Baring-Gould. The lives of the saints. 1897. Volume 1

8/3/2019 Baring-Gould. The lives of the saints. 1897. Volume 1.

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THE

ILttoes of tl)e S>atnts

REV. S. BARING-GOULDSIXTEEN VOLUMES

VOLUME THE FIRST

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* >p1 Lives of the Saints. [January i.

joy, giving praises to the ineffable God, who had wondrouslymade the blessed Fulgentius well pleasing in the sight of allmen. He was received in all the churches as if he weretheir bishop, and thus the people throughout Byzacenerejoiced as one man over his return."

Arrived at Ruspe, S. Fulgentius diligently laboured tocorrect what was evil, and restore what was fallen down,and strengthen what was feeble in his diocese. The perse-cution had lasted seventy years, so that many abuses hadcrept in, and the faith of many was feeble, and ignoranceprevailed. He carried out his reformation with such gentle-ness, that he v/on, sooner or later, the hearts of the mostvicious.

In a council, held at Junque, in 524, a certain bishop,named Quodvultdeus, disputed the precedency with theBishop of Ruspe, who made no reply, but took the firstplace accorded him by the council. However, S. Fulgentiuspublicly desired, at the convention of another council, thathe might be allowed to yield the precedence to Quodvult-deus.

About a year before his death, the bishop retired from allbusiness, to prepare his soul for its exit, to a little islandnamed Circinia. The necessities of his flock recalled him,however, to Ruspe for a little while.He bore the Adolent pains of his last illness with greatresignation, praying incessantly, "Lord grant me patiencenow, and aftenvards pardon." He called his clergy abouthim, and asked them to forgive him if he had shewn toogreat severity at any time, or had offended them in any way,and then, committing his soul into the hand of God as amerciful Creator, he fell asleep in the evening of Januaryist, A.D. 533, in his sixty-fifth year.

Relics, at Bourges, in France, where May 16 is observedas the feast of his translation, in the year 714.

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^_ i^January i.l 6'. Ocillo. 23

dated and pale ; his eyes bright and piercing, and oftenshedding tears of compunction. Every motion of his bodywas grave and dignified ; his voice was manly, and modu-lated to the greatest sweetness, his speech straightforwardand without affectation or artificiality.

His disciple says that he would recite psalms as he lay onhis bed, and falling asleep, his lips would still continue thefamiliar words, so that the brethren applied to him thewords of the bride, " I sleep but my heart waketh," Egodormio et cor meum vigilat. He read diligently, and nothinggave him greater delight than study. His consideration forothers was very marked. " He was burdensome to none, tonone importunate, desirous of no honour, he sought not toget what belonged to others,, nor to keep what was his o-\vn."His charity was most abundant ; often the brethren fearedthat it exceeded what was reasonable, but they found thatthough he gave largely, he did not waste the revenues of themonastery. Once, in time of famine, he was riding along aroad, when he lit on the naked bodies of two poor boyswho had died of hunger. Odilo burst into tears, and des-cending from his horse, drew off his woollen under garmentand wrapping the bodies in it, carefully buried them. In thisfamine he sold the costly vessels of the Sanctuary, and des-poiled the Church of its gold and silver ornaments, that hemight feed the starving people. Amongst the objects thusparted with was the crown of gold presented to the abbeyby Henry, King of the Romans. He accompanied thisPrince in his journey to Rome, when he was crowned em-peror, in 1014. This was his second journey thither; hemade a third in 1017, and a fourth in 1022. Out of devo-tion to S. Benedict, he paid a visit to Monte Cassino, wherehe kissed the feet of all the monks, at his own request,which was granted him with great reluctance.

