Caesidius

ON ST. CAESIDIUS, PRIEST AND MARTYR, AND HIS COMPANIONS,

AT TRANSAQUAE AMONG THE MARSI,

Under Maximinus I, or Maximian.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.

The place is described where the Saint enjoys an ancient veneration; his Acts, sprinkled with fables; his relics, and the time of his death, which is uncertain.

Caesideus, priest and martyr, at Transaquae among the Marsi (St.)

His Companions, at Transaquae among the Marsi (SS.)

BY J. S.

The Marsi, an ancient people of Italy, are known among the ancient writers of Roman history; their region has very recently been described by Francesco Orlendi in the work At Transaquae in the region of the Marsi entitled Orbis Sacer et Profanus Illustratus, part 2, book 4, chapter 3. Now the province of the Marsi, included within the present kingdom of Naples, numbers among its other towns Transaquae, where St. Caesideus, priest and martyr, enjoys a celebrated veneration, and to whose memory the church of Transaquae is consecrated. The aforesaid Orlendi, in the Orbis Sacer et Profanus, part 2, book 4, chapter 3, number 12, briefly describes the situation of the place thus: Transaquae is a town of the Marsi, commonly called Transacco, on Lake Fucinus, nine miles distant from Alba of the Marsi, as many from Talequitium, and forty from the city of Rome. The same author thinks that the episcopal see of the Marsi was established at Transaquae by St. Rufinus, whom many believe to have been the father of St. Caesideus — which I do not care to examine, since it is uncertain and altogether obscure where the bishops of the Marsi formerly resided. Moreover, more recent writers, in agreement with the apocryphal Acts which we shall publish below, hand down that a certain church was founded by St. Rufinus the bishop in that same town, in which St. Caesideus is afterwards said to have been slain and buried. Hear Ughelli, volume 1 of the reprinted Italia Sacra, column 883: Report holds that the first bishop of the Marsi was St. Rufinus, who came down from Amasea into Italy in order to escape the fury of Maximinus, and was declared bishop of this region. They relate that he consecrated a church in the stronghold of Transacco, which afterwards they called St. Rufinus's, and that there rests, with thirteen companions, the body of St. Caesideus his son. This church is a collegiate church under the title of an abbey, the most splendid of all the churches of this diocese.

[2] St. Caesideus the martyr enjoys an ancient veneration, The same writer, at column 886, where he had related that St. Caesideus, his arm having first been cut off, was beaten to death with clubs in that same church, adds the following concerning his burial: And Caesideus indeed was received apart from his companions in a more honorable tomb, accessible to no other person even down to these our own times, as one whose sanctity of life was held to be the more renowned. Muzio Febonio, who presided over that same church with the title of abbot, says in his History of the Marsi, book 3, page 150, that that church was dedicated by Rufinus to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on page 152 affirms that it was destroyed in the incursions of the Hungarians into Italy, but rose again nobler and more spacious, and was consecrated to the memory of St. Caesideus. Now, as these things are not proved by ancient records, and therefore appear the less certain, so it is certain that that church was already in the eleventh century sacred to St. Caesideus; for this is proved by the letters of Berard, count of the Marsi, and of Gemma his mother, who in the year 1096 gave many things to the church of St. Caesideus, which is situated in the stronghold that is called Transaquae. The letters of this donation are recited by the aforesaid Ughelli at column 891. Hence we have the ancient cult of St. Caesideus among the people of Transaquae sufficiently proved, even though his memory does not occur in the ancient Martyrologies.

[3] The Roman Martyrology on this XXXI day of August announces the memory of St. Caesideus the priest and of his companions the martyrs in this manner: [illustrious for the glory of his miracles. But the Acts of the church of Transaquae,] At Transaquae among the Marsi, by Lake Fucinus, the birthday of the holy martyrs Caesideus the priest and his companions, who in the persecution of Maximinus were crowned with martyrdom. On this passage Baronius observes the following: Of whom (Caesideus) we spoke above on the third of the Ides of August, when Rufinus the bishop was treated of. His memory is celebrated at Transaquae by Lake Fucinus, where also he is made illustrious daily by many miracles: for we, deriving our mother's family from that place, speak of things attested and known by experience. Receive also what he had noted on the XI day of August concerning Rufinus and Caesideus, whom, with others, he calls his son: I have read, he says, the Acts of the martyrdom both of him (Rufinus) and of St. Caesideus his son, received from that same church (of the Marsi); which nevertheless stand in need of no slight emendation. That this is most true I find by experience — if only the Acts of the church of Transaquae, which I have in manuscript at hand, could be emended.

[4] Baronius adds: But we have found others more trustworthy than these, which treat of Rufinus and Caesideus, are full of fables: though imperfect, imparted to us by the church of Pistoia, carried only as far as the prison of Rufinus, into which he was thrust at Rome. But the remaining parts, which were wanting in the first copy, have been superadded by some other person, who preferred to bring them to an end by his own invention rather than to leave them imperfect; in which he relates that Rufinus, loosed from his chains, rested in peace on the third of the Ides of February, and that his son Caesideus departed without martyrdom on the sixth of the Ides of April. And these things are contradicted both by the aforesaid Acts and also by the ancient tradition of the aforesaid church and by ancient records, from which it is established that St. Rufinus, together with Silo and Alexander, was beheaded at Rieti on the third of the Ides of August, and that Caesideus suffered at Transaquae, by Lake Fucinus, on the day before the Kalends of September. The religious memory of both Martyrs flourishes in that place, made illustrious by many miracles. Thus far Baronius.

[5] Now as to what he says, that the imperfect Acts of the church of Pistoia are more trustworthy nor are the imperfect Acts of the church of Pistoia of approved credit. than the Acts of Transaquae, this cannot be so understood as though those Acts were of altogether approved credit. Or at any rate, if Baronius means this, I cannot assent to him. I have a double transcript of the Acts of the church of Pistoia, which are carried only as far as the Roman imprisonment of Rufinus, so that it seems beyond doubt that they are the same as those which Baronius read. But I should not dare to affirm that they are of sufficiently certain credit, since in them many things are related in a manner scarcely probable, and it is clear that their writer is not ancient. Receive the title prefixed to these Acts, from which it abundantly appears that they are not very old: Concerning St. Rufinus the bishop, whose body rests in the cathedral of the city of Pistoia, from the ancient records of that same church. For if the Acts were composed from ancient records, they themselves are necessarily far removed from the age of the Saint. And so it seems we must say that the Pistoian Acts are indeed less openly fabulous than those of Transaquae; yet that they do not deserve certain credit. Now the Acts of Transaquae are noted as transcribed from a most ancient codex of the church of Transaquae, and they were communicated to our predecessors by Ferdinando Ughelli, who copied much from them in his account of St. Rufinus, bishop of the Marsi, in volume 1 of the Italia Sacra. These are much longer than the Pistoian, and they relate also the slaughter of other Martyrs, of whom there is nothing in the Pistoian. They contain perhaps some true things, but they are so adorned with fictions that the true can hardly be distinguished from the false.

