and thirteen 
miles4 ,pispir therefore seems not to   
have been very far     from             
,aphroditopolis4 ,see ,kocher1 7comment4
 ,in fastos ,abyssinorum17     in the   
journal of ,bern1 ad an4 #agfa1 t4 #a1  
p4 #afj and #afi4      ,a monastery1 of 
which ,st4 ,antony is titular saint1    
still subsists a     little above the   
ancient city of ,aphroditon on the      
,nile4 ,it is now     called            
,der-mar-,antinious-el-,bahr1 that is1  
,the monastery of ,antony     at the    
river4 ,see ,pocock1 p4 #gj1 and the map
 prefixed to that part     of his       
travels4 ,travelling from hence one     
day's journey up the     river1 then    

turning from the south towards the east1
 over sandy     deserts1 and a chain of 
high mountains1 in which springs of     
water1     in other parts very rare1 are
 here and there found1 and camels       
travel for one hundred miles1 we arrive 
at ,st4 ,antony's great     monastery1  
about six or seven hours journey from   
the ,red ,sea4 ,see     ,pocock1 ib4 p4 
#abh4 ,granger1 ,relation du ,voyage1   
c41 p4 #ajg4 ,nouv4     ,memoires des   
,missions1 t4 #e1 p4 #acf4 ,vanslebius1 
,nouv4 ,relat4 pp4     #bii and #cji2   
and ,maillet4 ,descr4 de ',egypte1 p4   
#cbj4 ,the ,grotto of     ,st4 ,paul is 
shown not very far from this great      
monastery2 yet the     road wing sic    
round the mountains1 and a great way    
about it1 seems     to travellers as a  
great distance from it4 #h4  ,st4       
,athan4 ,vit4 ,anton4 n4 #de1 p4 #hcj4  
#i4  ,p4 #had4 #aj4 ,p4 #hbc1 ed4 ,ben4 
#aa4 ,rosweide1 l4 #c1 c4 #abi4         
,cotelier1 c4 #ab4 ,s4 ,nilus1 ep4 #bd4 
,cotelier1 ,apoth4 ,patr4 p4 #cdj4      

,rosweide1 ,vit4     ,patr4 l4 #c1 c4   
#aje1 l4 #e1 c4 #g4 #ac4 ,cassian1      
,collat4 c4 #ca4 #ad4 ,s4 ,athan4 n4    
#hb1 p4 #heg4 ,s4 ,chrys4 ,hom4 #h1 in  
,matt4 ,s4 ,hier4 ep4     #f4 ,sozom4 l4
 #f1 c4 #e4 #ae4 ,s4 ,athan4 n4 #fh1    
#fi1 p4 #hdg4 #af4 ,ibid4 n4 #he4 p4    
#hei4 #ag4 ,ibid4 n4 #hj1 p4 #hee4 #ah4 
,n4 #gg1 p4 #heh4 #ai4 ,n4 #hf1 p4 #hfj4
 #bj4 ,bibl4 ,patr4 ,colon4 t4 #d1 p4   
#bf4 ,see ,s4 ,antonii4 ,m4 ,epistolae  
#bj4 cura     ,abr4 ,eckellens4 ,paris1 
#afda4 ,but only the above-mentioned    
seven     letters can be regarded as    
genuine1 except the discourses preserved
     by ,st4 ,athanasius in his life4   
#ba4 ,ep4 #b1 ad ,arsinoitas4 #bb4 ,ib4 
#bc4 ,maij4 t4 #c1 p4 #cee4 #bd4 ,that  
under his name in ,abraham ,eckellensis 
is not of so high a     pedigree4 ,a    
large body of the monks of ,st4 ,basil  
in the ,east1 since     the seventh     
century1 take the name of the ,order of 
,st4 ,antony1 but     retain the rule of
 ,st4 ,basil1 comprised in his ascetic  

writings2 and     observe the same      
fasts1 and other exercises1 with all the
 other     monks of the ,east1 who are  
called of the order of ,st4 ,basil2     
which     even the ,maronites follow2   
though ,tillemont denies it by mistake4 
#be4 ,rosweide1 ,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #e1 c4  
#h4 ,abr4 ,eckellens4 in ,vit4 ,s4 ,ant4
 p4     #ajf4 ,cotel4 p4 #cdd4 ,mart4   
,coptor4 #bf4 ,s4 ,athan4 n4 #ee1 p4    
#heh4 #bg4 ,n4 #af  #dc4 #bh4 ,the      
,ependytes of ,st4 ,antony1 mentioned by
 ,st4 ,athanasius1 n4 #df1 p4     #hca1 
has much embarrassed the critics3 it    
seems to have been a cloak     of white 
wool4 ,it is clear1 from ,st4           
,athanasius1 that ,st4 ,antony's        
inner garment was a hair-cloth1 over    
which he wore a cloak made of           
sheep-skin4 #bi4 ,this translation of   
his relics to ,alexandria1 though       
doubted of by     some ,protestants1 is 
incontestably confirmed by ,victor of   
,tunone1     7,chron4 p4 #aa1 in        
,scalig4 ,thesauro17 who lived then in  

banishment at     ,canope1 only twelve  
miles from ,alexandria2 also1 by ,st4   
,isidore of     ,seville1 in the same   
age1 ,bede4 ,usuard1 c4 ,they were      
removed to     ,constantinople when the 
,saracens made themselves masters of    
,egypt1     about the year #fce4 7pee   
,bollandus1 pp4 #afb1 #aacd47 ,they were
     brought to ,vienne in ,dauphine1 by
 ,joselin1 a nobleman of that           
country1 whom the emperor of            
,constantinople had gratified with that 
rich present1 about the year #ajgj4     
,these relics were deposited in     the 
church of ,la ,motte ,s4 ,didier1 not   
far from ,vienne1 then a     ,benedictin
 priory belonging to the abbey of       
,mont-,majour near ,arles1     but now  
an independent abbey of regular canons  
of ,st4 ,antony4 ,in     #ajhi1 a       
pestilential erysipelas distemper1      
called the ,sacred ,fire1     swept off 
great numbers in most provinces of      
,france2 public prayers     and         
processions were ordered against this   

scourge2 at length it     pleased ,god  
to grant many miraculous cures of this  
dreadful     distemper1 to those who    
implored his mercy trough the           
intercession     of ,st4 ,antony1       
especially before his relics2 the church
 in which     they were deposited was   
resorted to by great numbers of         
pilgrims1     and his patronage was     
implored over the whole kingdom against 
this     disease4 ,a nobleman near      
,vienne1 named ,gaston1 and his son     
,girond1     devoted themselves and     
their estate to found and serve an      
hospital     near this priory1 for the  
benefit of the poor that were afflicted 
with this distemper3 seven others joined
 them in their charitable     attendance
 on the sick1 whence a confraternity of 
laymen who served     this hospital took
 its rise1 and continued till ,boniface 
,,viii4     converted the ,benedictin   
priory into an abbey1 which he bestowed 
on     those hospitaller brothers1 and  
giving them the religious rule of       

regular canons of ,st4 ,austin1 declared
 the abbot general of this new          
order1 called ,regular ,canons of ,st4  
,antony4 ,an abbey in ,paris1 which     
belongs to this order1 is called ,little
 ,st4 ,antony's1 by which name     it is
 distinguished from the great           
,cistercian nunnery of ,st4 ,antony4    
,the general or abbot of ,st4 ,antony's1
 in ,viennois1 enjoys a yearly          
revenue of about forty thousand livres  
according to ,piganiol1 ,descr4     de  
la ,fr4 t4 #d1 p4 #bdi1 and ,dom        
,beaunier1 ,rec4 ,abbayes de ,fr4 p4    
#ihb4 ,the superiors of other houses of 
this order retain the name of           
commanders1 and the houses are called   
commaranderies1 as when they     were   
hospitallers2 so that the general is the
 only abbot4 ,see     ,bollandus1       
,beaunict1 ,f4 ,longueval1 ,hist4 de    
l',eglise de ,france1 l4     #bb1 t4 #h1
 p4 #af1 and ,drouet1 in the late       
edition of ,moreri's ,hist4     ,diction
 ,v ,antoine1 from memoirs communicated 

by ,m4 ,bordet1 superior     of the     
convent of this order at ,paris4 #cj4   
,s4 ,athan4 n4 #fg1 p4 #hdg1  n4 #gc1 p4
 #hej4  ,,ss4 ,,speusippus1             
,,eleusippus1 ,,and ,,meleusippus1      
,,martyrs4  ,,they were three twin      
brothers1 who1 with ,leonilla their     
grandmother1 glorified ,god by an       
illustrious martyrdom in ,cappadocia1   
probably in the reign of ,marcus        
,aurelius4 ,the most ancient acts of    
their martyrdom1 published by ,rosweide 
and ,bollandus1 place it in that        
country1 and their relics were brought  
from the ,east to ,langres in ,france1  
while the first race of ,french kings   
filled the throne4 ,a copy of the acts  
of their martyrdom1 which was sent from 
,langres by one ,varnahair1 to ,st4     
,ceraunus1 bishop of ,paris1 in the     
beginning of the seventh century1 by an 
evident mistake or falsification1       
affirms their martyrdom to have happened
 at ,langres2 by which false edition1   
,ado1 and many others1 were led into the

 same mistake4 ,from certain ancient    
writings kept at ,langres1 mentioned by 
,gualtherot in his ,anastasius of       
,langres1 ,chatelain proves that these  
relics1 with the head of ,st4 ,mammes1 a
 martyr1 also of ,cappadocia1 were given
 by the emperor ,zeno to a nobleman of  
,langres1 who had served him in his     
wars4 ,by him this sacred treasure was  
deposited in the church of ,langres1 in 
the time of the bishop ,aprunculus1 in  
#dij1 to be a protection against devils4
 ,the cathedral of ,langres1 which bears
 the title of ,saint ,mammes1 is        
possessed of the head of that martyr in 
a rich shrine4 ,a brass tomb before the 
high altar1 is said to have contained   
the bodies of the three children who    
were thrown into the furnace at         
,babylon1 mentioned in the book of      
,daniel3 but ,chatelain thinks it       
belonged to the three martyrs whose     
bodies were given by the emperor ,zeno  
to the count of ,langres4 ,the church   
called of ,st4 #agc ,geome1 or ,sancti  

,gemini1 that is1 the twins1 situated   
two miles from ,langres1 belongs to a   
priory of regular canons1 and is famous 
out of devotion to those saints1 though 
great part of their relics was          
translated by ,hariolf1 duke of         
,burgundy1 and his brother ,erlolf1     
bishop of ,langres1 into ,suabia1 and   
remains in the noble collegiate church  
of ,st4 ,guy1 or ,st4 ,vitus1 at        
,elange4 ,these holy martyrs are        
secondary patrons of the diocese of     
,langres1 and titular saints of many    
churches in ,france and ,germany4 ,see  
,chatelain ,notes on ,jan4 #ag1 p4 #cac4
  ,,st4 ,,sulpicius ,,the ,,pious1 ,b4  
,,archbishop ,,of ,,bourges4  ,,the     
church of ,bourges in ,france was       
founded by ,st4 ,ursin1 who was sent    
from ,rome to preach the faith in ,gaul4
 ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1 in his        
history1 places his mission in the      
middle of the third century1#a yet in   
his book on the ,glory of ,confessors1#b
 he tells us that he was ordained by the

 disciples of the apostles1 and governed
 many years the church of ,bourges1     
which he had planted4 ,he was interred  
in a common burial-place in a field     
without the city2 but his remains were  
translated thence by ,st4 ,germanus1    
bishop of ,paris1 and abbot of ,st4     
,symphorian's1#c and by ,probianus1     
bishop of ,bourges1 and deposited in the
 church of ,st4 ,symphorian1 now called 
,st4 ,ursin's4#d ,this saint is honored 
in the ,roman ,martyrology on the #ith  
of ,november2 at ,lisieux1 and some     
other places1 on the #bith of ,december4
 ,among the most eminent of his         
successors1 two are called ,sulpicius1  
and both surnamed ,pious2 the first1 who
 is sometimes called the ,severe1 sat   
from the year #ehd to #eia1 and his     
relics are enshrined in the church of   
,st4 ,ursin4#e ,his name was inserted in
 the ,roman ,martyrology by ,baronius1  
on the #bith of ,january1 and occurs in 
other more ancient calendars4#f         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,s4 ,gr4 ,tur4 ,hist4  

l4 #a1 c4 #bh4 #b4  ,l4 de ,gl4 ,conf4  
c4 #hj4 #c4  ,fortunat4 in ,vita ,s4    
,german ,paris #d4  ,gallia ,christ4    
nova1 t4 #b1 p4 #d4 #e4  ,see ,st4      
,greg4 ,turon4 and ,gallia ,christ4 nov4
 t4 #b1 p4 #ae4 #f4  ,see ,benedict     
,,xiv4 ,litter4 ,apost4 praefix4        
,martyr4 ,rom4 ,sec4#df1 p4 #cc4  ,,st4 
,,sulpicius ,,ii41 ,,archbishop ,,of    
,,bourges1  ,,surnamed ,,le             
,,debonnaire1  ,,is commemorated on this
 day in the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,he was
 descended of a noble family in ,berry1 
and educated in learning and piety4 ,his
 large patrimony he gave to the church  
and poor2 and being ordained priest1    
served king ,clothaire ,,ii4 in quality 
of almoner and chaplain in his armies2  
and on a time when he lay dangerously   
ill1 restored him to his health by      
prayer and fasting4 ,in #fbd he         
succeeded ,st4 ,austregesilus1 commonly 
called ,st4 ,outrille1 in the see of    
,bourges4 ,he reformed discipline1      
converted all the ,jews in his diocese1 

and employed his whole time in prayer   
and laborious functions1 chiefly in the 
instruction of the poor4 ,he died in    
#fdd4 ,among the letters of ,st4        
,desiderius of ,cahors1 we have one     
which he sent to our saint with this    
title1 ,to the holy patriarch1          
,sulpicius2#a and several of our saint  
to him4#b ,the famous monastery which   
bears his name at ,bourges1 is said to  
have been founded by him under the      
invocation of the ,blessed ,virgin2 it  
now belongs to the congregation of ,st4 
,maur1 and is enriched with part of his 
relics1 and with a portion of the blood 
of ,st4 ,stephen1 who is the titular    
saint of the stately cathedral4 ,a bone 
of one of the arms #agd of our saint1 is
 kept in the famous parochial church in 
,paris1 which is dedicated to ,god under
 his invocation4 ,see his ancient life  
in ,bolland4 and ,mab4 saec4 #b1 ,ben4  
,gallia ,christ4 nova1 t4 #b1 p4 #ah4   
,footnotes3 #a4  ,apud ,canis4 ,lect4   
,ant4 t4 #e1  ,bibl4 ,patr4 t4 #h1 l4   

#a1 ep4 #ab4 #b4  ,ib4 l4 #b4  ,,st4    
,,milgithe1 ,v4  ,,thus ,dom ,menard    
writes the name of this saint1 who by   
,capgrave is called ,mildgyda1 by       
,josselin1 ,milvida1 and by ,thomas of  
,ely1 in a fragment of the life of ,st4 
,andry1 quoted by ,mabillon1 ,milgrida4 
,wilson testifies that her feast is     
mentioned on this day1 in an ancient    
,,ms4 ,english ,martyrology2 though     
,menard places it on the #bfth of       
,february4 ,her father1 ,merowald1 was  
son of ,penda1 and brother of ,peoda1   
,wulfher1 and ,ethelred1 kings of       
,mercia4 ,her mother1 ,domneva1 was     
daughter of ,ermenred1 who was brother  
to ,erconbert1 king of ,kent1 father of 
,st4 ,ercongata1 who died a nun at      
,farmoutier1 in ,france1 under the      
discipline of ,st4 ,aubierge1 her aunt4 
,her brother ,meresin died young1 in the
 odor of sanctity4 ,her elder sisters1  
,,ss4 ,mildred and ,milburge1 are very  
famous in the ,english calendars4 ,st4  
,milgithe imitated their illustrious    

example1 and contemning the fading      
pleasures and delights of the world1    
retired into the monastery of ,estrey1  
built by ,egbert1 king of ,kent1 not far
 from ,canterbury1 and having served    
,god in the heroic practice of all      
,christian virtues1 died happily about  
the close of the seventh century4 ,see  
,menard in ,martyrol4 ,bened4 ,wilson's 
,english ,martyr4 ,capgrave and         
,bolland4 t4 #b1 p4 #agf4  ,,st4        
,,nennius1 ,,or ,,nennidhius1 ,,abbot4  
,,despising the vanities of the world1  
though of the race of the monarchs of   
,ireland1 from his youth he made the    
science of the cross of ,christ the sole
 object of his ambition2 and to engrave 
in his heart the lessons which our      
divine ,redeemer taught by that adorable
 mystery1 was the centre of all his     
desires4 ,having passed many years1     
first in the school of ,st4 ,fiechus1   
archbishop of ,leinster1 and afterwards 
in the celebrated monastery of ,clonard1
 in the province of ,meath1 under its   

holy founder ,st ,finian1 he retired    
into the isle of ,inis-muighesamb1 in   
the lake of ,erne1 in the province of   
,ulster4 ,here1 in process of time1 he  
became the director of many souls in the
 paths of ,christian perfection1 founded
 a great monastery1 and1 on account of  
his eminent sanctity1 and the number of 
illustrious disciples whom he left      
behind him1 is called one of the twelve 
apostles of ,ireland4 ,he flourished in 
the sixth century1 and has been honored 
in ,ireland among the saints4 ,f4       
,colgan was not able to meet with any   
acts of his life1 though he is mentioned
 in the lives of several other ,irish   
saints4 ,a church in the isle of the    
lake1 formed by the river ,erne1 is     
dedicated to ,god under his invocation4 
#age   ,,january ,,xviii4  ,,st4        
,,peter',s ,,chair ,,at ,,rome4  ,see   
,phaebeus1 de ,cathedra in qua ,s4      
,petrus ,romae sedit1 et de antiquitate 
et praestantia solemnitatis ,cathedrae  
,romanae4 ,romae1 #afff1 #hvo42 also    

,chatelain1 ,notes on the ,martyrology1 
p4 #cbf4  ,,st4 ,,peter having triumphed
 over the devil in the ,east1 pursued   
him to ,rome in the person of ,simon    
,magus4 ,he who had formerly trembled at
 the voice of a poor maid1 now feared   
not the very throne of idolatry and     
superstition4 ,the capital of the empire
 of the world1 and the centre of        
impiety1 called for the zeal of the     
prince of the apostles4 ,god had        
established the ,roman empire1 and      
extended its dominion beyond that of any
 former monarchy1 for the more easy     
propagation of his gospel4 ,its         
metropolis was of the greatest          
importance for this enterprise4 ,st4    
,peter took that province upon himself2 
and1 repairing to ,rome1 there preached 
the faith and established his ,episcopal
 chair1 whose successors the bishops of 
,rome have been accounted in all ages4  
,that ,st4 ,peter founded that church by
 his preaching1 is expressly asserted by
 ,caius1#a a priest of ,rome under pope 

,zephyrinus2 who relates also that his  
body was then on the ,vatican-hill1 and 
that of his fellow-laborer1 ,st4 ,paul1 
on the ,ostian road4 ,that he and ,st4  
,paul planted the faith at ,rome1 and   
were both crowned with martyrdom at the 
same time1 is affirmed by ,dionysius1#b 
bishop of ,corinth1 in the second age4  
,st4 ,irenaeus1#c who lived in the same 
age1 calls the church at ,rome ,the     
greatest and most ancient church1       
founded by the two glorious apostles1   
,peter and ,paul4 ,eusebius1 in several 
places1#d mentions ,st4 ,peter's being  
at ,rome1 and the several important     
transactions of this apostle in that    
city4 ,not to mention ,origen1#e        
,hegesippus1#f ,arnobius1#g ,st4        
,ambrose1#h1 ,st4 ,austin1#i ,st4       
,jerom1#aj ,st4 ,optatus1#aa            
,orosius1#ab and others on the same     
subject4#ac ,st4 ,cyprian#ad calls ,rome
 the chair of ,st4 ,peter1 7as          
,theodoret#ae calls it his throne17     
which the general councils and          

ecclesiastical writers1 through every   
age1 and on every occasion1 repeat4     
,that ,st4 ,peter at least preached in  
,rome1 founded that church1 and died    
there by martyrdom under ,nero1 are     
facts the most incontestable by the     
testimony of all writers of different   
countries1 who lived near that time2    
persons of unquestionable veracity1 and 
who could not but be informed of the    
truth1 in a point so interesting1 and of
 its own nature so public and notorious1
 as to leave them no possibility of a   
mistake4 ,this is also attested by      
monuments of every kind2 also by the    
prerogatives1 rights1 and privileges1   
which that church enjoyed from those    
early ages2 in consequence of this      
title4  ,it was an ancient custom1 as   
cardinal ,baronius#af and ,thomassin#ag 
show by many examples1 observed by      
churches1 to keep an annual festival of 
the #agf consecration of their bishops4 
,the feast of the chair of ,st4 ,peter  
is found in ancient ,martyrologies1 as  

in one under the name of ,st4 ,jerom1 at
 ,esternach1 copied in the time of ,st4 
,willibrord1 in #gbj4 ,christians justly
 celebrate the founding of this         
mother-church1 the centre of ,catholic  
communion1 in thanksgiving to ,god for  
his mercies on his church1 and to       
implore his future blessings4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,christ has taught us by the divine     
model of prayer which he has delivered  
to us1 that we are bound to recommend to
 him1 before all other things1 the      
exaltation of his own honor and glory1  
and to beg that the kingdom of his holy 
grace and love be planted in all hearts4
 ,if we love ,god above all things1 and 
with our whole hearts1 or have any true 
charity for our neighbor1 this will be  
the centre of all our desires1 that ,god
 be loved and served by all his         
creatures1 and that he be glorified in  
the most perfect manner1 in our own     
souls4 ,by placing this at the head of  
our requests1 we shall most strongly    

engage ,god to crown all our just and   
holy desires4 ,as one of his greatest   
mercies to his church1 we must earnestly
 beseech him to raise up in it zealous  
pastors1 eminently replenished with his 
,spirit1 with which he animated his     
apostles4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,apud ,eus4 
l4 #b1 c4 #bd1 alias #be4 #b4  ,ibid4   
#c4  ,l4 #c1 c4 #c4 #d4  ,l4 #b1 c4 #ac 
#ae1 c4 #e4  ,ib4 l4 #c1 c4 #a4 #f4  ,l4
 de4 ,excid4 ,hier4 4 #g4  ,l4 #c4 #h4  
,ser4 de ,basilicis4 #i4  ,l4 de        
,haeres4 c4 #a1 c4 #aj4 ,l4 #ag1 ad     
,marcell4 #aa4 ,adv4 ,parm4 #ab4 ,l4 #g1
 c4 #a4 #ac4 ,the general opinion with  
,eusebius1 ,st4 ,jerom1 and the ,roman  
calendar1 fixes the first arrival of    
,st4 ,peter at ,rome in the second      
year of ,claudius4 ,if this date be     
true1 the apostle returned into     the 
,east soon after2 for he was imprisoned 
in ,judaea1 by ,agrippa1 in     the year
 of ,christ #dc4 ,lactantius does not   
mention this first coming     of ,st4   
,peter to ,rome1 but only the second1   

saying1 that he came to     ,rome in the
 reign of ,nero1 who put him and ,st4   
,paul to death4 ,l4 de     ,mort4       
,persec4 n4 #b4 #ad4 ,ep4 #ee1 ad4      
,cornel4 pap4 #ae4 ,l4 #b1 c4 #ag4 #af4 
,notae in ,martyr4 #ag4 ,tr4 des ,fetes1
 l4 #b1 c4 #aj4  ,,ss4 ,,paul1 ,,and    
,,thirty-,,six ,,companions1 ,,mm4 ,,in 
,,egypt4  ,from their authentic acts in 
,ruinart1 p4 #fbd4  ,,in ,egypt1        
thirty-seven ,christian noblemen1 all   
persons of high birth and plentiful     
fortunes1 but richer in the gifts of    
grace1 entered into a zealous           
confederacy to propagate the gospel     
throughout the country4 ,their leader   
and head was one ,paul1 a true imitator 
of the great apostle whose name he bore4
 ,they divided themselves into four     
several bands3 ,paul and nine others    
went eastward3 ,recombus1 with eight    
more1 towards the north3 ,thoonas1 with 
the like number1 to the south3 and      
,papias1 with the remaining eight1 to   
the west4 ,they labored zealously in    

extending the kingdom of ,christ on     
every side1 planting the faith1         
instructing the docile1 and purifying   
the souls of penitents who confessed    
their sins4 ,but the greatest part of   
the inhabitants of that great kingdom   
loved darkness rather than light4 ,the  
servants of ,god were treated with all  
manner of injuries1 apprehended1 and    
laid in irons4 ,the governor1 alarmed at
 the news of their enterprise1 sent     
orders for their being brought before   
him from different parts of the kingdom4
 ,he employed both promises and threats 
to compel them to sacrifice4 ,paul      
answered1 in the name of them all1 that 
it was better for them to die1 saying3  
,do not spare us4 ,the judge condemned  
them all to death3 those who went to the
 east and south1 to be burned2 those    
from the north1 to be beheaded2 and     
those from the west to be crucified4    
,but he was affrighted and surprised    
beyond expression to see with what joy  
and courage this brave army marched out1

 and bowed their heads to death4 ,they  
suffered on the #ahth of ,january1 but  
in what year it is not mentioned in     
their acts4  ,,st4 ,,prisca1 ,v4,m4     
,,she was a noble ,roman lady1 and after
 many torments finished her triumph by  
the sword1 about the year #bge4 ,her    
relics are preserved in the ancient     
church which bears her name in ,rome1   
and gives title in a cardinal4 #agg ,she
 is mentioned in the sacramentary of    
,st4 ,gregory1 and in almost all western
 ,martyrologies4 ,the acts of her       
martyrdom deserve no regard3 ,st4 ,paul1
 in the last chapter of his epistle to  
the ,romans1 salutes ,aquila1 a person  
of ,pontus1 of ,jewish extraction1 and  
,priscilla1 whom he and all churches    
thanked1 because they had exposed       
themselves for his sake4 ,he mentions   
the church which assembled in their     
house1 which he attributes to no other  
among the twenty-five ,christians whom  
he saluted1 and were then at ,rome4     
,this agrees with the immemorial        

tradition at ,rome1 that ,st4 ,peter    
consecrated an altar1 and baptized there
 in an urn of stone1 which is now kept  
in the church of ,st4 ,prisca4 ,aquila  
and ,priscilla are still honored in this
 church1 as titular patrons with our    
saint1 and a considerable part of their 
relics lies under the altar4 ,aquila and
 ,priscilla were tent-makers1 and lived 
at ,corinth when they were banished from
 ,rome under ,claudius3 she who is      
called ,priscilla in the ,acts of the   
,apostles1 and ,epistles to the ,roman1 
and first to the ,corinthians1 is named 
,prisca in the second to ,timothy4 ,see 
the ,roman ,martyrology on the #ahth of 
,january and the #hth of ,july2 also    
,chatelain1 not4 p4 #ccc4  ,,st4        
,,deicolus1 ,,abbot4  ,,in ,,irish      
,,dichul1 ,,called ,,by ,,the ,,french1 
,,st4 ,,deel1 ,,or ,,diey  ,,he quitted 
,ireland1 his native country1 with ,st4 
,columban1 and lived with him1 first in 
the kingdom of the ,east ,angles1 and   
afterwards at ,luxeu2 but when his      

master quitted ,france1 he founded the  
abbey of ,lutra1 or ,lure1 in the       
diocese of ,besanzon1 which was much    
enriched by king ,clothaire ,,ii4#a     
,amidst his austerities1 the joy and    
peace of his soul appeared in his       
countenance4 ,st4 ,columban once said to
 him in his youth3 ,deicolus1 why are   
you always smiling8 ,he answered in     
simplicity3 ,because no one can take my 
,god from me4 ,he died in the seventh   
century4 ,see his life and the history  
of his miracles in ,f4 ,chifflet1 and   
,mabillon1 ,acta ,bened4 t4 #b1 p4 #ajc1
 both written by a monk of ,lure in the 
tenth century1 as the authors of        
l',hist4 ,lit4 de la ,france take       
notice1 t4 #f1 p4 #daj4 ,by moderns1    
this saint is called ,deicola2 but in   
ancient ,,mss4 ,deicolus4 ,in           
,franche-comte his name ,deel is        
frequently given in baptism1 and ,deele 
to persons of the female sex4           
,footnotes3 #a4 ,the abbot of ,lure was 
formerly a prince of the empire4 ,at    

present the abbey is united to that of  
,morbac in ,alsace4 ,lure is situated   
three leagues from ,laxeu1 which stands 
near mount ,vosge1 two leagues from     
,lorraine towards the south4  ,,st4     
,,ulfrid1 ,,or ,,wolfred1 ,,bishop ,,and
 ,,martyr4  ,,he was an ,englishman of  
great learning and virtue2 and preached 
the faith1 first in ,germany2 afterwards
 in ,sweden1 under the pious king ,olas 
,,ii41 who first took the title of king 
of ,sweden2 for his predecessors had    
only been styled kings of ,upsal4 ,the  
good bishop converted many to ,christ2  
till in the year #ajbh1 while he was    
preaching against the idol ,tarstans or 
,thor1 and hewing it down with a        
hatchet1 he was slain by the pagans4    
,see ,adam of ,bremen1 who wrote his    
most faithful ,history of the ,church in
 the ,north1 in #ajhj1 l4 #b c4 #dd4    
,albert ,kranxius1 l4 #d4 ,metrop4 c4   
#h4 ,baron4 ad an4 #ajbh1 n4 #aj4  #agh 
,,january ,,xix4  ,,ss4 ,,maris1        
,,martha1 ,,audifax1 ,,and ,,abachum    

,,mm4  ,abridged from their acts1       
concerning which see ,bollandus1 who    
allows them1 ,tillem4 t4 #d1 p4 #fgc2   
and ,chatelain1 notes1 p4 #cci4  ,a4,d4 
#bgj4  ,,maris1 a nobleman of ,persia1  
with his wife ,martha1 and two sons1    
,audifax and ,abachum1 being converted  
to the faith1 distributed his fortune   
among the poor1 as the primitive        
,christians did at ,jerusalem1 and came 
to ,rome to visit the tombs of the      
apostles4 ,the emperor ,aurelian then   
persecuted the church1 and by his order 
a great number of ,christians were shut 
up in the amphitheatre1 and shot to     
death with arrows1 and their bodies     
burnt4 ,our saints gathered and buried  
their ashes with respect2 for which they
 were apprehended1 and after many       
torments under the governor ,marcianus1 
,maris and his two sons were beheaded2  
and ,martha drowned1 thirteen miles from
 ,rome1 at a place now called ,santa    
,ninfa4#a ,their relics were found at   
,rome in #aeij4 ,they are mentioned with

 distinction in all the western         
,martyrologies from the sacramentary of 
,st4 ,gregory4 ,their relics are kept   
principally at ,rome2 part in the church
 of ,st4 ,adrian1 part in that of ,st4  
,charles1 and in that of ,st4 ,john of  
,calybite4 ,eginhart1 sole-in-law and   
secretary of ,charlemagne1 deposited a  
portion of these relics1 which had been 
sent him from ,rome1 in the abbey of    
,selghenstadt1 of which he was the      
founder1 in the diocese of ,mentz4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the martyrs and confessors triumphed   
over the devil by prayer2 by this1 poor 
and weak as they were1 they were        
rendered invincible1 by engaging        
,omnipotence itself to be their comfort1
 strength1 and protection4 ,if the art  
of praying well be the art of living    
well1 according to the received maxim of
 the fathers and masters of a spiritual 
life1#b nothing is certainly of greater 
importance1 than for us to learn this   
heavenly art of conversing with ,god in 

the manner we ought4 ,we admire the     
wonderful effects which this exercise   
produced in the saints1 who by it were  
disengaged from earthly ties and made   
spiritual and heavenly1 perfect angels  
on earth2 but we experience nothing of  
this in ourselves4 ,prayer was in them  
the channel of all graces1 the means of 
attaining all virtues1 and all the      
treasures of heaven4 ,in us it is       
fruitless3 the reason is plain2 for the 
promises of ,christ cannot fail3 we ask1
 and receive not1 because we ask amiss4 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,ninfa1 or ,nympha1 in 
the corrupted ages of the ,latin tongue1
     signifies water4 ,in this place are
 several pools called by the            
,italians from these martyrs1 ,santa    
,ninfa4 ,see ,chatelain1 p4 #cdj1 and   
,du ,cange4 #b4  ,vere novit recta      
vivere1 qui recti novit orare4 ,inter   
,serm4 ,s4     ,augustini1 ,sermon #ee1 
in ,appendix1 ed4 ,ben4 t4 #e1 p4 #aja4 
#agi  ,,st4 ,,canutus1 ,,king ,,of      
,,denmark1 ,m4  ,from his life1         

faithfully written by ,a,elnoth1 a monk 
of ,canterbury1 who had lived           
twenty-four years in ,denmark1 and wrote
 in #aaje4 ,it was printed at           
,copenhagen1 in #afjb4 ,see also ,saxo  
,grammaticus1 the most elegant and      
judicious of the ,danish historians4    
,a4,d4 #ajhf4  ,,st4 ,,canutus1 or      
,,knut1 the fourth of that name1 king of
 ,denmark1 was natural son of ,swein    
,,iii41 whose great uncle ,canutus had  
reigned in ,england4 ,swein having no   
lawful issue1 took care of the education
 of ,canutus1 who being endowed with    
excellent qualities both of mind and    
body1 answered perfectly well the care  
of his preceptors and governors4 ,it is 
hard to say1 whether he excelled more in
 courage1 or in conduct and skill in    
war2 but his singular piety perfectly   
eclipsed all his other endowments4 ,he  
scoured the seas of pirates1 and subdued
 several neighboring provinces which    
infested ,denmark with their incursions4
 ,the kingdom of ,denmark was elective  

till the year #affj2 wherefore1 when    
,swein died1 many pitched upon our      
saint1 whose eminent virtues best       
qualified him for the throne2 but the   
majority1 fearing his martial spirit1   
preferred his eldest natural brother    
,harald1 the seventh king of that name1 
who1 for his stupidity and vices1 was   
commonly called the ,slothful4 ,canutus 
retired into ,sweden to king ,halstan1  
who received him with the greatest marks
 of kindness and esteem2 but the king   
could never induce him to undertake any 
expedition against ,denmark2 on the     
contrary1 the ,christian hero employed  
all his power and interest in the       
service of his country4 ,harald dying   
after two years' reign1 ,canutus was    
called to succeed him4  ,denmark had    
received the ,christian faith long      
before2 some say in #hbf1 but wanted a  
zealous hand at the helm1 to put the    
finishing stroke to that good work4 ,st4
 ,canutus seems to have been pitched    
upon by providence for this purpose4 ,he

 began his reign by a successful war    
against the troublesome barbarous       
enemies of the state1 and by planting   
the faith in the conquered provinces of 
,courland1 ,samogitia1 and ,livonia4    
,amidst the glory of his victories1 he  
humbly prostrated himself at the foot of
 the crucifix1 laying there his diadem1 
and offering himself and his kingdom to 
the ,king of kings4 ,after having       
provided for its peace and safety1 and  
enlarged its territories1 he married    
,eltha1 or ,alice1 daughter of ,robert1 
earl of ,flanders1 by whom he had a     
pious son1 ,st4 ,charles1 surnamed the  
,good1 afterwards also earl of          
,flanders4 ,his next concern was to     
reform abuses at home4 ,for this        
purpose1 he enacted severe1 but         
necessary laws1 for the strict          
administration of justice1 and repressed
 the violence and tyranny of the great1 
without respect of persons4 ,he         
countenanced and honored holy men1      
granted many privileges and immunities  

to the clergy1 to enhance the people's  
esteem of them2 and omitted nothing to  
convince them of their obligation to    
provide for their subsistence by the    
payment of tithes4 ,his charity and     
tenderness towards his subjects made him
 study by all possible ways to ease them
 of their burdens1 and make them a happy
 people4 ,he showed a royal magnificence
 in building and adorning churches1 and 
gave the crown which he wore1 of        
exceeding great value1 to the church of 
,roschild1 in ,zealand1 his capital     
city1 and the place of his residence1   
where the kings of ,denmark are yet     
buried4 ,he chastised his body with     
fasting1 discipline1 and hair-cloths4   
,prayer was his assiduous exercise4     
,when ,william the ,conqueror had made  
himself master of ,england1 ,canutus    
sent forces to assist the vanquished2   
but these troops finding no one willing 
to #ahj join them1 were easily defeated 
in the year #ajfi4 ,some time after1    
being invited by the conquered ,english1

 he raised an army to invade this       
island1 and expel the ,normans2 but     
through the treacherous practices of his
 brother ,olas1 or ,olaus1 was obliged  
to wait so long on the coast1 that his  
troops deserted him4 ,the pious king1   
having always in view the service of    
,god1 and judging this a proper occasion
 to induce his people to pay tithes to  
their pastors1 he proposed to them      
either to pay a heavy fine1 by way of   
punishment for their desertion1 or      
submit to the law of tithes for the     
pastors of the church4 ,their aversion  
to the latter made them choose the tax1 
to the great mortification of the king1 
who1 hoping they would change their     
resolution1 ordered it to be levied with
 rigor4 ,but they1 being incensed at the
 severity of the collectors1 rebelled4  
,st4 ,canutus retired for safety into   
the isle of ,fionia1 and was hindered   
from joining his loyal troops by the    
treachery of ,blanco1 an officer1 who1  
to deceive him1 assured his majesty that

 the rebels were returned to their duty4
 ,the king went to the church of ,st4   
,alban1 the martyr1 to perform his      
devotions1 and return ,god thanks for   
that happy event4 ,this the rebels being
 informed of by ,blanco1 they surrounded
 the church with him at their head4 ,in 
the mean time the holy king1 perceiving 
the danger that threatened his life1    
confessed his sins at the foot of the   
altar1 with great tranquillity and      
resignation1 and received the holy      
communion4 ,his guards defended the     
church doors1 and ,blanco was slain by  
them4 ,the rebels threw in bricks and   
stones1 through the windows1 by which   
they beat down the shrines of certain   
relics of ,st4 ,alban and ,st4 ,oswald1 
which ,st4 ,canutus had brought over    
from ,england4 ,the saint1 stretching   
out his arms before the altar1 fervently
 recommended his soul into the hands of 
his ,creator3 in which posture he was   
wounded with a javelin1 darted through  
the window1 and fell a victim to        

,christ4 ,his brother ,benedict1 and    
seventeen others1 were slain with him1  
on the #ajth of ,july1 #ajhf1 as        
,a,elnoth1 a contemporary author1       
testifies1 who has specified the date of
 all the events with the utmost         
exactness4 ,his wicked brother ,olas    
succeeded him in the kingdom4 ,god      
punished the people during eight years  
and three months of his reign with a    
dreadful famine1 and other calamities2  
and attested the sanctity of the martyr1
 by many miraculous cures of the sick at
 his tomb4 ,for which reason his relics 
were taken up out of their obscure      
sepulchre1 and honorably entombed       
towards the end of the reign of ,olas4  
,his successor1 ,eric ,,iii41 a most    
religious prince1 restored piety and    
religion1 with equal courage and        
success1 and sent ambassadors to ,rome1 
with proofs of the miracles performed1  
and obtained from the pope a declaration
 authorizing the veneration of ,st4     
,canutus1 the proto-martyr of ,denmark4 

,upon this occasion a most solemn       
translation of his relics1 which were   
put in a most costly shrine1 was        
performed1 at which ,a,elnoth1 our      
historian1 was present4 ,he adds1 that  
the first preachers of the faith in     
,denmark1 ,sweden1 and ,norway1 were    
,english priests2 that the ,danes then  
zealously embraced the ,christian       
religion1 but that the ,swedes still    
continued more obstinate1 among whom    
,eschil1 an ,englishman1 received the   
crown of martyrdom1 while he was        
preaching ,christ to certain savage     
tribes4  ,,st4 ,,henry1 ,,archbishop    
,,of ,,upsal1 ,m4  ,,he was an          
,englishman1 and preached the faith in  
the ,north with his countryman1 cardinal
 ,nicholas ,breakspear1 the apostle of  
,norway1 and legate of the holy see1    
afterwards pope ,adrian ,,iv41 by whom  
he was raised to this see1 in #aadh4    
,st4 ,eric1 or ,henry1 7for it is the   
same name17 was #aha then the holy king 
of ,sweden4#a ,our saint1 after having  

converted several provinces1 went to    
preach in ,finland1 which that king had 
lately conquered4 ,he deserved to be    
styled the apostle of that country1 but 
fell a martyr in it1 being stoned to    
death at the instigation of a barbarous 
murderer1 whom he endeavored to reclaim 
by censures1 in #aaea4 ,his tomb was in 
great veneration at ,upsal1 till his    
ashes were scattered on the change of   
religion1 in the sixteenth century4 ,see
 ,john ,magnus1 l4 #a1 ,vit4 ,pout4     
,upsal4 ,olaus ,magnus1 l4 #d4          
,bollandus1 and chiefly his life        
published by ,benzelius4 ,monum4 ,suec4 
p4 #cc4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,stiernman1 in
 his discourse1 ,on the ,state of       
,learning among the     ancient ,swedes1
 observes1 that ,sweden was chiefly     
converted to     ,christianity by       
,english ,saxon missionaries4 ,the      
principal among     these were ,ansgar1 
,sigfrid1 ,roduard1 ,richolf1 ,edward1  
,eskil1 ,david1     and ,henric1 as he  
gives their names4      ,in the history 

of the bishops and archbishops of       
,upsal1 published by     ,benzelius in  
his ,monum4 ,suec4 p #cg1 the first     
whose name is recorded     is ,everin1  
whom ,benzelius supposes to be the      
person whom ,st4 ,sigfrid               
consecrated to this see4 ,he seems to   
have been one of his ,english           
colleagues4 ,stephen1 the sixth bishop  
of ,upsal1 was the first     archbishop4
 ,see the life of ,st4 ,sigfrid1 and    
,benzelius's notes on     the catalogue 
of the bishops of ,upsol1 p4 #ahf4      
,,st4 ,,wulstan1 ,,bishop ,,of          
,,worcester1 ,c4  ,,he was a native of  
,icentum1 in ,warwickshire4 ,in his     
youth1 perceiving himself somewhat      
touched with wanton love on seeing a    
woman dance1 he withdrew into a thicket 
hard by1 and1 lying prostrate1 bewailed 
his fault before ,god1 with very great  
contrition4 ,and he was endowed from    
that time1 by ,almighty ,god1 with the  
gift of such a constant watchfulness    
over his senses1 as prevented his being 

ever more annoyed with the like         
temptations4 ,he laid the foundation of 
his studies and education in the        
monastery of ,evesham1 but completed the
 same at ,peterborough4 ,his parents    
having by mutual consent taken the      
monastic habit at ,worcester2 his       
father1 ,athelstan1 in the great        
monastery of men1 and his mother1       
,wulfgeva1 in a nunnery2 ,st4 ,wulstan  
put himself under the direction of      
,brithege1 bishop of ,worcester1 by whom
 he was advanced to the holy orders of  
priesthood4 ,in this station he         
redoubled his ardor for prayer1 and     
practised greater austerities in the    
world1 than monks in their convents4 ,at
 first1 he allowed himself the use of   
flesh2 but being one day distracted in  
saying mass1 by the smell of meat that  
was roasting in the kitchen1 he bound   
himself by vow never more to eat any    
flesh4 ,not long after he entered       
himself a novice in the great abbey at  
,worcester1 where he was remarkable for 

the innocence and sanctity of his life4 
,the first charge with which he was     
intrusted in the monastery1 was the care
 of instructing the children4 ,he was   
afterwards made preceptor1 and then     
treasurer of the church4 ,in these two  
last stations he devoted himself totally
 to prayer1 and watched whole nights in 
the church4 ,as the meanest employments 
were always the object of his love and  
choice1 it was contrary to his          
inclination that he was made prior of   
,worcester1 and1 in #ajfb1 bishop of    
that see1 when ,aldred was translated to
 that of ,york4 ,though not very        
learned1 he delivered the word of ,god  
with so much dignity and unction1 as    
often to move his whole audience to     
tears4 ,he always recited the psalter   
while he travelled1 and never passed by 
any church or chapel without going in1  
to pour forth his soul before the altar 
with tears1 which seemed to stand always
 ready in his eyes for prayer4 ,when the
 conqueror had deprived the ,english1   

both nobility and clergy1 of the posts  
of honor they possessed in the church   
and state1 in favor of his ,normans1 on 
whose fidelity he could depend1 ,wulstan
 kept his see1 though not without a     
miracle1 as ,st4 ,aelred1 ,florentius1  
and ,capgrave relate1 as follows3 ,in a 
synod1 held at ,westminster1 in which   
archbishop ,lanfranc #ahb presided1     
,wulstan was called upon to give up his 
crosier and ring1 upon pretext of his   
simplicity and unfitness for business4  
,the saint confessed himself unfit for  
the charge1 but said1 that king ,edward1
 with the concurrence of the apostolic  
see1 had compelled him to take it upon  
him1 and that he would deliver his      
crosier to him4 ,then going to the      
king's monument1 he fixed his crosier to
 the stone2 then went and sat down among
 the monks4 ,no one was able to draw out
 the crosier till the saint was ordered 
to take it again1 and it followed his   
hand with ease4 ,from this time the     
conqueror treated him with honor4       

,lanfranc even commissioned him to      
perform the visitation of the diocese of
 ,chester for himself4 ,when any        
,english complained of the oppression of
 the ,normans1 he used to tell them1    
,this is a scourge of ,god for your     
sins1 which you must bear with patience4
 ,the saint caused young gentlemen who  
were brought up under his care1 to carry
 in the dishes and wait on the poor at  
table1 to teach them the practice of    
humiliation1 in which he set the most   
edifying example4 ,he showed the most   
tender charity for penitents1 and often 
wept over them1 while they confessed    
their sins to-him4 ,he died in #ajie1   
having sat thirty-two years1 and lived  
about eighty-seven4 ,he was canonized in
 #abjc4 ,see his life by ,william of    
,malmesbury1 in ,wharton1 t4 #b1 p4     
#bdd4 ,also1 a second1 by ,florence of  
,worcester1 and a third in ,capgrave2   
and his history1 at length1 by ,dr4     
,thomas1 in his ,history of the         
,cathedral of ,worcester4  ,,st4        

,,blaithmaic1  ,,son of an ,irish king1 
and abbot in the isle of ,hij1 in       
,scotland4 ,he was martyred by ,danish  
pirates1 to whom he refused to betray   
the treasures of the church1 in #gic4   
,see his life1 by ,wilfridus ,strabo1 in
 ,canisius ,antiq4  c4  ,,st4 ,,lomer1  
,,or ,,laudomarus1 ,,abbot4  ,,in his   
childhood he kept his father's sheep2 in
 which employment he macerated his body 
by regular fasts1 and spent his time in 
studies and prayer1 under the direction 
of a certain holy priest4 ,being        
afterwards1 by compulsion1 ordained     
priest1 he was made canon and cellerer  
7some moderns say provost7 of the church
 of ,chartres4 ,after some years he     
retired into a neighboring forest3      
,mabillon thinks at the place where now 
stands ,bellomer1 a monastery of the    
order of ,fontevrald4 ,many disciples   
being assembled near his hermitage1 he  
removed with them into another desert1  
where he built the monastery of         
,corbion1 7at present a priory called   

,moutier-au-,perche1 six leagues from   
,chartres17 about the year #ege4 ,a     
wonderful spirit of prayer1 and gift of 
miracles1 rendered his name famous4 ,he 
died on the #aith of ,january1 in #eic1 
at ,chartres1 in the house of the       
bishop1 who had called him thither some 
time before4 ,in the incursions of the  
,normans1 his remains were removed from 
place to place1 till they were lodged at
 ,perly1 in ,auvergne4 ,his head is now 
kept in the priory of ,maissac1 called  
,st4 ,laumer's1 in ,auvergne2 the rest  
of his relics were removed to ,blois1   
where an abbey was built which bears his
 name4 ,set his anonymous life1 written 
by one who knew him1 in ,bollandus and  
,mabillon2 also ,chatelain and the      
,paris ,breviary4  #ahc   ,,january     
,,xx4  ,,st4 ,,fabian1 ,,pope1 ,m4  ,see
 ,tillemont1 t4 #c1 p4 #cfb4  ,a4,d4    
#bej4  ,,he succeeded ,st4 ,anterus in  
the pontificate1 in the year #bcf4      
,eusebius relates1#a that in an assembly
 of the people and clergy1 held for the 

election of a pastor in his room1 a     
dove1 unexpectedly appearing1 settled1  
to the great surprise of all present1 on
 the head of ,st4 ,fabian2 and that this
 miraculous sign united the votes of the
 clergy and people in promoting him1    
though not thought of before1 as being a
 layman and a stranger4 ,he governed the
 church sixteen years1 sent ,st4        
,dionysius and other preachers into     
,gaul1 and condemned ,privatus1 a       
broacher of a new heresy in ,africa1 as 
appears from ,st4 ,cyprian4#b ,st4      
,fabian died a glorious martyr in the   
persecution of ,decius1 in #bej1 as ,st4
 ,cyprian and ,st4 ,jerom witness4 ,the 
former1 writing to his successor1 ,st4  
,cornelius1 calls him an incomparable   
man2 and says1 that the glory of his    
death had answered the purity and       
holiness of his life4#c         99      
99       99       99       99  ,the     
saints made ,god1 and the accomplishment
 of his holy will1 the great object of  
all their petitions to their prayers1   

and their only aim in all their actions4
 ,god1 says ,st4 ,austin1#d in his      
promises to hear our prayers1 is        
desirous to bestow himself upon us2 if  
you find any thing better than him1 ask 
it1 but if you ask any thing beneath    
him1 you put an affront upon him1 and   
hurt yourself by preferring to him a    
creature which he framed3 pray in the   
spirit and sentiment of love1 in which  
the royal prophet said to him1 ',thou1  
,o ,lord1 art my portion4'#e ,let others
 choose to themselves portions among    
creatures1 for my part1 ,thou art my    
portion1 ,thee alone have ,i chosen for 
my whole inheritance4  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,hist4 l4 #f1 c4 #bi4 #b4  ,cypr4 ,ep4  
#cj4 ,ed4 ,pam4 #c4  ,ep4 #dd ad4 ,corn4
 #d4  ,s4 ,aug4 ,conc4 #a1 in ,ps4 #cd4 
#e4  ,ps4 lxxii4 #bf4  ,,st4            
,,sebastian1 ,m4  ,from his acts1       
written before the end of the fourth    
age4 ,the gladiators1 who were abolished
 by ,honorius1 in #djc1 subsisted when  
these acts were compiled4 ,see          

,bollandus1 who thinks ,st4 ,ambrose    
wrote them1 also ,tillemont1 t4 #a1 p4  
#eea4  ,a4,d4 #bhh4  ,,st4 ,,sebastian  
was born at ,narbonne1 in ,gaul1 but his
 parents were of ,milan1 in ,italy1 and 
he was brought up in that city4 ,he was 
a fervent servant of ,christ1 and though
 his natural inclinations gave him an   
aversion to a military life1 yet to be  
better able1 without suspicion1 to      
assist the confessors and martyrs in    
their sufferings1 he went to ,rome1 and 
entered the army under the emperor      
,carinus1 about the year #bhc4 ,it      
happened that the martyrs1 ,marcus and  
,marcellianus1 under sentence of death1 
appeared in danger of being shaken in   
their faith by the tears of their       
friends3 ,sebastian seeing this1 stepped
 in1 and made them a long exhortation to
 constancy1 which #ahd he delivered with
 the holy fire1 that strongly affected  
all his hearers4 ,zoe1 the wife of      
,nicostratus1 having for six years lost 
the use of speech by a palsy in her     

tongue1 fell at his feet1 and spoke     
distinctly1 by the saint's making the   
sign of the cross on her mouth4 ,she1   
with her husband ,nicostratus1 who was  
master of the rolls1#a the parents of   
,marcus and ,marcellianus1 the jailor   
,claudius1 and sixteen other prisoners1 
were converted2 and ,nicostratus1 who   
had charge of the prisoners1 took them  
to his own house1 where ,polycarp1 a    
holy priest1 instructed and baptized    
them4 ,chromatius1 governor of ,rome1   
being informed of this1 and that        
,tranquillinus1 the father of ,saints   
,marcus and ,marcellianus1 had been     
cured of the gout by receiving baptism1 
desired to be instructed in the faith1  
being himself grievously afflicted with 
the same distemper4 ,accordingly1 having
 sent for ,sebastian1 he was cured by   
him1 and baptized1 with his son         
,tiburtius4 ,he then enlarged the       
converted prisoners1 made his slaves    
free1 and resigned his prefectship4     
,not long after1 in the year #bhe1      

,carinus was defeated and slain in      
,illyricum by ,dioclesian1 who1 the year
 following1 made ,maximian his colleague
 in the empire4 ,the persecution was    
still carried on by the magistrates1 in 
the same manner as under ,carinus1      
without any new edicts4 ,dioclesian1    
admiring the courage and virtue of ,st4 
,sebastian1 who concealed his religion1 
would fain have him near his person1 and
 created him captain of a company of the
 pretorian guards1 which was a          
considerable dignity4 ,when ,dioclesian 
went into the ,east1 ,maximian1 who     
remained in the ,west1 honored our saint
 with the same distinction and respect4 
,chromatius1 with the emperor's consent1
 retired into the country in ,campania1 
taking many new converts along with him4
 ,it was a contest of zeal1 out of a    
mutual desire of martyrdom1 between ,st4
 ,sebastian and the priest ,polycarp1   
which of them should accompany this     
troop1 to complete their instruction1   
and which should remain in the city1 to 

encourage and assist the martyrs1 which 
latter was the more dangerous province4 
,st4 ,austin wished to see such contests
 of charity among the ministers of the  
church4#b ,pope ,caius1 who was appealed
 to1 judged it most proper that         
,sebastian should stay in ,rome1 as a   
defender of the church4 ,in the year    
#bhf1 the persecution growing hot1 the  
pope and others concealed themselves in 
the imperial palace1 as a place of the  
greatest safety1 in the apartments of   
one ,castulus1 a ,christian officer of  
the court4 ,st4 ,zoe was first          
apprehended1 praying at ,st4 ,peter's   
tomb on the feast of the apostles4 ,she 
was stifled with smoke1 being hung by   
the heels over a fire4 ,tranquillinus1  
ashamed to be less courageous than a    
woman1 went to pray at the tomb of ,st4 
,paul1 and was seized by the populace1  
and stoned to death4 ,nicostratus1      
,claudius1 ,castorius1 and ,victorinus  
were taken1 and after being thrice      
tortured1 were thrown into the sea4     

,tiburtius1 betrayed by a false brother1
 was beheaded4 ,castulus1 accused by the
 same wretch1 was thrice put on the     
rack1 and afterwards buried alive4      
,marcus and ,marcellianus were nailed by
 the feet to a post1 and having remained
 in that torment twenty-four hours1 were
 shot to death with arrows4  ,st4       
,sebastian1 having sent so many martyrs 
to heaven before him1 was himself       
impeached before the emperor            
,dioclesian2 who1 having grievously     
reproached him with ingratitude1        
delivered him over to certain archers of
 ,mauritania1 to be shot to death4 ,his 
body was covered with arrows1 and he    
left for dead4 ,irene1 the widow of ,st4
 ,castulus1 going to bury him1 found him
 still alive1 and took him to her       
lodgings1 where1 by care1 he recovered  
of his wounds1 but refused to fly1 and  
even placed himself one day by a        
staircase where the emperor was to pass1
 whom he first accosted1 reproaching    
#ahe him for his unjust cruelties       

against the ,christians4 ,this freedom  
of speech1 and from a person1 too1 whom 
he supposed to have been dead1 greatly  
astonished the emperor2 but recovering  
from his surprise1 he gave orders for   
his being seized and beat to death with 
cudgels1 and his body thrown into the   
common sewer4 ,a pious lady called      
,lucina1 admonished by the martyr in a  
vision1 got it privately removed1 and   
buried it in the catacombs1#c at the    
entrance of the cemetery of ,calixtus4  
,a church was afterwards built over his 
relies by pope ,damasus1 which is one of
 the seven ancient stationary churches  
at ,rome1 but not one of the seven      
principal churches of that city1 as some
 moderns mistake2 it neither being one  
of the five patriarchal churches1 nor   
one of the seventy-two old churches     
which give titles to cardinals4         
,vandelbert1 ,st4 ,ado1 ,eginard1       
,sigebert1 and other contemporary       
authors relate1 that in the reign of    
,louis ,debonnaire1 pope ,eugenius ,,ii4

 gave the body of ,st4 ,sebastian to    
,hilduin1 abbot of ,st4 ,denys1 who     
brought it into ,france1 and it was     
deposited at ,st4 ,medard's1 at         
,soissons1 on the #ith of ,december1 in 
#hbf2 with it is said to have been      
brought a considerable portion of the   
relics of ,st4 ,gregory the ,great4 ,the
 rich shrines of ,,ss4 ,sebastian1      
,gregory1 and ,medard1 were plundered by
 the ,calvinists1 in #aefd1 and the     
sacred bones thrown into a ditch1 in    
which there was water4 ,upon the        
declaration of two eye-witnesses1 they  
were afterwards found by the ,catholics2
 and in #aegh1 enclosed in three new    
shrines1 though the bones of the three  
saints could not be distinguished from  
each other4#d ,the head of this martyr1 
which was given to ,st4 ,willibrord by  
pope ,sergius1 is kept at ,esternach1 in
 the duchy of ,luxemburg4 ,portions of  
his relics are shown in the cathedral at
 ,st4 ,victor's2 the ,theatins and      
,minims at ,paris2 in four churches at  

,mantua2 at ,malaca1 ,seville1          
,toulouse1 ,munich in the ducal palace1 
,tournay in the cathedral1 ,antwerp in  
the church of the ,jesuits1 and at      
,brussels1 in the chapel of the court1  
not at ,st4 ,gudula's1 as some have     
mistaken4#e ,st4 ,sebastian has been    
always honored by the church1 as one of 
her most illustrious martyrs4 ,we read  
in ,paul the deacon1 in what manner1 in 
the year #fhj1 ,rome was freed from a   
raging pestilence1 by the patronage of  
this saint4 ,milan1 in #aege1 ,lisbon1  
in #aeii1 and other places1 have        
experienced1 in like calamities1 the    
miraculous effects of his intercession  
with ,god in their behalf4  ,footnotes3 
#a4  ,primiscrinius4 #b4  ,ep4 #ahj4 #c4
  ,on ,catacombs1 see in ,st4 ,calixtus1
 ,oct4 #ad4 #d4  ,chatelain1 notes1 p4  
#cee4 ,baillet4 #e4  ,bollandus1        
,chatel4 ib4  ,,st4 ,,euthymius1        
,,abbot4  ,from his life1 faithfully    
written forty years after his death1 by 
,cyril of ,scythopolis1 a monk of his   

monastery1 one of the best writers of   
antiquity1 and author of the life of    
,st4 ,sabas4 ,see it accurately         
published by ,dom ,lottin1 ,annal4      
,graec4 t4 #a1 and ,cotelier1 ,mon4     
,graec4 t4 #b1 p4 #bjj4  ,a4,d4 #dgc4   
,,the birth of this saint was the fruit 
of the prayers of his pious parents1    
through the intercession of the martyr  
,polyeuctus4 ,his father was a noble and
 wealthy citizen of ,melitene in        
,armenia4 ,euthymius was educated in    
sacred learning1 and in the fervent     
practice of prayer1 silence1 humility1  
and mortification1 under the care of the
 holy bishop of that city1 who ordained 
him priest1 and constituted him his     
vicar and general-overseer of the       
monasteries4 ,the saint often visited   
that of ,st4 ,polyeuctus1 and spent     
whole nights in prayer on a neighboring 
mountain2 as he also did all the time   
from the octave of the ,epiphany till   
towards the end of ,lent4 ,the love of  
solitude daily growing stronger in his  

breast1 he secretly left his own        
country1#ahf at twenty-nine years of    
age3 and1 after offering up his prayers 
at the holy places in ,jerusalem1 chose 
a cell six miles from that city1 near   
the ,laura#a of ,pharan4 ,he made       
baskets1 and procured1 by selling them1 
both his own subsistence and alms for   
the poor4 ,constant prayer was the      
employment of his soul4 ,after five     
years he retired with one ,theoctistus1 
a holy hermit1 ten miles further towards
 ,jericho1 where they lived together on 
raw herbs in a cave4 ,in this place he  
began to receive disciples1 about the   
year #daa4 ,he committed the care of his
 monastery to ,theoctistus1 and         
continued himself in a remote hermitage1
 only giving audience on ,saturdays and 
,sundays1 to those who desired spiritual
 advice4 ,he taught all his monks never 
to eat so much as to satisfy their      
hunger1 but strictly forbade among them 
all singularity in fasts1 or any other  
common observances1 as savoring of      

vanity and self-will4 ,according to his 
example1 they all retired into the      
deserts from the octave of the feast of 
the ,epiphany till the week before      
,easter1 when they met again in their   
monastery1 to celebrate the office      
peculiar to ,holy ,week4 ,he enjoined   
them constant silence and manual labors3
 they gained their own subsistence1 and 
a surplus1 which they devoted as        
first-fruits to ,god in the relief of   
the poor4  ,st4 ,euthymius cured1 by the
 sign of the cross and a short prayer1  
,terebon1 one half of whose body had    
been struck dead with a palsy4 ,his     
father1 who was an ,arabian prince1     
named ,aspebetes1 an idolater1 had      
exhausted on his cure1 but to no        
purpose1 the much-boasted arts of physic
 and magic among the ,persians1 to      
procure some relief for his son4 ,at the
 sight of this miracle ,aspebetes       
desired baptism1 and took the name of   
,peter4 ,such multitudes of ,arabians   
followed his example1 that ,juvenal1    

patriarch of ,jerusalem1 ordained him   
their bishop1 and he assisted at the    
council of ,ephesus against ,nestorius  
in #dca4 ,he built ,st4 ,euthymius a    
,laura on the right hand of the road    
from ,jerusalem to ,jericho1 in the year
 #dbj4 ,euthymius could never be        
prevailed upon to depart from his rules 
of strict solitude2 but governed his    
monks by proper superiors1 to whom he   
gave his directions on ,sundays4 ,his   
humility and charity won the hearts of  
all who spoke to him4 ,he seemed to     
surpass the great ,arsenius in the gift 
of perpetual tears4 ,cyril relates many 
miracles which he wrought1 usually by   
the sign of the cross4 ,in the time of a
 great drought1 he exhorted the people  
to penance1 to avert this scourge of    
heaven4 ,great numbers came in          
procession to his cell1 carrying        
crosses1 singing ,kyrie eleison1 and    
begging him to offer up his prayers to  
,god for them4 ,he said to them3 ,i am a
 sinner1 how can ,i presume to appear   

before ,god1 who is angry at our sins8  
,let us prostrate ourselves all together
 before him1 and he will hear us4 ,they 
obeyed2 and the saint going into his    
chapel with some of his monks1 prayed   
prostrate on the ground4 ,the sky grew  
dark on a sudden1 rain fell in          
abundance1 and the year proved          
remarkably fruitful4  ,st4 ,euthymius   
showed great zeal against the ,nestorian
 and ,eutychian heretics4 ,the turbulent
 empress ,eudocia1 after the death of   
her husband ,theodosius1 retired into   
,palestine1 and there continued to favor
 the latter with her protection4 ,awaked
 by the afflictions of her family1      
particularly in the plunder of ,rome1   
and the captivity of her daughter       
,eudocia1 and her two granddaughters1   
carried by the ,vandals into ,africa1   
she sent to beg the advice of ,st4      
,simeon ,stylites4 ,he answered1 that   
her misfortunes were the punishment of  
her sin1 in forsaking and persecuting   
the orthodox faith2 and ordered her to  

follow the direction of ,euthymius4 ,she
 knew that our saint admitted no woman  
within the precinct of his ,laura1 no   
more than ,st4 ,simeon suffered them to 
step within the enclosure of the mandra 
or lodge #ahg about his pillar4 ,she    
therefore built a tower on the east side
 of the desert1 thirty furlongs from the
 ,laura1 and prayed ,st4 ,euthymius to  
meet her there4 ,his advice to her was  
to forsake the ,eutychians and their    
impious patriarch ,theodosius1 and to   
receive the council of ,chalcedon4 ,she 
followed his advice as the command of   
,god1 and returning to ,jerusalem1      
embraced the ,catholic communion with   
the orthodox patriarch ,juvenal2 and an 
incredible number followed her example4 
,she spent the rest of her life in works
 of penance and piety4 ,in #dei1 she    
desired ,st4 ,euthymius to meet her at  
her tower1 designing to settle on his   
,laura sufficient revenues for its      
subsistence4 ,he sent her word to spare 
herself the trouble1 and to prepare     

herself for death2 for ,god summoned her
 before his tribunal4 ,she admired his  
disinterestedness1 returned to          
,jerusalem1 and died shortly after4 ,one
 of the latest disciples of our saint   
was the young ,st4 ,sabas1 whom he      
tenderly loved4 ,in the year #dgc1 on   
the #acth of ,january1 ,martyrius and   
,elias1 to both whom ,st4 ,euthymius had
 foretold the patriarchate of           
,jerusalem1 came with several others to 
visit him1 and to conduct him into his  
,lent-retreat4 ,but he said he would    
stay with them all that week1 and leave 
them on the ,saturday following1        
meaning1 by death4 ,three days after he 
gave orders that a general watching     
should be observed on the eve of ,st4   
,antony's festival1 on which he made a  
discourse to his spiritual children1    
exhorting them to humility and charity4 
,he appointed ,elias his successor1 and 
foretold ,domitian1 a beloved disciple1 
that he would follow him out of this    
world1 on the seventh day1 which        

happened accordingly4 ,euthymius died on
 ,saturday the #bhth day of ,january1   
being ninety-five years old1 of which he
 had spent sixty-eight in the deserts4  
,cyril relates his having appeared      
several times after his death1 and the  
many miracles that were wrought by his  
intercession2 to several of which he    
declares himself an eye-witness4 ,st4   
,sabas kept his festival immediately    
after his death2 which is observed both 
by the ,latins and ,greeks4 ,the latter 
always style him the ,great4 ,it appears
 from his life that he was ordained     
priest before he embraced an eremitical 
state1 and that he founded two          
monasteries1 besides a ,laura1 which was
 also converted into a monastery after  
his death4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,a ,laura  
consisted of cells at a little distance 
from one another1     and not under the 
same roof1 as a monastery4  ,,st4       
,,fechin1 ,,abbot4  ,,an ancient hymn on
 this saint is published by ,bollandus4 
,he is honored with singular devotion at

 ,foure1 anciently called ,fobhar1 a    
village in ,west-,meath1 where he       
governed a monastery with great         
sanctity2 and happily departed to our   
,lord in the year #ffd1 being carried   
off in the great pestilence which swept 
off four kings in ,ireland2 and which   
scarce a third part of the inhabitants  
survived4 ,see his life in ,bollandus2  
also ,giraldus ,cambr4 ,topog4 ,hibern4 
dist4 #b1 c4 #eb1 and ,colgan4 ,giraldus
 mentions ,st4 ,fechin's mill at ,foure1
 which out of respect it is forbid for  
any woman ever to enter4 ,several       
churches1 and some villages in ,ireland1
 take their name from this saint4  #ahh 
,,january ,,xxi4  ,,saint ,,agnes1      
,v4,m4  ,the following relation is taken
 from ,prudentius1 de ,coron4 hym4 #ad1 
,st4 ,ambrose1 l4 #a1 de ,virgin4       
,offic4 t4 #a1 c4 #da1 and other        
fathers4 ,her acts are as ancient as the
 seventh century2 but not sufficiently  
authentic3 nor are those given us in    
,chaldaic by ,stephen ,assemani of a    

better stamp4 ,they contradict ,st4     
,ambrose and ,prudentius in supposing   
that she finished her martyrdom by fire4
 ,see ,tillemont1 t4 #e4  ,a4,d4 #cjd1  
or #cje4  ,,st4 ,,jerom says1#a that the
 tongues and pens of all nations are    
employed in the praises of this saint1  
who overcame both the cruelty of the    
tyrant and the tenderness of her age1   
and crowned the glory of chastity with  
that of martyrdom4 ,st4 ,austin         
observes1#b that her name signifies     
chaste in ,greek1 and lamb in ,latin4   
,she has been always looked upon in the 
church as a special patroness of purity1
 with the immaculate ,mother of ,god and
 ,st4 ,thecla4 ,rome was the theatre of 
the triumph of ,st4 ,agnes2 and         
,prudentius says1 that her tomb was     
shown within sight of that city4 ,she   
suffered not long after the beginning of
 the persecution of ,dioclesian1 whose  
bloody edicts appeared in ,march in the 
year of our ,lord #cjc4 ,we learn from  
,st4 ,ambrose and ,st4 ,austin1 that she

 was only thirteen years of age at the  
time of her glorious death4 ,her riches 
and beauty excited the young noblemen of
 the first families of ,rome1 to vie    
with one another in their addresses1 who
 should gain her in marriage4#c ,agnes  
answered them all1 that she had         
consecrated her virginity to a heavenly 
spouse1 who could not be beheld by      
mortal eyes4 ,her suitors finding her   
resolution impregnable to all their arts
 and importunities1 accused her to the  
governor as a ,christian2 not doubting  
but threats and torments would overcome 
her tender mind1 on which allurements   
could make no impression4 ,the judge at 
first employed the mildest expressions  
and most inviting promises2 to which    
,agnes paid no regard1 repeating always1
 that she could have no other spouse    
than ,jesus ,christ4 ,he then made use  
of threats1 but found her soul endowed  
with a masculine courage1 and even      
desirous of racks and death4 ,at last1  
terrible fires were made1 and iron      

hooks1 racks1 and other instruments of  
torture displayed before her1 with      
threats of immediate execution4 ,the    
young virgin surveyed them all with an  
undaunted eye2 and with a cheerful      
countenance beheld the fierce and cruel 
executioners surrounding her1 and ready 
to dispatch her at the word of command4 
,she was so far from betraying the least
 symptom of fear1 that she even         
expressed her joy at the sight1 and     
offered herself to the rack4 ,she was   
then dragged before the idols1 and      
commanded to offer incense3 but could by
 no means be compelled to move her hand1
 except to make the sign of the cross1  
says ,st4 ,ambrose4  ,the governor      
seeing his measures ineffectual1 said he
 would send her to a house of           
prostitution1 where what she prized so  
highly should be exposed to the insults 
of the debauchees4#d ,agnes answered    
that ,jesus ,christ was too jealous of  
the purity of his spouses1 to suffer it 
to be violated in such a manner2 for he 

was their defender and protector4 ,you  
may1 said she1 stain your sword with my 
blood1 but will never be able to profane
 my body1 consecrated to ,christ4 ,the  
governor was so incensed at this1 that  
he #ahi ordered her to be immediately   
led to the public brothel1 with liberty 
to all persons to abuse her person at   
pleasure4 ,many young profligates ran   
thither1 full of the wicked desire of   
gratifying their lust2 but were seized  
with such awe at the sight of the saint1
 that they durst not approach her2 one  
only excepted1 who1 attempting to be    
rude to her1 was that very instant1 by a
 flash1 as it were1 of lightning from   
heaven1 struck blind1 and fell trembling
 to the ground4 ,his companions1        
terrified1 took him up1 and carried him 
to ,agnes1 who was at a distance1       
singing hymns of praise to ,christ1 her 
protector4 ,the virgin by prayer        
restored him to his sight and health4#e 
,the chief prosecutor of the saint1 who 
at first sought to gratify his lust and 

avarice1 now labored to satiate his     
revenge1 by incensing the judge against 
her2 his passionate fondness being      
changed into anger and rage4 ,the       
governor wanted not others to spur him  
on2 for he was highly exasperated to see
 himself baffled1 and set at defiance by
 one of her tender age and sex4         
,therefore1 resolved upon her death1 he 
condemned her to be beheaded4 ,agnes1   
transported with joy on hearing this    
sentence1 and still more at the sight of
 the executioner1 went to the place of  
execution more cheerfully1 says ,st4    
,ambrose1 than others go to their       
wedding4 ,the executioner had secret    
instructions to use all means to induce 
her to a compliance3 but ,agnes always  
answered she could never offer so great 
an injury to her heavenly spouse2 and   
having made a short prayer1 bowed down  
her neck to adore ,god1 and receive the 
stroke of death4 ,the spectators wept to
 see so beautiful and tender a virgin   
loaded with fetters1 and to behold her  

fearless under the very sword of the    
executioner1 who with a trembling hand  
cut off her head at one stroke4 ,her    
body was buried at a small distance from
 ,rome1 near the ,nomentan road4 ,a     
church was built on the spot in the time
 of ,constantine the ,great1 and was    
repaired by pope ,honorius in the       
seventh century4 ,it is now in the hands
 of ,canon-,regulars1 standing without  
the walls of ,rome2 and is honored with 
her relics in a very rich silver shrine1
 the gift of pope ,paul ,v41 in whose   
time they were found in this church1    
together with those of ,st4             
,emerentiana4#f ,the other beautiful    
rich church of ,st4 ,agnes within the   
city1 built by pope ,innocent ,x41 7the 
right of patronage being vested in the  
family of ,pamphili17 stands on the     
place where her chastity was exposed4   
,the feast of ,st4 ,agnes is mentioned  
in all ,martyrologies1 both of the ,east
 and ,west1 though on different days4   
,it was formerly a holyday for the women

 in ,england1 as appears from the       
council of ,worcester1 held in the year 
#abdj4 ,st4 ,ambrose1 ,st4 ,austin1 and 
other fathers have wrote her panegyric4 
,st4 ,martin of ,tours was singularly   
devout to her4 ,thomas a ,kempis honored
 her as his special patroness1 as his   
works declare in many places4 ,he       
relates many miracles wrought1 and      
graces received through her             
intercession4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,marriage is a    
holy state1 instituted by ,god1 and in  
the order of providence and nature the  
general or most ordinary state of those 
who live in the world4 ,those1          
therefore1 who upon motives of virtue1  
and in a ,christian and holy manner     
engage in this state1 do well4 ,those1  
nevertheless1 who for the sake of       
practising more perfect virtue1 by a    
divine call1 prefer a state of perpetual
 #aij virginity1 embrace that which is  
more perfect and more excellent4 ,dr4   
,wells1 a learned ,protestant1 confesses

 that ,christ#g declares voluntary      
chastity1 for the kingdom of heaven's   
sake1 to be an excellency1 and an       
excellent state of life4#h ,this is also
 the manifest inspired doctrine of ,st4 
,paul1#i and in the revelations of ,st4 
,john1#aj spotless virgins are called1  
in a particular manner1 the companions  
of the ,lamb1 and are said to enjoy the 
singular privilege of following him     
wherever he goes4 ,the tradition of the 
church has always been unanimous in this
 point2 and among the ,romans1 ,greeks  
,syrians1 and ,barbarians1 many holy    
virgins joyfully preferred torments and 
death to the violation of their         
integrity1 which they bound themselves  
by vow to preserve without defilement1  
in mind or body4 ,the fathers1 from the 
very disciples of the apostles1 are all 
profuse in extolling the excellency of  
holy virginity1 as a special fruit of   
the incarnation of ,christ1 his divine  
institution1 and a virtue which has     
particular charms in the eyes of ,god1  

who delights in chaste minds1 and       
chooses to dwell singularly in them4    
,they often repeat that purity raises   
men1 even in this mortal life1 to the   
dignity of angels2 purifies the soul1   
fits it for a more perfect love of ,god 
and a closer application to heavenly    
things1 and disengages the mind and     
heart from worldly thoughts and         
affections4 ,it produces in the soul the
 clearest resemblance to ,god4 ,chastity
 is threefold2 that of virgins1 that of 
widows1 and that of married persons2 in 
each state it will receive its crown1 as
 ,st4 ,ambrose observes1#aa but in the  
first is most perfect1 so that ,st4     
,austin calls its fruit an hundred fold1
 and that of marriage sixty fold2 but   
the more excellent this virtue is1 and  
the higher its glory and reward1 the    
more heroic and the more difficult is   
its victory2 nor is it perfect unless it
 be embellished with all other virtues  
in an heroic degree1 especially divine  
charity and the most profound humility4 

,footnotes3 #a4  ,ep4 #h4 #b4  ,serm4   
#bgd4 #c4  ,footnote3 ,s4 ,ambrose1 l4  
#a1 ,virgin4 #d4  ,prudent4 ,s4         
,ambrose4 #e4  ,st4 ,basil witnesses1   
7l4 de vera ,virgin417 that when virgins
 were     exposed by the persecutors to 
the attempts of lewd men1 ,christ       
wonderfully interposed in defence of    
their chastity4 ,tertullian             
reproached the heathens with this       
impiety1 in these words3 ,apolog4       
,by condemning the ,christian maid      
rather to the lewd youth than to     the
 lion1 you have acknowledged that a     
stain of purity is more     dreaded by  
us than any torments or death4 ,yet your
 crafty cruelty     avails you not3 it  
rather serves to gain men over to our   
holy     religion4 #f4  ,this church    
gives title to a cardinal1 and every    
year on her feast     the abbot of ,st4 
,peter's ad ,vincula blesses in it1 at  
high mass1 two     lambs1 which are     
thence carried to the pope1 by whom they
 are again     blessed4 ,after which    

they are sent to the nuns of ,st4       
,laurence's in     ,panisperna1 or      
sometimes to the ,capucinesses1 who make
 of their wool     palliums1 which his  
holiness blesses1 and sends to          
archbishops as     emblem of meekness   
and spotless purity4 #g4  ,matt4 xix4   
#aa4 #h4  ,wells1 ,paraph4 on ,s4 ,matt4
 p4 #ahe4 #i4  #a ,cor4 vii4 #g1 #h1    
#be1 #bg1 #cb1 #ch4 #aj4 ,apoc4 xiv4 #a1
 #c1 #d1 #e4 #aa4 ,s4 ,ambr4 l4 de      
,viduis1 t4 #e1 p4 #fce4  ,,saint       
,,fructuosus1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,tarragon1 
,,and ,,his ,,companions1 ,,martyrs     
,from his most valuable acts in         
,ruinart1 quoted by ,st4 ,austin1 ,serm4
 #bgc1 and transcribed by ,prudentius1  
hymno #f4  ,a4,d4 #bei4  ,,st4          
,,fructuosus was the zealous and truly  
apostolical bishop of ,tarragon1 then   
the capital city of ,spain4 ,the        
persecution of ,valerian and ,gallien   
raging in the year #bei1 he was         
apprehended by an order of ,emilian the 
governor1 who sent the soldiers1 called 

,beneficiarii1#a for that purpose4 ,they
 seized the good bishop in his lodgings1
 with two deacons1 ,augurius and        
,eulogius1 on ,sunday the #afth of      
,january4 ,he was then laid down on his 
bed1 and only asked leave to put on his 
shoes2 after which he cheerfully        
followed the guards1 who committed him  
and his two companions to close prison1 
where he spent his time with them in    
fervent prayer1 full of joy at the      
prospect of the crown prepared for them4
 ,he gave his benediction to the        
faithful who visited him1 and           
recommended themselves to his prayers4  
,on ,monday he baptized in jail a       
catechumen named ,rogatianus4 ,on       
,wednesday he kept the usual fast of the
 stations#b till none1 or three o'clock 
in #aia the afternoon4 ,on ,friday1 the 
sixth day after their commitment1 the   
#bast of ,january1 the governor ordered 
them to be brought before him1 and asked
 ,fructuosus if he knew the contents of 
the late edict of the emperors4 ,the    

saint answered that he did not1 but that
 whatever they were1 he was a           
,christian4 ,the emperors1 said         
,emilian1 command all to sacrifice to   
the gods4 ,fructuosus answered1 ,i adore
 one ,god1 who made heaven and earth and
 all things therein4 ,emilian said1 ,do 
you not know that there are gods8 ,no1  
replied the saint4 ,the proconsul said1 
,i will make you know it shortly4 ,st4  
,fructuosus then lifted up his eyes to  
heaven1 and began to pray in private4   
,the proconsul broke out into this      
exclamation3 ,what will any man fear or 
adore on earth1 if he contemns the      
worship of the immortal gods1 and of the
 emperors8 ,then turning to the deacon  
,angurius1 he bade him not regard what  
,fructuosus had said3 but he satisfied  
him in a few words that he adored the   
same almighty ,god4 ,emilian lastly     
addressed himself to the other deacon1  
,eulogius1 asking him if he did not     
adore ,fructuosus4 ,the holy man        
answered1 ,i adore not ,fructuosus1 but 

the same ,god whom he adores4 ,emilian  
asked ,fructuosus if he was a bishop2   
and added1 upon his confessing it1 say  
you have been one2 meaning that he was  
going to lose his dignity with his life3
 and immediately condemned them to be   
burnt alive4  ,the pagans themselves    
could not refrain from tears1 on seeing 
them led to the amphitheatre2 for they  
loved ,fructuosus on account of his rare
 virtues4 ,the ,christians accompanied  
them with a sorrow mixed with joy4 ,the 
martyrs exulted to behold themselves on 
the verge of a glorious eternity4 ,the  
faithful offered ,st4 ,fructuosus a cup 
of wine1 but he would not taste it1     
saying1 it was not yet the hour of      
breaking the fast1 which was observed on
 ,fridays till three o'clock1 and it was
 then only ten in the morning4 ,the holy
 man hoped to end the station1 or fast  
of that day1 with the patriarchs and    
prophets in heaven4 ,when they were come
 into the amphitheatre1 ,augustalis1 the
 bishop's lector1 came to him weeping1  

and begged he would permit him to pull  
off his shoes4 ,the martyr said he could
 easily put them off himself1 which he  
did4 ,felix1 a ,christian soldier1      
stepped in1 and desired he would        
remember him in his prayers4 ,fructuosus
 said aloud3 ,i am bound to pray for the
 whole ,catholic church spread over the 
world from the east to the west2 as if  
he had said1 as ,st4 ,austin observes1  
who much applauds this sentence3#c      
,remain always in the bosom of the      
,catholic church1 and you will have a   
share in my prayers4 ,martial1 one of   
his flock1 desired him to speak some    
words of comfort to his desolate church4
 ,the bishop1 turning to the            
,christians1 said1 ,my brethren1 the    
,lord will not leave you a flock without
 a pastor4 ,he is faithful to his       
promises4 ,do not grieve for me4 ,the   
hour of my suffering is short4 ,the     
martyrs were fastened to wooden stakes  
to be burnt2 but the flame seemed at    
first to respect their bodies1 having   

consumed only the bands with which their
 hands were tied1 giving them liberty to
 stretch out their arms in the form of a
 cross in prayer1 in which posture they 
gave up their souls to ,god before the  
fire had touched them4 ,babylas and     
,mygdone1 two ,christian servants of the
 governor1 saw the heavens open1 and the
 saints carried up with crowns on their 
heads4 ,the faithful came in the night1 
extinguished the fire1 and took out the 
half-burnt bodies4 ,every one carried   
some part of their remains home with    
them2 but being admonished from heaven1 
brought them back and laid them in the  
same monument4 ,st4 ,austin has left us 
a panegyric on ,st4 ,fructuosus1        
pronounced on the anniversary day of his
 martyrdom1 on which his name has been  
always famous in the western church1    
especially in ,spain and ,africa4       
,footnotes3 #a4  ,beneficiarii were     
soldiers distinguished by certain       
privileges1 and     who stood for       
promotion1 as ,vegetius informs us1 l4  

#b1 c4 #g4 #b4  ,wednesdays and ,fridays
 were fast-days at that time2 but only  
till     none1 that is1 three in the    
afternoon1 and called the fast of the   
stations4 #c4  ,serm4 #bgc4  #aib       
,,st4 ,,vimin1 ,,or ,,vivian1 ,b4,c41   
,,in ,,scotland4  ,,by the fervent      
practices of the most perfect monastic  
discipline in one of the famous abbeys  
in ,fifeshire1 he qualified himself to  
become1 by word and example1 a guide and
 director to many chosen souls in the   
paths of evangelical perfection4 ,this  
appeared in the fruits of his zealous   
preaching and labors1 when he was raised
 to the abbatial1 and soon after to the 
episcopal dignity2 for at that time1    
very few bishoprics being erected in    
,scotland1 it was customary for learned 
and holy abbots of great monasteries to 
be often consecrated bishops1 and to be 
attended by their monks in performing   
their functions2 as venerable ,bede     
informs us1 speaking of ,st4 ,aidan4#a  
,st4 ,vimin1 to shun the danger of      

vain-glory1 to which the reputation of  
many miracles which he had wrought      
exposed him1 removed to a more solitary 
place1 and there founded the abbey of   
,holywood1 called in ,latin             
,sacrum-boscum1 in succeeding ages      
famous for many learned men2            
particularly the great mathematician1   
,john a ,sacro-bosco1 in the thirteenth 
century4 ,king places the death of ,st4 
,vimin in #fae1 but brings no proofs for
 dating it so high4 ,the noble and very 
ancient family of ,wemse1 in ,fifeshire1
 is said in ,scotland to be of the same 
lineage with this saint4 ,the ancient   
prayer in the ,aberdeen breviary on his 
festival1 and other monuments1 bear     
evidence to the great devotion of the   
ancient ,scottish church to his memory4 
,see ,breviarium ,aberdonense of        
,chronicou ,skonense4  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,bede1 ,hist4 l4 #d1 c4 #ag1 c4  ,,st4  
,,publius1 ,b4,m4  ,,he succeeded ,st4  
,dionysius the ,areopagite in the see of
 ,athens1 as we are assured by ,st4     

,dionysius of ,corinth1 quoted by       
,eusebius4#a ,he went to ,god by        
martyrdom1 and ,st4 ,quadratus was      
chosen third bishop of that city4 ,see  
,le ,quien1 ,or4 ,christ4 t4 #b1 p4     
#afi4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,euseb4 l4 #d1  
c4 #bb4  ,,st4 ,,epiphanius1 ,,bishop   
,,of ,,pavia1  ,,from #dfg ,,to #dig4   
,,the reputation of ,epiphanius for     
sanctity and miracles1 gave him the     
highest credit with all the last weak   
,roman emperors1 and with the kings     
,odoacer and ,theodoric1 though all of  
opposite interests4 ,by his admirable   
eloquence and charity he often disarmed 
the most savage barbarians1 obtained the
 lives and liberty of whole armies of   
captives1 the abolition of several      
oppressive laws1 and the mitigation of  
heavy public imposts and taxes4 ,by his 
profuse charities he preserved an       
incredible number of distressed persons 
from perishing1 and by his zeal he      
stemmed the torrent of iniquity in times
 of universal disorder and calamity4 ,he

 performed an embassy to the emperor    
,anthemius1 and another to king ,euric  
at ,toulouse2 both to avert the dangers 
of war4 ,he rebuilt ,pavia1 which had   
been destroyed by ,odoacer1 and         
mitigated the fury of ,theodoric in the 
heat of his victories4 ,he undertook a  
journey into ,burgundy1 to redeem       
captives detained by the kings          
,gondebald and ,godegisile1 and died of 
a cold and fever at ,pavia1 in the      
fifty-eighth year of his age4 ,his body 
was translated to ,hildesheim in ,lower 
#aic ,saxony1 in #ifc4 ,brower thinks it
 lies in a silver coffin near the high  
altar4 ,his name is inserted in the     
,roman ,martyrology4 ,see his panegyric 
in verse1 by ,ennodius1 his successor1  
the master-piece of that author1        
published by ,bollandus and ,f4         
,sirmond4 ,consult also ,marroni1 of the
 ,schola ,pia ,comment4 de ,ecclesia    
,episcopis ,papiensibus4 ,romae4 ,an4   
#ageh4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,b4 ,,macelain1
 ,a4 ,his name in ,irish signifies the  

son of ,chilian4     ,passing into      
,belgic ,gaul1 in order to lead there an
 anchoretical     life1 he was appointed
 abbot of ,st4 ,michael's on the borders
 of     ,hainault1 and of ,vasour1 or   
,vasencour1 on the ,meuse1 in the       
diocese     of ,namur3 monasteries which
 were just founded4 ,he appointed ,st4  
,cadroe1 who had accompanied him from   
,ireland1 provost of the latter     in  
#idf1 and died in #igh4 ,ferrarius1     
,saussaye1 and ,wilson1 falsely         
place this monastery of ,st4 ,michael's 
at ,virdun1 mistaking the     epithet   
,vir ,dni1 which is given him in the    
chronicle of ,flodoard1     for the name
 of that town4 ,though he is styled     
saint in the     catalogue of the abbots
 of ,vasour1 and by several             
martyrologists on     this day1 he never
 was honored in any public office even  
in either     of his monasteries1 as    
,bollandus observes2 who makes the same 
remark     of his two companions1 ,b4   
,forannand and ,b4 ,cadroe4 ,this latter

 was     called from ,vasour1 and made  
abbot of ,st4 ,clement's1 at ,metz1     
where     he died in #ige4 ,see         
,bolland4 t4 #b1 p4 #chf4 ,chatelain1 p4
 #cga4 ,gallia     ,christ4 ,nova1 t4   
#c1 p4 #egj4      ,b4 ,,forannand1      
,b4,c4 ,this saint is styled in ancient 
chronicles1     ,archbishop of          
,domnachmor1 in ,ireland4 ,domnach      
signifying church1 and     mor1 the     
greater1 says ,mabillon3 by which       
epithet many understand     ,armagh4    
,resigning his see1 he travelled into   
,belgic ,gaul1 with     twelve          
companions1 among whom were ,b4         
,macelain1 and ,b4 ,cadroe4 ,after      
leading for some time an eremitical     
life1 he was commanded by pope          
,benedict ,,vii4 to take upon him the   
charge of the government of     ,vasour1
 in which employment he died on the last
 day of ,april1 in     #ihb4 ,see       
,gallia ,christ4 ,nova1 t4 #c4 p4 #ega4 
,,january ,,xxii4  ,,st4 ,,vincent1     
,,martyr4  ,from ,prudentius1 hymn #e1  

and ,st4 ,austin1 serm1 #bgd1 #bge1     
#bgf1 #bgg1 all four preached on his    
festivals4 ,his ancient acts in         
,bollandus are also authentic1 but not  
those in ,metaphrastes and ,surius4 ,see
 ,tillemont t4 #e1 p4 #bag4  ,a4,d4     
#cii4  ,,the most glorious martyr ,st4  
,vincent was born1 some say at          
,saragossa1 others at ,valentia1 but    
most authors1 and most probably1 at     
,osca1 now ,huesca1 in ,granada4 ,he was
 instructed in the sacred sciences and  
in ,christian piety by ,valerius1 the   
bishop of that city1 who ordained him   
his deacon1 and appointed him1 though   
very young1 to preach and instruct the  
people4 ,dacian1 a most bloody          
persecutor1 was then governor of ,spain4
 ,the emperors ,dioclesian and ,maximian
 published their second and third bloody
 edicts against the ,christian clergy in
 the year #cjc1 which in the following  
year were put in force against the      
laity4 ,it seems to have been before    
these last that ,dacian put to death    

eighteen martyrs at ,saragossa1 who are 
mentioned by ,prudentius1 and in the    
,roman ,martyrology1 ,january the #afth1
 and that he apprehended ,valerius and  
,vincent4 ,they spilt some of their     
blood at ,saragossa1 but were thence    
conducted to ,valentia1 where the       
governor let them lie long in prison1   
suffering extreme famine and other      
miseries4 ,the proconsul hoped that this
 lingering torture would shake their    
constancy2 but when they were brought   
out before him1 he was surprised to see 
them still intrepid in mind1 and        
vigorous in body1 and reprimanded his   
officers1 as if they had not treated the
 prisoners according to his orders4     
,then1 turning to the champions of      
,christ1 he employed alternately threats
 and promises to induce them to         
sacrifice4 ,valerius1 who had an        
impediment in his speech1 making no     
answer1 ,vincent said to him ,father1 if
 you order me1 ,i will speak4 ,son1 said
 ,valerius1 as ,i committed to you the  

dispensation of the word of ,god1 so ,i 
now charge you to answer in vindication 
of the faith which we defend4 ,the holy 
deacon then acquainted the judge that   
they were ready to suffer every thing   
for the #aid true ,god1 and little      
regarded either his threats or promises 
in such a cause4 ,dacian contented      
himself with banishing ,valerius4#a ,as 
for ,st4 ,vincent1 he was determined to 
assail his resolution by every torture  
his cruel temper could suggest4 ,st4    
,austin assures us1 that he suffered    
torments far beyond what any man could  
possibly have endured1 unless supported 
by a supernatural strength2 and that he 
preserved such a peace and tranquillity 
in his words1 countenance1 and gestures 
in the midst of them1 as astonished his 
very persecutors1 and visibly appeared  
as something divine2 while the rage and 
distraction of ,dacian's soul was as    
visible in the violent agitations of his
 body1 by his eyes sparkling with fury1 
and his faltering voice4  ,the martyr   

was first stretched on the rack by his  
hands and feet1 drawn by cords and      
pulleys1 till his joints were almost    
torn asunder3 while he hung in this     
posture1 his flesh was unmercifully torn
 off with iron hooks4 ,vincent1 smiling1
 called the executioners weak and       
faint-hearted4 ,dacian thought they     
spared him1 and caused them to be       
beaten1 which afforded the champion an  
interval of rest3 but they soon returned
 to him1 resolved fully to satisfy the  
cruelty of their master1 who excited    
them all the while to exert their utmost
 strength4 ,they twice stayed their     
hands to take breath1 and let his wounds
 grow cold2 then began with fresh vigor 
to rend and tear his body1 which they   
did in all its limbs and parts with such
 cruelty1 that his bones and bowels were
 in most places exposed bare to sight4  
,the more his body was mangled1 the more
 did the divine presence cherish and    
comfort his soul1 and spread a greater  
joy on his countenance4 ,the judge1     

seeing the streams of blood which flowed
 from all the parts of his body1 and the
 frightful condition to which it was    
reduced1 was obliged to confess1 with   
astonishment1 that the courage of the   
young nobleman had vanquished him2 and  
his rage seemed somewhat abated4        
,hereupon he ordered a cessation of his 
torments1 begging of the saint for his  
own sake1 that if he could not be       
prevailed upon to offer sacrifice to the
 gods1 he would at least give up the    
sacred books to be burnt1 according to  
the order of the late edicts4 ,the      
martyr answered1 that he feared his     
torments less than that false compassion
 which he testified4 ,dacian1 more      
incensed than ever1 condemned him to the
 most cruel of tortures1 that of fire   
upon a kind of gridiron1 called by the  
acts the legal torture4#b ,the saint    
walked with joy to the frightful engine1
 so as almost to get the start of his   
executioners1 such was his desire to    
suffer4 ,he mounted cheerfully the iron 

bed1 in which the bars were framed like 
scythes1 full of sharp spikes made      
red-hot by the fire underneath4 ,on this
 dreadful gridiron1 the martyr was      
stretched out at length1 and bound fast 
down4 ,he was not only scourged thereon1
 but1 while one part of his body was    
broiling next the fire1 the other was   
tortured by the application of red-hot  
plates of iron4 ,his wounds were rubbed 
with salt1 which the activity of the    
fire forced the deeper into his flesh   
and bowels4 ,all the parts of his body  
were tormented in this manner1 one after
 the other1 and each several times over4
 ,the melted fat dropping from the      
flesh1 nourished and increased the      
flames2 which1 instead of tormenting1   
seemed1 as ,st4 ,austin says1 to give   
the martyr new vigor and courage2 for   
the more he suffered1 the greater seemed
 to be the inward joy and consolation of
 his soul4 ,the rage and confusion of   
the tyrant exceeded all bounds3 he      
appeared not able to contain himself1   

and was continually inquiring what      
,vincent did and what he said2 but was  
always answered1 that he suffered with  
joy in his countenance1 and seemed every
 moment to acquire new strength and     
resolution4 #aie ,he lay unmoved1 his   
eyes turned towards heaven1 his mind    
calm1 and his heart fixed on ,god in    
continual prayer4  ,at last1 by the     
command of the proconsul1 he was thrown 
into a dungeon and his wounded body laid
 on the floor strewed with broken       
potsherds1 which opened afresh his      
ghastly wounds1 and cut his bare flesh4 
,his legs were set in wooden stocks1    
stretched very wide1 and strict orders  
were given that he should be left       
without provisions1 and that no one     
should be admitted to see or speak to   
him4 ,but ,god sent his angels to       
comfort him1 with whom he sung the      
praises of his protector4 ,the jailer   
observing through the chinks the prison 
filled with light1 and the saint walking
 and praising ,god1 was converted upon  

the spot to the ,christian faith1 and   
afterwards baptized4 ,at this news      
,dacian chafed1 and even wept through   
rage1 but ordered some repose should be 
allowed the prisoner4 ,the faithful were
 then permitted to see him1 and coming  
in troops wiped and kissed his wounds1  
and dipped cloths in his blood1 which   
they kept as an assured protection for  
themselves and their posterity4 ,after  
this a soft bed was prepared for him1 on
 which he was no sooner laid but he     
expired1 the happy moment he had not    
ceased to pray for ever since his       
torments1 and his first call to         
martyrdom4 ,dacian commanded his body to
 be thrown on a marshy field among      
rushes2 but a crow defended it from wild
 beasts and birds of prey4 ,the acts in 
,ruinart and ,bollandus1 and the sermon 
attributed to ,st4 ,leo1 add1 that it   
was then tied to a great stone and cast 
into the sea in a sack1 but miraculously
 carried to the shore1 and revealed to  
two ,christians4 ,they laid it in a     

little chapel out of the walls of       
,valentia1 where ,god honored these     
relics with many miracles1 as the acts  
and ,st4 ,austin witness4 ,prudentius   
informs us1 that the iron on which he   
lay1 and other instruments of his       
passion1 were likewise preserved with   
veneration4 ,childebert1 king of        
,france1 or rather of ,paris1 besieging 
,saragossa1 wondered to see the         
inhabitants busied continually in making
 processions4 ,being informed they      
carried the stole of ,st4 ,vincent about
 the walls in devout prayer1 and had    
been miraculously protected by that     
martyr's intercession1 he raised the    
siege upon condition that relic should  
be given him4 ,this he with great       
solemnity brought to ,paris1 and        
enriched with it the magnificent church 
and abbey of ,st4 ,vincent1 now called  
,st4 ,germain-des-,pres1 which he built 
in #eei1 and which his successor        
,clotaire caused to be dedicated4#c ,in 
the year #hee1 his sacred bones were    

discovered at ,valentia1 and conveyed   
into ,france1 and deposited in the abbey
 of ,castres1 now an episcopal see in   
,languedoc1 where they remain2 but      
several portions have been given to the 
abbey of ,st4 ,germain-des-,pres at     
,paris1 and other churches2 and part was
 burnt at ,castres by the ,huguenots    
about the end of the sixteenth          
century4#d ,aimoinus1 a contemporary    
monk1 wrote the history of this         
translation1 with an account of many    
miracles which attended it4#e ,st4      
,gregory of ,tours mentions a portion of
 his relics to have been famous for     
miracles1 in a village church near      
,poictiers4#f ,in the life of ,st4      
,domnolus1 mention is made of a portion 
placed by him in a great monastery in   
the suburb of the city of ,mans4 ,but it
 is certain that the chief part of this 
martyr's body was conveyed to ,lisbon4  
,to escape the cruel persecution of the 
,saracen king ,abderamene1 at ,valentia1
 many ,christians privately withdrew    

themselves1 and1 carrying with them the 
body of ,st4 ,vincent1 took shelter on  
the southwest cape1 called #aif the     
,sacred ,promontory1 and from these     
relics ,st4 ,vincent's1 in the kingdom  
of ,algarb1 then under the ,saracens4   
,alphonsus ,henry1 the most pious first 
king of ,portugal1 son of count ,henry1 
having defeated five ,moorish kings1 at 
,ourique1 in the year #aaci1 received   
from those faithful keepers the body of 
,st4 ,vincent1 sent it by sea to        
,lisbon1 and built the royal monastery  
of the ,cross of regular canons of ,st4 
,austin1 in which he most religiously   
deposited this treasure1 rendered more  
famous by miracles1 in the year #aadh4  
,this account is recorded by            
contemporary unexceptionable vouchers in
 ,bollandus1 p4 #djf4 ,mariana1 and     
especially ,thomas ab ,incarnatione1 a  
regular canon1 in his ,historia         
,ecclesiae ,lusitanae1 printed at       
,lisbon1 ,a4,d4 #agei1 ,saec4 #d1 c4 #f1
 t4 #a1 p4 #bae4 ,the ,portuguese1 ever 

since the year #aagc1 keep an annual    
commemoration of this translation on the
 #aeth of ,september1 which feast was   
confirmed by ,sixtus ,v4  ,prudentius   
finishes his hymn on this holy martyr by
 a prayer to him1 that he would present 
the marks of his sufferings to ,christ1 
to move him to compassion in his behalf4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,god never more visibly manifested  
his power1 nor gave stronger or more    
wonderful proofs of his tenderness and  
love for his church1 than when he       
suffered it to groan under the most     
violent oppression and persecution2 nor 
does his grace anywhere appear more     
triumphant than in the victories of his 
martyrs under the severest trials1 and  
in the heroic virtues which they        
displayed amidst torments and insults4  
,under the slightest disappointments and
 afflictions we are apt to fall into    
discouragement1 and to imagine1 by our  
sloth and impatience1 that our situation
 is of all others the most unhappy and  

intolerable4 ,if nature feels1 and we   
implore the divine mercy1 and a         
deliverance1 if this may be conducive to
 ,god's honor1 we must be careful never 
to sink under the trials1 or consent to 
the least secret murmuring3 we must bear
 them if not with joy1 at least with    
perfect submission2 and remain assured  
that ,god only seems to withdraw himself
 from us1 that we may follow him more   
earnestly1 and unite ourselves more     
closely to him4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,he is
 named in the ,roman ,martyrology1      
,january the #bhth1 and his     relics  
are kept with veneration at ,saragossa1 
famous for miracles     wrought by them 
even in the last age4 ,see ,bollandus1  
,january the     #bhth1 p4 #hch4 #b4    
,quaestio legitima4 #c4  ,s4 ,greg4     
,tur4 ,hist4 ,franc4 l4 #c1 c4 #bi4     
,aimoin4 de ,gestis ,franc4 l4     #b1  
c4 #ai and #bj4 ,ade ,in ,chron4 c4 #d4 
,see ,chatelain1 ,notes on the          
,martyrol4 p4 #cgh4 #e4  ,this ,aimoinus
 is something more ancient than another 

monk of the     same name1 who has left 
a history of ,france4 ,his relation     
depends     upon the authority of       
,audald1 a monk of ,conques in the      
diocese of     ,rhodes1 who brought them
 from ,valentia into ,languedoc4 ,see   
his     account in ,bollandus1 which yet
 the ,spaniards deny1 and say it could  
only be a small part of these bones3 or 
the body of another martyr     of the   
same name4 #f4  ,de ,gk4 ,mart4 l4 #a1  
c4 #ij4  ,,st4 ,,anastasius1 ,,martyr4  
,from his genuine acts1 which are       
commended in the seventh general        
council1 abut one hundred and sixty     
years after his death4  ,a4,d4 #fbh4    
,,st4 ,,anastasius was a trophy of the  
holy cross of ,christ1 when it was      
carried away into ,persia by ,chosroes1 
in the year #fad1 after he had taken and
 plundered ,jerusalem4 ,the martyr was a
 ,persian1 son of a ,magian1 instructed 
in the sciences of that sect1 and a     
young soldier in the ,persian troops4   
,upon hearing the news of the taking of 

the cross by his king1 he became very   
inquisitive concerning the ,christian   
religion3 and its sublime truths made   
such an impression on his mind1 that    
being returned into ,persia from an     
expedition into the ,roman empire1 he   
left the army with his brother1 who also
 served in it1 and retired to           
,hierapolis4 ,in that city he lodged    
with a devout ,persian ,christian1 a    
silversmith1 with whom he went often to 
prayer4 ,the holy pictures which he saw1
 moved him exceedingly1 and gave him    
occasion to inquire daily more into our 
faith1 and to admire the courage of the 
martyrs whose glorious sufferings were  
painted in the churches4 ,at length1    
desirous of baptism1 he left            
,hierapolis1 which city was subject to  
the ,persians1 and went to ,jerusalem1  
where he received that sacrament by the 
hands of ,modestus who governed that    
church as vicar during the absence #aig 
of the patriarch ,zachary1 whom         
,chosroes had led away captive into     

,persia4 ,in baptism he changed his     
,persian name ,magundat1 into that of   
,anastasius1 meaning1 according to the  
signification of that ,greek word1 that 
he was risen from death to a new and    
spiritual life4 ,he had prepared himself
 with wonderful devotion for that       
sacrament while a catechumen1 and he    
spent in no less fervor the several days
 after it1 which persons baptized passed
 in white garments1 in prayer1 and in   
receiving more perfect instructions in  
the faith4 ,at the end of this term1    
,anastasius1 the more easily and more   
perfectly to keep inviolably his sacred 
baptismal vows and obligations1 desired 
to become a monk in a monastery five    
miles distant from ,jerusalem4 ,justin1 
the abbot1 made him first learn the     
,greek tongue and the psalter2 then     
cutting off his hair1 gave him the      
monastic habit1 in the year #fba4       
,anastasius was always the first at all 
spiritual duties1 especially in         
assisting at the celebration of the     

divine mysteries4 ,his attention to     
pious discourse testified the earnest   
thirst of his soul2 nor was he less     
fervent in practice4 ,he never read the 
triumphs of the martyrs without         
abundance of tears1 and burned with an  
ardent desire of the like happiness4    
,being molested beyond measure with     
blasphemous thoughts of magic and       
superstitions1 which his father had     
taught him1 he was delivered from that  
troublesome temptation by discovering it
 to his director1 and by his advice and 
prayers4 ,after seven years spent in    
great perfection in this monastery1 his 
desire of martyrdom daily increasing1   
and having been assured by a revelation1
 that his prayers for that grace were   
heard1 he left that house1 and visited  
the places of devotion in ,palestine1 at
 ,diospolis1 ,garizim1 and our ,lady's  
church at ,caesarea1 where he stayed two
 days4 ,this city1 with the greatest    
part of ,syria1 was then subject to the 
,persians4 ,the saint seeing certain    

,persian soothsayers of the garrison    
occupied in their abominable            
superstitions in the streets1 boldly    
spoke to them1 remonstrating against the
 impiety of such practices4 ,the        
,persian magistrates apprehended him as 
a suspected spy2 but he informed them   
that he once enjoyed the dignity of     
,magian with them1 and had renounced it 
to become a humble follower of ,christ4 
,upon this confession he was thrown into
 a dungeon1 where he lay three days     
without eating of drinking1 till the    
return of ,marzabanes1 the governor1 to 
the city4 ,being interrogated by him1 he
 confessed his conversion to the faith1 
and equally despised his offers of great
 preferments1 and his threats of        
crucifying him4 ,marzabanes commanded   
him to be chained by the foot to another
 criminal1 and his neck and one foot to 
be also linked together by a heavy      
chain1 and condemned him in this        
condition to carry stones4 ,the         
,persians1 especially those of his own  

province of ,rasech1 and his former     
acquaintance1 upbraided him as the      
disgrace of his country1 kicked and beat
 him1 plucked his beard1 and loaded him 
with burdens above his strength4 ,the   
governor sent for him a second time1 but
 could by no means prevail with him to  
pronounce the impious words which the   
,magians used in their superstitions3 he
 said1 ,that the wilful calling them to 
remembrance would defile the heart4 ,the
 judge then threatened he would write   
immediately to the king against him1 if 
he did not comply4 ,write what you      
please1 said the saint1 ,i am a         
,christian3 ,i repeat it again1 ,i am a 
,christian4 ,marzabanes commanded him to
 be forthwith beaten with knotty clubs4 
,the executioners were preparing        
themselves to bind him fast on the      
ground2 but the saint told him it was   
unnecessary1 for he had courage enough  
to lie down under the punishment without
 moving1 and he regarded it as his      
greatest happiness and pleasure to      

suffer for ,christ4 ,he only begged     
leave to put off his monk's habit1 lest 
it should be treated with contempt1     
which only his body deserved4 ,he       
therefore laid it aside in a respectful 
manner1 and then stretched himself on   
the ground1 and without #aih being bound
 did not stir all the time of the cruel 
torment1 bearing it without changing his
 posture4 ,the governor again threatened
 him to acquaint the king of his        
obstinacy3 ,whom ought we rather to     
fear1 said ,anastasius1 a mortal man1 or
 ,god1 who made all things out of       
nothing8 ,the judge pressed him to      
sacrifice to fire1 and to the sun and   
moon4 ,the saint answered1 he could     
never acknowledge as gods1 creatures    
which ,god had made only for our use2   
upon which he was remanded to prison4   
,his old abbot hearing of his           
sufferings1 sent two monks to assist    
him1 and ordered prayers for him4 ,the  
confessor1 after carrying stones all the
 day1 spent the greatest part of the    

night in prayer1 to the surprise of his 
companions3 one of whom1 a ,jew1 saw and
 showed him to others at prayer in the  
night1 shining in brightness and glory  
like a blessed spirit1 and angels       
praying with him4 ,as the confessor was 
chained to a man condemned for a public 
crime1 he prayed always with his neck   
bowed downwards1 keeping his chained    
foot near his companion not to disturb  
him4 ,marzabanes in the mean time having
 informed ,chosroes1 and received his   
orders1 acquainted the martyr by a      
messenger1 without seeing him1 that the 
king would be satisfied on condition he 
would only by word of mouth abjure the  
,christian faith3 after which he might  
choose whether he would be an officer in
 the king's service1 or still remain a  
,christian and a monk2 adding1 he might 
in his heart always adhere to ,christ1  
provided he would but for once renounce 
him in words privately1 in his presence1
 in which there could be no harm1 nor   
any great injury to his ,christ1 as he  

said4 ,anastasius answered firmly1 that 
he would never even seem to dissemble1  
or to deny his ,god4 ,then the governor 
told him1 that he had orders to send him
 bound into ,persia to the king4 ,there 
is no need of binding me1 said the      
saint3 ,i go willingly and cheerfully to
 suffer for ,christ4 ,the governor put  
on him and on two other prisoners the   
mark1 and gave orders that they should  
set out after five days4 ,in the mean   
time1 on the feast of the ,exaltation of
 the ,cross1 the #adth of ,september1 at
 the request of the ,comerciarius1 or   
tax-gatherer for the king1 who was a    
,christian of distinction1 ,anastasius  
had leave to go to the church and assist
 at the divine service4 ,his presence   
and exhortations encouraged the         
faithful1 excited the tepid to fervor1  
and moved all to tears4 ,he dined that  
day with the ,comerciarius1 and then    
returned with joy to his prison4 ,on the
 day appointed1 the martyr left         
,caesarea1 in ,palestine1 with two other

 ,christian prisoners1 under a strict   
guard1 and was followed by one of the   
monks whom the abbot had sent to assist 
and encourage him4 ,the acts of his     
martyrdom were written by this monk1 or 
at least from what be related by word of
 mouth4 ,the saint received great marks 
of honor1 much against his inclination1 
from the ,christians wherever he came4  
,this made him fear lest human applause 
should rob trim of his crown by         
infecting his heart with pride4 ,he     
wrote from ,hierapolis1 and again from  
the river ,tigris1 to his abbot1 begging
 the prayers of his brethren4  ,being   
arrived at ,barsaloe in ,assyria1 six   
miles from ,discartha1 or ,dastagerde1  
near the ,euphrates1 where the king then
 was1 the prisoners were thrown into a  
dungeon till his pleasure was known4 ,an
 officer came from ,chosroes to         
interrogate the saint1 who made answer1 
with regard to his magnificent promises1
 in these words3 ,my religious habit and
 poor clothes show that ,i despise from 

my heart the gaudy pomp of the world4   
,the honors and riches of a king1 who   
must shortly die himself1 are no        
temptation to me4 ,next day the officer 
returned to the prison1 and endeavored  
to intimidate him by blustering threats 
and reproaches4 ,but the saint said     
calmly3 ,my lord judge1 do not give     
yourself so much trouble about me4 ,by  
the grace of ,christ ,i am not to be    
moved3 so execute your pleasure without 
more ado4 ,the officer caused him to be 
unmercifully beaten with staves1 after  
#aii the ,persian manner1 insulting him 
all the time1 and often repeating1 that 
because he contemned the king's bounty1 
he should be treated in that manner     
every day as long as he lived4 ,this    
punishment was inflicted on him three   
days2 on the third the judge commanded  
him to be laid on his back1 and a heavy 
beam pressed down by the weight of two  
men on his legs1 crushing the flesh to  
the very bone4 ,the martyr's            
tranquillity and patience astonished the

 officer1 who went again to acquaint the
 king of his behavior4 ,in his absence  
the jailer1 being a ,christian by       
profession1 though too weak to resign   
his place rather than detain such a     
prisoner1 gave every one free access to 
the martyr4 ,the ,christians immediately
 filled the prison2 every one sought to 
kiss his feet or chains1 and kept as    
relics whatever had been sanctified by  
their touch3 they also overlaid his     
fetters with wax1 in order to receive   
their impression4 ,the saint1 with      
confusion and indignation1 strove to    
hinder them1 and expressed how extremely
 dissatisfied he was with such actions4 
,the officer returning from the king    
caused him to be beaten again1 which the
 confessor bore rather as a statue1 than
 as flesh and blood4 ,then he was hung  
up for two hours by one hand1 with a    
great weight at his feet1 and tampered  
with by threats and promises4 ,the judge
 despairing to overcome him1 went back  
to the king2 for his last orders1 which 

were1 that he and all the ,christian    
captives should be put to death4 ,he    
returned speedily to put them in        
execution1 and caused ,anastasius's two 
companions1 with threescore and six     
other ,christians1 to be strangled one  
after another on the banks of the river1
 before his face1 whom the judge all the
 time pressed to return to the ,persian 
worship1 and to escape so disgraceful a 
death1 promising1 in case of compliance1
 that he should be made one of the      
greatest men in the court4 ,anastasius1 
with his eyes lifted up to heaven1 gave 
thanks to ,god for bringing his life to 
so happy a conclusion2 and said he      
expected that he should have met with a 
more cruel death in the torture of all  
his members3 but seeing ,god granted him
 one so easy1 he embraced with joy that 
end of a life which he otherwise must   
shortly have lost in a more painful     
manner4 ,he was accordingly strangled1  
and after his death his head was cut    
off4 ,this was in the year #fbh1 the    

seventeenth of the emperor ,heraclius1  
on the #bb;d of ,january1 on which day  
both the ,latins and ,greeks keep his   
festival4 ,his body1 among the other    
dead1 was exposed to be devoured by     
dogs1 but it was the only one they left 
untouched4 ,it was afterwards redeemed  
by the ,christians1 who laid it in the  
monastery of ,st4 ,sergius1 a mile from 
the place of his triumph1 in the city   
,barsaloe1 called afterwards from that  
monastery1 ,sergiopolis4 ,the monk that 
attended him brought back his ,colobium1
 or liners tunic without sleeves4 ,the  
saint's body was afterwards brought into
 ,palestine4 ,some years after1 it was  
removed to ,constantinople1 and lastly  
to ,rome4  ,the seventh general         
council#a proves the use of pious       
pictures from the head of this holy     
martyr1 and his miraculous image1 then  
kept at ,rome with great veneration3    
where it is still preserved in the      
church belonging to the monastery of our
 ,lady ad ,aquas ,sylvias1 which now    

bears the name of ,,ss4 ,vincent and    
,anastasius4#b ,the rest of his relics  
are reposited in the holy chapel ad     
,scalas ,sanctas1 near ,st4 ,john       
,lateran4 ,see the history of many      
miracles wrought by them in ,bollandus4 
,st4 ,anastasius foretold the speedy    
fall of the tyrant ,chosroes3 and ten   
days after his martyrdom the emperor    
,heraclius entered ,persia4  ,footnotes3
 #a4  ,act4 #d4 #b4  ,mabill4 ,iter4    
,ital4 p4 #ada4  #bjj   ,,january       
,,xxiii4  ,,st4 ,,raymund1 ,,of         
,,pennafort1 ,c4  ,from the bull of his 
canonization1 by ,clement ,,viii4 in    
#afja1 and his life1 written by several 
,spanish1 ,italian1 and ,french authors4
 ,see ,fleury1 b4 #gh1 n4 #ee1 #hd1 and 
chiefly ,touron1 ,hommes ,illustres de  
l',ordre de ,s4 ,domin4 t4 #a1 p4 #a4   
,a4,d4 #abge4  ,,the house of           
,pegnafort1 or1 as it is pronounced1    
,pennafort1 was descended from the      
counts of ,barcelona1 and nearly allied 
to the kings of ,aragon4 ,raymund was   

born in #aage1 at ,pennafort1 a castle  
in ,catalonia1 which in the fifteenth   
century was changed into a convent of   
the order of ,st4 ,dominick4 ,such was  
his rapid progress in his studies1 that 
at the age of twenty he taught          
philosophy at ,barcelona1 which he did  
gratis1 and with so great reputation1   
that he began then to be consulted by   
the ablest masters4 ,his principal care 
was to instil into his scholars the most
 perfect maxims of a solid piety and    
devotion1 to compose all differences    
among the citizens1 and to relieve the  
distressed4 ,he was about thirty years  
of age when he went to ,bologna1 in     
,italy1 to perfect himself in the study 
of the canon and civil law1 commenced   
,doctor in that faculty1 and taught with
 the same disinterestedness and charity 
as he had done in his own country4 ,in  
#abai ,berengarius1 bishop of           
,barcelona1 who had been at ,rome1 took 
,raymund home with him1 to the great    
regret of the university and senate of  

,bologna2 and1 not content with giving  
him a canonry in his church1 made him   
his archdeacon1 grand vicar1 and        
official4 ,he was a perfect model to the
 clergy1 by his innocence1 zeal1        
devotion1 and boundless liberalities to 
the poor1 whom he called his creditors4 
,in #abbb he took the religious habit of
 ,st4 ,dominick at ,barcelona1 eight    
months after the death of the holy      
founder1 and in the forty-seventh year  
of his age4 ,no person was ever seen    
among the young novices more humble1    
more obedient1 or more fervent4 ,to     
imitate the obedience of a ,man-,god1   
who reduced himself to a state of       
subjection to his own creatures1 to     
teach us the dangers and deep wound of  
self-will1 and to point out to us the   
remedy1 the saint would depend          
absolutely on the lights of his director
 in all things4 ,and it was upon the    
most perfect self-denial that he laid   
the foundation of that high sanctity    
which he made the object of his most    

earnest desires4 ,the grace of prayer   
perfected the work which mortification  
had begun4 ,in a spirit of compunction  
he begged of his superiors that they    
would enjoin him some severe penance1 to
 expiate the vain satisfaction and      
complacency which he said he had        
sometimes taken in teaching4 ,they      
indeed imposed on him a penance1 but not
 such a one as be expected4 ,it was to  
write a collection of cases of          
conscience for the instruction and      
conveniency of confessors and moralists4
 ,this produced his ,sum1 the first work
 of that kind4 ,had his method and      
decisions been better followed by some  
later authors of the like works1 the    
holy maxims of ,christian morality had  
been treated with more respect by some  
moderns than they have been1 to our     
grief and confusion4  ,raymund joined to
 the exercises of his solitude the      
functions of an apostolical life1 by    
laboring without intermission in        
preaching1 instructing1 hearing         

confessions with wonderful fruit1 and   
converting heretics1 ,jews1 and ,moors4 
,among his penitents were ,james1 king  
of ,aragon1 and ,st4 ,peter ,nolasco1   
#bja with whom he concerted the         
foundation of the ,order of the ,b4     
,virgin of mercy for the redemption of  
captives4 ,james1 the young king of     
,aragon1 had married ,eleonora of       
,castile within the prohibited degrees1 
without a dispensation4 ,a legate was   
sent by pope ,gregory ,,ix4 to examine  
and judge the case4 ,in a council of    
bishops of the two kingdoms1 held at    
,tarragon1 he declared the marriage     
null1 but that their son ,don ,alphonso 
should be reputed lawfully born1 and    
heir to his father's crown4 ,the king   
had taken his confessor with him to the 
council1 and the cardinal legate was so 
charmed with his talents and virtue1    
that he associated him in his legation1 
and gave him a commission to preach the 
holy war against the ,moors4 ,the       
servant of ,god acquitted himself of    

that function with so much prudence1    
zeal1 and charity1 that he sowed the    
seeds of the total overthrow of those   
infidels in ,spain4 ,his labors were no 
less successful in the reformation of   
the manners of the ,christians detained 
in servitude under the ,moors1 which    
were extremely corrupted by their long  
slavery or commerce with these infidels4
 ,raymund showed them1 by words full of 
heavenly unction and fire1 that1 to     
triumph over their bodily1 they must    
first conquer their spiritual enemies1  
and subdue sin in themselves1 which made
 ,god their enemy4 ,inculcating these   
and the like spiritual lessons1 he ran  
over ,catalonia1 ,aragon1 ,castile1 and 
other countries4 ,so general a change   
was wrought hereby in the manners of the
 people1 as seemed incredible to all but
 those who were witnesses of it4 ,by    
their conversion the anger of ,god was  
appeased1 and the arms of the faithful  
became terrible to their enemies4 ,the  
kings of ,castile and ,leon freed many  

places from the ,moorish yoke4 ,don     
,james1 king of ,aragon1 drove them out 
of the islands of ,majorca and ,minorca1
 and soon after1 in #abcg1 out of the   
whole kingdom of ,valentia4 ,pope       
,gregory ,,ix4 having called ,st4       
,raymund to ,rome in #abcj1 nominated   
him his chaplain1 7which was the title  
of the ,auditor of the causes of the    
apostolic palace17 as also grand        
penitentiary4 ,he made him likewise his 
own confessarius1 and in difficult      
affairs came to no decision but by his  
advice4 ,the saint still reserved       
himself for the poor1 and was so        
solicitous for them that his ,holiness  
called him their father4 ,he enjoined   
the pope1 for a penance1 to receive1    
hear1 and expedite immediately all      
petitions presented by them4 ,the pope1 
who was well versed in the canon law1   
ordered the saint to gather into one    
body all the scattered decree1 of popes 
and councils1 since the collection made 
by ,gratian in #aaej4 ,raymund compiled 

this work in three years1 in five books1
 commonly called the ,decretals1 which  
the same pope ,gregory confirmed in     
#abcd4 ,it is looked upon as the best   
finished part of the body of the canon  
law2 on which account the canonists have
 usually chosen it for the texts of     
their comments4 ,in #abce1 the pope     
named ,st4 ,raymund to the archbishopric
 of ,tarragon1 the capital of ,aragon3  
the humble religious man was not able to
 avert the storm1 as he called it1 by   
tears and entreaties2 but at length fell
 sick through anxiety and fear4 ,to     
restore him to his health1 his ,holiness
 was obliged to consent to excuse him1  
but required that he should recommend a 
proper person4 ,the saint named a pious 
and learned canon of ,gironne4 ,he      
refused other dignities with the like   
constancy4  ,for the recovery of his    
health he returned to his native        
country1 and was received with as much  
joy as if the safety of the whole       
kingdom1 and of every particular person1

 had depended on his presence4 ,being   
restored again to his dear solitude at  
,barcelona1 he continued his former     
exercises of contemplation1 preaching1  
and administering the sacrament of      
penance4 ,except on ,sundays1 he never  
took more than one very small refection 
in the day4 ,amidst honors and applause 
he was ever little in his own eyes4 ,he 
appeared in the schools like a scholar1 
and in his convent begged the #bjb      
superior to instruct him in the rules of
 religious perfection1 with the humility
 and docility of a novice4 ,whether he  
sung the divine praises with his        
brethren1 or prayed alone in his cell1  
or some corner of the church1 he poured 
forth an abundance of tears2 and often  
was not able to contain within himself  
the ardor of his soul4 ,his mildness and
 sweetness were unalterable4 ,the       
incredible number of conversions of     
which he was the instrument1 is known   
only to ,him who1 by his grace1 was the 
author of them4 ,he was employed        

frequently in most important            
commissions1 both by the holy see and by
 the king4 ,but he was thunderstruck by 
the arrival of four deputies from the   
general chapter of his order at         
,bologna1 in #abch1 with the news that  
he was chosen third general1 ,jordan of 
,saxony being lately dead4 ,he wept and 
entreated1 but at length acquiesced in  
obedience4 ,he made the visitation of   
his order on foot1 without discontinuing
 any of his penitential austerities1 or 
rather exercises4 ,he instilled into his
 spiritual children a love of           
regularity1 solitude1 mortification1    
prayer1 sacred studies1 and the         
apostolical functions1 especially       
preaching4 ,he reduced the constitutions
 of the order into a clearer method1    
with notes on the doubtful passages4    
,thus his code of rules was approved in 
three general chapters4 ,in one held at 
,paris in #abci1 he procured the        
establishment of this regulation1 that a
 voluntary demission of a superior1     

founded upon just reasons1 should be    
accepted4 ,this he contrived in his own 
favor2 for1 to the extreme regret of the
 order1 he in the year following        
resigned the generalship1 which he had  
held only two years4 ,he alleged for his
 reason his age of sixty-five years4    
,rejoicing to see himself again a       
private religious man1 he applied       
himself with fresh vigor to the         
exercises and functions of an           
apostolical life1 especially the        
conversion of the ,saracens4 ,having    
this end in view1 he engaged ,st4       
,thomas to write his work ',against the 
,gentiles2' procured the ,arabic and    
,hebrew tongues to be taught in several 
convents of his order2 and erected      
convents1 one at ,tunis1 and another at 
,murcia1 among the ,moors4 ,in #abef1 he
 wrote to his general that ten thousand 
,saracens had received baptism4 ,king   
,james took him into the island of      
,majorca4 ,the saint embraced that      
opportunity of cultivating that infant  

church4 ,this prince was an accomplished
 soldier and statesman1 and a sincere   
lover of religion1 but his great        
qualities were sullied by a base passion
 for women4 ,he received the admonitions
 of the saint with respect1 and promised
 amendment of life1 and a faithful      
compliance with the saint's injunctions 
in every particular2 but without effect4
 ,st4 ,raymund1 upon discovering that he
 entertained a lady at his court with   
whom he was suspected to have criminal  
conversation1 made the strongest        
instances to have her dismissed1 which  
the king promised should be done1 but   
postponed the execution4 ,the saint1    
dissatisfied with the delay1 begged     
leave to retire to his convent at       
,barcelona4 ,the king not only refused  
him leave1 but threatened to punish with
 death any person that should undertake 
to convey him out of the island4 ,the   
saint1 full of confidence in ,god1 said 
to his companion1 ,a king of the earth  
endeavors to deprive us of the means of 

retiring2 but the ,king of heaven will  
supply them4 ,he then walked boldly to  
the waters1 spread his cloak upon them1 
tied up one corner of it to a staff for 
a sail1 and having made the sign of the 
cross1 stepped upon it without fear1    
while his timorous companion stood      
trembling and wondering on the shore4   
,on this new kind of vessel the saint   
was wafted with such rapidity1 that in  
six hours he reached the harbor of      
,barcelona1 sixty leagues distant from  
,majorca4 ,those who saw him arrive in  
this manner met him with acclamations4  
,but he1 gathering up his cloak dry1 put
 it on1 stole through the crowd1 and    
entered his monastery4 ,a chapel and a  
tower1 built on the place where he      
landed1 have transmitted the memory of  
this miracle to posterity4 #bjc ,this   
relation is taken from the bull of his  
canonization1 and the earliest          
historians of his life4 ,the king became
 a sincere convert1 and governed his    
conscience1 and even his kingdoms1 by   

the advice of ,st4 ,raymund from that   
time till the death of the saint4 ,the  
holy man prepared himself for his       
passage to eternity1 by employing days  
and nights in penance and prayer4       
,during his last illness1 ,alphonsus1   
king of ,castile1 with his queen1 sons1 
and brother2 and ,james1 king of        
,aragon1 with his court1 visited him1   
and received his last benediction4 ,he  
armed himself with the last sacraments2 
and1 in languishing sighs of divine     
love1 gave up his soul to ,god1 on the  
#fth of ,january1 in the year #abge1 and
 the hundredth of his age4 ,the two     
kings1 with all the princes and         
princesses of their royal families1     
honored his funeral with their presence3
 but his tomb was rendered far more     
illustrious by miracles4 ,several are   
recorded in the bull of his             
canonization1 published by ,clement     
,,viii4 in #afja4 ,bollandus has filled 
fifteen pages in folio with an account  
of them4 ,his office is fixed by        

,clement ,x4 to the #bc;d of ,january4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the saints first learned in solitude to
 die to the world and themselves1 to put
 on the spirit of ,christ1 and ground   
themselves in a habit of recollection   
and a relish only for heavenly things1  
before they entered upon the exterior   
functions even of a spiritual ministry4 
,amidst these weighty employments1 not  
content with reserving always the time  
and means of frequent retirement for    
conversing with ,god and themselves1 in 
their exterior functions by raising     
their minds to heaven with holy sighs   
and desires1 they made all their actions
 in some measure an uninterrupted prayer
 and exercise of divine love and praise4
 ,st4 ,bonaventure reckons it among the 
general exercises of every religious or 
spiritual man1#a ,that he keep his mind 
always raised1 at least virtually1 to   
,god3 hence1 whensoever a servant of    
,god has been distracted from attending 
to him for ever so short a space1 he    

grieves and is afflicted1 as if he was  
fallen into some misfortune1 by having  
been deprived of the presence of such a 
friend who never forgets us4 ,seeing    
that our supreme felicity and glory     
consists in the eternal vision of ,god1 
the constant remembrance of him is a    
kind of imitation of that happy state3  
this the reward1 that the virtue which  
entitles us to it4 ,till we are admitted
 to his presence1 let us in our exile   
always bear him in mind3 every one will 
behold him in heaven with so much the   
greater joy1 and so much the more       
perfectly1 as he shall more assiduously 
and more devoutly have remembered him on
 earth4 ,nor is it only in our repose1  
but also in the midst of our            
employments1 that we ought to have him  
present to our minds1 in imitation of   
the holy angels1 who1 when they are sent
 to attend on us1 so acquit themselves  
of the functions of this exterior       
ministry as never to be drawn from their
 interior attention to ,god4 ,as much as

 the heavens exceed the earth1 so much  
larger is the field of spiritual        
meditation than that of all terrestrial 
concerns4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,s4 ,bonav4 
de ,profectu ,religios4 l4 #b1 c4 #bj4  
p4 #fjd4  ,,st4 ,,john ,,the ,,almoner1 
,c4  ,,patriarch ,,of ,,alexandria4     
,,he received his surname from his      
profuse alms-deeds2 was nobly descended1
 very rich1 and a widower1 at ,amathus  
in ,cyprus1 where1 having buried all his
 children1 he employed the whole income 
of his estate in the #bjd relief of the 
poor1 and was no less remarkable for his
 great piety4 ,the reputation of his    
sanctity raised him to the patriarchal  
chair of ,alexandria about the year     
#fje1 at which time he was upwards of   
fifty years of age4 ,on his arrival in  
that city1 he ordered an exact list to  
be taken of his ,masters4 ,being asked  
who these were1 his answer was1 ,the    
poor2 namely1 on account of their great 
interest in the court of heaven in      
behalf of their benefactors4 ,their     

number amounted to seven thousand five  
hundred1 whom he took under his special 
protection1 and furnished with all      
necessaries4 ,he prepared himself1 by   
this action1 to receive the fulness of  
grace in his consecration4 ,on the same 
day he published severe ordinances1 but 
in the most humble terms1 conjuring and 
commanding all to use just weights and  
measures1 in order to prevent injustices
 and oppressions of the poor4 ,he most  
rigorously forbade all his officers and 
servants ever to receive the least      
presents1 which are no better than      
bribes1 and bias the most impartial4    
,every ,wednesday and ,friday he sat the
 whole day on a bench before the church1
 that all might have free access to him 
to lay their grievances before him1 and 
make known their necessities4 ,he       
composed all differences1 comforted the 
afflicted1 and relieved the distressed4 
,one of his first actions at ,alexandria
 was to distribute the eighty thousand  
pieces of gold which he found in the    

treasury of his church1 among hospitals 
and monasteries4 ,he consecrated to the 
service of the poor the great revenues  
of his see1 then the first in all the   
,east1 both in riches and rank4 ,besides
 these1 incredible charities flowed     
through his hands in continual streams1 
which his example excited every one to  
contribute according to their abilities4
 ,when his stewards complained that he  
impoverished his church1 his answer was1
 that ,god would provide for them4 ,to  
vindicate his conduct1 and silence their
 complaints1 he recounted to them a     
vision he had in his youth1 of a        
beautiful woman1 brighter than the sun1 
with an olive garland on her head1 whom 
he understood to be ,charity1 or        
compassion for the miserable2 who said  
to him ,i am the eldest daughter of the 
great ,king4 ,if you enjoy my favor1 ,i 
will introduce you to the great monarch 
of the universe4 ,no one has so great an
 interest with him as myself1 who was   
the occasion of his coming down from    

heaven to become man for the redemption 
of mankind4 ,when the ,persians had     
plundered the ,east1 and sacked         
,jerusalem1 ,st4 ,john entertained all  
that fled from their swords into ,egypt2
 and sent to ,jerusalem1 for the use of 
the poor there1 besides a large sum of  
money1 one thousand sacks of corn1 as   
many of pulse1 one thousand pounds of   
iron1 one thousand loads of fish1 one   
thousand barrels of wine1 and one       
thousand ,egyptian workmen to assist in 
rebuilding the churches2 adding1 in his 
letter to ,modestus1 the bishop1 that he
 wished it had been in his power to have
 gone in person1 and contributed the    
labor of his hands towards carrying on  
that holy work4 ,he also sent two       
bishops and an abbot to ransom captives4
 ,no number of necessitous objects1 no  
losses1 no straits to which he saw      
himself often reduced1 discouraged him1 
or made him lose his confidence in      
divine providence1 and resources never  
failed him in the end4 ,when a certain  

person1 whom he had privately relieved  
with a most bountiful alms1 expressed   
his gratitude in the strongest terms1   
the saint cut him short1 saying1        
,brother1 ,i have not yet spilt my blood
 for you1 as ,jesus ,christ1 my master  
and my ,god1 commands me4 ,a certain    
merchant1 who had been thrice ruined by 
shipwrecks1 had as often found relief   
from the good patriarch1 who the third  
time gave him a ship belonging to the   
church1 laden with twenty thousand      
measures of corn4 ,this vessel was      
driven by a storm to the ,british       
,islands1 and a famine raging there1 the
 owners sold their cargo to great       
advantage1 #bje and brought back a      
considerable value in exchange1 one half
 in money1 the other in pewter4  ,the   
patriarch lived himself in the greatest 
austerity and poverty1 as to diet1      
apparel1 and furniture4 ,a person of    
distinction in the city1 being informed 
that our saint had but one blanket on   
his bed1 and this a very sorry one1 sent

 him one of value1 begging his          
acceptance of it1 and that he would make
 use of it for the sake of the donor4   
,he accepted of it1 and put it to the   
intended use1 but it was only for one   
night2 and this he passed in great      
uneasiness1 with severe self-reproaches 
for being so richly covered1 while so   
many of his masters 7his familiar term  
for the poor7 were so ill accommodated4 
,the next morning he sold it1 and gave  
the price to the poor4 ,the friend being
 informed of it1 bought it for          
thirty-six pieces1 and gave it him a    
second1 and a third time2 for the saint 
always disposed of it in the same way1  
saying facetiously1 ,we shall see who   
will be tired first4 ,he was well versed
 in the scriptures1 though a stranger to
 the pomp of profane eloquence4 ,the    
functions of his ministry1 prayer1 and  
pious reading1 employed his whole time4 
,he studied with great circumspection to
 avoid the least idle word1 and never   
chose to speak about temporal affairs1  

unless compelled by necessity1 and then 
only in very few words4 ,if he heard any
 detract from the reputation of their   
neighbor1 he was ingenious in turning   
the discourse to some other subject1 and
 he forbade them his house1 to deter    
others from that vice4 ,hearing that    
when an emperor was chosen1 it was      
customary for certain carvers to present
 to him four or five blocks of marble1  
to choose one out of them for his tomb1 
he caused his grave to be half dug1 and 
appointed a man to come to him on all   
occasions of pomp1 and say1 ,my lord1   
your tomb is unfinished2 be pleased to  
give your orders to have it completed1  
for you know not the hour when death    
will seize you4 ,the remembrance of the 
rigorous account which we are to give to
 ,god1 made him often burst into the    
most pathetic expressions of holy fear4 
,but humility was his distinguishing    
virtue1 and he always expressed1 both in
 words and actions1 the deepest         
sentiments of his own nothingness1      

sinfulness1 miseries1 and pride4 ,he    
often admired how perfectly the saints  
saw their own imperfections1 and that   
they were dust1 worms1 and unworthy to  
be ranked among men4  ,the saint        
regarded injuries as his greatest gain  
and happiness4 ,he always disarmed his  
enemies of their rancor by meekness1 and
 frequently fell at the feet of those   
who insulted him1 to beg their pardon4  
,nicetas1 the governor1 had formed a    
project of a new tax1 very prejudicial  
to the poor4 ,the patriarch modestly    
spoke in their defence4 ,the governor in
 a passion left him abruptly4 ,st4 ,john
 sent him this message towards evening3 
,the sun is going to set3 putting him in
 mind of the advice of the apostle3 ,let
 not the sun go down upon your anger4   
,this admonition had its intended effect
 on the governor1 and pierced him to the
 quick4 ,he arose1 and went to the      
patriarch1 bathed in tears1 asked his   
pardon1 and by way of atonement1        
promised never more to give ear to      

informers and tale-bearers4 ,st4 ,john  
confirmed him in that resolution1       
adding1 that he never believed any man  
whatever against another1 till he       
himself had examined the party accused2 
and that he punished all calumniators   
and tale-bearers in a manner which might
 deter others from so fatal a vice4     
,having in vain exhorted a certain      
nobleman to forgive one with whom he was
 at variance1 he soon after invited him 
to his private chapel to assist at his  
mass1 and there desired him to recite   
with him the ,lord's prayer4 ,the saint 
stopped at that petition2 ,forgive us   
our trespasses1 as we forgive those that
 trespass against us4 ,when the nobleman
 had recited it alone1 he conjured him  
to reflect on what he had been saying to
 ,god at the hour of the tremendous     
mysteries1 #bjf begging to be pardoned  
in the same manner as he forgave others4
 ,the other1 feeling himself struck to  
the heart1 fell at his feet1 and from   
that moment was sincerely reconciled    

with his adversary4 ,the saint often    
exhorted men against rash judgment1     
saying1 ,circumstances easily deceive   
us2 magistrates are bound to examine and
 judge criminals2 but what have private 
persons to do with others1 unless it be 
to vindicate them8 ,he used to relate   
many examples of persons who were found 
innocent and eminent saints1 though they
 had been condemned by the world upon   
circumstances2 as that of a certain     
monk1 who brought to that city a ,jewess
 whom he had converted1 but was accused 
as guilty of lewdness with her1 and     
cruelly scourged2 for he said nothing to
 justify himself1 out of a desire of    
humiliation and suffering4 ,but his     
innocence and sanctity were soon after  
brought to light4 ,st4 ,john employed   
,sophronius and ,john ,moschus in       
reducing to the faith the ,severians and
 other heretics4 ,observing that many   
amused themselves without the church1   
during part of the divine office1 which 
was then of a very considerable length1 

he followed them out1 and seated himself
 among them1 saying1 ,my children1 the  
shepherd must be with his flock4 ,this  
action1 which covered them with         
confusion1 prevented their being guilty 
of that irreverence any more4 ,as he was
 one day going to church1 he was        
accosted on the way by a woman who      
demanded justice against her son-in-law 
that had injured her4 ,the woman being  
ordered by some standers-by to wait the 
patriarch's return from church1 he      
overhearing them1 said1 ,how can ,i hope
 that ,god will hear my prayer1 if ,i   
put off the petition of this woman8 ,nor
 did he stir from the place till he had 
redressed the grievance complained of4  
,nicetas1 the governor1 persuaded the   
saint to accompany him to               
,constantinople1 to pay a visit to the  
emperor4 ,st4 ,john was admonished from 
heaven1 while he was on his way1 at     
,rhodes1 that his death drew near1 and  
said to ,nicetas1 ,you invite me to the 
emperor of the earth2 but the ,king of  

heaven calls me to himself4 ,he         
therefore sailed for ,cyprus1 and soon  
after died happily at ,amathus1 about   
the year of our ,lord #fai1 in the      
sixty-fourth of his age1 and tenth of   
his patriarchal dignity4 ,his body was  
afterwards carried to ,constantinople1  
where it was kept a long time4 ,the     
,turkish emperor made a present of it to
 ,matthias1 king of ,hungary1 which he  
deposited in his chapel at ,buda4 ,in   
#aecj it was translated to ,tall1 near  
,presbourg2 and1 in #afcb1 to the       
cathedral itself of ,presbourg1 where1  
according to ,bollandus1 it still       
remains4 ,the ,greeks honor this saint  
on the #aath of ,november1 the day of   
his death2 but the ,roman ,martyrology  
on the #bc;d of ,january1 the day marked
 for the translation of his relics4 ,his
 life1 written by his two vicars1       
,sophronius and ,moschus1 is lost2 but  
we have that by ,leontius1 bishop of    
,naplouse in ,cyprus1 from the relation 
of the saint's clergy1 commended in the 

seventh general council4 ,it is         
published more correct by ,rosweide and 
,bollandus4 ,we have another life of    
this saint1 conformable to the former1  
given us by ,metaphrastes4 ,see ,le     
,quien1 ,oriens ,christi1 t4 #b1 p4     
#ddf4  ,,st4 ,,emerentia1 ,v4,m4  ,,she 
suffered about the year #cjd1 and is    
named in the ,martyrologies under the   
name of ,st4 ,jerom1 ,bede1 and others4 
,she is said in her acts to have been   
stoned to death1 while only a           
catechumen1 praying at the tomb of ,st4 
,agnes4  #bjg  ,,st4 ,,clement ,,of     
,,ancyra1 ,b4,m4  ,,he suffered under   
,dioclesian1 and is ranked by the       
,greeks among the great martyrs4 ,his   
modern ,greek acts say1 his lingering   
martyrdom was continued by divers       
torments during twenty-eight years2 but 
are demonstrated by ,baronius and others
 to be of no authority4 ,two churches at
 ,constantinople were dedicated to ,god 
under the invocation of ,st4 ,clement of
 ,ancyra2 one called of the ,palace1 the

 other now in ,pera1 a suburb of that   
city4 ,several parts of his relics were 
kept with great devotion at             
,constantinople4 ,his skull1 which was  
brought thence to ,paris when           
,constantinople was taken by the        
,latins1 in the thirteenth century1 was 
given by queen ,anne of ,austria to the 
abbey of ,val de ,grace4 ,see           
,chatelain1 p4 #chf4 ,le ,quien1 ,oriens
 ,chr4 t4 #a1 p4 #deg4  ,,st4           
,,agathangelus1  ,,the fellow-martyr of 
,st4 ,clement1 bishop of ,ancyra4 ,his  
relics1 with those of ,st4 ,clement1 lay
 in a church in the suburbs of          
,constantinople1 now called ,pera2 but  
were brought into the ,west when that   
city was taken by the ,latins4  ,,st4   
,,ildefonsus1 ,b4  ,,he was a learned   
,benedictin abbot of a monastery called 
,agaliense1 in a suburb of ,toledo1     
promoted to the archbishopric of that   
city after the death of ,eugenius1 in   
,december1 #feg1 according to ,f4       
,flores2 sat nine years and two months1 

and died on the #bc;d of ,january1 #ffg1
 according to the same learned author1  
in the eighteenth year of king          
,rescisvintho4 ,his most celebrated work
 is a book ,on the spotless virginity of
 the ,virgin ,mary1 against ,helvidius1 
,jovinian1 and a certain ,jew3 he       
breathes in it the most tender devotion 
to her1 and confidence in her           
intercession with her ,son4 ,he had a   
singular devotion to ,st4 ,leocadia1    
patroness of ,toledo4 ,certain sermons  
of ,st4 ,ildefonsus on the ,b4 ,virgin  
,mary1 and some letters1 are published  
by ,flores4#a ,some of his letters1     
which were first given us by ,d',achery1
 were reprinted by cardinal             
,d',aguirre4#b ,in ,spanish this saint  
is called ,ildefonso1 and by the common 
people ,alanso1 for ,alphonsus1 which is
 an abbreviation of ,ildefonsus4 ,see   
his short life by ,st4 ,julian1 bishop  
of ,toledo1 twenty-three years after his
 death4 ,in ,mabillon1 saec4 #b4        
,fleury1 b4 #ci1 n4 #dj4 ,that by       

,cixila is not authentic4 ,see          
especially the remarks of the learned   
,f4 ,flores on these two lives1 c41 in  
his ,spana ,sagrada1 t4 #e1 tr4 #e1 c4  
#c1 n4 #ca1 p4 #bge1 and app4 #i1 ib4 p4
 #ebb4 ,f4 ,flores reckons ,st4         
,ildefonsus the thirty-first bishop of  
,toledo1 from ,st4 ,eugenius1 the       
disciple of ,st4 ,dionysius of ,paris1  
whom1 with the writers of his country1  
he counts the first1 in the year #aab4  
,footnotes3 #a4  ,f4 ,flores4 ,spana    
,sagrada1 t4 #e1 append4 #g1 p4 #dij4   
#b4  ,card4 ,d',aguirre1 ,conc4 ,hispan4
 t4 #b1 p4 #ecd4  #bjh  ,,st4           
,,eusebius1  ,,an ,,abbot ,,between     
,,antioch ,,and ,,ber,,oe,a  ,,his      
example was a perpetual and a most      
moving sermon1 and his very countenance 
inspired all who beheld him with the    
love of virtue4 ,he took nourishment but
 once in four days1 but would not allow 
any of his monks to pass above two days 
without eating4 ,he prescribed them     
mortifications of each sense in         

particular1 but made perpetual prayer   
his chief rule1 ordering them to implore
 the divine mercy in their hearts1 in   
whatever labor their hands were         
employed4 ,while ,ammianus1 who had     
resigned to him the government of the   
abbey1 was one day reading aloud1 out of
 the scriptures1 for their mutual       
edification1 ,eusebius happened to cast 
his eye on certain laborers in the field
 where they sat1 so as not to give due  
attention to the lecture3 to punish     
himself for this slight fault1 he put   
on1 and wore till his death1 for above  
forty years1 a heavy iron collar about  
his neck1 fastened by a stiff chain to a
 great iron girdle about his middle1 so 
that he could only look downwards under 
his feet3 and he never afterwards       
stirred out of his cell but by a narrow 
passage from his cell to the chapel4    
,his sanctity drew many disciples to    
him4 ,he flourished in the fourth       
century4 ,see ,theodoret ,philoth4 c4   
#d4 ,item ,hist4 ,eccles4 l4 #d1 c4 #bh4

   ,,january ,,xxiv4  ,,st4 ,,timothy1  
,b4 ,,and ,m4  ,see ,tillemont1 t4 #b1  
p4 #adb4  ,,st4 ,,timothy1 the beloved  
disciple of ,st4 ,paul1 was of          
,lycaonia1 and probably of the city     
,lystra4 ,his father was a ,gentile1 but
 his mother ,eunice a ,jewess4 ,she1    
with ,lois his grandmother1 embraced the
 ,christian religion1 and ,st4 ,paul    
commends their faith4 ,timothy had made 
the holy scriptures his study from his  
infancy4#a ,when ,st4 ,paul preached in 
,lycaonia1 in the year #ea1 the brethren
 of ,iconium and ,lystra gave him so    
advantageous a character of the young   
man1 that the apostle1 being deprived of
 ,st4 ,barnaby1 took him for the        
companion of his labors1 but first      
circumcised him at ,lystra4 ,for though 
the ,jewish ceremonies ceased to be     
obligatory from the death of ,christ1 it
 was still lawful to use them 7but not  
as of precept and obligation7 till about
 the time of the destruction of         
,jerusalem with the temple1 that the    

synagogue might be buried with honor4   
,therefore ,st4 ,paul refused to        
circumcise ,titus1 born of ,gentile     
parents1 to assert the liberty of the   
gospel1 and to condemn those who        
erroneously affirmed circumcision to be 
still of precept in the ,new ,law4 ,on  
the other side1 he circumcised ,timothy1
 born of a ,jewess1 by that             
condescension to render him the more    
acceptable to the ,jews1 and to make it 
appear that himself was no enemy to     
their law4 ,st4 ,chrysostom#b here      
admires the prudence1 steadiness1 #bji  
and charity of ,st4 ,paul2 and we may   
add1 the voluntary obedience of the     
disciple4 ,st4 ,austin#c extols his zeal
 and disinterestedness in immediately   
forsaking his country1 his house1 and   
his parents1 to follow this apostle1 to 
share in his poverty and sufferings4    
,after he was circumcised1 ,st4 ,paul1  
by the imposition of hands1 committed to
 him the ministry of preaching1 his rare
 virtue making ample amends for his want

 of age4 ,from that time the apostle    
regarded him not only as his disciple   
and most dear son1 but as his brother1  
and the companion of his labors4#d ,he  
calls him a man of ,god1#e and tells the
 ,philippians1 that he found no one so  
truly united to him in heart and        
sentiments1 as ,timothy4#f ,this esteem 
of the apostle is a sufficient testimony
 of the extraordinary merit of the      
disciple1 whose vocation and entrance   
into the ministry was accompanied with  
prophecies in his behalf4#g  ,st4 ,paul 
travelled from ,lystra over the rest of 
,asia1 sailed into ,macedon1 and        
preached at ,philippi1 ,thessalonica1   
and ,beroea1 in the year #eb4 ,being    
compelled to quit this last city by the 
fury of the ,jews1 he left ,timothy     
behind him1 to confirm the new converts 
there4 ,on ,st4 ,paul's arrival at      
,athens he sent for him1 but being      
informed that the ,christians of        
,thessalonica lay under a very heavy    
persecution for the faith1 he soon after

 deputed him to go thither1 to comfort  
and encourage them under it2 and he     
returned to ,st4 ,paul1 then at         
,corinth1 to give him an account of his 
success in that commission4#h ,upon this
 the apostle wrote his first epistle to 
the ,thessalonians4 ,from ,corinth ,st4 
,paul went to ,jerusalem1 and thence to 
,ephesus1 where he spent two years4     
,here he formed a resolution of         
returning into ,greece1 and sent        
,timothy and ,erastus before him through
 ,macedon1 to apprize the faithful in   
those parts of his intention1 and to    
prepare the alms intended to be sent the
 ,christians of ,jerusalem4  ,timothy   
had a particular order to go afterwards 
to ,corinth1 to correct certain abuses1 
and to revive in the minds of the       
faithful there the doctrine which the   
apostle had taught them2 who1 writing   
soon after to the ,corinthians1         
earnestly recommended this disciple to  
them4#i ,st4 ,paul waited in ,asia for  
his return1 and then went with him into 

,macedon and ,achaia4 ,st4 ,timothy left
 him at ,philippi1 but rejoined him at  
,troas4 ,the apostle on his return to   
,palestine was imprisoned1 and after two
 years custody at ,caesarea1 was sent to
 ,rome4 ,timothy seems to have been with
 him all or most of this time1 and is   
named by him in the titles of his       
epistles to ,philemon1 and to the       
,philippians and ,thessalonians1 in the 
years #fa and #fb4 ,st4 ,timothy himself
 suffered imprisonment for ,christ1 and 
gloriously confessed his name1 in the   
presence of many witnesses2 but was set 
at liberty4#aj ,he was ordained bishop  
by a prophecy1 and a particular order of
 the ,holy ,ghost4#aa ,he received by   
this imposition of hands1 not only the  
grace of the sacrament1 and the         
authority to govern the church1 but also
 the power of miracles1 and the other   
exterior gifts of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,st4
 ,paul being returned from ,rome into   
the ,east1 in the year #fd1 left ,st4   
,timothy at ,ephesus1 to govern that    

church1 to oppose false teachers1 and to
 ordain priests1 deacons1 and even      
bishops4#ab ,for ,st4 ,chrysostom#ac and
 other fathers observe1 that he         
committed to him the care of all the    
churches of ,asia3 and ,st4 ,timothy is 
always named the first bishop of        
,ephesus4#ad  ,st4 ,paul wrote his first
 epistle to ,timothy from ,macedon1 in  
#fd2 and his second1 in #fe1 from ,rome1
 while there in chains1 to press him to 
come to ,rome1 that he might see him    
again before he died4 ,it is an effusion
 of his heart1 full of tenderness       
towards this his dearest son4 ,in it he 
encourages #baj him1 endeavors to renew 
and stir up in his soul that spirit of  
intrepidity1 and that fire of the ,holy 
,ghost1 with which he was filled at his 
ordination2 gives him instructions      
concerning the heretics of that time1   
and adds a lively description of such as
 would afterwards arise4#ae  ,we        
learn#af that ,st4 ,timothy drank only  
water3 but his austerities having       

prejudiced his health1 on account of his
 weak stomach and frequent infirmities1 
,st4 ,paul ordered him to use a little  
wine4 ,the fathers observe that he only 
says a little1 even in that necessity1  
because the flesh is to be kept weak1   
that the spirit may be vigorous and     
strong4 ,st4 ,timothy was then young3   
perhaps about forty4 ,it is not         
improbable that he went to ,rome to     
confer with his master4 ,in the year #fd
 he was made by ,st4 ,paul bishop of    
,ephesus1 before ,st4 ,john arrived     
there1 who resided also in that city as 
an apostle1 and exercising a general    
inspection over all the churches of     
,asia4#ag ,st4 ,timothy is styled a     
martyr in the ancient martyrologies4    
,his acts1 in some copies ascribed to   
the famous ,polycrates1 bishop of       
,ephesus1 but which seem to have been   
written at ,ephesus1 in the fifth or    
sixth age1 and abridged by ,photius1    
relate1 that under the emperor ,nerva1  
in the year #ig1 ,st4 ,john being still 

in the isle of ,patmos1 ,st4 ,timothy   
was slain with stones and clubs by the  
heathens1 while he was endeavoring to   
oppose their idolatrous ceremonies on   
one of their festivals called           
,catagogia1 kept on the #bb;d of        
,january1 on which the idolaters walked 
in troops1 every one carrying in one    
hand an idol1 and in the other a club4  
,st4 ,paulinus1#ah ,theodorus ,lector1  
and ,philostorgius1#ai inform us1 that  
his relics were with great pomp         
translated to ,constantinople in the    
year #cef1 in the reign of ,constantius4
 ,st4 ,paulinus witnesses1 that the     
least portion of them wrought many      
miracles wherever they were distributed4
 ,these precious remains1 with those of 
,st4 ,andrew4 and ,st4 ,luke1 were      
deposited under the altar1 in the church
 of the apostles in that city1 where the
 devils1 by their howlings1 testified   
how much they felt their presence1 says 
,st4 ,jerom2#bj which ,st4 ,chrysostom  
also confirms4#ba         99       99   

99       99       99  ,pious reading was
 the means by which ,st4 ,timothy1      
encouraged by the example and           
exhortations of his virtuous grandmother
 and mother1 imbibed in his tender      
years1 and nourished during the whole   
course of his life1 the most fervent    
spirit of religion and all virtues2 and 
his ardor for holy reading and          
meditation is commended by ,st4 ,paul1  
as the proof of his devotion and        
earliest desire of advancing in divine  
charity4 ,when this saint was wholly    
taken up in the most laborious and holy 
functions of the apostolic ministry1    
that great apostle strongly recommends  
to him always to be assiduous in the    
same practice1#bb and in all exercises  
of devotion4 ,a minister of the gospel  
who neglects regular exercises of       
retirement1 especially self-examination1
 reading1 meditation1 and private       
devotion1 forgets his first and most    
essential duty1 the care he owes to his 
own soul4 ,neither can he hope to kindle

 the fire of charity in others1 if he   
suffer it to be extinguished #baa in his
 own breast4 ,these exercises are also  
indispensably necessary in a certain    
degree1 in all states and circumstances 
of life2 nor is it possible for a       
,christian otherwise to maintain a      
spirit of true piety1 which ought to    
animate the whole body of all his       
actions1 and without which even         
spiritual functions want as it were     
their soul4  ,footnotes3 #a4  #b ,tim4  
iii4 #ae4 #b4  ,praef4 in #a ,tim4 #c4  
,serm4 #agg1 n4 #g4 #d4  #a ,thess4 iii4
 #b4 #a ,cor4 iv4 #ag4 #e4  #a ,tim4 vi4
 #aa4 #f4  ,phil4 ii4 #bj4 #g4  #a ,tim4
 i4 #ah4 #h4  ,acts xviii4 #i4  #a ,cor4
 xvi4 #aj4 #aj4 ,heb4 xiii4 #bc4 #aa4 #a
 ,tim4 iv4 #ad4 #ab4 #a ,tim4 4 #ac4    
,hom4 #ae1 in #a ,tim4 #ad4 ,eus4 l4 #c1
 c4  ,conc4 t4 #d1 p4 #fii4 #ae4 #b     
,tim4 iii4 #a1 #b4 #af4 #a ,tim4 v4 #bc4
 #ag4 ,in the ,apocalypse1 which was    
written in the year #ie1 ,christ        
threatens the bishop of ,ephesus1       

because he was fallen from his     first
 charity1 and exhorts him to do penance 
and return to his first     works4      
7,apoc4 xi4 #d47 ,calmet says1 that this
 bishop could be no     other than ,st4 
,timothy2 ,pererius1 ,cornelieus a      
,lapide1 ,grotius1     ,alcazar1        
,bossuet1 and other learned men1 agree  
in this point2 also     ,tillemont1 t4  
#b1 p4 #adg1 and ,bollandus ad #ba ,jan4
 pp4 #efc  #efd4     ,nicholas a ,lyra  
and ,ribera cannot be persuaded that    
,st4 ,timothy ever     deserved such a  
censure1 unless we understand it only of
 his flock4     ,the others say1 he     
might have fallen into some venial      
remissness in     not reprehending the  
vices of others with sufficient vigor2  
which     fault he repaired1 upon this  
admonition1 with such earnestness1 as   
to have given occasion to his martyrdom1
 in #ig4 ,he was succeeded in     the   
see of ,ephesus by ,john ,i41 who was   
consecrated by ,st4 ,john               
,evangelist4 7,see ,consitut4 ,apostol4 

l4 #h1 c4 #df47 ,onesiumus was     third
 bishop of ,ephesus4 ,see ,le ,quien    
,oriens4 ,chris4 t4 #a1 p4 #fgb4 #ah4   
,carm4 #bf4 #ai4 ,l4 #c1 c4 #b4 #bj4 ,in
 ,vigilant4 c4 #b4 #ba4 ,hom4 #a1 ad    
,pop4 ,antioch4 #bb4 #a ,tim4 iv4 #g and
 #ac4  ,,st4 ,,babylas1  ,,bishop ,,of  
,,antioch ,,and ,,martyr4  ,from ,st4   
,chrysostom1 l4 contra ,gentiles de ,s4 
,babyla1 and hom4 de ,s4 ,babyla1 t4 #b1
 ed4 ,ben4 p4 #eca4 ,he wrote the first 
discourse against the ,gentiles1        
expressly to confound them by the       
miracles of this saint4 ,he spoke the   
second five years after1 in #chga on    
,st4 ,babylas's feast1 before a numerous
 auditory1 and mentions ,flavian1 the   
bishop of ,antioch1 and others1 who were
 to speak after him on the same subject4
 ,the miracles were recent1 performed   
before the eyes of many then present4   
,nome of the three acts of this saint in
 ,bollandus can be authentic4 ,see      
,tillemont1 ,mem4 t4 #c1 p4 #djj1 and   
,hist4 des ,empereurs1 t4 #c1 and ,f4   

,merlin4 ,dissertation contre ,m4 ,bayle
 sur ce que rapporte ,s4 ,chrysostome du
 ,martyre de ,s4 ,babylas1 ,mem4 de     
,trevoux1 ,juin #agcg1 p4 #ajea4 ,also  
,stilting1 the ,bollandist1 in ,vit4 ,s4
 ,chrysost4 ,sec4#ae4 p #dci1 ad #ad    
,septemb4 t4 #d4  ,about the year #bej4 
,,the most celebrated of the ancient    
bishops of ,antioch1 after ,st4         
,ignatius1 was ,st4 ,babylas1 who       
succeeded ,zebinus in the year #bcg1 and
 governed that church with great zeal   
and virtue1 about thirteen years1 under 
the emperors ,gordian1 ,philip1 and     
,decius4 ,philip1 an ,arabian by birth1 
and of mean extraction1 raised by the   
young emperor ,gordian to be prefect of 
the praetorian guards1 perfidiously     
murdered his master at the head of his  
victorious army in ,persia1 and caused  
himself to be acknowledged emperor by   
the senate and people of ,rome1 in the  
year #bdd4 ,we have very imperfect      
histories of his reign4 ,eusebius says  
that he abolished the public stews and  

promiscuous bathing in ,rome1 which     
,alexander ,severus1 the most virtuous  
of the heathen emperors1 had in vain    
attempted to do4 ,the same historian    
adds1 it was averred#a that ,philip1    
being a ,christian1 subjected himself to
 canonical penance at ,antioch1 where   
being arrived on the eve of a great     
festival1 as the chronicle of           
,alexandria relates1 he presented       
himself at the ,christian oratory1 with 
his wife2 but being excluded by the     
bishop1 with a meek rebuke for his      
crimes1 he made his exomologesis1 or    
confession1 and ranked himself among the
 penitents without doors4 ,st4 ,jerom1  
,vincent of ,lerins1 ,orosius1 and      
others1 positively affirm that this     
emperor was a ,christian3 and ,eusebius1
 ,rufinus1 ,st4 ,jerom1 ,vincent of     
,lerins1 and ,syncellus say1 that       
,origen wrote two letters1 one to the   
emperor ,philip1 another to his wife1   
with an authority which the ,christian  
priesthood gave him over emperors4      

,philip assisted at the heathenish      
solemnity of the thousandth year of     
,rome2 but his presence was necessary on
 that occasion1 nor is he said to have  
offered sacrifice4 ,he was indeed a bad 
,christian1 and probably only a         
catechumen1 an ambitious and cruel      
tyrant1 who procured the death of       
,misitheus1 father-in-law of ,gordian1  
murdered ,gordian himself to usurp his  
empire1 and put to death the young      
prince1 son of the king of ,persia1 of  
the ,parthians1 left a hostage in his   
hands3 circumstances mentioned by ,st4  
,chrysostom4 ,having reigned something  
upwards of five years1 he was slain with
 his son ,philip1 his colleague in the  
empire1 by ,decius1 about the middle of 
the year #bdi4 ,the peace and favor     
which the church had enjoyed during his 
reign1 had much increased her numbers1  
but had relaxed the fervor of many1 as  
we see in ,st4 ,cyprian's works1 and in 
the life of ,st4 ,gregory ,thaumaturgus4
 ,whole cities had embraced the faith1  

and public #bab churches were erected4  
,decius equally hated the ,philips and  
the ,christian religion1 against which  
he published the most cruel edicts in   
the year #bej2 which caused the seventh 
general persecution1 permitted by ,god  
to purge away the dross to his flock1   
and to awake them to fervor4  ,st4      
,chrysostom extols the courage and zeal 
of ,st4 ,babylas1 in shutting the       
church-doors against an emperor and a   
barbarous tyrant1 then at the head of a 
victorious army4 ,we find ,philip styled
 conqueror of the ,parthians1 in an     
inscription in ,gruter1#b by which he   
seems to have returned triumphant1      
though ,zonoras pretends he had bought a
 peace4 ,eusebius mentions it as a      
report1 that the emperor received the   
bishop's rebuke with meekness1 and      
submitted to public penance3 but ,st4   
,chrysostom insinuates1 that the same   
tyrant1 in a rage for being refused     
admittance1 threw ,st4 ,babylas into a  
dungeon1 where he soon died4 ,st4 ,jerom

 says that ,decius imprisoned him1 which
 seems the true account4 ,f4 ,stilting  
thinks that ,decius1 after being        
proclaimed emperor in ,pannonia1 marched
 first against ,philip1 and when he was 
slain1 led his army into ,syria1 where  
,priscus1 ,philip's brother1 commanded  
the troops of those parts1 and ,jotapian
 about that time assumed the purple1 but
 was soon crushed4 ,at this time he     
doubts not but ,decius was forbid by    
,st4 ,babylas to enter the church1      
because he was an idolater1 and had     
perfidiously murdered a prince who was  
the son of some king of a nation of     
barbarians1 who had sent him as a       
hostage to that tyrant4 ,for many       
transactions of that time are not       
recorded by the ,roman historians4 ,at  
least it seems to have been under       
,decius that ,st4 ,babylas consummated  
his martyrdom by the hardships of his   
prison3 and when dying1 ordered his     
chains to be buried with him1 as the    
happy instruments and marks of his      

triumph4 ,the ,christians built a church
 over his tomb4 ,his body rested here   
about one hundred years1 till #cea1 when
 ,gallus ,caesar translated it to       
,daphne1 five miles from ,antioch1 to   
oppose the worship of a famous idol of  
,apollo1 which gave oracles in that     
place4 ,gallus erected a church1 sacred 
to the name of ,st4 ,babylas1 near the  
profane temple1 and placed in it his    
venerable ashes in a shrine above       
ground4 ,the neighborhood of the        
martyr's relics struck the devil dumb1  
as is averred by ,st4 ,chrysostom4      
,theodoret1#c ,sozomen1 and others1 who 
triumph over the pagans on this         
account4#d ,eleven years after1 ,julian 
the ,apostate came to ,antioch1 in the  
year #cfb1 and by a multitude of        
sacrifices endeavored to learn of the   
idol the cause of his silence4 ,at      
length the fiend gave him to understand1
 that the neighborhood was full of dead 
bones1 which must be removed before he  
could be at rest and disposed to give   

answers4 ,julian understood this of the 
body of ,st4 ,babylas1 and commanded    
that the ,christians should immediately 
remove his shrine to some distant place2
 but not touch the other dead bodies4   
,thus do the fathers and ,christian     
historians of that age relate this      
miracle4#e ,the ,christians obeyed the  
order1 and with great solemnity carried 
back in procession the sacred relics to 
,antioch1 singing on this occasion the  
psalms which ridicule the vanity and    
feebleness of idols1 repeating after    
every verse3 ,may they who adore idols  
and glory in false gods1 blush with     
shame and be covered with confusion4    
,the following evening1 lightning fell  
on the temple of ,apollo1 and reduced to
 ashes all the rich and magnificent     
ornaments with which it was embellished1
 and the idol itself1 leaving only the  
walls standing4 ,julian1 the emperor's  
uncle1 #bac and governor of the ,east1  
upon this news hastened to ,daphne1 and 
endeavored by tortures to compel the    

priests to confess if the accident had  
happened by any negligence1 or by the   
interposition of the ,christians3 but it
 was clearly proved by the testimony of 
these very priests1 and also by that of 
several peasants who saw the fire fall  
from heaven1 that lightning was the     
cause4 ,the ,apostate durst not restore 
the idol lest the like thunder should   
fall on his own head3 but he breathed   
nothing but fury against the ,christians
 in general1 more especially against    
those of ,antioch1 the fatal effects of 
which he intended they should feel at   
his return from the ,persian war4 ,vain 
projects against ,god1 who defeated them
 by his unhappy death in that           
expedition6 ,the ruins of this temple   
remained in the same condition above    
twenty years after4 ,the ,roman         
,martyrology1 with that of ,st4 ,jerom  
and others of the ,west1 celebrate the  
memory of ,st4 ,babylas on the #bdth of 
,january1 but the ,greeks on the #dth of
 ,september1 together with three        

children martyred with him1 as ,st4     
,chrysostom and others mention4 ,his    
body is said to be now at ,cremona1     
brought from the ,east in the crusades4 
,st4 ,babylas is the titular saint of   
many churches in ,italy1 ,france1 and   
,spain4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,greek3       
,touton katexei xristianon honta ,eus4  
l4 #f1 c4 #c4 #b4  ,p4 #bgc4 #c4        
,theodoret l4 #c4 ,hist4 c4 #f1 and de  
,graecor4 ,affect4 l4 #aj4 ,rufin4      
,chrys4 #d4  ,st4 ,chrysostom has given 
us the lamentation of ,libanius1 the    
celebrated heathen sophist1 bewailing   
the silence of ,apollo at     ,daphne2  
adding that ,julian had delivered him   
from the neighborhood     of a dead man1
 which was troublesome to him4 #e4      
,ammianus ,marcellinus1 a heathen1 and  
,julian's own historian1 says b4     #b1
 p4 #bbe1 that he caused all the bones  
of dead men to be taken away     to     
purify the place4  ,,st4 ,,suranus1     
,,abbot ,,in ,,umbria1  ,,who gave all  
things1 even the herbs out of his       

garden1 to the poor4 ,he was martyred by
 the ,lombards in the seventh century1  
and his relics were famed for           
miracles4#a  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,st4      
,greg4 ,dial4 l4 #d1 c4 #bb4  ,,st4     
,,macedonius1 ,,anchoret ,,in ,,syria4  
,,he lived forty years on barley        
moistened in water1 till finding his    
health impaired1 he ate bread1          
reflecting that it was not lawful for   
him to shorten his life to shun labors  
and conflicts1 as he told the mother of 
,theodoret2 persuading her1 when in a   
bad state of health1 to use a proper    
food1 which he said was physic to her4  
,theodoret relates many miraculous cures
 of sick persons1 and of his own mother 
among them1 by water on which he had    
made the sign of the cross1 and that his
 own birth was the effect of his        
prayers1 after his mother had lived     
childless in marriage thirteen years4#a 
#bad ,the saint died1 ninety years old1 
and is named in the ,greek menologies4  
,see ,theodoret1 ,hist4 ,eccles4 l4 #e1 

c4 #ai1 and ,philotheae1 c4 #ac4 ,st4   
,chrysost4 hom4 #ag1 ad ,pop4 ,antioch4 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the great ,theodoret  
was dedicated to ,god by his parents    
before he     was born1 and was educated
 in the study of every true branch of   
,syriac1 ,greek1 and ,hebrew learning4  
,he gave a large estate to the     poor1
 and entered a monastery near ,apamea1  
but was taken out of it     against his 
will1 and consecrated bishop of ,cyrus  
in #dbc1 being very     young4 ,he      
converted all the ,marcionites1 ,arians1
 and other heretics     in his diocese1 
in which he reckons eight hundred       
churches1 or     parishes4 7,ep4 #aac1  
p4 #ihg47 ,cyrus was a very small poor  
town in a     desert country1 eighty    
miles from ,antioch1 one hundred and    
twenty     from ,apamea1 and one hundred
 and seventeen from ,samosata4 ,though  
,theodoret lived in great poverty1 he   
enriched the poor and the     churches1 
and built for his city an aqueduct1 two 
large bridges1     porticoes1 and baths4

 ,in #dcj pope ,celestin and ,st4 ,cyril
 of     ,alexandria wrote to ,john1     
patriarch of ,antioch1 against          
,nestorius1     who on his side sent an 
orthodox letter to the same prelate3    
soon     after ,st4 ,cyril wrote his    
third letter to ,nestorius1 to which he 
subjoined twelve anathematisms against  
the errors of ,nestorius4 ,in     this  
writing certain obscure phrases occur1  
which ,john of ,antioch     thought     
favorable to the heresy of ,apollinaris3
 whereupon he engaged     ,theodoret to 
undertake a confutation of them4        
,theodoret carried on     this contest  
with great warmth in several writings1  
and when the     ecumenical council of  
,ephesus was assembled in #dca1 refused1
 with     ,john of ,antioch1 and the    
rest of the forty ,oriental bishops1 to 
enter it1 because ,nestorius had been   
condemned in it on the #bast of         
,june1 before they arrived at ,ephesus  
on the #bgth4 ,they even went so     far
 as to pretend to excommunicate ,st4    

,cyril1 and form a schism in     the    
church4 ,f4 ,garnier1 the most declared 
enemy to ,theodoret among     the       
moderns1 lays to his charge several     
things1 of which ,tillemont     and     
others clear him4 ,it is certain that he
 wrote with great     bitterness against
 ,st4 ,cyril1 and his anathematisms1 as 
appears from     the works which he     
wrote upon that occasion1 especially    
certain     letters and fragments of his
 ,pentalogus1 7or work in five books1   
against ,st4 ,cyril17 still extant4 ,but
 ,st4 ,cyril having made a clear        
confession of his faith in a letter to  
,acacius of ,beroea1 ,theodoret         
loudly declared him orthodox1 and this  
he proved even in letters     which he  
wrote to ,nestorius himself1 and to     
,alexander of ,hierapolis1     his own  
metropolitan1 the warmest of all ,st4   
,cyril's enemies4 ,john     of ,antioch 
and many others made their peace with   
,st4 ,cyril1 about     the month of     
,april4 ,in #dcc1 ,theodoret stood out  

some time longer1 by     refusing to    
condemn the person of ,nestorius4 ,st4  
,cyril and ,john of     ,antioch        
afterwards admitted him to their        
communion without requiring     that    
condition1 and ,theodoret labored to    
gain over ,alexander of     ,hierapolis2
 but in vain1 so that this prelate was  
banished by the     emperor2 ,theodoret 
himself1 though he enjoyed the communion
 of ,st4     ,cyril1 and of ,john of    
,antioch1 was often accused1 because he 
persisted to defend the person of       
,nestorius4 ,the persecution was        
often renewed against ,theodoret1 so    
long as he adhered to ,nestorius1       
especially after ,st4 ,cyril1 ,st4      
,proclus1 and all the western           
prelates condemned the writings of      
,theodorus of ,mopsuestia1 as the       
master of the heresiarch ,nestorius in  
his capital error4 ,the     ,orientals  
defended ,theodorus1 and ,theodoret     
endeavored to justify     him by several
 writings against ,st4 ,cyril1 of which 

only fragments     quoted in the fifth  
council are extant4 ,st4 ,cyril1 by his 
silence     and moderation1 calmed this 
dispute1 and always maintained peace    
with the ,orientals from the time it was
 settled between them4 ,his     death   
happened in ,june1 #ddd1 and ,dioscorus1
 the impious ,eutychian1     was his    
successor4 ,theodorus1 bishop of        
,mopsuestia1 in ,cilicia1 who     died  
in #dbh1 in his erroneous writings laid 
the foundation both of     the ,pelagian
 and ,nestorian heresies4 ,theodoret1 in
 his writings     against ,st4 ,cyril1  
adopts certain expressions which favored
     ,nestorianism1 and were condemned  
in the fifth general council2           
nevertheless1 his sentiments were always
 orthodox1 as is proved by              
,tillemont1 7,art4 #bj1 t4 #ae1 p4      
#bec17 ,natalis ,alexander1 ,graveson1  
c4 ,by exerting his zeal against        
,eutyches and ,dioscorus1 he incurred   
the indignation of their sect1 and the  
false council of ,ephesus     pronounced

 a pretended sentence of deposition     
against him4     ,theodosius the younger
 first forbade him to stir out of his   
diocese1     and when he desired to go  
to ,rome to justify himself1 in #dej1   
banished him to his monastery near      
,apamea4 ,the emperor ,marcian put      
an end to the persecution raised by the 
,eutychians under his     predecessor2  
yet ,theodoret chose to continue in his 
monastery till     he was called by pope
 ,leo to assist at the council of       
,chalcedon4 ,he     had received1 with  
great applause1 the excellent letter of 
that pope     to ,flavian1 and ,st4 ,leo
 declared null all the proceedings of   
,dioscorus against him at ,ephesus1 and 
restored him to his see1     7,conc4 t4 
#d1 p4 #fbb47 ,the council of ,chalcedon
 met in #dea1 and in     the seventh    
session1 held on the #bfth of ,october1 
,theodoret     presented his request    
that his writings and faith might be    
examined4     ,those who were           
prepossessed against him would not allow

 any such     examination1 but required 
that he should anathematize ,nestorius1 
which he at length did2 and the council1
 with high commendations1     declared  
him orthodox1 and worthy of his see4    
,marcian1 by a law     published the    
following year1 annulled the edict of   
,theodosius     against him and         
,flavian4 ,he died at ,cyrus1 about the 
year #deh4 ,the     heresy of ,nestorius
 he had clearly condemned from the      
beginning1     with ,john of ,antioch1  
in their exhortatory letter to          
,nestorius1     7,conc4 t4 #c1 p4 #cid74
 ,what mistakes and faults he fell into 
he     cancelled by his edifying        
repentance2 and the great virtues which 
he     practised even under his         
disgrace1 the extent of his learning1   
and     the sublimity and acuteness of  
his genius1 have established his        
reputation in all succeeding ages1 and  
he is deservedly ranked among     the   
must illustrious fathers of the church4 
,his excellent writings     are the most

 authentic monuments of his             
extraordinary learning and     piety4   
,he modestly compares himself 7,proleg4 
in ,osee4 t4 #b1 p4 #gjj7     to the    
,jewish poor women1 who in the building 
of the tabernacle1     having neither   
gold nor silver to give to ,god towards 
this work1     picked and gathered      
together the hair1 thread1 or cloths1   
contributed by others1 or spun1 or sewed
 something1 not to be found     quite   
empty-handed4 ,st4 ,chrysostom was taken
 away from ,antioch in     #cig1 and    
,theodoret was only born about the year 
#cic3 but though he     had not the     
happiness of hearing his divine         
discourses1 he took him     for his     
principal model1 and especially in his  
comments on the     scriptures usually  
adhered to those of that incomparable   
doctor4 ,his     works were printed at  
,paris1 in #afdb1 in four volumes in    
folio1 to     which ,f4 ,garnier1 a     
learned ,jesuit1 in #afhd1 added a fifth
 under the     title of an ,auctarium1  

containing certain letters and          
discourses of     this father1 with     
several prolix historical dissertations 
on the     ,nestorian heresy4 ,the      
judicious ,f4 ,sirmond1 far more        
equitable than     ,f4 ,garnier4 admires
 ,theodoret's brevity1 joined with great
     perspicuity1 especially in his     
commentaries1 and commends the          
pleasing beauty and attic elegance of   
his style4 ,photius praises his         
fruitfulness of invention1 the purity of
 his language1 the choice of     his    
words1 and the smoothness and neatness  
of his style1 in which he     finds     
everywhere a decent and noble elevation1
 though he thinks his     metaphors     
sometimes too bold4 ,this great critic  
calls his method of     short notes the 
most accomplished model for interpreting
 the holy     scriptures1 and mentions1 
as an instance of his sincere humility1 
that he never employs a single word1 or 
produces a quotation for                
ostentation1 never falling into         

digressions foreign to his purpose2     
we may almost say1 that a superfluous   
word scarce ever escapes him4           
7,phot4 ,cod4 #bjc1 p4 #ebf4 ,cod4 #ca1 
#df1 #ef47      ,his comments on ,st4   
,paul1 and on most of the books of the  
old     ,testament1 are concise literal1
 and solid1 but contain not that        
inexhausted and excellent treasure of   
morality which we find in ,st4          
,chrysostom1 whose commentaries         
,theodoret had always before him3 this  
latter excels chiefly on the prophets4  
,his church history1 in five     books1 
from the close of that of ,eusebius in  
#cbd to #dbi1 is a     valuable         
compilation4 ,photius justly prefers his
 style to that of     ,eusebius1        
,evagrius1 ,socrates1 and ,sozomen1 as  
more historical1     clear1 and lofty1  
without any redundancy4 7,cod4 #ca7 ,his
 religious     history1 or ,philothea1  
7i4e4 ,history of the ,friends of ,god17
     contains the lives of thirty monks 
and anchorets of his time4 ,he was      

himself an eye-witness to several of the
 miracles which he relates     to have  
been wrought by the sign of the cross1  
holy water1 and     blessed oil4 ,of    
some other miracles which he mentions1  
he tells us     that they were so       
authentic and notorious that no one who 
believes     those of ,moses1 ,elias1   
and the ,apostles1 could deny them4 ,the
 five     books1 ,of ,heretical ,fables1
 are a history of ancient heresies which
     he wrote at the request of         
,sporacius1 one of the imperial         
commissaries at the council of          
,chalcedon1 who was consul in #deb4 ,in 
the fourth book1 he inveighs most       
bitterly against ,nestorius1 whom     he
 had for some time unwarily favored4    
,the letters of ,theodoret     which are
 extant1 amount to the number of #adf4  
,his book ,against the     twelve       
,anthematisms of ,st4 ,cyril1 he tacitly
 recalled by his     condemnation of    
,nestorius2 also his ,pentalogus on the 
same subject1     which is now lost1    

except some fragments preserved by      
,marius     ,mercator4 ,his three       
dialogues against the ,eutychians1 he   
entitled     ,polymorphus1 7i4e4 of many
 shapes17 and ,eranistes1 that is1 the  
,beggar1 because the ,eutychian error   
was gathered from the various           
heresies of ,marcian1 ,valentin1 ,arius1
 and ,apollinaris4 ,the first           
dialogue he calls the ,unchangeable1    
because in it he shows that the         
divine ,word suffered no change by      
becoming man4 ,the second is            
entitled ,the ,inconfused1 from the     
subject1 which is to prove that in      
,christ1 after the ,incarnation1 the    
divine and human nature remain          
really distinct4 ,the third is called1  
,the ,impassible1 because in it     the 
author demonstrates that the divinity   
neither did nor could     suffer2 the   
same is the purport of his              
,demonstration by syllogisms4     ,the  
dialogues were written about the year   
#ddg2 for the author     clearly        

confutes ,eutyches1 though he never     
names him2 and it appears     that ,st4 
,cyril was then dead1 the author        
reckoning him in the end     among the  
,catholic doctors1 who had formerly     
flourished in the     church1 and among 
the stars which had enlightened the     
world4 7,dial4     #b4 p4 #hf1 and      
#aaa47      ,theodoret's ten sermons ,on
 ,providence1 is a work never yet       
paralleled by any other writer1 ancient 
or modern1 on that sublime     subject2 
whether we consider the matter and the  
choice of thoughts1     or the author's 
sincere piety1 or his extensive         
knowledge1 and the     depth of his     
philosophical inquiries1 or the strength
 and solidity     of his reasoning1 or  
the noble sublimity of the expression1  
and the     elegance and perspicuity of 
the diction4 ,it was the love of ,god   
which engaged him to undertake1 in this 
task1 the defence of the     cause of   
our best ,father and supreme ,lord1 as  
he modestly assures     us1 7p4 #cbj17  

and this motive animated him with fresh 
life and     uncommon vigor in exerting 
and displaying the strength and beauty  
of     his genius on so great a subject4
      ,his twelve discourses ,on healing
 the ,prejudices of the ,greeks1 are    
an excellent apology for our faith      
against the pagans2 a performance       
which falls little short of the former4 
,in it we meet with many     curious    
anecdotes relating to the heathenish    
theology of the     ancients1 and the   
impiety and vices with which their      
philosophers     disgraced their        
profession4 ,in the eighth of these     
discourses1 which     is entitled1 ,on  
the ,martyrs1 he clearly demonstrates   
that the     veneration which           
,christians pay to the saints in heaven1
 is entirely     different from the     
worship which the heathens give to their
 false     gods1 and elegantly explains 
7pp4 #eia1 #ffj1 #fjf7 in what manner   
the     souls of the martyrs now in     
heaven1 with the choirs of angels1 are  

our protectors and mediators with ,god1 
the physicians of our bodies1     and   
savers of our souls3 the portions of    
their divided relics are     the guard  
and protection of our cities1 which     
through their     intercession with ,god
 obtain divine gifts3 ,christians give  
their     names to their children to put
 these under their patronage3 it was a  
custom to hang up before their shrines1 
gold or silver images of     eyes1 feet1
 or hands1 as tokens or memorials of    
health1 or other     benefits received  
by their means3 they keep their         
festivals1 as     those of ,peter1      
,paul1 ,thomas1 ,sergius1 ,marcellus1   
,leontius1     ,panteleemon1 ,antoninus1
 ,mauritius1 and others1 in prayer1     
divine     canticles1 and holy sermons4 
,the same he testifies in his other     
works4 ,almost every life of holy monks 
which he wrote1 he closes by            
imploring their intercession1 and       
mentions that as far as ,rome1          
handicraftsman hang up in their shops   

the picture of ,st4 ,simeon             
,stylites1 hoping by their devotion to  
share in the protection of his          
prayers4 7,philoth4 c4 #bf1 p4 #hfb47   
,we learn from1 him1 that               
,christians were always accustomed to   
make the sign of the cross on     the   
cup before they drank4 7,hist4 ,eccl4 l4
 #c1 c4 #ac47 ,he often     extols the  
virtues of that holy sign1 honored1 as  
he says1 by all     ,christians1 whether
 ,greeks1 ,romans1 or ,barbarians1      
7,serm4 #f1 de     ,prov4 p4 #ehj1 t4   
#d17 and he relates1 7,hist4 ,eccl4 l4  
#c4 c4 #a17 that     ,julian the        
,apostate1 by making it in a fright1    
drove away the devils     which one of  
his enchanters was invoking4 ,his book  
in praise of     virginity1 to which he 
refers us1 7on #a ,cor4 vii4 #cc47 is   
lost2 also     the book in which he     
confuted both ,eutyches and ,nestorius1 
which is     mentioned by ,gennadius 7c4
 #hi7 and ,marcellinus4 7ad an4 #dff47  
,his     book ,against the ,jews1 and   

several others1 have not reached us4    
,among those which are extant his       
,octateuch1 7or comments on the five    
books of ,moses1 and those of ,joshua1  
,judges1 and ,ruth17 to which he        
added comments on the books of ,kings   
and ,paralipomenon1 much     commended  
by ,photius1 seems to be the last work  
which he wrote4 ,see     ,tillem4 t4    
#ae4 ,ceillier4  #bae  ,,st4 ,,cadocus1 
,,or ,,cadoc1 ,,abbot ,,in ,,wales4     
,,cadoc was son to ,gundleus1 a prince  
of ,south ,wales1 by his wife ,gladusa1 
daughter of ,braghan1 whose name wax    
given to the province now called        
,brecknockshire4 ,his parents were not  
less ennobled by their virtues than by  
their blood1 and his father1 who some   
years before his death renouncing the   
world1 led an eremitical life near a    
country church which he had built1 was  
honored in ,wales among the saints4     
,cadoc1 who was his eldest son1         
succeeded in the government1 but not    
long after followed his father's        

example2 and embracing a religious life1
 put himself under the direction of ,st4
 ,tathai1 an ,irish monk1 who had opened
 a famous school at ,gwent1 the ancient 
,venta ,silurum of the ,romans1         
afterwards a bishop's see1 now in ruins 
in ,monmouthshire4 ,our saint made such 
progress both in learning and virtue1   
that when he returned into              
,glamorganshire1 his own country1 he    
spread on every side the rays of his    
wisdom and sanctity4 ,here1 three miles 
from ,cowbridge1 he built a church and a
 monastery1 which was called            
,llan-carvan1 or the ,church of ,stags1 
and sometimes ,nancarvan1 that is1 the  
,vale of ,stags4 ,the school which he   
established in this place became most   
illustrious1 and fruitful in great and  
holy men4 ,by our saint's persuasion    
,st4 ,iltut renounced the court and the 
world1 and learned at ,llan-carvan that 
science which he preferred to all       
worldly treasures4 ,he afterwards       
founded the great monastery of          

,llan-,iltut4 ,these two monasteries and
 that of ,st4 ,docuinus1 all situated in
 the diocese of ,landaff1 were very     
famous for many ages1 and were often    
governed by abbots of great eminence4   
,st4 ,gildas1 after his return from     
,ireland1 entered the monastery of ,st4 
,cadoc1 where he taught for one year1   
and copied a book of the gospels1 which 
was long preserved with great care in   
the church of ,st4 ,cadoc1 and highly   
reverenced by the ,welsh1 who used it in
 their most solemn oaths and covenants4 
,after spending there one year1 ,st4    
,gildas and ,st4 ,cadoc left            
,llan-carvan1 being desirous to live in 
closer retirement4 ,they hid themselves 
first in the islands of ,ronech and     
,echni4 ,an ancient life of ,st4 ,cadoc 
tells us1 that he died at ,benevenna1   
which is the #baf ,roman name of a place
 now called ,wedon1 in                  
,northamptonshire4 ,some moderns take it
 for ,benevento1 in ,italy1 where they  
suppose him to have died4 ,chatelain    

imagines this ,st4 ,cadoc to be the same
 who is honored at ,rennes1 under the   
name of ,cadoc1 or ,caduad1 and from    
whom a small island on the coast of     
,vennes is called ,enes-,caduad4 ,st4   
,cadoc flourished in the beginning of   
the sixth century1 and was succeeded in 
the abbacy of ,llan-carvan1 by          
,ellenius1 an excellent disciple of an  
excellent master1 says ,leland4 ,see the
 ,acts of ,st4 ,cadoc1 in ,capgrave2    
,usher's ,antiquities1 c4 #ac1 p4 #beb4 
,chatelain's ,notes on the4 ,martyr4 p4 
#cii4   ,,january ,,xxv4  ,,the         
,,conversion ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul4  ,see   
,tillemont1 t4 #a1 p4 #aib4  ,,this     
great apostle was a ,jew1 of the tribe  
of ,benjamin4 ,at his circumcision1 on  
the eighth day after his birth1 he      
received the name of ,saul4 ,his father 
was by sect a ,pharisee1 and a denizen  
of ,tarsus1 the capital of ,cilicia3    
which city had shown a particular regard
 for the cause of the ,caesars2 on which
 account ,cassius deprived it of its    

privileges and lands2 but ,augustus1    
when conqueror1 made it ample amends by 
honoring it with many new privileges1   
and with the freedom of ,rome1 as we    
read in the two ,dions and ,appian4     
,hence ,st4 ,paul1 being born at        
,tarsus1 was by privilege a ,roman      
citizen1 to which quality a great       
distinction and several exemptions were 
granted by the laws of the empire4#a    
,his parents sent him young to          
,jerusalem1 where he was educated and   
instructed in the strictest observance  
of the law of ,moses1 by ,gamaliel1#b a 
learned and noble ,jew1 and probably a  
member of the ,sanhedrim2 and was a most
 scrupulous observer of it in every     
point4 ,he appeals even to his enemies  
to bear evidence how conformable to it  
his life had been in every respect4#c   
,he embraced the sect of the ,pharisees1
 which was of all others the most       
severe1 though by its pride the most    
opposite to the humility of the         
gospel4#d ,it was a rule among the ,jews

 that all their children were to learn  
some trade with their studies1 were it  
but to avoid idleness1 and to exercise  
the body1 as well as the mind1 in       
something serious4#e ,it is therefore   
probable that ,saul learned in his youth
 the trade which he exercised even after
 his apostleship1 of making tents4#f    
,saul1 surpassing all his equals in zeal
 for the ,jewish law and their          
traditions1 which he thought the cause  
of ,god1 became thereby a1 blasphemer1 a
 persecutor1 and the most outrageous    
enemy of ,christ4#g ,he was one of those
 who combined to murder ,st4 ,stephen1  
and by keeping the garments of all who  
stoned that holy martyr1 he is said by  
,st4 ,austin to have stoned him by the  
hands of all the rest2#h to whose       
prayers for his enemies he ascribes #bag
 the conversion of ,st4 ,paul3#i ,if    
,stephen1 said he1 had not prayed1 the  
church would never have had ,st4 ,paul4 
,after the martyrdom of the holy deacon1
 the priests and magistrates of the     

,jews raised a violent persecution      
against the church at ,jerusalem1 in    
which ,saul signalized himself above    
others4 ,by virtue of the power he had  
received from the high priest1 he       
dragged the ,christians out of their    
houses1 loaded them with chains1 and    
thrust them into prison4#aj ,he procured
 them to be scourged in the synagogues1 
and endeavored by torments to compel    
them to blaspheme the name of ,christ4  
,and as our ,saviour had always been    
represented by the leading men of the   
,jews as an enemy to their law1 it was  
no wonder that this rigorous ,pharisee  
fully persuaded himself that he ought to
 do many things contrary to the name of 
,jesus of ,nazareth4#aa ,by the         
violences he committed1 his name became 
everywhere a terror to the faithful4    
,the persecutors not only raged against 
their persons1 but also seized their    
estates and what they possessed in      
common1#ab and left them in such extreme
 necessity1 that the remotest churches  

afterwards thought it incumbent on them 
to join in charitable contributions to  
their relief4 ,all this could not       
satisfy the fury of ,saul2 he breathed  
nothing but threats and the slaughter of
 the other disciples4#ac ,wherefore1 in 
the fury of his zeal1 he applied to the 
high priest and ,sanhedrim for a        
commission to take up all ,jews at      
,damascus who confessed ,jesus ,christ1 
and bring them bound to ,jerusalem1 that
 they might serve as public examples for
 the terror of others4 ,but ,god was    
pleased to show forth in him his        
patience and mercy2 and1 moved by the   
prayers of ,st4 ,stephen and his other  
persecuted servants1 for their enemies1 
changed him1 in the very heat of his    
fury1 into a vessel of election1 and    
made him a greater man in his church by 
the grace of the apostleship1 than ,st4 
,stephen had ever been1 and a more      
illustrious instrument of his glory4 ,he
 was almost at the end of his journey to
 ,damascus1 when about noon1 he and his 

company were on a sudden surrounded by a
 great light from heaven1 brighter than 
the sun4#ad ,they all saw the light1 and
 being struck with amazement1 fell to   
the ground4 ,then ,saul heard a voice1  
which to him was articulate and         
distinct2 but not understood1 though    
heard by the rest3#ae ,saul1 ,saul1 why 
dost thou persecute me8 ,christ said    
not3 ,why dost thou persecute my        
disciples8 but me3 for it is he1 their  
head1 who is chiefly persecuted in his  
servants4 ,saul answered3 ,who art thou1
 ,lord8 ,christ said3 ,jesus of         
,nazareth1 whom thou persecutest4 ,it is
 hard for thee to kick against the goad3
 to contend with one so much mightier   
than thyself4 ,by persecuting my church 
you make it flourish1 and only prick and
 hurt yourself4 ,this mild expostulation
 of our ,redeemer1 accompanied with a   
powerful interior grace1 strongly       
affecting his soul1 cured his pride1    
assuaged his rage1 and wrought at once a
 total change in him4 ,wherefore1       

trembling and astonished1 he cried out3 
,lord1 what wilt thou have me to do8    
,what to repair the past8 ,what to      
promote your glory8 ,i make a joyful    
oblation of myself to execute your will 
in every thing1 and to suffer for your  
sake afflictions1 disgraces1            
persecutions1 torments1 and every sort  
of death4 ,the true convert expressed   
this1 not in a bare form of words1 nor  
with faint languid desires1 nor with any
 exception lurking in the secret        
recesses of his heart2 but with an      
entire sacrifice of himself1 and an     
heroic victory over the world with its  
frowns and charms1 over the devils with 
their snares and threats1 and over      
himself and all inclinations of         
self-love2 devoting himself totally to  
,god4 ,a #bah perfect model of a true   
conversion1 the greatest work of        
almighty grace6 ,christ ordered him to  
arise and proceed on his journey to the 
city1 where he should be informed of    
what he expected from him4 ,christ would

 not instruct him immediately by        
himself1 but1 ,st4 ,austin observes1#af 
sent him to the ministry#ag which he had
 established in the church1 to be       
directed in the way of salvation by     
those whom he had appointed for that    
purpose4 ,he would not finish the       
conversion and instruction of this great
 apostle1 whom he was pleased to call in
 so wonderful a manner1 but by remitting
 him to the guidance of his ministers2  
showing us thereby that his holy        
providence has so ordered it1 that all  
who desire to serve him1 should seek his
 will by listening to those whom he has 
commanded us to hear1 and whom he has   
sent in his own name and appointed to be
 our guides4 ,so perfectly would he     
abolish in his servants all             
self-confidence and presumption1 the    
source of error and illusion4 ,the      
convert1 rising from the ground1 found  
that1 though his eyes were open1 he saw 
nothing4 ,providence sent this corporal 
blindness to be an emblem of the        

spiritual blindness in which he had     
lived1 and to signify to him that he was
 henceforward to die to the world1 and  
learn to apply his mind totally to the  
contemplation of heavenly things4 ,he   
was led by the hand into ,damascus1     
whither ,christ seemed to conduct him in
 triumph4 ,he was lodged in the house of
 a ,jew named ,judas1 where he remained 
three days blind1 and without eating or 
drinking4 ,he doubtless spent his time  
in great bitterness of soul1 not yet    
knowing what ,god required of him4 ,with
 what anguish he bewailed his past      
blindness and false zeal against the    
church1 we may conjecture both from his 
taking no nourishment during those three
 days1 and from the manner in which he  
ever after remembered and spoke of his  
having been a blasphemer and a          
persecutor4 ,though the entire          
reformation of his heart was not        
gradual1 as in ordinary conversions1 but
 miraculous in the order of grace1 and  
perfect in a moment2 yet a time of      

probation and a severe interior trial   
7for such we cannot doubt but he went   
through on this occasion7 was necessary 
to crucify the old man and all other    
earthly sentiments in his heart1 and to 
prepare it to receive the extraordinary 
graces which ,god designed him4 ,there  
was a ,christian of distinction in      
,damascus1 much respected by the ,jews  
for his irreproachable life and great   
virtue2 his name was ,ananias4 ,christ  
appeared to this holy disciple2 and     
commanded him to go to ,saul1 who was   
then in the house of ,judas at prayer3  
,ananias trembled at the name of ,saul1 
being no stranger to the mischief he had
 done in ,jerusalem1 or to the errand on
 which he was set out to ,damascus4 ,but
 our ,redeemer overruled his fears1 and 
charged him a second time to go to him1 
saying3 ,go1 for he is a vessel of      
election to carry my name before        
,gentiles and kings1 and the children of
 ,israel3 and ,i will show him how much 
he has to suffer for my name4 ,for      

tribulation is the test and portion of  
all the true servants of ,christ4 ,saul 
in the mean time saw in a vision a man  
entering1 and laying his hands upon him1
 to restore his sight4 ,ananias1 obeying
 the divine order1 arose1 went to ,saul1
 and laying his hands upon him1 said3   
,brother ,saul1 the ,lord ,jesus who    
appeared to thee on thy journey1 hath   
sent me that thou mayest receive thy    
sight1 and be filled with the ,holy     
,ghost4 ,immediately something like     
scales fell from his eyes1 and he       
recovered his eyesight4 ,ananias added3 
,the ,god of our fathers hath chosen    
thee that thou shouldst know his will   
and see the just one1 and shouldst hear 
the voice from his mouth3 and thou shalt
 be his witness unto all men to publish 
what thou hast seen and heard4 ,arise1  
therefore1 be baptized and washed from  
thy sins1 invoking the name of the      
,lord4 ,saul then arose1 was            
baptized1#bai and took some refreshment4
 ,he stayed some few days with the      

disciples at ,damascus1 and began       
immediately to preach in the synagogues1
 that ,jesus was the ,son of ,god1 to   
the great astonishment of all that heard
 him1 who said3 ,is not this he who     
persecuted at ,jerusalem those who      
invoked the name of ,jesus1 and who is  
come hither to carry them away          
prisoners8 ,thus a blasphemer and a     
persecutor was made an apostle1 and     
chosen to be one of the principal       
instruments of ,god in the conversion of
 the world4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,st4 ,paul never    
recalled to mind this his wonderful     
conversion1 without raptures of         
gratitude and praise to the divine      
mercy4 ,the church1 in thanksgiving to  
,god for such a miracle of his grace1   
from which it has derived such great    
blessings1 and to commemorate so        
miraculous an instance of his almighty  
power1 and to propose to penitents a    
perfect model of a true conversion1 has 
instituted this festival1 which we find 

mentioned in several calendars and      
missals of the eighth and ninth         
centuries1 and which pope ,innocent     
,,iii4 commanded to be observed with    
great solemnity4 ,it was for some time  
kept a holy day of obligation in most   
churches in the ,west2 and we read it   
mentioned as such in ,england in the    
council of ,oxford in #abbb1 in the     
reign of king ,henry ,,iii4#ah          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,acts1 xxi4 #bi1 xxii4 
#c4 #b4  ,ibid4 xxii4 #c4 #c4  ,ibid4   
xxvi4 #d4 #d4  ,ibid4 xxvi4 #e4 #e4     
,rabbi ,juda says1 ,that a parent1 who  
neglects his duty1 is as     criminal as
 if he taught his son to steal4 ,see    
,grotius and ,sanctius     on ,acts     
xviii4 #c4 #f4  ,these tents were for   
the use of soldiers and mariners1 and   
were made     of skins sewn together4   
think that his business was that of     
making tapestry and hangings for        
theatres4 #g4  ,gal4 i4 #ad4 #h4  ,serm4
 #cja4 #i4  ,ibid4 l4 #af1 c4 #d4 ,acts1
 vi4 #aj4 ,acts1 viii4 #c1 xxii4 #d1    

xxvi4 #aj4 #aa4 ,acts1 xxvi4 #i4 #ab4   
,heb4 x4 #cb4 #ac4 ,acts1 x4 #a4 #ad4   
,acts1 ix4 xiii4 xxvi4 #ae4 ,so the     
,greek word ,greek3 akoein is often used
 in scripture1 as in     ,j xiv4 #b4    
,and thus the text is very reconcilable 
with ,acts4 xxii4     #i4 #af4 ,qu4     
,evang4 l4 #b1 c4 #dj1 et praef4 #a1 de 
doctr4 ,christ4 p4 #cb4 #ag4 ,st4       
,austin doubts not but ,ananias was a   
bishop1 or at least a     priest4 ,the  
,greeks give him a place in their       
calendar on the #ast of     ,october1   
and style him bishop of ,damascus and   
martyr4 #ah4 ,conc4 ,labbe1 t4 xi4 p4   
#bgd4  ,,ss4 ,,juventinus ,,and         
,,maximinus1 ,,martyrs4  ,from the      
elegant panegyric of ,st4 ,chrysostom1  
t4 #b1 p4 #egh1 ed4 ,montf41 and from   
,theodoret1 ,hist4 l4 #c1 c4 #aa4       
,a4,d4 #cfc4  ,,these martyrs were two  
officers of distinction in the          
foot-guards of ,julian the ,apostate4#a 
,when that tyrant was on his march      
against the ,persians1 they let fall at 

table certain free reflections on his   
impious laws against the ,christians1   
wishing rather for death than to see the
 profanation #bbj of holy things4 ,the  
emperor1 being informed of this1 sent   
for them1 and finding that they could   
not be prevailed upon by any means to   
retract what they had said1 nor to      
sacrifice to idols1 he confiscated their
 estates1 caused them to be cruelly     
scourged1 and1 some days after1 to be   
beheaded in prison at ,antioch1 ,january
 the #beth1 #cfc4 ,the ,christians1 with
 the hazard of their lives1 stole away  
their bodies1 and after the death of    
,julian1 who was slain in ,persia on the
 #bfth of ,june following1 erected for  
them a magnificent tomb4 ,on their      
festival ,st4 ,chrysostom pronounced    
their panegyric1 in which he says of    
these martyrs3 ,they support the church 
as pillars1 defend it as towers1 and    
repel all assaults as rocks4 ,let us    
visit them frequently1 let us touch     
their shrine1 and embrace their relics  

with confidence1 that we may obtain from
 thence some benediction4 ,for as       
soldiers1 showing to the king the wounds
 which they have received in his        
battles1 speak with confidence1 so they1
 by an humble representation of their   
past sufferings for ,christ1 obtain     
whatever they ask of the ,king of       
heaven4#b  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,julian1    
surnamed the ,apostate1 rebelled against
 ,constantius1 his     cousin-german1 in
 the spring1 in #cfj1 and by his death1 
in ,november1     #cfa1 obtained the    
empire4 ,he was one of the most infamous
     dissemblers that ever lived4       
,craft1 levity1 inconstancy1 falsehood1 
want of judgment1 and an excessive      
vanity1 discovered themselves in     all
 his actions1 and appear in his         
writings1 namely1 his epistles1     his 
satire called ,misopogon1 and his lives 
of the ,caesars4 ,he wrote     the last 
work to censure all the former emperors1
 that he might     appear the only great
 prince3 for a censorious turn is an    

effect of     vanity and pride4 ,he was 
most foolishly superstitious1 and       
exceedingly fond of soothsayers and     
magicians4 ,after the death of          
,constantius1 he openly professed       
idolatry1 and by besmearing himself     
with the blood of impious victims1      
pretended to efface the character     of
 baptism4 ,he was deceived in almost    
every step by ridiculous     omens1     
oracles1 and augurs1 as may be seen in  
his heathen historian1     ,ammianus    
,marcellinus1 7b4 #bb47 ,maximus1 the   
magician1 and others of     that        
character1 were his chief confidants4   
,he endeavored1 by the     black art1 to
 rival the miracles of ,christ1 though  
he effected     nothing4 ,he            
disqualified ,christians from bearing   
offices in the     state2 he forbade    
them to teach either rhetoric of        
philosophy1 that     he might deprive   
them of the advantages of human         
literature1 a thing     condemned by    
,ammianus himself4 ,he commanded1 by an 

edict1 that they     should be no longer
 called ,christians1 but ,galileans1 and
 though he     pretended to toleration1 
he destroyed more souls by recompenses1 
caresses1 and strategems1 than he could 
have done by cruelties4 ,he     levied  
heavy fines and seized the estates of   
,christians1 saying1 in     raillery1   
that he did it to oblige them to follow 
the gospel1 which     recommends        
poverty4 ,he often put them to death1   
but secretly1 and on     other          
pretences1 that he might deprive them of
 the honor of     martyrdom3 which      
artifice might have its influence on    
philosophers1     the lovers of vanity2 
but not on the servants of ,god1 who    
desired to     be known to him alone1   
and to suffer1 regardless of the        
applause of     men1 as ,st4 ,gregory   
,nazianzen observes4 7,or4 #c1 in       
,julian47 ,that     father1 when he knew
 him a student at ,athens1 in #cee1     
prognosticated     7,or4 #d1 in ,julian1
 p4 #abb7 from his light carriage1      

wandering eye1     haughty look1        
impertinent questions1 and foolish      
answers1 what a     monster the ,roman  
empire was fostering and breeding up4   
,in his march     to his ,persian       
expedition1 he was made a subject of    
mockery and     ridicule at ,antioch1 on
 account of his low stature1 gigantic   
gait1     great goat's beard1 and bloody
 sacrifices4 ,in answer to which1 he    
wrote his ,misopogon1 or ,beardhater1 a 
low and insipid satire4 ,he             
everywhere threatened the ,christians   
upon his return from the     ,persian   
war4 ,the oracles of ,delos1 ,delphos1  
,dodona1 and others1     promised him   
victories1 as ,theodoret1 ,st4 ,gregory 
,nazianzen1     ,philostorgius1 and     
,libanius himself1 7,libanius1 ,or4     
#ab17 a heath1     and the chief        
favorite of ,julian1 testify3 all the   
pagan deities     wherever he passed1   
gave him the like assurances1 as he     
himself     writes 7,julian1 ep4 #b47   
,but in ,persia he rashly ventured into 

wilds     and deserts1 with an army of  
sixty-five thousand men1 where he was   
defeated and slain in ,june1 #cfc4      
,ammianus1 who was then in the army1    
only says that he was mortally wounded  
in the battle1 and died in     his tent 
the same day1 before noon4 ,theodoret1  
,sozomen1 and the acts     of ,st4      
,theodoret the martyr1 say1 that finding
 himself wounded1 he     threw up a     
handful of blood towards heaven1 crying 
out3 ,thou hast     conquered1 ,o       
,galilean1 thou hast conquered4 ,it was 
revealed to many     holy hermits1 that 
,god cut him off to give peace to his   
church4 #b4  ,hom4 in ,,ss4 ,juv4 et    
,max4 t4 #b1 p4 #ehc4  ,,st4            
,,projectus1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,clermont1  
,m4  ,,called ,,at ,,lyons ,,st4        
,,priest1 ,,at ,,sens ,,st4 ,,prest1    
,,in ,,saint-,,onge ,,st4 ,,preils1 ,,at
 ,,paris ,,and ,,in ,,picardy ,,st4     
,,prix4  ,,the episcopal see of         
,auvergne1 which was founded by ,st4    
,austremonius1 in the middle of the     

third century1 has been honored with    
many holy bishops1 of whom twenty-six   
are ranked among the saints4 ,of these  
the most eminent are ,st4 ,alidius1     
called in ,french ,allyre1 the fourth   
bishop1 in #chj1 ,st4 ,sidonius         
,apollinaris in #dhb1 ,st4 ,gallus in   
#fef1 ,st4 ,prix in #fgd1 and ,st4 ,bont
 in #gaj4 ,about the year #aafj1 the    
title of bishops of ,auvergne was       
changed into that of ,clermont1 from the
 city of this name4 ,st4 ,prix was a    
native of ,auvergne1 and trained up in  
the service of the church1 under the    
care of ,st4 ,genesius1 first           
archdeacon1 afterwards bishop of        
,auvergne1 and was well skilled in plain
 song1 7which was esteemed in that age  
the first part of the science of a      
clergyman17 and in holy scriptures and  
church history4 ,the parish of ,issoire1
 and afterwards the nunnery1 of         
,candedin1 7now probably ,chantoen1 a   
convent of barefooted ,carms17 were the 
chief theatres of his zeal1 till about  

the year #fff he was called by the voice
 of the people1 seconded by ,childeric  
,,ii41 king of ,austrasia1 to the       
episcopal dignity1 upon the death of    
,felix1 bishop of ,auvergne4 ,partly by 
his own ample patrimony1 and partly by  
the great liberalities of ,genesius1 the
 holy count of ,auvergne1 he was enabled
 to found several monasteries1 churches1
 and hospitals2 so that all distressed  
persons in his extensive diocese were   
provided for1 and a spirit of fervor in 
the exercises of religion1 and all      
,christian virtues1 reigned in all      
parts4 ,this was the fruit of the       
unwearied and undaunted zeal1 assiduous 
sermons and exhortations1 and the       
admirable example and sanctity of the   
holy prelate2 whose learning1 eloquence1
 and piety1 are exceedingly extolled by 
the two historians of his life4 ,the    
saint1 on his road to the court of king 
,childeric1 whither he was going for the
 affairs of his diocese1 restored to    
health ,st4 ,damarin1 or ,amarin1 a holy

 abbot of a monastery in the mountains  
of ,voge1 who was afterwards martyred   
with him4 ,this king caused ,hector1 the
 patrician of ,marseilles1 whom the     
saint had severely rebuked for having   
ravished a young lady of ,auvergne1 a   
rich heiress1 and having unjustly       
usurped considerable estates belonging  
to his church1 to be put to death for   
this rape and other crimes4 ,one        
,agritius1 imputing his death to the    
complaints carried to the king by ,st4  
,prix1 in revenge #bba stirred up many  
persons against the holy prelate1 and   
with twenty armed men met the bishop as 
he returned from court1 at ,volvic1 two 
leagues from ,clermont1 and first slew  
the abbot ,st4 ,damarin1 whom the       
ruffians mistook for the bishop4 ,st4   
,prix1 perceiving their design1         
courageously presented himself to them1 
and was stabbed in the body by a ,saxon 
named ,radbert4 ,the saint1 receiving   
this wound1 said1 ,lord1 lay not this   
sin to their charge1 for they know not  

what they do4 ,another of the assassins 
clove his head with a back-sword1 and   
scattered his brains4 ,this happened in 
#fgd1 on the #beth of ,january4 ,the    
veneration which the ,gallican churches 
paid to the memory of this martyr began 
from the time of his death4 ,his name   
was added to the calendar in the copies 
of the ,sacramentary of ,st4 ,gregory1  
which were transcribed in ,france1 and  
churches were erected under his         
invocation in almost every province of  
that kingdom4 ,the principal part of his
 relics remain in the abbey of          
,flavigny1 whither they were carried    
about the year #gfj4 ,some portions are 
kept in the abbey of ,st4 ,prix at ,st4 
,quintin's1 of the congregation of      
,cluni2 another in the priory of ,st4   
,prix near ,bethune1 and in certain     
other places4 ,see the two lives of ,st4
 ,prix1 the first written by one who was
 acquainted with him1 the other by one  
of the same age1 both extant in         
,bollandus1 pp4 #fbh1 #fcf1 and in      

,mabillon ,act4 ,ben4 t4 #a1 pp4 #fdb1  
#fej4  ,,st4 ,,poppo1 ,,abbot ,,of      
,,stavelo  ,,st4 ,,poppo was born in    
,flanders in #igh1 and received a pious 
education1 under the care of a most     
virtuous mother1 who died a nun at      
,verdun4 ,in his youth he served for    
some time in the army1 but even while he
 lived in the world1 he found the       
spiritual food of heavenly meditation   
and prayer1 with which the affections of
 the soul are nourished1,st4 ,aug4 ,tr4 
#bf4 in ,joan4 to be incomparably       
sweeter than all the delights of the    
senses1 and to give himself up entirely 
to these holy exercises1 he renounced   
his profession and the world4 ,in a     
visit which he made by a penitential    
pilgrimage to the holy places at        
,jerusalem1 he brought thence many      
precious relics1 with which he enriched 
the church of our ,lady at ,deisne1 now 
a marquisate between ,ghent and         
,courtray4 ,he made also a pilgrimage to
 the shrines of the apostles at ,rome1  

and1 some time after his return1 took   
the monastic habit at ,st4 ,thierry's1  
near ,rheims4 ,richard1 abbot of        
,verdun1 becoming acquainted with his   
eminent virtue1 obtained with great     
difficulty his abbot's consent to remove
 him thither2 and being made abbot of   
,st4 ,vedast's1 at ,arras1 upon the     
deposition of ,folrad1 who had filled   
that house with scandalous disorders1 he
 appointed ,poppo procurator4 ,in a     
journey which our saint was obliged to  
make to the court of ,st4 ,henry1 he    
prevailed with that religious prince to 
abolish the combats of men and bears4   
,st4 ,poppo was chosen successively     
prior of ,st4 ,vedast's1 provost of ,st4
 ,vennes1 and abbot of ,beaulieu1 which 
last he rebuilt4 ,he was afterwards     
chosen abbot of ,st4 ,vedast's1 and some
 time later of the two united abbeys of 
,stavelo and ,malmedy1 about a league   
asunder1 in the diocese of ,liege2 also1
 two years after this1 of ,st4          
,maximin's at ,triers4 ,those of ,arms  

and ,marchiennes were also committed to 
his care3 in all which houses he settled
 the most exact discipline4 ,he died at 
,marchiennes1 on the #beth of ,january1 
in #ajdh1 being seventy years of age4   
,st4 ,poppo received extreme unction at 
the hands of ,everhelm1 abbot of        
,hautmont1 afterwards of ,blandinberg at
 ,ghent1 who afterwards wrote his life1 
in which he gives a particular account  
of his great #bbb virtues4 ,the body of 
,st4 ,poppo was carried to ,stavelo1 and
 there interred3 his remains were taken 
up and enshrined in #afbd1 after        
,baronius had inserted his name in the  
,roman ,martyrology2 for ,molanus1 in   
his ,indiculus1 and ,miraeus observe    
that he was never canonized4 ,chatelain 
denies against ,trithemius that any     
commemoration was ever made of him in   
the public office in any of the abbeys  
which he governed4 ,but ,martenne       
assures us that he was honored among the
 saints at ,stavelo1 in the year #afbd4 
,see his life written by the monk       

,onulf1 and abridged by ,everhelm1 abbot
 of ,hautmont1 in ,bollandus1 p4 #fgc1  
and ,martenne1 ,amplis4 ,collectio1 t4  
#b1 ,praef4 p4 #ag4  ,,st4 ,,apollo1    
,,abbot ,,in ,,thebais4  ,,after passing
 many years in a hermitage1 he formed   
and governed a community of five hundred
 monks1 near ,heliopolis4 ,they all wore
 the same coarse white habit1 all       
received the holy communion every day1  
and the holy abbot made them also a     
daily exhortation with admirable        
unction4 ,he entertained them often on  
the evils of melancholy and sadness1    
saying1 that spiritual joy and          
cheerfulness of heart are necessary amid
 our tears of penance2 as being the     
fruit of charity1 and requisite to      
support the fervor of the soul4 ,he was 
known to strangers by the joy of his    
countenance4 ,by humility he ranked     
himself among the goats1 unworthy to be 
numbered among the sheep4 ,he made it   
his constant and earnest petition to    
,god1 that he might know himself1 and be

 preserved from the subtile snares and  
illusions of pride4 ,it is said that the
 devil left a possessed person at his   
command1 crying out that he was not able
 to withstand his humility4 ,the saint  
received a visit from ,st4 ,petronius1  
afterwards bishop of ,bologna1 in #cic1 
being then near eighty years old1 which 
he did not long survive4 ,see ,sozom4 l4
 #f1 c4 #bi4 ,rufin4 l4 #b4 ,tillem4 t4 
#aj1 p4 #ce4 ,the ,greek menaea and     
,bollandus on this day4  ,,st4          
,,publius1 ,,abbot  ,,near ,,zeugma1    
,,upon ,,the ,,euphrates1  ,,is honored 
by the ,greeks4 ,he was the son of a    
senator in that city1 and sold his      
estate1 plate1 and furniture1 for the   
benefit of the poor2 and lived first a  
hermit1 afterwards governed a numerous  
community in the fourth age4 ,he allowed
 his monks no other food than herbs and 
pulse1 and very coarse bread2 no drink  
but water3 he forbade milk1 cheese1     
grapes1 and even vinegar1 also oil1     
except from ,easter to ,whitsuntide4 ,to

 put himself always in mind of advancing
 continually in fervor and charity1 he  
added every day something to his        
exercises of penance and devotion3 he   
was remarkably solicitous to avoid      
sloth1 being sensible of the inestimable
 value of time4 ,alas6 what would not a 
damned soul1 what would not a suffering 
soul in purgatory give1 for one of those
 moments which we unthinkingly throw    
away4 ,as far as the state of the       
blessed in heaven can admit of regret1  
they eternally condemn their            
insensibility as having lost every      
moment of their mortal life1 which they 
did not improve to the utmost advantage4
 ,theodoret tells us that the holy abbot
 ,publius founded two congregations1 the
 one of ,greeks1 the other of ,syrians1 
each using their own tongue in the      
divine office3 for the ,greek and       
,chaldean were from the beginning #bbc  
sacred languages1 or consecrated by the 
church in her public prayers4 ,st4      
,publius flourished about the year #cfi4

 ,see ,theodoret1 ,philoth4 c4 #e4      
,rosweide1 l4 #f1 c4 #g4 ,chatel4 ,mart4
 ,univ4 p4 #hhf1 among the ,aemeres1 or 
saints who are not commemorated on any  
particular day4   ,,january ,,xxvi4     
,,st4 ,,polycarp1 ,,bishop ,,of         
,,smyrna1 ,m4  ,from his acts1 written  
by the church of ,smyrna in an excellent
 circular letter to the churches of     
,pontus1 immediately after his          
martyrdom3 a piece abridged by          
,eusebius1 b4 #d1 c4 #ad1 highly        
esteemed by the ancients4 ,joseph       
,scaliger1 a supercilious critic1 says  
that nothing in the whole course of     
church history so strongly affected him1
 as the perusal of these acts1 and those
 relating to the martyrs of ,lyons3 that
 he never read them but they gave him   
extraordinary emotions4 ,animad4 in     
,chron4 ,eusebii1 n4 #bahc1 c4 ,they are
 certainly most valuable pieces of      
,christian antiquity4 ,see ,eusebius1   
,st4 ,jerom1 and ,st4 ,irenaeus4 ,also  
,tillemont1 t4 #b1 p4 #cbg4 ,dom        

,ceillier1 t4 #a4 ,dom ,marechal1       
,concordance des ,peres ,grecs et       
,latins1 t4 #a4  ,a4,d4 #aff4  ,,st4    
,,polycarp was one of the most          
illustrious of the apostolic fathers1   
who1 being the immediate disciples of   
the apostles1 received instructions from
 their mouths1 and inherited of them the
 spirit of ,christ1 in a degree so much 
the more eminent1 as they lived nearer  
the fountain head4 ,he embraced         
,christianity very young1 about the year
 #hj2 was a disciple of the apostles1 in
 particular of ,st4 ,john the           
,evangelist1 and was constituted by him 
bishop of ,smyrna1 probably before his  
banishment to ,patmos1 in #if3 so that  
he governed that important see seventy  
years4 ,he seems to have been the angel 
or bishop of ,smyrna1 who was commended 
above all the bishops of ,asia by       
,christ himself in the ,apocalypse1#a   
and the only one without a reproach4    
,our ,saviour encouraged him under his  
poverty1 tribulation1 and persecutions1 

especially the calumnies of the ,jews1  
called him rich in grace1 and promised  
him the crown of life by martyrdom4     
,this saint was respected by the        
faithful to a degree of veneration4 ,he 
formed many holy disciples1 among whom  
were ,st4 ,irenaeus and ,papias4 ,when  
,florinus1 who had often visited ,st4   
,polycarp1 had broached certain         
heresies1 ,st4 ,irenaeus wrote to him as
 follows3#b ,these things were not      
taught you by the bishops who preceded  
us4 ,i could tell you the place where   
the blessed ,polycarp sat to preach the 
word of ,god4 ,it is yet present to my  
mind with what gravity he everywhere    
came in and went out3 what was the      
sanctity of his deportment1 the majesty 
of his countenance and of his whole     
exterior1 and what were his holy        
exhortations to the people4 ,i seem to  
hear him now relate how he conversed    
with ,john and many others1 who had seen
 ,jesus ,christ2 the words he had heard 
from their mouths4 ,i can protest before

 ,god1 that if this holy bishop had     
heard of any error like yours1 he would 
have immediately stopped his ears1 and  
cried out1 according to his custom3     
,good ,god6 that ,i should be reserved  
to these times to hear such things6     
,that very instant he would have fled   
out of the place in which he had heard  
such doctrine4 ,st4 ,jerom#c mentions1  
that ,st4 ,polycarp met at ,rome the    
heretic ,marcion1 in the streets1 who   
resenting that the holy bishop did not  
take that notice of him which he        
expected1 said to him3 ,do not you #bbd 
know me1 ,polycarp8 ,yes1 answered the  
saint1 ,i know you to be the first-born 
of ,satan4 ,he had learned this         
abhorrence of the authors of heresy1 who
 knowingly and willingly adulterate the 
divine truths1 from his master ,st4     
,john1 who fled out of the bath in which
 he saw ,cerinthus4#d ,st4 ,polycarp    
kissed with respect the chains of ,st4  
,ignatius1 who passed by ,smyrna on the 
road to his martyrdom1 and who          

recommended to our saint the care and   
comfort of his distant church of        
,antioch2 which he repeated to him in a 
letter from ,troas1 desiring him to     
write in his name to those churches of  
,asia to which he had not leisure to    
write himself4#e ,st4 ,polycarp #bbe    
wrote a letter to the ,philippians      
shortly after1 which is highly commended
 by ,st4 ,irenaeus1 ,st4 ,jerom1        
,eusebius1 ,photius1 and others1 and is 
still extant4 ,it is justly admired both
 for the excellent instructions it      
contains1 and for the simplicity and    
perspicuity of the style2 and was       
publicly read in the church in ,asia1 in
 ,st4 ,jerom's time4 ,in it he calls a  
heretic1 as above1 the eldest son of    
,satan4 ,about the year #aeh1 he        
undertook a journey of charity to ,rome1
 to confer with pope ,anicetus about    
certain points of discipline1 especially
 about the time of keeping ,easter1 for 
the ,asiatic churches kept it on the    
fourteenth day of the vernal equinoctial

 moon1 as the ,jews did1 on whatever day
 of the week it fell2 whereas ,rome1    
,egypt1 and all the ,west1 observed it  
on the ,sunday following4 ,it was agreed
 that both might follow their custom    
without breaking the bands of charity4  
,st4 ,anicetus1 to testify his respect1 
yielded to him the honor of celebrating 
the ,eucharist in his own church4#f ,we 
find no further particulars concerning  
our saint recorded before the acts of   
his martyrdom4  ,in the sixth year of   
,marcus ,aurelius and ,lucius ,verus1   
,statius ,quadrates being proconsul of  
,asia1 a violent persecution broke out  
in that country1 in which the faithful  
gave heroic proofs of their courage and 
love of ,god1 to the astonishment of the
 infidels4 ,when they were torn to      
pieces with scourges till their very    
bowels were laid bare1 amidst the moans 
and tears of the spectators1 who were   
moved with pity at the sight of their   
torments1 not one of them gave so much  
as a single groan3 so little regard had 

they for their own flesh in the cause of
 ,god4 ,no kinds of torture1 no         
inventions of cruelty were forborne to  
force them to a conformity to the pagan 
worship of the times4 ,germanicus1 who  
had been brought to ,smyrna with eleven 
or twelve other ,christians1 signalized 
himself above the rest1 and animated the
 most timorous to suffer4 ,the proconsul
 in the amphitheatre called upon him    
with tenderness1 entreating him to have 
some regard for his youth1 and to value 
at least his life3 but he1 with a holy  
impatience1 provoked the beasts to      
devour him1 to leave this wicked world4 
,one ,quintus1 a ,phrygian1 who had     
presented himself to the judge1 yielded 
at the sight of the beast let out upon  
him1 and sacrificed4 ,the authors of    
these acts justly condemn the           
presumption of those who offered        
themselves to suffer1#g and says that   
the martyrdom of ,st4 ,polycarp was     
conformable to the gospel1 because he   
exposed not himself to the temptation1  

but waited till the persecutors laid    
hands on him1 as ,christ our ,lord      
taught us by his own example4 ,the same 
venerable authors observe1 that the     
martyrs by their patience and constancy 
demonstrated to all men1 that1 while    
their bodies were tormented1 they were  
in spirit estranged from the flesh1 and 
already in heaven2 or rather that our   
,lord was present with them and assisted
 them2 for the fire of the barbarous    
executioners seemed as if it had been a 
cooling refreshment to them4#h ,the     
spectators1 seeing the courage of       
,germanicus and his companions1 and     
being fond of their impious bloody      
diversions1 cried out3 ,away with the   
impious2 let ,polycarp be sought for4   
,the holy man1 though fearless1 had been
 prevailed upon by his friends to       
withdraw and conceal himself in a       
neighboring village during the storm1   
spending most of his time in prayer4    
,three days before his martyrdom1 he in 
a vision saw his pillow on fire2 from   

which he understood by revelation1 and  
#bbf foretold his companions1 that he   
should be burnt alive4 ,when the        
persecutors were in quest of him he     
changed his retreat1 but was betrayed by
 a boy1 who was threatened with the rack
 unless he discovered him4 ,herod1 the  
,irenarch1 or keeper of the peace1 whose
 office it was to prevent misdemeanors  
and apprehend malefactors1 sent horsemen
 by night to beset his lodgings4 ,the   
saint was above stairs in bed1 but      
refused to make his escape1 saying3     
,god's will be done4 ,he went down1 met 
them at the door1 ordered them a        
handsome supper1 and desired only some  
time for prayer before he went with     
them4 ,this granted1 he began his prayer
 standing1 which he continued in that   
posture for two hours1 recommending to  
,god his own flock and the whole church 
with so much earnestness and devotion1  
that several of those that were come to 
seize him repented they had undertaken  
the commission4 ,they set him on an ass1

 and were conducting him towards the    
city1 when he was met on the road by    
,herod and his father ,nicetes1 who took
 him into their chariot1 and endeavored 
to persuade him to a little compliance1 
saying3 ,what harm is there in saying   
,lord ,caesar1 or even in sacrificing1  
to escape death8 ,by the word ,lord was 
meant nothing less than a kind of deity 
or godhead4 ,the bishop at first was    
silent1 in imitation of our ,saviour3   
but being pressed1 he gave them this    
resolute answer3 ,i shall never do what 
you desire of me4 ,at these words1      
taking off the mask of friendship and   
compassion1 they treated him with scorn 
and reproaches1 and thrust him out of   
the chariot with such violence1 that his
 leg was bruised by the fall4 ,the holy 
man went forward cheerfully to the place
 where the people were assembled4 ,upon 
his entering it1 a voice from heaven was
 heard by many3 ,polycarp1 be           
courageous1 and act manfully4#i ,he was 
led directly to the tribunal of the     

proconsul1 who exhorted him to respect  
his own age1 to swear by the genius of  
,caesar1 and to say3 ,take away the     
impious1 meaning the ,christians4 ,the  
saint turning towards the people in the 
pit1 said1 with a stern countenance3    
,exterminate the wicked1 meaning by this
 expression either a wish that they     
might cease to be wicked by their       
conversion to the faith of ,christ3 or  
this was a prediction of the calamity   
which befell their city in #agg1 when   
,smyrna was overturned by an earthquake1
 as we read in ,dion#aj and             
,aristides4#aa ,the proconsul repeated3 
,swear by the genius of ,caesar1 and ,i 
discharge you2 blaspheme ,christ4       
,polycarp replied3 ,i have served him   
these fourscore and six years1 and he   
never did me any harm1 but much good2   
and how can ,i blaspheme my ,king and my
 ,saviour8 ,if you require of me to     
swear by the genius of ,caesar1 as you  
call it1 hear my free confession3 ,i am 
a ,christian2 but if you desire to learn

 the ,christian religion1 appoint a     
time1 and hear me4 ,the proconsul said3 
,persuade the people4 ,the martyr       
replied3 ,i addressed my discourse to   
you2 for we are taught to give due honor
 to princes as far as is consistent with
 religion4 ,but the populace is an      
incompetent judge to justify myself     
before4 ,indeed1 rage rendered them     
incapable of hearing him4  ,the         
proconsul then assuming a tone of       
severity1 said3 ,i have wild beasts3    
,call for them1 replied the saint3 for  
we are unalterably resolved not to      
change from good to evil4 ,it is only   
good to pass from evil to good4 ,the    
proconsul said3 ,if you contemn the     
beasts1 ,i will cause you to be burnt to
 ashes4 ,polycarp answered3 ,you        
threaten me with a fire which burns for 
a short time1 and then goes out2 but are
 yourself ignorant of the #bbg judgment 
to come1 and of the fire of everlasting 
torments which is prepared for the      
wicked4 ,why do you delay8 ,bring       

against me what you please4 ,while he   
said thus and many other things1 he     
appeared in a transport of joy and      
confidence1 and his countenance shone   
with a certain heavenly grace1 and      
pleasant cheerfulness1 insomuch that the
 proconsul himself was struck with      
admiration4 ,however1 he ordered a crier
 to make public proclamation three times
 it the middle of the ,stadium1 7as was 
the ,roman custom in capital cases37    
,polycarp hath confessed himself a      
,christian4#ab ,at this proclamation the
 whole multitude of ,jews and ,gentiles 
gave a great shout1 the latter crying   
out3 ,this is the great teacher of      
,asia2 the father of the ,christians2   
the destroyer of our gods1 who preaches 
to men not to sacrifice to or adore     
them4 ,they applied to ,philip the      
,asiarch1#ac to let loose a lion upon   
,polycarp4 ,he told them that it was not
 in his power1 because those shows had  
been closed4 ,then they unanimously     
demanded that he should be burnt alive4 

,their request was no sooner granted1   
but every one ran with all speed to     
fetch wood from the baths and shops4    
,the ,jews were particularly active and 
busy on this occasion4 ,the pile being  
prepared1 ,polycarp put off his         
garments1 untied his girdle1 and began  
to take off his shoes2 an office he had 
not been accustomed to1 the ,christians 
having always striven who should do     
these things for him1 regarding it as a 
happiness to be admitted to touch him4  
,the wood and other combustibles were   
heaped all round him4 ,the executioners 
would have nailed him to the stake2 but 
he said to them3 ,suffer me to be as ,i 
am4 ,he who gives me grace to undergo   
this fire1 will enable me to stand still
 without that precaution4 ,they         
therefore contented themselves with     
tying his hands behind his back1 and in 
this posture1 looking up towards heaven1
 he prayed as follows3 ,o ,almighty     
,lord ,god1 ,father of thy beloved and  
blessed ,son ,jesus ,christ1 by whom we 

have received the knowledge of thee1    
,god of angels1 powers1 and every       
creature1 and of all the race of the    
just that live in thy presence6 ,i bless
 thee for having been pleased in thy    
goodness to bring me to this hour1 that 
,i may receive a portion in the number  
of thy martyrs1 and partake of the      
chalice of thy ,christ1 for the         
resurrection to eternal life1 in the    
incorruptibleness of the holy ,spirit4  
,amongst whom grant me to be received   
this day as a pleasing sacrifice1 such  
an one as thou thyself hast prepared1   
that so thou mayest accomplish what     
thou1 ,o true and faithful ,god6 hast   
foreshown4 ,wherefore1 for all things ,i
 praise1 bless1 and glorify thee1       
through the eternal high priest ,jesus  
,christ thy beloved ,son1 with whom1 to 
,thee and the ,holy ,ghost be glory now 
and for ever4 ,amen4 ,he had scarce said
 ,amen1 when fire was set to the pile1  
which increased to a mighty flame4 ,but 
behold a wonder1 say the authors of     

these acts1 seen by us1 reserved to     
attest it to others2 the flames forming 
themselves into an arch1 like the sails 
of a ship swelled with the wind1 gently 
encircled the body of the martyr1 which 
stood in the middle1 resembling not     
roasted flesh1 but purified gold or     
silver1 appearing bright through the    
flames2 and his body sending forth such 
a fragrancy1 that we seemed to smell    
precious spices4 ,the blind infidels    
were only exasperated to see his body   
could not be consumed1 and ordered a    
spearman to pierce him through1 which he
 did1 and such a quantity of blood      
issued out of his left side as to quench
 the fire4#ad ,the malice of the devil  
ended not here3 #bbh he endeavored to   
obstruct the relics of the martyr being 
carried off by the ,christians2 for many
 desired to do it1 to show their respect
 to his body4 ,therefore1 by the        
suggestion of ,satan1 ,nicetes advised  
the proconsul not to bestow it on the   
,christians1 lest1 said he1 abandoning  

the crucified man1 they should adore    
,polycarp3 the ,jews suggested this1    
,not knowing1 say the authors of the    
acts1 that we can never forsake ,christ1
 nor adore any other1 though we love the
 martyrs1 as his disciples and          
imitators1 for the great love they bore 
their king and master4 ,the centurion1  
seeing a contest raised by the ,jews1   
placed the body in the middle1 and burnt
 it to ashes4 ,we afterwards took up the
 bones1 say they1 more precious than the
 richest jewels or gold1 and deposited  
them decently in a place at which may   
,god grant us to assemble with joy1 to  
celebrate the birth-day of the martyr4  
,thus these disciples and eye-witnesses4
 ,it was at two o'clock in the          
afternoon1 which the authors of the acts
 call the eighth hour1 in the year #aff1
 that ,st4 ,polycarp received his crown1
 according to ,tillemont2 but1 in #afi1 
according to ,basnage4#ae ,his tomb is  
still shown with great veneration at    
,smyrna1 in a small chapel4 ,st4        

,irenaeus speaks of ,st4 ,polycarp as   
being of an uncommon age4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,the     
epistle of ,st4 ,polycarp to the        
,philippians1 which is the only one     
among those which he wrote that has been
 preserved1 is1 even in the dead letter1
 a standing proof of the apostolic      
spirit with which he was animated1 and  
of that profound humility1 perfect      
meekness1 burning charity1 and holy     
zeal1 of which his life was so admirable
 an example4 ,the beginning is an       
effusion of spiritual joy and charity   
with which he was transported at the    
happiness of their conversion to ,god1  
and their fervor in divine love4 ,his   
extreme abhorrence of heresy makes him  
immediately fall upon that of the       
,docaetae1 against which he arms the    
faithful1 by clearly demonstrating that 
,christ was truly made man1 died1 and   
rose again3 in which his terms admirably
 express his most humble and            
affectionate devotion to our divine     

,redeemer1 under these great mysteries  
of love4 ,besides walking in truth1 he  
takes notice1 that to be raised with    
,christ in glory1 we must also do his   
will1 keep all his commandments1 and    
love whatever he loved2 refraining from 
all fraud1 avarice1 detraction1 and rash
 judgment2 repaying evil with good1     
forgiving and showing mercy to others   
that we ourselves may find mercy4 ,these
 things1 says he1 ,i write to you on    
justice1 because you incited me2 for    
neither ,i1 nor any other like me1 can  
attain to the wisdom of the blessed and 
glorious ,paul1 into whose epistles if  
you look1 you may raise your spiritual  
fabric by strengthening faith1 which is 
our mother1 hope following1 and charity 
towards ,god1 ,christ1 and our neighbor 
preceding us4 ,he who has charity is far
 from all sin4 ,the saint gives short   
instructions to every particular state1 
then adds2 ,every one who hath not      
confessed that ,jesus ,christ is come in
 the flesh1 is antichrist2#af and who   

hath not confessed the suffering of the 
cross1 is of the devil2 and who hath    
drawn the oracles of the ,lord to his   
passions1 and hath said that there is no
 resurrection nor judgment1 he is the   
oldest son of ,satan4 ,he exhorts to    
watching always in prayer1 lest we be   
led into temptation2 to be constant in  
fasting1 persevering1 joyful in hope1   
and in the pledge of our justice1 which 
is ,christ #bbi ,jesus1 imitating his   
patience2 for1 by suffering for his     
name1 we glorify him4 ,to encourage them
 to suffer1 he reminds them of those who
 had suffered before their eyes3        
,ignatius1 ,zozimus1 and ,rufus1 and    
some of their own congregation1#ag who  
are now1 says our saint1 in the place   
which is due to them with the ,lord1    
with whom they also suffered4           
,footnotes3 #a4  ,ch4 ii4 v4 #i4 #b4    
,eus4 ,hist4 l4 #e1 c4 #bj1 p4 #ahh4 #c4
  ,cat4 vir4 illustr4 c4 #ag4 #d4  ,see 
also #a ,john ii4 #ah1 #bb1 and #b ,john
 #aj4 #e4  ,st4 ,ignatius begins his    

letter to the faithful at ,smyrna1 by   
glorifying ,god for their great         
spiritual wisdom1 saying he knew them   
to be perfect in their unshaken faith1  
as men crucified with our     ,lord     
,jesus in flesh and in spirit1 and      
deeply grounded in charity by     the   
blood of ,christ4 ,he then solidly      
confutes the ,docaetae1 heretics     who
 imagined that ,christ was not          
incarnate1 and died only in             
appearance2 whom he calls demoniacs4 ,he
 adds3 ,i give you this     caution1    
knowing that you hold the true faith1   
but that you may     stand upon your    
guard against these wild beasts in human
 shape1 whom     you ought not to       
receive under your roof1 nor even meet  
if possible2     and be content only to 
pray for them that they may be          
converted1 if     it be possible2 for it
 is very difficult2 though it is in the 
power     of ,jesus ,christ1 our true   
life4 ,if ,jesus ,christ did all this in
     appearance only1 then ,i am only   

chained in imagination2 and why have    
,i delivered myself up to death1 to     
fire1 to the sword1 to beasts8     but  
who is near the sword1 is near ,god2 he 
who is among beasts is     with ,god4 ,i
 suffer all things only in the name of  
,jesus ,christ1 that     ,i may suffer  
with him1 he giving me strength1 who was
 made perfectly     man4 ,what does it  
avail me to be commended by any one1 if 
he     blasphemes our ,lord1 not        
confessing him to have flesh8 ,the whole
     consists in faith and charity2     
nothing can take place before these4    
,now consider those who maintain a false
 opinion of the grace of     ,jesus     
,christ1 how they also oppose charity2  
they take no care of the     widow1 or  
orphan1 or him who is afflicted1 or     
pining with hunger or     thirst4 ,they 
abstain from the ,eucharist and prayer1 
7says he17     because they confess not 
the ,eucharist to be the flesh of our   
,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 which was      
crucified for our sins1 and which       

the ,father1 by his goodness1 raised    
again4 ,it is advisable for you     to  
separate yourselves from them1 and      
neither to speak to them in     public  
or in private4 ,shun schisms and all    
discord1 as the source of     evils4    
,follow your bishop as ,christ his      
,father1 and the college of     priests 
as the apostles2 respect the deacons as 
the precept of ,god4     ,let no one do 
any thing that belongs to the church    
without the     bishop4 ,let that       
,eucharist be regarded as lawful which  
is celebrated     by the bishop1 or one 
commissioned by him4 ,wherever the      
bishop makes     his appearance1 there  
let the people be assembled1 as wherever
     ,christ ,jesus is1 there is the    
,catholic church4 ,it is not lawful to  
baptize or celebrate the ,agape without 
the bishop or his authority4     ,what  
he approves of is acceptable to ,god4   
,he who does any thing     without the  
bishop's knowledge1 serves the devil4   
,the saint most     affectionately      

thanks them for the kindness they had   
shown him and     his followers2 begs   
they will depute some person to his     
church in     ,syria1 to congratulate   
with his flock for the peace which ,god 
had     restored to them1 adding that he
 was unworthy to be called a member     
of that church of which he was the last4
 ,he asks the succor of their           
prayers1 that by them he might enjoy    
,god4 ,seeing1 says he1 that     you are
 perfect1 entertain perfect sentiments  
of virtue3 for ,god is     ready to     
bestow on you who desire to do well4    
,after the most tender     salutations  
of many in particular1 and of all in    
general1 especially     the virgins who 
were called widows1 7i4e4 the           
deaconesses1 who     were called widows1
 because they were often such1 though   
these were     virgins17 he closes his  
letter by praying for their advancement 
in     all charity1 grace1 mercy1 peace1
 and patience4 ,st4 ,ign4 ep4 ad        
,smyrnaeos1 p4 #hgb1 ed4 ,cotel4        

,the apostolic ,st4 ,ignatius writes as 
follows1 in his letter to ,st4          
,polycarp4 ,thy resolution in ,god1     
founded as it were upon an     unshaken 
rock1 ,i exceedingly commend1 having    
been made worthy of thy     holy face1  
which ,i pray ,i may enjoy in ,god4 ,i  
conjure thee in the     grace with which
 thou art enriched1 to increase thy     
stock in thy     course1 and to exhort  
all that they may be saved4 ,have great 
care of     unity and concord1 than     
which nothing is better4 ,bear with all 
men1     that ,god may bear with thee2  
bear all men by charity1 as thou dost   
apply thyself to prayer without         
interruption4 ,ask more perfect         
understanding than thou hast4 ,watch1   
seeing that the spirit which            
sleepeth not1 dwelleth within thee4     
,speak to every one according to     the
 grace which ,god giveth thee4 ,bear the
 weaknesses and distemper     of all as 
a stout champion4 ,where the labor is   
greater1 the gain is     exceeding      

great4 ,if thou lovest the disciples    
that are good1 thou     deservest not   
thanks2 strive rather to subdue the     
wicked by     meekness4 ,every wound is 
not healed by the same plaster2 assuage 
inflammations by lenitives4 ,be not     
intimidated by those who seem     worthy
 of faith1 yet teach things that are    
foreign4 ,stand firm1 as     an anvil   
which is beaten3 it is the property of a
 true champion to     be struck and to  
conquer4 ,let not the widows be         
neglected4 ,let     religious assemblies
 be most frequent4 ,seek out every one  
in them by     name4 ,despise not the   
slaves1 neither suffer them to be puffed
 up2     but to the glory of ,god let   
them serve with greater diligence1 that 
they may obtain of ,god a better        
liberty4 ,let them not desire that      
their liberty be purchased or procured  
for them by the congregation1     lest  
they fall under the slavery of their own
 passions4 ,fly evil     artifices2 let 
them not be so much as named4 ,engage my

 sisters to     love the ,lord1 and     
never entertain a thought of any man but
 their     husbands4 ,in like manner    
enjoin my brethren1 in the name of      
,jesus     ,christ1 to love their wives 
as ,christ loveth his church4 ,if any   
one     is able to remain in a state of 
continency1 in honor of our ,lord's     
flesh1 let him be constantly humble3 if 
he boasts1 or is puffed up1     he is   
lost4 ,let all marriages be made by the 
authority of the     bishop1 that they  
may be made in the ,lord1 not by the    
passions of     men4 ,let all things be 
done to the honor of ,god4 ,then        
addressing     himself to all the       
faithful at ,smyrna1 he writes3 ,listen 
to your     bishop1 that ,god may also  
hearken to you4 ,with joy ,i would lay  
down     my life for those who are      
subject to the bishop1 priests1 and     
deacons4 ,may my portion be with them in
 ,god4 ,let all things be in     common 
among you3 your labor1 your warfare1    
your sufferings1 your     rest1 and your

 watching1 as becomes the dispensers1   
the assessors1     and the servants of  
,god4 ,please hi1 in whose service you  
fight1 and     from whom you receive    
your salary4 ,let your baptism be always
 your     weapons1 faith your helmet1   
charity your spear1 and patience your   
complete armor4 ,let your good works the
 the treasure which you lay     up1 that
 you may receive the fruit which is     
worthy4 ,bear with each     other in all
 meekness1 as ,god bears with you4 ,i   
pray that ,i may     always enjoy and   
rejoice in you4 ,because the church of  
,antioch by     our prayers now enjoys  
peace1 ,i am in mind secure in ,god2    
provided     still that by suffering ,i 
may go to ,god1 and be found in the     
resurrection your servant4 ,you will do 
well1 ,o ,polycarp1 most     blessed in 
,god1 to hold an assembly1 and choose a 
very dear person     fit for dispatch in
 a journey1 who may be styled the divine
     messenger2 him honor with a        
commission to go to ,antioch1 and there 

bear witness of the fervor of your      
charity4 ,a ,christian lives not     for
 himself alone1 but belongs to ,god4    
,the holy martyr concludes by           
desiring ,st4 ,polycarp to write for him
 to the other churches of     ,asia1 he 
being at that moment called on board by 
his guards to sail     from ,troas to   
,naples4 #f4  ,st4 ,iren4 b4 #c1 c4 #c4 
,euseb4 b4 #e1 c4 #bd4 ,s4 ,hieron4 c4  
#ag4 #g4  ,n4 #a1 and #d4 #h4  ,greek3  
,to tur hen autois psuxron to ton       
apathon basanitzon4     ,frigidis ipsis 
videbatur immanium carnificum ignis4 n4 
#b1 p4 #ajbj4 #i4  ,dr4 ,middleton      
pretends1 that this voice was only heard
 by some few2     but the acts in       
,ruinart say1 by those who were present1
 ,greek3 hoi     parontes3 ,eusebius    
says1 ,greek3 polloi3 ,rufinus plurimi1 
very     many4 ,a voice from heaven must
 certainly be sensibly discerned to be  
more than human1 and manifest itself    
sufficiently1 to be perceived     that  
it could not come from the crowd4 #aj4  

,l4 #ga4 #aa4 ,or4 #bj1 #ba1 #bb1 #da4  
#ab4 ,the great council of ,asia seems  
to have been held at that time in       
,smyrna1 instead of ,ephesus1 which the 
,arundelian marbles show     sometimes  
to have been done4 #ac4 ,or president of
 the public games1 chosen yearly by the 
common-council of ,asia4 #ad4 ,dr4      
,middleton ridicules the mention of a   
dove issuing out of the     wound of the
 side2 but this is only found in some   
modern ,,mss4 by the     blunder of a   
transcriber3 it is not in ,eusebius1    
,rufinus1     ,nicephorus1 or the ,greek
 ,menaea2 though the last two would have
     magnified a prodigy if they had    
found the least authority for any4      
,according to ,le ,moyen1 7,proleg4 ad  
varia sacra47 ,ceillier1 c41 the        
true reading is ,greek3 ep apisera1 on  
the left side2 which some               
transcriber blundered into ,greek3      
perisera1 a dove4 ,as to the            
foregoing miracle1 that a wind should   
naturally divest the fire of     its    

property of burning1 and form it into an
 arch about the body1 is     a much more
 wonderful supposition of the doctor's  
than any miracle4 #ae4 ,st4 ,polycarp   
says himself1 ,that he had served       
,christ eighty-six     years4 ,basnage  
thinks he had been bishop so long1 and  
was a hundred     and twenty years old  
when he suffered3 but it is far more    
probable     that this is the term he   
had been a ,christian1 having been      
converted     in his youth1 and dying   
about one hundred years old or upwards1 
as     ,tillemont understands it4 #af4  
#a ,john iv4 #c4 #ag4 ,some of the      
,philippians had seen ,st4 ,ignatius in 
chains1 and perhaps     at ,rome4 ,the  
primitive martyrs1 ,zozimus and ,rufus1 
are commemorated     in the             
,martyrologies on the #ahth of          
,december4  ,,st4 ,,paula1 ,,widow4     
,this illustrious pattern of widows     
surpassed all other ,roman ladies in    
riches1 birth1 and the endowments of    
mind4 ,she was born on the #eth of ,may1

 in #cdg4 ,the blood of the ,scipios1   
the ,gracchi1 and ,paulus ,a,emilius1   
was centred in her by her mother        
,blesilla4 ,her father derived his      
pedigree from ,agamemnon1 and her       
husband ,toxotius his from ,iulus and   
,a,eneas4 ,by him she had a son called  
also ,toxotius1 and four daughters1     
namely1 ,blesilla1 ,paulina1            
,eustochium1 and ,rufina4 ,she shone a  
bright pattern of virtue in the married 
state1 and both she and her husband     
edified ,rome by their good example2 but
 her virtue was not without its alloy2 a
 certain degree of the love of the world
 being almost inseparable from honors   
and high life4 ,she did not discern the 
secret attachments of her heart1 nor    
feel the weight of her own chains3 she  
had neither courage to break them1 nor  
light whereby to take a clear and       
distinct view of her spiritual poverty  
and misery4 ,god1 compassionating her   
weakness1 was pleased in his mercy to   
open her eyes by violence1 and sent her 

the greatest affliction that could      
befall her in the death of her husband1 
when she was only thirty-two years of   
age4 ,her grief was immoderate till such
 time as she was encouraged to devote   
herself totally to ,god1 by the         
exhortations of her friend ,st4         
,marcella1 a holy widow1 who then       
edified ,rome by her penitential life4  
,paula1 thus excited to set aside her   
sorrow1 erected in her heart the        
standard of the cross of ,jesus ,christ1
 and courageously resolved to walk after
 it4 ,from that time1 she never sat at  
table with any man1 not even with any of
 the holy bishops and saints whom she   
entertained4 ,she abstained from all    
flesh meat1 fish1 eggs1 honey1 and wine2
 used oil only on holydays2 lay on a    
stone floor covered with sackcloth2     
renounced all visits and worldly        
amusements1 laid aside all costly       
garments1 and gave every thing to the   
poor which it was in her power to       
dispose of4 ,she was careful in         

inquiring after the necessitous1 and    
deemed it a loss on her side if any     
other hands than her own administered   
relief to them4 ,it was usual with her  
to say1 that she could not make a better
 provision for her children1 than to    
secure for them by alms the blessings of
 heaven4 ,her occupation was prayer1    
pious reading1 and fasting4 ,she could  
not bear the distraction of company1    
which interrupted her commerce with     
,god2 and1 if ever she sought           
conversation1 it was with the servants  
of ,god for her own edification4 ,she   
lodged ,st4 ,epiphanius and ,st4        
,paulinus of ,antioch1 when they came to
 ,rome2 and ,st4 ,jerom was her director
 in the service of ,god1 during his stay
 in that city for two years and a half1 
under pope ,damasus4 ,her eldest        
daughter ,blesilla1 having1 in a short  
time after marriage1 lost her husband1  
came to a resolution of forsaking the   
world1 but died before she could compass
 her pious design4 ,the mother felt this

 affliction too sensibly4 ,st4 ,jerom1  
who at that time was newly arrived at   
,bethlehem1 in #chd1 wrote to her both  
to comfort and reprove her4#a ,he first 
condoles their common loss2 but adds    
#bcj that ,god is master1 that we are   
bound to rejoice in his will1 always    
holy and just1 to thank and praise him  
for all things2 and1 above all1 not to  
mourn for a death at which the angels   
attend1 and for one who by it departs to
 enjoy ,christ3 and that it is only the 
continuation of our banishment which we 
ought to lament4 ,blesilla1 says he1 has
 received her crown1 dying in the fervor
 of her resolution1 in which she had    
purified her soul near four months4 ,he 
adds1 that ,christ seemed to reproach   
her grief in these terms3 ,art thou     
angry1 ,o ,paula6 that thy daughter is  
made mine8 ,thou art offended at my     
providence1 and by thy rebellious tears1
 thou dost offer an injury to me who    
possess her4#b ,he pardons some tears in
 a mother1 occasioned by the involuntary

 sensibility of nature2 but calls her   
excess in them a scandal to religion1   
abounding with sacrilege and infidelity3
 adding1 that ,blesilla herself mourned1
 as far as her happy state would allow1 
to see her offend ,christ1 and cried out
 to her2 ,envy not my glory3 commit not 
what may forever separate us4 ,i am not 
alone4 ,instead of you ,i have the      
mother of ,god1 ,i have many companions 
whom ,i never knew before4 ,you mourn   
for me because ,i have left the world2  
and ,i pity your prison and dangers in  
it4 ,paula afterwards1 completing the   
victory over herself1 showed herself    
greatly superior to this weakness4 ,her 
second daughter ,paulina was married to 
,st4 ,pammachius1 and died in #cig4     
,eustochium1 the third1 was her         
individual companion4 ,rufina died      
young4  ,the greater progress ,paula    
made in spiritual exercises1 and in the 
relish of heavenly things1 the more     
insupportable to her was the tumultuous 
life of the city4 ,she sighed after the 

deserts1 longed to be disincumbered of  
attendants1 and to live in a hermitage1 
where her heart would have no other     
occupation than on ,god4 ,the thirst    
after so great a happiness made her     
ready to forget her house1 family1      
riches1 and friends2 yet never did      
mother love her children more           
tenderly4#c ,at the thought of leaving  
them her bowels yearned1 and being in an
 agony of grief1 she seemed as if she   
had been torn from herself4 ,but in this
 she was the most wonderful of mothers1 
that while she felt in her soul the     
greatest emotions of tenderness1 she    
knew how to keep them within due bounds4
 ,the strength of her faith gave her an 
ascendant over the sentiments of nature1
 and she even desired this cruel        
separation1 bearing it with joy1 out of 
a pure and heroic love of ,god4 ,she had
 indeed taken a previous care to have   
all her children brought up saints2     
otherwise her design would have been    
unjustifiable4 ,being therefore fixed in

 her resolution1 and having settled her 
affairs1 she went to the water side1    
attended by her brother1 relations1     
friends1 and children1 who all strove by
 their tears to overcome her constancy4 
,even when the vessel was ready to sail1
 her little son ,toxotius1 with uplifted
 hands on the shore1 and bitterly       
weeping1 begged her not to leave him4   
,the rest1 who were not able to speak   
with gushing tears1 prayed her to defer 
at least her voluntary banishment4 ,but 
,paula1 raising her dry eyes to heaven1 
turned her face from the shore1 lest she
 should discover what she could not     
behold without feeling the most sensible
 pangs of sorrow4 ,she sailed first to  
,cyprus1 where she was detained ten days
 by ,st4 ,epiphanius2 and from thence to
 ,syria4 ,her long journeys by land she 
performed on the backs of asses2 she1   
who till then had been accustomed to be 
carried about by eunuchs in litters4    
,she visited with great devotion all the
 principal places which we read to have 

been consecrated by the mysteries of the
 life of our divine ,redeemer1 as also  
the respective abodes of all the        
principal anchorets and holy solitaries 
of ,egypt and ,syria4 ,at ,jerusalem the
 proconsul had prepared a stately palace
 richly furnished for her reception2 but
 excusing herself with regard #bca to   
the proffered favor1 she chose to lodge 
in an humble cell4 ,in this holy place  
her fervor was redoubled at the sight of
 each sacred monument1 as ,st4 ,jerom   
describes4 ,she prostrated herself      
before the holy cross1 pouring forth her
 soul in love and adoration1 as if she  
had beheld our ,saviour still bleeding  
upon it4 ,on entering the sepulchre1 she
 kissed the stone which she angel       
removed on the occasion of our ,lord's  
resurrection1 and imparted many kisses  
full of faith and devotion to the place 
where the body of ,christ had been laid4
 ,on her arrival at ,bethlehem1 she     
entered the cave or stable in which the 
,saviour of the world was born1 and she 

saluted the crib with tears of joy1     
crying out2 ,i1 a miserable sinner1 am  
made worthy to kiss the manger1 in which
 my ,lord was pleased to be laid an     
infant babe weeping for me6 ,this is my 
dwelling-place1 because it was the      
country chosen by my ,lord for himself4 
,after her journeys of devotion1 in     
which she distributed immense alms1 she 
settled at ,bethlehem with her daughter 
,eustochium1 under the direction of ,st4
 ,jerom4 ,the three first years she     
spent there in a poor little house2 but 
in the mean time she took care to have a
 hospital built on the road to          
,jerusalem1 as also a monastery for ,st4
 ,jerom and his monks1 whom she         
maintained2 besides three monasteries   
for women1 which properly made but one  
house1 for all assembled in the same    
chapel to perform together the divine   
service day and night2 and on ,sundays  
in the church that was adjoining4 ,at   
prime1 tierce1 sext1 none1 vespers1     
complin1 and the midnight office1 they  

daily sung the whole psalter1 which     
every sister was obliged to know by     
heart4 ,their food was very coarse and  
temperate1 their fasts frequent and     
austere4 ,all the sisters worked with   
their hands1 and made clothes for       
themselves and others4 ,all wore the    
same uniform poor habit1 and used no    
linen except for the wiping of their    
hands4 ,no man was ever suffered to set 
a foot within their doors4 ,paula       
governed them with a charity full of    
discretion1 animating them in the       
practice of every virtue by her own     
example and instructions1 being always  
the first1 or among the first1 in every 
duty2 sharing with her daughter         
,eustochium in all the drudgery and     
meanest offices of the house1 and       
appearing everywhere as the last of her 
sisters4 ,she severely reprimanded a    
studied neatness in dress1 which she    
called an uncleanness of the mind4 ,if  
any one was found talkative1 or angry1  
she was separated from the rest1 ordered

 to walk the last in order1 to pray at  
the outside of the door1 and for some   
time to eat alone4 ,the holy abbess was 
so tender of the sick1 that she         
sometimes allowed them to eat           
flesh-meat1 but would not admit of the  
same indulgence in her own ailments1 nor
 even allow herself a drop of wine in   
the water she drank4 ,she extended her  
love of poverty to her buildings and    
churches1 ordering them all to be built 
low1 and without any thing costly or    
magnificent2 she said that money is     
better laid out on the poor1 who are the
 living members of ,christ4 ,she wept so
 bitterly for the smallest faults1 that 
others would have thought her guilty of 
grievous crimes4 ,under an overflow of  
natural grief for the death of her      
children1 she made frequent signs of the
 cross on her mouth and breast to       
overcome nature1 and remained always    
perfectly resigned in her soul to the   
will of ,god4 ,her son ,toxotius married
 ,laeta1 daughter to a priest of the    

idols1 but1 as to herself1 she was a    
most virtuous ,christian4 ,both were    
faithful imitators of the sanctity of   
our saint4 ,their daughter1 ,paula the  
younger1 was sent to ,bethlehem4 to be  
under the care of her grandmother1 whom 
she afterwards succeeded in the         
government of that monastery4 ,st4      
,jerom wrote to ,laeta some excellent   
lessons#d for the education of this     
girl1 which parents can never read too  
often4 ,our saint lived #bcb fifty-six  
years and eight months1 of which she had
 spent in her widowhood five at ,rome1  
and almost twenty at ,bethlehem4 ,in her
 last illness1 but especially in her    
agony1 she repeated almost without      
intermission certain verses of the      
psalms1 which express an ardent desire  
of the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and of being
 united to ,god4 ,when she was no longer
 able to speak1 she formed the sign of  
the cross on her lips1 and expired in   
the most profound peace1 on the #bfth of
 ,january1 #djd4 ,her corpse1 carried by

 bishops1 and attended with lighted wax 
torches1 was interred on the #bhth of   
the same month1 in the midst of the     
church of the holy manger4 ,her tomb is 
still shown in the same place1 near that
 of ,st4 ,jerom1 but empty3 even the    
,latin epitaph which ,st4 ,jerom        
composed in verse1 and caused to be     
engraved on her tomb1 is erased or      
removed1 though extant in the end of    
this letter which he addressed to her   
daughter4 ,her relics are said to be in 
the possession of the metropolitical    
church at ,sens1 and the feast of ,st4  
,paula is kept a holiday of precept in  
that city on the #bgth of ,january2 on  
which day her name is placed by ,ado1   
,usuard1 c41 because she died on the    
#bfth1 after sunset1 and the ,jews in   
,palestine began the day from sunset3   
but her name occurs on the #bfth in the 
,roman ,martyrology1 c4 ,see her life in
 ,st4 ,jerom's letter to her daughter1  
called her epitaph1 ep4 #hf1 c4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,ep4 #bb1 ol4 #ed4 #b4 

,rebellibus lachrymis injurian facis    
possidenti4 #c4  ,nulla sic amabat      
filios1 c4 ,st4 ,heir  epitaph4 ,paulae4
 #d4  ,ep4 #eg1 ol4 #g4  ,,st4 ,,conon1 
,,bishop ,,of ,,the ,,isle ,,of ,,man4  
,,if we can give credit to some lives of
 ,st4 ,fiaker1 and the old breviary of  
,limoges1 that saint was son of         
,eusenius1 king of ,scotland1 and by his
 father committed in his childhood1 with
 his two brothers1 to the care of ,st4  
,conon1 from which saintly education he 
received that ardent love and perfect   
spirit of piety1 by which he was        
distinguished during the whole course of
 his life4 ,conon1 by the purity and    
fervor in which he served ,god1 was a   
saint from his infancy4 ,the ,isle of   
,man1 which was a famous ancient seat of
 the ,druids1 is said to have received  
the seeds of the ,christian faith by the
 zeal of ,st4 ,patrick4 ,st4 ,conon1    
passing thither from ,scotland1         
completed that great work1 and is said  
to have been made bishop of ,man1 or of 

,sodor1 supposed by these authors to    
have been anciently1 a town in this     
island4 ,this bishopric was soon after  
united with that of the ,hebrides or the
 ,western islands1 which see was fixed  
in the isle of ,hi1 ,iona or            
,y-colmkille4 ,st4 ,conon died in the   
isle of ,man1 about the year #fdh4 ,his 
name continued1 to the change of        
religion1 in great veneration throughout
 the ,hebrides1 or islands on the ,west 
of ,scotland4#a ,on ,st4 ,conon1 see    
,leslie1 ,hist4 of ,scotland1 c4        
,footnotes3 #a4 ,in some few of these   
islands1 the laird and all the          
inhabitants remain still ,catholics2 as 
,banbecuis1 under ,ranal ,mac ,donald2  
,south-,vist1 under ,alan ,mac ,donald  
of ,moydart1 whose ancestors were once  
kings of these islands2 ,barry under    
,mac ,neil2 ,canny1 and ,egg1 and some  
others4 ,in many others there are long  
since no ,catholics1 as in ,lewis1      
,north-,vist1 ,harries1 ,st4 ,kilda1 c4 
,see the latest edition of the ,present 

,state of ,england and bishop ,leslie's 
nephew1 in his ,,ms4 account1 c4  #bcc  
,,january ,,xxvii4  ,,st4 ,,john        
,,chrysostom1  ,,archbishop ,,of        
,,constantinople1 ,,and ,,doctor ,,of   
,,the ,,church4  ,from ,socrates1       
,theodoret1 and other historians3 as    
also from the saint's works2 and his    
life1 written by way of dialogue1 with  
great fidelity1 by his friend and       
strenuous advocate ,palladius1 a holy   
bishop1 but a distinct person from      
,palladius the bishop of ,helenopolis   
and author of the ,lausiac history1 who 
was then young1 and is evidently        
distinguished by this writer in many    
places1 as ,tillemont1 ,montfaucon1 and 
,stilting show against ,baillet and     
others2 though also ,palladius1 bishop  
of ,helenopolis1 exerted himself in     
defence of ,st4 ,chrysostom4 ,palladius1
 author of the ,dialogue on the life of 
,st4 ,chrysostom1 was never accused of  
,origenism except by those who1 at least
 in the proofs alleged for this charge1 

confounded him with the bishop of       
,helenopolis4 ,f4 ,stilting clears also 
the latter from the charge of           
,origenism1 and answers the arguments   
produced by ,baronius against him4      
,comm4 ,hist4 ,sec4#a1 p4 #djd4 ,the    
later ,greek panegyrists1 ,george1      
patriarch of ,alexandria1 in #fbj1 the  
emperor ,leo the ,wise1 in #hij1 c41    
deserve very little notice4 ,see the    
life of our saint compiled by ,dom      
,montfaucon4 ,op4 t4 #ac4 ,and lastly1  
the accurate commentary on his life     
given by ,f4 ,stilting the ,bollandist1 
on the #adth of ,september1 from p4 #dja
 to #gji1 t4 #d4  ,a4,d4 #djg4  ,,this  
incomparable doctor1 on account of the  
fluency and sweetness of his eloquence1 
obtained soon after his death the       
surname of ,chrysostom1 or ,golden      
,mouth1 which we find given him by ,st4 
,ephrem of ,antioch1 ,theodoret1 and    
,cassiodorus4 ,but his tender piety1 and
 his undaunted courage and zeal in the  
cause of virtue1 are titles far more    

glorious1 by which he holds an eminent  
place among the greatest pastors and    
saints of the church4 ,about the year   
#cdd1 according to ,f4 ,stilting1       
,antioch1 the capital city of the ,east1
 was ennobled by his illustrious birth4 
,he had one elder sister1 and was the   
only son and heir of ,secundus1 master  
of the horse1 that is1 chief commander  
of the imperial troops in ,syria4 ,his  
mother1 ,anthusa1 left a widow at twenty
 years of age1 continued such the       
remainder of her life1 dividing her time
 between the care of her family and the 
exercises of devotion4 ,her example in  
this respect made such an impression on 
our saint's master1 a celebrated pagan  
sophist1 that he could not forbear      
crying out1 ,what wonderful women have  
the ,christians6#a ,she managed the     
estate of her children with great       
prudence and frugality1 knowing this to 
be part of her duty to ,god1 but she was
 sensible that their spiritual          
instruction in virtue was of infinitely 

greater importance4 ,from their cradle  
she instilled into them the most perfect
 maxims of piety1 and contempt of the   
world4 ,the ancient ,romans dreaded     
nothing more in the education of youth1 
than their being ill taught the first   
principles of the sciences2 it being    
more difficult to unlearn the errors    
then imbibed1 than to begin on a mere   
tabula rasa1 or blank paper4 ,wherefore 
,anthusa provided her son the ablest    
masters in every branch of literature1  
which the empire at that time afforded4 
,eloquence was esteemed the highest     
accomplishment1 especially among the    
nobility1 and was the surest means of   
raising men to the first dignities in   
the state4 ,john studied that art under 
,libanius1 the most famous orator of    
that age2 and such was his proficiency1 
that even in his youth he excelled his  
masters4 ,libanius being asked by his   
pagan friends on his death-bed1 about   
the year #cij1 who should succeed him in
 his school3 ,john1 said he1 had not the

