Malrubius

ON ST. MALRUBIUS, MONK AND MARTYR,

IN THE MEARNS, A PROVINCE OF SCOTLAND,

IN THE YEAR MXXIV.

His cult, observations, proper lessons.

Malrubius, monk and martyr, in the Mearns, a province of Scotland (St.)

BY J. P.

The Mearns, which by some is also called Mernia (Mernis), a province of northern Scotland He is marked by the hagiologists, lying on the coast of the German sea between Mar to the north and Angus to the west, is recorded to have given no common place to this Saint's cult, he having been deferred from the day XXVII of July to this. Camerarius writes this: St. Malrubius, martyr at the hands of the Norwegians. He is held famous in the Mearns. In our manuscript catalogue of the Saints of Scotland he is announced thus: St. Malrubbus, hermit and martyr in the Mearns, a region of Scotland, with the year MXXIV added. But by Greven: In Scotland, of Malkubius (so he names him) the abbot. In another manuscript catalogue I read: Of St. Malrubus, martyr. Patrick Ninian Wemyss, a learned priest of our Society, a Scot by nation, among his manuscript collections concerning the undoubted Saints of Scotland, which he arranged and illustrated after the manner of a Martyrology and kindly communicated to our museum, deservedly reckons this Martyr among them at the present day: St. Malrubius, hermit and martyr under Malcolm II, in the year of Christ MXXIV.

[2] For in the manuscript collection which we keep under the folder ✠ Ms. 167, and in the Aberdeen breviary; of the Saints of England, Scotland, and Ireland, there are the Lives of the Scottish Saints excerpted from the Breviary for the use of the notable cathedral church of Aberdeen, and therefore of the whole Scottish church, printed at the charges of Walter Chepman, merchant of Edinburgh, on the Kalends of February in the year from Christ's birth MDIX … part, etc.: in this collection, I say, on page 129 in our manuscript, after this title The Life of St. Maldrubius, abbot, crowned with martyrdom by the Danes, hermit (of the Mearns) in Scotland under king Malcolm II, in the year MXXIV, August XXVII, there is set down his proper Office in these words: At Vespers, ferial psalms: Antiphon and Chapter from the common of one Martyr. Responsory: Blessed is the man that endures. Antiphon: Holy Malrubius, glorious martyr of Christ, be present, merciful and favorable, to our prayers, that with you in glory we may rejoice in the heavenly places. Psalm: Magnificat. Then presently follows this COLLECT: Look upon our infirmity, almighty God, that those whom the weight of their own deeds burdens the glorious intercession of blessed Malrubius your martyr may protect. Through the Lord, etc. Proper lessons for Matins are subjoined to these, which we shall exhibit below, after we have premised some observations.

[3] St. Malrubius is said to have been crowned with martyrdom in the year of Christ 1024, from which, certain in the time of Malcolm II, king of the Scots. In the most illustrious John Lesley, bishop of Ross, book 5 On the Deeds of the Scots, page 202, that Malcolm is set down as the successor of Grim, slain in battle in the year 1010: of whose death this is subjoined in the same place, page 204: When he had passed a good part of his life with much praise and glory, in old age he so raged in avarice and tyranny against many that, being assailed by the snares of certain men whose friends he had savagely afflicted with many injuries, he was slain by night at the castle of Glamis in Angus, in the thirty-first year of his reign. The other thing which we wish to be noted is that our Saint is elsewhere called abbot, elsewhere hermit, and everywhere, as we have already seen above, martyr, and as we shall see in his own proper lessons: whose copy we have followed and have just now given him this title. Besides this, he is recorded in the first lesson to have worn out the long days of his life in calamity and misery under a rule and a monastic habit; by which a religious institute seems to be indicated: but where, and of what rule, is left in obscurity: nor is it a wonder; for besides the unbelievers converted by him to the faith of Christ, the framer of these lessons neither knew nor set down anything of the Man's life. However that be, we have above called him a monk. Fourthly, Ross occurs in the second lesson, which is a large province of northern Scotland … It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Strathnaver and Sutherland; on the south by Lochaber and Moray; on the east by the German sea, and on the west by the Irish, from Baudrand. More has Camden in his Britannia from page 716.