[6] [The Acts, though fabulous, are to be published, because the relics of the Saints,] Now Sollier discussed St. Rufinus, bishop of the Marsi, on the XI day of August, and so could have published these Acts, since they deal chiefly with St. Rufinus. But he preferred to lay them aside for this day, because they were common to St. Caesideus, of whom we had here to treat. For a twofold reason, therefore, I have judged it expedient to publish these Acts here, though defiled with fables. First, that it may appear to the learned upon what foundation those things rest which the moderns relate so liberally of Rufinus and Caesideus. Secondly, and above all, because the relics of the Saints of whom mention is made in the Acts are said to be preserved in the church of Transaquae sacred to St. Caesideus. Now concerning these relics Muzio Febonio, in book 3 of his History of the Marsi, page 152, has the following: It (the church of St. Caesideus at Transaquae) is venerable for the relics of the holy Martyrs who there merited to be crowned by the officers of Maximinus; the greater part of which are kept enclosed in a reliquary in the chapel at the vault on the Epistle side, in wooden heads figured to the likeness of each Martyr and overlaid with gold and silver — among which only the heads of St. Rufinus the bishop and St. Eutychius are of bronze whitened with silver, and contain no small part of their bones — and the arm of St. Caesideus himself in a silver case, which gives forth a wonderful fragrance of odor.

[7] of whom they treat, are preserved in the church of Transaquae: And there are certain fragments of his body which Abbot Alexander in the year MCDXXV enclosed and consecrated in a wooden statue which he dedicated to the martyr Caesideus, together with a shrine of carved stone touched with gold, in the hall on the Gospel side. The remainder, both of his own body and of the others resting there (whose names are not yet known), the Almighty has not yet permitted to be brought forth for public veneration. Ughelli, in volume 1 of the reprinted Italia Sacra, column 887, records this concerning the same relics: But in the church of Transaquae the spinal bone with the head of St. Andrew the proconsul, and the relics of SS. Nicea and Aquilina, martyrs, and the heads of SS. Silo and Alexander, martyrs, are honorably preserved. And they relate that St. Caesideus with his own hands laid his severed arm in the altar of that same church, the stone giving way so as to receive it for keeping. The altar was afterwards pulled down, when they set about repairing that church, though even down to these our times so great a miracle has not slipped from the memory of men. Beneath the high altar were found the relics of SS. Vibius, Placidus, Eutychius, and of the other companions of St. Caesideus. Now of all the Martyrs here mentioned there is an account in the Acts of Transaquae, and indeed of certain others also.

[8] Now before we publish the aforesaid Acts of these Martyrs, it seems we must inquire under what emperor they were crowned with martyrdom. Caesideus suffered with the others under Maximinus I, or Maximian. The Acts of Transaquae constantly name the emperor Maximinus, and hence very many have said that these Martyrs suffered under Maximinus. Hence Tillemont, in volume 1 of the Ecclesiastical Monuments, in the Persecution of Maximinus I, article 2, infers that the affair took place under Maximinus I, since Maximinus II never held dominion in Italy. On this view the martyrdom must be fixed about the year 236. The Pistoian Acts designate the emperor Maximian, unless this has come about through the carelessness of the transcribers, and Maximinus is to be read, as the word is sometimes written in the transcripts and as Baronius seems to have read: for he preferred the Pistoian Acts to the rest, and yet placed the martyrdom under Maximinus. But in truth, if the Pistoian Acts too deserve any credit, it must necessarily be said that the Martyrs did not suffer under Maximinus, but under Maximian. For the emperor is said to have been at Rome, and thither Rufinus the bishop was brought before him. But Maximinus, during the time of his reign, was never at Rome, nor indeed in Italy, except at the end of his life near Aquileia, where he was slain by the soldiers while he wished to subdue rebellious Italy.

And so, if we were to stand by the Acts, the martyrdom would have to be placed under the reign of Maximian. But since the Pistoian Acts too do not deserve undoubted credit, I have preferred to fix the death of the holy Martyrs doubtfully under Maximinus or Maximian. Now receive the Acts, such as they are; upon which we shall observe in their proper places what remains to be said and explained. Moreover, concerning St. Rufinus, of whom the Acts chiefly treat, one may also consult what Sollier discussed on the XI of August.

FABULOUS ACTS

By an anonymous author,

from an ancient codex of Transaquae.

Caesideus, priest and martyr, at Transaquae among the Marsi (St.)

His Companions, at Transaquae among the Marsi (SS.)

BHL Number: 7361

BY AN ANONYMOUS WRITER.

CHAPTER I.

SS. Rufinus and Caesideus are seized, and, having professed the faith, are beaten; Nicea and Aquilina, sent into the prison to pervert them, are converted; and afterwards the soldiers Alexander and Silo.

A persecution having been stirred up, while Andrew was proconsul at Amasea, We have thought good to write for all the faithful, unto the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the triumphal praises of the Martyrs and the victorious trophies of Saints Rufinus and Caesideus and their Companions. These, in the times of the most impious emperor Maximinus ^a, pouring out their blood for the name of Christ, obtained the palm of everlasting glory and the crowns of praiseworthy victory. For at that time there arose a mighty persecution of the Christians, and it was determined by this law: that if any worshiper of Christ did not offer libations to the gods, he should undergo capital sentence without a hearing. Whence it came to pass that blessed Rufinus and Caesideus, having gathered a multitude of Christians, hid themselves in concealment not far from the city of Amasea ^b among the recesses of the rocks, and both by day and by night persisted the more closely in devoting themselves to vigils and prayers. In that same city there was a proconsul by the name of Andrew ^c, who by imperial authority discharged this office, and was most hostile to the Christian name: who, as a roaring lion goes about seeking whom he may devour, so, gnashing his teeth about the sheepfolds of the Saints, meditated how the bodies of the Saints might perish under his manglings, and, worn out with various torments, might be destroyed.

[2] Rufinus and Caesideus are brought before him, and the faith And because light cannot lie hid in darkness, it happened on a certain day that blessed Rufinus and Caesideus were seized by the pagans and presented to the proconsul Andrew: to whom the proconsul said: It has been reported to us that you are steeped in magical arts, and are unwilling to bow your necks to the almighty gods. By the health of the emperor Maximinus, and by the magnificence and clemency of the god Apollo, if you shall scorn their names in contempt and shall not offer sacrifices of incense, your bodies shall experience every kind of torment, and by divers sufferings the joys of this life shall be taken from you. The most blessed Rufinus and Caesideus answering said: We have in no way been reared in the trickeries of the art of sorcery; but from our very cradles most true Christians, we believe in God the Creator of all things, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from them both; and we confess one true God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity: and confessing him we venerate the only-begotten Son of God, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, who was a virgin before the birth and remained a virgin after the birth.

[3] they freely profess. And so the proconsul said: How do you say that she was a Virgin before the birth, and remained a Virgin after the birth? Blessed Rufinus and Caesideus said: God the Father, seeing that the whole world had perished, took pity on the human race: he sent his Son upon the earth; he entered into the womb of the Virgin, that he might appear visible to us, clothed with human flesh without the seed of sin, and he came forth through the closed gate through which the prophet Ezekiel saw in dreams God, before the ages, coming forth for the salvation of the world; and again it was closed, signifying the Virgin, who remained a Virgin after the birth. For, laid in a manger, he was announced by an angel, was pointed out by the shepherds, and adored by the magi, and dwelt with men thirty years, and by many signs of miracles was shown to be true God. First, in Cana of Galilee, he made wine out of water; he snatched the centurion's servant from fever; and he raised up the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, and the young man carried out beyond the gate; and he called Lazarus, already four days dead, out of the tomb. But at last, after many signs of miracles, he endured the destruction of death, that he might take from us the dominion of death.