 ,christians stolen him from us4#b ,our 
saint was then priest4 ,while he was    
only a scholar1 that sophist one day    
read to an assembly of orators a        
declamation composed by him1 and it was 
received with unusual tokens #bcd of    
admiration and applause4 ,libanius      
pronounced the young orator happy1 as   
were also the emperors1 he said1 who    
reigned at a time when the world was    
possessed of so great a treasure4#c ,the
 progress of the young scholar in       
philosophy1 under ,andragatius1 was no  
less rapid and surprising2 his genius   
shone in every disputation4 ,all this   
time his principal care was to study    
,christ1 and to learn his spirit4 ,he   
laid a solid foundation of virtue1 by a 
perfect humility1 self-denial1 and a    
complete victory over himself4 ,though  
naturally hot and inclined to anger1 he 
had extinguished all emotions of passion
 in his breast4#d ,his modesty1         
meekness1 tender charity1 and singular  
discretion1 rendered him the delight of 

all he conversed with4  ,the first      
dignities of the empire were open to    
,john4 ,but his principal desire was to 
dedicate himself to ,god1 without       
reserve1 in holy solitude4 ,however1 not
 being yet twenty years of age1 he for  
some time pleaded at the bar4 ,in that  
employment he was drawn by company into 
the diversions of the world1 and        
sometimes assisted at the entertainments
 of the stage4 ,his virtue was in       
imminent danger of splitting against    
that fatal rock1 when ,god opened his   
eyes4 ,he was struck with horror at the 
sight of the precipice upon the brink of
 which he stood2 and not content to flee
 from it himself1 he never ceased to    
bewail his blindness1 and took every    
occasion to caution the faithful against
 that lurking place of hellish sirens1  
but more particularly in his vehement   
sermons against the stage4 ,alarmed at  
the danger he had narrowly escaped1 full
 of gratitude to ,god his deliverer1 and
 to prevent the like danger for the time

 to come1 he was determined to carry his
 resolution of renouncing the world into
 immediate execution4 ,he began by the  
change of his garb1 to rid himself the  
more easily of the importunities of     
friends3 for a penitential habit is not 
only a means for preserving a spirit of 
mortification and humility1 but is also 
a public sign and declaration to the    
world1 that a person has turned his back
 on its vanities1 and is engaged in an  
irreconcilable war against them4 ,his   
clothing was a coarse gray coat3 he     
watched much1 fasted every day1 and     
spent the greater part of his time in   
prayer and meditation on the holy       
scriptures3 his bed was no other than   
the hard floor4 ,in subduing his        
passions1 he found none of so difficult 
a conquest as vain-glory2#e this enemy  
he disarmed by embracing every kind of  
public humiliation4 ,the clamors of his 
old friends and admirers1 who were      
incensed at his leaving them1 and       
pursued him with their invectives and   

censures1 were as arrows shot at random4
 ,john took no manner of notice of them3
 he rejoiced in contempt1 and despised  
the frowns of a world whose flatteries  
he dreaded3 ,christ crucified was the   
only object of his heart1 and nothing   
could make him look back after he had   
put his hand to the plough4 ,and his    
progress in virtue was answerable to his
 zealous endeavors4  ,st4 ,meletius1    
bishop of ,antioch1 called the young    
ascetic to the service of the church1   
gave him suitable instructions1 during  
three years1 in his own palace1 and     
ordained him ,reader4 ,john had learned 
the art of silence1 in his retirement1  
with far greater application than he had
 before studied that of speaking4 ,this 
he discovered when he appeared again in 
the world1 though no man ever possessed 
a greater fluency of speech1 or a more  
ready and enchanting eloquence1 joined  
with the most solid judgment and a rich 
fund of knowledge and good sense2 yet in
 company he observed a modest silence1  

and regarded talkativeness as an enemy  
to the interior recollection of the     
heart1 as a source of many sins and     
indiscretions1 and as a mark of vanity  
and self-conceit4 ,he heard the words of
 the wise with the humble docility of a 
scholar1 and he bore the impertinence1  
trifles1 and blunders of #bce fools in  
discourse1 not to interrupt the         
attention of his soul to ,god1 or to    
make an ostentatious show of his        
eloquence or science3 yet with spiritual
 persons he conversed freely on heavenly
 things1 especially with a pious friend 
named ,basil1 one of the same age and   
inclinations with himself1 who had been 
his most beloved school-fellow1 and who 
forsook the world to embrace a monastic 
life1 a little before our saint4 ,after 
three years1 he left the bishop's house 
to satisfy the importunities of his     
mother1 but continued the same manner of
 life in her house1 during the space of 
two years4 ,he still saw frequently his 
friend ,basil1 and he prevailed on two  

of his school-fellows under ,libanius to
 embrace an ascetic life2 ,theodorus1   
afterwards bishop of ,mopsuestia1 and   
,maximus1 bishop of ,seleucia4 ,the     
former returned in a short time to the  
bar1 and fell in love with a young lady 
called ,hermione4 ,john lamented his    
fall with bitter tears before ,god1 and 
brought him back to his holy institute  
by two tender and pathetic exhortations 
to penance1 which breathe an eloquence  
above the power of what seems merely    
human1 says ,sozomen4 ,not long after1  
hearing that the bishops of the province
 were assembled at ,antioch1 and        
deliberated to raise him and ,basil to  
the episcopal dignity1 he privately     
withdrew1 and lay hid till the vacant   
sees were filled4 ,basil was made bishop
 of ,raphanaea near ,antioch2 and had no
 other resource in his grief for his    
promotion1 but in tears and complaints  
against his friend who had betrayed him 
into so perilous a charge4 ,john1 being 
then twenty-six years old1 wrote to him 

in his own justification six            
incomparable books1 ,of the ,priesthood4
  ,four years after1 in #cgd1 he retired
 into the mountains near ,antioch1 among
 certain holy anchorets who peopled     
them1 and whose manner of life is thus  
described by our saint3#f ,they devoted 
all the morning to prayer1 pious        
reading1 and meditating on the holy     
scriptures4 ,their food was bread with a
 little salt2 some added oil1 and those 
who were very weak1 a few herbs or      
pulse2 no one ever ate before sunset4   
,after the refection it was allowed to  
converse with one another1 but only on  
heavenly things4 ,they always closed    
their night-prayers with the remembrance
 of the last judgment1 to excite        
themselves to a constant watchfulness   
and preparation2 which practice ,st4    
,chrysostom earnestly recommends to all 
,christians with the evening            
examination4#g ,these monks had no other
 bed than a mat spread on the bare      
ground4 ,their garments were made of the

 rough hair of goats or camels1 or of   
old skins1 and such as the poorest      
beggars would not wear1 though some of  
them were of the richest families1 and  
had been tenderly brought up4 ,they wore
 no shoes2 no one possessed any thing as
 his own2 even their poor necessaries   
were all in common4 ,they inherited     
their estates only to distribute them   
among the poor2 and on them1 and in     
hospitality to strangers1 they bestowed 
all the spare profits of their work4    
,they all used the same food1 wore a    
uniform habit1 and by charity were all  
one heart4 ,the cold words mine and     
thine1 the baneful source of lawsuits   
and animosities among men1 were banished
 from their cells4 ,they rose at the    
first crowing of the cock1 that is1 at  
midnight1 being called up by the        
superior2 and after the morning hymns   
and psalms1 that is1 matins and lauds1  
all remained in their private cells1    
where they read the holy scriptures1 and
 some copied books4 ,all met in the     

church at the canonical hours of tierce1
 sext1 none1 and vespers1 but returned  
to their cells1 none being allowed to   
speak1 to jest1 or to be one moment     
idle4 ,the time which others spend a    
table1 or in diversions1 they employed  
in honoring ,god2 even their meal took  
up very little time1 and after a short  
sleep1 7according to the custom of hot  
countries17 #bcf they resumed their     
exercises1 conversing not with men but  
with ,god1 with the prophets and        
apostles in their writings and pious    
meditation2 and spiritual things were   
the only subject of their entertainment4
 ,for corporal exercise they employed   
themselves in some mean manual labor1   
such as entertained them in humility1   
and could not inspire vanity or pride3  
they made baskets1 tilled and watered   
the earth1 hewed wood1 attended the     
kitchen1 washed the feet of all         
strangers1 and waited on them without   
distinction1 whether they were rich or  
poor4 ,the saint adds1 that anger1      

jealousy1 envy1 grief1 and anxiety for  
worldly goods and concerns1 were unknown
 in these poor cells2 and he assures us1
 that the constant peace1 joy1 and      
pleasure which reigned in them1 were as 
different from the bitterness and       
tumultuous scenes of the most brilliant 
worldly felicity1 as the security and   
calmness of the most agreeable harbor   
are1 from the dangers and agitation of  
the most tempestuous ocean4 ,such was   
the rule of these cenobites1 or monks   
who lived in community4 ,there were also
 hermits on the same mountains who lay  
on ashes1 wore sackcloth1 and shut      
themselves up in frightful caverns1     
practising more extraordinary           
austerities4 ,our saint was at first    
apprehensive that he should find it an  
insupportable difficulty to live without
 fresh bread1 use the same stinking oil 
for his food and for his lamp1 and inure
 his body to hard labor under so great  
austerities4#h ,but by courageously     
despising this apprehension1 in         

consequence of a resolution to spare    
nothing by which he might learn         
perfectly to die to himself2 he found   
the difficulty entirely to vanish in the
 execution4 ,experience shows that in   
such undertakings1 the imagination is   
alarmed not so much by realities as     
phantoms1 which vanish before a         
courageous heart which can look them in 
the face with contempt4 ,abbot ,rance1  
the reformer of la ,trappe1 found more  
difficulty in the thought of rising     
without a fire in winter1 in the        
beginning of his conversion1 than he did
 in the greatest severities which he    
afterwards practised4 ,st4 ,chrysostom  
passed four years under the conduct of a
 veteran ,syrian monk1 and afterwards   
two years in a cave as a hermit4 ,the   
dampness of this abode brought on him a 
dangerous distemper1 and for the        
recovery of his health he was obliged to
 return into the city4 ,by this means he
 was restored to the service of the     
church in #cha1 for the benefit of      

innumerable souls4 ,he was ordained     
deacon by ,st4 ,meletius that very year1
 and priest by ,flavian in #chf1 who at 
the same time constituted him his vicar 
and preacher1 our saint being then in   
the forty-third year of his age4#i ,he  
discharged all the duties of that       
arduous station during twelve #bcg      
years1 being the hand and the eye of his
 bishop1 and his mouth to his flock4    
,the instruction and care of the poor he
 regarded as his first obligation3 this 
he always made his favorite employment  
and his delight4 ,he never ceased in his
 sermons to recommend their cause and   
the precept of alms deeds to the people4
 ,antioch1 he supposed1 contained at    
that time one hundred thousand          
,christian souls3 all these he fed with 
the word of ,god1 preaching several days
 in the week1 and frequently several    
times on the same day4 ,he confounded   
the ,jews and ,pagans1 also the         
,anomaeans1 and other heretics4 ,he     
abolished the most inveterate abuses1   

repressed vice1 and changed the whole   
face of that great city4 ,it seemed as  
if nothing could withstand the united   
power of his eloquence1 zeal1 and piety4
  ,theodosius ,i41 finding himself      
obliged to levy a new tax on his        
subjects1 on occasion of his war with   
,maximus1 who had usurped the ,western  
empire in #chg1 the populace of         
,antioch1 provoked at the demand1       
mutinied1 and discharged their rage on  
the emperor's statue1 those of his      
father1 his two sons1 and his late      
consort1 ,flavilla1 dragged them with   
ropes through the streets1 and then     
broke them to pieces4 ,the magistrates  
durst not oppose the rabble in their    
excesses4 ,but as soon as their fury was
 over1 and that they began to reflect on
 what they had been guilty of1 and the  
natural consequences of their           
extravagances1 they were all seized with
 such terror and consternation1 that    
many abandoned the city1 others         
absconded1 and scarce any durst appear  

publicly in the streets4 ,the           
magistrates in the mean time were       
filling the prisons with citizens1 in   
order to their trials1 on account of    
their respective share in the           
combustion4 ,their fears were heightened
 on the arrival of two officers         
dispatched from ,constantinople to      
execute the emperor's orders with regard
 to the punishment of the rioters4 ,the 
reports which were spread abroad on this
 occasion imported1 that the emperor    
would cause the guilty to be burned     
alive1 would confiscate their estates1  
and level the city with the ground4 ,the
 consternation alone was a greater      
torment than the execution itself could 
have been4 ,flavian1 notwithstanding his
 very advanced age1 and though his      
sister was dying when he left her1 set  
out without delay in a very severe      
season of the year1 to implore #bch the 
emperor's clemency in favor of his      
flock4 ,being come to the palace1 and   
admitted into the emperor's presence1 he

 no sooner perceived that prince but he 
stopped at a distance1 holding down his 
head1 covering his face1 and speaking   
only by his tears1 as though himself had
 been guilty4 ,thus he remained for some
 time4 ,the emperor seeing him in this  
condition1 carrying1 as it were1 the    
weight of the public guilt in his       
breast1 instead of employing harsh      
reproaches1 as ,flavian might naturally 
have expected1 summed up the many favors
 he had conferred on that city1 and said
 at the conclusion of each article3 ,is 
this the acknowledgment ,i had reason to
 expect8 ,is this their return for my   
love8 ,what cause of complaint had they 
against me8 ,had ,i ever injured them8  
,but granting that ,i had1 what can they
 allege for extending their insolence   
even to the dead8 ,had they received any
 wrong from them8 ,why were they to be  
insulted too8 ,what tenderness have ,i  
not shown on all occasions for their    
city8 ,is it not notorious that ,i have 
given it the preference in my love and  

esteem to all others1 even to that which
 gave me birth8 ,did not ,i always      
express a longing desire to see it1 and 
that it gave the highest satisfaction to
 think ,i should soon be in a condition 
of taking a journey for this purpose8   
,then the holy bishop1 being unable to  
bear such stinging reproaches or        
vindicate their conduct1 made answer3   
,we acknowledge1 ,sir1 that you have on 
all occasions favored us with the       
greatest demonstrations of your singular
 affection2 and this it is that enhances
 both our crime and our grief1 that we  
should have carried our ingratitude to  
such a pitch as to have offended our    
best friend and greatest benefactor3    
hence1 whatever punishment you may      
inflict upon us1 it will still fall     
short of what we deserve4 ,but alas6 the
 evil we have done ourselves is worse   
than innumerable deaths3 for what can be
 more afflicting than to live1 in the   
judgment of all mankind1 guilty of the  
blackest ingratitude1 and to see        

ourselves deprived of your sweet and    
gracious protection1 which was our      
bulwark4 ,we dare not look any man in   
the face2 no1 not the sun itself4 ,but  
as great as our misery is1 it is not    
irremediable2 for it is in your power to
 remove it4 ,great affronts among       
private men have often been the occasion
 of great charity4 ,when the devil's    
envy had destroyed man1 ,god's mercy    
restored him4 ,that wicked spirit1      
jealous of our city's happiness1 has    
plunged her into this abyss of evils1   
out of which you alone can rescue her4  
,it is your affection1 ,i dare say it1  
which has brought them upon us1 by      
exciting the jealousy of the wicked     
spirits against us4 ,but1 like ,god     
himself1 you may draw infinite good out 
of the evil which they intended us4 ,if 
you spare us1 you are revenged on them4 
,your clemency on this occasion will be 
more honorable to you than your most    
celebrated victories4 ,it will adorn    
your head with a far brighter diadem    

than that which you wear1 as it will be 
the fruit only of your own virtue4 ,your
 statues have been thrown down3 if you  
pardon this insult1 you will raise      
yourself others1 not of marble or brass1
 which time destroys1 but such as will  
exist eternally in the hearts of all    
those who will hear of this action4     
,your predecessor1 ,constantine the     
,great1 when importuned by his courtiers
 to exert his vengeance on some         
seditious people that had disfigured his
 statues by throwing stones at them1 did
 nothing more than stroke his face with 
his hand1 and told them1 smiling1 that  
he did not feel himself hurt4 ,this his 
saying is yet in the mouths of all men1 
and a more illustrious trophy to his    
memory than all the cities which he     
built1 than all the barbarous nations   
which he subdued4 ,remember your own    
memorable saying1 when you ordered the  
prisons to be opened1 and the criminals 
to be pardoned at the feast of ,easter3 
',would to ,god ,i were able in the same

 manner to open the graves1 and restore 
the dead to life6' ,that time is now    
come4 #bci ,here is a city whose        
inhabitants are already dead2 and is1 as
 it were1 at the gates of its sepulchre4
 ,raise it then1 as it is in your power 
to do1 without cost or labor4 ,a word   
will suffice4 ,suffer it by your        
clemency to be still named among the    
living cities4 ,it will then owe more to
 you than to its very founder4 ,he built
 it small1 you will raise it great and  
populous4 ,to have preserved it from    
being destroyed by barbarians would not 
have been so great an exploit1 as to    
spare it on such an occasion as now     
offers4  ,neither is the preservation of
 an illustrious city the only thing to  
be considered2 your own glory1 and1     
above all1 the honor of the ,christian  
religion1 are highly interested in this 
affair4 ,the ,jews and ,pagans1 all     
barbarous nations1 nay1 the whole world1
 have their eyes fixed on you at this   
critical juncture2 all are waiting for  

the judgment you will pronounce4 ,if it 
be favorable1 they will be filled with  
admiration1 and will agree to praise and
 worship that ,god1 who checks the anger
 of those who acknowledge no master upon
 earth1 and who can transform men into  
angels2 they will embrace that religion 
which teaches such sublime morality4    
,listen not to those who will object    
that your clemency on this occasion may 
be attended with1 and give encouragement
 to the like disorders in other cities4 
,that could only happen1 if you spared  
for want of a power to chastise3 but    
whereas you do not divest yourself1 by  
such an act of clemency1 of this power1 
and as by it you endear and rivet       
yourself the more in the affections of  
your subjects1 this1 instead of         
encouraging such insults and disorders1 
will rather the more effectually prevent
 them4 ,neither immense sums of money1  
nor innumerable armies1 could ever have 
gained you so much the hearts of your   
subjects and their prayers for your     

person and empire1 as will this single  
action4 ,and if you stand fair for being
 such a gainer from men1 what rewards   
may you not reasonably expect from ,god8
 ,it is easy for a master to punish1 but
 rare and difficult to pardon4  ,it will
 be extremely glorious to you to have   
granted this pardon at the request of a 
minister of the ,lord1 and it will      
convince the world of your piety1 in    
that you overlooked the unworthiness of 
his person1 and respected only the power
 and authority of that ,master who sent 
him4 ,for though deputed immediately by 
the inhabitants of ,antioch to deprecate
 your just displeasure on this occasion1
 it is not only in their name that ,i   
appear in this place1 for ,i am come    
from the sovereign ,lord of men and     
angels to declare to you in his name1   
that1 if you pardon men their faults1 he
 will forgive you your sins4 ,call to   
mind then that dreadful day on which we 
shall all be summoned to give in an     
account of all our actions4 ,reflect on 

your having it now in your power1       
without pain or labor1 to efface your   
sins1 and to find mercy at that terrible
 tribunal4 ,you are about to pronounce  
your own sentence4 ,other ambassadors   
bring gold1 silver1 and other like      
presents1 but as for me1 ,i offer       
nothing but the law of ,god1 and entreat
 you to imitate his example on the      
cross4 ,he concluded his harangue by    
assuring the emperor that if he refused 
to pardon the city1 he would never more 
return to it1 nor look upon that city as
 his country1 which a prince of his     
humane disposition could not prevail    
upon himself to pardon4  ,this discourse
 had its desired effect on the emperor1 
who with much difficulty suppressed his 
tears while the bishop spoke1 whom he   
answered in these few words3 ,if ,jesus 
,christ1 the ,lord of all things1       
vouchsafed to pardon and pray for those 
very men that crucified him1 ought ,i to
 hesitate to pardon them who have       
offended me8 ,i1 who am but a mortal man

 like them1 and a servant of the same   
,master4 ,the patriarch1 overjoyed at   
his success1 prostrated himself at the  
emperor's feet1 wishing him a reward for
 such an action suitable to its merit4  
,and whereas the prelate made an offer  
of passing the feast of ,easter with the
 emperor at ,constantinople1 he1 to #bdj
 testify how sincerely he was reconciled
 to the city of ,antioch1 urged his     
immediate return1 saying3 ,go1 ,father1 
delay not a moment the consolation your 
people will receive at your return1 by  
communicating to them the assurances of 
the pardon ,i grant them2 ,i know they  
must be in great affliction4 ,the bishop
 set out accordingly2 but1 to delay as  
little as possible the joy of the       
citizens1 he dispatched a courier before
 him with the emperor's letter of       
pardon1 which produced a comfortable    
change in the face of affairs4 ,the     
bishop himself arrived time enough      
before ,easter to keep that solemnity   
with his people4 ,the joy and triumph of

 that city could not be greater2 it is  
elegantly described by ,st4 ,chrysostom1
 extolling above all things the humility
 and modesty of ,flavian1 who attributed
 the whole change of ,theodosius's mind1
 and all the glory of the action1 to    
,god alone4 ,the discourse which        
,flavian addressed to the emperor1      
except the introduction1 had been       
composed by ,st4 ,chrysostom1 who       
recited it to the people to comfort     
them1 and ceased not strongly to exhort 
them to penance1 and the fervent        
exercise of good works1 during the whole
 time of their bishop's absence4#aj     
,after this storm our saint continued   
his labors with unwearied zeal1 and was 
the honor1 the delight1 and the darling 
not of ,antioch only but of all the     
,east1 and his reputation spread itself 
over the whole empire4#aa ,but ,god was 
pleased to call him to glorify his name 
on a new theatre1 where he prepared for 
his virtue other trials1 and other      
crowns4  ,st4 ,chrysostom had been five 

years deacon1 and twelve years priest1  
when ,nectarius1 bishop of              
,constantinople1 dying in #cig1 the     
emperor ,arcadius1 at the suggestion of 
,eutropius the eunuch1 his chamberlain1 
resolved to procure the election of our 
saint to the patriarchate of that city4 
,he therefore dispatched a secret order 
to the count of the ,east1 enjoining him
 to send ,john to ,constantinople1 but  
by some stratagem2 lest his intended    
removal1 if known at ,antioch1 should   
cause a sedition1 and be rendered       
impracticable4 ,the count repaired to   
,antioch1 and desiring the saint to     
accompany him out of the city to the    
tombs of the martyrs1 on the pretence of
 devotion1 he there delivered him into  
the hands of an officer sent on purpose1
 who1 taking him into his chariot1      
conveyed him with all possible speed to 
the imperial city4 ,theophilus1         
patriarch of ,alexandria1 a man of a    
proud and turbulent spirit1 was come    
thither to recommend a creature of his  

own to that dignity4 ,he endeavored by  
illegal practices secretly to traverse  
the canonical promotion of our saint2   
but was detected1 and threatened to be  
accused in a synod4 ,whereupon he was   
glad to desist from his intrigues1 and  
thus ,john was consecrated by him on the
 #bfth of ,february1 in #cih4ab ,in     
regulating his own conduct and his      
domestic concerns1 he retrenched all the
 great expenses which his predecessors  
had entailed on their dignity1 which he 
looked upon as superfluous1 and an      
excessive prodigality1 and these sums he
 applied to the relief of the poor1     
especially of the sick4 ,for this       
purpose he erected and maintained       
several numerous hospitals1 under the   
government of holy and charitable       
priests1 and was very careful that all  
the servants and attendants were persons
 of great virtue1 tenderness1           
compassion1 and prudence4 ,his own      
family being settled in good order1 the 
next thing he took in hand after his    

promotion was the reformation of his    
clergy4 ,this he forwarded by zealous   
exhortations and proper rules for their 
conduct1 tending both to their          
sanctification and exemplarity4 ,and to 
give these his endeavors their due      
force1 he lived an exact model of what  
he inculcated to others3 but his zeal   
exasperated the tepid part of that      
order1 and raised a storm against       
himself4 ,the immodesty #bda of women in
 their dress in that gay capital excited
 in him sentiments of the most just     
abhorrence and indignation4 ,some young 
ladies seemed to have forgot that       
clothing is the covering of the ignominy
 of sin1 and ought to be an instrument  
of penance1 and a motive of confusion   
and tears1 not of vanity4 ,but the      
exhortations of ,st4 ,chrysostom moved  
many to despise and lay aside the use of
 purple1 silks1 and jewels4 ,it was a   
far more intolerable scandal that some  
neglected to cover their necks1 or used 
such thin veils as served only to invite

 the eyes of others more boldly4 ,our   
saint represented to such persons that  
they were in some respects worse than   
public prostitutes3 for these hide their
 baits at home only for the wicked3 but 
you1 said he1 carry your snare          
everywhere1 and spread your nets        
publicly in all places4 ,you allege1    
that you never invited others to sin4   
,you did not by your tongue1 but you    
have done it by your dress and          
deportment more effectually than you    
could by your voice3 when you have made 
another to sin in his heart1 how can you
 be innocent8 ,you sharpened and drew   
the sword3 you gave the thrust by which 
the soul is wounded4#ac ,tell me1 whom  
does the world condemn8 whom do judges  
punish8 ,those who drink the poison1 or 
those who prepare and give the fatal    
draught8 ,you have mingled the execrable
 cup2 you have administered the potion  
of death3 you are so much more criminal 
than poisoners1 as the death which you  
cause is the more terrible2 for you     

murder not the body1 but the soul4 ,nor 
do you do this to enemies2 nor compelled
 by necessity1 nor provoked by any      
injury2 but out of a foolish vanity and 
pride4 ,you sport yourselves in the ruin
 of the souls of others1 and make their 
spiritual death your pastime4 ,hence he 
infers1 how false and absurd their      
excuse is in saying1 they mean no harm4 
,these and many other scandals he       
abolished4 ,he suppressed the wicked    
custom of swearing1 first at ,antioch1  
then at ,constantinople4 ,by the        
invincible power of his eloquence and   
zeal he tamed the fiercest sinners1 and 
changed them into meek lambs3 he        
converted an incredible number of       
idolaters and heretics4#ad ,his mildness
 towards sinners was censured by the    
,novatians2 he invited them to          
repentance with the compassion of the   
most tender father1 and was accustomed  
to cry out3 ,if you are fallen a second 
time1 or even a thousand times into sin1
 come to me and you shall be healed4#ae 

,but he was firm and severe in          
maintaining discipline1 though without  
harshness2 to impenitent sinners he was 
inflexible4 ,to mention one instance of 
the success of his holy zeal out of the 
many which his sermons furnish2 in the  
year #cii1 the second of his episcopacy1
 on ,wednesday in ,holy ,week1 so       
violent a rain fell as to endanger the  
corn1 and threaten the whole produce of 
the country4 ,hereupon public           
processions were made to the church of  
the apostles by the bishop and people1  
to avert the scourge by imploring the   
intercession chiefly of ,st4 ,peter1    
,st4 ,andrew1 7who is regarded as the   
founder of the church of ,byzantium17   
,st4 ,paul1 and ,st4 ,timothy4#af ,the  
rain ceased1 but not their fears4       
,therefore they all crossed the         
,bosphorus to the church of ,,ss4 ,peter
 and ,paul1 on the opposite side of the 
water4 ,this danger was scarce over1    
when on the ,friday following many ran  
to see certain horse-races1 and on ,holy

 ,saturday to games exhibited at the    
theatre4 ,the good bishop was pierced to
 the quick with grief1 and on the next  
day1 ,easter-,sunday1 preached a most   
zealous and eloquent sermon1 ,against   
the ,games and ,shows of the ,theatre   
and ,circus4 ,indignation made him not  
so much as mention the paschal          
solemnity2#bdb but by an abrupt exordium
 he burst into the most vehement pathos1
 as follows3 ,are these things to be    
borne8 ,can they be tolerated8 ,i appeal
 to yourselves1 be you your own judges4 
,thus did ,god expostulate with the     
,jews4#ag ,this exclamation he often    
repeated to assuage his grief4 ,he put  
the people in mind of the sanctity of   
our faith2 of the rigorous account we   
must give to ,god of all our moments1   
and the obligation of serving him       
incumbent on us from his benefits1 who  
has made for us the heaven and earth1   
the sun1 light1 rivers1 c4 ,the saint   
grieved the more1 because1 after all1   
they said they had done no harm1 though 

they had murdered not only their own    
souls1 but also those of their children4
 ,and how will you1 said he1 after this 
approach the holy place8 ,how will you  
touch the heavenly food8 ,even now do ,i
 see you overwhelmed with grief1 and    
covered with confusion4 ,i see some     
striking their foreheads1 perhaps those 
who have not sinned1 but are moved with 
compassion for their brethren4 ,on this 
account do ,i grieve and suffer1 that   
the devil should make such a havoc in   
such a flock4 ,but if you join with me1 
we will shut him out4 ,by what means8   
,if we seek out the wounded1 and snatch 
them out of his jaws4 ,do not tell me   
their number is but small3 though they  
are but ten1 this is a great loss3      
though but five1 but two1 or only one4  
,the shepherd leaving ninety-nine1 did  
not return till he had completed his    
number by recovering that sheep which   
was lost4 ,do not say1 it is only one2  
but remember that it is a soul for which
 all things visible were made2 for which

 laws were given1 miracles wrought1 and 
mysteries effected3 for which ,god      
spared not his only ,son4 ,think how    
great a price hath been paid for this   
one sheep1 and bring him back to the    
fold4 ,if he neither hears your         
persuasions nor my exhortations1 ,i will
 employ the authority with which ,god   
hath invested me4 ,he proceeds to       
declare such excommunicated4 ,the       
consternation and penance of the city   
made the holy pastor forbear any further
 censure1 and to commend their          
conversion4 ,palladius writes that he   
had the satisfaction to see those who   
had been the most passionately fond of  
the entertainments of the stage and     
circus1 moved by his sermons on that    
subject1 entirely renounce those schools
 of the devil4 ,god is more glorified by
 one perfect soul than by many who serve
 him with tepidity4 ,therefore1 though  
every individual of his large flock was 
an object of his most tender affection  
and pastoral concern1 those were        

particularly so1 who had secluded       
themselves from the world by embracing a
 religious state of life1 the holy      
virgins and nuns4 ,describing their     
method of life1 he says3#ah ,their      
clothing was sackcloth1 and their beds  
only mats spread on the floor2 that they
 watched part of the night in prayer1   
walked barefoot1 never ate before       
evening1 and never touched so much as   
bread1 using no other food than pulse   
and herbs1 and that they were always    
occupied in prayer1 manual labor1 or    
serving the sick of their own sex4 ,the 
spiritual mother1 and the sun of this   
holy company1 ,st4 ,nicareta1 is honored
 ,december the #bgth4 ,among the holy   
widows who dedicated themselves to ,god 
under the direction of this great master
 of saints1 the most illustrious were   
the truly noble ladies ,st4 ,olympias1  
,salvina1 ,procula1 and ,pantadia4 ,this
 last 7who was the widow of ,timasus1   
formerly the first minister to the      
emperor7 was constituted by him         

deaconess of the church of              
,constantinople4 ,widows he considered  
as by their state called to a life of   
penance1 retirement1 and devotion2 and  
he spared no exhortations or endeavors  
to engage them faithfully to correspond 
to the divine grace1 according to the   
advice which ,st4 ,paul gives them4#ai  
,st4 ,olympias claimed the privilege of 
furnishing the expenses of the saint's  
#bdc frugal table4 ,he usually ate      
alone3 few would have been willing to   
dine so late1 or so coarsely and        
sparingly as he did2 and he chose this  
to save both time and expenses3 but he  
kept another table in a house near his  
palace1 for the entertainment of        
strangers1 which he took care should be 
decently supplied4 ,he inveighed        
exceedingly against sumptuous banquets4 
,all his revenues he laid out on the    
poor2 for whose relief he sold the rich 
furniture which ,nectarius had left2 and
 once1 in a great dearth1 he caused some
 of the sacred vessels to be melted down

 for that purpose4 ,this action was     
condemned by ,theophilus1 but is justly 
regarded by ,st4 ,austin as a high      
commendation of our holy prelate4       
,besides the public hospital near his   
cathedral1 and several others which he  
founded and maintained1 he erected two  
for strangers4 ,his own patrimony he had
 given to the poor long before1 at      
,antioch4 ,his extraordinary charities  
obtained him the name of ,john of       
alms-deeds4#bj ,the spiritual           
necessities of his neighbor were objects
 of far greater compassion to his tender
 charity4 ,his diocese1 nay1 the whole  
world1 he considered as a great hospital
 of souls1 spiritually blind1 deaf1     
sick1 and in danger of perishing        
eternally2 many standing on the brink1  
many daily falling from the frightful   
precipice into the unquenchable lake4   
,not content with tears and             
supplications to the ,father of mercies 
for their salvation1 he was             
indefatigable in labors and in every    

endeavor to open their eyes2 feared no  
dangers1 no not death itself in its most
 frightful shapes1 to succor them in    
their spiritual necessities1 and prevent
 their fall4 ,neither was this pastoral 
care confined to his own flock or       
nation3 he extended it to the remotest  
countries4 ,he sent a bishop to instruct
 the ,nomades or wandering ,scythians3  
another1 an admirable man1 to the       
,goths4 ,palestine1 ,persia1 and many   
other distant provinces felt the most   
beneficent influence of his zeal4 ,he   
was himself endued with an eminent      
spirit of prayer3 this he knew to be the
 great channel of heavenly graces1 the  
cleanser of the affections of the soul  
from earthly dross1 and the means which 
renders them spiritual and heavenly1 and
 makes men angels1 even in their mortal 
body4 ,he was therefore particularly    
earnest in inculcating this duty1 and in
 instructing others in the manner of    
performing it4 ,he warmly exhorted the  
laity to rise to the midnight office of 

matins together with the clergy3 ,many  
artisans1 said he1 watch to labor1 and  
soldiers watch as sentries2 and cannot  
you do as much to praise ,god8#ba ,he   
observes1 that the silence of the night 
is peculiarly adapted to devout prayer1 
and the sighs of compunction3 which     
exercise we ought never to interrupt too
 long2 and by watching1 prayer becomes  
more earnest and powerful4 ,women he    
will not have to go easily abroad to    
church in the night-time2 but advises   
that even children rise in the night to 
say a short prayer1 and as they cannot  
watch long be put to bed again3 for thus
 they will contract from their infancy a
 habit of watching1 and a ,christian's  
whole house will be converted into a    
church4 ,the advantages and necessity of
 assiduous prayer he often recommends   
with singular energy2 but he expresses  
himself on no subject with greater      
tenderness and force than on the excess 
of the divine love1 which is displayed  
in the holy ,eucharist1 and in exhorting

 the faithful to the frequent use of    
that heavenly sacrament4 ,st4 ,proclus  
says1#bb that he abridged the liturgy of
 his church4 ,st4 ,nilus#bc assures us  
that he was often favored with visions  
of angels in the church during the      
canonical hours1 surrounding the altars 
in troops during the celebration of the 
divine mysteries1 and at the communion  
of the people4 ,the saint himself       
confidently avers #bdd that this happens
 at those times1#bd which he confirms by
 the visions of several hermits4  ,the  
public concerns of the state often      
called on the saint to afford the       
spiritual succors of his zeal and       
charity4 ,eutropius was then at the head
 of affairs4 ,he was a eunuch1 and      
originally a slave1 but had worked      
himself into favor with the emperor     
,arcadius4 ,in #cie he was instrumental 
in cutting off ,rufinus1 the chief      
minister1 who had broke out into an open
 rebellion1 and he succeeded the traitor
 in all his honors3 golden statues were 

erected to him in several parts of the  
city1 and what ,claudian1 ,marcellinus  
in his chronicle1 ,suidas1 and others1  
represent as the most monstrous event   
that occurs in the ,roman ,fasti1 was   
declared consul1 though a eunuch4 ,being
 placed on so high a pinnacle1 a        
situation but too apt to turn the       
strongest head1 forgetful of himself and
 the indispensable rules of decency and 
prudence1 it was not long before he     
surpassed his predecessor in insolence1 
ambition1 and covetousness4 ,wholesome  
advice1 even from a ,chrysostom1 served 
only to exasperate a heart devoted to   
the world1 and open to flatterers1 who  
added continually new flames to its     
passions4 ,in the mean time1 the murmurs
 and indignation of the whole empire at 
the pride and avarice of ,eutropius were
 a secret to him1 till the pit was      
prepared for his fall4 ,gainas1 general 
of the auxiliary ,goths in the imperial 
army1 was stirred up to revenge an      
affront which his cousin ,trigibildus1 a

 tribune1 had received from the haughty 
minister4 ,at the same time the empress 
,eudoxia1 having been insulted by him1  
ran to the emperor1 carrying her two    
little babes in her arms1 and cried out 
for justice against the insolent        
servant4 ,arcadius1 who was as weak in  
abandoning1 as he was imprudent in      
choosing favorites1 gave orders that the
 minister should be driven out of the   
court1 and his estates confiscated4     
,eutropius found himself in a moment    
forsaken by all the herds of his        
admirers and flatterers1 without one    
single friend1 and fled for protection  
to the church1 and to those very altars 
whose immunities he had infringed and   
violated4 ,the whole city was in an     
uproar against him2 the army called     
aloud for his death1 and a troop of     
soldiers surrounded the church with     
naked swords in their hands1 and fire in
 their eyes4 ,st4 ,chrysostom went to   
the emperor1 and easily obtained of him 
that the unhappy criminal might be      

allowed to enjoy the benefit of         
sanctuary2 and the soldiers were        
prevailed upon1 by the tears of the     
emperor and the remonstrances of the    
bishop1 to withdraw4 ,the next day the  
people flocked to behold a man whose    
frown two days before made the whole    
world to tremble1 now laying hold of the
 altar1 gnashing his teeth1 trembling   
and shuddering1 having nothing before   
his eyes but drawn swords1 dungeons1 and
 executioners4 ,st4 ,chrysostom on this 
occasion made a pathetic discourse on   
the vanity and treachery of human       
things1 the emptiness and falsehood of  
which he could not find a word          
emphatical enough to express4 ,the poor 
,eutropius could not relish such truths 
a few days ago1 but now found his very  
riches destructive4 ,the saint entreated
 the people to forgive him whom the     
emperor1 the chief person injured1 was  
desirous to forgive3 he asked them how  
they could beg of ,god the pardon of    
their own sins if they did not pardon a 

man who then1 by repentance1 was perhaps
 a saint in the eyes of ,god4 ,at this  
discourse not a single person in the    
church was able to refrain from tears1  
and all things seemed in a state of     
tranquillity4#be ,some days after1      
,eutropius left the church1 hoping to   
escape privately out of the city1 but   
was seized1 and banished into           
,cyprus4#bf ,he was recalled a few      
months after1 and being impeached #bde  
of high-treason was condemned and       
beheaded1 chiefly at the instigation of 
,gainas2 in compliance with whose unjust
 demands the weak emperor consented to  
the death of ,aurelianus and            
,saturninus1 two principal lords of his 
court4 ,but ,st4 ,chrysostom1 by several
 journeys1 prevailed with the barbarian 
to content himself with their           
banishment1 which they underwent1 but   
were soon after recalled4 ,as unjust    
concessions usually make rebels the more
 insolent1 ,gainas hereupon obliged the 
emperor to declare him                  

commander-in-chief of all his troops4   
,yet even when his pride and power were 
at the highest1 ,st4 ,chrysostom refused
 him the use of any ,catholic church in 
,constantinople for the ,arian worship4 
,and when1 some time after1 he laid     
siege to that capital1 the saint went   
out to him1 and by kind expostulations  
prevailed on him to withhold his design 
and draw off his army4 ,he was          
afterwards defeated in passing the      
,hellespont2 and fleeing through the    
country of the ,huns1 was overthrown1   
and slain by them in #djj4  ,this same  
year1 #djj1 ,st4 ,chrysostom held a     
council of bishops in ,constantinople2  
one of whom had preferred a complaint   
against his metropolitan ,antoninus1 the
 archbishop of ,ephesus1 which consisted
 of several heads1 but that chiefly     
insisted on was simony4#bg ,all our     
saint's endeavors to discuss this affair
 being frustrated by the distance of    
places1 he found it necessary1 at the   
solicitation of the clergy and people of

 ,ephesus1 to go in person to that city1
 though the severity of the winter      
season1 and the ill state of health he  
was then in1 might be sufficient motives
 for retarding this journey4 ,in this   
and the neighboring cities several      
councils were held1 in which the        
archbishop of ,ephesus and several other
 bishops in ,asia1 ,lycia1 and ,phrygia1
 were deposed for simony4 ,upon his     
return after ,easter1 in #dja1 having   
been absent a hundred days1 he preached 
the next morning1#bh calling his people1
 in the transports of tender joy1 his   
crown1 his glory1 his paradise planted  
with flourishing trees2 but if any bad  
shrubs should be found in it1 he        
promised that no pains should be spared 
to change them into good4 ,he bid them  
consider if they rejoiced so much as    
they testified1 to see him again who was
 only one1 how great his joy must be    
which was multiplied in every one of    
them3 he calls himself their bond-slave1
 chained to their service1 but says1    

that slavery was his delight1 and that  
during his absence he ever had them     
present to his mind1 offering up his    
prayers for their temporal and spiritual
 welfare4  ,it remained that our saint  
should glorify ,god by his sufferings1  
as he had already done by his labors3   
and if we contemplate the mystery of the
 cross with the eyes of faith1 we shall 
find him greater in the persecutions he 
sustained than in all the other         
occurrences of his life4 ,at the same   
time we cannot sufficiently deplore the 
blindness of envy and pride in his      
enemies1 as in the ,pharisees against   
,christ himself4 ,we ought to tremble   
for ourselves3 if that passion does not 
make us persecute a ,chrysostom1 it may 
often betray us into rash judgments1    
aversions1 and other sins1 even under a 
cloak of virtue4 ,the first open        
adversary of our saint was ,severianus1 
bishop of ,gabala1 in ,syria1 to whom   
the saint had left the care of his      
church during his absence4 ,this mart   

had acquired the reputation of a        
preacher1 was a favorite of the empress 
,eudoxia1 and had employed all his      
talents and dexterity to establish      
himself in the good opinion of the court
 and people1 to the prejudice of the    
saint1 against whom he had preached in  
his own city4 ,severianus being obliged 
to leave ,constantinople at the saint's 
return1 he made an excellent discourse  
to his flock on the peace ,christ came  
to establish on earth1 and begged they  
would receive again ,severianus1 whom   
they #bdf had expelled the city4        
,another enemy of the saint was         
,theophilus1 patriarch of ,alexandria1  
whom ,sozomen1 ,socrates1 ,palladius1   
,st4 ,isidore of ,pelusium1 and         
,synesius1 accuse of avarice and        
oppressions to gratify his vanity in    
building stately churches2 of pride1    
envy1 revenge1 dissimulation1 and an    
incontrollable love of power and rule1  
by which he treated other bishops as his
 slaves1 and made his will the rule of  

justice4 ,his three paschal letters1    
which have reached us1 show that he     
wrote without method1 and that his      
reflections and reasonings were neither 
just nor apposite3 whence the loss of   
his other writings is not much to be    
regretted4 ,these spiritual vices       
sullied his zeal against the            
,anthropomorphites1 and his other       
virtues4 ,he died in #dab1 wishing that 
he had lived always in a desert1        
honoring the name of the holy           
,chrysostom1 whose picture he caused to 
be brought to his bedside1 and by       
reverencing it1 showed his desire to    
make atonement for his past ill conduct 
towards our saint4#bi ,this turbulent   
man had driven from their retreat four  
abbots of ,nitria1 called the tall      
brothers1 on a groundless suspicion of  
,origenism1 as appears from ,palladius1 
though it was believed by ,st4 ,jerom1  
which is maintained by ,baronius4 ,st4  
,chrysostom admitted them to communion1 
but not till they had juridically       

cleared themselves of it in an ample    
manner4#cj ,this however was grievously 
resented by ,theophilus3 but the empress
 ,eudoxia1 who1 after the disgrace of   
,eutropius1 governed her husband and the
 empire1 was the main spring which moved
 the whole conspiracy against the saint4
 ,zozimus1 a heathen historian1 says1   
that her flagrant avarice1 her          
extortions and injustices1 knew no      
bounds1 and that the court was filled   
with informers1 calumniators1 and       
harpies1 who1 being always on the watch 
for prey1 found means to seize the      
estates of such as died rich1 and to    
disinherit their children or other      
heirs4 ,no wonder that a saint should   
displease such a court while he         
discharged his duty to ,god4 ,he had    
preached a sermon against the           
extravagance and vanity of women in     
dress and pomp4 ,this was pretended by  
some to have been levelled at the       
empress2 and ,severianus was not wanting
 to blow the coals4 ,knowing ,theophilus

 was no friend to the saint1 the        
empress1 to be revenged of the supposed 
affront1 sent to desire his presence at 
,constantinople1 in order to depose him4
 ,he obeyed the summons with pleasure1  
and landed at ,constantinople in ,june1 
#djc1 with several ,egyptian bishops his
 creatures1 refused to see or lodge with
 ,john1 and got together a packed cabal 
of thirty-six bishops1 the saint's      
enemies1 in a church at ,chalcedon1     
calling themselves the synod at the     
,oak1 from a great tree which gave name 
to that quarter of the town4 ,the heads 
of the impeachment drawn up against the 
holy bishop were3 that he had deposed a 
deacon for beating a servant2 that he   
had called several of his clergy base   
men2 had deposed bishops out of his     
province2 had ordained priests in his   
domestic chapel1 instead of the         
cathedral2 had sold things belonging to 
the church2 that nobody knew what became
 of his revenues2 that he ate alone2 and
 that he gave the holy communion to     

persons who were not fasting3 all which 
were false or frivolous4 ,the saint held
 a legal council of forty bishops in the
 city at the same time2 and refused to  
appear before that at the ,oak1 alleging
 most notorious infractions of the      
canons in their pretended council4 ,the 
cabal proceeded to a sentence of        
deposition1 which they sent to the city 
and to the emperor1 to whom they also   
accused him of treason1 for having      
called the empress ,jezabel1 a false    
assertion1 as ,palladius testifies4 ,the
 emperor hereupon issued out an order   
for his banishment1 but the execution of
 it was opposed by the people1 who      
assembled about the great church to     
guard their pastor4 #bdg ,he made them a
 farewell sermon1#ca in which he spoke  
as follows3 ,violent storms encompass me
 on all sides2 yet ,i am without fear1  
because ,i stand upon a rock4 ,though   
the sea roar1 and the waves rise high1  
they cannot sink the vessel of ,jesus4  
,i fear not death1 which is my gain3 not

 banishment1 for the whole earth is the 
,lord's3 nor the loss of goods2 for ,i  
came naked into the world1 and must     
leave it in the same condition4 ,i      
despise all the terrors of the world and
 trample upon its smiles and favor4 ,nor
 do ,i desire to live unless for your   
service4 ,christ is with me3 whom shall 
,i fear8 ,though waves rise against me3 
though the sea1 though the fury of      
princes threaten me1 all these are to me
 more contemptible than a spider's web4 
,i always say3 ,o ,lord1 may thy will be
 done3 not what this or that creature   
wills1 but what it shall please thee to 
appoint1 that shall ,i do and suffer    
with joy4 ,this is my strong tower3 this
 is my unshaken rock3 this is my staff  
that can never fail4 ,if ,god be pleased
 that it be done1 let it be so4         
,wheresoever his will is that ,i be1 ,i 
return him thanks4 ,he declared that he 
was ready to lay down a thousand lives  
for them1 if at his disposal1 and that  
he suffered only because he had         

neglected nothing to save their souls4  
,on the third day after the unjust      
sentence given against him1 having      
received repeated orders from the       
emperor to go into banishment1 and      
taking all possible care to prevent a   
sedition1 he surrendered himself1       
unknown to the people1 to the count1 who
 conducted him to ,praenetum in         
,bithynia4 ,after his departure his     
enemies entered the city with guards1   
and ,severianus mounted the pulpit1 and 
began to preach1 pretending to show the 
deposition of the saint to have been    
legal and just4 ,but the people would   
not suffer him to proceed1 and ran about
 as if distracted1 loudly demanding in a
 body the restoration of their holy     
pastor4 ,the next night the city was    
shook with an earthquake4 ,this brought 
the empress to reflect with remorse on  
what she had done against the holy      
bishop4 ,she applied immediately to the 
emperor1 under the greatest             
consternation1 for his being recalled2  

crying out3 ,unless ,john be recalled1  
our empire is undone3 and with his      
consent she dispatched letters the same 
night1 inviting him home with tender    
expressions of affection and esteem1 and
 protesting her ignorance of his        
banishment4 ,almost all the city went   
out to meet him1 and great numbers of   
lighted torches were carried before him4
 ,he stopped to the suburbs1 refusing to
 enter the city till he had been        
declared innocent by a more numerous    
assembly of bishops4 ,but the people    
would suffer no delay3 the enemies of   
the saint fled1 and he resumed his      
functions1 and preached to his flock4   
,he pressed the emperor to call         
,theophilus to a legal synod3 but that  
obstinate persecutor alleged that he    
could not return without danger of his  
life4 ,however1 ,sozomen relates that   
threescore bishops ratified his return3 
but the fair weather did not last long4 
,a silver statue of the empress having  
been erected on a pillar before the     

great church of ,st4 ,sophia1 the       
dedication of it was celebrated with    
public games1 which1 besides disturbing 
the divine service1 engaged the         
spectators in extravagances and         
superstition4 ,st4 ,chrysostom had often
 preached against licentious shows2 and 
the very place rendered these the more  
criminal4 ,on this occasion1 fearing    
lest his silence should be construed as 
an approbation of the thing1 he1 with   
his usual freedom and courage1 spoke    
loudly against it4 ,though this could   
only affect the ,manichaean overseer of 
those games1 the vanity of the empress  
made her take the affront to herself1   
and her desires of revenge were         
implacable4#cb ,his enemies were invited
 back3 ,theophilus #bdh durst not come1 
but sent three deputies4 ,though ,st4   
,john had forty-two bishops with him1   
this second cabal urged to the emperor  
certain canons of an ,arian council of  
,antioch1 made only to exclude ,st4     
,athanasius1 by which it was ordained   

that no bishop who had been deposed by a
 synod1 should return to his see till he
 was restored by another synod4 ,this   
false plea overruled the justice of the 
saint's cause1 and ,arcadius sent him an
 order to withdraw4 ,he refused to      
forsake a church committed to him by    
,god1 unless forcibly compelled to leave
 it4 ,the emperor sent troops to drive  
the people out of the churches on       
,holy-,saturday1 and the holy places    
were polluted with blood and all manner 
of outrages4 ,the saint wrote to pope   
,innocent1 begging him to declare void  
all that had been done2 for no injustice
 could be more notorious4#cc ,he also   
wrote to beg the concurrence of certain 
other holy bishops of the ,west4 ,the   
pope having received from ,theophilus   
the acts of the false council at the    
,oak1 even by them saw the glaring      
injustice of its proceedings1 and wrote 
to him1 exhorting him to appear in      
another council1 where sentence should  
be given according to the canons of     

,nice1 meaning by those words to condemn
 the ,arian canons of ,antioch4 ,he also
 wrote to ,st4 ,chrysostom1 to his      
flock1 and several of his friends3 and  
endeavored to redress these evils by a  
new council3 as did also the emperor    
,honorius4 ,but ,arcadius and ,eudoxia  
found means to prevent its assembling1  
the very dread of which made            
,theophilus1 ,severianus1 and other     
ringleaders of the faction to tremble4  
,st4 ,chrysostom was suffered to remain 
at ,constantinople two months after     
,easter4 ,on ,thursday1 in              
,whitsun-week1 the emperor sent him an  
order for his banishment4 ,the holy man1
 who received it in the church1 said to 
those about him1 ,come1 let us pray1 and
 take leave of the angel of the church4 
,he took leave of the bishops1 and1     
stepping into the baptistery1 also of   
,st4 ,olympias and the other            
deaconesses1 who were overwhelmed with  
grief and bathed in tears4 ,he then     
retired privately out of the church1 to 

prevent a sedition1 and was conducted by
 ,lucius1 a brutish captain1 into       
,bithynia1 and arrived at ,nice on the  
#bjth of ,june1 #djd4 ,after his        
departure1 a fire breaking out1 burnt   
down the great church and the           
senate-house1 two buildings which were  
the glory of the city3 but the          
baptistery was spared by the flames1 as 
it were to justify the saint against his
 calumniators2 for not one of the rich  
vessels was found wanting4 ,in this     
senate-house perished the incomparable  
statues of the muses from ,helicon1 and 
other like ornaments1 the most valuable 
then known3 so that ,zozimus looks upon 
this conflagration as the greatest      
misfortune that had ever befallen that  
city4 ,palladius ascribes the fire to   
the anger of heaven4 ,many of the       
saint's friends were put to the most    
exquisite tortures on this account1 but 
no discovery could be made4 ,the        
,isaurians plundered ,asia1 and the     
,huns several other provinces4 ,eudoxia 

ended her life and crimes in childbed on
 the #fth of ,october following1 five   
days after a furious hail-storm had made
 a dreadful havoc in the city4 ,the     
emperor wrote to ,st4 ,nilus1 to        
recommend himself and his empire to his 
prayers4 ,the hermit answered him with a
 liberty of speech which became one who 
neither hoped nor feared any thing from 
the world4 ,how do you hope1 said he1 to
 see ,constantinople delivered from the 
destroying angel of ,god1 after such    
enormities authorized by laws8 after    
having banished the most blessed ,john1 
the pillar of the church1 the lamp of   
truth1 the trumpet of ,jesus ,christ6#cd
 ,and again3 ,you have banished ,john1  
the greatest light of the earth3--,at   
least1 #bdi do not persevere in your    
crime4#ce ,his brother1 the emperor     
,honorius1 wrote still in stronger      
terms1#cf and several others4 ,but in   
vain2 for certain implacable court      
ladies and sycophants1 hardened against 
all admonitions and remorse1 had much   

too powerful an ascendant over the      
unhappy emperor1 for these efforts of   
the saint's friends to meet with        
success4 ,arsacius1 his enemy and       
persecutor1 though naturally a soft and 
weak man1 was by the emperor's authority
 intruded into his see4 ,the saint      
enjoyed himself comfortably at ,nice3   
but ,cucusus was pitched upon by        
,eudoxia for the place of his           
banishment4 ,he set out from ,nice in   
,july1 #djd1 and suffered incredible    
hardships from heats1 fatigues1 severity
 of guards1 almost perpetual watchings1 
and a fever which soon seized him with  
pains in his breast4 ,he was forced to  
travel almost all night1 deprived of    
every necessary of life1 and was        
wonderfully refreshed if he got a little
 clear water to drink1 fresh bread to   
eat1 or a bed to take a little rest     
upon4 ,all he lamented was the          
impenitence of his enemies1 for their   
own sake3 calling impunity in sin1 and  
honor conferred by men on that account1 

the most dreadful of all judgments4#cg  
,about the end of ,august1 after a      
seventy days' journey1 he arrived at    
,cucusus1 a poor town in ,armenia1 in   
the deserts of ,mount ,taurus4 ,the good
 bishop of the place vied with his      
people in showing the man of ,god the   
greatest marks of veneration and        
civility1 and many friends met him      
there1 both from ,constantinople and    
,antioch4 ,in this place1 by sending    
missionaries and succors1 he promoted   
the conversion of many heathen          
countries1 especially among the ,goths1 
in ,persia and ,phoenicia4 ,he appointed
 ,constantius1 his friend1 a priest of  
,antioch1 superior of the apostolic     
missions in ,phoenicia and ,arabia4 ,the
 letters of ,constantius are added to   
those of ,st4 ,chrysostom4 ,the         
seventeen letters of our saint to ,st4  
,olympias might be styled treatises4 ,he
 tells her1#ch ,i daily exult and am    
transported with joy in my heart under  
my sufferings1 in which ,i find a hidden

 treasure3 and ,i beg that you rejoice  
on the same account1 and that you bless 
and praise ,god1 by whose mercy we      
obtain to such a degree the grace of    
suffering4 ,he often enlarges on the    
great evils and most pernicious         
consequences of sadness and dejection of
 spirit1 which he calls#ci the worst of 
human evils1 a perpetual domestic rack1 
a darkness and tempest of the mind1 an  
interior war1 a distemper which consumes
 the vigor of the soul1 and impairs all 
her faculties4 ,he shows#dj that        
sickness is the greatest of trials1 a   
time not of inaction1 but of the        
greatest merit1 the school of all       
virtues1 and a true martyrdom4 ,he      
advises her to use physic1 and says it  
would be a criminal impatience to wish  
for death to be freed from sufferings4  
,he laments the fall of ,pelagius1 whose
 heresies he abhorred4 ,he wrote to this
 lady his excellent treatise1 ,that no  
one can hurt him who does not hurt      
himself4 ,arsacius dying in #dje1 many  

ambitiously aspired to that dignity1    
whose very seeking it was sufficient to 
prove them unworthy4 ,atticus1 one of   
this number1 a violent enemy to ,st4    
,chrysostom1 was preferred by the court1
 and placed in his chair4 ,the pope     
refused to hold communion with          
,theophilus or any of the abettors of   
the persecution of our saint4#da ,he and
 the emperor ,honorius sent five bishops
 to ,constantinople to insist on a      
council1 and that1 in the mean time1    
,st4 ,chrysostom should be restored to  
his see1 his deposition having been     
notoriously unjust4#db ,but the deputies
 were cast into prison in ,thrace1      
because they refused to communicate with
 ,atticus4 ,the persecutors saw that1 if
 the council was held1 they would be    
inevitably condemned and deposed by it1 
therefore they stuck at nothing to      
prevent its meeting4 ,the incursions of 
the ,isaurian plunderers obliged ,st4   
,chrysostom to take shelter in the      
castle of ,arabissus1 on#bej ,mount     

,taurus4 ,he enjoyed a tolerable state  
of health during the year #djf and the  
winter following1 though it was         
extremely cold in those mountains1 so   
that the ,armenians were surprised to   
see how his thin1 weak body was able to 
support it4 ,when the ,isaurians had    
quitted the neighborhood1 he returned to
 ,cucusus4 ,but his impious enemies1    
seeing the whole ,christian world both  
honor and defend him1 resolved to rid   
the world of him4 ,with this view they  
procured an order from the emperor that 
he should be removed to ,arabissus1 and 
thence to ,pytius1 a town situated on   
the ,euxine sea1 near ,colchis1 at the  
extremity of the empire1 on the         
frontiers of the ,sarmatians1 the most  
barbarous of the ,scythians4 ,two       
officers were ordered to convey him     
thither in a limited number of days1    
through very rough roads1 with a promise
 of promotion1 if1 by hard usage1 he    
should die in their hands4 ,one of these
 was not altogether destitute of        

humanity1 but the other could not bear  
to hear a mild word spoken to him4 ,they
 often travelled amidst scorching heats1
 from which his head1 that was bald1    
suffered exceedingly4 ,in the most      
violent rains they forced him out of    
doors1 obliging him to travel till the  
water ran in streams down his back and  
bosom4 ,when they arrived at ,comana    
,pontica1 in ,cappadocia1 he was very   
sick2 yet was hurried five or six miles 
to the martyrium or chapel in which lay 
the relics of the martyr ,st4           
,basiliscus4#dc ,the saint was lodged in
 the oratory of the priest4 ,in the     
night1 that holy martyr appearing to    
him1 said1 ,be of good courage1 brother 
,john2 to-morrow we shall be together4  
,the confessor was filled with joy at   
this news1 and begged that he might stay
 there till eleven o'clock4 ,this made  
the guards drag him out the more        
violently2 but when they had travelled  
four miles1 perceiving him in a dying   
condition1 they brought him back to the 

oratory4 ,he there changed all his      
clothes to his very shoes1 putting on   
his best attire1 which was all white1 as
 if he meant it for his heavenly        
nuptials4 ,he was yet fasting1 and      
having received the holy sacrament1     
poured forth his last prayer1 which he  
closed with his usual doxology3 ,glory  
be to ,god for all things4 ,having said 
,amen1 and signed himself with the sign 
of the cross1 he sweetly gave up his    
soul to ,god on the feast of the        
exaltation of the holy cross1 the #adth 
of ,september1 as appears from the      
,menaea1 in #djg1 having been bishop    
nine years and almost seven months4#dd  
,his remains were interred by the body  
of ,st4 ,basiliscus1 a great concourse  
of holy virgins1 monks1 and persons of  
all ranks from a great distance flocking
 to his funeral4 ,the pope refused all  
communion with those who would not allow
 his name a place in the ,dyptics or    
registers of ,catholic bishops deceased4
 ,it was inserted at ,constantinople by 

,atticus1 in #dag1 and at ,alexandria1  
by ,st4 ,cyril1 in #dai3 for ,nestorius 
tells him that he then venerated the    
ashes of ,john against his will4#de ,his
 body was translated to ,constantinople 
in #dcd1 by ,st4 ,proclus1 with the     
utmost pomp1 the emperor ,theodosius and
 his sister ,pulcheria accompanying ,st4
 ,proclus in the procession1 and begging
 pardon for the sins of their parents1  
who had unadvisedly persecuted this     
servant of ,god4 ,the precious remains  
were laid in the church of the apostles1
 the burying-place of the emperors and  
bishops1 on the #bgth of ,january1 #dch2
 on which day he is honored by the      
,latins3 #bea but the ,greeks keep his  
festival on the #acth of ,november4#df  
,his ashes were afterwards carried to   
,rome1 and rest under an altar which    
bears his name in the ,vatican church4  
,the saint was low in stature2 and his  
thin1 mortified countenance bespoke the 
severity of his life4 ,the austerities  
of his youth1 his cold solitary abode in

 the mountains1 and the fatigues of     
continual preaching1 had weakened his   
breast1 which occasioned his frequent   
distempers4 ,but the hardships of his   
exile were such as must have destroyed a
 person of the most robust constitution4
 ,pope ,celestine1 ,st4 ,austin1 ,st4   
,nilus1 ,st4 ,isidore of ,pelusium1 and 
others1 call him the illustrious doctor 
of churches1 whose glory shines on every
 side1 who fills the earth with the     
light of his profound sacred learning1  
and who instructs by his works the      
remotest corners of the world1 preaching
 everywhere1 even where his voice could 
not reach4 ,they style him the wise     
interpreter of the secrets of ,god1 the 
sun of the whole universe1 the lamp of  
virtue1 and the most shining star of the
 earth4 ,the incomparable writings of   
this glorious saint1 make his standing  
and most authentic eulogium4  ,in the   
character which ,st4 ,chrysostom has in 
several places drawn of divine and      
fraternal charity and holy zeal1 we have

 a true portraiture of his holy soul4   
,he excellently shows1 from the words of
 our ,lord to ,st4 ,peter1#dg that the  
primary and essential disposition of a  
pastor of souls is a pure and most      
ardent love of ,god1 whose love for     
these souls is so great1 that he has    
delivered his ,son to death for them4   
,jesus ,christ shed his blood to save   
this flock1 which he commits to the care
 of ,st4 ,peter4 ,nothing can be        
stronger or more tender than the manner 
in which this saint frequently expresses
 his charity and solicitude for his     
spiritual children4#dh ,when he touches 
this topic1 his words are all fire and  
flame1 and seem to breathe the fervor of
 ,st4 ,peter1 the zeal of ,st4 ,paul1   
and the charity of ,moses4 ,this        
favorite of ,god was not afraid1 for the
 salvation of his people1 to desire to  
be separated from the company of the    
saints1 provided this could have been   
done without falling from the love of   
,god2 though he knew that nothing would 

more closely unite him forever to ,god1 
than this extraordinary effort of his   
love4 ,the apostle of nations desired to
 be an anathema for his brethren1 and   
for their salvation2#di and the prince  
of the apostles gave the strongest proof
 of the ardor of his love for ,christ1  
by the floods of tears which he shed for
 his flock4 ,from the same furnace of   
divine love1 ,st4 ,chrysostom drew the  
like sentiments towards his flock1      
joined with a sovereign contempt of all 
earthly things2 another distinguishing  
property of charity1 which he describes 
in the following words3#ej ,those who   
burn with a spiritual love1 consider as 
nothing all that is shining or precious 
on earth4 ,we are not to be surprised if
 we understand not this language1 who   
have no experience of this sublime      
virtue4 ,for whoever should be inflamed 
with the fire of the perfect love of    
,jesus ,christ1 would be in such        
dispositions with regard to the earth1  
that he would be indifferent both to its

 honors and to its disgrace1 and would  
be no more concerned about its trifles  
than if he was alone in the world4 ,he  
would despise sufferings1 scourges1 and 
dungeons1 as if they were endured in    
another's body1 not in his own2 and     
would be as insensible to the pleasures 
and enjoyments of the world2 as we are  
to the bodies of the dead1 or as the    
dead are to their own bodies4 ,he would 
be as pure from the stain of any        
inordinate passions1 as gold perfectly  
refined is from all rust or spot4 ,and  
as flies beware of falling into the     
flames1 and keep at a distance1 so      
irregular passions dare not approach    
him4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,s4 ,chrys4 ad   
,vid4 jun4 t4 #a1 p4 #cdj4 #b4  ,sozom4 
l4 #h1 c4 #bb4 #c4  ,liban4 ep4 ad      
,joan4 apud ,s4 ,isidor4 ,pelus4 l4 #b1 
ep4 #db4 #d4  ,l4 #c1 de ,sacerd4 c4    
#ad1 p4 #cij4 #e4  ,l4 #c1 de ,sacerd4  
c4 #ad4 #f4  ,hom4 #gb 7ol4 #gc7 and #fi
 7ol4 #fi17 in ,matt4 ,hom4 #ad1 in #a  
,tim4 t4 #aa1     pp4 #fbh1 #fcj1 #c1   

contra vitup4 vita ,mon4 c4 #ad4 #g4    
,lib4 de ,compunct4 p4 #acb4 #h4 ,lib4  
#a1 de ,compunct4 c4 #i4  ,flavian ,i4  
was a native of ,antioch1 of honorable  
extraction1 and     possessed of a      
plentiful estate1 which he employed in  
the service of     the church and relief
 of the poor4 ,he was remarkably grave  
and     serious1 and began early to     
subdue his flesh by austerities and     
abstinence1 in which he remitted nothing
 even in his old age4 ,thus     was his 
heart prepared to receive and cherish   
the seeds of divine     grace1 the daily
 increase of which rendered him so      
conspicuous in     the world1 and of    
such advantage to the church4 ,the      
,arians being at     that time masters  
of the church of ,antioch1 ,flavian and 
his     associate ,diodorus1 afterwards 
bishop of ,tarsus1 equally              
distinguished by their birth1 fortune1  
learning1 and virtue1 were     the great
 supports of the flock ,st4 ,eustathius 
had been forced to     abandon4 ,in     

#cdh1 they undertook the defence of the 
,catholic faith     against ,leontius1  
the ,arian bishop1 who made use of all  
his craft     and authority to establish
 ,arianism to that city2 one of whose   
chief     expedients was to promote none
 to holy orders but ,arians4 ,the       
scarcity of ,catholic pastors1 on this  
account called for all their     zeal   
and charity in behalf of the abandoned  
flock4 ,the ,arians being     in        
possession of the churches to the city1 
these two zealous laymen     assembled  
them without the walls1 at the tombs of 
the martyrs1 for     the exercise of    
religious duties4 ,they introduced among
 them the     manner of singing psalms  
alternately1 and of concluding each     
psalm     with ,glory be to the ,father1
 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost2 as it was1 c41 
which pious custom was soon after spread
 over all the eastern and     western   
churches4 ,theodoret 7l4 #b1 c4 #ai7    
says1 that ,flavian and     ,diodorus   
were the first who directed the psalms  

to be sung in this     manner by two    
choirs3 though ,socrates 7l4 #f1 c4 #h7 
attributes its     institution to ,st4  
,ignatius the martyr3 who having1 as he 
there     relates1 heard angels in a    
vision singing the divine praises       
alternately1 instituted that manner of  
singing in the church of     ,antioch2  
but this might have been disused4       
,pliny's famous letter to     ,trajan   
shows1 that singing was then in use     
among the ,christians ,in     ,bithynia2
 and it appears from ,philo1 that the   
,therapeuts did the     same before that
 time4 ,leontius stood so much in awe of
 ,flavian and     ,diodorus while they  
were only laymen1 that in compliance    
with their     demands he deposed       
,aetius that most impious and barefaced 
blasphemer     of all the ,arians1 from 
the rank of deacon4      ,st4 ,meletius1
 on his being promoted to the see of    
,antioch1 about the     year #cfa1      
raised these both to the priesthood1 and
 they took care of     that church1 as  

his delegates1 during his banishment by 
,constantius4     ,thus they continued  
together their zealous labors till      
,diodorus was     made bishop of        
,tarsus4 ,in #cha1 ,st4 ,meletius took  
,flavian with him to     the general    
council which was assembled at          
,constantinople2 but dying     in that  
capital1 ,flavian was chosen to succeed 
him4 ,his life was a     perfect copy of
 the eminent episcopal virtues1 and     
especially of the     meekness1 the     
candor1 and affability of his worthy    
predecessor4      ,unhappily the schism1
 which for a long time had divided the  
church     of ,antioch1 was not yet     
extinguished4 ,the occasion was this3   
after     the death of ,st4 ,eustathius1
 they could not agree in the choice of  
his successor2 those who were most      
attached to this holy prelate1     with 
,st4 ,athanasius and the ,west1 followed
 ,paulinus3 the     ,apollinarists      
declared for ,vitalis3 and the greatest 
body of the     orthodox of ,antioch1   

with ,flavian1 ,diodorus1 and all the   
,east1     adhered to ,st4 ,meletius1   
who1 as we have seen already1 was       
succeeded     by ,flavian4 ,paulinus1   
bishop of that part of the ,catholics   
called     ,eustathians1 from their     
attachment to that prelate1 though long 
since dead1 still disputed that see with
 ,flavian2 but dying in #chc1     the   
schism of ,antioch must have ended1 had 
not his abettors kept     open the      
breach by choosing ,evagrius in his     
room2 though it does not     appear that
 he had one bishop in communion with    
him1 ,egypt and the     ,west being now 
neuter1 and the ,east all holding       
communion with     ,flavian4 ,evagrius  
dying in #cie1 the ,eustathians1 though 
now without     a pastor1 still         
continued their separate meetings1 and  
kept up the     schism several years    
longer4 ,st4 ,chrysostom being raised to
 the see     of ,constantinople1 in     
#cih1 labored hourly to abolish this    
fatal     schism1 which was brought     

about soon after by commissioners       
constituted for this purpose by the     
,west1 ,egypt1 and all the other        
parties concerned1 and the ,eustathians 
received ,flavian as their     bishop4  
,in the year #djd1 when ,st4 ,chrysostom
 was banished1 ,flavian     testified   
his indignation against so unjust a     
proceeding1 and wrote     upon that     
subject to the clergy of                
,constantinople4 ,but he did not        
live to be witness of all the sufferings
 his dear friend was to meet     with1  
dying about three years before him1 in  
#djd4 ,the general     council of       
,chalcedon calls him blessed1 7,conc4 t4
 #d1 p4 #hdj17 and     ,theodoret 7l4   
#e1 c4 #bcb7 gives him the titles of the
 great1 the     admirable saint4 ,st4   
,chrysostom is lavish in his praises of 
him4     ,flavian's sermons and other   
writings are all lost except his        
discourse to ,theodosius1 preserved by  
,st4 ,chrysostom4 ,no church or         
,martyrology1 whether among the ,greeks 

or ,latins1 ever placed ,falvius     ,i4
 of ,antioch in the catalogue of the    
saints4 ,whence ,chatelain1 in     his  
notes1 speaking of ,st4 ,meletius1      
,february the #abth1 p4 #fcj2 and     on
 ,st4 ,flavian of ,constantinople1      
,february the #agth1 p4 #fhe1           
expresses his surprise at the boldness  
of ,baillet and some others1     who1   
without regard to the decrees of ,urban 
,,viii41 presumed to do it     of their 
own private authority1 and without any  
reason1 have     assigned for his feast 
the #bast of ,february4 ,chatelain1 in  
his     additions to his ,universal     
,martyrology1 p4 #gaa1 names him with   
the     epithet of venerable only1 on   
the #bfth of ,september4 ,he is only    
spoken of here1 to answer our design of 
giving in the notes some     account of 
the most eminent fathers of the church  
who have never     been ranked among the
 saints4 ,on ,st4 ,flavian ,,ii4 of     
,antioch1     banished by the emperor   
,anastasius with ,st4 ,elias of         

,jerusalem1 for     their zeal in       
defending the council of ,chalcedon     
against the     ,eutychians1 see ,july  
#dth1 on which these two confessors are 
commemorated in the ,roman ,martyrology4
 #aj4 ,st4 ,chrys4 ,hom4 #ba1 ad ,pap4  
,antioch4 seu de ,statius4 t4 #b4 #aa4  
,sozom4 l4 #h1 c4 #b1 c4 #ab4 ,socrat4  
c4 #b4 ,see ,stilting1 ,sec4#ce1 p4     
#eaa4 #ac4 ,st4 ,chrys4 l4 ,quod        
regulares foeminae1 t4 #a1 p4 #bej4 #ad4
 ,stilting1 ,sec4#da1 p4 #ebf4 #ae4     
,phot4 ,cod4 #ei4 ,socr4 l4 #f1 c4 #ba4 
,stilting1 ,sec4#dj1 p4 #ebc4 #af4      
,greek3 ,kai sunegores elambanomen4     
,chrys4 ,serm4 contra ludos et          
spect4 t4 #f1 p4 #bgb4 ,ed4 ,ben4       
,greek3 ,andreas ,paulon kai ,timotheon4
 #ag4 ,mich4 vi4 #c4 ,jer4 ii4 #e4 #ah4 
,hom4 #ac1 in ,ephes4 t4 #aa1 p4 #ie    
#ai4 ,pallad in ,vit4 ,chrysost4 ,item  
,s4 ,chrysost4 ,hom4 in #a ,tim4 v4 #e1 
l4     #c1 de ,sacerd4 c4 #h1 and l4 ad 
,voior4 ,stilting1 ,sec4#fg1 p4 #fjc4   
#bj4 ,greek3 ,ioannes hu tes            

eleemosunes4 ,pallad4 c4 #ab4 #ba4 ,hom4
 #b1  #be1 in ,acta4 ,hom4 #ad1 in      
,hebr4 ,pallad4 in ,vit4 ,s4 ,chrys4    
#bb4 ,s4 ,procl4 ,or4 #bb4 p4 #eha4 #bc4
 ,l4 #b1 ,ep4 #bid1 p4 #bff4 #bd4 ,l4   
#c1 de ,sacerd4 #be4 ,stilting1         
,sec4#dc1 p4 #ecj1 et seq4 #bf4 ,about  
this time the poet ,claudian wrote his  
two books against     ,eutropius1 as he 
had done before against ,rufinus4 #bg4  
,pallad4 ,dial4  #abg4 ,stilting1       
,sec4#dg1 p4 #edb4 #bh4 ,t4 #c1 p4 #daa4
 #bi4 ,s4 ,joan4 ,damasc4 ,orat4 #c1 de 
,imaginibus1 p4 #dhj1  ,billii4 ,see ,f4
     ,sollier in ,hist4 ,chronol4       
,patriarch ,alexand4 in ,theophilo1 p4  
#eb4 #cj4 ,see ,stilting1 ,sec4#ed1 #ee1
 #e1 p4 #efg4 #ca4 ,t4 #c1 p4 #dae4 #cb4
 ,socrates and ,sozomen say that he     
preached another sermon against the     
empress1 beginning with these words3    
,herodias is again became     furious4  
,but ,montfaucon refutes this slander1  
trumped up by his     enemies4 ,the     
sermon extant under that title is a     

manifest forgery1     t4 n spuriis1 p4  
#a4 ,see ,montfaucon1 and ,stilting1    
,sec4#fc1 p4 #ejc4 #cc4 p t4 #c1 p4     
#eae4 ,pallad4 ,dial4 ,stilting1        
,sec4#eh1 p4 #egh4 #cd4 ,s4 ,nilus1 l4  
#b1 ep4 #bfe4 #ce4 ,l4 #c1 ep4 #bgi4    
#cf4 ,t4 #c1 p4 #ebe4 #cg4 ,ep4 #h4 #ch4
 ,ep4 #h1 p4 #ehi4 #ci4 ,ibid4 #c1 p4   
#eeb4 #dj4 ,ibid4 #d1 p4 #egj4 #da4     
,pallad4 ,theodoret1 l4 #e1 c4 #cd4 #db4
 ,pallad4 ,sozom4 l4 #h4 c4 #bh4 #dc4   
,the passage of ,palladius1 in which    
,st4 ,basiliscus is called bishop     of
 ,comana1 is evidently falsified by the 
mistake of copiers1 as     ,stilting    
demonstrates2 who shows this ,basiliscus
 to have suffered     not at ,nicomedia1
 but near ,comana1 in the country where 
his relics     remained2 the same that  
is honored on the #b;d of ,march4 ,it is
 without     grounds that ,tillemont1   
,le ,quien1 c41 imagine there were two  
martyrs of the same name1 the one a     
soldier1 who suffered at ,comana        
under ,galerius ,maximian2 the other1   

bishop of that city4 ,t4 #e1 in ,s4     
,basilisc4 note #d4 ,see ,stilting1     
,sec4#hc1 p4 #ffe4 #dd4 ,sir ,harry     
,saville is of opinion that he was only 
fifty-two years     old3 but he must    
have been sixty-three1 as born in #cdd4 
#de4 ,nestorius1 ,or4 #ab1 apud ,marium 
,mercat4 par4 #b1 p4 #hf1 ed4 ,gamier4  
,stilting1 ,sec4#hh1 p4 #fhe4 #df4 ,jos4
 ,assemani4 ,comm4 ,in ,calend4 ,univ4  
t4 #f4 p4 #aje1 and ,stilting4 #dg4     
,joan4 xxi4 #ag4 ,st4 ,chrys4 l4 #b1 de 
,sacred4 c4 #a4 #dh4 ,hom4 #c  #dd1 in  
,act4 et alibi saepe4 #di4 ,see ,st4    
,chrys4 hom4 #af1 in ,rom4 #ej4 ,hom4   
#eb1 in ,acta4   #beb  ,,on ,,the       
,,writings  ,,of  ,,st4 ,,john          
,,chrysostom4  ,,in the ,benedictine    
edition of his works given by ,dom      
,montfaucon1 we have in the first tome  
his two ,exhortations to ,theodorus2    
three books against the ,adversaries of 
a ,monastic ,life2 the ,comparison      
between a ,king and a ,monk2 two books  
on ,compunction2 three books to         

,stagirius the monk1 on ,tribulation and
 ,providence2 against those ,clergymen  
who harbor ,women under their roof to   
serve them2 another treatise to prove   
that ,deaconesses1 or other ,regular    
,women1 ought not to live under the same
 roof with men2 ,on ,virginity2 ,to a   
,young ,widow2 ,on the ,priesthood2 and 
a considerable number of scattered      
homilies4 ,theodorus1 after renouncing  
the advantages which high birth1 a      
plentiful estate1 a polite education1   
and an uncommon stock of learning       
offered him in the world1 and having    
solemnly consecrated himself to ,god in 
a monastic state1 violated his sacred   
engagement1 returned into the world1    
took upon him the administration of his 
estate1 fell in love with a beautiful   
young woman named ,hermione1 and desired
 to marry her4 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 who had
 formerly been his school-fellow1 under 
,libanius1 and been afterwards          
instrumental in inducing him to forsake 
the world1 and some time his companion  

in a religious state1 grievously        
lamented his unhappy fall2 and by two   
most tender and pathetic exhortations to
 repentance1 gained him again to ,god4  
,every word is dictated by the most     
ardent zeal and charity1 and powerfully 
insinuates itself into the heart by the 
charm of an unparalleled sweetness1     
which gives to the strength of the most 
persuasive eloquence an irresistible    
force4 ,nothing of the kind extant is   
more beautiful1 or more tender1 than    
these two pieces1 especially the former4
 ,the saint1 in the beginning1 borrows  
the most moving parts of the            
lamentations of ,jeremy1 showing that he
 had far more reason to abandon himself 
to bitter grief than that prophet2 for  
he mourned not for a material temple and
 city with the holy ark and the tables  
of the law1 but for an immortal soul1   
far more precious than the whole        
material world4 ,and if one soul which  
observes the divine law is greater and  
better than ten thousand which          

transgress it1 what reason had he to    
deplore the loss of one which had been  
sanctified1 and the holy living temple  
of ,god1 and shone with the grace of the
 ,holy ,ghost3 one in which the ,father1
 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost had dwelt2 but  
was stripped of its glory and fence1    
robbed of its beauty1 enslaved by the   
devil1 and fettered with his bolts and  
chains4 ,therefore the saint invites all
 creatures to mourn with him1 and       
declares he will receive no comfort1 nor
 listen to those who offer him any1     
crying out with the prophet3 ,depart    
from me3 ,i will weep bitterly3 offer   
not to comfort me4 ,isa4 xxii4 #d4 ,his 
grief1 he says1 was just1 because he    
wept for a soul that was fallen from    
heaven to hell1 from grace into sin3 it 
was reasonable1 because by tears she    
might yet be recovered2 and he protests 
that he would never interrupt them1 till
 he should learn that she was risen     
again4 ,to fortify his unhappy friend   
against the temptation of despair1 he   

shows by the promises1 examples1 and    
parables of the ,old and ,new           
,testaments1 that no one can doubt of   
the power or goodness of ,god1 who is   
most ready to pardon every sinner that  
sues for mercy4 ,observing that hell was
 not created for man1 but heaven1 he    
conjures him not to defeat the design of
 ,god in his creation1 and destroy the  
work of his mercy by persevering in sin4
 ,the difficulties which seemed to stand
 in his way1 and dispirited him1 the    
saint shows would be all removed1 and   
would even vanish of themselves1 if he  
undertook the work with courage and     
resolution3 this makes the conversion of
 a soul easy4 ,he terrifies him by      
moving reflections on death1 and the    
divine judgments1 by a dreadful         
portraiture which he draws of the fire  
of hell1 which resembles not our fire1  
but burns souls1 and is eternal2 lastly1
 by the loss of heaven1 on the joys of  
which kingdom he speaks at large2 on its
 immortality1 the company of the angels1

 the joy1 liberty1 beauty1 and glory of 
the blessed1 adding1 that such is this  
felicity1 that in its loss consists the 
most dreadful of all the torments of the
 damned4 ,penance averts these evils1   
and restores to a soul all the titles   
and advantages which she had forfeited  
by her fall3 and its main difficulty and
 labor are vanquished by a firm         
resolution1 and serious beginning of the
 work4 ,this weakens and throws down the
 enemy3 if he be thoroughly vanquished  
in that part where he was the strongest1
 the soul will pursue1 with ease and    
cheerfulness1 the delightful and        
beautiful course of virtue upon which   
she has entered4 ,he conjures           
,theodorus1 by all that is dear1 to have
 compassion on himself2 also to have    
pity on his mourning friends1 and not by
 grief send them to their graves3 he    
exhorts him resolutely to break his     
bonds at once1 not to temporize only    
with his enemy1 or pretend to rise by   
degrees2 and he entreats him to exert   

his whole strength in laboring to #bec  
be of the happy number of those who1    
from being the last1 are raised by their
 fervor to the first rank in the kingdom
 of ,god4 ,to encourage him by examples1
 he mentions a young nobleman of        
,phoenicia1 the son of one ,urbanus1    
who1 having embraced with fervor the    
monastic state1 insensibly fell into    
lukewarmness1 and at length returned    
into the world1 where he enjoyed large  
possessions1 lived in pomp1 and         
abandoned himself to the pursuit of     
vanity and pleasures2 till1 opening his 
eyes upon the remonstrances of certain  
pious friends1 he distributed his whole 
estate among the poor1 and spent the    
rest of his life in the desert with     
extraordinary fervor4 ,another ascetic1 
falling by degrees1 in an advanced age1 
committed the crime of fornication2 but 
immediately rising1 attained to an      
eminent degree of sanctity1 and was     
honored with the gift of miracles4 ,the 
disciple of ,st4 ,john1 who had been a  

captain of a troop of robbers and       
murderers1 became an illustrious        
penitent4 ,in like manner1 our saint    
exhorts and conjures this sinner to rise
 without delay1 before he was overtaken 
by the divine judgments1 and to confess 
his sins with compunction of heart1     
abundant bitter tears1 and a perfect    
change of life1 laboring to efface his  
crimes by good works1 to the least of   
which ,christ has promised a reward4    
,st4 ,chrysostom begins his second      
,exhortation to ,theodorus1 which is    
much shorter than the first1 by         
expressing his grief as follows3 7t4 #a1
 p4 #ce37 ,if tears and groans could    
have been conveyed by letters1 this     
would have been filled4 ,i grieve not   
that you have taken upon you the        
administration of your affairs2 but that
 you have trampled under your feet the  
sacred engagement you had made of       
yourself to ,christ4 ,for this ,i suffer
 excessive trouble and pain2 for this ,i
 mourn2 for this ,i am seized with fear 

and trembling1 having before my eyes the
 severe damnation which so treacherous  
and base a perfidiousness deserves4 ,he 
tells him yet that the case is not      
desperate for a person to have been     
wounded1 but for him to neglect the cure
 of his wounds4 ,a merchant after       
shipwreck labors to repair his losses2  
many wrestlers1 after a fall1 have risen
 and fought so courageously as to have  
been crowned2 and soldiers1 after a     
defeat1 have rallied and conquered4 ,you
 allege1 says he1 that marriage is      
lawful4 ,this ,i readily acknowledge2   
but it is not now in your power to      
embrace that state3 for it is certain   
that one who1 by a solemn engagement1   
has given himself to ,god as his        
heavenly spouse1 if he violates this    
contract1 he commits an adultery1 though
 he should a thousand times call it     
marriage4 ,nay1 he is guilty of a crime 
so much the more enormous as the majesty
 of ,god surpasses man4 ,had you been   
free1 no one would charge you with      

desertion2 but since you are contracted 
to so great a king1 you are not at your 
own disposal4 ,st4 ,chrysostom          
pathetically shows him the danger1      
baseness1 and crime of deferring his    
repentance1 sets before him hell1 the   
emptiness of the world1 the uneasiness  
and troubles which usually attend a     
married life1 and the sweetness of the  
yoke of ,christ4 ,he closes this        
pressing exhortation by mentioning the  
tears and prayers of his friends1 which 
they would never interrupt1 till they   
had the comfort of seeing him raised    
from his fall4 ,st4 ,chrysostom wrote   
these two exhortations about the year   
#cfi1 which was the second that he spent
 in his mother's house at ,antioch when 
he led there an ascetic life4 ,the fruit
 of his zeal and charity was the        
conversion of ,theodorus1 who broke his 
engagements with the world1 and returned
 to his solitude4 ,in #cha he was made  
bishop of ,mopsuestia4 ,in opposing the 
,apollinarist heresy1 he had the        

misfortune to lay the seeds of          
,nestorianism in a book which he        
composed on the ,incarnation1 and other 
writings4 ,he became a declared         
protector of ,julian the ,pelagian1 when
 he took refuge in the ,east2 wrote an  
express treatise against original sin2  
and maintained the ,pelagian errors in a
 multitude of other works1 which were   
all condemned after his death1 though   
only fragments of them have reached us1 
preserved chiefly in ,facundus1         
,photius1 and several councils4 ,he died
 in #dbh1 before the solemn condemnation
 of his errors1 and in the communion of 
the ,catholic church4 ,see ,tillemont1  
t4 #ab4  ,during ,st4 ,chrysostom's     
retreat in the mountains1 two devout    
servants of ,god desired of him certain 
instructions on the means of attaining  
to the virtue of compunction4           
,demetrius1 the first of these1 though  
he was arrived at a high degree of      
perfection in an ascetic life1 always   
ranked himself among those who crawl on 

the earth1 and said often to ,st4       
,chrysostom1 kissing his hand1 and      
watering it with tears1 ,assist me to   
soften the hardness of my heart4 ,st4   
,chrysostom addressed to him his first  
book on ,compunction1 in which he tells 
him that he was not unacquainted with   
this grace1 of which he had a pledge in 
the earnestness of his desire to obtain 
it1 his love of retirement1 his watching
 whole nights1 and his abundant tears1  
even those with which1 squeezing him by 
the hand1 he lead begged the succor of  
his advice and prayers1 in order to     
soften his dry1 stony heart into        
compunction4 ,with the utmost confusion 
for his own want of this virtue1 he     
yielded to his request1 begging in      
return his earnest prayers for the      
conversion of his own soul4 ,treating   
first on the necessities and motives of 
compunction1 he takes notice that       
,christ pronounces those blessed who    
mourn1 and says we ought never to cease 
weeping for our own sins1 and those of  

the whole world1 which deserves and     
calls for our tears so much the more    
loudly1 as it is insensible of its own  
miseries4 ,we should never cease        
weeping1 if we considered how much sin  
reigns among men4 ,the saint considers  
the sin of rash judgment as a general   
vice among men1 from which he thinks    
scarce any one will be found to have    
lived always free4 ,he #bed says the    
same of anger2 then of detraction2 and  
considering how universally these crimes
 prevail among men1 cries out3 ,what    
hopes of salvation remain for the       
generality of mankind1 who commit1      
without reflection1 some or other of    
these crimes1 one of which is enough to 
damn a soul8 ,he mentions also1 as      
general sins1 swearing1 evil words1     
vain-glory1 not giving alms1 want of    
confidence in divine providence1 and of 
resignation to his will1 covetousness1  
and sloth in the practice of virtue4 ,he
 complains that whereas the narrow path 
only leads to heaven1 almost all men    

throw themselves into the broad way1    
walking with the multitude in their     
employs and actions1 seeking their      
pleasure1 interest1 or convenience1 not 
what is safest for their souls4 ,here   
what motives for our tears6 ,a life of  
mortification and penance he prescribes1
 as an essential condition for          
maintaining a spirit of compunction2    
saying that water and fire are not more 
contrary to each other1 than a life of  
softness and delights is to compunction2
 pleasure being the mother of dissolute 
laughter and madness4 ,a love of        
pleasure renders the soul heavy and     
altogether earthly2 but compunction     
gives her wings1 by which she raises    
herself above all created things4 ,we   
see worldly men mourn for the loss of   
friends and other temporal calamities4  
,and are not we excited to weep for our 
spiritual miseries8 ,we can never cease 
if we have always before our eyes our   
sins1 our distance from heaven1 the     
pains of hell1 ,god's judgments1 and our

 danger of losing ,him1 which is the    
most dreadful of all the torments of the
 damned4  ,in his second book ,on       
,compunction1 which is addressed to     
,stelechius1 he expresses his surprise  
that he should desire instructions on   
compunction of one so cold in the divine
 service as he was2 but only one whose  
breast is inflamed with divine love1 and
 whose words are more penetrating than  
fire1 can speak of that virtue4 ,he says
 that compunction requires in the first 
place1 solitude1 not so much that of the
 desert1 as that which is interior1 or  
of the mind4 ,for seeing that a         
multitude of objects disturbs the sight1
 the soul must restrain all the senses1 
remain serene1 and without tumult or    
noise within herself1 always intent on  
,god1 employed in his love1 deaf to     
corporeal objects4 ,as men placed on a  
high mountain hear nothing of the noise 
of a city situated below them1 only a   
confused stir which they no way heed2 so
 a ,christian soul1 raised on the       

mountain of true wisdom1 regards not the
 hurry of the world2 and though she is  
not destitute of senses1 is not molested
 by them1 and applies herself and her   
whole attention to heavenly things4     
,thus ,st4 ,paul was crucified and      
insensible to the world1 raised as far  
above its objects as living men differ  
from carcasses4 ,not only ,st4 ,paul1   
amid a multiplicity of affairs1 but also
 ,david1 living in the noise of a great 
city and court1 enjoyed solitude of     
mind1 and the grace of perfect          
compunction1 and poured forth tears     
night and day1 proceeding from an ardent
 love and desire of ,god and his        
heavenly kingdom1 the consideration of  
the divine judgments1 and the           
remembrance of his own sins4 ,persons   
that are lukewarm and slothful1 think of
 what they do or have done in penance to
 cancel their debts2 but ,david         
nourished perpetually in his breast a   
spirit of compunction1 by never thinking
 on the penance he had already done1 but

 only on his debts and miseries1 and on 
what he had to do in order to blot out  
or deliver himself from them4 ,st4      
,chrysostom begs his friend's prayers   
that he might be stirred up by the      
divine grace to weep perpetually under  
the load of his spiritual evils1 so as  
to escape everlasting torments4  ,the   
saint's three books1 ,on ,providence1   
are an exhortation to comfort1 patience1
 and resignation1 addressed to          
,stagirius1 a monk possessed by an evil 
spirit4 ,this ,stagirius was a young    
nobleman1 who had exasperated his father
 by embracing a monastic state3 but some
 time after fell into lukewarmness1 and 
was cruelly possessed by an evil spirit1
 and seized with a dreadful melancholy1 
from which those who had received a     
power of commanding evil spirits were   
not able to deliver him4 ,st4           
,chrysostom wrote these books soon after
 he was ordained deacon in #chj4 ,in the
 first1 he shows that all things are    
governed by divine providence1 by which 

even afflictions are always sent and    
directed for the good of the elect4 ,for
 any one to doubt of this is to turn    
infidel3 and if we believe it1 what can 
we fear whatever tribulations befall us1
 and to whatever height their waves     
ascend8 ,though the conduct of divine   
providence1 with regard to the just1 be 
not uniform1 it sends to none any       
tribulations which are not for their    
good2 when they are most heavy1 they are
 designed by ,god to prepare men for the
 greatest crowns4 ,moreover1 ,god is    
absolute master to dispose of us1 as a  
potter of his clay4 ,what then have we  
to say8 or how dare we presume to       
penetrate into his holy counsels8 ,the  
promise of ,god can never fail3 this    
gives us an absolute security of the    
highest advantages1 mercy1 and eternal  
glory1 which are designed us in our     
afflictions4 ,st4 ,chrysostom represents
 to ,stagirius that his trials had cured
 his former vanity1 anger1 and sloth1   
and it was owing to them that he now    

spent nights and days in fasting1       
prayer1 and reading4 ,in the second     
book1 he presses ,stagirius strenuously 
to reject all melancholy and gloomy     
thoughts1 and not to be uneasy either   
about his cure1 or the grief his        
situation was likely to give his father1
 but leaving the issue to ,god1 with    
perfect resignation to ask of him this  
mercy1 resting in the entire confidence 
that whatever ,god ordained would turn  
to his greatest advantage4 ,in the third
 book1 he mentions to ,stagirius several
 of his acquaintance1 whose sufferings1 
both in mind and body1 were more        
grievous than those with which he was   
afflicted4 ,he bids him also pay a visit
 to the hospitals and prisons2 for he   
would there see that his cross was light
 in comparison of what many others      
endured4 #bee ,he tells him that sin    
ought to be to him the only subject of  
grief2 and that he ought to rejoice in  
sufferings as the means by which his    
sins were to be expiated4 ,a firm       

confidence in ,god1 a constant attention
 to his presence1 and perpetual prayer1 
he calls the strong ramparts against    
sadness4  ,when the ,arian emperor      
,valens1 in #cge1 commanded the monks to
 be turned out of their deserts1 and    
enrolled in the troops1 and several     
,catholics reviled them as bigots and   
madmen1 ,st4 ,chrysostom took up his pen
 to justify them1 by three books1       
entitled1 ,against the ,impugners of a  
,monastic ,state4 ,t4 #a1 p4 #dd1 he    
expresses his surprise that any         
,christians could speak ill of a state  
which consists in the most perfect means
 of attaining to true virtue1 and says  
they hurt themselves1 not the monks1    
whose merit they increase2 as ,nero's   
persecution of ,st4 ,paul1 because he   
had converted one of the tyrant's       
concubines1 enhanced the apostle's      
glory4 ,a more dreadful judgment is     
reserved to these enemies of the love of
 ,christ4 ,they said1 they drew no one  
from his faith4 ,the saint retorts3     

,what will faith avail without innocence
 and virtue8 ,they alleged that a       
,christian may be saved without retiring
 into the desert4 ,he answers3 ,would to
 ,god men lived so in the world that    
monasteries were of no advantage6 but   
seeing all disorders prevail in it1 who 
can blame those who seek to shelter     
themselves from the storm8 ,he elegantly
 shows that the number of those that are
 saved in the world is exceeding small1 
and that the gate of life is narrow4    
,the multitude perished in ,noah's      
flood1 and only eight escaped in the    
ark4 ,how foolish would it have been to 
rely carelessly on safety in such       
danger6 ,yet here the case is far more  
dreadful1 everlasting fire being the    
portion of those that are lost4 ,yet in 
the world how few resist the torrent1   
and are not carried down with the crowd1
 sliding into anger1 detraction1 rash   
judgment1 covetousness1 or some other   
sin4 ,almost all1 as if it were by      
common conspiracy1 throw themselves into

 the gulf1 where the multitude of       
companions will be no comfort4 ,is it   
not1 then1 a part of wisdom to fly from 
these dangers1 in order to secure our   
only affair in the best manner possible8
  ,whereas parents sometimes opposed the
 vocation of their children to a        
monastic state1 in his second book he   
addresses himself to a ,pagan father1   
who grieved to see his son and heir     
engaged in that profession4 ,he tells   
him he has the greatest reason to       
rejoice2 proving from ,socrates1 and    
other heathen philosophers1 that his son
 is more happy in voluntary poverty and 
contempt of the world1 than he could    
have been in the possession of empires3 
that he is richer than his father1 whom 
the loss of one bag of his treasures    
would afflict1 whereas the monk1 who    
possessed only a single cloak1 could see
 without concern even that stolen1 and  
would even rejoice though condemned to  
banishment or death4 ,he is greater than
 emperors1 more happy than the world1   

out of the reach of its malice or evil1 
whom no one could hurt if he desired it4
 ,a father who loves his son ought more 
to rejoice at his so great happiness    
than if he had seen him a thousand times
 king of the whole earth1 and his life  
and kingdom secured to him for ten      
thousand years4 ,what treasures would   
not have been well employed to purchase 
for him such a soul as his was rendered 
by virtue1 could this blessing have been
 procured for money8 ,he displays the   
falsehood of worldly pleasure2 the      
inconstancy1 anxiety1 trouble1 grief1   
and bitterness of all its enjoyments1   
and says that no king can give so       
sensible a joy as the very sight of a   
virtuous man inspires4 ,as he speaks to 
a ,pagan1 he makes a comparison between 
,plato and ,dionysius the tyrant2 then  
mentions an acquaintance of his own4    
,this was a holy monk1 whom his ,pagan  
father1 who was a rich nobleman1        
incensed at his choice of that state1   
disinherited2 but was at length so      

overcome by the virtue of this son1 that
 he preferred him to all his other      
children1 who were accomplished noblemen
 in the world1 often saying that none of
 them was worthy to be his slave2 and he
 honored and respected him as if he had 
been his own father4 ,in the third book1
 ,st4 ,chrysostom directs his discourse 
to a ,christian father1 whom he         
threatens with the judgment of ,hell1 if
 he withdrew his children from this     
state of perfection1 in which they would
 have become suns in heaven1 whereas1 if
 they were saved in the world1 their    
glory would probably be only that of    
stars4 ,he inveighs against parents1    
who1 by their discourse and example1    
instil into their children a spirit of  
vanity1 and sow in their tender minds   
the seeds of covetousness1 and all those
 sins which overrun the world4 ,he      
compares monks to angels1 in their      
uninterrupted joy and attention to ,god2
 and observes that men in the world are 
bound to observe the same divine law    

with the monks1 but cannot so easily    
acquit themselves of this obligation1 as
 he that is hampered with cords cannot  
run so well as he that is loose and at  
liberty4 ,he exhorts parents to breed up
 their children for some years in       
monasteries1 and to omit nothing in     
forming them to perfect virtue4 ,in his 
elegant short treatise1 entitled ,a     
,comparison between a ,king and a ,monk1
 t4 #a1 p4 #aaf1 he beautifully shows   
that a pious monk is incomparably more  
honorable1 more glorious1 and more happy
 than the greatest monarch1 by enjoying 
the favor of heaven1 and possessing     
,god2 by the empire over himself and his
 own passions1 by which he is king in   
his own breast1 exercising the most     
glorious command2 by the sweetness and  
riches of divine grace2 by the kingdom  
of ,god established in his soul2 by     
prayer1 by which all things are in his  
power2 by his universal benevolence and 
beneficence to others1 procuring to     
every one all spiritual advantages as   

far as lies in him2 by the comfort which
 he finds in death which is terrible    
#bef to kings1 but by which he is       
translated to an immortal crown1 c4     
,this book is much esteemed by          
,montfaucon and the devout ,blosius4    
,st4 ,chrysostom1 in his treatise on    
,virginity1 t4 #a1 p4 #bfh1 says this   
virtue is a privilege peculiar to the   
true church1 not to be found1 at least  
pure1 among heretics3 he proves against 
the ,manichees1 that marriage is good3  
yet says that virginity as far excels it
 as angels men1 but that all its        
excellency is derived from the          
consecration of a soul to ,god1 and her 
attention to please him1 without which  
this state avails nothing4  ,after he   
was ordained deacon at ,antioch1 he     
composed his book ,to a ,young ,widow1  
7t4 #a1 p4 #ccg17 a lady who had lost   
her husband ,tarasius1 candidate for the
 prefectship of the city4 ,he draws     
motives to comfort her from the         
spiritual advantages of holy widowhood1 

and the happiness to which her husband  
was called4 ,his second book ,to the    
,widow1 7t4 #a1 p4 #cdi17 is a          
dissuasive from second marriages1 when  
they are contracted upon worldly        
motives4  ,his six incomparable books on
 the ,priesthood1 he composed to excuse 
himself to his friend ,basil1 who       
complained that he had been betrayed by 
him into the episcopal charge2 for      
,chrysostom persuaded him they had time 
yet to conceal themselves2 yet secretly 
absconded himself and left the other to 
be chosen4 ,basil1 when he met him      
afterwards1 was not able to speak for   
some time but by a flood of tears2 and  
at length broke through them only to    
give vent to his grief in bitter        
complaints against the treachery of his 
friend4 ,this work is wrote in a        
dialogue between the two friends4 ,st4  
,chrysostom1 in the first book1 alleges 
7t4 #a1 p4 #cfb7 that he could not      
deprive the church of a pastor so well  
qualified to serve it as ,basil was2 nor

 undertake himself a charge for which he
 had not the essential talents1 and in  
which he should involve others and      
himself in ruin4 ,in the second book he 
justifies his own action in not         
hindering the promotion of his friend to
 the episcopacy1 by observing that to   
undertake the charge of souls is the    
greatest proof we can give of our love  
for ,christ1 which ,he declared by      
putting the question thrice to ,st4     
,peter whether he loved him1 before he  
committed to him the care of his flock4 
,john xxi4 #ae4 ,if we think it an      
argument of our love for a friend to    
take care of his servants or cattle1    
much more will ,god recompense faithful 
pastors1 who feed those dear souls to   
save which ,god died4 ,the pastoral     
charge is certainly the first of all    
others in merit and dignity4 ,the saint 
therefore thinks he should have         
prevaricated if he had deprived the     
church of a minister capable of serving 
it4 ,but in order to justify his own    

flight1 he adds that the dangers and    
difficulties of this state are          
proportioned to its pre-eminence and    
advantages4 ,for what can be more       
difficult and dangerous than the charge 
of immortal souls1 and of applying to   
them remedies1 which1 to take effect1   
depend upon their own co-operation and  
consent1 and must be always proportioned
 to their dispositions and character1   
which must be sounded1 as well as to    
their wounds8 ,remissness leaves a wound
 half cured3 and a suitable penance     
often exasperates and makes it wider4   
,herein the greatest sagacity and       
prudence are necessary3 ,nor is the     
difficulty less in bringing back to the 
church members which are separated from 
it4 ,basil replied to this discourse of 
,st4 ,chrysostom3 ,you then love not    
,christ1 who fly from the charge of     
souls4 ,st4 ,chrysostom answered1 that  
he loved him1 and fled from this charge 
because he loved him1 fearing to offend 
him by taking upon him such an office1  

for which he was every way unqualified4 
,basil retorts with warmth1 that his    
treachery towards himself was           
unpardonable1 because he was acquainted 
with his friend's incapacity4           
,chrysostom answers1 that he should     
never have betrayed him into that       
dignity1 if he had not known his charity
 and other qualifications4 ,in order to 
show that he had reason to shun that    
charge1 he in his third book sets forth 
the excellence and obligations of that  
dignity2 for it is not earthly1 but     
altogether heavenly1 and its ministry   
would do honor to the angels2 and a     
pastor ought to look upon himself as    
placed among the heavenly spirits1 and  
under an obligation of being no less    
pure and holy4 ,this he shows1 first1   
from the tremendous sacrifice of the    
altar1 which requires in the offerer a  
purity truly becoming heaven1 and even  
far surpassing the sanctity which was   
required in so terrible a manner of     
priests in the ,old ,law1 a mere shadow 

of ours4 ,for1 says he1 when you behold 
the ,lord himself lying the victim on   
the altar1 and offered1 and the priest  
attending1 and praying over the         
sacrifice1 purpled with his precious    
blood1 do you seem to remain among men  
and on earth1 or not rather to be       
translated into heaven8 ,o wonderful    
prodigy6 ,o excess of the divine mercy6 
,he who is seated above at the right    
hand of the ,father1 is in that hour    
held by all in their hands1 and gives   
himself to be touched and received4     
,figure to yourself ,elias before the   
altar1 praying alone1 the multitude     
standing around him in silence1 and     
trembling1 and the fire falling from    
heaven and consuming the sacrifice4     
,what is now done is far more           
extraordinary1 more awful1 and more     
astonishing4 ,the priest is here        
standing1 and calls down from heaven1   
not fire1 but the ,holy ,ghost3 he prays
 a long time1 not that a flame may be   
kindled1 but that grace may touch the   

sacrifice1 and that the hearts of all   
who partake of it may be purged by the  
same4 c4 #e1 p4 #che4 7,see the learned 
prelate ,giacomelli's ,note on ,st4     
,chrysostom's doctrine on the real      
presence of the body of ,christ in the  
,eucharist1 and on the sacrifice of the 
altar1 in hunc librum1 c4 #d1 p4 #cdj47 
,secondly1 he mentions the eminent      
prerogative of binding and loosing1 not 
bodies1 but souls1 with which the       
priesthood of the ,new ,law is #beg     
honored3 a power reaching the heavens1  
where ,god confirms the sentence        
pronounced by priests below3 a power    
never given to angels1 yet granted to   
men4 ,john xx4 #bb4 ,all power was given
 by the ,father to the ,son1 who again  
transferred it on men4 ,it is esteemed a
 great authority if an emperor confers  
on a private person power to imprison   
others or to set them at liberty4 ,how  
great then is the authority with which  
,god honors the priesthood4 ,the priests
 of the ,old ,law declared lepers       

healed2 those of the ,new really cleanse
 and heal our souls4 ,they are our      
spiritual parents1 by whom we are reborn
 to eternal life2 they regenerate us by 
baptism1 again remit our sins by extreme
 unction1 7,james v4 #ad17 and by their 
prayers appease ,god whom we have       
offended4 ,from all which he infers that
 it is arrogance and presumption to seek
 such a dignity1 which made ,st4 ,paul  
himself tremble 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #c1 c47   
,if the people in a mad phrensy should  
make an ignorant cobble general of their
 army1 every one would commend such a   
wretch if he fled and hid himself that  
he might not be instrumental in his own 
and his country's ruin4 ,if any one1    
says he1 should appoint me pilot1 and   
order me to steer a large vessel in the 
dangerous ,egaen or ,tyrrhenian sea1 ,i 
should be alarmed and struck with fear1 
and rather fly than drown both myself   
and crew4 ,the saint proceeds to mention
 the principal temptations to which a   
pastor of souls is himself exposed1 and 

the storms by which he is assailed2 as  
vain-glory1 for instance1 a more        
dreadful monster than the sirens of the 
poets1 which passengers1 by standing on 
their guard1 could sail by and escape4  
,this rock1 says he1 is so troublesome  
to me even now1 when no necessity drives
 me upon it1 that ,i do not quite escape
 being hurt by it4 ,but if any one had  
placed me on so high a pinnacle1 it     
would have been as if1 having tied my   
hands behind my back1 he had exposed me 
to wild beasts to be torn in pieces4 ,he
 adds the danger of human respect1 fear 
of the great ones1 contempt or neglect  
of the poor2 observing that none can    
encounter such dangers1 but such as are 
perfect in virtue1 disinterested1       
watchful over themselves1 inured to     
mortification by great abstinence1      
resting on hard beds1 and assiduous     
labor3 lastly1 what is most rare1 dead  
to themselves by meekness1 sweetness1   
and charity1 which no injuries or       
reproaches1 no ingratitude1 no          

perverseness1 or malice1 can ever weary 
or overcome3 for a perfect victory over 
anger is a most essential part of the   
character of a good pastor1 without     
which all his virtues will be tarnished1
 and he will reap no fruit of his       
labors4 ,he makes this dreadful remark1 
that within the circle of his own       
acquaintance he had known many who in   
solitude led lives pleasing to ,god1 but
 being advanced to the priesthood1 lost 
both themselves and others4 ,if no      
,christian can call to mind1 without    
trembling1 the dreadful account which he
 is to give at the tribunal of ,christ  
for his own sins1 how must he tremble at
 this thought1 who sees himself charged 
with the sins and souls of others8 ,heb4
 xiii4 #ag4 ,in the fourth book he      
proves that one unfit for the pastoral  
charge is not excused because it is     
imposed on him by others1 as one        
unacquainted with the rules of          
architecture can by no means undertake  
to build1 nor one to practise medicine  

who is a stranger to that profession4   
,he speaks of the crime of those who    
choose unworthy pastors1 and of the     
learning necessary for this charge1     
especially in applying suitable remedies
 to every spiritual disorder1 in        
confuting ,pagans1 ,jews1 and heretics1 
and in instructing the faithful4 ,a     
talent for preaching is an indispensable
 qualification4 ,in the fifth book he   
prescribes the manner in which a        
preacher ought to announce the word of  
,god1 with what indefatigable pains1 and
 with what purity of intention1 desiring
 only to please ,god and plant his love 
in all hearts1 and despising the        
applause of men1 insensible both to     
their praise and censures4 ,his         
discourse must be set off by piety1     
natural eloquence1 plain simplicity1 and
 dignity1 that all may hear the divine  
word willingly1 and with respect and    
pleasure1 so as to wish at the end of   
the sermon that it were longer4 ,the    
extreme danger of vain-glory so much    

alarmed him1 that in the close of this  
book he again speaks against that vice1 
and says1 that he who entirely subdued  
this furious wild beast1 and cut off its
 numberless heads1 enjoys a great       
interior calm1 with infinite spiritual  
advantages2 and that every one is bound 
to stand always armed against its       
assaults4 ,in the sixth book1 he shows  
that priests will be punished for the   
sins of others4 ,it is no excuse for a  
watchman to say1 ,i heard not the       
trumpet3 ,i saw not the enemy approach1 
7,ezech4 xxxiii4 #c17 for he is         
appointed sentinel to watch and announce
 the danger to others4 ,if a single soul
 perishes through his neglect1 this will
 condemn him at the last day4 ,in how   
great watchfulness must he live not to  
be infected with the contagion of the   
world1 with which he is obliged to      
converse6 ,with what zeal1 vigilance1   
and fervor is he bound to acquit himself
 of all his duties and functions6 ,for  
priests are ambassadors of heaven1 sent 

not to one city1 but to the whole earth1
 with a strict charge never to cease    
scattering the divine seed1 preaching   
and exhorting with so great diligence1  
that no secret sinner may be able to    
escape them4 ,they are moreover         
appointed by ,god mediators to intercede
 with him for the sins both of the      
living and the dead2 to offer the       
tremendous sacrifice1 and hold the      
common ,lord of all things in their     
hands4 ,with what purity1 with what     
sanctity ought he to be adorned1 who    
exercises so sublime a function8 ,in it 
angels attend the priest1 all the choir 
of heaven joins1 and the holy place near
 the altar is occupied by legions of    
blessed spirits1 in honor of ,him who is
 laid upon it4 ,this he confirms by a   
vision of a holy old man1 who saw a     
multitude of bright spirits surrounding 
the altar1 profoundly bowing their      
heads4 ,another1 says the #beh saint1   
assured me1 that he had both seen       
himself1 and heard from others1 that the

 souls of those who receive the holy    
mysteries before death1 depart out of   
their bodies attended by angels as      
troops of heavenly guards4 ,lastly1 he  
shows that sins are more easily         
committed1 and are more grievous1 in the
 episcopal ministry than in holy        
retirement4 ,basil1 at this discourse1  
almost swooned away in the excess of    
grief and fear with which he was seized1
 till after some time1 recovering       
himself1 he said in the bitterness of   
his heart1 ,what has the church of ,god 
committed to have deserved so dreadful a
 calamity1 that the pastoral charge     
should be intrusted to the most unworthy
 of men8 ,for he had before his eyes on 
one side the glory1 the sanctity1 the   
spiritual beauty and wisdom of the      
sacred spouse of ,christ2 and on the    
other1 the sins and miseries of his own 
soul2 and this consideration drew from  
him a flood of tears4 ,chrysostom said1 
that as to himself1 upon the first news 
of his danger he had swooned away1 and  

only returned to himself to vent his    
grief by abundance of tears2 in which   
agony he passed all that time4 ,he adds3
 ,i will now discover to you the        
deplorable state of my mind at that     
time1 that out of mere compassion you   
may forgive me what ,i have done2 and ,i
 wish ,i could show you my wretched     
heart itself4--,but all my alarms are   
now converted into joy4 ,basil replied3 
,but ,i am now plunged in bitter sorrow 
and tears3 and what protection can ,i   
seek8 ,if you have still any bowels of  
tenderness and compassion for my soul1  
any consolation in ,christ1 ,i conjure  
you never to forsake me in the dangers  
in which you have engaged me4 ,st4      
,chrysostom answered1 smiling1 ,in what 
can ,i serve you in your exalted        
station8 ,however1 when a respite from  
your functions affords you any leisure1 
,i will wait upon you1 and will never be
 wanting in any thing in my power4      
,basil at this arose weeping4 ,st4      
,john1 embracing him and kissing his    

head1 said1 ,be of good courage1        
trusting in ,christ1 who has called you 
to his holy ministry4  ,in the first    
tome of his works1 p4 #bbh1 we have a   
book which he composed when he was first
 made bishop of ,constantinople1 in     
#cig1 ,against those who have           
sub-introduced ,women2 that is1 against 
such of the clergy as kept deaconesses1 
or spiritual sisters1 under the same    
roof to take care of their household4   
,saint ,chrysostom condemns this custom 
as criminal in itself1 both because     
dangerous1 and because scandalous to    
others4 ,whatever pretext such persons  
allege of imaginary necessities1 and of 
their security and precautions against  
the danger1 he shows that there is      
always danger of their finding a lurking
 pleasure in such company4 ,though they 
perceive not any secret passion1 he will
 not believe them exempt2 for men are   
often the greatest strangers to their   
own hearts4 ,he urges that this conduct 
is at least criminal1 because it is an  

occasion and incentive of evil4 ,job1 so
 holy a man1 so dead to himself by long 
habits of mortification1 durst not cast 
his eyes upon a virgin4 ,st4 ,paul1 not 
content with his continual fatigues and 
sufferings1 added voluntary             
chastisements of his flesh to subdue it4
 ,what austerities do anchorets practise
 to tame their bodies1 by perpetual     
fasts1 watching1 and sackcloth6 yet     
never suffer even visits of persons of  
the other sex4 ,ironically inveighing   
against the presumption of such as had  
not the like saving apprehension of     
danger1 he tells them2 ,i must indeed   
call these strong men happy1 who have   
nothing to fear from such a danger1 and 
,i could wish myself to be endowed with 
equal strength1 7t4 #a1 p4 #bca47 ,but  
he tells them this is as impossible as  
for a man to carry fire in his bosom    
without being burnt4 ,you bid me1 says  
he1 believe that though ,i see you      
converse with a virgin1 this is a work  
of piety1 not passion4 ,o wonderful man6

 this may be said of those who live not 
with men1 but among stones1 7t4 #a1 p4  
#bce47 ,our zealous pastor shows that   
the capital point in this warfare is1   
not to awake our domestic enemy1 but by 
watchfulness to shun whatever can rouse 
him3 and he adds1 that though a man were
 invulnerable1 he ought not to          
scandalize the weak1 and by his example1
 draw them into a like snare4 ,the      
stronger a person is1 the more easy must
 it be to him not to give scandal4 ,to  
the pretext of necessity1 he answers1   
that this is mere madness1 for a        
clergyman ought not to be so nice1      
either in his furniture or table4 ,the  
saint addressed a like book to women1   
under this title3 ,that regular 7or     
religious7 ,women ought not to live in  
the same house with ,men1 7t4 #a1 p4    
#bdh47 ,besides condemning this abuse   
and scandal1 he zealously inveighs      
against the airy1 light dress of many   
ladies1 and pathetically invites all    
servants of ,god to mingle floods of    

tears with his in the bitter anguish of 
his soul1 for a scandal by which snares 
are laid for others1 souls murdered1    
7though undesignedly17 and sin against  
the divine ,majesty propagated4  ,st4   
,chrysostom seems to have been only     
deacon when he compiled his book ,on    
,st4 ,babylas1 against the ,gentiles2 in
 which he speaks of the miracles wrought
 at his relics1 as of facts to which he 
and his auditors had been eye-witnesses1
 7t4 #b1 p4 #ecj47 ,montfaucon refers to
 the same time his ,synopsis of the ,old
 ,testament3 in which he places in the  
canon the deutero-canonical books of    
,wisdom1 ,ecclesiasticus1 ,esther1      
,toby1 and ,judith3 and out of the seven
 canonical epistles counts only three1  
viz3 that of ,st4 ,james1 one of ,st4   
,peter1 and one of ,st4 ,john1 7no      
others being received by the ,syrians1  
as appears from ,cosmas                 
,indicopleustes17 t4 #f1 p4 #cjh4  ,st  
,chrysostom was ordained priest by the  
patriarch ,flavian1 in #chf1 and        

appointed his ordinary preacher4 ,on    
this occasion the saint made a sermon1  
7t4 #a1 p4 #dcf17 in which he expresses 
his dread and surprise at his promotion1
 earnestly begs the prayers of the      
people1 #bei and says he desires to     
entertain them on the praises of ,god1  
but was deterred by the checks of his   
conscience1 and remorse for his sins3   
for the royal prophet1 who invites all  
creatures1 even dragons and serpents1 to
 sound forth the praises of ,god1 passes
 by sinners as unworthy to be allowed a 
place in that sacred choir3 they are    
ignominiously ejected1 as a musician    
cuts off a string that is not tunable   
with the rest4  ,the holy doctor1       
grieving for the spiritual blindness of 
many who were seduced by heresy1 and    
considering their dangers as most       
grievous1 and their miseries most       
pressing1 preached five most eloquent   
sermons on the ,incomprehensible ,nature
 of ,god1 against the ,anomaeans4 ,he   
had taken notice that these heretics1   

who were very numerous in ,syria1       
resorted willingly to his sermons with  
the ,catholics1 which afforded him an   
opportunity of more easily reclaiming   
them4 ,the ,anomaeans were the followers
 of ,eunomius1 who1 to the errors of the
 rankest ,arianism1 added a peculiar    
blasphemy1 asserting that both the      
blessed in heaven1 and also men in this 
mortal life1 not only know ,god1 but    
also comprehend and fathom the divine   
nature as clearly as we know our own1   
and even as perfectly as ,god           
comprehends himself4 ,this fanaticism   
and impiety ,st4 ,chrysostom confutes in
 these five homilies1 demonstrating1    
from the infinitude of the divine       
attributes1 and from holy scriptures1   
that ,god is essentially                
incomprehensible to the highest angels4 
,he strongly recommends to ,catholics a 
modest and mild behavior towards        
heretics2 for nothing so powerfully     
gains others as meekness and tender     
charity2 this heals all wounds1 whereas 

harshness exasperates and alienates the 
mind4 7,hom4 #b1 p4 #dfa47 ,his method  
is to close every discourse with some   
pathetic moral exhortation4 ,in his     
third homily1 ,on the ,incomprehensible1
 he complains bitterly that many who    
heard his sermon with patience1 left the
 church when it was at an end1 without  
attending the celebration of the divine 
mysteries4 ,he shows the efficacy of    
public prayer to be far greater than    
that of private1 and a far more glorious
 homage to be paid by it to ,god3 by    
this ,st4 ,peter was delivered from his 
chains2 to it the apostles ascribed the 
wonderful success of their preaching4   
,he mentions1 that ten years ago1 when a
 magistrate condemned for high treason  
was led to execution with a halter about
 his neck1 the citizens ran in a body to
 the hippodrome to beg a reprieve2 and  
the emperor1 who was not able to reject 
the request of the whole city1 readily  
granted the criminal a full pardon4     
,much more easily will the ,father of   

mercy suffer himself to be overcome by  
the concord of many in prayer1 and show 
mercy to sinners4 ,not only men join the
 tremendous voice during the sacred     
mysteries1 but the angels and archangels
 present to the ,father of all things   
the body of the ,lord1 entreating him to
 have mercy on them for whom he shed his
 blood1 and sacrificed this very body4  
,by your acclamations you testify your  
approbation of what is said2 but by your
 compliance show that your applause is  
sincere4 ,this is the only applause that
 can give me pleasure or joy1 c41 7p4   
#dga47 ,in the following sermon 7,hom4  
#d1 p4 #dgg7 he commends their          
compliance by all assisting to the end  
of the public office1 but severely finds
 fault that some conversed together in  
the church1 and in that awful hour when 
the deacon cried out1 ,let us stand     
attentive4 ,he bids them call to mind   
that they are then raised above created 
things1 placed before the throne of     
,god1 and associated with the seraphims 

and cherubims in sounding forth his     
praises1 7p4 #dgg47 ,in the fifth homily
 he again makes fervent and humble      
prayer1 by which all things are obtained
 and effected1 the subject of his moral 
exhortation4 ,public prayer is a duty   
which he frequently inculcates as a most
 essential obligation1 a homage most    
honorable to ,god1 and a most powerful  
means of grace to ourselves and all     
mankind4 7,see ,hom4 de ,obscur4        
,prophet1 t4 #f1 p4 #ahg1 c47 ,we have  
seen other homilies of this father      
against the ,anomaeans1 in which he     
proves the consubstantiality of ,god the
 ,son2 subjoining exhortations to       
prayer1 humility1 good works1 c4 ,his   
sermon ,upon not ,anathematizing1 7t4   
#a1 p4 #fia17 was the fruit of his pious
 zeal to induce the ,meletians and      
,paulinians to concord1 and prevent     
private persons from anathematizing or  
branding others with the crime of heresy
 or schism2 censures being reserved to  
the chief pastors1 who are very sparing 

in using them4 ,the spirit of ,christ is
 meekness1 and compassion and tenderness
 the means to gain souls4 ,by this      
discourse he healed the sores left in   
the church of ,antioch by the late      
schism4 ,the ,jews and the ,gentiles    
shared in the fruits of his zeal and    
charity4 ,eight sermons which he        
preached against the ,jews1 whom he     
proves to have been cast off by ,god1   
and their ceremonial rites abolished1   
have reached us1 and many others are    
lost4 ,in his book ,against the ,jews   
and ,gentiles1 he demonstrates the      
,christian religion from the propagation
 of the gospel1 the martyrs1 prophecies1
 and the triumph of the cross3 this     
ensign now adorns the crowns of         
emperors1 is carried by every one on his
 forehead1 and placed everywhere with   
honor1 in houses1 market-places1        
deserts1 highways1 mountains1 hills1    
woods1 ships1 beds1 clothes1 arms1      
vessels1 jewels1 and pictures2 on the   
bodies of beasts when sick1 on          

energumens1 c4 ,we are all more adorned 
with it than with crowns and a thousand 
precious stones2 all eagerly visit the  
wood on which the sacred body was       
crucified2 men and women have small     
particles of it set in gold1 which they 
hang about their necks4 ,on the #bjth of
 ,december1 #chf1 our saint pronounced  
his discourse on ,st4 ,philogonius1 the 
twenty-fast bishop of ,antioch4 who had 
zealously opposed the rising heresy of  
,arius1 and died on this day in #cbb4   
,st4 ,chrysostom left the subject of the
 panegyric to his bishop ,flavian1 who  
#bfj was to speak after him1 and        
entertained his people with an          
exhortation to the holy communion on    
,christmas-day1 five days after4 ,he    
tells them the ,magi had the happiness  
only of adoring ,christ1 but that they  
who should approach him with a pure     
conscience1 would receive him and carry 
him with them2 that he whose life is    
holy and free from crimes1 may          
communicate every day2 but he who is    

guilty in the sight of ,god1 not even on
 the greatest festival4 ,nevertheless1  
the sinner ought to prepare himself1 by 
a sincere conversion and by good works1 
during the interval of five days1 and   
then communicate4 ,the ,ninevites       
appeased the divine vengeance in three  
days by the fervor of their penance4    
,in his homily ,on the ,calends1 or     
,first ,day of the ,year1 7t4 #a1 p4    
#fig17 he inveighs with great zeal      
against rioting and revels usual in that
 season1 and strongly exhorts all to    
spend that day in works of piety1 and in
 consecrating the year to ,god4 ,as     
builders raise a wall by a ruler or     
plummet1 that no unevenness may spoil   
their work1 so must we make the sincere 
intention of the divine glory our rule  
in our prayers1 fasts1 eating1 drinking1
 buying1 selling1 silence1 and          
discourse4 ,this must be our great      
staff1 our arms1 our rampart1 our       
immense treasure3 wherever we are1 and  
whatever we say or do1 we must bear this

 motto always written on our heart3 ,to 
the glory of ,god2 ever glorifying ,god1
 not barely in words1 but by all our    
actions in the sincere affections of our
 hearts1 that we may receive glory from 
him who says3 ,those who glorify me1 ,i 
will crown with glory1 7p4 #fig47  ,in  
seven discourses1 ,on ,lazarus and the  
,rich ,man1 he shows that a life of     
sensuality and pleasures is condemned by
 ,christ2 laments that any ,christian   
should abandon himself to debauchery1   
and declares he will never cease to     
pursue sinners by his exhortations1 as  
,christ did ,judas1 to the last moment3 
if any remain obstinately incorrigible1 
he shall esteem it a great happiness if 
he reclaim but one soul1 or even prevent
 but one sin2 at least that he can never
 see ,god offended and remain silent4   
7,hom4 #a47 ,he sets off the advantages 
of afflictions1 which are occasions of  
all virtue1 and even in the reprobate1  
at least abate the number of their sins1
 and the torments of another life4 ,in  

the seventh homily1 he severely condemns
 the diversions of the circus1 and      
expresses the most tender grief that any
 ,christian should so far forget ,god as
 to frequent them4 ,he paternally       
exhorts all such to repentance2 proves  
afflictions and the cross to be the     
portion of the just in this life1 and   
says1 ,that they whom ,god does not     
visit with tribulations1 ought at least 
to afflict themselves by the labors of  
penance1 the only path which can conduct
 us with ,lazarus to ,god1 7p4 #gcf47   
,in the second tome1 we have the holy   
doctor's twenty-one sermons to the      
people of ,antioch1 or1 ,on the         
,statues2 the following discourses1 to  
the number of sixty1 in the old editions
 not being genuine1 but patched up by   
modern ,greeks1 chiefly out of several  
works of this father4 ,the great        
sedition happened at ,antioch on the    
#bfth of ,february1 #chg1 just after the
 saint had preached the first of the    
sermons1 in which he spoke against      

drunkenness and blasphemy1 pressing all 
persons to expel their company any one  
who should blaspheme4 ,after the        
sedition1 he was silent1 in the general 
grief and consternation1 for seven days3
 then made his second sermon1 in which  
he tells the people that their confusion
 and remorse is itself a greater        
punishment than it was in the power of  
the emperor to inflict2 he exhorts them 
to alms-deeds1 and to hope in the mercy 
of ,christ1 who1 leaving the earth1 left
 us his own flesh1 which yet he carried 
with him to heaven1 and that blood which
 he spilt for us1 he again imparted to  
us4 ,after this1 what will he refuse to 
do for our salvation8 ,the third sermon 
being made in the beginning of ,lent1   
the preacher inculcates the obligation  
of fasting3 from his words it is clear  
that ,christians then abstained from    
wine and fish no less than from fowls   
and all flesh4 ,he insists chiefly on   
the moral fast of the will from all sin1
 and of all the senses by self-denials  

in each of them4 ,detraction he singles 
out as the most common sin1 and exhorts 
us to abhor1 with the royal prophet1    
every one who secretly detracts another2
 to say to such1 ,if you have any thing 
to say to the advantage of another1 ,i  
will hear you with pleasure2 but if you 
have only ill to tell me1 this is what  
,i cannot listen to4 ,if detracters were
 thoroughly persuaded that by their evil
 speeches they rendered themselves more 
odious than those of whom they speak    
ill1 they would be effectually cured of 
this pestilential habit4 ,the saint     
draws an inference from what the people 
then saw before their eyes1 and         
represented to them that if emperors    
punish with extreme rigor those who     
injure their statues1 with what severity
 will ,god revenge the injury done by   
the detracter to his living image1 and  
that offered by the blasphemer to his   
own adorable name4 ,in the fourth       
homily1 he speaks on the usefulness of  
afflictions1 which withdraw men from    

many dangers of sin1 and make them      
earnestly seek ,god4 ,in the fifth1 he  
continues the same subject1 and shows   
that they ought not to fear death1 if   
they prepare themselves for it by       
sincere penance4 ,their conversion he   
would have them begin by correcting the 
habit of swearing1 which had taken deep 
root among many of them4 ,this victory1 
he says1 would be easy if every one who 
had contracted such a habit would enjoin
 himself some penance for every oath    
which should escape him1 as the loss of 
a meal4 ,hunger and thirst1 says the    
saint1 will put you in mind always to   
watch over yourself1 and you will stand 
in need of no other exhortation4 ,in the
 sixth1 he shows that death is desirable
 to a ,christian1 who1 by a penitential 
life1 in imitation of the holy          
anchorets1 is dead to the world and     
himself4 #bfa ,in the fourteenth1 he    
describes the dreadful consternation    
with which the whole city was filled at 
the sight of new troops1 and of a       

tribunal erected2 and1 to awake sinners 
to a sincere repentance1 he sets before 
their eyes the terrors of the last      
judgment4 ,in the twentieth1 he exhorts 
them to redouble their fervor in        
preparing their souls for the ,paschal  
communion1 the nearer that time         
approached2 especially by forgiving all 
injuries4 ,in the twenty-first1 which   
was spoken on ,easter-day1 after the    
return of the patriarch1 he recites     
great part of ,flavian's speech1 and the
 emperor's gracious answer1 whose       
clemency he elegantly extols1 with a    
pathetic exhortation to the people never
 to forget the divine mercy4 ,from the  
mention he makes of ,flavian's speech1  
7,hom4 #c1 p4 #ce17 it appears that our 
saint had concerted it with him4 ,he    
preached every day this ,lent2 but only 
these twenty-one have reached us3 and   
only two catechetical discourses1 out of
 many others which he made about ,easter
 that year to the catechumens4 ,in the  
first he censures those who defer       

baptism1 and explains the names and     
fruits of that great sacrament2 in the  
second1 he exhorts them always to bear  
in mind1 and to repeat to themselves1 on
 every occasion1 those solemn words1 ,i 
renounce thee1 ,satan2 and to make it   
the study of their whole lives to be    
ever faithful to this most sacred       
engagement4 ,he next puts them in mind1 
that they ought to pray without         
intermission1 and always to have ,god   
before their eyes1 at work1 in the shop1
 abroad1 sitting1 or whatever else they 
were doing4  ,about the year #cib1      
,diodorus1 bishop of ,tarsus1 formerly  
,st4 ,chrysostom's master1 happened to  
preach at ,antioch1 and in his sermon   
highly commended our saint1 whom he     
called ,john the ,baptist1 the voice of 
the church1 and the rod of ,moses4 ,the 
people1 by loud acclamations1 testified 
how agreeable these encomiums of their  
preacher were to them3 only ,st4        
,chrysostom heard them with grief and   
confusion1 and ascribed them to the     

fondness of a good master1 and the      
charity of the people4 ,afterwards1     
ascending the pulpit1 he said that every
 word of the discourse had struck him to
 the heart1 and made him sigh within    
himself3 for praises sting the          
conscience no less than sins1 when a    
soul is conscious to herself how far she
 is from what is said of her3 they only 
set before her eyes the last day1 in    
which1 to her greater confusion1 all    
things will appear naked and as they    
are2 for we shall not be judged by the  
masks which are put on us by other men4 
,t4 #c1 ,f4 #gdg4  ,in three sermons ,on
 the ,devil1 he shows that the divine   
mercy has restored us more by grace in  
our redemption1 than the devil has      
robbed us of by the sin of ,adam2 and   
that the punishment itself of that sin  
served to set forth the excess of the   
divine mercy and goodness1 7,hom4 #a1 de
 ,diabolo1 t4 #b1 p4 #bdf27 that        
temptations and the devil's malice are  
occasions of great advantage1 if we make

 a good use of them3 that temporal      
calamities are sent by ,god3 we fall    
into sin only by our own malice3 the    
devil has no power against us but by the
 divine permission1 and all his efforts 
are weak1 unless by our sloth we give   
him power over us4 ,he draws a parallel 
between ,adam sinning in paradise by his
 free will1 and ,job victorious by      
patience on his dunghill under his      
sufferings1 of which he gives a lively  
description1 showing them to have been  
far more grievous than all the          
calamities under which we so easily lose
 our patience and crown4  ,in nine      
homilies ,on ,penance1 he extols its    
efficacy1 and invites all sinners to    
repentance4 ,hom4 #f1 p4 #caf1 he       
vehemently condemns stage               
entertainments1 which he calls the      
school of pleasure1 the seat of         
pestilence1 and the furnace of ,babylon4
 ,hom4 #c1 he calls alms the queen of   
virtues1 and charity and compassion the 
key of the divine mercy4 ,hom4 #i1 p4   

#cdg1 he presses all to assist          
assiduously at the divine mysteries1 but
 with attention1 awe1 and trembling4    
,in two homilies ,on the ,treason of    
,judas1 7p4 #cgf17 he recommends        
meekness towards persecutors1 and the   
pardon of injuries1 by which we reap    
from them1 without trouble of expense1  
the most precious of all advantages1    
grace and the pardon of our sins4       
,speaking on the holy eucharist1 he     
says1 that ,christ gives us in it the   
same body which he delivered to death   
for us1 and that he refused not to      
present to ,judas the very blood which  
that traitor sold4 7,hom4 #a1 de        
proditione ,judae1 t4 #b1 p4 #chc47 ,he 
repeats the same thing1 7,hom4 #b1 ib4  
p4 #cic47 ,he observes1 that as ,god1 by
 his word1 7,gen4 i4 #bh17 propagates   
and multiplies all things in nature to  
the end of the world1 so it is not the  
priest1 but ,christ1 by the words       
pronounced by the priest1 and by virtue 
of those which he spoke at his last     

supper1 saying1 ,this is my body1 who   
changes the offering 7or bread and wine7
 in every church from that to this time1
 and consummates the sacrifice till his 
coming4 7,hom4 #a1 ib4 p4 #chc47  ,in   
two homilies1 ,on the ,cross1 and on the
 ,good ,thief1 preached on ,good        
,friday1 he makes many excellent        
reflections on the conversion of the    
latter1 and on the precept of our       
forgiving injuries1 by which we become  
true imitators of ,christ1 and inherit  
the privileges of his disciples4 ,the   
cross he commends as the instrument of  
,christ's glorious triumph1 and of our  
happiness4  ,in a homily ,on the        
,resurrection of the ,dead1 he proves   
this article to be the foundation1 both 
of our faith1 and of our morals4 ,in    
that ,on the ,resurrection of our ,lord1
 he tells his flock1 that on that day   
7which was the solemnity of ,easter7    
they were no longer obliged to drink    
only water1 to abstain from the bath1 to
 live on herbs and pulse1 and to fast as

 in ,lent2 but that they were bound to  
shun intemperance3 he speaks against    
drunkenness1 #bfb and says the poor have
 equal reason for joy and thanksgiving  
with the rich on that solemnity1 the    
advantages which it brings consisting in
 spiritual graces1 not in feasting or   
pomp4 ,in the first homily1 ,on         
,whitsunday1 he proves1 that though the 
descent of the ,holy ,ghost is no longer
 manifested by miracles1 since the faith
 had been sufficiently established by   
them1 it was not less real1 though made 
in an invisible manner in our souls1 by 
his grace and peace4 ,in the second1 on 
the same feast1 he calls ,whitsunday the
 accomplishment of all the mysteries of 
our faith2 and teaches that the ,holy   
,ghost delayed his descent1 that he     
might not come upon the apostles in     
vain1 or without having been long and   
earnestly desired2 and that he          
manifested his descent by the emblem of 
tongues of fire1 to represent that he   
consumes like fire the thorns of our    

souls1 and that his principal gift is   
charity4 ,his seven homilies ,on ,st4   
,paul1 are standing proofs of his       
singular veneration for that great      
apostle1 and admiration of his divine   
virtues4 ,in the third1 speaking of that
 apostle's ardent love of ,god1 which   
made ignominies and torments for his    
sake a triumph1 and a subject of joy and
 pleasure1 he seems to surpass himself1 
7p4 #dha47 ,in the sixth1 he speaks of  
miracles wrought at the relics of ,st4  
,babylas at ,daphne1 and says1 that the 
devil trembled at the name of ,christ1  
and fled whenever it was pronounced4 ,in
 many other homilies he speaks in       
raptures on the admirable virtues of    
,st4 ,paul1 whose spirit he had imbibed 
and studied in his writings and example4
 ,the miracles of ,st4 ,babylas are the 
subject of a panegyric1 which ,st4      
,chrysostom has left us on that holy    
martyr1 7ib4 p4 #eca47 ,we have his     
panegyrics or homilies on ,st4          
,meletius1 ,st4 ,lucian1 ,,ss4          

,juventinus and ,maximin1 ,st4 ,pelagia1
 ,st4 ,ignatius1 ,st4 ,eustathius1 ,st4 
,romanus1 the ,maccabees1 ,,ss4         
,bernice1 ,prosodoche1 and ,domnina1    
,st4 ,drosis1 ,st4 ,phocas1 c41 in which
 he frequently and strongly recommends  
the most devout veneration for their    
relics4 ,see that on ,st4 ,ignatius1 p4 
#eic1 c4 ,in homily #a1 ,on the         
,martyrs1 7p4 #fej17 he says that the   
very sight of their relics more strongly
 moves to virtue than the most pathetic 
sermons1 and that their shrines are more
 precious than the richest earthly      
treasures1 and that the advantages which
 these relics afford1 are not diminished
 by their division1 but multiplied4     
,some being surprised that in this      
discourse he had compared the crime of  
an unworthy communion to that of the    
,jews1 who crucified ,christ1 he made   
another under this title1 ,that we are  
not to preach to please ,men2 in which  
he repeats and enforces the same        
comparison2 but adds a serious          

exhortation to frequent communion1 after
 a sincere repentance1 and the distinct 
confession of every sin2 ,for it is not 
enough to say1 ,i am a sinner1 but every
 kind of sin is to be expressed1 7p1    
#ffg47 ,though some circumstances       
aggravate a sacrilegious communion      
beyond the crime of ,judas and that of  
the crucifiers of ,christ2 the last was 
doubtless1 as ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas     
shows1 far more enormous in itself2 an  
injury offered to ,christ in his own    
natural form differing from an insult   
which he receives hid under sacramental 
veils1 though it is hard to imagine that
 any crime into which a ,christian can  
fall since the death of ,christ1 can be 
more enormous than an unworthy          
communion4 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 in his     
second sermon ,on the ,martyrs1 7p4     
#ffh17 bids the faithful remain a long  
time in prayer at their tombs1 and      
devoutly kiss their shrines1 which      
abound with blessings4 ,in that ,on the 
,martyrs of ,egypt1 7p4 #fii17 he calls 

their relics dispersed in different     
places1 the ramparts of the cities1 c4  
,in that ,on the ,earthquake1 he        
expresses a deep and tender concern for 
the public calamity1 but rejoices at the
 spiritual advancement of the people1   
saying1 that this scourge had wrought   
such a change in them1 that they seemed 
to be become angels4 ,two books ,on     
,prayer1 bear the name of ,st4          
,chrysostom3 if they are not mentioned  
by the ancients among his works1 that   
most important subject is treated in    
them in a manner not unworthy his pen4  
,this book is made use of in many pious 
schools as a ,greek classic1 with       
another ,on the ,education of ,children1
 full of excellent maxims1 ascribed to  
our saint2 but unjustly1 for it is a    
compilation1 made without much method1  
out of several of his sermons and other 
works4  ,the first part of the third    
tome1 in the ,benedictin edition1       
presents us thirty-four elegant sermons 
of this saint on divers texts of holy   

scripture1 and on various ,christian    
virtues and duties4 ,those on forgiving 
injuries1 humility1 alms1 prayer1       
widowhood1 and three on marriage1       
particularly deserve attention4 ,that   
,on ,alms he took occasion to preach    
from the extreme miseries under which he
 saw the beggars groan1 lying abandoned 
in the streets as he passed through them
 coming to the church2 whence it is     
inferred by ,tillemont and others1 that 
it was spoken extempore1 or without     
preparation4 ,he says1 that water does  
not so easily wash away the spots of our
 clothes1 as alms blot out the stains of
 our souls4 ,on ,marriage1 he proves    
that state to be holy1 and will not have
 it dishonored by profane pomps1 which  
no custom can authorize2 as by them ,god
 is offended4 ,christ is to be invited  
to give the nuptial blessing in the     
persons of the priests1 and what many   
throw away on musicians1 would be a     
grateful sacrifice to ,god if bestowed  
on the poor4 ,every one ought to be     

ambitious to set the example of so      
wholesome and holy a custom1 which      
others would imitate4 ,what incomparable
 advantages does a wife bring to a      
house1 when she enters it loaded with   
the blessings of heaven8 ,this is a     
fortune far beyond all the riches of the
 world4 ,in the third discourse1 he     
speaks of the inviolable precept of     
mutual tender love which the husband and
 wife are bound constantly to bear each 
other1 and of forgetting one another's  
faults1 as #bfc a man in engaging in    
this state seeks a companion for life1  
the saint observes that nothing is      
busier than for him to make it an affair
 of traffic1 or a money job4 ,a wife    
with a moderate fortune usually brings  
more complaisance and submission1 and   
blesses a house with peace1 union1 and  
friendship4 ,how many rich men1 by      
marrying great fortunes1 in seeking to  
increase their estates1 have forfeited  
the repose of their minds for the rest  
of their lives4 ,a virtuous wife gives  

every succor and comfort to a family1 by
 the virtuous education of her children1
 by possessing the heart of her husband1
 and by furnishing supplies for every   
necessity1 and comfort in every         
distress4 ,virtue was the only quality  
and circumstance which ,abraham was     
solicitous about in the choice which he 
made of a wife for his son4 ,among the  
letters of the saint1 which1 with       
certain scattered homilies1 fill up the 
latter part of this volume1 the         
seventeen addressed to ,st4 ,olympias1  
both by the subjects and style1 deserve 
rather the title of treatises than of   
epistles4  ,the fourth tome contains    
sixty-seven homilies on ,genesis1 which 
were preached at ,antioch during ,lent1 
some year later than #chf4 ,photius     
takes notice1 that in these his style is
 less correct than in any of his other  
writings1 and as far beneath his        
comments on the ,acts of the ,apostles1 
as those fall short of his most eloquent
 discourses on ,isaiah1 or on the       

epistles of ,st4 ,paul4 ,his parentheses
 are sometimes so long1 that he forgets 
to wind up his discourse and return to  
his subject3 for speaking not only with 
little or no preparation1 but without   
much attention to a regular method1 for 
the instruction of the peoples1 he      
suffered himself often to be carried    
sway with the ardor with which some new 
important thought inspired him4 ,yet the
 purity of his language1 the liveliness 
of his images and similes1 the          
perspicuity of his expression1 and the  
copiousness of his invention1 never     
fall3 his thoughts and words flow       
everywhere in a beautiful stream1 like  
an impetuous river4 ,he interweaves     
excellent moral instructions against    
vain-glory1 detraction1 rash judgment1  
avarice1 and the cold words mine and    
thine2 on prayer1 c4 ,his encomiums of  
,abraham and other patriarchs1 are set  
off by delicate strokes4 ,in the first  
thirty-two he often explains the        
conditions of the ,lent fast4 ,in the   

year #chf1 during ,lent1 at which time  
the church read the book of ,genesis1 he
 explained the beginning thereof in     
eight elegant sermons1 t4 #d1 p4 #fae4  
,in the first1 he congratulates with the
 people for the great joy and holy      
eagerness for penance with which they   
received the publication of the ,lent   
fast1 this being the most favorable     
season for obtaining the pardon of sins1
 and reaping the most abundant heavenly 
blessings and graces2 a season in which 
the heavens are in a particular manner  
open1 through the joint prayers1 fasts1 
and alms of the whole church4 ,these are
 usually called sermons on ,genesis1 in 
order to be distinguished from the      
foregoing homilies1 which were posterior
 to them in time4 ,five sermons ,on     
,anna1 the mother of ,samuel1 7t4 #d1 p4
 #fi17 were preached at ,antioch in     
#chg1 after the emperor had granted his 
gracious pardon for the sedition4 ,the  
saint treats in them on fasting1 the    
honor due to martyrs and their relics1  

on purity1 the education of children1   
the spiritual advantages of poverty1 and
 on perpetual earnest prayer1 which he  
recommends to be joined with every      
ordinary action1 and practised at all   
times1 by persons while they spun1      
walked1 sat1 lay down1 c4 ,invectives   
against stage-entertainments occur both 
in those1 and in the following three    
discourses ,on ,david1 in which he says 
many excellent things also on patience1 
and on forgiving injuries4 7,t4 #d1 p4  
#gdg47  ,the fifth tome presents us with
 fifty-eight sermons on the ,psalms4 ,he
 explained the whole ,psalter2 but the  
rest of the discourses are lost2 a      
misfortune much to be regretted1 these  
being ranked among the most elegant and 
beautiful of his works4 ,in them notice 
is taken of several differences in the  
,greek translations of ,aquila1         
,symmachus1 and ,theodotion2 also in the
 ,hebrew text1 though written in ,greek 
letters1 as in ,origen s ,hexapla4 ,the 
critics find the like supply for        

restoring parts of these ancient        
versions also in the spurious homilies  
in the appendix of this volume1 compiled
 by some other ancient ,greek preacher4 
,in this admired work of ,st4           
,chrysostom the moral instructions are  
most beautiful1 on prayer1 especially   
that of the morning1 meekness1          
compunction1 careful self-examination   
every evening1 fasting1 humility1 alms1 
c4 ,in ,pa4 #dc1 p4 #adf1 he thus       
apostrophizes the rich3 ,hear this1 you 
all who are slack in giving alms3 hear  
this1 you who1 by hoarding up your      
treasures1 lose them yourselves3 hear me
 you1 who1 by perverting the end of your
 riches1 are no better by them than     
those who are rich only in a dream2 nay1
 your condition is fair worse1 c4 ,he   
says that the poor1 though they seem so 
weak1 have arms more powerful and more  
terrible than the greatest magistrates  
and princes2 for the sighs and groans   
which they send forth in their          
distresses1 pierce the heavens1 and draw

 down vengeance without thinking to     
demand it1 upon the rich1 upon cities1  
upon whole nations4 ,in ,ps4 #aa1 p4    
#abj1 he will have prayer to be made    
effectual by the exercise of all virtues
 and good works1 especially by a pure   
love of ,god1 hunger after his justice  
alone1 and disengagement of the heart   
from all love of earthly things4 ,in ,p4
 #da1 p4 #aij1 this prayer by           
aspirations1 which may be borrowed from 
the psalms1 he recommends to be         
practised in all places and times4 ,ib4 
,he insists1 that with ,david we begin  
the day by prayer1 doing nothing before 
this duty to ,god be complied with3 and 
that with him we consecrate part of the 
night to compunction and prayer4 ,in4   
,ps4 #f1 he says many excellent things  
on the remedies we are bound to employ  
against concupiscence1 especially       
assiduous prayer1 shunning #bfd all     
occasions which can prove incentives to 
this enemy or to our senses1 and above  
all dangerous company2 assiduous        

meditation on death and hell1 c4 ,ib4   
,god only afflicts the just out of the  
excess of his love for them1 and desire 
to unite them closely to himself4 ,in   
,ps4 #aad1 p4 #cjh1 as the ,jews        
obtained not their return from their    
captivity to ,jerusalem but by long and 
earnestly desiring it1 so only an ardent
 and pure desire of the heavenly        
,jerusalem can raise us thither2 and an 
attachment to earthly goods and         
pleasures links us to our slavery1 and  
chains us down too fast for us ever to  
rise so high4 ,in ,ps4 ,graduales1 p4   
#cbh1 it was the custom at ,antioch for 
all the faithful to recite1 every       
morning1 the #adjth psalm1 which he     
desires them carefully to understand1 so
 as to penetrate the riches of the      
excellent sentiments every word         
contains1 in order to repeat it with    
more dilated affections of the heart4   
,in like manner he mentions that the    
#fb;d psalm was recited by all every    
evening4 ,from his exposition of ,ps4   

#da1 p4 #aca1 it appears that the people
 answered by repeating the first verse  
of every psalm1 after every verse1 as it
 was sung by the clergy4  ,in the sixth 
tome occur his excellent discourses on  
the seven first chapters of ,isaiah3    
then his four homilies on the fall of   
king ,ozias1 7,isa4 vi417 in which he   
sets forth the danger of pride1 and     
necessity of perseverance and constant  
watchfulness4 7,t4 #f1 p4 #id47 ,after  
several homilies on certain texts of    
,jeremy1 ,daniel1 c41 we have his two   
elegant discourses ,on the ,obscurity of
 the ,prophets1 in which he shows that  
the wisdom of ,providence is displayed2 
for too great perspicuity would not have
 so well answered the various ends of   
the ,old ,law4 ,the advantages of public
 prayer are here strongly set forth2 and
 in the second the saint declaims       
against detraction1 a vice which brings 
neither profit nor pleasure1 yet is most
 enormous even in those who only listen 
to it4 ,if he who scandalizes one       

brother is so grievously punished1 what 
will be the chastisement of him who     
scandalizes so many8 ,we are bound to   
cover1 not to proclaim the faults of    
others2 but it is our duty to endeavor  
to reclaim and save sinners1 according  
to the precept of ,christ4 ,the very    
company of detracters ought to be       
shunned3 to correct1 or at least set a  
mark upon such1 he wishes1 in order that
 they may be known and avoided1 they    
were publicly branded with the name of  
flies1 because1 like these insects1 they
 delight to dwell on filth and          
corruption4 ,in the homily ,on ,perfect 
,charity1 he draws a most amiable       
portraiture of that virtue in society2  
and another1 in striking colors1 of the 
day of judgment4 ,it is uncertain by    
what accident the imperfect work of ,st4
 ,matthew was formerly taken by some for
 a performance of ,st4 ,chrysostom4 ,the
 mistake is notorious2 for the author   
declares himself an advocate for ,arian 
ism1 7,hom4 #ai1 #bb1 #bh1 c417 and for 

the re-baptization of heretics4 7,hom4  
#ac and #ae47 ,he seems to have written 
about the beginning of the seventh      
century1 and to have been a ,latin1 7not
 a ,greek17 for he follows closely the  
,latin text4  ,the commentary of ,st4   
,chrysostom on ,st4 ,matthew fills the  
seventh tome1 and consists of ninety    
homilies3 the old ,latin version1 by    
dividing the nineteenth into two1 counts
 ninety-one4 ,they were preached at     
,antioch1 probably in the year #cij4    
,this literal and most pious exposition 
of that gospel contains the whole       
practical science of virtues and vices1 
and is an inexhausted source of         
excellent morality1 and a finished model
 of preaching the word of ,god1 and of  
expounding the oracles of eternal life  
for the edification of souls4 ,st4      
,thomas ,aquinas was possessed only of a
 bad ,latin translation of this         
unparalleled work1 yet said he would    
rather be master of this single book    
than of the whole city of ,paris4 ,the  

example of the saint shows that the most
 essential preparation for the study of 
the holy scriptures consists in         
simplicity and purity of heart1 an      
eminent spirit of prayer1 and habitual  
profound meditation on the sacred       
oracles4 ,thus qualified1 he1 with      
admirable sagacity and piety1 penetrates
 and unfolds the unbounded spiritual    
riches of the least tittle in the divine
 word2 and explains its sacred truths   
with incomparable ease1 perspicuity1    
elegance1 and energy of style4 ,the     
moral instructions are enforced by all  
the strength and ornaments of the most  
sweet and persuasive eloquence4         
,inveighing against the stage1 he calls 
it the reign of vice and iniquity1 and  
the ruin of cities3 and commends the    
saying of that ancient ,roman1 who1     
hearing an account of the usual         
entertainments which were represented on
 the stage1 and how eagerly the citizens
 ran to them1 cried out1 ,have they then
 neither wives nor children at home8    

giving to understand1 that men ought not
 to seek diversion abroad which they    
would more rationally procure at home   
with those whom they love4 7,hom4 #cg1  
p4 #dad47 ,on the precept of self-denial
 he takes notice1 that by it ,christ    
commands us1 first1 to be crucified to  
our own flesh and will2 secondly1 to    
spare ourselves in nothing2 thirdly1 not
 only to deny ourselves1 but thoroughly 
to deny ourselves2 by this little       
particle thoroughly1 adding great force 
to his precept4 ,he says further1 ,let  
him take up his cross2 this is1 bearing 
not only all reproaches and injurious   
words1 but also every kind of sufferings
 or death4 7,hom4 #ee1 p4 #eef47 ,on    
,vain ,glory1 he calls it the most      
tyrannical of all the diseases of the   
soul1 7,hom4 #ai1 p4 #bdd17 and         
pathetically laments the extreme misery 
of a soul that forsakes ,god1 who would 
commend and reward her1 to court the    
empty esteem of the vainest of all      
creatures1 and those who will the more  

hate and despise her as she more eagerly
 hunts after applause4 ,he compares her 
to a king's daughter who should abandon 
a most amiable and rich prince1 to run  
night and day through the streets after 
fugitives and slaves1 that hate and fly 
from her as the #bfe basest of          
prostitutes4 ,those she seeks to have   
for witnesses and applauders1 or rather 
she herself1 act the part of robbers1   
and rifle treasures laid up even in     
heaven in a place of safety4 ,the devil 
sees them inaccessible to his arts1     
therefore employs this worm to devour   
them4 ,when you bestow an alms1 shut    
your door2 let him alone to whom you    
give it be witness1 nor even him if     
possible2 of others see you they will   
proclaim your vain-glory1 and be        
published by ,god himself4 7,hom4 #ga47 
,speaking on alms1 7,hom4 #ff17 he says1
 that the ,church of ,antioch was then  
possessed only of the revenue of one    
rich and of one poor man1 yet maintained
 three thousand virgins and widows1     

besides hospitals c4 ,what then is not  
one rich man able to do8 ,but they have 
children4 ,the saint replies1 that the  
best fortune they can leave is a        
treasure laid up in heaven4 ,every one  
is bound at least to count the poor     
among his children1 and allot to them   
one half1 a third1 or at least a tenth  
part4 ,he declares 7,hom4 #hh47 that he 
will never cease preaching on the       
obligation1 efficacy1 and advantages of 
alms4 ,he asserts1 7,hom4 #he17 that in 
the church of ,antioch were contained   
one hundred thousand souls2 besides whom
 as many ,jews and idolaters dwelt in   
that city4 7,hom4 in ,st4 ,ignat4 t4 #b1
 p4 #eia47 ,he applauds the constancy   
and virtue of a famous actress1 7,hom4  
#fg17 who being converted to ,god1 would
 not be compelled by the threats of the 
governor or any punishment1 to appear   
again upon the stage4 ,in ,hom4 #fh and 
#fi1 he gives an amiable and edifying   
account of the lives of the monks of    
,syria3 and 7,hom4 #dg1 #hj1 #ha1 #ij1  

c47 commends a state of voluntary       
poverty1 and preaches on the contempt of
 the world4 ,on visiting the tombs of   
martyrs1 to obtain health of body and   
every spiritual advantage1 see ,hom4    
#cg1 #dbd4 ,on the sign of the cross he 
says1 7,hom4 #ed1 p4 #eea17 ,let us     
carry about the cross of ,christ as a   
crown1 and let no one blush at the      
ensign of salvation4 ,by it is every    
thing in religion done3 the cross is    
employed if a person is regenerated1 or 
fed with the mystical food1 or ordained2
 whatever else is to be done1 this      
ensign of victory is ever present2      
therefore we have it in our houses1     
paint it on our walls and windows1 make 
it on our foreheads1 and always carry it
 devoutly in our hearts4 ,we must not   
content ourselves with forming it with  
our fingers1 but must do it with great  
sentiments of faith and devotion4 ,if   
you thus form it on your face1 no       
unclean spirit will be able to stand    
against you when he beholds the         

instrument which has given him the      
mortal stab4 ,if we tremble at the sight
 of the place where criminals are       
executed1 think what the devils must    
suffer when they see that weapon by     
which ,christ stripped them of their    
power1 and cut off the head of their    
leader4 ,be not ashamed of so great a   
good which has been bestowed on you1    
lest ,christ should be ashamed of you   
when he shall appear in glory1 and this 
standard be borne before him brighter   
than the rays of the sun2 for then the  
cross shall appear speaking as it were  
with a loud voice4 ,this sign1 both in  
the time of our forefathers and in our  
own1 has opened gates1 deadened         
malignant poisons1 and healed wounds    
made by the sting or bite of venomous   
creatures4 ,if it has broken down the   
gates of hell1 unbolted those of        
paradise1 destroyed the empire and      
weakened the powers of the devil1 what  
wonder if it overcomes poisons and wild 
beasts8 ,on the virtue of the sign of   

the cross1 see also ,hom4 #h1 ib4 and   
,hom4 #d1 de ,st4 ,paolo1 t4 #b1 #i4    
#did1 et de libello repudii1 t4 #c1 p4  
#bjd1 c4 ,on the ,holy ,eucharist1 he   
gives frequent and admirable            
instructions4 ,speaking of the sick1 who
 were cured by touching the hem of      
,christ's garments1 he adds1 7,hom4 #ej1
 p4 #eag17 ,what grace is not in our    
power to receive by touching and        
receiving his holy body8 ,what if you   
hear not his voice2 you see him laid4   
,he has given us himself to eat1 and has
 set himself in the state of a victim   
sacrificed before us1 c4 ,and ,hom4 #hb1
 p4 #ghg1 he writes3 ,how many now say1 
they wish to see his shape1 his         
garments8 ,you desire to see his        
garments1 but he gives himself to you   
not only to be seen1 but to be touched1 
to be eaten1 to be received within you4 
,then what beam of the sun ought not    
that hand to be more which divides this 
flesh8 that mouth which is filled with  
this spiritual fire8 that tongue which  

is purpled with this adorable blood8    
,the angels beholding it tremble1 and   
dare not look thereupon through awe and 
fear1 and on account of the rays which  
dart from that wherewith we are         
nourished1 with which we are mingled1   
being made one body1 one flesh with     
,christ4 ,what shepherd ever fed his    
sheep with his own limbs8 nay1 many     
mothers give their children to other    
nurses2 whereas he feeds us with his own
 blood1 c4 ,it is a familiar reflection 
of our saint1 that by the communion we  
become of one flesh and of one body with
 ,christ1 to express the close union of 
our souls with him in this divine       
sacrament4 ,in the same ,homily1 #hb1   
7olim #hc17 on ,st4 ,matthew1 p4 #ghb1  
t4 #g1 he says1 the apostles were not   
affrighted when they heard ,christ      
assure them1 ,this is my body2 because  
he had before initiated them in most    
wonderful mysteries1 and made them      
witnesses to many prodigies and         
miracles1 and had already instructed    

them in this very sacrament1 at which   
they had been at first much struck1 and 
some of them scandalized4 ,john vi4     
,moreover1 that they might not fear1 or 
say1 ,shall we then drink his blood and 
eat his flesh8 he set the example in    
taking the cup1 and drinking his own    
blood the first of all4 ,the saint      
charges us 7ib4 p4 #ghg7 not to question
 or contradict the words of ,christ1 but
 to captivate our reason and            
understanding in obeying him1 and       
believing his word1 which cannot deceive
 us1 whereas our senses often lead us   
into mistakes4 ,when1 therefore1 he     
tells us1 ,this is #bff my body1 we must
 believe him1 and consider the mystery  
with spiritual eyes2 for we learn from  
him1 that what he gives us is something 
spiritual1 which falls not under our    
senses4 ,see this further on the same   
subject1 ,hom4 #ej1 7olim #ea17 in      
,matt4 pp4 #eaf1 #eag1 #eah4 ,hom4 de   
,baptismo ,christi1 t4 #b1 pp4 #cgd1    
#cge4 ,hom4 in ,laudem ,martyrum1 t4 #b1

 p4 #fed4 ,hom non esse ad gratiam      
concionandum1 ib4 pp4 #feh1 #fei4       
,expos4 in ,ps4 #df1 t4 #e1 p4 #ahi1 and
 in ,pd4 #acc1 p4 #chb4 ,hom4 #e1 in    
illud3 ,vidi ,dominum1 t4 #f1 p4 #adc4  
,hom4 de ,st4 ,philogonio1 t4 #a1 p4    
#dih1 besides the passages quoted in    
this abstract4 ,in the same comments on 
,st4 ,matthew1 t4 #g1 ,hom4 #hb1 p4     
#ghh1 he vehemently exhorts the faithful
 to approach the holy table with a      
burning thirst and earnest desire to    
suck in the spiritual milk1 as it were1 
from the divine breasts4 ,as children   
throw themselves into the bosom of their
 nurse or mother1 and eagerly suck their
 breast1 so ought we with far greater   
ardor to run to the sacred mysteries1 to
 draw into our hearts1 as the children  
of ,god1 the grace of his ,holy ,spirit4
 ,to be deprived of this heavenly food  
ought to be to us the most sensible1    
nay1 our only grief1 7ib p4 #ghh47      
,nothing can be more tender than his    
exhortations to frequent communion2 he  

even recommends it daily1 7,hom4 de ,st4
 ,philogonio1 t4 #a1 pp4 #dii1 #ejj17   
provided persons lead ,christian lives1 
and bring suitable dispositions4 ,but no
 solemnity can be a reason for those who
 are under the guilt of sin ever to     
approach in that state4 7,ib17 ,no terms
 can be stronger than those in which he 
speaks in many places of the enormity of
 a sacrilegious communion1 which he     
compares to the crime of ,judas who     
betrayed ,christ1 of the ,jews who      
crucified him1 sud of ,herod who sought 
to murder him in his cradle1 7,hom4 #g1 
in ,matt4 p4 #aab1 c417 and frequently  
explains the dispositions requisite to  
approach worthily the holy table1       
insisting chiefly on great purity of    
soul1 fervent devotion1 and a vehement  
hunger and thirst after this divine     
banquet4 7,hom4 #ag1 in ,heb4 t4 #ab1 p4
 #afi4 ,hom4 #bd1 in #a ,cor t4 #aj1 p4 
#bah1 c47 ,he denounces the most        
dreadful threats of divine vengeance    
against unfaithful ministers who admit  

to it notorious sinners4 7,hom4 #gb1 in 
,matt4 t4 #g1 pp4 #ghi1 #gij47 ,christ1 
says he1 will demand of you an account  
of his blood1 if you give it to those   
who are unworthy4 ,if any such person   
presents himself1 though he were general
 of the army1 or emperor1 drive him from
 the holy table4 ,the power with which  
you are invested is above that of an    
emperor4 ,if you dare not refuse to     
admit the unworthy1 inform me4 ,i will  
rather suffer my blood to be spilt than 
offer this sacred blood to one who is   
unworthy1 c4 7,ib47 ,in this work of    
,st4 ,chrysostom upon ,st4 ,matthew1 we 
meet with beautiful instructions on     
almost every ,christian virtue4 ,read   
,hom4 #ch1 on humility1 which he styles 
the queen of all virtues2 ,hom4 #eh1    
where he calls it the beginning of a    
virtuous life2 and ,hom4 #fe1 where he  
shows that it exalts a man above the    
highest dignities4 ,on the entire       
contempt of the world as a nothing1     
,hom4 #ab1 #cc1 c4 ,on the happiness of 

him who serves ,god1 whom the whole     
world cannot hurt1 ,hom4 #bd1 #ef1 #ij4 
,against avarice1 ,hom4 #bh1 #gd1 #fc4  
,against drunkenness1 ,hom4 #gj4 ,on    
compunction1 ,hom4 #da1 where he proves 
it indispensable from the continual     
necessity of penance for hidden sins1   
and for detraction1 vain-glory1 avarice1
 c4 ,we ought also to weep continually  
for our dangers4 ,speaking on the same  
virtue1 ,hom4 #f1 p4 #id1 he1 teaches   
that compunction is the daughter of     
divine love1 which consumes in the heart
 all affections for temporal things1 so 
that a man is disposed with pleasure to 
part with the whole world and life      
itself4 ,a soul is by it made light1 and
 soaring above all things visible1      
despises them as nothing4 ,he who is    
penetrated with this spirit of love and 
compunction1 frequently breaks into     
floods of tears2 but these tears afford 
him incredible sweetness and pleasure4  
,he lives in cities as if he were in a  
wilderness2 so little notice does he    

take of the things of this life4 ,he is 
never satiated with tears which he pours
 forth for his own sins and those of    
others4 ,hence the saint takes occasion 
to launch forth into the commendation of
 the gift of holy tears1 pp4 #if1 #ig4  
,he inveighs against stage              
entertainments1 ,hom4 #f1 #g1 #ag1 #cg1 
c4 ,see especially ,hom4 contra ludos et
 theatra1 t4 #f1 #bgd4  ,on ,hell1 he   
says 7,hom4 #bc1 in ,matt47 that the    
loss of ,god is the greatest of all the 
pains which the damned endure1 nay1 more
 grievous than a thousand hells4 ,many  
tremble at the name of hell2 but he much
 more at the thought of losing ,god1    
which the state of damnation implies4   
7,ib47 ,he distinguishes in hell the    
loss of ,god1 and secondly1 fire and the
 other pains of sense4 7,hom4 #dg47 ,he 
shows that company abates nothing in its
 torments4 7,hom4 #dc47 ,some object    
that to meditate on those torments is   
too frightful2 to whom he answers1 that 
this is most agreeable1 because by it we

 learn to shun them1 the hope of which  
inspires joy1 and so great earnestness  
in the practice of penance1 that        
austerities themselves become agreeable4
 7,ib47 ,he often mentions grace before 
and after meat2 and1 ,hom4 #ee1 p4 #efa1
 recites that which the monks about     
,antioch used before their meals1 as    
follows3 ,blessed ,god1 who feedest me  
from my youth1 who givest nourishment to
 all flesh1 fill our hearts with joy1   
that being supported by thy bounty we   
may abound in every good work to ,christ
 ,jesus our ,lord1 with whom be all     
honor1 praise1 and glory given with the 
,holy ,ghost1 world without end4 ,amen4 
,glory be to thee1 ,o ,lord2 glory be to
 thee1 ,o ,holy2 glory be to thee1 ,o   
,king1 because ,thou hast given us food 
in joyfulness4 ,fill us with thy ,holy  
,spirit1 that we may be found acceptable
 in thy sight1 that we may not be       
covered with confusion when ,thou shalt 
render to every one according to his    
works3 ,this whole prayer is #bfg       

admirable1 says the saint1 but          
especially the close1 the remembrance of
 the last day being a bridle and check  
to sensuality and concupiscence4 7,ib47 
,the saint shows 7,horn4 #hf1 p4 #haj7  
the malice and danger of small faults   
wilfully committed1 which many are apt  
to make slight of2 but from such the    
most dreadful falls take their rise4    
,the old ,latin translation of ,st4     
,chrysostom's homilies on ,st4 ,matthew1
 is too full of words1 and often        
inaccurate4 ,anian1 the author1 seems to
 have been the ,pelagian deacon of that 
name1 who assisted at the council of    
,diospolis in #dae4 ,the new ,latin     
translation is far more exact1 but very 
unequal in elegance and dignity of      
expression to the original4  ,the eighth
 tome is composed of the homilies of    
,st4 ,chrysostom upon ,st4 ,john1 which 
are eighty-eight in number1 though in   
former ,latin editions1 in imitation of 
,morellus1 the first is called preface1 
and only eighty-seven bear the title of 

homilies4 ,they were preached at        
,antioch1 about the year #cid1 at break 
of day1 long before the usual hour of   
the sermon 7,hom4 #ca47 ,we find here   
the same elevation of thought1 the same 
genius and lively imagination1 and the  
same strength of reasoning which we     
admire in those on ,st4 ,matthew2 but   
the method is different4 ,after a short 
literal exposition of the text1 the holy
 doctor frequently inserts polemical    
discussions1 in which he proves the     
,consubstantiality of the ,son against  
the ,anomaeans4 ,hence his moral        
reflections in the end are short3 in    
which1 nevertheless1 he is always       
admirable1 especially when he speaks of 
the love which ,god testifies for us in 
the mystery of the ,incarnation4 7,see  
,hom4 #bg1 olim #bf1 p4 #aef47 ,he      
observes that ,christ miraculously      
multiplied five loaves1 before he gave  
his solemn promise of the ,eucharist1   
which he calls ,the miracle of          
mysteries1 and this he did1 says our    

saint1 ,that being taught by that       
miracle1 they might not doubt in giving 
credit to his words--that not only by   
love1 but in reality1 we are mingled    
with his flesh4 7,hom4 #df1 olim #de1 in
 ,joan4 t4 #h1 p4 #bgb47 ,christ by this
 institution thus invites us to his     
heavenly banquet1 says our saint4 ,i    
feed you with my flesh1 ,i give you     
myself for your banquet4 ,i would become
 your brother3 for your sake1 ,i took   
upon myself flesh and blood3 ,again1 ,i 
give you the flesh and blood1 by which  
,i have made myself of the same nature  
and kindred with you1 7,greek3 suggenes1
 congener47 ,this blood by being poured 
forth has cleansed the whole world4     
,this blood has purified the sanctuaries
 and the ,holy of ,holies4 ,if its      
figure had so great efficacy in the     
temple of the ,hebrews1 and sprinkled on
 the doors of ,egypt1 the truth will    
have much greater4 7,ib4 p4 #bgc47 ,he  
calls the holy ,eucharist the tremendous
 mysteries1 the dreadful altar1 ,greek3 

frikta ontos ta museria1 frikton ontos  
to fusiasterion1 7ib417 and says1 ,when 
you approach the sacred cup1 come as if 
you were going to drink the blood       
flowing from his side4 7,hom4 #he1 olim 
#hd1 in ,joan4 p4 #ejg47  ,the          
fifty-five homilies ,on the ,acts of the
 ,apostles1 he preached at              
,constantinople in the third year of his
 episcopal dignity1 of our ,lord #dja1  
as appears from ,hom4 #dd1 p4 #cce1 t4  
#i4 ,the famous censure of ,erasmus1 who
 judged them absolutely unworthy of our 
saint1 7ep4 ad ,warham4 archiepiscopum  
,cantuarens17 is well known3 ,billius1  
on the contrary1 thinks them very       
elegant4 ,both judgments show how far   
prepossession is capable of misleading  
the most learned men4 ,that this work is
 undoubtedly genuine1 is demonstrated by
 ,sir ,henry ,saville4 ,photius justly  
admires an admirable eloquence1 rich    
veins of gold scattered through it1 and 
the moral instructions are so noble and 
beautiful1 that no other genius but that

 of a ,chrysostom could have formed     
them4 ,the style indeed1 in many parts  
of the comments1 is not regular or      
correct2 which might be owing to some   
indisposition1 or to an extraordinary   
hurry of troublesome affairs1 to a      
confusion of mind1 and to alarms1 the   
city being then in imminent danger by   
the revolt and blockade of ,gainas1 and 
in daily fears of being plundered by    
that barbarian4 ,in the first homily our
 saint speaks against those who deferred
 to receive baptism1 for fear of        
forfeiting the grace by relapsing into  
sin3 which delay he shows to imply a    
wilful and obstinate contempt of ,god   
and his grace1 with the guilt of a base 
and inexcusable sloth1 like one who     
should desire to enrol himself in the   
army when the war was over1 yet expect a
 share in the triumph2 or a wrestler who
 should enter the lists when the games  
are closed4 ,he adds1 that in sickness1 
under alarms and pains1 it is scarce to 
be hoped that a person will be able to  

dispose himself for so great a          
sacrament4 ,prudent men make their wills
 while in health1 imagining that at best
 they will retain their senses but by   
halves at the approaches of death2 and  
can we think dying men capable of duly  
making so solemn an engagement with     
,god8 ,he assures his flock that he is  
notable to express the consternation1   
grief1 and agony1 with which he is      
seized whenever he hears of any one     
being dead without baptism or penance1  
7p4 #ac47 ,in ,hom4 #c1 p4 #cj1 he      
exaggerates the grievousness of sin in a
 priest1 and has these remarkable words1
 ,i do not believe that many priests are
 saved2 but that far the greater number 
are lost3 for this dignity requires a   
great soul and much courage4 ,in ,hom4  
#g1 he draws a most amiable and         
beautiful portraiture of the charity    
which reigned in the primitive church1  
when all with joy cast away their money2
 setting no value but on the inestimably
 greater treasures which they possessed 

in ,god2 when all lived without envy1   
jealousy1 pride1 contempt of any one1   
and without any cunning or ill-will2 and
 when the cold words mine and thine were
 banished from among them1 pp4 #eh1ei4  
,a passage often quoted by those who    
write on the small number of the elect  
occurs ,hom4 #bd1 p4 #aih1 ,how many1   
says he1 do you think there are in this 
city #bfh who will be saved8 ,what ,i am
 going to say is frightful indeed2 yet  
,i will speak it4 ,out of so many       
thousands not one hundred belongs to the
 number of the elect3 and even of these 
,i doubt4 ,how much vice among the      
youth6 ,what sloth in the old6 ,no one  
takes due care of the education of his  
children4 ,if we see a man truly devout 
in his old age1 he is imitated by       
nobody4 ,i see persons behave           
disrespectfully and without due         
attention in the church1 and even when  
the priest is giving his blessing4 ,can 
any insolence be found equal to this8   
,amidst such scandals1 what hopes can we

 entertain of the salvation of many8 ,at
 a ball every one dances in his rank1   
every thing is regulated1 and done      
without confusion4 ,and here in the     
company of angels1 and singing the      
praises of ,god with the blessed        
spirits1 you talk and laugh4 ,should we 
be surprised if thunder fell from heaven
 to punish such impiety8 ,the monks then
 lived without the walls1 and could not 
be included by him3 nor probably the    
clergy1 deaconesses1 or others          
particularly consecrated to a devout    
life2 as appears from his invective4    
,nor does he speak this with any        
certitude1 but from his private         
apprehension by comparing the lives of  
the generality of the people with the   
severe maxims of the gospel4 ,this is   
manifest from the proof he draws from   
the manners of the people1 and from a   
like invective in ,hom4 #fa1 olim #fb1  
on ,st4 ,matthew1 7t4 #g1 p4 #fab17     
spoken at ,antioch ten years before4    
,see also l4 #a1 adv4 ,oppugnatores     

,vitae ,mon4 n4 #h1 t4 #a1 p4 #ee4      
,speaking on the general impiety of the 
world1 7,hom4 #aj1 in #a ,tim17 he says3
 ,we have great reason to weep3 scarce  
the least part of the world is saved3   
almost all live in danger of eternal    
death4 ,but he shows that the multitude 
will only increase the torments of the  
wicked1 as if a man saw his wife and    
children to be burnt alive with him4    
,st4 ,chrysostom counts in              
,constantinople1 at that time1 one      
hundred thousand ,christians1 7,hom4    
#aa1 in ,acts17 and says that the poor  
in that city amounted to fifty thousand1
 and the riches of the particulars to   
about one million pounds of gold4 ,yet  
he reckons the assembly of the          
,christians greater at ,antioch than at 
,constantinople4 7,hom4 #a1 adv4        
,judaeos4 p4 #eib1 t4 #a47 ,if the      
estate of one rich and that of one poor 
man maintained three thousand poor at   
,antioch1 and the like estates of ten   
rich men would have supported all the   

poor of that city1 it is inferred that  
there were in ,antioch only thirty      
thousand poor1 though it might perhaps  
have more inhabitants than              
,constantinople4 ,see ,bandurius on the 
site and extent of ,constantinople under
 the emperors ,arcadius and ,honorius2  
and ,hasius de magnitudine urbium1 p4   
#dg4  ,st4 ,chrysostom teaches that     
grace is conferred by ,god at the       
imposition of hands in the ordination of
 priests1 ,hom4 #ad1 in ,acta4 p4 #aad1 
also ,hom4 #c1 de ,resurrect4 t4 #b1 p4 
#dcf1 and ,hom4 #ba1 in ,acta4 p4 #age1 
that ,oblations 7or masses7 are not     
offered in vain for the dead4 ,it is his
 pious counsel 7,hom4 #ag1 in ,acta47   
that when we find ourselves provoked to 
anger1 we form on our breast the sign of
 the cross2 and ,hom4 #bf1 he exhorts   
all ,christians1 even the married1 and  
both men and women1 to rise every       
midnight to pray in their own houses1   
and to awake little children at that    
hour that they may say a short prayer in

 bed4 ,he says that saints and martyrs  
are commemorated in the holy mysteries1 
because this is doing them great honor1 
7,hom4 #ba1 in ,acta4 p4 #bgf17 and by  
the communion with them in their        
virtues1 the rest of the faithful       
departed reap much benefit4 7,hom4 #ea1 
in #a ,corinth4 t4 #aj1 p4 #cic47  ,for 
a specimen of the zeal and charity with 
which this great preacher instructed his
 flock1 two or three passages are here  
inserted4 ,hom4 #c1 in ,acta4 p4 #ca1 t4
 #i4 ,i wish1 says he1 ,i could set     
before your eyes the tender charity and 
love which ,i bear you3 after this no   
one could take it amiss or be angry if  
,i ever seem to use too harsh words in  
correcting disorders4 ,nothing is dearer
 to me than you2 not even life or light4
 ,i desire a thousand times over to lose
 my sight1 if by this means ,i could    
convert your souls to ,god2 so much more
 sweet is your salvation to me4 ,if it  
happens that any of you fall into sin1  
you are present even in my sleep3       

through grief ,i am like persons struck 
with a palsy1 or deprived of their      
senses4 ,for what hope or comfort can ,i
 have left1 if you advance not in       
virtue8 ,and if you do well1 what can   
afflict me8 ,i seem to feel myself      
taking wing when ,i hear any good of    
you4 ,make my joy complete4 ,phil4 ii4  
#b4 ,your progress is my only desire4   
,you are to me all1 father and mother1  
and brothers and children4 ,hom4 #dd1 in
 ,act4 p4 #cce1 having appealed to his  
closet and secret retreats to bear      
witness how many tears he shed without  
intermission for them1 he says1 ,what   
shall ,i do8 ,i am quite spent daily    
crying out to you3 ,forsake the stage4  
,yet many laugh at our words3 ,refrain  
from oaths and avarice1 and no one      
listens to us4 ,for your sakes ,i have  
almost abandoned the care of my own soul
 and salvation2 and while ,i weep for   
you1 ,i bewail also my own spiritual    
miseries1 to which1 through solicitude  
for you1 ,i am not sufficiently         

attentive3 so true it is that you are   
all things to me4 ,if ,i see you advance
 in virtue1 through joy ,i feel not my  
own ills2 and if ,i perceive you make no
 progress1 here again through grief ,i  
forget my own miseries4 ,though ,i am   
sinking under them1 on your account1 ,i 
am filled with joy3 and whatever subject
 of joy ,i have in myself1 ,i am        
overwhelmed with grief if all is not    
well with you4 ,for what comfort1 what  
life1 what hope can a pastor have1 if   
his flock be perishing8 ,how will he    
stand before ,god8 ,what will he say8   
,though he should be innocent of the    
blood of them all1 still he will be     
pierced with bitter sorrow which nothing
 will be able to assuage4 ,for though   
parents were no way in fault1 they would
 suffer the most #bfi cruel anguish for 
the ruin or loss of their children4     
,whether ,i shall be demanded an account
 of year souls or no1 this will not     
remove my grief4 ,i am not anxious that 
you may attain to happiness by my       

labors1 but that you be saved at any    
rate1 or by any means4 ,you know not the
 impetuous tyranny of spiritual         
travails1 and how he who spiritually    
brings forth children to ,god desires a 
thousand times over to be hewn to pieces
 rather than to see one of his children 
fall or perish4 ,though we could say    
with assurance1 we have done all that   
lay in us1 and are innocent of his      
blood1 this will not be enough to       
comfort us4 ,could my heart be laid open
 and exposed to your view1 you would see
 that you are every one there1 and much 
dilated1 women1 children1 and men4 ,so  
great is the power of charity that it   
makes a soul wider than the heavens4    
,st4 ,paul bore all ,corinth within his 
breast4 #b ,cor4 vii4 #b4 ,i can make   
you no reproaches for any indifference  
towards me on your side4 ,i am sensible 
of the love which you reciprocally bear 
me4 ,but what will be the advantage     
either of your love for me or of mine   
for you1 if the duties you owe to ,god  

are neglected8 ,it is only an occasion  
of rendering my grief more heavy4 ,you  
have never been wanting in any thing    
towards me4 ,were it possible1 you would
 have given me your very eyes3 and on   
our side we were desirous to give you   
with the gospel also our lives4 ,our    
love is reciprocal4 ,but this is not the
 point4 ,we must in the first place love
 ,christ4 ,this obligation both you and 
,i have great need to study3 not that we
 entirely neglect it2 but the pains we  
take are not adequate to this great end4
  ,to abolish the sacrilegious custom of
 swearing at ,constantinople1 as he had 
done at ,antioch1 he strained every     
sinew1 and in several sermons he exerted
 his zeal with uncommon energy1 mingled 
with the most tender charity4 ,in ,hom4 
#h1 in ,act t4 #i1 pp4 #ff1 #fg1 he     
complains that some who had begun to    
correct their criminal habit1 after     
having fallen through surprise1 or by a 
sudden fit of passion1 had lost courage4
 ,these he animates to a firmer         

resolution and vigor1 which would crown 
them with victory4 ,he tells them he    
suffers more by grief for them than if  
he languished in a dungeon1 or was      
condemned to the mines2 and begs1 by the
 love which they bear him1 they would   
give the only comfort which could remove
 the weight of his sorrow by an entire  
conversion4 ,it will not justify him1 he
 says1 at the last day1 to allege that  
he had reprimanded those who swore4 ,the
 judge will answer3 ,why didst not thou 
check1 command1 and by laws restrain    
those that disobeyed8 ,heli reprimanded 
his sons2 but was condemned for not     
having done it1 because he did not use  
sufficient severity4 #a ,kings xi4 #bd4 
,i every day cry aloud1 says the saint1 
yet am not heard4 ,fearing to be myself 
condemned at the last day for too great 
lenity and remissness1 ,i raise my      
voice1 and denounce aloud to all1 that  
if any swear1 ,i forbid them the church4
 ,only this month is allowed for persons
 to correct their habit4 ,his voice he  

calls a trumpet1 with which in different
 words he proclaims thrice this sentence
 of excommunication against whosoever   
should persist refractory1 thought he   
were a prince1 or he who wears the      
diadem4 ,hom4 #i1 p4 #gf1 he            
congratulates with his audience for the 
signs of compunction and amendment which
 they had given since his last sermon1  
and tells the greatest part of the      
difficulty is already mastered by them4 
,to inspire them with a holy dread and  
awe for the adorable name of ,god1 he   
puts them in mind that in the ,old ,law 
only the high priest was allowed ever to
 pronounce it1 and that the devils      
trembled at its sound4 ,hom4 #aj1 he    
charges them never to name ,god but in  
praising him or in imploring his mercy4 
,he takes notice that some among them   
still sometimes swore1 but only for want
 of attention1 by the force of habit1   
just as they made the sign of the cross 
by mere custom1 without attention1 when 
they entered the baths1 or lighted a    

candle4 ,he tells them 7,hom4 #aa1 p4   
#ie7 that the term of a month1 which he 
had fixed1 was almost elapsed1 and most 
affectionately conjures them to make    
their conversion entire4 ,a sight of one
 such conversion1 he says1 gave him more
 joy1 than if a thousand imperial       
diadems of the richest jewels had been  
placed upon his head4 ,other specimens  
of the saint's ardent love for his      
people at ,constantinople1 see ,hom4 #i1
 in ,hebr4 t4 #ab1 p4 #ajj2 ,hom4 #bc1  
in ,hebr4 p4 #bag2 ,hom4 #i1 in #a      
,thes4 t4 #aa1 p4 #did2 ,hom4 #g1 in #a 
,coloss4 ,hom4 #ci1 in ,act4 p4 #bcj1 c4
 ,for his people at ,antioch1 t4 #c1 p4 
#cfb1 t4 #b1 p4 #bgi1 t4 #g1 p4 #cgd1 c4
 ,on his humility1 t4 #b1 p4 #dee1 t4   
#d1 p4 #cci4 ,on his desire to suffer   
for ,christ1 t4 #a1 p4 #dec1 t4 #g1 p4  
#bdc1 t4 #aa1 pp4 #ec1 #ee4  ,the       
inspired epistles of ,st4 ,paul were the
 favorite subject of this saint's       
intense meditation1 in which he studied 
the most sublime maxims1 and formed in  

himself the most perfect spirit of      
,christian virtue4 ,the epistle to the  
,romans is expounded by him in          
thirty-two homilies1 7t4 #i1 p4 #dbi17  
which he made at ,antioch1 as is clear  
from ,hom4 #h1 p4 #ejh1 and ,hom4 #cj1  
p4 #gdc4 ,nothing can go beyond the     
commendations which ,st ,isidore of     
,pelusium bestows on this excellent     
work1 7l4 #e1 ep4 #cb17 to which all    
succeeding ages have subscribed4 ,the   
errors of ,pelagius1 which were broached
 soon after in the ,west1 are clearly   
guarded against by the holy preacher1   
though he is more solicitous to confute 
the opposite heresy of the ,manichees1  
which then reigned in many parts of the 
,east4 ,he also confounds frequently the
 ,jews4 ,but what we most admire is the 
pious sagacity with which he unfolds the
 deep sense of the sacred text1 and its 
author1 the true disciple of ,christ1   
and the perspicuity and eloquence with  
which he enforces his moral             
instructions4 ,whoever reads anyone of  

these homilies1 will hear testimony to  
this eulogium4 ,see ,hom4 #bd4 7t4 #i1  
p4 #fid17 #bgj on the shortness of human
 life3 ,hom4 #h1 on fraternal charity   
and forgiving injuries3 ,hom4 #bj1 on   
our obligation of offering to ,god a    
living sacrifice of our bodies by the   
exercise of all virtues1 and the        
sanctity of our affections3 ,hom4 #bb   
and #bg1 on patience in bearing all     
injuries1 by which we convert them into 
our greatest treasure3 ,hom4 #e1 on the 
fear of ,god's judgments1 and on his    
love1 to which he pathetically says1 it 
would be more grievous to offend ,god   
than to suffer all the torments of hell1
 which every one incurs who is not in   
this disposition1 7p4 #dfi17 though it  
is a well-known maxim that persons ought
 not to propose to themselves in too    
lively a manner such comparisons1 or to 
become their own tempters3 ,hom4 #g1    
against envy1 and on alms1 he says this 
is putting out money at interest for one
 hundred fold from ,god1 who is himself 

our security1 and who herein considers  
not the sum1 but the will1 as he did in 
,st4 ,peter1 who left for him only a    
broken net1 a line1 and a hook4 ,the    
promise of a hundred fold made to him1  
is no less made to us4  ,the commentary 
,on the ,first ,epistle to the          
,corinthians1 7t4 #aj17 in forty-four   
homilies1 was likewise the fruit of his 
zeal at ,antioch1 and is one of the most
 elaborate and finished of his works4   
,the interpreter seems animated with the
 spirit of the great apostle whose      
sacred oracle he expounds1 so admirably 
does he penetrate the pious energy of   
the least tittle4 ,if ,st4 ,paul uses   
the words ,my ,god1 he observes1 that   
out of the vehement ardor and tenderness
 of his love he makes ,him his own1 who 
is the common ,god of all men2 and that 
he names ,him with a sentiment of       
burning affection and profound          
adoration1 because he had banished all  
created things from his heart1 and all  
his affections were placed in ,god4 ,he 

extols the merit and advantages of holy 
virginity1 7,hom4 #ai17 and ,hom4 #bf1  
speaks on the duties of a married state1
 especially that of mutual love and     
meekness in bearing each other's faults3
 this he bids them learn from ,socrates1
 a pagan1 who chose a very shrew for his
 wife1 and being asked how he could bear
 with her1 said3 ,i have a school of    
virtue at home1 in order to learn       
meekness and patience by the daily      
practice4 ,the saint adds1 it was a     
great grief to him to see ,christians   
fall short of the virtue of a heathen1  
whereas they ought to be imitators of   
the angels1 nay1 of ,god himself4       
,recommending the most profound respect 
for the holy eucharist1 and a dread of  
profaning it1 he says1 ,hom4 #bd1 pp4   
#bag1 #bah1 ,no one dares touch the     
king's garments with dirty hands4 ,when 
you see ,him 7i4e4 ,christ7 exposed     
before you1 say to yourself3 ,this body 
was pierced with nails2 this body which 
was scourged1 death did not destroy2    

this body was nailed to a cross1 at     
which spectacle the sun withdrew its    
rays2 this body the ,magi venerated1 c4 
,the saint inveighs against several     
superstitious practices of that age1    
,hom4 #ab4 ,his discourses are animated 
and strong on the characters of         
fraternal charity1 and against avarice1 
envy1 c4  ,the thirty homilies1 ,on the 
,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians1   
7t4 #aj1 p4 #dag17 were also preached at
 ,antioch3 for he speaks of             
,constantinople as at a distance1 7,hom4
 #bf17 which passage ,sir ,henry        
,saville has mistaken1 as ,montfaucon   
clearly shows4 ,this commentary is      
inferior to the last1 though not in     
elegance1 yet in fire1 the moral        
instructions being shorter4 ,the saint  
mentions several of the ceremonies used 
still at mass1 or in the public office  
of the church4 ,hom4 #ah1 p4 #efh4 ,hom4
 #cj1 p4 #fej4 ,on visiting the shrines 
of martyrs1 he says1 ,hom4 #bf1 p4 #fbi1
 ,the tombs of those who served the     

crucified ,christ surpass in splendor   
the courts of kings4 ,even he who wears 
purple visits and devoutly kisses them1 
and standing suppliant1 prays the saint 
to be a protection to him before ,god4  
,he adds that emperors sue for their    
patronage1 and count it an honor to be  
porters to them in their graves4 ,by    
this he alludes to the burial of        
,constantine the ,great in the porch of 
the church of the apostles4 ,he proves1 
,hom4 #c1 p4 #dda1 and ,hom4 #ad1 p4    
#ecg1 that the essence of repentance    
consists in a change of the heart3 that 
without an amendment of life1 penance is
 only a mask and a shadow1 what fasts or
 other works soever attend it1 and that 
it must be founded not barely in the    
fear of hell1 but in the love of so good
 and loving a ,god4 ,he teaches1 ,hom4  
#aj1 p4 #eje1 that a ,christian ought to
 rejoice at the approaches of death4 ,he
 speaks in many places on the precept of
 alms-deeds with great vehemence4 ,he   
says1 ,hom4 #af1 that to be animated    

with a spirit of charity and compassion 
is something greater than to raise the  
dead to life3 our alms must be liberal1 
plentiful1 voluntary1 and given with    
joy4 ,he says1 ,hom4 #ai1 that ,christ  
stripped himself of his immense glory   
and riches for love of us2 yet men      
refuse him a morsel of bread4 ,they     
throw away on dogs1 and what is         
superfluous among servants1 that which  
,christ wants in his members1 to whom   
all strictly belongs whatever we enjoy  
beyond what is necessary for life4 ,he  
enters into a severe and elegant detail 
of these superfluities1 ,hom4 #ai1 p4   
#egj4 ,the apostle1 as he observes1     
7,hom4 #bj1 p4 #egg17 justly calls alms 
a seed1 because it is not lost1 but     
sown1 and produces a most plentiful     
harvest4  ,his commentary ,on the       
,epistle to the ,galatians 7t4 #aj7 is  
an accurate interpretation of the text1 
with frequent remarks against the       
,anomoeans1 ,marcionites1 and           
,manichees1 but very sparing in moral   

exhortations3 these the saint probably  
added in the pulpit1 and gave to the    
work the form of discourses2 for it     
appears to have been delivered in       
homilies to the people1 though it is not
 now divided into discourses4 ,it was   
certainly compiled at ,antioch4  ,the   
twenty-four homilies ,on the ,epistle to
 the ,ephesians 7t4 #aa7 were preached  
at ,antioch2 and though some passages   
might have received a higher polish from
 a second touch of the saint's masterly 
file1 are a most useful and excellent   
work4 ,from ,hom4 #c1 p4 #af1 it #bga is
 clear that his predecessor ,nectarius  
had not abolished canonical public      
penances1 when he removed the public    
penitentiary2 but that this office1 as  
before the institution of such a charge1
 was exercised altogether by the bishop4
 ,for ,st4 ,chrysostom having taken     
notices that many assisted at mass who  
did not communicate1 tells them1 that   
those who were guilty of any grievous   
sin could not approach the holy table   

even on the greatest solemnity2 but that
 such persons ought to be in a course of
 penance1 and consequently not at mass  
with the rest of the faithful3 and he   
terrifies them by exaggerating the      
danger and crime of delaying to do      
penance4 ,those who are not excluded by 
such an obstacle1 he exhorts strongly to
 frequent communion1 seeming desirous   
that many would communicate at every    
day's mass4 ,with a pure conscience1    
says he1 approach always2 without this  
disposition1 never4 ,in vain is the     
daily sacrifice offered2 to no purpose  
do we assist at the altar3 no one       
communicates4 ,i say not this to induce 
any one to approach unworthily1 but to  
engage all to render yourselves worthy4 
,the royal table is prepared1 the       
administering angels are present1 the   
,king himself is there waiting for you3 
yet you stand with indifference1 c4     
7,hom4 #c1 in ,ephes4 p4 #bc47 ,the     
virtues of ,st4 ,paul furnish the main  
subject of his sixth and seventh        

homilies2 in the eighth he speaks of    
that apostle's sufferings for ,christ1  
and declares1 in a kind of rapturous    
exclamation1 that he prefers his chains 
to gold and diadems1 and his company in 
prison to heaven itself4 ,he wishes he  
could make a pilgrimage to ,rome1 to see
 and kiss those chains at which the     
devils tremble1 and which the angels    
reverence1 while they venerate the hands
 which were bound with them4 ,for it is 
more desirable and more glorious to     
suffer with ,christ1 than to be honored 
with him in glory3 this is an honor     
above all others4 ,christ himself left  
heaven to meet his cross3 and ,st4 ,paul
 received more glory from his chains1   
than by being rapt up to the third      
heaven1 or by curing the sick by the    
touch of his scarfs1 c4 ,he desires to  
feast his heart by dwelling still longer
 on the chains of this apostle1 being   
himself fettered with a chain from which
 he would not be separated3 for he      
declares himself to be closer and faster

 linked to ,st4 ,paul's chains by       
desire1 than that apostle was in prison4
 ,in the like strain he speaks of the   
chains of ,st4 ,peter1 and of ,st4 ,john
 ,baptist4 ,in the next ,homily1 7#i17  
he returns in equal raptures to ,st4    
,paul in chains for ,christ2 in which   
state he calls him a spectacle of glory 
far beyond all the triumphs of emperors 
and conquerors4 ,our saint gives        
excellent instructions on the duties of 
married persons1 ,hom4 #bj2 on the      
education of children in the practice   
and spirit of obedience and piety1 ,hom4
 #ba2 and on the duties of servants1    
,hom4 #bb4  ,the eighteen homilies ,on  
the ,first ,epistle to ,timothy1 and ten
 ,on the ,second1 seem also to have been
 preached at ,antioch1 7t4 #aa1 p4      
#adf47 ,they are not equally polished1  
but contain excellent instructions      
against covetousness1 and the love of   
the world2 on alms1 on the duties of    
bishops1 and those of widows1 c42 on the
 education of children1 ,hom4 #aj1 p4   

#eif4 ,the six1 ,on the ,epistle to     
,titus1 are more elaborate3 also three  
,on the ,epistle to ,philemon1 which    
seem all to have been finished at       
,antioch4  ,in the eleventh tome we have
 also eleven sermons1 which ,st4        
,chrysostom preached at ,constantinople 
about the end of the year #cih4 ,tile   
second was spoken upon the following    
occasion1 7ib4 p4 #ccb37 ,the empress   
,eudoxia procured a solemn procession   
and translation of the relics of certain
 martyrs1 to be made from the great     
church in ,constantinople to the church 
of ,st4 ,thomas the apostle in ,drypia1 
on the sea-shore1 nine miles out of     
town4 ,the princes without any retinue1 
priests1 monks1 nuns1 ladies1 and the   
people1 attended the procession in such 
multitudes1 that from the light of the  
burning tapers which they carried in    
their hands the sea seemed as it were on
 fire4 ,the empress walked all the way  
behind1 touching the shrine and the veil
 which covered it4 ,the procession set  

out in the beginning of the night1      
passed through the market-place1 and    
arrived at ,drypia about break of day4  
,there ,st4 ,chrysostom made an         
extemporary sermon1 in which he         
described the pomp of this ceremony1    
commended the piety of the empress1 and 
proved that if the clothes1             
handkerchiefs1 and even shadow of saints
 on earth had wrought many miracles1 a  
blessing is certainly derived from their
 relics upon those who devoutly touch   
them4 ,the next day the emperor         
,arcadius1 attended by his court and    
guards1 arrived1 and the soldiers having
 laid aside their arms1 and the emperor 
his diadem1 he paid his devotions before
 the shrine4 ,after his departure ,st4  
,chrysostom preached again1 7p4 #ccf47  
,st4 ,chrysostom was removed to         
,constantinople in #cig4 ,the fifteen   
7or1 if with some editors we include the
 prologue1 sixteen7 homilies ,on the    
,epistle to the ,philippians1 7t4 #aa1  
p4 #ahi17 were preached in that capital 

of the empire4 ,the moral instructions  
turn mostly on alms and riches4 ,the    
order which prudence prescribes in the  
distribution of alms1 he explains1      
7,hom4 #a1 t4 #aa1 p4 #bja17 and        
condemns too anxious an inquiry and     
suspicion of imposture in the poor1 as  
contrary to ,christian simplicity and   
charity1 affirming that none are so     
frequently imposed upon by cheat as the 
most severe inquirers4 ,prudence and    
caution he allows to be necessary       
ingredients of alms1 in which those     
whose wants are most pressing1 or who   
are most deserving1 ought to be first   
considered4 ,hom4 #c1 p4 #bae1 he lays  
it down as a principle1 that catechumens
 who die without baptism1 and penitents 
without absolution1 are excluded heaven 
with the damned2 which we are to        
understand1 unless they were purified by
 perfect contrition joined with a desire
 of the sacrament1 as ,st4 ,ambrose1    
,st4 #bgb ,austin1 and all the fathers  
and councils declare4 ,st4 ,chrysostom  

adds1 that it is a wholesome ordinance  
of the apostles in favor of the faithful
 departed1 to commemorate them in the   
adorable mysteries3 for how is it       
possible ,god should be deaf to our     
prayers for them1 at a time when all the
 people stand with stretched forth hands
 with the priests1 in presence of the   
most adorable sacrifice8 ,but the       
catechumens are deprived of this        
comfort1 though not of all succor1 for  
alms may be given for them1 from which  
they receive some relief or mitigation  
of their pains4 ,though such not dying  
within the exterior pale of the church  
cannot be commemorated in its public    
suffrages and sacrifices2 yet if by     
desire they were interiorly its members1
 and by charity united to ,christ its   
head1 they may be benefited by private  
suffrages which particulars may offer   
for them4 ,this is the meaning of this  
holy doctor4 ,exhorting the faithful to 
live in perpetual fear of the dangers   
with which we are surrounded1 7,hom4 #h1

 in ,ephes4 t4 #aa17 he says1 ,a builder
 on the top of a house always apprehends
 the danger of falling1 and on this     
account is careful how he stands3 so    
ought we much more to fear1 how much    
soever we may be advanced in virtue4    
,the principal means always to entertain
 in our souls this saving fear1 is to   
have ,god always before our eyes1 who is
 everywhere present1 hears and sees all 
things1 and penetrates the most secret  
foldings of our hearts4 ,whether you    
eat1 go to sleep1 sit at dainty tables1 
are inclined to anger1 or any other     
passion1 or whatever else you do1       
remember always1 says he1 that ,god is  
present1 and you will never fall into   
dissolute mirth1 or be provoked to      
anger2 but will watch over yourselves in
 continual fear4 ,with great elegance he
 shows 7,hom4 #aj1 p4 #bgi17 that       
precious stones serve for no use1 are   
not so good even as common stones1 and  
that all their value is imaginary1 and  
consists barely in the mad opinion of   

men2 and he boldly censures the         
insatiable rapaciousness and unbounded  
prodigality of the rich1 in their       
sumptuous palaces1 marble pillars1 and  
splendid clothes and equipages4 ,houses 
are only intended to defend us from the 
weather1 and raiment to cover our       
nakedness4 ,all vanities he shows to be 
contrary to the designs of nature1 which
 is ever content with little4 ,in ,hom4 
#ab1 we have an excellent instruction on
 that important maxim in a spiritual    
life1 ,that we must never think how far 
we have run1 but what remains of our    
course1 as in a race a man thinks only  
on what is before him4 ,it will avail   
nothing to have begun1 unless we finish 
well our course4 ,in ,hom4 #ac1 he      
excellently explains the mystery of the 
cross1 which we bear if we study        
continually to crucify ourselves by     
self-denial4 ,we must in all places arm 
ourselves with the sign of the cross4   
,the ,exposition of the epistle to the  
,colossians1 in twelve homilies1 7t4    

#aa7 was made at ,constantinople in the 
year #cii4 ,in the second homily 7p4    
#ccc7 he says1 that a most powerful     
means to maintain in ourselves a deep   
sense of gratitude to ,god1 and to      
increase the flame of his love in our   
hearts1 is to bear always in mind his   
numberless benefits to us1 and the      
infinite evils from which he has        
mercifully delivered us4 ,in ,hom4 #h1  
p4 #cai1 he teaches1 that no disposition
 of our souls contributes more          
effectually to our sanctification1 than 
that of returning thanks to ,god under  
the severest trials of adversity1 a     
virtue little inferior to martyrdom4 ,a 
mother who1 without entertaining the    
least sentiment of complaint at the     
sickness and death of her dearest child1
 thanks ,god with perfect submission to 
his will1 will receive a recompense     
equal to that of martyrs4 ,after        
condemning the use of all superstitious 
practices for the cure of distempers1 he
 strongly exhorts mothers rather to     

suffer their children to die1 than ever 
to have recourse to such sacrilegious   
methods2 and contenting themselves with 
making the sign of the cross upon their 
sick children to answer those who       
suggested any superstitious remedy3     
,these are my only arms2 ,i am utterly a
 stranger to other methods of treating  
this distemper4 ,the tenth homily 7p4   
#cie7 contains a strong invective       
against the excessive luxury and        
immodesty of ladies in their dress1 and 
their vanity1 pride1 and extravagance4  
,the empress ,eudoxia1 who was at the   
head of these scandalous customs1 and   
the mistress of court fashions and      
vices1 could not but be highly offended 
at this zealous discourse4 ,the saint   
says1 that many ladies used vessels of  
silver for the very meanest uses1 and   
that the king of ,persia wore a golden  
beard4  ,the eleven homilies ,on the    
,first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1  
were also part of the fruit of his      
episcopal labors at ,constantinople4    

7,t4 #aa47 ,in the second he shows the  
excellency of fraternal love and        
friendship1 by which every thing is1 as 
it were1 possessed in common1 and those 
cold words mine and thine1 the seed of  
all discords1 are banished as they were 
from the primitive ,christians4 ,in the 
third1 he doubts not but perfect        
patience1 under grievous sicknesses1 may
 equal the merit of martyrdom4 ,in the  
fifth1 he speaks incomparably on the    
virtue of purity1 and against occasions 
which may kindle in the heart the       
contrary passion1 which1 with ,st4      
,paul1 he will not have so much as      
earned1 especially against the stage1   
and all assemblies where women make     
their appearance dressed out to please  
the eyes and wound the hearts of others4
 ,in ,hom4 #f1 he condemns excessive    
grief for the death of friends4 ,to     
indulge this sorrow for their sake1 he  
calls want of faith3 to grieve for our  
own sake because we are deprived of a   
comfort and support in them1 he says1   

must proceed from a want of confidence  
in ,god2 as if any friend on earth could
 be our safeguard1 but ,god alone4 ,god 
took this friend away1 because he is    
jealous of our hearts and will have us  
love him without a rival1 7p4 #dgi47 ,in
 ,hom4 #aj1 we are instructed1 that #bgc
 the best revenge we can take of an     
enemy is to forgive him1 and to bear    
injuries patiently4 ,in ,hom4 #aa1 p4   
#eje1 he gives an account1 that a       
certain lady being offended at a slave  
for a great crime1 resolved to sell him 
and his wife4 ,the latter wept bitterly2
 and a mediator1 whose good offices with
 her mistress in her behalf she         
implored1 conjured the lady in these    
words3 ,may ,christ appear to you at the
 last day in the same manner in which   
you now receive our petition4 ,which    
words so strongly affected her1 that she
 forgave the offence4 ,the night        
following ,christ appeared to her in a  
comfortable vision1 as ,st4 ,chrysostom 
was assured by herself4 ,in ,hom4 #g1   

7ib417 he shows the possibility of the  
resurrection of the flesh1 against      
infidels4  ,the five homilies ,on the   
,second ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 
were also preached at ,constantinople1  
7t4 #aa1 p4 #eaj47 ,in the second1 he   
exhorts all to make the torments of hell
 a frequent subject of their meditation1
 that they may never sin2 and to        
entertain little children often with    
some discourse on them instead of idle  
stories1 that sentiments of holy fear   
and virtue may strike deep roots in     
their tender hearts4 ,on traditions     
received by the church from the apostles
 he writes as follows3 7,hom4 #d1 in #b 
,thess4 p4 #ecb47 ,hence it is clear    
that they did not deliver all things by 
their epistles1 but communicated also   
many things without writing3 and these  
likewise deserve our assent or faith4   
,it is a tradition3 make no further     
inquiry4 ,in the same ,hom4 #d1 p4 #ecd1
 he expresses how much he trembled at   
the thought of being1 by the obligation 

of his office1 the mediator betwixt ,god
 and his people2 and declares1 that he  
ceased not most earnestly to pour forth 
his prayers for them both at home and   
abroad4 ,hom4 #d1 ib41 he severely      
reprimands those who reproach the poor  
in harsh words1 adding to the weight of 
their affliction and misery4  ,the      
thirty-four homilies ,on the ,epistle to
 the ,hebrews1 7t4 #ab1 p4 #a17 were    
compiled at ,constantinople4 ,in the    
seventh he shows1 that the evangelical  
precepts and counsels belong to all     
,christians1 not only to monks1 if we   
except the vow of perpetual virginity3  
though also men engaged in a married    
state are bound to be disentangled in   
spirit1 and to use the world as if they 
used it not4 ,hom4 #ag1 ib4 p4 #afi1 he 
explains that the sacrifice of the ,new 
,law is one1 because the same body of   
,christ is every day offered2 not one   
day one sheep1 another day a second1 c4 
7,on this sacrifice see also ,hom4 #e1  
in #a ,tim4 t4 #aa1 p4 #egg1 ,hom4 #c1  

contra ,judaeos4 t4 #a1 p4 #faa4 ,hom4  
#g1 contra ,judaeos4 t4 #a1 p4 #ffd4    
,hom4 in ,st4 ,eustath4 t4 #b1 p4 #fjf4 
,hom4 #bd1 in #a ,cor4 t4 #aj1 p4 #bac47
 ,in ,hom4 #cd1 ad ,hebr4 p4 #cac1 he   
expresses his extreme fears for the     
rigorous account which a pastor is      
obliged to give for every soul committed
 to his charge1 and cries out1 ,i wonder
 that any superior of others is saved4  
,a letter to a certain monk called      
,caesarius1 has passed under the name of
 ,st4 ,chrysostom ever since ,leontius  
and ,st4 ,john ,damascen2 and not only  
many ,protestants1 but also ,f4         
,hardouin1 7,dissert4 de ep4 ad         
,caesarium ,monachum7 ,tillemont1 7t4   
#aa1 art4 #acj1 p4 #cdj17 and ,tournely1
 7,tr4 de ,euchar4 t4 #a1 p4 #bhb1 and  
,tract4 de ,incarnat4 p4 #dhf17 are not 
unwilling to look upon it as a genuine  
work of our holy doctor4 ,but it is     
demonstrated by ,f4 ,le ,quien1 7,diss4 
#c1 in ,st4 ,joan4 ,damasc47 ,dom       
,montfaucon1 7in ,op4 ,st4 ,chrys4 t4   

#c1 p4 #gcg17 ,ceillier1 7t4 #i1 p4     
#bdi17 ,f4 ,merlin in his learned       
dissertations on this epistle1 7in      
,memoires de ,trevoux an4 #agcg1 pp4    
#beb1 #eaf1 and #iag17 and ,f4          
,stilting1 the ,bollandist1 7t4 #d1     
,sept4 ,comment4 in vitam ,st4 ,chrys4  
,sec4#hb1 p4 #fef17 that it has been    
falsely ascribed to him1 and is a       
patched work of some later ignorant     
,greek writer1 who has borrowed some    
things from the first letter of ,st4    
,chrysostom to ,olympias1 as ,stilting  
shows4 ,merlin thinks the author        
discovers himself to have been a        
,nestorian heretic4 ,at least the style 
is so opposite to that of ,st4          
,chrysostom1 both in the diction and in 
the manner of reasoning1 that the reader
 must find himself quite in another     
world1 as ,montfaucon observes4 ,the    
author's long acquaintance with this    
,caesarius seems not easily reconcilable
 with the known history of ,st4         
,chrsysostom's life4 ,this piece1       

moreover1 is too direct a confutation of
 the ,eutychian error to have been      
written before its birth3 or if it had  
made its appearance1 how could it have  
escaped all the antagonists of that     
heresy8 ,whoever the author was1 he is  
far from opposing the mystery of the    
real presence1 or that of               
transubstantiation1 in the blessed      
eucharist1 for both which he is an      
evident voucher in these words1 not to  
mention others3 ,the nature of bread and
 that of our ,lord's body are not two   
bodies1 but one body of the ,son1 which 
he introduces to make a comparison with 
the unity of ,christ's ,person in the   
,incarnation4 ,it is true1 indeed1 that 
he says the nature of bread remains in  
the sacrament3 but it is easy to show   
that by the nature of bread he means its
 external natural qualities or          
accidents4  ,among former ,latin        
translations of ,st4 ,chrysostom's      
works1 only those made by the learned   
,jesuit ,fronto-le-,duc are accurate4   

,these are retained by ,montfaucon1 who 
has given us a new version of those     
writings which ,le ,duc had not         
translated4 ,the edition of ,montfaucon 
in twelve volumes1 an4 #agah1 is of all 
others the most complete4 ,but it is    
much to be wished that he had favored us
 with a more elegant ,latin translation1
 which might bear some degree of the    
beauty of the original4 ,the ,greek     
edition1 made by ,sir ,henry ,saville at
 ,eton1 in nine volumes1 in #afab1 is   
more correct and more beautiful than    
that of the learned ,benedictin1 and    
usually preferred by those who stand in 
need of no translation4  #bgd  ,as to   
the ,french translations1 that of the   
homilies on the epistles to the ,romans1
 ,ephesians1 c41 by ,nicholas ,fontaine1
 the ,port-,royalist1 in #afic1 was     
condemned by ,harlay1 archbishop of     
,paris2 and recalled by the author1 who 
undesignedly established in it the      
,nestorian error4 ,the ,french          
translation of the homilies on ,st4     

,john1 was given us by ,abbe le ,merre3 
of those on ,genesis and the ,acts1 with
 eighty-eight chosen discourses1 by     
,abbe de ,bellegarde1 though for some   
time attributed to de ,marsilly1 and by 
others to ,sacy4 ,that of the homilies  
on ,st4 ,matthew1 ascribed by many to de
 ,marsilly1 was the work of le ,maitre  
and his brother ,sacy4 ,that of the     
homilies to the ,people of ,antioch1 was
 given to by ,abbe de ,maucroix in      
#afga4 ,that of the saint's panegyrics  
on the martyrs1 is the work of ,f4      
,durauty de ,bourecueil1 an ,oratorian1 
and made its appearance in #agce4  ,st  
,chrysostom wrote comments on the whole 
scripture1 as ,cassiodorus and ,suidas  
testify2 but of these many1 with a great
 number of sermons1 c41 are lost4       
,theophylactus1 ,a,ecumenius1 and other 
,greek commentators1 are chiefly        
abridgers of ,st4 ,chrysostom4 ,even    
,theodoret is his disciple in the       
excellent concise notes he composed on  
the sacred text4 ,nor can preachers or  

theologians choose a more useful master 
or more perfect model in interpreting   
the scripture2 but ought to join with   
him some judicious1 concise1 critical   
commentator4 ,as in reading the         
classics1 grammatical niceties have some
 advantage in settling the genuine text2
 yet if multiplied or spun out in notes1
 are extremely pernicious1 by deadening 
the student's genius and spirit1 and    
burying them in rubbish1 while they     
ought to be attentive to what will help 
them to acquire true taste1 to be       
employed on the beauties1 ease1 and     
gentleness of the style1 and on the     
greatness1 delicacy1 and truth of the   
thoughts or sentiments1 and to be       
animated by the life1 spirit1 and fire  
of an author2 so much more in the study 
of the sacred writings1 a competent     
skill in resolving grammatical and      
historical scruples in the text is of   
great use1 and sometimes necessary in   
the church3 in which1 among the fathers1
 ,origen and ,st4 ,jerom are our models4

 ,yet from the conduct of divine        
providence over the church1 and the     
example of the most holy and most       
learned among the primitive fathers1 it 
is clear1 as the learned doctor ,hare1  
bishop of ,chichester1 observes1 that   
assiduous1 humble1 and devout meditation
 on the spirit and divine precepts of   
the sacred oracles1 is the true method  
of studying them1 both for our own      
advantage1 and for that of the church4  
,herein ,st4 ,chrysostom's comments are 
our most faithful assistant and best    
model3 ,the divine majesty and          
magnificence of those writings is above 
the reach1 and beyond the power1 of all 
moral wit4 ,none but the ,spirit of ,god
 could express his glory1 and display   
either the mysteries of his grace1 or   
the oracles of his holy law4 ,and none  
but they whose hearts are disengaged    
from objects of sense1 and animated with
 the most pure affections of every      
sublime virtue1 and whose minds are     
enlightened by the beams of heavenly    

truth1 can penetrate the spirit of these
 divine writings1 and open it to us4    
,hence was ,st4 ,chrysostom qualified to
 become the interpreter of the word of  
,god1 to discover its hidden mysteries  
of love and mercy1 the perfect spirit of
 all virtues which it contains1 and the 
sacred energy or each word or least     
circumstance4  ,the most ingenious ,mr4 
,blackwall1 in his excellent            
,introduction to the ,classics1 writes  
as follows on the style of ,st4         
,chrysostom1 p4 #aci3 ,i would fain beg 
room among the classics for three       
primitive writers of the church--,st4   
,chrysostom1 ,minutius ,felix1 and      
,lactantius4 ,st4 ,chrysostom is easy   
and pleasant to new beginners2 and has  
written with a purity and eloquence     
which have been the admiration of all   
ages4 ,this wondrous man in a great     
measure possesses all the excellences of
 the most valuable ,greek and ,roman    
classics4 ,he has the invention1        
copiousness1 and perspicuity of ,cicero2

 and all the elegance and accuracy of   
composition which is admired in         
,isocrates1 with much greater variety   
and freedom4 ,according as his subject  
requires1 he has the easiness and       
sweetness of ,xenophon1 and the pathetic
 force and rapid simplicity of          
,demosthenes4 ,his judgment is          
exquisite1 his images noble1 his        
morality sensible and beautiful4 ,no man
 understands human nature to greater    
perfection1 nor has a happier power of  
persuasion4 ,he is always clear and     
intelligible upon the loftiest and      
greatest subjects1 and sublime and noble
 upon the least4 ,all that has been said
 of ,st4 ,chrysostom's works is to be   
understood only of those which are truly
 his4 ,the irregular patched            
compilations from different parts of his
 writings1 made by modern ,greeks1 may  
be compared to scraps of rich velvet1   
brocade1 and gold cloth1 which are      
clumsily sewed together with thread4    
#bge  ,,st4 ,,julian1 ,,first ,,bishop  

,,of ,,mans1 ,c4  ,,towards ,,the ,,end 
,,of ,,the ,,third ,,century4  ,,he was 
succeeded by ,st4 ,turibius4 ,his head  
is shown in the cathedral of ,mans1 but 
the most of his relics in the           
neighboring ,benedictin abbey of nuns   
called ,st4 ,julian's du ,pre1 famous   
for miracles2 though the greatest part  
of these relics was burnt1 or scattered 
in the wind by the ,huguenots1 who      
plundered the shrine of ,st4 ,julian1 in
 #aefb4 ,he was much honored in ,france1
 and many churches built during the     
,norman succession in ,england1         
especially about the reign of ,henry    
,,ii41 who was baptized in the church of
 ,st4 ,julian1 at ,mans1 bear his name3 
one in particular at ,norwich1 which the
 people by mistake imagine to have been 
dedicated under the title of the        
venerable ,juliana1 a ,benedictin nun at
 ,norwich1 who died in the odor of      
sanctity1 but never was publicly invoked
 as a saint4 ,st4 ,julian of ,mans had  
an office in the ,sarum breviary4 ,see  

,tillem4 t4 #d1 pp4 #ddh1 #gbi4 ,gal4   
,christ4 ,nov4 c4  ,,st4 ,,marius1      
,,abbot4  ,,dynamius1 patrician of the  
,gauls who is mentioned by ,st4 ,gregory
 of ,tours1 7l4 #f1 c4 #aa17 and who was
 for some time steward of the patrimony 
of the ,roman church in ,gaul1 in the   
time of ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 as    
appears by a letter of that pope to him1
 7in which he mentions that he sent him 
in a reliquary some of the filings of   
the chains of ,st4 ,peter1 and of the   
gridiron of ,st4 ,laurence17 was the    
author of the lives of ,st4 ,marius and 
of ,st4 ,maximus of ,ries4 ,from the    
fragments of the former in ,bollandus1  
we learn that he was born at ,orleans1  
became a monk1 and after some time was  
chosen abbot at ,la-,val-,benois1 in the
 diocese of ,sisteron1 in the reign of  
,gondebald1 king of ,burgundy1 who died 
in #eji4 ,st4 ,marius made a pilgrimage 
to ,st4 ,martin's1 at ,tours1 and       
another to the tomb of ,st4 ,dionysius1 
near ,paris1 where1 falling sick1 he    

dreamed that he was restored to health  
by an apparition of ,st4 ,dionysius1 and
 awaking1 found himself perfectly       
recovered4 ,st4 ,marius1 according to a 
custom received in many monasteries     
before the rule of ,st4 ,bennet1 in     
imitation of the retreat of our divine  
,redeemer1 made it a rule to live a     
recluse in a forest during the forty    
days of ,lent4 ,in one of these         
retreats1 he foresaw1 in a vision1 the  
desolation which barbarians would soon  
after spread in ,italy1 and the         
destruction of his own monastery1 which 
he foretold before his death1 in #eee4  
,the abbey of ,la-,val-,benois#a being  
demolished1 the body of the saint was   
translated to ,forcalquier1 where it is 
kept with honor in a famous collegiate  
church which bears his name1 and takes  
the title of ,concathedral with         
,sisteron4 ,st4 ,marius is called in    
,french ,st4 ,may1 or ,st4 ,mary1 in    
,spain1 ,st4 ,mere1 and ,st4 ,maire1 and
 in some places1 by mistake1 ,st4       

,marrus4 ,see fragments of his life     
compiled by ,dynamius1 extant in        
,bollandus1 with ten preliminary        
observations4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,in     
,latin ,vallis ,bodonensis4 ,baillet and
 many others call it at     present     
,beuvons1 or ,beuvoux3 but there is no  
such village4 ,bevons     indeed is the 
name of a village in ,provence1 one     
league from     ,sisteron2 but the ruins
 of the abbey ,la-,val-,benois are very 
remarkable1 in a village called ,st4    
,may1 in ,dauphine1 sixteen     leagues 
from ,sisteron1 in which diocese it is4 
,see many mistakes of     martyrologists
 and geographers concerning this saint  
and abbey     rectified by ,chatelain1  
p4 #dbd4  #bgf   ,,january ,,xxviii4    
,,saint ,,agnes1 ,v4,m4  ,a ,,second    
commemoration of ,st4 ,agnes occurs on  
this day in the ancient ,sacramentaries 
of pope ,gelasius and ,st4 ,gregory the 
,great2 as also in the true ,martyrology
 of ,bede4 ,it was perhaps the day of   
her burial1 or of a translation of her  

relics1 or of some remarkable favor     
obtained through her intercession soon  
after her death4  ,,st4 ,,cyril1        
,,patriarch ,,of ,,alexandria4  ,from   
,socrates1 ,marius ,mercator1 the       
councils1 and his works4 ,see           
,tillemont1 t4 #ad1 p4 #bgb4 ,ceillier1 
t4 #ac1 p4 #bda4  ,a4,d4 #ddd4  ,,st4   
,,cyril was raised by ,god to defend the
 faith of the ,incarnation of his ,son1 
of which mystery he is styled the       
doctor1 as ,st4 ,austin is of that of   
grace1 says ,thomassin4 ,he studied     
under his uncle ,theophilus1 and        
testifies#a that he made it his rule    
never to advance any doctrine which he  
had not learned from the ancient        
,fathers4 ,his books against ,julian the
 ,apostate show that he had read the    
profane writers4 ,he often says himself 
that he neglected human eloquence3 and  
it is to be wished that he had written  
in a clearer style1 and with greater    
purity of the ,greek tongue4 ,upon the  
death of ,theophilus1 in #dab1 he was   

raised by the people to the patriarchal 
dignity4 ,he began to exert his         
authority by causing the churches of the
 ,novatians in the city to be shut up1  
and their sacred vessels and ornaments  
to be seized2 an action censured by     
,socrates1 a favorer of those heretics2 
but we do not know the reasons and      
authority upon which he proceeded4 ,he  
next drove the ,jews out of the city1   
who were very numerous1 and enjoyed     
great privileges there from the time of 
,alexander the ,great4 ,seditions1 and  
several acts of violence committed by   
them1 excited him to this1 which        
grievously offended ,orestes the        
governor1 but was approved by the       
emperor ,theodosius3 and the ,jews never
 returned4 ,st4 ,cyril sent to conjure  
the governor by the holy gospels that he
 would consent to a reconciliation1 and 
that he would join in sincere friendship
 with him3 but his offers were rejected4
 ,this unhappy disagreement produced    
pernicious effects4 ,hypatia1 a pagan   

lady1 kept a public school of philosophy
 in the city4 ,her reputation for       
learning was so great1 that disciples   
flocked to her from all parts4 ,among   
these was the great ,synesius1 who      
afterwards submitted his works to her   
censure4 ,she was consulted by          
philosophers of the first rank on the   
most intricate points of learning1 and  
of the ,platonic philosophy in          
particular1 in which she was remarkably 
well versed4#b ,she was much respected  
and consulted by the governor1 and often
 visited him4 ,the mob1 which was       
nowhere more unruly1 or more fond of    
riots and tumults than in that populous 
city1 the second in the world for       
extent1 upon a #bgg suspicion that she  
incensed the governor against their     
bishop1 seditiously rose1 pulled her out
 of her chariot1 cut and mangled her    
flesh1 and tore her body in pieces in   
the streets1 in #dae1 to the great grief
 and scandal of all good men1 especially
 of the pious bishop4#cd ,he had imbibed

 certain prejudices from his uncle      
against the great ,st4 ,chrysostom3 but 
was prevailed on by ,st4 ,isidore of    
,pelusium1 and others1 to insert his    
name in the ,dyptics of his church1 in  
#dai3 after which1 pope ,zozimus sent   
him letters of communion4#e  ,nestorius1
 a monk and priest of ,antioch1 was made
 bishop of ,constantinople in #dbh4 ,the
 retiredness and severity of his life1  
joined with a hypocritical exterior of  
virtue1 a superficial learning1 and a   
fluency of words1 gained him some       
reputation in the world4 ,but being full
 of self conceit1 he neglected the study
 of the ,fathers1 was a man of weak     
judgment1 extremely vain1 violent1 and  
obstinate4 ,this is the character he    
bears in the history of those times1 and
 which is given him by ,socrates1 and   
also by ,theodoret1 whom he had formerly
 imposed upon by his hypocrisy4 ,marius 
,mercator informs us1 that he was no    
sooner placed in the episcopal chair1   
but he began to persecute1 with great   

fury1 the ,arians1 ,macedonians1        
,manichees1 and ,quartodecimans1 whom he
 banished out of his diocese4 ,but      
though he taught original sin1 he is    
said to have denied the necessity of    
grace2 on which account he received to  
his communion ,celestius and ,julian1   
who had been condemned by the popes     
,innocent and ,zozimus1 and banished out
 of the ,west by the emperor ,honorius1 
for ,pelagianism4 ,theodosius obliged   
them to leave ,constantinople1          
notwithstanding the protection of the   
bishop4 ,nestorius and his mercenary    
priests broached also new errors from   
the pulpit1 teaching two distinct       
persons in ,christ1 that of ,god1 and   
that of man1 only joined by a moral     
union1 by which he said the ,godhead    
dwelt in the humanity merely as in its  
temple4 ,hence he denied the            
,incarnation1 or that ,god was made man3
 and said the ,blessed ,virgin ought not
 to be styled the mother of ,god1 but of
 the man who was ,christ1 whose humanity

 was only the temple of the divinity1   
not a nature hypostatically assumed by  
the divine ,person2 though at length    
convicted by the voice of antiquity1 he 
allowed her the empty title of mother of
 ,god1 but continued to deny the        
mystery4 ,the people were shocked at    
these novelties1 and the priests1 ,st4  
,proclus1 ,eusebius1 afterwards bishop  
of ,dorylaeum1 and others1 separated    
themselves from his communion1 after    
having attempted in vain to reclaim him 
by remonstrances4 ,his homilies1        
wherever they appeared1 gave great      
offence1 and excited everywhere clamors 
against the errors and blasphemies they 
contained4 ,st4 ,cyril having read them1
 sent him a mild expostulation ob the   
subject1 but was answered with          
haughtiness and contempt4 ,pope         
,celestine1 being applied to by both    
parties1 examined his doctrine in a     
council at ,rome2 condemned it1 and     
pronounced a sentence of excommunication
 and deposition against the author1     

unless within ten days after            
notification of the sentence1 he        
publicly condemned and retracted it1    
appointing ,st4 ,cyril as his vicegerent
 in this affair1 to see that the        
sentence was put in execution4#f ,our   
saint1 together with his third and last 
summons1 sent ,nestorius twelve         
propositions with anathemas1 hence      
called anathematisms1 to be signed by   
him as a proof of his orthodoxy1 but the
 heresiarch appeared more #bgh obstinate
 than ever4 ,this occasioned the calling
 of the third general council opened at 
,ephesus1 in #dca1 by two hundred       
bishops1 with ,st4 ,cyril at their head1
 as pope ,celestine's legate and        
representative4#g ,nestorius1 though in 
the town1 and thrice cited1 refused to  
appear4 ,his heretical sermons were     
read1 and depositions received against  
him1 after which his doctrine was       
condemned1 and the sentence of          
excommunication and deposition was      
pronounced against him and notified to  

the emperor4  ,six days after1 ,john1   
patriarch of ,antioch1 arrived at       
,ephesus with forty-one oriental        
bishops2 who secretly favoring the      
person but not the errors of ,nestorius1
 of which they deemed him innocent1 had 
advanced but slowly on their journey to 
the place4 ,instead of associating with 
the council1 they assembled by          
themselves1 and presumed to             
excommunicate ,st4 ,cyril and his       
adherents4 ,both sides had recourse to  
the emperor for redress1 by whose order1
 soon after1 ,st4 ,cyril and ,nestorius 
were both arrested and confined1 but our
 saint the worst treated of the two4    
,nay1 through his antagonist's greater  
interest at court1 he was upon the point
 of being banished1 when three legates  
from pope ,celestine--,arcadius and     
,projectus1 bishops1 and ,philip1 a     
priest--arrived at ,ephesus1 which gave 
a new turn to affairs in our saint's    
favor4 ,the three new legates having    
considered what had been done under ,st4

 ,cyril1 the condemnation of ,nestorius 
was confirmed1 the saint's conduct      
approved1 and the sentence pronounced   
against him declared null and invalid4  
,thus1 matters being cleared up1 he was 
enlarged with honor4 ,the ,orientals1   
indeed1 continued their schism till     
#dcc1 when they made their peace with   
,st4 ,cyril1 condemned ,nestorius1 and  
gave a clear and orthodox exposition of 
their faith4 ,that heresiarch1 being    
banished from his see1 retired to his   
monastery in ,antioch4 ,john1 though    
formerly his friend1 yet finding him    
very perverse and obstinate in his      
heresy1 and attempting to pervert       
others1 entreated the emperor           
,theodosius to remove him4 ,he was      
therefore banished to ,oasis1 in the    
deserts of ,upper ,egypt1 on the borders
 of ,libya1 in #dca1 and died miserably 
and impenitent in his exile4 ,his sect  
remains to this day very numerous in the
 ,east4#h ,st4 ,cyril triumphed over    
this heresiarch by his meekness1        

intrepidity1 and courage2 thanking ,god 
for his sufferings1 and professing      
himself ready to spill his blood with   
joy for the gospel4#i ,he arrived at    
,alexandria on the #cjth of ,october1   
#dca1 and spent the remainder of his    
days in maintaining the faith of the    
church in its purity1 in promoting peace
 and union among the faithful1 and the  
zealous labors of his pastoral charge1  
till his glorious death in #ddd1 on the 
#bhth of ,june1 that is1 the #c;d of the
 ,egyptian month ,epiphi1 as the        
,alexandrians1 the ,copts1 and the      
,ethiopians unanimously affirm1 who1 by 
abridging his name1 call him ,kerlos1   
and give him the title of ,doctor of the
 world4 ,the ,greeks keep the #ahth of  
,january in his honor2 and have a second
 commemoration of him again on the #ith 
of ,june4#aj ,the ,roman ,martyrology   
mentions him on this day4 ,pope         
,celestine styles him1 ,the generous    
defender of the church and faith1 the   
,catholic doctor1 and an apostolical    

man4#aa  ,the extraordinary devotion of 
this holy doctor towards the holy       
sacrament appears from the zeal with    
which he frequently inculcates the      
glorious effects which it produces in   
the soul of him who worthily receives   
it1 especially in healing all his       
spiritual disorders1 strengthening him  
against temptations1#bgi subduing the   
passions1 giving life1 and making us one
 with ,christ by the most sacred union1 
not only in spirit1 but also with his   
humanity4 ,hence this father says that  
by the holy communion we are made       
concorporeal with ,christ4#ab ,the      
eminent dignity and privileges of the   
ever glorious ,virgin ,mary were        
likewise a favorite subject on which he 
often dwells4 ,in his tenth homily1#ac  
after having often repeated her title of
 ,mother of ,god1 he thus salutes her3  
,hail1 ,o ,mary1 mother of ,god1 rich   
treasure of the world1#ad               
inextinguishable lamp1 crown of         
virginity1 sceptre of the true doctrine1

 temple which cannot fall1 the residence
 of him whom no place can contain1      
,mother and ,virgin1 by whom ,he is who 
cometh ,blessed in the name of the      
,lord4 ,hail1 ,mary1 who in your virgin 
womb contained ,him who is immense and  
incomprehensible3 ,you through whom the 
whole blessed ,trinity is glorified and 
adored1 through whom the precious cross 
is honored and venerated over the whole 
world1 through whom heaven exults1 the  
angels and archangels rejoice1 the      
devils are banished1 the tempter is     
disarmed1 the creature that was fallen  
is restored to heaven1 and comes to the 
knowledge of the truth1 through whom    
holy baptism is instituted1 through whom
 is given the oil of exultation1 through
 whom churches are founded over the     
whole earth1 through whom nations are   
brought to penance4 ,and what need of   
more words8 ,through whom the only      
begotten ,son of ,god has shone the     
light to those who sat in darkness and  
in the shade of death1 c4--,what man can

 celebrate the most praiseworthy ,mary  
according to her dignity8  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,ep4 #ef1 and #ce apud ,lupum4 #b4 
,synesius1 ep4 #aec4 #c4  ,vie          
d',hypacie par l'abbe ,goujet4 ,memoires
 de ,litterature1 t4 #e4 #d4  ,it is    
very unjust in some moderns to charge   
him as conscious of so     horrible a   
crime1 which shocks human nature4 ,great
 persons are never     to be condemned  
without proofs which amount to          
conviction4 ,the     silence of         
,orestes1 and the historian ,socrates1  
both his declared     enemies1 suffices 
to acquit him4 #e4  ,we have nothing    
further of the life of this father1     
until the year     #dbh1 when his zeal  
was first exerted in defence of the     
faith against     ,nestorianism3 we     
shall introduce this period of his      
labors with some     account of the     
author of this heresy4 #f4 ,conc4 t4 #c1
 p4 #cdc4 ,liberat4 in ,breviar4 c4 #d4 
#g4 ,st4 ,leo1 ,ep4 #gb1 c4 #c4 ,conc4  
t4 #c1 p4 #fef1 #ihj4 #h4  ,they have a 

liturgy under the name of ,nestorius1   
and two others     which they pretend to
 be still more ancient4 ,see ,renaudot1 
liturg4     orient4 t4 #b1 and ,le      
,brun1 liturg4 t4 #c4 ,the former       
contains a clear     profession of      
transubstantiation and the sacrifice of 
the mass4 #i4  ,ep4 ad ,theopomp1 t4 #c4
 ,conc4 p4 #gga4 #aj4 ,smith on the     
present state of the ,greek church1 p4  
#ac4 ,thomassin ,tr4     des ,fetes1 l4 
#a1 ch4 #g4 #aa4 ,conc4 t4 #c1 p4 #ajgg4
 #ab4 ,footnote not found in text4 ,l4  
#d1 contra ,nestor1 t4 #f1 parte #a1 p4 
#aaj4 l4 #g1 de adoratione in spiritu et
 verit4 t4 #a1 p4 #bca1 c4 #aj1     in  
,joan4 t4 #a1 c4 #ac4 #ac4 ,t4 #e1 parte
 #b1 p4 #chj4 ,item ,conc4 t4 #c1 p4    
#ehc4 #ad4 ,greek3 ,keimelion tes       
oikomenes4 ,the rich furniture of the   
world4  ,,appendix  ,,on  ,,the         
,,writings ,,of ,,st4 ,,cyril  ,,of     
,,alexandria4  ,the old ,latin          
translations of the works of this father
 were extremely faulty1 before the      

edition of ,paris1 by ,john ,aubert1 in 
#afch1 in six tomes1 folio1 bound in    
seven1 which yet might be improved4     
,baluze and ,lupus have published some  
letters of this holy doctor1 which had  
escaped ,aubert and ,labbe4 ,if         
elegance1 choice of thoughts1 and beauty
 of style be wanting in his writings1   
these defects are compensated by the    
justness and precision with which he    
expresses the great truths of religion1 
especially in clearing the terms        
concerning the mystery of the           
,incarnation4 ,hence his controversial  
works are the most valuable part of his 
writings4 ,his books against ,nestorius1
 those against ,julian1 and that called 
,the ,treasure1 are the most finished   
and important4  ,his treatise ,on       
,adoration in ,spirit and ,truth1 with  
which he begins his commentary on the   
,bible1 contains1 in seventeen books1 an
 exposition of several passages of the  
,pentateuch1 or five books of ,moses1   
7though not in order17 in moral and     

allegorical interpretations4  ,in the   
thirteen books entitled ,glaphyrs1 i4e4 
profound or elegant1 the longer passages
 of the same books are explained        
allegorically of ,christ and his church4
  ,in his commentaries on ,isaiah1 and  
the twelve lesser prophets1 he gives    
both the literal and allegorical sense4 
,on the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john1 we have  
ten books entire1 and fragments of the  
seventh and eighth4 ,in the old         
editions1 the fifth1 sixth1 seventh1 and
 eighth books1 which were entirely      
wanting1 were patched up by ,clictou    
from the writings of other fathers3     
which1 for want of reading the preface1 
have been quoted by some as ,st4        
,cyril's4 ,in this great work1 the #bhj 
saint gives not only the literal and    
spiritual senses of the sacred text1 but
 likewise refutes the reigning heresies 
of that age1 especially those against   
the consubstantiality of the ,son1 as   
the ,eunomians4 ,he also answers all the
 objections of the ,manichees4 ,he is   

very clear in establishing in the holy  
sacrament of the altar the reality of   
,christ's body contained in it and the  
holy sacrifice1 teaching that the holy  
body of ,christ gives life to us when   
received1 and preserves us in it1 being 
the very body of life itself1 according 
to nature1 and containing all the virtue
 of the ,word united to it1 and being   
endued with all his efficacy by whom all
 things receive life1 and are preserved4
 7,l4 #d1 in ,joan4 p4 #cbd47 ,that we  
shall1 by tasting it1 have life in us1  
being united together with his body as  
it is with the ,word dwelling in it4    
7,ibid4 p4 #cfa47 ,that as death had    
devoured all human nature1 he who is    
life1 being in us by his flesh1 might   
overcome that tyrant4 7,ibid4 p4 #bgb47 
,christ by his flesh1 hides in us life  
and a seed of immortality1 which        
destroys in us all corruption1 7,ibid4  
p4 #cfc17 and heals our diseases1       
assuaging the law of the flesh raging in
 our members4 7ibid4 p4 #cfe47 ,in the  

tenth look he is most diffusive and     
clear on this sacrament1 extolling its  
miraculous institution1 the most exalted
 of all ,god's mysteries1 above our     
comprehension1 and the wonderful manner 
by which we are united and made one with
 him2 not by affection1 but by natural  
participation2 which he calls a mixture1
 an incorporation1 a blending together2 
for as wax melted and mingled with      
another piece of melted wax1 makes one2 
so by partaking of his precious body and
 blood1 he is united in us1 and we in   
him1 c4 7,l4 #aj1 in ,joan4 pp4 #hfb1   
#hfc1 item pp4 #cfd1 #cfe47 ,see the    
longer and clearer texts of this        
doctrine in this book itself1 and in the
 controversial writers upon that        
subject4 ,also1 in his works ,against   
,nestorius1 whom he confutes from the   
blessed eucharist1 proving ,christ's    
humanity to be the humanity of the      
divine ,person4 ,this1 says he1 ,i      
cannot but add in this place1 namely1   
that when we preach the death of the    

only begotten ,son of ,god1 that is1 of 
,jesus ,christ1 and his resurrection    
from the dead1 and confess his ascension
 into heaven1 we celebrate the unbloody 
sacrifice in the church1 and do by this 
means approach the mystical             
benedictions1 and are sanctified1 being 
made partakers of the sacred flesh and  
precious blood of ,christ1 the ,saviour 
of us all4 ,and we do not receive it as 
common flesh1 7,greek3 me genoito17 ,god
 forbid2 nor as the flesh of man who is 
sanctified and joined to the ,word by a 
unity of dignity1 or as having a divine 
habitation2 but we receive it1 as it is 
truly1 the life-giving and proper flesh 
of the ,word4 7,ep4 ad ,nestorium1 de   
,excommun4 p4 #gb1 t4 #e1 par4 #b1 and  
in ,declaratione undecimi               
,anathematismi1 t4 #f1 p4 #aef47 ,in    
this latter place he speaks of it also  
as a true sacrifice3 ,we perform in the 
churches the holy and life-giving and   
unbloody sacrifice1 believing the body  
which is placed1 and the precious blood 

to be made the very body and blood of   
the ,word1 which gives life to all      
things1 c4 ,he proves that it is only to
 be offered in ,catholic churches1 in   
the only one house of ,christ 7,l4 adv4 
,anthropomorph4 t4 #f1 p4 #chj47 ,he    
heard that some imagined that the       
mystical benediction is lost if the     
eucharist is kept to another day2 but   
says1 they are mad2 for ,christ is not  
altered1 nor his body changed4 7,t4 #f1 
p4 #cfe1 ep4 ad ,calosyrium47 ,in his   
fourth book on ,st4 ,john1 7t4 #d1 p4   
#ceh17 he as expressly confutes the     
,jewish doubt about the possibility of  
the holy sacrament1 as if he had the    
modern ,sacramentarians in view4  ,to   
refute the whole system of ,arianism1 he
 wrote the book which he called ,the    
,treasure1 which he divided into        
thirty-five titles or sections4 ,he     
answers in it all the objections of     
those heretics1 and establishes from    
scripture the divinity of the ,son of   
,god2 and from title thirty-three1 that 

of the ,holy ,ghost4  ,his book ,on the 
,holy and ,consubstantial ,trinity1     
consists of seven dialogues1 and was    
composed at the request of ,nemesm and  
,hermias4 ,this work was also written to
 prove the consubstantiality of ,christ1
 but is more obscure than the former4   
,the holy doctor added two other        
,dialogues1 the eighth and ninth1 ,on   
the ,incarnation1 against the errors of 
,nestorius1 then only known by report at
 ,alexandria4 ,he afterwards subjoined  
,scholia1 to answer certain objections2 
likewise a short book ,on the           
,incarnation1 in which he proves the    
holy ,virgin to be1 as she is called1   
the ,mother of ,god2 as ,jesus ,christ  
is at the same time both the ,son of    
,god1 and the ,son of man4 ,by his      
skirmishes with the ,arians he was      
prepared to oppose and crush the        
extravagances of ,nestorius1 broached at
 that time against the same adorable    
mystery of the ,incarnation1 of which   
,god raised our holy doctor the champion

 in his church2 for by his writings he  
both stifled the heresy of ,nestorius in
 the cradle1 and furnished posterity    
with arms against that of ,eutyches1    
says ,basil of ,seleucia4 7,t4 #d1      
,conc4 p4 #ibe47  ,st4 ,cyril composed  
at ,ephesus his three treatises ,on the 
,right ,faith1 against ,nestorius4 ,the 
first is addressed to the ,emperor      
,theodosius4 ,it contains an enumeration
 of the heresies against the            
,incarnation1 namely1 of ,cerinthus1    
,photinus1 ,apollinaris1 and ,nestorius1
 with a refutation of each1 especially  
the last4 ,the second is inscribed to   
the princesses ,pulcheria1 ,arcadia1 and
 ,marina1 the emperor's sisters1 all    
virgins1 consecrated to ,god4 ,this     
contains the proofs of the ,catholic    
faith against ,nestorius4 ,the third is 
a confutation of the heretics'          
objections against it4  ,his five books 
against ,nestorius1 are the neatest and 
best penned of his polemic writings4    
,they contain a refutation of the       

blasphemous homilies of that heresiarch1
 who yet is never #bha named in them2 by
 which circumstance they seem to have   
been written before his condemnation4   
,st4 ,cyril sent to ,nestorius twelve   
,anathematisms against his errors4 ,this
 work was read in the council of        
,ephesus1 and is entirely orthodox1 yet 
some censured it as favoring            
,apollinarism1 or as denying the        
distinction of two natures in ,christ1  
the divine and human1 after the         
,incarnation2 and the ,eutychians       
afterwards strained them in favor of    
their heresy4 ,john1 patriarch of       
,antioch1 prepossessed against ,st4     
,cyril1 pretended for some time to      
discover that error in them2 and        
persuaded ,andrew1 bishop of ,samosata1 
and the great ,theodoret of ,cyr1 to    
write against them4 ,st4 ,cyril gave in 
his clear ,explication of them to the   
council of ,ephesus1 at its desire1     
extant1 p4 #ade4  ,he also wrote1 soon  
after that synod1 two ,apologies of the 

,anathematisms2 one against ,andrew of  
,samosata1 and other ,oriental prelates1
 who through mistake were offended at   
them2 and the other1 against ,theodoret 
of ,cyr4 ,and lastly1 ,an ,apologetic   
for them to the emperor ,theodosius1 to 
remove some sinister suspicions which   
his enemies had endeavored to give that 
prince against his sentiments in that   
work4  ,the ,anthropomorphite heretics  
felt likewise the effects of ,st4       
,cyril's zeal4 ,these were certain      
ignorant monks of ,egypt1 who having    
been taught by the elders1 in order to  
help their gross minds in the continual 
practice of the presence of ,god1 to    
represent him to themselves under a     
corporeal human figure1 by which they at
 length really believed him to be not a 
pure spirit1 but corporeal1 like a man2 
because man was created to his image4   
,theophilus immediately condemned1 and  
the whole church exploded1 this         
monstrous absurdity4 ,st4 ,cyril wrote a
 letter to confute it to ,calosyrius1   

bishop of ,arsinoe1 showing that man is 
framed according to the ,divine image1  
not in his body1 for ,god being the most
 pure ,spirit1 can have no sensible     
figure1 but in being endued with reason1
 and capable of virtue4 ,in the same    
letter he rejects a second error of     
other ignorant monks1 who imagined that 
the blessed ,eucharist lost its         
consecration if kept to the following   
day4 ,he reprehends other anchorets1    
who1 upon a pretence of continual       
prayer1 did not work at certain hours of
 the day1 making it a cloak of gluttony 
and laziness4 ,the saint has left us    
another book against the                
,anthropomorphites1 in which he proves  
that man is made to ,god's image1 by    
bearing the resemblance of his sanctity1
 by grace and virtue4 ,so he says the   
angels are likewise made to his         
likeness4 ,he answers in this book      
twenty-seven dogmatical questions put to
 him by the same monks4  ,he wrote1 in  
the years #dcg and #dch1 two ,dogmatical

 ,letters 7pp4 #ea and #eb7 against     
certain propositions of ,theodorus of   
,mopsuestia1 the forerunner of          
,nestorius1 though he had died in the   
communion of the church4  ,the book on  
the ,trinity cannot be ,st4 ,cyril's2   
for it refutes the ,monothelite heresy1 
not known before the year #fbj4  ,julian
 the ,apostate1 while he was preparing  
for the ,persian war1 had1 with the     
assistance of ,maximus and his other    
impious philosophers1 published three   
books against the holy gospels1 which   
were very prejudicial to weak minds2    
though nothing was advanced in them that
 had not been said by ,celsus1 and fully
 answered by ,origen in his books       
against that philosopher1 and by        
,eusebius in his ,evangelical           
,preparation4 ,st4 ,cyril1 out of zeal1 
composed ten books against ,julian1     
which he dedicated to the emperor       
,theodosius2 and also sent to ,john of  
,antioch to show the sincerity of his   
reconciliation4 ,in this work he has    

preserved us ,julian's words1 omitting  
only his frequent repetitions and       
puerilities4 ,nor have we any thing else
 of that work of the ,apostate1 but what
 is preserved here by ,st4 ,cyril4 ,he  
begins by warning the emperor against   
bad company1 by which ,julian fell into 
such extravagant impieties4 ,in the     
first book he justifies ,moses's history
 of the world1 and proves with great    
erudition from profane history that its 
events are posterior1 and the heathen   
sages and historians younger than that  
divine lawgiver1 from whom they all     
borrowed many things4 ,in the second1 he
 compares the sacred history of the     
creation1 which ,julian had pretended to
 ridicule1 with the puerilities and     
absurdities of ,pythagoras1 ,thales1    
,plato1 c41 of whom ,julian was an      
admirer to a degree of folly4 ,in the   
third1 he vindicates the history of the 
,serpent1 and of ,adam's fall2 and      
retorts the ridiculous ,theogony of     
,hesiod1 c4 ,in the fourth1 he shows    

that ,god governs all things by himself1
 not by inferior deities1 as ,julian    
pretended1 the absurdity of which he    
sets forth3 demonstrating1 likewise1    
that things are ruled by a wise free    
providence2 not by destiny or necessity1
 which even ,porphyry and the wiser     
heathens had justly exploded1 though the
 ,apostate adopted that monstrous       
doctrine4 ,he justifies against his     
cavils the history of the ,tower of     
,babel3 and in his fifth book1 the ,ten 
,commandments2 showing in the same1 that
 ,god is not subject to jealousy1 anger1
 or other passions1 though he has an    
infinite horror of sin4 ,julian objected
 that we also adore ,god the ,son1      
consequently have two gods4 ,st4 ,cyril 
answers that he is the same ,god with   
the ,father4 ,in the sixth book he      
reports the shameful vices of ,socrates1
 ,plato1 and their other heroes of      
paganism1 in opposition to the true     
virtues of the prophets and saints4     
,julian reproached ,christ that he did  

not appear great in the world1 and only 
cured the pool1 and delivered demoniacs 
in villages2 he reprehended ,christians 
for refusing to adore the noble ensign1 
the gift of ,jupiter or ,mars2 yet1 says
 he1 you adore the wood of #bhb the     
cross1 make its sign on your forehead1  
and engrave it on the porches of your   
houses 7,greek3 ,to toutu saurou        
proskuneite tzolon1 eikonas autou       
skiagrafountes en to metopo1 kai pro ton
 opennatos eggrafontes4 ,l4 #f1 adv4    
,jul4 t4 #f1 p4 #aid47 ,to which ,st4   
,cyril answers1 7p4 #aie37 ,we glory in 
this sign of the precious cross1 since  
,christ triumphed on it2 and it is to us
 the admonition of all virtue4 ,this    
father says in another place1 7in       
,isaiam1 t4 #d1 p4 #bid37 ,the faithful 
arm and intrench themselves with the    
sign of the cross1 overthrowing and     
breaking by it the power1 and every     
assault of the devils3 for the cross is 
to us an impregnable rampart4 ,in this  
sixth book he produces the open         

acknowledgment of ,julian that the      
heathenish oracles had all ceased2 but  
this he ascribed to old age and length  
of time4 ,st4 ,cyril shows the          
extravagance of this supposition1 and   
that the true reason was1 because the   
power of the devil had been restrained  
by the coming of ,christ4 ,he mentions  
the same in his ,commentary on ,isaiah1 
7t4 #b1 p4 #eif47 ,in the seventh book1 
he proves that the great men in the true
 religion far surpassed in virtue all   
the heroes of paganism4 ,in the eighth  
and ninth1 that ,christ was foretold by 
the ancient prophets1 and that the ,old 
and ,new ,law are in substance the same4
 ,in the tenth he proves1 that not only 
,st4 ,john1 but all the ,evangelists1   
teach ,christ to be truly ,god4 ,julian 
objects1 7pp4 #ccc1 #cce1 #cci1 and     
#cej17 that we also adore the martyrs   
and their sepulchres3 ,why do you       
prostrate yourselves at the             
sepulchres8--which it is to be believed 
your ,apostles did after the death of   

their ,master1 and taught you this art  
magic1 7p4 #cci47 ,the saint answers1   
,we make an infinite difference between 
,god and the martyrs3 which he had      
before told him1 7l4 #f1 pp4 #bja and   
#bjc17 where he writes1 ,we neither call
 the martyrs gods1 nor adore them with  
divine worship2 but with affection and  
honor reverence them3 we pay them the   
highest honors1 because they contemned  
their life for the truth1 c4  ,we have  
in the second part of the fifth tome    
several ,homilies and ,letters of this  
saint4 ,it was ordained by the council  
of ,nice that the bishop of ,alexandria1
 in which city chiefly flourished the   
sciences of mathematics and astronomy1  
should at the end of every year examine 
carefully on what day the next ,easter  
was to be kept4 ,they1 by custom1       
acquainted by a circular letter other   
bishops near them1 and in particular the
 bishop of ,rome1 that he might notify  
it to all the prelates of the ,west4    
,st4 ,cyril was very exact in this duty4

 ,possevin says he saw his paschal      
discourses in the ,vatican library1 for 
every year of hie episcopacy1 namely    
thirty-one1 from the year #dad4 ,we have
 but twenty-nine printed3 those for #ddc
 and #ddd being wanting4 ,he spoke them 
to his own flock1 as well as sent them  
to other bishops2 and marks in each the 
beginning of ,lent1 the ,monday and     
,saturday in ,holy ,week1 and           
,easter-day1 counting ,lent exactly of  
forty days4 ,in these paschal homilies  
he exceedingly recommends the advantages
 of fasting2 which he shows 7,hom4 #a47 
to be the source of all virtues1 the    
image of an angelical life1 the         
extinction of lust1 and the preparation 
of a soul to heavenly communications4   
,he says1 ,if it seems at first bitter  
and laborious1 its fruits and reward    
infinitely compensate the pains2 for    
more should seem nothing for the        
purchase of virtue3 even in temporal    
things1 nothing valuable can be obtained
 without labor and cost4 ,if we are     

afraid of fasting here1 we shall fall   
into eternal flames hereafter2 an evil  
infinitely worse1 and quite intolerable4
 ,in the following homilies he extols   
the absolute necessity of this          
mortification1 to crucify in us the old 
man1 and punish past irregularities2 but
 shows it must be accompanied with alms 
and other good works4 ,in his latter    
paschal discourses1 and others extant1  
he explains the mystery of the          
,incarnation against ,nestorianism and  
other heresies4 ,the ninth homily is ,on
 the ,mystical ,supper1 or ,holy        
,banquet of the ,communion and          
,sacrifice1 in which the tremendous     
mystery is performed1 and the ,lamb of  
,god sacrificed1 7p4 #bga27 in which 7p4
 #bgb7 the ,eternal ,wisdom distributes 
his body as bread1 and his saving blood 
as wine3 the ,maker gives himself to the
 work of his own hands4 ,life bestows   
itself to be eat and drunk by men1 c4   
,at this divine table he cries out1 7p4 
#cgf17 ,i am filled with dread when ,i  

behold it4 ,i am transported cut of     
myself with astonishment when ,i        
consider it1 c4 ,he proves1 against     
,nestorianism1 7p4 #cah17 that there is 
but one ,person in ,christ1 because in  
this holy sacrament is received his true
 body and blood3 not the ,divinity      
alone1 which nobody could receive1 nor a
 pure man's body1 which could not give  
life2 but a man made the ,word of       
,god--who is ,christ1 the ,son of the   
living ,god1 one of the adorable        
,trinity4 ,he remains the priest and the
 victim3 he who offers1 and he who is   
offered4 7,greek3 ,oti autos menei      
hiereus kai lusia1 autos ho prosferon   
kai ho prosferomenos4 p4 #cgh47 ,in the 
tenth homily he pronounces an encomium  
of the blessed ,mary1 mother of ,god4   
,this was delivered at ,ephesus1 in an  
assembly of bishops1 during the council2
 for he apostrophizes that city1 and    
,st4 ,john the ,evangelist1 its         
protector4 ,in it he calls the pope the 
most holy ,celestine1 the father and    

archbishop of the whole world1 and the  
patriarch of the great city ,rome4 7,ib4
 ,encom4 in ,st4 ,mariam4 part #b1 p4   
#chd47 ,he more clearly extols the      
supreme prerogative of the church of    
,rome1 founded on the faith of ,peter2  
which church is perpetual1 impregnable  
to hell1 and confirmed beyond the danger
 of falling4 7,dial4 #d1 de ,trinit4 pp4
 #ejg1 #ejh47 ,his eleventh homily is   
,on the ,presentation1 or1 as the       
,greeks call it1 ,greek3 apantesis4 ,the
 meeting of the ,lord in the ,temple1   
and ,the ,purification of our ,lady1 in 
which he speaks of the lamp or candles  
used on that festival4 ,he has a        
pathetic ,sermon on the ,pains of #bhc  
,hell3 he paints the terrors of the last
 ,judgment in a manner which cannot fail
 to make a strong impression upon all   
who read it4 7,or4 de ,exitu animi1 et  
de secundo ,adventu47  ,the epistles    
which we have from his pen all relate to
 the public affairs of the church1 and  
principally those of ,nestorius4 ,his   

second letter to that heresiarch1 and   
his letter to the ,orientals1 were      
adopted by the general councils of      
,ephesus and ,chalcedon1 and are a rule 
of the ,catholic faith4 ,his sixteenth  
letter is placed among the canons of the
 ,greek church4 ,in it be recommends to 
the bishops of ,libya and ,pentapolis1  
the strictest scrutiny of the capacity  
and manners of those who are admitted to
 holy ,orders2 and the greatest         
solicitude and watchfulness that no one 
die without baptism1 if only a          
catechumen1 and the ,holy ,eucharist or 
,viaticum4 ,see ,beveridge4  ,,ss4      
,,thyrsus1 ,,leucius1 ,,and             
,,callinicus1 ,,mm4  ,,their ,greek and 
,latin ,acts agree that1 after suffering
 many torments1 they were put to death1 
on three different days1 at ,apollonia1 
in ,phrygia1 in the persecution of      
,decius4 ,sozomen tells us that         
,caesarius1 who had been prefect and    
consul1 built at ,constantinople a      
magnificent church under the invocation 

of ,st4 ,thyrsus1 with a portion of     
whose relics it was enriched4 ,another  
church within the city bore his name1 as
 appears from the ,menaea1 on the #adth 
of ,december4 ,in the cathedral of our  
,lady at ,sisteron1 in a church at      
,limoges1 c41 ,st4 ,thymus is one of the
 patrons4 ,many churches in ,spain bear 
his name4 ,silon1 ,king of ,oviedo and  
,asturia1 in a letter to ,cyxilas1      
archbishop of ,toledo in #ggg1 says that
 the queen had sent presents to the     
church of ,st4 ,thyrsus1 which the      
archbishop had built1 viz4 a silver     
chalice and paten1 a basin to wash the  
hands in1 with a pipe and a diadem on   
the cover1 to be used when the blood of 
our ,lord was distributed to the people4
  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,cum suo naso4 ,du   
,cange1 not understanding this word1    
substitutes     vaso4 ,but nasus here   
signifies a silver pipe or quill to suck
 up the     blood of ,christ at the     
communion1 such as the pope sometimes   
uses4     ,such a one is kept at ,st4   

,denys's1 near ,paris4 ,the ancient     
,ordo     ,romanus calls that pugillar  
which is here called nasus1 because it  
sucks up as a nose draws up air4 ,in the
 reign of ,philip ,,ii41 in     #aeie1  
in certain ruins near the cathedral of  
,toledo1 this cover of     the chalice  
was discovered with the diadem4         
,chatelain1 p4 #ddj4  ,,st4 ,,john ,,of 
,,reomay1 ,a4  ,,now ,,called           
,,moutier-,,saint-,,jean1 ,,in          
,,burgundy  ,,he was a native of the    
diocese of ,langres1 and took the       
monastic habit at ,lerins4 ,he was      
called into his own country by the      
bishop of ,langres to found the abbey   
from which he received his surname4 ,he 
settled it under the rule of ,st4       
,macarius1 governed it many years with  
great reputation of sanctity1 and was   
rendered famous by miracles4 ,he went to
 ,god about the year #edj1 being almost 
one hundred and twenty years old1 and   
was one of the holy institutors of the  
monastic state in ,france4 ,st4 ,gregory

 of ,tours gives an account of him in   
the eighty-seventh chapter of his book1 
,on the ,glory of ,confessors4 ,his life
 was also compiled by ,jonas1 the       
disciple of ,columban1 extant in        
,bollandus4 ,see ,p4 ,rover1 ,hist4     
,monast4 ,s4 ,joan4 ,reom4 ,paris1      
#afcg4  #bhd  ,b4 ,,margaret1 ,,princess
 ,,of ,,hungary1 ,v4  ,,she was daughter
 to ,bala ,,iv41 the pious king of      
,hungary4 ,her parents consecrated her  
to ,god by a vow before her birth1 and  
when but three years and a half old she 
was placed in the monastery of          
,dominican nuns at ,vesprin1 and at ten 
removed to a new nunnery of that order1 
founded by her father in an isle of the 
,danube1 near ,buda1 called from her the
 isle of ,st4 ,margaret4 ,she was       
professed at twelve4#a ,in her tender   
age she outstripped the most advanced in
 devotion1 and was favored with         
extraordinary communications from       
heaven4 ,it was her delight to serve    
everybody1 and to practise every kind of

 humiliation3 she never spoke of        
herself1 as if she was beneath all      
notice3 never loved to see her royal    
parents1 or to speak of them1 saying it 
was her misfortune that she was not of  
poor parentage4 ,her mortifications were
 excessive4 ,she endeavored to conceal  
her sicknesses for fear of being        
dispensed with or shown any indulgence  
in the rule4 ,from her infancy she      
conceived the most ardent devotion      
towards her crucified ,redeemer1 and    
kissed very often1 both by day and      
night1 a little cross made of the wood  
of our ,saviour's cross1 which she      
always carried about her4 ,she commonly 
chose to pray before the altar of the   
cross4 ,her affection for the name of   
,jesus made her have it very frequently 
in her mouth1 which she repeated with   
incredible inward feeling and sweetness4
 ,her devotion to ,christ in the blessed
 sacrament was most remarkable3 she     
often wept abundantly1 or appeared in   
ecstasies during the mass1 and much more

 when she herself received the divine   
spouse of her soul3 on the eve she took 
nothing but bread and water1 and watched
 the night in prayer4 ,on the day itself
 she remained in prayer and fasting till
 evening1 and then took a small         
refection4 ,she showed a sensible joy in
 her countenance when she heard any     
festival of our ,lady announced1 through
 devotion to the mother of ,god2 she    
performed on them1 and during the       
octaves1 one thousand salutations each  
day1 prostrating herself on the ground  
at each1 besides saying the office of   
our blessed ,lady every day4 ,if any one
 seemed offended at her1 she fell at    
their feet and begged their pardon4 ,she
 was always the first in obedience1 and 
was afraid to be excepted if others were
 enjoined penance for a breach of       
silence or any other fault4 ,her bed was
 a coarse skin1 laid on the bare floor1 
with a stone for her pillow4 ,she was   
favored with the gift of miracles and   
prophecy4 ,she gave up her pure soul to 

,god1 after a short illness1 on the     
#ahth of ,january1 in the year #abga1   
and of her age the twenty-eighth4 ,her  
body is preserved at ,presbourg4 ,see   
her life by ,guerinus1 a ,dominican1 by 
order of his general1 in #acdj3 and an  
abridgment of the same by ,ranzano4 ,she
 was never canonized1 but is honored    
with an office in all the churches in   
,hungary1 especially those of the       
,dominicans in that kingdom1 by virtue  
of a decree of ,pope ,pius ,,ii1 as     
,touron assures us4#b  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,touron1 ,vies des ,hommes ,illustres de
 l',ordre de ,st4 ,dominique1 in        
,humbert des ,romains1 fifth general of 
the ,dominicans1 t4 #a1 p4 #cbe4 #b4    
,touron1 ib4 in ,innocent ,v4 t4 #a1 p4 
#chd4  ,,st4 ,,paulinus1 ,,patriarch    
,,of ,,aquileia1 ,c4  ,,one of the most 
illustrious and most holy prelates of   
the eighth and ninth centuries was      
,paulinus1 patriarch of ,aquileia1 who  
seems to have been born #bhe about the  
year #gbh1 in a country farm1 not far   

from ,friuli4 ,his family could boast of
 no advantages of fortune1 and his      
parents having no other revenue than    
what arose from the tillage of their    
farm1 he spent part of his youth in     
agriculture4 ,yet he found leisure for  
his studios1 and in process of time     
became so eminent a grammarian and      
professor1 that ,charlemagne honored him
 with a rescript1 in which he styles him
 ,master of ,grammar1 and ,very         
,venerable4 ,this epithet seems to imply
 that he was then priest4 ,the same     
prince1 in recompense of his            
extraordinary merit1 bestowed on him an 
estate in his own country4 ,it seems to 
have been about the year #ggf1 that     
,paulinus was promoted1 against his     
will1 to the patriarchate of ,aquileia1 
which dignity had not then been long    
annexed to that see1 after the          
extinction of the schism of ,istria4    
,from the zeal1 abilities1 and piety of 
,st4 ,paulinus1 this church derived its 
greatest lustre4 ,such was his          

reputation1 that ,charlemagne always    
expressed a particular desire that he   
should be present at all the great      
councils which were assembled in his    
time1 though in the remotest part of his
 dominions4 ,he assisted at those of    
,aix-la-,chapelle in #ghi1 of ,ratisbon 
in #gib1 and of ,frankfort in #gid2 and 
held himself one at ,friuli1 in #gia1 or
 #gif1 against the errors which some had
 begun to spread in that age concerning 
the ,procession of the ,holy ,ghost1 and
 the mystery of the ,incarnation4       
,felix1 bishop of ,urgel in ,catalonia1 
in a letter to ,elipandus1 bishop of    
,toledo1 who had consulted him on that  
subject1 before the year #ghc1 pretended
 to prove that ,christ as man is not the
 natural1 but only the adoptive ,son of 
,god3 which error he had already        
advanced in his public discourses4#a    
,the rising error was vigorously opposed
 by ,beatus1 a priest and abbot1 and his
 disciple ,etherius1 who was afterwards 
bishop of ,osma4 ,soon after it was     

condemned by a council at ,narbonne1 in 
#ghh1b and by another at ,ratisbon1 in  
#gib1 while ,charlemagne kept his court 
in that city4 ,felix revoked his error  
first in this council at ,ratisbon1 and 
afterwards before pope ,leo ,,iii4 at   
,rome4#c ,yet after his return into     
,spain he continued both by letters and 
discourses to spread his heresy2 which  
was therefore again condemned in the    
great council of ,frankfort1 in #gid1 in
 which a work of our saint1 entitled    
,sacro-,syllabus1 against the same1 was 
approved1 and ordered to be sent into   
,spain1 to serve for all antidote       
against the spreading poison4#d ,from   
this book of ,st4 ,paulinus it is clear 
that ,elipandus also returned to the    
vomit4 ,alcuin returning from ,england1 
where he had stayed three years1 in     
#gic1 wrote a tender moving letter to   
,felix1 exhorting him sincerely to      
renounce his error4 ,but the unhappy    
man1 in a long answer1 endeavored to    
establish his heresy so roundly as to   

fall into downright ,nestorianism1 which
 indeed is a consequence of his         
erroneous principle4 ,for ,christ as man
 cannot be called the adoptive ,son of  
,god1 unless his human nature subsist by
 a distinct person from the divine4#e   
,by an order of ,charlemagne1 ,alcuin   
and ,st4 ,paulinus solidly confuted the 
writings of these two heresiarchs1 the  
former in seven1 our saint in three     
books4 ,alcuin wrote four other books   
against the pestilential writings of    
,elipandus1 in which he testifies that  
,felix was then at ,rome1 and converted 
to the ,catholic faith4 ,elipandus1 who 
was not a subject of ,charlemagne1 could
 not be compelled to appear before the  
councils held in his dominions1 ,toledo 
being at that time subject to the       
,moors4 ,felix1 after his relapse1      
returned to the faith with his principal
 followers in the council of            
,aix-la-,chapelle1 in #gig4f ,from that 
time he concealed his heresy1 but       
continued in secret to defend it1 and at

 his #bhf death1 in #hae1 left a written
 profession of his heresy4#g ,elipandus 
died in #hji4h  ,the zeal of ,st4       
,paulinus was not less successful in the
 conversion of infidels than in the     
extinction of this heresy4 ,burning with
 zeal for the salvation of souls1 and a 
vehement desire of laying down his life 
for ,christ1 he preached the gospel to  
the idolaters1 who had remained to that 
time obstinately attached to their      
superstition among the ,carantani in    
,carinthia and ,stiria2 in which        
provinces also ,st4 ,severinus the      
abbot1 who died in #dha1 and afterwards 
,st4 ,virgilius1 bishop of ,saltzburg1  
who died in #ghe1 planted several       
numerous churches4 ,whence a contest    
arising between ,arno1 ,st4 ,virgilius's
 successor1 and ,ursus1 the successor of
 ,paulinus1 to which see ,carinthia     
ought to be annexed1 it was settled in  
#haa1 that the churches which are       
situated on the south of the ,drave     
should be subject of the patriarchate of

 ,aquileia1 and those on the north to   
the archbishopric of ,saltzburg4#i ,the 
,avares1 a barbarous nation of ,huns1   
who were settled in part of ,pannonia1  
and were twice subdued by ,charlemagne1 
received the faith by the preaching of  
,st4 ,paulinus1 and of certain          
missionaries sent by the archbishops of 
,saltzburg4#aj ,henry1 a virtuous       
nobleman1 being appointed by            
,charlemagne ,duke of ,friuli1 and      
governor of that country which he had   
lately conquered1 ,st4 ,paulinus wrote  
for his use an excellent book ,of       
,exhortation1 in which he strongly      
invites him to aspire with his whole    
heart after ,christian perfection1 and  
lays down the most important rules on   
the practice of compunction and penance3
 on the remedies against different      
vices1 especially pride1 without which  
he shows that no sin ever was1 or will  
be committed1 this being the beginning1 
end1 and cause of all sin3#aa on an     
earnest desire and study to please ,god 

with all our strength in all our        
actions3#ab on assiduous prayer and its 
essential dispositions3 on the holy     
communion1 of the preparation to which  
after sin he shows confession and       
penance to be an essential part3#ac on  
shunning bad company1 c4 ,he closes the 
book with a most useful prayer2 and in  
the beginning promises his prayers for  
the salvation of the good duke4 ,by     
tears and prayers he ceased not to draw 
down the blessings of the divine mercy  
on the souls committed to his charge4   
,alcuin earnestly besought him as often 
as bathed in tears he offered the       
spotless victim to the divine ,majesty1 
to implore the divine mercy in his      
behalf4#ad ,in #hjb1 ,st4 ,paulinus     
assembled a council at ,altino1 a city  
near the ,adriatic sea1 which had been  
destroyed by ,attila1 and was at that   
time only a shadow of what it had been1 
though famous for a monastery1 in which 
this synod was probably held4#ae ,it is 
long since entirely decayed4 ,st4       

,paulinus closed a holy life by a happy 
death on the #aath of ,january1 in #hjd1
 as ,madrisius proves4#af ,his festival 
occurs on this day in the old missal of 
,aquileia1 and in several ,german       
,martyrologies3 but it is at present    
kept at ,aquileia1 ,friuli1 and in some 
other places1 on the #bhth of           
,january4#ag ,see the life of ,st4      
,paulinus of ,aquileia1 compiled by     
,nicoletti1 #bhg with the notes of      
,madrisius2 and far more accurately by  
,madrisius himself an ,oratorian of     
,una1 who in #agcg published at ,venice 
the works of this father in folio1      
illustrated with long notes and         
dissertations on every circumstance     
relating to the history or writings of  
our saint4 ,see also ,ceillier t4 #ah1  
p4 #bfb1 and ,bollandus ad #aa          
,januarii4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,see       
,madrisius1 ,dissert4 #d1 p4 #bad4 #b4  
,on this council see ,baluse1 additam4  
ad4 e4 #be1 l4 #f1 ,petri de     ,marca1
 de ,concord4 ,sacerd4 et4 ,imp4 #c4    

,leo ,,iii4 in ,conc4 ,rom4 #gii4 ,act4 
#b1 et ,eginard in ,annal4 c4 #d4  ,see 
,madrisius1 dissert4 #d1 p4 #bai4 #e4   
,see ,natal4 ,alex4 ,saec4 #h4 diss4 #e4
 #f4  ,alcuin1 l4 #a1 contra ,elipand4  
#g4  ,agobard1 l4 #a1 adv4 ,felicem4 n4 
#a  #e4 #h4  ,from certain false        
chronicles1 ,iamayo and ,ceillier 7in   
,st4 ,beatus4     t4 #ah1 p4 #cfd17     
relate that ,ellpandus revoked his error
 in a council     which he held at      
,toledo1 and died penitent4 ,madrisius  
shows this     circumstance to be       
uncertain1 7,diss4 #d1 in op4 ,s4       
,paulini1 p4 #bbe17     and ,nicolas    
,antony of ,seville1 in his ,bibl4      
,hisp4 l4 #f1 c4 #b1 n4 #db1     has    
proved the monuments upon which it is   
founded to be of no     authority4      
,claudius1 bishop of ,turin1 a disciple 
of ,felix of ,urgel1     renewed this   
heresy in ,italy1 and denied the        
veneration due to holy     images1 and  
was refuted by ,jonas1 bishop of        
,orleans1 and others4 #i4  ,sconleben1  

,annal4 ,austr4 and ,madrisius1 ,vit4   
,s4 ,paulini1 c4 #h4 #aj4 ,alcuin4 ep4  
#aab4 ,f4 ,inchofer1 in ,annal4 ,hungar4
 ,eccl4 ad an4 #gie4     ,madrisius1 in 
,vit4 ,st4 ,paulini1 c4 #h1 p4 #ca4 #aa4
 ,st4 ,paulin4 l1 ,exhort4 ad ,henr4    
ducem4 c4 #ai1 p4 #bi4 #ab4 ,c4 #bd1 p4 
#cd4 #ac4 ,c4 #cc1 p4 #bi4 ,see #a      
,corinth4 xi4 #bh1 ,st4 ,cypr4 ep4 #i1  
#aj1 #aa1 and     ,tract4 de ,lapsis4   
#ad4 ,alcuin1 ep4 #aac1 and ,poem4 #bad4
 #ae4 ,see ,madrisius1 ,dissert4 #f4    
#af4 ,mardis4 in ,vita ,st4 ,paulini1 c4
 #ac1 p4 #cg4 #ag4 ,besides the         
polemical and spiritual works of ,st4   
,paulinus of     ,aquileia1 mentioned   
above1 we have several poems of his     
composition3     the first contains a   
rule of faith against the ,arians1      
,nestorians1     and ,eutychians3 the   
rest are hymns or rhythms on the ,chair 
of ,st4     ,peter1 and on several other
 festivals and saints4 ,among his       
letters     the second is most          
remarkable1 in which he complains       

severely to     ,charlemagne that       
several bishops attending the court     
neglected to     reside in their        
dioceses4 ,against this abuse he quotes 
the council     of ,sardica1 which      
forbade any bishop to be absent from his
 see above     three weeks4 ,madrisius1 
p4 #ahh4  ,b4 ,,charlemagne1 ,,emperor4 
,,charlemagne1 or ,charles the ,great1  
son of king ,pepin1 was born in #gdb1   
and crowned king of ,france in #gfh2 but
 his youngest brother ,carloman reigned 
in ,austrasia till his death1 in #gga4  
,charlemagne vanquished ,hunauld1 duke  
of ,aquitaine1 and conquered the ,french
 ,gothia or ,languedoc2 subdued         
,lombardy2 conferred on pope ,adrian the
 exarchate of ,ravenna1 the duchy of    
,spoletto1 and many other dominions2    
took ,pavia1 7which had been honored    
with the residence of twenty kings17 and
 was crowned king of ,lombardy in #ggd4 
,the emir ,abderamene in ,spain1 having 
shaken off the yoke of the caliph of the
 ,saracens1 in #gcf1 and established his

 kingdom at ,cordova1 and other emirs in
 ,spain setting up independency1        
,charlemagne1 in #ggh1 marched as far as
 the ,ebro and ,saragossa1 conquered    
,barcelona1 ,gironne1 and many other    
places1 and returned triumphant4 ,his   
cousin ,roland1 who followed him with   
the rear of his army1 in his return was 
set upon in the ,pyrenean mountains by a
 troop of ,gascon robbers1 and slain2   
and is the famous hero of numberless old
 ,french romances and songs4 ,the       
,saxons having in the king's absence    
plundered his dominions upon the ,rhine1
 he flew to the ,weser1 and compelled   
them to make satisfaction4 ,thence he   
went to ,rome1 and had his infant sons  
crowned kings1 ,pepin of ,lombardy1 and 
,lewis of ,aquitaine4 ,the great revolt 
of the ,saxons1 in #ghb1 called him     
again on that side4 ,when they were     
vanquished1 and sued for pardon1 he     
declared he would no more take their    
oaths which they had so often broken1   
unless they became ,christians4         

,witikind embraced the condition1 was   
baptized with his chief followers in    
#ghe1 and being created duke of part of 
,saxony1 remained ever after faithful in
 his religion and allegiance4 ,from him 
are descended1 either directly or by    
intermarriages1 many dukes of ,bavaria1 
and the1 present houses of ,saxony1     
,brandenburg1 c41 as may be seen in the 
,german genealogists4 ,some other       
,saxons afterwards revolted1 and were   
vanquished and punished in #gid1 #gih1  
c41 so that1 through their repeated     
treachery and rebellions1 this ,saxon   
war continued at intervals for the space
 of thirty-three years4 ,thassillon1    
duke of ,bavaria1 for treasonable       
practices1 was attacked by ,charlemagne 
in #ghh1 vanquished1 and obliged to put 
on a monk's cowl to save his life3 from 
which time ,bavaria was annexed to      
,charlemagne's dominions4 ,to punish the
 ,abares for their inroads1 he crossed  
the ,inns into their territories1 sacked
 ,vienna1 and marched to the mouth of   

the ,raab1 upon the ,danube4 ,in #gid1  
he assisted at the great council of     
,frankfort1 held in his royal palace    
there4 ,he restored ,leo ,,iii4 at      
,rome1 quelled the seditions there1 and 
was crowned by him on ,christmas-day1 in
 #hjj1 emperor of ,rome and of the      
,west3 in which quality he was          
afterwards solemnly acknowledged by     
,nicephorus1 emperor of ,constantinople4
 ,thus was the western empire restored1 
which had been extinct in ,momylus      
,agustulus in the fifth century4 ,in    
#hje1 ,charlemagne quelled and conquered
 the ,sclavonians4 ,the ,danube1 #bhh   
the ,teisse1 and the ,oder on the ,east1
 and the ,ebro and the ocean on the     
,west1 were the boundaries of his vast  
dominions4 ,france1 ,germany1 ,dacia1   
,dalmatia1 ,istria1 ,italy1 and part of 
,pannonia and ,spain1 obeyed his laws4  
,it was then customary for kings not to 
reside in great cities1 but to pass the 
summer often in progresses or campaigns1
 and the winter at some country palace4 

,king ,pepin resided at ,herstal1 now   
,jopin1 in the territory of ,liege1 and 
sometimes at ,quiercy on the ,oise3     
,charlemagne often at ,frankfort or     
,aix-la-,chapelle1 which were country   
seats2 for those towns were then        
inconsiderable places3 though the latter
 had been founded by ,serenas ,granus in
 #abd1 under ,adrian4 ,it owes its      
greatness to the church built there by  
,charlemagne4  ,this prince was not less
 worthy of our admiration in the quality
 of a legislator than in that of a      
conqueror2 and in the midst of his      
marches and victories1 he gave the      
utmost attention to the wise government 
of his dominions1 and to every thing    
that could promote the happiness of his 
people1 the exaltation of the church1   
and the advancement of piety and every  
branch of sacred and useful learning4#a 
,what pains he took for the reformation 
of monasteries1 and for the sake of     
uniformity introducing in them the rule 
of ,st4 ,bennet1 appears from his       

transactions1 and several ecclesiastical
 assemblies in #ghi4 ,his zeal for the  
devout observance of the rites of the   
church is expressed in his book to      
,alcuin on that subject1 and in his     
encyclical epistle on the rites of      
baptism1#b and in various works which he
 commissioned ,alcuin and others to     
compile4 ,for the reformation of        
manners1 especially of the clergy1 he   
procured many synods to be held1 in     
which decrees were framed1 which are    
called his ,capitula4#c ,his            
,capitulars1 divided into many chapters1
 are of the same nature4 ,the best      
edition of these ,capitulars is given by
 ,baluzius1 with dissertations1 in      
#afgg1 two vols4 folio4 ,the ,carolin   
,books are a theological work1 7adopted 
by this prince1 who speaks in the first 
person17 compiled in four books1 against
 a falsified copy of the second council 
of ,nice1 sent by certain ,iconoclasts  
from ,constantinople1 on which see ,f4  
,daniel#d and ,ceillier4#e  ,there never

 was a truly great man1 who was not a   
lover and encourager of learning1 as of 
the highest improvement of the human    
mind4 ,charlemagne1 by most munificent  
largesses1 invited learned men over from
 foreign parts1 as ,alcuin1 ,peter of   
,pisa1 ,paul the deacon1 c41 found no   
greater pleasure than in conversing with
 them1 instituted an academy in his own 
palace1 and great schools at ,paris1    
,tours1 c41 assisted at literary        
disputations1 was an excellent          
historian1 and had ,st4 ,austin's book1 
,on the ,city of ,god1 laid every night 
under his pillow to read if he awaked4  
,yet ,eginhard assures us that whatever 
pains he took1 he could never learn to  
write1 because he was old when he first 
applied himself to it4 ,he was skilled  
in astronomy1 arithmetic1 music1 and    
every branch of the mathematics2        
understood the ,latin1 ,greek1 ,hebrew1 
and ,syriac1 also the ,sclavonian1 and  
several other living languages1 so as   
never to want an interpreter to converse

 with ambassadors of neighboring        
nations4 ,he meditated assiduously on   
the scriptures1 assisted at the divine  
office1 even that of midnight1 if       
possible2 had good books read to him at 
table1 and took but one meal a day1     
which he was obliged to anticipate      
before the hour of evening on fasting   
days1 that all his officers and servants
 might dine before midnight4 ,he was    
very abstemious1 had a paternal care of 
the poor in all his dominions1 and      
honored good men1 especially among the  
clergy4 ,charlemagne died ,january the  
#bhth1 in #had1 seventy-two years old1  
and was buried at ,aix-la-,chapelle4    
,the incontinence into #bhi which he    
fell in his youth1 he expiated by       
sincere repentance1 so that several     
churches in ,germany and ,france honor  
him among the saints4 ,in the university
 of ,paris1 the most constant nation of 
the ,germans1 7which was originally     
called the ,english nation1 in #abej1   
when the distinction of nations n the   

faculty of arts was there established17 
take ,charlemagne for their patron1 but 
only keep his festival since the year   
#adhj1 which is now common to the other 
three nations of ,french1 ,picards1 and 
,normans1 since #affa4f  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,see ,hardion1 ,hist4 ,universelle1 t4
 #aj4 #b4  ,apud ,mabill4 ,analect4 t4  
#a1 p4 #ba4 #c4  ,conc4 t4 #f  #g1 ed4  
,labbe4 #d4  ,hist4 de ,france in       
,charlem4 ,french edit4 in fol4 #e4     
,ceillier1 pp4 #cgf  #djj4 #f4  ,pagi   
7in ,breviario ,rom4 ,pontif4 t4 #c1 in 
,alex4 ,,iii4 p4 #hb7 proves     that   
suffrages for the soul of ,charlemagne  
were continued at     ,aix-la-,chapelle1
 till the antipope ,pascal1 at the      
desire of ,frederic     ,barbarossa1    
enshrined his remains in that city1 and 
published a     decree for his          
canonization4 ,from the time of this    
enshrining of his     remains1 he is    
honored among the saints in many        
churches in ,germany     and the ,low   
,countries1 as ,goujet 7,de ,festis     

propriis ,sanctor4 l4 #a1     c4 #e1    
quaest4 #i7 and ,bollandus 7ad #bh ,jan4
 and t4 #b1 ,febr4 ,schemate     #ai7   
show4 ,the tacit approbation of the     
popes is to be looked upon as           
equivalent to a beatification1 as       
,benedict ,,xiv4 proves 7,de ,canoniz4  
l4 #a1 c4 #i1 n4 #e1 p4 #gb47 ,molanus1 
7in ,natal4 ,,ss4 ,belg417 ,natalis     
,alexander4 7,hist4 ,saec4 #i and #aj41 
cap4 #g1 a4 #a17 and many others1       
have made the same observation4  ,,st4  
,,glastian1 ,b4,c4 ,,in ,,scotland4     
,,he was a native of the county of      
,fife1 and discharged in the same1      
during many years1 the duties of the    
episcopal character with which he was   
honored4 ,amidst the desolation which   
was spread over the whole country1 in   
the last bloody civil war between the   
,scots and ,picts1 in which the latter  
were entirely subdued1 ,st4 ,glastian   
was the comforter1 spiritual father1 and
 most charitable protector of many      
thousands of both nations4 ,he died in  

