Hyacinth and Companions

ON SS. HYACINTH AND COMPANIONS: HYACINTH, QUINTUS OR QUINTINUS, FELICIAN, AND LUCINIUS OR LUCIUS, MARTYRS IN LUCANIA,

TIME UNCERTAIN.

CRITICAL COLLECTION

Hyacinth, martyr in Lucania. (S.)

Quintus or Quintinus, martyr in Lucania. (S.)

Felician, martyr in Lucania. (S.)

Lucinius or Lucius, martyr in Lucania. (S.)

V. D. B.

§ Sole section. Their memory from the martyrologies. Whether these martyrs suffered in the city of Luca, in the diocese of Compsa, or in an unknown place of Lucania.

When we were wholly engaged in gathering up the memorials which survive about these saints, we could not but marvel how faithful most martyrologists are, [With their names strangely corrupted they are announced today in the Hieronymian lists] ancient and recent alike, in retaining their names, although their affairs and relics lie hidden. The Hieronymian calendars therefore, whose habit it is to go alone, have nearly all the others as followers today. Let them now come forward in order. The Hieronymian Martyrology, which is commonly called the Greater Corbie and which D'Achery published, has on the present day these words alone Spicilegium, vol. II, p. 20, 1723 edition.: The 4th before the kalends of November. In Lucania, of the martyrs Sacincti… Quinti, Felicianæ and Lucaniæ. In the Lucca codices and in the Blumian one Fiorentini found: In Lucania, of St. Sanecinti (in the Blumian Sacinti), Quinti, Feliciani and Lucini. The Reichenau one, published by Du Sollier in these Acts at the end of June, sins by excessive abundance, delivering this: In Lucania, of Quinti, martyr, Jacinthi, Feliciani and Lucii, Sacinoti and Lucini. The Augsburg one, which the same Du Sollier brought to light, changes the sins somewhat, in this way: Lucani, Hiacinthi, Saci, Noti, Quinti, Feliciani, Lucini. The Labbe one, whose edition we likewise owe to the care of Du Sollier, is a little better; for it has: In Lucania, Jacinti, Sacinati, Quinti, Felicianæ, Lucini. The Gellone one, which D'Achery printed collated with the St. Gall codex and the Baluze one Ibid., p. 35., contains this: In Lucania, Sachieti (Baluze codex: Jacinti; St. Gall: Sachinei), Sacinoti, Quinti, Felicianæ, Lucini (St. Gall: Luciani). The Ottoboni one, which Giorgi published Martyrology of Ado, p. 686., although it seems to have the same origin as the Augsburg, Labbe, and Gellone ones, is much purer; for it has: In Lucania, the birthday of the saints Jacinthi, Quinti, and Feliciani, and Lucii. The Auxerre one of Martène Thesaurus anecdotorum, vol. III, col. 1561. sins by defect and by abundance; in it is read: In Lucrenia, Sacinoti, Sacinto, Quinti, Feliciani. The Shorter Corbie of Du Sollier and of the same Martène Ibid., p. 1585. sins by the defect of one name; for it is expressed in these words: In Lucania, of St. Sancincti, Quinti, Felicianæ. In the Breviary of the same Hieronymian Martyrology, which Martène published under the title of the Annual Booklet of Lord Bede the Presbyter Ampliss. collectio, vol. VI, col. 647., these things occur: The birthday of SS. Quinti, Feliciani and Ferentii (rather Terentii, bishop of Metz), confessor; in the Calendar of Murbach Thesaurus anecd. vol. III, col. 1570.: Lucani, Rachinti, Quinti; in the Fragment of a very ancient Martyrology of Tours Ibid., col. 1590.: In Lucana, Sacincti, Quinti. In the additions to the metrical Martyrology of Wandalbert D'Achery's Spicilegium, vol. II, p. 54.: In Luciana, the birthday of St. Quintini and Feliciani. In the older one of the canons of Lucca, which Fiorentini saw: Quinti, Lucini.

