Mellonus or Melanius

ON ST. MELLONUS OR MELANIUS, CONFESSOR, BISHOP OF ROUEN, IN GAUL,

ABOUT THE YEAR 314.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.

Mellonus or Melanius, confessor, bishop of Rouen, in Gaul. (S.)

BHL Number: 5901

BY B. B.

§ I. St. Mellonus, less correctly called Melanius, is wrongly numbered by Tamayo among the bishops of Toledo. His Acts and deeds. Whether he was the first to hold the see of Rouen, and at what time and for how long. Of the sacred Edifice erected by him.

This holy Prelate is celebrated on this day in the Roman martyrology under the name of Melanius, and Baronius notes In the Notes on the Rom. Martyrol. page 450. that by some he is called Melo, St. Melanius, more correctly Mellonus, with a corrupted word. I have found some who write Melo; but among the French most call him by no other name than that of St. Mellonus. So the Legend which we publish below; so in the Lessons, excerpted from an older breviary of Rouen, which we have among our hagiographical Mss.; so again in all the more recent breviaries of the same diocese, namely that of the year 1736, where I find noted in the Autumn part: "On the second Sunday of October, the festival of SS. Nicasius, apostle of Neustria, and his companion Martyrs, and of Mellonus, who founded the church of Rouen." Castellan too, both in the universal Martyrology, and in the announcements for the present day, and in the general catalogue at the end of the whole volume, writes Mellonus in Latin, but in French Mellon or Mélon. It is well known, further, that Castellan investigated with a certain singular care and zeal by what name the Saints flourishing in cult in France were called in various places. We have several letters of that man sent to our predecessors the Hagiographers, in which he discusses very many things on this matter not a little learnedly, and weaves long catalogues of names both in the native and in the Latin idiom, and here too Mellonus (Mélon) is written. Nay, at the request of Ménage, Castellan composed a certain Hagionomasticon or Hagiological Vocabulary, in which a thousand and more names of this kind are found arranged in alphabetical order, written in French and Latin; and among others there occurs "Mellonus, Melon," and our Bonnefons is reproved because in his Lives of the Saints Les fleurs des Vies des Saints, by the R. P. Amable Bonnefons, S.J. Paris, 1701. he wrongly wrote Melaine (Melanius). For the rest, you will find Castellan's Vocabulary printed at the beginning of Ménage's Dictionary Dictionnaire Etymologique de la langue française, by Ménage. Paris, 1750.. Frequent mention of St. Mellonus (for so it is written) is had in the Register of Eudes Rigaud, Archbishop of Rouen, written in the thirteenth century and quite recently published for the first time by Thomas Bonnin [Regestrum Visitationum archiepiscopi Rothom. or Journal des visites pastorales d'Eude Rigaud. Rouen, 1852.]. In the Martyrology of Usuard, according to the edition of Sollerius Martyrologium Usuardi monachi. At the 22nd of October., the name of the holy Pontiff does not occur; but it is found in almost all the Additions; and not even once is he called Melanius, but it is constantly written: Mellonus, Mellonius, Mello, Melo. In the Acts of the archbishops of Rouen written in the eleventh century and first published by Mabillon Vetera Analecta, page 222. Paris, 1728. is read Mallonus. In some place he is called Melloninus. No one, therefore, could easily say whence the authors of the Roman martyrology drew their reading; but much less is it seen by what right Baronius reproves those who employ another reading, since he himself seems to deserve censure with far stronger reason. Finally the Gallia Christiana has thus Vol. XI, col. 5.: "Mello, who is also called Mellonus and Mallonus and Melanius." According to Severt it would seem that the name of Melanius passed into the Roman martyrology from Peter de Natalibus. "Mello," he says Chronologia historica successionis hierarchicæ. Lyons, 1628. Vol. III, page 16., "or Mellonus: this word the two aforesaid authors use (namely Demochares and Chenu); but Peter de Natalibus and Baronius call him St. Melanius."

[2] whom Tamayo wrongly ascribes to the bishops of Toledo, Sollerius wrote in the additions for this day Martyrologium Usuardi, part II, page 619.: "What sort of things were fabricated by some Spanish writers on the occasion of this Saint you will learn from Cardinal Aguirre." Namely Tamayo de Salazar in his fabulous Spanish martyrology numbers St. Mellonus among the bishops of Toledo: "At Toledo," he says Vol. V, page 608, at the 22nd of October., "in Carpetania of Spain, of St. Melantius, bishop of that city, who, when first ordained bishop by blessed Stephen the supreme pontiff he was being directed to the people of Rouen in Gaul, the duty of which office he diligently exercised, migrating to Athens, came to Toledo, of which church being created prelate (in the place of the deceased blessed Pomponius Paulatus, as Tamayo adds elsewhere Ibid. page 613.) he fed the flock for some time with salutary instructions: but having returned to Rouen he rested with a glorious end." He asserts a little lower down, no less confidently, or rather rashly Ibid. page 614., that "he urged by letters all the prelates of the churches of the Spanish world to enter into a council; hence the council was assembled at Illiberis of Bætica, at which Melantius himself was present with other prelates... After this the holy Pontiff himself, having returned to his see of Toledo, wonderfully established the canons of the council, built a temple in honour of Christ the Lord and of His immaculate Mother, was present at the martyrdom of St. Leocadia of Toledo, whom he strengthened in prison, and honourably buried her body. When therefore the holy Prelate had ruled the church of Toledo for five years after the council of Illiberis... he resolved to return to Rouen, having chosen as vicar of his see Natalis, afterwards bishop of Toledo." All of which are indeed mere and rotten fabrications, although Tamayo, after his manner, weaves a foot-and-a-half-long catalogue of writers from whom he professes to have been taught such things Martyrol. Hispan. vol. V, page 612..

[3] wrongly, This one thing is established, that among the subscriptions of the council of Elvira (which Aguirre more probably holds was celebrated in the year 303 or 305 Concilia, vol. II, page 1. Rome, 1753., others a little earlier or a little later Art de vérifier les dates, page 172.) there is found: "Melanthius, bishop of Toledo" Aguirre, where cited above, page 30., concerning whom there is this to our purpose in the praised Aguirre Ibid. page 57.: "Wonderful and showy are the things which are read about this prelate Melantius, subscribing to the synod of Elvira, in the pseudo-chronicles of Dexter, Julian, Liutprand, remembered or heard of by none whatever of the ancients, as many as wrote on the Affairs of Spain or of the great church of Toledo down to the year one thousand five hundred and ninety. For in that year or a little after those pseudo-chronicles and other similar things were devised and published by a man hostile to the truth of history and the most audacious, if ever anyone was, architect of fables. From him, without selection, with excessive credulity and no critical judgment, most of the more recent Spaniards borrowed hotchpotches and many fabrications about Melantius, and especially Quintana-Dueñas and John Tamayo in the Spanish Martyrology, volume V, at the 22nd of October, who confuses him with St. Melanius, bishop of Rouen, who is venerated in the Roman Martyrology on that day; and adding very many other things which had never come into the thoughts of men until nearly the end of the preceding century." And again in the same place: "Certainly John Mariana, who at the same time together with Fr. Higuera (both were of the Society of Jesus) lived at Toledo, and was publishing that most beautiful history of Spain, as also the most illustrious men Mendoza and Loaysa, who then published their commentaries on this council, found nothing at all written up to that time about this Melantius, except that he was present at the present synod (of Elvira) and subscribed as prelate of Toledo. Whence all the other things which are read about him in all the more recent writers, from about a hundred years ago until now, are to be rejected as manifest fabrications, first devised by Fr. Higuera, and then incautiously believed, amplified and protected with great effort by others." Thus far Aguirre. It would be superfluous to pursue those things further. This one thing to have added

from Flórez will be helpful España Sagrada, tract. V, chap. 3. Vol. V, page 228.: "Melancius," he says, "was one of the bishops who were present at the council of Elvira. His name is read neither in the ancient catalogues, nor in any other instrument (so far as I know), except the Acts of that council: in these accordingly, if he were not read as inscribed, we should be altogether ignorant that from the end of the third century anyone sat as bishop at Toledo." Besides, Tamayo tells the fable that Melanius succeeded Paulatus, and made room for Natalis. But according to Flórez Ibid. page 234. the former held the see of Toledo from about the year 365 until the year 375; then Natalis until about the year 385. But it is established from the subscriptions of the council of Arles in the year 314 that Avitianus (whom St. Mellonus preceded) was bishop of Rouen.

[4] We publish the Acts now for the first time in Latin, As for the Acts of St. Mellonus, to be published at the end of this commentary, and indeed, so far as I know, now for the first time in their native idiom, namely Latin, it is not established at what time and by what author they were written. In our hagiographical manuscripts, collected in huge number by our predecessors, the following heading is read: "Life of St. Mellonus, archbishop of Rouen, taken from Peter de Natalibus, bishop of Constance (nay, of Equilio)," which at any rate is by no means accurate. Peter has very few things, so that you would say with far stronger right that he drew from our Acts than that ours were drawn from him. Therefore there has been added, but in another hand, to the aforesaid heading: "and likewise from a very old Legendary." However that may be, this Life seems to present the same age as the Passion of St. Nigasius, concerning which see below, and which, as we shall see in the same place, our Bye thinks belongs to the tenth century. Both writings have the same form, and recount wonderful and prodigious things of the same kind, in no small number, to which at any rate no one would easily give credit. Nay, in Peter de Natalibus Catalogus, book IX, chap. 93., as also in Mombritius Vitæ Sanctorum, vol. II, fol. 156., no other miracle performed in Gaul by St. Mellonus occurs except the healing of that man of Auxerre who had by accident split his foot into two parts with an axe. We do not therefore on that account think the Acts of St. Mellonus are to be charged with utter falsehood, as if there were nothing in them that is not fabricated. Nay, we think they contain the ancient and even primitive tradition of the church of Rouen, but clothed with, or rather smeared over and drowned in, many fabulous little tales, such as the legend-writers were wont to forge, especially in Armorican Brittany and Normandy in the ninth and tenth centuries, to which, fairly probably, from the intrinsic notes or characters of the writing (for extrinsic ones are not available), the Life of St. Mellonus is referred. And let these things be said in general about the Acts of our holy Prelate. Now let us touch on certain particular points from them.

[5] given partly by Mombritius Mombritius comprises the deeds of St. Mellonus in these words Ibid.: "In the time of the emperor Valerian a certain Mellonus, a native of Greater Britain, came to Rome to pay the tribute of his country and to serve the emperor, and there, as was the custom, he was led with his companions to the temple of Mars to sacrifice. But hearing Stephen the pope preaching the gospel to a few Christians, he attended to his words and believed; he asked baptism of him and received it; and, instructed by him, he sold whatever he had and gave it to the poor." (There is added in Capgrave: "The arms also with which he served as a soldier he gave to the poor," which is likewise found in the Acts to be published below.) "The aforesaid pope promoted him, as he clung to him, through all the grades of the church up to the priesthood. And when he was applying himself to fasts and vigils, one day, as he was celebrating Mass, he and the pope saw an angel of God standing at the right of the altar; who, when the Mass was finished, gave him the pastoral staff which he held in his hand, saying: 'Receive the staff under which thou shalt rule the people of the city of Rouen, in the borders of Neustria: for there a place has been prepared for thee by God. And although the labour of an unknown road be burdensome to thee, yet thou art in no way to fear; since under the shadow of His wings the Lord Jesus Christ will protect thee.' Then, having received the blessing of the pope, he set out on the journey. And when he had come to Auxerre, holding the staff which he had received from the angel, he at once healed by prayer a certain man wounded with an axe, whose foot had been divided into two parts. Finally, coming to Rouen and faithfully fulfilling his ministry, illustrious for many mighty works and miracles, he at length rested in peace. His feast is kept on the eleventh of the Kalends of November."

[6] and partly by others. Thus far Mombritius, with whom Capgrave agrees, adding something about the arms, and likewise, but in different words, Peter de Natalibus; nor does Ussher differ Britannicarum ecclesiarum antiquitates, page 75 and 76. London, 1687.: "Before this persecution (of Diocletian) the memory of St. Mellonus the Briton (called by others Mallonus, Melanius and Meloninus) was celebrated... That he, coming from Greater Britain to Rome, was instructed in the Christian faith by Stephen I the pontiff; baptized, ordained cleric and by degrees priest, and by a divine oracle consecrated bishop of Rouen in the year 256, Constantine Ghini relates in the Natales of the holy Canons; the Acts of the same (St. Mellonus) also agreeing, which narrate the matter thus: 'In the time of Valerian,' etc." (here are recited word for word the things which are given above from Mombritius, down to the baptism of St. Mellonus.) Then Ussher adds: "That he was also ordained by Stephen the pope and sent to Rouen to preach the gospel, the Roman martyrology and the Rouen breviary confirm, as do Bale, Baronius and others of the more recent writers... But Orderic Vitalis writes that in the time of Constantius, father of Constantine the Great, 'Mallonus with certain other faithful dwelt at Rouen, and first, God so willing, obtained the pontifical chair there; that he flourished in the time of Eusebius and Melchiades, and on the eleventh of the Kalends of November departed to the Lord, and was buried in the crypt of the basilica of St. Gervasius the martyr outside the city'; and if we wish to follow this assignment of time, we must say that he lived on surviving the Diocletianic persecution"; which we too shall prove a little below is more probably to be admitted. Still much more sparingly are the deeds of St. Mellonus presented in the Rouen breviary published by authority of the Most Reverend D. Louis de Lavergne de Tressan in the year 1736: "Mellonus Part IV or Autumn, page 437., having set out from Rome into Gaul, announced the Christian faith at Rouen and was the first to establish an episcopal see in that city, where he begot very many sons to Christ, and full of merits fell asleep in the Lord." Which indeed are drawn almost word for word from Orderic Vitalis Hist. eccles. book V. vol. II, page 335 and 336.. In the more ancient breviaries of the diocese of Rouen (as our hagiographical Mss. for this day, the 22nd of Oct., give proof) the life of St. Mellonus is described more at length; where he is asserted both to have been a native of Greater Britain, and to have been sent to Rome; instructed and baptized by Stephen the pope; divinely ordained to the see of Rouen, which he is also said to have founded after performing many miracles, some of which are recounted. So that it is plain that here the Acts were in hand, as we shall publish them below.

[7] He is said by many to be the successor of St. Nigasius in the see of Rouen; This therefore seems to be admitted, that St. Mellonus did in fact set up the episcopal chair at Rouen. Nay, we think this too fairly probable, that he was a native of Greater Britain, and was sent from Rome into Gaul by the supreme Pontiff. But a twofold question arises here: the one, whether St. Mellonus was the first prelate of the people of Rouen; the other, during what years he presided over that church. And as regards the former, in the catalogues of the prelates of Rouen he comes second in order. So in the new Gallia christiana Vol. XI, col. 5., so in Severt Chronologia hierachicæ successionis. Where cited above., François Pommeraye [Histoire des Archevêques de Rouen, in the Table before the Preface; likewise page 39. Rouen, 1667. Likewise Hist. de la ville de Rouen, part III, page 131. Rouen, 1731.] and others commonly. All these indeed put St. Nigasius or Nicasius in the first place; St. Mellonus in the second; yet not all equally confidently. Here, therefore, before all things it is to be noted that Cornelius Bye, our predecessor, in the Acts of St. Nigasius and his Companions Acta SS. at the 11th of October, vol. V, page 519 and following., called into doubt not only whether St. Nigasius was bishop of Rouen, but whether he was ever in fact distinguished with the pontifical dignity. Through the whole third § of the Preliminary Commentary this question is treated; which is finally concluded thus Ibid. page 522.: "And so, although indeed I should not dare to assert for certain that Nigasius was merely a priest of the inferior order; yet whether he was in truth a bishop, and accordingly whether they did not make him, from a mere presbyter, such as he was at first believed to be, a regionary bishop, and then, as fables grow in the course of time, from regionary bishop a bishop of Rouen, I am forced to doubt on account of what has already been alleged. Nor can the things which teach this most luminously, even the Acts of the archbishops of Rouen more than once praised above (of these we too treat professedly below), move me to believe that he was a bishop: for besides that what I said above in general about all the monuments that spoke of Nigasius after Usuard fits these too; they were written, as I have shown, only in the eleventh century, and accordingly at a time far too remote from the age of Nigasius for him who wrote them to have been able to have clearly enough perceived whether he was a bishop or not. The church of Rouen has indeed very long venerated Nigasius as a pontiff martyr; but since not even the century in which it began so to venerate the Saint can in any way be determined, it appears doubtful and uncertain to me whether it did not do so impelled, if not by the Acts of the archbishops of Rouen just praised again, which are of slight authority in this matter, perhaps only by the Passion of St. Nigasius, which exists with us and has already often been praised. For this (Passion) expressly in more than one place calls Nigasius Bishop; but since it by no means deserves entire credit, as I have shown above, and hence cannot make certain the time which it assigns to the martyrdom of St. Negasius, the same is to be said, for the same reason, of the episcopal character which it attributes to this Saint of ours." From which words it sufficiently appears that our Bye inclines strongly to the negative opinion; and if St. Nigasius was not even a bishop, it is evident that neither did he, as such, at any time preside over the see of Rouen.