#hcj1 at ,kinglace in ,fifeshire1 and   
was particularly honored in that        
country1 and in ,kyntire4 ,according to 
the ancient custom of that country1 his 
name is frequently written              
,mac-,glastian1 the word ,mac signifying
 son4 ,see the ,breviary of ,aberdeen2  
,king in his ,calendar1 c4   ,,january  
,,xxix4  ,,saint ,,francis ,,of ,,sales1
  ,,bishop ,,and ,,confessor4  ,from his
 writings and authentic lives1 chiefly  
that written by his nephew1 ,charles    
,augustus de ,sales3 also that by ,f4   
,goulu1 general of the ,feuillans3 that 
by ,henry de ,maupas du ,tour1 bishop of
 ,puy1 afterwards of ,evreux3 and that  
by ,madame de ,bussi-,rabutin1 nun of   
the ,visitation ,see his life1 collected
 by ,m4 ,marsoillier1 and done into     
,english by the late ,mr4 ,crathorne4   
,see also the bull of his canonization1 
and an excellent collection of his      
maxims and private actions1 compiled by 
his intimate friend and real admirer1   
,m4 ,peter ,caums1 bishop of ,bellay1 in

 his book1 entitled1 ,l',espirit de ,st4
 ,francois de ,sales1 and in his scarce 
and incomparable work under the title4  
,quel est le meilleur ,gouvernement1 le 
rigoureux ou le dour1 printed at ,paris 
without the name of the author1 #afcf4  
,though ,i find not this book in any    
catalogue of bishop ,camus's works1 the 
conformity of style1 and in several     
places the repetition of the same       
expressions which occur in the          
last-mentioned work1 seem to prove this 
to be also the production of his pen4   
,see also the excellent new edition of  
the letters of ,st4 ,francis of ,sales1 
in six volumes1 #abmo4 #ageh4  ,a4,d4   
#afbb4  ,,the parents of this saint were
 ,francis1 count of ,sales1 and ,frances
 of ,sionas4 ,the countess being with   
child1 offered her fruit to ,god with   
the most fervent prayers1 begging he    
would preserve it from the corruption of
 the world1 and rather deprive her of   
the comfort of seeing herself a mother1 
than suffer her to give birth to a child

 who should ever become his enemy by    
sin4 ,the saint was born at ,sales1     
three leagues from ,annecy1 the seat of 
that noble family2 and his mother was   
delivered of him when she was #bij but  
seven months advanced in her            
pregnancy4#a ,hence he was reared with  
difficulty1 and was so weak1 that his   
life1 during his infancy1 was often     
despaired of by physicians4 ,however1 he
 escaped the danger1 and grew robust3 he
 was very beautiful1 and the sweetness  
of his countenance won the affections of
 all who saw him3 but the meekness of   
his temper1 the pregnancy of his wit1   
his modesty1 tractableness1 and         
obedience1 were far more valuable       
qualifications4 ,the countess could     
scarce suffer the child out of her      
sight1 lest any tincture of vice might  
infect his soul4 ,her first care was to 
inspire him with the most profound      
respect for the church1 and all holy    
things2 and she had the comfort to      
observe in him a recollection and       

devotion at his prayers far above his   
age4 ,she read to him the lives of the  
saints1 adding recollections suited to  
his capacity2 and she took care to have 
him with her when she visited the poor1 
making him the distributer of her alms1 
and to do such little offices for them  
as he was able4 ,he would set by his own
 meat for their relief1 and when he had 
nothing left to bestow on them1 would   
beg for them of all his relations4 ,his 
horror of a lie1 even in his infancy1   
made him prefer any disgrace or         
chastisement to the telling of the least
 wilful untruth4  ,his mother's         
inclination for a domestic preceptor1 to
 prevent his being corrupted by wicked  
youth in colleges1 was overruled by her 
husband's persuasion of the usefulness  
of emulation for advancing children in  
their studies2 hoping his son's virtue  
and modesty would1 under ,god1 be a     
sufficient guard of his innocency4 ,he  
was accordingly sent to ,rocheville1 at 
six years of age1 and some time after to

 ,annecy4 ,an excellent memory1 a solid 
judgment1 and a good application1 could 
not fail of great progress4 ,the young  
count spent as much of his time as      
possible in private studies and lectures
 of piety1 especially that of the lives 
of saints2 and by his diligence always  
doubled or trebled his school tasks4 ,he
 showed an early inclination for the    
ecclesiastical state1 and obtained his  
father's consent1 though not without    
some reluctance1 for his receiving      
tonsure in the year #aegh1 and the      
eleventh of his age4 ,he was sent       
afterwards1 under the care of a virtuous
 priest1 his preceptor1 to pursue his   
studies in ,paris2 his mother having    
first instilled into him steady         
principles of virtue1 a love of prayer1 
and a dread of sin and its occasions4   
,she often repeated to him those words  
of queen ,blanche to her son ,st4       
,louis1 king of ,france3 ,i had rather  
see you dead1 than hear you had         
committed one mortal sin4 ,on his       

arrival at ,paris1 he entered the       
,jesuits' schools1 and went through his 
rhetoric and philosophy with great      
applause4 ,in pure obedience to his     
father's orders1 he learned in the      
academy to ride1 dance1 and fence1      
whence he acquired that easy behavior   
which he retained ever after4 ,but these
 exercises1 as matters of amusement1 did
 not hinder his close application to the
 study of the ,greek and ,hebrew        
languages1 and of positive divinity1 for
 six years1 under the famous ,genebrard 
and ,maldonatus4 ,but his principal     
concern all this time was a regular     
course of piety1 by which he labored to 
sanctify himself and all his actions4   
,pious meditation1 and the study of the 
holy scripture1 were his beloved        
entertainments3 and he never failed to  
carry about him that excellent book1    
called the ,spiritual ,combat4 ,he      
sought the conversation of the virtuous1
 particularly of ,f4 ,angelus ,joyeuse1 
who1 from a duke and marshal of ,france1

 was become a ,capuchin friar4 ,the     
frequent discourses of this good man on 
the necessity of mortification1 induced 
the count to add1 to his usual          
austerities1 the wearing of a hair shirt
 three days in the week4 ,his chief     
resort during his stay at ,paris1 was to
 some churches1 that especially of      
,saint ,stephen des ,grez1 as being one 
of the most retired4 ,here1 he made #bia
 a vow of perpetual chastity1 putting   
himself under the special patronage of  
the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,god1 to purify   
his heart1 permitted a thick darkness   
insensibly to overspread his mind1 and a
 spiritual dryness and melancholy to    
overwhelm him4 ,he seemed1 from a       
perfect tranquillity and peace of mind1 
to be almost brought to the brink of    
despair4 ,seized with the greatest      
terrors1 he passed nights and days in   
tears and lamentations1 and suffered    
more than can be conceived by those who 
have not felt the severity of such      
interior conflicts4 ,the bitterness of  

his grief threw him into a deep         
jaundice2 he could neither eat1 drink1  
nor sleep4 ,his preceptor labored1 but  
all in vain1 to discover the cause of   
this disorder1 and find out a remedy4   
,at last1 ,francis1 being at prayer in  
the same church of ,st4 ,stephen1 cast  
his eyes on a picture of our ,lady3 this
 awaking his confidence in her          
intercession1 he prostrated himself on  
the ground1 and1 as unworthy to address 
the ,father of all consolation1 begged  
that she would be his advocate1 and     
procure him the grace to love ,god with 
his whole heart4 ,that very moment he   
found himself eased of his grief as of a
 heavy weight taken off his heart1 and  
his former peace and tranquillity       
restored1 which he ever after enjoyed4  
,he was now eighteen years old1 when his
 father recalled him from ,paris1 and   
sent him to ,padua1 to study the law1   
where his master was the celebrated ,guy
 ,pancirola2 this was in the year #aeed4
 ,he chose the learned and pious        

,jesuit1 ,antony ,possevin1 for his     
spiritual director2 who at the same time
 explained to him ,st4 ,thomas's ,sum1  
and they read together ,bellarmin's     
controversies4 ,his nephew1 ,augustus1  
gives us his written rule of life1 which
 he made at ,padua3 it chiefly shows his
 perpetual attention to the presence of 
,god1 his care to offer up every action 
to him1 and implore his aid at the      
beginning of each4 ,falling sick1 he was
 despaired of by the physicians1 and he 
himself expected with joy his last      
moment4 ,his preceptor1 ,deage1 who had 
ever attended him1 asked him with tears1
 what he had to order about his funeral 
and other matters4 ,nothing1 answered   
he1 cheerfully1 unless it be1 that my   
body be given to the anatomy theatre to 
be dissected2 for it will be a comfort  
to me if ,i can be of any advantage when
 dead1 having been of none while alive4 
,thus ,i may also prevent some of the   
disorders and quarrels which happen     
between the young physicians and the    

friends of the dead1 whose bodies they  
often dig up4 ,however1 he recovered2   
and by his father's orders1 being twenty
 years of age1 commenced doctor in laws1
 with great applause and pomp1 in       
presence of forty-eight doctors4 ,after 
which he travelled through ,italy to see
 the antiquities1 and visit the holy    
places there4 ,he went to ,rome by      
,ferrara1 and returned by ,loretto and  
,venice4 ,to any insult offered him on  
the road he returned only meekness2 for 
which he met with remarkable blessings  
from heaven4 ,the sight of the pompous  
remains of ancient ,rome gave him a     
feeling contempt of worldly grandeur3   
but the tombs of the martyrs drew       
everywhere tears of devotion from his   
eyes4 ,upon his return his father       
received him with great joy1 at his     
castle of ,tuille1 where he had prepared
 for him a good library of books4  ,all 
persons were charmed with the young     
count1 but none so much as the great    
,antony ,favre1 afterwards first        

president of the parliament of          
,chamberry1 and ,claudius ,cranier1 the 
learned and truly apostolic bishop of   
,geneva1 who already consulted him as an
 oracle4 ,his father had a very good    
match in view for him1 and obtained in  
his behalf1 from the duke of ,savoy1    
patents creating him counsellor of the  
parliament of ,chamberry4 ,francis      
modestly1 but very firmly1 refused both2
 yet durst not propose to his parents   
his design of receiving holy orders2 for
 the tonsure was not all absolute       
renouncing of the world4 ,at last1 he   
discovered it to his pious preceptor1   
,deage1 and begged of him to mention it 
to his father3 but this he #bib         
declined1 and used his utmost endeavors 
to dissuade the young count from such a 
resolution1 as he was the eldest son1   
and destined by the order of nature for 
another state4 ,francis answered all his
 reasonings1 but could not prevail on   
him to charge himself with the          
commission4 ,he had then recourse to a  

cousin1 ,lewis of ,sales1 a priest and  
canon of ,geneva1 who obtained the      
consent of his parents1 but not without 
the greatest difficulty4 ,his cousin    
also obtained for him from the pope1    
without his knowledge1 the provostship  
of the church of ,geneva1 then vacant3  
but the young clergyman held out a long 
time before he would accept of it4 ,at  
last he yielded1 and took possession of 
that dignity1 and was in a short time   
after promoted to holy orders by his    
diocesan1 who1 as soon as he was deacon1
 employed him in preaching4 ,his first  
sermons gained him an extraordinary     
reputation1 and were accompanied with   
incredible success4 ,he delivered the   
word of ,god with a mixture of majesty  
and modesty2 had a strong1 sweet voice1 
and an animated manner of gesture1 far  
from any affectation or vanity3 but what
 chiefly affected the hearts of his     
hearers was the humility and unction    
with which he spoke from the abundance  
of his own heart4 ,before he preached1  

he always renewed the fervor of his     
heart before ,god1 by secret sighs and  
prayer4 ,he studied as much at the foot 
of the crucifix as in books1 being      
persuaded that the essential quality of 
a preacher is to be a man of prayer4 ,he
 received the holy order of priesthood  
with extraordinary preparation and      
devotion1 and seemed filled by it with  
an apostolic spirit4 ,he every day began
 his functions by celebrating the holy  
mysteries early in the morning1 in      
which1 by his eyes and countenance of   
fire1 the inward flames of his soul     
appeared4 ,he then heard the confessions
 of all sorts of people1 and preached4  
,he was observed to decline with the    
utmost care whatever might gain him the 
applause of men1 seeking only to please 
,god1 and to advance his glory4 ,he     
chiefly resorted to cottages1 and       
country villages1 instructing an        
infinity of poor people4 ,his piety1 his
 charity to the poor1 his               
disinterestedness1 his care of the sick 

and those in prison1 endeared him to    
all3 but nothing was so moving as his   
meekness1 which no provocation was ever 
capable of disturbing4 ,he conversed    
among all as their father1 with a       
fellow-feeling of all their wants1 being
 all to all4 ,he was indeed naturally of
 a hasty and passionate temper1 as he   
himself confesses2 and we find in his   
writings a certain fire and impetuosity 
which renders it unquestionable4 ,on    
this account from his youth he made     
meekness his favorite virtue1 and by    
studying in the school of a ,god who was
 meek and humble of heart1 he learned   
that important lesson to such           
perfection1 as to convert his           
predominant passion into his            
characteristical virtue4 ,the           
,calvinists ascribed principally to his 
meekness the wonderful conversions he   
made among them4 ,they were certainly   
the most obstinate of people at that    
time1 near ,geneva2 yet ,st4 ,francis   
converted no less than seventy-two      

thousand of them4  ,before the end of   
this first year of his ministry1 in     
#aeia1 he erected at ,annecy a          
confraternity of the ,holy ,cross1 the  
associates of which were obliged to     
instruct the ignorant1 to comfort and   
exhort the sick and prisoners1 and to   
beware of all lawsuits1 which seldom    
fail to shipwreck ,christian charity4 ,a
 ,calvinistical minister took occasion  
from this institution to write against  
the honor paid by ,catholics to the     
cross4 ,francis answered him by his book
 entitled1 ,the ,standard of the ,cross4
 ,at this time1 fresh matter presented  
itself for the exercise of the saint's  
zeal4 ,the bishop of ,geneva was        
formerly lord of that city1 paying an   
acknowledgment to the duke of ,savoy4   
,while these two were disputing about   
the sovereignty1 the ,genevans expelled 
them both1 and formed themselves into a 
republic in alliance with the ,switzers2
 and their city became the centre of    
,calvinism4 #bic ,soon after1 the       

,protestant canton of ,bern seized the  
country of ,vaux1 and the republic of   
,geneva1 the dutchy of ,chablais1 with  
the bailiwicks of ,gex1 ,terni1 and     
,gaillard2 and there by violence        
established their heresy1 which from    
that time had kept quiet possession for 
sixty years4 ,the duke ,charles         
,emmanuel had recovered these           
territories1 and resolving to restore   
the ,catholic religion1 wrote in #aeid  
to the bishop of ,geneva1 to recommend  
that work to him4 ,the wise ones1       
according to this world1 regarded the   
undertaking as impracticable2 and the   
most resolute1 whether ecclesiastics or 
religious1 were terrified at its        
difficulties and dangers4 ,francis was  
the only one that offered himself for   
the work1 and was joined by none but his
 cousin-german ,lewis de ,sales4 ,the   
tears and remonstrances of his parents  
and friends to dissuade him from the    
undertaking1 made no impression on his  
courageous soul4 ,he set out with his   

cousin on the #ith of ,september1 in    
#aeid4 ,being arrived on the frontiers  
of ,chablais1 they sent back their      
horses1 the more perfectly to imitate   
the apostles4 ,on his arrival at        
,thonon1 the capital of ,chablais1      
situate on the lake of ,geneva1 he found
 in it only seven ,catholics4 ,after    
having commended the souls to ,god1 and 
earnestly implored his mercy through the
 intercession of the guardian angels1   
and tutelar saints of the country1 he   
was obliged to take up his quarters in  
the castle of ,allinges1 where the      
governor and garrison were ,catholics1  
two leagues from ,thonon1 whither he    
went every day1 visiting also the       
neighboring country4 ,the ,calvinists   
for a long time shunned him1 and some   
even attempted his life4 ,two assassins1
 hired by others1 having missed him at  
,thonon1 lay in wait to murder him on   
his return2 but a guard of soldiers had 
been sent to escort him safe1 the       
conspiracy having taken wind4 ,the saint

 obtained their pardon1 and1 overcome by
 his lenity and formed by his holy      
instructions1 they both became very     
virtuous converts4 ,all our saint's     
relations1 and many friends1 whom he    
particularly respected for their great  
virtue and prudence1 solicited him by   
the most pressing letters to abandon    
such a dangerous and fruitless          
enterprise4 ,his father1 to the most    
tender entreaties1 added his positive   
commands to him to return home1 telling 
him that all prudent persons called his 
resolution to continue his mission a    
foolish obstinacy and madness2 that he  
had already done more than was needful1 
and that his mother was dying of grief  
for his long absence1 the fear of losing
 him entirely1 and the hardships1       
atrocious slanders1 and continual alarms
 and dangers in which he lived4 ,to     
compel him to abandon this undertaking1 
the father forbade his friends to write 
any more to him1 or to send him         
necessary supplies4 ,nevertheless1 ,st4 

,francis persevered1 and at length his  
patience1 zeal1 and eminent virtue1     
wrought upon the most obdurate1 and     
insensibly wore away their prejudices4  
,his first converts were among the      
soldiers1 whom he brought over1 not only
 to the faith1 but also to an entire    
change of manners and strict virtue1    
from habits of swearing1 duelling1 and  
drunkenness4 ,he was near four years1   
however1 without any great fruit among  
the inhabitants1 till the year #aeig1   
when ,god was pleased to touch several  
of them with his grace4 ,the harvest    
daily increased both in the town and    
country so plentifully1 that a supply of
 new laborers from ,annecy was          
necessary1 and the bishop sent some     
,jesuits and ,capuchins to carry on the 
good work with ,francis and under his   
direction4 ,in #aeih the public exercise
 of the ,catholic religion was restored1
 and ,calvinism banished by the duke's  
orders over all ,chablais1 and the two  
bailiwicks of ,terni and ,gaillard4     

,though the plague raged violently at   
,thonon1 this did not hinder ,francis   
either by day or night from assisting   
the sick in their last moments2 and ,god
 preserved him from the contagion1 which
 seized and swept off several of his    
fellow-laborers4 ,it is incredible what 
fatigues and hardships he underwent in  
the course of his mission2 with what    
devotion #bid and tears he daily        
recommended the work of ,god3 with what 
invincible courage he braved the        
greatest dangers3 with what meekness and
 patience he bore all manner of affronts
 and calumnies4 ,baron ,d',avuli1 a man 
of quality1 and of great worth and      
learning1 highly esteemed among the     
,calvinists1 and at ,geneva1 being      
converted by him1 induced him to go     
thither1 to have a conference with the  
famous minister ,la ,faye4 ,the         
minister1 during the whole conference1  
was ever shifting the matter in debate1 
as he found himself embarrassed and     
pressed by his antagonist4 ,his         

disadvantage being so evident that be   
himself could read it in the countenance
 of every one present1 he broke off the 
conference by throwing out a whole      
torrent of injurious language on        
,francis1 who bore it with so much      
meekness as not to return the least     
sharp answer4 ,during the whole course  
of his ministry in these parts1 the     
violent measures1 base cowardice in     
declining all dispute1 and the shameful 
conduct of the ministers in other       
respects1 set the saint's behavior and  
his holy cause still in a more shining  
light4 ,in #aeig he was commissioned by 
pope ,clement ,,viii4 to confer with    
,theodore ,beza at ,geneva1 the most    
famous minister of the ,calvinist party1
 in order to win him back to the        
,catholic church4 ,he accordingly paid  
him four visits in that city1 gained a  
high place in that heresiarch's esteem1 
and made him often hesitate in deep     
silence and with distracted looks1      
whether he should return to the ,roman  

,catholic church or not1 wherein he     
owned from the beginning that salvation 
was attainable4 ,st4 ,francis had great 
hopes of bringing him over in a fifth   
visit1 but his private conferences had  
alarmed the ,genevans so much that they 
guarded ,beza too close for him to find 
admittance to him again1 and ,beza died 
soon after4 ',tis said1 that a little   
before death he lamented very much he   
could not see ,francis4#b ,it is        
certain1 from his first conference with 
him1 he had ever felt a violent conflict
 within himself1 between truth and duty 
on one hand1 and on the other1 the pride
 of being head of a party1 the shame of 
recanting1 inveterate habits1 and       
certain secret engagements in vice1 to  
which he continued enslaved to the last4
 ,the invincible firmness and constancy 
of the saint appeared in the recovery of
 the revenues of the curacies and other 
benefices which had been given to the   
,orders of ,st4 ,lazarus and ,st4       
,maurice2 the restoration of which1     

after many difficulties1 he effected by 
the joint authority of the pope and the 
duke of ,savoy4 ,in #aeif he celebrated 
mass on ,christmas-day in the church of 
,st4 ,hippolytus at ,thonon1 and had    
then made seven or eight hundred        
converts4 ,from this time he charged    
himself with the parish of the town1 and
 established two other ,catholic        
parishes in the country4 ,in the        
beginning of the year #aeii he had      
settled zealous clergymen in all the    
parishes of the whole territory4  ,the  
honors the saint received from the pope1
 the duke of ,savoy1 the cardinal of    
,medicis1 and all the church1 and the   
high reputation which his virtues had   
acquired him1 never made the least      
impression on his humble mind1 dead to  
all motions of pride and vanity4 ,his   
delight was with the poor3 the most     
honorable functions he left to others1  
and chose for himself the meanest and   
most laborious4 ,every one desired to   
have him for their director1 wherever he

 went3 and his extraordinary sweetness1 
in conjunction with his eminent piety1  
reclaimed as many vicious ,catholics as 
it converted heretics4 ,in #aeii1 he    
went to ,annecy to visit his diocesan1  
,granier1 who had procured him to be    
made his coadjutor4 ,the fear of        
resisting ,god1 in refusing this charge1
 when pressed upon him by the pope1 in  
conjunction with his bishop and the duke
 of ,savoy1 at last extorted his        
consent2 but the apprehension of the    
obligations annexed to the episcopacy   
was so strong that it threw him into an 
illness which had like to have cost him 
his life4 #bie ,on his recovery he set  
out for ,rome to receive his bulls1 and 
to confer with his ,holiness on matters 
relating to the missions of ,savoy4 ,he 
was highly honored by all the great men 
at ,rome1 and received of the pope the  
bulls for being consecrated bishop of   
,nicopolis2 and coadjutor of ,geneva4   
,on this occasion he made a visit of    
devotion to ,loretto1 and returned to   

,annecy before the end of the year      
#aeii4 ,here he preached the ,lent the  
year following1 and assisted his father 
during his last sickness1 heard his     
general confession1 and administered to 
him the rites of the church4 ,an illness
 he was seized with at ,annecy made him 
defer his consecration4  ,on his        
recovery he was obliged to go to ,paris1
 on affairs of his diocese1 and was     
received there by all sorts of persons  
with all the regard due to his          
extraordinary merit4 ,the king was then 
at ,fontainebleau2 but the saint was    
desired to preach the ,lent to the court
 in the chapel of the ,louvre4 ,this he 
did in a manner that charmed every one1 
and wrought innumerable wonderful       
conversions4 ,the duchesses of ,morcoeur
 and ,longueville sent him thereupon a  
purse of gold3 he admired the           
embroidery1 but gave it back1 with      
thanks to them for honoring his         
discourses with their presence and good 
example4 ,he preached a sermon against  

the pretended reformation1 to prove it  
destitute of a lawful mission2 it being 
begun at ,meaux1 by ,peter ,clark1 a    
wool-carder2 at ,paris1 by ,masson      
,riviere1 a young man called to the     
ministry by a company of laymen2 and    
elsewhere after the like manner4 ,this  
sermon converted many ,calvinists2 among
 others the countess of ,perdrieuville1 
who was one of the most obstinate       
learned ladies of the sect3 she         
consulted her ministers1 and repaired   
often to ,francis's conferences1 till   
she had openly renounced ,calvinism with
 all her numerous family4 ,the whole    
illustrious house of ,raconis followed  
her example1 and so many others1 even of
 the most inveterate of the sect1 that  
it made cardinal ,perron1 a man famous  
for controversy1 say3 ,i can confute the
 ,calvinists2 but1 to persuade and      
convert them1 you must carry them to the
 coadjutor of ,geneva4 ,henry ,,iv4 was 
charmed with his preaching1 and         
consulted him several times in matters  

relating to the direction of his        
conscience4 ,there was no project of    
piety going forward about which he was  
not advised with4 ,he promoted the      
establishment of the ,carmelite nuns in 
,france1 and the introduction of ,f4    
,berulle's congregation of the oratory4 
,the king himself earnestly endeavored  
to detain him in ,france1 by promises of
 #bj1jjj livres pension1 and the first  
vacant bishopric3 but ,francis said1    
,god had called him against his will to 
the bishopric of ,geneva1 and he thought
 it his obligation to keep it till his  
death2 that the small revenue he had    
sufficed for his maintenance1 and more  
would only be an incumbrance4 ,the king 
was astonished at his disinterestedness1
 when he understood that the bishopric  
of ,geneva1 since the revolt of that    
city1 did not yield the incumbent above 
four or five thousand livres1 that is1  
not two hundred and fifty-nine pounds1  
a-year4  ,some envious courtiers        
endeavored to give the king a suspicion 

of his being a spy4 ,the saint heard    
this accusation just as he was going    
into the pulpit2 yet he preached as     
usual without the least concern2 and    
that prince was too well convinced of   
the calumny1 by his sanctity and candor4
 ,after a nine months' stay in ,paris1  
he set out with the king's letters1#c   
and heard on the road1 that ,granier1   
bishop of ,geneva1 was dead4 ,he        
hastened to ,sales-,castle1 and as soon 
as clear of the first visits1 made a    
twenty days' retreat to prepare himself 
for his consecration4 ,he made a general
 confession1 and #bif laid down a plan  
of life1 which he ever punctually       
observed4 ,this was1 never to wear any  
silk or camlets1 or any clothes but     
woollen1 as before2 to have no paintings
 in his house but of devotions3 no      
magnificence in furniture3 never to use 
coach or litter1 but to make his visits 
on foot3 his family to consist of two   
priests1 one for his chaplain1 the other
 to take care of his temporalities and  

servants3 nothing but common meats to be
 served to his table3 to be always      
present at all feasts of devotion1 kept 
in any church in town3 his regulation   
with respect to alms was incredible1 for
 his revenues3 to go to the poor and    
sick in person3 to rise every day at    
four1 make an hour's meditation1 say    
lauds and prime1 then morning prayers   
with his family3 to read the scripture  
till seven1 then say mass1 which he did 
every day1 afterwards to apply to       
affairs till dinner1 which being over1  
he allowed an hour for conversation2 the
 rest of the afternoon he allotted to   
business and prayer4 ,after supper he   
read a pious book to his family for an  
hour1 then night prayers2 after which he
 said matins4 ,he fasted all ,fridays   
and ,saturdays1 and our ,lady's eves3 be
 privately wore a hair shirt1 and used  
the discipline1 but avoided all         
ostentatious austerities4 ,but his exact
 regularity and uniformity of life1 with
 a continued practice of internal       

self-denials1 was the best              
mortification4 ,he redoubled his fasts1 
austerities1 and prayers1 as the time of
 his consecration drew nearer4 ,this was
 performed on the #c;d of ,december1    
#afjb4 ,he immediately applied himself  
to preaching and the other functions of 
his charge4 ,he was exceedingly cautious
 in conferring holy orders4 ,he ordained
 but few1 neither was it without the    
strictest scrutiny passed upon all their
 qualifications for the priesthood4 ,he 
was very zealous1 both by word and      
example1 in promoting the instruction of
 the ignorant by explanations of the    
catechism1 on ,sundays and holidays2 and
 his example had a great influence over 
the parish-priests in this particular1  
as also over the laity1 both young and  
old4 ,he inculcated to all the making1  
every hour when the clock struck1 the   
sign of the cross1 with a fervent       
aspiration on the passion of ,christ4   
,he severely forbade the custom of      
,valentines or giving boys1 in writing1 

the names of girls to be admired and    
attended on by them2 and1 to abolish it1
 he changed it into giving billets with 
the names of certain saints for them to 
honor and imitate in a particular       
manner4 ,he performed the visitation of 
his diocese as soon as possible1        
published a new ritual1 set on foot     
ecclesiastical conferences1 and         
regulated all things2 choosing ,st4     
,charles ,borromeo for his model4       
,above all things he hated lawsuits1 and
 strictly commanded all ecclesiastics to
 avoid them1 and refer all disputes to  
arbitration4 ,he said they were such    
occasions of sins against charity1 that1
 if any one during the course of a      
lawsuit had escaped them1 that alone    
would suffice for his canonization4     
,towards the close of the visitation of 
his diocese1 he reformed several        
monasteries4 ,that of ,six appealed to  
the parliament of ,chamberry3 but our   
saint was supported there1 and carried  
his point4 ,while ,francis was at ,six1 

he heard that a valley1 three leagues   
off1 was in the utmost desolation1 by   
the tops of two mountains that had      
fallen1 and buried several villages1    
with the inhabitants and cattle4 ,he    
crawled over impassable ways to comfort 
and relieve these poor people1 who had  
neither clothes to cover1 nor cottages  
to shelter them1 nor bread to stay their
 hunger2 he mingled his tears with      
theirs1 relieved them1 and obtained from
 the duke a remission of their taxes4   
,the city of ,dijon having procured     
leave from the duke of ,savoy1 the saint
 preached the ,lent there in #afjd1 with
 wonderful fruit2 but refused the       
present offered him by the city on that 
occasion4 ,being solicited by ,henry    
,,iv4 to accept of a considerable abbey1
 the saint refused it2 alleging1 that he
 dreaded riches as much as others could 
desire them2 and that1 the less he had  
of them the less he would have to answer
 for4 ,that king #big offered to name   
him to the dignity of cardinal at the   

next promotion2 but the saint made      
answer1 that though he did not despise  
the offered dignity1 he was persuaded   
that great titles would not sit well    
upon him1 and might raise fresh         
obstacles to his salvation4 ,he was also
 thought of at ,rome as a very fit      
person to be promoted to that dignity1  
but was himself the only one who        
everywhere opposed and crossed the      
design4 ,being desired on another       
occasion by the same king to accept of a
 pension2 the saint begged his majesty  
to suffer it to remain in the hands of  
his comptroller till he should call for 
it2 which handsome refusal much         
astonished that great prince1 who could 
not forbear saying3 ,that the bishop of 
,geneva1 by the happy independence in   
which his virtue had placed him1 was as 
far above him1 as he by his royal       
dignity was above his subjects4 ,the    
saint preached the next ,lent at        
,chamberry1 at the request of the       
parliament1 which notwithstanding at    

that very time seized his temporalities 
for refusing to publish a monitory at   
its request2 the saint alleging1 that it
 was too trifling an affair1 and that   
the censures of the church were to be   
used more reservedly4 ,to the           
notification of the seizure he only     
answered obligingly1 that he thanked    
,god for teaching him by it1 that a     
bishop is to be altogether spiritual4   
,he neither desisted from preaching1 nor
 complained to the duke1 but heaped most
 favors on such as most insulted him1   
till the parliament1 being ashamed1     
granted him of their own accord a       
replevy4 ,but the great prelate found   
more delight in preaching in small      
villages than amidst such applause1     
though he everywhere met with the like  
fruit2 and he looked on the poor as the 
object of his particular care4 ,he took 
a poor dumb and deaf man into his       
family1 taught him by signs1 and by them
 received his confession4 ,his steward  
often found it difficult to provide for 

his family by reason of his great alms1 
and used to threaten to leave him4 ,the 
saint would answer3 ,you say right2 ,i  
am an incorrigible creature1 and what is
 worse1 ,i look as if ,i should long    
continue so4 ,or at other times1        
pointing to the crucifix2 ,how can we   
deny any thing to a ,god who reduced    
himself to this condition for the love  
of us6  ,pope ,paul ,v4 ordered our     
saint to be consulted about the school  
dispute between the ,dominicans and     
,jesuits on the grace of ,god1 or de    
auxiliis4 ,his opinion appears from his 
book ,on the ,love of ,god3 but he      
answered his ,holiness in favor of      
neutrality1 which he ever observed in   
school opinions2 complaining often in   
how many they occasioned the breach of  
charity1 and spent too much of their    
precious time1 which1 by being otherwise
 employed1 might be rendered more       
conducive to ,god's honor4 ,in #afji he 
went to ,bellay1 and consecrated bishop 
,john ,peter ,camus1 one of the most    

illustrious prelates of the church of   
,france1 and linked to our saint by the 
strictest bands of holy friendship4 ,he 
wrote the book entitled1 ,the ,spirit of
 ,st4 ,francis of ,sales1 consisting of 
many of his ordinary sayings and        
actions1 in which his spirit shines with
 great advantage1 discovering a         
perpetual recollection always absorbed  
in ,god1 and a constant overflowing of  
sweetness and divine love4 ,his writings
 to this day breathe the same2 every    
word distils that love and meekness with
 which his heart was filled4 ,it is this
 which makes his epistles1 which we have
 to the number of five hundred and      
twenty-nine1 in seven books1 to be an   
inestimable treasure of moving          
instructions1 suitable to all sorts of  
persons and circumstances4  ,his        
incomparable book1 the ,introduction to 
a ,devout ,life1 was originally letters 
to a lady in the world1 which1 at the   
pressing instances of many friends1 he  
formed into a book and finished1 to show

 that devotion suited ,christians in a  
secular life1 no less than in cloisters4
 ,villars1 the archbishop of ,vienna1   
wrote to him upon it3 ,your book charms1
 inflames1 and puts me in raptures1 as  
often as ,i open any part of it4 ,the   
author received #bih the like applause  
and commendations from all parts1 and it
 was immediately translated into all the
 languages of ,europe4 ,henry ,,iv4 of  
,france was extremely pleased with it2  
his queen1 ,mary of ,medicis1 sent it   
richly bound and adorned with jewels to 
,james ,i4 of ,england1 who was         
wonderfully taken with it1 and asked his
 bishops why none of them could write   
with such feeling and unction4#d ,there 
was1 however1 one religious ,order in   
which this book was much censured1 as if
 it had allowed of gallantry and        
scurrilous jests1 and approved of balls 
and comedies1 which was very far from   
the saint's doctrine4 ,a preacher of    
that ,order had the rashness and        
presumption to declaim bitterly against 

the book in a public sermon1 to cut it  
in pieces1 and bum it in the very       
pulpit4 ,the saint bore this outrage    
without the least resentment2 so        
perfectly was he dead to self-love4     
,this appears more wonderful to those   
who know how jealous authors are of     
their works1 as the offspring of their  
reason and judgment1 of which men are of
 all things the fondest4 ,his book of   
the ,love of ,god cost him much more    
reading1 study1 and meditation4 ,in it  
he paints his own soul4 ,he describes   
the feeling sentiments of divine love1  
its state of fervor1 of dryness1 of     
trials1 sufferings1 and darkness3 in    
explaining which he calls in philosophy 
to his assistance4 ,he writes on this   
sublime subject what he had learned by  
his own experience4 ,some parts of this 
book are only to be understood by those 
souls who have gone through these       
states3 yet the author has been ever    
justly admired for the performance4 ,the
 general of the ,carthusians had written

 to him upon his ,introduction1 advising
 him to write no more1 because nothing  
else could equal that book4 ,but seeing 
this1 he bade him never cease writing1  
because his latter works always         
surpassed the former2 and ,james #a4 was
 so delighted with the book1 that he    
expressed a great desire to see the     
author4 ,this being told the saint1 he  
cried out3 ,ah6 who will give me the    
wings of a dove1 and ,i will fly to the 
king1 into that great island1 formerly  
the country of saints2 but now          
overwhelmed with the darkness of error4 
,if the duke will permit me1 ,i will    
arise1 and go to that great ,ninive3 ,i 
will speak to the king1 and will        
announce to him1 with the hazard of my  
life1 the word of the ,lord4 ,in effect1
 he solicited the duke of ,savoy's      
consent1 but could never obtain it4#e   
,that jealous sovereign feared lest he  
should be drawn in to serve another     
state1 or sell to some other his right  
to ,geneva2 on which account he often   

refused him leave to go to preach in    
,france1 when invited by many cities4   
,his other works are sermons which are  
not finished as they were preached1     
except1 perhaps1 that on the ,invention 
of the ,cross4 ,we have also his        
,preparation for ,mass3 his             
,instructions for ,confessors3 a        
collection of his ,maxims1 pious        
,breathings and ,sayings1 written by the
 bishop of ,bellay2 some ,fragments1 and
 his ,entertainments to his nuns of the 
,visitation1 in which he recommends to  
them the most perfect interior          
self-denial1 a disengagement of         
affections from all things temporal1 and
 obedience4 ,the institution of that    
,order may be read in the life of ,b4   
,frances ,chantal4 ,saint ,francis      
designing his new ,order to be such1    
that all1 even the sickly and weak1     
might be admitted into it1 he chose for 
it the rule of ,st4 ,austin1 as         
commanding few extraordinary bodily     
austerities1 and would have it possess  

funds and settlements in common1 to     
prevent being carried off from the      
interior life by anxious cares about    
necessaries4 ,but then he requires from 
each person so strict a practice of     
poverty1 as to allow no one the property
 or even the long use of any thing2 and 
orders them every year to change        
chambers1 beds1 crosses1 beads1 and     
books4 ,he will have no manner of       
account to be made of birth1 wit1 or    
talents2 but only of humility2 #bii he  
obliges them only to the little office  
of our ,lady1 which all might easily    
learn to understand2 meditations1       
spiritual reading1 recollection1 and    
retreats1 abundantly compensating the   
defect4 ,all his regulations tend to    
instil a spirit of piety1 charity1      
meekness1 and simplicity4 ,he subjects  
his ,order to the bishop of each place1 
without any general4 ,pope ,paul ,v4    
approved it1 and erected the            
congregation of the ,visitation into a  
religious ,order4  ,st4 ,francis1       

finding his health decline1 and his     
affairs to multiply1 after having       
consulted cardinal ,frederic ,borromeo1 
archbishop of ,milan1 chose for his     
coadjutor in the bishopric of ,geneva1  
his brother ,john ,francis of ,sales1   
who was consecrated bishop of ,chalcedon
 at ,turin1 in #afah4 ,but the saint    
still applied himself to his functions  
as much as ever4 ,he preached the ,lent 
at ,grenoble1 in #afag1 and again in    
#afah1 with his usual conquests of      
souls2 converting many ,calvinists1 and 
among these the duke of ,lesdiguieres4  
,in #afai1 he accompanied to ,paris the 
cardinal of ,savoy1 to demand the sister
 of king ,louis ,,xiii41 ,christina of  
,france1 in marriage for the prince of  
,piedmont4 ,he preached the ,lent in    
,st4 ,andre-des-,arcs1 and had always   
such a numerous audience1 that          
cardinals1 bishops1 and princes could   
scarce find room4 ,his sermons and      
conferences1 and still more the example 
of his holy life1 and the engaging      

sweetness of his conversation1 most     
powerfully moved not only the devout1   
but also heretics1 libertines1 and      
atheists2 while his eloquence and       
learning convinced their understandings4
 ,the bishop of ,bellay tells us1 that  
he entreated the saint at ,paris not to 
preach twice every day1 morning and     
evening1 for the sake of his health4    
,st4 ,francis answered him with a smile3
 ,that it cost him much less to preach a
 sermon than to find an excuse for      
himself when invited to perform that    
function4 ,he added3 ,god has appointed 
me a pastor and a preacher3 and is not  
every one to follow his profession8 ,but
 ,i am surprised that the people in this
 great city flock so eagerly to my      
sermons3 for my tongue is slow and      
heavy1 my conceptions low1 and my       
discourses flat1 as you yourself are    
witness4 ,do you imagine1 said the      
other1 that eloquence is what they seek 
in your discourses8 ,it is enough for   
them to see you in the pulpit4 ,your    

heart speaks to them by your            
countenance1 and by your eyes1 were you 
only to say the ,our ,father with them4 
,the most common words in your mouth1   
burning with the fire of charity1 pierce
 and melt all hearts4 ,there is ,i know 
not what so extraordinary in what you   
say1 that every word is of weight1 every
 word strikes deep into the heart4 ,you 
have said every thing even when you seem
 to have said nothing4 ,you are         
possessed of a kind of eloquence which  
is of heaven3 the power of this is      
astonishing4 ,st4 ,francis1 smiling1    
turned off the discourse4#f ,the match  
being concluded1 the princess ,christina
 chose ,francis for her chief almoner1  
desiring to live always under his       
direction3 but all her entreaties could 
neither prevail on him to leave his     
diocese1 though he had a coadjutor1 nor 
to accept of a pension3 and it was only 
on these two conditions he undertook the
 charge1 always urging that nothing     
could dispense with him from residence4 

,the princess made him a present of a   
rich diamond1 by way of an investiture1 
desiring him to keep it for her sake4 ,i
 will1 said he1 unless the poor stand in
 need of it4 ,she answered1 she would   
then redeem it4 ,he said1 ,this will    
happen so often1 that ,i shall abuse    
your bounty4 ,finding it given to the   
poor afterwards at ,turin1 she gave him 
another1 richer1 charging him to keep   
that at least4 ,he said4 ,madam1 ,i     
cannot promise you3 ,i am very unfit to 
keep things of value4 ,inquiring after  
it one day1 she was told it was always  
in pawn for the poor1 and that #cjj the 
diamond belonged not to the bishop1 but 
to all the beggars of ,geneva4 ,he had  
indeed a heart which was not able to    
refuse any thing to those in want4 ,he  
often gave to beggars the waistcoat off 
his own back1 and sometimes the cruets  
of his chapel4 ,the pious cardinal1     
,henry de ,gondi1 bishop of ,paris1 used
 all manner of arguments to obtain his  
consent to be his coadjutor in the see  

of ,paris2 but he was resolved never to 
quit the church which ,god had first    
committed to his charge4  ,upon his     
return to ,annecy he would not touch a  
farthing of his revenue for the eighteen
 months he was absent2 but gave it to   
his cathedral1 saying1 it could not be  
his1 for he had not earned it4 ,he      
applied himself to preaching1           
instructing1 and hearing confessions    
with greater zeal than ever4 ,in a      
plague which raged there1 he daily      
exposed his own life to assist his      
flock4 ,the saint often met with        
injurious treatment1 and very reviling  
words1 which he ever repaid with such   
meekness and beneficence as never failed
 to gain his very enemies4 ,a lewd      
wretch1 exasperated against him for his 
zeal against a wicked harlot1 forged a  
letter of intrigue in the holy prelate's
 name1 which made him pass for a        
profligate and a hypocrite with the duke
 of ,nemours and many others3 the       
calumny reflected also on the nuns of   

the ,visitation4 ,two years after1 the  
author of it1 lying on his death-bed1   
called in witnesses1 publicly justified 
the saint1 and made an open confession  
of the slander and forgery4 ,the saint  
had ever an entire confidence in the    
divine providence1 was ever full of joy1
 and resigned to all the appointments of
 heaven1 to which he committed all      
events4 ,he had a sovereign contempt of 
all earthly things1 whether riches1     
honors1 dangers1 or sufferings4 ,he     
considered only ,god and his honor in   
all things3 his soul perpetually        
breathed nothing but his love and       
praises2 nor could he contain this fire 
within his breast1 for it discovered    
itself in his countenance2 which1       
especially while he said mass1 or       
distributed the blessed eucharist1      
appeared shining1 as it were1 with rays 
of glory1 and breathing holy fervor4    
,often he could not contain himself in  
his conversation1 and would thus express
 himself to his intimate friends3 ,did  

you but know how ,god treats my heart1  
you would thank his goodness1 and beg   
for me the strength to execute the      
inspirations which he communicates to   
me4 ,my heart is filled with an         
inexpressible desire to be forever      
sacrificed to the pure and holy love of 
my ,saviour4 ,oh6 it is good to live1 to
 labor1 to rejoice only in ,god4 ,by his
 grace ,i will forevermore be nothing to
 any creature2 nor shall any creature be
 anything to me but in him and for him4 
,at another time1 he cried out to a     
devout friend3 ,oh6 if ,i knew but one  
string of my heart which was not all    
,god's1 ,i would instantly tear it out4 
,yes2 if ,i knew that there was one     
thread in my heart which was not marked 
with the crucifix1 ,i would not keep it 
one moment4  ,in the year #afbb1 he     
received an order from the duke of      
,savoy to go to ,avignon to wait on     
,louis ,,xiii41 who had just finished   
the civil wars in ,languedoc4 ,finding  
himself indisposed1 he took his last    

leave of his friends1 saying1 he should 
see them no more2 which drew from them  
floods of tears4 ,at ,avignon he was at 
his prayers during the king's triumphant
 entry1 and never went to the window to 
see any part of that great pomp4 ,he was
 obliged to attend the king and the     
cardinal of ,savoy to ,lyons1 where he  
refused all the grand apartments offered
 him by the intendant of he province and
 others1 to lodge to the poor chamber of
 the gardener to the monastery of the   
,visitation3 as he was never better     
pleased than when he could most imitate 
the poverty of his ,saviour4 ,he        
received from the king and queen-mother1
 and from all the princes1 the greatest 
marks of honor and esteem3 and though   
indisposed1 continued to preach and     
perform all his #cja functions1         
especially on ,christmas-day1 and ,st4  
,john's in the morning4 ,after dinner he
 began to fall gradually into an        
apoplexy1 was put to bed by his servant1
 and received extreme unction2 but as he

 had said mass that day and his vomiting
 continued1 it was thought proper not to
 give him the viaticum4 ,he repeated    
with great fervor3 ,my heart and my     
flesh rejoice in the living ,god2 ,i    
will sing the mercies of the ,lord to   
all eternity4 ,when shall ,i appear     
before his face8 ,show me1 my beloved1  
where thou feedest1 where thou restest  
at noonday4 ,o my ,god1 my desire is    
before thee1 and my sighs are not hidden
 from thee4 ,my ,god and my all6 my     
desire is that of the hills eternal4    
,while the physicians applied blistering
 plasters1 and hot irons behind his     
neck1 and a caustic to the crown of his 
head1 which burned him to the bone1 he  
shed abundance of tears under excess of 
pain1 repeating3 ,wash me1 ,o ,lord1    
from my iniquities1 and cleanse me from 
my sin4 ,still cleanse me more and more4
 ,what do ,i here1 my ,god1 distant from
 thee1 separated from thee8 ,and to     
those about him3 ,weep not1 my children2
 must not the will of ,god be done8 ,one

 suggesting to him the prayer of ,st4   
,martin1 ,if ,i am still necessary for  
thy people1 ,i refuse not to labor3 he  
seemed troubled at being compared to so 
great a saint1 and said1 he was an      
unprofitable servant1 whom neither ,god 
nor his people needed4 ,his apoplexy    
increasing1 though slowly1 he seemed at 
last to lose his senses1 and happily    
expired on the feast of ,holy           
,innocents1 the #bhth of ,december1 at  
eight o'clock at night1 in the year     
#afbb1 the fifty-sixth of his age1 and  
the twentieth of his episcopacy4 ,his   
corpse was embalmed1 and carried with   
the greatest pomp to ,annecy1 where he  
had directed by will it should be       
interred4 ,it was laid in a magnificent 
tomb near the high altar in the church  
of the first monastery of the           
,visitation4 ,after his beatification by
 ,alexander ,,vii41 in #affa1 it was    
placed upon the altar in a rich silver  
shrine4 ,he was canonized in #affe by   
the same pope1 and his feast fixed to   

the #bith of ,january1 on which day his 
body was conveyed to ,annecy4 ,his heart
 was kept in a leaden case1 in the      
church of the ,visitation at ,lyons3 it 
was afterwards exposed in a silver one1 
and lastly in one of gold1 given by king
 ,louis ,,xiii4 ,many miracles1 as the  
raising to life two persons who were    
drowned1 the curing of the blind1       
paralytic1 and others1 were             
authentically attested to have been     
wrought by his relics and intercession2 
not to mention those he had performed in
 his lifetime1 especially during his    
missions4 ,pope ,alexander ,,vii41 then 
cardinal ,chigi1 and plenipotentiary in 
,germany1 ,louis ,,xiii41 ,,xiv41 and   
others1 attributed their cures in       
sickness to this saint's patronage4     
,among his ordinary remarkable sayings1 
we read that he often repeated to bishop
 ,camus1 ,that truth must be always     
charitable2 for bitter zeal does harm   
instead of good4 ,reprehensions are a   
food of hard digestion1 and ought to be 

dressed on a fire of burning charity so 
well1 that all harshness be taken off2  
otherwise1 like unripe fruit1 they will 
only produce gripings4 ,charity seeks   
not itself nor its own interests1 but   
purely the honor and interest of ,god3  
pride1 vanity1 and passion cause        
bitterness and harshness3 a remedy      
injudiciously applied may be a poison4  
,a judicious silence is always better   
than a truth spoken without charity4    
,st4 ,francis1 seeing a scandalous      
priest thrown into prison1 fell at his  
feet1 and with tears conjured him to    
have compassion on him1 his pastor1 on  
his religion1 which he scandalized1 and 
on his own soul2 which sweetness        
converted the other1 so that he became  
an example of virtue4 ,by his patience  
and meekness under all injuries1 he     
overcame the most obstinate1 and ever   
after treated them with singular        
affection1 calling them dearer friends1 
because regained4 ,a great prelate      
observes1 from his example1 that the    

meek are kings of other hearts1 which   
they powerfully attract1 and can turn as
 they please2 and in #cjb an express and
 excellent treatise1 proposes him as an 
accomplished model of all the           
qualifications requisite in a superior  
to govern well4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,meekness was the 
favorite virtue of ,st4 ,francis de     
,sales4 ,he once was heard to say1 that 
he had employed three years in studying 
it in the school of ,jesus ,christ1 and 
that his heart was still far from being 
satisfied with the progress he had made4
 ,if he1 who was meekness itself1       
imagined1 nevertheless1 that he had     
possessed so little of it2 what shall we
 say of those1 who1 upon every trifling 
occasion1 betray the bitterness of their
 hearts in angry words and actions of   
impatience and outrage8 ,our saint was  
often tried in the practice of this     
virtue1 especially when the hurry of    
business and the crowds that thronged on
 him for relief in their various        

necessities1 scarce allowed him a moment
 to breathe4 ,he has left us his        
thoughts upon this situation1 which his 
extreme affability rendered very        
frequent to him4 ,god1 says he1 makes   
use of this occasion to try whether our 
hearts are sufficiently strengthened to 
bear every attack4 ,i have myself been  
sometimes in this situation3 but ,i have
 made a covenant with my heart and with 
my tongue1 in order to confine them     
within the bounds of duty4 ,i considered
 those persons who crowd in one upon the
 other1 as children who run into the    
embraces of their father3 as the hen    
refuseth not protection to her little   
ones when they gather around her1 but1  
on the contrary1 extendeth her wings so 
as to cover them all2 my heart1 ,i      
thought1 was in like manner expanded1 in
 proportion as the numbers of these poor
 people increased4 ,the most powerful   
remedy against sudden starts of         
impatience is a sweet and amiable       
silence2 however little one speaks1     

self-love will have a share in it1 and  
some word will escape that may sour the 
heart1 and disturb its peace for a      
considerable time4 ,when nothing is     
said1 and cheerfulness preserved1 the   
storm subsides1 anger and indiscretion  
are put to flight1 and nothing remains  
but a joy1 pure and lasting4 ,the person
 who possesses ,christian meekness1 is  
affectionate and tender towards every   
one2 he is disposed to forgive and      
excuse the frailties of others2 the     
goodness of his heart appears in a sweet
 affability that influences his words   
and actions1 and presents every object  
to his view in the most charitable and  
pleasing light2 he never admits in his  
discourse any harsh expression1 much    
less any term that is haughty or rude4  
,an amiable serenity is always painted  
on his countenance1 which remarkably    
distinguishes him from those violent    
characters1 who1 with looks full of     
fury1 know only how to refuse2 or who1  
when they grant1 do it with so bad a    

grace1 that they lose all the merit of  
the favor they bestow4  ,some persons   
thinking him too indulgent towards      
sinners1 expressed their thoughts one   
day with freedom to him on this head4   
,he immediately replied3 ,if there was  
any thing more excellent than meekness1 
,god would have certainly taught it us2 
and yet there is nothing to which he so 
earnestly exhorts us1 as to be meek and 
humble of heart4 ,why would you hinder  
me to obey the command of my ,lord1 and 
follow him in the exercise of that      
virtue which he so eminently practised  
and so highly esteems8 ,are we then     
better informed in these matters than   
,god himself8 ,but his tenderness was   
particularly displayed in the reception 
of apostates and other abandoned        
sinners2 when these prodigals returned  
to him1 he said1 with all the           
sensibility of a father3 ,come1 my dear 
children1 come1 let me embrace you2 ah1 
let me hide you in the bottom of my     
heart6 ,god and ,i will assist you3 all 

,i require of you is not to despair3 ,i 
shall take on myself the labor of the   
rest4 ,looks full of compassion and love
 expressed the sincerity of his         
feelings3 his affectionate and          
charitable care of them extended even to
 their bodily wants and his purse was   
open to them as well as his heart2 #cjc 
he justified this proceeding to some1   
who1 disedified at his extreme          
indulgence1 told him it served only to  
encourage the sinner1 and harden him    
still more in his crimes1 by observing1 
,are they not a part of my flock8 ,has  
not our blessed ,lord given them his    
blood1 and shall ,i refuse them my      
tears8 ,these wolves will be changed    
into lambs3 a day will come when1       
cleansed from their sins1 they will be  
more precious in the sight of ,god than 
we are3 if ,saul had been cast off1 we  
would never have had a ,st4 ,paul4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,it is a problem in    
nature1 discussed without success by    
several     great physicians1 why       

children born in their seventh month    
more     frequently live than those that
 are brought forth in their eighth      
month4 #b4  ,aug4 ,sales de ,vit4 l4  p4
 #abc4 #c4  ,the saint being on his     
return to ,savoy1 was informed that a   
convent     of religious women1 of the  
order of ,fontevrault1 received         
superfluous pensions4 ,he wrote about it
 to those religious1 and     after      
giving testimony to their virtue1 in    
order to gain their     confidence1 he  
conjured them1 in the strongest and most
 pathetic     terms1 to banish such an  
abuse from their monastery2 persuaded   
that     such pensions were not exempt  
from sin1 were an obstacle to monastic  
perfection1 and opposite to their       
essential vow of poverty2     lamenting 
that after doing so much they should1   
for the sake of one     small reserve1  
destroy the merit of their whole        
sacrifice4 ,this     letter is extremely
 useful and beautiful4 ,l4 #a1 ep4 #da1 
t4 #a1 p4     #acf4 #d4  ,aug4 ,sales in

 ,vit4 #e4  ,aug4 ,sales in ,vit4 #f4   
,quel est le meilleur ,gouvernment1 c4  
ch4 #h1 p4 #bih4  ,,saint ,,sulpicius   
,,severus#a  ,,disciple ,,of ,,st4      
,,martin4  ,,he was born in ,aquitaine1 
not at ,agen1 as ,scaliger1 ,vossius1   
,baillet1 c41 have falsely inferred from
 a passage of his history1#b but near   
,toulouse4 ,that he was of a very rich  
and illustrious ,roman family1 we are   
assured by the two ,paulinus's1 and     
,gennadius4#c ,his youth he spent in    
studying the best ,roman authors of the 
,augustan age1 upon whom he formed his  
style1 not upon the writers of his own  
time3 he also applied himself to the    
study of the laws1 and surpassed all his
 contemporaries in eloquence at the bar4
 ,his wife was a lady of a consular     
family1 whom he lost soon after their   
marriage1 but he continued to enjoy a   
very great estate which he had inherited
 by her4 ,his mother-in-law1 ,bassula1  
loved him constantly1 as if he had been 
her own son3 they continued to live     

several years in the same house1 and had
 in all things the same mind4#d ,the    
death of his beloved consort contributed
 to wean his heart from the world3 in   
which resolution he seems to have been  
confirmed by the example and            
exhortations of his pious mother-in-law4
 ,his conversion from the world happened
 in the same year with that of ,st4     
,paulinus of ,nola1#e though probably   
somewhat later3 and ,st4 ,paulinus      
mentions that ,sulpicius was younger    
than himself1 and at that time 7that is1
 about the year #cib7 in the flower of  
his age4 ,de ,prato imagines ,sulpicius 
to have been ten years younger than ,st4
 ,paulinus1 consequently that he was    
converted in the thirty-second year of  
his age4 ,whereas ,st4 ,paulinus        
distributed his whole fortune among the 
poor at once2 ,sulpicius reserved his   
estates to himself and his heirs1       
employing the yearly revenue on the     
poor1 and in other pious uses1 so that  
he was no more than a servant of the    

church and the poor1 to keep accounts   
for them4#f ,but he sold so much of them
 as was necessary to discharge him of   
all obligations to others4 ,gennadius   
tells us that he was promoted to the    
priesthood2 but from the silence of ,st4
 ,paulinus1 ,st4 ,jerom1 and others1    
,tillemont and ,de ,prato doubt of this 
circumstance4 ,sulpicius suffered much  
from the censures of friends1 who       
condemned his retreat1 having chosen for
 his solitude a cottage at ,primuliacus1
 a village now utterly unknown in       
,aquitaine1 probably in ,languedoc4 ,in 
his kitchen nothing was ever dressed but
 pulse and herbs1 boiled without any    
seasoning1 except a little vinegar3 he  
ate also coarse bread4 ,he and his few  
disciples had no other beds but straw of
 sackcloth spread on the ground4 ,he set
 at liberty several of his slaves1 and  
admitted them1 and some of his old      
servants1 to familiar intercourse and   
#cjd conversation4 ,about the year #cid1
 not long after his retreat1 he made a  

visit to ,st4 ,martin at ,tours1 and was
 so much taken with his saintly         
comportment1 and edified by his pious   
discourses and counsels1 that he became 
from that time his greatest admirer1 and
 regulated his conduct by his direction4
 ,ever after he visited that great saint
 once or twice almost every summer as   
long as he lived1 and passed some time  
with him1 that he might study more      
perfectly to imitate his virtues4 ,he   
built and adorned several churches4 ,for
 two which he founded at ,primuliacus1  
he begged some relics of ,st4 ,paulinus1
 who sent him a piece of the cross on   
which our ,saviour was crucified1 with  
the history of its miraculous discovery 
by ,st4 ,helena4#g ,this account        
,sulpicius inserted in his              
ecclesiastical history4 ,these two      
saints sent frequent presents to each   
other1 of poor garments or the like     
things1 suitable to a penitential life1 
upon which they make in their letters   
beautiful pious reflections1 that show  

how much they were accustomed to raise  
their thoughts to ,god from every       
object4#h ,our saint recommending to    
,st4 ,paulinus a cook1 facetiously tells
 him that he was utterly a stranger to  
the art of making sauces1 and to the use
 of pepper1 or any such incentives of   
gluttony1 his skill consisting only in  
gathering and boiling herbs in such a   
manner that monks1 who only eat after   
having fasted long1 would find          
delicious4 ,he prays his friend to treat
 him as he would his own son1 and wishes
 he could himself have served him and   
his family in that quality4#i ,in the   
year #cii ,st4 ,paulinus wrote to our   
saint that he hoped to have met him at  
,rome1 whither he went to keep the feast
 of the prince of the apostles1 and     
where he had stayed ten days1 but       
without seeing any thing but the tombs  
of the apostles1 before which he passed 
the mornings1 and the evenings were     
taken up by friends who called to see   
him4#aj ,sulpicius answered1 that an    

indisposition had hindered him from     
undertaking that journey4 ,of the       
several letters mentioned by ,gennadius1
 which ,sulpicius ,severus wrote to the 
devout virgin ,claudia1 his sister1 two 
are published by ,baluze4#aa ,both are  
strong exhortations to fervor and       
perseverance4 ,in the first1 our saint  
assures her that he shed tears of joy in
 reading her letter1 by which he was    
assured of her sincere desire of serving
 ,god4 ,in a letter to ,aurelius the    
deacon1 he relates that one night in a  
dream he saw ,st4 ,martin ascend to     
heaven in great glory1 and attended by  
the holy priest ,clarus1 his disciple1  
who was lately dead3 soon after1 two    
monks arriving from ,tours1 brought news
 of the death of ,st4 ,martin4 ,he adds1
 that his greatest comfort in the loss  
of so good a master1 was a confidence   
that he should obtain the divine        
blessings by the prayers of ,st4 ,martin
 in heaven4 ,st4 ,paulinus mentions this
 vision in an inscription in verse1     

which he made and sent to be engraved on
 the marble altar of the church of      
,primuliacus4#ab ,st4 ,sulpicius wrote  
the life of the incomparable ,st4       
,martin1 according to ,tillemont and    
most others1 before the death of that   
saint3 but ,de ,prato thinks1 that      
though it was begun before1 it was      
neither finished nor published till     
after his death4 ,the style of this     
piece is plainer and more simple than   
that of his other writings4 ,an account 
of the death of ,st4 ,martin1 which is  
placed by ,de ,prato in the year #djj1  
is accurately given by ,st4 ,sulpicius  
in a letter to ,bassula1 his            
mother-ill-law1 who then lived at       
,triers4 ,the three dialogues of our    
saint are the most florid of all his    
writings4 ,in the first ,posthumian1 a  
friend who had spent three years in the 
deserts of ,egypt and the ,east1 and was
 then returned1 relates to him and      
,gallus1 a disciple of ,st4 ,martin1    
7with whom our saint then lived under   

the same roof17 the wonderful examples  
of virtue he had seen abroad4 ,in the   
second dialogue1 ,gallus recounts #cje  
many circumstances of the life of ,st4  
,martin1 which ,st4 ,sulpicius had      
omitted in his history of that saint4   
,in the third1 under the name of the    
same ,gallus1 several miracles wrought  
by ,st4 ,martin are proved by authentic 
testimonies4#ac ,the most important work
 of our saint is his abridgment of      
sacred history from the beginning of the
 world down to his own time1 in the year
 #djj4 ,the elegance1 conciseness1 and  
perspicuity with which this work is     
compiled1 have procured the author the  
name of the ,christian ,sallust2 some   
even prefer it to the histories of the  
,roman ,sallust1 and look upon it as the
 most finished model extant of          
abridgments4#ad ,his style is the most  
pure of any of the ,latin fathers1      
though also ,lactantius1 ,minutius      
,felix1 we may almost add ,st4 ,jerom1  
and ,salvian of ,marseilles1 deserve to 

be read among the ,latin classics4 ,the 
heroic sanctity of ,sulpicius ,severus  
is highly extolled by ,st4 ,paulinus of 
,nola1 ,paulinus of ,perigueux1 about   
the year #dfj4ae ,venantius ,fortunatus1
 and many others1 down to the present   
#cjf age4 ,gennadius tells us1 that he  
was particularly remarkable for his     
extraordinary love of poverty and       
humility4 ,after the death of ,st4      
,martin1 in #djj1 ,st4 ,sulpicius       
,severus passed five years in that      
illustrious saint's cell at ,marmoutier4
 ,f4 ,jerom de ,prato thinks that he at 
length retired to a monastery at        
,marseilles1 or in that neighborhood2   
because in a very ancient manuscript    
copy of his works1 transcribed in the   
seventh century1 kept in the library of 
the chapter of ,verona1 he is twice     
called a monk of ,marseilles4 ,from the 
testimony of this manuscript1 the       
,benedictin authors of the new treatise 
,on the ,diplomatique1#af and the       
continuators of the ,literary ,history  

of ,france1#ag regard it as undoubted   
that ,sulpicius ,severus was a monk at  
,marseilles before his death4 ,while the
 ,alans1 ,sueves1 and ,vandals from     
,germany and other barbarous nations1   
laid waste most provinces in ,gaul in   
#djf1 ,marseilles enjoyed a secure peace
 under the government of ,constantine1  
who1 having assumed the purple1 fixed   
the seat of his empire at ,arles from   
the year #djg to #daj4 ,after the death 
of ,st4 ,chrysostom in #djg1 ,cassian   
came from ,constantinople to            
,marseilles1 and founded there two      
monasteries1 one for men1 the other for 
women4 ,most place the death of ,st4    
,sulpicius ,severus about the year #dbj1
 ,baronius after the year #dcb2 but ,f4 
,jerom de ,prato about #daj1 when he    
supposes him to have been near fifty    
years old1 saying that ,gennadius1 who  
tells us that he lived to a very great  
age1 is inconsistent with himself4      
,neither ,st4 ,paulinus nor any other   
writer mentions him as living later than

 the year #djg1 which seems to prove    
that he did not survive that epoch very 
many years4 ,guibert1 abbot of          
,gemblours1 who died in #abjh1 in his   
,apology for ,sulpicius ,severus1#ah    
testifies that his festival was kept at 
,marmoutier with great solemnity on the 
#bith of ,january4 ,several editors of  
the ,roman ,martyrology1 who took       
,sulpicius ,severus1 who is named in the
 calendars on this day1 to have been    
this saint1 added in his eulogium1      
,disciple of ,st4 ,martin1 famous for   
his learning and merits4 ,many have     
proved that this addition was made by   
the mistake of private editors1 and that
 the saint originally meant here in the 
,roman ,martyrology was ,sulpicius      
,severus1 bishop of ,bourges2#ai and    
,benedict ,,xiv4 proves and declares#bj 
that ,sulpicius ,severus1 the disciple  
of ,st4 ,martin1 is not commemorated in 
the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,nevertheless1 
he has been ranked among the saints at  
,tours from time immemorial1 and is     

honored with a particular office on this
 day in the new breviary used in all    
that diocese4 ,see his works correctly  
printed1 with various readings1 notes1  
dissertations1 and the life of this     
saint1 at ,verona in #agda1 in two      
volumes folio1 by ,f4 ,jerom de ,prato1 
an ,italian ,oratorian of ,verona3 also 
,gallia ,christiana tum ,vetus tum      
,nova3 ,tillemont1 t4 #ab4 ,ceillier1 t4
 #aj1 p4 #fce4 ,rivet1 ,hist4 ,litter4  
de la ,france1 t4 #b1 p4 #ie4           
,footnotes3 #a4  ,severus was his own   
proper name1 ,sulpicius that of his     
family1 as is     testified by          
,gennadius and all antiquity4 ,vossius1 
,dupin1 and some     others1 on this    
account1 will have him called ,severus  
,sulpicius1     with ,eugippius and ,st4
 ,gregory of ,tours4 ,but other learned 
men     agree1 that after the close of  
the republic of ,rome1 under the        
emperors1 the family name was usually   
placed first1 though still     called   
,cognomen1 and the other ,praenomen1    

because the proper name     went        
anciently before the other4 ,thus we say
 ,caecilius ,cyprianus1     ,eusebius   
,hieronymus1 ,aurelius ,agustinus1 c4   
,see ,sirmond1 ,ep4     praefixe ,op4   
,serva4 ,lapi1 and ,hier4 ,de ,prato in 
vita ,sulpicii ,severi1     p4 #ef1 c4  
#b4  ,sulp4 ,sev4 ,hist4 l4 #b1 c4 #dd4 
#c4  ,footnote not in text ,ib4 c4 #dh1 
and ,ep4 ad ,bassulam4 de ,prato1 p4    
#eg4 #d4  ,s4 ,paulinus1 ,ep4 #e  #ce4  
#e4  ,ib4 ,ep4 #aa1 n4 #f4 #f4  ,s4     
,paulinus1 ,ep4 #a  #bd4 #g4  ,ib4 ,ep4 
#eb4 #h4  ,sulpic4 ,sev4 ,ep4 ad        
,paulin4 ed a ,d',achery in ,spicileg4  
t4 #eb1 p4     #ecb1 et inter opera ,s4 
,paulini1 p4 #aai4 #i4  ,ibid4 #aj4 ,s4 
,paulin4 ,ep4 ad ,sulpic4 ,sev4 p4 #if4 
#aa4 ,baluze1 t4 #a1 ,miscellan4 p4     
#cbi4 #ab4 ,s4 ,paulinus1 ,ep4 #cb1 p4  
#bjd4 #ac4 ,many1 upon the authority of 
,st4 ,jerom1 rank ,sulpicius ,severus   
among     the ,millenarians1 though all 
allow that he never defended any error  
so as to be out of the communion of the 

church4 ,but that he could     not be   
properly a ,millenarian1 seems clear    
from several parts of his     writings4 
,for1 ,ep4 #b and #c1 he affirms1 that  
the souls of ,st4 ,martin     and ,st4  
,clarus passed from this world to the   
immediate beatific     vision of ,god4  
,he establishes the same principles1    
,ep4 #a1 ad     ,claudiam ,soror41 c4   
#e4 ,and in his ,sacred ,history1 l4 #b1
 c4 #c1     explaining the dream of     
,nabachodonosor1 he teaches that the    
destruction of the kingdoms of this     
world will be immediately     succeeded 
by the eternal reign of ,christ with his
 saints in heaven4     ,in the passage1 
,dial4 #b1 c4 #ad1 upon which the charge
 is founded1     ,sulpicius relates1 in 
the discourse of ,gallus1 that ,st4     
,martin1 on a     certain occasion1     
said1 that the reign of ,nero in the    
,west1 and his     persecution1 were    
immediate forerunners of the last day3  
as is the     reign of ,antichrist in   
the ,east1 who will rebuild ,jerusalem  

and its     temple1 reside in the same1 
restore circumcision1 kill ,nero1 and   
subject the whole world to his empire4  
,where he advances certain     false    
conjectures about the reign of ,nero1   
and the near approach of     the last   
judgment at that time3 likewise the     
restoration of     ,jerusalem by        
,antichrist2 though this last is        
maintained probable by     cardinal     
,bellarmin1 l4 #c1 de ,rom4 ,pontif4 c4 
#ac4 ,but the ,millenarian     error is 
not so much as insinuated4 ,nor could it
 have been inserted     by the author in
 that passage and omitted by copiers1 as
 ,de ,prato     proves1 against that    
conjecture of ,tillemont4 ,st4 ,jerom1  
indeed1 l4     #aa1 in ,ezech4 c4 #cf1  
represents certain ,christian writers   
who     imitated some later ,jews in    
their ,deuteroseis in a carnal manner of
     expounding certain scripture       
prophecies1 expecting a second          
,jerusalem of gold and precious stones1 
a restoration of bloody     sacrifices1 

circumcision1 and a ,sabbath4 ,among    
these he names     ,tertullian1 in his  
book ,de ,spe ,fidelium1 7now lost17    
,lactantius1     ,victorious            
,petabionensis1 and ,severus1           
7,sulpicius17 in his dialogue           
entitled1 ,gallus1 then just published3 
and among the ,greeks1 ,irenaeus     and
 ,apollinarius4 ,de ,prato thinks he    
only speaks of ,sulpicius     ,severus  
by hearsay1 because he mentions only one
 dialogue called     ,gallus1 whereas   
two bear that title4 ,at least ,st4     
,jerom never meant     to ascribe all   
these errors to each of those he names2 
for none of     them maintained them all
 except ,apollinarius4 ,his intention   
was only     to ascribe one point or    
other of such carnal interpretations to 
each1 and to ,sulpicius the opinion that
 ,jerusalem1 with the temple     and    
sacrifices1 will be restored by         
,antichrist1 c41 which cannot be        
called erroneous2 though ,st4 ,jerom    
justly rejects that     interpretation1 

because the desolation foretold by      
,daniel is to     endure to the end4 ,in
 the decree of ,gelasius this dialogue  
of ,gallus     is called ,apocryphal1   
but in the same sense in which it was   
rejected     by ,st4 ,jerom4 ,nor is    
this exposition advanced otherwise than 
as a     quotation from ,st4 ,martin's  
answer on that subject4 ,see the        
justification of ,sulpicius ,severus1 in
 a dissertation printed at     ,venice  
in #agch1 in ,racolta di ,opuscoli      
,scientifici1 t4 #ah1 and more     amply
 by ,f4 ,jerom de ,prato1 ,disser4 #e1  
in ,opera ,sulpicii ,severi1 t4     #a1 
p4 #bei1 commended in the ,acta         
,eruditor4 ,lipsiae1 ad an4 #agfj4      
,gennadius1 who wrote about the year    
#did1 tells us1 7,cat4 n4 #ai47     that
 ,sulpicius was deceived in his old age 
by the ,pelagians1 but     soon opening 
his eyes1 condemned himself to five     
years' rigorous     silence to expiate  
this fault4 ,from the silence of other  
authors1     and the great commendations

 which the warmest enemies of the       
,pelagians bestow on our saint1         
especially ,paulinus of ,milan1 in his  
life of ,st4 ,ambrose1 7written at      
latest in #dbc17 and ,st4 ,paulinus of  
,nola1 and ,paulinus of ,perigueux1 7who
 in #dfa wrote in verse the life     of 
,st4 ,martin17 l4 #e1 v1 #aic1 c41 some 
look upon this circumstance     as a    
slander1 which depends wholly on the    
testimony of so inaccurate     a writer1
 who is inconsistent with himself in    
other matters relating     to ,sulpicius
 ,severus1 whose five years' silence    
might have other     motives4 ,if the   
fact be true1 it can only be understood 
of the     semi-,pelagian error1 which  
had then many advocates at ,marseilles1 
and was not distinguished in its name   
from ,pelagianism till some     years   
after our saint's death1 nor condemned  
by the church before     the second     
council of ,orange in #ebi4 ,pelagius   
was condemned by the     councils of    
,carthage and ,milevis in #daf1 and by  

pope ,innocent ,i4 in     #dab4 ,if     
,sulpicius ,severus fell into any error1
 especially before it     had been      
clearly anathematized by the church1 at 
least he cannot be     charged with     
obstinacy1 having so soon renounced it4 
,we must add1     that even wilful      
offences are blotted out by sincere     
repentance4 ,see     ,f4 ,jerom de ,pram
 in vita ,sulp4 ,sev41 ,sec4#ab1 pp4 #fi
 and #gd1 t4 #a1 ,op4     ,veronae1     
#agda4 #ad4 ,the sacred history of      
,sulpicius ,severus is a most useful    
classic for     ,christian schools2 but 
not to be studied in the chosen         
fragments     mangled by ,chompre1 and  
prescribed for the schools in ,portugal4
 ,true     improvement of the mind is   
impossible without the beauties of      
method     and the advantages of taste1 
which are nowhere met with but by       
seeing good compositions entire1 and by 
considering the art with     which the  
whole is wound up4 ,a small edition of  
,sulpicius's history1     made from that

 correctly published by ,de ,prato1     
would be of great     service4          
,nevertheless1 ,sulpicius1 though he has
 so well imitated the     style of the  
purest ages1 declares that he neglects  
elegance2 and he     takes the liberty  
to use certain terms and phrases which  
are not of     the ,augustan standard1  
sometimes because they were so familiar 
in     his time that he otherwise would 
not have seemed to write with ease1     
and sometimes because they are necessary
 to express the mysteries of     our    
faith4 ,how shocking is the delicacy of 
,bembo2 who1 for fear of     not being  
,ciceronian1 conjures the ,venetians1   
per ,deos immortales1     and uses the  
words ,dea ,lauretana6 or that of       
,justus ,lipsius1 who     used ,fatum or
 destiny1 for ,providence1 because this 
latter word is     not in ,cicero1 who  
with the ,pagans1 usually speaks        
according to the     notion of an       
overruling destiny in events which they 
by believed     ordained by heaven4 ,for

 this term some of ,lipsius's works were
     censured1 and by him recalled4 #ae4
 ,vit4 ,st4 ,martin1 versu expressa1 l4 
#e1 v4 #aic1 c4 #af4 ,tr4 de            
,diplomatique1 t4 #c4 #ag4 ,hist4       
,litter4 t4 #aa1 ,advertissement        
preliminaire1 p4 #e4 #ah4 ,published by 
,bollandus ad #bi ,jan4 p4 #ifh4 #ai4   
,see ,annalus1 ,theolog4 positivae1 l4  
#d1 c4 #bf1 and ,dominic ,georgi in     
,notis ad ,martyrol4 ,adonis1 ad  ,jan4 
#bj4 ,benedict4 ,,xiv4 in litteris      
apost4 praefixis novae suae editioni    
,romani     ,martyrologii1 7,romae1     
#agdi171 ,sec4#dg1 p4 #cd4  ,,st4       
,,gildas ,,the ,,wise1 ,,or ,,badonicus1
 ,,abbot4  ,,he was son to a ,british   
lord1 who1 to procure him a virtuous    
education1 placed him in his infancy in 
the monastery of ,st4 ,iltutus in       
,glamorganshire4 ,the surname of        
,badonicus was given him1 because1 as we
 learn from his writings1 he was born in
 the year in which the ,britons under   
,aurelius ,ambrosius1 or1 according to  

others1 under king ,arthur1 gained the  
famous victory over the ,saxons at      
,mount ,badon1 now ,bannesdown1 near    
,bath1 in ,somersetshire4 ,this ,bede   
places in the forty-fourth year after   
the first #cjg coming of the ,saxons    
into ,britain1 which was in #dea4 ,our  
saint1 therefore1 seems to have been    
born in #did2 he was consequently       
younger than ,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,samson1  
and his other illustrious school-fellows
 in ,wales3 but by his prudence and     
seriousness in his youth he seemed to   
have attained to the maturity of        
judgment and gravity of an advanced age4
 ,the author of the life of ,st4 ,paul  
of ,leon1 calls him the brightest genius
 of the school of ,st4 ,iltut4 ,his     
application to sacred studies was       
uninterrupted1 and if he arrived not at 
greater perfection in polite literature1
 this was owing to the want of masters  
of that branch in the confusion of those
 times4 ,as to improve himself in the   
knowledge of ,god and himself was the   

end of all his studies1 and all his     
reading was reduced to the study of the 
science of the saints1 the greater      
progress he made in learning1 the more  
perfect he became in all virtues4       
,studies which are to many a source of  
dissipation1 made him more and more     
recollected1 because in all books he    
found and relished only ,god1 whom alone
 he sought4 ,hence sprang that love for 
holy solitude1 which1 to his death1 was 
the constant ruling inclination of his  
heart4 ,some time after his monastic    
profession1 with the consent1 and       
perhaps by the order of his abbot1 ,st4 
,iltut1 he passed over into ,ireland1   
there to receive the lessons of the     
admirable masters of a religious life1  
who had been instructed in the most     
sublime maxims of an interior life1 and 
formed to the practice of perfect       
virtue1 by the great ,st4 ,patrick4 ,the
 author of his ,acts compares this      
excursion1 which he made in the spring  
of his life1 to that of the bees in the 

season of flowers1 to gather the juices 
which they convert into honey4 ,in like 
manner ,st4 ,gildas learned1 from the   
instructions and examples of the most   
eminent servants of ,god1 to copy in his
 own life whatever seemed most perfect4 
,so severe were his continual fasts1    
that the motto of ,st4 ,john ,baptist   
might in some degree be applied to him1 
that he scarce seemed to eat or drink at
 all4 ,a rough hair-cloth1 concealed    
under a coarse cloak1 was his garment1  
and the bare floor his bed1 with a stone
 for his bolster4 ,by the constant      
mortification of his natural appetites1 
and crucifixion of his flesh1 his life  
was a prolongation of his martyrdom1 or 
a perpetual sacrifice which he made of  
himself to ,god in union with that which
 he daily offered to him on his altars4 
,if it be true that he preached in      
,ireland in the reign of king ,ammeric1 
he must have made a visit to that island
 from ,armorica1 that prince only       
beginning to reign in #efj3 this cannot 

be ascribed to ,st4 ,gildas the         
,albanian1 who died before that time4   
,it was about the year #ebg1 in the     
thirty-fourth of his age1 that ,st4     
,gildas sailed to ,armorica1 or         
,brittany1 in ,france3#a for he wrote   
his invective ten years #cjh after his  
arrival there1 and in the forty-fourth  
year of his age1 as is gathered from his
 life and writings4 ,here he chose for  
the place of his retirement the little  
isle of ,houac1 or ,houat1 between the  
coast of ,rhuis and the island of       
,bellisle1 four leagues from the latter4
 ,houat exceeds not a league in length2 
the isle of ,hoedre is still smaller1   
not far distant3 both are so barren as  
to yield nothing but a small quantity of
 corn4 ,such a solitude1 which appeared 
hideous to others1 offered the greatest 
charms to the saint1 who desired to fly1
 as much as this mortal state would     
permit1 whatever could interrupt his    
commerce with ,god4 ,here he often      
wanted the common necessaries and       

conveniences of life2 but the greater   
the privation of earthly comforts was in
 which he lived1 the more abundant were 
those of the ,holy ,ghost which he      
enjoyed1 in proportion as the purity of 
his affections and his love of heavenly 
things were more perfect4 ,the saint    
promised himself that he should live    
here always unknown to men3 but it was  
in vain for him to endeavor to hide the 
light of divine grace under a bushel1   
which shone forth to the world1         
notwithstanding all the precautions     
which his humility took to conceal it4  
,certain fishermen who discovered him   
were charmed with his heavenly          
deportment and conversation1 and made   
known on the continent the treasure they
 had found4 ,the inhabitants flocked    
from the coast to hear the lessons of   
divine wisdom which the holy anchoret   
gave with a heavenly unction which      
penetrated their hearts4 ,to satisfy    
their importunities1 ,st4 ,gildas at    
length consented to live among them on  

the continent1 and built a monastery at 
,rhuis1 in a peninsula of that name1    
which ,guerech1 the first lord of the   
,britons about ,vannes1 is said to have 
bestowed upon him4 ,this monastery was  
soon filled with excellent disciples and
 holy monks4 ,st4 ,gildas settled them  
in good order2 then1 sighing after      
closer solitude1 he withdrew1 and       
passing beyond the gulf of ,vannes1 and 
the promontory of ,quiberon1 chose for  
his habitation a grot in a rock1 upon   
the bank of the river ,blavet1 where he 
found a cavern formed by nature extended
 from the east to the west1 which on    
that account he converted into a chapel4
 ,however1 he often visited this abbey  
of ,rhuis1 and by his counsels directed 
many in the paths of true virtue4 ,among
 these was ,st4 ,trifina1 daughter of   
,guerech1 first ,british count of       
,vannes4 ,she was married to count      
,conomor1 lieutenant of king            
,childebert1 a brutish and impious man1 
who afterwards murdered her1 and the    

young son which he had by her1 who at   
his baptism received the name of        
,gildas1 and was godson to our saint3   
but he is usually known by the surname  
of ,treuchmeur1 or ,tremeur1 in ,latin  
,trichmorus4 ,,ss4 ,trifina and         
,treuchmeur are invoked in the ,english 
,litany of the seventh century1 in      
,mabillon4 ,the great collegiate church 
of ,carhaix bears the name of ,st4      
,treuchmeur3 the church of ,quimper     
keeps his feast on the #hth of          
,november1 on which day he is           
commemorated in several churches in     
,brittany1 and at ,st4 ,magloire's at   
,paris4 ,a church situated between      
,corlai and the abbey of ,coetmaloen in 
,brittany1 is dedicated to ,god tinder  
the invocation of ,st4 ,trifina4#b  ,st4
 ,gildas wrote eight canons of          
discipline1 and a severe invective      
against the crimes of the ,britons1     
called ,de ,excidio ,britanniae1 that he
 might confound #cji those whom he was  
not able to convert1 and whom ,god in   

punishment delivered first to the       
plunders of the ,picts and ,scots1 and  
afterwards to the perfidious ,saxons1   
the fiercest of all nations4 ,he        
reproaches their kings1 ,constantine1   
7king of the ,danmonians1 in ,devonshire
 and ,cornwall17 ,vortipor1 7of the     
,dimetians1 in ,south ,wales17 ,conon1  
,cuneglas1 and ,maglocune1 princes in   
other parts of ,britain1 with horrible  
crimes3 but ,constantine was soon after 
sincerely converted1 as ,gale informs us
 from an ancient ,welsh chronicle4#c    
,according to ,john ,fordun#d he        
resigned his crown1 became a monk1      
preached the faith to the ,scots and    
,picts1 and died a martyr in ,kintyre3  
but the apostle of the ,scots seems to  
have been a little more ancient than the
 former4#e ,our saint also wrote an     
invective against the ,british clergy1  
whom he accuses of sloth1 of seldom     
sacrificing at the altar1 c4 ,in his    
retirement he ceased not with tears to  
recommend to ,god his own cause1 or that

 of his honor and glory1 and the souls  
of blind sinners1 and died in his       
beloved solitude in the island of       
,horac1 7in ,latin ,horata17 according  
to ,usher1 in #egj1 but according to    
,ralph of ,disse1 in #eha4f ,st4 ,gildas
 is patron of the city of ,vannes4 ,the 
abbey which bears his name in the       
peninsula of ,rhuis1 between three and  
four leagues from ,vannes1 is of the    
reformed congregation of ,st4 ,maur     
since the year #afdi4 ,the relics of    
,st4 ,gildas were carried thence for    
fear of the ,normans into ,berry1 about 
the year #iai1 and an abbey was erected 
there on the banks of the river ,indre1 
which was secularized and united to the 
collegiate church of ,chateauroux in    
#afbc4 ,st4 ,gildas is commemorated in  
the ,roman ,martyrology on the #bith of 
,january4 ,a second commemoration of him
 is made in some places on the #aath of 
,may1 on account of the translation of  
his relics4 ,his life1 compiled from the
 ancient archives of ,rhuis by a monk of

 that house1 in the eleventh century1 is
 the best account we have of him1 though
 the author confounds him sometimes with
 ,st4 ,gildas the ,albanian4 ,it is     
published in the library of ,fleury1 in 
,bollandus1 p4 #ied1 and most correctly 
in ,mabillon1 ,act4 ,,ss4 ,ord4 ,saint  
,belled4 t4 #a1 p4 #ach4 ,see also ,dom 
,lobineau1 ,vies des ,saints de         
,bretagne1 7fol4 an4 #agbe17 p4 #gb1 and
 ,hist4 de la #caj ,bretagne1 7#b vol4  
fol4 an4 #agjg17 and the most accurate  
,dom ,morice1 ,memoires ,sur l',histoire
 de ,bretagne1 #c vol4 fol4 in #agde1   
and ,hist4 de la ,bretagne1 #b vol4 fol4
 an4 #agej4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,armorica1
 which word in the old ,celtic language 
signified a maritime     country1       
comprised that part of ,celtic ,gaul    
which is now divided     into ,brittany1
 ,lower ,normandy1 ,anjou1 ,maine1 and  
,touraine4 ,tours was     the capital1  
and still maintains the metropolitical  
dignity4 ,by ,st4     ,gatian1 about the
 middle of the third century1 the faith 

was first     planted in those parts3   
but the entire extirpation of idolatry  
was     reserved to the zeal of ,british
 monks4 ,dom ,morice distinguishes      
three principal transmigrations of      
inhabitants from ,great ,britain        
into ,armorica3 the first1 when many    
fled from the arms of ,carausius     and
 ,allectus1 who successively assumed the
 purple in ,great ,britain3             
,constance made these fugitives welcome 
in ,gaul1 and allowed them to     settle
 on the coast of ,armorica about the    
year #bic4 ,a second and     much larger
 colony of ,britons was planted here    
under ,conan1 a     ,british prince by  
,maximus1 whom all the ,british youth   
followed into     ,gaul in #chc4 ,after 
the defeat of ,maximus1 these ,armorican
 ,britons     chose this ,conan1        
surnamed ,meriedec1 king1 formed        
themselves into an     independent      
state1 and maintained their liberty     
against several     ,roman generals in  
the decline of that empire1 and against 

the ,alans1     ,vandals1 ,goths1 and   
other barbarians4 ,des ,fontaines1      
7,diss4 p4 #aah17     and after him ,dom
 ,morice4 demonstrates that ,brittany   
was an     independent state before the 
year #dba4 ,the third transmigration of 
,britons hither was completed at several
 intervals while the ,saxons     invaded
 and conquered ,britain1 where ,hengist 
first landed in #dgj4     ,brittany was 
subjected to the ,romans during four    
centuries3 an     independent state     
successively under the title of a       
kingdom1 county1     and duchy1 for the 
space of about eleven hundred and fifty 
years1     and has been united to the   
kingdom of ,france ever since the year  
#aecb1 by virtue of the marriage of king
 ,charles ,,viii4 with ,anne1     sole  
heiress of ,brittany1 daughter of duke  
,francis1 celebrated in     #adia4 ,this
 province was subdued by ,clovis ,i41   
who seems to have     treacherously     
slain ,budic1 king of ,brittany4 ,this  
prince left six     sons1 ,howel ,i41   

,ismael1 bishop of ,menevia1 ,st4       
,tifel1 honored as a     martyr at      
,pennalun1 ,st4 ,oudecee1 bishop of     
,landaff1 ,urbian or     ,concur1 and   
,dinot1 father of ,st4 ,kineda4         
,brittany remained subject     to the   
sons of ,clovis1 and it was by the      
authority of ,childobert     that ,st4  
,paul was made bishop of ,leon in #eab4 
,but ,howel1 returning     from the     
court of king ,arthur in #eac1 recovered
 the greater part of     these          
dominions4 ,see ,dom ,morice1 ,hist4 t4 
#a1 p4 #ad4 ,howel ,i41 often     called
 ,rioval1 that is1 king ,rowel1 was a   
valiant prince1 and     liberal to      
churches and monasteries4 ,among many   
sons whom he left     behind him1 ,howel
 ,,ii4 succeeded him1 and two are       
honored among the     saints1 viz4 ,st4 
,leonor or ,lunaire1 and ,st4 ,tudgual  
or ,pabutual1     first ,bishop of      
,treguier4 ,see ,morice4 t4 #a1 pp4 #ad4
 and #gbi4 ,howel     ,,iii41 alias     
,juthael1 recovered all ,brittany4 ,king

 ,pepin again     conquered this        
country1 and ,charlemagne and ,louis le 
,debonnaire     quelled it when it      
thrice rebelled4 ,the latter established
 the     ,benedictin rule at            
,llandevenec4 which probably was soon   
imitated in     others3 for the monastic
 rule which first prevailed here was    
that of     the ,britons in ,wales1     
borrowed from the ,orientals4 ,after the
     straggles made by this province for
 its liberty1 ,charles the ,bald        
yielded it up in #heh1 and some time    
after treated ,solomon ,,iii4 as        
king of ,brittany4 ,see ,morice1 ,des   
,fontaines1 c4 #b4  ,in this churchyard 
stands an ancient pyramid1 on which are 
engraved     letters of an unknown      
alphabet1 supposed to be that of the    
,britons     and ,gauls before the      
,roman alphabet was introduced among    
them4     ,letters of the same alphabet 
are found upon some other monuments of  
,brittany4 ,see ,lobineau1 ,vies des    
,saints de la ,bretagne4 in ,st4        

,treuchmeur1 p4 #h4 ,dom ,morice        
endeavors to prove that the ,welsh1 the 
old ,british1 and the ,celtic1 are the  
same language4 7,hist4 t4 #a1 p4        
#hfg47 ,that they are so in part is     
unquestionable4 #c4  ,mr4 ,vaughan1 in  
his ,british ,antiquities revived1      
printed at ,oxford     in #affb1 shows  
that there were at this time many       
princes or     chieftains among the     
,britons in ,north ,wales1 but that they
 all held     their lands of one        
sovereign1 though each in his own       
district was     often honored with the 
title of king4 ,the chief prince at this
 time     was ,maelgun ,gwynedth1 the   
lineal heir and eldest descendant of    
,cuneda1 who flourished in the end of   
the fourth1 or beginning of the         
fifth century1 and from one or other of 
whose eight sons all the     princes of 
,north ,wales1 also those of ,cardigan1 
,dimetia1 ,glamorgan1     and others in 
,south ,wales1 derived their descent4   
,the ancient     author1 published at   

the end of ,nenbius1 says ,maelgun began
 his     reign one hundred and forty-six
 years after ,cuaedha1 who was his      
,atavus1 or great-grandfather's         
grandfather4 ,maelgun was prince only   
of ,venedotia for twenty-five years     
before he was acknowledged in     #efd1 
after the death of ,arthur1 chief king  
of the ,britons in ,wales1     while    
,st4 ,david was primate1 ,arthur king of
 the ,britons in general1     ,gurthmyll
 king1 and ,st4 ,kentigern bishop of the
 ,cumbrian ,britons4     ,he had        
received a good education under the     
elegant instructor of     almost all    
,britain1 says ,gildas1 pointing out    
probably ,st4 ,iltutus4     ,yet he fell
 into enormous vices4 ,touched with     
remorse1 he retired     into a monastery
 in #eeb2 but being soon tired of that  
state1     reassumed his crown1 and     
relapsed into his former impieties4 ,he 
died     in #efe4 ,gildas1 who wrote his
 epistle ,de ,excidio ,britanniae1      
between     the years #efd and #egj1    

that of his death1 hints that ,veralam  
was     then fallen into the hands of   
the ,saxons3 which is certain of        
,london1 c4 ,the other princes          
reprehended by ,gildas were lesser      
toparchs1 as ,aurelius ,canon1          
,vortipor1 ,cuneglas1 and ,constantine4 
,these were chieftains1 ,vortipor in    
,pembrokeshire1 the rest in some        
quarter or other of ,britain1 all living
 when ,gildas wrote4     ,constantine1  
whom ,gildas represents as a native of  
,cornwall1 and as     he is commonly    
understood1 also as prince of that      
country1 did     penance4 ,the chief    
crime imputed to him is the murder of   
two royal     youths in a church1 and of
 two noblemen who had the charge of     
their     education4 ,those ,carte      
imagines to have been the sons of       
,caradoc     ,ureich ,uras1 who was     
chief prince of the ,cornish ,britons in
 the     latter end of king ,arthur's   
reign1 as is attested by the author of  
the ,triades4 ,the prelates whom ,gildas

 reproves1 were such as ,maelgun     had
 promoted3 for the sees of ,south-,wales
 were at that time filled     with      
excellent prelates1 whose virtues       
,gildas desired to copy4     ,carte1 t4 
#a1 p4 #bad4 #d4  ,scoti-chron4 c4 #bf4 
#e4  ,gildas's epistle1 ,de ,excidio    
,britanniae1 was published extremely    
incorrect and incomplete1 till the      
learned ,thomas ,gale gave us a far     
more accurate and complete edition1 t4  
#c1 ,scriptor4 ,britan41 which     is   
reprinted with notes by ,bertrame in    
,germany1 ,hanniae imp4 an4     #ageg1  
together with ,nennius's history of the 
,britons1 and ,richard     ,corin1 of   
,westminster1 ,de ,situ ,britanniae4    
,gildas's ,castigatio ,cleri     is     
extant in the library of the fathers1   
ed4 ,colon4 t4 #e1 part #c1 p4     #fhb4
 #f4  ,dom ,morice shows that about one 
hundred and twenty years were an        
ordinary term of human life among the   
ancient ,britons1 and that     their    
usual liquor1 called ,kwrw1 made of     

barley and water1 was a     kind of     
beer1 a drink most suitable to the      
climate and constitutions     of the    
inhabitants4 ,see ,dom ,morice1         
,memoires sur l',histoire de            
,bretange1 t4 #a1 preface2 and ,lamery1 
,diss4 sur les ,boissons4  ,,st4        
,,gildas ,,the ,,albanian1 ,,or ,,the   
,,scot1 ,c4#a  ,,his father1 who was    
called ,caunus1 and was king of certain 
southern provinces in ,north ,britain1  
was slain in war by king ,arthur4 ,st4  
,gildas improved temporal afflictions   
into the greatest spiritual advantages1 
and1 despising a false and treacherous  
world1 aspired with his whole heart to a
 heavenly kingdom4 ,having engaged      
himself in a monastic state1 he retired 
with ,st4 ,cado1 abbot of ,llan-carvan1 
into certain desert islands1 whence they
 were driven by pirates from the        
,orcades4 ,two islands1 called ,ronech  
and ,ecni1 afforded him for some time a 
happy retreat1 which he forsook to      
preach to sinners the obligation of     

doing penance1 and to invite all men to 
the happy state of divine love4 ,after  
discharging this apostolical function   
for several years1 he retired to the    
southwest part of ,britain into the     
abbey of ,glastenbury1 where he died and
 was buried in #eab4 ,william of        
,malmesbury#b and ,john ,fordun#c       
mention his prophecies and miracles4    
,see ,f4 ,alford1 an4 #eab4 ,dom        
,lobineau1 ,saints de ,bret4 p4 #gb4    
,dom ,morice1 ,hist4 de ,bret4 t4 #a1 in
 the notes4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,mr4 ,gale
 has cleared up the dispute about the   
two ,gildases1 and     demonstrates this
 to have been a distinct person from the
 former1     which is also proved by    
,dom ,lobineau and ,dom ,morice4 #b4    
,gul4 ,malmesb4 de ,antiq4 ,glast4 #c4  
,scoti-chron4 c4 #bb4  ,on this day is  
commemorated in the ,roman ,martyrology1
 ,,st4 ,,sabinianus of ,,troyes in      
,,champagne1 a martyr of the third      
century4 ,his festival is kept at       
,troyes on the #bdth4 ,see ,bollan4     

#bith ,jan4 p4 #icg4 ,tillem4 ,hist4 des
 ,emp1 t4 #c1 p4 #eda4  ,also1 ,,st4    
,,sulpicius1 surnamed ,,severus1 ,bishop
 of ,bourges in #eia4 ,see ,greg4 ,tour4
 ,hist4 ,franc4 l4 #f1 c4 #ci4 ,gall4   
,christ4 and ,ben4 ,,xiv4 ,pref4 in     
,mart4 ,rom4   ,,january ,,xxx4  ,,st4  
,,bathildes1 ,,queen ,,of ,,france4     
,from her life written by a contemporary
 author1 and a second life1 which is the
 same with the former1 except certain   
additions of a later date1 in ,bollandus
 and ,mabillon1 sec4 #d1 ,ben4 p4 #ddg1 
and ,act4 ,sanct4 ,ben4 t4 #b4 ,see also
 ,dubois1 ,hist4 ,eccl4 ,paris1 p4 #aih1
 and ,chatelain4 ,notes on the ,martyr4 
#cj ,jan4 p4 #dfb4 ,see ,historia ,st4  
,bathildis et ,fundationem ejus1 among  
the ,,ms4 lives of saints in the abbey  
of ,jumieges1 t4 #b4 ,also her ,,ms4    
life at ,bec1 c4  ,a4,d4 #fhj4  ,,st4   
,,bathildes1 or ,,baldechilde1 in       
,french ,bauteur1 was an ,english-woman1
 who was carried over very young into   
,france1 and there sold for a slave1 at 

a very low price1 to ,erkenwald1        
otherwise called ,erchinoald1 and1      
,archimbald1 mayor of the palace under  
,king ,clovis ,,ii4 ,when she grew up he
 was so much taken with her prudence and
 virtue1 that he committed to her the   
care of his household4 ,she was no ways 
puffed up1 but seemed #caa the more     
modest1 more submissive to her          
fellow-slaves1 and always ready to serve
 the meanest of them in the lowest      
offices4 ,king ,clovis ,,ii4 in #fdi    
took her for his royal consort1 with the
 applause of his princes and whole      
kingdom3 such was the renown of her     
extraordinary endowments4 ,this         
unexpected elevation1 which would have  
turned the strongest head of a person   
addicted to pride1 produced no          
alteration in a heart perfectly grounded
 to humility and other virtues4 ,she    
seemed even to become more humble than  
before1 and more tender of the poor4    
,her present station furnished her with 
the means of being truly their mother1  

which she was before in the inclination 
and disposition of her heart4 ,all other
 virtues appeared more conspicuous in   
her1 but above the rest an ardent zeal  
for religion4 ,the king gave her the    
sanction of his royal authority for the 
protection of the church1 the care of   
the poor1 and the furtherance of all    
religions undertakings4 ,she bore him   
three sons1 who all successively wore   
the crown1 ,clotaire ,,iii41 ,childeric 
,,ii41 and ,thierry ,i4 ,he dying in    
#fee1 when the eldest was only five     
years old1 left her regent of the       
kingdom4 ,she seconded the zeal of ,st4 
,owen1 ,st4 ,eligius1 and other holy    
bishops1 and with great pains banished  
simony out of ,france1 forbade          
,christians to be made slaves1#a did all
 in her power to promote piety1 and     
filled ,france with hospitals and pious 
foundations4 ,she restored the          
monasteries of ,st4 ,martin1 ,st4       
,denys1 ,st4 ,medard1 c41 founded the   
great abbey of ,corbie for a seminary of

 virtue and sacred learning1 and the    
truly royal nunnery of ,chelles1#b on   
the ,marne1 which had been begun by ,st4
 ,clotildis4 ,as soon as her son        
,clotaire was of an age to govern1 she  
with great joy shut herself up in this  
monastery of ,chelles1 in #ffe1 a       
happiness which she had long earnestly  
desired1 though it was with great       
difficulty that she obtained the consent
 of the princes4 ,she had no sooner     
taken the veil but she seemed to have   
forgotten entirely her former dignity1  
and was only to be distinguished from   
the rest by her extreme humility1       
serving them in the lowest offices1 and 
obeying the holy abbess ,st4 ,bertilla  
as the last among the sisters4 ,she     
prolonged her devotions every day with  
many tears1 and made it her greatest    
delight #cab to visit and attend the    
sick1 whom she comforted and served with
 wonderful charity4 ,st4 ,owen1 in his  
life of ,st4 ,eligius1 mentions many    
instances of the great veneration which 

,st4 ,bathildes bore that holy prelate1 
and relates that ,st4 ,eligius1 after   
his death1 in a vision by night1 ordered
 a certain courtier to reprove the queen
 for wearing jewels and costly apparel  
in her widowhood1 which she did not out 
of pride1 but because she thought it due
 to her state while she was regent of   
the kingdom4 ,upon this admonition1 she 
laid them aside1 distributed a great    
part to the poor1 and with the richest  
of her jewels made a most beautiful and 
sumptuous cross1 which she placed at the
 head of the tomb of ,st4 ,eligius4 ,she
 was afflicted with long and severe     
colics and other pains1 which she       
suffered with an admirable resignation  
and joy4 ,in her agony she recommended  
to her sisters charity1 care of the     
poor1 fervor1 and perseverance1 and gave
 up her soul in devout prayer1 on the   
#cjth of ,january1 in #fhj1 on which day
 she is honored in ,france1 but is named
 on the #bfth in the ,roman             
,martyrology4         99       99       

99       99       99  ,a ,christian1 who
 seriously considers that he is to live 
here but a moment1 and will live        
eternally in the world to come1 must    
confess that it is a part of wisdom to  
refer all his actions and views to      
prepare himself for that everlasting    
dwelling1 which is his true country4    
,our only and necessary affair is to    
live for ,god1 to do his will1 and to   
sanctify and save our souls4 ,if we are 
employed in a multiplicity of exterior  
business1 we must imitate ,st4          
,bathildes1 when she bore the whole     
weight of the state4 ,in all we do ,god 
and his holy will must be always before 
our eyes1 and to please him must be our 
only aim and desire4 ,shunning the      
anxiety of ,martha1 and reducing all our
 desires to this one of doing what ,god 
requires of us1 we must with her call in
 ,mary to our assistance4 ,in the midst 
of action1 while our hands are at work1 
our mind and heart ought to be          
interiorly employed on ,god1 at least   

virtually1 that all our employments may 
be animated with the spirit of piety3   
and hours of repose must always be      
contrived to pass at the feet of ,jesus1
 where in the silence of all creatures  
we may listen to his sweet voice1       
refresh in him our wearied souls1 and   
renew our fervor4 ,while we converse    
with the world1 we must tremble at the  
sight of its snares1 and be upon our    
guard that we never be seduced so far as
 to be in love with it1 or to learn its 
spirit4 ,to love the world1 is to follow
 its passions2 to be proud1 covetous1   
and sensual1 as the world is4 ,the      
height of its miseries and dangers1 is  
that blindness by which none who are    
infected with its spirit1 see their     
misfortune1 or are sensible of their    
disease4 ,happy are they who can imitate
 this holy queen in entirely separating 
themselves from it6  ,footnotes3 #a4    
,the ,franks1 when they established     
themselves in ,gaul1 allowed the        
,roman ,gauls to live according to their

 own laws and customs1 and     tolerated
 their use of slaves1 but gradually     
mitigated their     servitude4 ,queen   
,bathildes alleviated the heaviest      
conditions1 gave     great numbers their
 liberty1 and declared all capable of   
property4     ,the ,franks still        
retained slaves with this condition1    
attached to     certain manors or farms1
 and bound to certain particular kinds  
of     servitude4 ,the kings of the     
second race often set great numbers     
free1 and were imitated by other lords4 
,queen ,blanche and ,saint     ,lewis   
contributed more than any others to ease
 the condition of     vassals1 and      
,louis ,hutin abolished slavery in      
,france1 declaring all     men free who 
live in that kingdom according to the   
spirit of     ,christianity1 which      
teaches us to treat all men as our      
brethren4 ,see     the life of ,st4     
,bathildes1 and ,gratigny1 ,,oevres     
posthumes1 an4 #ageg4     ,disc4 sur la 
,servitude et son ,abolition en ,france4

 #b4  ,in the village of ,chelles1 in   
,latin ,cala1 four leagues from ,paris1 
the kings of the first race had a       
palace4 ,st4 ,clotildis founded near    
it a small church under the invocation  
of ,st4 ,george1 with a small     number
 of cells adjoining for nuns4 ,st4      
,bathildes so much enlarged     this    
monastery as to be looked upon as the   
principal foundress4 ,the     old church
 of ,st4 ,george falling to decay1      
,saint ,bathildes built     there the   
magnificent church of the ,holy ,cross1 
in which she was     buried4 ,gisela1   
sister to the emperor ,charlemagne1     
abbess of this     house1 rebuilt the   
great church1 which some pretend to be  
the same     that is now standing4 ,at  
present here are three churches         
together2     the first1 which is small1
 the oldest1 and only a choir1 is called
     the church of the ,holy ,cross1 and
 is used by six monks who assist     the
 nuns2 the lowest church is called ,st4 
,george's1 and is a     parochial church

 for the seculars who live within the   
jurisdiction     of the monastery3 the  
great church which serves the nuns is   
dedicated under the invocation of the   
,blessed ,virgin1 and is said to     be 
the same that was built by the abbess   
,gisela1 and much enlarged     and      
enriched by ,hegilvich1 abbess of this  
monastery1 mother to the     empress    
,judith1 whose husband1 ,louis le       
,debonnaire1 caused the     remains of  
our saint to be translated into this new
 church1 in #hcc1     and from this     
treasure it is more frequently called   
the church of     ,st4 ,bathlides1 than 
our ,lady's4 ,two rich silver shrines   
are placed     over the iron rails of   
the chancel1 in one of which rest the   
sacred     remains of ,st4 ,bathildes1  
in the other those of ,st4 ,bertilla1   
first     abbess of ,chelles3 these     
rails1 which are of admirable           
workmanship1     were the present of an 
illustrious princess of the house of    
,bourbon1     ,mary ,adelaide of        

,orleans1 abbess of this house in #agbe1
 who not     thinking her sacrifice     
complete by having renounced the world1 
after     some years abdicated her      
abbacy1 and died in the condition of    
humble     obedience1 and of a private  
religious woman1 near the shrines of    
,,ss4     ,bathildes and ,bertilla1 and 
those of ,st4 ,genesius of ,lyons1 ,st4 
,eligius and ,radegondes of ,chelles1   
called also little ,st4 ,bathildes4     
,the last-mentioned princess was        
god-daughter to our saint1 and died     
in her childhood1 in this monastery1 two
 or three days before her4     ,see     
,piganiol's ,descr4 de ,paris1 t4 #a and
 ,s4 ,chatelain's notes in     martyr4  
p4 #dfd1 and especially ,le ,boeuf1     
,hist4 du ,diocese de ,paris1     t4 #f1
 p4 #cb4 ,this author gives 7p4 #dc7 the
 full relation of a     miracle approved
 by ,john ,francis ,gondy1 archbishop of
 ,paris1     mentioned in a few words by
 ,mabillon and ,baillet4 ,six nuns were 
cured of inveterate distempers1 attended

 with frequent fits of     convulsions1 
by touching the relics of ,saint        
,bathildes1 when her     shrine was     
opened on the #acth of ,july1 in #afca4 
,,st4 ,,martina1 ,v4,m4  ,,she was a    
noble ,roman virgin1 who glorified ,god1
 suffering many torments and a cruel    
death for his faith1 in the capital city
 of the world1 in the third century4    
,there stood a chapel consecrated to her
 memory in ,rome1 which was frequented  
with great devotion in the time of ,st4 
,gregory the ,great4 ,her relics were   
discovered in a vault1 in the ruins of  
her old church1 and translated with     
great pomp in the year #afcd1 under the 
pope ,urban ,,viii41 who built a new    
church in her honor1 and composed       
himself the hymns used in her office in 
the ,roman ,breviary4 ,the city of ,rome
 ranks her among its particular patrons4
 ,she is mentioned in the ,martyrologies
 of ,ado1 ,usuard1 c4 ,the history of   
the discovery of her relics was         
published by ,honoratus of ,viterbo1 an 

,oratorian4 ,see ,bollandus4  #cac      
,,st4 ,,aldegondes1 ,v4 ,,abbess4  ,,she
 was daughter of ,walbert1 of the royal 
blood of ,france1 and born in ,hainault 
about the year #fcj4 ,she consecrated   
herself to ,god by a vow of virginity1  
when very young1 and resisted all       
solicitations to marriage1 serving ,god 
in the house of her holy parents1 till1 
in #fch1 she took the religious veil1   
and founded and governed a great house  
of holy virgins at ,maubeuge4#a ,she was
 favored with an eminent gift of prayer1
 and many revelations2 but was often    
tried by violent slanders and           
persecutions1 which she looked upon as  
the highest favors of the divine mercy1 
begging of ,god that she might be found 
worthy to suffer still more for his     
sake4 ,his divine providence sent her a 
lingering and most painful cancer in her
 breast4 ,the saint bore the torture of 
her distemper1 also the caustics and    
incisions of the surgeons1 not only with
 patience1 but even with joy1 and       

expired in raptures of sweet love1 on   
the #cjth of ,january1 in #ffj1         
according to ,bollandus4 ,her relics are
 enshrined in the great church of       
,maubeuge1 where her monastery is now a 
college of noble virgins canonesses4    
,her name occurs on this day in the     
ancient breviary of ,autun1 and in the  
martyrologies of ,rabanus1 ,usuard1 and 
,notker3 also in the ,roman4 ,at ,st4   
,omer1 where a parish church bears her  
name1 she is called ,saint ,orgonne4    
,see her life written some time after   
her death3 a second a century later1 and
 a third by ,hucbald1 a learned monk of 
,st4 ,armand's1 in #ijj1 with the       
remarks of ,mabillon1 7,act4 ,bened4 t4 
#b1 p4 #icg17 and the ,bollandists4     
,consult also ,miraeus's ,fasti         
,belgici1 and ,la ,vie de ,st4          
,aldegonde1 par ,p4 ,binet1 ,jesuite1 in
 #abmo4 ,paris1 #afbe4  ,footnotes3 #a4 
,the act of this foundation1 published  
by ,miraeus1 is spurious1 as     mention
 is made therein of persons who were not

 living at that time3     neither could 
it have been made in the twentieth year 
of ,dagobert1     as it contains facts  
which cannot be reconciled with the     
history of     that prince4 ,see the    
note of ,bollandus1 t4 #b1 p4 #ajci1 and
     ,chatelain1 p #dfa4   ,,st4        
,,barsimaeus1 ,b4,m4  ,,called ,,by     
,,the ,,syrians ,,barsaumas4  ,,he was  
the third bishop of ,edessa from ,st4   
,thaddaeus1 one of the seventy-two      
disciples4 ,st4 ,barsaumas was crowned  
with martyrdom1 being condemned to die  
for his zeal in converting great        
multitudes to the faith1 by the         
president ,lysias1 in the reign of      
,trajan1 when that prince1 having passed
 the ,euphrates1 made the conquest of   
,mesopotamia in #aad4 ,st4 ,barsimaeus  
is mentioned on the #cjth of ,january in
 the ,roman ,martyrology1 and in the    
,greek ,maenology4  #cad   ,,january    
,,xxxi4  ,,saint ,,peter ,,nolasco1 ,c4 
,,founder ,,of ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,our 
,,lady ,,for ,,the ,,redemption ,,of    

,,captives4  ,from ,chronica ,sacri et  
,militaris ,ordinis ,b4,m4 de ,mercede1 
per ,bern4 de ,vargas1 ej4 ,ord4 #b vol4
 in fol4 ,panormi1 #afbb1 and by ,john  
de ,latomis in #abmo4 in #afba1 and     
especially the ,spanish history of the  
same by ,alonso ,roman1 #b vol4 fol4 at 
,madrid1 in #afah1 and the life of the  
saint compiled in ,italian by ,f4       
,francis ,olihano1 in #dto4 #affh4 ,see 
also ,baillet1 and ,hist4 des ,ordres   
,relig4 par ,helyot1 and ,hist de       
l',ordre de ,notre ,dame de la ,merci1  
par les ,,rr4 ,peres de la ,merci1 de la
 ,congregation de ,paris1 fol4 printed  
at ,amiens1 in #afhe4  ,a4,d4 #abeh4    
,,peter1 of the noble family of         
,nolasco1 in ,languedoc1 was born in the
 diocese of ,st4 ,papoul1 about the year
 #aahi4 ,his parents were very rich1 but
 far more illustrious for their virtue4 
,peter1 while an infant1 cried at the   
sight of a poor man1 till something was 
given him to bestow on the object of his
 compassion4 ,in his childhood he gave  

to the poor whatever he received for his
 own use4 ,he was exceeding comely and  
beautiful2 but innocence and virtue were
 his greatest ornaments4 ,it was his    
pious custom to give a very large alms  
to the first poor man he met every      
morning1 without being asked4 ,he rose  
at midnight1 and assisted at matins in  
the church1 as then the more devout part
 of the laity used to do1 together with 
all the clergy4 ,at the age of fifteen  
he lost his father1 who left him heir to
 a great estate3 and he remained at home
 under the government of his pious      
mother1 who brought him up in           
extraordinary sentiments and practices  
of virtue4 ,being solicited to marry1 he
 betook himself to the serious          
consideration of the vanity of all      
earthly things2 and rising one night    
full of those thoughts1 prostrated      
himself in fervent prayer1 which he     
continued till morning1 most ardently   
devoting himself to ,god in the state of
 celibacy1 and dedicating his whole     

patrimony to the promoting of his divine
 honor4 ,he followed ,simon of          
,montfort1 general of the holy war      
against the ,albigenses1 an heretical   
sect1 which had filled ,languedoc with  
great cruelties1 and over spread it with
 universal desolation4 ,that count      
vanquished them1 and in the battle of   
,muret defeated and killed ,peter1 king 
of ,aragon1 and took his son ,james     
prisoner1 a child of six years old4 ,the
 conqueror having the most tender regard
 and compassion for the prince his      
prisoner1 appointed ,peter ,nolasco1    
then twenty-five years old1 his tutor1  
and sent them both together into ,spain4
 ,peter1 in the midst of the court of   
the king at ,barcelona1#a where the     
kings of ,aragon resided1 led the life  
of a recluse1 practising the austerities
 of a cloister4 ,he gave no part of his 
time to amusements1 but spent all the   
moments which the instruction of his    
pupil left free1 in holy prayer1        
meditation1 and pious reading4 ,the     

,moors at that time were possessed of a 
considerable part of ,spain1 and great  
numbers of ,christians groaned under    
their tyranny in a miserable slavery    
both there and in ,africa4 ,compassion  
for the poor had always been the        
distinguishing virtue of ,peter4 ,the   
sight of so many moving objects in      
captivity1 and the consideration of the 
spiritual dangers to which their faith  
and virtue stood exposed under their    
,mahometan masters1 touched his heart to
 the quick1 and he soon spent his whole 
estate in redeeming as many as he could4
 ,whenever he saw #cae any poor         
,christian slaves1 he used to say3      
,behold eternal treasures which never   
fail4 ,by his discourses he moved others
 to contribute large alms towards this  
charity1 and at last formed a project   
for instituting a religious order for a 
constant supply of men and means whereby
 to carry on so charitable an           
undertaking4 ,this design met with great
 obstacles in the execution1 but the    

,blessed ,virgin1 the true mother of    
mercy1 appearing to ,st4 ,peter1 the    
king1 and ,st4 ,raymund of ,pennafort1  
in distinct visions the same night1     
encouraged them to prosecute the holy   
scheme under the assurance of her       
patronage and protection4 ,st4 ,raymund 
was the spiritual director both of ,st4 
,peter and of the king1 and a zealous   
promoter of this charitable work4 ,the  
king declared himself the protector of  
the ,order1 and assigned them a large   
quarter of his own palace for their     
abode4 ,all things being settled for    
laying the foundation of it1 on the     
feast of ,st4 ,laurence1 in the year    
#abbc1 the king and ,st4 ,raymund       
conducted ,st4 ,peter to the church and 
presented him to ,berengarius1 the      
bishop of ,barcelona1 who received his  
three solemn religious vows1 to which   
the saint added a fourth1 to devote his 
whole substance and his very liberty1 if
 necessary1 to the ransoming of slaves2 
the like vow he required of all his     

followers4 ,st4 ,raymund made an        
edifying discourse on the occasion1 and 
declared from the pulpit1 in the        
presence of this august assembly1 that  
it had pleased ,almighty ,god to reveal 
to the king1 to ,peter ,nolasco1 and to 
himself1 his will for the institution of
 an ,order for the redemption of the    
faithful1 detained in bondage among the 
infidels4 ,this was received by the     
people with the greatest acclamations of
 joy1 happy presages of the future      
success of the holy institute4#b ,after 
this discourse1 ,st4 ,peter received the
 new habit 7as ,mariana and pope        
,clement ,,viii4 in his bull say7 from  
,st4 ,raymund1 who established him first
 general of this new ,order1 and drew up
 for it certain rules and constitutions4
 ,two other gentlemen were professed at 
the same time with ,st4 ,peter4 ,when   
,st4 ,raymund went to ,rome1 he obtained
 from pope ,gregory ,,ix41 in the year  
#abbe1 the confirmation of this ,order1 
and of the rule and constitutions he had

 drawn up4 ,he wrote an account of this 
from ,rome to ,st4 ,peter1 informing him
 how well pleased his ,holiness was with
 the wisdom and piety of the institute4 
,the religious chose a white habit1 to  
put them continually in mind of         
innocence3 they wear a scapular1 which  
is likewise white3 but the king would   
oblige them1 for his sake1 to bear the  
royal arms of ,aragon1 which are        
interwoven on their habit upon the      
breast4 ,their numbers increasing very  
fast1 the saint petitioned the king for 
another house2 who1 on this occasion1   
built for them1 in #abcb1 a magnificent 
convent at ,barcelona4#c  ,king ,james  
having conquered the kingdom of         
,valencia1 founded in it several rich   
convents2 one was in the city of        
,valencia1 which was taken by the aid of
 the prayers of ,st4 ,peter1 when the   
soldiers had despaired of #caf success1 
tired out by the obstinacy of the       
besieged and strength of the place4 ,in 
thanksgiving for this victory1 the king 

built the rich monastery in the royal   
palace of ,uneza1 near the same city1 on
 a spot where an image of our ,lady was 
dug up1 which is still preserved in the 
church of this convent end is famous for
 pilgrimages4 ,it is called the         
monastery of our ,lady of mercy del     
,puche4#d ,that prince attributed to the
 prayers of ,saint ,peter thirty great  
victories which he obtained over the    
infidels1 and the entire conquest of the
 two kingdoms of ,valencia and ,murcia4 
,st4 ,peter1 after his religious        
profession1 renounced all his business  
at court1 and no entreaties of the king 
could ever after prevail with him to    
appear there but once1 and this was upon
 a motive of charity to reconcile two   
powerful noblemen1 who by their         
dissension had divided the whole        
kingdom1 and kindled a civil war4 ,the  
saint ordained that two members of the  
,order should be sent together among the
 infidels1 to treat about the ransom of 
,christian slaves1 and they are hence   

called ,ransomers4 ,one of the two first
 employed in this pious work was our    
saint2 and the kingdom of ,valencia was 
the first place that was blessed with   
his labors2 the second was that of      
,granada4 ,he not only comforted and    
ransomed a great number of captives1 but
 by his charity and other rare virtues1 
was the happy instrument of inducing    
many of the ,mahometans to embrace the  
faith of ,christ4 ,he made several other
 journeys to the coasts of ,spain1      
besides a voyage to ,algiers1 where1    
among other sufferings1 he underwent    
imprisonment for the faith4 ,but the    
most terrifying dangers could never make
 him desist from his pious endeavors for
 the conversion of the infidels1 burning
 with a holy desire of martyrdom4 ,he   
begged earnestly of his ,order to be    
released from the burden of his         
generalship3 but by his tears could only
 obtain the grant of a vicar to assist  
him in the discharge of it4 ,he employed
 himself in the meanest offices of his  

convent1 and coveted above all things to
 have the distribution of the daily alms
 at the gate of the monastery3 he at the
 same time instructed the poor in the   
knowledge of ,god and in virtue4 ,st4   
,louis ,,ix4 of ,france wrote frequently
 to him1 and desired much to see him4   
,the saint waited on him in ,languedoc1 
in the year #abdc1 and the king1 who    
tenderly embraced him1 requested him to 
accompany him in his expedition to      
recover the ,holy ,land4 ,st4 ,peter    
earnestly desired it1 but was hindered  
by sickness1 with which he was          
continually afflicted during the last   
years of his life1 the effect of his    
fatigues and austerities1 and he bore it
 with incomparable patience4 ,in #abdi1 
he resigned the offices of ,ransomer and
 ,general1 which was six or seven years 
before his death4 ,this happened on     
,christmas-day1 in #abef4 ,in his agony1
 he tenderly exhorted his religious to  
perseverance1 and concluded with those  
words of the psalmist3 ,our ,lord hath  

sent redemption to his people2 he hath  
commanded his covenant forever4#e ,he   
then recommended his soul to ,god by    
that charity with which ,christ came    
from heaven to redeem us from the       
captivity of the devil1 and melting into
 tears of compunction and divine love1  
he expired1 being in the sixty-seventh  
year of his age4 ,his relics are honored
 by many miracles4 ,he was canonized by 
pope ,urban ,,viii4 ,his festival was   
appointed by ,clement ,,viii4 to be kept
 on the #cast of ,january4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,charity 
towards all mankind was a distinguishing
 feature in the character of the saints4
 ,this benevolent virtue so entirely    
possessed their hearts1 that they were  
constantly disposed to sacrifice even   
their lives to the relief and assistance
 of others4 ,zealously employed in      
removing their temporal necessities1    
they labored with redoubled vigor to    
succor their spiritual wants1 #cag by   
rooting out from their souls the        

dominion of sin1 and substituting in its
 room the kingdom of ,god's grace4      
,ingratitude and ill-treatment1 which   
was the return they frequently met with 
for their charitable endeavors1 were not
 able to allay their ardent zeal3 they  
considered men on these occasions as    
patients under the pressure of diseases1
 more properly the object of compassion 
than of resentment4 ,they recommended   
them to ,god in their private devotions1
 and earnestly besought his mercy in    
their favor4 ,this conduct of the       
saints1 extraordinary as it is1 ceases  
to appear surprising when we recollect  
the powerful arguments our ,blessed     
,saviour made use of to excite us to the
 love of our neighbor4 ,but how shall we
 justify our unfeeling hard-heartedness1
 that seeks every trifling pretence to  
exempt us from the duty of succoring the
 unfortunate8 ,have we forgot that      
,jesus ,christ our ,redeemer1 who alone 
hath bestowed on us whatever we possess1
 hath made charity towards our          

fellow-creature1 but especially towards 
the needy1 an indispensable precept8 ,do
 we not know that he bids us consider   
the suffering poor as members of the    
same head1 heirs of the same promises1  
as our brethren and his children who    
represent him on earth8 ,he declares1   
that whatever we bestow upon them he    
will esteem it as given to himself2 and 
pledges his sacred word that he will    
reward our alms with an eternity of     
bliss4 ,such motives1 says ,st4         
,chrysostom1 would be sufficient to     
touch a heart of stone3 but there is    
something still more cogent1 continues  
the same holy father1 which is1 that the
 same ,jesus ,christ1 whom we refuse to 
nourish in the persons of the poor1     
feeds our souls with his precious body  
and blood4 ,if such considerations move 
not our hearts to commiserate and assist
 the indigent1 what share of mercy and  
relief can we hope for in the hour of   
need8 ,oh1 incomprehensible blindness6  
we perhaps prepare for ourselves an     

eternal abyss1 by those very means      
which1 properly applied1 would secure as
 the conquest of a kingdom which will   
never have an end4#f  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,a century before1 the counts of        
,barcelona were become kings of         
,aragon by a female title1 and had      
joined ,catalonia to ,aragon1 making    
,barcelona their chief residence and    
capital4 #b4  ,f4 ,tonron1 in the life  
of ,st4 ,raymund1 p4 #bj1 quotes an     
original     letter of ,st4 ,raymund1   
which mentions this revelation4 ,the    
authenticity of this letter cannot be   
called in question1 being     proved by 
,f4 ,bremond1 ,bullar4 ,ord4 ,praed4 t4 
#a1 not4 in ,constit4 #cf1     ,greg4   
,x4 ,the same revelation is inserted in 
the bull of the saint's                 
canonization1 in the ,histories of      
,zumel1 ,vargas1 ,penia1 c4 ,benedict   
,,xiv4 also mentions it1 ,canoniz4 ,,ss4
 l4 #a1 c4 #da1 and proves that it      
cannot reasonably be contested4 #c4     
,this ,order consisted at first of some 

knights1 who were dressed like          
seculars1 wearing only a scarf or       
scapular2 and of friars who were     in 
holy orders1 and attended the choir4    
,the knights were to guard     the coast
 against the ,saracens1 but were obliged
 to choir when not     on duty4 ,st4    
,peter himself was never ordained       
priest2 and the first     seven generals
 or commanders were chosen out of the   
knights1 though     the friars were     
always more numerous4 ,raymond ,albert1 
in #acag4 was     the first priest who  
was raised to that dignity2 and the     
popes     ,clement ,v41 and ,john       
,,xxii41 ordered that the general should
 be     always a priest after which1 the
 knight were incorporated into other    
military ,orders1 or were rarely        
renewed4 ,it is styled1 ,the royal      
military religious ,order of our ,lady  
of ,mercy for the redemption of         
,captives4 ,it is divided into          
commanderies1 which in ,spain are very  
rich4 ,it has eight provinces in        

,america1 three in ,spain1 and one1     
the poorest1 in the southern part of    
,france1 called the province of         
,guienne4 ,whereas this ,order is not   
bound to many extraordinary     domestic
 austerities1 a reformation1 obliging   
the members to go     barefoot1 was     
established among them in the sixteenth 
century1 and     approved by pope       
,clement ,,viii4 ,it observes the       
strictest poverty1     recollection1    
solitude1 and abstinence1 and has two   
provinces in     ,spain1 and one in     
,sicily1 besides several nunneries4 ,it 
was erected     by ,f4 ,john ,baptist   
,gonzales1 or of the holy sacrament1 who
 died in     the year #aah1 and is said 
to have been honored with miracles4 #d4 
,podoniensis4 #e4  ,ps4 cx4 #i4 #f4  ,s4
 ,chrys4 ,hom4 in illud3 ,vidua         
eligatur1 c4 t4 #c1 p4 #cig4 ,ed4 ,ben4 
,,st4 ,,serapion1 ,m4  ,,he was a       
zealous ,englishman1 whom ,st4 ,peter   
,nolasco received into his ,order at    
,barcelona4 ,he made two journeys among 

the ,moors for the ransom of captives1  
in #abdj4 ,the first was to ,murcia1 in 
which he purchased the liberty of       
ninety-eight slaves3 the second to      
,algiers1 in which he redeemed          
eighty-seven1 but remained himself a    
hostage for the full payment of the     
money4 ,he boldly preached ,christ to   
the ,mahometans1 and baptized several3  
for which he was cruelly tortured1      
scourged1 cut and mangled1 at length    
fastened to a cross1 and was thereon    
stabbed and quartered alive in the same 
year1 #abdj4 ,pope ,benedict ,,xiii4    
declared him a martyr1 and proved his   
immemorial veneration in his ,order1 by 
a decree in #agbh1 as ,benedict ,,xiv4  
relates4 ,l4 #b1 de ,canoniz4 c4 #bd1 p4
 #bif4  ,,ss4 ,,cyrus ,,and ,,john1     
,,mm4  ,,cyrus1 a physician of          
,alexandria1 who by the opportunities   
which his profession gave him1 had      
converted many sick persons to the      
faith2 and ,john1 an ,arabian1 hearing  
that a lady called ,athanasia1 and her  

three daughters1 of which the eldest was
 only fifteen years of age1 suffered    
torments for the name of ,christ at     
,canope in ,egypt1 went thither to      
encourage them4 ,they were apprehended  
themselves1 and cruelly beaten3 their   
sides #cah were burnt with torches1 and 
salt and vinegar poured into their      
wounds in the presence of ,athanasia and
 her daughters1 who were also tortured  
after them4 ,at length the four ladies1 
and a few days after1 ,cyrus and ,john1 
were beheaded1 the two latter on this   
day4 ,the ,syrians1 ,egyptians1 ,greeks1
 and ,latins1 honor their memory4 ,see  
their acts#a by ,st4 ,sophronius        
commended in the seventh general        
council1 and published with remarks by  
,bollandus4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,st4      
,cyrus is the same as ,abba-,cher1      
mentioned in the ,coptic calendar     on
 this day1 which is the #hth of their   
month ,mechir4 ,he is called            
,abbacyrus in the life of ,st4 ,john the
 ,almoner1 written by ,leontius1     in 

many ancient ,martyrologies1 and other  
monuments of antiquity4     ,abbacyrus  
is a ,chaldaic word1 signifying the     
,father ,cyr4 ,as this     saint was an 
,egyptian1 it is probable he was        
originally called     ,pa-,cher1 or     
,pa-,cyrus1 the ,egyptians having been  
accustomed to prefix     the article ,pa
 to the names of men1 as we see in      
,pa-chomis1     ,pa-phantis1            
,pa-phantis1 c4      ,it is said in the 
acts of our two martyrs1 that they were 
buried at     ,canopus1 twelve furlongs 
from ,alexandria1 and that their relics 
were     afterwards translated to       
,manutha1 a village near ,canopus1 which
 was     celebrated for a great number  
of miracles wrought there4 ,these       
relies are now in a church at ,rome     
called ,sant' ,apassara3 this word      
being corrupted by the ,italians from   
,abbacyrus4 ,formerly there were        
many churches in that city dedicated    
under the invocation of these     two   
holy martyrs4 ,see ,chatelain1 notes on 

the ,rom4 ,mart1 p4 #dfi1 et     seq4   
,,st4 ,,marcella1 ,,widow4  ,,she ,,is  
styled by ,st4 ,jerom the glory of the  
,roman ladies4 ,having lost her husband 
in the seventh month of her marriage1   
she rejected the suit of ,cerealis the  
consul1 uncle of ,gallus ,caesar1 and   
resolved to imitate the lives of the    
ascetics of the ,east4 ,she abstained   
from wine and flesh1 employed all her   
time in pious reading1 prayer1 and      
visiting the churches of the apostles   
and martyrs1 and never spoke with any   
man alone4 ,her example was followed by 
many virgins of the first quality1 who  
put themselves under her direction1 and 
,rome was in a short time filled with   
monasteries4 ,we have eleven letters of 
,st4 ,jerom to her in answer to her     
religious queries4 ,the ,goths under    
,alaric plundered ,rome in #daj4 ,st4   
,marcella was scourged by them for the  
treasures which she had long before     
distributed among the poor4 ,all that   
time she trembled only for her dear     

spiritual pupil1 ,principia 7not her    
daughter1 as some have reputed her by   
mistake17 and falling at the feet of the
 cruel soldiers1 she begged1 with many  
tears1 that they would offer her no     
insult4 ,god moved them to compassion4  
,they conducted them both to the church 
of ,st4 ,paul1 to which ,alaric had     
granted the right of sanctuary with that
 of ,st4 ,peter4 ,st4 ,marcella1 who    
survived this but a short time1 which   
she spent in tears1 prayers1 and        
thanksgiving1 closed her eyes by a happy
 death1 in the arms of ,st4 ,principia1 
about the end of ,august1 in #daj1 but  
her name occurs in the ,roman           
,martyrology on the #cast of ,january4  
,see ,st4 ,jerom1 ,ep4 #if1 ol4 #af1 ad 
,principiam1 t4 #d1 p4 #ggh4 ,ed4 ,ben4 
,baronius ad ann4 #daj1 and ,bollandus1 
t4 #b1 p4 #aaje4  ,,st4 ,,maidoc1 ,,or  
,,maodhog1  ,,called ,,also ,,aidan     
,,and ,,mogue1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,ferns1   
,,in ,,ireland4  ,,he was born in       
,connaught1 a province of ,ireland1 and 

seemed from his infancy to be deeply    
impressed with the fear of ,god4 ,he    
passed in his early days into ,wales1   
where he lived for a considerable time  
under the direction of the holy abbot   
,david4 ,he returned afterwards to his  
own country1 accompanied with several   
monks of eminent piety1 founded a great 
number of churches and monasteries1 and 
was made bishop of ,ferns4 ,he #cai died
 in #fcb1 according to ,usher4 ,his name
 is celebrated among the ,irish saints4 
,it appears from ,cambrensis that his   
festival was observed in ,wales in the  
twelfth century4 ,he was also honored in
 ,scotland4#a ,see ,colgan1 ,jan4 #ca1  
pp4 #bjh1 #bbc4 ,chatelain1 notes1 p4   
#dha4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,there is found 
in the chronicle of ,scone1 and in the  
,breviary of     ,aberdeen1 an ancient  
collect1 in which the ,divine mercy is  
implored     through his intercession4  
,chatelain tells us that in ,lower      
,brittany     he is called ,st4 ,de1    
7contracted from the ,latin word        

,aideus1 or     ,aidanus17 and that the 
village and church which bear his name1 
celebrate his festival on the #ahth of  
,march1 the day perhaps on     which    
they received some portion of his       
relics4  #cbj blank page #cba  ,only    
,complete and ,unabridged ,edition with 
nearly #ajj pages of ,chronological and 
,general ,index1 ,alphabetical and      
,centenary ,table1 etc4  ,,the ,,lives  
,,of ,,the ,,fathers1 ,,martyrs1 ,,and  
,,other ,,principal ,,saints2 ,,compiled
 ,,from ,,original ,,monuments1 ,,and   
,,other ,,authentic ,,records2          
,,illustrated ,,with ,,the ,,remarks    
,,of ,,judicious ,,modern ,,critics     
,,and ,,historians1 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4   
,,alban ,,butler4 ,with the approbation 
of ,,most ,,rev4 ,m4 ,a4 ,,corrigan1    
,d4,d41 ,archbishop of ,new ,york4      
,,vol4 ,,ii4  ,,new ,,york3 ,p4,j4      
,,kenedy1 ,,publisher ,,to ,,the ,,holy 
,,see1 ,,excelsior ,,catholic           
,,publishing ,,house1 #e ,,barclay      
,,street4 #aijc4  #cbb blank page #cbc  

_/99 ,,contents4 ,,february4  #a4       
,,page ,st4 ,,ignatius1 ,bishop of      
,antioch1 ,martyr44444444 #cbe ,st4     
,pionius1 ,priest and                   
,martyr44444444444444444 #ccc ,st4      
,bridget1 ,virgin and ,abbess1          
,patroness of                           
,ireland44444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #ccd ,st ,kinnia1 ,virgin1 of    
,ireland444444444444444444 #ccd ,st4    
,sigebert1 ,king of ,austrasia1         
,confessor44444 #ccg  #b4 ,the          
,purification of the ,blessed ,virgin   
,mary4444 #ccg ,st4 ,laurence1          
,archbishop of ,canterbury444444444 #cdb
  #c4 ,st ,blaze1 ,bishop and           
,martyr44444444444444444444 #cdc ,st4   
,anscharius1 ,archbishop of ,hamburgh   
and   ,bremen1                          
,confessor4444444444444444444444444444  
#cdd ,st4 ,wereburge1 ,virgin and       
,abbess1 in ,england1   ,patroness of   
,chester4444444444444444444444444 #cde  
,st4 ,margaret1 ,virgin in              
,england4444444444444444 #cdh  #d4 ,st4 

,andrew ,corsini1 ,bishop and           
,confessor4444444 #cdi ,st4 ,phileas and
 ,philoromus1 ,bishop of ,thmuis1       
,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #cea ,st4 ,gilbert1 ,abbot1      
,founder of the ,gilbertins44 #cec ,st4 
,jean1 or ,joan1 of ,valois1 ,queen of  
,france44 #cec ,st4 ,isidore of         
,pelusium1 ,priest4444444444444444 #ced 
,st ,rembert1 ,archbishop of ,bremen1   
,confessor4444 #cee ,st4 ,modan1 ,abbot 
in ,scotland1 ,confessor44444444 #cee   
,st4 ,joseph of ,leonissa1              
,confessor44444444444444 #cef  #e4 ,st4 
,agatha1 ,virgin and                    
,martyr444444444444444444 #ceg ,the     
,martyrs of                             
,japan444444444444444444444444444 #cei  
,appendix to the ,martyrs of            
,china444444444444444 #cfb ,,ss4        
,martyrs of ,pontus1 under              
,dioclesian44444444 #cff ,st4 ,avitus1  
,archbishop of ,vienne1 ,confessor4444  
#cff ,st4 ,alice1 or ,adelaide1 ,virgin 
and ,abbess444444 #cff ,st4 ,abraamius1 

,bishop of ,arbela1 ,martyr44444444 #cfg
  #f4 ,st4 ,dorothy1 ,virgin and        
,martyr44444444444444444 #cfg ,st4      
,vedast1 ,bishop of ,arras1             
,confessor444444444 #cfh ,st4 ,amandus1 
,bishop and ,confessor44444444444444    
#cfi ,st4 ,barsanuphius1                
,anchoret444444444444444444444 #cgj  #g4
 ,st4 ,romuald1 ,abbot and ,confessor1  
,founder of   the ,order of             
,camaldoli44444444444444444444444 #cgj  
,st4 ,richard1 ,king in ,england1 and   
,confessor4444 #cgg ,st4 ,theodorus1 of 
,heraclea1 ,martyr4444444444444 #cgg    
,st4 ,tresain1 or ,tresanus1 ,priest and
 ,confessor4 #cgh ,st4 ,augulus1 ,bishop
 in ,england1 and ,martyr44444 #cgi  #h4
 ,st4 ,john of ,matha1 ,confessor1      
,founder of the   ,order of             
,trinitarians444444444444444444444444   
#cgi ,st4 ,stephen of ,grandmont1       
,abbot4444444444444444 #chb ,appendix to
 the ,life of ,st4 ,stephen444444444444 
#chd ,st4 ,paul1 ,bishop of ,verdun1    
,confessor4444444444 #chd ,st4 ,cuthman1

 in ,england1 ,confessor4444444444444   
#che  #i4 ,st4 ,apollonia1 ,virgin and  
,martyr444444444444444 #chh ,st4        
,nicephorus1                            
,martyr4444444444444444444444444 #chh   
,st4 ,theliau1 ,bishop in ,england1 and 
,confessor44 #dhi ,st4 ,ansbert1        
,archbishop of ,rouen in #fie1          
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #cij ,st4 ,attracta1 or          
,tarahata1 ,virgin1 in ,ireland44 #cij  
,st4 ,erhard1 ,abbot and ,confessor1    
native of                               
,scotland4444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #cij  #aj4 ,st4 ,scholastica1    
,virgin444444444444444444444444 #cia    
,st4 ,soteris1 ,virgin and              
,martyr44444444444444444 #cic ,st4      
,william of ,maleval1 ,hermit1 and      
,institutor   of the ,order of          
,gulielmites444444444444444444 #cic ,st4
 ,erlulph1 ,bishop and ,martyr1 native  
of                                      
,scotland4444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #cje  #aa4 ,,ss4 ,saturninus1    

,dativus1 and others1 ,martyrs of       
,africa444444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #cie ,st4 ,severinus1 ,abbot of  
,agaunum4444444444444444 #cig ,st4      
,theodora1                              
,empress44444444444444444444444444 #cih 
#ab4 ,st4 ,benedict of ,anian1          
,abbot4444444444444444444 #cih ,st4     
,meletius1 ,patriarch of ,antioch1      
,confessor44 #dja ,st4 ,eulalia1        
,virgin1 of ,barcelona1 ,martyr444444   
#dje ,st4 ,antony ,cauleas1 ,patriarch  
of   ,constantinople1                   
,confessor44444444444444444444 #dje     
#ac4 ,st4 ,catharine de ,ricci1         
,virgin44444444444444444 #djf ,st4      
,licinius1 ,bishop of ,angers1          
,confessor444444 #djh ,st4 ,polyeuctus1 
,martyr4444444444444444444444444 #dji   
,st4 ,gregory ,,ii41 ,pope and          
,confessor444444444444 #daj ,st4        
,martinianus1 ,hermit at                
,athens44444444444444 #dab ,st4         
,modomnoc1 or ,dominick1 of ,ossory1    
,bishop   and                           

,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
44 #dac ,st4 ,stephen1                  
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444 #dac
 ,b4 ,roger1 ,abbot and                 
,confessor444444444444444444 #dac  #ad4 
,st4 ,valentine1 ,priest and            
,martyr444444444444444 #dac ,st4 ,maro1 
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444444  
#dad ,st4 ,abraames1 ,bishop of         
,carres44444444444444444 #dae ,st4      
,auxentius1                             
,hermit44444444444444444444444444 #dae  
,st4 ,conran1 ,bishop of ,orkney1       
,confessor44444444 #daf  #ae4 ,,ss4     
,faustinus and ,jovita1                 
,martyrs44444444444444 #daf ,st4        
,sigefride1 or ,sigfrid1 ,bishop4       
,apostle of                             
,sweden444444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dag  #af4 ,st4 ,onesimus1       
,disciple of ,st4 ,paul4444444444444    
#dah ,,ss4 ,elias1 ,jeremy1 ,isaias1    
,samuel1 ,daniel1 and   other ,holy     
,martyrs at ,caesarea1 in ,palestine4   
#dai ,st4 ,juliana1 ,virgin and         

,martyr44444444444444444 #dbj ,st4      
,gregory ,x41 ,pope and                 
,confessor4444444444444 #dbj ,st4       
,tanco1 or ,tatta1 ,bishop and ,martyr1 
native   of                             
,scotland4444444444444444444444444444444
444 #dbb  #cbd  #ag4 ,st4 ,flavian1     
,archbishop of ,constantinople1         
,martyr444444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dbb ,,ss4 ,theodulus and        
,julian1 ,martyrs44444444444444 #dbe    
,st4 ,silvin of ,auchy1 ,bishop and     
,confessor444444 #dbf ,st4 ,loman1 or   
,luman1 ,bishop in ,ireland1            
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dbf ,st4 ,fintan1 ,abbot of     
,cluian-,ednech1 in ,ireland4 #dbg  #ah4
 ,st4 ,simeon1 ,bishop of ,jerusalem1   
,martyr44444444 #dbg ,,ss4 ,leo and     
,paregorius1 ,martyrs4444444444444444   
#dbi  #ai4 ,st4 ,barbatus1 or ,barbas1  
,bishop of ,benevento1                  
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dca  #bj4 ,,ss4 ,tyrannio1      
,bishop of ,tyre1 ,zenobius1 and   other

 ,martyrs in                            
,phoenicia4444444444444444444 #dcc ,st4 
,sadoth1 ,bishop of ,seleucia and       
,ctesiphon1   with #abh ,companions1    
,martyrs44444444444444444 #dcd ,st4     
,eleutherius1 ,bishop of ,tourney1      
,martyr44444 #dcf ,st4 ,mildred1 ,virgin
 and ,abbess44444444444444444 #dcf ,st4 
,eucherius1 ,bishop of ,orleans1        
,confessor4444 #dcg ,st4 ,ulrick1       
,recluse in ,england44444444444444444   
#dch  #ba4 ,st4 ,severianus1 ,bishop of 
,scythopolis1 ,martyr44 #dci ,,ss4      
,german1 ,abbot of ,granfel1 and        
,randaut1                               
,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #ddj ,,ss4 ,daniel1 ,priest1 and 
,verde1 ,virgin1 ,martyrs4 #dda ,b4     
,pepin of ,landen1 ,mayor of the        
,palace44444444 #dda  #bb4 ,the ,chair  
of ,st4 ,peter1 at ,antioch4444444444444
 #ddb ,st4 ,margaret of ,cortona1       
,penitent44444444444444 #ddc ,,ss4      
,thalassius and ,limneus1               
,confessors444444444 #ddd ,st4 ,baradat1

 ,confessor4444444444444444444444444    
#ddd  #bc4 ,st4 ,serenas1 a ,gardener1  
,martyr4444444444444444 #dde ,st4       
,milburge1 ,virgin in                   
,england4444444444444444 #ddg ,st4      
,dositheus1                             
,monk4444444444444444444444444444 #ddg  
,b4 ,peter ,damian1 ,cardinal1 ,bishop  
of ,ostia44444 #ddh ,st4 ,boisil1 ,prior
 of ,melross1 ,confessor44444444 #dca   
#bd4 ,st4 ,matthias1                    
,apostle44444444444444444444444444 #dec 
,,ss4 ,montanus1 ,lucius1 ,flavian1     
,julian1   ,victoricus1 ,primolus1      
,rhenus1 and ,donatian1   ,martyrs at   
,carthage44444444444444444444444444 #dec
 ,st4 ,lethard1 ,bishop of ,senlis1     
,confessor4444444 #dei ,b4 ,robert1 of  
,arbrissel1 ,priest4444444444444444 #dei
 ,st4 ,pretextatus1 or ,prix1           
,archbishop of ,rouen1                  
,martyr444444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dfj ,st4 ,ethelbert1 ,confessor1
 ,first ,christian ,king   among the    
,english4444444444444444444444444444    

#dfb  #be4 ,st4 ,tarasius1 ,patriarch of
 ,constantinople1                       
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dfc ,st4 ,victorinus1 and ,six  
,companions1 ,martyrs4444 #dfh ,st4     
,walburge1 ,abbess in                   
,england4444444444444444 #dfi ,st4      
,caesarius1 ,physician1                 
,confessor4444444444444 #dgj ,st4       
,alexander1 ,patriarch of ,alexandria1  
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dgj ,st4 ,porphyrius1 ,bishop of
 ,gaza1 ,confessor444444 #dgc ,st4      
,victor1 or ,vittre1 of ,arcis in       
,champagne1   ,anchoret and             
,confessor44444444444444444444444 #dgg  
#bf4 ,st4 ,leander1 ,bishop of ,seville1
 ,confessor444444 #dgh ,,ss4 ,julian1   
,chronion1 and ,besas1 ,martyrs 444444  
#dhj ,st4 ,thalilaeus1 a ,cilician1     
,recluse in ,syria4444 #dha ,st4        
,galmier1 of                            
,lyons44444444444444444444444444 #dha   
,st4 ,nestor1 ,bishop and               
,martyr444444444444444444 #dha ,st4     

,alnoth1 ,anchoret and                  
,martyr4444444444444444 #dhb  #bh4      
,martyrs who died in the ,great         
,pestilence in                          
,alexandria44444444444444444444444444444
444444 #dhb ,st4 ,proterius1 ,patriarch 
of ,alexandria1 ,martyr4 #dhb ,,ss4     
,romanus and ,lupicinus1                
,abbots44444444444444 #dhd  #bi4 ,st4   
,oswald1 ,bishop of ,worcester1 and     
,archbishop of                          
,york444444444444444444444444444 #dhd   
99_/ #cbe   ,,february ,i4  ,,st4       
,,ignatius1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,antioch1 ,m4
  ,from his genuine epistles2 also from 
the acts of his martyrdom1 ,st4 ,chrys4 
,hom4 ,in ,st4 ,ignat4 ,m4 t4 #c1 p4    
#ib4 ,ed4 ,nov4 ,eusebius4 ,see         
,tillemont1 t4 #b1 p4 #aia4 ,cave1 t4   
#a1 p4 #ajj4 ,dom ,ceillier4 ,dom       
,marechal ,concordance des ,peres ,grecs
 et ,latins1 t4 #a1 p4 #eh4  ,a4,d4     
#ajg4  ,,st4 ,,ignatius1 surnamed       
,theophorus1#a a word implying a divine 
or heavenly person1 was a zealous       

convert and an intimate disciple of ,st4
 ,john the ,evangelist1 as his acts     
assure us2 also the apostles ,,ss4      
,peter and ,paul1 who united their      
labors in planting the faith at         
,antioch4#b ,it was by their direction  
that he succeeded ,evodius in the       
government of that important see1 as we 
are told by ,st4 ,chrysostom1#c who     
represents him as a perfect model of    
virtue in that station1 in which he     
continued upwards of forty years4       
,during the persecution of ,domitian1   
,st4 ,ignatius defended his flock by    
prayer1 fasting1 and daily preaching the
 word of ,god4 ,he rejoiced to see peace
 restored to the church on the death of 
that emperor1 so far as this calm might 
be beneficial to those committed to his 
charge3 but was apprehensive that he had
 not attained to the perfect love of    
,christ1 nor the dignity of a true      
disciple1 because he had not as yet been
 called to seal the truth of his        
religion with his blood1 an honor he    

somewhat impatiently longed for4 ,the   
peaceable reign of ,nerva lasted only   
fifteen months4 ,the governors of       
several provinces renewed the           
persecution under ,trajan his successor3
 and it appears from ,trajan's letter to
 ,pliny the younger1 governor of        
,bithynia1 that the ,christians were    
ordered to be put to death1 if accused2 
but it was forbid to make any inquiry   
after them4 ,that emperor sullied his   
clemency and bounty1 and his other pagan
 virtues1 by incest with his sister1 by 
an excessive vanity1 which procured him 
the surname of ,parietmus1 7or dauber of
 every wall with the inscriptions of his
 name and actions17 and by blind        
superstition1 which rendered him a      
persecutor of the true followers of     
virtue1 out of a notion of gratitude to 
his imaginary deities1 especially after 
his victories over the ,daci and        
,scythians in #aja and #aje4 ,in the    
year #ajf1 which was the ninth of his   
reign1 he set out for the ,east on an   

expedition #cbf against the ,parthians1 
and made his entry into ,antioch on the 
#gth of ,january1 #ajg1 with the pomp of
 a triumph4 ,his first concern was about
 the affair of religion and worship of  
the gods1 and for this reason he        
resolved to compel the ,christians      
either to acknowledge their divinity and
 sacrifice to them1 or suffer death in  
case of refusal4  ,ignatius1 as a       
courageous soldier1 being concerned only
 for his flock1 willingly suffered      
himself to be taken1 and carried before 
,trajan1 who thus accosted him3 ,who art
 thou1 wicked demon1 that durst         
transgress my commands1 and persuade    
others to perish8 ,the saint answered3  
,no one calls ,theophorus a wicked      
demon4 ,trajan said3 ,who is            
,theophorus8 ,ignatius answered3 ,he who
 carrieth ,christ in his breast4 ,trajan
 replied3 ,and do not we seem to thee to
 bear the gods in our breasts1 whom we  
have assisting us against our enemies8  
,ignatius said3 ,you err in calling     

those gods who are no better than       
devils3 for there is only one ,god1 who 
made heaven and earth1 and all things   
that are in them3 and one ,jesus ,christ
 his only ,son1 into whose kingdom ,i   
earnestly desire to be admitted4 ,trajan
 said3 ,do not you mean him that was    
crucified under ,pontius ,pilate8       
,ignatius answered3 ,the very same1 who 
by his death has crucified with sin its 
author1 who overcame the malice of the  
devils1 and has enabled those1 who bear 
him in their heart1 to trample on them4 
,trajan said3 ,dost thou carry about    
,christ within thee8 ,ignatius replied1 
,yes2 for it is written3 ,i will dwell  
and walk in them4#d ,then ,trajan       
dictated the following sentence3 ,it is 
our will that ,ignatius1 who saith that 
he carrieth the crucified man within    
himself1 be bound and conducted to      
,rome1 to be devoured there by wild     
beasts1 for the entertainment of the    
people4 ,the holy martyr1 hearing this  
sentence1 cried out with joy3 ,i thank  

thee1 ,o ,lord1 for vouchsafing to honor
 me with this token of perfect love for 
thee1 and to be bound with chains of    
iron1 in imitation of thy apostle ,paul1
 for thy sake4 ,having said this1 and   
prayed for the church1 and recommended  
it with tears to ,god1 he joyfully put  
on the chains1 and was hurried away by a
 savage troop of soldiers to be conveyed
 to ,rome4 ,his inflamed desire of      
laying down his life for ,christ1 made  
him embrace his sufferings with great   
joy4  ,on his arrival at ,seleucia1 a   
sea-port1 about sixteen miles from      
,antioch1 he was put on board a ship    
which was to coast the southern and     
western parts of ,asia ,minor4 ,why this
 route was pitched upon1 consisting of  
so many windings1 preferably to a more  
direct passage from ,seleucia to ,rome1 
is not known2 probably to render the    
terror of his punishment the more       
extensive1 and of the greater force1 to 
deter men from embracing and persevering
 in the faith3 but providence seems to  

have ordained it for the comfort and    
edification of many churches4 ,several  
,christians of ,antioch1 taking a       
shorter way1 got to ,rome before him1   
where they waited his arrival4 ,he was  
accompanied thither from ,syria by      
,reus1 ,philo1 a deacon1 and            
,agathopodus1 who seem to have written  
these acts of his martyrdom4 ,he was    
guarded night and day1 both by sea and  
land1 by ten soldiers1 whom he calls ten
 leopards1 on account of their          
inhumanity and merciless usage who1 the 
kinder he was to them1 were the more    
fierce and cruel to him4 ,this voyage1  
however1 gave him the opportunity of    
confirming in faith and piety the       
several churches he saw on his route2   
giving them the strictest caution       
against heresies and schism1 and        
recommending to them an inviolable      
attachment to the tradition of the      
apostles4 ,st4 ,chrysostom adds1 that he
 taught them admirably to despise the   
present life1 to love only the good     

things to come1 and never to fear any   
temporal evils whatever4 ,the faithful  
#cbg flocked from the several churches  
he came near1 to see him1 and to render 
him all the service in their power1     
hoping to receive benefit from the      
plenitude of his benediction4 ,the      
cities of ,asia1 besides deputing to him
 their bishops and priests1 to express  
their veneration for him1 sent also     
deputies in their name to bear him      
company the remainder of his journey2 so
 that he says he had many churches with 
him4 ,so great was his fervor and desire
 of suffering1 that by the fatigues and 
length of the voyage1 which was a very  
bad one1 he appeared the stronger and   
more courageous4 ,on their reaching     
,smyrna1 he was suffered to go ashore1  
which he did with great joy1 to salute  
,st4 ,polycarp1 who had been his        
fellow-disciple under ,st4 ,john the    
,evangelist4 ,their conversation was    
upon topics suitable to their character1
 and ,st4 ,polycarp felicitated him on  

his chains and sufferings in so good a  
cause4 ,at ,smyrna he was met by        
deputies of several churches1 who were  
sent to salute him4 ,those from ,ephesus
 were ,onesimus1 the bishop2 ,burrhus1  
the deacon2 ,crocus1 ,euplus1 and       
,fronto4 ,from ,magnesia in ,lydia1     
,damas the bishop1 ,bassus and ,apollo1 
priests1 and ,sotio1 deacon4 ,from      
,tralles1 also in ,lydia1 ,polybius the 
bishop4 ,from ,smyrna1 ,st4 ,ignatius   
wrote four letters3 in that to the      
church of ,ephesus1 he commends the     
bishop ,onesimus1 and the piety and     
concord of the people1 and their zeal   
against all heresies1 and exhorts them  
to glorify ,god all manner of ways3 to  
be subject1 in unanimity1 to their      
bishop and priests2 to assemble1 as     
often as possible1 with them in public  
prayer1 by which the power of ,satan is 
weakened3 to oppose only meekness to    
anger1 humility to boasting1 prayers to 
curses and reproaches1 and to suffer all
 injuries without murmuring4 ,he says1  

that because they are spiritual1 and    
perform all they do in a spiritual      
manner1 that all1 even their ordinary   
actions1 are spiritualized1 because they
 do all in ,jesus ,christ4 ,that he     
ought to have been admonished by them1  
but his charity would not suffer him to 
be silent3 wherefore he prevents them1  
by admonishing first1 that both might   
meet in the will of ,god4 ,he bids them 
not be solicitous to speak1 but to live 
well1 and to edify others by their      
actions2 and recommends himself and his 
widow-church of ,antioch to their       
prayers4 ,himself he calls their        
outcast1 yet declares that he is ready  
to be immolated for their sake1 and says
 they were persons who had found mercy1 
but he a condemned man3 they were       
strengthening in grace1 but he          
struggling in the midst of dangers4 ,he 
calls them fellow-travellers in the road
 to ,god1 which is charity1 and says    
they bore ,god and ,christ in their     
breasts1 and were his temples1          

embellished with all virtues1 and that  
he exulted exceedingly for the honor of 
being made worthy to write to them1 and 
rejoice in ,god with them3 for setting a
 true value on the life to come1 they   
loved nothing but ,god alone4 ,speaking 
of heretics1 he says1 that he who       
corrupts the faith for which ,christ    
died1 will go into unquenchable fire1   
and also he who heareth him4 ,it is     
observed by him1 that ,god concealed    
from the devil three mysteries3 the     
virginity of ,mary1 her bringing forth1 
and the death of the ,lord3 and he calls
 the ,eucharist the medicine of         
immortality1 the antidote against death1
 by which we always live in ,christ4    
,remember me1 as ,i pray that ,jesus    
,christ be mindful of you4 ,pray for the
 church of ,syria1 from whence ,i am    
carried in chains to ,rome1 being the   
last of the faithful who are there4     
,farewell in ,god the ,father1 and in   
,jesus ,christ1 our common hope4 ,the   
like instructions he repeats with a new 

and most moving turn of thought1 in his 
letters to the churches of ,magnesia1   
and of the ,trallians2 inculcates the   
greatest abhorrence of schism and       
heresy1 and begs their prayers for      
himself and his church in ,syria1 of    
which he is not worthy to be called a   
member1 being the last of them4#e ,his  
#cbh fourth letter was written to the   
,christians of ,rome4 ,the saint knew   
the all-powerful efficacy of the prayers
 of the saints1 and feared lest they    
should obtain of ,god his deliverance   
from death4 ,he therefore besought ,st4 
,polycarp and others at ,smyrna1 to join
 their prayers with his1 that the       
cruelty of the wild beasts might quickly
 rid the world of him1 that he might be 
presented before ,jesus ,christ4 ,with  
this view he wrote to the faithful at   
,rome1 to beg that they would not       
endeavor to obtain of ,god that the     
beasts might spare him1 as they had     
several other martyrs2 which might      
induce the people to release him1 and so

 disappoint him of his crown4  ,the     
ardor of divine love which the saint    
breathes throughout this letter1 is as  
inflamed as the subject is              
extraordinary4 ,in it he writes3 ,i fear
 your charity1 lest it prejudice me3 for
 it is easy for you to do what you      
please2 but it will be difficult for me 
to attain unto ,god if you spare me4 ,i 
shall never have such an opportunity of 
enjoying ,god3 nor can you1 if ye shall 
now be silent1 ever be entitled to the  
honor of a better work4 ,for if ye be   
silent in my behalf1 ,i shall be made   
partaker of ,god2 but if ye love my     
body1 ,i shall have my course to run    
again4 ,therefore1 a greater kindness   
you cannot do me1 than to suffer me to  
be sacrificed unto ,god1 while the altar
 is now ready2 that so becoming a choir 
in love1 in your hymns ye may give      
thanks to the ,father by ,jesus ,christ1
 that ,god has vouchsafed to bring me1  
the bishop of ,syria1 from the ,east    
unto the ,west1 to pass out of the world

 unto ,god1 that ,i may rise again unto 
him4 ,ye have never envied any one4 ,ye 
have taught others4 ,i desire1          
therefore1 that you will firmly observe 
that which in your instructions you have
 prescribed to others4 ,only pray for   
me1 that ,god would give me both inward 
and outward strength1 that ,i may not   
only say1 but do3 that ,i may not only  
be called a ,christian1 #cbi but be     
found one3 for if ,i shall be found a   
,christian1 ,i may then deservedly be   
called one2 and be thought faithful1    
when ,i shall no longer appear to the   
world4 ,nothing is good that is seen4 ,a
 ,christian is not a work of opinion1   
but of greatness1 when he is hated by   
the world4 ,i write to the churches1 and
 signify to them all1 that ,i am willing
 to die for ,god1 unless you hinder me4 
,i beseech you that you show not an     
unseasonable good-will towards me4      
,suffer me to be the food of wild       
beasts1 whereby ,i may attain unto ,god3
 ,i am the wheat of ,god1 and ,i am to  

be ground by the teeth of the wild      
beasts1 that ,i may be found the pure   
bread of ,christ4 ,rather entice the    
beasts to my sepulchre1 that they may   
leave nothing of my body1 that1 being   
dead1 ,i may not be troublesome to any4 
,then shall ,i be a true disciple of    
,jesus ,christ1 when the world shall not
 see so much as my body4 ,pray to       
,christ for me1 that in this ,i may     
become a sacrifice to ,god4 ,i do not1  
as ,peter and ,paul1 command you2 they  
were apostles1 ,i am an inconsiderable  
person3 they were free1 ,i am even yet a
 slave4 ,but if ,i suffer1 ,i shall then
 become the freeman of ,jesus ,christ1  
and shall arise a freeman in him4 ,now  
,i am in bonds for him1 ,i learn to have
 no worldly or vain desires4 ,from      
,syria even unto ,rome1 ,i fight with   
wild beasts1 both by sea and land1 both 
night and day1 bound to ten leopards1   
that is1 to a band of soldiers2 who are 
the worse for kind treatment4 ,but ,i am
 the more instructed by their injuries2 

yet am ,i not thereby justified4#f ,i   
earnestly wish for the wild beasts that 
are prepared for me1 which ,i heartily  
desire may soon dispatch me2 whom ,i    
will entice to devour me entirely and   
suddenly1 and not serve me as they have 
done some whom they have been afraid to 
touch2 but if they are unwilling to     
meddle with me1 ,i will even compel them
 to it4#g ,pardon me this matter1 ,i    
know what is good for me4 ,now ,i begin 
to be a disciple4 ,so that ,i have no   
desire after any thing visible or       
invisible1 that ,i may attain to ,jesus 
,christ4 ,let fire1 or the cross1 or the
 concourse of wild beasts1 let cutting  
or tearing of the flesh1 let breaking of
 bones and cutting off limbs1 let the   
shattering in pieces of my whole body1  
and all the wicked torments of the devil
 come upon me1 so ,i may but attain to  
,jesus ,christ4 ,all the compass of the 
earth1 and the kingdoms of this world1  
will profit me nothing4 ,it is better   
for me to die for the sake of ,jesus    

,christ1 than to rule unto the ends of  
the earth4 ,him ,i seek who died for us3
 ,him ,i desire who rose again for us4  
,he is my gain at hand4 ,pardon me1     
brethren3 be not my hinderance in       
attaining to life1 for ,jesus ,christ is
 the life of the faithful2 while ,i     
desire to belong to ,god1 do not ye     
yield me back to the world4 ,suffer me  
to partake of the pure light4 ,when ,i  
shall be there1 ,i shall be a man of    
,god4 ,permit me to imitate the passion 
of ,christ my ,god4 ,if any one has him 
within himself1 let him consider what ,i
 desire1 and let him have compassion on 
me1 as knowing how ,i am straitened4    
,the prince of this world endeavors to  
snatch me away1 and to change the desire
 with which ,i burn of being united to  
,god4 ,let none of you who are present  
attempt to succor me4 ,be rather on my  
side1 that is1 on ,god's4 ,entertain no 
desires of the world1 having ,jesus     
,christ in your mouths4 ,let no envy    
find place in your breasts4 ,even were  

,i myself to entreat you when present1  
do not obey me2 but rather believe what 
,i now signify to you by letter4 ,though
 ,i am alive at the writing of this1 yet
 my desire is to die4 ,my love is       
crucified4 ,the fire that is within me  
does not crave any water2 but being     
alive and springing within1 says3 ,come 
to the ,father4 ,i take no pleasure in  
the food of corruption1 nor in the      
pleasure of this life4 ,i desire #ccj   
the bread of ,god1 which is the flesh of
 ,jesus ,christ1 and for drink1 his     
blood1 which is incorruptible charity4  
,i desire to live no longer according to
 men2 and this will be1 if you are      
willing4 ,be1 then1 willing1 that you   
may be accepted by ,god4 ,pray for me   
that ,i may possess ,god4 ,if ,i shall  
suffer1 ye have loved me3 if ,i shall be
 rejected1 ye have hated me4 ,remember  
in your prayers the church of ,syria1   
which now enjoys ,god for its shepherd  
instead of me4 ,i am ashamed to be      
called of their number1 for ,i am not   

worthy1 being the last of them1 and an  
abortive3 but through mercy ,i have     
obtained that ,i shall be something1 if 
,i enjoy ,god4 ,the martyr gloried in   
his sufferings as in the highest honor1 
and regarded his chains as most precious
 jewels4 ,his soul was raised above     
either the love or fear of any thing on 
earth2 and1 as ,st4 ,chrysostom says1 he
 could lay down his life with as much   
ease and willingness as another man     
could put off his clothes4 ,he even     
wished1 every step of his journey1 to   
meet with the wild beasts2 and though   
that death was most shocking and        
barbarous1 and presented the most       
frightful ideas1 sufficient to startle  
the firmest resolution2 yet it was      
incapable of making the least impression
 upon his courageous soul4 ,the perfect 
mortification of his affections appears 
from his heavenly meekness2 and he      
expressed how perfectly he was dead to  
himself and the world1 living only to   
,god in his heart1 by that admirable    

sentence3 ,my love is crucified4#h ,to  
signify1 as he explains himself         
afterwards1 that his appetites and      
desires were crucified to the world1 and
 to all the lusts and pleasures of it4  
,the guards pressed the saint to leave  
,smyrna1 that they might arrive at ,rome
 before the shows were over4 ,he        
rejoiced exceedingly at their hurry1    
desiring impatiently to enjoy ,god by   
martyrdom4 ,they sailed to ,troas1 where
 he was informed that ,god had restored 
peace to his church at ,antioch3 which  
freed him from the anxiety he had been  
under1 fearing lest there should be some
 weak ones in his flock4 ,at ,troas he  
wrote three other letters1 one to the   
church of ,philadelphia1 and a second to
 the ,smyrnaeans1 in which he calls the 
heretics who denied ,christ to have     
assumed true flesh1 and the ,eucharist  
to be his flesh1 wild beasts in human   
shape2 and forbids all communication    
with them1 only allowing them to be     
prayed for1 that they may be brought to 

repentance1 which is very difficult4    
,his last letter is addressed to ,st4   
,polycarp1 whom he exhorts to labor for 
,christ without sparing himself2 for the
 measure of his labor will be that of   
his reward4#i ,the style of the martyr  
everywhere follows the impulses of a    
burning charity1 rather than the rules  
of grammar1 and his pen is never able to
 express the sublimity of his thoughts4 
,in every word there is a fire and a    
beauty not to be paralleled3 every thing
 is full of a deep sense4 ,he everywhere
 breathes the most profound humility and
 contempt of himself as an abortive1 and
 the last of men2 a great zeal for the  
church1 and abhorrence of schisms3 the  
most ardent love of ,god and his        
neighbor1 and tenderness for his own    
flock3 begging the prayers of all the   
churches in its behalf to whom he wrote1
 and entreating of several that they    
would send an embassy to his church at  
,antioch1 to comfort and exhort them4   
,the #cca seven epistles of this        

apostolic father1 the same which were   
quoted by ,st4 ,irenaeus1 ,origen1      
,eusebius1 ,st4 ,athanasius1 ,st4       
,chrysostom1 ,theodoret1 ,gildas1 c41   
are published genuine by ,usher1        
,vossius1 ,cotelier1 c41 and in ,english
 by archbishop ,wake1 in #agaj4  ,st4   
,ignatius1 not being allowed time to    
write to the other churches of ,asia1   
commissioned ,st4 ,polycarp to do it for
 him4 ,from ,troas they sailed to       
,neapolis in ,macedonia1 and went thence
 to ,philippi1 from which place they    
crossed ,macedonia and ,epirus on foot2 
but took shipping again at ,epidamnum in
 ,dalmatia1 and sailing by ,rhegium and 
,puteoli1 were carried by a strong gale 
into the ,roman port1 the great station 
of the navy near ,ostia1 at the mouth of
 the ,tiber1 sixteen miles from ,rome4  
,he would gladly have landed at         
,puteoli1 to have traced ,st4 ,paul's   
steps1 by going on foot from that place 
to ,rome1 but the wind rendered it      
impracticable4 ,on landing1 the authors 

of these acts1 who were his companions1 
say they were seized with great grief1  
seeing they were soon to be separated   
from their dear master2 but he rejoiced 
to find himself so near the end of his  
race4 ,the soldiers hastened him on1    
because the public shows were drawing to
 an end4 ,the faithful of ,rome came out
 to meet him1 rejoicing at the sight of 
him1 but grieving that they were so soon
 to lose him by a barbarous death4 ,they
 earnestly wished that he might be      
released at the request of the people4  
,the martyr knew in spirit their        
thoughts1 and said much more to them    
than he had done in his letter on the   
subject of true charity1 conjuring them 
not to obstruct his going to the ,lord4 
,then kneeling with all the brethren1 he
 prayed to the ,son of ,god for the     
,church1 for the ceasing of the         
persecution1 and for perpetual charity  
and unanimity among the faithful4 ,he   
arrived at ,rome the #bjth of ,december1
 the last day of the public             

entertainments1 and was presented to the
 prefect of the city1 to whom the       
emperor's letter was delivered at the   
same time4 ,he was then hurried by the  
soldiers into the amphitheatre4 ,the    
saint hearing the lions roar1 cried out3
 ,i am the wheat of the ,lord2 ,i must  
be ground by the teeth of these beasts  
to be made the pure bread of ,christ4   
,two fierce lions being let out upon    
him1 they instantly devoured him1       
leaving nothing of his body but the     
larger bones3 thus his prayer was heard4
 ,after having been present at this     
sorrowful spectacle1 say our authors1   
which made us shed many tears1 we spent 
the following night in our house in     
watching and prayer1 begging of ,god to 
afford us some comfort by certifying us 
of his glory4 ,they relate1 that their  
prayer was heard1 and that several of   
them in their slumber saw him in great  
bliss4 ,they are exact in setting down  
the day of his death1 that they might   
assemble yearly thereon to honor his    

martyrdom4#aj ,they add1 that his bones 
were taken up and carried to ,antioch1  
and there laid in a chest as an         
inestimable treasure4 ,st4 ,chrysostom  
says his relics were carried in triumph 
on the shoulders of all the cities from 
,rome to ,antioch4 ,they were first laid
 in the cemetery without the ,daphnitic 
gate1 but in the reign of ,theodosius   
the younger were translated thence with 
great pomp to a church in the city1     
which had been a temple of ,fortune1 but
 from this time bore his name1 as       
,evagrius #ccb relates4#aa ,st4         
,chrysostom exhorts all people to visit 
them1 assuring them they would receive  
thereby many advantages1 spiritual and  
corporal1 which he proves at length4#ab 
,they are now at ,rome1 in the church of
 ,st4 ,clement1 pope1 whither they were 
brought about the time when ,antioch    
fell into the hands of the ,saracens in 
the reign of ,heraclius1 in #fcg4ac ,the
 regular canons at ,arouaise near       
,bapaume in ,artois1 the ,benedictin    

monks at ,liesse in ,haynault1 and some 
other churches1 have obtained each some 
bone of this glorious martyr4#ad ,the   
,greeks keep his feast a holyday on the 
day of his death1 the #bjth of          
,december4 ,his martyrdom happened in   
#ajg4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,the perfect spirit of     
humility1 meekness1 patience1 charity1  
and all other ,christian virtues1 which 
the seven epistles of ,st4 ,ignatius    
breathe in every part1 cannot fail      
deeply to affect all who attentively    
read them4 ,critics confess that they   
find in them a sublimity1 an energy and 
beauty of thought and expression1 which 
they cannot sufficiently admire4 ,but   
the ,christian is far more astonished at
 the saint's perfect disengagement of   
heart from the world1 the ardor of his  
love for ,god1 and the earnestness of   
his desire of martyrdom4 ,every period  
in them is full of profound sense1 which
 must be attentively meditated on before
 we can discover the divine sentiments  

of all virtues which are here expressed4
 ,nor can we consider them without being
 inspired by some degree of the same1   
and being covered with confusion to find
 ourselves fall so far short of the     
humility and fervor of the primitive    
saints4 ,let us listen to the           
instructions which this true disciple of
 ,christ gives in his letter to the     
,philadelphians1 an abstract of his     
other six epistles being given above4   
,he begins it by a strenuous            
recommendation of union with their      
bishop1 priests1 and deacons2 and gives 
to their bishop 7whom he does not name7 
great praises1 especially for his       
humility and meekness1 insomuch that he 
says his silence was more powerful than 
the vain discourses of others1 and that 
conversing with an unchangeable serenity
 of mind1 and in the sweetness of the   
living ,god1 he was utterly a stranger  
to anger4 ,he charges them to refrain   
from the pernicious weeds of heresy and 
schism1 which are not planted by the    

,father1 nor kept by ,christ4 ,whoever  
belong to ,god and ,jesus ,christ1 these
 are with the bishop4 ,if any one       
follows him who maketh a schism1 he     
obtains not the inheritance of the      
kingdom of ,god4 ,he who walks in the   
simplicity of obedience is not enslaved 
to his passion4 ,use one eucharist3 for 
the flesh of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is
 one1 and the cup is one in the unity of
 his blood4 ,there is one altar1 as     
there is one bishop1 with the college of
 the priesthood and the deacons1 my     
fellow-servants1 that you may do all    
things according to ,god4 ,my brethren1 
my heart is exceedingly dilated in the  
tender love which ,i bear you1 and      
exulting beyond bounds1 ,i render you   
secure and cautious2 not ,i indeed1 but 
,jesus ,christ1 in whom being bound ,i  
fear the more for myself1 being yet     
imperfect4 ,but your prayer with ,god   
will make me perfect1 that ,i may obtain
 the portion which his mercy assigns me4
 ,having cautioned them against adopting

 ,jewish ceremonies1 and against        
divisions and schisms1 he mentions one  
that had lately happened among them1 and
 speaks of a revelation which he had    
received of it as follows3 ,when ,i was 
among you1 ,i cried out with a loud     
voice1 with the voice of ,god1 saying3  
,hearken to your bishop1 and the        
priesthood1 and the deacons4 ,some      
suspected that ,i said this from a      
foresight of the division which some    
afterwards #ccc made4 ,but ,he for whom 
,i am in chains is my witness1 that ,i  
knew it not from man1 but the ,spirit   
declared it1 saying3 ,do ye nothing     
without your bishop4 ,keep your body    
holy as the temple of ,god4 ,be lovers  
of unity2 shun all divisions4 ,be ye    
imitators of ,jesus ,christ1 as he is of
 the ,father4 ,i therefore did what lay 
in me1 as one framed to maintain union4 
,where disagreement or anger is found1  
there ,god never dwells4 ,but ,god      
forgives all penitents4 ,he charges them
 to send some person of honor from their

 church to congratulate with his church 
in ,syria upon peace being restored to  
it1 and calls him blessed who should be 
honored with this commission4           
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the accent placed on  
the penultima of ,greek3 ,theophoros1 as
 the     word is written in the saint's 
acts1 denotes it of an active           
signification1 one that carrieth ,god2  
but of the passive1 carried     of ,god1
 if placed on the antepenultima4 #b4    
,st4 ,gregory tells us1 7l4 #d1 ep4     
#cg17 that he was a disciple of ,st4    
,peter4 ,the apostolic constitutions    
add1 also of ,st4 ,paul1 7l4 #g1 c4     
#df47 ,we are assured by ,st4           
,chrysostom 7,hom4 in ,st4 ,ignat47 and 
,theodoret1 7,dial4 #a1 p4 #cc17 that he
 was made bishop by the     direction of
 the apostles1 and by the imposition of 
their hands4 ,st4     ,chrysostom says1 
that ,st4 ,peter appointed him bishop to
 govern the     see of ,antioch1 when he
 quitted it himself2 which seems also to
 be     affirmed by ,origen1 7in ,luc4  

,hom4 #f17 ,st4 ,athanasius1 7de ,syn4  
p4     #ibb17 ,fdus1 c4 ,baronius thinks
 he was left by ,st4 ,peter1 bishop     
of the ,jewish converts1 and became     
bishop also of the ,gentiles in     #fh3
 for ,eusebius 7,hist4 l4 #c1 c4 #bb1   
#cf47 says1 that ,st4 ,evodius          
succeeded ,st4 ,peter at ,antioch2 he   
adds in his chronicle1 in the     year  
#dc1 that he died in #fh1 and was       
succeeded by ,st4 ,ignatius4 ,some      
think there is a mistake in the         
chronicle of ,eusebius1 as to the       
year of the death of ,evodius1 and that 
this happened before the     martyrdom  
of ,st4 ,peter1 who appointed ,st4      
,ignatius his successor4     ,see       
,cotelier1 not4 p4 #bii4 ,tillem4 not4  
t4 #b4 p4 #fai4 ,the ,greek     ,menaea 
mentions ,evodius on the #gth of        
,september4 #c4  ,hom4 in ,st4 ,ignat4  
t4 #b1 p4 #eib4 ,see also ,theodoret4   
,dial4 #a1 p4 #cc4 #d4  #b ,cor4 v4 #af4
 #e4  ,in his letter to the ,magnesians1
 after saluting them1 he says1 he       

rejoices exceedingly in their charity   
and faith1 and adds3 ,having     the    
honor to bear a name of divine dignity1 
on account to the chains     which ,i   
carry1 ,i sing the glow of the churches1
 and wish them the     union of the     
flesh and spirit of ,jesus ,christ our  
perpetual life1 of     faith1 and of    
charity1 than which nothing is more     
excellent2 and     what is chiefest1 of 
,jesus and the ,father1 in whom1 bearing
 with     patience the whole power of   
the prince of this world1 and escaping  
him1 we shall possess ,god4 ,the saint  
much commends their bishop     ,damas1  
and exhorts them to yield him perfect   
obedience1     notwithstanding his      
youth4 ,setting death before their eyes 
as near     at hand to every one1 he    
puts them in mind that we must bear the 
mark of ,jesus ,christ1 7which is       
charity17 not that of the world4 ,if    
we are not ready to die1 in imitation of
 his sufferings1 his life is     not in 
us1 says he4 ,i recommend to you that   

you do all things in     the concord of 
,god1 the bishop presiding for ,god1 the
 priests in the     place of the college
 of the apostles1 and my dearest        
deacons1 to     whom is the ministry of 
,jesus ,christ1 who was with the ,father
 before     all ages1 and has appeared  
in the end4 ,therefore1 following all   
the     same conduct1 respect one       
another1 and let no one consider his    
neighbor according to the flesh1 but    
ever love each other in ,jesus          
,christ4 ,as the ,lord did nothing      
without the ,father1 so neither do      
you say thing without the priests4      
,meeting together1 have one     prayer1 
one mind1 one hope in charity1 in holy  
joy4 ,all of you meet     as in one     
church of ,god1 as to one altar1 as to  
one ,jesus ,christ1     who proceeds    
from one ,father1 exists in one1 and    
returns to him in     ,unity4 ,he       
cautions them against admitting the     
,jewish ceremonies1     and against the 
errors of the ,docetes4 ,then adds3 ,i  

shall enjoy you     in all things if ,i 
am worthy4 ,for though ,i am in chains1 
,i am not to     be compared to any one 
of you who enjoy your liberty4 ,i know  
there     is in you no pride2 for you   
have ,jesus ,christ within you4 ,and    
when ,i     commend you1 ,i know that   
you are more confounded1 as it is       
written3     ,the just man is his own   
accuser4 ,prov4 xviii4 #ah4 ,he again   
tenderly exhorts them to concord1 and to
 obedience to their bishop1     and     
commends himself1 that he may attain to 
,god and his church1 of     which he is 
not worthy to be called one1 to their   
prayers1 adding3     ,i stand much in   
need of your united prayer and charity  
in ,god1 that     the church in ,syria  
may deserve to be watered by your       
church4      ,the epistle to the        
,trallians he begins thus3 ,i know that 
your     sentiments are pure1 your      
hearts inseperable in patience and      
meekness1 which is not passing1 but as  
it were natural2 as ,i learn     from   

your bishop ,polybius who congratulated 
with me in my chains in     ,christ     
,jesus1 in such manner that in him ,i   
beheld your whole     multitude4        
,receiving through him your good-will in
 ,god1 ,i gloried1     finding you to   
be1 as ,i knew1 imitators of ,god4 ,as  
you are subject     to the bishop as to 
,christ1 you seem not to live according 
to men1     but according to ,jesus     
,christ4 ,he bids them respect the      
deacons     7whom be calls the ministers
 of the mysteries of ,jesus ,christ7 as 
the precept of ,christ2 the priests as  
the senate of ,god1 and the     bishop  
as representing ,god4 ,without these the
 very name of a church     is not given1
 says he--,i know many things in ,god1  
but ,i measure     myself1 lest by      
glorying ,i perish4 ,now ,i have reason 
more to fear3     nor must ,i listen to 
those who speak kindly to me2 for they  
who     speak to commend me1 scourge me4
 ,i desire indeed to suffer3 but ,i     
know not whether ,i am worthy4 ,though  

,i am in chains1 and understand         
heavenly things1 the ranks of angels and
 principalities1 things     visible and 
invisible2 am ,i on this account a      
disciple8 for many     things are       
wanting to us that we be not separated  
from ,god4 ,i     conjure you1 not ,i1  
but the charity of ,jesus ,christ1 to   
use     ,christian food1 and to refrain 
from foreign weed1 which is heresy4     
,heretics join ,jesus ,christ with what 
is defiled1 giving a deadly     poison  
in a mixture of wine and honey which    
they who take1 drink     with pleasure  
their own death without knowing it4     
,refrain from such1     which you will  
do if you remain united to ,god1 ,jesus 
,christ1 and the     bishop1 and the    
precepts of the apostles4 ,he who is    
within the altar     is clean1 but he   
who is without it1 that is1 without the 
bishop1     priests1 and deacons1 is not
 clean4 ,he adds his usual exhortations 
to union1 and begs their prayers for    
himself and his church1 of     which he 

is not worthy to be called one1 being   
the last of them1 and     yet fighting  
is danger4 ,may my spirit sanctify you1 
not only now1     but also when ,i shall
 enjoy ,god4 #f4  #a ,cor4 iv4 #d4 #g4  
,not that he would really incite the    
beasts to dispatch him1 without     a   
special inspiration1 because that would 
have been self-murder2 but     this     
expresses the courage and desire of his 
soul4 #h4  ,greek3 ,ho hemos eros       
estanrotai4 #i4  ,see an account of     
these two last in the life of ,st4      
,polycarp4 ,orsi     draws a proof in   
favor of the supremacy of the see of    
,rome1 from the     title which ,st4    
,ignatius gives it at the head of his   
epistle4 ,in     directing his other    
letters1 and saluting other churches1 he
 only     writes3 ,to the blessed church
 which is at ,ephesus3 ,greek3 ,te ese  
en ,epheso at ,magnesia near the        
,maeander3 at ,tralles3 at              
,philadelphia3 at ,smyrna3 but in that  
to the ,romans he changes his     style1

 and addresses his letter3 ,to the      
beloved church which is     enlightened1
 7by the will of ,him who ordaineth all 
things which are     according to the   
charity of ,jesus ,christ our ,god17    
which presides in     the country of the
 ,romans1 ,greek3 etis prokathetai en   
topo chores     ,romaion1 worthy of     
,god1 most adorned1 justly happy1 most  
commended1     fitly regulated and      
governed1 most chaste1 and presiding in 
charity1     c4 #aj4 ,according to the  
common opinion1 ,st4 ,ignatius was      
crowned with     martyrdom in the year  
#ajg4 ,the ,greek copies of a homily of 
the sixth     age1 ,on the ,false       
,prophets1 among the works of ,st4      
,chrysostom1 say     on the #bjth2 but  
,bede1 in his ,martyrology1 on the #agth
 of ,december4     ,antoni ,pagi1       
convinced by the letter of ,dr4 ,loyde1 
bishop of ,st4     ,asaph's1 places his 
martyrdom about the end of the year     
#aaf3 for     ,john ,malalas of ,antioch
 tells us the great earthquake1 in which

 ,dion     ,cassias mentions that       
,trajan narrowly escaped at ,antioch1   
happened     in that journey of ,trajan 
in which he condemned ,st4 ,ignatius4   
,now     ,trajan marching to the        
,parthian war1 arrived at ,antioch on   
the #hth     of ,january1 in #aac1 the  
sixteenth year of his reign3 and in his 
return from the ,east1 above two years  
later1 passed again through     ,antioch
 in #aaf1 when this earthquake happened4
 ,st4 ,ignatius suffered     at ,rome   
towards the end of that year4 ,le ,quien
 prefers this date1     because it best 
agrees with the chronology of his       
successors to     ,theophilus4 ,orien4  
,christ4 t4 #b1 p4 #gjj4 #aa4 ,evagr4   
,hist4 ,eccl4 l4 #a1 c4 #af1 ,ed4       
,vales4 #ab4 ,or4 in ,s4 ,ignat4 t4 #b1 
p4 #fjj4 ,ed4 ,nov4 #ac4 ,see ,baron4   
,annal4 ad an4 #fcg1 and ,not4 ad       
,martyr4 ,rom4 ad #ag ,dec4 #ad4 ,see   
,henschenius1 ,feb4 t4 #a1 p4 #ce4      
,,st4 ,,pionius1 ,m4  ,,he was priest of
 ,smyrna1 a true heir of the spirit of  

,st4 ,polycarp1 an apostolic man1 who   
converted multitudes to the faith4 ,he  
excelled in eloquence1 and in the       
science of our holy religion4 ,the      
paleness of his countenance bespoke the 
austerity of his life4 ,in the          
persecution of ,decius1 in #bej1 on the 
#bc;d of ,february1 he was apprehended  
with ,sabina and ,asclepiades1 while    
they were celebrating the anniversary   
festival of ,st4 ,polycarp's martyrdom4 
,pionius1 after having fasted the eve   
with his companions1 was forewarned     
thereof by a vision4 ,on the morning    
after their solemn prayer1 taking the   
holy bread 7probably the eucharist7 and 
water1 they were surprised and seized by
 ,polemon1 the chief priest1 and the    
guardian of the temple4 ,in prolix      
interrogatories before him1 they        
resisted all solicitations to sacrifice2
 professed they were ready to suffer the
 worst of torments and deaths rather    
than consent to his impious proposals1  
and declaring that they worshipped one  

only ,god1 and that they were of the    
,catholic church4 ,asclepiades being    
asked what ,god he adored1 made answer3 
,jesus ,christ4 ,at which ,polemon said3
 ,is that another ,god8 ,asclepiades    
replied3 ,no2 he is the same they have  
just now confessed4 ,a clear confession 
of the consubstantiality of ,god the    
,son1 before the council of ,nice4      
,being all threatened to be burnt alive1
 ,sabina smiled4 ,the pagans said3 ,dost
 thou laugh8 thou shalt then be led to  
the public stews4 ,she answered3 ,god   
will be my protector on that occasion4  
,they were cast into prison1 and        
preferred a lower dungeon1 that they    
might be more at liberty to pray when   
alone4 ,they were carried by force into 
the temple1 and all manner of violence  
was used to compel them to sacrifice4   
,pionius tore the impious garlands which
 were put upon his head1 and they       
resisted with all their might4 ,their   
constancy repaired the scandal given by 
,eudaemon1 the bishop of ,smyrna1 there 

present1 who had impiously apostatized  
and offered sacrifice4 ,in the answers  
of ,st4 ,pionius to the judges1 and in  
all the circumstances of his martyrdom1 
we admire the ardent piety and courage  
of one who had entirely devoted himself 
to ,god1 and employed his whole life in 
his service4 ,when ,quintilian the      
proconsul arrived at ,smyrna1 he caused 
,pionius to be hung on the rack1 and his
 body to be torn with iron hooks1 and   
afterwards condemned him to be burned   
alive2 he was accordingly nailed to a   
trunk or post1 and a pile heaped round  
him and set on fire4 ,metrodorus1 a     
,marcionite priest1 underwent the same  
punishment with him4 ,his acts were     
written by eye-witnesses1 quoted by     
,eusebius1 l4 #d1 c4 #ae1 and are extant
 genuine in ,ruinart1 p4 #ab4 ,see      
,tillemont t4 #c1 p4 #cig2 ,bollandus1  
,feb4 t4 #a1 p4 #cg4  #ccd  ,,st4       
,,bridgit1 ,,or ,,bridget1 ,v4  ,,and   
,,by ,,contraction1 ,,bride1 ,,abbess1  
,,and ,,patroness ,,of ,,ireland4  ,,she

 was born at ,fochard1 in ,ulster1 soon 
after ,ireland had been blessed with the
 light of faith4 ,she received the      
religious veil in her youth1 from the   
hands of ,st4 ,mel1 nephew and disciple 
of ,st4 ,patrick4 ,she built herself a  
cell under a large oak1 thence called   
,kill-dara1 or cell of the oak2 living1 
as her name implies1 the bright shining 
light of that country by her virtues4   
,being joined soon after by several of  
her own sex1 they formed themselves into
 a religious community1 which branched  
out into several other nunneries        
throughout ,ireland2 all which          
acknowledged her for their mother and   
foundress1 as in effect she was of all  
in that kingdom4 ,but a full account of 
her virtues has not been transmitted    
down to us1 together with the veneration
 of her name4 ,her five modern lives    
mention little else but wonderful       
miracles4 ,she flourished in the        
beginning of the sixth century1 and is  
named in the ,martyrology of ,bede1 and 

in all others since that age4 ,several  
churches in ,england and ,scotland are  
dedicated to ,god under her name1 as1   
among others1 that of ,st4 ,bride in    
,fleet-street2 several also in ,germany1
 and some in ,france4 ,her name occurs  
in most copies of the ,martyrology which
 bears the name of ,st4 ,jerom1         
especially in those of ,esternach and   
,corbie1 which are most ancient4 ,she is
 commemorated in the divine office in   
most churches of ,germany1 and in that  
of ,paris1 till the year #afjg1 and in  
many others in ,france4 ,one of the     
,hebrides1 or western islands which     
belong to ,scotland1 near that of ,ila1 
was called1 from a famous monastery     
built there in her honor1 ,brigidiani4  
,a church of ,st4 ,brigit1 in the       
province of ,athol1 was reputed famous  
for miracles1 and a portion of her      
relics was kept with great veneration in
 a monastery of regular canons at       
,aburnethi1 once capital of the kingdom 
of the ,picts1 and a bishopric1 as      

,major mentions4#a ,her body was found  
with those of ,,ss4 ,patrick and        
,columba1 in a triple vault in          
,down-,patrick1 in #aahe1 as ,giraldus  
,cambrensis informs us3#b they were all 
three translated to the cathedral of the
 same city2#c but their monument was    
destroyed in the reign of king ,henry   
,,viii4 ,the head of ,st4 ,bride is now 
kept in the church of the ,jesuits at   
,lisbon4#d ,see ,bollandus1 ,feb4 t4 #a1
 p4 #ii4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,major de    
,gestis ,scotor4 l4 #b1 c4 #ad4 #b4     
,topogr4 ,hibern4 dist4 #c1 c4 #ah4     
,camden1 c4 #c4  ,footnote not in text  
,camden4 #d4  ,bolland4 p4 #aab and p4  
#ida1 t4 #a1 ,februarii4  ,,st4         
,,kinnia4 ,v4  ,,her memory was long    
sacred in ,ireland1 and her relics were 
in veneration at ,lowth1 in the southern
 part of ,ulster2 but we have no other  
authentic account of her actions1 than  
that she was baptized by ,st4 ,patrick1 
and received the religious veil at his  
hand4 ,see ,jocelin's life of ,st4      

,patrick1 ,colgan1 and ,bollandus1 ad #a
 ,feb4 p4 #if4  ,,st4 ,,sigebert ,,ii41 
,,french ,,king ,,of ,,austrasia1 ,c4   
,,dagobert ,i41 king of ,france1 led for
 some time a very dissolute life1 but   
was touched by an extraordinary grace   
upon the birth of his son ,sigebert #cce
 and from that time entirely converted  
to ,god4 ,bagnetrude1 our saint's       
mother1 is only styled the concubine of 
,dagobert1 though he was publicly       
married to her4 ,the father desiring to 
have his son baptized by the most holy  
prelate of his dominions1 recalled ,st4 
,amand1 bishop of ,masstricht1 whom he  
had banished for his zeal in reproving  
his vices1 fell at his feet at ,clichi1 
near ,paris1 to ask his pardon1 promised
 amendment1 and by the advice of ,st4   
,owen and ,st4 ,eligius1 then laymen in 
his court1 engaged him to initiate his  
son in the sacrament of regeneration4   
,the ceremony was performed with great  
pomp at ,orleans1 ,charibert1 king of   
part of ,aquitaine1 and brother to      

,dagobert1 being god-father4 ,the young 
prince's education was intrusted by the 
father to the blessed ,pepin of ,landen1
 mayor of his palace1 who being forced  
by the envy of the nobility to withdraw 
for some time1 carried ,sigebert into   
the dominions of ,charibert in          
,aquitaine1 where he enjoyed a          
considerable estate1 the paternal       
patrimony of his wife1 the blessed      
,itta4 ,pepin remained there about three
 years2 after which term he was recalled
 to the court of ,dagobert1 who declared
 his son ,sigebert1 though only three   
years old1 in #fcc1 king of ,austrasia1 
and gave him for his ministers1 ,st4    
,cunibert1 archbishop of ,cologne1 and  
duke ,adelgise1 and committed the       
administration of the whole kingdom to  
,pepin1 whom he always kept near his own
 person4 ,dagobert's second son1 ,clovis
 ,,ii41 was born in the following year1 
#fcd1 and to him the father allotted for
 his inheritance all the western part of
 ,france1 containing all ,neustria and  

part of ,burgundy4#a ,austrasia1 or     
,eastern ,france1 7in which sense       
,austria retains a like name in         
,germany17 at that time comprised       
,provence and ,switzerland1 7dismembered
 from the ancient kingdom of ,burgundy17
 the ,albigeois1 ,auvergne1 ,quercy1 the
 ,cevennes1 ,champagne1 ,lorraine1      
,upper ,picardy1 the archbishopric of   
,triers1 and other states1 reaching to  
the borders of ,friesland2 ,alsace1 the 
,palatinate1 ,thuringia1 ,franconia1    
,bavaria1 ,suabia1 and the country which
 lay betwixt the ,lower ,rhine and ,old 
,saxony4 ,dagobert died in #fch1 and was
 buried at the abbey of ,st4 ,denys1 of 
which he was the munificent founder4    
,according to the settlement which he   
had made1 he was succeeded in ,austrasia
 by ,st4 ,sigebert1 and in the rest of  
,france by his youngest son ,clovis     
,,ii4 ,pepin of ,landen1 who had been   
mayor of the palace to the father1      
discharged the same office to his death 
under ,st4 ,sigebert1 and not content to

 approve himself a faithful minister1   
and true father to the prince1 he formed
 him from the cradle to all heroic      
,christian virtues4 ,by his prudence1   
virtue1 and valor1 ,st4 ,sigebert in his
 youth was beloved and respected by his 
subjects1 and feared by all his enemies4
 ,pepin dying in #fdj1 the virtuous king
 appointed his son ,grimoald mayor of   
his palace4 ,he reigned in perfect      
intelligence with his brother1 of which 
we have few examples among the          
,merovingian kings whenever the ,french 
monarchy was divided4 ,the ,thuringians 
revolting1 he reduced them to their     
duty2 and this is the only war in which 
he was engaged4 ,the love of peace      
disposed his heart to be a fit temple of
 the ,holy ,ghost1 whom he invited into 
his soul by assiduous prayer1 and the   
exercise of all ,christian virtues4 ,his
 patrimony he employed in relieving the 
necessitous1 and in building or endowing
 monasteries1 churches1 and hospitals4  
,he founded twelve monasteries1 the four

 principal of which were ,cougnon1 now a
 priory1 not far from ,bouillon2        
,stavelo and ,malmedi1 two miles from   
each other1 and ,st4 ,martin's1 near    
,metz4 ,st4 ,remaclus brought from      
,solignac the rule of ,st4 ,columban1   
which king ,sigebert #ccf in his charter
 to ,cougnon calls the rule of the      
ancient fathers4 ,this that holy abbot  
established first at ,cougnon1 and      
afterwards at ,malmedi and ,stavelo4 ,a 
life filled with good works1 and devoted
 all to ,god1 can never be called short4
 ,god was pleased to call this good king
 from the miseries of this world to the 
recompense of his labors on the #ast of 
,february1 in the year #fef1 the        
eighteenth of his reign1 and the        
twenty-fifth of his age4#b ,he was      
interred in the abbey of ,st4 ,martin's1
 near ,metz1 which he had built4 ,his   
body was found incorrupt in #ajfc1 and  
placed in a monument on the side of the 
high altar3 and in #aagj it was         
enshrined in a silver case4 ,the        

monastery of ,st4 ,martin's1 and all    
others in the suburbs1 were demolished  
by ,francis of ,lorraine1 duke of       
,guise1 in #aeeb1 when ,charles ,v4 laid
 siege to ,metz4 ,the relics of ,st4    
,sigebert are now deposited in the      
collegiate church of our ,lady at       
,nancy4 ,he is honored among the saints 
in great part of the dominions which he 
governed1 and in the monasteries and    
churches which he founded4 ,see         
,fredegarius and his continuator1       
,sigebert of ,gemblours1 in his life of 
this saint1 with the learned remarks of 
,henschenius1 p4 #dj4 ,also ,calmet1    
,hist4 de ,lorraine1 t4 #a1 p4 #dai4    
,schoepflin1 ,alsatia ,illustrata1      
,colmariae1 an4 #agea4 ,sect4 #b1 p4    
#gdb4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,charibert1     
though he took the title of king1 and   
resided at     ,toulouse1 held his      
estates of his brother ,dagobert1 and by
 his gift4     ,after ,charibert's      
death1 ,chilperic1 his eldest son1 was  
put to death     by ,dagobert2 but his  

second son1 ,boggis1 left a numerous    
posterity1     which was only           
extinguished in ,louis d',armagnac1 duke
 of ,nemours1     slain at the battle of
 ,cerignole1 where he commanded for     
,louis ,,xii4     against ,gonzales de  
,cordova1 surnamed ,the ,great ,captain1
 for the     ,catholic king ,ferdinand  
in #aejc1 by which the ,french lost the 
kingdom of ,naples4 ,so long did the    
family of ,clovis ,,ii4 subsist4 ,see   
,vaisette1 ,hist de ,languedoc1         
,henault1 ,abr4 de l',hist4 de ,france1 
t4     #a1 pp4 #bf1 and #hah4 #b4  ,st4 
,sigebert left his son ,dagobert1 about 
seven years old1 under the     care of  
,grimoald1 mayor of his palace1 who     
treacherously sent him     into         
,ireland1 and placed his own son        
,childebert on the throne4 ,this        
usurper reigned seven months1 as        
,schoepflin proves from the express     
testimony of ,chronicon ,brevissimum1   
and from circumstances mentioned     by 
,fredegarius1 against the mistake of the

 authors1 l',art de     verifier les    
,dates1 p4 #dha1 who say he only reigned
 seven days4 ,by     an insurrection of 
the people1 ,grimoald and his son were  
deposed1     and both perished in       
prison3 but ,dagobert not being found1  
,clovis     ,,ii4 united ,austrasia to  
his other dominions4 ,dagobert ,,ii41 by
 the     assistance of ,st4 ,wilfrid1   
afterwards archbishop of ,york1 returned
     into ,france eighteen years after  
the death of his father1 and            
recovered ,alsace and some other        
provinces by the cession either of      
,childeric ,,ii41 son of ,clovis ,,ii41 
7then monarch of all ,france17 or     of
 his brother ,theodoric ,,iii41 who     
succeeded him before the month of       
,april1 in #fgd3 for the reign of       
,dagobert ,,ii must be dated from the   
latter end of #fgc1 with ,henault1 or   
from #fgd1 with ,schoepflin4 ,the       
spirit of religion and piety1 which he  
had learned in the school of            
afflictions1 and under the great masters

 of a spiritual life1 who     then      
flourished among the ,scots and ,irish1 
was eminently the     distinguishing    
part of his character4 ,as he resided   
chiefly in     ,alsace1 he filled that  
country1 in the first place1 with       
monuments     of his devotion1 being so 
liberal in founding and endowing        
monasteries and churches1 that though   
his reign was only of six     years1    
,schoepflin assures us that the ,french 
church is not more     indebted to any  
reign than to this1 at least in those   
parts1 7p4     #gdj47 ,st4 ,wilfrid1    
bishop of ,york1 had exceedingly        
promoted his     return into ,france2   
and when that prelate was compelled to  
leave     ,england ,dagobert entertained
 him with the most cordial affection1   
and1 upon the death of ,st4 ,arbogastus1
 earnestly pressed him to     accept of 
that see4 ,st4 ,wilfrid declined that   
dignity1 promising1     however1 to call
 upon this good king in his return from 
,rome1 where     he obtained a sentence 

of pope ,agatho in his favor4 ,but      
coming but     into ,france1 he found   
his royal friend cut off by a violent   
death4     ,it is the general persuasion
 of the ,french historians1 that the    
impious ,ebroin1 mayor of the palace to 
,theodoric ,,iii41 king of     ,burgundy
 and ,noustria1 was the author of his   
death1 with a view to     seize his     
dominions4 ,dagobert was murdered by    
assassins at ,stenay     upon the       
,meuse1 now the best town in the duchy  
of ,bar in ,lorraine4     ,the people1  
however1 chose ,pepin and ,martin dukes 
or governors of     ,austrasia1 who     
defended their liberty against ,ebroin4 
,martin was     afterwards assassinated 
by the contrivance of ,ebroin1 and      
,ebroin by     ,ermenfrid2 but ,pepin1  
in #fhg1 defeated ,theodoric ,,iii4 at  
,testry1     took ,paris1 and the king  
himself2 from which time1 under the     
title     of mayor1 he enjoyed the      
supreme power in the ,french monarchy4  
,the     death of ,st4 ,dagobert        

happened in #fgi1 on the #bc;d of       
,december1 on     which day he is       
commemorated in the ,martyrology of ,ado
 and others1     and honored as a martyr
 at ,stenay1 in the diocese of ,verdun1 
ever     since the eighth century4 ,the 
church of ,strasburg was much enriched  
by this prince1 as maybe seen in        
,schoepflin's ,alsatia ,illustrata4     
,the same author gives an account of    
some of the monasteries which     were  
founded by this prince in those parts1  
7c4 #aa1 ,sec4#bed1 p4 #gcf17     and   
shows from his charters that the palace 
where he chiefly resided     was at     
,isenburg in ,alsace4 7,sect4 #a1 c4    
#aj1 ,sec4#adf1 p4 #fic47 ,the year     
of the death of ,dagobert ,,ii4 is      
learned from the life of ,st4           
,wilfrid1 who returned from ,rome when  
,st4 ,agatho sat in ,st4 ,peter's       
chair4 ,see on this holy king the lives 
of ,st4 ,wilfrid and ,st4               
,salaberga2 also his charters2 and1     
among the moderns1 ,dan4                

,schoepflin1 professor of history and   
eloquence at ,strasburg1 in his         
,alsatia ,illustrata1 anno #agea4 ,sect4
 #b1 c4 #a1 ,sec4#c1 pp4 #gdj1 #gdc1 and
     ,sec4#a1 c4 #aj1 ,sec4#adf1 p4     
#fic1 c4 #aa1 ,sec4#bed1 p4 #gcf4 ,also 
,calmet1 ,hist4 de     ,lorraine1 t4 #a1
 l4 #aj1 n4 #af1 p4 #dcb4 ,the first    
edition of this work     was given in   
#agbh1 in three volumes folio1 but the  
second edition is     so much enlarged  
as to fill six volumes folio4 ,the reign
 of ,dagobert     ,,ii4 escaped most of 
the ,french historians2 which omission1 
and a     false epoch of the beginning  
of the reign of ,dagobert ,i41 brought  
incredible confusion into the chronology
 and history of most of the             
,merovingian kings1 which ,adrian       
,valois1 ,henschenius1 ,le ,cointe1     
,pagi1 ,louguerue and others have taken 
great pains to clear up4  #ccg          
,,february ,,ii4  ,,the ,,purification1 
,,commonly ,,called ,,candlemas-,,day4  
,,the law of ,god1 given by ,moses to   

the ,jews1 to insinuate both to us and  
to them1 that by the sin of ,adam man is
 conceived and born in sin1 and         
obnoxious to his wrath1 ordained that a 
woman1 after childbirth1 should continue
 for a certain time in a state which    
that law calls unclean2 during which she
 was not to appear in public1 nor       
presume to touch any thing consecrated  
to ,god4#a ,this term was of forty days 
upon the birth of a son1 and the time   
was double for a daughter3 on the       
expiration of which1 the mother was to  
bring to the door of the tabernacle1 or 
temple1 a lamb of a year old1 and a     
young pigeon or turtle-dove4 ,the lamb  
was for a holocaust1 or burnt-offering1 
in acknowledgment of the sovereignty of 
,god1 and in thanksgiving for her own   
happy delivery2 the pigeon or           
turtle-dove was for a sin-offering4     
,these being sacrificed to ,almighty    
,god by the priest1 the woman was       
cleansed of the legal impurity1 and     
reinstated in her former privileges4  ,a

 young pigeon1 or turtle-dove1 by way of
 a sin-offering1 was required of all1   
whether rich or poor3 but whereas the   
charge of a lamb might be too burdensome
 on persons of narrow circumstances1 in 
that case1 nothing more was required    
than two pigeons1 or two turtle-doves1  
one for a burnt1 the other for a        
sin-offering4#b  ,our ,saviour having   
been conceived by the ,holy ,ghost1 and 
his blessed ,mother remaining always a  
spotless virgin1 it is most evident from
 the terms of the law1#c that she was1  
in reality1 under no obligation to it1  
nor within the intent of it4 ,she was1  
however1 within the letter of the law1  
in the eye of the world1 who were as yet
 strangers to her miraculous conception4
 ,and her humility making her perfectly 
resigned1 and even desirous to conceal  
her privilege and dignity1 she submitted
 with great punctuality and exactness to
 every humbling circumstance which the  
law required4 ,pride indeed proclaims   
its own advantages1 and seeks honors not

 its due2 but the humble find their     
delight in obscurity and abasement1 they
 shun all distinction and esteem1 which 
they clearly see their own nothingness  
and baseness to be most unworthy of3    
they give all glory to ,god alone1 to   
whom it is due4 ,devotion also and zeal 
to honor ,god by every observance       
prescribed by his law1 prompted ,mary to
 perform this act of religion1 though   
evidently exempt from the precept4      
,being poor herself1 she made the       
offering appointed for the poor3        
accordingly is this part of the law     
mentioned by ,st4 ,luke1#d as best      
agreeing with the meanness of her       
worldly condition4 ,but her offering1   
however mean in itself1 was made with a 
perfect heart1 which is what ,god       
chiefly regards in all that is offered  
to him4 ,the ,king of ,glory would      
appear everywhere in the robes of       
poverty1 to point out to us the         
advantages of a suffering and lowly     
state1 and to repress our pride1 by     

which1 though really poor and mean in   
the eyes of ,god1 we covet to appear    
rich1 and1 though sinners1 would be     
deemed innocents and saints4  ,a second 
great mystery is honored this day1      
regarding more immediately #cch the     
person of our ,redeemer1 viz4 his       
presentation in the temple4#e ,besides  
the law which obliged the mother to     
purify herself1 there was another which 
ordered that the first-born son should  
be offered to ,god3 and in these two    
laws were included several others1 as1  
that the child1 after its presentation1 
should be ransomed#f with a certain sum 
of money1#g and peculiar sacrifices     
offered on the occasion4  ,mary complies
 exactly with all these ordinances4 ,she
 obeys not only in the essential points 
of the law1 as in presenting herself to 
be purified1 and in her offering her    
first-born1 but has strict regard to all
 the circumstances4 ,she remains forty  
days at home1 she denies herself all    
this time the liberty of entering the   

temple1 she partakes not of things      
sacred1 though the living temple of the 
,god of ,israel2 and on the day of her  
purification1 she walks several miles to
 ,jerusalem1 with the world's ,redeemer 
in her arms4 ,she waits for the priest  
at the gate of the temple1 makes her    
offerings of thanksgiving and expiation1
 presents her divine ,son by the hands  
of the priest to his eternal ,father1   
with the most profound humility1        
adoration1 and thanks giving4 ,she then 
redeems him with five shekels1 as the   
law appoints1 and receives him back     
again as a depositum in her special     
care1 till the ,father shall again      
demand him for the full accomplishment  
of man's redemption4 ,it is clear that  
,christ was not comprehended in the law2
 ,the king's son1 to whom the           
inheritance of the crown belongs1 is    
exempt from servitude3--much more       
,christ1 who was the ,redeemer both of  
our souls and bodies1 was not subject to
 any law by which he was to be himself  

redeemed1 as ,st4 ,hilary observes4#h   
,but he would set an example of         
humility1 obedience1 and devotion3 and  
would renew1 in a solemn and public     
manner1 and in the temple1 the oblation 
of himself to his ,father for the       
accomplishment of his will1 and the     
redemption of man1 which he had made    
privately in the first moment of his    
,incarnation4 ,with what sentiments did 
the divine ,infant offer himself to his 
,father at the same time6 the greatest  
homage of his honor and glory the       
,father could receive1 and a sacrifice  
of satisfaction adequate to the injuries
 done to the ,godhead by our sins1 and  
sufficient to ransom our souls from     
everlasting death6 ,with what           
cheerfulness and charity did he offer   
himself to all his torments6 to be      
whipped1 crowned with thorns1 and       
ignominiously put to death for us6  ,let
 every ,christian learn hence to offer  
himself to ,god with this divine victim1
 through which he may be accepted by the

 ,father2 let him devote himself with   
all his senses and faculties to his     
service4 ,if sloth1 or any other vice1  
has made us neglectful of this essential
 duty1 we must bewail past omissions1   
and make a solemn and serious           
consecration of ourselves this day to   
the divine majesty with the greater     
fervor1 crying out with ,st4 ,austin1 in
 compunction of heart3 ,too late have ,i
 known thee1 too late have ,i begun to  
love thee1 ,o beauty more ancient than  
the world6 ,but our sacrifice1 if we    
desire it may be accepted1 must not be  
lame and imperfect4 ,it would be an     
insult to offer to ,god1 in union with  
his ,christ1 a divided heart1 or a heart
 infected with wilful sin4 ,it must     
therefore first be cleansed by tears of 
sincere compunction3 its affections must
 be crucified to the world by perfect   
mortification4 ,our offering must be    
sincere and fervent1 without reserve1   
allowing no quarter to any of our       
vicious passions and inclinations1 and  

no division in any of our affections4   
,it must also be universal2 to suffer   
and to do all for the divine honor4 ,if 
we give our hearts to ,christ in this   
manner1 we shall receive him with his   
graces and #cci benedictions4 ,he would 
be presented in the temple by the hands 
of his mother3 let us accordingly make  
the offering of our souls through ,mary 
and beg his graces through the same     
channel4  ,the ceremony of this day was 
closed by a third mystery1 the meeting  
in the temple of the holy persons1      
,simeon and ,anne1 with ,jesus and his  
parents1 from which this festival was   
anciently called by the ,greeks         
,hypante1 the meeting4#i ,holy ,simeon1 
on that occasion1 received into his arms
 the object of all his desires and      
sighs1 and praised ,god in raptures of  
devotion for being blessed with the     
happiness of beholding the so much      
longed-for ,messias4 ,he foretold to    
,mary her martyrdom of sorrow2 and that 
,jesus brought redemption to those who  

would accept of it on the terms it was  
offered them2 but a heavy judgment on   
all infidels who should obstinately     
reject it1 and on ,christians also whose
 lives were a contradiction to his holy 
maxims and example4 ,mary1 hearing this 
terrible prediction1 did not answer one 
word1 felt no agitation of mind from the
 present1 no dread for the future2 but  
courageously and sweetly committed all  
to ,god's holy will4 ,anne also1 the    
prophetess1 who1 in her widowhood1      
served ,god with great fervor1 had the  
happiness to acknowledge and adore in   
this great mystery the world's          
,redeemer4 ,amidst the crowd of priests 
and people1 the ,saviour of the world is
 known only by ,simeon and ,anne4 ,even 
when he disputed with the doctors1 and  
when he wrought the most stupendous     
miracles1 the learned1 the wise1 and the
 princes did not know him4 ,yet here1   
while a weak1 speechless child1 carried 
in the arms of his poor mother1 he is   
acknowledged and adored by ,simeon and  

,anne4 ,he could not hide himself from  
those who sought him with fervor1       
humility1 and ardent love4 ,unless we   
seek him in these dispositions1 he will 
not manifest himself1 nor communicate   
his graces to us4 ,simeon1 having beheld
 his ,saviour in the flesh1 desired no  
longer to see the light of this world1  
nor any creatures on earth4 ,if we truly
 love ,god1 our distance from him must  
be a continual pain3 and we must sigh   
after that desired moment which will    
free us from the danger of ever losing  
him by sin1 and will put us in          
possession of ,him who is the joy of the
 blessed1 and the infinite treasure of  
heaven4 ,let us never cease to pray that
 he purify our hearts from all earthly  
dross1 and draw them to himself3 that he
 heal1 satiate1 and inflame our souls1  
as he only came upon earth to kindle in 
all hearts the fire of his love4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,lev4 xii4 #b4 #b4     
,lev4 xii4 #h4 #c4  ,ibid4 #b4 #d4      
,luke ii4 #fd4 #e4  ,footnote not in    

text ,luke ii4 #bc4 #f4  ,exod4 xiii4   
#ac4 #g4  ,this1 from ,levit4 xxvii4 #f1
 and ,numb4 iii4 #dg1 appears to have   
been     five shekels1 each shekel      
weighing according to ,prideaux1        
7,preface     to ,connection of the ,old
 and ,new ,testament1 p4 xvii47 about   
three     shillings of our money3 so    
that the five amounted to about fifteen 
shillings sterling4 #h4  ,s4 ,hilar4 in 
,matt4 c4 #ag1 n4 #aa1 pp4 #fif1 #fig4  
#i4  ,greek3 ,hypante1 from ,greek3     
hupantao1 occurro4  ,on blessing the    
candles and the procession4  ,the       
procession with lighted tapers on this  
day is mentioned by pope ,gelasius ,i41 
also by ,st4 ,ildefonsus1 ,st4          
,eligius1#a ,st4 ,sophronius1 patriarch 
of ,jerusalem1 ,st4 ,cyril of           
,alexandria1 c41 in their sermons on    
this festival1 ,st4 ,bernard says3#b    
,this holy procession was first made by 
the virgin mother1 ,st4 ,joseph1 holy   
,simeon1 and ,anne1 to be afterwards    
performed in all places and by every    

nation1 with the exultation of the whole
 earth1 to honor this mystery4 ,in his  
second sermon on this feast he describes
 it thus3#c ,they walk two and two1     
holding in their hands candles lighted1 
not from common fire1 but from that     
which had been first blessed in the     
church by the priests1#d and singing in 
the ways of the ,lord1 because great is 
his glory4 ,he shows that the           
concurrence of many in the procession   
and prayer is a symbol of our union and 
charity1 and renders our praises #cdj   
the more honorable and acceptable to    
,god4 ,we walk while we sing to ,god1 to
 denote that to stand still in the paths
 of virtue is to go back4 ,the lights we
 bear in our hands represent the divine 
fire of love with which our hearts ought
 to be inflamed1 and which we are to    
offer to ,god without any mixture of    
strange fire1 the fire of concupiscence1
 envy1 ambition1 or the love of         
creatures4 ,we also hold these lights in
 our hands to honor ,christ1 and to     

acknowledge him as the true light1#e    
whom they represent under this          
character1 and who is called by holy    
,simeon in this mystery1 a light for the
 enlightening of the ,gentiles2#f for he
 came to dispel our spiritual darkness4 
,the candles likewise express that by   
faith his light shines in our souls3 as 
also that we are to prepare his way by  
good works1 by which we are to be a     
light to men4#g  ,lights are used by the
 church during the celebration of the   
divine mysteries1 while the gospel is   
read1 and the sacraments administered1  
on a motive of honor and respect4 ,on   
the same account lamps burned before the
 ,lord in the tabernacle#h and temple4  
,great personages were anciently        
received and welcomed with lights1 as   
was king ,antiochus by ,jason and others
 on his entering ,jerusalem4#i ,lights  
are likewise expressive of joy1 and were
 anciently used on this account in      
receiving ,roman emperors1 and on other 
public occasions1 as at present4        

,throughout all the churches of the     
,east1 says ,st4 ,jerom1 when the gospel
 is to be read1 though the sun shines1  
torches are used1 not to chase away     
darkness1 but for a sign of joy4#aj ,the
 apostolic canons mention incense1 and  
oil for the lamps1 then used in the     
churches4#aa ,many out of devotion      
burned lamps before the bodies of       
saints1 as we read in ,prudentius1#ab   
,st4 ,paulinus1#ac c4 ,the corporeal    
creatures1 which we use1 are the gifts  
of ,god3 it is therefore just that we   
should honor and glorify him by them4   
,besides1 in our embodied state1 they   
contribute to excite our souls to       
devotion2 they are to our eyes1 what    
words are to our ears1 and by our organs
 move the affections of our hearts4#ad  
,though piety consists in the fervor of 
the soul1 and is interior and spiritual1
 yet many sensible things concur to its 
aid and improvement2 and we may as well 
condemn the use of words1 which are     
corporeal1 and affect the soul by the   

sense of hearing1 as the use of suitable
 approved ceremonies4 ,christ made use  
of sensible signs in the institution of 
his most divine sacraments1 and in      
several miraculous cures1 c4 ,the church
 always used external rites and         
ceremonies in the divine worship4 ,these
 contribute to the majesty and dignity  
of religion1 which in our present       
condition would appear naked1 if        
destitute of all exterior4 ,the candles 
are blessed previously to the use of    
them1 because the church blesses and    
sanctifies1 by prayer1 what ever is     
employed in the divine service4 ,we are 
to hold the candles in our hands on this
 day1 while the gospel is read or sung2 
also from the elevation to the          
communion1 in the most fervent spirit of
 sacrifice1 offering ourselves to ,god  
with our divine ,redeemer1 and desiring 
to meet in spirit this blessed company  
in this mystery2 likewise to honor the  
mother of ,god in her purification1 and 
still more so1 with the most profound   

adoration and gratitude1 our divine     
,saviour in his presentation in our     
flesh for us4 ,the same lively          
sentiments of devotion ought to inflame 
our breasts on this occasion1 as if we  
had been present with holy ,simeon and  
the rest in the temple1 while we carry  
in our hands these emblems of our       
spiritual joy and homage1 and of the    
consecration of ourselves in union with 
our heavenly victim1 through the        
intercession of his virgin mother4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,serm4 #b4 #b4  ,serm4 
de ,purif4 p4 #iei4 #c4  ,serm4 #b1 p4  
#ifa4 #d4  ,according to the ceremonies 
then in use4 #e4  ,john i4 #i4 #f4      
,luke ii4 #c4 #g4  ,matt4 v4 #f4 #h4    
,exod4 xxviii4 #bj4 #i4  #b ,macch4 iv4 
#bb4 #aj4 ,adv4 ,vigil4 p4 #cjd4 #aa4   
,can4 #c4 #ab4 ,hymn #b4 #ac4 ,nat4 iii4
 v4 #ih4 #ad4 ,see the pastoral charge  
of the late ,dr4 ,butler1 bishop of     
,durham4  #cda  ,on the ,christian rite 
of churching women after childbirth4    
,god1 in the old law1 declared several  

actions unclean1 which1 though innocent 
and faultless it themselves1 had a      
constant but remote regard to sin4 ,one 
of these was childbirth1 to denote the  
impurity of man's origin by his being   
conceived and born in sin4 ,for the     
removal of legal uncleanness in general1
 ,god established certain expiatory     
rites1 consisting of ablutions and      
sacrifices1 to which all were strictly  
obliged who desired to be purified2 that
 is1 restored to the privileges of their
 brethren1 and declared duly qualified  
members of the synagogue or ,jewish     
church4 ,it would be superstitious since
 the death of ,christ1 and the          
publication of the new law1 to stand in 
awe of legal uncleannesses1 or to have  
recourse to ,jewish purifications on    
account of any of them1 whether after   
childbirth or in any other cases4 ,it is
 not1 therefore1 with that intention1   
that ,christian mothers come to the     
church1 as ,jewish women did to the     
tabernacle1 in order to be purified from

 any uncleanness they contract by       
childbirth4 ,it is not on any           
consideration peculiar to the ,jews that
 this ceremony was established in the   
,christian church1 but on a motive      
common to all mankind1 the performing   
the duty of thanksgiving and prayer4    
,hence in the canon law1 pope ,innocent 
,,iii4 speaks of it as follows3 ,if     
women after childbearing desire         
immediately to enter the church1 they   
commit no sin by so doing1 nor are they 
to be hindered4 ,nevertheless1 if they  
choose to refrain out of respect for    
some time1 we do not think their        
devotion ought to be reprehended4#a  ,in
 some dioceses this term is limited to a
 certain number of days4 ,where this is 
not regulated by custom1 or by any      
particular statute1 the party may       
perform this duty as soon as she is able
 to go abroad4 ,her first visit is to be
 to the church3 first1 to give ,god     
thanks for her safe delivery3 secondly1 
to implore his blessing on herself and  

her child4 ,it ought to be her first    
visit1 to show her readiness to acquit  
herself of this duty to ,god1 and to    
give him the first-fruits of her        
recovery and blessing received2 as the  
first-fruits in every thing are most    
particularly due to ,god1 and most      
agreeable to him1 and which1 in the old 
law1 he was most jealous in exacting of 
his people4 ,the acknowledgment of a    
benefit received1 is the least return we
 can make for it3 the law of nature     
dictates the obligation of this tribute2
 ,god strictly requires it1 and this is 
the means to draw down new blessings on 
us1 the flowing of which is by nothing  
more effectually obstructed than by     
insensibility and ingratitude3          
wherefore1 next to the praise and love  
of ,god1 thanksgiving is the principal  
homage we owe him in the sacrifice of   
our hearts1 and is a primary act of     
prayer4 ,the book of psalms abounds with
 acts of thanksgiving2 the apostle      
everywhere recommends and inculcates it 

in the strongest terms4 ,the primitive  
,christians had these words1 ,thanks be 
to ,god1 always in their mouths1 and    
used them as their ordinary form of     
salutation on all occasions1 as ,st4    
,austin mentions1#b who adds1 ,what     
better thing can we bear in our hearts1 
or pronounce with our tongues1 or       
express with our pens1 than1 ,thanks be 
to ,god8 ,it is the remark of ,st4      
,gregory of ,nyssa1#c that besides past 
benefits1 and promises of other         
inestimable benefits to come1 we every  
instant of our lives receive from ,god  
fresh favors2 and therefore we ought1 if
 it were possible1 every moment to make 
him a return of thanks with our whole   
hearts1 and never cease from this duty4 
,we owe a particular thanksgiving for   
his more remarkable blessings4 ,a mother
 regards her safe delivery1 and her     
happiness is being blessed with a child1
 as signal benefits1 and therefore she  
owes a #cdb particular holocaust of     
thanks for them4 ,this she comes to     

offer at the foot of the altar4 ,she    
comes also to ask the succors of divine 
grace4 ,she stands in need of an        
extraordinary aid from above1 both for  
herself and her child4 ,for herself1    
that1 by her example1 instructions1 and 
watchfulness1 she may fulfil her great  
obligations as a mother4 ,for her child1
 that it may reap the advantage of a    
virtuous education1 may live to ,god1   
and become one day a citizen of the     
heavenly ,jerusalem3 otherwise1 what    
will it avail her to have been a mother1
 or the child to have been born8 ,now   
prayer is the channel which ,god has    
appointed for the conveyance of his     
graces to us4 ,the mother1 therefore1   
must be assiduous in begging daily of   
the ,father of mercies all necessary    
succors for these purposes3 but this she
 should make the subject of her most    
zealous petitions on the occasion of her
 first solemn appearance after childbed 
before his altar4 ,she should1 at the   
same time1 make the most perfect        

offering and consecration of her child  
to the divine ,majesty4 ,every mother1  
in imitation of the ,blessed ,virgin1   
ought to perform this triple duty of    
thanksgiving1 petition1 and oblation1   
and through her hands1 who1 on the day  
of her purification1 set so perfect a   
pattern of this devotion4  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,cap4 unico de ,purif4 post partum4
 #b4  ,ep4 #da4 olim #gg4 #c4  ,or4 #a1 
de praest4 t4 #a1 p4 #gae   ,,st4       
,,laurence1 ,,archbishop ,,of           
,,canterbury4  ,,he was one of those who
 accompanied ,st4 ,austin into this     
island1 about the year #eig1 and was his
 immediate successor in the see of      
,canterbury1 in #fjh1 in which he sat   
eleven years4 ,when ,eadbald1 son and   
successor to the holy king ,ethelbert1  
not only refused to follow his father's 
example in embracing the faith1 but gave
 into idolatry1 and incestuously took to
 his bed his father's widow1 ,laurence  
having labored hard for his conversion  
to no purpose1 and despairing of        

reclaiming him1 thought of nothing but  
retiring into ,france1 as some others   
had already done4 ,but he was severely  
scourged by ,st4 ,peter1 in a dream1 on 
the eve of his intended departure1 with 
reproaches for designing to forsake that
 flock for which ,christ had laid down  
his life4 ,this did not only prevent his
 going1 but had such an effect upon the 
king1 when he was shown the marks of the
 stripes he had received on this        
occasion1 that he became a thorough     
convert1 doing whatever was required of 
him1 both for his own sanctification1   
and the propagation of ,christianity in 
his dominions4 ,st4 ,laurence did not   
long survive this happy change1 dying in
 the year #fai4 ,he is mentioned in the 
,roman ,martyrology4 ,see ,bede1 ,hist4 
b4 #b1 c4 #d1 #f1 #g4a ,malmesb4 l4 #a1 
,pontif4 ,angl4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,from 
these words of ,bede1 b4 #a1 c4 #bg1    
,austin sent to ,rome ,laurence     the 
priest1 and ,peter the monk1 some modern
 historians infer that     ,st4         

,laurence was no monk1 but a secular    
priest2 though this proof is     wreak4 
,see ,collier1 ,dict4 ,suppl4           
,henschenius1 p4 #bij4 and ,le ,quien1  
,oriens ,christ4 t4 #a1 p4 #dba4  #cdc  
,,february ,,iii4  ,,st4 ,,blase1       
,,bishop ,,and ,,martyr4  ,the four     
modern different ,greek acts of this    
,saint are of small authority4          
,bollandus has supplied this deficiency 
by learned remarks4  ,a ,d4 #caf4  ,,he 
was bishop of ,sebaste in ,armenia1 and 
was crowned with martyrdom in the       
persecution of ,licinius1 in #caf1 by   
the command of ,agricolaus1 governor of 
,cappadocia and the lesser ,armenia4 ,it
 is mentioned in the acts of ,st4       
,eustratius1 who received the crown of  
martyrdom in the reign of ,dioclesian1  
and is honored on the #acth of          
,december1 that ,st4 ,blase1 the bishop 
of ,sebaste1 honorably received his     
relics1 deposited them with those of    
,st4 ,orestes1 and punctually executed  
every article of the last will and      

testament of ,st4 ,eustratius4 ,his     
festival is kept a holiday in the ,greek
 church on the #aath of ,february4 ,he  
is mentioned in the ancient ,western    
,martyrologies which bear the name of   
,st4 ,jerom4 ,ado and ,usuard1 with     
several more ancient manuscript         
,martyrologies1 quoted by ,chatelain1   
place his name on the #aeth4 ,in the    
holy wars his relics were dispersed over
 the ,west1 and his veneration was      
propagated by many miraculous cures1    
especially of sore throats4 ,he is the  
principal patron of the commonwealth of 
,ragusa4#a ,no other reason than the    
great devotion of the people to this    
celebrated martyr of the church1 seems  
to have given occasion to the           
wool-combers to choose him the titular  
patron of their profession3 on which    
account his festival is still kept by   
them with a solemn guild at ,norwich4   
,perhaps also his country might in part 
determine them to this choice3 for it   
seems that the first branch1 or at least

 hint of this manufacture1 was borrowed 
from the remotest known countries of the
 ,east1 as was that of silk3 or the iron
 combs1 with which he is said to have   
been tormented1 gave occasion to this   
choice4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,the iron combs1 hooks1    
racks1 swords1 and scaffolds1 which were
 purpled with the blood of the martyrs1 
are eternal proofs of their invincible  
courage and constancy in the divine     
service4 ,but are they not at the same  
time subjects of our condemnation and   
confusion8 ,how weak are our            
resolutions6 ,how base our pusillanimity
 and cowardice in the pursuit of virtue6
 ,we have daily renewed our most sacred 
baptismal engagements1 and our purposes 
of faithfully serving ,god3 these we    
have often repeated at the feet of      
,god's ministers1 and in presence of his
 holy altars2 and we have often begun   
our conversation with great fervor4 ,yet
 these fair blossoms were always nipped 
in the bud3 for want of constancy we    

soon fell back into our former sloth and
 disorders1 adding to our other         
prevarications that of base infidelity4 
,instead of encountering gibbets and    
wild beasts1 we were scared at the sight
 of the least difficulty2 or we had not 
courage to make the least sacrifice of  
our passions1 or to repulse the weakest 
and most contemptible assaults of the   
world4 ,its example1 or that dangerous  
company from which we had not resolution
 to separate ourselves1 carried us #cdd 
away2 and we had not courage to         
withstand those very maxims which we    
ourselves condemn in the moments of our 
serious reflections1 as contrary to the 
spirit of the gospel4 ,perhaps we often 
flew back for fear of shadows1 and out  
of apprehensions frequently imaginary1  
lest we should forfeit some temporal    
advantage1 some useful or agreeable     
friend4 ,perhaps we were overcome by the
 difficulties which arose barely from   
ourselves1 and wanted resolution to deny
 our senses1 to subdue our passions1 to 

renounce dangerous occasions1 or to     
enter upon a penitential life4 ,blinded 
by self-love1 have we not sheltered our 
dastardly pusillanimity under the cloak 
of pretended necessity1 or even virtue8 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,bollandus1 ,pagi 
ad an4 #caf4 ,chatelain1 ,notes on the  
,martyr4 p4     #ejg1 and ,jos4         
,assemani in ,cal4 ,univ4 ad #aa ,feb4  
t4 #f1 p4 #abc4  ,,st4 ,,anscharius1    
,c41  ,,archbishop ,,of ,,hamburg ,,and 
,,bremen4  ,from his excellent life     
compiled by ,st4 ,rembert1 his          
successor1 with the remarks of          
,mabillon1 ,act4 ,bened t4 #d1 p4 #dja1 
and the preliminary discourse of        
,henschenius1 p4 #cia4 ,adam ,bremensis1
 ,hist4 ,episc4 ,hamb4 and ,olof ,dolin1
 in his new excellent history of ,sweden
 in the reigns of ,listen1 ,bel1 and    
,bagnar1 c4 #af4  ,a4,d4 #hfe4  ,,he was
 a monk1 first of ,old ,corbie in       
,france1 afterwards of ,little ,corbie  
in ,saxony4 ,harold1 or ,heriold1 prince
 of ,denmark1 having been baptized in   

the court of the emperor ,louis         
,debonnaire1 ,anscarius preached the    
faith with great success1 first to the  
,danes1 afterwards to the ,swedes1 and  
lastly in the north of ,germany4 ,in    
#hcb1 he was made archbishop of         
,hamburg1 and legate of the holy see1 by
 pope ,gregory ,,iv4 ,that city was     
burnt by an army of ,normans1 in #hde4  
,the saint continued to support his     
desolate churches1 till1 in #hdi1 the   
see of ,bremen becoming vacant1 pope    
,nicholas united it to that of ,hamburg1
 and appointed him bishop of both4      
,denmark and ,sweden had relapsed into  
idolatry1 notwithstanding the labors of 
many apostolical missionaries from ,new 
,corbie1 left there by our saint4 ,his  
presence soon made the faith flourish   
again in ,denmark1 under the protection 
of king ,horick4 ,but in ,sweden the    
superstitious king ,olas cast lots      
whether he should be admitted or no4    
,the saint1 grieved to see the cause of 
,god and religion committed to the cast 

of a die1 recommended the issue to the  
care of heaven4 ,the lot proved         
favorable1 and the bishop converted many
 of the lower rank1 and established many
 churches there1 which he left under    
zealous pastors at his return to        
,bremen4 ,he wore a rough hair shirt1   
and1 while his health permitted him1    
contented himself with a small quantity 
of bread and water4 ,he never undertook 
any thing without recommending it first 
to ,god by earnest prayer1 and had an   
extraordinary talent for preaching4 ,his
 charity to the poor had no bounds2 he  
washed their feet1 and waited on them at
 table4 ,he ascribed it to his sins1    
that he never met with the glory of     
martyrdom in all that he had suffered   
for the faith4 ,to excite himself to    
compunction and to the divine praise1 he
 made a collection of pathetic          
sentences1 some of which he placed at   
the end of each psalm2 several of which 
are found in certain manuscript         
psalters1 as ,fleury takes notice4 ,the 

learned ,fabricius1 in his ,latin       
,library of the middle ages1 calls them 
an illustrious monument of the piety of 
this holy prelate4 ,st4 ,anscharius died
 at ,bremen in the year #hfe1 the       
sixty-seventh of his age1 and           
thirty-fourth of his episcopal dignity2 
and was honored with miracles4 ,his name
 occurs in the ,martyrologies soon after
 his death4 ,in the ,german language he 
is called ,st4 ,scharies1 and his       
collegiate church of ,bremen            
,sant-,scharies4 ,that at ,hamburg1     
which bore his name1 has been converted 
by the ,lutherans into an hospital for  
orphans4 ,his name was rather ,ansgar1  
as it #cde is written in his own letter1
 and in a charter of ,louis ,debonnaire4
 ,in this letter#a he attributes all the
 fruits and glory of the conversion of  
the ,northern nations1 to which he      
preached1 to the zeal of that emperor   
and of ,ebbo1 archbishop of ,rheims1    
without taking the least notice of      
himself or his own labors4 ,the life of 

,st4 ,willehad1 first bishop of ,bremen1
 who died in #ghi or #gia1 compiled by  
,st4 ,anscharius1 is a judicious and    
elegant work1 and the preface a         
masterpiece for that age4 ,it is        
abridged and altered by ,surius1 but    
published entire at ,cologne1 in #afdb2 
and more correctly by ,mabillon2 and    
again by ,fabricius1 among the          
historians of ,hamburg1 t4 #b4          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,ap4 ,bolland4 et4     
,mabill4  ,,st4 ,,wereburge1 ,v4        
,,abbess4  ,,patroness ,,of ,,chester4  
,from ,harpsfield1 ,bede1 ,brompton1    
,florence of ,worcester1 ,higden1       
,langhorn's ,chronicle1 ,leland's       
,collections1 ,powel's ,history of      
,wales1 the ,saxon ,chronicle1 ,simeon  
of ,durham1 and her curious life1       
written in old ,english metre1 from the 
,passionary of the monastery of         
,chester1 by ,henry ,bradshaw1 a monk of
 that house1 who died in #aeba1 on whom 
see ,wood1 ,athen4 ,oxon41 vol4 #a1 p4  
#i1 n4 #ad1 and ,tanner1 ,bibl4 p4 #aba4

 ,this scarce history was printed in    
#aeba1 by ,richard ,pynson1 printer to  
king ,henry ,,viii4 ,see her ancient    
life1 a ,,ms4 copy of which ,camden sent
 to ,f4 ,rosweide1 published by         
,henschenius1 with notes1 p4 #chf4 ,see 
also the summary of the life of ,st4    
,wereburge1 with an historical account  
of the images carved on her shine1 7now 
the episcopal throne17 in the choir of  
the cathedral of ,chester1 by ,william  
,cooper1 ,m4,d41 at ,chester #agdi4     
,seventh ,age4  ,,st4 ,,wereburge was   
daughter of ,wulfere1 king of ,mercia1  
by ,st4 ,ermenilde1 daughter of         
,ercombert1 king of ,kent1 and ,st4     
,sexburge4 ,in her was centred the royal
 blood of all the chief ,saxon kings2   
but her glory was the contempt of a vain
 world1 even from her cradle1 on the    
pure motive of the love of ,god4 ,she   
had three brothers1 ,wulfade and ,rufin1
 who died martyrs1 and ,kenred1 who     
ended his life at ,rome in the odor of  
sanctity4 ,her father1 ,wulfere1 resided

 near ,stone1 in ,staffordshire4 ,his   
eldest brother1 ,peada1 had begun to    
plant the faith in ,mercia4 ,wulfere    
promised at his marriage to extirpate   
the remains of idolatry1 and was then a 
,christian2 but worldly motives made him
 delay the performance of his promise4  
,ermenilde endeavored to soften the     
fierceness of his temper2 but she found 
it a far more easy task to dispose the  
minds of her tender nursery to be       
faithful to divine grace2 and1 under her
 care1 all her children grew up fruitful
 plants in the garden of the saints4    
,wereburge excelled the rest in fervor  
and discretion4 ,she was humble1        
obedient1 and meek2 never failed of     
assisting with her mother at the daily  
performance of the whole church office2 
besides spending many hours on her knees
 in private devotion in her closet4 ,she
 eagerly listened to every instruction  
and exhortation of piety4 ,at an age in 
which youth is the fondest of           
recreations1 pleasures1 and vanities1   

she was always grave1 reserved1 and     
mortified4 ,she was a stranger to any   
joy but that which the purity of her    
conscience afforded her2 and in holy    
compunction bewailed before ,god1       
without ceasing1 her distance from him1 
and her other spiritual miseries4 ,she  
trembled at the thought of the least    
danger that could threaten her purity2  
fasting and prayer were her delight1 by 
which she endeavored to render her soul 
acceptable to her heavenly bridegroom4  
,her beauty and her extraordinary       
qualifications1 rendered more           
conspicuous by the greater lustre of her
 virtue1 drew to her many suitors for   
marriage4 ,but a mountain might sooner  
be moved than her resolution shaken4    
,the prince of the ,west-,saxons waited 
on her with rich presents2 but she      
refused to accept them or listen to his 
proposals1 saying she had chosen the    
,lord ,jesus1 the ,redeemer of mankind1 
for the ,spouse of her #cdf soul1 and   
had devoted herself to his service in   

the state of virginity4 ,but her        
greatest victory was over the insidious 
attempts of ,werbode1 a powerful1 wicked
 knight of her father's court4 ,the king
 was greatly indebted to the valor and  
services of this knight for his temporal
 prosperity1 and entertained a          
particular affection for him4 ,the      
knight1 sensible of this1 and being     
passionately fond of ,wereburge1 made   
use of all his interest with the king to
 obtain his consent to marry her1 which 
was granted1 on condition he could gain 
that of the royal virgin4 ,queen        
,ermenilde and her two sons1 ,wulfade   
and ,rufin1 were grievously afflicted at
 the news4 ,these two princes were then 
upon their conversion to ,christianity1 
and for this purpose resorted to the    
cell of ,st4 ,chad1 bishop of           
,litchfield1 under pretence of going a  
hunting2 for the saint resided in a     
hermitage1 situate in a forest4 ,by him 
they were instructed in the faith1 and  
baptized4 ,werbode1 finding them an     

obstacle to his design1 contrived their 
murder1 for which he is said to have    
moved the father to give an order in a  
fit of passion1 by showing him the young
 princes returning from the bishop1 and 
incensing him against them by slanders3 
for the king was passionate1 and had    
been likewise prevailed on by his       
perfidious minister to countenance and  
favor idolatry4 ,werbode died miserably 
soon after1 and ,wulfere no sooner heard
 that the murder was perpetrate but1    
stung with grief and remorse1 he entered
 into himself1 did great penance1 and   
entirely gave himself up to the advice  
of his queen and ,st4 ,chad4 ,he        
destroyed all the idols1 converted their
 temples into churches1 founded the     
abbey of ,peterborough1 and the priory  
of ,stone1 where the two martyrs were   
buried1 and exceedingly propagated the  
worship of the true ,god1 by his zealous
 endeavors and example4  ,wereburge1    
seeing this perfect change in the       
disposition of her father1 was no longer

 afraid to disclose to him her earnest  
desire of consecrating herself to ,god  
in a religious state of life4 ,finding  
him averse1 and much grieved at the     
proposal1 she pleaded her cause with so 
many tears1 and urged the necessity of  
preparing for death in so pathetic a    
manner1 that her request was granted4   
,her father even thanked ,god with great
 humility for so great a grace conferred
 on her1 though not without many tears  
which such a sacrifice cost him4 ,he    
conducted her in great state to ,ely1   
attended by his whole court1 and was met
 at the gate of the monastery by the    
royal abbess ,st4 ,audry1 with her whole
 religious family in procession1 singing
 holy hymns to ,god4 ,wereburge1 falling
 on her knees1 begged to be admitted in 
quality of a penitent4 ,she obtained her
 request1 and ,te ,deum was sung4 ,she  
went through the usual trials with great
 humility and patience1 and with joy    
exchanged her rich coronet1 purple1     
silks1 and gold1 for a poor veil and a  

coarse habit1 and resigned herself into 
the hands of her superior1 to live only 
to ,christ4 ,king ,wulfere1 his three   
brothers1 and ,egbright1 or ,egbert1    
king of ,kent1 and ,adulph1 king of the 
,east-,angles1 together with the great  
lords of their respective states1 were  
present at these her solemn espousals   
with ,christ1#a and were entertained by 
,wulfere with a royal magnificence4 ,the
 virgin here devoted herself to ,god    
with new fervor in all her actions1 and 
made the exercises of obedience1 prayer1
 contemplation1 humility1 and penance1  
her whole occupation1 instead of that   
circle of vanities and amusements which 
employ the slaves of the world4 ,king   
,wulfede dying in #fge1 was buried at   
,litchfield4 ,kenred1 his son1 being    
then too young to govern1 his brother   
,ethelred succeeded him4 ,st4 ,ermenilde
 was no sooner at liberty1 but she took 
the religions veil at ,ely1 under her   
mother1 ,st4 ,sexburge1 at whose death  
she was chosen third abbess1 and honored

 in ,england among the saints on the    
#acth of ,february4 ,her daughter1 ,st4 
,wereburge1 at her #cdg uncle king      
,ethelred's persuasion1 left ,ely to    
charge herself1 at his request1 with the
 superintendency of all the houses of   
religious women in his kingdom1 that she
 might establish in them the observance 
of the most exact monastic discipline4  
,by his liberality she founded those of 
,trentham in ,staffordshire1 of         
,hanbury1 near ,tutbury1 in the county  
of ,stafford1 7not in the county of     
,huntingdon1 as some mistake17 and of   
,wedon1 one of the royal palaces in     
,northamptonshire4 ,this king also      
founded the collegiate church of ,st4   
,john ,baptist1 in the suburbs of       
,west-,chester1 and gave to ,st4 ,egwin 
the ground for the great abbey of       
,evesham2 and after having reigned      
twenty-nine years1 embraced the monastic
 state in his beloved monastery of      
,bardney1 upon the river ,witham1 not   
far from ,lincoln1 of which he was      

afterwards chosen abbot4 ,he resigned   
his crown to ,kenred1 his nephew1       
brother to our saint1 having been chosen
 king only on account of the nonage of  
that prince4 ,kenred governed his realm 
with great prudence and piety1 making it
 his study1 by all the means in his     
power1 to prevent and root out all      
manner of vice1 and promote the         
knowledge and love of ,god4 ,after a    
reign of five years1 he recommended his 
subjects to ,god1 took leave of them1 to
 their inexpressible grief1 left his    
crown to ,coelred1 his uncle's son1 and1
 making a pilgrimage to ,rome1 there put
 on the monastic habit in #gjh1 and     
persevered in great fervor till his     
happy death4  ,st4 ,wereburge1 both by  
word and example1 conducted to ,god the 
souls committed to her care4 ,she was   
the most perfect model of meekness1     
humility1 patience1 and purity4 ,besides
 the church office1 she recited every   
day the psalter on her knees1 and1 after
 matins1 remained in the church in      

prayer1 either prostrate on the ground  
or kneeling1 till daylight1 and often   
bathed in tears4 ,she never took more   
than one repast in the day1 and read    
with wonderful delight the lives of the 
fathers of the desert4 ,she foretold her
 death1 visited all places under her    
care1 and gave her last orders and      
exhortations4 ,she prepared herself for 
her last hour by ardent invitations of  
her heavenly bridegroom1 and languishing
 aspirations of divine love1 in which   
she breathed forth her pure soul on the 
#c;d of ,february1 at ,trentham1 about  
the end of the seventh century4 ,her    
body1 as she had desired1 was interred  
at ,hanbury4 ,nine years after1 in #gjh1
 it was taken up in presence of king    
,coelred1 his council1 and many bishops1
 and being found entire and uncorrupt1  
was laid in a costly shrine on the #bast
 of ,june4 ,in #hge her body was still  
entire2 when1 for fear of the ,danish   
pirates1 who were advanced as far as    
,repton1 in the county of ,derby1 a     

royal seat 7not ,ripon1 as ,guthrie     
mistakes7 within six miles of ,hanbury1 
7in the county of ,stafford17 her shrine
 was carried to ,west-,chester1 in the  
reign of king ,alfred1 who1 marrying his
 daughter ,elfleda to ,ethelred1 created
 him first earl of ,mercia1 after the   
extinction of its kings4 ,this valiant  
earl built1 and endowed with secular    
canonries1 a stately church1 as a       
repository for the relics of ,st4       
,wereburge1 which afterwards became the 
cathedral4 ,his lady rebuilt other      
churches1 walled in the city1 and       
fortified it with a strong castle       
against the ,welsh4#b ,the great kings1 
,athelstan and ,edgar1 devoutly visited 
and enriched the church of ,st4         
,wereburge4 ,in the reign of ,st4       
,edward the ,confessor1 ,leofrick1 earl 
of ,mercia1 and his pious wife1         
,godithe1 rebuilt many churches and     
monasteries in those parts1 founded the 
abbeys of ,leonence1 near ,hereford1    
also that of ,coventry1 which city this 

earl made free4 ,at ,chester they       
repaired the collegiate church of ,st4  
,john1 and out of their singular        
devotion to ,st4 ,wereburge1 rebuilt her
 minster in a most stately #cdh manner4 
,william the ,conqueror gave to his     
kinsman and most valiant knight1 ,hugh  
,lupus1 the earldom of ,chester1 with   
the sovereign dignity of a palatinate1  
on condition he should win it4 ,after   
having been thrice beaten and repulsed1 
he at last took the city1 and divided   
the conquered lands of the country among
 his followers4 ,in #ajic1 he removed   
the secular canons of ,st4 ,wereburge1  
and in their stead placed monks under an
 abbot1 brought over from ,bec in       
,normandy4 ,earl ,richard1 son and heir 
to ,lupus1 going in pilgrimage to ,st4  
,winefrid's at ,holywell1 attributed to 
the intercession of ,st4 ,wereburge his 
preservation from an army of ,welshmen1 
who came with an intention to intercept 
him4 ,in memory of which1 his constable1
 ,william1 gave to her church the       

village of ,newton1 and founded the     
abbey of ,norton on the ,dee1 at the    
place where his army miraculously forded
 that great river to the succor of his  
master1 which place is still called     
,constable ,sondes1 says ,bradshaw4 ,the
 same learned author relates1 from the  
third book of the ,passionary of the    
,abbey1 many miraculous cures of the    
sick1 and preservations of that city    
from the assaults of the ,welsh1 ,danes1
 and ,scots1 and1 in #aahj1 from a      
terrible fire1 which threatened to      
consume the whole city1 but was suddenly
 extinguished when the monks carried in 
procession the shrine of the virgin in  
devout prayer4 ,her body fell to dust   
soon after its translation to ,chester4 
,these relics being scattered in the    
reign of ,henry ,,viii41 her shrine was 
converted into the episcopal throne in  
the same church1 and remains in that    
condition to this day4 ,this monument is
 of stone1 ten feet high1 embellished   
with thirty curious antique images of   

kings of ,mercia and other princes1     
ancestors or relations of this saint4   
,see ,cooper's remarks on each4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,some authors in       
,leland's ,collectanea place her        
religious profession     after the death
 of her father2 but our account is      
supported by the     authority of       
,bradshaw4 #b4  ,this noble lady1       
heiress of the great virtues of her     
royal father1     rebuilt1 after the    
death of her husband1 the churches and  
towns of     ,stafford1 ,warwick1       
,tamworth1 and ,shrewsbury2 and founded1
 besides     some others1 the great     
abbey of ,st4 ,peter's in ,gloucester1  
which     church she enriched with the  
relics of ,st4 ,oswalk1 king and martyr1
     and in which she herself was       
buried4 ,see ,bradshaw1 ,dugdale1       
,launden4  ,,st4 ,,margaret ,,surnamed  
,,of ,,england1 ,v4  ,,her body is      
preserved entire1 and resorted to with  
great devotion1 in the church of the    
,cistercian nuns of ,seauve ,benoite1#a 

in the diocese of ,puy1 is ,velay1 eight
 leagues from that city toward ,lyons4  
,the brothers of ,sainte ,marthe1 in the
 old edition of ,gallia ,christiana1#b  
and ,dom ,besunier1 the ,maurist monk1#c
 confirm the tradition of the place1    
that she was an ,english woman1 and that
 her shrine is famous for miracles4 ,yet
 her life in old ,french1 7a manuscript 
copy of which is preserved by the       
,jesuits of ,clermont college1 in       
,paris1 with remarks of ,f4 ,peter      
,francis ,chifflet17 tells us that she  
was by birth a noble ,hungarian4 ,her   
mother1 probably at least of ,english   
extraction1 after the death of her      
husband1 took her with her on a         
pilgrimage to ,jerusalem2 and both led a
 very penitential religious life1 first 
in that city1 and afterwards at         
,bethlehem4 ,st4 ,margaret having buried
 her mother in that country1 made a     
pilgrimage to ,montserrat1 in ,spain1   
and afterwards to our ,lady's1 at ,puy  
in ,velay4 ,then she retired to the     

,cistercian nunnery of ,seauve          
,benoite1#d where she happily ended her 
mortal course in the twelfth century4   
,see ,gallia ,christ4 ,nova in ,dioec4  
,aniciensi seu ,podiensi1 t4 #b1 p4     
#ggg4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,sylva          
,benedicta4 #b4  ,gallia ,christ4 vetus1
 t4 #d1 p4 #hbh4 #c4  ,recueil ,hist4   
des ,abbayes de ,france1 t4 #a1 p4 #cad4
 #d4  ,this ,st4 ,margarey perhaps never
 professed the ,cistercian order4 ,at   
least ,henriquez1 in the annals of that 
order1 speak only of one     ,margaret1 
and ,english woman1 whose brother       
,thomas was banished by     ,henry ,,ii4
 among the friends and relations of ,st4
 ,thomas of     ,canterbury4 ,by this   
brother's advice she made her profession
 in the     ,cistercian nunnery at      
,laon1 where she died in odor of        
sanctity in     #aaib4 ,see ,henriquez  
ad eum annum4  #cdi   ,,february ,,iv4  
,,saint ,,andrew ,,corsini  ,,bishop    
,,and ,,confessor4  ,from his two       
original lives1 written1 the one by a   

disciple1 the other by ,peter ,andrew   
,castagna1 a friar of his ,order1 one   
hundred years after his death4 ,see the 
same compiled in ,latin by ,francis     
,venturius bishop of ,san-,severo1      
printed at ,rome in #afbj1 in quarto1   
and abridged by the elegant ,jesuit     
,maffei4  ,a4,d4 #acgc4  ,,this saint at
 his baptism was called ,andrew1 from   
the apostle of that name1 on whose      
festival he was born in ,florence1 in   
#acjb4 ,the family of the ,corsini was  
then one of the most illustrious of that
 commonwealth4 ,this child was the fruit
 of the prayers of his pious parents1   
who consecrated him by vow to ,god      
before his birth4 ,but notwithstanding  
the care his parents took to instil good
 principles into him1 he spent the first
 part of his youth in vice and          
extravagance1 in the company of such as 
were as wicked as himself4 ,his devout  
mother ,peregrina never ceased weeping  
and praying for his conversion1 and one 
day said to him1 with many sighs1 in the

 bitterness of her grief3 ,i see you are
 the wolf ,i saw in my sleep2 giving him
 to understand1 that when with child of 
him she had dreamed she was brought to  
bed of a wolf1 which running into a     
church1 was turned into a lamb4 ,she    
added1 that she and her husband had in a
 particular manner devoted him1 while in
 the womb1 to the service of ,god1 under
 the protection of the blessed ,virgin2 
and that in consequence of his being    
born not for them1 nor for the world1   
but for ,god1 a very different kind of  
life from what he led was expected from 
him4 ,this discourse made so strong an  
impression on his heart1 that he went   
immediately to the church of the        
,carmelite friars1 and having prayed    
there for some time with great fervor   
before the altar of our ,lady1 he was so
 touched by ,god1 that he took a        
resolution upon the spot to return no   
more to his father's house1 but to      
embrace the religious state of life     
professed in that convent4 ,he was      

readily admitted1 in the year #acah1 and
 after a novitiate of a year and some   
months1 during which he eluded the      
artifices of his worldly companions1 and
 resolutely rejected the solicitations  
of an uncle who sought to draw him back 
into the world1 he made his solemn      
profession4 ,he never departed from the 
first fervor of his conversion4 ,he     
strenuously labored to subdue his       
passions by extreme humiliations1       
obedience even to the last person in the
 house1 by silence and prayer2 and his  
superiors employed him in the meanest   
offices1 often in washing the dishes in 
the scullery4 ,the progress he made in  
learning1 particularly in the holy      
scriptures and in divinity1 was very    
great4 ,in the year #acbh he was        
ordained priest2 but to prevent the     
music and feast which his family had    
prepared1 according to custom1 for the  
day on which he was to say his first    
mass1 he privately withdrew to a little 
convent seven miles out of town1 where  

he offered1 unknown1 his first-fruits to
 ,god1 with wonderful recollection and  
devotion4 ,after some time employed in  
preaching at ,florence1 he was sent to  
,paris1 where he studied three years1   
and took some degrees4 ,he prosecuted   
his studies some time at ,avignon1 with 
his uncle1 cardinal ,corsini2 and in    
#accb1 returning to ,florence1 was      
chosen prior of that convent by a       
provincial chapter4 ,god honored his    
extraordinary #cej virtue with the gifts
 of prophecy and miracles2 and the      
astonishing fruits of his example and   
zealous preaching made him be looked    
upon as a second apostle of his country4
 ,among other miracles and conquests of 
hardened souls1 was the conversion of   
his cousin ,john ,corsini1 an infamous  
gamester2 and the miraculous cure of an 
ulcer in his neck4  ,the bishop of      
,fiesoli1 a town three miles from       
,florence1 being dead1 the chapter      
unanimously chose our saint to fill up  
the vacant see4 ,being informed of their

 proceedings1 he hid himself1 and       
remained so long concealed that the     
canons1 despairing to find him1 were    
going to proceed to a second election2  
when1 by a particular direction of      
divine providence1 he was discovered by 
a child4 ,being consecrated bishop in   
the beginning of the year #acfj1 he     
redoubled his former austerities4 ,to   
his hair-shirt he added an iron girdle4 
,he daily said the seven penitential    
psalms and the litany of the saints1 and
 gave himself a severe discipline while 
he recited the litany4 ,his bed was of  
vine-branches strewed on the floor4 ,all
 his time was taken up in prayer or in  
his functions4 ,holy meditation and     
reading the scriptures he called his    
recreation from his labors4 ,he avoided 
discourse with women as much as         
possible1 and would never listen to     
flatterers or informers4 ,his tenderness
 and care of the poor were incredible1  
and he had a particular regard for the  
bashful among them1 that is1 such as    

were ashamed to make known their        
distress3 these he was diligent in      
seeking out1 and assisted them with all 
possible secrecy4 ,by an excellent      
talent for composing differences and    
dissensions1 he never failed to         
reconcile persons at variance1 and to   
appease all seditions that happened in  
his time1 either at ,fiesoli1 or at     
,florence4 ,urban ,v41 on this account1 
sent him vested with legatine power to  
,bologna1 where the nobility and people 
were miserably divided4 ,he happily     
pacified them1 and their union continued
 during the remainder of his life4 ,he  
was accustomed every ,thursday to wash1 
with singular charity and humility1 the 
feet of the poor3 one excused himself1  
alleging that his feet were full of     
ulcers and corruption2 the saint        
insisted upon washing them              
notwithstanding1 and they were          
immediately healed4 ,in imitation of    
,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 he kept a list
 of the names of all the poor1 and      

furnished them all with allowances4 ,he 
never dismissed any without an alms1 for
 which purpose he once miraculously     
multiplied bread4 ,he was taken ill     
while he was singing high mass on       
,christmas-night1 in the year #acgb4    
,his fever increasing1 he gave up his   
happy soul to ,god with a surprising joy
 and tranquillity1 on the #fth of       
,january1 #acgc1 being seventy-one years
 and five weeks old1 having been twelve 
years bishop4 ,he was honored with many 
miracles1 and immediately canonized by  
the voice of the people4 ,the state of  
,florence has often sensibly experienced
 his powerful intercession4 ,pope       
,eugenius ,,iv4 allowed his relics to be
 exposed to public veneration4 ,he was  
canonized by ,urban ,,viii4 in #afbi4   
,his festival was transferred to the    
#dth of ,february4 ,clement ,,xii4 being
 of this family1 in conjunction with his
 nephew1 the marquis of ,corsini1       
sumptuously adorned the chapel of the   
,carmelite friars' church in ,florence1 

in which the saint's body is kept4 ,he  
also built and endowed a magnificent    
independent chapel in the great church  
of ,st4 ,john ,lateran1 under the name  
of this his patron1 in which the corpse 
of that pope is interred4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,the     
example of all the saints confirms the  
fundamental maxim of our divine         
,redeemer1 that the1 foundation of all  
solid virtue and of true sanctity1 is to
 be laid by subduing the passions and   
dying to ourselves4 ,pride1 sensuality1 
covetousness1 and every vice must be    
rooted out of the heart1 the senses must
 be mortified1 the inconstancy of the   
mind must be settled1 and its           
inclination to roving and dissipation   
fixed by recollection1 and all depraved 
#cea affections curbed4 ,both in        
cloisters and in the world1 many        
,christians take pains to become        
virtuous by multiplying religious       
practices1 yet lose in a great measure  
the fruit of their labors1 because they 

never study with their whole hearts to  
die to themselves4 ,so long as self-love
 reigns in their souls1 almost without  
control1 this will often blind and      
deceive them1 and will easily infect    
even their good works1 and their        
devotion will be liable to a thousand   
illusions1 and always very imperfect4   
,hence religious persons1 after many    
years spent in the rigorous observance  
of their rule1 still fail upon the least
 trial or contradiction which thwarts   
their favorite inclination1 and are     
stopped in their spiritual progress as  
it were by every grain of sand in their 
way3 their whole life they crawl like   
base insects in the mire of their       
imperfections1 whereas if they studied  
once in good earnest to curb sensuality 
and to renounce their own lights1 their 
own will1 and the inordinate love of    
themselves1 difficulties would disappear
 before them1 and they would in a short 
time arrive at the perfection of true   
virtue1 and enjoy the liberty of the    

children of ,god1 and his interior      
peace1 the true road to which is only   
humility1 meekness1 and perfect         
self-denial4 ,did we know the treasure  
and happiness which this would procure  
us1 we should1 in imitation of the      
ancient holy monks1 desire to meet with 
superiors who would exercise us by the  
severest trials1 and think ourselves    
most obliged to those who apply the     
strongest remedies to purge and cure our
 sick souls4  ,,ss4 ,,phileas1 ,,mm4    
,,bishop ,,of ,,thmuis1 ,,and           
,,philoromus4  ,,phileas was a rich     
nobleman of ,thmuis#a in ,egypt1 very   
eloquent and learned4 ,being converted  
to the faith1 he was chosen bishop of   
that city2 but was taken and carried    
prisoner to ,alexandria by the          
persecutors1 under the successors of    
,dioclesian4 ,eusebius has preserved    
part of a letter which he wrote in his  
dungeon1 and sent to his flock to       
comfort and encourage them4#b           
,describing the sufferings of his fellow

 confessors at ,alexandria1 he says that
 every one had full liberty allowed to  
insult1 strike1 and beat them with rods1
 whips1 or clubs4 ,some of the          
confessors1 with their hands behind     
their backs1 were tied to pillars1 their
 bodies stretched out with engines1 and 
their sides1 belly1 thighs1 legs1 and   
cheeks1 hideously torn with iron hooks3 
others were hung by one hand1 suffering 
excessive pain by the stretching of     
their joints3 others hung by both hands1
 their bodies being drawn down4 ,the    
governor thought no treatment too bad   
for ,christians4 ,some expired on the   
racks2 others expired soon after they   
were taken down3 others were laid on    
their backs in the dungeons1 with their 
legs stretched out in the wooden stocks 
to the fourth hole1 c4 ,culcian1 who had
 been prefect of ,thebais1 was then     
governor of all ,egypt1 under the tyrant
 ,maximinus1 but afterwards lost his    
head in #cac1 by the order of ,licinius4
 ,we have a long interrogatory of ,st4  

,phileas before him from the presidial  
registers4 ,culcian1 after many other   
things1 asked him1 ,was ,christ ,god8   
,the saint answered1 ,yes2 and alleged  
his miracles as a proof of his divinity4
 ,the governor professed a great regard 
for his quality and merit1 and said3 ,if
 you were in misery1 or necessity1 you  
should be #ceb dispatched without more  
ado2 but as you have riches and estates 
sufficient not only for yourself and    
family1 but for the maintenance almost  
of a whole province1 ,i pity you1 and   
will do all in my power to save you4    
,the counsellors and lawyers1 desirous  
also of saving him1 said3 ,he had       
already sacrificed in the               
,phrontisterium1 7or academy for the    
exercises of literature47 ,phileas cried
 out3 ,i have not by any immolation2 but
 say barely that ,i have sacrificed1 and
 you will say no more than the truth4   
,having been confined there some time1  
he might perhaps have said mass in that 
place4#c  ,his wife1 children1 brother1 

and other relations1 persons of         
distinction1 and ,pagans1 were present  
at the trial4 ,the governor1 hoping to  
overcome him by tenderness1 said3--,see 
how sorrowful your wife stands with her 
eyes fixed upon you4 ,phileas replied3  
,jesus ,christ1 the ,saviour of souls1  
calls me to his glory3 and he can also1 
if he pleases1 call my wife4 ,the       
counsellors1 out of compassion1 said to 
the judge3 ,phileas begs a delay4       
,culcian said to him3 ,i grant it you   
most willingly1 that you may consider   
what to do4 ,phileas replied3 ,i have   
considered1 and it is my unchangeable   
resolution to die for ,jesus ,christ4   
,then all the counsellors1 the emperor's
 lieutenant1 who was the first          
magistrate of the city1 all the other   
officers of justice1 and his relations1 
fell down together at his feet1         
embracing his knees1 and conjuring him  
to have compassion on his disconsolate  
family1 and not to abandon his children 
in their tender years1 while his        

presence was absolutely necessary for   
them4 ,but he1 like a rock unshaken by  
the impetuous waves that dash against   
it1 stood unmoved2 and raising his heart
 to ,god1 protested aloud that he owned 
no other kindred but the apostles and   
martyrs4 ,philoromus1 a noble           
,christian1 was present3 he was a       
tribune or colonel1 and the emperor's   
treasurer-general in ,alexandria1 and   
had his tribunal in the city1 where he  
sat every day hearing and judging       
causes1 attended by many officers in    
great state4 ,admiring the prudence and 
inflexible courage of ,phileas1 and     
moved with indignation against his      
adversaries1 he cried out to them3 ,why 
strive ye to overcome this brave man1   
and to make him1 by an impious          
compliance with men1 renounce ,god8 ,do 
not you see that1 contemplating the     
glory of heaven1 he makes no account of 
earthly things8 ,this speech drew upon  
him the indignation of the whole        
assembly1 who in rage demanded that both

 might be condemned to die4 ,to which   
the judge readily assented4  ,as they   
were led out to execution1 the brother  
of ,phileas1 who was a judge1 said to   
the governor3 ,phileas desires his      
pardon4 ,culcian there fore called him  
back1 and asked him if it was true4 ,he 
answered3 ,no2 ,god forbid4 ,do not     
listen to this unhappy man4 ,far from   
desiring the reversion of my sentence1  
,i think myself much obliged to the     
emperors1 to you1 and to your court3 for
 by your means ,i become coheir with    
,christ1 and shall enter this very day  
into the possession of his kingdom4     
,hereupon he was remanded to the place  
of execution1 where having made his     
prayer aloud1 and exhorted the faithful 
to constancy and perseverance1 he was   
beheaded with ,philoromus4 ,the exact   
time of their martyrdom is not known1   
but it happened between the years #cjf  
and #cab4 ,their names stand in the     
ancient martyrologies4 ,see ,eusebius1  
,hist4 l4 #h1 c4 #i4 ,st4 ,hier4 in     

,catal4 in ,philea2 and their original  
beautiful acts1 published by ,combefis1 
,henschenius1 and ,ruinart4  ,footnotes3
 #a4  ,thmuis1 capital of the ,nomos1 or
 district of ,mendes1 is called1 by     
,strata1 ,mendes3 which word in the     
,egyptian tongue signifies a goat1      
,pan being there worshipped with        
extraordinary superstition under the    
figure of a goat4 ,this city was        
anciently one of the largest and        
richest in ,egypt1 as ,amm4 ,marcellinus
 7l4 #bb7 testifies2 but is now         
reduced to the condition of a mean      
village1 and called ,themoi1 or         
rather ,themowia4 ,see ,le ,quien4      
,oriens ,christ4 t4 #b4 p4 #ec4 #b4     
,eus4 ,hist4 l4 #h1 c4 #aj1 p4 #cjb4 #c4
  ,see ,tillemont and ,ceillier4  #cec  
,,st4 ,,gilbert1 ,a4  ,,founder ,,of    
,,the ,,gilbertins  ,,he was born at    
,sempringham in ,lincolnshire1 and1     
after a clerical education1 was ordained
 priest by the bishop of ,lincoln4 ,for 
some time he taught a free-school1      

training up youth in regular exercises  
of piety and learning4 ,the advowson of 
the parsonages of ,sempringham and      
,tirington being the right of his       
father1 he was presented by him to those
 united livings1 in #aabc4 ,he gave all 
the revenues of them to the poor1 except
 a small sum for bare necessaries1 which
 he reserved out of the first living4   
,by his care his parishioners seemed to 
lead the lives of religious men1 and    
were known to be of his flock1 by their 
conversation1 wherever they went4 ,he   
gave a rule to seven holy virgins1 who  
lived in strict enclosure in a house    
adjoining to the wall of his parish     
church of ,st4 ,andrew at ,sempringham1 
and another afterwards to a community of
 men1 who desired to live under his     
direction4 ,the latter was drawn from   
the rule of the canon regulars2 but that
 given to his nuns1 from ,st4 ,bennet's3
 but to both he added many particular   
constitutions4 ,such was the origin of  
the ,order of the ,gilbertins1 the      

approbation of which he procured from   
pope ,eugenius ,,iii4 ,at length he     
entered the ,order himself1 but resigned
 the government of it some time before  
his death1 when he lost his sight4 ,his 
diet was chiefly roots and pulse1 and so
 sparing1 that others wondered how he   
could subsist4 ,he had always at table a
 dish which he called1 ,the plate of the
 ,lord ,jesus1 in which he put all that 
was best of what was served up2 and this
 was for the poor4 ,he always wore a    
hair shirt1 took his short rest sitting1
 and spent great part of the night in   
prayer4 ,in this1 his favorite exercise1
 his soul found those wings on which she
 continually soared to ,god4 ,during the
 exile of ,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury1  
he and the other superiors of his ,order
 were accused of having sent him succors
 abroad4 ,the charge was false3 yet the 
saint chose rather to suffer            
imprisonment and the danger of the      
suppression of his ,order1 than to deny 
it1 lest he should seem to condemn what 

would have been good and just4 ,he      
departed to our ,lord on the #c;d of    
,february1 #aaij1 being one hundred and 
six years old4 ,miracles wrought at his 
tomb were examined and approved by      
,hubert1 archbishop of ,canterbury1 and 
the commissioners of pope ,innocent     
,,iii4 in #abja1 and he was canonized by
 that pope the year following4 ,the     
,statutes of the ,gilbertins1 and       
,exhortations to his ,brethren1 are     
ascribed to him4 ,see his life by a     
contemporary writer1 in ,dugdale's      
,monasticon1 t4 #b1 p4 #fif2 and the    
same in ,henschenius1 with another from 
,capgrave of the same age4 ,see also1   
,harpsfield1 ,hist4 ,angl4 cent4 #ab1 c4
 #cg4 ,de ,visch1 ,bibl4 ,cisterc4      
,henschenius1 p4 #efg4 ,helyot1 c4      
,,st4 ,,jane1 ,,joan1 ,,or ,,joanna ,,of
 ,,valois1  ,,queen ,,of ,,france4      
,,she was daughter of king ,louis ,,xi4 
and ,charlotte of ,savoy1 born to #adfd4
 ,her low stature and deformed body     
rendered her the object of her father's 

aversion1 who1 notwithstanding1 married 
her to ,louis duke of ,orleans1 his     
cousin-german1 in #adgf4 ,she obtained  
his life of her brother1 ,charles       
,,viii41 who had resolved to put him to 
death for rebellion4 ,yet #ced nothing  
could conquer his antipathy against her1
 from which she suffered every thing    
with patience1 making exercises of piety
 her chief occupation and comfort4 ,her 
husband coming to the crown of ,france  
in #adih1 under the name of ,louis      
,,xii41 having in view an advantageous  
match with ,anne1 the heiress of        
,brittany1 and the late king's widow1   
alleging also the nullity of his        
marriage with ,jane1 chiefly on account 
of his being forced to it by ,louis     
,,xi41 applied to pope ,alexander ,,vi4 
for commissaries to examine the matter  
according to law4 ,these having taken   
cognizance of the affair1 declared the  
marriage void2 nor did ,jane make any   
opposition to the divorce1 but rejoiced 
to see herself at liberty1 and in a     

condition to serve ,god in a state of   
greater perfection1 and attended with   
fewer impediments in his service4 ,she  
therefore meekly acquiesced in the      
sentence1 and the king1 pleased at her  
submission1 gave her the duchy of       
,berry1 besides ,pontoise and other     
townships4 ,she resided at ,bourges1    
wore only sackcloth1 and addicted       
herself entirely to the exercises of    
mortification and prayer1 and to works  
of charity1 in which she employed all   
her great revenues4 ,by the assistance  
of her confessarius1 a virtuous         
,franciscan friar1 called ,gabriel      
,maria1 as he always signed his name1   
she instituted1 in #aejj1 the ,order of 
nuns of the ,annunciation of the        
,blessed ,virgin4#a ,it was approved by 
,julius ,,ii41 ,leo ,x41 ,paul ,v41 and 
,gregory ,,xv4 ,the nuns wear a black   
veil1 a white cloak1 a red scapular1 and
 a brown habit with a cross1 and a cord 
for a girdle4 ,the superioress is only  
called ,ancelle1 or servant1 for        

humility4 ,st4 ,jane took the habit     
herself in #aejd1 but died on the #dth  
of ,february1 #aeje4 ,the ,huguenots    
burned her remains at ,bourges1 in      
#aefb4b ,she was canonized by ,clement  
,,xii4 in #agch1 but had been venerated 
at ,bourges from the time of her death4 
,see the brief of ,benedict ,,xiv41     
concerning her immemorial veneration1 t4
 #b1 de ,canoniz4 l4 #b1 c4 #bd1 p4     
#bif4 ,bullarii1 t4 #af1 p4 #ajd1 and   
,helyot1 ,hist4 des ,ord4 ,rel4 t4 #g1  
p4 #cci4 ,also1 ,henschenius1 p4 #ege4  
,chatelain's ,notes on the ,mart4 ,her  
life1 compiled by ,andrew ,fremiot1     
archbishop of ,bourges2 by ,hilarion de 
,coste1 of the ,order of ,minims1 among 
his illustrious ladies2 another printed 
by the order of ,doni d',attichi1 bishop
 of ,autun1 in #afef1 7who had from his 
youth professed the same ,order of the  
,minims1 of which he wrote the ,annals1 
and a ,history of the ,french           
,cardinals47 ,see also1 on ,st4 ,jane1  
,godeau1 ,eloges des ,princesses1 c4    