[2] And in the more recent martyrologies The printed Bede and Florus, the Little Roman of Rosweyde, the Auxerre one of Martène, and the Fulda one of Giorgi omit that troop. As Du Sollier accurately showed in the Preface to his Usuard, Rabanus about the year 845 and Ado thirteen years later everywhere enlarged the lists of Bede and Florus with names taken from the Hieronymian codices. Ado, though the more recent, abstained from the Lucanian martyrs; but Rabanus brought them forward in these words Canisius, Thesaurus monumentorum, vol. II, part II, p. 345, Basnage's edition.: In Lucania, of St. Jacinthi, Quintini, Felicianæ, Lucini. Usuard, who did not see Rabanus, but who followed Ado (whom he believed to be and called the second book of Florus), took up today the Lucanian handful from the Hieronymian sources, which he elsewhere everywhere neglects: In the province of Lucania, he says, of the saints Jacincti, Quinti, Feliciani and Lucii. From here it passed, with few changes, into all the codices and editions of Usuard; likewise into the Catalogue of the saints of Peter de Natalibus Book XII, no. 305., and into the Martyrology of Maurolico, which otherwise is accustomed to follow Usuard closely; and also into that of Galesini, except that he has Lucinius. In the additions to Bede, whose age varies, the memory of the same martyrs is preserved. In the Barberini, Vatican, and St. Cyriacus codices, namely, is read Acta SS. vol. II of March, p. XXXVI.: In Lucania, of St. Sacincti, Quinti (Barb. Quintini), Feliciani and Lucii; and in those of Arras, Tournai, and Liessies Ibid., cited page.: In Lucania, of SS. Luciani, Quinti and Feliciani, martyr. Which additions Baronius wrongly believed to be Bede's; but following these, Usuard, and other more recent ones, he inserted this memorial at the present day in the Roman Martyrology: In Lucania, of the holy martyrs Hyacinth, Quinctus, Felician, and Lucius.

[3] SS. Hyacinth, Quintus or Quintinus, Felician, and Lucinius or Lucius, However confused, disparate, gaping, distorted, redundant these things may seem, they can nevertheless be referred, partly with certainty, partly with doubt, to the laws of truth and to the genuineness of their origin. First of all, Hiacinthus, Jacinthus, Rachintus, Iacintus, Sachietus, Sachineus, Iacinctus, Sancinctus, Sacinctus, Sacinatus, Sacinotus, Saci-Notus, Sanecintus are so many forms of the one name Hyachintus. Which by the common law lost its initial aspiration. Hence when in the year 1845 Father Marchi found the body of the Roman St. Hyacinth, which was said to have been long since translated elsewhere, he came upon this stone Monumenti delle arti primitive, p. 238 and following.:

DP. III IDVS SEPTEBR

YACINTHVS

MARTYR

But Y is commonly changed into I, as lacrymæ is said as lacrimæ; stylus, stilus; Hippolytus, Ippolitus, etc. According to these laws, therefore, not only the Lucanian St. Hyacinth but all the others too in the old martyrologies are constantly called Iacinthus or Jacinthus; whence in Italian Giacinto. Sacinthus, moreover, and its derivatives come from Iacinthus, the letter I being changed by copyists into S, on account of the likeness of the form. Quintus or Quinctus would certainly have to be retained, did not the lengthened name Quintinus occur in some codices. These indeed are fewer in number; but that is no certain law. Felicianus follows nearly everywhere; yet Feliciana also occurs, arising from the fact that the genitive case Feliciani is easily confused with Feliciane. He who comes finally in the fourth place, Lucius,

is also called by several Lucinus or Lucinius, by some Lucianus and Lucania. Lucinus or Lucinius is a rare form, yet not an unusual one. It pleases more than Lucius and Lucianus. For there fights on its behalf the fact that rarer things are generally changed by copyists into more common ones. Lucania is a mere corruption.

