THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 6 
 
 r
 
 CONTENTS OF THIS VOLUME 
 
 1. The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 2. Carmina Vedastina, with Supplement 
 
 3. Tragico-Comoedia de Sancto Vedasto
 
 THE 
 
 LIFE AND LEGEND 
 
 OF 
 
 S. VEDAST
 
 RIORDEN, POLAND STREET, W.
 
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 fu-mrdi i3ofccvnfre^uminifennn<Ic taolorttn) ' 
 
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 A SCRIBE PRESENTING HIS ROOK TO S. VEDAST WHO IS IN HEAVEN. 
 From a Manuscript of the Eleventh Century at Arras. 
 
 [Face title pa^e.
 
 THE 
 
 LIFE AND LEGEND 
 
 OF 
 
 S. VEDAST 
 
 BY 
 
 GERTRUDE SPARROW SIxMPSON 
 
 AND 
 
 W. SPARROW SLMPSON, D.D., F.S.A. 
 
 Sub-Dean and Librarian of S. Paul's Cathedral 
 
 One of the Hon. Librarians of His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury 
 
 Rector of S. Vedast, Foster Lane, London 
 
 LONDON 
 
 1896
 
 [This impression is limited to 250 copies, none of which will 
 be offered for sale.'] 
 
 I 
 
 i
 
 4 700 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 S. VEDAST 
 
 IN THIS YEAR OF GRACE 
 
 MDCCCXCVI 
 
 IN WHICH WILL BE CELEBRATED THE 
 FOURTEENTH CENTENARY OF THE BAPTISM OF 
 
 CLOVIS 
 
 IN RHEIMS CATHEDRAL 
 
 WE DEDICATE 
 
 THESE OUR IMPERFECT LABOURS 
 
 W. S. S. 
 G. S. S. 
 
 pf^^-Q-
 
 C O X r II N T s 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface ---.--..... jx 
 
 LIFE AND LEGEND OF S. VEDAST. 
 
 I. Introducftory -----.-.. j 
 
 II. Marriage of Clovis and Clotilda 8 
 
 HI. Clovis and Clotilda i^. 
 
 IV. The Conversion of Clovis ------- ig 
 
 V. The Baptism of Clovis -.-.... 23 
 VI. The Labours of S. Vedast 30 
 
 vn. The Death and Burial of S. Vedast - - - - - 40 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 OF SHORT PAPERS ON VARIOUS MATTERS CONNECTED WITH ARRAS, 
 OR WITH THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF S. VEDAST. 
 
 I. The Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast - - - - 47 
 
 II. The Birthplace of S. Vedast ------ 59 
 
 III. The River Crinchon -------- 61 
 
 IV. S. Vedast's Bear ----.... 5^ 
 V. Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast ------ 68 
 
 VI. S. Vedast in Art -.--.... jg 
 
 vii. S. Vedast in the Ancient English Liturgies - - - 82 
 
 VIII. Churches dedicated to S. Vedast in England and in France 8g 
 
 IX. S. Vedast dlias Foster ----... iqo 
 
 X. Labyrinth in the pavement of the Ancient Cathedral of Arras 106 
 
 XI. The Sainte Ampoule -------- 109 
 
 XII. Note on the Library at Arras - - - - - - 112 
 
 xni. Illustrations to the present volume ----- u^ 
 
 XIV. List of a few Books relating to Arras and to S. Vedast - 117 
 
 XV. List of tlic Rectors of S. Vedast from 1291 to tlie present 
 
 time - - - - - - - - - - 1 20
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE PRESENT VOLUME 
 
 TO FACE 
 PAGE 
 
 1. A Scribe presenting a book to S. Vedast in Heaven frontispiece 
 
 (Fruiii a Manuscript of the eleventh century at Arras, No. 903. 
 A tracing taken by Mans. Lavoine.) 
 
 2. Figure of S. Foster, that is S. Vedast, from a window in 
 
 Blythburgh Church, Suftblk 79 
 
 {From a tracing taken by Mr. WatUng in 1836.) 
 
 3. Figure of S. Vedast from a window in Long Melford Church 
 
 Suffolk ---------- 80 
 
 {From a tracing taken by Mr. Wcitling.) 
 
 4. Labyrinth in the pavement of the ancient Cathedral of Arras 106 
 
 {From Arras et ses Monuments, published in 1853.) 
 
 5. Stamp for Covers of Books in the Arras Library, in use in 1610 112 
 
 {From a tracing taken by Mons. Lavoine.) 
 
 6. S. Vedast in Heaven di(5lating to a Scribe - - - - 113 
 
 {From a Manuscript of the eleventh century at Arras, No. 860. 
 A tracing taken by Mons. Lavoine.)
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The dedication to S. Vedast of a Church in En^^land 
 is so rare and unusual that, as Rector of S. Vedast, 
 Foster Lane, in the City of London, I feel that no apology 
 can be necessary for the interest which I have taken in 
 the history of the Patron Saint. 
 
 When I became Re6tor, in 1882, a great many friends, 
 parishioners and others, asked for information about 
 the Saint. The period at which he lived (if indeed he 
 was not altogether a mythical personage), the country 
 in which he laboured, the office which he held, were 
 entirely unknown. So I thought it desirable to deliver, 
 in the Choir Vestry attached to the Church, a lecture 
 on the Life and Legend of S. Vedast. This was subse- 
 quently read before the British Archaeological Association 
 and was printed in the Journal of their Proceedings : a 
 little later, with some enlargement, it appeared in a 
 separate form, privately printed, for circulation amongst 
 my friends, in 1887. 
 
 A visit to Arras in the autumn of 1894, led to the 
 printing of two fasciculi, Carmina Vedastina, a collection 
 of Vedastine Hymns and Poems ; and Tragico-Conioedia 
 de San^o Vedasto, a Latin play in which the historv of 
 the Saint is told in a very quaint manner. And now I 
 complete the task which I had set myself, in the issue of 
 the present volume, the joint work of my daughter and 
 myself. 
 
 We have tried to present, in a brief form, a sketch of 
 the Life and Labours of S. Vedast. Part of the work 
 has consisted of translation and adaption. There has
 
 X Preface 
 
 been no attempt at originality. The great sources of 
 information, such as the Atla Santloriim of the Bollan- 
 dists, the useful and more portable book Les Petits Bollan- 
 distes, and a considerable number of other publications, 
 have been carefully read and laid under contribution. 
 Copious quotations have been made, it is hoped that they 
 have in every case been acknowledged. An Appendix has 
 been added containing notes on various subjedts which 
 could not be conveniently dealt with in the Life itself: 
 some of these illustrate points of archaeological interest 
 
 only. 
 
 "Numerous legendary stories are related in the course 
 of this memoir. I have repeated some of them just as 
 they were told in mediaeval times ; and some of them 
 will be read much as fairy-tales are read. I refer, especi- 
 ally, to such stories as that of the bleating gloves (in 
 Appendix No. V.). The day has gone by when they can 
 be taken as veritable histories : perhaps they were never 
 intended to be so taken. 
 
 The Bishop of Oxford remarks, in his Memorials of the 
 Life of S. Dunstan, that " among the original sources of 
 mediaeval history no insignificant place belongs to the 
 A6la San6loruin. The value of the results which flow 
 from the study of these monuments of devotion is not 
 to be estimated by their dire6f bearing on narrative 
 historv any more than by the bulk of the volumes that 
 contain them." He proceeds to say that "a very large 
 proportion of the men whose lives have been thus written 
 owed the distinction to their services done to mankind. 
 Even the saint whose reputation is due apparently to the 
 reported performance of posthumous miracles, must be 
 presumed to have been such a person as would be likely 
 to perform such adls. The ecclesiastical beatification is in 
 a vast majority of cases the result rather than the cause 
 of popular devotion. Many of the early biographies are 
 thus connected directly with history, because they profess 
 to be the private memorials of the lives of those who are 
 the more prominent adors on the historical stage. These 
 books, are always interesting, and sometimes most 
 valuable."
 
 Preface xi 
 
 In a Life of S. Vedast written for English readers 
 there is a serious risk lest it should be thoui^ht that 
 because miraculous incidents are minified with the history 
 of the Saint, the Saint himself should be deemed a mythi- 
 cal person. The writers of the biographies of mediaeval 
 saints did not, however, hesitate to embroider upon 
 their simple narratives such florid ornaments as seemed 
 suitable to the occasion : and these must not be taken to 
 weaken the solid basis of historical truth which underlies 
 the stor}'. 
 
 It must not be supposed that I hold myself responsible 
 for the historic truth of the legends now to be related. 
 It is observable that they are, for the most part, omitted 
 in a modern Vie de S. Vaast intended evidently for devo- 
 tional reading. But the Saint himself is a very real 
 personage, and the conversion of Clovis, in which he 
 played a prominent part, is an event of the very highest 
 importance in the history of the evangelisation of 
 France. 
 
 Of some of the miracles ascribed to S. Vedast, it will 
 suffice to say that they are common to almost every 
 mediaeval hagiology. The devotees of particular saints 
 seem to have thought that they did them great injustice 
 unless they attributed to their special heroes miracles 
 like those of the Redeemer and of the Apostolic band. 
 And hence the scanty story of their lives is eked out and 
 amplified by a profusion of these legends, some almost 
 too puerile to bear repetition. 
 
 We smile at many of these legends, and we wonder 
 at the credulity of those who believed them, yet it is not 
 so very long ago since, amongst ourselves, meteors, 
 comets, parhelia, and even the aurora borealis, were 
 thought to presage plague, pestilence, war, and 
 bloodshed ; and even in our own time, in remote 
 country villages, poor old women have been half-murdered 
 on the supposition that thev were witches, — a supposition 
 resting on no better foundation than the admitted fatl 
 that the unhappy victims were old and wrinkled. 
 
 Nor can it be forgotten that on March i6, 1895, a 
 peasant woman named Bridget Cleary . was roasted to
 
 xii Preface 
 
 death by her husband Michael Clearv, in the presence 
 of her own father and of some neighbours.^ They thought, 
 it is said, that the woman herself had been stolen away 
 bv fairies, and that the living body which they were 
 burning w^as a sort of phantasm.^ 
 
 This is not the place in which to enter upon a general 
 discussion of Ecclesiastical Miracles : but it may be 
 well to bear in mind the careful and judicious words in 
 which the Bishop of Stepney concludes the tenth Chapter 
 of his Memoir on Venerable Bede. " On a review of 
 Bede's writings as a whole," he writes,^ "we may fairly 
 say that the miraculous influence claimed for illustrious 
 missionaries was confined to the first and second genera- 
 tion of Christian teachers in the land. To say that even 
 in the first and second generation there was no such 
 influence at work, would be to say more than we are 
 entitled to say. In the earliest years of a mission, as the 
 experience of times later than those of Bede has shown, 
 there are occasions on which it is very difficult to say 
 whether the Divine power which the Christian believes 
 to be really working has wrought openly, whether the 
 Lord has, in fa6l, in the sight of men confirmed the words 
 of His Apostles with signs following." 
 
 Those are weighty sentences in which Cardinal New- 
 man sums up the substance of his Essay. ^ These are "the 
 conclusions to which the remarks which follow will be 
 found to tend. They are such as these : that Ecclesiasti- 
 cal Miracles, that is, miracles posterior to the Apostolical 
 Age, are on the whole different in obje6t, chara6ler, and 
 evidence, from those of Scripture on the whole, so that 
 the one series or family ought never to be confounded 
 with the other ; yet that the former are not therefore at 
 once to be rejedled; that there was no Age of Miracles, 
 after which miracles ceased ; that there have been at all 
 
 ^ The scene of this atrocity was Ballyvadlea, near Clonmel in 
 Ireland: the husband was tried at Clonmel assizes in 1895. 
 
 '■' See Notes and Queries. 8th series, viii, 94. 
 
 ^ The Fathers for English Readers. The Venerable Bede. p. 171. 
 
 ^ Two Essays on Biblical and on Ecclesiastical Miracles, loth 
 edition, pp. gg, 100.
 
 Preface xiii 
 
 times true miracles and false miracles, true accounts and 
 false accounts ; that no authoritative guide is supplied to 
 us for drawing the line between the two ; that some of 
 the miracles reported were true miracles ; that we cannot 
 be certain how many were not true ; and that under these 
 circumstances, the decision in particular cases is left to 
 each individual, according to his own opportunities of 
 judging." 
 
 The Rev. J. B. Mackinlay, O.S.B., in his recently pub- 
 lished History of the Life and Times of Saint Edmund, King 
 and Martyr,^ has some interesting remarks on the same 
 subje6l. Whilst relating the miracles popularly ascribed 
 to his hero, he says, "It is not intended to write a 
 vindication of them here. Their possibility to the Creator 
 and Ruler of the universe cannot be a subjedl: of discussion 
 among His children and believers. Whether He uses 
 supernatural, or unfathomed natural forces to bring about 
 those extraordinary results which we call miraculous is 
 of little moment. God can manifest divine power in 
 whichever way He wills. That He has done so times 
 without number is beyond reasonable dispute. The 
 history of the patriarchs and prophets in the old dispen- 
 sation, and of the apostles and saints in the new, affords 
 overwhelming evidence of the fa6ls. Indeed not only 
 His own glory, the honour of His servants and the spread 
 of His Kingdom demand it, but the soul of man unconsci- 
 ously looks for these displays of God's existence and 
 provident watchfulness over the interests of His creatures. 
 The invisible world surrounds man so closely that it 
 would be the strangest of phenomena if it did not some- 
 times visibly aftedl: his material being. Apart from these 
 general principles a wide field is still left open for the 
 discussion of evidence for and against any miracle in 
 particular. To be accepted each must rest on testimony 
 which no historian can rejedt or impartial judge refuse. 
 Some of S. Edmund's miracles hardly deserve the name : 
 his clients saw in them the supernatural, where others 
 would see only the natural ; but all of them are interesting 
 pid^ures of the customs and habits of thought of the times." 
 
 ^ Odlavo, London and Leamington, 1893, p. 271.
 
 xiv Preface 
 
 A very copious, and, it must be confessed, a very 
 varied Appendix has been added to the Life and 
 Legend. 
 
 Bv far the most important Article is an Enghsh trans- 
 lation of the earliest extant Life of S. Vedast, the work 
 of an anonymous author, written probably towards the 
 close of the sixth century. It has been thought desirable 
 to present an almost verbal rendering of this ancient 
 biographv, that the English reader may lose as little as 
 may be of the archaic flavour of the work. Here it stands 
 in its simple dignitv, the earliest attempt at a memoir of 
 the Saint. The greater part of its substance will be 
 found in the Life and Legend, but this has not seemed 
 any sufficient reason for excluding a work of such vener- 
 able antiquity. 
 
 Article II., on the Birthplace of S. Vedast, may per- 
 haps be held to determine the vexed question as to the 
 country honoured by his birth. At any rate it exhibits 
 the opinion of some of the most earnest French scholars 
 who have discussed the question in recent times. 
 
 Article III., on the River Crinchon, a little stream 
 mentioned not infrequently in the history, may be of 
 slight interest to those who care for the topography of 
 Arras, but will certainly be " caviare to the general." 
 
 In Article IV., as in other Articles, the writers have 
 been led to wander into the pleasant bye - paths of 
 Archaeology. 
 
 Article V., on the Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast, will 
 be found to contain an enumeration of nearly all the 
 wonders ascribed to him in the A^a Santtoruni, together 
 with some very quaint and curious stories colle6fed from 
 other sources. 
 
 Article VI., " S. Vedast in Art," almost demands the 
 aid of copious illustrations, of which a great number 
 are lying on the writers' study table, but which certain 
 inexorable considerations prevent our offering to the 
 public. The list of Books given in Article XIV. will 
 show where many of these illustrations may be found. 
 
 Article VII, S. Vedast in the ancient English Litur- 
 gies, has cost some little labour, and yet will be read
 
 Pycface xv 
 
 by very few persons. Still, it seemed worth while to 
 gather into a brief space some of the early Offices of the 
 cnlte of S. Vaast in our own country. 
 
 Article VIII., on the Churches dedicated to S. Vedast, 
 is, so far as the English Churches are concerned, a humble 
 attempt, and not a very successful one, to examine into 
 the interesting question of the origin and ancient history 
 of these three churches, in London, in Norwich, and at 
 Tathwell, of which churches only two are in existence 
 to-day. We have been able to carry back the historv of 
 the London Church beyond the earliest date which 
 Newcourt had supplied, and to show that it certainly 
 existed as early as 1240 a.d. In the case of the Norwich 
 Church, now no longer standing, a higher antiquitv is 
 claimed. Its local champion will be satisfied with nothing 
 less than the period of Edward the Confessor, and it must 
 be admitted that his arguments are cogent. Tathwell 
 Church, too, is evidently of venerable antiquity. 
 
 Article IX. is a discussion of the remarkable name by 
 which the London Church is described in official docu- 
 ments, " S. Vedast alias Foster." The opinions of 
 various writers are cited, and the conclusion arrived 'at, 
 that Foster is nothing more than a corruption of Vedast 
 seems to rest upon a basis which cannot be shaken. 
 
 Article X., on a Labyrinth \\\ the pavement of the 
 ancient Cathedral of Arras, has nothing whatever to do 
 with the history of S. Vedast, and yet we believe that its 
 insertion will be pardoned, because the subjedt of these 
 Labyrinths (for there were many in various French 
 Cathedrals, though the spirit of "making all things new" 
 has caused most of them to be destroyed) is really very 
 curious, and somewhat unfamiliar to English Antiquaries, 
 
 Of Article XII., a Note on the Library at Arras, it 
 can only be said that a volume would be needed to do 
 justice to the magnificent collection of manuscripts 
 therein contained. 
 
 The few remaining Articles require no special notice 
 here : save that Article XV. is the fullest list of Rectors 
 of S. Vedast, Foster Lane, that has yet been printed. 
 
 The task of preparation and compilation of these
 
 xvi Preface 
 
 Essays has been a most delightful one : a great relief 
 and relaxation after more serious labours. No one can 
 know better than its Authors the manifold omissions and 
 imperfedions of the little book ; but, still, it is an honest 
 attempt to rescue from oblivion, here in the Parish which 
 bears his name, the memory of our Patron Saint. 
 
 It is a most agreeable duty to express our grateful 
 thanks to those who have assisted us in our labours. 
 
 First and especially to Mr. Sidney Young, F.S.A., 
 who, during a visit to Arras, collected and presented to 
 me an important series of books relating to S. Vedast and 
 to the City of Arras ; to Father Ethelbert Home, who 
 obtained for me a transcript of a prose from the Arras 
 Missal of 149 1, of which there is a copy in the Library at 
 Douai, and has given me much valuable information as 
 to the association of S. Vedast with Douai and with 
 Downside ; to the Rev. W. Hudson, Vicar of S. Peter 
 Permountergate, Norwich, for important communications 
 relating to the Church of S. Vedast wdiich formerly existed 
 in that City; to M. Wicquot, librarian of the Bibliotheque 
 de la Ville d'Arras, not only for his courtesy during my 
 stay at Arras, but for an interesting note about S. Vedast 
 which he was so good as to transcribe for me ; to the 
 Rev. Geo. Hennessy, for the list of rectors of S. Vedast 
 Foster Lane, printed in Article XV. ; to Mons. Lavoine, 
 for the admirable tracings from manuscripts at Arras, 
 which have supplied three of the illustrations ; and to 
 many other kindly correspondents. 
 
 Easter^ i8g6.
 
 THE LIFE AND LEGEND 
 OF S. VEDAST 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Dean Milman observes, in his History of Latin 
 Christianity,' thcit "no record whatever, not even a legend, 
 remains, of the manner in which the two great branches 
 of the Gothic race, the Visigoths in France, and the 
 Ostrogoths in Pannonia, the Suevians in Spain, the 
 Gepidae, the Vandals, the mingled hosts which formed 
 the army of Odoacer, the first King of Italy, and at length 
 the fierce Lombards, were converted to Christianitv." 
 He has been speaking in the previous paragraph of the 
 inestimable gift which Ulphilas, the Apostle of their race, 
 had conferred upon the Teutonic Christians, by trans- 
 lating the Holy Scriptures into their own language. 
 "The Faith," he continues, "appears to steal from 
 nation to nation, and wins King after King." 
 
 He proceeds to say that "The first conversion of a 
 Teutonic nation to the faith, of which any long and 
 particular account survives, was that of the Franks, 
 by Catholic prelates, into stern proselytes to the 
 Catholic faith. The conversion of the Franks was the 
 most important event in its remote as well as its imme- 
 diate consequences in European history. It had great 
 influence on the formation of the Frankish monarchy. 
 
 ^ Vol. i., p. 347, edit. 1872.
 
 2 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 The adoption of the Catholic form of faith, by arraying 
 on the side of the Franks all the Catholic prelates and 
 their followers, led to their preponderance over the 
 Visigothic and Burgundian Kings, to their descent into 
 Italy under Pepin and his son, and to their intimate 
 connexion with the Papal see ; and thus paved the way 
 for the Western empire of Charlemagne." ' The con- 
 version of Clovis issued in results of profound importance 
 to mankind. 
 
 It is in this great event that S. Vedast appears upon 
 the scene. 
 
 The northern part of Gaul exhibited at this time the 
 spe6lacle of a general disorder.^ The Western Empire 
 assailed on every side, encroached upon and dismem- 
 bered, had fallen into decay. The Romans could no 
 lonirer conceal from themselves their decadence and their 
 ruin, and the Gauls as well as the Germans were makmg 
 renewed efforts to regain a portion at least of their old 
 independence. The Gallo-Romans of the towns of Arras, 
 Cambrai, and Therouanne, who had survived the havoc 
 wrought by the barbarian hordes, were intermingled with 
 their conquerors. In the country of the Atrebates, as 
 indeed everywhere else, Roman institutions had disap- 
 peared. The barbarous chiefs, to whom the title of 
 Kings was given, ruled over conquerors and conquered 
 alike. There was no longer any security for person 
 or for property. Force usurped the place of law ; am- 
 bition and revenge spent their fury upon their victims ; 
 and the country, already utterly neglected, was soon 
 completely devastated and ruined by the incessant 
 raids of the intruders. 
 
 But after the first crisis, when the terrible convulsions 
 which often accompany the birth of a new empire were 
 passed, a fresh era began for the Gauls. Clovis,^ 
 
 ^ Milman, Latin Cliristiaiiity, i. 349. 
 
 " This paragraph and that which follows, are taken in substance 
 from MM. de Cardevacque and Terninck's L'Abbaye de Saint 
 Vaast, i. 3, 4. 
 
 •^ His name appears under several different forms: Clovis, Cludoecus, 
 Clodoveus, Chlodovecus, Hlodoveus. In modern French the equivalent 
 is Louis. [" Karlus
 
 The Life and Legend of S. l^edast 3 
 
 was born in the year 466, and when hardly fifteen years of 
 age, succeeded his father Childeric, one of the Kings of 
 the Salian Franks, in 481. His kingdom was composed 
 of the district of Tournai and of the country of Liege : 
 it extended to Artois and Soissons. But so small a state 
 did not satisfy the ambition of the Prince, and hardly was 
 he proclaimed King of the Salic Franks before Clovis 
 attacked and defeated the Roman General Syagrius, near 
 Soissons, and took possession of that place. Soon after, 
 he received the submission of Rheims, Troyes, Sens, 
 Auxerre, and many other cities. 
 
 The Franks, the most barbarous of the Teutonic 
 tribes, had settled in a Christian country, a country 
 already illustrious for the virtues of Remigius, the bishop 
 who presided over the cathedral city of Rheims.' 
 
 A singular incident which led to the election of Remi- 
 gius, or S. Remi as he is called in France, to this high 
 office, is too picturesque to be omitted. He was in the 
 great church at Rheims when the clergy and people were 
 assembled to choose a bishop, and a ray of sunlight 
 shining through a small clerestory window fell upon his 
 head. " In the dark church, the irradiated handsome 
 face of the voung noble shone out on the people as though 
 marked by God for their future pastor,"" and he was 
 chosen by acclamation to be Archbishop of Rheims. His 
 after-life fully justified the popular choice. An eloquent 
 preacher, a man of saintly life, stately in manner, majestic 
 in stature, he gained a power over his people which proved 
 of the highest value for the consolidation of the true 
 religion. 
 
 Clovis was a pagan, and a man of war from his youth ; 
 he was at this time only the chief of some 4,000 Frankish 
 
 " Karlus Imperator constituit Hlodoveum filium suum simul 
 imperare cum eo." Lamhccianl Ainialis FraHconiin. Col. log. 
 
 " Hlodo\eum. Ita ibi scriptum est. Qui cjuidem locus vakle est 
 notabilis, quoniam eo probari potest, unum atque idem esse nomen 
 Ludovici et Clodovaei." Muiatorius : Rcniin Italicaruni Scriptorcs. 
 (Folio, Milan, 1726. \'ol. ii. Pars Altera). 
 
 ^ Dictio)iary of Ecclesiastical Biography, art. "Clovis." 
 
 - Baring Gould, Lives of the Saints. S. Remigius. Oct. i.
 
 4 TJie Life and Legend of S. l^edast 
 
 warriors, but full of adventurous daring and unmeasured 
 ambition. 
 
 Some parts of the Teutonic character, says Dean 
 Milman/ seemed to harmonise with Christianity. There 
 was a depth, a seriousness, and a tendency to the mys- 
 terious which would prepare them to receive the Gospel. 
 The Germans had the conception of an illimitable Deity, 
 towards whom they looked with solemn and reverential 
 awe. It was to them a degradation to represent those 
 vast unseen powers under a human form. Their religion 
 was in some points a nature-worship. Woden — he is 
 also called Odin — was to them the all-mighty, all-per- 
 meating spirit, the mind, the all-wise, the god of speech 
 and of knowledge. He was also the god of battles and 
 of victory. Fierce, relentless, he was propitiated by 
 human victims. At a later period S. Boniface charges 
 some of his Christian converts with the sale of captives 
 to the pagans for sacrifice. 
 
 The solemn groves, dark dwelling-places of the gods, 
 the sacred trees, the strange, uncouth symbols of the 
 Deity, survived the introduction of Christianity. It was 
 the crowning triumph of many a Christian missionary to 
 hew down some stately tree, venerated for ages as the 
 special abiding-place of Deity, whilst the new converts 
 stood around in horror, fearing lest, after all, the sleeping 
 divinity might arise and slay the sacrilegious priest who 
 dared to lift unhallowed hand against his sanctuary. 
 
 The heathen priests were greatly venerated throughout 
 Germany. They presided over the sacred ceremonies of 
 sacrifice and worship. They administered justice, brand- 
 ing cowardice, inflicting punishment, which the free 
 German spirit would endure only from those who bore a 
 divine commission. 
 
 In Christianity they found a powerful priesthood — a 
 hierarchy of bishops, priests, and deacons, from whom 
 they were to learn that, with the one great sacrifice upon 
 the Cross, all human sacrifice was at an end. They were 
 to see a purity and nobility of life of which they had never 
 
 ^ Milman, hatin Christianity, i, 329-334, Book II, ch. ii.
 
 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 5 
 
 dreamed — a strength and force of moral influence entirely 
 new. The cross of Christ glittered on the standards of 
 the legions. " The walled cities with their towers, temples, 
 basilicas, forums, aqueducts, baths, and churches, now 
 aspiring to grandeur, if not magnificence," amazed the 
 Teutonic conquerors and filled their minds with awe at 
 the superior intellectual power even of those whom they 
 had subdued. The mysterious sanctity which surrounded 
 the Christian's God, hallowed the Christian bishop. It 
 was the time for great Christian virtues. Never would 
 Christianity appear more sincere, more devout, more 
 commanding, or more amiable. The courage of the 
 Christian martyrs, the fortitude even of Christian women, 
 astonished the barbarous conquerors, and compelled their 
 
 respect. 
 
 " The Teutons had always paid the highest respect to 
 their females, a feeling which cannot exist without high 
 notions of personal purity, by which it is generated, and 
 in its turn tends to generate. This masculine modesty 
 of the (ierman character had already excited the admi- 
 ration of Tacitus ; marriages were held absolutely sacred, 
 and producing the most' perfect unity ; adulteries rare, 
 and visited with public and ignominious punishment.'" 
 
 The Christian teachers often exhorted their feebler 
 followers to imitate these virtues of the Teutons. 
 " Amongst the chaste barbarians," says Salvian, " we 
 alone are unchaste : the very barbarians are shocked at 
 our impurities. We cherish, they execrate, incontinence ; 
 we shrink from, they are enamoured of, purity ; for- 
 nication, which with them is a crime and a disgrace, with 
 us is a glory." " Even if we make, as no doubt we must, 
 a large' allowance for the rhetorical exigencies of this 
 weighty passage, it cannot be denied that it supplies 
 stroner evidence of the manliness and self-restraint of the 
 conquering people. 
 
 A verv difterent view of the question is, however, 
 taken by" Professor Kurtz.=^ " Much of what has been 
 
 1 Milman, Latin CJiristiaiiity, i. 362. 
 - Milman, Latin Christianity, i. 363. 
 
 ■' History <•/ the Christian Church to the Reformation, edited by 
 Dr. Edersheim, second edition, i. 286, 287.
 
 6 TJic Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 vaunted about the special pre-disposition of the Germans 
 towards Christianity " he considers to be " either exag- 
 gerated or based upon misapprehension. Admitting that 
 in German mythology many deep thoughts, concealed 
 under the garb of poetic legends, bear evidence of the 
 high religious aspirations, the intellectual endowments, 
 and the "remarkable spiritual anticipations of the Ger- 
 manic race, it will scarcely be maintained that these 
 characteristics apply to it in greater measure than to the 
 myths, speculations, or mysteries of ancient Greece. 
 The pre-disposition should rather be traced to the peculiar 
 character of German national life." He proceeds to 
 specify the devotedness and attachment of vassals towards 
 their lord ; the native readiness to combat and to per- 
 severe in their struggles for their rightful ruler; their 
 intense love of freedom ; and the spirituality of those 
 religious rites which pre-disposed them to the worship 
 
 of God. 
 
 Kurtz further points out that, in general, " heathenism 
 can only thrive on its own native soil." Transplanted 
 into Europe, it had lost wdiatever elements of life it 
 possessed : and wherever Christianity had entered, the 
 full development of heathenism became impossible. " Be- 
 sides, in many instances, the alliance of heathen rulers 
 with Christian princesses led to the conversion of the 
 former, and with them of all their subjects. Such 
 influences were peculiarly characteristic of the Saxon 
 tribes, who alone assigned so high a place to woman." ' 
 
 Christianity had not, as yet, softened the savage 
 manners of the northern tribes, and Clovis, though 
 endow^ed wdth many brilliant qualities, sorely needed 
 the influence of the true faith. His alliance with a 
 Christian princess w^as the first great step towards his 
 conversion. Clotilda, the daughter of Chilperic (of whom 
 Gregory of Tours says that he was "■ the Nero and Herod 
 of this age"), had been early left an orphan, her parents 
 
 ^ Kurtz cites the evidence of Tacitus : Inesse quin etiam sanctum 
 aliquid et providum putant, nee aut consilia earum adspernantur, aut 
 responsa negligunt.
 
 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 7 
 
 havin<T been murdered by her uncle, Gundebald, the 
 Buri^undian kinL(. 
 
 This (jundebald came of a fierce, wild race. " Gundi- 
 car, Kinij^ of the Burii^undians, left four sons. The 
 fate of the family was more like that of a polv^^amous 
 Eastern prince, where the sons of different mothers, bred 
 up without brotherly intercourse in the seraglio, own no 
 proximity of blood. Gundebald, the elder son, first slew 
 his brother Chilpcric, tied a stone round the neck of 
 Chilperic's wife and cast her into the Rhone, beheaded 
 his two sons and threw their bodies into a well. The 
 dau<i^hters, of whom Clotilda was one, he preserved alive. 
 Godemar, his next brother, he besieged in his castle, set 
 it on fire, and burned him alive. Godesil, the third 
 brother, shared the same fate." ' 
 
 Gundebald, it should be added, remained obstinately 
 Arian ; but Clotilda, his niece, through what influence is 
 unknown, embraced the true orthodox faith, and though 
 the daughter of an alien was a fervid and devoted 
 Catholic. 
 
 About the year 492 or 493, as Gregory of Tours 
 relates, the envoys of Clovis paid frequent visits to 
 Burgundy. Here they heard tidings of Clotilda, of her 
 beauty, of her piety, of her tragic history : and bringing 
 their news to Clovis, were sent back again to ask her 
 hand in marriage on their King's behalf. Gundebald 
 dared not refuse.^ 
 
 ' Milman, Latin Christiauity, i. 350, 351. 
 
 ■^ This chapter is in the main based upon Milman's History 0/ 
 Latin Christianity read side by side with the chief ancient authority, 
 Gregory of Tours.
 
 S TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedasf 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE MARRIAGE OF CLOVIS AND CLOTILDA.' 
 
 The brief and vsimple narrative of the marriage of Clovis 
 has been expanded by the authors of Les Petits Bollan- 
 distes'^ into a charming' and romantic story. It is here 
 transLated and compressed. As for its fidelity to historic 
 fact, it is enough to say, that as the masters of classical 
 antiquity are permitted to place in the mouths of their 
 heroes elaborate speeches, which show evident traces of 
 the historian's hand, so, no doubt, the hagiologist may 
 fairly claim a similar licence. To the very name of 
 Clotilda the writers give a pleasant significance. 
 " Clotilde," they say, " signifie, en langue germaine, 
 vaillante conselliere ou bonte illustre " ; whilst Clovis 
 signifies " celebre guerrier," 
 
 Gundebald, the uncle of Clotilda, murdered Chilperic 
 her father, about the year 477 : and the two young prin- 
 cesses, Clotilda and Chrone, fell into his hands. Chrone 
 the eldest entered a convent where she took the veil, 
 assuming the name of Mucuruna.'^ Clotilda, who was still 
 very young, was shut up in a castle belonging to her 
 uncle, her father's murderer, at Montmorot near Lons-le- 
 
 ^ The name of Clotilda, like that of her husband, appears in 
 different forms: Crotechildis, Chrotildis, etc. Fredegarius, or his 
 continuator, calls her Baldechildis or Balthildis (See Migne, Patro- 
 logia, Vol. 71, § 663). It is added in a note " Visitur etiam nunc ibi 
 [in monasterio Calae] ejus sepulchrum in crypta subterranea." 
 
 ^ Les Petits Bollandistes. June 3. 
 
 * This unusual name is found in Gregory of Tours.
 
 The Life and Legend of S. Vedasf 9 
 
 Saunier. The ruins of the donjon keep in which she was 
 imprisoned are still existintj^. 
 
 Gundebald feared that the interest which attached to 
 the fate of the innocent orphan, mi<^ht arouse a<;ainst him 
 the hatred of the partisans of Chilperic. He treated her, 
 however, with kindness, and the young" princess became 
 famous for her wisdom and her beauty. Althouf^h brouj^ht 
 up in an Arian court, she remained faithful to the Catholic 
 reli^^ion. Her i^entleness, her piety, her love for the 
 poor, made her blest by all around, especiall}- by those 
 to whom it was her custom to give alms. 
 
 Clovis, who was then reigning over France, heard the 
 report of the many virtues of Clotilda, and desired to 
 have her for his wife. From a political point of view this 
 marriaire did not offer the advantages which are usuallv 
 sought in royal alliances. Clotilda could only bring to 
 her new husband virtue, with no other treasures. Despoiled 
 of all personal fortune by the murderer of her parents, 
 kept in a semi-captivity which rendered her invisible even 
 to the foreign Ambassadors sent to the court of the Bur- 
 gundians, the King must seek her for herself alone, with 
 no after thought of increased territory or of ambition. 
 
 The Catholics throughout France were in favour of the 
 marriage, ardently trusting that it would lead to the con- 
 version of the king, and that the orphan, when she became 
 Queen of the Franks, might one day win them to the faith. 
 It is natural to believe that the counsel of S. Remi, in 
 whom the King had complete confidence, was friendlv to 
 Clotilda. 
 
 Clovis sent frequent embassies to the Burgundians, 
 says Fredegaire, in the hope that his envoys might meet 
 Clotilda. They were not, however, permitted even to see 
 her. Clovis then had recourse to a stratagem which a 
 noble Gallo-Roman, Aurelian, willingly undertook to carry- 
 to a favourable issue. 
 
 Aurelian disguised himself in the rags of a beggar, with 
 a wallet on his shoulder, and set out alone for the city of 
 Geneva where Gundebald was then residing. He carried 
 the royal signet which Clovis had confided to his care. 
 One Sunday, after Mass, Clotilda advancing, as was her
 
 lo TJic Life and Legend of S. J^edast 
 
 wont, under the porch of the Church, was occupied in 
 distrihuting- her ahns to the poor assembled there. 
 Among-st them were Romans despoiled of their goods, 
 Gauls'^ruined bv exactions, fugitives from the countries 
 devastated bv " the Franks, women, old men, and 
 children, whom the wide-spread reputation of Clotilda's 
 beneficence had attracted from all countries. The young 
 Roman, who maintained, under the beggar's dress, an air 
 of di£;nitv, attracted her attention by the whiteness of his 
 hands, bv the perfume of his hair, and yet more by the 
 mingled courtesy and audacity with which he drew aside 
 her veil, in order to gaze steadfastly upon her countenance 
 whilst kneeling before the Princess. He held out his 
 hand to receive her gifts. Surprised, she asked the 
 motive of his disguise and of his boldness. 
 
 " Most illustrious Clotilda," he replied, "I am Aurelian, 
 son of a Senator of that name, of a consular family. King 
 Clovis holds my family and myself in high favour. Since 
 he has honoured me\vith the title of his guest, he has 
 raised me to the rank of his lords, and at this moment I 
 am accomplishing a mission which is one of the highest 
 proofs of his confidence. ' Aurelian, son of a Senator,' 
 he said to me, ' I have determined to seat upon the 
 throne beside me, a princess of the same religion as thy 
 people, a princess who is esteemed lovely above all the 
 women of Gaul. Go, succeed in seeing her, without the 
 knowledge of her uncle Gundebald, and if I am not 
 deceived, if you find that she is worthy of the com- 
 mendation which the world has bestowed upon her, give 
 her my ring.' Noble princess," added Aurelian, " my 
 expectations are surpassed." At the same time he gave 
 her the royal signet which was to be the authentic proof 
 of his mission. 
 
 Clotilda received the gift with joy, and said to the envoy, 
 "A Christian is not allowed to marry a heathen. If, 
 however, it is the will of God, if it will help me to lead 
 the King of the Franks to know Him, I shall gladly do 
 His bidding. Receive, I pray you, as a recompense of 
 your service this sum of money.' Here is my ring. 
 
 ^ Cent solidi.
 
 The Life miL Lef^end of S. J^edasf i i 
 
 Carry it quickly to your master, and tell him from me 
 that if he desires to hecome my hushand, he must 
 immediately send ambassadors to (lundcbald \w\ uncle, 
 to ask my hand." 
 
 Aurelian promptly returned and recounted to Clo\is 
 the incidents of his journey. He was at once sent back, 
 no Ioniser as a be<^ii^ar, but now as an Ambassador to 
 (jundebald, to demand in the name (;f the Kin<^ of the 
 Franks the immediate surrender of his betrothed wife, 
 whom the Burj^undian was unjustl}- detainin_<(. The 
 exchan^i;'e of the two ring's between the Kini^ and the 
 Princess, had i^iven to Clotilda the title of betrothed. 
 She was aware of this, and had consequently taken care 
 to place the rin<;- of Clovis, secretly and unknown to 
 her uncle, amongst the other jewels of the royal 
 treasury. 
 
 Aurelian, admitted to an audience of Gundebald, 
 discovered that he was ignorant of all that had passed, 
 but without hesitation said to him : " The Kinsf of the 
 Franks sends me to claim his affianced bride whom you 
 detain at your court." "Who is this affianced bride," 
 replied Gundebald ? " The aflianced bride of Clovis 
 my master," said Aurelian, "is your niece Clotilda. The 
 Kin"" of the Franks has exchanijed rin":s with her. 
 Appoint then, yourself, the day when my master shall 
 receive his bride." 
 
 Gundebald, greatly amazed, sought counsel from the 
 nobles of his court. They all feared lest a refusal on his 
 part should draw upon the Burgundian provinces the arms 
 of Clovis ; and they counselled the King on this wise : 
 ** Let the maiden be interrogated. Let us hear from her 
 whether it is true that she has actually received the ring 
 from Clovis, and has consented to be his spouse. Should 
 the fact be as asserted, and if she has really exchanged 
 pledges of betrothal, she must be surrendered without 
 delay to the ambassador of the French King, rather than 
 that we should be exposed to a disastrous war." 
 
 Clotilda was sent for. She affirmed that she had 
 indeed actually received the ring of Clovis, she showed it 
 to her uncle, and added that she would willingly become
 
 12 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedasf 
 
 the wife of the brave monarch. Aurehan was summoned. 
 He hastened to offer to Gundebald " un sou et un 
 denier," the customary pledge amon^^st the French of a 
 marria£{e contract.' It was as:reed that Clotilda should 
 forthwith set out on her journey to the King, and that 
 thev should return toi^ether for the solemn celebration of 
 their nuptials at Chalons-sur-Saone, where Gundebald 
 would make ready for their reception. The ambassadors 
 received Clotilda from the hands of the King of Burgundy, 
 and placed her in a covered chariot {basterne) drawn by 
 oxen. But Clotilda, fearing the return of Aredius, a 
 Counsellor of the King, who would certainly be hostile 
 to her marriage and whose arrival was immediately 
 expected, objected to this slow method of conveyance. 
 " If you wish to place me safely in your master's hands," 
 said she, " it is not in a basterne that we must travel. 
 Give me a good horse, and let us hasten to leave the 
 territory of the Burgundians, otherwise Aredius will 
 pursue us and we shall be hindered on our way." The 
 Franks asked nothing better, and the young maiden 
 mounted on a swift courser, hastened on her journey. 
 
 Her expectations were fulfilled, for Aredius, who 
 had landed at Marseilles, hastened immediately to the 
 court of Gundebald, and received from him an account 
 of the events which had occuried during his absence. 
 "Let me tell you," said the Prince, "that I have con- 
 tracted an alliance with the Franks, and that I have 
 given my niece Clotilda in marriage to their King." 
 " An alliance," replied the Burgundian Minister, " say 
 rather that you have made the beginning of an inter- 
 minable war. Have you forgotten, that your brother 
 Chilperic, the father of Clotilda, fell by your sword, 
 that her mother perished beneath the waters of the 
 Rhone, and that her two brothers were slain by your 
 command? Believe me, if she ever has the power, she 
 will avenge their death. Send soldiers in pursuit, that 
 they may bring her back by force. It will be an easier 
 
 ^ President Fauchet says that perhaps the offering of thirteen 
 pence now made at the wedding mass, is a survival of this custom.
 
 llic Life and [.cf!;cnd of S. Vcihisf 13 
 
 task to deal with Clovis once for all, than to cope with 
 a lastin<( enmity between the Franks and the Bur<^undi- 
 ans under the influence of the new Queen." Gundebald 
 approved this counsel, and at once sent a company of 
 soldiers to brinf^ Clotilda back, together with the treasuies 
 which had been <^iven to her. 
 
 But it was too late. Clotilda and her escort had 
 already reached the frontiers. Hearinj^ of the pursuit 
 by (iundebald's soldiers, she sent at once to Clovis, who 
 awaited her arrival at Villery in the territory of Troyes, 
 askin<^ for instructions as to her procedure, and sugf^esting 
 his armed intervention to defend her against the violence 
 of her uncle. Clo\is ordered the soldiers of her escort to 
 burn and plunder the I>urgundian towns in their immedi- 
 ate vicinity. They at once carried out his orders, and 
 amidst the general confusion Clotilda safelv reached 
 Villery. 
 
 The marriage of the first Christian Queen of France 
 took place at Soissons, in the \'ear 493, amidst sur- 
 roundings of great splendour. 
 
 Clotilda caused an orator\- to be constructed in the 
 royal palace, in which she was accustomed to spend much 
 time in the exercises of devotion. Her lari^e charitv to 
 the poor knew no bounds. She honoured her roval 
 husband, studied to soften his warlike disposition, 
 conforming herself to his mode of life in thinirs that 
 were indifferent,' gradually gaining that strong moral 
 influence which was to issue in his con\ersion to the 
 faith. 
 
 ' Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints.
 
 14 The Life ai/if Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CLOVIS AND CLOTILDA. 
 
 Clovis was soon to reap the benefit of his alhance with 
 Clotilda. His gentle wife, with all a woman's ready 
 wit and earnest piety, took the opportunity afforded by 
 the birth of her first-born son, when her husband's heart 
 might fairly be supposed to be softened, to endeavour to 
 wean him from his idolatry. Gregory of Tours recounts, 
 in a very dramatic manner, the story of her urgent plead- 
 ings with her husband : 
 
 " The gods whom you honour," she boldly said, " are 
 nothing in the world. They can do nothing for them- 
 selves, nothing for others, for they are made of stone, of 
 metal, or of wood. The names which you have given 
 them are the names of men, and not of gods. Who is 
 Saturn, who escaped and fled lest he should be driven 
 from the throne by his own son ? Who is Jupiter ? . . . 
 What is there that Mercury and Mars have ever done ? 
 They were magicians, rather than deities. He who 
 should receive honour is the great God who formed out of 
 nothing the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that 
 therein is ; wdio made the sun to give its light, and 
 adorned the heaven with stars ; who filled the sea with 
 fishes, the earth with animals, the air with birds ; at 
 whose command the earth brought forth fruit, by whose 
 hand the human race was created, and by whose bounty 
 it is sustained." ^ 
 
 The historian, it will be observed, does not hesitate to 
 
 ^ Gregory of Tours.
 
 llie Life ivid Lcgoni of S. l^cilasf 15 
 
 use the names of Roman deities, and to make Clotilda 
 speak as if she were of the Latin race. He composes 
 very elaborate speeches, and puts them into the mouths 
 of the several actors in the scene. 
 
 Clovis listened to her gentle pleadini^, and although 
 he was not convinced by his wife's appeals, he yielded so 
 far as to permit the baptism of the child. The little one 
 was named Ingomir. Unhappily the child died soon 
 after the sacred rite, passing away whilst still wearing the 
 white baptismal robe.* The King did not hesitate to 
 ascribe its death to the resentment of his offended deities. 
 " Had the child," he said, " been dedicated to my gods, 
 it would have lived : baptised in the name of the God 
 whom you worship, it could but die." His pious wife, 
 however, did but reply : "I thank God, the omnipotent 
 Creator of all, Who hath not deemed me unworthy, and 
 has deigned to receive into His kingdom my first-born 
 child. My heart cannot retain its sorrow now ; for I 
 know that children who die whilst vested in the chrisom 
 will live for ever in God's presence." 
 
 Clotilda's influence with Clovis must have been very 
 powerful, for when a second son was born she prevailed 
 so far that this also was baptised. The name given 
 to the babe was Chlodomir. Once more the mother's 
 faith was called upon to endure a severe trial, for the 
 child fell sick, and her husband hastened to remind her 
 of its brother's death, and to predict a fatal issue in this 
 case also. But Clotilda's prayers were heard, and by 
 God's mercv the child was restored to health."^ 
 
 It was not, however, to the God of the babes and 
 sucklings that the King's proud head should bow ; but, 
 rather, to the God of Hosts. The Franks and the 
 Alemanni fought at Tolbiac (now called Zulpich, a small 
 town seven leagues from Cologne), and the tide of battle 
 turned aii:ainst the arms of Clovis. The dav was nearlv 
 lost, when Aurelian approaching the King, besought him 
 
 ' " In ipsis albis obiit." — Gregory of Tours. 
 
 ■^ Liber S. Gngorii Toronis Episcopl : Corpus Francicae Historiac 
 (Folio, Hanoviae, 1613.)
 
 1 6 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 to call upon the Lord of heaven, of whom Clotilda his 
 Queen had so often spoken. 
 
 Moved even to tears, as Gregory of Tours declares, 
 Clovis raised his eyes to heaven and cried : " O Jesu 
 Christ, whom Clotilda my Queen proclaims to be the Son 
 of the living God, who givest help in time of trouble, who 
 givest victory to those who trust in Thee, I devoutly pray 
 Thine aid. Grant me the victory over mine enemies, and 
 I will believe in Thee and be baptised in Thy name. I 
 have invoked my gods, and they have turned a deaf ear 
 to my petition. They are powerless to help. I call upon 
 Thee, the true Lord and God ; I desire to believe in 
 Thee. Deliver me, I pray Thee, from mine enemies." 
 And at his prayer, the tide of battle turned. The King 
 of the Alemanni was slain, and his people, in danger of 
 total destruction, hailed Clovis as their sovereign. 
 
 Clotilda without delay sent to Remigius, the Bishop 
 of Rheims, the good news of the vow and of the answered 
 prayer. Her ceaseless preaching of Christ by her lips 
 and in her life was now to have its reward, and the words 
 of S. Paul were to be fulfilled : the unbelieving husband 
 is sanctified by the believing wife. 
 
 The Bishop at once called upon Clovis to fulfil his 
 vow, but the King hesitated. " Gladly would I hear thee, 
 blessed father," said he ; " one thought alone hinders me ; 
 the people whom I lead are not prepared to renounce 
 their gods. I will go to them, and speak according to 
 thy word." His warriors heard him eagerly. " The 
 mortal gods," they cried, " we cast behind us, O glorious 
 King. The true immortal God, whom Remigius preaches. 
 Him we are prepared to follow." 
 
 Our own English history can supply a story not 
 dissimilar, for here also a royal princess has exercised a 
 marvellous power in the planting of the religion of Jesus. 
 
 " Tradition records the gentle and lovable virtues of 
 Queen Bertha, and her judicious zeal for the conversion 
 of her husband and his subjects. It is believed to have 
 been from her that Gregory received his information as 
 to the desire of the English to be converted, with which 
 he had enlisted the interest of Brunehaut and her sons.
 
 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 17 
 
 The great-granddaughter of S. Clotilda seemed thus 
 destined to be herself the S. Clotilda of England. She 
 has left a brief illumination on those distant and dark 
 horizons, over which she rises like a star, the herald of 
 the sun of truth." ^ 
 
 The delightful story of Ethelbert's conversion cannot 
 here be told. Suffice it to say that the deep faith of his 
 wife Bertha, who was the daughter of Caribert, King of 
 the Franks of Paris, and grandson of Clovis, greatly 
 strengthened the hands of S. Augustine, and conduced 
 to the re-conquest of England for the faith of Christ. 
 
 ' Montalembeit, Monks of the West, iii., 343. 
 
 B
 
 1 8 The Life and Legend of S. Vedasf 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE CONVERSION OF CLOVIS.' 
 
 MM. DE Cardevacque and Terninck are of opinion that 
 the Christian Faith had cast its first beams of Hght upon 
 the Atrebates about the year 270, a.d. 
 
 In Gallia Christiana^ however, the early Christianising 
 of Arras is dismissed in a single sentence : " non pro- 
 ferant monumenta." From the same source is taken this 
 brief but pleasant description of the country of the Atre- 
 bates. " It rejoices in the salubrity of its atmosphere 
 and the fertility of its soil; it abounds in all the necessaries 
 of life, wine only excepted ; its produce is so plentiful that 
 it sends annually large quantities of corn to distant 
 regions." The people of the country even founded a 
 colony in Britain at Callevam Atrebatum, that is to say, 
 at Silchester. 
 
 It is more pleasant to believe, with the authors of 
 L'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast, that in spite of the opposition of 
 emperors and heathen priests, in spite of the revolt of 
 human passions, the holy word had triumphed, and the 
 ancient city of the Atrebates^ was Christian by the fourth 
 century. Those who accept this view affirm that 
 Arras, in very early times, became the seat of a 
 Bishopric, and received as its first pastor Saint 
 
 ^ The early part of this Chapter is a translation, somewhat con- 
 densed, of MM. de Cardevacque and Terninck's memoir of S. Vedast 
 in their work L'Abbaye de Saint Vaast. Vol. i., pp. 6-10. 
 
 ■^ The name Atrebates is still preserved in the names Arras and 
 Artois.
 
 'Ilic Life ami Legend of S. l^edast 19 
 
 Diogenes. Tliis Prelate hiboured so earnestly iov the 
 conversion of the people, that witliin a brief space 
 of time he had built several churches; of these the first 
 and most important was that of Arras, which he dedicated 
 to Notre Dame.' After an episcopate of about ei<(hteen 
 years, he was martyred in his church by the Vandals, 
 who were rava^^in^^ the cities of the province of Artois, 
 and who had pilla^^ed and burned the City of Arras, 
 reducing the Cathedral Church to ruins. 
 
 In those ruins lay entombed the Christianity which 
 Saint Diogenes had preached, and whose truth he had 
 generously attested by shedding his own blood : so that, 
 after a time scarcely any vestige of it remained, the few 
 surviving inhabitants who had escaped the sword and 
 the flame relapsed insensibly into idolatry, having now no 
 one to instruct them. 
 
 Always calm in the midst of so many calamities and 
 disorders, the priest, holding the Cross between the 
 oppressed and the oppressor, exercised the sole moral 
 authority in the midst of the overthrow of society ; but 
 frequently blood flowed in the Churches, the ministers of 
 religion were slaughtered at the foot of the Altar, and the 
 Bishops in their apostolic zeal were only too often martyrs. 
 It was necessary then to curb, in the name of the faith 
 alone, the fierce passions of the conquerors, and to supply 
 strength to the conquered. The barbarians desired to 
 annihilate the last traces of Christianity. God in His 
 great wisdom, however, ordained that the Franks, who 
 by their occupation of the country could have re-estab- 
 lished idolatry there, should on the contrary be the means 
 of its overthrow. 
 
 Even before the reij^n of Clovis, a lars^e number of 
 the Franks had embraced Christianity. There needs no 
 better proof of this fact, than the election to the Frankish 
 throne of Rgidius, a Christian prince, as the successor 
 of Childeric the First, who was driven out bv reason of 
 his licentious conduct. 
 
 ' " Diogenes ecclesiam construi curavit, eamque Deiparae Virgini 
 nuncupavit." L'Ablxivf dc Snint Vaast, i., 6.
 
 20 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 The city of Arras remained without a Bishop until 
 the time of S. Vaast/ the celebrated Apostle who was 
 chosen by one of the greatest saints of the French Church 
 to establish the Christian Faith in that country. But his 
 mission was difficult and very perilous, for he had to 
 struggle both against the votaries of the ancient Druids, 
 and against the violence of the Germans protected by 
 Chararic and Ragnacaire. 
 
 The birthplace of the pious Bishop, who prepared 
 Clovis to receive baptism, and who evangelised an im- 
 portant part of Gaul, is not certainly known. According 
 to some authors, he was born in the province of Aquitaine, 
 famous for so many holy confessors.^ Others have main- 
 tained that Vedast^ was kinsman to S. Firmin, Bishop of 
 Verdun ; but this assertion is incapable of proof, and we 
 believe that the biographers have only spoken of the 
 spiritual relations between two men who emulated each 
 other in zeal, in charity, and in devotion. 
 
 The Vie de Saint Vaast printed at Arras in 1887, 
 states that the saint was born between the years 445 and 
 450 A.D. ; that he lived, as a poor man, in the vicinity of 
 Toul, and that he selected this particular district because 
 he had heard from the Bishop of Verdun, his uncle, that 
 it was a stronghold of paganism.* M. Taillar, in his 
 history of the Abbey of S. Vaast says, that the Saint went 
 to the borders of the Meuse, preaching the Christian faith 
 at the peril of his life ; that he was ordained priest about 
 the year 486, and continued to labour in this divStrict for 
 some ten years : "the ancient Celto-Belgians, the degene- 
 
 ^ Fuit civitas Atrabates sine principe sacerdotii usque ad tempus 
 Sancti Vedasti. Balderic. Chronicon Cameracense et Atrebatense. 
 Cap. vi. 
 
 ^ See Note ii., in the Appendix, On the birthplace of S. Vedast. 
 
 ^ The primitive name of our Saint Vedast has formerly been 
 abbreviated to VEAST. It is so spelt in a MS. in the Library at 
 Arras. It is only in later times that it has been disfigured into 
 VAAST. (Note in L'Abbaye de Saint Vaast, p, 7.) 
 
 ^ The Bollandists, and later, Ghesquiere, who devoted all his 
 learning to the Saints of Belgium and the north of France, have left 
 no document which might elucidate this question. They lean, how- 
 ever, to the opinion which has just been expressed.
 
 The Life ami Legend of S. Vedast 21 
 
 rate Romans, worshippers of Jupiter and Venus, the 
 German tribes, fierce and fanatical idolaters, promising a 
 rich harvest for his zeal." ^ 
 
 Admitted to the holy order of the priesthood, and 
 earnestly desirini^ a life of solitude, Vedast retired to 
 the banks of the Meuse in the diocese of Toul. There he 
 lived, in solitude, until the Bishop of that place enrolled 
 him amon<^st his clergy. From time to time he emerged 
 from his hermitage to preach, and by his earnest ex- 
 hortations to lead to the true God many who did not 
 know Him: and soon his virtue, his gentleness, hischaritv, 
 and his ceaseless self-devotion, acquired for him a 
 popularity far beyond anything which he had hitherto 
 experienced. 
 
 But God, who knew his fervid faith, reserved for him 
 a yet higher office. Clotilda, Queen of France, had 
 retained the Christian faith in all its purity, and her 
 influence had induced her husband to abandon his 
 idols, and to adore the Crucified. After the battle of 
 Tolbiac, Vedast was chosen to instruct him. His prepara- 
 tion for baptism was mainly due to the teaching of Vedast, 
 aided by the influence of the pious Clotilda and of S. Remi, 
 Archbishop of Rheims, whom the Queen had summoned 
 to her assistance, for she greatly feared lest, whilst 
 abandoning idolatry, Clovis might fall into the errors of 
 Arianism, having heard that he had talked much with 
 Thierry, King of Italy, who was an Arian, as was also 
 Lantechild, sister of Clovis.'"^ 
 
 Something beyond the example of the most exalted 
 virtue, and the teaching of the priests, was needed to 
 touch the proud heart of this haughty and barbarous 
 monarch : miracles were needed. God who desired the 
 conversion of the nation, manifested His power by super- 
 natural deeds, which produced a profound impression. 
 
 Clovis, accompanied by his court, was returning victori- 
 ous from his battle with the Germans, and passing bv the 
 town of Tours, he encountered Vedast and besought him 
 
 ' Vic de 5. Vaast. Ch. iii. 
 ^ Vie de S. Vaast. Ch. v.
 
 22 TJic Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 to 0:0 with him to Rheims in order to efive him full 
 instruction upon Christian Baptism, which he desired to 
 receive at the hands of S. Remi. When they reached 
 the bank of the river Aisne, near the village of Rilly/ a 
 blind man who had for years stationed himself on the 
 bridge lifted up his voice, and besought the Saint to give 
 him sight. Vedast, whilst with characteristic modesty he 
 shrank from so unusual a petition, trusted that God would 
 manifest His power so that by a miracle the yet ignorant 
 warriors who formed the King's escort might be con- 
 verted. Offering a fervent prayer to heaven, he laid his 
 right hand on the suppliant's eyes, and making the sign 
 of the Cross said, " Lord Jesus, Thou who art the true 
 Light, Who didst open the eyes of the man who was born 
 blind, open also the eyes of this man, that the people may 
 understand that Thou art the only God who workest 
 miracles in heaven and earth." Immediately the blind 
 man received sight, ^ and following the holy Priest, gave 
 glory to God. Later on a Chapel was erected on the 
 spot where this miracle had taken place. 
 
 Clovis, greatly impressed by what he had witnessed, 
 and confirmed in his faith, became still more desirous to 
 be baptised. He hastened on his journey, with S. Vedast 
 as his companion, and in due time arrived at Rheims, 
 where all was prepared for the solemn ceremony. 
 
 ' The Vie de S. Vaast says, " at Vongise, a hamlet on the river 
 bank." Ch. vi. 
 
 '^ The organs of vision were destroyed : " ses yeux etaient abso- 
 lument eteints." ibid.
 
 TJie Life mid Legend of S. Vedast 23 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE BAPTISM OF CLOVIS. 
 
 The ni(;ht before the baptism of Clovis, S. Remi visited 
 him in his pahice, and conducting him with the Queen 
 and a great number of princes and officers to the Chapel 
 of S. Peter, gave them a discourse on the unity of God, 
 the vanity of idols, the incarnation of the Eternal Word, 
 the redemption of the human race, the last judgment, the 
 hell of the impious, and the paradise of the just. Then 
 the chapel was filled with light and with a wondrous fra- 
 grance, and a heavenly voice was heard, saying, " Peace 
 be with you. Fear nothing. Continue ye in My love." The 
 countenance of S. Remi shone in the glittering radiance ; 
 the King, the Queen, and all the Court prostrated them- 
 selves at his feet. He raised them up, and predicted to 
 them the future greatness of the Kings of France if they 
 would remain faithful to God.^ 
 
 The next day Clovis went to the Church of Notre 
 Dame, where the baptismal ceremony was performed 
 with the utmost splendour ; no accessories were wanting 
 which might impress the minds of the pagan warriors 
 in attendance upon their King. ** The procession moves 
 from the palace ; the clergy lead the way, bearing the 
 Holy Gospels, the cross, and the banners, singing hymns 
 and canticles ; then comes the Bishop leading the King 
 by the hand ; after him, the Queen ; lastly, the people. 
 On the road it is said that the King inquired of the 
 Bishop if that were the kingdom of Heaven promised to 
 
 ^ Lcs. Petits Bollandistes. October i. S. Remi. pp. 590. 591.
 
 24 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 him. * No,' said the prelate, 'but it is the entrance to 
 the road that leads to it.' * 
 
 " The church was hung with embroidered tapestry and 
 white curtains ; odours of incense, like airs of Paradise, 
 were diffused around ; the building blazed with countless 
 lights. When the new Constantine knelt in the font to 
 be cleansed from the leprosy of his heathenism, ' Gentle 
 Sicambrian,' said the Bishop, * bow thy neck ! Burn 
 what thou hast adored ; adore that which thou hast 
 burned.' "^ The holv Bishop signified by these words the 
 heathen idols which Clovis had adored, and the Christian 
 churches which he had destroyed.^ The King replied dis- 
 tinctly, according to the teaching of S. Vedast, his in- 
 structor, " I adore the true God, Who is the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holv Ghost." 
 
 The time arrived when the baptismal water should 
 be consecrated. But just at the critical moment it was 
 found that there was no hallowed oil. The clerk who 
 bore the unguentarium could not penetrate the dense 
 crowd. S. Remi, in this emergency, raised his eyes to 
 heaven, and prayed that God would supply that which 
 was wanting. At the same moment, a dove whiter than 
 snow descended from on high, carrying in its beak a 
 phial full of celestial unguent, prepared by the ministry of 
 angels, which it bore to the hands of the prelate. He 
 received with amazement and with thanksgiving the 
 heaven-sent gift, and pouring part of it into the font, 
 anointed the head of the King. At the same time, 
 the dove flew away and disappeared ; but the phial 
 remained. It is that which is called to-day the Sainte 
 Ampoule. 
 
 Cardinal Baronius says that in addition to the bap- 
 tismal unction, S. Remi conferred upon the King the 
 royal unction, which has ever since been administered to 
 the Kings of France in the august ceremony of their 
 
 ^ Baring Gould, Lives of the Saints. S. Remigius. 
 
 ^ Mitis depone colla, Sicamber : adora quod incendisti, incende quod 
 adorasti. (Gregory of Tours). 
 
 * Milman, Latin Christianity, vol. i., pp. 352, 353.
 
 TJic Life and Legend of S. Vedast 25 
 
 consecration. For this purpose the holy oil of the 
 Sainte Ampoule has been employed, for it was preserved 
 inta6t until the days of the French Revolution.^ 
 
 A very cimilar account is ^iven in the life of S. 
 Clotilda:" but, as a few picturesque details are added, 
 it may be well to insert them here. 
 
 Clovis, havin^s^ recited the Apostles' Creed, passed 
 with the Bishop into the Jordan, for so thev called the 
 sanctuary of circular form, in the midst of which was 
 a lar<^e font of porphyry filled with consecrated water. 
 Lookin*; toward the East, the figure of the true Light, 
 then to the West, the symbol of darkness, S. Remi 
 poured upon the forehead of Clovis the water of baptism. 
 At that moment a dove descending from heaven bearing 
 in its beak a little ampulla,'^ entered the baptistery by one 
 of the open windows. 
 
 S. Remi took the ampulla, and poured upon the 
 head of Clovis some drops of the sacred oil which it 
 contained. After the holy rite Clovis came forth from 
 the baptistery clothed in the white robe of a neophyte, 
 and approaching the prisoners of Tolbiac took off their 
 fetters. The King of France commenced his new life by 
 an act of mercy. "O Clovis," sang the bards, "no 
 earthly power is equal to thine : for the aureole of the 
 Christian shines on thy forehead:* one of thy hands 
 holds a spear, and the other rests upon the Cross." 
 
 The font of red marble in which Clovis was baptised 
 is preserved in the great Library at Paris ;^ and Rheims, 
 the church of his baptism, became the place where, 
 in after times, the Kings of France were wont to be 
 crowned. 
 
 The exadl date of the Baptism of Clovis is Christmas 
 
 ^ Lcs Petits Bollandistes. Oct. i, p. 591. 
 
 ^ Les Petits Bollandistes. June 3. S. Clotilde. 
 
 ^ The same ampulla, say some, has ever since been used at the 
 Coronation of the Kin<;s of France. See Note xi. in the Appendix. 
 
 ^ L'aureole du Chretien rayonne sur ton front. 
 
 '^ The font is engraved in MM. Bordier et Charton's Histoire de 
 France, vol. i., p. 126, " Cuve en marbre rouge, que Ton suppose avoir 
 servi au Bapteme de Clovis, conservee a la grande Bibliothcque de 
 Paris."
 
 26 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 Day, A.D. 496.^ The fourteenth centenary of that event 
 will be celebrated with great magnificence at Rheims on 
 Christmas Day of the present year i8g6. 
 
 The three thousand men who were about to be 
 baptised together with their leader, cried aloud, " We 
 abhor the mortal gods, and we are ready to serve the 
 immortal God." The same day were also baptised the 
 sisters of the King; Albofleda,Svho had been a heathen; 
 and Lantechild, who had been an Arian. 
 
 Upon the subject of these "wholesale conversions" 
 accomplished by Christian princes. Professor Kurtz 
 observes^ that whole heathen tribes were baptised without 
 having received an}' adequate previous instruction, " At 
 the same time," he adds, with great candour, " it must be 
 admitted that only in this manner considerable and rapid 
 results could have been obtained ; nay, that in the infant 
 state of the German races, something may be said in 
 favour of this practice." 
 
 " According to the measure of his knowledge, Clovis 
 was sincere and earnest in his profession of Christianity. 
 Not that he had undergone any change of heart : he had 
 made a compact with the God of the Christians, and he 
 was prepared faithfully to observe its terms. It affords 
 sad proof of the low state of religion at the time, that the 
 grossest faithlessness, treason, and assassination, stained 
 the life of Clovis after his baptism. The conversion of 
 Clovis, however, sealed the doom of the barbarous and 
 fanatical Arianism of the German tribes."* 
 
 It seems very strange that a whole tribe should, on 
 the instant, change its faith at the word of command, 
 following its chief into a new religion just as it would 
 have done into a new field of battle. But due allowance 
 must be made for the habit of obedience to a ruler, and 
 for the powerful ascendancy which such a warrior as 
 Clovis would have gained over his subjects. With scanty 
 
 ^ See the Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Biography. 
 ^ Quae non post multum tempus migravit ad Dominum. Gregory 
 of Tours. 
 
 ^ History of the Christian Church, i., 287. 
 ^ Kurtz. History, i., 294.
 
 The Life nini Legend of S. Vedast 2'] 
 
 instruction, and with little moral chanj^e, they would 
 follow his example. And yet it cannot Idc denied that 
 very important results flowed from these conversions, 
 if such they may be called. 
 
 It cannot be correct to say that Clovis had undergone 
 no change of heart. The mere fact of his submission to 
 Christian baptism appears to be proof to the contrary. 
 The acts of a newly-converted heathen at the close of the 
 fifth century, are not to be judged by the standard of full 
 Christian life in the nineteenth. 
 
 A characteristic incident has been recorded, arising out 
 of one of the interviews between Clovis and Remigius, in 
 which the true spirit of the barbarous warrior-king 
 breaks out. During one of their conferences the Bishop 
 dwelt upon the cruelty of the Jews to the crucified Re- 
 deemer. Clovis was moved as he heard the story of 
 the Passion ; moved, but not to tenderness. " Had I 
 and my faithful Franks been there," said he, " I would 
 have avenged His wrongs."^ The good Prelate's words 
 had touched the King ; but the hands which had so 
 successfully wielded the sword, only longed to strike the 
 blow.'"^ Well ; there had been, in the bygone days, others 
 (better instructed than he) who said, " Wilt Thou that we 
 command fire to come down from Heaven and consume 
 them?" not knowing what spirit they were of. It was 
 not very wonderful if a new convert (and such a convert) 
 had yet much to learn. 
 
 At that time Clovis, the Frank, was the only Catholic 
 Sovereign in Christendom ; so that the importance of 
 his conversion can hardly be exaggerated. It is not 
 necessary to enter into his subsequent history. It will 
 suffice to say that he remained a Christian to his life's 
 end ; that in the early part of the year 511 he summoned 
 a council of thirty-two bishops to Orleans ; and that 
 before the close of the year he died, and was buried 
 
 ^ Si ego ibidem cum Francis meis fuissem, injurias ejus vindi- 
 cassem. See Fredegarius, Epitoni. Ch. xxi., torn, ii., p. 400. 
 
 '^ " It was a prophecy of the sword of Charles Martel, of Charle- 
 magne, of Godfrey of Bouillon." \"tc de S. Vtuist, Ch. vii.
 
 28 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 in Paris, in the Church of the Apostles, afterwards called 
 S. Genevieve, which he and his wife Clotilda had built.^ 
 
 Alcuin, in an eloquent passage, compares the work of 
 S. Vedast and of S. Remi in the conversion of Clovis. 
 The one led the King onward to the fountain of life ; 
 the other laved him in the fountain of eternal salvation. 
 The one ministered to him the doctrine of the Faith ; 
 the other gave him the water of baptism. The two 
 together gave unto the King Eternal, the Earthly King 
 as'' an acceptable offering. These are the two olive 
 branches,^ these the two brilliant lamps, by whose instru- 
 mentality the King, instructed in the way of God, and 
 rescued from the fetters of the Evil One, by the mercy of 
 God entered the gate of everlasting life, being called out 
 of darkness into marvellous light.^ 
 
 " Avitus, Bishop of Vienne, addressed a letter to 
 Clovis, in which he augurs, from the faith of Clovis, 
 the victory of the Catholic faith. Even the heterodox 
 Byzantine emperor is to tremble on his throne ; Catholic 
 Greece is to exult at the dawning of this new light in the 
 
 West." ' 
 
 How grand a spectacle, says Avitus, to behold a 
 throng of sacred ministers assisting at the baptism of 
 a great King; to see that head, feared by the nations, 
 bow itself before the servants of God ; that hair, nourished 
 beneath the martial helmet, receive by the holy unction 
 the helmet of salvation ; that warrior, quitting for the 
 time his cuirass and clothing himself in a white robe, 
 the symbol of innocence and purity.^ 
 
 The ceremony ended, Pope Anastasius wrote a con- 
 gratulatory letter to Clovis ; and he, in turn, presented 
 the Pope with a crown of gold. The event ranks in 
 importance next to the conversion of Constantine. 
 
 After the death of Clovis (in 511 a.d.) Clotilda lived 
 principally at Tours, paying rare visits to Paris. Her 
 
 1 Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Biography. 
 
 2 The reference is to Zechariah iv., 2, 11. 
 ^ Acta Sanctorum. Feb. 6, p. 804, col. 2. 
 
 ^ Milman, Latin Christianity, i., 353. Avitus, Epist,, 41. 
 "' Vie de S. Vaast, Ch. vii.
 
 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 29 
 
 daughter was married to Amalarie, the Visigothic King 
 of Spain. After the death of her son Chh)domir, she 
 gave shelter to his children, until they were craftily 
 abstracted from her care, and two of them murdered by 
 their uncles. She was the real or reputed foundress of 
 several religious houses, notably of S. Mary of Andelys, 
 near Rouen, to which girls were sent for education from 
 England during Bede's time.^ The original foundation 
 was destroyed by the Normans. Clotilda, however, re- 
 mained the patron saint of the place, and miracles were 
 worked there in lier name down to the Revolution, and 
 have re-commenced since. She died at Tours in 545, 
 and was buried at Paris beside her husband in the Church 
 of the Apostles, afterwards S. Genevieve." 
 
 Clovis had several sons. Theodoric or Thierrv, the 
 eldest son, was illegitimate. The sons of Clotilda were 
 Ingomir, who died soon after baptism ; Chlodomir, 
 Clotaire, Childebert, and Lothaire. She had also a 
 daughter who bore her mother's name. 
 
 ^ Hisforid Ecclesiastica, iii., 8. 
 
 - Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Bioi^rapliy, art. " Clotilda," by T. R. 
 Buchanan, Fellow of All Souls', Oxford.
 
 I'l 
 
 
 o TJie Life mid Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE LABOURS OF S. VEDAST.^ 
 
 After the Baptism of Clovis, some writers affirm, that 
 S. Vedast returned at once to his beloved solitude : but 
 others, with greater probability, that he remained at 
 Rheims ; Clovis having specially recommended him to 
 the favourable notice of S. Remi.^ Here he became a 
 most successful preacher to the poor, as he had been 
 to the King ; and here he remained some four or five 
 
 years. 
 
 His biographer delights to dwell upon his austerities, 
 his constancy in prayer, his deep devotion, his chastity, 
 his frequent fasts, his zeal in consoling the afflicted 
 whose needs he freely supplied, preaching to them 
 patience, and counselling them to have recourse to prayer, 
 the consolation of all that are in trouble. He set before 
 them the kingdom of heaven, in which the highest place 
 is reserved for those who have meekly endured the trials 
 of this lower world. With entire trust in God's provi- 
 
 " This Chapter is mainly a translation and adaptation of MM, de 
 Cardevacque and Terninck's memoir of S. Vedast in L'Abbaye de Saint 
 Vaast. (Vol. i., pp. 10-20), and of the Viede S. Vaast printed at Arras 
 
 in 1877. 
 
 - Baptizatus itaque rex cum optimatibus suis ad sceptra regni 
 regreditur : Vero S. Vedastus cum B. Remigio per aliquod temporis 
 detinetur. Balderic, Lib. i., Cap. vii. 
 
 Remis aliquandiu commoratus Vedastus, sanctissimi Praesulis 
 amorem baud aegre sibi conciliavit. Breviarium Atrebatense. Feb. 6. 
 
 Lectio. V. 
 
 " Omnibus omnia factus, fuit congressu facilis, vultu hilaris, 
 sermone jucundus, in pauperes effusus, divitibus affabilis " : so says 
 the Arras Breviary. Breviarium Abrebatense. Lectio, v.
 
 The Life mui Legend of S. Vedast 31 
 
 dence, he never disquieted himself about his material 
 wants, and his house was open to the poor, as readily 
 as to the Krankish chiefs who came to learn of him. Ood 
 commended His servant, and <^ave His benediction to 
 his apostolical labours. 
 
 Careless about worldl}- matters, he did not always 
 provide for the needs of the comin^]^ day, as the following 
 incident will show. A Prankish nobleman came to visit 
 him at Rheims, and as their religious conversation was 
 prolonged until the evening, Vedast invited his guest 
 to partake of supper. But it had not occurred to him 
 that there was no wine, until the truth became manifest 
 upon their sitting down to table. Then wishing to show 
 to this man, who was yet undecided, the mightv power 
 of God, he raised his eyes to heaven and commanded 
 his servant to go to the wine-skin and to bring to table that 
 which he found there. His faith was not in vain, for the 
 wine was so abundant that there was enough not only for 
 the guest but for all the people who accompanied him. 
 The saint enjoined silence upon his servant, but the 
 witnesses of the miracle spread the news abroad.^ 
 
 Vedast, during his stay at Rheims,''^ had been appoin- 
 ted Archdeacon, and he is thus designated in a Catalogue 
 of the officers of this Church compiled by a Benedictine. 
 After that of the Bishop this office was the most 
 important : the Archdeacons, who are called the Eyes 
 of the Bishop, were charged with the duty of visiting the 
 Parishes of the Diocese. They were to ascertain that 
 the ornaments and furniture of the Altar were in good 
 condition, that documents relating to the propcrtv of 
 the Church were carefully preserved, that the rights and 
 privileges of the Church were maintained, and that alms 
 
 ^ Siccum vas dederat nectaris undas. 
 (Caniiiiia Vedastina, Hymn No. i). 
 Vase nam sicco dederat amico 
 Gaudia vitis. 
 
 (ib. Hymn No. 8). 
 •^ All authors aj^ree in saying that after his conversion, Clovis had 
 recommended Vedast in the most urgent manner to the Metropolitan 
 of Rheims.
 
 32 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 were given to the poor. To them belonged the institution 
 of Abbots and other ecclesiastical Dignitaries, the exami- 
 nation of candidates for Holy Orders, the determination 
 of questions relating to the Festivals of the year and the 
 Divine Office, and also the visitation of the prisons at 
 certain solemn seasons. Some authors do not hesitate 
 to give to these important officials the title of Chor- 
 episcopus. Whether or no S. Vedast had received this 
 office, it is certain that S. Remi called him his Vicar. ^ 
 
 The zeal of S. Remi was not confined to the limits 
 of his diocese. Amongst the Franks there were still 
 many idolaters : these had retired to Ragnacaire, 
 who was then in the neighbourhood of Cambrai, and near 
 to Chararic, lord of Therouanne, two princes who were 
 yet heathens. Remi, who regarded himself as charged 
 with a divine mission for the conversion of all the Belgae, 
 sent to them missionaries, who, under the protection of 
 Clovis, might labour for their instruction. S. Vaast 
 preached the Gospel at Arras, Anthimond at The- 
 rouanne. 
 
 Vedast did not refuse this heavy task laid upon him. He 
 would have preferred to live in solitude, but God who had 
 already chosen him to instruct the powerful King, and to 
 convert a great nation, reserved for him also the duty of 
 preaching the faith to the tribes which were yet heathens 
 and barbarians. His words soon caused the knowledge of 
 God to spread far and wide ; the fruits of his labours 
 have endured for twelve centuries, and have supplied an 
 impregnable rampart for the Catholic faith which drew 
 from that district some of its most zealous and devoted 
 defenders. 
 
 S. Vedast was then consecrated Bishop of Arras, 
 of which honour he proved himself worthy by his zeal 
 and virtue. 
 
 Hincmar^ says that S. Denis had already defined 
 the limits of the Sees of Arras and Cambrai. This 
 
 * " Vicariae sollicitudinis co-operarius." Balderic, Lib. i., Cap. viii. 
 
 " Balderic (Chantre de Terouane au XI^ siecle), Chronicon Camera- 
 cense Atrebatense. Lib. i. Cap. v., quoting Hincmar, Epist. vi. 
 Cap. xviii.
 
 The Life aud Legend of S. Vedast 33 
 
 district, once partly Christianised, had lapsed into 
 heathenism, the pa^^ans endeavouring^ to exterminate the 
 believers. Arras was a mass of ruins spiritual and 
 temporal.^ 
 
 S. Vedast arrives at Arras enterin^^ the city by the 
 Gate of the Vine 
 
 " Creditur ilia fuisse dedit cui vinea nomen," 
 
 afterwards called Forte des Clarisses, near the convent of 
 the nuns of S. Clare. ^ Here he found two men, a blind 
 man and a lame, who asked in plaintive tones for 
 alms. The Holy Bishop replied to them, after the 
 manner of the Apostles, " Silver and Gold have I 
 none, but such as I have give I unto thee." And 
 immediatelv he besought the Lord with tears to succour 
 these afflicted people, as much for the sake of the by- 
 standers, as for their own. Then, he made over them 
 the sign of the Cross, and both were immediately 
 healed. 
 
 After this he entered the City, searching eagerly for 
 some remains of the Church which S. Diogenes had 
 erected. He found only ruins. '^ Attila had left there 
 traces of his presence. He had overturned the temples, 
 massacred the ministers of religion, and killed or dispersed 
 their followers, and the few who had returned to their 
 country were so poor, so destitute, that none had been 
 bold enough to rebuild the sacred structure. Whilst 
 contemplating the ruins, the Saint uttered his lamenta- 
 tions : "These calamities," he cried, addressing himself 
 to heaven, "have fallen upon us because we and our 
 fathers have offended Thee. Our unrighteousness and 
 our iniquity have drawn down upon us Thine anger. 
 But now, (3 Lord, remember Thy mercy, and forget the 
 sins of Thy poor servants." Whilst the Apostle, kneeling, 
 
 1 Vie de S. Vaast. Ch. ix. 
 
 ■' Vie de S. Vaast. Ch. x. 
 
 ' Tandem inter fraj,^menta murorum dilij^entius contemplatus, 
 invenit aram Sanctae Dei Genitricis Mariae, quam licet inter stras^em 
 murorum tamen inlaesam adhuc servari divinitus non ambigit." 
 Balderic. Chroi. Cam. Lib. i. Cap. vii. 
 
 Q
 
 34 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 was praying for the City still in heathen bondage, a bear^ 
 came forth from the melancholy ruins. Vaast, full of faith 
 in God, was not afraid ; he commanded the animal in the 
 name of heaven to go back to the woods and never to 
 recross the river Scarpe.^ 
 
 Pere I'Hermite is of opinion that the first Cathedral of 
 Arras was built under Constantine the Great about the 
 year 320, was destroyed by the Vandals in 406, and 
 rebuilt by the liberality of Clovis. 
 
 S. Vaast discovered the ruins of several ancient 
 oratories, open to the four winds, the resort of robbers : 
 these sacred places he restored to their original use. 
 He soon surrounded himself with fellow helpers ; he 
 founded schools, trained candidates for the ministry, 
 ordained Deacons and Priests.^ He became the founder of 
 Christianity in the northern provinces. 
 
 He restored to its due dignity the Altar, which he 
 
 found intact amidst the ruins. The Apostle did not 
 
 content himself with raising the material temple. His 
 
 zeal knew no abatement in its energy. In the words of 
 
 a Prose for S. Vedast's Day : 
 
 Nil dura corda civium, 
 Horrens nil movet civitas.^ 
 
 The Temples of the Holy Ghost were in a yet more 
 deplorable condition. The once faithful people had lost 
 even the very semblance of the faith. To the darkness 
 
 ^ A huge bear, " d'effroyable grandeur." Vie de S. Vaast. Ch. xi. 
 Ursus immani latitabat antro. 
 
 [Carmina Vedastina. Hymn No. 15). 
 
 ^ From Alcuin's Life of S. Vedast. Many mediaeval paintings 
 represent the scene : in others Vedast is accompanied by his bear. 
 The bear was at that time common in this district. Venantius Fortu- 
 natus, a poet of the sixth century, includes amongst the savage 
 creatures of the country, the bear, the elk, the wild ox, the stag, and 
 the wild ass {Fortiuuitus Ad Go^onem. Carm. Trist. Lib. vii. Cap. 4). 
 Saint Ghislain found a bear and her cubs in a forest, in the seventh 
 century {Acta Saiict. Belg.). Charlemagne hunted the bear in this 
 country. 
 
 ■^ Ita ut Christo innumeros acquisierit ethnicos, et pluribus in locis 
 Ecclesias erexerit, in quibus Diaconos constituit et Presbyteros. Brev. 
 Atreb. Feb. 6. Lectio, vi. 
 
 ^ (Carmina Vedastina. Hymn No. 20.)
 
 The Life and Legend of S. l^edast 35 
 
 of profound if^norance had succeeded the still grosser 
 darkness of idolatry. Vedast, like S. Paul, knew how to 
 be all things to all men : respectful to the aged, genial to 
 the young, fatherly with the children, he won all hearts. 
 He neglected no opportunity of witnessing to the power 
 of God. Rich and poor alike fell under his influence. 
 A Prankish nobleman, Ocinus by name, invited him one 
 day to dine with him, to meet the King Clotaire who had 
 just succeeded Clovis (511 a.d.). S. Vedast on entering 
 the apartment observed several cups filled with beer 
 (cerevisia), which, having been offered to idols, were now 
 to supply the wants of the guests. He made the sign of 
 the Cross over the vessels, which immediately burst 
 asunder' in the presence of the King and his nobles. 
 To his amazed audience, the Bishop explained that the 
 devil, subtle in deceiving men, had been concealed 
 within the vessels, and unable to bear the sacred sign had 
 been compelled to flee. He also spoke of the vanity of 
 heathen superstitions, and greatly impressed his audience 
 by his appeal. 
 
 During many years S. Vaast's eloquent and persuasive 
 voice was heard amongst the Atrebates, and the people 
 who inhabited the district near Cambrai. In all parts of 
 his vast diocese the praises of God were sung : the holy 
 days were strictly observed, and prayer ascended to 
 heaven like pure incense. In the countries so long 
 troubled by dissensions, by war, and by internal discords, 
 moderation and peace now reigned. S. Vaast found 
 in the midst of his people many sweet consolations ; very few 
 of the inhabitants remaining insensible to his voice. 
 He neglected nothing to insure success, neither inter- 
 course with the most powerful men of the age, nor 
 charity with regard to the poor, nor multiplied preachings. 
 He had organised an earnest body of men, who feared 
 neither fatigue nor privation ; who under his vigilant eye 
 were trained to virtue by prayer, meditation, and study ; 
 and, who after the example of their Bishop, showed 
 
 ' Fugit ursus, perfringuntur 
 
 Ocini fideliae. 
 {Caiinina Vcdastina. Hymn No. 27.)
 
 36 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 themselves ready to carry the faith to the farthest limits 
 of this vast diocese. 
 
 The city of the Atrebates, which had then attained 
 to very great importance, and was considered to be one 
 of the foremost cities of Gaul, did not extend east- 
 ward beyond the Crinchon" which skirted its ramparts: 
 but westward it extended to the springs of Beaudimont, 
 some say, even as far as to the hamlet of Wagnonlieu. 
 The Romans, in order to command the city, had raised 
 upon the other side of the stream, a powerful fortress, 
 which they called Castrum Nobiliacum (Chateau Noble) : 
 it was useful not only as a shelter for the legions, but 
 probably also as a shelter for the Roman camp followers, 
 who planted in these conquered regions colonies which 
 tended to the fusion of the two peoples. This camp, or 
 castle, was of great extent, as it comprised all the land now 
 surrounded on one side by the Rue S. Aubert, between 
 La Salle des Concerts and the Rue des Agaches : on the 
 other side by this street and that of the Teinturiers ; on a 
 third side by the Rue de I'Abbaye, Rue des Trois Visages, 
 and Rue de I'Ancienne Comedie ; and finally by the Rue 
 des Bouchers and des Petites Vierges, as far as the Rue 
 Neuve des Recolets. But when the Franks had routed 
 the Romans, and the latter overpowered by numbers had 
 retired into Artois, the fortress was dismantled; and there 
 remained only extensive ruins, witnesses for many years 
 of the foreign dominion, and trophies of the Prankish 
 valour. 
 
 In the midst of his exhausting labours S. Vaast 
 desired to find a site for an Oratory and a cell, where he 
 might the more readily devote himself to prayer and to 
 meditation. He found this solitude in the midst of the 
 vast ruins of the Castrum Nobiliacum, and thither he 
 often resorted with some favourite disciples. 
 
 S. Vaast built his Oratory in the place where 
 in later times a Church bearing his name was to be 
 erected. He loved to spend long days in retirement, to 
 
 ^ See Note iii., On the River Crinchon, in the Appendix.
 
 The Life and Legend of S. l^edast 37 
 
 commune with the young Levites' whom he was preparing 
 for the service of the Lord, and to resume the studies 
 which were too often interrupted by the cares and troubles 
 of his laborious life, consecrated to holy living. It is said 
 that he formed the nucleus of a community, but this is not 
 confirmed by any contemporary writer. He had, however, 
 in his Cathedral, Canons distinguished by their learning, 
 the purity of their lives, their devotion to the poor, 
 fellow-helpers with whom he loved to surround himself. 
 The Oratory near the Crinchon was a place of retreat 
 and repose for the Bishop, and of preparation for his 
 disciples. 
 
