ON ST. VALENTINE I, BISHOP OF TERNI IN UMBRIA, MARTYR,
Preliminary Commentary.
Valentine I, Bishop and Martyr, at Terni in Umbria (St.)
By G. H.
ABOUT THE YEAR 273.
[1] Terni, an ancient city of Umbria, situated between the arms of the river Nera, from which position it received its name, was illuminated by the disciples of the Apostles and is believed to have received the faith of Christ among the first cities of Umbria. In the city of Terni in Umbria, three Bishops named Valentine St. Valentine the Martyr is reckoned in Ughelli's Italia Sacra as the third Bishop of this city. Another Bishop Valentine, a Confessor, concerning whom we treated on the 7th of January, lived about the year 530; after two intervening bishops, there flourished Valentine III, Bishop of the same city, about the year 560.
[2] What St. Valentine I accomplished at Terni is narrated by the same Ughelli as follows: the first was noble, cultivated in letters "St. Valentine," he says, "a Roman, of noble lineage, as it appears to some, being of the most holy character and nobly cultivated in letters, was ordained Bishop of Terni by St. Felician, Bishop of Foligno, who at that time was endeavoring to bring that province to Christ through his preaching, at the petition of the people, about the year of our Lord 203." In that year Ludovico Jacobilli reports, in his Life of St. Felician translated from the Italian into Latin which we published on the 24th of January, that St. Felician was consecrated Bishop at Rome by Pope St. Victor. In that Life the following is read, at chapter 1, number 7: "Strengthened by this authority and the blessing of the Supreme Pontiff, St. Felician set out toward Foligno with his companions, burning with zeal for the glory of God and the propagation of the Christian faith. He is believed to have had St. Abundius the Martyr as his brother His companion on the journey was Abundius of Terni, a man distinguished for holiness and learning, who afterward attained the laurel of martyrdom and is thought to be the same Abundius who, together with Irenaeus, completed his glorious contest at Rome on the 26th of August in the year 261. When the fame of his holiness and of the most ample authority that had been conferred on Felician had spread, he received St. Felician, Bishop of Foligno, as his guest as he approached Terni, the Clergy of that city went out to meet him and received him with the greatest testimony of honor and reverence. He enjoyed the hospitality of Valentine the Deacon, a citizen of the first rank and preeminent in virtue and learning, who was the brother of the aforementioned Abundius and underwent a noble martyrdom at Rome on the 14th of February under the Prefect Placidus. Here Felician, having begun his preaching with outstanding doctrine and a certain burning spirit, persuaded many in that city to be initiated into the Christian sacred rites. He remained there for several days with his excellent hosts, Valentine and Abundius, continually instructing and exhorting the people, he is ordained Bishop by him and finally consecrated Valentine as Bishop and placed him over the people of Terni at their request. He also ordained a considerable number of priests, restored certain churches, and blessed the entire people." So writes Jacobilli, who establishes that St. Valentine was not a Roman but a native of Terni, together with St. Abundius, about whom we leave the remainder to be examined at its proper time. Concerning the episcopate of St. Valentine, we published the following from the Acts of the same Felician, from the Metz and Trier manuscripts: "Then St. Felician, recognizing that Valentine, a Deacon of the city of Terni, was firmly attached to him, by permission of Pope St. Victor by the permission of the aforesaid Victor, himself consecrated him Bishop; and he ordained as Priests certain others whom he himself had taught, by the inspiration of the Lord."
[3] St. Valentine, having been established in the episcopal dignity, as Ughelli continues, he established congregations everywhere and always displayed a remarkable zeal for Christian piety. He established two Congregations, one of Clergy and the other of Virgins, of whom St. Agape was one. He further instructed in the faith Saturninus, Castulus, he instructs various persons, afterward Martyrs Magnus, and Lucius, who afterward became illustrious Martyrs and are commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on the 15th of February, while the Church of Terni celebrates their feast on the 17th of the same month. So much for that. Concerning St. Agape, Virgin and Martyr, we shall treat with the same Church of Terni on the 15th of February. Juan Tamayo de Salazar inscribed St. Valentine in his Spanish Martyrology under the 14th of February and adds his Acts from the manuscript Asturian Legendary, in which his See of Terni is not the city of Umbria commonly called Terni, but the other city of the Abruzzi, commonly called Teramo. For those Acts begin thus: "Valentine is born of noble birth at Interamna in Italy, in the Abruzzi, within the boundaries of the Praetutii among the foothills of the Apennine mountain, who, having completed the primary studies of letters, was called to the ministry of the Diaconate, and surpassing all the Clergy of his own age and of greater rank, at the petition of the people and the insistence of the Clergy, was made Bishop of Terni by St. Felician, Bishop of Foligno. a zealous propagator of the faith Invested with this new burden, turning his mind to the propagation of the Christian faith, he established two Congregations of Clergy and Virgins, from whose cloister a certain admirable virgin, Agape, a pupil, proceeded." So reads the Asturian manuscript.
[4] The deeds performed with distinction by St. Valentine at Rome, whither he was summoned before his martyrdom, in the final period of his life, survive accurately recorded by an ancient author. Acts of the martyrdom and deeds at Rome Surius published them at this date from very ancient manuscript codices, but, as he warns, with the style slightly altered in certain places; we give them with the original words preserved, from Mombritius and various manuscripts, especially those of Gladbach in the Duchy of Julich, St. Maximin near Trier, Utrecht, another codex of ours, and another belonging to Her Most Serene Highness Christina, Queen of Sweden. The same Acts are extant in the monastery of St. Hubert and on the Isle of Chievres. The same Acts are recited, either in abridged form or incomplete, in the Ecclesiastical Office at Matins distributed into various lessons, as may be seen in the ancient Breviaries: related in various Breviaries those of Strasbourg (1478), Speyer (1477), Osnabruck (1516), Erfurt (1518), a very ancient one of Salisbury, as well as those of Lille, Bruges, Langres, and others. The same Prayer or Collect is appended which is found concerning St. Valentine the Priest in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory and to this day in the Roman Breviary and Missal; in some, the dignity or rank of Pontiff or Bishop is inserted. In the Erfurt Breviary, the first three Lessons are recited about St. Valentine the Priest, to which three further Lessons about St. Valentine, Bishop of Terni, are added. In the codex of the Fathers of the Oratory at Rome, the Life of St. Valentine the Priest is distributed into six Lessons, to which are added a seventh, eighth, and ninth about the Life of St. Valentine, Bishop of Terni, which is less abridged there than in other Breviaries. Baronius perhaps has these Acts in mind when he states in his Notes that older manuscript copies of them are held in his library. Other abridgments of this Life have been published by Peter of Equilino in his Catalogue, Book 3, chapter 122, who calls him Bishop of Ichtyrana; abridged by other writers by George Wicelius, who places Ichtyrana in Parthia but rather believes he was Bishop of Terni; by Zacharias Lippelous, "from the text which," he says, "exists in Mombritius with the best fidelity"; and by Ferrarius in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy.