[4] and they despise his threats: While they were setting forth these and many other things with steadfast heart, the proconsul answered: Now let the circumlocutions of your words cease, and receive our admonitions without delay, and turn our gods to your own salvation, not by blaspheming but by sacrificing. But if not, I will make you fail under torments. The holy Martyrs answering said: By the power of our Lord Jesus Christ we do not dread your threats: for your threats blaze up today and tomorrow vanish away; and therefore devise whatever you will in the way of punishments, since we count it of little worth to obey your commands, and reckon the worship of idols as nothing.

[5] Then the proconsul, greatly moved by these words, ordered his attendants after being severely beaten they are shut up in prison. to batter the faces of them both with stones: and at once the ministers of the devil began to batter their faces: and amid those very torments they spoke thus with a clear voice: O Christ, merciful God, burst asunder the bonds of death, that we may sing to thee devoted songs of praise. But the holy Martyrs continued unharmed, so that, though thus beaten, they in no way failed. And the proconsul ordered them to be shut up in private custody, until he should devise with what torments, or by what soft persuasions, he might be able to recall them to the worship of his gods.

[6] Now there were in that same city two most shameful women, Two harlots are sent into the prison to tempt the Saints, who were so instructed in the magical art that they were able to turn men's minds from their purpose: whom the proconsul ordered to be brought into his presence, and enticed their minds with such words as these: If by your most sweet persuasions you shall be able to drive Rufinus and Caesideus to the worship of the gods, you shall be great upon the earth and most wealthy, and shall receive from me most fully a boundless weight of gold and silver. Then Nicea and Aquilina ^d, deceived by the proconsul's promises, sought to satisfy his pestilent exhortation: but entering the prison where the Saints of God were held shut up, they were refreshed by so great a fragrance of odor that all the sweetness of balsam seemed to be present there; upon which there followed a fullness of such great splendor that, from the excess of so great a brightness, they fell to the ground, so that for nearly half an hour they were unable to rise. But the most blessed Martyrs, coming to them, said: Rise, sisters, do not be afraid. And they, rising at once and seized with exceeding astonishment, stood saying nothing. But the holy Rufinus and Caesideus, questioning them, said: Whence are you? And they, answering, said: We are your handmaids, women of this city; and the proconsul sent us, that with allurements and admonitions we might urge you, so far as we might bend the consent of your mind to his desire.

[7] We ask, therefore, that you make us partakers of eternal life. they are converted by them, For we confess that he is the almighty God, by whose light we have been enlightened, by whose grace we have been made whole, who called us out of the darkness of ignorance into his marvelous light. The Martyrs of Christ, hearing the words of Nicea and Aquilina, poured out this prayer to the Lord for their ignorance: Almighty God, Creator of all things, breathe into them the breath of eternal life, and strengthen in them the foundation of the true faith, that they may know thee, praise thee, adore thee, and glorify thee: for thou art God blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. And blessed Rufinus, turning to the women, said: What are your names? One of them said: One of us is called Nicea, the other Aquilina, and until now we have been given over to the worship of idols and to the pleasures of harlotry. St. Caesideus said: Do you wish to receive the true light, which enlightens both body and souls? And both of them, hearing this, said: We desire nothing earthly, nothing carnal, but Christ, in whom you, his Ministers, believe. By him we beseech you, do not delay to enlighten us through the laver of eternal regeneration.

[8] who, being baptized, return to the proconsul, and profess the faith. Then blessed Rufinus and Caesideus ordered water to be brought, and, blessing the font of the sacred laver, consecrated them both with the water of holy baptism; and, teaching them all things that belong to eternal life, gave them these counsels of salvation: You therefore, handmaids of Christ, when you shall stand before kings and in the sight of princes, do not in fear consider how you shall answer; for it shall be given you, says the Lord, in that hour what you shall speak. And returning at once to the proconsul, they stood in his sight; and when the proconsul saw them, he addressed them in these words: Will not these rebels against the gods consent to offer pleasing gifts to our gods? Nicea and Aquilina answered: With what boldness do you presume to utter with your mouth such blasphemy, that you should call idols made by hand gods, and ascribe divinity to wood and stone? Have you not read what David says? The images of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men's hands; let those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them. The proconsul answered: As I see, you have been seduced by the sorceries of Rufinus and Caesideus. The handmaids of Christ answered: We have not been seduced, but led back to the true faith and to the inextinguishable light, which enlightens all men who seek eternal life.

[9] Two soldiers are converted by those women, While they were saying these and like things, two of the soldiers, Silo and Alexander, breaking out into speech, said: Is there then another life besides this? The handmaids of Christ said: Is this then, in which men live, a life? A life which humors corrupt and dissolve, which sorrows consume, which foods puff up, which fasts waste away, which anxiety hems in, which security dulls. This life does not shrink from deceiving those who love it; it prepares voracity for the gluttonous, it hastens to heap drunkenness upon the intemperate: whoever desires to embrace this life, it leads him, after the dissolution of the perishable body, to destruction without end. For in that other life one is never permitted to hunger, nor to thirst, nor to grow faint, nor to have any distresses: but there the instruments of the Saints sound continually, there cinnamon and balsam are given by fragrant shrubs, there the angelic company before the throne of God bring forth new songs, and adore him who lives for ever. While the handmaids of Christ were saying these and many other things, the aforesaid soldiers Silo and Alexander said with a clear voice: One is the God of the Christians, whom these his handmaids proclaim: him we adore and praise, who bestows such and so great benefits on those who worship him. And straightway they cast themselves at their feet and kissed their knees, and praying said: By him in whom you believe we adjure you, that you make known to us in what manner you were purified from the filth of idols. Then Nicea and Aquilina took care to set forth in order the whole course of the testimony * given above, and how through the blessed Martyrs they had obtained the mystery of baptism.

[10] whom St. Rufinus baptizes. Having heard these things, Silo and Alexander ran together to the prison, and casting themselves at the feet of the holy Rufinus and Caesideus, said with a clear voice: Most holy and most blessed Martyrs of Christ, we beseech and entreat you that we may be cleansed by the font of baptism, and that the image of the inner man may be renewed; and as Nicea and Aquilina were enlightened and made whole by the water of holy regeneration, so we too desire to be purified by you, and to be rid of the filth of idols, and to believe in the God whom you, the servants of Christ, proclaim. But the most blessed Martyrs answering said: If you believe in God the Father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son and our Lord, born and having suffered, and in the Holy Spirit, all that you ask you shall without doubt deserve to obtain. And they said: We have already once told you that we believe perfectly in Christ, and we only wish to be baptized, that we may be cleansed of the dregs of our sins. In that same hour blessed Rufinus ordered water to be brought, and blessing it, he baptized them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and confirmed them in the faith of Christ.

ANNOTATIONS.

\ Perhaps gesti or rei*.

CHAPTER II.

The martyrdom of Nicea and Aquilina; the conversion of the Proconsul, and the flight of him and of the others into the province of the Marsi.

Nicea and Aquilina are beaten, On that same day also they went on to the proconsul and said: Hear, proconsul, and know for certain that we are Christians, and that we shall no longer serve idols made by hand. Then the proconsul, seized with fury, ordered Nicea and Aquilina to be brought before him, and said to them: Behold, you change the minds of men by the pursuits of the magical art, and by teaching a superstitious sect you draw them away from the worship of the gods; choose therefore one of two things: either with your own hands complete the sacrifices of the gods, or subject your flesh to divers and most bitter torments; for in defense of the gods and for the good estate of the commonwealth I will make you fail amid every shame. The holy Handmaids of God said: Your torments, by which you think to bend us to your consent, we utterly despise, and we reject your threats with undaunted mind, for eternal destruction awaits you. And so the proconsul, grieving to be mocked by women, ordered them to be stripped and beaten a long while before his sight; and he caused them to be so long worn out with blows that no trace of soundness appeared in their limbs.

