ON THE HOLY ROMAN MARTYRS FORTUNATUS,
FELICIANUS, FIRMUS, CANDIDUS, CASTULA, SECUNDULA, ROGATIANUS, CAIUS,
GREGORIUS, CAPPA, FELICITAS, PLACIDUS, VICTOR, FELIX, MARTIALIS,
CORNELIANUS, SALUSTIUS, MAURICIUS, PAPYRIUS, SECUNDIANUS, INGENUUS, MUSTULA,
VICTORIA, BONOSIA, another VICTORIA, HILARUS, ROGATUS, SATURNINUS.
CommentaryS. Fortunatus, Martyr at Rome. S. Felicianus, Martyr at Rome. S. Firmus, Martyr at Rome. S. Candidus, Martyr at Rome. S. Castula, Martyr at Rome. S. Secundula, Martyr at Rome. S. Rogatianus, Martyr at Rome. S. Caius, Martyr at Rome. S. Gregorius, Martyr at Rome. S. Cappa, Martyr at Rome. S. Felicitas, Martyr at Rome. S. Placidus, Martyr at Rome. S. Victor, Martyr at Rome. S. Felix, Martyr at Rome. S. Martialis, Martyr at Rome. S. Cornelianus, Martyr at Rome. S. Salustius, Martyr at Rome. S. Mauricius, Martyr at Rome. S. Papyrius, Martyr at Rome. S. Secundianus, Martyr at Rome. S. Ingenuus, Martyr at Rome. S. Mustula, Martyr at Rome. S. Victoria, Martyr at Rome. S. Bonosia, Martyr at Rome. S. Victoria the other, Martyr at Rome. S. Hilarus, Martyr at Rome. S. Rogatus, Martyr at Rome. S. Saturninus, Martyr at Rome.
By I. B.
[1] Of these Martyrs, only the first four are recorded in most Martyrologies. Thus Usuardus on the fourth day before the Nones of February: The birthday of these Martyrs; Also at Rome, the holy Martyrs Fortunatus, Felicianus, Firmus, and Candidus. The Roman Martyrology, Bellinus de Padua, the Florarium, and very many manuscripts agree. But the manuscript of S. Mary at Utrecht: Also at Rome, S. Fortunatus and 32 others. Nearly as many are enumerated in the old Roman Martyrology which is called that of S. Jerome; yet apparently copied defectively. Names from the old Martyrology. For it reads thus: At Rome, Forosini, Pruni, Laurenti, Hippolyti: Also at Rome, Fortunati, Feliciani, Firmi, Candidi, Castolae, Secundolae, Rogatiani, Cai, Gregori, Cappae, Felicitatis, Placidi, Victoris, Felicis, Marcialis, Corniliani, Salusti, Maurici, Vrici, Papiris, Secundiani, Ingenui, Mustulae, Victoriae, Bonosiae, Forosi, Pruni; Also Victoriae, Also Hilari, Rogati, Saturnini.
[2] But unless our conjecture is mistaken, some errors are scattered here through the ignorance or carelessness of the copyist. For first, vrici seems to be the last letters of the preceding name Maurici, negligently repeated by a scribe resuming or distracted from his work. Then what do those entries mean: Forosini Pruni, then Forosi Pruni? Errors in which. Are Forosinus, Prunus (or Primus), Forosius, and another Prunus saints? And so are Laurentius and Hippolytus to be joined with the Roman Martyrs? Ferrarius indeed acknowledges in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, as we shall presently say, that he received the names of these saints and the day on which their anniversary memory is kept from the Church of Forum Sempronii: but whether they suffered martyrdom in that city or elsewhere, and in what persecution, is uncertain. However, because they are attributed to Forum Sempronii by many, the words of the old Martyrology would seem to require this restoration: At Rome, the birthday of Hilarus, Rogatus, Saturninus; at Forum Sempronii, Laurentius, Hippolytus; corrected; Also at Rome, Fortunatus, Felicianus, Firmus, Candidus, Castula, etc., Victoria, Bonosia. Also at Forum Sempronii, Victoria. But since this conjecture is not certain to us, we join this second Victoria with the Roman Martyrs. Moreover, below when we treat of those of Forum Sempronii, from other Martyrologies also another trace of error will become apparent, when they read: At Rome, at Forum Sempronii, etc. In the standard Bede and the Martyrologies of Rabanus and Notker, with the others omitted, only the birthday of S. Fortunatus is mentioned. In a shorter Martyrology of the monastery of S. Maximinus, only Felicianus: in the larger Martyrology of the same monastery, S. Saturninus.