 S. Vaast found also in the affection of S. Remi e^reat 
 encouragement and real sympathy. This holy prelate 
 laboured without ceasing to destroy idolatry and heresy, 
 and he stirred up the zeal of those whom he selected as 
 the companions of his toils. Arianism was unable to 
 penetrate into Artois, and idolatry received a severe 
 check. 
 
 S. Vaast founded the Churches of Douai, La Bassee, 
 and Armentieres. At S. Remi's request, as has been 
 already said, he undertook the charge of the Diocese of 
 Cambrai (510, a.d.) in addition to that of Arras. "^ In the 
 following year he represented S. Remi at the Council 
 of Orleans, increasing infirmities preventing the attendance 
 of the Archbishop.*^ 
 
 S. Remi died on January 13, 530 a.d., at the advanced 
 age of ninety-seven years.* His well-spent life had been 
 of the highest value to the good cause. He had founded 
 
 ^ Instituit sacerdotes, 
 Et Levitas et pastores, 
 Totem i;entem renovat. 
 
 {Carinina Vedastina. Hymn No. 31.) 
 ^ The union of the Sees of Arras and Cambrai lasted until the 
 end of the eleventh century, when the dioceses were separated. The 
 Chapter of Arras consisted of a Provost, a Dean, two Archdeacons, a 
 Treasurer, a Penitentiary, forty Canons, and hfty-two Chaplains. 
 There are about 400 parishes in the diocese, and twelve rural Deans. 
 Gallia Cliristiaiia. iii. 319. 
 
 * Vie de Saint Vaast. Ch. xiii. 
 
 * " Venerabilis memoriae praesul, plenus aetate, plenus etiam 
 virtutum munere." Chronicon S. Vedasti.
 
 38 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 Churches, enriched Monasteries, converted Arians, brought 
 idolaters to the knowledge of the truth. In his last testa- 
 ment, he speaks of S. Vaast as " my most dearly 
 beloved brother." To the Church of Arras he bequeaths 
 the villages of Souchez and Ourton, and in addition 
 twenty sous d'or.' S. Vaast was one of the signatories of 
 the document : his name immediately follows that of 
 S. Remi, and this is the formula which he employs : 
 " Those whom my father Remi has cursed, I also curse ; 
 those whom he has blessed, I also bless. I was present at 
 the reading of this document, and I append my signature 
 thereunto." '^^ 
 
 At the death of the Archbishop of Rheims all eyes 
 were turned to S. Vaast as his successor. He, however, 
 declining the higher dignity for himself, recommended 
 to the suffrages of the Clergy and of the faithful laity 
 the Priest Romanus, and after having installed him in 
 his metropolitan throne Vedast returned to Arras. He 
 enlarged the area of his preaching : he went beyond the 
 limits of Artois in his labours to exterminate idolatry, and 
 to establish new Churches ; and according to tradition he 
 preached the Christian faith to the people of Beuvry, of 
 Bethune, and of Estaires, the ancient Mmoriacum. He 
 had to contend against the violence of Ragnacaire, but 
 finally succeeded in extending the domain of the faith to 
 the banks of the Escaut. Vedast was accompanied by 
 deacons whom he had diligently prepared. They had 
 studied under him in the same place, in which, in later 
 days, the city of Arras grew. 
 
 The districts in which he travelled still bear traces of 
 his visits : the road of S. Vaast, the way of S. Vaast, 
 the Mount of S. Vaast, the Fountain of S. Vaast, still 
 bear his name. He is the patron of many Churches in 
 
 ^ Ecclesiae Atrebatensi, cui, Domino annuente, Vedastum fratrem 
 meum carissimum episcopum consecravi, ex dono jam dicti principis 
 villas duas in alimoniis clericorum deputavi, Orcos videlicet et Sabu- 
 cetum quibus etiam pro memoria nominis mei solidos viginti dari 
 jubeo. Flodoard. Hist, de VEglise de Reims. Tom. i. 
 
 ^ " Vedastus Episcopus. Cui pater meus Remigius maledixit, 
 maledixi ; et cui benedixit, benedixi ; interfui quoque et subscripsi."
 
 The Life mid Legend of S. Vedast 39 
 
 Arras and Cambrai, on the banks of the Manche, and in 
 parts of Bclj^ium, where his name occurs more frequently 
 than that of any Saint save the B.V. Alary or S. Martin. 
 He rebuilt the Churches which had been destroyed, created 
 parishes, reformed the i^ross habits of the nobles of the 
 country who were f^reatly given to excess, and proved him- 
 self a victorious champion against idolatry." 
 
 Concio Pontificis multos, sanctissima vita 
 Traxit ah idolis ad baptisteria plures. 
 
 Ant. Aleieius. Lib. ii. 
 
 An anonymous biographer is so bold as to ask, 
 " Did S. Vaast ever pass over the British Channel to 
 evangelise England ? We do not dare to say so, as 
 history is silent. But we may suspect it, for his zeal 
 made him capable of so doing: and his name is honoured, 
 especially at Salisburv, where it is found in the martyr- 
 ology under the form of Zawter or Foster."- The 
 suggestion of a missionary visit to England on the part 
 of S. Vedast, is, however, entirely destitute of even a 
 particle of evidence. 
 
 ^ Vie de S. Vaast. Ch. xv. 
 
 ^ Vie de S. Vaast. Ch. xv. See Appendix, Article vii.
 
 40 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF S. VEDAST. 
 
 As the life of S. Vedast had been marked by apostoHc 
 labours, so his death had its attendant marvels. Worn 
 by the weight of an episcopate of forty years, rich in 
 virtues and in generous deeds, the end was drawing 
 on apace. " One cold winter's night, when the hoar 
 frost covered the earth, and the stars were glittering in 
 the sky, a luminous cloud appeared to flow from the 
 house where the Prelate dwelt, emd to rise up even to 
 Heaven.^ The prodigy lasted for two hours, and being 
 seen by the whole city, plunged it in the deepest per- 
 plexity. The pious servant of God understood that he 
 had not long to remain on earth. He summoned to his 
 side the priests who had been his faithful companions, 
 and those for whom he had a fatherly affection, and 
 conversed wdth them in a firm voice, and with heartfelt 
 eloquence, enhanced by the conviction of an approaching 
 separation. Strengthened by the Viaticum, and already 
 parted from the world, he spoke in tones which drew 
 tears from all his hearers. Thus he calmly ended his 
 days, and slept peacefully in the Lord, on the 6th of 
 February, a.d. 540.^ It is said that at the moment when 
 his soul rose to Heaven, a sound as of a choir of angels 
 
 ^ Cum mox iturum ad proemia 
 Ignis columna proderet. 
 
 {Carmiva Vedastina. Hymn No. 6.) 
 See also Hymn No. 7. 
 ^ The date here given is accepted by the Bollandists, by Arnould 
 Raissius, by Surius, and by the authors oi Gallia Christiana.
 
 TJie Life and Legend of S. J^edast 41 
 
 filled the room, testifyinf^ that Vedast was already the 
 possessor of eternal bliss.' 
 
 Priests and deacons hastened from divers parts of the 
 dioceses over which S. Vedast had presided to render the 
 last offices to the Apostle of the Atrebates. Multitudes 
 also of the faithful laity thron^^ed into the city to pray 
 beside the body of the saint still lying in the chamber in 
 which he had died, his calm, peaceful features reflecting 
 the serenity of his soul. 
 
 When the hour had come for his burial, it was resolved 
 by common consent to place his body in the Church of 
 Notre Dame, which he had built and enriched. But with 
 all their efforts the bearers were unable to move the corpse. 
 The cler^rv understood that onlv a miracle could thus 
 arrest their purpose, and sought for the cause of this 
 strange intervention. Amongst the priests who had 
 lived in the greatest intimacy with S. Vedast was 
 Scopilio, arch-presbyter of the place, a pupil of the saint, 
 and a man of pure and honourable life. He was 
 asked whether the dead Bishop had expressed any desire 
 with regard to the place of his interment. Scopilio 
 replied that he had often heard him say that no one 
 ought to be buried within the precincts of the city, for he 
 said that a city should be the place for the living and not 
 for the dead. His modesty had led him to select as the 
 place of his sepulture the oratory built by the banks of 
 the Crinchon. All who were present protested against 
 this humble burial place, saying that the virtues of S. 
 Vaast were too eminent to permit them to entomb his 
 body in a place which was not accessible to all the 
 world. The banks of the Crinchon were, at that time, 
 very marshy, and difficult therefore of access. The 
 assembled company knelt down, and in the midst of 
 their tears and lamentations, Scopilio cried: "Alas, O 
 blessed Father, what course do you desire that we should 
 take, for the day is now far spent, and night is approach- 
 ing. The multitude which has gathered to the funeral 
 rites must soon return home. Permit, I pray, that your 
 
 1 Les PctHs Bollaudistcs. Feb. 6.
 
 42 TJie Life and Legend of S. Vedast 
 
 body should be laid in the place prepared by the loving 
 care of your children." Immediately the bearers were 
 able without any difticulty to raise the bier, and they 
 went on their way, chanting as they went " Ambula, 
 Sancte, viam quam elegisti." The body of Saint 
 Vedast was deposited with honour near the place 
 where he had sat in his episcopal throne during public 
 ceremonies.^ As for the inhabitants of Arras, they were 
 filled with joy at a miracle which enabled them to preserve 
 his holy relics. They recognised herein a palladium for 
 the safety of their city, assured that the remembrance of 
 the Bishop would keep them in the right way to which 
 he had directed them. It was said that angel voices 
 joined with the singers in the choir in the psalms and 
 hymns recited at the obsequies. 
 
 Some years later a fire broke out in Arras which 
 threatened to destroy a great part of the city. The flames 
 were already surrounding the humble dwelling in which S. 
 Vaast had died: when a woman named Abite, (or Ha- 
 bita) renowned for her piety and the innocence of her life, 
 invoked the name of the Bishop ; and, so the legend says, 
 she saw him appear above the lowly cabin and draw away 
 the flames from it. Not only the cell of S. Vedast, but 
 even the bed on which he had breathed his last, were 
 spared. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to prolong the account of the 
 legends which now gather thickly round the history. 
 
 It will suffice, in this place, to relate one other story 
 told in the Vie de S. Vaast.'-^ 
 
 S. Aubert, whilst in charge of the Dioceses of Cambrai 
 and Arras, frequently visited the Canons of Notre Dame- 
 en-Cite for religious refreshment. Whilst walking one 
 night on the ramparts of the city,^ for his limbs were 
 stiffened with cold, the thought came into his mind 
 
 ^ Near the High Altar, on the south side. Vie de S. Vaast. 
 " Haud procul ab altari, verso ad australem plagam sepulchro, 
 quiescebat." Balderic, cap. xix. 
 
 ^ Vie de S. Vaast, Ch. xix. 
 
 ^ In 667, A.D., according to L'Abhaye de S. Vaast, i., 24.
 
 The Life and Legend of S. Vedast 43 
 
 that for more than a century^ the hody of S. Vaast 
 had lain in a very humble ((rave. Seven Bishops of 
 the Diocese had successively ascended the episcopal 
 throne of Arras, and, one after another, had passed 
 away. Suddenly, on the other side of the Crin- 
 chon, he saw a brilliant li.i;"ht, and gazing still more 
 earnestly beheld a shining figure tracing with a golden 
 wand the plan of a basilica. He invited S. Omer, then 
 Bishop of Therouanne, to consider with him whether it 
 might not be expedient that the body of S. Vaast should 
 be translated'"^ to the spot indicated bv the heavenly 
 visitant. Although aged, inlirm, and blind, S. Omer 
 hastened to Arras. He agreed with S. Aubert's inter- 
 pretation of the prodigy, and decided that the trans- 
 lation of the body of S. Vaast should be accomplished. 
 
 The day for the ceremony arrived. Crowds of people 
 of every rank were present — the clergy, the nobles, the 
 faithful of both sexes. The grave was opened, the re- 
 mains were placed in a shrine which had been previously 
 prepared ; a procession passed through the city. Thou- 
 sands of tapers and torches were kindled, sacred hymns 
 were sung, the streets were decked with richest orna- 
 ments, processional crosses and banners headed the 
 assemblage. The cortege crossed the river Crinchon 
 and reached the confines of that part of the city which 
 was then called Le Vieux Bourg.'^ 
 
 Here the sight of S. Omer was suddenly restored that 
 he might behold the relics of the Catechist of Clovis, the 
 Apostle of Artois.'* But he then besought the Lord that, 
 having seen this great sight, he might once more become 
 blind, and so be spared the pain of beholding the wicked- 
 ness around him. A strange petition : but the legend 
 goes on to say that it was granted. 
 
 ' Some say iib) years, others 128. 
 
 - Quern B. Autbertus, desij^nato sibi ab anj^elo aedificandi oratorii 
 loco, et fundata ecclesia, adhibito secum B. Audoniaro, Terwanensis 
 urbis Episcopo, transtulit. Balderic, Lib. i., cap. xix. 
 
 " In 667, A.D., L'Abbnjc de S. Vmist, i., 25 ; 658, a.d., Gallia 
 Christiana, iii., 6. 
 
 Balderic, Lib. i., cap. -\i.\.
 
 44 The Life and Legend of S. Vcdast 
 
 The Feast of the Translation of S. Vaast is" still 
 solemnised in the Diocese of Arras, and special offices 
 are found in the Breviary and Missal. 
 
 When the Normans invaded Artois, the Religious 
 of the Abbey of S. Vaast sought shelter at Beauvais, 
 and carried thither the body of the saint. Later on, 
 Dodillon,^ provost of the abbey, was raised to the 
 Bishopric of Cambrai. At his urgent desire Honore, 
 Bishop of Beauvais, consented to restore the' relics, 
 which, after having rested for twelve years at Beauvais, 
 were now carried back to Arras by the brothers]''of the 
 monastery. Bishop Dodillon delivered an eloge in the 
 presence of a great multitude of people.'^ 
 
 The Feast of the Relation of the Relics is observed on 
 July 15 in every year at Arras. 
 
 ^ Gallia Christiana makes no mention of this name : according to 
 this authority Autbertus was succeeded by Vindicianus in 66g. 
 
 Regendae ecclesiae curam Dodilo suscipiens, Anno Domini 
 DCCCLXXXVII et XVI Kalendas Aprilis, episcopus ordinatur. 
 
 Balderic. Lib. i. Cap. Ix. 
 
 ^ Vie de S. Vaast, Ch. xix.
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 OF SHORT PAPERS ON VARIOUS QUESTIONS 
 
 CONNECTED WITH ARRAS, OR WITH THE 
 
 LIFE AND LEGEND OF S. VEDAST.
 
 Earliest Extaiif Life of S. Vedast 47 
 
 APPENDIX 
 I. 
 
 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast. 
 Prefatory Note. 
 
 The original Latin text of this brief life of S. Vedast, 
 now for the first time translated into English, was printed 
 by Canon Van Drival ^ from a manuscript of the four- 
 teenth century at Arras. In his memoir on the birth- 
 place of S. Vaast he remarks that Canon Arbellot is of 
 opinion that the author of this ancient Life had certainly 
 visited Courbefy, as his description of it is that of an eye- 
 witness. " This high mountain, which is nearly equi- 
 distant from Limoges and Perigueux, on which are still 
 to be seen the ruins of a city or castrum; these magnifi- 
 cent fortifications which the writer describes, and which 
 answer so well to the double enceinte of the deep 
 fosses which protect the citadel ; all this description 
 shows clearly that he had visited the place. Alay one 
 hazard a conjecture ? We suspect that the author of 
 this life is Saint Gery (Gangericas) the successor of Saint 
 Vedast in the See of Cambrai : who, in making a pilgrim- 
 age to the tomb of S. Front, and in going to visit the 
 domains which the Church of Cambrai possessed in Peri- 
 gord, the result of a legacy from his predecessor, may 
 have visited in passing, the birthplace of S. Vaast." 
 
 S. Vedast's immediate successor at Cambrai was 
 Dominic, at whose death S. Wxlulfus was elected, and 
 he in turn was succeeded by Gaugericus who died in 
 619 A.D. If S. Gery is indeed the author of the Life it 
 
 ^Memoires de V Academic des Sciences, Lcttres ct Arts d' Arras. 
 2 Serie. Tome xvii. pp. 209-216. (8vo. Arras, 18S6).
 
 48 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast 
 
 may be regarded as a work of the close of the sixth 
 century. 
 
 In "the great A^a San£lorum (Feb. 6, pp. 801-803) 
 this Life is printed under the title of Vita Brevior ex MSS. 
 Vedastinis et Andrea Chesnaeo, and in the margin it is said 
 to be the work of an anonymous author. The Bollandist 
 version contains virtually the same matter as the text 
 printed by Canon Van Drival, but the matter is differently 
 arranged, and there are many various readings or emen- 
 dations of the text. This is especially noticeable in 
 the Prologue, where the author has essayed to write 
 in a style far above his capacity, with the result of 
 becoming almost unintelliijible. In the Bollandist recen- 
 sion, attempts appear to have been made to render the 
 construction a little more consistent with the usage of 
 the Latin tongue : but it still remains, so far as the 
 opening sentences are concerned, very intractable. 
 
 Our own countryman, Alcuin, found the style of this 
 Life so rough and harsh, as indeed it is, that he com- 
 posed a far more elegant biography of the Saint, founded, 
 however, it may be believed, on this earlier document. 
 In his skilful hands the Life is extended to twice the 
 length of the original. 
 
 In the translation here given an attempt has been 
 made, by a rendering so close as to be almost word for 
 word in many places, to give some idea of the abrupt, crude, 
 style of the original text. There has been no endeavour 
 to produce a smooth version, on the contrary such an 
 endeavour has been firmly repressed, that the earliest 
 extant Life of the Saint might be offered to the English 
 reader in as close a resemblance to the work of the author 
 as the difference of language and of idiom would 
 permit.
 
 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast 49 
 
 HERE BEGINNETH THE LH^^E OE THE HOLY 
 AND MOST BLESSED VEDAST, BISHOP 
 AND CONFESSOR. 
 
 I. 
 
 The glory of holy Bishops, by a special right and after 
 a wise investigation, is ever to be handed down to memory, 
 either by imitating their example, or in a written chronicle, 
 that, being represented in a right clear light they may 
 strive to recall the minds of the feeble to the imitation 
 of their own way of life, so as to rejoice not only that 
 the rewards gained for themselves have been won in 
 abundance, but are united also with the profit of 
 others. 
 
 And the Eternal Creator of the universe will be a 
 just Judge ; so that He who has bestowed upon them 
 [the Bishops] encouragements for increasing their store 
 of reli":ion, will not refuse that there should be afforded 
 to the imitators additional means of accomplishing [their 
 task]. Nor ought anyone to grudge that in some things, 
 which seem to men of small moment, tokens of divine 
 power should thus co-operate ; seeing that ofttimes, in 
 great and trivial things alike, the righteous Judge both 
 succours in thought, and affords help in so succouring, 
 that men may grow strong in greater things.^ 
 
 Therefore we deem it right to transmit to posterity 
 the memor\- of that venerable man, Vedast, Bishop of the 
 City Arras. Whence he derived his birth, in wliat 
 
 ^ Probably the writer's meaning is, that God " puts into our minds 
 good desires " (succours in thought), and in so helping lends aid "to 
 bring the same to good efi'ect." 
 
 D
 
 50 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast 
 
 manner he spent the course of his holy Hfe, how that 
 Hfe was ended, all this we now endeavour to relate in 
 detail. 
 
 11. 
 
 There is a mountain in Aquitaine which separates Peri- 
 gord from Limousin, being about equidistant from each 
 city. This mountain covers a large space of ground, 
 extending far and wide, its summit piercing the clouds 
 when they are low. Upon its top, in ancient days long 
 since gone by, there stood either a city or a camp, it is 
 not certain which it was ; the ruins and the heaps of 
 fallen material sufficiently indicate the vast size and 
 the streni{th of the fortifications. The name of the 
 mountain, now as then, is Leucus ; the castrum itself 
 takes its name from the mount ; and the people of the 
 district, the greater part of Aquitaine down to the sea, 
 are called Leuci. Both the evidence of common and 
 continuous report, and of written documents, support 
 the assertion that these names are still in use. S. Vedast, 
 then, sprang from the Leuci, beyond all doubt from 
 noble parents, of a free born race, so famous and illustrious, 
 in the affluence of its estates and the abundance of its 
 riches, that nothing was lacking to it of this world's 
 glory. The boy, with hearty goodwill, devoted himself 
 to study ; all things which pertain to a liberal edu- 
 cation, these he eagerly acquired, the grace of God 
 assisting him. In all his studies there was no waste 
 of opportunity, but step by step, aspiring after the highest 
 things, he applied himself to the knowledge of the true 
 God and of the things which pertain unto Him, so that 
 he might apprehend God, and His will, and His com- 
 mandments, sure of the reward laid up for him in heaven. 
 At length this most blessed one, just on the verge of 
 manhood, left his parents, despising the wealth and glory 
 of his family : and so lightly esteeming their very great 
 possessions, that as if they were utterly insignificant, 
 he left his country. At last, as a solitary, unworldly, he
 
 ILarlicst Extant Life of S. l^citast 51 
 
 approached the houndary of the district towards the 
 Alemanni. There he passed from place to place, livinf'- 
 as a poor man, as an exile, for the love of life 
 eternal. 
 
 III. 
 
 When Clovis, the illustrious Kin<^ of the Franks, a man 
 of consummate energy, expert in affairs, reigned over the 
 Franks, it came to pass that, at a certain time, amidst 
 the heat of battle, he set forth to fight against the 
 Alemanni, a fierce nation. And when the troops had 
 come together on either side, in order that he might not 
 be exposed to his enemy, he desired to cross the 
 river Rhine. In the rear and on both sides the 
 squadrons ' of the enemy were standing, and both Franks 
 and Alemanni were longing for the encounter. When 
 the fight began, so violent a terror seized the heart 
 of Clovis, that he weighed in his mind with terrible 
 anxiety the prospect of a fatal issue of the battle. And 
 when he perceived that his men were being overwhelmed 
 with utter destruction, he at length, supported in his 
 mind by divine aid, raised his eyes to heaven, and said : 
 " only God of power and majesty, whom Clotilda my 
 wife^ confesses, and whom with humble pravers night 
 and day she does not cease to supplicate, grant me this 
 day victory over mine enemies, and I will thenceforth 
 accept and adore Thee with a believing heart." And 
 when with these and such like prayers he had earnestly 
 besought the Author of all things, the enemy fled, leaving 
 the victory in the hands of Clovis. Then the conqueror 
 received the submission of the Alemanni and their Kinir, 
 and hastening back in triumph to his country came to 
 the city of Toul. 
 
 IV. 
 
 And when an earnest desire possessed the King, that he 
 
 ^Cunei hostium ; the wedge-shaped bodies of men. 
 - Conlaleranea.
 
 52 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast 
 
 should quickly receive the grace of Baptism, he sought 
 instruction from the blessed Vedast, whom he had taken as 
 his companion in his journey, so that he might live in the 
 practice of religion. Travelling on together, they came 
 on a certain day into the district of Vongise, which is 
 called Grandpont, near the village of Reilly^ on the river 
 Axona.^ Here was a blind man, who for many years had 
 been bereft of sig^ht. He besous^ht the blessed Vedast 
 that of his great piety he would seek divine aid, that at 
 his word, the light so long wanting might be granted to 
 him. Vedast, fully trusting in the mercy of God, raising 
 his right hand made the sign of the Cross upon the eyes 
 of the blind man, who forthwith received sight. And on 
 that spot a Church^ erected by Christian men may now 
 be seen, where, in the honour of S. Vedast, many wonder- 
 ful deeds have been done. 
 
 And thence Vedast led the King to the city of Rheims, 
 to Bishop Remi, who at that time presided over the 
 Cathedral Church. Here Clovis sojourned for a season, 
 and professing the faith of the Holy Trinity, received the 
 grace of Baptism : departing thence, he returned as victor 
 to his own country, having commended the said Vedast 
 to the favourable notice of S. Remi. 
 
 V. 
 
 Vedast remained for a season with Bishop Remi, and 
 dwelt in the aforesaid city of Rheims. It came to pass, 
 at a certain time, that one of the nobles visited him in 
 his cell. Vedast was gentle in spirit, and kindly in 
 speech. He knew how to give aid to the wretched, to 
 comfort the sorrowing by his words, to bring the careless 
 to the rules of sobriety, and he earnestly desired to teach 
 the laws of religion, and to exemplify them both by his 
 words and by his life. When, as we have said, this 
 illustrious person came to him, Vedast, after he had made 
 
 ^ Riguliacum. ^The river Aisne. 
 
 ® Basilica. 
 
 i
 
 Earliest Ilxtaiit Life of S. yedasi 53 
 
 an end of speakint^ the words of salvation, desired his 
 servant to brinj;- quickly a cup of wine for his <(uest. Tlie 
 servant said, that in the vase from whicli he was accus- 
 tomed to drink, not a sin<(le drop of wine remained, which, 
 when he heard, the Saint si<^hed, looked up to heaven, 
 and lifted up his soul to (jod, prayin^i^ that of His 
 merciful clemency. He would send him aid. Immediately, 
 He who at Cana of Galilee had chan^^ed water into the 
 flavour of wine, in the same manner, <;ave help at this 
 time of need. And immediately when his prayer was 
 ended, Vedast ur<;ently commanded his servant to 
 hasten quickly to the vase, and bring that which God 
 had given. At once the obedient servant quickly came, 
 and found the vase from which he had been accus- 
 tomed to drink full of wine to the brim, lulled with joy, 
 he bears the gift which had been sought, and joyfully 
 proclaims its overflowing abundance. Vedast hearing his 
 words, fearing lest the divine favour vouchsafed should 
 injure his own humility, ordered his servant not to gossip 
 about It to anyone out of doors, ^ but rather to endea- 
 vour to lead a hii^her life and learn to maintain silence. 
 
 VI. 
 
 And when in the aforesaid city of Rheims there were 
 noised abroad great reports about Vedast, the blessed 
 Remi desired to exalt him to honour and designed to make 
 him Bishop of Arras, where, little by little, by teaching 
 and admonishing the nation of the Franks, he might bring 
 them to the grace of Baptism. Having undertaken the 
 burden of the Episcopal office, Vedast came to the city 
 of Arras ; and when he was about to enter the gates of 
 the city, he encountered a blind man and a lame who 
 asked for alms. And when he, after the manner of the 
 Apostles, replied that he had neither silver nor gold, they 
 besought him yet more earnestly, and still importuned 
 him for money. To them, urgently imploring help, he 
 said " Instead of the gift of gold and silver, if your faith 
 
 'Jubet ut nulli hoc in propatulo jactitando denuntiet.
 
 54 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vectast 
 
 will associate itself with my desire, the wealth of divine 
 gifts shall be bestowed." They replied, that they were 
 ready to do as he bade them. " If your faith," he con- 
 tinued, " keeps pace with my words, the right hand of 
 the Almighty shall restore to both of you your former 
 health." ' And immediately, placing his hands upon the 
 eyes of the one, and stroking the weak limbs of the other, 
 rnaking also the sign of the Cross, he lifted up his eyes 
 to heaven, and accomplished that which he sought. Then 
 immediatelv the blind received his sight, and the lame 
 walked, each returning to his home with joy. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Then it came to pass that he would enter into a church : but 
 finding it neglected, and by the carelessness of the heathen 
 citizens forgotten, filled with a dense mass of briars, 
 polluted by the dung of the beasts which had been stabled 
 there, he gave up his heart to grief, and bowed his head 
 in sadness. Nor truly were there any habitations of men 
 in the city, which had been destroyed by Attila, King of 
 the Huns, and still remained in utter squalor. Here was 
 the dwelling place of a bear, which with a sorrowful heart 
 he sent forth outside the wall of the city, and commanded 
 that it should not pass the river Crinchon/ which flows 
 there. It never did return. 
 
 Vedast was then in possession of the royal palace. 
 He was unable to induce the men of the Franks, as a 
 nation, to leave their profane errors, but only little by 
 little could he convert them ; and those who, by his 
 sweet words submitted themselves to religion, he received 
 into the bosom of the Church. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 It came to pass afterwards, when Clovis was dead, that 
 Clotaire his son, occupying his father's throne, ruled over 
 
 ^ Crientium fluviolum.
 
 Earliest Extant Life of S. I 'cdast 55 
 
 the Franks : and as he ruled the kini^dom worthily, a 
 certain Frank, Hocinus byname, invited the Kin^ Clotaire 
 to dinner^ and invited also the venerable Bishop Vedast 
 amonf^st the courtiers ot" the Kini^. But he, not because 
 by consentinfj^ he would show favour to their <(luttony, 
 but that he mi^dit instruct in wholesome doctrine the 
 crowd feathered together at the feast, and by the authority 
 of the Kin^i^ mi<^-ht bring many to Holy Baptism, was 
 present. And when, surprised at being invited to the 
 feast, he entered the house, he perceived certain vessels 
 filled with beer"-^ which were standing there according to 
 the heathen custom. He enquired why these vessels 
 were standing- in the midst of the house, and was 
 answered, that some were for the Christians, and that 
 others according to the heathen ritual had been offered in 
 sacrifice. When he learnt this, he signed the vessels 
 with the sign of the Cross, and calling with faith on the 
 name of the Omnipotent God, with the aid of divine help, 
 pronounced a benediction. And when he pronounced the 
 benediction, and made the sign of the Cross over the 
 vessels which had been set apart for the heathen rites, 
 the bands round the vessels burst asunder, and the liquor 
 which they contained, flowed out upon the pavement. 
 Thereupon the King, together with the crowd of nobles, 
 astonished at the miracle, enquired what was the reason 
 why these things were done, and ordered that the cause 
 should be stated openly. To whom the venerated man 
 Vedast said, " O King, the glory of thy Franks, thou 
 canst discern how great is the cunning and fraud of 
 the devil to deceive the souls of men. For the demons 
 desired, by the use of this liquor, to cause the hearts 
 of the faithful to wander out of the right way into the 
 paths of death. But now, the craft of the devil being 
 routed and put to flight by the power of God, it is 
 necessary that all should learn, that they ought to turn 
 to the wholesome medicines of the faith of Christ, and 
 earnestlv to cast aside heathen superstitions." This act 
 was profitable to the salvation of many of those who were 
 
 ' Ad prandium. - Cervisia.
 
 56 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast 
 
 present : for many of them came to the grace of Baptism, 
 and bowed their heads to the true reHgion. 
 
 IX. 
 
 He governed the aforesaid Church for a long space of 
 time, about forty years ; and then, his earthly course 
 being ended, it pleased the Lord to take him from the 
 cares of this life to the Celestial Kingdom : he was seized 
 with a fever, and he announced that his end was near. 
 For, as he lay in a certain little cell in the same city, 
 a column of fire came down from heaven, and rested 
 upon the roof of the cell, and for a long period of the 
 night, upwards of two hours, remained immoveable. 
 When the venerable man heard of it, he told the by- 
 standers that he was about to depart, and bidding them 
 all farewell, after some words of admonition, surrendered 
 his soul to his Creator on the 8th of the Ides of February,^ 
 making a happy departure out of this life, and leaving 
 to the survivors a deep love for him. Many at this hour 
 heard choirs sins^in"- in heaven. When all men were 
 aware of the death of the blessed one, the clergy and 
 people, not only of that city, but also Bishops and priests 
 from neighbouring cities, gave to this servant of God 
 Vedast the burial of a bishop, of which indeed he was 
 worthy. 
 
 X. 
 
 The blessed body was laid in the middle of the house, 
 as is the custom ; but when all those who held the bier 
 on which that same holy body lay, endeavoured to move 
 it from its place, they were unable to do so. Enquiry 
 was made of a venerable man named Scupilio, arch- 
 presbyter of that place, whom the blessed Bishop himself 
 had brought up, as to the cause of this unexpected 
 difficulty : he said that he did not know. But he added 
 
 ^ That is, February 6.
 
 Earliest Extant Life of S. I^edast 57 
 
 "This one thinc^ I know, that when he was in the body, 
 I often heard him say, that no dead person oiii^ht to 
 He within the walls of a city. For the Bishop himself, 
 whilst he was alive, had made arrant^ements to rest 
 in an Oratory which he had built of wooden planks on 
 the banks of the river Crinchon. But, nevertheless, 
 neither the place selected, nor the monument seems 
 to be prepared." Whilst they were discussini^ amoni^st 
 themselves what they ouc^ht to do concerninfj^ him, the 
 venerable man Scupilio, filled with i^rief of heart, moved 
 to tears, fallini^ on his knees by the body of the blessed 
 Vedast, beii^an to speak, sayinii^: "Woe is me, most 
 blessed Father, what do you wish me to do? For the 
 day is now already wanin^i^ towards evenini^, and all those 
 who have assembled toi^ether hasten to return to their 
 own homes. Permit then that we bear you to the place 
 which we have prepared for you." When he had so said, 
 takin<T up the bier on which lay the mass^ of the body of 
 the saint, they raised it on their shoulders, no one 
 perceiving any weis^ht ; and bearing him with a great 
 company of singers, they sang, saying: "Ambula, Sancte, 
 viam quam elegisti : festina ad locum qui tibi praeparatus 
 est." ^ They delivered him up to burial, at the right 
 wing of the Altar,^ in the church in which he had fulfilled 
 his episcopal office, meet resting place for the servant 
 of God. 
 
 XI. 
 
 And now some time had passed, and the verv house 
 in which the holy man Vedast had ended his days took 
 fire, and great part of the house was consumed : when 
 suddenly it seemed that one of the most faithful hand- 
 maids, Habitta by name, visibly discerned the blessed 
 Vedast drawing away from the little cell in which the 
 
 ^ In quo gleba corporis Sancti jacebat. 
 
 - Walk, O Saint, in the way thou hast chosen : 
 Hasten to the place prepared for thee. 
 ' Ad dextrum cornu Altaris.
 
 58 Earliest Extant Life of S. f^edast 
 
 couch had been upon which he died, and it was not 
 consumed : the cell, together with the couch, alone 
 remained unhurt. This the Creator of all things did 
 not suffer to be burnt, in order that by the favour of 
 His bounty He might leave to the survivors a memorial 
 of the virtue of the Saint ; our Lord Jesus Christ 
 manifesting His power, to whom is glory and dominion 
 for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 The Life of Saint Vedast is ended.
 
 n.arlicst F.xfniit Life of S. J^cdasf 59 
 
 II. 
 
 The Birthplace of S. Vedast. 
 
 M. l'Abbe Dehaisnes has edited a chronicle of the 
 monastery of S. Vaast, which states that the tomb of 
 the father and mother of the Saint exists in Aquitaine ; 
 and that local tradition asserts that Courbefy was the 
 birthplace of S. Vaast. The Chateau of Courbefy, which 
 had long been a retreat for robbers, was destroyed in 
 1660 by the inhabitants of Limoges : but extensive ruins 
 still remain.^ 
 
 Bernard Guido,^ Bishop of Lodeve, a writer of the 
 early part of the fourteenth century, says, " S. Vedastus, 
 qui fertur oriundus de Castro, quod dicitur Curvifunium 
 in monte situm, apud Atrebatum, ubi quadraginta annis 
 fuit dignus episcopus, requiescit." 
 
 In the Mnnoires de I'Acadanie des Scwnces, Lettres et 
 Arts d'Arras (1873, pp. 251-260), is an important paper 
 entitled Le Lieu de Naissance de Saint Vaast: Dissertation 
 Historique par M. l'Abbe Van Drival, Chanoine d'Arras, 
 from which the following details are taken. 
 
 The Vita Brcvior states that Saint Vedast was 
 born in Aquitaine, on a mountain named Leucus, and 
 that his parents were noble and wealthy. The Saint, 
 longing for a solitary life, quitted his parents and his 
 home, and went to dwell at a place where now stands 
 the city of Toul. Hence it has been sometimes said 
 that he was born at Toul. Leuci is, however, the 
 
 ^ Vie de S. Vaast. Arras, 1877, Ch. i. 
 
 - Bernardi Guidonis apud Labbe. Nova Dibliotheca MSS. 
 lib. I. 636.
 
 6o Earliest Exfaiif Life of S. I'edast 
 
 historic name of the people of the country of Toul. 
 May there not then be some confusion between the name 
 of his birthphice, and the name of the country in which 
 he resided ? 
 
 A MS. of the eleventh century, at Douai (No. 753), 
 affirms that S. Vaast was born at Perif^ord, from whence 
 he went to Toul. 
 
 The Bishop of Limoges stated in 1867, that in a place 
 named Courbefis, on a mountain, were still to be seen 
 the ruins of the castle in which the parents of S. Vedast 
 dwelt. 
 
 The village is situated on the extreme limit of 
 Limousin and Perigord. It was many times (occupied 
 by the English, says Monstrelet, in the wars of the four- 
 teenth century. At the siege of this castle, Castrum 
 Lucii de Capreolo, Richard I, King of England, was 
 wounded and died in 1199. Some English writers call 
 the place Castrum vice-comitis Lemovicensis Caluz : Ralph 
 de Diceto, the famous historian. Dean of S. Paul's (to 
 which dignity he was admitted in 1181), names it 
 Castelliun Chaliiz in Lemovico territorio. 
 
 One Lucius Capreolus is said to have founded the 
 Castrum, whose name degenerated little by little into 
 Chalus. From Lucius to Leucus is a very easy step. 
 The conclusion of the whole article is, that S. Vaast was 
 born in Aquitaine, at Courbefis, near Chalus, between 
 Limoges and Perigueux. 
 
 Canon Van Drival has a second paper on the same 
 subject in the Memoires de PAcademie d' Arras of 1886 
 (pp. 193-203). He attacks the argument of M. I'Abbe 
 Pergot, who endeavours to assign the birthplace of 
 S. Vedast to the Diocese of Perigueux : and maintains 
 the conclusion arrived at in his first paper.
 
 Earliest Llxtivif Life of S. l^edast 61 
 
 III. 
 
 The River Crinxhon. 
 
 " Le Ckinchon, Crientionis Huviolum, est une petite 
 riviere qui traverse Arras : elle baignait les murs de 
 I'abbaye de S. Vaast." ' 
 
 The monastery of Arras had its first foundations in 
 the little cell constructed of wooden planks beside the 
 Crinchon,"^ "in cellula ligneis tabulis compacta ad Cricnti- 
 onem rivulum." 
 
 In a Plan of Arras in the twelfth century,^ the Crin- 
 chon seems to have two streams : one tlowinij northward 
 past the Abbey Gardens, where it is crossed by the Pons 
 S. Vedasti, turns to the east, and finally passes through 
 the city walls at their extreme N.E. angle. The other 
 branch makes with the former an island on which stands 
 the Church of S. Aubert ; whilst yet another branch flows 
 northward, and then turning eastward joins what may 
 perhaps be called the main stream. Two Churches 
 closely adjoin the Abbey, S. Petrus in Castro and S. 
 Maria in Castro. The Abbey Church itself is in the 
 Castrum. 
 
 There is a very valuable Plan de V Ancienne Ahhaye 
 de S. Vaast an XVI silcle,^ in which also the Crin- 
 
 ^ ChroHuiue iV Arras et de Canibra'i par Baldcric. Notes par le 
 docteur Le Glay. ii. 419. 
 
 - Gallid Christiana, iii. 3. 
 
 •''Guiman. Cartulaire de iAbbaye de S. Fa</5/ (edited by Canon 
 Van Drival in 1875). 
 
 * Terninck. RcchercJics siir Ics Moiiiinicnts ct les Objets d'Art 
 relatifs a I'Abbaye de Saint Vaast. 4to. Anas, i86g.
 
 62 Earliest Extant Life of S. Vedast 
 
 ch(Mi mav be traced, flowing to the west of the Abbey 
 Gardens, crossed by several bridges, turning northward, 
 and then westward not far from the N.VV. angle of the 
 present Cathedral. 
 
 I did not see any trace of the rivulet during my visit 
 to Arras in 1894, nor could I find it in two modern plans 
 of the city. I can only suppose that like the river Fleet 
 in the City of London it has retired from public obser- 
 vation to fulfil a useful, though less picturesque, 
 purpose. 
 
 The Plan just mentioned is of the highest interest. 
 It shows in strongly marked lines the arrangements of 
 the Abbey and its buildings in the sixteenth century, and 
 in faint colours the arrangements of to-day. From this 
 it is seen that the existing Cathedral is not built upon the 
 site of the old Abbey Church, but considerably to the 
 north of it. 
 
 An enlarged copy of a portion of this plan is shown by 
 Mons. Henri Loriquet,^ part of the Crinchon seems 
 to run beneath the Hospital of the Abbey. 
 
 It was on the right bank of the Crinchon, outside the 
 
 walls of Arras, that S. Vedast built the simple Oratory 
 
 to which in his later life he delighted to retire for prayer 
 
 and meditation. 
 
 Ipse suburbanam cellam sibi legerat, amnis 
 Qua strepit exiguus : structo rudiore sacello. 
 Hie sibi restituit vitam sine teste priorem,'-^ 
 
 as Antoine Meyer sings. 
 
 This Oratory is not to be confused with the Cathedral. 
 The Cathedral belongs to the early part of S. Vaast's 
 mission, to the period in which he discovered the Altar of 
 the B. V. Mary in the midst of the ruins.^ The Oratory 
 belongs to the later years of his episcopate. It was a 
 retreat on special occasions, and it became, long after- 
 wards, the famous Abbey of S. Vaast. 
 
 The district in which the Cathedral is situate is still 
 
 ^ La Place Saint-Vaast et la Croix dite de S. Bernard. 8vo., 
 Arras, 1884. 
 
 - Antoine Meyer, Ursus, quoted in Vie de S. Vaast, Ch. xvi. 
 ^ See supra, p. 34.
 
 Earliest lixfuiif Life of S. I \'iiasf 63 
 
 called by the older people Le CloUre, because the Cler<^\' 
 vServiii<4' the Cathedral dwelt in houses surrou:idin<^ the 
 sacred edifice, livini^ apart, but having their meals in 
 common in a large hall called La Synaf^oj^ue. 
 
 The Oratory, which appears to have been constructed 
 after S. Vedast had been forty years bishop, was built in 
 the form of a little cloister outside the city in a jilace 
 called Neuilly near the Crinchon. 
 
 To the original cell, which was of the simplest and 
 poorest, S Vedast added a more commodious dwelling 
 in which he received those who desired to converse with 
 him on serious subjects. Amongst his visitors, perhaps 
 the most famous was S. Dominic, his .successor in the 
 See of Arras. ^ 
 
 * Vie lie S. Vaast. Ch. xvi. and Ch. .wii.
 
 64 Earliest ExtiVif Life of S. Vedcist 
 
 IV. 
 
 S. Vedast's Bear. 
 
 The Bear is the constant companion of S. Vedast. It is 
 
 found everywhere. The Lectern in the Choir of the 
 
 Cathedral, upon which the music books are placed, is 
 
 supported by two bears surrounded by their cubs. It 
 
 attends the patron saint in paintings and in sculpture. 
 
 It is found on seals and medals, in the poems of the 
 
 monks, in the popular saying of Artois which evidently 
 
 springs from a Vedastine source : "You want a servant ? 
 
 A defender? Take my bear." ^ 
 
 In the gardens of the College Anglais at Douai is a 
 
 statue of S. Vaast, vested in cope and mitre ; by his side, 
 
 on the left, is a bear which the Saint holds by a chain. 
 
 The statue, which is about five feet high, stood at one 
 
 time over the entrance gateway of the old Abbey or Priory of 
 
 S. Vaast ; and, when the buildings of the Abbey were 
 
 destroyed, the figure was purchased by the College.^ 
 
 On a tapestry preserved at Lille, there are two panels 
 
 representing scenes in the history of S. Vaast. In the 
 
 first, the Saint is endeavouring to tame a bear, the same 
 
 beyond doubt which appeared to him amongst the ruins 
 
 of the ancient Cathedral. The scene is laid in the midst 
 
 of a garden, between a gateway and a tower; rabbits are 
 
 disporting themselves. Below is written. 
 