[12] and are beheaded, But on another day they were brought forth before the sight of the proconsul, and continued so unimpaired in bodily health as if the hand of a striker had never been upon their limbs. The proconsul said to them: As I see, trusting in your sorceries you despise threats and escape all torments. Then he gave sentence upon them, saying: Nicea and Aquilina, not consenting to our admonitions and refusing to sacrifice to the gods, we order to be punished with beheading. And the soldiers, when sentence had been given, led them outside the walls of the city of Amasea, not more than a mile away. Beheaded by the executioners, they came with the palm of martyrdom to the heavenly realms ^a.

[13] Silo and Alexander, tempted in vain with threats, And on another day the proconsul, sitting upon the tribunal, caused Silo and Alexander to be presented to him, and spoke to them in these words: Why, dear soldiers, have you fallen into so great a madness that you neglect the immortal gods and choose bodily torments? Take heed, then, and look more diligently, and receive my words with your ears, that you may adore the propitious gods and appease them with the accustomed services. Know therefore that you will cruelly sink under most atrocious punishments, and at length lose your life by a capital sentence, if you refuse to bend the knee to the gods and to persist in continual sacrifices and libations. The Soldiers of Christ answered: Hear, Proconsul: if it seems to you right and fitting to test the divinity of your gods, send your attendants around the city, that at your command the whole city may be gathered to this spectacle; and cause some paralytic to be brought to you in the midst of all, and let your gods be invoked by name by the philosophers over the paralytic who is brought forth: if at the invocation of the names of your gods there be a return of health, it is fitting that they should be adored by men; but if they cannot accomplish this, and at the invocation of our Lord Jesus Christ the sick man grows well and rises up, then it is fitting that, your errors being forsaken, you should show yourself the truest worshiper of the truest Godhead.

[14] Then the proconsul and the people with one accord consented to these proposals, convert the proconsul himself by a miracle, and ordered a paralytic to be brought down into the marketplace of the city; and the whole city rushed to that spectacle. The proconsul therefore commanded his philosophers to utter by name the appellations of their gods, that in the sight of all they might bring remedies of health to the sick man there present, so that thereby it might appear whether the experience of their kindness were false or most true. The aforesaid philosophers, therefore, obeying the words of the proconsul, invoked the names of those false gods one by one. But neither the deity of Jupiter with his lightnings, nor Apollo with his auguries and oracles, nor the sun with his splendors and lights, availed to confer the help of health upon the sick man. Then the proconsul, kindled with anger and suffused with shame, said: Let Silo and Alexander now carry out the present proposal, and, while we look on, confer upon the paralytic standing by the aids of health by the invocation of their God. At this command the Soldiers of Christ went to the litter, and, prostrate on the ground, poured out this prayer to the Lord:

O boundless King, O God, whom earth and sea adore, Grant to us thy servants what with pure mind we pray: Confer the help of health upon this wretched sick man, That it may be plain to all that thou art the God of salvation; Behold, we beseech thee, succor the poor wretches known to thee, That these here present may believe that thou canst do all things, Who without end dost govern all the ages through eternity.

Then they said to the paralytic: Rise in the name of Christ, and return to your house upon your feet, and praise the Son of God, the founder of all things, who formed you from the clay unto his own image. In that same hour the paralytic rose up and returned to his house upon his own feet, magnifying almighty God with words of praise.

[15] But the proconsul, when he had seen this miracle, at once rose from the place who also is baptized by Rufinus: where he sat, and hastening at headlong speed to the prison in which the most blessed Martyrs were held shut up, casting himself at their most holy knees, employed these unceasing entreaties: I pray you, most victorious Athletes of Christ, that you deign to grant my petitions, that as Silo and Alexander were enlightened by the counsels of your exhortation, so the ignorance of my blindness may deserve to be enlightened; for today without doubt I have recognized the true and unchangeable light, which enlightens every man coming in the body. Blessed Rufinus and Caesideus answering said: If you believe with your whole heart, you can be enlightened in heart and mind. The proconsul answered: I believe without doubt in the God whom you proclaim with your saving word, and I desire to hasten to the most certain knowledge of him. Then blessed Rufinus and Caesideus prostrated themselves on the ground and poured out this prayer to the Lord: Hail, Christ the King, most glorious God, pour into the mind of this proconsul the love of everlasting life, that, the worship of idols being renounced, the omnipotence of thy Godhead may be manifested through him to the rest of the unbelievers, and that they may know thee as their own Creator, who reignest without end for ever. In that same hour water was brought, and blessing it he said to the proconsul: Do you believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? The proconsul answered: I believe. Do you believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, born of the Virgin Mary? He answered: I believe. And in the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son? And when he answered, I believe, he baptized him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And as he was lifted from the water, he began to say with a clear voice: One is the God of the Christians in heaven and on earth.

[16] [the proconsul, having professed the faith before the people, resigns his office and flees with the others to the Marsi.] For on the following day the proconsul, having returned to the palace, commanded all the people to assemble for a public spectacle, and, an assembly having been held, addressed them in this discourse: Illustrious fellow soldiers,

receive my words attentively with your ears. Know therefore most certainly that I have laid hold of the doctrine of Christianity, and that I worship in every way, with the truest faith, Christ the Son of God, and that I shall no more approach the sacrifices of idols. Therefore send your embassies to your emperor, and take pains to make these things known to his ears, that he may direct to these parts administrators of his office, who may keep the injunctions of his command; because henceforth he shall not be able to have the comfort of my service: for I have a true and everlasting Lord of body and soul. For I have come to know the almighty King of all kings, who by his own authority eternally governs every age, whose empire is for ever. But the people, hearing such things, were kindled with the greatest fury, and blazing up in anger, sent inquisitors through the whole city to arrest the servants of God, Rufinus and Caesideus, and burn them alive in the flames. But the Soldiers of Christ, terrified with fear, at once slipped away in bodily flight; and fleeing to the parts of the Marsi, and lying hid in the place which is called Transaquae, they began there to build a church, and to persist day and night in praises and spiritual songs, and continually to offer sacrifice and oblations to almighty God ^b.

ANNOTATIONS.

CHAPTER III.

The Saints are seized and led to Rome, except Caesideus, who comes of his own accord to the prison, but withdraws by Rufinus's counsel; the martyrdom of Andrew the proconsul.

[Being denounced before the emperor, they are seized by his order and led to Rome:] The people of the city of Amasea were eager to send couriers speedily to the emperor, to carry the accusation against the proconsul, and to charge the Saints of God with malicious accusations, and by such addresses to inflame the emperor's anger against the most blessed Servants of God: Be it known to your most pious clemency that the proconsul Andrew, lately withdrawing from the office of the proconsulate, has held cheap the belt of your service, and, following the counsels of the men Rufinus and Caesideus, has scorned the sacrifices of our gods and has become a most true worshiper of Christ; and he dwells with other Christians in the province of Marsia. And the most wicked emperor, hearing these things, gathered very many soldiers and commanded his officers to set out as speedily as possible for the parts about Transaquae. And so the emperor's soldiers, coming into the land of Transaquae, entered forthwith the church where the most blessed Martyrs were offering to God sacrifices for the pardon of the world. And seizing the holy Rufinus with the other martyrs, they brought them to Rome, and, announcing it to the emperor, brought them into his sight: among whom they set Andrew the proconsul.