[5] The veneration of the same St. Valentine, inscribed in the ancient Martyrologies, is celebrated. In the ancient Roman Martyrology, his memory inscribed in the sacred calendars which is attributed to St. Jerome, the following is read in the first place: "On the 16th day before the Kalends of March, at Terni, on the Via Flaminia, the Birthday of Valentine." Another St. Valentine was killed on that road, so that the memory of both appears to be confused. Others generally celebrate both, and concerning this one the old Roman Martyrology published by Rosweyde has the following: "Of St. Valentine, Bishop of Terni." The manuscript of St. Riquier: "At Terni, of St. Valentine, Bishop and Martyr." Bede, Ado, Rabanus, Notker, the manuscript Martyrologies of St. Cyriacus, St. Maximin at Trier, St. Martin at Tournai, the Laetia, the Aachen, and others adorn him with this eulogy drawn from the Acts: "On the same day, the birthday of St. Valentine, Bishop of Terni, who was seized by the pagans and beaten with rods, and after a prolonged (others say 'protracted') beating was consigned to custody. When he could not be overcome, in the silence of midnight he was dragged from prison and beheaded by order of the furious Prefect of the City, Placidus. Then Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius, his disciples, transferred his body to their own Church in the city of Terni and buried it by night. When they were keeping nightly vigils there, they were seized by the pagans and handed over to the custody of the Consular Leontius, who ordered them to be brought before his tribunal in the middle of the night; and when they could not be recalled from the faith either by blandishments or threats, he ordered them to be beheaded. They were buried not far from the body of St. Valentine." Their martyrdom is celebrated in the Ecclesiastical Office on the 16th of February by the Church of Terni. Of Valentine alone Usuard, Bellini, the manuscript Martyrologies of Liege (St. Lambert's), Utrecht (St. Mary's), and others make mention; their words are found nearly verbatim in the Roman Martyrology: "At Terni, St. Valentine, Bishop and Martyr, who, after a protracted beating, was consigned to custody. When he could not be overcome, in the silence of midnight he was dragged from prison and beheaded by order of the Prefect of the City, Placidus." In the Roman Martyrology is added the martyrdom of SS. Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius. Other eulogies drawn from the Acts were composed by Galesini and Maurolycus, and they report that Chaeremon, the son of St. Crato, was healed by him. The feast of St. Crato is on the 15th of February.
[6] The period in which St. Valentine flourished is indicated by the manuscript Acts of St. Felician, he flourished in the third century of Christ by whom he was consecrated Bishop with the permission of Pope St. Victor. St. Victor presided over the Church from the year 192 to the year 201, when he was crowned with martyrdom on the 28th of July; Eusebius, in Book 5 of his Ecclesiastical History, chapter 27, teaches that St. Zephyrinus succeeded him about the ninth year of the Emperor Severus. St. Felician underwent martyrdom in the seventh persecution, launched against the Christians by Decius in the year 250. But under which Emperor St. Valentine suffered is not known. "They conjecture," says Ughelli, "about the year 260; others, 273, under Aurelian, did he die under Aurelian or Claudius II? who renewed the persecution against the Christians which is reckoned as the ninth." But the manuscript Acts of St. Valentine in our codex name Claudius II, the predecessor of Aurelian, and begin thus: "In the time of the Emperor Claudius, there was a certain Christian named Valentine, a Priest of the city of Terni, who underwent an illustrious martyrdom under Placidus, Prefect of the city of Rome. When therefore the Athenians nobly born, Proculus," etc. But it is possible that the conversion of Crato and others took place under Claudius, and the martyrdom under Aurelian. Under whichever Emperor he fell, it happened in the third century of Christ, and the errors of various writers are readily apparent. In the manuscript Asturian Legendary, he is said both to have been made Bishop by St. Felician not under Trajan and to have found eternal life by having his neck broken at the command of Placidus, in the year of the Lord 111, under the Emperor Trajan -- statements which do not cohere, and which have been erroneously transferred from another Valentine Martyr to this one.
[7] Molanus, in his Nativities of the Saints of Belgium, under the 30th of September, citing the Lessons of the Church of Aachen, reports that St. Leopardus the Martyr, whose body is preserved in that Church, had been a scholar of Valentine at Rome near the Milvian Bridge, and that by decree of Julian he was beheaded outside the walls of the city nor under Julian and was buried by Valentine at Otricoli. The same account is found in the manuscript Acts, which call the bridge "Pons Molinus" -- that is, the Milvian Bridge, concerning which we have treated in the Acts of St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr. Molanus judges the Valentine mentioned to be the Bishop of Terni, whose dates are not specified in the account. Molanus is followed in the History of Aachen by Peter Beeck, chapter 9, and by Francis Haraeus under the 14th of February. Ferrarius attacks Molanus in his Notes on the Life of St. Leopardus, asserting that St. Valentine, Bishop of Terni, was put to death under Diocletian; yet Ferrarius himself is not sufficiently consistent with himself, since under the 14th of February he had said that his head was cut off under the Emperor Aurelian about the year 273, and in his new Topography, that the Martyr died under Claudius -- at which time St. Valentine the Priest completed his contest for Christ. But the other Valentine, the master of St. Leopardus, is nowhere in the latter's Acts called a Saint or a Martyr.
[8] The same Ferrarius notes under the 14th of February that the acts of another Valentine, Bishop of Terni, nor in the time of the Emperor Justin who lived under the Emperor Justin, are confused by some with the acts of this one; this Ughelli also observes regarding this Valentine's successor Proculus. Lippelous also, or Cornelius Grassius, in his review of the Acts of St. Valentine, warns that this Valentine is different from the one whom Peter mentions in his Catalogue, Book 1, chapter 15, in the Life of St. Proculus, Bishop and Martyr, who lived in the times of the Emperor Justin. On account of which passage, Tamayo de Salazar says that they assign the martyrdom of this Valentine to the times of the Emperor Justin, whereas they absolutely assert, with Baronius, that he appears to have suffered in the time of the pagan Emperors. In the Breviary of Worms, printed in the year 1578, the Legend of St. Valentine ends thus: "The Senators, indignant, nor in the year 1048 first beat Valentine with rods, then beheaded him, in the year of the Lord one thousand and forty-eight." I suspect an error has crept into the numbers somewhere, and that perhaps the original reading was the year 248, and that someone copied it as the year 1048.
