ON SAINT ELEUTHERIUS OF ARCE IN LATIUM.
From the Roman Martyrology and Ferrarius.
CommentaryEleutherius, of Arce in Latium (S.)
BY THE AUTHOR G. H.
[1] Arcanum commonly Arce a town of ancient Latium, in the present kingdom Neapolitan, upon a hill near the river Melfa between Arpino and Aquino, from the former by four, from the latter by seven miles distant; by Cicero, whose there an estate was, is mentioned in the epistles to Quintus his brother book 3 ep. 1, book 5 ep. 1 and book 16. His words Cluver adduces in book 3 of Ancient Italy p. 1046. This place honored by his death and Ecclesiastical cult S. Eleutherius, Memory in the Roman Martyrol. of whom the Roman Martyrology this XXIX May these has: Of Arce in Latium S. Eleutherius the Confessor. Of whom, adds Baronius, the old monuments of the Church of Aquino. But these we could not hitherto obtain, and Ferrarius in his Annotation at this day says, the proper Acts of S. Eleutherius himself not to have seen, although them from the Bishop of Aquino not once, through others however, he demanded. What however from the inhabitants' relation he received, these are.
[2] Eleutherius, by nation an Englishman, of SS. Grimoald and Fulk the brother, The eulogy from Ferrarius, together with them from England into Italy for the sake of pilgrimage came. But when the holy places of Rome with much devotion he had visited, and to Aquino with his brothers had come; near Arcanum a town of Latium he settled: where famous for miracles by a holy end he rested. There stands a church to his name dedicated: to which several infirm flock together, and of cures to render thanks are wont. In a Ms. Vatican of the Church of S. Peter is indicated S. Eleutherius, but related XXVI May.
[3] Of S. Fulk we treated XXII May. His body is in a town, San Padre called, of the diocese of Aquino, at the boundary of the Kingdom of Naples, which town is distant from Arcanum by a few only paces' thousands: the brothers of the Saint. more closely even to the same lies adjacent a village commonly called San Lotiero, which of S. Eleutherius to be I would scarcely indeed doubt. The other brother S. Grimoald is venerated XXIX September at Pontecorvo, formerly Fregellae, between Ceprano and Minturnae in the kingdom of Naples, where the Bishops of Aquino often resided. The memory furthermore of S. Eleutherius is inscribed also in the Anglican Martyrology, but at the day third of June, Memory 3 June. whose author Arcanum or Arke places in Apulia, and there says S. Eleutherius from a journey to Jerusalem returned to have holily died. Which by conjecture seem written. Nicholas Bishop of Sarsina in the Poetic Martyrology him with this distich adorns.
With the Saints hastening, from his paternal a pilgrim, shores, With his brothers, from Latium he ascends to the stars of the pole.