" The convocation of the brethren was regularly held by* >J


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-*January i^.] ^^. Hemtylus and Stratonicus. 1 8Emperor ; and ordered him to be beaten. Then six mencast him on the ground and stripped him, and scourged him.But Hermylus cried, " O Lord my God, who before Pilateenduredst the scourge, strengthen me sufifering for Thee, thatI may finish my course, and that, being made partaker inThy sufferings, I maybe made also to partake in Thy glory."Then there was heard a voice from heaven, saying,

" Verily, verily, Hermylus, in three days shalt thou receive aglorious reward !" Hearing this, the martyr was filled withboldness, and a great fear fell on all around. Then Liciniushastily remitted the deacon to prison. Now the jailor'sname was Stratonicus, and he was a disciple, but secretly,like Nicodemus, not having great boldness, and he com-forted Hermylus in the dungeon as well as he could, for hewas also his personal friend.On the morrow, the Emperor ordered the brave soldier

of Christ to be led forth again, and beaten on thestomach, as his back was one great wound, and the instru-ment wherewith he was to be beaten was a willow rod,twisted and knotted into a triangle, and this, say the Acts,was a most excruciating torture, for the angles and knots cutlike knives into the flesh. But as he bore this with unflinch-ing constancy, the tyrant commanded that his belly shouldbe torn with little iron hooks. Then Stratonicus, the jailor,unable to bear the sight of his friend's sufferings, coveredhis face with his hands and burst into tears. Seemg this,the soldiers who stood by jeered him, and called theattention of the Emperor to the agitation of the jailor.Then Stratonicus, mustering up all his courage, cast himselfbefore Licinius, and cried, " Sire ! I am a Christian, Ibelieve in God, the maker of heaven and earth." ThenLicinius ordered him to be scourged. And Stratonicus,looking piteously at his friend, said, " Hermylus, pray forme to Christ, that I may be able to endure !"

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* -*January ij.] ^. Keiltigem. IQl

ship once more at Glasgow, where Ninian had precededhim nearly a century before, without leaving any lastingtraces of his passage. Kentigem, more fortunate, estab-lished upon the site of a burying-ground, consecrated byNinian, the first foundation of that magnificent cathedralwhich still bears his name, though diverted to a religiondiflerent from that he professed.

Kentigern collected round him numerous disciples, alllearned in holy literature, all working with their hands, andpossessing nothing as individuals. " They dwelt," saysJocelyn, " in separate cells, as did Kentigem, thence werethey called Calledei." He distinguished himself during hisepiscopate by his efforts to bring back to the faith the Pictsof Galloway, which formed part of the kingdom of Strath-clyde ; and afterwards, by numerous mission and monasticfoundations throughout all Albyna name which was thengiven to midland Scotland. His disciples penetrated evento the Orkney Isles, where they probably met with themissionaries of S. Columba, despatched from lona.The salutary and laborious activity of Kentigem must

often have encroached upon the regions which were spe-cially within the sphere of Columba. But the generousheart of Columba was inaccessible to jealousy. He was,besides, the personal friend of Kentigem and of KingRoderick.! The fame of the Bishop of Strathclyde'sapostolic labours drew him from his isle to do homage tohis rival in love and good works. He arrived from lonawith a great train of monks, whom he arrayed in threecompanies at the moment of their entrance into Glasgow.Kentigem distributed in the same way tlie numerous monkswho surrounded him in his episcopal monastery, and whomhe led out to meet the abbot of lona. He divided them,according to tlieir age, into three bands, the youngest of

' Adamnaa i. 15.ii( ^


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* 1^January ij.] kS*. Paul. 2 19

to follow the Lamb : but it is expedient for the rest of thebrethren that they should be still trained by thine example.Wherefore go, unless it displeases thee, and bring the cloakwhich Athanasius the bishop gave thee, to wrap up mycorpse.' But this the blessed Paul asked, not because hecared greatly whether his body decayed covered or bare(for he had long been used to clothe himself with wovenpalm leaves), but that Antony's grief at his death mightbe lightened when he left him. Antony astounded thathe had heard of Athanasius and his own cloak, daredanswer nothing : but keeping in silence, and kissing hiseyes and hands, returned to the monastery. Tired andbreathless, he arrived at home. There two disciples methim, who had been long sent to minister to him, andasked him, ' ^Vhere hast thou tarried so long, father ?'He answered, ' Woe to me a sinner, who falsely bearthe name of a monk. I have seen Elias ; I have seenJohn in the desert; I have truly seen Paul in Paradise;'and so, closing his lips, and beating his breast, he took thecloak from his cell, and when his disciples asked him to ex-plain more fully what had befallen, he said, 'There is a timeto be silent, and a time to speak." Then going out, andnot taking even a morsel of food, he returned by the way hehad come. For he fearedwhat actually happenedlestPaul in his absence should render up his soul to Christ."And when the second day had shone, and he had retraced

his steps for three hours, he saw amid hosts of angels,amid the choirs of prophets and apostles, Paul shiningwhite as snow, ascending up on high. The blessed Antonyused to tell afterwards, how he ran the rest of the way soswiftly, that he seemed to fly like a bird. Nor withoutcause. For entering the cave he saw Paul on bendedknees, erect with hands spread out on high,a lifelesscorpse. And at first, thinking that it still lived, he