[18] The emperor, desiring to allure his mind with honeyed words, Andrew, questioned by the emperor, set forth this beginning of his interrogation: Dearest proconsul, what madness has arisen in your breast, that you should forsake the veneration of the gods and take upon you the name of Christianity? Do not, then, sink under the error of so great a madness, that, blinded by the darkness of ignorance, you should lose the flower of worldly gladness. To this Andrew, the noble athlete of Christ: Hitherto I have been wrapped in the darkness of unbelief, but laying hold of the path of the true light, I now begin to shake off the mist of this world and to look upon the inextinguishable light. The emperor answered: On what ground do you pursue these things, and do not fear to disclose them before me? Andrew answered: Until now I was in the darkness of error and faithlessness, nor was I able to be rid of it, since I adored deaf and dumb idols, and knew not the almighty God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; but because I have come to know the truth, I have utterly lost the blindness of the inner man.

[19] Tell me, said the emperor, Andrew, by what seducers or teachers you have learned to scorn our gods, tempted in vain with threats and promises, and have begun to reverence and worship I know not what God? If, then, you shall give assent to the imperial commands, so as to offer pleasing libations to the immortal gods, I will enrich you with great and choice gifts and honors, that you may enjoy the joys of this life with all good things; but if otherwise, you shall suffer divers punishments for your contempt of the gods, and at length shall lose the joys of life by way of penalty. To this the Soldier of Christ with undaunted mind said: According to the beginning of your interrogation receive the utterance of my answer. I was questioned and speedily taught by instruction to leave the darkness of error and the windings of temptation, and to fix my step upon the state of rectitude. Lo, here is my most true master, by whose exhortation and instruction I have stripped off the darkness of faithlessness and have been led to the knowledge of the true light.

[20] as also the others afterwards; they are shut up in prison. Then the emperor said: Tell us his office and his name, and what region sent them into our sight. The Soldier of Christ, Andrew, answered: If you wish to know his office, know that he is a bishop, and that Rufinus is his name, and that he is a worthy citizen of the city of Amasea. And these two who are seen to stand in your sight are called by the names Silo and Alexander, who together with us bear the name of Christianity, and have been born again in the baptism of the sacred font. The emperor said to them: Acquiesce in my counsels, and by adoring the gods present sacrifices to them, and you shall be illustrious and most famous throughout all my dominion. The most blessed Martyrs therefore answered: We adore almighty God, who by his word created all things out of nothing, whose Majesty neither begins nor ceases for ever. Him we daily worship and adore, and offer to him the sacrifice of praise; but any other God besides him we reject, by whose power and help we despise all kinds of torments as the mire of the streets. Then the emperor, moved with anger, commanded them to be thrust back into prison, until he should devise with what punishments he might afflict them, and by what torment they should receive the debt of death. And the ministers of iniquity, obeying the commands of the tyrant, cast them into prison bound with iron.

[21] St. Caesideus, having first escaped by flight, comes to the prison, But Caesideus, the son of blessed Rufinus, on the very day of the seizure of the blessed Martyrs within the borders of Transaquae, took to flight up the mountain on which his church stood, where blessed Rufinus unceasingly performed the watches of prayer. But on the next day, coming to himself, he said with a groan these words: The Lord lives; for I have not done well to leave my most blessed Father, terrified by the dread of death, and to lose the palm of martyrdom: and weeping and wailing he came to Rome, where blessed Rufinus with the aforesaid martyrs was held shut up in prison; and at length, hastening, he went to the prison, and entering fell on his face before the feet of the most blessed Rufinus, and, embracing his knees, begged for pardon.

[22] but by his Father's counsel returns to the Marsi. To whom the most blessed Father said: Return, my son, to the place which we consecrated, and offer daily oblations to the almighty Lord, until through the triumph of martyrdom you may be able to enter the courts of the heavenly sky. Caesideus answering said: Why do I suffer the delays of martyrdom, and do not profess myself a Christian with public voice? Blessed Rufinus answered: The time of your calling has not yet come; and meanwhile let the incense of your prayers be constantly directed to the Lord, until through the trophy of suffering you obtain the prize of the heavenly kingdom. And blessed Caesideus, strengthened by the counsels of his most blessed Father, returned home, and remaining continually in the church which St. Rufinus had consecrated, ceased not to render to the almighty Lord the appointed measure of his accustomed service in vigils and prayers ^a.

[23] The martyrdom of Andrew the proconsul. But when the space of fifteen days had passed, the emperor Maximinus ordered Andrew to be presented before him, and spoke to him with such exhortations as these: Hear me, Andrew; it is time that you forsake the ordinances of your most vain religion, and present venerable sacrifices to the unconquered God, who alone is to be adored; that, being magnified and heaped with riches, and made loftier than all, you may receive the residence ^b of the proconsulate, and hold the rights of the great next after me. The Soldier of Christ, Andrew, answered: What does it profit, O emperor, to snatch at the honorable gains of this world, and after a little interval, when death comes between, to hasten to everlasting torments? Consider the Lord saying in the Gospel: What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? The emperor answered: By the immortal gods! if with obstinate mind you do not obey my commands and do not adore the gods, you shall perish by divers torments. To whom the Soldier of Christ said: By the power of my Lord Jesus Christ I do not fear your torments; for this temporal torture quickly fails with time, but your eternal destruction shall never have an end. Then the emperor, seized with exceeding fury, said to the executioners: Hang him upon the rack, and tear his flesh with iron claws, and let him lie under such torments until he fails. And the ministers of the devil, kindled with rage, so tore his flesh, as had been commanded them, that his ribs, stripped of flesh, appeared openly to all who stood by; and so, amid that deadly torture, he commended his holy spirit to the Lord and gave it up.

ANNOTATIONS.

CHAPTER IV.

The martyrdom of Rufinus and his companions, then of Caesideus with other companions, and finally of very many.

Maximinus, having subdued the rebellious city of Assisi, Now at that same time there was in the city of Assisi ^a a proconsul by the name of Aspatius, who stirred up a sedition against the estate of the Roman commonwealth, and endeavored to bring the Roman power to nothing. Moved by this sedition, the emperor and all the Roman people, having gathered the forces of their armies, besieged the aforesaid city for a time and half a time. And the citizens, broken by war and siege, delivered themselves up to the emperor's dominion, and thus by the slaughter of the proconsul the city was freed from Roman devastation. But the emperor, when the city had been subdued, stayed there a year and five months.

[25] In which days he commanded that the whole city

should assemble for his spectacle, [there he summons Rufinus and his companions before him, and urges them in vain with promises and threats:] and he ordered that blessed Rufinus and Silo and Alexander should be led bound before his sight; to whom he spoke, saying: You are they who by magical arts overturn the minds of men, and by malignant persuasions draw them away from the worship of the gods. Blessed Rufinus and Silo and Alexander, answering with one accord, said: We are not magicians, but most true Christians, and we call back the lost souls of men from the worship of idols to their Creator, who reigns in the heavens; and we show that he is the true God, by whose nod are governed all things that are in heaven and on earth, and by whose dominion and power and command all things visible and invisible subsist. Him therefore we adore, proclaim, and worship with a pure mind; but idols made by hand we count as nothing, since they can furnish help neither to themselves nor to others, but only confer eternal destruction upon those who worship them. The emperor said to them: These are vain and superfluous words. Adore the god Sun, and you shall be honorable and illustrious before my sight; but if you refuse to bow your necks to the sacrifices of the gods, you shall perish by divers and exquisite punishments. The holy Martyrs answering said: We are already made firm in the love of Christ, and are neither led by blandishments nor terrified by threats: do what you will, for in no way do we adore deaf and dumb idols.