[9] The body of St. Valentine is reported by Ughelli and Ferrarius to have been discovered in a lead casket on the 21st of July in the year 1605, the body discovered in the year 1605 by the Bishop of Terni; Ferrarius, in his general Catalogue under that date, records this discovery thus: "At Terni in Umbria, the Finding of St. Valentine, Bishop and Martyr"; and he notes that the same event is treated in the manuscript or as yet unpublished records of that Church. At that time the Bishop presiding over the Church of Terni was Giovanni Antonio Onorato, who died the following year, 1606. The bodies of SS. Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius were found at the same time, as we shall relate on the 16th of February.
LIFE
by an anonymous ancient author, from five manuscripts and Mombritius.
Valentine I, Bishop and Martyr, at Terni in Umbria (St.)
BHL Number: 8460
FROM MANUSCRIPTS.
[1] The Prophet speaks to God: "According to Your height You have multiplied the sons of men." In this very multiplication, those especially belong to God who have vowed their lives to the Creator, St. Valentine, renowned for the power of his miracles so that they make body and soul cling most intently to Christ. Whence the blessed man, the Bishop of Terni, St. Valentine, by living well merited to cling to the virtues, which virtues rendered the hidden man altogether conspicuous to the minds of believers.
[2] When therefore certain Athenians, nobly born -- Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius -- scholarly men among the Greeks, he is summoned to Rome by St. Crato on account of his son's illness desired to pursue Latin studies, they were lodging in the city of Rome at the house of their fellow citizen Crato, an orator skilled in both languages, and were nurtured by his instruction and hospitality. It happened that Crato's only son, a young scholar named Chaeremon, fell into such an illness that, with his back bent over, his head resting between his knees, he remained thus. And when almost all the physicians in the city of Rome could offer him no remedy by any means, a certain Fonteius, a man of tribunician rank, declared that the same affliction had befallen his own brother more severely, and that he had been cured by a certain holy man, Valentine, a Bishop, who is a citizen of the city of Terni; and he urged Crato to send for him. Moreover, the boy himself, from the time he was cured, did not leave Valentine, saying that he was bound by an overpowering love for his goodness. When Crato heard this, he sent noble men, his friends, to ask Valentine to deign to come to the city of Rome. When Crato had received the arriving Valentine as his guest, he showed him his son Chaeremon and began to beseech him that, just as he had cured the brother of Fonteius, so he would likewise come to the aid of this one.
[3] St. Valentine the Bishop said to him: "If you are willing, he shall be cured." And Crato said to him: "I have resolved to give you half of my substance, if you can free him from this infirmity." St. Valentine answered him: "I marvel that you, a prudent master, have not perceived what I said: 'If you are willing, he shall be cured.' For if you believe in my Christ, your faith is more precious to God than you, who place your hope in the most worthless and vain things, and asks him to embrace the faith believing that the images of wicked men, carved in wood or whatever metal, possess some divinity -- men who earned this by their own merit. But now, they cannot be believed to be gods, since, occupied with the most sordid deeds and the most cruel acts, they had no time free from crimes. But if you defend the faith which I propose from this injury, and commit it to the invisible and almighty God, the health you seek shall be given to your son. As for your wealth, the half of which you wished to promise me, offer it to the poor, that they may pray for your son; but you will by no means be able to persuade me to seek anything else from you for his salvation other than faith. Believe, therefore, that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the true God, and renounce all idols, and you shall see your son made whole." Crato said to him: "Although I do not know the manner in which your religion is observed, I have nevertheless heard that each person is saved through his own faith, and that another's faith does not profit another, nor can another's unbelief harm another."
[4] St. Valentine the Bishop said: "There are certain circumstances of human life in which one person can neither be freed nor perish on behalf of another. For a father who wavers in faith cannot harm a faithful son. In those circumstances, therefore, which necessity demands, they seek health while one suffers: a father for a son, a sister for a brother, a master for a servant; and we read that a son was restored to his father, a brother to his sister, and a servant restored to his master. Therefore, on behalf of their destruction, those who were in torment received the fullness of faith to this end, he teaches that many have been aided through the faith of others that both might become faithful, and that temporal health given to bodies might win for souls eternal salvation -- just as it happened that the Centurion received back his dying servant, and the ruler of the synagogue beheld his dead daughter returned to life, and the sisters rejoiced that Lazarus, who already had four days in the tomb, whom they mourned and wept for, had been raised by the voice of the Lord. There are also many other examples in the new and old sacred volumes which affirm these things, and which teach that the faith of one person has come to the aid of others, and that the unbelief of one has harmed others -- which it would take long to recount now. For the unbelief of Pharaoh, a single man, caused all Egypt to be struck with various plagues, until he perished together with his army. And the faith of Moses granted victory to those present, drawn from their enemies. And the holiness of Joshua bestowed abundant triumph upon the peoples scattered in dispersion. Why should I mention that a dead only son was raised for the believing widow by Elijah, or that an only son was restored from the bier to the grieving widow by Christ? Why mention the paralytic who was lowered by believers on ropes together with his bed and healed? Did not the faith of one so profit others that the faith of believers won the praise of the Divine lips, and cast out unbelief from the unbelieving, and restored health to the ailing, and renewed life in the dead?"
[5] As St. Valentine the Bishop continued with these and many similar arguments, Crato the orator fell at his feet, saying: "I believe that He whom you preach is the true God, and that apart from Him there is no other who can command disease to depart, he persuades him, after destroying the idols, to be baptized command death to flee, command life to return." St. Valentine the Bishop said: "The Christian faith is demonstrated not only in words but also in deeds." Crato said to him: "What are the deeds by which faith can be shown?" St. Valentine the Bishop said: "That one should renounce the idols made by hand, whose images are worshiped in temples, and, washed clean from all sin in the purest font, be adopted as a son of God." Crato said: "Water, which washes the filth of the body, how can it cleanse sins?" St. Valentine the Bishop said: "That water, through the mystery of the invoked Trinity, receives the Holy Spirit into itself, and through Him all sins and offenses shall be forgiven." Crato said to him: "While our disputation extends further, the life of my son Chaeremon grows shorter."
[6] St. Valentine the Bishop said to him: "Unless you believe those things which you have never been able to hear or see, he explains the life of Christ and the mysteries of religion your son cannot be saved." Crato said to him: "What is it that I have been able neither to hear nor conceive in my heart?" St. Valentine the Bishop said: "Have you ever heard that a virgin conceived, that a virgin gave birth, that a virgin remained a virgin after giving birth? Have you ever heard or seen anyone traverse the expanse of the waves with dry feet, command the winds, still a tempest by his command, and finally, having been crucified, died, and buried, rise again on the third day, and in the sight of many ascend into heaven, with Angels testifying that, as he ascended, he would come again unto judgment? If you believe these things were done, come forward and be baptized, so that you may attain the salvation of your son, and through him arrive at everlasting life." Crato said to him: "However many things you may say, and however great the abundance of words may be, it can all be summed up in this one thing: whether this one, for whom these things are said, shall be saved."