[3] Canisius in both editions of the German Martyrology has thus: Also at Rome, SS. Fortunatus, Felix, Firmus and Candidus. In the second edition, with a few words interposed, he adds these, drawn from Galesinius: and of others. At Rome, moreover, the holy Martyrs Fortunatus, Firmus, Candidus and Aurelius. On the same day, in the same city, of thirty thousand holy Martyrs, who were crowned in the Diocletian persecution. But Galesinius has only one Fortunatus, one Firmus and Candidus, which Canisius doubles. Constantius Felicius: Fortunatus, Felicianus, Presbyters; Firmus and Candidus, crowned with martyrdom at Rome. Deceived by the poor punctuation of some codex, in which after the four Roman Martyrs was added separately: At Orleans, S. Fuscolus the Bishop. Although almost the same error is found in the Paris edition of Usuardus of the year 1536. S. Aurelianus belongs elsewhere. Also at Rome, SS. Fortunatus, Felicianus, Firmus, Candidus, Aurelianus, and S. Fuscolus the Bishop. Ferrarius in his general Catalogue of Saints also lists Aurelianus, following Galesinius, who calls him Laurelianus. He is the one who, having won the palm of martyrdom under Decius, was afterwards translated to Pavia, and is venerated on the twenty-second of May.
[4] The codex which Galesinius followed seems to have had 33 Martyrs; Nor were 30,000 Martyrs slain at one time. in much the same way as the Utrecht manuscript cited above at number 1. And he himself apparently read XXXM and interpreted it as thirty thousand. In his Notes he says they were killed in the year of the Lord 305, in the seventh consulship of Diocletian and the seventh of Maximian; and cites the Ecclesiastical Annals. Which ones? Or written by whom? Certainly according to the common Era of Christ, Diocletian had laid down the Empire before the year 305, and Constantius Chlorus and Maximian Galerius held it. Nor do the consulships of Maximian Herculeus VII and Diocletian VII agree. For the latter held his seventh consulship in the year of Christ 299, in which Maximian held his sixth. Perhaps Galesinius wished to write the year 302, with Diocletian VIII and Maximian VII as Consuls. But nowhere do we read that 30,000 were slain; unless that author includes the Martyrs of several months or even years at once.
[5] Constantinus Ghinius numbers those first four among the Canonical Saints; perhaps following Petrus de Natalibus, Were some of these Presbyters? who writes thus in book 11, chapter 130, number 46: Fortunatus, Felicianus, Presbyters; Firmus and Candidus suffered at Rome on the fourth day before the Nones of February.
[6] Three from this company of Martyrs, or certainly those bearing similar names, were carried from Rome to other places: SS. Fortunatus and Candidus translated elsewhere: Fortunatus to Antwerp, Candidus to Volterra, Felicianus to Spain. But we shall treat of Fortunatus and Candidus on the third of February, since they are venerated on that day. Joannes Tamaius de Salazar in his Spanish Martyrology and in the commentary on S. Epitacius relates that the Relics of S. Felicianus were translated to Plasencia. Plasencia is a city in the kingdom of Castile, in the province called Extremadura, likewise S. Felicianus to Plasencia in Spain, formerly inhabited by the Vettones, a city not very ancient indeed — for it has not yet stood for five hundred years — yet famous and noble, and situated in a most pleasant location, whence it also obtained its name: and there are those who claim it was built upon the ruins of an old town destroyed by the Moors. To this place, therefore, the body of S. Felicianus the Martyr was translated from Rome, as the author of the aforementioned commentary on S. Epitacius writes in chapter 6. Since, he says, only two Feliciani are found to have suffered martyrdom at Rome, of whom the one who was the companion of S. Primus is kept elsewhere, it follows that the one who is mentioned in the Roman Martyrology on the second of February was brought to Plasencia. As though the names of all Martyrs, even the Roman ones, were inscribed on the tables of the Martyrology.
[7] The same author writes in his Spanish Martyrology that in the year 1623, in the year 1623, at the request of Itelius Fredericus Zolleranus, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Bishop of Osnabruck, a body was extracted from an ancient cemetery, given to Ferdinandus de Montemayor, Dean of the Church of Plasencia, and is now honorably venerated and preserved in the sacristy of the same Church. He cites the Acts of the donation and translation in his earlier work.