Martialis and Laurence and Gurgilus

ON SS. MARTIALIS AND LAURENCE AND GURGILUS, MARTYRS,

OR GARGILUS; WITH MARIUS OR MARCUS, FAUSTINUS OR FAUSTINA, VICTOR, CANDIDUS OR CANDIDA, VALERIA, LONGESA OR LONGA, CELERINA, DONATA OR DONATULA, PERHAPS LEA, LUCIOSA, EMILUS, GAGILUS, PLACIDUS, LONGA, VICTORIA, PRISCA OR PRISCUS, MARTYRS; TO WHOM PERHAPS ARE ADDED MANY ANONYMOUS ONES, AND JULIANUS OR JULIUS, CHRISTOPHER, NOBILIS AND SECUNDULA.

IN AFRICA.

From the Martyrologies.

Martialis, M., in Africa. (S.)

Laurence, M., in Africa. (S.)

Gurgilus or Gargilus, M., in Africa. (S.)

Marius or Marcus, M., in Africa. (S.)

Faustinus or Faustina, M., in Africa. (S.)

Victor, M., in Africa. (S.)

Candidus or Candida, M., in Africa. (S.)

Valeria, M., in Africa. (S.)

Longesa or Longa, M., in Africa. (S.)

Celerina, M., in Africa. (S.)

Donata or Donatula, M., in Africa. (S.)

Lea, M., in Africa. (S.)

Luciosa, M., in Africa. (S.)

Emilus, M., in Africa. (S.)

Gagilus, M., in Africa. (S.)

Placidus, M., in Africa. (S.)

Longa, M., in Africa. (S.)

Victoria, M., in Africa. (S.)

Prisca or Priscus, M., in Africa. (S.)

Anonymous MM., in Africa.

Julianus or Julius, M., in Africa. (S.)

Christopher, M., in Africa. (S.)

Nobilis, M., in Africa. (S.)

Secundula, M., in Africa. (S.)

BY J. S.

Today's Martyrs are mentioned in the Roman Martyrology, Of today's African Martyrs, who are recounted with much variety in the ancient Hieronymian transcripts, Baronius too treats in the Roman Martyrology, but he cautiously names only two, and adds twenty Anonymous ones, writing thus: In Africa, the holy martyrs Martialis, Laurentius, and twenty others. In the Annotations he cites Bede, but an interpolated Bede, or rather Rabanus. Then he adds: Lucian mentions Martialis and his Companions in the Letter which stands among Cyprian's as the 22nd of Pamelius's edition (rather the 21st, also in Baluze's edition). Of Laurentius or Laurentinus, Cyprian himself, Letter 34. Whether they are the same is not ascertained, especially since Laurentinus is treated of again. Baronius rightly warns that he does not know this. If today's Laurentius were the same as the one mentioned in the Letter of Cyprian cited, he would already have been treated of both in the Roman Martyrology and among us at the III of February, where Bolland treated of Celerina, Ignatius and Laurentinus out of the said Letter of Cyprian. Some Laurentius is found also among the African Martyrs of whom we have treated at the X of June, page 267, and one or two of the other names likewise agree. But from these we can conclude nothing, since those names are common enough, and far more of them disagree.

[2] Of Martialis, who is read in the said Letter of Lucian together with several others, they are not known from the Works of St. Cyprian: we too have treated, along with the Roman Martyrology, at the XVII of April, page 480. There occur not a few other Martyrs whose name was Martialis, and of these I already find seven Africans. But from their different companions they all seem to be others, and only in some fashion could there be a doubt about those who are recounted in great number at the VII of May, page 136, where the name Martialis occurs twice, and certain other names agree with some of today's, but far more differ. There will follow also several other Africans in the month of October and of November: but neither can I match those with today's Martialis. And so I shall recount today's troop of Martyrs, of whom we have nothing from elsewhere, out of the Martyrologies, that we may be able to put forward our conjectures at least about the names and the number.