[7] St. Valentine the Bishop said: "Since the wisdom of the world, in which you appear to be a master, is foolishness before God, Crato accepting the pact, if his son is healed and you cannot believe as perfectly as the faith itself demands, in which one must believe, give me your pledge under this promise: that if your son is saved through my faith, you, through the salvation of your son, will be converted to Christ with your entire household." Then Crato summoned his wife with his entire household, and prostrate at his feet, began to promise that, if the boy were made whole, they would all believe in Christ. Now present at this spectacle were Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius, whom we know to have been accomplished in Greek and to have come to pursue Latin studies. They likewise, desiring in the same manner that their teacher's son Chaeremon be made whole, affirmed that they too would believe.
[8] Then St. Valentine the Bishop ordered a room to be prepared for himself shut in the room, he prays and silence to be kept for one day and one night. And he shut the door upon himself and the boy Chaeremon, who for three years past had lain with his whole body so contorted and knotted up that, with his head between his knees, he remained thus and could not have any part of his body free in its limbs. For his arms and legs were so twisted together that no physician could claim to have found a name for this affliction. Then St. Valentine the Bishop, a man of God, full of faith, having shut the door, as we have said, and spread a haircloth on the ground, lifted the boy Chaeremon from his bed and laid him half-dead upon the haircloth on which he himself was accustomed to pray; and as he remained the whole night in the praises of God and prayer, about the middle hour of the night so great a light appeared and obtains health for the boy that those who were watching near the room thought a flame had been kindled within. But when the space of one hour had passed, the boy arose in perfect health and at once began to sing out in a clear voice with praise of God. When his parents heard him singing to the Lord -- he whose only sound for three years they had heard was groaning and moaning -- all together rejoicing, they begged St. Valentine to open the doors for them. But he said: "Unless I have completed the appointed number of prayers and hymns, I will not open to you."
[9] He baptizes St. Crato with his household But when the dawn was already bringing the night to an end, St. Valentine opened the door of the room and presented the young Chaeremon to his parents, freed from all illness, as if he had suffered nothing at all. Then Crato with his wife and his entire household believed and was baptized. Chaeremon, however, could by no argument be persuaded to leave the footsteps of St. Valentine. [and SS. Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius, who devoted themselves to spiritual studies] And Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius, casting aside the studies of human wisdom, so gave themselves over to the Lord that they read nothing more at all of human literature; but, being converted to the Lord, they devoted themselves to spiritual studies under a master whose not only words but also deeds were proved to be wonderful.
[10] Meanwhile, through these men a multitude of scholars was flowing to Christ, so that Abundius, the son of the Prefect of the City, was moved in his heart after many conversions and in a public voice proclaimed himself a servant of Christ with the fullness of faith. Then the indignation of nearly all the Senators was kindled, and St. Valentine the Bishop was seized and beaten with rods; seized, beaten, beheaded he was compelled to sacrifice to the demons, and after prolonged beating was consigned to custody. But seeing that he grew more steadfast, and that he gloried in both the beating and the imprisonment, and that he strengthened the spirits of all who had believed in Christ through him, in the silence of midnight they dragged him from prison and beheaded him by order of the furious Placidus, Prefect of the City. Then Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius took up the body of the venerable Martyr of Christ and he is buried at Terni and transferred it by a night's journey to their own church in the city of Terni, and there in a suburban plot of ground purchased not far from the same city they committed it to a most honorable burial. When they remained there in nightly vigils praising God, they were seized by the pagans and handed over to the custody of the Consular Leontius. This Leontius, knowing that Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius had many admirers among the people who knew them, and fearing that they might be violently taken from him by the populace, ordered them to be brought before his tribunal in the middle of the night. When he saw that they could neither be deceived by blandishments nor broken by threats, SS. Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius undergo martyrdom he ordered them to undergo the capital sentence. He himself, however, immediately fleeing with his retinue, did not allow his destination to be known. Then all the people had indeed grief over their death, but joy over their martyrdom. Moreover, the holy Martyrs were buried by St. Abundius not far from the body of St. Valentine, praising the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
AnnotationsON THE VENERATION OF THE HEAD OF ST. VALENTINE THE MARTYR AT JUMIEGES IN GAUL
Preliminary Commentary.
Valentine the Martyr (St.), Veneration of the Head at Jumieges in Gaul
By G. H.
[1] Jumieges, an ancient monastery of the Benedictine Order situated on a peninsula of the river Seine, is about five leagues distant from Rouen, in whose diocese it is located. In the church of this monastery the head of St. Valentine the Martyr, brought there from Rome, is preserved. [Baldric, Bishop of Dol, wrote the history of this veneration about the year 1020.] Renowned for many miracles and exposed for public veneration, it is honored with an annual feast. The history of this Translation and its miracles was written by Baldric, Bishop (or, as he himself writes, Metropolitan Pontiff) of the city of Dol in Armorican Brittany, who flourished at the beginning of the twelfth century. From his pen we have a History of Jerusalem in four books, published among the Gesta Dei per Francos. He begins it from the year 1095, from which that military expedition to the East takes its beginning, and concludes with the capture of Jerusalem, which occurred five years later. Orderic Vitalis describes it in his Ecclesiastical History, Book 9, where toward the end he reports the following about the author: "He was a citizen of Orleans, a monk and Abbot of Bourgueil, imbued with the liberal arts, and venerable for the merits of a religious life. Thence, on account of his piety and wisdom, he was advanced to the rank of Archbishop of Dol by Ecclesiastical election. In the episcopate he maintained the monastic life, and for the most part dwelt with monks, as fortune allowed. For he presided over the untamed Bretons, whose perversity he could not endure. Whence he frequently abandoned the insolent and lawless folk and fled to Normandy, who often resided in Normandy where the Church of Dol, on the river Risle, from the times of St. Samson in the reign of King Childebert of the Franks, held and peacefully possessed estates. There by his writings and teachings he incited his hearers to the worship of God, and visited the neighboring monasteries -- and visited the monks of Jumieges namely Fecamp, Fontenelle, and Jumieges, and several others -- and strengthened them in the fear of God with sacred discourses. At length he died at a good old age and was buried at Preaux in the basilica of the Apostle St. Peter, before the Crucifix." So writes Orderic, who completed his History in the year of Christ 1141. Concerning other Acts of Saints written by the same Baldric, we shall treat at their proper time.