,footnotes3 #a4  ,the imitation of the  
ten principal virtues1 of which the     
mysteries     of the ,blessed ,virgin1  
honored by the ,church in her yearly    
festivals1 furnish perfect models1 is   
the peculiar end of this     religious  
institute1 which takes its name from the
 first and     principal of the joyful  
mysteries of the mother of ,god4 ,these 
nuns     wear a gray habit with a red   
scapular1 with a gold cross 7or of      
silver gilt7 hanging before their       
breast1 and a gold ring on one of       
their fingers4 ,a noble ,genoese widow1 
called ,mary ,victoria ,fornaro1        
instituted in #afjd another ,order of   
the same title1 called of the           
,celestial ,annunciades1 ,annuntiatae   
,coelestinae4 ,as an emblem of          
heaven1 their habit is white1 with a    
blue mantle to represent the     azure  
of the heavens4 ,the most rigorous      
poverty1 and a total     separation from
 the world1 are prescribed4 ,the        
religious are only     allowed to speak 

to externs six times in a year1 and then
 only to     near relations1 the men to 
those of the first1 the women to those  
of     the first and second degree4 ,see
 the life of ven4 ,mary ,victoria       
,fornaro1 by ,f4 ,ambrose ,spinola1     
,jesuit2 and ,hist4 des ,ordres ,relig4 
t4 #d1 p4 #big4 #b4  ,see ,henschenius1 
p4 #egh4  ,,st4 ,,isidore ,,of          
,,pelusium4  ,,he was a monk from his   
youth1 and became superior of a         
monastery in the neighborhood of that   
city1 in the fifth age4 ,facundus and   
,suidas assure us that he was promoted  
to the dignity of priest4 ,he was looked
 upon as a living rule of religious     
perfection1 and treated by his          
patriarch1 ,st4 ,cyril1 and the other   
prelates of his time1 as their father4  
,he chose ,st4 ,chrysostom for his      
model4 ,we have still extant two        
thousand and twelve of his letters1     
abounding with excellent instructions of
 piety1 and with theological #cee and   
critical learning4 ,they are concise1   

and the style natural1 very elegant1    
agreeable1 full of fire and penetration4
 ,possevin laments that they are not in 
use as a classic author for the ,greek  
language4 ,his prudence1 undaunted zeal1
 profound humility1 ardent love of ,god1
 and other virtues1 shine admirably in  
them4 ,he died about the year #ddi4 ,see
 ,photius1 ,bibl4 ,cod4 #bcb and #bbh4  
,tillem4 t4 #ae1 p4 #ig4 ,bolland4 #d   
,feb1 p4 #dfh4  ,,st4 ,,rembert1        
,,archbishop ,,of ,,bremen1 ,c4  ,,he   
was a native of ,flanders1 near ,bruges1
 and a monk in the neighboring monastery
 of ,turholt4 ,st4 ,anscharius called   
him to his assistance in his missionary 
labors1 and in his last sickness        
recommended him for his successor1      
saying3 ,rembert is more worthy to be   
archbishop1 than ,i to discharge the    
office of his deacon4 ,after his death1 
in #hfe1 ,st4 ,rembert was unanimously  
chosen archbishop of ,hamburg and       
,bremen1 and superintended all the      
churches of ,sweden1 ,denmark1 and the  

,lower ,germany1 finishing the work of  
their conversion4 ,he also began the    
conversion of the ,sclavi and the       
,vandals1 now called ,brandenburghers4  
,he sold the sacred vessels to redeem   
captives from the ,normans2 and gave the
 horse on which he was riding for the   
ransom of a virgin taken by the ,sclavi4
 ,he was most careful never to lose a   
moment of time from serious duties and  
prayer1 and never to interrupt the      
attention of his mind to ,god in his    
exterior functions4 ,he died on the     
#aath of ,june1 in #hhh1 but is         
commemorated in the ,roman ,martyrology 
on the #dth of ,february1 the day on    
which he was chosen archbishop4 ,his    
life of ,st4 ,anscharius is admired1    
both for the author's accuracy and      
piety1 and for the elegance and         
correctness of the composition4 ,his    
letter to ,walburge1 first abbess of    
,nienherse1 is a pathetic exhortation to
 humility and virginity4 ,the see of    
,hamburg being united to ,bremen by ,st4

 ,anscharius1 this became the           
metropolitan church of all the north of 
,germany3 but the city becoming         
,lutheran1 expelled the archbishop in   
the reign of ,charles ,v4 ,this see and 
that of ,ferden were secularized and    
yielded to the ,swedes by the treaty of 
,westphalia1 in #afdh4 ,see his life    
written soon after his death1 in        
,henschenius1 p4 #eee4 ,mabillon1 ,act4 
,bened41 c4  ,,st4 ,,modan1 ,,abbot ,,in
 ,,scotland1 ,c4  ,,dryburgh1 situated  
near ,mailros1 was anciently one of the 
most famous monasteries in ,scotland3 in
 this house of saints1 ,modan dedicated 
himself to ,god1 about the year #ebb4   
,being persuaded that ,christian        
perfection is to be attained by holy    
prayer and contemplation1 and by a close
 union of our souls with ,god1 he gave  
six or seven hours every day to prayer1 
and moreover seasoned with it all his   
other actions and employments4 ,a spirit
 of prayer is founded in the purity of  
the affections1 the fruit of            

self-denial1 humility1 and obedience4   
,hence proceeded the ardor with which   
our saint studied to crucify his flesh  
and senses by the practice of the       
greatest austerities1 to place himself  
beneath all creatures by the most       
profound and sincere humility1 and in   
all things to subject his will to that  
of his superiors with such an           
astonishing readiness and cheerfulness1 
that they unanimously declared they     
never saw any one so perfectly divested 
of all self-will1 and dead to himself1  
as ,modan4 ,the abbacy falling vacant1  
he was raised against his will to that  
dignity4 ,in this charge1 his conduct   
was a clear proof of the well-known     
maxim1 that no man possesses the art of 
governing #cef others well1 unless he is
 perfectly master of that of obeying4   
,his inflexible firmness1 in maintaining
 every point of monastic discipline1 was
 tempered by the most winning sweetness 
and charity1 and an unalterable calmness
 and meekness4 ,such1 moreover1 was his 

prudence1 and such the unction of his   
words in instructing or reproving       
others1 that his precepts and very      
reprimands gave pleasure1 gained all    
hearts1 and inspired the love1 and      
communicated the spirit of every duty4  
,he preached the faith at ,stirling1 and
 in other places near the ,forth1       
especially at ,falkirk2 but frequently  
interrupted his apostolic employments to
 retire among the craggy mountains of   
,dunbarton1 where he usually spent      
thirty or forty days at once in the     
heavenly exercises of devout            
contemplation1 in which he enjoyed a    
kind of anticipation or foretaste of the
 delights in which consists the         
happiness of the blessed4 ,he died in   
his retirement near ,alcluid1 7a        
fortress on the river ,cluid17 since    
called ,dunbritton1 now ,dunbarton4 ,his
 death is usually placed in the seventh 
century1 though some think he flourished
 later4 ,his relics were kept with      
singular veneration in a famous church  

of his name at ,rosneith4 ,he is also   
titular saint of the great church at    
,stirling1 and honored particularly at  
,dunbarton and ,falkirk4 ,see ,hector   
,boetius1 ,lesley1 ,king1 in his        
,calendar1 the ,breviary of ,aberdeen1  
and the ,chronicle of ,scone3 also      
,bollandus1 p4 #dig4  ,,st4 ,,joseph    
,,of ,,leonissa1 ,c4  ,,this saint was  
born to #aeef1 at ,leonissa a small town
 near ,otricoli1 in the ecclesiastical  
state1 and at eighteen years of age made
 his profession among the ,capuchin     
friars1 in the place of his birth1      
taking the name of ,joseph2 for before  
he was called ,eufranius4 ,he was always
 mild1 humble1 chaste1 patient1         
charitable1 mortified1 and obedient to  
an heroic degree3 with the utmost       
fervor1 and on the most perfect motive  
of religion1 he endeavored to glorify   
,god in all his actions4 ,three days in 
the week he usually took no other       
sustenance than bread and water1 and    
passed several ,lents in the year after 

the same manner4 ,his bed was hard      
boards1 with the trunk of a vine for his
 pillow4 ,the love of injuries1         
contumelies1 and humiliations1 made him 
find in them his greatest joy4 ,he      
looked upon himself as the basest of    
sinners1 and said1 that indeed ,god by  
his infinite mercy had preserved him    
from grievous crimes2 but that by his   
sloth1 ingratitude1 and infidelity to   
the divine grace1 he deserved to have   
been abandoned by ,god above all        
creatures4 ,by this humility and        
mortification he crucified in himself   
the old man with his deeds1 and prepared
 his soul for heavenly communications in
 prayer and contemplation1 which was his
 assiduous exercise4 ,the sufferings of 
,christ were the favorite and most      
ordinary object of his devotions4 ,he   
usually preached with a crucifix in his 
hands1 and the fire of his words kindled
 a flame in the hearts of his hearers   
and penitents4 ,in #aehg he was sent by 
his superiors into ,turkey1 to labor as 

a missioner among the ,christians at    
,pera1 a suburb of ,constantinople1 ,he 
there encouraged and served the         
,christian galley-slaves with wonderful 
charity and fruit1 especially during a  
violent pestilence1 with which he       
himself was seized1 but recovered4 ,he  
converted many apostates1 one of whom   
was a bashaw4 ,by preaching the faith to
 the ,mahometans he incurred the utmost 
severity of the ,turkish laws1 was twice
 imprisoned1 and the second time        
condemned to a cruel death4 ,he was hung
 on a gibbet by one hand1 which was     
fastened by a chain1 and pierced with a 
sharp hook at the end of the chain2 and 
by one foot in the same manner4 ,having 
been some time on #ceg the gibbet1 he   
was released1#a and the sentence of     
death was changed by the sultan into    
banishment4 ,wherefore1 embarking for   
,italy1 he landed at ,venice2 and after 
two years' absence arrived at ,leonissa4
 ,he resumed his apostolic labors in his
 ,own country with extraordinary zeal1  

and an uncommon benediction from heaven4
 ,to complete his sacrifice1 he suffered
 very much towards the end of his life  
from a painful cancer1 to extirpate     
which he underwent two incisions without
 the least groan or complaint1 only     
repeating3 ,holy ,mary1 pray for us     
miserable afflicted sinners3 and holding
 all the while a crucifix to his hand1  
on which he fixed his eyes4 ,when some  
said1 before the operation1 that he     
ought to be bound or held1 he pointed to
 the crucifix1 saying3 ,this is the     
strongest band3 this will hold me       
unmoved better than any cords could do4 
,the operation proving unsuccessful1 the
 saint happily expired1 on the #dth day 
of ,february1 in #afab1 being           
fifty-eight years old4 ,his name was    
inserted in the ,roman ,martyrology on  
the #dth of ,february4 ,see the history 
of his miracles in the acts of his      
beatification1 which ceremony was       
performed by ,clement ,,xii4 in #agcg1  
and in those of his canonization by     

,benedict ,,xiv4 in #agdf4 ,acta        
,canonizationis #e ,sanctorum1 viz4     
,fidelis a ,sigmaringa1 ,m4 ,camilli de 
,lelia1 ,petri ,regalati1 ,josephi a    
,leonissa1 and ,catharinaea de ,riccis1 
a ,benedicto ,,xiv41 an4 #agdf1 printed 
at ,rome an4 #agdi1 pp4 #aa1 #he1 and   
the bull for his canonization1 p4 #eeh4 
,also ,bollan4 t4 #ae1 p4 #abg4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,some say he was       
released by an angel1 after hanging     
three days1 but     this circumstance is
 not mentioned by ,benedict ,,xiv41 in  
the decree     for his canonization1 p4 
#eei4   ,,february ,v4  ,,st4 ,,agatha1 
,,virgin ,,and ,,martyr4  ,we have her  
panegyrics by ,st4 ,aldhelm1 in the     
seventh1 and ,st4 ,methodius1 patriarch 
of ,constantinople1 in the ninth1       
centuries2 also a hymn in her honor     
among the poems of pope ,damasus1 and   
another by ,st4 ,isidore of ,seville1 in
 ,bollandus1 p4 #eif4 ,the ,greeks have 
interpolated her acts1 but those in     
,latin are very ancient4 ,they are      

abridged by ,tillemont1 t4 #c1 p4 #dji4 
,see also ,rocci ,pyrrho1 in ,sicilia   
,sacra on ,palermo1 ,catana1 and ,malta4
  ,a4 ,d #bea4  ,,the cities of ,palermo
 and ,catana1 in ,sicily1 dispute the   
honor of her birth3 but they do much    
better who1 by copying her virtues1 and 
claiming her patronage1 strive to become
 her fellow-citizens in heaven4 ,it is  
agreed that she received the crown of   
martyrdom at ,catana1 in the persecution
 of ,decius1 in the third consulship of 
that prince1 in the year of our ,lord   
#bea4 ,she was of a rich and illustrious
 family1 and having been consecrated to 
,god from her tender years1 triumphed   
over many assaults upon her chastity4   
,quintianus1 a man of consular dignity1 
bent on gratifying both his lust and    
avarice1 imagined he should easily      
compass his wicked designs on ,agatha's 
person and estate1 by means of the      
emperor's edict against the ,christians4
 ,he therefore caused her to be         
apprehended and brought before him at   

,catana4 ,seeing herself in the hands of
 the persecutors1 she made this prayer3 
,jesus ,christ1 ,lord of all things1 you
 see my heart1 you know my desire3      
possess alone all that ,i am4 ,i am your
 sheep1 make me worthy to overcome the  
devil4 ,she wept1 and prayed for courage
 and strength all the way she #ceh went4
 ,on her appearance1 ,quintianus gave   
orders for her being put into the hands 
of ,aphrodisia1 a most wicked woman1 who
 with six daughters1 all prostitutes1   
kept a common stew4 ,the saint suffered 
in this infamous place1 assaults and    
stratagems against her virtue1          
infinitely more terrible to her than any
 tortures or death itself4 ,but placing 
her confidence in ,god1 she never ceased
 with sighs and most earnest tears to   
implore his protection1 and by it was an
 overmatch for all their hellish        
attempts1 the whole month she was there4
 ,quintianus being informed of her      
constancy after thirty days1 ordered her
 to be brought before him4 ,the virgin1 

in her first interrogatory1 told him1   
that to be a servant of ,jesus ,christ  
was the most illustrious nobility1 and  
true liberty4 ,the judge1 offended at   
her resolute answers1 commanded her to  
be buffeted1 and led to prison4 ,she    
entered it with great joy1 recommending 
her future conflict to ,god4 ,the next  
day she was arraigned a second time at  
the tribunal1 and answered with equal   
constancy that ,jesus ,christ was her   
life and her salvation4 ,quintianus then
 ordered her to be stretched on the     
rack1 which torment was usually         
accompanied with stripes1 the tearing of
 the sides with iron hooks1 and burning 
them with torches or matches4 ,the      
governor1 enraged to see her suffer all 
this with cheerfulness1 commanded her   
breast to be tortured1 and afterwards to
 be cut off4 ,at which she made him this
 reproach3 ,cruel tyrant1 do you not    
blush to torture this part of my body1  
you that sucked the breasts of a woman  
yourself8 ,he remanded her to prison    

with a severe order1 that neither salves
 nor food should be allowed her4 ,but   
,god would be himself her physician1 and
 the apostle ,st4 ,peter in a vision    
comforted her1 healed all her wounds1   
and filled her dungeon with a heavenly  
light4 ,quintianus1 four days after1 not
 the least moved at the miraculous cure 
of her wounds1 caused her to be rolled  
naked over live coals mixed with broken 
potsherds4 ,being carried back to       
prison1 she made this prayer3 ,lord1 my 
,creator1 you have ever protected me    
from the cradle4 ,you have taken from me
 the love of the world1 and given me    
patience to suffer3 receive now my soul4
 ,after which words she sweetly gave up 
the ghost4 ,her name is inserted in the 
canon of the mass1 in the calendar of   
,carthage1 as ancient as the year #ecj1 
and in all martyrologies of the ,latins 
and ,greeks4 ,pope ,symmachus built a   
church in ,rome on the ,aurelian way1   
under her name1 about the year #ejj1    
which is fallen to decay4#a ,st4        

,gregory the ,great enriched a church   
which he purged from the ,arian impiety1
 with her relics1#b which it still      
possesses4 ,this church had been rebuilt
 in her honor by ,ricimer1 general of   
the western empire1 in #dfj4 ,gregory   
,,ii4 built another famous church at    
,rome1 under her invocation1 in #gbf1   
which ,clement ,,viii4 gave to the      
congregation of the ,christian doctrine4
 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great#c ordered some
 of her relics to be placed in the      
church of the monastery of ,st4         
,stephen1 in the ,isle of ,capreae1 now 
,capri4 ,the chief part1 which remained 
at ,catana1 was carried to              
,constantinople by the ,greek general1  
who drove the ,saracens out of ,sicily  
about the year #ajdj3 these were brought
 back to ,catana in #aabg1 a relation of
 which translation1 written by          
,mauritius1 who was then bishop1 is     
recorded by ,rocci ,pyrrho1 and         
,bollandus4#d ,the same authors relate  
in what manner the torrent of burning   

sulphur and stones which issue from     
mount ,a,etna1 in great eruptions1 was  
several times averted from the walls of 
,catana by the veil of ,st4 ,agatha1    
7taken out of her tomb17 which was      
carried in procession4 ,also that       
through her intercession1 ,malta 7where 
she is honored as patroness of the      
island7 was preserved from the ,turks   
who invaded it in #aeea4 ,small portions
 of relics of ,st4 ,agatha are said to  
be distributed in many places4  #cei    
99       99       99       99       99  
,the perfect purity of intention by     
which ,st4 ,agatha was entirely dead to 
the world and herself1 and sought only  
to please ,god1 is the circumstance     
which sanctified her sufferings1 and    
rendered her sacrifice complete4 ,the   
least cross which we bear1 the least    
action which we perform in this         
disposition1 will be a great holocaust1 
and a most acceptable offering4 ,we have
 frequently something to                
suffer--sometimes an aching pain in the 

body1 at other times some trouble of    
mind1 often some disappointment1 some   
humbling rebuke1 or reproach1 or the    
like4 ,if we only bear these trials with
 patience when others are witnesses1 or 
if we often speak of them1 or are       
fretful under them1 or if we bear       
patiently public affronts or great      
trials1 yet sink under those which are  
trifling1 and are sensible to small or  
secret injuries1 it is evident that we  
have not attained to true purity of     
intention in our patience2 that we are  
not dead to ourselves1 and love not to  
disappear to the eyes of creatures1 but 
court them1 and take a secret           
complacency in things which appear      
great4 ,we profess ourselves ready to   
die for ,christ2 yet cannot bear the    
least cross or humiliation4 ,how        
agreeable to our divine spouse is the   
sacrifice of a soul which suffers in    
silence1 desiring to have no other      
witness of her patience than ,god alone1
 who sends her trials2 which shuns      

superiority and honors1 but takes all   
care possible that no one knows the     
humility or modesty of such a refusal2  
which suffers humiliations1 and seeks no
 comfort or reward but from ,god4 ,this 
simplicity and purity of heart2 this    
love of being hid in ,god1 through      
,jesus ,christ1 is the perfection of all
 our sacrifices1 and the complete       
victory over self-love1 which it attacks
 and forces out of its strongest        
intrenchments3 this says to ,christ1    
with ,st4 ,agatha1 ,possess alone all   
that ,i am4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,fronteau 
,cal4 p4 #be4 #b4  ,disi4 l4 #c1 c4 #cj4
 #c4  ,l4 #a1 ep4 #eb4 #d4  ,feb4 #a1 p4
 #fdg4  ,,the ,,martyrs ,,of ,,japan4   
,see the triumph of the martyrs of      
,japan4 by ,f4 ,trigault1 from the year 
#afab to #afdj1 the history of ,japan1  
by ,f4 ,crasset1 to the year #afeh1 and 
that by the learned ,f4 ,charlevoix in  
nine volumes3 also the life of ,f4      
,spinola1 c4  ,,the empire of ,japan1 so
 called from one of the islands of which

 it is composed1 was discovered by      
certain ,portuguese merchants1 about the
 year #aeda4 ,it is generally divided   
into several little kingdoms1 all which 
obey one sovereign emperor4 ,the capital
 cities are ,meaco and ,jedo4 ,the      
manners of this people are the reverse  
of ours in many things4 ,their          
characteristic is pride1 and an         
extravagant love of honor4 ,they adore  
idols of grotesque shapes1 by which they
 represent certain famous wicked        
ancestors3 the chiefest are ,amida and  
,xacha4 ,their priests are called       
,bonzas1 and all obey the ,jaco1 or     
high-priest4 ,st4 ,francis ,xavier      
arrived in ,japan in #aedi1 baptized    
great numbers1 and whole provinces      
received the faith4 ,the great kings of 
,arima1 ,bungo1 and ,omura1 sent a      
solemn embassy of obedience to pope     
,gregory ,,xiii4 in #aehb3 and in #aehg 
there were in ,japan above two hundred  
thousand ,christians1 and among these   
several kings1 princes1 and bonzas1 but 

in #aehh1 ,cambacundono1 the haughty    
emperor1 having usurped the honors of a 
deity1 commanded all the ,jesuits to    
leave his dominions within six months3  
however1 many remained there disguised4 
,in #aeic1 the persecution was renewed1 
and several ,japanese converts received 
the crown of martyrdom4 ,the emperor    
,tagcosama1 one of the proudest and most
 vicious of men1 was worked up into rage
 and jealousy by a suspicion suggested  
by certain ,european merchants desirous 
of the monopoly of this trade1 that the 
view of the missionaries in preaching   
the ,christian faith was to facilitate  
the conquest of their country by the    
,portuguese or ,spaniards4 ,three       
,jesuits and six ,franciscans were      
crucified on #cfj;a hill near           
,nangasaqui in #aeig4 ,the latter were  
partly ,spaniards and partly ,indians1  
and had at their head ,f4 ,peter        
,baptist1 commissary of his ,order1 a   
native of ,avila1 in ,spain4 ,as to the 
,jesuits1 one was ,paul ,michi1 a noble 

,japanese and an eminent preacher1 at   
that time thirty-three years old4 ,the  
other two1 ,john ,gotto and ,james      
,kisai1 were admitted into the ,society 
in prison a little before they suffered4
 ,several ,japanese converts suffered   
with them4 ,the martyrs were twenty-six 
in number1 and among them were three    
boys who used to serve the friars at    
mass2 two of them were fifteen years of 
age1 and the third only twelve1 yet each
 showed great joy and constancy in their
 sufferings4 ,of these martyrs1         
twenty-four had been brought to ,meaco1 
where only a part of their left ears was
 cut off1 by a mitigation of the        
sentence which had commanded the        
amputation of their noses and both ears4
 ,they were conducted through many towns
 and public places1 their cheeks stained
 with blood1 for a terror to others4    
,when the twenty-six soldiers of ,christ
 were arrived at the place of execution 
near ,nangasaqui1 they were allowed to  
make their confession to two ,jesuits of

 the convent1 in that town1 and being   
fastened to crosses by cords and chains1
 about their arms and legs1 and an iron 
collar about their necks1 were raised   
into the air1 the foot of each cross    
falling into a hole prepared for it in  
the ground4 ,the crosses were planted in
 a row1 about four feet asunder1 and    
each martyr had an executioner near him 
with a spear ready to pierce his side1  
for such is the ,japanese manner of     
crucifixion4 ,as soon as all the crosses
 were planted1 the executioners lifted  
up their lances1 and at a signal given1 
all pierced the martyrs almost in the   
same instant2 upon which they expired   
and went to receive the reward of their 
sufferings4 ,their blood and garments   
were procured by ,christians1 and       
miracles were wrought by them4 ,urban   
,,viii4 ranked them among the martyrs1  
and they are honored on the #eth of     
,february1 the day of their triumph4    
,the rest of the missionaries were put  
on board a vessel1 and carried out of   

the dominions1 except twenty-eight      
priests1 who stayed behind in disguise4 
,tagcosama dying1 ordered his body      
should not be burned1 as was the custom 
in ,japan1 but preserved enshrined in   
his palace of ,fuximi1 that he might be 
worshipped among the gods under the     
title of the new god of war4 ,the most  
stately temple in the empire was built  
to him1 and his body deposited in it4   
,the ,jesuits returned soon after1 and  
though the missionaries were only a     
hundred in number1 they converted1 in   
#aeii1 forty thousand1 and in #afjj1    
above thirty thousand1 and built fifty  
churches2 for the people were highly    
scandalized to see him worshipped as a  
god1 whom they had remembered a most    
covetous1 proud1 and vicious tyrant4    
,but in #afjb1 ,cubosama renewed the    
bloody persecution1 and many ,japanese  
converts were beheaded1 crucified1 or   
burned4 ,in #afad1 new cruelties were   
exercised to overcome their constancy1  
as by bruising their feet between       

certain pieces of wood1 cutting off or  
squeezing their limbs one after another1
 applying red-hot irons or slow fires1  
flaying off the skin of the fingers1    
putting burning coals to their hands1   
tearing off the flesh with pincers1 or  
thrusting reeds into all parts of their 
bodies1 and turning them about to tear  
their flesh1 till they should say they  
would forsake their faith3 all which1   
innumerable persons1 even children1 bore
 with invincible constancy till death4  
,in #afaf1 ,xogun succeeding his father 
,cubosama in the empire1 surpassed him  
in cruelty4 ,the most illustrious of    
these religious heroes was ,f4 ,charles 
,spinola4 ,he was of a noble ,genoese   
family1 and entered the ,society at     
,nola1 while his uncle cardinal ,spinola
 was bishop of that city4 ,out of zeal  
and a desire of martyrdom1 he begged to 
be sent on the ,japanese mission4 ,he   
arrived there in #afjb2 labored many    
years in that mission1 gained many to   
,christ1 by his mildness1 and lived in  

great austerity1 for his usual food was 
only a little rice and #cfa herbs4 ,he  
suffered four years a most cruel        
imprisonment1 during which1 in burning  
fevers1 he was not able to obtain of his
 keepers a drop of cold water out of    
meals3 yet he wrote from his dungeon3   
,father1 how sweet and delightful is it 
to suffer for ,jesus ,christ6 ,i have   
learned this better by experience than  
,i am able to express1 especially since 
we are in these dungeons where we fast  
continually4 ,the strength of my body   
fails me1 but my joy increases as ,i see
 death draw nearer4 ,o what a happiness 
for me1 if next ,easter ,i shall sing   
the heavenly ,alleluia in the company of
 the blessed6 ,in a long letter to his  
cousin ,maximilian ,spinola1 he said3   
,o1 if you had tasted the delights with 
which ,god tills the souls of those who 
serve him1 and suffer for him1 how would
 you contemn all that the world can     
promise6 ,i now begin to be a disciple  
of ,jesus ,christ1 since for his love ,i

 am in prison1 where ,i suffer much4    
,but ,i assure you1 that when ,i am     
fainting with hunger1 ,god hath         
fortified me by his sweet consolations1 
so that ,i have looked upon myself as   
well recompensed for his service4 ,and  
though ,i were yet to pass many years in
 prison1 the time would appear short1   
through the extreme desire which ,i feel
 of suffering for him1 who even here so 
well repays our labors4 ,besides other  
sickness1 ,i have been afflicted with a 
continual fever a hundred days without  
any remedies or proper nourishment4 ,all
 this time my heart was so full of joy1 
that it seemed to me too narrow to      
contain it4 ,i have never felt any equal
 to it1 and ,i thought myself at the    
gates of paradise4 ,his joy was         
excessive at the news that he was       
condemned to be burnt alive1 and he     
never ceased to thank ,god for so great 
a mercy1 of which he owned himself      
unworthy4 ,he was conducted from his    
last prison at ,omura to ,nangasaqui1   

where fifty martyrs suffered together on
 a hill within sight of that city-nine  
,jesuits1 four ,franciscans1 and six    
,dominicans1 the rest seculars3         
twenty-five were burned1 the rest       
beheaded4 ,the twenty-five stakes were  
fixed all in a row1 and the martyrs tied
 to them4 ,fire was set to the end of   
the pile of wood twenty-five feet from  
the martyrs1 and gradually approached   
them1 two hours before it reached them4 
,f4 ,spinola stood unmoved1 with his    
eyes lifted up towards heaven1 till the 
cords which tied him being burnt1 he    
fell into the flames1 and was consumed1 
on the #b;d of ,september1 in #afbb1    
being fifty-eight years old4 ,many      
others1 especially ,jesuits1 suffered   
variously1 being either burnt at slow   
fires1 crucified1 beheaded1 or thrown   
into a burning mountain1 or hung with   
their heads downward in pits1 which     
cruel torment usually put an end to     
their lives in three or four days4 ,in  
#afci1 the ,portuguese and all other    

,europeans1 except the ,dutch1 were     
forbid to enter ,japan1 even for trade2 
the very ambassadors which the          
,portuguese sent thither were beheaded4 
,in #afdb1 five ,jesuits landed secretly
 in ,japan1 but were soon discovered1   
and after cruel tortures were hung in   
pits till they expired4 ,thus hath      
,japan encouraged the church militant1  
and filled the triumphant with glorious 
martyrs3 though only the first-mentioned
 have as yet been publicly declared such
 by the holy ,see1 who are mentioned in 
the new edition of the ,roman           
,martyrology published by ,benedict     
,,xiv4 in #agdi4  #cfb  ,,appendix  ,,on
  ,,the ,,martyrs ,,of ,,china4  ,,the  
devil set all his engines to work1 that 
he might detain in his captivity those  
great nations1 which1 by the inscrutable
 judgments of ,god1 lay yet buried in   
the night of infidelity1 and by their   
vicious habits and prejudices had almost
 extinguished the law written in their  
breast by their ,creator4 ,the pure     

light of the gospel sufficed to dispel  
the dark clouds of idolatry by its own  
brightness2 but the passions of men were
 not to be subdued but by the omnipotent
 hand of ,him who promised that his holy
 faith and salvation should be          
propagated throughout all nations4 ,all 
the machinations of hell were not able  
to defeat the divine mercy1 not even by 
the scandal of those false ,christians1 
whom jealousy1 covetousness1 and the    
spirit of the world blinded and seared  
to every feeling1 not only of religion1 
but even of humanity4 ,religious        
missionaries1 filled with the spirit of 
the apostles1 and armed with the power  
of ,god1 baffled obstacles which seemed 
insurmountable to flesh and blood2 and  
by their zeal1 charity1 patience1       
humility1 meekness1 mortification1 and  
invincible courage1 triumphantly planted
 the standard of the cross in a world   
heretofore unknown to us1 and but lately
 discovered1 not by blind chance1 but   
for these great purposes of divine      

providence4  ,it appears from the       
,chinese annals1 in ,f4 ,du ,halde's    
,history of ,china1 that this vast      
empire is the most ancient in the world4
 ,mr4 ,shuckford 7,b4 #a1 #b1 #f7       
thinks1 that their first1 king1 ,fo-hi1 
was ,noah himself1 whom he imagines to  
have settled here soon after the deluge4
 ,mr4 ,swinton1 in the twentieth tome of
 the ,universal ,history1 justly        
censures this conjecture1 and rejects   
the first dynasty of the ,chinese       
history2 which ,mr4 ,jackson in his     
chronology1 with others1 vindicates4 ,we
 must own that the ,chinese annals are  
unanimous in asserting this first       
dynasty1 whatever some have1 by mistake1
 wrote against it2 and this antiquity   
agrees very well with the chronology of 
the ,septuagint1 or that of the         
,samaritan ,pentateuch1 one of which    
several learned men seem at present much
 inclined to embrace4 ,as for this      
notion that the ,chinese are originally 
an ,egyptian colony1 and that their     

first dynasty is borrowed from the      
latter2 notwithstanding my great        
personal respect for the worthy author  
of that system1 it stands in need of    
proofs founded in facts1 not in         
conjectures4 ,a little acquaintance with
 languages shows1 that we frequently    
find in certain words and circumstances 
a surprising analogy1 in some things1   
between several words or customs of the 
most disparate languages and manners of 
very distant countries3 several ,persian
 words are the same in ,english1 and it 
would be as plausible a system to       
advance that one of these nations was a 
colony of the other4 ,from such         
circumstances it only results1 that all 
nations have one common original4       
,allowing therefore the ,chinese an     
antiquity of which they are infinitely  
jealous1 ,fo-hi was perhaps either ,sem 
himself1 or one that lived very soon    
after the flood1 from whom this empire  
derives its origin4 ,confucius was the  
great philosopher of this people1 who   

drew up the plan of their laws and      
religion4 ,he is thought to have        
flourished about the time of king       
,solomon1 or not much later4 ,he was of 
royal extraction1 and a man of severe   
morals4 ,his writings contain many      
sublime moral truths1 and show him to   
have been the greatest philosopher that 
ever lived4 ,as he came nearer to the   
patriarchs in time1 and received a more 
perfect tradition from them1 he         
surpassed1 in the excellency of his     
moral precepts1 ,pythagoras1 ,socrates1 
and ,plato4 ,he taught men to obey1     
honor1 and fear the ,lord of ,heaven1 to
 love their neighbor as themselves1 to  
subdue irregular inclinations1 and to be
 guided in all things by reason2 that   
,god is the original and ultimate end of
 all things1 which he produced and      
preserves1 himself eternal1 infinite1   
and immutable2 one1 supremely holy1     
supremely intelligent1 and invisible4   
,he often mentioned the expectation of a
 ,messias to come1 a perfect guide and  

teacher of virtue2 calling him the holy 
man1 and the holy person1 who is        
expected to come on earth4 ,it is a     
tradition in ,china1 that he was often  
heard to say1 ,that in the ,west the    
,holy ,one will appear4 ,this he        
delivered from the patriarchal          
tradition2 but he not only mentions     
heavenly spirits1 the ministers of ,god1
 but he also ordains the worship of     
these spirits by religious rites and    
sacrifices1 and concurs with the        
idolatry which was established in his   
time4 ,st4 ,francis ,xavier had made the
 conversion of ,china the object of his 
zealous wishes2 but died1 like another  
,moses1 in sight of it4 ,his religious  
brethren long attempted in vain to gain 
admittance into that country2 but the   
jealousy of the inhabitants refused     
entrance to all strangers4 ,however1    
,god was pleased1 at the repeated       
prayers of his servants1 to crown them  
with success4 ,the ,portuguese made a   
settlement at ,macao4 an island within  

sight of ,china1 and obtained leave to  
go thither #cfc twice a year for to     
trade at the fairs of ,canton4 ,f4      
,matthew ,ricci1 a ,roman ,jesuit1 a    
good mathematician1 and a disciple of   
,clavius1 being settled a missionary at 
,macao1 went over with them several     
times into ,china1 and in #aeic1        
obtained leave of the governor to reside
 there with two other ,jesuits4 ,a      
little catechism which he published1 and
 a map of the world1 in which he placed 
the first meridian in ,china1 to make it
 the middle of the world1 according to  
the ,chinese notion1 gained him many    
friends and admirers4 ,in #aeie1 he     
established a second residence of       
,jesuits1 at ,nanquin2 and made himself 
admired them by teaching the true figure
 of the earth1 the cause of lunar       
eclipses1 c4 ,he also built an          
observatory1 and converted many to the  
faith4 ,in #afjj1 he went to ,pekin1 and
 carried with him a clock1 a watch1 and 
many other presents to the emperor1 who 

granted him a residence in that capital4
 ,he converted many1 and among these    
several officers of the court1 one of   
whom was ,paul ,siu1 afterwards prime   
minister1 under whose protection a      
flourishing ,church was established in  
his country1 ,xankai1 7in the province  
of ,nanquin17 in which were forty       
thousand ,christians when the late      
persecution began4 ,francis ,martinez1 a
 ,chinese ,jesuit1 having converted a   
famous doctor1 was beaten several times1
 and at length expired under the        
torment4 ,ricci died in #afag1 having   
lived in favor with the emperor ,vanlie4
  ,f4 ,adam ,schall1 a ,jesuit from     
,cologn1 by his mathematics1 became     
known to the emperor ,zonchi3 but in    
#afcf1 that prince laid violent hands   
upon himself1 that he might not fall    
into the hands of two rebels who had    
taken ,pekin4 ,the ,chinese called in   
,xuute1 king of a frontier nation of the
 ,tartars1 to their assistance1 who     
recovered ,pekin1 but demanded the      

empire for the prize of his victory3 and
 his son ,chunchi obtained quiet        
possession of it in #afej4 ,from that   
time the ,tartars have been emperors of 
,china1 but they govern it by its own   
religion and laws4 ,they frequently     
visit their original territories1 but   
rather treat them as the conquered      
country4 ,chunchi esteemed ,f4 ,schall1 
called him father1 and wag favorable to 
the ,christians4 ,after his death the   
four regents pat to death five          
,christian mandarins for their faith1   
and condemned ,f4 ,schall1 but granted  
him a reprieve2 during which he died4   
,the young emperor ,camhi coming of age1
 put a stop to the persecution1 and     
employed ,f4 ,verbiest1 a ,jesuit1 to   
publish the yearly ,chinese calendar1   
declared him president of the           
mathematics in his palace1 and          
consequently a mandarin4 ,the first year
 he opened the ,christian churches1     
which was in #afga1 above twenty        
thousand souls were baptized3 and in the

 year following1 an uncle of the        
emperor1 one of the eight perpetual     
generals of the ,tartar troops1 and     
several other persons of distinction4   
,the succeeding emperors were no less   
favorable to the ,christians1 and       
permitted them to build a most sumptuous
 church within the enclosures of their  
own palace1 which in many respects      
surpassed all the other buildings of the
 empire4 ,it was finished in #agjb4 ,the
 ,dominican friars1 according to        
,touron1 7,hommes ,illustr4 t4 #f17     
entered ,china in #aeef1 converted many 
to the faith1 and1 in #afca1 laid the   
foundation of the most numerous church  
of ,fokieu1 great part of which province
 they converted to the faith4 ,four     
priests of this order received the crown
 of martyrdom in #afdg1 and a fifth1    
named ,francis de ,capillas1 from the   
convent of ,valladolid1 the apostle of  
the town of ,fogau1 was cruelly beaten1 
and soon after beheaded1 on the #aeth of
 ,january1 #afdh2 because1 as his       

sentence imported1 he contemned the     
spirits and gods of the country4        
,relations hereof were transmitted to   
the ,congregation de ,propaganda ,fide1 
under pope ,urban ,,viii4  ,upwards of a
 hundred thousand souls zealously       
professed the faith1 and they had above 
two hundred churches4 ,but a debate     
arose whether certain honors paid by the
 ,chinese to ,confucius and their       
deceased ancestors1 with certain        
oblations made1 either solemnly1 by the 
mandarins and doctors at the equinoxes1 
and at the now and full moons1 or       
privately1 in their own houses or       
temples1 were superstitious and         
idolatrous4 ,pope ,clement ,,xi41 in    
#agjd1 condemned those rites as         
superstitious1 utpote superstitione     
imbutos1 the execution of which decree  
he committed to the patriarch of        
,antioch1 afterwards cardinal ,tournon1 
whom he sent as his commissary into that
 kingdom4 ,benedict ,,xiv4 confirmed the
 same more amply and severely by his    

constitution1 ex quo singulari1 in      
#agdb1 in which he declares1 that the   
faithful ought to express ,god1 in the  
,chinese language1 by the name ,thien   
,chu1 i4e4 the ,lord of heaven3 and that
 the words ,tien1 the heaven1 and ,xang 
,ti1 the ,supreme ,ruler1 are not to be 
used1 because they signify the supreme  
god of the idolaters1 a kind of fifth   
essence1 or intelligent nature1 in the  
heaven itself3 that the inscription1    
,king ,tien1 worship thou the heaven1   
cannot be allowed4 ,the obedience of    
those who had formerly defended these   
rites to be merely political and civil  
honors1 not sacred1 was such1 that from 
that time they have taken every occasion
 of testifying it to the world4 ,by a   
like submission end victory over        
himself1 ,fenelon was truly greater than
 by all his other illustrious virtues   
and actions4  ,the emperor ,kang-hi     
protected the ,christian religion in the
 most favorable manner4 ,whereas his    
successor1 ,yongtching1 banished the    

missionaries out of the chief cities1   
but kept those religious in his palace  
who were employed by him in painting1   
mathematics1 and other liberal arts1 and
 who continued mandarins of the court4  
,kien-long1 the next emperor1 carried   
the persecution to the greatest rigors  
of cruelty4 ,the tragedy was begun by   
the viceroy of ,fokieu1 who stirred up  
the emperor himself4 ,a great number of 
,christians of #cfd all ages and sexes  
were banished1 beaten1 and tortured     
divers ways1 especially by being        
buffeted on the face with a terrible    
kind of armed ferula1 one blow of which 
would knock the teeth out1 and make the 
head swell exceedingly4 ,all which      
torments even the young converts bore   
with incredible constancy1 rather than  
discover where the priest lay hid1 or   
deliver up the crosses1 relics1 or      
sacred books1 or do any thing contrary  
to the law of ,god4 ,many priests and   
others died of their torments1 or of the
 hardships of their dungeons4 ,one      

bishop and six priests received the     
crown of martyrdom4 ,peter ,martyr      
,sanz1 a ,spanish ,dominican friar1     
arrived in ,china in #agae1 where he had
 labored fifteen years1 when he was     
named by the congregation bishop of     
,mauricastre1 and ordained by the bishop
 of ,nanquin1 assisted by the bishops of
 ,pekin and ,macao1 and appointed       
,apostolic ,vicar for the province of   
,fokieu4 ,in #agcb1 the emperor1 by an  
edict1 banished all the missionaries4   
,peter ,sauz retired to ,macao1 but     
returned to ,fokieu1 in #agch1 and      
founded several new churches for his    
numerous converts1 and received the vows
 of several virgins who consecrated     
themselves to ,god4 ,the viceroy1       
provoked at this1 caused him to be      
apprehended1 amidst the tears of his    
dear flock1 with four ,dominican friars1
 his fellow-laborers4 ,they were beaten 
with clubs1 buffeted on the face with   
gauntlets made of several pieces of     
leather1 and at length condemned to lose

 their heads4 ,the bishop was beheaded  
on the same day1 the #bfth of ,may1     
#agdg4 ,the ,chinese superstitiously    
imagine1 that the soul of one that is   
put to death seizes the first person it 
meets1 and therefore all the spectators 
run away as soon as they see the stroke 
of death given2 but none of them did so 
at the death of this blessed martyr4 ,on
 the contrary1 admiring the joy with    
which he died1 and esteeming his holy   
soul happy1 they thought it a blessing  
to come the nearest to him1 and to touch
 his blood2 which they did as           
respectfully as ,christians could have  
done1 for whom a pagan gathered the     
blood1 because they durst not appear4   
,the other four ,dominican friars1 who  
were also ,spaniards1 suffered much     
during twenty-eight months' cruel       
imprisonment1 and were strangled        
privately in their dungeons on the #bhth
 of ,october1 #agdh4 ,pope ,benedict    
,,xiv4 made a discourse to the cardinals
 on the precious death of this holy     

bishop1 ,september #af1 #agdh4 ,see     
,touron1 t4 #f1 p4 #gbi4  ,these four   
fellow-martyrs of the ,order of ,st4    
,dominic1 were1 ,francis ,serranus1     
fifty-two years old1 who had labored    
nineteen years in the ,chinese mission1 
and during his last imprisonment was    
nominated by pope ,benedict ,,xiv41     
bishop of ,tipasa3 ,joachim ,roio1      
fifty-six years old1 who had preached in
 that empire thirty-three years3 ,john  
,alcober1 forty-two years old1 who had  
spent eighteen years in that mission3   
and ,francis ,diaz1 thirty-three years  
old1 of which he had employed nine in   
the same vineyard4 ,during their        
imprisonment1 a report that their lives 
would be spared1 filled them not with   
joy1 but with grief1 to the great       
admiration of the infidels1 as pope     
,benedict ,,xiv4 mentions in his        
discourse to the consistory of          
cardinals1 on their death1 delivered in 
#ageb3 in which he qualifies them       
crowned1 but not declared martyrs3      

martyres consummatos1 nondum martyres   
vindicatos4 ,in the same persecution1   
two ,jesuits1 ,f4 ,joseph of ,attemis1  
an ,italian1 and ,f4 ,antony ,joseph    
,heuriquez1 a ,portuguese1 were         
apprehended in ,december1 #agdg1 and    
tortured several times1 to compel them  
to renounce their religion4 ,they were  
at length condemned to death by the     
mandarins1 and the sentence1 according  
to custom1 being sent to the emperor1   
was confirmed by him1 and the two       
priests were strangled in prison on the 
#abth of ,september1 #agdh4 ,on these   
martyrs see ,f4 ,touron1 ,hommes        
,illustres de l',ordre de ,s4 ,domin41  
t4 #f1 and the letters of the ,jesuit   
missionaries4 ,on the history of ,china1
 ,f4 ,du ,halde's ,description of       
,china1 in four vols4 fol4 ,mullerus de 
,chataia1 ,navarrete1 ,tratados         
,historicos de la ,china1 an4 #afgf4    
,lettres ,edifiantes et ,curieuses des  
,missionaires1 vols4 #bg1 #bh4          
,jackson's ,chronology1 c4  ,in         

,tonquin1 a kingdom southwest of ,china1
 in which the king and mandarins follow 
the ,chinese religion1 though various   
sects of idolatry and superstition reign
 among the people1 a persecution was    
raised against the ,christians in #agac4
 ,in this storm one hundred and fifty   
churches were demolished1 many converts 
were beaten with a hammer on their      
knees1 and tortured various other ways2 
and two ,spanish missionary priests of  
the order of ,st4 ,dominick suffered    
martyrdom for the faith1 ,f4 ,francis   
,gil de ,federich1 and ,f4 ,matthew     
,alfonso ,leziniana4 ,f4 ,gil arrived   
there in #agce1 and found above twenty  
thousand ,christians in the west of the 
kingdom1 who had been baptized by       
priests of his order4 ,this vineyard he 
began assiduously to cultivate2 but was 
apprehended by a neighboring ,bonza1 in 
#agcg1 and condemned to die the year    
following4 ,the ,touquinese usually     
execute condemned persons only in the   
last moon of the year1 and a rejoicing  

or other accidents often cause much     
longer delays4 ,the confessor was often 
allowed the liberty of saying mass in   
the prison3 and was pressed to save his 
life1 by saying that he came into       
,tonquin as a merchant2 but this would  
have been a lie1 and he would not suffer
 any other to give in such an answer for
 him4 ,father ,matthew1 a priest of the 
same order1 after having preached ten   
years in ,tonquin1 was seized while he  
was saying mass2 and because he refused 
to trample on a crucifix1 was condemned 
to die in #agdc2 and in ,may1 #agdd1 was
 brought into the same prison with ,f4  
,gil4 ,the idolaters were so astonished 
to see their ardor to die1 and the      
sorrow of the latter upon an offer of   
his life1 that they cried out3 ,others  
desire to live1 but #cfe these men to   
die4 ,they were both beheaded together  
on the #bb;d of ,january1 #agdd4 ,see   
,touron1 t4 #f1 and ,lettres ,edif4 of  
,curieuses des ,missionaires4  ,many    
other vast countries1 both in the       

eastern and western parts of the world1 
received the light of the gospel in the 
sixteenth century2 in which great work  
several apostolic men were raised by    
,god1 and some were honored with the    
crown of martyrdom4 ,among the zealous  
missionaries who converted to the faith 
the savage inhabitants of ,brazil1 in   
,america1 of which the ,portuguese took 
possession in #aejj1 under king ,john   
,,ii41 ,f4 ,joseph ,anchieta is highly  
celebrated4 ,he was a native of the     
,canary islands1 but took the ,jesuit's 
habit at ,coimbra2 died in ,brazil1 on  
the #ith of ,june1 #aeig1 of his age    
sixty-four2 having labored in           
cultivating that vineyard forty-seven   
years4 ,he was a man of apostolic       
humility1 patience1 meekness1 prayer1   
zeal1 and charity4 ,the fruit of his    
labors was not less wonderful than the  
example of his virtues4 ,see his life by
 ,f4 ,peter ,roterigius1 and by ,f4     
,sebastian ,beretarius4 ,the sanctity of
 the venerable ,f4 ,peter ,claver1 who  

labored in the same vineyard1 was so    
heroic1 that a process has been         
commenced for his canonization4  ,f4    
,peter ,claver was nobly born in        
,catalonia1 and entered himself in the  
,society at ,tarragon1 in #afjb1 when   
about twenty years old4 ,from his       
infancy he looked upon nothing small in 
which the service of ,god was concerned2
 for the least action or circumstance   
which is referred to his honor is great 
and precious1 and requires our utmost   
application3 in this spirit of fervor he
 considered ,god in every neighbor and  
superior2 and upon motives of religion  
was humble and meek towards all1 and    
ever ready to obey and serve every one4 
,from the time of his religious         
profession1 he applied himself with the 
greatest ardor to seek nothing in the   
world1 but what ,jesus ,christ sought in
 his mortal life1 that is1 the kingdom  
of his grace3 for the only aim of this  
servant of ,god was1 the sanctification 
of his own soul1 and the salvation of   

others4 ,he was thoroughly instructed   
that a man's spiritual progress depends 
very much upon the fervor of his        
beginning2 and he omitted nothing both  
to lay a solid foundation1 and          
continually to raise upon it the        
structure of all virtues2 and he sought 
and found ,god in all things4 ,the      
progress which he made was very great1  
because he set out by the most perfect  
exterior and interior renunciation of   
the world and himself4 ,being sent to   
,majorca1 to study philosophy and       
divinity1 he contracted a particular    
friendship with a lay-brother1          
,alphonsus ,rodriguez1 then porter of   
the college1 an eminent contemplative1  
and perfect servant of ,god3 nor is it  
to be expressed how much the fervent    
disciple improved himself in the school 
of this humble master1 in the maxims of 
,christian perfection4 ,his first       
lessons were1 to speak little with men1 
and much with ,god3 to direct every     
action in the beginning with great      

fervor1 to the most perfect glory of    
,god1 in union with the holy actions of 
,christ3 to have ,god always present in 
his heart2 and to pray continually for  
the grace never to offend ,god3 never to
 speak of any thing that belongs to     
clothing1 lodging1 and such             
conveniences1 especially eating or      
drinking3 to meditate often on the      
sufferings of ,christ1 and on the       
virtues of his calling4 ,f4 ,claver1 in 
#afaj1 was1 at his earnest request1 sent
 with other missionaries to preach the  
faith to the infidels at ,carthagena1   
and the neighboring country in ,america4
 ,at the first sight of the poor negro  
slaves1 he was moved with the strongest 
sentiments of compassion1 tenderness1   
and zeal1 which never forsook him2 and  
it was his constant study to afford them
 all the temporal comfort and assistance
 in his power4 ,in the first place he   
was indefatigable in instructing and    
baptizing them1 and in giving them every
 spiritual succor3 the title in which he

 gloried was that of the ,slave of the  
,slaves1 or of the ,negroes2 and        
incredible were the fatigues which he   
underwent night and day with them1 and  
the many heroic acts of all virtues     
which he exercised in serving them4 ,the
 ,mahometans1 the ,pagans1 and the very 
,catholics1 whose scandalous lives were 
a reproach to their holy religion2 the  
hospitals and the prisons1 were other   
theatres where he exercised his zeal4   
,the history of his life furnishes us   
with most edifying instances1 and gives 
all account of two persons raised to    
life by him1 and of other miracles2     
though his assiduous prayer1 and his    
extraordinary humility1 mortification of
 his senses1 and perfect self-denial1   
might be called the greatest of his     
miracles4 ,in the same rank we may place
 the wonderful conversions of many      
obstinate sinners1 and the heroic       
sanctity of many great servants of ,god1
 who were by him formed to perfect      
virtue4 ,among his maxims of humility1  

he used especially to inculcate1 that he
 who is sincerely humble desires to be  
contemned2 he seeks not to appear       
humble1 but worthy to be humbled1 is    
subject to all in his heart1 and ready  
to obey the whole world4 ,by the holy   
hatred of ourselves1 we must secretly   
rejoice in our hearts when we meet with 
contempt end affronts2 but must take    
care1 said this holy man1 that no one   
think we rejoice at them1 but rather    
believe that we are confounded and      
grieved at the ill-treatment which we   
receive4 ,f4 ,claver died on the #hth of
 ,september1 #afea1 being about         
seventy-two years old2 having spent in  
the ,society fifty-five years1 in the   
same uniform crucified life1 and in the 
constant round of the same uninterrupted
 labors1 which perhaps requires a       
courage more heroic than martyrdom4 ,in 
the process for his canonization1 the   
scrutiny relating to his life and       
virtues is happily finished2 and        
,benedict ,,xiv4 confirmed the decree of

 the ,congregation of ,rites1 in #agdg1 
by which it is declared1 that the proofs
 of the heroic degree of the ,christian 
virtues which he practised1 are         
competent and sufficient4 ,see his life 
by ,f4 ,fleuriau4  #cff  ,,many ,martyrs
 in ,pontus1 under ,dioclesian4 ,some   
were tortured with melted lead poured   
upon them1 others with sharp reeds      
thrust under their nails1 and such like 
inventions1 several times repeated3 at  
length they various ways completed their
 martyrdom4 ,see ,eusebius1 ,hist4 l4   
#h1 c4 #ab1 p4 #cjf4  ,,st4 ,,avitus1   
,,archbishop ,,of ,,vienne1 ,c4  ,,st4  
,,alcimus ,,ecditius ,,avitus was of a  
senatorian ,roman family1 but born in   
,auvergne4 ,his father1 ,isychius1 was  
chosen archbishop of ,vienne upon the   
death of ,st4 ,mammertus1 and was       
succeeded in that dignity by our saint1 
in #dij4 ,ennodius1 in his life of ,st4 
,epiphanius of ,pavia1 says of him1 that
 he was a treasure of learning and      
piety2 and adds1 that when the          

,burgundians had crossed the ,alps1 and 
carried home many captives out of       
,liguria1 this holy prelate ransomed a  
great number4 ,clovis1 king of ,france1 
while yet a pagan1 and ,gondebald1 king 
of ,burgundy1 though an ,arian1 held him
 in great veneration4 ,this latter1 for 
fear of giving offence to his subjects1 
durst not embrace the ,catholic faith1  
yet gave sufficient proofs that he was  
convinced of the truth by our saint1    
who1 in a public conference1 reduced the
 ,arian bishops to silence in his       
presence1 at ,lyons4 ,gondebald died in 
#eaf4 ,his son and successor1           
,sigismund1 was brought over by ,st4    
,avitus to the ,catholic faith4 ,in     
#eag1 our saint presided in the famous  
council of ,epaone1 7now called ,yenne17
 upon the ,rhone1 in which forty canons 
of discipline were framed4 ,when king   
,sigismund had imbrued his hands in the 
blood of his son ,sigeric1 upon a false 
charge brought against him by a         
stepmother1 ,st4 ,avitus inspired him   

with so great a horror of his crime1    
that he rebuilt the abbey of ,agaunum1  
or ,st4 ,maurice1 became a monk1 and    
died a saint4 ,most of the works of ,st4
 ,avitus are lost3 we have yet his poem 
on the praises of virginity1 to his     
sister ,fuscina1 a nun1 and some others2
 several epistles2 two homilies ,on the 
,rogation days2 and a third on the same1
 lately published by ,dom ,martenne2#a  
fragments of eight other homilies2 his  
conference against the ,arians is given 
us in the ,spicilege4#b ,st4 ,avitus    
died in #ebe1 and is commemorated in the
 ,roman ,martyrology on the #eth of     
,february2 and in the collegiate church 
of our ,lady at ,vienne1 where he was   
buried1 on the #bjth of ,august4        
,ennodius1 and other writers of that    
age1 extol his learning1 his extensive  
charity to the poor1 and his other      
virtues4 ,see ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1  
,hist4 l4 #b4 ,his works1 and his life  
in ,henschenius2#c and ,gallia ,christ4 
,nova1 t4 #b1 p4 #bdb4  ,footnotes3 #a4 

,martenne ,thesaur4 ,anecdot4 t4 #e1 p4 
#di4 #b4  ,spicil4 t4 #e4 #c4  ,f4      
,sirmond published the works of ,st4    
,avitus1 with judicious short     notes1
 in #hvo41 #afdc4 ,see them in          
,sirmond's works1 t4 #b1 and ,bibl4     
,patr4 ,his close manner of confuting   
the ,arians in some of his     letters1 
makes us regret the loss of many other  
works1 which he     wrote against them4 
,,st4 ,,alice1 ,,or ,,adelaide1 ,v4     
,,abbess4  ,,she was daughter of        
,megendose1 count of ,guelders1 and     
governed the nunnery of ,bellich on the 
,rhine1 near ,bonn1 7now a church of    
canonesses17 but died in #ajae1 abbess  
of our ,lady's in ,cologne1 both        
monasteries having been founded by her  
father4 ,her festival1 with an octave1  
is kept at ,bellich1 or ,vilich1 where  
the nunnery which she instituted1 of the
 order of ,st4 ,bennet1 is now converted
 into a church of canonesses4 ,see her  
life in ,surius and ,bollandus2 also    
,miraeus1 in ,fastis ,belgicis1 c4  #cfg

  ,,st4 ,,abraamius1 ,,bishop ,,of      
,,arbela1 ,m4  ,,this city1 after the   
fall of ,ninive1 was long the capital of
 ,adiabene1 in ,assyria1 and was one    
bishopric with ,hazza1 anciently called 
,adiab4 ,arbeta1 now called ,irbil1 was 
famous for the victory of ,alexander2   
but received far greater lustre from the
 martyrdom of ,st4 ,abraamius1 its      
bishop1 who sealed his faith with his   
blood1 after having suffered horrible   
torments1 which were inflicted by order 
of an arch magian1 in the fifth year of 
king ,sapor's persecution1 that is1 of  
,christ #cdh4 ,see ,sozomen1 l4 #b1 c4  
#ab and the ,greek ,menaea and          
,synaxary4  ,,february ,,vi4  ,,st4     
,,dorothy1 ,,virgin ,,and ,,martyr4     
,see ,s4 ,aldhelm1 ,ado1 ,usuard1 c41 in
 ,bollandus1 p4 #gga4  ,,st4 ,,aldhelm  
relates from her acts1#a that           
,fabritius1 the governor of ,caesarea1  
in ,cappadocia1 inflicted on her most   
cruel torments1 because she refused to  
marry1 or to adore idols3 that she      

converted two apostate women sent to    
seduce her3 and that being condemned to 
be beheaded1 she converted one          
,theophilus1 by sending him certain     
fruits and flowers miraculously obtained
 of her heavenly spouse4 ,she seems to  
have suffered under ,dioclesian4 ,her   
body is kept in the celebrated church   
which bears her name1 beyond the ,tiber1
 in ,rome4 ,she is mentioned on this day
 in the ancient ,martyrology under the  
name of ,st4 ,jerom4 ,there was another 
holy virgin1 whom ,rufin calls ,dorothy1
 a rich and noble lady of the city of   
,alexandria1 who suffered torments and a
 voluntary banishment1 to preserve her  
faith and chastity against the brutish  
lust and tyranny of the emperor         
,maximinus1 in the year #cjh1 as is     
recorded by ,eusebius#b and ,rufinus3#c 
but many take this latter1 whose name is
 not mentioned by ,eusebius1 to be the  
famous ,st4 ,catharine of ,alexandria4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the blood of the martyrs flourished in 

its hundred-fold increase1 as ,st4      
,justin has well observed3 ,we are slain
 with the sword1 but we increase and    
multiply3 the more we are persecuted and
 destroyed1 the more are added to our   
numbers4 ,as a vine1 by being pruned and
 cut close1 shoots forth new suckers1   
and bears a greater abundance of fruit2 
so is it with us4#d ,among other false  
reflections1 the baron of ,montesquieu1 
an author too much admired by many1     
writes3#e ,it is hardly possible that   
,christianity should ever be established
 in ,china4 ,vows of virginity1 the     
assembling of women in the churches1    
their necessary intercourse with the    
ministers of religion1 their            
participation of the sacraments1        
auricular confession1 the marrying but  
one wife2 all this oversets the manners 
and customs1 and strikes at the religion
 and laws of the country4 ,could he     
forget that the gospel overcame #cfh all
 these impediments where it was first   
established1 in spite of the most       

inveterate prejudices1 and of all       
worldly opposition from the great and   
the learned2 whereas philosophy1 though 
patronized by princes1 could never in   
any age introduce its rules even into   
one city4 ,in vain did the philosopher  
,plotinus solicit the emperor ,gallienus
 to rebuild a ruined city in ,campania1 
that he and his disciples might         
establish in it the republic of ,plato3 
a system1 in some points1 flattering the
 passions of men1 almost as ,mahometism 
fell in with the prejudices and passions
 of the nations where it prevailed4 ,so 
visibly is the church the work of ,god4 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,l4 de ,laud4 ,virgin4 
c4 #be4 #b4  ,l4 #h1 c4 #ad4 #c4  ,l4   
#a1 c4 #ag4 #d4  ,apol4 #b1 ol4 #a4 #e4 
,l',esprit des ,loix1 b4 xix4 #ah4      
,,st4 ,,vedast1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,arras1  
,c4  ,from a very short life of his1    
written soon after his death1 and       
another longer1 corrected by ,alcuin1   
both published by ,henschenius1 with    
remarks1 p4 #ghb1 t4 #a4 ,febr4 ,see    

,alcuin's ,letter ad ,monachos          
,vedastinos1 in ,martenne1 ,ampl4       
,collectio1 t4 l1 p4 #ej4 ,gallia       
,christ4 ,nova1 t4 #c1 p4 #c4  ,a4,d4   
#eci4  ,,st4 ,,vedast left his own      
country very young1 7which seems to have
 been in the west of ,france17 and led a
 holy life concealed from the world in  
the diocese of ,toul1 where the bishop1 
charmed with his virtue1 promoted him to
 the priesthood4 ,clovis ,i41 king of   
,france1 returning from his victory over
 the ,alemanni1 hastening to ,rheims to 
receive baptism1 desired at ,toul some  
priest who might instruct and prepare   
him for that holy sacrament on the road4
 ,vedast was presented to his majesty   
for this purpose4 ,while he accompanied 
the king at the passage of the river    
,aisne1 a blind man begging on the      
bridge besought the servant of ,god to  
restore him to his sight3 the saint1    
divinely inspired1 prayed1 and made the 
sign of the cross on his eyes1 and he   
immediately recovered it4 ,the miracle  

confirmed the king in the faith1 and    
moved several of his courtiers to       
embrace it4 ,st4 ,vedast assisted ,st4  
,remigius in converting the ,french1    
till that prelate consecrated him bishop
 of ,arras1 that he might re-establish  
the faith in that country4 ,as he was   
entering that city in #dii1 he restored 
sight to a blind man1 and cured one that
 was lame4 ,these miracles excited the  
attention1 and disposed the hearts of   
many infidels to a favorable reception  
of the gospel1 which had been received  
here when the ,romans were masters of   
the country3 but the ravages of the     
,vandals and the ,alans having either   
dispersed or destroyed the ,christians1 
,vedast could not discover the least    
footsteps of ,christianity1 save only in
 the memory of some old people1 who     
showed him without the walls a poor     
ruinous church1 where ,christians used  
to hold their religious assemblies4 ,he 
sighed to see the ,lord's field so      
overgrown with bushes and brambles1 and 

become the haunt of wild beasts2        
whereupon he made it his most earnest   
supplication to ,god1 that he would in  
his mercy vouchsafe to restore his      
worship in that country4 ,a national    
faith is so great a blessing1 that we   
seldom find it granted a second time to 
those1 who1 by imitating the ingratitude
 of the ,jews1 have drawn upon          
themselves the like terrible            
chastisement4 ,st4 ,vedast found the    
infidels stupid and obstinate2 yet      
persevered1 till by his patience1       
meekness1 charity1 and prayers1 he      
triumphed over bigoted superstition and 
lust1 and planted throughout that       
country the faith and holy maxims of    
,christ4 ,the great diocese of ,cambray1
 which was extended beyond ,brussels1   
was also committed to the care of this  
holy pastor1 by ,st4 ,remigius1 in #eaj1
 and the two sees remained a long time  
united4 ,st4 ,vedast continued his      
labors almost forty years1 and left his 
church flourishing in sanctity at his   

decease1 on the #fth of ,february1 in   
#eci4 ,he was buried in the cathedral1  
which is dedicated to ,god1 under the   
patronage #cfi of the ,blessed ,virgin2 
but a hundred and twenty-eight years    
after1 ,st4 ,aubertus1 the seventh      
bishop1 changed a little chapel which   
,st4 ,vedast had built in honor of ,st4 
,peter1 without the walls1 into an      
abbey1 and removed the relics of ,st4   
,vedast into this new church1 leaving a 
small portion of them in the cathedral4 
,the great abbey of ,st4 ,vedast was    
finished by ,st4 ,vindicianus1 successor
 to ,st4 ,aubertus1 and most            
munificently endowed by king ,theodoric 
or ,thierry1 who lies buried in the     
church with his wife ,doda4 ,our        
ancestors had a particular devotion to  
,st4 ,vedast1 whom they called ,st4     
,foster1 whence descends the family name
 of ,foster1 as ,camden takes notice in 
his ,remains4 ,alcuin has left us a     
standing monument of his extraordinary  
devotion to ,st4 ,vedast1 not only by   

writing his life1 but also by compiling 
an office and mass in his honor1 for the
 use of his monastery at ,arras1 and by 
a letter to the monks of that house1 in 
#gfi1 in which he calls this saint his  
protector4 ,see this letter in          
,martenne1 ,ampliss4 ,collect4 t4 #a1 p4
 #ej4  ,,saint ,,amandus1 ,b4,c4  ,,he  
was born near ,nantes1 of pious parents1
 lords of that territory4 ,at twenty    
years of age1 he retired into a small   
monastery in the little isle of ,oye1   
near that of ,rhe4 ,he had not been     
there above a year1 when his father     
found him out1 and made use of every    
persuasive argument in his power to     
prevail with him to quit that state of  
life4 ,to his threats of disinheriting  
him1 the saint cheerfully answered3     
,christ is my only inheritance4 ,the    
saint went to ,tours1 and a year after  
to ,bourges1 where he lived near fifteen
 years under the direction of ,st4      
,austregisilus1 the bishop1 in a cell   
near the cathedral4 ,his clothing was a 

single sackcloth1 and his sustenance    
barley-bread and water4 ,after a        
pilgrimage to ,rome1 he was ordained in 
,france a missionary bishop1 without any
 fixed see1 in #fbh1 and commissioned to
 preach the faith to infidels4 ,he      
preached the gospel in ,flanders1 and   
among the ,sclavi in ,carinthia and     
other provinces near the ,danube3#a but 
being banished by king ,dagobert1 whom  
he had boldly reproved for his          
scandalous crimes1 he preached to the   
pagans of ,gascony and ,navarre4        
,dagobert soon recalled him1 threw      
himself at his feet to beg his pardon1  
and caused him to baptize his new-born  
sort1 ,st4 ,sigebert1 afterwards king4  
,the idolatrous people about ,ghent were
 so savage1 that no preacher durst      
venture himself among them4 ,this moved 
the saint to choose that mission2 during
 the course of which he was often       
beaten1 and sometimes thrown into the   
river3 he continued preaching1 though   
for a long time he saw no fruit1 and    

supported himself by his labor4 ,the    
miracle of his raising a dead man to    
life1 at last opened the eyes of the    
barbarians1 and the country came in     
crowds to receive baptism1 destroying   
the temples of their idols with their   
own hands4 ,in #fcc the saint having    
built them several churches1 founded two
 great monasteries in ,ghent1 both under
 the patronage of ,st4 ,peter2 one was  
named ,blandinberg1 from the hill       
,blandin on which it stands1 now the    
rich abbey of ,st4 ,peter's2 the other  
took the name of ,st4 ,bavo1 from him   
who gave his estate for its foundation2 
this became the cathedral in #aeei1 when
 the city was created a bishop's see4   
,besides many pious foundations1 both in
 ,france and ,flanders1 in #fci1 he     
built the great abbey three leagues from
 ,tourney1 called ,elnon1 from the river
 on which it stands2 but it has long    
since taken the name of ,st4 ,amand1    
with its town and warm mineral baths4   
,in #fdi he was chosen bishop of        

,maestricht2 but three years after he   
resigned that see to ,st4 ,remaclus1 and
 returned to his missions1 to which his 
compassion for the blindness of infidels
 always inclined #cgj his heart4 ,he    
continued his labors among them till the
 age of eighty-six1 when1 broken with   
infirmities1 he retired to ,orion1 which
 house he governed as abbot four years  
more1 spending that time in preparing   
his soul for his passage to eternity1   
which happened in #fge4 ,his body is    
honorably kept in that abbey4 ,the      
,sarum ,breviary honored ,st4 ,amandus  
and ,st4 ,vedast with an office of nine 
lessons4 ,see ,buzelin1                 
,gallo-,flandria1 and ,henschenius1 #f  
,feb4 p4 #hae1 who has published five   
different lives of this saint4          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,henschenius4 p4  
#hbh4  ,,st4 ,,barsanuphius1 ,,anchoret4
  ,,having renounced the world1 he      
passed some years in the monastery of   
,st4 ,seridon1 near ,gaza in ,palestine1
 in the happy company of that holy      

abbot1 ,john the prophet1 the blessed   
,dorotheus1 and ,st4 ,dositheus4 ,that  
he might live in the constant exercise  
of heavenly contemplation1 the sweetness
 of which he had begun to relish1 he    
left the monastery about the year #edj1 
and in a remote cell led a life rather  
angelical than human4 ,he wrote a       
treatise against the ,origenist monks1  
which ,montfaucon has published in his  
,bibl4 ,coislin4 ,the ,greeks held this 
saint in so great veneration1 that his  
picture was placed in the sanctuary of  
the church of ,sancta ,sophia in        
,constantinople1 with those of ,st4     
,antony and ,st4 ,ephrem1 as we are     
informed by the ,studite monk who wrote 
the preface to the ,instructions of ,st4
 ,dorotheus1 translated into ,french by 
abbot ,rance of la ,trappe4 ,the relics 
of ,st4 ,barsanuphius were brought in   
the ninth century to ,oria1 near        
,siponto in ,italy1 where he is honored 
as principal patron1 on the #gth of     
,february4 ,the ,greek ,synaxaries have 

his office on the #fth of this month4   
,baronius placed his name in the ,roman 
,martyrology on the #aath of ,april4    
,see on him ,evagrius1 7who finished his
 history in #eic17 l4 #d1 c4 #cc4 ,pagi 
ad an4 #edh1 n4 #aj4 ,bulteau1 ,hist4   
,mon4 d',orient4 l4 #d1 c4 #i1 p4 #fie4 
,,february ,,vii4  ,,st4 ,,romuald1     
,,abbot1 ,c4  ,,founder ,,of ,,the      
,,order ,,of ,,camaldoli4  ,from his    
life1 written by ,st4 ,peter ,damian1   
fifteen years after his death4 ,see also
 ,magnotii1 ,eremi ,camaldol4           
descriptio1 ,romae1 an4 #aegj4          
,historarium ,camaldulensium1 libri #c4 
anth4 ,aug4 ,florentino1 in #dto4       
,florentiae1 #aege4 ,earumdem pans      
posterior1 in #dto4 ,venetiis1 #aegi4   
,dissertationes ,camaldulenses1 in      
quibus agitui de institutione ,ordinis1 
aetate ,st4 ,romualdi1 c4 auth4 ,guidone
 ,grando1 ej4 ,ord4 ,lucae1 #agjg4 ,the 
,lives of the ,saints of this ,order1 in
 ,italian1 by ,razzi1 #afjj1 and in     
,latin1 by ,f4 ,thomas de ,minis1 in two

 vols4 in #dto4 an4 #afje1 #afjf4       
,annales ,camaldulenses ,ordinis ,st4   
,benedicti1 auctoribus ,jo4 ,ben4       
,mittarelli1 abbate1 et ,ans4           
,costadoni1 presbyteris et monachis e   
,cong4 ,camald4 ,venetiis1 in four vols 
fol41 of which the fourth is dedicated  
to pope ,clement ,,xiii41 in #agfj4     
,a4,d4 #ajbg4  ,,st4 ,,romuald1 of the  
family of the dukes of ,ravenna1 called 
,honesti1 was born in that capital about
 the year #ief4 ,being brought up in the
 maxims of the world1 in softness and   
the love of pleasure1 he grew every day 
more and more enslaved to his passions3 
yet he often made a resolution of       
undertaking something remarkable for the
 honor of ,god2 and when he went a      
hunting1 if he found an agreeable       
solitary place in the woods1 he would   
stop in it to pray1 and would cry out3  
,how happy were the ancient hermits1 who
 had #cga such habitations6 ,with what  
tranquillity could they serve ,god1 free
 from the tumult of the world6 ,his     

father1 whose name was ,sergius1 a      
worldly man1 agreed to decide a dispute 
he had with a relation about an estate  
by a duel4 ,romuald was shocked at the  
criminal design2 but by threats of being
 disinherited if he refused1 was engaged
 by his father to be present as a       
spectator3 ,sergius slew his adversary4 
,romuald1 then twenty years of age1     
struck with horror at the crime that had
 been perpetrated1 though he had        
concurred to it no further than by his  
presence1 thought himself1 however1     
obliged to expiate it by a severe course
 of penance for forty days in the       
neighboring ,benedictine monastery of   
,classis1 within four miles of ,ravenna4
 ,he performed great austerities1 and   
prayed and wept almost without          
intermission4 ,his compunction and      
fervor made all these exercises seem    
easy and sweet to him3 and the young    
nobleman became every day more and more 
penetrated with the fear and love of    
,god4 ,the good example which he saw1   

and the discourses of a pious           
lay-brother1 who waited on him1         
concerning eternity and the contempt of 
the world1 wrought so powerfully upon   
him1 that he petitioned in full chapter 
to be admitted as a penitent to the     
religious habit4 ,after some demurs1    
through their apprehensions of his      
father's resentment1 whose next heir the
 saint was1 his request was granted4 ,he
 passed seven years in this house in so 
great fervor and austerity1 that his    
example became odious to certain tepid  
monks1 who could not bear such a        
continual reproach of their sloth4 ,they
 were more exasperated when his fervor  
prompted him to reprove their conduct1  
insomuch1 that some of the most         
abandoned formed a design upon his life1
 the execution of which he prevented by 
leaving that monastery1 with the abbot's
 consent1 and retiring into the         
neighborhood of ,venice1 where he put   
himself under the direction of ,marinus1
 a holy hermit1 who there led an austere

 ascetic life4 ,under this master1      
,romuald made great progress in every   
virtue belonging to a religious state of
 life4  ,peter ,urseoli was then doge of
 ,venice4 ,he had been unjustly raised  
to that dignity two years before by a   
faction which had assassinated his      
predecessor ,peter ,candiano2 in which  
conspiracy he is said by some to have   
been an accomplice3 though this is      
denied by the best ,venetian            
historians4#a ,this murder1 however1    
paved the way for his advancement to the
 sovereignty1 which the stings of his   
conscience would not suffer him quietly 
to enjoy4 ,this put him upon consulting 
,st4 ,guarinus1 a holy abbot of         
,catalonia1 then at ,venice1 about what 
he was to do to be saved4 ,the advice of
 ,st4 ,marinus and ,st4 ,romuald was    
also desired4 ,these three unanimously  
agreed in proposing a monastic state1 as
 affording the best opportunities for   
expiating his crimes4 ,urseoli          
acquiesced1 and1 under pretence of      

joining with his family at their villa1 
where he had ordered a great            
entertainment1 set out privately with   
,st4 ,guarinus1 ,st4 ,romuald1 and ,john
 ,gradenigo1 a ,venetian nobleman of    
singular piety1 and his son-in-law ,john
 ,moresini1 for ,st4 ,guarinus's        
monastery of ,st4 ,michael of ,cusan1 in
 that part of ,catalonia which was then 
subject to ,france4 ,here ,urseoli and  
,gradenigo made their monastic          
profession3 ,marinus and ,romuald1      
leaving them under the conduct of       
,guarinus1 retired into a desert near   
,cusan1 and there led an eremitical     
life4 ,many flocked to them1 and        
,romuald being made superior1 first     
practised himself what he taught others1
 joining rigorous fasts1 solitude1 and  
continual prayer1 with hard manual      
labor4 ,he had an extraordinary ardor   
#cgb for prayer1 which he exceedingly   
recommended to his disciples1 in whom he
 could not bear to see the least sloth  
or tepidity with regard to the discharge

 of this duty2 saying1 they had better  
recite one psalm with fervor2 than a    
hundred with less devotion4 ,his own    
fasts and mortifications were extremely 
rigorous1 but he was more indulgent to  
others1 and in particular to ,urseoli1  
who had exchanged his monastery for ,st4
 ,romuald's desert1 where he lived under
 his conduct2 who1 persevering in his   
penitential state1 made a most holy end1
 and is honored in ,venice as a saint1  
with an office1 on the #adth of         
,january3 and in the ,roman             
,martyrology1 published by ,benedict    
,,xiv41 on the #ajth of that month4     
,romuald1 in the beginning of his       
conversion and retreat from the world1  
was molested with various temptations4  
,the devil sometimes directly solicited 
him to vice2 at other times he          
represented to him what he had forsaken1
 and that he had left it to ungrateful  
relations4 ,he would sometimes suggest  
that what he did could not be agreeable 
to ,god2 at other times1 that his labors

 and difficulties were too heavy for man
 to bear4 ,these and the like attempts  
of the devil he defeated by watching and
 prayer1 in which he passed the whole   
night2 and the devil strove in vain to  
divert him from this holy exercise by   
shaking his whole cell1 and threatening 
to bury him in the ruins4 ,five years of
 grievous interior conflicts and        
buffetings of the enemy1 wrought in him 
a great purity of heart1 and prepared   
him for most extraordinary heavenly     
communications4 ,the conversion of count
 ,oliver1 or ,oliban1 lord of that      
territory1 added to his spiritual joy4  
,that count1 from a voluptuous          
worldling1 and profligate liver1 became 
a sincere penitent1 and embraced the    
order of ,st4 ,benedict4 ,he carried    
great treasures with him to mount       
,cassino1 but left his estate to his    
son4 ,the example of ,romuald had also  
such an influence on ,sergius1 his      
father1 that1 to make atonement for his 
past sins and enormities1 he had entered

 the monastery of ,st4 ,severus1 near   
,ravenna2 but after some time spent     
there1 he yielded so far to the devil's 
temptations1 as to meditate a return    
into the world4 ,this was a sore        
affliction to our saint1 and determined 
him to return to ,italy1 to dissuade his
 father from leaving his monastery4 ,but
 the inhabitants of the country where he
 lived1 had such an opinion of his      
sanctity1 that they were resolved not to
 let him go4 ,they therefore formed a   
brutish extravagant design to kill him1 
that they might keep at least his body  
among them1 imagining it would be their 
protection and safeguard on perilous    
occasions4 ,the saint being informed of 
their design1 had recourse to ,david's  
stratagem1 and feigned himself mad upon 
which the people1 losing their high     
opinion of him1 guarded him no longer4  
,being thus at liberty to execute his   
design1 he set out on his journey to    
,ravenna1 through the south of ,france4 
,he arrived there in #iid1 and made use 

of all the authority his superiority in 
religion gave him over his father2 and  
by his exhortations1 tears1 and prayers1
 brought him to such an extraordinary   
degree of compunction and sorrow1 as to 
prevail with him to lay aside all       
thoughts of leaving his monastery1 where
 he spent the remainder of his days in  
great fervor1 and died with the         
reputation of sanctity4  ,romuald1      
having acquitted himself of his duty    
towards his father1 retired into the    
marsh of ,classis1 and lived in a cell1 
remote from all mankind4 ,the devil     
pursued him here with his former malice2
 he sometimes overwhelmed his           
imagination with melancholy1 and once   
scourged him cruelly in his cell4       
,romuald at length cried out3 ,sweetest 
,jesus1 dearest ,jesus1 why hast thou   
forsaken me8 hast thou entirely         
delivered me over to my enemies8 ,at    
that sweet name the wicked spirits      
betook themselves to flight1 and such an
 excess of divine sweetness and         

compunction filled the breast of        
,romuald1 that he melted into tears1 and
 his heart seemed quite dissolved4 #cgc 
,he sometimes insulted his spiritual    
enemies1 and cried out3 ,are all your   
forces spent8 have you no more engines  
against a poor despicable servant of    
,god8 ,not long after1 the monks of     
,classis chose ,romuald for their abbot4
 ,the emperor1 ,otho ,,iii4 who was then
 at ,ravenna1 made use of his authority 
to engage the saint to accept the       
charge1 and went in person to visit him 
in his cell1 where he passed the night  
lying on the saint's poor bed4 ,but     
nothing could make ,romuald consent1    
till a synod of bishops then assembled  
at ,ravenna1 compelled him to it by     
threats of excommunication4 ,the saint's
 inflexible zeal for the punctual       
observance of monastic discipline1 soon 
made these monks repent of their choice1
 which they manifested by their         
irregular and mutinous behavior4 ,the   
saint being of a mild disposition1 bore 

with it for some time1 in hopes of      
bringing them to a right sense of their 
duty4 ,at length1 finding all his       
endeavors to reform them ineffectual1 he
 came to a resolution of leaving them1  
and went to the emperor1 then besieging 
,tivoli1 to acquaint him of it2 whom1   
when he could not prevail upon to accept
 of his resignation1 the saint1 in the  
presence of the archbishop of ,ravenna1 
threw down his crosier at his feet4     
,this interview proved very happy for   
,tivoli2 for the emperor1 though he had 
condemned that city to plunder1 the     
inhabitants having rebelled and killed  
duke ,matholin1 their governor1 spared  
it at the intercession of ,st4 ,romuald4
 ,otho having also1 contrary to his     
solemn promise upon oath1 put one       
,crescentius1 a ,roman senator1 to      
death1 who had been the leader in the   
rebellion of ,tivoli1 and made his widow
 his concubine2 he not only performed a 
severe public penance enjoined him by   
the saint1 as his confessor1 but        

promised1 by ,st4 ,romuald's advice1 to 
abdicate his crown and retire into a    
convent during life2 but this he did not
 live to perform4 ,the saint's          
remonstrances had a like salutary effect
 on ,thamn1 the emperor's favorite1     
prime minister and accomplice in the    
treachery before mentioned1 who1 with   
several other courtiers1 received the   
religious habit at the hands of ,st4    
,romuald1 and spent the remainder of his
 days in retirement and penance4 ,it was
 a very edifying sight to behold several
 young princes and noblemen1 who a      
little before had been remarkable for   
their splendid appearance and sumptuous 
living1 now leading an obscure1         
solitary1 penitential life in humility1 
penance1 fasting1 cold1 and labor4 ,they
 prayed1 sung psalms1 and worked4 ,they 
all had their several employments3 some 
spun1 others knit1 others tilled the    
ground1 gaining their poor livelihood by
 the sweat of their brow4 ,st4 ,boniface
 surpassed all the rest in fervor and   

mortification4 ,he was the emperor's    
near relation1 and so dear to him1 that 
he never called him by any other name   
than1 ,my soul6 he excelled in music1   
and in all the liberal arts and         
sciences1 and after having spent many   
years under the discipline of ,st4      
,romuald1 was ordained bishop1 and      
commissioned by the pope to preach to   
the infidels of ,russia1 whose king he  
converted by his miracles1 but was      
beheaded by the king's brothers1 who    
were themselves afterwards converted on 
seeing the miracles wrought on occasion 
of the martyr's death4 ,several other   
monks of ,st4 ,romuald's monastery met  
with the same cruel treatment in        
,sclavonia1 whither they were sent by   
the pope to preach the gospel4  ,st4    
,romuald built many other monasteries1  
and continued three years at one he     
founded near ,parenzo1 one year in the  
community to settle it1 and two in a    
neighboring cell4 ,here he labored some 
time under a spiritual dryness1 not     

being able to shed one tear2 but he     
ceased not to continue his devotions    
with greater fervor4 ,at last being in  
his cell1 at those words of the         
psalmist2 ,i will give thee             
understanding1 and will instruct thee1  
he was suddenly visited by ,god with an 
extraordinary light and spirit of       
compunction1 which from that time never 
left him4 ,by a supernatural light1 the 
fruit of prayer1 he understood the holy 
scriptures1 and wrote an exposition of  
the #cgd psalms full of admirable       
unction4 ,he often foretold things to   
come1 and gave directions full of       
heavenly wisdom to all who came to      
consult him1 especially to his          
religious1 who frequently came to ask   
his advice how to advance in virtue1 and
 how to resist temptations2 he always   
sent them back to their cells full of an
 extraordinary cheerfulness4 ,through   
his continual weeping he thought others 
had a like gift1 and often said to his  
monks3 ,do not weep too much2 for it    

prejudices the sight and the head4 ,it  
was his desire1 whenever he could       
conveniently avoid it1 not to say mass  
before a number of people1 because he   
could not refrain from tears in offering
 that august sacrifice4 ,the            
contemplation of the ,divinity often    
transported him out of himself2 melting 
in tears1 and burning with love1 he     
would cry out3 ,dear ,jesus6 my dear    
,jesus6 my unspeakable desire6 my joy6  
joy of the angels6 sweetness of the     
saints6 and the like1 which he was heard
 to speak with a jubilation which cannot
 be expressed4 ,to propagate the honor  
of ,god1 he resolved1 by the advice of  
the bishop of ,pola and others1 to      
exchange his remote desert1 for one     
where he could better advance his holy  
institute4 ,the bishop of ,paienzo      
forbade any boat to carry him off1      
desiring earnestly to detain him2 but   
the bishop of ,pola sent one to fetch   
him4 ,he miraculously calmed a storm at 
sea1 and landed safe at ,capreola4      

,coming to ,bifurcum1 he found the      
monks' cells too magnificent1 and would 
lodge in none but that of one ,peter1 a 
man of extraordinary austerity1 who     
never would live in a cell larger than  
four cubits4 ,this ,peter admired the   
saint's spirit of compunction1 and said1
 that when he recited the psalms        
alternately with him1 the holy man used 
to go out thirty times in a night as if 
for some necessity1 but he saw it was to
 abandon himself a few moments to       
spiritual consolation1 with which he    
overflowed at prayer1 or to sighs and   
tears which he was not able to contain4 
,romuald sent to the counts of the      
province of ,marino1 to beg a little    
ground whereon to build a monastery4    
,they hearing ,romuald's name1 offered  
him with joy whatever mountains1 woods1 
or fields he would choose among them4   
,he found the valley of ,castro most    
proper4 ,exceeding great was the fruit  
of the blessed man's endeavors1 and many
 put themselves with great fervor under 

his direction4 ,sinners1 who did not    
forsake the world entirely1 were by him 
in great multitudes moved to penance1   
and to distribute great part of their   
possessions liberally among the poor4   
,the holy man seemed in the midst of    
them as a seraph incarnate1 burning with
 heavenly ardors of divine love1 and    
inflaming those who heard him speak4 ,if
 he travelled1 he rode or walked at a   
distance behind his brethren1 reciting  
psalms1 and watering his cheeks almost  
without ceasing with tears that flowed  
in great abundance4  ,the saint had     
always burned with an ardent desire of  
martyrdom1 which was much increased by  
the glorious crowns of some of his      
disciples1 especially of ,st4 ,boniface4
 ,at last1 not able to contain the ardor
 of his charity and desire to give his  
life for his ,redeemer1 he obtained the 
pope's license1 and set out to preach   
the gospel in ,hungary1 in which mission
 some of his disciples accompanied him4 
,he had procured two of them to be      

consecrated archbishops by the pope1    
declining himself the episcopal dignity2
 but a violent illness which seized him 
on his entering ,hungary1 and returned  
as often as he attempted to proceed on  
his intended design1 was a plain        
indication of the will of ,god in this  
matter2 so he returned home with seven  
of his associates4 ,the rest1 with the  
two archbishops1 went forward1 and      
preached the faith under the holy king1 
,st4 ,stephen1 suffering much for       
,christ1 but none obtained the crown of 
martyrdom4 ,romuald in his return built 
some monasteries in ,germany1 and       
labored to reform others2 but this drew 
on him many persecutions4 ,yet all1 even
 the great ones of the world1 trembled  
in his presence4 ,he refused to accept  
either water or wood1 without #cge      
paying for it1 from ,raynerius2 marquis 
of ,tuscia1 because that prince had     
married the wife of a relation whom he  
had killed4 ,raynerius1 though a        
sovereign1 used to say1 that neither the

 emperor nor any mortal on earth could  
strike him with so much awe as          
,romuald's presence did4 ,so powerful   
was the impression which the ,holy      
,ghost1 dwelling in his breast1 made on 
the most haughty sinners4 ,hearing that 
a certain ,venetian had by simony       
obtained the abbey of ,classis1 he      
hastened thither4 ,the unworthy abbot   
strove to kill him1 to preserve his     
unjust dignity4 ,he often met with the  
like plots and assaults from several of 
his own disciples1 which procured him   
the repeated merit1 though not the      
crown1 of martyrdom4 ,the pope having   
called him to ,rome1 he wrought there   
several miracles1 built some monasteries
 in its neighborhood1 and converted     
innumerable souls to ,god4 ,returning   
from ,rome1 he made a long stay at      
,mount ,sitria4 ,a young nobleman       
addicted to impurity1 being exasperated 
at this saint's severe remonstrances1   
had the impudence to accuse him of a    
scandalous crime4 ,the monks1 by a      

surprising levity1 believed the calumny1
 enjoined him a most severe penance1    
forbid him to say mass1 and             
excommunicated him4 ,he bore all with   
patience and in silence1 as if really he
 had been guilty1 and refrained from    
going to the altar for six months4 ,in  
the seventh month he was admonished by  
,god to obey no longer so unjust and    
irregular a sentence pronounced without 
any authority and without grounds4 ,he  
accordingly said mass again1 and with   
such raptures of devotion1 as obliged   
him to continue long absorbed in        
ecstasy4 ,he passed seven years in      
,sitria1 in his cell1 in strict silence1
 but his example did the office of his  
tongue and moved many to penance4 ,in   
bis old age1 instead of relaxing1 he    
increased his austerities and fasts4 ,he
 had three hair-shirts which he now and 
then changed4 ,he never would admit of  
the least thing to give a savor to the  
herbs or meal-gruel on which he         
supported himself4 ,if any thing was    

brought him better dressed1 he1 for the 
greater self-denial1 applied it to his  
nostrils1 and said3 ,o gluttony1        
gluttony1 thou shalt never taste this2  
perpetual war is declared against thee4 
,his disciples also were remarkable for 
their austere lives1 went always        
barefoot1 and looked excessive pale with
 continual fasting4 ,no other drink was 
known among them but water1 except in   
sickness4 ,st4 ,romuald wrought in this 
place many miraculous cures of the sick4
 ,at last1 having settled his disciples 
here in a monastery which he had built  
for them1 he departed for ,bifurcum4    
,the holy emperor ,st4 ,henry ,,ii41 who
 had succeeded ,otho ,,iii41 coming into
 ,italy1 and being desirous to see the  
saint1 sent an honorable embassy to him 
to induce him to come to court4 ,at the 
earnest request of his disciples he     
complied1 but not without great         
reluctance on his side4 ,the emperor    
received him with the greatest marks of 
honor and esteem1 and rising out of his 

chair1 said to him3 ,i wish my soul was 
like yours4 ,the saint observed a strict
 silence the whole time the interview   
lasted1 to the great astonishment of the
 court4 ,the emperor being convinced    
that this did not proceed from pride or 
disdain1 but from humility and a desire 
of being despised1 was so far from being
 offended at it1 that it occasioned his 
conceiving a higher esteem and          
veneration for him4 ,the next day he    
received from him wholesome advice in   
his closet4 ,the ,german noblemen showed
 him the greatest respect as he passed  
through the court1 and plucked the very 
hairs out of his garments for relics1 at
 which he was so much grieved1 that he  
would have immediately gone back if he  
had not been stopped4 ,the emperor gave 
him a monastery on ,mount ,amiatus4     
,the most famous of all his monasteries 
is that of ,camaldoli1 near ,arezzo1 in 
,tuscany1 on the frontiers of the       
ecclesiastical state1 thirty miles east 
from ,florence1 founded by him about the

 year #ajji4 ,it lies beyond a mountain1
 #cgf very difficult to pass over1 the  
descent from which1 on the opposite     
side1 is almost a direct precipice      
looking down upon a pleasant large      
valley1 which then belonged to a lord   
called ,maldoli1 who gave it the saint1 
and from him it retained the name       
,camaldoli4#b ,in this place ,st4       
,romuald built a monastery1 and by the  
several observances he added to ,st4    
,benedict's rule1 gave birth to that new
 order called ,camaldoli1 in which he   
united the cenobitic and eremitical     
life4 ,after seeing in a vision his     
monks mounting up a ladder to heaven all
 in white1 he changed their habit from  
black to white4 ,the hermitage is two   
short miles distant from the monastery4 
,it is a mountain quite overshaded by a 
dark wood of fir-trees4 ,in it are seven
 clear springs of water4 ,the very sight
 of this solitude in the midst of the   
forest helps to fill the mind with      
compunction1 and a love of heavenly     

contemplation4 ,on entering it1 we meet 
with a chapel of ,st4 ,antony for       
travellers to pray in before they       
advance any further4 ,next are the cells
 and lodgings for the porters4 ,somewhat
 further is the church1 which is large1 
well built1 and richly adorned4 ,over   
the door is a clock1 which strikes so   
loud that it may be heard all over the  
desert4 ,on the left side of the church 
is the cell in which ,st4 ,romuald      
lived1 when he first established these  
hermits4 ,their cells1 built of stone1  
have each a little garden walled round4 
,a constant fire is allowed to be kept  
in every cell1 on account of the        
coldness of the air throughout the year3
 each cell has also a chapel in which   
they may say mass3 they call their      
superior1 major4 ,the whole hermitage is
 now enclosed with a wall3 none are     
allowed to go out of it2 but they may   
walk in the woods and alleys within the 
enclosure at discretion4 ,every thing is
 sent them from the monastery in the    

valley3 their food is every day brought 
to each cell2 and all are supplied with 
wood and necessaries1 that they may have
 no dissipation or hinderance in their  
contemplation4 ,many hours of the day   
are allotted to particular exercises2   
and no rain or snow stops any one from  
meeting in the church to assist at the  
divine office4 ,they are obliged to     
strict silence in all public common     
places2 and everywhere during their     
,lents1 also on ,sundays1 ,holydays1    
,fridays1 and other days of abstinence1 
and always from ,complin till prime the 
next day4  ,for a severer solitude1 ,st4
 ,romuald added a third kind of life2   
that of a recluse4 ,after a holy life in
 the hermitage1 the superior grants     
leave to any that ask it1 and seem      
called by ,god1 to live forever shut up 
in their cells1 never speaking to any   
one but to the superior when he visits  
them1 and to the brother who brings them
 necessaries4 ,their prayers and        
austerities are doubled1 and their fasts

 more severe and more frequent4 ,st4    
,romuald condemned himself to this kind 
of life for several years2 and fervent  
imitators have never since failed in    
this solitude4  ,st4 ,romuald died in   
his monastery in the valley of ,castro1 
in the marquisate of ,ancona4 ,as he was
 born about the year #ief1 he must have 
died seventy years and some months old1 
not a hundred and twenty1 as the present
 copies of his life have it4 ,the day of
 his death was the #aith of ,june2 but  
his principal feast is appointed by     
,clement ,,viii4 on the #gth of         
,february1 the day of his translation4  
,his body was found entire and uncorrupt
 five years after his death1 and again  
in #adff4 ,but his tomb being           
sacrilegiously opened1 and his body     
stolen in #adhj1 it fell to dust1 in    
which state it was translated to        
,fabriano1 and there deposited in the   
great church1 all but the remains of one
 arm1 sent to ,camaldoli4 ,god has      
honored his relics with many miracles4  

,the order of ,camaldoli is now divided 
into five congregations1 under so many  
generals or majors4 ,the life of the    
hermits is very severe1 though something
 mitigated since the time of ,st4       
,romuald4 ,the #cgg ,cenobites are more 
like ,benedictines1 and perhaps were not
 directly established by ,st4 ,romuald1 
says ,f4 ,helyot4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,if we are not    
called to practise the extraordinary    
austerities of many saints1 we cannot   
but confess that we lie under an        
indispensable necessity of leading      
mortified lives1 both in order to fulfil
 our obligation of doing penance1 and to
 subdue our passions and keep our senses
 and interior faculties under due       
command4 ,the appetites of the body are 
only to be reduced by universal         
temperance1 and assiduous mortification 
and watchfulness over all the senses4   
,the interior powers of the soul must be
 restrained1 as the imagination1 memory1
 and understanding3 their proneness to  

distraction1 and the itching curiosity  
of the mind1 must be curbed1 and their  
repugnance to attend to spiritual things
 corrected by habits of recollection1   
holy meditation1 and prayer4 ,above all1
 the will must be rendered supple and   
pliant by frequent self-denial1 which   
must reach and keep in subjection all   
its most trifling sallies and           
inclinations4 ,if any of these1 how     
insignificant soever they may seem1 are 
not restrained and vanquished1 they will
 prove sufficient often to disturb the  
quiet of the mind1 and betray one into  
considerable inconveniences1 faults1 and
 follies4 ,great weaknesses are         
sometimes fed by temptations which seem 
almost of too little moment to deserve  
notice4 ,and though these infirmities   
should not arise to any great height1   
they always fetter the soul1 and are an 
absolute impediment to her progress     
towards perfection4  ,footnotes3 #a4    
,sanuti tells us1 that ,st4 ,peter      
,urseoli1 from his cradle1 devoted      

himself with his whole heart to the     
divine service1 and proposed to         
himself in all his actions the holy will
 and the greater glory of     ,god4 ,he 
built in the church of ,st4 ,mark a     
chapel1 in which the body     of that   
evangelist was secretly laid1 the place 
being known by very     few4 ,being     
chosen doge1 he refused that dignity for
 a long time with     great obstinacy1  
but at length suffered himself to be    
overcome by     the importunity of the  
people4 ,he had held it only two years  
and     eight months1 when he retired4  
,sanuti4 ,vite de ,duchi di ,venezia1 c4
     #igf4 ,maramri1 ,rerum ,italicar4  
,scriptores1 t4 #bb1 p4 #efd4 #b4       
,contracted from ,campo ,maldoli4  ,,st4
 ,,richard1 ,,king ,,and ,c4  ,,this    
saint was an ,english prince1 in the    
kingdom of the ,west-,saxons1 and was   
perhaps deprived of his inheritance by  
some revolution in the state or he      
renounced it to be more at liberty to   
dedicate himself to the pursuit of      

,christian perfection4 ,his three       
children1 ,winebald1 ,willibald1 and    
,warburga1 are all honored as saints4   
,taking with him his two sons1 he       
undertook a pilgrimage of penance and   
devotion1 and sailing from              
,hamble-haven1 landed in ,neustria on   
the western coasts of ,france4 ,he made 
a considerable stay at ,rouen1 and made 
his devotions in the most holy places   
that lay in his way through ,france4    
,being arrived at ,lucca in ,italy1 in  
his road to ,rome1 he there died        
suddenly1 about the year #gbb1 and was  
buried in ,st4 ,fridian's church there4 
,his relics are venerated to this day in
 the same place1 and his festival kept  
at ,lucca with singular devotion4 ,st4  
,richard1 when living1 obtained by his  
prayers the recovery of his younger son 
,willibald1 whom he laid at the foot of 
a great crucifix erected in a public    
place in ,england1 when the child's life
 was despaired of in a grievous sickness
 and since his death1 many have         

experienced the miraculous power of his 
intercession with ,god1 especially where
 his relics invite the devotion of the  
faithful4 ,his festival is kept at      
,lucca1 and his name honored in the     
,roman ,martyrology on the #gth of      
,february4 ,see the ,life of ,st4       
,willibald by his cousin1 a nun of      
,heidenhelm1 to ,canisius's ,lectiones  
,antiquae1 with the notes of ,basnage4  
,henschenius1 ,feb4 t4 #b1 p4 #gj4      
,,st4 ,,theodorus ,,of ,,heraclea1 ,m4  
,,among those holy martyrs whom the     
,greeks honor with the title of         
,megalomartyrs1 7i4e4 great martyrs17 as
 ,st4 ,george1 ,st4 ,pantaleon1 c41 four
 are #cgh distinguished by them above   
the rest as principal patrons1 namely1  
,st4 ,theodorus of ,heraclea1 surnamed  
,stratilates1 7i4e4 general of the      
army17 ,st4 ,theodorus of ,amasea1      
surnamed ,tyro1 ,st4 ,procopius1 and    
,st4 ,demetrius4 ,the first was general 
of the forces of ,licinius1 and governor
 of the country of the ,mariandyni1 who 

occupied part of ,bithynia1 ,pontus1 and
 ,paphlagonia1 whose capital at that    
time was ,heraclea of ,pontus1 though   
originally a city of ,greeks1 being     
founded by a colony from ,megara4 ,this 
was the place of our saint's residence1 
and here he glorified ,god by martyrdom1
 being beheaded for his faith by an     
order of the emperor ,licinius1 the #gth
 of ,february1 on a ,saturday1 in #cai1 
as the ,greek ,menaea and ,menologies   
all agree3 for the ,greek ,acts of his  
martyrdom1 under the name of ,augarus1  
are of no authority4 ,it appears from a 
,novella of the emperor ,manuel         
,comnenus1 and from ,balsamon's ,scholia
 on the ,nomocanon of ,photius1#a that  
the ,greeks kept as semi-festivals1 that
 is1 as holydays till noon1 both the    
#gth of ,february1 which was the day of 
his martyrdom1 and that of the          
translation of his relics1 the #hth of  
,june1 when they were conveyed soon     
after his death1 according to his own   
appointment1 to ,euchaia1 or ,euchaitae1

 where was the burial-place of his      
ancestors1 a day's journey from ,amasea1
 the capital of all ,pontus4 ,this town 
became so famous for his shrine1 that   
the name of ,theodoropolis was given it2
 and out of devotion to this saint1     
pilgrims resorted thither from all parts
 of the east1 as appears from the       
,spiritual ,meadow1#b ,zonaras1#c and   
,cedrenus4#d ,the two latter historians 
relate1 that the emperor ,john ,i41     
surnamed ,zemisces1 about the year #igj1
 ascribed a great victory which he      
gained over the ,saracens1 to the       
patronage of this martyr3 and in        
thanksgiving rebuilt in a stately manner
 the church where his relics were       
deposited at ,euchaitae4#e ,the republic
 of ,venice has a singular veneration   
for the memory of ,st4 ,theodorus of    
,heraclea1 who1 as ,bernard ,justiniani 
proves1#f was titular patron of the     
church of ,st4 ,mark in that city1      
before the body of that evangelist was  
translated into it from another part of 

the city4 ,a famous statue of this ,st4 
,theodorus is placed upon one of the two
 fine pillars which stand in the square 
of ,st4 ,mark4 ,the relics of this      
glorious martyr are honored in the      
magnificent church of ,st4 ,saviour at  
,venice1 whither they were brought by   
,mark ,dandolo in #abfj1 from           
,constantinople2 ,james ,dandolo having 
sent them to that capital from          
,mesembria1 an archiepiscopal maritime  
town in ,romania1 or the coast of       
,thrace1 when in #abef he scoured the   
,euxine sea with a fleet of galleys of  
the republic1 as the ,venetian          
historians inform us4#g ,see archbishop 
,falconius1 ,not4 in ,tabulis ,cappon4  
and ,jos4 ,assemani in ,calend4 ,univ4  
on the #hth and #agth of ,february1 and 
the #hth of ,june2#h also ,lubin4 ,not4 
in ,martyr4 ,rom4 p4 #bhc1 and the      
,greek ,synaxary4  ,footnotes3 #a4      
,tit4 #g1 c4 #a1 ,thomassin1 l4 #a1 c4  
#g1 n4 #c4 #b4  ,prat4 ,spir4 c4 #ahj4  
#c4  ,zonar4 #c1 parte ,annal4 #d4      

,ced4 in ,joanne ,zemisce ,imp4 #e4     
,see ,baronius in his notes on the      
,martyrology1 7ad #i ,nov417 who        
justly censures those who confound this 
saint with ,st4 ,theodoras     ,tyro1 as
 ,fabricius has since done4 7t4 #i1     
,bibl4 ,graecae1 p4 #adg47 ,yet         
himself falsely places ,tyro's shrine at
 ,euchaitae1 and ascribes to     him    
these pilgrimages and miracles which    
certainly belong to ,st4     ,theodorus 
,stratilates1 or of ,heraclea4 #f4  ,de 
,rebus ,venetis1 l4 #f4 #g4  ,sansovin1 
l4 #ac1 ,hist4 c4 #h4  ,the modern      
,greeks have transferred his feast from 
the #gth to the     #hth of ,february4  
,,st4 ,,tresain1 ,,in ,,latin1          
,,tresanus1 ,,priest1 ,c4  ,he was a    
holy ,irish priest1 who1 having left his
 own country1 preached with great zeal  
in ,france1 and died curate of ,mareuil 
upon the ,marne1 in the sixth century4  
,his relics are held in great veneration
 at ,avenay in ,champagne4 ,see his life
 in ,colgan and ,bollandus4  #cgi  ,,st4

 ,,augulus1 ,b ,m4  ,,his name occurs   
with the title of bishop in all the     
manuscript copies of the ancient        
,western ,martyrology1 which bears the  
name of ,st4 ,jerom4 ,that of the abbey 
of ,esternach1 which is very old1 and   
several others1 style him martyr4 ,he   
probably received that crown soon after 
,st4 ,alban4 ,all martyrologies place   
him in ,britain1 and at ,augusta1 which 
name was given to ,london1 as ,amm4     
,marcellinus mentions2 never to ,york1  
for which ,henschenius would have it to 
be taken in this place1 because it was  
at that time the capital of ,britain4   
,in the ancient copy of ,bede's         
martyrology1 which was used at ,st4     
,agnan's at ,orleans1 he is called ,st4 
,augustus2 in some others ,st4          
,augurius4 ,the ,french call him ,st4   
,aule4 ,chatelain thinks him to be the  
same saint who is famous in some parts  
of ,normandy under the name of ,st4     
,ouil4   ,,february ,,viii4  ,,st4      
,,john ,,of ,,matha1  ,,founder ,,of    

,,the ,,order ,,of ,,the ,,trinitarians 
,from several bulls of ,innocent ,,iii4 
and the many authors of his life1       
especially that compiled by ,robert     
,gagnin1 the learned general of this    
,order1 in #adij1 collected by ,baillet1
 and the ,hist4 des ,ordres ,relig4 by  
,f4 ,helyot4 ,see also ,annales ,ordinis
 ,,ss4 ,trinitatis1 auctore ,bon4 ,baro1
 ,ord4 ,minor4 ,romae4 #afhd1 and       
,regula et ,statuta ,ord4 ,,ss4         
,trinitatis1 in #abmo4 #aegj4  ,a4,d4   
#abac4  ,,st4 ,,john was born of very   
pious and noble parents1 at ,faucon1 on 
the borders of ,provence1 ,june the     
#bdth1 #aafi1 and was baptized ,john1 in
 honor of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist4 ,his 
mother dedicated him to ,god by a vow   
from his infancy4 ,his father1          
,euphemius1 sent him to ,aix1 where he  
learned grammar1 fencing1 riding1 and   
other exercises fit for a young         
nobleman4 ,but his chief attention was  
to advance in virtue4 ,he gave the poor 
a considerable part of the money his    

parents sent him for his own use3 he    
visited the hospital every ,friday1     
assisting the poor sick1 dressing and   
cleansing their sores1 and affording    
them all the comfort in his power4      
,being returned home1 he begged his     
father's leave to continue the pious    
exercises he had begun1 and retired to a
 little hermitage not far from ,faucon1 
with the view of living at a distance   
from the world1 and united to ,god alone
 by mortification and prayer4 ,but      
finding his solitude interrupted by the 
frequent visits of his friends1 he      
desired his father's consent to go to   
,paris to study divinity1 which he      
easily obtained4 ,he went through these 
more sublime studies with extraordinary 
success1 and proceeded doctor of        
divinity with uncommon applause1 though 
his modesty gave him a reluctancy in    
that honor4 ,he was soon after ordained 
priest1 and said his first mass in the  
bishop of ,paris's chapel1 at which the 
bishop himself1 ,maurice de ,sully1 the 

abbots of ,st4 ,victor and of ,st4      
,genevieve4 and the rector of the #chj  
university1 assisted2 admiring the      
graces of heaven in him1 which appeared 
in his extraordinary devotion on this   
occasion1 as well as at his ordination4 
,on the day he said his first mass1 by a
 particular inspiration from ,god1 he   
came to a resolution of devoting himself
 to the occupation of ransoming         
,christian slaves from the captivity    
they groaned under among the infidels3  
considering it as one of the highest    
acts of charity with respect both to    
their souls and bodies4 ,but before he  
entered upon so important a work1 he    
thought it needful to spend some time in
 retirement1 prayer1 and mortification4 
,and having heard of a holy hermit1 ,st4
 ,felix ,valois1 living in a great wood 
near ,gandelu1 in the diocese of ,meux1 
he repaired to him and begged he would  
admit him into his solitude1 and        
instruct him in the practice of         
perfection4 ,felix soon discovered him  

to be no novice1 and would not treat him
 as a disciple1 but as a companion4 ,it 
is incredible what progress these two   
holy solitaries made in the paths of    
virtue1 by perpetual prayer1            
contemplation1 fasting1 and watching4   
,one day1 sitting together on the bank  
of a spring1 ,john disclosed to ,felix  
the design he had conceived on the day  
on which he said his first mass1 to     
succor the ,christians under the        
,mahometan slavery1 and spoke so        
movingly upon the subject that ,felix   
was convinced that the design was from  
,god1 and offered him his joint         
concurrence to carry it into execution4 
,they took some time to recommend it to 
,god by prayer and fasting1 and then set
 out for ,rome in the midst of a severe 
winter1 towards the end of the year     
#aaig1 to obtain the pope's benediction4
 ,they found ,innocent ,,iii4 promoted  
to the chair of ,st4 ,peter1 who being  
already informed of their sanctity and  
charitable design by letters of         

recommendation from the bishop of       
,paris1 his holiness received them as   
two angels from heaven2 lodged them in  
his own palace1 and gave them many long 
private audiences4 ,after which he      
assembled the cardinals and some bishops
 in the palace of ,st4 ,john ,lateran1  
and asked their advice4 ,after their    
deliberations he ordered a fast and     
particular prayers to know the will of  
heaven4 ,at length1 being convinced that
 these two holy men were led by the     
spirit of ,god1 and that great          
advantages would accrue to the church   
from such an institute1 he consented to 
their erecting a new religious order1   
and declared ,st4 ,john the first       
general minister4 ,the bishop of ,paris1
 and the abbot of ,st4 ,victor1 were    
ordered to draw up their rules1 which   
the pope approved by a bull1 in #aaih4  
,he ordered the religious to wear a     
white habit1 with a red and blue cross  
on the breast1 and to take the name of  
the order of the ,holy ,trinity4 ,he    

confirmed it some time after1 adding new
 privileges by a second bull1 dated in  
#abji4  ,the two founders having        
obtained the pope's blessing and certain
 indults or privileges1 returned to     
,france1 and presented themselves to the
 king1 ,philip ,augustus1 who authorized
 the establishment of their ,order in   
his kingdom1 and favored it with his    
liberalities4 ,gaucher ,,iii41 lord of  
,chatillon1 gave them land whereon to   
build a convent4 ,their number          
increasing1 the same lord1 seconded by  
the king1 gave them ,cerfroid1 the place
 in which ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,felix    
concerted the first plan of their       
institute4 ,it is situated in ,brie1 on 
the confines of ,valois4 ,this house of 
,cerfroid1 or ,de ,cervo frigido1 is the
 chief of the order4 ,the two saints    
founded many other convents in ,france1 
and sent several of their religious to  
accompany the counts of ,flanders and   
,blois1 and other lords1 to the holy    
war4 ,pope ,innocent ,,iii4 wrote to    

recommend these religious to ,miramolin1
 king of ,morocco2 and ,st4 ,john sent  
thither two of his religions in #abja1  
who redeemed one hundred and eighty-six 
,christian slaves the first voyage4 ,the
 year following1 ,st4 ,john went himself
 to ,tunis1 where he purchased the      
liberty of one hundred and ten more4 ,he
 returned into ,provence1 and there     
received great charities1 which he      
carried into ,spain1 and redeemed many  
in captivity #cha under the ,moors4 ,on 
his return he collected large alms among
 the ,christians towards this charitable
 undertaking4 ,his example produced a   
second order of ,mercy1 instituted by   
,st4 ,peter ,nolasco1 in #abce4  ,st4   
,john made a second voyage to ,tunis in 
#abaj1 in which he suffered much from   
the infidels1 enraged at his zeal and   
success in exhorting the poor slaves to 
patience and constancy in their faith4  
,as he was returning with one hundred   
and twenty slaves he had ransomed1 the  
barbarians took away the helm from his  

vessel1 and tore all its sails1 that    
they might perish in the sea4 ,the      
saint1 full of confidence in ,god1      
begged him to be their pilot1 and hung  
up his companions' cloaks for sails1    
and1 with a crucifix in his hands1      
kneeling on the deck1 singing psalms1   
after a prosperous voyage1 they all     
landed safe at ,ostia1 in ,italy4       
,felix1 by this time1 had greatly       
propagated his order in ,france1 and    
obtained for it a convent in ,paris1 in 
a place where stood before a chapel of  
,st4 ,mathurin1 whence these religious  
in ,france are called ,mathurins4  ,st4 
,john lived two years more in ,rome1    
which he employed in exhorting all to   
penance with great energy and fruit4 ,he
 died on the #bast of ,december1 in     
#abac1 aged sixty-one4 ,he was buried in
 his church of ,st4 ,thomas1 where his  
monument yet remains1 though his body   
has been translated into ,spain4 ,pope  
,honorius ,,iii4 confirmed the rule of  
this order a second time4 ,by the first 

rule1 they were not permitted to buy any
 thing for their sustenance except      
bread1 pulse1 herbs1 oil1 eggs1 milk1   
cheese1 and fruit2 never flesh nor fish3
 however1 they might eat flesh on the   
principal festivals1 on condition it was
 given them4 ,they were not1 in         
travelling1 to ride on any beasts but   
asses4#a         99       99       99   
99       99  ,st4 ,chrysostom#b         
elegantly and pathetically extols the   
charity of the widow of ,sarepta1 whom  
neither poverty nor children1 nor       
hunger1 nor fear of death1 withheld from
 affording relief to the prophet ,elias1
 and he exhorts every one to meditate on
 her words1 and keep her example present
 to his mind4 ,how hard or insensible   
soever we are1 says he1 they will make a
 deep impression upon us1 and we shall  
not be able to refuse relief to the     
poor1 when we have before our eyes the  
generous charity of this widow4 ,it is  
true1 you will tell me1 that if you meet
 with a prophet in want1 you could not  

refuse doing him all the good offices in
 your power4 ,but what ought you not to 
do for ,jesus ,christ1 who is the master
 of the prophets8 ,he takes whatsoever  
you do to the poor as done to himself4  
,when we consider the zeal and joy with 
which the saints sacrificed themselves  
for their neighbors1 how must we blush  
at1 and condemn our insensibility at the
 spiritual and the corporal calamities  
of others6 ,the saints regarded         
affronts1 labors1 and pains1 as nothing 
for the service of others in ,christ3 we
 cannot bear the least word or roughness
 of temper4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,a        
mitigation of this rule was approved by 
pope ,clement ,,iv4 in #abfg1     which 
allows them to use horses1 and to buy   
fish1 flesh1 and all     other          
necessaries3 on which mitigations see   
,historia prolixior     ,priorum        
,grandimont1 published by ,martenne1    
,ampliff4 ,collectio1 t4 #f1     p4     
#ach4 ,this order is possessed of about 
two hundred and fifty     monasteries1  

divided into thirteen provinces1 in     
,france1 ,spain1     ,italy1 and        
,portugal4 ,that formerly in ,england   
had forty-three     houses2 that in     
,scotland nine1 and that in ,ireland    
fifty-two4 ,the     general of the order
 is chosen by a general chapter1 which  
is always     held at ,cerfroid4 ,each  
house is governed by a superior who is  
called     minister4 ,those in the      
provinces of ,champagne1 ,normandy1 and 
,picardy     7which last includes       
,flanders7 are perpetual but to ,italy  
and ,spain1     triennial4 ,their rule  
is that of the canons regular of ,st4   
,austin4     ,their principal exercises 
are to sing the divine office at the    
canonical hours1 praising and glorifying
 the adorable ,trinity1 as     angel of 
the earth2 and to gather and carry alms 
in ,barbary for the     redemption of   
slaves1 to which work one third of the  
revenues of     each house is applied4  
,a reformation was made in this order in
 the     years #aegc and #aegf1 which1  

by degrees1 has been introduced into the
     greater part of the convents1 and  
into that of ,cerfroid itself4          
,these never eat meat except on         
,sundays1 sing matins at midnight1 and  
wear no linen4 ,the reformation of the  
barefooted ,trinitarians1 still     much
 more severe1 was set on foot in ,spain1
 in #aeid1 by ,john ,baptist     of the 
,conception1 who suffered many          
persecutions in the     undertaking1 and
 died in #afac1 in great reputation for 
sanctity and     miracles1 the          
examination of which has been commenced 
in order to     his beatification4 #b4  
,hom4 de ,eila et ,vidua ,sarept4 pp4   
#cc1 #cch1 ed4 ,montf4  #chb  ,,st4     
,,stephen ,,of ,,grandmont1 ,,abbot4    
,his life was written by ,stephen de    
,liciaco1 fourth prior of ,grandmont1 in
 #aada3 but this work seems now lost4   
,gerard ,ithier1 seventh prior1 and his 
abridger1 fell into several anachronisms
 and mistakes1 which are to be corrected
 by the remarks of ,dom ,martenne1 who  

has given us a new and accurate edition 
of this life1 and other pieces relating 
to it1 ,ver4 ,scriptorum ,ampliff4      
,collectio1 t4 #f1 p4 #ajdc4 ,see also  
,dom ,rivet1 ,hist4 ,litter4 de la      
,france1 t4 #aj1 p4 #daj4 ,gallia       
,christ4 ,nova1 t4 #b1 p4 #fdf4  ,a4,d4 
#aabd4  ,,st4 ,,stephen was son of the  
virtuous viscount of ,thiers1 the first 
nobleman of ,auvergne4 ,from his infancy
 he gave presages of an uncommon        
sanctity4 ,milo1 a pious priest1 at that
 time dean of the church of ,paris1 was 
appointed his tutor1 and being made     
bishop of ,beneventum in #ajgd1 kept the
 saint with him1 continued to instruct  
him in sacred learning1 and in the      
maxims of ,christian perfection1 and    
ordained him deacon4 ,after his death in
 #ajgf1 ,stephen pursued his studies in 
,rome during four years4 ,all this time 
he seemed to himself continually        
solicited by an interior voice to seek a
 sanctuary for his soul in holy         
solitude1 considering the dangers of the

 pastoral charge1 the obligations of    
leading a penitential life1 and the     
happiness of the exercises of holy      
retirement4 ,he desired to imitate the  
rigorous institute of a certain         
monastery which he had seen in          
,calabria1 and obtained leave of pope   
,gregory ,,vii4 to embrace an eremitical
 life4 ,he therefore returned to the    
castle of ,thiers1 the seat of his late 
parents1 to settle his affairs4 ,he had 
always been their favorite child1 and   
regarded by them as the blessing        
bestowed on their prayers and fasts1 by 
which they had begged him of ,god4      
,being both exceeding pious1 they had   
rejoiced to see him so virtuously       
inclined2 but they being now dead1 his  
other friends vehemently opposed his    
design of renouncing the world4 ,stephen
 left them privately1 and travelling    
through many deserts1 arrived at ,muret1
 a desolate1 barren mountain1 in the    
neighborhood of ,limoges1 haunted by    
wild beasts1 and of an exceeding cold   

situation4 ,here he took up his abode1  
and1 by a vow1 consecrated himself to   
the divine service1 in these words3 ,i1 
,stephen1 renounce the devil and his    
pomps1 and do offer and dedicate myself 
to the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 
one ,god in three ,persons4 ,this       
engagement he wrote and kept always by  
him with a ring as the symbol4 ,he built
 himself a hut with the boughs of trees1
 and in this place passed forty-six     
years in prayer1 and the practice of    
such austerities as almost surpassed the
 strength of a human body4#a ,he lived  
at first on wild herbs and roots4 ,in   
the second summer he was discovered by  
certain shepherds1 who brought him a    
little coarse bread2 which some country 
people from that time continued to do as
 long as he lived4 ,he always wore next 
his skin a hair-cloth with iron plates  
and hoops studded with sharp spikes1    
over which his only garment1 made of the
 coarsest stuff1 was the same both in   
summer and winter4 ,when overcome by    

sleep1 he took a short rest on rough    
boards1 laid in the form of a coffin4   
,when he was not employed in manual     
labor1 he lay prostrate on the ground in
 profound adoration of the majesty of   
,god4 ,the sweetness which he felt in   
divine contemplation made him often     
forget to take any refreshment for two  
or three days together4 ,when sixty     
years of #chc age1 finding his stomach  
exceeding weak1 he suffered a few drops 
of wine to be mixed with the water which
 he drank4  ,many were desirous to live 
with him and become his disciples4      
,though most rigorous to himself1 he was
 mild to those under his direction1 and 
proportioned their mortifications to    
their strength4 ,but he allowed no      
indulgence with regard to the essential 
points of a solitary life1 silence1     
poverty1 and the denial of self-will4   
,he often exhorted his disciples to a   
total disengagement of their hearts from
 all earthly things1 and to a love of   
holy poverty for that purpose4 ,he used 

to say to those who desired to be       
admitted into his community3 ,this is a 
prison without either door or hole      
whereby to return into the world1 unless
 a person makes for himself a breach4   
,and should this misfortune befall you1 
,i could not send after you1 none here  
having any commerce with the world any  
more than myself4 ,he behaved himself   
among his disciples as the last of them1
 always taking the lowest place1 never  
suffering any one to rise up to him2 and
 while they were at table1 he would seat
 himself on the ground in the midst of  
them1 and read to them the lives of the 
saints4 ,god bestowed on him a divine   
light1 by which he often told others    
their secret thoughts4 ,the author of   
his life gives a long history of        
miracles which he wrought4 ,but the     
conversions of many obstinate sinners   
were still more miraculous3 it seemed as
 if no heart could resist the grace     
which accompanied his words4  ,two      
cardinals coming into ,france1 as       

legates to the king from the pope1 one  
of whom was afterwards pope ,innocent   
,,ii41 paid the saint a visit to his    
desert4 ,they asked him whether he was a
 canon1 a monk1 or a hermit4 ,he said he
 was none of those4 ,being pressed to   
declare what he was3 ,we are sinners1   
said he1 whom the mercy of ,god hath    
conducted into this wilderness to do    
penance4 ,the pope himself hath imposed 
on us these exercises1 at our request1  
for our sins4 ,our imperfection and     
frailty deprive us of courage to imitate
 the fervor of those holy hermits who   
lived in divine contemplation almost    
without any thought for their bodies4   
,you see that we neither wear the habit 
of monks nor of canons4 ,we are still   
further from usurping those names1 which
 we respect and honor at a distance in  
the persons of the priests1 and in the  
sanctity of the monks4 ,we are poor1    
wretched sinners1 who1 terrified at the 
rigor of the divine justice1 still hope1
 with trembling1 by this means1 to find 

mercy from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in  
the day of his judgment4 ,the legates   
departed exceedingly edified at what    
they saw and heard4 ,eight days after   
the saint was admonished by ,god of the 
end of his mortal course1 after which he
 most earnestly sighed4 ,he redoubled   
his fervor in all his exercises1 and    
falling sick soon after1 gave his       
disciples his last instructions1 and    
exhorted them to a lively confidence in 
,god1 to whom he recommended them by a  
humble prayer4 ,his exhortation was so  
moving and strong that it dispelled     
their fears in losing him1 and they     
seemed to enter into his own sentiments4
 ,he caused himself to be carried into  
the chapel1 where he heard mass1        
received extreme unction and the        
viaticum3 and on the #hth day of        
,february1 #aabd1 being fourscore years 
old1 expired in peace1 repeating those  
words3 ,lord1 into thy hands ,i commend 
my spirit4 ,he had passed in his desert 
fifty years1 bating two months4 ,his    

disciples buried him privately1 to      
prevent the crowds of people breaking   
in4 ,but the news of his death drew     
incredible numbers to his tomb1 which   
was honored by innumerable miracles4    
,four months after his death1 the priory
 of ,ambazac1 dependent on the great    
,benedictin abbey of ,st4 ,austin1 to   
,limoges1 put in a claim to the land of 
,muret4 ,the disciples of the holy man1 
who had inherited his maxims and spirit1
 abandoned the ground to them without   
any contention1 and retired to          
,grandmont1 a desert one league distant1
 carrying with them his precious        
remains4 ,from this place the order #chd
 took its name4 ,the saint was canonized
 by ,clement ,,iii41 in #aahi1 at the   
request of king ,henry ,,ii4 of         
,england4 ,see ,gallia ,christ4 ,nova1  
t4 #b1 p4 #fdf4  ,,appendix  ,,to  ,,the
 ,,life ,,of ,,st4 ,,stephen ,,of       
,,grandmont4  ,such was the fervor and  
sanctity of the first disciples of ,st4 
,stephen of ,grandmont1 that they were  

the admiration of the world in the age  
wherein they lived4 ,peter1 the learned 
and pious abbot of ,celles1 calls them  
angels1 and testifies that he placed an 
extraordinary confidence in their       
prayers4 7,petr4 ,cellens4 ep4 #h47     
,john of ,salisbury1 a contemporary     
author1 represents them as men who1     
being raised above the necessities of   
life1 had conquered not only sensuality 
and avarice1 but even nature itself4    
7,joan4 ,salisb4 ,poly4 l4 #g1 c4 #bc47 
,stephen1 bishop of ,tournay1 speaks of 
them in as high strains4 7,steph4       
,tournac4 ep4 #b47 ,trithemius1 ,yepez1 
and ,miraeus1 imagined that ,st4        
,stephen made the rule of ,st4 ,bennet  
the basis of his order2 and ,mabillon at
 first embraced this opinion1 7,mabill4 
,praef4 in part #b1 sec4 #f1 ,bened417  
but changed it afterwards1 7,annul4     
,bened4 l4 #fd1 n4 #cg and #aab17       
proving that this saint neither followed
 the rule of ,saint ,bennet nor that of 
,st4 ,austin4 ,dom ,martenne has set    

this in a much fuller light in his      
preface to the sixth tome of his great  
collection4 7,amplise ,collect4 t4 #f1  
n4 #bj1 c47 ,baillet1 ,helyot1 and some 
others1 pretend that ,st4 ,stephen never
 wrote any thing himself1 and that his  
rule was compiled by some of his        
successors from his sayings1 and from   
the discipline which he had established4
 ,but some of the very passages to which
 these critics appeal1 suffice to       
confute them1 and ,st4 ,stephen declares
 himself the author of the written rule 
both in the prologue1 and in several    
other places1 7,regula ,grandim4 c4 #i1 
#aa1 #ad17 as ,mabillon1 or rather      
,martenne1 7who was author of this      
addition to his annals17 takes notice4  
7,annal4 t4 #f1 l4 #gd1 n4 #il47 ,the   
rule of this holy founder consists of   
seventy-five chapters4 ,in a pathetic   
prologue he puts his disciples in mind1 
that the rule of rules1 and the origin  
of all monastic rules1 is the gospel3   
they are but streams derived from this  

source1 and in it are all the means of  
arriving at ,christian perfection       
pointed out4 ,he recommends strict      
poverty and obedience1 as the foundation
 of a religious life2 forbids his       
religious ever to receive any           
retributions for their masses1 or to    
open the door of their oratory to       
secular persons on ,sundays or holydays1
 because on these days they ought to    
attend their parish churches4 ,he       
forbids his religious all lawsuits4     
7,reg4 c4 #ae4 ,see ,chatelain1 ,notes  
sur le ,martyr4 p4 #cgh47 ,he forbids   
them the use of flesh meat even in time 
of sickness1 and prescribes rigorous    
fasts1 with only one meal a day for a   
great part of the year4 ,this rule1     
which was approved by ,urban ,,iii4 in  
#aahf1 was mitigated by pope ,innocent  
,,iv4 in #abdg1 and again by ,clement   
,v4 in #acji4 ,it is printed at ,rouen  
in #afgb4 ,besides this rule1 certain   
maxims or instructions of ,st4 ,stephen 
are extant1 and were collected together 

by his disciples after his death4 ,they 
were printed at ,paris in ,latin and    
,french1 in #agjd4 ,baillet published a 
new translation of them in #agjg4 ,in   
them we admire the beauty and           
fruitfulness of the author's genius1 and
 still much more the great sentiments of
 virtue which they contain1 especially  
concerning temptations1 vain-glory1     
ambition1 the sweetness of ,god's       
service1 and his holy commandments2 the 
obligation without bounds which all men 
have of loving ,god1 the                
incomprehensible advantages of praising 
him1 the necessity of continually       
advancing in fervor1 and of continually 
gathering1 by the practice of good      
works1 new flowers1 of which the garland
 of our lives ought to be composed4     
,this useful collection might doubtless 
have been made much more ample by his   
disciples4 ,several other holy maxims   
and short lessons delivered by him1     
occur in the most ancient of his lives1 
entitled1 ,stephani ,dicta et ,facta1   

compiled by the care of ,st4 ,stephen de
 ,liciaco4 7,martenne1 t4 #f1 p4 #ajdf47
  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,william of ,dandina1
 an accurate writer1 in the life of     
,hugh of     ,lacerta1 the most famous  
among the first disciples of ,st4       
,stephen1     published by ,martenne1   
7t4 #f1 p4 #aadc17 says1 that the saint 
died in     the forty-sixth year after  
his conversion4 ,his retreat1 therefore1
     cannot be dated before the year    
#ajgf1 and the foundation of his        
order1 which some place in #ajgf1 must  
have been posterior to this4     ,gerard
 ,ithier mistakes when he says that ,st4
 ,stephen went to     ,benevento in the 
twelfth year of his age2 and remained   
there twelve     years4 ,he went only   
then to ,paris to ,milo1 who was bishop 
only two     years4 ,see ,martenne1 p4  
#ajec4  ,,st4 ,,paul1 ,,bishop ,,of     
,,verdun1 ,c4  ,,having lived in the    
world a perfect pattern of perfection by
 alms1 fasts1 assiduous prayer1         
meekness1 and charity1 he retired among 

the hermits of #che ,mount ,voge1 near  
,triers1 on a hill called from him      
,paulberg4 ,king ,dagobert placed him in
 the episcopal chair of ,verdun1 and was
 his protector in his zealous labors and
 ample foundations of that church4 ,the 
saint died in #fca4 ,see his authentic  
anonymous life in ,henschenius4 ,also   
,calmet1 ,hist4 de ,lorraine1 t4 #a1 l4 
#i1 n4 #da1 p4 #djb4 ,bollandus1 ,feb4  
t4 #b1 p4 #afi4  ,,st4 ,,cuthman1 ,c4   
,,the spiritual riches of divine grace  
were the happy portion of this saint1   
who seemed from his cradle formed to    
perfect virtue4 ,his name demonstrates  
him to have been an ,english-,saxon1 not
 of ,british extraction1 either from    
,wales or ,cornwall1 as ,bollandus      
conjectured4 ,he was born in the        
southern parts of ,england1 and1 from   
the example of his pious parents1       
inherited the most perfect spirit of    
,christian piety4 ,from his infancy he  
never once transgressed their orders in 
the least article1 and when sent by his 

father to keep his sheep1 he never      
failed coming home exactly at the time  
appointed4 ,this employment afforded him
 an opportunity of consecrating his     
affections to ,god1 by the exercises of 
holy prayer1 which only necessary       
occasions seemed to interrupt1 and which
 he may be said to have always continued
 in spirit1 according to that of the    
spouse in the ,canticles3 ,i sleep1 but 
my heart watcheth4 ,by the constant     
union of his soul with ,god1 and        
application to the functions and        
exercises of the angels1 the affections 
of his soul were rendered daily more and
 more pure1 and his sentiments and whole
 conduct more heavenly and angelical4   
,what gave his prayer this wonderful    
force in correcting and transforming his
 affections1 was the perfect spirit of  
simplicity1 disengagement from          
creatures1 self-denial1 meekness1       
humility1 obedience1 and piety1 in which
 it was founded4 ,we find so little     
change in our souls by our devotions1   

because we neglect the practice of      
self-denial and mortification1 live     
wedded to the world1 and slaves to our  
senses and to self-love1 which is an    
insuperable obstacle to this principal  
effect of holy prayer4 ,cuthman1 after  
the death of his father1 employed his   
whole fortune and all that he gained by 
the labor of his hands1 in supporting   
his decrepit mother3 and afterwards was 
not ashamed to beg for her subsistence4 
,to furnish her necessaries by the sweat
 of his brow1 and by the charitable     
succors of others1 he removed to several
 places2 nor is it to be expressed what 
hardships and austerities he voluntarily
 and cheerfully suffered1 which he      
embraced as part of his penance1        
increasing their severity in order more 
perfectly to die to himself and to his  
senses1 and sanctifying them by the most
 perfect dispositions in which he bore  
them4 ,finding1 at a place called       
,steninges1 a situation according to his
 desire1 he built there a little cottage

 to be a shelter from the injuries of   
the air1 in which1 with his mother1 he  
might devote himself to the divine      
service1 without distraction4 ,his hut  
was no sooner finished but he measured  
out the ground near it for the          
foundation of a church1 which he dug    
with his own hands4 ,the inhabitants1   
animated by his piety and zeal1         
contributed liberally to assist him in  
completing this work4 ,the holy man     
worked himself all day1 conversing at   
the same time in his heart with ,god1   
and employed a considerable part of the 
night in prayer4 ,here he said in his   
heart3 ,whither shall ,i go from thy    
spirit1 ,o ,lord6 this is the place of  
my rest for ever and ever1 in which ,i  
will every day render to thee my vows4  
,his name was rendered famous by many   
miracles1 of which ,god was pleased to  
make him the instrument1 both living and
 after his death4 ,he flourished about  
the eighth century1 and his relics were 
honored at ,steninges4 ,this place      

,saint ,edward #chf the ,confessor      
bestowed on the great abbey of ,fecam in
 ,normandy1 which was enriched with a   
portion of his relics4 ,this donation of
 ,steninges1 together with ,rye1        
,berimunster1 and other neighboring     
places1 made to the abbey of ,fecam1 was
 confirmed to the same by ,william the  
,conqueror1 and the two first ,henries1 
whose charters are still kept among the 
archives of that house1 and were shown  
me there4 ,this parish1 and that of     
,rye1 were of the exemption of ,fecam1  
that is1 were not subject to the        
jurisdiction of the diocesan1 but to    
this abbey1 as twenty-four parishes in  
,normandy are to this day4 ,for in the  
enumeration of the parishes which belong
 to this exemption in the bulls of      
several popes1 in which it is confirmed1
 ,steninges and ,rye are always         
mentioned with this additional clause1  
that those places are situated in       
,england4#a ,st4 ,cuthman was titular   
patron of ,steninges or ,estaninges1 and

 is honored to this day1 on the #hth of 
,february1 in the great abbeys of       
,fecam1 ,jumieges1 and others in        
,normandy3 and his name occurs in the   
old ,missal1 used by the ,english       
,saxons before the ,norman conquest1    
kept in the monastery of ,jumieges1 in  
which a proper mass is assigned for his 
feast on the #hth of ,february4 ,in the 
account of the principal shrines of     
relics of saints1 honored anciently in  
,england1 published by the most learned 
,dr4 ,hickes1 mention is made of ,st4   
,cuthman's1 as follows3 ,at ,steninge1  
on the river ,bramber1 among the        
,south-,saxons1 rests ,st4 ,cuthman4    
,see ,narratio de ,sanctis qui in       
,anglia quiescunt1 published by ,hickes1
 in his ,thesaurus ,linguarum veterum   
,septentr4 t4 #a1 in ,dissert4 ,epistol4
 p4 #aba4 ,see also two lives of ,st4   
,cuthman1 in ,bollandus1 t4 #b1 ,feb4 p4
 #aig1 and the more accurate lessons for
 his festival in the breviary of ,fecam4
 ,he is honored in most of the          

,benedictin abbeys in ,normandy4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,bollandus had not seen
 these charters and bulls1 or he could  
not     have supposed ,steninges to be  
situated in ,normandy1 and ,st4 ,cuthman
     to have died in that province4 ,dom
 ,le ,noir1 a learned ,benedictin       
monk of the congregation of ,st4 ,maur1 
and library-keeper at ,fecam1     who is
 employed in compiling a history of     
,normandy1 gives me the     following   
information by a letter from ,fecam3 ,on
 tient ici a ,feca1     pas une espece  
de tradition que ,hastings1 port        
d',angleterre1 sur la     ,manche1 dens 
le comte de ,sossex1 et dans le         
voisinage de ,rye1 est le     ,staninges
 de l',abbaye de ,fecam4 ,si le nom est 
un pen different     aujourd'hui on voit
 des noms des lieux qui ont souffert des
 plus     grandes alterations4 ,this    
pretended tradition is an evident       
mistake4 ,hastings was a famous sea-port
 under the same name1 in the     ninth  
century1 and ,stening is at this day a  

borough in ,sussex1     situated under  
the reins of ,bramber castle1 not far   
from the river1     which was formerly  
navigable so high1 though at present    
even     ,shoreham at its month has no  
harbor1 the sea having made frequent    
changes on this coast1 especially in the
 twelfth century4   ,,february ,,ix4    
,,st4 ,,apollonia1 ,,virgin ,,and       
,,martyr4  ,her acts are of no          
authority1 and falsely place her triumph
 at ,rome1 instead of ,alexandria4 ,see 
,tillemont1 t4 #c1 p4 #die4 ,her        
authentic history is in the letter of   
,st4 ,dionysius1 then bishop of         
,alexandria1 preserved by ,eusebius1 l4 
#f1 c4 #da1 #db1 p4 #bcf4 ,ed4 ,val4    
,a4,d4 #bdi4  ,,st4 ,,dionysius of      
,alexandria wrote to ,fabius1 bishop of 
,antioch1 a relation of the persecution 
raised at ,alexandria by the heathen    
populace of that city1 in the last year 
of the reign of the emperor ,philip4 ,a 
certain poet of ,alexandria1 who        
pretended to foretell things to come1   

stirred up this great city against the  
,christians on the motive of religion4  
,the first victim of their rage was a   
venerable old man1 named ,metras1 or    
,metrius1 whom they would have compelled
 to utter impious words against the     
worship of #chg the true ,god3 which1   
when he refused to do1 they beat him    
with staffs1 thrust splinters of reeds  
into his eyes1 and having dragged him   
into one of the suburbs1 stoned him to  
death4 ,the next person they seized was 
a ,christian woman1 called ,quinta1 whom
 they carried to one of their temples to
 pay divine worship to the idol4 ,she   
loaded the execrable divinity with many 
reproaches1 which so exasperated the    
people that they dragged her by the     
heels upon the pavement of sharp        
pebbles1 cruelly scourged her1 and put  
her to the same death4 ,the rioters1 by 
this time1 were in the height of their  
fury4 ,alexandria seemed like a city    
taken by storm4 ,the ,christians mads no
 opposition1 but betook themselves to   

flight1 and beheld the loss of their    
goods with joy2 for their hearts had no 
ties on earth4 ,their constancy was     
equal to their disinterestedness2 for of
 all who fell into their hands1 ,st4    
,dionysius knew of none that renounced  
,christ4  ,the admirable ,apollonia1    
whom old age and the state of virginity 
rendered equally venerable1 was seized  
by them4 ,their repeated blows on her   
jaws beat out all her teeth4 ,at last   
they made a great fire without the city1
 and threatened to cast her into it1 if 
she did not utter certain impious words4
 ,she begged a moment's delay1 as if it 
had been to deliberate on the proposal2 
but1 to convince her persecutors that   
her sacrifice was perfectly voluntary1  
she no sooner found herself at liberty1 
than of her own accord she leaped into  
the flames4 ,they next exercised their  
fury on a holy man called ,serapion1 and
 tortured him in his own house with     
great cruelty4 ,after bruising his      
limbs1 disjointing and breaking his     

bones1 they threw him headlong from the 
top of the house on the pavement1 and so
 completed his martyrdom4 ,a civil war  
among the pagan citizens put an end to  
their fury this year1 but the edict of  
,decius renewed it in #bej4 ,see the    
rest of the relation on the #bgth of    
,february4 ,an ancient church in ,rome1 
which is frequented with great devotion1
 bears the name of ,st4 ,apollonia3     
under whose patronage we meet with      
churches and altars in most parts of the
 ,western church4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,the last part of 
our saint's conduct is not proposed to  
our imitation1 as self-murder is        
unjustifiable4 ,if any among the        
,fathers have commended it1 they        
presumed1 with ,st4 ,austin1 that it was
 influenced by a particular direction of
 the ,holy ,ghost1 or was the effect of 
a pious simplicity1 founded in motives  
of holy zeal and charity4 ,for it can   
never be lawful for a person by any     
action wilfully to concur to1 or hasten 

his own death1 though many martyrs out  
of an ardent charity1 and desire of     
laying down their lives for ,god1 and   
being speedily united to him1           
anticipated the executioners in         
completing their sacrifice4 ,among the  
impious1 absurd1 and false maxims of the
 ,pagan ,greeks and ,romans1 scarce any 
thing was more monstrous than the manner
 in which they canonized suicide in     
distress1 as a remedy against temporal  
miseries1 and a point of heroism4 ,to   
bear infamy and all kind of sufferings  
with unshaken constancy and virtue1 is  
true courage and greatness of soul1 and 
the test and triumph of virtue3 and to  
sink under misfortunes1 is the most     
unworthy baseness of soul4 ,but what    
name can we find for the pusillanimity  
of those who are not able so much as to 
look humiliations1 poverty1 or          
affliction in the face8 ,our life we    
hold of ,god1 and he who destroys it    
injures ,god1 to whom he owes it4 ,he   
refuses also to his friends and to the  

republic of mankind1 the comfort and    
succors which they are entitled in      
justice or charity to receive from him4 
,moreover1 if to murder another is the  
greatest temporal injustice a man can   
commit against a neighbor1 life being of
 all temporal blessings the greatest and
 most noble1 suicide is a crime so much 
more enormous1 as the charity which     
every one owes to himself1 especially to
 his immortal soul1 is stricter1 #chh   
more noble and of a superior order to   
that which he owes to his neighbor4     
,,saint ,,nicephorus1 ,m4  ,from his    
genuine ,acts in ,ruinart1 p4 #bdd4     
,tillemont1 t4 #d1 p4 #af4  ,,there     
dwelt in ,antioch a priest called       
,sapricius1 and a layman1 named         
,nicephorus1 who had been linked        
together for many years by the strictest
 friendship4 ,but the enemy of mankind  
sowing between them the seeds of        
discord1 this their friendship was      
succeeded by the most implacable hatred1
 and they declined meeting each other in

 the streets4 ,thus it continued a      
considerable time4 ,at length1          
,nicephorus1 entering into himself1 and 
reflecting on the grievousness of the   
sin of hatred1 resolved on seeking a    
reconciliation4 ,he accordingly deputed 
some friends to go to ,sapricius to beg 
his pardon1 promising him all reasonable
 satisfaction for the injury done him4  
,but the priest refused to forgive him4 
,nicephorus sent other friends to him on
 the same errand1 but though they       
pressed and entreated him to be         
reconciled1 ,sapricius was inflexible4  
,nicephorus sent a third time1 but to no
 purpose2 ,sapricius having shut his    
ears not to men only1 but to ,christ    
himself1 who commands us to forgive as  
we ourselves hope to be forgiven4       
,nicephorus1 finding him deaf to the    
remonstrances of their common friends1  
went in person to his house1 and casting
 himself at his feet1 owned his fault1  
and begged pardon for ,christ's sake2   
but all in vain4  ,the persecution      

suddenly began to rage under ,valerian  
and ,gallien in the year #bfj4          
,sapricius was apprehended and brought  
before the governor1 who asked him his  
name4 ,it is ,sapricius1 answered he4   
,governor4 ,of what profession are you8 
,sapricius4 ,i am a ,christian4         
,governor4 ,are you of the clergy8      
,sapricius4 ,i have the honor to be a   
priest4 ,he added3 ,we ,christians      
acknowledge one ,lord and ,master ,jesus
 ,christ1 who is ,god2 the only and true
 ,god1 who created heaven and earth4    
,the gods of nations are devils4 ,the   
president1 exasperated at his answer1   
gave orders for him to be put into an   
engine1 like a screw-press1 which the   
tyrants had invented to torment the     
faithful4 ,the excessive pain of this   
torture did not shake ,sapricius's      
constancy1 and he said to the judges3   
,my body is in your power2 but my soul  
you cannot touch4 ,only my ,saviour     
,jesus ,christ is master of this4 ,the  
president seeing him so resolute1       

pronounced this sentence3 ,sapricius1   
priest of the ,christians1 who is       
ridiculously persuaded that he shall    
rise again1 shall be delivered over to  
the executioner of public justice to    
have his head severed from his body1    
because he has contemned the edict of   
the emperors4  ,sapricius seemed to     
receive the sentence with great         
cheerfulness1 and was to haste to arrive
 at the place of execution in hopes of  
his crown4 ,nicephorus ran out to meet  
him1 and casting himself at his feet1   
said3 ,martyr of ,jesus ,christ1 forgive
 me my offence4 ,but ,sapricius made him
 no answer4 ,nicephorus waited for him  
in another street which he was to pass  
through1 and as soon as he saw him      
coming up1 broke through the crowd1 and 
falling again at his feet1 conjured him 
to pardon the fault he had committed    
against him1 through frailty rather than
 design4 ,this he begged by the glorious
 confession he had made of the divinity 
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,sapricius's heart   

was more and more hardened1 and now he  
would not so much as look on him4 ,the  
soldiers laughed at ,nicephorus1 saying3
 ,a greater fool than thou was never    
seen1 in being so solicitous for a man's
 #chi pardon who is upon the point of   
being executed4 ,being arrived at the   
place of execution1 ,nicephorus         
redoubled his humble entreaties and     
supplications3 but all in vain2 for     
,sapricius continued as obstinate as    
ever1 in refusing to forgive4 ,the      
executioners said to ,sapricius3 ,kneel 
down that we may cut off your head4     
,sapricius said4 ,upon what account8    
,they answered3 ,because you will not   
sacrifice to the gods1 nor obey the     
emperor's orders1 for the love of that  
man that is called ,christ4 ,the        
unfortunate ,sapricius cried out3 ,stop1
 my friends2 do not put me to death3 ,i 
will do what you desire3 ,i am ready to 
sacrifice4 ,nicephorus1 sensibly        
afflicted at his apostacy1 cried aloud  
to him3 ,brother1 what are you doing8   

renounce not ,jesus ,christ our good    
master4 ,forfeit not a crown you have   
already gained by tortures and          
sufferings4 ,but ,sapricius would give  
no manner of attention to what he said4 
,whereupon1 ,nicephorus1 with tears of  
bitter anguish for the fall of          
,sapricius1 said to the executioner3 ,i 
am a ,christian1 and believe in ,jesus  
,christ1 whom this wretch has renounced2
 behold me here ready to die in his     
stead4 ,all present were astonished at  
such an unexpected declaration4 ,the    
officers of justice being under an      
uncertainty how to proceed1 dispatched a
 lictor or beadle to the governor1 with 
this message3 ,sapricius promiseth to   
sacrifice1 but here is another desirous 
to die for the same ,christ1 saying3 ,i 
am a ,christian1 and refuse to sacrifice
 to your gods1 and comply with the      
edicts of the emperors4 ,the governor1  
on hearing this1 dictated the following 
sentence3 ,if this man persist in       
refusing to sacrifice to the immortal   

gods1 let him die by the sword3 which   
was accordingly put in execution4 ,thus 
,nicephorus received three immortal     
crowns1 namely1 of faith1 humility1 and 
charity1 triumphs which ,sapricius had  
made himself unworthy of4 ,the ,greek   
and the ,roman ,martyrologies mention   
him on this day4  ,,saint ,,theliau1    
,,bishop ,,and ,,confessor4  ,,he was   
born in the same province with ,st4     
,samson at ,eccluis-,guenwa1 near       
,monmouth4 ,his sister ,anaumed went    
over to ,armorica in #dij1 and upon her 
arrival was married to ,budic1 king of  
the ,armorican ,britons4 ,before she    
left her own country she promised ,st4  
,theliau to consecrate her first child  
in a particular manner to ,god4 ,our    
saint was educated under the holy       
discipline of ,st4 ,dubritius1 and soon 
after the year #ejj1 made a pilgrimage  
to ,jerusalem with his schoolfellows    
,st4 ,david and ,st4 ,paternus4 ,in     
their return ,st4 ,david stopped at     
,dole1 with ,sampson the elder1 who had 

been bishop of ,york1 but being expelled
 by the ,saxons1 fled into ,armorica and
 was made bishop of ,dole4 ,this prelate
 and ,st4 ,theliau planted a great      
avenue1 three miles long1 from ,dole to 
,cai1 which for several ages was known  
by their names4 ,the people of ,dole1   
with the bishop and king ,budic1 pressed
 our saint to accept of that bishopric2 
but in vain4 ,after his return into the 
island1 ,st4 ,dubritius being removed   
from the see of ,landaff to that of     
,caerleon1 in #die1 ,theliau was        
compelled to succeed him in ,landaff1 of
 which church he has always been        
esteemed the principal patron4 ,his     
great learning1 piety1 and pastoral     
zeal1 especially in the choice and      
instruction of his clergy1 have procured
 him a high reputation which no age can 
ever obliterate1 says ,leland4#a ,his   
authority alone decided whatever        
controversies arose in his time4 ,when  
the yellow plague depopulated ,wales1 he
 exerted his courage and charity with an

 heroic intrepidity4 ,providence        
preserved his life for the sake of      
others1 and he died #cij about the year 
#ehj1 in a happy old age1 in solitude1  
where he had for some time prepared     
himself for his passage4 ,the place     
where he departed to our ,lord was      
called from him ,llan deilo-vaur1 that  
is1 the church of the great ,theliau3 it
 was situated on the bank of the river  
,tovy in ,caermarthenshire4 ,the        
,landaff register names among the most  
eminent of his disciples his nephew ,st4
 ,oudoceus1 who succeeded him in the see
 of ,landaff1 ,st4 ,ismael1 whom he     
consecrated bishop1 ,st4 ,tyfhei1       
martyr1 who reposeth in ,pennalun1 c4   
,see ,capgrave1 ,harpsfield1 ,wharton1  
,brown-,willis1 ,d4 ,morice1 ,hist4 de  
,bretagne1 t4 #a1 p4 #bb1 and the notes1
 pp4 #ghe and #hai4 ,bolland4 ,feb4 t4  
#b1 p4 #cjc4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,de      
,script4 ,brit4 c4 #cj4  ,,st4          
,,ansbert1 ,,archbishop ,,of ,,rouen1   
,c4 ,,in #fie4  ,,he had been chancellor

 to king ,clotaire ,,iii41 in which     
station he had united the mortification 
and recollection of a monk with the     
duties of wedlock1 and of a statesman4  
,quitting the court1 he put on the      
monastic habit at ,fontenelle1 under    
,st4 ,wandregisile1 and when that holy  
founder's immediate successor1 ,st4     
,lantbert1 was made bishop of ,lyons1   
,ansbert was appointed abbot of that    
famous monastery4 ,he was confessor to  
king ,theodoric ,,iii41 and with his    
consent was chosen archbishop of ,rouen1
 upon the death of ,st4 ,owen in #fhc4  
,by his care1 good order1 learning1 and 
piety flourished in his diocese2        
nevertheless ,pepin1 mayor of the       
palace1 banished him1 upon a false      
accusation1 to the monastery of ,aumont1
 upon the ,sambre in ,hainault1 where he
 died in the year #fih4 ,see ,mab4      
,saec4 #b1 ,ben4 and ,annal4 l4 #ah44   
,rivet1 ,hist4 ,litter4 t4 #d1 p4 #cc1  
and t4 #c1 p4 #fdf4 ,henschenius1 ,feb4 
t4 #b1 p4 #cdb4  ,,st4 ,,attracta1 ,,or 

,,tarahata1 ,,an ,,irish ,,virgin4      
,,she received the veil from ,st4       
,patrick1 and lived at a place called   
from her ,kill-,attracta to this day1 in
 ,connaught4 ,her acts in ,colgan are of
 no authority4  ,,st4 ,,erhard1 ,,abbot1
 ,c4  ,,called ,,by ,,mersaeus ,,and    
,,other ,,germans1 ,,eberhardus4  ,,he  
was a ,scotchman by birth1 and being    
well instructed in the scriptures1 went 
into ,germany to preach the gospel1 with
 two brothers4 ,he taught the sacred    
sciences at ,triers1 when ,st4          
,hydulphus was bishop of that city1 whom
 ,welser and some others take for a     
,scot1 and one of our saint's brothers4 
,when ,st4 ,hydulphus resigned his      
bishopric to end his days in retirement 
in #gec1 ,st4 ,erhard withdrew to       
,ratisbon1 where he founded a small     
monastery1 and is said to have been     
honored with miracles1 both living and  
after his death1 which happened to that 
city4 ,he was commemorated on this day  
in ,scotland1 but in ,germany on the    

#hth of ,january4 ,see ,peter           
,merssaeus1 ,catal4 ,archiep4           
,trevirens4 ,m4 ,welserus1 l4 #e4 ,rerum
 ,biocar1 ad ab1 #gec4 ,pantaleon1      
,prosopographiae1 part #a4  #cia        
,,february ,x4  ,,st4 ,,scholastica1    
,,virgin4  ,from ,st4 ,gregory the      
,great1 ,dial4 l4 #b1 c4 #cc and #cd4   
,about the year #edc4  ,,this saint was 
sister to the great ,st4 ,benedict4 ,she
 consecrated herself to ,god from her   
earliest youth1 as ,st4 ,gregory        
testifies4 ,where her first monastery   
was situated is not mentioned2 but after
 her brother removed to ,mount ,cassino1
 she chose her retreat at ,plombariola1 
in that neighborhood1 where she founded 
and governed a nunnery about five miles 
distant to the south from ,st4          
,benedict's monastery4#a ,st4           
,bertharius1 who was abbot of ,cassino  
three hundred years after1 says1 that   
she instructed in virtue several of her 
own sex4 ,and whereas ,st4 ,gregory     
informs us1 that ,st4 ,benedict governed

 nuns as well as monks1 his sister must 
have been their abbess under his rule   
and direction4 ,she visited her holy    
brother once a year1 and as she was not 
allowed to enter his monastery1 he went 
out with some of his monks to meet her  
at a house at some small distance4 ,they
 spent these visits in the praises of   
,god1 and in conferring together on     
spiritual matters1 ,st4 ,gregory relates
 a remarkable circumstance of the last  
of these visits4 ,scholastica having    
passed the day as usual in singing      
psalms1 and pious discourse1 they sat   
down in the evening to take their       
refection4 ,after it was over1          
,scholastica1 perhaps foreknowing it    
would be their last interview in this   
world1 or at least desirous of some     
further spiritual improvement1 was very 
urgent with her brother to delay his    
return till the next day1 that they     
might entertain themselves till morning 
upon the happiness of the other life4   
,st4 ,benedict1 unwilling to transgress 

his rule1 told her he could not pass a  
night out of his monastery3 so desired  
her not to insist upon such a breach of 
monastic discipline4 ,scholastica1      
finding him resolved on going home1     
laying her hands joined upon the table  
and her head upon them1 with many tears 
begged of ,almighty ,god to interpose in
 her behalf4 ,her prayer was scarce     
ended1 when there happened such a storm 
of rain1 thunder1 and lightning1 that   
neither ,st4 ,benedict nor any of his   
companions could set a foot out of      
doors4 ,he complained to his sister1    
saying3 ,god forgive you1 sister2 what  
have you done8 ,she answered3 ,i asked  
you a favor1 and you refused it me3 ,i  
asked it of ,almighty ,god1 and he has  
granted it me4 ,st4 ,benedict was       
therefore obliged to comply with her    
request1 and they spent the night in    
conferences on pious subjects1 chiefly  
on the felicity of the blessed1 to which
 both most ardently aspired1 and which  
she was shortly to enjoy4 ,the nest     

morning they parted1 and three days     
after ,st4 ,scholastica died in her     
solitude4 ,st4 ,benedict was then alone 
in contemplation on ,mount ,cassino1 and
 lifting up his eyes to heaven1 he saw  
the soul of his sister ascending thither
 in the shape of a dove4 ,filled with   
joy at her happy passage1 he gave thanks
 for it to ,god1 and declared her death 
to his brethren2 some of whom he sent to
 bring her corpse to his monastery1     
where #cib he caused it to be laid in   
the tomb which he had prepared for      
himself4 ,she must have died about the  
year #edc4 ,her relics are said to have 
been translated into ,france1 together  
with those of ,st4 ,bennet1 in the      
seventh century1 according to the       
relation given by the monk ,adrevald4#b 
,they are said to have been deposited at
 ,mans1 and kept in the collegiate      
church of ,st4 ,peter in that city in a 
rich silver shrine4#c ,in #aefb this    
shrine was preserved from being         
plundered by the ,huguenots1 as is      

related by ,chatelain4 ,her principal   
festival at ,mans is kept a holyday on  
the #aath of ,july1 the day of the      
translation of her relics4 ,she was     
honored in some places with an office of
 three lessons1 in the time of ,st4     
,louis1 as appears from a calendar of   
,longchamp1 written in his reign4       
,lewis of ,granada1 treating on the     
perfection of the love of ,god1 mentions
 the miraculous storm obtained by ,st4  
,scholastica1 to show with what excess  
of goodness ,god is always ready to hear
 the petitions and desires of his       
servants4 ,this pious soul must have    
received strong pledges and most        
sensible tokens of his love1 seeing she 
depended on receiving so readily what   
she asked of him4 ,no child could       
address himself with so great confidence
 to his most tender parent4 ,the love   
which ,god bears us1 and his readiness  
to succor and comfort us1 if we humbly  
confess and lay before him our wants1   
infinitely surpasses all that can be    

found in creatures4 ,nor can we be      
surprised that he so easily heard the   
prayer of this holy virgin1 since at the
 command of ,joshua he stopped the      
heavens1 ,god obeying the voice of man4 
,he hears the most secret desires of    
those that fear and love him1 and does  
their will3 if he sometimes seem deaf to
 their cries1 it is to grant their main 
desire by doing what is most expedient  
for them1 as ,st4 ,austin frequently    
observes4 ,the short prayer by which    
,st4 ,scholastica gained this remarkable
 victory over her brother1 who was one  
of the greatest saints on earth1 was    
doubtless no more than a single act of  
her pure desires1 which she continually 
turned towards1 and fixed on her        
beloved4 ,it was enough for her to cast 
her eye interiorly upon him with whom   
she was closely and inseparably united  
in mind and affections1 to move him so  
suddenly to change the course of the    
elements in order to satisfy her pious  
desire4 ,by placing herself1 as a docile

 scholar1 continually at the feet of the
 ,divine ,majesty1 who filled all the   
powers of her soul with the sweetness of
 his heavenly communications1 she       
learned that sublime science of         
perfection in which she became a        
mistress to so many other chaste souls  
by this divine exercise4 ,her life in   
her retirement1 to that happy moment    
which closed her mortal pilgrimage1 was 
a continued uniform contemplation1 by   
which all her powers were united to1 and
 transformed into ,god4  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,this nunnery underwent the same fate 
with the abbey of ,mount     ,cassino1  
both being burnt to the ground by the   
,lombards4 ,when     ,rachim1 king of   
that nation1 having been converted to   
the ,catholic     faith by the          
exhortations of pope ,zachary1          
re-established that     abbey1 and      
taking the monastic habit1 ended his    
life there1 his     queen ,tasai and his
 daughter ,ratruda rebuilt and richly   
endowed the     nunnery of ,plombariola1

 in which they lived with great         
regularity to     their deaths1 as is   
related by ,leo of ,ostia in his        
,chronicle of     ,mount ,cassino1 ad   
an4 #gej4 ,it has been since destroyed1 
so that at     present the land is only 
a farm belonging to the monastery of    
,mount     ,cassino4 ,see ,dom ,mege1   
,vie de ,st4 ,benoit1 p4 #dab4          
,chatelain1 ,notes1     p4 #fje4        
,murarori1 ,antichita1 c4 t4 #c4 p4     
#djj4 ,diss4 #ff1 del     ,monasteri    
delle ,monache4 #b4  ,see ,paul the     
deacon1 ,hist4 ,longob4 and ,dom ,mege1 
,vie de ,st4 ,benoit1     p4 #dh4 #c4   
,that the relics of ,st4 ,bennet were   
privately carried off from ,mount       
,cassino1 in #ffj1 soon after the       
monastery was destroyed1 and brought    
to ,fleury on the ,loire by ,algiulph   
the monk1 and those of ,st4             
,scholastica1 by certain persons of     
,mans to that city1 is maintained     by
 ,mabillon1 ,menard1 and ,bosche4 ,but  
that the relics of both these     saints

 still remain at ,mount ,cassino1 is    
strenuously affirmed by     ,loretus    
,angelus de ,nuce1 and ,marchiarelli1   
the late learned monk of     the ,order 
of ,camaldoli3 and this assertion       
,benedict ,,xiv4 looks upon     as      
certain1 7de ,canoniz4 l4 #d1 part #b1  
c4 #bd1 t1 #d1 p4 #bde47 ,for     pope  
,zachary in his bull assures us1 that he
 devoutly honored the     relics of     
,,ss4 ,benedict and ,scholastica1 at    
,mount ,cassino1 in #gdf4     ,leo      
,ostiensis and ,peter the deacon visited
 them and found them     untouched in   
#ajga1 as ,alexander ,,ii4 affirms in   
the bull he published     when he       
consecrated the new church there4 ,by   
careful visitations     made by         
authority1 in #adhf and #aede1 the same 
is proved4 ,yet ,angelus     de ,nuce   
allows some portions of both saints to  
be at ,mans and     ,fleury1 on the     
,loire4 ,against the supposed           
translation of the whole     shrines of 
,st4 ,benedict and ,st4 ,scholastica    

into ,france1 see     ,muratori1        
,antichita1 c41 dissert4 #eh1 t4 #c1 p4 
#bdd4  #cic  ,,st4 ,,soteris1 ,,virgin  
,,and ,,martyr4  ,from ,st4 ,ambrose1   
,exhort4 ,virginit1 c4 #ab1 and l4 #c4  
de ,virgin4 c4 #f ,tillemont1 t4 #e1 p4 
#bei4  ,,fourth ,,age4  ,,st4 ,,ambrose 
boasts of this saint as the greatest    
honor of his family4 ,st4 ,soteris was  
descended from a long series of consuls 
and prefects3 but her greatest glory was
 her despising1 for the sake of ,christ1
 birth1 riches1 great beauty1 and all   
that the world prizes as valuable4 ,she 
consecrated her virginity to ,god1 and  
to avoid the dangers her beauty exposed 
her to1 neglected it entirely1 and      
trampled under her feet all the vain    
ornaments that might set it off4 ,her   
virtue prepared her to make a glorious  
confession of her faith before the      
persecutors1 after the publication of   
the cruel edicts of ,dioclesian and     
,maximian against the ,christians4 ,the 
impious judge commanded her face to be  

buffeted4 ,she rejoiced to be treated as
 her divine ,saviour had been1 and to   
have her face all wounded and disfigured
 by the merciless blows of the          
executioners4 ,the judge ordered her to 
be tortured many other ways1 but without
 being able to draw from her one sigh or
 tear4 ,at length1 overcome by her      
constancy and patience1 he commanded her
 head to be struck off4 ,the ancient    
martyrologies mention her4  ,,st4       
,,william ,,of ,,maleval1 ,h4  ,,and    
,,instituter ,,of ,,the ,,order ,,of    
,,gulielmites4  ,from l',hist des       
,ordres ,relig41 t4 #f1 p4 #aee1 by ,f4 
,helyot4  ,a4,d4 #aaeg  ,,we know       
nothing of the birth or quality of this 
saint3 he seems to have been a          
,frenchman1 and is on this account      
honored in the new ,paris ,missal and   
,breviary4 ,he is thought to have passed
 his youth in the army1 and to have     
given into a licentious manner of       
living1 too common among persons of that
 profession4 ,the first accounts we have

 of him represent him as a holy         
penitent1 filled with the greatest      
sentiments of compunction and fervor1   
and making a pilgrimage to the tombs of 
the apostles at ,rome4 ,here he begged  
pope ,eugenius ,,iii4 to put him into a 
course of penance1 who enjoined him a   
pilgrimage to ,jerusalem in the year    
#aade4 ,in performing this1 with great  
devotion1 the saint spent eight years4  
,returning into ,tuscany1 in #aaec1 he  
retired into a desert4 ,he was prevailed
 upon to undertake the government of a  
monastery in the isle of ,lupocavio1 in 
the territory of ,pisa1 but not being   
able to bear with the tepidity and      
irregularity of his monks1 he withdrew1 
and settled on ,mount ,pruno1 till1     
finding disciples there no less indocile
 to the severity of his discipline than 
the former1 he was determined to pursue 
himself that rigorous plan of life which
 he had hitherto unsuccessfully proposed
 to others4 ,he pitched upon a desolate 
valley for this purpose1 the very sight 

of which was sufficient to strike the   
most resolute with horror4 ,it was then 
called the ,stable of ,rhodes1 but      
since1 ,maleval2 and is situated in the 
territory of ,sienna1 in the diocese of 
,grosseto4 ,he entered this frightful   
solitude in ,september1 #aaee1 and had  
no other lodging than a cave in the     
ground1 till being discovered some      
months after1 the lord of ,buriano built
 him a cell4 ,during the first four     
months1 he had no other company than    
that of wild beasts eating only the     
herbs on which they fed4 #cid ,on the   
feast of the ,epiphany1 in the beginning
 of the year #aaef1 he was joined by a  
disciple or companion1 called ,albert1  
who lived with him to his death1 which  
happened thirteen months after1 and who 
has recorded the last circumstances of  
his life4 ,the saint1 discoursing with  
others1 always treated himself as the   
most infamous of criminals1 and         
deserving the worst of deaths2 and that 
these were his real sentiments1 appeared

 from that extreme severity which he    
exercised upon himself4 ,he lay on the  
bare ground3 though he fed on the       
coarsest fare1 and drank nothing but    
water1 he was very sparing in the use of
 each2 saying1 sensuality was to be     
feared even in the most ordinary food4  
,prayer1 divine contemplation1 and      
manual labor1 employed his whole time4  
,it was at his work that he instructed  
his disciple in his maxims of penance   
and perfection1 which he taught him the 
most effectually by his own example1    
though in many respects so much raised  
above the common1 that it was fitter to 
be admired than imitated4 ,he had the   
gift of miracles1 and that of prophecy4 
,seeing his end draw near1 he received  
the sacraments from a priest of the     
neighboring town of ,chatillon1 and died
 on the #ajth of ,february1 in #aaeg1 on
 which day he is named in the ,roman and
 other martyrologies4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,divine  
,providence moved one ,renauld1 a       

physician1 to join ,albert1 a little    
before the death of the saint4 ,they    
buried ,st4 ,william's body in his      
little garden1 and studied to live      
according to his maxims and example4    
,some time after1 their number          
increasing1 they built a chapel over    
their founder's grave1 with a little    
hermitage4 ,this was the origin of the  
,gulielmites1 or ,hermits of ,st4       
,william1 spread in the next age over   
,italy1 ,france1 ,flanders1 and         
,germany4 ,they went barefoot1 and their
 fasts were almost continual3 but pope  
,gregory ,,ix4 mitigated their          
austerities1 and gave them the rule of  
,st4 ,benedict1 which they still        
observe4 ,the order is now become a     
congregation united to the hermits of   
,st4 ,austin1 except twelve houses to   
the ,low ,countries1 which still retain 
the rule of the ,gulielmites1 which is  
that of ,st4 ,benedict1 with a white    
habit like that of the ,cistercians4    
,the feast of ,st4 ,william is kept at  

,paris in the ,abbey of                 
,blancs-,manteaux1 so called from       
certain religious men for whom it was   
founded1 who wore white cloaks1 and were
 of a mendicant ,order1 called of the   
,servants of the ,virgin ,mary3 founded 
at ,marseilles1 and approved by         
,alexander ,,iv41 in #abeg4 ,this order 
being extinguished1 by virtue of the    
decree of the second council of ,lyons1 
in #abgd1 by which all mendicants1      
except the four great ,orders of        
,dominicans1 ,franciscans1 ,carmelites1 
and ,austin friars1 were abolished1 this
 monastery was bestowed on the          
,gulielmites1 who removed hither from   
,montrouge1 near ,paris1 in #abig4 ,the 
prior and monks embraced the order of   
,st4 ,bennet1 and the reformation of the
 ,congregation of ,st4 ,vanne of        
,verdun1 soon after called in ,france1  
of ,st4 ,maur1 in #afah1 and this is in 
order the fifth house of that           
,congregation in ,france1 before the    
abbeys of ,st4 ,germany-des-,prez1 and  

,st4 ,denys4#a  ,footnotes3 #a4         
,villefore confounds this saint with    
,st4 ,william1 founder of the           
hermits of ,monte ,virgine in the       
kingdom of ,naples1 who lived in        
great repute with king ,roger1 and is   
commemorated in the ,roman              
,martyrology1 ,june #be4 ,others        
confound him with ,st4 ,william1 duke of
     ,aquitaine1 a monk of ,gellone4 ,he
 was a great general1 and often         
vanquished the ,saracens who invaded    
,languedoc4 ,in recompense1             
,charlemagne made him duke or governor  
of ,aquitaine1 and appointed            
,toulouse for his residence4 ,some years
 after1 in #hjf1 having     obtained the
 consent of his duchess1 7who also      
renounced the world17     and or        
,charlemagne1 though with great         
difficulty1 he made his     monastic    
profession at ,gellone1 a monastery     
which he had founded in     a valley of 
that name1 a league distant from        
,aniane1 in the diocese     of ,lodeve4 

,st4 ,william received the habit at the 
hands of ,st4     ,benedict of ,aniane1 
was directed by him in the exercises of 
a     religious life1 and sanctified    
himself with great fervor1 embracing    
the most humbling and laborious         
employments1 and practising             
extraordinary austerities1 till his     
happy death in #hab1 on the #bhth     of
 ,may1 on which day his festival is kept
 in the monastery of     ,gellone1 7now 
called ,st4 ,guillem de ,desert1 founded
 by this saint in     #hjd17 and in the 
neighboring churches4 ,see1 on him1     
,mabillon1 ,saec4     ,ben4 #d1 p4 #hh4 
,henschenius1 diss1 p4 #dhh4 ,bultea p4 
#cfg4 and ,hist4     ,gen4 du ,languedoc
 par deux ,benedictins1 l4 #i4 ,many    
have also     confounded our saint with 
,william1 the last duke of ,guienne1    
who1     after a licentious youth1 and  
having been an abettor of the           
anti-pope1 ,peter ,leonis1 was          
wonderfully converted by ,st4 ,bernard1 
sent to him by pope ,innocent ,,ii41 in 

the year #aace4 ,the year     following 
he renounced his estates1 which his     
eldest daughter     brought in marriage 
to ,louis the ,young1 king of ,france2  
and clothed     with hair-cloth next his
 skin1 end in a tattered garment        
expressive     of the sincerity of his  
repentance and contrition1 undertook a  
pilgrimage to ,compostella1 and died in 
that journey1 in #aacg4 ,see            
,ordericus ,vitalis1 ,hist4 ,norman4 et 
,armoldus ,bonae-,vallis1 in vita       
,bernardi2 with the ,historical         
,dissert4 of ,henschenius on the #ajth  
of     ,february2 and ,abrege ,chronol4 
des ,grands ,fiefs1 p4 #bbc4  #cie      
,,saint ,,erlulph1 ,,bishop ,,and       
,,martyr4  ,,several ,scottish          
missionaries passed into the            
northwestern parts of ,germany1 to sow  
there the seeds of the faith1 at the    
time when ,charlemagne subdued the      
,saxons4 ,in imitation of these         
apostolic men1 ,st4 ,erlulph1 a holy    
,scotchman1 went thither1 and after     

employing many years with great success 
in that arduous mission1 was chosen the 
tenth bishop of ,verdun4 ,his zeal in   
propagating the faith enraged the       
barbarous infidels1 and he was slain by 
them at a place called ,eppokstorp1 in  
#hcj4 ,see ,krantzius1 l4 #c4 ,metrop4  
c4 #cj4 ,democh4 ,gatal4 episc4 ,verd4  
,pantaleon1 c4#a  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,this
 saint must not be confounded with      
,ernulph1 a most holy man1 the          
apostle of ,iceland1 who flourished in  
the year #hij2 on whom see     ,jonas1  
,histor4 ,islandiae4   ,,february ,,xi4 
,,ss4 ,,saturninus1 ,,dativus1  ,,and   
,,many ,,other ,,martyrs1 ,,of ,,africa4
  ,from their contemporary acts1        
received as authentic by ,st4 ,austin1  
,brevic4 ,coll4 die #c1 c4 #ag4 ,the    
,donatists added a preface to them and a
 few glosses1 in which condition they   
are published by ,baluzius1 t4 #b4 ,but 
,bollandus and ,ruinart give them       
genuine4  ,a4,d4 #cjd  ,,the emperor    
,dioclesian had commanded all           

,christians1 under pain of death1 to    
deliver up the holy scriptures to be    
burnt4 ,this persecution had raged a    
whole year in ,africa2 some had betrayed
 the cause of religion1 but many more   
had defended it with their blood1 when  
these saints were apprehended4 ,abitina1
 a city of the proconsular province of  
,africa1 was the theatre of their       
triumph4 ,saturninus1 priest of that    
city1 celebrated the divine mysteries on
 a ,sunday1 in the house of ,octavius   
,felix4 ,the magistrates having notice  
of it1 came with a troop of soldiers1   
and seized forty-nine persons of both   
sexes4 ,the principal among them were   
the priest ,saturninus1 with his four   
children1 viz43 young ,saturninus and   
,felix1 both ,lectors1 ,mary1 who had   
consecrated her virginity to ,god1 and  
,hilarianus1 yet a child2 also1         
,dativus1 a noble senator1 ,ampelius1   
,rogatianus1 and ,victoria4 ,dativus1   
the ornament of the senate of ,abitina1 
whom ,god destined to be one of the     

principal senators of heaven1 marched at
 the head of this holy troop4           
,saturninus walked by his side1         
surrounded by his illustrious family4   
,the others followed in silence4 ,being 
brought before the magistrates1 they    
confessed ,jesus ,christ so resolutely1 
that their very judges applauded their  
courage1 which repaired the infamous    
sacrilege committed there a little      
before by ,fundanus1 the bishop of      
,abitina1 who in that same place had    
given up to the magistrates the sacred  
books to be burnt3 but a violent shower 
suddenly falling1 put out the fire1 and 
a prodigious hail ravaged the whole     
country4  #cif  ,the confessors were    
shackled and sent to ,carthage1 the     
residence of the proconsul4 ,they       
rejoiced to see themselves in chains for
 ,christ1 and sung hymns and canticles  
during their whole journey to ,carthage1
 praising and thanking ,god4 ,the       
proconsul1 ,anulinus1 addressing himself
 first to ,dativus1 asked him of what   

condition he was1 and if he had assisted
 at the collect or assembly of the      
,christians4 ,he answered1 that he was a
 ,christian1 and had been present at it4
 ,the proconsul bid him discover who    
presided1 and in whose house those      
religious assemblies were held3 but     
without waiting for his answer1         
commanded him to be put on the rack and 
torn with iron hooks1 to oblige him to a
 discovery4 ,they underwent severally   
the tortures of the rack1 iron hooks1   
and cudgels4 ,the weaker sex fought no  
less gloriously1 particularly the       
illustrious ,victoria2 who1 being       
converted to ,christ in her tender      
years1 had signified a desire of leading
 a single life1 which her pagan parents 
would not agree to1 having promised her 
in marriage to a rich young nobleman4   
,victoria1 on the day appointed for the 
wedding1 full of confidence in the      
protection of ,him1 whom she had chosen 
for the only spouse of her soul1 leaped 
out of a window1 and was miraculously   

preserved from hurt4 ,having made her   
escape1 she took shelter in a church2   
after which she consecrated her         
virginity to ,god1 with the ceremonies  
then used on such occasions at          
,carthage1 in ,italy1 ,gaul1 and all    
over the ,west4#a ,to the crown of      
virginity1 she earnestly desired to join
 that of martyrdom4 ,the proconsul1 on  
account of her quality1 and for the sake
 of her brother1 a pagan1 tried all     
means to prevail with her to renounce   
her faith4 ,he inquired what was her    
religion4 ,her answer was3 ,i am a      
,christian4 ,her brother1               
,fortunatianus1 undertook her defence1  
and endeavored to prove her lunatic4    
,the saint1 fearing his plea might be   
the means of her losing the crown of    
martyrdom1 made it appear by her wise   
confutations of it1 that she was in her 
perfect senses1 and protested that she  
had not been brought over to            
,christianity against her will4 ,the    
proconsul asked her if she would return 

with her brother8 ,she said3 ,she could 
not1 being a ,christian1 and            
acknowledging none as brethren but those
 who kept the law of ,god4 ,the         
proconsul then laid aside the quality of
 judge to become her humble suppliant1  
and entreated her not to throw away her 
life4 ,but she rejected his entreaties  
with disdain1 and said to him3 ,i have  
already told you my mind4 ,i am a       
,christian1 and ,i assisted at the      
collect4 ,anulinus1 provoked at this    
constancy1 reassumed his rage1 and      
ordered her to prison with the rest1 to 
wait the sentence of death which he not 
long after pronounced upon them all4    
,the proconsul would yet try to gain    
,hilarianus1 ,saturninus's youngest son1
 not doubting to vanquish one of his    
tender age4 ,but the child showed more  
contempt than fear of the tyrant's      
threats1 and answered his               
interrogatories3 ,i am a ,christian3 ,i 
have been at the collect1 and it was of 
my own voluntary choice1 without any    

compulsion4 ,the proconsul threatened   
him with those little punishments with  
which children are accustomed to be     
chastised1 little knowing that ,god     
himself fights in his martyrs4 ,the     
child only laughed at him4 ,the governor
 then said to him3 ,i will cut off your 
nose and ears4 ,hilarianus replied3 ,you
 may do it2 but ,i am a ,christian4 ,the
 proconsul1 dissembling his confusion1  
ordered him to prison4 ,upon which the  
child said3 ,lord1 ,i give thee thanks4 
,these martyrs ended their lives under  
the hardships of their confinement1 and 
are honored in the ancient calendar of  
,carthage1 and the ,roman ,martyrology1 
on the #aath of ,february1 though only  
two 7of the name of ,felix7 died on that
 day of their wounds4  #cig         99  
99       99       99       99  ,the     
example of these martyrs condemns the   
sloth with which many ,christians in    
this age celebrate the ,lord's ,day4    
,when the judge asked them1 how they    
durst presume to hold their assembly    

against the imperial orders1 they always
 repeated1 even on the rack3 ,the       
obligation of the ,sunday is            
indispensable4 ,it is not lawful for us 
to omit the duty of that day4 ,we       
celebrated it as well as we could4 ,we  
never passed a ,sunday without meeting  
at our assembly4 ,we will keep the      
commandments of ,god at the expense of  
our lives4 ,no dangers nor torments     
could deter them from this duty4 ,a rare
 example of fervor in keeping that holy 
precept1 from which too many1 upon lame 
pretences1 seek to excuse themselves4   
,as the ,jew was known by the religious 
observance of the ,sabbath1 so is the   
true ,christian by his manner of        
celebrating the ,sunday4 ,and as our law
 is more holy and more perfect than the 
,jewish1 so must be our manner of       
sanctifying the ,lord's ,day4 ,this is  
the proof of our religion1 and of our   
piety towards ,god4 ,the primitive      
,christians kept this day in the most   
holy manner1 assembling to public prayer

 in dens and caves1 knowing that1       
without this religious observance1 a man
 cannot be a ,christian1 to use the     
expression of an ancient father4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,these were1 by laying 
her head on the altar to offer it to    
,god1 and     all her life after wearing
 her hair long as the ancient ,nazarenes
     did3 7,act4 p4 #dag4 ,st4 ,optatas1
 l4 #f4 ,s4 ,ambr4 ad ,virg4 c4 #h47    
,whereas the ceremony of this           
consecration in ,egypt and ,syria was   
for     the virgin to cut off her hair  
in the presence of a priest4            
7,bulteau1 ,hist4 ,mon4 p4 #agj47  ,,st4
 ,,severinus1 ,,abbot ,,of ,,agaunum4   
,from his ancient short life1 in        
,mabillon ,app4 ,saec4 l4 ,ben4 ,the    
additions in ,surius and ,bollandus are 
too modern4 ,see ,chatelain1 ,notes on  
the ,martyrol41 p4 #fah4  ,a4,d4 #ejg4  
,,st4 ,,severinus1 of a noble family in 
,burgundy1 was educated in the ,catholic
 faith1 at a time when the ,arian heresy
 reigned in that country4 ,he forsook   

the world in his youth1 and dedicated   
himself to ,god in the monastery of     
,agaunum1 which then only consisted of  
scattered cells1 till the ,catholic king
 ,sigismund1 son and successor to the   
,arian ,gondebald1 who then reigned in  
,burgundy1 built there the great abbey  
of ,st4 ,maurice4 ,st4 ,severinus was   
the holy abbot of that place1 and had   
governed his community many years in the
 exercise of penance and charity1 when1 
in #ejd1 ,clovis1 the first ,christian  
kin2 of ,france1 lying ill of a fever1  
which his physicians had for two years  
ineffectually endeavored to remove1 sent
 his chamberlain to conduct him to      
court2 for he heard how the sick from   
all parts recovered their health by his 
prayers4 ,st4 ,severinus took leave of  
his monks1 telling them he should never 
see them more in this world4 ,on his    
journey he healed ,eulalius1 bishop of  
,nevers1 who had been for some time deaf
 and dumb1 also a leper at the gates of 
,paris2 and coming to the palace1 he    

immediately restored the king to perfect
 health1 by putting on him his own      
cloak4 ,the king in gratitude           
distributed large alms to the poor1 and 
released all his prisoners4#a ,st4      
,severinus returning towards ,agaunum1  
stopped at ,chateau-,landon1 in         
,gatinois1 where two priests served ,god
 in a solitary chapel1 among whom he was
 admitted1 at his request1 as a         
stranger1 and was soon greatly admired  
by them for his sanctity4 ,he foresaw   
his death1 which happened shortly after1
 in #ejg4 ,the place is now an abbey of 
reformed canons regular of ,st4 ,austin4
 ,the ,huguenots scattered the greatest 
part of his relics1 when they plundered 
this church4 ,he is mentioned in the    
,roman ,martyrology1 and a large parish 
in ,paris takes its name from this      
saint1 not from the hermit who was ,st4 
,cloud's master4  ,footnotes3 #a4       
,footnote not in text ,see ,le ,boeuf1  
,hist4 du ,diocese de ,paris1 t4     #a1
 p4 #aea1 #aeg1 and ,le ,fevre1 ,calend4

 ,hist de ,paris1 p4 #dj4  #cih  ,,the  
,,empress ,,theodora4  ,,whom ,,the     
,,greeks ,,rank ,,among ,,the ,,saints4 
,,by her mildness and patience she often
 softened the cruel temper of her       
brutish husband1 ,theophilus1 and       
protected the defenders of holy images  
from the fury of his persecution4 ,being
 left by his death regent of the empire 
during the minority of her son1 ,michael
 ,,iii41 she put an end to the          
,iconoclast heresy1 one hundred and     
twenty years after the first            
establishment of it by ,leo the         
,isaurian3 and the patriarch ,methodius 
with great solemnity restored holy      
images in the great church in           
,constantinople1 on the first ,sunday of
 ,lent1 which we call the second1 of    
which event the ,greeks make an annual  
commemoration1 calling it the feast of  
,orthodoxy4 ,after she had governed the 
empire with great glory twelve years1   
she was banished by her unnatural son   
and his impious uncle1 ,bardas4 ,she    

prepared herself for death by spending  
the last eight years of her life in a   
monastery1 where she gave up her soul to
 ,god in #hfg4 ,she is ranked among the 
saints in the ,menology of the emperor  
,basil1 in the ,menaea1 and other       
calendars of the ,greeks4 ,see the      
compilations of ,bollandus from the     
authors of the ,byzantine history4      
,,february ,,xii4  ,,st4 ,,benedict1    
,,of ,,anian1 ,,abbot4  ,from his life1 
written with great piety1 gravity1 and  
erudition1 by ,st4 ,ardo ,smaragdus1 his
 disciple1 to whom he committed the     
government of his monastery of ,anian1  
when he was called by the emperor near  
the court4 ,ardo died ,march the #gth1  
in #hdc1 and is honored at ,anian among 
the saints4 ,he is not to be confounded 
with ,smaragdus1 abbot in the diocese of
 ,verdun1 author of a commentary on the 
rules of ,st4 ,bennet4 ,this excellent  
life is published by ,dom ,menard1 at   
the head of ,st4 ,bennet's ,concordia   
,regularum2 by ,henschenius1 #ab ,feb41 

and by ,dom ,mabillon1 ,acta ,,ss4      
,ben41 vol4 #e1 pp4 #aia1 #hag4 ,see    
,helyot1 ,hist4 des ,ord4 ,relig4 t4 #e1
 p4 #aci4 ,see also ,bulteau1 ,hist4 de 
l',ord4 de ,s4 ,benoit1 l4 #e1 c4 #b1 p4
 #cdb4 ,eckart4 de ,reb4 ,fran4 t4 #b1  
pp4 #aag1 #afc4  ,a4,d4 #hba4  ,,he was 
the son of ,aigulf1 count or governor of
 ,languedoc1 and served king ,pepin and 
his son ,charlemagne in quality of      
cupbearer1 enjoying under them great    
honors and possessions4 ,grace made him 
sensible of the vanity of all perishable
 goods1 and at twenty years of age he   
took a resolution of seeking the kingdom
 of ,god with his whole heart4 ,from    
that time he led a most mortified life  
in the court itself for three years1    
eating very sparingly and of the        
coarsest fare1 allowing himself very    
little sleep1 and mortifying all his    
senses4 ,in #ggd1 having narrowly       
escaped being drowned in the ,tesin1    
near ,pavia1 in endeavoring to save his 
brother1 he made a vow to quit the world

 entirely4 ,returning to ,languedoc1 he 
was confirmed in his resolution by the  
pious advice of a hermit of great merit 
and virtue1 called ,widmar2 and under a 
pretext of going to the court at        
,aix-la-,chapelle1 he went to the abbey 
of ,st4 ,seine1 five leagues from       
,dijon1 and having sent back all his    
attendants1 became a monk there4 ,he    
spent two years and a half in wonderful 
abstinence1 treating his body as a      
furious wild beast1 to #cii which he    
would show no other mercy than barely   
not to kill it4 ,he took no other       
sustenance on any account but bread and 
water2 and when overcome with weariness1
 he allowed himself nothing softer than 
the bare ground whereon to take a short 
rest2 thus making even his repose a     
continuation of penance4 ,he frequently 
passed the whole night in prayer1 and   
stood barefoot on the ground in the     
sharpest cold4 ,he studied to make      
himself contemptible by all manner of   
humiliations1 and received all insults  

with joy1 so perfectly was he dead to   
himself4 ,god bestowed on him an        
extraordinary spirit of compunction1 and
 the gift of tears1 with an infused     
knowledge of spiritual things to an     
eminent degree4 ,not content to fulfil  
the rule of ,st4 ,benedict in its full  
rigor1 he practised all the severest    
observances prescribed by the rules of  
,st4 ,pachomius and ,st4 ,basil4 ,being 
made cellarist1 he was very solicitous  
to provide for others whatever ,st4     
,benedict's rule allowed1 and had a     
particular care of the poor and of the  
guests4  ,his brethren1 upon the abbot's
 death1 were disposed to choose our     
saint1 but he1 being unwilling to accept
 of the charge on account of their known
 aversion to a reformation1 left them1  
and returned to his own country1        
,languedoc1 in #ghj1 where he built a   
small hermitage1 near a chapel of ,st4  
,saturninus1 on the brook ,anian1 near  
the river ,eraud1 upon his own estate4  
,here he lived some years in extreme    

poverty1 praying continually that ,god  
would teach him to do his will1 and make
 him faithfully correspond with his     
eternal designs4 ,some solitaries1 and  
with them the holy man ,widmar1 put     
themselves under his direction1 though  
he long excused himself4 ,they earned   
their livelihood by their labor1 and    
lived on bread and water1 except on     
,sundays and solemn festivals1 on which 
they added a little wine and milk when  
it was given them in alms4 ,the holy    
superior did not exempt himself from    
working with the rest in the fields1    
either carrying wood or plugging2 and   
sometimes he copied good books4 ,the    
number of his disciples increasing1 he  
quitted the valley1 and built a         
monastery in a more spacious place1 in  
that neighborhood4 ,he showed his love  
of poverty by his rigorous practice of  
it3 for he long used wooden1 and        
afterwards glass or pewter chalices at  
the altar2 and if any presents of silk  
ornaments were made him1 he gave them to

 other churches4 ,however1 he some time 
after changed his way of thinking with  
respect to the church2 built a cloister1
 and a stately church adorned with      
marble pillars1 furnished it with silver
 chalices1 and rich ornaments1 and      
bought a great number of books4 ,he had 
in a short time three hundred religious 
under his direction1 and also exercised 
a general inspection over all the       
monasteries of ,provence1 ,languedoc1   
and ,gascony1 which respected him as    
their common parent and master4 ,at last
 he remitted something in the           
austerities of the reformation he had   
introduced among them4 ,felix1 bishop of
 ,urgel1 had advanced that ,christ was  
not the natural1 but only the adoptive  
son of the eternal ,father4 ,st4        
,benedict most learnedly opposed this   
heresy1 and assisted1 in #gid1 at the   
council assembled against it at         
,frankfort4 ,he employed his pen to     
confute the same1 in four treatises1    
published in the miscellanies of        

,clausius4  ,benedict was become the    
oracle of the whole kingdom1 and he     
established his reformation in many     
great monasteries with little or no     
opposition4 ,his most illustrious colony
 was the monastery of ,gellone1 founded 
in #hjd1 by ,william1 duke of           
,aquitaine1 who retired into it himself1
 whence it was called ,st4 ,guillem du  
,desert4 ,by the councils held under    
,charlemagne1 in #hac1 and by the       
,capitulars of that prince1 published   
the same year1 it was ordained that the 
canons should live according to the     
canons and laws of the church1 and the  
monks according to the rule of ,st4     
,bennet3 by which regulation a          
uniformity was introduced in the        
monastic order in the ,west4 ,the       
emperor ,louis ,debonnaire1 who         
succeeded his father on the #bhth of    
#djj ,january1 #had1 committed to the   
saint the inspection of all the abbeys  
in his kingdom4 ,to have him nearer his 
own person1 the emperor obliged him to  

live in the abbey of ,marmunster1 in    
,alsace2 and as this was still too      
remote1 desirous of his constant        
assistance in his councils1 he built the
 monastery of ,inde1 two leagues from   
,aix-la-,chapelle1 the residence of the 
emperor and court4 ,notwithstanding ,st4
 ,benedict's constant abode in this     
monastery1 he had still a hand in       
restoring monastic discipline throughout
 ,france and ,germany2 as he also was   
the chief instrument in drawing up the  
canons for the reformation of           
prebendaries and monks in the council of
 ,aix-la-,chapelle1 in #hag1 and        
presided in the assembly of abbots the  
same year1 to enforce restoration of    
discipline4 ,his statutes were adopted  
by the order1 and annexed to the rule of
 ,st4 ,benedict1 the founder4 ,he wrote1
 while a private monk at ,seine1 the    
,code of ,rules1 being a collection of  
all the monastic regulations which he   
found extant2 as also a book of homilies
 for the use of monks1 collected1       

according to the custom of that age1    
from the works of the fathers3 likewise 
a ,penitential1 printed in the additions
 to the ,capitulars4 ,in his ,concord of
 ,rules he gives that of ,st4 ,benedict1
 with those of other patriarchs of the  
monastic order1 to show their uniformity
 in the exercises which they            
prescribe4#a ,this great restorer of the
 monastic order in the ,west1 worn out  
at length with mortification and        
fatigues1 suffered much from continual  
sickness the latter years of his life4  
,he died at ,inde1 with extraordinary   
tranquillity and cheerfulness1 on the   
#aath of ,february1 #hba1 being then    
about seventy-one years of age1 and was 
buried in the same monastery1 since     
called ,st4 ,cornelius's1 the church    
being dedicated to that holy pope and   
martyr4 ,at ,anian his festival is kept 
on the #aath1 but by most other         
,martyrologies on the #abth of          
,february1 the day of his burial4 ,his  
relics remain in the monastery of ,st4  

,cornelius1 or of ,inde1 in the duchy of
 ,cleves1 and have been honored with    
miracles4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,st4 ,bennet1 by the       
earnestness with which he set himself to
 study the spirit of his holy rule and  
state1 gave a proof of the ardor with   
which he aspired to ,christian          
perfection4 ,the experienced masters of 
a spiritual life1 and the holy          
legislators of monastic institutes1 have
 in view the great principles of an     
interior life1 which the gospel lays    
down3 for in the exercises which they   
prescribe1 powerful means are offered by
 which a soul may learn perfectly to die
 to herself1 and be united in all her   
powers to ,god4 ,this dying to1 and     
profound annihilation of ourselves1 is  
of such importance1 that so long as a   
soul remains in this state1 though all  
the devils in hell were leagued         
together1 they can never hurt her4 ,all 
their efforts will only make her sink   
more deeply in this feeling knowledge of

 herself1 in which she finds her        
strength1 her repose1 and her joy1      
because by it she is prepared to receive
 the divine grace3 and if self-love be  
destroyed1 the devil can have no power  
over us2 for he never makes any         
successful attacks upon us but by the   
secret intelligence which he holds with 
this domestic enemy4 ,the crucifixion of
 the old man1 and perfect disengagement 
of the heart1 by the practice of        
universal self-denial1 is absolutely    
necessary before a soul can ascend the  
mountain of the ,god of ,jacob1 on which
 his infinite majesty is seen1 separated
 from all creatures2 as ,blosius1#b and 
all other directors in the paths of an  
interior life1 strongly inculcate4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,codex ,regularum1
 collectus a ,b4 ,benedicto ,anianae1   
auctus a ,luca     ,holstenio1 printed  
by ,holstenias at ,rome1 in #affa4      
,also1 ,concordia     ,regularum1       
authore ,b4 ,benedicto ,anianae abbate1 
edita ab4 ,hug4     ,menardo ,benedictia

 ,parisiis1 #afch4 #b4  ,instit4 ,spir4 
c4 #a1 n4 #f1 c4  #dja  ,,st4           
,,meletius1 ,,patriarch ,,of ,,antioch1 
,c4  ,,he was of one of the best        
families of ,lesser ,armenia1 and born a
 ,melitene1 which ,strabo and ,pliny    
place to ,cappadocia2 but ,ptolemy1 and 
all succeeding writers1 in ,lesser      
,armenia1 of which province it became   
the capital4 ,the saint1 in his youth1  
made fasting and mortification his      
choice1 to the midst of every thing that
 could flatter the senses4 ,his conduct 
was uniform and irreproachable1 and the 
sweetness and affability of his temper  
gained him the confidence and esteem    
both of the ,catholics and ,arians2 for 
he was a nobleman of charming simplicity
 and sincerity1 and a great lover of    
peace4 ,eustathius1 bishop of ,sebaste1 
a semi-,arian1 being deposed by the     
,arians1 in a council held at           
,constantinople1 in #cfj1 ,meletius was 
promoted to that see2 but meeting with  
too violent opposition1 left it1 and    

retired first into the desert1 and      
afterwards to the city of ,beraea1 in   
,syria1 of which ,socrates falsely      
supposes him to have been bishop4 ,the  
patriarchal church of ,antioch had been 
oppressed by the ,arians1 ever since the
 banishment of ,eustathius1 in #cca4    
,several succeeding bishops1 who were   
intruded into that chair1 were infamous 
abettors of that heresy4 ,eudoxus1 the  
last of these1 had been removed from the
 see of ,germanicia to that of ,antioch1
 upon the death of ,leontius1 an ,arian 
like himself1 but was soon expelled by a
 party of ,arians1 in a sedition1 and be
 shortly after usurped the see of       
,constantinople4 ,both the ,arians and  
several ,catholics agreed to raise ,st4 
,meletius to the patriarchal chair at   
,antioch1 and the emperor ordered him to
 be put in possession of that dignity in
 #cfa2 but some among the ,catholics    
refused to acknowledge him1 regarding   
his election as irregular1 on account of
 the share which the ,arians had had in 

it4 ,the ,arians hoped that he would    
declare himself of their party1 but were
 undeceived when1 the emperor           
,constantius arriving at ,antioch1 he   
was ordered1 with certain other         
prelates1 to explain in his presence    
that text of the ,proverbs1#a concerning
 the wisdom of ,god3 ,the ,lord hath    
created me in the beginning of his ways4
 ,george of ,laodicea first explained it
 in an ,arian sense1 next ,acacius of   
,caesarea1 in a sense bordering on that 
heresy2 but the truth triumphed in the  
mouth of ,meletius1 who1 speaking the   
third1#b showed that this text is to be 
understood not of a strict creation1 but
 of a new state or being1 which the     
,eternal ,wisdom received in his        
incarnation4 ,this public testimony     
thunderstruck the ,arians1 and ,eudoxus1
 then the bishop of ,constantinople1    
prevailed with the emperor to banish him
 into ,lesser ,armenia1 thirty days     
after his installation4 ,the ,arians    
intruded the impious ,euzoius into that 

see1 who1 formerly being deacon at      
,alexandria1 had been deposed and       
expelled the church1 with the priest and
 arch-heretic ,arius1 by ,st4           
,alexander1 bishop of ,alexandria4 ,from
 this time is dated the famous schism of
 ,antioch1 in #cfj1 though it drew its  
origin from the banishment of ,st4      
,eustathius about thirty years before4  
,many zealous ,catholics always adhered 
to ,st4 ,eustathius1 being convinced    
that his faith was the only cause of his
 unjust expulsion4 ,but others1 who were
 orthodox in their principles1 made no  
scruple1 at least for some time1 to join
 communion in the great church with the 
intruded patriarchs2 in which their     
conscience was more easily imposed upon1
 as1 by the artifices of the ,arians1   
the cause of ,st4 ,eustathius appeared  
merely personal and secular1 or at least
 mixed2 and his two first short-lived   
successors ,eulalius and ,euphronius1 do
 not appear to have declared themselves 
,arians1 otherwise than by their        

intrusion4 ,placillus the ,third joined 
in condemning ,st4 ,athanasius in the   
councils of ,tyre1 in #cce1 and of      
,antioch #djb in #cda4 ,his successors1 
,stephen ,i41 7who at ,philippopolis    
opposed the council of ,sardica17       
,leontius1 and ,eudoxus1 appeared       
everywhere leagued with the heads of the
 ,arians4 ,but the intrusion of         
,euzoius1 with the expulsion of ,st4    
,meletius1 rendered the necessity of an 
entire separation to communion more     
notorious2 and many who were orthodox in
 their faith1 yet1 through weakness or  
ignorance of facts1 had till then       
communicated with the ,arians in the    
great church1 would have no communion   
with ,euzoius1 or his adherents2 but    
under the protection of ,diodorus and   
,flavian1 then eminent and learned      
laymen1 afterwards bishops1 held their  
religious assemblies with their own     
priests1 in the church of the apostles  
without the city1 in a suburb called    
,palaea1 that is1 the old suburb or     

church4 ,they attempted in vain to unite
 themselves to the ,eustathians1 who for
 thirty years past had held their       
separate assemblies2 but these refused  
to admit them1 or to allow the election 
of ,meletius1 on account of the share   
the ,arians had had therein3 they       
therefore continued their private       
assemblies within the city4 ,the emperor
 ,constantius1 in his return from the   
,persian war1 with an intention to march
 against his cousin ,julian1 ,caesar1 in
 the ,west1 arrived at ,antioch1 and was
 baptized by the ,arian bishop ,euzoius2
 but died soon after1 in his march at   
,mopsucrene1 in ,cilicia1 on the #c;d of
 ,november1 #cfa4 ,julian having allowed
 the banished bishops to go to their    
respective churches1 ,st4 ,meletius     
returned to ,antioch about the end of   
the year #cfb1 but had the affliction to
 see the breach made by the schism grow 
wider4 ,the ,eustathians not only       
refused still to receive him1 but       
proceeded to choose a bishop for        

themselves4 ,this was ,paulinus1 a      
person of great meekness and piety1 who 
had been ordained priest by ,st4        
,eustathius himself1 and had constantly 
attended his zealous flock4 ,lucifer1   
bishop of ,cagliari1 passing by ,antioch
 in his return from exile1 consecrated  
,paulinus bishop1 and by this           
precipitate action1 riveted the schism  
which divided this church near fourscore
 and five years1 and in which the       
discussion of the facts upon which the  
right of the claimants was founded1 was 
so intricate that the saints innocently 
took part on both sides4 ,it was an     
additional affliction to ,st4 ,meletius1
 to see ,julian the ,apostate make      
,antioch the seat of the superstitious  
abominations of idolatry1 which he      
restored2 and the generous liberty with 
which he opposed them1 provoked that    
emperor to banish him a second time4    
,but ,jovian soon after succeeding that 
unhappy prince1 in #cfc1 our saint      
returned to ,antioch4 ,then it appeared 

that the ,arians were men entirely      
guided by ambition and interest1 and    
that as nothing could be more insolent  
than they had shown themselves when     
backed by the temporal power1 so nothing
 was more cringing and submissive1 when 
they were deprived of that protection4  
,for the emperor warmly embracing the   
,nicene faith1 following in all         
ecclesiastical matters the advice of    
,st4 ,athanasius1 and expressing a      
particular regard for ,st4 ,meletius2   
the moderate ,arians1 with ,acacius of  
,caesarea1 in ,palestine1 at their head1
 went to ,antioch1 where our saint held 
a council of twenty-seven bishops1 and  
there subscribed an orthodox profession 
of faith4 ,jovian dying1 after a reign  
of eight months1 ,valens became emperor 
of the ,east1 who was at first very     
orthodox1 but afterwards1 seduced by the
 persuasions of his wife1 he espoused   
the ,arian heresy1 and received baptism 
from ,eudoxus1 bishop of                
,constantinople1 who made him promise   

upon oath to promote the cause of that  
sect4 ,the cruel persecution which this 
prince raised against that church1 and  
the favor which he showed not only to   
the ,arians1 but also to ,pagans1 ,jews1
 and all that were not ,catholics1      
deterred not ,st4 ,meletius from        
exerting his zeal in defence of the     
orthodox faith4 ,this prince coming from
 ,caesarea1 where he had been vanquished
 by the constancy of ,st4 ,basil1       
arrived at ,antioch in ,april1 #cgb1    
where he left nothing unattempted #djc  
to draw ,meletius over to the interest  
of his sect2 but meeting with no        
success1 ordered him a third time into  
banishment4 ,the people rose            
tumultuously to detain him among them1  
and threw stones at the governor1 who   
was carrying him off1 so that he only   
escaped with his life by our saint's    
stepping between him and the mob1 and   
covering him with his cloak4 ,it is only
 to this manner that the disciples of   
,jesus ,christ revenge injuries1 as ,st4

 ,chrysostom observes4#c ,hermant and   
,fleury suppose this to have happened at
 his first banishment4 ,by the order of 
,valens1 he was conducted into ,lesser  
,armenia1 where he made his own estate  
at ,getasus1 near ,nicopolis1 the place 
of his residence4 ,his flock at         
,antioch1 by copying his humility1      
modesty1 and patience1 amid the         
persecution which fell upon them1 showed
 themselves the worthy disciples of so  
great a master4 ,they were driven out of
 the city1 and from the neighboring     
mountains1 and the banks of the river1  
where they attempted to hold their      
assemblies2 some expired under torments1
 others were thrown into the ,orontes4  
,in the mean time1 ,valens allowed the  
pagans to renew their sacrifices1 and to
 celebrate publicly the feasts of       
,jupiter1 ,ceres1 and ,bacchus4#d       
,sapor1 king of ,persia1 having invaded 
,armenia1 took by treachery king        
,arsaces1 bound him in silver chains1   
7according to the ,persian custom of    

treating royal prisoners17 and caused   
him to perish in prison4 ,to1 check the 
progress of these ancient enemies of the
 empire1 ,valens sent an army towards   
,armenia1 and marched himself to        
,edessa1 in ,mesopotamia4 ,thus the     
persecution at ,antioch was abated1 to  
which the death of ,valens put an end1  
who was burnt by the ,goths in a        
cottage1 after his defeat near          
,adrianople1 in #cgh4 ,his nephew       
,gratian1 who then became master of the 
,east1 went in all haste to             
,constantinople1 by his general1        
,theodosius1 vanquished the ,goths1 and 
by several edicts recalled the ,catholic
 prelates1 and restored the liberty of  
the church in the ,eastern empire4 ,st4 
,meletius1 upon his return1 found that  
the schism had begun to engage distant  
churches in the division4 ,most of the  
,western prelates adhered to the        
election of ,paulinus4 ,st4 ,athanasius 
communicated with him1 as he had always 
done with his friends the ,eustathian   

,catholics1 though1 from the beginning1 
he disapproved of the precipitation of  
,lucifer of ,cagliari in ordaining him1 
and he afterwards communicated also with
 ,st4 ,meletius4 ,st4 ,basil1 ,st4      
,amphilochius of ,iconium1 ,st4         
,pelagius of ,laodicea1 ,st4 ,eusebius  
of ,samosata1 ,st4 ,cyril of ,jerusalem1
 ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyasa1 ,st4 ,gregory 
of ,nazianzum1 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 and the
 general council of ,constantinople1    
with almost the unanimous suffrage of   
all the ,east1 zealously supported the  
cause of ,st4 ,meletius4 ,theodosius    
having1 after his victory over the      
,goths1 been associated by ,gratian1 and
 taken possession of the ,eastern       
empire1 sent his general1 ,sapor1 to    
,antioch1 to re-establish there the     
,catholic pastors4 ,in an assembly which
 was held in his presence1 in #cgi1 ,st4
 ,meletius1 ,paulinus1 and ,vitalis1    
whom ,apollinarius had consecrated      
bishop of his party there1 met1 and ,st4
 ,meletius1 addressing himself to       

,paulinus1 made the following           
proposal3#e ,since our sheep have but   
one religion1 and the same faith1 let it
 be our business to unite them into one 
flock2 let us drop all disputes for     
precedency1 and agree to feed them      
together4 ,i am ready to share this see 
with you1 and let the survivor have the 
care of the whole flock4 ,after some    
demur the proposal was accepted of1 and 
,sapor put ,st4 ,meletius in possession 
of the churches which he had governed   
before his last banishment1 and of those
 which were in the hands of the ,arians1
 and ,paulinus was continued in his care
 of the ,eustathians4 ,st4 ,meletius    
zealously reformed the disorders which  
heresy and divisions #djd had produced1 
and provided his church with excellent  
ministers4 ,in #cgi he presided in a    
council at ,antioch1 in which the errors
 of ,apollinarius were condemned without
 any mention of his name4 ,theodosius1  
whom ,gratian declared ,augustus1 and   
his partner in the empire at ,sirmich1  

on the #aith of ,january1 soon after his
 arrival at ,constantinople1 concurred  
zealously in assembling the second      
general council which was opened at     
,constantinople1 in the year #cha4 ,only
 the prelates of the ,eastern empire    
assisted1 so that we find no mention of 
legates of pope ,damasus1 and it was    
general1 not in the celebration1 but by 
the acceptation of the universal church4
 ,st4 ,meletius presided as the first   
patriarch that was present2 in it one   
hundred and fifty ,catholic bishops1 and
 thirty-six of the ,macedonian sect1    
made their appearance2 but all these    
latter chose rather to withdraw than to 
retract their error1 or confess the     
divinity of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the      
council approved of the election of ,st4
 ,gregory of ,nazianzen to the see of   
,constantinople1 though he resigned it  
to satisfy the scruples and complaints  
of some1 who1 by mistake1 thought it    
made against the ,nicene canon1 which   
forbade translations of bishops2 which  

could not be understood of him who had  
never been allowed to take possession of
 his former see4 ,the council then      
proceeded to condemn the ,macedonian    
heresy1 and to publish the ,nicene      
creed1 with certain additions4 ,in the  
second1 among the seven canons of       
discipline1 the two oriental            
patriarchates of ,alexandria and        
,antioch were acknowledged4 ,in the     
third1 the prerogative of honor1 next to
 the see of ,rome1 is given to that of  
,constantinople1 which before was       
subject to the metropolitan of          
,heraclea1 in ,thrace4 ,this canon laid 
the foundation of the patriarchal       
dignity to which that see was raised by 
the council of ,calcedon1 though not    
allowed for some time after in the      
,west4 ,st4 ,meletius died at           
,constantinople while the council was   
sitting1 to the inexpressible grief of  
the fathers1 and of the good emperor4   
,by an evangelical meekness1 which was  
his characteristic1 he had converted the

 various trials that he had gone through
 into occasions of virtue1 and had      
exceedingly endeared himself to all that
 had the happiness of his acquaintance4 
,st4 ,chrysostom assures us1 that his   
name was so venerable to his flock at   
,antioch1 that they gave it their       
children1 and mentioned it with all     
possible respect4 ,they cut his image   
upon their seals1 and upon their plate1 
and carved it in their houses4 ,his     
funeral was performed at ,constantinople
 with the utmost magnificence1 and      
attended by the fathers of the council1 
and all the ,catholics of the city4 ,one
 of the most eminent among the prelates1
 probably ,st4 ,amphilochius of         
,iconium1 pronounced his panegyric in   
the council4 ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa    
made his funeral oration in presence of 
the emperor1 in the great church1 in the
 end of which he says1 ,he now sees ,god
 face to face1 and prays for us1 and for
 the ignorance of the people4 ,st4      
,meletius's body was deposited in the   

church of the apostles1 till it was     
removed before the end of the same year1
 with the utmost pomp1 to ,antioch1 at  
the emperor's expense1 and interred near
 the relics of ,st4 ,babylas1 in the    
church which he had erected in honor of 
that holy martyr4 ,five years after1    
,st4 ,chrysostom1 whom our saint had    
ordained deacon1 spoke his elegant      
panegyric on the #abth of ,february1 on 
which his name occurs in the ,menaea1   
and was inserted by ,baronius in the    
,roman ,martyrology2 though it is       
uncertain whether this be the day of his
 death1 or of his translation to        
,antioch4 ,on account of his three      
banishments and great sufferings1 he is 
styled a martyr by ,st4 ,john           
,damascen4#f ,his panegyrics1 by ,st4   
,gregory of ,nyssa1 and ,st4            
,chrysostom1 are extant4 ,see also      
,socrates1 l4 #e1 c4 #e1 p4 #bfa4       
,sozom4 l4 #d1 c4 #bh1 p4 #ehf4         
,theodoret1 l4 #c1 c4 #e1 p4 #abh1 l4   
#b1 c4 #bg1 p4 #fcd4 ,jos4 ,assem4 in   

,cal4 ,univer4 t4 #f1 p4 #abe4          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,prov4 viii4 #bb4 #b4  
,st4 ,epiph4 haer4 #gc1 n4 #bi4 #c4     
,hom4 in ,st4 ,melet4 t4 #b4 #d4        
,theod4 l4 #d1 c4 #bc1 #bd4 ,sozom4 l4  
#f1 c4 #ag4 #e4  ,socr4 l4 #e1 c4 #e4   
,sozom4 l4 #g1 c4 #c4 ,theodoret4 l4 #e1
 c4 #bb4 #f4  ,or4 #b4 de ,imagin4  #dje
  ,,st4 ,,eulalia1 ,,of ,,barcelona1    
,v4,m4  ,,this holy virgin was brought  
up in the faith1 and in the practice of 
piety1 at ,barcelona in ,spain4 ,in the 
persecution of ,dioclesian1 under the   
cruel governor ,dacian1 she suffered the
 rack1 and being at last crucified on   
it1 joined the crown of martyrdom with  
that of virginity4 ,her relics are      
preserved at ,barcelona1 by which city  
she is honored as its special patroness4
 ,she is titular saint of many churches1
 and her name is given to several       
villages of ,guienne and ,languedoc1 and
 other neighboring provinces1 where1 in 
some places1 she is called ,st4         
,eulalie1 in others ,st4 ,olaire1 ,st4  

,olacie1 ,st4 ,occille1 ,st4 ,olaille1  
and ,st4 ,aulazie4 ,sainte-,aulaire and 
,sainte-,aulaye are names of two ancient
 ,french families taken from this saint4
 ,her acts deserve no notice4 ,see      
,tillemont1 t4 #e1 in his account from  
,prudentius1 of ,st4 ,eulalia of        
,merida1 with whom ,vincent of ,beauvais
 confounds her2 but she is distinguished
 by the tradition of the ,spanish       
churches1 by the ,mozarabic missal1 and 
by all the martyrologies which bear the 
name of ,st4 ,jerom1 ,ado1 ,usuard1 c4  
,,st4 ,,antony ,,cauleas1 ,,confessor1  
,,patriarch ,,of ,,constantinople4  ,,he
 was by extraction of a noble ,phrygian 
family1 but born at a country seat near 
,constantinople1 where his parents lived
 retired for fear of the persecution and
 infection of the ,iconoclasts4 ,from   
twelve years of age he served ,god with 
great fervor1 in a monastery of the     
city1 which some moderns pretend to have
 been that of ,studius4 ,in process of  
time he was chosen abbot1 and1 upon the 

death of ,stephen1 brother to the       
emperor ,leo ,,vi41 surnamed the ,wise1 
or the ,philosopher1 patriarch of       
,constantinople in #hic4 ,his           
predecessor had succeeded ,photius in   
#hhf1 7whom this emperor expelled17 and 
labored strenuously to extinguish the   
schism he had formed1 and restore the   
peace of the church over all the ,east4 
,st4 ,antony completed this great work1 
and in a council in which he presided at
 ,constantinople1 condemned or reformed 
all that had been done by ,photius      
during his last usurpation of that see1 
after the death of ,st4 ,ignatius4 ,the 
acts of this important council are      
entirely lost1 perhaps through the      
malice of those ,greeks who renewed this
 unhappy schism4 ,a perfect spirit of   
mortification1 penance1 and prayer1     
sanctified this great pastor1 both in   
his private and public life4 ,he died in
 the year #hif1 of his age sixty-seven1 
on the #abth of ,february1 on which day 
his name is inserted in the ,greek      

,menaea1 and in the ,roman ,martyrology4
 ,see an historical panegyric on his    
virtues1 spoken soon after his death by 
a certain ,greek philosopher named      
,nicephorus1 in the ,bollandists4 ,le   
,quien1 ,oriens ,christianus1 t4 #c2    
also t4 #a1 p4 #bej4  #djf   ,,february 
,,xiii4  ,,st4 ,,catharine ,,de ,,ricci1
 ,v1 ,o4,s4,d4  ,see her life1 written  
by ,f4 ,seraphin ,razzi1 a ,dominican   
friar1 who knew her1 and was fifty-eight
 years old when she died4 ,the nuns of  
her monastery gave an ample testimony   
that this account was conformable partly
 to what they knew of her1 and partly to
 ,,ms4 memorials left by her confessor  
and others concerning her4 ,whence ,f4  
,echard calls this life a work          
accurately written4 ,it was printed in  
#dto4 at ,lucca1 in #aeid4 ,her life was
 again compiled by ,f4 ,philip ,galdi1  
confessor to the saint and to the       
duchess of ,urbino1 and printed at      
,florence1 in two vols4 #dto41 in #afbb4
 ,,ff4 ,michael ,pio and ,john ,lopez1  

of the same order1 have given abstracts 
of her life4 ,see likewise ,bened4      
,,xiv4 de ,can4 ,serv4 ,dei1 t4 #e1     
inter ,act4 ,can4 #e4 ,,ss4 ,append4    
,a4,d4 #aehi4  ,,the ,ricci are an      
ancient family1 which still subsists in 
a flourishing condition in ,tuscany4    
,peter de ,ricci1 the father of our     
saint1 was married to ,catharine ,bonza1
 a lady of suitable birth4 ,the saint   
was born at ,florence in #aebb1 and     
called at her baptism ,alexandrina3 but 
she took the name of ,catharine at her  
religious profession4 ,having lost her  
mother in her infancy1 she was formed to
 virtue by a very pious godmother1 and  
whenever she was missing1 she was always
 to be found on her knees in some secret
 part of the house4 ,when she was       
between six and seven years old1 her    
father placed her in the convent of     
,monticelli1 near the gates of          
,florence1 where her aunt1 ,louisa de   
,ricci1 was a nun4 ,this place was to   
her a paradise3 at a distance from the  

noise and tumult of the world1 she      
served ,god without impediment or       
distraction4 ,after some years her      
father took her home4 ,she continued her
 usual exercises in the world as much as
 she was able2 but the interruptions and
 dissipation1 inseparable from her      
station1 gave her so much uneasiness1   
that1 with the consent of her father1   
which she obtained1 though with great   
difficulty1 in the year #aece1 the      
fourteenth of her age1 she received the 
religious veil in the convent of        
,dominicanesses at ,prat1 in ,tuscany1  
to which her uncle1 ,f4 ,timothy de     
,ricci1 was director4 ,god1 in the      
merciful design to make her the spouse  
of his crucified ,son1 and to imprint in
 her soul dispositions conformable to   
his1 was pleased to exercise her        
patience by rigorous trials4 ,for two   
years she suffered inexpressible pains  
under a complication of violent         
distempers1 which remedies themselves   
served only to increase4 ,these         

sufferings she sanctified by the        
interior dispositions with which she    
bore them1 and which she nourished      
principally by assiduous meditation on  
the passion of ,christ1 in which she    
found an incredible relish1 and a solid 
comfort and joy4 ,after the recovery of 
her health1 which seemed miraculous1 she
 studied more perfectly to die to her   
senses1 and to advance in a penitential 
life and spirit1 in which ,god had begun
 to conduct her1 by practising the      
greatest austerities which were         
compatible with the obedience she had   
professed3 she fasted two or three days 
a week on bread and water1 and sometimes
 passed the whole day without taking any
 nourishment1 and chastised her body    
with disciplines and a sharp iron chain 
which she wore next her skin4 ,her      
obedience1 humility1 and meekness1 were 
still more admirable than her spirit of 
penance4 ,the least shadow of           
distinction or commendation gave her    
inexpressible uneasiness and confusion1 

and she would have rejoiced to be able  
to lie hid in the centre of the earth1  
in order to be entirely unknown to1 and 
blotted out of the hearts of all        
mankind1 such were the sentiments of    
annihilation and contempt of herself in 
which she constantly lived4 ,it was by  
profound #djg humility and perfect      
interior self-denial that she learned to
 vanquish in her heart the sentiments or
 life of the first ,adam1 that is1 of   
corruption1 sin1 and inordinate         
self-love4 ,but this victory over       
herself1 and purgation of her           
affections1 was completed by a perfect  
spirit of prayer3 for by the union of   
her soul with ,god1 and the             
establishment of the absolute reign of  
his love in her heart1 she was dead to1 
and disengaged from all earthly things4 
,and in one act of sublime prayer1 she  
advanced more than by a hundred exterior
 practices in the purity and ardor of   
her desire to do constantly what was    
most agreeable to ,god1 to lose no      

occasion of practising every heroic     
virtue1 and of vigorously resisting all 
that was evil4 ,prayer1 holy meditation1
 and contemplation were the means by    
which ,god imprinted in her soul sublime
 ideas of his heavenly truths1 the      
strongest and most tender sentiments of 
all virtues1 and the most burning desire
 to give all to ,god1 with an incredible
 relish and affection for suffering     
contempt and poverty for ,christ4 ,what 
she chiefly labored to obtain1 by       
meditating on his life and sufferings1  
and what she most earnestly asked of him
 was1 that he would be pleased1 in his  
mercy1 to purge her affections of all   
poison of the inordinate love of        
creatures1 and engrave in her his most  
holy and divine image1 both exterior and
 interior1 that is to say1 both in her  
conversation and affections1 that so she
 might be animated1 and might think1    
speak1 and act by his most holy ,spirit4
 ,the saint was chosen1 very young1     
first1 mistress of the novices1 then    

sub-prioress1 and1 in the twenty-fifth  
year of her age1 was appointed perpetual
 prioress4 ,the reputation of her       
extraordinary sanctity and prudence drew
 her many visits from a great number of 
bishops1 princes1 and cardinals1 among  
others1 of ,cervini1 ,alexander of      
,medicis1 and ,aldobrandini1 who all    
three were afterwards raised to ,st4    
,peter's chair1 under the names of      
,marcellus ,,ii41 ,clement ,,viii41 and 
,leo ,,xi4 ,something like what ,st4    
,austin relates of ,st4 ,john of ,egypt1
 happened to ,st4 ,philip ,neri and ,st4
 ,catharine of ,ricci4 ,for having some 
time entertained together a commerce of 
letters1 to satisfy their mutual desire 
of seeing each other1 while he was      
detained at ,rome she appeared to him in
 a vision1 and they conversed together a
 considerable time1 each doubtless being
 in a rapture4 ,this ,st4 ,philip ,neri1
 though most circumspect in giving      
credit to1 or in publishing visions1    
declared1 saying1 that ,catharine de    

,ricci1 while living1 had appeared to   
him in vision1 as his disciple ,galloni 
assures us in his life4#a ,and the      
continuators of ,bollandus inform us    
that this was confirmed by the oaths of 
five witnesses4#b ,bacci1 in his life of
 ,st4 ,philip1 mentions the same thing1 
and pope ,gregory ,,xv41 in his bull for
 the canonization of ,st4 ,philip ,neri1
 affirms1 that while this saint lived at
 ,rome1 he conversed a considerable time
 with ,catharine of ,ricci1 a nun1 who  
was then at ,prat1 in ,tuscany4#c ,most 
wonderful were the raptures of ,st4     
,catharine in meditating on the passion 
of ,christ1 which was her daily         
exercise1 but to which she totally      
devoted herself every week from         
,thursday noon to three o'clock in the  
afternoon on ,friday4 ,after a long     
illness1 she passed from this mortal    
life to everlasting bliss and the       
possession of the object of all her     
desires1 on the feast of the            
,purification of our ,lady1 on the #b;d 

of ,february1 in #aehi1 the             
sixty-seventh year of her age4 ,the     
ceremony of her beatification was       
performed by ,clement ,,xii41 in #agcb1 
and that of her canonization by         
,benedict ,,xiv41 in #agdf4 ,her        
festival is deferred to the #acth of    
,february4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,in the most perfect state 
of heavenly contemplation which this    
life admits of1 there must be a time    
allowed for action1 as appears from the 
most #djh eminent contemplatives among  
the saints1 and those religious         
institutes which are most devoted to    
this holy exercise4 ,the mind of man    
must be frequently unbent1 or it will be
 overset4 ,many1 by a too constant or   
forced attention1 have lost their       
senses4 ,the body also stands in need of
 exercise1 and in all stations men owe  
several exterior duties both to others  
and themselves1 and to neglect any of   
these1 upon pretence of giving the      
preference to prayer1 would be a false  

devotion and dangerous illusion4 ,though
 a ,christian be a citizen of heaven1   
while he is a sojourner in this world1  
he is not to forget the obligations or  
the necessities to which this state     
subjects him1 or to dream of flights    
which only angels and their fellow      
inhabitants of bliss take4 ,as a life   
altogether taken up in action and       
business1 without frequent prayer and   
pious meditation1 alienates a soul from 
,god and virtue1 and weds her totally to
 the world1 so a life spent wholly in   
contemplation1 without any mixture of   
action1 is chimerical1 and the attempt  
dangerous4 ,the art of true devotion    
consists very much in a familiar and    
easy habit of accompanying exterior     
actions and business with a pious       
attention to the ,divine ,presence1     
frequent secret aspirations1 and a      
constant union of the soul with ,god4   
,this ,st4 ,catharine of ,ricci         
practised at her work1 in the exterior  
duties of her house and office1 in her  

attendance on the sick1 7which was her  
favorite employment1 and which she      
usually performed on her knees17 and in 
the tender care of the poor over the    
whole country4 ,but this hindered not   
the exercises of contemplation1 which   
were her most assiduous employment4     
,hence retirement and silence were her  
delight1 in order to entertain herself  
with the ,creator of all things1 and by 
devout meditation1 kindling in her soul 
the fire of heavenly love1 she was never
 able to satiate the ardor of her desire
 in adoring and praising the immense    
greatness and goodness of ,god4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,footnote not in text  
,gallon4 apud ,contin4 ,bolland4 ,acta  
,sanctorum1     ,maii1 t4 #f1 p4 #ejc1  
col4 #b1 n4 #adf4 #b4  ,ibid4 p4 #ejd1  
col4 #b4 #c4  ,in ,bolland4 ,cherubini1 
t4 #d1 p4 #h4  ,,st4 ,,licinius1        
,,confessor1  ,,called ,,by ,,the       
,,french1 ,,lesin1 ,,bishop ,,of        
,,angers4  ,,he was born of a noble     
family1 allied to the kings of ,france1 

about the year #edj4 ,he was applied to 
learning as soon as he was capable of   
instruction1 and sent to the court of   
king ,clotaire ,i41 7whose cousin he    
was17 being about twenty years of age4  
,he signalized himself by his prudence  
and valor1 both in the court and in the 
army1 and acquitted himself of all      
,christian duties with extraordinary    
exactitude and fervor4 ,fasting and     
prayer were familiar to him1 and his    
heart was always raised to ,god4 ,king  
,chilperic made him count or governor of
 ,anjou1 and being overcome by the      
importunities of his friends1 the saint 
consented to take a wife about the year 
#egh4 ,but the lady was struck with a   
leprosy on the morning before it was to 
be solemnized4 ,this accident so        
strongly affected ,licinius1 that he    
resolved to carry into immediate        
execution a design he had long          
entertained of entirely renouncing the  
world4 ,this he did in #ehj1 and leaving
 all things to follow ,jesus ,christ1 he

 entered himself among the clergy1 and  
hiding himself from the world in a      
community of ecclesiastics1 found no    
pleasure but in the exercises of piety  
and the most austere penance1 and in    
meditating on the holy scriptures4      
,audouin1 the fourteenth bishop of      
,angers1 dying towards the year #fjj1   
the people1 remembering the equity and  
mildness with which ,licinius had       
governed them1 rather as their father   
than as a judge or master1 demanded him 
for their pastor4 ,the voice of the     
clergy seconded that of the people1 and1
 the concurrence of the court of        
,clotaire ,,ii4 in his minority1 under  
the regency of his mother ,fredegonda1  
overcame #dji all the opposition his    
humility could make4 ,his time and his  
substance were divided in feeding the   
hungry1 comforting and releasing        
prisoners1 and curing the bodies and    
souls of his people4 ,though he was     
careful to keep up exact discipline in  
his diocese1 he was more inclined to    

indulgence than rigor1 in imitation of  
the tenderness which ,jesus ,christ     
showed for sinners4 ,strong and         
persuasive eloquence1 the more forcible 
argument of his severe and exemplary    
life1 and ,god himself speaking by      
miracles1 qualified him to gain the     
hearts of the most hardened1 and make   
daily conquest of souls to ,christ4 ,he 
renewed the spirit of devotion and      
penance by frequent retreats1 and       
desired earnestly to resign his         
bishopric1 and hide himself in some     
solitude3 but the bishops of the        
province1 whose consent he asked1       
refusing to listen to such a proposal1  
he submitted1 and continued to spend the
 remainder of his life in the service of
 his flock4 ,his patience was perfected 
by continual infirmities in his last    
years1 and he finished his sacrifice    
about the year #fah1 in the sixty-fifth 
of his age4 ,he was buried in the church
 of ,st4 ,john ,baptist1 which he had   
founded1 with a monastery1 which he     

designed for his retreat4 ,it is now a  
collegiate church1 and enriched with the
 treasure of his relics4 ,his memory was
 publicly honored in the seventh age3   
the #ast of ,november was the day of his
 festival1 though he is now mentioned in
 the ,roman ,martyrology on the #acth of
 ,february4 ,at ,angers he is           
commemorated on the #hth of ,june1 which
 seems to have been the day of his      
consecration1 and on the #bast of ,june1
 when his relics were translated or     
taken up1 #aafi1 in the time of ,henry  
,,ii41 king of ,england1 count of       
,anjou4 ,see his life1 written from the 
relation of his disciples soon after his
 death2 and again by ,marbodius1        
archdeacon of ,angers1 afterwards bishop
 of ,rennes1 both in ,bollandus4  ,,st4 
,,polyeuctus1 ,m4  ,,the city of        
,melitine1 a station of the ,roman      
troops in the ,lesser ,armenia1 is      
illustrious for a great number of       
martyrs1 whereof the first in rank is   
,polyeuctus4 ,he was a rich ,roman      

officer1 and had a friend called        
,nearchus1 a zealous ,christian1 who1   
when the news of the persecution1 raised
 by the emperor against the church1     
reached ,armenia1 prepared himself to   
lay down his life for his faith2 and    
grieving to leave ,polyeuctus in the    
darkness of ,paganism1 was so successful
 in his endeavors to induce him to      
embrace ,christianity1 as not only to   
gain him over to the faith1 but to      
inspire him with an eager desire of     
laying down his life for the same4 ,he  
openly declared himself a ,christian1   
and was apprehended and condemned to    
cruel tortures4 ,the executioners being 
weary with tormenting him1 betook       
themselves to the method of argument and
 persuasion1 in order to prevail with   
him to renounce ,christ4 ,the tears and 
cries of his wife ,pauline1 of his      
children1 and of his father-in-law1     
,felix1 were sufficient to have shaken a
 mind not superior to all the assaults  
of hell4 ,but ,polyeuctus1 strengthened 

by ,god1 grew only the firmer in his    
faith1 and received the sentence of     
death with such cheerfulness and joy1   
and exhorted all to renounce their idols
 with so much energy1 on the road to    
execution1 that many were converted4 ,he
 was beheaded on the #ajth of ,january1 
in the persecution of ,decius1 or       
,valerian1 about the year #bej1 or #beg4
 ,the ,christians buried his body in the
 city4 ,nearchus gathered his blood in a
 cloth1 and afterwards wrote his acts4  
,the ,greeks keep his festival very     
solemnly3 and all the ,latin            
martyrologies mention him4 ,there was in
 ,melitine a famous church of ,st4      
,polyeuctus1 in the fourth age1 in which
 ,st4 ,euthymius often prayed4 ,there   
was also a very stately one in          
,constantinople1 under #daj ,justinian1 
the vault of which was covered with     
plates of gold1 in which it was the     
custom for men to make their most solemn
 oaths1 as is related by ,st4 ,gregory  
of ,tours4#a ,the same author informs   

us1 in his history of the ,franks1#b    
that the kings of ,france1 of the first 
race1 used to confirm their treaties by 
the name of ,polyeuctus4 ,the           
martyrology ascribed to ,st4 ,jerom1 and
 the most ancient ,armenian calendars1  
place his feast on the #gth of ,january1
 which seems to have been the day of his
 martyrdom4 ,the ,greeks defer his      
festival to the #ith of ,january3 but it
 is marked on the #acth of ,february in 
the ancient martyrology1 which was sent 
from ,rome to ,aquileia in the eighth   
century1 and which is copied by ,ado1   
,usuard1 and the ,roman ,martyrology4   
,see his acts taken from those written  
by ,nearchus1 the saint's friend1 and   
,tillem4 t4 #c1 p4 #dbd4 ,jos4          
,assemani1 in ,calend4 ad #i ,januarii1 
t4 #f4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,de ,glor4     
,mart4 c4 #ajc4 #b4  ,hist4 l4 #g1 c4   
#f4  ,,st4 ,,gregory ,,ii41 ,,pope1 ,c4 
,,he was born in ,rome1 to an affluent  
fortune1 and being educated in the      
palace of the popes1 acquired great     

skill in the holy scriptures and in     
ecclesiastical affairs1 and attained to 
an eminent degree of sanctity4 ,pope    
,sergius ,i41 to whom he was very dear1 
ordained him subdeacon4 ,under the      
succeeding popes1 ,john the sixth and   
seventh1 ,sisinnius1 and ,constantine1  
he was treasurer of the church1 and     
afterwards library keeper1 and was      
charged with several important          
commissions4 ,the fifth general council 
had been held upon the affair of the    
three chapters1 in #eec1 in the reign of
 ,justinian1 and the sixth against the  
,monothelites1 in those of ,constantine 
,pogonatus and pope ,agatho1 in #ffj4   
,with a view of adding a supplement of  
new canons to those of the aforesaid two
 councils1 the bishops of the ,greek    
church1 to the number of two hundred and
 eleven1 held the council called        
,quini-sext1 in a hall of the imperial  
palace at ,constantinople1 named        
,trullus1 in #fib1 which laid a         
foundation of certain differences to    

discipline between the ,eastern and     
,western churches2 for in the thirteenth
 canon it was enacted1 that a man who   
was before married should be allowed to 
receive the holy orders of subdeacon1   
deacon1 or priest1 without being obliged
 to leave his wife1 though this was     
forbid to bishops4 7can4 #ab47 ,it was  
also forbid1 7canon #ee17 to fast on    
,saturdays1 even in ,lent4 ,pope        
,sergius ,i4 refused to confirm this    
council2 and1 in #fie1 the emperor1     
,justinian ,,ii41 surnamed ,rhinotmetus1
 who had succeeded his father1          
,constantine ,pogonatus1 in #fhe1 was   
dethroned for his cruelty1 and his nose 
being slit1 7from which circumstance he 
received his surname17 banished into    
,chersonesus4 ,first ,leontius1 then    
,apsimarus ,tiberius1 ascended the      
throne2 but ,justinian recovered it in  
#gje1 and invited pope ,constantine into
 the ,east1 hoping to prevail upon him  
to confirm the council in ,trullo4 ,the 
pope was received with great honor1 and 

had with him our saint1 who1 in his     
name1 answered the questions put by the 
,greeks concerning the said council4    
,after their return to ,rome1 upon the  
death of ,constantine1 ,gregory was     
chosen pope1 and ordained on the #aith  
of ,may1 #gae4 ,the emperor ,justinian  
being detested both by the army and     
people1 ,bardanes1 who took the name of 
,philippicus1 an ,armenian1 one of his  
generals1 revolted1 took                
,constantinople1 put him and his son    
,tiberius1 only seven years old1 to     
death1 and usurped the sovereignty in   
,december1 #gaa4 ,in ,justinian ,,ii was
 extinguished the family of ,heraclius4 
,philippicus abetted warmly the heresy  
of the ,monothelites1 and caused the    
sixth council to be proscribed in a     
pretended synod at ,constantinople4 ,his
 reign was very short1 for ,artemius1   
his secretary1 #daa who took the name of
 ,anastasius ,,ii41 deposed him1 and    
stepped into the throne on the fourth of
 ,june1 #gac4 ,by him the ,monothelites 

were expelled2 but1 after a reign of two
 years and seven months1 seeing one     
,theodosius chosen emperor by the army1 
which had revolted in ,january1 #gaf1 he
 withdrew1 and took the monastic habit  
at ,thessalonica4 ,the eastern army     
having proclaimed ,leo ,,iii41 surnamed 
the ,isaurian1 emperor1 on the #beth of 
,march1 #gag1 ,theodosius and his son   
embraced an ecclesiastical state1 and   
lived in peace among the clergy4 ,pope  
,gregory signalized the beginning of his
 popedom by deposing ,john ,,vi41 the   
,monothelite1 false patriarch of        
,constantinople1 who had been nominated 
by ,philippicus1 and he promoted the    
election of ,st4 ,germanus1 who was     
translated to that dignity from         
,cyzicus1 in #gae4 ,with unwearied      
watchfulness and zeal he laid himself   
out in extirpating heresies on all      
sides1 and in settling a reformation of 
manners4 ,besides a hospital for old    
men1 he rebuilt the great monastery near
 the church of ,st4 ,paul at ,rome1 and1

 after the death of his mother1 in #gah1
 changed her house into the monastery of
 ,st4 ,agatha4 ,the same year he        
re-established the abbey of ,mount      
,cassino1 sending thither1 from ,rome1  
the holy abbot ,st4 ,petronax1 to take  
upon him the government1 one hundred and
 forty years after it had been laid in  
ruins by the ,lombards4 ,this holy abbot
 lived to see monastic discipline       
settled here in so flourishing a manner1
 that in the same century1 ,carloman1   
duke or prince of the ,french1 ,rachis1 
king of the ,lombards1 ,st4 ,willebald1 
,st4 ,sturmius1 first abbot of ,fulda1  
and other eminent persons1 fled to this 
sanctuary4#a ,our holy pope commissioned
 zealous missionaries to preach the     
faith in ,germany1 and consecrated ,st4 
,corbinian bishop of ,frisingen1 and    
,st4 ,boniface bishop of ,mentz4 ,leo1  
the ,isaurian1 protected the ,catholic  
church during the first ten years of his
 reign1 and ,st4 ,gregory ,,ii4 laid up 
among the archives of his church several

 letters which he had received from him1
 from the year #gag to #gbf1 which      
proved afterwards authentic monuments of
 his perfidy4 ,for1 being infatuated by 
certain ,jews1 who had gained an        
ascendant over him by certain pretended 
astrological predictions1 in #gbf he    
commanded holy images to be abolished1  
and enforced the execution of his edicts
 of a cruel persecution4 ,st4 ,germanus1
 and other orthodox prelates in the     
,east1 endeavored to reclaim him1       
refused to obey his edicts1 and         
addressed themselves to pope ,gregory4  
,our saint employed long the arms of    
tears and entreaties1 yet strenuously   
maintained the people of ,italy in their
 allegiance to their prince1 as         
,anastasius assures us4 ,a rebellion was
 raised in ,sicily1 but soon quelled by 
the death of ,artemius1 who had assumed 
the purple4 ,the pope vigorously opposed
 the mutineers1 both here and in other  
parts of the ,west4 ,when he was        
informed that the army at ,ravenna and  

,venice1 making zeal a pretence for     
rebellion1 had created a new emperor1 he
 effectually opposed their attempt1 and 
prevented the effect4 ,several          
disturbances which were raised in ,rome 
were pacified by his care4              
,nevertheless1 he by letters encouraged 
the pastors of the church to resist the 
heresy which the emperor endeavored to  
establish by bloodshed and violence4    
,the tyrant sent orders to several of   
his officers1 six or seven times1 to    
murder the pope3 but he was so          
faithfully guarded by the ,romans and   
,lombards1 that he escaped all their    
snares4 ,st4 ,gregory ,,ii4 held the    
pontificate fifteen years1 eight months1
 and twenty-three days1 and died in     
#gca1 on the #ajth of ,february2 but the
 ,roman ,martyrology consecrates to his 
memory the #acth which was probably the 
day on which his corpse was deposited in
 the ,vatican church4  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,bulteau1 ,hist4 ,mon4 d',occid4 t4 #b1 
l4 #d1 c4 #b1 p4 #h4  #dab  ,,st4       

,,martinianus1 ,,hermit ,,at ,,athens4  
,,martinianus was born at ,caesarea in  
,palestine1 during the reign of         
,constantius4 ,at eighteen years of age 
he retired to a mountain near that city1
 called1 ,the place of the ,ark1 where  
he lived for twenty-five years among    
many holy solitaries in the practice of 
all virtues1 and was endowed with the   
gift of miracles4 ,a wicked strumpet of 
,caesarea1 called ,zoe1 hearing his     
sanctity much extolled1 at the          
instigation of the devil undertook to   
pervert him4 ,she feigned herself a poor
 woman1 wandering in the desert late at 
night1 and ready to perish4 ,by this    
pretext she prevailed on ,martinianus to
 let her remain that night in his cell4 
,towards morning she threw aside her    
rags1 put on her best attire1 and going 
in to ,martinianus1 told him she was a  
lady of the city1 possessed of a large  
estate and plentiful fortune1 all which 
she came to offer him with herself4 ,she
 also instanced1 in the examples of the 

saints of the ,old ,testament1 who were 
rich and engaged in the conjugal state1 
to induce him to abandon his purpose4   
,the hermit1 who should have imitated   
the chaste ,joseph in his flight1 was   
permitted1 in punishment perhaps of some
 secret presumption1 to listen to her   
enchanting tongue1 and to consent in his
 heart to her proposal4 ,but as it was  
near the time that he expected certain  
persons to call on him to receive his   
blessing and instructions1 he told her  
he would go and meet them on the road   
and dismiss them4 ,he went out with this
 intent1 but being touched with remorse1
 he returned speedily to his cell1      
where1 making a great fire1 he thrust   
his feet into it4 ,the pain this        
occasioned was so great1 that he could  
not forbear crying out aloud4 ,the woman
 at the noise ran in and found him lying
 on the ground1 bathed in tears1 and his
 feet half burned4 ,on seeing her he    
said3 ,ah6 if ,i cannot bear this weak  
fire1 how can ,i endure that of hell8   

,this example excited ,zoe to sentiments
 of grief and repentance2 and she       
conjured him to put her in a way of     
securing her salvation4 ,he sent her to 
,bethlehem1 to the monastery of ,st4    
,paula1 to which she lived in continual 
penance1 and lying on the bare floor1   
with no other sustenance than bread and 
water4 ,martinianus1 as soon as his legs
 were healed1 which was not till seven  
months after1 not being able all that   
time to rise from the ground1 retired to
 a rock surrounded with water on every  
side1 to be secure from the approach of 
danger and all occasions of sin4 ,he    
lived here exposed always to the open   
air1 and without ever seeing any human  
creature1 except a boatman1 who brought 
him twice a year biscuit and fresh      
water1 and twigs wherewith to make      
baskets4 ,six years after this1 he saw a
 vessel split and wrecked at the bottom 
of his rock4 ,all on board perished1    
except one girl1 who1 floating on a     
plank1 cried out for succor4            

,martinianus could not refuse to go down
 and save her life3 but fearing the     
danger of living on the same mountain   
with her till the boatman should come1  
as was expected in two months1 resolved 
to leave her there to subsist on his    
provisions till that time1 and she chose
 to end her days on this rock in        
imitation of his penitential life4 ,he1 
trusting himself to the waves and       
,providence1 to shun all danger of sin1 
swam to the main land1 and travelled    
through many deserts to ,athens1 where  
he made a happy end towards the year    
#djj1 being about fifty years old4 ,his 
name1 though not mentioned in the ,roman
 ,martyrology1 occurs in the ,greek     
,menaea1 and was in great veneration in 
the ,east1 particularly at              
,constantinople1 in the famous church   
near ,sancta ,sophia4 ,see his acts in  
the ,bollandists1 and in most compilers 
of the lives of the saints4 ,also ,jos4 
,assemani in ,cal4 ,univ4 ad #ac ,feb4  
t4 #f1 p4 #ade4  #dac  ,,st4 ,,modomnoc1

 ,,or ,,dominick1 ,,of ,,ossory1 ,c4    
,,he is said to have been of the noble  
race of the ,o',neils1 and1 passing into
 ,wales1 to have studied under ,st4     
,david in the ,vale of ,ross4 ,after his
 return home he served ,god at ,tiprat  
,fachna1 in the western part of ,ossory4
 ,he is said to have been honored there 
with the ,episcopal dignity1 about the  
middle of the sixth century4 ,the see of
 ,ossory was translated from ,seirkeran1
 the capital of this small county1 to   
,aghavoa1 in the eleventh century1 and  
in the twelfth1 in the reign of ,henry  
,,ii41 to ,kilkenny4 ,see ,sir ,james   
,ware1 l4 ,de ,antiquitatibus           
,hiberniae1 and l4 ,de ,episcopal4      
,hibern4  ,,st4 ,,stephen1 ,,abbot4     
,,he was abbot of a monastery near the  
walls of ,rieti in ,italy1 and a man of 
admirable sanctity4 ,he had despised all
 things for the love of heaven4 ,he     
shunned all company to employ himself   
wholly in prayer4 ,so wonderful was his 
patience1 that he looked upon them as   

his greatest friends and benefactors1   
who did him the greatest injuries1 and  
regarded insults as his greatest gain4  
,he lived in extreme poverty1 and a     
privation of all the conveniences of    
life4 ,his barns1 with all the corn in  
them1 the whole subsistence of his      
family1 were burned down by wicked men4 
,he received the news with cheerfulness1
 grieving only for their sin by which   
,god was offended4 ,in his agony angels 
were seen surrounding him to conduct his
 happy soul to bliss4 ,he lived in the  
sixth age4 ,he is named in the ,roman   
,martyrology4 ,see ,st4 ,gregory1 hom4  
#ce1 in ,evang4 t4 #a1 p4 #afaf1 and l4 
#d1 ,dial4 c4 #ai4  ,b4 ,,roger1        
,,abbot1 ,c4  ,,having embraced the     
,cistercian order at ,loroy1 or ,locus  
,regis1 in ,berry1 he was chosen abbot  
of ,elan near ,retel in ,champagne1 and 
died about the year #aage4 ,his remains 
are enshrined in a chapel which bears   
his name1 in the church at ,elan1 where 
his festival is kept with a mass in his 

honor on the #acth of ,february4 ,his   
life was written by a monk of ,elan4    
,see ,chatelain1 on the #dth of         
,january1 on which day his name occurs  
in a ,cistercian calendar printed at    
,dijon4   ,,february ,,xiv4  ,,st4      
,,valentine1 ,,priest ,,and ,,martyr4   
,his acts are commended by ,henschenius1
 but objected to by ,tillemont1 c4 ,here
 is given only an abridgment of the     
principal circumstances1 from ,tillem4  
l4 #d1 p4 #fgh4  ,,third ,,age4         
,,valentine was a holy priest in ,rome1 
who1 with ,st4 ,marius and his family1  
assisted the martyrs in the persecution 
under ,claudius ,,ii4 ,he was #dad      
apprehended1 and sent by the emperor to 
the prefect of ,rome2 who1 on finding   
all his promises to make him renounce   
his faith ineffectual1 commanded him to 
be beaten with clubs1 and afterwards to 
be beheaded1 which was executed on the  
#adth of ,february1 about the year #bgj4
 ,pope ,julius ,i4 is said to have built
 a church near ,ponte ,mole to his      

memory1 which for a long time gave name 
to the gate1 now called ,ports del      
,popolo1 formerly ,porta ,valentini4    
,the greatest part of his relics are now
 in the church of ,st4 ,praxedes4 ,his  
name is celebrated as that of an        
illustrious martyr1 in the sacramentary 
of ,st4 ,gregory1 the ,roman missal of  
,thomasius1 in the calendar of ,f4      
,fronto1 and that of ,allatius1 in      
,bede1 ,usuard1 ,ado1 ,notker1 and all  
other martyrologies on this day4 ,to    
abolish the heathen's lewd superstitious
 custom of boys drawing the names of    
girls1 in honor of their goddess        
,februata ,juno1 on the #aeth of this   
month1 several zealous pastors          
substituted the names of saints in      
billets given on this day4 ,see ,january
 #bi1 on ,st4 ,francis de ,sales4  ,,st4
 ,,maro1 ,,abbot4  ,from ,theodoret     
,philoth4 c4 #af1 #bb1 #bd1 #cj1        
,tillem4 t4 #ab1 p4 #dab4 ,le ,quien1   
,oriens ,christ4 t4 #c1 p4 #e1 ,jos     
,assemani ,bibl4 ,orient4 t4 #a1 p4     

#dig4  ,a4,d4 #dcc4  ,,st4 ,,maro made  
choice of a solitary abode on a mountain
 in the diocese of ,syria and near that 
city1 where1 out of a spirit of         
mortification1 he lived for the most    
part in the open air4 ,he had indeed a  
little hut1 covered with goat skins1 to 
shelter him from the inclemencies of the
 weather2 but he very seldom made use of
 it for that purpose1 even on the most  
urgent occasions4 ,finding here a       
heathen temple1 he dedicated it to the  
true ,god1 and made it his house of     
prayer4 ,being renowned for sanctity1 he
 was raised1 in #dje1 to the dignity of 
priesthood4 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 who had a 
singular regard for him1 wrote to him   
from ,cucusus1 the place of his         
banishment1 and recommended himself to  
his prayers1 and begged to hear from him
 by every opportunity4#a  ,st4 ,zebinus1
 our saint's master1 surpassed all the  
solitaries of his time1 with regard to  
assiduity in prayer4 ,he devoted to this
 exercise whole days and nights1 without

 being sensible of any weariness or     
fatigue3 nay1 his ardor for it seemed   
rather to increase than slacken by its  
continuance4 ,he generally prayed in an 
erect posture2 but in his old age was   
forced to support his body by leaning on
 a staff4 ,he gave advice in very few   
words to those that came to see him1 to 
gain the more time for heavenly         
contemplation4 ,st4 ,maro imitated his  
constancy in prayer3 yet he not only    
received all visitants with great       
tenderness1 but encouraged their stay   
with him2 though few were willing to    
pass the whole night in prayer standing4
 ,god recompensed his labors with most  
abundant graces1 and the gift of curing 
all distempers1 both of body and mind4  
,he prescribed admirable remedies       
against all vices4 ,this drew great     
multitudes to him1 and he erected many  
monasteries in ,syria1 and trained up   
holy solitaries4 ,theodoret1 bishop of  
,cyr1 says1 that the great number of    
monks who peopled his diocese were the  

fruit of his instructions4 ,the chief   
among his disciples was ,st4 ,james of  
,cyr1 who gloried that he had received  
from the hands of ,st4 ,maro his first  
hair-cloth4  ,god called ,st4 ,maro to  
his glory after a short illness1 which  
showed1 says ,theodoret1 the great      
weakness to which his body was reduced4 
,a #dae pious contest ensued among the  
neighboring provinces about his burial4 
,the inhabitants of a large and populous
 place carried off the treasure1 and    
built to his honor a spacious church    
over his tomb1 to which a monastery was 
adjoined1 which seems to have been the  
monastery of ,st4 ,maro in the diocese  
of ,apamea4#b  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,st4    
,chrys4 ep4 #cf4 #b4  ,it is not        
altogether certain whether this         
monastery near ,apamea1 or     another  
on the ,orontes1 between ,apamea and    
,emesa1 or a third in     ,palmyrene1   
7for each of them bore his name17       
possessed his body1 or     gave name to 
the people called ,maronites4 ,it seems 

most probable of     the second1 the    
abbot of which is styled primate of all 
the     monasteries of the second       
,syria1 in the acts of the second       
council     of ,constantinople1 under   
the patriarch ,mennas1 in #ecf1 and he  
subscribes first a common letter to pope
 ,hormisdas1 in #eag4 ,the              
,maronites were called so from these    
religious1 in the fifth century1     and
 adhered to the council of ,chalcedon   
against the ,eutychians4 ,they     were 
joined in communion with the ,melchites 
or ,loyalists1 who     maintained the   
authority of the council of ,chalcedon4 
,the ,maronites1     with their         
patriarch1 who live in ,syria1 towards  
the seacoast1     especially about mount
 ,libanus1 are steady in the communion  
of the     ,catholic church1 and profess
 a strict obedience to the pope1 as its 
supreme pastor2 and such has always been
 the conduct of that nation1     except 
during a very short time1 that they were
 inveigled into the     ,greek schism2  

and some fell into ,eutychianism1 and a 
greater number     into ,nestorianism2  
they returned to the communion of the   
,catholic     church under ,gregory     
,,xiii4 and ,clement ,,viii41 as        
,stephen ,assemani     proves1          
7,assemani1 ,act4 ,mart4 t4 #b1 p4      
#daj17 against the slander of           
,eutychius in his ,arabic ,annals1 which
 had imposed upon ,renaudot4 ,the       
,maronites keep the feast of ,st4 ,maro 
on the #ith1 the ,greeks on the         
#adth of ,february4 ,the seminary of the
 ,maronites at ,rome1 founded by        
,gregory ,,xiii4 under the direction of 
the ,jesuits1 had produced     several  
great men1 who have exceedingly promoted
 true literature     especially the     
,oriental2 such as ,abraham             
,eckellensis1 the three     ,assemani1  
,joseph1 ,stephen ,evodius1 and ,lewis1 
known by his ,judicious     writings on 
the ceremonies of the church4 ,the      
patriarch of the     ,maronites1 styled 
of ,antioch1 resides in the monastery of

 ,canabine1     at the foot of mount    
,libanus2 he is confirmed by the pope1  
and has     under him five              
metropolitans1 namely1 of ,tyre1        
,damascus1 ,tripolis1     ,aleppo1 and  
,niocsia1 in ,cyprus4 ,see ,le ,quien4  
,oriens ,christianus4 t4     #c1 p4 #df4
  ,,st4 ,,abraames1 ,,bishop ,,of       
,,carres4  ,,he was a holy solitary1    
who1 going to preach to an idolatrous   
village on ,mount ,libanus1 overcame the
 persecutions of the heathens by        
meekness and patience4 ,when he had     
narrowly escaped death from their hands1
 he borrowed money wherewith to satisfy 
the demands of the collectors of the    
public taxes1 for their failure in which
 respect they were to be cast into      
prison2 and by this charity he gained   
them all to ,christ4 ,after instructing 
them for three years1 he left them in   
the care of a holy priest1 and returned 
to his desert4 ,he was some time after  
ordained bishop of ,canes1 in           
,mesopotamia1 which country he cleared  

of idolatry1 dissensions1 and other     
vices4 ,he joined the recollection and  
penance of a monk with the labors of his
 functions1 and died at ,constantinople1
 in #dbb1 having been sent for to court 
by ,theodosius the ,younger1 and there  
treated with the greatest honor on      
account of his sanctity4 ,the emperor   
kept one of his mean garments1 and wore 
it himself on certain days1 out of      
respect4 ,see ,theodoret ,philoth4 c4   
#ag1 t4 #c1 p4 #hdg4  ,,st4 ,,auxentius1
 ,h4  ,,he was a holy hermit in         
,bithynia1 in the fifth age4 ,in his    
youth he was one of the equestrian      
guards of ,theodosius the ,younger1 but 
this state of life1 which he discharged 
with the utmost fidelity to his prince1 
did not hinder him from making the      
service of ,god his main concern4 ,all  
his spare time was spent in solitude and
 prayer2 and he often visited holy      
hermits1 to spend the nights with them  
in tears and singing the divine praises1
 prostrate on the ground4 ,the fear of  

vain-glory moved him to retire to the   
desert mountain of ,oxen1 in ,bithynia1 
eight miles from ,constantinople4 ,after
 the council of ,chalcedon1 where he    
appeared upon summons by order of the   
emperor ,marcian1 against ,eutyches1 he 
chose a cell on the mountain of ,siope1 
near ,chalcedon1 in which he contributed
 to the sanctification of many who      
resorted to him for advice2 he finished 
his martyrdom of penance1 together #daf 
with his life1 about #dgj4 ,sozomen     
commended exceedingly his sanctity while
 he was yet living4#a ,st4 ,stephen the 
,younger caused the church of his       
monastery to be dedicated to ,god1 under
 the invocation of our saint2 and mount 
,siope is called to this day mount ,st4 
,auxentius4 ,see his life1 written from 
the relation of his disciple ,vendimian1
 with the remarks of ,henschenius4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,sozom4 l4 #g1 c4 #ba4 
,,st4 ,,conran1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,orkney1 
,,confessor4  ,,the isles of ,orkney are
 twenty-six in number1 besides the      

lesser1 called ,holmes1 which are       
uninhabited1 and serve only for pasture4
 ,the faith was planted here by ,st4    
,palladius1 and ,st4 ,sylvester1 one of 
his fellow-laborers1 who was appointed  
by him the first pastor of this church1 
and was honored in it on the #eth of    
,february4 ,in these islands formerly   
stood a great number of holy            
monasteries1 the chief of which was     
,kirkwall4 ,this place was the bishop's 
residence1 and is at this day the only  
remarkable town in these islands4 ,it is
 situated in the largest of them1 which 
is thirty miles long1 called anciently  
,pomonia1 now ,mainland4 ,this church is
 much indebted to ,st4 ,conran1 who was 
bishop here in the seventh century1 and 
whose name1 for the austerity of his    
life1 zeal1 and eminent sanctity1 was no
 less famous in those parts1 so long as 
the ,catholic religion flourished there1
 than those of ,st4 ,palladius and of   
,st4 ,kentigern4 ,the cathedral of      
,orkney was dedicated under the         

invocation of ,st4 ,magnus1 king of     
,norway4 ,on ,st4 ,conran1 see bishop   
,lesley1 ,hist4 ,scot4 l4 #d4 ,wion1 in 
addit4 c4 #c4 ,ligni ,vitae4 ,king1 in  
,calend4   ,,february ,,xv4  ,,ss4      
,,faustinus ,,and ,,jovita1 ,,mm4       
,a4,d4 #aba4  ,,faustinus and ,,jovita  
were brothers1 nobly born1 and zealous  
professors of the ,christian religion1  
which they preached without fear in     
their city of ,brescia1 while the bishop
 of that place lay concealed during the 
persecution4 ,the acts of their         
martyrdom seeming of doubtful authority1
 all we can affirm with certainty of    
them is1 that their remarkable zeal     
excited the fury of the heathens against
 them1 and procured them a glorious     
death for their faith at ,brescia1 in   
,lombardy1 under the emperor ,adrian4   
,julian1 a heathen lord1 apprehended    
them2 and the emperor himself passing   
through ,brescia1 when neither threats  
nor torments could shake their          
constancy1 commanded them to be         

beheaded4 ,they seem to have suffered   
about the year #aba4a ,the city of      
,brescia honors them as its chief       
patrons1 and possesses their relics4 ,a 
very ancient church in that city bears  
their name1 and all the martyrologies   
mention them4  ,the spirit of ,christ is
 a spirit of martyrdom1 at least of     
mortification and penance4 ,it is always
 the spirit of the cross4 ,the remains  
of the old man1 of sin and of death1    
must be extinguished1 before one can be 
made heavenly by putting on affections  
which are divine4 ,what mortifies the   
#dag senses and the flesh gives life to 
the spirit1 and what weakens and subdues
 the body strengthens the soul4 ,hence  
the divine love infuses a spirit of     
mortification1 patience1 obedience1     
humility1 and meekness1 with a love of  
sufferings and contempt1 in which       
consists the sweetness of the cross4    
,the more we share in the suffering life
 of ,christ1 the greater share we       
inherit in his spirit1 and in the fruit 

of his death4 ,to souls mortified to    
their senses and disengaged from earthly
 things1 ,god gives frequent foretastes 
of the sweetness of eternal life1 and   
the most ardent desire of possessing him
 in his glory4 ,this is the spirit of   
martyrdom1 which entitles a ,christian  
to a happy resurrection and to the bliss
 of the life to come4  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,see ,tillemont1 t4 #b1 p4 #bdi4 ,pagi1 
c4  ,,st4 ,,sigefride1 ,,or ,,sigfrid1  
,,bishop1 ,,apostle ,,of ,,swedes4      
,from ,joan4 ,magnus1 ,hist4 ,goth4 l4  
#ag1 c4 #bj1 quoted by ,bollandus1 and  
chiefly from a life of this saint1      
compiled at ,wexlow about the year      
#abje1 published from an ancient ,,ms4  
by the care of ,ericus ,benzelius       
junior1 in his ,monuments ,historica    
vetera ,ecclesiae ,suevogothicae1       
printed at ,upsal in #agji1 p4 #a1 ad p4
 #ad1 and in ,prolegom4 ,sect4 #a4 ,the 
editor was not able to discover the     
author's name3 upon which he repeats the
 remark of the learned ,maussac1 7in    

,diss4 ,critica ad ,harpocrat417 that   
many monkish writers endeavored to      
conceal their names out of humility4 ,on
 which see ,mabillon1 ,diar4 ,ital4 p4  
#cf4 ,benzelius gives us a considerable 
fragment of a second life of this holy  
prelate1 ib4 p4 #ba1 ad #bi1 and some   
verses of bishop ,brynoth the third1 on 
,st4 ,sigfrid and the other bishops of  
this province1 ib4 p4 #gb4  ,our zealous
 ancestors having received the light of 
our faith1 propagated the same          
throughout all the northern provinces of
 ,europe4 ,st4 ,anscarius had planted   
the faith in1 in #hcj2 but it relapsed  
soon into idolatry4 ,king ,olas         
,scobcong entreated king ,edred1 who    
died in #ia to send him missionaries to 
preach the gospel in his country4       
,sigefride1 an eminent priest of ,york1 
undertook that mission1 and on the #bast
 of ,june1 in #iej1 arrived at ,wexiow1 
in ,gothland1 in the territory of       
,smaland4 ,he first erected a cross1    
then built a church of wood1 celebrated 

the divine mysteries1 and preached to   
the people4 ,twelve principal men of the
 province were converted by him1 and one
 who died1 was buried after the         
,christian manner1 and a cross placed   
upon his grave4 ,so great numbers were  
in a short time brought to the faith1   
that the cross of ,christ was           
triumphantly planted in all the twelve  
tribes into which the inhabitants of    
,south-,gothland were divided4 ,the     
fountain near the mountain of ,ostrabo1 
since called ,wexiow1 in which ,st4     
,sigefride baptized the catechumens1    
long retained the names of the twelve   
first converts1 engraved on a monument4 
,king ,olas was much pleased with the   
accounts he heard of the man of ,god1   
and many flocked from remote parts1 out 
of mere curiosity to hear his doctrine1 
and to see him minister at the altar1   
admiring the rich ornaments of linen1   
and over them of silk1 which he wore in 
celebrating the divine mysteries1 with a
 mitre on his head1 and a crosier1 or   

pastoral staff1 in his hand4 ,also the  
gold and silver vessels which he had    
brought with him for the use of the     
altar1 and the dignity and majesty of   
the ceremonies of the ,christian        
worship1 attracted their attention4 ,but
 the sublime truths of our religion1 and
 the mortification1 disinterestedness1  
zeal1 and sanctity of the apostolic     
missionaries1 engaged them to give them 
a favorable reception1 and to open their
 eyes to the evidence of the divine     
revelation4 ,st4 ,sigefride ordained two
 bishops1 the one of ,east1 the other of
 ,west ,gothland1 or ,lingkoping1 and   
,scara4 ,the see of ,wexiow he continued
 himself to govern so long as he lived4 
,his three nephews1 ,unaman1 a priest1  
and ,sunaman and ,wiaman1 the one a     
deacon1 the other a subdeacon1 were his 
chief assistants in his apostolic       
labors4 ,haring intrusted the           
administration of his see of ,wexiow to 
,unaman1 and left his two brothers to   
assist and comfort him1 the saint       

himself set out to carry #dah the light 
of the gospel into the midland and      
northern provinces4 ,king ,olas received
 him with great respect1 and was        
baptized by him1 with his whole court   
and his army4 ,st4 ,sigefride founded   
many churches1 and consecrated a bishop 
of ,upsal1 and another of ,strengues4   
,the former of these sees had been      
founded by ,st4 ,anscharius1 in #hcj1   
and the bishop was declared by pope     
,alexander ,,iii41 in #aafj1            
metropolitan and primate of the whole   
kingdom4 ,during the absence of our     
saint1 a troop of idolatrous rebels1    
partly out of hatred of the ,christian  
religion1 and partly for booty1         
plundered the church of ,wexiow1 and    
barbarously murdered the holy pastor    
,unaman and his two brothers4 ,their    
bodies they buried in the midst of a    
forest1 where they have always remained 
hid4 ,but the murderers put the heads of
 the martyrs into a box1 which1 with a  
great stone they had fastened to it1    

they threw into a great pond4 ,but they 
were afterwards taken out1 and kept     
richly enshrined in the church of       
,wexiow till their relics were removed  
by the ,lutherans4 ,these three holy    
martyrs were honored in ,sweden4 ,upon  
the news of this massacre ,st4          
,sigefride hastened to ,wexiow to repair
 the ruins of his church4 ,the king     
resolved to put the murderers to death2 
but ,sigefride1 by his earnest          
entreaties1 prevailed on him to spare   
their lives4 ,however1 he condemned them
 to pay a heavy fine1 which he would    
have bestowed on the saint1 but he      
refused accepting a single farthing of  
it1 notwithstanding his extreme poverty1
 and the difficulties which he had to   
struggle with1 in laying the foundation 
of that new church4 ,he had inherited   
the spirit of the apostles in an heroic 
degree4 ,our saint died about the year  
#ajjb1 and was buried in his cathedral  
at ,wexiow1 where his tomb became famous
 for miracles4 ,he was canonized about  

the year #aaeh1 by pope ,adrian ,,iv41#a
 an ,englishman1 who had himself labored
 zealously1 and with great success1 in  
the conversion of ,norway1 and other    
northern countries1 about a hundred and 
forty years after ,st4 ,sigefride1 who  
was honored by the ,swedes as their     
apostle1 till the change of religion    
among them4#b  ,footnotes3 #a4          
,vastove1 ,vinea ,aquilonis4 #b4  ,in   
the life of ,st4 ,sigefride1 published  
by ,benzelius1 it is     mentioned1 that
 ,st4 ,sigefride1 upon his first arrival
 in ,sweden1     preached chiefly by    
interpreters4   ,,february ,,xvi4  ,,st4
 ,,onesimus1 ,,disciple ,,of ,,st4      
,,paul4  ,,he was a ,phrygian by birth1 
slave to ,philemon1 a person of note of 
the city of ,colossae1 converted to the 
faith by ,st4 ,paul4 ,having robbed his 
master1 and being obliged to fly1 he    
providentially met with ,st4 ,paul1 then
 a prisoner for the faith at ,rome1 who 
there converted and baptized him1 and   
sent him with his canonical letter of   

recommendation to ,philemon1 by whom he 
was pardoned1 set at liberty1 and sent  
back to his spiritual father1 whom he   
afterwards faithfully served4 ,that     
apostle made him1 with ,tychicus1 the   
bearer of his epistle to the            
,colossians1#a and afterwards1 as ,st4  
,jerom#b and other fathers witness1 a   
preacher of the gospel1 and a bishop4   
,the ,greeks say he was crowned with    
martyrdom under ,domitian1 in the year  
#ie1 and #dai keep his festival on the  
#aeth4 ,bede1 ,ado1 ,usuard1 the ,roman 
and other ,latin martyrologists mention 
him on the #afth of ,february4#c        
,baronius and some others confound him  
with ,st4 ,onesimus1 the third bishop of
 ,ephesus1 after ,st4 ,timothy1 who was 
succeeded first by ,john1 then by       
,caius4 ,this ,onesimus showed great    
respect and charity to ,st4 ,ignatius1  
when on his journey to ,rome1 in #ajg1  
and is highly commended by him4#d       
99       99       99       99       99  
,when a sinner1 by the light and power  

of an extraordinary grace1 is snatched  
like a firebrand out of the fire1 and   
rescued from the gates of hell1 we      
cannot wonder if he is swallowed up by  
the deepest and most lively sense of his
 own guilt1 and of the divine mercy2 if 
such a one loves much1 because much has 
been forgiven him2 if he endeavors to   
repair his past crimes by heroic acts of
 penance and all virtues1 and if he     
makes haste to redeem his lost time by a
 zeal and vigilance hard to be imitated 
by others4 ,hence we read of the first  
love of the church of ,ephesus#e as more
 perfect4 ,the ardor of the compunction 
and love of a true penitent1 is compared
 to the unparalleled love of ,judah in  
the day of her espousal4#f ,this ardor  
is not to be understood as a passing    
sally of the purest passions1 as a      
shortlived fit of fervor1 or desire of  
perfection1 as a transient taste or     
sudden transport of the soul3 it must be
 sincere and constant4 ,with what excess
 of goodness does ,god communicate      

himself to souls which thus open        
themselves to him6 ,with what caresses  
does he often visit them6 ,with what a  
profusion of graces does he enrich and  
strengthen them6 ,it often happens that1
 in the beginning1 ,god1 either to      
allure the frailty of a new convert1 or 
to fortify his resolution against       
hazardous trials1 favors him with more  
than usual communications of the        
sweetness of his love1 and ravishes him 
by some glances1 as it were1 of the     
beatific vision4 ,his tenderness was not
 less1 when1 for their spiritual        
advancement1 their exercise in heroic   
virtues1 and the increase of their      
victories and glory1 he conducted them  
through severe trials4 ,on the other    
side1 with what fidelity and ardor did  
these holy penitents improve themselves 
daily in divine love and all virtues6   
,alas6 our coldness and insensibility1  
since our pretended conversion from the 
world and sin1 is a far greater subject 
of amazement than the extraordinary     

fervor of the saints in the divine      
service4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,colos4 iv4  
#b4  ,ep4 #fb1 c4 #b4 #c4  ,tillem4 t4  
#a1 p4 #bid1 and note #aj1 on ,st4      
,paul4 #d4  ,ep4 ad ,ephes4 #e4  ,apoc4 
#aa4 #d4 #f4  ,jerem4 #aa4 #b4   ,,ss4  
,,elias1 ,,jeremy1 ,,isaias1 ,,samuel1  
,,and ,,daniel1  ,,with ,,other ,,holy  
,,martyrs ,,at ,,caesarea1 ,,in         
,,palestine4  ,from ,eusebius's relation
 of the martyrs of ,palestine1 at the   
end of the eighth book of his history1  
c4 #aa1 #ab1 p4 #cdf4 ,ed4 ,vales4      
,a4,d4 #cji4  ,in the year #cji1 the    
emperors ,galerius ,maximianus and      
,maximinus continuing the persecution   
begun by ,dioclesian1 these five pious  
,egyptians went to visit the confessors 
condemned to the mines in ,cilicia1 and 
on their return were stopped by the     
guards of the gates of ,caesarea1 in    
,palestine1 as they were entering the   
town4 ,they readily declared themselves 
,christians1 together with the motive of
 their journey2 upon which they were    

apprehended4 ,the day following they    
were brought before ,firmilian1 the     
governor of ,palestine1 together with   
,st4 ,pamphilus and others4 ,the judge1 
before #dbj he began his interrogatory1 
ordered the five ,egyptians to be laid  
on the rack1 as was his custom4 ,after  
they had long suffered all manner of    
tortures1 he addressed himself to him   
who seemed to be their chief1 and asked 
him his name and his country4 ,they had 
changed their names1 which1 perhaps1    
before their conversion1 were those of  
some heathen gods1 as was customary in  
,egypt4 ,the martyr answered1 according 
to the names they had given themselves1 
that he was called ,elias1 and his      
companions1 ,jeremy1 ,isaias1 ,samuel1  
and ,daniel4 ,firmilian then asked their
 country2 he answered1 ,jerusalem1      
meaning the heavenly ,jerusalem1 the    
true country of all ,christians4 ,the   
judge inquired in what part of the world
 that was1 and ordered him to be        
tormented with fresh cruelty4 ,all this 

while the executioners continued to tear
 his body with stripes1 while his hands 
were bound behind him1 and his feet     
squeezed in the woodstocks1 called the  
,nervus4 ,the judge1 at last1 tired with
 tormenting them1 condemned all five to 
be beheaded1 which was immediately      
executed4  ,porphyrius1 a youth who was 
a servant of ,st4 ,pamphilus1 hearing   
the sentence pronounced1 cried out1 that
 at least the honor of burial ought not 
to be refused them4 ,firmilian1 provoked
 at this boldness1 ordered him to be    
apprehended1 and finding that he        
confessed himself a ,christian1 and     
refused to sacrifice1 ordered his sides 
to be torn so cruelly1 that his very    
bones and bowels were exposed to view4  
,he underwent all this without a sigh or
 tear1 or so much as making the least   
complaint4 ,the tyrant1 not to be       
overcome by so heroic a constancy1 gave 
orders for a great fire to be kindled1  
with a vacant space to be left in the   
midst of it1 for the martyr to be laid  

in1 when taken off the rack4 ,this was  
accordingly done1 and he lay there a    
considerable time1 surrounded by the    
flames1 singing the praises of ,god1 and
 invoking the name of ,jesus2 till at   
length1 quite broiled by the fire1 he   
consummated a slow1 but glorious        
martyrdom4  ,seleucus1 an eye-witness of
 this victory1 was heard by the soldiers
 applauding the martyr's resolution2 and
 being brought before the governor1 he1 
without more ado1 ordered his head to be
 struck off4  ,,st4 ,,juliana1 ,,virgin 
,,and ,,martyr4  ,,after many torments1 
she was beheaded at ,nicomedia1 under   
,galerius ,maximianus4 ,st4 ,gregory the
 great mentions that her bones were     
translated to ,rome4 ,part of them are  
now at ,brussels1 in the church of our  
,lady of ,sablon4 ,this saint is much   
honored in the ,low ,countries4 ,her    
acts in ,bollandus deserve no notice4   
,bede1 and martyrologies ascribed to    
,st4 ,jerom1 call this the day of her   
martyrdom1 which the ancient ,corbie    

manuscript places at ,nicomedia4 ,see   
,chatelain's notes on the martyrology1  
p4 #ffg4  ,,st4 ,,gregory ,x41 ,,pope1  
,c4  ,,he was of an illustrious family1 
born at ,placentia1 and at his baptism  
was called ,theobald4 ,in his youth he  
was distinguished for his extraordinary 
virtue1 and his progress in his studies1
 especially of the canon law1 which he  
began in ,italy1 and pursued at ,paris1 
and lastly at ,liege4 ,he was archdeacon
 of this last church when he received an
 order from the pope to preach the      
crusade for the recovery of the ,holy   
,land4 ,incredible were the pains which 
he took in executing this commission1   
and in reconciling the ,christian       
princes1 who were at variance4 ,the     
death of ,st4 ,lewis1 in #abgj1 #dba    
struck a damp upon the spirits of the   
,christians in the ,east1 though the    
prince of ,wales1 soon after ,edward    
,i41 king of ,england1 sailed from      
,sicily1 in ,march1 #abga1 to their     
assistance1 took ,jaffa and ,nazareth1  

and plundered ,antioch4 ,a tender       
compassion for the distressed situation 
of the servants of ,christ in those     
parts1 moved the holy archdeacon of     
,liege to undertake a dangerous         
pilgrimage to ,palestine1 in order to   
comfort them1 and at the same time to   
satisfy his devotion by visiting the    
holy places4 ,the see of ,rome had been 
vacant almost three years1 from the     
death of ,clement ,,iv4 to ,november1   
#abfh1 the cardinals who were assembled 
at ,viterbo not coming to an agreement  
in the choice of a pope1 till1 by common
 consent1 they referred his election to 
six among them1 who1 on the #ast of     
,september1 in #abga1 nominated         
,theobald1 the archdeacon of ,liege4    
,upon the news of his election1 he      
prepared himself to return to ,italy4   
,nothing could be more tender and moving
 than his last farewell to the          
disconsolate ,christians of ,palestine1 
whom he promised1 in a most solemn      
manner1 never to forget4 ,he arrived at 