[8] [] I should not, however, wish these things to be so understood as if I agreed with Bye in every respect. For the things which he himself urges in this whole place could be employed in almost the same manner to overturn any ancient tradition whatever of any church in particular about the cult rendered from time immemorial to its founders. To this, namely, his whole argumentation comes back: the Acts or Passion of SS. Nigasius

and his Companions are of little firm credit, both because they do not go back beyond the tenth century Ibid. page 512, num. 7, 8, 9., and because they manifestly slip where they assume that St. Denis of Paris is the same as the Areopagite, and would have St. Nigasius suffer under Domitian Ibid. num. 6.; moreover, that such things are narrated as no prudent man would easily believe, unless they rested on ancient and trustworthy monuments, such as the author of the Passion certainly did not have to light his way, otherwise he would have indicated it somewhere Ibid. page 513, num. 10.. For these reasons, which Bye after his manner unfolds most broadly, he judges the Acts or Passion of St. Nigasius and his Companions plainly unworthy to be printed Acta SS. at the 11th of Oct. vol. V, page 514, num. 16.. He denies besides Ibid. page 520, num. 38. that any literary monument older than the eleventh century is found in which Nigasius is called bishop of Rouen. Whence he not obscurely embraces this opinion: that the church of Rouen was impelled either by the Acts of the Bishops of Rouen or by the praised Passion of St. Nigasius to number that Saint among its prelates. But the Passion Bye esteems of no value; and the Acts, in his mind, either rest on the Passion, or are of slight credit in this matter: whence Nigasius would not even have been a bishop, since this is shown only from the Passion; much less archbishop of Rouen, as the Acts assert altogether gratuitously. In all these things Bye seems to us to attribute too much to the argument which is customarily called negative, when he assumes that the name of Nigasius was brought into the lists of the prelates of Rouen from no other source than the two indicated above, because no older literary monument on this matter is to be found. But in fact, besides that it is to be noticed in general that in the first centuries bishops were more necessary than presbyters, since the latter could not perform a great part of the business to be done; by the reasons employed by Bye almost all the episcopal lists of the Gallican churches would, as I have already noted, have to be cut short, and in particular St. Mellonus, of whom we treat here, would have to be struck out; both because in his Acts almost the same things occur which Bye censures in the Passion of St. Nigasius, and because we know of no literary monument older than the 11th century by which St. Mellonus is numbered among the pontiffs of the often-mentioned church. And if Bye's negative argumentation held, it would follow that the series of the bishops of Rouen should begin with Avitianus (namely the third in our catalogues), who is read as subscribed to the First council of Arles in the year 314 Sirmond. Concilia antiqua Galliæ, vol. I, page 8.. I confess that the traditions of the churches from time immemorial are of more weight with me than that I should think they can be destroyed by merely negative arguments. Yet, these things being laid down, it is not to be wondered at that writers have gone off into various opinions.

[9] by others he is held the first Castellan, in his universal Martyrology for this twenty-second day of October, puts the announcement from the Roman martyrology, and adds in the margin that St. Mellonus was the first bishop of the see of Rouen, which he also affirms again in the Hagiological Index at the end of his book, as well as at the head of Ménage's Dictionary, of which I spoke at num. 1. Castellan (a man of no slight authority in questions of this kind) is followed by the martyrologies of Évreux and Auxerre; likewise by the Paris breviary printed in the year 1736, and its French version, published with the approval of the archbishop in the year 1742; where on the twenty-second of October the feast of St. Mellonus is indicated to be celebrated, in whose lesson (for only one is had) these words are found: "Mellonus ... announced the Christian faith at Rouen, and was the first to establish an episcopal see in that city." These words are also had in the Rouen breviary of the same year on the second Sunday of October, at the festival of SS. Nicasius and his Companions, martyrs, and of St. Mellonus, "who founded the church of Rouen." These latter words indeed would seem to indicate that the said see was founded by all of them together. In what way this can or ought to be held, the Acts of the Archbishops of Rouen, already praised above, first brought to light by Mabillon, will teach Vetera Analecta, page 222. Paris, 1723.:

[10] bishop of that see "In the aforesaid city of Rouen the excellent Mallonus was first in order. The placing of these words disturbs some, who do not consider suitably enough, since their wish, namely that the most blessed Nigasius was the first prelate of the aforenamed city, is in no way contradicted in this matter, if it be supported by an exposition however slightly subtle. Let both clerics and monks, then, take heed lest they err, so that, searching the writings more perspicaciously, they may judge that both can stand not unsuitably. Those speak fittingly, I say, who assert that Mallonus was first in the see of Rouen. For no one went before him as regards the usufruct of the archbishopric: nor yet do those preach ill who maintain that blessed Nigasius was the first archbishop of the same see. For I think it has already been made manifest to not a few that he was ordained at Rome by the blessed pope Clement prelate of the city of the people of Rouen, which was not yet subject to the pastoral yoke of anyone. Nor is it frivolous, but firm and established, as his Passion testifies, that, joined with blessed Denis, by permission of Clement the pope this same man went up to the Gallic shores; and that before he could arrive at his see, which, as we have said, he had received at Rome, he suffered martyrdom by beheading, yet nearer about the Norman borders, with Quirinus and Scuviculus. Whence it comes about that of both, but in one way and in another, he is truly proclaimed first; of Nigasius indeed according to ordination, of Mallonus according to dwelling in the place. So that it may be said thus: Nigasius was the first ordained prelate of the city of Rouen, but Mallonus was the first placed in the see." And these words are from the Acts concerning which Mabillon determines thus Ibidem page 226.: "The foregoing Acts of the pontiffs of Rouen were committed to writing by an anonymous monk of the monastery of St. Ouen of the same city, to whose autograph this edition has been made exact. He lived under Gregory VII as pontiff, John as archbishop of Rouen, etc." Which notes of time fall in the eleventh century, now verging to its end.

[11] is held The anonymous writer therefore admits that St. Nigasius was ordained bishop, and that of the see of Rouen, although he did not arrive at this city while he was alive; which, consecration being supposed, at any rate does nothing to prevent his both truly having been and being called bishop, as is rightly noted on the 11th of October in the French version of the Roman martyrology Martyrologe Romain, page 298. Paris, 1830. published under the auspices of the Most Reverend D. Hyacinthe de Quelen, archbishop of Paris. Orderic Vitalis, who was a contemporary of the anonymous writer of the Acts, and wrote the fifth book of his history, as he himself testifies Historiæ ecclesiasticæ vol. II, page 302. Paris, 1840., at the beginning of the 12th century (about the year 1128), has thus Ibid. page 324 and following.: "To this (Rouen) ... blessed Nigasius, bishop, was destined by St. Denis with his companions; but on the way, in a certain market-town which is called Scamni, he was seized by Sisinnius Fescenninus, and persevering constantly in the faith of Christ, he was beheaded with Quirinus the presbyter and Scuviculus the deacon on the 5th of the Ides of October." And he adds Ibid. page 325.: "Ancient heathenism, the preacher (St. Nigasius) having been martyred on the way, long possessed Rouen, and filled it with innumerable filthinesses of idols until St. Mellonus the archbishop." But Usuard raises a serious difficulty, who calls St. Nigasius a presbyter. Whence he drew this announcement of his does not sufficiently appear, in the judgment of Sollerius. "Nor," he adds Martyrol. Usuardi, at this day the 11th of October., "does any light shine from other martyrologists; whence it remains to conjecture that Usuard had a particular piece of information, from which he inserted that class in his martyrology." This, however, is certain, that Usuard preceded the anonymous writer of the Acts, as also Orderic Vitalis, in age by two centuries. And for this reason Tillemont Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire ecclés, vol. IV, page 485. Paris, 1701. was induced to strike St. Nigasius out of the roll of the pontiffs of Rouen: "They will have it today," he says, "that St. Nigasius was the first bishop of that city; but Usuard, the first of all among those who treat of him, calls him a Presbyter."

[12] [] There is no reason why we should linger longer on these things. It is plain that the pontificate of St. Nigasius is at least doubtful, against which stands the assertion of Usuard; the Acts praised above favour it, and the tradition of the church of Rouen, which, however, does not seem to go back to the times of Usuard: otherwise, how would he have been ignorant of it? The remaining arguments adduced by our Bye and opposed to the episcopate of St. Nigasius could by like reasoning be urged against St. Mellonus. But, as we have said, they are merely negative, and are not strengthened by any positive argument, as obtains in the case of St. Nigasius, who is expressly called a presbyter in Usuard. Therefore we hold the episcopate of the latter less wavering than that of the former. For my part I should not depart much from D. Guillaume Bessin, who in the series of the bishops of Rouen begins thus: "St. Nicasius, presbyter, sent from Rome into Gaul, is beheaded while he is preaching the gospel among the Veliocasses. He is omitted by some, both because he was not a bishop, and because he did not arrive at Rouen. St. Mellonus, who is also Melanius, born at Cardiola in Greater Britain, baptized and ordained at Rome by St. Stephen I, pope, is the first to preach the faith at Rouen and fixes the see there" Concilia Rotomagensis provinciæ. Latter part. page 1. Rouen, 1717.. St. Mellonus, therefore, will be first in order among the commonly listed prelates of the city of Rouen, if decisive force be attributed to the assertion of Usuard; otherwise he will come second in order. I have said "among the commonly listed" deliberately: for only two prelates are named, namely Nigasius and Mellonus, from the foundation of the see of Rouen until the year 314, in which year Avitianus is read to have subscribed to the First council of Arles, which is the first certain and manifest indication of that see, as I have already noted.

[15] The years of his episcopate are uncertain; whether second, Accordingly, concerning the time during which St. Mellonus held the insignia of the church of Rouen, nothing certain can be determined, except this alone, that he did not prolong his pontificate beyond the year just mentioned, 514; since already at that time Avitianus, who in all the catalogues is written as his successor, was presiding. Whence it can be determined neither in what precise year the episcopate of St. Mellonus began nor in what year it ended. According to our Bye Acta SS. vol. VI of October, page 512. St. Nigasius was crowned with martyrdom more probably in the year 286. If therefore this were certain, and it were moreover established that St. Mellonus succeeded him without delay, the beginning of his episcopate would be had fixed. But it is far from both being ascertained. The Gallia christiana Vol. XI, col. 5. would have St. Nigasius suffer about the year 250; Pommeraye Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 5 and 6; likewise page 9. at the beginning of the second century, about the year

of Christ 100: for he admits with Baronius (which is now an obsolete opinion) that St. Denis of Paris (whose companion St. Nigasius was) is the same as the Areopagite. "It is difficult," says Tillemont Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire ecclés. vol. IV, page 446 and 716., "to define the time at which St. Denis suffered." Then he declares that this could have happened under Valerian about the year 258 or 259; or under Aurelian in the years 273 and 274; or under Maximian Herculius in the year 286 or 287. But he notes that these are only conjectures, and none better than the others: whence in his opinion any one of the aforenoted years of the third century may with equal right be taken to which the martyrdom may be attached. As regards the other point, namely whether after the death of St. Nigasius the see was vacant for some time or not, this too is a matter not sufficiently ascertained. "With Mellonus," say the compilers of the Gallia christiana Vol. XI. col. 5 and 6., "some lists begin the bishops of Rouen ..., because he is believed to have founded the cathedral church ..., or perhaps because, the bishops having been interrupted for some interval from Nicasius to Mellonus on account of the vexations of the heathen, from Mellonus onwards they have not ceased down to our times"; which agrees well enough with Orderic, who writes, as we have seen, that Nigasius having been martyred, ancient heathenism long possessed Rouen. Nor does it appear, either from the Passion of St. Nigasius or from the Acts of St. Mellonus, that the latter was anywhere a companion or associate of the former or was near him when he died. Besides, it is fairly agreed that St. Nigasius never reached Rouen; but that St. Mellonus was ordained at Rome bishop of Rouen is shown from his Acts, as I shall presently set out more broadly. If therefore we admit that St. Nigasius was in fact first in order, it is evident that it is not established at what time St. Mellonus entered upon his pontificate.

[14] or whether he was the first But if the series of prelates were thought to begin with Mellonus, and firm authority stood for his Acts, some greater light would shine for determining at what time he first began to preside. "Mellonus (so the Acts speak), born in Greater Britain ... coming to Rome, having paid the tribute, was led with his companions to the temple of Mars... And at that time Valerian was holding the Roman citadels, a man hateful to God. When therefore St. Mellonus was walking through the city, he came to the place where St. Stephen the pope was teaching a few Christians... The most blessed pope taught him the catholic faith, and dipped him in baptism ..., caused him to ascend to the grade of the priesthood... On a certain day, as St. Mellonus was celebrating the solemnities of the Mass, he himself and blessed Stephen the pope saw an angel of the Lord standing at the right side of the altar; and when he had finished the sacrifice, the angel of the Lord, holding a pastoral staff, gave it to St. Mellonus, saying: 'Receive the staff under which thou must rule the people of the city which is called Rouen, in the borders of Neustria: for there a place has been prepared for thee to serve the Lord...' Blessed Mellonus therefore, adorned with the pontifical insignia and fortified with the apostolic blessing, goes out from the city of Rome, and sets out on his journey, desiring to arrive at the city indicated to him... After the labours of a very long road, the holy Man came into the district of Rouen, and seeing the city, on bended knees began to pray, and having entered it, to become renowned for miracles." Let us note here in passing, first, that there is nothing in these words which suggests even the slightest suspicion of a see already founded by St. Nigasius; and that the words in themselves altogether favour the opinion of those who have determined that St. Mellonus leads the band of the prelates of Rouen.

[15] prelate of Rouen, Then, to come to our point, namely in what year this episcopal consecration, ordained from heaven, took place; it is helpful to note that in the aforesaid narration the time is circumscribed fairly narrowly, since this is said to have happened under Stephen the pope and Valerian the emperor; of whom the former sat from the year 253 to the year 257 Art de vérifier les dates, page 243.; the latter began to reign likewise in the year 253, was defeated and captured by Sapor, king of the Persians, in the year 260, and was deprived of life in the year 263 or a little later Art de vérifier les dates, page 344.. From these it would follow that the ordination of St. Mellonus is to be assigned to the four-year period which is had from the year 253 to the year 257. Nay, one could approach even nearer to the beginning of the blessed Prelate's episcopate, if the words relating to Valerian, "a man hateful to God," were to be so understood as though the persecution against the Christians had already been set in motion by him: for the beginning of this (at least in so far as it was general) is referred to the year 257 See Tillemont. Mémoires, vol. IV, page 3 and 4.; in which year also the more common and more probable opinion holds that St. Stephen was crowned with martyrdom, although some things occur which suggest that this happened in the year 255 The same, ibid. page 31.. Accordingly, adhering to the firmer opinion, the ordination of St. Mellonus would have to be attached to the year 257, or to the preceding year, when the first beginnings of the persecution were already boiling up. And this year 256 Constantine Ghini expressly sets down in the Natales of the holy Canons, in Ussher Britannicarum ecclesiarum antiquitates, page 76. London, 1687.. But there are obstacles to our admitting the year just mentioned as certain; first, that it is not altogether established that these words "a man hateful to God" indicate that the persecution had already begun: for the writer could have said these words of Valerian προληπτικῶς on account of the horrible storm afterwards stirred up by him against the followers of Christ. Then, this chronology cannot be reconciled with the year 286, in which Bye thinks St. Nigasius more probably suffered, so that accordingly the latter would either have to be struck out altogether from the roll of the prelates of Rouen, or be said to have suffered in another year than the one assumed. Either would easily be conceded, if entire credit were to be given to the Acts of St. Mellonus. But they are not of such authority with us as to be thought fit for removing such difficulties. And in very truth the Gallia christiana Vol. XI, col. 6. values them so little that, although it is expressly written there that Mellonus was sent by Stephen I, it nevertheless asserts that it seems more probable (though rashly, as we shall presently say) that he was sent by Marcellinus or by one of his immediate successors.