[4] Who suffered not in the city of Lucca, but in Lucania, That these martyrs suffered in Lucania, or in the province of Lucania, seems manifest. Yet in a Bavarian manuscript codex (if I am not mistaken) of Ado, which Francesco de Aste, archbishop of Otranto, is accustomed to bring forward under the name of Bede In Martyrologium Romanum disceptationes, p. 488., these things occur at the 12th of July on the occasion of St. Paulinus, bishop: Lucca, a city of Etruria, had other bishops, renowned for the praise of doctrine and sanctity, then martyrs, namely Hyacinth, Quinctus, Lucius, and Felician. But these words are neither Bede's nor Ado's, but an interpolator's. Moreover in the Topography of the holy martyrs of Christ, by Primus, bishop of Chalon and theologian, once composed in the year of salvation 1450, and now at last (as the title proclaims) revised by Maurolico, who procured its edition in the year 1564, this is read In Maurolico, Martyrology, fol. 98.: Lucca, a city of Tuscany in Italy. Here Hyacinth, Quintus, Lucius, and Felician, martyrs. Hence there are to be found those who approve this, suggesting that Lucca could have been called in ecclesiastical style the Lucanian city and the like; which things need refutation all the less because the people of Lucca by no means contend that these are their citizens, nor do they keep their festival [Compare Franciotti, Historie delle mir. imag. et delle vite de' santi nella città di Lucca; Gabr. Gramatica and Dom. Mansi, Diario sacro delle chiese di Lucca etc. 1753; Barsocchini, Diario sacro delle chiese di Lucca, 1836.]. But nothing is clearer, and amid that diversity of codices nothing is more stable, than that Lucania is designated as the arena in which the holy martyrs contended. Several have spoken of the situation, boundaries, and praises of this region. Let it suffice for me to have indicated that it is nearly represented by the Basilicata, a province of the Kingdom of Naples; and that its boundaries were on the north the river Silarus, by which it was separated from the Picentini, and the stream Brandanus, by which it was separated from the Apulians; on the south the river Laus, by which it was separated from the Bruttians; on the east the Gulf of Taranto; on the west the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its principal cities and towns are Pæstum or Posidonia, Palinurus, Velia, and Buxentum; and inland Volsci or Volceium, Compsa, Potentia, Blanda, Grumentum, and, the head of Lucania, Petelia Orlendi, Orbis sacer et profanus, part II, vol. III, p. 1952 and following..

[5] [No memory of them survives in the diocese of Compsa, nor in the letters of St. Gregory the Great.] But in which town of Lucania the blessed martyrs met death has long been asked, in vain. We think however, says Ferrari Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, p. 679., that they underwent martyrdom not far from the town of Cangiano, on the border of the Picentes and Lucanians, belonging to the metropolis of Compsa: for in that town the memory of St. Felician is celebrated. This opinion, without any examination undertaken, Francesco de Aste praises and approves In Martyr. Rom. discept., p. 489.. But he who published the Italian Hagiology, which is a new impression of Ferrari's Catalogue, cut out those words of Ferrari. And Orlendi Orbis etc., part II, vol. III, p. 1958. says this: But in which town of Lucania, or at what time, Hyacinth and his companions completed their contest, is wholly hidden. And indeed, as is established for me from the topographical lexicons of the Kingdom of Naples of Giustiniani and Sacco, in this whole kingdom there exists no town or parish whose name is Cangianum or Cancianum; above all the diocese of Compsa * Compare Giustiniani, Dizionario geografico, vol. IV, p. 121. contains no place whose name in any degree approaches Cangianum or Cancianum. Nor even in the Ordo of the divine office of Compsa for the year 1836 is the name of St. Felician read. That St. Gregory the Great mentioned the relics of St. Hyacinth in the Register, book VII (rather IX), indiction II, letter XII (rather XV), is reported by Baronius in the annotations to the Roman Martyrology, and after him by Ughelli Italia sacra, vol. VII, col. 4.; but, as Ferrari already long ago observed Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, p. 679. and after him de Aste In Martyr. Rom. disc., p. 489. and Orlendi Orbis, part II, vol. III, p. 1958., there seems to be mentioned in that place not the Lucanian St. Hyacinth, but rather the Sabine St. Hyacinth, who at the 9th of September with his companions, SS. Alexander and Tiburtius, is entered in the sacred calendars and in the Roman Martyrology itself, and was illustrated in our work Acta SS. vol. III of September, p. 364.. For that letter treats of laying up in the baptismal basilica of Blessed Mary the Virgin within the city of Rieti the relics of the Blessed Martyrs Hermes, and Hyacinth, and Maximus; and Rieti, though it is called a town of Umbria, lies among the Sabines. God alone therefore knows the time, place, and manner of the martyrdom of the sacred champions, and also the fates of their relics.

* Conza.