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J.- -*274 JLives of the Saints. [January if.

daughter of S. Ermenburga and Merewald, Prince of Mer-cia, who was the son of the terrible Penda, the great enemyof Christianity in Mid-England. Mildgytha, like her sisters,took the veil, and died a nun at Canterbury.

The Cbaar of S. Peter in the Vatican.

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^-January i8.] kS". Deicolus. 283

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was the disciple of Columbanus, who had promised to himin old times that he should reign over three kingdoms, whichnow had come to pass, he gave to Deicolus the game in tliewood and the fish in the waters, and some vineyards. SoDeicolus gathered brethren, and built a monastery. Andafter a time the abbot Deicolus became desirous of visitingRome, so he went with some of his brethren, and obtaineda charter from the Pope, conferring privileges on his mon-astery. After his return he remained some years governinghis monks, ever cheerful and of amiable disposition ; the joyand peace of his soul beamed in his countenance. S. Col-umbanus once said to him in his youth, " Deicolus, why artthou always smiling?" He answered in simplicity, "Becauseno one can take my God from me."The year of his death is not known with certainty. It wason the 1 8th January that he heard God's call to depart.

Then he took the Holy Sacrament, and after having com-municated himself, he kissed all the brethren, and when hehad kissed the last he fell asleep.

Baptism and Ccnfirmation, from a Painting in the Catacombs.

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294 Lives of the Saints. uanuary 19.

at Worcester, and had complained that these Norman invaderstrampled down their corn, and robbed them of their cattle,and ground them doAvn with taxes ; " They are God'sscourge, these Normans, punishing us for our sins, mychildren," said Wulstan. And now he was to be deprivedof his office by these invaders, that a Norman mightoccupy his stool, and shepherd with his crook the Saxonbondsmen. The council decided, in accordance with theroyal pleasure, that Wulstan was too ignorant to deserve toretain his see, and that therefore he must resign his pastoralstaff and ring. The ring, the token that he was wedded tohis diocese before God, that he said he would never resign,in life or in death. " I received this ring without covetingit, and I will bear it with me to my grave." ^ But the staff,the token of jurisdiction, that he could be deprived of, sorising from his place, with unruffled composure, and placidcountenance, holding his staff, he said, " Truly, my LordArchbishop, truly I know that I am unworthy of this honour,nor fit to bear this burden, nor sufficient to endure thelabour. I knew this when the clergy elected me, and whenthe bishops urged me, and when my own master. KingEdward, invited me. He, with the authority of theapostolic see, laid this burden on my shoulders, andordered me to be invested with the episcopate, by thetoken of this staff. Now thou desirest of me this pastoralstaff, which thou gavest me not ; thou demandest of methe surrender of the office thou laidest not on me. I,indeed, am well aware of my ignorance, and yielding to thesentence of this holy conclave, I resign my staffnot tothee, but to him who gave it me." Saying this he wentforth from the chapter house to the tomb of S. Edward theConfessor, and standing before the stone, he cried, " Thouknowest, O my Master ! how reluctantly I received this

1 Roger of VVendover, and Capgrave.


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If _ ^Januaiyso.] S. EutkymiuS. 3O9

" Because," answered Auxentius, " I don't like it."" Alas," exclaimed the abbot ; " I see thou art not imi-tating Him who said, I came not to do mine own will,I came not to be ministered to, but to minister.""When the monk still refused, Euthymius said sadly,