[16] nor is it established in what year And so, although by standing on the Acts something certain is had about the beginning of the pontificate of St. Mellonus, since these are not very firm in themselves, it remains obscure when the holy Man was ordained. I should not, however, think that this happened before the middle of the third century, whatever hypothesis is finally admitted; namely whether he was the first, or only the second, Nigasius preceding him. But how long he presided no one will define: since it is no more clearly established about the end than about the beginning of his administration. This alone we hold for certain, namely, as the Gallia Christiana says Ibidem, that Mellonus died his death before the year 314, in which the First council of Arles was celebrated, to which there is read subscribed: "Avitianus, bishop, Nicetius, deacon, of the city of the people of Rouen" Sirmond, concilia Galliæ, vol. I, page 8.. In the Acts it is said that envious death took him from the earth on the eleventh of the Kalends of November (that is, the twenty-second of October), no year being added. But the Acts of the archbishops of Rouen indicate fairly clearly the very year 314. For they have thus Vetera Analecta, page 222.: "To blessed Mallonus Avidiamus succeeded, who under the blessed pope Sylvester and the emperor Constantine ruled the aforesaid church." But St. Sylvester was given as successor to St. Melchiades on the last day of January 314, and died on the last of December in the year 335 Art de vérifier les dates, page 344 and 345.; the council of Arles, to which Avitianus subscribed, began to be celebrated on the first of August of the aforesaid year Ibid. page 172.. Accordingly, if the words just recited are to be taken in the sense that Avitianus flourished under no other pontiff than St. Sylvester, it would be sufficiently proved that St. Mellonus was still surviving about the year 314, or that his death is to be attached to this year. Nevertheless Pommeraye Histoire des archev. de Rouen, page 44. affirms that this happened on the above-said day, the 22nd of October, in the year 311, according to the more common opinion. A little before he had said Ibid.: "I know that commonly only forty years spent in the episcopate are attributed to St. Mellonus: if, however, his entry into the City be placed in the year 260; and on the other hand we recall to mind that most chronicles and older manuscripts refer his death to the year 314, or rather and more probably to the year 311; it will be necessary to attribute fifty-one years to his pontificate. Nor indeed is it repugnant to have believed this, since it is established that several bishops and other holy men lived very long, especially in the first centuries of the church, when it seemed expedient so." Tillemont Mémoires, etc. vol. IV, page 487., having cited Pommeraye's words, adds: "If St. Mellonus died only in the year 314, the years of his episcopate will have to be numbered not only forty, but fifty-four in all, since in the year 257 St. Stephen died his last day, by whom almost all represent St. Mellonus to have been sent into Gaul." "Stephen the pope," says Baronius At the year 260, vol. III, page 76., "ordained three bishops in various places. Of these was Melanius, bishop of Rouen, celebrated for holiness." I note in passing that in the margin reference is made to the Roman martyrology on the 28th day of October; which at any rate is a slip or an error, since the announcement of St. Melanius occurs there on the 22nd of the aforesaid month. The only ones (at least so far as is established to me) who have gone off into a different opinion are the compilers of the Gallia Christiana: "They say that Mellonus was sent into Gaul by Stephen I, pope; and if this is true, Nicasius suffered martyrdom long before Diocletian. But it seems more probable that he was sent by Marcellinus, or by one of his immediate successors: for he is related (namely in Orderic Vitalis Historiæ ecclesiast. book V. Paris, 1840, page 336.) to have flourished under Eusebius and Melchiades: aptly indeed, if he did in fact found the cathedral church: and how did he easily carry that out, except under Constantine the Great, the contemporary of Eusebius and Melchiades?" Thus far the Gallia Christiana Vol. XI, col. 6..

[17] his pontificate ended But both reasons bind very little, nay, I should rather call them vain. For it does not follow from the fact that Mellonus is related to have flourished under Eusebius and Melchiades (about which matter deep silence is kept both in our Acts to be published below and in the Acts of the Archbishops of Rouen praised above), it in no way follows that he was more probably sent by Marcellinus. The latter, elected in the year 296, died in the year 304; then the see was vacant for more than three years and a half; in the year 308 Marcellus was elected, whom in the year 310 Eusebius succeeded, who, after a pontificate of some months, had as successor in the year 311 Melchiades, who died

in the month of January of the year 314 Art de vérifier les dates, page, 243 and 244.. If therefore Mellonus was sent by Marcellinus, it follows that his episcopate was not long, say eighteen years at most, which conflicts with the ancient tradition. Besides, let us suppose that St. Mellonus, when he was sent by St. Stephen, had reached the thirtieth year of his age; after fifty years of episcopate he would have departed an octogenarian; in which assuredly there is nothing that you could find fault with in the least. This argumentation, therefore, is incongruous: "He flourished under Eusebius and Melchiades; therefore he was more probably sent by Marcellinus, and not by Stephen." But as for what is added, that the cathedral church could not easily have been founded by Mellonus except under Constantine the Great: neither should I think this worthy of serious attention. Assuredly the question here is not of some huge fabric, such as we now see, but of an oratory or chapel, or at any rate a temple of lesser bulk. "St. Mellonus (so in the Acts) built the first church, which he consecrated in honour of the most holy Trinity and of the gracious virgin Mary." Very many things of this kind occur in ancient monuments; nor has it come into anyone's mind to mark them with an asterisk, as though such words indicated a very great building, which could not have been completed except when the peace of the church had been established under Constantine. Below we shall see whether the present cathedral church rises in the same place in which the first sacred edifice was founded by St. Mellonus.

[18] Recapitulation. What has been discussed thus far we comprise in a few words as follows. St. Mellonus (less well written Melanius), if he did in fact succeed St. Nigasius as prelate of Rouen (which at any rate seems to be proved with little solidity), this is to be understood in this sense, that Mellonus is nonetheless the first prelate who had his see in the aforesaid city. But in what years he began to preside is uncertain: writers vary in determining the age in which St. Nigasius underwent martyrdom: some will have it about the year 250; others in the year 258 or 259; others again in the year 273 or 274; others finally in the year 286 or 287. Whence it is plain that it is not established when St. Mellonus succeeded him, if indeed he did succeed him. But if he himself began the series of the prelates of Rouen, it would follow from the Acts, which we have said are not of great authority in themselves, that he was ordained about the year 257: on the other hand he appears to have died about the year 314; these being admitted, from the ordination to the day of his death an interval of fifty-seven years is found.

[19] St. Mellonus built a church St. Mellonus is related in Saussay Martyrol. Gallican. at the 22nd of October. to have built three churches in all at Rouen: "A huge multitude of the citizens having been imbued with the dogmas of the faith and dipped in the sacred laver, in the very place from which he had driven out the demon (by throwing down his image), Mello erected his first trophy to Christ the Saviour, founding a church under the invocation of the supreme Trinity... As accession was daily made to the flock of Christ in great numbers, ... for their sake the holy Prelate built another sacred edifice on the Island (a place which would be more convenient for the sacred assembly), to which he gave the name of St. Clement. He also added a third, to satisfy the ardour of those flocking to the standards of Christ, which he consecrated to the veneration of the holy virgin Mother of God; in which, having also constituted a presbytery, he began the first beginnings of the episcopal see." Whence Saussay drew those three edifices, it is not worth while to inquire at length. In our Acts mention occurs of only one church built by the holy Prelate, in these words: "In those times (namely after Præcordius, a leading man, whose son he had recalled from death to life, had been baptized) St. Mellonus built the first church, where Præcordius had been raised up, which he consecrated in honour of the most holy Trinity and of the gracious virgin Mary." Pommeraye renders the text a little differently Histoire de l'église cathédrale de Rouen, page 9. Rouen, 1686.: "Since therefore in that place no church had yet been built, he built a new one in honour of the holy Trinity and of holy Mary, Mother of God, where Præcordius had been raised up." In the judgment of the same Pommeraye Ibid. page 10., the opinion which holds that several churches were erected by St. Mellonus is founded only on popular traditions, which themselves rest on altogether rather light grounds. "Nowhere," he says, "is it to be read in the Acts that the temple in which St. Mellonus had overthrown the image of the idol which is called Roth was converted into a church. Nay more, if it be weighed that the episcopate of our holy Prelate coincides with the most dire persecutions against the followers of Christ, no one will easily judge that it was granted in that storm to a Christian bishop to consecrate the lurking places of idols to his own uses, and at the same time to build three churches in the same city. Perhaps it will already seem difficult that a single one could have been erected from the foundations by the same man." For the rest, he suspects that the opinion that several sacred edifices were built by St. Mellonus first arose from this, that in the Acts it is read that a church was consecrated in honour of the most holy Trinity and of the gracious virgin Mary. Dividing the title, they made two out of one; the one dedicated to the most holy Trinity, the other to the gracious virgin Mary.

[20] in the place where now rises After this the praised Pommeraye inquires whether the cathedral church which is now seen at Rouen rises in the same place in which St. Mellonus erected the sacred edifice, and he holds the affirmative opinion, which he supports with several, and those not contemptible, arguments Ibid. page 11 and following.. Some, namely, have cast doubt, thinking that the chair of Rouen was from the beginning established rather in the church which is now named from St. Laudus (St. Lo) or in that other one which is named from St. Gildardus (St. Godard). But, as Pommeraye again notes Ibid. page 11., from all past time the church of St. Mary was perpetually distinct from the church of St. Laudus, which rises, as is commonly held, in the place where formerly stood the temple dedicated to the idol Roth, which moreover seems to have stood outside the pomerium of the city; while the edifice consecrated by blessed Mellonus to the most holy Trinity was contained within the limits of the city. Which reason holds equally against the church of St. Gildardus, removed still further than the temple of St. Laudus from the circuit of the city. Both are professedly proved in the history of Rouen published by Louis du Souillet. And first indeed the author notes Histoire de Rouen, vol. II, page 38 and following. that the church called first of St. Saviour, afterwards of St. Laudus, is very ancient, but by no means cathedral; and that if afterwards for some years it was such, this obtained not by title of the see of Rouen but rather of that of Coutances. How this came about we learn from the Black Book of the chapter of Rouen Gallia Christ. Vol. XI, Instrumenta, col. 217 and 218..

[21] of the cathedral of Rouen, "The Normans namely prevailing, after the middle of the 9th century, the holy church of Coutances, which ... under 33 bishops had faithfully fought for God, is overthrown from its foundations, is bereft of clergy and people ... of relics and of the bodies of the saints (among others of St. Laudus) ... and for 74 continuous years, as is read in the chronicles, is trampled underfoot by the foulness of idolatry and by pagan furies." At the beginning of the 10th century, Rollo being baptized, "the bodies of the holy bishops of Coutances, Laudus and Rumpharius, which had been carried away, were brought to Rouen, and received in the church of St. Saviour. Since therefore the district of Coutances was empty of worshippers of Christ and given over to paganism, its bishop Theodoric served blessed Laudus and his church at Rouen, and sat there as in his own see, and the church began to be named from St. Laudus. Theodoric, having returned to Rouen, stayed there as in his own see, namely performing the episcopal office freely in the church of St. Laudus as in that of Coutances. This then is the true and certain reason why until now the prelate of Coutances is named bishop of St. Lo." There sat there, therefore, rather than at Coutances, five bishops, namely the aforesaid Theodoric, Herbert, Algerundus. Gilbert and Hugh; the last is noted in the Gallia Christiana to have died in the year 1025 Ibid. col. 869.; and much later the church of Coutances was consecrated, namely under Bishop Geoffrey in the month of December 1056 Gallia Christ. vol. XI, col. 871. Compare Hist. de Rouen. Where cited above.. From these things the opinion could easily arise that the chair of Rouen was formerly at St. Laudus's. As regards the church of St. Gildardus, this too is certainly very ancient; but again in the same history of Rouen it is shown Hist. de Rouen, vol. II, page 132 and 133. that the reasons by which certain writers thought it was proved that the bishop at some time had his see in it are very weak, nay null. Pommeraye, among other testimonies, recites in confirmation of his opinion the following words from the Acts of St. Evodius: "But the saint of God (Evodius) was buried in the church of blessed Mary ever virgin, where the episcopal see is." Similar words are found in the life of St. Ouen, by Fridegodus, as also in the black book, or most ancient manuscript, of the abbey of St. Ouen, and likewise in another manuscript of the cathedral church of Rouen, which, by reason of its cover, is called the ivory one, where in the Acts of Bishop Grimo (he sat towards the middle of the 8th century Gallia Christ. vol. XI, col. 18 and 19.) is read: "The church of the Mother of God, over whose see he presided, he increased with his own estates and with several benefices." And so Pommeraye thinks it has been demonstrated more than sufficiently from these and other similar testimonies that the chair of Rouen, both before and after the coming of the Normans, stood in the same place and under the same title, until the times of the archbishops Robert and Maurilius, of whom the former held the see at the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century, and the latter from the year 1055 to the year 1067; the former, as Orderic has it, "began from the foundations the metropolitan church in the city of Rouen to the holy Mother of God, which he finished in great part"; the latter "completed the church begun by Archbishop Robert, and dedicated it in the presence of William, duke of the Normans" Ibid. col. 26 and 27; likewise col. 30 and 31.. And this is that magnificent basilica which may be seen even today in the aforesaid city Hist. de l'église cath. de Rouen, page 14.. Nor is there need to dispute more on this matter. Pommeraye's opinion at any rate has its own probability. Further than that I should not dare to affirm anything. This one thing I shall add, that Duplessis also favours Pommeraye Description de la Haute Normandie, vol. II, page 23 and following., and Léon Fallue Histoire de l'église metropolitaine de Rouen, vol. I, page 19.; with whom also agree Farin [Normandie chrétienne, page 142; likewise histoire de la ville de Rouen, vol. II, page 2. Rouen, 1668.] and a certain Solitary (as he calls himself), author of the history of the city of Rouen, published for the third time by Louis du Souillet, of whom mention has several times been made above [Histoire de la ville de Rouen, divisée en six parties, vol. I, part III, page 2. Rouen, 1731.].

§ II. Where St. Mellonus was first given burial. Of the translation of his sacred body to the Castle of Pontoise.