,rome in ,march1 and was first ordained 
priest1 then consecrated bishop1 and    
crowned on the #bgth of the same month1 
in #abgb4 ,he took the name of ,gregory 
,x41 and1 to procure the most effectual 
succor to the ,holy ,land1 called a     
general council to meet at ,lyons1 where
 pope ,innocent ,,iv4 had held the last 
in #abde1 partly for the same purpose of
 the holy war1 and partly to endeavor to
 reclaim the emperor ,frederick ,,ii4   
,the city of ,lyons was most convenient 
for the meeting of those princes whose  
succors were principally expected for   
the holy war2 and was most              
unexceptionable1 because at that time it
 acknowledged no other sovereign than   
its archbishop4 ,henry ,,iii41 king of  
,england1 died on the #afth of          
,november1 #abgb1 and ,edward ,i41 who  
had concluded a peace of ten years with 
the ,saracens1 in the name of the       
,christians in ,syria and ,palestine1   
returned for ,england1 and on the road  
at ,trapani1 in ,sicily1 met the news of

 his father's death4 ,in the same place 
he received most obliging letters from  
pope ,gregory ,x4 ,the fourteenth       
general council1 the second of ,lyons1  
was opened in that city in ,may1 #abgd1 
in which were assembled five hundred    
bishops and seventy abbots4 ,in the     
fourth session1 the ,greek ambassadors  
7who were1 ,germanus1 formerly patriarch
 of ,constantinople1 ,theophanes1       
archbishop of ,nice1 and the senator1   
,george ,acropolita1 great logothete1 or
 chancellor7 were admitted4 ,the        
logothete abjured the schism in the name
 of the emperor ,michael ,palaeologus2  
and the pope1 while ,te ,deum was sung1 
stood with his cheeks all the time      
bathed in tears4 ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas  
died on the #gth of ,march1 before the  
opening of the council1 and ,st4        
,bonaventure at ,lyons1 on the #aeth of 
,july4 ,the council was closed by the   
fifth and last session1 on the #agth of 
,july4 ,the more our holy pope was      
overwhelmed with public affairs1 the    

more watchful he was over his own soul1 
and the more earnest in the interior    
duties of self-examination1             
contemplation1 and prayer4 ,he spoke    
little1 conversing assiduously in his   
heart with ,god2 he was very abstemious 
in his diet1 and most rigorous to       
himself in all things4 ,by this         
crucified life1 his soul was prepared to
 taste the hidden manna which is        
concealed in the divine word1 with which
 he continually nourished it in holy    
meditation4 ,after the council he was   
taken up in concerting measures for     
carrying its decrees into execution1    
particularly those relating to the      
crusade in the ,east4 ,by his unwearied 
application to business1 and the        
fatigues of his journey1 in passing the 
,alps in his return to ,rome1 he        
contracted a distemper1 of which he died
 at ,arezzo1 on the #ajth of ,january1  
in #abgf1 three years and nine months   
after his consecration1 and four years1 
four months1 and ten days after his     

election4 ,his name is inserted in the  
,roman ,martyrology1 published by       
,benedict ,,xiv41 on the #afth of       
,february4 ,see ,platina1 ,ciacconius1  
,st4 ,antoninus1 ,hist4 part #c1 it4    
#bj1 c4 #b4 ,the account of his life and
 miracles in #dbb the archives of the   
tribunal of the ,rota1 and in ,benedict 
,,xiv4 de ,canoniz4 l4 #b1 t4 #b1       
,append4 #h1 p4 #fgc2 the proofs of his 
miracles1 ib4 p4 #gji2 also1 ib4 l4 #b1 
c4 #bd1 sec4 #cg and #db2 and l4 #a1 c4 
#bj1 n4 #ag4 ,see likewise his life1    
copied from a ,,ms4 history of several  
popes1 by ,bernard ,guidonis1 published 
by ,muratori1 ,scriptor4 ,ital4 t4 #c1  
p4 #eig1 and another life of this pope1 
written before the canonization of ,st4 
,lewis1 in which mention is made of     
miraculous cures performed by him1 ibid4
 pp4 #eii1 #fjd4  ,,st4 ,,tanco1 ,,or   
,,tatta1 ,b4,m4  ,,patton1 abbot of     
,amabaric1 in ,scotland1 passing into   
,germany to preach the gospel1 and being
 chosen bishop of ,verdun1 ,tanco1 who  

had served ,god many years in that abbey
 in great reputation for his singular   
learning and piety1 was raised to the   
dignity of abbot4 ,out of an ardent     
thirst after martyrdom1 he resigned this
 charge1 and followed his countryman and
 predecessor into ,germany1 where1 after
 some time1 he succeeded him in the see 
of ,verdun1 of which he was the third   
bishop4 ,his success in propagating the 
faith was exceeding great1 but it was to
 him a subject of inexpressible grief to
 see many who professed themselves      
,christians1 live enslaved to shameful  
passions4 ,in order to convert1 or at   
least to confound them1 he preached a   
most zealous sermon against the vices   
which reigned among them2 at which a    
barbarous mob was so enraged as fiercely
 to assault him2 and one of them1       
stabbing him with a lance1 procured him 
the glorious crown of martyrdom1 about  
the year #hae4 ,this account of him is  
given us by ,krantzius1 7l4 #a1 ,metrop4
 c4 #bb  #bi47 ,lesley1 l4 #e1 ,hist4   

,wion1 l4 #c1 ,ligni ,vitae4  ,,february
 ,,xvii4  ,,st4 ,,flavian1 ,m4          
,,archbishop ,,of ,,constantinople4     
,from the councils1 and historians      
,cedrenus1 ,evagrius1 ,theophanes1 c4   
,see ,baronius1 ,henschenius4 t4 #c1    
,feb4 p4 #ga4 ,fleury1 l4 #bg1 #bh4     
,quesnel1 in his edition of the works of
 ,st4 ,leo1 t4 #b1 diss4 #a1 and ,f4    
,cacciari1 t4 #c1 ,exercit4 in opera    
,st4 ,leonis1 ,romae1 an4 #agee4        
,dissert4 #d1 de ,eutychiana ,haer4 l4  
#a1 c4 #b1 p4 #cbb2 c4 #h1 p4 #chc2 c4  
#i1 p4 #cic1 c4 #aa1 p4 #dcb4  ,a4,d4   
#ddi  ,,st4 ,,flavian was a priest of   
distinguished merit1 and treasurer of   
the church of ,constantinople1 when he  
succeeded ,st4 ,proclus in the          
archiepiscopal dignity in #ddg4 ,the    
eunuch ,chrysaphius1 chamberlain to the 
emperor ,theodosius the ,younger1 and a 
particular favorite1 suggested to his   
master1 a weak prince1 to require of him
 a present1 out of gratitude to the     
emperor for his promotion4 ,the holy    

bishop sent him some blessed bread1     
according to the custom of the church at
 that time1 as a benediction and symbol 
of communion4 ,chrysaphius let him know 
that it was a present of a very         
different kind that was expected from   
him4 ,st4 ,flavian1 an enemy to simony1 
answered resolutely1 than the revenues  
and treasure of the church were designed
 for other uses1 namely1 the honor of   
,god and the relief of his poor4 ,the   
eunuch1 highly provoked at the bishop's 
refusal1 from that moment #dbc resolved 
to contrive his ruin4 ,wherefore1 with a
 view to his expulsion1 he persuaded the
 emperor1 by the means of his wife      
,eudoxia1 to order the bishop to make   
,pulcheria1 sister to ,theodosius1 a    
deaconess of his church4 ,the saint's   
refusal was a second offence in the eyes
 of the sycophants of the court4 ,the   
next year ,chrysaphius was still more   
grievously offended with our saint for  
his condemning the errors of his kinsman
 ,eutyches1 abbot of a monastery of     

three hundred monks1 near the city1 who 
had acquired a reputation for virtue1   
but in effect was no better than an     
ignorant1 proud1 and obstinate man4 ,his
 intemperate zeal against ,nestorius1   
for asserting two distinct persons in   
,christ1 threw him into the opposite    
error1 that of denying two distinct     
natures after the incarnation4  ,in a   
council1 held by ,st4 ,flavian in #ddh1 
,eutyches was accused of this error by  
,eusebius of ,dorylaeum1 his former     
friend1 and it was there condemned as   
heretical1 and the author was cited to  
appear to give an account of his faith4 
,on the day appointed in the last       
summons he appeared before the council1 
but attended by two of the principal    
officers of the court1 and a troop of   
the imperial guards4 ,being admitted and
 interrogated on the point in question1 
that is1 his faith concerning the       
incarnation2 he declared that he        
acknowledged indeed two natures before  
the union1 but after it only one4 ,to   

all reasonings and authority produced   
against his tenet1 his reply was1 that  
he did not come thither to dispute1 but 
to satisfy the assembly what his faith  
was4 ,the council1 upon this1           
anathematized and deposed him1 and ,st4 
,flavian pronounced the sentence1 which 
was subscribed by thirty-two bishops and
 twenty-three abbots1 of which last     
eighteen were priests4 ,eutyches said   
privately to his guards1 that he        
appealed to the bishops of ,rome1       
,egypt1 and ,jerusalem2 and in a letter 
he wrote to ,st4 ,leo to complain of his
 usage in the council1 he endeavored to 
impose on the pope4 ,but his ,holiness  
being informed of the state of the      
affair by ,st4 ,flavian1 wrote to him an
 ample declaration of the orthodox faith
 upon the point which was afterwards    
read1 and inserted in the acts of the   
council of ,chalcedon1 in which the     
errors of ,eutyches were solemnly       
condemned4 ,chrysaphius1 however1 had   
interest enough with the weak emperor to

 obtain an order for a re-examination of
 the cause between ,st4 ,flavian and    
,eutyches in another council4 ,this met 
in ,april1 #ddi1 consisting of about    
thirty bishops1 one third whereof had   
assisted at the late council4 ,st4      
,flavian being looked on as a party1    
,thalassius1 bishop of ,caesarea1       
presided in his room4 ,after the        
strictest scrutiny into every           
particular1 the impiety of ,eutyches1   
and the justice of our saint's          
proceedings1 clearly appeared4 ,st4     
,flavian presented to the emperor a     
profession of his faith1 wherein he     
condemned the errors of both ,eutyches  
and ,nestorius1 his adversaries         
pretending that he favored the latter4  
,chrysaphius1 though baffled in his     
attempts1 was still bent on the ruin of 
the holy bishop1 and employed all his   
craft and power to save ,eutyches and   
destroy ,flavian4 ,with this view he    
wrote to ,dioscorus1 a man of a violent 
temper1 who had succeeded ,st4 ,cyril in

 the patriarchal see of ,alexandria1    
promising him his friendship and favor  
in all his designs1 if he would         
undertake the defence of the deposed    
abbot against ,flavian and ,eusebius4   
,dioscorus came into his measures2 and1 
by their joint interest with the empress
 ,eudoxia1 glad of an opportunity to    
mortify ,pulcheria1 who had a high      
esteem for our saint1 they prevailed    
with the emperor to order a council to  
be called at ,ephesus1 to determine the 
dispute4 ,dioscorus was invited by the  
emperor to come and preside in it1      
accompanied with ten metropolitans and  
other bishops1 together with the        
archimandrite1 or abbot ,barsumas1 a man
 strongly attached to ,eutyches and     
,dioscorus4 ,the like directions were   
sent to the other patriarchs4 ,st4 ,leo1
 who was invited1 though late1 sent     
legatee to act #dbd in his name1        
,julius1 bishop of ,puteoli1 ,renatus1 a
 priest1 who died on the road1          
,hilarius1 a deacon1 and ,dulcitius1 a  

notary4 ,he sent by them a learned      
letter to ,st4 ,flavian1 in which he    
taxes the ignorance of ,eutyches in the 
holy scriptures1 and explains the       
,catholic doctrine against that         
heresiarch1 which he also did by other  
letters4  ,the false council of         
,ephesus1 for the violences therein used
 commonly called the ,latrocinale1 was  
opened on the #hth of ,august1 in #ddi1 
and consisted of one hundred and thirty 
bishops1 or their deputies1 from ,egypt 
and the ,east4 ,eutyches was there1 and 
two officers from the emperor1 with a   
great number of soldiers4 ,every thing  
was carried on1 by violence and open    
faction1 in favor of ,eutyches1 by those
 officers and bishops who had espoused  
his party and formed a cabal4 ,the      
pope's legates were never suffered to   
read his letters to the council4 ,the   
final result of the proceedings was1 to 
pronounce sentence of deposition against
 ,st4 ,flavian and ,eusebius4 ,the      
pope's legates protested against the    

sentence4 ,hilarius1 the deacon1 cried  
out aloud1 contradicitur1 opposition is 
made2 which ,latin word was inserted in 
the ,greek acts of the synod4 ,and      
,dioscorus no sooner began to read the  
sentence1 but he was interrupted by     
several of the bishops1 who1 prostrating
 themselves before him1 besought him1 in
 the most submissive terms1 to proceed  
no further in so unwarrantable an       
affair4 ,upon this he starts up1 and    
calls aloud for the imperial            
commissioners1 ,elpidius and ,eulogius1 
who1 without more ado1 ordered the      
church doors to be set open2 upon which 
,proclus1 the proconsul of ,asia1       
entered1 surrounded with a band of      
soldiers1 and followed by a confused    
multitude with chains1 clubs1 and       
swords4 ,this struck such a terror into 
the whole assembly1 that1 when the      
bishops were required by ,dioscorus and 
his creatures to subscribe1 few or none 
had the courage to withstand his        
threats1 the pope's legates excepted1   

who protested aloud against these       
violent proceedings2 one of whom was    
imprisoned2 the other1 ,hilarius1 got   
off with much difficulty1 and came safe 
to ,rome4 ,st4 ,flavian1 on hearing the 
sentence read by ,dioscorus1 appealed   
from him to the holy see1 and delivered 
his acts of appeal in writing to the    
pope's legates1 then present4 ,this so  
provoked ,dioscorus1#a that1 together   
with ,barsumas and others of their      
party1#b after throwing the holy bishop 
on the ground1 they so kicked and       
bruised him1 that he died within a few  
days1 in #ddi1 not at ,ephesus1 as some 
have said by mistake1 but in his exile  
at ,epipus1 two days' journey from that 
city1 situated near ,sardes in ,lydia1  
as ,marcellinus testifies in his        
chronicle4  ,the council being over1    
,dioscorus1 with two of his ,egyptian   
bishops1 had the insolence to           
excommunicate ,st4 ,leo4 ,but violence  
and injustice did not triumph long4 ,for
 the emperor's eyes being opened on his 

sister ,pulcheria's return to court1    
whom the ambition of ,chrysaphius had   
found means to remove in the beginning  
of these disturbances1 the eunuch was   
disgraced1 and soon after put to death2 
and the empress ,eudoxia obliged to     
retire to ,jerusalem4 ,the next year the
 emperor died1 as ,cedrenus says1       
penitent2 and ,pulcheria1 ascending the 
throne in #dej1 ordered ,saint          
,flavian's body to be brought with great
 honor to ,constantinople1 and there    
magnificently interred1 among his       
predecessors in that see4 ,st4 ,leo had1
 upon the first news of these           
proceedings1 written to him to comfort  
him1 as also to ,theodosius1 ,pulcheria1
 and the clergy of ,constantinople1 in  
his defence4 ,the general council of    
,chalcedon declared him a saint and     
martyr1 and paid great honors to his    
memory1 in #dea4 ,the same council      
honorably restored ,eusebius of         
,dorylaeum to his see4 ,pope ,hilarius1 
who had been ,st4 ,leo's legate at      

,ephesus1 had so great a veneration for 
the saint1 that he caused his martyrdom 
#dbe to be represented in mosaic work1  
in the church which he built in honor of
 the holy ,cross4 ,the wicked ,dioscorus
 was condemned by the council of        
,chalcedon1 in #dea1 and died obstinate 
and impenitent1 in the ,eutychian       
heresy1 and his other crimes1 in his    
banishment at ,gangres1 in #ded4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,it was the glory of ,st4 ,flavian to   
die a martyr of the mystery of the      
incarnation of the ,son of ,god4 ,this  
is the fundamental article of the       
,christian religion1 and1 above all     
other mysteries1 challenges our most    
profound homages and constant devotion4 
,in it hath ,god displayed1 in the most 
incomprehensible manner1 the astonishing
 immensity of his power1 mercy1 wisdom1 
and love1 the contemplation of which    
will be the sweet occupation of angels  
and saints to all eternity4 ,the        
servants of ,god on earth find their    

greatest delight in meditating on this  
great mystery1 and in profound adoration
 and transports of love1 honoring1      
praising1 and glorifying their divine   
,saviour1 and studying to put on his    
spirit by the constant union in mind and
 heart1 or of their thoughts and        
affections1 with him4 ,is it possible   
that we who believe in this ,god1 who   
annihilated himself1 and died for us    
most miserable and ungrateful sinners1  
should not die of love for him8 ,at     
least1 how is it possible we should not 
always have him present to our minds1   
and prostrate ourselves at his feet a   
thousand times a day to return him our  
most humble thanks1 and to pay him the  
homages of our adoration1 love1 and     
praise8 ,the more he is insulted in this
 mystery of goodness itself1 by the     
blasphemies of unbelievers and heretics1
 the greater ought to be our zeal and   
fervor in honoring it4 ,but as the      
incarnation is the mystery of the       
unfathomed humility of a ,god to heal   

the wound of our pride1 it is only by   
humility1 and the annihilation of       
creatures in our hearts1 that we can be 
disposed to contemplate or honor it with
 fruit4 ,the dreadful fall and          
impenitence of ,eutyches1 after he had  
renounced the world with a view to give 
himself to ,god1 were owing to the fatal
 sin of a secret pride4  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,evag4 l4 xi4 c4 #aa4 #b4  ,conc4     
,calced4 act4 #d4  ,,ss4 ,,theodulus    
,,and ,,julian1 ,,mm4  ,,they suffered  
at ,caesarea1 in ,palestine1 at the same
 time with those mentioned yesterday1   
but are named on this day in the ,roman 
,martyrology4 ,theodulus was an old man 
of eminent virtue and wisdom1 who       
enjoyed one of the most honorable posts 
in the household of ,firmilian1 the     
governor of ,palestine1 and had several 
sons4 ,his personal merit gained him the
 love of all that knew him1 and the     
governor had a particular esteem for    
him4 ,this holy man had seen the        
invincible courage and patience of the  

five ,egyptian martyrs at ,caesarea1    
and1 going to the prisons1 made use of  
their example to encourage the other    
confessors1 and prepare them for the    
like battles4 ,firmilian1 vexed at this 
conduct of an old favorite servant1 sent
 for him1 reproached him strongly with  
ingratitude1 and1 without hearing his   
defence1 condemned him to be crucified4 
,theodulus received the sentence with   
joy1 and went with transports to a death
 which was speedily to unite him to his 
,saviour1 and in which he was thought   
worthy to bear a near resemblance to    
him4 ,julian1 who shared the glory of   
that day with the other martyrs1 was a  
,cappadocian1 as was also ,st4          
,seleucus2 he was only a catechumen1    
though highly esteemed by the faithful  
for his many great virtues1 and he was  
just then come to ,caesarea4 ,at his    
arrival1 hearing of the conflicts of the
 martyrs1 he ran to the place1 and      
finding the execution over1 expressed   
his veneration for them1 by kissing and 

embracing the bodies which had been     
animated by those heroic and happy      
souls4 ,the guards apprehended #dbf him1
 and carried him to the governor1 who1  
finding him as inflexible as the rest1  
would not lose his time in useless      
interrogatories1 but immediately ordered
 him to be burnt4 ,julian1 now master of
 all he wished for1 gave ,god thanks for
 the honor done him by this sentence1   
and begged he would be pleased to accept
 of his life as a voluntary sacrifice4  
,the courage and cheerfulness which he  
maintained to his last moment1 filled   
his executioners with surprise and      
confusion4 ,see ,eusebius1 an           
eye-witness1 l4 de ,mart4 ,palaest4 c4  
#ab1 p4 #ccg4  ,,st4 ,,silvin ,,of      
,,auchy1 ,b4,c4  ,,he was born of a     
considerable family in the territory of 
,thoulouse1 and passed his first years  
at the court of two successive kings1   
,childeric ,,ii4 and ,theodoric ,,iii4  
,every thing was ready for his marriage1
 when1 powerfully touched by divine     

grace1 he renounced all worldly         
prospects1 and retired from court4 ,his 
thoughts were now bent upon ,jesus      
,christ alone1 and he longed for nothing
 so much as to enjoy silence and        
solitude4 ,after several devout         
penitential pilgrimages to ,jerusalem   
and other places1 he took orders at     
,rome1 and was consecrated bishop1 some 
say of ,thoulouse1 others of ,terouenne4
 ,but his name is not found in any      
ancient register of either of those     
churches1 and it is now agreed1 among   
the most judicious critics1 that he was 
ordained a regionary bishop to preach   
the gospel to infidels4 ,his zeal       
carried him into the north of ,france1  
and he spent most of his time in the    
diocese of ,terouenne1 which was then   
full of ,pagans1 and ,christians but one
 remove from them4 ,he was indefatigable
 in preaching to them the great truths  
and essential obligations of our holy   
faith1 and taught them to despise and   
renounce the pleasures of this life1 by 

appearing on all occasions a strong     
lesson of self-denial and mortification4
 ,instructing them thus1 both by words  
and actions1 he gathered a large harvest
 in a wild and uncultivated field4      
,after many years thus spent1 he died at
 ,auchy1 in the county of ,artois1 on   
the #aeth of ,february1 in #gah4 ,he is 
commemorated in ,usuard1 the ,belgic and
 ,roman ,martyrologies1 on the #agth1   
which was the day of his burial3 but at 
,auchy on the #aeth4 ,the greatest part 
of his relics is now at ,st4 ,bertin's1 
at ,st4 ,omers1 whither they were       
carried in #iea1 for fear of the        
,normans4 ,usuard is the first who      
styles ,st4 ,silvin bishop of           
,terouenne4 ,some think he was born1 not
 at ,thoulouse1 but at ,thosa1 or       
,doest1 near ,bruges2 or rather at      
another ,thosa1 now ,doesbury1 in       
,brabant2 for in his life it is said    
that he travelled westward to preach the
 gospel4 ,his original life1 which was  
ascribed to ,antenor1 a disciple of the 

saint1 is lost3 that which we have was  
compiled in the ninth century4 ,see     
,bolland4 t4 #c1 ,feb4 p4 #bi1          
,mabillon1 ,act4 ,bened4 ,saec4 #c1 par4
 #a1 p4 #bih4 ,chatelain's ,notes1 p4   
#fei4  ,,st4 ,,loman1 ,,or ,,luman1     
,b4,c4  ,,jocelin calls him a nephew of 
,st4 ,patrick1 by a sister4 ,he was at  
least a disciple of that saint1 and     
first bishop of ,trim1 in ,meath4       
,port-,loman1 a town belonging to the   
,nugents in ,west-meath1 takes its name 
from him1 and honors his memory with    
singular veneration4 ,st4 ,forchern1 son
 of the lord of that territory1 was     
baptized by ,st4 ,loman1 succeeded him  
in the bishopric of ,trim1 and is       
honored among the saints in ,ireland1   
both on this same day and on the #aath  
of ,october4 ,see ,colgan on the #agth  
,febr4 ,usher's ,antiqu4 ad ann4 #dcc4  
#dbg  ,,st4 ,,fintan1 ,,abbot ,,of      
,,cluainednech1  ,,which ,usher         
interprets the ,ivy-,cave1 in the       
diocese of ,lethglean1 in ,leinster1 in 

the sixth century4 ,he had for disciple 
,st4 ,comgal1 the founder of the abbey  
of ,benchor1 and master of ,st4         
,columban4 ,colgan reckons twenty-four  
,irish saints of the name of ,fintan2   
but probably several of these were the  
same person honored in several places4  
,another ,st4 ,fintan1 surnamed ,munnu1 
who is honored on the #bast of ,october1
 was very famous4 ,see ,colgan1 ,usher1 
and ,henschenius4   ,,february ,,xviii4 
,,st4 ,,simeon1 ,,bishop ,,of           
,,jerusalem1 ,m4  ,from ,euseb4 l4 #c1  
c4 #cb4 ,tillem4 t4 #a1 p4 #ahf1 and t4 
#b4 ,le ,quien1 ,oriens ,christ4 t4 #c1 
p4 #adj4  ,a4,d4 #aaf  ,,st4 ,,simeon   
was the son of ,cleophas1 otherwise     
called ,alpheus1 brother to ,st4        
,joseph1 and of ,mary1 sister of the    
,blessed ,virgin4 ,he was therefore     
nephew both to ,st4 ,joseph and to the  
,blessed ,virgin1 and cousin-german to  
,christ4 ,simeon and ,simon are the same
 name1 and this saint is1 according to  
the best interpreters of the holy       

scripture1 the ,simon mentioned1#a who  
was brother to ,st4 ,james the ,lesser1 
and ,st4 ,jude1 apostles1 and to ,joseph
 or ,jose4 ,he was eight or nine years  
older than our ,saviour4 ,we cannot     
doubt but he was an early follower of   
,christ1 as his father and mother and   
three brothers were1 and an exception to
 that of ,st4 ,john1#b that our ,lord's 
relations did not believe in him4 ,nor  
does ,st4 ,luke#c leave us any room to  
doubt but that he received the ,holy    
,ghost on the day of ,pentecost1 with   
the blessed ,virgin and the apostles2   
for he mentions present ,st4 ,james and 
,st4 ,jude1 and the brothers of our     
,lord4 ,st4 ,epiphanius relates1#d that 
when the ,jews massacred ,st4 ,james the
 ,lesser1 his brother ,simeon reproached
 them for their atrocious cruelty4 ,st4 
,james1 bishop of ,jerusalem1 being put 
to death in the year #fb1 twenty-nine   
years after our ,saviour's resurrection1
 the apostles and disciples met at      
,jerusalem to appoint him a successor4  

,they unanimously chose ,st4 ,simeon1   
who had probably before assisted his    
brother in the government of that       
church4  ,in the year #ff1 in which     
,,ss4 ,peter and ,paul suffered         
martyrdom at ,rome1 the civil war began 
in ,judea1 by the seditions of the ,jews
 against the ,romans4 ,the ,christians  
in ,jerusalem were warned by ,god of the
 impending destruction of that city1 and
 by a divine revelation#e commanded to  
leave it1 as ,lot was rescued out of    
,sodom4 ,they therefore departed out of 
it the same year1 before ,vespasian1    
,nero's general1 and afterward emperor1 
entered ,judaea1 and retired beyond     
,jordan to a small city called ,pella2  
having ,st4 ,simeon at their head4      
,after the taking and burning of        
,jerusalem they returned thither again1 
and settled themselves amidst its #dbh  
ruins1 till ,adrian afterwards entirely 
razed it4 ,st4 ,epiphanius#f and        
,eusebius#g assure us1 that the church  
here flourished extremely1 and that     

multitudes of ,jews were converted by   
the great number of prodigies and       
miracles wrought in it4  ,st4 ,simeon1  
amidst the consolations of the ,holy    
,ghost and the great progress of the    
church1 had the affliction to see two   
heresies arise within its bosom1 namely1
 those of the ,nazareans and the        
,ebionites2 the first seeds of which1   
according to ,st4 ,epiphanius1 appeared 
at ,pella4 ,the ,nazareans were a sect  
of men between ,jews and ,christians1   
but abhorred by both4 ,they allowed     
,christ to be the greatest of the       
prophets1 but said he was a mere man1   
whose natural parents were ,joseph and  
,mary3 they joined all the ceremonies of
 the old law with the new1 and observed 
both the ,jewish ,sabbath and the       
,sunday4 ,ebion added other errors to   
these1 which ,cerenthus had also        
espoused1 and taught many superstitions1
 permitted divorces1 and allowed of the 
most infamous abominations4 ,he began to
 preach at ,cocabe1 a village beyond    

,jordan1 where he dwelt2 but he         
afterwards travelled into ,asia1 and    
thence to ,rome4 ,the authority of ,st4 
,simeon kept the heretics in some awe   
during his life1 which was the longest  
upon earth of any of our ,lord's        
disciples4 ,but1 as ,eusebius says1 he  
was no sooner dead than a deluge of     
execrable heresies broke out of hell    
upon the church1 which durst not openly 
appear during his life4  ,vespasian and 
,domitian had commanded all to be put to
 death who were of the race of ,david4  
,st4 ,simeon had escaped their searches2
 but ,trajan having given the same      
order1 certain heretics and ,jews       
accused him1 as being both of the race  
of ,david and a ,christian1 to ,atticus1
 the ,roman governor in ,palestine4 ,the
 holy bishop was condemned by him to be 
crucified3 who1 after having undergone  
the usual tortures during several days1 
which1 though one hundred and twenty    
years old1 he suffered with so much     
patience that he drew on him a universal

 admiration1 and that of ,atticus in    
particular1 he died in #ajg1 according  
to ,eusebius in his chronicle1 but in   
#aaf1 according to ,dodwell1 bishop     
,loyde1 and ,f4 ,pagi4 ,he must have    
governed the church of ,jerusalem about 
forty-three years4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,the eminent      
saints among the primitive disciples of 
,jesus ,christ1 were entirely animated  
by his spirit1 and being dead to the    
world and themselves1 they appeared like
 angels among men4 ,free from the secret
 mixture of the sinister views of all   
passions1 to a degree which was a       
miracle of grace1 they had in all things
 only ,god1 his will and honor1 before  
their eyes1 equally aspiring to him     
through honor and infamy4 ,in the midst 
of human applause they remained         
perfectly humbled in the centre of their
 own nothing3 when loaded with          
reproaches and contempt1 and persecuted 
with all the rage that malice could     
inspire1 they were raised above all     

these things so as to stand fearless    
amid racks and executioners1 inflexibly 
constant in their fidelity to ,god1     
before tyrants1 invincible under        
torments1 and superior to them almost as
 if they had been impassible4 ,their    
resolution never failed them1 their     
fervor seemed never slackened4 ,such    
wonderful men wrought continual miracles
 in converting souls to ,god4 ,we bear  
the name of ,christians1 and wear the   
habit of ,saints2 but are full of the   
spirit of worldlings1 and our actions   
are infected with its poison4 ,we       
secretly seek ourselves1 even when we   
flatter ourselves that ,god is our only 
aim1 and while we undertake to convert  
the world1 we suffer it to pervert us4  
,when shall we begin to study to crucify
 our passions and die to ourselves1 that
 we may lay a solid foundation of true  
virtue1 and establish its reign in our  
hearts8  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,matt4        
xiii4#ee4 #b4  ,john vii4 #e4 #c4  ,acts
 i4 #ad4 #d4  ,haer4 #gh4 c4 #ad4 #e4   

,eus4 l4 #c1 c4 #e1 ,epiph4 haer4 #bi1  
c4 #g1 haer4 #cj1 c4 #b4 #f4  ,l4 de    
,pond4 et ,mensur4 c4 #ae4 #g4          
,demonst4 l4 #c1 c4 #e4  #dbi  ,,ss4    
,,leo ,,and ,,paregorius1 ,,martyrs     
,from their ancient authentic acts in   
,ruinart1 ,bollandus1 c4  ,,third ,,age4
  ,,st4 ,,paregorius having spilt his   
blood for the faith at ,patara1 in      
,lycia1 ,st4 ,leo1 who had been a       
witness of his conflict1 found his heart
 divided between joy for his friend's   
glorious victory1 and sorrow to see     
himself deprived of the happiness of    
sharing in it4 ,the proconsul of ,asia  
being absent in order to wait on the    
emperors1 probably ,valerian and        
,galien1 the governor of ,lycia1        
residing at ,patara1 to show his zeal   
for the idols1 published an order on the
 festival of ,serapis1 to oblige all to 
offer sacrifice to that false god4 ,leo 
seeing the heathens out of superstition1
 and some ,christians out of fear1 going
 in crowds to adore the idol1 sighed    

within himself1 and went to offer up his
 prayers to the true ,god1 on the tomb  
of ,st4 ,paregorius1 to which he passed 
before the temple of ,serapis1 it lying 
in his way to the martyr's tomb4 ,the   
heathens that were sacrificing in it    
knew him to be a ,christian by his      
modesty4 ,he had exercised himself from 
his childhood in the austerities and    
devotions of an ascetic life1 and       
possessed1 in an eminent degree1        
chastity1 temperance1 and all other     
virtues4 ,his clothes were of a coarse  
cloth made of camel's hair4 ,not long   
after his return home from the tomb of  
the martyr1 with his mind full of the   
glorious exit of his friend1 he fell    
asleep1 and from a dream he had on that 
occasion1 understood1 when he awaked1   
that ,god called him to a conflict of   
the same kind with that of ,st4         
,paregorius1 which filled him with      
inexpressible joy and comfort4          
,wherefore1 the next time he visited the
 martyr's tomb1 instead of going to the 

place through by-roads1 he went boldly  
through the market-place1 and by the    
,tychaeaum1 or temple of ,fortune1 which
 he saw illuminated with lanterns4 ,he  
pitied their blindness2 and1 being moved
 with zeal for the honor of the true    
,god1 he made no scruple to break as    
many of the lanterns as were within     
reach1 and trampled on the tapers in    
open view1 saying3 ,let your gods       
revenge the injury if they are able to  
do it4 ,the priest of the idol having   
raised the populace1 cried out3 ,unless 
this impiety be punished1 the goddess   
,fortune will withdraw her protection   
from the city4 ,an account of this      
affair soon reached the ears of the     
governor1 who ordered the saint to be   
brought before him1 and on his          
appearance addressed him in this manner2
 ,wicked wretch1 thy sacrilegious action
 surely bespeaks thee either ignorant of
 the immortal gods1 or downright mad1 in
 flying in the face of our most divine  
emperors1 whom we justly regard as      

secondary deities and saviours4 ,the    
martyr replied with great calmness3 ,you
 are under a great mistake1 in supposing
 a plurality of gods2 there is but one1 
who is the ,god of heaven and earth1 and
 who does not stand in need of being    
worshipped after that gross manner that 
men worship idols4 ,the most acceptable 
sacrifice we can offer him is that of a 
contrite and humble heart4 ,answer to   
your indictment1 said the governor1 and 
don't preach your ,christianity4 ,i     
thank the gods1 however1 that they have 
not suffered you to lie concealed after 
such a sacrilegious attempt4 ,choose    
therefore either to sacrifice to them1  
with those that are here present1 or to 
suffer the punishment due to your       
impiety4 ,the martyr said3 ,the fear of 
torments shall never draw me from my    
duty4 ,i am ready to suffer all you     
shall inflict4 ,all your tortures cannot
 reach beyond death4 ,eternal life is   
not to be attained but by the way of    
tribulations2 the scripture accordingly 

#dcj informs us1 that narrow is the way 
that leads to life4 ,since you own the  
way you walk in is narrow1 said the     
governor1 exchange it for ours1 which is
 broad and commodious4 ,when ,i called  
it narrow1 said the martyr1 this was    
only because it is not entered without  
difficulty1 and that its beginnings are 
often attended with afflictions and     
persecutions for justice sake4 ,but     
being once entered1 it is not difficult 
to keep in it by the practice of virtue1
 which helps to widen it and render it  
easy to those that persevere in it1     
which has been done by many4  ,the      
multitude of ,jews and ,gentiles cried  
out to the judge to silence him4 ,but he
 said1 he allowed him liberty of speech1
 and even offered him his friendship if 
he would but sacrifice4 ,the confessor  
answered3 ,you seem to have forgot what 
,i just before told you1 or you would   
not have urged me again to sacrifice4   
,would you have me acknowledge for a    
deity that which has nothing in its     

nature of divine8 ,these last words put 
the governor in a rage1 and he ordered  
the saint to be scourged4 ,while the    
executioners were tearing his body      
unmercifully1 the judge said to him3    
,this is nothing to the torments ,i am  
preparing for you4 ,if you would have me
 stop here1 you must sacrifice4 ,leo    
said3 ,o judge1 ,i will repeat to you   
again what ,i have so often told you3 ,i
 own not your gods1 nor will ,i ever    
sacrifice to them4 ,the judge said3     
,only say the gods are great1 and ,i    
will discharge you4 ,i really pity your 
old age4 ,leo answered3 ,if ,i allow    
them that title1 it can only be with    
regard to their power of destroying     
their worshippers4 ,the judge in a fury 
said3 ,i will cause you to be dragged   
over rocks and stones1 till you are torn
 to pieces4 ,leo said3 ,any kind of     
death is welcome to me1 that procures me
 the kingdom of heaven1 and introduces  
me into the company of the blessed4 ,the
 judge said3 ,obey the edict1 and say   

the gods are the preservers of the      
world1 or you shall die4 ,the martyr    
answered3 ,you do nothing but threaten3 
why don't you proceed to effects8 ,the  
mob began to be clamorous1 and the      
governor1 to appease them1 was forced to
 pronounce sentence on the saint1 which 
was1 that he should be tied by the feet1
 and dragged to the torrent1 and there  
executed2 and his orders were           
immediately obeyed in a most cruel      
manner4 ,the martyr being upon the point
 of consummating his sacrifice1 and     
obtaining the accomplishment of all his 
desires1 with his eyes lifted up to     
heaven1 prayed thus aloud3 ,i thank     
thee1 ,o ,god1 the ,father of our ,lord 
,jesus ,christ1 for not suffering me to 
be long separated from thy servant      
,paregorius4 ,i rejoice in what has     
befallen me as the means of expiating my
 past sins4 ,i commend my soul to the   
care of thy holy angels1 to be placed by
 them where it will have nothing to fear
 from the judgments of the wicked4 ,but 

thou1 ,o ,lord1 who willest not the     
death of a sinner1 but his repentance1  
grant them to know thee1 and to find    
pardon for their crimes1 through the    
merits of thy only ,son ,jesus ,christ  
our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,he no sooner repeated
 the word ,amen1 together with an act of
 thanksgiving1 but he expired4 ,his     
executioners then took the body and cast
 it down a great precipice into a deep  
pit2 and notwithstanding the fall1 it   
seemed only to have received a few      
slight bruises4 ,the very place which   
was before a frightful precipice1 seemed
 to have changed its nature2 and the    
acts say1 no more dangers or accidents  
happened in it to travellers4 ,the      
,christians took up the martyr's body1  
and found it of a lively color1 and     
entire1 and his face appeared comely and
 smiling2 and they buried it in the most
 honorable manner they could4 ,the      
,greeks keep his festival on the #ahth  
of ,february4  #dca  ,,february ,,xix4  
,,st4 ,,barbatus1 ,,or ,,barbas1 ,c4    

,,bishop ,,of ,,benevento4  ,from his   
two authentic lives in ,bollandus1 t4   
#c1 ,febr4 p4 #aci4 ,see ,ughelli1      
,italia ,sacra1 t4 #h1 p4 l#c4  ,a4,d4  
#fhb4  ,,st4 ,,barbatus was born in the 
territory of ,benevento1 in ,italy1     
towards the end of the pontificate of   
,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 in the        
beginning of the seventh century4 ,his  
parents gave him a ,christian education1
 and ,barbatus in his youth laid the    
foundation of that eminent sanctity     
which recommends him to our veneration4 
,devout meditation on the holy          
scriptures was his chief entertainment2 
and the innocence1 simplicity1 and      
purity of his manners1 and extraordinary
 progress in all virtues1 qualified him 
for the service of the altar1 to which  
he was assumed by taking holy orders as 
soon as the canons of the church would  
allow it4 ,he was immediately employed  
by his bishop in preaching1 for which he
 had an extraordinary talent2 and1 after
 some time1 made curate of ,st4         

,basil's1 in ,morcona1 a town near      
,benevento4 ,his parishioners were      
steeled in their irregularities1 and    
averse from whatever looked like        
establishing order and discipline among 
them4 ,as they desired only to slumber  
on in their sins1 they could not bear   
the remonstrances of their pastor1 who  
endeavored to awake them to a sense of  
their miseries1 and to sincere          
repentance3 they treated him as a       
disturber of their peace1 and persecuted
 him with the utmost violence4 ,finding 
their malice conquered by his patience  
and humility1 and his character shining 
still more bright1 they had recourse to 
slanders1 in which1 such was their      
virulence and success1 that he was      
obliged to withdraw his charitable      
endeavors among them4 ,by these fiery   
trials1 ,god purified his heart from all
 earthly attachments1 and perfectly     
crucified it to the world4 ,barbatus    
returned to ,benevento1 where he was    
received with joy by those who were     

acquainted with his innocence and       
sanctity4 ,the seed of ,christianity had
 been first sown at ,benevento by ,st4  
,potin1 who is said to have been sent   
thither by ,st4 ,peter1 and is looked   
upon as the first bishop of this see4   
,we have no names of his successors till
 ,st4 ,januarius1 by whom this church   
was exceedingly increased1 and who was  
honored with the crown of martyrdom in  
#cje4 ,totila1 the ,goth1 laid the city 
of ,benevento in ruins1 in #ede4 ,the   
,lombards having possessed themselves of
 that country1 repaired it1 and king    
,autharis gave it to ,zotion1 a general 
among those invaders1 with the title of 
a duchy1 about the year #eih1 and his   
successors governed it1 as sovereign    
dukes1 for several ages4 ,these         
,lombards were at that time chiefly     
,arians2 but among them there remained  
many idolaters1 and several at          
,benevento had embraced the ,catholic   
faith1 even before the death of ,st4    
,gregory the ,great1 with their duke    

,arichis1 a warm friend of that holy    
pope4 ,but when ,st4 ,barbatus entered  
upon his ministry in that city1 the     
,christians themselves retained many    
idolatrous superstitions1 which even    
their duke1 or prince ,romuald1         
authorized by his example1 though son of
 ,grimoald1 king of the ,lombards1 who  
had edified all ,italy by his           
conversion4 ,they expressed a religious 
veneration to a golden viper1 and       
prostrated themselves before it3 they   
paid also a superstitious honor to a    
tree1 on which they hung #dcb the skin  
of a wild beast1 and these ceremonies   
were closed by public games1 in which   
the skin served for a mark at which     
bowmen shot arrows over their shoulder4 
,st4 ,barbatus preached zealously       
against these abuses1 and labored long  
to no purpose3 yet desisted not1 but    
joined his exhortations with fervent    
prayer and rigorous fasting1 for the    
conversion of this unhappy people4 ,at  
length he roused their attention by     

foretelling the distress of their city1 
and the calamities which it was to      
suffer from the army of the emperor     
,constans1 who1 landing soon after in   
,italy1 laid siege to ,benevento4 ,in   
their extreme distress1 and still more  
grievous alarms and fears1 they listened
 to the holy preacher1 and1 entering    
into themselves1 renounced their errors 
and idolatrous practices4 ,hereupon ,st4
 ,barbatus gave them the comfortable    
assurance that the siege should be      
raised1 and the emperor worsted3 which  
happened as he had foretold4 ,upon their
 repentance1 the saint with his own hand
 cut down the tree which was the object 
of their superstition1 and afterwards   
melted down the golden viper which they 
adored1 of which he made a chalice for  
the use of the altar4 ,ildebrand1 bishop
 of ,benevento1 dying during the siege1 
after the public tranquillity was       
restored1 ,st4 ,barbatus was consecrated
 bishop on the #ajth of ,march1 #fec2   
for this see was only raised to the     

archiepiscopal dignity by pope ,john    
,,xiii41 about the year #ife4 ,barbatus1
 being invested with the episcopal      
character1 pursued and completed the    
good work which he had so happily begun1
 and destroyed every trace or the least 
remain of superstition in the prince's  
closet1 and in the whole state4 ,in the 
year #fhj he assisted in a council held 
by pope ,agatho at ,rome1 and the year  
following in the sixth general council  
held at ,constantinople against the     
,monothelites4 ,he did not long survive 
this great assembly1 for he died on the 
#bith of ,february1 #fhb1 being about   
seventy years old1 almost nineteen of   
which he had spent in the episcopal     
chair4 ,he is named in the ,roman       
,martyrology1 and honored at ,benevento 
among the chief patrons of that city4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,many sinners are moved by alarming     
sensible dangers or calamities to enter 
into themselves1 on whom the terrors of 
the divine judgment make very little    

impression4 ,the reason can only be a   
supine neglect of serious reflection1   
and a habit of considering them only    
transiently1 and as at a distance2 for  
it is impossible for any one who        
believes these great truths1 if he takes
 a serious review of them1 and has them 
present to his mind1 to remain          
insensible3 transient glances effect not
 a change of heart4 ,among the pretended
 conversions which sickness daily       
produces1 very few bear the characters  
of sincerity1 as appears by those who1  
after their recovery1 live on in their  
former lukewarmness and disorders4#a    
,st4 ,austin1 in a sermon which he made 
upon the news that ,rome had been sacked
 by the barbarians1 relates1#b that not 
long before1 at ,constantinople1 upon   
the appearance of an unusual meteor1 and
 a rumor of a pretended prediction that 
the city would be destroyed by fire from
 heaven1 the inhabitants were seized    
with a panic fear1 all began to do      
penance like ,ninive1 and fled1 with the

 emperor at their head1 to a great      
distance from the city4 ,after the term 
appointed for its pretended destruction 
was elapsed1 they sent scouts to the    
city1 which they had left quite empty1  
and1 hearing that it was still standing1
 returned to it1 and with their fears   
forgot their repentance and all their   
good resolutions4 ,to prevent the danger
 of penitents imposing upon themselves  
by superficial conversions1 ,st4        
,barbatus took all necessary precautions
 to improve their #dcc first            
dispositions to a sincere and perfect   
change of heart1 and to cut off and     
remove all dangerous occasions of       
temptations4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,the     
devil was sick1 the devil a monk would  
be2     ,the devil was well1 the devil  
no monk was he4 #b4  ,s4 ,aug4 ,serm4 de
 ,excidio ,urbis1 c4 #f1 t4 #f1 p4 #fbg1
 ed4 ,ben4   ,,february ,,xx4  ,,ss4    
,,tyrannio1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,tyre1       
,,zenobius1 ,,and ,,others1 ,,martyrs   
,,in ,,phoenicia1 ,,etc4  ,from         

,eusebius1 ,hist l4 #h1 c4#g1 #ac1 #be4 
,st4 ,jerom in ,chron4 ,euseb4  ,a4,d4  
#cjd1 #caj4  ,,eusebius1 the parent of  
church history1 and an eye-witness of   
what he relates concerning these        
martyrs1 gives the following account of 
them4 ,several ,christians of ,egypt1   
whereof some had settled in ,palestine1 
others at ,tyre1 gave astonishing proofs
 of their patience and constancy in the 
faith4 ,after innumerable stripes and   
blows1 which they cheerfully underwent1 
they were exposed to wild beasts1 such  
as leopards1 wild bears1 boars1 and     
bulls4 ,i myself was present when these 
savage creatures1 accustomed to human   
blood1 being let out upon them1 instead 
of devouring them1 or tearing them to   
pieces1 as it was natural to expect1    
stood off1 refusing even to touch or    
approach them1 at the same time that    
they fell foul on their keepers1 and    
others that came in their way4#a ,the   
soldiers of ,christ were the only       
persons they refused1 though these      

martyrs1 pursuant to the order given    
them1 tossed about their arms1 which was
 thought a ready way to provoke the     
beasts1 and stir them up against them4  
,sometimes1 indeed1 they were perceived 
to rush towards them with their usual   
impetuosity1 but1 withheld by a divine  
power1 they suddenly withdrew2 and this 
many times1 to the great admiration of  
all present4 ,the first having done no  
execution1 others were a second and a   
third time let out upon them1 but in    
vain2 the martyrs standing all the while
 unshaken1 though many of them very     
young4 ,among them was a youth of not   
yet twenty1 who had his eyes lifted up  
to heaven1 and his arms extended in the 
form of a cross1 not in the least       
daunted1 nor trembling1 nor shifting his
 place1 while the bears and leopards1   
with their jaws wide open1 threatening  
immediate death1 seemed just ready1 to  
tear him to pieces2 but1 by a miracle1  
not being suffered to touch him1 they   
speedily withdrew4 ,others were exposed 

to a furious bull1 which had already    
gored and tossed into the air several   
infidels who had ventured too near1 and 
left them half dead3 only the martyrs he
 could not approach2 he stopped1 and    
stood scraping the dust with his feet1  
and though he seemed to endeavor it with
 his utmost might1 butting with his     
horns on every side1 and pawing the     
ground with his feet1 being also urged  
on by red-hot iron goads1 it was all to 
no purpose4 ,after repeated trials of   
this kind with other wild beasts1 with  
as little success as the former1 the    
saints were slain by the sword1 and     
their bodies cast into the sea4 ,others 
who refused to sacrifice were beaten    
#dcd to death1 or burned1 or executed   
divers other ways4 ,this happened in the
 year #cjd1 under ,veturius1 a ,roman   
general1 in the reign of ,dioclesian4   
,the church on this day commemorates the
 other holy martyrs1 whose crown was    
deferred till #caj4 ,the principal of   
these was ,st4 ,tyrannio1 bishop of     

,tyre1 who had been present at the      
glorious triumph of the former1 and     
encouraged them in their conflict4 ,he  
had not the comfort to follow them till 
six years after2 when1 being conducted  
from ,tyre to ,antioch1 with ,st4       
,zenobius1 a holy priest and physician  
of ,sidon1 after many torments he was   
thrown into the sea1 or rather into the 
river ,orontes1 upon which ,antioch     
stands1 at twelve miles distance front  
the sea4 ,zenobius expired on the rack1 
while his sides and body were furrowed  
and laid open with iron hooks and nails4
 ,st4 ,sylvanus1 bishop of ,emisa1 in   
,phoenicia1 was1 some time after1 under 
,maximinus1 devoured by wild beasts in  
the midst of his own city1 with two     
companions1 after having governed that  
church forty years4 ,peleus and ,nilus1 
two other ,egyptian priests1 in         
,palestine1 were consumed by fire with  
some others4 ,st4 ,sylvanus1 bishop of  
,gaza1 was condemned to the copper mines
 of ,phoenon1 near ,petra1 in ,arabia1  

and afterwards beheaded there with      
thirty-nine others4  ,st4 ,tyrannio is  
commemorated on the #bjth of ,february1 
in the ,roman ,martyrology1 with those  
who suffered under ,veturius1 at ,tyre1 
in #cjd4 ,st4 ,zenobius1 the priest and 
physician of ,sidon1 who suffered with  
him at ,antioch1 on the #bith of        
,october3 ,st4 ,sylvanus of ,emisa1 to  
whom the ,menology gives many           
companions1 on the #fth of ,february3   
,st4 ,sylvanus of ,gaza1 on the #bith of
 ,may4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,the love of ,christ       
triumphed in the hearts of so many      
glorious martyrs1 upon racks1 in the    
midst of boiling furnaces1 or flames1   
and in the claws or teeth of furious    
wild beasts4 ,how many inflamed with his
 love have forsaken all things to follow
 him1 despising honors1 riches1         
pleasures1 and the endearments of       
worldly friends1 to take up their       
crosses1 and walk with constancy in the 
narrow paths of a most austere          

penitential life6 ,we also pretend to   
love him3 but what effect has this love 
upon us8 what fruit does it produce in  
our lives8 ,if we examine our own       
hearts1 we shall be obliged to confess  
that we have great reason to fear that  
we deceive ourselves4 ,what pains do we 
take to rescue our souls from the       
slavery of the world1 and the tyranny of
 self-love1 to purge our affections of  
vice1 or to undertake any thing for the 
divine honor1 and the sanctification of 
our souls8 ,let us earnestly entreat our
 most merciful ,redeemer1 by the power  
of this his holy love1 to triumph over  
all his enemies1 which are our unruly   
passions1 in our souls1 and perfectly to
 subdue our stubborn hearts to its      
empire4 ,let it be our resolution1 from 
this moment1 to renounce the love of the
 world1 and all self-love1 to seek and  
obey him alone4  ,footnotes3 #a4        
,rufinus adds1 that these beasts killed 
several of the keepers and              
spectators4 ,it is in this sense that   

some have translated this     passage   
with ,nicephorus4 ,see ,vales4 ,in      
,annot4 p4 #afe4 ,but it seems          
improbable that the spectators1 who were
 separated from the arena by     iron   
rails1 and seated on stone benches      
gradually ascending ten or     twenty   
men deep all round1 should be killed or 
injured by the     beasts1 unless some  
were so rash as to venture within the   
rails with     the keepers2 which we see
 several do in the combats of wild      
beasts4     ,this1 therefore1 we are to 
restrain to the keepers and those who   
kept them company4  ,s4 ,,sadoth1       
,,bishop ,,of ,,seleucia ,,and          
,,ctesiphon1  ,,with #abh ,,companions1 
,,martyrs4  ,from his genuine acts in   
,metaphrastes1 ,bollandus1 and ,ruinart2
 but more correctly in the original     
,chaldaic given us by ,assemani1 t4 #a1 
p4 #hc4 ,orsi1 ,hist4 t4 #e1 l4 #ac4    
,see ,le ,quien1 ,oriens ,christ4 t4 #b1
 p4 #aajh4  ,a4,d4 #cdb4  ,,sadoth1 as  
he is called by the ,greeks and ,latins1

 is named in the original ,persian      
language1 ,schiadustes1 which signifies 
friend of the king1 from schiah1 king1  
and dust1 friend4 ,his unspotted purity 
of heart1 his ardent zeal1 and the      
practice of all ,christian virtues1     
prepared him1 from his #dce youth1 for  
the episcopal dignity1 and the crown of 
martyrdom4 ,st4 ,simeon1 bishop of      
,selec1 or ,seleucia1 and ,ctesiphon1   
then the two capital cities of ,persia1 
situate on the river ,tigris1 being     
translated to glory by martyrdom1 in the
 beginning of the persecution raised by 
,sapor ,,ii41 in #cda1 ,st4 ,sadoth was 
chosen three months after to fill his   
see1 the most important in that empire1 
but the most exposed to the storm4 ,this
 grew more violent on the publication of
 a new edict against the ,christians1   
which made it capital to confess        
,christ4 ,to wait with patience the     
manifestation of the divine will1 ,st4  
,sadoth1 with part of his clergy1 lay   
hid for some time2 which did not however

 hinder him from affording his          
distressed flock all proper assistance  
and encouragement1 but rather enabled   
him to do it with the greater fruit4    
,during this retreat he had a vision    
which seemed to indicate that the time  
was come for the holy bishop to seal his
 faith with his blood4 ,this he related 
to his priests and deacons1 whom he     
assembled for that purpose4 ,i saw1 said
 he1 in my sleep1 a ladder environed    
with light and reaching from earth to   
the heavens4 ,st4 ,simeon was at the top
 of it1 and in great glory4 ,he beheld  
me at the bottom1 and said to me1 with a
 smiling countenance3 ',mount up1       
,sadoth1 fear not4 ,i mounted yesterday1
 and it is your turn to-day3' which     
means1 that as he was slain last year1  
so ,i am to follow him this4 ,he was not
 wanting on this occasion to exhort his 
clergy1 with great zeal and fervor1 to  
make a provision of good works1 and     
employ well their time1 till they should
 be called on in like manner1 that they 

might be in readiness to take possession
 of their inheritance4 ,a man that is   
guided by the ,spirit1 says ,st4        
,maruthas1 author of these acts1 fears  
not death2 he loves ,god1 and goes to   
him with an incredible ardor2 but he who
 lives according to the desires of the  
flesh1 trembles1 and is in despair at   
its approach3 he loves the world1 and it
 is with grief that he leaves it4  ,the 
second year of the persecution1 king    
,sapor coming to ,seleucia1 ,sadoth was 
apprehended1 with several of his clergy1
 some ecclesiastics of the neighborhood1
 end certain monks and nuns belonging to
 his church1 to the amount of one       
hundred and twenty-eight persons4 ,they 
were thrown into dungeons1 where1 during
 five months' confinement1 they suffered
 incredible misery and torments4 ,they  
were thrice called out1 and put to the  
rack or question2 their legs were       
straight bound with cords1 which were   
drawn with so much violence1 that their 
bones breaking1 were heard to crack like

 sticks in a fagot4 ,amidst these       
tortures the officers cried out to them3
 ,adore the sun1 and obey the king1 if  
you would save your lives4 ,sadoth      
answered in the name of all1 that the   
sun was but a creature1 the work of     
,god1 made for the use of mankind2 that 
they would pay supreme adoration to none
 but the ,creator of heaven and earth1  
and never be unfaithful to him2 that it 
was indeed in their power to take away  
their lives1 but that this would be the 
greatest favor they could do them2      
wherefore he conjured them not to spare 
them1 or delay their execution4 ,the    
officers said3 ,obey6 or know that your 
death is certain1 and immediate4 ,the   
martyrs all cried out with one voice3   
,we shall not die1 but live and reign   
eternally with ,god and his ,son ,jesus 
,christ4 ,wherefore inflict death as    
soon as you please2 for we repeat it to 
you that we will not adore the sun1 nor 
obey the unjust edicts4 ,then sentence  
of death was pronounced upon them all by

 the king2 for which they thanked ,god1 
and mutually encouraged each other4     
,they were chained two and two together1
 and led out of the city to execution1  
singing psalms and canticles of joy as  
they went4 ,being arrived at the place  
of their martyrdom1 they raised their   
voices still higher1 blessing and       
thanking ,god for his mercy in bringing 
them thither1 and begging the grace of  
perseverance1 and that by this baptism  
of their blood they might enter into his
 glory4 ,these prayers and praises of   
,god did not cease but with #dcf the    
life of the last of this blessed        
company4 ,st4 ,sadoth1 by the king's    
orders1 was separated from them1 and    
sent into the province of the ,huzites1 
where he was beheaded4 ,he thus rejoined
 his happy flock in the kingdom of      
glory4 ,ancient ,chaldaic writers quoted
 by ,assemani say1 ,st4 ,schiadustes1 or
 ,sadoth1 was nephew to ,simeon         
,barsaboe1 being son to his sister4 ,he 
governed his church only eight months1  

and finished his martyrdom after five   
months imprisonment1 in the year #cdb1  
and of king ,sapor ,,ii4 the            
thirty-third4 ,these martyrs are honored
 in the ,roman ,martyrology on this day4
  ,,st4 ,,eleutherius1 ,,martyr1        
,,bishop ,,of ,,tournay4  ,a4,d4 #ecb4  
,,he was born at ,tournay1 of ,christian
 parents1 whose family had been         
converted to ,christ by ,st4 ,piat1 one 
hundred and fifty years before4 ,the    
faith had declined at ,tournay ever     
since ,st4 ,piat's martyrdom1 by reason 
of its commerce with the heathen islands
 of ,taxandria1 now ,zealand1 and by    
means of the heathen ,french kings1 who 
resided some time at ,tournay4          
,eleutherius was chosen bishop of that  
city in #dhf2 ten years after which king
 ,clovis was baptized at ,rheims4       
,eleutherius converted the greatest part
 of the ,franks in that country to the  
faith1 and opposed most zealously       
certain heretics who denied the mystery 
of the ,incarnation1 by whom he was     

wounded on the head with a sword1 and   
died of the wound five weeks after1 on  
the first of ,july1 in #ecb4 ,the most  
ancient monuments1 relating to this     
saint1 seem to have perished in a great 
fire which consumed his church1 and many
 other buildings at ,tournay1 in #ajib1 
with his relics4 ,see ,miraeus1 and his 
life written in the ninth century1      
extant in ,bollandus1 p4 #ahg4a ,of the 
sermons ascribed to ,st4 ,eleutherius1  
in the ,library of the ,fathers t4 #h1  
none seem sufficiently warranted        
genuine1 except three on the            
,incarnation and ,birth of ,christ1 and 
the ,annunciation4 ,see ,dom4 ,rivet1   
,hist4 ,litter41 t4 #c1 p4 #aed1 and t4 
#e1 pp4 #dj1 #da4 ,gallia ,christ4      
,nova1 t4 #c1 p4 #ega1 and ,henschenius1
 p #ahj4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,this author 
wrote before the invasion of the        
,normans1 and the     translation of the
 saint's relics2 but long after the     
saint's death1     and by making him    
born in the reign of ,dioclesian1 yet   

contemporary     with ,st4 ,medard1     
destroys his own credit4 ,some years    
after1 another     author much enlarged 
this life1 and inserted a history of the
     translation of the relics of this  
saint1 made in #hig4 ,a third writer    
added a relation of later miracles1 and 
of the translation of these     relics  
into the city of ,tourney1 in #aafd4    
,all these authors deserve     little   
notice1 except in relating facts of     
their own time4  ,,st4 ,,mildred1 ,v4   
,,abbess4  ,,eormenburga1#a pronounced  
,ermenburga1 otherwise called ,domneva1 
was married to ,merwald1 a son of king  
,penda1 and had by him three daughters  
and a son1 who all consecrated their    
whole estates to pious uses1 and were   
all honored by our ancestors among the  
saints4 ,their names were ,milburg1     
,mildred1 ,mildgithe1 and ,mervin4 ,king
 ,egbert caused his two nephews1        
,ethelred and ,ethelbright1 to be       
secretly murdered in the isle of        
,thanet4 ,count ,thunor1 whom he had    

charged with that execrable commission1 
buried the bodies of the two princes    
under the king's throne1 in the #dcg    
royal palace at ,estrage1 now called    
,estria4 ,the king is said to have been 
miraculously terrified by seeing a ray  
of bright light dart from the heavens   
upon their grave1 and1 in sentiments of 
compunction1 he sent for their sister   
,eormenburga1 out of ,mercia1 to pay her
 the weregeld1 which was the mulct for a
 murder1 ordained by the laws to be paid
 to the relations of the persons        
deceased4 ,in satisfaction for the      
murder1 he settled on her forty-eight   
ploughs of land1 which she employed in  
founding a monastery1 in which prayers  
might be continually put up to ,god for 
the repose of the souls of the two      
princes4 ,this pious establishment was  
much promoted by the king1 and thus the 
monastery was founded about the year    
#fgj2 not #eif1 as ,leland#b and ,speed 
mistake4 ,the monastery was called      
,menstrey1 or rather ,minstre1 in the   

isle of ,thanet4 ,domneva sent her      
daughter ,mildred to the abbey of       
,chelles1 in ,france1 where she took the
 religious veil1 and was thoroughly     
instructed in all the duties of that    
state1 the perfect spirit of which she  
had imbibed from her tender years4 ,upon
 her return to ,england she was         
consecrated first abbess of ,minstre1 in
 ,thanet1 by ,st4 ,theodorus1 archbishop
 of ,canterbury1 and at the same time   
received to the habit seventy chosen    
virgins4 ,she behaved herself by        
humility as the servant of her sisters1 
and conducted them to virtue by the     
authority of her example1 for all were  
ashamed not to imitate her watching1    
mortification1 and prayer1 and not to   
walk according to her spirit4 ,her aunt1
 ,ermengitha1 served ,god in the same   
house with such fervor1 that after her  
death she was ranked among the saints1  
and her tomb1 situated a mile from the  
monastery1 was famous for the resort of 
devout pilgrims4 ,st4 ,mildred died of a

 lingering1 painful illness1 towards the
 close of the seventh century4 ,this    
great monastery was often plundered by  
the ,danes1 and the nuns and clerks     
murdered1 chiefly in the years #ihj and 
#ajaa4 ,after the last of these         
burnings1 here were no more nuns1 but   
only a few secular priests4 ,in #ajcc1  
the remains of ,st4 ,mildred were       
translated to the monastery of ,st4     
,austin's at ,canterbury1 and venerated 
above all the relics of that holy place1
 says ,malmesbury1#c who testifies      
frequent miracles to have been wrought  
by them3 ,thorn and others confirm the  
same4 ,two churches in ,london bear her 
name4 ,see ,thorn's ,chronicle1 inter   
,decem ,scriptores1 coll4 #aggj1 #aghc1 
#aijf4 ,harpsfield3 an old ,saxon book1 
entitled1 ,narratio de ,sanctis qui in  
,anglia quiescunt published by ,hickes1 
,thesaur41 t4 #a1 in ,dissert4          
,epistolari1 p4 #aaf4 ,monast4 ,anglic4 
t4 #a1 p4 #hd4 ,stevens ,supplem4 vol4  
#a1 p4 #eah4 ,reyneri ,apostolat4       

,bened4 t4 #a1 p4 #fa1 and ,lewis's     
,history of the isle of ,thanet1        
7printed at ,london in #agbc1 in #dto417
 pp4 #ea1 #fb1 and in ,append4 n4 #bc4  
,footnotes3 #a4  ,eadbald1 king of      
,kent1 had by his queen ,emma1 daughter 
to a king of     the ,french1 ,st4      
,eanswithe1 7whose relics were venerated
 at     ,folkstone1 till the change of  
religion17 and two sons1 ,eorcombert    
7afterwards king7 and ,eormenred1       
surnamed ,clito4 ,this last left four   
children by his wife ,oslave1 namely1   
,eurmenburga and ,st4     ,eormengitha1 
with two sons1 ,st4 ,ethelred and ,st4  
,ethelbright4 ,king     ,eorcombert had1
 by his queen ,sexburga1 ,egbert and    
,lothaire1     successively kings1 and  
,st4 ,eormenilda and ,st4 ,ercongota4   
,eormenburga was surnamed ,moldeva1 as  
we are assured by the ancient           
,english ,saxon account of these saints1
 published by ,hickes3 though           
,capgrave frequently speaks of them as  
different women4 #b4  ,leland1 ,collect4

 t4 #a1 p4 #ig4 #c4  ,l4 #b1 de ,reg4   
,angl4 c4 #ac4  ,,st4 ,,eucherius1      
,,bishop ,,of ,,orleans1 ,c4  ,,our     
saint's mother1 who was a lady of       
eminent virtue1 and of the first quality
 at ,orleans1 while she was with child  
of him1 made a daily offering of him to 
,god1 and begged nothing for him but    
divine grace4 ,when he was born1 his    
parents dedicated him to ,god1 and set  
him to study when he was but seven years
 old1 resolving to omit nothing that    
could be done towards cultivating his   
mind1 or forming his heart4 ,his        
improvement in virtue kept pace with his
 progress in learning3 he meditated     
assiduously on the sacred writings1     
especially on ,st4 ,paul's manner of    
speaking on the world1 and its          
enjoyments1 as mere empty shadows1 that 
deceive us and vanish away2#a and took  
particular notice that the apostle says1
 the wisdom of those who love the       
pleasures and riches of this life is no 
better than folly before ,god4 #dch     

,these reflections at length sunk so    
deep into his mind1 that he resolved to 
quit the world4 ,to put this design in  
execution1 about the year #gad1 he      
retired to the abbey of ,jumiege1 on the
 banks of the ,seine1 in the diocese of 
,rouen4 ,when he had spent six or seven 
years here1 in the practice of          
penitential austerities and obedience1  
,suavaric1 his uncle1 bishop of         
,orleans1 died3 the senate and people1  
with the clergy of that city1 deputed   
persons to ,charles ,martel1 mayor of   
the palace1 to beg his permission to    
elect ,eucherius to the vacant see4     
,that prince granted their request1 and 
sent with them one of his principal     
officers of state to conduct him from   
his monastery to ,orleans4 ,the saint's 
affliction at their arrival was         
inexpressible1 and he entreated the     
monks to screen him from the dangers    
that threatened him4 ,but they preferred
 the public good to their private       
inclinations1 and resigned him up for   

that important charge4 ,he was received 
at ,orleans1 and consecrated with       
universal applause1 in #gba4 ,though he 
received the episcopal character with   
grievous apprehensions of its           
obligations and dangers1 he was not     
discouraged1 but had recourse to the    
supreme pastor for assistance in the    
discharge of his duties1 and devoted    
himself entirely to the care of his     
church4 ,he was indefatigable in        
instructing and reforming his flock1 and
 his zeal and even reproofs were        
attended with so much sweetness and     
charity1 that it was impossible not to  
love and obey him4 ,charles ,martel1 to 
defray the expenses of his wars and     
other undertakings1 and to recompense   
those that served him1 often stripped   
the churches of their revenues1 and     
encouraged others to do the same4 ,st4  
,eucherius reproved these encroachments 
with so much zeal1 that flatterers      
represented it to the prince as an      
insult offered to his person2 therefore1

 in the year #gcg1 ,charles1 in his     
return to ,paris1 after having defeated 
the ,saracens in ,aquitaine1 took       
,orleans in his way1 ordered ,eucherius 
to follow him to ,verneuil upon the     
,oise1 in the diocese of ,beauvais1     
where he then kept his court1 and       
banished him to ,cologne4 ,the          
extraordinary esteem which his virtue   
procured him in that city1 moved        
,charles to order him to be conveyed    
thence to a strong place in ,hasbain1   
now called ,haspengaw1 in the territory 
of ,liege1 under the guard of ,robert1  
governor of that country4 ,the governor 
was so charmed with his virtue1 that he 
made him the distributer of his large   
alms1 and allowed him to retire to the  
monastery of ,sarchinium1 or ,st4       
,tron's4 ,here prayer and contemplation 
were his whole employment1 till the year
 #gdc1 in which he died on the #bjth of 
,february4 ,he is named in the ,roman1  
and other martyrologies4 ,see his       
original life by one of the same age1   

with the preliminary dissertation of    
,henschenius1 and the remarks of        
,mabillon1 saec4 #c1 ,ben4 ,the         
pretended vision of the damnation of    
,charles ,martel1 is an evident         
interpolation1 found only in later      
copies and in ,surius4  ,footnotes3 #a4 
#a4 ,cor4 vii 1 m4 #ai4  ,,st4 ,,ulrick1
 ,a ,,recluse4  ,,he was born near      
,bristol1 and being promoted to the     
priesthood1 took great pleasure in      
hunting1 till being touched by divine   
grace1 he retired near ,hoselborough in 
,dorsetshire1 where he led a most       
austere and holy life4 ,he died on the  
#bjth of ,february1 in #aaed4 ,see      
,matthew ,paris1 ,ford ,henry of        
,huntingdon1 and ,harpsfield1 saec4 #ab1
 c4 #bi  #dci  ,,february ,,xxi4  ,,st4 
,,severianus1 ,,martyr4  ,,bishop ,,of  
,,scythopholis4  ,from the life of ,st4 
,euthymius1 written by ,cyril the monk2 
a letter of the emperor ,marciaagrius1  
l4 #b1 c4 #e4 ,nicephorus ,calixt4 l4   
#ae1 c4 #i1 collected by ,bollandus1 p4 

#bdf4  ,a4,d4 #deb1 or #dec4  ,,in the  
reign of ,marcian and ,st4 ,pulcheria1  
the council of ,chalcedon which         
condemned the ,eutychian heresy1 was    
received by ,st4 ,euthymius1 and by a   
great part of the monks of ,palestine4  
,but ,theodosius1 an ignorant ,eutychian
 monk1 and a man of a most tyrannical   
temper1 under the protection of the     
empress ,eudoxia1 widow of ,theodosius  
the ,younger1 who lived at ,jerusalem1  
perverted many among the monks          
themselves1 and having obliged ,juvenal1
 bishop of ,jerusalem1 to withdraw1     
unjustly possessed himself of that      
important see1 and in a cruel           
persecution which he raised1 filled     
,jerusalem with blood1 as the emperor   
,marcian assures us3 then1 at the head  
of a band of soldiers1 he carried       
desolation over the country4 ,many1     
however1 had the courage to stand their 
ground4 ,no one resisted him with       
greater zeal and resolution than        
,severianus1 bishop of ,scythopolis1 and

 his recompense was the crown of        
martyrdom2 for the furious soldiers     
seized his person1 dragged him out of   
the city1 and massacred him in the      
latter part of the year #deb1 or in the 
beginning of the year #dec4 ,his name   
occurs in the ,roman ,martyrology1 on   
the #bast of ,february4         99      
99       99       99       99           
,palestine1 the country which for above 
one thousand four hundred years had been
 ,god's chosen inheritance under the    
,old ,law1 when other nations were      
covered with the abominations of        
idolatry1 had been sanctified by the    
presence1 labors1 and sufferings of our 
divine ,redeemer1 and had given birth to
 his church1 and to so many saints1     
became often the theatre of enormous    
scandals1 and has now1 for many ages1   
been enslaved to the most impious and   
gross superstitions4 ,so many           
flourishing churches in the ,east which 
were planted by the labors of the       
chiefest among the apostles1 watered    

with the blood of innumerable glorious  
martyrs1 illustrated with the bright    
light of the ,ignatiuses1 the           
,polycarps1 the ,basils1 the ,ephrems1  
and the ,chrysostoms1 blessed by the    
example and supported by the prayers of 
legions of eminent saints1 are fallen a 
prey to almost universal vice and       
infidelity4 ,with what floods of tears  
can we sufficiently bewail so grievous a
 misfortune1 and implore the divine     
mercy in behalf of so many souls6 ,how  
ought we to be alarmed at the           
consideration of so many dreadful       
examples of ,god's inscrutable          
judgments1 and tremble for ourselves6   
,let him who stands beware lest he fall4
 ,hold fast what thou hast1 says the    
oracle of the ,holy ,ghost to every one 
of us1 lest another bear away thy crown4
  #ddj  ,,ss4 ,,german1 ,,abbot ,,of    
,,granfel1  ,,and ,,randaut1 ,,or       
,,randoald1 ,,martyrs4  ,from their     
acts1 written by the priest ,babolen in 
the same age1 in ,bollandus1 ,le        

,cointe1 ad an4 #ffb4 ,bulteau1 ,hist4  
,mon4 d',occid4 l4 #c1 c4 #dd1 p4 #ffa4 
,,about ,,the ,,year #fff4  ,,st4       
,,german1 or ,,germanus1 was son of a   
rich senator of ,triers1 and brought up 
from the cradle under the care of       
,modoald1 bishop of ,triers4 ,at        
seventeen years of age1 he gave all he  
could dispose of to the poor1 and with  
,modoald's consent applied himself to   
,st4 ,arnoul1 who having resigned his   
dignities of bishop of ,metz1 and       
minister of state under ,dagobert1 then 
led an eremitical life in a desert in   
,lorrain1 near ,romberg1 or ,remiremont4
 ,that great saint1 charmed with the    
innocence and fervor of the tender young
 nobleman1 received him in the most     
affectionate manner1 and gave him the   
monastic tonsure4 ,under such a master  
the holy youth made great progress in a 
spiritual life1 and after some time1    
having engaged a younger brother1 called
 ,numerian1 to forsake the world1 he    
went with him to ,romberg1 or the       

monastery of ,st4 ,romaric1 a prince of 
royal blood1 who1 resigning the first   
dignity and rank which he enjoyed in the
 court of king ,theodebert1 had founded 
in his own castle1 in concert with his  
friend ,st4 ,arnoul1 a double house1 one
 larger for nuns1 the other less for    
monks2 both known since under the name  
of ,remiremont1 situated on a part of   
,mount ,vosge4 ,st4 ,romaric died in    
#fec1 and is named in the ,roman        
,martyrology on the #hth of ,december1  
on which his festival is kept at        
,remiremont1 and that of the ,blessed   
,virgin deferred to the day following4  
,he settled here the rule of ,luxeu1 or 
of ,st4 ,columban4#a ,st4 ,german made  
the practices of all manner of          
humiliations1 penance1 and religion1 the
 object of his earnest ambition1 and out
 of a desire of greater spiritual       
advancement1 after some time passed with
 his brother to the monastery of ,luxeu1
 then governed by the holy abbot1 ,st4  
,walbert4 ,duke ,gondo1 one of the      

principal lords of ,alsace1 having      
founded a monastery in the diocese of   
,basil1 called the ,great ,valley1 in   
,german1 ,granfel1 and now more commonly
 ,munster-thal1 or the ,monastery of the
 valley1 ,st4 ,walbert appointed ,st4   
,german abbot of the colony which he    
settled there4 ,afterwards the two      
monasteries of ,ursiein1 commonly called
 ,st4 ,ursitz1 and of ,st4 ,paul        
,zu-,werd1 or of the island1 were also  
put under his direction1 though he      
usually resided at ,granfel4 ,catihe1   
called also ,boniface1 who succeeded    
,gondo in the duchy1 inherited no share 
of his charity and religion1 and        
oppressed both the monks and poor       
inhabitants with daily acts of violence 
and arbitrary tyranny4 ,the holy abbot  
bore all private injuries in silence1   
but often pleaded the cause of the poor4
 ,the duke had thrown the magistrates of
 several villages into prison1 and many 
ways distressed the other inhabitants1  
laying waste their lands at pleasure1   

and destroying all the fruits of their  
toil1 and all the means of their poor   
subsistence4 ,as he was one day ravaging
 their lands and plundering their houses
 at the head of a troop of soldiers1    
,st4 ,german went out to meet him1 to   
entreat him to spare a distressed and   
innocent people4 ,the duke listened to  
his remonstrances and promised to       
desist2 but while the saint stayed to   
offer up his prayers in the church of   
,st4 ,maurice1 the #dda soldiers fell   
again to killing1 burning1 and          
plundering3 and while ,st4 ,german was  
on his road to return to ,granfel1 with 
his companion ,randoald1 commonly called
 ,randaut1 they first stripped them1 and
 then1 while they were at their prayers1
 pierced them both with lances1 about   
the year #fff4 ,their relics were       
deposited at ,granfel1 and were exposed 
in a rich shrine till the change of     
religion1 since which time the          
canonries1 into which this monastery was
 converted1 are removed to ,telsberg1 or

 ,delmont4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,remiremont
 was destroyed in the tenth century by  
the ,hungarians or     ,new ,huns1 but  
rebuilt in the reign of ,louis ,,iii41  
in the plain     beyond the ,moselle1 at
 the bottom of the mountain1 where a    
town is     formed4 ,it has been1 if not
 from its restoration1 at least for     
several centuries1 a noble collegiate   
church for canonesses1 who     make     
proof of nobility for two hundred years1
 but can marry if they     resign their 
pends2 except the abbess1 who makes     
solemn religious     vows4  ,,ss4       
,,daniel1 ,,priest1 ,,and ,,verda1      
,,virgin1  ,,martyrs4  ,from their      
authentic acts1 written by ,st4         
,maruthas1 in ,syriac1 and published by 
,stephen ,assemani among the ,oriental  
,martyrs1 t4 #a1 p4 #ajc4  ,a4,d4 #cdd4 
,two years after the martyrdom of ,st4  
,milles1 ,daniel1 a priest1 and a virgin
 consecrated to ,god1 named ,verda1     
which in ,chaldaic signifies a rose1    
were apprehended in the province of the 

,razicheans1 in ,persia1 by an order of 
the governor1 and put to all manner of  
torments for three months1 almost       
without intermission4 ,among other      
tortures1 their feet being bored        
through1 were put into frozen water for 
five days together4 ,the governor1      
seeing it impossible to overcome their  
constancy1 condemned them to lose their 
heads4 ,they were crowned on the #beth  
of the moon of ,february1 which was that
 year the #bast of that month1 in the   
year of ,christ #cdd1 and of king ,sapor
 ,,ii41 the thirty-fifth4 ,their names  
were not known either to the ,greek or  
,latin martyrologists3 and their        
illustrious triumph is recorded in few  
words by ,st4 ,maruthas3 but was most   
glorious in the sight of heaven4  ,b4   
,,pepin ,,of ,,landen1 ,,mayor ,,of     
,,the ,,palace  ,,to ,,the ,,kings      
,,clotaire ,,ii41 ,,dagobert1 ,,and     
,,sigebert4  ,,he was son of ,carloman1 
the most powerful nobleman of           
,austrasia1 who had been mayor to       

,clotaire ,i41 son of ,clovis ,i4 ,he   
was grandfather to ,pepin of ,herstal1  
the most powerful mayor1 whose son was  
,charles ,martel1 and grandson ,pepin   
the ,short1 king of ,france1 in whom    
began the ,carlovingian race4 ,pepin of 
,landen1 upon the river ,geete1 in      
,brabant1 was a lover of peace1 the     
constant defender of truth and justice1 
a true friend to all servants of ,god1  
the terror of the wicked1 the support of
 the weak1 the father of his country1   
the zealous and humble defender of      
religion4 ,he was lord of great part of 
,brabant1 and governor of ,austrasia1   
when ,theodebert ,,ii41 king of that    
country1 was defeated by ,theodoric     
,,ii41 king of ,burgundy1 and soon after
 assassinated in #fab3 and ,theodoric   
dying the year following1 ,clotaire     
,,ii41 king of ,soissons1 reunited      
,burgundy1 ,neustria1 and ,austrasia to 
his former dominions1 and became sole   
monarch of ,france4 ,for the pacific    
possession of ,austrasia he was much    

indebted to ,pepin1 whom he appointed   
mayor of the palace to his son ,dagobert
 ,i41 when1 in #fbb1 he declared him    
king of ,austrasia and ,neustria4 ,the  
death of ,clotaire ,,ii41 in #fbh1 put  
him in possession of all ,france1 except
 a small part of ,aquitaine1 with       
,thoulouse1 which was settled upon his  
younger brother1 ,charibert4 ,when king 
,dagobert1 forgetful of the maxims      
instilled into him in his youth1 had    
given himself up to a shameful lust1    
this faithful minister #ddb boldly      
reproached him with his ingratitude to  
,god1 and ceased not till he saw him a  
sincere and perfect penitent4 ,this     
great king died in #fch1 and was buried 
at ,st4 ,denys's4 ,he had appointed     
,pepin tutor to his son ,sigebert from  
his cradle1 and mayor of his palace when
 he declared him king of ,austrasia1 in 
#fcc4 ,after the death of ,dagobert1    
,clovis ,,ii4 reigning in ,burgundy and 
,neustria1 7by whom ,erchinoald was made
 mayor for the latter1 and ,flaochat for

 the former17 ,pepin quitted the        
administration of those dominions1 and  
resided at ,metz1 with ,sigebert1 who   
always considered him as his father1 and
 under his discipline became himself a  
saint1 and one of the most happy among  
all the ,french kings4 ,pepin was       
married to the blessed ,itta1 of one of 
the first families in ,aquitaine1 by    
whom he had a son called ,grimoald1 and 
two daughters1 ,st4 ,gertrude1 and ,st4 
,begga4 ,the latter1 who was the elder1 
was married to ,ansigisus1 son of ,st4  
,arnoul1 to whom she bore ,pepin of     
,herstal4 ,b4 ,pepin1 of ,landen1 died  
on the #bast of ,february1 in #fdj1 and 
was buried at ,landen2 but his body was 
afterwards removed to ,nivelle1 where it
 is now enshrined1 as are those of the  
,b4 ,itta1 and ,st4 ,gertrude in the    
same place4 ,his name stands in the     
,belgi martyrologies1 though no other   
act of public veneration has been paid  
to his memory1 than the enshrining of   
his relics1 which are carried in        

processions4 ,his name is found in a    
litany published by the authority of the
 archbishop of ,mechlin4 ,see           
,bollandus1 t4 #c1 ,fehr4 p4 #bej1 and  
,dom ,bouquet1 ,recueil des ,hist4 de   
,france1 t4 #b1 p4 #fjc4   ,,february   
,,xxii4  ,,the ,,chair ,,of ,,st4       
,,peter ,,at ,,antioch4  ,baronius1     
,annot4 ,in ,martyrol4 ad #ah ,januarii1
 the ,bollandists1 ib4 t4 #b p4 #ahb1   
sect4 #e and #f1 and especially ,jos4   
,bianchini1 ,dissecr4 ,de ,romana       
,cathedra in notis in ,anastatium       
,biblioth4 t4 #d1 p4 #aej4  ,,that      
,saint ,peter1 before he went to ,rome1 
founded the see of ,antioch1 is attested
 by ,eusebius1#a ,origen1#b ,st4        
,jerom1#c ,st4 ,innocent1#d ,pope       
,gelasius1 in his ,roman ,council1#e    
,saint ,chrysostom1 and others4 ,it was 
just that the prince of the apostles    
should take this city under his         
particular care and inspection1 which   
was then the capital of the ,east1 and  
in which the faith took so early and so 

deep root as to give birth in it to the 
name of ,christians4 ,st4 ,chrysostom   
says1 that ,st4 ,peter made there a long
 stay3 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1#f that 
he was seven years bishop of ,antioch2  
not that he resided there all that time1
 but only that he had a particular care 
over that church4 ,if he sat twenty-five
 years at ,rome1 the date of his        
establishing his church at ,antioch must
 be within three years after our        
,saviour's ascension2 for in that       
supposition he must have gone to ,rome  
in the second year of ,claudius4  ,the  
festival of ,st4 ,peter's chair in      
general1 ,natale ,petri de ,cathedra1 is
 marked on this day in the most ancient 
calendar extant1 made in the time of    
pope ,liberius1 about the year #ced4g   
,it also occurs in ,gregory's           
sacramentary1 #ddc and in all the       
martyrologies4 ,it was kept in ,france  
in the sixth century1 as appears from   
the council of ,tours1#h and from ,le   
,cointo4#i         99       99       99 

99       99  ,in the first ages it was  
customary1 especially in the ,east1 for 
every ,christian to keep the anniversary
 of his baptism1 on which he renewed his
 baptismal vows1 and gave thanks to ,god
 for his heavenly adoption3 this they   
called their spiritual birthday4 ,the   
bishops in like manner kept the         
anniversary of their own consecration1  
as appears from four sermons of ,st4    
,leo1 on the anniversary of his         
accession or assumption to the          
pontifical dignity1 and this was        
frequently continued by the people after
 their decease1 out of respect to their 
memory4 ,st4 ,leo says1 we ought to     
celebrate the chair of ,st4 ,peter with 
no less joy than the day of his         
martyrdom2 for as in this he was exalted
 to a throne of glory in heaven1 so by  
the former he was installed head of the 
church on earth4#aj  ,on this festival  
we are especially bound to adore and    
thank the divine goodness for the       
establishment and propagation of his    

church1 and earnestly to pray that in   
his mercy he preserve the same1 and     
dilate its pale1 that his name may be   
glorified by all nations1 and by all    
hearts1 to the boundaries of the earth1 
for his divine honor and the salvation  
of souls1 framed to his divine image1   
and the price of his adorable blood4    
,the church of ,christ is his spiritual 
kingdom3 he is not only the architect   
and founder1 but continues to govern it1
 and by his spirit to animate its       
members to the end of the world as its  
invisible head3 though he has left in   
,st4 ,peter and his successors a vicar1 
or lieutenant1 as a visible head1 with  
an established hierarchy for its        
exterior government4 ,if we love him and
 desire his honor1 if we love men on so 
many titles linked with us1 can we cease
 weeping and praying1 that by his sweet 
omnipotent grace he subdue all the      
enemies of his church1 converting to it 
all infidels and apostates8 ,in its very
 bosom sinners fight against him4       

,though these continue his members by   
faith1 they are dead members1 because he
 lives not in them by his grace and     
charity1 reigns not in their hearts1    
animates them not with his spirit4 ,he  
will indeed always live by grace and    
sanctity in many members of his mystical
 body4 ,let us pray that by the         
destruction of the tyranny of sin all   
souls may subject themselves to the     
reign of his holy love4 ,good ,jesus6   
for your mercy's sake1 hear me in this  
above all other petitions3 never suffer 
me to be separated from you by          
forfeiting your holy love3 may ,i remain
 always rooted and grounded in your     
charity1 as is the will of your ,father4
 ,eph4 iii4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,chron4   
and ,hist41 l4 #c1 c4 #cj4 #b4  ,hom4   
#f1 in ,luc4 #c4  ,in ,catal4 c4 #a4 #d4
  ,ep4 #ah1 t4 #b1 ,conc4 p4 #abfi4 #e4 
,conc4 t4 #d1 p4 #abfb4 #f4  ,ep4 #dj1  
l4 #g1 t4 #b1 p4 #hhh1 ,ed4 ,ben4 #g4   
,some have imagined that the feast of   
the chair of ,st4 ,peter was not        

known1 at least in ,africa1 because it  
occurs not in the ancient     calendar  
of ,carthage4 ,but how should the eighth
 day before the     calends of ,march   
now appear in it1 since the part is lost
 from the     fourteenth before the     
calends of ,march to the eleventh before
 the     calends of ,may8 ,hence ,st4   
,pontius1 deacon and martyr1 on the     
eighth     before the ,ides of ,march2  
,st4 ,donatus1 and some other ,african  
martyrs are not there found4 ,at least  
it is certain that it was kept     at   
,rome long before that time4 ,st4 ,leo  
preached a sermon on ,st4     ,peter's  
chair1 7,serm4 #ajj1 t4 #a1 p4 #bhe1 ad4
 ,rom47 ,quesnel denied it     to be    
genuine in his first edition2 but in the
 second at ,lyons1 to     #agjj1 he     
corrected this mistake1 and proved this 
sermon to be ,st4     ,leo's2 which is  
more fully demonstrated by ,cacciari in 
his late     ,roman edition of ,st4     
,leo's works1 t4 #a1 p4 #bhe4 #h4  ,can4
 #bb4 #i4  ,ad an4 #eff4 #aj4 ,st4 ,leo 

,serm4 #ajj1 in ,cathedra ,s4 ,petri1 t4
 #a1 p4 #bhe1 ed4 ,romanae4  ,,st4      
,,margaret ,,of ,,cortona1 ,,penitent4  
,from her life written by her confessor1
 in the ,acta ,sanctorum2 by ,bollandus1
 p4 #bih4 ,wadding1 ,annal4 ,,ff4       
,minorum ad an4 #abig2 and the ,lives of
 the ,,ss4 of ,third ,ord4 by ,barb4 t4 
#a1 p4 #ejh4  ,a4,d4 #abig  ,,margaret  
was a native of ,alviano1 in ,tuscany4  
,the harshness of a stepmother1 and her 
own indulged propension to vice1 cast   
her headlong into the greatest          
disorders4 ,the sight of the carcass of 
a man1 half putrefied1 #ddd who had been
 her gallant1 struck her with so great a
 fear of the divine judgments1 and with 
so deep a sense of the treachery of this
 world1 that she in a moment became a   
perfect penitent4 ,the first thing she  
did was to throw herself at her father's
 feet1 bathed in tears1 to beg his      
pardon for her contempt of his authority
 and fatherly admonitions4 ,she spent   
the days and nights in tears3 and to    

repair the scandal she had given by her 
crimes1 she went to the parish church of
 ,alviano2 with a rope about her neck1  
and there asked public pardon for them4 
,after this she repaired to ,cortona1   
and made her most penitent confession to
 a father of the ,order of ,st4         
,francis1 who admired the great         
sentiments of compunction with which she
 was filled1 and prescribed her         
austerities and practices suitable to   
her fervor4 ,her conversion happened in 
the year #abgd1 the twenty-fifth of her 
age4 ,she was assaulted by violent      
temptations of various kinds1 but       
courageously overcame them1 and after a 
trial of three years1 was admitted to   
her profession among the penitents of   
the third ,order of ,st4 ,francis1 in   
,cortona4 ,the extraordinary austerities
 with which she punished her criminal   
flesh soon disfigured her body4 ,to     
exterior mortification she joined all   
sorts of humiliations2 and the confusion
 with which she was covered at the sight

 of her own sins1 pushed her on         
continually to invent many extraordinary
 means of drawing upon herself all      
manner of confusion before men4 ,this   
model of true penitents1 after          
twenty-three years spent in severe      
penance1 and twenty of them in the      
religious habit1 being worn out by      
austerities1 and consumed by the fire of
 divine love1 died on the #bb;d of      
,february1 in #abig4 ,after the proof of
 many miracles1 ,leo ,x4 granted an     
office in her honor to the city of      
,cortona1 which ,urban ,,viii4 extended 
to the whole ,franciscan ,order1 in     
#afbc1 and she was canonized by         
,benedict ,,xiii4 in #agbh4  ,,ss4      
,,thalassius ,,and ,,limneus1 ,,cc4     
,,they were contemporaries with the     
great ,theodoret1 bishop of ,cyr1 and   
lived in his diocese4 ,the former dwelt 
in a cavern in a neighboring mountain1  
and was endowed with extraordinary gifts
 of the ,holy ,ghost1 but was a treasure
 unknown to the world4 ,his disciple    

,st4 ,limneus was famous for miraculous 
cures of the sick1 while he himself bore
 patiently the sharpest colics and other
 distempers without any human succor4   
,he opened his enclosure only to        
,theodoret1 his bishop1 but spoke to    
others through a window4 ,see           
,theodoret1 ,phil4 c4 #bb4  ,,st4       
,,baradat1 ,c4  ,,he lived in the same  
diocese1 in a solitary hut1 made of wood
 in trellis1 like windows1 says         
,theodoret1#a exposed to all the        
severities of the weather4 ,he was      
clothed with the skins of wild beasts1  
and by conversing continually with ,god1
 he attained to an eminent degree of    
wisdom1 and knowledge of heavenly       
things4 ,he left his wooden prison by   
the order of the patriarch of ,antioch1 
giving a proof of his humility by his   
ready obedience4 ,he studied to imitate 
all the practices of penance1 which all 
the other solitaries of those parts     
exercised1 though of a tender           
constitution himself4 ,the fervor of his

 soul1 and the fire of divine love1     
supported him under his incredible      
labors #dde though his body was weak and
 infirm4 ,it is sloth that makes us so  
often allege a pretended weakness of    
constitution1 in the practice of penance
 and the exercises of devotion1 which   
courage and fervor would not even feel4 
,see ,theodoret1 ,phil4 c4 #bb1 t4 #c1  
p4 #hfh1 and c4 #bg4  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,this passage of ,theodoret shows1 that 
the windows of the ancients     were    
made of trellis or wicker before the    
invention of glass2 though     not      
universally2 for in the ruins of        
,herculaneum1 near ,portichi were       
found windows of a diaphanous thin      
slate1 such as the rich in ,rome        
sometimes used4   ,,february ,,xxiii4   
,,st4 ,,serenus1 ,a ,,gardener1         
,,martyr4  ,from his genuine acts in    
,ruinart1 p4 #edf4  ,a4,d4 #cbg4        
,,serenus was by birth a ,grecian4 ,he  
quitted estate1 friends1 and country1 to
 serve ,god in an ascetic life1 that is1

 in celibacy1 penance1 and prayer4      
,coming with this design to ,sirmium1 in
 ,pannonia or ,hungary1 he there bought 
a garden1 which he cultivated with his  
own hands1 and lived on the fruits and  
herbs it produced4 ,the apprehension of 
the persecution made him hide himself   
for some months2 after which he returned
 to his garden4 ,on a certain day1 there
 came thither a woman1 with her two     
daughters1 to walk4 ,serenus seeing them
 come up to him1 said1 ,what do you seek
 here8 ,i take a particular             
satisfaction1 she replied1 in walking in
 this garden4 ,a lady of your quality1  
said ,serenus1 ought not to walk here at
 unseasonable hours1 and this you know  
is an hour you ought to be at home4     
,some other design brought you hither4  
,let me advise you to withdraw1 and be  
more regular in your hours and conduct  
for the future1 as decency requires in  
persons of your sex and condition4 ,it  
was usual for the ,romans to repose     
themselves at noon1 as it is still the  

custom in ,italy4 ,the woman1 stung at  
our saint's charitable remonstrance1    
retired in confusion1 but resolved on   
revenging the supposed affront4 ,she    
accordingly writes to her husband1 who  
belonged to the guards of the emperor   
,maximian1 to complain of ,serenus as   
having insulted her4 ,her husband1 on   
receiving her letter1 went to the       
emperor to demand justice1 and said3    
,while we are waiting on your majesty's 
person1 our wives in distant countries  
are insulted4 ,whereupon the emperor    
gave him a letter to the governor of the
 province to enable him to obtain       
satisfaction4 ,with this letter he set  
out for ,sirmium1 and presented it to   
the governor1 conjuring him1 in the name
 of the emperor his master1 to revenge  
the affront offered to him in the person
 of his wife during his absence4 ,and   
who is that insolent man1 said the      
magistrate1 who durst insult such a     
gentleman's wife8 ,it is1 said he1 a    
vulgar pitiful fellow1 one ,serenus1 a  

gardener4 ,the governor ordered him to  
be immediately brought before him1 and  
asked him his name4 ,it is ,serenus1    
said he4 ,the judge said3 ,of what      
profession are you8 ,he answered3 ,i am 
a gardener4 ,the governor said3 ,how    
durst you have the insolence and        
boldness to affront the wife of this    
officer8 ,serenus3 ,i never insulted any
 woman1 to my knowledge1 in my life4    
,the governor then said3 ,let the       
witnesses be called in to convict this  
fellow of the affront he offered this   
lady in a garden4 ,serenus1 hearing the 
garden mentioned1 recalled this woman to
 mind1 and answered3 ,i remember that1  
some time ago1 a lady came into my      
garden at an unseasonable hour1 with a  
design1 as she said1 to take a walk3 and
 ,i own ,i took the liberty to tell her 
it was against decency #ddf for one of  
her sex and quality to be abroad at such
 an hour4 ,this plea of ,serenus having 
put the officer to the blush for his    
wife's action1 which was too plain an   

indication of her wicked purpose and    
design1 he dropped his prosecution      
against the innocent gardener1 and      
withdrew out of court4  ,but the        
governor1 understanding by this answer  
that ,serenus was a man of virtue1      
suspected by it that he might be a      
,christian1 such being the most likely1 
he thought1 to resent visits from ladies
 at improper hours4 ,wherefore1 instead 
of discharging him1 he began to question
 him on this head1 saying3 ,who are you1
 and what is your religion8 ,serenus1   
without hesitating one moment1 answered3
 ,i am a ,christian4 ,the governor said3
 ,where have you concealed yourself8 and
 how have you avoided sacrificing to the
 gods8 ,it has pleased ,god1 replied    
,serenus1 to reserve me for this present
 time4 ,it seemed awhile ago as if he   
rejected me as a stone unfit to enter   
his building1 but he has the goodness to
 take me now to be placed in it2 ,i am  
ready to suffer all things for his name1
 that ,i may have a part in his kingdom 

with his saints4 ,the governor1 hearing 
this generous answer1 burst into rage1  
and said3 ,since you sought to elude by 
flight the emperor's edicts1 and have   
positively refused to sacrifice to the  
gods1 ,i condemn you for these crimes to
 lose your head4 ,the sentence was no   
sooner pronounced1 but the saint was    
carried off and led to the place of     
execution1 where he was beheaded1 on the
 #bc;d of ,february1 in #cjg4 ,the      
ancient ,martyrology attributed to ,st4 
,jerom1 published at ,lucca by          
,florentinius1 joins with him sixty-two 
others1 who1 at different times1 were   
crowned at ,sirmium4 ,the ,roman        
,martyrology1 with others1 says         
seventy-two4  ,the garden affords a     
beautiful emblem of a ,christian's      
continual progress to the path of       
virtue4 ,plants always mount upwards1   
and never stop in their growth till they
 have attained to that maturity which   
the author of nature has prescribed3 all
 the nourishment they1receive ought to  

tend to this end2 if any part wastes    
itself in superfluities1 this is a kind 
of disease4 ,so in a ,christian1 every  
thing ought to carry him towards that   
perfection which the sanctity of his    
state requires2 and every desire of his 
soul1 every action of his life1 to be a 
step advancing to this in a direct line4
 ,when all his inclinations have one    
uniform bent1 and all his labors the    
same tendency1 his progress must be     
great1 because uninterrupted1 however   
imperceptible it may often appear4 ,even
 his temporal affairs must be undertaken
 with this intention1 and so conducted  
as to fall within the compass of this   
his great design4 ,the saints so        
regulated all their ordinary actions1   
their meals1 their studies1 their       
conversation and visits1 their business 
and toil1 whether tilling a garden or   
superintending an estate1 as to make the
 love of ,god their motive1 and the     
accomplishment of his will their only   
ambition in every action4 ,all travail  

which leadeth not towards this end is   
but so much of life misspent and lost1  
whatever names men may give to their    
political or military achievements1     
study of nature1 knowledge of distant   
shores1 or cunning in the mysteries of  
trade1 or arts of conversation4 ,though 
such actions1 when of duty1 fall under  
the order of our salvation1 and must be 
so moderated1 directed1 and animated    
with a spirit of religion1 as to be made
 means of our sanctification4 ,but in a 
,christian life the exercises of        
devotion1 holy desires1 and tender      
affections1 which proceed from a spirit 
of humble compunction1 and an ardent    
love of our ,saviour1 and by which a    
soul raises herself up to1 and          
continually sighs after him1 are what   
every one ought most assiduously and    
most earnestly to study to cultivate4   
,by these is the soul more and more     
purified1 and all her powers united to  
,god1 and made heavenly #ddg ,these are 
properly the most sweet and beautiful   

flowers of paradise1 or of a virtuous   
life4  ,,st4 ,,milburge1 ,v4  ,see      
,malmesb4 l4 #b1 ,regibus1  l4 #d1 de   
,pontif4 ,angl4 c4 #c4 ,thorn's ,chron4 
,capgrave ,harpsfield1 c4  ,,seventh    
,,century4  ,,st4 ,,milburge was sister 
to ,st4 ,mildred1 and daughter of       
,merowald1 son of ,penda1 king of       
,mercia4 ,having dedicated herself to   
,god in a religious state1 she was      
chosen abbess of ,wenlock1 in           
,shropshire1 which house she rendered a 
true paradise of all virtue4 ,the more  
she humbled herself1 the more she was   
exalted by ,god2 and while she preferred
 sackcloth to purple and diadems1 she   
became the invisible glory of heaven4   
,the love of purity of heart and holy   
peace were the subject of her dying     
exhortation to her dear sisters4 ,she   
closed her mortal pilgrimage about the  
end of the seventh century4 ,malmesbury 
and ,harpsfield write1 that many        
miracles accompanied the translation of 
her relics1 in #aaja1 on the #bfth of   

,may2 which ,capgrave and ,mabillon     
mistake for the day of her death3 but   
,harpsfield1 who had seen the best      
ancient ,english manuscripts1 assures us
 that she died on the #bc;d of          
,february1 which is confirmed by all the
 manuscript additions to the            
,martyrologies of ,bede and others1 in  
which her name occurs1 which are        
followed by the ,roman on this day4 ,the
 abbey of ,wenlock was destroyed by the 
,danes3 but a monastery of ,cluni monks 
was afterwards erected upon the same    
spot1 by whom her remains were          
discovered in a vault in #aaja1 as      
,malmesbury1 who wrote not long after1  
relates4  ,b4 ,,dositheus1 ,,monk4      
,from his life1 by a fellow-disciple1 in
 ,bollandus1 p4 #ch1 and from ,s4       
,dorotheus1 ,docum4 #a4  ,,dositheus1 a 
young man who had spent his first years 
in a worldly manner1 and in gross       
ignorance of the first principles of    
,christianity1 came to ,jerusalem on the
 motive of curiosity1 to see a place he 

had heard frequent mention made of in   
common discourse4 ,here he became so    
strongly affected by the sight of a     
picture representing hell1 and by the   
exposition given him of it by an unknown
 person1 that1 on the spot1 he forsook  
the world1 and entered into a monastery1
 where the abbot ,seridon gave him the  
monastic habit1 and recommended him to  
the care of one of his monks1 named     
,dorotheus4 ,this experienced director1 
sensible of the difficulty of passing   
from one extreme to another1 left his   
pupil at first pretty much to his own   
liberty in point of eating1 but was     
particularly careful to instil into him 
the necessity of a perfect renunciation 
of his own will in every thing1 both    
great and little4 ,as he found his      
strength would permit1 he daily         
diminished his allowance1 till the      
quantity of six pounds of bread became  
reduced to eight ounces4 ,st4 ,dorotheus
 proceeded with his pupil after much the
 same manner in other monastic duties2  

and thus1 by a constant and unreserved  
denial of his own will1 and a perfect   
submission to his director1 he surpassed
 in virtue the greatest fasters of the  
monastery4 ,all his actions seemed to   
have nothing of choice1 nothing of his  
own humor in any circumstance of them1  
the will of ,god alone reigned in his   
heart4 ,at the end of five years he was 
intrusted with the care of the sick1 an 
office he discharged with such an       
incomparable vigilance1 charity1 and    
sweetness1 as procured him a high and   
#ddh universal esteem3 the sick in      
particular were comforted and relieved  
by the very sight of him4 ,he fell into 
a spitting of blood and a consumption1  
but continued to the last denying his   
own will1 and was extremely vigilant to 
prevent any of its suggestions taking   
place in his heart2 being quite the     
reverse of those persons afflicted with 
sickness1 who1 on that account1 think   
every thing allowed them4 ,unable to do 
any thing but pray1 he asked            

continually1 and followed1 in all his   
devotions1 the directions of his master2
 and when he could not perform his long 
exercises of prayer1 he declared this   
with his ordinary simplicity to ,st4    
,dorotheus1 who said to him3 ,be not    
uneasy1 only have ,jesus ,christ always 
present in your heart4 ,he begged of a  
holy old man1 renowned in that monastery
 for sanctity1 to pray that ,god would  
soon take him to himself4 ,the other    
answered3 ,have a little patience1      
,god's mercy is near4 ,soon after he    
said to him3 ,depart in peace1 and      
appear in joy before the blessed        
,trinity1 and pray for us4 ,the same    
servant of ,god declared after his      
death1 that he had surpassed the rest in
 virtue1 without the practice of any    
extraordinary austerity4 ,though he is  
honored with the epithet of saint1 his  
name is not placed either in the ,roman 
or ,greek calendars4  ,b4 ,,peter       
,,damian1 ,,or ,,of ,,damian1           
,,cardinal1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,ostia4      

,from his life by his disciple1 ,john of
 ,lodi1 in ,mabill41 s4 #f4 ,ben4 and   
from his own writings4 ,fleury1  #ii1 n4
 #dh1 and ,hist des ,ordres ,relig4     
,ceillier1 t4 #bj1 p4 #eab4 ,henschenius
 ad #bc ,febr4 p4 #djf4  ,a4,d4 #ajgb4  
,,peter1 surnamed of ,damian1 was born  
about the year #ihh1 in ,ravenna1 of a  
good family1 but reduced4 ,he was the   
youngest of many children1 and1 losing  
his father and mother very young1 was   
left in the hands of a brother who was  
married1 in whose house he was treated  
more like a slave1 or rather like a     
beast1 than one so nearly related2 and  
when grown up1 he was sent to keep      
swine4 ,he one day became master of a   
piece of money1 which1 instead of laying
 it out in something for his own use1 he
 chose to bestow in alms on a priest1   
desiring him to offer up his prayers for
 his father's soul4 ,he had another     
brother called ,damian1 who was         
archpriest of ,ravenna1 and afterwards a
 monk2 who1 taking pity on him1 had the 

charity to give him an education4       
,having found a father in this brother1 
he seems from him to have taken the     
surname of ,damian1 though he often     
styles himself the ,sinner1 out of      
humility4 ,those who call him ,de       
,honestis1 confound him with ,peter of  
,ravenna1 who was of the family of      
,honesti4 ,damian sent ,peter to school1
 first at ,faenza1 afterwards at ,parma1
 where he had ,ivo for his master4 ,by  
the means of good natural parts and     
close application1 it was not long      
before he found himself in a capacity to
 teach others1 which he did with great  
applause1 and no less advantage by the  
profits which accrued to him from his   
professorship4 ,to arm himself against  
the allurements of pleasure and the     
artifices of the devil1 he began to wear
 a rough hair shirt under his clothes1  
and to inure himself to fasting1        
watching1 and prayer4 ,in the night1 if 
any temptation of concupiscence arose1  
he got out of bed and plunged himself   

into the cold river4 ,after this he     
visited churches1 reciting the psalter  
while he performed this devotion1 till  
the church office began4 ,he not only   
gave much away in alms1 but was seldom  
without some poor person at his table1  
and took a pleasure in serving such1 or 
rather ,jesus ,christ in their persons1 
with his own hands4 ,but #ddi thinking  
all this to be removing himself from the
 deadly poison of sin but by halves1 he 
resolved entirely to leave the world and
 embrace a monastic life1 and at a      
distance from his own country1 for the  
sake of meeting with the fewer obstacles
 to his design4 ,while his mind was full
 of these thoughts1 two religious of the
 order of ,st4 ,benedict1 belonging to  
,font-,avellano1 a desert at the foot of
 the ,apennine in ,umbria1 happened to  
call at the place of his abode2 and     
being much edified at their             
disinterestedness1 he took a resolution 
to embrace their institute1 as he did   
soon after4 ,this hermitage had been    

founded by blessed ,ludolf1 about twenty
 years before ,st4 ,peter came thither1 
and was then in the greatest repute4    
,the hermits here remained two and two  
together in separate cells1 occupied    
chiefly in prayer and reading4 ,they    
lived on bread and water four days in   
the week3 on ,tuesdays and ,thursdays   
they ate pulse and herbs1 which every   
one dressed in his own cell3 on their   
fast days all their bread was given them
 by weight4 ,they never used any wine1  
7the common drink of the country17      
except for mass1 or in sickness3 they   
went barefoot1 used disciplines1 made   
many genuflections1 struck their        
breasts1 stood with their arms stretched
 out in prayer1 each according to his   
strength and devotion4 ,after the night 
office they said the whole psalter      
before day4 ,peter watched long before  
the signal for matins1 and after1 with  
the rest4 ,these excessive watchings    
brought on him an insomnie1 or          
wakefulness1 which was cured with very  

great difficulty4 ,but he learned from  
this to use more discretion4 ,he gave a 
considerable time to sacred studies1 and
 became as well versed in the           
scriptures1 and other sacred learning1  
as he was before in profane literature4 
,his superior ordered him to make       
frequent exhortations to the religious1 
and as he had acquired a very great     
character for virtue and learning1 ,guy1
 abbot of ,pomposia1 begged his superior
 to send him to instruct his monastery1 
which consisted of a hundred monks4     
,peter stayed there two years1 preaching
 with great fruit1 and was then called  
back by his abbot1 and sent to perform  
the same function in the numerous abbey 
of ,st4 ,vincent1 near the mountain     
called ,pietra ,pertusa1 or the ,hollow 
,rock4 ,his love for poverty made him   
abhor and be ashamed to put on a new    
habit1 or any clothes which were not    
threadbare and most mean4 ,his obedience
 was so perfect1 that the least word of 
any superior1 or signal given1 according

 to the rule of the house1 for the      
performance of any duty1 made him run   
that moment to discharge1 with the      
utmost exactness1 whatever was enjoined4
 ,being recalled home some time after1  
and commanded by his abbot1 with the    
unanimous consent of the hermitage1 to  
take upon him the government of the     
desert after his death1 ,peter's extreme
 reluctance only obliged his superior to
 make greater use of his authority till 
he acquiesced4 ,wherefore1 at his       
decease1 in #ajda1 ,peter took upon him 
the direction of that holy family1 which
 he governed with the greatest          
reputation for wisdom and sanctity4 ,he 
also founded five other numerous        
hermitages2 in which he placed priors   
under his inspection4 ,his principal    
care was to cherish in his disciples the
 spirit of solitude1 charity1 and       
humility4 ,among them many became great 
lights of the church1 as ,st4 ,ralph1   
bishop of ,gubio1 whose festival is kept
 on the #bfth of ,june1 ,st4 ,dominick1 

surnamed ,loricatus1 the #adth of       
,october2 ,st4 ,john of ,lodi1 his      
successor in the priory of the ,holy    
,cross1 who was also bishop of ,gubio1  
and wrote ,st4 ,peter's life2 and many  
others4 ,he was for twelve years much   
employed in the service of the church by
 many zealous bishops1 and by four popes
 successively1 namely3 ,gregory ,,vi41  
,clement ,,ii41 ,leo ,,ix41 and ,victor 
,,ii4 ,their successor1 ,stephen ,,ix41 
in #ajeg1 prevailed with him to quit his
 desert1 and made him cardinal bishop of
 ,ostia4 ,but such was his reluctance to
 the dignity1 that nothing less than the
 pope's #dej threatening him with       
excommunication1 and his commands1 in   
virtue of obedience1 could induce ,peter
 to submit4  ,stephen ,,ix4 dying in    
#ajeh1 ,nicholas ,,ii4 was chosen pope1 
a man of deep penetration1 of great     
virtue and learning1 and very liberal in
 alms1 as our saint testifies1 who      
assisted him in obliging ,john1 bishop  
of ,veletri1 an antipope1 set up by the 

capitaneos or magistrates of ,rome1 to  
quit his usurped dignity4 ,upon         
complaints of simony in the church of   
,milan1 ,nicholas ,,ii4 sent ,peter     
thither as his legate1 who chastised the
 guilty4 ,nicholas ,,ii4 dying1 after   
having sat two years and six months1    
,alexander was chosen pope1 in #ajfb4   
,peter strenuously supported him against
 the emperor1 who set up an antipope1   
,cadolaus1 bishop of ,parma1 on whom the
 saint prevailed soon after to renounce 
his pretensions1 in a council held at   
,rome2 and engaged ,henry ,,iv41 king of
 ,germany1 who was afterwards emperor1  
to acquiesce in what had been done1     
though that prince1 who in his infancy  
had succeeded his pious father1 ,henry  
,,iii41 had sucked in very early the    
corrupt maxims of tyranny and           
irreligion4 ,but virtue is amiable in   
the eyes of its very enemies1 and often 
disarms them of their fury4 ,st4 ,peter 
had1 with great importunity1 solicited  
,nicholas ,,ii4 for leave to resign his 

bishopric1 and return to his solitude2  
but could not obtain it4 ,his successor1
 ,alexander ,,ii41 out of affection for 
the holy man1 was prevailed upon to     
allow it1 in #ajfb1 but not without     
great difficulty1 and the reserve of a  
power to employ him in church matters of
 importance1 as he might have occasion  
hereafter for his assistance4 ,the saint
 from that time thought himself         
discharged1 not only from the burden of 
his flock1 but also from the quality of 
superior1 with regard to the several    
monasteries1 the general inspection of  
which he had formerly charged himself   
with1 reducing himself to the condition 
of a simple monk4  ,in this retirement  
he edified the church by his penance and
 compunction1 and labored by his        
writings to enforce the observance of   
discipline and morality4 ,his style is  
copious and vehement1 and the strictness
 of his maxims appears in all his works1
 especially where he treats of the      
duties of clergymen and monks4 ,he      

severely rebuked the bishop of ,florence
 for playing a game at chess4#a ,that   
prelate acknowledged his amusement to be
 a faulty sloth in a man of his         
character1 and received the saint's     
remonstrance with great mildness1 and   
submitted to his injunction by way of   
penance1 namely3 to recite three times  
the psalter1 to wash the feet of twelve 
poor men1 and to give to each a piece of
 money4 ,he shows those to be guilty of 
manifold simony1 who serve princes or   
flatter them for the sake of obtaining  
ecclesiastical preferments4#b ,he wrote 
a treatise to the bishop of ,besanzon1#c
 against the custom which the canons of 
that church had of saying the divine    
office sitting2 though he allowed all to
 sit during the lessons4 ,this saint    
recommended the use of disciplines      
whereby to subdue and punish the flesh1 
which was adopted as a compensation for 
long penitential fasts4 ,three thousand 
lashes1 with the recital of thirty      
psalms1 were a redemption of a canonical

 penance of one year's continuance4 ,sir
 ,thomas ,more1 ,st4 ,francis of ,sales1
 and others1 testify that such means of 
mortification are great helps to tame   
the flesh1 and inure it to the labors of
 penance2 also to remove a hardness of  
heart and spiritual dryness1 and to     
soften the soul into compunction4 ,but  
all danger of abuses1 excess1 and       
singularity1 is to be shunned1 and other
 ordinary bodily mortifications1 as     
watching and fasting1 are frequently    
more advisable4 ,this saint wrote most  
severely on the obligations of religious
 men1#d particularly against their      
strolling abroad2 for one of the most   
essential qualities of their state is   
solitude1 or at least the spirit #dea of
 retirement4 ,he complained loudly of   
certain evasions1 by which many         
palliated real infractions of their vow 
of poverty4 ,he justly observed3 ,we can
 never restore what is decayed of       
primitive discipline2 and if we1 by     
negligence1 suffer any diminution in    

what remains established1 future ages   
will never be able to repair such       
breaches4 ,let us not draw upon         
ourselves so base a reproach2 but let us
 faithfully transmit to posterity the   
examples of virtue which we have        
received from our forefathers4#e ,the   
holy man was obliged to interrupt his   
solitude in obedience to the pope1 who  
sent him in quality of his legate into  
,france1 in #ajfc1 commanding the       
archbishops and others to receive him as
 himself4 ,the holy man reconciled      
discords1 settled the bounds of the     
jurisdiction of certain dioceses1 and   
condemned and deposed in councils those 
who were convicted of simony4 ,he1      
notwithstanding1 tempered his severity  
with mildness and indulgence towards    
penitents1 where charity and prudence   
required such a condescension4 ,henry   
,,iv41 king of ,germany1 at eighteen    
years of age1 began to show the symptoms
 of a heart abandoned to impiety1       
infamous debauchery1 treachery1 and     

cruelty4 ,he married1 in #ajff1 ,bertha1
 daughter to ,otho1 marquis of ,italy1  
but afterwards1 in #ajfi1 sought a      
divorce1 by taking his oath that he had 
never been able to consummate his       
marriage4 ,the archbishop of ,mentz had 
the weakness to be gained over by his   
artifices to favor his desires1 in which
 view he assembled a council at ,mentz4 
,pope ,alexander ,,ii4 forbade him ever 
to consent to so enormous an injustice1 
and pitched upon ,peter ,damian for his 
legate to preside in that synod1 being  
sensible that a person of the most      
inflexible virtue1 prudence1 and        
constancy1 was necessary for so         
important and difficult an affair1 in   
which passion1 power1 and craft1 made   
use of every engine in opposition to the
 cause of ,god4 ,the venerable legate   
met the king and bishops at ,frankfort1 
laid before them the orders and         
instructions of his holiness1 and in his
 name conjured the king to pay a due    
respect to the law of ,god1 the canons  

of the church1 and his own reputation1  
and seriously reflect on the public     
scandal of so pernicious an example4    
,the noblemen likewise all rose up and  
entreated his majesty never to stain his
 honor by so foul an action4 ,the king1 
unable to resist so cogent an authority1
 dropped his project of a divorce2 but  
remaining the same man in his heart1    
continued to hate the queen more than   
ever4  ,saint ,peter hastened back to   
his desert of ,font-,avellano4 ,whatever
 austerities he prescribed to others he 
was the first to practise himself1      
remitting nothing of them even in his   
old age4 ,he lived shut up in his cell  
as in a prison1 fasted every day1 except
 festivals1 and allowed himself no other
 subsistence than coarse bread1 bran1   
herbs1 and water1 and this he never     
drank fresh1 but what he had kept from  
the day before4 ,he tortured his body   
with iron girdles and frequent          
disciplines1 to render it more obedient 
to the spirit4 ,he passed the three     

first days of every ,lent and ,advent   
without taking any kind of nourishment  
whatever2 and often for forty days      
together lived only on raw herbs and    
fruits1 or on pulse steeped in cold     
water1 without touching so much as      
bread1 or any thing which had passed the
 fire4 ,a mat spread on the floor was   
his bed4 ,he used to make wooden spoons 
and such like useful mean things1 to    
exercise himself at certain hours in    
manual labor4 ,henry1 archbishop of     
,ravenna1 having been excommunicated for
 grievous enormities1 ,st4 ,peter was   
sent by ,pope ,alexander ,,ii4 in       
quality of legate1 to adjust the affairs
 of the church4 ,when he arrived at     
,ravenna1 in #ajgb1 he found the        
unfortunate prelate just dead2 but      
brought #deb the accomplices of his     
crimes to a sense of their guilt1 and   
imposed on them a suitable penance4     
,this was his last undertaking for the  
church1 ,god being pleased soon after to
 call him to eternal rest1 and to the   

crown of his labors4 ,old age and the   
fatigues of his journey did not make him
 lay aside his accustomed               
mortifications1 by which he consummated 
his holocaust4 ,in his return towards   
,rome1 he was stopped by a fever in the 
monastery of our ,lady without the gates
 of ,faenza1 and died there on the      
eighth day of his sickness1 while the   
monks were reciting matins round about  
him4 ,he passed from that employment    
which had been the delight of his heart 
on earth1 to sing the same praises of   
,god in eternal glory1 on the #bb;d of  
,february1 #ajgb1 being fourscore and   
three years old4 ,he is honored as      
patron at ,faenza and ,font-,avellano1  
on the #bc;d of the same month4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,opusc4 #bj1 c4 #g4 #b4
  ,ib4 #bb4 #c4  ,ib4 #bi1 ,nat4 ,alex4 
,theo ,dogm4 l4 #b1 c4 #h1 reg4 #h4 #d4 
,opusc4 #ab4 #e4  ,the works of ,st4    
,peter ,damien1 printed in three        
volumes1 at ,lyons1     in #afbc1       
consist of one hundred and fifty-eight  

letters1 fifteen     sermons1 five lives
 of saints1 namely1 of ,st4 ,odilo1     
abbot of ,cluni2     ,st4 ,maurus1      
bishop of ,cesene2 ,st4 ,romuald2 ,st4  
,ralph1 bishop of     ,gubio2 and ,st4  
,dominick ,luricatus1 and ,,ss4         
,lucillia and ,flora4 ,the     third    
volume contains sixty small tracts1 with
 several prayers and     hymns4  ,,st4  
,,boisil1 ,,prior ,,of ,,mailross1 ,,or 
,,melross1 ,c4  ,,the famous abbey of   
,mailross1 which in later ages embraced 
the ,cistercian rule1 originally        
followed that of ,st4 ,columba4 ,it was 
situated upon the river ,tweed1 in a    
great forest1 and in the seventh century
 was comprised in the kingdom of the    
,english ,saxons in ,northumberland1    
which was extended in the eastern part  
of ,scotland as high as the ,frith4     
,saint ,boisil was prior of this house  
under the holy abbot ,eata1 who seem to 
have been both ,english youths1 trained 
up in monastic discipline by ,st4       
,aidan4 ,boisil was1 says ,bede1 a man  

of sublime virtues1 and endued with a   
prophetic spirit4 ,his eminent sanctity 
determined ,st4 ,cuthbert to repair     
rather to ,mailross than to ,lindisfarne
 in his youth1 and he received from this
 saint the knowledge of the holy        
scriptures1 and the example of all      
virtues4 ,st4 ,boisil had often in his  
mouth the holy names of the adorable    
,trinity1 and of our divine ,redeemer   
,jesus1 which he repeated with a        
wonderful sentiment of devotion1 and    
often with such an abundance of tears as
 excited others to weep with him4 ,he   
would say1 frequently1 with the most    
tender affection1 ,how good a ,jesus    
have we6 ,at the first sight of ,st4    
,cuthbert1 he said to the bystanders3   
,behold a servant of ,god4 ,bede        
produces the testimony of ,st4          
,cuthbert1 who declared that ,boisil    
foretold him the chief things that      
afterwards happened to him in the sequel
 of his life4 ,three years beforehand1  
he foretold the great pestilence of     

#ffd1 and that he himself should die of 
it1 but ,eata1 the abbot1 should outlive
 it4 ,boisil1 not content continually to
 instruct and exhort his religious      
brethren by word and example1 made      
frequent excursions into the villages to
 preach to the poor1 and to bring       
straying souls into the paths of truth  
and of life4 ,st4 ,cuthbert was taken   
with the pestilential disease3 when ,st4
 ,boisil saw him recovered1 he said to  
him3 ,thou seest1 brother1 that ,god    
hath delivered thee from this disease1  
nor shalt thou any more feel it1 nor die
 at this time3 but my death being at    
hand1 neglect not to learn something of 
me so long as ,i shall be able to teach 
thee1 which will be no more than seven  
days4 ,and what1 said ,cuthbert1 will be
 best for me to read1 which may be      
finished in seven days8 ,the gospel of  
,st4 ,john1 said he1 which we may in    
that time read over1 and confer upon as 
much as shall be necessary4 ,for they   
only sought therein1 says ,bede1 the    

sincerity of faith working through love1
 and not the treating of profound       
questions4 ,having accomplished this    
reading in seven days1 the man of ,god1 
,boisil1 falling ill of the aforesaid   
disease1 came to his last day1 which he 
passed over in extraordinary jubilation 
of soul1 out of his earnest desire of   
being with ,christ4 ,in his last moments
 he often repeated those words of ,st4  
,stephen3 ,lord ,jesus receive my       
spirit6 ,thus he #dec entered into the  
happiness of eternal light1 in the year 
#ffd4 ,the instructions which he was    
accustomed most earnestly to inculcate  
to his religious brethren were3 ,that   
they would never cease giving thanks to 
,god for the gift of their religious    
vocation2 that they would always watch  
over themselves against self-love1 and  
all attachment to their own will and    
private judgment1 as against their      
capital enemy2 that they would converse 
assiduously with ,god by interior       
prayer1 and labor continually to attain 

to the most perfect purity of heart1    
this being the true and short road to   
the perfection of ,christian virtue4    
,out of the most ardent and tender love 
which he bore our divine ,redeemer1 and 
in order daily to enkindle and improve  
the sane1 he was wonderfully delighted  
with reading every day a part of the    
gospel of ,st4 ,john1 which for this    
purpose he divided into seven parts or  
tasks4 ,st4 ,cuthbert inherited from him
 this devotion1 and in his tomb was     
fouled a ,latin copy of ,st4 ,john's    
gospel1 which was in the possession of  
the present earl of ,litchfield1 and    
which his lordship gave to ,mr4 ,thomas 
,philips1 canon of ,tongres4  ,bede     
relates#a as an instance that ,st4      
,boisil continued after his death to    
interest himself particularly in        
obtaining for his country and friends   
the divine mercy and grace1 that he     
appeared twice to one of his disciples1 
giving him a charge to assure ,st4      
,egbert1 who had been hindered from     

going to preach the gospel to the       
infidels in ,germany1 that ,god         
commanded him to repair to the          
monasteries of ,st4 ,columba1 to        
instruct them in the right manner of    
celebrating ,easter4 ,these monasteries 
were1 that in the island of ,colm-,kill1
 or ,iona1 7which was the ordinary      
burial-place of the kings of ,scotland  
down to ,malcolm ,,iii417 and that of   
,magis1 in the isles of ,orkney1 built  
by bishop ,colman4 ,the remains of ,st4 
,boisil were translated to ,durham1 and 
deposited near those of his disciple    
,st4 ,cuthbert1 in #ajcj4 ,wilson and   
other ,english authors mention ,st4     
,boisil on the #gth of ,august2 but in  
the ,scottish calendars his name occurs 
on the #bc;d of ,february4 ,see ,bede1  
,hist4 l4 #d1 c4 #bg1 l4 #e1 c4 #aj1 and
 in ,vita ,s4 ,cuthberti1 c4 #h4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,hist4 l4 #e1 c4 #aj4  
,,february ,,xxiv4  ,,saint ,,matthias1 
,,apostle4  ,from ,acts i4 #ba4 ,see    
,tillemont1 t4 #a1 p4 #djf4             

,henschenius1 p4 #dcd4  ,,st4 ,,clement 
of ,alexandria#a assures us1 from       
tradition1 that this saint was one of   
the seventy-two disciples1 which is     
confirmed by ,eusebius#b and ,st4       
,jerom2#c and we learn from the ,acts#d 
of the apostles1 that he was a constant 
attendant on our ,lord1 from the time of
 his baptism by ,st4 ,john to his       
ascension4 ,st4 ,peter having1 in a     
general assembly of the faithful held   
soon after1 declared from holy          
scripture1 the necessity of choosing a  
twelfth apostle1 in the room of ,judas2 
two were unanimously pitched upon by the
 assembly1 as most worthy of the        
dignity1 ,joseph1 called ,barsabas1 and1
 on account of his extraordinary piety1 
surnamed the ,just1 and ,matthias4      
,after devout prayer to ,god1 that he   
would direct them in their choice1 they 
proceeded in #ded it by way of lot1     
which falling by the divine direction on
 ,matthias1 he was accordingly          
associated with the eleven1 and ranked  

among the apostles4 ,when in            
deliberations each side appears equally 
good1 or each candidate of equally      
approved merit1 lots may be sometimes   
lawfully used2 otherwise1 to commit a   
thing of importance to such a chance1 or
 to expect a miraculous direction of    
divine providence in it1 would be a     
criminal superstition and a tempting of 
,god1 except he himself1 by an evident  
revelation or inspiration1 should       
appoint such a means for the            
manifestation of his will1 promising his
 supernatural interposition in it1 which
 was the case on this extraordinary     
occasion4 ,the miraculous dreams or     
lots1 which we read of in the prophets1 
must no ways authorize any rash         
superstitious use of such means in      
others who have not the like authority4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,we justly admire the virtue of this    
holy assembly of saints4 ,here were no  
solicitations or intrigues4 ,no one     
presented himself to the dignity4       

,ambition can find no place in a        
virtuous or humble heart4 ,he who seeks 
a dignity either knows himself          
unqualified1 and is on this account     
guilty of the most flagrant injustice   
with regard to the public1 by desiring a
 charge to which he is no ways equal3 or
 he thinks himself qualified for it1 and
 this self-conceit and confidence in his
 own abilities renders him the most     
unworthy of all others4 ,such a         
disposition deprives a soul of the      
divine assistance1 without which we can 
do nothing2 for ,god withdraws his grace
 and refuses his blessing where         
self-sufficiency and pride have found   
any footing4 ,it is something of a      
secret confidence in ourselves1 and a   
presumption that we deserve the divine  
succor1 which banishes him from us4     
,this is true even in temporal          
undertakings2 but much more so in the   
charge of souls1 in which all success is
 more particularly the special work of  
the ,holy ,ghost1 not the fruit of human

 industry4 ,these two holy candidates   
were most worthy of the apostleship1    
because perfectly humble1 and because   
they looked upon that dignity with      
trembling1 though they considered its   
labors1 dangers1 and persecutions with  
holy joy1 and with a burning zeal for   
the glory of ,god4 ,no regard was had to
 worldly talents1 none to flesh and     
blood4 ,god was consulted by prayer1    
because no one is to be assumed to his  
ministry who is not called by him1 and  
who does not enter it by the door1#e and
 with the undoubted marks of his        
vocation4 ,judas's misfortune filled    
,st4 ,matthias with the greater humility
 and fervor1 lest he also should fall4  
,we ,gentiles are called upon the       
disinherison of the ,jews1 and are      
ingrafted on their stock4#f ,we ought   
therefore to learn to stand always in   
watchfulness and fear1 or we shall be   
also cut off ourselves1 to give place to
 others whom ,god will call in our room1
 and even compel to enter1 rather than  

spare us4 ,the number of his elect      
depends not on us4 ,his infinite mercy  
has invited us without any merit on our 
side2 but if we are ungrateful1 he can  
complete his heavenly city without us1  
and will certainly make our reprobation 
the most dreadful example of his        
justice1 to all eternity4 ,the greater  
the excess of his goodness and clemency 
has been towards us1 the more dreadful  
will be the effects of his vengeance4   
,many shall come from the east and the  
west1 and shall sit down with ,abraham1 
,isaac1 and ,jacob in the kingdom of    
,god2 but the sons of the kingdom shall 
be cast forth4#g  ,st4 ,matthias        
received the ,holy ,ghost with the rest 
soon after his election2 and after the  
dispersion of the disciples1 applied    
himself with zeal to the functions of   
his apostleship1 in converting nations  
to the faith4 ,he is recorded by ,st4   
,clement of ,alexandria1#h to have been 
remarkable for inculcating the necessity
 of the mortification of the flesh with 

regard to all #dee its sensual and      
irregular desires1 an important lesson  
he had received from ,christ1 and which 
he practised assiduously on his own     
flesh4 ,the tradition of the ,greeks in 
their menologies tells us that ,st3     
,matthias planted the faith about       
,cappadocia and on the coasts of the    
,caspian sea1 residing chiefly near the 
port ,issus4 ,he must have undergone    
great hardships and labors amidst so    
savage a people4 ,the same authors add  
that he received the crown of martyrdom 
in ,colchis1 which they call            
,a,ethiopia4 ,the ,latins keep his      
festival on the #bdth of ,february4     
,some portions of his relics are shown  
in the abbatical church of ,triers1 and 
in that of ,st4 ,mary ,major in ,rome1  
unless these latter belong to another   
,matthias1 who was one of the first     
bishops of ,jerusalem3 on which see the 
,bollandists4  ,as the call of ,st4     
,matthias1 so is ours purely the work of
 ,god1 and his most gratuitous favor and

 mercy4 ,what thanks1 what fidelity and 
love do we not owe him for this         
inestimable grace6 ,when he decreed to  
call us to his holy faith1 cleanse us   
from sin1 and make us members of his    
spiritual kingdom1 and heirs of his     
glory1 he saw nothing in us which could 
determine him to such a predilection4   
,we were infected with sin1 and could   
have no title to the least favor1 when  
,god said to us1 ,i have loved ,jacob3  
when he distinguished us from so many   
millions who perish in the blindness of 
infidelity and sin1 drew us out of the  
mass of perdition1 and bestowed on us   
the grace of his adoption1 and all the  
high privileges that are annexed to this
 dignity4 ,in what transports of love   
and gratitude ought we not1 without     
intermission1 to adore his infinite     
goodness to us1 and beg that we may be  
always strengthened by his grace to     
advance continually in humility and his 
holy love1 lest1 by slackening our pace 
in his service1 we fall from this state 

of happiness1 forfeit this sublime      
grace1 and perish with ,judas4 ,happy   
would the church be1 if all converts    
were careful to maintain themselves in  
the same fervor in which they returned  
to ,god4 ,but by a neglect to watch over
 themselves1 and to shun dangers1 and by
 falling into sloth1 they often relapse 
into a condition much worse than the    
former4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,strom4 l4 #d1
 p4 #dhh4 #b4  ,l4 #a1 c4 #a4 #c4  ,in  
,catal4 #d4  ,c4 i4 #ba4 #e4  ,jo4 x4   
#a4 #f4  ,rom4 xi4 #ab4 #g4  ,matt4     
viii4 #aa4 #h4  ,strom4 l4 #c1 p4 #dcf4 
,,ss4 ,,montanus1 ,,lucius1 ,,flavian1  
,,julian1 ,,victoricus1  ,,primolus1    
,,rhenus1 ,,and ,,donatian1 ,,martyrs   
,,at ,,carthage4  ,from their original  
acts written1 the first part by the     
martyrs themselves1 the rest by an      
eye-witness4 ,they are published more   
correctly by ,ruinart than by ,surius   
and ,bollandus4 ,see ,tillemont1 t4 #d1 
p4 #bjf4  ,a4,d4 #bei4  ,,the           
persecution1 raised by ,valerian1 had   

raged two years1 during which many had  
received the crown of martyrdom1 and1   
among others1 ,st4 ,cyprian1 in         
,september1 #beh4 ,the proconsul        
,galerius ,maximus1 who had pronounced  
sentence on that saint1 dying himself   
soon after1 the procurator1 ,solon1     
continued the persecution1 waiting for  
the arrival of a new proconsul from     
,rome4 ,after some days1 a sedition was 
raised in ,carthage against him1 in     
which many were killed4 ,the tyrannical 
man1 instead of making search after the 
guilty1 vented his fury upon the        
,christians1 knowing this would be      
agreeable to the idolaters4 ,accordingly
 he caused these eight ,christians1 all 
disciples of ,st4 ,cyprian1 and most of 
them of the clergy1 to be apprehended4  
,as soon as we were taken1 say the      
authors of the acts1 we were given in   
custody to the officers of the          
quarter3#a when the governor's soldiers 
told us that we should be condemned to  
the flames1 we prayed to ,god with great

 fervor to be delivered from that       
punishment3 and he in #def whose hands  
are the hearts of men1 was pleased to   
grant our request4 ,the governor altered
 his first intent1 and ordered us into a
 very dark and incommodious prison1     
where we found the priest1 ,victor1 and 
some others3 but we were not dismayed at
 the filth and darkness of the place1   
our faith and joy in the ,holy ,ghost   
reconciled us to our sufferings in that 
place1 though these were such as it is  
not easy for words to describe2 but the 
greater our trials1 the greater is he   
who overcomes them in us4 ,our brother  
,rhenus1 in the mean time1 had a vision1
 in which he saw several of the         
prisoners going out of prison with a    
lighted lamp preceding each of them1    
while others1 that had no such lamp1    
stayed behind4 ,he discerned us in this 
vision1 and assured us that we were of  
the number of those who went forth with 
lamps4 ,this gave us great joy4 for we  
understood that the lamp represented    

,christ1 the true light1 and that we    
were to follow him by martyrdom4  ,the  
next day we were sent for by the        
governor1 to be examined4 ,it was a     
triumph to us to be conducted as a      
spectacle through the market-place and  
the streets1 with our chains rattling4  
,the soldiers1 who knew not where the   
governor would hear its1 dragged us from
 place to place1 till1 at length1 he    
ordered us to be brought into his       
closet4 ,he put several questions to us2
 our answers were modest1 but firm3 at  
length we were remanded to prison2 here 
we prepared ourselves for new conflicts4
 ,the sharpest trial was that which we  
underwent by hunger and thirst1 the     
governor having commanded that we should
 be kept without meat and drink for     
several days1 insomuch that water was   
refused us after our work3 yet ,flavian1
 the deacon1 added great voluntary      
austerities to these hardships1 often   
bestowing on others what little         
refreshment which was most sparingly    

allowed us at the public charge4  ,god  
was pleased himself to comfort us in    
this our extreme misery1 by a vision    
which he vouchsafed to the priest       
,victor1 who suffered martyrdom a few   
days after4 ,i saw last night1 said he  
to us1 an infant1 whose countenance was 
of a wonderful brightness1 enter the    
prison4 ,he took us to all parts to make
 us go out1 but there was no outlet2    
then he said to me1 ',you have still    
some concern at your being retained     
here1 but be not discouraged4 ,i am with
 you3 carry these tidings to your       
companions1 and let them know that they 
shall have a more glorious crown4' ,i   
asked him where heaven was2 the infant  
replied1 ',out of the world4' ',show it 
me1' says ,victor4 ,the infant answered1
 ',where then would be your faith8'     
,victor said1 ',i cannot retain what you
 command me3 tell me a sign that ,i may 
give them4' ,he answered1 ',give them   
the sign of ,jacob1 that is1 his        
mystical ladder1 reaching to the        

heavens4' ,soon after this vision1      
,victor was put to death4 ,this vision  
filled us with joy4  ,god gave us1 the  
night following1 another assurance of   
his mercy by a vision to our sister     
,quartillosia1 a fellow-prisoner1 whose 
husband and son had suffered death for  
,christ three days before1 and who      
followed them by martyrdom a few days   
after4 ,i saw1 says she1 my son1 who    
suffered2 he was in the prison sitting  
on a vessel of water1 and said to me3   
',god has seen your sufferings4' ,then  
entered a young man of a wonderful      
stature1 and he said3 ',be of good      
courage1 ,god hath remembered you4' ,the
 martyrs had received no nourishment the
 preceding day1 nor had they any on the 
day that followed this vision2 but at   
length ,lucian1 then priest1 and        
afterwards bishop of ,carthage1         
surmounting all obstacles1 got food to  
be carried to them in abundance by the  
subdeacon1 ,herermian1 and by           
,januarius1 a catechumen4 ,the acts say 

they brought the never-failing food#b   
#deg which ,tillemont understands of the
 blessed eucharist1 and the following   
words still more clearly determine it in
 favor of this sense4 ,they go on3 ,we  
have all one and the same spirit1 which 
unites and cements us together in       
prayer1 in mutual conversation1 and in  
all our actions4 ,these are those       
amiable bands which put the devil to    
flight1 are most agreeable to ,god1 and 
obtain of him1 by joint prayer1 whatever
 they ask4 ,these are the ties which    
link hearts together1 and which make men
 the children of ,god4 ,to be heirs of  
his kingdom we must be his children1 and
 to be his children we must love one    
another4 ,it is impossible for us to    
attain to the inheritance of his        
heavenly glory1 unless we keep that     
union and peace with all our brethren   
which our heavenly ,father has          
established among us4 ,nevertheless1    
this union suffered some prejudice in   
our troop1 but the breach was soon      

repaired4 ,it happened that ,montanus   
had some words with ,julian1 about a    
person who was not of our communion1 and
 who was got among us1 7probably        
admitted by ,julian47 ,montanus on this 
account rebuked ,julian1 and they1 for  
some time afterwards1 behaved towards   
each other with coldness1 which was1 as 
it were1 a seed of discord4 ,heaven had 
pity on them both1 and1 to reunite them1
 admonished ,montanus by a dream1 which 
he related to us as follows3 ,it        
appeared to me that the centurions were 
come to us1 and that they conducted us  
through a long path into a spacious     
field1 where we were met by ,cyprian and
 ,lucius4 ,after this we came into a    
very luminous place1 where our garments 
became white1 and our flesh became      
whiter than our garments1 and so        
wonderfully transparent1 that there was 
nothing in our hearts but what was      
clearly exposed to view3 but in looking 
into myself1 ,i could discover some     
filth in my own bosom2 and1 meeting     

,lucian1 ,i told him what ,i had seen1  
adding1 that the filth ,i had observed  
within my breast denoted my coldness    
towards ,julian4 ,wherefore1 brethren1  
let us love1 cherish1 and promote1 with 
all our might1 peace and concord4 ,let  
us be here unanimous in imitation of    
what we shall be hereafter4 ,as we hope 
to share in the rewards promised to the 
just1 and to avoid the punishments      
wherewith the wicked are threatened3 as1
 in fine1 we desire to be and reign with
 ,christ1 let us do those things which  
will lead us to him and his heavenly    
kingdom4 ,hitherto the martyrs wrote in 
prison what happened to them there3 the 
rest was written by those persons who   
were present1 to whom ,flavian1 one of  
the martyrs1 had recommended it4  ,after
 suffering extreme hunger and thirst1   
with other hardships1 during an         
imprisonment of many months1 the        
confessors were brought before the      
president1 and made a glorious          
confession4 ,the edict of ,valerian     

condemned only bishops1 priests1 and    
deacons to death4 ,the false friends of 
,flavian maintained before the judge    
that he was no deacon1 and1             
consequently1 was not comprehended      
within the emperor's decree2 upon which1
 though he declared himself to be one1  
he was not then condemned2 but the rest 
were adjudged to die4 ,they walked      
cheerfully to the place of execution1   
and each of them gave exhortations to   
the people4 ,lucius1 who was naturally  
mild and modest1 was a little dejected  
on account of his distemper and the     
inconveniences of the prison2 he        
therefore went before the rest1         
accompanied but by a few persons1 lest  
he should be oppressed by the crowd1 and
 so not have the honor to spill his     
blood4 ,some cried out to him1 ,remember
 us4 ,do you also1 says he1 remember me4
 ,julian and ,victoricus exhorted a long
 while the brethren to peace1 and       
recommended to their care the whole body
 of the clergy1 those especially who had

 undergone the hardships of             
imprisonment4 ,montanus1 who was endued 
with great strength1 both of body and   
mind1 cried out1 ,he that sacrificeth to
 any ,god but the true one1 shall be    
utterly destroyed4 ,this he often       
repeated4 ,he also checked the pride and
 wicked obstinacy of the heretics1      
telling them #deh that they might       
discern the true church by the multitude
 of its martyrs4 ,like a true disciple  
of ,saint ,cyprian1 and a zealous lover 
of discipline1 he exhorted those that   
had fallen not to be over hasty1 but    
fully to accomplish their penance4 ,he  
exhorted the virgins to preserve their  
purity1 and to honor the bishops1 and   
all the bishops to abide to concord4    
,when the executioner was ready to give 
the stroke1 he prayed aloud to ,god that
 ,flavian1 who had been reprieved at the
 people's request1 might follow them on 
the third day4 ,and1 to express his     
assurance that his prayer was heard1 he 
rent in pieces the handkerchief with    

which his eyes were to be covered1 and  
ordered one half of it to be reserved   
for ,flavian1 and desired that a place  
might be kept for him where he was to be
 interred1 that they might not be       
separated even in the grave4 ,flavian1  
seeing his crown delayed1 made it the   
object of his ardent desires and        
prayers4 ,and as his mother stuck close 
by his side with the constancy of the   
mother of the holy ,maccabees1 and with 
longing desires to see him glorify ,god 
by his sacrifice1 he said to her ,you   
know1 mother1 how much ,i have longed to
 enjoy the happiness of dying by        
martyrdom4 ,in one of the two nights    
which he survived1 he was favored with a
 vision1 in which one said to him3 ,why 
do you grieve8 ,you have been twice a   
confessor1 and you shall suffer         
martyrdom by the sword4 ,on the third   
day he was ordered to be brought before 
the governor4 ,here it appeared how much
 he was beloved by the people1 who      
endeavored by all means to save his     

life4 ,they cried out to the judge that 
he was no deacon2 but he affirmed that  
he was4 ,a centurion presented a billet 
which set forth that he was not4 ,the   
judge accused him of lying to procure   
his own death4 ,he answered3 ,is that   
probable8 and not rather that they are  
guilty of an untruth who say the        
contrary8 ,the people demanded that he  
might be tortured1 in hopes he would    
recall his confession on the rack2 but  
the judge condemned him to be beheaded4 
,the sentence filled him with joy1 and  
he was conducted to the place of        
execution1 accompanied by a great       
multitude1 and by many priests4 ,a      
shower dispersed the infidels1 and the  
martyr was lead into a house where he   
had an opportunity of taking his last   
leave of the faithful without one       
profane person being present4 ,he told  
them that in a vision he had asked      
,cyprian whether the stroke of death is 
painful1 and that the martyr answered3  
,the body feels no pain when the soul   

gives herself entirely to ,god4 ,at the 
place of execution he prayed for the    
peace of the church and the union of the
 brethren2 and seemed to foretell       
,lucian that he should be bishop of     
,carthage1 as he was soon after4 ,having
 done speaking1 he bound his eyes with  
that half of the handkerchief which     
,montanus had ordered to be kept for    
him1 and1 kneeling in prayer1 received  
the last stroke4 ,these saints are      
joined together on his day in the       
present ,roman and in ancient           
,martyrologies4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,apud 
regionantes4 #b4  ,alimentum            
indeficiens4  ,,st4 ,,lethard1 ,,bishop 
,,of ,,senlis1 ,c4  ,,called ,,by       
,,venerable ,,bede1 ,,luidhard4  ,,bede1
 ,william of ,malmesbury1 and other     
historians relate1 that when ,bertha1   
daughter of ,charibert1 king of the     
,french1 was married to ,ethelbert1 king
 of ,kent1 about the year #eff1 this    
holy ,french prelate accompanied her    
into ,england1 and resided at           

,canterbury in quality of almoner and   
chaplain to the queen4 ,though his name 
does not occur in the imperfect         
catalogue of the bishops of ,senlis1    
which is found in the ancient copy of   
,st4 ,gregory's sacramentary1 which     
belonged to that church in #hhj1 nor in 
the old edition of ,gallia ,christiana  
yet1 upon the authority of the ,english 
historians1 #dei is inserted in the new 
edition1 the thirteenth1 from ,st4      
,regulus1 the founder of that see1 one  
of the ,roman missionaries in ,gaul     
about the time of ,st4 ,dionysius4 ,the 
relics of ,st4 ,regulus are venerated in
 the ancient collegiate church which    
bears his name in ,senlis1 and his      
principal festival is kept on the #bc;d 
of ,april4 ,st4 ,lethard having resigned
 this see to ,st4 ,sanctinus1 was only  
recorded in ,england4 ,on the high altar
 of ,st4 ,augustine's monastery at      
,canterbury1 originally called ,,ss4    
,peter and ,paul's1 his relics were     
exposed in a shrine near those of the   

holy king ,ethelbert1 as appears from   
the ,monasticon4 ,st4 ,lethard died at  
,canterbury about the year #eif4        
,several miracles are recorded to have  
been obtained by his intercession1      
particularly a ready supply of rain in  
time of drought4 ,see ,bede1 l4 #a1 c4  
#be4 ,will4 of ,malmesbury1 de ,pontif4 
l4 #a4 ,monas4 ,angl4 t4 #a1 p4 #bd4    
,tho4 ,sprot1 in his ,history of the    
,abbey of ,canterbury1 ,thorn1          
,henschenius ad #bd ,feb41 ,gallia      
,christ4 ,nova1 t4 #aj1 p4 #achb4  ,b4  
,,robert ,,of ,,arbrissel1  ,,so        
,,called ,,from ,,the ,,place ,,of ,,his
 ,,birth4  ,,he was archpriest and grand
 vicar of the diocese of ,rennes1 and   
chancellor to the duke of ,brittany2 but
 divested himself of these employments1 
and led a most austere eremitical life1 
in the forest of ,craon1 in ,anjou4 ,he 
soon filled that desert with anchorets1 
and built in it a monastery of regular  
canons4 ,this is the abbey called ,de la
 ,roe1 in ,latin ,de ,rota1 which was   

founded1 according to ,duchesne1 in     
#ajic1 and confirmed by pope ,urban     
,,ii41 in #ajif4 ,this pope having heard
 him preach at ,angers1 gave him the    
powers of an apostolical missionary4    
,the blessed man therefore preached in  
many places1 and formed many disciples4 
,in #ajii he founded the great monastery
 of ,fontevraud1 ,fons ,ebraldi1 a      
league from the ,loire1 in ,poitou4 ,he 
appointed superioress ,herlande of      
,champagne1 a near kinswoman to the duke
 of ,brittany2 and ,petronilla of       
,craon1 baroness of ,chemille1          
coadjutress4 ,he settled it under the   
rule of ,st4 ,benedict1 with perpetual  
abstinence from flesh1 even in all      
sicknesses1 and put his order under the 
special patronage of the blessed        
,virgin4 ,by a singular institution1 he 
appointed the abbess superioress over   
the men1 who live in a remote monastery1
 whose superiors she nominates4 ,the    
holy founder prescribed so strict       
silence in his order1 as to forbid any  

one to speak1 even by signs1 without    
necessity4 ,the law of enclosure was not
 less rigorous1 insomuch that no priest 
was allowed to enter even the infirmary 
of the nuns1 to visit the sick1 if it   
could possibly be avoided1 and the sick1
 even in their agonies1 were carried    
into the church1 that they might there  
receive the sacraments4 ,among the great
 conversions of which ,st4 ,robert was  
the instrument1 none was more famous    
than that of queen ,bertrade1 the       
daughter of ,simon ,montfort1 and sister
 of ,amauri ,montfort1 count of ,evreux4
 ,she was married to ,fulk1 count of    
,anjou1 in #ajhi1 but quitted him in    
#ajib1 to marry ,philip ,i41 king of    
,france1 who was enamored of her4 ,pope 
,urban ,,ii4 excommunicated that prince 
on this account in #ajid1 and again in  
#aajj1 because the king1 after having   
put her away1 had taken her again4      
,these censures were taken off when she 
and the king had sworn upon the gospels1
 in the council of ,poitiers1 never to  

live together again4 ,bertrade1 when she
 had retired to an estate which was her 
dower1 in the diocese of ,chartres1 was 
so powerfully moved by the exhortations 
of ,st4 ,robert1 that1 renouncing the   
world1 of which she had been long the   
idol1 she took the religious veil at    
,fontevraud1 and led there an exemplary 
life till her death4 ,many other        
princesses embraced the same state #dfj 
under the direction of the holy founder3
 among others ,hersande of ,champagne1  
widow of ,william of ,monsoreau2 ,agnes 
of ,montroeil1 of the same family2      
,ermengarde1 wife of ,alin ,fergan1 duke
 of ,brittany2 pa1 countess of          
,thoulouse1 wife of ,william ,,ix41 duke
 of ,aquitaine1 c4 ,after the death of  
,st4 ,robert1 several queens and        
princesses had taken sanctuary in this  
monastery1 flying from the corruption of
 the world4 ,among its abbesses are     
counted fourteen princesses1 of which   
five were of the royal house of         
,bourbon4 ,the abbot ,suger1 writing to 

pope ,eugenius ,,iii41 about fifty years
 after the death of the founder1 says   
there were at that time in this order   
between five and six thousand religious 
persons4 ,the order of ,fontevraud1 in  
,france1 is divided into four provinces4
 ,b4 ,robert lived to see above three   
thousand nuns in this one house4 ,he    
died in #aaaf1 on the #beth of          
,february1 ,st4 ,matthias's day1 it     
being leap-year1 in the seventieth of   
his age1 at the monastery of ,orsan1    
near ,linieres1 in ,berry4 ,his body was
 conveyed to ,fontevraud1 and there     
interred4 ,the bishop of ,poitiers1 in  
#afdd1 took a juridical information of  
many miracles wrought by his            
intercession4#a ,from the time of his   
death he has been honored with the title
 of blessed1 and is invoked in the      
litany of his order1 which keeps his    
festival only with a mass of the        
,trinity on ,st4 ,matthias's day4 ,see  
his life by ,baldric1 bishop of ,dole1  
his contemporary2 ,helyot1 ,hist4 des   

,ordres ,relig4 t4 #f1 p4 #hc1 ,dom     
,lobineau1 ,hist4 de ,bretagne1 fol4    
#agjg1 p4 #aac1 and1 in the first place1
 ,chatelain1 ,notes on the ,martyrol4 p4
 #gcf to #geh1 who clearly confutes     
those who place his death in #aaag4     
,footnotes3 #a4  ,some have raked up    
most groundless slanders to asperse the 
character     of this holy man1 as1 that
 he admitted all to the religious habit 
that asked it1 and was guilty of too    
familiar conversation with     women4   
,these slanders were spread in a letter 
of ,roscelin1 whose     errors against  
faith were condemned in the council of  
,soissons in     #ajie4 ,such scandalous
 reports excited the zeal of some good  
men1 and     they are mentioned in a    
letter ascribed to ,marbodius1 bishop of
     ,rennes1 and in another of         
,godfrey1 abbot of ,vendome1 addressed  
to     the holy man himself4 ,this last 
letter seems genuine1 though some       
have denied it4 ,but the charge was only
 gathered from hearsay1 and             

notoriously false1 as the very authors  
of these letters were soon              
convinced4 ,it is not surprising that a 
man who bade open defiance to     all   
sinners1 and whose reputation ran so    
high in the world1 should     excite the
 murmurs of some and envy of others1    
which zeal and merit     never escape4  
,but his boldness to declaim against the
 vices of great     men1 and the most   
hardened sinners2 the high encomiums and
 favorable     testimonies which all who
 knew him gave to his extraordinary     
sanctity1 which forced even envy itself 
to respect him2 and his most     holy   
comportment and happy death1 furnish    
most invincible proofs of     his       
innocence and purity2 which he preserved
 only by humility1 and     the most     
scrupulous flight of all dangerous      
occasions4 ,godfrey of     ,vendome was 
afterwards perfectly satisfied of the   
sanctity of this     great servant of   
,god and became his warmest friend and  
patron2 as is     evident from several  

of his letters4 ,see l4 #a1 ep4 #bd1 and
 #bf1 l4 #c1     ep4#b1 l4 #d1 ep4 #cb4 
,he entered into an association of      
prayers with     the monastery of       
,fontevraud in #aaad2 and so much did he
 esteem his     virtue that he made a   
considerable foundation at ,fontevraud1 
often     visited the church1 and built 
himself a house near it1 called ,hotel  
de ,vendome1 that he might more         
frequently enjoy the converse of ,st4   
,robert1 and promote his holy endeavors4
 ,the letter of ,marbodius is     denied
 to be genuine by ,mainferme and        
,natalis ,alexander1 and     suspected  
by ,d4 ,beaugendre1 who published the   
works of ,marbodius at     ,paris1 in   
#agjh4 ,but the continuator of the      
,hist4 ,litter4 t4 #aj1 p4     #cei1    
clearly shows this letter to have been  
written by ,marbodius1     who1 in it1  
speaks of these rumors without giving   
credit to them1     and with tenderness 
and charity exhorts ,robert to reform   
his conduct     if the reports were     

true2 to dissipate them by justifying   
himself1     if they were false4        
,marbodius was soon satisfied as to     
these     calumnies1 and was the saint's
 great protector1 in #aaja1 in his      
missions in ,brittany1 particularly in  
his diocese of ,rennes2 whither     he  
seems to have invited him4 ,ermengarde1 
countess of ,brittany1 was     so moved 
by ,st4 ,robert's sermons1 that she     
earnestly desired to     renounce the   
world1 and retire to ,fontevraud4 ,the  
saint exhorted her     to continue in   
the world1 and to sanctify her soul by  
her duties in     her public station1   
especially by patience and prayer3 yet1 
some     years after1 she took the veil 
at ,fontevaud4 ,see ,f4 de la           
,mainferme1     in his three apologetic 
volumes in vindication of this patriarch
 of     his order1 ,natalis ,alexander1 
saec4 xii4 diss4 #f1 and especially     
,sorin's ,apologetique du ,saint4 in    
#agjb1 a polite and spirited work4      
,,st4 ,,pretextatus1 ,,or ,,prix1 ,m4   

,,archbishop ,,of ,,rouen4  ,,he was    
chosen archbishop of ,rouen in #edi1 and
 in #eeg assisted at the third council  
of ,paris held to abolish incestuous    
marriages1 and remove other crying      
abuses3 also at the second council of   
,tours in #eff4 ,by his zeal in         
reproving ,fredegonda for her injustices
 and cruelties1 he had incurred her     
indignation4 ,king ,clotaire ,i41 in    
#efb1 had left the ,french monarchy #dfa
 divided among his four sons4 ,charibert
 was king of ,paris1 ,gontran of        
,orleans and ,burgundy1 ,sigebert ,i4 of
 ,austrasia1 and ,chilperic ,i4 of      
,soissons4 ,sigebert married            
,brunehault1 younger daughter of        
,athanagilde1 king of the ,visigoths in 
,spain1 and ,chilperic her elder sister 
,galsvinda2 but after her death he took 
to wife ,fredegonda1 who had been his   
mistress1 and was strongly suspected to 
have contrived the death of the queen by
 poison4 ,hence ,brunehault stirred up  
,sigebert against her and her husband4  

,but ,fredegonda contrived the          
assassination of king ,sigebert in #ege1
 and ,chilperic secured ,brunehault his 
wife1 her three daughters1 and her son  
,childebert4 ,this latter soon made his 
escape1 and fled to ,metz1 where he was 
received by his subjects1 and crowned   
king of ,austrasia4 ,the city of ,paris1
 after the death of ,charibert in #eff1 
by the agreement of the three surviving 
brothers1 remained common to them all1  
till ,chilperic seized it4 ,he sent     
,meroveus1 his son by his first wife1 to
 reduce the country about ,poitiers1    
which belonged to the young prince      
,childebert4 ,but ,meroveus1 at ,ronen1 
fell in love with his aunt ,brunehault1 
then a prisoner in that city2 and bishop
 ,prix1 in order to prevent a grievous  
scandal1 judging circumstances to be    
sufficiently cogent to require a        
dispensation1 married them3 for which he
 was accused of high treason by king    
,chilperic before a council at ,paris1  
in #egg1 in the church of ,st4 ,peter1  

since called ,st4 ,genevieve4 ,st4      
,gregory of ,tours there warmly defended
 his innocence1 and ,prix confessed the 
marriage1 but denied that he had been   
privy to the prince's revolt2 but was   
afterwards prevailed upon1 through the  
insidious persuasion of certain         
emissaries of ,chilperic1 to plead      
guilty1 and confess that out of         
affection he had been drawn in to favor 
the young prince1 who was his godson4   
,whereupon he was condemned by the      
council1 and banished by the king into a
 small island upon the coast of ,lower  
,neustria1 near ,coutances4 ,his        
sufferings he improved to the           
sanctification of his soul by penance   
and the exercise of all heroic          
,christian virtues4 ,the rage and clamor
 with which his powerful enemies spread 
their slanders to beat down his         
reputation1 staggered many of his       
friends3 but ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours    
never forsook him4 ,meroveus was        
assassinated near ,terouanne1 by an     

order of his stepmother ,fredegonda1 who
 was also suspected to have contrived   
the death of her husband ,chilperic1 who
 was murdered at ,chelles1 in #ehd4 ,she
 had three years before procured        
,clovis1 his younger son by a former    
wife1 to be assassinated1 so that the   
crown of ,soissons devolved upon her own
 son ,clotaire ,,ii43 but for his and   
her own protection1 she had recourse to 
,gontran1 the religious king of ,orleans
 and ,burgundy4 ,by his order ,prix1    
after a banishment of six years1 was    
restored with honor to his see2         
,ragnemond1 the bishop of ,paris1 who   
had been a principal flatterer of       
,chilperic in the persecution of this   
prelate1 having assured this prince that
 the council had not deposed him1 but   
only enjoined him penance4 ,st4 ,prix   
assisted at the council of ,macon in    
#ehe1 where he harangued several times1 
and exerted his zeal in framing many    
wise regulations for the reformation of 
discipline4 ,he continued his pastoral  

labors in the care of his flock1 and by 
just remonstrances often endeavored to  
reclaim the wicked queen ,fredegonda1   
who frequently resided at ,rouen1 and   
filled the kingdom with scandals1       
tyrannical oppressions1 and murders4    
,this ,jezabel grew daily more and more 
hardened in iniquity1 and by her secret 
order ,st4 ,prix was assassinated while 
he assisted at matins in his church in  
the midst of his clergy on ,sunday the  
#beth of ,february4 ,happy should we be 
if under all afflictions1 with this holy
 penitent1 we considered that sin is the
 original fountain from whence all those
 waters of bitterness flow1 and by      
laboring effectually to cut off this    
evil1 convert its punishment into its   
remedy and a source of benedictions4    
,st4 ,prix of ,rouen to honored in the  
,roman and ,gallican ,martyrologies4    
,those who with #dfb ,chatelain1 c4     
place his death on the #adth of ,april1 
suppose him to have been murdered on    
,easter-day1 but the day of our ,lord's 

,resurrection in this passage of our    
historian1 means no more than ,sunday4  
,see ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1 ,hist4    
,franc4 l4 #e1 c4 #aj1 #ae4 ,fleury1 l4 
#cd1 n4 #eb4 ,gallia ,christiana ,nova1 
t4 #aa1 pp4 #aa and #fch4 ,mons4        
,levesque de la ,ravaliere in his       
,nouvelle ,vie de ,s4 ,gregoire1 ,eveque
 de ,tours1 published in the ,memoires  
de l',academie des ,inscriptions et     
,belles ,lettres1 ,an4 #agfj1 t4 #bf1   
pp4 #fii1 #fj4 ,f4 ,daniel1 ,hist4 de   
,france1 t4 #a1 p4 #bdb4  ,,st4         
,,ethelbert1 ,c4  ,,first ,,christian   
,,king ,,among ,,the ,,english4  ,,he   
was king of ,kent1 the fifth descendant 
from ,hengist1 who first settled the    
,english ,saxons in ,britain1 in #ddh1  
and the foundation of whose kingdom is  
dated in #dde4 ,ethelbert married1 in   
his father's lifetime1 ,bertha1 the only
 daughter of ,charibert1 king of ,paris1
 and cousin-german to ,clotaire1 king of
 ,soissons1 and ,childebort1 king of    
,austrasia1 whose two sons1 ,theodobert 

and ,theodoric1 or ,thierry1 reigned    
after his death1 the one in ,austrasia1 
the other in ,burgundy4 ,ethelbert      
succeeded his father ,ermenric1 in #efj4
 ,the kingdom of ,kent having enjoyed a 
continued peace for about a hundred     
years1 was arrived at a degree of power 
and riches which gave it a pre-eminence 
in the ,saxon heptarchy in ,britain1 and
 so great a superiority and influence   
over the rest1 that ,ethelbert is said  
by ,bede to have ruled as far as the    
,humber1 and ,ethelbert is often styled 
king of the ,english4 ,his queen ,bertha
 was a very zealous and pious ,christian
 princess1 and by the articles of her   
marriage had free liberty to exercise   
her religion2 for which purpose she was 
attended by a venerable ,french prelate1
 named ,luidhard1 or ,lethard1 bishop of
 ,senlis4 ,he officiated constantly in  
an old church dedicated to ,st4 ,martin1
 lying a little out of the walls of     
,canterbury4 ,the exemplary life of this
 prelate1 and his frequent discourses on

 religion1 disposed several ,pagans     
about the court to embrace the faith4   
,the merit of the queen in the great    
work of her husband's conversion is     
acknowledged by our historians1 and she 
deserved by her piety and great zeal to 
be compared by ,st4 ,gregory the ,great 
to the celebrated ,st4 ,helen4#a ,divine
 providence1 by these means1 mercifully 
prepared the heart of a great king to   
entertain a favorable opinion of our    
holy religion1 when ,st4 ,augustine     
landed in his dominions3 to whose life  
the reader is referred for all account  
of this monarch's happy conversion to   
the faith4 ,from that time he appeared  
quite changed into another man1 it being
 for the remaining twenty years of his  
life his only ambition and endeavor to  
establish the perfect reign of ,christ1 
both in his own soul and in the hearts  
of all his subjects4 ,his ardor in the  
exercises of penance and devotion never 
suffered any abatement1 this being a    
property of true virtue1 which is not to

 be acquired without much labor and     
pains1 self-denial and watchfulness1    
resolution and constancy4 ,great were1  
doubtless1 the difficulties and dangers 
which he had to encounter in subduing   
his passions1 and in vanquishing many   
obstacles which the world and devil     
failed not to raise3 but these trials   
were infinitely subservient to his      
spiritual advancement1 by rousing him   
continually to greater vigilance and    
fervor1 and by the many victories and   
the exercise of all heroic virtues of   
which they furnished the occasions4 ,in 
the government of his kingdom1 his      
thoughts were altogether turned upon the
 means of best promoting the #dfc       
welfare of his people4 ,he enacted most 
wholesome laws1 which were held in high 
esteem in succeeding ages in this       
island3 he abolished the worship of     
idols throughout his kingdom1 and shut  
up their temples1 or turned them into   
churches4 ,his royal palace at          
,canterbury he gave for the use of the  

archbishop ,st4 ,austin3 he founded in  
that city the cathedral called ,christ  
,church1 and built without the walls the
 abbey and church of ,,ss4 ,peter and   
,paul1 afterwards called ,st4 ,austin's4
 ,the foundation of ,st4 ,andrew's at   
,rochester1 ,st4 ,paul's at ,london1 and
 many other churches1 affords many      
standing proofs of his munificence to   
the church1 and the servants of ,god4   
,he was instrumental in bringing over to
 the faith of ,christ1 ,sebert1 king of 
the ,east-,saxons1 with his people1 and 
,redwald1 king of the ,east-,angles1    
though the latter afterwards relapsing1 
pretended to join the worship of idols  
with that of ,christ4 ,king ,ethelbert1 
after having reigned fifty-six years1   
exchanged his temporal diadem for an    
eternal crown1 in #faf1 and was buried  
in the church of ,,ss4 ,peter and ,paul4
 ,his remains were afterwards deposited 
under the high altar in the same church1
 then called ,st4 ,austin's4 ,st4       
,ethelbert is commemorated on this day  

in the ,british and ,roman              
,martyrologies3 he was vulgarly called  
by our ancestors ,st4 ,albert1 under    
which name he is titular saint of       
several churches in ,england2           
particularly of one in ,norwich1 which  
was built before the cathedral1 an      
account of which is given by ,blomfield1
 in his history of ,norfolk1 and the    
city of ,norwich4 ,polydore ,virgil     
tells us that a light was kept always   
burning before the tomb of ,st4         
,ethelbert1 and was sometimes an        
instrument of miracles1 even to the days
 of ,henry ,,viii4 ,see ,bede1 ,hist4   
,ang4 l4 #a1 c4 #be1 c4 ,henschen4 t4   
#c1 ,febr4 p4 #dga4  ,footnotes3 #a4    
,st4 ,greg4 ,m4 l4 #i1 ep4 #fj4         
,,february ,,xxv4  ,,saint ,,tarasius1  
,,confessor1  ,,patriarch ,,of          
,,constantinople4  ,from his life       
written by ,ignatius1 his disciple1     
afterwards bishop of ,nice1 and from the
 church historians of his time4 ,see    
,bollandus1 t4 #e1 p4 #egf4 ,fleury1 ,b4

 #dd4  ,a4,d4 #hjf4  ,,tarasius was born
 about the middle of the eighth century4
 ,his parents were both of patrician    
families4 ,his father1 ,george1 was a   
judge in great esteem for his well-known
 justice1 and his mother1 ,eucratia1 no 
less celebrated for her piety4 ,she     
brought him up in the practice of the   
most eminent virtues4 ,above all things1
 she recommended to him to keep no      
company but that of the most virtuous4  
,the young man1 by his talents and      
virtue1 gained the esteem of all1 and   
was raised to the greatest honors of the
 empire1 being made consul1 and         
afterwards first secretary of state to  
the emperor ,constantine and the empress
 ,irene1 his mother4 ,in the midst of   
the court1 and in its highest honors1   
surrounded by all that could flatter    
pride1 or gratify sensuality1 he led a  
life like that of a religious man4      
,leo1 the ,isaurian1 his son            
,constantine ,copronymus1 and his       
grandson ,leo1 surnamed ,chazarus1 three

 successive emperors1 had established1  
with all their power1 the heresy of the 
,iconoclasts1 or image-breakers1 in the 
#dfd ,east4 ,the empress ,irene1 wife to
 the last1 was always privately a       
,catholic1 though an artful1 ambitious  
woman4 ,her husband dying miserably in  
#ghj1 after a five years' reign1 and    
having left his son ,constantine1 but   
ten years old1 under her guardianship1  
she so managed the nobility in her favor
 as to get the regency and whole        
government of the state into her hands1 
and put a stop to the persecution of the
 ,catholics4 ,paul1 patriarch of        
,constantinople1 the third of that name1
 had been raised to that dignity by the 
late emperor4 ,though1 contrary to the  
dictates of his own conscience1 he had  
conformed in some respects to the then  
reigning heresy1 he had however several 
good qualities2 and was not only        
singularly beloved by the people for his
 charity to the poor1 but highly        
esteemed by the empress and the whole   

court for his great prudence4 ,finding  
himself indisposed1 and being touched   
with remorse for his condescension to   
the ,iconoclasts in the former reign1   
without communicating his design to any 
one1 he quitted the patriarchal see1 and
 put on a religious habit in the        
monastery of ,florus1 in                
,constantinople4 ,the empress was no    
sooner informed of it1 but taking with  
her the young emperor1 went to the      
monastery to dissuade a person so useful
 to her from persisting in such a       
resolution1 but all in vain1 for the    
patriarch assured them with tears1 and  
bitter lamentations1 that1 in order to  
repair the scandal he had given1 he had 
taken an unalterable resolution to end  
his days in that monastery2 so desired  
them to provide the church of           
,constantinople with a worthy pastor in 
his room4 ,being asked whom he thought  
equal to the charge1 he immediately     
named ,tarasius1 and dying soon after   
this declaration1 ,tarasius was         

accordingly chosen patriarch by the     
unanimous consent of the court1 clergy1 
and people4 ,tarasius finding it in vain
 to oppose his election1 declared1      
however1 that he thought he could not in
 conscience accept of the government of 
a see which had been cut off from the   
,catholic communion1 but upon condition 
that a general council should be called 
to compose the disputes which divided   
the church at that time1 in relation to 
holy images4 ,this being agreed to1 he  
was solemnly declared patriarch1 and    
consecrated soon after1 on              
,christmas-day4 ,he was no sooner       
installed1 but he sent his synodal      
letters to pope ,adrian1 to whom the    
empress also wrote in her own and her   
son's name on the subject of a general  
council2 begging that he would either   
come in person1 or at least send some   
venerable and learned men as his legates
 to ,constantinople4 ,tarasius wrote    
likewise a letter to the patriarchs of  
,alexandria1 ,antioch1 and ,jerusalem1  

wherein he desires them to send their   
respective legates to the intended      
council4 ,his letter to the pope was to 
the same effect4 ,the pope sent his     
legates1 as desired1 and wrote by them  
to the emperor1 the empress1 and the    
patriarch2 applauded their zeal1 showing
 at large the impiety of the ,iconoclast
 heresy1 insisting that the false       
council of the ,iconoclasts1 held under 
,copronymus for the establishment of    
,iconoclasm1 should be first condemned  
in presence of his legates1 and         
conjuring them before ,god to           
re-establish holy images at             
,constantinople1 and in all ,greece1 on 
the footing they were before4 ,he       
recommends to the emperor and empress   
his two legates to the council1 who were
 ,peter1 archpriest of the ,roman       
church1 and ,peter1 priest and abbot of 
,st4 ,sabas1 in ,rome4 ,the eastern     
patriarchs being under the ,saracen     
yoke1 could not come for fear of giving 
offence to their jealous masters1 who   

prohibited1 under the strictest         
penalties1 all commerce with the empire4
 ,however1 with much difficulty and     
through many dangers1 they sent their   
deputies4  ,the legates of the pope and 
the oriental patriarchs being arrived1  
as also the bishops under their         
jurisdiction1 the council was opened on 
the #ast of ,august1 in the church of   
the apostles at ,constantinople1 in     
#ghf4 ,but the assembly being disturbed 
by the violences of the ,iconoclasts1   
and desired #dfe by the empress to break
 up and withdraw for the present1 the   
council met again the year following in 
the church of ,st4 ,sophia1 at ,nice4   
,the two legates from the pope are named
 first in the ,acts1 ,st4 ,tarasms next1
 and after him the legates of the       
,oriental patriarchs1 namely1 ,john1    
priest and monk1 for the patriarchs of  
,antioch and ,jerusalem2 and ,thomas1   
priest and monk1 for the patriarch of   
,alexandria4 ,the council consisted of  
three hundred and fifty bishops1 besides

 many abbots and other holy priests and 
confessors1#a who having declared the   
sense of the present church1 in relation
 to the matter in debate1 which was     
found to be the allowing to holy        
pictures and images a relative honor1   
the council was closed with the usual   
acclamations and prayers for the        
prosperity of the emperor and empress4  
,after which1 synodal letters were sent 
to all the churches1 and in particular  
to the pope1 who approved the council4  
,the good patriarch1 pursuant to the    
decrees of the synod1 restored holy     
images throughout the extent of his     
jurisdiction4 ,he also labored zealously
 to abolish simony1 and wrote a letter  
upon that subject to pope ,adrian1 to   
which1 by saying it was the glory of the
 ,roman church to preserve the purity of
 the priesthood1 he intimated that that 
church was free from this reproach4 ,the
 life of this holy patriarch was a model
 of perfection to his clergy and people4
 ,his table had nothing of the          

superfluity1 nor his palace any thing of
 the magnificence1 of several of his    
predecessors4 ,he allowed himself very  
little time for sleep1 being always up  
the first and last in his family4       
,reading and prayer filled all his      
leisure hours4 ,it was his pleasure1 in 
imitation of our blessed ,redeemer1 to  
serve others instead of being served by 
them2#dff on which account he would     
scarce permit his own servants to do any
 thing for him4 ,loving humility in     
himself1 he sought sweetly to induce all
 others to the love of that virtue4 ,he 
banished the use of gold and scarlet    
from among the clergy1 and labored to   
extirpate all the irregularities among  
the people4 ,his charity and love for   
the poor seemed to surpass his other    
virtues4 ,he often took the dishes of   
meat from his table to distribute among 
them with his own hands3 and he assigned
 them a large fixed revenue4 ,and that  
none might be overlooked1 he visited all
 the houses and hospitals in            

,constantinople4 ,in ,lent1 especially1 
his bounty to them was incredible4 ,his 
discourses were powerful exhortations to
 the universal mortification of the     
senses1 and he was particularly severe  
against all theatrical entertainments4  
,some time after1 the emperor became    
enamored of ,theodota1 a maid of honor  
to his wife1 the empress ,mary1 whom he 
had always hated2 and forgetting what he
 owed to ,god1 he was resolved to       
divorce her in #gie1 after seven years' 
cohabitation4 ,he used all his efforts  
to gain the patriarch1 and sent a       
principal officer to him for that       
purpose1 accusing his wife of a plot to 
poison him4 ,st4 ,tarasius answered the 
messenger1 saying3 ,i know not how the  
emperor can bear the infamy of so       
scandalous an action in the sight of the
 universe3 nor how he will be able to   
hinder or punish adulteries and         
debaucheries1 if he himself set such an 
example4 ,tell him that ,i will rather  
suffer death and all manner of torments 

than consent to his design4 ,the emperor
 hoping to prevail with him by flattery1
 sent for him to the palace1 and said to
 him3 ,i can conceal nothing from you1  
whom ,i regard as my father4 ,no one can
 deny but ,i may divorce one who has    
attempted my life4 ,she deserves death  
or perpetual penance4 ,he then produced 
a vessel1 as he pretended1 full of the  
poison prepared for him4 ,the patriarch1
 with good reason1 judging the whole to 
be only an artful contrivance to impose 
upon him1 answered3 that he was too well
 convinced that his passion for         
,theodota was at the bottom of all his  
complaints against the empress4 ,he     
added1 that1 though she were guilty of  
the crime he laid to her charge1 his    
second marriage during her life1 with   
any other1 would still be contrary to   
the law of ,god1 and that he would draw 
upon himself the censures of the church 
by attempting it4 ,the monk ,john1 who  
had been legate of the eastern          
patriarchs in the seventh council1 being

 present1 spoke also very resolutely to 
the emperor on the subject1 so that the 
pretors and patricians threatened to    
stab him on the spot3 and the emperor1  
boiling with rage1 drove them both from 
his presence4 ,as soon as they were     
gone1 he turned the empress ,mary out of
 his palace1 and obliged her to put on a
 religious veil4 ,tarasius persisting in
 his refusal to marry him to ,theodota1 
the ceremony was performed by ,joseph1  
treasurer of the church of              
,constantinople4 ,this scandalous       
example was the occasion of several     
governors and other powerful men        
divorcing their wives1 or taking more   
than one at the same time1 and gave     
great encouragement to public lewdness4 
,,ss4 ,plato and ,theodorus separated   
themselves from the emperor's communion 
to show their abhorrence of his crime4  
,but ,tarasius did not think it prudent 
to proceed to excommunication1 as he had
 threatened1 apprehensive that the      
violence of his temper1 when further    

provoked1 might carry him still greater 
lengths1 and prompt him to re-establish 
the heresy which he had taken such      
effectual measures to suppress4 ,thus   
the patriarch1 by his moderation1       
prevented the ruin of religion1 but drew
 upon himself the emperor's resentment1 
who persecuted him many ways during the 
remainder of his reign4 ,not content to 
set spies and guards over him under the 
name of ,syncelli1 who watched all his  
actions1 and suffered no one to speak to
 him without their leave1 he banished   
many of his domestics and relations4    
,this confinement gave the saint the    
more leisure for contemplation1 and he  
#dfg never ceased in it to recommend his
 flock to ,god4 ,the ambitious ,irene1  
finding that all her contrivances to    
render her son odious to his subjects   
had proved ineffectual to her design1   
which was to engross the whole power to 
herself1 having gained over to her party
 the principal officers of the court and
 army1 she made him prisoner1 and caused

 his eyes to be plucked out2 this was   
executed with so much violence that the 
unhappy prince died of it in #gig4      
,after this she reigned alone five      
years1 during which she recalled all the
 banished2 but at length met with the   
deserved reward of her ambition and     
cruelty from ,nicephorus1 a patrician1  
and the treasurer general2 who1 in #hjb1
 usurped the empire1 and having deposed 
her1 banished her into the isle of      
,lesbos1 where she soon after died with 
grief4  ,st4 ,tarasius1 on the death of 
the late emperor1 having interdicted and
 deposed the treasurer ,joseph1 who had 
married and crowned ,theodota1 ,st4     
,plato1 and others1 who had censured his
 lenity1 became thoroughly reconciled to
 him4 ,the saint1 under his successor   
,nicephorus1 persevered peaceably in his
 practices of penance1 and in the       
functions of his pastoral charge4 ,in   
his last sickness he still continued to 
offer daily the holy sacrifice as long  
as he was able to move4 ,a little before

 his death he fell into a kind of       
trance1 as the author of his life1 who  
was an eye-witness1 relates1 wherein he 
was heard to dispute and argue with a   
number of accusers1 very busy in sifting
 his whole life1 and objecting all they 
could to it4 ,he seemed in a great      
fright and agitation on this account1   
and1 defending himself1 answered every  
thing laid to his charge4 ,this filled  
all present with fear1 seeing the       
endeavors of the enemy of man to find   
something to condemn even in the life of
 so holy and so irreprehensible a       
bishop4 ,but a great serenity succeeded1
 and the holy man gave up his soul to   
,god in peace1 on the #beth of          
,february1 #hjf1 having sat twenty-one  
years and two months4 ,god honored his  
memory with miracles1 some of which are 
related by the author of his life4 ,his 
festival began to be celebrated under   
his successor4 ,the ,latin and ,greek   
churches both honor his memory on this  
day4 ,fourteen years after his decease1 

,leo1 the ,armenian1 the ,iconoclast    
emperor1 dreamed a little before his own
 death1 that he saw ,st4 ,tarasius      
highly incensed against him1 and heard  
him command one ,michael to stab him4   
,leo1 judging this ,michael to be a monk
 in the saint's monastery1 ordered him  
the next morning to be sought for1 and  
even tortured some of the religious to  
oblige them to a discovery of the       
person3 but it happened there was none  
of that name among them2 and ,leo was   
killed six days after by ,michael       
,balbus4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,the virtue of ,st4        
,tarasius was truly great1 because      
constant and crowned with perseverance1 
though exposed to continual dangers of  
illusion or seduction1 amidst the       
artifices of hypocrites and a wicked    
court4 ,st4 ,chrysostom observes1#b that
 the path of virtue is narrow1 and lies 
between precipices1 in which it is      
easier for the traveller to be seized   
with giddiness even near the end of his 

course1 and fall4 ,hence this father    
most grievously laments the misfortune  
of king ,ozias1 who1 after long         
practising the most heroic virtues1     
fell1 and perished through pride2 and he
 strenuously exhorts all who walk in the
 service of ,god1 constantly to live in 
fear1 watchfulness1 humility1 and       
compunction4 ,a soul1 says he1 often    
wants not so much spurring in the       
beginning of her conversion2 her own    
fervor and cheerfulness make her run    
vigorously4 ,but this fervor1 unless it 
be continually nourished1 cools by      
degrees3 then the devil assails her with
 all his might4 ,pirates wait for and   
principally attack ships when they are  
upon the return home laden with #dfh    
riches1 rather than empty vessels going 
out of the port4 ,just so the devil1    
when he sees a soul has gathered great  
spiritual riches1 by fasts1 prayer1     
alms1 chastity1 and all other virtues1  
when he sees our vessel fraught with    
rich commodities1 then he falls upon    

her1 and seeks on all sides to break in4
 ,what exceedingly aggravates the evil1 
is the extreme difficulty of ever rising
 again after such a fall4 ,to err in the
 beginning may be in part a want of     
experience2 but to fall after a long    
course is mere negligence1 and can      
deserve no excuse or pardon4            
,footnotes3 #a4  ,in the third session  
the letters of the patriarchs of        
,alexandria1     ,antioch1 and          
,jerusalem were read1 all teaching the  
same doctrine of     paying a relative  
honor to sacred images1 no less than the
 letters     of pope ,adrian4 ,their    
deputies1 ,john and ,thomas1 then added1
 that     the absence of those          
patriarchs should not affect the        
authority of     the council1 because   
the tyranny under which they lived made 
their     presence impossible1 and      
because they had sent their deputies and
     professions of faith by letter3    
that none of the oriental patriarchs    
had been at the sixth general ,council1 

laboring then under the yoke     of the 
barbarians1 yet it was not less an      
oecumenical synod1     especially as the
 apostolic ,roman pope agreed to it1 and
 presided     in it by his legates4     
,this is a clear testimony of the       
eastern     churches in favor of the    
authority of the holy see in general    
councils1 and it cannot in the least be 
suspected of fluttery4 ,in     the      
fourth session were read many passages  
of the fathers in favor     of the      
relative honor due to holy images4      
,after which1 all cried     out1 they   
were sons of obedience1 who placed their
 glory in     following the tradition of
 their holy mother the church2 and they 
pronounced many anathemas against all   
image-breakers1 that is1 those     who  
do not honor holy images1 or those who  
call them ,idols4 ,in the     end they  
add a confession of filth1 in which they
 declare1 that they     honor the mother
 of ,god1 who is above all the heavenly 
powers3 then     the angels1 apostles1  

prophets1 martyrs1 doctors1 and all the 
saints2 as also their pictures3 for     
though the angels are     incorporeal1  
they have appeared like men4 ,this      
profession of faith     was subscribed  
by the pope's legates1 ,st4 ,turasius1  
the legates of     the three other      
patriarchs1 and three hundred and one   
bishops     present1 besides a great    
many priests and deacons1 deputies of   
absent bishops1 and by one hundred and  
thirty abbots4 ,in the fifth     session
 were read many passages of fathers     
falsified and corrupted     by the      
,iconoclasts1 as was clearly shown4 ,the
 archpriest1 the pope's     legate1     
demanded that an image should be then   
set up in the midst of     the assembly1
 and honored by all1 which was done2 and
 that the books     written against holy
 images night be condemned and burned1  
which the     council also ratified4 ,in
 the sixth session the sham council of  
the     ,iconoclasts under ,copronymus  
was condemned and refuted as to every   

article3 as first1 that it falsely      
styled itself a general     council2 for
 it was not received but anathematized  
by the other     bishops of the church4 
,secondly1 because the pope of ,rome had
 no     ways concurred to it1 neither by
 himself nor by his legates1 nor by     
a circular letter1 according to the     
custom of councils3 nor had the         
western bishops assisted at it4         
,thirdly1 there had not been obtained   
any consent of the patriarchs of        
,alexandria1 ,antioch1 and ,jerusalem1  
nor of the bishops of their respective  
districts4 ,these are     conditions    
necessary to a general council1 which   
were all wanting to     that sham synod4
 ,the council goes on refuting it1      
because it accused     the church of    
idolatry2 which is giving the lie to    
,christ1 whose     kingdom1 according to
 scripture1 is everlasting1 and whose   
power     over hell can never be wrested
 from him4 ,to accuse the whole church  
is to do fill injury to ,christ4 ,they  

added1 that the sham synod had          
contradicted itself by admitting that   
the six general councils had            
preserved the faith entire1 and yet     
condemned the use of images1     which  
it must allow to be more ancient than   
the sixth council1 and     which is of  
as great antiquity as the apostolic age4
 ,and that     whereas the same synod   
had advanced that the clergy having     
fallen     ,into ,idolatry1 ,god had    
raised faithful emperors to destroy the 
fortresses of the devil2 the council of 
,nice vehemently condemns     this1     
because the bishops are the depositaries
 of tradition1 and not     the emperors4
 ,it adds1 that the ,iconoclasts falsely
 called the     blessed ,eucharist the  
only image1 for it is not an image nor a
     figure1 but the true body and blood
 of ,christ4 ,in the seventh     session
 was read the definition of filth1      
declaring1 that images     ought to be  
set up in churches as well as crosses1  
7which last the     ,iconoclasts allowed

 of17 also to be figured on the sacred  
vessels     and ornaments1 on the walls1
 ceilings1 houses1 c4 ,for the oftener  
people behold holy images or pictures1  
the oftener are they excited     to the 
remembrance of what they represent3 that
 these images are to     be honored1 but
 not with the worship called ,latria1   
which can only     be given to ,god3    
that they shall be honored with incense 
and     candles1 as the cross1 the      
gospels1 and other holy things are1 all 
according to the pious customs of the   
ancients4 ,for the honor paid     to    
images1 passes to the archetypes1 or    
things represented1 and he     who      
reveres the image reveres the person it 
represents4 ,this the     council       
declared to be the doctrine of the      
fathers1 and tradition of     the       
,catholic church4 #b4  ,chrysos4 ,hom4  
#c4 de ,ozia1 t4 #f1 p4 #ad4 ed ,ben4   
,,st4 ,,victorinus1 ,,and ,,six         
,,companions1 ,,martyrs4  ,from their   
genuine acts published from the         

,chaldaic by ,monsignor ,steph4         
,assemani4 ,act4 ,mart4 ,occid4 t4 #b4  
p4 #fj4 ,see also ,henschenius on this  
day4  ,a4,d4 #bhd4  ,,these seven       
martyrs were citizens of ,corinth1 and  
confessed their faith before ,tertius   
the proconsul1 in their own country1 in 
#bdi1 in the beginning of the reign of  
,decius4 ,after their torments they     
passed into ,egypt1 whether by          
compulsion or by voluntary banishment is
 not known1 and there finished their    
martyrdom at ,diospolis1 capital of     
,thebais1 in the reign of ,numerian1 in 
#bhd1 under the governor ,sabinus4      
,after the governor had tried the       
constancy of the martyrs by racks1      
scourges1 and various inventions of     
cruelty1 he caused ,victorinus to be    
thrown into a great mortar1 7the ,greek 
,menology says1 of marble47 ,the        
executioners began by pounding his feet 
and legs1 saying to him at every stroke3
 ,spare yourself1 wretch4 ,it depends   
upon you to escape this death1 if you   

will only renounce your new ,god4 ,the  
prefect grew furious at his constancy1  
and at length commanded his head to be  
beat to pieces4 ,the sight of this      
mortar1 so far from casting a damp on   
his companions1 seemed to inspire them  
with the greater ardor to be treated in 
the like manner4 ,so that when the      
tyrant threatened ,victor with the same 
death1 he only desired him to hasten the
 execution2 and1 pointing to the mortar1
 said3 ,in that is salvation and true   
felicity prepared for me6 ,he was       
immediately cast into it and beaten to  
death4 ,nicephorus1 the third martyr1   
was impatient of delay1 and leaped of   
his own accord into the bloody mortar4  
,the judge1 enraged at his boldness1    
commanded not one1 but many executioners
 at once to pound him in the same       
manner4 ,he caused ,claudian1 the       
fourth1 to be chopped in pieces1 and his
 bleeding joints to be thrown at the    
feet of those that were yet living4 ,he 
expired after his feet1 hands1 arms1    

legs1 and thighs were cut off4 ,the     
tyrant1 pointing to his mangled limbs   
and scattered bones1 said to the other  
three3 ,it concerns you to avoid this   
punishment2 ,i do not compel you to     
suffer4 ,the martyrs answered with one  
voice3 ,on the contrary1 we rather pray 
that if you have any other more         
exquisite torment you would inflict it  
on us4 ,we are determined never to      
violate the fidelity which we owe to    
,god1 or to deny ,jesus ,christ our     
,saviour1 for he is our ,god1 from whom 
we have our being1 and to whom alone we 
aspire4 ,the tyrant became almost       
distracted with fury1 and commanded     
,diodorus to be burned alive1 ,serapion 
to be beheaded1 and ,papias to be       
drowned4 ,this happened on the #beth of 
,february2 on which day the ,roman and  
other western ,martyrologies name them2 
but the ,greek ,menaea1 and the         
,menology of the emperor ,basil         
,porphyrogenitus1 honor them on the     
#bast of ,january1 the day of their     

confession at ,corinth4  #dfi  ,,st4    
,,walburge1#a ,v4 ,,abbess4  ,,she was  
daughter to the holy king ,st4 ,richard1
 and sister to ,,ss4 ,willibald and     
,winebald2 was born in the kingdom of   
the ,west-,saxons in ,england1 and      
educated in the monastery of ,winburn in
 ,dorsetshire1 where she took the       
religious veil4 ,after having passed    
twenty-seven years in this holy nunnery1
 she was sent by the abbess ,tetta1     
under the conduct of ,st4 ,lioba1 with  
several others1 into ,germany1 at the   
request of her cousin1 ,st4 ,boniface4#b
 ,her first settlement in that country  
was under ,st4 ,lioba1 in the monastery 
of ,bischofsheim1 in the diocese of     
,mentz4 ,two years after she was        
appointed abbess of a nunnery founded by
 her two brothers1 at ,heidenheim in    
,suabia1 7now subject to the duke of    
,wirtemberg17 where her brother1 ,st4   
,winebald1 took upon him at the same    
time the government of an abbey of      
monks4 ,this town is situated in the    

diocese of ,aichstadt1 in ,franconia1   
upon the borders of ,bavaria1 of which  
,st4 ,willibald1 our saint's other      
brother1 had been consecrated bishop by 
,st4 ,boniface4 ,so eminent was the     
spirit of evangelical charity1 meekness1
 and piety1 which all the words and     
actions of ,st4 ,walburge breathed1 and 
so remarkable was the fruit which her   
zeal and example produced in others1    
that when ,st4 ,winebald died1 in #gfj1 
she was charged with a superintendency  
also over the abbey of monks till her   
death4 ,st4 ,willibald caused the       
remains of their brother ,winebald to be
 removed to ,aichstadt1 sixteen years   
after his death2 at which ceremony ,st4 
,walburge assisted4 ,two years after she
 passed herself to eternal rest2 on the 
#beth of ,february1 in #ggi1 having     
lived twenty-five years at ,heidenheim4 
,her relics were translated1 in the year
 #hgj1 to ,aichstadt1 on the #bast of   
,september1 and the principal part still
 remains there in the church anciently  

called of the ,holy ,cross1 but since   
that time of ,st4 ,walburge4 ,a         
considerable portion is venerated with  
singular devotion at ,furnes1 where1 by 
the pious zeal of ,baldwin1 surnamed of 
,iron1 it was received on the #beth of  
,april1 and enshrined on the #ast of    
,may1 on which day her chief festival is
 placed in the ,belgic ,martyrologies1  
imitated by ,baronius in the ,roman4    
,from ,furnes certain small parts have  
been distributed in several other towns 
in the ,low ,countries1 especially at   
,antwerp1 ,brussels1 ,tiel1 ,arnhem1    
,groningue1 and ,zutphen2 also ,cologne1
 ,wirtemberg1 ,ausberg1 ,christ ,church 
at ,canterbury1 and other places1 were  
enriched with particles of this treasure
 from ,aichstadt4 ,st4 ,walburge is     
titular saint of many other great       
churches in ,germany1 ,brabant1         
,flanders1 and several provinces of     
,france1 especially in ,poitou1 ,perche1
 ,normandy1 ,burgundy1 ,lorraine1       
,alsace1 c4 ,her festival1 on account of

 various translations of her relics1 is 
marked on several days of the year1 but 
the principal is kept in most places on 
the day of her death4 ,a portion of her 
relics was preserved in a rich shrine in
 the repository of relics in the        
electoral palace of ,hanover1 as appears
 from the catalogue printed in folio at 
,hanover in #agac4 ,see her life written
 by ,wolfhard1 a devout priest of       
,aichstadt1 in the following century1   
about the year #dgj #hij1 again by      
,adelbold1 nineteenth bishop of         
,utrecht1 7of which diocese ,heda calls 
her patroness27 thirdly1 by an anonymous
 author2 fourthly1 by the poet          
,medibard2 fifthly1 by ,philip1 bishop  
of ,aichstadt2 sixthly1 by an anonymous 
author1 at the request of the nuns of   
,st4 ,walburge of ,aichstadt4 ,all these
 six lives are published by             
,henschenius4 ,see also ,raderus1 in    
,bavaria ,sancta1 t4 #c1 p4 #d4         
,gretser1 de ,sanctis ,eystettensibus1  
c4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,this saint is     

corruptly called1 in ,perche1 ,st4      
,gauburge1 in ,normandy     and         
,champagne1 ,st4 ,vaubourg1 about       
,luzon1 ,st4 ,falbourg1 in ether        
parts of ,poitou1 ,st4 ,avougourg1 in   
,germany1 ,walburge1 ,waltpurde1        
,walpourc1 and in some places ,warpurg4 
,her ,english-,saxon name     ,walburge1
 is the same with the ,greek ,eucharia1 
and signifies     gracious4 ,see        
,camden's ,remains4 #b4  ,st4 ,boniface 
being sensible of how great importance  
it is for the     public advantage of   
the church1 and the general advancement 
of the     kingdom of ,christ in the    
souls of men1 called over from ,england 
into     ,germany many holy nuns whom he
 judged best qualified to instruct and  
train up others in the maxims and spirit
 of the ,gospel4 ,among these     he    
placed ,st4 ,tecla in the monastery of  
,kitzingen1 founded by     ,alheide1    
daughter of king ,pepin2 ,st4 ,lioba was
 appointed by him     abbess at         
,bischofsheim2 ,st4 ,cunihilt1 aunt of  

,st4 ,lulius1 and her     daughter      
,berathgit1 called also ,bergitis1 were 
mistresses of     religious schools in  
,thuringia1 and were honored in that    
country     among the saints4           
,cunihildls is also called ,gunthildis  
and     ,bilhildis4 ,see ,thuringia     
,sacra1 printed at ,frankfort1 an4      
#agcg4  ,,saint ,,caesarius1 ,c4  ,,he  
was a physician1 and brother to ,st4    
,gregory ,nazianzen4 ,when the latter   
repaired to ,caesarea1 in ,palestine1   
where the sacred studies flourished1    
,caesarius went to ,alexandria1 and with
 incredible success ran through the     
circle of the sciences1 among which     
oratory1 philosophy1 and especially     
medicine1 fixed his attention4 ,in this 
last he became the first man of his age4
 ,he perfected himself in this          
profession at ,constantinople1 but      
excused himself from settling there1 as 
the city and the emperor ,constantius   
earnestly requested him to do4 ,he was  
afterwards recalled thither1 singularly 

honored by ,julian the ,apostate1       
nominated his first physician1 and      
excepted in several edicts which that   
prince published against the            
,christians4 ,he resisted strenuously   
the insinuating discourses and artifices
 with which that prince endeavored to   
seduce him1 and was prevailed upon by   
the remonstrances of his father and     
brother to resign his places at court1  
and prefer a retreat1 whatever          
solicitations ,julian could use to      
detain him4 ,jovian honorably restored  
him1 and ,valens1 moreover1 created him 
treasurer of his own private purse1 and 
of ,bithynia4 ,a narrow escape in an    
earthquake at ,nice1 in ,bithynia1 in   
#cfh1 worked so powerfully on his mind1 
that he renounced the world1 and died   
shortly after1 in the beginning of the  
year #cfi1 leaving the poor his heirs4  
,the ,greeks honor his memory on the    
#ith of ,march1 as ,nicephorus          
testifies1 7,hist4 l4 #aa1 c4 #ai17 and 
as appears from the ,menaea3 in the     

,roman ,martyrology he is named on the  
#beth of ,february4   ,,february ,,xxvi4
  ,,st4 ,,alexander1 ,,confessor1       
,,patriarch ,,of ,,alexandria4  ,from   
,theodoret1 ,st4 ,athanasius1 c4 ,see   
,hennant1 ,tillemont1 t4 #f1 pp4 #bac1  
#bdj4 ,ceillier1 t4 #d4  ,a4,d4 #cbf4   
,,st4 ,,alexander succeeded ,st4        
,achillas in the see of ,alexandria1 in 
#cac4 ,he was a man of apostolic        
doctrine and life1 mild1 affable1       
exceeding charitable to the poor1 and   
full of faith1 zeal1 and fervor4 ,he    
assumed to the sacred ministry chiefly  
those who had first sanctified          
themselves in holy solitude1 and was    
happy in the choice of bishops          
throughout all ,egypt4 ,the devil1      
enraged to see the havoc made in his    
usurped empire over mankind1 by the     
disrepute idolatry was generally fallen 
into1 used his utmost endeavors to      
repair the loss to his infernal kingdom1
 by procuring the establishment of a    
most impious heresy4 ,arius1 a priest of

 ,alexandria1 was his #dga principal    
instrument for that purpose4 ,this      
heresiarch was well versed in profane   
literature1 was a subtle dialectician1  
had an exterior show of virtue1 and an  
insinuating behavior2 but was a monster 
of pride1 vain-glory1 ambition1 envy1   
and jealousy4 ,under an affected modesty
 he concealed a soul full of deceit1 and
 capable of all crimes4 ,he joined      
,meletius1 the bishop of ,lycopolis1 in 
the beginning of his schism against ,st4
 ,peter1 our saint's predecessor1 in    
#cjj2 but quitting that party after some
 time1 ,st4 ,peter was so well satisfied
 of the sincerity of his repentance1    
that he ordained him deacon4 ,soon after
 ,arius discovered his turbulent spirit1
 in accusing his archbishop1 and raising
 disturbances in favor of the           
,meletians4 ,this obliged ,st4 ,peter to
 excommunicate him1 nor could he ever be
 induced to revoke that sentence4 ,but  
his successor1 ,st4 ,achillas1 upon his 
repentance1 admitted him to his         

communion1 ordained him priest1 and made
 him curate of the church of ,baucales1 
one of the quarters of ,alexandria4     
,giving way to spite and envy1 on seeing
 ,st4 ,alexander preferred before him to
 the see of ,alexandria1#a he became his
 mortal enemy3 and as the saint's life  
and conduct were irreproachable1 all his
 endeavors to oppose him were levelled  
at his doctrine1 in opposition to which 
the heresiarch denied the divinity of   
,christ4 ,this error he at first taught 
only in private2 but having1 about the  
year #cai1 gained followers to support  
him1 he boldly advanced his blasphemies 
in his sermons1 affirming1 with ,ebion1 
,artemas1 and ,theodotus1 that ,christ  
was not truly ,god2 adding1 what no     
heretic had before asserted in such a   
manner1 that the ,son was a creature1   
and made out of nothing2 that there was 
a time when he did not exist1 and that  
he was capable of sinning1 with other   
such impieties4 ,st4 ,athanasius informs
 us1#b that he also held that ,christ   

had no other soul than his created      
divinity1 or spiritual substance1 made  
before the world3 consequently1 that it 
truly suffered on the cross1 descended  
into hell1 and rose again from the dead4
 ,arius engaged in his errors two other 
curates of the city1 a great many       
virgins1 twelve deacons1 seven priests1 
and two bishops4  ,one ,colluthus1      
another curate of ,alexandria1 and many 
others1 declaimed loudly against these  
blasphemies4 ,the heretics were called  
,arians1 and these called the ,catholics
 ,colluthians4 ,st4 ,alexander1 who was 
one of the mildest of men1 first made   
use of soft and gentle methods to       
recover ,arius to the truth1 and        
endeavored to gain him by sweetness and 
exhortations4 ,several were offended at 
his lenity1 and ,colluthus carried his  
resentment so far as to commence a      
schism2 but this was soon at an end1 and
 the author of it returned to the       
,catholic communion4 ,but ,st4          
,alexander1 finding ,arius's party      

increase1 and all his endeavors to      
reclaim him ineffectual1 he summoned him
 to appear in an assembly of his clergy1
 where1 being found obstinate and       
incorrigible1 he was excommunicated1    
together with his adherents4 ,this      
sentence of excommunication the saint   
confirmed soon after1 about the end of  
the year #cbj1 in a council at          
,alexandria1 at the head of near one    
hundred bishops1 at which ,arius was    
also present1 who1 repeating his former 
blasphemies1 and adding still more      
horrible ones was unanimously condemned 
by the synod1 which loaded him and all  
his followers with anathemas4 ,arius lay
 hid for some time after this in        
,alexandria1 but being discovered1 went 
into ,palestine1 and found means to gain
 over to his party ,eusebius1 bishop of 
,caesarea1 also ,theognis of ,nice1 and 
,eusebius of ,nicomedia1 which last was1
 of all others1 his most declared       
protector1 and had great authority with 
the emperor ,constantine1 who resided   

even at ,nicomedia1 or rather with his  
sister ,constantia4 ,yet it is clear1   
from ,constantine himself1 that he was a
 wicked1 proud1 ambitious1 intriguing   
man4 #dgb ,it is no wonder1 after his   
other crimes1 that he became an         
heresiarch1 and that he should have an  
ascendant over many weak1 but           
well-meaning men1 on account of his high
 credit and reputation at court4 ,after 
several letters that had passed between 
these two serpents1 ,arius retired to   
him at ,nicomedia1 and there composed   
his ,thalia1 a poem stuffed with his own
 praises1 and his impious heresies4     
,alexander wrote to the pope1 ,st4      
,sylvester1 and1 in a circular letter1  
to the other bishops of the church1     
giving them an account of ,arius's      
heresy and condemnation4 ,arius1        
,eusebius1 and many others1 wrote to our
 saint1 begging that he would take off  
his censures4 ,the emperor ,constantine 
also exhorted him by letter to a        
reconciliation with ,arius1 and sent it 

by the great ,osius to ,alexandria1 with
 express orders to procure information  
of the state of the affair4 ,the deputy 
returned to the emperor better informed 
of the heresiarch's impiety and malice1 
and the zeal1 virtue1 and prudence of   
,st4 ,alexander3 and having given him a 
just and faithful account of the matter1
 convinced him of the necessity of a    
general council1 as the only remedy     
adequate to the growing evil1 and       
capable of restoring peace to the       
church4 ,st4 ,alexander had already sent
 him the same advice in several         
letters4#c ,that prince1 accordingly1 by
 letters of respect1 invited the bishops
 to ,nice1 in ,bithynia1 and defrayed   
their expenses4 ,they assembled in the  
imperial palace of ,nice1 on the #aith  
of ,june1 in #cbe1 being three hundred  
and eighteen in number1 the most        
illustrious prelates of the church1     
among whom were many glorious confessors
 of the faith4 ,the principal were our  
saint1 ,st4 ,eustathius1 patriarch of   

,antioch1 ,st4 ,macarius of ,jerusalem1 
,cecilian1 archbishop of ,carthage1 ,st4
 ,paphnutius1 ,st4 ,potamon1 ,st4 ,paul 
of ,neocesarea1 ,st4 ,james of ,nisibis1
 c4 ,st4 ,sylvester could not come in   
person1 by reason of his great age2 but 
he sent his legates1 who presided in his
 name4#d ,the emperor ,constantine      
entered the council without guards1 nor 
would he sit till he was desired by the 
bishops1 says ,eusebius4#e ,theodoret   
says1#f that he asked the bishops' leave
 before he would enter4  ,the           
blasphemies of ,arius1 who was himself  
present1 were canvassed for several     
days4 ,marcellus of ,ancyra1 and ,st4   
,athanasius1 whom ,st4 ,alexander had   
brought with him1 and whom he treated   
with the greatest esteem1 discovered all
 the impiety they contained1 and        
confuted the ,arians with invincible    
strength4 ,the heretics1 fearing the    
indignation of the council1 used a great
 deal of dissimulation in admitting the 
,catholic terms4 ,the fathers1 to       

exclude all their subtleties1 declared  
the ,son consubstantial to the #dgc     
,father1 which they inserted in the     
profession of their faith1 called the   
,nicene creed1 which was drawn up by    
,osius1 and to which all subscribed1    
except a small number of ,arians4 ,at   
first they were seventeen1 but ,eusebius
 of ,caesarea received the creed the day
 following1 as did all the others except
 five1 namely1 ,eusebius of ,nicomedia1 
,theognis of ,nice1 ,marie of           
,chalcedon1 ,theonas and ,secundus of   
,lybia1 the two bishops who had first   
joined ,arius4 ,of these also ,eusebius1
 ,marie1 and ,theognis conformed through
 fear of banishment4 ,the ,arian        
historian ,philostorgius#g pretends to  
excuse his heroes1 ,eusebius of         
,nicomedia and ,theognis1 by saying they
 inserted an iota1 and signed#h like in 
substance1 instead of of the same       
substance2#i a fraud in religion which  
would no way have excused their         
hypocrisy4 ,arius1 ,theonas1 and        

,secundus1 with some ,egyptian priests1 
were banished by the order of           
,constantine1 and ,illyricum was the    
place of their exile4 ,the council      
received ,meletius and his schismatical 
adherents upon their repentance2 but    
they afterwards relapsed into their     
schism1 and part of them joined the     
,arians4 ,the council added twenty      
canons of discipline1 and was closed    
about the #beth of ,august4#aj          
,constantine gave all the prelates a    
magnificent entertainment1 and dismissed
 them with great presents to their      
respective sees4 ,st4 ,alexander1 after 
this triumph of the faith1 returned to  
,alexandria2 where1 after having        
recommended ,st4 ,athanasius for his    
successor1 he died in #cbf1 on the #bfth
 of ,february1 on which day he is       
mentioned in the ,roman ,martyrology4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,a true disciple of ,christ1 by a       
sincere spirit of humility and distrust 
in himself1 is1 as it were1 naturally   

inclined to submission to all authority 
appointed by ,god1 in which he finds his
 peace1 security1 and joy4 ,this happy  
disposition of his soul is his secure   
fence against the illusions of          
self-sufficiency and blind pride1 which 
easily betrays men into the most fatal  
errors4 ,on the contrary1 pride is a    
spirit of revolt and independence3 he   
who is possessed with this devil is fond
 of his own conceits1 self-confident1   
and obstinate4 ,however strong the      
daylight of evidence may be in itself1  
such a one will endeavor to shut up all 
the avenues of light1 though some beams 
force themselves into his soul to       
disturb his repose1 and strike deep the 
sting of remorse3 jealousy and a love of
 opposition foster the disorder1 and    
render it incurable4 ,this is the true  
portraiture of ,arius1 and other        
heresiarchs and firebrands of the       
universe4 ,can we sufficiently detest   
jealousy and pride1 the fatal source of 
so great evils8 ,do we not discover1 by 

fatal symptoms1 that we ourselves harbor
 this monster in our breasts8 ,should   
the eye be jealous that the ear hears1  
and disturb the functions of this or the
 other senses1 instead of regarding them
 as its own and enjoying their mutual   
advantage and comfort1 what confusion   
would ensue6  ,footnotes3 #a4           
,theodoret1 l4 #a1 c4 4 ,socrates1 l4   
#a1 c4 #e4 #b4  ,l4 de ,adv4 ,chr41 p4  
#fce4 #c4  ,rufinus 7l4 #a1 ,hist4 c4   
#a7 says1 that the council was assembled
 by     the advice of the priests4 ,ex  
sacerdotum sententia4 ,and the third    
council of ,constantinople attributes   
convocation to ,st4 ,sylvester as       
much as to the emperor4 ,constantinus et
 ,sylvester magnam in ,nicea     synodum
 congregabant4 ,conc4                   
,constantinopolitanum tertium1 ,act4    
#ah1     p4 #ajdi1 t4 #f4 ,conc4 #d4    
,this is acknowledged by the oriental   
bishops1 assembled at                   
,constantinople1 in #eeb1 7t4 #e1 ,conc4
 pp4 #ccg1 #cch47 ,the legates were     

,vito1 or ,victor1 and ,vincent1 two    
,roman priests1 to whom the pope        
joined ,osius1 bishop of ,cordova1 as   
being the most renowned prelate     of  
the ,west1 and highly esteemed by the   
emperor4 ,ipse etiam ,osius ex          
,hispanis nominis et famae celebritate  
insignis1 qui ,sylvestri     episcoli   
maximae ,romae locum obtinebat1 una cum 
,romanis presbyteris     ,vitone et     
,vincentio adfuit2 says ,gelasius of    
,cyzicus4 7,hist4 ,conc4     ,nicen4 l4 
#b1 c4 #e1 t4 #b4 ,conc1 p4 #aee47 ,the 
same is affirmed by pope     ,adrian1   
7t4 #f1 ,conc4 p4 #ahaj47 ,in all the   
editions of this council1     ,osius    
with the two priests4 ,vito and         
,vincent1 is first named among     the  
subscribers4 ,socrates also names them  
first1 and before the     patriarchs4   
,osius ,episc4 ,cordubae1 ita credo1 ut 
sup4 dictum est4     ,vito et           
,vincentius presbyteri urbis ,romae4    
,egypti ,alexander ,episc4              
,antiochiae ,eustathius1 c4 7,socr4 l4  

#a1 c4#ac47 ,it is then false what      
,blondel 7de la primante de l',eglise1  
p4 #aaie7 pretends1 that ,st4           
,eustathius of ,antioch presided4 ,he is
 indeed called1 by ,facundus1     7l4   
#h1 c4 #a1  l4 #aa1 c4 #a47 the first of
 the council2 and by     ,nicephorus1   
7,chronol4 p4 #adf17 the chief of the   
bishops1 because he     was the first   
among the orientals2 for ,st4 ,alexander
 of ,egypt was     certainly before him 
in rank4 ,theodoret 7l4 #a1 c4 #f7 says1
 he sat     the first on the right hand 
in the assembly4 ,and it appears from   
,eusebius1 that the pope's legates and  
the patriarch of ,alexandria     sat at 
the head on the left side4 ,this might  
be the more honorable     on several    
accounts1 as being on the right to those
 that came in4 ,it     is certain that  
the pope's legate presided in the       
council of     ,chalcedon where they1 in
 the same manner1 sat first on the left 
above the patriarch of ,alexandria1 and 
the patriarch of ,antioch was     placed

 on the right4 #e4  ,l4 #c4 de vit4     
,constant4 c4 #aj4 #f4  ,l4 #a1 c4 #g4  
#g4  ,l4 #a1 c4 #i4 #h4  ,greek3        
,homoiusios4 #i4  ,greek3 ,homousious4  
#aj4 ,the ,arabic canons are falsely    
ascribed to the ,nicene council1 being  
collected out of other ancient synods4  
,,st4 ,,porphyrius1 ,,bishop ,,of       
,,gaza1 ,,confessor  ,from his life1    
written with great accuracy by his      
faithful disciple ,mark4 ,see ,fleury1  
t4 #e4 ,tillemont1 t4 #aj4 ,chatelain1  
p4 #ggg4 ,in the king's library at      
,paris is a ,greek ,,ms4 life ,of ,st4  
,porphyrius1 7abridged from that of     
,mark17 which has never been translated4
  ,a4,d4 #dbj4  ,,porphyrius1 a native  
of ,thessalonica in ,macedonia1 was of a
 noble and wealthy family4 ,the desire  
of renouncing the world made him leave  
his #dgd friends and country at         
twenty-five years of age1 in #cgh1 to   
pass into ,egypt1 where he consecrated  
himself to ,god in a famous monastery in
 the desert of ,scete4 ,after five years

 spent there in the penitential         
exercises of a monastic life1 he went   
into ,palestine to visit the holy places
 of ,jerusalem4 ,after this he took up  
his abode in a cave near the ,jordan1   
where he passed other five years in     
great austerity1 till he fell sick1 when
 a complication of disorders obliged him
 to leave that place and return to      
,jerusalem4 ,there he never failed daily
 to visit devoutly all the holy places1 
leaning on a staff1 for he was too weak 
to stand upright4 ,it happened about the
 same time that ,mark1 an ,asiatic1 and 
the author of his life1 came to         
,jerusalem with the same intent1 where  
he made some stay4 ,he was much edified 
at the devotion with which ,porphyrius  
continually visited the place of our    
,lord's resurrection1 and the other     
oratories4 ,and seeing him one day labor
 with great pain in getting up the      
stairs in the chapel built by           
,constantine1 he ran to him to offer him
 his assistance1 which ,porphyrius      

refused1 saying3 ,it is not just that ,i
 who am come hither to beg pardon for my
 sins1 should be eased by any one3      
rather let me undergo some labor and    
inconvenience that ,god1 beholding it1  
may have compassion on me4 ,he1 in this 
condition1 never omitted his usual      
visits of piety to the holy places1 and 
daily partook of the mystical table1    
that is1 of the holy sacrament4 ,and as 
to his distemper1 so much did he contemn
 it1 that he seemed to be sick in       
another's body and not in his own4 ,his 
confidence in ,god always supported him4
 ,the only thing which afflicted him    
was1 that his fortune had not been sold 
before this for the use of the poor4    
,this he commissioned ,mark to do for   
him1 who accordingly set out for        
,thessalonica1 and in three months' time
 returned to ,jerusalem with money and  
effects to the value of four thousand   
five hundred pieces of gold4 ,when the  
blessed man saw him1 he embraced him    
with tears of joy for his safe and      

speedy return4 ,but ,porphyrius was now 
so well recovered1 that ,mark scarce    
knew him to be the same person2 for his 
body had no signs of its former decay1  
and his face looked full1 fresh1 and    
painted with a healthy red4 ,he1        
perceiving his friend's amazement at his
 healthy looks1 said to him with a      
smile1 ,be not surprised1 ,mark1 to see 
me in perfect health and strength1 but  
admire the unspeakable goodness of      
,christ1 who can easily cure what is    
despaired of by men4 ,mark asked him by 
what means he had recovered4 ,he        
replied3 ,forty days ago1 being in      
extreme pain1 ,i made a shift to reach  
,mount ,calvary1 where1 fainting away1  
,i fell into a kind of trance or        
ecstasy1 during which ,i seemed to see  
our ,saviour on the cross1 and the good 
thief in the same condition near him4 ,i
 said to ,christ1 ,lord1 ,remember me   
when thou comest into thy kingdom3      
whereupon he ordered the thief to come  
to my assistance1 who1 raising me off   

the ground on which ,i lay1 bade me go  
to ,christ4 ,i ran to him1 and he1      
coming off his cross1 said to me3 ,take 
this wood 7meaning his cross7 into thy  
custody4 ,in obedience to him1 methought
 ,i laid it on my shoulders1 and carried
 it some way4 ,i awaked soon after1 and 
have been free from pain ever since1 and
 without the least appearance of my     
having ever ailed any thing4 ,mark was  
so edified with the holy man's discourse
 and good example1 that he became more  
penetrated with esteem and affection for
 him than ever1 which made him desirous 
of living always with him in order to   
his own improvement2 for he seemed to   
have attained to a perfect mastery over 
all his passions3 he was endued at the  
same time with a divine prudence1 an    
eminent spirit of prayer1 and the gift  
of tears4 ,being also well versed in the
 holy scriptures and spiritual          
knowledge1 and no stranger to profane   
learning1 he confounded all the infidels
 and heretics who attempted to dispute  

with him4 ,as to the money and effects  
which ,mark had brought him1 he         
distributed all among the necessitous in
 ,palestine and ,egypt1 so #dge that1 in
 a very short time1 he had reduced      
himself to the necessity of laboring for
 his daily food4 ,he therefore learned  
to make shoes and dress leather1 while  
,mark1 being well skilled in writing1   
got a handsome livelihood by copying    
books1 and to spare4 ,he therefore      
desired the saint to partake of his     
earnings4 ,but ,porphyrius replied1 in  
the words of ,st4 ,paul3 ,he that doth  
not work let him not eat4 ,he led this  
laborious and penitential life till he  
was forty years of age1 when the bishop 
of ,jerusalem ordained him priest1      
though much against his will1 and       
committed to him the keeping of the holy
 cross3 this was in #cic4 ,the saint    
changed nothing in his austere          
penitential life1 feeding only upon     
roots and the coarsest bread1 and not   
eating till after sunset1 except on     

,sundays and holidays1 when he ate at   
noon1 and added a little oil and cheese3
 and on account of a great weakness of  
stomach1 he mingled a very small        
quantity of wine in the water he drank4 
,this was his method of living till his 
death4 ,being elected bishop of ,gaza1  
in #cif1 ,john1 the metropolitan and    
archbishop of ,caesarea1 wrote to the   
patriarch of ,jerusalem to desire him to
 send over ,porphyrius1 that he might   
consult him on certain difficult        
passages of scripture4 ,he was sent     
accordingly1 but charged to be back in  
seven days4 ,porphyrius1 receiving this 
order1 seemed at first disturbed1 but   
said3 ,god's will be done4 ,that evening
 he called ,mark1 and said to him3      
,brother ,mark1 let us go and venerate  
the holy places and the sacred cross1   
for it will be long before we shall do  
it again4 ,mark asked him why he said   
so4 ,he answered3 ,our ,saviour had     
appeared to him the night before1 and   
said3 ,give up the treasure of the cross

 which you have in custody1 for ,i will 
marry you to a wife1 poor indeed and    
despicable1 but of great piety and      
virtue4 ,take care to adorn her well2   
for1 however contemptible she may       
appear1 she is my sister4 ,this1 said   
he1 ,christ signified to me last night3 
and ,i fear1 in consequence1 my being   
charged with the sins of others1 while  
,i labor to expiate my own2 but the will
 of ,god must be obeyed4 ,when they had 
venerated the holy places and the sacred
 cross1 and ,porphyrius had prayed long 
before it1 and with many tears1 he shut 
up the cross in its golden case1 and    
delivered the keys to the bishop2 and   
having obtained his blessing1 he and his
 disciple ,mark set out the next day1   
with three others1 among whom was one   
,barochas1 a person whom the saint had  
found lying in the street almost dead1  
and had taken care of1 cured1 and       
instructed2 who ever after served him   
with ,mark4 ,they arrived the next day1 
which was ,saturday1 at ,caesarea4 ,the 

archbishop obliged them to sup with him4
 ,after spiritual discourses they took a
 little sleep1 and then rose to assist  
at the night service4 ,next morning the 
archbishop bid the ,gazaeans lay hold on
 ,st4 ,porphyrius1 and1 while they held 
him1 ordained him bishop4 ,the holy man 
wept bitterly1 and was inconsolable for 
being promoted to a dignity he judged   
himself so unfit for4 ,the ,gazaeans1   
however1 performed their part in        
endeavoring to comfort him1 and1 having 
assisted at the ,sunday office1 and     
stayed one day more at ,caesarea1 they  
set out for ,gaza1 lay at ,diospolis1   
and1 late on ,wednesday night1 arrived  
at ,gaza1 much harassed and fatigued4   
,for the heathens living in the villages
 near ,gaza1 having notice of their     
coming1 had so damaged the roads in     
several places1 and clogged them with   
thorns and logs of wood1 that they were 
scarce passable4 ,they also contrived to
 raise such a smoke and stench1 that the
 holy men were in danger of being       

blinded or suffocated4  ,there happened 
that year a very great drought1 which   
the pagans ascribed to the coming of the
 new ,christian bishop1 saying that     
their god ,marnas had foretold that     
,porphyrius would bring public          
calamities and disasters on their city4 
,in ,gaza stood a famous temple of that 
idol1 which the emperor ,theodosius the 
,elder had commanded to be shut up1 but 
not demolished1 #dgf on account of its  
beautiful structure4 ,the governor      
afterwards had permitted the heathens to
 open it again4 ,as no rain fell the two
 first months after ,st4 ,porphyrius's  
arrival1 the idolaters1 in great        
affliction1 assembled in this temple to 
offer sacrifices1 and make supplications
 to their god ,marnas1 whom they called 
the ,lord of rains4 ,these they repeated
 for seven days1 going also to a place  
of prayer out of the town2 but seeing   
all their endeavors ineffectual1 they   
lost all hopes of a supply of what they 
so much wanted4 ,a dearth ensuing1 the  

,christians1 to the number of two       
hundred and eighty1 women and children  
included1 after a day's fast1 and       
watching the following night in prayer1 
by the order of their holy bishop1 went 
out in procession to ,st4 ,timothy's    
church1 in which lay the relics of the  
holy martyr ,st4 ,meuris1 and of the    
confessor ,st4 ,thees1 singing hymns of 
divine praise4 ,but at their return to  
the city they found the gates shut      
against them1 which the heathens refused
 to open4 ,in this situation the        
,christians1 and ,st4 ,porphyrius above 
the rest1 addressed almighty ,god with  
redoubled fervor for the blessing so    
much wanted2 when in a short time1 the  
clouds gathering1 as at the prayers of  
,elias1 there fell such a quantity of   
rain that the heathens opened their     
gates1 and1 joining them1 cried out     
,christ alone is ,god3 ,he alone has    
overcome4 ,they accompanied the         
,christians to the church to thank ,god 
for the benefit received1 which was     

attended with the conversion of one     
hundred and seventy-six persons1 whom   
the saint instructed1 baptized1 and     
confirmed1 as he did one hundred and    
five more before the end of that year4  
,the miraculous preservation of the life
 of a pagan woman in labor1 who had been
 despaired of1 occasioned the conversion
 of that family and others1 to the      
number of sixty-four4  ,the heathens1   
perceiving their number decrease1 grew  
very troublesome to the ,christians1    
whom they excluded from commerce and all
 public offices1 and injured them all   
manner of ways4 ,st4 ,porphyrius1 to    
screen himself and his flock from their 
outrages and vexations1 had recourse to 
the emperor's protection4 ,on this      
errand he sent ,mark1 his disciple1 to  
,constantinople1 and went afterwards    
himself in company with ,john1 his      
metropolitan1 archbishop of ,caesarea4  
,here they applied themselves to ,st4   
,john ,chrysostom1 who joyfully received
 them1 and recommended them to the      

eunuch ,amantius1 who had great credit  
with the empress1 and was a zealous     
servant of ,god4 ,amantius having       
introduced them to the empress1 she     
received them with great distinction1   
assured them of her protection1 and     
begged their prayers for her safe       
delivery1 a favor she received a few    
days after4 ,she desired them in another
 visit to sign her and her newborn son1 
,theodosius the ,younger1 with the sign 
of the cross1 which they did4 ,the young
 prince was baptized with great         
solemnity1 and on that occasion the     
empress obtained from the emperor all   
that the bishops had requested1 and in  
particular that the temples of ,gaza    
should be demolished2 an imperial edict 
being drawn up for this purpose and     
delivered to ,cynegius1 a virtuous      
patrician1 and one full of zeal1 to see 
it executed4 ,they stayed at            
,constantinople during the feast of     
,easter1 and at their departure the     
emperor and empress bestowed on them    

great presents4 ,when they landed in    
,palestine1 near ,gaza1 the ,christians 
came out to meet them with a cross      
carried before them1 singing hymns4 ,in 
the place called ,tetramphodos1 or      
,four-ways-end1 stood a marble statue of
 ,venus1 on a marble altar1 which was in
 great reputation for giving oracles to 
young women about the choice of         
husbands1 but had often grossly deceived
 them1 engaging them to most unhappy    
marriages2 so that many heathens        
detested its lying impostures4 ,as the  
two bishops1 with the procession of the 
,christians1 and the cross borne before 
them1 passed through that square1 this  
idol fell down of itself1 and was #dgg  
broken to pieces3 whereupon thirty-two  
men and seven women were converted4     
,ten days after arrived ,cynegius1      
having with him a consular man and a    
duke1 or general1 with a strong guard of
 soldiers1 besides the civil magistrates
 of the country4 ,he assembled the      
citizens and read to them the emperor's 

edict1 commanding their idols and       
temples to be destroyed1 which was      
accordingly executed1 and no less than  
eight public temples in the city were   
burnt2 namely1 those of the ,sun1       
,venus1 ,apollo1 ,proserpine1 ,hecate1  
the ,hierion1 or of the priests1        
,tycheon1 or of ,fortune1 and ,marnion  
of ,marnas1 their ,jupiter4 ,the        
,marnion1 in which men had been often   
sacrificed1 burned for many days4 ,after
 this1 the private houses and courts    
were all searched2 the idols were       
everywhere burned or thrown into the    
common sewers1 and all books of magic   
and superstition were cast into the     
flames4 ,many idolaters desired baptism2
 but the saint took a long time to make 
trial of them1 and to prepare them for  
that sacrament by daily instructions4   
,on the spot where the temple of ,marnas
 had stood1 was built the church of     
,eudoxia in the figure of a cross4 ,she 
sent for this purpose precious pillars  
and rich marble from ,constantinople4   

,of the marble taken out of the         
,marnion1 ,st4 ,porphyrius made steps   
and a road to the church1 that it might 
be trampled upon by men1 dogs1 swine1   
and other beasts1 whence many heathens  
would never walk thereon4 ,before he    
would suffer the church to be begun1 he 
proclaimed a fast1 and the next morning1
 being attended by his clergy and all   
the ,christians in the city1 they went  
in a body to the place from the church  
,irene1 singing the ,venite exultemus   
,domino1 and other psalms1 and answering
 to every verse ,alleluia1 ,barochas    
carrying a cross before them4 ,they all 
set to work1 carrying stones and other  
materials1 and digging the foundations  
according to the plan marked out and    
directed by ,rufinus1 a celebrated      
architect1 singing psalms and saying    
prayers during their work4 ,it was begun
 in #djc1 when thirty high pillars      
arrived from ,constantinople1 two of    
which1 called ,carostiae1 shone like    
emeralds when placed in the church4 ,it 

was five years a building1 and when     
finished in #djh1 the holy bishop       
performed the consecration of it on     
,easter-,day with the greatest pomp and 
solemnity4 ,his alms to the poor on that
 occasion seemed boundless1 though they 
were always exceeding great4 ,the good  
bishop spent the remainder of his life  
in the zealous discharge of all pastoral
 duties2 and though he lived to see the 
city clear for the most part of the     
remains of paganism1 superstition1 and  
idolatry1 he had always enough to suffer
 from such as continued obstinate in    
their errors4 ,falling sick1 he made his
 pious will1 in which he recommended all
 his dear flock to ,god4 ,he died in    
#dbj1 being about sixty years of age1 on
 the #bfth of ,february1 on which day   
both the ,greeks and ,latins make       
mention of him4 ,the pious author of his
 life concludes it1 saying3 ,he is now  
in the paradise of delight1 interceding 
for us with all the saints1 by whose    
prayers may ,god have mercy on us4      

,,st4 ,,victor1 ,,or ,,vittre1 ,,of     
,,arcies1 ,,or ,,arcis1  ,,in           
,,champagne1 ,,anchoret ,,and           
,,confessor1 ,,in ,,the ,,seventh ,,age4
  ,,he was of noble parentage in the    
diocese of ,troyes in ,champagne        
educated under strict discipline in     
learning and piety1 and a saint from his
 cradle4 ,in his youth1 prayer1 fasting1
 and alms-deeds were his chief delight1 
and1 embracing an ecclesiastical state1 
he took orders2 but the love of heavenly
 contemplation being always the         
prevalent inclination in his soul he    
#dgh preferred close retirement to the  
mixed life of the care of souls4 ,in    
this choice the ,holy ,ghost was his    
director1 for he lived in continual     
union with ,god by prayer and           
contemplation1 and seemed raised above  
the condition of this mortal life1 and  
almost as if he lived without a body4   
,god glorified him by many miracles2 but
 the greatest seems to have been the    
powerful example of his life4 ,we have  

two pious panegyrics made upon this     
saint by ,st4 ,bernard1 who says3#a ,now
 placed in heaven1 he beholds ,god      
clearly revealed to him1 swallowed up in
 joy1 but not forgetting us4 ,it is not 
a land of oblivion in which ,victor     
dwells4 ,heaven doth not harden or      
straiten hearts1 but it maketh them more
 tender and compassionate it doth not   
distract minds1 nor alienate them from  
us3 it doth not diminish1 but it        
increaseth affection and charity3 it    
augmenteth bowels of pity4 ,the angels1 
although they behold the face of their  
,father1 visit1 run1 and continually    
assist us2 and shall they now forget us 
who were once among us1 and who once    
suffered themselves what they see us at 
present laboring under8 ,no3 ,i know the
 just expect me till thou renderest to  
me my reward4#b ,victor is not like that
 cupbearer of ,pharaoh1 who could forget
 his fellow-captive4 ,he hath not so put
 on the stole of glory himself1 as to   
lay aside his pity1 or the remembrance  

of our misery4 ,st4 ,victor died at     
,saturniac1 now called ,saint-,vittre1  
two leagues from ,arcies in the diocese 
of ,troyes4 ,a church was built over his
 tomb at ,saturniac2 but in #hcg his    
relics were translated thence to the    
neighboring monastery of                
,montier-,ramey1 or ,montirame1 so      
called from ,arremar1 by whom it was    
founded in #hcg4 ,it is situated four   
leagues from ,troyes1 of the ,benedictin
 ,order1 and is still possessed of this 
sacred treasure4 ,at the request of     
these monks1 ,st4 ,bernard composed an  
office of ,st4 ,victor1 extant in his   
works1 7ep4 #cab1 vet4 ed4 seu #cih1    
nov4 edit47 ,see the two sermons of ,st4
 ,bernard on ,st4 ,victor1 and his      
ancient life in ,henschenius and others3
 from which it appears that this saint  
never was a monk1 never having professed
 any monastic ,order1 though he led an  
eremitical life4  ,footnotes3 #a4       
,serm4 #b1 p4 #iff4 #b4  ,ps4 cxii4 #h4 
,,february ,,xxvii4  ,,st4 ,,leander1   

,,bishop ,,of ,,seville1 ,,confessor4   
,from ,st4 ,isidore of ,seville1 ,st4   
,gregory the ,great1 and ,st4 ,gregory  
of ,tours1 hist l4 #e4 ,see ,fleury1 b4 
#cd1 #ce1 #ch4 ,mabillon1 ,saec4 ,ben4  
#a4 ,ceillier1 t4 #ag4  ,a4,d4 #eif4    
,,st4 ,,leander was of an illustrious   
family1 and born at ,carthagena in      
,spain4 ,he had two brothers1 ,st4      
,fulgentius1 bishop of ,ecija and       
,carthagena1 and ,st4 ,isidore1 our     
saint's successor in the see of         
,seville4 ,he had also one sister1      
,florentia by name1 who had consecrated 
herself to ,god in the state of         
virginity4 ,he set them an example of   
that piety which they faithfully        
imitated4 ,he entered into a monastery  
very young1 where he lived many years1  
and attained to an eminent degree of    
virtue and sacred learning4 ,these      
qualities occasioned his being promoted 
to the see of ,seville3 but his change  
of condition made little or no          
alteration in his method #dgi of life1  

though it brought on him a great        
increase of care and solicitude for the 
salvation of those whom ,god had put    
under his care1 as well as for the      
necessities of the whole church1 that of
 ,spain in particular4 ,this kingdom was
 then possessed by the ,visigoths1 or   
,western-,goths2 who1 while ,theodoric  
settled the ,ostrogoths1 or             
,eastern-,goths1 in ,italy1 had passed  
the ,alps1 and founded their kingdom1   
first in ,languedoc1 and soon after1    
about the year #dgj1 in ,spain4 ,these  
,goths1 being for the generality all    
infected with ,arianism1 established    
this heresy wherever they came2 so that 
when ,st4 ,leander was made bishop1 it  
had reigned in ,spain a hundred years4  
,this was his great affliction3 however1
 by his tears and prayers to ,god1 and  
by his most zealous and unwearied       
endeavors1 both at home and abroad1 he  
became the happy instrument of the      
conversion of that nation to the        
,catholic faith4 ,but he suffered much  

from king ,leovigild on this account1   
and was at length forced into           
banishment2 the saint having converted1 
among others1 ,hermenegild1 the king's  
eldest son and heir apparent4 ,this     
pious prince his unnatural father put to
 death the year following1 for refusing 
to receive the communion from the hands 
of an ,arian bishop4 ,but1 touched with 
remorse not long after1 he recalled our 
saint1 and falling sick1 and finding    
himself past hopes of recovery1 he sent 
for ,st4 ,leander1 whom he had so much  
persecuted1 and recommended to him his  
son ,recared1 whom he left his          
successor1 to be instructed in the true 
faith2 though out of fear of his people1
 as ,st4 ,gregory laments1 he durst not 
embrace it himself4 ,his son ,recared1  
by listening to ,st4 ,leander1 soon     
became a ,catholic4 ,the king also spoke
 with so much wisdom on the controverted
 points to the ,arian bishops1 that by  
the force of his reasoning1 rather than 
by his authority1 he brought them over  

to own the truth of the ,catholic       
doctrine2 and thus he converted the     
whole nation of the ,visigoths4 ,he was 
no less successful in the like pious    
endeavors with respect to the ,suevi1 a 
people of ,spain1 whom his father       
,leovigild had perverted4 ,it was a     
subject of great joy to the whole church
 to behold the wonderful blessing       
bestowed by ,almighty ,god on the labors
 of our saint1 but to none more than    
,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 who wrote to  
,st4 ,leander to congratulate him on the
 subject4  ,this holy prelate was no    
less zealous in the reformation of      
manners1 than in restoring the purity of
 faith2 and he planted the seeds of that
 zeal and fervor which afterwards       
produced so many martyrs and saints4    
,his zeal in this regard appeared in the
 good regulations set on foot with this 
intent in the council of ,seville1 which
 was called by him1 and of which he was1
 as it were1 the soul4 ,in #ehi1 he     
assisted at the third council of        

,toledo1 of seventy-two bishops1 or     
their deputies1 in which were drawn up  
twenty-three canons1 relating to        
discipline1 to repair the breaches the  
,arian heresy had made in fomenting     
disorders of several kinds4 ,one of     
these was1 that the ,arian clergy       
cohabited with their wives2 but the     
council forbade such of them as were    
converted to do so1 enjoining them a    
separation from the same chamber1 and1  
if possible1 from the same house4#a     
,this council commanded also the        
rigorous execution of all penitential   
canons without any abatement4 ,the pious
 cardinal ,d',aguirre has written a     
learned dissertation ton this subject4#b
  ,st4 ,leander1 sensible of the        
importance of prayer1 which is in a     
devout life what a spring is in a watch1
 or the main wheel in an engine1 labored
 particularly to encourage true devotion
 in all persons1 but particularly those 
of the monastic profession1 of which    
state it is the very essence and        

constituent4 ,his letter to his sister  
,florentina1 a holy virgin1 is called   
his ,rule of a ,monastic ,life4 ,it     
turns chiefly on the contempt of the    
world1 and on #dhj the exercises of     
prayer4 ,this saint also reformed the   
,spanish liturgy4#c ,in this liturgy1   
and in the third council of ,toledo1 in 
conformity to the eastern churches1 the 
,nicene creed was appointed to be read  
at mass1 to express a detestation of the
 ,arian heresy4 ,other western churches1
 with the ,roman1 soon imitated this    
devotion4 ,st4 ,leander was visited by  
frequent distempers1 particularly the   
gout1 which ,st4 ,gregory1 who was often
 afflicted with the same1 writing to    
him1 calls a favor and mercy of heaven4 
,this holy doctor of ,spain died about  
the year #eif1 on the #bgth of          
,february1 as ,mabillon proves from his 
epitaph4 ,the church of ,seville has    
been a metropolitan see ever since the  
third century4 ,the cathedral is the    
most magnificent1 both as to structure  

and ornament1 of any in all ,spain4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,the contempt of the world which the    
gospel so strongly inculcates1 and which
 ,st4 ,leander so eminently practised   
and taught1 it the foundation of a      
spiritual life2 but is of far greater   
extent than most ,christians conceive1  
for it requires no less than a total    
disengagement of the affections from    
earthly things4 ,those whom ,god raises 
to perfect virtue1 and closely unites to
 himself1 must cut off and put away     
every thing that can be an obstacle to  
this perfect union4 ,their will must be 
thoroughly purified from all dross of   
inordinate affections before it can be  
perfectly absorbed in his4 ,this they   
who are particularly devoted to the     
divine service1 are especially to take  
notice of4 ,if this truth was imprinted 
in the manner that it ought1 in the     
hearts of those who enrol themselves in 
the service of the church1 or who live  
in cloisters1 they would be replenished 

with heavenly blessings1 and the church 
would have the comfort of seeing        
apostles of nations revive among her    
clergy1 and the monasteries again filled
 with ,antonies1 ,bennets1 and          
,bernards2 whose sanctity1 prayers1 and 
example1 would even infuse into many    
others the true spirit of ,christ1 amid 
the desolation and general blindness of 
this unhappy age4  ,footnotes3 #a4      
,conc4 t4 #e1 p4 #iih4 #b4  ,diss4 #c4  
in ,conc4 ,hisp4 #c4  ,the church of    
,spain first received the faith from    
,rome1 as pope     ,innocent ,i4        
,informs us4 7,ep4 ad4 ,decent47 ,whence
 ,st4 ,isidore says     their divine    
office was instituted by ,st4 ,peter1   
7l4 l1 c4 #ae1 ,eccl4     ,offic47      
,their ceremonies and discipline1 as of 
fasting on ,saturdays1     and other    
rites mentioned in their councils1 are  
,roman4 ,and the     ,roman liturgy was 
used in ,africa beyond ,spain4 ,but the 
,goths used a     liturgy formed by     
,ulphilas from the ,orientals4 ,st4     

,leander is said     to have compiled a 
liturgy from both1 and also from the    
,gaulish and     oriental liturgies3    
,st4 ,isidore and ,st4 ,ildefonse       
perfected it4 ,when     the ,saracens or
 ,arabians became masters of ,spain1 the
 ,christians of     that country were   
called ,mixt-,arabs1 and their liturgy1 
,mozarabic4     ,in the eleventh and    
twelfth centuries this liturgy gave     
place to the     ,roman4 ,cardinal      
,ximenes re-established the daily use of
 the     ,mozarabic in a chapel of the  
cathedral of ,toledo3 it is also used in
     the same city by seven old         
,mozarabic churches1 but on the days of 
their patrons only4 ,see ,le ,brun1     
liturg4 t4 #b1 p4 #bgb4 ,f4 ,flores     
thinks the ,mozarabic liturgy was that  
of the ,roman and ,african     churches 
retained by ,st4 ,leander1 without any  
alteration or mixture     from the      
,orientals1 except certain very         
inconsiderable rites4 ,see     his      
,spans4 ,sagrada1 t4 #c1 ,diss4 de la   

,missa ,antigua de ,espagna1            
pp4#ahg1 #aih1 c4 ,but though it much   
resembles it1 we are assured by     ,f4 
,burriel1 the learned ,jesuit1 in his   
letter on the literary     monuments    
found in ,spain1 that in some parts     
there are considerable     differences4 
,we shall be fully informed of this1    
also what masses     were added by ,st4 
,ildefonse1 and of other curious        
particulars1 when     we are favored    
with the collections he has made from   
the ,gothic ,,mss4     in ,spain on this
 subject1 and the new edition of all the
 liturgies     of ,christian churches   
which the ,assemani are preparing at    
,rome in     fifteen volumes folio4 ,the
 ,mozarabic liturgy has been printed at 
,rome in folio1 by the care of ,f4      
,leeley1 a ,scotch ,jesuit4  ,,ss4      
,,julian1 ,,chronion1 ,,and ,,besas1    
,,mm4  ,,when the persecution of ,decius
 filled the city of ,alexandria with    
dread and terror1 many1 especially among
 the nobles1 the rich1 and those who    

held any places in the state1 sacrificed
 to idols1 but pale and trembling1 so as
 to show they had neither courage to    
die1 nor heart to sacrifice4 ,several   
generous soldiers repaired the scandal  
given by these cowards4 ,julian1 who was
 grievously afflicted with the gout1 and
 one of his servants1 called ,chronion1 
were set on the backs of camels1 and1   
cruelly scourged through the #dha whole 
city1 and at length were consumed by    
fire4 ,besas1 a soldier1 was beheaded4  
,see ,st4 ,dionysius of ,alex4 in       
,eusebius1 l1 #f1 c4 #da1 ed ,val4      
,,st4 ,,thalilaeus1 ,a ,,cilician  ,,he 
lived a recluse on a mountain in ,syria1
 and shut himself up ten years in an    
open cage of wood4 ,theodoret asked him 
why he had chosen so singular a         
practice4 ,the penitent answered3 ,i    
punish my criminal body1 that ,god1     
seeing my affliction for my sins1 may be
 moved to pardon them1 and to deliver me
 from1 or at least to mitigate the      
excessive torments of the world to come1

 which ,i have deserved4 ,see           
,theodoret1 ,phil4 c4 #bh4 ,john ,mosch 
in the ,spiritual ,meadow1 c4 #ei1 p4   
#hgb1 relates that ,thalihaeus1 the     
,cilician1 spent sixty years in an      
ascetic life1 weeping almost without    
intermission2 and that he used to say to
 those that came to him3 ,time is       
allowed us by the divine mercy for      
repentance and satisfaction1 and wo sic 
to us if we neglect it4  ,,st4          
,,galmier1 ,,in ,,latin1 ,,baldomerus4  
,,he was a locksmith in ,lyons1 who     
lived in great poverty and austerity1   
and spent all his leisure moments in    
holy reading and prayer4 ,he gave his   
gains to the poor1 and sometimes even   
his tools4 ,he repeated to every one3   
,in the name of the ,lord let us always 
give thanks to ,god4 ,vivencius1 abbot  
of ,st4 ,justus1 7afterwards archbishop 
of ,lyons17 admired his devotion in the 
church1 but was more edified and        
astonished when he had conversed with   
him4 ,he gave him a cell in his         

monastery1 in which the servant of ,god 
sanctified himself still more and more  
by all the exercises of holy solitude1  
and by his penitential labor4 ,he died a
 subdeacon about the year #fej4 ,his    
relics were very famous for miracles1   
and a celebrated pilgrimage1 till they  
were scattered in the air by the        
,huguenots1 in the sixteenth century4   
,the ,roman ,martyrology names him on   
the day of his death1 the #bgth of      
,february4  ,,st4 ,,nestor1 ,b4,m4      
,,epolius1 whom the emperor ,decius had 
appointed governor of ,lycia1           
,pamphylia1 and ,phrygia1 sought to make
 his court to that prince by surpassing 
his colleagues in the rage and cruelty  
with which he persecuted the meek       
disciples of ,christ4 ,at that time     
,nestor1 bishop of ,sida in ,pamphylia1 
7as ,le ,quien demonstrates1 not of     
,perge1 or of ,mandis1 or ,madigis1 as  
some by mistake affirm17 was            
distinguished in those parts for his    
zeal in propagating the faith1 and for  

the sanctity of his life4 ,his          
reputation reached the governor1 who    
sent an ,irenarch to apprehend him4 ,the
 martyr was conducted to ,perge1 and    
there crucified1 in imitation of the    
,redeemer of the world1 whom he         
preached4 ,his triumph happened in #bej4
 ,his ,latin ,acts1 given by the        
,bollandists1 are to be corrected by    
those in ,greek1 found among the        
manuscript acts of ,saints1 honored by  
the ,greeks in the month of ,february in
 the king's library at ,paris1 ,cod4    
#ajaj1 written in the tenth century4    
#dhb  ,,st4 ,,alnoth1 ,,anchoret1 ,m4   
,,wedon1 in ,northamptonshire1 was      
honored with a palace of ,wulphere1 king
 of ,mercia1 in the middle of ,england1 
and was bestowed by that prince upon his
 daughter ,st4 ,wereburge1 who converted
 it into a monastery4 ,alnoth was the   
bailiff of ,st4 ,wereburge in that      
country1 and the perfect imitator of her
 heroic virtues4 ,after her retreat he  
led an anchoretical life in that        

neighborhood1 and was murdered by       
robbers in his solitude4 ,his relics    
were kept with veneration in the church 
of the village of ,stow1 near ,wedon4   
,wilson places his festival on the #bgth
 of ,february1 in the first edition of  
his ,english ,martyrology1 and in the   
second on the #beth of ,november4 ,see  
the life of ,st4 ,wereburge1 which      
,camden sent to ,f4 ,rosweide1 written1 
as it seems1 by ,jocelin4 ,see also     
,harpsfield1 ,saec4 #g1 c4 #bc1 and     
,bollandus1 p4 #fhd4   ,,february       
,,xxviii4  ,,martyrs1 ,,who ,,died ,,in 
,,the ,,great ,,pestilence ,,in         
,,alexandria4  ,from ,eusebius1 ,hist4  
l4 #g1 c4 #ba1 #bb1 p4 #bfh4  ,a4,d4    
#bfa1 #bfb1 #bfc4  ,a ,,violent         
pestilence laid waste the greatest part 
of the ,roman empire during twelve      
years1 from #bdi to #bfc4 ,five thousand
 persons died of it in one day in ,rome1
 in #bfb4 ,st4 ,dionysius of ,alexandria
 relates1 that a cruel sedition and     
civil war had filled that city with     

murders and tumults2 so that it was     
safer to travel from the eastern to the 
western parts of the then known world1  
than to go from one street of           
,alexandria to another4 ,the pestilence 
succeeded this first scourge1 and with  
such violence1 that there was not a     
single house in that great city which   
entirely escaped it1 or which had not   
some dead to mourn for4 ,all places were
 filled with groans1 and the living     
appeared almost dead with fear4 ,the    
noisome exhalations of carcasses1 and   
the very winds1 which should have       
purified the air1 loaded with infection 
and pestilential vapors from the ,nile1 
increased the evil4 ,the fear of death  
rendered the heathens cruel towards     
their nearest relations4 ,as soon as any
 of them had caught the contagion1      
though their dearest friends1 they      
avoided and fled from them as their     
greatest enemies4 ,they threw them half 
dead into the streets1 and abandoned    
them without succor2 they left their    

bodies without burial1 so fearful were  
they of catching that mortal distemper1 
which1 however1 it was very difficult to
 avoid1 notwithstanding all their       
precautions4 ,this sickness1 which was  
the greatest of calamities to the       
pagans1 was but an exercise and trial to
 the ,christians1 who showed1 on that   
occasion1 how contrary the spirit of    
charity is to the interestedness of self
 love4 ,during the persecutions of      
,decius1 ,gallus1 and ,valerian1 they   
durst not appear1 but were obliged to   
keep their assemblies in solitudes1 or  
in ships tossed on the waves1 or in     
infected prisons1 or the like places1   
which the sanctity of our mysteries made
 venerable4 ,yet in the #dhc time of    
this public calamity1 most of them1     
regardless of the danger of their own   
lives to assisting others1 visited1     
relieved1 and attended the sick1 and    
comforted the dying4 ,they closed their 
eyes1 carried them on their shoulders1  
laid them out1 washed their bodies1 and 

decently interred them1 and soon after  
shared the same fate themselves2 but    
those who survived still succeeded to   
their charitable office1 which they paid
 to the very pagans their persecutors4  
,thus1 adds ,st4 ,dionysius1 the best of
 our brethren have departed this life2  
some of the most valuable1 both of      
priests1 deacons1 and laics2 and it is  
thought that this kind of death is in   
nothing different from martyrdom4 ,and  
the ,roman ,martyrology says1 the       
religious faith of pious ,christians    
honors them as martyrs4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,in these
 happy victims of holy charity we admire
 how powerfully perfect virtue1 and the 
assured expectation of eternal bliss1   
raises the true ,christian above all    
earthly views4 ,he who has always before
 his eyes the incomprehensible happiness
 of enjoying ,god in his glory1 and     
seriously considers the infinite        
advantage1 peace1 and honor annexed to  
his divine service2 he who is inflamed  

with ardent love of ,god1 and zeal for  
his honor1 sets no value on any thing   
but in proportion as it affords him a   
means of improving his spiritual stock1 
advancing the divine honor1 and more    
perfectly uniting his soul to ,god by   
every heroic virtue3 disgraces1 dangers1
 labor1 pain1 death1 loss of goods or   
friends1 and every other sacrifice here 
become his gain and his greatest joy4   
,that by which he most perfectly devotes
 himself to ,god1 and most speedily and 
securely attains to the bliss of        
possessing him1 he regards as his       
greatest happiness4  ,,st4 ,,proterius1 
,,patriarch ,,of ,,alexandria1 ,m4  ,,he
 was ordained priest by ,st4 ,cyril1 but
 opposed ,dioscorus1 his successor1 on  
his patronizing ,eutyches1 and giving   
into his errors1 notwithstanding his    
endeavor to gain him to his interest1 by
 making him archpriest1 and entrusting  
him with the care of his church4        
,dioscorus being condemned and deposed  
by the council of ,chalcedon1 ,proterius

 was elected in his room1 and was       
accordingly ordained and installed in   
#eeb4 ,the people of ,alexandria1 famed 
for riots and tumults1 then divided2    
some demanding the return of ,dioscorus1
 others supporting ,proterius4 ,the     
factious party was headed by two vicious
 ecclesiastics1 ,timothy1 surnamed      
,elurus1 and ,peter ,mongus1 whom the   
saint had canonically excommunicated4   
,and so great and frequent were the     
tumults and seditions they raised       
against him1 that during the whole      
course of his pontificate he was never  
out of danger of falling a sacrifice to 
the schismatical party1 regardless both 
of the imperial orders and decisions of 
the council of ,chalcedon4 ,in the      
height of one of those tumults1 ,elurus1
 having caused himself to be ordained by
 two bishops of his faction1 that had   
been formerly deposed1 took possession  
of the episcopal throne1 and was        
proclaimed by his party the sole lawful 
bishop of ,alexandria4 ,but being soon  

after driven out of the city by the     
imperial commander1 this so inflamed the
 ,eutychian party1 that their barefaced 
attempts obliged the holy patriarch to  
take sanctuary in the baptistery        
adjoining to the church of ,st4         
,quirinus1 where the schismatical rabble
 breaking in1 they stabbed him on       
,good-,friday1 in the year #eeg4 ,not   
content with this1 they dragged his dead
 body through the whole city1 cut it in 
pieces1 burnt it and scattered the ashes
 in the air4 ,the bishops of ,thrace1 to
 a letter to the emperor ,loo1 soon     
after his death1 declared that they     
placed him among #dhd the martyrs1 and  
hoped to find mercy through his         
intercession4 ,sanctissimum ,proterium  
in ordine et choro sanctorum martyrum   
ponimus1 et ejus intercessionibus       
misericordem et propitium ,deum nobis   
fieri postulamus4 ,conc4 t4 #d1 p4 #ijg4
 ,his name occurs in the ,greek         
calendars on the #bhth of               
,february4--,see ,evagrius1 ,hist4      

,eccl4 l4 #b1 c4 #d4 ,liberat4 ,disc4 in
 ,breviar4 c4 #ae4 ,theophanes in       
,marciano et ,leone4 ,theodor4 ,lect4 l4
 #a ,f4 ,cacciari1 ,diss4 in ,op4 ,s4   
,leonia1 t4 #c4 ,henschenius1 t4 #c1    
,febr4 p4 #gbi4  ,,ss4 ,,romanus ,,and  
,,lupicinus1 ,,abbots4  ,,romanus at    
thirty-five years of age left his       
relations1 and spent some time in the   
monastery of ,ainay1 7called in ,latin  
,athanacense17 at ,lyons1 at the great  
church at the conflux of the ,saone and 
,rhone1 which the faithful had built    
over the ashes of the famous martyrs of 
that city2 for their bodies being burnt 
by the pagans1 their ashes were thrown  
into the ,rhone1 but a great part of    
them was gathered by the ,christians1   
and deposited in this place4 ,romanus1 a
 short time after1 took with him the    
institutions and conferences of         
,cassian1 and retired into the forests  
of mount ,iura1 between ,france and     
,switzerland1 and fixed his abode at a  
place called ,condate1 at the conflux of

 the rivers ,bienne and ,aliere1 where  
he found a spot of ground fit for       
culture1 and some trees which furnished 
him with a kind of wild fruit4 ,here he 
spent his time in praying1 reading1 and 
laboring for his subsistence4           
,lupicinus1 his brother1 came to him    
some time after in company with others1 
who were followed by several more1 drawn
 by the fame of the virtue and miracles 
of these two saints4 ,here they built   
the monastery of ,condate1 and1 their   
numbers increasing1 that of ,leuconne1  
two miles distant to the north1 and1 on 
a rock1 a nunnery called ,la ,beaume1   
7now ,st4 ,remain de la ,roche17 which  
no men were allowed ever to enter1 and  
where ,st4 ,romanus chose his           
burial-place4 ,the brothers governed the
 monks jointly and in great harmony1    
though ,lupicinus was more inclined to  
severity of the two4 ,he usually resided
 at ,leuconne with one hundred and fifty
 monks4 ,the brethren at ,condate1 when 
they were enriched with many lands1     

changed their diet1 which was only bread
 made of barley and bran1 and pulse     
dressed often without salt or oil1 and  
brought to table wheat-bread1 fish1 and 
variety of dishes4 ,lupicinus being     
informed hereof by ,romanus1 came to    
,condate on the sixth day after this    
innovation1 and corrected the abuse4    
,the abstinence which he prescribed his 
monks was milder than that practised by 
the oriental monks1 and by those of     
,lerins1 partly because the ,gauls were 
naturally great eaters1 and partly      
because they were employed in very hard 
manual labor4 ,but they never touched   
fowls or any flesh-meat1 and only were  
allowed milk and eggs in time of        
sickness4 ,lupicinus1 for his own part1 
used no other bed than a chair or a hard
 board2 never touched wine1 and would   
scarce ever suffer a drop either of oil 
or milk to be poured on his pulse4 ,in  
summer his subsistence for many years   
was only hard bread moistened in cold   
water1 so that he could eat it with a   

spoon4 ,his tunic was made of various   
skins of beasts sewn together1 with a   
cowl3 he used wooden shoes1 and wore no 
stockings unless when he was obliged to 
go out of the monastery4 ,st4 ,romanus  
died about the year #dfj1 and is        
mentioned in the ,roman ,martyrology on 
the #bhth of ,february4 ,st4 ,lupicinus 
survived him almost twenty years1 and is
 honored in the ,roman ,martyrology on  
the #bast of ,march4 ,he was succeeded  
in the abbacy of ,condate by ,minaucius1
 who1 in #dhj1 chose ,st4 ,eugendus his 
coadjutor4 ,see the lives of the two    
brothers1 ,,ss4 ,romanus and ,lupicinus1
 and that of ,st4 ,eugendus or ,oyend1  
compile a by a monk of ,condate of the  
same age2 ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1 in   
#dhe de ,vitis ,patr4 c4 #a4 ,mabill4   
,annal4 ,ben4 l4 #a1 ad an4 #eaj1 t4 #a1
 p4 #bc4 ,tillemont1 t4 #af1 p4 #adb4   
,bulteau1 l4 #a4   ,,february ,,xxix4   
,,st4 ,,oswald1  ,,bishop ,,of          
,,worcester ,,and ,,archbishop ,,of     
,,york4  ,from his life written by      

,eadmer2 also from ,florence of         
,worcester1 ,william of ,malmesbury1    
and1 above all1 the elegant and accurate
 author of the history of ,ramsey1      
published by the learned ,mr4 ,gale1 p4 
#che4 ,the life of this saint1 written  
by ,fulcard1 abbot of ,thorney1 in      
#ajfh1 ,wharton thinks not extant4      
,mabillon doubts whether it is not that 
which we have in ,capgrave and ,surius4 
,see also ,portiforium #h4 ,oswaldi     
,archiep4 ,eborac4 ,codex ,,ms4 crassus 
in #hvo4 exarates circa annum #ajfd1 in 
,bennet ,college1 ,cambridge1 mentioned 
by ,waneley1 ,catal4 p4 #aaj4  ,a4,d4   
#iib4  ,,st4 ,,oswald was nephew to ,st4
 ,odo1 archbishop of ,canterbury1 and to
 ,oskitell1 bishop first of ,dorcester1 
afterwards of ,york4 ,he was educated by
 ,st4 ,odo1 and made dean of            
,winchester2 but passing into ,france1  
took the monastic habit at ,fleury4     
,being recalled to serve the church1 he 
succeeded ,st4 ,dunstan in the see of   
,worcester about the year #iei4 ,he     

shone as a bright star in this dignity1 
and established a monastery of monks at 
,westberry1 a village in his diocese4   
,he was employed by duke ,aylwin in     
superintending his foundation of the    
great monastery of ,ramsey1 in an island
 formed by marshes and the river ,ouse  
in ,huntingdonshire1 in #igb4 ,st4      
,oswald was made archbishop of ,york in 
#igd1 and he dedicated the church of    
,ramsey under the names of the ,blessed 
,virgin1 ,st4 ,benedict1 and all holy   
virgins4 ,nothing of this rich mitred   
abbey remains standing except an old    
gate-house1 and a neglected statue of   
the founder1 ,aylwin1 with keys and a   
ragged staff in his hand to denote his  
office2 for he was cousin to the        
glorious king ,edgar1 the valiant       
general of his armies1 and the chief    
judge and magistrate of the kingdom1    
with the title of alderman of ,england1 
and half king1 as the historian of      
,ramsey usually styles him4#a #dhf ,st4 
,oswald was almost always occupied in   

visiting his diocese1 preaching without 
intermission and reforming abuses4 ,he  
was a great encourager of learning and  
learned men4 ,st4 ,dunstan obliged him  
to retain the see of ,worcester with    
that of ,york4 ,whatever intermission   
his function allowed him he spent it at 
,st4 ,mary's1 a church and monastery of 
,benedictins1 which he had built at     
,worcester1 where he joined with the    
monks in their monastic exercises4 ,this
 church from that time became the       
cathedral4 ,the saint1 to nourish in his
 heart the sentiments of humility and   
charity1 had everywhere twelve poor     
persons at his table1 whom he served1   
and also washed and kissed their feet4  
,after having sat thirty-three years he 
fell sick at ,st4 ,mary's in ,worcester1
 and having received the extreme unction
 and viaticum1 continued in prayer1     
repeating often1 ,glory be to the       
,father1 c41 with which words he expired
 amidst his monks1 on the #bith of      
,february1 #iib4 ,his body was taken up 

ten years after and enshrined1 by       
,adulph his successor1 and was          
illustrated by miracles4 ,it was        
afterwards translated to ,york1 on the  
#aeth of ,october1 which day was        
appointed his principal festival4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,st4 ,oswald made quick progress in the 
path of perfect virtue1 because he      
studied with the utmost earnestness to  
deny himself and his own will1 listening
 attentively to that fundamental maxim  
of the ,eternal ,truth1 which ,st4      
,bennet1 of whose holy order he became a
 bright light1 repeats with great       
energy4 ,this holy founder declares in  
the close of his rule1 that1 ,he who    
desires to give himself up to ,god1 must
 trample all earthly things under his   
feet1 renounce every thing that is not  
,god1 and die to all earthly affections1
 so as to attain to a perfect           
disengagement and nakedness of heart1   
that ,god may fill and entirely possess 
it1 in order to establish therein the   

kingdom of his grace and pure love      
forever4 ,and in his prologue he cries  
out aloud1 that he addresses himself    
only to him who is firmly resolved in   
all things to deny his own will1 and to 
hasten with all diligence to arrive at  
his heavenly kingdom4  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,the titles of honor among our ,saxon   
ancestors were1 ,etheling1 prince     of
 the blond3 chancellor1 assistant to the
 king in giving judgments3     alderman1
 or ealderman1 7not earldonnan1 as      
,rapin ,thoyras writes     this word in 
his first edition17 governor or viceroy4
 ,it is derived     from the word ald or
 old1 like senator in ,latin4           
,provinces1 cities1     and sometimes   
wapentakes1 had their alderman to govern
 them1     determine lawsuits1 judge    
criminals1 c4 ,that office gave place to
     the title of earl1 which was merely
 ,danish1 and introduced by     ,canute4
 ,sheriffe or she-reeve1 was the deputy 
of the alderman1     chosen by him1 sat 
judge in some courts1 and saw sentence  

executed2     hence he was called       
vicecomes4 ,heartoghan signified1 among 
our ,saxon     ancestors1 generals of   
armies1 or dukes4 ,hengist1 in the      
,saxon     chronicle1 is heartogh2 such 
were the dukes appointed by ,constantine
     the ,great1 to command the forces  
in the different provinces of the       
,roman empire4 ,these titles began to   
become hereditary with the     offices  
or command annexed under ,pepin and     
,charlemagne1 and grew     more frequent
 by the successors of these princes     
granting many     hereditary fiefs to   
noblemen1 to which they annexed titular 
dignities4 ,fiefs were an establishment 
of the ,lombards1 from whom     the     
emperors of ,germany1 and the kings of  
,france1 borrowed this     custom1 and  
with it the feodal laws1 of which no    
mention is made in     the ,routun code4
 ,titles began frequently to become     
merely honorary     about the time of   
,otho ,i4 in ,germany4      ,reeve among
 the ,english ,saxons was a steward4    

,the bishop's reeve was     a bishop's  
steward for secular affairs1 attending  
in his court4     ,thanes1 i4e41        
servants1 were officers of the crown    
whom the king     recompensed with      
lands1 sometimes to descend to their    
posterity1 but     always to be held of 
him with some obligation of service1    
homage1 or     acknowledgment4 ,there   
were other lords of lands and vassals1  
who     enjoyed the title of thanes1 and
 were distinguished from the king's     
thanes4 ,the ealdermen and dukes were   
all king's thanes1 and all     others   
who held lands of the king by knight's  
service in chief1 and     were          
immediately great tenants of the king's 
estates4 ,these were the     greater    
thanes1 and were succeeded by the       
barons1 which title was     brought in  
by the ,normans1 and is rarely found    
before the ,conqueror4     ,mass thanes 
were those who held lands in fee of the 
church4 ,middle     thanes were such as 
held very small estates of the king1 or 

parcels     of lands of the king's      
greater thanes4 ,they were called by the
     ,normans vavassors1 and their lands
 vavassories4 ,they who held lands      
of these1 were thanes of the lowest     
class1 and did not rank as              
gentlemen4 ,all thanes disposed of the  
lands which they held 7and     which    
were called ,blockland7 to their heirs1 
but with the     obligations due to     
those of whom they were held4 ,ceorle   
7whence our     word churl7 was a       
countryman or artisan who was a freeman4
 ,those     ceorles who held lands in   
leases were called sockmen1 and their   
land     sockland1 of which they could  
not dispose1 being barely tenants4      
,those ceorles who acquired possession  
of five hides of land with a     large  
house1 court1 and bell to call together 
their servants1 were     raised to the  
rank of thanes of the lowest class4 ,a  
hide of land was     as much as one     
plough could till4 ,the villains or     
slaves in the     country were laborers1

 bound to the service of particular     
persons2     were all capable of        
possessing money in property1           
consequently were     not strictly      
slaves in the sense of the ,roman law4  
,witan or ,wites1 7i4 e4 wisemen17 were 
the magistrates and lawyers4            
,burghwitten signified the magistrates  
of cities4 ,some shires 7or             
counties7 are mentioned before king     
,alfred2 and ,asserius speaks of        
earls 7or counts7 of ,somerset1 and     
,devonshire1 in the reign of            
,ethelwolph4 ,but ,alfred first divided 
the whole kingdom into shires1     the  
shires into tithings1 lathes1 or        
wapentacks1 the tithings into           
hundreds1 and the hundreds into tenths4 
,each division had a court              
subordinate to those that were superior1
 the highest in each shire     being the
 shire-gemot1 or folck-mote1 which was  
held twice a year1     and in which the 
bishop or his deputy1 and the ealderman1
 or his     viceregent1 the sheriff1    

presided4 ,see ,seldon on the ,titles of
     ,honor2 ,speman's ,glossary1 ad4   
noviss4 ,squires on the ,government of  
the ,english ,saxons4 ,dr4 ,william     
,howel1 in his learned ,general         
,history1 t4 #e1 p4 #bgc1 c4 ,n4,b4 ,the
 titles of earls and hersen were        
first given by ,ifwar ,widfame1 king of 
,sweden1 to two ministers of     state  
in #hbd2 on which see many remarks of   
,olof ,delin1 in his     excellent new  
history of ,sweden1 c4 #e1 t4 1 p4 #cd4 
#dhg  ,only ,complete and ,unabridged   
,edition with nearly #ajj pages of      
,chronological and ,general ,index1     
,alphabetical and ,centenary ,table1    
etc4  ,,the ,,lives ,,the ,,fathers1    
,,martyrs1 ,,and ,,other ,,principal    
,,saints2 ,,compiled ,,from ,,original  
,,monuments1 ,,and ,,other ,,authentic  
,,records2 ,,illustrated ,,with ,,the   
,,remarks ,,of ,,judicious ,,modern     
,,critics ,,and ,,historians ,,by ,,the 
,,rev4 ,,alban ,,butler ,with the       
approbation of ,,most ,,rev4 ,m4,a4     

,,corrigan1 ,d4,d41 ,archbishop of ,new 
,york4  ,,vol4 ,,iii4  ,,new ,,york3    
,p4,j4 ,,kenedy1 ,,publisher ,,to ,,the 
,,holy ,,see1 ,,excelsior ,,catholic    
,,publishing ,,house1 #e ,,barclay      
,,street4 #aijc  #dhh blank page #dhi   
,,contents  ,,march4 #a4                
,,page ,,st4 ,,david1 ,archbishop1      
,patron of ,wales4444444444 #dia ,st4   
,swidbert1 or ,swibert1 the ancient1    
,bishop   and                           
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444 #dic ,st4 ,albinus1 ,bishop of      
,angers1 ,confessor44444444 #did ,st4   
,monan1                                 
,martyr4444444444444444444444444444444  
#die  #b4 ,martyrs under the            
,lombards4444444444444444444444 #dif    
,st4 ,ceada1 or ,chad1 ,bishop and      
,confessor44444444 #dig ,st4            
,simplicius1 ,pope and                  
,confessor44444444444444 #dih ,st4      
,marnan1 ,bishop and                    
,confessor4444444444444444 #dii ,st4    
,charles the ,good1 ,earl of ,flanders1 

,martyr44 #ejj ,st4 ,joavan1 or ,joevin1
 ,bishop and ,confessor44444 #eja  #c4  
,st4 ,cunegundes1                       
,empress4444444444444444444444444 #eja  
,,ss4 ,marinus and ,asterius1 or        
,astyrius1 ,martyrs44 #ejc ,,ss4        
,emeterius and ,chelidonius1            
,martyrs4444444444 #ejc ,st4 ,winwaloe1 
or ,winwaloc1 ,abbot4444444444444444    
#ejd ,st4 ,lamalisse1                   
,confessor444444444444444444444444 #ejf 
#d4 ,st4 ,casimir1 ,prince of           
,poland4444444444444444444 #ejf ,st4    
,lucius1 ,pope and                      
,martyr444444444444444444444 #ejh ,st4  
,adrian1 ,bishop of ,st4 ,andrew's1     
,martyr444444 #eji  #e4 ,,ss4 ,adrian   
and ,eubulus1 ,martyrs44444444444444444 
#eaj ,st4 ,kiaran1 or ,kenerin1 ,bishop 
and ,confessor4444 #eaa ,st4 ,roger1    
,confessor4444444444444444444444444444  
#eab ,st4 ,john ,joseph of the          
,cross44444444444444444444 #eab  #f4    
,st4 ,chrodegang1 ,bishop of ,metz1     
,confessor4444444 #eai ,b4 ,coleus1     

,virgin and ,abbess44444444444444444444 
#ebj ,st4 ,fridolin1                    
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444 #ebb
 ,st4 ,baldrede1 ,bishop of ,glasgow1   
,confessor444444 #ebb ,,ss4 ,kyneburge1 
,kyneswide1 and ,tibba4444444444444 #ebb
 ,st4 ,cadroe4                          
,confessor444444444444444444444444444   
#ebc  #g4 ,st ,thomas of ,aquino1       
,doctor of the ,church   and            
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
444 #ebc ,,ss4 ,perpetua and ,felicitas1
 c41 ,martyrs44444444 #ecc ,st4 ,paul1  
,anchoret444444444444444444444444444444 
#edj  #h4 ,st4 ,john of ,god1           
,confessor4444444444444444444444 #eda   
,venerable ,john of ,avila1 ,apostle of 
,andalusia444 #edb ,st4 ,felix1 ,bishop 
and ,confessor44444444444444444 #edg    
,,ss4 ,apollonius1 ,philemon1 c41       
,martyrs4444444444 #edh ,st4 ,julian1   
,archbishop of ,toledo1 ,confessor44444 
#edh ,st4 ,duthak1 ,bishop of ,ross1 in 
,scotland1                              
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444

4444444 #edi ,st4 ,rosa1 of ,viterbo1   
,virgin44444444444444444444 #edi ,st4   
,senan1 ,bishop and ,confessor44        
44444444444444 #edi ,st4 ,psalmod1 or   
,saumay1 ,anchoret4444444444444444 #eej 
#i4 ,st4 ,frances1 ,widow               
44444444444444444444444444444 #eej      
,gregory of ,nyasa1 ,bishop and         
,confessor4444444444 #eeb ,on the       
,writings of ,st4                       
,gregory444444444444444444 #eec ,st4    
,pacian1 ,bishop of ,barcelona1         
,confessor444444 #eeg ,on the ,writings 
of ,st4 ,pacian4444444444444444444 #eeg 
,st4 ,catherine of ,bologna1 ,virgin and
 ,abbess44444 #eei  #aj4 ,,ss4 ,the     
,forty ,martyrs of                      
,sebaste4444444444444444 #efj ,st4      
,droctovaeus1                           
,abbot444444444444444444444444444 #efc  
,st4 ,mackessoge1 or ,kessoge1          
,confessor44444444444 #efd  #aa4 ,st4   
,eulogius of ,cordova1 ,priest and      
,martyr444444 #efd ,st4 ,sophronius1    
,patriarch of ,jerusalem1               

,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
4444444 #eff ,st4 ,a,engus1 ,bishop and 
,confessor44444444444444444 #efg ,st4   
,constantine1                           
,martyr4444444444444444444444444 #efh   
#ab4 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 ,pope and
 ,confessor4444444 #efh ,on the ,life of
 ,st4 ,gregory4444444444444444444444    
#ehj ,st4 ,maximilian1                  
,martyr44444444444444444444444444 #eha  
,st4 ,paul1 ,bishop of ,leon1           
,confessor4444444444444 #eha  #ac4 ,st4 
,nicephorus1 ,patriarch of              
,constantinople1                        
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
4444444 #ehb ,st4 ,euphrasia1           
,virgin444444444444444444444444444 #ehe 
,st4 ,theophanes1 ,abbot and            
,confessor4444444444444 #ehg ,st4       
,kennocha1 ,virgin in                   
,scotland4444444444444444 #ehh ,st4     
,gerald1                                
,bishop444444444444444444444444444444   
#ehh ,st4 ,mochoemoc1 in ,latin         
,pulcherius1 ,abbot4444444 #ehh  #ad4   

,st4 ,maud1 or ,mathildis1 ,queen of    
,germany44444444 #ehi ,,ss4 ,acepsimas1 
,bishop1 ,joseph1 ,priest1 and          
,aithilahas1 ,deacon1                   
,martyrs4444444444444444444 #eia ,st4   
,boniface1 ,bishop of ,ross1            
,confessor444444444 #eid  #ae4 ,st4     
,abraham1                               
,hermit44444444444444444444444444444    
#eid ,st4 ,zachary1 ,pope and           
,confessor44444444444444444 #eif  #af4  
,st4 ,julian1 of ,cilicia1              
,martyr444444444444444444 #eig ,st4     
,finian1 surnamed ,lobhar1 or the       
,leper4444444 #eih  #ag4 ,st4 ,patrick1 
,bishop and ,confessor1 ,apostle of     
,ireland44444444444444444444444444444444
4444444 #eii ,,ss4 ,martyrs of          
,alexandria44444444444444444444444 #fjd 
,st4 ,joseph of                         
,arimathea4444444444444444444444444 #fje
 ,st4 ,gertrude1 ,virgin and ,abbess of 
,nivelle 44444 #fje  #ah ,st4           
,alexander1 ,bishop of ,jerusalem1      
,martyr444444 #fjf ,st4 ,cyril1         

,archbishop of ,jerusalem1 ,confessor444
 #fjg  #dij  ,on the ,writings of ,st4  
,cyril44444444444444444444 #fad ,st4    
,edward1 ,ring and                      
,martyr444444444444444444444 #fag ,st4  
,anselm1 ,bishop of ,lucca1             
,confessor4444444444 #fah ,st4 ,fridian1
 ,bishop of ,lucca1 ,confessor444444444 
#fai  #ai4 ,st                          
,joseph444444444444444444444444444444444
444444 #fbj ,st4 ,alcmund1              
,martyr44444444444444444444444444444    
#fbd  #bj4 ,st4 ,cuthbert1 ,bishop and  
,confessor44444444444444 #fbe ,st4      
,wulfran1 ,archbishop of                
,seas44444444444444444 #fbi  #ba4 ,st4  
,benedict1                              
,abbot44444444444444444444444444444 #fci
 ,st4 ,serapion1 the                    
,sindonite444444444444444444444 #fch    
,st4 ,serapion1 ,abbot of               
,arsinoe444444444444444444 #fci ,st4    
,serapion1 ,bishop of ,thmuis in        
,egypt444444444 #fdj ,st4 ,enna1 or     
,endeus1 ,abbot4444444444444444444444   

#fda  #bb4 ,st4 ,basil of ,ancyra1      
,priest and ,martyr4444444444 #fda ,st4 
,paul1 ,bishop of ,narbonne1            
,confessor444444444 #fdd ,st4 ,lea1     
,widow4444444444444444444444444444444444
 #fdd ,st4 ,deogratias1 ,bishop of      
,carthage1 ,confessor444 #fdd ,st4      
,catherine of ,sweden1                  
,virgin44444444444444444 #fdd  #bc4 ,st4
 ,alphonsus ,turibius1 ,bishop and      
,confessor4444 #fde ,,ss4 ,victorian1   
,proconsul of ,carthage4 c41            
,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
4444444 #fdi ,st4 ,edelwald1 ,priest and
 ,confessor44444444444444 #fej  #bd4    
,st4 ,irenaeus1 ,bishop of ,sirmium1    
,martyr4444444444 #fea ,st4 ,simon1 an  
,infant1 ,martyr44444444444444444444    
#fec ,st4 ,william of ,norwich1         
,martyr444444444444444444 #fec  #be4    
,the ,annunciation of the ,blessed      
,virgin ,mary44444 #ffa ,st4 ,cammin1   
,abbot4444444444444444444444444444444   
#fff  #bf4 ,st4 ,ludger1 ,bishop of     
,munster1 ,apostle of                   