[26] cast into the fire, they remain unharmed, Then the emperor, filled with exceeding fury, ordered a furnace to be kindled, that the saints might be burned there, saying: Now it shall appear whether your God is able to free you from my hands. And when the Servants of Christ had come to the oven, they poured out this prayer to the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, be present with us thy servants, set in the peril of burning. And as thou didst lead the three children unharmed out of the gulf of the furnace, so that not even a hair of their head was singed, and didst show to a foreign king that thou art the God to be praised, so deign to disclose thy ineffable Godhead to all who stand by, that all may know that thou alone art God, reigning unto ages of ages. Then the officers, laying hold of the Martyrs of Christ, cast them into the oven as they praised Jesus Christ the almighty Lord. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood in their midst and admonished them with such exhortations, saying: Do not fear, Soldiers of Christ, for the hand of the Lord is ready to strengthen you. Straightway, then, as the Servants of Christ entered the burning oven, at once the whole blaze of the flames was dissolved, and coming forth unharmed, so that not a hair of their head suffered any injury, they gave thanks to almighty God, who by his accustomed power has always deigned to show forth wondrous works in his servants. And when the people standing by saw this miracle, they all said with one voice: Great is the God of the Christians, whom the most blessed Rufinus proclaims; him it behooves to be worshiped by all the nations of the earth. We therefore, giving him our faith and believing in him, renounce idols and the delusions of the devil, to which we have hitherto been given over, and confess with mouth and heart him alone as Lord, and do not fear to die for his name.

[27] and at length they are beheaded; their bodies, untouched by the dogs, But the emperor, moved by these and such like declarations, pronounced this sentence upon the holy Martyrs of God: Rufinus, Silo, and Alexander, refusing to obey the imperial words and to give consent to the imperial rites, we order to be punished with beheading. And the holy Martyrs of God were led outside the walls of the city of Assisi on the third of the Ides of the month of August, and being beheaded there they commended their holy souls to the Lord: and their bodies lay there five days, as a warning to the Christians. Then he ordered dogs and other most savage beasts to be brought to tear and devour them; which kinds of beasts, brought to devour the aforesaid bodies, when they saw them, not only did not taste them, but, in the presence of very many of the people, with persons of both sexes looking on, miraculously bowed themselves on bended knees before the bodies of those very Saints, adoring with many signs and with vast howlings the very bodies which they had licked.

[28] Then Caesideus the priest, his son, with Simplicius and Euchitius and Placidius and Vibius and Crescentius and Martialis and Collibertus, his fellow soldiers and martyrs of Christ, [Caesideus with his companions buries them at Transaquae; therefore the emperor condemns them to death:] who because of the most severe persecutions of the emperor had gone to the place of Transaquae to remain there, where they offered continual prayers and daily sacrifices to the Lord for the pardon of the world, went by night to the place where the bodies of the saints lay; and, having stolen them away, they returned to their dwelling, and in that same place ^b secretly buried them. But on another day the officers of inquiry went to see whether the bodies lay there, and did not find them. Then they went to the emperor and said these things: Most pious emperor and ever august, we make known to your excellency that in the province of the Marsi, in the place which is called Transaquae, is Caesideus the son of Rufinus the bishop, who, coming by night, carried away the body of his father, and together with it carried off the bodies of the others also and buried them with honor at Transaquae. Then the emperor, roaring like a lion and gnashing his teeth against him, said to his officers: Go to that place, and without inquiry slay him with the sword wherever you can find him, and the others also whom you find with him overthrowing the faith of our gods.

[29] Now Caesideus the venerable priest was dwelling in that same church with Placidius and Euchitius ^c, the martyrdom of Caesideus and the others. and many venerable and holy brethren. And when the soldiers came and found him and the others offering sacrifice to the Lord, they struck them with the sword without inquiry, and thus they gave back their holy souls to the Lord. But the body of blessed Caesideus they laid secretly and apart from the others in that same church, with hymns and spiritual songs, on the day before the Kalends of September: where his prayers flourish with many signs of miracles even to the present day, together with the bodies of the aforesaid Saints buried in that same place; and they returned and reported all things to the emperor. Now the Soldiers of Christ were martyred by the emperor Maximinus ^d, and received a capital sentence. After these things the emperor returned to the city of Rome, and the multitude of those who had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Assisi he led bound to Rome, and they were received with glory by the Romans; and the emperor ordered them to be taken into prison. After fifteen days the emperor commanded the Soldiers of Christ to be presented before his sight. And when this was done, he said to them: Choose for yourselves one of two things, either death or life. The Martyrs of Christ said: For the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ we would rather die, that we may obtain eternal life. The emperor therefore said: If these are not destroyed, many will perish; and in anger he pronounced sentence upon them and said: These sacrilegious men, refusing to obey and to sacrifice to my gods, we order to be punished with beheading. They were carried outside the walls of the Salarian gate and there beheaded, one thousand and seventeen ^e Martyrs in number, and thus in peace they gave back their holy souls to Christ the Lord. To the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor, glory, and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

ANNOTATIONS.

APPENDIX

By an anonymous author

Concerning the miracles of St. Caesideus after his death, from a manuscript of Lucas Holstenius.

Caesideus, priest and martyr, at Transaquae among the Marsi (St.)

His Companions, at Transaquae among the Marsi (SS.) BHL Number: 7370

BY AN ANONYMOUS WRITER.

When the church of St. Caesideus had been burned by the pagans, After these things the Christians came and buried the body of Bl. Caesideus with honor in the church, the other bodies being buried together with it. And thereafter, bestowing many estates upon it and enriching it greatly with their wealth, for love of the most blessed martyr Caesideus they undertook to build another and more seemly church. But after the course of many years, by the judgment of almighty God, Pagans ^b came upon them and laid waste with fire and sword the whole province of the Marsi; and coming into the land of Transaquae they likewise slew with the sword those whom they could take; and these, not hesitating to approach the very basilica of the most blessed Martyr, consumed it with fire, and moreover threw down its walls. And when the unbelieving townsmen saw this, they began somewhat to disparage the renowned champion Caesideus. For as once the hostile Jews, insulting the Lord Jesus, said: He saves others, himself he cannot save; so these profane men say to the Servant of Christ: O Caesideus, where are those threats of yours with which you restrained the impious? Where are the joys which you promised us? And if you loved the Lord so much that you sank under death for him, then you reign in heaven with him, as you declared: why do you allow your church to be destroyed?

[2] Not unmindful, then, of the word by which he had promised to his faithful, they are blinded; and the church is restored. If you believe, you shall do greater things than these, the Lord deigned to show forth countless miracles through his Servant, that from the very source whence they had at first begun to disparage him, they might also begin to rejoice.