[4] things being observed on the Saint's proper Fifthly, we add a few things to that same second lesson concerning the Saint's martyrdom. There he is indicated to have been slain by the Norwegians; but by the Danes in the title of the proper Office produced above. But Wemyss, praised above, says: slain by the Danes or Norwegians near Nairn, indicating the place of the martyrdom as not far from Inverness. Of the Norwegians or Norse, who are named in that lesson, I note in passing that their deeds have been diligently illustrated in volume VII of the month of July, on the day XXIX, on the occasion of St. Olav, king of Norway and martyr in the year 1030. Sixthly, the basilica of Applecross, which occurs in the third lesson, I have sought in vain. Urquhart, which occurs in the same place, and is said to have been raised from a chapel built in honor of the Martyr into a parish church, may perhaps be referred to the place Urquhart in the province of Ross toward the German sea, where also is Contan, of which in the eighth lesson, although it is not certainly established; yet it seems likely. Concerning these two places the map of the kingdom of Scotland in Blaeu, volume six, before page 14, may be consulted. Hence it seems it may also be gathered that the church called Applecross must be placed somewhere in the territory of Ross just designated. On that phrase the Danes making war against the Scots, which is said in the seventh lesson, it is well to note that the Danes invaded Scotland, and, three castles in Moray being seized, conquered Malcolm II in the first battle; but in the second were conquered by him with so great a slaughter that Scotland was commonly called the sepulcher of the Danes, on the testimony of Lesley cited. One may also read Hector Boece, book XI of the History of the Scots.

[5] lessons being observed, The martyrdom of St. Malrubius is by various writers, as was said above, assigned to the year of Christ 1024, whom we too have followed above, because we have no other better ascertained to us; nor do the oft-mentioned lessons expressly and closely define any, in whose text I do not even find that it happened under the reign of Malcolm II. But in those same lessons this singular thing occurs, that after the third lesson three others are prescribed to be inserted concerning St. Rufus the martyr. Whence we judge that what Wemyss, cited above, writes does not agree well enough with the truth: I suspect that this Malrubius is the same as that famous hermit of the men of Ross, of whom marvels are told, whom they call Melriga: because Father Macra of ours, a missionary in those parts and my friend, told me that the men of Ross call their hermit in Latin Rufus: now Malrubius and Rufus do not differ much. It remains that there be subjoined

THE PROPER LESSONS

From the Breviary of the church of Aberdeen.

Malrubius, monk and martyr, in the Mearns, a province of Scotland (St.)

BHL Number: 5191

the same Lesson I. About to celebrate the passing from the world of Malrubius, martyr of Christ, we shall spend his commemoration with worthy praises, singing in hymns and canticles, and for reverence of God shall strive diligently to adorn the present day. Nor let it escape your holinesses that this Man whom we venerate wore out the long days of his life in calamity and misery under a rule and a monastic habit, converting by his teaching and preaching the unbelieving in faith and the pagans of the Gentiles to the Christian religion which we profess.

[7] Lesson II. But lest that illustrious day of which we have spoken should pass of the reader without the narration of the miracles wrought through the Man of God, we shall declare them, touching them in few words, where the great shortness of time does not permit more. For when certain men of evil thoughts sailed from the little kingdom of Norway and landed on the borders of Ross, hearing blessed Malrubius preaching a faith alien from their heathenism, they laid bloody hands upon the bondman of God, and drawing their deadly swords from their sheaths, struck and wounded the blessed Man of God — like a meek and merciful lamb suffering for the name of Christ — more cruelly than could be told, and left him as one dead in the woodland fields, to be devoured by dogs and birds.