" Well, go thy way, and see if self-will will make theehappy."And presently the man fell ill, and in his sickness hisconscience smote him, and he sent for the abbot, and he

said, " I was %vrong, I will look to the mules."Then Euthymius healed him, and Auxentius did as was

required of him.S. Euthymius showed great zeal against the Nestorian

and Eutychian heretics. The turbulent Empress Eudocia,after the death of her husband, Theodosius, retired intoPalestine, and there continued to favour them ^\^th her pro-tection. Aroused by domestic affliction, the captivity of herdaughter and grand-daughters, and the plunder of Rome, shesent to ask advice of S. Simeon Stylites. He answered thather misfortunes were the consequence of her sins, and espe-cially of her having persecuted the orthodox faith; andordered her to follow the direction of Euthymius. By theadvice of S. Euthymius, she renounced Eutychianism, andembraced the Catholic communion. In 459, she sentword to Euthymius that she was coming to see him, andthat she designed settling on his Laura sufficient revenuesfor its subsistence. He returned her answer that she neednot do so, and that she must prepare for death. Sheobeyed, and died shortiy after. One of the last disciples ofour Saint was the young S. Sabas, whom he dearly loved. Inthe year 473, on the 13th January, Martyrius and Elias, twomonks, to whom S. Euthymius had foretold that they shouldbecome patriarchs of Jerusalem, came with several others tovisit him, and to conduct him to his Lent retreat in a


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^ _ ^^312 Lives of the Saints. [January ji.

January 21.SS. Fructuosus, B. yi/., Augurius, and Eulogius, DD., MM., at Tarragona,

in Spain, a.d. 259.S. Patroclus, M., at Troyes, in France, circ. a.d. 272.S. Agnes, /'. M., at Rome, circ. A. 13. 303.S. Ei'iPHANiCS, B. o/Pavia, in Italy, a.d. 496.S. Meinrad, H. M., at Eitisiedeln, in Switzerland, a.d. 861.

SS. FRUCTUOSUS, B. M., AUGURIUS AND EULO-GIUS, DD., MM.

(a.d. 259.)[Roman Martyrology, those of Usuardus, Bede, Notker, Ado, &c. The

perfectly genuine Acts, which are extant, were read in the Church on thisday, as S. Augustine testifies in his sermon for their commemoration.]

jjALERIAN and Gallienus being emperors,^ ^mi-lian and Bassus consuls, on January i6th, beingthe Lord's-day, Fructuosus, the Bishop, Auguriusand Eulogius, the deacons, were taken. Fruc-

tuosus was in bed, but hearing the tramp of the officers, herose at once and went out bare-foot.^ To whom the soldierssaid, " Come, the governor wants thee and thy deacons."Fructuosus said, " Let us go, but please, let me put on myshoes." The soldiers said, " As thou desirest, shoe thyself."As soon as they were come, they were put into prison.Fructuosus, certain and glorying in the crown of the Lord,to which he was called, prayed without ceasing. Therewere also with him some of the brethren, praying him tohave them in remembrance. Next day, he baptized in theprison our brother Rogatian. And they were six days in

1 This account is a translation of the Acts; it is a very fair specimen of theoriginal documents as written by the Church notaries at the time. The stylebeing too simple to please the taste of later ages, too many of them were re-writtenin florid diction, and long speeches were put in the martyrs' mouths.

* One reading is iniolutus, another in soleis^

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^- -*314 Lives of the Saints. (January 21.

the prison. Therefore joyously on the sixth day (Friday)they hastened to conclude this station (fast) with prophetsand martyrs in Paradise. And when they had come to theamphitheatre, one, named Augustalis, a lector, ran to him,with tears, beseeching him to suffer him to unloose liis shoes.But the blessed martyr said, " Stand aside, I can put off myOAvn shoes." And when he had done so, our brother andfellow-soldier, Felix, went up to him, and took his right hand,asking him to remember him.^ To him S. Fructuosusreplied in a clear voice, so that all heard, " It behoves meto hold in mind the whole Catholic Church, extending firomeast to west." Then, as he was in the gate of the amphi-theatre, ready to advance to his unfading crown, rather thanto his pains, as the officers saw, and the brethren heard, andthe Holy Spirit urged and spake, Fructuosus the Bishop,exclaimed, " A pastor will not be lacking to you, nor will thelove and promises of the Lord fail, now or hereafter. Thiswhich ye behold is the infirmity of one hour." And whenthe bands wherewith their hands were tied had been burntthrough, rejoicing, they cast themselves on their knees, sureof the resurrection, and having formed the sign of victory,^they poured forth their souls, praying to the Lord.The brethren, sad as if bereft of a shepherd, endured their

solitude; not that they lamented Fructuosus, but rather theydesired to be mindful of the faith and passion of each.When night came, they hastened to the amphitheatre withwine, with which to extinguish the charred bodies, whichbeing done, they collected the ashes of the martyrs, andeach carried away a portion. But neither in this did themarvellous works of the Lord fail ; that the faith of thebelievers might be stimulated, and an example might be

1 That is, to intercede for him when he, the martyr, stood in the presence o(Christ in Paradise.

* That is, extending their arms, so that they formed the symbol of the Cross.

