ON ST. BOTUID THE MARTYR
IN SWEDEN
IN THE YEAR 1100.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
The Saint's cult, and his Acts.
Botuid the Martyr, in Sweden (St.)
BY FATHER P. B.
His memory is announced today, but without the placing, or the place, of his cult or martyrdom, The present cult approved from Martyrologies and an ancient Missal; in our manuscript Florarium of the Saints in these words: Likewise of St. Botuid the martyr: in the augmented Usuard, according to the Lübeck-Cologne edition: On the same day, of St. Botuid the martyr; according to the edition of Greven of the year 1515: Of Botuid the martyr; according to another edition of the same, of the year 1521: Of Botwid the martyr. Ferrarius in his General Catalogue of the Saints on this same day has thus: In Sweden, of St. Botwid the martyr, renowned for miracles: but in his annotations he indicates that he drew this from the Swedish Calendar; and he adds: Concerning him there is more in the little book of the Saints of Gothia and Sweden; in which it is related that he, killed on a pilgrimage by a certain Slav, became renowned for miracles. In a certain votive Missal, which the proper Saints treated of in it indicate to have been composed for the use of the Swedes; and which is gathered from the type to have been printed about the end of the fifteenth century; in that Missal, I say, an Office of St. Botwid is prescribed for this day, and a Mass is set forth; in which, however, there is nothing singular by which his Acts might be illustrated; wherefore nothing seems needful to be transcribed here from it.
[2] His Office was published at Antwerp in the year 1651 among other proper Offices of the holy patrons of the kingdom of Sweden, drawn from the ancient Breviaries of the same kingdom; his own proper Office, recognized and approved by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, by Apostolic authority, at the instance of the most serene Sigismund III, king of Sweden and Poland. It is proposed to be celebrated on this same day with a double rite. But besides those things which are to be recited from the Common of one Martyr, the proper parts read in the first Vespers are the Hymn, the Antiphon at the Magnificat, and the Prayer, which it will not be irksome to set down here:
Hymn.
Rejoice, O heavenly city, Bringing forth pleasing songs: The bright holiness of Botuid Shines with magnificent praise.
Let Södermanland be glad, Producing such a lily: Let England congratulate, Baptizing so great a Son.
The words of David, lest they flow away, He took care to commit to his heart: If riches abound, Set not your heart upon them.
Mindful of the works of holy Job, He follows innocence: Of Tobias, the father of the poor, He followed the clemency.
He went not after the impious, Nor did he seek earthly things; But he took up the light burden, Seeking the heavenly kingdoms.
O strength of the Martyrs, O Christ, by the prayers of Botuid, Grant us the longed-for prize In the heavens. Amen.
Antiphon at the Magnificat.
Botuid, noble recruit, victor ascending from the battle, in death like the rose, in life like the gleaming lily, join us, who lie hidden in the exile of this fleeting life, O sublime Martyr, to the dwelling of the Saints.
PRAYER
The same as the first in the aforesaid old Missal.
May the splendor of the true faith, we beseech Thee, O Lord, shine in our hearts; and may the saving intercession of blessed Botuid Thy martyr defend us from present perils. Through our Lord, &c.
[3] The three Lessons of the second nocturn contain the Acts of the Saint, such as will be given from Vastovius, with Apostolic approbation except that they are somewhat abridged, lest they exceed the prescribed measure. In the third nocturn the Lessons are from the Gospel of John, "Unless the grain of wheat, falling into the ground," &c., and a Homily of St. Augustine from Tractate 51 on John. But in the Missal just mentioned the Gospel read is from Matthew, "If any man will come after me," &c. Furthermore in this nocturn only the Responsories are proper, namely after the seventh and eighth Lessons: the first is: Lot going forth from Sodom, on the mountain saves his life; David is saved by fleeing; Joseph escapes his mistress: the just man runs, passing over to the most fortified city. ℣. Compassionate to the poor, the wise man prepares in heaven a most safe dwelling. The just man. The other: O fragrant nard, healing to sick bodies, bee fruitful with honey, soothing hearts with sweetnesses; Having prayed, offer gifts to Christ for sinners. ℣. O fruitful grape, borne above the heavens, never withering in its flowers, Having prayed. Glory. Having prayed.