 Vast en Arras eustung . . . rumeur 
 Ou jadis fust apparence d'Esglise 
 Duquel saillit ung ours . . . fureur 
 Qui obeit a Saint Vast sans faintise. 
 
 - C. le Gentil. Le Vieil Arras. 8vo., Arras, 1877. p. 259. 
 ^ From a letter addressed to me by the Prior of the College.
 
 .V. / ^e(/(is/'s Bciir 65 
 
 The tapestry bclonf^s to an earlier period than the rei<(n 
 ot" Louis XI.' 
 
 The incident in the Saint's Hie commemorated b\- 
 these representations has been already told in its proper 
 place." 
 
 S. Vaast was visiting the ruins of an ancient Church 
 at Arras, overgrown with brushwood, almost concealed 
 in a dense thicket when a huge bear, un ours colossal, 
 broke out from its lair; "the bristling hair, the fier}- eyes, 
 and the fierce growls of the wild creature, terrified the 
 Bishop's companions. S. Vaast, by a simple gesture, 
 caused the bear to cease from growling, and to flee with 
 lowered head to the vast forests which surrounded the 
 city." 
 
 In later days, the monks of the Abbey, desiring to 
 perpetuate the memory of their Saint's conquest of the 
 ferocious beast, were wont to keep a living bear in a large 
 cage adjacent to the Church, exhibiting it to all \isitors. 
 Gerard Robert, the chronicler, relates in a very naive 
 manner the visit which Louis XI made to the imprisoned 
 creature on the 29th January, 1463. The narrator's 
 words are worth preserving here. 
 
 " II \()ult veoir I'ours de I'eglise ; auquel ours nostre 
 sire le roy fit plusieurs esbatements luy meme d'un 
 baston, par dehors le logis dudit ours, et fit nostre dit 
 sire le roy mettre ung chien avec ledit ours ; mais ledit 
 chien n'osa oncques remeuvoir d'un onguelet ; et quand 
 le roy vit ce, dit : On fache que mon chien n'ait nul mal, 
 a un nomme Jehan Haret dit Coquillart, varlet des 
 CEuvres de ladite eglise, et garde dudit ours. II entra 
 dedans en donnant a manger a I'ours et en tant le chien 
 sali hors du logis, et le roy donna audit Haret ung escu 
 d'or.'"^ 
 
 I am indebted to Mons. Wicquot, the courteous 
 Librarian of the Bibliotheque de la Ville d'Arras for 
 the following ver\- interesting communication. 
 
 ^Terninck. Anas. (4to., Airas, 1^79)- P- ^.yj. 
 ■" S.e^e supra, p. 34. 
 
 ^ L' Abbaye de S. Vaast : De Cardevacqueet Terninck, iii., 120, lai. 
 
 E
 
 66 5. Vedasfs Bear 
 
 " Extrait de la chanson de geste de Ciperis de 
 Vignevaux.^ 
 
 ' " Le Comte de Flandres fut enseveli dans Arras, et, 
 pour remplir ses dernieres intentions, Thierri son gendre 
 fonda plus tard dans cette ville I'Abbaye de Saint 
 
 Wast. 
 
 Ainsi li ot convent Thierri, je vous affie, 
 
 Et Saint Vast en fonda celle noble Abbaye, 
 
 Et la fist grans vertus le noble fruit de vie ; 
 
 Car un beste mue leur fist grant courtoisie, 
 
 A la pierre poser et le machonnerie. 
 
 Seigneurs, ce fut uns ours, escripture Taffie. 
 
 Et en la remembrance de ceste ceuvre prisie 
 
 En y a tousjours ung et plus en I'Abbaye, 
 
 Que les seigneurs nourrissent dedans I'enfremerie. 
 
 "Alcuin qui a compose la vie de Saint Wast, raconte 
 autrement la legende de cet ours. Le Saint I'au- 
 rait rencontre sur I'emplacement de I'eglise qu'il se 
 proposait d'eriger ; il lui aurait alors ordonne de ne pas 
 sortir des forets voisines, et surtout de ne jamais franchir 
 les rives du fleuve. L'ours se serait empresse d'obeir, 
 et, depuis ce temps, on n'en aurait plus jamais vu 
 dans ces parages : Nee unquam postea illis visus est in 
 partibiisy 
 
 The story may be carried a little farther. 
 
 S. Vaast had gone to construct an Oratory on the 
 other side of the Crinchon, in a place called Neuilly 
 (according to a MS. preserved in the Bishop's Palace), 
 and he found there once more his bear, which, like a 
 faithful guardian attached itself to his person ready to 
 devour anyone who might offend him. 
 
 Non illic aberat fera, non innoxius ursus 
 Ille idem, templi qui excesserat ante ruinis. 
 Haerebat lateri custos, semperque paratus 
 Ceu canis ulcisci, si vis illata fuisset. 
 
 ^ Histoive litternire de la France, i., xxvie, p. 35. Ciperis or Chil- 
 peric was the illegitimate son of Philip (son of Clotaire), and Clarisse, 
 daughter or sister of Marcus, Duke of Orleans. Vignevaux, the 
 place in which Ciperis was born, was a forest in Normandy. The 
 Poem is of the fourteenth century : the first verse here cited is 
 numbered 6584. ibid, p. 19.
 
 S. ycdasfs Bear 67 
 
 says Meyer : ' and that is the reason why S. Vaast is 
 represented accompanied by his bear, and why a living 
 bear was always kept by the monks. 
 
 Hinc est quod statuam Uivi, pictaiiique figuram 
 
 Effigies ursi comitatur more recepto, 
 
 Et quod Coenobium vivus non deserit ursus. 
 
 For the same reason, Toussaint Sailly,^ another monk 
 of S. Vaast's wrote in honour of this legendary bear. 
 
 Hujus adhuc ursi manet aeternumque manebit 
 Gloria, dum vivet tuus ursus, Meiere, musa 
 Dum mea, dum Divi stabit domus alta Vedasti. 
 
 The bear is now extinct in France. But in 1884 and 
 1885, no less a sum than 180,000 francs was paid for the 
 slaughter of wolves : the premium paid in 1894, however, 
 had fallen to 25,000 francs. "The presence of wolves 
 is rarely reported now in fifty-five departments," and 
 the extinction of wolves in France is proceeding 
 rapidly. ^ 
 
 * Ursus, Manuscrit dc la Bil)liothcque d'Arras. 
 
 - Vidastids, Manuscrit de la Bibliothcque d'Arras : quoted in Lc 
 Vieil An-as, par C. Le Gentil. Arras, 1877. p. 260. 
 ' The Times newspaper of August 17, 1895.
 
 (68) 
 
 V. 
 
 Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast. 
 
 In the earliest Life of S. Vedast/ the unknown author 
 relates comparatively few miracles. He limits himself, 
 indeed, to these : the blind man at the bridge over the 
 river Axona, the wine poured from the empty vase, the 
 healing of the blind man and the lame, the taming of 
 the savage bear, the breaking of the beer vessels at 
 the feast in the house of Ocinus (or Hozinus), the column 
 of light seen over the house in which S. Vedast was 
 breathing out his life, the immovability of the dead body 
 until the intervention of Scopilio (or Scobilio), and the 
 preservation from fire of the house in which S. Vaast 
 had died. 
 
 Later on, Alcuin supplies a Memoir of the Saint, Alia 
 Acta ah Alciiino emendata. [Ada Sanctorum, pp. 803-8.) 
 He relates all the miracles recorded by the earlier bio- 
 grapher. He adds a general allusion to the miracles 
 wrouirht bv the merits of the Saint durim^ the 160 
 vears which had ehipsed since his decease, but he says 
 of these " nullo sunt stylo memoriae tradita," As an 
 illustration of the vision seen by S. Aubertof the heavenly 
 visitant tracing with a wand the plan of a basilica, he 
 cites the Antiphon then in use : 
 
 "Hie est Beatus Vedastus, cui Teniplum fieri ab Angelis 
 jussum est hominibus." 
 
 In his Adhortatio (Acta Sanctorum., pp. 8o8-g\ he asks: 
 " Vel quid non potest pietatis precibus impetrare in 
 caelis, qui tantis in mundo claruit in miraculis ? " 
 
 ^ See Appendix. Article i. Supra pp. 49-58.
 
 Miracles ascribed fo S. I "ei/asf 69 
 
 AlcLiin, it will be remembered, was a countryman 
 of our own, of n()])le Xortbumbrian parentaj^e, born about 
 the year 735, a.d. " He was, he tells us, the hereditary 
 representative of the noble house from which vS. Willi- 
 brord, the Apostle of the Frisians, spran«(."' The 
 favourite pupil of E<;bert, Archbishop of York, he 
 attained to remarkable eminence. Amoni^st his scholars 
 were Charlemagne himself with his sons Charles, Pipin, 
 and Louis. 
 
 Other bioi^raphers of S. Vedast are Haiminus, a 
 Vedastine monk, a disciple of Alcuin. The Bollandists 
 have printed the Mivacula S. Vcdasti auctorc Ha'unino 
 Presbytcro and the Scruio Haimini in Natali S. Vedasti 
 de ii parvulis mentis ejus sanatis. (Acta Sanctorum, 
 
 p. 8lO'I2). 
 
 He is followed b\' Hubert a disciple of Haiminus 
 {ibid 812-13) : and then are found a lon^r series of miracles, 
 collected by the monks of Arras in 852, a.d. and 880, a.d. 
 (ibid 813-821). To these Bishop Balderic makes a small 
 addition [ibid 821) ; and a writer of the fourteenth centurv 
 concludes the lon<^ enumeration {ibid 822-3). '^'he scanti- 
 ness of the earlier records in the matter of these legends 
 contrasts favourably with the copious abundance of the 
 later biographers. 
 
 The great Acta Sanctorum'-^ supplies a vast number 
 of legendary stories in connection with the life of 
 S. Vedast : I select three of these, which I have trans- 
 lated from the Latin, and now present in a somewhat 
 condensed form. 
 
 The first is of considerable interest. The anxiety of 
 the Saint to be called by his proper name is certainly 
 quaint enough. 
 
 " It came to pass that a certain Scot visited a monas- 
 tery in wliich the venerable bod}' of the most blessed 
 Saint was reverenced day and night. He humbly sought 
 that relics of the Saint might be given to him, pledging 
 himself to build a church in Scotland in honour of 
 
 ^ Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Bioi^ra/^Iiy. 
 - February 6, pp. 804-819.
 
 JO Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast 
 
 S. Vedast. The brethren refused his request, seeing 
 that he was a stranger, and judging him to be an 
 impostor. He, however, reverently visited the altar 
 and the tomb of S. Vedast, and collected from the 
 pavement ashes and dust ; with these he returned to his 
 home, where by his own gifts and the contributions of 
 the faithful he built a church. This good man had a 
 hive full of bees and honey in front of the doors of S. 
 Vedast's Church : and one night, whilst mortals were 
 calmly sleeping, there came a thief to steal the honey. 
 Hardly had he taken it, before he became fixed immov- 
 ablv to the spot. When the cock crew, the elder 
 brother of the monastery rose to ring the matin bell, 
 and to his amazement he found the thief still rigid. 
 Those who saw the prodigy desired to deliver the culprit 
 to the magistrate. But when the Scot rose from his 
 bed there appeared to him an aged man of most fair 
 countenance, bald-headed, venerable, who said : * Do not 
 punish the wretched culprit; — Christus ilium vinxit, 
 non tu. Et ego absolve eum in nomine Jesu. Know 
 also that my name is not Badastus, as you call me in 
 your barbarous speech, but Vedastus.' The thief was 
 sent away unharmed. This miracle was related by a 
 Scotch pilgrim, named Echo." ^ 
 
 The scene of another curious story is laid at Wlfara, 
 " in comitatu Baduano " : 
 
 " There were two gossips {compatres), neighbours, of 
 whom one stole from the other a little sheep. The poor 
 man who suffered the loss called upon S. Vedast, and 
 souo-ht the punishment of the offender. The priest, in 
 church, enquired who had done the deed, and denounced 
 the sin, threatening on the next day to excommunicate 
 the guilty person. No one, however, confessed the 
 crime. Whereupon, on the next Lord's Day, the Priest 
 spoke to the people upon the matter : the guilty man 
 standing in the midst. Suddenly from his bosom, his 
 gloves [chirothecae) gave forth a sort of bleating. And 
 the people praised God and venerated S. Vedast."^ 
 
 ^ Acta Sanctorum, p. 815, c. 'Ihid, 822, A.
 
 Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast 71 
 
 Here we may proiitably hold our hands from detailed 
 narratives : the following abstract of marvels recorded in 
 the Acta Sanctorum will suffice. 
 
 S. Vedast restores a blind man to sif^ht (805, a) ; puts 
 a bear to flight (806, i;) ; heals a blind man and a lame 
 man (806, c) ; breaks, by signing the cross, some vessels 
 " male gentili errore daemoniacis incantationibus in- 
 fecta " (806, f) ; a column of fire is seen over his house 
 shortly before his death (807, c) ; those who sought to 
 bury him within the city were unable to move his bod\', 
 for he had said that none ought to be buried within 
 the walls, the city was the place of the living not of 
 the dead (807, d) ; after his death he extinguished a 
 fire which threatened to destroy the house in which he 
 had died, and the couch on which he had breathed his 
 last (807, f). 
 
 At his shrine : a dumb and deaf man and two lame 
 men are restored ; by invocation of his name a cattle 
 plague was stayed (810, f) ; a horse was restored to 
 health upon its owner offering up a taper ; a linen cloth 
 for the altar had been vowed by a dying woman, her 
 daughter, however, after her decease, brought one of 
 inferior value, which flew away from the altar of its own 
 accord (816, e) ; insufficient materials brought to repair 
 S. Vedast's Church became adequate, a beam, too short 
 for the required purpose, extending itself to the necessary 
 length (816, f) ; a falling wall is strengthened (816, f) ; 
 evil spirits in the form of bats were cast out ; a man 
 possessed by evil spirits is cured (8ig, b) ; a dry staff 
 becomes a tree, whence a wood springs up (820, a) ; 
 oil for lamps is miraculously supplied (816, e) ; two sick 
 children restored to health (811, d) ; a dying man recalled 
 to life (812, c) ; a blind woman and palsied man healed 
 (821, B, c.) 
 
 To the foregoing details may, with advantage, be 
 added the following short notices of S. Vedast, either 
 from manuscript sources, or from printed works of con- 
 siderable raritv. 
 
 The first of these is found in a IMS. of the early part of 
 the fourteenth century, preserved in the British Museum.
 
 72 Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast 
 
 It is comprised within a few lines, but brief as it is, it 
 illustrates the never-failing tendency of the hagiologists 
 to ascribe to their heroes miracles closely resembling 
 those of the Redeemer. It is a very brief version of a 
 story already related. 
 
 '■'■De Sancto Vcdasfo et Amniido. 
 '* Egregia et omni acceptatione digna merita sanctorum Christi 
 presulum Vedasti et Amandi sancta consuevit celebrare ecclesia. 
 Sanctus igitur Vedastus quia sitienti amico vinum de vacuo produxit 
 vasculum diuturnum sanctitatis sue perhibet testimonium. Christus 
 in Ghana Galilee vinum de aqua fecerat, Vedastus vero de arido 
 poculo vinum produxerat. Magnum igitur quod Dominus, magnum 
 quod gessit famulus."^ 
 
 The second is taken from the Legenda San£lorum, one 
 of the favourite books of the fifteenth century, if the 
 numerous editions which issued from the press may be 
 taken as a proof of popularity. 
 
 This Life is chiefly remarkable for a droll bit of ety- 
 mology. The name Vedastus, we are gravely told, is 
 derived from vere dans estiis ; or from Vae distans ; for the 
 excellent reasons which are therein set forth. But it is to be 
 feared that these will not convince the more critical 
 etymologists of to-day. 
 
 " Vedastus, quasi vere dans estus, quod vere sibi dedit estus 
 afflictionis et penitentie. Vel quia ve distans, quod ve eternum ab 
 eo distat ; nam damnati semper dicent ve, scilicet quia Deum offendi, 
 ve quia dyabolo consensi, ve quia natus fui, ve quia mori non valeo, 
 ve quia tam male torqueor, ve quia numquam liberabor. 
 
 " Vedastus a beato Remigio in Trajacensem episcopatum ordina- 
 tus fuit. Qui cum ad portam civitatis venisset, et ibidem duos 
 pauperes, unum cecum et alium claudum petentes elemosinam re- 
 perisset, dixit eis, Argentum et aurum non est mihi : quod autem 
 habeo vobis do. Et facta oratione utrosque sanavit. Cum autem 
 in quadam ecclesia dereli(5la, vepribus operta, lupus- habitaret, ei- 
 dem precepit ut inde fugeret, nee ultra illuc redire auderet. Quod 
 et facftum est. Denique cum verbo et opere multos convertisset, 
 quadragesimo anno sui episcopatus vidit columnam igneam a celo 
 usque in domum suum descendentem. Qui finem suum adesse con- 
 siderans post modicum in pace quievit, circa annum Domini quin- 
 gentesimum. Cum autem corpus ejus transferretur Audomarus pro 
 
 ^ British Museum. Bibliothec. Reg., viii, Ch. vii. 
 ^The animal is more generally said to be a bear. In the 
 Blythburgh window it appears to be a wolf or a fox.
 
 Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast 73 
 
 senio cecus doleiis quia corpus episcopi videre non poterat, mox 
 lumen recepit, sed postmodum ad votum suum lumen amisit." ' 
 
 In Lis A H)ui!fs dc Saint Utiini el de Saint Vaast^" a 
 similar derivation is suggested, but tliis is, perhaps, a 
 more poetical conception : the name of Vedastus is 
 derived from verc dans thus. 
 
 With regard to the derivation of the name \''edastus 
 here given, Air. W. de Gray Birch, whose important works 
 on mediaeval Seals are well-known to all students of 
 Sigillography, sends me the following seal inscription, 
 surroundin**" a fiirure of the Blessed Viri^in with tlie Holv 
 Child : 
 
 PORTA SALUTIS AVE, PER TE PATET EXITUS A VE, 
 VENIT AB EVA VE, VE QUIA TOLLIS, AVE. 
 
 This is the Seal of Arbroath Abbey and is of the thir- 
 teenth century.'' The same legend is found on the Seal of 
 Middleton Abbey, Dorset, surrounding a representation 
 of the Annunciation. 
 
 The Seal of Boxgrave Priory, Sussex, bears a similar 
 inscription : 
 
 QUI TRANSMISIT AVE BOXGRAVAM LIBERET A VE, 
 JUDICIUMQUE GRAVE NON SENTIET, IMMO SUAVE. 
 
 The third, and most interesting notice, on account of 
 the quaint early English in which it is written, is taken 
 from the Golden Legend, printed by Wynkyn de Worde, a 
 book of very high value to the student of mediaeval 
 religious literature. 
 
 The Liber Festivalis put forth by Caxton Mvas, as he 
 tells us in the introduction, founded upon the Golden 
 Legend. It was intended to be used by those parish 
 priests who, by reason of "default of books " and also for 
 " simpleness of cunning," were unable to compose dis- 
 
 ^ Legenda Satictoniiii, or Loiiibardicn hystoria (Nuremberg, 1482), 
 fo. xxxiv, XXXV. 
 
 -Lcs Aiiiiali's, etc., p. 376. 
 
 ' W. de Gray Birch. Catalogue of Seals hi the British Mitsctiiii, 
 iv., 130. 
 
 ■•There is a fine copy, with Caxton's well-known monoi;ram, and 
 " Caxton me lieri fecit," in the University Library of Cambridge.
 
 74 Miracles ascribed to S. Vedast 
 
 courses of their own. But let Caxton speak for himself; 
 he is well worth hearing : 
 
 " ^ The helpe and grace of almyghty god thrugh the besechynge 
 of his blessed moder saynt mari be wyth vs at our begynnyng helpe 
 vs & spede vs here in our lyuyng | and bryng vs vnto the blisse that 
 neuer shall haue endyng Amen ".^ 
 
 " Myn owne simple vnderstodyng I fele well how it fareth by 
 other that ben in the same degree and hauen charge of soules & 
 holden to teche their parishes of all the princypalle festes that come 
 in the yere. shewynge vnto theym what the holy sayntes suffreden & 
 deden for goddys sake & for his loue | soo that they sholden haue the 
 more deuocion in goode saintes ] and wyth the better wyll come vnto 
 ye chirche to serue god and pray his holy sayntes of their helpe | But 
 for many excuse he for defaute of bokis | and also by simplenes of 
 connyng | Therfore in helpe of suche clerkes this treatis is drawen 
 out of legende aurea . that he that lyst to study therin he shall fynde 
 redy therm of al the pryncipalle festis of the yere of eche one a short 
 sermon nedeful for hym to teche | and for other to lerne . and for this 
 tretis speketh of all the hie festis of the yere . I wyll and praye that 
 it be called festiuall | the which begifiith at the first soday of aduent 
 in worship of god & all his sayntes that ben written therin | 
 
 " ^ Incipit liber qui vocatur festialis | ." 
 
 If the Rector of S. Vedast in 1527 was an unlearned 
 man, an idea which is not to be entertained for a 
 single moment, he would probably have read to his con- 
 oregation gathered in S. Vedast's Church upon S. 
 Vedast's Day (February 6) the little sermonette here 
 
 following. 
 
 " % Here foloweth ye lyfe of saynt Vedaste. 
 " Saynt Vedaste was ordeyned bysshop of Arras by y*^ hande of 
 saynt Remyge. And saynt Vedast was of moche grete holynes & 
 clennes. For wha he came to the gate of Arras he founde there 
 two poore men of whom ye one was lame & y*^ other blynde. These 
 two poore men demaunded of hym some almes. And saynt Vedast 
 answered to them & said | I have neyther golde ne syluer | but 
 this y» I haue I gyue to you. Than he made them bothe hole by 
 ye vertue of his prayer. It happed on a tyme he came in to a 
 chirche destroyed | & founde there a wolfe amonge y^ busshes | & 
 he commaunded hym y' he sholde go his waye | anone he obeyed 
 to hym & fledde ] so y' syth y' tyme he was not seen. At the last 
 whan he had conuerted moche people by his worde and predicacyon 
 to the fayth of God | & also by good ensamples shewed euydently 
 to y^ people | in the .xl. yere of his bysshopryche he sawe a doue 
 
 1 Transcribed from a copy in the Bodleian Library. Press-mark, 
 66, 13.
 
 Afiriu'Ics ascribed to S. Vedast 75 
 
 of fyrc y' came fro heuen to his hous | and !))• y< he understode wel 
 y» he sholde fynysshe & passe out of this worlde | & so he dyd. 
 For he dyed anone after aboute y^' }ere of our lord v. c. 1. whan his 
 body shold be translated | Saynt Omer whiche was blynd for age was 
 sory y« he niyght not se y^ body of saynt V'edast | & anone our lorde 
 enlumyned hym & reiidred to hym his syght and sawe the body of 
 saynt \'edast. But anone after he was biynde agayn as he had bin 
 before. Let us pra}' to hym tscc."' 
 
 The Prit'st Haimin, guardian of the Church of S. 
 Vedast rehites other wonders which arc dulv set forth 
 in the Vie de S. Vaast." 
 
 A poor man whose eyes had been torn out by the 
 civil authorities, and who from a long incarceration had 
 contracted a nervous malady, sat at the door of the 
 church to beg for the bread which he could no longer 
 obtain by labour. His limbs were crippled, he crawled 
 on hands and knees from place to place. One Christ- 
 mas night in a dream S. Vaast appears to him : bids him 
 to remain no longer at the church door, but rather to 
 enter and approach as near the sanctuary as he could. 
 He does so, and is cured. The wooden shields with 
 which he had guarded his hands and knees from injury, 
 were hung up at the portals of the church. 
 
 A priest named Hubert, a disciple of Haimin, who had 
 charge of a parish in the environs of Arras in the eighth 
 century, relates that one Wednesday, about three o'clock 
 in the afternoon the harvest labourers of his uncle, the 
 priest Imbode, were returning from the fields. As they drew 
 near the house of Dagebert the carpenter, thev saw upon 
 the threshold his wife in great distress, beating her breast, 
 tearing her hair, and uttering cries of sorrow. Her 
 husband, she said, was dying, and she feared that he 
 could not have time to receive the last sacraments. 
 Hubert hastens to give him the viaticum. The sick 
 man lies in a deplorable condition, without motion, with- 
 out speech. Consciousness returns to him — he receives 
 the sacrament — but at once relapses. Presentlv his wife 
 addresses the almost unconscious sufferer — he revives, 
 
 ' r//fc' Golden Lc'^end, Wynkyn de Worde. ([uarto, London, 1527, 
 foL Ixxxxii. b, transcribed from a copy in Sion College Library. 
 - Ch. xviii-xxiii.
 
 76 Miracles > ascribed to S. Vedast 
 
 and tells her that he has had a blessed vision of S. Vaast. 
 In two davs he is restored to health. 
 
 Balderic says: that a certain robber^ cruelly mal- 
 treated an enemy, binding his hands behind his back, 
 twisting the cords with great violence. This took place 
 in a church dedicated to S. Vaast in the diocese of 
 Liege. By the intervention of the Saint the sufferer 
 is thrice released from his bonds. 
 
 In 875, the fishermen who supplied the Abbey of S. 
 Vaast with fish, had set forth on their expedition in the 
 English Channel. They encountered other fishermen 
 in the service of other monasteries, who endeavoured to 
 anticipate them in casting their nets, and threatened to 
 drive them from the fishing ground. A sudden tempest 
 arose, and drove away the vessels of the hostile sailors. 
 The fishermen of S. Vaast implored the proteftion of 
 their patron, and the storm ceased, and they obtained 
 a marvellous draught of fishes. Henceforth the mariners 
 of Artois paid a yearly duty of two sous to the religious 
 of S. Vaast for permission to fish in these waters. 
 
 During the reign of the weak Emperor Lothaire, the 
 Abbev of S. Vaast fell into the hands of Count Adalard, 
 who enriched himself with the property of the Abbey 
 and seized upon its fair domains. One of its estates he 
 o-ave to a courtier named Lethard, who tyrannised over 
 the farmers and subjected them to heavy exactions. 
 They, in their trouble, had recourse to S. Vaast — they 
 offered to him a taper of great size — "conferentes cereum 
 mirae magnitudinis." Lethard, with his followers, was 
 about to fall upon them. Suddenly he cries aloud — 
 " Come to my aid. A man armed with a poignard is 
 about to strike me." Grasping his sword, he threatened 
 to attack his own companions. He fell into a sort of 
 madness, without, however, entirely losing his reason. 
 His only daughter whom he greatly loved, died ; and 
 was soon followed by his wife — the latter dying in 
 terrible agony, from cancer in the tongue. Lethard him- 
 self perished miserably. 
 
 ' Balderic, Lib. i., Cap. ii. " Raptor quidam pessimus."
 
 Miracles ascribed to S. l^edasf 77 
 
 Anionj^st the best estates bel()n_L(in<^ to the Abbey of 
 S. Vaast was that of Demencourt in the suburb of S. 
 Catherine near Arras. It had been rendered hii;hl\' ])ro- 
 duetive by the toil of the reH<;ious, though ori^^inally only 
 a marshy land covered with woods and brambles. The 
 Count of Arras, named Theobald, desired to possess 
 himself of this property, and with this view he approached 
 the reif(nin<^ prince, seeking from him a band of soldiers 
 so that he might take the land by force : the prince was 
 weak enough to consent to this unjust demand. Theo- 
 bald also enlisted in his scheme his colleairue the Count 
 of Rheims. This great abuse of power, this scandalous 
 injustice, was about to be completed. The religious 
 betook themselves to prayer at the tomb of S. Vaast, 
 " suumque patronum, Vedastum, turn multa precum 
 instantia currentes." ^ The guardian of the Cathedral 
 of Rheims, in the middle of the night, heard a plaintive 
 voice calling upon S. Remi. It was the voice of S. Vaast 
 pleading for his children. S. Remi bids him call 
 together his fellow-workers in the evangelisation of the 
 district : S. Omer, S. Audoen, S. Bertin with Wilmaire 
 and the preachers of the maritime parts; Amand, Quentin, 
 Gery, I'>loi and Lucien. S. Remi will bring with him, 
 Martin and the Saints of Aquitaine, the healer Medard, 
 Germain ; the two shoemakers of Soissons, the brothers 
 Crispin and Crispianus ; S. Denis and his companions. 
 They will all come to succour their servants. The guar- 
 dian or sacristan related the vision to the Bishop ; the 
 Bishop told it to the Count of Rheims, who immediately 
 prepared to set out for Arras. The Count burst into 
 boisterous laughter, asserted that the guardian had drunk 
 too deeply and hence had been the sport of a foolish 
 dream. Hardly, however, had the Count reached the door 
 of the Cathedral of S. Remi, than his horse stumbled and 
 he himself fell from the saddle and fractured his leg : he 
 was carried half-dead from loss of blood to his house. 
 Meanwhile, Theobald set forth to meet liim, but as he 
 
 ^ Guimann, Cartulaiie, p. 31S.
 
 7 8 Minicles ascribed to S. J/^edast 
 
 mounted his horse, a wasp or fly^ stung its nOvStrils, the 
 horse reared, the rider was thrown violently upon the 
 ground, fracturing his skull and expiring instantly. 
 From that time the religious of S. Vaast were no more 
 molested in their possession of Demencourt. 
 
 The most eager devourer of mediaeval stories cannot 
 desire a fuller banquet than that which has been here 
 provided. 
 
 ^ Musca equi nares occupavit, qua sonipes molestia efferatus, levatis 
 in altum calcibus, sessorem suum excutiens miserabili obitu ex- 
 tinxit. Guiman, Cartulaire, p. 319.
 
 FIGURE OF S. FOSTER, THAT IS, S. VEDAST, nixno,. Qp ARRAS, FROM A 
 WINDOW IN BLVTHBURGH CHURCH, bUFFOLK. 
 
 [To face page 79.
 
 1
 
 ( 79 
 
 VI. 
 
 S. Vedast in Art. 
 
 In Art S. Vedast appears, says Mr. Baring Gould/ 
 "with a child at his feet; or, with a wolf from whose 
 mouth he saves a goose, a popular tradition being that 
 he saved a goose belonging to some poor people from 
 a wolf that was running away with it ; or with a 
 bear." 
 
 In Das Passional, 1480, he is depicted with a wolf 
 before him in a thicket; in Cahier {Les Caracteristiques 
 des Saints dans VArt Populaire, 1867) he is represented as 
 curing a blind man.^ 
 
 Mr. Watling, a well-known Suftblk antiquarv, has 
 been so good as to send me tracings of a fine figure of 
 S. Vedast from one of the north clerestory windows of 
 the church at Long Melford ; and of another very digni- 
 fied figure from Blythburgh Church, Sufi"olk, which 'has 
 supplied the design from which a clerestory window 
 erected in 1886, in the church of S. Vedast, Foster 
 Lane, was taken. '* 
 
 Mr. Watling has also sent me some other very 
 interesting drawings illustrative of my subject. 
 
 1. From the beautiful parapet of Bl}thburgh Church, 
 Suffolk. A seated animal, probably a bear, his paws 
 resting on his knees, holding in his jaws a goose. 
 
 2. A spandrel " now over the door of a cottage in 
 Earl Stonham, but formerly in the church." Here a 
 
 ^ Lives 0/ the Saints, February 6. 
 
 '■'F. C. Husenbeth, Emblems 0/ Stiiiits, yc] edition, edited by Dr. 
 Jessop. cSvo. Norwich, 1882. 
 
 ' These figures form illustrations to the present volume.
 
 8o S. Vedast /// Art 
 
 fox is seen, with a goose held between its jaws, the body 
 of the bird sking over its shoulder. Another bird, 
 apparently an owl, looks on. 
 
 3. A spandrel from the roof of the Nave of Earl 
 Stonham Church. The stump of a tree in the centre ; 
 on the dexter, a fox with the goose in its mouth ; on the 
 sinister, a bird, perhaps a duck, is looking on. 
 
 4. A plaque on the mantlepiece of the Hall at Charter- 
 house, London. Here a fox is seen in the very a6l of 
 seizing a goose. The fox and goose is, however, so 
 common a subje6l, that I do not suggest, in this case, 
 any allusion to S. Vedast. In the case of the figure from 
 the parapet at Blythburgh, the existence of the effigy 
 of S. Vedast in the stained glass window leaves little 
 room for doubt that this may fairly be classed amongst 
 the Vedastine emblems. 
 
 The Seals of the Abbey, of the Abbots, and of the 
 Cathedral at Arras are frequently adorned with figures 
 of the Patron Saint. These Seals are very fully illustrated 
 in the Sigillographie de la Villc d' Arras, by Mons. A. 
 Guesnon^; in Mons. Terninck's Arras: histoire de V Archi- 
 tecture et des Beaux- Arts ; and in the Collection dcs Sceaux 
 of Mons. Douet d'Arcq.^ Amongst the finest examples 
 may be mentioned the Seal of Bishop Lambert in 1097 ; 
 a very fine Seal of the Abbey in 1195, sigillum ecclesie 
 SANCTi VEDASTi, a dignified figure of the Saint, seated, 
 his right hand in benediction, whilst his left holds his 
 pastoral staff; the Seal of Abbot Raoul in 1301 ; of 
 Abbot Martin Asset in 1529, very similar to that of Abbot 
 Caverel, except that the animal, which seems to be a 
 wolf, is sitting on his haunches and looking upwards to 
 Saint Vaast ; and the remarkable Seal of the illustrious 
 Abbot Philip de Caverel in 1598. This Seal is an 
 excellent piece of work : in the upper half, S. Vaast 
 standing under a canopy, the bear at his feet, holds his 
 pastoral staff" in his right hand and an open book in his 
 
 ^ Professeur au Lycee Imperial de France. See especially Plates 
 xvi.-xxi. Published at Arras and at Paris in quarto, 1865. 
 
 ^ Sous-Chef de Section aux Archives de TEmpire. (Quarto, 
 Paris, 1863.
 
 FIGURE OF S. VEDAST, BISHOP OF ARRAS. FROM A WINDOW IN THE 
 CHURCH OF LONG MELFORD, SUFFOLK. 
 
 [To /ace page 80.
 
 S. Vedast in Art 8i 
 
 left, an an^el on either side of the central fi^i^ure kneels 
 on a fald-stool and swini^s a censer; in the lower half 
 the Abhot kneels, on the dexter side are the arms of vS. 
 Vaast, on the sinister the arms of Philip : Ar^^^ent, a 
 chevron vert, between three estoiles i^ules. 
 
 Some rude, but early, medals, bearin^^ the Saint's 
 figure, are shown in Mons. Terninck's Arras, plates 
 77 and 78. 
 
 In the South Transept of the Cathedral at Arras is a 
 fine picture, saint vaast guerit un aveugle. In the fore- 
 o^round is the statelv fiijure of the Saint who lays his rif^ht 
 hand on the eyes of a blind man. Beside the Saint 
 are Clovis wearini^ his crown and royal robes, his wife 
 Clotilda, and some attendants. The principal figures 
 are dic^nified, and the effect of the entire picture very 
 pleasing. 
 
 Mr. Everard Green, Rouge Dragon, has kindly in- 
 formed me that the Arms assigned to S. Vedast are seen 
 everywhere at Downside Priory, in wood, in iron, in 
 stone, and in glass. The blazon is : Or, a cross moline 
 gules. 
 
 F
 
 (82) 
 
 VII. 
 
 S. Vedast in the Ancient English Liturgies. 
 
 1. The Benedictional of S. iEthelwold. 
 
 2. The Missal of Robert of Jumieges. 
 
 3. The Leofric Missal. 
 
 4. The Sarum Missal, Breviary, and Martyrology. 
 
 5. The York Missal and Breviary. 
 
 6. The Hereford Missal. 
 
 7. The Office formerly used at Arras. 
 
 Liturgical students will probably be interested to 
 note the various forms of devotion to S. Vedast which 
 are found in ancient English service-books. The earliest 
 which has fallen under my notice is that which occurs 
 in the Benedictional of S. Aethelwold, a contemporary 
 of S. Dunstan, and Bishop of Winchester.^ It is a 
 magnificent volume, in the possession of the Duke of 
 Devonshire, and was edited by Mr. Gage, with facsimiles 
 of the illuminations, in the Archaeologia (vol. xxiv, p. 66) 
 of the Society of Antiquaries. The date assigned to 
 the MS. is the tenth century. The text is evidently 
 corrupt, but is here printed exactly as it stands in the 
 Archaeologia, without any attempt at conjectural emen- 
 dation.^ 
 
 No. I. Benedictional of S. Aethelwold. 
 
 " In Natali Sancti Vedasti, Coaf?- 
 " Deus fundator fidei et indultor sacerdotum congregatio plebis 
 
 ^Maskell, Monumenta Ritimlia, 2nd edit., vol. i, p. 146. 
 
 ^ In the Cod. S. Theoderici, Op. S. Greg. Mag., torn, iii, fo. 640, 
 occurs " Benedictio in Nat. SS. Remigii, Germani, Vedasti, et 
 Bavonis." It is different from our Benediction, See in Lambecius 
 (403), " Hymnus de Sancto Vedasto."
 
 S. Vedast in the Liturgies 83 
 
 sanctificatio confessoris qui beatum Vedastum ad hoc armasti vir- 
 tute ut Tibi niilitaret in fide concede huic femiliac Tuac pro se hunc 
 intercessorcm quern dcdisli pontilicem. Amen. 
 
 " Sit apud Te nunc pro nobis assiduus intercessor qui contra here- 
 ticos pro Te extitit tunc assertor. Amen. 
 
 " Vt Te retnbuente populus crescat in numero pro quo sacerdos 
 sudavit in lide. Amen. 
 
 " Quod ipse praestare dignetur." 
 
 No. 2. Missal of Robert of jfumicges. — The second ex- 
 ample is taken from the Missal of Robert of Jumieges, 
 Bishop of London 1044- 1050, Archbishop of Canterbury 
 1051-1052, written about the year 1012 a.d., selections 
 from which are printed by the Rev. F. E. Warren in his 
 edition of the Leofric Missal. 
 
 " VIII hi. Feb. Nat. S. Vedasti Confessoris 
 "V.D. aeterne Deus. Cujus munere beatus Vedastus, confessor 
 et sacerdos, et bonorum operum incrementis excrevit, et variis vir- 
 tutum donis exuberavit, et miraculis coruscavit. Qui quod verbis 
 edocuit operum exhibitione complevit, et documento simul et ex- 
 emplo subditis ad caelestia regna pergendi ducatum praebuit. Unde 
 Tuam clementiam petimus, ut ejus qui Tibi placuit exemplis ad 
 bene agendum informemur, meritis muniamur, intercessionibus ad- 
 juvemur; Qualiter ad caeleste regnum, illo interveniente, Te opitu- 
 lante, pervenire mereamur. Per Christum.^ 
 
 "Kal. Oct. Nat. SS. Reniigii, Germani, Vedasti, Bavonis. 
 " V.D. aeterne Deus. Qui sanctorum Tuorum Germani, Remigii, 
 Vedasti, et Bavonis hodierna geminasti nobis in confessione laeti- 
 tiam. Qui pariter sacerdotes aegregii quod praedicaverunt ore ope- 
 ribus compleverunt, et pervenerunt ad gloriam sempiternam. Per 
 Christum Dominum nostrum.'" '•' 
 
 No. 3. The Leofric Missal. — The notice in the Leofric 
 Missal (used in the Cathedral of E.xeter during the Epi- 
 scopate of its first Bishop 1050- 1072) is brief enough, 
 consisting only of a single clause in the Litany, " Sancte 
 Vedaste, ora." But brief as the notice is, it is worthy 
 of remark, for, as the learned Editor points out, "Ve- 
 dastus is the only name in the Litany which is written 
 in rustic capitals, and ornamented with patches of red 
 and green paint. This exceptional treatment of the name 
 points to the volume having been written in a locality 
 
 ^Leofric Missal, p. 2SS. V.D. — ven- dignum. 
 -Ibid., p. 289.
 
 84 S. Vedast in the Liturgies 
 
 where S. Vedast was held in special honour ; that is to 
 say, probably in the dioceses of Arras or Cambray, dio- 
 ceses which were held together from the time of S. 
 Vedast, their first Bishop, till a.d. 1095."^ It is some- 
 what remarkable that the name of S. Vedast, though 
 so conspicuously treated here, does not occur at all in 
 the calendar prefixed to the Sacramentary. 
 
 The three following examples, Nos. 4, 5, and 6, are 
 taken from a group of English Missals ; those, namely, for 
 Sarum, York, and Hereford. 
 
 No. 4. The Sarum Missal. 
 
 ^^ Sanctorum Vcdasti et Amandi Episcoporiim. Ad Missam. 
 
 "Officiii))!. Sacerdotes ejus induant salutare : et sancti ejus ex- 
 sultatione exsultabunt. 
 
 '^ Psabmis. Memento Domine David: et omnis mansuetudinis 
 ejus. 
 
 '• Oratio. Adesto, Domine.^ 
 
 '■'■ Epistola. Plures facti sunt. 
 
 " Gradale. Sacerdotes {as above). 
 
 " V. Illuc producam cornu David : paravi lucernam Christo Meo 
 Alleluya. V . Fulgebunt justi : et tanquam scintillae in arundineto 
 discurrent in aeternum. 
 
 " Evangeli7ifn. Sint lumbi. 
 
 " Offertormm. Exsultabunt sancti in gloria: laetabuntur in cubi- 
 libus suis : exsultationes Dei in faucibus eorum. 
 
 ^'' Seer eta. Hostias laudis, Domine, Tuis altaribus adhibemus, 
 quas eorum Tibi patrociniis commendandas suppliciter exoramus ; 
 in quorum veneratione pietati Tuae haec sacrificia offerimus. Per. 
 
 " Communio. Ego vos elegi de mundo ut eatis et fructum affera- 
 tis : et fructus vester maneat. 
 
 " Postcomniunio. Sumentes, Domine, divina mysteria, quaesu- 
 mus, ut (sanctorum confessorum Tuorum atque pontificum Vedasti 
 et Amandi precibus) sanctificationem nobis jugiter operentur. Per 
 Dominum."^ 
 
 ^The Leofric Missal. Edited by F. E. Warren, B.D., F.S.A. 
 4to. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1883. Introd. p. xli ; p. 210. 
 
 ^As in Hereford Use, but reading "confessorum tuorum atque 
 pontificum." 
 
 ' Missale ad Usum Insignis et Praeclarae Ecclesiae Sarum. 
 (Burntisland.) The Officium, Psalmus, Epistola, Gradale, Evangelium, 
 Offertorium, are those for the Mass, " In Natali Plurimorum Confesso- 
 rum." Coll. 709, 715*, 716*. (Epistle, Hebrews vii, 23-27 ; Gospel, 
 S. Luke xii., 35-40.)
 
 S. Vedast in the Liturgies 85 
 
 No. 4A. The Savum Breviary. — The Sarum Breviary 
 (I quote from the valuable edition lately issued from the 
 Cambridge University Press) f^ives the Feast of SS. Ve- 
 dastus and Amandus in the calendar as a feast of nine 
 lections; but the editions of 1519 and 1526 read here, 
 as the Editors are careful to point out, " iii lectiones," 
 and three lessons only are found in the text.^ The third 
 of these lessons, the only one relating to S. Vedast, 
 stands thus : 
 
 ''Lectio III. 
 
 "■ Sanctus vir Dei Vedastus, ubi regem Lodowicum post inspera- 
 tam victoriam ab Alemannis adeptam fidei doctrina ad sacramenta 
 baptismatis perduxit, a sancto Remigio episcopus ordinatus est: et 
 Attrabatae civitati missus est verbum Dei praedicare, qui in intro- 
 itu civitatis mox caecum et claudum curavit. Rexit autem sacer- 
 dos Dei Ecclesiam Christi divina auxiliante gratia annis circiter 
 quadraginta: sub magna evangelicae praedicationis instantia. Qui 
 cum post multa virtutum insignia diem sui obitus instare divinitus 
 didicit : vocavit filios sues ad se. Et post dulcia monita pietatis 
 paternae (sacro sancto corporis et sanguinis Christi confirmatus via- 
 tico) inter manus lachrymantium spiritum emisit ; sepultus in ecclesia 
 beatae Dei genitricis in dextra parte altaris ubi quondam pontificalis 
 cathedrae fungebatur officio. In quo loco per aliquod jacuit tempus : 
 quousque Domino revelante ad locum ubi nunc fulget ejus memoria 
 est a viris Sanctis Autberto^ et Audomaro episcopis felici mutatione 
 translatus. Ubi incessanter quotidie divina celebrantur praeconia, et 
 frequenter miraculorum signa : ad laudem Domini nostri Jesu Christi 
 qui vivit et regnat in secula seculorum. Amen." 
 
