Donatus and Cleasus or Eleassus and Fortunatus and Ammonius

ON SS. DONATUS AND CLEASUS OR ELEASSUS AND FORTUNATUS AND AMMONIUS, MARTYRS,

AT CÆSAREA IN CAPPADOCIA.

From the Martyrologies.

Donatus martyr at Cæsarea in Cappadocia (S.)

Cleasus or Eleassus martyr at Cæsarea in Cappadocia (S.)

Fortunatus martyr at Cæsarea in Cappadocia (S.)

Ammonius martyr at Cæsarea in Cappadocia (S.)

J. S.

These Martyrs Four Martyrs are announced today in the Hieronymian Calendars, and are attributed to Cæsarea in Cappadocia, but very confusedly in some, as generally happens in those transcripts, which are not a little faulty. Florentinius in his Hieronymian published: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, the birthday of the saints Donatus. Cleasus. Fortunatus. Ammonius. In his Annotations his Corbie codex has thus: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, the birthday of SS. Donatus, Eleassus, Fortunatus, Ammonius. The last is omitted in the same place in the most ancient Antwerp one, which has: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, of Donatus, Cleasus, Fortunatus. In the more contracted transcripts only one or two are recounted, and in most of these they are mixed with others, in some faultily expressed. Thus with us, after the seventh volume of June, in the Rheinau one is read: At Cæsarea, of Donata, for Donatus. In the Reichenau one: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, of Donata, Ammonius. In the Augsburg and in the Labbean, Donatus and Fortunatus are expressed, but without the place, and mixed with others; as also happens in the Gellone one in d'Achery, and in the Most Ancient, as he calls it, in Martène, tom. 3 of the Anecdota, and in the other which he published in the first place in tom. 6 of the Amplissima Collectio. In another too in the same author I see only Donatus recorded.

[2] recorded in various Calendars. Florentinius in his Annotations gives notice that the Latins are silent about these Martyrs. Nevertheless I find three of them recorded in Grevenus in this manner: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, the birthday of the saints Donatus, Fortunatus, Ammonius. And in the additions to Bede in our hands before the second volume of March it is read: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, the birthday of SS. Fortunatus, Ammonius. In Georgius, after the Martyrology of Ado, in the Ottobonian I find this: At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, of Fortunatus and Ammonius. From this collection of Calendars it may be inferred that there seems no room for doubt that Donatus, Fortunatus and Ammonius suffered at Cæsarea in Cappadocia, and that Cleasus or Eleassus does not seem to be excluded from their number, since he is constantly recorded in three, although he is omitted in the more contracted ones. But of the time and the other circumstances of the martyrdom I find nothing anywhere.

ON ST. MARK AND HIS COMPANIONS, PERHAPS TWO, MARTYRS,

From the Hieronymian Calendars.

Mark martyr (S.)

Companions, perhaps two, martyrs

J. S.

The Hieronymian in Florentinius today also record S. Mark, now alone, at other times with one or with two Companions. The text has thus: Among the Peritæ, the birthday of saint Mark. Of Lebratus. But in the Annotations the Corbie codex: Among the Parthians, the birthday of SS. Mark, Libratus, Julius. The Most Ancient codex: Among the Pontics, of Mark. S. Mark alone too is in the Reichenau one in our hands; but I find no more about these: nor does it please me to divine whether they suffered among the Parthians or in another place.