St. Mellonus seems to have been buried first To speak now of the relics of blessed Mellonus, this is certain, that the holy Prelate was not buried in the church of the holy virgin Mary founded by him. But where? Most, following Farin La Normandie chrétienne, page 137. and Pommeraye Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 44, say in the underground church or crypt of St. Gervasius outside the circuit of the city of Rouen. Yet the Reverend D. Cochet Les églises de l'arrondissement d'Yvetot, vol. II, page 107. thinks that the matter stood otherwise from the beginning. In his opinion, Pommeraye rightly holds that the blessed Man died in the village of Héricourt, not far from Rouen (this, however, is nowhere indicated in our Acts); but he dissents in this, that he believes that he was also buried there from the beginning, whereas Pommeraye and Farin will have it that after his death he was carried at once to the crypt of St. Gervasius. "We think," he says Ibid., "that his ashes remained for an entire century at Héricourt, from which that place also borrowed its name (commonly even today it is called St-Mellon from St. Mellonus); but that afterwards they were translated to Rouen under St. Victricius, who, after he had built with his own hands the crypt of St. Gervasius for keeping the relics of the Saints sent by St. Ambrose, took care that the bones of SS. Mellonus and Avitianus also should be laid there in the vaults which still exist today." The learned man therefore assumes as certain (and the more recent historiographer of the church of Rouen, L. Fallue, agrees well enough with him [Histoire politique et religieuse de l'église métropolitaine et du diocèse de Rouen, vol. I, page 29 and 30. Rouen, 1850.]) that the crypt of St. Gervasius was built at the end of the 4th century by St. Victricius. And this being supposed, it is plain that the remains of St. Mellonus, who died at the beginning of the same century, could not have been laid in it from the beginning. It must be confessed that from this a weight, and assuredly no light one, accrues to the indications by which the praised writer thinks the burial of St. Mellonus at Héricourt is proved. Namely Les Églises de l'arrondissement d'Yvetot. Where cited above. the place itself, which among the people is even now called from St. Mellonus, and not Héricourt; some relics in the church of that village, as also a statue of the holy Man on the high altar; likewise some traces of his house at the foot of the hill Pyval, which are also commonly called after St. Mellonus. To this point also, and indeed chiefly, tends a crypt recently discovered, on the 12th day of November of the year 1847, at the bottom of the hill on which the said church sits. The Reverend D. Cochet does not doubt that that monument goes back to apostolic times; and from its form, site and apse, turned towards the east, he concludes that in this crypt the Christians in the time of the persecutions had their assemblies, and that the original burial of St. Mellonus was there. Finally, at the foot of the same hill Pyval there is a spring, called among the people Little Saint Mellonus (Petit-saint-Mellon), where the blessed Prelate is related to have given baptism to those converted to the faith. From all these things the Reverend D. Cochet gathers that the sacred remains of the blessed Pontiff were first deposited, not in the crypt of St. Gervasius, but in that of Héricourt.

[23] at Héricourt, To this opinion a twofold difficulty chiefly is opposed: the one, that it is not sufficiently established that St. Mellonus died his last day at Héricourt; the other, that there lies a doubt whether the crypt of St. Gervasius was built by St. Victricius. And first indeed the Acts are silent, as I have already noted, about the withdrawal of the holy Man when death was approaching: "When at length the holy pontiff Mellonus, wearied with old age and labour, was keeping vigil and praying according to his wonted custom, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying: Mellonus, thou hast fought the good fight for Christ... Behold, the recompense of eternal life is prepared for thee. Understanding these things, the Servant of God ... having called together his disciples and the citizens of the city, addressed them in these words: Diabolical illusion was set over you... What more? Happy beyond others was the city of Rouen in the presence of so great a Prelate, whom envious death took from the earth on the eleventh of the Kalends of November according to the angelic promise." So in our Acts. But in the Rouen breviary printed in the year 1491, as also in a Ms. copy of it of the 14th century (we treat of both elsewhere), is read: "Having become old ... he went to a certain place, separated about twenty miles from the city of Rouen, between the western and northern part, most pleasant by the loveliness of a spring and a river. Where, when he had stayed for some time, devoting himself to vigils ... he rendered his blessed soul to God." Which indeed suits Héricourt exceedingly well, as may be seen in the geographical map of Duplessis inserted in volume II of the History of Normandy: for it is a village to the north of the city of Rouen, turning a little towards the west; it is most pleasant by the loveliness of the spring at the foot of the hill Pyval and of the river Durdo (in the vernacular Durdan, Durdent, Duredent), and is distant from Rouen nine or ten leagues; so that accordingly it is manifestly indicated in the breviary, although Héricourt is not named. The breviary is followed by Farin La Normandie Chrétienne, page 135 and Pommeraye Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 44., both expressly asserting that the holy Bishop withdrew to Hevecuria (for so these write), distant from Rouen, as the former has it, about nine leagues. Nevertheless both writers hold that he was buried from the beginning in the crypt or cemetery of St. Gervasius. These things being so, I should not for my part think the opinion of the Reverend D. Cochet weakened on this side; nay, I should rather call it confirmed.

[24] and not in the crypt, As regards the other point, namely that the crypt of St. Gervasius was built by St. Victricius; this indeed the aforesaid author thinks is proved clearly from the book On the Praise of the Saints; to me, however, there remains some doubt, or, if you prefer, a scruple, although I do not at all doubt that that book is to be attributed to St. Victricius: "The learned Benedictines," says our Ghesquière Acta SS. Belgii, vol. I, page 393., "editors of the works of St. Ambrose in the year 1690, noted in their Preface to the second volume, page 3, that in the library of St. Gall among the Swiss there are preserved two codices a thousand years old, in one of which a treatise exists under this heading: 'Book of St. Ambrose, bishop, against the heretics'; but in the other another treatise, thus inscribed: 'Book of St. Ambrose, bishop, on the Praise of the Saints...' This latter book is that ... which we have before attributed to St. Victricius, and judge with full right is to be attributed to him, and are presently about to demonstrate." Then Ibidem. page 394. he adduces various arguments to this effect, solid at any rate, and already proposed by the Reverend D. Lebeuf, in whose footsteps Ghesquière professes to tread. Compare Migne's Patrology, in which you will find the book printed anew Vol. XX, col. 437 and following.. Further, from this very writing of St. Victricius it is manifest that a certain Ælianus Ibid. page 390. "brought to Rouen some relics of Saints, destined by St. Ambrose, which our saint (Victricius) received with the greatest joy of mind, and placed with honour in the Basilica begun by him, but not yet completed." This basilica the praised Reverend D. Cochet thinks to be the crypt of St. Gervasius Églises de l'arrondissement d'Yvetot, vol. II, page 107., as does L. Fallue too; the latter, however, a little less expressly Histoire de l'Église métropolitaine de Rouen, vol. I, page 30.. But, in my opinion, this is not had so clearly from the book On the Praise of the Saints.

[25] (which is said to have been built by St. Victricius) There are two passages bearing on this, which we have therefore thought should be recited in full. The former has thus [Book of St. Victricius on the Praise of the Saints, §6, num. 10 and following. Acta SS. Belgii, vol. I, page 426. Migne, vol. XX, col. 448.]: "Nor will our offering be mean to you, venerable ones (namely the Saints whose relics Ælianus was bringing). Worthy is the dwelling which is inhabited by so many victors. Here you will find John the Baptist... Here Andrew, here Thomas, here Gervasius, here Protasius, here Agricola, here Euphemia..." Nothing at any rate in these words openly designates the crypt of St. Gervasius. The name of Gervasius says no more than that of Andrew, Thomas, Protasius, etc. Besides, would it be permissible to argue from that text that a Basilica, and not a crypt, was then built? The words of St. Victricius in their obvious sense intimate that the relics of the Saints whose names he recounts were already kept there: "Nor will our offering," he says, "be mean to you. Worthy is the dwelling which is inhabited by so many Victors. Here you will find John the Baptist," etc. But where would they have dwelt, except in the crypt? Upon this, then, St. Victricius may have built his Basilica. On the other hand, if the body of St. Mellonus had been laid in the crypt together with the relics of those same Saints, why is the name of the blessed Prelate passed over by Victricius? Ghesquière also notes Ibid. annot. d.: "St. Victricius addresses those Saints whose sacred relics had recently been brought to him by Ælianus, and says that his cathedral church is a dwelling worthy of them for this reason, that it had already before been the abode of the Saints whom he enumerates." I should not for my part think that the question here is of the cathedral church; but it is plain that our Ghesquière did not even think of the crypt of St. Gervasius while he was commenting on the Book of Victricius. The other passage pertaining to our matter is contained in the last paragraph §12, num. 29. Where cited above, page 435., and is of this kind: "Let the hall lie open to the divine Martyrs, let the relics be joined... Not undeservedly, dearest brethren, have I, an eager builder, seized upon the space of a Basilica. The coming of the Saints excuses my longing. They themselves bade a hall be prepared for them by a hidden reason of my desire. So it is, truly, so it is. For we have laid the foundations, we have carried the walls in length, and today we learn for whom the purpose of our work was growing. Wherefore all delays are driven off with chastisement; nothing slothful and slow delights me. It is a pleasure to roll great stones with the hands and to carry them on the shoulders. Let the earth drink my sweat; and would that it drank my blood for the name of the Saviour. Meanwhile let the earth that is to receive the altars drink my sweat." From these indeed we have that a basilica was built by St. Victricius, and that the hand of the holy man was put to the work; but again there is not even one word which points to the church, much less to the crypt, of St. Gervasius.

[26] [] It is not therefore sufficiently established which is the basilica erected by St. Victricius; whether that of St. Gervasius? I should not dare to deny it, but neither altogether to affirm it. Jean Lebeuf almost agrees, in the Preface to the book On the Praise of the Saints: "There exists," he says Migne's Patrology, vol. XX, col. 441., "in the suburb of Rouen a church under the title of St. Gervasius. This I should not absurdly believe occupies the place in which St. Victricius had set the temple of which he speaks at the end of this work."

"So great is the opinion of its antiquity that the report is that the body of St. Mellonus, the first bishop of Rouen, was buried in it. I suspect that it was built outside the Roman city, where according to the laws it was lawful to commit bodies to the earth, and that it was the first at Rouen to have had the right of a cemetery, which the faithful frequented most of all on account of the relics and tombs of the Saints." And so, in my opinion, it is not sufficiently proved that the crypt of St. Gervasius is the work of Victricius; whence, and indeed with stronger right, it may be doubted whether St. Victricius translated the body of St. Mellonus from Héricourt to St. Gervasius's. But although the reason which the Reverend D. Cochet urges for the original burial of the holy Prelate from the building of the basilica of St. Gervasius is not firm to me, I should not therefore say that the other arguments, recited in the preceding number, lose their force. Nay more, if the crypt were admitted to be older than the age of Victricius, it would not follow from that that St. Mellonus was buried in it immediately after his death, if suitable testimonies are present (and I think they are present) by which it is proved that he both died at Héricourt and was given his first burial there.

[27] of St. Gervasius, Nevertheless several, not to say most, have written that the remains of our holy Prelate were first deposited either in the crypt or in the suburban cemetery of St. Gervasius. Orderic Vitalis expressly relates Historia ecclesiastica, book V, vol. II, page 336. that he departed to the Lord on the eleventh of the Kalends of November, and lay long buried in the crypt in the basilica of St. Gervasius outside the city. Although these words in themselves do not exclude another burial made earlier at Héricourt, they were so understood by the older writers as to declare that the holy Prelate was buried there immediately after his death. So Farin has it Normandie chrétienne, page 137., so Pommeraye Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 44 and 45., although both hold that he died his last day at Héricourt. Yet they do not assert clearly that the body was deposited in the crypt from the beginning; nay, they incline, Pommeraye especially, rather to this opinion, that this was done first in the common cemetery. And so indeed they thought, no account being taken of the book On the Praise of the Saints, which in their age was commonly attributed to St. Ambrose, without there being at that time even the slightest suspicion that that writing belonged to St. Victricius. It is otherwise with Auguste Le Prévost, who put Orderic Vitalis into new type and illustrated him with excellent notes. For it could not have escaped him that the aforesaid book On the Praise of the Saints had already many years before been restored to its true author. Nevertheless he embraces an opinion not departing greatly from Pommeraye and Farin. "St. Mellonus," he says Orderic Vitalis, where cited above., "and his successor Avitianus or Avidianus were buried in the crypt which we see even today in the underground church of St. Gervasius (and this crypt, in our opinion at least, is the most ancient monument of the Christian religion in all Normandy); unless we should rather say that this was done in the common cemetery, which adjoins the road by which there was a route from Rouen to Juliobona (Lillebonne); where afterwards some successor of theirs (probably St. Victricius), peace having been given to the church, built over the tomb that crypt in which there are still seen two arched recesses, under which for a long space of time the sacred remains of both prelates rested." The praised writer intimates nothing either about the sojourn or about the burial of St. Mellonus in the village of Héricourt. It must, however, be noticed that the crypt discovered on the 12th of November 1847 was unknown to him, and that seven years after the second volume of Orderic's Ecclesiastical History was published by him, which was printed in the year 1840. There is not, therefore, agreement among writers as to where the holy Bishop first rested. Among the older ones most, as I have said, stand for St. Gervasius's, either crypt or cemetery; nor do the more recent differ, except the Reverend D. Cochet, a man certainly diligent and learned; whose opinion we hold far more probable, nay almost certain.

[28] in which afterwards he rested for some centuries; But however it may be about the first burial of St. Mellonus, this is admitted by all, that his body was kept for some centuries in the often-mentioned crypt of St. Gervasius, as is had from the constant testimony of the writers praised hitherto and of others. "The edifice of St. Gervasius," says Duplessis Description de la haute Normandie, by Duplessis, vol. II, page 117 and 118., "formerly an abbey, now a parish church, rises in the suburb of Rouen. There is a crypt or underground chapel, measuring thirty-five feet in length, fifteen in breadth, sixteen in height; to which one goes down by a stone stair, numbering nineteen steps. In it were buried St. Mellonus and Avitianus. (Some have called the latter also saint.) The bodies indeed are absent today; but there are still seen their sepulchres, which are held in great veneration." What are here called sepulchres you would more rightly call arched recesses, in which the biers had been placed. Farin, however, relates Normandie chrétienne, page 138., citing Robert Cenalis as witness, that "his (St. Mellonus's) mausoleum is preserved there until today" (the year 1141); which at any rate is not to be understood of the body, long since, namely in the ninth century, translated to Pontoise. Nor does Farin agree exactly with Duplessis in assigning the length and breadth (he omits the height) of the crypt; he writes that the former measures thirty-three feet, the latter sixteen. Here you have an accurate description of that most ancient structure as it now is: "The monument to be visited before all others by strangers visiting Rouen is the crypt of St. Gervasius, lying beneath the choir of that church, to which there is a descent by means of twenty-eight stone steps. The crypt has in length thirty-five feet, in breadth sixteen, in height fifteen. In the whole interior circuit there is a stone bench. There were buried two of our first archbishops, St. Mellonus and St. Avitianus, under two arches, which may be seen to the right and left of the stair by which one goes down from the church into the crypt. Those arches had been covered over with lime and mortar when the affairs of the church were disturbed throughout France; but they were opened again from the year one thousand seven hundred and twenty-three. The sepulchre of St. Mellonus is found on the left of those entering. And these are the only traces in our city of an architectural work going back to the times of the Romans. Near this crypt, built already sixteen centuries ago, stretched the road by which there was a route from ancient Rouen to Juliobona, perhaps older than Rouen." So Théodore Licquet Rouen, précis de son histoire, page 94 and 95. Rouen, 1827.. How accurately these things are said we were able to examine with our own eyes, when on the 18th day of May 1854, about the eighth hour of the morning, we had gone down into that place worthy of so great veneration. At the lowest part, facing the door by which the entrance lies open, I saw the form of an altar, on which is seen a statue of the blessed virgin Mary. Besides that, nothing.

[29] in the 9th century he was translated to Pontoise, According to Pommeraye Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 45. the relics of St. Mellonus remained in that crypt for a space of about 569 years, namely until the year 880, in which they were translated to the castle of Pontoise. As regards, however, the years so exactly noted, I should not wish to make myself surety. Let Pommeraye see to it, who himself makes no mention of this translation in the Life or Eulogy of John I, bishop of Rouen Where cited above, page 219 – 225., nor do the compilers of the new Gallia Christiana Vol. XI, col. 24., whom, however, all report to have sat from the year 875 to the year 888. Besides, since it is admitted by all that this was done for fear of the Normans, and on the other hand it appears that the castle of Pontoise was plundered and burned by those barbarians in the year 883, it would follow that the relics were not in a sufficiently safe place there. Wherefore Duplessis suspects that one or other of the years, nay perhaps both, is erroneous Description de la haute Normandie, vol. II, page 174.. A few years ago a new History of the town of Pontoise was printed [Recherches historiques, archéologiques et biographiques sur la ville de Pontoise, by the abbé Trou. Pontoise, 1840.], written by a man fairly diligent. In this the translation of St. Mellonus is referred to the year 884. For it is related there that by Riferus or Rifero, the first count of Pontoise, at the end of the 8th century, the foundations of a monastery or abbey were laid on a high place, then called Mons Belianus (now it is the castle Ibid. page 17.); that Charles the Bald in the year 864 granted several privileges to the abbey just mentioned; but that twenty years after that Ibid. page 18. the body of St. Mellonus was brought from Rouen, over which the Danes were impending, to Pontoise, and entrusted to the monks of Mons Belianus; that when, however, a little after, the same disaster was impending over the town of Pontoise, the sacred relics were hastily translated to a safer place; then, after the departure of the Danes or Normans, they were laid again in a new church, which they had built near the fortified castle together with a new monastery, which was thenceforward named from St. Mellonus. And these things indeed the aforesaid author writes not a little confidently; since, however, he scarcely declares on what arguments they rest, I should prefer to say in general that the translation took place in the 9th century as it verged to its end, rather than to assign it to some certain year.