 No. 43. TJie Sarum Martyrology. — There is a copy 
 of this scarce book in the British Museum.^ The title 
 is as follows : 
 
 % The Martiloge in englysshe after the vse of the chirche of Salis- 
 bury I & as it is redde in Syon | with addic30ns. 
 
 The introduction opens thus : 
 
 % Unto the deuoute reders | Rychard Whytford preest and pro- 
 fessed broder of Syon | in our lorde god and moost swete sauyour 
 Jesu Salutacyon. 
 
 and is signed by 
 
 % The sayd wretche of Syon Rychard Whytford. 
 
 ^ Breviariuin ad Usnni Sanim, fascic. iii, coll. 161-164. 
 '■^Auberto, Leg., 15 18. 
 * Press mark. C, 25, c.
 
 86 S. Vedast in the Liturgies 
 
 On folios XV and xvi is the foUowinsf notice of our 
 
 Saint : 
 
 5r The vj day of February . . . The feest also of saynt Vedast 
 called coinynly in englysshe saynt Sawster | bysshop of traiectens | & 
 of saynt Amand a bysshop also | & both gloryous | and of many 
 myracles. 
 
 just before the colophon : 
 
 •^ Praye for the wretche of Syon your moost unworthy broder 
 Rychard W'hytford. 
 
 Then the colophon, followed on the verso by Wynkyn 
 de Worde's full-page mark : 
 
 •y Thus endeth the martiloge with the Addicyons. 
 
 Imprynted at London in Fletestrete at the signe 
 
 of the Sonne | by Wynkyn de Worde. The yere 
 
 of oure lorde god, m.ccccc.xxvj, the 
 
 XV day of February. 
 
 No, 5. The York Missal. 
 
 "Sanctorum Confessorum Vedasti et AjjuhuH [VIII Id. Feb.) 
 
 " Officium. Sacerdotes ejus induantur. 
 
 " O ratio. Deus, qui nos sanctorum confessorum. 
 
 " Epistola. Plures facti sunt sacerdotes. 
 
 "Gradalc. Sacerdotes ejus. AUeluya. F. Fulgebunt justi. 
 
 '■'■ Evangelium. Sint lumbi vestri usque ad filius hominis veniet. 
 
 " Offertorium. Exsultabunt. 
 
 " Cominunio. Justorum animae." ^ 
 
 No. 5A. The York Breviary. — The first lection for S. 
 Vedast's Day is as follows : 
 
 " Egregia et omni acceptione digna merita sanctorum Christi 
 presulum Vedasti et Amandi ; sancta celebrare consuevit ecclesia. 
 Sanctusenim Vedastus : quia sitienti amico vinum de vacuo produxit 
 vasculo : laudabile et diuturnum sanctitatis sue prebet testimonium. 
 Christus igitur in Ghana Galilee de aqua vinum fecerat ; Vedastus 
 vero ex arido poculo vinum produxerat. Magnum igitur quod Domi- 
 nus : sed majus est quod gessit servus. Non tamen Vedastum Domi- 
 no: sed Dominum preponimus Vedasto." - 
 
 ^ Missale ad Usum Insignis Ecclesiae Eboracensis, vol. ii, p. 23. 
 Edited for the Surtees Society by Dr. Henderson, now Dean of 
 Carlisle. 
 
 ^ Breviarmtn ad Usum insignis Ecclesiae Eboracensis (Surtees 
 Society), ii, col. 194,
 
 S. Vcdast in the Liturgies 87 
 
 The close resemblance, in some places almost word 
 for word, between this lesson and the short Life of S. 
 Vedast, (printed supra, p. 72, from a MS. in the King's 
 Library at the British Museum), cannot fail to attract 
 attention. Is the MS. a portion of a York service-book ? 
 
 No. 6. The Hereford Missal. 
 
 " Sanctorum Vedasti et Amandi, Episcoporuni. (VIII Id. Feb.) 
 
 " Officium. Sacerdotes Dei. 
 
 " Oratio. Adesto, Domine, populo Tuo cum sanctorum confesso- 
 rum Tuorum Vedasti et Amandi Tibi patrocinio supplicanti, ut quod 
 propria liducia non praesumit, iiitercessorum Tibi placentium meritis 
 consequamur. Per L)ominum. 
 
 '* Epistola. Plures facti sunt sacerdotes. 
 
 " Gnidale. Exsultabunt sancti. V . Cantata Domino. Alleluya. 
 V . Fulgebunt justi. 
 
 " Vel Tractiis. Qui seminant. 
 
 '^ Evangel iuDi. Sint lumbi vestri. 
 
 " Offertoriuni. Exsultabunt sancti. 
 
 " Secreta. Propitiare, Domine, supplicationibus nostris, et inter- 
 cedeiitibus pro nobis Sanctis confessoribus Tuis atque pontificibus 
 Vedasto et Amando, his sacramentis caelestibus servientes, ab omni 
 culpa liberos esse concede, ut purificante nos gratia Tua, eisdem 
 quibus famulamur mysteriis emendemur. Per Dominum. 
 
 " ConnniDiio. Justorum animae. 
 
 " Postconunnnio. Deus, qui nos a delictorum contagiis expias 
 perceptione sacramentorum, praesta ut beatorum confessorum Tuorum 
 et pontificum Vedasti et Amandi meritis a cunctis eruamur adversis, 
 et caelestibus vitae deliciis perfruamur. Per." ' 
 
 No. 7. Office formerly used at Arras. — The last ex- 
 ample is not taken from an English service book : it is an 
 office formerly in use at Arras, but it has, I am informed, 
 been superseded. It is here printed from the Acta 
 San5loriim^^ 
 
 "Quae hactenus de cultu et veneratione S. Vedasti dicta, conclu- 
 dimus prolatis ex Officio Atrebatensi, Hymno, Antiphona, et Oratione 
 de S. Vudasto ; ne quis ea quoque desideret. P!)vangelium ex com- 
 muni Evangelistarum legitur ex capite x. S. Lucae, Designavit Domi- 
 nus et alios septuaginta duos, &>€. 
 
 ^ Missale ad Usum Percelebris Ecclesiae Her/ordcnsis, p. 241. 
 Edited by Dr. Henderson. 1874. 
 
 ^ Acta Sanctorum, February 6, p. 801.
 
 88 5. Vedasf in the Liturgies 
 
 Hymn us. 
 
 " Voce jucunda resonemus omnes."^ 
 
 " Vers. Confessor sancte, et sacerdos magne. 
 
 " Rcsp. Beate Vedaste, intercede pro nobis. 
 
 ^' Aiitiphonn. Hie est beatus Vedastus, quern fama celebrior 
 verbum Dei praedicaturum Chlodoveo Regi socium itineris adscivit. 
 
 " Oratio. Deus, qui nos devota B. Vedasti Confessoris Tui 
 atque Pontificis instantia, ad agnitionem Tui sancti Nominis vocare 
 dignatus es ; concede propitius, ut cujus solennia colimus, etiam patro- 
 cinia sentiamus. Per Dominum nostrum, etc." 
 
 The three Feasts of S. Vedast found in the Arras 
 Missal of to-day are : 
 
 February 6. Festum Depositionis S. Vedasti Episcopi et hujus 
 Dioecesis Patroni Secundarii, soleJiiue majus. 
 
 July 15. Festum Relationis S. Vedasti Episcopi. (Atrebati, 
 dtiplex minus.) 
 
 October i. Festum Translationis S. Vedasti Episcopi (Atrebati, 
 duplex majus). 
 
 The Hymn is printed in extenso in Carmina Vedastina. No. 8.
 
 ( 89 ) 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Churches dedicated to S. Vedast in England and 
 
 IN France. 
 
 Almost every person who visits for the first time the 
 Church of S. Vedast in Foster Lane, asks the question, 
 And who was S. Vedast ? This enquiry is usuallv 
 followed by a second. How did it come to pass that a 
 Church in the very heart of the City of London was 
 dedicated to a Saint whose name is so very unfamiliar 
 to English hagiology ? 
 
 Sir Walter Besant,^ for example, asks, " Who brought 
 the fame of Vedast and the history of his miracles to the 
 heart of London City ? " 
 
 The Bishop of Oxford in his Memorials of S. Dunsfaji,^ 
 points to " the traditionary connexion of Canterbury with 
 the Flemish Churches," and suggests that " the Church 
 of S. Vedast in the City of London, which was in the 
 patronage of the Prior and Convent (of Canterbury) up 
 to the fourteenth century, was no doubt a result or sign 
 of this connexion." The suggestion is one of great 
 interest. 
 
 I am not able to answer Sir Walter Besant's question 
 with anv certainty. But, in the lists of Sheriffs of 
 London, I observe that one Ralph d'Arras held oftice 
 in 1276. Is it possible that some ancestor of the Sherifl' 
 may have been founder of the Church, or at any rate 
 a generous benefactor to the fabric ? That the Sheriff 
 
 ' Besant, London, 1892, p. 63. 
 
 - "The most ancient MS. of the earliest Life of Dunstan is found 
 in the Library of S. Vedast at Arras." Memorials, pp. 26, 121.
 
 90 CJiiiniies dedicated to S. Vedast 
 
 came from Arras is certainly a highly suggestive circum- 
 stance : and the suggestion now offered may serve as 
 a working theory, at any rate until it is dislodged by 
 one more probable. Ralph was clearly a man in high 
 office ; it is likely therefore that he was a wealthy man. 
 The fact of his holding such an office would seem to 
 point to his having been for some time resident in the 
 City, as a mere stranger would hardly have been chosen 
 for a post so influential. If his family had been settled 
 for any length of time in London, what is there more 
 probable than that they should have desired to give to 
 a sanctuary in their parish the name of the Patron Saint 
 of the City from which they themselves had come ? 
 
 Nor is it to be forgotten that a body of Clergy from 
 Arras was settled in England in the middle of the 
 twelfth century. John Myrc, the author of Instructions 
 for Parish Priests (edited by Mr. Edward Peacock for 
 the Early English Text Society in 1868) was " a Canon 
 of Lilleshull in Shropshire, a house founded by Richard 
 de Belmeis (nephew of Richard de Belmeis, the first of 
 that name, Bishop of London) between 1144 and 1148 
 for a body of Arroasian Canons. They were a branch 
 of the order of Canons Regular of S. Austin, who took 
 their name from the City of Arras, near which their first 
 house, dedicated to S. Nicholas was situated." ^ In 
 Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum it is said that there 
 were five Houses in England which " observed S. Austin's 
 Rule according to the regulations of S. Nicholas of 
 Arroasia " ; ^ Harewold or Harwood, in Bedfordshire, 
 Nutley or Noctele in Buckinghamshire, Hertland or 
 Hartland in Devonshire, Brunne in Lincolnshire, and 
 Lilleshull in Shropshire. In the Charter of foundation 
 of Lilleshull the Canons are described as " Canonici de 
 ordine Arroasiae " : they had previously been settled in 
 the Abbey of Dorchester in Oxfordshire. Arroasia or 
 Arrowasia ^ is the Latinised name of Arrouaise, an Abbey 
 
 ^Instructions, etc. Preface, p. 5. 
 
 ^ Vol. vi, p. 38. See also pp. 330, 277, 435, 261, 750. 
 
 ^Monasticon Anglicanum, vi, 331, 436.
 
 Chit relies dciUcatcd to S. yedast 91 
 
 near Bapaume in the immediate vicinity of Anas ; of 
 which an account is ^iven in l^c Vicil Arras par C. le 
 Gentil, ju[(e au Tribunal Civil d'x'\rras, and published 
 in that Cit\' in 1^77.' The ancient name of the place 
 appears to have been A rida Ganiantia. 
 
 It will be remembered that the Bishopric of Dor- 
 chester was transferred from that place to Lincoln by 
 Bishop Remi^^ius about the year 1086.- As there had 
 been Canons from Arrouaise at Dorchester, and as these 
 Canons also had a House at Brunne in the count\-, is 
 it altogether improbable that their association with 
 Lincolnshire may have brought about the dedication of 
 the Church at Tathwell to the Patron Saint of Arras? 
 This is, however, mere conjecture : the dates of the 
 foundation of Brunne and Tathwell are too uncertain to 
 allow of a more distinct theory. 
 
 The habit of the Canons of S. Austin "was a long 
 black cassock with a white rochet over it, and over 
 that a black cloak and hood. The monks w^re always 
 shaved, but these Canons wore beards and caps on their 
 heads." ^ In Helyot's Histoire des Ordres Monastiques 
 (edition, Paris, 1714, Vol ii, p. 104-107) a Chapter is 
 devoted to the Canons Regular of Marbach and Arrou- 
 aise, and a plate is given representing a Canon of the 
 former place in his habit. 
 
 It is certain that the foundation of the Church of 
 S. Vedast in Foster Lane is of very considerable anti- 
 quity. Newcourt, in his Rcpertoriujii, mentions the name 
 of a Redtor who was presented to the living in the com- 
 mencement of the fourteenth century : 
 
 " Walt, de London, pr. 16. kal. Jul. 1308." 
 
 The Rev. George Hennessy has greatly enlarged 
 Newcourt's list,* and has discovered the names of two 
 Rectors of S. Vedast prior to Walter de London, viz : 
 
 John de Ruberge, instituted 12 August, 1291. 
 John de Sevenoke 1299. 
 
 ' See p. 716-726. 
 
 "^ Monasticon Aiiglicanum, vi, 323. 
 ^ Moiiasticoii Aiiglicdiium, vi, 38. 
 
 * In place of Newcourt's list of 33 Rectors, Mr. Hennessy has 
 a list of 43 names : in addition to g others since Newcourt's time.
 
 92 CJiu relies dedicated to S. Vedast 
 
 A series of Deeds preserved in S. Paul's Cathedral 
 carries back the existence of the parish to the middle of 
 the thirteenth century. Here is a list of these docu- 
 ments. 
 
 Deed No. 1183 defines a tenement in the parish of S. Leonard as 
 being bounded on the south by the church of S. Vedast and on the 
 west by S. Vedast's Lane. The names of the Mayor and Sheriffs 
 who witness the deed give 1284 as its date. 
 
 Deed No. 22 grants a tenement in the parish of S. Vedast before 
 the wall of S. Paul's, in veterl piscaria (this deed is not dated). 
 
 Deeds Nos. 24, 26-56, and 1732, of the reigns of Edward I, Edward 
 II, and Edward III (1272 to 1377) relate to tenements in the Lane 
 called Old Change in the parish of S. Vedast. 
 
 Deeds Nos. 25, 265, 1727-1729, of the reigns of Edward I and 
 Edward II (1272 to 1326) relate to tenements in Goderon Lane, now 
 called Gutter Lane, in the parish of S. Vedast. 
 
 Deed No. 1726 is a grant by Henry de Cornhill, Dean of S. Paul's, 
 of a piece of ground in the parish of S. Vedast, at the west end of the 
 great street called Westchepe, opposite the great bell tower, campa- 
 nale, of S. Paul's; dated 1249.^ 
 
 So the Parish of S. Vedast in London was certainly 
 in existence in the year 1249. 
 
 The church at Tathwell, in Lincolnshire, which is 
 dedicated to S. Vedast, was also of great age, for although 
 the existing building is only a brick structure about a 
 century old (as I learn from a letter with which I have 
 been favoured by the Rev. W. G. Patchell, the present 
 Vicar), yet the " low tower, much patched with brick, and 
 hidden by plaster and rough cast," contains a well pre- 
 served Norman arch between the tower and the nave." 
 No old stained glass remains, nor do any of the well- 
 known symbols of S. Vedast appear in connection with 
 the structure. 
 
 The church of S. Vedast at Norwich was certainly an 
 ancient foundation also, for, "according to the Norwich 
 Annals, by Bartholomew Cotton, the Grey Friars came 
 to Norwich in 1226, and settled between the churches 
 of S. Vedast and S. Cuthbert in Conisford, in a house 
 
 ^ See Historical Manuscripts Commission. Report ix, pp, 14b, 
 24b, 25a.
 
 Chitvches dedicated to S. Vedast 93 
 
 given to them by John de Hastingtbrd, or Haslingford, 
 who from thence is esteemed their founder." ^ This 
 church was, therefore, standing in 1226. The Rev. W. 
 Hudson, Vicar of the church with which S. Vedast's 
 parish is now united, claims for it a very high antiquity; 
 and gives good reasons for beheving that the church was 
 commenced in the reign of King Edward the Confessor. 
 "It is plain," he savs, "that the occurrence of a dedi- 
 cation to S. Vedast in Norwich at so early a period is to 
 be traced to foreign influence. The existence of that 
 influence is not difficult to discover, though it may not 
 be possible to determine exactly when it led to the dedi- 
 cation of the church." 
 
 In Dugdale's Monasticon (iv. 17) is printed a Charter 
 of Henry II. which enumerates " medietatem ecclesiae 
 Sancti Vedasti " amongst the possessions of the monas- 
 tery at Norwich. The King reigned froni 1 154 to i i8g, but 
 from internal evidence it appears that the Charter can 
 scarcely be later than 1160: so it is quite certain that 
 the church of S. Vedast existed at this early period. (In 
 26, Henry VIII., the church still appears in a list of the 
 property of the Religious House, though under the cu- 
 rious disguise of Ecclesia Sancti " Devasti.") 
 
 The Rev. W. Hudson remarks upon the circumstance, 
 that only half the revenues of S. Vedast were in 1160 
 in the possession of the monastery ; and adds that as 
 late as about the year 1200 the other half was still in 
 private hands, and was then held "in the forms of one- 
 sixth and one-third. It is this sub-division," he remarks, 
 "which makes it not unreasonable to identify the church 
 with that of which Edstan held one-sixth in the Con- 
 fessor's time. His sixth part might have been incorpor- 
 ated in the half held in 1160 by the Monks." If this 
 identification be correct the foundation of the Norwich 
 church will be carried back to the days of the Confessor. 
 
 " There are not wanting indications that in the parish 
 of S. Vedast we may trace something of the most primi- 
 
 1 Tanner, Notitia Monastica, Norfolk, li, 14; quoted in Dui^dale's 
 Monasticoi, viii, 1522.
 
 94 Churches dedicated to S. Vedast 
 
 tive history of Norwich. The great river-side meadow 
 of Nether Conisford, which extended inland almost to 
 King Street, was here penetrated in early times, not 
 only bv the navigable creek over which this bridge 
 was afterwards built, but also by another similar one 
 lower down the river on the other side of the Prince of 
 Wales' Road, which may have been the ' South Creek.' 
 
 " They are both marked in King's Map, and were 
 both covered over about the same time. In the bed of 
 the southern one the remains of an old boat were found 
 not long ago. It was near the head of these two creeks 
 that the church of S. Vedast was established, as is 
 generally supposed, before the time of King Edward the 
 Confessor. We may well imagine that the fishermen 
 who formed the earliest population of Norwich could find 
 no more convenient or secure a spot to settle on, at the 
 very foot of the Castle. Moreover the unusual dedication 
 to S. Vedast, a French bishop, suggests the inquiry, how 
 he came to be commemorated here. The name certainly 
 points to some intercourse with Flanders, where S. Ve- 
 dast lived and was honoured." 
 
 The Rev. William Hudson, Vicar of S. Peter Per- 
 mountergate, Norwich, in a history of his parish (of 
 which the first part was printed in i88g), supplies so 
 many interesting details about the Parish of S. Vedast, 
 that It is well worth while to insert them here. 
 
 "The Parish of S. Vedast," he observes, "is most 
 interesting in its early history. It contained the spot 
 where I have suggested that the ford was most probably 
 situated which gave its name to Conisford, and I believe 
 there are indications that its church was first founded at 
 a very early date indeed. It stood in Rose Lane behind 
 Cook's Hospital, and the churchyard extended from Rose 
 Lane to about the middle of the road where Cathedral 
 Street now crosses the Prince of Wales' Road. It is 
 supposed to be mentioned, though not by name, in the 
 Domesday Book of William the Conqueror, where we 
 are told that in the time of Kin^: Edward the Confessor 
 
 '& 
 
 ^ History of the Parish, etc., pp. 3-6, 23.
 
 Cli lire lies ded leafed to S. l^edast 95 
 
 a certain Edstan held the sixth part of a church in Nor- 
 wich. That means that a sixth part of the endowment 
 was in his hands. About fifty years later the sixth part 
 of S. Vedast's Church was transferred to the Almoner 
 of the Cathedral Priory, so it is thou^^ht that S. Vedast's 
 was the Church of which Edstan held a portion. The 
 name of the Saint to whom it was dedicated seems to 
 indicate a still earlier foundation. About the time of 
 King Alfred the Great there was considerable intercourse 
 between England and Flanders, and when Alfred left 
 the Danish King Guthrum in peaceable possession of 
 Eastern England on condition of his embracing Christi- 
 anity, and, not finding scholars in England to instruct 
 him, sent for some to France, a distinguished monk- 
 named Grimbald came over from S. Omer, quite close 
 to Arras. He settled at Winchester and set up a school 
 there. It is almost certain that among the books he 
 brought with him was a Life of S. Vedast who was much 
 thought of and whose life had been written by the cele- 
 brated scholar Alcuin in the time of Charlemagne. In 
 a Benedictional or service book used at Winchester not 
 long after, the name of S. Vedast is specially mentioned. 
 There is therefore nothing improbable in supposing that 
 some of Grimbald's pupils may have come here from 
 Winchester to assist in the instruction of the Danes, 
 and caused the dedication of a church to S. Vedast,' 
 whom their master had taught them to honour. This 
 would make the original foundation of the church about 
 the year a.d. goo. 
 
 " Though the Church and Parish of S. Vedast have 
 long ceased to exist, the name of S. Vedast still lingers 
 amongst us ; but in a form not easily recognizable. ^* S. 
 Faith's Lane ' is a corruption of ' S. Vedast's Lane.' 
 The change has come about in the following way : 
 The word 'Vedast' was popularly written ' Vaast,' and 
 pronounced difierently according to different dialects. 
 Here in Norwich the people pronounced it almost like 
 ' Vaist.' The lane which was near it (the Street of 
 Nether Conisford) was called by the inhabitants, ' S. 
 Vaist's Lane.' Now, it happened that at Horsham,
 
 96 ChurcJies dedicated to S. Vedast 
 
 about six miles from Norwich, a Norman knii^ht had 
 founded a monastery dedicated to S. Faith, a very 
 popular virf^-in martyr. A villai^^e sprang up round it, 
 which also took the name of S. Faith's. Here the 
 founder's family got licence to establish a fair, and for 
 many aijes ' S. Faith's Fair' for horses and cattle was 
 one of the great events of the year. So it came to pass 
 that in course of time as ' S. Vaist ' became forgotten and 
 ' S. Faith ' was a familiar name, the virgin-martyr ousted 
 the bishop from his rightful inheritance ; S. Vaist's Lane 
 became S. Faith's Lane ; and S. Vaist's Church became 
 S. Faith's Church, the change arising solely from a con- 
 fusion between two w^ords which sounded very much 
 alike. It is interesting to observe that in London, where 
 a church was also dedicated to S. Vedast, a similar con- 
 fusion has taken place with a very different result. 
 There the people pronounced ' Vaast ' like ' Vorst ' and so 
 came at last to confuse it with the word ' Forster' ; so we 
 have to this day in London S. Vedast's Church in Foster 
 Lane. It is strange that 'Foster' in London and 'Faith' 
 in Norwich should have grown, by confusion of sounds 
 out of the same word. 
 
 " One other existing relic of S. Vedast's Church must 
 not be passed over without notice. In the wall of the 
 house attached to Sillett's Stableyard, at the corner of 
 Cathedral Street and Rose Lane, is a large stone with 
 curious markings on it. I have been told that this stone 
 was built into the Churchyard wall. The supposition is 
 that it had at some time or other been taken from the 
 ruins of the church which stood at the back of the stable- 
 yard." The stone here referred to has been recently 
 removed from the wall, and deposited in the Norwich 
 Museum. It has been examined by the Bishop of Step- 
 ney, who considers that the interlaced animals repre- 
 sented upon it are of Danish work ; that it came from 
 the north, probably from Whitby, to which divStrict the 
 material of the stone belongs; that it is probably part 
 of a Churchyard Cross ; and that its workmanship points 
 to the beginning of the tenth century, probably about 
 925 A.D.
 
 Chjtrches dedicated fo S. Vedast 97 
 
 " S. Vedast's Church stood on the low f^round of 
 Sillett's vStableyard. It belon<^ed, hke those of S. Peter 
 de Parmenterf^ate and S. John the EvangeHst, to the 
 Cathedral Monastery. I have already given some 
 account of its probable orif^in, and how, in the time of 
 King Edward the Confessor, one of the principal 
 burgesses named Rdstan is supposed to have held one- 
 sixth part of its endowment. In the time of King Henry 
 I. the Monastery held half of the endowment. Somewhat 
 later Geoffrey de S. Vedast gave the monks a sixth part 
 which then belonged to him, and so by degrees they got 
 the whole. It was the custom in a large monastic 
 establishment to divide the business of the monastery 
 into separate departments, each presided over by its 
 own officer, and to appropriate different portions of 
 their possessions to the different departments. In this 
 way the endowment of S. Vedast was appropriated to 
 the Almoner of the Monastery, whose duty it was to 
 provide for the charities dispensed by the monks, and 
 the endowment of S. Peter de Parmentergate was 
 appropriated to the Infirmarer, who was expe6led to 
 provide for the wants of the monks when they were ill. 
 Of course the monks were bound to find priests or 
 chaplains to conduct the services. The Churchyard 
 included a good deal of the ground now occupied by 
 South Cathedral Street, and extended as far as the 
 middle of Prince of Wales' Road." 
 
 The Church of S. Vedast was destroyed about the 
 vear 1570, being then too dilapidated for use. The 
 churchyard was converted into a garden or orchard- 
 ground, and leased out by the Dean and Chapter of 
 Norwich as " S. Vedast's Churchyard."^ 
 
 Many churches in the French Dioceses of Arras, 
 Cambrai, Tournai, Amiens, Rheims, and Beauvais have 
 S. Vedast for their Patron. His Festival, February 6, 
 is observed in the greater number of the Dioceses of 
 France and Belgium. The grandest church raised in 
 his honour was that of the Monastery which bears his 
 
 ^ From a letter from the Rev. \V. Hudson.
 
 98 CJiurches dedicated to S. Vedast 
 
 name at Arras. The Vie dc S. Vaast from which the 
 following particulars are taken, enumerates the successive 
 buildinirs which have been here erected : 
 
 1. The church constructed by S. Aubert on the plan 
 traced by an angel/ This was destroyed by fire in 
 
 787 A.D. 
 
 2. Abbot Raddefride began to build, Abbot Radon 
 completed a new church, finished in 795 a.d. Alcuin, 
 friend and contemporary of Radon gives many details 
 of this grand work in the Poem commencing : 
 
 " Sed miserante Deo, Raddo venerabilis Abbas 
 Construxit melius et renovavit eam.'"-^ 
 
 On Easter Monday, 892 a.d., this church was partially 
 destroyed by fire, and a similar fate befell it towards the 
 close of the tenth century. 
 
 3. The church was rebuilt 1 020-1 031, after some long 
 delay, said to have been occasioned by a prevalent idea 
 that the year 1000 a.d. would be the period of the end 
 of the world. Guimann^ gives an interesting account 
 of this edifice, and of its treasures : amongst which were 
 two chalices of gold adorned with jewels, presented by 
 Charlemagne, together with the crown of that monarch, 
 and a golden frontal set with jewels for the high altar; 
 five stoles of cloth of gold, with maniples, given by Er- 
 mentrude, the wife of Charlemagne ; " forcipes San6li 
 Vedasti," the scissors with which his tonsure had been 
 made, and the saint's pectoral cross of gold on which 
 members of the Abbey took their oaths before entering 
 upon any high office.'' 
 
 4. In 1259 A.D., Abbot Paul laid the foundation of a 
 still more magnificent structure, which existed till the 
 middle of the eighteenth century. This church suffered 
 (H-eatly during the siege of Louis XI, the vaulting of the 
 
 ^See supra p. 43. 
 
 ^ See Carniinn Vedasiina, p. 43. 
 
 ^'Guimann. Cartulaire, pp. 105-112. 
 
 " " Crucicula aurea qua de coUo ejus aliquando dependisse dicitur: 
 super quam quia periculosum est jurare, homines Sancti Vedasti 
 jubentur Abbati et ecclesiae securitatem facere." Guimann, p. 108.
 
 ChitrcJies dedicated to S. Vedast 99 
 
 roof was pierced, and in 1751 the ruined church was 
 taken down. 
 
 5. The erection ot the present church was interrupted 
 by the Terror, was resumed during the first Empire, and 
 continued during the reign of the Bourbons. King 
 Charles X came to offer prayers in this church in 1827 
 during his visit to the North of France. It was con- 
 secrated June 6, 1833 by Bishop de la Tour d'Au- 
 vergne.^ 
 
 Monsieur Terninck in his Arras gives details from 
 which the following chronological table may be con- 
 structed. It does not accord very well with those just 
 given. 
 880. A.D. Cathedral destroyed by the Normans, p. 36. 
 1030. Cathedral consecrated after rebuilding, p. 47. 
 ii8g. Serious Fire, p. 88. 
 1228. Destroyed by Lightning, p. 104. 
 1259. Cathedral Rebuilt, p. 104. 
 
 1372. Tower struck by Lightning, roof destroyed, p. 114. 
 1493. Devastated by Germans, p. 138. 
 1747. Church fell, p. 198. 
 
 ' Vic dc S. Vaast. Ch. xxiv,
 
 ^ lOO ; 
 
 IX. 
 
 S. Vedast alias Foster. 
 
 In legal documents and in public notices the church 
 in Foster Lane is usually called " S. Vedast alias Foster." 
 The alias has been a source of great perplexity, for it 
 certainly appears, at first sight, that Vedast and Foster 
 can have but little in common. 
 
 So, assuredly, thought James Paterson ; ^ for he says, 
 in his Pietas Londinensis, published early in the eighteenth 
 century, in a notice of the Church of S. Vedast: 
 
 " Now it's a very beautiful church, adorned with a 
 fine altar-piece, communion-table, gallery, painting, and 
 several new monuments ; and a stately new tower, ninety 
 foot high, wherein is a peal of six fine bells. It's the 
 last of these that are dedicated to two conjunct saints ; 
 at the first it was called 6". Foster's, in memory of some 
 founder or ancient benefactor ; but afterwards it was 
 dedicated to S. Vedast, Bishop of Arras forty years ; he 
 died in 570." 
 
 He cuts the Gordian knot by inventing the fable of 
 the "two conjunct saints"; if, at least, I understand 
 him rightly : the earlier S. Foster, and the later S. 
 Vedast, — though he seems to have had some misgiving 
 here, and hints that Foster was a "founder or ancient 
 benefactor." 
 
 Newcourt falls into a similar error. He says : 
 
 "As to the Parish-Church of S. Vedast, alias Foster, 
 it stands on the East-side of Foster Lane, near the 
 South-end thereof, sometimes called S. Fosters (tho' by 
 
 ^Pietas Londijiensis, 8vo., London, 17 14.
 
 .S'. yedast alias I'ostey loi 
 
 the way, Mr. R. Smith, in his fore-citcd manuscript 
 saith, that he hnds not in any Author, the Name ot" S. 
 Foster given to any Saint, therefore rather conceives, 
 that it was first given, either from the Street where 
 situate, or from some eminent Man there dwelHng, per- 
 haps (if not the Founder) yet some special Benefactor to 
 this Church or place." ^ 
 
 Good old Thomas Fuller had, however, hit the mark 
 some fifty years earlier, for in his Church History of 
 Great Britain, published in 1655, we find the following 
 passage, which is, for other reasons, of sufficient interest 
 to be transcribed in full. He is writing about the 
 " Douay Convent in Artois," and he says that John 
 Roberts and Father Augustine "obtained leave of Pope 
 Pius Quintus and the King of Spain to build them a 
 convent in Douay ; and though Roberts, coming over 
 into England to procure the Catholics' contribution 
 thereunto, had the hard hap to meet with Tyburn in his 
 way, yet the design proceeded and was perfected. For 
 the lord abbot of S. Vedastus (Anglice, S. Forsters) in 
 Arras, a wealthy man and great favourer of the English, 
 yea, generally good to all poor people, built them a 
 cloister, and fine church adjoining, on his own proper 
 cost ; to whom, and his successors, the English monks 
 are bound to pay yearly, on the first of February, a wax 
 candle weighing three score pound, by way of homage 
 and acknowledgment of their Founder."^ 
 
 Now here it will be observed that Fuller says " S. 
 Vedastus, Anglice, S. Forsters" : in other words that S. 
 Foster is the English equivalent of the Latin Sanctus 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Stow evidently understands this, for he says, in the 
 edition of 1603 (which may be conveniently consulted in 
 the very handy reprint edited by Mr. W. J. Thoms,^ 
 a little volume which is, for many antiquarian purposes, 
 
 ^ Ric. Newcourt, Repcrtorium Ecclesiasticum Parochialc Londi- 
 nense, 410., Lond., 1708, vol. i, p. 563. 
 
 'Fuller's Church History of Britain, edited by J. S. Brewer, 
 vol. iii, pp. 501, 502. 
 
 ^Published in 1876, p. 117.
 
 I02 .S". I 'ci/ds/ alias Foster 
 
 to be preferred to the costly " best edition " edited by 
 Strype ^) : 
 
 "Then in the same street on the same north side 
 is the Saddlers' Hall, and then Fauster Lane, so called 
 of S. Fauster's, a fair Church lately new built." 
 
 Fuller and Stow were right, for the truth is, as Mr. 
 Baring Gould points out, "the name of S. Vedast has 
 gone through strange transformations. He is called 
 Vaast, Vaat, Wast, and Wat. In French, Gaston. In 
 English, Foster, a corruption marked by Foster Lane, 
 properly S. Vedast's Lane, in the City of London." In 
 the Salisbury Martyrology he appears under the name of 
 S. Sawster.""^ 
 
 A correspondence took place in the Athenaeum during 
 January, 1885, in which the corruption of Vedast into 
 Foster was discussed at length. The first step, from 
 Vedast to V^ast, is not altogether unlike the change 
 from Augustine to Austin, or from Regina to Reine. 
 From Vast to Faste is an easy transition, and this is 
 found in a deed in S. Paul's Cathedral, dated 8 Edward 
 III., where the lane in which S. Vedast's Church stands 
 is called " Seint Fastes lane." Another deed, dated 
 May 1360, styles it " Seyn Fastreslane " : from Fastres- 
 lane^ to Foster's lane is a natural change enough. After 
 the great Fire the church was called S. Vedast alias 
 Foster, a form of the name which it had never previously 
 borne. The connection between Foster and Vedast was 
 forgotten, and the name of Vedast retained for the church, 
 and that of Foster reserved for the lane in which it 
 stands. The steps in this change are Vedast, Vaast, 
 Vast, pronounced Vaust, Faste, Fastes, Fastres, Faustres, 
 Foster. 
 
 The deeds referred to in the last paragraph, as being 
 preserved in S. Paul's Cathedral, are these : ^ 
 
 ^ The best edition is the sixth, published in two vols., folio, 1754. 
 ^ See supra, in this appendix, p. 86. 
 
 ^ " Faster in Faster lane, diocis Canterbury." See "Ancient List 
 of the Parishes of London " (Stowe, Strype), ii, 124, edit. 1754. 
 
 ■* See Historical Manuscripts Coninission. Report ix, pp. 13b,
 
 S. ycdast alias Iwstcr \o'X 
 
 o 
 
 No. 1 128. A orant of a messuaj^e at tlie corner of 
 " Saint Vastes Lane " opposite to the church of S. John 
 Zachary. a.d. 1271. 
 
 A series of deeds of the reigns of Edward I. and lul- 
 vvard III., in which the same lane is called " Seint Pastes 
 Lane," and " Venella Sandi Vedasti." 
 
 No. 1780. " Seint Pastes Lane." 8 Edw. IIL 
 
 Nos. 1958, 1959. Seynt Fastres Lane." a.d. 1360. 
 
 There has recently been published in The Index 
 Library an alphabetical Catalo<rue of Wills in the Prero- 
 gative Court of Canterbury } Here are no less than seventy- 
 three wills of inhabitants of S. Vedast's parish, and the 
 name of the parish appears in these various forms : 
 
 S. Vedast 48 times 1400-1554. 
 
 S. Vedaste 9 ,, i53^-i557- 
 
 S. Faster 4 ,, 1474-1513. 
 
 S. Faister 5 ,, 1496- 1549. 
 
 S. Fauster once 1503- 
 
 S. Fouster ,, i537- 
 
 S. Foster thrice i54^-i555- 
 
 S. Fostar once i55i- 
 
 S. Forster ,, 1502. 
 
 Changes no less remarkable have occurred in the now 
 Anglicised name of Fidler. It was originallv Vieus de 
 Lupo, then Vis de Loup, Videlou : in this form it came 
 to England, where it was changed to Vidlow, Vidler, 
 and Fidler.- The change from V to F is not remark- 
 able ; it occurs in the names Vane and Fane, and in the 
 words fox and vixen.^ At Norwich, by a similar change, 
 S. Vedast's Lane was altered into S. Vaist's, and thence 
 corrupted into S. Faith's Lane.^ 
 
 At Colchester, S. Helen's Lane has been changed to 
 
 ' In two volumes, with a copious index of localities. 
 
 - Condensed from an excellent letter in the Athcnaciiiii of 3 January 
 1885, by Mr. Henry B. W'hcatley. 
 
 ■'Rev. O. \V. Tancock, Head Master of King Edward's School, 
 Norwich, Athenacuiu, 10 Jan. 1S85. 
 
 ' Rev. \V. Hudson in Original Papers of the Norfolk- and Nori.'ich 
 Archaeological Society, vol. x, Part I, pp. 1 17-142.
 
 I04 S. Vcdasf alias Foster 
 
 Tennant's lane ; and S. Osyth into Toosey ; just as in 
 London S. Olave's Street has become Toolev Street ; 
 and S. Osyth's lane contracted into Sise lane. 
 
 It must be admitted that the Saint's anxiety about 
 the pronunciation of his name was fully justified. 
 
 It has been suijijested that the Ens^lish surname Foster 
 is derived from S. Vedast ^ : but probably Mark Antony 
 Lower is right when he says: ^^ Foster, a nourisher — 
 one who had the care of the children of great men. We 
 have also Nurse as a surname. Foster, however, is' 
 sometimes a corruption oi For ester. ^^^ 
 
 In a paper contributed by the Rev. F. W. Weaver 
 to the Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological 
 Society,^ several other curious corruptions of names 
 are noted : as Agace for S. Agatha, Audrie for S. Ethel- 
 dreda, Bittle for S. Botolph, Bride for S. Bridget, Leger 
 for S. Leodegar, Loy for S. Eligius, Pallets for S. 
 Hippolytus, Parnell for S. Petronilla : whilst Tosting's 
 Well, Herswell, Rumwell, Luckwell, Skippenham Well, 
 Pedwell, represent the Wells of S. Austin, S. Ursula, S. 
 Rumbold, S. Luke, S. Cyprian, and S. Peter. 
 
 The Bishop of Stepney^ adds some other remarkable 
 examples, such as Price from Ap Rhys, Pritchett from 
 Ap Richard, Forrest from Of Orrest ; whilst " in a similar 
 manner Saint Liberius has given birth to Saint Oliver, 
 through the form Santo Liverio ; and Saint Odo to San 
 Todo from Sant' Odo." 
 
 The subject has attracted a good deal of attention 
 amongst learned French Antiquaries. In the Memoires 
 de rAcademie d'Arras,^ Monsieur le Chanoine Van Drival, 
 Secretaire - general, has written an important paper, 
 " Des diverses transformations du nom de S. Vaast." 
 
 ^ Sanctorale Catholicum, Feb. 6. 
 
 '^English Surnames, 4th edition, vol. i, p. 134, and vol. ii, 
 p. 62. 
 
 "Vol. xxxix. On a Painting of S. Barbara at Cucklington. 
 
 WfftJie Mill, p. 237. 
 
 ■' Memoires, etc., for 1886, pp. 204-208. Canon Van Drival refers 
 to the correspondence in the Athenaeum of January 3, 10, 24; and of 
 February 7, in 1885.
 
 S. Vedast alias Foster 105 
 
 He observes that cilthou«4h the hrst Kedtor of vS. Vedast, 
 Foster Lane, whose name is recorded was instituted 
 to that church in 1308, the church itself is mentioned in 
 the actes mortiiaires of a century earlier : and he suf^<^ests 
 that at the time of the Norman Conquest, or possibly in 
 the days of Edward the Confessor, a body of Frenchmen 
 passing over into Enf^land may have founded the Church. 
 It has already been pointed out {supra, p. 89) that 
 Ralph d' Arras was Sheriff of London in 1276. It may 
 be possible at a later period, when the most ancient 
 documents of the City of London are printed /;/ extenso, to 
 trace back the history of the family to an earlier date. 
 For this purpose the names of witnesses to deeds are of 
 great value.
 
 ( io6 ) 
 
 X. 
 
 Labyrinth in the Pavement of the Ancient 
 Cathedral at Arras. 
 
 In the Archaeological Journal (vol. xv. pp. 216-235) 
 is a very interesting and able paper by the Rev. Edward 
 Trollope, F.S.A. (afterwards Bishop of Nottingham) 
 entitled " Notices of Ancient and MediaevaPLabyrinths," 
 illustrated by engravings of no less than fourteen ex- 
 amples. The learned author describes several Labyrinths 
 of very ancient times, in Egypt and in Greece ; and 
 passes on to consider their frequent occurrence in 
 churches and cathedrals in Italy and in France, and 
 even in Algeria. 
 
 "An octagonal Labyrinth," he says, "thirty-four and 
 a half feet in diameter, composed of yellow and grey 
 quarries, formed part of the pavement of the Nave in 
 Arras Cathedral, until the Revolution." It was almost 
 identical in plan with a Labyrinthine pavement in the 
 parish church of S. Quentin, constructed -during the 
 twelfth century, of exactly the same size as that of Arras. 
 " A precisely similar pavement was placed in the centre 
 of Amiens Cathedral in 1288, but of a rather large size 
 measuring forty-two feet across. It was destroyed in 
 1825, but its central compartment, still preserved in the 
 Amiens Museum, consists of an octagonal grey marble 
 slab, decorated with a brass or latten-cross in the centre, 
 between the limbs of which were ranged small figures 
 of Evrart, Bishop of Amiens, the three architects of the 
 Cathedral, and four angels, cut in white marble, with a 
 legend around the whole octagon referring to the building 
 of the fabric."
 
 LABYRINTH IN TIIK PAVEMENT OF THE ANCIENT CATHEDRAL 
 
 AT ARKAS. 
 
 [To face page io6.
 
 Labyriutli nt yJrras 107 
 
 Dr. Trollopc adds that the si^nilication and use of 
 these curious works varied iVom time to time. " The 
 church had adopted them as symboheal of herself: and 
 when fi<^ures were designed in the centre of their mani- 
 fold windinf(s, such as those of deceased bishops, archi- 
 tects, or builders, ranged round a cross, instead of the 
 actual words sancta ecclesia, the same idea doubtless 
 was intended to be conveyed, and the persons so repre- 
 sented were presumed to be resting in the bosom of the 
 Church as in an Ark of Salvation. But afterwards, these 
 Lab}'rinths were made to serve another purpose, and 
 received an entirely new name. This was when the 
 period of the Crusades w^as drawing to a close, and when 
 certain spots nearer home than Jerusalem began to be 
 visited by pilgrims, instead of their actually resorting to 
 Palestine : and a pilgrimage to our Lady of Loretto, to 
 S. James of Compostella, or even to the shrine of S. 
 Frideswide at Oxford, to that of S. Thomas of Canter- 
 bury or of S. Hugh of Lincoln, began to be looked upon 
 as too great an exertion on the part of the faithful. 
 