,saxony444444444444444444444444444444444
4444444 #ffa ,st4 ,braulio1 ,bishop of  
,saragossa1 ,confessor44444 #ffc  #bg4  
,st4 ,john of ,egypt1                   
,hermit44444444444444444444444 #ffd ,st4
 ,rupert1 or ,robert1 ,bishop and       
,confessor44444 #fhh  #bh4 ,,ss4        
,priscus1 ,malchus1 and ,alexander1     
,martyrs4444 #ffi ,st4 ,sixtus ,,iii41  
,pope444444444444444444444444444 #fgj   
,st4 ,gontran1 ,king and                
,confessor44444444444444444 #fga  #bi4  
,,ss4 ,jonas1 ,barachisius1 c41         
,martyrs444444444444 #fgb ,,ss4         
,armogastes1 ,archinimus1 and ,saturns1 
,martyrs44444444444444444444444444444444
4444444 #fgd ,st4 ,eustasius1 or        
,eustachius1 ,abbot4444444444444 #fge   
,st4 ,gundleus1                         
,confessor4444444444444444444444444 #fgc
 ,st4 ,mark1 ,bishop and                
,confessor444444444444444444 #fge  #cj4 
,st4 ,john ,climacus1                   
,abbot444444444444444444444444 #fgg ,st4
 ,zozimus1 ,bishop of                   

,syracuse44444444444444444 #fha ,st4    
,regulus1 or                            
,rieul444444444444444444444444444 #fha  
#ca4 ,st4 ,benjamin1 ,deacon1           
,martyr44444444444444444444 #fia ,st4   
,acacias1 or ,achates1 ,bishop of       
,antioch in   ,asia ,minor1             
,confessor4444444444444444444444444 #fhc
 ,st4 ,guy1                             
,confessor444444444444444444444444444444
 #fhe  #dia  ,,march ,i4  ,,saint       
,,david1 ,,archbishop1  ,,patron ,,of   
,,wales4  ,see his life by ,giralduc    
,cambrensis1 in ,wharton's ,anglia      
,sacra1 t4 #b2 also ,doctor ,brown      
,willis1 and ,wilkins1 ,conc4 ,britain4 
,hibern4 t4 #a4  ,about the year #edd4  
,,st4 ,,david1 in ,welsh ,dewid1 was son
 of ,xantus1 prince of ,ceretice1 now   
,cardiganshire4 ,he was brought up in   
the service of ,god1 and1 being ordained
 priest1 retired into the ,isle of      
,wight1 and embraced an ascetic life1   
under the direction of ,paulinus1 a     
learned and holy man1 who had been a    

disciple of ,st4 ,germanus of ,auxerre4 
,he is said by the sign of the cross to 
have restored sight to his master1 which
 he had lost by old age1 and excessive  
weeping in prayer4 ,he studied a long   
time to prepare himself for the         
functions of the holy ministry4 ,at     
length1 coming out of his solitude1 like
 the ,baptist out of the desert1 he     
preached the word of eternal life to the
 ,britons4 ,he built a chapel at        
,glastenbury1 a place which had been    
consecrated to the divine worship by the
 first apostles of this island4 ,he     
founded twelve monasteries1 the         
principal of which was in the vale of   
,ross1#a near ,menevia1 where he formed 
many great pastors and eminent servants 
of ,god4 ,by his rule he obliged all his
 monks to assiduous manual labor in the 
spirit of penance3 he allowed them the  
use of no cattle to ease them at their  
work in tilling the ground4 ,they were  
never suffered to speak but on occasions
 of absolute necessity1 and they never  

ceased to pray1 at least mentally1      
during their labor4 ,they returned late 
in the day to the monastery1 to read1   
write1 and pray4 ,their food was only   
bread and vegetables1 with a little     
salt1 and they never drank any thing    
better than a little milk mingled with  
water4 ,after their repast they spent   
three hours in prayer and adoration2    
then took a little rest1 rose at        
cock-crowing1 and continued in prayer   
till they went out to work4 ,their habit
 was of the skins of beasts4 ,when any  
one petitioned to be admitted1 he waited
 ten days at the door1 during which time
 he was tried by harsh words1 repeated  
refusals1 and painful labors1 that he   
might learn to die to himself4 ,when he 
was admitted1 he left all his worldly   
substance behind him1 for the monastery 
never received any thing on the score of
 admission4 ,all the monks discovered   
their most secret thoughts and          
temptations to their abbot4  ,the       
,pelagian heresy springing forth a      

second time in ,britain1 the bishops1 in
 order to suppress it1 held a synod at  
,brevy1 in ,cardiganshire1 in #eab1 or  
rather in #eai4b ,st4 ,david1 being     
invited to it1 went thither1 and in that
 venerable assembly confuted and        
silenced the infernal monster by his    
eloquence1#dib learning1 and miracles4  
,on the spot where this council was     
held1 a church was afterwards built     
called ,llan-,devi ,brevi1 or the church
 of ,st4 ,david near the river ,brevi4  
,at the close of the synod1 ,st4        
,dubritius1 the archbishop of ,caerleon1
 resigned his see to ,st4 ,david1 whose 
tears and opposition were only to be    
overcome by the absolute command of the 
synod1 which however allowed him1 at his
 request1 the liberty to transfer his   
see from ,caerleon1 then a populous     
city1 to ,menevia1 now called ,st4      
,david's1 a retired place1 formed by    
nature for solitude1 being1 as it were1 
almost cut off from the rest of the     
island1 though now an intercourse is    

opened to it from ,milford-,haven4 ,soon
 after the former synod1 another was    
assembled by ,st4 ,david at a place     
called ,victoria1 in which the acts of  
the first were confirmed1 and several   
canons added relating to discipline     
which were afterwards confirmed by the  
authority of the ,roman church2 and     
these two synods were1 as it were1 the  
rule and standard of the ,british       
churches4 ,as for ,st4 ,david1 ,giraldus
 adds1 that he was the great ornament   
and pattern of his age4 ,he spoke with  
great force and energy1 but his example 
was more powerful than his eloquence2   
and he has in all succeeding ages been  
the glory of the ,british church4 ,he   
continued in his last see many years2   
and having founded several monasteries1 
and been the spiritual father of many   
saints1 both ,british and ,irish1 died  
about the year #edd1 in a very advanced 
age4 ,st4 ,kentigtern saw his soul borne
 up by angels into heaven4 ,he was      
buried in his church of ,st4 ,andrew1   

which hath since taken his name1 with   
the town and the whole diocese4 ,near   
the church stand several chapels1       
formerly resorted to with great         
devotion3 the principal is that of ,st4 
,nun1 mother of ,st4 ,david1 near which 
is a beautiful well still frequented by 
pilgrims4 ,another chapel is sacred to  
,st4 ,lily1 surnamed ,gwas-,dewy1 that  
is1 ,st4 ,david's man2 for he was his   
beloved disciple and companion in his   
retirement4 ,he is honored there on the 
#c;d1 and ,st4 ,nun1 who lived and died 
the spiritual mother of many religious  
women1 on the #b;d of ,march4 ,the three
 first days of ,march were formerly     
holidays in ,south ,wales in honor of   
these three saints2 at present only the 
first is kept a festival throughout all 
,wales4 ,john of ,glastenbury#c informs 
us1 that in the reign of king ,edgar1 in
 the year of ,christ #ifb1 the relics of
 ,st4 ,david were translated with great 
solemnity from the vale of ,ross to     
,glastenbury1 together with a portion of

 the relics of ,st4 ,stephen the        
,protomartyr4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,by singing       
assiduously the divine praises with pure
 and holy hearts1 dead to the world and 
all inordinate passions1 monks are      
styled angels of the earth4 ,the divine 
praise is the primary act of the love of
 ,god2 for a soul enamored of his       
adorable goodness and perfections1      
summons up all her powers to express the
 complacency she takes in his infinite  
greatness and bliss1 and sounds forth   
his praises with all her strength4 ,in  
this entertainment she feels an         
insatiable delight and sweetness1 and   
with longing desires aspires after that 
bliss in which she will love and praise 
without intermission or impediment4 ,by 
each act of divine praise1 the fervor of
 charity and its habit1 and with it     
every spiritual good and every rich     
treasure1 is increased in her3 moreover1
 ,god in return heaps upon her the      
choicest blessings of his grace4        

,therefore1 though the acts of divine   
praise seem directly to be no more than 
a tribute or homage of our affections1  
which we tender to ,god1 the highest    
advantages accrue from these exercises  
to our souls4 ,st4 ,stephen of          
,grandmont was once asked by a disciple1
 why we are so frequently exhorted in   
the scriptures to bless and praise ,god1
 who1 being infinite1 can receive no    
increase from our homages4 #dic ,to     
which the saint replied3 ,a man who     
blesses and praises ,god receives from  
thence the highest advantage imaginable2
 for ,god1 in return1 bestows on him all
 his blessings1 and for every word that 
he repeats in these acts1 says3 ',for   
the praises and blessings which you     
offer me1 ,i bestow my blessings on you2
 what you present to me returns to      
yourself with an increase which becomes 
my liberality and greatness4' ,it is the
 divine grace1 goes on this holy doctor1
 which first excites a man to praise    
,god1 and he only returns to ,god his   

own gift3 yet by his continually        
blessing ,god1 the ,lord pours forth his
 divine blessings upon him1 which are so
 many new increases of charity in his   
soul4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,this           
denomination was given to the valley    
from the territory where     it was     
situated1 which was called ,ross4       
,frequent mention is made of     this   
monastery in the acts of several ,irish 
saints1 under the name     of ,rosnat or
 ,rosnant4 #b4  ,see ,wilkins1 ,conc4 t4
 #a4 #c4  ,maximes de ,s4 ,etienne de   
,grandmort1 ch4 #aje1 p4 #bbh4 ,item    
,sententuarum ,s4 ,stephani ,grand4 c4  
#je1 p4 #ajc4  ,,st4 ,,swidbert1 ,,or   
,,swibert1 ,,the ,,ancient1 ,b4,c4  ,he 
was an ,english monk1 educated near the 
borders of ,scotland1 and lived some    
time under the direction of the holy    
priest and monk1 ,st4 ,egbert1 whom he  
accompanied into ,ireland4 ,st4 ,egbert 
was hindered himself from passing into  
,lower ,germany1 according to his       
zealous desire1 to preach the gospel to 

the infidels3 and ,wigbert1 who first   
went into ,friesland upon that errand1  
was thwarted in all his undertakings by 
,radbod1 prince of that country1 and    
returned home without success4 ,st4     
,egbert1 burning with an insatiable zeal
 for the conversion of those souls1     
which he ceased not with many tears to  
commend to ,god1 stirred up others to   
undertake that mission4 ,st4 ,swidbert  
was one of the twelve missionaries1 who1
 having ,st4 ,willibrord at their head1 
sailed into ,friesland1 in #fij1        
according to the direction of ,st4      
,egbert4 ,they landed at the mouth of   
the ,rhine1 as ,alcuin assures us1 and  
travelled as high as ,utrecht1 where    
they began to announce to the people the
 great truths of eternal life4 ,pepin of
 ,herstal1 mayor of the ,french palace1 
had conquered part of ,friesland1       
eighteen months before1 and compelled   
,radbod1 who remained sovereign in the  
northern part1 to pay an annual tribute4
 ,the former was a great protector and  

benefactor to these missionaries1 nor   
did the latter oppose their preaching4  
,st4 ,swidbert labored chiefly in       
,hither ,friesland1 which comprised the 
southern part of ,holland1 the northern 
part of ,brabant1 and the countries of  
,gueldres and ,cleves3 for in the middle
 age1 ,friesland was extended from the  
mouths of the ,meuse and the ,rhine1 as 
far as ,denmark and ancient ,saxony4 ,an
 incredible number of souls was drawn   
out of the sink of idolatry1 and the    
most shameful vices1 by the zeal of ,st4
 ,swidbert4 ,st4 ,willibrord was        
ordained archbishop of ,utrecht by pope 
,sergius ,i41 at ,rome1 in #fif4 ,st4   
,swidbert was pressed by his numerous   
flock of converts1 and by his           
fellow-laborers1 to receive the         
episcopal consecration3 for this purpose
 he returned to ,england soon after the 
year #fig1 where he was consecrated     
regionary bishop to preach the gospel to
 infidels1 without being attached to any
 see1 by ,wilfrid1 bishop of ,york1 who 

happened to be then banished from his   
own see1 and employed in preaching the  
faith in ,mercia4 ,either the see of    
,canterbury was still vacant after the  
death of ,st4 ,theodorus1 or ,brithwald1
 his successor1 was otherwise hindered  
from performing that ceremony1 and ,st4 
,swidbert had probably been formerly    
known personally to ,st4 ,wilfrid1 being
 both from the same kingdom of          
,northumberland4 ,our saint invested    
with that sacred character1 returned to 
his flock1 and settled the churches     
which he had founded in good order3 then
 leaving them to the care of ,st4       
,willibrord and his ten companions1 he  
penetrated further into #did the        
country1 and converted to the faith a   
considerable part of the ,boructuarians1
 who inhabited the countries now called 
the duchy of ,berg1 and the county of   
,la ,marck4 ,his apostolic labors were  
obstructed by an invasion of the        
,saxons1 who1 after horrible            
devastations1 made themselves masters of

 the whole country of the               
,boructuarians4 ,st4 ,swidbert1 being at
 length desirous to prepare himself for 
his last hour1 in retirement1 by fervent
 works of penance1 received of ,pepin of
 ,herstal the gift of a small island1   
formed by different channels of the     
,rhine1 and another river1 called       
,keiserswerdt1 that is1 island of the   
emperor2 werdt1 in the language of that 
country1 signifying an island4 ,here the
 saint built a great monastery1 which   
flourished for many ages1 till it was   
converted into a collegiate church of   
secular canons4 ,a town1 which was      
formed round this monastery1 bore long  
the name of ,st4 ,swidbert's ,isle1 but 
is now called by the old name1          
,keiserswerdt1 and is fortified3 it is  
situated on the ,rhine1 six miles below 
,dusseldorp3 a channel of the ,rhine    
having changed its course1 the place is 
no longer an island4 ,st4 ,swidbert here
 died in peace1 on the #ast of ,march1  
in #gac4 ,his feast was kept with great 

solemnity in ,holland and other parts   
where he had preached4 ,henschenius has 
given us a panegyric on him1 preached on
 this day by ,radbod1 bishop of         
,utrecht1 who died in #iag4 ,his relics 
were found in #afbf at ,keiserswerdt1 in
 a silver shrine1 together with those of
 ,st4 ,willeic1 likewise an ,englishman1
 his successor in the government of this
 abbey2 and are still venerated in the  
same place1 except some small portions  
given to other churches by the          
archbishop of ,cologne4#a ,see ,bede1   
,hist4 l4 #e1 c4 #aj1 #ab1 and the      
historical collection of ,henschenius1  
l4 ,mart4 p4 #hd2 ,fleury1 l4 #dj2      
,batavia ,sacra2 and the ,roman         
,martyrology1 in which his name occurs  
on this day4 ,his successor1 ,st4       
,willeic1 is commemorated on the #b;d of
 ,march1 by ,wilson1 in his ,english    
,martyrology1 in the first edition1 an4 
#afjh1 7though omitted in the second    
edition1 an4 #afbh17 and is mentioned   
among the ,english saints1 by ,f4       

,edward ,maihew1 ,tropea ,congregationis
 ,anglicanae ,bened4 ,rhemis1 #afbe2 and
 ,f4 ,jerom ,porter1 in his ,flores     
,sanctorum ,angliae1 ,scotiae1 et       
,hiberniae4 ,duaci1 #afcb4  ,footnotes3 
#a4  ,the acts of ,st4 ,swidbert1 under 
the name of ,marcellinus1 pretended     
to be ,st4 ,marchelm1 a disciple or     
colleague of the saint1 extant in       
,surius1 are a notorious piece of       
forgery of the fifteenth century4       
,we must not1 with these false acts and 
many others1 confound ,st4     ,swidbert
 of ,keiserswerdt with a younger saint  
of the same name1 also     an           
,englishman1 first bishop of ,verden or 
,ferden1 in ,westphaly1 in     #hjg1 in 
the reign of ,charlemagne2 whose body   
was taken up at ,verden1     together   
with those of seven bishops his         
successors1 in #afcj4 ,st4     ,swidbert
 the younger is mentioned in some       
,martyrologies on the #cjth     of      
,april1 though many moderns have        
confounded him with our saint4          

,another holy man1 called ,swidbert1    
forty years younger than our     saint1 
whom some have also mistaken for the    
same with him1 is     mentioned by      
,bede1 7l4 #d1 c4 #cb7 and was abbot of 
a monastery in     ,cumberland1 upon the
 river ,decors1 which does not appear to
 hive     been standing since the       
,conquest4 ,see ,leland1 ,collect4 t4   
#b1 p4 #aeb1     and ,camden's          
,britannia2 by ,gibson1 col4 #hca4      
,tanner's ,notitia ,mon4     p4 #gc4    
,,st4 ,,albinus1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,angers1
 ,c4  ,,he was of an ancient and noble  
family in ,brittany1#a and from his     
childhood was fervent in every exercise 
of piety4 ,he ardently sighed after the 
happiness which a devout soul finds in  
being perfectly disengaged from all     
earthly things4 ,having embraced the    
monastic state at ,cincillac1 called    
afterwards ,tintillant1 a place         
somewhere near ,angers1 he shone a      
perfect model of virtue1 especially of  
prayer1 watching1 universal             

mortification of the senses1 and        
obedience1 living as if in all things he
 had been without any will of his own1  
and his soul seemed so perfectly        
governed by the ,spirit of ,christ as to
 live only for him4 ,at the age of      
thirty-five years1 he was chosen #die   
abbot1 in #ejd1 and twenty-five years   
afterwards1 bishop of ,angers4 ,he      
everywhere restored discipline1 being   
inflamed with a holy zeal for the honor 
of ,god4 ,his dignity seemed to make no 
alteration either in his mortifications1
 or in the constant recollection of his 
soul4 ,honored by all the world1 even by
 kings1 he was never affected with      
vanity4 ,powerful in works and miracles1
 he looked upon himself as the most     
unworthy and most unprofitable among the
 servants of ,god1 and had no other     
ambition than to appear such in the eyes
 of others1 as he was in those of his   
own humility4 ,by his courage in        
maintaining the law of ,god and the     
canons of the church1 he showed that    

true greatness of soul is founded in the
 most sincere humility4 ,in the third   
council of ,orleans1 in #ech1 he        
procured the thirtieth canon of the     
council of ,epaoue to be revived1 by    
which those are declared excommunicated 
who presume to contract incestuous      
marriages in the first or second degree 
of consanguinity or affinity4 ,he died  
on the #ast of ,march1 in #edi4 ,his    
relics were taken up and enshrined by   
,st4 ,germanus of ,paris1 and a council 
of bishops1 with ,eutropius1 the saint's
 successor1 at ,angers1 in #eef2 and the
 most considerable part still remains in
 the church of the famous abbey of ,st4 
,albinus at ,angers1 built upon the spot
 where he was buried1 by king           
,childebert1 a little before his relics 
were enshrined4 ,many churches in       
,france1 and several monasteries and    
villages1 bear his name4 ,he was honored
 by many miracles1 both in his life-time
 and after his death4 ,several are      
related in his life written by          

,fortunatus1 bishop of ,poitiers1 who   
came to ,angers to celebrate his        
festival seven years after his decease2 
also by ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1 7l4 de 
,glor4 ,confess4 c4 #if47 ,see the      
,notes of ,henschenius on his life4     
,footnotes3 #a4  ,it is proved by       
,leland in his ,itinerary1 published by 
,hearne1 7t4 #c1     p4 #d17 that the   
ancestors of ,st4 ,albinus of ,angers   
came from ,great     ,britain1 and that 
two branches of his family flourished   
long after1     one in ,cornwall1 the   
other in ,somersetshire4  ,,st4 ,,monan1
 ,,in ,,scotland1 ,m4  ,,st4 ,,adrian1  
bishop of ,st4 ,andrews1 trained up this
 holy man from his childhood1 and when  
he had ordained him priest1 and long    
employed him in the service of his own  
church1 sent him to preach the gospel in
 the isle of ,may1 lying to the bay of  
,forth4 ,the saint exterminated         
superstition and many other crimes and  
abuses1 and having settled the churches 
of that island in good order1 passed    

into the county of ,fife1 and was there 
martyred2 being slain with above #fjjj  
other ,christians1 by an army of        
infidels who ravaged that country in    
#hgd4 ,his relics were held in great    
veneration at ,innerny1 in ,fifeshire1  
the place of his martyrdom1 and were    
famous for miracles4 ,king ,david ,,ii4 
having himself experienced the effect of
 his powerful intercession with ,god1   
rebuilt his church at ,innerny of stone1
 to a stately manner1 and founded a     
college of canons to serve it4 ,see     
,king's calendar1 and the manuscript    
life of this martyr in the ,scottish    
college at ,paris and the ,breviary of  
,aberdeen4  #dif   ,,march ,,ii4        
,,martyrs ,,under ,,the ,,lombards4     
,from ,st4 ,gregory1 ,dial4 l4 #c1 c4   
#bf1 #bg4 t4 #b1 p4 #ccg4  ,,sixth      
,,age4  ,,the ,lombards1 a barbarous    
idolatrous nation which swarmed out of  
,scandinavia and ,pomerania1 settled    
first in the counties now called        
,austria and ,bavaria2 and a few years  

after1 about the middle of the sixth    
century1 broke into the north of ,italy4
 ,in their ravages about the year #eig1 
they attempted to compel forty          
husbandmen1 whom they had made captives1
 to eat meats which had been offered to 
idols4 ,the faithful servants of ,christ
 constantly refusing to comply1 were all
 massacred4 ,such meats might1 in some  
circumstances1 have been eaten without  
sin1 but not when this was exacted out  
of a motive of superstition4 ,the same  
barbarians endeavored to oblige another 
company of captives to adore the head of
 a goat1 which was their favorite idol1 
and about which they walked1 singing1   
and bending their knees before it2 but  
the ,christians chose rather to die than
 purchase their lives by offending ,god4
 ,they are said to have been about four 
hundred in number4 ,st4 ,gregory the    
,great mentions1 that these poor        
countrymen had prepared themselves for  
the glorious crown of martyrdom1 by     
lives employed in the exercises of      

devotion and voluntary penance1 and by  
patience in bearing afflictions2 also1  
that they had the heroic courage to     
suffer joyfully the most cruel torments 
and death1 rather than offend ,god by   
sin1 because his love reigned in their  
hearts4 ,true love1 says ,st4 ,peter    
,chrysologus1#a makes a soul courageous 
and undaunted2 it even finds nothing    
hard1 nothing bitter1 nothing grievous2 
it braves dangers1 smiles at death1     
conquers all things4 ,if we ask our own 
hearts1 if we examine our lives by this 
test1 whether we have yet begun to love 
,god1 we shall have reason to be        
confounded1 and to tremble at our       
remissness and sloth4 ,we suffer much   
for the world1 and we count labor light1
 that we may attain to the gratification
 of our avarice1 ambition1 or other     
passion in its service1 yet we have not 
fervor to undertake any thing to save   
our souls1 or to crucify our passions4  
,here penance1 watchfulness over        
ourselves1 or the least restraint1 seems

 intolerable4 ,let us begin sincerely to
 study to die to ourselves1 to disengage
 our hearts from all inordinate love of 
creatures1 to raise ourselves above the 
slavery of the senses1 above the        
appetites of the flesh and all temporal 
interest2 and in order to excite        
ourselves to love ,god with fervor1 let 
us seriously consider what ,god1        
infinite in goodness and in all         
perfections1 and whose love for us is   
eternal and immense1 deserves at our    
hands2 what the joys of heaven are1 how 
much we ought to do for such a bliss1   
and what ,christ has done to purchase it
 for us1 and to testify the excess of   
his love2 also what the martyrs have    
suffered for his sake1 and to attain to 
the happiness of reigning eternally with
 him4 ,let us animate ourselves with    
their fervor3 ,let us love ,christ as   
they did1 said ,st4 ,jerom to the virgin
 ,eustochium1 and every thing that now  
appears difficult1 will become easy to  
us4 ,to find this #dig hidden treasure  

of divine love we must seek it          
earnestly2 we must sell all things1 that
 is1 renounce in spirit all earthly     
objects2 we must dig a deep foundation  
of sincere humility in the very centre  
of our nothingness1 and must without    
ceasing beg this most precious of all   
gifts1 crying out to ,god in the        
vehement desire of our hearts4 ,lord1   
when shall ,i love thee6  ,footnotes3   
#a4  ,st4 ,peter ,chrysol4 ,serm4 #d4   
,,st4 ,,ceada ,,or ,,chad1 ,b4,c4  ,,he 
was brother to ,st4 ,cedd1 bishop of    
,london1 and the two holy priests ,celin
 and ,cymbel1 and had his education in  
the monastery of ,lindisfarne1 under    
,st4 ,aidan4 ,for his greater           
improvement in sacred letters and divine
 contemplation he passed into ,ireland1 
and spent a considerable time in the    
company of ,st4 ,egbert1 till he was    
called back by his brother ,st4 ,cedd to
 assist him in settling the monastery of
 ,lestingay1 which he had founded in the
 mountains of the ,deiri1 that is1 the  

,woulds of ,yorkshire4 ,st4 ,cedd being 
made bishop of ,london1 or of the ,east 
,saxons1 left to him the entire         
government of this house4 ,oswi having  
yielded up ,bernicia1 or the northern   
part of his kingdom1 to his son         
,alcfrid1 this prince sent ,st4 ,wilfrid
 into ,france1 that he might be         
consecrated to the bishopric of the     
,northumbrian kingdom1 or of ,york2 but 
he stayed so long abroad that ,oswi     
himself nominated ,st4 ,chad to that    
dignity1 who was ordained by ,wini1     
bishop of ,winchester1 assisted by two  
,british prelates1 in #fff4 ,bede       
assures us that he zealously devoted    
himself to all the laborious functions  
of his charge1 visiting his diocese on  
foot1 preaching the gospel1 and seeking 
out the poorest and most abandoned      
persons to instruct and comfort1 in the 
meanest cottages1 and in the fields4    
,when ,st4 ,theodorus1 archbishop of    
,canterbury1 arrived in ,england1 in his
 general visitation of all the ,english 

churches1 he adjudged the see of ,york  
to ,st4 ,wilfrid4 ,st4 ,chad made him   
this answer3 ,if you judge that ,i have 
not duly received the episcopal         
ordination1 ,i willingly resign this    
charge1 having never thought myself     
worthy of it3 but which1 however        
unworthy1 ,i submitted to undertake in  
obedience4 ,the archbishop was charmed  
with his candor and humility1 would not 
admit his abdication1 but supplied      
certain rites which he judged defective 
in his ordination3 and ,st4 ,chad1      
leaving the see of ,york1 retired to his
 monastery of ,lestingay1 but was not   
suffered to bury himself long in that   
solitude4 ,jaruman1 bishop of the       
,mercians1 dying1 ,st4 ,chad was called 
upon to take upon him the charge of that
 most extensive diocese4#a ,he was the  
fifth bishop of the ,mercians1 and first
 fixed that see at ,litchfield1 so      
called from a great number of martyrs   
slain and buried there under ,maximianus
 ,herculeus2 the name signifying the    

field of carcasses4 ,hence this city    
bears for its arms a landscape1 covered 
with the bodies of martyrs4 ,st4        
,theodorus considering ,st4 ,chad's old 
age1 and the great extent of his        
diocese1 absolutely forbade him to make 
his visitations on foot1 as he used to  
do at ,york4 ,when the laborious duties 
of his charge allowed him to retire1 he 
enjoyed ,god in solitude with seven or  
eight monks1 whom he had settled in a   
place near his cathedral4 ,here he      
gained new strength and fresh graces for
 the discharge of his functions2 he was 
so strongly affected with the fear of   
the divine judgments1 that as often as  
it thundered he went to the church and  
prayed prostrate all the time the storm 
continued1 in remembrance of the        
dreadful day in which ,christ will come 
to judge the world4 ,by the bounty of   
king ,wulfere1 he founded a monastery at
 a place called ,barrow1 in the province
 #dih of ,lindsay1 7in the northern part
 of ,lincolnshire17 where the footsteps 

of the regular life begun by him        
remained to the time of ,bede4 ,carte   
conjectures that the foundation of the  
great monastery of ,bardney1 in the same
 province1 was begun by him4 ,st4 ,chad 
governed his diocese of ,litchfield1 two
 years and a half1 and died in the great
 pestilence on the #b;d of ,march1 in   
#fgc4 ,bede gives the following relation
 of his passage4 ,among the eight monks 
whom he kept with him at ,litchfield1   
was one ,owini1 who came with queen     
,ethelred1 commonly called ,st4 ,audry1 
from the province of the ,east ,angles1 
and was her major-domo1 and the first   
officer of her court1 till quitting the 
world1 clad in a mean garment1 and      
carrying an axe and a hatchet in his    
hand1 he went to the monastery of       
,lestingay1 signifying that he came to  
work1 and not to be idle2 which he made 
good by his behavior in the monastic    
state4 ,this monk declared1 that he one 
day heard a joyful melody of some       
persons sweetly singing1 which descended

 from heaven into the bishop's oratory1 
filled the same for about half an hour1 
then mounted again to heaven4 ,after    
this1 the bishop opening his window1 and
 seeing him at his work1 bade him call  
the other seven brethren4 ,when the     
eight monks were entered his oratory1 he
 exhorted them to preserve peace and    
religiously observe the rules of regular
 discipline2 adding1 that the amiable   
guest who was wont to visit their       
brethren1 had vouchsafed to come to him 
that day1 and to call him out of this   
world4 ,wherefore he earnestly          
recommended his passage to their        
prayers1 and pressed them to prepare for
 their own1 the hour of which is        
uncertain1 by watching1 prayer1 and good
 works4 ,the bishop fell presently into 
a languishing distemper1 which daily    
increased1 till1 on the seventh day1    
having received the body and blood of   
our ,lord1 he departed to bliss1 to     
which he was invited by the happy soul  
of his brother ,st4 ,cedd1 and a company

 of angels with heavenly music4 ,he was 
buried in the church of ,st4 ,mary1 in  
,litchfield2 but his body was soon after
 removed to that of ,st4 ,peter1 in both
 places honored by miraculous cures1 as 
,bede mentions4 ,his relics were        
afterwards translated into the great    
church which was built in #aadh1 under  
the invocation of the ,b4 ,virgin and   
,st4 ,chad1 which is now the cathedral1 
and they remained them till the change  
of religion4 ,see ,bede1 l4 #c1 c4 #bh1 
l4 #d1 c4 #b and #c4  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,the first bishop of the ,mercians was  
,diuma1 a ,scot2 the second1            
,keollach1 of the same nation3 the      
third1 ,trumhere1 who had been     abbot
 of ,gethling in the kingdom of the     
,northumbrians3 the fourth              
,jaruruan4  ,,st4 ,,simplicius1 ,,pope1 
,c4  ,,he was the ornament of the ,roman
 clergy under ,,ss4 ,leo and ,hilarius1 
and succeeded the latter in the         
pontificate in #dig4 ,he was raised by  
,god to comfort and support his church  

amidst the greatest storms4 ,all the    
provinces of the ,western empire1 out of
 ,italy1 were fallen into the hands of  
barbarians1 infected for the greatest   
part with idolatry or ,arianism4 ,the   
ten last emperors1 during twenty years1 
were rather shadows of power than       
sovereigns1 and in the eighth year of   
the pontificate of ,simplicius1 ,rome   
itself fell a prey to foreigners4       
,salvian1 a learned priest of           
,marseilles in #ddj1 wrote an elegant   
book ,on ,divine ,providence1 in which  
he shows that these calamities were a   
just chastisement of the sins of the    
,christians2 saying1 that if the ,goths 
were perfidious1 and the ,saxons cruel1 
they were however both remarkable for   
their chastity2 as the ,franks were for 
humanity1 though addicted to lying3 and 
that though these barbarians were       
impious1 they had not so perfect a      
knowledge of sin1 nor consequently were 
so criminal as those whom ,god chastised
 by them4 ,the disorders of the ,roman  

state paved the way for this revolution4
 ,excessive taxes were levied in the    
most arbitrary ways4 ,the governors     
oppressed the people at discretion1 and 
many were obliged to take shelter among 
the barbarians3 for the ,bagaude1 #dii  
,franks1 ,huns1 ,vandals1 and ,goths    
raised no taxes upon their subjects3 on 
which account nations once conquered by 
them were afraid of falling again under 
the ,roman yoke1 preferring what was    
called slavery1 to the empty name of    
liberty4 ,italy1 by oppressions and the 
ravages of barbarians1 was left almost a
 desert without inhabitants2 and the    
imperial armies consisted chiefly of    
barbarians1 hired under the name of     
auxiliaries1 as the ,suevi1 ,alans1     
,heruli1 ,goths1 and others4 ,those soon
 saw their masters were in their power4 
,the ,heruli demanded one third of the  
lands of ,italy1 and1 upon refusal1     
chose for their leader ,odoacer1 one of 
the lowest extraction1 but a tall1      
resolute1 and intrepid man1 then an     

officer in the guards1 and an ,arian    
heretic1 who was proclaimed king at     
,rome in #dgf4 ,he put to death         
,orestes1 who was regent of the empire  
for his son ,augustulus1 whom the senate
 had advanced to the imperial throne4   
,the young prince had only reigned eight
 months1 and his great beauty is the    
only thing mentioned of him4 ,odoacer   
spared his life1 and appointed him a    
salary of six thousand pounds of gold1  
and permitted him to live at full       
liberty near ,naples4 ,pope ,simplicius 
was wholly taken up in comforting and   
relieving the afflicted1 and in sowing  
the seeds of the ,catholic faith among  
the barbarians4 ,the ,east gave his zeal
 no less employment and concern4 ,zeno1 
son and successor to ,leo the ,thracian1
 favored the ,eutychians4 ,basiliscus   
his admiral1 who1 on expelling him1     
usurped the imperial throne in #dgf1 and
 held it two years1 was a most furious  
stickler for that heresy4 ,zeno was no  
,catholic1 though not a stanch          

,eutychian3 and having recovered the    
empire1 published1 in #dhb1 his famous  
decree of union1 called the ,henoticon1 
which explained the faith ambiguously1  
neither admitting nor condemning the    
council of ,chalcedon4 ,peter ,cnapheus1
 7that is1 the ,dyer17 a violent        
,eutychian1 was made by the heretics    
patriarch of ,antioch2 and ,peter       
,mongus1 one of the most profligate of  
men1 that of ,alexandria4 ,this latter  
published the ,henoticon1 but expressly 
refused to anathematize the council of  
,chalcedon2 on which account the rigid  
,eutychians separated themselves from   
his communion1 and were called          
,acephali1 or1 without a head4 ,acacias1
 the patriarch of ,constantinople1      
received the sentence of ,st4           
,simplicius against ,cnapheus1 but      
supported ,mongus against him and the   
,catholic church1 promoted the          
,henoticon1 and was a notorious         
changeling1 double-dealer1 and artful   
hypocrite1 who often made religion serve

 his own private ends4 ,st4 ,simplicius 
at length discovered his artifices1 and 
redoubled his zeal to maintain the holy 
faith which he saw betrayed on every    
side1 while the patriarchal sees of     
,alexandria and ,antioch were occupied  
by furious wolves1 and there was not one
 ,catholic king in the whole world4 ,the
 emperor measured every thing by his    
passions and human views4 ,st4          
,simplicius having sat fifteen years1   
eleven months1 and six days1 went to    
receive the reward of his labors1 in    
#dhc4 ,he was buried in ,st4 ,peter's on
 the #b;d of ,march4 ,see his letters3  
also the historians ,evagrius1          
,theophanes1 ,liberatus1 and amongst the
 moderns1 ,baronius1 ,henschenius1      
,ceillier1 t4 #ae1 p4 #abc4  ,,st4      
,,marnan1 ,b4,c4  ,to his holy prayers  
,aidan1 king of the ,scots1 ascribed a  
wonderful victory which he gained over  
,ethelfrid1 the pagan king of the       
,northumbrian ,english2 and by his      
councils ,eugenius ,,iv41 who succeeded 

his father ,aidan in the kingdom soon   
after this battle1 treated all the      
prisoners with the utmost humanity and  
generosity1 by which they were gained to
 the ,christian faith4 ,the             
,northumbrian princes1 ,oswald and      
,oswi1 were instructed in our holy      
religion1 and grounded in its spirit by 
,st4 ,marnan1 #ejj who died in          
,annandale in the year #fbj4 ,his head  
was kept with singular devotion at      
,moravia1 and was carried in processions
 attended by the whole clan of the      
,innis's1 which from the earliest times 
was much devoted to this saint4 ,see the
 ,breviary of ,aberdeen1 ,buchanan1 l4  
#e1 in ,aidano et ,eugenio ,regibus1 and
 ,,ms4 ,memoirs in the ,scottish college
 at ,paris4 ,st4 ,marnan is titular     
saint of the church of ,aberkerdure upon
 the river ,duvern1 formerly much       
frequented out of devotion to his relics
 kept there4  ,,st4 ,,charles ,,the     
,,good1 ,,earl ,,of ,,flanders1 ,m4     
,,he was the son of ,st4 ,canutus1 king 

of ,denmark1 and of ,alice of ,flanders1
 who1 after the death of his father1    
carried him1 then an infant1 into       
,flanders1 in #ajhf4 ,his cousin-german 
,baldwin the ,seventh1 earl of          
,flanders1 dying without issue in #aaai1
 left him his heir by will1 on account  
of his extraordinary valor and merit4   
,the young earl was a perfect model of  
all virtues1 especially devotion1       
charity1 and humility4 ,among his       
friends and courtiers1 he loved those   
best who admonished him of his faults   
the most freely4 ,he frequently         
exhausted his treasury on the poor1 and 
often gave the clothes off his back to  
be sold for their relief4 ,he served    
them with his own hands1 and distributed
 clothes and bread to them in all places
 where he came4 ,it was observed that in
 ,ipres he gave away1 in one day1 no    
less than seven thousand eight hundred  
loaves4 ,he took care for their sake to 
keep the price of corn and provisions   
always low1 and he made wholesome laws  

to protect them from the oppressions of 
the great4 ,this exasperated ,bertulf1  
who had tyrannically usurped the        
provostship of ,st4 ,donatian's in      
,bruges1 to which dignity was annexed   
the chancellorship of ,flanders1 and his
 wicked relations1 the great oppressors 
of their country4 ,in this horrible     
conspiracy they were joined by          
,erembald1 castellan or chief magistrate
 of the territory of ,bruges1 with his  
five sons1 provoked against their       
sovereign because he had repressed their
 unjust violences against the noble     
family ,de ,straten4 ,the holy earl went
 every morning barefoot to perform his  
devotions early before the altar of the 
,blessed ,virgin in ,st4 ,donatian's    
church4 ,going thither one day1 he was  
informed of a conspiracy1 but answered2 
,we are always surrounded by dangers1   
but we belong to ,god4 ,if it be his    
will1 can we die in a better cause than 
that of justice and truth8 ,while he was
 reciting the penitential psalms before 

the altar1 the conspirators rushing in1 
his head was cloven by ,fromold         
,borchard1 nephew to ,bertulf1 in #aabd4
 ,he was buried in ,st4 ,christopher's  
church at ,bruges1 not in that of ,st4  
,donatian1 as ,pantoppidan proves4      
,borchard was broke alive on the wheel1 
and ,bertulf was hung on a rack at      
,ipres1 and exposed on it to be torn by 
furious dogs1 and at length was stoned  
to death by beggars while he remained on
 that engine4 ,st4 ,charles's shrine was
 placed by an order of ,charles ,philip 
,rodoan1 fourth bishop of ,bruges1 in   
#afjf1 in the chapel of the blessed     
,virgin1 and ever since the year #afaj a
 high mass in honor of the ,trinity is  
sung on his festival4 ,see the life of  
this good earl by ,walter1 archdeacon of
 ,terouenne1 and more fully by          
,gualbert1 syndic of ,bruges1 and by    
,a,elnoth a monk of ,canterbury and     
,danish missionary at that time4 ,see   
also ,molanus and ,miraeus in their     
martyrologies2 ,henschenius1 p4 #aeh2   

,robertus de ,monte a ,append1 ad4      
,chronicon ,sigeberti ad an4 #aabg2     
,jac4 ,maierus1 ,annal4 ,flandriae1 l4  
#d1 pp4 #de1 #df4 ,likewise ,ericus     
,pantoppidanus in his ,gesta ,danorum   
extra ,daniam4 ,hafniae1 #agdj t4 #b1   
sec4 #a1 c4 #e1 sec4 #cb1 p4 #cih4  #eja
  ,,st4 ,,joavan1 ,,or ,,joevin1 ,b4,c4 
,this saint was a fervent disciple of   
,st4 ,paul of ,leon1 in ,great ,britain1
 his own country1 accompanied him into  
,armorica1 led an anchoretical life near
 him in the country of ,ack1 and        
afterwards in the isle of ,baz4 ,that   
great saint chose him coadjutor in his  
bishopric1 when he retired a little     
before his death4 ,st4 ,joavan survived 
him only one year4 ,he is titular saint 
of two parish churches in the diocese of
 ,st4 ,paul of ,leon1 c4 ,see ,lobineau1
 ,vies des ,saints de la ,bretagne1 p4  
#ga1 from the breviary and tradition of 
that church1 though the life of ,st4    
,jovian1 copied by ,albert the ,great4  
c41 deserves no regard4  ,,march ,,iii4 

,,st4 ,,cunegundes1 ,,empress4  ,from   
her life written by a canon of ,bamberg1
 about the year #aaeb3 also the         
,dissertation of ,henschenius1 p4 #bfg4 
,a4,d4 #ajdj4  ,,st4 ,,cunegundes was   
the daughter of ,sigefride1 the first   
count of ,luxemburgh1 and ,hadeswige his
 pious wife4 ,they instilled into her   
from her cradle the most tender         
sentiments of piety1 and married her to 
,st4 ,henry1 duke of ,bavaria1 who1 upon
 the death of the emperor ,otho ,,iii41 
was chosen king of the ,romans1 and     
crowned at ,mentz on the #fth of ,june1 
#ajjb4 ,she was crowned at ,paderborn on
 ,st4 ,laurence's day1 on which occasion
 she made great presents to the churches
 of that city4 ,in the year #ajad she   
went with her husband to ,rome1 and     
received the imperial crown with him    
from the hands of ,pope ,benedict       
,,viii4 ,she had1 by ,st4 ,henry's      
consent before her marriage1 made a vow 
of virginity4 ,calumniators afterwards  
accused her to him of freedoms with     

other men4 ,the holy empress1 to remove 
the scandal of such a slander1 trusting 
in ,god the protector of innocence1 in  
proof of hers1 walked over red-hot      
ploughshares without being hurt4 ,the   
emperor condemned his too scrupulous    
fears and credulity1 and made her ample 
amends4 ,they lived from that time in   
the strictest union of hearts conspiring
 to promote in every thing ,god's honor1
 and the advancement of piety4  ,going  
once to make a retreat in ,hesse1 she   
fell dangerously ill1 and made a vow to 
found a monastery1 if she recovered1 in 
a place then called ,capungen1 now      
,kaffungen1 near ,cassel1 in the diocese
 of ,paderborn1 which she executed in a 
stately manner1 and gave it to nuns of  
the ,order of ,st4 ,benedict4 ,before it
 was finished ,st4 ,henry died1 in      
#ajbd4 ,she earnestly recommended his   
soul to the prayers of others1          
especially to her dear nuns1 and        
expressed her longing desire of joining 
them4 ,she had already exhausted her    

treasures and her patrimony in founding 
bishoprics and monasteries1 and in      
relieving the poor4 ,whatever was rich  
or magnificent she thought better suited
 churches than her palace4 ,she had     
therefore little now left to give4 #ejb 
,but still thirsting to embrace perfect 
evangelical poverty1 and to renounce all
 to serve ,god without obstacle1 on the 
anniversary day of her busband's death1 
#ajbe1 she assembled a great number of  
prelates to the dedication of her church
 of ,kaffungen2 and after the gospel was
 sung at mass1 offered on the altar a   
piece of the true cross1 and then put   
off her imperial robes1 and clothed     
herself with a poor habit3 her hair was 
cut off1 and the bishop put on her a    
veil1 and a ring as the pledge of her   
fidelity to her heavenly spouse4 ,after 
she was consecrated to ,god in religion1
 she seemed entirely to forget that she 
had been empress1 and behaved as the    
last in the house1 being persuaded that 
she was so before ,god4 ,she feared     

nothing more than what ever could bring 
to her mind the remembrance of her      
former dignity4 ,she prayed and read    
much1 worked with her hands1 abhorred   
the least appearance of worldly nicety1 
and took a singular pleasure in visiting
 and comforting the sick4 ,thus she     
passed the fifteen last years of her    
life1 never suffering the least         
preference to be given her above anyone 
in the community4 ,her mortifications at
 length reduced her to a very weak      
condition1 and brought on her last      
sickness4 ,her monastery and the whole  
city of ,cassel were grievously         
afflicted at the thought of their       
approaching loss2 she alone appeared    
without concern1 lying on a coarse      
hair-cloth1 ready to give up the ghost1 
while the prayers of the agonizing were 
read by her side4 ,perceiving they were 
preparing a cloth fringed with gold to  
cover her corpse after her death1 she   
changed color and ordered it to be taken
 away2 nor could she be at rest till she

 was promised she should be buried as a 
poor religious in her habit4 ,she died  
on the #c;d of ,march1 #ajdj4 ,her body 
was carried to ,bamberg1 and buried near
 that of her husband4 ,the greatest part
 of her relics still remains in the same
 church4 ,she was solemnly canonized by 
,innocent ,,iii4 in #abjj4 ,the author  
of her life relates many miracles       
wrought at the tomb1 or by the          
intercession of this holy virgin and    
widow4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,few arrive at any degree  
of perfection amongst those who aspire  
after virtue1 because many behave as if 
they placed it barely in multiplying    
exercises of piety and good works4 ,this
 costs little to self-love1 which it    
rather feeds by entertaining a secret   
vanity1 or self-complacency1 in those   
who are not very careful in watching    
over their hearts4 ,it is a common thing
 to see persons who have passed forty or
 fifty years in the constant practice of
 penance and all religious exercises1   

and the use of the most holy sacraments1
 still subject to habitual              
imperfections1 and venial disorders1    
incompatible with a state of sanctity or
 perfection4 ,they give marks of sudden 
resentment1 if they happen to be rebuked
 or despised3 are greedy of the esteem  
of others1 take a secret satisfaction in
 applause1 love too much their own ease 
and conveniences1 and seek those things 
which flatter self-love4 ,how much are  
these souls their own enemies by not    
giving themselves to ,god without       
reserve1 and taking a firm resolution to
 labor diligently in watching over      
themselves1 and cutting off all         
irregular attachments1 and purifying    
their hearts6 ,the neglect of this      
fosters many habitual little disorders  
and venial sins1 which incredibly       
obstruct the work of our sanctification1
 and the advancement of the kingdom of  
divine grace in our souls4 ,these little
 enemies wilfully caressed1 weaken our  
good desires1 defile even our spiritual 

actions with a thousand imperfections1  
and stop the abundant effusion with     
which the ,holy ,ghost is infinitely    
desirous to communicate himself to our  
souls1 and to fill them with his light1 
grace1 peace1 and holy joy4 ,the saints1
 by the victory over themselves1 and by 
making it their principal study to live 
in the most perfect disengagement and   
purity of heart1 offered to ,god1 even  
in their smallest actions1 pure and full
 sacrifices of love1 praise1 and        
obedience4 ,if we desire to cultivate   
this purity of heart1 we #ejc must      
carefully endeavor to discover the      
imperfections and disorders of their    
souls1 especially such as are habitual1 
and strenuously labor to root them out4 
,secondly1 we must keep our senses under
 a strict guard1 and accustom them to   
restraint by frequent denials4 ,thirdly1
 we must live as much as may be in a    
habit of recollection1 and the practice 
of the divine presence1 and1 after any  
dissipating affairs1 return eagerly to  

close retirement for some short time4   
,fourthly1 we must1 with perfect        
simplicity1 lay open our whole interior 
to our spiritual director1 and be most  
solicitous to do this1 with particular  
candor and courage1 in things in which  
we are tempted to use any kind of       
duplicity or dissimulation4 ,lastly1 we 
must propose to ourselves1 in all our   
thoughts and actions1 the most perfect  
accomplishment of the will of ,god1 and 
study to square our whole lives by this 
great rule1 watching in all we do with  
particular care against motives of      
vanity1 pride1 sensuality1 interest1 and
 aversions1 the great enemies to purity 
of intention4  ,,ss4 ,,marinus ,,and    
,,asterius1 ,,or ,,astyrius1 #aaca4     
,,st4 ,,marinus was a person remarkable 
both for his wealth and family at       
,caesarea in ,palestine1 about the year 
#bgb1 and was in course to succeed to   
the place of a centurion1 which was     
vacant1 and about to obtain it2 when    
another came up and said1 that according

 to the laws ,marinus could not have    
that post1 on account of his being a    
,christian4 ,achaeus1 the governor of   
,palestine1 asked ,marinus if he was a  
,christian2 who answered in the         
affirmative3 whereupon the judge gave   
him three hours space to consider       
whether he would abide by his answer1 or
 recall it4 ,theotecnus1 the bishop of  
that city1 being informed of the affair1
 came to him1 when withdrawn from the   
tribunal1 and taking him by the hand led
 him to the church4 ,here1 pointing to  
the sword which he wore1 and then to a  
book of the gospels1 asked him which of 
the two he made his option4 ,marinus1 in
 answer to the query1 without the least 
hesitation1 stretched out his right     
hand1 and laid hold of the sacred book4 
,adhere steadfastly then to ,god1 says  
the bishop1 and he will strengthen you1 
and you shall obtain what you have      
chosen4 ,depart in peace4 ,being        
summoned again before the judge1 he     
professed his faith with greater        

resolution and alacrity than before1 and
 was immediately led away just as he    
was1 and beheaded4 ,st4 ,asterius1 or   
,astyrius1 a ,roman senator1 in great   
favor with the emperor1 and well known  
to all on account of his high birth and 
great estate1 being present at the      
martyrdom of ,st4 ,marinus1 though he   
was richly dressed1 took away the dead  
body on his shoulders1 and having       
sumptuously adorned it1 gave it a decent
 burial4 ,thus far the acts in ,ruinart4
 ,rufinus adds1 that he was beheaded for
 this action4 ,see ,eus4 ,hist4 l4 #g1  
c4 #ae1 #af1 #ag4  ,,ss4 ,,emeterius1   
c41 ,,mm4  ,,commonly ,,called ,,madir1 
,,and ,,chelidonius  ,,they were        
soldiers of distinguished merit in the  
,roman army in ,spain1 and suffered     
martyrdom at ,calahorra1 but it is not  
known in what persecution4 ,their       
courage and cheerfulness seemed to      
increase with their sharpest torments1  
and to them fires and swords seemed     
sweet and agreeable4 ,prudemius says1   

that the persecutors burned the acts of 
their martyrdom1 envying us the history 
of so glorious a triumph4 ,he adds1 that
 their festival was kept in ,spain with 
great devotion by all ranks of people2  
that strangers #ejd came in devout      
pilgrimages to visit their relics1      
praying to these patrons of the world2  
and that none poured forth their pure   
prayers to them who were not heard and  
their tears dried up3 ,for1 says he1    
they immediately hear every petition1   
and carry it to the ear of the eternal  
king4 ,see ,prudentius1 de ,coro1 hymn  
#a4  ,,st4 ,,winwaloe1 ,,of ,,winwaloc1 
,,abbot4  ,,fragan or ,fracan1 father of
 this saint1 was nearly related to      
,cathoun1 one of the kings or princes of
 ,wales1 and had by his wife ,gwen three
 sons1 ,guethenoc1 ,jacut1 and          
,winwaloe1 whom they bound themselves by
 vow to consecrate to ,god from his     
birth1 because he was their third son4  
,the invasions of the ,saxons1 and the  
storms which soon after overwhelmed his 

own country1 obliged him to seek a      
harbor in which he might serve ,god in  
peace4 ,riwal had retired a little      
before1 with many others1 from ,wales   
into ,armorica1 and had been there      
kindly received2 several ,britons1 who  
had followed the tyrant ,maximus1 having
 settled in that country long before4   
,fragan therefore transported his whole 
family1 about the middle of the fifth   
century1 and fixed his habitation at a  
place called from him to this day1      
,ploufragan1 situated on the river      
,gouct1 which ancient ,british and      
,gaulish word signifies blood4 ,all     
accounts of our saint agree that his two
 elder brothers were born in ,great     
,britain1 but some place the birth of   
,st4 ,winwaloe1 and of his sister       
,creirvie1 much younger than him1 in    
,armorica4 ,the pious parents brought up
 their children in the fear of ,god1 but
 out of fondness delayed to place       
,winwaloe in a monastery1 till he was   
now grown up4 ,at length1 touched by    

,god1 the father conducted him to the   
monastery of ,st4 ,budoc1 in the isle of
 ,laurels1#a now called ,isleverte1 or  
,green ,island1 not far from the isle of
 ,brehat4 ,st4 ,budoc was an abbot in   
,great ,britain1 eminent for piety and  
learning1 and flying from the swords of 
the ,saxons1 took refuge among his      
countrymen in ,armorica1 and in this    
little island assembled several monks1  
and opened a famous school for youth4   
,under his discipline ,winwaloe made    
such progress1 that the holy abbot      
appointed him superior over eleven      
monks1 whom he sent to lay the          
foundation of a new monastery4 ,they    
travelled through ,domnonea1 or the     
northern coast of ,brittany1 and finding
 a desert island near the mouth of the  
river ,aven1 now called ,chateaulin1    
they built themselves several little    
huts or cells4 ,from these holy         
inhabitants the name of ,tibidy1 that   
is1 ,house of ,prayers1 was given to    
that island1 which it still retains4    

,this place is exposed to so violent    
winds and storms1 that after three years
 ,st4 ,winwaloe and his community       
abandoned it1 and built themselves a    
monastery on the continent1 in a valley 
sheltered from the winds1 called        
,landevenech1 three leagues from ,brest1
 on the opposite side of the bay4       
,grallo1 count of ,cornouailles1 in     
which province this abbey is situated1  
in the diocese of ,quimper-,corentin1   
gave the lands1 and was at the expense  
of the foundation of this famous        
monastery4 ,st4 ,winwaloe1 from the time
 he left his father's house1 never wore 
any other garments but what were made of
 the skins of goats1 and under these a  
hair shirt2 day and night1 winter and   
summer1 his clothing was the same4 ,in  
his monastery neither wheat-bread nor   
wine was used1 but for the holy         
sacrifice of the mass4 ,no other drink  
was allowed to the community but water1 
which was sometimes boiled with a small 
decoction of certain wild herbs4 ,the   

monks ate only coarse barley-bread1     
boiled herbs and roots1 or barley-meal  
and herbs mixed1 except on ,saturdays   
and ,sundays1 on which #eje they were   
allowed cheese and shellfish1 but of    
these the saint never tasted himself4   
,his coarse barley-bread he always      
mingled with ashes1 and their quantity  
he doubled in ,lent1 though even then it
 must have been very small1 only to     
serve for mortification1 and an emblem  
of penance4 ,in ,lent he took his       
refreshment only twice a week2 his bed  
was composed of the rough bark of trees 
or of sand1 with a stone for his pillow4
 ,from the relaxation in the rule of    
abstinence on ,saturdays1 it is evident 
that this monastic rule1 which was the  
same in substance with that received in 
other ,british1 ,scottish2 and ,irish   
monasteries1 was chiefly borrowed from  
,oriental rules1 ,saturday being a      
fast-day according to the discipline of 
the ,roman church4 ,this rule was       
observed at ,landevenech1 till ,louis le

 ,debonnaire1 for the sake of           
uniformity1 caused that of ,st4         
,benedict to be introduced there in     
#hah4 ,this house was adopted into the  
congregation of ,st4 ,maur1 in #afcf4   
,st4 ,winwaloe was sensible that the    
spirit of prayer is the soul of a       
religious state1 and the comfort and    
support of all those who are engaged in 
it3 as to himself1 his prayer1 either   
mental or vocal1 was almost continual1  
and so fervent1 that he seemed to forget
 that he lived in a mortal body4 ,from  
twenty years of age1 till his death he  
never sat in the church1 but always     
prayed either kneeling or standing      
unmoved1 in the same posture1 with his  
hands lifted up to heaven1 and his whole
 exterior bespoke the profound          
veneration with which he was penetrated4
 ,he died on the #c;d of ,march1 about  
the year #ebi1 in a very advanced age4  
,his body was buried in his own church1 
which he had built of wood1 on the spot 
upon which the abbatial house now       

stands4 ,these relics were translated   
into the new church when it was built1  
but during the ravages of the ,normans  
they were removed to several places in  
,france1 and at length into ,flanders4  
,at present the chief portions are      
preserved at ,saint ,peter's1 at        
,blaudinberg1 at ,ghent1 and at         
,montreuil in ,lower ,picardy1 of which 
he is titular patron4 ,in ,picardy1 he  
is commonly called ,st4 ,vignevaley1 and
 more commonly ,walovay2 in ,brittany1  
,guignole1 or more frequently ,vennole2 
in other parts of ,france1 ,guingalois2 
in ,england1 ,winwaloe or ,winwaloc4    
,his name occurs in the ,english litany 
of the seventh age1 published by        
,mabillon4#b ,he is titular saint of    
,st4 ,guingualoe1 a priory at ,chateau  
du ,loir1 dependent on ,marmoutier at   
,tours1 and of several churches and     
parishes in ,france4 ,his father1 ,st4  
,fragan1 is titular saint of a parish in
 the diocese of ,st4 ,brieuc1 called    
,plou-,fragan1 of which he is said to   

have been lord1 and of another in the   
diocese of ,leon1 called ,st4 ,frogan2  
also1 ,st4 ,gwen his mother1 of one in  
the same diocese called ,ploe-,gwen1 and
 of another in that of ,quimper4 ,in    
,france she is usually called ,st4      
,blanche1 the ,british word ,gwen       
signifying ,blanche or ,white4 ,his     
brothers are honored in ,brittany1 ,st4 
,guethenoc1 on the #eth of ,november1   
and ,st4 ,jacut or ,james1 on the #hth  
of ,february and the #c;d of ,march2 the
 latter is patron of the abbey of ,st4  
,jagu1 in the diocese of ,dol4 ,st4     
,balay1 or ,valay1 chief patron of the  
parish of ,plou-balai1 in the diocese of
 ,st4 ,malo1 and a ,st4 ,martin1 are    
styled disciples of ,st4 ,winwaloe1 and 
before their monastic profession were   
lords of ,rosmeur1 and ,ros-madeuc4     
,some other disciples of our saint are  
placed in the calendars of several      
churches in ,brittany1 as ,st4 ,guenhael
 his successor1 ,st4 ,idunet or ,yonnet1
 ,st4 ,dei1 c4 ,see the ancient life of 

,st4 ,winwaloe1 the first of the three  
given by ,bollandus and ,henschenius2   
that in ,surius and ,cressy not being   
genuine4 ,see also ,baillet and         
,lobineau1 ,lives of the ,saints of     
,brittany1 pp4 #dc and #dh4  ,footnotes3
 #a4  ,laureaca4 #b4  ,mabil4 in        
,analect4  #ejf  ,,st4 ,,lamalisse1 ,c4 
,,he flourished in great sanctity in the
 isle of ,aran1 on the west of          
,scotland1 in the seventh century1 and  
from him a neighboring small island is  
called to this day ,st4 ,lamalisse's    
,isle4 ,see ,,ms4 memoirs in the        
,scottish ,college at ,paris4   ,,march 
,,iv4  ,,st4 ,,casimir1 ,,prince ,,of   
,,poland4  ,from his life compiled by   
,zachary ,ferrier1 legate of ,leo ,x41  
in ,poland1 thirty-six years after his  
death2 and an authentic relation of his 
miracles1 with many circumstances of his
 life1 by ,gregory ,swiecicki1 canon of 
,vilna2 also the commentary of          
,henschenius1 p4 #ccg4  ,a ,d4 #adhc    
,,st4 ,,casimir was the third among the 

thirteen children of ,casimir ,,iii41   
king of ,poland1 and of ,elizabeth of   
,austria1 daughter to the emperor       
,albert ,,ii41 a most virtuous woman1   
who died in #aeje4 ,he was born in      
#adeh1 on the #eth of ,october4 ,from   
his childhood he was remarkably pious   
and devout4 ,his preceptor was ,john    
,dugloss1 called ,longinus1 canon of    
,cracow1 a man of extraordinary learning
 and piety1 who constantly refused all  
bishoprics1 and other dignities of the  
church and state1 which were pressed    
upon him4 ,uladislas1 the eldest son1   
was elected king of ,bohemia1 in #adga1 
and became king of ,hungary in #adij4   
,our saint was the second son3 ,john    
,albert1 the third son1 succeeded the   
father in the kingdom of ,poland in     
#adib2 and ,alexander1 the fourth son1  
was called to the same in #aeja4        
,casimir and the other princes were so  
affectionately attached to the holy man 
who was their preceptor1 that they could
 not bear to be separated from him4 ,but

 ,casimir profited most by his pious    
maxims and example4 ,he consecrated the 
flower of his age to the exercises of   
devotion and penance1 and had a horror  
of that softness and magnificence which 
reign in courts4 ,his clothes were very 
plain1 and under them be wore a hair    
shirt4 ,his bed was frequently the      
ground1 and he spent a considerable part
 of the night in prayer and meditation1 
chiefly on the passion of our ,saviour4 
,he often went out in the night to pray 
before the church-doors2 and in the     
morning waited before them till they    
were opened to assist at matins4 ,by    
living always under a sense of the      
divine presence he remained perpetually 
united to1 and absorbed in1 his         
,creator1 maintained an uninterrupted   
cheerfulness of temper1 and was mild and
 affable to all4 ,he respected the least
 ceremonies of the church3 every thing  
that tended to promote piety was dear to
 him4 ,he was particularly devout to the
 passion of our blessed ,saviour1 the   

very thought of which excited him to    
tears1 and threw him into transports of 
love4 ,he was no less piously affected  
towards the sacrifice of the altar1 at  
which he always assisted with such      
reverence and attention that he seemed  
in raptures4 ,and as a mark of his      
singular devotion to the ,blessed       
,virgin1 he composed1 or at least       
frequently recited1 the long hymn that  
bears his name1 a copy of #ejg which    
was1 by his desire1 buried with him4    
,his love for ,jesus ,christ showed     
itself in his regard for the poor1 who  
are his members1 to whose relief he     
applied whatever he had1 and employed   
his credit with his father1 and his     
brother ,uladislas1 king of ,bohemia1 to
 procure them succor4 ,his compassion   
made him feel in himself the afflictions
 of every one4 ,the ,palatines and other
 nobles of ,hungary1 dissatisfied with  
,matthias ,corvin1 their king1 son of   
the great ,huniades1 begged the king of 
,poland to allow them to place his son  

,casimir on the throne4 ,the saint1 not 
then quite fifteen years of age1 was    
very unwilling to consent2 but in       
compliance with his father's will he    
went1 at the head of an army of twenty  
thousand men1 to the frontiers1 in      
#adga4 ,there1 hearing that ,matthias   
had formed an army of sixteen thousand  
men to defend him1 and that all         
differences were accommodated between   
him and his people1 and that pope       
,sixtus ,,iv4 had sent an embassy to    
divert his father from that expedition1 
he joyfully returned1 having with       
difficulty obtained his father's consent
 so to do4 ,however1 as his dropping    
this project was disagreeable to the    
king his father1 not to increase his    
affliction by appearing before him1 he  
did not go directly to ,cracow1 but     
retired to the castle of ,dobzki1 three 
miles from that city1 where he continued
 three months in the practice of        
penance4 ,having learned the injustice  
of the attempt against the king of      

,hungary1 in which obedience to his     
father's command prevailed upon him to  
embark when he was very young1 he could 
never be engaged to resume it by a fresh
 pressing invitation of the ,hungarians1
 or the iterated orders and entreaties  
of his father4 ,the twelve years he     
lived after this1 he spent in           
sanctifying himself in the same manner  
as he had done before4 ,he observed to  
the last an untainted chastity1         
notwithstanding the advice of physicians
 who excited him to marry1 imagining1   
upon some false principle1 this to be a 
means necessary to preserve his life4   
,being wasted with a lingering          
consumption1 he foretold his last hour1 
and having prepared himself for it by   
redoubling his exercises of piety1 and  
receiving the sacraments of the church1 
he made a happy end at ,vilna1 the      
capital of ,lithuania1 on the #dth of   
,march1 #adhb1 being twenty three years 
and five months old4 ,he was buried in  
the church of ,st4 ,stanislas4 ,so many 

were the miracles wrought by his        
intercession1 that ,swiecicki1 a canon  
of ,vilna1 wrought a whole volume of    
them from good memoirs1 in #afjd4 ,he   
was canonized by pope ,leo ,x41 whose   
legate in ,poland1 ,zachary ,ferrier1   
wrote the saint's life4 ,his body and   
all the rich stuffs it was wrapped in1  
were found quite entire1 and exhaling a 
sweet smell one hundred and twenty years
 after his death1 notwithstanding the   
excessive moisture of the vault4 ,it is 
honored in a large rich chapel of       
marble1 built on purpose in that church4
 ,st4 ,casimir is the patron of ,poland1
 and several other places1 and is       
proposed to youth as a particular       
pattern of purity4 ,his original picture
 is to be seen in his chapel in ,st4    
,germain des ,prez in ,paris1 built by  
,john ,casimir1 king of ,poland1 the    
last of the family of ,waza1 who1       
renouncing his crown1 retired to ,paris1
 and died abbot of ,st4 ,germain's1 in  
#affh4         99       99       99     

99       99  ,what is there on earth    
which can engage the affections of a    
,christian1 or be the object of his     
ambition1 in whose soul ,god desires to 
establish his kingdom8 ,whoever has     
conceived a just idea of this immense   
happiness and dignity1 must look upon   
all the glittering bubbles of this world
 as empty and vain1 and consider every  
thing in this life barely as it can     
advance or hinder the great object of   
all his desires4 ,few arrive at this    
happy and glorious state1 because scarce
 any one seeks it with his whole heart1 
and has the courage sincerely to        
renounce all things and die to himself3 
and this precious jewel cannot be       
purchased upon any other terms4 ,the    
kingdom #ejh of ,god can only be planted
 in a soul upon the ruins of self-love3 
so long as this reigns1 it raises       
insuperable obstacles to the perfect    
establishment of the empire of divine   
love4 ,the amiable ,jesus lives in all  
souls which he animates by his          

sanctifying grace1 and the ,holy ,ghost 
dwells in all such4 ,but in most of     
these how many worldly maxims and       
inclinations diametrically opposite to  
those of our most holy heavenly king1   
hold their full sway6 how many secret   
disorders and irregular attachments are 
cherished6 how much is found of         
self-love1 with which sometimes their   
spiritual exercises themselves are      
infected6 ,the sovereign king of men and
 their merciful ,redeemer is properly   
said to reign only in those souls which 
study effectually1 and without reserve1 
to destroy in their affections whatever 
is opposite to his divine will1 to      
subdue all their passions1 and to       
subject all their powers to his holy    
love4 ,such fall not into any venial    
sins with full deliberation1 and wipe   
away those of frailty into which they   
are betrayed1 by the compunction and    
penance in which they constantly live1  
and by the constant attention with which
 they watch daily over themselves4 ,they

 pray with the utmost earnestness that  
,god deliver them from all the power of 
the enemy1 and establish in all their   
affections the perfect empire of his    
grace and love2 and to fulfil his will  
in the most perfect manner in all their 
actions1 is their most earnest desire   
and hearty endeavor4 ,how bountifully   
does ,god reward1 even in this life1    
those who are thus liberal towards him6 
,st4 ,casimir1 who had tasted of this   
happiness1 and learned truly to value   
the heavenly grace1 loathed all earthly 
pomp and delights4 ,with what joy ought 
not all ,christians1 both rich and poor1
 to be filled when they hear3 ,the      
kingdom of ,god is within you6 ,with    
what ardor ought they not to devote     
themselves to make ,god reign perfectly 
in their hearts6 ,how justly did ,st4   
,casimir prefer this pursuit to earthly 
kingdoms6  ,,st4 ,,lucius1 ,,pope ,,and 
,,martyr4  ,from ,eus4 l4 #g4 c4 #b and 
,st4 ,cyprian's letters4 ,see ,tillem4  
t4 #d4 p4 #aah4 ,pagi1 ,ceillier1 t4 #c1

 p4 #aah1 and ,pearson1 ,annal4         
,cyprian4 pp4 #ca1 #cc4  ,a4,d4 #bec4   
,,st4 ,lucius was a ,roman by birth1 and
 one of the clergy of that church under 
,,ss4 ,fabian and ,cornelius4 ,this     
latter being crowned with martyrdom1 in 
#beb1 ,st4 ,lucius succeeded him in the 
pontificate4 ,the emperor ,gallus having
 renewed the persecution of his         
predecessor ,decius1 at least in ,rome1 
this holy pope was no sooner placed in  
the chair of ,st4 ,peter1 but he was    
banished with several others1 though to 
what place is uncertain4 ,thus1 says    
,st4 ,dionysius of ,alexandria1 did     
,gallus deprive himself of the succor of
 heaven1 by expelling those who every   
day prayed to ,god for his peace and    
prosperity4 ,st4 ,cyprian wrote to ,st4 
,lucius to congratulate him both on his 
promotion1 and for the grace of         
suffering banishment for ,christ4 ,our  
saint had been but a short time in      
exile1 when he was recalled1 with his   
companions1 to the incredible joy of his

 people1 who went out of ,rome in crowds
 to meet him4 ,st4 ,cyprlan wrote him a 
second letter of congratulation on this 
occasion4#a ,he says1 ,he had not lost  
the dignity of martyrdom because he had 
the will1 as the three children in the  
furnace1 though preserved by ,god from  
death3 this glory added a new dignity to
 his priesthood1 that a bishop assisted 
at ,god's altar1 who exhorted his flock 
to martyrdom by his own example as well 
as by his words4 ,by giving such graces 
to his pastors1 ,god showed where his   
true church was3 for he denied #eji the 
like glory of suffering to the ,novatian
 heretics4 ,the enemy of ,christ only   
attacks the soldiers of ,christ3        
heretics he knows to be already his own1
 and passes them by4 ,he seeks to throw 
down those who stand against him4 ,he   
adds1 in his own name and that of his   
colleagues3 ,we do not cease in our     
sacrifices and prayers 7in sacrificiis  
et orationibus nostris7 to ,god the     
,father1 and to ,christ his ,son1 our   

,lord1 giving thanks and praying        
together1 that he who perfects all may  
consummate in you the glorioius crown of
 your confession1 who perhaps has only  
recalled you that your glory might not  
be hidden2 for the victim1 which owes   
his brethren an example of virtue and   
faith1 ought to be sacrificed in their  
presence4#b  ,st4 ,cyprian1 in his      
letter to pope ,stephen1 avails himself 
of the authority of ,st4 ,lucius against
 the ,novatian heretics1 as having      
decreed against them1 that those who    
were fallen were not to be denied       
reconciliation and communion1 but to be 
absolved when they had done penance for 
their sin4 ,eusebius says1 he did not   
sit in the pontifical chair above eight 
months2 and he seems1 from the          
chronology of ,st4 ,cyprian's letters1  
to have sat only five or six1 and to    
have died on the #dth of ,march1 in     
#bec1 under ,gallus1 though we know not 
in what manner4 ,the most ancient       
calendars mention him on the #eth of    

,march1 others1 with the ,roman1 on the 
#dth1 which seems to have been the day  
of his death1 as the #eth that of his   
burial4 ,his body was found in the      
,catacombs1 and laid in the church of   
,st4 ,cecily in ,rome1 where it is now  
exposed to public veneration by the     
order of ,clement ,,viii4  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,ep4 #eh ,pamelio4--#fa4 ,fello1 p4
 #bgb4 #b4  ,ep4 #fg ,pamelio4--#fh4    
,fello1 in ,ed4 ,oxo4  ,,st4 ,,adrian1  
,,bishop ,,of ,,st4 ,,andrews ,m41  ,,in
 ,,scotland4  ,,when the ,danes1 in the 
ninth century1 made frequent descents   
upon the coast of ,scotland1 plundered  
several provinces1 and massacred great  
part of the inhabitants1 this holy      
pastor often softened their fury1 and   
converted several among them to ,christ4
 ,in a most cruel invasion of these     
pirates1 he withdrew into the isle of   
,may1 in the bay of the river ,forth2   
but the barbarians plundering also that 
island1 discovered him there1 and slew  
him with another bishop named           

,stalbrand1 and a great number of       
others3 the ,aberdeen ,breviary says six
 thousand six hundred4 ,this massacre   
happened in the reign of ,constantine   
,,ii41 in the year #hgd4 ,a great       
monastery was built of polished stone in
 honor of ,st4 ,adrian1 in the isle of  
,may1 the church of which1 enriched with
 his relics1 was a place of great       
devotion4 ,see bishop ,lesley1 ,hist4 l4
 #e4 ,breviar4 ,aberdon4 and ,chronica  
,skonensia4  #eaj  ,,ss4 ,,adrian4 ,,and
 ,,eubulus1 ,,of ,,palestine4           
,,martyrs4  ,from ,eusebius's ,history  
of the ,martyrs of ,palestine1 c4 #aa1  
p4 #cda4  ,a4,d4 #cji4  ,,in the seventh
 year of ,dioclesian's persecution1     
continued by ,galerius ,maximianus1 when
 ,firmilian1 the most bloody governor of
 ,palestine1 had stained ,caesarea with 
the blood of many illustrious martyrs1  
,adrian and ,eubulus came out of the    
country called ,magantia to ,caesarea1  
in order to visit the holy confessors   
there4 ,at the gates of the city they   

were asked1 as others were1 whither they
 were going1 and upon what errand4 ,they
 ingenuously confessed the truth1 and   
were brought before the president1 who  
ordered them to be tortured1 and their  
sides to be torn with iron hooks1 and   
then condemned them to be exposed to    
wild beasts4 ,two days after1 when the  
pagans at ,caesarea celebrated the      
festival of the public ,genius1 ,adrian 
was exposed to a lion1 and not being    
dispatched by that beast1 but only      
mangled1 was at length killed by the    
sword4 ,eubulus was treated in the same 
manner1 two days later4 ,the judge      
offered him his liberty if he would     
sacrifice to idols2 but the saint       
preferred a glorious death1 and was the 
last that suffered in this persecution  
at ,caesarea1 which had now continued   
twelve years under three successive     
governors1 ,flavian1 ,urban1 and        
,firmilian4 ,divine vengeance pursuing  
the cruel ,firmilian1 he was that same  
year beheaded for his crimes1 by the    

emperor's order1 as his predecessor     
,urban had been two years before4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is in vain that we take the name of 
,christians1 or pretend to follow       
,christ1 unless we carry our crosses    
after him4 ,it is in vain that we hope  
to share in his glory1 and in his       
kingdom1 if we accept not the           
condition4#a ,we cannot arrive at heaven
 by any other road but that which       
,christ held1 who bequeathed his cross  
to all his elect as their portion and   
inheritance in this world4 ,none can be 
exempted from this rule1 without        
renouncing his title to heaven4 ,let us 
sound our own hearts1 and see if our    
sentiments are conformable to these     
principles of the holy religion which we
 profess4 ,are our lives a constant     
exercise of patience under all trials1  
and a continual renunciation of our     
senses and corrupt inclinations1 by the 
practice of self-denial and penance8    
,are we not impatient under pain or     

sickness1 fretful under disappointments1
 disturbed and uneasy at the least      
accidents which are disagreeable to our 
nature1 harsh and peevish in reproving  
the faults of others1 and slothful and  
unmortified in endeavoring to correct   
our own8 ,what a monstrous contradiction
 is it to call ourselves followers of   
,christ1 yet to live irreconcilable     
enemies to his cross6 ,we can never     
separate ,christ from his cross1 on     
which he sacrificed himself for us1 that
 he might unite us on it eternally to   
himself4 ,let us courageously embrace   
it1 and he will be our comfort and      
support1 as he was of his martyrs4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,matt4 xvi4 #bd4 ,luke 
xxiv4 #bf4  #eaa  ,,st4 ,,kiaran1 ,,or  
,,kenerin1 ,b4,c4  ,,called ,,by ,,the  
,,britons1 ,,piran4  ,,among the ,irish 
saints who were somewhat older than ,st4
 ,patrick1 the first and most celebrated
 is ,st4 ,kiaran1 whom the ,irish style 
the first-born of their saints4         
,according to some he was a native of   

the country of ,ossory1 according to    
others1 of ,cork4 ,usher places his     
birth about the year #ceb4 ,having      
received some imperfect information     
about the ,christian faith1 at thirty   
years of age he took a journey to ,rome1
 that he might be instructed in its     
heavenly doctrine1 and learn faithfully 
to practise its precepts4 ,he was       
accompanied home by four holy clerks1   
who were all afterwards bishops2 their  
names are1 ,lugacius1 ,columban1 ,lugad1
 and ,cassan4 ,the ,irish writers       
suppose him to have been ordained bishop
 at ,rome2 but what ,john of ,tinmouth  
affirms1 seems far more probable1 that  
he was one of the twelve whom ,st4      
,patrick consecrated bishops in ,ireland
 to assist him in planting the gospel in
 that island4 ,for his residence1 he    
built himself a cell in a place         
encompassed with woods1 near the water  
of ,fuaran1 which soon grew into a      
numerous monastery4 ,a town was         
afterwards built there called ,saigar1  

now from the saint ,sier-keran4 ,here he
 converted to the faith his family1 and 
whole clan1 which was that of the       
,osraigs1 with many others4 ,having     
given the religious veil to his mother1 
whose name was ,liadan1 he appointed her
 a cell or monastery near his own1      
called by the ,irish ,ceall ,lidain4 ,in
 his old age1 being desirous to prepare 
himself for his passage to eternity in  
close retirement41 he passed into       
,cornwall1 where he led an eremitical   
life1 near the ,severn sea1 fifteen     
miles from ,padstow4 ,certain disciples 
joined him1 and by his words and example
 formed themselves to a true spirit of  
,christian piety and humility4 ,in this 
place he closed his mortal pilgrimage by
 a happy death3 a town upon the spot is 
to this day called from him ,st4        
,piran's in the ,sands1 and a church is 
there dedicated to ,god in his memory1  
where was formerly a sanctuary near ,st4
 ,mogun's church1 upon ,st4 ,mogun's    
creek4#a ,see ,john of ,tinmouth1       

,usher1 c41 collected by ,henschenius3  
also ,leland's ,collections1 published  
by ,hearne1 t4 #c1 pp4 #aj and #agd4    
,footnotes3 #a4  ,a great number of     
other ,irish saints retired to          
,cornwall1 where many     towns and     
churches still retain their names4 ,thus
 ,st4 ,burian's is so     called from an
 ,irish virgin called ,buriana1 to whose
 church and     college here king       
,athelstan1 in #icf1 granted the        
privilege of     sanctuary4 ,see        
,leland4 ,collect t4 #c1 pp4 #g1 #h4    
,,st4 ,,ia1  ,,was daughter to an ,irish
 nobleman1 and a disciple of ,st4       
,barricus2 ,iae and ,erwine1 and many   
others1 came out of ,ireland into       
,cornwall1 and landed at ,pendinas1 a   
stony rock and peninsula4 ,at her       
request ,dinan1 a lord of the country1  
built there a church1 since called ,st4 
,ies1 eighteen miles from ,st4 ,piran's 
in the ,sands1 on the ,severn4 ,st      
,carantoke's is two miles above ,st4    
,piran's4 ,ies stands two miles from    

,lannant2 ,st4 ,erth is a parish church 
two miles above ,lannant4 ,st4 ,cua and 
,st4 ,tedy's parishes are situated in   
the same part4 ,st4 ,lide's island1     
where her tomb was formerly visited by  
the whole country1 still retains her    
name4 ,see the life of ,st4 ,ia quoted  
by ,leland1 ,coll4 t4 #c1 p4 #aa4  ,,st4
 ,,breaca1 ,v4  ,,she was born in       
,ireland on the borders of ,leinster and
 ,ulster1 and consecrated herself to    
,god in a religious state under the     
direction of ,st4 ,bridget1 who built   
for her a separate oratory1 and         
afterwards a monastery1 in a place since
 called the field of ,breaca4 ,she      
afterwards passed into ,cornwall in     
company with abbot ,sinnin1 a disciple  
of ,st4 ,patrick1 ,maruan1 a monk1      
,germoch1 or ,gemoch1 king ,elwen1      
,crewenna1 and ,helen4 ,st4 ,breaca     
landed at ,revyer1 otherwise called     
,theodore's castle1 situated on the     
eastern bank of the river ,hayle1 long  
since1 as it seems1 swallowed up by the 

sands on the coast of the northern sea  
of ,cornwall4 ,tewder1 a ,welshman1 slew
 part of this holy company4 ,st4 ,breaca
 proceeded to ,pencair1 a hill in       
,penibro parish1 now commonly called    
,st4 ,banka4 ,she afterwards built two  
churches1 one at ,trene1 with the other 
at ,talmeneth1 two mansion places in the
 parish of ,pembro1 as is related in the
 life of ,st4 ,elwin4 ,see ,leland's    
,itinerary1 published by ,hearne1 p4 #e4
  ,,st4 ,,germoke',s church is three    
miles from ,st4 ,michael's ,mount1 by   
east-south-east1 a mile from the sea4   
,his tomb is yet seen there1 and his    
chair is shown in the churchyard1 and   
his well a little without the           
,churchyard4 ,leland1 ib4 p4 #f4  ,,st4 
,,mawnoun',s church stands at the point 
of the haven towards ,falmouth1 ib4 p4  
#ac4  #eab  ,,saint ,,roger1 ,c4  ,a    
,,disciple ,of ,st4 ,francis of         
,assisio1 who received him into his     
,order in #abaf1 and sent him into      
,spain1 though ,wading calls him a      

layman4 ,the spirit of poverty which he 
professed1 he inherited of his holy     
father in the most perfect degree1 and  
,st4 ,francis commended his charity     
above all his other disciples4 ,the     
gifts of prophecy and miracles rendered 
him illustrious both living and after   
his death1 which happened in #abcf4 ,his
 head is kept at ,villa ,franca1 in the 
diocese of ,asturia1 and his body at    
,todi in ,italy1 where he is honored    
with a particular office ratified by    
,gregory ,,ix4 ,see ,wading's ,annals1  
published by ,fonseca1 at ,rome1 in     
#agcb1 t4 #b1 pp4 #dac1 #dad1 also      
,henschenius1 p4 #dah4 ,pope ,benedict  
,,xiv4 granted to the ,franciscans for  
his festival the #eth of ,march4  ,,st4 
,,john ,,joseph ,,of ,,the ,,cross4     
7,,supplement to ,butler's ,lives of the
 ,saints--,,sadliers' ,,edition47  ,st4 
,john ,joseph of the ,cross was         
canonized on ,trinity ,sunday1 ,may     
#bfth1 #ahci4 ,his biography was written
 by the reverend postulator who         

conducted the process of his            
canonization1 from authentic documents  
in his possession1 and published at     
,rome in #ahch1 in a work               
entitled--,compendio della ,vita di     
,giangiuseppe della ,croce4 ,the        
following account of the life of this   
eminent saint is compiled from the      
,english translation of the above work1 
and thought worthy of being incorporated
 in this edition of the ,lives of the   
,saints4  ,a4,d4 #afed-agcd4  ,,he was  
born on the ,feast of the ,assumption1  
in the year of our ,lord #afed1 at the  
town of ,ischia1 in the island of that  
name1 belonging to the kingdom of       
,naples1 of respectable parents1 ,joseph
 ,calosirto and ,laura ,garguilo1 and   
was upon the same day christened        
,charles ,cajetan4 ,he early discovered 
the seeds of those virtues that in a    
special manner enriched his soul1 and   
sanctified his life in the religious    
state1--humility1 sweetness1 obedience1 
and an incomparable modesty2 and at the 

same time manifested a marvellous       
inclination to silence1 retirement1 and 
prayer4 ,wherefore1 even in childhood1  
he made choice of a room in the most    
secluded quarter of the house1 and      
therein fitting up a little altar to    
,our blessed ,lady1 7on whose great     
festival he had the happiness to be     
born1 and towards whom1 through life1 he
 cherished a tender and filial          
devotion17 he spent his whole time in   
study and pious exercises4 ,here1 too1  
he early manifested his attachment to   
the cross1 sleeping upon a narrow hard  
bed1 and fasting on appointed days      
during the week2 and as he mortified the
 flesh betimes1 so also he checked all  
pride1 by wearing constantly mean       
clothes1 notwithstanding his birth and  
station1 in despite of remonstrances and
 reproach4 ,his horror of sin was equal 
to his love of virtue1 so that his mind1
 from the first dawn of reason1 shrunk  
like a delicate plant from the very     
shadow of guilt1 and was all-imbued with

 zeal for ,god's glory4 ,idleness1      
levity1 vanity1 and falsehood1 even in  
trivial matters1 were censured by him as
 faults severely reprehensible4 ,and    
when his efforts to check sin drew upon 
him the hostility of others1 he was so  
far from losing patience1 that he       
therein only discovered a fresh         
opportunity of practising virtue4       
,towards the poor he overflowed with    
tenderness1 reserving for them the      
choicest portion of his meals1 and      
devoting to their use the pocket-money  
he received4  ,the sanctity of his      
boyhood merited for him the grace of a  
divine call to a state of holiness2 and 
feeling an interior movement to quit the
 world1 he #eac sedulously sought       
counsel from the ,father of lights1 as  
to the manner in which he should obey   
this inspiration4 ,for this end he      
redoubled his ordinary devotions and    
mortifications2 performed a novena to   
the ,holy ,ghost1 and threw himself upon
 the tender patronage and powerful      

intercession of ,our ,lady4 ,god        
hearkened to his fervent appeal2 for his
 providence so disposed that at this    
period the renowned servant of ,god1    
,father ,john da ,san ,bernardo1 a      
,spanish ,alcantarine1 came into the    
country of our saint1 with the view of  
establishing his order in the kingdom of
 ,naples4 ,the mean habit and devout    
demeanor of this holy man and his       
companions1 touched and won the heart of
 ,joseph2 he desired to imitate what he 
beheld1 and doubted not but the desire  
came from ,god4 ,wherefore he journeyed 
to ,naples1 that he might impart to the 
fathers of the order his inclination2   
and they1 having prudently considered   
his vocation1 admitted him to the       
novitiate4 ,he manifested so much ardor1
 that the superiors deemed it fitting to
 clothe him with the habit before the   
usual time had expired4 ,this happy     
consummation of his wishes took place   
before he had completed his sixteenth   
year4 ,he adopted the name of ,john     

,joseph of the ,cross1 and on the feast 
of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 in the year 
of our ,lord #afga1 he completed his    
edifying novitiate1 and took the solemn 
vows of his order2 whose holy founder1  
,st4 ,francis of ,asisi1 and ,st4 ,peter
 of ,alcantara1 he proposed to himself  
as models4  ,in obedience to the express
 desire of his superior1 our saint      
submitted to receive the dignity of the 
priesthood1 and was appointed to hear   
confessions2 in which task he displayed 
a profound theological learning1 which  
he had acquired solely at the foot of   
the cross4 ,but1 carried onward by an   
ardent love of the cross1 whose         
treasures he more and more discovered as
 he advanced in the dignity and         
functions of the sacred ministry1 he    
resolved to establish in the wood       
adjoining his convent a kind of         
solitude1 where1 after the manner of the
 ancient ,fathers of the ,desert1 he    
might devote himself entirely to grayer 
and penitential austerities1 and give to

 the ,church an illustrious and         
profitable example of the sacerdotal    
spirit exercised in a perfect degree4   
,there was found in the wood a pleasant 
fountain1 whose waters healed the sick2 
and hard by he erected a little church1 
and round about it1 at intervals1 five  
small hermitages1 wherein1 with his     
companions1 he renewed the austere and  
exalted life of the old anchorites1 and 
advanced greatly in spirituality4 ,and  
in order that no care or worldly thought
 might ruffle the sublime tranquillity  
of this contemplative life1 the convent 
had charge of daily supplying the holy  
solitary with food4  ,but the superiors1
 who knew the rich treasure they        
possessed in our saint1 when he had     
attained the age of twenty-four1 chose  
him for master of the novices2 in which 
new office1 so far from allowing himself
 the smallest dispensation1 he was      
foremost in setting the example of a    
scrupulous observance of every rule2    
assiduous in his attendance in choir1   

constant in silence1 in prayer1 and     
recollection4 ,he was careful to instil 
into the hearts of those under his      
charge an ardent love of ,our ,lord     
,jesus1 and a desire of imitating him2  
as also a special veneration for1 and   
tender attachment to ,his blessed       
mother4  ,from ,naples1 where he was    
employed as master of the novices1 our  
saint was transferred to ,piedimonte1   
and invested with the office of         
guardian4 ,the zeal which this new and  
more responsible charge called for1 was 
surpassed only by the profound humility 
its exercise demanded4 ,ever a rigid    
enforcer of the rule1 he was careful to 
make his enactments agreeable to others1
 by being the first to observe them     
himself4 ,the beneficial result of such 
conduct was soon made manifest1 for he  
thereby won the hearts of all the       
religious1 who under him1 advanced with 
rapid strides towards the most heroic   
#ead perfection4 ,still his humble and  
gentle spirit sighed to be disburdened  

of so heavy a charge2 and having1 after 
two years1 obtained the desired release1
 turned its charitable energies to the  
direction of souls1 the assistance and  
alleviation of the dying and distressed1
 and the conversion of sinners4  ,when  
he was released from his post of        
guardian1 it was only to reassume that  
of master of the novices1 which be held 
for four successive years1 and exercised
 partly in ,naples1 and partly in       
,piedimonte4 ,but now succeeded the     
accustomed visitation of crosses1 to be 
afterwards followed by an increase of   
grace and supernatural favors2 an       
alternation which checkered the whole   
course of his life4 ,he was summoned to 
his native country1 ,ischia1 to order to
 discharge the painful duty of filial   
affection1 and receive the last sighs of
 his dying mother4 ,her death ensued1   
full of hope1 and calm1 in the presence 
of her beloved2 and1 stifling the       
swelling emotions of sensible grief1    
this incomparable son followed her      

remains to the church1 and offered up   
for her soul the sacrifice of           
propitiation4 ,who shall adequately     
conceive his feelings during the        
celebration of that mass8 ,was his grief
 less filial1 less poignant1 because it 
was reasonable and ,christian8 and      
because1 instead of breaking into wild  
laments and barren demonstrations1 it   
remained pent up in the recesses of his 
strong heart1 and left free play and    
exercise to calm judgment and the       
salutary measures of ,christian charity8
 ,christian fortitude requires that we  
should bear up against the stroke of    
death not despondingly1 because         
inevitable1 but firmly and cheerfully1  
because it is the season of better hope1
 whereby we plant the ensign of         
salvation upon the grave4 ,this will be 
no unnatural check to those emotions1   
which it is so great and yet so painful 
a consolation to indulge4 ,they will    
flow no less freely1 and far more       
profitably1 when the calls of religion  

have first been satisfied4 ,was ,st4    
,bernard a violator of the sentiments of
 humanity1 when he followed with        
tearless eyes and calm countenance the  
body of his brother to the grave1       
assisting at all the offices of         
religion1 and officiating thereat       
himself8 ,was that great heart          
insensible1 when its uncontrollable     
grief burst out in the midst of a       
discourse on other topics1 into an      
impassioned address to his departed     
brother1 and a magnificent tribute to   
the virtues of this partner of his soul 
and affections8 ,or does not such an    
instance of ,christian fortitude and    
magnanimity favorably contrast with the 
pusillanimous and almost heathen        
despondency and desolation which        
overwhelm many at the sight or news of  
death1 even as the ,catholic            
faith--warm1 generous1 and              
confident--cheers beyond that cold and  
gloomy creed1 that bids farewell to hope
 at the brink of the grave8  ,in the    

provincial chapter of #afij1 he was     
appointed to the office of definitor1 in
 addition to that which he already held4
 ,the difficulties of these two         
functions1 requiring a union of the     
virtues of the active and contemplative 
life1 our saint marvellously and happily
 surmounted4 ,but now an event happened 
which well-nigh extinguished the        
institute to which he belonged1 in      
,italy1 and which gave occasion to an   
illustrious evidence of his exceeding   
utility to the order4 ,the ,spanish     
,alcantarines1 having some differences  
with the ,italian1 procured from the    
apostolic see their dismemberment from  
the latter1 who1 being thus abandoned1  
recurred to our saint for succor4       
,suffering himself to be overcome by    
their entreaties1 he undertook the      
advocacy of their cause with the        
pontiff1 and succeeded1 in a            
congregation held in #agjb1 in changing 
the sentiments of the cardinals and     
bishops1 previously disposed to their   

suppression2 so that on the day after   
the feast of ,st4 ,thomas the ,apostle1 
a decree was issued by which the order  
was established in ,italy under the form
 of a province4 ,a chapter was convoked1
 in which the arduous task of government
 was1 by the unanimous voice of #eae    
all1 forced upon the humility of our    
saint1 who1 surmounting incredible      
hardships and obstacles1 had at length  
the satisfaction of seeing the necessary
 means provided1 and the order firmly   
established4 ,before the chapter-general
 of the order met1 he was named         
definitor by the provincial chapter2 but
 on his remonstrances at being thus so  
often compelled to assume offices1 in   
spite of his repugnance1 he at length   
obtained a papal brief1 exempting him   
from all charges1 and annulling even his
 active and passive vote in the chapter4
 ,during the course of the year #agbb1  
another brief made over to the          
,alcantarines the convent of ,st4 ,lucy1
 in ,naples1 and thither our saint      

retired1 never afterwards to be brought 
out into the public light1 which he so  
much shunned1 but left to edify his     
brethren during the remainder of his    
life1 and to build up the fabric of     
those extraordinary virtues1 of which we
 shall now proceed to give a sketch4    
,faith1 like the keystone of the arch1  
is that which gives the fabric of       
,christian virtue solidity and          
stability4 ,of the attachment of our    
saint to this necessary virtue1 it would
 be superfluous to say any thing1 as his
 whole life was a speaking evidence of  
that attachment1 as well as of the      
eminent degree in which it pleased ,god 
to enable him to appreciate its         
consoling mysteries4 ,but he was content
 to thank ,god for having admitted him  
to the truth1 without rashly or         
profanely lifting the veil of the       
sanctuary1 and scrutinizing that which  
is within4 ,he was persuaded that the   
attempt to fathom the secrets of ,god1  
or to measure his designs1 would prove  

as hopeless as it would be impious1 and 
therefore he bowed to the truths of     
faith with implicit submission4 ,from   
this attachment of our saint to the     
virtue of faith1 proceeded his zeal to  
instruct the ignorant in the mysteries  
of religion1 as well as the force1      
fervor1 and clearness1 with which he    
expounded the sublime dogmas of the     
,trinity and ,incarnation1 and even of  
predestination and grace2 the gift he   
possessed of quieting doubts respecting 
faith2 and finally1 that constant       
exercise of the presence of ,god which  
he practised uninterruptedly1 and       
constantly recommended1 saying3 ,whoever
 walks always in ,god's presence1 will  
never commit sin1 but will preserve his 
innocence and become a great saint4     
,hope in ,god rendered our saint of even
 temper in the midst of the various     
contradictions he experienced in        
establishing his order in ,italy4 ,he   
used to say to his companions1 when they
 were dismayed by the persecutions they 

suffered1 ,let us hope in ,god1 and     
doubtless we shall be comforted3 and to 
the distressed who flocked to him1 ,god 
is a tender father1 who loves and       
succors all2 or1 ,doubt not2 trust in   
,god1 ,he will provide4 ,hence his heart
 enjoyed a peace which no sufferings    
could molest1 and which did not desert  
him even when he lay under the stroke of
 apoplexy that terminated in his death4 
,for his hope was based upon the        
,catholic principle1 that ,god1 who     
destined him for an eternal kingdom1    
would not refuse the succors necessary  
to attain it4 ,still1 though his hopes1 
through the merits of our ,lord's       
blessed passion1 knew no bounds1 yet was
 he tremblingly sensible of the guilt of
 sin1 and the awful character of ,god's 
judgments2 whence were derived that     
intense grief with which sin inspired   
him1 and that astonishing humility which
 led him to bewail unceasingly his want 
of correspondence to divine grace1 to   
proclaim himself everywhere a sinner1   

and implore the prayers of others4  ,to 
complete the crown of theological       
virtues1 charity in both its branches   
pre-eminently characterized our saint4  
,this divine virtue burned so warmly in 
his heart1 as to be transfused through  
his features1 over which it spread a    
superhuman and celestial glow1 and gave 
to his discourse a melting tenderness4  
,were there neither heaven nor hell1 he 
would say1 still would ,i ever wish to  
love ,god1 who is a father so deserving 
of our love4 ,or3 #eaf ,let us love our 
,lord1 love him verily and indeed1 for  
the love of ,god is a great treasure4   
,blessed is he that loveth ,god4  ,our  
saint1 who so ardently loved ,god1 whom 
he saw not1 was not without bowels of   
tenderness for his neighbor1 whom he    
beheld4 ,it was the constant practice of
 his life to feed the poor2 and when he 
was superior1 he ordered that no beggar 
should be dismissed from the convent    
gate without relief3 in time of scarcity
 he devoted to their necessities his own

 portion1 and even that of the          
community1 relying upon ,providence to  
supply their wants2 and when he was only
 a private monk1 he earnestly           
recommended this charity to the         
superiors4  ,but it was towards the sick
 that his charity displayed itself4 ,he 
used to attend the infirm in his convent
 with unwearied assiduity2 nor was he   
less anxious to serve those who were    
without1 but generously sought them out1
 and visited them1 even during the most 
inclement seasons4 ,and as ,god maketh  
his sun to shine upon the wicked as well
 as the good1 so our saint would not    
exclude even his enemies from the       
boundless range of his charity4 ,for one
 who had insulted him he once labored   
strenuously to procure some advantageous
 post2 and being warned that the man was
 his enemy1 he replied1 that therefore  
he was under the greater obligation of  
serving him4 ,besides these general     
virtues1 he possessed in the highest    
degree those which belonged to his      

religious state1 especially a prompt and
 implicit obedience to all commands1    
however painful or difficult4 ,that     
obedience which he practised himself1 he
 was careful to enforce upon others1    
which his office of superior made it his
 duty1 for he justly regarded this      
virtue as essential to a religious4 ,nor
 was his love of poverty less           
remarkable4 ,a rouge seat and a table1 a
 bed1 consisting of two narrow planks1  
with two sheep-skins and a wretched     
woollen coverlet1 a stool to rest his   
wounded legs upon1 these1 with his      
breviary1 formed the whole furniture of 
his cell4 ,and although the order       
allowed each one to possess two habits1 
yet during the forty-six years that he  
was a member of it1 he never had any    
other than that which he put on in the  
novitiate4 ,but it was in his vigilant  
guard over chastity1 that our saint was 
most remarkable4 ,his unremitting       
mortifications1 his extreme modesty1 and
 perpetual watchfulness over all his    

senses1 preserved him from the slightest
 breath of contamination4 ,never during 
the sixty years of his life was he known
 to look any one not of his own sex in  
the face4 ,his every word and action    
bespoke purity1 and inspired the love   
thereof4 ,our saint1 so solidly grounded
 in this virtue1 was not without its    
only sure foundation1--humility4 ,he    
delighted in performing menial offices  
in the convent1 and when the task       
allotted to him was finished1 he was    
anxious to fulfil that of others4 ,hence
 he also avoided all posts and honor1 as
 much as was consistent with his vow of 
obedience4 ,when he journeyed through   
,italy as provincial1 he would not make 
himself known at the inns1 where he     
lodged1 lest any distinction should be  
paid him4 ,to the same cause may be     
ascribed his unwillingness to revisit   
his native country1 his aversion to     
being in company with the great1 when   
their spiritual affairs did not require 
it1 his not accepting the invitations of

 the viceroy and his consort to the     
palace2 his calling himself1 as he was  
wont1 the greatest sinner in the whole  
world1 ungrateful to ,god for his       
benefits1 a worm on the face of the     
earth2 his custom of frequently kissing 
the hands of priests2 his unwillingness 
to declare his opinion in council2 his  
care to break off every discourse       
touching upon his birth or connections2 
his gratitude to ,god for enlightening  
those who disparaged him2 his never     
being scandalized at the sins of others1
 how great soever2 and finally1 his     
never evincing the smallest resentment  
at any insult or injury4 ,he was        
studious to conceal and dissemble the   
great gifts of miracles and prophecy    
with which ,god favored #eag him2       
ascribing the miracles he performed to  
the faith of those in whose behalf they 
were wrought1 or to the intercession of 
the saints4 ,not unfrequently he desired
 those whom he restored to health1 to   
take some certain medicine1 that the    

cure might be attributed to a mere      
natural remedy2 and with regard to his  
prophecies1 which were numerous1 he     
affected to judge from analogy and      
experience4 ,to the numerous penitential
 austerities enjoined by his order1 he  
added as many more as an ingenious      
self-denial could devise4 ,silent as    
long as possible1 when he spoke1 it was 
in a low voice4 ,bareheaded in all      
seasons1 he wore under his rough and    
heavy habit divers hair-shirts and      
chains1 which he was careful to vary to 
keep the sense of torment ever fresh4   
,besides1 he used the discipline to a   
severe degree2 and when1 at the age of  
forty1 his superior obliged him to wear 
sandals1 he placed between them and his 
feet a quantity of small nails2 but the 
most tremendous instrument of torture1  
which he devised against himself1 was a 
cross about a foot in length1 set with  
rows of sharp nails1 which he fastened  
tight over his shoulders1 so as to open 
there a wound which never afterwards    

closed4 ,in sooth1 these things would   
appear incredible1 did we not remember  
that ,st4 ,john ,joseph of the ,cross   
had taken up the instrument of our ,lord
 ,jesus's blessed passion1 and was      
miraculously supported under its weight4
 ,if we are not blessed with equal      
strength1 still we are all capable of   
enduring much more than is demanded of  
us for gaining heaven4 ,is not the life 
of a worldling more irksome and more    
painful than that of a mortified        
religious man8 ,how many heart-burnings1
 and aching heads1 and palled appetites1
 and disordered faculties1 and diseased 
frames1 could bear out this             
assertion1--that the way to heaven would
 be easy on the score of mortification1 
if men could consent to sacrifice to    
virtue but one half what they sacrifice 
to feed their passions8  ,it was usual  
for our saint to be absorbed and rapt in
 heavenly ecstasies and visions4 ,in    
this state he was lost to all that      
passed around him2 seeing1 hearing1 and 

feeling nothing1 he stood like a statue 
of marble1 and when he was awakened1 his
 countenance glowed like a burning coal4
 ,in a condition so closely resembling  
that of the blessed1 he was1 from time  
to time1 made a partaker of their       
glories4 ,thus1 during prayer a halo of 
light often encircled his head2 and1    
during mass1 a supernatural brightness  
overspread his countenance4 ,in the     
practice of every virtue1 and in the    
enjoyment of sublime graces1 our saint  
passed the days of his pilgrimage1      
glorifying ,god and giving alms and     
doing good1 until it pleased the ,lord  
to close his career on earth1 not       
without a previous forewarning as to the
 time and circumstances of his death4   
,in the year when it occurred1 his      
nephew writing to him from ,vienna1 that
 he would return home in ,may1 he sent  
back answer that he would not then find 
him living4 ,and only a week before his 
departure1 discoursing with his brother4
 ,francis1 he said1 ,i have never asked 

a boon of you till now2 do me the       
charity to pray to ,almighty ,god for   
me1 next ,friday1 do you hear8 mind1 do 
not forget4 ,it was the very day he     
died4 ,two days before his last mortal  
attack1 accosting ,vincent of ,laines1  
,we shall never1 said he1 meet on earth 
again4 ,now1 upon the last day of       
,february1 after hearing mass1 and      
receiving communion with extraordinary  
fervor1 he betook himself to his room1  
to deliver to the crowds that resorted  
to him his last paternal admonitions4   
,he continued without interruption till 
mid-day1 and at that hour precisely1    
turning to the lay-brother that assisted
 him1 said1 ,shortly a thunderclap will 
lay me prostrate on the ground1 you will
 have to raise me thence1 but this is   
the last ,i shall experience4           
,accordingly1 at two hours and a half   
after sunset1 an apoplectic stroke threw
 him on the ground4 ,at first the nature
 of his disease was mistaken4 ,it was   
thought that over-fatigue had brought on

 giddiness but the next day #eah the    
symptoms manifested themselves          
alarmingly1 and spread in defiance of   
remedies4 ,yet though he was thus1 to   
all appearances1 senseless during the   
five days that he survived1 doubtless   
his soul was occupied in interior       
ecstasies and profound contemplation2 as
 indeed his countenance1 his lips1 and  
gestures1 expressive of the tenderest   
devotion1 indicated4 ,his eyes1         
generally shut1 opened frequently to    
rest upon the mild image of ,our ,lady1 
whose picture was opposite him4         
,sometimes1 too1 he turned them towards 
his confessor1 as if demanding          
absolution1 according to what had been  
previously concerted between them4 ,a   
pressure of the eyes and an inclination 
of the head were also perceptible1 and  
he was seen to strike his breast when he
 received1 for the last time1 the       
sacramental absolution from the hands of
 the superior4 ,at length the morning   
dawned1 which was to witness the passage

 of our saint from this vale of tears   
and land of sorrow to a better life4 ,it
 was ,friday1 the #eth of ,march1 a day 
yet unoccupied in the calendar1 as if   
purposely left for him4 ,he had spent   
the previous night in unceasing fervent 
acts of contrition1 resignation1 love1  
and gratitude1 as his frequent beating  
of his breast1 lifting his hands towards
 heaven1 and blessing himself1          
testified4 ,before the morning was far  
advanced1 turning to the lay-brother    
that attended him1 as if awoke out of an
 ecstasy1 he said1 ,i have but a few    
moments to live4 ,hereupon the          
lay-brother ran in all speed to give    
notice to the superior1 who1 with the   
whole community1 at that moment in      
choir1 hastened to the cell of the dying
 man4 ,the recommendation of a departing
 soul was recited with an abundance of  
tears4 ,the father-guardian perceiving  
he was in his agony1 imparted to him the
 last sacramental absolution2 which he1 
bowing his head to receive1 instantly   

raised it again2 opened1 for the last   
time1 his eyes1 now swimming in joy1 and
 inebriated with heavenly delight2 fixed
 them1 just as they were closing1 with a
 look of ineffable tenderness1 upon the 
image of ,out blessed ,lady1 and        
composing his lips to a sweet smile1    
without farther movement or             
demonstration1 ceased to breathe4  ,thus
 expired1 without a struggle1 ,john     
,joseph of the ,cross1 the mirror of    
religious life1 the father of the poor1 
the comforter of the distressed1 and the
 unconquerable ,christian hero3 but when
 death came to pluck him from the tree  
he dropped like a ripe fruit1 smiling1  
into his hands3 or1 even as a gentle    
stream steals unperceived into the      
ocean1 so calmly that its surface is not
 fretted with a ripple1 his soul glided 
into eternity4 ,to die upon the field of
 battle1 amidst the shouts of victory1  
in presence of an admiring throng1      
surrounded by the badges of honor and   
respect1 bequeathing to history a       

celebrated name1 may merit the ambition 
of the world2 or to perish in some noble
 cause1 buoyed up by enthusiasm1        
conscious worth1 and the certainty of   
having the sympathy and applause of all 
from whom meed is valuable1 may make    
even selfishness generous1 and cowardice
 heroic1 but to suffer during life the  
lingering martyrdom of the cross2 and   
then to expire1 not suddenly1 but like a
 taper1 burnt out2 to fall like a       
flower1 not in its prime and beauty but 
gradually shedding its leaves and       
perfume1 and bearing its fibres to the  
last1 till it droops and lies exhaled   
and prostrate in the dust2 is a death   
too pure1 too self-devoted1 too sublime1
 for any but the annals of ,christian   
heroism to supply4 ,and assuredly a day 
will come when the conqueror's crown    
shall not be brighter than the          
,christian's halo1 nor the patriot's    
laurel-branch bear richer foliage than  
the palms of ,paradise1 which the       
humblest denizen of heaven shall carry4 

,a day will come that will give to all  
their proper measure and dimensions2 yet
 even before that day shall ,god glorify
 those who have died the peaceful death 
of the just1 by embalming their memory  
and rendering their tombs and relics    
illustrious1 so that1 for the one who   
shall have heard of the hero1 thousands 
shall bless and invoke the ,saint4  #eai
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,he alone is a perfect ,christian   
who is crucified to the world1 and to   
whom the world is crucified1 and who    
glorieth in nothing save the cross of   
out ,lord ,jesus4 ,nor without embracing
 the cross at least in heart and        
affection1 can any one belong to the    
religion of ,christ4 ,upon entering life
 we are marked with the cross2 through  
the various vicissitudes thereof our    
every step is encountered by it--go     
whithersoever thou wilt and thou shalt  
find it impossible to escape the        
cross--and it accompanies us even unto  
death and the grave4 ,for a ,christian  

dieth pressing the cross to his lips2   
and the cross is engraven upon his tomb 
that it may bear witness of his faith   
and hope4 ,but if ,our ,lord has said1  
in general terms1 ,whosoever will be my 
disciple1 let him take up his cross and 
follow me2 and if it be true that       
through many tribulations it is         
necessary to enter into the kingdom of  
heaven1 then are all without exception  
called upon to assume this burden4 ,it  
is not strange1 then1 that saints should
 have delighted to blend their names    
with the cross wherewith their hearts   
were so closely entwined2 or that men1  
after their departure to glory1 should  
have designated them by the title of    
that whereof they were so deeply        
enamored4   ,,march ,,vi4  ,,st4        
,,chrodegang1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,metz1     
,,confessor4  ,from ,paul the ,deacon1  
l4 #b de ,gest4 ,longob4 c4 #af4        
,henschenius1 p4 #dec4 ,mabill4 ,annal4 
,ben4 l4 #bb1 t4 #b1  ,act4 ,,ss4 ,ord4 
,ben4 t4 #d1 p4 #ahd4 ,ceillier1 t4 #ah1

 p4 #agf4 ,his life1 published by       
,george ,von ,eckart1 ,hist ,francie    
,orient4 t4 #a1 p4 #iab4 ,also          
,meurisse1 ,hist4 des ,eveques de ,metz1
 l4 #b4  ,a4,d4 #gff4  ,,this saint1    
nobly born in ,brabant1 then called     
,hasbain1 was educated in the abbey of  
,st4 ,tron1 and for his great learning  
and virtue was made referendary1        
chancellor of ,france1 and prime        
minister1 by ,charles ,martel1 mayor of 
the ,french palace1 in #gcg4 ,he was    
always meanly clad from his youth2 he   
macerated his body by fasting1 watching1
 and hair-cloths1 and allowed his senses
 no superfluous gratifications of any   
kind4 ,his charity to all in distress   
seemed to know no bounds2 he supported  
an incredible number of poor1 and was   
the protector and father of orphans and 
widows4 ,soon after the death of        
,charles ,martel1 he was chosen bishop  
of ,metz1 in #gdb4 ,prince ,pepin1 the  
son and successor of ,charles1 uncle to 
our saint by his mother1 ,landrada1     

would not consent to his being ordained1
 but on the condition that he should    
still continue at the helm of the state4
 ,chrodegang always retained the same   
sweetness1 humility1 recollection1 and  
simplicity in his behavior and dress4   
,he constantly wore a rough hair-shirt  
under his clothes1 spent good part of   
the night in watching1 and usually at   
his devotions watered his cheeks with   
tears4 ,pope ,stephen ,,iii4 being      
oppressed by the ,lombards1 took refuge 
in ,france4 ,chrodegang went to conduct 
him over the ,alps1 and king ,pepin was 
no sooner informed that he had passed   
these mountains in his way to ,france1  
but he sent ,charles1 his eldest son1 to
 accompany him to ,pont-yon1 in         
,champagne1 where the king was to       
receive him4 ,the pope being three miles
 distant from that city1 the king came  
to meet him1 and having joined him1     
alighted from his horse1 and prostrated 
himself1 as did the queen1 his children1
 and the lords of his court2 and the    

king walked some time by the side of his
 horse to do him honor4 ,the pope #ebj  
retired to the monastery of ,st4        
,deny's2 and king ,pepin1 in the year   
#ged1 sent ,st4 ,chrodegang on an       
embassy to ,astulph1 king of the        
,lombards1 praying him out of respect to
 the holy apostles not to commit any    
hostilities against ,rome1 nor to oblige
 the ,romans to superstitions contrary  
to their laws1 and to restore the towns 
which he had taken from the holy see2   
but this embassy was without effect4    
,the saint1 in #gee1 converted the      
chapter of secular canons of his        
cathedral into a regular community1 in  
which he was imitated by many other     
churches4 ,he composed for his regular  
canons a rule1 consisting of thirty-four
 articles4 ,in the first he lays down   
humility for the foundation of all the  
rest4#a ,he obliged the canons to       
confess at least twice a year to the    
bishop1 before the beginning of ,advent 
and ,lent4#b ,but these churches1 even  

that of ,metz1 have again secularized   
themselves4 ,the saint built and endowed
 the monasteries of ,st4 ,peter1 that of
 ,gorze1 and a third in the diocese of  
,worms1 called ,lorsh or ,laurisham4 ,he
 died on the #fth of ,march4 in #gff1   
and was buried at ,gorze1 to which by   
his will1 which is still extant1 he     
demised several estates4 ,he is named in
 the ,french1 ,german1 and ,belgic      
,martyrologies4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,the zeal of ,st4 
,chrodegang in restoring the primitive  
and apostolic spirit in the clergy1     
particularly their fervor and devotion  
in the ministry of the altar1 is the    
best proof of his ardor to advance the  
divine honor4 ,to pay to ,almighty ,god 
the public homage of praise and love1 in
 the name of the whole church1 is a     
function truly angelical4 ,those1 who by
 the divine appointment are honored with
 this sublime charge1 resemble those    
glorious heavenly spirits who always    
assist before the throne of ,god4 ,what 

ought to be the sanctity of their lives6
 how pure their affections1 how         
perfectly disengaged from all inordinate
 attachments to creatures1 particularly 
how free from the least filth of        
avarice1 and every other vice6 ,all     
,christians have a part in this heavenly
 function4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,ch4 #ad4  
#b4  ,see the other regulations abridged
 in ,fleury1 c41 the entire rule        
published genuine in ,le ,cointe ,amaise
 t4 #e1 and in the later     editions of
 the councils4  ,b4 ,,colette1 ,,virgin 
,,and ,,abbess4  ,from her life1 written
 by her confessor1 ,peter de ,vaux4 ,see
 ,helyot1 ,hist4 des ,ord4 ,relig4 t4   
#g1 p4 #if4 ,miraeus and ,barbaza1 ,vies
 des ,saints du ,tiers ,ordre de ,st4   
,francois1 t4 #b1 p4 #ea4  ,a4,d4 #addg4
  ,,colette ,,boilet1 a carpenter's     
daughter1 was born at ,corbie1 in       
,picardy1 in #achj4 ,her parents1 out of
 devotion to ,st4 ,nicholas1 gave her   
the name of ,colette1 the diminutive of 
,nicholas4 ,she was brought up in the   

love of humiliations and austerities4   
,her desire to preserve her purity      
without the least blemish made her avoid
 as much as possible all company1 even  
of persons of her own sex1 unless it was
 sometimes to draw them from the love of
 the world by her moving discourses1    
which were attended with a singular     
blessing from almighty ,god4 ,humility  
was her darling virtue2 and her greatest
 delight seemed to be in seeing herself 
contemned4 ,she was so full of confusion
 at her own miseries and baseness1 and  
was so contemptible in her own eyes1    
that she was ashamed to appear before   
any one1 placed herself far below the   
greatest sinners1 and studied by all    
sorts of humiliations to prevent the    
least motion of secret pride or         
self-conceit in her heart4 ,she served  
the poor and the sick with an affection 
that charmed and comforted them4 ,she   
lived in strict solitude in a small1    
poor1 abandoned apartment in #eba her   
father's house1 and spent her time there

 in manual labor and prayer4 ,being very
 beautiful1 she begged of ,god to change
 her complexion1 and her face became so 
pale and thin1 that she could scarce be 
known for the same person4 ,yet a       
certain majesty of virtue1 shining in   
her countenance1 gave her charms        
conducive to the edification of others  
by the sweetness1 modesty1 and air of   
piety and divine love discernible in her
 looks4 ,her parents1 who1 though poor1 
were virtuous1 and exceeding charitable1
 according to their abilities1 and great
 peacemakers among their neighbors1     
seeing her directed by the ,spirit of   
,god1 allowed her full liberty in her   
devotions4 ,after their death she       
distributed the little they left her    
among the poor1 and retired among the   
,beguines1 devout societies of women1   
established in several parts of         
,flanders1 ,picardy1 and ,lorrain1 who  
maintain themselves by the work of their
 hands1 leading a middle kind of life   
between the secular and religious1 but  

make no solemn vows4 ,not finding this  
way of life austere enough1 she1 by her 
confessor's advice1 took the habit of   
the third order of ,st4 ,francis1 called
 the ,penitents2 and1 three years after1
 that of the mitigated ,clares or       
,urbanists1 with the view of reforming  
that order1 and reducing it to its      
primitive austerity4 ,having obtained of
 the abbot of ,corbie a small hermitage1
 she spent in it three years in         
extraordinary austerity1 near that      
abbey4 ,after this1 in order to execute 
the project she had long formed of      
re-establishing the primitive spirit and
 practice of her order1 she went to the 
convent at ,amiens1 and from thence to  
several others4 ,to succeed in her      
undertaking1 it was necessary that she  
should be vested with proper authority3 
to procure which she made a journey to  
,nice in ,provence1 to wait on ,peter de
 ,luna1 who1 in the great schism1 was   
acknowledged pope by the ,french under  
the name of ,benedict ,,xiii41 and      

happened then to be in that city4 ,he   
constituted her superioress-general of  
the whole order of ,st4 ,clare1 with    
full power to establish in it whatever  
regulations she thought conducive to    
,god's honor and the salvation of       
others4 ,she attempted to revive the    
primitive rule and spirit of ,st4       
,francis in the convents of the diocese 
of ,paris1 ,beauvais1 ,noyon1 and       
,amiens2 but met with the most violent  
opposition1 and was treated as a        
fanatic4 ,she received all injuries with
 joy1 and was not discouraged by human  
difficulties4 ,some time after she met  
with a more favorable reception in      
,savoy1 and her reformation began to    
take root there1 and passed thence into 
,burgundy1 ,france1 ,flanders1 and      
,spain4 ,many ancient houses received   
it1 that of ,besanzon being the first1  
and she lived to erect seventeen new    
ones4 ,several houses of ,franciscan    
friars received the same4 ,but ,leo ,x41
 in #aeag1 by a special bull1 united all

 the different reformations of the      
,franciscans under the name of          
,observantines3 and thus the distinction
 of ,colettines is extinct4 ,so great   
was her love for poverty1 in imitation  
of that of ,christ1 that she never put  
on so much as sandals1 going always     
barefoot1 and would have no churches or 
convents but what were small and mean4  
,her habit was not only of most coarse  
stuff1 but made of above a hundred      
patches sewed together4 ,she continually
 inculcated to her nuns the denial of   
their own wills in all things1 as       
,christ1 from his first to his last     
breath1 did the will of his heavenly    
,father3 saying1 that all self-will was 
the broad way to hell4 ,the sacred      
passion of ,christ was the subject of   
her constant meditation4 ,on ,fridays1  
from six in the morning till six at     
night1 she continued in this meditation1
 without eating or doing any other      
thing1 but referring all her thoughts   
and affections to it with a flood of    

tears2 also during the ,holy-,week1 and 
whenever she assisted at mass3 she often
 fell into ecstasies when she considered
 it4 ,she showed a particular respect to
 the holy cross2 but1 above all1 to     
,christ present in the blessed          
eucharist1 when she appeared in raptures
 of adoration and love4 ,she often      
purified her conscience by sacramental  
confession before she heard mass1 to    
#ebb assist thereat with the greater    
purity of soul4 ,her zeal made her daily
 to pour forth many fervent prayers for 
the conversion of sinners1 and also for 
the souls in purgatory1 often with many 
tears4 ,being seized with her last      
sickness in her convent at ,ghent1 she  
received the sacraments of the church1  
foretold her death1 and happily expired 
in her sixty-seventh year1 on the #fth  
of ,march1 in #addg4 ,her body is       
exposed to veneration in the church of  
that convent called ,bethleem1 in       
,ghent4 ,she was never canonized1 nor is
 she named in the ,roman ,martyrology3  

but ,clement ,,viii41 ,paul ,v41        
,gregory ,,xiii41 and ,urban ,,viii41   
have approved of an office in her honor 
for the whole ,franciscan order1 and    
certain cities4 ,her body was taken up  
at ,ghent1 in #agdg1 and several        
miracles wrought on the occasion were   
examined by the ordinary of the place1  
who sent the process and relation of    
them to ,rome4  ,,st4 ,,fridolin1 ,a4   
,,he was an ,irish or ,scotch abbot1    
who1 leaving his own country1 founded   
several monasteries in ,austria1        
,burgundy1 and ,switzerland3 the last   
was that of ,sekingen1 in an isle in the
 ,rhine1 now one of the four forest     
towns belonging to the house of         
,austria4 ,in this monastery he died1 in
 #ech4 ,he is the tutelar patron of the 
,swiss canton of ,glaris1 who carry in  
their coat of arms his picture in the   
,benedictin habit1 though he was not of 
that order4 ,see ,molanus1 ,addit4 ad   
,usuard2 ,pantaleon1 ,prosopographiae   
,vir4 ,illustr4 ,german4 ad an4 #ejb2   

,king in ,calend ,wion1 ,lignum ,vitae1 
l4 #c4  ,,st4 ,,baldrede1 ,,bishop ,,of 
,,glasgow1 ,c4  ,,he was immediate      
successor of ,st4 ,mungo1 in that see1  
established many nunneries in ,scotland1
 and died in the province of ,laudon1   
about the year #fjh4 ,his relics were   
very famous in many churches in         
,scotland4 ,see ,adam ,king1 in         
,calend41 and the historians ,boetius1  
,major1 ,leslie1 c4  ,,ss4 ,,kyneburge1 
,,kyneswide1 ,,and ,,tibba4  ,,the two  
first were daughters of ,penda1 the     
cruel pagan king of ,mercia1 and sisters
 to three successive ,christian kings1  
,peada1 ,wulfere1 and ,ethelred1 and to 
the pious prince ,merowald4 ,kyneburge1 
as ,bede informs us1#a was married to   
,alefrid1 eldest sort of ,oswi1 and in  
his father's life-time king of          
,bernicia4 ,they are said to have lived 
in perpetual continency4 ,by his death  
she was left a widow in the bloom of    
life1 and1 renouncing the world1        
governed a nunnery which she built2 or1 

according to others1 found built by her 
brother ,wulfere1 in a moist fenny      
place1 on the confines of the counties  
of ,huntingdon and ,northampton1 then   
called ,dormundcaster1 afterwards1 from 
her1 ,kyneburgecaster1 now ,caster4 ,the
 author of her life in ,capgrave says1  
that she lived here a mirror of all     
sanctity1 and that no words can express 
the bowels of charity with which she    
cherished the souls which served ,god   
under her care2 and how watchful she was
 over their comportment1 and how zealous
 in instructing and exhorting them2 and 
with what floods of tears she implored  
for them the divine grace and mercy4    
,she had a wonderful compassion for the 
poor1 and strongly exhorted her royal   
brothers #ebc to alms-giving and works  
of mercy4 ,kyneswide and ,kynedride     
7though many confounded the latter with 
,st4 ,kyneburge7 were also daughters of 
,penda1 left very young at his death4   
,by an early consecration of their      
virginity to ,god1 they devoted         

themselves to his service1 and both     
embraced a religious state4 ,kyneswide  
took the holy veil in the monastery of  
,dormundcaster4  ,the bodies of these   
saints were translated to ,peterborough1
 where their festival was kept on the   
#fth of ,march1 together with that of   
,saint ,tibba1 a holy virgin1 their     
kinswoman1 who1 having spent many years 
in solitude and devotion1 passed to     
glory on the #acth of ,december4 ,camden
 informs us1 that she was honored with  
particular devotion at ,rihal1 a town   
near the river ,wash1 in ,rutlandshire4 
,see ,ingulphus1 ,hist4 p4 #hej2 ,will4 
of ,malmesbury l4 #d1 de ,pontif4 p4    
#bi2 ,capgrave and ,harpsfield1 saec4   
#g1 c4 #bc4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,bede     
,hist4 l4 #c1 c4 #ba4 #b4  ,camdem in   
,rutlandshire4  ,,st4 ,,cadroe1 ,c4     
,,he was a noble ,scotsman1 son of count
 7or rather laird7 ,fokerstrach1 and    
travelling into ,france1 he took the    
monastic habit at ,saint ,bennet's on   
the ,loire4 ,he afterwards reformed the 

monastery of ,st4 ,clement1 at ,metz1 in
 #ifj1 and died in a visit which he made
 to ,adelaide1 mother of the emperor    
,otho ,i41 at ,neristein1 about the year
 #ige4 ,his relics are kept at ,st4     
,clement's1 at ,metz1 and he is honored 
on the #fth of ,march4 ,see ,mabillon1  
sec4 #e1 ,ben4 p4 #dhj1 and sec4 #f1 p4 
#bh2 ,henschenius2 and ,calmet1 ,hist4  
de ,lor4 l4 #ai1 n4 #fg1 p4 #ajaa4      
,,march ,,vii4  ,,st4 ,,thomas ,,of     
,,aquino1  ,,doctor ,,of ,,the ,,church 
,,and ,,confessor4  ,from his life      
written by ,bartholomew of ,lucca1 some 
time the saint's confessor3 also another
 life compiled for his canonization by  
,william of ,tocco1 prior of ,benevento1
 who had been personally acquainted with
 the saint1 c4 ,see ,f4 ,touron1 in his 
life of ,st4 ,thomas1 in quarto1 ,paris1
 #agcg4  ,a4,d4 #abgd4  ,,the counts of 
,aquino1 who have flourished in the     
kingdom of ,naples these last ten       
centuries1 derive their pedigree from a 
certain ,lombard prince4 ,they were     

allied to the kings of ,sicily and      
,aragon1 to ,st4 ,lewis of ,france1 and 
many other sovereign houses of ,europe4 
,our saint's grandfather having married 
the sister of the emperor ,frederick    
,i41 he was himself grand nephew to that
 prince1 and second cousin to the       
emperor ,henry ,,vi41 and in the third  
degree to ,frederick ,,ii4#a ,his       
father1 ,landulph1 was count of ,aquino1
 and lord of ,loretto and ,belcastro3   
his mother ,theodora was daughter to the
 count of ,theate4 ,the saint was born  
towards the end of the year #abbf4 ,st4 
,austin observes1#b that the most tender
 age is subject to various passions1    
#ebd as of impatience1 choler1 jealousy1
 spite1 and the like1 which appear to   
children3 no such thing was seen in     
,thomas4 ,the serenity of his           
countenance1 the constant evenness of   
his temper1 his modesty and sweetness1  
were sensible marks that ,god prevented 
him with his early graces4 ,the count of
 ,aquino conducted him to the abbey of  

,mount ,cassino1 when he was but five   
years old1 to be instructed by those    
good monks in the first principles of   
religion and learning2 and his tutors   
soon saw with joy the rapidity of his   
progress1 his great talents1 and his    
happy dispositions to virtue4 ,he was   
but ten years of age when the abbot told
 his father that it was time to send him
 to some university4 ,the count1 before 
he sent him to ,naples1 took him for    
some months to see his mother at his    
seat at ,loretto1 the place which1 about
 the end of that century1 grew famous   
for devotion to our ,lady4 ,thomas was  
the admiration of the whole family4     
,amidst so much company1 and so many    
servants1 he appeared always as much    
recollected1 and occupied on ,god1 as he
 had been in the monastery2 he spoke    
little1 and always to the purpose3 and  
he employed all his time in prayer1 or  
serious and profitable exercises4 ,his  
great delight seemed to be to intercede 
for1 and to distribute1 his parents'    

plentiful alms among the poor at the    
gate1 whom he studied by a hundred      
ingenious contrivances to relieve4 ,he  
robbed himself of his own victuals for  
that purpose2 which his father having   
discovered1 he gave him leave to        
distribute things at discretion1 which  
liberty he made good use of for the     
little time he stayed4 ,the countess1   
apprehensive of the dangers her son's   
innocence might be exposed to in an     
academy1 desired that he should perform 
his studies with a private preceptor    
under her own eyes2 but the father1     
knowing the great advantages of         
emulation and mutual communication in   
studies1 was determined to send him to  
,naples1 where the emperor ,frederick   
,,ii41 being exasperated against        
,bologna1 had lately1 in #abbd1 erected 
a university1 forbidding students to    
resort to any other in ,italy4 ,this    
immediately drew thither great numbers  
of students1 and with them disorder and 
licentiousness1 like that described by  

,st4 ,austin in the great schools of    
,carthage4#c ,thomas soon perceived the 
dangers1 and regretted the sanctuary of 
,mount ,cassino3 but by his             
extraordinary watchfulness1 he lived    
here like the young ,daniel in the midst
 of ,babylon2 or ,toby in the infidel   
,ninive4 ,he guarded his eyes with an   
extreme caution1 shunned entirely all   
conversation with any woman whatever1   
and with any young men whose steady     
virtue did not render him perfectly     
secure as to their behavior4 ,while     
others went to profane diversions1 he   
retired into some church or into his    
closet1 making prayer and study his only
 pleasure4 ,he learned rhetoric under   
,peter ,martin and philosophy under     
,peter of ,hibernia1 one of the most    
learned men of his age1 and with such   
wonderful progress1 that he repeated the
 lessons more clearly than the master   
had explained them yet his greater care 
was to advance daily in the science of  
the saints1 by holy prayer1 and all good

 works4 ,his humility concealed them2   
but his charity and fervor sometimes    
betrayed his modesty1 and discovered    
them1 especially in his great alms1 for 
which ne deprived himself of almost all 
things1 and in which he was careful to  
hide from his left-hand what his right  
did4  ,the ,order of ,st4 ,dominick1 who
 had been dead twenty-two years1 then   
abounded with men full of the spirit of 
,god4 ,the frequent conversations       
,thomas had with one of that body1 a    
very interior holy man1 filled his heart
 with heavenly devotion and comfort1 and
 inflamed him daily with a more ardent  
love of ,god1 which so burned in his    
breast that at his prayers his          
countenance seemed one day1 as it were1 
to dart rays of light1 and he conceived 
#ebe a vehement desire to consecrate    
himself wholly to ,god in that ,order4  
,his tutor perceived his inclinations   
and informed the count of the matter who
 omitted neither threats nor promises to
 defeat such a design4 ,but the saint1  

not listening to flesh and blood in the 
call of heaven1 demanded with           
earnestness to be admitted into the     
,order1 and accordingly received the    
habit in the convent of ,naples1 in     
#abdc1 being then seventeen years old4  
,the countess ,theodora his mother1     
being informed of it1 set out for       
,naples to disengage him1 if possible1  
from that state of life4 ,her son1 on   
the first news of her journey1 begged   
his superiors to remove him1 as they did
 first to the convent of ,st4 ,sabina in
 ,rome1 and soon after to ,paris1 out of
 the reach of his relations4 ,two of his
 brothers1 ,landulph and ,reynold1      
commanders in the emperor's army in     
,tuscany1 by her direction so well      
guarded all the roads that he fell into 
their hands1 near ,acqua-pendente84     
,they endeavored to pull off his habit1 
but he resisted them so violently that  
they conducted him in it to the seat of 
his parents1 called ,rocca-,secca4 ,the 
mother1 overjoyed at their success1 made

 no doubt of overcoming her son's       
resolution4 ,she endeavored to persuade 
him that to embrace such an ,order1     
against his parents' advice1 could not  
be the call of heaven2 adding all manner
 of reasons1 fond caresses1 entreaties1 
and tears4 ,nature made her eloquent and
 pathetic4 ,he appeared sensible of her 
affliction1 but his constancy was not to
 be shaken4 ,his answers were modest and
 respectful1 but firm1 in showing his   
resolution to be the call of ,god1 and  
ought consequently to take place of all 
other views whatsoever1 even for his    
service any other way4 ,at last1        
offended at his unexpected resistance1  
she expressed her displeasure in very   
choleric words1 and ordered him to be   
more closely confined and guarded1 and  
that no one should see him but his two  
sisters4 ,the reiterated solicitations  
of the young ladies were a long and     
violent assault4 ,they omitted nothing  
that flesh and blood could inspire on   
such an occasion1 and represented to him

 the danger of causing the death of his 
mother by grief4 ,he on the contrary    
spoke to them in so moving a manner1 on 
the contempt of the world1 and the love 
of virtue1 that they both yielded to the
 force of his reasons for his quitting  
the world1 and1 by his persuasion1      
devoted themselves to a sincere practice
 of piety4  ,this solitude furnished him
 with the most happy opportunity for    
holy contemplation and assiduous prayer4
 ,some time after1 his sisters conveyed 
to him some books1 viz41 a ,bible1      
,aristotle's logics1 and the works of   
the ,master of the ,sentences4 ,during  
this interval his two brothers1         
,landulph and ,reynold1 returning home  
from the army1 found their mother in the
 greatest affliction1 and the young     
novice triumphant in his resolution4    
,they would needs undertake to overcome 
him1 and began their assault by shutting
 him up in a tower of the castle4 ,they 
tore in pieces his habit on his back1   
and after bitter reproaches and dreadful

 threats they left him1 hoping his      
confinement1 and the mortifications     
every one strove to give him1 would     
shake his resolution4 ,this not         
succeeding1 the devil suggested to these
 two young officers a new artifice for  
diverting him from pursuing his         
vocation4 ,they secretly introduced one 
of the most beautiful and most          
insinuating young strumpets of the      
country into his chamber1 promising her 
a considerable reward in case she could 
draw him into sin4 ,she employed all the
 arms of ,satan to succeed in so        
detestable a design4 ,the saint1 alarmed
 and affrighted at the danger1          
profoundly humbled himself1 and cried   
out to ,god most earnestly for his      
protection2 then snatching up a         
firebrand struck her with it1 and drove 
her out of his chamber4 ,after this     
victory1 not moved with pride1 but      
blushing with confusion for having been 
so basely assaulted1 he fell on his     
knees and thanked ,god for his merciful 

preservation1 consecrated to him anew   
his chastity1 and redoubled his prayers1
 and the earnest cry of his #ebf heart  
with sighs and tears1 to obtain the     
grace of being always faithful to his   
promises4 ,then falling into a slumber1 
as the most ancient historians of his   
life relate1#d he was visited by two    
angels1 who seemed to gird him round the
 waist with a cord so tight that it     
awaked him1 and made him to cry out4    
,his guards ran in1 but he kept his     
secret to himself4 ,it was only a little
 before his death that he disclosed this
 incident to ,f4 ,reynold1 his          
confessor1 adding that he had received  
this favor about thirty years before1   
from which time he had never been       
annoyed with temptations of the flesh2  
yet he constantly used the utmost       
caution and watchfulness against that   
enemy1 and he would otherwise have      
deserved to forfeit that grace4 ,one    
heroic victory sometimes obtains of ,god
 a recompense and triumph of this kind4 

,our saint having suffered in silence   
this imprisonment and persecution       
upwards of a twelvemonth1 some say two  
years1 at length1 on the remonstrances  
of ,pope ,innocent ,,iv4 and the emperor
 ,frederick1 on account of so many acts 
of violence in his regard1 both the     
countess and his brothers began to      
relent4 ,the ,dominicans of ,naples     
being informed of this1 and that his    
mother was disposed to connive at       
measures that might be taken to procure 
his escape1 they hastened in disguise to
 ,rocca-,secca1 where his sister1       
knowing that the countess no longer     
opposed his escape1 contrived his being 
let down out of his tower in a basket4  
,he was received by his brethren in     
their arms1 and carried with joy to     
,naples4 ,the year following he there   
made his profession1 looking on that day
 as the happiest of his whole life in   
which he made a sacrifice of his liberty
 that he might belong to ,god alone4    
,but his mother and brothers renewed    

their complaints to ,pope ,innocent     
,,iv41 who sent for ,thomas to ,rome1   
and examined him on the subject of his  
vocation to the state of religion1 in   
their presence2 and having received     
entire satisfaction on this head1 the   
pope admired his virtue1 and approved of
 his choice of that state of life1 which
 from that time he was suffered to      
pursue in peace4 ,albertus ,magnus      
teaching then at ,cologne1 the general1 
,john the ,teutonic1 took the saint with
 him from ,rome to ,paris1 and thence to
 ,cologne4 ,thomas gave all his time1   
which was not employed in devotion and  
other duties1 to his studies1           
retrenching part of that which was      
allowed for his meals and sleep1 not out
 of a vain passion1 or the desire of    
applause1 but for the advancement of    
,god's honor and the interests of       
religion1 according to what he himself  
teaches4#e ,his humility made him       
conceal his progress and deep           
penetration1 insomuch that his          

schoolfellows thought he learned        
nothing1 and on account of his silence1 
called him ,the dumb ,ox1 and the ,great
 ,sicilian ,ox4 ,one of them even       
offered to explain his lessons to him1  
whom he thankfully listened to without  
speaking1 though he was then capable of 
teaching him4 ,they who know how much   
scholars and masters usually seek to    
distinguish themselves1 and display     
their science1 will give to so uncommon 
an humility its due praise4 ,but the    
brightness of his genius1 his quick and 
deep penetration and learning were at   
last discovered1 in spite of all his    
endeavors to conceal them3 for his      
master ,albertus1 having propounded to  
him several questions on the most knotty
 and obscure points1 his answers1 which 
the duty of obedience extorted1         
astonished the audience2 and ,albertus1 
not able to contain his joy and         
admiration1 said1 ,we call him the dumb 
ox1 but he will give such a bellow in   
learning as will be heard all over the  

world4 ,this applause made no impression
 on the humble saint4 ,he continued the 
same in simplicity1 modesty1 silence1   
and recollection1 because his heart was 
the same2 equally insensible to praises 
and humiliations1 full of nothing but of
 ,god and his own insufficiency1 never  
reflecting on his own qualifications1 or
 on what was the opinion of others      
concerning him4 ,in his first year1 #ebg
 under ,albertus ,magnus1 he wrote      
comments on ,aristotle's ,ethics4 ,the  
general chapter of the ,dominicans1 held
 at ,cologne in #abde1 deputed ,albertus
 to teach at ,paris1 in their college of
 ,st4 ,james1 which the university had  
given them2 and it is from that college 
they are called in ,france ,jacobins4   
,st4 ,thomas was sent with him to       
continue his studies there4 ,his school 
exercises did not interrupt his prayer4 
,by an habitual sense of the divine     
presence1 and devout aspirations1 he    
kept his heart continually raised to    
,god2 and in difficult points redoubled 

with more earnestness his fervor in his 
prayers than his application to study4  
,this he found attended with such       
success1 that he often said that he had 
learned less by books than before his   
crucifix1 or at the foot of the altar4  
,his constant attention to ,god always  
filled his soul with joy1 which appeared
 in his very countenance1 and made his  
conversation altogether heavenly4 ,his  
humility and obedience were most        
remarkable in all things4 ,one day while
 he read at table1 the corrector1 by    
mistake1 bid him read a word with a     
false quantity1 and he readily obeyed1  
though he knew the error4 ,when others  
told him he ought notwithstanding to    
have given it the right pronunciation1  
his answer was1 ,it matters not how a   
word is pronounced1 but to practise on  
all occasions humility and obedience is 
of the greatest importance4 ,he was so  
perfectly mortified1 and dead to his    
senses1 that he ate without reflecting  
either on the kind or quality of his    

food1 so that after meals he often knew 
not what he had been eating4  ,in the   
year #abdh1 being twenty-two years of   
age1 he was appointed by the general    
chapter to teach at ,cologne1 together  
with his old master ,albertus1 whose    
high reputation he equalled in his very 
first lessons4 ,he then also began to   
publish his first works1 which consist  
of comments on the ,ethics1 and other   
philosophical works of ,aristotle4 ,no  
one was more courteous and affable1 but 
it was his principle to shun all        
unnecessary visits4 ,to prepare himself 
for holy orders he redoubled his        
watchings1 prayer1 and other spiritual  
exercises4 ,his devotion to the blessed 
,sacrament was extraordinary4 ,he spent 
several hours of the day and part of the
 night before the altar1 humbling       
himself in acts of profound adoration1  
and melting with love in contemplation  
of the immense charity of that          
,man-,god1 whom he there adored4 ,in    
saying mass he seemed to be in raptures1

 and often quite dissolved in tears2 a  
glowing frequently appeared in his eyes 
and countenance which showed the ardor  
with which his heart burned within him4 
,his devotion was most frequent during  
the precious moments after he had       
received the divine mysteries2 and after
 saying mass he usually served at       
another1 or at least heard one4 ,this   
fire and zeal appeared also in his      
sermons at ,cologne1 ,paris1 ,rome1 and 
in other cities of ,italy4 ,he was      
everywhere heard as an angel2 even the  
,jews ran of their own accord to hear   
him1 and many of them were converted4   
,his zeal made him solicitous1 in the   
first place1 for the salvation of his   
relations4 ,his example and exhortations
 induced them to an heroic practice of  
piety4 ,his eldest sister consecrated   
herself to ,god in ,st4 ,mary's1 at     
,capua1 and died abbess of that         
monastery3 the younger1 ,theodora1      
married the count of ,marsico1 and lived
 and died in great virtue2 as did his   

mother4 ,his two brothers1 ,landulph and
 ,reynold1 became sincere penitents2 and
 having some time after left the        
emperor's service1 he1 in revenge1 burnt
 ,aquino1 their seat1 in #abej1 and put 
,reynold to death2 the rest were obliged
 to save themselves by a voluntary      
banishment1 but were restored in #abfh4 
,st4 ,thomas1 after teaching four years 
at ,cologne1 was sent1 in #abeb1 to     
,paris4 ,his reputation for perspicuity 
and solidity drew immediately to his    
school a great number of auditors4#f    
,st4 ,thomas1 with great reluctancy1    
compelled by holy obedience #ebh        
consented to be admitted doctor1 on the 
#bc;d of ,october1 in #abeg1 being then 
thirty-one years old4 ,the professors of
 the university of ,paris being divided 
about the question of the accidents     
remaining really1 or only in appearance1
 in the blessed sacrament of the altar1 
they agreed1 in #abeh1 to consult our   
saint4 ,the young doctor1 not puffed up 
by such an honor1 applied himself first 

to ,god by prayer1 then he wrote upon   
that question the treatise still extant1
 and1 carrying it to the church1 laid it
 on the altar4 ,the most ancient author 
of his life assures us1 that while the  
saint remained in prayer on that        
occasion1 some of the brethren who were 
present1 saw him raised a little above  
the ground4#g  ,the holy king1 ,st4     
,louis1 had so great an esteem for ,st4 
,thomas1 that he consulted him in       
affairs of state1 and ordinarily        
informed him1 the evening before1 of any
 affair of importance that was to be    
treated of in council1 that he might be 
the more ready to give advice on the    
point4 ,the saint avoided the honor of  
dining with the king as often as be     
could excuse himself3 and1 when obliged 
to assist at court1 appeared there as   
recollected as in his convent4 ,one day 
at the king's table1 the saint cried    
out3 ,the argument is conclusive against
 the ,manichees4#h ,his prior1 being    
with him1 bade him remember where he    

was4 ,the saint would have asked the    
king's pardon1 but that good prince1    
fearing he should forget the argument   
that had occurred to his mind1 caused   
his secretary to write it down for him4 
,in the year #abei ,st4 ,thomas assisted
 at the thirty-sixth general chapter of 
his order1 held at ,valenciennes1 which 
deputed him1 in conjunction with        
,albertus ,magnus and three others1 to  
draw up rules for studies1 which are    
still extant in the acts of that        
chapter4 ,returning to ,paris1 he there 
continued his lectures4 ,nothing was    
more remarkable than his meekness on all
 occasions4 ,his temper was never       
ruffled in the heat of any dispute1 nor 
by any insult4 ,it was owing to this    
sweetness1 more than to his invincible  
force of reasoning1 that he brought a   
young doctor to retract on the spot a   
dangerous opinion1 which he was         
maintaining a second time in his thesis4
 ,in #abfa1 ,urban ,,iv4 called ,st4    
,thomas to ,rome1 and1 by his order1 the

 general appointed him to teach here4   
,his holiness pressed him with great    
importunity to accept of some           
ecclesiastical dignity1#ebi but he knew 
how much safer it is to refuse than to  
accept a bishopric4 ,the pope1 however1 
obliged him always to attend his person4
 ,thus it happened that the saint taught
 and preached in all the towns where    
that pope ever resided1 as in ,rome1    
,viterbo1 ,orvieto1 ,fondi1 and         
,perugia4 ,he also taught at ,bologna1  
,naples1 c4#i  ,the fruits of his       
preaching were no less wonderful than   
those of his pen4 ,while he was         
preaching1 on ,good ,friday1 on the love
 of ,god for man1 and our ingratitude to
 him1 his whole auditory melted into    
tears to such a degree that he was      
obliged to stop several times1 that they
 might recover themselves4 ,his         
discourse on the following ,sunday1     
concerning the glory of ,christ1 and the
 happiness of those who rise with him by
 grace1 was no less pathetic and        

affecting4 ,william of ,tocco adds1 that
 as the saint was coming out of ,st4    
,peter's church the same day1 a woman   
was cured of the bloody flux by touching
 the hem of his garment4 ,the conversion
 of two considerable ,rabbins seemed    
still a greater miracle4 ,st4 ,thomas   
had held a long conference with them at 
a casual meeting in cardinal ,richard's 
villa1 and they agreed to resume it the 
next day4 ,the saint spent the foregoing
 night in prayer1 at the foot of the    
altar4 ,the next morning these two most 
obstinate ,jews came to him of their own
 accord1 not to dispute1 but to embrace 
the faith1 and were followed by many    
others4 ,in the year #abfc1 the         
,dominicans held their fortieth general 
chapter in ,london2 ,st4 ,thomas        
assisted at it1 and obtained soon after 
to be dismissed from teaching4 ,he      
rejoiced to see himself reduced to the  
state of a private religious man4 ,pope 
,clement ,,iv4 had #ecj such a regard   
for him1 that1 in #abfe1 among other    

ecclesiastical preferments1 he made him 
an offer of the archbishopric of        
,naples1 but could not prevail with him 
to accept of that or any other4 ,the    
first part of his theological ,summ ,st4
 ,thomas composed at ,bologna3 he was   
called thence to ,naples4 ,here it was  
that1 according to ,tocco and others1   
,dominick ,caserte beheld him1 while in 
fervent prayer1 raised from the ground1 
and heard a voice from the crucifix     
directed to him in these words3 ,thou   
hast written well of me1 ,thomas3 what  
recompense dost thou desire8 ,he        
answered3 ,no other than thyself1 ,o    
,lord4#aj  ,from the #fth of ,december1 
in #abgc1 to the #gth of ,march         
following1 the day of his death1 he     
neither dictated nor wrote any thing on 
theological matters4 ,he from that time 
laid aside his studies1 to fix his      
thoughts and heart entirely on eternity1
 and to aspire with the greatest ardor  
and most languishing desires to the     
enjoyment of ,god in perfect love4 ,pope

 ,gregory ,x4 had called a general      
council1 the second of ,lyons1 with the 
view of extinguishing the ,greek schism1
 and raising succors to defend the holy 
land against the ,saracens4 ,the        
ambassadors of the emperor ,michael     
,palaeologus1 together with the ,greek  
prelates1 were to assist at it4 ,the    
council was to meet on the #ast of ,may1
 in #abgd4 ,his holiness1 by brief      
directed to our saint1 ordered him to   
repair thither1 and to prepare himself  
to defend the ,catholic cause against   
the ,greek schismatics4 ,though         
indisposed1 he set out from ,naples     
about the end of ,january4 ,his dear    
friend1 ,f4 ,reynold of ,piperno1 was   
appointed his companion1 and ordered to 
take care that he did not neglect       
himself1 which the saint was apt to do4 
,st4 ,thomas on the road called at the  
castle of ,magenza1 the seat of his     
niece1 ,francisca of ,aquino1 married to
 the count of ,cecan4 ,here his         
distemper increased1 which was attended 

with a loss of appetite4 ,one day he    
said1 to be rid of their importunities1 
that he thought he could eat a little of
 a certain fish which he had formerly   
eaten in ,france1 but which was not     
easily to be found in ,italy4 ,search   
however was made1 and the fish procured2
 but the saint refused to touch it1 in  
imitation of ,david on the like         
occasion4 ,soon after his appetite      
returned a little1 and his strength with
 it2 yet he was assured that his last   
hour was at hand4 ,this however did not 
hinder him from proceeding on his       
journey1 till1 his fever increasing1 he 
was forced to stop at ,fossa-,nuova1 a  
famous abbey of the ,cistercians1 in the
 diocese of ,terracina1 where formerly  
stood the city called ,forum ,appii4    
,entering the monastery1 he went first  
to pray before the ,blessed ,sacrament1 
according to his custom4 ,he poured     
forth his soul with extraordinary       
fervor1 in the presence of ,him who noto
 called him to his kingdom4 ,passing    

thence into the cloister1 which he never
 lived to go out of1 he repeated these  
words3#aa ,this is my rest for ages     
without end4 ,he was lodged in the      
abbot's apartment1 where he lay ill for 
near a month4 ,the good monks treated   
him with uncommon veneration and esteem1
 and as if he had been an angel from    
heaven4 ,they would not employ any of   
their servants about him1 but chose to  
serve him themselves in the meanest     
offices1 as in cutting or carrying wood 
for him to burn1 c4 ,his patience1      
humility1 constant recollection1 and    
prayer1 were equally their astonishment 
and edification4  ,the nearer he saw    
himself to the term of all his desires1 
the entering into the joy of his ,lord1 
the more tender and inflamed were his   
longings after death4 ,he had           
continually in his mouth these words of 
,st4 ,austin1#ab ,then shall ,i truly   
live1 when ,i shall be quite filled with
 you alone1 and your love2 #eca now ,i  
am a burden to myself1 because ,i am not

 entirely full of you4 ,in such pious   
transports of heavenly love1 he never   
ceased sighing after the glorious day of
 eternity4 ,the monks begged he would   
dictate an exposition of the book of    
,canticles1 in imitation of ,st4        
,bernard4 ,he answered3 ,give me ,st4   
,bernard's spirit1 and ,i will obey4    
,but at last1 to renounce perfectly his 
own will1 he dictated the exposition of 
that most mysterious of all the divine  
books4 ,it begins3 ,solomon inspiratus3 
,it is not what his erudition might have
 suggested1 but what love inspired him  
with in his last mordents1 when his pure
 soul was hastening to break the chains 
of mortality1 and drown itself in the   
ocean of ,god's immensity1 and in the   
delights of eternity4#ac ,the holy      
doctor at last finding himself too weak 
to dictate any more1 begged the         
religious to withdraw1 recommending     
himself to their prayers1 and desiring  
their leave to employ the few precious  
moments he had to live with ,god alone4 

,he accordingly spent them in fervent   
acts of adoration1 praise1 thanksgiving1
 humility1 and repentance4 ,he made a   
general confession of his whole life to 
,f4 ,reynold1 with abundance of tears   
for his imperfections and sins of       
frailty2 for in the judgment of those to
 whom he had manifested his interior1 he
 had never offended ,god by any mortal  
sin4 ,and he said to ,f4 ,reynold1      
before his death1 that he thanked ,god  
with his whole heart for having         
prevented him with his grace1 and always
 conducted him as it were by the hand1  
and preserved him from any known sin    
that destroys charity in the soul2      
adding1 that this was purely ,god's     
mercy to which he was indebted for his  
preservation from every sin which he had
 not committed4#ad ,having received     
absolution in the sentiments of the most
 perfect penitent1 he desired the       
,viaticum4 ,while the abbot and         
community were preparing to bring it1 he
 begged to be taken off his bed1 and    

laid upon ashes spread upon the floor4  
,thus lying on the ground1 weak in body 
but vigorous in mind1 he waited for the 
priest with tears of the most tender    
devotion4 ,when he saw the host in the  
priest's hand1 he said3 ,i firmly       
believe that ,jesus ,christ1 true ,god  
and true ,man1 is present in this august
 sacrament4 ,i adore you1 my ,god and my
 ,redeemer3 ,i receive ,you1 the price  
of my redemption1 the ,viaticum of my   
pilgrimage2 for whose honor ,i have     
studied1 labored1 preached1 and taught4 
,i hope ,i never advanced any tenet as  
your word1 which ,i had not learned from
 you4 ,if through ignorance ,i have done
 otherwise1 ,i revoke every thing of    
that kind1 and submit all my writing1 to
 the judgment of the holy ,roman church4
 ,then recollecting himself1 after other
 acts of faith1 adoration1 and love1 he 
received the holy ,viaticum2 but        
remained on the ashes till he had       
finished his thanksgiving4 ,growing     
still weaker1 amid his transports of    

love1 he desired extreme unction1 which 
he received1 answering himself to all   
the prayers4 ,after this he lay in peace
 and joy1 as appeared by the serenity of
 his countenance2 and he was heard to   
pronounce these aspirations3 ,soon1 soon
 will the ,god of all comfort complete  
his mercies on me1 and fill all my      
desires4 ,i shall shortly be satiated in
 him1 and drink of the torrent of his   
delights3 be inebriated from the        
abundance of his house1 and in him who  
is the source of life1 ,i shall behold  
the true light4 ,seeing all in tears    
about him1 he comforted them1 saying3   
,death was his gain and his joy4 ,f4    
,reynold said he had hoped to see him   
triumph over the adversaries of the     
church in the council of ,lyons1 and    
placed in a rank in which he might do it
 some signal service4 ,the saint        
answered3 ,i have begged of ,god1 as the
 greatest favor1 to die a simple        
religious man1 and ,i now thank him for 
it4 ,it is a #ecb greater benefit than  

he has granted to many of his holy      
servants1 that he is pleased to call me 
out of this world so early1 to enter    
into his joy2 wherefore grieve not for  
me1 who am overwhelmed with joy4 ,he    
returned thanks to the abbot and monks  
of ,fossa-,nuova for their charity to   
him4 ,one of the community asked him by 
what means we might live always faithful
 to ,god's grace4 ,he answered3 ,be     
assured that he who shall always walk   
faithfully in his presence1 always ready
 to give him an account of all his      
actions1 shall never be separated from  
him by consenting to sin4 ,these were   
his last words to men1 after which he   
only spoke to ,god in prayer1 and gave  
up the ghost1 on the #gth of ,march1 in 
#abgd1 a little after midnight3 some say
 in the fiftieth year of his age4 ,but  
,ptolemy of ,lucca1 and other           
contemporary authors1 say expressly in  
his forty-eighth1 which also agrees with
 his whole history4 ,he was very tall1  
and every way proportioned4  ,the       

concourse of people at the saint's      
funeral was extraordinary3 several monks
 of that house1 and many other persons1 
were cured by his relics and            
intercession1 of which many instances1  
juridically proved1 are mentioned by    
,william of ,tocco1 in the bull of his  
canonization1 and other authors4 ,the   
,bollandists give us other long         
authentic relations of the like miracles
 continued afterwards1 especially in the
 translation of those holy relics4 ,the 
,university of ,paris sent to the       
general and provincial of the           
,dominicans a letter of condolence upon 
his death1 giving the highest           
commendations to the saint's learning   
and sanctity1 and begging the treasure  
of his holy body4 ,naples1 ,rome1 and   
many other universities1 princes1 and   
,orders1 contended no less for it4 ,one 
of his hands1 uncorrupt1 was cut off in 
#abhh1 and given to his sister1 the     
countess ,theodora1 who kept it in her  
domestic chapel of ,san ,severino4      

,after her death it was given to the    
,dominicans' convent of ,salerno4 ,after
 several contestations1 pope ,urban ,v41
 many years after his death1 granted his
 body to the ,dominicans to carry to    
,paris or ,toulouse1 as ,italy already  
possessed the body of ,st4 ,dominick at 
,bologna4 ,the sacred treasure was      
carried privately into ,france1 and     
received at ,thoulouse in the most      
honorable mariner3 one hundred and fifty
 thousand people came to meet and       
conduct it into the city1 having at     
their head ,louis duke of ,anjou1       
brother to king ,charles ,v41 the       
archbishops of ,thoulouse and ,narbonne1
 and many bishops1 abbots1 and noblemen4
 ,it rests now in the ,dominican's      
church at ,thoulouse1 in a rich shrine1 
with a stately mausoleum over it1 which 
reaches almost up to the roof of the    
church1 and hath four faces4 ,an arm of 
the saint was at the same time sent to  
the great convent of the ,dominicans at 
,paris1 and placed in ,st4 ,thomas's    

chapel in their church1 which the king  
declared a royal chapel4 ,the faculty of
 theology meets to assist at a high mass
 there on the anniversary festival of   
the saint4 ,the kingdom of ,naples1     
after many pressing solicitations1      
obtained1 in #acgb1 from the general    
chapter held at ,thoulouse1 a bone of   
the other arm of ,st4 ,thomas4 ,it was  
kept in the church of the ,dominicans at
 ,naples till #afjc1 when the city being
 delivered from a public calamity by his
 intercession1 it was placed in the     
metropolitan church among the relics of 
the other patrons of the country4 ,that 
kingdom1 by the briefs of ,pius ,v4 in  
#aefg1 and of ,clement ,,viii4 in #afjc1
 confirmed by ,paul ,v41 honors him as a
 principal patron4 ,he was solemnly     
canonized by pope ,john ,,xxii4 in      
#acbc4 ,pope ,pius ,v41 in #aefg1       
commanded his festival and office to be 
kept equal with those of the four       
doctors of the western church4          
99       99       99       99       99  

,many in their studies1 as in other     
occupations1 take great pains to little 
purpose1 often to draw from them the    
poison of vanity or error2 or at least  
to drain their affections1 and rather to
 nourish pride and other vices in the   
heart than to promote true virtue4      
,sincere humility and simplicity of     
heart #ecc are essential conditions for 
the sanctification of studies1 and for  
the improvement of virtue by them4      
,prayer must also both go before and    
accompany them4 ,st4 ,thomas spoke much 
to ,god by prayer1 that ,god might speak
 to him by enlightening his             
understanding in his reading and        
studies2 and he received in this what he
 asked in the other exercise4 ,this     
prodigy of human wit1 this unparalleled 
genius1 which penetrated the most knotty
 difficulties in all the sciences1      
whether sacred or profane1 to which he  
applied himself1 was accustomed to say  
that he learned more at the foot of the 
crucifix than in books4 ,we ought never 

to set ourselves to read or study any   
thing without having first made our     
morning meditation1 and without         
imploring in particular the divine light
 in every thing we read2 and seasoning  
our studies by frequent aspirations to  
,god in them1 and by keeping our souls  
in an humble attention to his presence4 
,in intricate difficulties1 we ought    
more earnestly1 prostrate at the foot of
 a crucifix1 to ask of ,christ the      
resolution of our doubts4 ,we should    
thus receive1 in the school of so good a
 master1 that science which makes       
saints1 by giving1 with other sciences1 
the true knowledge of ,god and          
ourselves1 and purifying and kindling in
 the will the fire of divine love with  
the sentiments of humility and other    
virtues4 ,by a little use1 fervent      
aspirations to ,god will arise from all 
subjects in the driest studies1 and it  
will become easy1 and as it were natural
 in them1 to raise our heart earnestly  
to ,god1 either despising the vain      

pursuits1 or detesting the vanity1 and  
deploring the blindness of the world1 or
 aspiring after heavenly gifts1 or      
begging light1 grace1 or the divine     
love4 ,this is a maxim of the utmost    
importance in an interior or spiritual  
life1 which otherwise1 instead of being 
assisted1 is entirely overwhelmed and   
extinguished by studies1 whether profane
 or sacred1 and in its place a spirit of
 self-sufficiency1 vanity1 and jealousy 
is contracted1 and the seeds of all     
other spiritual vices secretly sown4    
,against this danger ,st4 ,bonaventure  
warns all students strongly to be upon  
their guard1 saying1 ,if a person       
repeats often in his heart1 ,lord1 when 
shall ,i love thee8 he will feel a      
heavenly fire kindled in his soul much  
more than by a thousand bright thoughts 
or fine speculations on divine secrets1 
on the eternal generation of the ,word1 
or the procession of the ,holy          
,ghost4#ae ,prayer and true virtue even 
naturally conduce to the perfection of  

learning1 in every branch2 for purity of
 the heart1 and the disengagement of the
 affections from all irregular passions1
 render the understanding clear1 qualify
 the mind to judge impartially of truth 
in its researches1 divest it of many    
prejudices1 the fatal sources of errors1
 and inspire a modest distrust to a     
person's own abilities and lights4 ,thus
 virtue and learning mutually assist and
 improve each other4  ,footnotes3 #a4   
,st4 ,thomas was born at ,belcastro3 on 
his ancient illustrious     pedigree and
 its branches1 which still flourish in  
,calabria1 see     ,barrius1 de         
,antiquitate et ,situ ,calabriae1 with  
the notes of ,thomas     ,aceti1 l4 #d1 
c4 #b1 p4 #bhh1 c1 where he refutes the 
,bollandists1 who     place his birth at
 ,aquino in ,campania1 on the border of 
that     province4 #b4  ,l4 #a1 ,conf4  
c4 #g4 #c4  ,conf4 l4 #e1 c4 #c4 #d4    
,gul4 ,tocco4 ,bern4 ,guid4 ,antonin4   
,malvend4 #e4  ,footnote3 #b4 #b;dae1 q4
 #ahh1 a4 #e4 #f4  ,the manner of       

teaching then was not1 as it is         
generally at present1     by dictating  
lessons1 which the scholars write1 but  
it was according     to the practice    
that still obtains in some public       
schools1 as in     ,padua1 c4 ,the      
master delivered his explanation like an
 harangue2     the scholars retained    
what they could1 and often privately    
took down     short notes to help their 
memory4 ,academical degrees were then   
also     very different from what they  
now are2 being conferred on none but    
those who taught4 ,to be ,master of     
,arts1 a man must have studied six      
years at least1 and be twenty-one years 
old4 ,and to be qualified for           
teaching divinity1 he must have studied 
eight years more1 and be at     least   
thirty-five years old4 ,nevertheless1   
,st4 ,thomas1 by a     dispensation of  
the university1 on account of his       
distinguished     merit1 was allowed to 
teach at twenty-five4 ,the usual way was
 for     one named bachelor to explain  

the ,master of the ,sentences for a year
     in the school of some doctor1 upon 
whose testimony1 after certain          
rigorous public examinations1 and other 
formalities1 the bachelor     was       
admitted in the degree of licentiate2   
which gave him the license     of a     
doctor1 to teach or hold a school       
himself4 ,another year1 which     was   
likewise employed in expounding the     
,master of the ,sentences1     completed
 the degree of doctor1 which the        
candidate received from     the chancel 
for of the university1 and then opened a
 school in form1     with a bachelor to 
teach under him4 ,in #abec1 ,st4 ,thomas
 began to     teach as licentiate2 but a
 stop was put to his degrees for some   
time1 by a violent disagreement between 
the regulars1 principally               
,dominicans and ,franciscans1 and the   
university which had at first           
admitted them into their body1 and even 
given the ,dominicans a     college4 ,in
 these disputes ,st4 ,thomas was not    

spared1 but he for a     long time had  
recourse to no other vindication of     
himself than that     of modesty and    
silence4 ,on ,palm ,sunday he was       
preaching in the     ,dominican's church
 of ,st4 ,james1 when a beadle coming in
 commanded     silence1 and read a long 
written invective against him and his   
colleagues4 ,when he had done1 the      
saint1 without speaking one word     to 
justify himself or his ,order1 continued
 his sermon with the     greatest       
tranquillity and unconcern of mind4     
,william de ,saint-,amour1     the most 
violent among the secular doctors1      
published a book1 ,on the     dangers of
 the latter ,times1 a bitter invective  
against the     mendicant ,orders1 which
 ,st4 ,louis sent to pope ,alexander    
,,iv4 ,,ss4     ,thomas and ,bonaventure
 were sent into ,italy to defend their  
,orders4     ,and to confute that book1 
,st4 ,thomas published his nineteenth   
,opusculum1 with an ,apology for the    
mendicant ,orders1 showing they     lay 

under no precept that all should apply  
themselves to manual     labor1 and that
 spiritual occupations were even        
preferable4 ,the     pope1 upon this    
apology1 condemned the book1 and also   
another1     called the ,eternal        
,gospel1 in defence of the error of the 
abbot     ,joachim4 who had advanced    
that the church was to have an end1 and 
be     succeeded by a new church which  
should be formed perfectly according    
to the ,spirit3 this heresy1 and the    
errors of certain other     fanatics1   
were refuted by our saint at ,rome4 ,in 
his return to ,paris1     a violent     
storm terrified all the mariners and    
passengers2 only     ,thomas appeared   
without the least fear1 and continued in
 quiet     prayer till the tempest had  
ceased4 ,william de ,saint-,amour being 
banished ,paris1 peace was restored in  
the university4 #g4  ,gul4 ,tocco4 #h4  
,conclusum est contra ,manichaeos4 #i4  
,the works of ,st4 ,thomas are partly   
philosophical1 partly     theological2  

with some comments on the holy          
scriptures1 and several     treatises of
 piety4 ,the elegance of ,plato gave his
 philosophy the     greater vogue among 
the ,gentiles2 and the most learned of  
the     ,christian fathers were educated
 is the maxims or his school4 ,his      
noble sentiments on the attributes of   
the ,deity1 particularly his            
providence1 and his doctrine on the     
rewards and punishments in a     future 
state1 seemed favorable to religion4    
,nor can it be doubted     but he had   
learned1 in his travels in ,egypt and   
,phoenicia1 many     traditional truths 
delivered down from the patriarchal     
ages1 before     the corruptions of     
idolatry4 ,on the other hand1 the       
philosophy of     ,aristotle was much   
less in request among the heathens1 was 
silent as     to all traditional truths1
 and contained some glaring errors1     
which     several heretics of the first 
ages adopted against the gospel4 ,on    
which account he is called by           

,tertullian the patriarch of heretics1  
and his works were procribed by a       
council of ,paris1 about the year       
#abji4 ,nevertheless it must be         
acknowledged1 by all impartial judges1  
that ,aristotle was the greatest and    
most comprehensive genius of            
antiquity1 and perhaps of any age3 and  
he was the only one that had     laid   
down complete rules1 and explained the  
laws of reasoning1 and     had given a  
thorough system of philosophy4 ,boetius 
had penetrated     the depth of his     
genius1 and the usefulness of his logic2
 yet did     not redress his mistakes4  
,human reasoning is too weak without the
     light of revelation2 and           
,aristotle1 by relying too much on it   
fell     into the same gross errors4    
,not only many ancient heretics1 but    
also     several in the twelfth and     
thirteenth ages1 as ,peter ,aballard1   
the     ,albigenses1 and other heretics1
 made a bad use of his philosophy4      
,but above all1 the ,saracens of        

,arabaia and ,spain wrote with          
incredible subtilty on his principles4  
,st4 ,thomas opposed the     enemies of 
truth with their own weapons1 and       
employed the philosophy     of          
,aristotle in defence of the faith1 in  
which he succeeded to a     miracle4 ,he
 discerned and confuted his errors1 and 
set in a clear     and new light the    
great truths of reason which that       
philosopher had     often wrapt up in   
obscurity4 ,thus ,aristotle1 who had    
been called the     terror of           
,christians1 in the hands of ,thomas    
became orthodox1 and     furnished faith
 with new arms against idolatry and     
atheism4 ,for this     admirable doctor1
 though he had only a bad ,latin        
translation of the     works of that    
philosopher1 has corrected his errors1  
and shown that     his whole system of  
philosophy1 as far as it is grounded in 
truth1     is subservient to divine     
revelation4 ,this he has executed       
through     the nicest metaphysical     

speculations1 in the five first volumes 
of     his works4 ,he everywhere strikes
 out a new track for himself2 and       
enters into the most secret recesses of 
this shadowy region2 so as     to appear
 new even on known and beaten subjects4 
,for his writings     are original      
efforts of genius and reflection1 and   
every point he     handles in a manner  
that makes it appear new4 ,if his       
speculations     are sometimes spun     
fine1 and his divisions run to niceties1
 this was     the fault of the age in   
which he lived1 and of the speculative  
refining geniuses of the ,arabians1 whom
 he had undertaken to pursue     and    
confute throughout their whole system4  
,his comments on the four     books of  
the ,master of the ,sentences contain a 
methodical course of     theology1 and  
make the sixth and seventh volumes of   
his works2 the     tenth1 eleventh1 and 
twelfth give us his ,summ1 ,or          
incomparable     abridged body of       
divinity1 though this work he never     

lived to     finish4 ,among the fathers1
 ,st4 ,austin is principally his guide2 
so     that the learned cardinals1      
,norris and ,aguirre1 call ,st4 ,thomas 
his     most faithful ,interpreter4 ,he 
draws the rules of practical duties     
and virtues principally from the morals 
of ,st4 ,gregory on ,job4 ,he           
compassed his ,summ against the         
,gentiles1 at the request of ,st4       
,raymund of ,pennafort1 to serve the    
preachers in ,spain in converting       
the ,jews and ,saracens to the faith4   
,he wrote comments on most parts     of 
the holy scriptures1 especially on the  
epistles of ,st4 ,paul1 in     which    
latter he seemed to outdo himself4 ,by  
the order of pope ,urban     ,,iv41 he  
compiled the office of the blessed      
sacrament1 which the     church uses to 
this day1 on the feast and during the   
,octave of     ,corpus-,christi4 ,his   
,opuscula1 or lesser treatises1 have in 
view the     confutation of the ,greek  
schismatics and several heresies2 or    

discuss various points of philosophy and
 theology2 or are comments     on the   
creed1 sacraments1 decalogue1 ,lord's   
prayer1 and ,hail ,mary4     ,in his    
treatises on piety he reduces the rules 
of an interior life     to these two    
gospel maxims3 first4 ,that we must     
strenuously labor by     self-denial and
 mortification to extinguish in our     
hearts all the     sparks of pride1 and 
the inordinate love of creatures2       
secondly1     ,that by assiduous prayer1
 meditation1 and doing the will of ,god 
in     all things1 we must kindle his   
perfect love in our souls4 7,opusc4 #ag 
#ah2 ,his works are printed in nineteen 
volumes folio47 #aj4 ,bene scripsisti de
 me1 ,thoma3 quam mercedem addipies8    
,non aliam1     nisi te ,domine4 #aa4   
,psalm cxxxi4 #ad4 #ab4 ,conf4 l4 #aj1  
c4 #bh4 #ac4 ,there is another          
commentary on the same book which       
sometimes bears     his name1 and       
begins3 ,sonet vox tua in auribus meis3 
which was not     the work of this      

saint1 but of ,hayme1 bishop of         
,halberstadt4 ,see     ,echard1 t4 #a1  
p4 #cbc4 ,touron1 p4 #gad4 ,le ,long4   
,bibl4 ,sacra4 n4 #gff4 #ad4 ,tibi debo 
et quod non feci4 ,st4 ,au4 #ae4 ,st4   
,bonav4 l4 de ,mystica ,theol4 a4 ult4  
,,ss4 ,,perpetua1 ,,and ,,felicitas1    
,,mm4  ,,with ,,their ,,companions4     
,from their most valuable genuine acts1 
quoted by ,tertullian1 l4 de anima1 c4  
#ee1 and by ,st4 ,austin1 serm4 1 #bhc1 
#bid4 ,the first part of these acts1    
which reaches to the eve of her         
martyrdom1 was written by ,st4          
,perpetua4 ,the vision of ,st4 ,saturus 
was added by him4 ,the rest was         
subjoined by an eye-witness of their    
death4 ,see ,tillemont1 t4 #c1 p4 #aci4 
,ceillier1 t4 #b1 p4 #bac4 ,these acts  
have been often republished2 but are    
extant1 most ample and correct1 in      
,ruinart4 ,they were publicly read in   
the churches of ,africa1 as appears from
 ,st4 ,austin1 ,serm4 #ahj4 ,see them   
vindicated from the suspicion of        

,montanism1 by ,o1 ,vindicae ,act4 ,,ss4
 ,perpetuae et ,felicitatis4  ,a4 ,d    
#bjc4  ,a ,,violent persecution being   
set on foot by the emperor ,severus1 in 
#bjb1 reached ,africa the following     
year2 when1 by order of ,minutius       
,timinianus1 #ecd 7or ,firminianus17    
five catechumens were apprehended at    
,carthage for the faith3 namely1        
,rovocatus1 and his fellow-slave        
,felicitas1 ,saturninus1 and            
,secundulus1 and ,vibia ,perpetua4      
,felicitas was seven months gone with   
child2 and ,perpetua had an infant at   
her breast1 was of a good family1       
twenty-two years of age1 and married to 
a person of quality in the city4 ,she   
had a father1 a mother1 and two         
brothers2 the third1 ,dinocrates1 died  
about seven years old4 ,these five      
martyrs were joined by ,saturus1        
probably brother to ,saturninus1 and who
 seems to have been their instructor3 he
 underwent a voluntary imprisonment1    
because he would not abandon them4 ,the 

father of ,st4 ,perpetua1 who was a     
pagan1 and advanced in years1 loved her 
more than all his other children4 ,her  
mother was probably a ,christian1 as was
 one of her brothers1 the other a       
catechumen4 ,the martyrs were for some  
days before their commitment kept under 
a strong guard in a private house3 and  
the account ,perpetua gives of their    
sufferings to the eve of their death1 is
 as follows3 ,we were in the hands of   
our persecutors1 when my father1 out of 
the affection he bore me1 made new      
efforts to shake my resolution4 ,i said 
to him3 ',can that vessel1 which you    
see1 change its name8' ,he said3 ',no4' 
,i replied3 ',nor can ,i call myself any
 other than ,i am1 that is to say1 a    
,christian4' ,at that word my father in 
a rage fell upon me1 as if he would have
 pulled my eyes out1 and beat me3 but   
went away in confusion1 seeing me       
invincible3 after this we enjoyed a     
little repose1 and in that interval     
received baptism4 ,the ,holy ,ghost1 on 

our coming out of the water1 inspired me
 to pray for nothing but patience under 
corporal pains4 ,a few days after this  
we were put into prison3 ,i was shocked 
at the horror and darkness of the       
place2#a for till then ,i knew not what 
such sort of places were4 ,we suffered  
much that day1 chiefly on account of the
 great heat caused by the crowd1 and the
 ill-treatment we met with from the     
soldiers4 ,i was moreover tortured with 
concern1 for that ,i had not my infant4 
,but the deacons1 ,tertius and          
,pomponius1 who assisted us1 obtained1  
by money1 that we might pass some hours 
in a more commodious part of the prison 
to refresh ourselves4 ,my infant being  
brought to me almost famished1 ,i gave  
it the breast4 ,i recommended him       
afterwards carefully to my mother1 and  
encouraged my brother2 but was much     
afflicted to see their concern for me4  
,after a few days my sorrow was changed 
into comfort1 and my prison itself      
seemed agreeable4 ,one day my brother   

said to me3 ',sister1 ,i am persuaded   
that you are a peculiar favorite of     
,heaven3 pray to ,god to reveal to you  
whether this imprisonment will end in   
martyrdom or not1 and acquaint me of    
it4' ,i1 knowing ,god gave me daily     
tokens of his goodness1 answered1 full  
of confidence1 ',i will inform you      
to-morrow4' ,i therefore asked that     
favor of ,god1 and had this vision4 ,i  
saw a golden ladder which reached from  
earth to the heavens2 but so narrow1    
that only one could mount it at a time4 
,to the two sides were fastened all     
sorts of iron instruments1 as swords1   
lances1 hooks1 and knives2 so that if   
any one went up carelessly he was in    
great danger of having his flesh torn by
 those weapons4 ,at the foot of the     
ladder lay a dragon of an enormous size1
 who kept guard to turn back and terrify
 those that endeavored to mount it4 ,the
 first that went up was ,saturus1 who   
was not apprehended with us1 but        
voluntarily surrendered himself         

afterwards on our account3 when he was  
got to the top of the ladder1 he turned 
towards me and said3 ',perpetua1 ,i wait
 for you2 but take care lest the dragon 
bite you4' ,i answered3 ',in the name of
 our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 he shall not 
hurt me4' ,then the dragon1 as if afraid
 of me1 gently lifted his head from     
under the ladder1 and ,i1 having got    
upon the first step1 set my foot upon   
his head4 ,thus ,i mounted to the top1  
and there #ece ,i saw a garden of an    
immense space1 and in the middle of it a
 tall man sitting down dressed like a   
shepherd1 having white hair4 ,he was    
milking his sheep1 surrounded with many 
thousands of persons clad in white4 ,he 
called me by my name1 bid me welcome1   
and gave me some curds made of the milk 
which he had drawn3 ,i put my hands     
together and took and ate them2 and all 
that were present said aloud1 ,amen4    
,the noise awaked me1 chewing something 
very sweet4 ,as soon as ,i had related  
to my brother this vision1 we both      

concluded that we should suffer death4  
,after some days1 a rumor being spread  
that we were to be examined1 my father  
came from the city to the prison        
overwhelmed with grief3 ',daughter1'    
said he1 'have pity on my gray hairs1   
have compassion on your father1 if ,i   
yet deserve to be called your father2 if
 ,i myself have brought you up to this  
age3 if you consider that my extreme    
love of you1 made me always prefer you  
to all your brothers1 make me not a     
reproach to mankind4 ,have respect for  
your mother and your aunt2 have         
compassion on your child that cannot    
survive you2 lay aside this resolution1 
this obstinacy1 lest you ruin us all3   
for not one of us will dare open his    
lips any more if any misfortune befall  
you4' ,he took me by the hands at the   
same time and kissed them2 he threw     
himself at my feet in tears1 and called 
me no longer daughter1 but1 my lady4 ,i 
confess1 ,i was pierced with sharp      
sorrow when ,i considered that my father

 was the only person of our family that 
would not rejoice at my martyrdom4 ,i   
endeavored to comfort him1 saying3      
',father1 grieve not2 nothing will      
happen but what pleases ,god2 for we are
 not at our own disposal4' ,he then     
departed very much concerned4 ,the next 
day1 while we were at dinner1 a person  
came all on a sudden to summon us to    
examination4 ,the report of this was    
soon spread1 and brought together a vast
 crowd of people into the               
audience-chamber4 ,we were placed on a  
sort of scaffold before the judge1 who  
was ,hilarian1 procurator of the        
province1 the proconsul being lately    
dead4 ,all who were interrogated before 
me confessed boldly ,jesus ,christ4     
,when it came to my turn1 my father     
instantly appeared with my infant4 ,he  
drew me a little aside1 conjuring me in 
the most tender manner not to be        
insensible to the misery ,i should bring
 on that innocent creature to which ,i  
had given life4 ,the president ,hilarian

 joined with my father and said3 ',what6
 will neither the gray hairs of a father
 you are going to make miserable1 nor   
the tender innocence of a child1 which  
your death will leave an orphan1 move   
you8 ,sacrifice for the prosperity of   
the emperor4' ,i replied1 ',i will not  
do it4' ',are you then a ,christian8'   
said ,hilarian4 ,i answered3 ',yes1 ,i  
am4' ,as my father attempted to draw me 
from the scaffold1 ,hilarian commanded  
him to be beaten off1 and he had a blow 
given him with a stick1 which ,i felt as
 much as if ,i had been struck myself1  
so much was ,i grieved to see my father 
thus treated in his old age4 ,then the  
judge pronounced our sentence1 by which 
we were all condemned to be exposed to  
wild beasts4 ,we then joyfully returned 
to our prison2 and as my infant had been
 used to the breast1 ,i immediately sent
 ,pomponius1 the deacon1 to demand him  
of my father1 who refused to send him4  
,and ,god so ordered it that the child  
no longer required to suck1 nor did my  

milk incommode me4 ,secundulus1 being no
 more mentioned1 seems to have died in  
prison before this interrogatory4       
,before ,hilarian pronounced sentence1  
he had caused ,saturus1 ,saturninus1 and
 ,revocatus1 to be scourged2 and        
,perpetua and ,felicitas to be beaten on
 the face4 ,they were reserved for the  
shows which were to be exhibited for the
 soldiers in the camp1 on the festival  
of ,geta1 who had been made ,caesar tour
 years before by his father ,severus1   
when his brother ,caracalla was created 
,augustus4  ,st4 ,perpetua relates      
another vision with which she was       
favored1 as follows3 ,a few days after  
receiving sentence1 when we were all    
together in #ecf prayer1 ,i happened to 
name ,dinocrates1 at which ,i was       
astonished1 because ,i had not before   
had him in my thoughts2 and ,i that     
moment knew that ,i ought to pray for   
him4 ,this ,i began to do with great    
fervor and sighing before ,god2 and the 
same night ,i had the following vision3 

,i saw ,dinocrates coming out of a dark 
place1 where there were many others1    
exceeding hot and thirsty2 his face was 
dirty1 his complexion pale1 with the    
ulcer in his face of which he died at   
seven years of age1 and it was for him  
that ,i had prayed4 ,there seemed a     
great distance between him and me1 so   
that it was impossible for us to come to
 each other4 ,near him stood a vessel   
full of water1 whose brim was higher    
than the statue of an infant3 he at     
tempted to drink1 but though he had     
water he could not reach it4 ,this      
mightily grieved me1 and ,i awoke4 ,by  
this ,i knew my brother was in pain1 but
 ,i trusted ,i could by prayer relieve  
him3 so ,i began to pray fer him1       
beseeching ,god with tears1 day and     
night1 that he would grant me my        
request2 as ,i continued to do till we  
were removed to the damp prison3 being  
destined for a public show on the       
festival of ,caesar ,geta4 ,the day we  
were in the stocks#b ,i had this vision3

 ,i saw the place1 which ,i had beheld  
dark before1 now luminous2 and          
,dinocrates1 with his body very clean   
and well clad1 refreshing himself1 and  
instead of his wound a scar only4 ,i    
awoke1 and ,i knew he was relieved from 
his pain4#c  ,some days after1 ,pudens1 
the officer who commanded the guards of 
the prison1 seeing that ,god favored us 
with many gifts1 had a great esteem of  
us1 and admitted many people to visit us
 for our mutual comfort4 ,on the day of 
the public shows my father came to find 
me out1 overwhelmed with sorrow4 ,he    
tore his beard1 he threw himself        
prostrate on the ground1 cursed his     
years1 and said enough to move any      
creature2 and ,i was ready to die with  
sorrow to see my father in so deplorable
 a condition4 ,on the eve of the shows  
,i was favored with the following       
vision4 ,the deacon ,pomponius          
methought1 knocked very hard at the     
prison-door1 which ,i opened to him4 ,he
 was clothed with a white robe1         

embroidered with innumerable            
pomegranates of gold4 ,he said to me3   
',perpetua1 we wait for you1 come       
along4' ,he then took me by the hand    
and1 led me through very rough places   
into the middle of the amphitheatre1 and
 said3 ',fear not4' ,and1 leaving me1   
said again3 ',i will be with you in a   
moment1 and bear a part with you in your
 pains4' ,i was wondering the beasts    
were not let out against us1 when there 
appeared a very ill-favored ,egyptian1  
who came to encounter me with others4   
,but another beautiful troop of young   
men declared for me1 and anointed me    
with oil for the combat4 ,then appeared 
a man of prodigious stature1 in rich    
apparel1 having a wand in his hand like 
the masters of the gladiators1 and a    
green bough on which hung golden apples4
 ,having ordered silence1 he said that  
the bough should be my prize1 if ,i     
vanquished #ecg the ,egyptian--but that 
if he conquered me1 he should kill me   
with a sword4 ,after a long and         

obstinate engagement1 ,i threw him on   
his face1 and trod upon his head4 ,the  
people applauded my victory with loud   
acclamations4 ,i then approached the    
master of the amphitheatre1 who gave me 
the bough with a kiss1 and said3 ',peace
 be with you1 my daughter4' ,after this 
,i awoke1 and found that ,i was not so  
much to combat with wild beasts as with 
the devils4 ,here ends the relation of  
,st4 ,perpetua4  ,st4 ,saturus had also 
a vision which he wrote himself4 ,he and
 his companions were conducted by a     
bright angel into a most delightful     
garden1 in which they met some holy     
martyrs lately dead1 namely1 ,jocundus1 
,saturninus1 and ,artaxius1 who had been
 burned alive for the faith1 and        
,quintus1 who died in prison4 ,they     
inquired after other martyrs of their   
acquaintance1 say the acts1 and were    
conducted into a most stately place1    
shining like the sun3 and in it saw the 
king of this most glorious place        
surrounded by his happy subjects1 and   

heard a voice composed of many1 which   
continually cried3 ,holy1 holy1 holy4   
,saturus1 turning to ,perpetua1 said3   
,you have here what you desired4 ,she   
replied3 ,god be praised4 ,i have more  
joy here than ever ,i had in the flesh4 
,he adds1 ,going out of the garden they 
found before the gate1 on the right     
hand1 their bishop of ,carthage1        
,optatus1 and on the left1 ,aspasius1   
priest of the same church1 both of them 
alone and sorrowful4 ,they fell at the  
martyr's feet1 and begged they would    
reconcile them together1 for a          
dissension had happened between them4   
,the martyrs embraced them1 saying3 ,are
 not you our bishop1 and you a priest of
 our ,lord8 ,it is our duty to prostrate
 ourselves before you4 ,perpetua was    
discoursing with them2 but certain      
angels came and drove hence ,optatus and
 ,aspasius2 and bade them not to disturb
 the martyrs1 but be reconciled to each 
other4 ,the bishop ,optatus was also    
charged to heal the divisions that      

reigned among several of his church4    
,the angels1 after these reprimands1    
seemed ready to shut the gates of the   
garden4 ,here1 says he1 we saw many of  
our brethren and martyrs likewise4 ,we  
were fed with an ineffable odor1 which  
delighted and satisfied us4 ,such was   
the vision of ,saturus4 ,the rest of the
 acts were added by an eye-witness4 ,god
 had called to himself ,secondulus in   
prison4 ,felicitas was eight months gone
 with child1 and as the day of the shows
 approached1 she was inconsolable lest  
she should not be brought to bed before 
it came2 fearing that her martyrdom     
would be deferred on that account1      
because women with child were not       
allowed to be executed before they were 
delivered3 the rest also were sensibly  
afflicted on their part to leave her    
alone in the road to their common hope4 
,wherefore they unanimously joined in   
prayer to obtain of ,god that she might 
be delivered against the shows4 ,scarce 
had they finished their prayer1 when    

,felicitas found herself in labor4 ,she 
cried out under the violence of her     
pain3 one of the guards asked her1 if   
she could not bear the throes of        
childbirth without crying out1 what she 
would do when exposed to the wild       
beasts4 ,she answered3 ,it is ,i that   
suffer what ,i now suffer2 but then     
there will be another in me that will   
suffer for me1 because ,i shall suffer  
for him4 ,she was then delivered of a   
daughter1 which a certain ,christian    
woman took care of1 and brought up as   
her own child4 ,the tribune1 who had the
 holy martyrs in custody1 being informed
 by some persons of little credit1 that 
the ,christians would free themselves   
out of prison by some magic             
enchantments1 used them the more cruelly
 on that account1 and forbade any to see
 them4 ,thereupon ,perpetua said to him3
 ,why do you not afford us some relief1 
since we are condemned by ,caesar1 and  
destined to combat at his festival8     
,will it not be to your honor that we   

appear well fed8 ,at this the tribune   
trembled and blushed1 and ordered them  
to be used with more humanity1 and their
 friends to be admitted to see them4    
,pudens1 #ech the keeper of the prison1 
being already converted1 secretly did   
them all the good offices in his power4 
,the day before they suffered they gave 
them1 according to custom1 their last   
meal1 which was called a free supper1   
and they ate in public4 ,but the martyrs
 did their utmost to change it into an  
,agape1 or ,love-feast4 ,their chamber  
was full of people1 whom they talked to 
with their usual resolution1 threatening
 them with the judgments of ,god1 and   
extolling the happiness of their own    
sufferings4 ,saturus1 smiling at the    
curiosity of those that came to see     
them1 said to them1 ,will not to-morrow 
suffice to satisfy your inhuman         
curiosity in our regard8 ,however you   
may seem now to pity us1 to-morrow you  
will clap your hands at our death1 and  
applaud our murderers4 ,but observe well

 our faces1 that you may know them again
 at that terrible day when all men shall
 be judged4 ,they spoke with such       
courage and intrepidity1 as astonished  
the infidels1 and occasioned the        
conversion of several among them4  ,the 
day of their triumph being come1 they   
went out of the prison to go to the     
amphitheatre4 ,joy sparkled in their    
eyes1 and appeared in all their gestures
 and words4 ,perpetua walked with a     
composed countenance and easy pace1 as a
 woman cherished by ,jesus ,christ1 with
 her eyes modestly cast down3 ,felicitas
 went with her1 following the men1 not  
able to contain her joy4 ,when they came
 to the gate of the amphitheatre the    
guards would have given them1 according 
to custom1 the superstitious habits with
 which they adorned such as appeared at 
these sights4 ,for the men1 a red       
mantle1 which was the habit of the      
priests of ,saturn3 for the women1 a    
little fillet round the head1 by which  
the priestesses of ,ceres were known4   

,the martyrs rejected those idolatrous  
ceremonies2 and1 by the mouth of        
,perpetua1 said1 they came thither of   
their own accord on the promise made    
them that they should not be forced to  
any thing contrary to their religion4   
,the tribune then consented that they   
might appear in the amphitheatre habited
 as they were4 ,perpetua sung1 as being 
already victorious2 ,revocatus1         
,saturninus1 and ,saturus threatened the
 people that beheld them with the       
judgments of ,god3 and as they passed   
over against the balcony of ,hilarian1  
they said to him3 ,you judge us in this 
world1 but ,god will judge you to the   
next4 ,the people1 enraged at their     
boldness1 begged they might be scourged1
 which was granted4 ,they accordingly   
passed before the ,venatores1#d or      
hunters1 each of whom gave them a lash4 
,they rejoiced exceedingly in being     
thought worthy to resemble our ,saviour 
in his sufferings4 ,god granted to each 
of them the death they desired2 for when

 they were discoursing together about   
what kind of martyrdom would be         
agreeable to each1 ,saturninus declared 
that be would choose to be exposed to   
beasts of several sorts in order to the 
aggravation of his sufferings4          
,accordingly he and ,revocatus1 after   
having been attacked by a leopard1 were 
also assaulted by a bear4 ,saturus      
dreaded nothing so much as a bear1 and  
therefore hoped a leopard would dispatch
 him at once with his teeth4 ,he was    
then exposed to a wild boar1 but the    
beast turned upon his keeper1 who       
received such a wound from him that he  
died in a few days after1 and ,saturus  
was only dragged along by him4 ,then    
they tied the martyr to the bridge near 
a bear1 but that beast came not out of  
his lodge1 so that ,saturus1 being sound
 and not hurt1 was called upon for a    
second encounter4 ,this gave him an     
opportunity of speaking to ,pudens1 the 
jailer that had been converted4 ,the    
martyr encouraged him to constancy in   

the faith1 and said to him3 ,you see ,i 
have not yet been hurt by any beast1 as 
,i desired and foretold2 believe then   
steadfastly in ,christ2 ,i am going     
where you will #eci see a leopard with  
one bite take away my life4 ,it happened
 so1 for a leopard being let out upon   
him1 covered him all over with blood1   
whereupon the people jeering1 cried out1
 ,he is well baptized4 ,the martyr said 
to ,pudens1 ,go1 remember my faith1 and 
let our sufferings rather strengthen    
than trouble you4 ,give me the ring you 
have on your finger4 ,saturus1 having   
dipped it in his wound1 gave it him back
 to keep as a pledge to animate him to a
 constancy in his faith1 and fell down  
dead soon after4 ,thus he went first to 
glory to wait for ,perpetua1 according  
to her vision4 ,some with ,mabillon1#e  
think this ,pudens is the martyr honored
 in ,africa1 on the #bith of ,april4    
,in the mean time1 ,perpetua and        
,felicitas had been exposed to a wild   
cow2 ,perpetua was first attacked1 and  

the cow having tossed her up1 she fell  
on her back4 ,then putting herself in a 
sitting posture1 and perceiving her     
clothes were torn1 she gathered them    
about her in the best manner she could1 
to cover herself1 thinking more of      
decency than her sufferings4 ,getting   
up1 not to seem disconsolate1 she tied  
up her hair1 which was fallen loose1 and
 perceiving ,felicitas on the ground    
much hurt by a toss of the cow1 she     
helped her to rise4 ,they stood         
together1 expecting another assault from
 the beasts1 but the people crying out  
that it was enough1 they were led to the
 gate ,sanevivaria1 where those that    
were not killed by the beasts were      
dispatched at the end of the shows by   
the confectores4 ,perpetua was here     
received by ,rusticus1 a catechumen1 who
 attended her4 ,this admirable woman    
seemed just returning to herself out of 
a long ecstasy1 and asked when she was  
to fight the wild cow4 ,being told what 
had passed1 she could not believe it    

till she saw on her body and clothes the
 marks of what she had suffered1 and    
knew the catechumen4 ,with regard to    
this circumstance of her acts1 ,st4     
,austin cries out1 ,where was she when  
assaulted and torn by so furious a wild 
beast1 without feeling her wounds1 and  
when1 after that furious combat1 she    
asked when it would begin8 ,what did    
she1 not to see what all the world saw8 
,what did she enjoy who did not feel    
such pain4 ,by what love1 by what       
vision1 by what potion was she so       
transported out of herself1 and as it   
were divinely inebriated1 to seem       
without feeling in a mortal body8 ,she  
called for her brother1 and said to him 
and ,rusticus1 ,continue firm in the    
faith1 love one another1 and be not     
scandalized at our sufferings4 ,all the 
martyrs were now brought to the place of
 their butchery4 ,but the people1 not   
yet satisfied with beholding blood1     
cried out to have them brought into the 
middle of the amphitheatre1 that they   

might have the pleasure of seeing them  
receive the last blow4 ,upon this1 some 
of the martyrs rose up1 and having given
 one another the kiss of peace1 went of 
their own accord into the middle of the 
arena2 others were dispatched without   
speaking1 or stirring out of the place  
they were in4 ,st4 ,perpetua fell into  
the hands of a very timorous and        
unskilful apprentice of the gladiators1 
who1 with a trembling hand1 gave her    
many slight wounds1 which made her      
languish a long time4 ,thus1 says ,st4  
,austin1 did two women1 amidst fierce   
beasts and the swords of gladiators1    
vanquish the devil and all his fury4    
,the day of their martyrdom was the #gth
 of ,march1 as it is marked in the most 
ancient martyrologies1 and in the ,roman
 calendar as old as the year #ced1      
published by ,bucherins4 ,st4 ,prosper  
says they suffered at ,carthage1 which  
agrees with all the circumstances4      
,their bodies were in the great church  
of ,carthage1 in the fifth age1 as ,st4 

,victor#f informs us4 ,saint ,austin    
says1 their festival drew yearly more to
 honor their memory in their church1    
than curiosity had done to their        
martyrdom4 ,they are mentioned in the   
canon of the ,mass4  ,footnotes3 #a4    
,the prisons of the ancient ,romans1    
still to be seen in many old            
amphitheatres1 c41 are dismal holes3    
having at most one very small           
aperture for light1 just enough to show 
day4 #b4  ,these stocks1 called ,nervus1
 were a wooden machine with many holes1 
in which the prisoners' feet were       
fastened and stretched to great         
distances1 as to the fourth or fifth    
holes1 for the increase of     their    
torment4 ,st4 ,perpatua remarks1 they   
were chained1 and also set     in this  
engine during their stay in the camp    
prison1 which seems to     have been    
several days1 in expectation of the day 
of the public     show4 #c4  ,by the    
conclusions which ,st4 ,perpetua was led
 to make from her two     visions1 it   

evidently appears1 that the church1 in  
that early age1     believed the        
doctrine of the expiation of certain    
sins after death1     and prayed for the
 faithful departed4 ,this must be       
allowed1 even     though it should be   
pretended that her visions were not from
 ,god4     ,but neither ,st4 ,austin1   
nor any other ancient father1 ever      
entertained the least suspicion on that 
head4 ,nor can we presume     that the  
goodness of ,god would permit one full  
of such ardent love     at him to be    
imposed upon in a point of this nature4 
,the ,oxonian     editor of these acts  
knew not what other answer to make to   
this     ancient testimony1 than that   
,st4 ,perpetua seems to have been       
,montanist 7p4 #ad47 ,but this unjust   
censure ,oodwell 7,diss4 ,cypr4 ,a4     
n4 #h1 p4 #ae7 and others have confuted4
 ,and could ,st4 ,austin1 with     the  
whole ,catholic church1 have ranked a   
,montanist among the most               
illustrious martyrs8 ,that father       

himself1 in many places of his          
works1 clearly explains the same        
doctrine of the ,catholic faith1        
concerning a state of temporary         
sufferings in the other world1 and      
conformably to it speaks of these       
visions4 7,l4 de ,orig4 ,animae1 l4 #a1 
c4 #aj1 p4 #cdc1 and l4 #d1 c4 #ah1 p4  
#dja1 t4 #aj1 c47 ,he says1 that        
,dinocrates must have received baptism1 
but afterwards sinned1     perhaps by   
having been seduced by his pagan father 
into some act of     superstition1 or by
 lying1 or by some other faults of which
 children     in that tender age may be 
guilty4 ,illus aetatis pueri at mentiri 
et     verum iniqui1 at confiteri et    
negare jam possum4 ,lib4 #a4 c4 #aj4    
,see     ,orsi ,diss4 de ,actis ,,ss4   
,perpetuae et ,felicitatis4 ,florentiae 
#agch1 4  #d4 ,pro ordine venatorum4    
,venatores1 is the name given to those  
that     were armed to encounter the    
beast2 who put themselves in ranks1 with
     whips in their hands1 and each of  

them gave a last to the ,bestiarii1     
or those condemned to the beasts1 whom  
they obliged to pass naked     before   
them in the middle of the pit of arena4 
#e4  ,analect4 t4 #c1 p4 #djc4 #f4      
,victor1 l4 #a1 p4 #d4  #edj  ,,st4     
,,paul4 ,,anchoret4  ,,from his         
ignorance of secular learning1 and his  
extraordinary humility1 he was surnamed 
the ,simple4 ,he served ,god in the     
world to the age of sixty1 in the toils 
of a poor and laborious country life4   
,the incontinency of his wife           
contributed to wean his soul from all   
earthly ties4 ,checks and crosses which 
men meet with in this life are great    
graces4 ,god's sweet providence sows our
 roads with thorns1 that we may learn to
 despise the vanity1 and hate the       
treachery of the world4 ,when mothers   
would wean their children1 says ,st4    
,austin1 they anoint their breasts with 
aloes1 that the babe1 being offended at 
the bitterness1 may no more seek the    
nipple4 ,thus has ,god in his mercy     

filled the world with sorrow and        
vexation2 but woe to those who still    
continue to love it6 ,even in this life 
miseries will be the wages of their sin 
and folly1 and their eternal portion    
will be the second death4 ,paul found   
true happiness because he converted his 
heart perfectly from the world to ,god4 
,desiring to devote himself totally to  
his love1 he determined to betake       
himself to the great ,st4 ,antony4 ,he  
went eight days' journey into the       
desert1 to the holy patriarch1 and      
begged that he would admit him among his
 disciples1 and teach him the way of    
salvation4 ,antony harshly rejected him1
 telling him he was too old to bear the 
austerities of that state4 ,he therefore
 bade him return home1 and follow the   
business of his calling1 and sanctify it
 by the spirit of recollection and      
assiduous prayer4 ,having said this he  
shut his door3 but ,paul continued      
fasting and praying before his door1    
till ,antony1 seeing his fervor1 on the 

fourth day opened it again1 and going   
out to him1 after several trials of his 
obedience1 admitted him to the monastic 
state1 and prescribed him a rule of     
life2 teaching him1 by the most perfect 
obedience1 to crucify in himself all    
attachment to his own will1 the source  
of pride2 by the denial of his senses   
and assiduous hard labor1 to subdue his 
flesh2 and by continual prayer at his   
work1 and at other times1 to purify his 
heart1 and inflame it with heavenly     
affections4#a ,he instructed him how to 
pray1 and ordered him never to eat      
before sunset1 nor so much at a meal as 
entirely to satisfy hunger4 ,paul1 by   
obedience and humility1 laid the        
foundation of an eminent sanctity in his
 soul1 which being dead to all self-will
 and to creatures1 soared towards ,god  
with great fervor and purity of         
affections4  ,among the examples of his 
ready obedience1 it is recorded1 that   
when he had wrought with great diligence
 in making mats and hurdles1 praying at 

the same time without intermission1 ,st4
 ,antony disliked his work1 and bade him
 undo it and make it over again4 ,paul  
did so1 without any dejection in his    
countenance1 or making the least reply1 
or even asking to eat a morsel of bread1
 though he had already passed seven days
 without taking any refreshment4 ,after 
this1 ,antony ordered him to moisten in 
water four loaves of six ounces each2   
for their bread in the deserts was      
exceeding hard and dry4 ,when their     
refection was prepared1 instead of      
eating1 he bade ,paul sing psalms with  
him1 then to sit down by the loaves1 and
 at night1 after praying together1 to   
take his rest4 ,he called him up at     
midnight to pray with him3 this exercise
 the old man continued with great       
cheerfulness till three o'clock in the  
afternoon the following day4 ,after     
sunset1 each ate one loaf1 and ,antony  
asked ,paul if he would eat another4    
,yes1 if you do1 said ,paul2 ,i am a    
monk1 said ,antony2 ,and ,i desire to be

 one1 replied the disciple2 whereupon   
they arose1 sung twelve psalms1 and     
recited twelve other #eda prayers4      
,after a short repose1 they both arose  
again to prayer at midnight4 ,the       
experienced director exercised his      
obedience by frequent trials1 bidding   
him one day1 when many monks were come  
to visit him to receive his spiritual   
advice1 to spill a vessel of honey1 and 
then to gather it up without any dust4  
,at other times he ordered him to draw  
water a whole day and pour it out again2
 to make baskets and pull them to       
pieces2 to sew and unsew his garments1  
and the like4#b ,what victories over    
themselves and their passions might     
youth and others1 c41 gain6 what a      
treasure of virtue might they procure1  
by a ready and voluntary obedience and  
conformity of their will to that of     
those whom ,providence bath placed over 
them6 ,this they would find the         
effectual means to crush pride1 and     
subdue their passions4 ,but obedience is

 of little advantage1 unless it bend the
 will itself1 and repress all wilful    
interior murmuring and repugnance4 ,when
 ,paul had been sufficiently exercised  
and instructed in the duties of a       
monastic life1 ,st4 ,antony placed him  
in a cell three miles from his own1     
where he visited him from time to time4 
,he usually preferred his virtue to that
 of all his other disciples1 and        
proposed him to them as a model4 ,he    
frequently sent to ,paul sick persons1  
or those possessed by the devil1 whom he
 was not able to cure2 as not having    
received the gift2 and by the disciple's
 prayers they never failed of a cure4   
,st4 ,paul died some time after the year
 #ccj4 ,he is commemorated both by the  
,greeks and ,latins1 on the #gth of     
,march4 ,see ,palladius1 ,rufinus1 and  
,sozomen1 abridged by ,tillemont1 t4 #g1
 p4 #add4 ,also by ,henschenius1 p4     
#fde4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,pallad4        
,lausiac4 c4 #bh1 p4 #idb4 ,rufin4 ,vit4
 ,patr4 c4 #ca4 ,sozom4 l4     #a1 c4   

#ac4 #b4  ,rufin4  ,pallad4 loc4 cit4   
,,march ,,viii4  ,,st4 ,,john ,,of      
,,god1 ,c4  ,,founder ,,of ,,the ,,order
 ,,of ,,charity4  ,from his life1       
written by ,francis de ,castro1         
twenty-five years after his death1      
abridged by ,vaillet1 p4 #ih1 and ,f4   
,helyot1 ,hist4 des ,ordres ,relig4 t4  
#d4 p4 #aca4  ,a4,d4 #aeej  ,,st4       
,,john1 surnamed of ,god1 was born in   
,portugal1 in #adie4 ,his parents were  
of the lowest rank in the country1 but  
devout and charitable4 ,john spent a    
considerable part of his youth in       
service1 under the mayoral or chief     
shepherd of the count of ,oropeusa in   
,castile1 and in great innocence and    
virtue4 ,in #aebb1 he listed himself in 
a company of foot raised by the count1  
and served in the wars between the      
,french and ,spaniards2 as he did       
afterwards in ,hungary1 against the     
,turks1 while the emperor ,charles ,v4  
was king of ,spain4 ,by the             
licentiousness of his companions1 he by 

degrees lost his fear of offending ,god1
 and laid aside the greatest part of his
 practices of devotion4 ,the troop which
 he belonged to being disbanded1 he went
 into ,andalusia in #aecf1 where he     
entered the service of a rich lady near 
,seville1 in quality of shepherd4 ,being
 now about forty years of age1 stung    
with remorse for his past misconduct1 he
 began to entertain very serious        
thoughts of a change of life1 and doing 
penance for his sins4 ,he accordingly   
employed the greatest part of his time1 
both by day and night1 in the exercises 
#edb of prayer and mortification1       
bewailing almost continually his        
ingratitude towards ,god1 and           
deliberating how he could dedicate      
himself in the most perfect manner to   
his service4 ,his compassion for the    
distressed moved him to take a          
resolution of leaving his place1 and    
passing into ,africa1 that he might     
comfort and succor the poor slaves      
there1 not without hopes of meeting with

 the crown of martyrdom4 ,at ,gibraltar 
he met with a ,portuguese gentleman     
condemned to banishment1 and whose      
estate had also been confiscated by king
 ,john ,,iii4 ,he was then in the hands 
of the king's officers1 together with   
his wife and children1 and on his way to
 ,ceuta1 in ,barbary1 the place of his  
exile4 ,john1 out of charity and        
compassion1 served him without any      
wages4 ,at ,ceuta1 the gentleman falling
 sick with grief and the change of air1 
was soon reduced to such straits as to  
be obliged to dispose of the small      
remains of his shattered fortune for the
 family's support4 ,john1 not content to
 sell what little stock he was master of
 to relieve them1 went to day-labor at  
the public works1 to earn all he could  
for their subsistence4 ,the apostacy of 
one of his companions alarmed him2 and  
his confessor telling him that his going
 in quest of martyrdom was an illusion1 
he determined to return to ,spain4      
,coming back to ,gibraltar1 his piety   

suggested to him to turn pedler1 and    
sell little pictures and books of       
devotion1 which might furnish him with  
opportunities of exhorting his customers
 to virtue4 ,his stock increasing       
considerably1 he settled in ,granada1   
where he opened a shop1 in #aech1 being 
then forty-three years of age4  ,the    
great preacher and servant of ,god1     
,john ,d',avila1 #edc ,apostle of       
,andalusia1 preached that year at       
,granada1 on ,st4 ,sebastian's day1     
which is there kept as a great festival4
 ,john1 having heard his sermon1 was so 
affected with it1 that1 melting into    
tears1 he filled the whole church with  
his cries and lamentations2 detesting   
his past life1 beating his breast1 #edd 
and calling aloud for mercy4 ,not       
content with this1 he ran about the     
streets like a distracted person1       
tearing his hair1 and behaving in such a
 manner that he was followed everywhere 
by the rabble with sticks and stones1   
and came home all besmeared with dirt   

and blood4 ,he then gave away all he had
 in the world1 and having thus reduced  
himself to absolute poverty1 that he    
might die to himself1 and crucify all   
the sentiments of the old man1 he began 
again to counterfeit the madman1 running
 about the streets as before1 till some 
had the charity to take him to the      
venerable ,john ,d',avila1 covered with 
dirt and blood4 ,the holy man1 full of  
the ,spirit of ,god1 soon discovered in 
,john the motions of extraordinary      
graces1 spoke to him in private1 heard  
his general confession1 and gave him    
proper advice1 and promised his         
assistance ever after4 ,john1 out of a  
desire of the greatest humiliations1    
returned soon after to his apparent     
madness and extravagances4 ,he was1     
thereupon1 taken up and put into a      
madhouse1 on supposition of his being   
disordered in his senses1 where the     
severest methods were used to bring him 
to himself1 all which he underwent in   
the spirit of penance1 and by way of    

atonement for the sins of his past life4
 ,d',avila1 being informed of his       
conduct1 came to visit him1 and found   
him reduced almost to the grave by      
weakness1 and his body covered with     
wounds and sores2 but his soul was still
 vigorous1 and thirsting with the       
greatest ardor after new sufferings and 
humiliations4 ,d',avila however told    
him1 that having now been sufficiently  
exercised in that so singular a method  
of penance and humiliation1 he advised  
him to employ himself for the time to   
come in something more conducive to his 
own and the public good4 ,his           
exhortation had its desired effect2 and 
he grew instantly calm and sedate1 to   
the great astonishment of his keepers4  
,he continued1 however1 some time longer
 in the hospital1 serving the sick1 but 
left it entirely on ,st4 ,ursula's day1 
in #aeci4 ,this his extraordinary       
conduct is an object of our admiration1 
not of our imitation3 in this saint it  
was the effect of the fervor of his     

conversion1 his desire of humiliation1  
and a holy hatred of himself and his    
past criminal life4 ,by it he learned in
 a short time perfectly to die to       
himself and the world2 which prepared   
his soul for the graces which ,god      
afterwards bestowed on him4 ,he then    
thought of executing his design of doing
 something for the relief of the poor2  
and1 after a pilgrimage to our ,lady's  
in ,guadaloupa1 to recommend himself and
 his undertaking to her intercession1 in
 a place celebrated for devotion to her1
 he began by selling wood in the        
market-place1 to feed some poor by the  
means of his labor4 ,soon after he hired
 a house to harbor poor sick persons in1
 whom he served and provided for with an
 ardor1 prudence1 economy1 and          
vigilance1 that surprised the whole     
city4 ,this was the foundation of the   
order of charity1 in #aedj1 which1 by   
the benediction of heaven1 has since    
been spread all over ,christendom4 ,john
 was occupied all day in serving his    

patients3 in the night he went out to   
carry in new objects of charity1 rather 
than to seek out provisions for them2   
for people1 of their own accord1 brought
 him in all necessaries for his little  
hospital4 ,the archbishop of ,granada1  
taking notice of so excellent an        
establishment1 and admiring the         
incomparable order observed in it1 both 
for the spiritual and temporal care of  
the poor1 furnished considerable sums to
 increase it1 and favored it with his   
protection4 ,this excited all persons to
 vie with each other in contributing to 
it4 ,indeed the charity1 patience1 and  
modesty of ,st4 ,john1 and his wonderful
 care and foresight1 engaged every one  
to admire and favor the institute4 ,the 
bishop of ,tuy1 president of the royal  
court of judicature in ,granada1 having 
invited the holy man to dinner1 put #ede
 several questions to him1 to all which 
he answered in such a manner1 as gave   
the bishop the highest esteem of his    
person4 ,it was this prelate that gave  

him the name of ,john of ,god1 and      
prescribed him a kind of habit1 though  
,st4 ,john never thought of founding a  
religious order3 for the rules which    
bear his name were only drawn up in     
#aeef1 six years after his death2 and   
religious vows were not introduced among
 his brethren before the year #aegj4    
,to make trial of the saint's           
disinterestedness1 the marquis of       
,tarisa came to him in disguise to beg  
an alms1 on pretence of a necessary     
lawsuit1 and he received from his hands 
twenty-five ducats1 which was all he    
had4 ,the marquis was so much edified by
 his charity1 that1 besides returning   
the sum1 he bestowed on him one hundred 
and fifty crowns of gold1 and sent to   
his bospital every day1 during his stay 
at ,granada1 one hundred and fifty      
loaves1 four sheep1 and six pullets4    
,but the holy man gave a still more     
illustrious proof of his charity when   
the hospital was on fire2 for he carried
 out most of the sick on his own back3  

and though he passed and repassed       
through the flames1 and stayed in the   
midst of them a considerable time1 he   
received no hurt4 ,but his charity was  
not confined to his own hospital3 he    
looked upon it as his own misfortune if 
the necessities of any distressed person
 in the whole country had remained      
unrelieved4 ,he therefore made strict   
inquiry into the wants of the poor over 
the whole province1 relieved many in    
their own houses1 employed in a proper  
manner those that were able to work1 and
 with wonderful sagacity laid himself   
out every way to comfort and assist all 
the afflicted members of ,christ4 ,he   
was particularly active and vigilant in 
settling and providing for young maidens
 in distress to prevent the danger to   
which they are often exposed1 of taking 
bad courses4 ,he also reclaimed many who
 were already engaged in vice3 for which
 purpose he sought out public sinners1  
and holding a crucifix in his hand1 with
 many tears exhorted them to repentance4

 ,though his life seemed to be taken up 
in continual action1 he accompanied it  
with perpetual prayer and incredible    
corporal austerities4 ,and his tears of 
devotion1 his frequent raptures1 and his
 eminent spirit of contemplation1 gave a
 lustre to his other virtues4 ,but his  
sincere humility appeared most admirable
 in all his actions1 even amid the      
honors which he received at the court of
 ,valladolid1 whither business called   
him4 ,the king and princes seemed to vie
 with each other who should show him the
 greatest courtesy1 or put the largest  
alms in his hands2 whose charitable     
contributions he employed with great    
prudence in ,valladolid itself1 and the 
adjacent country4 ,only perfect virtue  
could stand the test of honors1 amid    
which he appeared the most humble4      
,humiliations seemed to be his delight3 
these he courted and sought1 and always 
underwent them with great alacrity4 ,one
 day1 when a woman called him hypocrite1
 and loaded him with invectives1 he gave

 her privately a piece of money1 and    
desired her to repeat all she had said  
in the market-place4  ,worn out at last 
by ten years' hard service in his       
hospital1 he fell sick4 ,the immediate  
occasion of his distemper seemed to be  
excess of fatigue in saving wood and    
other such things for the poor in a     
great flood1 in which1 seeing a person  
in danger of being drowned1 he swam in  
his long clothes to endeavor to rescue  
him1 not without imminent hazard of his 
own life3 but he could not see his      
,christian brother perish without       
endeavoring at all hazards to succor    
him4 ,he at first concealed his         
sickness1 that he might not be obliged  
to diminish his labors and extraordinary
 austerities2 but in the mean time he   
carefully revised the inventories of all
 things belonging to his hospital1 and  
inspected all the accounts4 ,he also    
reviewed all the excellent regulations  
which he had made for its               
administration1 the distribution of #edf

 time1 and the exercises of piety to be 
observed in it4 ,upon a complaint that  
he harbored idle strollers and bad      
women1 the archbishop sent for him1 and 
laid open the charge against him4 ,the  
man of ,god threw himself prostrate at  
his feet1 and said3 ,the ,son of ,god   
came for sinners1 and we are obliged to 
promote their conversion1 to exhort     
them1 and to sigh and pray for them4 ,i 
am unfaithful to my vocation because ,i 
neglect this2 and ,i confess that ,i    
know no other bad person in my hospital 
but myself2 who1 as ,i am obliged to own
 with extreme confusion1 am a most base 
sinner1 altogether unworthy to eat the  
bread of the poor4 ,this he spoke with  
so much feeling and humility that all   
present were much moved1 and the        
archbishop dismissed him with respect1  
leaving all things to his discretion4   
,his illness increasing1 the news of it 
was spread abroad4 ,the lady ,anne      
,ossorio was no sooner informed of his  
condition1 but she came in her coach to 

the hospital to see him4 ,the servant of
 ,god lay in his habit in his little    
cell1 covered with a piece of an old    
coat instead of a blanket1 and having   
under his head1 not indeed a stone1 as  
was his custom1 but a basket1 in which  
he used to beg alms in the city for his 
hospital4 ,the poor and sick stood      
weeping round him4 ,the lady1 moved with
 compassion1 dispatched secretly a      
message to the archbishop1 who sent     
immediately an order to ,st4 ,john to   
obey her as he would do himself1 during 
his illness4 ,by virtue of this         
authority she obliged him to leave his  
hospital4 ,he named ,anthony ,martin    
superior in his place1 and gave moving  
instructions to his brethren1           
recommending to them1 in particular1    
obedience and charity4 ,in going out he 
visited the blessed sacrament1 and      
poured forth his heart before it with   
extraordinary fervor2 remaining there   
absorbed in his devotions so long1 that 
the lady ,anne ,ossorio caused him to be

 taken up and carried into her coach1 in
 which she conveyed him to her own      
house4 ,she herself prepared with the   
help of her maids1 and gave him with her
 own hands1 his broths and other things1
 and often read to him the history of   
the passion of our ,redeemer4 ,he       
complained that while our ,saviour1 in  
his agony1 drank gall1 they gave him1 a 
miserable sinner1 broths4 ,the whole    
city was in tears2 all the nobility     
visited him2 the magistrates came to beg
 he would give his benediction to their 
city4 ,he answered1 that his sins       
rendered him the scandal and reproach of
 their country2 but recommended to them 
his brethren1 the poor1 and his         
religious that served them4 ,at last1 by
 order of the archbishop1 he gave the   
city his dying benediction4 ,his        
exhortations to all were most pathetic4 
,his prayer consisted of most humble    
sentiments of compunction and inflamed  
aspirations of divine love4 ,the        
archbishop said mass in his chamber1    

heard his confession1 gave him the      
viaticum and extreme unction1 and       
promised to pay all his debts1 and to   
provide for all his poor4 ,the saint    
expired on his knees1 before the altar1 
on the #hth of ,march1 in #aeej1 being  
exactly fifty-five years old4 ,he was   
buried by the archbishop at the head of 
all the clergy1 both secular and        
regular1 accompanied by all the court1  
noblesse1 and city1 with the utmost     
pomp4 ,he was honored by many miracles1 
beatified by ,urban ,,viii4 in #afcj1   
and canonized by ,alexander ,,viii4 in  
#afij4 ,his relics were translated into 
the church of his brethren in #affd4    
,his order of charity to serve the sick 
was approved of by pope ,pius ,v4 ,the  
,spaniards have their own general3 but  
the religious in ,france and ,italy obey
 a general who resides at ,rome4 ,they  
follow the rule of ,st4 ,austin4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,one sermon perfectly converted one who 
had been long enslaved to the world and 

his passions1 and made him a saint4 ,how
 comes it that so many sermons and pious
 books produce so little fruit in our   
souls8 ,it is altogether owing to our   
sloth and wilful hardness of heart1 that
 we receive ,god's #edg omnipotent word 
in vain1 and to our most grievous       
condemnation4 ,the heavenly seed can    
take no root in hearts which receive it 
with indifference and insensibility1 or 
it is trodden upon and destroyed by the 
dissipation and tumult of our disorderly
 affections1 or it is choked by the     
briers and thorns of earthly concerns4  
,to profit by it1 we must listen to it  
with awe and respect1 in the silence of 
all creatures1 in interior solitude and 
peace1 and must carefully nourish it in 
our hearts4 ,the holy law of ,god is    
comprised in the precept of divine love2
 a precept so sweet1 a virtue so        
glorious and so happy1 as to carry along
 with it its present incomparable       
reward4 ,st4 ,john1 from the moment of  
his conversion1 by the penitential      

austerities which he performed1 was his 
own greatest persecutor2 but it was     
chiefly by heroic works of charity that 
he endeavored to offer to ,god the most 
acceptable sacrifice of compunction1    
gratitude1 and love4 ,what encouragement
 has ,christ given us in every practice 
of this virtue1 by declaring1 that      
whatever we do to others he esteems as  
done to himself6 ,to animate ourselves  
to fervor1 we may often call to mind    
what ,st4 ,john frequently repeated to  
his disciples1 ,labor without           
intermission to do all the good works in
 your power1 while time is allowed you4 
,his spirit of penance1 love1 and fervor
 he inflamed by meditating assiduously  
on the sufferings of ,christ1 of which  
he often used to say3 ,lord1 thy thorns 
are my roses1 and thy sufferings my     
paradise4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,the        
venerable ,john of ,avila1 or ,avilla1  
who may be called the father     of the 
most eminent saints that flourished in  
,spain in the sixteenth     century1 was

 a native of the diocese of ,toledo4 ,at
 fourteen years of     age he was sent  
to ,salamanca1 and trained up to the    
law4 ,from his     infancy he applied   
himself with great earnestness to       
prayer1 and all     the exercises of    
piety and religion2 and he was yet very 
young when     he found his inclinations
 strongly bent towards an ecclesiastical
     state in order to endeavor by his  
tears and labors to kindle the     fire 
of divine love in the hearts of men4    
,from the university his     parents    
called him home1 but were surprised and 
edified to see the     ardor with which 
he pursued the most heroic practices of 
,christian     perfection2 which1 as    
they both feared ,god1 they were afraid 
in the     least to check1 or damp his  
fervor4 ,his diet was sparing1 and as   
coarse as he could choose1 without an   
appearance of singularity or            
affectation2 he contrived to sleep on   
twigs1 which he secretly laid     on his
 bed1 wore a hair shirt1 and used severe

 disciplines4 ,what was     most        
admirable in his conduct1 was the       
universal denial of his will1     by    
which he labored to die to himself1     
added to his perfect     humility1      
patience1 obedience1 and meekness1 by   
which he subjected     his spirit to the
 holy law of ,christ4 ,all his spare    
time was devoted     to prayer1 and he  
approached very frequently the holy     
sacraments4 ,in     that of the blessed 
,eucharist he began to find a wonderful 
relish     and devotion1 and he spent   
some hours in preparing himself to      
receive it with the utmost purity of    
heart and fervor of love he was     able
 to bring to that divine banquet4 ,in   
the commerce of the world     he        
appeared so much out of his element1    
that he was sent to the     university  
of ,alcala1 where he finished his       
studies in the same     manner he had   
began them1 and bore the first prize in 
philosophy and     his other classes4   
,f4 ,dominic ,soto1 the learned         

,dominican professor1     who was his   
master1 conceived for him the warmest   
affection and the     highest esteem1   
and often declared how great a man he   
doubted not     this scholar would one  
day become4 ,peter ,guerrera1 who was   
afterwards archbishop of ,toledo1 was   
also from that time his great           
admirer1 and constant friend4 ,both his 
parents dying about that     time1 ,john
 entered into holy orders4 ,on the same 
day on which he     said his first mass1
 instead of giving an entertainment     
according to     the custom1 he provided
 a dinner for twelve poor persons1 on   
whom he     waited at table1 and whom he
 clothed at his own expense1 and with   
his own hands4 ,when he returned into   
his own country1 he sold his     whole  
estate1 for he was the only child and   
heir of his parents3 the     entire     
price he gave to the poor1 reserving    
nothing for himself     besides an old  
suit of mean apparel1 desiring to       
imitate the     apostles1 whom ,christ  

forbade to carry either purse or scrip4 
,taking     ,st4 ,paul for his patron   
and model1 he entered upon the ministry 
of     preaching1 in which sublime      
function his preparation consisted not  
merely in the study and exercise of     
oratory1 and in a consummate            
knowledge of faith1 and of the rules of 
,christian virtue1 but much     more in 
a perfect victory over himself and his  
passions1 the entire     disengagement  
of his heart and affections from the    
world and all     earthly things1 an    
eminent spirit of humility1 tender      
charity1 and     inflamed zeal for the  
glory of ,god1 and the sanctification of
 souls4     ,he once said to a young    
clergyman1 who consulted him by what    
method     he could learn the art of    
preaching with fruit1 that it was no    
other     than that of the most ardent  
love of ,god4 ,of this he was himself a 
most illustrious example4 ,prayer1 and  
an indefatigable application     to the 
duties of his ministry1 divided his     

whole time2 and such was     his thirst 
of the salvation of souls1 that the     
greatest labors and     dangers were    
equally his greatest gain and pleasure2 
he seemed even     to gather strength   
from the former1 and confidence and     
courage from     the latter4 ,his       
inflamed sermons1 supported by the      
admirable example     of his heroic     
virtue1 and the most pure maxims of the 
gospel1     delivered with an eloquence 
and an unction altogether divine1 from  
the overflowings of a heart burning with
 the most ardent love of     ,god1 and  
penetrated with the deepest sentiments  
of humility and     compunction1 had a  
force which the most hardened hearts    
seemed not     able to withstand4 ,many 
sacred orators preach themselves rather 
than     the word of ,god1 and speak    
with so much art and care1 that their   
hearers consider more how they speak    
than what they say4 ,this true          
minister of the gospel never preached or
 instructed others without     having   

first1 for a considerable time1 begged  
of ,god with great     earnestness to   
move both his tongue and the hearts of  
his hearers3     he mounted the pulpit  
full of the most sincere distrust in his
 own     abilities and endeavors1 and   
contempt of himself2 and with the most  
ardent thirst of the salvation of the   
souls of all his hearers4 ,he     cast  
his nets1 or rather sowed the seed1 of  
eternal life4 ,the ,holy     ,ghost1 who
 inspired and animated his soul1 seemed 
to speak by the     organ of his voice2 
and gave so fruitful a blessing to his  
words1     that wonderful were the      
conversions he everywhere wrought4      
,whole     assemblies came from his     
sermons quite changed1 and their change 
appeared immediately in their           
countenances and behavior4 ,he never    
ceased to exhort those that were with   
him by his inflamed     discourses1 and 
the absent by his letters4 ,a collection
 of these1     extant in several        
languages1 is a proof of his elo quence1

     experimental science of virtue1 and
 tender and affecting charity4     ,the 
ease with which he wrote them without   
study1 shows how richly     his mind was
 stored with an inexhausted fund of     
excellent motives     and reflections on
 every subject matter of piety1 with    
what     readiness he disposed those    
motives in an agreeable methodical      
manner1 and with what unction he        
expressed them1 insomuch that his       
style appears to be no other than the   
pure language of his heart1     always  
bleeding for his own sins and those of  
the world4 ,so various     are the      
instructions contained in these letters1
 that any one may     find such as are  
excellently suited to his particular    
circumstances1     whatever virtue he   
desires to obtain1 or vice to shun1 and 
under     whatever affliction he seeks  
for holy advice and comfort4 ,it was    
from the school of an interior          
experienced virtue that he was          
qualified to be so excellent a master4  

,this spirit of all virtues he          
cultivated in his soul by their         
continual exercise4 ,under the          
greatest importunity of business1       
besides his office and mass1 with     a 
long preparation and thanksgiving1 he   
never failed to give to     private holy
 meditation two hours1 when he first    
rose in the     morning1 from three till
 five o'clock1 and again two hours in   
the     evening before he took his rest1
 for which he never allowed himself     
more than four hours of the night1 from 
eleven till three o'clock4     ,during  
the time of his sickness1 towards the   
latter end of his life1     almost his  
whole time was devoted to prayer1 he    
being no longer able     to sustain the 
fatigue of his functions4 ,his clothes  
were always     very mean1 and usually  
old2 his food was such as he bought in  
the     streets1 which wanted no        
dressing1 as herbs1 fruit1 or milk2 for 
he     would never have a servant4 ,at  
the tables of others he ate sparingly   

of whatever was given him1 or what was  
next at hand4 ,he exceedingly           
extolled1 and was a true lover of holy  
poverty1 not only as it is an           
exercise of penance1 and cuts off the   
root of many passions1 but     also as a
 state dear to those who love our divine
 ,redeemer1 who was     born1 lived1 and
 died1 in extreme poverty4 ,few persons 
ever appeared     to be more perfectly  
dead to the world than this holy man4 ,a
 certain     nobleman1 who was showing  
him his curious gardens1 canals1 and    
buildings1 expressed his surprise to see
 that no beauties and     wonders of art
 and nature could fix his attention or  
raise his     curiosity4 ,the holy man  
replied1 ,i trust confess that nothing  
of     this kind gives me any           
satisfaction because my heart takes no  
pleasure in them4 ,this holy man was so 
entirely possessed with ,god1     and   
filled with the love of invisible       
things1 as to loathe all     earthly    
things1 which seemed not to have a      

direct and immediate     tendency to    
them4 ,he preached at ,seville1         
,cordova1 ,granada1 ,baeza1     and over
 the whole country of ,andalusia4 ,by   
his discourses and     instructions1    
,st4 ,john of ,god1 ,st4 ,francis of    
,borgia1 ,st4 ,teresa1     ,lewis of    
,granada1 and many others1 were moved1  
and assisted to lay     the deep        
foundation of perfect virtue to which   
the divine grace     raised them4 ,many 
noblemen and ladies were directed by him
 in the     paths of ,christian         
perfection1 particularly the ,countess  
of ,feria     and the ,marchioness of   
,pliego1 whose conduct1 first in a      
married     state1 and afterwards in    
holy widowhood1 affords most edifying   
instances of heroic practices and       
sentiments of all virtues4 ,this        
great servant of ,god taught souls to   
renounce and cast away that     false   
liberty by which they are the worst of  
slaves under the     tyranny of their   
passions1 and to take up the sweet      

chains of the     divine love which     
gives men a true sovereignty1 not only  
over all     other created things1 but  
also over themselves4 ,he lays down in  
his     works the rules by which he     
conducted so many to perfect virtue1    
teaching us that we must learn to know  
both ,god and ourselves1 not     by the 
lying glass of self-love1 but by the    
clear beam of truth3     ourselves1 that
 we may see the depth of our miseries1  
and fly with     all our might from the 
cause thereof1 which is our pride1 and  
other     sins3 ,god1 that we may always
 tremble before his infinite majesty1   
may believe his unerring truth1 may hope
 for a share in his     inexhausted     
mercy1 and may vehemently love that     
incomprehensible     abyss of goodness  
and charity4 ,these lessons he lays down
 with     particular advice how to      
subside our passions4 ,in his treatise  
on     the ,audi filia1 or on those     
words of the ,holy ,ghost1 ,psa4 xliv1  
,hear me1 daughter1 bend thine ear1     

forget thy house1 c4 ,the     occasion  
upon which he composed this book was as 
follows3 ,donna     ,soncha ,carilla1   
daughter of ,don ,lewis ,fernandez of   
,cordoba1 lord of     ,guadalcazar1 a   
young lady of great beauty and          
accomplishments1 was     called to court
 to serve in quality of lady of honor to
 the queen4     ,her father furnished   
her with an equipage1 and every thing   
suitable2     but before her journey1   
she went to cast herself at the feet of 
,avila1 and make her confession4 ,she   
afterwards said he reproved her         
sharply for coming to the sacred        
tribunal of penance too richly          
attired1 and in a manner not becoming a 
penitent whose heart was     broken with
 compunction4 ,what else passed in their
 conference is     unknown2 but coming  
from the church1 she begged to be       
excused from     going to court1 laid   
aside all sumptuous attire1 and gave    
herself up     entirely to recollection 
and penance4 ,thus she led a retired    

most     holy life in her father's house
 till she died1 most happily1 about     
ten years after4 ,her pious director    
wrote this book for her     instruction 
in the practice of an interior life1    
teaching her how     she ought to subdue
 her passions1 and vanquish temptations1
     especially that of pride2 also by  
what means she was to labor to          
obtain the love of ,god1 and all        
virtues4 ,he dwells at length on        
assiduous meditation1 on the passion of 
,christ1 especially on the     excess of
 love with which he suffered so much for
 us4 ,his other     works1 and all the  
writers who speak of this holy man1 bear
     testimony to his extraordinary     
devotion towards the passion of         
,christ4 ,from this divine book he      
learned the perfect spirit of all       
virtues1 especially a desire of         
suffering with him and for him4 ,upon   
this motive he exhorts us to give ,god  
many thanks when he sends us     an     
opportunity of enduring some little1    

that by our good use of this     little 
trial1 our ,lord nay be moved to give us
 strength to suffer     more1 and may   
send us more to undergo4 ,envy raising  
him enemies1 he     was accused of      
shutting heaven to the rich1 and upon   
that senseless     slander thrown into  
the prison of the inquisition at        
,seville4 ,this     sensible disgrace   
and persecution he bore with incredible 
sweetness     and patience1 and after he
 was acquitted1 returned only kindnesses
     to his calumniators4 ,in the       
fiftieth year of his age he began to be 
afflicted with the stone1 frequent      
fevers1 and a complication of     other 
painful disorders3 under the sharpest   
pains he used often to     repeat this  
prayer1 ,lord4 increase my sufferings1  
but give me also     patience4 ,once1 in
 a fit of exquisite pain1 he begged our 
,redeemer     to assuage it3 and that   
instant he found it totally removed1 and
 he     fell into a gentle slumber4 ,he 
afterwards reproached himself as        

guilty of pusillanimity4 ,it is not to  
be expressed how much he     suffered   
from sickness during the seventeen last 
years of his life4     ,he died with    
great tranquillity and devotion1 on the 
#ajth of ,may1     #aefi4 ,the venerable
 ,john of ,avila was a man powerful in  
words and     works1 a prodigy of       
penance1 the glory of the priesthood1   
the     edification of the church by his
 virtues1 its support by his zeal1      
its oracle by his doctrine4 ,a profound 
and universal genius1 a     prudent and 
upright director1 a celebrated preacher1
 the apostle of     ,andalusia1 a man   
revered by all ,spain1 known to the     
whole ,christian     world4 ,a man of   
such sanctity and authority1 that       
princes adopted     his decisions1 the  
learned were improved by his enlightened
     knowledge1 and ,st4 ,teresa        
regarded him as her patron and          
protector1     consulted him as her     
master1 and followed him as her guide   
and     model4 ,see the edifying life of

 the venerable ,john of ,avila1 written 
by ,f4 ,lewis of ,granada2 also by      
,lewis ,munnoz3 and the abstract        
prefixed by ,arnauld d' ,andilly to the 
,french edition of his works in         
folio1 at ,paris1 in #afgc4  ,,st4      
,,felix1 ,b4,c4  ,,he was a holy        
,burgundian priest1 who converted and   
baptized ,sigebert1 prince of the       
,east-,angles1 during his exile in      
,france1 whither he was forced to       
retire1 to secure himself from the      
insidious practices of his relations4   
,sigebert being called home to the crown
 of his ancestors1 invited out of       
,france his spiritual father ,st4       
,felix1 to assist him in bringing over  
his idolatrous subjects to the          
,christian faith3 these were the        
inhabitants of ,norfolk1 ,suffolk1 and  
,cambridgeshire4 ,our saint being       
ordained bishop by ,honorius1 archbishop
 of ,canterbury1 and deputed by him to  
preach to the ,east-,angles1 was        
surprisingly successful in his          

undertaking1 and made almost a thorough 
conversion of that country4 ,the most   
learned and most ,christian king1       
,sigebert1 as he is styled by ,bede1    
concurred with him in all things1 and   
founded churches1 monasteries1 and      
schools4 ,from those words of ,bede1    
that he set up a school for youth1 in   
which ,felix furnished him with masters1
 some have called him the founder of the
 university of ,cambridge4 ,st4 ,felix  
established schools at ,felixstow2      
,cressy adds at ,flixton or ,felixton4  
,king ,sigebert1 after two years1       
resigned his crown to ,egric1 his       
cousin1 and became a monk at            
,cnobersburgh1 now ,burgh-castle1 in    
,suffolk1 which monastery he had founded
 for ,st4 ,fursey4 ,four years after    
this1 the people dragged him out of his 
retirement by main force1 and conveyed  
him into the army1 to defend them       
against the cruel king ,penda1 who had  
made war upon the ,east-,angles4 ,he    
refused to bear arms1 as inconsistent   

with the monastic profession2 and would 
have nothing but a wand in his hand4    
,being slain with ,egric in #fdb1 he was
 honored as a martyr in the ,english    
calendars1 on the #bgth of ,september1  
and in the ,gallican on the #gth of     
,august4 ,egric was succeeded by the    
good king ,annas1 the father of many    
saints2 as1 ,,ss4 ,erconwald1 bishop2   
,ethelrede1 ,sexburge1 ,ethelburge1 and 
,edilburge1 abbesses2 and ,withburge4   
,he was slain fighting against the      
pagans1 after a reign of nineteen years1
 and buried at ,blitheburg3 his remains 
were afterwards removed to ,st4         
,edmond's-bury4 ,st4 ,felix established 
his see at ,dumraoc1 now ,dunwich1 in   
,suffolk1 and governed it seventeen     
years1 dying in #edh #fdf4 ,he was      
buried at ,dunwich2 but his relics were 
translated to the abbey of ,ramsey1     
under king ,canutus4 ,see ,bede1 l4 #b1 
,malmesbury2 ,wharton1 t4 #a1 p4 #djc4a 
,footnotes3 #a4  ,dunwich was formerly a
 large city1 with fifty-two religious   

houses     in it1 but was gradually     
swallowed up by the sea4 ,the remains of
 the     steeples are still             
discoverable1 under water1 about five   
miles from     the shore4 ,see ,mr4     
,gardiner's ,history and ,antiquities of
 ,dunwich4     #dto4 in #aged4  ,,ss4   
,,apollonius1 ,,philemon1 c41 ,,martyrs4
  ,,apollonius was a zealous holy       
anchoret1 and was apprehended by the    
persecutors at ,antinous in ,egypt4     
,many heathens came to insult and       
affront him while in chains2 and among  
others one ,philemon1 a musician1 very  
famous1 and much admired by the people4 
,he treated the martyr as an impious    
person and a seducer1 and one that      
deserved the public hatred4 ,to his     
injuries the saint only answered1 ,my   
son1 may ,god have mercy on thee1 and   
not lay these reproaches to thy charge4 
,this his meekness wrought so powerfully
 on ,philemon1 that he forthwith        
confessed himself a ,christian4 ,both   
were brought before the judge whom      

,metaphrastes and ,usuard call ,arian1  
and who had already put to death ,,ss4  
,asclas1 ,timothy1 ,paphnutius1 and     
several other martyrs3 after making them
 suffer all manner of tortures1 he      
condemned them to be burnt alive4 ,when 
the fire was kindled about them1        
,apollonius prayed3 ,lord1 deliver not  
to beasts the souls who confess thee2   
but manifest thy power4 ,at that instant
 a cloud of dew encompassed the martyrs1
 and put out the fire4 ,the judge and   
people cried out at this miracle3 ,the  
,god of the ,christians is the great and
 only ,god4 ,the prefect of ,egypt being
 informed of it1 caused the judge and   
the two confessors to be brought1 loaded
 with irons1 to ,alexandria4 ,during the
 journey1 ,apollonius1 by his           
instructions1 prevailed so far upon     
those who conducted him1 that they      
presented themselves also to the judge  
with their prisoners1 and confessed     
themselves likewise to be ,christians4  
,the prefect1 finding their constancy   

invincible1 caused them all to be thrown
 into the sea1 about the year #caa4     
,their bodies were afterwards found on  
the shore1 and were all put into one    
sepulchre4 ,by whom1 says ,rufinus1 many
 miracles are wrought to the present    
time1 and the vows and prayers of all   
are received1 and are accomplished4     
,hither the ,lord was pleased to bring  
me1 and to fulfil my requests4 ,see     
,rufinus1 ,vit4 ,patr l4 #b1 c4 #ai1 p4 
#dgg4 ,palladius ,lausiac4 c4 #fe1 #ff4 
,,st4 ,,julian1 ,,archbishop ,,of       
,,toledo1 ,c4  ,,he presided in the     
fourteenth and fifteenth councils of    
,toledo4 ,king ,wemba1 falling sick1    
received penance and the monastic habit 
from his hands1 and recovering1 lived   
afterwards a monk4 ,st4 ,julian has left
 us a ,history of the ,wars of king     
,wemba1 a book against the ,jews1 and   
three books ,on ,prognostics1 or on     
death1 and the state of souls after     
death4 ,he teaches that love1 and a     
desire of being united to ,god1 ought to

 extinguish in us the natural fear of   
death3 that the saints in heaven pray   
for us1 earnestly desire our happiness1 
and know our actions1 either in ,god    
whom they behold1 and in whom they      
discover all truth which it concerns    
them to know2 or by the angels1 the     
messengers of ,god on earth3 but that   
the damned do not ordinarily know what  
passes on earth1 because they neither   
see ,god nor converse with our angels4  
,he says that prayers for the dead are  
thanksgivings for the good1 a           
propitiation for the souls in purgatory1
 but #edi no relief to the damned4 ,he  
was raised to the see of ,toledo in     
#fhj1 and died in #fij4 ,see ,ildefonse 
of ,toledo1 ,append4 ,hom4 ,illustr4    
,,st4 ,,duthak1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,ross1   
,,in ,,scotland1 ,c  ,,his zeal and     
labors in preaching the word of ,god1   
his contempt of himself1 his compassion 
for the poor and for sinners1 his       
extreme love of poverty1 never reserving
 any thing for himself1 and the         

extraordinary austerity of his life1 to 
which he had inured himself from his    
childhood1 are much extolled by the     
author of his life4 ,the same writer    
assures us1 that he was famous for      
several miracles and predictions1 and   
that he foretold an invasion of the     
,danes1 which happened ten years after  
his death1 in #abfc1 in the reign of    
,alexander ,,iii41 when1 with their king
 ,achol1 they were defeated by          
,alexander ,stuart1 great-grandfather to
 ,robert1 the first king of that family4
 ,this victory was ascribed to the      
intercession of ,st4 ,andrew and ,st4   
,duthak4 ,our saint1 after longing      
desires of being united to ,god1 passed 
joyfully to bliss1 in #abec4 ,his       
relics1 kept in the collegiate church of
 ,thane1 in the county of ,ross1 were   
resorted to by pilgrims from all parts  
of ,scotland4 ,lesley1 the pious bishop 
of ,ross1 7who1 after remaining four    
years in prison with queen ,mary1 passed
 into ,france1 was chosen suffragan of  

,rouen1 by cardinal ,bourbon1 and died  
at ,brussels1 in #aeia17 had an         
extraordinary devotion to this saint1   
the chief patron of his diocese4 ,see   
,lesley1 ,descript4 ,scot4 p4 #bg1 and  
the ,,ms4 life of ,st4 ,duthak1 compiled
 by a ,scottish ,jesuit1 nephew by the  
mother to bishop ,lesley1 and native of 
that diocese4 ,see also ,king in        
,calend4  ,,st4 ,,rosa1 ,,of ,,viterbo1 
,,virgin4  ,,from her childhood she     
addicted herself entirely to the        
practice of mortification and assiduous 
prayer2 she was favored with the gift of
 miracles1 and an extraordinary talent  
of converting the most hardened sinners4
 ,she professed the third rule of ,st4  
,francis1 living always in the house of 
her father in ,viterbo1 where she died  
in #abfa4 ,see ,wading's ,annals1 and   
,barbaza1 ,vies des ,,ss4 du ,tiers     
,ordre1 t4 #b1 p4 #gg4  ,,st4 ,,senan1  
,b4,c4  ,,he was born in the country of 
,hy-,conalls1 in ,ireland1 in the latter
 part of the fifth century1 was a       

disciple of the abbots ,cassidus and    
,natal1 or ,naal3 then travelled for    
spiritual improvement to ,rome1 and     
thence into ,britain4 ,in this kingdom  
he contracted a close friendship with   
,st4 ,david4 ,after his return he       
founded many churches in ,ireland1 and a
 great monastery in ,inis-,cathaig1 an  
island lying at the mouth of the river  
,shannon1 which he governed1 and in     
which he continued to reside after he   
was advanced to the episcopal dignity4  
,the abbots1 his successors for several 
centuries1 were all bishops1 till this  
great diocese was divided into three1   
namely1 of ,limerick1 ,killaloe1 and    
,ardfert4 ,st4 ,senan died on the same  
day and year with ,st4 ,david2 but was  
honored in the ,irish church on the #hth
 of ,march4 ,a town in ,cornwall bears  
the name of ,st4 ,senan4 ,see his acts  
in ,colgan1 p4 #fjb4  #eej  ,,st4       
,,psalmod1 ,,or ,,saumay1 ,,ancroret4   
,,he was born in ,ireland1 and1 retiring
 into ,france1 led an eremitical life at

 ,limousin1 where he acquired great     
reputation for his sanctity and         
miracles4 ,he died about #ehi4 ,see the 
,martyrology of ,evreux4   ,,march ,,ix4
  ,,st4 ,,frances1 ,,widow1 ,,foundress 
,,of ,,the ,,collatines4  ,abridged from
 her life by her confessor ,canon4      
,mattiotti2 and that by ,magdalen       
,dell',aara1 superioress of the         
,oblates1 or ,coliatines4 ,helyot1      
,hist4 des ,ordr4 ,mon4 t4 #f1 p4 #bjh4 
,a4,d4 #addj4  ,,st4 ,,frances was born 
at ,rome in #achd4 ,her parents1 ,paul  
de ,buxo and ,jacobella ,rofredeschi1   
were both of illustrious families4 ,she 
imbibed early sentiments of piety1 and  
such was her love of purity from her    
tender age1 that she would not suffer   
her own father to touch even her hands1 
unless covered4 ,she had always an      
aversion to the amusements of children1 
and loved solitude and prayer4 ,at      
eleven years of age she desired to enter
 a monastery1 but1 in obedience to her  
parents1 was married to a rich young    

,roman nobleman1 named ,laurence        
,ponzani1 in #acif4 ,a grievous sickness
 showed how disagreeable this kind of   
life was to her inclinations4 ,she      
joined with it her former spirit2 kept  
herself as retired as she could1        
shunning feastings and public meetings4 
,all her delight was in prayer1         
meditation1 and visiting churches4      
,above all1 her obedience and           
condescension to her husband was        
inimitable1 which engaged such a return 
of affection1 that for forty years which
 they lived together1 there never       
happened the least disagreement2 and    
their whole life was a constant strife  
and emulation to prevent each other in  
mutual complaisance and respect4 ,while 
she was at her prayers or other         
exercises1 if called away by her        
husband1 or the meanest person of her   
family1 she laid all aside to obey      
without delay1 saying3 ,a married woman 
must1 when called upon1 quit her        
devotions to ,god at the altar1 to find 

him in her household affairs4 ,god was  
pleased to show her the merit of this   
her obedience2 for the authors of her   
life relate1 that being called away four
 times in beginning the same verse of a 
psalm in our ,lady's office1 returning  
the fifth time1 she found that verse    
written in golden letters4 ,she treated 
her domestics not as servants1 but as   
brothers and sisters1 and future        
co-heirs in heaven2 and studied by all  
means in her power to induce them       
seriously to labor for their salvation4 
,her mortifications were extraordinary1 
especially when1 some years before her  
husband's death1 she was permitted by   
him to inflict on her body what         
hardships she pleased4 ,she from that   
time abstained from wine1 fish1 and     
dainty meats1 with a total abstinence   
from flesh1 unless in her greatest      
sicknesses4 ,her ordinary diet was hard 
and mouldy bread4 ,she would procure    
secretly1 out of the pouches of the     
beggars1 their dry crusts in exchange   

for better bread4 ,when she #eea fared  
the best1 she only added to bread a few 
unsavory herbs without oil1 and drank   
nothing but water1 making use of a human
 skull for her cup4 ,she ate but once a 
day1 and by long abstinence had lost all
 relish of what she took4 ,her garments 
were of coarse serge1 and she never wore
 linen1 not even in sickness4 ,her      
discipline was armed with rowels and    
sharp points4 ,she wore continually a   
hair shirt1 and a girdle of horse-hair4 
,an iron girdle had so galled her flesh1
 that her confessor obliged her to lay  
it aside4 ,if she inadvertently chanced 
to offend ,god in the least1 she        
severely that instant punished the part 
that had offended2 as the tongue1 by    
sharply biting it1 c4 ,her example was  
of such edification1 that many ,roman   
ladies having renounced a life of       
idleness1 pomp1 and softness1 joined her
 in pious exercises1 and put themselves 
under the direction of the ,benedictin  
monks of the congregation of            

,monte-,oliveto1 without leaving the    
world1 making vows1 or wearing any      
particular habit4 ,st4 ,frances prayed  
only for children that they might be    
citizens of heaven1 and when she was    
blessed with them1 it was her whole care
 to make them saints4  ,it pleased ,god1
 for her sanctification1 to make trial  
of her virtue by many afflictions4      
,during the troubles which ensued upon  
the invasion of ,rome by ,ladislas1 king
 of ,naples1 and the great schism under 
pope ,john ,,xxiii4 at the time of      
opening the council of ,constance1 in   
#adac1 her husband1 with his            
brother-in-law ,paulucci1 was banished  
,rome1 his estate confiscated1 his house
 pulled down1 and his eldest son1 ,john 
,baptist1 detained a hostage4 ,her soul 
remained calm amidst all those storms3  
she said with ,job3 ,god hath given1 and
 ,god hath taken away4 ,i rejoice in    
these losses1 because they are ,god's   
will4 ,whatever he sends ,i shall       
continually bless and praise his name   

for4 ,the schism being extinguished by  
the council of ,constance1 and          
tranquillity restored at ,rome1 her     
husband recovered his dignity and       
estate4 ,some time after1 moved by the  
great favors ,st4 ,frances received from
 heaven1 and by her eminent virtue1 he  
gave her full leave to live as she      
pleased2 and he himself chose to serve  
,god in a state of continency4 ,he      
permitted her in his own life-time to   
found a monastery of nuns1 called       
,oblates1 for the reception of such of  
her own sex as were disposed to embrace 
a religious life4 ,the foundation of    
this house was in #adbe4 ,she gave them 
the rule of ,st4 ,benedict1 adding some 
particular constitutions of her own1 and
 put them under the direction of the    
congregation of the ,olivetans4 ,the    
house being too small for the numbers   
that fled to this sanctuary from the    
corruption of the world1 she would      
gladly have removed her community to a  
larger house2 but not finding one       

suitable1 she enlarged it1 in #adcc1    
from which year the founding of the     
,order is dated4 ,it was approved by    
pope ,eugenius ,,iv4 in #adcg4 ,they are
 called ,collatines1 perhaps from the   
quarter of ,rome in which they are      
situated2 and ,oblates1 because they    
call their profession an oblation1 and  
use in it the word offero1 not          
profiteer4 ,st4 ,frances could not yet  
join her new family2 but as soon as she 
had settled her domestic affairs1 after 
the death of her husband1 she went      
barefoot1 with a cord about her neck1 to
 the monastery which she had founded1   
and there1 prostrate on the ground1     
before the religious1 her spiritual     
children1 begged to be admitted4 ,she   
accordingly took the habit on ,st4      
,benedict's day1 in #adcg4 ,she always  
sought the meanest employments in the   
house1 being fully persuaded she was of 
all the most contemptible before ,god2  
and she labored to appear as mean in the
 eyes of the world as she was in her    

own4 ,she continued the same            
humiliations1 and the same universal    
poverty1 though soon after chosen       
superioress of her congregation4        
,almighty ,god bestowed on her humility1
 extraordinary graces1 and supernatural 
favors1 as frequent visions1 raptures1  
and the gift of prophecy4 ,she enjoyed  
the familiar conversation of her        
angel-guardian1 as her life and the     
process of her canonization #eeb attest4
 ,she was extremely affected by         
meditating on our ,saviour's passion1   
which she had always present to her     
mind4 ,at mass she was so absorbed in   
,god as to seem immoveable1 especially  
after holy communion3 she often fell    
into ecstasies of love and devotion4    
,she was particularly devout to ,st4    
,john the ,evangelist1 and above all to 
our ,lady1 under whose singular         
protection she put her ,order4 ,going   
out to see her son ,john ,baptist1 who  
was dangerously sick1 she fell so ill   
herself that she could not return to her

 monastery at night4 ,after having      
foretold her death1 and received the    
sacraments1 she expired on the #ith of  
,march1 in the year #addj1 and of her   
age the fifty-sixth4 ,god attested her  
sanctity by miracles3 she was honored   
among the saints immediately after her  
death1 and solemnly canonized by ,paul  
,v4 in #afjh4 ,her shrine in ,rome is   
most magnificent and rich3 and her      
festival is kept as a holyday in the    
city1 with great solemnity4 ,the        
,oblates make no solemn vows1 only a    
promise of obedience to the             
mother-president1 enjoy pensions1       
inherit estates1 and go abroad with     
leave4 ,their abbey in ,rome is filled  
with ladies of the first rank4  ,in a   
religious life1 in which a regular      
distribution of holy employments and    
duties takes up the whole day1 and      
leaves no interstices of time for       
idleness1 sloth1 or the world1 hours    
pass in these exercises with the        
rapidity of moments1 and moments by     

fervor of the desires bear the value of 
years4 ,there is not an instant in which
 a soul is not employed for ,god1 and   
studies not with her whole heart to     
please him4 ,every step1 every thought  
and desire1 is a sacrifice of fidelity1 
obedience1 and love offered to him4     
,even meals1 recreation1 and rest1 are  
sanctified by this intention2 and from  
the religious vows and habitual purpose 
of the soul of consecrating herself     
entirely to ,god in time and eternity1  
every action1 as ,st4 ,thomas teaches1  
renews and contains the fervor and merit
 of this entire consecration1 of which  
it is a part4 ,in a secular life1 a     
person by regularity in the employment  
of his time1 and fervor in devoting     
himself to ,god in all his actions and  
designs1 may in some degree enjoy the   
same happiness and advantage4 ,this ,st4
 ,frances perfectly practised1 even     
before she renounced the world4 ,she    
lived forty years with her husband      
without ever giving him the least       

occasion of offence2 and by the fervor  
with which she conversed of heaven1 she 
seemed already to have quitted the      
earth1 and to have made paradise her    
ordinary dwelling4  ,,st4 ,,gregory ,,of
 ,,nyssa1 ,b4,c4  ,,he was younger      
brother to ,st4 ,basil the ,great2 was  
educated in polite and sacred studies1  
and married to a virtuous lady4 ,he     
afterwards renounced the world1 and was 
ordained lector2 but was overcome by his
 violent passion for eloquence to teach 
rhetoric4 ,st4 ,gregory ,nazianzen wrote
 to him in the strongest terms1         
exhorting him to renounce that paltry or
 ignoble glory1 as he elegantly calls   
it4#a ,this letter produced its desired 
effect4 ,st4 ,gregory returned to the   
sacred ministry in the lower functions  
of the altar3 after some time he was    
called by his brother ,basil to assist  
him in his pastoral duties1 and in #cgb 
was chosen bishop of ,nyssa1 a city of  
,cappadocia1 near the ,lesser ,armenia4 
,the ,arians1 who trembled at his name1 

prevailed with ,demosthenes1 vicar or   
deputy-governor of the province1 to     
banish him4 ,upon the death of the      
,arian emperor1 ,valens1 in #cgh1 ,st4  
,gregory was restored to his see by the 
emperor ,gratian4 ,our holy prelate was 
chosen by his colleagues to redress the 
abuses and dissensions which heresy had 
introduced #eec in ,arabia and          
,palestine4 ,he assisted at the council 
of ,constantinople in #cha1 and was     
always regarded as the centre of the    
,catholic communion in the ,east4 ,those
 prelates only who joined themselves to 
him1 were looked upon as orthodox4 ,he  
died about the year #djj1 probably on   
the #ajth of ,january1 on which the     
,greeks have always kept his festival3  
the ,latins honor his memory on the #ith
 of ,march4 ,the high reputation of his 
learning and virtue procured him the    
title of ,father of the ,fathers1 as the
 seventh general council testifies4 ,his
 sermons are the monuments of his piety2
 but his great penetration and learning 

appear more in his polemic works1       
especially in his twelve books against  
,eunomius4 ,see his life collected from 
his works1 ,st4 ,greg4 ,nazianzen1      
,socrates1 and ,theodoret1 by ,hermant1 
,tillemont1 t4 #i1 p4 #efa2 ,ceillier1  
t4 #h1 p4 #bjj4 ,dr4 ,cave imagines1    
that ,st4 ,gregory continued to cohabit 
with his wife after he was bishop4 ,but 
,st4 ,jerom testifies that the custom of
 the eastern churches did not suffer    
such a thing4 ,she seems to have lived  
to see him bishop1 and to have died     
about the year #chd2 but she professed a
 state of continency3 hence ,st4        
,gregory ,nazianzen1 in his short       
eulogium of her1 says1 she rivalled her 
brothers-in-law who were in the         
priesthood1 and calls her sacred1 or one
 consecrated to ,god2 probably she was a
 deaconess4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,greek3   
apstzen eaostzian1 ,naz4 4   ,,appendix 
,,on  ,,the ,,writings ,,of ,,st4       
,,gregory ,,of ,,nyssa4  ,,st4 ,,gregory
 ,,of ,,nyssa wrote many learned works  

extant in three volumes in folio1       
published by the learned ,jesuit1       
,fronto le ,duc1 at ,paris1 an4 #afae   
and #afch4 ,they are eternal monuments  
of this father's great zeal1 piety1 and 
eloquence4 ,photius commends his        
diction1 as surpassing that of all other
 rhetoricians1 in perspicuity1 elegance1
 and a pleasing turn of expression1 and 
says1 that in the beauty and sweetness  
of his eloquence1 and the copiousness of
 his arguments in his polemic works     
against ,eunomius1 he far outwent the   
rest who handled the same subjects4 ,he 
wrote many commentaries on holy         
scripture4 ,the first is his            
,hexaemeron1 or book on the six days'   
work of the creation of the world4 ,it  
is a supplement to his brother ,basil's 
work on the same subject1 who had       
omitted the obscurer questions1 above   
the reach of the vulgar1 to whom he     
preached4 ,gregory filled up that       
deficiency1 at the request of many      
learned men1 with an accuracy that      

became the brother of the great ,basil4 
,he shows in this work a great knowledge
 of philosophy4 ,he finishes it by      
saying1 ,the widow that offered her two 
mites did not hinder the magnificent    
presents of the rich1 nor did they who  
offered skins1 wood1 and goats' hair    
towards the tabernacle1 hinder those who
 could give gold1 silver1 and precious  
stones4 ,i shall be happy1 says he1 if  
,i can present hairs2 and shall rejoice 
to see others add ornaments of purple1  
or gold tissue4 ,his book1 ,on the      
,workmanship of ,man1 may be looked upon
 as a continuation of the former1 though
 it was written first4 ,he shows it was 
suitable that man1 being made to command
 in quality of king all this lower      
creation1 should find his palace already
 adorned1 and that other things should  
be created before he appeared who was to
 be the spectator of the miracles of the
 ,omnipotent4 ,his frame is so          
admirable1 his nature so excellent1 that
 the whole ,blessed ,trinity proceeds as

 it were by a council1 to his formation4
 ,he is a king1 by his superiority and  
command over all other creatures by his 
gift of reason2 is part spiritual1 by   
which he can unite himself to ,god2 part
 material1 by which he has it in his    
power to use and even enslave himself to
 creatures4 ,virtue is his purple       
garment1 immortality his sceptre1 and   
eternal glory his crown4 ,his           
resemblance to his ,creator consist in  
the soul only1 that is1 in its moral    
virtues and ,god's grace2 which divine  
resemblance men most basely efface in   
themselves by sin4 ,he speaks of the    
dignity and spiritual nature of the     
soul1 and the future resurrection of the
 body1 and concludes with an anatomical 
description of it1 which shows him to   
have been well skilled in medicine1 and 
in that branch of natural philosophy1   
for that age4 ,the two homilies on the  
words1 ,let us make man1 are falsely    
ascribed to him4 ,when #eed desired by  
one ,caesarius to prescribe him rules of

 a perfect virtue1 he did this by his   
,life of ,moses1 the pattern of virtue4 
,he closes it with this lesson1 that    
perfection consists not in avoiding sin 
for fear of torments1 as slaves do1 nor 
for the hope of recompense1 as          
mercenaries do2 but in fearing1 as the  
only thing to be dreaded1 to lose the   
friendship of ,god2 and in having only  
one desire1 viz41 of ,god's friendship1 
in which alone man's spiritual life     
consists4 ,this is to be obtained by    
fixing the mind only on divine and      
heavenly things4 ,we have next his two  
treatises1 ,on the ,inscriptions of the 
,psalms1 and ,an ,exposition of the     
sixth ,psalm1 full of allegorical and   
moral instructions4 ,in the first of    
these1 extolling the divine sentiments  
and instructions of those holy prayers1 
he says1 that all ,christians learned   
them1 and thought that time lost in     
which they had them not in their mouths3
 even little children and old men sung  
them2 all in affliction found them their

 comfort sent by ,god those who         
travelled by land or sea1 those who were
 employed in sedentary trades2 and the  
faithful of all ages1 sexes1 and        
conditions1 sick and well1 made the     
,psalms their occupation4 ,these divine 
canticles were sung by them in all times
 of joy1 in marriages and festivals2 by 
day1 and in the night vigils1 c4 ,his   
eight homilies1 ,on the three first     
,chapters of ,ecclesiastes1 are an      
excellent moral instruction and literal 
explication of that book4 ,he addressed 
his fifteen homilies1 ,on the ,book of  
,canticles1 which he had preached to his
 flock1 to ,olympias1 a lady of         
,constantinople1 who1 after twenty      
months' marriage1 being left a widow1   
distributed a great estate to the church
 and poor1 a great part by the hands of 
our saint1 whom she had settled an      
acquaintance with in a journey he had   
made to the imperial city4 ,st4 ,gregory
 extols the excellency of that divine   
book1 not to be read but by pure hearts1

 disengaged from all love of creatures1 
and free from all corporeal images4 ,he 
says the ,holy ,ghost instructs us by   
degrees2 by the book of ,proverbs to    
avoid sin2 by ,ecclesiastes to draw our 
affections from creatures2 by this of   
,canticles he teaches perfection1 which 
is pure charity4 ,he explains it        
mystically4 ,he has five orations ,on   
the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,in the first1 he  
elegantly shows the universal1          
indispensable necessity of prayer1 which
 alone unites the heart to ,god1 and    
preserves it from the approach of sin4  
,every breath we draw ought also to be  
accompanied with thanksgiving1 as it    
brings us innumerable benefits from     
,god1 which we ought continually to     
acknowledge4 ,but we must only pray for 
spiritual1 not temporal things4 ,in the 
second1 he shows that none can justly   
call ,god ,father1 who remain in sin1   
without desires of repentance1 and who  
consequently bear the ensigns of the    
devil4 ,resemblance with ,god is the    

mark of being his son2 that title       
further obliges us to have our minds and
 hearts always in heaven4 ,by the next  
we pray that ,god alone may reign in us1
 and his will be ever done by us2 and   
that the devil or self-love never have  
any share in our hearts or actions4 ,by 
the fourth we ask bread1 i4e41 absolute 
necessaries1 not dainties1 not riches1  
or any thing superfluous1 or for the    
world1 and even bread only for today1   
without solicitude for to-morrow1 which 
perhaps will never come3 all irregular  
desires and all occasions of them must  
be excluded4 ,the serpent is watching at
 your heel1 but do you watch his head3  
give him no admittance into your mind3  
from the least entrance he will draw in 
after him the foldings of his whole     
body4 ,if ,eve's counsellor persuades   
you that any thing looks beautiful and  
tastes sweet1 if you listen you are soon
 drawn into gluttony1 and lust1 and     
avarice1 c4 ,the fifth petition he thus 
paraphrases1 ,i have forgiven my        

debtors1 do not reject your suppliant4  
,i dismissed my debtor cheerful and     
free4 ,i am your debtor1 send me not    
away sorrowful4 ,may my dispositions1 my
 sentence prevail with you4 ,i have     
pardoned1 pardon3 ,i have showed        
compassion1 imitate your servant's      
mercy4 ,my offences are indeed far more 
grievous2 but consider how much you     
excel in all good4 ,it is just that you 
manifest to sinners a mercy suiting your
 infinite greatness4 ,i have given proof
 of mercy in little things1 according to
 the capacity of my nature2 but your    
bounty is not to be confined by the     
narrowness of my power1 c4 ,his eight   
sermons1 ,on the ,eight ,beatitudes1 are
 written in the same style4 ,what he    
says in them on the motives of humility1
 which he thinks is meant by the first  
beatitude1 of poverty of spirit1 and on 
meekness1 proves how much his heart was 
filled with those divine virtues4       
,besides what we have of ,st4 ,gregory  
on the holy scripture1 time has         

preserved us many other works of piety  
of this father4 ,his discourse entitled1
 ,on his ,ordination1 ought to be       
called1 ,on the ,dedication4 ,it was    
spoken by him in the consecration of a  
magnificent church1 built by ,rufin1    
7praefect of the praetorium17 ann4 #cid1
 at the ,borough of the ,oak1 near      
,chalcedon4 ,his sermon1 ,on loving the 
,poor1 is a pathetic exhortation to     
alms1 from the last sentence on the     
wicked for a neglect of that duty4 ,at  
which threat1 he says1 ,i am most       
vehemently terrified1 and disturbed in  
mind4 ,he excites to compassion for the 
lepers in particular1 who1 under their  
miseries1 are our brethren1 and it is   
only ,god's favor that has preserved us 
sound rather than them2 and who knows   
what we ourselves may become8 ,his      
dialogue ,against ,fate was a           
disputation with a heathen philosopher1 
who maintained a destiny or overruling  
fate in all things4 ,his canonical      
epistle to ,letoius1 bishop of          

,melitine1 metropolis of ,armenia1 has a
 place among the canons of penance in   
the ,greek church1 published by         
,beveridge4 ,he condemns apostacy to    
perpetual penance1 deprived of the      
sacraments till the article of death3 if
 only extorted by torments1 for nine    
years2 the same law for witchcraft2 nine
 years for simple fornication2 eighteen 
for adultery2 twenty-seven for #eee     
murder1 or for rapine4 ,but he permits  
the terms to be abridged in cases of    
extraordinary fervor4 ,simple theft he  
orders to be expiated by the sinner     
giving all his substance to the poor2 if
 he has none1 to work to relieve them4  
,his discourse against those who defer  
baptism1 is an invitation to sinners to 
penance1 and chiefly of catechumens to  
baptism1 death being always uncertain4  
,he is surprised to see an earthquake or
 pestilence drive all to penance and to 
the font3 though an apoplexy or other   
sudden death may as easily surprise men 
any night of their lives4 ,he relates   

this frightful example4 ,when the       
,nomades ,scythians plundered those     
parts1 ,archias1 a young nobleman of    
,comanes1 whom he knew very well1 and   
who deferred his baptism1 fell into     
their hands1 and was shot to death by   
their arrows1 crying out lamentably1    
,mountains and woods1 baptize me2 trees 
and rocks1 give me the grace of the     
sacrament4 ,which miserable death more  
afflicted the city than all the rest of 
the war4 ,his sermons1 ,against         
,fornication1 ,on ,penance1 ,on ,alms1  
,on ,pentecost1 are in the same style4  
,in that against ,usurers1 he exerts a  
more than ordinary zeal1 and tells them3
 ,love the poor4 ,in his necessity he   
has recourse to you to assist his       
misery1 but by lending him on usury you 
increase it2 you sow new miseries on his
 sorrows1 and add to his afflictions4   
,in appearance you do him a pleasure1   
but in reality ruin him1 like one who1  
overeome by a sick man's importunities1 
gives him wine1 a present satisfaction1 

but a real poison4 ,usury gives no      
relief1 but makes your neighbor's want  
greater than it was4 ,the usurer is no  
way profitable to the republic1 neither 
by tilling the ground1 by trade1 c42 yet
 idle at home1 would have all to produce
 to him2 hates all he gains not by4 ,but
 though you were to give alms of these  
unjust exactions1 they would carry along
 with them the tears of others robbed by
 them4 ,the beggar that receives1 did he
 know it1 would refuse to be fed with   
the flesh and blood of a brother2 with  
bread extorted by rapine1 from other    
poor4 ,give it back to him from whom you
 unjustly took it4 ,but to hide their   
malice1 they change the name usury into 
milder words1 calling it interest or    
moderate profit1 like the heathens1 who 
called their furies by the soft name    
,eumenides4 ,he relates that a rich     
usurer of ,nyssa1 so covetous as to deny
 himself and children necessaries1 and  
not to use the bath to save three       
farthings1 dying suddenly1 left his     

money all hid and buried where his      
children could never find it1 who by    
that means were all reduced to beggary4 
,the usurers answer me1 says he1 then we
 will not lend2 and what will the poor  
do8 ,i bid them give1 and exhort to     
lend1 but without interest2 for he that 
refuses to lend1 and he that lends at   
usury1 are equally criminal2 viz4 if the
 necessity of another be extreme4 ,his  
sermon ,on the ,lent ,fast displays the 
advantage of fasting for the health of  
both body and soul2 he demands these    
forty days' strenuous labor to cure all 
their vices1 and insists on total       
abstinence from wine at large1 and that 
weakness of constitution and health is  
ordinarily a vain pretence4 ,saint      
,gregory's great ,catechistical         
,discourse is commended by ,theodoret1  
7dial4 #b  #c27 ,leontius1 7b4 #c27     
,enthymius1 7,panopl4 p4 #bae27         
,germanus1 patr4 of ,constantinople1 7in
 ,photius1 cod4 #bcc1 c47 ,the last     
lines are an addition4 ,in the fortieth 

chapter he expounds to the catechumens  
the mysteries of the ,unity and ,trinity
 of ,god1 and the ,incarnation3 also the
 two sacraments of baptism and the body 
of ,christ1 in which latter ,christ's   
real body is mixed with our corruptible 
bodies1 to bestow on us immortality and 
grace4  ,in his book upon ,virginity he 
extols its merit and dignity4  ,st4     
,gregory was much scandalized in his    
journey to ,jerusalem to see contentions
 reign in that holy place2 yet he had   
the comfort to find there several       
persons of great virtue1 especially     
three very devout ladies1 to whom he    
afterwards wrote a letter1 in which he  
says1 7t4 #c1 pp4 #fee1 #fef37 ,when ,i 
saw those holy places1 ,i was filled    
with a joy and pleasure which no tongue 
can express4 ,soon after his return1 he 
wrote a short treatise on those who go  
to ,jerusalem1 7t4 #c4 app4 p4 #gb17 in 
which he condemns pilgrimages1 when made
 an occasion of sloth1 dissipation of   
mind1 and other dangers2 and observes   

that they are no part of the gospel     
precepts4 ,dr4 ,cave 7p4 #dd7 borrows   
the sophistry of ,du ,moulin to employ  
this piece against the practice of      
pilgrimages2 but in part very unjustly1 
as ,gretser 7not4 in ,notas ,molinei7   
demonstrates4 ,some set too great a     
value on pilgrimages1 and made them an  
essential part of perfection3 and by    
them even many monks and nuns exchanged 
their solitude into a vagabond life4    
,these abuses ,st4 ,gregory justly      
reproves4 ,what he says1 that he himself
 received no good by visiting the holy  
places1 must be understood to be a      
,miosis1 or extenuation to check the    
monks' too ardent passion for           
pilgrimages1 and only means1 the        
presence of those holy places1 barely of
 itself1 contributes nothing to a man's 
sanctification3 but he does not deny it 
to be profitable by many devout persons 
uniting together in prayer and          
mortification1 and by exciting hearts   
more powerfully to devotion4 ,movemur   

locis ipsis in quibus eorum quos        
admiramur aut diligimus adsunt vestigia1
 said ,atticas in ,cicero4 ,me quidem   
illae ipsae nostrae ,athenae1 non tam   
operibus magnificis exquisitisque       
antiquorum artibus delectant1 quam      
recordatione summorum virorum1 ubi quis 
habitare1 ubi sedere1 ubi disputare sit1
 solitus1 studiuseque eorum sepulchra   
contemplor4 ,much more must the sight of
 the places of ,christ's mysteries stir 
up our sentiments and love4 ,why else   
did ,st4 ,gregory go over ,calvary1     
,golgotha1 ,olivet1 ,bethlehem8 ,what   
was the unspeakable 7spiritual1         
certainly1 not corporal7 pleasure he was
 filled with at their sight8 a real     
spiritual #eef benefit1 and that which  
is sought by true pilgrims4 ,does he not
 relate and approve the pilgrimages of  
his friend1 the monk ,olympius8 ,nor    
could he be ignorant of the doctrice and
 practice of the church4 ,he must know  
in the third century that his countryman
 ,alexander1 a bishop in ,cappadocia1   

admonished by divine oracle1 went to    
,jerusalem to pray1 and to visit the    
holy places1 c41 as ,eusebius relates2  
7,hist4 lib4 #f1 cap4 #aa1 p4 #bab17 and
 that this had been always the tradition
 and practice2 ,longum est nuns ab      
ascensu ,domini usque ad praesentem diem
 per singulas aetates currere1 qui      
episcoporum1 qui martyrum1 qui          
eloquentium in doctrine ecclesiastica1  
virorum venerint ,hierosolymam1 putantes
 se minus religionis1 minus habere      
scientiae1 nec summam ut dicitur manum  
accepisse virtutum1 nisi in illis       
,christum adorassent locis de quibus    
primum ,evangelium de patibulo          
coruscaverat4 ,st4 ,jerom1 in ep4       
,paulae et ,eustochii ad ,marcellam1    
7,t4 #d1 p4 #eej1 ed4 ,ben7 ,as for the 
abuses which ,st4 ,gregory censures1    
they are condemned in the canon law1 by 
all divines and men of sound judgment4  
,if with ,benedict ,,xiv4 we grant this 
father reprehended the abuses of        
pilgrimages1 so as to think the devotion

 itself not much to be recommended1 this
 can only regard the circumstances of   
many who abuse them1 which all condemn4 
,he could not oppose the torrent of     
other fathers1 and the practice of the  
whole church4 ,and his devotion to holy 
places1 relics1 c4 is evident in his    
writings1 and in the practice of ,st4   
,macrina and his whole family4  ,his    
discourse ,on the ,resurrection is the  
dialogue he had with his sister ,st4    
,macrina the day before her death4 ,his 
treatise ,on the ,name and ,profession  
of a ,christian1 was written to show no 
one ought to bear that name1 who does   
not practise the rules of this          
profession1 and who has not its spirit1 
without which1 a man may perform        
exterior duties1 but will upon occasions
 betray himself1 and forget his         
obligation4 ,when a mountebank at       
,alexandria had taught an ape dressed in
 woman's clothes to dance most          
ingeniously1 the people took it for a   
woman1 till one threw some almonds on   

the stage2 for then the beast could no  
longer contain1 but tearing off its     
clothes1 went about the stage picking up
 its dainty fruit1 and showed itself to 
be an ape4 ,occasions of vain-glory1    
ambition1 pleasure1 c41 are the devil's 
baits and prove who are ,christians1 and
 who hypocrites and dissemblers under so
 great a name1 whose lives are an injury
 and blasphemy against ,christ and his  
holy religion4 ,his book ,on ,perfection
 teaches1 that that life is most perfect
 which resembles nearest the life of    
,christ in humility and charity1 and in 
dying to all passions and to the love of
 creatures that in which ,christ most   
perfectly lives1 and which is his best  
living image1 which appears in a man's  
thoughts1 words1 and actions2 for these 
show the image which is imprinted on the
 soul4 ,but there is no perfection which
 is not occupied in continually         
advancing higher4 ,his book ,on the     
,resolution of ,perfection to the monks1
 shows perfection to consist in every   

action being referred to ,god1 and done 
perfectly conformable to his will in the
 spirit of ,christ4 ,st4 ,gregory had   
excommunicated certain persons1 who     
instead of repenting1 fell to threats   
and violence4 ,the saint made against   
them his sermon1 entitled1 ,against     
those who do not receive chastisement   
submissively2 in which1 after exhorting 
them to submission1 he offers himself to
 suffer torments and death1 closing it  
thus3 ,how can we murmur to suffer1 who 
are the ministers of a ,god crucified8  
yet under all you inflict1 ,i receive   
your insolences and persecutions as a   
father and mother do from their dearest 
children1 with tenderness4 ,in the      
discourse ,on ,children dying without   
,baptism1 he shows that such can never  
enjoy ,god2 yet feel not the severe     
torments of the rest of the damned4 ,we 
have his sermons ,on ,pentecost1        
,christ's ,birth1 ,baptism1 ,ascension1 
and ,on his ,resurrection1 7but of these
 last only the first1 third1 and fourth 

are ,st4 ,gregory's7 and two ,on ,st4   
,stephen1 three ,on the forty ,martyrs3 
the lives of ,st4 ,gregory              
,thaumaturgus1 ,st4 ,theodorus1 ,st4    
,ephrem1 ,st4 ,meletius1 and his sister1
 ,st4 ,macrina3 his panegyric on his    
brother ,st4 ,basil the ,great1 the     
funeral oration of ,pulcheria1 daughter 
to the ,emperor ,theodosius1 six years  
old1 and that of his mother1 the empress
 ,flaccilla1 who died soon after her at 
the waters in ,thrace4 ,st4 ,gregory was
 invited to make these two discourses1  
in #che1 when he was at ,constantinople4
 ,we have only five of ,st4 ,gregory's  
letters in his works4 ,zacagnius has    
published fourteen others out of the    
,vatican library4 ,caraccioli of ,pisa1 
in #agca1 has given us seven more with  
tedious notes4  ,saint ,gregory         
surpasses himself in perspicuity and    
strength of reasoning1 in his polemic   
works against all the chief heretics of 
his time4 ,his twelve books against     
,eunomius1 were ever most justly valued 

above the rest4 ,st4 ,basil had refuted 
that heresiarch's apology2 nor durst he 
publish any answer till after the death 
of that eloquent champion of the faith4 
,then the ,apology of his ,apology began
 to creep privately abroad4 ,st4        
,gregory got at last a copy1 and wrote  
his twelve excellent books1 in which he 
vindicates ,st4 ,basil's memory1 and    
gives many secret histories of the base 
,eunomius's life4 ,he proves against him
 the ,divinity and ,consubstantiality of
 ,god the ,son4 ,though he employs the  
scripture with extraordinary sagacity1  
he says1 tradition1 by succession from  
the apostles1 is alone sufficient to    
condemn heretics4 7,or4 #c1 contra      
,eunom4 p4 #abc47 ,we have his treatise 
,to ,ablavius1 that there are not three 
gods4 ,a treatise ,on ,faith also       
against the ,arians4 ,that ,on ,common  
,notions is an explication of the terms 
used about the ,blessed ,trinity4 ,we   
have his ,ten ,syllogisms against the   
,manichees1 proving that evil cannot be 

a ,god4 ,the heresy #eeg of the         
,apollinarists beginning to be broached1
 ,st4 ,gregory wrote to ,theophilus     
patriarch of ,alexandria1 against them1 
showing there is but one ,person in     
,christ4 ,but his great work against    
,apollinaris is his ,antirretic1 quoted 
by ,leontius1 the sixth general council1
 c4 ,only a fragment was printed in the 
edition of this father's works2 but it  
was published from ,,mss4 by ,zacagnius1
 prefect of the ,vatican ,library1 in   
#afih4 ,he shows in it that the         
,divinity could not suffer1 and that    
there must be two natures in ,christ1   
who was perfect ,god and perfect man4   
,he proves also1 against ,apollinaris1  
that ,christ had a human soul with a    
human understanding4 ,his book of       
,testimonies against the ,jews is       
another fruit of his zeal4  ,st4        
,gregory so clearly establishes the     
,procession of the ,holy ,ghost from the
 ,son1 that some ,greeks1 obstinate in  
that heresy1 erased out of his writings 

the words out of1 as they confessed in a
 council at ,constantinople1 in #abhj4  
,he expressly condemned ,nestorianism   
before it was broached1 and says1 ,no   
one dare call the holy ,virgin and      
mother of ,god1 mother of man4 7,ep4 ad 
,eustath4 p4 #ajic47 ,he asserts her    
virginity in and after the birth of     
,christ4 7,or4 contr4 ,ennom4 p4 #ajh1  
and ,serm4 in natale ,christi1 p4 #ggf47
 ,he is no less clear for               
transubstantiation in his great         
catechistical discourse 7c4 #cg1 pp4    
#ecd1 #ece17 for the sacrifice and the  
altar4 ,or in ,bapt4 ,christi1 p4 #hja4 
,private confession of sins is plain    
from his epistle to ,letoius1 7p4 #ied17
 in which he writes thus3 ,whoever      
secretly steals another man's goods1 if 
he afterwards discovers his sins by     
declaration to the priest1 his heart    
being changed1 he will cure his wound1  
giving what he has to the poor4 ,this   
for occult theft1 for which no canonical
 penance was prescribed4 ,he inculcates 

the authority of priests of binding and 
loosing before ,god1 7,serm4 do ,castig4
 #gdf1 #gdg17 and calls ,st4 ,peter     
prince of the apostolic choir1 7,serm4  
#b1 de ,sancto ,stephano edito a        
,zacagnio1 p4 #cci17 and 7ib4 p4 #cdc17 
the head of the apostles2 and adds1 ,in 
glorifying him all the members of the   
church are glorified1 and that it is    
founded on him4 ,he writes very         
expressly and at length on the          
invocation of saints1 and says they     
enjoy the beatific vision immediately   
after death1 in his sermons on ,st4     
,theodorus1 on the ,forty ,martyrs1 ,st4
 ,ephrem1 ,st4 ,meletius1 c4  ,,st4     
,,pacian1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,barcelona1 ,c4
  ,,was a great ornament of the church  
in the fourth century4 ,he was          
illuustrious by birth1 and had been     
engaged in marriage in the world4 ,his  
son ,dexter was raised to the first     
dignities in the empire1 being high     
chamberlain to the emperor ,theodosius1 
and praefectus-praetorio under          