[30] where first an abbey Nor, again, are the things which the same writer relates about the beginnings of the praised abbey, and about the relics of St. Mellonus laid there, to be held as altogether firm. This indeed is certain, that there was at Pontoise until the end of the 18th century a collegiate church (formerly an abbey church) named from St. Mellonus; concerning which, as is in Duplessis Description, etc. vol. II, p. 174., if it be admitted that it is in origin more recent than the castle itself (which is fairly probable), it will be permissible to conclude that from the beginning it was only a chapel of that place, which afterwards, the people flocking to the relics of the holy Prelate, gradually grew into an abbey church dedicated to his name. In some Memorials of the same church it is read that the abbey was founded at the end of the 8th century. This being laid down, the hypothesis just explained would at any rate collapse; and it would be made certain that the monastery was of the order of St. Benedict. Both things, without any doubt, the history of Pontoise praised above relates: namely that it was founded at the end of the 8th century and of the Benedictine institute Recherches, etc. p. 17.. But it is far from the case that so great an antiquity is clearly vindicated for it; nay, the first instrument in which the abbatial title is inscribed belongs to the end of the 11th century. It is namely the charter of Philip I, king of the Franks, given in the year 1091, where these words are read: "I grant the abbey of St. Mellonus of Pontoise to the Lord William, archbishop of Rouen, and to all his successors, and I give it in fee, that they may hold it of me and my successors in perpetuity" Description, etc. page 175.. The Gallia Christiana notes,

that Duplessis, in his description of Upper Normandy, tried somewhat to disparage the charter of this donation. Namely, from the words cited above Duplessis thinks it is to be inferred that the abbatial title was then extinguished, and that in perpetuity, in favour of the prelates of Rouen. Which, however, as he himself observes, in no way agrees with very many other documents of certain credit. Thus at the year 1138 there is found Henry, son of Louis the Fat, abbot of St. Mellonus; likewise at the year 1147, Philip, brother of the aforesaid Henry; and so on until the year 1237, when the abbot was Henry, surnamed Pica, as is plain from the Necrology of the monastery: "Roger Pica, knight, father of Henry, abbot of this church; Vincent Pica, Canon of St. Mellonus, brother of Henry the abbot," etc. From these things Duplessis thinks the charter of Philip totters; nay, that it is doubtful whether at the end of the 11th century the church of St. Mellonus enjoyed the title of abbey, since, at the end of the same century, the author of the life of St. Walter, first abbot of St. Martin of Pontoise, where he speaks of the church of St. Mellonus, abstains from the words abbot, abbey, monastery, employing these and similar words: "Marcellus, presbyter, Raymond, deacon, of the castle of Pontoise," which seem rather to indicate some college of secular presbyters Ibid. page 176.. To reconcile these things with one another, it could perhaps be said that, from the charter of Philip, if it be genuine, the title was extinguished in the year 1091, but revived a little after, since at the years 1138 and 1147 Henry and Philip, sons of Louis the Fat, are found as abbots of St. Mellonus. And this is the sum of Duplessis's argumentation.

[31] named from St. Mellonus, But first, the charter of Philip does not extinguish the title, but grants it in fedium, or, as others read, in feodum; then, it occurs not so rarely that he who presided over the monks or canons in an abbey granted to another in fee, even perpetual, was called by the name of abbot [See Du Cange's Glossary, under the word: Abbas. Likewise Molanus, On Canons, book II, chap. 5, page 136 – 148. Louvain, 1670.]. For a similar reason, nothing at all can be inferred from the words of the anonymous writer of the life of St. Walter: "Marcellus, presbyter, Raymond, deacon, of the castle of Pontoise"; otherwise what would prevent the titles or charters of monasteries being destroyed through ancient chronicles, etc.? Assuredly presbyter, deacon of such a castle, place, etc., are frequently understood of monks. Nor do the writers of the new Gallia Christiana adhere to Duplessis. "The body of St. Mellonus," they say Gall. Christ. vol. XI, col. 133., "translated, as it is reported, at the end of the 9th century from the city of Rouen to Pontoise, easily communicated its name to the church in which it was deposited, which was founded in his honour... The abbey of St. Mellonus Philip I gave in fee to William the archbishop for the exalting of the church of Rouen in the year 1091... Finally, over that abbey or royal church secular clerics presided as abbots, under various names from time to time: in the year 1125, Henry, son of King Louis VI; in the year 1138, Philip, brother of Henry; in the year 1196, another Henry, who together with the Canons ceded to the king in the same year, in the forest of Henonville, territory for building a village, which was first called Villeneuve-Saint-Mellon, then Villeneuve-le-Roi; in the years 1199, 1200, 1209, again Henry, whether the same or another, surnamed Pica." For the rest, I have found no one, except Duplessis, who holds the charter of Philip suspect. It is praised and exhibited as genuine by several in Bréquigny [Table chronologique des diplômes et des chartes. At the year 1091, vol. II, page 242.]. It is recited entire, and indeed from the autograph, in the Norman Councils of D. Bessin Latter part, page 222.; likewise by the learned man Brussel in his excellent Examination [Nouvel examen de l'usage général des fiefs en France pendant le XI, XII, XIII et XIV siècle. Paris, 1727.], which is commended by the Maurists in the new edition of the Glossary of the middle age, and which they used to correct and augment what Du Cange has under the word feudum. Nor does the reason for doubting brought by Duplessis seem to me suitable enough to weaken the credit of that charter.

[32] then collegiate Under Henry Pica, of whom above, or immediately after his death, a Treasurer was substituted for the abbot, in whose place at length a Dean was put by Odo II (Odo Rigaldus or Rigaldi, in French Eudes Rigaud), archbishop of Rouen, namely on the 13th of June 1266, as is asserted in the Gallia Christiana Vol. XI, col. 70.: "In the year 1266, in the month of June, he (Odo) erected the Treasurership of St. Mellonus into a Deanery, and substituted the latter for it." In the margin reference is made to the codex of Odo's Visitations. A little before there is recited from the same codex: "In the same year (1249), on the 9th of the Kalends of October, he (Odo) committed to burial in the choir of the church of Paris the body of Walter, bishop of the same church." But here a scruple arises for me. That codex is no other than the Register of the Visitations of the archbishop of Rouen, which two years ago was first printed under the care of Th. Bonnin Rouen, 1852.. Among the innumerable proofs of this assertion which could be brought forward, let it suffice to have recited what is had about the burial of Walter: "On the 9th of the Kalends of October. We committed to burial Walter of good memory, bishop of Paris, in the choir of the cathedral church" Regestrum Visitationum, page 51.. But supposing that the codex is the same as the Register, it will not be altogether clear that the Treasurership of St. Mellonus was erected into a Deanery on the 13th of June in the year 1266, since this is by no means shown from the Register: for it is not read there that Odo was at Pontoise in the month of June of that year; but rather on the 6th of the Kalends of March (that is, the 24th of February): "Namely on the feast of blessed Matthias the apostle, we celebrated high mass in the church of St. Mellonus," etc. Ibid. page 570.. But in the immediately preceding month of June (which in the Register is indeed assigned to the same year 1266, since its course is taken from Easter to Easter; and so in our manner of reckoning belongs to the year 1265: for the Register begins in the month of July of the year 1248) Odo was staying at Paris on account of the Parlement until the 14th day of the Kalends of July (that is, the 16th of June), on which he notes that he was "at St. Martin near Pontoise" Ibid. page 546.. But in the other month of June, namely the one following the aforesaid feast of St. Matthias (which the Register attaches to the year 1267; but in our manner is to be assigned to the year 1266), there is noted: "On the 6th of the Ides of June (that is, on the 8th day): At St. Martin near Pontoise" Ibid. page 580.. But from both passages it appears that Odo scarcely stayed at Pontoise at that time, since he is noted to have been elsewhere both on the day before and on the day after. Standing, therefore, on the words of the Register, it is not plain that the Treasurership was erected into a Deanery on the 13th of June, nay, nor even in the month of June itself.

[33] from the 13th century, It is certain, however, that this already obtained on the feast of St. Matthias in the year 1266, as is clearly shown from the following words: "We found there a single canon resident, namely the lord John de Fenins, rector of the house of God of the same place; the DEAN was absent" Ibid. page 570.. In the year of the Register 1268 is read: "On the 12th of the Kalends of June (that is, the 21st of May). By the grace of God we went to the church of St. Mellonus, and in a certain house near the church which the canons use in place of a chapter, having set forth the word of God, we exercised the office of visitation, the Lord helping. There we found the Dean and two canons resident," etc. Ibid. page 603.. But in the year of the Register 1265 is had: "We found there three canons resident; namely the Treasurer, the lords Luke and Peter de Bosco Coumin.," etc. Ibid. page 535.. However that may be, it is established that the Relics of St. Mellonus, at the decline of the ninth century, were translated from Rouen to Pontoise, and that there thenceforward existed a church dedicated to his name, formerly an abbey church, but of what rule from the beginning is uncertain, probably of St. Benedict; then of canons regular [Description de la haute Normandie, vol. II, page 176 and de France, page 656, 1854.], if we say with Duplessis that the abbatial title was extinguished for a time by the charter of Philip. About the year 1237 it was made collegiate, and indeed with a Treasurer presiding; until at length about the year 1266 the Treasurership was erected into a Deanery under Odo Rigaldus. In the History of Pontoise Recherches, page 81. it is read that King Philip, surnamed the Fair, in the year 1286, built within the limits of the Castle a great church, which should take the place of the old church of St. Mellonus, whose monks had been secularized at the beginning of the 13th century, and a Treasurer substituted for the Abbot, and for him a little after a Dean: for no year is distinctly noted there. Further, that new church consisted of three vaults, namely a greater one and two lateral ones of lesser height. The Sacristy stood on the left; on the right a tower or bell-tower, in which in time four bells of fair size were hung. The building being completed, King Philip took care that the body of St. Mellonus should be translated thither from the abbey; wishing besides that it should be a Collegiate church and be named from St. Mellonus, who should also thenceforward be venerated as the chief patron of the people of Pontoise. Finally a chapter was constituted from the secularized monks, consisting of nine canons and a Dean. This number, however, did not remain perpetually constant, which last is also shown from the Register of Rigaud.

[34] today destroyed. And the matter remained in the same state until the end of the 18th century, when almost all the monasteries and collegiate churches in France, as the impious storm raged, were either destroyed or suppressed. The church of St. Mellonus was so levelled to the ground that not even the place in which it rose can be accurately designated. There still exists part of the buildings which the dean inhabited. Since these were not far from the collegiate church, it is natural to think that at least some foundations of the latter would be uncovered if the earth were dug there. For the rest, Pons Isaræ or Pontoise today belongs to the diocese of Versailles, and has two parishes: the one, the principal, of St. Maclovius (St Maclou); the other of the holy Virgin Almanach du clergé page 656. Edition of 1854..

§ III. Of the Relics of St. Mellonus, his festal memory and cult in various places.

Of the body of St. Mellonus But as regards the body of St. Mellonus, besides the constant and never interrupted tradition of its preservation in the castle of Pontoise, I find only these few things. Odo Rigaldus notes Regestrum, page 315. at the 5th day of the Kalends of September in the year 1258, in our manner of reckoning 1259: "The shrines in which are said to rest the bodies of certain Saints, and of St. Mellonus, were so rotten and consumed by age that they could scarcely be touched with the hand; we commanded this to be amended." Which command, however, was not put into execution so quickly, with Odo assenting or at least silent, since about this matter no further mention occurs in the Register (which ends in the year 1269 or 1270).

But Odo's successor, William de Flavacourt, elected in the month of September in the year 1275, is read to have at length accomplished it in the year 1296: "On the feast day of SS. Peter and Paul, together with Hugh, bishop of Bethlehem, he translated at Pontoise the body of St. Mellonus into a new shrine." So the Gallia Christiana Vol. XI, col. 74.. Pommeraye agrees, who says that Hugh was William's vicar general Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 488.. For the rest, both at Rouen and at Pontoise, several ecclesiastics, not a little notable for sacred learning, assured me, when I was staying in these places, that there exist no letters or instruments which pertain in any way to translations or openings of this kind. Finally, about the year 1793, D. Chouquet, at that time already parish priest of St. Maclovius at Pontoise (he died there in the year 1828), took care to collect in his presbytery a great quantity of Relics distributed through the various abbeys and sacred edifices of that place. But as the storm grew stronger, he thought it safer that they should be deposited in the common cemetery; which was done by his order by the sacristan or beadle, and indeed in such a way that thereafter the place in which they had been laid could not be distinguished. Afterwards that cemetery was translated elsewhere, and the bones, collected indiscriminately, were decently committed to the earth in the new cemetery. These things were related to me almost word for word by the above-praised writer of the history of Pontoise, the Reverend D. Trou, who died piously in the Lord in the month of November of this year 1857 L'Ami de la Religion..

[36] and of partial relics; There exists with the Reverend D. Driou, parish priest of St. Maclovius of Pontoise, in a framed panel, a particle of the bones of St. Mellonus; so at least the inscription declares. Letters bearing witness to its authenticity are lacking. This particle, very small, seems to have been detached from another which was kept with the Carmelite nuns of the aforesaid town. But what I heard on this matter is very vague. In the same panel may be seen two other relics, of about the same size; the one of St. Rusticus, the other of St. Denis the Areopagite. But in the principal church of St. Maclovius again a particle of St. Mellonus, a little larger than the former, is found in a case which I saw placed on the altar of the Holy Trinity, and containing many other similar relics of Saints. But here again authentic letters, nay any letters whatever, are wanting. Let us note, however, in general, that the lack of letters sometimes favours the authenticity of relics, namely when the case is of such antiquity that its age preceded the council of Trent. For the rest, several cases of this kind are found distributed over various altars in the same church. The Reverend D. Cochet Les églises de l'arrondissement d'Yvetot, vol. II, page 113. makes mention of two cases which are had at Héricourt in the parish church; the one of St. Denis, the other of St. Mellonus; and he adds: "This is said to contain many other relics"; which in itself would indicate that at least something of the body of St. Mellonus is enclosed in it. I have in hand a letter from the Reverend D. Anias, parish priest of that place, dated the 27th of April of the year 1854; from which I write out these things to our purpose: "One of the two cases (of which our friend Cochet speaks) is named from St. Mellonus, and every year it is carried by way of public procession to the spring in which the holy Prelate is believed to have given baptism to the first faithful whom he had won for Christ. That shrine is said, besides, to contain certain relics of the blessed Man. From time immemorial it has been exposed to the veneration of the faithful. The external form or fairly large bulk of the relics, wrapped in linen, seems to indicate no small quantity. Authentic letters are lacking. A certain old man asserts that he once saw the case opened in the presence of the parish priest, and that there was some writing in it. It is to be wished that the shrine be opened; so at length it would be known what it contains."