[4] printed more than once. In the proper Lauds there is a Hymn with an Antiphon at the Benedictus, as follows:
Hymn.
To cultivate the praises of Botuid Befits devout minds, Who by the gift of his prayer Preserves us from those that harm.
He binds his body with fastings; That it may not weigh down the spirit; He is free for the service of Christ, Lest he drink in vanities.
Sobriety of life renders the Saint Lovable to all, Chaste, pure, steadfast; As does sparingness of drink and food.
To Him who bore the great-souled Martyr, Happy after victory, To true joy, Let us sing glory.
O strength of the Martyrs, &c., as above.
Antiphon at the Benedictus: O tower of strength, gleaming in the night like a carbuncle, crown of beauty, bundle of pure myrrh, column of rectitude, staff for the blind and the lame, be our diligent promoter to the seat of light.
There remains the Antiphon at the Magnificat in the second Vespers: Farewell, strength of the weak, shown by a little bird, consoler of the tearful, little ewe of purity: thy little people praises thee, wondrous champion; it seeks the saving godhead, piously bewailing its dangers; that, the cloud of life having been subdued by thy help, the Father living unto the ages may lead it by a straight course to the Son.
[5] We find a twofold set of Acts of St. Botuid: and the first indeed our Father John Gamans described for us in the year 1641—so often, and never sufficiently, to be praised in our work—from a remarkable manuscript Passional on parchment of the monastery of Bödeken, of the Order of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, The manuscript Acts very obscure and meager. of the diocese of Paderborn, of the month of June, folio 232 verso,
as had been noted. We have the very same things transcribed from another source; but I do not know by whose negligence it has come about that it can no longer be known whence they proceeded: yet they agree entirely, except that in the Bödeken codex one word was wanting, which in this copy was expressed. Whether this is the same Life which, on the testimony of the recent editor and illustrator of the "Vitis Aquilonia," in the Annotations, column 45, was, in the keeping of O. Ernhielm, the Swedish historiographer, composed by an anonymous author, and copied from an old codex, I for my part do not know. This is certain, that the narrative is exceedingly meager, and so destitute of the limits both of place and of time, that you cannot know whether that which is related happened in the twelfth century or in the first; in Sweden, or rather in Italy or some other maritime region of the world. Accordingly we suppose that those Martyrologists whom we cited in no. 1 had only this before their eyes; and that therefore they omitted, contrary to custom, the place of the cult or of the martyrdom, because they could not extract it from these Acts. It is necessary, however, that they received both the name of the Saint and his feast-day from elsewhere; since in both our copies he is called, not Botuid, but Botwin; nor is any mention made of his anniversary celebration.
[6] The other Acts of this Saint, from the Swedish Annals and ancient Breviaries, in the "Vitis Aquilonia," Others printed, in which the Martyr's age, first published in print at Cologne on the Rhine in the year 1623, then reprinted and illustrated at Uppsala in the year 1708, were brought forth by John Vastovius, a Goth, apostolic protonotary and canon of Warmia, a man learned in the affairs of his country as few are, and an outstanding champion of ancestral piety and religion; and accordingly at one time singularly dear and useful to Sigismund III, king of Poland and Sweden. He brought them forth, I say, in the earlier edition of the "Vitae," page 59, where he prefixes this title: St. Botuid the Martyr flourished in the year of Christ 1100, Paschal II being Pope, Henry III emperor, Ingo IV king; and thus at the very front of his narrative he began to supply what was lacking in our earlier Acts. There are indeed those who refer this martyrdom to other years, namely to 1120 and 1176, as is said in the cited annotations; but they are thought to have confused there the years of the dedications—of the first, a wooden temple built in memory of this martyr, and of the second, a stone one—with the year of his death. We do not have the documents by which we might settle this controversy; but neither do we read anything elsewhere concerning the wooden temple, and afterward the stone one, which were said to have been erected or consecrated in the years just mentioned: yet if that could be solidly proved, it will make not a little for the glory of St. Botuid; since it must follow therefrom that his public veneration received, a few years after his slaying, not only its beginning, but also a huge increase.
