ON THE HOLY MARTYRS OF THRACE: EUTICUS OR EUTYCHIUS AND PLAUTUS AND PERHAPS HERACLEA AND PLACIDUS AND AMBUTUS AND TRACIA AND DONATA, MARTYRS,
IN THRACE.
From the Hieronymian and other Martyrologies.
PrefaceEuticus or Euthichius, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
Plautus, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
Heraclea, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
Placidus, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
Ambutus, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
Tracia, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
Donata, martyr in Thrace. (S.)
BY J. S.
Of these Martyrs sometimes only the first two, sometimes three, Baronius today brings forward three Martyrs of Thrace, wrapped in darkness and difficulties on account of the strange diversity of the Hieronymian codices concerning them. The words of the Martyrology are: In Thrace the birthday of the holy martyrs Eutychius, Plautus, and Heraclea. Baronius in the Annotations cites for these Bede, Usuard, and manuscripts — copies of Martyrologies, I suppose, not Acts. Usuard's Martyrology is rightly cited, in which the words are plainly the same, except for the name of the first Martyr, who is there called Euticus, not Eutychius. But Bede's pure Martyrology has nothing about them, so that it is only the interpolated one which was seen by Baronius, as commonly elsewhere when he cites Bede. Rabanus in his Martyrology acknowledges only two Martyrs here, and substitutes a city for the third, having as follows: In Thrace, in the city of Heraclea, the birthday of Euticius Plautus, or, as is noted in the margin, of Eutychius and Plautus. From these things a doubt arises, whether Heraclea is the name of a Martyr, as Usuard believed, or the name of the city in which the Martyrs suffered, as Rabanus suggests. And this doubt is the more ambiguous, the more ancient that diversity of reading is in the Martyrologies: for some Hieronymian Martyrologies favor Usuard, others Rabanus, so that there is no doubt that each drew his own from different codices.
[2] The Hieronymian codices from which Florentini compiled his edition so favor Usuard that they even increase the number of the Martyrs. For he published thus: In Tracia Eutici. Plaudi. Placidi. Ambuti. Eraclie. Not only are the three enumerated by Usuard given here as martyrs, at other times six and seven are commemorated in the Martyrologies, but three others also are added. In the Corbie codex, as it was published by d'Achery, seven Martyrs seem to be enumerated as assigned to Thrace, in this manner: In Thracia, Eutici, Plauti, Planciti, Ambuti, Aracliæ, Traciæ, donatæ. These codices indeed, with several others, make Heraclea or Araclia a Martyr. But two other codices, worthy of no less consideration, call Heraclea a city, and in fact Heraclea was a most well-known city of Thrace. The Epternach codex in Florentini's Annotations: Civitate Eracla, Eutici & Plauti. The Reichenau codex among us: In Tracia civitate Eraclia, Eutici & Plautii. And so these two, whom Rabanus gave from codices of this kind, more certainly suffered in Thrace than the rest. Yet from the Epternach codex two others also seem to have suffered at Heraclea: for after the memory of St. Michael has been interposed, these things again follow: Eracla civitate Placidi, Ambodi. But these are assigned to Rome in the Reichenau codex, so that now these two codices also are found contrary to one another. In three Martyrologies, in which the names of cities are for the most part omitted, there is little or no help toward resolving the doubt. The Augsburg one has: Plauti, Placidi, Eraplii. The Labbean one: Plauti, Placiti, Eracliæ, Thraciæ. The Gellone one: Plauti, Placiti, Eracliæ, Traciæ. These indeed favor Usuard more than Rabanus: but everywhere Euticus is omitted, and those codices are of lesser authority, as being more faulty.
[3] so that some are more certain than others. Most of the more recent martyrologists agree with Usuard, such as Galesini, Canisius, and the editors of Usuard's Martyrology. In one Centula codex of Usuard, for Eutici there is read by an error Lucii. Thus in the manuscript Florarium, for Plauti there is read Pauli, and to the three enumerated by Usuard a fourth, Placidus, is added. From what has been said the studious reader will gather that of those recounted some are to be held for Martyrs more certainly than others. Historically it appears certain enough that Euticus or Eutychius, with Plautus, who is once called Plaudus, suffered in Thrace. Heraclea or Eraclea or Eraclia cannot be held for a Martyr with equal certainty, since perhaps it is the name of the city of Heraclea, where the Martyrs suffered; and for the same reason Tracia or Thracia is even less certain, who was ascribed to fewer Copies, since from the province in which the Saints suffered that name could have been mixed in with the rest as the name of a Martyr. Of the other three, doubtfully proposed in the title, Placidus and Ambutus, who is once written Ambodus, seem certainly enough to be Martyrs: but the place of their contest is doubtful, since in the Reichenau codex they are expressly set
at Rome in these words: Romæ, Placidi, Ambuti. Besides, among yesterday's African martyrs a Placidus is named. In several codices, however, they are added to the Martyrs of Thrace, and for that reason I too have joined them to those, at least doubtfully. There remains only Donata, joined to the other Martyrs in the single Corbie codex, and therefore doubtful on every side, especially since among yesterday's African martyrs a certain Donata is found. Since I find no more about these Martyrs, the studious reader will not take it ill that I give no more, and that I have separated the doubtful, as far as I could, from the certain.