[2] This history of the Translation of the head of St. Valentine and the miracles was communicated to us from the manuscript codex of the Church of St. Ouen by our colleague Frederick Flouet. Bishop Baldric, in support of the authority of this writing, cites in number 1 the not-to-be-doubted sincerity of the monks of Jumieges, their ancient simplicity, and their pure report, by what authority he judges it and for the miracles, their testimonies. And in number 17, after relating the miracle of the restoration of health to Brother Hugo the Precentor, he adds: "This we drew from his own lips, while other Brothers who attested the same along with him were listening."
[3] To which St. Valentine that sacred head ought to be attributed is not equally clear. He is called in number 2 "Priest of Terni." But it was the Bishop of Terni; and St. Valentine the Priest is reported to have been a Roman, and his head to be preserved among the Romans in the church of St. Sebastian. Moreover, in the year 1605 the body of St. Valentine the Bishop was discovered among the people of Terni in a lead casket, to which Valentine the head belongs which the Spaniards likewise believed to be preserved in the Benedictine monastery of Baga near the city of Rubricata close to Barcelona, and that his head had been brought to the city of Toro in the diocese of Zamora and was kept in a silver casket. These things seem to apply to another Saint of the same name, Valentine.
ACTS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE HEAD AND MIRACLES,
by Baldric, Bishop of Dol, from a Rouen manuscript.
Valentine the Martyr (St.), Veneration of the Head at Jumieges in Gaul
BHL Number: 8461
From manuscripts.
CHAPTER I
The head of St. Valentine was brought from Rome to Jumieges. When the fields were freed from an incursion of vermin, veneration increased.
[1] How the head of the most blessed Valentine was brought all the way to Jumieges through successive periods of time, let my pen, though quite unpolished, not be reluctant to describe, just as the not-to-be-doubted sincerity of the Brethren reported it to us, and the ancient and wondrous simplicity of the Fathers had made it known to them. Prologue of the author. I, therefore, Baldric, Priest of the holy Church of Dol, though unworthy, by dignity Metropolitan Pontiff, regarding the pure report of the monks of Jumieges as sufficient authority, have taken care to set down in writing what I heard concerning the translation of the head; and also the few miracles out of many which the Lord deigned to work through him, which I credulous learned by their testimony.
[2] A certain man who held the priestly office, hastening to the thresholds of the Apostles for the purpose of prayer, traveled to Rome It is obtained by a Priest who traveled to Rome and completed the journey he had undertaken, with God prospering his way. He had, however, arranged certain ascensions in his heart, so that, if by any means he should find relics of the Saints, he would carefully bring them back and more carefully preserve them. The Priest, having lodged in someone's house, revealed his desire to someone, in case he might perchance find some consolation for his longing. While they were conversing about these matters, a certain person came forward who made mention of Valentine the Priest of Terni: "That one's head, my dear friend, the head of St. Valentine the Martyr I could bestow upon you, not allured by desire for gain, but very solicitous that the province beyond the mountains might thereby rejoice and be illuminated. If you do not believe me when I speak, I want you at least to believe me when I swear: for I profess that what I say is true." And so he swore this voluntarily to the Priest, and after the oath he brought out the head of Valentine, which he knew to be hidden, and gave satisfaction by handing it over to the Priest. For the Priest also pledged under oath to treat the head honorably; and so, having exchanged farewells, one departed from the other. The Priest understood, therefore, that the Lord had been the prosperer of his journey, because He had made him the possessor of his vow.
[3] The Priest returned, bearing the long-desired treasure, and placed all his hope in Valentine's prayers. He crossed unharmed the rough and pathless mountains and crags it is brought to Jumieges and at length arrived in Neustria. The Priest entrusted the patronage of that most holy head it is deposited without veneration wherever it pleased him; and some time later, when it had been brought to the monastery of Jumieges, he delivered it to the members of that Church, and there he assumed the monastic habit. They placed it for the time being behind the altar of the Blessed Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, since they did not yet dare to proclaim it publicly. Many years passed, and aging time almost obliterated these reports; yet frequent conversation and discussion about Valentine continued among those Brethren. Some of them knew the place where the head was hidden, but they did not wish to reveal it to any outsiders. They deferred, therefore, to a future time, until the Governor of times should grant them an opportune moment. They feared that what was kept concealed might be demanded from them. By now they had placed that noble pledge in an ivory case in an ivory case and had put it among other old caskets. Some indeed doubted, lest perhaps they had another head in place of Valentine's. some doubting They had only heard about the oath; but they most anxiously feared perjury in their hearts. Blessed Valentine, not yet evidently known to everyone, had not clearly manifested himself to them.
[4] It happened at some point that the gracious God visited the colonists of Jumieges and mercifully corrected them; for He no longer wished His servant, whom He had decreed would benefit Neustria, to remain hidden. The King of Kings, that wondrous craftsman, therefore sent when vermin were devastating the fields a certain army of His vengeance that would be very harmful to the people of Jumieges, and that would destroy all their crops unless they quickly cried out to Him. He sent, I say, little beasts to attack and overcome the human race, similar to mice, which they call "mulots" (voles); these were depopulating all the agriculture and were hostile to human beings in a marvelous fashion, in fierce wedge formations: they were cutting the sown crops, consuming the grain, and reducing the cultivated land to desolation. Thus, thus does the most serene One sometimes prepare evil visitations against us, so that we may be corrected, so that we may cry out, when the inhabitants invoked the help of God so that we may not fail, and so that we may be heard. The people of Jumieges cried out to the Lord, to whom indeed they ought to cry out, because scarcely anything was left from those animals. For neither by day nor by night did they cease from devouring the crops; but the hostile swarm, with hostile teeth, was cutting down every summit of the harvest. You could see those savage legions rioting through the fields; nor was there anyone who could resist the Divine vengeance. They cried out, therefore, to the Lord from the depths of their hearts, who at length heard them and in this manner freed the afflicted; for they were compelled to confess that that suffering and that scourge had proceeded from no other source than the vengeance of God.
[5] There was in the church of Jumieges, among the religious Brethren, a certain devout man, to whom St. Valentine appeared once in the church and a second time. St. Valentine appearing to a monk He was a person of honorable appearance, clad in a white cloak, adorned with priestly vestments; in a commanding voice he said to him: "Go and tell the Brethren to carry our head -- concerning which some have doubts (for I am Valentine) -- through the fields and this region, and to go around the crossroads and streets; for truly God will be propitious to them if from now on they remember me more promptly." The man ignored it, since he thought it was a dream. On the following day Valentine was seen to repeat the same words. repeatedly Nor then did the monk acquiesce, but still remained silent and waited. On the following night, while the Brethren were almost finishing the Matins prayers, he urges that his head be carried about in procession Valentine appeared in a reproving manner, and with a voice that could be heard by many, he thus rebuked the indolent monk: "How long will you dissemble? How long will you be idle? Do you not see what great calamities threaten this land? Go, speak; delay no longer. Otherwise..." Some people heard someone speaking and a commotion, but they did not understand the words. The one to whom the command had been given, summoned forth, terribly roused by Valentine's threats, related the first and second visions and reproached his own negligence.