[7] There are many other things most worthy to be known, which are wanting in the manuscript Acts, and the other things pertaining to him are handed down more fully. and which the fidelity and diligence of Vastovius brought to light: as the Martyr's homeland, the superstition of his parents, the studies of his youth, his conversion to Christ, the prodigious fishing, the place of the martyrdom, the sepulcher adorned with a sacred building, his yearly memory on this day, and finally the apparition made to St. Bridget; of all which there is nothing in our manuscripts. These things we have therefore not thought fit to suppress, both because they are not long, and also because they are, if we attend to the Martyr's age, sufficiently ancient; but to them the lucubration of Vastovius had necessarily to be joined; inasmuch as from it the far most important knowledge of St. Botuid, and all historical light, must be sought.
EARLIER ACTS
From a manuscript Passional of the monastery of Bödeken.
Botuid the Martyr, in Sweden (St.)
BHL Number: 1434
The Martyr's charity toward God and neighbor. Blessed Botwin, a being of great holiness and wondrous devotion, was strong in faith, and was wholly poured out in charity toward God and his neighbors; whence he spared neither himself nor his temporal goods; but a cheerful giver, he piously exchanged all things for the benefit of his neighbors, hoping for certain that he would receive eternal things in return. For the building of churches he sent many gifts, to the poor he gave abundant alms; and captive Pagans, led by the love of Christ, he was accustomed to ransom, that they might become Christians, and he showed to all that mercy which he always desired for himself from God; for compassion had grown up with him from his very cradle.
[2] Whence it happened that, when the holy Man was ransoming a certain captive Slav, b He ransoms a Slav and converts him, and was instructing him in the faith of Christ, and, out of the fervor of his love, was sending him back to his own homeland, he addressed him thus: See, son, that you do not presume to violate the faith which you have promised to keep to God and our Lord Jesus Christ, when, placed in this necessity, c you shall have been restored to liberty. That malicious man, therefore, turned the words of exhortation and salvation into the increase of his own damnation: for thereafter, not only by his own malice, but also by the instigation of the devil, who lies in wait for good works that they may perish, he watched for a time to render evil for good to the Saint of God, and impiously to slay him in return for the piety bestowed upon him.
[3] At that time, therefore, when sailors are accustomed to bring their ships to the islands, whom, with the hope of gaining others, he wishes to send back to his homeland, the holy Man thought to bring the good work he had begun through to its end, so that he might send back the Slav, whom he had piously ransomed from captivity, in safety to his homeland. And persuading him, Botwin said: When you have reached your own, son, instruct your parents and kinsmen in the faith and in the love of Jesus Christ; that together you may be able to attain to His mercy. O great charity! which believes all good things, hopes all things, desires all men to be according to itself, as the Apostle says. Holy Botwin, therefore, having called to his aid a certain tenant of his own, named Hesbern, and having arranged the expenses and other necessaries, they board a ship; and cruising about among the islands and the inlets of the sea, they were unable to find any ship prepared for their purpose.
[4] And so, when it had grown late, and the day was seeking the sunset, they put in at a certain island thick with trees. he is slain while sleeping, by that very man. The Man of God thus addressed his companions: Sleep until the sunrise again: for then I hope that we shall not, as today, labor in vain. Holy Botwin, in his accustomed manner, seeking the seclusion of prayer on bended knees under a certain dense tree, fell asleep from excessive weariness; and Hesbern, laying himself down by the ship, likewise fell asleep: seeing which, the said Slav, taking the axe which holy Botwin was accustomed to carry in his hand for support, d shamelessly assailing his head, cruelly killed him; and, leaving him, cutting off the head of Hesbern, he boarded the ship, and so fled.
[5] But when the kinsmen and friends of the holy Man, awaiting his return, The body is found by the sign of a little bird. saw that he did not return, they seek with tears the counsel of the parish priest, what should be done concerning him. He indeed boarded the ship together with them; and having first said a prayer, he ordered them to row, but knew not whither at all. But a little bird, of wondrous beauty and most sweet voice and rarest kind, sitting on the prow, began to pour forth an excellent melody. And when the young men, led by wantonness, wished to catch it, the Priest forbade them, saying: Let it be; for perhaps it is a guide sent by God for our happy journey. The outcome of the matter proved the truth of his saying: for when they wished to pass by * the island on which the Saint lay slain, the little bird, flying from the ship even to the tree under which the Saint lay, going before them, directed them.