 " Then Labyrinths became, as it is stated, instru- 
 ments of performing penance for non- fulfilment of 
 vows of pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and were called 
 Chemins de Jerusalem,^ as being emblematical of the 
 difficulties attending a journey to the real Jerusalem, or 
 of those encountered by the Christian before he can reach 
 the heavenly Jerusalem : whence the centre of these 
 curious designs was not unfrequently called ciel. And, 
 linally, they were used as a means of penance for sins 
 of omission or commission in general : penitents being 
 ordered to follow out all the sinuous courses of these 
 Labyrinths upon their hands and knees, to repeat so 
 many prayers at fixed stations, and others when they 
 reached the central ciel, which in several cases took a 
 whole hour to effect ; whence these works, as stated by 
 
 ' A drawing, made during the last century, representing a Lah}-- 
 rinth in the Abbey Church of S. Bertin at S. Onier, has this in- 
 scription : " Kntre du Chemin de Jerusalem autrefois marque sur 
 le carreau de I'Eglise de S. Bertin."
 
 io8 Labyrinth at Ayras 
 
 JM. \\'allet/ were not unfrequently termed La lieuey 
 
 In the Nave of Chartres Cathedral, a large circular 
 Labyrinth exists; it is figured in the Archaeological Jour- 
 nal, and is thirty feet in diameter, its path being 668 
 feet in length. At Sens, there was a similar work, the 
 lines being filled in with lead : it is said to have required 
 2,000 steps in order to reach the centre. 
 
 The design of the Labyrinth at Arras, which forms 
 the illustration of this note, is taken from Mons. Ter- 
 ninck's Essai historique et monographique siir I'ancienne 
 Cathedral d' Arras (Quarto, Paris and Arras) pp. 55-57, 
 with an accompanying plate. The Labyrinth is also 
 figured in Arras et ses Monuments, sommaire historique, 
 statistique, et chronologique (8vo., Arras, 1853.) 
 
 Those who desire further information on this curious 
 subject are referred to Dr. Trollope's paper, which, as 
 will have been observed, has supplied the material for 
 the present note. 
 
 ^ M. Wallet. Description d'une Crypte et d'un Pave mosa'iqut 
 de lancienne eglise de S. Bertin a Saint-Omer. Douai, 1843.
 
 ( I09 ) 
 
 XL 
 
 The Sainte Ampoule. 
 
 The word Ampullae frequently denotes "the flasks or 
 cruets, generally of precious metal, which contain the 
 wine and water used at the Altar." In some parts of 
 Germany these vessels are known by the name of 
 " pollen," which is probably derived from ampullae. 
 
 More commonly, however, the term ampulla denotes 
 a vessel used for consecrated oil or chrism. In the 
 Grei^orian Sacramentarv, in the directions for the bene- 
 diction of Chrism, on Thursday in Holy Week, 
 "Ampullae duo cum oleo " are to be prepared. 
 
 By far the most renowned ampulla of this kind is that 
 which was said to have been broui^ht bv a dove from 
 heaven at the Baptism of Clovis. " Hincmar, in the 
 service which he drew up for the coronation of Charles 
 the Bald, 840 a.d., speaks of the first Christian King of 
 the Franks havins: been anointed and consecrated with 
 the heaven-descended chrism, whence that which he 
 himself used was derived (coelitus sumpto chrismate, unde 
 nunc habemus, perunctus et in regem sacratus), as if of a 
 thing well known." 
 
 " In Flodoard, who wrote in the first half of the tenth 
 century, we find the legend fully developed. He tells 
 us,^ that at the Baptism of Clovis, the clerk who bore 
 the chrism was prevented by the crowd from reaching his 
 proper station ; and that when the moment for unction 
 arrived, S. Remi raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, 
 
 ^ Historia Ecclesiac Rcmensis i. 13, in Migne's Patrologin, vol. 
 cxxxv. p. 52, c.
 
 no The Sainte A)]ipoiile 
 
 when ' ecce subito columba ceu nix advolat Candida rostro 
 deferens ampullam caelestis doni chrismate repletam.'"^ 
 
 The Article Ampulla in the Dictionary of Christian 
 Antiquities, from which the above paragraphs are taken, 
 contains an iUustration of an ampulla of the seventh 
 century. 
 
 There does not appear to be any contemporary or even 
 earlv mention of this curious and poetical legend. 
 
 The first mention of the story of the Sainte Ampoule is 
 found in Hincmar {Coronationes Regiae : Migne, Patrologia 
 Latijia, vol. cxxv., p. 806), and is therefore of very late 
 origfin. In a note to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the 
 Roman Empire (edition of 1853-5, iv., 166) it is said that 
 the Abbe de Vertot (Memoires de I Academic des Inscriptions, 
 torn, ii., pp. 619-633) has undermined the foundations of 
 the story with consummate dexterity. I have not seen 
 this memoir. 
 
 In Baedeker's Handbook to Northern France'^ an account 
 is given of the Treasures preserved in the Cathedral at 
 Rheims. Amongst these is the 
 
 " Sainte Ampoule, the successor of the famous 
 Ampulla Remensis, which a dove is said to have brought 
 from heaven at the Baptism of Clovis. With the in- 
 exhaustible oil which this flask contained all the Kings of 
 France were anointed down to Louis XVI. During the 
 Revolution the sacred vessel was shattered, but a fragment 
 was piously preserved in which some of the oil was said 
 still to remain. This was carefully placed in a new 
 Sainte Ampoule, and used at the Coronation of Charles 
 X. in 1825." 
 
 Carlyle, in his inimitable style, gives a graphic account 
 of the iconoclasts at Rheims.^ " Last and grimmest of 
 all, note old Ruhl, with his brown dusky face and long 
 white hair ; of Alsatian Lutheran breed ; a man whom 
 age and book-learning have not taught ; who, haran- 
 guing the old men of Rheims, doth hold up the sacred 
 
 ^ See supra, p. 24. 
 
 2 Edition of 1894, p. 127. Reims. 
 
 * French Revolution, Book v., Ch. ii., under date 1791.
 
 The Saiiite Ampoule 1 1 1 
 
 Ampulhi (Heaven-sent, wherefrom Clovis and all Kin^^s 
 have been anointed) as a mere worthless oil-bottle, and 
 dash it to sherds on the pavement there ; who alas, shall 
 dash much to sherds, and finally his own wild head by 
 pistol shot, and so end it." 
 
 And indeed that traffic end soon came : for " Old Ruhl 
 shot a pistol throu<^h his old white head ; dashed his life 
 to pieces as he had done the sacred Phial of Rheims." ' 
 
 A picture in the North Transept of the Cathedral of 
 Rheims represents the Baptism of Clovis. 
 
 ' Ibid, Book w, Ch. v., under date 1795.
 
 ( 112 ) 
 
 XII. 
 
 Note on the Library at Arras. 
 
 In the second Voyage Litteraire de deux Religieux 
 Bhiedictins de la Congregation de Saint Maiir ^ is a very 
 pleasant account of their visit to the Abbey of S. Vaast. 
 The two fellow-travellers were Dom Edmund Martene 
 and Dom Ursin Durand, and the object of their mission 
 was historical research. They record, with evident 
 gratification, the hospitality with which they were re- 
 ceived ; they relate their generous treatment by the 
 Grand Prior, and their cordial welcome from the aged 
 Bishop. They give some account of the Treasury of the 
 Abbey, and note some ritual peculiarities in the service. 
 But, of course, the chief interest for them centres in the 
 Library. "La Bibliotheque est excellente, soit pour 
 le nombre, soit pour la qualite des livres, et passe avec 
 justice pour la meilleure et la plus nombreuse qui soit en 
 province. . . Ce que nous venons de rapporter nous 
 fait voir que les six incendies qui sont arrivees a 
 S. Wast, n'ont pas tout consume, et nous font aisement 
 juger des tresors immenses que nous y trouverions, si 
 nous avions tout ce que les flammes nous ont ravi ; mais 
 ce n'est pas seulement la bibliotheque et les archives 
 qu'on doit admirer a S. Wast. Tout y est grand et 
 magnifique. L'eglise est comparable aux plus belles du 
 royaume, grande, large, elevee, delicate, et ornee : sur- 
 tout le tour des chapelles et le choeur. Les chaires sont 
 d'un travail immense. L'histoire de I'ancien et du 
 nouveau testament y est representee. L'autel est simple 
 
 ^ Quarto. Paris. 1724. pp. 62, 65, 66.
 
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 Library at Arras 113 
 
 selon I'ancien iisa^e, mais derriere I'autel on voit une 
 pyramide de pierre soutenue par quatre colomnes de 
 porphyre, au-dcssus de laquellc sont Ics corps dc S. 
 Wast, de S. Adulfe et de S. Ranulte, dans trois chasses 
 d'argent." 
 
 They mention the mai^nihcent Evan<(eHaire de S. 
 Vaast : " Un tres-beau texte des Evan<(iles ecrit en 
 lettre d'or, qui servit autrefois a la messe." It is indeed 
 " un tres-beau texte," written on purple vellum in alternate 
 lines of i^old and silver, and containin<( the Gospels for 
 certain Holy Davs. 
 
 This wonderful book has been made the subject of 
 a mono^^raph, entitled " L'Evangeliaire de Saint Vaast 
 d'Arras et la calli^j^raphie Franco-Saxonne du IX'' siecle, 
 par Leopold Delisle," published in Paris in 1888, and now 
 out of print. It contains a series of five fine plates, 
 illustrating^ the admirable illuminations of the manuscript. 
 
 The learned Benedictines also supply an illustration 
 (not, it must be confessed, an accurate one) of the seated 
 monk, so delicately traced in the original manuscript, an 
 exact facsimile of which will be found in the present 
 volume. The scribe, they say, represents the Rodulfus 
 of the verses commencinsf " Hunc eiro Rodulfus." ^ 
 *' Parmi les plus anciens manuscrits il y en a un de S. 
 Au<;ustin sur les Pseaumes, ecrit dans le neuvieme siecle; 
 a la tete duquel le moine Rodulfe qui I'a copie est ainsi 
 represente avec I'ancien habit monastique des religieux de 
 S. Wast." 
 
 It is impossible to describe, in this place, the precious 
 treasures of the Arras Library, with its eleven hundred 
 manuscripts."*^ It is exceedingly rich in Liturgical manu- 
 scripts belonging to Arras itseh\ Of Arras Missals, there 
 are two of the thirteenth century, Nos. 309, 334 ; five of 
 the fourteenth, Nos. 297, 303, 391, 687, 886 ; two of the 
 fifteenth, Nos. 275, 638. Of Arras Breviaries, one of the 
 fourteenth century, No. 412 ; two of the fifteenth, Nos. 
 356, 768. Of Hymns, an extremely valuable collection, 
 
 ' Printed in Carmina Ved(isfi?iii, p. 47. 
 
 "See a few words upon the subject in Cnrni'uia Wdastina, p. \iii. 
 
 l\
 
 114 Library at Arras 
 
 compiled in the eleventh century, No. 734, laid under 
 contribution in Carmlna Vedastina. 
 
 These are but a few of the Liturgical treasures of the 
 collection. The printed Catalogue of manuscripts in the 
 Librar}', carefully compiled, is of great value to the 
 student ; and much interesting information will be found 
 in Canon Van Drival's L'Abbaye de Saint Vaast d' Arras, 
 printed at Arras in 1877. The Library itself is a noble 
 building. A good view of it is given in the last-named 
 work.
 
 ( 115J 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Illustrations to the Present Volume. 
 
 Two of these illustrations are taken from windows in 
 Suffolk churches, and were traced by Mr. Watlin*:^, who 
 devoted much time to the examination of the painted glass 
 remainincr in the countv. 
 
 1. From Blythburgh Church, The fragment of in- 
 scription beneath the figure supplies three letters only of 
 the Saint's name, s. fos . . . , a portion of the letter t 
 can still be read. The whole name should be s. foster, 
 an alternative name for s. vedast. The Saint is vested 
 in episcopal robes, holds his pastoral staff in his left 
 hand, whilst his right is raised in benediction : at his 
 feet are a fox or wolf, and a dead goose. 
 
 2. From Long Alelford Church. Here also the Saint 
 is episcopally vested, but the fox is at his feet with the 
 goose hanging over his back, the head of the goose 
 between the fox's jaws. 
 
 The two following illustrations are taken from manu- 
 scripts at Arras, both of the eleventh century. The 
 admirable tracings were executed by Monsieur Lavoine. 
 
 3. This facsimile, which is exactly the size of the 
 original, is part of a delicately-executed border which 
 frames some verses composed by Rodulphus de Monchy, 
 printed in Carmina Vedaslina, p. 47. (The MS. itself. 
 No. 860, is a commentary on the Psalms, by S. Jerome.) 
 Here is seen S. Vedast seated on a throne in heaven, 
 a long scroll before him, on which he is tracing characters 
 with a pen : a kind of inverted rainbow hangs beneath 
 him. The throne on which the Saint sits is coloured 
 Cfreen, the backiiround behind the figure glows with roseate
 
 1 1 6 Ilhisfrations 
 
 hues ; the letters which he is tracinsj on the scroll are 
 lic^htlv indicated, but are not legible. The arc of the 
 rainbow is tinted with various lines of gold colour, of red, 
 and of green. Below him sits a scribe, his hood thrown 
 back from his head, writing from the dictation of the 
 Saint on the pages of an open book : the letters are black 
 with a rubricated initial. The inkhorn on his right is 
 placed in a cup-like stand, its stopper secured by a string. 
 The whole composition is very delicately drawn. 
 
 4. This very curious illustration is taken from MS. 
 No. 903 in the Arras Library, the Tractatus de Trinitate 
 of S. Augustine. The original picture is drawn with a pen, 
 and is of the same age as the manuscript, that is to say, 
 of the eleventh century. Here the scribe, Evrardus by 
 name, offers his book, this very treatise, to S. Vedast 
 in heaven. The Saint wears no mitre, but he holds in 
 his hand his pastoral staff, and a nimbus surrounds his 
 head. Below his feet are the following verses : 
 
 Scire volens summam Deitatem cuncta creantem 
 Ter quinos hinc, lector, habes ex ordine libros, 
 Quos Augustinus, claro sermone retexens, 
 Edidit insignis rethor studio vehementi. 
 Ergo, Vedaste, favens scriptoris suscipe munus 
 Evrardi poscens regnum miserando polorum. 
 
 5. A Labyrinth formerly existing in the pavement of 
 the ancient Cathedral of Arras. This has already been 
 described in a preceding article, No. IX. 
 
 6. A stamp forthe covers of books used in 1610 in the 
 Library at Arras. 
 
 A figure of the Bishop standing, in benediction, 
 holding his pastoral staff. At his feet the bear, his 
 frequent companion. On either side two branches, 
 perhaps intended for palms. Beneath his feet three shields : 
 
 Dexter. Or, a cross moline gules : for S. Vedast. 
 
 Centre. Argent, a chevron vert between three estoiles gules : 
 
 for Abbot Philip de Caverel. 
 Sinister. A castle with three towers : for Arras. 
 
 Each of these shields is ensigned by a pastoral staff, and 
 in the case of the centre shield, a mitre is added.
 
 ( 11/ ) 
 
 XIV. 
 
 List of a few Books Relating to S. Vedast 
 AND TO Arras. (In my own Collection). 
 
 LITURGICAL. 
 
 Missale Parisiense cum Proprio Atrebatensi. 4to. Paris, 
 
 1841. 
 Breviarium Atrebatense. 8vo. Paris, 1834. 4 vols. 
 Rituale ad usum Dioecesis Atrebatensis. 4to. Arras, 1757. 
 Supplement aux Graduel et Antiphonaire Romains pour 
 
 le Diocese d'Arras. 8vo. Arras, i88g. 
 Eucologe (fran9ais-latin) du Diocese d'Arras. i2mo. Lille, 
 
 Office Divin complet en Latin et en Francais a I'usao-e 
 du Diocese d'Arras. 8vo. Arras, c. 1827. 
 
 HAGIOLOGY. 
 
 Acta Sanctorum. (Bollandist). Volume containing Feb. 6. 
 Les Petits Bollandistes. 8vo. Paris, 1880. (17 volumes). 
 Vie de Saint Vaast premier Eveque d'Arras. 8vo. Arras 
 
 Memoires de I'Academie des Sciences, Lettres, et Arts 
 d'Arras. 
 
 Series ii. Tome xvii. 8vo. Arras, 1886. 
 
 p. 193. Polemique sur le Lieu de Naissance de 
 
 Saint-Vaast, par ^L le Chanoine Van Drival. 
 p. 204. Des diverses transformations du Nom de 
 
 S. Vaast. 
 p. 209. Vita Sanctissimi ac Beatissimi Vedasti 
 
 Episcopi et Confessoris. [See appendix i. pp. 
 
 47-58].
 
 1 1 8 Bibliography 
 
 Memoires. Series ii. Tome v. 
 
 p. 251. Le lieu de naissance de S. Vaast : dis- 
 sertation historique, par M. I'Abbe Van Drival. 
 
 ARRAS : THE CITY AND THE ABBEY. 
 
 L'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast : Monographic Historique, 
 
 Archeologique, et Litteraire de ce Monastere par 
 
 MM. Adolphe de Cardevacque et Auguste Terninck. 
 
 4to. Arras, 1865-8. 3 vols. 
 
 Arras, Histoire de I'Architecture et des beaux-arts, par 
 
 A. Terninck. 4to. Arras, 1879. 
 L'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras : description et histoire 
 des batiments, par M. le Chanoine E. Van Drival. 
 4to. Arras, 1877. (Statistique Monumentale du 
 departement du Pas-de-Calais). 
 Recherches sur les Monuments et les Objets d'Art relatifs 
 a I'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast par Auguste Terninck, 
 accompagnees d'une etude numismatique par L. 
 Dancoisne. 4to. Arras, i86g. 
 Sigillographie de la Ville d'Arras et de la Cite . . . par A. 
 
 Guesnon. 4to. Arras et Paris. 1865. 
 Essai Historique et Monographique sur I'ancienne 
 Cathedrale d'Arras, par M. Terninck. 4to. Paris 
 et Arras. N.D. 
 Le Tresor Sacre de la Cathedrale d'Arras ... par M. 
 
 I'Abbe E. Van Drival. 8vo. Arras, i860. 
 Le Vieil Arras, ses Faubourgs, sa Banlieue, ses Environs, 
 Souvenirs Archeologiques et Historiques par C. le 
 Gentil. 8vo. Arras, 1887. 
 Catalogue des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque de la Ville 
 
 d'Xrras. 8vo. Arras, i860. 
 Notice sur I'ancienne Cathedral d'Arras et sur la nouvelle 
 
 eglise Saint-Nicholas. 8vo. Arras, 1839. 
 Reglements Ecclesiastiques et Statuts pour le Diocese 
 
 d'Arras. 8vo. Arras, 1855, avec supplement. 
 La Place Saint-Vaast et la Croix dite de S. Bernard par 
 
 Henri Loriquet. 8vo. Arras, 1884. 
 Arras et ses Monuments, sommaire historique, statistique, 
 et chronologique. 8vo. Arras et Plancy. 1853.
 
 Bibliography 1 1 9 
 
 Arras Gallo-Romain. Description d'objets de cette 
 
 cpoque et topot^raphie de la ville antique, par A. 
 
 Terninck. Bvo. Arras, 1886. 
 Daily Lile at Old S. Gregory's at Douai, with an 
 
 Inventory of 1636. [Downside Rcvieiu. Vol. xi., 
 
 No. I., 1892. pp. 29-49). 
 
 CHRONICLES AND CARTULARIES. 
 
 Cartulaire de I'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras redif^^e au 
 XI P siecle par Guimann, et publie pour la premiere 
 fois, au nom de I'Academie d'Arras par M. le 
 Chanoine Van Drival. 8vo. Arras. 1875. 
 
 Ambassade en Espa<;ne et en Portugal (en 1582) de Dom 
 Jean Sarrazin, Abbe de S. Vaast. . . par Philippe 
 de Caverel. 8vo. Arras, i860. 
 
 Necrologe de I'Abbaye de S. Vaast d'Arras publie pour 
 la premiere fois au nom de I'Academie d'Arras par 
 M. le Chanoine Van Drival. 8vo. Arras. 1878. 
 
 Les Annales de Saint-Bertin et de Saint-Vaast, suivies 
 de fragments d'une chronique inedite. . . par I'Abbe 
 C. Dehaisnes. 8vo. Paris. 1871. 
 
 Le College de Saint-Vaast a Douai 1619-1789, par M. 
 Adolphe de Cardevacque. (Memoires de la Societe 
 d'A";riculture de Sciences et d'Arts scant a Douai. 
 Deuxieme Serie. Tom. xv., pp. 89-208). 8vo. 
 Douai. 1882. 
 
 Chronique d'Arras et de Cambrai par Balderic, Chantre 
 de Terouane au XP' siecle. . . par le Docteur Le 
 Glay. 8vo. Paris. 1834. 
 
 Chronique d'Arras et de Cambrai par Balderic . . . tra- 
 duite en Francais, d'apres Tedition latine de M. Le 
 Glay par M. Faverot. 8vo. Valenciennes. X.D,
 
 ( I20 ) 
 
 XV. 
 
 List of Rectors of S. Vedast, Foster Lane, in the 
 City of London, from 1291 to the Present Time. 
 
 For this list I am indebted to the courtesy of the Rev. 
 George Hennessy, who is preparing for pubhcation a 
 work, entitled "Novum Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Par- 
 ochiale Londinense," and who has favoured me with this 
 important extract from his manuscript. It is by far the 
 fullest and most accurate list which has ever been printed, 
 and is the result of close and careful study of Episcopal 
 Registers, Patent Rolls, Original Wills, and other 
 authentic sources of information. 
 
 LIST OF rectors. 
 
 John de Ruberge ----- 1291 
 
 John de Sevenoke- - - . - 1299 
 
 Walter de Salerns, alias de London - 1308 to 1350 
 
 John de Watford - - - - 1313 
 
 Richard Symon de Northwolde - - 1316/7 
 Walter called " le Fuster "- 
 
 John de Pryttlewell - - - - 1322 to 1327 
 
 William de Rothwell - - - - 1327 
 Robert de Stokes . - - - 1335 
 
 Hugh Aunfray ----- 1335 
 
 Robert Luke ----- 1350 to 1351 
 
 Thomas Vaghan - - - - - 1351 
 
 William de Cranesley - - - - 1358/9^01363 
 
 John de Hermesthorp - - - - 1364/5 
 
 John de Lynton ----- 1367 to 1391 
 
 Henry Brown _ - - - . 1396 ,, 1404 
 
 Richard Cawdray ----- 1421 ,,1421/2 
 
 Henry Penwortham - - - - 1421/2
 
 Rectors of S. Vedast 
 
 121 
 
 Robert Felton . . - - 
 
 Richard Andrew, ll.d. 
 
 Adam Moleynes . - - - 
 
 William Skelton, ll.h. 
 
 Robert Smith . . . . 
 
 Haymund Haydock, s.t.b. 
 
 Thomas Rotheram, al'uu Scott, s.t.h. 
 
 Edmund Lichfield, a.m. 
 
 David Williams, d.d. - 
 
 William Skyby, a.m. 
 
 John Argenteyn. - - - - 
 
 John Peers, ll.b. - - - - 
 
 John Peers ----- 
 
 Richard Champion, a.m. 
 
 Richard Ridge . - - - 
 
 Gilbert Laybourne, s.t.b. 
 
 William Morsett - - - - 
 
 Martin Clipsham - - - . - 
 
 Thomas Blage, b.a. 
 
 Joshua Gilpin, m.a. 
 
 Michael Rabbet, s.t.b. - 
 
 James Batty, m.a. - - - - 
 
 FOULKE BeLLERS, M.A. - - - 
 
 interregnum. 
 
 Christopher Shute, s.t.p. 
 
 Usher ----- 
 
 William Masters, m.a. - - - 
 Marmaduke Hopkins 
 Benjamin Ibbot, m.a. 
 Nathaniel Marshall, ll.b. - 
 Isaac Maddox, d.d. 
 John Thomas, d.d. . . _ 
 
 Theophilus Lewis Barbault, m.a. 
 Francis Wollaston, m.a., ll.d. 
 TiNDAL Thompson Walmsley, b.d.- 
 Thomas Pelham Dale, b.a. - 
 William Sparrow Simpson, d.d. 
 
 1425 to 
 
 1438 
 
 1438 „ 
 
 1440 
 
 1440 „ 
 
 1440 
 
 1440 ,, 
 
 1448 
 
 1448 „ 
 
 1457 
 
 1457 nl 
 
 465/6 
 
 1465/6,, 
 
 1467 
 
 1467 n 
 
 1479 
 
 1479 ,, 
 
 1482 
 
 1482 ,, 
 
 1488 
 
 1488 „I 
 
 507/8 
 
 1507/8,, 
 
 
 1523 ,, 
 
 1536 
 
 1536 ,, 
 
 1542 
 
 1542 ,, 
 
 1550 
 
 1550 
 
 
 1564 
 
 
 
 -^Sl"^ 
 
 1571 to 
 
 1578 
 
 1578 „ I 
 
 603/4 
 
 1603/4 to 1617 
 
 I6I7 ,, 
 
 1645 
 
 
 1643 
 
 1661 to 
 
 1663 
 
 
 I67I 
 
 1671 to 
 
 1684 
 
 1684 „ 
 
 1707 
 
 "^1^1 ,, 
 
 I7I6 
 
 I7I6 „ 
 
 1729 
 
 1729/30 
 
 ,1736 
 
 1736 „ 
 
 1744 
 
 1744 ,, 
 
 1779 
 
 1779 „ 
 
 I8I5 
 
 I8I5 ,, 
 
 1847 
 
 1847 M 
 
 1882 
 
 1882 

 
 1 22 Rectors of S. I ^C(/(7Sf 
 
 Notes on a few of the Rectors. ^ 
 
 Walter de London was Prebendary of Brownswood, 
 in S. Paul's Cathedral, from about 133 1 to 1336. In 1335 
 he became Dean of Wells. He was the King's confessor 
 and almoner. 
 
 William de Rothwell was presented by the King to 
 the prebendal stall of Isledon, in S. Paul's Cathedral, 
 22nd July, 1350. He became Archdeacon of Essex, 20th 
 
 June, 1351. 
 
 John de Hermesthorp was Master of S. Katherine's 
 Hospital, 26th December, 1368. On 13th May, 1363, the 
 King-, whose chaplain he was, made him Prebendary of 
 S. Stephen's, Westminster ; a preferment which he soon 
 resigned, though he resumed it in 1366. 
 
 Richard Cawdray became Rector of S. Dunstan-in-the- 
 East in 1439. He was Dean of the Collegiate Church of 
 S. Martin-le-Grand in the same year. 
 
 Henry Penwortham became Rector of S. Mar3'-le-Bow, 
 2ist December, 1420. 
 
 Robert Felton was Prebendary of Caddington Major, 
 in S. Paul's Cathedral. 
 
 Adam Moleynes was Prebendary of Weldland, in 
 S. Paul's Cathedral. In September, 1440, he became 
 Archdeacon of Sarum, and in the following year, Dean 
 of that Cathedral. He was also Dean of S. Burian, 
 Cornwall. In 1445 he was consecrated Bishop of 
 Chichester, and was made keeper of the Privy Seal. 
 " He was slain at Portsmouth by the Mariners suborned 
 thereunto by Richard, Duke of York, gth June, 1449." 
 
 Haymund Haydock became Rector of S. Mary-le-Bow, 
 17th April, 1456. 
 
 Thomas Rotheram was a Fellow of King's College, 
 Cambridge, then Master of Pembroke Hall, Chaplain to 
 King Edward IV., Provost of Beverley, keeper of the 
 King's Privy Seal, Bishop of Rochester, 1467 ; Bishop of 
 Lincoln, 1471 ; Lord Chancellor, 1474 ; Archbishop of 
 
 ^ For Rectors prior to 1708, these notes are derived mainly from 
 Newcourt and Le Neve : after that period, from various sources.
 
 Rectors of S. yedtxst 1 23 
 
 York in 1480. He died, it is said, of the plague, 2gth 
 May, 1500. 
 
 David Williams became Rect(jr ol S. Dunstan-in-the- 
 East, 24th May, 1482, Master of the Rolls, 26th 
 November, 1487 ; died 1492. 
 
 Richard Ridf^e was perhaps the last Abbot of Notley, 
 near Long Crendon, in Buckinghamshire. 
 
 Martin Clipsham became Rector of Stanford-le-Hope, 
 in the county of Essex, 14th May, 1584. 
 
 Thomas Hlage became Rector of Braxted Magna, in 
 the countv of Essex, gth September, 1570. On 1st 
 Eebruarv, 1591-2, being then Master of Clare Hall, 
 Cambridge, he was made Dean of Rochester : he died 
 in October, 161 1. 
 
 Joshua Gilpin became Rector of S. Anne, Aldersgate, 
 2nd September, 1575. 
 
 James Batty "was for his loyalty in the late rebellion 
 of 1642, sequestered, plundered, forced to flie, and died." 
 [Mcrciirius Rusticus, p. 254). 
 
 Christopher Shute, Prebendary of Portpool, in S. 
 Paul's Cathedral, was collated to the Archdeaconrv of S. 
 Albans, 30th June, 1664, and died 24th April, 1671. 
 
 William Masters became Prebendarv of Caddin""ton 
 Major, in S. Paul's Cathedral, 14th February, 1666-7. 
 
 Benjamin Ibbot became Prebendary of W^estminster, 
 26th November, 1724. He had previously been Treasurer 
 of W^ells Cathedral, 13th November, 1708; Boyle 
 Lecturer in 1713 and 1714; Rector of S. Paul's, Shadwell. 
 He died in April, 1725. 
 
 Nathaniel Marshall was made Canon of Windsor, 
 1st May, 1722, and died 5th February, 1729-30. 
 
 Isaac Maddox became Dean of Wells in 1773 ; Bishop 
 of S. Asaph, 1736 ; translated to Worcester, 1743 ; died 
 27th September, 1759. 
 
 John Thomas was chaplain in ordinary to the King ; 
 Dean of Peterborough 1740; Prebendary of Westminster 
 and Canon Residentiary of S. Paul's, 1742 ; Bishop of 
 Lincoln, ist i\pril, 1744; translated to Salisbury in 1761, 
 He died 20th July, 1766, aged 85, and was buried in 
 Salisbury Cathedral. (It is very remarkable that there
 
 124 Rectors of S. Vedast 
 
 were three contemporary Bishops named John Thomas ; 
 and that two of these were Bishops of SaHshury, one from 
 25th May, 1757 to 4th May, 1761;^ the other from 4th 
 November, 1761, till his death in 1766. The last named 
 was Rector of S. Vedast). 
 
 Thomas Pelham Dale, son of Thomas Dale, Canon 
 Residentiary of S. Paul's, on leaving S. Vedast in 1881, 
 became Rector of Sawsthorpe, Lincolnshire, and died 
 19th April, 1892. 
 
 In ancient times, till 135 1, the living was in the gift 
 of the Prior and Convent of Christ Church, Canterbury. 
 King Edward III. presented John de Hermesthorp : from 
 which period (142 1), it remained in the gift of the Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury "to this time," says Newcourt, 
 writing in 1708. After the Great Fire of 1666, the parish 
 of S. Michael-le-Quern was united with that of S. Vedast, 
 and the presentation to this united benefice was in the 
 alternate patronage of the Archbishop and the Bishop of 
 London. In 1882, the already united benefices of S. 
 Matthew Friday Street with S. Peter Cheap (in the 
 alternate patronage of the Bishop of London and the 
 Duke of Buccleuch), were united to the benefices of S. 
 Vedast with S. Michael-le-Quern. The presentation to 
 these four united benefices is now vested in the Bishop of 
 London (who presents twice in every three turns), and 
 the Duke of Buccleuch (who presents once in every 
 three turns). 
 
 ^ In the brief period between 2nd June, 1761 and 5th Oiftober, 1761, 
 the see was occupied by Robert Hay Drummond, translated from S. 
 Asaph to Sahsbury, and from SaHsbury to York.
 
 Note to page 8g. 
 
 Ill addition to Ralpli d'Arras named at the above 
 reference as having lillcd the ofhce ol" Sheriff in 1276, 
 one Robert d'Arras is also found as a resident in London 
 at about the same period. His name occurs in the im- 
 portant Calendar of Wills proved and enrolled in the Court 
 of Hustinf^, London, a.d. 1258 — a.u. 1688, edited by Dr. 
 Sharpe for the Corporation of the City. The following 
 entries relate to the family : 
 
 About 1 28 1, Henry le Wimpler leaves to Thomas his 
 son his chest in the seld (or shop) of Robert de Arraz. 
 p. 56. 
 
 About 1283, Stephen de Scholaunde leaves to Roger 
 his son two chests in the seld of Robert de Arras, 
 p. 66. 
 
 About 1299, Hugh son of Robert de Arras bequeaths 
 to Alice his mother his capital tenement in the parish of 
 S. Antonin. p. 144. 
 
 About 1326-7, Robert de Worstede, mercer, bequeaths 
 to Richard his son his entire aumbry [armarioliini) and 
 chest with two covers in the seld of Alice de Arras. 
 
 P- 319- 
 
 About 1326-7, Alice late wife of Robert de Arras 
 
 bequeaths certain property to persons named in her will. 
 
 No part of the property, however, is in the parish of 
 
 S. Vedast. p. 320. 
 
 In 1342, mention is made (in the will of Thomas atte 
 Puwe) of a seld called "Arraces Selde " ; which the editor 
 suggests is probably the same as that which formerly 
 belonged to Robert de Arras, referred to in previous 
 entries, p. 472. 
 
 In a list of Aldermen, probably written circa 14 
 Edward I. (1285-6) occurs the name of Robertus de 
 Arras as Alderman of the " Warda de Lodingeberi." 
 
 P- 7^i- 
 
 Here then we have Robert d'Arras the Alderman, 
 
 Alice his wife, and Hugh their son. Either the seld 
 
 must have been of considerable importance, for it was 
 
 known in 1342 as "Arraces Selde"; or else the family 
 
 must have been still resident in London at that period.
 
 sanCtVs VeDastVs epIsCopVs 
 
 ATREBATENSis LIbERA GRAtIa 
 
 saLVatorIs ChrIstI CateChIsta et 
 InstrVCtor regIs ChLoDoVaeI.
 
 INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abitc, or Habita 42, 57 
 
 Acta Sanctoniin... ... ...69-71,87 
 
 Aetliclwold, Hencdictioiial of... 82 
 
 Albutleda, sister of Clovis ... 26 
 
 Alcuin 34, 48, 66, 68, 69 
 
 Amalaric marries daughter of 
 
 Clotilda 
 Amiens, Labyrinth at 
 Ampoule, La Sainte 
 
 29 
 106 
 
 24, 
 Anastasius, Pope, writes to 
 
 Clovis on his Baptism 
 Anthimond 
 
 Arbroath Abbey, Seal of 
 Archdeacon, his office ... 
 Aredius. Counsellor of Gunde 
 
 bald 
 
 Arras — Early Christianity o: 
 first cathedral of 
 and Cambrai, Dioceses 
 
 united 
 Constitution of the 
 
 Chapter 
 
 Churches eredted at.. 
 Present cathedral con 
 secratcd in 1833 .. 
 Labyrinth in ancient 
 
 cathedral ... 
 The Abbey 
 The Library ... 
 Ritual books in manu 
 
 script 
 Evangeliaire de Saim 
 
 Vaast 
 
 Facsimiles from manu 
 
 scripts 
 
 Book stamp 
 
 Books relating to 
 Liturgical office for 
 
 merly in use 
 Plan of, in twelfth 
 
 century 
 Plan of, in sixteenth 
 
 century 
 Pi(fture in Cathedral 
 Bear kept at the .\bbey 
 Arms of 
 
 PAGE 
 89 
 
 125 
 90 
 90 
 
 33. 
 
 102 
 18 
 
 54 
 
 24, 
 
 I Arras, Ralph d' 
 
 Arras, family bearing name of 
 
 Arroasian canons in England... 
 
 Arrouaise, Abbey of 
 
 Athenaeum, correspondence on 
 Vedast alias Foster 
 
 Atrebates, word preserved in 
 Arras and Artois ... 
 109-111 Attila 
 
 Aubert, S., Bishop of Arras and 
 
 28 Cambrai 42, 68 
 
 32 Augustine, S., of England ... 17 
 
 73 Aurelian, a noble Gallo-Roman 9,15 
 31 Avitus, Bishop of Vienne ... 28 
 
 Axona, the River Aisne ... 52 
 
 12 Balderic quoted, 20, 30, 32, i^, 42, 43, 
 18 44, 61, 6g, 76 
 
 34 Baring-Gould, Mr., quoted 3 
 
 Baronius, Cardinal, quoted ... 
 37 Batty, James, Rector, Royalist 
 
 Bear of S. Vedast •••34, 54, 64-67, 72 
 37 Bears formerly in France ... 34 
 
 98 Beauvais, relics of S. Vedast 
 
 removed to... 
 
 99 Blage, Thomas, Dean of 
 ' Rochester, Rector 
 
 106-108 Blythburgh, window at 
 
 112 Boxgrave Priory, seal of 
 1 12- 1 14 Breviary of Arras quoted 
 
 1 Brunehaut 
 
 113 i Callevam Atrebatum, Silchester 
 
 Caribert, father of Queen 
 
 113 Bertha 
 
 Carlyle's French Revolution 
 
 115 quoted 
 
 116 Castrum Nobiliacum, Chateau 
 117-119 Noble... 
 
 Caverel, Abbot Philip de, arms 
 
 87 of ... 80, 116 
 
 Cawdray, Richard, Dean of S. 
 61 Martin's le Grand, Rector 
 
 Caxton, his Liber Festivalis ... 73 
 61, 62 Chararic ... 
 
 81 Charlemagne, chalices of gold 
 65 ' presented to Rheims cathe- 
 
 116 dral by ... ... ... gS 
 
 79. 
 
 30 
 
 102 
 
 24 
 
 123 
 
 44 
 
 "5 
 73 
 34 
 16 
 18 
 
 17 
 no 
 
 36 
 
 122 
 
 >74 
 
 32
 
 INDEX 
 
 Charles X. visits Arras in 1827 
 Chenuii de Jerusalcin ... 
 Childebert, son of Clovis 
 Childeric, father of Clovis 
 Chilperic. father of Clotilda ... 
 Chlodoniir. son of Clovis 
 Chrone, sister of Clotilda 
 Ciperis de Vignevaux, quoted 
 Ciotaire ... 
 Clotilda — 
 
 her descent... 
 
 ,, marriage 
 ,, children 
 ,, death ... 
 
 founds religious houses ... 
 Clovis — his birth 
 
 \'arions forms of his name 
 
 Marriage at Soissons 
 
 Battle of Tolbiac 
 
 Conversion... 
 
 Baptism 
 
 Date of Baptism 
 
 Releases Tolbiac prisoners 
 
 Death 
 
 Children 
 Courbefy, Chateau of 
 
 PAGE 
 
 99 
 107 
 
 19 
 
 3< 19 
 
 6, 7, 8 
 
 i5> 29 
 
 29, 
 
 66 
 
 54 
 21 
 
 6,7 
 
 8-13 
 
 15. 29 
 
 29 
 
 29 
 3 
 
 2, 3 
 13 
 
 15. 51 
 
 16, 51 
 23-28 
 
 25, 26 
 25 
 
 27 
 29 
 
 59 
 
 Crinchon, the river 36,41,43,54,61-63 
 
 Dale, Thomas Pelham, Rector 124 
 Diogenes, S., first Bishop of 
 
 Arras 19, 33 
 
 Dodillon, Bishop 44 
 
 Dominic, Bishop of Cambrai 47, 63 
 Douai, Church of, founded by 
 
 S. Vedast 37 
 
 Statue of S. Vedast at ... 64 
 
 Downside Priory ... ... 81 
 
 Dugdale's Monasticon quoted ...90, 91, 93 
 
 Earl Stonham, carving at ... 79, 80 
 
 Echo, Scotch pilgrim named ... 70 
 
 Egidius ... ... ... ••• 19 
 
 Ermentrude, Stoles presented 
 
 to Rheims Cathedral by... 98 
 
 Evangeliaire de S. Vaast ... 113 
 Felton, Robert, Prebendary of 
 
 S. Paul's, Rector 122 
 
 Fidler, changes in the form of 
 
 this name 103 
 
 Firmin, S., Bishop of Verdun... 20 
 
 Flodoard quoted 38 
 
 Foster, synonymous with Vedast 102 
 
 Fredegarius quoted 27 
 
 Fuller, Thomas, quoted ... loi 
 Gallia Christiana quoted 18, 37, 40, 44, 61 
 Gaston, synonymous with Ve- 
 dast 102 
 
 Gaugericus or S. Gery, Bishop 
 
 of Cambrai ... ... 47 
 
 PAGE 
 
 34 
 123 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 73 
 
 Ghislain, Saint ... 
 Gilpin, Joshua, Rector... 
 Godemar, son of Gundicar ... 
 Godesil, son of Gundicar 
 Golden Legend quoted 
 Gregory of Tours quoted 
 
 7, 14, 15, 16, 24, 26 
 Guido, Bernard, Bishop of 
 
 Lodeve ... ... ... 59 
 
 Guimann quoted ... 61, 77, 78, 98 
 
 Gundebald, uncle of Clotilda... 7 — 11 
 Gundicar, King of the Burgun- 
 
 dians ... ... ... 7 
 
 Habitta or Abite 42, 57 
 
 Haimin, biographer of S. Ve- 
 dast ... 69, 75 
 
 Haydock, Haymund, Rector ... 122 
 
 Helyot, Histoire des Ordres Mon- 
 
 astiques ... ... ... 91 
 
 Hennessy, Rev. Geo. ... ... 91 
 
 Hereford Missal quoted ... 87 
 
 Hermesthorp, John de. Master 
 
 of S. Kathcrine's, Rector. 122, 124 
 Hincmar quoted ... 33, 109, no 
 Honore, Bishop of Beauvais ... 44 
 Hubert, biographer of S. Ve- 
 dast ... 69, 75 
 
 Huds 'U, Rev. W. ... 93-97, 103 
 
 Hymns, Vedastine, quoted 
 
 31, 34, 35, 37, 40, 88 
 Ibbot, Benjamin, Prebendary 
 
 of Westminster, Rector ... 123 
 
 Ingomir, son of Clovis... ... 15,29 
 
 Jumieges, Missal of Robert de 83 
 
 Kurtz, Professor, quoted ... 5,6,26 
 
 Labyrinths formerly at Arras 106-108, 116 
 
 at S. Quentin, Amiens, 
 
 Chartres, Sens, S. Omer 106 — 108 
 
 its purpose ... ... 107 
 
 Lantechild, sister of Clovis ... 21, 26 
 
 Legenda Aurea quoted ... 72 
 
 Leofric Missal quoted 83 
 
 Leucus, Leuci ... ... ... 50 
 
 Liber Festivalis quoted ... 73 
 Lille, Tapestry at, representing 
 
 S. Vedast 64 
 
 London, Church of S. Vedast at 89, 92 
 
 List of Rectors ... ... 120, 124 
 
 Parish of S. Vedast, 
 united with S. Matthew, 
 
 Friday Street 126 
 
 London, Walter de, early Rector 
 
 of S. Vedast, Dean of Wells 91 
 
 Long Melford, window at ... 115 
 
 Lothaire, son of Clovis ... 29, 76 
 Louis XI visits the Bear at 
 
 Arras 65
 
 INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 123 
 123 
 112 
 
 91. 
 
 122 
 16 
 
 90 
 100 
 
 Maddox, Isaac, Bishop of S. 
 