Whoever, therefore, might have wished to come to assault or lay waste not only his basilica but, so to speak, the whole province committed to him, at about half a mile from his basilica was deprived of sight ^c and drawn together in his limbs, and could by no means make his way through. Seeing this miracle, the Christians desired to have Caesideus for the patron not only of their souls but of their bodies as well. Straightway they began to restore the walls ^d of that basilica, which, as we said, had formerly been thrown down, with so strong a heart that in a little while a multitude of clerics serving the Lord was called together there ^e. Whence who can doubt that this was done by the will of the most blessed Martyr, who, when he willed, permitted himself to be burned and destroyed, and then, when he willed, caused himself to be restored, and truly caused himself to be honored?

[3] Therefore how great and of what kind are the things which the Lord deigned to show forth through his Servant, A lame man is granted the power to walk, neither voice nor eloquent tongue would suffice to unfold. But what was done in our own recent times, which we have learned from venerable men whose upright life and venerable gray hairs do not permit them to feign anything of falsehood, and which was approved as true by Telesphorus ^f, Pontiff of the Roman See, we are eager, for love of the same Saint, to make known to the ears of the faithful. There was a certain lame man, John by name, of Alba ^g, who was so wholly broken in his limbs that, with his legs cleaving to his buttocks and his hands to his arms, he could bring himself no relief. When he had been brought with plaintive voice to the sacred tomb of Caesideus, and lay weary amid prayers and mighty sobs, a huge slumber rushed upon him. And the clerics and all who had been there for the sake of prayer had gone outside, the doors being barred ^h according to custom. Not long afterwards, he who had been lame, waking from sleep, began to stand upright, and with such voice as he could unceasingly uttered praises and thanks to Caesideus. And the keeper of the church, hearing this, hastening at a most vigorous run to the doors of the church, and rather breaking them open than opening them, found standing whole the man whom he had left lying drawn together.

[4] At another time also there was in the province of Campania a certain woman of Alatri ⁱ, a blind man in his sight: who, having lost her sight, had been led about to many bodies of Saints; but when she perceived that there was no remedy for her, as though now despairing of her sight, she returned to her own soil. To her, as she rested one night in her little hut and was pondering with herself why the Saints whose bodies she had gone round had bestowed on her no remedy of sight, the unconquered athlete Caesideus appeared in a vision, and said: How many years is it since you beheld the light of heaven? She answered him: It is seven years since I lost the friendly light. And the Saint: How long a time is it since you went round the thresholds of the Saints? And the woman to him: It is a long enough journey that I have accomplished, Father; but, as I see, the Saints can by no means accomplish such things ^k. To whom the Hero returned answer in a few words thus: Do not any longer sound forth such wicked words with your mouth, but hasten as quickly as you may, and go to the town whose name is Transaquae, and enter my church; there you shall receive your sight. And she to him: Who then are you, lord Father, who promise me such things? And the Saint: I am called by the name Caesideus, a servant of the Trinity. And the woman, rising in the morning, caused herself to be brought to that house, as she had been admonished. And when all were celebrating the vigils of his feast in the church, the woman too was with them, seeking the promise of the Blessed Martyr; and when for a long while and much she had entreated Caesideus with tears, suddenly, looking up, she sees the taper which was burning before his holy tomb. But since she had been blind through the course of many years, in her trembling she feared as yet to tell it to all: only calling the priest to her, she said: My venerable lord, I see a burning torch. Hearing this, the priest began to utter countless praises to the Lord, and, calling his brethren to him, told them the woman's words. Therefore, dearly beloved, let us praise the Lord with our voice, who deigns to show forth the greatest miracles in his servants. Behold her whom yesterday you saw bereft of her sight; look now upon her seeing clearly and praising her Lord. And while such wonders sounded in their ears, at once they lift up their hands to heaven and with tuneful voice began to sing We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. What more? By the merits of the holy Martyr sight was restored to the woman, so that she herself said she had never seen more clearly.

[5] enemies put to flight and slain by the Saint's help. At the same period, when Oderisius ^l was governing the province so often mentioned, and Baldwin the Warlike, a man very eager, was seeking to take it from him, on a certain day, rushing upon it unexpectedly with a great apparatus of war, he found the city of Messisgrana ^m to be all but abandoned; because, as has been said, since he was furnished with an exceeding abundance of arms, and the townsmen could not sustain the battle, they at once turned to flight, and, the gates being opened through fear, gave the enemy an open entrance. And now from the least to the greatest they began to cry out to the most blessed Caesideus, that he would deign most speedily to succor them, set as they were in so great a peril. Forthwith the most unconquered soldier Caesideus appeared to a certain man, who was astonished with exceeding fear, in the street of the city, clothed in snow-white garments, and sitting upon a snow-white ⁿ horse, and bearing a golden rod in his hand; and running to and fro he caused the enemy to be driven out, and his own townsmen, that they might destroy them, thanks having been given to almighty God … But the citizens, when they had seen and heard these things, at once ran back to arms, and so became victors, that within the space of a single hour they wretchedly slew five hundred or more of the enemy. On the night following, therefore, when that man to whom the saint had first chosen to appear was among his fellow citizens, there stands by him Caesideus, the standard-bearer of the unconquered King, in the same garb in which he was seen protecting his own in the battle; and he said to him: Did you not see yesterday how I became your protector in the war? And when he professed that he had seen and knew it very well, he said: At whatever hour, therefore, you shall faithfully ask my aid, as yesterday visibly, so always invisibly I stand by you as your patron. And he answered him: Who then are you, Lord, who have thus made us victors? To whom the saint: I am Caesideus, whose help you sought in the battle; and saying this, like a thin breeze he vanished from the eyes of those who marveled.

ANNOTATIONS.

OTHER, IMPERFECT ACTS

by an anonymous author

From two manuscript transcripts of the church of Pistoia.

Caesideus, priest and martyr, at Transaquae among the Marsi (St.)

His Companions, at Transaquae among the Marsi (SS.) BHL Number: 7360

BY AN ANONYMOUS WRITER.

[A persecution having been stirred up, while Rufinus and Caesideus were dwelling among the Marsi,] There was in the region of the Marsi, in the time of the emperor Maximian ^a, a certain bishop by the name of Rufinus. He indeed, with his son Caesideus the priest, labored assiduously at the divine offices, and, instructing the people committed to him with saving counsels, wrought many mighty works by the grace of God. Now the bishop himself dwelt in the city of the Marsi ^b; but Caesideus the priest in the township of Messinum ^c, between which and the city lay that famous pool which is called Lake Fucinus ^d. And it happened that a certain Lucian, coming to Rome from the province of Picenum ^e, made his way through the regions of Valeria ^f; and he anxiously searched out whether any Christians remained in those parts. For the emperor Maximinus ^g had offered consulships and other honors to those who should search out the worshipers of the Christian faith, and especially the priests, and bring them to his knowledge, that those denounced might be punished unless they consented to the sacrifices of the gods.

[2] A certain Lucian learns of their preaching, And so, when he had come within the borders of the Marsi to the Arch of Augusta ^h, which place is said to be about seventy-five miles distant from the city of Rome, he met a great multitude of people in a field. And so great and so closely packed was the throng of that multitude that, though he spurred his horse, for nearly three hours he was unable to pass through. He halted, therefore; and drawing one of the crowd aside, he began quickly to ask what sort of assembly this was. Who answering said: Today the people of the Marsi are keeping a fair, and therefore this great multitude has gathered in this place. To this Lucian said: In honor of what god is the fair celebrated which we behold, and is the present multitude of people assembled *? (For that man had already received the faith of Christ our Lord through Rufinus the bishop, and had been instructed in the rudiments of ecclesiastical discipline.) And that man, answering Lucian, said: Since your person bears before it the marks of wisdom and nobility, I marvel that you have so spoken; for there is no God besides the God of the Christians, as we are taught by our priests, as we have been instructed by Rufinus the bishop and his son Caesideus the priest. For these are holy Men, and their words are supported by the assertion of truth, since what they speak in words they show forth in works; and Christ our God deigns to work many wonders through them.