,honorius4 ,st4 ,pacian having renounced
 the world1 was made bishop in #cgc4    
,st4 ,jerom1 who dedicated to him his   
,catalogue of illustrious men1 extols   
his eloquence and learning1 and more    
particularly the chastity and sanctity  
of his life4 ,we have his ,exhortation  
to ,penance1 and three letters to       
,sympronianus1 a ,novatian nobleman1 on 
,penance1 and on the name of ,catholic2 
also a sermon on ,baptism4 ,see ,st4    
,jerom1 ,catal4 ,vir4 ,illust4 c4 #ajf1 
p4 #aie t #d3 ,ceillier1 t4 #f2 ,tillem4
 t4 #h4  ,,appendix  ,,on  ,,the        
,,writings ,,of ,,st4 ,,pacian ,,of     
,,barcelona4  ,,when he was made bishop 
of ,barcelona1 in #cgc1 there lived in  
the neighborhood of that city one       
,sympronian1 a man of distinction1 whom 
the bishop calls brother and lord1 who  
was a ,donatist1 and also engaged in the
 heresy of the ,novatians1 who1         
following the severity of the           
,montanists1 denied penance and pardon  
for certain sins4 ,he sent ,st4 ,pacian 

a letter by a servant1 in which he      
censured the church for allowing        
repentance to all crimes1 and for taking
 the title of ,catholic4 ,st4 ,pacian   
answers him in three learned letters4   
,in the first he sums up the principal  
heresies from ,simon ,magus to the      
,novatians and asks ,sympronian1 which  
he will choose to stand by3 entreats him
 to examine the true church with        
docility and candor1 laying aside all   
obstinacy1 the enemy to truth4 ,he says 
#eeh the name ,catholic comes from ,god1
 and is necessary to distinguish the    
dove1 the undivided virgin church1 from 
all sects which are called from their   
particular founders4 ,this name we      
learned from the holy doctors1          
confessors1 and martyrs4 ,my name1 says 
he1 is ,christian1 my surname ,catholic3
 the one distinguishes me1 the other    
points me out to others4 ,christianus   
mihi nomen est2 ,catholicus veto        
cognomen3 illud me nuncupat1 istud      
ostendit2 hoc probor1 inde significor4  

,he says that no name can be more proper
 to express the church1 which is all    
obedient to ,christ1 and one and the    
same through the whole world4 ,as to    
penance1 says he1 ,god grant it be      
necessary to none of the faithful2 that 
none after baptism fall into the pit of 
death--but accuse not ,god's mercy1 who 
has provided a remedy even for those    
that are sick4 ,does the infernal       
serpent continually carry poison1 and   
has not ,christ a remedy8 ,does the     
devil kill1 and cannot ,christ relieve8 
,fear sin1 but not repentance4 ,be      
ashamed to be in danger1 not to be      
delivered out of it4 ,who will snatch a 
plank from one lost by shipwreck8 ,who  
will envy the healing of wounds8 ,he    
mentions the parables of the lost       
drachma1 the lost sheep1 the prodigal   
son1 the ,samaritan1 and ,god's threats1
 adding3 ,god would never threaten the  
impenitent1 if he refused pardon4 ,but  
you'll say1 only ,god can do this4 ,it  
is true2 but what he does by his        

priests1 is his power4 ,what is that he 
says to his apostles8 ,whatsoever you   
shall bind1 c41 ,mat4 xvi4 ,why this1 if
 it was not given to men to bind and to 
loosen8 ,is this given only to the      
apostles8 ,then it is only given to them
 to baptize1 to give the ,holy ,ghost1  
7in confirmation17 to cleanse the sins  
of infidels1 because all this was       
commanded to no other than to the       
apostles4 ,if therefore the power of    
baptism and of chrism1 7confirmation17  
which are far greater gifts1 descended  
from the apostles to bishops2 the power 
of binding and loosing also came to     
them4 ,he concludes with these words3 ,i
 know1 brother1 this pardon of          
repentance is not promiscuously to be   
given to all1 nor to be granted before  
the signs of the divine will1 or        
perchance the last sickness2 with great 
severity and strict scrutiny1 after many
 groans1 and shedding of tears2 after   
the prayers of the whole church4 ,but   
pardon is not denied to true repentance1

 that no one prevent or put by the      
judgment of ,christ4 ,st4 ,pacian       
answers his reply by a second letter1   
that remedies seem often bitter1 and    
says1 ,how can you be offended at my    
catalogue of heresies1 unless you was a 
heretic8 ,i congratulate with you for   
agreeing upon our name ,catholic1 which 
if you denied1 the thing itself would   
cry out against you4 ,st4 ,pacian denies
 that ,st4 ,cyprian's people were ever  
called ,apostatics or ,capitoline1 or by
 any name but that of ,catholics1 which 
the ,novatians1 with all their ambition 
for it1 could never obtain1 nor ever be 
known but by the name of ,novatians4 ,he
 says1 the emperors persecuted the      
,novatians of their own authority1 not  
at the instigation of the church4 ,you  
say ,i am angry1 says he1 ,god forbid4  
,i am like the bee which sometimes      
defends its honey with its sting4 ,he   
vindicates the martyr ,st4 ,cyprian1 and
 denies that ,novatian ever suffered for
 the faith2 adding1 that if he had1 he  

could not have been crowned1 because he 
was out of the church1 out of which1 no 
one can be a martyr4 ,etsi occisus1 non 
tamen coronatus3 quidni8 ,extra         
,ecclesiae pacem1 extra concordiam1     
extra eam matrem cujus portio debet     
esse1 qui martyr est4 ,si charitatem non
 habeam1 nihil sum4 #a ,cor4 xiii4 ,in  
his third letter he confutes the        
,novatian error3 that the church could  
not forgive mortal sin after baptism4   
,moses1 ,st4 ,paul1 ,christ1 express    
tender charity for sinners2 who then    
broached this doctrine8 ,novatian4 ,but 
when8 ,immediately from ,christ8 ,no2   
almost three hundred years after him3   
since ,decius's reign4 ,had he any      
prophets to learn it from8 any proof of 
his revelation8 had he the gift of      
tongues8 did he prophesy8 could he raise
 the dead8 for he ought to have some of 
these to introduce a new gospel4 ,nay1  
,st4 ,paul 7,gal4 i47 forbids a novelty 
in faith to be received from an angel4  
,you will say1 ,let us dispute our      

point4 ,but ,i am secure2 content with  
the succession and tradition of the     
church1 with the communion of the       
ancient body4 ,i have sought no         
arguments4 ,he assents that the church  
is holy1 and more than ,sympronian had  
given it3 but says it cannot perish by  
receiving sinners4 ,the good have always
 lived amidst the wicked4 ,it is the    
heretic who divides it1 and tears it1   
which is ,christ's garment1 asunder4    
,the church is diffused over the whole  
world1 and cannot be reduced to one     
little portion1 or as it were chained to
 a part1 as the ,novatians1 whose       
history he touches upon4 ,sympronian    
objected1 that ,catholic bishops        
remitted sin4 ,st4 ,pacian answers1 ,not
 ,i1 but only ,god1 who both blots out  
sin in baptism1 and does not reject the 
tears of penitents4 ,what ,i do is not  
in my own name1 but in the ,lord's4     
,wherefore1 whether we baptize1 or draw 
to penance1 or give pardon to penitents1
 we do it by ,christ's authority4 ,you  

must see whether ,christ can do it1 and 
did it--,baptism is the sacrament of our
 ,lord's passion2 the pardon of         
penitents is the merit of confession4   
,all can obtain that1 because it is the 
gratuitous gift of ,god1 but this labor 
is but of a small number who rise after 
a fall1 and recover by tears1 and by    
destroying the flesh4 ,the saint shows  
the ,novatians encourage sin by throwing
 men into despair2 whereas repentance   
heals and stops it4 ,christ does not die
 a second time indeed for the pardon of 
sinners1 but he is a powerful ,advocate 
interceding still to his ,father for    
sinners4 ,can he forsake those he       
redeemed at so dear a rate8 ,can the    
devil enslave1 and ,christ not absolve  
his servants8 ,he alleges ,st4 ,peter   
denying ,christ after he had been       
baptized1 ,st4 #eei ,thomas incredulous1
 even after the resurrection2 yet       
pardoned by repentance4 ,he answers his 
objections from scripture1 and exhorts  
him to embrace the ,catholic faith2 for 

the true church cannot be confined to a 
few1 nor be new4 ,if she began before   
you1 if she believed before you1 if she 
never left her foundation1 and was never
 divorced from her body1 she must be the
 spouse2 it is the great and rich house 
of all4 ,god did not purchase with his  
blood so small a portion1 nor is ,christ
 so poor4 ,the church of ,god dilates   
its tabernacles from the rising to the  
setting of the sun4  ,next to these     
three letters we have his excellent     
,paraenesis1 or exhortation to penance4 
,in the first part he reduces the sins  
subjected to courses of severe public   
penance by the canons to three1         
idolatry1 murder1 and impurity2 and     
shows the enormity of each4 ,in the     
second he addresses himself to those    
sinners1 who out of shame1 or for fear  
of the penances to be enjoined1 did not 
confess their crimes4 ,he calls them    
shamefully timorous and bashful to do   
good1 after having been bold and        
impudent to sin1 and says1 ,and you do  

not tremble to touch the holy mysteries1
 and to thrust your defiled soul into   
the holy place1 in the sight of the     
angels1 and before ,god himself1 as if  
you were innocent4 ,he mentions ,oza    
lain for touching the ark1 7#b ,kings   
vi417 and the words of the apostle1 7#a 
,cor4 xi417 adding1 ,do not you tremble 
when you hear1 he shall be guilty of the
 body and blood of the ,lord8 ,one      
guilty of the blood of a man would not  
rest1 and can he escape who has profaned
 the body of the ,lord8 ,what do you do 
by deceiving the priest1 or hiding part 
of your load8 ,i beseech you no longer  
to cover your wounded conscience4 ,rogo 
vos etiam pro periculo men1 per illum   
,dominum quem occulta non fallunt1      
desinite vulneratam tegere conscientiam4
 ,men sick are not backward to show     
their sores to physicians1 and shall the
 sinner be afraid or ashamed to purchase
 eternal life by a momentary confusion8 
,will he draw back his wounds from the  
,lord1 who is offering his hand to heal 

them8 ,peccator timebit8 peccator       
erubeseet perpetuam vitam praesenti     
pudore mercari8 et offerenti manus      
,domino vulnera male tecta subducet8 ,in
 his third part he speaks to those who  
confessed their sins entirely1 but      
feared the severity of the penance4 ,he 
compares these to dying men who should  
not have the courage to take a dose     
which would restore their health1 and   
says1 ,this is to cry out1 behold ,i am 
sick1 ,i am wounded2 but ,i will not he 
cured4 ,he deplores their delicacy1 and 
proposes to them king ,david's austere  
penance4 ,he describes thus the life of 
a penitent4 ,he is to weep in the sight 
of the church1 to go meanly clad1 to    
mourn1 to fast1 to prostrate himself1 to
 renounce the bath1 and such delights4  
,if invited to a banquet1 he is to say1 
such things are for those who have not  
had the misfortune to have sinned2 ,i   
have offended the ,lord1 and am in      
danger of perishing forever3 what have  
,i to do with feasts8 ,ista felicibus3  

ego deliqui in ,dominum1 et periclitor  
in aeternum perire3 quo mihi epulas qui 
,dominum laesi8 ,you must moreover sue  
for the prayers of the poor1 of the     
widows1 of the priest1 prostrating      
yourself before them1 and of the whole  
church2 to do every thing rather than to
 perish4 ,omnia prius tentare ne pereas4
 ,he presses sinners to severe penance1 
for fear of hell1 and paints a frightful
 image of it from the fires of ,vesuvius
 and aetna4 ,his treatise or ,sermon ,on
 ,baptism1 is an instruction on original
 sin1 and the effects of this sacrament1
 by which we are reborn1 as by chrism or
 confirmation we receive the ,holy      
,ghost by the hands of the bishop4 ,he  
adds a moving exhortation that1 being   
delivered from sin1 and having renounced
 the devil1 we no more return to sin2   
such a relapse after baptism being much 
worse4 ,hold1 therefore1 strenuously1   
says he1 what you have received1        
preserve it faithfully2 sin no more2    
keep yourselves pure and spotless for   

the day of out ,lord4 ,besides these    
three books1 he wrote one against the   
play of the stag1 commended by ,st4     
,jerom1 but now lost4 ,the heathens had 
certain infamous diversions with a      
little stag at the beginning of every   
year1 mentioned by ,st4 ,ambrose1 7in   
,ps4 #ada17 and by ,nilus1 7ep4 #ha47   
,it seems from the sermons1 #abi1 #acj1 
in the appendix to ,st4 ,augustine's1   
7t4 #e17 that it consisted of           
masquerades1 dressed in the figures of  
wild beasts4 ,some ,christians probably 
joined in them4 ,st4 ,pacian's zeal     
dictated that book against it1 but the  
effect it produced at that time1 seemed 
chiefly to make many more curious and   
more eager to see that wicked play1 as  
,st4 ,pacian himself says in the        
beginning of his exhortation to penance4
 ,the beauty of this holy doctor's      
writings can only be dis covered by     
reading them4 ,his diction is elegant1  
his reasoning just and close1 and his   
thoughts beautiful3 he is full of       

unction when he exhorts to virtue1 and  
of strength when he attacks vice4  ,,st4
 ,,catherine ,,of ,,bologna1 ,,virgin1  
,,abbess ,,of ,,the ,,poor ,,clares ,,in
 ,,that ,,city4  ,,she was born of noble
 parentage at ,bologna1 in #adac4 ,early
 ardent sentiments of piety seemed to   
have prevented in her the use of reason4
 #efj ,at twelve years of age she was   
placed in quality of a young maid of    
honor in the family of the princess     
,margaret1 daughter to ,nicholas of     
,est1 marquis of ,ferrara4 ,two years   
after1 upon the marriage of that        
princess1 she found means to recover her
 liberty1 and entered herself in a      
community of devout ladies of the ,third
 ,order of ,st4 ,francis1 at ,ferrara1  
who soon after formed themselves into a 
regular monastery1 and adopted the      
austere rule of ,st4 ,clare4 ,a new     
nunnery of ,poor ,clares being founded  
at ,bologna1 ,st4 ,catherine was chosen 
first prioress1 and sent thither by     
,leonarda1 abbess of the monastery of   

,corpus ,christi1 in which she had made 
her religions profession at ,ferrara4   
,catherine's incredible zeal and        
solitude for the souls of sinners made  
her pour forth prayers and tears1 almost
 without intermission1 for their        
salvation4 ,she always spoke to ,god1 or
 of ,god1 and bore the most severe      
interior trials with an heroic patience 
and cheerfulness4 ,she looked upon it as
 the greatest honor to be in any thing  
the servant of the spouses of ,christ1  
and desired to be despised by all1 and  
to serve all in the meanest employments4
 ,she was favored with the gifts of     
miracles and prophecy3 but said she had 
been sometimes deceived by the devil4   
,she died on the #ith of ,march1 #adec1 
in the fiftieth year of her age4 ,her   
body is still entire1 and shown in the  
church of her convent through bars and  
glass1 sitting richly covered1 but the  
hands1 face1 and feet naked4 ,it was    
seen and described by ,henschenius1     
,lassels1 and other travellers4 ,her    

name was inserted in the ,roman         
,martyrology by ,clement ,,viii41 in    
#aeib4 ,the solemnity of her            
canonization was performed by ,clement  
,,xi41 though the bull was only         
published by ,benedict ,,xiii41 in      
#agbd4a ,a book of her revelations was  
printed at ,bologna1 in #aeaa4 ,she also
 left notes in her prayer-book of       
certain singular favors which she had   
received from ,god4 ,these revelations  
were published and received their dress 
from another hand1 which circumstance is
 often as great a disadvantage in such  
works as if an illiterate and bold      
transcriber were to copy1 from a single 
defective manuscript1 ,lycophron1 or    
some other obscure author1 which he did 
not understand4 ,st4 ,catherine wrote   
some treatises in ,italian1 others in   
,latin1 in which language she was well  
skilled4 ,the most famous of her works  
is the book entitled1 ,on the ,seven    
,spiritual ,arms4 ,see her life in      
,bollandus1 written by ,f4 ,paleotti1   

fifty years after her death4            
,footnotes3 #a4  ,bullar4 ,roman4 t4    
#ac1 p4 #hg4   ,,march ,x4  ,,the       
,,forty ,,martyrs ,,of ,,sebaste4  ,from
 ,st4 ,basil's ,homily on their         
festival1 ,hom4 #bj1 t4 #a1 p4 #dec1 and
 three discourses of ,st4 ,gregory of   
,nyssa1 t4 #b1 p4 #bjc1 t4 #c1 pp4 #dii1
 #ejd1 followed by ,st4 ,ephrem4 ed4    
,vatic4 ,gr4 and ,let4 t4 #b1 p4 #cda4  
,st4 ,gaudeatis1 ,st4 ,chrysostom1      
quoted by ,photius4 ,see ,tillemont1 t4 
#e1 p4 #eah4 ,ruinart1 p4 #ebc4         
,ceillier1 t4 #d1 l4 #fb ,jos4 ,assemani
 in ,cal4 ,univ4 ad #aa ,martii1 t4 #f1 
p4 #agb4  ,a4,d4 #cbj4  ,,these holy    
martyrs suffered at ,sebaste1 in the    
,lesser ,armenia1 under the emperor     
,licinius1 in #cbj4 ,they were of       
different countries1 but enrolled in the
 same troop2 all in the flower of their 
age1 comely1 brave1 and robust1 and were
 become considerable for their services4
 ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa and ,procopius 
say1 they were of the thundering legion1

 so famous #efa under ,marcus ,aurelius 
for the miraculous rain and victory     
obtained by their prayers4 ,this was the
 twelfth legion1 and then quartered in  
,armenia4 ,lysias was duke or general of
 the forces1 and ,agricola the governor 
of the province4 ,the latter having     
signified to the army the orders of the 
emperor ,licinius1 for all to sacrifice1
 these forty went boldly up to him1 and 
said they were ,christians1 and that no 
torments should make them ever abandon  
their holy religion4 ,the judge first   
endeavored to gain them by mild usage2  
as by representing to them the dishonor 
that would attend their refusal to do   
what was required1 and by making them   
large promises of preferment and high   
favor with the emperor in case of       
compliance4 ,finding these methods of   
gentleness ineffectual1 he had recourse 
to threats1 and these the most          
terrifying1 if they continued           
disobedient to the emperor's order1 but 
all in vain4 ,to his promises they      

answered1 that he could give them       
nothing equal to what he would deprive  
them of3 and to his threats1 that his   
power only extended over their bodies1  
which they had learned to despise when  
heir souls were at stake4 ,the governor1
 finding them all resolute1 caused them 
to be torn with whips1 and their sides  
to be rent with iron hooks4 ,after which
 they were loaded with chains1 and      
committed to jail4  ,after some days1   
,lysias1 their governor1 coming from    
,caesarea to ,sebaste1 they were        
re-examined1 and no less generously     
rejected the large promises made them   
than they despised the torments they    
were threatened with4 ,the governor1    
highly offended at their courage1 and   
that liberty of speech with which they  
accosted him1 devised an extraordinary  
kind of death2 which being slow and     
severe1 he hoped would shake their      
constancy4 ,the cold in ,armenia is very
 sharp1 especially in ,march1 and       
towards the end of winter1 when the wind

 is north1 as it than was2 it being also
 at that time a severe frost4 ,under the
 walls of the town stood a pond1 which  
was frozen so hard that it would bear   
walking upon with safety4 ,the judge    
ordered the saints to be exposed quite  
naked on the ice4#a ,and in order to    
tempt them the more powerfully to       
renounce their faith1 a warm bath was   
prepared at a small distance from the   
frozen pond1 for any of this company to 
go to1 who were disposed to purchase    
their temporal ease and safety on that  
condition4 ,the martyrs1 on hearing     
their sentence1 ran joyfully to the     
place1 and without waiting to be        
stripped1 undressed themselves1         
encouraging one another in the same     
manner as is usual among soldiers in    
military expeditions attended with      
hardships and dangers2 saying1 that one 
bad night would purchase them a happy   
eternity4#b ,they also made this their  
joint prayer3 ,lord1 we are forty who   
are engaged in this combat2 grant that  

we may be forty crowned1 and that not   
one be wanting to this sacred number4   
,the guards in the mean time ceased not 
to persuade them to sacrifice1 that by  
so doing they might be allowed to pass  
to the warm bath4 ,but though it is not 
easy to form a just idea of the bitter  
pain they must have undergone1 of the   
whole number only one had the misfortune
 to be overcome2 who1 losing courage1   
went off from the pond to seek the      
relief in readiness for such as were    
disposed to renounce their faith3 but as
 the devil usually deceives his adorers1
 the apostate no sooner entered the warm
 water but he expired4 ,this misfortune 
afflicted the martyrs2 but they were    
quickly comforted by seeing his place   
and their number miraculously filled up4
 ,a sentinel was warming himself near   
the bath1 having been posted there to   
observe if any of the martyrs were      
inclined to submit4 ,while he was       
attending1 he had a vision of blessed   
spirits descending from heaven on the   

martyrs1 and distributing1 #efb as from 
their king1 rich presents1 and precious 
garments1 ,st4 ,ephrem adds crowns1 to  
all these generous soldiers1 one only   
excepted1 who was their faint-hearted   
companion1 already mentioned4 ,the      
guard1 being struck with the celestial  
vision and the apostate's desertion1 was
 converted upon it2 and by a particular 
motion of the ,holy ,ghost1 threw off   
his clothes1 and placed himself in his  
stead among the thirty-nine martyrs4    
,thus ,god heard their request1 though  
in another manner than they imagined3   
,which1 ought to make us adore the      
impenetrable secrets of his mercy and   
justice1 says ,st4 ,ephrem1 in this     
instance1 no less than in the           
reprobation of ,judas1 and the election 
of ,st4 ,matthias4  ,in the morning the 
judge ordered both those that were dead 
with the cold1 and those that were still
 alive1 to be laid on carriages1 and    
cast into a fire4 ,when the rest were   
thrown into a wagon to be carried to the

 pile1 the youngest of them 7whom the   
acts call ,melito7 was found alive2 and 
the executioners1 hoping he would change
 his resolution when he came to himself1
 left him behind4 ,his mother1 a woman  
of mean condition1 and a widow1 but rich
 in faith1 and worthy to have a son a   
martyr1 observing this false compassion1
 reproached the executioners2 and when  
she came up to her son1 whom she found  
quite frozen1 not able to stir1 and     
scarce breathing1 he looked on her with 
languishing eyes1 and made a little sign
 with his weak hand to comfort her4 ,she
 exhorted him to persevere to the end1  
and1 fortified by the ,holy ,ghost1 took
 him up1 and put him with her own hands 
into the wagon with the rest of the     
martyrs1 not only without shedding a    
tear1 but with a countenance full of    
joy1 saying1 courageously3 ,go1 go1 son1
 proceed to the end of this happy       
journey with thy companions1 that thou  
mayest not be the last of them that     
shall present themselves before ,god4   

,nothing can be more inflamed or more   
pathetic than the discourse which ,st4  
,ephrem puts into her mouth1 by which he
 expresses her contempt of life and all 
earthly things1 and her ardent love and 
desire of eternal life4 ,this holy      
father earnestly entreats her to conjure
 this whole troop of martyrs to join in 
imploring the divine mercy in favor of  
his sinful soul4#c ,their bodies were   
burned1 and their ashes thrown into the 
river2 but the ,christians secretly     
carried off1 or purchased part of them  
with money4 ,some of these precious     
relies were kept at ,caesarea1 and ,st4 
,basil says of them3 ,like bulwarks1    
they are our protection against the     
inroads of enemies4#d ,he adds1 that    
every one implored their succor1 and    
that they raised up those that had      
fallen1 strengthened the weak1 and      
invigorated the fervor of the saints4   
,,ss4 ,basil and ,emmelia1 the holy     
parents of ,st4 ,basil the ,great1 ,st4 
,gregory of ,nyssa1 ,st4 ,peter of      

,sebaste1 and ,st4 ,macrina1 procured a 
great share of these relics4#e ,st4     
,emmelia put some of them in the church 
she built near ,anneses1 the village    
where they resided4 ,the solemnity with 
which they were received was            
extraordinary1 and they were honored by 
miracles1 as ,st4 ,gregory relates4 ,one
 of these was a miraculous cure wrought 
on a lame soldier1 the truth of which he
 attests from his own knowledge1 both of
 the fact and the person1 who published 
it everywhere4 ,he adds3 ,i buried the  
bodies of my parents by the relics of   
these holy martyrs1 that in the         
resurrection they may rise with the     
encouragers of their faith2 for ,i know 
they have great power with ,god1 of     
which ,i have seen clear proofs and     
undoubted testimonies4 ,st4 ,gaudentius1
 bishop of ,brescia1 writes in his      
sermon on these martyrs3 ,god gave me a 
share of these venerable relics and     
granted me to found this church in their
 honor4#f ,he says1 that the two nieces 

of ,st4 ,basil1 both abbesses1 gave them
 to him as #efc he passed by ,caesarea1 
in a journey to ,jerusalem2 which       
venerable treasure they had received    
from their uncle4 ,portions of their    
relics were also carried to             
,constantinople1 and there honored with 
great veneration1 as ,sozomen#g and     
,procopius#h have recorded at large1    
with an account of several visions and  
miracles1 which attended the veneration 
paid to them in that city4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,though  
we are not all called to the trial of   
martyrdom1 we are all bound daily to    
fight and to conquer too4 ,by multiplied
 victories which we gain over our       
passions and spiritual enemies1 by the  
exercise of meekness1 patience1         
humility1 purity1 and all other virtues1
 we shall render our triumph complete1  
and attain to the crown of bliss4 ,but  
are we not confounded at our sloth in   
our spiritual warfare1 when we look on  
the conflicts of the martyrs8 ,the      

eloquence of the greatest orators1 and  
the wisdom of the philosophers were     
struck dumb3 the very tyrants and judges
 stood amazed1 and were not able to find
 words to express their admiration1 when
 they beheld the faith1 the cheerfulness
 and constancy of the holy martyrs in   
their sufferings4 ,but what excuse shall
 we allege in the tremendous judgment1  
who1 without meeting with such cruel    
persecution and torments1 are so remiss 
and slothful in maintaining the         
spiritual life of our souls1 and the    
charity of ,god6 ,what shall we do in   
that terrible day1 when the holy        
martyrs1 placed near the throne of ,god1
 with great confidence shall display    
their glorious scars1 the proofs of     
their fidelity8 ,what shall we then     
show8 shall we produce our love for     
,god8 true faith8 a disengagement of our
 affections from earthly things8 souls  
freed from the tyranny of the passions8 
retirement and peace of mind8 meekness8 
alms-deeds and compassion8 holy and pure

 prayer8 sincere compunction8 watching  
and tears8 ,happy shall he be whom these
 works shall attend4 ,he shall then be  
the companion of the martyrs1 and shall 
appear with the same confidence before  
,christ and his angels4 ,we beseech you1
 ,o most holy martyrs1 who cheerfully   
suffered torments and death for his     
love1 and are now more familiarly united
 to him1 that you intercede with ,god   
for us slothful and wretched sinners1   
that he bestow on us the grace of       
,christ1 by which we may be enlightened 
and enabled to love him4#i  ,footnotes3 
#a4  ,the acts and the greater part of  
the writers of their lives1 suppose     
that they were to stand in the very     
water4 ,but this is a     circumstance  
which ,tillemont1 ,badlet1 ,ruinart1    
,ceillier and others1     correct from  
,st4 ,basil and ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa4
 #b4  ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa says1 that
 they endured three days and three      
nights1 this lingering death1 which     
carried off their limbs one     after   

another4 #c4  ,s4 ,ephrem1 ,or4 in #dj  
,mart4 t4 #b1 ,op4 ,gr4 and ,lat4 p4    
#ced1 ed4 ,nov4     ,vatic4 an4 #agdc4  
#d4  ,st4 ,basil1 ,or4 #bj1 #dei4 #e4   
,st4 ,greg4 ,nyss4 ,or4 #c1 de #dj      
,mart4 t4 #b1 pp4 #bab1 #bac4 #f4  ,s4  
,gaud4 ,bris4 ,serm4 #ag1 de #dj ,mart4 
#g4  ,l4 #i1 c4 #a1 #b4 #h4  ,l4 #a1 de 
aedific4 ,justinian1 c4 #g4 #i4  ,s4    
,ephrem in ,homil4 in ,,ss4 ,martyres1  
,op ,gr4 and ,lat4 ed4 ,vat4 an     #agd
 t4 #b1 p4 #cda4  ,,st4 ,,droctovaeus1  
,,abbot4  ,,king ,,childebert having    
built at ,paris a famous abbey in honor 
of ,st4 ,vincent2 this saint1 who was a 
native of the diocese of ,autun1 had    
been educated under ,st4 ,germanus1     
abbot of ,st4 ,symphorian's at ,autun1  
and was a person eminent for his        
learning and extraordinary spirit of    
mortification and prayer1 was appointed 
the second1 according to ,duplessis1    
according to others1 the first abbot of 
this house1 since called ,st4           
,germain-des-,prez1 in which he died    

about the year #ehj4 ,his body is kept  
in that abbey1 and he is honored by the 
church on the #ajth of ,march4 ,his     
original life being lost1 ,gislemar1 a  
,benedictin monk of this house1 in the  
ninth age1 collected from tradition and 
scattered memoirs that which we have in 
,bollandus and more accurately in       
,mabillon4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,duplessis'
 ,annales de ,paris1 pp4 #fj1 #fh4  #efd
  ,,st4 ,,mackessoge1 ,,or ,,kessoge1   
,c4  ,,bishop ,,in ,,the ,,provinces    
,,of ,,levin ,,and ,,boin1 ,,in         
,,scotland4  ,,by his instructions and  
counsels the pious king ,congal ,,ii4   
governed with extraordinary prudence1   
zeal1 and sanctity4 ,this saint was     
illustrious for miracles1 and died in   
#efj4 ,a celebrated church in that      
country still bears the title of ,st4   
,kessoge-,kirk4 ,the ,scots1 for their  
cry in battle1 for some time used his   
name1 but afterwards changed it for that
 of ,st4 ,andrew4 ,they sometimes       
painted ,st4 ,kessoge in a soldier's    

habit1 holding a bow bent with an arrow 
in it4 ,see the ,aberdeen ,breviary1 the
 chronicle of ,pasley1 7a great         
monastery of regular canons in the shire
 of ,renfrew17 ,florarium1 and          
,buchanan1 l4 #e4   ,,march ,,xi4  ,,st4
 ,,eulogius ,,of ,,cordova1 ,p4,m4      
,from his authentic life by ,alvarus1   
his intimate friend1 and from his works1
 ,bibl4 ,patr4 t #i4 ,see ,acts ,sanct4 
t4 #g4 ,fleury1 b4 #dh4 p4 #eg4  ,a4,d4 
#hei4  ,,st4 ,,eulogius was of a        
senatorian family of ,cordova1 at that  
time the capital of the ,moors or       
,saracens1 in ,spain4 ,those infidels   
had till then tolerated the ,christian  
religion among the ,goths1 exacting only
 a certain tribute every new moon4 ,our 
saint was educated among the clergy of  
the church of ,st4 ,zoilus1 a martyr1   
who suffered at ,cordova1 with nineteen 
others1 under ,dioclesian1 and is       
honored on the #bgth of ,june4 ,here he 
distinguished himself by his virtue and 
learning2 and being made priest1 was    

placed at the head of the chief         
ecclesiastical school in ,spain1 which  
then flourished at ,cordova4 ,he joined 
assiduous watchings1 fasting1 and       
prayer1 to his studies3 and his         
humility1 mildness1 and charity1 gained 
him the affection and respect of every  
one4 ,he often visited the monasteries  
for his further instruction in virtue1  
and prescribed rules of piety for the   
use of many fervent souls that desired  
to serve ,god4 ,some of the ,christians 
were so indiscreet as openly to inveigh 
against ,mahomet1 and expose the        
religion established by him4 ,this      
occasioned a bloody persecution at      
,cordova1 in the #bith year of          
,abderrama ,,iii41 the eight hundred and
 fiftieth year of ,christ4 ,reccafred1  
an apostate bishop1 declared against the
 martyrs3 and1 at his solicitation1 the 
bishop of ,cordova1 and some others1    
were imprisoned1 and many priests1 among
 whom was ,st4 ,eulogius1 as one who    
encouraged the martyrs by his           

instructions4 ,it was then that he wrote
 his ,exhortation to ,martyrdom1#a      
addressed to the virgins ,flora and     
,mary1 who were beheaded the #bdth of   
,november1 in #hea4 ,these virgins      
promised to pray as soon as they should 
be with ,god1 that their                
fellow-prisoners might be restored to   
their liberty4 ,accordingly1 ,st4       
,eulogius and the rest were enlarged six
 days after their death4 ,in the year   
#heb1 several suffered the like         
martyrdom1 #efe namely1 ,gumisund and   
,servus-,dei3 ,aurelius and ,felix1 with
 their wives3 ,christopher and          
,levigild3 ,rogel and ,servio-,deo4 ,a  
council at ,cordova1 in #heb1 forbade   
any one to offer himself to martyrdom4  
,mahomet succeeded his father upon his  
sudden death by an apoplectic fit2 but  
continued the persecution1 and put to   
death1 in #hec1 ,fandila1 a monk1       
,anastasius1 ,felix1 and three nuns1    
,digna1 ,columba1 and ,pomposa4 ,st4    
,eulogius encouraged all these martyrs  

to their triumphs1 and was the support  
of that distressed flock4 ,his writings 
still breathe an inflamed zeal and      
spirit of martyrdom4 ,the chief are his 
history of these martyrs1 called the    
,memorial of the ,saints1 in three      
books2 and his ,apology for them against
 calumniators1 showing them to be true  
martyrs1 though without miracles4#b ,his
 brother was deprived of his place1 one 
of the first dignities of the kingdom4  
,st4 ,eulogius himself was obliged by   
the persecutors to live always1 after   
his releasement1 with the treacherous   
bishop ,reccafred1 that wolf in sheep's 
clothing4 ,wherefore he refrained from  
saying mass1 that he might not          
communicate with that domestic enemy4   
,the archbishop of ,toledo dying in     
#heh1 ,st4 ,eulogius was canonically    
elected to succeed him2 but there was   
some obstacle that hindered him from    
being consecrated2 though he did not    
outlive his election two months4 ,a     
virgin1 by name ,leocritia1 of a noble  

family among the ,moors1 had been       
instructed from her infancy in the      
,christian religion by one of her       
relations1 and privately baptized4 ,her 
father and mother perceiving this1 used 
her very ill1 and scourged her day and  
night to compel her to renounce the     
faith4 ,having made her condition known 
to ,st4 ,eulogius and his sister        
,anulona1 intimating that she desired to
 go where she might freely exercise her 
religion1 they secretly procured her the
 means of getting away from her parents1
 and concealed her for some time among  
faithful friends4 ,but the matter was at
 length discovered1 and they were all   
brought before the cadi4 ,eulogius      
offered to show the judge the true road 
to heaven1 and to demonstrate ,mahomet  
to be an impostor4 ,the cadi threatened 
to have him scourged to death4 ,the     
martyr told him his torments would be to
 no purpose2 for he would never change  
his religion4 ,whereupon the cadi gave  
orders that he should be carried to the 

palace1 and presented before the king's 
council4 ,one of the lords of the       
council took the saint aside1 and said  
to him3 ,though the ignorant unhappily  
run headlong to death1 a man of your    
learning and virtue ought not to imitate
 their folly4 ,be ruled by me1 ,i       
entreat you3 say but one word1 since    
necessity requires it3 you may          
afterwards resume your own religion1 and
 we will promise that no inquiry shall  
be made after you4 ,eulogius replied1   
smiling3 ,ah6 if you could but conceive 
the reward which waits for those who    
persevere in the faith to the end1 you  
would renounce your temporal dignity in 
exchange for it4 ,he then began boldly  
to propose the truths of the gospel to  
them4 ,but to prevent their hearing him1
 the council condemned him immediately  
to lose his head4 ,as they were leading 
him to execution1 one of the eunuchs of 
the palace gave him a blow on the face  
for having spoken against ,mahomet3 he  
turned the other cheek1 and patiently   

received a second4 ,he received the     
stroke of death out of the city-gates1  
with great cheerfulness1 on the #aath of
 ,march1 #hei4 ,st4 ,leocritia was      
beheaded four days after him1 and her   
body thrown into the river ,boetis1 or  
,guadalquivir1 but taken out by the     
,christians4 ,the ,church honors both of
 them on the days of their martyrdom4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,if we consider the conduct of ,christ  
towards his ,church1 which he planted   
#eff at the price of his precious blood1
 and treats as his most beloved spouse1 
we shall admire a wonderful secret in   
the adorable councils of his tender     
providence4 ,this ,church1 so dear to   
him1 and so precious in his eyes1 he    
formed and spread under a general1 most 
severe1 and dreadful persecution4 ,he   
has exposed it in every age to frequent 
and violent storms1 and seems to delight
 in always holding at least some part or
 other of it in the fiery crucible4 ,but
 the days of its severest trials were   

those of its most glorious triumphs4    
,then it shone above all other periods  
of time with the brightest examples of  
sanctity1 and exhibited both to heaven  
and to men on earth the most glorious   
spectacles and triumphs4 ,then were     
formed in its bosom innumerable most    
illustrious heroes of all perfect       
virtue1 who eminently inherited1 and    
propagated in the hearts of many others1
 the true spirit of our crucified       
,redeemer4 ,the same conduct ,god in his
 tender mercy holds with regard to those
 chosen souls which he destines to      
raise1 by special graces1 highest in his
 favor4 ,when the counsels of divine    
,providence shall be manifested to them 
in the next life1 then they shall       
clearly see that their trials were the  
most happy moments1 and the most        
precious graces of their whole lives4   
,in sickness1 humiliations1 and other   
crosses1 the poison of self-love was    
expelled from their hearts1 their       
affections weaned from the world1       

opportunities were afforded them of     
practising the most heroic virtues1 by  
the fervent exercise of which their     
souls were formed in the school of      
,christ1 and his perfect spirit of      
humility1 meekness1 disengagement1 and  
purity of the affections1 ardent        
charity1 and all other virtues1 in which
 true ,christian heroism consists4 ,the 
forming of the heart of one saint is a  
great and sublime work1 the masterpiece 
of divine grace1 the end and the price  
of the death of the ,son of ,god4 ,it   
can only be finished by the cross on    
which we were engendered in ,christ1 and
 the mystery of our predestination is   
accomplished4  ,footnotes3 #a4          
,documentum martyrii1 t4 #i4 ,bibl4     
,patr4 p4 #fii4 #b4  ,some objected to  
these martyrs1 that they were not       
honored with     frequent miracles as   
those had been who suffered in the      
primitive     ages4  ,,st4 ,,sophronius1
 ,,patriarch ,,of ,,jerusalem1 ,c4  ,,he
 was a native of ,damascus1 and made    

such a progress in learning that he     
obtained the name of the ,sophist4 ,he  
lived twenty years near ,jerusalem1     
under the direction of ,john ,moschus1 a
 holy hermit1 without engaging himself  
in a religious state4 ,these two great  
men visited together the monasteries of 
,egypt1 and were detained by ,st4 ,john 
the ,almoner1 at ,alexandria1 about the 
year #faj1 and employed by him two years
 in extirpating the ,eutychians1 and in 
reforming his diocese4 ,john ,moschus   
wrote there his ,spiritual ,meadow1     
which he dedicated to ,sophronius4 ,he  
made a collection in that book of the   
edifying examples of virtue which he had
 seen or heard of among the monks1 and  
died shortly after at ,rome4            
,athanasius1 patriarch of the ,jacobites
 or ,eutychians1 in ,syria1 acknowledged
 two distinct natures in ,christ1 the   
divine and the human2 but allowed only  
one will4 ,this ,demi-,eutychianism was 
a glaring inconsistency2 because the    
will is the property of the nature4     

,moreover1 ,christ sometimes speaks of  
his human will distinct from the divine1
 as in his prayer in his agony in the   
garden4 ,this ,monothelite heresy seemed
 an expedient whereby to compound with  
the ,eutychians4 ,the emperor ,heraclius
 confirmed it by an edict called        
,ecthesis1 or the ,exposition1 declaring
 that there is only one will in ,christ1
 namely1 that of the ,divine ,word3     
which was condemned by pope ,john ,,iv4 
,cyrus1 bishop of ,phasis1 a virulent   
,monothelite1 was by ,heraclius         
preferred to the patriarchate of        
,alexandria1 in #fbi4 ,st4 ,sophronius1 
falling at his feet1 conjured him not to
 publish his erroneous articles--but in 
vain4 ,he therefore #efg left ,egypt1   
and came to ,constantinople1 where he   
found ,sergius1 the crafty patriarch1   
sowing the same error in conjunction    
with ,theodorus of ,pharan4 ,hereupon he
 travelled into ,syria1 where1 in #fcd1 
he was1 against his will1 elected       
patriarch of ,jerusalem4  ,he was no    

sooner established in his see1 than he  
assembled a council of all the bishops  
of his patriarchate1 in #fcd1 to condemn
 the ,monothelite heresy1 and composed a
 synodal letter to explain and prove the
 ,catholic faith ,this excellent piece  
was confirmed in the sixth general      
council4 ,st4 ,sophronius sent this     
learned epistle to pope ,honorius and to
 ,sergius4 ,this latter had1 by a crafty
 letter and captious expressions1       
persuaded pope ,honorius to tolerate a  
silence as to one or two wills in       
,christ4 ,it is evident from the most   
authentic monuments1 that ,honorius     
never assented to that error1 but always
 adhered to the truth4#a ,however1 a    
silence was ill-timed1 and though not so
 designed1 might be deemed by some a    
kind of connivance2 for a rising heresy 
seeks to carry on its work under ground 
without noise3 it is a fire which       
spreads itself under cover4 ,sophronius1
 seeing the emperor and almost all the  
chief prelates of the ,east conspire    

against the truth1 thought it his duty  
to defend it with the greater zeal4 ,he 
took ,stephen1 bishop of ,doria1 the    
eldest of his suffragans1 led him to    
,mount ,calvary1 and there adjured him  
by ,him who was crucified on that place1
 and by the account which he should give
 him at the last day1 to go to the      
apostolic see1 where are the foundations
 of the holy doctrine1 and not to cease 
to pray till the holy persons there     
should examine and condemn the novelty4 
,stephen did so1 and stayed at ,rome ten
 years1 till he saw it condemned by pope
 ,martin ,i4 in the council of ,lateran1
 in #fdi4 ,sophronius was detained at   
home by the invasion of the ,saracens4  
,mahomet had broached his impostures at 
,mecca1 in #fjh1 but being rejected     
there1 fled to ,medina1 in #fbb4        
,aboubeker succeeded him in #fcd under  
the title of ,caliph1 or vicar of the   
prophet4 ,he died after a reign of two  
years4 ,omar1 his successor1 took       
,damascus in #fcf1 and after a siege of 

two years1 ,jerusalem1 in #fch4 ,he     
built a mosque in the place of          
,solomon's temple1 and because it fell  
in the night1 the ,jews told him it     
would not stand unless the cross of     
,christ1 which stood on ,mount ,calvary1
 was taken away3 which the ,caliph      
caused to be done4#b ,sophronius1 in a  
sermon on the exaltation of the cross1  
mentions the custom of taking the cross 
out of its case at ,mid-,lent to be     
venerated4#c ,photius takes notice that 
his works breathe an affecting piety1   
but that the ,greek is not pure4 ,they  
consist of his synodal letter1 his      
letter to pope ,honorius1 and a small   
number of scattered sermons4 ,he        
deplored the abomination of desolation  
set up by the ,mahometans in the holy   
place4 ,god called him out of those     
evils to his kingdom on the #aath of    
,march1 #fci1 or1 as ,papebroke         
thinks1#d in #fdd4 ,see the council of  
,lateran1 t4 #f1 ,conc4 ,fleury1 b4 #cg1
 #ch1 and ,le ,quien1 ,oriens ,christ4  

t4 #c1 p4 #bfd4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,see  
,nat4 ,alexander1 ,saec4 #g4 ,wittasse  
and ,tourneiy ,tr4 de ,incarn4 #b4      
,theophanes1 p4 #bhd4 #c4  ,in medio    
jejunii1 adorationis gratia proponi     
solet vitale lignun     venerandae      
crucis4 ,sophr4 ,serro4 in ,excalt4     
,crucis4 ,bibl4 ,patr4 t4 #ab     p4    
#bad1 e4 apud ,gretser1 t4 #b de ,cruce1
 p4 #hh4 #d4  ,papebr4 ,tr4 praelim4 ad 
t4 #c ,maii n4 #add1 p4 #cb  ,,st4      
,,aengus1 ,b4,c4  ,,this saint is       
distinguished by the surname of         
,kele-,de1 that is1 ,worshipper of ,god2
 which began in his time to be the      
denomination of monks to the ,scottish  
language1 commonly called ,culdees4 ,he 
was born in ,ireland1 in the eighth     
century1 of the race of the             
,dalaradians1 kings of ,ulster4 ,in his 
youth1 renouncing all earthly           
pretensions1 he chose ,christ for his   
inheritance1 #efh embracing a religious 
state in the famous monastery of        
,cluain-,edneach in ,east-,meath4 ,here 

he became so great a proficient both in 
learning and sanctity1 that no one in   
his time could be found in ,ireland that
 equalled him in reputation for every   
kind of virtue1 and for sacred          
knowledge4 ,to shun the esteem of the   
world1 he disguised himself1 and going  
to the monastery of ,tamlacht1 three    
miles from ,dublin1 lived there seven   
years unknown1 in the quality of a lay  
brother1 performing all the drudgery of 
the house1 appearing fit for nothing but
 the vilest employs1 while his interior 
by perfect love and contemplation was   
absorbed in ,god4 ,being at length      
discovered1 he some time after returned 
to ,cluain-,edneach1 where the continual
 austerity of his life1 and his constant
 application to ,god in prayer1 may be  
more easily admired than imitated4 ,he  
was chosen abbot1 and at length raised  
to the episcopal dignity3 for it was    
usual then in ,ireland for eminent      
abbots in the chief monasteries to be   
bishops4 ,he was remarkable for his     

devotion to the saints1 and he left both
 a longer and a shorter ,irish          
,martyrology1 and five other books      
concerning the saints of his country1   
contained in what the ,irish call       
,saltair-na-,rann4 ,he died about the   
year #hbd1 not at ,cluain-,edneach1 but 
at ,desert ,a,enguis1 which became also 
a famous monastery1 and took its name   
from him4 ,see his acts in ,colgan1 p4  
#egi4  ,,st4 ,,constantine1 ,m4  ,,he is
 said to have been a ,british king1 who1
 after the death of his queen1 resigned 
the crown to his son1 and became a monk 
in the monastery of ,st4 ,david4 ,it is 
added that he afterwards went into      
,north ,britain1 and joined ,st4        
,columba in preaching the gospel among  
the ,picts1 who then inhabited a great  
part of what is now called ,scotland4   
,he founded a monastery at ,govane1 near
 the river ,cluyd1 converted all the    
land of ,cantire to the faith of        
,christ1 and died a martyr by the hands 
of infidels1 towards the end of the     

sixth century4 ,he was buried in his    
monastery of ,govane1 and divers        
churches were erected in ,scotland1     
under his invocation4 ,but it seems most
 probable that the ,scottish martyr is  
not the same person with the ,british   
king4 ,colgan supposes him to have been 
an ,irish monk1 who had lived in the    
community of ,st4 ,carthag1 at ,rathane4
  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,see the ,,ms4 ,lives
 of ,scottish ,saints1 compiled by a    
,jesuit1 who was     nephew of bishop   
,lesley1 kept in the ,scottish ,college 
at ,paris4     ,several ,scottish       
historians give the title of saint to   
,constantine     ,,iii4 king of the     
,scots1 who1 forsaking his crown and the
 world1     entered himself among the   
,culdees1 to religious ma at ,st4       
,andrew's1     in #idf4   ,,march ,,xii4
  ,,st4 ,,gregory ,,the ,,great1 ,,pope1
 ,c4  ,from his works1 ,bede1 and ,paul1
 deacon of ,monte ,cassino1 towards the 
end of the eighth century4 ,his life in 
four books1 by ,john deacon of ,rome in 

the ninth age1 is full of mistakes1 as  
,baronius observes4 ,see his history1   
compiled in ,french by ,dom ,dionysius  
of ,sainte-,marthe1 superior-general of 
the ,maurist monks1 printed at ,rouen in
 #dto4 #afig1 and more accurately in    
,latin by the same author1 in the #dto4 
tome of this father's works1 in #agje4  
,see also ,fleury1 b4 #cd1 #ce1 #cf4    
,mabillon1 ,annal4 ,bened4 l4 #f1 t4 #a4
 ,ceillier1 t4 #ag1 p4 #abh4 ,f4        
,wietrowski1 ,s4,j4 ,historia de rebus  
in ,pontificatu1 ,s4 ,gregorii ,m4      
gestis1 in fol4 ,gradonici1 ,s4         
,gregorius1 ,m4 ,pontifex1 a            
criminationibus ,oudini vindicatus1 and 
,hieron4 ,muzio in ,coro ,pontifcale4   
,a4,d4 #fjd4  ,,st4 ,,gregory1 from his 
illustrious actions and extraordinary   
virtues1 surnamed the ,great1 was born  
at ,rome1 about the year #edj4          
,gordlanus1 his #efi father1 enjoyed the
 dignity of a senator1 and was very     
wealthy2 but after the birth of our     
saint1 renounced the world1 and died    

,regionarius1 that is1 one of the seven 
cardinal deacons who took care of the   
ecclesiastical districts of ,rome4 ,his 
mother1 ,sylvia1 consecrated herself to 
,god in a little oratory near ,st4      
,paul's4 ,our saint was called ,gregory1
 which in ,greek implies a watchman1 as 
,vigilius and ,vigilantius in ,latin4   
,in his youth he applied himself1 with  
unabated diligence1 to the studies of   
grammar1 rhetoric1 and philosophy2 and  
after these first accomplishments1 to   
the civil law and the canons of the     
church1 in which he was perfectly       
skilled4 ,he was only thirty-four years 
old when1 in #egd1 he was made1 by the  
emperor ,justin the ,younger1 pretor1 or
 governor and chief magistrate of ,rome4
 ,by this dignity he was the chief judge
 of the city2 his pomp and state        
differed little from that of a consul1  
and he was obliged to wear the ,trabea1 
which was a rich robe of silk1          
magnificently embroidered1 and sparkling
 with precious stones3 a garment only   

allowed to the consuls and pretor4 ,but 
he could say1 with ,esther1 that his    
heart always detested the pride of the  
world4 ,from his infancy he loved and   
esteemed only heavenly things1 and it   
was his chief delight to converse with  
holy monks1 or to be retired in his     
closet1 or in the church at his         
devotions4 ,after the death of his      
father1 he built and endowed six        
monasteries in ,sicily out of the       
estates which he had in that island1 and
 founded a seventh in his own house in  
,rome1 which was the famous monastery of
 ,st4 ,andrew1 on the hill ,scaurus1#a  
now possessed by the ,order of          
,camaldoli4 ,the first abbot of this    
house was ,hilarion1 the second         
,valentinus1 under whom ,st4 ,gregory   
himself took the monastic habit1 in     
#ege1 he being thirty-five years old4   
,in this retirement1 ,gregory applied   
himself with that vigor to fasting and  
the study of the sacred writings1 that  
he thereby contracted a great weakness  

in his stomach1 and used to fall into   
fits of swooning if he did not          
frequently eat4 ,what gave him the      
greatest affliction was his not being   
able to fast on an ,easter-,eve1 a day  
on which1 says ,john the deacon1 every  
one1 not even excepting little children1
 are used to fast4 ,his great desire of 
conforming to the universal practice on 
that day occasioned his applying to a   
monk of eminent sanctity1 named         
,eleutherius1 with whom having prayed1  
and besought ,god to enable him to fast 
at least on that sacred day1 he found   
himself on a sudden so well restored1   
that he not only fasted that day1 but   
quite forgot his illness1 as he himself 
relates4#b  ,it was before his          
advancement to the see of ,rome1 or even
 to the government of his monastery1    
that he first1 as ,paul the deacon      
testifies1 projected the conversion of  
the ,english nation4 ,this great        
blessing took its rise from the         
following occasion4#c ,gregory happened 

one day to walk through the market1 and 
here taking notice that certain youths  
of fine features and complexion were    
exposed to sale1 he inquired what       
countrymen they were1 and was answered1 
that they came from ,britain4 ,he asked 
if the people of that country were      
,christians or heathens1 and was told   
they were still heathens4 ,then         
,gregory1 fetching a deep sigh1 said3   
,it was a lamentable consideration that 
the prince of darkness should be master 
of so much beauty1 and have so comely   
persons in his possession3 and that so  
fine an outside should have nothing of  
,god's grace to furnish it within4#d    
,this incident #egj made so great an    
impression upon him1 that he applied    
himself soon after to pope ,benedict    
,i41 and earnestly requested that some  
persons might be sent to preach         
,christianity in ,britain4 ,and not     
finding any one disposed to undertake   
that mission1 he made an offer of       
himself for the service1 with the pope's

 consent and approbation4 ,having       
obtained leave1 he privately set forward
 on his journey1 in company with several
 monks of his own monastery4 ,but when  
his departure was known1 the whole city 
was in an uproar1 and the people ran in 
a body to the pope1 whom they met going 
to ,st4 ,peter's church4 ,they cried out
 to him in the utmost consternation3    
,apostolical father1 what have you done8
 ,in suffering ,gregory to go away1 you 
have destroyed ,rome3 you have undone   
us1 and offended ,st4 ,peter4 ,at these 
pressing instances the pope dispatched  
messengers to recall him and the saint  
being overtaken by them on the third    
day1 was obliged1 though with great     
reluctance1 to return to ,rome4 ,not    
long after1 the same pope1 according to 
,john the deacon1 and the ,benedictins1 
or1 as ,paul the deacon and ,baronius   
say1 his successor ,pelagius ,,ii41 made
 him one of the seven deacons of the    
church at ,rome1 who assisted the pope4 
,pelagius ,,ii4 sent him to             

,constantinople in quality of           
,apocrisiarius1 or ,nuncio of the holy  
see1 to the religious emperor ,tiberius1
 by whom the saint was received and     
treated with the highest distinction4   
,this public employment did not make him
 lay aside the practices of a monastic  
life1 in order to which he had taken    
with him certain monks of his house1    
with whom he might the better continue  
them1 and by their example excite       
himself to recollection and prayer4 ,at 
the request of ,st4 ,leander1 bishop of 
,seville1 whom he saw at                
,constantinople1 he wrote in that city  
his thirty-five books of ,morals upon   
,job1 giving chiefly the moral and      
allegorical interpretations of that     
sacred book1 in such a manner as to     
reduce into one body the most excellent 
principles of morality1 and also of an  
interior life1 of both which this       
admirable work hath been ever since     
regarded as the great storehouse and    
armory4 ,out of it ,st4 ,isidore1 ,st4  

,thomas1 and other masters of those holy
 sciences have chiefly drawn their      
sublime maxims4 ,mauritius having       
married the daughter of ,tiberius1 in   
#ehb1 who had the empire for her dowry1 
,st4 ,gregory was pitched upon to stand 
godfather to his eldest son4 ,eutychius 
was at that time patriarch of           
,constantinople4#e ,this prelate1 having
 suffered for the faith under           
,justinian1 fell at length into an      
error1 importing1 that after the general
 resurrection the glorified bodies of   
the elect will be no longer palpable1   
but of a more subtile texture than air4 
,this error he couched in a certain book
 which he wrote4 ,st4 ,gregory was      
alarmed1 and held several conferences   
with the patriarch upon that subject1   
both in private and before the emperor1 
and clearly demonstrated from the       
scriptures1 that the glorified bodies of
 the saints will be the same which they 
had on earth1 only delivered from the   
appendices of mortality2 and that they  

will be palpable as #ega that of ,christ
 was after his resurrection4#f ,the good
 bishop being docile and humble1        
retracted his mistake and shortly after 
falling sick1 in presence of the        
emperor1 who had honored him with a     
visit1 taking hold of his skin with his 
hand1 said3 ,i profess the belief that  
we shall all rise in this very flesh4#g 
,pope ,pelagius recalled ,st4 ,gregory  
in #ehd4 ,he brought with him to ,rome  
an arm of ,st4 ,andrew1 and the head of 
,st4 ,luke1 which the emperor had given 
him4 ,he placed both these relics in his
 monastery of ,st4 ,andrew1 where the   
former remains to this day2 but the     
latter has been removed thence to ,st4  
,peter's1 where it still continues4 ,the
 saint with joy saw himself restored to 
the tranquillity of his cell1 where he  
eagerly desired to bury himself with    
regard to the world1 from which he had  
fled naked into this secure harbor2     
because1 as he signified to ,st4        
,leander1 he saw how difficult a thing  

it is to converse with the world without
 contracting inordinate attachments4#h  
,pope ,pelagius also made him his       
secretary4 ,he still continued to govern
 his monastery1 in which he showed a    
remarkable instance of severity4        
,justus1 one of his monks1 had acquired 
and kept privately three pieces of gold1
 which he confessed on his death-bed4   
,st4 ,gregory forbade the community to  
attend and pray by his bedside1         
according to custom2 but could not      
refuse him the assistance of a priest1  
which the council of ,nice ordained that
 no one should be deprived of at the    
hour of death4 ,justus died in great    
sentiments of compunction2 yet1 in      
compliance with what the monastic       
discipline enjoins in such cases1 in    
imitation of what ,st4 ,macarius had    
prescribed on the like occasion1 he     
ordered his corpse to be buried under   
the dunghill1 and the three pieces of   
money to be thrown into the grave with  
it4 ,nevertheless1 as he died penitent1 

he ordered mass to be daily offered up  
for him during thirty days4#i ,st4      
,gregory says1#aj that after the mass of
 the thirtieth day1 ,justus1 appearing  
to his brother ,copiosus1 assured him   
that he had been in torments1 but was   
then released4 ,pope ,pelagius ,,ii4    
dying in the beginning of the great     
pestilence1 in ,january1 #eij1 the      
clergy1 senate1 and ,roman people       
unanimously agreed to choose ,st4       
,gregory for their bishop1 although he  
opposed his election with all his power4
 ,it was then the custom at the election
 of a pope to consult the emperor as the
 head of the senate and people4 ,our    
saint1 trusting to his friendship with  
,mauritius1 to whose son he stood       
godfather1 wrote to him privately to    
conjure him not to approve of this      
choice4 ,he wrote also with great       
earnestness to ,john1 patriarch of      
,constantinople1 and to other powerful  
friends in that city1 begging them to   
employ their interest with the emperor  

for that purpose3 but complains in      
several letters afterwards that they had
 all refused to serve him4 ,the governor
 of ,rome intercepted his letters to the
 emperor1 and sent others to him1 in the
 name of the senate and people1 to the  
contrary effect4 ,in the mean time1 the 
plague continued to rage at ,rome with  
great violence2 and1 while the people   
waited for the emperor's answer1 ,st4   
,gregory took occasion from their       
calamities to exhort them to repentance4
 ,having made them a pathetic sermon on 
that subject1#aa he appointed a solemn  
litany1 or procession1 in seven         
companies1 with a #egb priest at the    
head of each1 who were to march from    
different churches1 and all to meet in  
that of ,st4 ,mary ,major2 singing      
,kyrie ,eleison as they went along the  
streets4 ,during this procession there  
died in one hour's time fourscore of    
those who assisted at it4 ,but ,st4     
,gregory did not forbear to exhort the  
people1 and to pray till such time as   

the distemper ceased4#ab ,during the    
public calamity1 ,st4 ,gregory seemed to
 have forgot the danger he was in of    
being exalted to the pontifical throne2 
for he feared as much to lose the       
security of his poverty as the most     
avaricious can do to lose their         
treasures4 ,he had been informed that   
his letters to ,constantinople had been 
intercepted2 wherefore1 not being able  
to go out of the gates of ,rome1 where  
guards were placed1 he prevailed with   
certain merchants to carry him off      
disguised1 and shut up in a wicker      
basket4 ,three days he lay concealed in 
the woods and caverns1 during which time
 the people of ,rome observed fasts and 
prayers4 ,being miraculously            
discovered1#ac and no longer able1 as he
 says himself1#ad to resist1 after the  
manifestations of the divine will1 he   
was taken1 brought back to ,rome with   
great acclamations1 and consecrated on  
the #c;d of ,september1 in #eij4 ,in    
this ceremony he was conducted1         

according to custom1 to the ,confession 
of ,st4 ,peter1 as his tomb is called2  
where he made a profession of his faith1
 which is still extant in his works4 ,he
 sent also to the other patriarchs a    
synodal epistle1 in which was contained 
the profession of his faith4#ae ,in it  
he declares1 that he received the four  
general councils as the four gospels4   
,he received congratulatory letters upon
 his exaltation2 to all which he        
returned for answer rather tears than   
words1 in the most feeling sentiments of
 profound humility4 ,to ,theoctista1 the
 emperor's sister1 he wrote thus3#af ,i 
have lost the comfort of my calm1 and1  
appearing to be outwardly exalted1 ,i am
 inwardly and really fallen4--,my       
endeavors were to banish corporeal      
objects from my mind1 that ,i might     
spiritually behold heavenly joys4       
,neither desiring not fearing any thing 
in the world1 ,i seemed raised above the
 earth1 but the storm had cast me on a  
sudden into alarms and fears3 ,i am come

 into the depth of the sea1 and the     
tempest hath drowned me4 ,he adds3 ,the 
emperor hath made an ape to be called a 
lion2 but cannot make him become one4   
,in his letter to ,narses1 the          
patrician1 he says3#ag ,i am so overcome
 with grief1 that ,i am scarce able to  
speak4 ,my mind is encompassed with     
darkness4 ,all that the world thinks    
agreeable1 brings to me trouble and     
affliction4 ,to ,st4 ,leander he writes3
 ,i remember with tears that ,i have    
lost the calm harbor of my repose1 and  
with many a sigh ,i look upon the firm  
land which ,i cannot reach4 ,if you love
 me1 assist me with your prayers4 ,he   
often invites others to weep with him1  
and conjures them to pray for him4      
,john1 archbishop of ,ravenna1 modestly 
reprehended his cowardice in            
endeavoring1 by flight1 to decline the  
burden of the pastoral charge4 ,in      
answer to his censure1 and to instruct  
all pastors1 soon after his exaltation1 
he wrote his incomparable book1 ,on the 

,pastoral ,care1 setting forth the      
dangers1 duties1 and obligations of that
 charge1 which he calls1 from ,st4      
,gregory ,nazianzen1 the art of arts1   
and science of sciences4 ,so great was  
the reputation of this performance1 as  
soon as it appeared1 that the emperor   
,mauritius sent to ,rome for a copy2 and
 ,anastasius1 the holy patriarch of     
,antioch1 translated it into ,greek4    
,many popes and councils have exhorted  
and commanded pastors of souls          
frequently to read it1 and #egc in it1  
as in a looking glass1 to behold        
themselves4#ah ,our ,english saints made
 it always their rule1 and king ,alfred 
translated it into the ,saxon tongue4   
,in this book we read a transcript of   
the sentiments and conduct of our       
excellent pastor4 ,his zeal for the     
glory of ,god1 and the angelic function 
of paying him the constant tribute of   
praise in the church1 moved him1 in the 
beginning of his pontificate1 to reform 
the church music4#ai ,preaching he      

regarded as the principal and most      
indispensable function of every pastor  
of souls1 as it is called by ,st4       
,thomas1 and was most solicitous to feed
 his flock with the word of ,god4 ,his  
forty homilies on the gospels1 which are
 extant1 show that he spoke in a plain  
and familiar style1 and without any pomp
 of words1 but with a surprising        
eloquence of the heart4 ,the same may be
 said of his twenty-two homilies on     
,ezekiel1 which he preached while ,rome 
was besieged by the ,lombards1 in #eib4 
,in the nineteenth he1 in profound      
humility1 applies to himself1 with      
tears1 whatever the prophet spoke       
against slothful mercenary pastors4     
,paul the deacon relates1 that after the
 saint's death1 ,peter the deacon1 his  
most intimate friend1 testified that he 
had seen in a vision1 as an emblem of   
the ,holy ,ghost1 a dove appear on his  
head1 applying his bill to his ear while
 he was writing on the latter part of   
,ezekiel4  ,this great pope always      

remembered1 that1 by his station1 he was
 the common father of the poor4 ,he     
relieved their necessities with so much 
sweetness and affability1 as to spare   
them the confusion of receiving the     
alms2 and the old men among them he1 out
 of deference1 called his fathers4 ,he  
often entertained several of them at his
 own table4 ,he kept by him an exact    
catalogue of the poor1 called by the    
ancients matriculae2 and he liberally   
provided for the necessities of each4   
,in the beginning of every month he #egd
 distributed to all the poor1 corn1     
wine1 pulse1 cheese1 fish1 flesh1 and   
oil3 he appointed officers for every    
street to send every day necessaries to 
all the needy sick2 before he ate he    
always sent off meats from his own table
 to some poor persons4 ,one day a beggar
 being found dead in a corner of a      
by-street1 he is said to have abstained 
some days from the celebration of the   
divine mysteries1 condemning himself of 
a neglect in seeking the poor with      

sufficient care4 ,he entertained great  
numbers of strangers both at ,rome and  
in other countries1 and had every day   
twelve at his own table whom his        
sacristan invited4 ,he was most liberal 
in redeeming captives taken by the      
,lombards1 for which he permitted the   
bishop of ,fano to break and sell the   
sacred vessels1#bj and ordered the      
bishop of ,messana to do the same4#ba   
,he extended his charity to the         
heretics1 whom he sought to gain by     
mildness4 ,he wrote to the bishop of    
,naples to receive and reconcile readily
 those who desired it1 taking upon his  
own soul the danger1#bb lest he should  
be charged with their perdition if they 
should perish by too great severity4    
,yet he was careful not to give them an 
occasion of triumphing by any           
unreasonable condescension2 and much    
more not to relax the severity of the   
law of ,god in the least tittle4#bc ,he 
showed great moderation to the          
schismatics of ,istria1 and to the very 

,jews4 ,when ,peter1 bishop of          
,terracina1 had taken from the latter   
their synagogue1 ,st4 ,gregory ordered  
it to be restored to them1 saying1 they 
are not to be compelled1 but converted  
by meekness and charity4#bd ,he repeated
 the same orders for the ,jews of       
,sardinia1 and for those of ,sicily4#be 
,in his letters to his vicar in ,sicily1
 and to the stewards of the patrimony of
 the ,roman church in ,africa1 ,italy1  
and other places1 he recommends mildness
 and liberality towards his vassals and 
farmers2 orders money to be advanced to 
those that were in distress1 which they 
might repay by little and little1 and   
most rigorously forbids any to be       
oppressed4 ,he carefully computed and   
piously distributed the income of his   
revenues at four terms in the year4 ,in 
his epistles1 we find him continually   
providing for the necessities of all    
churches1 especially of those in ,italy1
 which the wars of the ,lombards and    
other calamities had made desolate4     

,notwithstanding his meekness and       
condescension1 his courage was          
undaunted1 and his confidence in the    
divine assistance unshaken amidst the   
greatest difficulties4 ,you know me1    
says he1#bf and that ,i tolerate a long 
while2 but when ,i have once determined 
to bear no longer1 ,i go with joy       
against all dangers4 ,out of sincere    
humility he styled himself the basest of
 men1 devoured by sloth and laziness4#bg
 ,writing to ,st4 ,leander1 he says1#bh 
he always desired to be the contempt of 
men and the outcast of the people4 ,he  
declares1#bi ,i am ready to be corrected
 by all persons1 and him only do ,i look
 upon as my friend by whose tongue ,i   
learn to wash away the stains of my     
mind4 ,he subscribed himself in all his 
letters1 ,servant of the servants of    
,god1 which custom has been retained by 
his successors4 ,indeed1 what is a      
pastor or superior but the servant of   
those for whom he is to give a rigorous 
account to ,god8 ,the works of ,st4     

,gregory were everywhere received with  
the greatest applause4 ,marinianus1     
archbishop of ,ravenna1 read his        
comments on ,job to the people in the   
church4 ,the saint was afflicted and    
confounded that his writings should be  
thought to deserve a place among the    
approved works of the fathers2 and wrote
 to that prelate that his book was not  
proper for the church1 admonishing him  
rather to read ,st4 ,austin on the      
psalms4#cj ,he was no less dead to      
himself in his great actions1 #ege and  
all other things4 ,he saw nothing in    
himself but imperfections2 and subjects 
of confusion and humiliation4 ,,st4     
,,john ,,calybite1 ,,recluse4  ,it is   
incredible how much he wrote1 and1      
during the thirteen years that he       
governed the church1 what great things  
he achieved for the glory of ,god1 the  
good of the church1 the reformation of  
manners1 the edification of the         
faithful1 the relief of the poor1 the   
comfort of the afflicted1 the           

establishment of ecclesiastical         
discipline1 and the advancement of piety
 and religion4 ,but our surprise        
redoubles upon us1 when we remember his 
continual bad state of health and       
frequent sicknesses1 and his assiduity  
in prayer and holy contemplation2 though
 this exercise it was that gave always  
wings to his soul4 ,in his own palace he
 would allow of no furniture but what   
was mean and simple1 nor have any       
attendants near his person but clergymen
 or monks of approved virtue1 learning1 
and prudence4 ,his household was a model
 of ,christian perfection2 and by his   
care1 arts1 sciences1 and the heroic    
practice of piety1 flourished1          
especially in the city of ,rome4 ,the   
state of ,christendom was at that time  
on every side miserably distracted1 and 
stood in need of a pastor1 whose        
extraordinary sanctity1 abilities1 and  
courage should render him equal to every
 great enterprise4 ,and such a one was  
,gregory4 ,the eastern churches were    

wretchedly divided and shattered by the 
,nestorians1 and the numerous spawn of  
the ,eutychians1 all which he repressed4
 ,in the west1 ,england was buried in   
idolatry1 and ,spain1 under the         
,visigoths1 was overrun with the ,arian 
heresy4 ,these two flourishing countries
 owe their conversion1 in a great       
measure1 to his zeal1 especially the    
former4 ,in ,africa he extirpated the   
,donatists1 converted many schismatics  
in ,istria and the neighboring          
provinces2 and reformed many grievous   
abuses in ,gaul1 whence he banished     
simony1 which had almost universally    
infected that church4 ,a great part of  
,italy was become a prey to the         
,lombards1#ca who were partly ,arians1  
partly idolaters4 ,st4 ,gregory often   
stopped the fury of their arms1 and     
checked their oppressions of the people3
 by his zeal he also brought over many  
to the ,catholic faith1 and had the     
comfort to see ,agilulph1 their king1   
renounce the ,arian heresy to embrace   

it4 ,in #eib1 ,romanus1 exarch1 or      
governor of ,italy for the emperor1 with
 a view to his own private interest1    
perfidiously broke the solemn treaty    
which he had made with the ,lombards1#cb
 and took ,perugia and several other    
towns4 ,but the barbarians1 who were    
much the stronger1 revenged this insult 
with great cruelty1 and besieged ,rome  
itself4 ,st4 ,gregory neglected nothing 
to protect the oppressed1 and raised    
troops for the defence of several       
places4 ,at length1 by entreaties and   
great presents1 he engaged the ,lombards
 to retire into their own territories4  
,he reproved the exarch for his breach  
of faith1 but to no other effect than to
 draw upon himself the indignation of   
the governor and his master4 ,such were 
the extortions and injustices of this   
and other imperial officers1 that the   
yoke of the barbarians was lighter than 
the specious shadow of liberty under the
 tyranny of the empire3 and with such   
rigor were the heaviest taxes levied1   

that to pay them1 many poor inhabitants 
of ,corsica were forced to sell their   
own children to the barbarians4 ,these  
oppressions cried to heaven for         
vengeance3 and ,st4 ,gregory wrote      
boldly to the #egf empress              
,constantina1#cc entreating that the    
emperor1 though he should be a loser by 
it1 would not fill his exchequer by     
oppressing his people1 nor suffer taxes 
to be levied by iniquitous methods1     
which would be an impediment to his     
eternal salvation4 ,he sent to this     
empress a brandeum1 or veil1 which had  
touched the bodies of the apostles1 and 
assured her that miracles had been      
wrought by such relics4#cd ,he promised 
to send her also some dust-filings of   
the chains of ,st4 ,paul2 of which      
relics he makes frequent mention in his 
epistles4 ,at ,cagliari1 a curtain rich 
,jew1 having been converted to the      
faith1 had seized the synagogue in order
 to convert it into a church1 and had   
set up in it an image of the ,virgin    

,mary and a cross4 ,upon the complaint  
of the other ,jews1 ,st4 ,gregory       
ordered#ce the synagogue to be restored 
to them1 but that the image and cross   
should be first removed with due        
veneration and respect4#cf ,writing to  
,theodelinda1 queen of the ,lombards1 he
 mentions1#cg that he sent her son1 the 
young king1 a little cross1 in which was
 a particle of the wood of the true     
,cross1 to carry about his neck4        
,secundinus1 a holy hermit near         
,ravenna1 godfather to this young king1 
begged of the pope some devout pictures4
 ,st4 ,gregory1 in his answer1 says3 ,we
 have sent you two cloths1 containing   
the picture of ,god our ,saviour1 and of
 ,mary the holy ,mother of ,god1 and of 
the blessed apostles ,peter and ,paul1  
and one cross3 also for a benediction1 a
 key which hath been applied to the most
 holy body of ,st4 ,peter1 the prince of
 the apostles1 that you may remain      
defended from the enemy4#ch ,but when   
,serenus1 bishop of ,marseilles1 had    

broken certain sacred images which some 
persons lately converted from idolatry  
honored with their former idolatrous    
superstitions1 ,st4 ,gregory commended  
his zeal for suppressing this abuse1 but
 reproved him for breaking the          
images4#ci ,when the archbishop of      
,ravenna used the pallium1 not only at  
mass1 but also in other functions1 ,st4 
,gregory wrote him a severe reprimand1  
telling him that no ornament shines so  
bright on the shoulders of a bishop as  
humility4#djda ,he extended his pastoral
 zeal and solicitude over all churches2 
and he frequently takes notice that the 
care of the churches of the whole world 
was intrusted to ,st4 ,peter1 and his   
successors in the see of ,rome4#db ,this
 authority he exerted in the oriental   
patriarchates4 ,a certain monk having   
been accused of ,manicheism1 and beaten 
by the order of ,john the patriarch of  
,constantinople1 appealed to pope       
,gregory1 who sharply reprimanded the   
patriarch1 exhorting him to eject a     

certain wicked young man by whom he     
suffered himself to be governed1 and to 
do penance1 and telling him3 ,if you do 
not keep the canons1 ,i know not who you
 are4#dc ,he absolved the monk1 with his
 colleague1 a priest1 re-established    
them in their monastery1 and sent them  
back into the ,east1 having received    
their profession of faith4 ,he also     
absolved ,john1 a priest of ,chalcedon1 
who had been unjustly condemned by the  
delegates of the ,matriarch4 ,this      
patriarch1 ,john1 surnamed the ,faster1 
usurped the arrogant title of           
oecumenical1 or universal patriarch4    
,this epithet was only used of a general
 council which represents the whole     
church4 ,in this sense an #egg          
ecumenical bishop should mean a bishop  
who represents the whole church1 so that
 all other bishops are only his vicars4 
,st4 ,gregory took the word in that     
sense3 which would be blasphemy and     
heresy1 and as such he condemned it4#dd 
,john indeed only meant it in a limited 

sense for an archbishop over many1 as we
 call him a general who commands many2  
but even so it savored of arrogance and 
novelty4 ,in opposition to this1 ,st4   
,gregory took no other titles than those
 of humility4 ,gregoria1 a lady of the  
bedchamber to the empress1 being        
troubled with scruples1 wrote to ,st4   
,gregory1 that she should never be at   
ease till he should obtain of ,god1 by a
 revelation1 an assurance that her sins 
were forgiven her4 ,to calm her         
disturbed mind1 he sent her the         
following answer4#de ,you ask what is   
both difficult and unprofitable4        
,difficult1 because ,i am unworthy to   
receive any revelation3 unprofitable1   
because an absolute assurance of your   
pardon does not suit your state till you
 can no longer weep for your sins4 ,you 
ought always to fear and tremble for    
them1 and wash them away by daily tears4
 ,paul had been taken up to the third   
heaven1 yet trembled lest he should     
become a reprobate4--,security is the   

mother of negligence4  ,the emperor     
forbade any to be admitted in           
monasteries1 who1 having been in office1
 had not yet given up their accounts1 or
 who were engaged in the military       
service4 ,this order he sent to each of 
the patriarchs1 to be by then notified  
to all the bishops of their respective  
districts4 ,st4 ,gregory1 who was at    
that time sick1 complied with the       
imperial mandate1 so far as to order the
 edict to be signified to the western   
bishops1#df as appears from a letter    
which he wrote to the emperor as soon as
 his health was re-established4 ,we     
learn from another letter1 which he     
wrote some years after to the bishops of
 the empire1 that1 on this occasion1 he 
exhorted the bishops to comply with the 
first part1 and as to the second1 not to
 suffer persons engaged in the army to  
be admitted among the clergy or to the  
monastic habit1 unless their vocation   
had been thoroughly tried for the space 
of three years1 that it might be evident

 they were converted from the world1 and
 sought not to change one kind of       
secular life for another4 ,he made to   
,mauritius the strongest remonstrances  
against this edict1 saying1 ,it is not  
agreeable to ,god1 seeing by it the way 
to heaven was shut to several2 for many 
cannot be saved unless they forsake all 
things4 ,he1 therefore1 entreated the   
emperor to mitigate this law1 approving 
the first article as most just1 unless  
the monastery made itself answerable for
 the debts of such a person received in 
it4 ,as to the second1 he allows that   
the motives and sincerity of the        
conversion of such soldiers are to be   
narrowly examined before they ought to  
be admitted to the monastic habit4      
,mauritius1 who had before conceived    
certain prejudices against ,st4         
,gregory1 was offended at his           
remonstrances1 and showed his resentment
 against him for some years1 but at     
length agreed to the mitigations of each
 article proposed by ,st4 ,gregory3     

which the holy pope1 with great         
pleasure1 notified by a letter addressed
 to the bishops of the empire4#dg  ,the 
emperor ,mauritius1 having broken his   
league with the ,avari1 a ,scythian #egh
 nation1 then settled on the banks of   
the ,danube1#dh was defeated1 and       
obliged to purchase an ignominious      
peace4 ,he also refused to ransom the   
prisoners they had taken1 though they   
asked at first only a golden penny a    
head1 and at last only a sixth part1 or 
four farthings2 which refusal so enraged
 the barbarians1 that they put them all 
to the sword4 ,mauritius began then to  
be stung with remorse1 gave large alms1 
and prayed that ,god would rather punish
 him in this life than in the next4 ,his
 prayer was heard4 ,his avarice and     
extortions had rendered him odious to   
all his subjects2 and1 in #fjb1 he      
ordered the army to take winter quarters
 in the enemy's country1 and to subsist 
on freebooting1 without pay4 ,the       
soldiers1 exasperated at this treatment1

 chose one ,phocas1 a daring ambitious  
man1 to be their leader1 and marched to 
,constantinople1 where he was crowned   
emperor4 ,mauritius had made his escape1
 but was taken with his family thirty   
miles out of the city1 and brought back4
 ,his five sons were slain before his   
eyes at ,chalcedon3 he repeated all the 
while as a true penitent these words3   
,thou art just1 ,o ,lord1 and thy       
judgments are righteous4#di ,when the   
nurse offered her own child instead of  
his youngest1 he would not suffer it4   
,last of all he himself was massacred1  
after a reign of twenty years4 ,his     
empress1 ,constantina1 was confined with
 her three daughters1 and murdered with 
them a few months after4 ,the tyrant was
 slain by ,heraclius1 governor of       
,africa1 after a tottering reign of     
eight years4 ,when ,phocas mounted the  
throne1 his images were received and set
 up at ,rome3 nor could ,st4 ,gregory1  
for the sake of the public good1 omit   
writing to him letters of               

congratulation4#ej ,in them he makes    
some compliments to ,phocas1 which are  
not so much praises as respectful       
exhortations to a tyrant in power1 and  
wishes of the public liberty1 peace1 and
 happiness4#ea ,the saint nowhere       
approved his injustices or tyranny1     
though he regarded him1 like ,jehu1 as  
the instrument of ,god to punish other  
sinners4 ,he blamed ,mauritius1 but in  
things truly blameable2 and drew from   
his punishment a seasonable occasion of 
wholesome advice which he gave to       
,phocas1 whom the public safety of all  
,italy obliged him not to exasperate4   
,this holy pope had labored many years  
under a great weakness of his breast and
 stomach1 and was afflicted with slow   
fevers1 and frequent fits of the gout1  
which once confined him to his bed two  
whole years4 ,on the #beth of ,january1 
#fjd1 he gave to the church of ,st4     
,paul several parcels of land to furnish
 it with lights3 the act of donation    
remains to this day engraved on a marble

 stone in the same church4 ,god called  
him to himself on the #abth of ,march1  
the same year1 about the sixty-fourth of
 his age1 after he had governed the     
church thirteen years1 six months1 and  
ten days4 ,his pallium1 the reliquary   
which he wore about his neck1 and his   
girdle1 were preserved long after his   
death1 when ,john the deacon wrote1 who 
describes his picture drawn from the    
life1 then to be seen in the monastery  
of ,st4 ,andrew4#eb ,his holy remains   
rest in the ,vatican church4 ,both the  
,greek and ,latins honor his name4 ,the 
council of ,clif1 or ,cloveshove1 under 
archbishop ,cuthbert1 in #gdg1 commanded
 his feast to be observed a holyday in  
all the monasteries in ,england2 which  
the council of ,oxford1 in #abbb1 #egi  
extended to the whole kingdom4 ,this law
 subsisted till the change of           
religion4#ec         99       99        
99       99       99  ,every superior1  
who is endued with the sincere spirit of
 humility and charity1 looks upon       

himself with this great hope1 as the    
servant of all1 bound to labor and watch
 night and day1 to bear every kind of   
affront1 to suffer all manner of pains1 
to do all in his power1 to put on every 
shape1 and sacrifice his own ease and   
life to procure the spiritual           
improvement of the least of those who   
are committed to his charge4 ,he is     
incapable of imperious haughtiness1     
which alienates the minds of inferiors1 
and renders their obedience barely      
exterior and a forced hypocrisy4 ,his   
commands are tender entreaties1 and if  
he is obliged to extend his authority1  
this he does with secret repugnance1    
losing sight of himself1 intent only on 
,god's honor and his neighbor's         
salvation1 placing himself in spirit    
beneath all his subjects1 and all       
mankind1 and esteeming himself the last 
of all creatures4 ,st4 ,paul1 though    
vested with the most sublime authority1 
makes use of terms so mild and so       
powerfully ravishing1 that they must    

melt the hardest heart4 ,instead of     
commanding in the name of ,god1 see how 
he usually expresses himself3 ,i entreat
 you1 ,o ,timothy1 by the love which you
 bear me4 ,i conjure you1 by the bowels 
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i beseech you1 by   
the meekness of ,christ4 ,if you love   
me1 do this4 ,and see how he directs us 
to reprove those who sin3 ,if any one   
should fall1 do you who are spiritual   
remind him in that spirit of meekness1  
remembering that you may also fall1 and 
into a more grievous crime4 ,st4 ,peter1
 who had received the keys of the       
kingdom of heaven1 shed more tears of   
tender charity than he speaks words4    
,what heart can be so savage and        
unnatural1 as to refuse to obey him who1
 having authority to lay injunctions1   
and thunder out anathemas1 weeps instead
 of commanding4 ,if ,,ss4 ,peter and    
,paul pour out the water of tears and   
mildness1 ,st4 ,john casts darts of fire
 into the hearts of those whom he       
commands4 ,my little children1 says he1 

if you love ,christ1 do this4 ,i conjure
 you1 by ,christ1 our good ,master1 love
 affectionately1 and this is enough4    
,love will teach you what to do4 ,the   
unction of the ,holy ,ghost will        
instruct you4 ,this is the true spirit  
of governing2 a method sure to gain the 
hearts of others1 and to inspire them   
with a love of the precept itself and of
 virtue4 ,st4 ,macarius of ,egypt was   
styled the god of the monks1 so         
affectionately and readily was he obeyed
 by them1 because he never spoke a word 
with anger or impatience4 ,moses was    
chosen by ,god to be the leader and     
legislator of his people1 because he was
 the meekest of men3 and with what      
astonishing patience did he bear the    
murmurs and rebellions of an ungrateful 
and stiff-necked people6 ,david's       
meekness towards ,saul and others       
purchased him the crown1 and was one of 
the principal virtues by which he was   
rendered a king according to ,god's own 
heart4 ,those who command with imperious

 authority show they are puffed up with 
the empty wind of pride1 which makes    
them feel an inordinate pleasure in the 
exercise of power1 the seed of tyranny1 
and the bane of virtue in their souls4  
,anger and impatience1 which are more   
dangerous1 because usually canonized    
under the name of zeal1 demonstrate     
persons to be very ill-qualified for    
governing others1 who are not masters of
 themselves or their own passions4 ,how 
few are so crucified to themselves1 and 
so perfectly grounded in humility1 #ehj 
patience1 meekness1 and charity1 that   
power and authority infect not their    
souls with the deadly poison of secret  
pride1 or in whom no hurry1 importunity1
 or perverseness can extinguish the     
spirit of meekness1 in which1 in all    
occurrences1 they preserve the same     
evenness of mind1 and the same angelical
 sweetness of countenance4 ,yet with    
this they are sons of thunder in        
resisting evil1 and in watching against 
all the artifices of the most subtle and

 flattering passions of sinners1 and are
 firm and inflexible in opposing every  
step towards any dangerous relaxation4  
,st4 ,gregory1 by his whole conduct1    
sets us an example of this perfect      
humility and meekness1 which he requires
 as an essential qualification in every 
pastor1 and in all who are placed over  
others4#ed ,he no less excelled in      
learning1 with which1 he says1 that     
humility must be accompanied1 lest the  
pastor should lead others astray4 ,but  
above all other qualities for the       
pastoral charge1 he requires an eminent 
gift of prayer and contemplation4 ,prae 
caeteris contemplatione suspensus4      
,pastor4 ,cura1 part #b1 c4 #e4         
,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,annot4 at the end
 of his life1 p4 #ehj original footnote 
has     incorrect page reference infra4 
#b4  ,dial4 l4 #c1 c4 #cc4 #c4  ,hist4  
b4 #b1 c4 #a4 #d4  ,bede adds1 that he  
again asked1 what was the name of that  
nation1     and was answered1 that they 
were called ,angli or ,angles4 ,right1  

said he1 for they have angelical faces1 
and it becomes such to be     companions
 with the angels in heaven4 ,what is the
 name 7proceeded     he7 of the province
 from which they are brought8 ,it was   
replied1     that the natives of that   
were called ,deiri4 ,truly ,deiri1      
because     withdrawn from wrath1 and   
called to the mercy of ,christ1 said he1
     alluding to the ,latin1 ,de ira    
,dei eruti4 ,he asked further1 ,how is  
the king of that province called8 ,they 
him that his name was ,all     and he   
making an allusion to the word1 said3   
,alleluiah1 the praise     of ,god the  
,creator1 must be sung in those parts4  
,some censure this     conversation of  
,st4 ,gregory as a piece of low punning4
 ,but the taste     of that age must be 
considered4 ,st4 ,austin found it       
necessary to     play sometimes with    
words to please auditors whose ears had1
 by     custom1 caught an itch to be    
sometimes tickled by quibbles to their  
fancy4 ,the ingenious author of the late

 life of the lord chancellor     ,bacon1
 thought custom an apology for the most 
vicious style of that     great man1 of 
whom he writes3 ,his style has been     
objected to as     full of affectation1 
full of false eloquence4 ,but that was  
the vice1     not of the man1 but of the
 times he lived in2 and particularly of 
a     court that delighted in the tinsel
 of wit and learning1 in the poor       
ingenuity of punning and quibbling4 ,st4
 ,gregory was a man of a fine     genius
 and of true learning3 yet in familiar  
converse might confirm     to the taste 
of the age4 ,far from censuring his wit1
 or the judgment     of his historian1  
we ought to admire his piety1 which1    
from every     circumstance1 even from  
words1 drew allusions to nourish        
devotion1     and turn the heart to     
,god4 ,this we observe in other saints1 
and if     it be a fault1 we might more 
justly censure on this account the      
elegant epistles of ,st4 ,paulinus1 or  
,sulpitius ,severus1 than this          

dialogue of ,st4 ,gregory4 #e4          
,eutychius had formerly defended the    
,catholic faith with at zeal     against
 the ,eutychians and the errors of the  
emperor ,justinian1 who1     though he  
condemned those heretics1 yet adopted   
one part of their     blasphemies1      
asserting that ,christ assumed a body   
which was by its     own nature         
incorruptible1 not formed of the        
,blessed ,virgin1 and     subject to    
pain1 hunger1 or alteration only by a   
miracle4 ,this was     called the heresy
 of the ,incorrupticolae1 of which      
,justinian declared     himself the     
abetter2 and1 after many great exploits 
to retrieve the     ancient glory of the
 empire1 tarnished his reputation by    
persecuting     the ,catholic ,church   
and banishing ,eutychius4 #f4  ,st4     
,greg4 ,moral4 l4 #ad1 c4 #gf1 t4 #a1 p4
 #dfe4 #g4  ,he died in #ehb and is     
ranked by the ,greeks among the saints4 
,see the     ,bollandists in vita ,s4   
,eutychil ad #f ,apr4 #h4  ,fleury      

thinks he was chosen abbot before his   
embassy to     ,constantinople2 but     
,ceillier and others prove1 that this   
only     happened after his return4 #i4 
,it appears from the life of ,st4       
,theodosius the ,cenobiarch1 from ,st4  
,ambrose's funeral oration on           
,valentinian1 and other monuments1 that 
it was the custom1 from the primitive   
ages1 to keep the third1     seventh1   
and thirtieth1 or sometimes fortieth day
 after the decease     of a ,christian1 
with solemn prayers and sacrifices for  
the departed     soul4 ,from this fact  
of ,st4 ,gregory1 a trental of masses   
for a soul     departed are usually     
called the ,gregorian masses1 on which  
see     ,gavant and others4 #aj4 ,dial4 
l4 #d1 c4 #ee1 p4 #dfe1 t4 #b4 #aa4 ,it 
is inserted by ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours  
in his history4 ,greg4 ,touron4     l4  
#aj c4 #a4 #ab4 ,some moderns say1 an   
angel was seen sheathing his sword on   
the     stately pile of ,adrian's       
sepulchre4 ,but no such circumstance is 

mentioned by ,st4 ,gregory of ,tours1   
,bede1 ,paul1 or ,john4 #ac4 ,paul the  
deacon says1 it was by a pillar of light
 appearing over the     place where he  
lay concealed4 #ad4 ,l4 #a1 ep4 #ba1 l4 
#g1 ep4 #d4 #ae4 ,l4 #a1 ep4 #be4 #af4  
,l4 #a1 ep4 #e1 p4 #dia4 #ag4 ,l4 #a1   
ep4 #f1 p4 #dih4 #ah4 ,conc4 #c1        
,touron4 can4 #c4 ,see ,dom ,bulteau's  
,preface to his ,french     translation 
of ,s4 ,gregory's ,pastoral1 printed in 
#afbi4 #ai4 ,he reformed the            
,sacramentary1 or ,missal and ,ritual of
 the ,roman     church4 ,in the letters 
of ,,ss4 ,innocent ,i41 ,celestine ,i41 
and ,st4     ,leo1 we find mention made 
of a written ,roman ,order of the mass3 
in     this the essential parts were    
always the same2 but accidental         
alterations in certain prayers have been
 made ,pope ,gelasius thus     augmented
 and revised the liturgy1 in #dij2 his  
genuine ,sacramentary     was published 
at ,rome by ,thomasi1 in #afhj4 ,in it  
are mentioned the     public veneration 

of the cross on ,good ,friday1 the      
solemn     benediction of the holy oils1
 the ceremonies of baptism1 frequent    
invocation of saints1 veneration shown  
to their relics1 the     benediction of 
holy water1 votive masses for           
travellers1 for the     sick and the    
dead1 masses on festivals of saints1 and
 the like4 ,the     ,sacramentary of    
,st4 ,gregory1 differs from that of     
,gelasius only in     some collects or  
prayers4 ,the conformity between the    
present church     office and the       
ancient appears from this work1 and the 
saint's     ,antiphonarius and          
,responsorium4 ,the like ceremonies and 
benedictions     are found in the       
apostolic constitutions1 and all other  
ancient     liturgic writings2 out of   
which ,grabe1 ,hickes1 ,deacon1 and     
others     have formed new liturgies    
very like the present ,roman1 and       
several     of them have restored the   
idea of a true sacrifice4 ,dom ,menard  
has     enriched the ,sacramentary of   

,st4 ,gregory with most learned and     
curious notes4      ,besides his        
,comments or ,morals on the book of     
,job1 which he wrote at                 
,constantinople1 about the year #ehb1 in
 which we are not to look for     an    
exposition of the text1 but an excellent
 compilation of the main     principles 
of morality1 and an interior life1 we   
have his exposition     of ,ezekiel1 in 
twenty-two homilies4 ,these were taken  
in short hand     as he pronounced them1
 and were preached by him at ,rome1 in  
#eib1     when ,agulph the ,lombard was 
laying waste the whole territory of     
,rome4 ,see l4 #b1 in ,ezech4 hom4 #f1  
and ,paul the deacon1 l4 #d1 hist4      
,longob4 c4 #h4 ,the exposition of the  
text is allegorical1 and only           
intended for ushering in  moral         
reflections1 which are much     shorter 
than in the books on ,job4 ,his forty   
homilies on the gospels     he preached 
on several solemnities while he was     
pope4 ,his     incomparable book1 ,on   

the ,pastoral ,care1 which is an        
excellent     instruction of pastors1   
and was drawn up by him when he saw     
himself     placed in the pontificate1  
consists of four parts4 ,in the first he
     treats of the dispositions         
requisite in one who is called to the   
pastoral charge2 in the second of duties
 of a pastor2 in the third     on the   
instruction which he owes to his flock2 
and1 in the fourth1     on his          
obligation of watching over his own     
heart1 and of diligent                  
self-examination4 ,in four books of     
dialogues1 between himself and     his  
disciple ,peter1 he recounts the        
miracles of his own times1 upon     the 
authority of vouchers1 on whose veracity
 he thought he could     rely4 ,he so   
closely adheres to their relations1 that
 the style is     much lower than in his
 other writings4 ,see the preface of the
     ,benedictin editor on this work4   
,his letters are published in           
fourteen books1 and are a very          

interesting compilation4 ,we have ,st4  
,gregory's excellent exposition of the  
,book of ,canticles1 which     ,ceillier
 proves to be genuine against ,oudin1   
the apostate1 and some     others4 ,the 
six books on the first book of ,kings   
are valuable work     but cannot be     
ascribed to ,st4 ,gregory the ,great4   
,the commentary on     the seven        
penitential psalms ,ceillier thinks to  
be his work3 but it     seems doubtful4 
,paterius1 a notary1 one of ,st4        
,gregory's auditors1     compiled1 out  
of his writings and sermons1 several    
comments on the     scriptures4         
,claudius1 abbot of ,classius1 a        
disciple of our saint1     did the same4
 ,alulphus1 a monk at ,tournay1 in the  
eleventh and     twelfth centuries1 made
 the like compilations from his         
writings4 ,dom     ,dionysius of ,st4   
,marthe1 a ,maurist ,benedictin monk1   
favored the world     with an accurate  
edition of the works of ,st4 ,gregory   
the ,great1     published at ,paris in  

four volumes folio1 in #agje4 ,this has 
been     reprinted at ,verona and again 
at ,ausburg1 in #ageh1 with the addition
     of the useful anonymous book1 ,de  
formula ,praelatorum4 #bj4 ,l4 #f1 ,ep4 
#ce4 #ba4 ,l4 #g1 ,ep4 #bf4 #bb4 ,animae
 nostra pericula1 l4 #a1 ,ep4 #ad4 #bc4 
,l4 #a1 ,ep4 #ce1 c4 #bd4 ,l4 #a1 ,ep4  
#ce4 #be4 ,l4 #g1 ,ep4 #e1 l4 #ab1 ,ep4 
#cj4 #bf4 ,l4 #d1 ,ep4 #dg4 #bg4 ,praef4
 in ,dial4 #bh4 ,l4 #i1 ,ep4 #bb4 #bi4  
,l4 #b1 ,ep4 #aba4 #cj4 ,l4 #ab1 ,ep4   
#bd4 #ca4 ,the ,lombards came originally
 from ,scandinavia1 and settled first in
     ,pomerania1 and afterwards with the
 ,hunns in ,pannonia1 who had           
remained there when they returned out of
 ,italy under ,attila4 ,narses1     the 
patrician1 after having governed ,italy 
sixteen years with great     glory1 was 
recalled by the emperor ,justin the     
,younger4 ,but resenting     this       
treatment1 he invited the ,lombards into
 that country4 ,those     barbarians    
leaving ,pannonia to the ,hunns1 entered

 ,italy1 easily made     themselves     
masters of ,milan1 under their king     
,alboinus1 in #efh2 and     extending   
their dominions1 often threatened ,rome 
itself4 ,in the reign     of ,charles   
the ,fat1 the ,hunns were expelled      
,pannonia by the ,hongres1     another  
swarm from the same northern hive1 akin 
to the ,hunns1 who     gave to that     
kingdom the name of ,hungary4 ,that the 
,lombards were so     called1 not from  
their long swords1 as some have         
pretended1 but from     their long      
beards1 see demonstrated from the       
express testimony of     ,paul the      
,deacon1 himself a ,lombard of          
,constantine ,porphyrogenetta1     by   
,jos4 ,assemani4 ,hist4 ,ital4 scriptor4
 t4 #a1 c4 #c1 p4 #cc4 #cb4 ,paul ,diac4
 de ,gest ,longobard4 l4 #d1 c4 #h4 ,s4 
,greg4 l4 #b1 ,ep4 #df4 #cc4 ,l4 #e4    
,ep4 #da4 #cd4 ,l4 #d1 ,ep4 #cj4 #ce4   
,sublata exinde1 qua par est            
veneratione1 imagine et cruce4 ,l4 #i1  
,ep4 #f1 p4 #icj4 #cf4 ,l4 #i1 ,ep4 #f1 

p4 #icj4 #cg4 ,l4 #ad1 ,ep4 #ab1 p4     
#abgj4 #ch4 ,these words are quoted by  
,paul the deacon1 in the council of     
,rome1 ,conc4 t4 #f1 p4 #adfb1 and pope 
,adrian ,i41 in his letter to           
,charlemagne in defence of holy images4 
#ci4 ,l4 #aa1 ,ep4 #ac4 #dj4 ,l4 #c1    
,ep4 #ef2 l4 #c1 ,ep4 #ec2 l4 #i1 ,ep4  
#ei2 l4 #f1 ,ep4 #ff2 l4 #g1 ,ep4 #ai2  
l4 #e1 ,ep4 #bj4 #da4 ,st4 ,gregory was 
always a zealous asserter of the        
celibacy of the     clergy1 which law he
 extended also to subdeacons1 who had   
before     been ranked among the clergy 
of the ,minor orders1 7l4 #a1 ep4 #dd1  
l4     #d1 ,ep4 #cd47 ,the              
,centuriators1 ,heylin1 and others1     
mention a forged     letter1 under the  
name of ,udalrirus1 said to be written  
to pope     ,nicholas1 concerning the   
heads of children found by ,st4 ,gregory
 in a     pond4 ,but a smore ridiculous 
fable was never invented1 as is         
demonstrated from many inconsistencies  
of that forged letter3 and     ,st4     

,gregory in his epistles everywhere     
mentions the law of the     celibacy of 
the clergy as ancient and inviolable4   
,nor was any pope     ,nicholas         
contemporary with ,st4 ,udalricus4 ,see 
,baronius and ,dom de     ,sainte       
,marthe1 in his life of ,st4 ,gregory4  
#db4 ,l4 #c1 ,ep4 #bi2 l4 #e1 ,ep4 #ac4 
#dc4 ,l4 #f1 ,ep4 #ae1 #af1 #ag4 #dd4   
,l4 #aa1 ,ep4 #bh2 olim #eh1 p4 #aahj1  
c4 #de4 ,l4 #g1 ,ep4 #be4 #df4 ,some    
,protestants slander ,st4 ,gregory1 as  
if by this publication of     the       
imperial edict he had concurred to what 
he condemned as contrary     to the     
divine law4 ,dr4 ,mercier1 in his letter
 in favor of a law     commanding       
silence1 with regard to the constitution
 ,unigenitus in     ,france1 in #agei1  
pretends that this holy pope thought    
obedience to     the emperor a duty even
 in things of a like nature4 ,but ,dr4  
,launay1     ,reponse a la ,lettre d'un 
,docteur de ,sorbunne1 partie #b1 p4    
#ea1 and     ,dr4 ,n41 ,examen de la    

,lettre d'un ,docteur de ,sorboune sur  
la     necessite de garder ,in silence  
sur la ,constitution ,unigenitus1 p4    
#cc1 t4 #a1 demonstrate that ,st4       
,gregory regarded the matter1 as it     
really is1 merely as a point of         
discipline1 and nowhere says the        
edict was contrary to the divine law1   
but only not agreeable to ,god1     and 
tending to prejudice the interest of his
 greater glory4 ,in     matters of faith
 or essential obligation1 he calls forth
 the zeal     and fortitude of prelates 
to stand upon their guard as opposing   
unjust laws1 even to martyrdom1 as the  
same authors demonstrate4 #dg4 ,ep4 #ee4
 #dh4 ,theophanes ,chronogr4 #di4 ,ps4  
#aah4 #ej4 ,l4 #ac1 ep4 #ca1 #ch4 #ea4  
,we say the same of the compliments     
which he paid to the impious     ,french
 queen ,brunehault1 at which lord       
,bolingbroke takes offence2     but a   
respect is due to persons in power4 ,st4
 ,gregory nowhere     flatters their    
vices1 but admonishes by compliments    

those who could     not be approached   
without them4 ,thus did ,st4 ,paul      
address ,agrippa     and ,festas1 c4 ,in
 refusing the sacraments of the church  
to     impenitent wicked princes1 and in
 checking their crimes by     seasonable
 remonstrances1 ,st4 ,gregory was always
 ready to exert the     zeal of a       
,baptist3 as he opposed the unjust      
projects of ,mauritius1     so would he 
have done those of ,phocas when in his  
power4 #eb4 ,the antiquarian will read  
with pleasure the curious notes of      
,angelus     ,rocca1 and the enedicons  
on the pictures of ,st4 ,gregory and his
     parents1 and on this holy pope's   
pious donations4 #ec4 ,st4 ,gregory gave
 ,st4 ,austin a small library which was 
kept in his     monastery at            
,canterbury4 ,of it there still remain a
 book of the     gospels in the         
,bodleian library1 and another in that  
of     ,corpus-,christi in ,cambridge4  
,the other books were psalters1 the     
,pastorals1 the ,passionarium           

,sanctorium1 and the like4 ,see ,mr4    
,wauley1 in his catalogue of ,s on      
manuscripts1 at the end of ,dr4         
,hickes's ,thesaurus1 p4 #agb4 ,many    
rich vestments1 vessels1 relics1     and
 a pall given by ,st4 ,gregory to ,st4  
,austin1 were kept in the same          
monastery4 ,their original inventory1   
drawn up by ,thomas of ,elmham1     in  
the reign of ,henry ,v41 is preserved in
 the ,harleian library1 and             
published by the learned lady1 ,mrs4 ,e4
 ,elstob1 at the end of a ,saxon        
panegyric on ,st4 ,gregory4 #ed4        
,gregor4 ,m4 in l4 #a4 ,reg4 c4 #af1 v4 
#c and #i4  ,,annotation  ,,on  ,,the   
,,life ,,of ,,st4 ,,gregory4  ,,baronius
 thinks that his monastery of ,saint    
,andrew's followed the rule of ,st4     
,equitius1 because its first abbots were
 drawn out of his province1 ,valeria4   
,on another side1 ,dom ,ma-billon 7t4   
#a4 ,actor4 ,sanct4  t4 #b1 ,analect4   
and ,annal4 ,bened4 l1 #f17 maintains   
that it followed the rule of ,st4       

,benedict1 which ,st4 ,gregory often    
commends and prefers to all other rules4
 ,his colleagues1 in their life of ,st4 
,gregory1 ,natalis ,alexander1 in his   
,church ,history1 and others1 have      
written to support the same opinion3 who
 all1 with ,mabillon1 borrow all their  
arguments from the learned ,english     
,benedictin1 ,clemens ,reynerus1 in his 
,apostolatus ,benedictinorum in ,anglia4
 ,others object that ,st4 ,gregory in   
his epistles ordains many things        
contrary to the rule of ,st4 ,benedict1 
and think he who has written so much    
concerning ,st4 ,benedict1 would have   
mentioned by some epithet the           
circumstance of being his disciple1 and 
would have called the rule of that      
patriarch his own4 ,these antiquaries   
judge it most probable that the         
monastery of ,st4 ,andrew had its own   
rule prescribed by the first founders1  
and borrowed from different places3 for 
this was the ordinary method of most    
monasteries in the west1 till afterwards

 the rule of ,st4 ,benedict was         
universally received for better         
uniformity and discipline3 to which the 
just commendations of ,st4 ,gregory     
doubtless contributed4  ,f4 ,clement    
,reyner1 in the above-mentioned book1   
printed at ,doway1 in folio1 in #afbf1  
displays much erudition in endeavoring  
to prove that ,st4 ,austin1 and the     
other monks sent by ,saint ,gregory to  
convert the ,english1 professed the     
order of ,st4 ,benedict4 ,mabillon      
borrows his arguments on this subject in
 his preface to the ,acts of the        
,benedictins1 against the celebrated    
,sir ,john ,marsham1 who1 in his long   
preface to the ,monasticon1 sets himself
 to show that the first ,english monks  
followed rules instituted by their own  
abbots1 often gleaned out of many4 ,dr4 
,hickes confirms this assertion against 
,mabillon with great erudition1 7,diss4 
pp4 #fg1 #fh17 which is espoused by ,dr4
 ,tanner1 bishop of ,st4 ,asaph's1 in   
his preface to nis exact ,notitia       

,monastica1 by the author of ,biographia
 ,britannica1 in the life of ,bede1 t4  
#a1 p4 #fef1 and by the judicious       
,william ,thomas1 in his additions to   
the new edition of ,dugdale's           
,antiquities of ,warwickshire1 7t4 #a1  
p4 #aeg47 ,these authors think that the 
rule of ,st4 ,benedict was not generally
 received by the ,english monks before  
the regulations of ,st4 ,dunstan2 nor   
perfectly till after the ,norman        
conquest4 ,for pope ,constantine1 in    
#gji1 in the bull wherein he establishes
 the rule of ,st4 ,benedict to be       
followed in the abbey of ,evesham1 says 
of it3 ,which does not prevail in those 
parts4 ,quae minus in illis partibus    
habetur4 ,in #gdg1 ,cuthbert archbishop 
of ,canterbury1 in a synod held in      
presence of ,ethelbaid1 king of the     
,mercians1 at ,cloveshove1 7which town  
some place in ,kent1 others more        
probably in ,mercia1 about ,reading17   
published ,monastic ,constitutions1     
which were #eha followed by the ,english

 monks till the time of ,st4 ,dunstan4  
,in these we find no mention of the rule
 of ,saint ,benedict2 nor in ,bede4 ,the
 charter of king ,ethelbald which       
mentions the ,black monks1 is a manifest
 forgery4 ,even that name was not known 
before the institution of the           
,camaldulenses1 in #ajbj1 and the       
,carthusians1 who distinguished         
themselves by white habits4 ,dom ,mege1 
in his commentary on the rule of ,st4   
,benedict1 shows that the first         
,benedictins wore white1 not black4     
,john of ,glastenbury1 and others1      
published by ,hearne1 who call the      
apostles of the ,english ,black ,monks1 
are too modern1 unless they produce some
 ancient vouchers4 ,the monastery of    
,evesham adopted the rule of ,saint     
,benedict1 in #gji4 ,st4 ,bennet ,biscop
 and ,st4 ,wilfrid both improved the    
monastic order in the houses which they 
founded1 from the rule of ,st4          
,benedict1 at least borrowing some      
constitutions from it4 ,the devastations

 of the ,danes scarce left a convent of 
monks standing in ,england1 except those
 of ,glastenbury and ,abingdon1 which   
was their state in the days of king     
,alfred1 as ,leland observes4 ,st4      
,dunstan1 ,st4 ,oswald1 and ,st4        
,ethelwold1 restored the monasteries1   
and propagated exceedingly the monastic 
state4 ,st4 ,oswald had professed the   
order of ,saint ,benedict in ,france1 in
 the monastery of ,fleury2 and1 together
 with the aforesaid two bishops1 he     
established the same in a great measure 
in ,england4 ,st4 ,dunstan published a  
uniform rule for the monasteries of this
 nation1 entitled1 ,regularis           
,concordiae ,anglicae ,nationis1 extant 
in ,reyner1 and ,spelman1 7in           
,spicilegio ad ,eadmerum1 p4 #ade17 in  
which he adopts1 in a great measure1 the
 rule of ,st4 ,benedict1 joining with it
 many ancient monastic customs4 ,even   
after the ,norman conquest1 the synod of
 ,london1 under ,lanfranc1 in #ajge1    
says the regulations of monks were drawn

 from the rule of ,st4 ,bennet and the  
ancient custom of regular places1 as    
,baronius takes notice1 which seems to  
imply former distinct institutes4 ,from 
that time down to the dissolution1 all  
the cathedral priories1 except that of  
,carlisle1 and most of the rich abbeys  
in ,england1 were held by monks of the  
,benedictin order4 ,see ,dr4 ,brown     
,willis1 in his separate histories of   
,cathedral ,priories1 ,mitred ,abbeys1  
c4  ,,st4 ,,maximilian1 ,m4  ,,he was   
the son of ,victor1 a ,christian soldier
 in ,numidia4 ,according to the law     
which obliged the sons of soldiers to   
serve in the army at the age of         
twenty-one years1 his measure was taken1
 that he might be enrolled in the       
troops1 and he was found to be of due   
stature1 being five ,roman feet and ten 
inches high1#a that is1 about five feet 
and a half of our measure4 ,but         
,maximilian refused to receive the mark1
 which was a print on the band1 and a   
leaden collar about the neck1 on which  

were engraved the name and motto of the 
emperor4 ,his plea was1 that in the     
,roman army superstitions1 contrary to  
the ,christian faith1 were often        
practised1 with which he could not      
defile his soul4 ,being condemned by the
 proconsul to lose his head1 he met     
death with joy in the year #bif4 ,see   
his acts in ,ruinart4  ,footnotes3 #a4  
,see ,tr4 ur la ,milice ,romaine1 t4 #a4
  ,,st4 ,,paul1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,leon1   
,c4  ,,he was a noble ,briton1 a native 
of ,cornwall1 cousin of ,st4 ,samson1   
and his fellow-disciple under ,st4      
,iltutus4 ,we need no other proof of his
 wonderful fervor and progress in       
virtue1 and all the exercises of a      
monastic life1 than the testimony of    
,st4 ,iltutus1 by whose advice ,st4     
,paul left the monastery to embrace more
 perfect eremetical life in a retired   
place in the same country4 ,some time   
after1 our saint sailing from ,cornwall1
 passed into ,armorica1 and continued   
the same austere eremitical life in a   

small island on the coast of the        
,osismians1 a barbarous idolatrous      
people in ,armorica1 or ,little         
,britain4 ,prayer and contemplation were
 his whole employment1 and bread and    
water his only food1 except on great    
festivals1 on which he took #ehb with   
his bread a few little fish4 ,the saint1
 commiserating the blindness of the     
pagan inhabitants on the coast1 passed  
over to the continent1 and instructed   
them in the faith4 ,withur1 count or    
governor of ,bas1 and all that coast1   
seconded by king ,childebert1 procured  
his ordination to the episcopal dignity1
 notwithstanding his tears to prevent   
it4 ,count ,withur1 who resided in the  
,isle of ,bas1 bestowed his own house on
 the saint to be converted into a       
monastery2 and ,st4 ,paul placed in it  
certain fervent monks1 who had          
accompanied him from ,wales and         
,cornwall4 ,he was himself entirely     
taken up in his pastoral functions1 and 
his diligence in acquitting himself of  

every branch of his obligations was     
equal to his apprehension of their      
weight4 ,when he had completed the      
conversion of that country1 he resigned 
his bishopric to a disciple1 and retired
 into the isle of ,bas1 where he died in
 holy solitude1 on the #abth of ,march1 
about the year #egc1 near one hundred   
years old4#a ,during the inroads of the 
,normans1 his relics were removed to the
 abbey of ,fleury1 or ,st4 ,bennet's on 
the ,loire1 but were lost when the      
,calvinists plundered that church4      
,leon1 the ancient city of the          
,osismians1 in which he fixed his see1  
takes his name4 ,his festival occurs in 
the ancient breviary of ,leon1 on the   
#ajth of ,october1 perhaps the day of   
the translation of his relics4 ,for in  
the ancient breviary of ,nantes1 and    
most others1 he is honored on the #abth 
of ,march4 ,see ,le ,cointe's ,annals1  
the ,bollandists on this day1 and       
,lobineau in the ,lives of the ,saints  
of ,brittany1 from his acts compiled by 

a monk of ,fleury1 about the close of   
the tenth century4  ,footnotes3 #a4     
,st4 ,paul was ordained priest before he
 left ,great ,britain1 about the        
year #ecj4 ,the little island on the    
coast of ,armorica1 where he chose      
his first abode in ,france1 was called  
,medonia1 and seems to the     present  
,molene1 situated between the isle of   
,ushant and the coast4     ,the first   
oratory which he built on the continent1
 very near this     islands seems to be 
the church called from him ,lan-,pol4   
,,march ,,xiii4  ,,st4 ,,nicephorus1 ,c4
  ,,patriarch ,,of ,,constantinople     
,from his life by ,ignatius1 deacon of  
,constantinople1 afterwards bishop of   
,nice1 a contemporary author2 and from  
the relation of his banishment by       
,theophanes4 ,see ,fleury1 l4 #de1 #df1 
#dg4 ,ceillier1 t4 #ah1 p4 #dhg4  ,a4,d4
 #hbh4  ,,theodorus1 the father of our  
saint1 was secretary to the emperor     
,constantine ,copronymus3 but when that 
tyrant declared himself a persecutor of 

the ,catholic church1 the faithful      
minister1 remembering that we are bound 
to obey ,god rather than man1 maintained
 the honor due to holy images with so   
much zeal1 that he was stripped of his  
honors1 scourged1 tortured1 and         
banished4 ,the young ,nicephorus was    
from his cradle animated to the practice
 of virtue by the domestic example of   
his father3 and in his education1 as his
 desires of improvement were great1 and 
the instructions he had very good1 the  
progress he made was as considerable2   
till1 by the maturity of his age1 and of
 his study1 he made his appearance in   
the world4 ,when ,constantine and ,irene
 were placed on the imperial throne1 and
 restored the ,catholic faith1 our saint
 was quickly introduced to their notice1
 and by his merits attained a large     
share in their favor4 ,he was by them   
advanced to his father's #ehc dignity1  
and1 by the lustre of his sanctity1 was 
the ornament of the court1 and the      
support of the state4 ,he distinguished 

himself by his zeal against the         
,iconoclasts1 and was secretary to the  
second council of ,nice4 ,after the     
death of ,st4 ,tarasius1 patriarch of   
,constantinople1 in #hjf1 no one was    
found more worthy to succeed him than   
,nicephorus4 ,to give an authentic      
testimony of his faith1 during the time 
of his consecration he held in his hand 
a treatise which he had written in      
defence of holy images1 and after the   
ceremony laid it up behind the altar1 as
 a pledge that he would always maintain 
the tradition of the church4 ,as soon as
 he was seated in the patriarchal chair1
 he began to consider how a total       
reformation of manners might be wrought1
 and his precepts from the pulpit       
received a double force from the example
 he set to others in an humble          
comportment1 and steady uniform practice
 of eminent piety4#a ,he applied himself
 with unwearied diligence to all the    
duties of the ministry2 and1 by his     
zealous labors and invincible meekness  

and patience1 kept virtue in            
countenance1 and stemmed the tide of    
iniquity4 ,but these glorious successes 
rendered him not so conspicuous as the  
constancy with which he despised the    
frowns of tyrants1 and suffered         
persecution for the sake of justice4    
,the government having changed hands1   
the patrician ,leo the ,armenian1       
governor of ,natolia1 became emperor in 
#hac1 and being himself an ,iconoclast1 
endeavored both by artifices and open   
violence to establish that heresy4 ,he  
studied in the first place1 by crafty   
suggestions1 to gain over the holy      
patriarch to favor his design4 ,but ,st4
 ,nicephorus answered him3 ,we cannot   
change the ancient traditions3 we       
respect holy images as we do the cross  
and the book of the gospels4 ,for it    
must be observed that the ancient       
,iconoclasts venerated the book of the  
gospels1 and the figure of the cross1   
though by an inconsistency usual in     
error1 they condemned the like relative 

honor with regard to holy images4 ,the  
saint showed1 that far from derogating  
from the supreme honor of ,god1 we honor
 him when for his sake we pay a         
subordinate respect to his angels1      
saints1 prophets1 and ministers3 also   
when we give a relative inferior honor  
to inanimate things which belong to his 
service1 as sacred vessels1 churches1   
and images4 ,but the tyrant was fixed in
 his errors1 which he at first          
endeavored to propagate by stratagems4  
,he therefore privately encouraged      
soldiers to treat contemptuously an     
image of ,christ which was on a great   
cross at the brazen gate of the city2   
and thence took occasion to order the   
image to be taken off the cross1        
pretending he did it to prevent a second
 profanation4 ,saint ,nicephorus saw the
 storm gathering1 and spent most of his 
time in prayer with several holy bishops
 and abbots4 ,shortly after1 the        
emperor1 having assembled together      
certain ,iconoclast bishops in his      

palace1 sent for the patriarch and his  
fellow-bishops4 ,they obeyed the        
summons1 but entreated his majesty to   
leave the government of the church to   
its pastors4 ,emilian1 bishop of        
,cyzicus1 one of their body1 said3 ,if  
this is an ecclesiastical affair1 let it
 be discussed in the church1 according  
to custom1 not in the palace4           
,euthymius1 bishop of ,sardes said3 ,for
 these eight hundred years past1 since  
the coming of ,christ1 there have been  
always pictures of him1 and he has been 
honored in them4 ,who shall now have the
 boldness to abolish so ancient a       
tradition8 ,st4 ,theodorus1 the         
,studite1 spoke after the bishops1 and  
said to the emperor3 ,my ,lord1 do not  
disturb the order of the church4 ,god   
hath placed in it apostles1 prophets1   
pastors1 and teachers4#b ,you he hath   
intrusted with the care of the state2   
but leave the church to its pastors4    
,the emperor1 #ehd in a rage1 drove them
 from his presence4 ,sometime after1 the

 ,iconoclast bishops held a pretended   
council in the imperial palace1 and     
cited the patriarch to appear before    
them4 ,to their summons he returned this
 answer3 ,who gave you this authority8  
was it the pope1 or any of the          
patriarchs8 ,in my diocese you have no  
jurisdiction4 ,he then read the canon   
which declares those excommunicated who 
presume to exercise any act of          
jurisdiction in the diocese of another  
bishop4 ,they1 however1 proceeded to    
pronounce against him a mock sentence of
 deposition2 and the holy pastor1 after 
several attempts made secretly to take  
away his life1 was sent by the emperor  
into banishment4 ,michael the           
,stutterer1 who in #hbj succeeded ,leo  
in the imperial throne1 was engaged in  
the same heresy1 and also a persecutor  
of our saint1 who died in his exile1 on 
the #b;d of ,june1 in the monastery of  
,st4 ,theodorus1 which he had built in  
the year #hbh1 the fourteenth of his    
banishment1 being about seventy years   

old4 ,by the order of the empress       
,theodora1 his body was brought to      
,constantinople with great pomp1 in     
#hdh1 on the #acth of ,march1 on which  
day he is commemorated in the ,roman    
,martyrology4#c         99       99     
99       99       99  ,it is by a       
wonderful effect of his most gracious   
mercy and singular love1 that ,god is   
pleased to visit all his faithful       
servants with severe trials1 and to     
purify their virtue in the crucible1    
that by being exercised it may be made  
heroic and perfect4 ,by suffering with  
patience1 and in a ,christian spirit1 a 
soul makes higher and quicker advances  
in pure love1 than by any other means or
 by any other good works4 ,let no one   
then repine1 if by sickness1            
persecution1 or disgraces1 they are     
hindered from doing the good actions    
which they desire1 or rendered incapable
 of discharging the duties of their     
station1 or of laboring to convert      
others4 ,god always knows what is best  

for us and others3 we may safely commend
 to him his own cause1 and all souls1   
which are dearer to him than they can be
 to us4 ,by this earnest prayer and     
perfect sacrifice of ourselves to ,god1 
we shall more effectually draw upon     
ourselves the divine mercy than by any  
endeavors of our own4 ,let us leave to  
,god the choice of his instruments and  
means in the salvation of others4 ,as to
 ourselves1 it is our duty to give him  
what he requires of us3 nor can we      
glorify him by any sacrifice either     
greater or more honorable1 and more     
agreeable to him1 than that of a heart  
under the heaviest pressure1 ever       
submissive to him1 embracing with love  
and joy every order of his wisdom1 and  
placing its entire happiness and comfort
 in the accomplishment of his adorable  
most holy will4 ,the great care of a    
,christian in this state1 in order to   
sanctify his sufferings1 must be to be  
constantly #ehe united to ,god1 and to  
employ his affections in the most       

fervent interior exercises of entire    
sacrifice and resignation1 of           
confidence1 love1 praise1 adoration1    
penance1 and compunction1 which he      
excites by suitable aspirations4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the ,confession of    
,faith which1 upon his promotion1 he    
sent to pope     ,leo ,,iii41 is        
published by ,baronius ad an4 #haa and  
in the seventh     tome of ,labbe's     
councils1 c4 ,in it the saint gives a   
clear     exposition of the principal   
mysteries of faith1 of the invocation of
     saints1 and the veneration due to  
relics and holy images4 #b4  ,eph4 iv4  
#aa4 #c4  ,st4 ,nicephorus has left us a
 chronicle from the beginning of the    
world3 of which the best editions are   
that of ,f4 ,goar1 with the             
chronicle of ,george ,syncellus at      
,paris1 in #afeb1 and that of ,venice   
among the ,byzantine historians1 in     
#agbi4 ,also a short history from       
the reign of ,mauritius to that of      
,constantine and ,irene1 published      

at ,paris1 in #afaf1 by ,f4 ,petau2 and 
reprinted among the ,byzantine          
historians1 at ,paris1 in #afdi1 and    
again at ,venice1 in #agbi4 ,the        
style is justly commended by ,photius4  
7col4 #ff47 ,the seventeen     canons of
 ,st4 ,nicephorus are extant in the     
collection of the     councils1 t4 #g1  
p4 #abig1 c4 ,in the second he declares 
it unlawful     to travel on ,sundays   
without necessity4 ,cotelier has        
published four     others of this saint1
 with five of the foregoing1 and his    
letter to     ,hilarion and ,eustrasius1
 containing learned resolutions of      
several     cases4 7,monum4 ,graec4 t4  
#c1 p4 #dea47 ,st4 ,nicephorus wrote    
several     learned tracts against the  
,iconoclasts1 as three ,antirrhetics or 
,confutations1 c4 ,some of these are    
printed in the ,library of the          
,fathers1 and ,f4 ,combefis's           
,supplement or ,auctuarium1 t4 #a1 in   
,canisius's ,lectiones ,antiquae1       
republished by ,basnage1 part #b1 c4    

,but a great number are only found in   
,,mss4 in the libraries of     ,england1
 ,paris1 and ,rome4 ,the saint often    
urges that the ,iconoclasts             
condemned themselves by allowing        
veneration to the cross1 for the        
image of ,christ upon the cross is more 
than the bare cross4 ,in the     second 
,antirrhetic he most evidently          
establishes the real presence     of the
 ,body of ,christ in the ,eucharist2    
which passage is quoted by     ,leo     
,allatius4 7l4 #c1 de ,consens4         
,ecclesiae ,occident4 et ,orient4 c4    
#ae1 p4 #abbc47 ,he does the same almost
 in the same words1 l4 de               
,cherubinis a ,moyse ,factis1 c4 #g1    
apud ,canis4 t4 #b1 ed4 ,basm4 part #b1 
p4 #ai1  t4 #i1 ,bibl4 ,patr4 ,three    
,antirrhetics are entitled1 against     
,mamonas 7i4 e4 ,constantine            
,copronytnus7 and the ,iconoclasts4 ,a  
fourth was written by him against       
,eusebius and ,epiphanides to prove     
that ,eusebius of ,caesarea was an      

obstinate ,arian1 and ,epiphanides a    
favorer of ,manicheism1 and a very      
different person from ,st4              
,epiphanius of ,salamine4 ,f4 ,anselm   
,bauduri1 a ,benedictin monk of         
,ragusa1 undertook at ,paris a complete 
edition of the works of ,st4            
,nicephorus1 in two volumes in folio3   
but his death prevented the             
publication4 ,his learned ,prospectus1  
dated in the monastery of ,st4          
,germain-des-,prez1 in #aghe1 is        
inserted by ,fabricius in ,biblioth4    
,gr4     t4 #f1 p4 #fdj1 and in part by 
,oudin1 de ,scrip4 t4 #b1 p4 #ac4  ,,st4
 ,,euphrasia1 ,v4  ,,antigonus1 the     
father of this saint1 was a nobleman of 
the first rank and quality in the court 
of ,theodosius the younger1 nearly      
allied in blood to that emperor1 and    
honored by him with several great       
employments in the state4 ,he was       
married to ,euphrasia1 a ladv no less   
illustrious for her birth and virtue1 by
 whom he had one only daughter and      

heiress1 called also ,euphrasia1 the    
saint of whom we treat4 ,after her      
birth1 her pious parents1 by mutual     
consent1 engaged themselves by vow1 to  
pass the remainder of their lives in    
perpetual continence1 that they might   
more perfectly aspire to the invisible  
joys of the life to come2 and from that 
time they lived together as brother and 
sister1 in the exercises of devotion1   
alms-deeds1 and penance4 ,antigonus died
 within a year1 and the holy widow1 to  
shun the importunate addresses of young 
suitors for marriage1 and the           
distraction of friends1 not long after  
withdrew privately1 with her little     
daughter1 into ,egypt1 where she was    
possessed of a very large estate4 ,in   
that country she fixed her abode near a 
holy monastery of one hundred and thirty
 nuns1 who never used any other food    
than herbs and pulse1 which they took   
only after sunset1 and some only once in
 two or three days2 they wore and slept 
on sackcloth1 wrought with their hands1 

and prayed almost without interruption4 
,when sick1 they bore their pains with  
patience1 esteeming them an effect of   
the divine mercy1 and thanking ,god for 
the same3 nor did they seek relief from 
physicians1 except in cases of absolute 
necessity1 and then only allowed of     
ordinary general remedies1 as the monks 
of ,la ,trappe do at this day4 ,delicate
 and excessive attention to health      
nourishes self-love and                 
immortification1#a and often destroys   
that health which it studies anxiously  
to preserve4 ,by the example of these   
holy virgins1 the devout mother animated
 herself to fervor in the exercises of  
religion and charity1 to which she      
totally dedicated herself4 ,she         
frequently visited these servants of    
,god1 and earnestly entreated them to   
accept a considerable annual revenue1   
with an obligation that they should     
always be bound to pray for the soul of 
her deceased husband4 ,but the abbess   
refused the estate1 saying3 ,we have    

renounced all the conveniences of the   
world1 in order to purchase heaven4 ,we 
are poor1 and such we desire to remain4 
,she could only be prevailed upon to    
accept a small matter to supply the     
church-lamp with oil1 and for incense to
 be burned on the altar4  ,the young    
,euphrasia1 at seven years of age1 made 
it her earnest request to her mother1   
that she might be permitted to serve    
,god in this monastery4 ,the pious      
mother1 on hearing this1 wept for joy1  
and not long after presented her to the 
abbess1 who1 taking up an image of      
,christ1 gave it into her hands4 ,the   
tender virgin kissed it1 saying3 ,by vow
 ,i consecrate myself to ,christ4 ,then 
the mother led her before an image of   
our ,redeemer1 and lifting up her hands 
to heaven1 said3 ,lord ,jesus ,christ1  
receive this child under your special   
protection4 ,you alone doth she love and
 seek3 to you doth she recommend        
herself4#b ,then turning to her dear    
daughter1 she said3 ,may ,god1 who laid 

the foundations of the mountains1       
strengthen you always in his holy fear4 
,and leaving her in the hands of #ehf   
the abbess1 she went out of the         
monastery weeping4 ,some time after this
 she fell sick1 and being forewarned of 
her death1 gave her last instructions to
 her daughter1 in these words3 ,fear    
,god1 honor your sisters1 and serve them
 with humility4 ,never think of what you
 have been1 nor say to yourself that you
 are of royal extraction4 ,be humble and
 poor on earth1 that you may be rich in 
heaven4 ,the good mother soon after     
slept in peace4 ,upon the news of her   
death1 the emperor ,theodosius sent for 
the noble virgin to court1 having       
promised her in marriage to a favorite  
young senator4 ,but the virgin wrote    
him1 with her own hand1 the following   
answer3 ,invincible emperor1 having     
consecrated myself to ,christ in        
perpetual chastity1 ,i cannot be false  
to my engagement1 and marry a mortal    
man1 who will shortly be the food of    

worms4 ,for the sake of my parents1 be  
pleased to distribute their estates     
among the poor1 the orphans1 and the    
church4 ,set all my slaves at liberty1  
and discharge my vassals and servants1  
giving them whatever is their due4      
,order my father's stewards to acquit my
 farmers of all they owe since his      
death1 that ,i may serve ,god without   
let or hinderance1 and may stand before 
him without the solicitude of temporal  
affairs4 ,pray for me1 you and your     
empress1 that ,i may be made worthy to  
serve ,christ4 ,the messengers returned 
with this letter to the emperor1 who    
shed many tears in reading it4 ,the     
senators who heard it burst also into   
tears1 and said to his majesty3 ,she is 
the worthy daughter of ,antigonus and   
,euphrasia1 of your royal blood1 and the
 holy offspring of a virtuous stock4    
,the emperor punctually executed all she
 desired1 a little before his death1 in 
#cie4  ,st4 ,euphrasia was to her pious 
sisters a perfect pattern of humility1  

meekness1 and charity4 ,if she found    
herself assaulted by any temptation1 she
 immediately discovered it to the       
abbess1 to drive away the devil by that 
humiliation1 and to seek a remedy4 ,the 
discreet superioress often enjoined her1
 on such occasions1 some humbling and   
painful penitential labor2 as sometimes 
to carry great stones from one place to 
another2 which employment she once1     
under an obstinate assault1 continued   
thirty days together with wonderful     
simplicity1 till the devil being        
vanquished by her humble obedience and  
chastisement of her body1 he left her in
 peace4 ,her diet was only herbs or     
pulse1 which she took after sunset1 at  
first every day1 but afterwards only    
once in two or three1 or sometimes seven
 days4 ,but her abstinence received its 
chief merit from her humility2 without  
which it would have been a fast of      
devils4 ,she cleaned out the chambers of
 the other nuns1 carried water to the   
kitchen1 and1 out of obedience1         

cheerfully employed herself in the      
meanest drudgery2 making painful labor a
 part of her penance4 ,to mention one   
instance of her extraordinary meekness  
and humility3 it is related1 that one   
day a maid in the kitchen asked her why 
she fasted whole weeks1 which no other  
attempted to do besides the abbess4 ,her
 answer was1 that the abbess had        
enjoined her that penance4 ,the other   
called her a hypocrite4 ,upon which     
,euphrasia fell at her feet1 begging her
 to pardon and pray for her4 ,in which  
action it is hard to say1 whether we    
ought more to admire the patience with  
which she received so unjust a rebuke   
and slander1 or the humility with which 
she sincerely condemned herself2 as if1 
by her hypocrisy and imperfections1 she 
had been a scandal to others4 ,she was  
favored with miracles both before and   
after her death1 which happened in the  
year #daj1 and the thirtieth of her age4
 ,her name is recorded on this day in   
the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,see her       

ancient authentic life in ,rosweide1 p4 
#cea1 ,d',andilly1 and most correct in  
the ,acta ,sanctorum1 by the            
,bollandists4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,it is  
severely condemned by ,st4 ,bernard1 ep4
 #cde1 ol4 #cba1 p4 #cah1     and serm4 
#ej1 in ,cant4 ,st4 ,ambrose serm4 #bb1 
in ,ps4 #aah1 and by     ,abbot ,rance1 
the reformer of ,la ,trappe4 #b4  ,this 
passage is quoted by ,st4 ,john         
,damascene1 ,or4 #c1 de ,imagin4  #ehg  
,,st4 ,,theophanes1 ,,abbot1 ,c4  ,,his 
father1 who was governor of the isles of
 the ,archipelago1 died when he was only
 three years old1 and left him heir to a
 very great estate1 under the           
guardianship of the ,iconoclast emperor1
 ,constantine ,copronymus4 ,amidst the  
dangers of such an education1 a faithful
 pious servant instilled into his tender
 mind the most generous sentiments of   
virtue and religion4 ,being arrived at  
man's estate1 he was compelled by his   
friends to take a wife2 but on the day  
of his marriage1 he spoke in so moving a

 manner to his consort on the shortness 
and uncertainty of this life1 that they 
made a mutual vow of perpetual chastity4
 ,she afterwards became a nun1 and he   
for his part built two monasteries in   
,mysia2 one of which1 called            
,megal-,agre1 near the ,propontis1 he   
governed himself4 ,he lived1 as it were1
 dead to the world and the flesh1 in the
 greatest purity of life1 and in the    
exercises of continual mortification and
 prayer4 ,in #ghg1 he assisted at the   
second council of ,nice1 where all      
admired to see one1 whom they had       
formerly known in so much worldly       
grandeur1 now so meanly clad1 so modest1
 and so full of self-contempt as he     
appeared to be4 ,he never laid aside his
 hair shirt2 his bed was a mat1 and his 
pillow a stone2 his sustenance was hard 
coarse bread and water4 ,at fifty years 
of age1 he began to be grievously       
afflicted with the stone and nephritic  
colic2 but bore with cheerfulness the   
most excruciating pains of his          

distemper4 ,the emperor ,leo1 the       
,armenian1 in #had1 renewed the         
persecution against the church1 and     
abolished the use of holy images1 which 
had been restored under ,constantine and
 ,irene4 ,knowing the great reputation  
and authority of ,theophanes1 he        
endeavored to gain him by civilities and
 crafty letters4 ,the saint discovered  
the hook concealed under his alluring   
baits1 which did not1 however1 hinder   
him from obeying the emperor's summons  
to ,constantinople1 though at that time 
under a violent fit of the stone2 which 
distemper1 for the remaining part of his
 life1 allowed him very short intervals 
of ease4 ,the emperor sent him this     
message3 ,from your mild and obliging   
disposition1 ,i flatter myself you are  
come to confirm my sentiments on the    
point in question with your suffrage4   
,it is your readiest way for obtaining  
my favor1 and with that the greatest    
riches and honors for yourself1 your    
monastery1 and relations1 which it is in

 the power of an emperor to bestow4 ,but
 if you refuse to comply with my desires
 in this affair1 you will incur my      
highest displeasure1 and draw misery and
 disgrace on yourself and friends4 ,the 
holy man returned for answer3 ,being now
 far advanced in years1 and much broken 
with pains and infirmities1 ,i have     
neither relish nor inclination for any  
of these things which ,i despised fox   
,christ's sake in my youth1 when ,i was 
in a condition to enjoy the world4 ,as  
to my monastery and my friends1 ,i      
recommend them to ,god4 ,if you think to
 frighten me into a compliance by your  
threats1 as a child is awed by the rod1 
you only lose your labor4 ,for though   
unable to walk1 and subject to many     
other corporeal infirmities1 ,i trust in
 ,christ that he will enable me to      
undergo1 in defence of his cause1 the   
sharpest tortures you can inflict on nay
 weak body4 ,the emperor employed       
several persons to endeavor to overcome 
his resolution1 but in vain3 so seeing  

himself vanquished by his constancy1 he 
confined him two years in a close       
stinking dungeon1 where he suffered much
 from his distemper and want of         
necessaries4 ,he was also cruelly       
scourged1 having received three hundred 
stripes4 ,in #hah1 he was1 removed out  
of his dungeon1 and banished into the   
isle of ,samothracia1 where he died in  
seventeen days after his arrival1 on the
 #abth of ,march4 ,his relics were      
honored by many miraculous cures4 ,he   
has #ehh left us his ,chronographia1 or 
short history from the year #hbd1 the   
first of ,dioclesian1 where ,george     
,syncellus left off1 to the year #hac4a 
,his imprisonment did not allow him     
leisure to polish the style4 ,see his   
contemporary life1 and the notes of     
,goar and ,combefis1 two learned        
,dominicans1 on his works1 printed at   
,paris1 in #afee4  ,footnotes3 #a4      
,george ,syncellus1 7i4 e4 secretary to 
the patriarch ,st4 ,tarasius17 a        
holy monk1 and zealous defender of holy 

images1 was a close friend     of ,st4  
,theophanes1 and died about the year    
#hjj4 ,in his chronicle are             
preserved excellent fragments of        
,manetho1 the ,egyptian1 of ,julius     
,africanus1 ,eusebius1 c4  ,,saint      
,,kennocha1 ,,virgin ,,in ,,scotland1   
,,in ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,king ,,malcolm
 ,,ii4  ,,from her infancy she was a    
model of humility1 meekness1 modesty1   
and devotion4 ,though an only daughter1 
and the heiress of a rich and noble     
family1 fearing lest the poison which   
lurks in the enjoyment of perishable    
goods should secretly steal into her    
affections1 or the noise of the world   
should be a hinderance to her attention 
to heavenly things and spiritual        
exercises1 she rejected all             
solicitations of suitors and worldly    
friends1 and1 in the bloom of life1 made
 an entire sacrifice of herself to ,god1
 by making her religious profession in a
 great nunnery1 in the county of ,fife4 
,in this holy state1 by an extraordinary

 love of poverty and mortification1 a   
wonderful gift of prayer1 and purity or 
singleness of heart1 she attained to the
 perfection of all virtues4 ,several    
miracles which she wrought made her name
 famous among men1 and she passed to    
,god in a good old age1 in the year     
#ajjg4 ,several churches in ,scotland   
bore her name1 particularly one near    
,glasgow1 still called ,st4 ,kennoch's  
,kirk1 and another called by an         
abbreviation of her name ,kyle1 in which
 her relics were formerly kept with     
singular veneration4 ,in the ,aberdeen  
,breviary she is honored with a         
particular prayer4 ,she is mentioned by 
,adam ,king1 in his calendar1 and an    
account of her life is given us in the  
,chronicle of ,scone4  ,,st4 ,,gerald1  
,,bishop4  ,,he was an ,englishman1 who1
 passing into ,ireland1 became a monk in
 the abbey of ,megeo1 or ,mayo1 founded 
by ,colman of ,lindisfarne1 for the     
,english4 ,gerald was advanced          
successively to the dignity of abbot and

 bishop1 and founded the abbey of       
,elytheria1 or ,tempul-,gerald in       
,connaught1 that of ,teagh-na-,saxon1   
and a nunnery which he put under the    
care of his sister ,segretia4 ,he       
departed to our ,lord in #gcb1 and was  
buried at ,mayo1 where a church         
dedicated to ,god under his patronage   
remains to this day4 ,see ,colgan4      
,,st4 ,,mochoemoc1 ,,in ,,latin1        
,,pulcherius1 ,,abbot4  ,,having been   
educated under ,st4 ,comgal1 in the     
monastery of ,benchor1 he laid the      
foundation of the great monastery of    
,liath-,mochoemoc1 around which a large 
town was raised1 which still bears that 
name4 ,his happy death is placed by the 
chronologists on the #acth of ,march1 in
 #fce4 ,see ,usher's ,antiquities in    
,tab4 ,chron4 and ,colgan4  #ehi        
,,march ,,xiv4  ,,st4 ,,maud1 ,,or      
,,mathildis1 ,,queen ,,of ,,germany4    
,from her life written forty years after
 her death1 by the order of ,st4 ,henry2
 ,acta ,sanct4 t4 #g1 p4 #cfa4  ,a4,d4  

#ifh4  ,,this princess was daughter of  
,theodoric1 a powerful ,saxon count4    
,her parents1 being sensible that piety 
is the only true greatness1 placed her  
very young in the monastery of ,erford1 
of which her grandmother ,maud1 who had 
renounced the world in her widowhood1   
was then abbess4 ,here our saint        
acquired an extraordinary relish for    
prayer and spiritual reading2 and       
learned to work at her needle1 and to   
employ all the precious moments of life 
in something serious and worthy the     
great end of her creation4 ,she remained
 in that house an accomplished model of 
all virtues1 till her parents married   
her to ,henry1 son of ,otho1 duke of    
,saxony1 in #iac4 ,her husband1 surnamed
 the ,fowler1 from his fondness for the 
diversion of hawking1 then much in      
vogue1 became duke of ,saxony by the    
death of his father1 in #iaf2 and in    
#iai1 upon the death of ,conrad1 was    
chosen king of ,germany4 ,he was a pious
 and victorious prince1 and very tender 

of his subjects4 ,his solicitude in     
easing their taxes1 made them ready to  
serve their country in his wars at their
 own charges1 though he generously      
recompensed their zeal after his        
expeditions1 which were always attended 
with success4 ,while he by his arms     
checked the insolence of the ,hungarians
 and ,danes1 and enlarged his dominions 
by adding to them ,bavaria1 ,maud gained
 domestic victories over her spiritual  
enemies1 more worthy of a ,christian1   
and far greater in the eyes of heaven4  
,she nourished the precious seeds of    
devotion and humility in her heart by   
assiduous prayer and meditation2 and1   
not content with the time which the day 
afforded for these exercises1 employed  
part of the night the same way4 ,the    
nearer the view was which she took of   
worldly vanities1 the more clearly she  
discovered their emptiness and dangers1 
and sighed to see men pursue such       
bubbles to the loss of their souls2 for1
 under a fair outside1 they contain     

nothing but poison and bitterness4  ,it 
was her delight to visit1 comfort1 and  
exhort the sick and the afflicted1 to   
serve and instruct the poor1 teaching   
them the advantages of their state from 
the benedictions and example of ,christ2
 and to afford her charitable succors to
 prisoners1 procuring them their liberty
 where motives of justice would permit  
it2 or at least easing the weight of    
their chains by liberal alms2 but her   
chief aim was to make them shake off    
their sins by sincere repentance4 ,her  
husband1 edified by her example1        
concurred with her in every pious       
undertaking which she projected4 ,after 
twenty-three years' marriage1 ,god was  
pleased to call the king to himself by  
an apoplectic fit1 in #icf4 ,maud1      
during his sickness1 went to the church 
to pour forth her soul in prayer for him
 at the foot of the altar4 ,as soon as  
she understood1 by the tears and cries  
of the people1 that he had expired1 she 
called for a priest that was fasting1 to

 offer the holy sacrifice for his soul2 
and at the same time cut off the jewels 
which she wore1 and gave them to the    
priest1 as a pledge that she renounced  
from that moment the pomp of the world4 
,she had three sons2 ,otho1 afterwards  
emperor2 ,henry1 duke of ,bavaria1 and  
,st4 ,bruno1 archbishop of ,cologne4    
,otho was crowned king of ,germany in   
#icg1 #eij and emperor at ,rome in #ifb1
 after his victories over the ,bohemians
 and ,lombards4 ,maud1 in the contest   
between her two elder sons for the      
crown1 which was elective1 favored      
,henry1 who was the younger1 a fault she
 expiated by severe afflictions and     
penance4 ,these two sons conspired to   
strip her of her dowry1 on the unjust   
pretence that she had squandered away   
the revenues of the state on the poor4  
,this persecution was long and cruel1   
coming from all that was most dear to   
her in this world4 ,the unnatural       
princes at length repented of their     
injustice1 were reconciled to her1 and  

restored her all that had been taken    
from her4 ,she then became more liberal 
in her alms than ever1 and founded many 
churches1 with five monasteries2 of     
which the principal were that of ,polden
 in the duchy of ,brunswick1 in which   
she maintained three thousand monks2 and
 that of ,quedlinbourg in the duchy of  
,saxony4#a ,she buried her husband in   
this place1 and when she had finished   
the buildings1 made it her usual        
retreat4 ,she applied herself totally to
 her devotions1 and to works of mercy4  
,it was her greatest pleasure to teach  
the poor and ignorant how to pray1 as   
she had formerly taught her servants4   
,in her last sickness she made her      
confession to her grandson ,william1 the
 archbishop of ,mentz1 who yet died     
twelve days before her1 on his road     
home4 ,she again made a public          
confession before the priests and monks 
of the place1 received a second time the
 last sacraments1 and lying on a        
sackcloth with ashes on her head1 died  

on the #adth of ,march1 in #ifh4 ,her   
body remains at ,quedlinbourg4 ,her name
 is recorded to the ,roman ,martyrology 
on this day4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the beginning of 
true virtue is most ardently to desire  
it1 and to ask it of ,god with the      
utmost assiduity and earnestness1#b     
preferring it with all the saints to    
kingdoms and thrones1 and considering   
riches as nothing in comparison of this 
our only and inestimable treasure4      
,fervent prayer1 holy meditation1 and   
reading pious books1 are the principal  
means by which it is to be constantly   
improved1 and the interior life of the  
soul to be strength ened4 ,these are so 
much the more necessary in the world    
than in a religious state1 as its poison
 and distractions threaten her          
continually with the greatest danger4   
,amidst the pomp1 hurry1 and amusements 
of a court1 ,st4 ,maud gave herself up  
to holy contemplation with such         
earnestness1 that though she was never  

wanting to any exterior or social       
duties1 her soul was raised above all   
perishable goods1 dwelt always in       
heaven1 and sighed after that happy     
moment which was to break the bonds of  
her slavery1 and unite her to ,god in   
eternal bliss and perfect love4 ,is it  
possible that so many ,christians1      
capable of finding in ,god their        
sovereign felicity1 should amuse        
themselves with pleasures which flatter 
the senses1 with reading profane books1 
and seeking an empty satisfaction in    
idle visits1 vain conversation1 news1   
and sloth1 in which they pass those     
precious hours which they might employ  
in exercises of devotion1 and in the    
duties and serious employments of their 
station6 ,what trifles do they suffer to
 fill their minds and hearts1 and to rob
 them of the greatest of all treasures6 
,conversation and visits in the world   
must only be allowed as far as they are 
social duties1 must be regulated by     
charity and necessity1 sanctified by    

simplicity1 prudence1 and every virtue1 
animated by the spirit of ,god1 and     
seasoned with a holy unction which      
divine grace gives to those whom it     
perfectly replenishes and possesses4    
,footnotes3 #a4  ,the abbess of this    
latter is the first princess of the     
empire4 #b4  ,sap4 vii4 #f4  #eia  ,,ss4
 ,,acepsimas1 ,,bishop1 ,,joseph1       
,,priest2 ,,and ,,aithilahas1 ,,deacon1 
,,mm4  ,,st4 ,,maruthas closes1 with the
 acts of these martyrs1 his history of  
the persecution of king ,sapor1 which   
raged without intermission during forty 
years4 ,the venerable author assures us1
 that1 living in the neighborhood1 he   
had carefully informed himself of the   
several circumstances of their combats  
from those who were eye-witnesses1 and  
ushers in his account with the following
 address3 ,be propitious to me1 ,o      
,lord1 through the prayers of these     
martyrs--,being assisted by the divine  
grace1 and strengthened by your         
protection1 ,o ye incomparable men1 ,i  

presume to draw the outlines of your    
heroic virtue and incredible torments4  
,but the remembrance of your bitter     
sufferings covers me with shame1        
confusion1 and tears1 for myself and my 
sins4 ,o6 you who hear this relation1   
count the days and the hours of three   
years and a half1 which they spent in   
prison1 and remember they passed no     
month without frequent tortures1 no day 
free from pain1 no hour without the     
threat of immediate death4 ,the         
festivals and new moons were black to   
them by fresh racks1 beatings1 clubs1   
chains1 hanging by their limbs1         
dislocations of their joints1 c4 ,in the
 thirty-seventh year of this            
persecution1 a fresh edict was          
published1 commanding the governors and 
magistrates to punish all ,christians   
with racks1 scourges1 stoning1 and every
 sort of death1 laying to their charge  
the following articles3 ,they abolish   
our doctrine2 they teach men to worship 
one only ,god1 and forbid them to adore 

the sun or fire2 they use water for     
profane washing2 they forbid persons to 
marry1 to be soldiers in the king's     
armies1 or to strike any one2 they      
permit all sorts of animals to be       
killed1 and they suffer the dead to be  
buried2 they say that serpents and      
scorpions were made1 not by the devil1  
but by ,god himself4  ,acepsimas1 bishop
 of ,honita in ,assyria1 a man above    
fourscore years old1 but of a vigorous  
and strong constitution of body1 was    
apprehended1 and conducted in chains to 
,arbela1 before the governor4 ,this     
judge inquired how he could deny the    
divinity of the sun1 which all the ,east
 adored4 ,the martyr answered him1      
expressing his astonishment how men     
could prefer a creature to the ,creator4
 ,by the orders of the governor he was  
laid on the ground with his feet bound1 
and in that posture barbarously         
scourged1 till his whole body was       
covered with blood2 after which he was  
thrown into prison4  ,in the mean time  

one ,joseph1 a holy priest of           
,bethcatuba1 and ,aithilahas1 a deacon  
of ,beth-nudra1 famed for eloquence1    
sanctity1 and learning1 were brought    
before the same governor4 ,to his       
interrogatories1 ,joseph answered1 that 
he was a ,christian1 and had always     
taught the sun to be an inanimate       
creature4 ,the issue was1 that he was   
stretched flat on the ground1 and beaten
 with thick twigs stripped of the       
thorns1 by ten executioners who         
succeeded one another1 till his body    
seemed one continued wound4 ,at the     
sight of himself in this condition the  
martyr with joy said3 ,i return you the 
greatest thanks ,i am able1 ,christ1 the
 ,son of ,god1 who have granted me this 
mercy1 and washed me with this second   
baptism of my blood1 to wipe away my    
sins4 ,his courage the persecutors      
deemed an insult1 and redoubled their   
fury in tearing and bruising his blessed
 body4 ,after he was loosened1 loaded   
with heavy chains1 and cast into the    

same dungeon with ,acepsimas1           
,aithilahas was called upon4 ,the       
governor said to him3 ,adore #eib the   
sun1 which is a divinity1 eat blood1    
marry1#a and obey the king1 and you     
shall live4 ,the martyr answered3 ,it is
 better to die1 in order to live        
eternally4 ,by the judge's command1 his 
hands were tied under his knees1 and his
 body fastened to a beam3 in this       
posture it was squeezed and pulled many 
ways1 and afterwards scourged4 ,his     
bones were in many places broken or     
dislocated1 and his flesh mangled4 ,at  
length1 not being able to stand1 he was 
carried back to prison on men's         
shoulders4 ,on the next day1 they were  
all three again brought forth and       
stretched on the ground1 bound fast with
 cords1 and their legs1 thighs1 and ribs
 so squeezed and strained by stakes1    
that the noise of the bones breaking    
filled the place with horror4 ,yet to   
every solicitation of the judge or      
officers1 their answer was3 ,we trust in

 one ,god1 and we will not obey the     
king's edicts4 ,scarce a day passed in  
which some new torture or other was not 
invented and tried upon them4  ,after   
they had for three years suffered the   
hardships of imprisonment and daily     
torments1 the king coming into ,media1  
the martyrs were brought before         
,adarsapor1 the chief of all the        
governors of the ,east1 several other   
,satrapes and governors sitting with him
 in the palace4 ,they were carried      
thither1 for they were not able to walk1
 and they scarce retained the figure of 
human bodies4 ,the very sight of such   
spectacles moved all who saw them to    
compassion1 and many to tears4 ,they    
courageously professed themselves       
,christians1 and declared that they     
would never abandon their faith4        
,adarsapor said1 he saw by their wounds 
what they had already suffered1 and used
 both threats and entreaties to work    
them into a compliance with the law4    
,when they begged him to hasten the     

execution of his threats1 he told them3 
,death frees criminals from pain3 but ,i
 will render life to you as grievous as 
a continued death1 that others of your  
sect may tremble4 ,acepsimas said3 ,in  
vain do you threaten4 ,god1 in whom we  
trust1 will give us courage and         
constancy4 ,at this answer1 fury flashed
 in the eyes of ,adarsapor1 and he swore
 by the fortune of king ,sapor1 that if 
they did not that instant obey the      
edicts1 he would sprinkle their gray    
hairs with their blood1 would destroy   
their bodies1 and would cause their dead
 remains to be beaten to powder4        
,acepsimas said3 ,to you we resign our  
bodies1 and commend to ,god our souls4  
,execute what you threaten4 ,it is what 
we desire4 ,the tyrant1 with rage       
painted in every feature of his         
countenance1 ordered the venerable old  
man to be stretched on the ground1 and  
thirty men1 fifteen on each side1 to    
pull and haul him by cords tied to his  
arms1 legs1 and other limbs1 so as to   

dislocate and almost tear them asunder2 
and two hangmen in the mean time to     
scourge his body with so much cruelty1  
as to mangle and tear off the flesh in  
many parts3 under which torment the     
martyr expired4 ,his body was watched by
 guards appointed for that purpose1 till
 after three days it was stolen away by 
the ,christians1 and buried by the care 
of a daughter of the king of ,armenia1  
who was at that time a hostage in       
,media4  ,joseph and ,aithilahas        
underwent the same punishment1 but came 
alive out of the hands of the           
executioners4 ,the latter said to the   
judge under his torments3 ,your tortures
 are too mild1 increase them as you     
please4 ,adarsapor1 struck with         
astonishment at their courage1 said3    
,these men are greedy of torments as if 
they were banquets1 and are fond of a   
kingdom that is invisible4 ,he then     
caused them to be tormented afresh1 so  
that every part of their bodies was     
mangled1 and their shoulders and arms   

disjointed4 ,adarsapor gave an order    
that if they did not die of their       
torments1 they should be carried back   
into their own country1 to be there put 
to death4 #eic ,the two martyrs1 being  
not able to sit1 were tied on the backs 
of beasts1 and conveyed with great pain 
to ,arbela1 their guards treating them  
on the way with no more compassion than 
if they had been stones4 ,jazdundocta1  
an illustrious lady of the city ,arbela1
 for a great sum of money1 obtained     
leave of the governor1 that they should 
be brought to her house1 to take a short
 refreshment4 ,she dressed their wounds1
 bathed their bodies with her tears1 and
 was exceedingly encouraged by their    
faith and exhortations4 ,the blessed    
martyrs were soon taken from her house  
to prison1 where they languished six    
months longer4 ,a new governor at length
 came into that province1 the most      
savage of men1 bringing an edict of the 
king1 commanding that ,christians who   
were condemned to death1 should be      

stoned by those who professed the same  
religion4 ,the news of his arrival drove
 the ,christians into the woods and     
deserts1 that they might not be         
compelled to imbrue their hands in the  
blood of martyrs4 ,but soldiers there   
hunted them like wild beasts1 and many  
were taken4 ,the two confessors were    
presented before this new judge4 ,joseph
 was hung up by the toes1 and scourged  
during two hours1 in the presence of the
 judge1 who1 hearing him discourse on   
the resurrection1 said3 ,in that        
resurrection how do you design to punish
 me8 ,the martyr replied3 ,we are taught
 meekness1 to return good for evil1 and 
to pray for enemies4 ,well1 said the    
judge1 then ,i shall meet with kindness 
from your hands for the evil which you  
here receive from me4 ,to which the     
martyr answered3 ,there will be then no 
room for pardon or favor3 nor will one  
be able to help another4 ,i will pray   
that ,god may bring you to the knowledge
 of himself in this life4 ,the judge    

said3 ,consider these things in the next
 world1 whither ,i am going to send you3
 at present obey the king4 ,the old man 
answered3 ,death is our desire4 ,the    
emperor then began to interrogate       
,aithilahas1 and caused him to be hung  
up by the heels a long time together4   
,he was at length taken down1 and to    
move him to a compliance1 he was shown a
 certain ,manichaean heretic who had    
renounced his religion for fear of      
torments1 and was killing ants1 which   
those heretics held unlawful1 teaching  
that insects and beasts have rational   
souls4 ,the saint1 lying on the ground1 
was scourged till he fell into a swoon1 
and then was hauled aside like a dog4 ,a
 certain ,magian1 out of pity1 threw a  
coat over his wounds to cover his naked 
body2 for which act of compassion he    
received two hundred lashes1 till he    
fainted4 ,thamsapor arriving at his     
castle of ,beth-,thabala1 in that       
country1 the governor caused the martyrs
 to be carried before him4 ,they were   

ordered to eat the blood of beasts3     
which they refused to do4 ,one told     
them1 that if they would eat the juice  
of red grapes curdled1 which the people 
might think to be blood1 this would     
satisfy the judges4 ,they answered3 ,god
 forbid we should dissemble our faith4  
,we have elsewhere taken notice that the
 ,christians then observed in many      
places the positive temporary law of the
 apostles4#b ,thamsapor and the         
governor1 after a short consultation1   
condemned both to be stoned to death by 
the ,christians4 ,joseph was executed at
 ,arbela4 ,he was put into the ground up
 to the neck4 ,the guards had drawn     
together five hundred ,christians to his
 execution4 ,the noble lady ,jazdundocta
 was brought thither1 and earnestly     
pressed to throw but a feather at the   
martyr1 that she might seem to obey the 
order of the king4 ,but she resolutely  
resisted their entreaties and threats1  
desiring to die with the servant of     
,god4 ,many1 however1 having the        

weakness to comply1 a shower of stones  
fell upon the martyr1 which put an end  
to his life4 ,when he was dead1 guards  
were set to watch his body2 but the     
,christians found means to steal it away
 on the third night1 during a #eid dark 
tempest4 ,st4 ,aithilahas suffered in   
the province of ,beth-,nubadra2 the lord
 of that country1 who had been a        
,christian1 by a base apostasy1 becoming
 one of his murderers4 ,st4 ,maruthas   
adds1 that angels were heard singing at 
the place of this martyrdom1 and many   
miracles wrought4 ,these martyrs        
suffered in the year #chj1 the          
seventieth and last of the reign of     
,sapor1 and the fortieth of his         
persecution4 ,they are mentioned by     
,sozomen1#c and are named in the ,roman 
,martyrology on the #bb;d of ,april4    
,see their genuine ,chaldaic acts1 by   
,st4 ,maruthas in ,assemani1 t4 #a1 p4  
#aga4 ,act4 ,martyr4 ,orient4           
,footnotes3 #a4  ,from this1 and many   
other passages1 it is clear1 that the   

obligation     of perpetual chastity was
 annexed to ,holy ,orders in the eastern
     churches no less than in the       
western4 #b4  ,acts xv4 #bi4 #c4  ,b4   
#b1 ch4 #ac4  ,,st4 ,,boniface1 ,,bishop
 ,,of ,,ross1 ,,in ,,scotland1 ,c4  ,,an
 ardent zeal for the salvation of souls 
brought this servant of ,god from ,italy
 to ,north-,britain4 ,near the mouth of 
the ,tees1 where he landed1 he built a  
church under the invocation of ,st4     
,peter1 another at ,tellein1 three miles
 from ,alect1 and a third at ,restennet4
 ,this last was served by a famous      
monastery of regular canons of the order
 of ,st4 ,austin1 when religious houses 
were abolished in ,scotland4 ,st4       
,boniface1 by preaching the word of     
,god1 reformed the manners of the people
 in the provinces of ,angus1 ,marris1   
,buchan1 ,elgin1 ,murray1 and ,ross4    
,being made bishop in this last country1
 he filled it with oratories and        
churches1 and by planting the true      
spirit of ,christ in the hearts of many1

 settled that church in a most          
flourishing condition4 ,he died about   
the year #fcj1 and was buried at        
,rosmark1 the capital of the county of  
,ross4 ,the ,breviary of ,aberdeen      
mentions that he founded one hundred and
 fifty churches and oratories in        
,scotland1 and ascribes many miracles to
 his intercession after his death4 ,see 
that ,breviary1 and ,king on this day1  
bishop ,lesley1 l4 #d4 ,hist4 ,scot4 and
 ,hector ,boetius1 l4 #i4 ,hist4        
,,march ,,xv4  ,,st4 ,,abraham1         
,,hermit1  ,,and ,,his ,,niece ,,st4    
,,mary1 ,a ,,penitent4  ,from his life  
written by his friend1 ,st4 ,ephrem1    
,op4 t4 #b1 p4 #a1 ,ed4 nov4 ,vatic4    
,see other acts of ,st4 ,abraham1 given 
in ,latin by ,lipoman4 #bi ,oct41 and by
 ,surius1 #af ,march1 mentioned in      
,greek by ,lambecius1 ,bibl4 ,vind4 t4  
#h1 pp4 #bee1 #bfj1 #bff1 and by        
,montfaucon1 ,bibl4 ,coislin4 p4 #baa4  
,two other kinds of ,greek ,acts are    
found among the ,,mss4 at the ahbey of  

,st4 ,germain-des ,prez1 at ,paris1     
,bibl4 ,coisl4 ib4 ,see also ,jos4      
,assemani1 ,bibl4 ,orient4 t4 #a1 pp4   
#ch and #cif1 from the ,chronicle of    
,edessa3 likewise ,kohlius1 ,introductio
 in historiam et rem literariam         
,sclavorum1 p4 #caf4 ,aitonaviae1 ,a4,d4
 #agbi4  ,about the year #cfj4  ,,st4   
,,abraham was born at ,chidana1 in      
,mesopotamia1 near ,edessa1 of wealthy  
and noble parents1 who1 after giving him
 a most virtuous education1 were        
desirous of engaging him in the married 
state4 ,in compliance with their        
inclinations1 ,abraham took to wife a   
pious and noble virgin3 but earnestly   
desiring to live and die in the state of
 holy virginity1 as soon as the marriage
 ceremony and feast were over1 having   
made known his resolution #eie to his   
new bride1 be secretly withdrew to a    
cell two miles from the city ,edessa2   
where his friends found him at prayer   
after a search of seventeen days4 ,by   
earnest entreaties he obtained their    

consent1 and after their departure      
walled up the door of his cell1 leaving 
only a little window1 through which he  
received what was necessary for his     
subsistence4 ,he spent his whole time in
 adoring and praising ,god1 and         
imploring his mercy4 ,he every day wept 
abundantly4 ,he was possessed of no     
other earthly goods but a cloak and a   
piece of sackcloth which he wore1 and a 
little vessel out of which he both ate  
and drank4 ,for fifty years he was never
 wearied with his austere penance and   
holy exercises1 and seemed to draw from 
them every day fresh vigor4 ,ten years  
after he had left the world1 by the     
demise of his parents1 he inherited     
their great estates1 but commissioned a 
virtuous friend to distribute the       
revenues in alms-deeds4 ,many resorted  
to him for spiritual advice1 whom he    
exceedingly comforted and edified by his
 holy discourses4  ,a large country town
 in the diocese of ,edessa remained till
 that time addicted to idolatry1 and its

 inhabitants had loaded with injuries   
and outrages1 all the holy monks and    
others who had attempted to preach the  
gospel to them4 ,the bishop at length   
cast his eye on ,abraham1 ordained him  
priest1 though much against his will1   
and sent him to preach the faith to     
those obstinate infidels4 ,he wept all  
the way as he went1 and with great      
earnestness repeated this prayer3 ,most 
merciful ,god1 look down on my weakness3
 assist me with thy grace1 that thy name
 may be glorified4 ,despise not the     
works of thine own hands4 ,at the sight 
of the town1 reeking with the impious   
rites of idolatry1 he redoubled the     
torrents of his tears3 but found the    
citizens resolutely determined not to   
hear him speak4 ,nevertheless1 he       
continued to pray and weep among them   
without intermission1 and though he was 
often beaten and ill-treated1 and thrice
 banished by them1 he always returned   
with the same zeal4 ,after three years  
the infidels were overcome by his       

meekness and patience1 and being touched
 by an extraordinary grace1 all demanded
 baptism4 ,he stayed one year longer    
with them to instruct them in the faith2
 and on their being supplied with       
priests and other ministers1 he went    
back to his cell4  ,his brother dying   
soon after his return thither1 left an  
only daughter1 called ,mary1 whom the   
saint undertook to train up in a        
religious life4 ,for this purpose he    
placed her in a cell near his own1      
where1 by the help of his instructions1 
she became eminent for her piety and    
penance4 ,at the end of twenty years she
 was unhappily seduced by a wolf in     
sheep's clothing1 a wicked monk1 who    
resorted often to the place under color 
of receiving advice from her uncle4     
,hereupon falling into despair1 she went
 to a distant town1 where she gave      
herself up to the most criminal         
disorders4 ,the saint ceased not for two
 years to weep and pray for her         
conversion4 ,being then informed where  

she dwelt1 he dressed himself like a    
citizen of that town1 and going to the  
inn where she lived in the pursuit of   
her evil courses1 desired her company   
with him at supper4 ,when he saw her    
alone1 he took off his cap which        
disguised him1 and with many tears said 
to her3 ,daughter ,mary1 don't you know 
me8 ,what is now become of your         
angelical habit1 of your tears and      
watchings in the divine praises8 c4     
,seeing her struck and filled with      
horror and confusion1 he tenderly       
encouraged her and comforted her1 saying
 that he would take her sins upon       
himself if she would faithfully follow  
his advice1 and that his friend ,ephrem 
also prayed and wept for her4 ,she with 
many tears returned him her most hearty 
thanks1 and promised to obey in all     
things his injunctions4 ,he set her on  
his horse1 and led the beast himself on 
foot4 ,in this manner he conducted her  
back to his desert1 and shut her up in a
 cell behind his own4 #eif ,there she   

spent the remaining fifteen years of her
 life in continual tears and the most   
perfect practices of penance and other  
virtues4 ,almighty ,god was pleased1    
within three years after her conversion1
 to favor her with the gift of working  
miracles by her prayers4 ,and as soon as
 she was dead1 her countenance appeared 
to us1 says ,st4 ,ephrem1 so shining1   
that we understood that choirs of angels
 had attended at her passage out of this
 life into a better4 ,st4 ,abraham died 
five years before her3 at the news of   
whose sickness almost the whole city and
 country flocked to receive his         
benediction4 ,when he had expired1 every
 one strove to procure for themselves   
some part of his clothes1 and ,st4      
,ephrem1 who was an eye-witness1        
relates1 that many sick were cured by   
the touch of these relics4 ,,ss4        
,abraham and ,mary were both dead when  
,st4 ,ephrem wrote1 who died himself in 
#cgh4a ,st4 ,abraham is named in the    
,latin1 ,greek1 and ,coptic calendars1  

and also ,st4 ,mary in those of the     
,greeks4  ,st4 ,abraham converted his   
desert into a paradise1 because he found
 in it his ,god1 whose presence makes   
,heaven4 ,he wanted not the company of  
men1 who enjoyed that of ,god and his   
angels2 nor could he ever be at a loss  
for employment1 to whom both the days   
and nights were too short for heavenly  
contemplation4 ,while his body was      
employed in penitential manual labor1   
his mind and heart were sweetly taken up
 in ,god1 who was to him ,all in ,all1  
and the centre of all his desires and   
affections4 ,his watchings were but an  
uninterrupted sacrifice of divine love1 
and by the ardor of his desire1 and the 
disposition of his soul and its virtual 
tendency to ,god1 his sleep itself was a
 continuation of his union with ,god1   
and exercise of loving him4 ,he could   
truly say with the spouse1 ,i sleep1 but
 my heart watcheth4 ,thus the           
,christians1 who are placed in          
distracting stations1 may also do1 if   

they accustom themselves to converse    
interiorly with ,god in purity of heart1
 and in all their actions and desires   
have only his will in view4 ,such a life
 is a kind of imitation of the          
,seraphims1 to whom to live and to love 
are one and the same thing4 ,the angels1
 says ,st4 ,gregory the ,great1 always  
carry their ,heaven about with them     
wheresoever they are sent1 because they 
never depart from ,god1 or cease to     
behold him2 ever dwelling in the bosom  
of his immensity1 living and moving in  
him1 and exercising their ministry in   
the sanctuary of his divinity4 ,this is 
the happiness of every ,christian who   
makes a desert1 by interior solitude1 in
 his own heart4  ,footnotes3 #a4        
,bollandus1 ,papebroke1 and ,pagi1      
pretend that ,st4 ,abraham the hermit   
lived near the ,hellespont1 and long    
after ,st4 ,ephrem3 but are     clearly 
confuted by ,jos4 ,assemani1 ,bibl4     
,orient4 t1 l1 and ,com4 ,in            
,calend4 ,univ4 t4 #e4 p4 #cbd1 ad #bi  

,oct4 ,the chronicle of ,edessa         
assures us that he was a native of      
,chidana1 and was living in the     year
 of the ,greeks1 #ffg1 of ,christ1 #cef4
  ,,st4 ,,zachary1 ,,pope1 ,c4  ,,he    
succeeded ,gregory ,,iii41 in #gda1 and 
was a man of singular meekness and      
goodness2 and so far from any thought of
 revenge1 that he heaped benefits on    
those who had persecuted him before his 
promotion to the pontificate4 ,he loved 
the clergy and people of ,rome to that  
degree1 that he hazarded his life for   
them on occasion of the troubles which  
,italy fell into by the rebellion of the
 dukes of ,spoletto and ,benevento      
against king ,luitprand4 ,out of respect
 to his sanctity and dignity1 that king 
restored to the church of ,rome all the 
places which belonged to it3 ,ameria1   
,horta1 ,narni1 ,ossimo1 ,ancona1 and   
the whole territory of ,sabina1 and sent
 back the captives without ransom4 ,the 
,lombards were moved to tears at the    
devotion with which they heard him      

perform the divine service4 ,by a       
journey to ,pavia1 #eig he obtained also
 of ,luitprand1 though with some        
difficulty1 peace for the territory of  
,ravenna1 and the restitution of the    
places which he had taken from the      
exarchate4 ,the zeal and prudence of    
this holy pope appeared in many         
wholesome regulations1 which he had made
 to reform or settle the discipline and 
peace of several churches4 ,st4         
,boniface1 the apostle of ,germany1     
wrote to him against a certain priest1  
named ,virgilius2 that he labored to sow
 the seeds of discord between him and   
,odilo1 duke of ,bavaria1 and taught1   
besides other errors1 that there were   
other men under the earth1 another sun  
and moon1 and another world4#a ,pope    
,zachary answered1 that if he taught    
such an error he ought to be deposed4   
,this cannot be understood as a         
condemnation of the doctrine of         
,antipodes1 or the spherical figure of  
the earth1 as some writers have imagined

 by mistake4 ,the error here spoken of  
is that of certain heretics1 who        
maintained that there was another race  
of men1 who did not descend from ,adam1 
and were not redeemed by ,christ4 ,nor  
did ,zachary pronounce any sentence in  
the case3 for in the same letter he     
ordered that ,virgilius should be sent  
to ,rome1 that this doctrine might be   
examined4 ,it seems that he cleared     
himself3 for we find this same          
,virgilius soon after made bishop of    
,saltzburgh4#b ,certain ,venetian       
merchants having bought at ,rome many   
slaves to sell to the ,moors in ,africa1
 ,st4 ,zachary forbade such an          
iniquitous traffic1 and1 paying the     
merchants their price1 gave the slaves  
their liberty4 ,he adorned ,rome with   
sacred buildings1 and with great        
foundations in favor of the poor and    
pilgrims1 and gave every year a         
considerable sum to furnish oil for the 
lamps in ,st4 ,peter's church4 ,he died 
in #geb1 in the month of ,march1 and is 

honored in the ,roman ,martyrology on   
this day4 ,see his letters and the      
,pontificals1 t4 #f1 ,conc41 also       
,fleury1 l4 #db1 t4 #i1 p4 #cdi4        
,footnotes3 #a4  ,quod alius mundus et  
alii homines sub terra sunt1 seu alius  
sol et     luna4 7,ep4 #aj1 t #f1 ,conc4
 pp4 #ae1 #ba1 et ,bibl4 ,patr4 ,inter4 
,epist4     ,s4 ,bonif47 ,to imagine    
different worlds of men upon earth1 some
 not     descending from ,adam1 nor     
redeemed by ,christ1 is contrary to the 
holy scriptures1 and therefore justly   
condemned as erroneous1 as     ,baronius
 observes1 7add4 ann4 #ghd1 n4 #ab47 #b4
  ,many ancient philosophers thought the
 earth flat1 not spherical1 and         
believed no ,antipodes4 ,several fathers
 adopted this vulgar error in           
philosophy1 in which faith no way       
interferes1 as ,st4 ,austin1 7l4 #af1   
de ,civ4 ,dei1 c4 #i17 ,bede1 7l4 #d1 de
 ,principiis ,philos417 and ,cosmas     
the ,egyptian1 surnamed ,indicopleustes4
 ,it is1 however1 a mistake to          

imagine1 with ,montfaucon1 in his       
preface to this last-mentioned          
author1 that this was the general       
opinion of ,christian philosophers      
down to the fifteenth century4 ,for the 
learned ,philophonus     demonstrated   
before the modern discoveries1 7de      
,mundi ,creat4 l4 #c1     c4 #ac17 that 
the greater part of the fathers teach   
the world to be a     sphere1 as ,st4   
,basil1 the two ,,ss4 ,gregories1 of    
,nazianzum and of     ,nyssa1 ,st4      
,athanasins1 c4 ,and several among them 
mention ,antipodes1     as ,st4 ,hilary1
 7in ,ps4 #b1 n4 #cb17 ,origen1 7l4 #b1 
de princip4 c4 #c17     ,st4 ,clement1  
pope1 c4   ,,march ,,xvi4  ,,st4        
,,julian1 ,,of ,,cilicia1 ,m4  ,from the
 panegyric of ,st4 ,chrysostom1 t4 #b1  
p4 #fga4 ,ed4 ,ben4 ,tillem4 t4 #e1 p4  
#egc4  ,,this saint was a ,cilician1 of 
a senatorian family in ,anazarbus1 and a
 minister of the gospel4 ,in the        
persecution of ,dioclesian he fell into 
the hands of a judge1 who1 by his brutal

 behavior1 resembled more a wild beast  
than a man4 ,the president1 seeing his  
constancy proof against the sharpest    
torments1 hoped to overcome him by the  
long continuance of his martyrdom4 ,he  
caused him to be brought before his     
tribunal everyday2 sometimes he caressed
 him1 at other times threatened him with
 a thousand tortures4 ,for a whole year 
together he caused him to be dragged as 
a malefactor through all the towns of   
,cilicia1 imagining that this shame and 
confusion might vanquish #eih him3 but  
it served only to increase the martyr's 
glory1 and gave him an opportunity of   
encouraging in the faith all the        
,christians of ,cilicia by his example  
and exhortations4 ,he suffered every    
kind of torture4 ,the bloody            
executioners had torn his flesh1        
furrowed his sides1 laid his bones bare1
 and exposed his very bowels to view4   
,scourges1 fire1 and the sword1 were    
employed various ways to torment him    
with the utmost cruelty4 ,the judge saw 

that to torment him longer was laboring 
to shake a rock1 and was forced at      
length to own himself conquered by      
condemning him to death3 in which1      
however1 he studied to surpass his      
former cruelty4 ,he was then at ,a,egea1
 a town on the sea-coast2 and he caused 
the martyr to be sewed up in a sack with
 scorpions1 serpents1 and vipers1 and so
 thrown into the sea4 ,this was the     
,roman punishment for parricides1 the   
worst of malefactors1 yet seldom        
executed on them4 ,eusebius mentions1   
that ,st4 ,ulpian of ,tyre suffered a   
like martyrdom1 being thrown into the   
sea in a leather sack1 together with a  
dog and an aspick4 ,the sea gave back   
the body of our holy martyr1 which the  
faithful conveyed to ,alexandria of     
,cilicia1 and afterwards to ,antioch1   
where ,st4 ,chrysostom pronounced his   
panegyric before his shrine4 ,he        
eloquently sets forth how much these    
sacred relics were honored2 and affirms1
 that no devil could stand their        

presence1 and that men by them found a  
remedy for their bodlily distempers1 and
 the cure of the evils of the soul4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,the martyrs lost with joy their worldly
 honors1 dignity1 estates1 friends1     
liberty1 and lives1 rather than forfeit 
for one moment their fidelity to ,god4  
,they courageously bade defiance to     
pleasures and torments1 to prosperity   
and adversity1 to life and death1       
saying1 with the apostle3 ,who shall    
separate us from the love of ,jesus     
,christ8 ,crowns1 sceptres1 worldly     
riches1 and pleasures1 you have no      
charms which shall ever tempt me to     
depart in the least tittle from the     
allegiance which ,i owe to ,god4        
,alarming fears of the most dreadful    
evils1 prisons1 racks1 fire1 and death1 
in every shape of cruelty1 you shall    
never shake my constancy4 ,nothing shall
 ever separate me from the love of      
,christ4 ,this must be the sincere      
disposition of every ,christian4 ,lying 

protestations of fidelity to ,god cost  
us nothing3 but he sounds the heart4 ,is
 our constancy such as to bear evidence 
to our sincerity1 that rather than to   
fail in the least duty to ,god1 we are  
ready to resist to blood8 and that we   
are always upon our guard to keep our   
ears shut to the voices of those syrens 
which never cease to lay snares to our  
senses8  ,,st4 ,,finian1 ,,surnamed     
,,lobhar1 ,,or ,,the ,,leper1  ,,was son
 of ,conail1 descended from ,kian1 the  
son of ,alild1 king of ,munster4 ,he was
 a disciple of ,st4 ,brendan1 and       
flourished about the middle of the sixth
 century4 ,he imitated the patience of  
,job1 under a loathsome and tedious     
distemper1 from which his surname was   
given him4 ,the famous abbey of         
,innis-fallen1 which stood in an island 
of that name1 in the great and beautiful
 lake of ,lough-,lane in the county of  
,kerry1 was found ed by our saint4#a ,a 
second1 called from him ,ardfinnan1 he  
built in ,tipperary2 and a third at     

,cluainmore ,madoc1 in ,leinster1 where 
he was buried4 ,he died on the #b;d of  
,february2 but1 says ,colgan1 his       
festival is kept on the #afth of ,march 
at all the above-mentioned places4 ,sir 
,james ,ware #eii speaks of two ,,ms4   
histories of his life4 ,see also ,usher1
 7,antiq4 c4 #ag17 ,colgan1 #ag ,martii4
 ,mr4 ,smith1 in his natural and civil  
history of the county of ,kerry1 in     
#agee1 p4 #abg4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,in   
the monastery of ,innis-fallen was      
formerly kept a chronicle     called the
 ,annals of ,innis-fallen4 ,they contain
 a sketch of     universal history1 from
 the creation to the year #dcj4 ,from   
that time     the annalist amply enough 
prosecutes the affairs of ,ireland down 
to     the year #abae1 when he wrote4   
,they were continued by another hand to 
#acbj4 ,they are often quoted by ,bishop
 ,usher and ,sir ,james ,ware4 ,an      
imperfect transcript is kept among the  
,,mss4 of the library of     ,trinity   
college1 ,dublin4 ,bishop ,nicholson1 in

 his ian ,historical     ,library1      
informs us1 that the late duke of       
,chandos had a complete     copy of     
them4   ,,march ,,xvii4  ,,saint        
,,patrick1 ,b4,c4  ,,apostle ,,of       
,,ireland4  ,the ,irish have many lives 
of their great apostle1 whereof the two 
principal are1 that compiled by         
,jocelin1 a ,cistercian monk1 in the    
twelfth century1 who quotes four lives  
written by disciples of the saint2 and  
that by ,probus1 who1 according to      
,bollandus1 lived in the seventh        
century4 ,but in both are intermixed    
several injudicious popular reports4    
,we1 with ,tillemont1 chiefly confine   
ourselves to the saint's own writings1  
his ,confession1 and his letter to      
,corotic1 which that judicious critic   
doubts not to be genuine4 ,the style in 
both is the same2 he is expressed in    
them to be the author2 the ,confession  
is quoted by all the authors of his     
life1 and the letter was written before 
the conversion of the ,franks under king

 ,clovis1 in #dif4 ,see ,tillemont1 t4  
#af1 p4 #dee1 and ,brininnia ,sancta4   
,a4,d4 #dfd4  ,,if the virtue of        
children reflects an honor on their     
parents1 much more justly is the name of
 ,st4 ,patrick rendered illustrious by  
the innumerable lights of sanctity with 
which the church of ,ireland1 planted by
 his labors in the most remote corner of
 the then known world1 shone during many
 ages2 and by the colonies of saints    
with which it peopled many foreign      
countries2 for1 under ,god1 its         
inhabitants derived from their glorious 
apostle the streams of that eminent     
sanctity by which they were long        
conspicuous to the whole world4 ,st4    
,patrick was born in the decline of the 
fourth century2#a and1 as he informs us 
in his ,confession1 in a village called 
,bonaven ,taberniae1 which seems to be  
the town of ,killpatrick1 on the mouth  
of the river ,cluyd1 in ,scotland1      
between ,dunbriton and ,glasgow4 ,he    
calls himself both a ,briton and a      

,roman1 or of a mixed extraction1 and   
says his father was of a good family1   
named ,calphurnius1 and a denizen of a  
neigh-boring city of the ,romans1 who1  
not long after1 abandoned ,britain1 in  
#dji4 ,some writers call his mother     
,conchessa1 and say she was niece to    
,st4 ,martin of ,tours4 ,at fifteen     
years of age he committed a fault1 which
 appears not to have been a great crime1
 yet was to him a subject of tears      
during the remainder of his life4 ,he   
says1 that when he was sixteen1 he lived
 still ignorant of ,god1 meaning of the 
devout knowledge and fervent love of    
,god1 for he was always a ,christian3 he
 never ceased to bewail this neglect1   
and wept when he remembered that he had 
been one moment of his life insensible  
to the divine love4 ,in his sixteenth   
year he was carried into captivity by   
certain barbarians1 together with many  
of his father's vassals and slaves1     
taken upon his estate4 ,they took him   
into ,ireland1 where he was obliged to  

keep cattle on the mountains and in the 
forests1 in hunger and nakedness1 amidst
 snows1 rain1 and ice4 ,while he lived  
in this suffering condition1 ,god had   
pity on his soul1 and quickened him to a
 sense of his duty by the impulse of a  
strong interior grace4 ,the young man   
had recourse to him with his whole heart
 in fervent prayer and fasting2 and from
 that time1 faith and the love of ,god  
acquired continually new strength in his
 #fjj tender soul4 ,he prayed often in  
the day1 and also many times in the     
night1 breaking off his sleep to return 
to the divine praises4 ,his afflictions 
were to him a source of heavenly        
benedictions1 because he carried his    
cross with ,christ1 that is1 with       
patience1 resignation1 and holy joy4    
,st4 ,patrick1 after six months spent in
 slavery under the same master1 was     
admonished by ,god in a dream to return 
to his own country1 and informed that a 
ship was then ready to sail thither4 ,he
 repaired immediately to the sea-coast1 

though at a great distance1 and found   
the vessel2 but could not obtain his    
passage1 probably for want of money4    
,thus new trials ever await the servants
 of ,god4 ,the saint returned towards   
his hut1 praying as he went1 but the    
sailors1 though pagans1 called him back1
 and took him on board4 ,after three    
days' sail1 they made land1 probably in 
the north of ,scotland3 but wandered    
twenty-seven days through deserts1 and  
were a long while distressed for want of
 provisions1 finding nothing to eat4    
,patrick had often entertained the      
company on the infinite power of ,god3  
they therefore asked him1 why he did not
 pray for relief4 ,animated by a strong 
faith1 he assured them that if they     
would address themselves with their     
whole hearts to the true ,god1 he would 
hear and succor them4 ,they did so1 and 
on the same day met with a herd of      
swine4 ,from that time provisions never 
failed them till on the twenty-seventh  
day they came into a country that was   

cultivated and inhabited4 ,during their 
distress1 ,patrick refused to touch     
meats which had been offered to idols4  
,one day a great stone from a rock      
happened to fall upon him1 and had like 
to have crushed him to death1 while he  
was laid down to take a little rest4    
,but he invoked ,elias1 and was         
delivered from the danger4 ,some years  
afterwards1 he was again led captive2   
but recovered his liberty after two     
months4 ,when he was at home with his   
parents1 ,god manifested to him1 by     
divers visions1 that he destined him to 
the great work of the conversion of     
,ireland4 ,he thought he saw all the    
children of that country from the wombs 
of their mothers1 stretching out their  
hands1 and piteously crying to him for  
relief4#b  ,some think he had travelled 
into ,gaul before be undertook his      
mission1 and we find that1 while he     
preached in ,ireland1 he had a great    
desire to visit his brethren in ,gaul1  
and to see those whom he calls the      

saints of ,god1 having been formerly    
acquainted with them4 ,the authors of   
his life say1 that after his second     
captivity1 he travelled into ,gaul and  
,italy1 and had seen ,st4 ,martin1 ,st4 
,germanus of ,auxerre1 and pope         
,celestine1 and that he received his    
mission1 and the apostolical            
benediction1 from this pope1 who died in
 #dcb4 ,but it seems1 from his          
,confession1 that he was ordained       
deacon1 priest1 and bishop1 for his     
mission in his own country4 ,it is      
certain that he spent many years in     
preparing himself for those sacred      
functions4 ,great opposition was made   
against his episcopal consecration and  
mission1 both by his own relations and  
by the clergy4 ,these made him great    
offers in order to detain him among     
them1 and endeavored to affright him by 
exaggerating the dangers to which he    
exposed himself amidst the enemies of   
the ,romans and ,britons1 who did not   
know ,god4 ,some objected1 with the same

 view1 the fault which he had committed 
thirty years before as an obstacle to   
his ordination4 ,all these temptations  
threw the saint into great perplexities1
 #fja and had like to have made him     
abandon the work of ,god4 ,but the      
,lord1 whose will he consulted by       
earnest prayer1 supported him1 and      
comforted him by a vision2 so that he   
persevered in his resolution4 ,he       
forsook his family1 sold1 as he says1   
his birthright and dignity1 to serve    
strangers1 and consecrated his soul to  
,god1 to carry his name to the end of   
the earth4 ,he was determined to suffer 
all things for the accomplishment of his
 holy design1 to receive in the same    
spirit both prosperity and adversity1   
and to return thanks to ,god equally for
 the one as for the other1 desiring only
 that his name might be glorified1 and  
his divine will accomplished to his own 
honor4 ,in this disposition he passed   
into ,ireland1 to preach the gospel1    
where the worship of idols still        

generally reigned4 ,he devoted himself  
entirely for the salvation of these     
barbarians1 to be regarded as a         
stranger1 to be contemned as the last of
 men1 to suffer from the infidels       
imprisonment and all kinds of           
persecution1 and to give his life with  
joy1 if ,god should deem him worthy to  
shed his blood in his cause4 ,he        
travelled over the whole island1        
penetrating into the remotest corners1  
without fearing any dangers1 and often  
visited each province4 ,such was the    
fruit of his preachings and sufferings1 
that he consecrated to ,god1 by baptism1
 an infinite number of people1 and      
labored effectually that they might be  
perfected in his service by the practice
 of virtue4 ,he ordained everywhere     
clergymen1 induced women to live in holy
 widowhood and continence1 consecrated  
virgins to ,christ1 and instituted      
monks4 ,great numbers embraced these    
states of perfection with extreme ardor4
 ,many desired to confer earthly riches 

on him who had communicated to them the 
goods of heaven2 but he made it a       
capital duty to decline all             
self-interest1 and whatever might       
dishonor his ministry4 ,he took nothing 
from the many thousands whom he         
baptized1 and often gave back the little
 presents which some laid on the altar1 
choosing rather to mortify the fervent  
than to scandalize the weak or the      
infidels4 ,on the contrary1 he gave     
freely of his own1 both to pagans and   
,christians1 distributed large alms to  
the poor in the provinces where he      
passed1 made presents to the            
kings--judging that necessary for the   
progress of the gospel--and maintained  
and educated many children1 whom he     
trained up to serve at the altar4 ,he   
always gave till he had no more to      
bestow1 and rejoiced to see himself     
poor1 with ,jesus ,christ1 knowing      
poverty and afflictions to be more      
profitable to him than riches and       
pleasures4 ,the happy success of his    

labors cost him many persecutions4  ,a  
certain prince named ,corotick1 a       
,christian1 though in name only1        
disturbed the peace of his flock4 ,he   
seems to have reigned in some part of   
,wales1 after the ,britons had been     
abandoned by the ,romans4 ,this tyrant1 
as the saint calls him1 having made a   
descent into ,ireland1 plundered the    
country where ,st4 ,patrick had been    
just conferring the holy chrism1 that   
is1 confirmation1 on a great number of  
,neophytes1 who were yet in their white 
garments after baptism4 ,corotick1      
without paying any regard to justice1 or
 to the holy sacrament1 massacred many1 
and carried away others1 whom he sold to
 the infidel ,picts or ,scots4 ,this    
probably happened at ,easter or         
,whitsuntide4 ,the next day the saint   
sent the barbarian a letter by a holy   
priest whom he had brought up from his  
infancy1 entreating him to restore the  
,christian captives1 and at least part  
of the booty he had taken1 that the poor

 people might not perish for want2 but  
was only answered by railleries1 as if  
the ,irish could not be the same        
,christians with the ,britons3 which    
arrogance and pride sunk those barbarous
 conquerors beneath the dignity of men1 
while by it they were puffed up above   
others in their own hearts44 ,the saint1
 therefore1 to prevent the scandal which
 such a flagrant enormity gave to his   
new converts1 wrote with his own hand a 
public circular letter4 ,in it he styles
 himself a sinner and an ignorant man2  
for such is the sincere #fjb humility of
 the saints1 7most of all when they are 
obliged to exercise any acts of         
authority17 contrary to the pompous     
titles which the world affects4 ,he     
declares1 nevertheless1 that he is      
established bishop of ,ireland1 and     
pronounces ,corotick and the other      
parricides and accomplices separated    
from him and from ,jesus ,christ1 whose 
place he holds1 forbidding any to eat   
with them1 or to receive their alms1    

till they should have satisfied ,god by 
the tears of sincere penance1 and       
restored the servants of ,jesus ,christ 
to their liberty4 ,this letter expresses
 his most tender love for his flock and 
his grief for those who had been slain1 
yet mingled with joy1 because they reign
 with the prophets1 apostles1 and       
martyrs4 ,jocelin assures us1 that      
,corotick was overtaken by the divine   
vengeance4 ,st4 ,patrick wrote his      
,confession as a testimony of his       
mission1 when he was old4#c ,it is      
solid1 full of good sense and piety1    
expresses an extraordinary humility and 
a great desire of martyrdom1 and is     
written with spirit4 ,the author was    
perfectly versed in the holy scriptures4
 ,he confesses everywhere his own faults
 with a sincere humility1 and extols the
 great mercies of ,god towards him in   
this world1 who had exalted him1 though 
the most undeserving of men3 yet1 to    
preserve him in humility1 afforded him  
the advantage of meeting with extreme   

contempt from others1 that is1 from the 
heathens4 ,he confesses1 for his        
humiliation1 that1 among other          
temptations1 he felt a great desire to  
see again his own country1 and to visit 
the saints of his acquaintance in ,gaul2
 but durst not abandon his people2 and  
says1 that the ,holy ,ghost had declared
 to him that to do it would be criminal4
 ,he tells us1 that a little before he  
wrote this1 he himself and all his      
companions had been plundered and laid  
in irons for his having baptized the son
 of a certain king against the will of  
his father3 but were released after     
fourteen days4 ,he lived in the daily   
expectation of such accidents1 and of   
martyrdom2 but feared nothing1 having   
his hope as a firm anchor fixed in      
heaven1 and reposing himself with an    
entire confidence in the arms of the    
,almighty4 ,he says1 that he had lately 
baptized a very beautiful young lady of 
quality1 who some days after came to    
tell him that she had been admonished by

 an angel to consecrate her virginity to
 ,jesus ,christ1 that she might render  
herself the more acceptable to ,god4 ,he
 gave ,god thanks1 and she made her vows
 with extraordinary fervor six days     
before he wrote this letter4  ,st4      
,patrick held several councils to settle
 the discipline of the church which he  
had planted4 ,the first1 the acts of    
which are extant under his name in the  
editions of the councils1 is certainly  
genuine4 ,its canons regulate several   
points of discipline1 especially        
relating to penance4#d ,st4 ,bernard and
 the tradition of the country testify1  
that ,st4 ,patrick fixed his            
metropolitan see at ,armagh4 ,he        
established some other bishops1 as      
appears by his ,council and other       
monuments4 ,he not only converted the   
whole country by his preaching and      
wonderful miracles1 but also cultivated 
this vineyard with so fruitful a        
benediction and increase from heaven1 as
 to render ,ireland a most flourishing  

garden in the church of ,god1 and a     
country of saints4 ,and those nations1  
which had for many ages esteemed all    
others barbarians1 did not blush to     
receive from the utmost extremity of    
#fjc the uncivilized or barbarous world1
 their most renowned teachers and guides
 in the greatest of all sciences1 that  
of the saints4  ,many particulars are   
related of the labors of ,st4 ,patrick1 
which we pass over4 ,in the first year  
of his mission he attempted to preach   
,christ in the general assembly of the  
kings and states of all ,ireland1 held  
yearly at ,taraghe1 or ,themoria1 in    
,east-,meath1 the residence of the chief
 king1 styled the monarch of the whole  
island1 and the principal seat of the   
,druids or priests1 and their paganish  
rites4 ,the son of ,neill1 the chief    
monarch1 declared himself against the   
preacher3 however1 he converted several1
 and1 on his road to that place1 the    
father of ,st4 ,benen1 or ,benignus1 his
 immediate successor in the see of      

,armagh4 ,he afterwards converted and   
baptized the kings of ,dublin and       
,munster1 and the seven sons of the king
 of ,connaught1 with the greatest part  
of their subjects1 and before his death 
almost the whole island4 ,he founded a  
monastery at ,armagh2 another called    
,domnach-,padraig1 or ,patrick's church2
 also a third1 named ,sabhal-,padraig1  
and filled the country with churches and
 schools of piety and learning2 the     
reputation of which1 for the three      
succeeding centuries1 drew many         
foreigners into ,ireland4#e ,nennius1   
abbot of ,bangor1 in #fbj1 in his       
history of the ,britons1#f published by 
the learned ,thomas ,gale1 says1 that   
,st4 ,patrick took that name only when  
he was ordained bishop1 being before    
called ,maun2 that he continued his     
missions over all the provinces of      
,ireland1 during forty years2 that he   
restored sight to many blind1 health to 
the sick1 and raised nine dead persons  
to life4#g ,he died and was buried at   

,down in ,ulster4 ,his body was found   
there in a church of his name in #aahe1 
and translated to another part of the   
same church4 ,his festival is marked on 
the #agth of ,march1 in the ,martyrology
 of ,bede1 c4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,the apostles of  
nations were all interior men1 endowed  
with a sublime spirit of prayer4 ,the   
salvation of souls being a supernatural 
end1 the instruments ought to bear a    
proportion to it1 and preaching proceed 
from a grace which is supernatural4 ,to 
undertake this holy function1 without a 
competent stock of sacred learning1 and 
without the necessary precautions of    
human prudence and industry1 would be to
 tempt ,god4 ,but sanctity of life1 and 
the union of the heart with ,god1 are   
qualifications far more essential than  
science1 eloquence1 and human talents4  
,many almost kill themselves with       
studying to compose elegant sermons1    
which flatter the ear yet reap very     
little fruit4 ,their hearers applaud    

their parts1 but very few are converted4
 ,most preachers1 now-a-days1 have      
learning1 but are not sufficiently      
grounded in true sanctity1 and a spirit 
of devotion4 ,interior humility1 purity 
of heart1 recollection1 and the spirit  
and the assiduous practice of holy      
prayer1 are the principal preparation   
for the ministry of the word1 and the   
true means of acquiring the science of  
the saints4 ,a short devout meditation  
and fervent prayer1 which kindle a fire 
in the affections1 furnish #fjd more    
thoughts proper to move the hearts of   
the hearers1 and inspire them with      
sentiments of truer virtue1 than many   
years employed barely in reading and    
study4 ,st4 ,patrick1 and other         
apostolic men1 were dead to themselves  
and the world1 and animated with the    
spirit of perfect charity and humility1 
by which they were prepared by ,god to  
be such powerful instruments of his     
grace1 as1 by the miraculous change of  
so many hearts1 to plant in entire      

barbarous nations not only the faith1   
but also the spirit of ,christ4         
,preachers1 who have not attained to a  
disengagement and purity of heart1      
suffer the petty interests of self-love 
secretly to mingle themselves in their  
zeal and charity1 and have reason to    
suspect that they inflict deeper wounds 
in their own souls than they are aware1 
and produce not in others the good which
 they imagine4  ,footnotes3 #a4         
,according to ,usher and ,tillemont1 in 
#cgb4 ,the former places his     death  
in #dic3 but ,tillemont1 about the year 
#dee4 ,nennius1 published     by ,mr4   
,gale1 says he died fifty-seven years   
before the birth of ,st4     ,columba1  
consequently in #dfd4 #b4  ,st4         
,prosper1 in his chronicle1 assures us  
that pope ,celestine     ordained ,st4  
,palladius bishop of the ,scots in #dca1
 and by him     converted their country 
to the faith2 this apostle seems to have
     preached to this nation first in   
,ireland1 and afterwards in             

,scotland4 ,though ,palladius be styled 
by ,st4 ,prosper and ,bede their        
first bishop1 yet the light of the faith
 had diffused its rays from     ,britain
 into ,ireland before that time1 as     
several monuments produced     by ,usher
 demonstrate4 ,but the general          
conversion of the inhabitants     of    
this ,island was reserved for ,st4      
,patrick4      ,the ,scot are           
distinguished from the native ,irish in 
the works of ,st4     ,patrick1 and in  
other ancient monuments4 ,as to their   
original1 the     most probable         
conjecture seems to be1 that they were a
 foreign     warlike nation1 who made a 
settlement in ,ireland before the       
arrival     of ,st4 ,patrick4 ,we find  
them mentioned there in the fourth      
century4     ,several colonies of them  
passed not long after into ,scotland4   
,but     the inhabitants of ,ireland    
were promiscuously called ,scots or     
,irish1     for many ages4 #c4  ,the    
style is not polished2 but the ,latin   

edition is perhaps only a               
translation3 or his captivities might   
have prevented his progress in          
polite learning being equal to that     
which he made in the more     sublime   
and more necessary studies4 #d4  ,a     
second council1 extant in the same      
collection1 ought rather to be          
ascribed to a nephew of this saint4     
,other ,irish canons1 published in      
the ninth tome of ,d',achery's          
,spicilege1 and more by ,martenne1      
7,anecd4 tome #d1 part #b17 though they 
bear the name of ,st4 ,patrick1     are 
judged to have been framed by some of   
his successors4 ,see     ,wilkins1      
,conc4 ,britan4  ,hibern4 t4 #a1 p4 #c4 
,the treatise1 of the ,twelve ,abuses1  
published among the works of ,st4       
,austin and ,st4 ,cyprian1 is attributed
 to ,st4 ,patrick1 in a     collection  
of ecclesiastical ordinances made in    
,ireland1 in the     eighth age1 by     
,arbedoc1 and in other ancient          
monuments4 ,the style is     elegant2   

but it may be a translation from an     
,irish original4 ,sir     ,james ,ware  
published the works of ,st4 ,patrick at 
,london1 in #afeh1 in     octavo4 #e4   
,it seems demonstrated that the ,st4    
,patrick who flourished among the       
hermits of ,glastonbury1 and was there  
buried1 was distinct from our     saint1
 and somewhat older4 #f4  ,c4 #ee1 #ef1 
#eg1 #eh1 #fa4 #g4  ,the popular        
tradition attributes the exemption of   
their country from     venomous         
creatures to the benediction of ,st4    
,patrick1 given by his     staff1 called
 the staff of ,jesus1 which was kept    
with great     veneration in ,dublin1 as
 is mentioned in the year #acfj1 by     
,ralph     ,higden1 in his              
,polychronicon1 published by ,mr4 ,gale 
and by others4     ,the isle of ,malta  
is said to derive a like privilege from 
,st4 ,paul1     who was there bit by a  
viper4      ,st4 ,patrick's purgatory is
 a cave in an island in the lake ,dearg1
 in     the county of ,donnegall1 near  

the borders of ,fermanagh4 ,bollandus   
shows the falsehood of many things      
related concerning it4 ,upon            
complaint of certain superstitious and  
false notions of the vulgar1     in     
#adig1 it was stopped up by an order of 
the pope4 ,see ,bollandus1              
,tillemont1 p4 #ghg1 ,alemand in his    
,monastic ,history of ,ireland1 and     
,thiers1 ,hist4 des ,superst4 t4 #d4 ed4
 ,nov4 ,it was soon after opened        
again by the inhabitants2 but only      
according to the original               
institution1 as ,bollandus takes notice1
 as a penitential retirement     for    
those who voluntarily chose it1 probably
 in imitation of ,st4     ,patrick1 or  
other saints1 who had there dedicated   
themselves to a     penitential state4  
,the penitents usually spend there      
several days1     living on bread and   
water1 lying on rushes or furze1 and    
praying     much1 with daily stations   
which they perform barefoot4  ,,many    
,,martyrs ,,at ,,alexandria1 ,,in #hib4 

,,theophiliis1 patriarch of ,alexandria1
 obtained a rescript of the emperor     
,theodosius1 to convert an old deserted 
temple of ,bacchus into a ,christian    
church4 ,in clearing this place1 in the 
subterraneous secret caverns1 called by 
the ,greeks ,adyta1 and held by the     
pagans as sacred1 were found infamous   
and ridiculous figures1 which           
,theophilus caused to be exposed in     
public1 to show the extravagant         
superstitions of the idolaters4 ,the    
heathens in tumults raised a sedition1  
killed many ,christians in the streets1 
and then retired into the great temple  
of ,serapis as their fortress4 ,in      
sallies they seized many ,christians1   
and upon their refusing to sacrifice to 
,serapis1 put them to death by cruel    
torments1 crucifying them1 breaking     
their legs1 and throwing them into the  
sinks and jakes of the temple with the  
blood of their victims4 ,the principal  
ancient divinities of ,egypt were ,apis1
 called also ,osiris1 once a great king 

and benefactor of that country1 who was 
worshipped under the figure of a bull1  
and the wife of ,apis1 named ,isis1 who 
is said to have taught or improved      
agriculture4#a  ,the temple of ,serapis1
 in ,alexandria1 was most stately and   
rich1 built on an eminence raised by    
art1 in a beautiful spacious square1    
with an ascent of one hundred steps1    
surrounded with lofty edifices for the  
priests and officers4 ,the temple was   
built of marble1 supported with precious
 pillars1 and the walls on the inside   
were covered with plates of brass1      
silver1 and gold4 ,the idol was of so   
enormous a size1 that its arms being    
extended1 they reached to the opposite  
walls of the temple3 its figure was that
 of a venerable old man1 with a beard   
and long hair2 but with it was joined a 
monstrous figure of an animal1 with     
three heads3 the biggest1 in the middle1
 was that of a lion2 that of a dog      
fawning came out on the right side1 and 
that of ravenous wolf on the left3 a    

serpent was represented twining round   
these three animals1 and laying its head
 on the right hand of ,serapis3 on the  
idol's head was placed a bushel1 an     
emblem of the fertility of the earth4   
,the statue was made of precious stones1
 wood1 and all sorts of metal together2 
its color was at first blue1 but the    
steams or moisture of the place had     
turned it black4 ,a hole in the temple  
was contrived1 to admit the sun's rays  
upon its mouth at the hour when the idol
 of the sun was brought in to visit it4 
,many other artifices were employed to  
deceive the people into an opinion of   
its miracles4 ,no idol was so much      
respected in ,egypt2 and on its account 
,alexandria was looked upon as a holy   
city4  ,the emperor1 being informed of  
the sedition1 called those happy who    
#fje had received by it the crown of    
martyrdom3 and not to dishonor their    
triumph1 he pardoned their murderers1   
but sent an order to demolish the       
temples in ,egypt4 ,when this letter was

 read at ,alexandria1 the pagans raised 
hideous cries2 many left the city1 and  
all withdrew from the temple of         
,serapis4 ,the idol was cast down by    
pieces1 and thrown into a fire4 ,the    
heathens were persuaded1 that if any one
 should touch it the heavens would fall1
 and the world return into the state of 
its primitive chaos4 ,seeing no such    
judgment threaten1 they began themselves
 to deride a senseless trunk reduced to 
ashes4 ,the standard of the ,nile's     
increase was kept in this temple1 but it
 was on this occasion removed into the  
cathedral4 ,the idolaters expected the  
river would swell no more3 but finding  
the succeeding years very fertile1 they 
condemned the vanity of their           
superstitions1 and embraced the faith4  
,two churches were built on the place   
where this temple stood1 and its metal  
was converted to the use of churches4   
,the busts of ,serapis on the walls1    
doors1 and windows of the houses1 were  
broken and taken away4 ,the temples all 

over ,egypt were demolished1 during the 
two following years4 ,in pulling down   
those of ,alexandria1 the cruel         
mysteries of ,mithra were discovered1   
and in the secret ,adyta were found the 
heads of many infants cut off1 cruelly  
mangled1 and superstitiously painted4   
,the artifices of the priests of the    
idols were likewise detected3 there were
 hollow idols of wood and brass1 placed 
against a wall1 with subterraneous      
passages1 through which the priests     
entered the hollow trunks of the idols1 
and gave answers as oracles1 as is      
related by ,theodoret1#b and ,rufinus4#c
 ,where the idols were cast down1       
figures of the cross were set up in     
their places4 ,these martyrs suffered in
 the year #cib4 ,see ,theodoret1        
,rufinus1 ,socrates1 ,sozomen1 ,fleury1 
b4 #ai4 ,tillemont in the history of    
,theodosius1 art4 #eb-ee4  ,footnotes3  
#a4  ,those mistake the truth1 who      
confound ,serapis with ,osiris1 or who  
imagine him to have been the patriarch  

,joseph4 ,serapis was a modern          
divinity1 raised by the ,ptolemies4 ,see
 ,celmet1 ,banier on ,mythology1     c4 
#b4  ,b4 #e1 c4 #bb4 #c4  ,ib4 #b1 c4   
#be4  ,,st4 ,,joseph ,,of ,,arimathea4  
,,he was a member of the ,jewish        
,sanhedrim1 but a faithful disciple of  
,jesus4 ,it was no small proof of his   
great piety1 that1 though he had riches 
and honors to lose1 he feared not the   
malice of men1 but at a time when the   
apostles trembled1 boldly declared      
himself a follower of ,jesus who was    
crucified2 and with the greatest        
devotion embalmed and buried his sacred 
body4 ,this saint was the patron of     
,glastenbury1 where a church and        
hermitage1 very famous in the times of  
the ancient ,britons1#a were built by   
the first apostles of this island3 among
 whom some moderns have placed ,st4     
,joseph himself1 and ,aristobulus4      
,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,matthew of       
,westminster1 and ,john of ,glastenbury 
in their     histories of that famous   

abbey published by ,hearne2 also        
,tanner's     ,notitia ,monastica4      
,,st4 ,,gertrude1 ,,virgin1  ,,abbess   
,,of ,,nivelle4  ,,she was daughter of  
,pepin of ,landen1 mayor of the palace  
to the ,french kings of ,austrasia1 and 
younger sister to ,st4 ,begga4 ,she was 
born in #fbf4 ,her father's virtuous    
palace was the sanctuary of her         
innocence1 and the school of her tender 
piety4 ,being pressed to marry1 she     
declared in presence of king ,dagobert3 
,i have chosen for my spouse him from   
#fjf whose eternal beauty all creatures 
derive their glory1 whose riches are    
immense1 and whom the angels adore4 ,the
 king admired her gravity and wisdom in 
so tender an age1 and would not suffer  
her to be any more disturbed on that    
account4 ,her mother1 the blessed ,itta1
 employed ,st4 ,amand to direct the     
building of a great nunnery at ,nivelle1
 in ,brabant1 for ,gertrude4 ,it is now 
a double chapter of canons and          
canonesses4 ,the virgin was appointed   

abbess when only twenty years of age4   
,her mother1 the blessed ,itta1 lived   
five years under her conduct1 and died  
in the twelfth year of her widowhood1 in
 #feb4 ,she is honored in the ,belgic   
,martyrologies on the #hth of ,may4     
,gertrude governed her monastery with a 
prudence1 zeal1 and virtue1 that        
astonished the most advanced in years   
and experience4 ,she loved extreme holy 
poverty in her person and house2 but    
enriched the poor4 ,by assiduous prayer 
and holy meditation she obtained        
wonderful lights from heaven4 ,at thirty
 years of age1 she resigned her abbey to
 her niece ,wilfetrude1 and spent the   
three years which she survived1 in      
preparing her soul for her passage to   
eternity1 which happened on the #agth of
 ,march1 in #fei4 ,her festival is a    
holyday at ,louvain1 and throughout the 
duchy of ,brabant4 ,it is mentioned in  
the true ,martyrology of ,bede1 c4 ,see 
her life1 written by one who was present
 at her funeral1 and an eye-witness to  

the miracles1 of which there is an      
account in ,mabillon1 and the ,acts of  
the ,saints4 ,see also ,rivet1 ,hist4   
,litter4 t4 #d1 p4 #ci4 ,an anonymous   
author much enlarged this life in the   
tenth century1 but the additions are of 
small authority4 ,this work was printed 
by ,ryckel1 abbot of ,st4 ,gertrude's1  
at ,louvain1 in #afcb4 ,see ,hist4      
,litter4 t4 #f1 p4 #bib4 ,also ,la ,vie 
de ,s4 ,gertrude1 abbesse de ,nivelle1  
par ,gul4 ,descoeuvres1 in #abmo4 at    
,paris1 ,ann4 #afab4 ,consult likewise  
,dom ,bouquet1 ,recueil des ,hist4 de   
,france1 t4 #b1 p4 #fjc1 c4   ,,march   
,,xviii4  ,,saint ,,alexander1 ,b4,m4   
,,bishop ,,of ,,jerusalem4  ,from ,st4  
,jerom1 ,catal4 c4 ,g4 ,euseb4 ,hist4 b4
 #f1 c4 #h1 #aj1 #ad1 #bj4 ,see         
,tillemont1 t4 #c1 p4 #dae1 and ,le     
,quien ,oriens ,christ4 t4 #c1 p4 #aej4 
,a4,d4 #bea4  ,,st4 ,,alexander studied 
with ,origen in the great ,christian    
school of ,alexandria1 under ,st4       
,pantenus and his successor1 ,st4       

,clement4 ,he was chosen bishop of a    
certain city in ,cappadocia4 ,in the    
persecution of ,severus1 in #bjd1 he    
made a glorious confession of his faith1
 and though he did not then seal it with
 his blood1 he suffered several years'  
imprisonment1 till the beginning of the 
reign of ,caracalla1 in #baa1 when he   
wrote to congratulate the church of     
,antioch upon the election of ,st4      
,asclepias1 a glorious confessor of     
,christ1 to that patriarchate2 the news 
of which1 he says1 had softened and made
 light the irons with which he was      
loaded4 ,he sent that letter by the     
priest ,st4 ,clement of ,alexandria1 a  
man of great virtue1 whom ,god had sent 
into ,cappadocia to instruct and govern 
his people during his confinement4  #fjg
  ,st4 ,alexander being enlarged soon   
after1 in #bab1 was commanded by a      
revelation from ,god to go to ,jerusalem
 to visit the holy places4#a ,the night 
before his arrival1 ,st4 ,narcissus1    
bishop of ,jerusalem1 and some other    

saints of that church1 had a revelation1
 in which they heard a distinct voice   
commanding them to go out of the city   
and take for bishop him whom ,god sent  
them4 ,st4 ,narcissus was then very old 
and decrepit3 he and his flock seized   
,alexander1 and by the consent of all   
the bishops of ,palestine1 assembled in 
a council1 made him his coadjutor and   
joint bishop of ,jerusalem4 ,,ss4       
,narcissus and ,alexander still governed
 this church together1 when the latter  
wrote thus to the ,antinoits3 ,i salute 
you in the name of ,narcissus1 who held 
here the place of bishop before me1 and1
 being above one hundred and sixteen    
years old1 is now united with me by     
prayer4 ,he conjures you with me to live
 in inviolable peace and union4 ,st4    
,alexander collected at ,jerusalem a    
great library1 consisting of the        
writings and letters of eminent men1    
which subsisted when ,eusebius wrote4   
,he excelled all other holy prelates and
 apostolic men in mildness and in the   

sweetness of his discourses1 as ,origen 
testifies4 ,st4 ,alexander was seized by
 the persecutors under ,decius1         
confessed ,christ a second time1 and    
died in chains at ,caesarea1 about the  
end of the year #bea1 as ,eusebius      
testifies4 ,he is styled a martyr by    
,st4 ,epiphanius1 ,st4 ,jerom1 and the  
,martyrologies1 and honored in the      
,roman ,martyrology on the #ahth of     
,march2 by the ,greeks on the #afth of  
,may and the #bb;d of ,december4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,a pastor must first acquire a solid    
degree of interior virtue1 before he can
 safely undertake to labor in procuring 
the salvation of others1 or employ      
himself in exterior functions of the    
ministry4 ,he must have mortified the   
deeds of the flesh by compunction1 and  
the habitual practice of self-denial2   
and the fruits of the spirit must daily 
more and more perfectly subdue his      
passions4 ,these fruits of the spirit   
are charity and humility1 which stifle  

all the motions of anger1 envy1 and     
pride3 holy joy1 which banishes carnal  
sadness1 sloth1 and all disrelish in    
spiritual exercises2 peace1 which       
crushes the seeds of discord1 and the   
love and relish of heavenly things1     
which extinguish the love of earthly    
goods and sensual pleasures4 ,one whose 
soul is slothful1 sensual1 and earthly1 
deserves not to bear the name of a      
,christian1 much less of a minister of  
the gospel4 ,there never was a saint who
 did not carry his cross1 and walk in   
the steps of ,christ crucified4 ,st4    
,alexander would have thought a day lost
 in which he did not add something to   
the sacrifice of his penance in order to
 continue and complete it4 ,by this he  
prepared himself to die a victim of     
fidelity and charity4 ,this is the      
continued martyrdom by which every true 
,christian earnestly labors to render   
himself every day more and more pleasing
 to ,god1 making his body a pure        
holocaust to him by mortification1 and  

his soul1 by the fervor of his charity  
and compunction4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,eus4
 b4 #f1 c4 #ad4 ,s4 ,hieron4 in ,catal4 
,,saint ,,cyril1 ,,confessor1           
,,archbishop ,,of ,,jerusalem4  ,from   
the church historians1 and his works    
collected by ,dom ,touttee in his       
excellent edition of them at ,paris1 in 
#agbj4  ,a4,d4 #chf4  ,,cyril was born  
at or near the city of ,jerusalem1 about
 the year #cae4 ,so perfectly was he    
versed in the holy scriptures1 that many
 of his discourses1#fjh and some of     
these pronounced extempore1 are only    
passages of the sacred writings         
connected and interwoven with each      
other4 ,he had read diligently both the 
fathers and the pagan philosophers4     
,maximus1 bishop of ,jerusalem1 ordained
 him priest about the year #cde1 and    
soon after appointed him his preacher to
 the people1 likewise his catechist to  
instruct and prepare the catechumens for
 baptism2 thus committing to his care   
the two principal functions of his own  

pastoral charge4 ,st4 ,cyril mentions   
his sermons to the faithful every       
,sunday4#a ,catechumens ordinarily      
remained two years in the course of     
instruction and prayer1 and were not    
admitted to baptism till they had given 
proof of their morals and conduct1 as   
well as of their constancy in the       
faith4#b ,this office ,st4 ,cyril       
performed for several years2 but we have
 only the course of his catechetical    
sermons for the year #cdh1 or #cdg4     
,perhaps the others were never committed
 to writing4 ,he succeeded ,maximus in  
the see of ,jerusalem about the end of  
the year #cej4  ,the beginning of his   
episcopacy was remarkable for a prodigy 
by which ,god was pleased to honor the  
instrument of our redemption4 ,it is    
related by ,socrates1#c                 
,philostorgius1#d the chronicle of      
,alexandria1 c4 ,st4 ,cyril1 an         
eye-witness1 wrote immediately to the   
emperor ,constantius1 an exact account  
of this miraculous phenomenon3 and his  

letter is quoted as a voucher for it by 
,sozomen1#e ,theophanes1#f ,eutychius1#g
 ,john of ,nice1#h ,glycas1 and others4 
,dr4 ,cave has inserted it at length in 
his life of ,st4 ,cyril4#i ,the relation
 he there gives of the miracle is as    
follows3 ,on the nones 7or #gth7 of     
,may1 about the third hour1 7or nine in 
the morning17 a vast luminous body1 in  
the form of a cross1 appeared in the    
heavens1 just over the holy ,golgotha1  
reaching as far as the holy mount of    
,olivet1 7that is1 almost two ,english  
miles in length17 seen not by one or two
 persons1 but clearly and evidently by  
the whole city4 ,this was not1 as may be
 thought1 a momentary transient         
phenomenon3 for it continued several    
hours together visible to our eyes1 and 
brighter than the sun2 the light of     
which would have eclipsed it1 had not   
this been stronger4 ,the whole city1    
struck with a reverential fear1 tempered
 with joy1 ran immediately to the       
church1 young and old1 ,christians and  

heathens1 citizens and strangers1 all   
with one voice giving praise to our     
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the only ,son of  
,god1 the worker of miracles2 finding by
 experience the truth of the ,christian 
doctrine1 to which the heavens bear     
witness4 ,he concludes his letter with  
wishes that the emperor may always      
glorify the holy and consubstantial     
,trinity4#aj ,philostorgius and the     
,alexandrian chronicle affirm1 that this
 cross of light was encircled with a    
large rainbow4#aa ,the ,greek church    
commemorates this miracle on the #gth of
 ,may4  #fji  ,some time after this     
memorable event1 a difference happened  
between our saint and ,acacius1         
archbishop of ,caesarea1 first a warm   
,semi-,arian1 afterwards a thorough     
,arian4 ,it began on the subject of     
metropolitical jurisdiction1 which      
,acacius unjustly claimed over the      
,church of ,jerusalem2 and what widened 
the breach between them was their       
difference of sentiments with regard to 

the consubstantiality of the ,son1 which
 ,st4 ,cyril had always most zealously  
asserted4#ab ,this was sufficient to    
render him odious in the eyes of        
,acacius1 who in a council of ,arian    
bishops convened by him1 declared ,st4  
,cyril deposed for not appearing1 after 
two years' warning1 to answer to the    
crimes alleged against him4 ,one of them
 was that he had lavished away the goods
 of the ,church1 and had applied its    
sacred ornaments to profane uses4 ,the  
ground of the accusation was1 that1 in  
time of a great famine at ,jerusalem1 he
 had sold some of the ,church plate1 and
 precious stuffs1 to relieve the wants  
of the poor4 ,st4 ,cyril1 not looking   
upon the members of the council as      
qualified judges1 appealed to higher    
powers1#ac but yielding to violence     
withdrew to ,antioch1 and thence removed
 to ,tarsus1 were he was honorably      
entertained by the bishop ,sylvaims1 and
 had in great respect1 notwithstanding  
the sentence of ,acacius and his council

 against him4 ,here living in communion 
with ,sylvanus1 ,eustathius of ,sebaste1
 ,basil of ,ancyra4 and others1 who soon
 after appeared at the head of the      
,semi-,arian faction1 this gave rise to 
the calumny that ,st4 ,cyril himself had
 espoused it4 ,but nothing could be more
 falsely alleged against him1 he having 
always maintained the ,catholic faith4  
,he had accordingly1 in #cdi1 together  
with his predecessor ,maximus1 received 
the decrees of the council of ,sardica1 
and consequently those of ,nice4 ,and we
 have already seen1 in his letter to    
,constantius1 that he made an undaunted 
profession of the ,consubstantial       
,trinity4 ,to which we may add1 that in 
the council of ,constantinople1 in #cha1
 he joined with the other bishops in    
condemning the ,semi-,arians and        
,macedonians4 ,and the orthodox bishops 
assembled in the same city1 in #chb1    
writing to pope ,damasus and to the     
western bishops1 gave a most ample      
testimony to his faith1 declaring1 ,that

 the most reverend and beloved of ,god1 
,cyril1 bishop of ,jerusalem1 had been  
canonically elected by the bishops of   
the province1 and had suffered many     
persecutions-for the faith4#ad ,upon the
 death of ,constantius1 in #cfa1 ,julian
 the apostate1 partly out of aversion to
 his uncle1 and partly in hopes to see  
the ,christian sects and the orthodox   
more at variance1 suffered all the      
banished bishops to return to their     
churches4 ,thus did ,god make use of the
 malice of his enemy to restore ,st4    
,cyril to his see4 ,he shortly after    
made him an eye-witness to the          
miraculous manifestation of his power1  
by which he covered his blaspheming     
enemies with confusion4 ,the following  
most authentic history of that          
remarkable event is gathered from the   
original records1 and vindicated against
 the exceptions of certain skeptics by  
,tillemont1#ae and by our most learned  
,mr4 ,warburton1 in his ,julian4 ,in    
vain had the most furious tyrants       

exerted the utmost cruelty1 and bent the
 whole power which the empire of the    
world put into their hands1 to          
extirpate1 if it had been possible1 the 
,christian name4 ,the faith increased   
under axes1 and the blood of martyrs was
 a fruitful seed1 which multiplied #faj 
the ,church over all nations4 ,the      
experience how weak and ineffectual a   
means brute force was to this purpose1  
moved the emperor ,julian1 the most     
implacable1 the most crafty1 and the    
most dangerous instrument which the     
devil ever employed in that design1 to  
shift his ground1 and change his        
artillery and manner of assault4 ,he    
affected a show of great moderation1 and
 in words disclaimed open persecution2  
but he sought by every foul and indirect
 means to undermine the faith1 and sap  
the foundations of the ,christian       
religion4 ,for this purpose he had      
recourse to every base art of falsehood 
and dissimulation1 in which he was the  
most complete master4 ,he had played off

 the round of his machines to no        
purpose1 and seemed reduced to his last 
expedient of the pacific kind1 the      
discrediting the ,christian religion by 
bringing the scandal of imposture upon  
its divine author4 ,this he attempted to
 do by a project of rebuilding the      
,jewish temple--which1 if he could have 
compassed1 it would have sufficiently   
answered his wicked design2 ,christ and 
the prophet ,daniel having in express   
terms foretold not only its destruction1
 which was effected by the ,romans under
 ,titus1 but its final ruin and         
desolation4  ,the ,jewish religion was a
 temporary dispensation1 intended by its
 divine author1 ,god himself1 to        
prefigure one more complete and perfect1
 and prepare men to embrace it4 ,it not 
only essentially required bloody        
sacrifices1 but it enjoined a fixed and 
certain place for them to be performed  
in2 this was the temple at ,jerusalem4  
,hence the final destruction of this    
temple was he abolition of the          

sacrifices1 which annihilated the whole 
system of this religious institution4   
,whence ,st4 ,chrysostom#af shows that  
the destruction of ,jerusalem is to be  
ascribed1 not to the power of the       
,romans1 for ,god had often delivered it
 from no less dangers2 but to a special 
providence1 which was pleased to put it 
out of the power of human perversity to 
delay or respite the extinction of those
 ceremonial observances4 ,as a          
physician1 says that father1 by breaking
 the cup1 prevents his patient from     
indulging his appetite in a noxious     
draught2 so ,god withheld the ,jews from
 their sacrifices by destroying the     
whole city itself1 and making the place 
inaccessible to all of them4 ,st4       
,gregory ,nazianzen1 ,socrates1         
,theodoret1 and other ,christian        
writers1 are unanimous in what they say 
of ,julian's motive1 ascribing to him   
the intention already mentioned1 of     
falsifying the scripture prophecies1    
those of ,daniel and ,christ1 which his 

actions sufficiently evidence4 ,his     
historian1 indeed1 says1 that he        
undertook this work out of a desire of  
rendering the glory of his reign        
immortal by so great an achievement3#ag 
but this was only an after-thought or   
secondary motive2 and ,sozomen in       
particular assures us that not only     
,julian1 but that the idolaters who     
assisted in it1 pushed it forward upon  
that very motive1 and for the sake      
thereof suspended their aversion to the 
,jewish nation4 ,julian himself wrote a 
letter to the body or community of the  
,jews1 extant among his works1#ah       
mentioned by ,sozomen1#ai and translated
 by ,dr4 ,cave1 in his life of ,st4     
,cyril4 ,in it he declares them free    
from all exactions and taxes1 and orders
 ,julus or ,illus1 7probably ,hillel17  
their most reverend patriarch1 to       
abolish the apostoli1 or gatherers of   
the said taxes2 begs their prayers1     
7such was his hypocrisy17 and promises1 
after his ,persian expedition1 when     

their temple should be rebuilt1 to make 
,jerusalem his residence1 and to offer  
up his joint prayers together with them4
  ,after this he assembled the chief    
among the ,jews1 and asked them why they
 offered no bloody sacrifices1 since    
they were prescribed by their law4 ,they
 replied1 that they could not offer any 
but in the temple1 which then lay in    
ruins4 ,whereupon he commanded them to  
repair to ,jerusalem1 rebuild #faa their
 temple1 and re-establish their ancient 
worship1 promising them his concurrence 
towards carrying on the work4 ,the ,jews
 received the warrant with inexpressible
 joy1 and were so elated with it1 that1 
flocking from all parts to ,jerusalem1  
they began insolently to scorn and      
triumph over the ,christians1           
threatening to make them feel as fatal  
effects of their severity1 as they      
themselves had heretofore from the      
,roman powers4#bj ,the news was no      
sooner spread abroad than contributions 
came in from all hands4 ,the ,jewish    

women stripped themselves of their most 
costly ornaments to contribute towards  
the expense of the building4 ,the       
emperor also1 who was no less impatient 
to see it finished1 in order to         
encourage them in the undertaking1 told 
them he had found in their mysterious   
sacred books that this was the time in  
which they were to return to their      
country1 and that their temple and legal
 observances were to be restored4#ba ,he
 gave orders to his treasurers to       
furnish money and every thing necessary 
for the building1 which would require   
immense sums3 he drew together the most 
able workmen from all quarters1 and     
appointed for overseers persons of the  
highest rank1 placing at their head his 
intimate friend ,alypius1 who had       
formerly been ,pro-prefect of ,britain2 
charging him to make them labor in this 
great work without ceasing1 and to spare
 no expense4 ,all things were in        
readiness1 workmen were assembled from  
all quarters2 stone1 brick1 timber1 and 

other materials1 in immense quantities1 
were laid in4 ,the ,jews of both sexes  
and of all degrees bore a share in the  
labor2 the very women helping to dig the
 ground and carry out the rubbish in    
their aprons and skirts of their gowns4 
,it is even said that the ,jews         
appointed some pickaxes1 spades1 and    
baskets to be made of silver for the    
honor of the work4 ,but the good bishop 
,st4 ,cyril1 lately returned from exile1
 beheld all these mighty preparations   
without any concern1 relying on the     
infallible truth of the scripture       
prophecies3 as1 that the desolation of  
the ,jewish temple should last till the 
end2#bb and that one stone should not be
 left on another2#bc and being full of  
the spirit of ,god1 he foretold1 with   
the greatest confidence1 that the ,jews1
 so far from being able to rebuild their
 ruined temple1 would be the instruments
 whereby that prophecy of ,christ would 
be still more fully accomplished than it
 had been hitherto1 and that they would 

not be able to put one stone upon       
another1#bd and the event justified the 
prediction4  ,till then the foundations 
and some ruins of the walls of the      
temple subsisted1 as appears from ,st4  
,cyril3#be and ,eusebius says1#bf the   
inhabitants still carried away the      
stones for their private buildings4     
,these ruins the ,jews first demolished 
with their own hands1 thus concurring to
 the accomplishment of our ,saviour's   
prediction4 ,then they began to dig the 
new foundation1 in which work many      
thousands were employed4 ,but what they 
had thrown up in the day was1 by        
repeated earthquakes1 the night         
following cast back again into the      
trench4 ,and when ,alypius the next day 
earnestly pressed on the work1 with the 
assistance of the governor of the       
province1 there issued1 says ,ammianus1 
such horrible balls of fire out of the  
earth near the foundations1#bg which    
rendered the place1 from time to time1  
inaccessible to the scorched and blasted

 workmen4 ,and the victorious element   
continuing in this manner obstinately   
and resolutely bent as it were to drive 
them to a distance1 ,alypius thought    
proper to give over the enterprise4#bh  
#fab ,this is also recorded by the      
,christian authors1 who1 besides the    
earthquake and fiery eruption1 mention  
storms1 tempests1 and whirlwinds1       
lightning1 crosses impressed on the     
bodies and garments of the assistants1  
and a flaming cross in the heavens1     
surrounded with a luminous circle4 ,the 
order whereof seems to have been as     
follows4 ,this judgment of the ,almighty
 was ushered in by storms and           
whirlwinds1 by which prodigious heaps of
 lime and sand and other loose materials
 were carried away4#bi ,after these     
followed lightning1 the usual           
consequence of collision of clouds in   
tempests4 ,its effects were1 first the  
destroying the more solid materials1 and
 melting down the iron instruments2#cj  
and secondly1 the impressing shining    

crosses on the bodies and garments of   
the assistants without distinction1 in  
which there was something that in art   
and elegance exceeded all painting or   
embroidery2 which when the infidels     
perceived1 they endeavored1 but in vain1
 to wash them out4#ca ,in the third     
place came the earthquake which cast out
 the stones of the old foundations1 and 
shook the earth into the trench or      
cavity dug for the new2 besides         
overthrowing the adjoining buildings and
 porticoes wherein were lodged great    
numbers of ,jews designed for the work1 
who were all either crushed to death1 or
 at least maimed or wounded4 ,the number
 of the killed or hurt was increased by 
the fiery eruption in the fourth place1 
attended both with storms and tempests  
above1 and with an earthquake below4#cb 
,from this eruption1 many fled to a     
neighboring church for shelter1 but     
could not obtain entrance2 whether on   
account of its being closed by a secret 
invisible hand1 as the fathers state the

 case1 or at least by a special         
providence1 through the entrance into   
the oratory being choked up by a        
frighted crowd1 all pressing to be      
foremost4 ,this1 however1 says ,st4     
,gregory ,nazianzen1#cc is invariably   
affirmed and believed by all1 that as   
they strove to force their way in by    
violence1 the ,fire1 which burst from   
the foundations of the temple1 met and  
stopped them1 and one part it burnt and 
destroyed1 and another it desperately   
maimed1 leaving them a living monument  
of ,god's commination and wrath against 
sinners4 ,this eruption was frequently  
renewed till it overcame the rashness of
 the most obdurate1 to use the words of 
,socrates2 for it continued to be       
repeated as often as the projectors     
ventured to renew their attempt1 till it
 had fairly tired them out4 ,lastly1 on 
the same evening1 there appeared over   
,jerusalem a lucid cross1 shining very  
bright1 as large as that in the reign of
 ,constantine1 encompassed with a circle

 of light4 ,and what could be so proper 
to close this tremendous scene1 or to   
celebrate this decisive victory1 as the 
,cross triumphant1 encircled with the   
,heroic symbol of conquest8  ,this      
miraculous event1 with all its          
circumstances1 is related by the writers
 of that age2 by ,st4 ,gregory          
,nazianzen in the year immediately      
following it2 by ,st4 ,chrysostom1 in   
several parts of his works1 who says    
that it happened not twenty years       
before1 appeals to eye-witnesses still  
living and young1 and to the present    
condition of those foundations1 of      
which1 says he1 we are all witnesses2 by
 ,st4 ,ambrose in his fortieth epistle1 
written in #chh2 ,rufinus1 who had long 
lived upon the spot2 ,theodoret1 who    
lived in the neighborhood in ,syria2    
,philostorgius1 the ,arian2 ,sozomen1   
who says many were alive when he wrote  
who had it from eye-witnesses1 and      
mentions the visible marks still        
subsisting2 ,socrates1 c4 ,the testimony

 of the heathens corroborates this      
evidence2 as that of ,ammianus          
,marcellinus above quoted1 a nobleman of
 the first rank1 who then lived in the  
court of ,julian at ,antioch and in an  
office of distinction1 and who probably 
wrote his #fac account from the letter  
of ,alypius to his master at the time   
when the miracle happened4 ,libanius1   
another pagan friend and admirer of     
,julian1 both in the history of his own 
life1 and in his funeral oration on     
,julian's death1 mentions these         
earthquakes in ,palestine1 but with a   
shyness which discovers the disgrace of 
his hero and superstition4 ,julian      
himself speaks of this event in the same
 covert manner4 ,socrates testifies1    
that at the sight of the miracles1 the  
,jews at first cried out that ,christ is
 ,god2 yet returned home as hardened as 
ever4 ,st4 ,gregory ,nazianzen says1    
that many ,gentiles were converted upon 
it1 and went over to the ,church4       
,theodoret and ,sozomen say many were   

converted2 but as to the ,jews1 they    
evidently mean a sudden flash of        
conviction1 not a real and lasting      
conversion4 ,the incredulous blinded    
themselves by various pretences3 but the
 evidence of the miracle leaves no room 
for the least cavil or suspicion4 ,the  
,christian writers of that age are      
unanimous in relating it with its       
complicated circumstances yet with a    
diversity which shows their agreement1  
though perfect1 could not have been     
concerted4 ,the same is confirmed by the
 testimony of the most obstinate        
adversaries4 ,they who1 when the temple 
at ,daphne was consumed about the same  
time1 by lightning1 pretended that it   
was set on fire by ,christians1 were not
 able to suspect any possibility of     
contrivance in this case3 nor could the 
event have been natural4 ,every such    
suspicion is removed by the conformity  
of the event with the prophecies3 the   
importance of the occasion1 the extreme 
eagerness of ,jews and ,gentiles in the 

enterprise1 the attention of the whole  
empire fixed on it1 and the             
circumstances of the fact4 ,the         
eruption1 contrary to its usual nature1 
was confined to one small spot2 it      
obstinately broke out by fits1 and      
ceased with the project1 and this in    
such a manner1 that ,ammianus himself   
ascribes it to an intelligent cause4    
,the phenomena of the cross in the air1 
and on the garments1 were admirably     
fitted1 as moral emblems1 to proclaim   
the triumph of ,christ over ,julian1 who
 had taken the cross out of the military
 ensigns1 which ,constantine had put    
there to be a lasting memorial of that  
cross which he had seen in the air that 
presaged his victories4 ,the same was   
again erected in the heavens to confound
 the vanity of its impotent persecutor4 
,the earthquake was undoubtedly         
miraculous2 and though its effects were 
mostly such as might naturally follow1  
they were directed by a special         
supernatural providence1 as the burning 

of ,sodom by fire from heaven4 ,whence  
,mr4 ,warburton concludes his           
dissertation on this subject with the   
following corollary4 ,new light         
continually springing up from each      
circumstance as it passes in review1 by 
such time as the whole event is         
considered1 this illustrious miracle    
comes out in one full blaze of          
evidence4#cd ,even ,jewish ,rabbins1 who
 do not copy from ,christian writers1   
relate this event in the same manner    
with the fathers from their own         
traditions and records4#ce ,this great  
event happened in the beginning of the  
year #cfc4 ,st4 ,chrysostom admires the 
wonderful conduct of divine providence  
in this prodigy1 and observes1 that had 
not the ,jews set about to rebuild their
 temple1 they might have pretended they 
could have done it3 therefore did ,god  
permit them thrice to attempt it2 once  
under ,adrian1 when they brought a      
greater desolation upon themselves2 a   
second time under ,constantine the      

,great1 who dispersed them1 cut off     
their ears1 and branded their bodies    
with the marks of rebellion4 ,he then   
relates this third attempt1 in our own  
time1 as he says1 not above twenty years
 ago1 in which ,god himself visibly     
baffled their endeavors1 to show that no
 human power could reverse his decree2  
and this at a time #fad when our        
religion was oppressed1 lay under the   
axes1 and had not the liberty even to   
speak2 that impudence itself might not  
have the least shadow of pretence4  ,st4
 ,cyril adored the divine power in this 
miracle1 of which he had ocular         
demonstration4 ,orosius says that       
,julian had destined him to slaughter   
after his ,persian expedition1 but the  
death of the tyrant prevented his       
martyrdom4 ,he was again driven from his
 see by the ,arian emperor1 ,valens1 in 
#cfg1 but recovered it in #cgh1 when    
,gratian1 mounting the throne1 commanded
 the churches to be restored to those   
who were in communion with pope         

,damasus4 ,he found his flock miserably 
divided by heresies and schisms under   
the late wolves to whom they had fallen 
a prey2 but he continued his labors and 
tears among them4 ,in #cha he assisted  
at the general council of               
,constantinople1 in which he condemned  
the ,semi-,arians and ,macedonians1     
whose heresy he had always opposed1     
though he had sometimes joined their    
prelates against the ,arians before     
their separation from the church1 as we 
have seen above2 and as ,st4 ,hilary1   
,st4 ,meletius1 and many others had     
done4 ,he had governed his church eight 
years in peace from the death of        
,valens1 when1 in #chf1 he passed to a  
glorious immortality1 in the seventieth 
year of his age4 ,he is honored by the  
,greeks and ,latins on this day1 which  
was that of his death4  ,footnotes3 #a4 
,cat4 #e1 #aj1 #ad4 #b4  ,see ,fleury1  
,moeurs des ,chretiens1 p4 #db4 #c4  ,b4
 #b1 c4 #bh4 #d4  ,ib4 #c1 c4 #bf4 #e4  
,ib4 #e1 c4 #e4 #f4  ,ad an4 #cec4 #g4  

,annal4 p4 #dge4 #h4  ,auetuar4         
,combefis1 t4 #b1 p4 #chb4 #i4  ,t4 #b1 
p4 #cdd4 #aj4 ,greek3 ,ten homousion    
,triada4 ,this is an argument of his    
firm     adherence to the ,nicene faith1
 and that by the praises which he       
bestows on an ,arlan emperor in this    
piece1 he meant not to flatter     him  
in his heterodox sentiments2 they being 
only compliments of     course in an    
address to an eastern emperor1 and his  
own sovereign4 #aa4 ,certain moderns    
imagine that the luminous crosses which 
appeared in     the air in the reigns of
 ,constantine and ,constantius were     
merely     natural solar halos2 and that
 under ,julian1 which appeared in the   
night1 a lunar halo1 or circle of       
colors1 usually red1 round those        
celestial bodies4 ,but in opposition to 
this hypothesis we must     observe that
 those natural phenomena do not         
ordinarily appear in the     figure of a
 cross1 but of a ring or circle1 as both
 experience and     the natural cause   

show4 ,we ought also to take nonce1 that
 this     prodigy appeared thrice in the
 same century1 and always on            
extraordinary occasions1 in which many  
circumstances rendered a     miraculous 
manifestation of the divine power highly
 credible4     ,moreover1 how will these
 secretaries and confidents of the      
intrigues     of nature1 as ,mr4        
,warburton styles them1 account for the 
inscription1 ,in this conquer1 which was
 formed in bright letters     round the 
cross1 which appeared in the air to     
,constantlne and his     whole army1 as 
that emperor himself affirmed upon oath1
 and as     ,eusebius assures us from   
his testimony1 and that of other        
eye-witnesses4 7l4 #a1 de ,vit4         
,constant41 c4 #bh1 olim #bb47          
,fabricius     very absurdly pretends   
that ,greek3 graphen may here signify an
     emblem1 not an inscription4 ,mr4   
,jor tin1 after taking much pains on    
this subject1 is obliged to confess     
7vol4 #c1 p4 #f7 that1 ,after all1      

it seems more natural to interpret      
,greek3 graphen legousan of a           
writing than of a picture4 ,it is an    
ugly circumstance1 says this     author1
 and ,i wish we could fairly get rid of 
it4 ,those who can     explain the      
scripture account of the passage of the 
,israelites     through the ,red ,sea by
 a natural strong wind1 and an          
extraordinary     ebbing of the waters1 
can find no knot too hard for them4 ,to 
deny a     supernatural interposition   
they can swallow contradictions1 and    
build hypotheses far more wonderful than
 the greatest miracles4 #ab4 ,sozomen   
indeed says1 7b4 #d1 c4 #bd17 that      
,acacius fought for     ,arianism1      
,cyril for ,semi-,arianism3 but this is 
altogether a mistake4     ,for ,acacius 
himself was at that time a ,semi-,arian1
 and in #cda1 in     the council of     
,antioch1 affirmed ,christ to be like1  
though not equal     to his ,father4 ,it
 was only in #ceh1 that he closed in    
with ,eudoxius1     and the other rigid 

,arians4 ,and as to ,st4 ,cyril1 it is  
also clear     from the facts above     
mentioned1 and from his writings1 that  
he     always professed the ,catholic   
faith with regard to the article of     
the ,consubstantiality of the ,son of   
,god4 ,this is demonstrated by ,dom     
,toutee1 in his life of ,st4 ,cyril1 and
 by his colleague ,dom ,mares1 in       
his dissertation on the ,semi-,arians1  
printed at ,paris1 in #agba1 to         
vindicate this father against a certain 
author in the memoirs of     ,trevoux1  
an #agba4 #ac4 ,sozom4 b4 #d1 c4 #bd4   
#ad4 ,apud ,theod4 ,hist4 b4 #e1 c4 #i4 
#ae4 ,tillem4 t4 #g1 p4 #dji4 #af4 ,hom4
 #f1 adv4 ,judae1 t4 #a1 p4 #fdf1 ed4   
,ben4 #ag4 ,amm4 ,marcell4 l4 #c1 c4 #a4
 #ah4 ,ep4 #be1 p4 #aec4 #ai4 ,soz4 l4  
#e1 c4 #bb4 #bj4 ,it was about this time
 that the ,jews demolished the great    
church of     ,alexandria1 two more at  
,damascus1 and others elsewhere4 #ba4   
,naz4 ,or4 #d1 adv4 ,julian4 #bb4 ,dan4 
ix4 #bg4 #bc4 ,matt4 xxiv4 #b4 #bd4     

,rufin4 ,hist4 l4 #aj1 c4 #cg4 #be4     
,catech4 #ae1 n4 #ae4 #bf4 ,dem4 ,evang4
 l4 #h1 p4 #djf4 #bg4 ,out of the very  
foundations themselves1 according to    
,st4 ,chrysostom1     ,sozomen1 and     
,theodoret4 #bh4 ,hocque modo elemento  
destinatius repellente4 ,amm4 ,marcel4  
l4 xxiii4     c4 #a4 ,a very emphatical 
expression in the mouth of a pagan4 ,he 
seems     by it to ascribe sense to the 
element1 by which he discovers the      
finger of ,god visibly detesting the    
obstinacy of the undertaking1     and a 
renewal of the eruption so often1 till  
it overcame the     rashness of the most
 obstinate4 #bi4 ,theod4 ,hist4 l4 #c1  
c4 #bj4 #cj4 ,soc4 lib4 #c1 c4 #bj4 #ca4
 ,st4 ,greg4 ,naz ,or4 #d adv4 ,julian4 
,theodoret1 indeed1 says that these     
crosses were shaded with s dark color3  
but this without any real               
contradiction to ,st4 ,gregory's        
relation of the matter1 because1 like   
the phosphorus1 they were  a darkish hue
 by day1 and lucid by     night4 #cb4   

,st4 ,greg4 ,naz4 ,or4 #i4 #cc4 ,or4 #d4
 adv4 ,julian4 #cd4 ,this learned author
 demonstrates1 lib4 #b1 ch4 #d1 that the
 exceptions     of ,mr4 ,basnage are    
founded on glaring mistakes and         
misrepresentations of his authorities4  
#ce4 ,see ,warburton1 p4 #hh4           
,,appendix  ,,on  ,,the ,,writings ,,of 
,,st4 ,,cyril ,,of ,,jerusalem  ,,st4   
,,maximus1 bishop of ,jerusalem1 having 
appointed ,st4 ,cyril both his preacher 
and his catechist1 our saint diligently 
acquitted himself of both these         
functions1 the most important of the    
episcopal charge4 ,st4 ,cyril mentions  
his sermons which he made to the people 
every ,sunday4 7,cat4 #e1 #aj1 #ad47    
,one of these is extant in the new      
edition of his works4 ,it is a moral    
discourse against sin1 as the source of 
all our miseries1 drawn from the gospel 
upon the sick man healed at the         
,probatic pond4 7,john v47 ,he preached 
every year a course of catechetical     
sermons for the instruction of the      

catechumens1 to prepare them for baptism
 and the holy communion4 ,only those    
which he preached in #cdg1 or rather in 
#cdh1 seem to have been committed to    
writing4 ,these consist of eighteen to  
the competentes1 or ,illuminati1 that   
is1 catechumens before baptism2 and of  
five mystagogic catechetical discourses1
 so called either because they were     
addressed to the catechumens immediately
 after they were initiated in the holy  
mysteries of ,baptism1 ,confirmation1   
and the ,eucharist1 or because these    
sacraments are fully explained in them1 
which were never expounded to those who 
were not initiated1 out of respect1 and 
for fear of giving occasion to their    
profanation by the blasphemies of       
infidels4 ,in the first eighteen ,st4   
,cyril explains the doctrine of the     
church concerning the pardon of sin1    
prayer1 and all the articles of the     
,apostles' ,creed4 ,the style is clear1 
suitable to an exposition of doctrine   
such as is here given1 and the work is  

one of the most important of ,christian 
antiquity4 ,the ,latin translation of   
,grodecius1 canon of ,warmia in ,poland1
 printed first in #aefc1 though often   
corrected1 was very inaccurate2 and the 
,greek editions very incorrect and      
imperfect1 before that given of ,thomas 
,miller at ,oxford1 in #agjc1 which is  
very valuable1 though the author in part
 of his notes1 where he endeavors to    
maintain the principles of the          
,protestant church1 is very             
inconsistent4 ,dom ,tontee1 a ,maurist  
monk1 who died in #agah1 prepared an    
excellent and complete edition of the   
works of ,st4 ,cyril2 which was         
published by ,dom ,maran1 in #agbj1 in  
one volume in folio4 ,the journalists of
 ,trevoux1 in their memoirs for         
,december1 in #agba1 criticised some of 
the notes concerning the ,semi-,arians1 
and the temporary neutrality of ,st4    
,cyril4 ,dom ,maran answered them by a  
learned and curious dissertation1 ,sur  
le ,semi-,ariens1 printed by ,vincent1  

in #agbb4  ,three ,french ,calvinists1  
,aubertin1 ,rivet1 7,critici ,sacri1 l4 
#c1 c4 #h1 #i1 #aj1 and #aa17 one the   
apostate ,casimir ,oudin1 7,de ,ser4    
,eccl4 t4 1 p4 #dei17 deny these        
catecheses1 at least the #fae           
mystagogics1 to be the work of ,st4     
,cyril4 ,oudin1 to his usual inaccuracy1
 adds many affected blunders1 and shows 
a dread of his unanswerable authority in
 favor of many articles which he was    
unwilling to allow was his chief motive 
for raising such a contest about the    
author2 though if this was not ,st4     
,cyril1 these critics must confess1 from
 six hundred passages in the discourses1
 that they were delivered at ,jerusalem1
 about the middle of the fourth century4
 ,other ,protestants1 especially the    
,english1 are more sincere1 and prove   
them this father's most undoubted work1 
as ,doctor ,cave1 in ,st4 ,cyril's life1
 ,thomas ,milles1 in his preface and    
notes to his edition of ,st4 ,cyril1    
,whittaker1 ,vossius4 ,bull1 c4 ,they   

were preached at ,jerusalem1 seventy    
years after ,manes broached his heresy1 
whom some then alive had seen1 7,cat4   
#f17 which agrees only to the year #cdg4
 ,they are mentioned by ,st4 ,jerom1 in 
the same age1 7,catal4 c4 #aab17 quoted 
by ,theodoret1 7,dial4 ,inconfusus1 p4  
#ajf17 and innumerable other fathers in 
every age downwards4 ,as for the five   
mystagogics1 they are inseparable from  
the rest1 and as undoubted4 ,the author 
promises them in his eighteenth1 and    
mentions his first eighteen in the first
 mystagogic4 7n4 #i47 ,they are quoted  
by ,eustrasius1 7under ,justinian17 by  
,anastius the ,sinaite1 ,nico the monk1 
and other ancients produced by ,dom     
,touttee4 7,disc4 #b1 p4 cv47  ,in his  
first catechetic instructions1 he       
commands the catechumens not to divulge 
any part of our mysteries to any        
infidel1 as unworthy1 and exhorts them  
to the dispositions and preparation for 
holy baptism1 viz4 to a pure intention1 
assiduity in prayer1 and at church      

devoutly receiving the exorcisms1       
fasting1 sincere repentance1 confessing 
their sins1 whatever they had committed4
 7,catceh4 #a1 n4 #e47 ,in the fourth he
 gives a summary of the ,christian      
faith1 and reckons up the canonical     
books of scripture1 in which he omits   
the ,apocalypse1 and some of the        
deutero-canonical books1 though he      
quotes these in other places as ,god's  
word4 ,in the following discourses he   
explains very distinctly and clearly    
every article of our creed3 he teaches  
,christ's descent into the subterraneous
 dungeons 7,greek3 eis ta katachthonia7 
to deliver the ancient just4 7,cat4 #d1 
n4 #aa1 p4 #eg47 ,the porters of hell   
stood astonished to behold their        
conqueror1 and fled3 the prophets and   
saints1 with ,moses1 ,abraham1 ,david1  
c41 met him1 now redeemed by him4 7,cat4
 #ad1 n4 #ai1 p4 #bad47 ,he extols      
exceedingly the state of virginity as   
equal to that of the angels4 7,cat4 #d1 
n4 #bd2 ,cat4 #ab1 n4 #cc1 #cd47 ,he    

says it will in the day of judgment1 in 
the list of good works1 carry off the   
first crowns4 7,cat4 #ae1 n4 #bc47 ,he  
compares it to gold1 and marriage1 which
 is yet good and honorable1 to silver2  
but prescribes times of continency to   
married persons for prayer4 7,cat4 #d1  
n4 #bf47 ,he calls ,lent the greatest   
time of fasting and penance1 but says1  
,thou dost not abstain from wine and    
flesh as bad in themselves1 as the      
,manichees1 for so thou wilt have no    
reward2 but thou retrenchest them1 good 
indeed in themselves1 for better        
spiritual recompenses which are         
promised4 7,cat4 #d1 n4 #bg47 ,he       
mentions the fasts and watchings of     
superposition1 i4e4 of holy week before 
,easter1 as most austere4 7,cat4 #ah47  
,he expresses on all occasions the      
tenderest devotion to the holy cross of 
,christ1 and a great confidence in it1  
with which he endeavors also to inspire 
others4 ,let us not be ashamed of the   
cross of ,christ1 says he3 sign it      

openly on thy forehead1 that the devils1
 seeing the royal standard1 may fly far 
trembling2 make this sign when thou     
eatest or drinkest1 sittest1 liest1     
risest1 speakest1 walkest1 in a word1 in
 every action ,greek3 en pantipragmati4 
7,cat4 #d1 p4 #eh47 ,and again1 when    
thou art going to dispute against an    
infidel1 make with thy hand the sign of 
the cross1 and thy adversary will be    
struck dumb2 be not ashamed to confess  
the cross4 ,the angels glory in it1     
saying1 ,whom do you seek8 ,jesus1 the  
crucified1 ,mat4 xxviii4 #f4 ,you could 
have said1 ,o ,angel1 ,my ,lord3 but the
 cross is his crown4 7,cat4 #ac1 n4 #bb1
 p4 #aid47 ,st4 ,porphyry of ,gaza1     
instructed by ,st4 ,cyril's successor1  
,john1 following this rule1 by beginning
 a disputation with a famous ,manichean 
woman1 struck her miraculously dumb4    
,st4 ,cyril1 in his thirteenth          
catechesis1 thus addresses his          
catechumen1 7n4 #cf1 p4 #bjj37 ,be      
careful to form with your finger on your

 forehead boldly1 the sign of the cross 
for a signet and standard1 and that     
before every thing1--while we eat our   
bread1 or drink our cups1 in coming in  
and going out1 before sleep1 and in     
rising1 in walking1 and in standing     
still4 ,he testifies1 in his tenth      
catechesis1 7n4 #ai17 that the holy wood
 of the cross kept at ,jerusalem1 had1  
in the few years since its invention by 
,st4 ,helena1 already filled the whole  
world1 being carried everywhere by those
 who1 full of devotion1 cut of littie   
chips1 7p4 #adf47 ,we learn from ,rufin1
 7,hist4 b4 #a1 c4 #aj17 that the holy  
cross was covered by ,st4 ,helena with a
 silver case2 and from ,s4 ,paulinus1   
7,ep4 #ca1 n4 #f17 that it was kept in  
an inner treasury in the church1 into   
which the passage lay through a portico 
or gallery1 as appears from the         
,spiritual ,meadow4 7,c4 #aje47 ,a lamp 
burned before the cross1 by the oil     
whereof ,st4 ,sabas and ,st4 ,cyriacus  
wrought many miracles1 as we read in    

their lives4 ,a priest was appointed by 
the bishop to be the guardian of this   
sacred treasury1 which honor was        
conferred on ,st4 ,porphyry of ,gaza1   
soon after ,st4 ,cyril's death2 and then
 the case of the cross was of gold4 ,st4
 ,paulmus rays1 it was exposed to the   
public veneration of the people once a  
year1 at ,easter1 which some think to   
have been on ,good ,friday4 ,st4        
,sophronius of ,jerusalem1 7,or4 #a17   
besides other days1 in his time1 says it
 was on ,easter ,monday4 ,at            
extraordinary times the bishop gave     
leave for it to be shown to pilgrims to 
be venerated1 and for them to cut off   
small chips1 by which1 miraculously1 the
 cross never diminished1 as ,st4        
,paulinus wrote seventy #faf years after
 its invention4 ,the devotion of ,st4   
,cyril to the holy cross1 was doubtless 
more inflamed by the sacred place in    
which he made all his sermons1 which was
 the church built by ,st4 ,helena and   
,constantine1 sometimes called of the   

,holy ,cross1 which was kept in it2     
sometimes of the ,resurrection1 because 
it contained in it the sepulchre1 out of
 which ,christ arose from death4 ,it is 
curiously described as it stood1 before 
it was destroyed by the ,saracens1 in   
#ajaa1 by ,dom ,touttee1 in a particular
 dissertation in the end of ,st4        
,cyril's works1 7p4 #dbc47 ,it was since
 rebuilt1 but not exactly in the same   
place4  ,st4 ,cyril inculcates also an  
honor due to the relics of saints1 which
 he proves 7,cat4 #ag1 n4 #cj1 #ca7 from
 the ,holy ,ghost performing miracles by
 the handkerchiefs of ,st4 ,paul1 how   
much more by the saints' bodies8 ,this  
he shows 7,cat4 #ah1 n4 #af1 p4 #bic7 by
 the man raised to life by touching the 
dead body of ,eliseus4 7#d ,reg4 xiii4  
#ba47 ,he gives the ,blessed ,virgin the
 title of ,mother of ,god1 ,greek3      
theotokos4 7,cat4 #aj1 n4 #ai1 p4 #adf47
 ,he is very clear in explaining the    
eternity and consubstantiality of ,god  
the ,son1 7,cat4 #d1 #aj1 #aa1 #ae17    

which would alone justify him from all  
suspicion of semi-,arianism4 ,he is no  
less explicit against the ,macedonians1 
on the divinity of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,on
 that article3 ,i believe in the ,holy  
,ghost1 ,believe of him1 says he1 the   
same as of the ,father and of the ,son1 
c4 7,cat4 #d1 n4 #af1 pp4 #ei1 #fj47 ,on
 the article of the holy ,catholic      
,church1 he observes that the very name 
of ,catholic distinguishes it from all  
heresies1 which labor in vain to usurp  
it2 this always remains proper to the   
spouse of ,christ1 as we see1 if a      
stranger ask in any city1 ,where is the 
,catholic ,church8 7,cat4 #ah1 n4 #bf47 
,that it is catholic1 or universal1     
because spread over the whole world1    
from one end to the other2 and because  
universally and without failing or      
error1 ,greek3 katholikos kai           
anelleipos1 it teaches all truths of    
things visible and invisible1 7ib4 n4   
#bc1 p4 #bif17 which he proves from     
,matt4 xvi4 #ah4 ,the gates of hell     

shall never prevail against it4 #a ,tim4
 iii4 #ae4 ,it is the pillar and ground 
of truth4 ,malach4 i4 #aa4 ,from the    
rising of the sun to the setting1 my    
name is glorified4 ,he is very earnest  
in admonishing1 that no book is to be   
received as divine1 but by the authority
 of the ,church1 and by tradition from  
the apostles1 end the ancient bishops1  
the rulers of the ,church4 7,cat4 #d1 n4
 #bc1 #ce1 #cf47 ,by the same channel of
 the tradition of tire ,church1 he      
teaches the sign of the cross1 the      
honoring of that holy wood of our       
,saviour's sepulchre1 and of saints'    
relics1 exorcisms1 and their virtue1    
insufflations1 oil sanctified by        
exorcisms1 7,cat4 #bj17 holy chrism1    
7,cat4 #ba17 blessing the baptismal     
water1 7,cat4 #c17 prayers1 and         
sacrifices for the dead1 7,cat4 #bc17   
the perpetual virginity of the ,virgin  
,mary1 7,cat4 #ab17 c4 ,he made these   
eighteen catecheses to the catechumens  
during ,lent3 the five following he     

spoke to them after they were baptized  
during ,easter week1 to instruct them   
perfectly in the mysteries of the three 
sacraments they had received            
together--baptism1 confirmation1 and the
 eucharist--which it was thought a      
profanation to explain fully to any     
before baptism4 ,hence these five are   
called mystagogic catecheses4 ,as to    
baptism1 ,st4 ,cyril teaches 7,procat4  
n4 #af1 p4 #ab7 that it imprints an     
indelible signet1 or spiritual character
 in the soul1 which1 he says1 7,cat4 #a1
 n4 #b7 is the mark by which we belong  
to ,christ's flock3 he adds1 this is    
conferred by the regeneration1 by and in
 the lotion with water4 7,cat4 #d  #ab2 
,cat4 #af1 n4 #bd47 ,he calls the       
character given by confirmation the     
signet of the communication of the ,holy
 ,ghost1 7,cat4 #ah1 n4 #cc17 and says  
7,cat4 #bb1 n4 #g7 it is imprinted on   
the soul1 while the forehead is anointed
 with chrism1 7,cat4 #bb1 n4 #g17 and   
after by baptism4 7ib4 n4 #cc17 by which

 he clearly distinguishes the characters
 of these two different sacraments1     
though ,mr4 ,milles 7not4 in ,procat47  
has taken great pains to confound them4 
,st4 ,cyril teaches that baptism        
perfectly remits all sin2 but penance1  
the remedy for sins after it1 does not  
quite efface them1 as wounds that are   
healed leave still scars4 7,cat4 #ah1 n4
 #bj47 ,he attributes great virtue to   
the exorcisms for purifying the soul1   
7,procat4 n4 #i17 and says1 as          
incantations give a diabolical virtue to
 defile the soul1 so does the invocation
 of the ,holy ,ghost give a virtue to   
the water1 and gives it the power to    
sanctify4 7,cat4 #c1 n4 #c47 ,he says   
the same of the blessed oil1 7,cat4 #bj1
 n4 #c1 p4 #c17 and establishes clearly 
confirmation to be a distinct sacrament 
from baptism3 he calls it the chrism and
 the mystical ointment1 7,cat4 #ba17 and
 says it is to arm and fortify us       
against the enemies of our salvation1   
7ib4 p4 #cag1 n4 #d17 and that while the

 body is anointed with this visible     
ointment1 the soul is sanctified by the 
holy and life-giving spirit4 7ib4 n4    
#c47 ,in his nineteenth catechesis1 the 
first mystagogic1 he explains the force 
of the baptismal renunciations of the   
devil and his pomps4 ,in the twentieth1 
the other ceremonies of baptism1 and    
what they mean2 in the twenty-first1 the
 sacrament of confirmation2 in the      
twenty-second1 that of the blessed      
eucharist2 in the twenty-third1 or last1
 the liturgy or sacrifice of the mass   
and communion4 ,as to the blessed       
eucharist1 he says1 by it we are made   
concorporeal and consanguineal with     
,christ by his body and blood being     
distributed through our bodies4 7,cat4  
#bb1 n4 #a1 #c47 ,this same strong      
expression1 which wonderfully declares  
the strict union which is the effect of 
this sacrament1 is used by ,st4         
,chrysostom1 7,horm4 #f1 in ,hebr4 c417 
,st4 ,isidore of ,pelusium1 7l4 #c1 ep4 
#aie17 ,st4 ,cyril of ,alexandria1 7l4  

#aj1 in ,joan4 p4 #hfb1 dial4 de ,trin4 
p4 #djg17 c4 ,our holy doctor explains  
to his neophytes the doctrine of        
transubstantiation in so plain terms1   
that no one can doubt of its being the  
faith of the ,church in the fourth age4 
,the learned ,lutheran ,ffaffius1 7,dis4
 de oblatione ,euchar4 c4 #ch1 p4 #cbg17
 owns it cannot be denied that this is  
,cyril's opinion4 ,grebe affirms the    
same1 7not4 in #a4 #e1 ,irenae4 c4 #b1  
p4 #cci47 #fag ,this twenty-second      
catechesis alone puts it out of dispute4
 ,do not look apor the bread and wine as
 bare and common elements1 for they are 
the ,body and ,blood of ,christ1 as our 
,lord assures us4 ,although thy sense   
suggest this to thee1 let faith make    
thee firm and sure4 ,judge not of the   
thing by the taste1 but be certain from 
faith that thou hast been honored with  
the gift of ,christ's ,body and ,blood4 
7,cat4 #bb1 n4 #f1 p4 #cba47 ,when he   
has pronounced and said of the bread3   
',this is my body1' who will1 after     

this1 dare to doubt8 and when he has    
assured and said1 ',this is my blood1'  
who can ever hesitate1 saying it is not 
his blood8 7n4 #a1 p4 #cb47 ,he changed 
water into wine1 which is akin to blood1
 in ,cana2 and shall we not think him   
worthy our belief1 when he has changed1 
,greek3 metaballon1 wine into blood8 7n4
 #b17 c4 ,wherefore let us receive them 
with an entire belief as ,christ's ,body
 and ,blood1 for under the figure of    
bread is given to thee his ,body1 and   
under the figure of wine his ,blood1    
that when thou hast received ,christ's  
,body and ,blood1 thou be made one body 
and blood with him3 for so we carry him 
about in us1 his ,body and ,blood being 
distributed through our bodies4 7n4 #c1 
p4 #cbj47 ,we learn the manner of       
receiving the blessed sacrament from his
 ,catech4 #bc4 ,putting your left hand  
under your right1 says he1 form a throne
 of your right hand to receive the king2
 hold it hollow1 receiving on it the    
,body of ,christ4 ,answer1 ,amen4       

,carefully sanctify your eyes1 by       
touching them with the holy ,body1 being
 very watchful that no part of it fall4 
,approach to the cup of the ,blood1     
bowed in a posture of adoration and     
reverence2 saying1 ,amen1 take of the   
,blood of ,christ4 ,while yet something 
of the moisture sticks on your lips1    
touch them with your hand1 and by       
applying it then to your eyes1 forehead1
 and other senses1 sanctify them4  ,in  
his twenty-third or last catechesis1 he 
calls the mass an unbloody sacrifice1 a 
victim of propitiation1 a supreme       
worship1 c4 7n4 #h1 p4 #cbg47 ,he       
explains the ,preface1 and the other    
principal parts of it1 especially the   
,communion1 and mentions the priest from
 the altar crying out to the faithful1  
before they approached to receive1      
,greek3 ,ta hagia tois hagiois4 ,he     
expounds the ,lord's ,prayer1 and       
mentions the commemorations for the     
living and the dead4 ,of the latter he  
writes thus3 7n4 #i1 p4 #cbh47 ,we also 

pray for the deceased holy fathers1     
bishops1 and all in general who are     
dead1 believing that this will be a     
great succor to those souls for which   
prayer is offered1 while the holy and   
most tremendous victim lies present4    
,and1 7n4 #aj1 ib417 ,if a king1 being  
offended at certain persons1 had        
banished them1 and their friends offer  
him a rich garland for them1 will not he
 be moved to release their punishment8  
,in like manner1 we1 offering prayers to
 ,god for the dead1 though they be      
sinners1 do not make a garland1 but we  
offer ,christ sacrificed for our sins1  
striving to appease and make our        
merciful ,god propitious both to them   
and ourselves4 ,this very passage is    
quoted out of ,st4 ,cyril1 in the sixth 
century1 by ,eustratius1 a priest of    
,constantinople1 author of the life of  
the patriarch ,eutychius1 in his book on
 praying for the dead1 or on the state  
of the dead1 published by ,leo          
,allatius1 l4 ,de ,consensu ,eccl4      

