Melorus of Cornwall

ON ST. MELORUS, OR MELIOR, MARTYR IN ENGLAND.

c. A.D. 411.

Melorus, Martyr in England (St.)

St. Melorus died on October 1st, is venerated on January 3rd. Ferrarius records the holy Martyr Melorus today in his General Catalogue of Saints, as does the English Martyrology, although his martyrdom is said to have occurred on the Kalends of October. But perhaps his relics were translated on the Nones of January. On October 1st his memory as a Martyr appears in the Cologne editions of Usuard and the MS. Florarium. He is called Melior in the English Martyrology, Melorus by Capgrave and in the 1490 edition of Usuard, Melor in the 1521 edition, Melon in the Florarium, and Melior by Ferrarius. I have collated his Life, written by John Capgrave, with a manuscript codex of Rouge-Cloitre; in this codex the sacred remains of Blessed Melorus are said to be preserved at Meaux, although some centuries earlier they had been transported from Cornwall to Wiltshire, to the famous monastery of Amesbury, as Capgrave attests. From there they were perhaps conveyed to France.

Life.

Melorus, Martyr in England (St.) BHL Number: 5905

From John Capgrave.

[1] When, at the beginning of the Christian faith, the Apostolic teaching was being spread throughout the world among all nations, the paganism of Britain was converted to the faith, and many, believing in the Lord and following the Apostolic precepts, shone with various miracles of virtue. Among their number we confidently believe that Blessed Melorus was to be found.

[2] St. Melorus's homeland and family. For he was of noble British lineage, whose father Melianus held the Duchy of Cornwall; in whose time, for seven years no rain fell upon the land. At the instigation of the evil spirit in the seventh year of his rule, when a council of the chief men had been assembled to provide for the welfare of the country, *Rinoldus came to the very council and killed his brother Melianus, and began to reign in his place.

[3] Now Melianus had a small son of seven years named Melorus, His father is killed by his brother whom after the father's death his uncle sought to kill, fearing that if the boy survived and reached manhood, he would take the duchy from him. Rinoldus therefore, deliberating on what to do, brought the boy with him into Cornwall, where a council of bishops and many others had been assembled. And when he wished to kill the boy, by the prayer of all it was agreed that he should not be killed, but only that his right hand and left foot should be cut off; St. Melorus's right hand and left foot are amputated and so it was done. After this, Blessed Melorus was given a hand of silver and a foot of bronze; and the pious and innocent boy, growing day by day in virtues, was raised in a certain monastery of Cornwall, and read the divine scriptures until his fourteenth year.

[4] One summer, the Abbot of that place, gathering nuts, presented them to the boy as to his lord. He began to gather them with his silver hand, He uses the silver hand as a natural one and — marvel of marvels — that silver hand began to bend and extend and close as if it had real joints, and he could extend and close his hand as if it were his natural one, made of bones, sinews, veins, blood, and skin.

[5] On one occasion the holy boy, picking up a stone and throwing it, made it fly about half a stadion, He draws a spring from the earth which lodged in the hardest ground as if in soft wax. And when he came to the place and pulled it from the hardest flint, the most abundant waters gushed forth; and to this day a living spring is seen bubbling up in that place.

[6] He is killed. When his uncle promised many gifts and possessions to his guardian Cerialtanus if he would kill his ward, a bargain of iniquity was struck: that Cerialtanus would cut off the head of the innocent boy, carry it to Rinoldus, and receive the promised reward. After the boy was beheaded, The killer is punished by his son's death the son of Cerialtanus, with his father's consent, carrying the Martyr's head along the castle wall, by the just judgment of God fell from the wall, broke his neck, and died.

[7] The Martyr's nurse, coming to the house where the body lay, saw Angels of God ** and lamps shining with divine splendor. Angels attend the Martyr's body. Cerialtanus, taking the head and fleeing, when he was nearly dying from extreme thirst, said to himself: "Woe to me, the most wretched of all men, and worthy of every punishment and torment! What shall I do, for I am dying, afflicted by the dryness of thirst?" And as he repeated these words many times, The killer is aided by the Martyr the boy's head broke forth into human speech and addressed him thus: "Cerialtanus, drive the staff you carry in your hand firmly into the ground, and you will immediately see a spring of water rise from the earth, from which, copiously refreshed, you will escape the imminent danger of thirst." When he had driven the staff into the ground, it was transformed into a most beautiful tree, clinging to the earth by its roots; it produced branches and leaves, and from its root an unfailing spring began to flow. Cerialtanus, refreshed by the drink, carried the head to Rinoldus.

[8] Receiving it with great joy, Rinoldus said: "Rise and ascend the mountain top, Then he is punished by God with blindness and death and whatever surrounding lands you can see, I will gladly give you to possess." But when he ascended the mountain and believed he could see all around, he was deprived of the light of both eyes, and overtaken by sudden death he perished; and his flesh melted like wax before fire.

[9] When the holy body was buried in the place of his martyrdom, the following day it was found above the surface of the earth. And when the body was buried in three different places and the same thing happened each time, they took counsel and placed the holy body on a wagon, beneath which two untamed bulls were placed, and wherever the divine power wished to direct it, they let it go without a driver. The place of St. Melorus's burial is divinely designated. And behold, the bulls, immediately becoming tame, drawing the body to a certain place, stood still. And when the crowd was displeased that it should rest there, they put their hands, arms, and shoulders to the wheels to turn them, but found the wagon so divinely fixed and immovable that it could not be moved by any skill, ingenuity, or human strength whatsoever. And when, after trying repeatedly and accomplishing nothing, they gave thanks to God and buried the body with honor in that same place, where those who implored his aid were accustomed to obtain the remedy they sought with joy.

[10] Rinoldus dies miserably. When the head of the Martyr was brought before Rinoldus, the tyrant touched the sacred head and died a wretched death on the third day. After the head was buried by bishops and clergy with the sacred body, after the course of many years, foreign preachers carrying the shrine with the relics of St. Melorus throughout the land, having traversed the regions of the earth and exercising the office enjoined upon them, at last came to Amesbury and placed the holy relics upon the altar. St. Melorus's relics are brought to Amesbury. When their preaching was completed and they wished to take the relics with them, the relics could in no way be moved from the altar, but adhered to it like adamant. Afflicted with grief and anguish, having received much money from the Abbess, they departed.

[11] Certain sons of iniquity, entering the church of Amesbury by night, carried away the shrine of St. Melorus Relics removed are found again and, having stripped the gold and silver plates, threw the case with the relics into a certain cave. A certain priest, rising at dawn, saw a radiant column of light descending from heaven upon the cave, and going to the place, found the shrine and brought it to the church.

[12] He rescues a sacristan from mortal danger. St. Melorus appeared one night to the sacristan, saying: "Godric, rise quickly! Behold, the vault of the church, cracked open with gaping fissures, is preparing to hasten its imminent collapse." And when the same message was repeated another night, on the third night he appeared and said: "Godric, rise immediately; taking the images and altar ornaments with you, get out as fast as you can, because the danger of death is undoubtedly at your door." And when he had gone out, the entire vault collapsed behind him, engulfing the flat surface beneath.

Leaving earthly things behind, he entered into heavenly ones with the crown of martyrdom on the Kalends of October.

Side Note * MS. Rouge-Cloitre: Reynoldus.

Side Note ** Capgrave reads: "and" for "ut".