[6] After he had spoken about the third visitation, they believed him, since they had heard the voice of the one rebuking. Immediately they all hasten to remove delays, adorn the casket of Blessed Valentine so that it may be carried, fit it together, reverently place their necks beneath the bier -- for this they presumed to do in the Lord's name. The neighboring inhabitants flock together in crowds; they pour forth prayers and tears, somewhat chastened; they conduct a procession, and through the intercessions of Blessed Valentine they seek and await liberation by his piety. The head is carried around They perform the Litanies and lead Christian processional dances in a circuit. That most holy bier contained that noble propitiatory, which was being carried, in which after God they singularly trusted. A wondrous thing: that hostile swarm, so very hostile to human beings -- those voles, as if they had sensed Valentine's rebuke -- thenceforth, gathered into a mass unharmed, they hastened to the river Seine, either of their own accord or compelled by Valentine's command; the vermin leap into the Seine and are drowned they entered the impassable channel of the river and were submerged, and trapped in the vast whirlpools, they were suffocated. For the Almighty, to demonstrate the power of His beloved one, was exterminating that exterminating horde, and was thereby spreading the name of His Valentine.
[7] The fishermen marveled and were astonished at the unaccustomed providence, catching them in their nets. Thus within a few days those voles were swallowed up in the deep gulfs, and all the inhabitants rejoiced at their departure. For that evil army had not yet ground everything down to the point of total annihilation, the inhabitants rejoice since Valentine's prayer had forestalled that plague. They therefore harvested what they found remaining, more gladdened by so immediate a miracle than saddened by the preceding damage; for they had with them a faithful Patron, a ready hearer, a most efficacious helper, to whom they had commended themselves -- their lord Valentine. They also trusted they choose St. Valentine as their Patron that the Lord would free them through Blessed Valentine from all other distresses, since they promised that they would henceforth honor him more magnificently. That miracle was spread abroad in every direction, and it became common to hear Blessed Valentine frequently on the lips of all. they cover the case with silver They therefore at once prepared a more elegant setting in which he might rest or be carried about, and they covered the casket with silver from their munificent donations.
CHAPTER II
Fires extinguished by the aid of St. Valentine. Plague and drought removed.
[8] For the quenching of harmful fires, the power of the oft-named Martyr was proved in such matters. The workshops of the servants were spacious and extended, and were adjacent and contiguous to the workshops of the monks, so that scarcely a narrow space separated the two from each other. A fire breaks out A fire carelessly banked up grew hot and immediately seized the entire building of those workshops. The conflagration raged with crackling flames and gravely threatened the buildings of the monks, since it would also be to the detriment of the church itself. The wind was blowing against the monastic roofs, and leaping sparks and flames were being driven into the dwellings of the servants of God. when the head of St. Valentine was interposed The monks were chanting Matins, but, compelled by the necessity of the fire, they interrupted their psalmody, for they dreaded the danger that loomed. They had already lost all hope of escaping, when certain of them brought the bier of Valentine and thrust it nearly into the flames and set it against the raging fire. They left the case between the nearest buildings and withdrew, because, driven out, they could not bear the force and heat of the fire. the fire is stopped, the wind turning to the contrary direction At that very moment the wind died down, and a contrary wind began to blow; and so the fire, turned back upon itself, wasted away and was extinguished. You could see the beam of a certain house burned on one side, yet remaining unharmed on the other. All rejoiced to bear witness to so immediate a miracle. For who would not rejoice at that, loudly praising God and Blessed Valentine? For the more abundant that Martyr was in miracles, the more glorious he was to them and to the neighboring peoples.
[9] Again it happened that in the nighttime hours a stealthy fire found and seized fuel prepared for it in a building; again a fire, when the relics were brought nor did the clandestine fire merely leap over the rooftops of the building; rather, with foul vapors, it invaded and consumed whatever was made of wood. The force of the blazing conflagration struck back against the stars, and the mass of dense cinders threatened danger to the church itself; for the contrary wind was driving sparks back into the very church. The relics of St. Valentine were brought, it is extinguished and the wind at once, as if ashamed, subsided, and with equal force desisted from its fury, and all the most savage heat immediately fell silent.
[10] We have found the power of the holy Martyr Valentine proved in other miracles as well. For he often tamed an immoderate mortality among men and made known by manifest signs how great his merit is before God. To recall a few instances out of many, I will add something more, so that in these things too God may be glorified and Blessed Valentine magnified. In modern times a horrible plague settled upon the people of a certain village, which appears to be Duclair, a plague in a certain village and that dire pestilence crept upon those mortals so grievously that every day ten, or at the very least seven or six, corpses were carried out, scarcely to be buried by the survivors. For those who had at one time been thought healthy, stricken by the swift disease, perished and followed those whom they had carried out for burial yesterday or the day before. Such was the state of affairs in that calamity that whoever felt the slightest pain expected nothing but untimely death. They had to some extent ceased to celebrate the customary funeral rites, because either all or each individual feared for himself in common. The tears, too, which survivors are wont to offer to the buried, which the feeling of humanity wrings from their loved ones, these -- in reverse order -- they were spending upon the living on their own behalf, since they were already assured regarding the dead; and as if their laments had been dried up, after someone of their own was struck by the disease, tears were shed only for the one who would soon depart. The trembling people, the anxious people, turned their grief and lamentations to the Lord, and begged that Blessed Valentine be brought to them; when the head of St. Valentine was brought there, the plague ceased for that place was, and is, a property of the Brothers of Jumieges. Why should I delay longer? That embrace-worthy propitiatory was carried there, and the people of God experienced his aid. For those who were ill, thanks be to God, immediately recovered; nor did anyone afterward depart except by natural death and more prolonged infirmity. That people rejoiced and exulted, because the wicked plague had fled; they gave thanks to God and commended themselves from the depths of their hearts to the most blessed Valentine.
[11] Since we have once made mention of the escape from plague through the divine Valentine, and since we were present at this event, let us relate another consolation bestowed upon people through Valentine. In the place called Bliquetuit, a plague began to rage fiercely and to devastate that territory. the same befell another village A message was sent to Jumieges; the people and the chief men of that settlement asked that the most holy Valentine be directed there, as the one who was sufficiently near to that hamlet. Valentine was directed there, and how much he availed before God was immediately demonstrated. The settled plague cooled, and the divine Valentine returned to his own with great cheerfulness and a splendid procession, at which we also had the privilege of being present. Because Valentine is found ineffective in nothing, on the third day the inhabitants of that land followed after him, giving thanks and announcing that the plague had ceased. They added further: "Those who were lying in their beds and had wasted away as if in a trance while you were with us -- behold, through our divine Valentine they have recovered."