,orient4 et ,occid4 ,de ,purgat41 and in
 ,bibl4 ,patr4 t4 #bg4 ,it is also cited
 by ,nicon the monk1 in his ,pandect4   
,st4 ,cyril's famous letter to          
,constantius1 ,on the ,apparition of the
 ,cross in the ,heavens1 was written by 
him soon after he was raised to the     
episcopal dignity1 either in the same   
year1 #cej1 or in the following4  ,a    
sermon1 ,on the ,feast of the           
,purification of the ,blessed ,virgin1  
and the ,presentation of ,christ in the 
,temple1 bears the name of ,st4 ,cyril  
of ,jerusalem1 in almost all the ,,mss42
 but the custom of carrying blessed     
candles in procession that day1         
mentioned in this discourse1 was only   
introduced at ,jerusalem at the         
suggestion of a devout lady named       
,icelia1 about the middle of the fifth  
century1 about sixty years after the    
death of ,st4 ,cyril4 ,other passages in
 this discourse seem clearly levelled   
against the heresy of ,nestorius4 ,the  
style is also more pompous and adorned  

than that of ,st4 ,cyril1 nor abounds   
with parenthesis like his4 ,it is a     
beautiful1 eloquent1 and solid piece1   
and was probably composed by some priest
 of the church of ,jerusalem1 whose name
 was ,cyril1 about the sixth century1   
when either ,sallust or ,elias was      
patriarch4 ,see ,dom4 ,touttee1 and     
,ceillier1 t4 #f1 p4 #edd4  ,,st4       
,,edward1 ,,king ,,and ,,martyr4  ,,he  
was monarch of all ,england1 and        
succeeded his father1 the glorious king 
,edgar1 in #ige1 being thirteen years   
old4 ,he followed in all things the     
counsels of ,st4 ,dunstan2 and his ardor
 in the pursuit of all virtues is not to
 be expressed4 ,his great love of purity
 of mind and body1 and his fervent      
devotion1 rendered him the miracle of   
princes1 while by his modesty1 clemency1
 prudence1 charity1 and compassion to   
the poor1 he was the blessing and the   
delight of his subjects4' ,his          
stepmother1 ,elfrida1 had attempted #fah
 to set him aside1 that the crown might 

fall on her own son1 ,ethelred1 then    
seven years old4 ,notwithstanding her   
treasonable practices1 and the frequent 
proofs of her envy and jealousy1 ,edward
 always paid her the most dutiful       
respect and deference1 and treated his  
brother with the most tender affection4 
,but the fury of her ambition made her  
insensible to all motives of religion1  
nature1 and gratitude4 ,the young king  
had reigned three years and a half1     
when1 being one day weary with hunting  
in a forest near ,wareham1 in           
,dorsetshire1 he paid a visit to his    
stepmother at ,corfesgeate1 now         
,corfe-castle1 in the isle of ,purbeck1 
and desired to see his young brother at 
the door4 ,the treacherous queen caused 
a servant to stab him in the belly while
 he was stooping1 out of courtesy1 after
 drinking4 ,the king set spurs to his   
horse1 but fell off dead1 on the #ahth  
of ,march1 #igi1 his bowels being ripped
 open so as to fall out4 ,his body was  
plunged deep into a marsh1 but          

discovered by a pillar of light1 and    
honored by many miraculous cures of sick
 persons4 ,it was taken up and buried in
 the church of our ,lady at ,wareham2   
but found entire in three years after1  
and translated to the monastery at      
,shaftesbury4 ,his lungs were kept at   
the village called ,edwardstow1 in      
#ajja2 but the chiefest part of his     
remains were deposited at ,wareham1 as  
the ,saxon ,chronicle and ,florence of  
,worcester say3 but part was afterwards 
removed to ,shaftesbury1 not            
,glastenbury1 as ,caxton mistakes4 ,the 
long thin knife with which he was       
stabbed1 was kept in the church at      
,faversham1 before the suppression of   
the monasteries1 as ,hearne mentions4   
,his name is placed in the ,roman       
,martyrology4 ,the impious ,elfrida1    
being awaked by the stings of           
conscience1 and by the voice of         
miracles1 retired from the world1 and   
built the monasteries of ,wherwell and  
,ambresbury1 in the first of which she  

lived and died in the practice of       
penance4 ,the reign of her son ,ethelred
 was weak and unfortunate1 and the      
source of the greatest miseries to the  
kingdom1 especially from the ,danes4    
,see ,malmesbury1 ,brompton1 abbot of   
,jorval1 in ,yorkshire1 and ,ranulf     
,higden1 in his ,polychronicon1         
published by ,gale4 ,also an old ,,ms4  
life of the saint1 quoted by ,hearne1 on
 ,langtoft's ,chronicle1 t4 #b1 p4 #fbh1
 and from the ,,ms4 lives of saints1 in 
the hands of ,mr4 ,sheldon1 of ,weston4 
,,st4 ,,anselm1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,lucca1  
,c4  ,,he was a native of ,mantua1 and  
was educated there in grammer and       
dialectics4 ,having entered himself     
among the clergy1 he spent some time in 
the study of theology and the canon law1
 and laid that foundation of learning1  
which1 joined with his natural genius   
and eminent virtue1 qualified him to    
rise to the highest degree of           
excellence4 ,anselm ,badagius1 a        
,milanese1 bishop of ,lucca1 was chosen 

pope in #ajfa1 and took the name of     
,alexander ,,ii4 ,he nominated our saint
 his successor in the see of ,lucca2 and
 he took a journey into ,germany to the 
emperor1 ,henry ,,iv41 but out of a     
scruple refused to receive the          
investiture of the bishopric from that  
prince1 so that the pope was obliged to 
keep in his own hands the administration
 of the see of ,lucca4 ,st4 ,gregory    
,,vii41 who succeeded ,alexander ,,ii41 
in #ajgc1 ordered ,anselm to receive the
 investiture from ,henry4 ,this         
compliance gave our saint such remorse1 
that he left his see1 and took the      
monastic habit at ,cluni4 ,the pope     
obliged him to return to his bishopric1 
which he did4 ,his zeal soon raised him 
enemies3 by virtue of a decree of pope  
,gregory ,,ix4 he attempted to reform   
the canons of his cathedral1 and to     
oblige them to live in community3 this  
they obstinately refused to do1 though  
they were interdicted by the pope1 and  
afterwards excommunicated in a council1 

in which ,peter ,igneus1 the famous     
bishop of ,albano1 presided in the name 
of #fai his holiness4 ,the holy         
countess1 ,maud1 undertook to expel the 
refractory canons1 but they raised a    
sedition1 and1 being supported by the   
emperor ,henry1 drove the bishop out of 
the city1 in #ajgi4 ,st4 ,anselm retired
 to the countess ,maud1 whose director  
he was2 for he was eminently experienced
 in the paths of an interior life1 and1 
in the greatest hurry of business1 he   
always reserved several hours in the    
day1 which he consecrated to prayer1 and
 attended only to ,god and himself4     
,while he studied or conversed with     
others1 his heart was virtually united  
to ,god1 and every object served as it  
were naturally to raise his affections  
afresh to his ,creator4 ,pope ,gregory  
suffered him not to bury himself in his 
retreat1 but1 during his exile1         
appointed him apostolic legate in       
,lombardy1 charging him with the care of
 several dioceses in those parts1 which1

 through the iniquity of the times1 had 
continued long vacant4 ,st4 ,anselm     
wrote an apology for ,gregory ,,vii41 in
 which he shows that it belongs not to  
temporal princes to give pastors to the 
church of ,christ1 and to confute the   
pretensions of the antipope1 ,guibert4#a
 ,in another work he proves1 that       
temporal princes cannot dispose of the  
revenues of the church4 ,st4 ,anselm    
died at ,mantua on the #ahth of ,march1 
in #ajhf4 ,his name occurs on this day  
in the ,roman ,martyrology1 and he is   
honored at ,mantua as patron of that    
city4 ,baldus1 his penitentiary1 has    
written his life1 in which he ascribes  
to him several miracles4 ,see it in     
,canisius's ,lect4 ,antiq4 t4 #c1 p4    
#cgb4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,this work is   
published by ,canisius1 ,lect4 ,antiq4  
t4 #c1 p4 #chi1 and     ,bibl4 ,patr4   
,lugdun1 t4 #ah1 ,colon4 t4 #ab4  ,,st4 
,,fridian1 ,,erigdian1 ,,or ,,frigdian1 
,c4  ,,bishop ,,of ,,lucca4  ,,he is    
said to have been son to a king of      

,ulster in ,ireland1 at least he is     
looked upon as of ,irish extraction4    
,travelling into ,italy1 to improve     
himself in ecclesiastical learning and  
virtue1 he made such progress that1 upon
 the death of ,geminian1 bishop of      
,lucca1 he was chosen bishop of that    
extensive diocese1 the eleventh from    
,st4 ,paulinus1 founder of that church1 
said to have been a disciple of ,st4    
,peter4 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great assures
 us1 that he miraculously checked an    
impetuous flood of the river ,auser1 now
 called the ,serchio1 when it threatened
 to drown great part of the city4 ,st4  
,fridian died in #egh1 and was buried in
 a place where the church now stands1   
which bears his name4 ,pope ,alexander  
,,ii4 sent for some regular canons from 
this church to establish that order in  
the churches of ,st4 ,john ,lateran1 and
 of the cross of ,jerusalem1 at ,rome1  
but1 in #aejg1 the congregation of ,st4 
,frigdian was united to that of ,st4    
,john ,lateran4#a ,see ,st4 ,gregory the

 ,great1 l4 #c1 ,dial4 c4 #i1 ,bede1    
,notker1 ,raban1 ,usuard1 and the ,roman
 ,martyrology1 on the #ahth of ,march4  
,also ,innocent ,,iii4 c4 #cd1 de       
,testibus et ,attestationibus4 ,in      
,decreto ,gregoriano4 ,rursus id c4 #h1 
de ,testibus cogendis4 ,ib4 iterum1 de  
,verborum ,significatione4 ,see also    
,dempster 7of the family of the barons  
of ,muresk1 a ,scotchman1 public        
professor1 first in several towns in    
,flanders1 afterwards at ,pisa1 and     
lastly1 at ,bononia1 where he died in   
#afbe7 in his ,etruria ,regalis1 t4 #b1 
l4 #e1 c4 #f1 p4 #bii1 which work was   
printed with many cuts1 in two volume1  
folio1 at ,florence1 in #agbc1 at the   
expense of ,thomas ,coke1 late earl of  
,leicester1 then on his travels4 ,and   
principally1 see the ,ecclesiastical    
,history of ,lucca1 printed in that     
city1 in #agcf1 and again in #agda1 in  
#abmo4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,see ,f4       
,hebboi1 t4 #b1 p4 #ej4  #fbj   ,,march 
,,xix4  ,,st4 ,,joseph4  ,,the glorious 

,st4 ,joseph was lineally descended from
 the greatest kings of the tribe of     
,juda1 and from the most illustrious of 
the ancient patriarchs2 but his true    
glory consisted in his humility and     
virtue4 ,the history of his life hath   
not been written by men2 but his        
principal actions are recorded by the   
,holy ,ghost himself4 ,god intrusted him
 with the education of his divine ,son1 
manifested in the flesh4 ,in this view  
he was espoused to the ,virgin ,mary4   
,it is an evident mistake of some       
writers1 that by a former wife he was   
the father of ,st4 ,james the ,less1 and
 of the rest who are styled in the      
gospels the brothers of our ,lord2 for  
these were only cousin-germans to       
,christ1 the sons of ,mary1 sister to   
the ,blessed ,virgin1 wife of ,alphaeus1
 who was living at the time of our      
,redeemer's crucifixion4 ,st4 ,jerom    
assures us1#a that ,st4 ,joseph always  
preserved his virgin chastity2 and it is
 of faith that nothing contrary thereto 

ever took place with regard to his      
chaste spouse1 the blessed ,virgin      
,mary4 ,he was given her by heaven to be
 the protector of her chastity1 to      
secure her from calumnies in the birth  
of the ,son of ,god1 and to assist her  
in his education1 and in her journeys1  
fatigues1 and persecutions4 ,how great  
was the purity and sanctity of him who  
was chosen the guardian of the most     
spotless ,virgin6 ,this holy man seems1 
for a considerable time1 to have been   
unacquainted that the great mystery of  
the ,incarnation had been wrought in her
 by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,conscious        
therefore of his own chaste behavior    
towards her1 it could not but raise a   
great concern in his breast1 to find    
that1 notwithstanding the sanctity of   
her deportment1 yet he might be well    
assured that she was with child4 ,but   
being a just man1 as the scripture calls
 him1 and consequently possessed of all 
virtues1 especially of charity and      
mildness towards his neighbor1 he was   

determined to leave her privately1      
without either condemning or accusing   
her1 committing the whole cause to ,god4
 ,these his perfect dispositions were so
 acceptable to ,god1 the lover of       
justice1 charity1 and peace1 that before
 he put his design in execution1 he sent
 an angel from heaven not to reprehend  
any thing in his holy conduct1 but to   
dissipate all his doubts and fears1 by  
revealing to him this adorable mystery4 
,how happy should we be if we were as   
tender in all that regards the          
reputation of our neighbor2 as free from
 entertaining any injurious thought or  
suspicion1 whatever certainty our       
conjectures or our senses may seem to   
rely on2 and as guarded in our tongue6  
,we commit these faults only because in 
our hearts we are devoid of that true   
charity and simplicity1 whereof ,st4    
,joseph sets us so eminent an example on
 this occasion4  ,in the next place we  
may admire in secret contemplation1 with
 what devotion1 respect1 and tenderness1

 he beheld and adored the first of all  
men1 the new-born ,saviour of the world1
 and with what fidelity he acquitted    
himself of his double charge1 the       
education of ,jesus1 and the            
guardianship of his blessed mother4 ,he 
was truly the faithful and prudent      
servant1 says ,st4 ,bernard1#b whom our 
,lord appointed the master of his       
household1 the comfort and support of   
his mother1 his fosterfather1 and most  
faithful co-operator to the execution of
 his deepest counsels on earth4 ,what a 
happiness1 #fba says the same father1   
not only to see ,jesus ,christ1 but also
 to hear him1 to carry him in his arms1 
to lead him from place to place1 to     
embrace and caress him1 to feed him1 and
 to be privy to all the great secrets   
which were concealed from the princes of
 this world6  ,o astonishing elevation6 
,o unparalleled dignity6 cries out the  
pious ,gerson1#c in a devout address to 
,st4 ,joseph1 that the mother of ,god1  
queen of heaven1 should call you her    

lord2 that ,god himself1 made man1      
should call you father1 and obey your   
commands4 ,o glorious ,triad on earth1  
,jesus1 ,mary1 ,joseph1 how dear a      
family to the glorious ,trinity in      
heaven1 ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost6
 ,nothing is on earth so great1 so good1
 so excellent4 ,amidst these his        
extraordinary graces1 what more         
wonderful than his humility6 ,he        
conceals his privileges1 lives as the   
most obscure of men1 publishes nothing  
of ,god's great mysteries1 makes no     
further inquiries into them1 leaving it 
to ,god to manifest them at his own     
time1 seeks to fulfil the order of      
providence in his regard1 without       
interfering with any thing but what     
concerns himself4 ,though descended from
 the royal family which had long been in
 possession of the throne of ,judaea1 he
 is content with his condition1 that of 
a mechanic or handicraftsman1#d and     
makes it his business1 by laboring in   
it1 to maintain himself1 his spouse1 and

 the divine ,child4  ,we should be      
ungrateful to this great saint1 if we   
did not remember that it is to him1 as  
the instrument under ,god1 that we are  
indebted for the preservation of the    
infant ,jesus from ,herod's jealousy and
 malice1 manifested in the slaughter of 
the ,innocents4 ,an angel appearing to  
him in his sleep1 bade him arise1 take  
the child ,jesus1 and fly with him into 
,egypt1 and remain there till he should 
again have notice from him to return4   
,this sudden and unexpected flight must 
have exposed ,joseph to many            
inconveniences and sufferings in so long
 a journey1 with a little babe and a    
tender virgin1 the greater part of the  
way being through deserts1 and among    
strangers2 yet he alleges no excuses1   
nor inquires at what time they were to  
return4 ,st4 ,chrysostom observes that  
,god treats thus all his servants1      
sending them frequent trials1 to clear  
their hearts from the rust of self-love1
 but intermixing seasons of             

consolation4#e ,joseph1 says he1 is     
anxious on seeing the ,virgin with      
child2 an angel removes that fear2 he   
rejoices at the child's birth1 but a    
great fear succeeds2 the furious king   
seeks to destroy the child1 and the     
whole city is in an uproar to take away 
his life4 ,this is followed by another  
joy1 the adoration of the ,magi2 a new  
sorrow then arises2 he is ordered to fly
 into a foreign unknown country1 without
 help or acquaintance4 ,it is the       
opinion of the fathers1 that upon their 
entering ,egypt1 at the presence of the 
child ,jesus1 all the oracles of that   
superstitions country were struck dumb1 
and the statues of their gods trembled1 
and in many places fell to the ground1  
according to that of ,isaiah xix4 ,and  
the statues of the ,egyptians shall be  
shaken in his presence4#f ,the fathers  
also attribute to this holy visit the   
spiritual benediction poured on that    
country1 which made it for many ages    
most fruitful in saints4#g  ,after the  

death of king ,herod1 which was notified
 to ,st4 ,joseph by a vision1 ,god      
ordered him to return with the child and
 his mother into the land of ,israel1   
which our saint readily obeyed4 ,but    
when he arrived in ,judaea1 #fbb hearing
 that ,archelaus succeeded ,herod in    
that part of the country1 apprehensive  
he might be infected with his father's  
vices--cruelty and ambition--he feared  
on that account to settle there1 as he  
would otherwise probably have done1 for 
the more commodious education of the    
child4 ,and1 therefore1 being directed  
by ,god in another vision1 he retired   
into the dominions of his brother1      
,herod ,antipas1 in ,galilee1 to his    
former habitation in ,nazareth1 where   
the wonderful occurrences of our ,lord's
 birth were less known4 ,st4 ,joseph    
being a strict observer of the ,mosaic  
law1 in conformity to its direction1    
annually repaired to ,jerusalem to      
celebrate the passover4 ,archelaus being
 banished by ,augustus1 and ,judaea made

 a ,roman province1 he had now nothing  
more to fear at ,jerusalem4 ,our        
,saviour being advanced to the twelfth  
year of his age1 accompanied his parents
 thither2 who having performed the usual
 ceremonies of the feast1 were now      
returning with many of their neighbors  
and acquaintance towards ,galilee1 and  
never doubting but that ,jesus had      
joined himself with some of the company1
 they travelled on for a whole day's    
journey without further inquiry after   
him1 before they discovered that he was 
not with them4 ,but when night came on1 
and they could hear no tidings of him   
among their kindred and acquaintance1   
they1 in the deepest affliction1        
returned with the utmost speed to       
,jerusalem3 where1 after an anxious     
search of three days1 they found him in 
the temple1 sitting among the learned   
doctors of the law1 hearing them        
discourse1 and asking them such         
questions as raised the admiration of   
all that heard him1 and made them       

astonished at the ripeness of his       
understanding3 nor were his parents less
 surprised on this occasion4 ,and when  
his mother told him with what grief and 
earnestness they had sought him1 and to 
express her sorrow for that1 though     
short1 privation of his presence1 said  
to him3 ,son1 why hast thou thus dealt  
with us8 ,behold1 thy father and ,i     
sought thee in great affliction of mind2
 she received for answer1 that being the
 ,messias and ,son of ,god1 sent by his 
,father into the world in order to      
redeem it1 he must be about his         
,father's business1 the same for which  
he had been sent into the world2 and    
therefore that it was most likely for   
them to find him in his ,father's house3
 intimating that his appearing in public
 on this occasion was to advance his    
,father's honor1 and to prepare the     
princes of the ,jews to receive him for 
their ,messias2 pointing out to them    
from the prophets the time of his       
coming4 ,but though in thus staying in  

the temple1 unknown to his parents1 he  
did something without their leave1 in   
obedience to his heavenly ,father1 yet  
in all other things he was obedient to  
them1 returning with them to ,nazareth1 
and there living in all dutiful         
subjection to them4  ,aelred1 our       
countryman1 abbot of ,rieval1 in his    
sermon on losing the child ,jesus in the
 temple1 observes that this his conduct 
to his parents is a true representation 
of that which he shows us1 while he     
often withdraws himself for a short time
 from us to make us seek him the more   
earnestly4 ,he thus describes the       
sentiments of his holy parents on this  
occasion4#h ,let us consider what was   
the happiness of that blessed company1  
in the way to ,jerusalem1 to whom it was
 granted to behold his face1 to hear his
 sweet words1 to see in him the signs of
 divine wisdom and virtue2 and in their 
mutual discourse to receive the         
influence of his saving truths and      
example4 ,the old and young admire him4 

,i believe boys of his age were struck  
with astonishment at the gravity of his 
manners and words4 ,i believe such rays 
of grace darted from his blessed        
countenance as drew on him the eyes1    
ears1 and hearts of every one4 ,and what
 tears do they shed when he is not with 
them4 ,he goes on considering what must 
be the grief of his parents when they   
had lost him2 what their sentiments1 and
 how earnest their #fbc search3 but what
 their joy when they found him again4   
,discover to me1 says he1 ,o my ,lady1  
,mother of my ,god1 what were your      
sentiments1 what your astonishment and  
your joy when you saw him again1 and    
sitting1 not among boys1 but amidst the 
doctors of the law3 when you saw every  
one's eyes fixed on aim1 every one's    
ears listening to him1 great and small1 
learned and unlearned1 intent only on   
his words and motions4 ,you now say3 ,i 
have found him whom ,i love4 ,i will    
hold him1 and will no more let him part 
from me4 ,hold him1 sweet ,lady1 hold   

him fast2 rush on his neck1 dwell on his
 embraces1 and compensate the three     
days' absence by multiplied delights in 
your present enjoyment of him4 ,you tell
 him that you and his father sought him 
in grief4 ,for what did you grieve8 not 
for fear of hunger or want in him whom  
you knew to be ,god3 but ,i believe you 
grieved to see yourself deprived of the 
delights of his presence even for a     
short time2 for the ,lord ,jesus is so  
sweet to those who taste him1 that his  
shortest absence is a subject of the    
greatest grief to them4 ,this mystery is
 an emblem of the devout soul1 and      
,jesus sometimes withdrawing himself1   
and leaving her to dryness1 that she may
 be more earnest in seeking him4 ,but1  
above all1 how eagerly ought the soul   
which has lost ,god by sin1 to seek him 
again1 and how bitterly ought she to    
deplore her extreme misfortune6  ,as no 
further mention is made of ,st4 ,joseph1
 he must have died before the marriage  
of ,cana1 and the beginning of our      

divine ,saviour's ministry4 ,we cannot  
doubt but he had the happiness of ,jesus
 and ,mary attending at his death1      
praying by him1 assisting and comforting
 him in his last moments4 ,whence he is 
particularly invoked for the great grace
 of a happy death1 and the spiritual    
presence of ,jesus in that tremendous   
hour4 ,the church reads the history of  
the patriarch ,joseph on his festival1  
who was styled the saviour of ,egypt1   
which he delivered from perishing by    
famine2 and was appointed the faithful  
master of the household of ,potiphar1   
and of that of ,pharaoh and his kingdom4
 ,but our great saint was chosen by ,god
 the saviour of the life of him who was 
the true ,saviour of the souls of men1  
rescuing him from the tyranny of ,herod4
 ,he is now glorified in heaven1 as the 
guardian and keeper of his ,lord on     
earth4 ,as ,pharaoh said to the         
,egyptians in their distress3 ,go to    
,joseph2 so may we confidently address  
ourselves to the mediation of him to    

whom ,god1 made man1 was subject and    
obedient on earth4  ,the devout ,gerson 
expressed the warmest devotion to ,st4  
,joseph1 which he endeavored by letters 
and sermons to promote4 ,he composed an 
office in his honor1 and wrote his life 
in twelve poems1 called ,josephina4 ,he 
enlarged on all the circumstances of his
 life by pious affection1 and           
meditations4 ,st4 ,teresa chose him the 
chief patron of her order4 ,in the sixth
 chapter of her life she writes thus3 ,i
 chose the glorious ,st4 ,joseph for my 
patron1 and ,i commend myself in all    
things singularly to his intercession4  
,i do not remember ever to have asked of
 ,god any thing by him which ,i did not 
obtain4 ,i never knew any one1 who1 by  
invoking him1 did not advance           
exceedingly in virtue3 for he assists in
 a wonderful manner all who address     
themselves to him4 ,st4 ,francis of     
,sales1 throughout his whole nineteenth 
entertainment1 extremely recommends     
devotion to him1 and extols his merits1 

principally his virginity1 humility1    
constancy1 and courage4 ,the ,syrians   
and other eastern churches celebrate his
 festival on the #bjth of ,july2 the    
western church1 on the #aith of ,march4 
,pope ,gregory ,,xv41 in #afba1 and     
,urban ,,viii41 in #afdb1 commanded it  
to be kept a holyday of obligation4     
,the holy family of ,jesus1 ,mary1 and  
,joseph1 presents to us the most perfect
 model of heavenly conversation on      
earth4 ,how did those two seraphims1    
,mary and ,joseph1 live in their poor   
cottage6 ,they always enjoyed #fbd the  
presence of ,jesus1 always burning with 
the most ardent love for him3 inviolably
 attached to his sacred person1 always  
employed and living only for him4 ,what 
were their transports in beholding him1 
their devotion it1 listening to him1 and
 their joy in possessing him6 heavenly  
life6 anticipation of the heavenly      
bliss6 divine conversation6 ,we may     
imitate them1 and share some degree of  
this advantage1 by conversing often with

 ,jesus1 and by the contemplation of his
 most amiable goodness1 kindling the    
fire of his holy love in our breasts4   
,the effects of this love1 if it be     
sincere1 will necessarily appear in our 
putting on his spirit1 and imitating his
 example and virtues2 and in our        
studying to walk continually in the     
divine presence1 finding ,god           
everywhere1 and esteeming all the time  
lost which we do not spend with ,god1 or
 for his honor4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,l4   
adv4 ,helvid4 c4 #i4 #b4  ,hom4 #b4     
super missus est1 n4 #af1 p4 #gdb4 #c4  
,serm4 de ,nativ4 #d4  ,this appears    
from ,mat4 xiii4 #ee4 ,st4 ,justin1     
7,dial4 n4 #hi1 ed4 ,ben4     p4 #ahf17 
,st4 ,ambrose1 7in ,luc4 p4 #c17 and    
,theodoret 7b4 #c1 ,hist4 c4     #ah7   
say he worked in wood1 as a carpenter4  
,st4 ,hilary 7in ,mat4 c4     #ad1 p4   
#ag7 and ,st4 ,peter ,chrysologus       
7,serm4 #dh7 say he wrought in     iron 
as a smith2 probably he wrought both in 
iron and in wood2 which     opinion ,st4

 ,justin favors1 by saying3 ,he and     
,jesus made ploughs and     yokes for   
oxen4 #e4  ,hom4 #h1 in ,mat4 t4 #g1 p4 
#abc1 ed4 ,ben4 #f4  ,this is affirmed  
by ,st4 ,athanasius1 7l4 de ,incarn47   
,eusebius1     7,demonstrat4 ,evang4 l4 
#f1 c4 #bj47 ,st4 ,cyril 7,cat4 #aj17   
,st4 ,ambrose1     7in ,ps4 #aah1       
,octon4 #e17 ,st4 ,jerom1 7in ,isai4    
#ai17 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 ,st4     ,cyril 
of ,alexandria1 7in ,isai47 ,sozomen1   
7l4 #e4 c4 #bj17 c4 #g4  ,see the ,lives
 of the ,fathers of the desert4 #h4     
,bibl4 ,patr4 t4 #ac4  ,,st4 ,,alcmund1 
,m4  ,,he was son of ,eldred1 and       
brother of ,osred1 kings of the         
,northumbrians4 ,during his temporal    
prosperity1 the greater he was in power1
 so much the more meek and humble was he
 in his heart1 and so much the more     
affable to others4 ,he was poor amidst  
riches1 because he knew no greater      
pleasure than to strip himself for the  
relief of the distressed4 ,being driven 
from his kingdom1 together with his     

father1 by rebellious subjects1 in      
league with ,danish plunderers1 he lived
 among the ,picts above twenty years in 
banishment2 learning more heartily to   
despise earthly vanities1 and making it 
his whole study to serve the ,king of   
kings4 ,his subjects1 groaning under the
 yoke of an insupportable tyranny1 took 
up arms against their oppressors1 and   
induced the royal prince1 upon motives  
of compassion for their distress and a  
holy zeal for religion1 to put          
themselves at their head4 ,several      
battles were prosperousiy fought2 but at
 length the pious prince was murdered by
 the contrivance of king ,eardulf1 the  
usurper1 as ,matthew of ,westminster1   
,simeon of ,durham1 and ,florence of    
,worcester1 say4 ,dr4 ,brown ,willis1 in
 his ,notitia of parliamentary boroughs1
 writes1 with some ancients1 that he was
 slain by the ,danes1 about the year    
#hai4 ,his body was interred at         
,lilleshult1 in ,shropshire2 but        
afterwards translated to ,derby1 where  

he was honored with great devotion as   
patron of the town1 on the #aith of     
,march4 ,an old manuscript sermon       
preached in his church at ,derby1 about 
the year #aadj1 extant in a manuscript  
collection of sermons of that age in my 
hands1 folio #ach1 gives a particular   
history of this translation of his      
relies to ,derby1 where his church      
became famous for miracles1 and for the 
resort of pilgrims4 ,see on this saint  
the history of ,john of ,glastonbury1   
,matthew of ,westminster1 the manuscript
 sermon above mentioned1 and            
,henschenius t4 #c1 ,mart4 p4 #dg4  #fbe
   ,,march ,,xx4  ,,st4 ,,cuthbert1     
,,confessor4  ,,bishop ,,of             
,,lindisfarne4  ,from his life written  
by ,bede1 and from that author's        
,church-,history1 b4 #d c4 #bg to c4    
#cb4 ,simeon ,dunelm1 or rather ,turgot1
 ,hist4 ,dunelm1 published by ,bedford3 
the old ,latin hymn ,on ,st4 ,cuthbert1 
,,ms4 in ,bibl4 ,cotton4 n4 #da1 spud   
,wanley1 p4 #ahd1 and four ,latin       

prayers1 in honor of ,st4 ,cuthbert1    
,,ms4 n4 #aij in the library of ,durham 
church4 ,warmley1 ,catal4 t4 #b1 p4     
#big4 ,harpsiald1 saec4 #g1 c4 #cd4     
,hearne on ,langtoft1 t4 #b1 p4 #fhg4   
,n4,b4 ,the history of ,durham1 which is
 here quoted1 was compiled by ,turgot1  
prior of ,durham1 down to the year      
#aajd1 and continued to the year #aafa  
by ,simeon4  ,a4,d4 #fhg4  ,,when the   
,northumbrians1 under the pious king    
,oswald1 had1 with great fervor1        
embraced the ,christian faith1 the holy 
bishop ,st4 ,aidan founded two          
monasteries1 that of ,mailros1 on the   
bank of the ,tweed1 and another in the  
isle of ,lindisfarne1 afterwards called 
,holy ,island1 four miles distant from  
,berwick4 ,in both he established the   
rule of ,st4 ,columba2 and usually      
resided himself in the latter4 ,st4     
,cuthbert#a was born not very far from  
,mailros1 and in his youth was much     
edified by the devout deportment of the 
holy inhabitants of that house1 whose   

fervor in the service of ,god1 and the  
discharge of the duties of a monastic   
life1 he piously endeavored to imitate  
on the mountains where he kept his      
father's sheep4 ,it happened one night1 
that1 while he was watching in prayer1  
near his flock1 according to his custom1
 he saw the soul of ,st4 ,aidan carried 
up to heaven by angels1 at the very     
instant that holy man departed this life
 in the isle of ,lindisfarne4 ,serious  
reflections on the happiness of such a  
death determined the pious young man to 
repair1 without delay1 to ,mailros1     
where he put on the monastic habit1     
while ,eata was abbot1 and ,st4 ,boisil 
prior4 ,he studied the holy scriptures  
under the latter1 and in fervor         
surpassed all his brethren in every     
monastic exercise4 ,eata being called to
 govern the new monastery of ,rippon1   
founded by king ,alcfrid1 he took with  
him ,st4 ,cuthbert1 and committed to him
 the care of entertaining strangers2    
which charge is usually the most        

dangerous in a religious state4         
,cuthbert washed the feet of others and 
served them with wonderful humility and 
meekness1 always remembering that       
,christ himself is served in his        
members4 ,and he was most careful that  
the functions of ,martha should never   
impair his spirit of recollection4 ,when
 ,st4 ,wilfred was made abbot of        
,rippon1 ,st4 ,cuthbert returned with   
,eata to ,mailros2 and ,st4 ,boisil     
dying of the great pestilence1 in #ffd1 
he was chosen provost or prior in his   
place4  ,in this station1 not content by
 word and example to form his monks to  
perfect piety1 be labored assiduously   
among the people to bring them off from 
several heathenish customs and          
superstitious practices which still     
obtained among them4 ,for this purpose1 
says our venerable historian1 he often  
went out1 sometimes on horseback1 but   
oftener on foot1 to preach the way of   
life to such as were gone astray4       
,parochial churches being at this time  

very scarce in the country1 it was the  
custom for the country people to flock  
about a priest or ecclesiastical person 
when he came into any village1 for the  
sake of his instructions2 hearkening    
willingly to his words1 and more        
willingly practising the good lessons he
 taught them4 ,st4 ,cuthbert #fbf       
excelled all others by a most persuasive
 and moving eloquence2 and such a       
brightness appeared in his angelical    
face in delivering the word of ,god to  
the people1 that none of them durst     
conceal from him any part of their      
misbehavior1 but all laid their         
conscience open before him1 and         
endeavored by his injunctions and       
counsels to expiate the sins they had   
confessed1 by worthy fruits of penance4 
,he chiefly visited those villages and  
hamlets at a distance1 which1 being     
situate among high and craggy mountains1
 and inhabited by the most rustic1      
ignorant1 and savage people1 were the   
less frequented by other teachers4      

,after ,st4 ,cuthbert had lived many    
years at ,mailros1 ,st4 ,eata1 abbot    
also of ,lindisfarne1 removed him       
thither1 and appointed him prior of that
 larger monastery4 ,by the perfect habit
 of mortification and prayer the saint  
had attained to so eminent a spirit of  
contemplation1 that he seemed rather an 
angel than a man4 ,he often spent whole 
nights in prayer1 and sometimes1 to     
resist sleep1 worked or walked about the
 island while he prayed4 ,if he heard   
others complain that they had been      
disturbed in their sleep1 he used to    
say1 that he should think himself       
obliged to any one that awaked him out  
of his sleep1 that he might sing the    
praises of his ,creator1 and labor for  
his honor4 ,his very countenance excited
 those who saw him to a love of virtue4 
,he was so much addicted to compunction1
 and inflamed with heavenly desires1    
that he could never say mass without    
tears4 ,he often moved penitents1 who   
confessed to him their sins1 to abundant

 tears1 by the torrents of his own1     
which he shed for them4 ,his zeal in    
correcting sinners was always sweetened 
with tender charity and meekness4 ,the  
saint had governed the monastery of     
,lindisfarne1 under his abbot1 several  
years1 when earnestly aspiring to a     
closer union with ,god1 he retired1 with
 his abbot's consent1 into the little   
isle of ,farne1 nine miles from         
,lindisfarne1 there to lead an austere  
eremitical life4 ,the place was then    
uninhabited1 and afforded him neither   
water1 tree1 nor corn4 ,cuthbert built  
himself a hut with a wall and trench    
about it1 and1 by his prayers1 obtained 
a well of freshwater in his own cell4   
,having brought with him instruments of 
husbandry1 he sowed first wheat1 which  
failed2 then barley1 which1 though sowed
 out of season1 yielded a plentiful     
crop4 ,he built a house at the entry of 
the island from ,lindisfarne1 to lodge  
the brethren that came to see him1 whom 
he there met and entertained with       

heavenly conferences4 ,afterwards he    
confined himself within his own wall and
 trench1 and gave spiritual advice only 
through a window1 without ever stirring 
out of his cell4 ,he could not1 however1
 refuse an interview with the holy      
abbess and royal virgin ,elfleda1 whom  
her father1 king ,oswi1 had dedicated to
 ,god from her birth1 and who1 in #fhj1 
succeeded ,st4 ,hilda in the government 
of the abbey of ,whitby4 ,this was held 
in the isle of ,cocket1 then filled with
 holy anchorets4 ,this close solitude   
was to our saint an uninterrupted       
exercise of divine love1 praise1 and    
compunction2 in which he enjoyed a      
paradise of heavenly delights1 unknown  
to the world4  ,in a synod of bishops1  
held by ,st4 ,theodorus at ,twiford1 on 
the river ,alne1 in the kingdom of      
,northumberland1 it was resolved that   
,cuthbert should be raised to the       
episcopal see of ,lindisfarne4 ,but as  
neither letters nor messengers were of  
force to obtain his consent to undertake

 the charge1 king ,egfrid1 who had been 
present at the council1 and the holy    
bishop ,trumwin1 with many others1      
sailed over to his island1 and conjured 
him1 on their knees1 not to refuse his  
labors1 which might be attended with so 
much advantage to souls4 ,their         
remonstrances were so pressing1 that the
 saint could not refuse going with them1
 at least to the council1 but weeping   
most bitterly4 ,he received the         
episcopal consecration at ,york1 the    
,easter following1 from the hands of    
,st4 ,theodorus1 assisted by six other  
bishops4 ,in #fbg this new dignity the  
saint continued the practice of his     
former austerities2 but remembering what
 he owed to his neighbor1 he went about 
preaching and instructing with          
incredible fruit1 and without any       
intermission4 ,he made it everywhere his
 particular care to exhort1 feed1 and   
protect the poor4 ,by divine revelation 
he saw and mentioned to others1 at the  
very instant it happened1 the overthrow 

and death of king ,egfrid1 by the       
,picts1 in #fhe4 ,he cured1 by water    
which he had blessed1 the wife of a     
noble ,thane1 who lay speechless and    
senseless at the point of death1 and    
many others4 ,for his miracles he was   
called the ,thaumaturgus of ,britain4   
,but the most wonderful of his miracles 
was that which grace wrought in him by  
the perfect victory which it gave him   
over his passions4 ,his zeal for justice
 was most ardent2 but nothing seemed    
ever to disturb the peace and serenity  
of his mind4 ,by the close union of his 
soul with ,god1 whose will alone he     
sought and considered in all things1 he 
overlooked all temporal events1 and     
under all accidents his countenance was 
always cheerful1 always the same2       
particularly in bearing all bodily      
pains1 and every kind of adversity with 
joy1 he was invincible4 ,his attention  
to1 and pure view of ,god in all events1
 and in all his actions1 arose from the 
most tender and sweet love1 which was in

 his soul a constant source of          
overflowing joy4 ,prayer was his centre4
 ,his brethren discovered sometimes that
 he spent three or four nights together 
in that heavenly exercise1 allowing     
himself very little or no sleep4 ,when  
,st4 ,ebba1 the royal virgin1 sister to 
the kings ,st4 ,oswald and ,oswi1 abbess
 of the double monastery of ,coldingham1
 invited him to edify that house by his 
exhortations1 he complied1 and stayed   
there some days4 ,in the night1 while   
others were asleep1 he stole out to his 
devotions according to his custom in    
other places4 ,one of the monks who     
watched and followed him one night1     
found that the saint1 going down to the 
seashore1 went into the water up to the 
armpits1 and there sung praises to ,god4
 ,in this manner he passed the silent   
time of the night4 ,before the break of 
day he came out1 and having prayed      
awhile on the sands1 returned to the    
monastery1 and was ready to join in     
morning lauds4  ,st4 ,cuthbert1         

foreseeing his death to approach1       
resigned his bishopric1 which he had    
held two years1 and retired to his      
solitude in ,farne ,island1 to prepare  
himself for his last passage4 ,two      
months after he fell sick1 and permitted
 ,herefrid1 the abbot of ,lindisfarne1  
who came to visit him1 to leave two of  
his monks to attend him in his last     
moments4 ,he received the viaticum of   
the body and blood of ,christ from the  
hands of the abbot ,herefrid1 at the    
hour of midnight prayer1 and immediately
 lifting up his eyes1 and stretching out
 his hands1 sweetly slept in ,christ on 
the #bjth day of ,march1 #fhg4 ,he died 
in the island of ,farne3 but1 according 
to his desire1 his body was buried in   
the monastery of ,st4 ,peter in         
,lindisfarne1 on the right side of the  
high altar4 ,bede relates many miracles 
performed at his tomb2 and adds1 that   
eleven years after his death1 the monks 
taking up his body1 instead of dust     
which they expected1 found it           

unputrefied1 with the joints pliable1   
and the clothes fresh and entire4#b     
,they put it into a new coffin1 placed  
above the pavement1 over the former     
grave3 and several miracles were there  
wrought1 even by touching the clothes   
which covered the coffin4 ,william of   
,malmesbury#c writes1 that the body was 
again found incorrupt four hundred and  
fifteen years afterwards at ,durham1 and
 publicly shown4 ,in the ,danish        
invasions1 the monks carried it away    
from ,lindisfarne2 and1 after several   
removals on the continent1 settled with 
their treasure on a woody hill almost   
surrounded by the river ,were1 formed by
 nature for a place of1 defence4 ,they  
built there a church of stone1 which    
#fbh ,aldhune1 bishop of ,lindisfarne1  
dedicated in #iie1 and placed in it the 
body of ,st4 ,cuthbert with great       
solemnity1 transferring hither his      
episcopal see4#d ,many princes enriched 
exceedingly the new monastery and       
cathedral1 in honor of ,st4 ,cuthbert4  

,succeeding kings1 out of devotion to   
this saint1 declared the bishop a count 
palatine1 with an extensive civil       
jurisdiction4#e ,the great king ,alfred1
 who honored ,st4 ,cuthbert as his      
particular patron1 and ascribed to his  
intercession some of his greatest       
victories1 and other blessings which he 
received1 was a special benefactor to   
this church4#f ,the present cathedral   
was built in #ajhj4 ,when the shrine of 
the saint was plundered and demolished  
by the order of king ,henry ,,viii41 the
 body of ,st4 ,cuthbert1 which was found
 still entire1 as ,harpsfield testifies1
 met with greater regard than many      
others2 for it was not burnt1 as were   
those of ,st4 ,edmund1 king and martyr1 
,st4 ,thomas1 and others4 ,after the    
king's officers had carried away the    
plunder of his shrine1 it was privately 
buried under the place where the shrine 
before stood1 though the spot is now    
unknown4 ,his ring1 in which a sapphire 
is enchased1 was given by lord viscount 

,montaigne to the bishop of             
,chalcedon1#g who had long been         
sheltered from the persecution in the   
house of that nobleman1#h and was by him
 left in the monastery of ,english      
canonesses at ,paris1 which is also     
possessed of a tooth of ,st4 ,cuthbert4 
,a copy of ,st4 ,john's gospel1 which1  
after the example of his master ,st4    
,poisil1 he often read to nourish the   
fire of divine love in his soul1 was put
 into his coffin when he was buried1 and
 found in his tomb4 ,it is now in the   
possession of ,mr4 ,thomas ,philips1    
canon of1 ,tongres1 on whom the present 
earl of ,litchfield bestowed it4 ,the   
copy is judged undoubtedly genuine by   
our ablest ,protestant antiquaries1 who 
carefully examined it4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,the life
 of ,st4 ,cuthbert was almost a         
continual prayer4 ,there was no         
business1 no company1 no place1 how     
public soever1 which did not afford him 
an opportunity1 and even a fresh motive 

to pray4 ,not content to pass the day in
 this exercise1 he continued it         
constantly for several hours of the     
night1 which was to him a time of light 
and interior delights4 ,whatever he saw 
seemed to speak to him of ,god1 and to  
invite him to his love4 ,his            
conversation was on ,god or heavenly    
things1 and he would have regretted a   
single moment1 which had not been       
employed with ,god or for his honor1 as 
utterly lost4 ,the inestimable riches   
which he found in ,god1 showed him how  
precious every moment is1 in which he   
had it in his power to enjoy the divine 
converse4 ,the immensity of ,god1 who is
 present in us and in all creatures1 and
 whom millions of worlds cannot confine 
or contain2 his eternity1 to which all  
time coexists1 and which has neither    
beginning1 end1 nor succession2 the     
unfathomed abyss of his judgments2 the  
sweetness of his providence2 his        
adorable sanctity2 his justice1 wisdom1 
goodness1 mercy1 and love1 especially as

 displayed in the wonderful mystery of  
the ,incarnation1 and in the doctrine1  
actions1 and sufferings of our ,blessed 
,redeemer1 in a word1 all the           
incomprehensible attributes of the      
,divinity1 and the mysteries of his     
grace and mercy1 successively filled his
 mind and heart1 and kindled in his soul
 the most sweet and ardent affections1  
in which his thirst #fbi and his        
delight1 which were always fresh and    
always insatiable1 gave him a kind of   
anticipated taste of paradise4 ,for holy
 contemplation discovers to a soul a new
 and most wonderful world1 whose beauty1
 riches1 and pure delights1 astonish and
 transport her out of herself4 ,st4     
,teresa1 coming from prayer1 said she   
came from a world greater and more      
beautiful beyond comparison1 than a     
thousand worlds1 like that which we     
behold with our corporal eyes1 could be4
 ,st4 ,bernard was always torn from this
 holy exercise with regret1 when obliged
 to converse with men in the world1 in  

which he trembled1 lest he should       
contract some attachment to creatures1  
which would separate him from the chaste
 embraces of his heavenly spouse4 ,the  
venerable priest1 ,john of ,avila1 when 
he came from the altar1 always found    
commerce with men insipid and           
insupportable4  ,footnotes3 #a4         
,cuthbert signifies ,illustrious for    
skill3 or ,gbbertus1 ,worthy of         
,god4 #b4  ,bede1 ,hist4 b4 #d1 c4 #cj4 
#c4  ,l4 #d1 ,pontif4 ,angl4 #d4        
,dunelm1 or ,durham1 signifies a hill   
upon waters1 from the ,saxon     words  
,dun1 a bill1 and ,holme1 a place       
situate in or among the     waters4 #e4 
,see ,dugdale's history of the cathedral
 of ,durham2 and ,dr4 ,brown     ,willis
 on the same4 #f4  ,see ,hickes1 ,thes4 
,ling4 ,septentr4 ,praef4 p4 #h4 #g4    
,bp4 ,smith1 ,flores ,hist4 ,eccles4 p4 
#abj4 #h4  ,dr4 ,richard ,smith1 bishop 
of ,chalcedon1 relates in his life of   
,margaret lady ,montaigne1 that queen   
,elizabeth1 out of her singular         

regard for this lady1 from the time she 
had been lady of honor in     the court 
of queen ,mary and king ,philip1 tacitly
 granted her house a     kind of        
privilege1 by never1 allowing it to be  
searched on account     of religious    
persecution2 so that sometimes sixty    
priests at once     lay hid in it4      
,,st4 ,,wulfran1 ,,archbishop ,,of      
,,sens4  ,,and ,,apostolic ,,missionary 
,,in ,,friseland4  ,,his father was an  
officer in the armies of king ,dagobert1
 and the saint spent some years in the  
court of king ,clotaire ,,iii41 and of  
his mother ,st4 ,bathildes1 but occupied
 his heart only on ,god1 despising      
worldly greatness as empty and          
dangerous1 and daily advancing in virtue
 in a place where virtue is often little
 known4 ,his estate of ,maurilly he     
bestowed on the abbey of ,fontenelle1 or
 ,st4 ,vandrille1 in ,normandy4 ,he was 
chosen and consecrated archbishop of    
,sens1 in #fhb1 which diocese he        
governed during two years and a half    

with great zeal and sanctity4 ,a tender 
compassion for the blindness of the     
idolaters of ,friseland1 and the example
 of the ,english zealous preachers in   
those parts1 moved him to resign his    
bishopric with proper advice1 and1 after
 a retreat at ,fontenelle1 to enter     
,friseland in quality of a poor         
missionary priest4 ,he baptized great   
multitudes1 with a son of king ,radbod1 
and drew the people from the barbarous  
custom of sacrificing men to idols4 ,the
 lot herein decided1 on great festivals1
 who should be the victim2 and the      
person was instantly hanged1 or cut in  
pieces4 ,the lot having fallen on one   
,ovon1 ,st4 ,wulfran earnestly begged   
his life of king ,radbod3 but the people
 ran tumultuously to the palace1 and    
would not suffer what they called a     
sacrilege4 ,after many words1 they      
consented that if the ,god of ,wulfran  
should save ,ovon's life1 he should ever
 serve him1 and be ,wulfran's slave4    
,the saint betook himself to prayer1 and

 the man1 after hanging on the gibbet   
two hours1 being left for dead1 by the  
cord breaking1 fell to the ground2 and  
being found alive was given to the      
saint1 and became a monk and priest at  
,fontenelle4 ,wulfran also miraculously 
rescued two children from being drowned 
in the sea1 in honor of the idols4      
,radbod1 who had been an eye-witness to 
this last miracle1 promised to become a 
,christian1 and was instructed among the
 catechumens4 ,but his criminal delays  
rendered him unworthy such a mercy4 ,as 
he was going to step into the baptismal 
font1 he asked where the great number of
 his ancestors and nobles were in the   
next world4 ,the saint replied1 that    
hell is the portion of all who die      
guilty of idolatry4 ,at which the prince
 drew back1 and refused to be baptized1 
saying1 he would go with the greater    
number4 ,this tyrant sent afterwards to 
,st4 ,willebrord1 to treat with him     
about his conversion2 but before the    
arrival of the saint1 was found dead4   

,st4 ,wulfran retired to ,fontenelle1   
that he might prepare himself for death1
 and died there on the #bjth of ,april1 
in #gbj4 ,his relies were removed to    
,abbeville1 where he is honored as      
patron4 ,see his life1 written by       
,jonas1 monk of ,foutenelle1 eleven     
years after his death1 purged from      
spurious additions by ,mabillon1 #fcj   
saec4 #c1 ,ben4 ,fleury1 b4 #da1 t4 #i1 
p4 #aij4 ,see also the history of the   
discovery of his relics at ,st4         
,vandrille's1 accompanied with miracles1
 and their translation to ,rouen in     
#ajfb1 well written by an anonymous     
author who assisted at that ceremony1   
several parts of which work are         
published by ,d',achery1 ,spicil4 t4 #c1
 p4 #bdh1 the ,bollandists1 and         
,mabillon4 ,the ,bollandists have added 
a relation of certain miracles1 said to 
have been performed by the relics of    
this saint at ,abbeville4   ,,march     
,,xxi4  ,,st4 ,,benedict1 ,,abbot1      
,,patriarch ,,of ,,the ,,western        

,,monks4  ,from ,st4 ,gregory1 7,dial4  
l4 #b1 c4 #a17 who assures us that he   
received his account of this saint from 
four abbots1 the saint's disciples2     
namely1 ,constantine1 his successor at  
,monte ,cassino1 ,simplicius1 third     
abbot of that house1 ,valentinian1 the  
first abbot of the monastery of         
,lateran1 and ,honoratus1 who succeeded 
,st4 ,benedict at ,subiaco4 ,see the    
remarks of ,mabillon1 ,annal4 ,ben4 l4  
#a1 p4 #c1 and l4 #b1 p4 #ch4 and ,act4 
,sanct4 ,bened4 t4 #a1 p4 #hj4 ,also    
,dom4 ,mege1 ,vie de ,st4 ,benoit1 avec 
one ,histoire ,abregee de son ,ordre1 in
 #dto4 ,an4 #afij4 ,haeften's           
,disquisitions1 and abbot ,steingelt's  
abridgment of the same1 and ,ziegelbauer
 and ,legipont1 ,historia ,literaria    
,ord4 ,s4 ,benedicti1 ,ann4 #aged1 t4   
#a1 p4 #c1 and principally t4 #c1 p4 #b4
  ,a4,d4 #edc4  ,,st4 ,,benedict1 or    
,,kennet1 was a native of ,norcia1      
formerly an episcopal see in ,umbria1   
and was descended from a family of note1

 and born about the year #dhj4 ,the name
 of his father was ,eutropius1 and that 
of his grandfather1 ,justinian4 ,when he
 was fit for the higher studies1 he was 
sent by his parents to ,rome1 and there 
placed in the public schools4 ,he1 who  
till that time knew not what vice was1  
and trembled at the shadow of sin1 was  
not a little shocked at the             
licentiousness which he observed in the 
conduct of some of the ,roman youth1    
with whom he was obliged to converse2   
and he was no sooner come into the      
world1 but he resolved to bid an eternal
 farewell to it1 not to be entangled in 
its snares4 ,he therefore left the city 
privately1 and made the best of his way 
towards the deserts4 ,his nurse1        
,cyrilla1 who loved him tenderly1       
followed him as far as ,afilum1 thirty  
miles from ,rome1 where he found means  
to get rid of her1 and pursued his      
journey alone to the desert mountains of
 ,sublacum1#a near forty miles from     
,rome4 ,it is a barren1 hideous chain of

 rocks1 with a river and lake in the    
valley4 ,near this place the saint met a
 monk of a neighboring monastery1 called
 ,romanus1 who gave him the monastic    
habit1 with suitable instructions1 and  
conducted him to a deep narrow cave in  
the midst of these mountains1 almost    
inaccessible to men4 ,in this cavern1   
now called the ,holy ,grotto1 the young 
hermit chose his abode3 and ,romanus1   
who kept his secret1 brought him hither1
 from time to time1 bread and the like  
slender provisions1 which he retrenched 
from his own meals1 and let them down to
 the holy recluse with a line1 hanging a
 bell to the cord to give him notice4   
,bennet seems to have been about        
fourteen or fifteen years old when he   
came to ,sublacum2 ,st4 ,gregory says1  
he was yet a child4 ,he lived three     
years in this manner1 known only to     
,romanus4 ,but ,god was pleased to      
manifest his servant to men1 that he    
might shine forth as a light to many4   
,in #dig1 a certain pious priest in that

 country1 while he was preparing a      
dinner for #fca himself on              
,easter-,sunday1 heard a voice which    
said3 ,you are preparing for yourself a 
banquet1 while my servant ,bennet1 at   
,sublacum1 is distressed with hunger4   
,the priest immediately set out in quest
 of the hermit1 and with much difficulty
 found him out4 ,bennet was surprised to
 see a man come to him2 but before he   
would enter into conversation with him1 
he desired they might pray together4    
,they then discoursed for some time on  
,god and heavenly things4 ,at length the
 priest invited the saint to eat1 saying
 it was ,easter-day1 on which it is not 
reasonable to fast2 though ,st4 ,bennet 
answered him1 that he knew not that it  
was the day of so great a solemnity1 nor
 is it to be wondered at1 that one so   
young should not be acquainted with the 
day of a festival1 which was not then   
observed by all on the same day1 or that
 he should not understand the ,lunar    
,cycle1 which at that time was known by 

very few4 ,after their repast the priest
 returned home4 ,soon after certain     
shepherds discovered the saint near his 
cave1 but at first took him for a wild  
beast2 for he was clad with the skins of
 beasts1 and they imagined no human     
creature could live among those rocks4  
,when they found him to be a servant of 
,god1 they respected him exceedingly1   
and many of them were moved by his      
heavenly discourses to embrace with     
fervor a course of perfection4 ,from    
that time he began to be known1 and many
 visited him1 and brought him such      
sustenance as he would accept3 in       
requital for which he nourished their   
souls with spiritual instructions4      
,though he lived sequestered from the   
world1 he was not yet secure from the   
assaults of the tempter4 ,wherever we   
fly the devil still pursues us1 and we  
carry a domestic enemy within our own   
breasts4 ,st4 ,gregory relates1 that    
while ,st4 ,bennet was employed in      
divine contemplation1 the fiend         

endeavored to withdraw his mind from    
heavenly objects1 by appearing in the   
shape of a little black-bird2 but that1 
upon his making the sign of the cross1  
the phantom vanished4 ,after this1 by   
the artifices of this restless enemy1   
the remembrance of a woman whom the     
saint had formerly seen at ,rome1       
occurred to his mind1 and so strongly   
affected his imagination1 that he was   
tempted to leave his desert4 ,but       
blushing at so base a suggestion of the 
enemy1 he threw himself upon some briers
 and nettles which grew in the place    
where he was1 and rolled himself a long 
time in them1 till his body was covered 
with blood4 ,the wounds of his body     
stifled all inordinate inclinations1 and
 their smart extinguished the flame of  
concupiscence4 ,this complete victory   
seemed to have perfectly subdued that   
enemy2 for he found himself no more     
molested with its stings4  ,the fame of 
his sanctity being spread abroad1 it    
occasioned several to forsake the world1

 and imitate his penitential manner of  
life4 ,some time after1 the monks of    
,vicovara1#b on the death of their      
abbot1 pitched upon him to succeed him4 
,he was very unwilling to take upon him 
that charge1 which he declined in the   
spirit of sincere humility1 the beloved 
virtue which he had practised from his  
infancy1 and which was the pleasure of  
his heart1 and is the delight of a ,god 
humbled even to the cross1 for the love 
of us4 ,the saint soon found by         
experience that their manners did not   
square with his just idea of a monastic 
state4 ,certain sons of ,belial among   
them carried their aversion so far as to
 mingle poison with his wine3 but when1 
according to his custom1 before he drank
 of it he made the sign of the cross    
over the glass1 it broke as if a stone  
had fallen upon it4 ,god forgive you1   
brethren1 said the saint1 with his usual
 meekness and tranquillity of soul1 you 
now see ,i was not mistaken when ,i told
 you that your manners and mine would   

not agree4 ,he therefore returned to    
,sublacum2 which desert he soon peopled 
with monks1 for whom be built twelve    
monasteries1 #fcb placing in each twelve
 monks with a superior4#c ,in one of    
these twelve monasteries there lived a  
monk1 who1 out of sloth1 neglected and  
loathed the holy exercise of mental     
prayer1 insomuch that after the psalmody
 or divine office was finished1 he every
 day left the church to go to work1     
while his brethren were employed in that
 holy exercise2 for by this private     
prayer in the church1 after the divine  
office1 ,st4 ,gregory means pious       
meditation1 as ,dom4 ,mege demonstrates4
 ,this slothful monk began to correct   
his fault upon the charitable admonition
 of ,pompeian1 his superior2 but1 after 
three days1 relapsed into his former    
sloth4 ,pompeian acquainted ,st4        
,benedict1 who said1 ,i will go and     
correct him myself4 ,such indeed was the
 danger and enormity of this fault1 as  
to require the most effectual and speedy

 remedy4 ,for it is only by assiduous   
prayer that the soul is enriched with   
the abundance of the heavenly water of  
divine graces1 which produces in her the
 plentiful fruit of all virtues4 ,if we 
consider the example of all the saints1 
we shall see that prayer was the        
principal means by which the ,holy      
,ghost sanctified their souls1 and that 
they advanced in perfection in          
proportion to their progress in the holy
 spirit of prayer4 ,if this be          
neglected1 the soul becomes spiritually 
barren1 as a garden loses all its       
fruitfulness1 and all its beauty1 if the
 pump raises not up a continual supply  
of water1 the principle of both4 ,st4   
,benedict1 deploring the misfortune and 
blindness of this monk1 hastened to his 
monastery1 and coming to him at the end 
of the divine office1 saw a little black
 boy leading him by the sleeve out of   
the church4 ,after two days' prayer1    
,st4 ,maurus saw the same1 but ,pompeian
 could not see this vision1 by which was

 represented that the devil studies to  
withdraw men from prayer1 in order that1
 being disarmed and defenceless1 they   
may easily be made a prey4 ,on the third
 day1 ,st4 ,benedict finding the monk   
still absent from church in the time of 
prayer1 struck him with a wand1 and by  
that correction the sinner was freed    
from the temptation4 ,dom4 ,german      
,millet#d tells us1 from the tradition  
and archives of the monastery of ,st4   
,scholastica1 that this happened in ,st4
 ,jerom's4 ,in the monastery of ,st4    
,john1 a fountain sprung up at the      
prayers of the saint2 this1 and two     
other monasteries1 which were built on  
the summit of the mountain1 being before
 much distressed for want of water4 ,in 
that of ,st4 ,clement1 situate on the   
bank of a lake1 a ,goth1 who was a monk1
 let fall the head of a sickle into the 
water as he was cutting down thistles   
and weeds in order to make a garden2 but
 ,st4 ,maur1 who with ,st4 ,placidus    
lived in that house1 holding the wooden 

handle in the water1 the iron of its own
 accord swam1 and joined it again1 as   
,st4 ,gregory relates4 ,st4 ,benedict's 
reputation drew the most illustrious    
personages from ,rome and other remote  
parts to see him4 ,many1 who came clad  
in purple1 sparkling with gold and      
precious stones1 charmed with the       
admirable sanctity of the servant of    
,god1 #fcc prostrated themselves at his 
feet to beg his blessing and prayers1   
and some imitating the sacrifice of     
,abraham1 placed their sons under his   
conduct in their most tender age1 that  
they might be formed to perfect virtue  
from their childhood4 ,among others1 two
 rich and most illustrious senators1    
,eutychius1 or rather ,equitius1 and    
,tertullus1 committed to his care their 
two sons ,maurus1 then twelve years old1
 and ,placidus1 also a child1 in #ebb4e 
,the devil1 envying so much good1       
stirred up his wicked instruments to    
disturb the tranquillity of the servant 
of ,god4 ,florentius1 a priest in the   

neighboring country1 though unworthy to 
bear that sacred character1 moved by a  
secret jealousy1 persecuted the saint1  
and aspersed his reputation with        
grievous slanders4 ,bennet1 being a true
 disciple of ,christ1 knew no revenge   
but that of meekness and silence3 and   
not to inflame the envy of his          
adversary1 left ,sublacum1 and repaired 
to ,mount ,cassino4 ,he had not got far 
on his journey1 when he heard that      
,florentius was killed by the fall of a 
gallery in which he was4 ,the saint was 
much afflicted at his sudden and unhappy
 death1 and enjoined ,maurus a penance  
for calling it a deliverance from       
persecution4  ,cassino is a small town1 
now in the kingdom of ,naples1 built on 
the brow of a very high mountain1 on the
 top of which stood an old temple of    
,apollo1 surrounded with a grove in     
which certain idolaters still continued 
to offer their abominable sacrifices4   
,the man of ,god having1 by his         
preaching and miracles1 converted many  

of them to the faith1 broke the idol to 
pieces1 overthrew the altar1 demolished 
the temple1 and cut down the grove4     
,upon the ruins of which temple and     
altar he erected two oratories or       
chapels2 one bore the name of ,st4 ,john
 the ,baptist1 the other of ,st4        
,martin4 ,this was the origin of the    
celebrated abbey of ,mount ,cassino1 the
 foundation of which the saint laid in  
#ebi1 the forty-eighth year of his age1 
the third of the emperor ,justinian3    
,felix ,,iv4 being pope1 and ,athalaric 
king of the ,goths in ,italy4 ,the      
patrician1 ,tertullus1 came about that  
time to pay a visit to the saint1 and to
 see his son ,placidus2 and made over to
 this monastery several lands which he  
possessed in that neighborhood1 and also
 a considerable estate in ,sicily4 ,st4 
,bennet met on ,mount ,cassino one      
,martin1 a venerable old hermit1 who1 to
 confine himself to a more austere      
solitude1 had chained himself to the    
ground in his cell1 with a long iron    

chain4 ,the holy abbot1 fearing this    
singularity might be a mark of          
affectation1 said to him3 ,if you are a 
servant of ,jesus ,christ1 let the chain
 of his love1 not one of iron1 hold you 
fixed in your resolution4 ,martin gave  
proof of his humility by his obedience1 
and immediately laid aside his chain4   
,st4 ,bennet governed also a monastery  
of nuns1 situate near ,mount ,cassino1  
as is mentioned by ,st4 ,gregory3 he    
founded an abbey of men at ,terracina1  
and sent ,st4 ,placidus into ,sicily to 
establish another in that island4       
,though ignorant of secular learning1 he
 was eminently replenished with the     
,spirit of ,god1 and an experimental    
science of spiritual things3 on which   
account he is said by ,st4 ,gregory the 
,great to have been learnedly ignorant  
and wisely unlettered4#f ,for the       
alphabet of this great man is infinitely
 more desirable than all the empty      
science of the world1 as ,st4 ,arsenius 
said of ,st4 ,antony4 ,from certain very

 ancient pictures of ,st4 ,benedict1 and
 old inscriptions1 #fcd ,mabillon proves
 this saint to have been in holy orders1
 and a deacon4 ,several moderns say he  
was a priest2 but1 as ,muratori         
observes1 without grounds4#g ,by the    
account which ,st4 ,gregory has given us
 of his life1 it appears that he        
preached sometimes in neighboring       
places1 and that a boundless charity    
opening his hand1 he distributed among  
the needy all that he had on earth1 to  
lay up his whole treasure in heaven4    
,st4 ,bennet1 possessing perfectly the  
science of the saints1 and being enabled
 by the ,holy ,ghost to be the guide of 
innumerable souls in the most sublime   
paths of ,christian perfection1 compiled
 a monastic rule1 which1 for wisdom and 
discretion1 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great    
preferred to all other rules2 and which 
was afterwards adopted1 for some time1  
by all the monks of the ,west4 ,it is   
principally founded on silence1         
solitude1 prayer1 humility1 and         

obedience4#h  ,st4 ,bennet calls his    
,order a school in which men learn how  
to serve ,god3 and his life was to his  
disciples a perfect model for their     
imitation1 and a transcript of his rule4
 ,being chosen by ,god1 like another    
,moses1 to conduct faithful souls into  
the true promised land1 the kingdom of  
heaven1 he was enriched with eminent    
supernatural gifts1 even those of       
miracles and prophecy4 ,he seemed1 like 
another ,eliseus1 endued by ,god with an
 extraordinary power1 commanding all    
nature2 and like the ancient prophets1  
foreseeing future events4 ,he often     
raised the sinking courage of his monks1
 and baffled the various artifices of   
the devil with the sign of the cross1   
rendered the heaviest stone light in    
building his monastery by a short       
prayer1 and1 in presence of a multitude 
of people1 raised to life a novice who  
had been crushed by the fall of a wall  
at ,mount ,cassino4 ,he foretold1 with  
#fce many tears1 that this monastery    

should be profaned and destroyed2 which 
happened forty years after1 when the    
,lombards demolished it about the year  
#ehj4 ,he added1 that he had scarce been
 able to obtain of ,god that the        
inhabitants should be saved4#i ,it was  
strictly forbid by the rule of ,st4     
,benedict1 for any monk to eat out of   
his monastery1 unless he was at such a  
distance #fcf that he could not return  
home that day1 and this rule1 says      
,saint ,gregory1 was inviolably         
observed4 ,indeed1 nothing more         
dangerously engages monks in the        
commerce of the world2 nothing more     
enervates in them the discipline of     
abstinence and mortification1 than for  
them to eat and drink with seculars     
abroad4 ,st4 ,gregory tells us1 that    
,st4 ,bennet knew by revelation the     
fault of one of his monks who had       
accepted of an invitation to take some  
refreshment when he was abroad on       
business4#aj ,a messenger who brought   
the saint a present of two bottles of   

wine1 and had hid one of them1 was put  
in mind by him to beware of drinking of 
the other1 in which he afterwards found 
a serpent4 ,one of the monks1 after     
preaching to the nuns1 had accepted of  
some handkerchiefs from them1 which he  
hid in his bosom2 but the saint1 upon   
his return1 reproved him for his secret 
sin against the rule of holy poverty4 ,a
 novice1 standing before him1 was       
tempted with thoughts of pride on       
account of his birth3 the saint         
discovered what passed in his soul1 and 
bid him make the sign of the cross on   
his breast4  ,when ,belisarius1 the     
emperor's general1 was recalled to      
,constantinople1 ,totila1 the ,arian    
king of the ,goths1 invaded and         
plundered ,italy4 ,having heard wonders 
of the sanctity of ,st4 ,bennet1 and of 
his predictions and miracles1 he        
resolved to try whether he was really   
that wonderful man which he was reported
 to be4 ,therefore1 as he marched       
through ,campania1 in #edb1 he sent the 

man of ,god word that he would pay him a
 visit4 ,but instead of going in person1
 he dressed one of his courtiers1 named 
,riggo1 in his royal purple robes1 and  
sent him to the monastery1 attended by  
the three principal lords of his court1 
and a numerous train of pages4 ,st4     
,bennet1 who was then sitting1 saw him  
coming to his cell1 and cried out to him
 at some distance3 ,put off1 my son1    
those robes which you wear1 and which   
belong not to you4 ,the mock king1 being
 struck with a panic for having         
attempted to impose upon the man of     
,god1 fell prostrate at his feet1       
together with all his attendants4 ,the  
saint1 coming up1 raised him with his   
hand2 and the officer returning to his  
master1 related trembling what had      
befallen him4 ,the king then went       
himself1 but was no sooner come into the
 presence of the holy abbot1 but he     
threw himself on the ground and         
continued prostrate till the saint1     
going to him1 obliged him to rise4 ,the 

holy man severely reproved him for the  
outrages he had committed1 and said3    
,you do a great deal of mischief1 and ,i
 foresee you will do more4 ,you will    
take ,rome3 you will cross the sea1 and 
will reign nine years longer3 but death 
will overtake you in the tenth1 when you
 shall be arraigned before a just ,god  
to give an account of your conduct4 ,all
 which came to pass as ,st4 ,benedict   
had foretold him4 ,totila was seized    
with fear1 and recommended himself to   
his prayers4 ,from that day the tyrant  
became more humane2 and when he took    
,naples1 shortly after1 treated the     
captives with greater lenity than could 
be expected from an enemy and a         
barbarian4#aa ,when the bishop of       
,canusa afterwards said to that saint1  
that ,totila would leave ,rome a heap of
 stones1 and that it would be no longer 
inhabited1 he answered ,no3 but it shall
 be beaten with storms and earthquakes1 
and shall be like a tree which withers  
by the decay of its root4 ,which        

prediction ,st4 ,gregory observes to    
have been accomplished4  ,the death of  
this great saint seems to have happened 
soon after that of his sister ,st4      
,scholastica1 and in the year after his 
interview with ,totila4 ,he foretold it 
his disciples1 and caused his grave to  
be opened six days before4 ,when this   
was done he fell ill of a fever1 and on 
the sixth day would be carried into the 
chapel1 where he received the body and  
blood of our #fcg ,lord1#ab and having  
given his last instructions to his      
sorrowful disciples1 standing and       
leaning on one of them1 with his hands  
lifted up1 he calmly expired1 in prayer1
 on ,saturday1 the #bast of ,march1     
probably in the year #edc1 and of his   
age the sixty-third2 having spent       
fourteen years at ,mount ,cassino4 ,the 
greatest part of his relics remains     
still in that abbey2 though1 some of his
 bones were brought into ,france1 about 
the close of the seventh century1 and   
deposited in the famous abbey of        

,fleury1 which1 on that account1 has    
long borne the name of ,st4 ,bennet's on
 the ,loire4#ac ,it was founded in the  
reign of ,clovis ,,ii41 about the year  
#fdj1 and belongs at present to the     
congregation of ,st4 ,maur4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,st4     
,gregory1 in two words1 expresses the   
characteristical virtue of this glorious
 patriarch of the monastic order1 when  
he says1 that1 returning from ,vicovara 
to ,sublaco1 he dwelt alone with        
himself2#ad which words comprise a great
 and rare perfection1 in which consists 
the essence of holy retirement4 ,a soul 
dwells not in true solitude1 unless this
 be interior as well as exterior1 and   
unless she cultivates no acquaintance   
but with ,god and herself1 admitting no 
other company4 ,many dwell in           
monasteries1 or alone1 without          
possessing the secret of living with    
themselves4 ,though they are removed    
from the conversation of the world1     
their minds still rove abroad1 wandering

 from the consideration of ,god and     
themselves1 and dissipated amid a       
thousand exterior objects which their   
imagination presents to them1 and which 
they suffer to captivate their hearts1  
and miserably entangle their will with  
vain attachments and foolish desires4   
,interior solitude requires the silence 
of the interior faculties of the soul1  
no less than of the tongue and exterior 
senses3 without this1 the enclosure of  
walls is a very weak fence4 ,in this    
interior solitude1 the soul collects all
 her faculties within herself1 employs  
all her thoughts on herself and on ,god1
 and all her strength and affections in 
aspiring after him4 ,thus1 ,st4         
,benedict dwelt with himself1 being     
always busied in the presence of his    
,creator1 in bewailing the spiritual    
miseries of #fch his soul and past sins1
 in examining into the disorders of his 
affections1 in watching over his senses1
 and the motions of his heart1 and in a 
constant attention to the perfection of 

his state1 and the contemplation of     
divine things4 ,this last occupied his  
soul in the sweet exercises of divine   
love and praise2 but the first-mentioned
 exercises1 or the consideration of     
himself1 and of his own nothingness and 
miseries1 laid the foundation by        
improving in him continually the most   
profound spirit of humility and         
compunction4 ,the twelve degrees of     
humility1 which he lays down in his     
,rule1#ae are commended by ,st4 ,thomas 
,aquinas4#af ,the first is a deep       
compunction of heart1 and holy fear of  
,god and his judgments1 with a constant 
attention to walk in the divine         
presence1 sunk under the weight of this 
confusion and fear4 #b4 ,the perfect    
renunciation of our own will4 #c4 ,ready
 obedience4 #d4 ,patience under all     
sufferings and injuries4 #e4 ,the       
manifestation of our thoughts and       
designs to our superior or director4 #f4
 ,to be content1 and to rejoice1 in all 
humiliations2 to be pleased with mean   

employments1 poor clothes1 c41 to love  
simplicity and poverty1 7which he will  
have among monks1 to be extended even to
 the ornaments of the altar17 and to    
judge ourselves unworthy1 and bad       
servants in every thing that is enjoined
 us4 #g4 ,sincerely to esteem ourselves 
baser and more unworthy than every one1 
even the greatest sinners4#ag #h4 ,to   
avoid all love of singularity in words  
or actions4 #i4 ,to love and practise   
silence4 #aj4 ,to avoid dissolute mirth 
and loud laughter4 #aa4 ,never to speak 
with a loud voice1 and to be modest in  
our words4 #ab4 ,to be humble in all our
 exterior actions1 by keeping our eyes  
humbly cast down with the publican1#ah  
and the penitent ,manasses4#ai ,st4     
,benedict adds1 that divine love is the 
sublime recompense of sincere humility1 
and promises1 upon the warrant of the   
divine word1 that ,god will raise that  
soul to perfect charity1 which1         
faithfully walking in these twelve      
degrees1 shall have happily learned true

 humility4 ,elsewhere he calls obedience
 with delay the first degree of         
humility1#bj but means the first among  
the exterior degrees2 for he places     
before it interior compunction of soul1 
and the renunciation of our own will4   
,footnotes3 #a4  ,called by the         
,italians1 who frequently soften l into 
i1 ,subiaco4 #b4  ,vicovara1 anciently  
,varronis ,vicus1 a village between     
,subiaco and     ,tivoli4 #c4  ,these   
twelve monasteries were situated in the 
same neighborhood1 in     the province  
,valeria4 ,moderns disagree in their    
names and     description2 according to 
the account of ,dom4 ,mege1 which       
appears     most accurate1 the first was
 called ,columbaria1 now ,st4           
,clement's1     and stood within sixty  
paces from the saint's cave1 called the 
,holy     ,grotto2 the second was named 
of ,,ss4 ,cosmos and ,damian1 now ,st4  
,scholastica's2 the third1 ,st4         
,michael's2 the fourth1 of ,st4         
,donatus1     bishop and martyr2 the    

fifth1 ,st4 ,mary's1 now ,st4           
,laurence's2 the     sixth1 ,st4 ,john  
,baptist's1 situated on the highest part
 of the rock1     but from a fountain   
which ,st4 ,bennet produced there by his
 prayers1     and which still subsists1 
it is at present called ,st4 ,john dell'
     ,acqua2 the seventh1 ,st4 ,jerom's2
 the eighth1 ,vita ,a,eterna2 the ninth1
     ,st4 ,victorian or ,victorin's1    
called from a martyr of that name1 who  
is patron of the province of ,valeria2  
the tenth1 at the neighboring           
village ,trebare2 the eleventh1 at ,st4 
,angelus's2 the twelfth1 at a           
fountain near the ancient castle1 called
 ,roca de ,bore4 ,these     monasteries 
have been all united in that of ,st4    
,scholastica1 which     remains in a    
very flourishing condition1 and is      
regarded as the     mother-house of the 
whole ,order1 being certainly more      
ancient than     that of ,mount         
,cassino4 ,it is a member of the        
,congregation of ,st4     ,justina1 and 

though it is usually given in commendam1
 by a peculiar     distinction1 it is   
governed by a regular abbot chosen by   
the ,general     ,chapter4 ,of the rest 
of these twelve monasteries1 only some  
cells or     ruins remain4 ,besides the 
hundred and forty-four monks which were 
distributed in these twelve monasteries1
 ,st4 ,gregory tells us that     the    
holy patriarch retained a small number  
with himself1 by which it     appears   
that he continued to live ordinarily in 
a distinct little     monastery or      
hermitage about his grotto1 though he   
always     superintended and governed   
all these houses4 #d4  ,see ,dom4 ,mege1
 p4 #hd4 #e4  ,it has been related in   
the life of ,st4 ,maurus1 how he walked 
on the     water to save the life of    
,placidus1 then a child1 who1 going to  
the     lake to fetch water1 had fallen 
in2 for to monasteries no               
distinction was shown to noblemen or    
their children1 nor were they           
exempted from their share in manual     

labor1 or other severities of     the   
,rule4 ,such exemptions and privileges  
granted to many on pretence     of      
health1 first opened the door to a      
relaxation of monastic     discipline4  
,placidus said1 that when he was drawn  
by ,maurus out of     the water1 he saw 
over his head the melotes of the abbot1 
and seemed     to be saved by it1 whence
 the miracle was by the disciples       
ascribed     to ,st4 ,benedict4 ,dom    
,haeften thinks by the melotes is meant 
a cowl1     to which that name is given 
by ,paul the deacon1 and the ,roman     
,order     or ,ceremonial4 ,but most    
understand a habit made of skins of     
goats1     such as the ,eastern monks   
wore1 in imitation of the ancient       
prophets1 as ,cassian describes4        
7,instit4 l4 #a1 c4 #h47 #f4  ,scienter 
nesciens1 et sapienter indoctus4 #g4    
,footnote not in text ,annal4 ,bened4 t4
 #e1 p4 #abb1 ad an4 #edc4 ,see     also
 ,muratori1 ,script4 ,ital4 t4 #d1 p4   
#bag4 #h4  ,by it the abbot is charged  

with the entire government of the       
monastery4 ,seven hours a day are       
allotted the monks for manual     labor1
 and two for pious reading1 besides     
meditation from matins     till break or
 day4 ,but manual labor has been        
exchanged in most     places for sacred 
studies and spiritual functions4 ,the   
rule commands     perpetual abstinence  
from flesh-meat1 not only of four-footed
     animals1 but also of fowls1 which  
at that time were only served at     the
 tables of princes as most exquisite    
dainties1 as ,mabillon shows     from   
the testimony of ,st4 ,gregory of       
,tours4 ,this law of abstinence     is  
restored in the reformed congregation of
 ,st4 ,maur1 and others4     ,the hemina
 of wine allowed by ,st4 ,bennet per    
day1 in countries where     wine and    
water are only drunk1 has been the      
subject of many     dissertations1 this 
measure having not been the same at all 
times1     nor in all countries4 ,the   
,roman hemina1 which was half a         

sextarius1     contained ten ounces1 as 
,montfaucon demonstrates1 7,antiqu4     
expl4 t4     #c1 l4 #d1 c4 #g1 pp4 #adi1
 #aeb17 and as ,mabillon allows4        
7,praef4 in ,saec4     #d47 ,lancelot   
endeavors to show1 in a dissertation on 
this subject1     that ,st4 ,bennet is  
to be understood of this ,roman hemina4 
,menard     takes it to have been only  
seven ounces and a half4 ,mabillon 7,pr4
 in     ,saec4 #d1 p4 cxv47 and         
,martenne 7in c4 #dj1 ,reg47 think the  
holy     founder speaks not of the      
ordinary of ,roman hemina1 and          
understand     him of the ,grecian1     
which contained a pound and a half1 or  
eighteen     ounces4 ,calmet looks upon 
,lancelot's opinion as most probable4   
,he     shows from the clear tradition  
of ,benedictin writers and monuments1   
that ,st4 ,benedict's hemina contained  
three glasses or draughts4 ,see         
,calmet1 7in c4 #dj1 ,reg4 t4 #b1 p4    
#fb47 ,but ,st4 ,benedict allows and    
commends a total abstinence from wine4  

,the portion of bread allowed     by    
this holy patriarch to each monk1 was a 
pound and a half1 or     eighteen ounces
 a day1 as it is explained by the famous
 council held     at ,aix-la-,chapelle  
in the reign of ,charlemagne4      ,the 
holy rule of ,st4 ,benedict1 which the  
great ,cosmus of ,medicis1     and other
 wise legislators read frequently1 in   
order to learn the     maxims of perfect
 government1 has been explained by a    
great number     of learned and pious   
commentators1 of whom ,calmet gives a   
list1 7t4     #a4 p4 #a47 ,the principal
 among the moderns are ,haeften1 prior  
of     ,affligem1 in twelve books of    
monastic disquisitions1 c4 ,steingelt1  
abbot of ,anhusen1 gave a judicious     
abridgment of this work4 ,dom4          
,menard has written upon this rule in   
his ,comments on the ,concord of        
,rules of ,st4 ,benedict of ,anian4     
,dom4 ,mege's ,commentaires sur le ,rege
     de ,st4 ,benoit1 in #dto4 printed  
at ,paris in #afhg1 have been much      

blamed by his brethren for laxity4 ,dom4
 ,martenne published with more          
applause his ,commentarius in ,regulam  
,s4 ,benedicti1 in #dto41 in #afij4     
,son edition de la ,regle est la plus   
exacte qu'on nous a donne2 et     son   
,commentaire egalement judicieux et     
scavant4 ,il ne parle pas de     celui  
de ,dom4 ,mege1 qui avoit parut trois   
ans avant le sien2     parceque ses     
sentiments relaches ses confreres1 de   
sorte qu'en     plusiers monasteres     
reformes de cet ordre on ne le met pas  
entre les     mains des jeunes religieux
 ,voyez le ,cerf1 ,bibl4 des ,ecr4 de la
     ,congr4 de ,st4 ,maur1 p4 #cdh4    
,hist4 ,literaria ,ord4 ,st4 ,bened4 t4 
#c1 p4     #ba4 ,dom4 ,calmet printed in
 #agcd1 in two volumes1 in #dto41       
,commentaire ,literal ,historique et    
,moral sur la ,regle de ,st4 ,benoit1   
a work which1 both for edification and  
erudition1 is far superior to     all   
the former1 and is the masterpiece of   
this laborious writer1     though not   

entirely exempt from little slips of    
memory1 as when ,st4     ,cuthbert is   
called in it the founder of the         
monastery of     ,lindisfarne1 7p4 #ah1 
t4 #a47 ,the chief modern ascetical     
treatise on     this subject is1 ,la    
,regle de ,st4 ,benoit1 traduite et     
expliquee par ,m4     de ,rance1 abbe de
 la ,trappe1 #b vols4 #dto4 #afij1 an   
excellent work     for those who are1   
bound to study1 and imbibe the spirit of
 this     holy rule4 ,it is reduced into
 meditations2 which1 as ,calmet was     
informed by ,mabillon1 was done by a    
,benedictin nun4 ,we have also          
,meditations on the ,rule of ,st4       
,benedict1 compiled by ,dom4 ,morelle1  
author of many other works of piety and 
devotion4 ,we have also very     devout 
reflections on the prayers used in the  
religious profession     of this order1 
under the following title3 ,sentiments  
de ,piete sur la     ,profession        
religieuse1 par un religieux ,benedictin
 de la     ,congregation de ,st4 ,maur4 

,dom4 ,berthelet1 of the congregation of
 ,st4     ,vannes1 proves abstinence    
from flesh to have been anciently an    
essential duty of the monastic state1 by
 an express book1 entitled1     ,traite 
,historique et ,moral de l',abstinence  
de la ,viande1 #agca4 #i4  ,when the    
,lombards destroyed this famous abbey1  
in #ehj1 ,st4 ,bennet1     the abbot1   
escaped with all his monks to ,rome1    
carrying with him     only a copy of the
 ,rule1 written by ,st4 ,benedict       
himself1 some of     the habits which he
 and his sister ,st4 ,scholastica had   
worn1 and the     weight of the bread   
and measure of the wine which were the  
daily     allowance for every monk4     
,pope ,pelagius ,,ii4 lodged these      
fathers     near the ,lateran church1   
where they built a monastery4 ,in the   
pontificate of ,gregory ,,ii41 about the
 year #gbj1 they were conducted     back
 by abbot ,petronax to ,mount ,cassino4 
,this abbey was again ruined     by the 
,saracens in #hhd3 also by the ,normans 

in #ajdf1 and by the     emperor        
,frederick ,,ii4 in #abci4 ,but was as  
often rebuilt4 ,it is at     this day   
very stately1 and the abbot exercises an
 eplscopal     jurisdiction over the    
town of ,san ,germano1 three little     
miles     distant1 and over twenty-one  
other parishes4 ,the regular abbot of   
,saint ,scholastica at ,subiaco1 is     
temporal and spiritual lord of          
twenty-five villages4 ,the ,benedictins 
reckon in their order1     comprising   
all its branches and filiations1        
thirty-seven thousand     houses4 ,as to
 the number of emperors1 kings1 queens1 
princes1 and     princesses1 who        
embraced this order1 and that of saints1
 popes1 and     writers of note1 which  
it has given the church1 see ,f4        
,helyot1 ,dom4     ,mege1 ,calmet1 and  
especially ,f4 ,ziegellaver1 ,hist4     
,liter4 ,ord4 ,s4     ,bened41 #d vol4  
folio1 ,aug4 ,vindel4 ,an4 #aged4       
,the monastic order settled by ,st4     
,athanasius at ,milan and ,triers1      

during his banishment into the ,west2 by
 ,st4 ,eusebius of ,vercelli1 in     his
 diocese1 and by ,st4 ,hilary and ,st4  
,martin in ,gaul1 was founded     upon  
the plan of the ,oriental monasteries3  
being brought by those     holy prelates
 from ,egypt and ,syria4 ,the same is to
 be said of the     first monasteries   
founded in ,great ,britain and ,ireland4
 ,after the     coming of ,st4 ,columban
 from ,ireland into ,france1 his ,rule  
continued     long most in vogue1 and   
was adopted by the greater part of the  
monasteries that flourished in that     
kingdom4 ,but it was customary in       
those ages1 for founders of great       
monasteries frequently to choose     out
 of different rules such religious      
practices and regulations1 and     to   
add such others as they judged most     
expedient3 and the ,benedictin     ,rule
 was sometimes blended with that of ,st4
 ,columban1 or others4 ,in     the      
reigns of ,charlemagne and ,louis the   
,debonnaire4 for the sake of            

uniformity1 it was enacted by the       
council of ,aix-la-,chapelle in #hjb1   
and several other decrees1 that the     
,rule of ,st4 ,benedict should     alone
 be followed in all the monasteries in  
the dominions of those     princes4 ,f4 
,reyner1 a most learned ,english        
,benedictin1 in his     ,apostolatus    
,benedictinorum in ,anglia1 has1 with   
profound erudition1     produced all the
 monuments and authorities by which it  
can be made     to appear that ,st4     
,gregory the ,great established the     
,rule of ,st4     ,benedict in his      
monastery of ,st4 ,andrew at ,rome1 and 
was settled by     ,st4 ,austin and the 
other monks who were sent by ,st4       
,gregory to     convert the ,english in 
all the monasteries which they founded  
in     this island4 ,these proofs were  
abridged by ,mabillon1 ,natalia         
,alexander1 and others1 who have judged 
that they amount to     demonstration4  
,some1 however1 still maintain that the 
monastic rule     brought hither by ,st4

 ,austin1 was a compilation from several
     different rules3 that ,st4 ,bennet 
,biscop1 and soon after ,st4 ,wilfrid1  
introduced several new regulations      
borrowed from the ,rule of ,st4         
,benedict2 that ,st4 ,dunstan           
established it in ,england more         
perfectly1     still retaining several  
of the ancient constitutions of the     
,english     monasteries1 and that it   
was not entirely adopted in ,england    
before     ,lanfranc's time4 ,this      
opinion is warmly abetted by ,dr4 ,lay1 
in his     additions to ,dugdale's      
,antiquities of ,warwickshire1 and      
,tanner's     ,pref4 to ,notitia        
,monastica1 in folio4      ,the ,order  
of ,st4 ,benedict has branched out1     
since the year #ijj1 into     several   
independent congregations1 and the      
,orders of ,camaldoly1     ,vallis      
,umrosa1 ,fontevrault1 the ,gilbertins1 
,silvestrins1     ,cistercians1 and some
 others1 are no more than reformations  
of the     same1 with certain particular

 additional constitutions4      ,among  
the ,reformations or distinct           
,congregations of ,benedictins1 the     
first is that of ,cluni1 so called from 
the great monastery of that     name1 in
 the diocese of ,macon1 founded by      
,william the ,pious1 duke of            
,aquitaine1 about the year #iaj4 ,st4   
,berno1 the first abbot1 his            
successor ,st4 ,odo1 afterwards ,st4    
,hugh1 ,st4 ,odilo1 ,st4 ,mayeul1 ,peter
     the ,venerable1 and other excellent
 abbots1 exceedingly raised the         
reputation of this reform1 and          
propagated the same4 ,a second          
,reformation was established in this    
,congregation in #afba1 by the          
,grand ,prior de ,veni1 resembling those
 of ,st4 ,vanne and ,st4 ,maur4         
,those monks who would not adopt it in  
their houses1 are called     ,ancient   
monks of ,cluni4 ,the ,congregation of  
,cava was called from the     great     
monastery of that name in the province  
of ,salerno1 founded in     #ihj1 under 

the observance of ,cluni3 it was the    
head of a     ,congregation of          
twenty-nine other abbeys1 and ninety-one
 conventual     priories2 but a         
bishopric being erected in the town of  
,cava1 by     ,boniface ,,ix4 in #acid1 
and the abbot's revenue and temporal    
jurisdiction being united to it by ,leo 
,x4 in #aead1 the monastery of     the  
,blessed ,trinity of ,cava was much     
diminished1 but is still     governed by
 a regular abbot4 ,in #adhe1 it was     
united1 with all its     dependencies1  
to the ,congregation of ,st4 ,justina   
and ,mount ,cassino4     ,the church of 
,st4 ,justina at ,padua1 was founded by 
the ,consul     ,opilius1 in the fifth  
century1 and the great monastery of     
,benedictin     monks was built there in
 the ninth4 ,the ,reformation which was 
established in this house by ,lewis     
,barbus1 a patrician of ,venice1 in     
#adji1 was soon adopted by a great      
number of monasteries in ,italy3     but
 when in #aejd the abbey of ,mount      

,cassino joined this     ,congregation1 
it took the name of this mother-house4  
,the     ,congregation of ,savigni1     
founded by ,st4 ,vitalis1 a disciple of 
,b4     ,robert of ,arbrissel1 in the   
forest of ,savigni1 in ,normandy in     
#aaab1     was united to the            
,cistercians in #aaec4 ,the             
,congregation of ,tiron1     founded by 
,b4 ,bernard of ,abbeville1 another     
disciple of ,b4 ,robert of              
,arbrissel1 in #aaji1 in the forest of  
,tiron1 in ,le ,perche4 ,it parsed      
into the ,congregation of ,st4 ,maur1 in
 #afbi4 ,these of ,savigni and          
,tiron had formerly several houses in   
,england4 ,the ,congregation of         
,bursfield in ,germany1 was established 
by a ,reformation in #adfa3 that     of 
,molck1 vulgarly ,mock1 in ,austria1 in 
the diocese of ,passaw1 in     #adah3   
that of ,hirsauge1 in the diocese of    
,spire1 was instituted by     ,st4      
,william1 abbot of ,s4 ,aurel1 in #ajhj4
 ,the history of this abbey     was     

written by ,trithemius4 ,after the      
change of religion it was               
secularized1 and1 by the treaty of      
,westphalia1 ceded to the duke of       
,wirtemberg4 ,the independent great     
,benedictin abbeys in ,flanders1        
form a ,congregation subject only to the
 ,pope1 but the abbots hold             
assemblies to judge appeals1 in which   
the abbot of ,st4 ,vaast of ,arms     is
 president4 ,the ,congregation of       
,monte-,virgine1 in ,italy1 was         
instituted by ,st4 ,william1 in #aaai4  
,that of ,st4 ,benedict's of            
,valladolid1 in ,spain1 dates its       
establishment in #acij4 ,in ,england1   
archbishop ,lanfranc united the         
,benedictin monasteries in one          
,congregation1 which began from that    
time to hold regular general            
chapters1 and for some time bore his    
name4 ,this union was made     stricter 
by many new regulations in #acce1 under 
the name of the     ,black ,monks4 ,it  
is one of the most illustrious of all   

the orders1 or     bodies of religious  
men1 that have ever adorned the ,church1
 and1 in     spite of the most grievous 
persecutions1 still subsists4 ,the      
congregation of ,benedictin nuns of     
,mount ,calvary owes it original to     
a ,reformation1 according to the        
primitive austerity of this order1      
introduced first in the nunnery at      
,poitiers1 in #afad1 by the abbess      
,antoinette of ,orleans1 with the       
assistance of the famous ,f4 ,joseph1   
the ,capuchin4 ,it has two houses at    
,paris1 and eighteen others in          
several parts of ,france4 ,see ,helyot1 
t4  and #f4 ,calmet1 ,comment4     sur  
la ,regle de ,st4 ,benoit1 t4 #b1 p4    
#ebe4 ,hermant ,schoonbeck1 c4 #aj4 ,st4
 ,greg4 ,dial4 l4 #b1 c4 #ab2 ,dom4     
,mege1 p4 #ahj4 #aa4 ,procop4 l4 #c1 de 
,bello ,gothico4 ,baronius1 c4 #ab4     
,exitum suum ,dominici corporis et      
sanguinis perceptione communivit4       
,st4 ,greg4 ,dial4 b4 #b1 c4#cg4 #ac4   
,some have related that ,aigulph1 a monk

 of ,fleury1 and certain     citizens   
from ,mans1 going to ,mount ,cassino in 
#fec1 when that     monastery lay in    
ruins1 brought thence the remains of    
,st4 ,benedict     and ,st4             
,scholastics1 and placed those of the   
former at ,fleury1 and     those of the 
latter at ,mans4 ,the author of this    
relation is either     ,adrevald or     
rather ,adalbert1 a monk of ,fleury1    
whom some imagined     contemporary with
 ,aigulph1 but he certainly lived at    
least two     hundred years later1 as he
 himself declares1 and his account is in
     many capital circumstances         
inconsistent with those of the life of  
,aigulph1 and with the authentic and    
certain history of that age1 as     is  
demonstrated by ,f4 ,stilting1 the      
,bollandist1 in the life of ,st4        
,aigulph1 7t4 #a1 ,sept4 p4 #gdd17 and  
by others4 ,it is printed in the        
,bibliotheca ,floriacensis1 7or of      
,fleury17 t4 #a1 p4 #a1 and more        
correctly in ,mabillon's ,acta ,ben4 t4 

#b1 p4 #ccg1 and the ,bollandists1      
#ba ,martij1 p4 #cjj4 ,soon after this  
relation was compiled by     ,adalbert1 
we find it quoted by ,adrevald1 a monk  
of the same house1     in his history of
 several miracles wrought by the relics 
of this     holy patriarch4 7,see ,dom4 
,clemencez1 ,hist4 ,liter4 t4 #e1 p4    
#eaf47     ,this ,adrevald wrote also   
the life of ,st4 ,aigulph1 who1 passing 
from     ,fleury to ,lerins1 and being  
made abbot of that house1 established   
there an austere reformation of the     
order3 but by the contrivance of        
certain rebellious monks1 joined in a   
conspiracy with the count of     ,usez1 
and some other powerful men1 was seized 
by violence1 and     carried to the isle
 ,caprasia1 7now called ,capraia17      
situated between     ,corsica and the   
coast of ,tuscany1 where he was         
murdered1 with three     companions1    
about the year #fgi1 on the #crd day of 
,september1 on     which he is honored  
as a martyr at ,lerins4 ,the relics of  

these     martyrs were honorably        
conveyed thither soon after their death4
 ,f4     ,vincent ,barrali1 in his      
,history of ,lerins1 affirms that they  
still     remain there2 but this can be 
only true of part1 for the body of ,st4 
,aigulph was translated to the          
,benedictin priory at ,provins1 in the  
diocese of ,sens1 and is to this day    
honored there1 as ,mabillon 7,saec4     
#b ,ben4 pp4 #fff and #gdb7 and         
,stilting 7t4 #a4 ,sept47 demonstrate1  
from     the constant tradition of that 
monastery1 and the authority of ,peter  
,cellensis and several other            
irrefragable vouchers4      ,that the   
greatest part at least of the relics of 
,st4 ,benedict and     ,st4 ,scholastica
 still remain at ,mount ,casino1 is     
demonstrated by     ,angelus de ,nuce1  
in his dissertation on this subject1 by 
,f4     ,stilting1 in his comments on   
the life of ,st4 ,aigulph1 t4 #a4       
,sept41     by pope ,benedict ,,xiv41   
,de ,servor4 ,dei ,beatif4 and ,canoniz4

 l4 #d1     part #b1 c4 #bd1 n4 #ec1 t4 
#e1 p4 #bde1 and ,macchiarelli1 the monk
 of     ,camaldoli4 ,soon after ,mount  
,cassino was restored1 pope ,zachary    
visited that monastery and devoutly     
venerated the relics of ,st4            
,benedict and ,st4 ,scholastica in #gdf1
 as he testifies in his ,bull4     ,when
 pope ,alexander ,,ii4 consecrated the  
new church of that abbey in     #ajga1  
these sacred bones were inspected and   
found all to remain     there1 as we    
learn from his ,bull1 and by ,leo of    
,ostia1 and ,peter the     deacon4 ,the 
same is affirmed in the acts of two     
visitations made of     them in #aede   
and #afej4 ,nevertheless1 ,angelus de   
,nuce 7who relates in     his ,chronicle
 of ,mount ,cassino1 that1 in #afej1 he 
saw these relics1     with all the monks
 of that house1 in the visitation then  
made7 and     ,stilting allow that some 
of the bones of this saint were conveyed
     into ,france1 not by ,st4 ,aigulph1
 but soon after his time1 and this      

is expressly affirmed by ,paul the      
,deacon1 in his ,history of the         
,lombards1 l4 #f1 c4 #b4 #ad4 ,habitavit
 secum4 #ae4 ,s4 ,bened4 ,reg4 c4 #g4   
#af4 ,s4 ,thos4 #b4 #b4 qu4 #afa4 a4 #f4
 #ag4 ,no one can1 without presumption1 
pride1 and sin1 prefer himself          
before the worst of sinners2 first1     
because the judgments of ,god are       
always secret and unknown to us4 7,see  
,st4 ,aug4 de ,virginit4 ,st4 ,thos     
#b4b4 qu4 #afa4 ad #a4 ,cassian1 ,st4   
,bern41 c47 ,secondly1 the greatest     
sinners1 had they received the graces   
with which we have been     favored1    
would not have been so ungrateful2 and  
if we had been in     their             
circumstances1 into what precipices     
should not we have fallen8     ,thirdly1
 instead of looking upon notorious      
sinners1 we ought to turn     our eyes  
towards those who serve ,god with       
fervor1 full of confusion     to see how
 far so many thousands are superior to  
us in every virtue4     ,thus we must   

practise the lesson laid down by ,st4   
,paul1 never to     measure ourselves   
with any one so as to prefer ourselves  
to another2     but to look upon all    
others as superior to us1 and less      
ungrateful     and base than ourselves4 
,our own wretchedness and sinfulness we 
are     acquainted with2 but charity    
inclines us to judge the best of        
others4 #ah4 ,luke xviii4 #ah4 #ai4     
,orat4 ejus inter ,apocryph4 #bj4 ,st4  
,bened4 ,reg4 p4 #baj4  ,,st4           
,,serapion1  ,,called the ,sindonite1   
from a single garment of coarse linen   
which he always wore4 ,he was a native  
of ,egypt4 ,exceeding great was the     
austerity of his penitential life4      
,though he travelled into several       
countries1 he always lived in the same  
poverty1 mortification1 and             
recollection4 ,in a certain town1       
commiserating the spiritual blindness of
 an idolater1 who was also a comedian1  
he sold himself to him for twenty pieces
 of money4 ,his only sustenance in this 

servitude was bread and water4 ,he      
acquitted himself at the same time of   
every duty belonging to his condition   
with the utmost diligence and fidelity1 
joining with his labor assiduous prayer 
and meditation4 ,having converted his   
master and the whole family to the      
faith1 and induced him to quit the      
stage1 he was made free by him1 but     
could not be #fci prevailed upon to keep
 for his own use1 or even to distribute 
to the poor1 the twenty pieces of coin  
he had received as the price of his     
liberty4 ,soon after this he sold       
himself a second time1 to relieve a     
distressed widow4 ,having spent some    
time with his new master1 in recompense 
of signal spiritual services1 besides   
his liberty1 he also received a cloak1 a
 tunic1 or undergarment1 and a book of  
the gospels4 ,he was scarce gone out of 
doors1 when1 meeting a poor man1 he     
bestowed on him his cloak2 and shortly  
after1 to another starving with cold1 he
 gave his tunic2 and was thus reduced   

again to his single linen garment4      
,being asked by a stranger who it was   
that had stripped him and left him in   
that naked condition1 showing his book  
of the gospels1 he said3 ,this it is    
that hath stripped me4 ,not long after1 
he sold the book itself for the relief  
of a person in extreme distress4 ,being 
met by an old acquaintance1 and asked   
what was become of it1 he said ,could   
you believe it8 this gospel seemed      
continually to cry to me3 ,go1 sell all 
thou hast1 and give it to the poor4     
,wherefore ,i have also sold it1 and    
given the price to the indigent members 
of ,christ4 ,having nothing now left but
 his own person1 he disposed of that    
again on several other occasions1 where 
the corporal or spiritual necessities of
 his neighbor called for relief3 once to
 a certain ,manichee at ,lacedaemon1    
whom he served for two years1 and before
 they were expired1 brought both him and
 his whole family over to the true      
faith4 ,st4 ,john the ,almoner having   

read the particulars of this history1   
called for his steward1 and said to him1
 weeping3 ,can we flatter ourselves that
 we do any great matters because we give
 our estates to the poor8 ,here is a man
 who could find means to give himself to
 them1 and so many times over4 ,st4     
,serapion went from ,lacedaemon to      
,rome1 there to study the most perfect1 
models of virtue1 and1 returning        
afterwards into ,egypt1 died in the     
desert1 being sixty years old1 some time
 before ,palladius visited ,egypt in    
#chh4 ,henschenius1 in his ,notes on the
 ,life of ,st4 ,auxentius1#a and        
,bollandus#b take notice that in certain
 ,menaea he is honored on the #bast of  
,march2 yet they have not given his acts
 on that day4 ,baronius confounds him   
with ,st4 ,serapion1 the ,sidonian      
martyr4 ,see ,pallad4 ,lausiac4 ch4 #hc1
 and ,leontius in the ,life of ,st4     
,john the ,almoner4  ,footnotes3 #a4    
,henschen4 ,not4 in ,vit4 ,s4 ,auxentii1
 ad #bd ,feb  #c ,febr4 #b4  ,bolland ad

 #bc ,jan4 p4 #ejh1 t4 #b1 ,jan4  ,,st4 
,,serapion1  ,,abbot of ,arsinoe1 in    
,upper ,egypt4 ,he governed ten thousand
 monks1 dispersed in the deserts and    
monasteries near that town4 ,these      
religious men hired themselves to the   
farmers of the country to till their    
lands and reap their corn2 joining      
assiduous prayer and other exercises of 
their state with their labor4 ,each man 
received for his wages twelve artabes1  
or about forty ,roman bushels or modii1 
says ,palladius3 all which they put into
 the hands of their holy abbot4 ,he gave
 to every one a sufficient allowance for
 his subsistence during the ensuing     
year1 according to their abstemious     
manner of living4 ,the remainder was all
 distributed among the poor4 ,by this   
economy1 all the necessities of the     
indigent in that country were supplied1 
and several barges loaded with corn were
 sent yearly by the river to            
,alexandria1 for the relief of the poor 
of that great city4 ,st4 ,serapion was  

honored with the priesthood1 and with   
admirable sanctity applied himself to   
the sacred functions of the ministry3   
yet found time to join his brethren in  
their penitential labor1 not to lose his
 share in their charity4 ,his name is   
inserted by ,canisius in his ,germanic  
,martyrology on this day1 from certain  
copies of the ,greek ,menaea4 ,see      
,palladius1 c4 #gf1 p4 #gfj2 ,rufin4    
,vit4 ,patr4 l4 #b1 c4 #ah2 ,sozomen1 l4
 #f1 c4 #bh4  #fdj  ,,st4 ,,serapion1   
,,bishop ,,of ,,thmuis ,,in ,,egypt1 ,c4
  ,,the surname of the ,scholastic1     
which was given him1 is a proof of the  
reputation which he acquired1 by his    
penetrating genius1 and by his extensive
 learning1 both sacred and profane4 ,he 
presided for some time in the           
catechetical school of ,alexandria1 but1
 to apply himself more perfectly to the 
science of the saints1 to which he had  
always consecrated himself1 his studies1
 and his other actions1 he retired into 
the desert1 and became a bright light in

 the monastic state4 ,st4 ,athanasius   
assures us1 in his life of ,st4 ,antony1
 that in the visits which ,serapion paid
 to that illustrious patriarch1 ,st4    
,antony often told on his mountain      
things which passed in ,egypt at a      
distance2 and that at his death1 he left
 him one of his tunics of hair4 ,st4    
,serapion was drawn out of his retreat1 
to be placed in the episcopal see of    
,thmuis1 a famous city of ,lower ,egypt1
 near ,diospolis1 to which ,stephanus   
and ,ptolemy give the title of a        
metropolis4 ,the name in the ,egyptian  
tongue signified a goat1 which animal   
was anciently worshipped there1 as ,st4 
,jerom informs us4 ,st4 ,serapion was   
closely linked with ,st4 ,athanasius in 
the defence of the ,catholic faith1 for 
which he was banished by the emperor    
,constantius2 whence ,st4 ,jerom styles 
him a confessor4 ,certain persons1 who  
confessed ,god the ,son consubstantial  
to the ,father1 denied the divinity of  
the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this error was no    

sooner broached1 but our saint          
strenuously opposed it1 and informed    
,st4 ,athanasius of this new            
inconsistent blasphemy2 and that zealous
 defender of the adorable mystery of the
 ,trinity1 the fundamental article of   
the ,christian faith1 wrote against this
 rising monster4 ,the four letters which
 ,st4 ,athanasius wrote to ,serapion1 in
 #cei1 out of the desert1 in which at   
that time he lay concealed1 were the    
first express confutation of the        
,macedonian heresy that was published4  
,st4 ,serapion ceased not to employ his 
labors to great advantage1 against both 
the ,arians and ,macedonians4 ,he also  
compiled an excellent book against the  
,manichees1 in which he shows that our  
bodies may be made the instruments of   
good1 and that our souls may be         
perverted by sin2 that there is no      
creature of which a good use may not be 
made2 and that both just and wicked men 
are often changed1 the former by falling
 into sin1 the latter by becoming       

virtuous4 ,it is1 therefore1 a          
self-contradiction to pretend with the  
,manichees that our souls are the work  
of ,god1 but our bodies of the devil1 or
 the evil principle4#a ,st44,serapion   
wrote several learned letters1 and a    
treatise on the ,titles of the ,psalms1 
quoted by ,st4 ,jerom1 which are now    
lost4 ,at his request1 ,st4 ,athanasius 
composed several of his works against   
the ,arians2 and so great was his       
opinion of our saint1 that he desired   
him to correct1 or add to them what he  
thought wanting4 ,socrates relates#b    
that ,st4 ,serapion gave an abstract of 
his own life1 and an abridged rule of   
,christian perfection1 in very few      
words1 which he would often repeat1     
saying3 ,the mind is purified by        
spiritual knowledge1 7or by holy        
meditation and prayer17 the spiritual   
passions of the soul by charity1 and the
 irregular appetites by abstinence and  
penance4 ,this saint died in his        
banishment in the fourth age1 and is    

commemorated on this day in the ,roman  
,martyrology4 ,see his works1 those of  
,st4 ,athanasius in several places1 ,st4
 ,jerom1 ,catall4 c4 #ii2 ,socrates     
#fda1 l4 #d1 c4 #bc2 ,sozom4 l4 #d1 c4  
#i2 ,photius1 ,col4 #he2 ,tillem4 t4 #h2
 ,ceillier1 t4 #f1 p4 #cf4  ,footnotes3 
#a4  ,a ,latin translation of ,st4      
,serapion's book against the ,manichees1
     given ,f4 ,turrianus the ,jesuit1  
is published in the ,bibliotheca        
,patrum1 printed at ,lyons4 and in ,f4  
,canisius's ,lectiones ,antiquae1 t4    
#e1 part #a1 p4 #ce4 ,the learned ,james
 ,basnage1 who republished this     work
 of ,canisius with curios additions and 
notes1 has added the     ,greek text1 t4
 #a1 p4 #cg4 #b4  ,socrat4 ,hist4 l4 #d1
 c4 #bc4  ,,st4 ,,enna1 ,,or ,,endeus1  
,,abbot  ,,his father1 ,conall ,deyre1  
was lord of ,ergall1 a large territory  
in ,ulster1 in which principality ,enna 
succeeded him2 but by the pious         
exhortations of his sister1 ,st4        
,fanchea1 abbess of ,kill-,aine1 at the 

foot of mount ,bregh1 in the confines of
 ,meath1 he left the world1 and became a
 monk4 ,going abroad1 by her advice1 he 
lived some time in the abbey of ,rosnal1
 or the vale of ,ross1 under the abbot  
,mansenus4 ,at length returning home1 he
 obtained of ,a,engus1 king of ,munster1
 a grant of the isle of ,arra1 or ,arn1 
wherein he founded a great monastery1 in
 which he trained up many disciples1    
illustrious for sanctity1 insomuch that 
the island was called ,arran of the     
,saints4 ,his death must have happened  
in the beginning of the sixth century4  
,the chief church of the island is      
dedicated to ,god in his name1 and      
called ,kill-,enda4 ,his tomb is shown  
in the churchyard of another church1 in 
the same island1 named ,teglach-,enda4  
,see ,f4 ,colgan1 ,march #ba4   ,,march 
,,xxii4  ,,st4 ,,basil ,,of ,,ancyra1   
,,priest1 ,m4  ,from the authentic acts 
of his martyrdom in ,ruinart1           
,henschenius1 and ,tillemont1 t4 #g1 p4 
#cge4  ,a4,d4 #cfb4  ,,marcellus1 bishop

 of ,ancyra1 distinguished himself by   
his zeal against the ,arians1 on which  
account he was banished by ,constantius 
in #ccf4a ,basil1 a ringleader of the   
,semi-,arians1 was intruded into that   
see1 but was himself deposed by the     
stanch ,arians1 in #cfj2 and is         
mentioned by ,socrates to have survived 
our saint1 though he continued still in 
banishment under ,jovian4 ,the holy     
martyr of whom we speak was also called 
,basil4 ,he was priest of ,ancyra under 
the bishop ,marcellus1 and a man of a   
most holy life1 and unblemished         
conversation1 and had been trained up by
 saints in the practices of perfect     
piety4 ,he preached the word of ,god    
with great assiduity1 and when the      
,arian wolf1 who bore his name1         
attempted to plant his heresy in that   
city1 he never ceased to cry out to the 
people1 with the zeal and intrepidity of
 a prophet1 exhorting their to beware of
 the snares which #fdb were laid for    
them1 and to remain steadfast in the    

,catholic faith4 ,he was forbidden by   
the ,arian bishops1 in #cfj1 to hold    
ecclesiastical assemblies3 but he       
despised the unjust order2 and as boldly
 defended the ,catholic faith before    
,constantius himself4 ,when ,julian the 
,apostate re-established idolatry1 and  
left no means untried to pervert the    
faithful1 ,basil ran through the whole  
city1 exhorting the ,christians to      
continue steadfast1 and not pollute     
themselves with the sacrifices and      
libations of the heathens1 but fight    
manfully in the cause of ,god4 ,the     
heathens laid violent hands on him2 and 
dragged him before ,saturninus the      
proconsul1 accusing him of sedition1 of 
having overturned altars1 that he       
stirred up the people against the gods1 
and had spoken irreverently of the      
emperor and his religion4 ,the proconsul
 asked him if the religion which the    
emperor had established was not the     
truth8 ,the martyr answered3 ,can you   
yourself believe it8 ,can any man endued

 with reason persuade himself that dumb 
statues are gods8 ,the proconsul        
commanded him to be tortured on the     
rack1 and scoffing1 said to him1 under  
his torments3 ,do not you believe the   
power of the emperor to be great1 who   
can punish those who disobey him8       
,experience is an excellent master1 and 
will inform you better4 ,obey the       
emperor1 worship the gods1 and offer    
sacrifice4 ,the martyr1 who prayed      
during his torments with great          
earnestness1 replied3 ,it is what ,i    
never will do4 ,the proconsul remanded  
him to prison1 and informed his master  
,julian of what he had done4 ,the       
emperor approved of his proceedings1 and
 dispatched ,elpidius and ,pegasus1 two 
apostate courtiers1 in quality of       
commissaries1 to assist the proconsul in
 the trial of the prisoner4 ,they took  
with them from ,nicomedia one ,aslepius1
 a wicked priest of ,esculapius1 and    
arrived at ,ancyra4 ,basil did not cease
 to praise and glorify ,god in his      

dungeon1 and ,pegasus repaired thither  
to him in hopes1 by promises and        
entreaties1 to work him into compliance3
 but came back to the proconsul highly  
offended at the liberty with which the  
martyr had reproached him with his      
apostacy4 ,at the request of the        
commissaries1 the proconsul ordered him 
to be again brought before them1 and    
tormented on the rack with greater      
cruelty than before2 and afterwards to  
be loaded with the heaviest irons1 and  
lodged in the deepest dungeon4  ,in the 
mean time ,julian set out from          
,constantinople for ,antioch1 in order  
to prepare for his ,persian expedition4 
,from ,chalcedon he turned out of his   
road to ,pessinunte1 a town in ,galatia1
 there to offer sacrifice in a famous   
temple of ,cibele4 ,in that town he     
condemned a certain ,christian to be    
beheaded for the faith1 and the martyr  
went to execution with as much joy as if
 he had been called to a banquet4 ,when 
,julian arrived at ,ancyra1 ,st4 ,basil 

was presented before him1 and the crafty
 emperor1 putting on an air of          
compassion1 said to him3 ,i myself am   
well skilled in your mysteries2 and ,i  
can inform you1 that ,christ1 in whom   
you place your trust1 died under        
,pilate1 and remains among the dead4    
,the martyr answered3 ,you are deceived2
 you have renounced ,christ at a time   
when he conferred on you the empire4    
,but he will deprive you of it1 together
 with your life4 ,as you have thrown    
down his altars1 so will he overturn    
your throne3 and as you have violated   
his holy law1 which you had so often    
announced to the people1 7when a reader 
in the church17 and have trodden it     
under your feet1 your body shall be cast
 forth without the honor of a burial1   
and shall be trampled upon by men4      
,julian replied3 ,i designed to dismiss 
thee3 but thy impudent manner of        
rejecting my advice1 and uttering       
reproaches against me1 force me to use  
thee ill4 ,it is therefore my command1  

that every day thy skin be torn off thee
 in seven different places1 till thou   
hast no more left4 ,he then gave it in  
charge to count ,frumentinus1 the       
captain of his guards1 to see this      
barbarous sentence executed4 ,the saint1
 after having suffered with wonderful   
patience the first incisions1 desired to
 speak to the emperor4 #fdc ,frumentinus
 would be himself the bearer of this    
message to ,julian1 not doubting but    
,basil intended to comply and offer     
sacrifice4 ,julian instantly ordered    
that the confessor should meet him in   
the temple of ,esculapius4 ,he there    
pressed him to join him in making       
sacrifices4 ,but the martyr replied1    
that he could never adore blind and deaf
 idols4 ,and taking a piece of his flesh
 which had been cut out of his body that
 day1 and still hung to it by a bit of  
skin1 he threw it upon ,julian4 ,the    
emperor went out in great indignation3  
and count ,frumentinus1 fearing his     
displeasure1 studied how to revenge an  

insult1 for which he seemed responsible 
to his master4 ,he therefore mounted his
 tribunal1 and ordered the torments of  
the martyr to be redoubled2 and so deep 
were the incisions made in his flesh1   
that his bowels were exposed to view1   
and the spectators wept for compassion4 
,the martyr prayed aloud all the time1  
and at evening was carried back to      
prison4 ,next morning ,julian set out   
for ,antioch1 and would not see         
,frumentinus4 ,the count resolved to    
repair his disgrace1 or at least to     
discharge his resentment by exerting his
 rage upon the servant of ,christ4 ,but 
to his thundering threats ,basil        
answered3 ,you know how many pieces of  
flesh have been torn from my body3 yet  
look on my shoulders and sides2 see if  
any wounds appear8 ,know that ,jesus    
,christ this night hath healed me4 ,send
 this news to your master ,julian1 that 
he may know the power of ,god whom he   
hath forsaken4 ,he hath overturned his  
altars1 who was himself concealed under 

them when he was sought by ,constantius 
to be put to death4 ,but ,god hath      
discovered to me that his tyranny shall 
be shortly extinguished with his life4  
,frumentinus seemed no longer able to   
contain his rage1 and commanded the     
saint to be laid upon his belly1 and his
 back to be pierced with red-hot iron   
spikes4 ,the martyr expired under these 
torments on the #bith of ,june1 in #cfb4
 ,but his name is honored both by the   
,latins and ,greeks on the #bb;d of     
,march4  ,the love of ,god1 which       
triumphed in the breasts of the martyrs1
 made them regard as nothing whatever   
labors1 losses1 or torments they        
suffered for its sake1 according to that
 of the ,canticles3 ,if a man shall have
 given all that he possesses1 he will   
despise it as nothing4 ,if the sacrifice
 of worldly honors1 goods1 friends1 and 
life be required of such a one1 he makes
 it with joy1 saying with the royal     
prophet1 ,what have ,i desired in       
heaven1 or on earth1 besides thee1 ,o   

,god6 ,thou art my portion forever4 ,if 
he lives deprived of consolation and    
joy1 in interior desolation and         
spiritual dryness1 he is content to bear
 his cross1 provided he be united to his
 ,god by love1 and says1 ,my ,god and my
 all1 if ,i possess you1 ,i have all    
things in you alone3 whatever happens to
 me1 with the treasure of your love ,i  
am rich and sovereignly happy4 ,this he 
repeats in poverty1 disgraces1          
afflictions1 and persecutions4 ,he      
rejoices in them1 as by them he is more 
closely united to his ,god1 gives the   
strongest proof of his fidelity to him1 
and perfect submission to his divine    
appointments1 and adores the            
accomplishment of his will4 ,if it be   
the property of true love to receive    
crosses with content and joy1 to sustain
 great labors1 and think them small1 or 
rather not to think of them at all1 as  
they bear no proportion to the prize1 to
 what we owe to ,god1 or to what his    
love deserves3 to suffer much1 and think

 all nothing1 and the longest and       
severest trials short3 is it not a mark 
of a want of this love1 to complain of  
prayer1 fasts1 and every ,christian     
duty8 ,how far is this disposition from 
the fervor and resolution of all the    
saints1 and from the heroin courage of  
the martyrs6  ,footnotes3 #a4 ,marcellus
 wrote a famous book against the        
,arians1 which ,eusebius of ,caesarea   
and all the ,arians condemned1 as       
reviving the exploded heresy of         
,sabellius4 ,but ,sabellianism was a    
general slander with which they aspersed
 all orthodox pastors4 ,it is indeed    
true1 that ,st4 ,hilary1 ,st4 ,basil1   
,st4 ,chrysostom1 and ,sulpicius        
,severus charge ,marcellus with that    
error2 but were deceived by the clamors 
of the ,arians4 ,for ,marcellus         
appealing to pope ,julius1 and repairing
 to ,rome1 was acquitted1 and his book  
declared orthodox by that pope in #cda1 
and also by the council of ,sardica in  
#cdg2 as ,st4 ,hilary 7fragm4 #c1 pp4   

#acjh1 #acaa7 and ,st4 ,athanasins      
7,apol4 contra ,arianos1 p4 #afe7       
testify4 ,it was a calumny of the       
,arians1 though believed by ,st4        
,hilary1 that ,st4 ,athanasius at length
 abandoned and condemned him4 ,it is    
demonstrated by ,dom ,montfaucon from   
the works of ,st4 ,athanasius1 that he  
ever defended the innocence of          
,marcellus1 7t4 #b ,collect ,patr47     
,moreover1 ,marcellus being informed    
that ,st4 ,basil had suggested to ,st4  
,athanasius certain suspicions of his   
faith1 in #cgb1 towards the end of his  
life1 sent ,st4 ,athanasius his most    
orthodox confession of faith1 in which  
he explicitly condemns ,sabellianism2   
which authentic monument was published  
by ,montfaucon1 7t4 #b1 ,collect ,patr4 
p4 #ee47 ,if ,patavius1 ,bull1 and      
others1 who censure ,marcellus1 had seen
 this confession1 they would have       
cleared him of the imputation of        
,sabellianism1 and expounded favorably  
certain ambiguous expressions which     

occurred in his book against the        
,arises1 which is now lost1 and was     
compiled against a work of ,asterius the
 ,sophist1 surnamed the advocate of the 
,arians4  #fdd  ,,st4 ,,paul1 ,,bishop  
,,of ,,narbonne1 ,c4  ,,st4 ,,gregory of
 ,tours informs us1#a that he was sent  
with other preachers from ,rome to plant
 the faith in ,gaul4 ,st4 ,saturninus of
 ,thoulouse1 and ,st4 ,dionysius of     
,paris1 were crowned with martyrdom3 but
 ,st4 ,paul of ,narbonne1 ,st4          
,trophimus of ,arles1 ,st4 ,martial of  
,limoges1 and ,st4 ,gatian of ,tours1   
after having founded those churches1    
amidst many dangers1 departed in peace4 
,prudentius says1#b that the name of    
,paul had rendered the city of ,narbonne
 illustrious4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,hist4  
,franc4 l4 #a1 c4 #cj4 #b4  ,hymn4 #d4  
,,st4 ,,lea4 ,,widow4  ,,she was a rich 
,roman lady2 after the death of her     
husband she mortified her flesh by      
wearing rough sackcloth1 passed whole   
nights in prayer1 and by humility seemed

 every one's menial servant4 ,she died  
in #chd1 and is honored on this day in  
the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,st4 ,jerom    
makes an elegant comparison between her 
death and that of ,praetextatus1 a      
heathen1 who was that year appointed    
consul1 but snatched away by death at   
the same time4 ,see ,st4 ,jerom1 ,ep4   
#bj1 7olim #bd17 to ,marcella1 t4 #d1 p4
 #ea1 ,ed4 ,ben4  ,,st4 ,,deogratias1   
,,bishop ,,of ,,carthage1 ,c4           
,,genseric1 the ,arian king of the      
,vandals1 took ,carthage in #dci1 filled
 the city with cruelties1 and caused    
,quodvultdeus1 the bishop1 and many     
others1 to be put on board an old leaky 
vessel1 who1 notwithstanding1 arrived   
safe at ,naples4 ,after a vacancy of    
fourteen years1 in #ded1 ,st4           
,deogratias was consecrated archbishop4 
,two years after1 ,genseric plundered   
,rome1 and brought innumerable captives 
from ,italy1 ,sicily1 ,sardinia1 and    
,corsica1 into ,africa1 whom the ,moors 
and ,vandals shared among them on the   

shore1 separating without any regard or 
compassion weeping wives from their     
husbands1 and children from their       
parents4 ,deogratias sold every thing1  
even the gold and silver vessels of the 
church1 to redeem as many as possible2  
he provided them with lodgings and beds1
 and furnished them with all succors1   
and though in a decrepit old age1       
visited those that were sick every day1 
and often in the night4 ,worn out by    
these fatigues1 he died in #deg1 to the 
inexpressible grief of the prisoners1   
and of his own flock4 ,the ancient      
calendar of ,carthage1 written in the   
fifth age1 commemorates him on the #eth 
of ,january2 but the ,roman on the #bb;d
 of ,march4 ,see ,st4 ,victor ,vitensis1
 l4 #a1 c4 #c4  ,,st4 ,,catharine ,,of  
,,sweden1 ,,virgin4  ,,she was daughter 
of ,ulpho1 prince of ,nericia1 in       
,sweden1 and of ,st4 ,bridget4 ,the love
 of ,god seemed almost to prevent in her
 the use of her reason4 ,at seven years 
of age she was placed in the nunnery of 

,risburgh1 and educated in piety under  
the care of the holy abbess of that     
house4 ,being very beautiful1 she was1  
by her father1 contracted in marriage to
 ,egard #fde a young nobleman of great  
virtue3 but the virgin persuaded him to 
join with her in making a mutual vow of 
perpetual chastity4 ,by her discourses  
he became desirous only of heavenly     
graces1 and1 to draw them down upon his 
soul more abundantly1 he readily        
acquiesced in the proposal4 ,the happy  
couple1 having but one heart and one    
desire1 by a holy emulation excited each
 other to prayer1 mortification1 and    
works of charity4 ,after the death of   
her father1 ,st4 ,catharine1 out of     
devotion to the passion of ,christ1 and 
to the relies of the martyrs1           
accompanied her mother in her           
pilgrimages and practices of devotion   
and penance4 ,after her death at ,rome1 
in #acgc1 ,catherine returned to        
,sweden1 and died abbess of ,vadzstena1 
or ,vatzen1#a on the #bdth of ,march1 in

 #acha4b ,for the last twenty-five years
 of her life she every day purified her 
soul by a sacramental confession of her 
sins4 ,her name stands in the ,roman    
,martyrology on the #bb;d of ,march4    
,see her life written by ,ulpho1 a      
,brigittine friar1 thirty years after   
her death1 with the remarks of          
,henschenius4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,the    
great monastery of our ,saviour at      
,wasten1 or ,vatzen1 in the     diocese 
of ,lincopen1 was first founded by ,st4 
,bridget1 in #acdd2 but     rebuilt in a
 more convenient situation in #achd1    
when the nuns and     friars were       
introduced with great solemnity by the  
bishop of     ,lincopen4 ,this is called
 its foundation in the exact chronicle  
of     ,sweden1 published by ,benzelius1
 ,monum4 ,suec4 p4 #id4 #b4  ,st4       
,catharine of ,sweden compiled a pious  
book1 entitled1 ,sielinna     ,troest1  
that is1 ,consolation to the ,soul1     
which fills one hundred     and         
sixty-five leaves in folio1 in a ,,ms41 

on vellum1 mentioned by     ,starnman1  
,sur l',etat des ,sciences en ,suede1   
dans les temps recules4     ,the saint  
modestly says in her preface1 that as a 
bee gathers honey     out of various    
flowers1 and a physician makes choice of
 medicinal     roots for the composition
 of his remedies1 and a virgin makes up 
a     garland out of a variety of       
flowers1 so she has collected from the  
holy scriptures and other good books1   
chosen rules and maxims of     virtue4  
,,march ,,xxiii4  ,,st4 ,,alphonsus     
,,turibius1 ,,archbishop ,,of ,,lima1   
,,confessor4  ,from his life by ,f4     
,cyprian de ,herrera1 dedicated to pope 
,clement ,x41 and the acts of his       
canonization4  ,a4,d4 #afjf4  ,,st4     
,,toribio1 or ,,tiiribius ,,alphonsus   
,,mogrobejo1 was second son to the lord 
of ,mogrobejo1 and born in the kingdom  
of ,leon1 on the #afth of ,november1 in 
#aech4 ,from his infancy he discovered a
 strong inclination to piety2 and1 in   
his childhood1 it was his delight1 at   

times of recreation1 to erect and adorn 
altars1 and to serve the poor4 ,he      
trembled at the very shadow of sin4 ,one
 day1 seeing a poor pedler-woman angry  
because she had lost something out of   
her pack1 he most movingly entreated and
 exhorted her1 that she would not offend
 ,god by passion2 and1 in order to      
appease her1 gave her the value of her  
loss1 which he had begged of his mother 
for that purpose4 ,he was very devout to
 the ,blessed ,virgin1 said every day   
her ,office and ,rosary1 and fasted     
every ,saturday in her honor4 ,while at 
school1 he usually gave part of his     
slender dinner to the poor1 and was so  
much addicted to fasting1 that his      
superiors were obliged1 by strict       
commands1 to compel him to moderate his 
austerities4 ,he began his higher       
studies at ,valladolid1 but completed   
them at ,salamanca4 ,he was introduced  
early to the notice of king ,philip     
,,ii41 honored by him with several      
dignities1 and made president or chief  

judge at ,granada4 ,this office he      
discharged during five years with so    
much integrity1 prudence1 and virtue1   
that the eyes of the whole kingdom were 
fixed on him1 and his life in the world 
#fdf was a holy noviceship to the       
pastoral charge4 ,the pressing          
necessities of the infant church of     
,peru required a prelate who inherited1 
in a distinguished manner1 the spirit of
 the apostles2 and the archbishopric of 
,lima falling vacant1 ,turibius was     
unanimously judged the person of all    
others the best qualified to be an      
apostle of so large a country1 and to   
remedy the scandals which obstructed the
 conversion of the infidels4 ,the king  
readily nominated him to that dignity1  
and all parties concerned applauded the 
choice4 ,turibius was thunderstruck at  
this unexpected news1 and had no sooner 
received the message1 but he cast       
himself on the ground at the foot of his
 crucifix1 praying with many tears that 
,god would deliver him from so heavy a  

burden1 which he thought absolutely     
above his strength4 ,he wrote the most  
urgent letters to the king's council1 in
 which he pleaded his incapacity1 and   
other impediments1 and laid great stress
 on the canons1 which forbid laymen to  
be promoted to such dignities in the    
church4 ,this humility it was that      
obtained the succor of heaven by which  
he performed wonders in the service of  
souls4 ,being compelled by obedience to 
acquiesce1 he at length testified his   
submission by falling on his knees and  
kissing the ground4  ,after a suitable  
preparation1 he received the four minor 
orders on four successive ,sundays1 the 
better to dispose himself for the       
functions of each2 and after passing    
through the other orders1 he was        
consecrated bishop4 ,immediately after  
which he set out for ,peru1 and landed  
at ,lima1 in the year #aeha1 of his age 
the forty-third4 ,that diocese is       
extended one hundred and thirty leagues 
along the coast1 comprising three       

cities1 and many towns and villages1    
with innumerable cottages scattered over
 two ridges of the mountains of the     
,andes1 esteemed the highest and the    
most rugged in the whole world4 ,some of
 the ,european generals1 who first      
invaded that country1 were men who      
seemed to measure every thing by their  
insatiable avarice and ambition1 and had
 so far lost all sentiments of humanity 
towards the poor savages1 that they     
deserved the name rather of tyrants and 
plunderers than of conquerors4 ,civil   
wars and dissensions completed the      
misfortune of that country2 and         
covetousness1 cruelty1 treachery1 fraud1
 and debauchery1 seemed triumphant4 ,nor
 were the repeated orders of the        
,spanish court able to redress these    
evils4 ,the sight of these disorders    
moved the good pastor often to tears1   
but his prudence and zeal overcame all  
difficulties1 extirpated public         
scandals1 and made that kingdom a       
flourishing portion of the ,christian   

church4 ,upon his arrival he immediately
 began a visitation of his vast diocese3
 an undertaking of incredible fatigue1  
and attended with many dangers4 ,he     
often crept over the steepest and most  
rugged mountains1 covered with ice or   
snow1 to visit some poor hut of         
,indians1 and give them suitable comfort
 and instruction4 ,he travelled often on
 foot1 and sometimes barefoot1 and by   
fasting and prayer never ceased to      
implore the divine mercy for the        
salvation of the souls committed to his 
charge4 ,he placed everywhere able and  
zealous pastors1 and took care that no  
one in the most remote corners of the   
rocks should be left destitute of the   
means of instruction and of the benefit 
of the sacraments4 ,to settle and       
maintain discipline1 he appointed       
diocesan synods to be held every two    
years1 and provincial synods every      
seven2 and was vigilant and severe in   
chastising the least scandal1 especially
 of avarice1 in the clergy4 ,without    

respect of persons1 he reproved         
injustice and vice1 and made use of all 
the means which his authority put into  
his hands1 to check the insolence of    
public sinners1 and to protect the poor 
from oppression4 ,many of the first     
conquerors and governors of ,peru1      
before the arrival of the most virtuous 
viceroy ,francis of ,toledo1 were men   
who often sacrificed every thing to     
their passions1 and for their private   
ends4 ,from some of these saint suffered
 many persecutions1 and was #fdg often  
thwarted by them in the discharge of his
 duty4 ,but by the arms of meekness and 
patience he overcame all affronts and   
injuries1 and with an invincible        
constancy he maintained the rights of   
justice and truth4 ,he showed that many 
sinners misconstrued the law of ,god to 
make it favor their passions2 but that1 
as ,tertullian observes1 ,christ calls  
himself the truth1 not custom1 and will 
weigh our actions not in the false      
balance of the world1 but in the true   

scales of the sanctuary4 ,thus he       
extirpated the most inveterate abuses1#a
 and established with so great fervor   
the pure maxims of the gospel1 as to    
revive in many the primitive spirit of  
,christianity4 ,to extend and perpetuate
 the advantages of religion1 which by   
his zeal he had procured1 he filled this
 country with seminaries1 churches1 and 
many hospitals2 but would never suffer  
his own name to be recorded in any of   
his munificent charities or foundations4
 ,when he was at ,lima1 he every day    
visited several hospitals1 comforted and
 exhorted the sick1 and administered the
 sacraments4 ,when a pestilence1 though 
that calamity is seldom known in ,peru1 
raged in some parts of his diocese1     
,turibius distributed his own           
necessaries in relieving the afflicted3 
he preached penance1 because sins are   
the cause of chastisements1 and         
infinitely the worst of evils4 ,he      
walked in the processions1 bathed in    
tears1 with his eyes always fixed on a  

crucifix1 and offering himself to ,god  
for his flock2 fasted1 watched1 and     
prayed for them1 without intermission1  
till ,god was pleased to remove his     
scourge4  ,nothing gave the saint so    
much pleasure as the greatest labors and
 dangers1 to procure the least spiritual
 advantage to one soul4 ,burning with   
the most vehement desire of laying down 
his life for his flock1 and of suffering
 all things for him who died for us1 he 
feared no dangers4 ,when he heard that  
poor ,indians wandered in the mountains 
and deserts1 he sought them out2 and to 
comfort1 instruct1 or gain one of them1 
he often suffered incredible fatigues1  
and dangers in the wildernesses1 and    
boldly travelled through the haunts of  
lions and tigers4 ,he spent seven years 
in performing his first visitation3 his 
second employed him four years1 but the 
third was shorter4 ,he converted        
innumerable infidels1 and left          
everywhere monuments of his charity4 ,in
 travelling1 he either prayed or        

discoursed on heavenly things4 ,on his  
arrival at a place1 it was his custom to
 repair first to the church to pray     
before the altar4 ,to catechise the     
poor1 he would sometimes stay two or    
three days in places where he had       
neither bed nor any kind of food4 ,he   
visited every part of his vast diocese3 
and when others suggested to him the    
dangers that threatened him from rocks1 
precipices1 marshes1 rivers1 robbers1   
#fdh and savages1 his answer was that   
,christ came from heaven to save man1 we
 ought not therefore to fear dangers for
 the sake of immortal glory4 ,he        
preached and catechised without         
intermission1 having for this purpose   
learned1 in his old age1 all the various
 languages of the barbarous nations of  
that country4 ,even on his journeys he  
said mass every day with wonderful      
fervor and devotion4 ,he always made a  
long meditation before and after it1 and
 usually went to confession every       
morning2 though they who best knew his  

interior1 testified1 that they were     
persuaded he had never in his whole life
 forfeited his baptismal innocence by   
any mortal sin4 ,he seemed to have ,god 
and the divine honor alone before his   
eyes in all his words and actions1 so as
 to give little or no attention to any  
thing else2 by which means his prayer   
was perpetual4 ,he retired in private to
 that exercise often in the day1 and for
 a long time together4 ,in it his       
countenance seemed often to shine with a
 divine light4 ,the care with which he  
studied to disguise and conceal his     
great mortifications and works of piety1
 was the proof of his sincere humility4 
,his munificence in relieving the poor  
of every class1 especially those who    
were too bashful to make their          
necessities publicly known1 always      
exhausted his revenues4 ,the decrees of 
his provincial councils are monuments of
 his zeal1 piety1 learning1 and         
discretion3 they have been ever since   
esteemed1 not only in the new world1 but

 also in ,europe1 and at ,rome itself1  
as oracles4 ,the flourishing state of   
the church of ,peru1 the great number of
 saints and eminent pastors with which  
it abounded1 and the establishment of   
innumerable seminaries of piety and     
learning1 and hospitals for the poor1   
were the fruit of his zeal4 ,if he did  
not originally plant the faith1 he was  
at least the great propagator of it1 and
 the chief instrument of ,god in        
removing scandals and advancing true    
piety in that vast country1 which till  
then had been a land of abominations2   
while ,francis of ,toledo1 the great    
viceroy1 first settled the civil        
government in peace and tranquillity by 
salutary laws1 which have procured him  
the title of the ,legislator of ,peru4  
,st4 ,turibius1 in the sixty-eighth year
 of his age1 in #afjf1 during the       
visitation of his diocese1 fell sick at 
,santa1 a town one hundred and ten      
leagues distant from ,lima4 ,he foretold
 his death1 and ordered him to be       

rewarded who should bring him the first 
account from his physician1 that his    
recovery was despaired of4 ,the ardor of
 his faith1 his hope1 his love of his   
,creator and ,redeemer1 his resignation 
and perfect sacrifice of himself1       
gathered strength in the fervent        
exercises and aspirations which he      
repeated almost without ceasing in his  
illness4 ,by his last will he ordered   
what he had about him to be distributed 
among his servants1 and whatever else he
 otherwise possessed to be given to the 
poor4 ,he would be carried to the       
church1 there to receive the holy       
viaticum3 but received extreme unction  
in his sick bed4 ,he often repeated     
those words of ,st4 ,paul3 ,i desire to 
be dissolved1 and to be with ,christ4   
,and in his last moments he ordered to  
be sung1 by his bedside1 those of the   
,psalmist3 ,i rejoiced in the ibwgs that
 were said to me3 ,we shall go into the 
house of the ,lord4 ,he died on the     
#bc;d of ,march1 repeating those other  

words of the same prophet3 ,into thy    
hands ,i commend my spirit4 ,his body   
being translated the year after to      
,lima1 was found incorrupt1 the joints  
flexible1 and the skin soft4 ,his       
historian1 and the acts of the          
canonization1 mention many sick restored
 to their health1 and a girl raised to  
life by him while he was living3 also   
many miracles wrought through his       
intercession after his death4 ,he was   
beatified by ,innocent ,,xi4 in #afgi1b 
and solemnly canonized by pope ,benedict
 ,,xiii4 in #agbf4 ,on the miracles     
wrought by his intercession1 see        
,benedict ,,xiv41#c and especially the  
acts of his canonization4  #fdi  ,a     
pastor of souls must be careful to      
animate all his exterior actions and    
labors in the service of his neighbor1  
with the interior spirit of compunction1
 humility1 zeal1 charity1 and tender    
devotion4 ,without this he loses the    
fruit of all the pains he takes1 and by 
them will often deserve only            

chastisements in the world to come2 so  
much will his intention and the         
affections of his heart be infected with
 self-love1 and depraved by various     
imperfections1 and secret sinister      
desires even in the most holy functions4
 ,therefore1 a fervent novitiate1       
employed in the exercises of an interior
 life1 ought to be a part of the        
preparation for this state2 and in the  
discharge of his duties1 a person ought 
always to unite contemplation with      
action1 and reserve to himself          
sufficient time for conversing with ,god
 and his own soul1 and taking a frequent
 review of his own interior4 ,from his  
labors he must return frequently to     
prayer1 and constantly nourish in his   
soul a spirit of fervent devotion1 which
 will thus accompany all his exterior   
actions1 and keep his thoughts and      
affections always united to ,god4 ,those
 who are not faithful in thus           
maintaining and improving in themselves 
an interior spirit of piety1 and in     

watching with fear and compunction over 
the motions of their own hearts1 will   
generally advance very little the       
kingdom of ,christ in the souls of      
others1 and are in great danger of      
losing their own4 ,this is what ,st4    
,bernard feared in his disciple pope    
,eugeuius ,,iii41 whom he conjured with 
tears never to give himself up entirely 
to the care of others1 so as not to live
 also for himself2 so to communicate a  
spirit of piety to others1 as not to    
suffer it to be drained in his own      
heart2 to be a basin to hold it1 not a  
pipe for it to run through4#d ,this     
lesson is applicable1 with due          
proportion1 to other states1 especially 
that of teaching the sciences1 in which 
the exercises of an interior life are so
 much the more necessary1 as the        
employment is more distracting1 more    
tumultuous1 and more exposed to the     
waves of vanity1 jealousy1 and other    
secret petty passions4  ,footnotes3 #a4 
,the ,indians were infamous for their   

debaucheries1 and became so fond     of 
the ,spanish wines1 after having once   
tasted them1 that to     purchase a     
small quantity they would give all their
 gold1 and were     never sober as long 
as they had wine to drink4 ,but their   
crimes1     which justly provoked the   
anger of heaven1 could not justify the  
cruelty of their ,european enemies1 in  
whom avarice seemed to have             
extinguished the sentiments both of     
humanity and religion4 ,the             
missionary priests endeavored in vain to
 put a stop to the outrages     of their
 countrymen2 and the ,dominicans carried
 repeated complaints     against them to
 the kings of ,spain4 ,at their         
remonstrances1     ,ferdinand1 king of  
,castile1 declared the ,indians free1   
and forbade     the ,spaniards to employ
 them in carrying burdens1 or to use a  
stick     or whip in chastising them4   
,the emperor1 ,charles ,v41 was         
prevailed     upon to send into ,america
 severe orders and regulations in their 

favor1 but to very little effect4 ,the  
officers1 who assumed the     haughty   
titles of conquerors of ,mexico and     
,peru1 would not be     controlled4     
,bartholomew de las ,casas1 a           
,dominican1 and bishop of     ,chiapa1  
in ,new ,spain1 made four fruitless     
voyages into ,castile to     plead the  
cause of the poor ,indians2 he obtained 
ample rescripts     from the king1 and  
was constituted by him protector-general
 of the     ,indians in ,america4 ,but  
these expedients proved too weak against
 men     that were armed4 ,he therefore 
resigned his bishopric into the hands   
of the pope1 in #aeea1 and returned into
 the convent of his order at            
,valhutolid2 where he wrote his books1  
,on the ,destruction of the     ,indians
 by the ,spaniards1 and ,on the ,tyranny
 of the ,spaniards in the     ,indies1  
both dedicated to king ,philip ,,ii4    
,the archbishop of ,seville1     and the
 universities of ,salamanca and ,alcala1
 forbade the impression     of the      

answers which some wrote to defend the  
,spanish governors1 on     principles   
repugnant to the law of nature and of   
nations4 ,these     books of las ,casas1
 being translated into ,french1 were    
scattered     among the people in the   
,low ,countries1 who had taken up arms  
against     the ,spaniards1 and animated
 them exceedingly in their revolt4 ,but 
the crimes of some ought not to be      
imputed to a nation3 and the same       
country which gave birth to some        
monsters was most fruitful in           
saints1 and produced the most zealous   
apostles and defenders of the           
,indians4 ,the great principle which las
 ,casas defended in the     emperor's   
council1 and in his writings1 was1 that 
the conquered     ,indians could not1   
without injustice1 be made slaves to the
     ,spaniards1 which the king's       
council and the divines agreed to with  
regard to those who had not been taken  
armed in just wars4 ,see the     history
 of the ,isle of ,st4 ,domingo1 by      

,charlevoix4 #b4  ,bened4 ,,xiv4 ,de    
,beatif4 et ,canoniz4  #a4 ,append4 p4  
#dif4 #c4  ,de ,servor4 ,dei ,canoniz4  
,roma4 #agbh4 #d4 ,tr4 de ,miraculis1 c4
 #af1 p4     #aif4 #d4  ,tuus esto      
ubique3 concha esto non canalis4 ,s4    
,bern4 l4 d4 ,consid4  ,,ss4            
,,victorian1 ,,proconsul ,,of           
,,carthage1  ,,and ,,others1 ,,martyrs  
,,under ,,the ,,vandals4  ,,huneric1 the
 ,arian king of the ,vandals in ,africa1
 succeeded his father ,genseric in #dgg4
 ,he behaved himself at first with      
moderation towards the ,catholics1 so   
that they began to hold their assemblies
 in those places where they had been    
prohibited by ,genseric3 but in #dhj1 he
 began a grievous persecution of the    
clergy and holy virgins1 which1 in #dhd1
 became general1 and occasioned vast    
numbers of the ,catholics to be put to  
death4 ,victorian1 a citizen of         
,adrumetum1 one of the principal lords  
of the kingdom1 had been made by him    
governor of ,carthage with the ,roman   

title of proconsul4 ,he was the         
wealthiest subject the king had1 who    
placed great confidence in him1 and he  
had ever behaved with an inviolable     
fidelity4 ,the king1 after he had       
published his cruel edicts1 sent a      
message to the proconsul in the most    
obliging terms1 promising1 if he would  
conform to his religion1 and execute his
 orders1 to heap on him the greatest    
wealth and the highest honors which it  
was in the power of a prince to bestow4 
,the proconsul1 who amidst the          
glittering pomp of the world perfectly  
understood its emptiness1 made on the   
spot this generous answer3 ,tell the    
king that ,i trust in ,christ4 ,if his  
majesty pleases1 he may condemn me to   
the flames1 or to wild beasts1 or to any
 torments3 but ,i shall never consent to
 renounce the ,catholic church in which 
,i have been baptized4 ,even if1 there  
were no other life after this1 ,i would 
never be ungrateful and perfidious to   
,god1 who hath granted me the #fej      

happiness of knowing him1 and who hath  
bestowed on me his most precious graces4
 ,the tyrant became furious at this     
answer3 nor can the tortures be imagined
 which he caused the saint to endure4   
,victorian suffered them with joy1 and  
amidst them finished his glorious       
martyrdom4 ,the ,roman ,martyrology     
joins with him on this day four others  
who were crowned in the same            
persecution4 ,two brothers of the city  
of ,aquae-regiae1 in the province of    
,byzacena1 were apprehended for the     
faith1 and conducted to ,tabaia in the  
same province4 ,they had promised each  
other1 if possible1 to die together2 and
 they begged it of ,god1 as a favor1    
that they might both suffer the same    
torments4 ,the persecutors hung them in 
the air with great weights at their     
feet4 ,one of them1 under the excess of 
pain1 begged to be taken down for a     
little ease4 ,his brother1 fearing this 
desire of ease might by degrees move him
 to deny his faith1 cried out from the  

rack on which he was hanging3 ,god      
forbid1 dear brother1 that you should   
ask such a thing4 ,is this what we      
promised to ,jesus ,christ8 ,should not 
,i accuse you at his terrible tribunal8 
,have you forgotten what we have sworn  
upon his body and blood1 to suffer death
 together for his holy name8 ,by these  
words the other was so wonderfully      
encouraged that he cried out3 ,no1 no2  
,i ask not to be released3 on the       
contrary1 add new weights1 if you       
please1 increase my tortures1 exert all 
your cruelties till they are exhausted  
upon me4 ,they were then burnt with     
red-hot plates of iron1 and tormented so
 long1 and by so many new engines of    
torture1 that the executioners at last  
left them1 saying3 ,everybody follows   
their example1 no one now embraces our  
religion4 ,this they said1 chiefly      
because1 notwithstanding they had been  
so long and so grievously tormented1    
there were no scars or bruises to be    
seen upon them4 ,two merchants of       

,carthage1 who both bore the name of    
,frumentius1 suffered martyrdom about   
the same time1 and are joined with ,st4 
,victorian in the martyrologies4 ,among 
many glorious confessors at that time1  
one ,liberatus1 an eminent physician1   
was sent into banishment with his wife4 
,he only grieved to see his infant      
children torn from him4 ,his wife       
checked his tears by these generous     
words3 ,think no more of them1 ,jesus   
,christ himself will have care of them1 
and protect their souls4 ,while in      
prison1 she was told by the heretics    
that her husband had conformed3         
accordingly1 when she met him at the bar
 before the judge she upbraided him in  
open court for having basely abandoned  
,god3 but discovered by his answer that 
a cheat had been put upon her1 to       
deceive her into her ruin4 ,twelve young
 children1 when dragged away by the     
persecutors1 held their companions by   
the knees till they were torn away by   
violence4 ,they were most cruelly beaten

 and scourged every day for a long time2
 yet by ,god's grace every one of them  
persevered to the end of the persecution
 firm in the faith4 ,see ,st4 ,victor1  
,de ,persec4 ,vandal4 l4 #e1 n4 #d4     
,,st4 ,,edelwald1#a ,,priest1 ,c4  ,,he 
was1 for his eminent sanctity1 honored  
with the priesthood while he lived in   
the monastery of ,rippon4 ,afterwards he
 led an eremitical life in the isle of  
,farne1 where he died in #ffi1 about    
eleven years after ,st4 ,cuthbert4 ,his 
body was translated to ,lindisfarne1    
afterwards to ,durham4 ,see ,bede in    
vita ,s4 ,cuthberti1 n4 #fh4            
,footnotes3 #a4  ,edelwald1 or          
,ethelwald4 signifies noble1 potent4    
#fea   ,,march ,,xxiv4  ,,st4           
,,irenaeus1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,sirmium1 ,m 
,from the original authentic acts of his
 trial in ,henschenius1 ,ruinart1 p4    
#djc4 ,tillemont4 t4 #d1 p4 #bdh4       
,ceillier1 t4 #c1 p4 #dig4  ,a4,d4 #cjd4
  ,,st4 ,,irenaeus1 bishop of ,sirmium1 
capital of part of ,pannonia1 7now      

,sirmisch1 a village in ,hungary1       
twenty-two leagues from ,buda to the    
south17 in the persecution of           
,dioclesian was apprehended and         
conducted before ,probus1 the governor  
of ,pannonia1 who said to him3 ,the     
divine laws oblige all men to sacrifice 
to the gods4 ,irenaeus answered3 ,into  
hell fire shall be thrown1 whoever shall
 sacrifice to the gods4 ,,probus4 ,the  
edicts of the most clement emperors     
ordain that all sacrifice to the gods1  
or suffer according to law4 ,,irenaeus4 
,but the law of my ,god commands me     
rather to suffer all torments than to   
sacrifice to the gods4 ,,probu44 ,either
 sacrifice1 or ,i will put you to the   
torture4 ,,irenaeus4 ,you cannot do me a
 greater pleasure2 for by that means you
 will make the partake of the sufferings
 of my ,saviour4 ,the proconsul         
commanded him to be put on the rack2 and
 while he was tortured1 he said to him3 
,what do you say now1 ,irenaeus8 ,will  
you sacrifice8 ,,irenaeus4 ,i sacrifice 

to my ,god1 by confessing his holy name1
 and so have ,i always sacrificed to    
him4 ,all ,irenaeus's family was in the 
utmost concern for him4 ,his mother1 his
 wife1 and his children surrounded him4 
,his children embraced his feet1 crying 
out3 ,father1 dear father1 have pity on 
yourself and on us4 ,his wife1 dissolved
 in tears1 cast herself about his neck1 
and1 tenderly embracing him1 conjured   
him to preserve himself for her1 and his
 innocent children1 the pledges of their
 mutual love4 ,his mother1 with a voice 
broken with sobs1 sent forth lamentable 
cries and sighs1 which were accompanied 
with those of their servants1 neighbors1
 and friends2 so that all round the rack
 on which the martyr was hanging1       
nothing was heard but sobs1 groans1 and 
lamentations4 ,irenaeus resisted all    
these violent assaults1 opposing those  
words of our ,lord3 ,if any one renounce
 me before men1 ,i will renounce him    
before my ,father who is to ,heaven4 ,he
 made no answer to their pressing       

solicitations1 but raised his soul above
 all considerations of flesh and blood  
to him who was looking down on his      
conflict from above1 waiting to crown   
his victory with immortal glory2 and who
 seemed to cry out to him from his lofty
 throne in heaven3 ,come1 make haste to 
enjoy me4 ,the governor said to him3    
,will you be insensible to such marks of
 tenderness and affection8 can you see  
so many tears shed for you without being
 moved8 ,it is not beneath a great      
courage to be touched with compassion4  
,sacrifice1 and do not destroy yourself 
in the flower of your age4 ,irenaeus    
said3 ,it is that ,i may not destroy    
myself that ,i refuse to sacrifice4 ,the
 governor sent him to prison1 where he  
remained a long time1 suffering divers  
torments4 ,at the second time of        
examination1 the governor1 after having 
pressed him to sacrifice1 asked him if  
he had a wife1 parents1 or children1    
alive4 ,the saint answered all these    
questions in the negative4 ,who then    

were those that wept for you at your    
first examination8 ,irenaeus made       
answer3 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ hath  
said3 ,he that loveth father or mother1 
wife or children1 brothers or relations 
more than me1 is not worthy of #feb me4 
,so1 when ,i lift up my eyes to         
contemplate that ,god whom ,i adore1 and
 the joys he hath promised to those who 
faithfully serve him1 ,i forget that ,i 
am a father1 a husband1 a son1 a master1
 a friend4 ,probus said3 ,but you do not
 therefore cease to be so4 ,sacrifice at
 least for their sakes4 ,irenmus        
replied3 ,my children will not lose much
 by my death2 for ,i leave them for     
father that same ,god whom they adore   
with me2 so let nothing hinder you from 
executing the orders of your emperor    
upon me4 ,,probus4 ,throw not yourself  
away4 ,i cannot avoid condemning you4   
,,irenaeus4 ,you cannot do me a greater 
favor1 or give me a more agreeable      
pleasure4 ,then ,probus passed sentence 
after this manner3 ,i order that        

,irenaeus1 for disobeying the emperor's 
commands1 be cast into the river4#a     
,irenaeus replied3 ,after so many       
threats1 ,i expected something          
extraordinary1 and you content yourself 
with drowning me4 ,how comes this8 ,you 
do me an injury2 for you deprive me of  
the means of showing the world how much 
,christians1 who have a lively faith1   
despise death1 though attended with the 
most cruel torments4 ,probus1 enraged at
 this1 added to the sentence that he    
should be first beheaded4 ,irenaeus     
returned thanks to ,god as for a second 
victory4 ,when arrived on the bridge of 
,diana1 from which he was to be thrown1 
stripping off his clothes1 and lifting  
up his hands to heaven1 he prayed thus3 
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who condescendedst
 to suffer for the salvation of the     
world1 command the heavens to open1 that
 the angels may receive the soul of thy 
servant ,irenaeus1 who suffers for thy  
name1 and for thy people of the         
,catholic church of ,sirmium4 ,then1 his

 head being struck off1 he was thrown   
into the river1 on the #beth of ,march1 
on which day his name occurs in the     
,roman ,martyrology4 ,he suffered in the
 year #cjd4 ,he was married before he   
was ordained bishop2 but lived continent
 from that time1 as the laws of the     
church required4  ,the martyrs most     
perfectly accomplished the precept of   
renouncing all things for ,christ2 but  
all who desire truly to become his      
disciples1 are bound to do it in spirit4
 ,many aspire to perfection by austere  
practices of exterior mortification and 
long exercises of devotion2 yet make    
little progress1 and1 after many years1 
remain always subject to many           
imperfections and errors in a spiritual 
life4 ,the reason is1 because they      
neglected to lay the foundation by      
renouncing themselves4 ,this requires   
constant watchfulness1 courageous       
self-denial1 a perfect spirit of        
humility1 meekness and obedience1 and   
sincere compunction1 in which a soul    

examines and detects her vices1 bewails 
her past sins and those of the whole    
world1 sighs at the consideration of its
 vanity and slavery1 and of her distance
 from heaven1 labors daily to cleanse   
her mind from all idle thoughts1 and her
 heart from all sin1 all irregular      
attachments1 and superfluous desires1   
flies the vain joys of the world1 and   
often entertains herself on the bloody  
passion of ,christ4 ,if the affections  
are thus purified1 and this cleanness of
 heart daily more and more cultivated1  
the rest costs very little1 and the soul
 makes quick progress in the paths of   
holy love1 by the assiduous exercises of
 contemplation and prayer1 a constant   
fidelity in all her actions1 and the    
most fervent and pure attention to the  
divine will and presence4 ,voluntary    
imperfections and failings1 especially  
if habitual1 both blind and defile the  
soul1 disquiet her1 extremely weaken    
her1 and damp the fervor of her good    
desires and resolutions4 ,they must     

therefore be retrenched with the utmost 
resolution and vigilance1 especially    
those which arise from any secret       
vanity1 sensuality1 or want of the most 
perfect sincerity1 candor1 and          
simplicity4 ,an habitual attachment to  
any failing1 how trifling soever it may 
appear1 how subtle and secret #fec      
soever it may be1 and under whatever    
pretences it may be disguised1          
exceedingly obstructs the operations of 
the ,holy ,ghost1 and the effusion of   
divine grace in a soul4  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,meaning the ,boswethe1 which runs    
through ,sirmisch1 and falls into       
the sea five leagues lower4  ,,st4      
,,simon1 ,,an ,,infant1 ,,martyr ,,at   
,,trent4  ,,in the year #adgb1 when the 
,jews of ,trent 7famous for the last    
general council held there7 met in their
 synagogue on ,tuesday in ,holy ,week1  
to deliberate on the preparations for   
the approaching festival of the         
,passover1 which fell that year on the  
,thursday following1 they came to a     

resolution of sacrificing to their      
inveterate hatred of the ,christian     
name1 some ,christian infant on the     
,friday following1 or ,good ,friday4 ,a 
,jewish physician undertook to procure  
such an infant for the horrid purpose4  
,and while the ,christians were at the  
office of ,tenebrae on ,wednesday       
evening1 he found a child called ,simon1
 about two years old1 whom1 by caresses1
 and by showing him a piece of money1 he
 decoyed from the door of a house1 the  
master and mistress whereof were gone to
 church1 and carried him off4 ,on       
,thursday evening the principal ,jews   
shut themselves up in a chamber         
adjoining to their synagogue1 and at    
midnight began their cruel butchery of  
this innocent victim4 ,having stopped   
his mouth with an apron1 to prevent his 
crying out1 they made several incisions 
in his body1 gathering his blood in a   
basin4 ,some1 all this while1 held his  
arms stretched out in the form of a     
cross3 others held his legs4 ,the child 

being half dead1 they raised him on his 
feet1 and while two of them held him by 
the arms1 the rest pierced his body on  
all sides with their awls and bodkins4  
,when they saw the child had expired1   
they sung round it3 ,in the same manner 
did we treat ,jesus1 the ,god of the    
,christians3 thus may our enemies be    
confounded forever4 ,the magistrates and
 parents making strict search after the 
lost child1 the ,jews hid it first in a 
barn of hay1 then in a cellar1 and at   
last threw it into the river4 ,but ,god 
confounded all their endeavors to       
prevent the discovery of the fact1 which
 being fully proved upon them1 with its 
several circumstances1 they were put to 
death3 the principal actors in the      
tragedy being broke upon the wheel and  
burnt4 ,the synagogue was destroyed1 and
 a chapel was erected on the spot where 
the child was martyred4 ,god honored    
this innocent victim with many miracles4
 ,the relics lie in a stately tomb in   
,st4 ,peter's church at ,trent3 and his 

name occurs in the ,roman ,martyrology4 
,see the authentic account of           
,tiberinus1 the physician who inspected 
the child's body2 and the juridical acts
 in ,surius and the ,bollandists1 with  
,henschenius's notes on this day3 also  
,martenne1 ,ampl4 ,collectio ,vet4 t4   
#b1 p4 #aeaf1 and ,bened4 ,,xiv4 de     
,canoniz4 l4 #a1 c4 #ad1 p4 #aje4  ,,st4
 ,,william ,,of ,,norwich1 ,m4  ,,this  
martyr was another victim of the        
implacable rage of the ,jews against our
 holy religion4 ,he suffered in the     
twelfth year of his age4 ,having been   
not long bound an apprentice to a tanner
 in ,norwich1 a little before ,easter1  
in #aacg1 the ,jews of that city having 
enticed him into their houses1 seized   
and gagged him3 then they bound1 mocked1
 and crucified him1 in derision of      
,christ3 they also pierced his left     
side4 ,on ,easter-day they put the body 
into a sack1 and carried it into        
,thorp-wood1 now a heath1 near the gates
 of the city1 there to bury it2 but     

being discovered1 left it hinging on a  
tree4 ,the body was honored with        
miracles1 and1 in #aadd1 #fed removed   
into the churchyard of the cathedral of 
the ,holy ,trinity1 by the monks of that
 abbey2 and in #aaej1 into the choir4   
,on the place in ,thorpwood1 where the  
body of the martyred child was found1 a 
chapel was built1 called ,st4 ,william  
in the wood4 ,mr4 ,weever writes1 that  
the ,jews in the principal cities of the
 kingdom1 did use sometimes to steal    
away1 circumcise1 crown with thorns1    
whip1 torture1 and crucify some         
neighbor's male-child1 in mockery and   
scorn of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus  
,christ4 ,st4 ,richard of ,pontoise1 in 
,france1 was martyred by them in that   
manner4 ,as also ,st4 ,hugh1 7according 
to ,matthew ,paris and ,john ,capgrave17
 a child crucified at ,lincoln1 in      
#abee4 ,nevertheless1 it is a notorious 
slander of some authors1 who1 from these
 singular and extraordinary instances1  
infer this to have been at any time the 

custom or maxim of that people4 ,the    
,english calendars commemorated ,st4    
,william on the #bdth of ,march4 ,see   
the history of his martyrdom and        
miracles by ,thomas of ,monmouth1 a     
contemporary monk2 also the ,saxon      
,chronicle of the same age1 and         
,bloomfield's ,history of ,norfolk4#a   
,footnotes3 #a4  ,pope ,benedict ,,xiv41
 l4 #a1 de ,canon4 c4 #ad1 p4 #ajc1     
shows that     children who die after   
baptism before the use of reason1 though
     saints1 ought not to be canonized1 
because they never practised any        
heroic degree of virtue2 and because    
this was never authorized by            
tradition in the church4 ,martyrs only1 
or infants1 whether baptized     or not1
 which were slain out of hatred to the  
name of ,christ1 are to     be accepted1
 as is clear from the example of the    
,holy ,innocents1 who     are styled    
martyrs by ,st4 ,irenaeus1 ,origen1 and 
other fathers2 and     the most ancient 
missals and homilies of fathers on their

 festival1     prove them to have been  
honored as such from the primitive ages4
     ,hence infants murdered by ,jews1  
out of hatred to ,christ1 have been     
ranked among the martyrs1 as ,st4 ,simon
 of ,trent1 by the authority of     the 
bishop of that city1 afterwards         
confirmed by the decrees of the         
popes ,sixtus ,v4 and ,gregory ,,xiii42 
also ,st4 ,william of ,norwich in       
,england1 7though this child having     
attained to the use of reason1 is       
rather to be called an adult martyr47   
,and ,st4 ,richard of ,pontoise1        
also about twelve years old1 murdered in
 #aahb by certain ,jews in the     reign
 of ,philip ,augustus1 who for this and 
other crimes banished the     ,jews out 
of ,france1 in ,april1 that same year4  
,the body of ,st4     ,richard was      
translated to ,paris1 and enshrined in  
the parish church     of the ,holy      
,innocents1 where his feast is kept on  
the #cjth of ,march1     but at         
,pontoise on the #beth4 ,the celebrated 

,f4 ,gaguin has written     the history 
of his martyrdom1 with an account of    
several miracles     wrought at his     
shrine4 ,his head is still shown in that
 church2 the     rest of his relics are 
said to have been carried off by the    
,english1     when they were masters of 
,paris4   ,,march ,,xxv4  ,,the         
,,annunciation ,,of ,,the ,,blessed     
,,virgin ,,mary4  ,,this great festival 
takes its name from the happy tidings   
brought by the angel ,gabriel to the    
,blessed ,virgin ,mary1 concerning the  
incarnation of the ,son of ,god4 ,it    
commemorates the most important embassy 
that was ever known3 an embassy sent by 
the ,king of kings1 performed by one of 
the chief princes of his heavenly court2
 directed1 not to the kings or emperors 
of the earth1 but to a poor1 unknown1   
retired virgin1 who1 being endowed with 
the most angelic purity of soul and     
body1 being withal perfectly humble and 
devoted to ,god1 was greater in his eyes
 than all the sceptres in the world     

could make a universal monarch4 ,indeed 
,god1 by the choice which he is pleased 
to make of a poor virgin1 for the       
accomplishment of the greatest of all   
mysteries and graces1 clearly           
demonstrates that earthly diadems1      
dignities1 and treasures are of no      
consideration with him2 and that perfect
 humility and sanctity alone constitute 
true greatness4 ,god1 who is almighty1  
can do all things by himself1 without   
making use of the concurrence of        
creatures ,nevertheless he vouchsafes1  
in his exterior works1 #fee most        
frequently to use their co-operation4   
,if he reveals his will and speaks to   
men1 it is by the intervention of his   
prophets1 and these he then enlightens  
by the ministry of angels4 ,many of the 
ancient patriarchs were honored by him  
with the most sublime commissions4 ,by  
,moses he delivered his people from the 
,egyptian slavery1 by him he gave them  
his law1 and he appointed him mediator  
in his alliance with them4 ,when the    

,son of ,god became man1 he could have  
taken upon him our nature without the   
co-operation of any creature2 but was   
pleased to be born of a woman4 ,in the  
choice of her whom he raised to this    
most sublime of all dignities to which  
any pure creature could be exalted1 he  
pitched upon her who1 by the riches of  
his grace and virtues1 was of all others
 the most holy and the most perfect4    
,the design of this embassy of the      
archangel is as extraordinary as the    
persons concerned in it4 ,it is to give 
a ,saviour to the world1 a victim of    
propitiation to the sinner1 a model to  
the just1 a son to this ,virgin1        
remaining still a virgin1 and a new     
nature to the ,son of ,god1 the nature  
of man1 capable of suffering pain and   
anguish in order to the satisfaction of 
,god's justice for our transgressions4  
,and the ,son of ,god being to take a   
human body formed of her substance1 the 
,holy ,ghost1 who1 by a power           
all-divine1 was to her in place of a    

spouse1 was not content to render her   
body capable of giving life to a        
,man-,god1 but likewise enriched her    
soul with a fulness of grace1 that there
 might be a sort of proportion between  
the cause and the effect1 and she the   
better qualified to co-operate towards  
this mystery of sanctity4  ,the angel   
begins his address to her with ,hail6   
full of grace4#a ,this is not the first 
time that angels appeared to women4 ,but
 we find not that they were ever treated
 with that respect which the angel      
,gabriel shows to ,mary4 ,sarah and     
,agar were visited by these celestial   
spirits1 but not with an honor like that
 wherewith the angel on this occasion   
addresses the ,blessed ,virgin1 saying1 
,hail6 full of grace4 ,he considers her 
as the greatest object among creatures  
of ,god's favor1 affection1 and         
complacency4 ,he admires in her those   
wonderful effects of the divine         
liberality1 those magnificent gifts and 
graces1 those exalted virtues1 which    

have placed the very foundation of her  
spiritual edifice on the holy           
mountains1#b in a degree of perfection  
surpassing that of all pure creatures4  
,he admires that perfect gratitude with 
which she always received ,god's grace1 
and her perfect fidelity in             
corresponding with it1 and advancing in 
sanctity by the help thereof1 with a    
solicitude answerable to her love and   
gratitude for the preservation and      
increase of so inestimable a treasure4  
,full of grace4 ,the first encomium     
which ,st4 ,john gives us of the glory  
of the ,word made flesh is1 that he was 
full of grace and truth4#c ,god forbid  
that we should say that ,mary was full  
of grace in the same manner as her ,son2
 for he is the very source and origin of
 it1 from whose fulness all the saints1 
,mary not excepted1 have received#d     
whatever degree they possess of grace   
and sanctity4 ,st4 ,luke assures us     
also1 that ,st4 ,stephen was full of    
grace and the ,holy ,ghost1#e but it was

 a fulness in regard to a less capacity1
 and in relation to a lower function4   
,moreover1 to ,st4 ,stephen and other   
saints1 who have received large portions
 of heavenly grace1 we may say1 in those
 other words of the angel1 ,you have    
found favor with ,god2 but those very   
favors1 though very great in themselves1
 were not to be compared with that which
 from all eternity was reserved for     
,mary4 ,god made the saints the object  
of his gratuitous election1 and he      
qualified them with his graces to be the
 messengers of his ,son1 the preachers  
and witnesses of his gospel2 but ,mary1 
was his choice1 and was furnished with  
his graces to bear the most illustrious1
 #fef the most exalted title of honor   
that heaven could bestow on a pure      
creature to conceive of her proper      
substance the divine ,word made man4 ,if
 then the grace of ,god so raises a     
person in worth and merit1 that there is
 not any prince on earth who deserves to
 be compared with a soul that is        

dignified with the lowest degree of     
sanctifying grace2 what shall we say or 
think of ,mary1 in whom the fulness of  
grace was only a preparation to her     
maternity8 ,what shall we think of      
ourselves1 7but in an opposite light17  
who wilfully expose this greatest of all
 treasures on so many occasions to be   
lost1 whereas we ought wilfully to      
forego and renounce all the advantages  
and pleasures of this world1 rather than
 hazard the loss of the least degree of 
it1 and be most fervent in our          
supplications to ,god for the gaining1  
preserving1 and increasing so great a   
treasure3 forasmuch as it is a pledge of
 ,god's love1 a participation of his    
,spirit1 and a title to the possession  
of his heavenly kingdom4  ,but who can  
be surprised at those inestimable       
treasures which ,god1 on this occasion1 
with so liberal a hand1 bestows on      
,mary1 if he considers the purport of   
the following words of the angel to her3
 ,the ,lord is with thee4 ,he is with   

her in a manner more intimate1 more     
perfect1 and more divine1 than he ever  
was or will be with any other creature4 
,he is with her1 not only by his        
essence1 by his presence1 by his power2 
for he is thus with all his creatures3  
,he is with her1 not only by his actual 
grace touching her heart and            
enlightening her understanding2 he is   
thus many times with the sinner3 ,he is 
with her1 not only with his sanctifying 
grace1 making her agreeable in his      
sight1 and placing her in the number of 
his children2 he is present in this     
manner with all the just3 ,he is with   
her1 not only by a special protection   
guiding her in his ways1 and leading her
 securely to the term of salvation2 this
 he does for the elect3 but he is also  
with her by a substantial and corporeal 
presence1 residing personally and really
 in her4 ,in her1 and of her substance1 
is this day formed his adorable body2 in
 her he reposes for nine months1 with   
his whole divinity and humanity4 ,it is 

in this ineffable manner that he is with
 ,mary1 and with none but ,mary4 ,o     
glorious ,virgin1 thrice happy ,mother1 
from this source and ocean of all grace 
what heavenly blessings in so long a    
space of time must have flowed upon you6
 and what honors must be due to one so  
nearly allied to our great ,creator6    
,what intercession so prevalent as that 
of the ,mother of divine grace6  ,the   
angel concludes his address with these  
words3 ,blessed art thou among women4#f 
,blessed1 as being chosen preferably to 
all of her sex1 to be the glorious      
instrument1 in the hand of ,god1 for    
removing the maledictions laid on       
mankind in punishment of their sins1 and
 in communicating to them the source of 
all good4 ,and on this account it was1  
that all succeeding generations1 as she 
foretold of herself1 should call her    
,blessed2#g regarding her as the centre 
in which all the blessings of the ,old  
and ,new ,testament are drawn together4 
,though we are obliged to consider the  

eminent quality of ,mother of ,god as   
the source of all other graces bestowed 
on the ,blessed ,virgin1 it must yet be 
owned it is not the greatest1 and that  
she was happier in loving ,jesus        
,christ1 than in having conceived him   
and brought him forth4 ,she is blessed  
among women and above the rest of       
creatures1 not precisely on account of  
her maternity1 but because she received 
a fulness of grace proportioned to the  
dignity to which she was chosen4 ,so    
that1 according to the remark of the    
holy fathers1 she was happier for her   
sanctity than for her dignity3 for her  
virtues1 than for her privileges4 ,among
 her virtues1 that of purity seems      
particularly deserving of notice on this
 solemnity1 as the epistle for this     
festival #feg records that memorable    
prophecy of ,isaias1 ,that a ,virgin    
should conceive and bring forth a son2#h
 the most remarkable of all the signs   
,god had promised the world for making  
known the accomplishment of the mystery 

of man's redemption4 ,and1 indeed1 right
 reason seemed to require that she1 who 
was to be the mother of ,god1 should be 
of an integrity above reproach1 and     
incapable of yielding to any            
solicitation3 it was highly fit her     
virginity should be perfectly pure1 and 
removed as far as possible from the     
least suspicion of blemish4 ,for this   
reason1 the moment ,god had chosen her  
to be his mother1 he exacted from her   
the most authentic proofs of an         
inviolable attachment to purity4 ,thus1 
it is not in a crowd1 or in idle        
conversation1 but in a retreat1 that the
 angel finds her4 ,it is not from the   
distraction of diversions and           
entertainments that he calls her aside  
to deliver his message3 no2 she is alone
 in her house1 with the door shut2 and1 
as ,st4 ,ambrose says1 he must be an    
angel that gets entrance there4#i       
,hence1 according to the same holy      
father1 it was not the angel's          
appearance that gave her trouble1 for he

 will not have it to be doubted but     
heavenly visions and a commerce with the
 blessed spirits had been familiar to   
her4 ,but what alarmed her1 he says1 was
 the angel's appearing in human form1 in
 the shape of a young man4 ,what might  
add to her fright on the occasion1 was  
his addressing her in the strain of     
praise1 which kind of words flattery    
often puts in the mouths of             
ill-designing men4 ,and how few1 alas6  
are able to withstand such dangers8 ,but
 ,mary1 guarded by her modesty1 is in   
confusion at expressions of this sort1  
and dreads the least appearance of      
deluding flattery4 ,such high           
commendations make her cautious how she 
answers1 till in silence she has more   
fully considered of the matter3 ,she    
revolved in her mind1 says ,st4 ,luke1  
what manner of salutation this should   
be4#aj ,ah6 what numbers of innocent    
souls have been corrupted for want of   
using the like precautions6 ,mary is    
retired1 but how seldom now-a-days are  

young virgins content to stay at home6  
,mary is silent when commended1 and     
answered not a word till she had well   
considered what she ought to say3 but   
now it is to be feared that young women 
never think so little as when they are  
entertained with flattery4 ,every       
soothing word is but too apt to slide   
from the ear to the heart2 and who can  
tell what multitudes1 by their unwary   
methods1 suffer shipwreck of their      
modesty1 and then of their purity4 ,for 
how can this be long-lived after having 
lost all its guardians8 ,no1 it cannot  
be4 ,unless a virgin be assiduous in    
prayer and spiritual reading1 modest in 
her dress1 prudent and wary in her      
choice of company1 and extremely careful
 in the government of her eyes and      
tongue when she happens to be in        
conversation with the other sex1 there  
is but too much reason to apprehend that
 either her heart is already betrayed1  
or in danger of being vanquished by the 
next assault of her spiritual enemy4 ,a 

dread of1 and a speedy flight from all  
dangerous occasions is the only security
 of virtue and innocence4 ,presumption  
wants no other tempter4 ,even ,mary1    
though confirmed in grace1 was only     
secure by this fear and distrust in     
herself4  ,a second cause why ,mary was 
disturbed at the words of the angel was1
 because they contained her praises4    
,humble souls always tremble and sink   
with confusion in their own minds when  
they hear themselves commended2 because 
they are deeply penetrated with a sense 
of their own weakness and insufficiency1
 and they consider contempt as their    
due4 ,they know that the glory of all   
gifts belongs solely to ,god1 and they  
justly fear lest the poison of praise   
should insinuate itself into their      
minds2 being sensible how infinitely    
dangerous honors and flattery are to    
humility4 ,are #feh these our           
sentiments8 ,do we never speak of       
ourselves to our own advantage8 ,do we  
never artfully praise ourselves1 or     

willingly lend an ear to what flatterers
 say to applaud us8 ,are we troubled    
when we hear ourselves praised8 ,what   
gives trouble but to too many is1 that  
men give them not what they take to be  
their right2 and that their praises     
equal not the notion they have framed of
 their merits4 ,the high eulogiums      
bestowed on ,mary by the angel she      
answers no otherwise than by a profound 
silence1 by a saintly trouble of mind1  
which1 with a modest blush1 appears in  
her countenance4 ,the angel1 to calm her
 disquiets1 says to her3 ,fear not1     
,mary1 for thou hast found favor before 
,god4 ,he then informs her that she is  
to conceive and bring forth a son whose 
name shall be ,jesus1 who shall be      
great1 and the son of the ,most ,high1  
and possessed of the throne of ,david1  
her illustrious ancestor4 ,mary1 who1   
according to ,st4 ,austin1#aa had       
consecrated her virginity to ,god by    
vow1 is not at all weakened by the      
prospect of such a dignity1 in her      

resolution of living a virgin3 but1 on  
the contrary1 out of a just concern to  
know how she may comply with the will of
 ,god without prejudice to her vow1     
neither moved by curiosity1 nor doubting
 of the miracle or its possibility1 she 
inquires1 ,how shall this be8 ,nor does 
she give her consent till the heavenly  
messenger acquaints her that it is to be
 a work of the ,holy ,ghost1 who1 in    
making her fruitful1 will not intrench  
in the least upon her virginal purity1  
but cause her to be a mother1 still     
remaining1 as she desires1 a pure       
virgin4  ,moreover1 had not ,mary been  
deep-rooted in humility1 what impression
 must not these great promises have made
 in her heart1 at a time especially when
 the first transports are so apt to     
overflow the soul on the sudden news of 
an unexpected glory4 ,the world knows1  
from too frequent experience1 how       
strongly the promise and expectation of 
new dignities raise the spirits1 and    
alter the words1 the looks1 and the     

whole carriage of proud men4 ,but ,mary 
is still the same1 or rather much more  
lowly and meek in spirit upon the       
accession of this unparalleled dignity4 
,she sees no cause to pride herself in  
her virtues1 graces1 and privileges1    
knowing that the glory of all these are 
due only to the divine ,author and      
,bestower of them4 ,in submission1      
therefore1 to ,god's will1 without any  
further inquiries1 she expresses her    
assent in these humble but powerful     
words3 ,behold the handmaid of the      
,lord2 be it done to me according to thy
 word4 ,what faith and confidence does  
her answer express6 ,what profound      
humility and perfect obedience6 ,she was
 saluted mother of ,god1 yet uses no    
word of dignity1 but styles herself     
nothing more than his handmaid1 to be   
commanded and employed by him as he     
shall think fittest4 ,the world1 as     
heaven had decreed1 was not to have a   
,saviour till she had given her consent 
to the angel's proposal2 she gives it1  

and behold the power and efficacy of her
 submissive ,fiat4 ,that moment1 the    
mystery of love and mercy promised to   
mankind four thousand years before1     
foretold by so many prophets1 desired by
 so many saints1 is wrought on earth4   
,that moment1 the ,word of ,god is      
forever united to humanity3 the soul of 
,jesus ,christ1 produced from nothing1  
begins to enjoy ,god1 and to know all   
things past1 present1 and to come3 that 
moment1 ,god begins to have an adorer1  
who is infinite1 and the world a        
mediator1 who is omnipotent2 and1 to the
 working of this great mystery1 ,mary   
alone is chosen to co-operate by her    
free assent4 ,the prophets represent the
 earth as moved out of its place1 and   
the mountains as melting away before the
 very countenance of ,god looking down  
upon the world4 ,now that he descends in
 person1 who would not expect that the  
whole heavens should be moved8 ,but     
another kind of appearance best suited  
his coming on this occasion1 which was  

with #fei the view of curing our pride  
by his wonderful humiliations1 and      
thereby repair the injury the ,godhead  
had suffered from our unjust usurpation2
 and not to show forth his grandeur1 and
 display his all-glorious majesty4 ,how 
far are the ways of ,god above those of 
men6 how greatly does divine wisdom     
differ from human folly6 how does every 
circumstance in this mystery confound   
the pride1 the pomp1 and the vain titles
 of worldly grandeur1 and recommend to  
us the love of silence and sincere      
humility6 ,shall the disciples of       
,christ have other sentiments8  ,but    
what tongue can express the inward      
feelings and affections which then      
filled the glowing heart of the most    
pure ,mother of ,god8 ,what light shone 
in her understanding to penetrate the   
mysteries and the excess of the         
unfathomed goodness of ,god6 what ardors
 of holy love inflamed her will6 what   
jubilee filled her soul6 ,let men       
redeemed exult and praise1 returning to 

,god their best homages of adoration1   
thanksgiving1 and love4 ,it is for this 
duty that the church has appointed this 
present festival1 which we ought chiefly
 to consecrate to the contemplation of  
this adorable mystery with hymns of     
love1 praise1 and thanksgiving4 ,it was 
the hope and comfort of all the ancient 
saints1 and the great object of all     
their earnest prayers1 tears1 and sighs4
 ,the prophets had a view to it in all  
their predictions1 this being the       
principal point in all the wonderful    
revelations of ,god made to his church  
since the fall of ,adam in ,paradise1   
whom he immediately comforted with a    
promise and glimpse of this glorious    
mercy4 ,every ordinance in the law which
 he gave the ,jews was typical1 and had 
either an immediate1 or at least an     
indirect relation to ,christ1 and our   
redemption by him4 ,among the numberless
 religious rites and sacrifices which   
were prescribed them1 there was not one 
which did not in some manner represent  

or allude to this mystery4 ,how high an 
idea ought this circumstance to give us 
of its incomprehensible greatness1 which
 its nature and wonderful effects and   
fruits must enhance beyond the power of 
words6 ,we are lost in astonishment when
 we contemplate this prodigy of         
omnipotence1 and infinite wisdom and    
mercy1 and adore it in raptures and     
silence4  ,gerson cries out on this     
mystery3 ,what ought every heart to say 
or think6 every religious1 every loving 
and faithful heart8 ,it ought to rejoice
 exceedingly in this singular comfort1  
and to salute you with ,gabriel3 ,o     
blessed among women4 ,on this day is    
accomplished the great desire of the    
holy ancient patriarchs and prophets1   
who often languished to hasten it1 in   
their sighs1 prayers1 and writings1     
crying out aloud to the desire of the   
eternal hills4 ,on this day is the      
,saviour of mankind1 true ,god and man1 
conceived in the womb of ,mary4 ,this   
day our ,lady received a name more      

sublime than can be understood1 and the 
most noble of all names possible after  
that of her ,son1 by which she is called
 the ,mother of ,god4 ,on this day the  
greatest of miracles is wrought4 ,hear  
the wonders of love and mercy on this   
festival3 ,god is made man2 and man1 in 
the divine person1 ,god3 he that is     
immortal is become mortal1 and the      
,eternal is born in time4 ,a virgin is a
 mother1 a woman the mother of ,god2 a  
creature has conceived her ,creator6    
,st4 ,peter ,chrysologus expresses the  
fruits of this mystery as follows3 ,one 
virgin so receives and contains ,god in 
the lodging of her breast as to procure 
peace for the earth1 glory for heaven1  
salvation for the lost1 life for the    
dead1 an alliance of those on earth with
 the blessed in heaven1 and the commerce
 of ,god with the flesh4#ab  ,from the  
example of the ,virgin ,mary in this    
mystery1 how ardent a love ought we to  
conceive of purity and humility6        
,according to ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa1  

and ,st4 ,jerom1#ac she would rather be 
the spouse of ,god in spirit1 by #ffj   
spotless virginity1 than his mother in  
the flesh2 and so acceptable was this   
her disposition to ,god1 that she       
deserved immediately to hear1 that she  
should bring forth the ,son of the ,most
 ,high1 still remaining a most pure     
virgin3 nor would ,god have otherwise   
raised her to this astonishing honor4   
,the ,holy ,ghost is invited by purity  
to dwell in souls1 but is chased away by
 the filth of the contrary vice4 ,the   
dreadful havoc which it now-a-days makes
 among ,christian souls1 calls for      
torrents of tears1 and is the source of 
the infidelity and universal desolation 
which spreads on every side4 ,humility  
is the foundation of a spiritual life4  
,by it ,mary was prepared for the       
extraordinary graces1 and all virtues   
with which she was enriched1 and for the
 eminent dignity of ,mother of ,god4    
,st4 ,austin says1 that according to an 
ancient tradition1 this mystery was     

completed on the #beth of ,march4#ad    
,both eastern and western churches      
celebrate it on this day1 and have done 
so at least ever since the fifth        
century4 ,this festival is mentioned by 
pope ,gelasius ,i41 in #dib4 ,the       
council of ,constantinople1 in #fib1    
orders the missa praesanctificatorum1 as
 on ,good-,friday1 to be said on all    
days in ,lent1 except ,saturdays1       
,sundays1 and the feast of the          
,annunciation4#ae ,the tenth council of 
,toledo1 in #fef1 calls this solemnity1 
,the festival of the ,mother of ,god1#af
 by way of excellence4 ,to praise the   
divine goodness for this                
incomprehensible mystery of the         
incarnation1 ,urban ,,ii41 in the       
council of ,clermont1 in #ajie1 ordered 
the bell to be rung every day for the   
triple ,angelical ,salutation1 called   
,angelus ,domini1 at morning1 noon1 and 
night4 ,which practice of devotion      
several popes have recommended by       
indulgences2 as ,john ,,xxii41 ,calixtus

 ,,iii41 ,paul ,,iii41 ,alexander       
,,vii41 and ,clement ,x4 ,the late      
,benedict ,,xiii4 has augmented them to 
those who at the aforesaid hours shall  
devoutly recite this prayer kneeling4   
,footnotes3 #a4  ,luke i4 #bh4 #b4  ,ps4
 lxxxvi4 #c4  ,john #a4 #ad4 #d4  ,ibid4
 #af4 #e4  ,acts iv4 #h4 #f4  ,luke i4  
#bb4 #g4  ,ibid4 #dh4 #h4  ,isai4 vii4  
#ad4 #i4  ,o hospitium solis angelis    
pervium3 ,s4 ,amb4 in ,luc4 #aj4 ,luke  
i4 #bi4 #aa4 ,quid profecto non diceret 
nisi se virginem ante vovisset4 ,l4 de  
,virg4 c4 #d1 t4 #f1 p4 #cdc4 #ab4      
,serm4 #adf4 #ac4 ,st4 ,greg4 ,nyss4    
,tr4 de ,nativ4 #ad4 ,l4 #d4 de ,trin4  
c4 #e4 #ae4 ,see ,thomasin des ,fetes1  
p4 #bbi4 #af4 ,festum ,sanctae ,virginis
 ,genitricis dies1 festivitas           
matris--nam quod     festum est matris  
nisi incarnatio ,verbi8 ,conc4 ,folet   
,x4  ,,st4 ,,cammin1 ,,abbot4  ,,among  
the most celebrated saints of ,ireland1 
published by ,usher1 is placed ,st4     
,cammin1 who in his youth retired from  

the noise of the world into the island  
of ,irish-,kealtair1 in the lake of     
,derg-,derch1 or ,dergid1 in the        
confines of ,thomond and ,galway4 ,here 
several disciples resorting to him1 he  
built a monastery1 which1 out of        
veneration for his extraordinary        
sanctity1 was long very famous among the
 ,irish4 ,the church of that place still
 retains1 from him1 the name of         
,tempul-,cammin4 ,his happy death is    
placed in the ,inis-,fallen annals1     
about the year #fec4 ,see ,usher's      
,antiqu4 p4 #ejc4  #ffa   ,,march       
,,xxvi4  ,,st4 ,,ludger1 ,,bishop ,,of  
,,munster1  ,,apostle ,,of ,,saxony4    
,from his life1 written by ,altfrid1 one
 of his successors1 and another compiled
 by a monk of ,werden1 about sixty years
 after the death of ,st4 ,ludger1 of    
inferior authority to the former1 both  
extant in ,mabillon1 ,act4 ,bened4 t4   
#d1 p4 #dhi3 also a third life in       
,surius and the ,bollandists1 written by
 the monks of ,werden perhaps twenty    

years after the latter4 ,see ,hist4     
,litter4 ,fr4 t4 #e1 p4 #ffj4  ,a4,d4   
#hji4  ,,st4 ,,ludger was born in       
,friseland1 about the year #gdc4 ,his   
father1 who was a nobleman of the first 
rank in that country1 at the child's own
 request1 committed him very young to   
the care of ,st4 ,gregory1 the disciple 
of ,st4 ,boniface1 and his successor in 
the government of the see of ,utrecht4  
,ludger had the happiness to have seen  
that holy martyr1 and received from him 
strong impressions of virtue4 ,gregory  
educated him in his monastery1 and      
admiring his progress in learning and   
piety1 gave him the clerical tonsure4   
,ludger1 desirous of further            
improvement1 passed over into ,england1 
and spent four years and a half under   
,alcuin1 who was rector of a famous     
school at ,york4 ,he was careful to     
employ his whole time in the exercises  
of piety1 and the study of the holy     
scriptures and fathers4 ,in #ggc he     
returned home1 and ,st4 ,gregory dying  

in #ggf1 his successor1 ,alberic1       
compelled our saint to receive the holy 
order of priesthood1 and employed him   
for several years in preaching the word 
of ,god in ,friseland1 where he         
converted great numbers1 both among the 
pagans and vicious ,christians1 founded 
several monasteries1 and built many     
churches4 ,this was the state of        
affairs1 when the pagan ,saxons1        
ravaging the country1 obliged him to    
leave ,friseland4 ,whereupon he         
travelled to ,rome1 to consult pope     
,adrian ,,ii4 what course to take1 and  
what he thought ,god required of him4   
,he then retired for three years and a  
half to ,mount ,cassino1 where he wore  
the habit of the ,order1 and conformed  
to the practice of the rule during his  
stay1 but made no religious vows4 ,in   
#ghg1 ,charlemagne overcame the ,saxons 
and conquered ,friseland1 and the coast 
of the ,germanic ocean as far as        
,denmark4 ,ludger hearing that by this  
revolution the mission was again opened1

 returned into east ,friseland1 where he
 converted the ,saxons to the faith2 as 
he also did the province of ,sudergou1  
now called ,westphalia4 ,he founded the 
monastery of ,werden1#a in the county of
 ,la ,mark1 twenty-nine miles from      
,cologne4 ,his old master ,alcuin being 
come into ,france1 made his merit known 
to the emperor ,charlemagne4 ,in #hjb1  
,hildebald1 archbishop of ,cologne1 not 
regarding his strenuous resistance1     
ordained him bishop of ,mimigardeford1  
7or ford of the river ,mimigard17 a city
 which afterwards changed this name for 
that of ,munster1 from the great        
monastery of regular canons which ,st4  
,ludger built there1 to serve for his   
cathedral4 ,he joined to his diocese    
five cantons of ,friseland1 which he had
 converted1 and also founded the        
monastery of ,helmstad1 afterwards      
called ,lodger-,clooster1 or ,ludger's  
cloister1 in the duchy of ,brunswick4   
,he was very learned in the holy        
scriptures1 and read daily lectures     

thereon to his disciples4 ,he fasted and
 watched much1 and always wore a hair   
shirt1 but secretly1 se that no one knew
 of it till a little before his death4  
#ffb ,he ate some flesh at certain      
times1 chiefly to conform to others1 but
 always observing a strict temperance4  
,when invited to any entertainment1 his 
discourse the whole time was on         
religious subjects1 and he withdrew     
immediately after4 ,to the poor he was  
affable and courteous1 but firm and     
resolute to the proud rich4 ,he exerted 
an episcopal vigor against impenitent   
sinners1 and refused all manner of      
presents from an incestuous lady1 and at
 length excommunicated her4 ,except what
 was absolutely necessary for his       
subsistence1 he employed the revenues of
 his own estate1 and those of his       
bishopric1 in charities4 ,he was accused
 to the emperor ,charlemagne1 among     
other things1 of wasting his income1 and
 neglecting the embellishment of        
churches within his jurisdiction4 ,and  

this prince1 who loved to see churches  
magnificent1 giving ear to the          
information1 ordered him to appear at   
court4 ,the morning after his arrival1  
the emperor's chamberlain brought him   
word that his attendance was required4  
,the saint1 being then at his prayers1  
told the officer that he would follow   
him as soon as he had finished them4 ,he
 was sent for three several times before
 he was ready1 which the courtiers      
represented as a contempt of his        
majesty2 and the emperor1 with some     
emotion1 asked him why he had made him  
wait so long1 though he had sent for him
 so often4 ,the bishop answered1 that   
though he had the most profound respect 
for his majesty1 yet ,god was infinitely
 above him2 that while we are occupied  
with him1 it is our duty to forget every
 thing else2 and that in this he judged 
he had rather obeyed than neglected his 
majesty's orders1 who1 when he was      
chosen bishop1 had recommended to him   
ever to prefer the service of ,god to   

that of men4 ,this answer made such an  
impression on the emperor1 in favor of  
the saint1 that he looked upon it as a  
complete justification of his conduct as
 to every particular that had been laid 
to his charge3 he accordingly dismissed 
him with honor1 and disgraced his       
accusers4 ,the saint took this liberty  
with a religious prince1 that he might  
condemn the sloth of many who suffer    
distractions or earthly trifles to      
interrupt their commerce with ,god2 but 
they who leave prayer for necessary     
works of charity or obedience1 find ,god
 still in the exercises of those        
virtues4 ,st4 ,ludger required so devout
 an attention at divine service1 that   
being at prayers one night with his     
clergy1 and one of them stooping down to
 mend the fire and hinder it from       
smoking1 the saint after prayer severely
 rebuked him for it1 and inflicted on   
him a penance for some days4 ,st4       
,ludger was favored with the gift of    
miracles and prophecy4 ,he foretold the 

invasions of the ,normans from ,denmark 
and ,norway1 and what ravages they would
 make in the ,french empire1 and this at
 a time when there was not the least    
apprehension of any such thing4 ,his    
great zeal inclined him to go and preach
 the faith to these northern nations1   
but the king would not allow of it4 ,his
 last sickness1 though violent did not  
hinder him from continuing his functions
 to the very last day of his life1 which
 was ,passion-,sunday1 on which day he  
preached very early in the morning1 said
 mass towards nine1 and preached again  
before night1 foretelling withal to     
those that were about him1 that he      
should die the following night2 and     
fixing upon a place in his monastery of 
,werden where he chose to be interred4  
,he died accordingly on the #bfth of    
,march1 at midnight4 ,his relics are    
still kept at ,werden4 ,joseph1 an      
,englishman1 a disciple of ,alcuin1 whom
 he attended into ,france1 wrote1 in    
sixteen verses1 an eulogium of ,st4     

,ludger1 published by ,vossius#b and    
,mabillon1 as a specimen of good poetry 
for that age4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,nothing so much  
scandalizes the very infidels1 or shows 
the decay of piety1 and loss of all     
sense of religion among ,christians1 as 
their disrespectful #ffc behavior in the
 house of ,god and at the time of       
prayer4 ,an awful1 strict silence1 the  
most profound exterior respect1 and     
penetrating inward devotion of heart1   
must essentially accompany our homages  
when we present them before the throne  
of ,god1 in whose presence the highest  
seraphims annihilate themselves4 ,this  
silence we must observe not only with   
our tongues1 but also with our bodies   
and all our limbs1 both out of respect  
to the presence of ,god and his altar1  
and also not to give the least occasion 
of distraction to others4 ,prayer is an 
action so sublime and supernatural1 that
 the church in her canonical hours      
teaches us to begin it by a fervent     

petition of grace to perform it well4   
,what an insolence and mockery is it to 
join with this petition an open         
disrespect and a neglect of all         
necessary precautions against           
distractions6 ,we ought never to appear 
before ,god1 to tender him our homages  
or supplications1 without trembling1 and
 without being deaf to all creatures1   
and shutting all our senses to every    
object that can distract our minds from 
,god4 ,in the life of ,f4 ,simon        
,gourdan1 a regular canon of ,st4       
,victor's at ,paris1 who died in the    
odor of sanctity1 in the year #agbi1 the
 eighty-fifth of his age1 it is related 
that king ,louis ,,xiv4 came to see him1
 and to recommend himself to his        
prayers4 ,the servant of ,god made him  
wait till he had finished his           
thanksgiving after mass1 which edified  
that great prince1 who said1 he does    
well2 for he is employed in attending on
 a much greater king4 ,though ,st4      
,francis of ,sales on the like occasions

 chose rather to forego or defer his own
 private devotions1 than not to be ready
 immediately to wait on others1 in order
 to give them all the spiritual advice  
they desired2 yet at prayer at least he 
and all truly religious persons seemed  
in some degree to rival the heavenly    
spirits in their awe and reverence4     
,silence at that holy time1 or place1   
has always been esteemed a thing so     
sacred1 that when the temple of ,solomon
 was building1 ,god commanded that there
 should not be heard so much as the     
sound of a hamster1 or any other        
instrument4 ,even when we come from     
conversing with ,god1 we ought to appear
 all penetrated with the divine         
presence1 and rather as angels than men4
 ,sanctity1 modesty1 and the marks of a 
heavenly spirit1 ought to shine in our  
exterior1 and to inspire others by our  
very sight with religious awe and       
devotion4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,some have1 
by mistake1 confounded this place with  
,ferden1 or ,werden1     beyond the     

,weser4 #b4  ,voss4 de histor4 lat4 l4  
#b1 c4 #c4  ,,st4 ,,braulio1 ,,bishop   
,,of ,,saragossa1 ,c4  ,,he was the     
great assistant of ,st4 ,isidore of     
,seville in settling the discipline of  
the church of ,spain1 and is one of     
those holy pastors to whose zeal1       
learning1 and labors it has always      
professed itself much indebted4 ,he died
 in #fdf1 in the twentieth year of his  
episcopacy4 ,he has left us two letters 
to ,st4 ,isidore1 an eulogium of that   
saint1 and a catalogue of his works2    
also a hymn in ,iambic verse in honor of
 ,st4 ,emilian1 and the life of that    
servant of ,god1 who1 after living long 
a hermit1 was called to serve a parish  
in the diocese of ,tarragon1 where a    
famous monastery now bears his name4    
#ffd   ,,march ,,xxvii4  ,,st4 ,,john   
,,of ,,egypt1 ,,hermit4  ,from ,rufinus1
 in the second book of the lives of the 
fathers2 and from ,pallaudius in his    
,lausiaca2 the last had often seen him4 
,also ,st4 ,jerom1 ,st4 ,austin1        

,cassian1 c4 ,see ,tillemont1 t4 #aj1 p4
 #i4 ,see also the ,wonders of ,god in  
the ,wilderness1 p4 #afj4  ,a4,d4 #cid4 
,,st4 ,,john was born about the year    
#cje1 was of a mean extraction1 and     
brought up to the trade of a carpenter4 
,at twenty-five years of age he forsook 
the world1 and put himself under the    
guidance and direction of an ancient    
holy anchoret with such an extraordinary
 humility and simplicity as struck the  
venerable old man with admiration2 who  
inured him to obedience by making him   
water a dry stick for a whole year as if
 it were a live plant1 and perform      
several other things as seemingly       
ridiculous1 all which he executed with  
the utmost fidelity4 ,to the saint's    
humility and ready obedience1 ,cassian#a
 attributes the extraordinary gifts he  
afterwards received from ,god4 ,he seems
 to have lived about twelve years with  
this old man1 till his death1 and about 
four more in different neighboring      
monasteries4  ,being about forty years  

of age1 he retired alone to the top of a
 rock of very difficult ascent1 near    
,lycopolis4#b ,his cell he walled up1   
leaving only a little window through    
which he received all necessaries1 and  
spoke to those who visited him what     
might be for their spiritual comfort and
 edification4 ,during five days in the  
week he conversed only with ,god3 but on
 ,saturdays and ,sundays all but women  
had free access to him for his          
instructions and spiritual advice4 ,he  
never ate till after sunset1 and then   
very sparingly2 but never any thing that
 had been dressed by fire1 not so much  
as bread4 ,in this manner did he live   
from the fortieth or forty-second to the
 ninetieth year of his age4 ,for the    
reception of such as came to him from   
remote parts1 he permitted a kind of    
hospital to be built near his cell or   
grotto1 where some of his disciples took
 care of them4 ,he was illustrious for  
miracles1 and a wonderful spirit of     
prophecy1 with the power of discovering 

to those that came to see him1 their    
most secret thoughts and hidden sins4   
,and such was the fame of his           
predictions1 and the lustre of his      
miracles which he wrought on the sick1  
by sending them some oil which he had   
blessed1 that they drew the admiration  
of the whole world upon him4            
,theodosius the ,elder was then emperor1
 and was attacked by the tyrant         
,maximus1 become formidable by the      
success of his arms1 having slain the   
emperor ,gratian in #chc1 and dethroned 
,valentinian in #chg4 ,the pious        
emperor1 finding his army much inferior 
to that of his adversary1 caused this   
servant of ,god to be consulted         
concerning the success of the war       
against ,maximus4 ,our saint foretold   
him that he should be victorious almost 
without blood4 ,the emperor1 full of    
confidence in the prediction1 marched   
into the ,west1 defeated the more       
numerous armies of ,maximus twice in    
,pannonia2 crossed the ,alps1 took the  

tyrant in ,aquileia1 and suffered #ffe  
his soldiers to cut off his head4 ,he   
returned triumphant to ,constantinople1 
and attributed his victories very much  
to the prayers of ,st4 ,john1 who also  
foretold him the events of his other    
wars1 the incursions of barbarians1 and 
all that was to befall his empire4 ,four
 years after1 in #cib1 ,eugenius1 by the
 assistance of ,arbogastes1 who had     
murdered the emperor ,valentinian the   
,younger1 usurped the empire of the     
,west4 ,theodosius sent ,eutropius the  
,eunuch into ,egypt1 with instructions  
to bring ,st4 ,john with him to         
,constantinople1 if it was possible2 but
 that if he could not prevail with him  
to undertake the journey1 to consult    
whether it was ,god's will that he      
should march against ,eugenius1 or wait 
his arrival in the ,east4 ,the man of   
,god excused himself as to his journey  
to court1 but assured ,eutropius that   
his prince should be victorious1 but not
 without loss and blood3 as also that he

 would die in ,italy1 and leave the     
empire of the ,west to his son2 all     
which happened accordingly4 ,theodosius 
marched against ,eugenius1 and in the   
first engagement lost ten thousand men1 
and was almost defeated3 but renewing   
the battle on the next day1 the #fth of 
,september1 in #cid1 he gained an entire
 victory by the miraculous interposition
 of heaven1 as even ,claudian1 the      
heathen poet1 acknowledges4 ,theodosius 
died in the ,west1 on the #agth of      
,january1 in #cie1 leaving his two sons 
emperors1 ,arcadius in the ,east1 and   
,honorius in the ,west4  ,this saint    
restored sight to a senator's wife by   
some of the oil he had blessed for      
healing the sick4 ,it being his         
inviolable custom never to admit any    
woman to speak to him1 this gave        
occasion to a remarkable incident       
related by ,evagrius1 ,palladius1 and   
,st4 ,austin in his treatise of ,care   
for the ,dead4 ,a certain general       
officer in the emperor's service        

visiting the saint1 conjured him to     
permit his wife to speak to him2 for she
 was come to ,lycopolis1 and had gone   
through many dangers and difficulties to
 enjoy that happiness4 ,the holy man    
answered1 that during his stricter      
enclosure for the last forty years since
 he had shut himself up in that rock1 he
 had imposed on himself an inviolable   
rule not to see or converse with women2 
so he desired to be excused the granting
 her request4 ,the officer returned to  
,lycopolis very melancholy4 ,his wife1  
who was a person of great virtue1 was   
not to be satisfied4 ,the husband went  
back to the blessed man1 told him that  
she would die of grief if he refused her
 request4 ,the saint said to him3 ,go to
 your wife1 and tell her that she shall 
see me tonight1 without coming hither or
 stirring out of her house4 ,this answer
 he carried to her1 and both were very  
earnest to know in what manner the saint
 would perform his promise4 ,when she   
was asleep in the night1 the man of ,god

 appeared to her in her dream1 and said3
 ,your great faith1 woman1 obliged me to
 come to visit you2 but ,i must admonish
 you to curb the like desires of seeing 
,god's servants on earth4 ,contemplate  
only their life1 and imitate their      
actions4 ,as for me1 why did you desire 
to see me8 ,am ,i a saint1 or a prophet 
like ,god's true servants8 ,i am a      
sinful and weak man4 ,it is therefore   
only in virtue of your faith that ,i    
have had recourse to our ,lord1 who     
grants you the cure of the corporal     
diseases with which you are afflicted4  
,live always in the fear of ,god1 apd   
never forget his benefits4 ,he added    
several proper instructions for her     
conduct1 any disappeared4 ,the woman    
awaking1 described to her husband the   
person she had seen in her dream1 with  
all his features1 in such a manner as to
 leave no room to doubt but it was the  
blessed man that had appeared to her4   
,whereupon he returned the next day to  
give him thanks for the satisfaction he 

had vouchsafed his wife4 ,but the saint 
on his arrival prevented him1 saying3 ,i
 have fulfilled your desire1 ,i have    
seen your wife1 and satisfied her in all
 things she had asked3 go in peace4 ,the
 officer received his benediction1 and  
continued his journey to ,seyne4 ,what  
the man of ,god foretold happened to    
him1 as1 #fff among other things1 that  
he should receive particular honors from
 the emperor4 ,besides the authors of   
the saint's life1 ,st4 ,austin relates  
this history which he received from a   
nobleman of great integrity and credit1 
who had it from the very persons to whom
 it happened4 ,st4 ,austin adds1 had he 
seen ,st4 ,john1 he would have inquired 
of him1 whether he himself really       
appeared to this woman1 or whether it   
was an angel in his shape1 or whether   
the vision only passed in her           
imagination4#c  ,in the year #cid1 a    
little before the saint's death1 he was 
visited by ,palladius1 afterwards bishop
 of ,helenopolis1 who is one of the     

authors of his life4 ,several anchorets 
of the deserts of ,nitria1 all          
strangers1 the principal of whom were   
,evagrius1 ,albinus1 ,ammonius1 had a   
great desire to see the saint4          
,palladius1 one of this number1 being   
young1 set out first in ,july1 when the 
flood of the ,nile was high4 ,being     
arrived at this mountain1 he found the  
door of his porch shut1 and that it     
would not be open till the ,saturday    
following4 ,he waited that time in the  
lodgings of strangers4 ,on ,saturday1 at
 eight o'clock1 ,palladius entered the  
porch1 and saw the saint sitting before 
his window1 and giving advice to those  
who applied to him for it4 ,having      
saluted ,palladius by an interpreter1 he
 asked him of what country he was1 and  
what was his business1 and if he was not
 of the company or monastery of         
,evagrius3 ,palladius owned he was4 ,in 
the mean time arrived ,alypius1 governor
 of the province1 in great haste4 ,the  
saint1 on the arrival of ,alypius1 broke

 off his discourse with ,palladius1 who 
withdrew to make room for the governor  
to discourse with the saint4 ,their     
conversation was very long1 and         
,palladius being1 weary1 murmured within
 himself against the venerable old man1 
as guilty of exception of persons4 ,he  
was even just going away1 when the      
saint1 knowing his secret thoughts1 sent
 ,theodorus1 his interpreter1 to him1   
saying3 ,go1 bid that brother not to be 
impatient3 ,i am going to dismiss the   
governor1 and then will speak to him4   
,palladius1 astonished that his thoughts
 should be known to him1 waited with    
patience4 ,as soon as ,alypius was gone1
 ,st4 ,john called ,palladius1 and said 
to him3 ,why was sic you angry1 imputing
 to me in your mind what ,i was no way  
guilty of8 ,to you ,i can speak at any  
other time1 and you have many fathers   
and brethren to comfort and direct you  
in the paths of salvation4 ,but this    
governor being involved in the hurry of 
temporal affairs1 and being come to     

receive some wholesome advice during the
 short time his affairs will allow him  
time to breathe in1 how could ,i give   
you the preference8 ,he then told       
,palladius what passed in his heart1 and
 his secret temptations to quit his     
solitude2 for which end the devil       
represented to him his father's regret  
for his absence1 and that he might      
induce his brother and sister to embrace
 a solitary life4 ,the holy man bade him
 despise such suggestions2 for they had 
both already renounced the world1 and   
his father would yet live seven years4  
,he foretold him that he should meet    
with great persecutions and sufferings1 
and should be a bishop1 but with many   
afflictions3 all which came to pass1    
though at that time extremely           
improbable4  ,the same year1 ,st4       
,petronius1 with six other monks1 made a
 long journey to pay ,st4 ,john a visit4
 ,he asked them if any among them was in
 holy orders4 ,they said3 ,no4 ,one1    
however1 the youngest in the company1   

was a deacon1 though this was unknown to
 the rest4 ,the saint1 by divine        
instinct1 knew this circumstance1 and   
that the deacon had concealed his orders
 out of a false humility1 not to seem   
superior to the others1 but their       
inferior1 as he was in age4 ,therefore1 
pointing to him1 he said3 ,this man is a
 deacon4 ,the other denied it1 upon the 
false persuasion that to lie with a view
 to one's own humiliation was no sin4   
,st4 ,john took him by #ffg the hand1   
and kissing it1 said to him3 ,my son1   
take care never to deny the grace you   
have received from ,god1 lest humility  
betray you into a lie4 ,we must never   
lie1 under any pretence of good         
whatever1 because no untruth can be from
 ,god4 ,the deacon received this rebuke 
with great respect4 ,after their prayer 
together1 one of the company begged of  
the saint to be cured of the tertian    
ague4 ,he answered3 ,you desire to be   
freed from a sickness which is          
beneficial to you4 ,as nitre cleanses   

the body1 so distempers and other       
chastisements purify the soul4 ,however1
 he blessed some oil and gave it to him3
 he vomited plentifully after it1 and   
was from that moment perfectly cured4   
,they returned to their lodgings1 where1
 by his orders1 they were treated with  
all proper civility1 and cordial        
hospitality4 ,when they went to him     
again1 he received them with joyfulness 
in his countenance1 which evidenced the 
interior spiritual joy of his soul2 he  
bade them sit down1 and asked them      
whence they came4 ,they said1 from      
,jerusalem4 ,he then made them a long   
discourse1 in which he first endeavored 
to show his own baseness2 after which he
 explained the means by which pride and 
vanity are to be banished out of the    
heart1 and all virtues to be acquired4  
,he related to them the examples of many
 monks1 who1 by suffering their hearts  
to be secretly corrupted by vanity1 at  
last fell also into scandalous          
irregularities2 as of one1 who1 after a 

most holy and austere life1 by this     
means fell into fornication1 and then by
 despair into all manner of disorders3  
also of another1 who1 from vanity1 fell 
into a desire of leaving his solitude2  
but by a sermon he preached to others1  
in a monastery on his road1 was         
mercifully converted1 and became an     
eminent penitent4 ,the blessed ,john    
thus entertained ,petronius and his     
company for three days1 till the hour of
 ,none4 ,when they were leaving him1 he 
gave them his blessing1 and said3 ,go in
 peace1 my children2 and know that the  
news of the victory which the religious 
prince ,theodosius has gained over the  
tyrant ,eugenius1 is this day come to   
,alexandria3 but this excellent emperor 
will soon end his life by a natural     
death4 ,some days after their leaving   
him to return home1 they were informed  
he had departed this life4 ,having been 
favored by a foresight of his death1 he 
would see nobody for the last three     
days4 ,at the end of this term he       

sweetly expired1 being on his knees at  
prayer1 towards the close of the year   
#cid1 of the beginning of #cie4 ,it     
might probably be on the #agth of       
,october1 on which day the ,copths1 or  
,egyptian ,christians1 keep his         
festival3 the ,roman and other ,latin   
,martyrologies mark it on the #bgth of  
,march4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,the solitude which the    
,holy ,ghost recommends1 and which the  
saints embraced1 resembled that of      
,jesus ,christ1 being founded in the    
same motive or principle1 and having the
 same exercises and employments1 and the
 same end4 ,christ was conducted by the 
,holy ,ghost into the desert1 and he    
there spent his time in prayer and      
fasting4 ,woe to those whom humor or    
passion leads into solitude1 or who     
consecrate it not to ,god by            
mortification1 sighs of penance1 and    
hymns of divine praise4 ,to those who   
thus sanctify their desert1 or cell1 it 
will be an anticipated paradise1 an     

abyss of spiritual advantages and       
comforts1 known only to such as have    
enjoyed them4 ,the ,lord will change the
 desert into a place of delights1 and   
will make the solitude a paradise and a 
garden worthy of himself4#d ,in it only 
joy and jubilee shall be seen1 nothing  
shall be heard but thanksgiving and     
praise4 ,it is the dwelling of a        
terrestrial seraph1 whose sole          
employment is to labor to know1 and     
correct1 all secret disorders of his own
 soul1 to forget the world1 and all     
objects of vanity which could distract  
or entangle him2 to subdue his senses1  
to purify the faculties of his soul1 and
 entertain in his #ffh heart a constant 
fire of devotion1 by occupying it       
assiduously on ,god1 ,jesus ,christ1 and
 heavenly things1 and banishing all     
superfluous desires and thoughts2       
lastly1 to make daily progress in purity
 of conscience1 humility1 mortification1
 recollection1 and prayer1 and to find  
all his joy in the most fervent and     

assiduous adoration1 love1 and praise of
 his sovereign ,creator and ,redeemer4  
,footnotes3 #a4  ,coll4 b4 #d1 c4 #ba1  
p4 #ha4 #b4  ,a city in the north of    
,thebais1 in ,egypt4 #c4  ,s4 ,aug4 l4  
pro cura de mortuis1 c4 #ag1 p4 #bid4   
#d4  ,isa4 lxiii4  ,,st4 ,,rupert1 ,,or 
,,robert1 ,c4  ,,bishop ,,of            
,,saltzbourg4  ,,he was by birth a      
,frenchman1 and of royal blood2 but     
still more illustrious for his learning1
 and the extraordinary virtues he       
practised from his youth4 ,he exercised 
himself is austere fasting1 watching1   
and other mortifications2 was a great   
lover of chastity and temperance2 and so
 charitable as always to impoverish     
himself to enrich the poor4 ,his        
reputation drew persons from remote     
provinces to receive his advice and     
instructions4 ,he removed all their     
doubts and scruples1 comforted the      
afflicted1 cured the sick1 and healed   
the disorders of souls4 ,so             
distinguished a merit raised him to the 

episcopal see of ,worms4 ,but that      
people1 being for the most part         
idolaters1 could not bear the lustre of 
such a sanctity1 which condemned their  
irregularities and superstitions4 ,they 
beat him with rods1 loaded him with all 
manner of outrages1 and expelled him the
 city4 ,but ,god prepared for him       
another harvest4 ,theodon1 duke of      
,bavaria1 hearing of his reputation and 
miracles1 sent messengers to him1       
earnestly beseeching him to come and    
preach the gospel to the ,baioarians1 or
 ,bavarians4 ,this happened two years   
after his expulsion from ,worms3 during 
which interval he had made a journey to 
,rome4 ,he was received at ,ratisbon by 
,theodon and his court with all possible
 distinction1 in #fig1 and found the    
hearts both of the nobles and people    
docile to the word of ,god4 ,the        
,christian faith had been planted in    
that country two hundred years before1  
by ,st4 ,severinus1 the apostle of      
,noricum4 ,after his death1 heresies and

 heathenish superstitions had entirely  
extinguished the light of the gospel4   
,bagintrude1 sister of duke ,theodon1   
being a ,christian1 disposed her brother
 and the whole country to receive the   
faith4 ,rupert1 with the help of other  
zealous priests1 whom he had brought    
with him1 instructed1 and1 after a      
general fast1 baptized1 the duke        
,theodon and the lords and people of the
 whole country4 ,god confirmed his      
preaching by many miracles4 ,he         
converted also to ,christianity the     
neighboring nations4 ,after ,ratisbon1  
the capital1 the second chief seat of   
his labors was ,laureacum1 now called   
,lorch1#a where he healed several       
diseases by prayer1 and made many       
converts4 ,however1 it was not ,lorch1  
nor the old ,reginum1 thence called     
,regensbourg1 now ,ratisbon1 the capital
 of all those provinces1 that was       
pitched upon to be the seat of the      
saint's bishopric1 but old ,juvavia1    
then almost in ruins1 since rebuilt and 

called ,saltzbourg4 ,the duke ,theodon  
adorned and enriched it with many       
magnificent donations1 which enabled    
,st4 ,rupert to found there several rich
 churches and monasteries4 ,after the   
prince's death1 his son ,theodebert1 or 
,diotper1 inheriting his zeal and piety1
 augmented considerably the revenues of 
this church4 ,st4 ,rupert took a journey
 into ,france to procure a new supply of
 able laborers1 and brought back to     
,saltzbourg twelve holy missionaries1   
with his niece ,st4 ,erentrude1 a virgin
 consecrated to ,god1 for whom he built 
a great monastery1 called ,nunberg1 of  
which #ffi she was the first abbess4#b  
,st4 ,rupert labored several years in   
this see1 and died happily on           
,easter-day1 which fell that year on the
 #bgth of ,march1 after he had said mass
 and preached2 on which day the ,roman  
and other ,martyrologies mention him4   
,his principal festival is kept with the
 greatest solemnity in ,austria and     
,bavaria on the #beth of ,september1 the

 day of one of the translations of his  
relics1 which are kept in the church    
under his name in ,saltzbourg4 ,mabillon
 and ,bulteau1 upon no slight grounds1  
think this saint to have lived a whole  
century later than is commonly supposed1
 and that he founded the church of      
,saltzbourg about the year #gjj4 ,see   
his life1 published by ,canisius1       
,henschenius1 and ,mabillon1 with the   
notes of the last-mentioned editor4     
,footnotes3 #a4  ,a village on the      
,danube in the midway between ,ratisbon 
and ,vienna1     the capital of eastern 
,bavaria1 at present ,austria4 #b4  ,the
 bishop of ,saltzbourg was1 under       
,charlemagne1 made an archbishop     and
 metropolitan of ,bavaria1 ,austria1 and
 its hereditary     territories4 ,he is 
one of the first ecclesiastical princes 
of the     empire1 and is elected by the
 canons of the cathedral1 who are all   
of noble extraction4   ,,march ,,xxviii4
  ,,priscus1 ,,malchus1 ,,and           
,,alexander1 ,,martyrs4  ,from ,eus4    

,hist4 b4 #g1 c4 #ab1 p4 #bfb4  ,a4,d4  
#bfj4  ,,these eminent ,christians1     
,priscus1 ,malchus1 and ,alexander1 led 
a retired holy life in the country near 
,caesarea1 in ,palestine4 ,during the   
fury of the persecution under ,valerian1
 they often called to mind the triumphs 
of the martyrs1 and secretly reproached 
themselves with cowardice1 as living    
like soldiers who passed their time in  
softness and ease1 while their brethren 
and fellow-warriors bore all the heat of
 the battle4 ,they could not long       
smother these warm sentiments in their  
breast2 but expressed them to one       
another4 ,what1 said they1 while the    
secure gate of heaven is open1 shall we 
shut it against ourselves8 ,shall we be 
so faint-hearted as not to suffer for   
the name of ,christ1 who died for us8   
,our brethren invite us by their        
example3 their blood is a loud voice1   
which presses us to tread in their      
steps4 ,shall we be deaf to a cry       
calling us to the combat1 and to a      

glorious victory8 ,full of this holy    
ardor1 they all1 with one mind1 repaired
 to ,caesarea1 and of their own accord1 
by a particular instinct of grace1      
presented themselves before the         
governor1 declaring themselves          
,christians4 ,while all others were     
struck with admiration at the sight of  
their generous courage1 the barbarous   
judge appeared not able to contain his  
rage4 ,after having tried on them all   
the tortures which he employed on other 
martyrs1 he condemned them to be exposed
 to wild beasts4 ,they are honored on   
this day in the ,roman ,martyrology4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,in consecrating ourselves to the       
service of ,god1 and to his pure love1  
the first and most essential condition  
is that we do it without reserve1 with  
an earnest desire of attaining to the   
perfection of our state1 and a firm     
resolution of sparing nothing1 and being
 deterred by no difficulties from       
pursuing this end with our whole        

strength2 and it must be our chief care 
constantly to maintain1 and always      
increase this desire in our souls4 ,upon
 this condition #fgj depends all out    
spiritual progress4 ,this is more       
essential in a religious state than the 
vows themselves2 and it is this which   
makes the difference betwixt the fervent
 and the lukewarm ,christian4 ,many     
deceive themselves in this particular1  
and flatter themselves their resolution 
of aspiring after perfection1 with all  
their strength1 is sincere1 whereas it  
is very imperfect4 ,of this we can best 
judge by their earnestness to advance in
 a spirit of prayer1 and in becoming    
truly spiritual2 in crucifying          
self-love1 overcoming their failings1   
and cutting off all occasions of        
dissipation1 and all impediments of     
their spiritual advancement4            
,mortification and prayer1 which are the
 principal means1 present usually the   
greatest difficulties3 but these1 as    
,st4 ,terasa observes1 are better than  

half vanquished and removed by a firm   
resolution of not being discouraged by  
any obstacles1 but of gathering from    
them fresh vigor and strength4 ,patience
 and fortitude crown in the saints what 
this fervent resolution began4  ,,st4   
,,sixtus ,,iii41 ,,pope4  ,,he was a    
priest among the ,roman clergy in #dah1 
when pope ,zozimus condemned the        
,pelagian heretics4 ,sixtus was the     
first1 after this sentence1 who         
pronounced publicly anathema against    
them1 to stop their slander in ,africa  
that he favored their doctrine1 as we   
are assured by ,st4 ,austin and ,st4    
,prosper in his chronicle4 ,the former  
sent him two congratulatory letters the 
same year1 in which he applauds this    
testimony of his zeal1 and in the first 
of these letters professes a high esteem
 of a treatise written by him in defence
 of the grace of ,god against its       
enemies4 ,it was that calumny of the    
,pelagian heretics that led ,garnier    
into the mistake that our saint at first

 favored their errors4 ,but a change of 
this kind would not have been buried in 
silence4 ,after the death of ,st4       
,celestine1 ,sixtus was chosen pope in  
#dcb4 ,he wrote to ,nestorius to        
endeavor to reclaim him after his       
condemnation at ,ephesus1 in #dca3 but  
his heart was hardened1 and he stopped  
his ears against all wholesome          
admonitions4 ,the pope had the comfort  
to see a happy reconciliation made1 by  
his endeavors1 between the ,orientals   
and ,st4 ,cyril3 in which he much       
commended the humility and pacific      
dispositions of the latter4 ,he says    
that he was charged with the care and   
solicitude of all the churches in the   
world1#a and that it is unlawful for any
 one to abandon the faith of the        
apostolic ,roman church1 in which ,st4  
,peter teaches in his successors what he
 received from ,christ4#b ,when ,bassus1
 a nobleman of ,rome1 had been condemned
 by the emperor1 and excommunicated by a
 synod of bishops for raising a grievous

 slander against the good pope1 the meek
 servant of ,christ visited and assisted
 him in person1 administered him the    
viaticum in his last sickness2 and      
buried him with his own hands4 ,julian  
of ,eclanum or ,eculanum1 the famous    
,pelagian1 earnestly desiring to recover
 his see1 made great efforts to be      
admitted to the communion of the church1
 pretending that he was become a        
convert1 and used several artifices to  
convince our saint that he really was   
so3 but he was too well acquainted with 
them to be imposed on4 ,this holy pope  
died soon after1 on the #bhth of ,march1
 in #ddj1 having sat in the see near    
eight years4 ,see his letters1          
,anastasius's ,pontifical1 with the     
notes of ,bianchini1 c4  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,ep4 #a1 ad ,episc4 ,orient4 p4 #abcf4
 ,ep4 decret4 t4 #a4 #b4  ,ep4 #f1 and  
,joan4 ,antioch4 contra ,nestor4  #fga  
,,st4 ,,gontran1 ,,king ,,and           
,,confessor4  ,,he was son of king      
,clotaire1 and grandson of ,clovis ,i4  

and ,st4 ,clotildis4 ,being the second  
son1 while his brothers ,charibert      
reigned at ,paris1 and ,sigebert in     
,austrasia1 residing at ,metz1 he was   
crowned king of ,orleans and ,burgundy  
in #efa1 making ,challons on the ,saone 
his capital4 ,when compelled to take up 
arms against his ambitious brothers and 
the ,lombards1 he made no other use of  
his victories under the conduct of a    
brave general called ,mommol1 than to   
give peace to his dominions4 ,he        
protected his nephews against the       
practices of the wicked dowager queens1 
,brunehault of ,sigebert1 and           
,fredegonde of ,chilperic1 the          
firebrands of ,france4 ,the putting to  
death the physicians of the queen1 at   
her request1 on her death-bed1 and the  
divorcing his wife ,mercatrude1 are     
crimes laid to his charge1 in which the 
barbarous manners of his nation involved
 him3 but these he effaced by tears of  
repentance4 ,he governed his kingdom1   
studying rather to promote the temporal 

happiness of others than his own1 a     
stranger to the passions of pride1      
jealousy1 and ambition1 and making piety
 the only rule of his policy4 ,the      
prosperity of his reign1 both in peace  
and war1 condemn those who think that   
human policy cannot be modelled by the  
maxims of the gospel1 whereas nothing   
can render a government more            
flourishing4 ,he always treated the     
pastors of the church with respect and  
veneration1 regarding them as his       
fathers1 and honoring and consulting    
them as his masters4 ,he was the        
protector of the oppressed1 and the     
tender parent of his subjects1 whom he  
treated as his children4 ,he poured out 
his treasures among them with a holy    
profusion2 especially in the time of a  
pestilence and famine4 ,he gave the     
greatest attention to the care of the   
sick4 ,he fasted1 prayed1 wept1 and     
offered himself to ,god night and day1  
as a victim ready to be sacrificed on   
the altar of his justice1 to avert his  

indignation1 which he believed he       
himself had provoked1 and drawn down    
upon his innocent people4 ,he was a     
severe punisher of crimes in his        
officers and others1 and1 by many       
wholesome regulations1 restrained the   
barbarous licentiousness of his troops1 
but no man was more ready to forgive    
offences against his own person4 ,he    
contented himself with imprisoning a man
 who1 through the instigation of queen  
,fredegonde1 had attempted to stab him1 
and he spared another assassin sent by  
the same wicked woman1 because he had   
taken shelter in a church4 ,with royal  
magnificence he built and endowed many  
churches and monasteries4 ,st4 ,gregory 
of ,tours relates many miracles         
performed by him both before and after  
his death1 to some of which he was an   
eye-witness4 ,this good king1 like      
another penitent ,david1 having spent   
his life after his conversion1 though on
 the throne1 in the retirement and      
penance of a recluse1 7as ,st4 ,hugh of 

,cluny says of him1 exhorting king      
,philip ,i4 to imitate his example17    
died on the #bhth of ,march1 in #eic1 in
 the sixty-eighth year of his age1      
having reigned thirty-one and some      
months4 ,he was buried in the church of 
,st4 ,marcellus1 which he had founded4  
,the ,huguenots scattered his ashes in  
the sixteenth century3 only his skull   
escaped their fury1 and is now kept     
there in a silver case4 ,he is mentioned
 in the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,see ,st4  
,gregory of ,tours1 ,fredegarius1 and   
,baillet4  #fgb   ,,march ,,xxix4  ,,ss4
 ,,jonas1 ,,barachisius1 ,,and ,,their  
,,companions1  ,,martyrs4  ,from their  
genuine acts compiled by ,esalas1 a     
noble ,armenian knight in the troops of 
king ,sapor1 an eye witness2 published  
in the original ,chaldaic1 by ,stephen  
,assemani1 ,act4 ,mart4 ,orient4 t4 #a1 
p4 #baa4 ,they were much adulterated by 
the ,greeks in ,metaphrastes4 ,ruinart  
and ,tillemont think ,sapor raised no   
persecution before his fortieth year3   

but ,assemani proves from these acts1   
and several other monuments1 a          
persecution in his eighteenth year4 ,see
 ,praef4 ,gen4 and p4 #bad1 app4  ,a4,d4
 #cbg4  ,,king ,,sapor1 in the          
eighteenth year of his reign1 raised a  
bloody persecution against the          
,christians1 and demolished their       
churches and monasteries4 ,jonas and    
,barachisius1 two brothers of the city  
,beth-,asa1 hearing that several        
,christians lay under sentence of death 
at ,hubaham1 went thither to encourage  
and serve them4 ,nine of that number    
received the crown of martyrdom4 ,after 
their execution1 ,jonas and ,barachisius
 were apprehended for having exhorted   
them to die4 ,the president mildly      
entreated the two brothers to obey the  
king of kings1 meaning the king of      
,persia1 and to worship the sun1 moon1  
fire1 and water4 ,their answer was1 that
 it was more reasonable to obey the     
immortal ,king of heaven and earth than 
a mortal prince4 ,the ,magians were much

 offended to hear their king called     
mortal4 ,by their advice the martyrs    
were separated1 and ,barachisius was    
cast into a very narrow close dungeon4  
,jonas they detained with them1         
endeavoring to persuade him to sacrifice
 to fire1 the sun1 and water4 ,the      
prince of the ,magians1 seeing him      
inflexible1 caused him to be laid fiat  
on his belly with a stake under his     
navel1 and to be beaten both with knotty
 clubs and with rods4 ,the martyr all   
the time continued in prayer1 saying3 ,i
 thank you1 ,o ,god of our father       
,abraham4 ,enable me1 ,i beseech you1 to
 offer to you acceptable holocausts4    
,one thing ,i have asked of the ,lord3  
this will ,i seek after4#a ,the sun1    
moon1 fire1 and water ,i renounce3 ,i   
believe and confess the ,father1 ,son1  
and ,holy ,ghost4 ,the judge ordered him
 next to be set in a frozen pond1 with a
 cord tied to his foot4 ,after supper1  
and a short nap1 he sent for            
,barachisius1 and told him his brother  

had sacrificed4 ,the martyr said it was 
impossible that he should have paid     
divine honors to fire1 a vile creature1 
and spoke much on the immensity and     
power of ,god1 and with such1 eloquence 
and force that the ,magians were        
astonished to hear him1 and said one to 
another1 that if he were permitted to   
speak in public1 he would draw over many
 from their religion4 ,whereupon they   
concluded for the future to hold his    
interrogatories in the night4 ,in the   
mean time they caused two red-hot iron  
plates1 and two red-hot hammers1 to be  
applied under each arm1 and said to him3
 ,if you shake off either of these1 by  
the king's fortune1 you deny ,christ4   
,he meekly replied3 ,i fear not your    
fire2 nor shall ,i throw off your       
instruments of torture4 ,i beg you to   
try without delay all your torments on  
me4 ,he who is engaged in combat for    
,god is full of courage4 ,they ordered  
melted lead to be dropped into his      
nostrils and eyes2 and that he should   

then be carried to prison1 and there    
hung up by one foot4 ,jonas1 after this1
 being brought out of his pool1 the     
,magians said to him3 ,how do you find  
yourself this morning8 ,we imagine you  
passed the #fgc last night out very     
uncomfortably4 ,no1 replied ,jonas2 from
 the day ,i came into the world1 ,i     
never remember a night more sweet and   
agreeable3 for ,i was wonderfully       
refreshed by the remembrance of         
,christ's sufferings4 ,the ,magians     
said3 ,your companion hath renounced4   
,the martyr1 interrupting them1         
answered3 ,i know that he hath long ago 
renounced the devil and his angels4 ,the
 ,magians urged3 ,take care lest you    
perish1 abandoned both by ,god and man4 
,jonas replied3 ,if you are really wise1
 as you boast1 judge if it be not better
 to sow the corn than to keep it hoarded
 up4 ,our life is a seed sown to rise   
again in the world to come1 when it will
 be renewed by ,christ in immortal      
light4 ,the ,magians said3 ,your books  

have drawn many aside4 ,jonas answered3 
,they have indeed drawn many from       
worldly pleasures4 ,when a servant of   
,christ is in his sufferings inebriated 
with love from the passion of his ,lord1
 he forgets the transitory state of this
 short life1 its riches1 estates1 gold1 
and honors2 regardless of kings and     
princes1 lords and noblemen1 where an   
eternity is at stake1 he desires nothing
 but the sight of the only true ,king1  
whose empire is everlasting1 and whose  
power reaches to all ages4 ,the judges  
commanded all his fingers and toes to be
 cut off1 joint by joint1 and scattered 
about4 ,then they said to him3 ,now wait
 the harvest to reap other hands from   
this seed4 ,to whom he said3 ,other     
hands ,i do not ask4 ,god is present1   
who first framed me1 and who will give  
me new strength4 ,after this1 the skin  
was torn off the martyr's head1 his     
tongue was cut out1 and he was thrown   
into a vessel of boiling pitch2 but the 
pitch by a sudden ebullition running    

over1 the servant of ,god was not hurt  
by it4 ,the judges next ordered him to  
be squeezed in a wooden press till his  
veins1 sinews1 and fibres burst4        
,lastly1 his body was sawn with an iron 
saw1 and1 by pieces1 thrown into a dry  
cistern4 ,guards were appointed to watch
 the sacred relics1 lest ,christians    
should steal them away4 ,the judges then
 called upon ,barachisius to spare his  
own body4 ,to whom he said3 ,this body  
,i did not frame1 neither will ,i       
destroy it4 ,god its maker will again   
restore it and will judge you and your  
king4 ,hormisdatscirus1 turning to      
,maharnarsces1 said3 ,by our delays we  
affront the king4 ,these men regard     
neither words nor torments4 ,they       
therefore agreed that he should be      
beaten with sharp-pointed rushes2 then  
that splinters of reeds should be       
applied to his body1 and by cords strait
 drawn and pulled1 should be pressed    
deep into his flesh1 and that in this   
condition his body1 pierced all over    

with sharp spikes1 armed like a         
porcupine1 should be rolled on the      
ground4 ,after these tortures1 he was   
put into the screw or press1 and boiling
 pitch and brimstone were poured into   
his mouth4 ,by this last torment he     
obtained a crown equal to that of his   
brother4 ,under their most exquisite    
tortures they thought they bought heaven
 too cheap4 ,upon the news of their     
death1 ,abtusciatus1 an old friend1 came
 and purchased their bodies for five    
hundred drachms and three silk garments1
 binding himself also by oath never to  
divulge the sale4 ,the acts are closed  
by these words3 ,this book was written  
from the mouths of witnesses1 and       
contains the acts of the saints1 ,jonas1
 ,barachisius1 and others1 martyrs of   
,christ1 who by his succor fought1      
triumphed1 and were crowned1 in whose   
prayers we beg place may be found1 by   
,esaias1 son of ,adabus of ,arzun1 in   
,armenia1 of the troop of royal         
horsemen1 who was present at their      

interrogatories and tortures1 and who   
wrote the history of their conflicts4   
,they were crowned on the #bith of the  
moon of ,december4 ,this was the #bdth  
of that month1 in the year of ,christ   
#cbg1 of ,sopar ,,ii4 the #ahth4 ,the   
,roman ,martyrology mentions them on the
 #bith of ,march4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,those powerful   
motives which supported the martyrs     
under the sharpest #fgd torments1 ought 
to inspire us with patience1            
resignation1 and holy joy1 under        
sickness and all crosses or trials4     
,these are the times of the greatest    
spiritual harvest1 by the exercise of   
the most perfect virtues4 ,for nothing  
is more heroic in the practice of       
,christian virtue1 nothing more precious
 in the sight of ,god1 than the         
sacrifice of patience1 submission1      
constant fidelity and charity in a state
 of suffering4 ,under sickness we are   
too apt eagerly to desire health1 that  
we may be able to do something for ,god1

 and to discharge the obligations of our
 profession1 as we persuade ourselves4  
,this is a mere invention of self-love1 
which is impatient under the weight of  
humiliation4 ,nothing1 indeed1 is more  
severe to nature than such a state of   
death1 and there is nothing which it is 
not desirous of doing1 to recover that  
active life1 which carries an air of    
importance by making an appearance in   
the tumultuous scene of the world4 ,but 
how much does the soul generally lose by
 such an exchange6 ,ah6 did we but truly
 know how great are the spiritual       
advantages and riches1 and how great the
 glory of patience founded upon motives 
of true charity1 and how precious the   
victories and triumphs are which it     
gains over self-love1 we should rejoice 
too much in a state of suffering and    
humiliation ever to entertain any       
inordinate desires of changing it4 ,we  
should only ask for health in sickness  
under this condition1 if it be more     
expedient for ,god's honor and our      

spiritual advancement4 ,with ,st4 ,paul1
 we should find a joy and delight in a  
state of privation and suffering1 in    
which we enter into a true sense of our 
absolute weakness1 feel that we are     
nothing1 and have no reliance but on    
,god alone4  ,footnotes3 #a4  ,psa4 xxvi
 #d4  ,,ss4 ,,armogastes1 ,,archinimus1 
,,and ,,saturus1  ,,martyrs4            
,,genseric1 the ,arian king of the      
,vandals1 to ,africa1 having1 on his    
return out of ,italy1 in #deg1 enacted  
new penal laws1 and severer than any he 
had till then put in force against      
,catholics1 count ,armogastes was on    
that occasion deprived of his honors and
 dignities at court1 and most cruelly   
tortured4 ,but no sooner had the jailers
 bound him with cords1 but they broke of
 themselves1 as the martyr lifted up his
 eyes to heaven2 and this happened      
several times4 ,and though they         
afterwards hung him up by one foot with 
his head downwards for a considerable   
time1 the saint was no more affected by 

this torment than if he had lain all the
 while at his ease on a feather-bed4    
,theodoric1 the king's son1 thereupon   
ordered his head to be struck off3 but  
one of his ,arian priests diverted him  
from it1 advising him to take other     
measures with him to prevent his being  
looked upon as a martyr by those of his 
party1 which would be of disservice to  
the opposite cause4 ,he was therefore   
sent into ,byzacena to work in the      
mines2 and some time after1 for his     
greater disgrace1 he was removed thence 
into the neighborhood of ,carthage1 and 
employed in keeping cows4 ,but he looked
 upon it as his glory to be dishonored  
before men in the cause of ,god4 ,it was
 not long before he had a revelation    
that his end drew near4 ,so having      
foretold the time of his death1 and     
given orders to a devout ,christian     
about the place where he desired to be  
interred1 the holy confessor1 a few days
 after1 went to receive the rewards of  
those that suffer in the cause of truth4

  ,archinimus1 of the city ,mascula1 in 
,numidia1 resisted all the artifices    
which the king could use to overcome his
 faith1 and was condemned to be         
beheaded1 but was reprieved while he    
stood under the axe4 ,satur1 or         
,saturus1 was master of the household to
 ,huneric1 by whom he was threatened to 
be deprived of his estate1 goods1       
slaves1 wife1 and children for his      
faith4 #fge ,his own wife omitted       
nothing in her power to prevail with him
 to purchase his pardon at the expense  
of his conscience4 ,but he courageously 
answered her in the words of ,job3 ,you 
have spoken like one of the foolish     
women4#a ,if you loved me1 you would    
give me different advice1 and not push  
me on to a second death4 ,let them do   
their worst3 ,i will always remember our
 ,lord's words3 ,if any man come to me1 
and hate not his father and mother1 his 
wife and children1 his brethren and     
sisters1 and his own life also1 he      
cannot be my disciple4#b ,he suffered   

many torments1 was stripped of all his  
substance1 forbid ever to appear in     
public1 and reduced to great distress4  
,but ,god enriched him with his graces1 
and called him to himself4 ,see ,st4    
,victor ,vitensis1 ,hist4 ,persec4      
,vandal1 l4 #a1 n4 #ad4  ,footnotes3 #a4
  ,job ii4 #i4 #b4  ,luke xiv4 #bf4     
,,st4 ,,eustasius1 ,,or ,,eustachius1   
,,abbot ,,of ,,luxeu1  ,,succeeded his  
master ,st4 ,columban in that charge1 in
 #faa4 ,he sanctified himself by        
humility1 continual prayer1 watching1   
and fasting2 was the spiritual father of
 six hundred monks1 and of many holy    
bishops and saints1 and died in #fbe4   
,he is named in the ,martyrologies of   
,ado1 and in the ,roman4 ,see his life  
by ,jonas1 his colleague1 in the        
,bollandists1 and in ,mabillon4  ,,st4  
,,gundleus1 ,,confessor4  ,,this saint1 
who was formerly honored with great     
devotion in ,wales1 was son to the king 
of the ,dimetians in ,south-,wales4     
,after the death of his father1 though  

the eldest son1 he divided the kingdom  
with his six brothers who nevertheless  
respected and obeyed him as if he had   
been their sovereign4 ,he married       
,gladusa1 daughter of ,braghan1 prince  
of that country1 which is called from   
him ,brecknockshire1 and was father of  
,st4 ,canoe and ,st4 ,keyna4 ,st4       
,gundleus had by her the great ,st4     
,cadoc1 who afterwards founded the      
famous monastery of ,llancarvan1 three  
miles from ,cowbridge1 in               
,glamorganshire4 ,gundleus lived so as  
to have always in view the heavenly     
kingdom for which we are created by     
,god4 ,to secure this1 he retired wholly
 from the world long before his death1  
and passed his time in a solitary little
 dwelling near a church which he had    
built4 ,his clothing was sackcloth1 his 
food barley-bread1 upon which he usually
 strewed ashes1 and his drink was water4
 ,prayer and contemplation were his     
constant occupation1 to which he rose at
 midnight1 and he subsisted by the labor

 of his hands3 thus he lived many years4
 ,some days before his death he sent for
 ,st4 ,dubritius and his son ,st4       
,cadoc1 and by their assistance1 and the
 holy rites of the church1 prepared     
himself for his passage to eternity4 ,he
 departed to our ,lord towards the end  
of the fifth century1 and was glorified 
by miracles4 ,see his life in ,capgrave 
and ,henschenius1 from the collection of
 ,john of ,tinmouth4 ,see also bishop   
,usher4  ,,st4 ,,mark1 ,,bishop ,,and   
,,confessor4  ,,some ,greeks rank among 
the saints on this day1 ,mark1 bishop of
 ,arethusa1 in ,syria1 in the fourth    
age4 ,when ,constantius put to death his
 uncle1 #fgf ,julius ,constantius1      
brother of ,constantine the ,great1 with
 his eldest son2 the two younger1       
,gallus and ,julian1 narrowly escaped   
the sword4 ,in that danger ,mark        
concealed ,julian1 and secretly supplied
 him with necessaries for his           
subsistence4 ,when ,julian became       
emperor1 he commanded that the temples  

which had been demolished by            
,christians1 during the two preceding   
reigns1 should be rebuilt at their      
expense4 ,mark had1 by the authority of 
,constantius1 demolished a very         
magnificent temple which was held in    
great veneration by the idolaters3 he   
had also built a church1 and converted a
 great number of infidels4 ,authorized  
by the law of ,julian1 the heathens of  
,arethusa1 when they saw themselves     
uppermost1 fell on the ,christians2 and 
,mark1 finding that they were ready to  
show their resentment against him in    
particular1 which they had long         
concealed1 he at first1 pursuant to the 
gospel precept1 betook himself to flight
 to escape their fury4 ,but             
understanding that they had apprehended 
some of his flock instead of him1 he    
returned and delivered himself up to the
 persecutors1 to animate others in the  
same cause by his example and           
instructions4 ,they seized him soon     
after his return1 dragged him through   

the streets by the hair1 or any part    
they could lay hold of1 without the     
least compassion for his age1 or regard 
for his virtue and learning4 ,having    
stripped him1 and scourged him all over 
his body1 joining ignominy and insults  
with cruelty1 they threw him into the   
stinking public jakes4 ,having taken him
 from thence1 they left him to the      
children1 ordering them to prick and    
pierce him1 without mercy1 with their   
writing-styles1 or steel pencils4 ,they 
bound his legs with cords so tight as to
 cut and bruise his flesh to the very   
bone2 they wrung off his ears with small
 strong threads2 and in this maimed1    
bloody condition1 they pushed him from  
one to another4 ,after this they rubbed 
him over with honey and fat broth2 and  
shutting him up in a kind of cage1 hung 
him up in the air where the sun was most
 scorching1 at noonday1 in the midst of 
summer1 in order to draw the wasps and  
gnats upon him1 whose stings are        
exceeding sharp and piercing in those   

hot countries4 ,he was so calm in the   
midst of his sufferings1 that1 though so
 sorely wounded and covered with flies  
and wasps1 he bantered them as he hung  
in the air2 telling them1 that while    
they were grovelling on the earth1 he   
was raised by them towards heaven4 ,they
 frequently solicited him to rebuild    
their temple1 but though they reduced   
their demands by degrees to a trifling  
sum1 he constantly answered1 that it    
would be an impiety to give them one    
farthing towards such a work4 ,this     
indeed would be to concur to idolatrous 
worship2 but his demolishing the temple 
would have been against the order of law
 and justice1 had he done it without    
public authority4 ,at length the fury of
 the people was turned into admiration  
of his patience1 and they set him at    
liberty2 and several of them afterwards 
begged of him to instruct them in the   
principles of a religion which was      
capable of inspiring such a resolution4 
,having spent the remainder of his life 

in the faithful discharge of the duties 
of his station1 he died in peace under  
,jovian or ,valens4 ,he is not named in 
the ,roman ,martyrology1 nor venerated  
by the church among the saints4 ,he had 
been long engaged in the errors and     
intrigues of the ,semi-,arians2 but the 
encomiums given him by ,st4 ,gregory    
,nazianzen1 ,theodoret1 and ,sozomen1   
when they relate his sufferings1 show   
that towards the end of the reign of    
,constantius1 he joined in the orthodox 
communion4  #fgg   ,,march ,,xxx4  ,,st4
 ,,john ,,climacus1 ,,abbot4  ,from his 
life written by ,daniel1 a monk of      
,raithu1 soon after his death1 and from 
his own works4 ,see ,bulteau1 ,hist     
,monast4 d',orient1 and d',andilly1 or  
rather his nephew1 ,le ,maitre1 in his  
life prefixed to the ,french translation
 of his works4 ,see also ,jos4          
,assemani1 in ,cal4 ,univ4 ad #cj       
,martii1 t4 #f1 p4 #bac4  ,a4,d4 #fje4  
,,st4 ,,john1 generally distinguished by
 the appellation of ,climacus1 from his 

excellent book entitled ,climax1 or the 
,ladder to ,perfection1 was born about  
the year #ebe1 probably in ,palestine4  
,by his extraordinary progress in the   
arts and sciences1 he obtained very     
young the surname of the ,scholastic4   
,but at sixteen years of age he         
renounced all the advantages which the  
world promised him1 to dedicate himself 
to ,god in a religious state1 in #edg4  
,he retired to ,mount ,sinai1 which1    
from the time of the disciples of ,st4  
,antony and ,st4 ,hilarion1 had been    
always peopled by holy men1 who1 in     
imitation of ,moses1 when he received   
the law on that mountain1 lived in the  
perpetual contemplation of heavenly     
things4 ,our novice1 fearing the danger 
of dissipation and relaxation1 to which 
numerous communities are generally more 
exposed than others1 chose not to live  
in the great monastery on the summit1   
but in a hermitage on the descent of the
 mountain1 under the discipline of      
,martyrius1 a holy ancient anchoret4 ,by

 silence1 he curbed the insolent itch of
 talking about every thing1 an ordinary 
vice in learned men1 but usually a mark 
of pride and self-sufficiency4 ,by      
perfect humility and obedience1 he      
banished the dangerous desire of        
self-complacency in his actions4 ,he    
never contradicted1 never disputed with 
any one4 ,so perfect was his submission1
 that he seemed to have no self-will4   
,he undertook to sail through the deep  
sea of this mortal life securely1 under 
the direction of a prudent guide1 and   
shunned those rocks which he could not  
have escaped1 had he presumed to steer  
alone1 as he tells us4#a ,from the      
visible mountain he raised his heart1   
without interruption1 in all his        
actions1 to ,god1 who is invisible2 and1
 attentive to all the motions of his    
grace1 studied only to do his will4     
,four years he spent in the trial of his
 own strength1 and in learning the      
obligations of his state1 before he made
 his religious profession1 which was in 

the twentieth year of his age4 ,in his  
writings1 he severely condemns          
engagements made by persons too young1  
or before a sufficient probation4 ,by   
fervent prayer and fasting he prepared  
himself for the solemn consecration of  
himself to ,god1 that the most intense  
fervor might make his holocaust the more
 perfect3 and from that moment he seemed
 to be renewed in spirit2 and his master
 admired the strides with which1 like a 
mighty giant1 the young disciple        
advanced1 daily more and more1 towards  
,god by self-denial1 obedience1         
humility1 and the uninterrupted         
exercises of divine love and prayer4    
,in the year #efj1 and the thirty-fifth 
of his age1 he lost ,martyrius by death1
 having then spent nineteen years in    
that place in penance and holy          
contemplation4 ,by the advice of a      
prudent director1 he then embraced an   
eremitical life in a plain called       
,thole1 near the foot of ,mount ,sinai4 
,his cell was five miles from the       

church1 probably the same which had been
 built a little #fgh before1 by order of
 the emperor ,justinian1 for the use of 
the monks1 at the bottom of this        
mountain1 in honor of the ,blessed      
,virgin1 as ,procopius mentions4#b      
,thither he went every ,saturday and    
,sunday to assist1 with all the other   
anchorets and monks of that desert1 at  
the holy office and at the celebration  
of the divine mysteries1 when they all  
communicated4 ,his diet was very        
sparing1 though1 to shun ostentation and
 the danger of vain-glory1 he ate of    
every thing that was allowed among the  
monks of ,egypt1 who universally        
abstained from flesh1 fish1 c4 ,prayer  
was his principal employment2 and he    
practised what he earnestly recommends  
to all ,christians1 that in all their   
actions1 thoughts1 and words1 they      
should keep themselves with great fervor
 in the presence of ,god1 and direct all
 they do to his holy will4#c ,by        
habitual contemplation he acquired an   

extraordinary purity of heart1 and such 
a facility of lovingly beholding ,god in
 all his works1 that this practice      
seemed in him a second nature4 ,thus he 
accompanied his studies with perpetual  
prayer4 ,he assiduously read the holy   
scriptures1 and fathers1 and was one of 
the most learned doctors of the church4 
,but1 to preserve the treasure of       
humility1 he concealed1 as much as      
possible1 both his natural and acquired 
talents1 and the extraordinary graces   
with which the ,holy ,ghost enriched his
 soul4 ,by this secrecy he fled from the
 danger of vain-glory1 which1 like a    
leech1 sticks to our best actions1 and  
sucking from them its nourishment1 robs 
us of their fruit4 ,as if this cell had 
not been sufficiently remote from the   
eyes of men1 ,st4 ,john frequently      
retired into a neighboring cavern1 which
 he had made in the rock1 where no one  
could come to disturb his devotions1 or 
interrupt his tears4 ,so ardent were his
 charity and compunction1 that his eyes 

seemed two fountains1 which scarce ever 
ceased to flow2 and his continual sighs 
and groans to heaven1 under the weight  
of the miseries inseparable from his    
moral pilgrimage1 were not to be        
equalled by the vehemency of the cries  
of those who suffer from knives and     
fire4 ,overcome by importunities1 he    
admitted a holy anchoret named ,moyses  
to live with him as his disciple4  ,god 
bestowed on ,st4 ,john an extraordinary 
grace of healing the spiritual disorders
 of souls4 ,among others1 a monk called 
,isaac1 was brought almost to the brink 
of despair by most violent temptations  
of the flesh4 ,he addressed himself to  
,st4 ,john2 who perceived by his tears  
how much he underwent from that conflict
 and struggle which he felt within      
himself4 ,the servant of ,god commended 
his faith1 and said3 ,my son1 let us    
have recourse to ,god by prayer4 ,they  
accordingly prostrated themselves       
together on the ground in fervent       
supplication for a deliverance1 and from

 that time the infernal serpent left    
,isaac to peace4 ,many others resorted  
to ,st4 ,john for spiritual advice3 but 
the devil excited some to jealousy1 who 
censured him as one who1 out of vanity1 
lost much time in unprofitable          
discourse4 ,the saint took this         
accusation1 which was a mere calumny1 in
 good part1 and as a charitable         
admonition2 he therefore imposed on     
himself a rigorous silence for near a   
twelvemonth4 ,this his humility and     
modesty so much astonished his          
calumniators1 that they joined the rest 
of the monks in beseeching him to       
reassume his former function of giving  
charitable advice to all that resorted  
to him for it1 and not to bury that     
talent of science which he had received 
for the benefit of many4 ,he who knew   
not what it was to contradict others1   
with the same humility and deference    
again opened his mouth to instruct his  
neighbor in the rules of perfect virtue3
 in which office1 such was the          

reputation of his wisdom and experience1
 that he was regarded as another ,moses 
in that holy place4  ,st4 ,john was now 
seventy-five years old1 and had spent   
forty of them in #fgi his hermitage1    
when1 in the year six hundred1 he was   
unanimously chosen abbot of ,mount      
,sinai1 and superior-general of all the 
monks and hermits in that country4 ,soon
 after he was raised to this dignity1   
the people of ,palestine and ,arabia1 in
 the time of a great drought and famine1
 made their application to him as to    
another ,elias1 begging him to intercede
 with ,god in their behalf4 ,the saint  
failed not with great earnestness to    
recommend their distress to the ,father 
of mercies1 and his prayer was          
immediately recompensed with abundant   
rains4 ,st4 ,gregory the ,great41 who   
then sat in ,st4 ,peter's chair1 wrote  
to our holy abbot1#d recommending       
himself to his prayers1 and sent him    
beds1 with other furniture and money1   
for his hospital1 for the use of        

pilgrims near ,mount ,sinai4 ,john1 who 
had used his utmost endeavors to decline
 the pastoral charge1 when he saw it    
laid upon him1 neglected no means which 
might promote the sanctification of all 
those who were entrusted to his care4   
,that posterity might receive some share
 in the benefit of his holy             
instructions1 ,john1 the learned and    
virtuous abbot of ,raithu1 a            
monastery-situate towards the ,red ,sea1
 entreated him by that obedience he had 
ever practised1 even with regard to his 
inferiors1 that he would draw up the    
most necessary rules by which fervent   
souls might arrive at ,christian        
perfection4 ,the saint answered him1    
that nothing but extreme humility could 
have moved him to write to so miserable 
a sinner1 destitute of every sort of    
virtue2 but that he received his        
commands with respect1 though far above 
his strength1 never considering his own 
insufficiency4 ,wherefore1 apprehensive 
of falling into death by disobedience1  

he took up his pen in haste1 with great 
eagerness mixed with fear1 and set      
himself to draw some imperfect outlines 
as an unskilful painter1 leaving them to
 receive from him1 as a great master1   
the finishing strokes4 ,this produced   
the excellent work which he called      
,climax1 or the ladder of religious     
perfection4 ,this book being written in 
sentences1 almost in the manner of      
aphorisms1 abounds more in sense than   
words4 ,a certain majestic simplicity1  
an inexpressible unction and spirit of  
humility1 joined with conciseness and   
perspicuity1 very much enhance the value
 of this performance3 but its chief     
merit consists in the sublime           
sentiments1 and perfect description of  
all ,christian virtues1 which it        
contains4 ,the author confirms his      
precepts by several edifying examples1  
as of obedience and penance4#e ,in      
describing a monastery of three hundred 
and thirty monks1 which he had visited  
near ,alexandria in ,egypt1 he mentions 

one of the principal citizens of that   
city1 named ,isidore1 who1 petitioning  
to be admitted into the house1 said to  
the abbot3 ,as iron is in the hands of  
the smith1 so am ,i in your hands4 ,the 
abbot ordered him to remain without the 
gate1 and to prostrate himself at the   
feet of everyone that passed by1 begging
 their prayers for his soul struck with 
a leprosy4 ,thus he passed seven years  
in profound humility and patience4 ,he  
told ,st4 ,john1 that during the first  
year he always considered himself as a  
slave condemned for his sins1 and       
sustained violent conflicts4 ,the second
 year he passed in tranquillity and     
confidence2 and the third with relish   
and pleasure in his humiliations4 ,so   
great was his virtue1 that the abbot    
determined to present him to the bishop 
in order to be promoted to the          
priesthood1 but the humility of the holy
 penitent prevented the execution of    
that design2 for having begged at least 
a respite1 he died within ten days4 ,st4

 ,john could not help admiring the cook 
of this numerous community1 who seemed  
always recollected1 and generally bathed
 in tears amidst his continual          
occupation1 and asked him by what means 
he nourished so perfect a spirit of     
compunction1 in the midst of such a     
dissipating laborious employment4 ,he   
said1 that serving the monks1 he        
represented to himself that he was      
serving not men1 but ,god in his        
servants #fhj and that the fire he      
always had before his eyes1 reminded him
 of that fire which will burn souls for 
all eternity4 ,the moving description   
which our author gives of the monastery 
of penitents called the ,prison1 above a
 mile from the former1 hath been already
 abridged in our language4 ,john the    
,sabaite told our saint1 as of a third  
person1 that seeing himself respected in
 his monastery1 he considered that this 
was not the way to satisfy for his sins4
 ,wherefore1 with the leave of his      
abbot1 he repaired to a severe monastery

 in ,pontus1 and after three years saw  
in a dream a schedule of his debts1 to  
the amount in appearance of one hundred 
pounds of gold1 of which only ten were  
cancelled4 ,he therefore repeated often 
to himself3 ,poor ,antiochus1 thou hast 
still great debt to satisfy4 ,after     
passing over thirteen years in contempt 
and the most fervent practices of       
penance1 he deserved to see in a vision 
his whole debt blotted out4 ,another    
monk1 in a grievous fit of illness1 fell
 into a trance1 in which he lay as if he
 had been dead for the space of an hour3
 but recovering1 he shut himself up in  
his cell1 and lived a recluse twelve    
years1 almost continually weeping1 in   
the perpetual meditation of death4 ,when
 he was near death1 his brethren could  
only extort from him these words of     
edification3 ,he who hath death always  
before his eyes1 will never sin4 ,john1 
abbot of ,raithu1 explained this book of
 our saint by judicious comments1 which 
are also extant4 ,we have likewise a    

letter of ,st4 ,john ,climacus to the   
same person1 concerning the duties of a 
pastor1 in which he exhorts him in      
correcting others to temper severity    
with mildness1 and encourages him       
zealously to fulfil the obligations of  
his charge2 for nothing is greater or   
more acceptable to ,god than to offer   
him the sacrifice of rational souls     
sanctified by penance and charity4  ,st4
 ,john sighed continually under the     
weight of his dignity1 during the four  
years that he governed the monks of     
,mount ,sinai3 and as he had taken upon 
him that burden with fear and           
reluctance1 he with joy found means to  
resign the same a little before his     
death4 ,heavenly contemplation1 and the 
continual exercise of divine love and   
praise1 were his delight and comfort in 
his earthly pilgrimage3 and in this     
imitation of the functions of the       
blessed spirits in heaven he placeth the
 essence of the monastic state4#f ,in   
his excellent maxims concerning the gift

 of holy tears1 the fruit of charity1#g 
we seem to behold a lively portraiture  
of his most pure soul4 ,he died in his  
hermitage on the #cjth day of ,march1 in
 #fje1 being fourscore years old4 ,his  
spiritual son ,george1 who had succeeded
 him in the abbacy1 earnestly begged of 
,god that he might not be separated from
 his dear master and guide1 and followed
 him by a happy death within a few days4
 ,on several ,greek commentaries on ,st4
 ,john ,climacus's ladder1 see          
,montfaucon1 ,biblioth4 ,coisliana1 pp4 
#cje1 #cjf4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,st4 ,john          
,climacus1 speaking of the excellence   
and the effects of charity1 does it with
 a feeling and energy worthy of such a  
subject4 ,a mother1 says he1#h feels    
less pleasure when she folds within her 
arms the dear infant whom she nourishes 
with her own milk1 than the true child  
of charity does1 when united1 as he     
incessantly is1 to his ,god1 and folded 
as if were in the arms of his heavenly  

,father4#i--;,charity operates in some  
persons so as to carry them almost      
entirely out of themselves4 ,it         
illuminates others1 and fills them with 
such sentiments of joy1 that they cannot
 help crying out3 ,the ,lord is my      
helper and my protector3 in him hath my 
heart confided1 and ,i have been helped4
 ,and my flesh hath flourished again1   
and with my will ,i will give praise to 
him4#aj ,this joy which they feel in    
their hearts1 is reflected on their     
countenances2 and when once ,god has    
united1 or1 as we may say1 #fha         
incorporated them with his charity1 he  
displays in their exterior1 as in the   
reflection of a mirror1 the brightness  
and serenity of their souls3 even as    
,moses1 being honored with a sight of   
,god1 was encompassed round by his      
glory4 ,st4 ,john ,climacus composed the
 following prayer to obtain the gift of 
charity3 ,my ,god1 ,i pretend to nothing
 upon this earth1 except to be so firmly
 united to you by prayer1 that to be    

separated from you may be impossible3   
let others desire riches and glory2 for 
my part1 ,i desire but one thing1 and   
that is1 to be inseparably united to    
you1 and to place in you alone all my   
hopes of happiness and repose4          
,footnotes3 #a4  ,gr4 l4 #b4  ,procop4  
l4 #e de aedif4 ,justin4 #c4  ,s4 ,jo4  
,clim4 gr4 #bg1 n4 #fg4 #d4  ,st4 ,greg4
 l4 #aa2 ,ep4 #a1 l4 #ab2 ,ep4 #af1 t4  
#b1 p4 #ajia4 #e4  ,gr4 #d and #e4 #f4  
,gr4 #a4 #g4  ,gr4 #g1 #bg1 #cj4 #h4    
,grad4 #cj1 n4 #ab4 #i4  ,gr  n4 #ad4   
#aj4 ,ps4 xxvii4  ,s4 ,,zozimus1        
,,bishop ,,of ,,syracuse1  ,,was        
successor to the holy bishop ,peter2 and
 faithfully discharged all the duties of
 a worthy pastor until his death1 which 
happened in #ffj4 ,his1 name is         
mentioned in the ,roman and ,sicilian   
,martyrologies4 ,see the ,bollandists   
and ,baillet4  ,,st4 ,,regulus1 ,,or    
,,rieul1  ,,who having converted the    
country of ,senlis to the faith1 about  
the same time that ,st4 ,dionysius      

preached in ,france1 was made first     
bishop of ,senlis1 and died in peace in 
the midst of his flock4 ,see the        
,bollandists and ,tillem4 t4 #d1 p4     
#gai4   ,,march ,,xxxi4  ,,saint        
,,benjamin1 ,,deacon1 ,m4  ,from        
,theodoret1 ,hist4 ,eccles4 l4 #e1 c4   
#ci1 c4  ,a4,d4 #dbi4  ,,isdegerdes1 son
 of ,sapor ,,iii41 put a stop to the    
crael persecutions against the          
,christians in ,persia1 which had been  
begun by ,sapor ,,ii41 and the ,church  
had enjoyed twelve years' peace in that 
kingdom1 when1 in #dbj1 it was disturbed
 by the indiscreet zeal of one ,abdas1 a
 ,christian bishop1 who burned down the 
,pyraeum1 or temple of fire1 the great  
divinity of the ,persians4 ,king        
,isdegerdes threatened to demolish all  
the churches of the ,christians1 unless 
he would rebuild it4 ,abdas had done ill
 in destroying the temple1 but did well 
in refusing to rebuild it2 for nothing  
can make it lawful to contribute to any 
act of idolatry1 or to the building a   

temple1 as ,theodoret observes4         
,isdegerdes therefore demolished all the
 ,christian churches in ,persia1 put to 
death ,abdas1 and raised a general      
persecution against the ,church1 which  
continued forty years with great fury4  
,isdegerdes died the year following1 in 
#dba4 ,but his son and successor1       
,varanes1 carried on the persecution    
with greater inhumanity4 ,the very      
description which ,theodoret1 a         
contemporary writer1 and one that lived 
in the neighborhood gives of the        
cruelties he exercised on the           
,christians1 strikes us with #fhb       
horror3 some were flayed alive in       
different parts of the body1 and        
suffered all kinds of torture that could
 be invented3 others1 being stuck all   
over with sharp reeds1 were hauled and  
rolled about in that condition2 others  
were tormented divers other ways1 such  
as nothing but the most hellish malice  
was capable of suggesting4 ,among these 
glorious champions of ,christ was ,st4  

,benjamin1 a deacon4 ,the tyrant caused 
him to be beaten and imprisoned4 ,he had
 lain a year in the dungeon1 when an    
ambassador from the emperor obtained his
 enlargement1 on condition he should    
never speak to any of the courtiers     
about religion4 ,the ambassador passed  
his word in his behalf that he would    
not3 but ,benjamin1 who was a minister  
of the gospel1 declared that he could   
not detain the truth in captivity1      
conscious to himself of the condemnation
 of the slothful servant for having hid 
his talent4 ,he therefore neglected no  
opportunity of announcing ,christ4 ,the 
king1 being informed that he still      
preached the faith in his kingdom1      
ordered him to be apprehended2 but the  
martyr made no other reply to his       
threats than by putting this question to
 the king3 ,what opinion he would have  
of any of his subjects who should       
renounce his allegiance to him1 and join
 in war against him4 ,the enraged tyrant
 caused reeds to be run in between the  

nails and the flesh both of his hands   
and feet1 and the same to be thrust into
 other most tender parts1 and drawn out 
again1 and this to be frequently        
repeated with violence4 ,he lastly      
ordered a knotty stake to be thrust into
 his bowels to rend and tear them1 in   
which torment he expired in the year    
#dbd4 ,the ,roman ,martyrology places   
his name on the #cast of ,march4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,st4 ,ephrem1 considering the heroic    
constancy of the martyrs1 makes on them 
the following pious reflections3 ,the   
wisdom of philosophers1 and the         
eloquence of the greatest orators1 are  
dumb through amazement1 when they       
contemplate the wonderful spectacle and 
glorious actions of the martyrs3 the    
tyrants and judges were not able to     
express their astonishment when they    
beheld the faith1 the constancy1 and the
 cheerfulness of these holy champions4  
,what excuse shall we have in the       
dreadful day of judgment1 if we who have

 never been exposed to any cruel        
persecutions1 or to the violence of such
 torments1 shall have neglected the love
 of ,god and the care of a spiritual    
life8 ,no temptations1 no torments1 were
 able to draw them from that love which 
they bore to ,god3 but we1 living in    
rest and delights1 refuse to love our   
most merciful and gracious ,lord4 ,what 
shall we do in that day of terror1 when 
the martyrs of ,christ1 standing with   
confidence near his throne1 shall show  
the marks of their wounds8 ,what shall  
we then show8 ,shall we present a lively
 faith8 true charity towards ,god8 a    
perfect disengagement of our affections 
from earthly things8 souls freed from   
the tyranny of the passions8 silence and
 recollection8 meekness8 alms-deeds8    
prayers poured forth with clean hearts8 
compunction1 watchings1 tears8 ,happy   
shall he be whom such good works shall  
attend4 ,he will be the partner of the  
martyrs1 and1 supported by the treasure 
of these virtues1 shall appear with     

equal confidence before ,christ and his 
angels4 ,we entreat you1 ,o most holy   
martyrs1 who cheerfully suffered most   
cruel torments for ,god our ,saviour and
 his love1 on which account you are now 
most intimately and familiarly united to
 him1 that you pray to the ,lord for us 
miserable sinners1 covered with filth1  
that he infuse into us the grace of     
,christ1 that it may enlighten our souls
 that we may love him1 c4#a  ,footnotes3
 #a4  ,st4 ,ephrem4 ,hom4 ,in ,,ss4     
,martyres4 t4 #c4 ,op4 ,gr4 et ,lat4 p4 
#bea4 ed     ,vatic4 an4 #agdf4  #fhc   
,,st4 ,,acacius1 ,,or ,,achates1        
,,bishop ,,of ,,antioch ,,in ,,asia     
,,minor1 ,c4  ,,st4 ,,acacius was bishop
 of ,antioch1 probably the town of that 
name in ,phrygia1 where the ,marcionites
 were numerous4 ,he was surnamed        
,agathangel1 or ,good-angel1 and        
extremely respected by the people for   
his sanctity4 ,it was owing to his zeal 
that not one of his flock renounced     
,christ by sacrificing to idols during  

the persecution of ,decius1 a weakness  
which several of the ,marcionite        
heretics had betrayed4 ,our saint       
himself made a glorious confession of   
his faith2 of which the following       
relation1 transcribed from the public   
register1 is a voucher4  ,martian1 a man
 of consular dignity1 arriving at       
,antioch1 a small town of his           
government1 ordered the bishop to be    
brought before him4 ,his name was       
,acacius1 and he was styled the buckler 
and refuge of that country for his      
universal charity and episcopal zeal4   
,martian said to him3 ,as you have the  
happiness to live under the ,roman laws1
 you are bound to love and honor our    
princes1 who are our protectors4        
,acacius answered3 ,of all the subjects 
of the empire1 none love and honor the  
emperor more than the ,christians4 ,we  
pray without intermission for his       
person1 and that it may please ,god to  
grant him long life1 prosperity1        
success1 and all benedictions2 that he  

may be endowed by him with the spirit of
 justice and wisdom to govern his       
people2 that his reign be auspicious1   
and prosperous1 blessed with joy1 peace1
 and plenty1 throughout all the         
provinces that obey him4 ,,martian4-,all
 this ,i commend2 but that the emperor  
may be the better convinced of your     
submission and fidelity1 come now and   
offer him a sacrifice with me4          
,,acacius4-,i have already told you that
 ,i pray to the great and true ,god for 
the emperor2 but he ought not to require
 a sacrifice from us1 nor is there any  
due to him or to any man whatsoever4    
,,martian4-,tell us what ,god you adore1
 that we may also pay him our offerings 
and homages4 ,,acacius4-,i wish from my 
heart you did but know him to your      
advantage4 ,,martian4-,tell me his name4
 ,,acacius4-,he is called the ,god of   
,abraham1 of ,isaac1 and of ,jacob4     
,,martian4-,are these the names of gods8
 ,,acacius4-,by no means1 but of men to 
whom the true ,god spoke2 he is the only

 ,god1 and he alone is to be adored1    
feared1 and loved4 ,,martian4-,what is  
this ,god8 ,,acacius4-,he is the most   
high ,adonia1 who is seated above the   
cherubims and seraphims4                
,,martian4-,what is a seraph8           
,,acacius4-,a ministering spirit of the 
most high ,god1 and one of the principal
 lords of the heavenly court4           
,,martian4-,what chimeras are these8    
,lay aside these whims of invisible     
beings1 and adore such gods as you can  
see4 ,,acacius4-,tell me who are those  
gods to whom you would have me          
sacrifice8 ,,martian4-,apollo1 the      
saviour of men1 who preserves us from   
pestilence and famine1 who enlightens1  
preserves1 and governs the universe4    
,,acacius4-,do you mean that wretch that
 could not preserve his own life3 who1  
being in love with a young woman1       
7,daphne17 ran about distracted in      
pursuit of her1 not knowing that he was 
never to possess the object of his      
desires8 ,it is therefore evident that  

he could not foresee things to come1    
since he was in the dark as to his own  
fate3 and as clear that he could be no  
god1 who was thus cheated by a creature4
 ,all know likewise that he had a base  
passion for ,hyacinth1 a beautiful boy1 
and was so awkward as to break the head 
of that minion1 the fond object of his  
criminal passion1 with a quoit4 ,is not 
he also that god who1 with ,neptune1    
turned mason1 hired himself to a king1  
7,laomedon of ,troy17 and built the     
walls of a city8 ,would you #fhd oblige 
me to sacrifice to such a divinity1 or  
to ,esculapius1 thunderstruck by        
,jupiter8 or to ,venus1 whose life was  
infamous1 and to a hundred such         
monsters1 to whom you offer sacrifice8  
,no1 though my life itself depended on  
it1 ought ,i to pay divine honors to    
those whom ,i should blush to imitate1  
and of whom ,i can entertain no other   
sentiments than those of contempt and   
execration8 ,you adore gods1 the        
imitators of whom you yourselves would  

punish4 ,,martian4-,it is usual for you 
,christians to raise several calumnies  
against our gods2 for which reason ,i   
command you to come now with me to a    
banquet in honor of ,jupiter and ,juno1 
and acknowledge and perform what is due 
to their majesty4 ,,acacius4-,how can ,i
 sacrifice to a man whose sepulchre is  
unquestionably in ,crete8 ,what6 ,is he 
risen again8 ,,martian4-,you must either
 sacrifice or die4 ,,acacius4-,this is  
the custom of the ,dalmatian robbers2   
when they have taken a passenger in a   
narrow way1 they leave him no other     
choice but to surrender his money or his
 life4 ,but1 for my part1 ,i declare to 
you that ,i fear nothing that you call  
do to me4 ,the laws punish adulterers1  
thieves1 and murderers4 ,were ,i guilty 
of any of those things1 ,i should be the
 first man to condemn myself4 ,but if my
 whole crime be the adoring of the true 
,god1 and ,i am on this account to be   
put to death1 it is no longer a law but 
an injustice4 ,,martian4-,i have no     

order to judge but to counsel you to    
obey4 ,if you refuse1 ,i know how to    
force you to a compliance4 ,,acacius4-,i
 have a law which ,i will obey3 this    
commands me not to renounce my ,god4 ,if
 you think yourself bound to execute the
 orders of a man who in a little time   
hence must leave the world1 and his body
 become the food of worms1 much more    
strictly am ,i bound to obey the        
omnipotent ,god1 who is infinite and    
eternal1 and who hath declared1 ,whoever
 shall deny me before men1 him will ,i  
deny before my ,father4 ,,martian4-,you 
now mention the error of your sect which
 ,i have long desired to be informed of3
 you say then that ,god hath a son8     
,,acacius4-,doubtless he hath one4      
,,martian4-,who is this son of ,god8    
,,acacius4-,the ,word of truth and      
grace4 ,,martian4-,is that his name8    
,,acacius4-,you did not ask me his name1
 but what he is4 ,,martian4-,what then  
is his name8 ,,acacius4-,jesus ,christ4 
,martian having inquired of the saint by

 what woman ,god had this son1 he       
replied1 that the divine generation of  
the ,word is of a different nature from 
human generation1 and proved it from the
 language the royal prophet makes use of
 in the forty-fourth psalm4             
,,martian4-,is ,god then corporeal8     
,,acacius4-,he is known only to himself4
 ,we cannot describe him2 he is         
invisible to us in this mortal state1   
but we are sufficiently acquainted with 
his perfections to confess and adore    
him4 ,,martian4-,if ,god hath no body1  
how can he have a heart or mind8        
,,acacius4-,wisdom hath no dependence or
 connection with an organized body4     
,what hath body to do with              
understanding8 ,he then pressed him to  
sacrifice from the example of the       
,cataphrygians1 or ,montanists1 and     
engage all under his care to do the     
same4 ,acacius replied3 ,it is not me   
these people obey1 but ,god4 ,let them  
hear me when ,i advise them to what is  
right2 but let them despise me1 if ,i   

offer them the contrary and endeavor to 
pervert them4 ,,martian4-,give me all   
their names4 ,,acacius4-,they are       
written in heaven1 in ,god's invisible  
registers4 ,,martian4-,where are the    
magicians1 your companions1 and the     
teachers of this cunningly devised      
error8 by which he probably meant the   
priests4 ,,acacius4-,no one in the world
 abhors magic more than we ,christians4 
,,martian4-,magic is the new religion   
which you introduce4 ,,acacius4-,we     
destroy those gods whom you fear1 though
 you made them yourselves4 ,we1 on the  
contrary1 fear not him whom we have made
 with our hands1 but him who created us1
 and who is the ,lord and ,master of all
 nature3 who #fhe loved us as our good  
father1 and redeemed us from death and  
hell as the careful and affectionate    
shepherd of our souls4 ,,martian4-,give 
the names ,i require1 if you would avoid
 the torture4 ,,acacius4-,i am before   
the tribunal1 and do you ask me my name1
 and1 not satisfied with that1 you must 

also know those of the other ministers8 
,do you hope to conquer many2 you1 whom 
,i alone am able thus to confound8 ,if  
you desire to know our names1 mine is   
,acacius4 ,if you would know more1 they 
call me ,agathangelus1 and my two       
companions are ,piso1 bishop of the     
,trojans1 and ,menander1 a priest4 ,do  
now what you please4 ,,martian4-,you    
shall remain in prison till the emperor 
is acquainted with what has passed on   
this subject1 and sends his orders      
concerning you4  ,the emperor ,decius   
having read the interrogatory1          
recompensed ,martian by making him      
governor of ,pamphilia1 but admired so  
much the prudence and constancy of      
,acacius1 that he ordered him to be     
discharged1 and suffered him to profess 
the ,christian religion4  ,this his     
glorious confession is dated on the     
#bith of ,march1 and happened under     
,decius in #bej1 or #bea4 ,how long ,st4
 ,acacius survived does not appear4 ,the
 ,greeks1 ,egyptians1 and other oriental

 churches1 honor his name on the #cast  
of ,march2 though his name occurs not in
 the ,roman ,martyrology4 ,see his      
authentic acts in ,ruinart1 p4 #aeb2    
,tillemont1 t4 #b1 p4 #ceg2 ,fleury1 t4 
#b2 ,ceillier1 t4 #c1 p4 #efj4  ,,st4   
,,guy1 ,c4  ,,he is called by the       
,germans ,witen1 and was forty years    
abbot of ,pomposa1 in the dutchy of     
,ferrara1 in ,italy1 a man eminent in   
all virtues1 especially patience1 the   
love of solitude1 and prayer4 ,he died  
in #ajdf4 ,the emperor1 ,henry ,,iii41  
caused his relics to be translated to   
,spire1 which city honors him as its    
principal patron4 ,see his life1 by a   
disciple1 in the ,acta ,sanctorium of   
,henschenius1 and another1 shorter1 of  
the same age4  ,,end ,,of ,,volume      
,,one4