 Asaph, Rector 
 Marshall, Nathaniel, Canon of 
 
 Windsor, Rector ... 
 Masters, William, Prebendary 
 
 of S. Paul's, Rector 
 Martene and Durand, their 
 
 visit to Arras 
 
 Melford, Long, window at 
 Meyer, Antoine, his Ursus 
 
 quoted ... ... 39,62,66,67 
 
 Middleton Abbey, Dorset, seal of 73 
 
 Milinan, Dean, quoted... 1,4,5,7,24,28 
 Moleynes, Adam, Bishop of 
 
 Chichester, Rector 
 Monchy, Rodulphus de, 
 Montalembcrt (juoted ... 
 Myrc, Instructions for Parish 
 
 Priest 
 Newcourt's Repertorium quoted 
 Norwich, Church dedicated to 
 
 S. Vedast 
 
 Church destroyed about 
 
 1570 
 
 Ancient churchj-ard cross 
 lately discovered 
 
 Ocinus or Hocinus, a Frankish 
 
 Nobleman 35, 55 
 
 Omer, S., Bishop of Th6rou- 
 anne... 
 
 Oratory on the banks of the 
 
 Crinchon ... ... 36, 41, 42, 66 
 
 Patchell, Rev. G., Rector of S. 
 Vedast, Tathwell ... 
 
 Paterson's Pietas Londincnsis 
 quoted 
 
 Paul's S., Cathedral. Docu- 
 ments relating to the Parish 
 of S. Vedast 
 
 Penwortham, Henry, Rector... 
 
 Radon, Abbot ... 
 
 Kagnacaire 
 
 Remi, S., Archbishop of Rheims 
 
 16,21,22, 27,28,31, 32, 52 
 
 92-97 
 
 97 
 96 
 
 68 
 43 
 
 92 
 
 100 
 
 92 
 
 103 
 
 122 
 
 98 
 
 32,38 
 
 Election as Archbishop 
 Baptises Clovis ... 
 Remi, S., Consecrates Vedast 
 Bishop of Arras 
 
 Death 
 
 Will 
 
 Rheims, Baptism of Clovis at 
 Font in which Clovis is 
 said to have been bap- 
 tised 
 
 Painting of the Baptism 
 
 of Clovis 
 La Sainte Ampoule at ... 
 
 3 
 
 23-25 
 
 32 
 
 37 
 
 3« 
 
 23-25 
 
 25 
 
 III 
 
 I II 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rhkims, the fourteenth cente- 
 nary of the baptism of 
 Clovis to be celebrated 
 this year, 1896, at ... 26 
 
 Ridge, Richard, Abbot of 
 
 Notley, Rector ... ... 123 
 
 Robert, Gerard, chronicler, 
 
 quoted ... ... ... 65 
 
 Romanus,Archbishop of Rheims 38 
 
 Rothcram, Thomas, Archbishop 
 
 of York, Rector 122 
 
 Rothwcll, William dc, Arch- 
 deacon of Essex, Rector... 122 
 Ruberge, J ohn de, first recorded 
 Rector of S. Vedast, Lon- 
 don ... ... ... ... 91 
 
 Ruhl breaks the Sainte Ampoule no 
 
 Sailly, Toussaint, his Vedastias 
 
 quoted ... ... ... 67 
 
 Sarum Missal, Breviary and 
 
 martyrology quoted ... 84,85 
 Scopilio or Scupilio, Arch- 
 presbyter of Arras 41,56 
 
 Seals of the Abbey and City of 
 
 Arras ... 80 
 
 Shute, Christopher, Archdeacon 
 
 of S. Alban's, Rector ... 123 
 
 Silchester ... ... ... 18 
 
 Stepney, Bishop of, quoted ... 104 
 
 Stow's Suyvcy quoted ... ... lOi 
 
 Stubbs, Bishop, quoted ... 89 
 
 Tancock, Rev. O. W., quoted 103 
 
 Tathwell, Lincolnshire, Church 
 
 dedicated to S. Vedast at 92 
 
 Theobald, Count of Arras ... 77 
 
 Theodoric or Thierry, son of 
 
 Clovis ... ... ... 29 
 
 Thomas, John, Bishop of 
 
 Lincoln and Salisbury ... 123 
 
 Tolbiac(now Zulpich) battle of 15, 51 
 Clovis at his baptism re- 
 leases prisoners ... 25 
 Trollope, Edward, Bishop of 
 
 Nottingham 106 
 
 Ursus, see Meyer, Antoine 
 Van Drival, Canon, important 
 paper on birthplace of S. 
 
 Vedast 59 
 
 Other works ... 47,104,114 
 Vedast, S. — His birthplace ...20,47,48 
 
 Early life 50,59,60 
 
 Chosen to instruct Clovis 21,52 
 His mode of life ... 30 
 
 Appointed Archdeacon 31 
 
 Consecrated Bishop of 
 
 Arras 32, 53 
 
 Founds Churches ... 37
 
 INDEX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Vedast, S., His Oratory on the 
 
 River Crinchon 36, 41, 62, 66 
 Represents S. Remi at 
 
 Council of Orleans ... 37 
 
 His death ... ... 40, 56 
 
 Circumstances attend- 
 ant on his funeral ... 41, 57 
 Translation of his re- 
 mains ... ... ... 43, 44 
 
 Relation of the relics ... 44 
 
 His miracles 
 
 22,31,33,42,52,53, 54,55 
 Traces of his influence 
 still remaining in 
 names of places ... 38 
 
 Earliest extant life ... 47-58 
 
 In Art 79-81 
 
 His Arms ... ... 81, 116 
 
 His emblems, sometimes 
 
 a fox or wolf ... ... 79, 80 
 
 Usually a bear ...54,66,67 
 
 In ancient English liturgies 82-88 
 
 Festivals of 88 
 
 Churches dedicated to... 89-99 
 Books relating to ... 117-119 
 
 Forcipes Sancti Vedasti 98 
 
 Vedast alias Foster 
 Vedastias, by Toussaint Sailly 
 Vedastus, etymology of the 
 name 
 
 Strange transformations 
 
 of the name ... 
 Sometimes changed to 
 
 Veast ... 
 Not to be pronounced 
 Badastus 
 Vedulphus, Bishop of Cambrai 
 Vincentius Fortunatus quoted 
 Watling, Mr. 
 
 Weaver, Rev. F. W 
 
 Wicquot, Monsieur, Librarian 
 at Arras 
 Rector 
 Williams, David, Master of the 
 
 Rolls Rector 
 Wills in the Prerogative Court 
 of Canterbury mentioning 
 the Parish of S. Vedast ... 
 Wolves still found in France ... 
 Wynkyn de Worde 
 York Missal and Breviary 
 quoted 
 
 PAGE 
 
 100-105 
 67 
 
 72 
 
 95-96 
 
 20 
 
 70 
 
 47 
 34 
 
 79> 115 
 104 
 
 65 
 
 122 
 
 103 
 
 67 
 73. 86 
 
 86
 
 
 « 
 
 05 
 
 rS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •v. 
 
 < 
 
 ?; 
 
 O 
 
 ^ 
 
 H 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 
 (1 
 
 
 7. 
 
 
 C-H 
 
 ■5; 
 
 -> 
 
 ^ 
 
 5 
 
 •V* 
 
 r 
 
 •Vj 
 
 a 
 
 .t^ 
 
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 h 
 
 ~. 
 
 '/; 
 
 
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 X 
 
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 CARMINA VEDASTINA. 
 
 COLLECTED AND EDITED BY 
 
 W. SPARROW SIMPSON, D.D., F.S.A., 
 
 Shb-Dean and Librarian of S. Pau/'s Cathedral, 
 One of the Honorary Librarians of His Grace the ^Archbishop of Canterbury^ 
 
 Rector of S. Fedast, London. 
 
 LONDON: 
 ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.G. 
 
 1S95.
 
 l^This impression is limited to 2^0 copies, of which only a few ivill 
 
 be offered for sale. ]
 
 1o 
 SIDNEY YOUNG, Esc^, F.S.A., 
 
 Master of th Barber Surgeons^ Company, 
 
 IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 OF HIS ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN THE HISTORY OF 
 
 S. VEDAST, 
 
 AND OF HIS LABOURS ON MY BEHALF AT 
 
 ARRAS, 
 
 I DEDICATE THESE PAGES.
 
 ^
 
 introj:)(jction. 
 
 I\' all broad Kngland there are, so tar as I am able to ascertain, 
 only two churches which bear the name of the Aposiie of the 
 Atrebates. These are the Church of S, Vedast, in Foster Lane, 
 in the heart of the city of London, and the Church of Tathwell, 
 in Lincolnshire, about three miles from Louth. 
 
 There was, indeed, a third church under the same invoca- 
 tion at Norwich, about midway between the Castle and the 
 River Wenson, near the Cathedral precinct, and on the edge of 
 the precinct of the Grey Friars ; but the church was destroyed 
 in 1564, and the parish united to that of S. Peter, Permounter- 
 gate. 
 
 I was presented to the rectory of S. Vedast, in the city of 
 London, in 1882, and, naturally enough, the history of the 
 patron saint at once engaged my attention. Notwithstanding 
 the dedication of the Church, which should have kept him in 
 remembrance, it soon became apparent to me that S. \'edast 
 and his apostolic labours were almost entirely forgotten ; some 
 even went so fiir as to doubt whether such a person had ever 
 lived. To remedy this state of things, I gave a lecture in the 
 parish on The Life and Legend of S. Vedast, which was printed 
 in 1887. 
 
 I have devoted much of my all too scanty leisure to 
 further researches on the same subject, and I hope to be able 
 to print some of the results of my labours. The present 
 publication is the first fiisciculus. It is an attempt to gather
 
 viii Introduction. 
 
 together all the Vedastine hymns which I have been able to 
 discover in ancient manuscripts or in printed ritual books, and 
 to add to these a few verses from different sources in further 
 illustration of the subject. 
 
 In the autumn of 1894 I was able to carry out a long- 
 cherished wish, that, namely, of making a pilgrimage to Arras. 
 The Bibliotheque de la Ville formed the principal attraction, 
 scarcely second to which was the delight of visiting the scene 
 of S. Vedast's labours, the heart of the diocese of which he was 
 the first Bishop. 
 
 Of the 1,102 manuscripts which the town of Arras now 
 possesses, no less than 857 were written in the monastery of 
 S, Vaast, whose library was ' I'une des plus riches et des mieux 
 composees du nord de la France.' The monks of Arras, as 
 Messieurs Cardevacque and Terninck record {L! Abhaye de Saint 
 Vaast, iii. 58), were diligent in writing and transcribing, not for 
 their own house alone, but also for a great number of religious 
 houses in their neighbourhood, and even for convents at some 
 considerable distance. These precious manuscripts are care- 
 fully and minutely described in the excellent Catalogue des 
 Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque de la Ville d Arras ^ printed at 
 Arras in i860. The catalogue is enriched by two copious 
 indices — the first, Table alphabetique par nom d'auteurs et par 
 titres; the second. Table par ordre de matieres — exceedingly 
 well arranged. A careful preliminary study of the catalogue 
 enabled me to obtain ready access to its treasures. 
 
 As regards the texts of the hymns and other poems here 
 printed, I have in every case (with the exception mentioned 
 below) transcribed from the most ancient manuscript at my 
 disposal the text which is here exhibited. I have not en- 
 deavoured to construct a composite text from a comparison of 
 several manuscripts, which is, to my mind, a most unsatis- 
 factory work ; but I have preferred to exhibit the reading of 
 the earliest manuscript, adding in the notes any variations
 
 Introduction. ix 
 
 which seemed worthy of preservation. I have seen with my 
 own eyes the niainiscripts cited, save in the case of the three 
 proses numbered IX., X., and XI. These I have taken from 
 Father Dreves' great work (of which it is difficult to speak 
 in too high terms of commendation), the Analecia Hymnica 
 Medii Aevi. The collections of Daniel, Mone, Kehrein, and 
 that of Misset and Weale have been carefully consulted. 
 
 The numbering of the verses has been added for convenience 
 of reference. 
 
 No doubt there are many Vedastine hymns, ancient and 
 modern, which have not vet fiillen under my notice. Mav I 
 beg, as a special kindness, that any reader of these pages who 
 meets with a hymn not included in them will be so good as to 
 send me a transcript with a reference to the source from which 
 it is derived } 
 
 The illustration facing the title-page is a flicsimile, exactly 
 the size of the original, of an illumination in a manuscript 
 of the eleventh century in the library at Arras. The verses 
 composed by Rodolphus de Monchy (No. IV. amongst the 
 poems now printed) are framed in a delicately-executed border, 
 the uppermost side of which is formed by the picture here 
 exhibited. The copy very carefully made for me by M. Lavoine 
 preserves with great nicety the character of the original. 
 
 The picture represents S. Vedast seated on a throne in 
 heaven, a long scroll before him, on which he is tracing char- 
 acters with a pen ; a kind of inverted rainbow guards him. 
 The throne on which the saint is sitting is coloured green, 
 the background behind his figure glows with roseate hues ; 
 the letters which he is tracing on the scroll are lightly indi- 
 cated, but are not legible. The arc of the rainbow is tinted 
 with various lines of gold colour, of red, and of green. Below 
 him sits a scribe, his hood thrown back from his head, writing 
 from the dictation of the saint on the pages of an open book ; 
 the letters are black, with a rubricated initial. The ink-horn
 
 X Introduction. 
 
 on his right is placed in a cup-like stand, its stopper secured 
 bv a strincT. The whole composition is very delicately drawn. 
 
 My cordial thanks are due to M. Wicquot, librarian of the 
 Bibliotheque de la Ville d' Arras, for the facilities which he 
 afforded for mv researches ; to the Rev. Canon Parent, of the 
 Grand Seminaire at Arras, for his generous gift, the Missal 
 and Breviary now in use in that diocese ; to the Prior of the 
 English Benedictines at Douai, for his kindness in sending me 
 a transcript of a prose from the Arras Missal of 1491 ; to Sir 
 John Stainer, Professor of Music in the University of Oxford, 
 for the harmonization of the music of the Flemish hymn ; and to 
 his daughter. Miss Stainer, for the transcription of the Flemish 
 words ; to Dr. G. C. Martin, organist of S. Paul's Cathedral, 
 for translating into modern notation, and for adding harmonies 
 to the ancient melody of the hymn, ' Voce jucunda resonemus 
 omnes'; and to my younger son, the Rev. Charles Sparrow 
 Simpson, who accompanied me to Arras, and acted as my 
 secretary during our labours in the library.
 
 INDEX 
 
 LATIN HYMNS. 
 
 Annuos, civcs, renovcmus hymnos - - - - - 3^ 
 
 Auctor supplicibus annuc votis - - - - - '3 
 
 Ave prcsul gloriosc - - - - - - " '4 
 
 Christe rcctorum gloria - - - - - " '5 
 
 Christc salvator hominis ab ore - - - - - l6 
 
 Christe totius rcpar.ator orbis - - - - - ~ 37 
 
 Christo hodierna sacrificcmus solcmnia - - - 23 
 
 Cui Dons crcscit, peritura vani - - - - - 26 
 
 Dexter hue nobis adcs, O \'cdastc - - - - - 3^ 
 
 Felix Vedastus Pontitcx - - - - - - '7 
 
 Frustra tuos bona cives - - - - - - 3^ 
 
 Gaudct chorus aecclesiae - - - - - -18 
 
 Lauda, cohors clericalis - - - - - - 24 
 
 Lcthalis umbra pcUitur - - - - - * 3+ 
 
 Magnificantes, pater optimc - - - - - - 22 
 
 Praeclara Christi carmina - - - - - " '9 
 
 Ouam Deo gratus, procul a tunuiltu - - - - - 27 
 
 Oui f'ugit longe patria relicta - - - - - - 27 
 
 Oui tc beatis coetibus inscris - - - - - -38 
 
 Unus Dcus, amor unus, Concordia una ct caritas - - - 25 
 
 Voce jucunda rcsonemus omnes - - - - - 20 
 
 FRENCH HYMNS. 
 
 Translations from the Latin of Santolius Victorinus : 
 
 Pour qui n'aimc que Dieu dc I'ardcur la plus vive - ' -9 
 
 En quittant tous scs bicns, ses parents, sa patric - - - 29 
 
 Si le Seigneur apprcuvc un pieux solitaire - - -3°
 
 XII 
 
 Index. 
 
 FLEMISH HYMN. 
 
 I'AGE 
 
 Wee, do wocste Ncdcrlanden - - - - - 39 
 
 Translation of this hymn into French - - - " 4' 
 
 VERSES IN HONOUR OF S. VEDAST. 
 
 Inscriptions in the ancient Cathedral at Arras, written by Alcuin : 
 
 Haec domus alma Dei flammis crcpitantibus olim - - +3 
 
 Hie Pater egregius Vcdastus corpore pausat - - - 45 
 
 Fontificalis apex, meritis vivacibus, aram - - - - 46 
 
 Verses composed by Rodulphus dc Monchy : 
 
 Hunc ego Rodulphus monachus tantum modo dictus - "47 
 
 Verses composed by Alard : 
 
 Junctus in aethereo, Vedaste, pater pie, regno - - - 48 
 
 Two short Poems : 
 
 Arthesiis summo splendore Vcdastus in oris - - - 49 
 
 Le peaple doux, humain et tres courtois - - - - 49 
 
 Prayer to S. Vedast by Evrardus : 
 
 Scire volens summam deitatem cuncta excreantem - - 5° 
 
 Poem composed by Toussaint de la Salle : 
 
 Sacra cano, regemquc pium qui Francica primus - - - 5° 
 
 Verses composed by Gaugericus, hispanus : 
 
 Amor, timorque, spes, metus, infirmitas - - - "5" 
 
 Verses composed by Petrus Justus Sautel : 
 
 Dum premit afFectos morbus tibi lethifer artus - - - 57 
 
 MUSIC. 
 
 The Melody and the Harmonies for the Hymn Voce jucunda resonemus 
 
 omnes - - - - - - - 5^»59 
 
 The Music of the Flemish Hymn IVee, de zvoestc 'Ncderlanden - - 59
 
 C ARM IN A VEDASTINA 
 
 The hymns numbered I. to VIII. in the present collection are 
 transcribed from a very important manuscript preserved at 
 Arras, entitled Liber Miraculormn et Officii beati Vedasti, 
 Episcopi Atrebatensis^ written at S. Vaast at the commence- 
 ment of the eleventh century. A full technical description of 
 the volume from the Catalogue des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque 
 de la Ville d Arras is given below,* It is written in a clear 
 and beautiful hand, and the text is very pure. The hymns are 
 here printed in alphabetical order. 
 
 I. 
 Hymnus de Sancto Vedasto, editus ab Haimino metro 
 
 DACTILICO TETRAMETRO CATALECTICO. 
 
 {Arras MS. No. ■]i\, folio 78^.) 
 
 I. Auctor supplicibus annue votis, 
 Sit hacc Christ! dies fcsta beatis ; 
 Hac tristes releva, crumnaf dele, 
 Vcdasti meritis gaudeat omnis. 
 
 * "34. In folio parvo. — Velin blanc, choisi, dcteriorc en quelques endroits 
 par rhumiditc ; trace a la pointe ; longues lines ; commencement du XI* 
 siecle ; execution de luxe ; tetes de livres sur tcuillets dc pourpre avec 
 cncadrcments pcints, ecrits au vermilion ; grandcs lettres historiees et 
 dorees ; tetes de chapitres disposes en inscriptions, ecrites en capitales et 
 chargces de vert ou de jaunc, ou bien alternees par lettres rouges et vertes ; 
 rubriques en petites capitales melees d'onciales (116 fcuillcts ; manuscrit 
 ecrit a St. Vaast). 
 
 t 'Erumna ' in MS. ; probably for erumnns.
 
 J 4 Carjnina Vcdastina. 
 
 2. Oui binis tribiiit lumina caccis, 
 Multorum tencbras cordc rcvulsit, 
 Claudorumquc gradus compcdc solvit 
 Fecit pcrquc viam ire bcatam. 
 
 3. Cum Cliristi tcnuit sanctus amorcin, 
 Siccum vas dedcrat ncctaris unda,* 
 Dcsignatque fides quid pia possit 
 Ouod natura ncgat ilia mcretur. 
 
 4. Gaudc, pange choros, plebs vciicranda, 
 Oua nunc renitcnt culmina tcmpli, 
 Hie quondam tucrat dira spclunca 
 Psallcntumquc loca lustra fcrarum. 
 
 5. Et tcrrac specimen et status alter, 
 Sic mores alii tum pia corda ; 
 Laus Christi resonat, error abesto, 
 Vedasti studiis culta refulgent. 
 
 6. Dux sicut populi Israhcl olim 
 Praecessit species mira columnae, 
 Sic scrvum dominus ignc vocavit 
 Ut \xrus peteret Israhel ahum. 
 
 7. Urbs gaude proprio laeta patrono, 
 Atrebas reboa carminasf odas ; 
 
 Si terrent fragilis proelia mundi, 
 Ad muros refuge patris Amandi. 
 
 8. Sit Patri domino summa potestas, 
 ]esu Christe tibi gloria perpes, 
 Par culmen teneat Spiritus almus. 
 Virtus una Tribus sit honor unus. Amen. 
 
 II. 
 
 In Vigilia Sancti Vedasti ad Vesperas. 
 
 {Arras MS. No. "JTi^, folio %lb. The music to which this hvmn is to be 
 
 sung is given in the manuscript.) 
 
 Ave prcsul gloriosc, 
 
 Ave sidus jam cocleste, 
 
 Decorans, Vedastc, coelum ; 
 
 Nos gubcrna visens humum 
 
 Ouo laetcmur triumphantes, 
 
 Te patronum venerantes. 
 This hymn is found as the antiphon at vespers on the Depositlo S. 
 l^edasti Episcopi et Co7ifessoris, in the Sloane MS., No. 2,637, in the Britisli 
 Museum. 
 
 * * Unda' in MS, ; probably for undas, 
 
 i ' Carminas' in MS. ; probably for carmina.
 
 Car??ii?ia Vedastimi. \ r 
 
 111. 
 
 1I\MNL'S DaVIM COMPOSnUS METRO lAMBICf) 
 
 TETRAME'IRO. 
 {Amu MS. No. ']i\, folio 80.) 
 
 1. [Christc*] Rcctorum gloria, 
 \''ita, salus, dementia, 
 Favc prccamur scrvulis 
 Agendo fcstum prcsiilis. 
 
 2. Adcsto nunc clcmcntius 
 Sancti pulsatus precibus ; 
 Rxaiidi voces siippliciim 
 Donando nexus criminum. 
 
 3. Hie saccr tultus pUirima 
 Vcdastus, Christi gratia, 
 His rcdiditf digrcdium. 
 His visuale gaudiuni : 
 
 4. Ouibus ut sibi urbica 
 Ultro paterct regia 
 Auspiciis nunc gemmos 
 Ope sanabit miscros. 
 
 5. [Mjadorc namquc \itco 
 Vase carcnte ligneo, 
 Intus superna gratia 
 Amico dcdit pocula. 
 
 6. Hujus dcccssu nobiii 
 Chori gaudent angelici, 
 Tellus merett justicio 
 Amaricata nimio. 
 
 7. Laus et aeterna gloria 
 Deo Patri ct Filio, 
 Sit simul ct Paraclyto, 
 
 \\\ aevitatc perpeti. Amen. 
 
 * The scribe has not inserted the tirst word of the hymn ; most 
 probably it should be ' Christe.' 
 
 t 'Redidit' in MS. i for reddidit. 
 \ I.e., nioerct.
 
 1 6 Ciirmina Vedastina. 
 
 IV. 
 
 HVMNUS DE SaNCTO \'eDASTO EDITUS METRO DACTILICO 
 
 SAPHICO ET PENTA METRO. 
 
 {Arras MS. No. ']i\, folio -j-jL) 
 
 1. Christe Salvator hominis ab ore 
 Hostis antiqui supcrantis Adam, 
 Nostra clcmcntcr, Domine, prccaniur, 
 
 Suscipc vota. 
 
 2. Multa fccisti mcritis tuoruin 
 Dona, Vedasto propria dedisti, 
 Nos tui servi tua larga, Christe, 
 
 Cordc rogamus. 
 
 3. Terra Francorum tcncbras habebat 
 Horridas ; dcmpsit radio salutis 
 Viscera nostra pietate Patris 
 
 Christe rctulgc. 
 
 4. Vultibus caecis pietate motiis, 
 Lumina clara dedit ipse sanctus, 
 Lucida fecit tenebrosa corda 
 
 Ignifcr ille. 
 
 5. Mortifcr ursus timidus reccssit, 
 Voce Vedasti prohibentis, ultra 
 Terrainum scriptum penetrare dirum 
 
 Omne per aevum. 
 
 6. Debiles turbas, solita salute, 
 Reddidit sanas populo videntc ; 
 Multa pracclara, Domino favente, 
 
 Fortitcr egit. 
 
 7. Pectore puro pia verba vera 
 Auribus fudit populi fidclis : 
 Auxcrat inde numerum piorum 
 
 Sedibus altis. 
 
 8. Obvia venit radians columna, 
 Splendida cceli comitata plebe, 
 Spiritum purum Domino vocantc, 
 
 Fine beato. 
 
 9. Zabulo victo fide cum labore 
 Bclliger miles pcnetravit astra ; 
 Praemia digna obtinct honore 
 
 Regis in aula.
 
 C arm in a Vedastina. 
 
 V 
 
 10. Gloria laudis rcsonct in ore 
 
 Omnium Patris, gcnitacquc Prolis, 
 Spiritus sancti paritcr rcsultct 
 
 Laudc pcrcnni. Amen. 
 
 This hymn is printed amongst the works of Alcuin in Migne's Patrologiae 
 cursus Compktus, vol. ci., p. 682, with the title 'Alcuini Hymnus dc S. 
 Vedasto'(Ex Lambccio, Annal., torn, i., p. 413). The following various 
 readings are to be noted : 
 
 Verse 2, line 2, ' Vedasti ' for ' Vedasto.' 
 
 Verse 3, line 2, 'radios' for ' radio.' 
 
 Verse 6 is placed before verse 5. 
 
 Verse 9, line 3, ' praemia digno ' for ' pracmia digna,' and the following 
 notes are added : 
 
 Verse 3, line 3. Viscera nostra: Ita quidcm in codice, sed de genuina 
 hujus loci Icctione nonduni mihi satis constat (Lambccius). Forte Icgcndum : 
 Miserans nostri. 
 
 Verse 9, line i. Zabulo : Apud vctercs pro diabolo {vide Lambccius). 
 
 V. 
 Hymnus ab Utmaro editus metro iambico tetrametro. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. -j^j^, folio %ob.) 
 
 1. Felix Vedastus pontifcx, 
 Cujus coelum mens possidct, 
 In terris tcmplum fieri 
 Corpori mandant angcli. 
 
 2. Te, pastor alme, pctimus, 
 Nobis dcposcas vcniam, 
 Ut nos superna civitas 
 Pcrennes cives habeat, 
 
 3. Honor, virtus et gloria, 
 Potestas et imperium 
 Sit Trinitati unicac 
 
 In sempiterno saccula. 
 
 In the Arras MS., No. 734, this hymn does not form a complete work 
 in itself, but is found as part of the hymn Praeclarn Christi carmina (No. \ 11. 
 in the present collection), following immediately after the fifth verse. 
 Father Guido Maria Dreves, however, prints this hymn in his AnaUcta 
 Hynnica Medii Aevi (8vo., Leipzig, 1891), Fascic. XL, from three Vedastine 
 Breviaries at Arras, all of the fourteenth century, Nos. 639, 676, 716, and 
 from the Breviarium Cameracensc, printed at Paris in 1497. In the last 
 line the Vedastine Breviaries read ' In sempiterno tempore,' and the Cambrai 
 Breviary reads ' Constans acterno tempore.' The hymn is No. 472 in 
 M. Dreves' collection, and it bears the title 'De Sancto Vedasto.' Ad 
 Ltuidci ' The manuscript used in the text is of much earlier date than 
 those used by M. Dreves. 
 
 2
 
 1 8 Carmhm Vedastiua. 
 
 VI. 
 
 HyMNM.^S ReMIGII metro quo supra [/.^., METRO lAMBICO 
 
 TETRAMETRO]. 
 I^Arras MS., No. -jt,^, folio 80.) 
 
 1. Gaudct chorus accclcsiac 
 Pollens triumphali die, 
 \'^otis resultant hymnicis 
 Astra simul et terrea. 
 
 2. Vcdastus presul inclytus, 
 Acterni regis nuntius, 
 Post acta vitae insignia 
 Scandit laetus ad supera. 
 
 3. Virtutis hie aemeritac 
 Declaratus stipendiis, 
 Caecis refudit lumina, 
 Claudorum gressus dirigens. 
 
 4. Implevit idem vacua 
 Dulci Falerno vascula, 
 Vas ipse sistens utile 
 Christi repletum gratia. 
 
 5. Haec inter ilium fulgida 
 Coeli poscebat regia, 
 
 Cum mox iturum ad procmia 
 Inguis* columna proderet. 
 
 6. Jam nunc, pastor egregie, 
 Audi canentes supplices, 
 Et laudis nostrae victimas 
 Divinum fer ad solium, 
 
 7. Purga sordes pcccaminum, 
 Reddens quietcm temporum, 
 Nosque solutos saccule 
 Apta perenni gaudio. 
 
 8. Laus, honor, virtus. 
 
 It is difficult, if not impossible, to identify the author of this 
 hymn. It would be pleasant to think that it was the com- 
 position of S. Remi, by whom S. Vedast was ordained. Their 
 close and intimate association is well known to every reader of 
 the fascinating history of the baptism of Clovis. But it is 
 impossible to arrive at such a conclusion if we accept the 
 
 * ' Inguis ' in MS., for ' ignis.'
 
 Carmina Vedastitia. i (j 
 
 chronology of the Bollandists, for S. Remigius died in 530, 
 S. Vedast about the year 540 ; ten years, that is, after the 
 death of S. Remi.* 
 
 There were, indeed, others who bore the same name. The 
 twenty-ninth Bishop of Rouen, who died about 772, and the 
 twenty-third Bishop of Strasburg, who died in 803, were both 
 named Remigius or Remedius, Either of these prelates, or 
 any other person bearing this name, may have written the 
 hymn. There is not sufficient evidence to permit of a 
 decision. 
 
 vn. 
 
 Hymnus ab Utmaro editus metro iambico tetrametro. 
 
 {Jrras MS., No. 734.,/o//'& 80^.) 
 
 1. Praeclara Christ! carmina 
 Digno pangcntcs jubilo 
 Vcdasti SLimmi pracsuHs 
 Fcsta devote colinuis. 
 
 2. Cujus doctrina coclitus 
 Multis collata protuit, 
 Larvales fugans tcnebras 
 Vcrbo fidcquc radians. 
 
 3. Signis virtutum plurimis 
 Pollens doctor cgregius 
 Caccis vidcre pracstitit 
 
 Et claudis gressum reddidit. 
 
 4. Diilcis in patrc karitas, 
 Haustuiu vini nectareum 
 Enoforo sicco dciit, 
 Ouo lactus hospes rediit. 
 
 5. Migrantcm hinc ad patriani 
 Laus cxccpit angelica 
 
 Et viri sancti meritum 
 Ignis columna prodidit. 
 
 6. Honor, virtus, et gloria, 
 Potestas et impcrium 
 Sit Trinitati unicac 
 
 In scmpitcrna saecula. 
 
 * Jct/j Sanctoram, February, VI., pp. 793, 794, 796.
 
 2 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 After the fifth verse of this hymn in the Arras MS., 
 No. 734, follow the three verses of the hymn Felix Vedastus 
 pontifex, already printed (No. V. in this collection). I have 
 divided the one hymn into two parts because it is so divided 
 in later liturgical MSS. at Arras. 
 
 M. Dreves prints the hymn {^Analecta Hymnica Medii 
 Aevi^ Fascic. XI., No. 471) with the title ' De Sancto 
 Vedasto. Ad Nocturnum.' His text is formed from three 
 Vedastine Breviaries of the fourteenth century, Nos. 639, 676, 
 and 905, at Arras. There are no various readings of any 
 importance. The words ' caritas ' and ' enophoro ' in verse 4 
 do not follow the ancient spelling ; but this is scarcely worth 
 notice. After verse 5, M. Dreves adds the following verse 
 (not found in the text of MS. No. 734) : 
 
 Honor, virtus, et gloria, 
 Potestas ct impcrium 
 Sit Trinitati unicae 
 In sempiterna saeciila. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Hymnus cujus supra [/.^., Haimini] de Sancto Vedasto 
 metro dactilico saphico pentametro editus. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. 734, fo/io 79.) 
 
 1. Voce jocunda resonemiis omnes 
 Laudibus sacris studium fcrentcs 
 Atrcbatensem modolando patrem 
 
 Laudc Vedastum. 
 
 2. Hie pius pastor gregis atquc jutor, 
 Lux fuit caccis baculusquc claudis, 
 Signaque fecit paradysiaca 
 
 Plurima tcrris. 
 
 3. Obvio cacco comes ipse regis 
 Lumen ablatum citius repcndit, 
 Unde cernentes meruere cordis 
 
 Sumerc lumen. 
 
 4. Summa virtutum viguit per ipsum, 
 Caritas, cunctum supcrans carisma, 
 Vase nam sicco dederat aniico 
 
 Gaudia vitis.
 
 Ciirmma Ve dust inn, 2 1 
 
 5. Lustra bcluarum dcdit angclorum 
 Esse conccntiim Dominique templum 
 Ac decachordo reboare psalmo 
 
 Noctc dieqiic. 
 
 6. Laiis Deo Patri gcnitactiuc Pr(;li 
 Et tibi, compar utriusquc semper 
 Spiritus alme, Deus unus omni 
 
 Tempore saecli. ►J* Amen. 
 
 Of Halminus, the author of this hymn, some account is 
 given by Valerius Andreas in the Bibliotheca Belgica : 
 
 ' Hayminus, Ordinis S. Benedicti, monachus ad S. Vedastum 
 in civitate Atrebatensi, reliquit librum de miraculis S. Vedasti, 
 cujus iiiitium : Sane quae super et oculis probavimus, etc. 
 Legi is per Octavam in choro Basilicae cathedralis Atrebatensis 
 solet. Item sermonem de virtutibus ejusdem Sancti ; incipit : 
 Excitentur, obsecro, filii lucis, corda vestra. Fuit Alcuini 
 discipuJus, Caroli Magni condiscipulus. Obiit anno Domini 
 
 834.'* 
 
 The Bollandist editors, however, subjoin to this passage : 
 
 ' Ubi numeris transversis reponimus annum 843,' for very 
 
 sufficient reasons then set forth. 
 
 The treatises above named, the Miracula S. Vedasti auctcre 
 
 Haimino Presbytero and the Sermo Haimini in Natali S. Vedasti 
 
 de a parvulis meritis ejus sanatis^ are both printed by the 
 
 Bollandists.t 
 
 This very pleasing hymn is found in tlie Aita SanctorumX with three 
 variations from the text already given. 
 
 Verse 2, line i, ' Hie plus pastor gregis atque tutor.' 
 
 Verse 2, line 3, ' Signa patravit, miserante ChrisvO,' 
 
 Verse 5, line 3, ' psalmum ' for ' psalmo.' 
 
 I do not notice variations in spelling. 
 
 In M. Dreves' Analecta Hymnica CMed'ti Aevi, Fascic. XL, this hymn is 
 No. 470, and has the title Dc Snncto t'edasto. -id I'esperas. The text 
 there printed is formed from five manuscripts : a X'edastine Breviary of the 
 thirteenth century. Arras MS., No. 330 ; three Vedastine Breviaries of the 
 fourteenth century, Arras MSS., Nos. 639, 676, 717; and a Cambrai 
 Breviary printed at Paris in 1+97. The various readings are : 
 
 * Acta Sanctorum^ February, \'I., p. 798, column 2. 
 
 t Ibid., pp. 810, Si I. ' + Ikid., p. So;
 
 22 
 
 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 Verse i, ' juciinda, modulando.' 
 Verse 3. line i, 'obvius.' 
 Verse 5, line i, 'belluarum.' 
 Verse 5, line 3, ' roborare psalmum.' 
 
 The hymn occurs also in the Sloanc MS., No. 2,637, with these 
 variations : 
 
 ^■"erse 2, line I, ' atque tutor.' 
 
 \^crse 3, line i, ' Et bino ceco comes.' 
 
 The hymn was in use before the Revolution ; afterwards a 
 hymn in the Office Divin took its place ; but now the hymn 
 is once more in use, for it is found in the Supplement aux 
 Graduel et Antiphonaire Romains pour le Diocese d' Arras ^ 
 printed at Arras in 1889. The melody to which it is sung is 
 there given; it will be found in this collection, infra^ p. 58. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Sequentia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. %%%, fourteenth cetitury, etc.) 
 
 I. Magnificantes, 
 pater optime, 
 tuam gloriam, 
 
 2. b. Ouibus, dum vita 
 
 2. a. 
 
 I. a. 
 
 4. .7. 
 
 5./7. 
 
 6.n. 
 
 -J.a. 
 %.a. 
 
 C).a. 
 
 Dei judicia 
 commode ad nostra 
 adhibemus praeconia. 
 
 Ergo comitem 
 
 regis dignitas 
 
 adsciverat 
 
 te, pater, ut verba 
 
 praedicares coelestia 
 
 properanti ad baptisma. 
 
 Quendam refeceras 
 verbi Dei copia, 
 
 Sed tunc vinum defecerat, 
 
 Invocasti Dcum * * 
 
 ... # 
 
 ut in hoc subveniat, ^ * 
 
 Atrebata tua 
 dum te meruerat, 
 ingrediens portas 
 
 Relicturo arva, 
 
 Columna ignca 
 fit tibi obvia, 
 
 , Nunc e coelis nos, Vedaste, 
 pater sanctc, visita. 
 
 hac functus es, tua 
 clarificavit merita. 
 
 3. b. Dum te implorat 
 
 caccus in via, 
 
 ut succurras, 
 
 tu Deum exoras, 
 
 Deus audit et annuit, 
 
 rex credit et plebs exultat. 
 
 4. b. Qi-'cni corporaliter 
 
 cibare decreveras. 
 
 5. b. Qui dc sicco vase 
 
 larga mox dcdit vina. 
 Honorans tua merita 
 
 6. b. Caecum illuminas 
 
 et claudum restauras 
 virtute solita. 
 
 7. b. Petituro astra 
 
 8. i. <^)uac rexit ad coclum 
 
 beatam animam. 
 
 9. b. Ac secures ad aeterna 
 
 perdue tecum gaudia.
 
 Carmina Vedast'uui . 
 
 23 
 
 Edited by M. Drcves, S.J., in liis Analecta Ilymnica 
 Medii Jevi, Fasc. x., Sequential Inedita.', from two fourteenth- 
 century missals in the library at Arras, Nos. 888 A and 882 B, 
 and from a fifteenth-century gradual in the same collection, 
 No. 638 C. In 8. Z' it is suggested that zrxil should take the 
 place of rexi^. Strophe 7. e( seqq. is wanting in B, as is also 
 line I of Strophe 5, b. 
 
 Mel,, Oramus te aeterna spes. 
 
 X. 
 
 Sequentia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 In Octava. 
 
 {Jrras MS. %%%, fourteenth century, etc.) 
 
 I. Christo hodierna 
 sacrificemus solcmnia. 
 
 2. a. Atquc suas victimas 
 
 nostra immolcnt labia. 
 
 3. (!. Cum magna 
 
 mcrita Vcdasti 
 
 nostra cclcbrent carmina, 
 
 4. ti. Miraculis in terra, 
 
 in coclo 
 bcatorum gloria, 
 
 5. 12. Ergo Francorum rcgi 
 
 comes factus in via 
 caeco puris prccibus 
 obtinct lucis bona 
 ostcndens Dei magnalia. 
 
 6. a. Attrcbatac 
 
 dum primum portas 
 fclicitcr intrat 
 divina facturus opera, 
 
 7. a. Profanis sacris infecto 
 
 dum liquori 
 crucis signa 
 dedit dextra, fugit 
 pcstis, dissolvuntur vasa 
 virgada. 
 
 2. b. Intcntio devota 
 
 sacrificii sit ara, 
 
 3. b. Quern coclo 
 
 tcrraquc honorat 
 Dcus nostcr ct cxaltat : 
 
 4. b. Hie scrvorum cultura, 
 
 in coclo 
 
 sanctorum frcquentia. 
 
 5. b. Item dc vase sicco 
 
 profert vini gaudia, 
 cujus ut cunctis magnae 
 pateat caritatis 
 atque sanctitatis copia. 
 
 6. b. Caeco lumen 
 
 et claudo gressum 
 rcddit ac populis 
 jccit fidci t'undamcnta. 
 
 7. b. Igncus splendor ab acthre 
 
 cxporrectus 
 
 ad culmina 
 
 pontificis funus 
 
 observat sancti secumquo 
 
 rcceptat.
 
 24 
 
 Camnina Vcdastina. 
 
 8. a. Chorus kigubris 
 patrem pia 
 deflcrit lacrima. 
 
 8. b. Chorus coelestis 
 scd auditus 
 transfcrt ad astra. 
 
 9. a. Sublimis pracsul, servos 
 humiles visita 
 
 9. b. Et sordcs pcccatorum 
 lava et super astra 
 
 10. Leva et tuos 
 supplices salva. 
 
 Edited by M. Dreves, loco citato, from two fourteenth- 
 century missals at Arras, Nos. 888 A, and 882 B ; a missal 
 of Tours of the fifteenth century, No. 194, C. Strophe 7. a et 
 seqq. wanting in B ; 7. ^ 2, A reads liqmris ; 7. ^ 4, A reads 
 fugat ; 7. ^ I, C reads, ItJgefts splendor ; after Strophe 10, C 
 reads, Amen dicat concio nostra. 
 
 Mel., Christi hodierna pangimini. 
 
 XI. 
 
 SHQUENTIA DE SaNCTO VeDASTO. 
 
 {MB. missal of Cambr^jy, fourteenth century.) 
 
 1. a. Lauda, cohors clericalis, 
 
 Cum devotae plcbis alis 
 Vcdastum pontiliccm. 
 
 2. a. Ad Vcdastum propcravit, 
 
 Quem Vedastus pcrornavit 
 Fidei cum chlamidc. 
 
 3. a. Isti rcgc comitante 
 
 Caecus voce pertonantc 
 Acclamat itinere : 
 
 4. a. Praesul orat, quod oravit, 
 
 Ut abdatur impetravit 
 Cordium duritia ; 
 
 5. a Antistcs Atrcbatensis 
 
 Cunctos signis cum immcnsis 
 Per rcgnum Picardiae 
 
 6. a. Hie in porta civitatis 
 
 Caeco, claudo sanitatis 
 
 Contulit subsidia, 
 
 1. b. Ludovicus rex Francorum 
 
 Bellis ut Allemannorum 
 Fastus frcgit apicem, 
 
 2. b. Idolatra rex rcnatus 
 
 Est devotus Christo datus 
 Propulsa tyrannidc. 
 
 3. b. Sanctc Dei, confer lumen, 
 
 Ouia potcns es acumen 
 Visus restituere 
 
 4. b. Caecus mox illuminatur, 
 
 Rex, plebs fide solidatur 
 Per signi mysteria. 
 
 5. b. Rcliquias Vandalorum 
 
 Sordidatos idolorum 
 Junxic Christi latriac, 
 
 6. b. Tcmpla Deo restauravit, 
 
 Verbum Dei praedicavit 
 Pulsa idolatria.
 
 Carmina Vcdastina. 25 
 
 7. a. Urna mcri vcncnati 7. b. Pctra bibunt ut Hcbraci, 
 
 A ncfandis aiilac dati Prccc sic dona Lvaci 
 
 Per intraiitis civitati Vasi sicco sanctus Dei 
 
 Patris crucc crcpiiit. Suo caro tribuit. 
 
 8. a. ^uo per virgam lucis mcrac 8. b. O Vcdastc, pracsul bone, 
 
 Ab hac vita tc ciere, Nos consortcs in agone 
 
 Nosti nunc actcrno vcrc Prccc, pastor et patronc, 
 
 Fruens Cliristo coliaercrc Da nos cacli stationc 
 
 Gaudcns cocli curia. Frui cum laetitia. 
 
 Edited by M. Dreves from Missale MS. Cameracense, 
 
 sa^c. 14, Cod. Canieracens. 123 add, sasc. 15. 
 
 XII. 
 De Sancto Vedasto. — Prosa, 
 
 {Missale Atrebatense, Paris, 1491.) 
 
 Unus Dcus, amor una, [j/V] concordia una ct caritas, I 
 
 Unus Dcus, amor dilectio unica, singularis caritas. 
 