[3] but they are given with much variety. Florentini in the Hieronymian Martyrology has it thus: In Africa the birthday of the saints Martialis. Laurentius. Gurgilus. Marius. Faustinus. Victor. Candida. Varia. Longesa. Celerina. Donata. Lea. Luciosa. Emilus. Gagilus. Placedus. and of twenty others. Longa. Victoria. Prisca. Here we have nineteen names. The Echternach codex is there recited in the Annotations thus: And in Africa Marcialis, and twenty others. Leui … Longa, Secunda, Valeria, Donata, Lea, Luciosa, Emilus, Gagelus, Placidus, and twenty others. Likewise Longa, likewise Victuria, Priscus. The Corbie codex, in d'Achery, announces them thus: In Africa the birthday of the saints Laurentius, Faustinus, and Victuria, Candida, Valeria, Donata, Leva, Luciosa, Gagilus, Placidus, and many others: Longinus, Victuria, Priscinianus. Great is this difference, since far fewer are enumerated, Martialis being also omitted, who is found everywhere in all the transcripts, even the abridged ones.

[4] in the Hieronymian Martyrologies, In the more abridged Martyrologies I find only a few of these mentioned. In the Reichenau one six are enumerated in this manner: In Africa, Martialis, Leontius , Marius, Faustinus, Victor, Candidus. In the Augsburg one mention is made only of three or four, namely Martialis, Laurentius, … Emelus. There is added Cyprianus, but likely wrongly transferred hither from the XXVI. The three preceding are also in the Labbean, and there is added Ebrianus: which name is corrupt, perhaps from Cyprianus. The same again are in the Gellone one, with the name of Cyprian corrupted. The Corbie one has it more briefly: In Africa the birthday of the saints Martialis, Laurentius. In the most ancient one in Martène, tom. 3 of the Anecdota, mention is made of Laurentius alone; in others of Martialis alone, but this may be the martyr of Cordova, who is announced with others on the same day in several places. Rabanus has it of them thus: In Africa, Martialis, Laurentius, and twenty others. Of these Martyrs some things are also found in the supplements of Bede and Usuard: but I pass them by, because they can have no great authority.

[5] Part of these Martyrs seems to be announced also in the Hieronymian codices at the XXIV of September, as I noted in the same place among the Prætermissi. where part of them is also given at 24 September. But the two first among those named today do not occur there. I subjoin the words from Florentini: And elsewhere the birthday of Julianus. Christoforus. Laurentius. Martialis. Victor. Gargilus. Marcus. Nobilis. Victoria. Secundula. Faustina. Valeria. Celeriana. Donatula. Luciosa. The words of the Echternach codex Florentini recites thus: And elsewhere Julianus, Christoforus, Laurentius, Maleialis , Victor, Secundula, Faustus, and Valeria; Celerinus, Donatella, Luciosa. The Corbie one, in d'Achery: And elsewhere, the birthday of the saints Julius, Christophorus, Laurentius, Martialis, Victor, Gargilus, Marcus, Nobilis, Victoria, Secundola, Faustina, Valeria, Celerina, Donatula. That almost nothing about these was read on that day in the more abridged Martyrologies, and nothing in the chief martyrologists of the middle age, I have already observed at the XXIV among the Prætermissi; and since the place of the martyrdom is there omitted, I can scarcely doubt that they belong to this day, and that they are the same as those mentioned today. About the two first some doubt may be had, since they nowhere appear among today's. But it could also easily happen that on neither day is an accurate catalogue of the names given. Whatever be the case, since the truth cannot certainly be found out, I shall declare what seems to be thought about the number, and shall briefly investigate the more certain names.