[37] likewise of his festal memory, It remains that we say something about the festal memory of St. Mellonus. Pommeraye writes Hist. des archev. page 45. that his celebrity was much diminished at Rouen from the time when the feast of SS. Romanus and Audoenus, bishops his successors, began to be kept more solemnly, as is shown from the old breviaries of the cathedral church, where the office of these is had altogether proper and indeed with an octave, while on the day of St. Mellonus all is said from the common except the lessons; likewise at the Blessing of the fonts on the vigil of Easter, SS. Romanus and Audoenus are invoked in the former Litanies, but our holy Prelate only in the latter. "But," adds the praised writer, "about three hundred years ago (that is, after the middle of the 14th century) Guy Rabascher, canon of the chapter of Rouen, God inspiring him, and moved by his devotion to St. Mellonus, made a pious foundation in his honour in the rank of triple feasts, or of the third class; and having composed a proper hymn (whose end or last part is no longer found in the new edition of the breviary), he took care that the office should be celebrated with the organ, with lights, with the silver panels also uncovered which at that time were attached to the altar, and with the ringing of both the greater and the lesser bells employed. He adds besides twenty sous of Tours (a French livre) to be given to each of the chaplains or Choristers who should hold in memory the aforesaid hymn as well as the new life of St. Mellonus." Thus far Pommeraye, whose words we have made Latin from the French. Farin agrees Normandie chrétienne, page 140., expressly asserting that the office was composed by the canon Guy himself, which is not so clearly shown from Pommeraye's text. I should scarcely doubt that this is that office which is had in the ms. breviary of the library of the Most Reverend archbishop of Rouen. The times indeed agree exceedingly well, as appears from a note written in a more recent hand and prefixed to the aforesaid breviary, which I set down here as I copied it in the library itself. It is of this kind: "This Breviary of Rouen was written after the year 1318, in which the feast of the Eucharist was instituted; and before the year 1382, in which Pope Urban instituted the feast of the Visitation of B. Mary, which is not found in this calendar." Further, that very breviary came out at Rouen from the press of Martin Morin in the year 1491, with certain things changed. This edition, as is sufficiently shown from the year written on it, goes back to the first times of the art of printing and is very rare See Fabricius: Bibliotheca latina, vol. I, page 274 and following. Padua, 1754.. A copy is had at Rouen in the library of the archbishopric, and another in the public library, and it is of the form, as they say, in folio, and of excellent workmanship.

[38] at Rouen formerly with a proper Office We subjoin here the Office of St. Mellonus, as it is read in the printed breviary. It scarcely differs from the manuscript. Here and there the lessons are divided a little differently. It reads thus:

[39] (Vespers There follows the triple feast of St. Mellonus, archbishop of Rouen. At Vespers. Antiphon. Rejoice, O Sion, exulting; shout for joy, keeping the solemnities of thy father, by whose word light puts the clouds to flight. Faith grows, demons give way. The Psalms of the day. Antiphon. Whose life shone so much with virtues and also with miracles that he restored light to the blind, their step to the lame, faith to the unbelieving. Antiphon. Begotten of illustrious parents, the prelate of Christ shone yet more illustriously by faith among the unbelievers, by divine power, like a star shining forth to the nations. Antiphon. Baptized therefore by the grace of the Saviour, and made primate in Normandy, he puts demons to flight; diseases give way, the church grows. Antiphon. O Mellonus, excellent shepherd, guardian of the people, shield of the church, lead us who stand at thy memorial to the life of the heavenly fatherland. Chapter: Behold a great priest. ℞ Mellonus, renowned prelate, pour forth the gifts of prayers for the people that prays to thee. Through thee may we, shunning the evils of our past life, follow prosperous things in this world. ℣ That, with virtue as our companion, when the bond of the flesh is loosed, following thee by the right path, we may enjoy the banquet of heaven. Through thee may we, shunning the evils of our past life, follow prosperous things in this world. Glory be to the Father.

[40] Hymn Let us sound forth the hymn of the voice With concord of the heart; Let us conform our hearts With the harmony of the voice; Lest in psalmody we be at discord, Tending to divers ends.

That with clean heart we may keep The solemnities of Mellonus, Whom the providence of God Chose out of this world, That it might carry him from the depth Of the world to joys.

Baptized, ordained By the supreme pontiff; Receiving wondrously from an angel The honour of the prelacy, He was given as Primate To the Norman nation.

Established prelate at Rouen, He preaches Christ; He shines with signs: the dumb man speaks, Light flashes forth in the blind; Having attained Christ, the life *, In death he glorifies Him.

The lame rise up, and every Infirmity is healed; By his word the wickedness Of the demon is bound; The people are baptized in the faith, Unbelief gives way.

Girt with a single iron, He was fed with the river And with bread; he merited to be strengthened By a messenger of heaven, And to be crowned by Christ In the palace of heaven.

O Mellonus, good teacher, Fellow-citizen of the angels, Look in clemency on us, destitute In the struggle of the world, And make us partakers Of the heavenly crown.

Praise and honour be to the Begetting Person with the Son; To Him who proceeds from both Praise and jubilation, Who abides without end And without beginning. Amen.

℣ Pray for us, etc. Antiphon. O Mellonus, heavenly radiance, kindly shepherd, defence of the people; ask Jesus, who set thee, so fit, over the priesthood, that through thee we may attain the company of the saints after this exile. Psalm: * Magnificat. Prayer: Grant. From the common. No commemoration, unless it be Saturday or the season of the Proper.

[41] Matins At matins. Invitatory: With clean and joyful heart let us give praises to Christ, by whose gift the joys of heaven were conferred on Mellonus. Psalm: Come. Hymn. Let us exult, venerating The solemnities of Mellonus, Making tongue, teeth, lips Accord with a clean heart, Lest, the parts disagreeing, Discord should arise.

Let the tongue not disagree with the heart, That there may be harmony; Let the fault give way which defiles the heart And the services of the mouth; And let the conscience be clean Which feels remorse for fault,

That we may thus be able to worship Mellonus with clean heart, Who merited to receive So supreme a gift of God, That He should will to choose him As patron for the Normans.

Them therefore by preaching He taught the right faith, And, flashing forth with signs, Gave light to the blind, Their step to the lame, raising up Those whom death had now laid low.

The idol Roth being rooted out, The faith is in the light; Girt with iron, he is fed On bread alone and on the river; After this he was joined in heaven With the host of the saints.

Him therefore let us beseech With the desire of the heart, That by his prayers we may be Relieved from vice, And may rejoice together with him In heavenly joy. Amen.

[42] 1st Nocturn. In the 1st nocturn. Blessed Mellonus, a bishop, born of no lowly stock, a servant chosen beforehand by God,

was a citizen of the city of Cardiola. Psalm: Blessed is the man. Antiphon. Who, having paid the tribute to the Roman prince, being sent back to his own, believing the word of blessed Stephen the pope, departed from idolatry. Psalm: Why have the nations raged. Antiphon. At length, equipped with the arms of faith, raised to the priesthood, burning with the love of the starry King, he shuns every contagion. Psalm: Lord, how are they. ℣ He loved. Lesson I. Blessed Mellonus, of Greater Britain, a citizen of the city of Cardiola, was born of no lowly parents. And since at that time it was the custom of all the provinces to send hostages to Rome, who should bear the tribute of their country and serve the emperors: he was sent thither with others of his own age. And coming to Rome and having rendered the tribute, they were led to the temple of Mars, and adored and sacrificed. But Thou. ℞ This is the day worthy of praise, on which, the exile of the flesh being left behind, the prelate of Christ now enjoys Christ with joy without weariness. ℣ Now joined to the college of the saints, the course of his race being completed. Of Christ. Lesson II. But the most impious Valerian, then emperor, was killing all Christians with various torments. And one day, wandering through the city, they found Pope Stephen preaching to a few Christians in a certain place. His companions therefore, reckoning it as nothing and him a teller of tales, withdrew. But Mellonus stood, listening diligently to what was said. When at length the bishop ceased speaking, bowing with the others for the blessing, as the people withdrew he remained alone with the pope. ℞ While once he was celebrating the solemnities of the Mass, a certain angel appeared on the other side of the altar, and gave him a pastoral staff. Whom by the grace of God He established as primate at Rouen. ℣ O prelate worthy of memory, whose life shone so greatly. Whom of God. Lesson III. Pope Stephen, therefore, learning his country and race, taught him that one God was to be adored, but that vain images could help no one. And believing, and baptized by him, he gave all his goods to the poor. And being ordained presbyter he bent his knees in prayer three hundred times by night and day. Then while he was offering sacrifice to God, he saw with blessed Stephen an angel of God standing at the right of the altar. But Thou. ℞ A certain youth, Præcordius, climbing a house, that he might hear more freely the voice of the holy Prelate preaching peace among the peoples. Who, slipping, rushed downwards, driven by the goads of others. ℣ When he was dead, the excellent Shepherd raised him from the bonds of death. Who. Glory.

[43] 2nd Nocturn. In the 2nd nocturn. Antiphon. A certain man, Lupillus by name, had cut his foot apart with an axe, which he recovers by the prayer of Mellonus, believing with the multitude of the people. Psalm: When I called. Antiphon. Veronica, bereft of her eyes by weeping for her dead husband, prostrate at the feet of Mellonus, is made whole anew together with Lupillus. Psalm: My words. Antiphon. To the Servant of God as he wished to go to Rouen Satan appeared, threatening him unless he would turn his journey from that people: the Servant of Christ, having vanquished him, made him depart by the sign of the cross. Psalm: O Lord our God. ℣ He led the just man. Lesson IV. The solemnities of the Mass being then finished, the angel holding a pastoral staff gave it to St. Mellonus, saying: "Receive it and go into the city which is called Rouen, which is in the parts of Neustria. For that place is prepared for thee to plant a vineyard for Christ." Mellonus, receiving it, gave thanks to God, saying: "My God and my Lord, wherever Thou shalt command, I will go." At the command of the pontiff, therefore, having received the blessing, he came to Auxerre. ℞ There was a certain man full of a demon, who came running to meet Mellonus. By means of the help of the cross he is very quickly restored to health. ℣ Basuinus, seeing his son, asks with joy to be baptized. By means. Lesson V. In the same place he converted to Christ a certain man cut with an axe, and healed him when wounded. For this man had cut his foot through the middle with an axe. Veronica also, who by weeping for the death of her husband had lost her eyes, being given light by him, believing, was baptized with her two sons, and with them Lupillus, who (as has been said before) had been healed of the cut in his foot. Who also afterwards obtained the palm of martyrdom for the name of Christ. ℞ When Quirinus, contracted in his knees, saw the demon thus put to flight, prostrate at the feet of Mellonus he implored his help. Who, healed by the prayers of Mellonus, goes sound to his lodging. ℣ He, despising the worship of the gods, confesses the Son of Mary. Who. Lesson VI. Coming then to Rouen, where he himself first preached the name of Christ, at the entrance of the gate he met a boy possessed by a demon, the son of Basuinus, a very powerful man in the city. And when he had restored him cured and at peace, he was baptized with his father and nearly two hundred (not counting women and little children). Moreover Quirinus, who had had his body contracted for fourteen years, was healed by him. But Thou. ℞ For eight years a certain man had lost the use of all his limbs. Who, asking the help of Mellonus, received the remedy of health. ℣ Joyful, praising the Son of God, he hastened to the baptistery. Who of Mellonus. Glory.

[44] 3rd Nocturn. In the 3rd nocturn. Antiphon. While the excellent shepherd was celebrating on the night of the Lord's nativity, over his head shone a certain radiance brighter than the sun. Psalm: Lord, who shall dwell. Antiphon. The prelate of Christ, bending his knees three hundred times by day and night, applied himself to prayers, burning with continual charity. Psalm: O Lord, in Thy strength. Antiphon. One day, as he was giving bread to the poor, Mellonus, touching the withered hand of a certain man with his own hands, by the will of God made it strong again. Psalm: The earth is the Lord's. ℣ The just shall flourish like the palm. Lesson VII. A certain noble man. ℞ He macerated his body with fasts, with knee bent three hundred times, applying himself by day and night to vigils and prayers. ℣ Thus, devoting himself to divine offices, he tames the flesh with many labours. ℣ Wearied, he used little food, content with such. Thus devoting. Lesson VIII. A certain man named Isuardus, very rich, who about eight years before, having become paralytic, had lost the use of his tongue and of all his limbs, being made whole, believed with his household and a multitude of the people. And one day, when (blessed Mellonus teaching the people) a youth named Præcordius (that he might understand more conveniently what was said) had climbed up on the roof of a rather high house, falling asleep, he fell, pushed by others, and, his neck and limbs being broken, he expired. Who, being raised by the Bishop, moved by the father's tears, baptized, and ordained presbyter, converted many thousands of men to the faith. ℞ When Mellonus, now wearied with old age, was keeping vigil praying for the nations, he merited to be strengthened by a heavenly messenger, who addressed him in such words: "O Mellonus, now thy recompense is prepared with the citizens of heaven." ℣ Striving in the race-course for the prize, thou hast put the world under thy feet. O Mellonus. Lesson IX. Therefore, shining with these and innumerable other miracles, blessed Mellonus, having become old, all things being well disposed, wished to apply himself more particularly to contemplation. He went therefore to a certain place, separated about twenty miles from the city of Rouen, between the western and northern part, most pleasant by the loveliness of a spring and a river. Where, when he had stayed for some time devoting himself to vigils, strengthened by angels, he rendered to God his blessed soul, to be enriched with heavenly rewards. But Thou. ℞ Through his suffrages grace is conferred on many. The blind is made to see, hearing is restored to the deaf, and every weak person returns in health. ℣ In turns the sick rush in, desiring to obtain the benefits which are given through him. Hearing to the deaf. Glory.

[45] Prose. Prose. Mellonus gives to health The pains of the languishing; He becomes the good teacher and patron Of the people of Rouen.

He raised up from the dead The dead Præcordius; To the blind, the dumb, to all the sick Bestowing help.

He strengthens the faith, and weakens The errors of the gentiles. Thus, the goal of life being completed, He passed to joy.

Therefore let the voices of those rejoicing Give praises to Mellonus; For he who with good heart asks His patronage Returns in health.

Psalm: We praise Thee, O God. ℣ He led the just man.

[46] Lauds) At Lauds. Antiphon. The holy Prelate of God was flashing upon the world with innumerable miracles; he tames the vanquished author of crime, he founds the church among the peoples. Psalm: The Lord hath reigned. Antiphon. His food was bread made of barley joined with herbs, his drink water; with an iron girdle his flesh was bound beneath his garments. Psalm: Make a joyful noise. Antiphon. He stayed here in body only, his mind was joined to the citizens of heaven; what he taught he fulfilled in deed, adorning his acts with virtues. Psalm: O God, my God. Antiphon. He confirmed the hearts of the faithful with the word of truth, rooting out the law of the gentiles, implanting the right faith from heaven. Psalm: Bless ye. Antiphon. The sick of every kind of disease begged his suffrages, so much so that that province became happy beyond the rest. Psalm: Praise ye. Chapter: Behold a great priest. Hymn: Let us sound forth the hymn of the voice. ℣ The just shall spring up. Antiphon. Archprelate Mellonus, wearied with exceeding labour and old age, cutting through the way of the flesh, the exile of the world being despised, now joined for his reward to the fellowship of the confessors, sees Christ in the joy of heaven. Psalm: Blessed. The antiphon is said three times. Prayer III. We beseech the immense clemency of Thy loving-kindness, O divine Majesty, that we who celebrate the annual solemnity of blessed Mellonus, Thy confessor and pontiff, may by his obtaining merits arrive at the promised joys. Through our Lord. — No commemoration except as above. At the hours. The antiphons from Lauds. The rest from the common of one confessor with the proper prayer.

[47] and the Mass In the Missal for the use of the metropolitan church of Rouen, printed in the same year as the breviary praised above, but at Paris by Jean du Pré, which is found in the same library, there is thus at the 22nd day of October: "Of St. Mellonus, archbishop of Rouen and confessor. Triple feast. At Mass. Office: The Lord made to him. Glory be to God on high. Prayer: We beseech the immense clemency of Thy loving-kindness, O divine Majesty (as above num. 46). No commemoration unless it be Saturday. Epistle: Behold a great priest who in his life. Gradual: O Lord, Thou hast prevented. Alleluia. ℣ O consoler of the poor, Mellonus, by thy prayers increase the number of the virtues in the hearts of those praying to thee, which by thy prayer thou hast snatched from every stain of crimes and from unclean spirits."