[3] Hearing these things, Lucian is grievously indignant; he turns his horse, and denounces them to the emperor, and hastens with quickened pace to press on to the city of Rome. And when he had arrived there, at once in fury he approaches the palace, and, having obtained the presence of the tyrant, immediately after the words of salutation he declares that he had hastily come to the city, entered the palace, and sought his conversation for this cause: that, while he was journeying from the province of Picenum through the region of the Marsi, he had come upon a great multitude of people in a field beside the Arch of Augusta, which was celebrating a fair in honor of Christ their God. There, he says, I learned from one of them that in the city of the Marsi there dwells a certain bishop Rufinus, who together with his son Caesideus does not cease to spread abroad the doctrine of Christ; and he strives to tear away from the worship of the gods as many men or women as he can. And if their doctrine indeed shall long prevail within that province, and shall begin to be spread abroad more widely here and there, doubtless in a short time the rites of the gods will be despised.

[4] Hearing these things, Maximian was stirred by the goads of exceeding fury, who orders both to be seized and led to Rome. and at once summoning Ascanius the cornicularius ⁱ, he said: Go with haste to the city of the Marsi, and there anxiously search out those sacrilegious men whom the honorable Lucian denounces, namely Rufinus the bishop and his son Caesideus, and when they are found present them before our sight. Come now, act diligently, that within the space of five days they may be brought into our presence; for unless you act with all speed according to the tenor of our command, you yourself shall be punished with beheading in their stead, as though guilty. And so, having taken with him certain officers from the number of the soldiers, Ascanius the cornicularius* sets out with quickened pace for the city of the Marsi.

[5] On the following night a certain vision was shown by divine appointment to blessed Rufinus. Rufinus learns from a divine vision the adversities to come, For there appeared to him a person of venerable appearance, saying to him: Be strengthened, Rufinus, beloved of the Lord, be strengthened and act manfully; for many adversities shall befall you by the divine judgment; but do not fear, neither let your heart be afraid, for by divine help you shall obtain the victory. Console and admonish also those who are with you, that they may act manfully, and be always assured of the divine protection of the Majesty. For he to whom you have always shown the service of a devoted heart, whose [law] you meditate upon in all your works, is always with you. Whatever therefore may happen, do you always look to him who is wont in his servants to conquer the raging world and the roaring devil.

[6] Moreover, to Bl. Caesideus, who, as we said above, but Caesideus through the mouth of a possessed man, whom he frees. was staying in the town of Messinum, a certain man possessed by a demon was brought. And Bl. Caesideus, when he had made prayer, began in the name of Christ to press the demon to come out. But the demon, crying out much through the mouth of the sufferer, said: Caesideus, how long will you persecute me? Why do you violently drive me out of my possession, which I have now held for fifteen years? And I will cast you out of your possession, nor will I allow you any longer to live quietly in the region of the Marsi: if you cast me out from here, I will go to Rome, and there through my ministers I will fight the more bitterly against you. But when Bl. Caesideus had laid his hand upon the possessed man, he was freed by the gift of the divine mercy.

[7] St. Rufinus is seized Meanwhile Ascanius the cornicularius, coming into the city of the Marsi with a multitude of soldiers, began diligently to inquire after Rufinus the bishop; and when he had found him, he consigned him to custody, and said to him: Point out to us your profane son Caesideus, that he may be presented together with you before the sight of the emperor. Rufinus the bishop answered: Into what place he has withdrawn from your face I do not know; but for the rest I suppose that he is resting in some dwelling across the pool. And when Ascanius had heard this, he indeed resolved to return the more swiftly to Rome with Bl. Rufinus and to present him before the sight of the emperor; because, as has often been said, the emperor's command urged him to return within five days. But certain of the number of the soldiers whom he had brought he ordered to go across the pool and to seek Caesideus the priest more diligently.

[8] and is delivered to prison, Caesideus not being found. Bl. Caesideus had indeed made in the aforesaid township (which is said to have been built by Claudius Caesar ^k) a very small dwelling, and beside it a tiny oratory, where he privately celebrated Masses and the other divine Offices. Yet, on account of the multitude of the pagans, he acted secretly, nor was his dwelling known to many. And so the soldiers who had been sent to seek Caesideus returned without success. For they hastened greatly, lest Ascanius should return to Rome without them. Following after him therefore with all diligence, they found him dining on Mount Carbonarius ^l. But Bl. Rufinus was praying apart, set under a tree in custody. And when on the next day they had come to the city of Rome, they announced it to the emperor Maximian, saying: As we received the command of your majesty, we have brought Rufinus the bishop from the region of the Marsi; but Caesideus we were unable to find. If your majesty commands, let that sacrilegious Rufinus be received into prison. To this the emperor answered: We have received report of him that he works many miracles; therefore we do not wish to deliver him to the custody of the public prison, because there are many Christians there, lest perhaps he be able to confirm them by his wonders; but let him receive private custody in the house of Ascanius.

[9] He, stirred by the love of God, Meanwhile Bl. Caesideus the priest, when he learned that his father had been seized and led to the tribunal of the emperor, began to be grievously saddened; and he pondered these things silently within himself: Alas, wretched me! What have I done through so long a space of time? I have heard the voice of my Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel saying: What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul; or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? Behold, my father has been led to the confession of the divine name and to the palm of martyrdom, and I cherish my hiding-places in desert regions. Does not the same Lord say: He who shall confess me before men, I also will confess him before my Father and his angels? What does it profit me to have waged so great wars against the devil, if now — which God forbid — I should fail at the end? But in him will I trust, in him will I hope, since neither distress nor tribulation shall separate me from the charity of Christ. With his help I shall conquer hunger; by his bestowal I shall overcome chains.

[10] comes of his own accord to the prison. Straightway, setting out upon his journey in the silence of the dead of night, he strove to go to Rome and to visit his father, wherever he might be held. Having accomplished that journey, he entered within the walls of the city of Rome and began to seek through the streets and lanes the house of Ascanius the cornicularius, in case he might find his father there in custody; and when, after cautious and anxious inquiry, he had at length found it by the indications of certain persons, he came, as he had desired, by secret searching to speech with him. And so blessed Rufinus, catching sight of his son Caesideus through a window, said to him: Hide yourself, and come to me by night. And when Caesideus had withdrawn a little, at evening he returned, and amid the darkness of the night, throwing up the bands of his feet, he girded himself about the middle. And his father cast down to him from above a board to be set under his feet. By both of which supports he lifted him, unknown to the guards, into the lower chamber of his confinement. And after he had obtained his company, he began with the sound of his voice to rejoice in the hymns of the psalms and in prayers ^m.

ANNOTATIONS.

in the time of the Lombards; nay, even before the Lombards it was so called, yet in such a way that the region of Valeria extended more widely than that of the Marsi, as Orlendi writes, part 2, book 4, chapter 3, number 4, whom consult.

\ convenit*

\ In the other manuscript, Maximinus*.