ON THE AFRICAN MARTYRS
VICTOR, STERCORIUS, EMILIANUS, HUGAL, SAPHUS, AND MONTANUS.
From the Hieronymian Martyrologies.
CommentaryVictor, Martyr in Africa (S.) Stercorius, Martyr in Africa (S.) Emilianus, Martyr in Africa (S.) Hugal, Martyr in Africa (S.) Saphus, Martyr in Africa (S.) Montanus, Martyr in Africa (S.)
J. B. S.
On this day, if ever, there manifestly appears the supine ignorance of some unskilled copyist in disfiguring the little register of the Epternach codex, turning almost everything upside down. Thus it begins: In Africa, the birthday of Bolia, of Stercorius: At Marseilles, of Victor, of Corona. And at Rome, of Praxedes, of Emilianus, of Hugal, of Saphus, etc.; all of which are most confused. More rightly other codices vindicate six wrestlers to Africa, and refer Victor of Marseilles to the last place, not with Corona, who is more probably applied to the companions, namely Alexander, Felicianus, Longinus, and Deuterius: so that Victor and Corona are here wrongly intruded, of whom it was treated on May 14: but Praxedes is plainly accessory, as one to whom a place among the Martyrs does not belong, and so ought to be called an addition, as in the Corbie codex: And the birthday of St. Praxedes the virgin. The uniformity therefore of the Lucca, Corbie, and Blume codices sufficiently proves that the African class is here rightly distinguished from the rest of the text, provided the names aptly agree; so that we should read not "of Sophia" of Lucca, but "of Saphus"; likewise "of Stercorius" and "of Hugal" for "of Stercoris" and "Hugal." How little aid could be fetched from the smaller codices, we have said above in the Praetermissi.