[12] One further matter, although many remain, I think should be added in writing, which can by no means be attributed to anything other than a miracle. The grasses had withered, the crops had turned white, since an untimely drought had dried up the land; every field, dusty, was threatening barrenness, on account of a great drought and every God-fearing man was lamenting. The monks of Jumieges proclaimed a procession, at which you could observe the devotion of the populace; nor could Valentine remain behind, the timely companion of necessary processions, and therefore inseparable from them -- for through him all had hope in the Lord. when the head of St. Valentine was carried around There is a church in honor of St. Philibert, at some distance from Jumieges yet suitable for those who pray; thither they directed their steps and arrived at the oratory. The sun blazed in its excessive heat, and the sky showed no cloud at all; indeed, it was serene. Meanwhile the monks went forth with Blessed Valentine, their colleague, to make complaint to God and to obtain rains; nor did they distrust on this account. For who would distrust when he had set Valentine as his intercessor? They entered the church and hastened to offer the sacrifice (I am shaken with such a thrill of joy as I write or reread this that I can scarcely express what I feel): the sky began to darken with clouds of its own accord, and a little, and then again a little, it thundered, and immediately copious rain began to fall. When the Mass was celebrated, that choir of monks sat down, rain was obtained waiting to see whether the rain would perhaps stop; for they were unable to return to the monastery, disturbed by the excessive downpour. In due course the bare sky cleared somewhat, and the density of the clouds withheld their waters and allowed the Brothers an opportune time to return. They were returning, and they feared the threatening rains; yet they were not troubled by any falling of rain -- indeed, what you may marvel at more, the supplicants remaining untouched rains were falling on the right and on the left before their very eyes, yet they did not touch the procession. They returned to the monastery, both gladdened by the rain for which they had prayed, and in no way harmed by that rain.
CHAPTER III
Various sick persons healed through the invoked patronage of St. Valentine.
[13] It is impious to be silent about Valentine; it is pious, however, to speak of Valentine, as one is compelled to do. Those who see these things and others and remain silent, who conceal the glory of Valentine which ought to be amplified, who obscure the one who ought to be publicly commended, deserve to be rebuked for impious silence and ingratitude -- and especially his own. Let them therefore correct their fault and speak, let them add writings to writings, because the supreme Artificer does not cease to add miracles to miracles. Just now the Brethren had gone out with their Valentine to ask once again for rain, and were returning. The Abbot's groom -- by whom we understand the master of the horses -- a blind man is healed had long ago lost the use of sight and had already fallen into despair on this account. His relatives saw that the casket of Valentine was present, and they ran to bring the groaning man; taking him by the hands, they murmured something generous in his ears and stationed him before the approaching Valentine. The procession paused a moment, since they felt compassion for their servant; the servants placed around his neck a piece of wood for making a candle and brought him to that holy shrine. He touches the casket and kisses it most tenderly, and with sobs he prays for his infirmity. Those who were present (and many were present) joined their prayers to his, and they did not at all cease from supplications. Ranulphus (for Ranulphus was his name) vowed and offered on his own behalf, inasmuch as he was groaning on his own behalf. Within a short interval of days, after he had made his offering to Valentine on his own behalf, he completely recovered both his senses, because he had set Valentine apart for himself.
[14] These things are indeed few, because more and greater ones remain. The nephew of the same groom, a young man in age, was not long afterward seized by a grave illness, took to his bed, and fell gravely sick; sick, I say, likewise a blind, deaf, and demented man because he lost both sight and hearing, and moreover incurred the affliction of madness. The parents of the young man grieved, and with heart and voice they invoked Valentine on behalf of one who did not know. Through the invocation of the parents, sight was restored to him, but his hearing remained somewhat stupefied. The madness too had somewhat abated, but he was still sick in every respect. He was led by the hands to Valentine, and groans were uttered on his behalf. They placed him beneath the bier of the Saint; and what he ought to do was indicated to him more by gesture than by word, since his ears were blocked and closed. He fell asleep for a short while and immediately rose up entirely healed.
[15] A certain woman went out at midday to inspect her crops, but saw something -- I know not what -- and fell into madness. She was seized by her own people without cause and bound with chains, since she could by no means otherwise be restrained. She was brought bound to Jumieges, where they well knew that Valentine abides with God forever. She was brought, another demented woman I say, and wounded by a frenzied spirit, the unclean woman was led into that church. On account of her impurity, however, they sent her out of the monastery and placed her outside in the atrium. That holy dwelling was washed, and they gave the wash-water to the insane woman to drink. She drank and immediately recovered; and after giving thanks she returned home in good health.
[16] Since a brief mention has been made of those who had gone mad and were cured through that Blessed one, another matter not unlike it comes to mind, which we dare not pass over or conceal, lest perchance we be deprived of the patronage of our same Protector. likewise another demented woman A certain woman, younger in years than the one mentioned above, had been rendered mad by a chance occurrence and had become excessively wild; whether on account of the destitution of her friends, or on account of too grievous an injury, or on account of the neglect of her neighbors, she wandered about indiscriminately and was restrained by no one. For this reason her frenzy was always growing worse, since she was driven as a vagabond through crossroads and fields; some people followed her mocking, and more often laughing at her foolishness. For such is the ignorance of the world and the frivolity of youth, that they very often laugh at that over which they ought to have grieved. She was already an object of horror and fear to all, who feared that the singular enemy of mankind might through her contrive some evil against them, and night was night and day, because such insensate persons are denied sleep. The festal day of Blessed Valentine had arrived, and a considerable crowd of people had gathered; they brought her, while Masses were being celebrated, before the Saint, and while the celebrations were still in progress, the demented woman recovered her former senses. They gave thanks to God and offered voluntary praises to Blessed Valentine.
[17] Let us also give praises to Valentine, who is always at hand and a ready hearer for all Christians and especially for the people of Jumieges. Let no one complain that we set forth new miracles before old ones, the Precentor of Jumieges, gravely ill since they are not unknown. We anticipate periods with periods, since we ourselves are anticipated by the narrators, who modestly put them forward. A certain Precentor in the church of Jumieges, named Hugo, was weighed down by a grave infirmity of the body in the infirmary. The solemnity of Valentine was at hand, and regarding the evening office the Brethren suggested to Hugo: "You will not be able to go to the church, and therefore you must celebrate Vespers here in private; we will remain here with you and will celebrate as best we can, for you have been afflicted with many ailments since the day before yesterday." "Far be it," he said, "that I should hear them here; for I will force myself to go there, where the head of Valentine my Lord is." He went to hear the office, he went to kiss the casket, he went to pray and return; he did not even reach the monastery, because health met him on the way on account of his devotion; and when the praises were completed he returned in good health, and obtained the strength to eat, being famished -- for he had lost his appetite during the preceding days, which upon being cured he recovered. He was present also at Matins in the choir of the Brethren, and as if he had suffered nothing, he fulfilled the office of Precentor the whole night and the following day as well. This we drew from his own lips, while other Brothers who attested the same along with him were listening.