[48] (the Sequence Sequence:

On this day let us rejoice, And let us recall the virtues And the rewards of Mellonus.

Sent as a boy, he goes to Rome, And hands over the tributes Which he carries with him for his country.

He believes the admonitions of Stephen, He is baptized and obeys The commands of the church.

Hence he is ordained priest, He gives himself to God; his substance is given To the want of the poor.

Thenceforward he has no bed; A seat alone refreshes him When wearied with vigils.

And each natural day He does not fail to bend the knee Three hundred times over.

Water gives drink to him thirsting, Herbs and barley bread Give food to him hungry.

Iron binds his naked flesh; The swelling flesh almost girds The body of the iron circle.

An angel, standing at the altar, Sends him to preach To the people of Rouen.

The holy Man obeys the precept, Having first received from him The pastoral staff.

As he journeys, the foot that was cut, The blind, and whoever is hurt, He heals in the name of Christ.

One vexed by a demon, And one shattered and given over to death, He gives back to their former health.

He heals a withering hand, He cures a bite, and forces The serpent to destroy itself.

A singular light being seen, The hand of the right hand of God Marks him at the altar.

The entrails of one wounded By a boar's tusk he restored To health by the sign of the cross.

He does not lessen the pains of the flesh; He reaches the end bravely, With firm hope, with true faith.

Victor over himself, he conquered the world, And, victor over the world, he won For himself the kingdom of glory,

Wherein may Jesus, the giver of pardon, Grant us to reign with thee By thy prayer, dear Father. Amen.

[49] the Gospel, etc.) Gospel. A certain noble man. Creed. Offertory. Thou hast set. Secret. May the prayer of Thy holy confessor and pontiff Mellonus, we beseech Thee, O Lord, accompany the victim which we offer to be consecrated to Thy name, through which mayest Thou cause us both to be expiated and defended. Through. Communion. Blessed is the servant. Postcommunion. May Thy holy mysteries which we have received, we beseech Thee, O Lord, afford us protection, whereby, through the intervening merits of blessed Mellonus, Thy confessor and pontiff, Thou mayest absolve us from all sins. Through.

[50] with triple rite, Both, namely the Office and the Mass, are noted as of triple rite. Namely, as is read in the breviary of Rouen where it treats of the general Rubrics, an office is either Ferial or Festal. The Ferial is distinguished into Lesser and Greater. The Festal is either Simple or Semidouble; or Double lesser or greater; or Triple of the II or I Class; or finally Solemn. Besides, between the lesser and the greater Double the office of Sunday holds its place. Further, triple feasts of the I class have three Nocturns; of the II class one. In both the antiphons at the Magnificat and Benedictus are tripled. They are said first before the Canticle; again before the Gloria Patri, a third time after the Gloria Patri; which indeed they assert is particular to the diocese of Rouen. Du Cange's Glossary notes Under the word Festum or Festivitas triplex.: "Which is still done in the diocese of Paris in those more solemn antiphons which precede the Nativity of Christ."

[51] on the 22nd day of October. "The most holy Prelate," says the Gallia Christiana Vol. XI col. 6., "was venerated on the 10th of the Kalends of November (that is, the 23rd of October) before the breviary of the church of Rouen was recently reprinted; but now he is venerated on the first Sunday of October, together with his predecessor St. Nicasius." Both are false: he was formerly venerated on the 22nd of October; now on the second Sunday of October; as evidently appears from the breviaries of that church, whether ancient or more recent. So in the breviary of the year 1491 as also in the manuscript, of which above; so in a ms. Missal of the 13th century (as is noted in the catalogue of the public library of Rouen), folio verso 301, is read at the 22nd of October: "On the feast of St. Mellonus, Archbishop and confessor. All from the common of one Confessor." So in the subsequent breviaries of the same church under Cardinal Charles de Bourbon in the year 1579, under both the Harlays, namely François II and III, in the years 1617, 1628 and 1662, finally under François IV (Rouxel de Medavy) in the year 1675. But under Archbishop Tressan (de la Vergne de Tressan) a new breviary was introduced, printed in the year 1728. From then until our age the feast of St. Mellonus began to be celebrated on the II Sunday of October, noted in the following manner: "Second Sunday of October: Festival of SS. Nicasius, apostle of Neustria, and his companion martyrs, and of Mellonus; who founded the church of Rouen: Triple of the first class." In the breviaries of Évreux in the year 1737 and of Versailles in the year 1828, the feast of St. Mellonus is indicated on the 22nd of October, and indeed in the former under Semidouble rite; in the latter under Simple rite; in both the II Lesson is had of St. Mellonus. Pommeraye testifies Histoire des archevêques de Rouen, page 45. that at Paris the office of St. Mellonus is performed, and that it is of nine lessons. And in very truth I have in hand a breviary of that church published in the year 1585, where at the 22nd of October is read: "Of St. Mellonus, bishop and confessor. In the first Nocturn, Lessons from the occurring Scripture. In the second Nocturn, lessons IV and V from the Deeds. The sixth lesson: Well and fittingly, in the Common. In the third Nocturn the Lessons from the homily of blessed Gregory on the Gospel: A certain man going into a far country. The prayer from the Common." In another breviary of the same church, of the year 1736, at the same 22nd day of October there is noted a Simple office and the third Lesson of St. Mellonus; the breviary of the year 1822 agrees, except that the second Lesson is of St. Mellonus. Formerly at Pontoise the feast was celebrated on the same day, but now this obtains only when the 22nd day of October falls on a Sunday. For it is a general rule in France, after the Concordat of the year 1801, that the feasts of Patrons are held on the following Sunday, unless this coincides with their day. Which is also observed for the patrons of ancient collegiate churches, although now destroyed. Whence the feast of St. Mellonus at Pontoise is celebrated on the said day or on the Sunday next following, and indeed under the lesser Solemn rite.

[52] Cult at Rouen From what has been said it is plain that the cult of St. Mellonus was once not a little celebrated at Pontoise, nay and at Rouen, although with the lapse of time it fell off much in the latter city. In our age, however, the holy Pontiff is scarcely venerated among the people there, except in the church of St. Gervasius, where he is secondary patron and a certain peculiar Prose is sung in his honour. Moreover a fairly notable concourse of the people is had on the second day of the Rogations, on which they go down in throngs into the Crypt of the aforesaid church, that, chiefly for children, through the intercession of St. Mellonus, they may obtain vigour of the limbs. So also, through the course of the year, infants and weak children are brought, over whom the Gospel from the Mass of the holy Prelate is recited in the Crypt. These things excepted, his memory has been almost obliterated in the city of Rouen. His relics, if there are any, lie hidden as if there were none. Truly it would be to be wished that the holy Apostle of Neustria should be both better known and more diligently venerated by the faithful. Something more occurs at Héricourt, which in the Norman and Capetian age was called the Village of St. Mellonus, as the Reverend D. Cochet relates, and is still commonly called St-Mellon Les églises de l'arrondissement d'Yvetot, vol. II, page 105 and 107.. At num. 22 I related what traces there are reported to indicate that the holy Man stayed in that place.

[53] and in other places. As regards the present cult, the Reverend D. Anias, parish priest at Héricourt, writes these things on the 27th of April 1854: "Here the memory of the holy Bishop flourishes not a little and is venerated. One of the two cases (placed on the altar) is called after St. Mellonus, and every year (on the Monday of Pentecost) it is solemnly carried by way of procession to the spring in which the first Christians are believed to have been given baptism. The report is that that case contains very many relics. It is exposed to public veneration, and indeed from time immemorial." Compare num. 56. "Through the course of the whole year candles are lit and Gospels are said" Cochet. Where cited above. page 113.. "We do not have," so the aforesaid D. Parish priest continues, "a particular office. The Gospel which is recited over pilgrims is taken from the diocesan office of SS. Nicasius and Mellonus. And the prayer is the following: 'Be present, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to our pious supplications, and through the intercession of blessed Mellonus, confessor and pontiff, dispose the way of Thy servant (or handmaid) in the prosperity of Thy salvation, that amid all the changes of this life he may ever be protected by Thy help.'" At Pontoise there is seen on the high altar of the church of St. Maclovius, at the epistle horn, a statue of St. Mellonus, of ordinary size, adorned with a mitre, holding in the left hand the pastoral staff, but in the right hand an open book in which he seems to read. Compare above num. 51, where we said that the feast of the holy Prelate is kept at Pontoise with lesser Solemn rite, as Patron of the ancient collegiate church. There is given also to the people in his memory the Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament (commonly salut), before which a Prose is sung in honour of the same Saint. This I suspect is the same as that which is used at St. Gervasius of Rouen; it contains nothing peculiar; wherefore I have thought it should not be written out here, all the more because it seems to be altogether of more recent age. For the rest, at Pontoise the cult of the venerable Pastor has perished. There is no devotion towards him among the people, no veneration of his relics; no altar dedicated to his name in either church.

* life?

* Canticle:

LIFE OF ST. MELLONUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ROUEN.

From a very old ms. Legendary.

Mellonus or Melanius, confessor, bishop of Rouen, in Gaul. (S.)

BHL Number: 5899

FROM MSS.

The birth of St. Mellonus and his conversion to the faith. Mellonus ^a, born of no lowly parents in Greater Britain, was a citizen of the city of Cardiola ^b. He was sent to Rome as a hostage to pay the tribute of his country ^c. Coming therefore to Rome, the tribute being rendered, he was led with his companions to the temple of Mars, that they might sacrifice and adore; which they did. And at that time Valerian ^d was holding the Roman citadels, a man hateful to God. When therefore St. Mellonus was walking through the city, he came to the place where St. Stephen the pope was teaching a few Christians. St. Mellonus, leaving his companions, began to search out what was being said by blessed Stephen the pope, and, bending his knee, though still a gentile, he asked a blessing. And when the hearers withdrew, he remained with the blessed pope, whom he informed of his descent *, his country and the religion of his gods. Hearing this, the most blessed pope taught him the catholic faith, and dipped him in baptism, adding admonitions: "Unless a man renounce all that he possesseth, he cannot be the disciple of Christ." Luke XIV. 33

[2] Ordained priest, he is designated from heaven as bishop of Rouen. He then, coming to his lodging, sold whatever he had, even the arms with which he served as a soldier, and gave to the poor, choosing the contemplative life rather than the active. Afterwards he clung to St. Stephen the pontiff, fulfilling the admonitions of salvation. When therefore St. Mellonus was exercising the gift of faith, the holy pope, astonished, caused him to ascend to the grade of the priesthood. Being ordained presbyter, therefore, he macerated his body, and tamed it with fasts and vigils, bending his knees three hundred times by day and night. On a certain day, as St. Mellonus was celebrating the solemnities of the Mass, he himself and blessed Stephen the pope saw an angel of the Lord standing at the right side of the altar; and when he had finished *, the angel of the Lord, holding a pastoral staff, gave it to St. Mellonus, saying: "Receive the staff under which thou must rule the people of the city which is called Rouen, in the borders of Neustria ^e. For there a place is prepared for thee to serve the Lord." St. Mellonus therefore, receiving the staff from the hand of the angel, began to render thanks to God, saying: "Wherever my God shall send me, I will go; and I will preach His name to the nations." Then the angel departed from them. To whom the most blessed pope said: "Now, dearest brother, depart, that thou mayest be able to arrive quickly at the place prepared for thee."

[5] Departing from Rome, he stops at Auxerre, and there heals a man hurt by an axe; Blessed Mellonus therefore, adorned with the pontifical insignia and fortified with the apostolic blessing, goes out from the city of Rome and sets out on his journey, desiring to arrive at the city indicated * to him. And when he had travelled a great way, the blessed pontiff Mellonus arrived at a certain city which is called Auxerre

; he met certain gentiles carrying a man who had wounded himself with an axe, Lupillus by name, whose foot had been divided into two parts. When St. Mellonus had seen them weeping, he asked them what this was. To whom he said: "If you will hear me and keep my words, soon this weak and wounded man will be healed." And they: "Whatever thou shalt command we will do, and we will believe in thy God; Him we will adore." Then blessed Mellonus, holding the staff received from the angel, having poured out prayer, said to the wounded man: "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ be thou made whole." These words said, he was at once made whole; and running into the city he related to all what had happened to him.

[4] likewise he restores sight to a matron. Hearing this, a certain most noble woman named Veronica, who had lost her sight by weeping for the death of her husband, sent her two sons to fetch him. To whom she said: "As thou hast healed the wounded Lupillus, I beg thee, so give light to me also." And she fell at his feet with her two sons. And the man of God, on bended knees, said: "Lord Jesus Christ, who didst open the eyes of the man born blind, open the eyes of this woman, that through her it may be known that there is no other God but Thee." And signing her eyes with the thumb of his right hand, he said: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth let thine eyes be opened." And suddenly she saw. St. Mellonus baptized Veronica, her sons and Lupillus, who ^f afterwards obtained the palm of martyrdom for the name of Christ.

[5] As he hastens towards Rouen a demon appears to him. As blessed Mellonus was proceeding to his work, departing from Auxerre, Satan appeared to him, saying: "Dost thou think to enter into conflict alone against me and mine? I am ready to harm thee and thine." To whom the Blessed one: "Fortified with the standard of the cross he does not fear thy snares. For this I have gone out from Rome, that I may cast thee out of thy dwellings." At these words the demon fled, uttering a horrible cry. After the labours of a very long road the holy Man came into the district of Rouen, and seeing the city, on bended knees began to pray, and having entered it, to become renowned for miracles.

[6] He frees one possessed by a demon; There was in the city a certain very powerful and noble man, Basuinus by name, whose only son was possessed by a demon, so that he could not be held with bonds and chains. He had very often been led to the temple of Roth [g], their god, to whom they offered sacrifices and gifts, and had by no means got well thence; nay, when he escaped free, whatever he handled he tore apart with teeth and nails. The possessed one, whose name was Theodore, coming to meet the Blessed one of God, with mouth open and arms raised, desired to do harm. But blessed Mellonus, fortified with the sign of the cross, put the index finger of his right hand into his mouth, saying: "By no means hast thou leave to hurt me." But he, falling on his back, said: "I burn, I burn." And he became quiet, the people wondering.

[7] likewise he heals one contracted in his limbs. There was there also a man named Quirinus, contracted in his limbs for fourteen years, who moved his body from place to place only with stools. When he had learned that the Saint of God had overcome the demoniac, he fell at his feet, saying: "As I see, if thou wilt, thou canst heal me." To whom the Saint: "Only deny thy gods, and thou shalt be healed." To whom (he): "I believe in the God whom thou preachest." Hearing this, blessed Mellonus, holding his hand, said: "Quirinus, arise whole and sound in the name of the Lord." And rising up he ran to his father holding the stools, relating to those standing by how he had come out whole.

[8] These things being seen, many are baptized. The parents of both, namely of Theodore and Quirinus, having seen these things *, came in haste to him and said: "How, O good Man, and in the power of what God hast thou cast out the demon and healed my son?" To whom St. Mellonus: "The Lord Jesus Christ has sent me to you, that you may acknowledge and believe that there is no other God besides Him. Rejecting therefore the images of gold and silver, made by the hands of men, adore God, who made heaven, earth, sea and all things contained therein; and, regenerated by water and the Holy Spirit, praise the Lord and bless His name. If you do these things, He will be a father to you and will deliver you from evils." Those standing by, seeing Quirinus walking and Theodore quiet, on bended knees asked to be baptized. On that very day therefore two hundred ^h men, women and little children excepted, were dipped in baptism.

[9] Speech being restored to a dumb man, he converts many again; In the same city there was a certain very rich man, Isuardus by name, who, paralytic for eight years, had lost the use of his tongue and of all his limbs, having two sons; who, hearing the works of God done by the holy Man, taking up their father in a bed, set him before St. Mellonus, that he might impart health to him. Seeing their faith, the holy Pontiff, assenting to their prayers, having poured out prayer, said: "Arise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." At once he arose sound, blessing God; and falling down before the feet of St. Mellonus he was baptized, and with him his wife, his sons and a numerous multitude.