[8] Lesson III. The blessed little body therefore lay half alive for three days, unknown to the people. eyes Yet it was seen by many to be attended by the angels of God with continual consolation and visitation. And the place where the lifeless body lay appeared to many to gleam with an exceeding brightness: and they, coming thither, found Bl. Malrubius laboring in his agony. But he, having partaken of the Blood and Body of Jesus Christ the immaculate lamb, praising the Lord, with holy patience and in a good old age departed to his destiny: and he charged that his body be transferred to the basilica which is commonly called Applecross, and there be given to burial. But lest the precious blood of the blessed Martyr poured out upon the ground should be left without veneration, in that place, in honor of our most sacred Martyr, a chapel was built reverently enough of hewn oak, which afterward is raised into a parish church, which at present is called Urquhart by the inhabitants of that land. In our manuscript it is indicated that there are here to be interposed

three middle lessons concerning St. Rufus the martyr, who is perhaps the Rufus of Capua, most celebrated among the Martyrologists, as may be seen on this day, on which we have given him.

[9] in this place Lesson VII. Meanwhile very many other miracles happened to be wrought among the people. The Danes, making war against the Islanders *, sailed to the aforesaid church of Applecross to storm and plunder that land with force and arms. But because the surrounding lands for six miles from the said church enjoy by the merits of the blessed Man the privilege of immunity, he by no means permits them to be unjustly plundered by anyone. But while, being made aware of the foregoing, and not fearing God's vengeance, in contempt of Bl. Malrubius, having subjected the priests and other ministers of the church to reproach, they took away and seized by force and openly the victuals and animals with which they were to sustain themselves; and although they were bound by lack of food, (by God's just judgment) they hastened with their plunder to their ships. For so great a delay hindered them that in that territory they could neither eat nor drink; and, their sails being spread, with the sea not at all stirred by winds but calm, and as it appeared with a prosperous course as they sailed, in the sight of all, the sea consumed and swallowed them all together.

[10] we produce Lesson VIII. Thereafter, when the aforesaid Islanders stirred up certain old enmities against the men of Ross, they took thought how they might take vengeance upon them; and, their counsel being taken, they gathered in a great force of men, the men of Ross being unaware; who, when in the church of Bl. Malrubius of Contan they were celebrating the yearly solemnity of the holy Man, the Islanders secretly lay in wait for them under the silence of night, and set fire to the aforesaid church, in which more than a hundred Christian men and women were destroyed by sword and fire: which crime God himself, the glorious avenger of the sprinkling of innocent blood, did not permit to go unpunished. For when the blessed Man had appeared in dreams to certain kinsmen of those slain, the men of Ross were gathered in a short time in numbers; but although the Islanders were stronger and mightier than they, nevertheless, relying on the help of God and of the blessed Man, the men of Ross so checked those Islanders and subdued them with the sword that out of five hundred armed men scarcely thirty escaped, who also were made the slaves and captives of their enemies. Nay, all were struck as though not seeing, with the stupor of dread, and by many of the adversaries the blessed Man was seen bearing a staff in his hand.

[11] here. Lesson IX. A certain parish priest, among the divine mysteries to be celebrated, charged his parishioners to keep the solemnity of the Bl. martyr Malrubius free from servile works. But those parishioners, because harvest was at hand, were reaping the grain * until evening notwithstanding, and a little before, each of the reapers' houses was of itself set on fire. But a certain devout man was solemnly keeping the Martyr's day in divine worship. So it happened that each of the houses was consumed by the fire, that devout man's house alone excepted, which adjoined the other houses. And when those reapers were dragging out their household goods from those houses against the wind, as that devout man had done, the wind turned toward another quarter; and those goods, which at first had been safe from the wind, were likewise consumed by the opposing fire, while that man's goods, mingled among the others in the midst, remained untouched.

* that is, the Scots or the inhabitants of the island of Britain.

* that is, corn or wheat