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January 21.] ^. AgUCS. $17

had overflowed, Patroclus escaped from them across theriver, and took refuge on a hill dedicated to idol worship.Here a woman saw him, and she went straightway and told thesoldiers. Then they came upon him, and smote off his head.

S. Patroclus in France is called S. Parre. He is one ofthe Patrons of Troyes.

S. AGNES, V. M.(about A.D. 303.)

[Roman Martyrology, modern Anglican Kalendar, and Greek Menasa.The Greeks commemorate her on Jan. 14th, 21st, and July 5th. Her Acts,attributed to S. Ambrose, are a rhetorical recension of her genuine Acts.S. Ambrose refers to S. Agnes in lib. I. De Virginibus, and in his Commen-tary on Ps. civ., and in lib. I. c. 4 of his offices. There is also a hymn ofPrudentius, relating the Acts of this famous martyr. The Acts are suffi-ciently elegant to be really by S. Ambrose, and are far superior in style tothose of S. Sebastian, falsely attributed to him.]

S. Jerome says that the tongues and pens of all nationsare employed in the praises of this Saint, who overcameboth the cruelty of the tyrant, and the tenderness of herage, and crowned the glory of chastity with that of martyr-dom.^ S. Augustine observes that her name signifies chastein Greek, and a lamb in Latin. She has been always lookedupon in the Church as a special patroness of purity. Welearn from S. Ambrose and S. Augustine, that she was onlythirteen years old at the time of her death. She suffered inthe persecution of Diocletian. Her riches and beautyexcited one the young nobles of Rome, the son of the prefectof the city, to attempt to gain her hand in marriage. To himshe answered, " I am already engaged to oneto him aloneI keep my troth. "^ And when he asked further, her answerwas, " He has already pledged me to Him by his betrothalring, and has adorned me with precious jewels. He has

1 S. Hieron, Ep, 6. S. August. Serm. 274.

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^ ^January 31.] ^S. AgHCS. 3I9

" I may be a child," replied Agnes ; "but faith dwells notin years, but in the heart."

" I wall tell you how I shall deal with you," cried Sym-phronius. "You shall be stripped, and driven naked into ahouse of ill-fame, to be subjected to insult and outrage."Then the clothes were taken off the slender body of the girl,and she was forced out into the street. In shame she loosenedthe band that confined her abundant hair, and let it flowover her body, and cover her. " You may expose my virtueto insult," said she to the prefect, " but I have the angel ofGod as my defence. For the only-begotten Son of God,whom you know not, will be to me an impenetrable wall,and a guardian never sleeping, and an unflagging protector."And so it was. For when she was placed in the brothel,

the room was filled with light, and an angel brought her arobe, white as snow, to cover her nakedness. And also,when the governor's son burst in at the door in tumultuousexultation, the angel smote him, that he fell senseless onthe ground.^ Thereupon there was an uproar, and the peoplesaid, she had slain him by her enchantments. But when he wascome to himself he was ashamed, and the governor feared.Therefore he committed the sentencing of Agnes to thedeputy, Aspasius, who ordered that she should be imme-diately executed. And all the people rushed after her,crying, " Away with the mtch, away with her !"Then a fire was kindled, and Agnes was placed upon the

pyre. But she, lifting up her hands in the midst of the fire,prayed, "O Father Almighty, who alone art to be wor-shipped, feared, and adored, I give Thee thanks for thatthrough thy holy Son, I have escaped the threats of theprofane tyrant, and with unstained footstep have passed overthe filthy slough of lust ; and now, behold, I come to Thee,whom I have loved, have sought, and have always longed

' Antiphon to Ps. cix. Dixit Dominus, for S. Agnes' Day, and Greek Menzea.*- '^


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Documents

Baring-Gould. The lives of the saints. 1897. Volume 1