[18] Another Brother, named Turald, of somewhat advanced age, himself also of priestly dignity, suffered gravely in his left breast likewise another sick Priest and was afflicted and tormented for many days. He could scarcely stand, scarcely could he draw breath, because his body and his bed were consumed by infirmity. The time came when the solemnity of Valentine had to be celebrated. Turald, who was not master of himself, since the illness was dominating him, resolved to hasten to the church; but he could not do so by himself, until, having summoned the infirmarian, the latter leaned over him, and so with trembling step he hurried to the church. For he had hope in St. Valentine and did not wish to be cheated of his feast. He lay beneath the bier, and after the completion of the seven Psalms and the conclusion of the Litanies, he was raised up to kiss the casket; but because he was short of stature, he could not quite reach it to kiss it. The casket, however, gave a very great rattle, so that the servant who had withdrawn some distance heard the clanging and the monk was startled, fearing that some mishap had befallen the casket. But after he had carefully examined everything and perceived that it was otherwise, becoming more confident, he returned to himself and was made well. For Valentine had given him a sign of exultation by making a noise, not by speaking.
[19] Time will fail me, or I will fail time, if I presume to recapitulate each thing which the Lord has disposed to work through Blessed Valentine. With many things passed over, let us at least confine ourselves to a few. Ursio the Prior, a learned man A certain Brother, Ursio, a man of great reputation, was Prior of the church of Jumieges, who shone abundantly both in the integrity of his life and in his knowledge of letters. But just as empire does not defend an Emperor from death, nor a kingdom a King, nor a principality a Prince, so neither honor nor learning protects anyone from infirmity; we can, however, delay it and thereby gain some advantage, but in the end we cannot entirely escape it. The Prior therefore suffered, whom neither learning nor honor had sufficiently protected. He lay for nearly twelve days without food, since his appetite had departed and left him bereft. gravely weakened He wasted away with all his limbs feeble and was failing from moment to moment. The pious remembrance of Valentine came to his mind, because not even someone without taste should neglect the patronage of so great a Patron. He asked a servant to support him by leading or carrying him to the shrine of the blessed man, since he could not walk there on his feet by himself. He was without his monastic stockings, since the disease violently lorded over him; supported by his whole body, he was brought, and he crept beneath the casket raised on high. He prayed, he vowed, he wept; and being made well, without anyone supporting him, he returned where he wished. For Valentine is unhearing to no one who has touched him with the ointment of piety; he is present to the desolate, present to the afflicted, present to the wretched of every kind.
[20] Evil humors sometimes dominate people, through whose excess they suffer fiery vapors. This affliction proceeds either from a disordered defect of phlegm or of blood; two persons suffering from some frenzy often, indeed, it comes by the hidden judgment of God. It is of such a nature that that fiery heat can scarcely be extinguished except either by death or for the most part through the mercy of the invoked God. That painful infirmity takes away sleep from the sufferers, since, always gnashing their teeth, they simply howl. The disease is akin to frenzy, because the wasted flesh putrefies, smokes, and wastes away. Two such sufferers -- one a man, the other a woman -- stood before Blessed Valentine, crying out horribly, and yet imploring his aid. From their poverty, one offered a wax foot, the other a wax hand, because they were being afflicted in those limbs; and both, made well, returned home safe and sound. For Valentine is powerless in nothing, unless someone is ungrateful and unsuitable toward him.
[21] Truly God is wonderful in His Saints, who Himself alone does great wonders; in whom Valentine truly lives, a worker not idle through Him. For no one who is known to cling to God can be idle. Behold, again through Blessed Valentine -- indeed, Valentine through God -- He came to the aid of a certain wretched woman a blind woman whom the Lord God had first struck with blindness. The holy chastisements of Almighty God are indeed many, and His healings are innumerable. Yet in both there is a grace of God so multiform as to be also unspeakable. He strikes in order to heal, He heals in order to save, He saves in order to crown and glorify. He Himself deprived the aforementioned woman of light, whom through the Lord Valentine He had decreed to help. And I believe she herself had sinned; but the hidden judgment of God foresaw that this would redound to His own praise and to a memorial of His faithful one. For it is written: "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God might be made manifest in him" John 9:3. In that case, however, it was thus: The wife of a certain servant of Jumieges -- the servant, that is, of the monk who was almoner -- fell into a most grievous illness, so that, with almost all her limbs loosened, she lay feeble in her bed for a long time, gravely ill or rather labored; for the sickness was most powerful, so that scarcely a breath of life remained in her. Under the same pressing affliction she was deprived of the light of her eyes and was irremediably consigned to great wretchedness. Time passed and passed again, and the woman lamented without hope of aid. In sleep she could scarcely obtain any rest at all, or rather, she wasted away in her half-dead state, bereft of light; whatever health she had was unhappy, since she wholly subsisted in lamentations. A long time thus passed, and she nearly despaired of her eyes. Her husband, however, spoke to his wife and thus consoled the weeping woman with soothing words. Already the pupils of her eyes had begun to discharge, so that recovery was even more despaired of. "If, my wife," he said, "you would vow yourself to Blessed Valentine, whose festal day this is, professing yourself his servant, and render your head-tax to him annually, I believe you would recover; for he is a most efficacious helper before the Almighty." The grieving woman, whose mind was especially gnawed by heartfelt injuries, willingly consented, and following her guide at a quickened pace, she ran to the church on the feast day. She vowed, she prayed, she slept, and in a wondrous manner, to the applause of the people, she returned home with her sight restored, without a guide, and she rendered the promised head-tax annually to Blessed Valentine -- nor undeservedly, since she had found in Valentine a powerful refuge for herself. Her long-lasting grief was turned into long-lasting joy, because, with the darkness put to flight, she thenceforth had the aid of the light of her eyes. The Brothers, weeping for joy, rang the bells in praise of God and sang a certain jubilant hymn, because they deemed it sacrilege to have been silent about these mighty deeds.
[22] Another Brother fell sick and failed almost to the point of death; he was earnestly loved by the other Brethren, because he was adorned with good conduct. The Lenten season was at hand, a monk sick unto death yet it was necessary to sustain him with meat. At length they were in doubt about the Brother's survival, and according to Christian custom he was anointed with the oil of the sick. He himself, however, having somewhat recovered his senses, urged his servants more by gesture than by word to bring him before Blessed Valentine, in the hope that he might perhaps be aided by his intercession. It was done, and immediately, cured of that illness, he went forth in good health.