ANNOTATIONS.
LATER ACTS
From those published by John Vastovius in the "Vitis Aquilonia."
Botuid the Martyr, in Sweden (St.)
FROM THE PRINTED [ACCOUNTS]
The glorious martyr of Christ Botuid, born in the kingdom of Sweden, in the province of Södermanland, a of honorable but unbelieving parents, [Botuid born in Sweden, converted in England, becomes the apostle of his homeland,] while he was still a young man, lest he should seem to have been brought into the light only to consume the fruits of the earth, had set out for England for the sake of trade; where, received into hospitality by a certain priest, a man of singular learning and holiness, he not only learned the mysteries of the Christian faith, but also, having received the grace of Baptism, was excellently instructed in the discipline of Christian life and perfection. Returning to his homeland rejoicing, like that fortunate eunuch of old, baptized by the deacon Philip, he led many of his fellow citizens to the same religion by the examples of his virtues and by saving exhortations, the Lord cooperating and confirming the word by manifold signs.
[2] For when one day the Saint had gone out with his household and neighbors to catch fish, God concurring by miracles; and was forbidden by Bovin, the owner of that place, to cast his nets, unless he should promise him a fourth part of the fish; the peaceable Man, preferring to yield at once rather than to waste time in empty quarrels, went on to his own island, which was in the same lake; and after he had knelt down, and as a suppliant had poured out a prayer to God, he ordered his servants to cast the nets. Here the Lord evidently showed how great was the power of his prayer: for so great a multitude of fish was drawn out that two boats were filled. When the Man of God had noticed this, turning to his own, he said: Let us praise God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all things that are in them; who has also bestowed this gift on us, undeserving. But those who around Bovin's property had labored the whole night in vain, moved by the power of the miracle which had befallen Sir Botuid, hasten to the holy Man; and having obtained from him leave and blessing at once, they too fill their boats with fish, Bovin alone gaining nothing in the catch, by the just judgment of God; that he who from a less than fair rivalry had envied another, should himself be deprived of the fruit of his own labor. But Botuid, altogether unmindful of the injuries, embraced both Bovin and the rest with every sign of goodwill. By this gentleness and humanity of his, and by the fame of the miracle wrought, he advanced so far that with easy effort they were persuaded by his words, and, initiated by the sacrament of Baptism, were consecrated to Christ.
[3] until he was killed by the Slav whom he had ransomed and converted. But it happened that a certain Slav, whom, ransomed from captivity, he had led to the grace of Baptism,
and had endowed with liberty, while he was preparing his return to his homeland through Gothia, b he was escorting with great charity for the sake of his safety. He had determined to conduct him into Gotland, c that he might more easily return from there to his own country; but wearied by the journey, he put in at the island of Rogga; d where, when, after his accustomed labors, fasts, and prayers made to God, he was taking his rest under a certain tree, fearing nothing, he was cruelly slain by that same ungrateful man with his own axe, and obtained the crown of righteousness from the Lord, the just Judge. But when the parents e and household of Botuid were greatly afflicted on account of his long absence, and suspected that something had happened to him in a human way on that journey, taking counsel, they resolved to seek him through the byways of the forests and the coastal regions.
[4] The finding of the body, its burial, its veneration. Having therefore gathered a multitude of his kinsfolk, together with a certain pious priest named Henry, by whose exhortation they besought the Lord that He would deign to show in what place he was, and, if perchance not alive, at least the body of the deceased; when the prayer was finished, they behold a certain white bird, sitting on the prow of the ship, and as if alluring them to itself; and deeming it to have been sent down by God as the guide of their journey, under its safe leading they came to the place where the body lay. And this being found, to the great joy of all, they gave praises and thanksgivings to the immortal God, who is ever wonderful in His Saints; and having borne it into their homeland, at the second milestone from Stockholm toward Södermanland they buried it most honorably. In which place a temple was built in honor of the Martyr, and named from his name Botuid-Kirkia. g His anniversary memory is performed on the 28th day of July. He is in heaven of such great merit before God, that he obtained, with other Saints, the grace of the heavenly revelations of St. Bridget. h