[10] he recalls a dead man to life, One day while St. Mellonus was teaching, a great number of the people being gathered, some of them climbed onto the roofs that they might hear the teaching of Christ more fully. Among them was a youth, Præcordius by name, born of a noble family. He had persuaded his father that they should go to the Saint of God who was showing such great miracles, and weigh what they should do: "For our gods have never performed such things." Both therefore went to listen to the holy Bishop teaching the populous crowd. Coming to the place, the boy climbed up on the roof of a higher house that he might hear more gladly. And when the holy Pontiff had expanded the admonitions of God , he himself fell asleep. Pushed by others he fell; his neck and limbs being broken, he expired. Seeing this, the gentile father, weeping with immense groans, said to the holy Prelate: "My only son brought me here to hear the teaching of thy God; and now he lies lifeless." The words full of tears drew the Saint of God to mourning. He ordered all on bended knees to entreat God. Which was done. The prayer finished, he rose and again bent his knees seven times. Invoking the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he touched the dead man with the staff received from the angel at these words: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Præcordius, arise." These words said, the dead boy opened his eyes; and seeing the holy Pontiff he arose, and fell at his feet, asking to be baptized; whom St. Mellonus, his father and many people he adorned with sacred baptism. The faith of the faithful grew, astounded at the signs which were done by the blessed Pontiff.

[11] who afterwards, made priest, converts very many. In those times St. Mellonus built the first church, where Præcordius had been raised up, which he consecrated in honour of the most holy Trinity and of the gracious virgin Mary ⁱ, and held sacred ordinations, in which Præcordius received the order of the presbyterate. He, after the death of the holy Pontiff, having become a distinguished preacher, converted many regions and many thousands of men to Christ. While he was celebrating the solemnities of the Mass on the night of the Lord's Nativity, there appeared over his head a very bright radiance. From which he was wont to chant the Lord's prayer until * he blessed the people.

[12] He heals a withered hand; Once, as he was giving alms to the poor, there was present a poor man having a withered right hand, taking the gift with the left. The Saint of God, handling the withered one, which he did not know of, said: "Alms are received not with the left, but with the right hand." At which touch the withered hand was healed; and mindful of so great a benefit, he ended the rest of his days as a beggar keeping the doors of the church.

[13] he raises a dead man: Adjoining the city of Rouen is a very high hill ^k, in which lurked a serpent, five cubits in length, which had deprived many of life. Near this dwelt a youth, Ansigisus by name, beloved by the holy Prelate, having a father most freely * obedient to his admonitions. He, in the duty of hunting, came (to) the hill. While the dogs therefore were pursuing a stag, as the youth blew on a horn trumpet to urge on the dogs, the wood resounded. The snake therefore being aroused, and coming out of its lurking places in fury, giving huge hisses, came to meet Ansigisus. He, when he had seen this terrible serpent, terrified, stretched out his arm against it; which, being seized, wounded by the teeth and infected with venom, it rendered swollen together with the whole body. He, bound round by the tail of the serpent, could not be moved from the place. The companions who were present, seeing such things, hastily related to his father the whole event of the matter. Hearing this, the father announced it to the Saint of God; who, hastening with a great crowd of the people, climbed the hill; and when he was approaching the place of the youth lying prostrate on the ground, the serpent, hearing the tumult of the people, with head erect began to look with dire eyes. To which St. Mellonus said: "Withdraw, withdraw; it is enough. Thou hast now no leave." These words said, the serpent withdrew, and tearing itself, killed itself. The Saint of God, signing the young man, said: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth arise whole and sound." And taking his hand he raised him up and restored him whole to his father ^l.

[14] he manifests a demon lurking in an idol and expels it. Once, while St. Mellonus was walking outside teaching the people, he found the temple of Roth and the altar of Diana and Venus, and a gilded bronze statue, in which a demon lurked, giving answers to those offering gifts. And near the temple was placed a spring, which is called the Harlots' spring. When therefore the Servant of God had come to the door of the temple, he saw Seledion, the pontiff of the idols, offering sacrifices, and said: "Alas, wretch, why, despising my God, dost thou implore idols and images deaf, blind and dumb, which can give help neither to themselves nor to others?" He answered him: "The immortal gods have by no means tasted death; but thine whom thou worshippest was crucified by the Jews and died." The Man of God says to him: "Thou shalt see at once him whom thou sayest to be a god." And looking at the image he said: "Demon, who lurkest within, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, come forth outside in that form in which thou art, and stand upon thine altar, that this people may see thy deity and thy comeliness." Forthwith the demon, giving a horrible howl, came out, presenting the form of an ape, and so sat upon the altar. Then blessed Mellonus said to the pontiff of the idols: "Behold the immortal god." Seledion, seeing this, filled with fury and affected with shame, withdrew, and coming home perished hanged by a noose. But the Saint of God addressed the demon: "What is thy name, or what are thy works?" He to him: "My name is Seragon; and my works are murders, thefts, drunkenness, false witness and every uncleanness. Do not, I beg, plunge me into the abyss." To whom the Saint: "Harming no one, go into a place where no habitation of men is found." The demon, uttering a howl and a bellow, deserting the temple, nowhere appeared.

[15] The abstinence and other virtues of St. Mellonus. St. Mellonus macerated his body with fasts and prayers, bending his knees three hundred times by day and night; lacking a bed from his ordination to the presbyterate, but when somewhat wearied he slept sitting. His food was barley bread and herbs; and his drink pure water. With an iron girdle on the bare skin

he was girded. In those days he was held the father of the poor and of orphans and the judge of widows. Here he stayed in body only. The sheep which he had gained for Christ he fed with divine words; and what he taught by speech, that he fulfilled by example.

[16] The healing of a wound. Meanwhile they brought to the blessed Pontiff a very powerful man, Theodore by name, gravely wounded by a boar. His kinsmen, saddened by this mishap, asked that he might be healed by him. He indeed loved the Saint and always obeyed his teachings. The Man of God, therefore, seeing the people weeping, moved by their tears, having poured out prayer, as he was accustomed, said: "Theobald , in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ arise whole and sound." Who was at once made whole, as if he had been affected by no wound.

[17] A contracted girl is raised up. There was a noble and rich man of the city of Beauvais, having an only daughter, contracted, who did not move unless she was carried. He, having heard the fame of the holy Man, hastened his journey to him with his daughter. Prostrate at his feet, he begged with tears that by his intervention his helpless and contracted daughter might be healed. The pious Man, assenting to his tears, by prayer restored the contracted daughter sound to the mourning father, and sent them back rejoicing to their own homes.

[18] The precious death of St. Mellonus. And so, the fame of the holy Man being heard in all places, it came about that the dumb, the lame, the deaf, the blind and those oppressed with other diseases came together to him, desiring to be healed by him; nor was their prayer frustrated of its effect. When at length ^m the holy pontiff Mellonus, wearied with old age and labour, was keeping vigil and praying according to his wonted custom, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying: "Mellonus, thou hast fought the good fight for Christ, thou hast preached His name to the nations, thou hast faithfully founded the church of Christ, thou hast completed the course of life with clean heart and body. Behold, the recompense of eternal life is prepared for thee." Understanding these things, the Servant of God, with eyes and hands raised, gave thanks to God. Having called together his disciples and the citizens of the city, he addressed them in these words: "Diabolical illusion was set over you. Therefore I was sent to you, that through me you might acknowledge the true God, who is also almighty: for you had been made servants of the ancient enemy, who thrusts down all who serve him to hell, where there is everlasting pain, eternal torment, the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. But for you, if you will obey the commands of Him who redeemed us at the price of His own blood, there is prepared a house brighter than the sun, perennial gladness, and joy also that will abide without end." What more? Happy beyond others was the city of Rouen in the presence of so great a Prelate, whom envious death took from the earth on the eleventh of the Kalends of November ⁿ, according to the angelic promise, to reign with Christ for perpetual eternities, to whom be honour and glory for ages of ages.

ANNOTATIONS.

"St. Mellonus was sent to Rome to bring into the emperor's treasury the moneys scraped together from the tributes which the island of Britain had to pay every year to the Romans." He therefore strikes out the word Hostage, which in fact does not seem to be taken here in the stricter sense. "The Romans," says Pieter Burman [Dissertation on the revenues of the Roman people, in Poleni: Utriusque thesauri Antiquit. Supplementa, vol. I, col. 935 and 936. Venice, 1737.],

"when they had reduced some people under their rule by war, dealt with them for the most part in two ways; either they left the peoples free and under their own laws, an annual stipend being imposed as the prize of victory and the penalty of war, and this properly is tribute or stipend; the peoples were called tributary and stipendiary: or they stripped the vanquished of their lands, cities and all their goods, which they confiscated; their lands they either reduced into the public patrimony of the republic, or they led colonists into them from the city, to whom they were sold, and whom they ordered to pay some portion to the republic from their produce." And in this way the matter was dealt with in the case of Britain See Lingard. Histoire d'Angleterre, vol. I, chap. 1 passim. Louvain, 1827., over which in the name of the Romans presided a prefect or Proprætor Ibid. page 38.. Under him was the Procurator or Quæstor, whose office was to administer the treasury Ibid. page 39.. From these things it appears that it is not sufficiently seen what the words mean: "He was sent to Rome as a hostage to pay the tribute of his country." For this payment was not made by the natives, but rather by the Romans administering the province. At most it could be admitted that one or another native sometimes went to Rome for a cause of this kind. It is, however, worthy of note that this Roman mission of St. Mellonus is mentioned by almost all writers, even the more recent, without an asterisk. So the Reverend D. Cochet Les églises de l'arrondissement d'Yvetot, vol. II, page 105., so L. Fallue Histoire de l'église métropolitaine de Rouen, vol. I, page 19. etc. Certainly for this reason, that for their purpose they did not think this matter needed to be elucidated by them.

In the mouths of all, according to Théodore Licquet, are the little verses:

The idol Roth being rooted out, The faith is in the light; Girt with iron, on bread alone He is fed and on the river; After this he was joined in heaven With the host of the saints.

And he adds: "What does the idol Roth mean? Which assuredly never existed except in the fancy of him who forged it; nor was it acknowledged except by the credulous multitude" [Recherches sur l'histoire religieuse, morale et littéraire de Rouen, by Théod. Licquet. Rouen, 1826, page 2.]. Which the learned reader will at any rate think said somewhat too confidently. Certainly in the Mythological dictionary which is added to the Biographie universelle Biographie universelle, mythological part, under the word: Roth. I find thus: "Roth or Rothon was to the Veliocasses the same as Venus to the Romans, whence they gave to their metropolis the name Rothmag (to the Latins Rothomagus)." I note, however, that in the two volumes which D. Jacques Martin, of the congregation of St. Maur, published on the Religion of the ancient Gauls, no traces at all of the aforesaid idol are found La religion des Gaulois. Two volumes in quarto. Paris, 1727.. For the rest, several have held that the name of the city of Rouen was derived from this idol. "Some," says Valois Notitia Galliarum, under the word: Rotomagus,, "say that Rouen was called in Celtic as it were the city of Rotus; from Rotus or Roth, an idol which was worshipped there... To me it seems that Rotomagus was named altogether from the Rode or Rotus, a stream washing the monastery of St. Ouen, which they call Rodebeccus or Rotobeccus (in more recent writers Robecius, Robec), that is, the red stream: for Franco-German vocabularies teach that Roth or Rotem to the Germans signifies red and also ruddy" Ibidem, page 482.. Duplessis agrees Description de la haute Normandie. vol. II, page 5.: "Rot is the same as red; Maq in Latin sounds emporium. Hence the Rotobeccus, a little river running into the Seine within the very enclosures of the city of Rouen, obtained its name from the colour which it borrowed from the fields (for the earth there is red). And so whether Rothomagus means the same as the emporium at the banks of the Rotobeccus, or took its name from the colour of the fields where that emporium was held, it is beyond controversy that the name is derived from rot, red." Thus Duplessis. Compare the Irish-English dictionary An Irish-English Dictionnary. Dublin, 1821., where you will find that the Celtic words Rot is the same as red; and Magh, a plain or field. Orderic Vitalis Historiæ ecclest. book XII, according to Valois. writes that Julius Cæsar founded the fortress of Juliobona, and the noble metropolis Rouen upon the Seine. Where Valois notes Notitia Galliarum. Where cited above. that this is without doubt false: since it is one of the most ancient cities of Gaul, founded by the Gauls long before Julius Cæsar was born, and given a Gallic name.

"When the Arian heresy came on, the faith of the Trinity was almost extinguished, but Hilary and Eusebius and Ambrose resisted. For that cause, therefore, Gregory the Great consented that we should sing special things of the Trinity and build churches... From this therefore it is that a varied custom is found concerning the history (liturgy) of the Trinity. For some do not use it, following the disapproval of Alexander. Others use it," etc. What the disapproval of Alexander is we learn from the Decretals, where it is read inserted in book II, title IX, chap. 2 in these words:

"The festival of the holy Trinity, according to the customs of different regions, has been wont to be celebrated by some on the octave of Pentecost, by others on the first Sunday before the Advent of the Lord. The Roman Church, indeed, does not have it in use to celebrate a festival of this kind specially at any time; since every day Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, and other like things pertaining to the praise of the Trinity, are said." The Roman custom, and its

reason Alexander III expounds indeed, but does not disapprove or prohibit the custom of other churches, as is commonly reported (but Azevedo demonstrates that Alexander II should be written Ben. XIV. Works, vol. IX, page 136. Venice, 1788.. The one Pontiff sat from the year 1061 to the year 1073 Art de vérifier les dates, page 285.; the other from the year 1159 to the year 1181 Ibid. page 291.). Rupert the abbot, at the beginning of the 12th century, testifies that the festival of the Most Holy Trinity had begun to be commonly celebrated; Durandus, at the end of the 13th century, that it was received in many places; John XXII (he died in the year 1334) was the first to decree that the first Sunday after Pentecost should be celebrated by the universal church Ben. XIV, where cited above, page 137.. From these things at any rate it is shown that it is in no way probable that St. Mellonus dedicated a church under this title. But under the title of the gracious virgin Mary? There are not lacking those who think that the temple of B. M. of the Snows, dedicated by Liberius about the year 367, is the first which was inscribed with the name of the B. Virgin; but to Fiorentini it seems very difficult to call this basilica the first. "And indeed," adds Benedict XIV Ibid. page 186., "since in the Liber Pontificalis concerning St. Callixtus I, who sat from the year 219 to the year 222 Art de vérifier les dates, page 241., it is written in his life: He made the church of St. Mary across the Tiber, anyone may easily understand that the basilica of St. Mary of the Snows is not that which was the first at Rome to be consecrated in honour of the B. Virgin." Thus the learned Pontiff. It is well known, further, that the synod of Ephesus in the year 431 was celebrated in an edifice consecrated to the B. V. Mary. Pietro Moretti contends in general De S. Callisto ejusque Basilica S. Mariæ, page 123. Rome, 1752. that titles of this kind are far older than the 4th century: "For I shall never," he says, "easily assent not only to anyone deferring until the church was at peace the practice of dedicating to God sacred edifices by which the honour and memory of the holy virgin Mother might be more singularly stirred in the mind of the faithful, but also to one who thinks that no such Marian edifice, open to all, older even than the age of Callistus, was built throughout the world; throughout the world, I say, where the favours of magistrates could probably be more frequent, and the opportunity of using them safer and more lasting, than in the city, the citadel of superstition. Shall we hold that the primitive Christians were altogether surpassed by the Christians of a later age in this ready signification of piety and obsequiousness towards Mary? Shall we judge to be fictitious or hidden, all of them to a man, the Marian churches which most of the more recent learned men mention, claiming for themselves their origins, as best they can, even from apostolic times? Far be such judgments from the pious." Which things indeed, argued by Moretti partly piously, partly learnedly, show that it is not to be denied by anyone too confidently or too obstinately that the edifice erected by St. Mellonus was dedicated to the gracious virgin Mary.

* descent

* supply: the Sacrifice

* indicated

* these

* had unfolded

* Compare Acts of the Apostles XX ℣ 9.

* before

* most willingly?

* Meanwhile

* Theodore