[6] Rabanus places twenty others with Martialis and Laurentius, The number is not altogether certain: so that he seems to have believed the troop to have been of about twenty-two Martyrs. In the Usuardine codex of Rosweyde, in Sollerius on Usuard at

this day, there is read: Likewise of Martialis and of thirty-three other Martyrs. In the Echternach codex there is placed twice, And of twenty others; so that, if anyone should wish to embrace the words of that codex strictly and to enumerate the Martyrs so, he would find fifty and more. But since Rabanus without doubt had those ancient Martyrologies less corrupted than we now have them, his opinion about the number pleases me best: and I suspect that with Martialis, or with Martialis and Laurentius, there were about twenty others in such a way that all those who are afterwards named are of that same number. If this be true, we have the names of almost all of them, but many of those names corrupt and various, so that of some we cannot even know whether they were men or women.

[7] Now the names are these. Martialis and Laurentius are everywhere first, their names are enumerated, and their names rarely corrupted. He who follows, Gurgilus, in the Blumian Gurgulus, is at the XXIV called Gargilus in two places. The fourth, Marius, mentioned in only two codices at this day, seems to be the one who at the XXIV is likewise in two called Marcus, and is there also placed after Gargilus. The fifth, Faustinus, mentioned in three codices at this day, is at the XXIV called Faustina in two, and in a third Faustus. The sixth, Victor, in only two codices at this day, seems in three others to be called Victuria: but at the XXIV Victor is placed among the first in all three, so that he seems to be acknowledged, and Victoria to be distinguished from him, as both are found in four codices. As seventh I place Candida, from two codices, though she is called Candidus in the Reichenau one. She who is next called Varia in one place is in six others called Valeria, and under this name is placed eighth. There follows, ninth, Longesa, whose name is doubtful, since in the Echternach one it is written Longa, and in the Corbie one she seems to be omitted. The tenth is Celerina, found in only one place at this day, at the XXIV in three with variation, so that there is written Celeriana, Celerina and Celerinus, but the name Celerina is to be held. Eleventh, Donata, so called in three places, in two others at the XXIV Donatula, in one Donatella.

[8] partly certain, partly doubtful, Twelfth is reckoned Lea, in two places so called, in a third called Leva, who is not found at the XXIV, and therefore appears to me doubtful. For if the preceding was called Donatula, this one's name will have been split off into Donata and Lea. Yet it is more likely that the name of Lea was added to Donata, and that thus at the XXIV a single Donatula is had out of the two. The thirteenth, Luciosa, so called in five places, omitted in one, in the Blumian Lucia. The fourteenth, Emilus, in the Corbie one indeed omitted with the rest, but expressed in the Echternach and also in three of the abridged ones. The fifteenth, Gagilus, in three places constantly so called. The sixteenth, Placedus, more probably Placidus, as is read in two other codices. Then follows Longa in two codices, in the Corbie one Longinus, likely distinct from the Longesa or Longa mentioned before, and thus seventeenth. Eighteenth is placed Victoria, in two places at this day called Victuria, and at the XXIV likewise in two places again Victoria. The nineteenth's name is various, namely Prisca, in the Corbie one Priscinianus, in the Echternach and Blumian ones Priscus.

[9] and four less certain ones are added. Besides the nineteen Saints enumerated, of whom Lea almost alone seems in any way doubtful, perhaps there come to be added some others who are mentioned at the XXIV. The first of these is Julianus, in the Corbie one called Julius. The second, Christophorus. There is added after others, in two codices, a third, Nobilis. The fourth, Secundula, named in all three, with whom Secunda may be the same, mentioned at the XXVIII in the Echternach one alone. If therefore we add these four to the rest, there will be twenty-three Martyrs, and this number agrees well enough with the words of Rabanus given above. Florentini conjectures that they were far more, in his Annotations, page 883, where in the enumeration of them all he would have And of twenty others set down twice, as the Echternach codex has it. I would not venture to call this opinion improbable; yet I hold it uncertain, and for that cause I judged that not only some of those enumerated, but still more the Anonymous ones, should be expressed doubtfully in the title.

in others, Laurentii*.

Martialis*.