 Tantum ca, quae nectit unitas, scrvat caritas. 
 
 Oue dissipanc lis ct discordia, fugat caritas. 
 
 Martyria ct clcmosinas, angclorum hominumquc linguas, 5 
 
 probat caritas. 
 Major horum et Deo coctcrna caritas. 
 Ut Christus vellct carnem sumere, suasit caritas. 
 Ut aulam celi Vcdastus intrarct, fecit caritas. 
 O Domine, O quem fecit nostra petcrc ima, insita tibi 
 
 caritas. 
 O Vcdastc, O quem fecit celsam scandere ethram, impensa 10 
 
 tibi caritas. 
 Credit cuncta, suffcrt univcrsa, atque sustinet cuncta 
 
 caritas. 
 Non est vana, non ambiciosa, non querit sua lucra caritas. 
 Est ipsa flama, ct lampas, ignis, carbo, caritas. 
 Est Pater, et est Patris doxa, flamcn sacrum caritas. 
 Monas trias caritas. Amen. 1 5 
 
 This prose is taken from the Arras Missal printed in 149 1. 
 There is no titJe-page. The first page has a large woodcut 
 occupying two-thirds of the page ; then follows ' Incipit 
 Missalc,' etc., and the Introit yld 'I'e levavi. The colophon : 
 
 'Ad laude dei oipotentis ejusq3 btissimc matris v'ginis Marie ct oim 
 sctor' ct sactar'. Ad usu cccl'ic attrcbatcn. istar cxemplaris cmendatissimi
 
 26 Carmina Vedasti?ia. 
 
 ritus dicte cccl'ie poptimc cotincntcs hoc isignc sacri missalis opus. Anno 
 icarnationis dnice M° cccc° xci° Kalcndis octobris parisii arte imprcssoria 
 per Johannem de prato finem accepit.' 
 
 The proses are collected at the end of the Missal, after 
 the Masses, and before the BenedicHones^ which conclude the 
 volume, 
 
 A version of this curious prose is found in Kehrein's 
 Lateinische Sequenzen des Mittelalters^ No. 717, for use iyi 
 festo S. Stephani, printed from a Liege Missal of 15 13. The 
 principal variations are these : 
 
 1. Unus amor et una concordia, una est ct charitas. 
 
 2. Unum Deum amat dilcctio una, singularis charitas. 
 
 5. pracstat charitas. 
 
 6. Manent tria : fides, spes, charitas ; major horum extat coaeterna 
 
 Deo charitas. 
 
 7. Ut Christus nostram vellet gestare formam, suasit charitas. 
 
 8. Ut coeli claram Stephanus intret aulam, facit charitas. 
 15. Monas trinas est charitas. 
 
 The prose appears in the same form in Daniel's Thesaurus 
 Hymnologicus^ v., p. 176, from which, indeed, Kehrein takes it. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Sancto Vedasto Episcopo Attrebatensi. 
 
 VI. Februarii. 
 
 Cui Dcus crcscit, peritura vani 
 Cuncta decrescunt simulacra mundi, 
 More torrentis fugitivus illi 
 Praetcrit Orbis. 
 
 Nil domus splendor, ncc opes avitae, 
 Blanda nee flexit juvenem voluptas ; 
 ^uos Fides monstrat superos Vedastus 
 Ambit honores. 
 
 Ne quid in dulci Patria rctardet, 
 Et sues inter, nimis Aula mentem 
 Blandiens frangat, fugit in remotas 
 Providus oras. 
 
 Quam salutaris fuga ! quam profundo 
 Jussa dccrcto ! rcget illc Reges, 
 Et jugo Christi fera corda subdi 
 Nescia subdet.
 
 Carmina Vcdast'ma. 
 
 Summa laus Patri, gcnitoquc Vcrbo, 
 Et tibi compar, utriiisque nexus, 
 Oiii Saccrdotcs Dcus intiis ungis, 
 Spiritus almc, 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Oiii fugit longii patria rclicta, 
 Sa^culi pompam male blandicntcm, 
 Hie sacris Rcges monicis, et omncm 
 Imbuet aulam. 
 
 Ut rcdit victor spoliis superbus 
 Post triumphatas Clodovaeus Urbcs : 
 Jam Deo victus, propc nostcr, ardet 
 Rit(^ doccri. 
 
 Primus occurris, tua fama prodit 
 
 Hoc pium munus tibi dcstinatur. 
 
 Jura qui nuper dabat Imperator 
 
 Ipse subibit. 
 
 Regium pectus tumidum triumpho 
 Gaudet irrisac Crucis in trophaco 
 Arma dcponit nevus illc Christi 
 Miles ab hoste. 
 
 Quis tibi sensus fuit, 6 Vedaste ? 
 Dum fugis Regcs cupidus latere, 
 Te vocant Regcs, cupiunt doceri 
 Tequc Magistro. 
 
 Dum petit Rhcraos, per iter docebas ; 
 A tuo Princeps pius ore pcndet, 
 Jnstar Eunuchi docilis, fuisti 
 Tuque Philippus. 
 
 Signa non verbis manifesta desunt 
 Nam diem cacco dedit ut videret, 
 Principis cacci tcncbras supcrno 
 Lumine pcllit. 
 
 Rex novus velis penitus remotis, 
 Solis acterni jubar intuctur. 
 Atra nox cedit, procul obstinatus 
 Exulat error. 
 
 XV. 
 
 Ouam Deo gratus, procul a tumultu 
 (jiii, sibi quando vacat, et saluti : 
 Pontifex curas, sibi raptus ipsi, 
 Sustinet omnes. 
 
 27
 
 2 8 Carm'ma Vedastina. 
 
 Intrat hanc Urbem tencbris scpultam 
 Bclluas audit rabie frcmcntcs 
 Civitas omnis, velut aha sylva 
 Horrida dumis. 
 
 Prisca divini monumenta cultus 
 Barbarae gentes tulerant ; Vedastus 
 Vana subvertit simulacra, Divum 
 Diruit aras. 
 
 Redditur cacco sua lux, ct auris 
 Redditur surdo, sua lingua muto ; 
 Imparl qui vix pedc claudus ibat, 
 Ambulat aequo. 
 
 Luce coelesti melius fugabat 
 Mentibus noctcm, simul ora muta, 
 Et Deo surdas reserabat aures : 
 Omnia quanta ! 
 
 Civium terror, ferus hospes Urbis, 
 Ursus immani latitabat antro, 
 Imperas Praesul, tremit imperantis 
 Bellua vocem. 
 
 E specu flecti docilis profundo 
 Exit oblitus fcritatis ursus ; 
 Gcstiunt civcs, sonat urbs rccenti 
 Laeta triumpho. 
 
 Praesulis faustum fuit illud omen 
 EfFeras mentes malus occuparat 
 Daemon, ut ccdat jubct, efficaci 
 Voce fugatur. 
 
 Regis accumbens epulis Vedastus 
 Fregit impresso Crucis ilia signo 
 Vasa Fanorum, quibus est litatum, 
 Impia vasa. 
 
 Tota Gens, Praesul, modo Christiana, 
 Se tibi debet ; Fidci jacentis 
 Prisca coelesti rcdiviva rore 
 Semina surgant. 
 
 These three hymns, Nos. XIII., XIV., and XV., are taken 
 from a volume entitled ' Hymni Sacri et Novi Autore 
 Santolio Vict-jrino. Editio novissima. In qua Hymni omnes, 
 quos Autor usque ad mortem concinuerat, reperiuntur. 
 Parisiis, Apud Dionysium Thierry, via Jacobea, sub signo 
 Urbis Lutetiae. mdcxcviii. Cum privilegio Regis.'
 
 Carmina Vcdastina. ' 29 
 
 The first edition of these hymns seems to have been issued 
 some nine years earlier than the Editio Novissima here em- 
 ployed, for after the Privilege du Roy occurs this sentence : 
 * Acheve d'imprimer pour la premiere fois le 30. Juin 1689.' 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Hymne ije S. Vaast ou Saint Vedaste EviV^ue 
 
 d'Arras. 
 
 VI. Fevrier. 
 
 Pour qui n'aime que Dicu dc I'ardcur la plus vive, 
 II n'cst ricn ici-bas dont son cceur soit tcntc : 
 Lc monde est un torrent, une ombre fugitive, 
 Dont il connoit la vanite. 
 
 Vedaste peu sensible a sa propre opulence, 
 Rcsiste constamment aux charmcs des plaisirs ; 
 Les celestes grandeurs etoient, d^s son cnfonce, 
 L'unique objet dc ses desirs. 
 
 Pour que rien ne s'oppose a sa vertu parfaite, 
 II rcnonce aux attraits d'une brillante Cour ; 
 II quitte son pays, et veut dans la retraite, 
 Prodiguer a Dieu son amour. 
 
 O prudcnte retraite ! ou le Dieu qui I'appelle, 
 Pour le salut d'un Prince, y forme son esprit ! 
 Sa voix doit triompher du cceur d'un Roi rebelle, 
 Et le soumettre a Jesus-Christ. 
 
 Gloirc au Pcre Eternel, au Fils dont la doctrine 
 Eclaire notrc esprit, et console nos ca^urs ; 
 MOme gloirc a I'Esprit, dont I'onction Divine, 
 Nous consacre de saints Pasteurs. 
 
 XVII. 
 Autre Hymne. 
 
 En quittant tous ses biens, ses parents, sa patrie, 
 Vedaste est a couvert du monde, et de ses traits ; 
 Mais on I'entend tonner contre I'idolatric 
 Et de Princes, ct des sujets. 
 
 Tout couvert des lauricrs qui brillent sur sa tete, 
 Clovis, aux cnnemis, vient d'imposer la loi ; 
 Et deja ce heros, Seigneur, est ta conquiitc, 
 Eclaire, ct confirmc sa foi.
 
 -^0 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 Le ciel, a ta vertu, donnc la preference, 
 ^^EDASTE, cet emploi dans tes mains est remis ; 
 Le Roi qui soumet tout a son obeissance, 
 A tes lc9ons sera soumis. 
 
 Ce Prince encor tout fier des fruits de sa victoire, 
 \^ient meler son triomphe a celui de la croix : 
 Nouvcau soldat du Christ, il depose sa gloire 
 Aux pieds de ce maitre des Rois. 
 
 Saint Pretre, quel desscin avoit pu le conduire 
 A quitter pour jamais la Cour, et ses plaisirs ? 
 Un Prince encor paycn t'appelle pour I'instruire, 
 Vole seconder scs desirs. 
 
 Tel cet officier* d'un Reinc payenne 
 Ecoutoit un Apotre avec aviditc : 
 Telle est, du grand Clovis, a ta le9on chreticnne, 
 L'admirable docilite. 
 
 Tu soutiens tes discours par I'eclat des miracles ; 
 Tu touches un aveugle, il voit dans le moment ; 
 Et le Prince eclairc, surmonte les obstacles, 
 Oui formoient son aveuglement. 
 
 II ressent tout a coup I'cftct de ta prierc, 
 Du Soleil de justice, il fixe la splendeur ; 
 Les ombres de la nuit font place a la lumicre, 
 Oui vient dissipcr son erreur. 
 
 Gloire au Pere Eternel, au Fils dont la doctrine 
 Eclaire notre esprit, et console nos cceurs ; 
 Mcme gloire a I'Esprit, dont I'onction Divine, 
 Nous consacre de saints Pasteurs. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Autre Hymne. 
 
 Si le Seigneur apprcuve un pieux solitaire, 
 Oui n'a de son salut que I'unique fardeau, 
 ^u'il estime un Prelat, qui dans son ministere, 
 Se consacre aux soins d'un troupeau ! 
 
 V'edaste, dans Arras, entend fremir la rage, 
 D'un peuple cnscveli dans la nuit de I'erreur : 
 Ouelle ville ! (grand Dicu) c'est un autre sauvage, 
 Ou le Saint est saisi d'horreur. 
 
 * L'Eunuquc de la Reine de Candale, instruit par I'Apotre Saint Philippe.
 
 Carmijia Vedastina. n \ 
 
 Dcs temples, autrefois, consacrcs a ta gloire, 
 Seigneur, lis ont dccruits Ics rcstes prccieux ; 
 Mais Vedaste, attcntif a vcngcr ta mcmoire, 
 Brisc Ics autels dcs faux Dicux. 
 
 Sur tous Ics affligcs, ses dons vont sc rcpandrc ; 
 L'aveuglc sent ses yeux s'cclaircir sous sa main ; 
 Lc muct parlc au sourd, ctonne de I'entcndre ; 
 Lc boiteux va d'un pas certain. 
 
 Lc Saint opcre encore dc plus grandcs merveillcs, 
 Lc flambeau dc la foi dissipc Icur crrcur. 
 ^>uc de bouches alors ; que de chastes oreilles, 
 S'ouvrent a la loi du Seigneur. 
 
 Dans lc sein dc la villc, unc bote cruclle, 
 Causoit aux habitants lc plus terrible effroi ; 
 Mais ccdant tout a coup a la voix qui rappelle, 
 L'ours tremble, et rampc devant toi. 
 
 De son antre profond, sortant sans resistance 
 Cct ours n'cxhale plus lc feu dc sa furcur ; 
 Et lc pcuplc charmc dc cettc dclivrancc. 
 Exalte son libcrateur. 
 
 Cc trait, pour notre Saint, fut d'un heureux presage, 
 Lc demon Ics avoit captives sous ses loix ; 
 Vedaste lui comroandc, et I'csprit plein dc rage 
 Est force dc fuir a sa voix. 
 
 Le Roi, dans un repas, fit placer sur sa table 
 Les vases destines au culte dcs faux Dicux, 
 D'un seul signc de croix, lc Prclat respectable, 
 Les mit en poudre sous ses yeux. 
 
 Cc pcuplc, saint Pasteur, doit a ta vigilance, 
 Dc sa naissante foi rincstimable bicn 
 Pais revivre a jamais cette sainte semence, 
 ^ue tu rcpandis dans son sein. 
 
 Gloire au Pcrc Eterncl, au Fils dont la doctrine 
 Eclaire notre esprit, et console uos coeurs ; 
 Meme gloire a I'Esprit, dont I'onction Divine, 
 Nous consacrc de saints Pastcurs. 
 
 These three hymns, Nos. XVI., ^\\\.^ and XVJII., are 
 translations of Hymns Nos. XIII., XIV., and XV., and are 
 taken from a volume entitled ' Uymnes de Santeuil, tradiiites 
 en vers Francois. Par I. P. C. P. D. A Paris, chez J. Barbou, 
 rue S. Jacques, proche la fontaine S. Benoit, aux Cii^ognes. 
 
 MDCCLX.'
 
 J 
 
 2 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 A MS. note on the front fly-leaf is as follows : ' Cette 
 traduction superieure a celle de Saurin est de J. Poupin cure 
 Prieur d'Auxon, puis chanoine de la Cathedrale de Troyes.' 
 
 Elie Saurin's translation of Santeul's hymns is contained 
 in a volume dedicated to Madame de Maintenon : 
 
 Traduction en vers Francois des Hymnes de Monsieur de Santeul, Chanoine 
 regulier de Saint Victor. 12°, Paris, 1691. 
 
 Saurin describes Santeul's Latin hymns as worthy of the 
 Augustan age ; and M. Santeul expresses himself as being 
 satisfied with Saurin's version, for he says : 
 
 ' Je suis tres-oblige a I'Auteur de la Traduction dc mcs Hymnes ; je la 
 reconnois comme une copie parfaite de I'Original.' 
 
 De Santeul, de Saint Victor. 
 
 It may be added that M. Poupin (who dedicates his work 
 to Madame la Dauphine) speaks of the version of the late 
 ' M. I'Abbe Saurin de I'Academie Royal de Nimes ' ; states 
 that three editions of it were issued before 1699, but that it 
 was now nearly forgotten ; and adds, moreover, that it did not 
 include thirty-three of Santeul's hymns. Amongst the omitted 
 hymns are those to S. Vedast. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Sequentia de Missa in Festis S, p. Vedasti Episcopi 
 
 et confessoris. 
 
 1. Frustra tuos, bona, cives 
 Fugis, et Vedaste, lates. 
 
 Terra procul hospite. 
 
 2. Comitatur fugicntem, 
 Fama sequax ct latcntem : 
 
 Toque prodit ubique, 
 
 3. Hoste Victor triumphato, 
 Se sibi rex ipse, Christo 
 
 Victus, ultro subjicit. 
 
 4. Ambo Remos dum pctitis, 
 Fingis pectus institutis, 
 
 Per tc Christum induit.
 
 Carm'nia Vedastina. 33 
 
 5. Pcndct ab ore doccntis, 
 Instar cunuchi fidelis, 
 
 Tu Philippus adcras. 
 
 6. lUic cacco rcddis luccm 
 Ac illico regis mcntcm, 
 
 Quo splcndore recreas. 
 
 7. Plcbi noctc sub profunda, 
 Quam lux ipse tu, jucunda, 
 
 Praesul factus advenis. 
 
 8. Urbs vastata dumis horrct, 
 Fide vulsa pcjor hacrct, 
 
 Aspris error animis, 
 
 9. Ut affulgcs, mox fugatur, 
 Prisca fides revocatur, 
 Domus Dei rcstauratur, 
 
 ^uac nova fit civitas, 
 
 10. Ex immani specu pulsus, 
 Te jubcntc ccdit ursus. 
 Cum fcra gentis, quod majus, 
 Exulat ct fcritas, 
 
 I I. Quis pastoris pandat curas, 
 Quis amoris artes miras ? 
 Totum te das ovibus. 
 
 12. Summis gratus imos fovea, 
 Ut Christo lucreris omncs. 
 Omnia sis omnibus. 
 
 I 3. Crescit amor, totus langues, 
 Jam vix capit pectus ignes, 
 Evolant cum anima. 
 
 14. Migrat ecce, stupcnt cuncti, 
 Flagrans seu jubar, attolli 
 Sublimem in aethera. 
 
 I 5, Cursu qui coelos flammeo 
 Petis : O dilecte Deo, 
 Tua duplex sit mens nobis : 
 En trahe nos post te votis. 
 Ad coelum quo raperis. 
 
 16. Tu qui sidus praesulum, 
 Dei fulges ante thronum, 
 Lucem mittc, vibra faces, 
 Ure corda, lustra mentes, 
 Igne quo nunc ureris. 
 
 Amen. Alleluia.
 
 34 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 For this hymn I am indebted to the great kindness of the 
 Rev. Canon Parent, of the Grand Seminaire at Arras, who 
 transcribed it for me with his own hand from a loose printed 
 sheet of a mass of S. Vedast which he discovered in a Missale 
 ad iisiim Benedtctinorum printed at Douai in 1729. The 
 mass differs from any now in use. Canon Parent, I am 
 informed, does not know of any other copy. 
 
 XX. 
 
 Sequentia in Festo Depositionis S. Vedasti, Episcopi 
 ET Hujus DiocoEsis Patroni Secundarii. 
 
 {From the r^Inuile Parisiense cum Propria Atrebatensi. ^iarto. Paris, 
 
 1841.) 
 
 1. Lethalis umbra pcllitur 
 Luxrcdit: somno surgite : 
 Fatalc vinclum solvitur ; 
 Vos, O redempti, plaudite 
 
 2. Quas Vandali rcduxerant, 
 Umbras Vedastus expulit ; 
 Quae Vandali injecerant, 
 Vincla Vedastus abstulit. 
 
 3. Celsis natus honoribus, 
 Honores prudens despicit : 
 Amplis redundat opibus, 
 Opes invisas abjicit. 
 
 4. Exul latere voluit : 
 (Sibi timet humilitas.) 
 An virtus diu latuit ? 
 An latet alta civitas ? 
 
 5. En tua, disce, munia : 
 Reges ipsos erudies ; 
 Et corda subdi nescia 
 Christi jugo subjicies. 
 
 6. Sat Chlodovaeus restitit : 
 A te doceri postulat. 
 Doces : (ut Deus astitit !) 
 Nox cedit ; error exulat. 
 
 7. Sed quanta seges operum 
 Fidem Atrebas exult ; 
 
 In omne genus scelerum 
 Idololatra proruit.
 
 Car??iina Vcdast'ma. 35 
 
 8. Nil dura corda civium, 
 Horrcns nil movct civitas. 
 f)uo non, scrvatrix ovium, 
 (^uo non impcllit caritas ! 
 
 9. Intus moventc Numine 
 Christum Vcdastus praedicat, 
 Sparso salutis scminc, 
 C)uani ampla mcssis cmicat ! 
 
 10. Verba quot signis astruit ! 
 Cacco sua lux rcdditur ; 
 Claudo pcdcm rcstituit ; 
 Salus aequo refunditur. 
 
 11. Vos Atrebatcs, dicitc 
 Ut fana, dcos verteret ; 
 Ut lingua potcns divitc 
 Deo rebcllcs subdcrct. 
 
 12. Quos dura gens induerat 
 Mores fcrinos cxuit ; 
 Infida, quern exucrat, 
 Christum docilis induiL 
 
 13. Multis partam sudoribus 
 Prolem, Pater, ne deseras ! 
 O Vcdaste, clientibus 
 Opem e coclo conferas ! 
 
 14. Piis aequa laboribus 
 Qui jam refulges gloria, 
 O Vedastc, clientibus 
 
 Coeli precare gaudia. Amen. 
 
 This hymn is also found in the Office Divin complet, en 
 Latin et en Franfais^ a f usage Diocese d' Arras, printed at 
 Arras, but without a date. The Approbation, however, pre- 
 fixed to the volume is dated May 30, 1827. It is signed by 
 the Bishop of Arras, Hugues-Robert-Jean-Charles de la Tour 
 d'Auvergne-Lauraguais. 
 
 It is also printed in the Eucologe (^fran(ais-latin) du Diocese 
 d' Arras, contenant FOffice du tous les Dimanches et Fetes de 
 l' Annee, avec approbation, printed at Lille, in 1845. 
 
 In both these books the hymn is entitled a Prose.
 
 :; 6 Ca rm in a Veda stina . 
 
 The four hymns which follow next in order, Nos. XXI. to 
 XXIV., are taken from the Breviarium Atrebatense, printed in 
 Paris in 1834, in four volumes 8vo.* 
 
 XXI. 
 
 In I. Vesperis. 
 
 {Breviarium Atrebateytse, 1834.) 
 
 1. Annuos, cives, renovemus hymnos ; 
 Orta jam splendct sacra lux Vcdasto : 
 Pracsulis tanti memores canamus 
 
 Corde triumphos. 
 
 2. Nil domus splendor, nee opes avitae, 
 Blanda nee flexit juvenem voluptas ; 
 ^uos fides monstrat supcros Vedastus 
 
 Ambit honores. 
 
 3. Ne quid in dulci patria retardet, 
 Et suos inter, nimis aula mentem 
 Blandiens frangat, fugit in rcmotas 
 
 Providus oras. 
 
 4. Quam salutaris fuga ! quam profundo 
 Jussa decreto ! reget ille reges ; 
 
 Et jugo Christi fera corda, subdi 
 
 Nescia, subdet. 
 
 5. Ut redit victor, spoliis superbus, 
 Post triumphatos Clodoveus hostes, 
 Jam Deo victus, prope noster, ardet 
 
 Rite doceri. 
 
 6. Primus occurris ; tua fama prodit : 
 Hoc pium munus tibi destinatur. 
 Jura qui nupcr dabat Imperator, 
 
 Ipse subibit. 
 
 7. Dum petit Remos, per iter docebas ; 
 A tuo Princeps pius ore pender, 
 Instar Eunuchi docilis, fuisti 
 
 Tuque Philippus, 
 
 8. Signa non verbis manifesta desunt : 
 Nam diem caeco dedit ut vidcret ; 
 Principis caeci tenebras ct omnis 
 
 Depulit aulae. 
 
 * Breviarium Atrebatense jussu illustrissimi ac reverendissimi in Christo 
 Patris, D.D., Hugonis-Rohrrti-'yoannis-CaroU de Latour-T)\Auvergne-Laura- 
 gitais vulgatum.
 
 Carjnina Vcciast'uia. 37 
 
 9. Pracpoccns rcgiim moderator, unus 
 la tribus rcgnans, mcritis Vcdasti, 
 Suppliccm coctum pius ad supcrna 
 Dirigc rcgna. Amen. 
 
 This hymn is also found in the Eucologe du Diocese d Arras 
 already referred to. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Ad Officium Noct. 
 {Breviarium Atrebatense, 1834.) 
 
 1. Christe totius rcparator orbis 
 Mitte quein nosti fidei ministrum. 
 Nostra quid mortis scdet urbs scpulta 
 
 Jugiter umbris ? 
 
 2. En Deo tandem fidciquc plenus 
 Advolat Praesul ; Deus ipse Dux est : 
 Orcus infrendct : resonant Olympi 
 
 Atria plausu. 
 
 3. Intrat hanc urbem nimis heu ! dolendara, 
 Nulla jam vcri monumenta cultus; 
 Efferas mcntcs vctus occupavit 
 
 Altius error. 
 
 4. Spiritu tervcns hominem Deumque 
 Intonat Christum; simulacra vcrtit. 
 Pert diem ; vulsis meliora spinis 
 
 Semina mandat. 
 
 5. Asserit magnis sua dicta factis. 
 Imperat : caecus jubar intuetur ; 
 Exilit claudus, loquiturque mutus, 
 
 Surdus ct audit. 
 
 6. Inde nostrorum pietas parentum 
 Prisca defluxit ; maneat supcrstes, 
 Fracta nee longo minuentis aevi 
 
 Concidat actu. 
 
 7. Summa laus Patri, Genitoque summa, 
 Et tibi compar, utriusque vinclum : 
 Fac tuis vivat, Dcus, in ministrib 
 
 Pristina virtus. Amen.
 
 38 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Ad Laudes. 
 
 ( Breviarium Atrebatense, 1834.) 
 
 1. Dexter hue nobis ados, O Vcdaste ! 
 Te tui rursus celebrarc certant ; 
 ^uos, Pater, Christo fide parturisti, 
 
 Annue natis. 
 
 2. O pias dicat quis amoris artes ! 
 
 Ut trahat Christo, subigatque corda, 
 Sponte demissa gravitate, sese 
 Omnibus aptat. 
 
 3. Fronte non asper facilis, benignus. 
 Voce non sola docet ; ipsa vultus 
 Blanda majcstas pietatis almum 
 
 Afflat amorem. 
 
 4. Erigit tristes, inopesque pascit, 
 Vestit ac nudum, miseretur aegri ; 
 Divitum mensas, fidei futurus 
 
 Praeco nee horret. 
 
 5. (2"^°^ docet nondum stabiles alumnos, 
 Firmat exemplis, animatque factis ; 
 Monstrat, accensa face, quae tenenda 
 
 Sit via coelo. 
 
 6. His fides tandem remeavit oris : 
 Templa ponuntur, reparantur arae ; 
 Quas furor stravit, pictas vicissim 
 
 Excitat aedes, 
 
 7. Quae fuit vivo tibi cura, Praesul, 
 Hanc, licet vectus super astra, serves ; 
 Et tuam, nostrae bone tutor urbis, 
 
 Respice gentem. 
 
 8. Laus sit aeternae Triadi per aevum, 
 Ouae Patri nostro superos honores 
 Largiens, nobis tribuat perennis 
 
 Gaudia vitae. Amen. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Ad II. Vesper AS. 
 
 {Brez'iar!U?n Atrebatense, 1834.) 
 
 I. Qui te beatis coetibus inseris, 
 
 Quos linquis orbos, respice coelitus, 
 Vedaste ; clemens O tuorum 
 Sume preces, gcmitus clientum.
 
 Car mi) III Vedcistiiui. ^o 
 
 2. (2uicscc, duris functc laboribus ; 
 Vcrtuntur arac, iiumina corruunt ; 
 Victo rcbclli cordc, caccis 
 
 \^cra dies rcdiviva lucct. 
 
 3. Jam ccdit ulcro, jam paticns jugi, 
 Ponit Sicambcr colla fcrocia ; 
 Sacras piandus, te doccntc, 
 Intrat ovaiis Clodovciis undas. 
 
 4. Ouac tc prcmcbant, solvere vinculis, 
 ()ucm vanus error luscrat, Atrebas ; 
 Gaudes rcperta vcritatc, 
 
 Subdis amans fcra corda Christo. 
 
 5. Vcdaste, nostcr Pastor, Apostolus 
 Ames vocari ; sedibus e tuis 
 Tuere prolcm ; tc magistriim, 
 Teque patrcm studct acmulari. 
 
 6. Sit summa Patri, summaquc Filio, 
 Tibiquc compar gloria, Spiritus ; 
 Oui dura solvis, da perennes 
 Concipiant nova corda flammas. Amen, 
 
 This hymn is found in the Office Divin and in the Eucologe, 
 of the diocese of Arras, both already referred to in these pages 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Flemish Hvmn to S. Vedast. 
 VAN DEN HEYLIGEN V^EDASTUS. 
 
 1. Wee, de woestc Nedcrlandcn, 
 Wee de rvken dacr ontrcnt ; 
 Nog gcstelt in duyvels bandcn, 
 Nog van Christi kerk vervremt ; 
 Maer \''cdastus is verschenen 
 Als ccn fakkcl in den nacht, 
 
 En net heydcndom verdwenen, 
 
 Heett verlooren sync kragt. 
 
 Den franschen vorst, 
 
 Naer 't doopsel dorst, 
 
 En vcrwinner in den strvt, 
 
 Door Vedastus 00k verwonncn, 
 
 Christi waere wet bclvdt. 
 
 2. 't Atregt, in ecn opperstedc, 
 Hceft hy synen stoel gestelt ; 
 En syn leer met wonderhedcn 
 Was ook dikwils vcrgcsclt.
 
 40 Carm'ina Vedastina. 
 
 Godcn, becldcn, helschc gccsten, 
 Zyn gcrloden op zyn woort. 
 Schim gedrojten, wildc beesten, 
 Hcbben syne stemm' gehoort. 
 Dc Blindc lien, 
 Het ligt acnsien ; 
 Kreupcl krygen hunncn gank ; 
 En dc stommc, die nu sprckcn, 
 Singen God den heere dank. 
 
 3. Maer 't geluk dor ingeseten. 
 Eon gcluk van meer gewigt, 
 Was het vvaer geloop te weten 
 En naer siel te syn verligt ; 
 Was nu vry van alle afgoden 
 Op den rcgten weg te staen, 
 Om 't acnhoorcn Gods geboden 
 En naer 't hemelryk te gacn. 
 Ook naederhant 
 Heeft Vlaenderlant 
 Sig tot 't Christendom bekeert; 
 En den grocten man Vedastus 
 Wort als Iceraer daer geccrt. 
 
 \. Hontschoot, Renegels en Belle 
 Svcken nyt in dankbaerhcyt ; 
 Hcbben stadt en kcrk gcstellen 
 Synen naeme tocgeseyt. 
 Overheden en gemeente 
 Sien met groot genoegen aen 
 Nu een deel van syn gcbeente 
 op hun pronkantaeren staen. 
 Den yver grocyt ; 
 De kerke bloeyt ; 
 en door heel het belsch gcbiet, 
 Den verheven man Vedastus 
 Vrugten van syn arbcyt siet. 
 
 5. En nu ook de sondagschoole. 
 Tot het onderwys der jeugt, 
 Is u vadcr toebevolen, 
 Is in uwcn naem verheugt. 
 Hout den hclschen beir gebonden, 
 Ondcr uwcn bisschops voct ; 
 En bewaert ons van de wonden 
 Die syn fcllc bete doet. 
 Dit dankbacr lict, 
 De schole u bict, 
 En wysingen vol van vreugt : 
 Wilt met zegcn ondcrstcnnen 
 Die ons stieren tot de deugdt.
 
 Carm'na Vedastina. 41 
 
 The popular devotion ro S. Vedast has found expression 
 in this vernacular hymn in Flemish, consisting of five verses of 
 thirteen lines each. It is printed by Mons. E de Cousse- 
 maker in his Chants Populaires des Flamands de France (8vo., 
 Gand., 1856). I do not understand the Flemish tongue, and 
 as some of my readers may be equally unfortunate, I think it 
 well to subjoin M. de Coussemaker's translation. 
 
 'Cantique en l'honneur de St. Vaast, 
 
 ' Qu'ellc ctait malheurcusc notrc Ncerlande, alors qu'avcc toutc la region 
 d'alcntoiir, die etait encore barbare, soumise au joug du demon ct privee de 
 temples chrctiens ! Mais S^ Vaast a paru comme un flambeau dans la nuit, 
 et Ic paganisme a perdu son empire. Lc monarque franc, victorieux dans 
 Ics batailles, f'ut convcrti par S'. Vaast ; il re9ut le bapteme et confcssa la 
 foi du Christ. 
 
 2. 
 
 ' II fixa son siege dans la ville d'Arras ; des miracles accompagnaient 
 souvcnt ses predications. A sa parole, on voyait tomber les faux dicux les 
 idoles et les simulacres de I'enfer. Spectres, monstres, betes feroces obcirent 
 a sa voix ; les aveugles voient la lumicrc ; les boitcux retrouvcnt Icur 
 marche ; les muets recouvrent la voix, chantant la louangc de Dieu. 
 
 3- 
 ' Mais le bonhcur, le veritable bonheur des habitants dc la contre'c fut 
 d'avoir connu la vraie foi, cette consolation des ames ; ce fut d'etre dclivrcs 
 du culte des faux dieux ct de se trouvcr sur lc chemin des commandcments 
 de Dieu et du salut eternel. Aussi, bientot la Flandre se convertit au 
 christianisme, et S'. Vaast fut honore comme I'apotrc du pays. 
 
 4- 
 ' Hondschoote, Renegelst et Bailleul, rivalisant de reconnaissance, ont 
 mis leur ville et Icur eglise sous le patronage de son nora. Les autoritcs et 
 lc pcuple voient maintenant avec satisfaction unc partie de ses ossemcnts 
 places sur leurs plus beaux autels. Ce zcle s'accroit, I'cglise prospcre et 
 dans tous les eiats beiges le grand S^ Vaast voit le fruit de ses labcurs. 
 
 5- 
 ' Et maintenant aussi I'ccole dominicale, cet asile de la jcunesse, vous est 
 consacree, 6 saint patron, et est placce sous I'cgide de votre nom. Enchaincz 
 a vos pieds I'ours dc I'enfer et sauvez-nous de ses cruelles morsurcs. L'ccolc 
 vous adresse ce cantique de reconnaissance, que nous chanttms tous avcc 
 allcgressc. Etendez vcs benedictions sur ceux qui nous conduisent dans lc 
 chemin dc la vercu.'
 
 42 Car /Nina J\\iAstuia. 
 
 The music to which the Flemish words are sung will be 
 found at p. 59 infra. 
 
 M. de Coussemaker adds a valuable note : 
 
 ' Nous avons trouve ce cantique dans le manuscrit 
 appartenant a I'ecole dominicale de Bailleul, dite de St. Vaast. 
 II y est chante a diverses epoques de I'annee et notamment a la 
 fete de ce saint, qui est le patron d'une des eglises paroissiales 
 de la meme ville. Les noms d'Hondschoote, de Renegelst, et 
 de Bailleul, mentionnes dans cette piece, indiquent son origine 
 locale et expliquent sa popularite. La melodic que nous 
 donnons ici, nous a ete chantee par une des anciennes eleves de 
 cette ecole. Elle ne parait pas appartenir a une epoque plus 
 reculee que le commencement du XVIIP siecle.' 
 
 Bailleul, according to the guide books, is some forty-nine 
 miles from Calais, on the road to Lille : a curious and 
 picturesque Flemish town, with 13,276 inhabitants, largely 
 engaged in the production of hand-made lace. 
 
 Hondschoote is eight miles to the east of Bergues, which is 
 live miles from Dunkirk. It is reached by diligence from 
 Bergues, and is a small town of 3,464 inhabitants at the present 
 time, though formerly it had a population of 20,000. 
 
 P O E iM S . 
 
 The short series of Latin verses which follow are taken from 
 ancient manuscripts in the library at Arras, mostly of the 
 eleventh century, with one or two later compositions. 
 
 The first, second, and third are ascribed to our own Alcuin. 
 Born of noble Northumbrian parents about the year 735, he 
 was the hereditary representative of the noble house from 
 which sprung S. Willibrord, the apostle of the Frisians. He 
 was brought up from infancy in the school founded by 
 Archbishop Egbert, in connection with the Church of York. 
 Here he received instruction from the Archbishop, himself
 
 C arm if Id Vcdastina. 43 
 
 the disciple and friend of Bede, and from Ethelhehrt, the 
 master of the school, who was made Archbishop in 767. He 
 became proficient in secular as well as in ecclesiastical learning. 
 He twice visited Rome, returning in 790 to Northumbria. 
 Ethelred endeavoured in vain to retain him at his Court ; but 
 Alcuin hastened back to Tours, where he governed the 
 monastery of S. Martin, although still a deacon, and here he 
 died."'"" His Life of S, Vedast is printed in the Acta Sanctoru^n, 
 Feb., VI., pp. 803-809. 
 
 The poems numbered I., II., and III. are found in the 
 eleventh century manuscript, of which so much use has been 
 already made. They form part of a series of verses (in which 
 they are numbered XLI., XLIL, and XLIII.) under the 
 general heading : 
 
 In Ecclesia Sancti Vedasti in pariete scribendum. 
 
 Other inscriptions following these three are intended to be 
 placed on or near the altars of the following Saints : 
 
 S. Martin, S. Dionysius and his companions, SS. Rcmigius and Auduinus, 
 SS. Lantbertus and Richarius, SS. Gregory and Jerome, SS. Benedict 
 and Scholascica, SS. Cosmas and Damian, the Holy Virgins, the 
 Holy Cross, SS. Mary and Clement, SS.John and Matthew, SS. Piatus 
 and George, SS. Laurence, fohn and Paul. 
 
 The inscriptions which belong to the Church of S. Vedast 
 are numbered XLI.-LXV. 
 
 I. 
 
 De Ecclesia Sancti Vedasti a Radone abbate 
 
 renovata. 
 
 {Jrras ^IS., No. i'i,\, folio 91.) 
 
 Haec domus alma Dei flammis crcpitantibus olim 
 
 Arsit, et in cineres tota rcdacta tuit ; 
 Bed miserante Deo, Rado venerabilis abba 
 
 Construxit melius, ac rcnovavit earn. 
 
 * These particulars are taken, often in the precise words of the writer, 
 from the biographical notice of Alcuin, contributed to the DictioTtary of 
 Christian Biography by the Bishop of Oxford.
 
 44 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 Plurima pracscnti domui ornamcnta ministrans, 5 
 
 Exornans totam muneribusquc sacris. 
 Cancellos aras voluit vestirc mctallis, 
 
 ^'^edasti fabricans sarcophagumquc Patris. 
 Pallia suspcndit parictibus atque luccrnas, 
 
 Addidit, ut fierct lumen in aedc sacrum. lo 
 
 Officiis Domini fecit quoque vasa sacrata 
 
 Argento, nee non aurea tota quidem. 
 Induit altaris speciosa veste ministros, 
 
 Ut foret egregium semper ubique decus. 
 Omnia mcllifluo Christi devotus amorc 15 
 
 Rcstaurans opera, vir pius, in melius. 
 Pro quo quisquc legas titulos, rogitare mcnento, 
 
 Adjuvit utque ilium gratia summa Dei. 
 
 Abbot Radon was the eleventh abbot of the Abbey of 
 S. Vaast, at Arras, from 795 to 815. He was ' grand- 
 referendaire de la couronne et chancelier de Charlemagne, avait 
 ete elu abbe en 795 par le suffrage unanime de la communaute. 
 Aussi ce prelat, dont les chroniqueurs mentionnent la piete 
 aussi profonde qu'eclairee, put reparer les degats causes a 
 I'eglise du monastere par I'incendie de 783 ; de plus il 
 contribua a la solennite du culte rendu a Saint Vaast. en 
 decorant son sanctuaire, en embellisant son autel de beaux 
 ornements, et en i-endant I'eglise plus vaste et plus grandiose, 
 sans negliger I'administration interieure.' 
 
 ' Radon intimement lie avec le celebre Alcuin, precepteur 
 du monarque Fran^ais, I'engagea a rcdiger une nouvelle vie de 
 Saint Vaast, d'apres les documents anciens et les biographies 
 que Ton possedait deja, mais que Ton regardait comme defec- 
 tueuses.'* 
 
 These passages show the connection between Alcuin and 
 Radon, and explain the circumstances under which the verses 
 were written 
 
 The fire of 795 appears to have been exceedingly destruc- 
 tive, for the Abbot Radon ' fut oblige de la reconstruire de 
 fond en comble.'f The writers just cited go on to say that 
 
 * U Abbay de Saint-l^t!ast,^3.r MM. Adolphc dc Cardcvacquc ct Augustc 
 Terninck. 410., Arras, 1865. I., p. 55. 
 t Ibid., 111., pp. 90, 91.
 
 Car7)nna Veda st inn. 
 
 45 
 
 the chronicles and writings of Alcuin * poete et religieux du 
 
 monasterc,' testify to the greatness and beauty of his work. 
 
 ' Les autels etaient enrichis de metaux, le tombeau de Saint Vaast 
 
 ctait orne de James d'or et d'argent, et les murs etaient recou- 
 
 verts d'elegantes tapisserie. Radon suspendit des lampes dans 
 
 les nefs et dans le sanctuaire, il fit confectionner des vases sacres 
 
 en or et en argent, et acheta de riches ornements pour les 
 
 officiants.' As a note to this passage our poem is printed, as, 
 
 indeed, it was also at the place first cited. 
 
 In the Acta Sanctorum (February, VI., p. 809, column 2) 
 
 are found these verses: 
 
 * I'ersus tllcuini ad Radon em Jib hat em. 
 Noli, quacso. Pater, munuscula spernerc nostra. 
 Parvula si videas, magna hacc dilcctio mittit.' 
 
 They are printed at the end of Alcuin's Adhortatio ad imi- 
 tandas virtutes S. Vedasti in Actis descriptis* 
 
 II. 
 
 Ad Corpus Sancti Vedasti. 
 
 {Jrras MS., No. ■;^^,fo/io 91.) 
 
 Hie Pater egregius Vedastus corpore paiisat, 
 
 Cujus honore sacro hacc domus alma micat. 
 Fulcitur tanti meritis per saecla patroni, 
 
 Per quern multa Deus signa salutis agit. 
 Qui sacra celsitroni vivens vestigia Christi, 5 
 
 Lingua, mente, munu namque sccutus erat. 
 Mulriplicavit opes bis quinis forte talentis. 
 
 Nee data marsupiis lucra ligavit iners. 
 Audiet idcirco vocem mox judicis almi : 
 
 Intra nunc Domini gaudia sancta tui. 10 
 
 In the Acta Sancto7'um (p. 809, column 2) these verses are 
 entitled Epitaphium S. Vedasti. 
 
 In the Abbe Destombes' Les Vies des Saints et des Personnes 
 d'une eminente piete des Dioceses de Cambrai et d\irras (4 vols., 
 i2mo., Douai, 1868, i. 212) is a translation of this Epitaph 
 into PVench : 
 
 * Sec also the Jtta Sancton/m, p. 797.
 
 46 Carm'ma Vedastina. 
 
 Ici repose le corps dc Saint Vaast, notre illustre perc, 
 
 Done la gloire immortelle embcllit cettc demeurc. 
 
 Elle est fondee pour des siecles, sous I'auguste patronage 
 
 De celui par qui Dieu opera beaucoup d'ceuvres dc sahit. 
 
 Toute sa vie il marcha sur Ics traces sacrecs de Jesus-Christ ; 5 
 
 Sa bouche, son cceur, sa main, tout lui fut consacre : 
 
 II multiplia Ics dix talents que Dicu lui donna, 
 
 Et ne Ics enfouit point apres Ics avoir re^us. 
 
 C'cst pourquoi il cntendra cette parole du juge misericordieux : 
 
 Entrez maintcnant dans les joics de votre Seigneur. 10 
 
 III. 
 
 Ad ARAM Sancti Vedasti. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. ~l\, folio 91.) 
 
 Pontificalis apex, meritis vivacibus, aram 
 Vedastus sanctus hanc regit ipse Pater. 
 
 Hanc abbas humilis vestivit Rado metallis. 
 In Domini laudem ductus amorc Patris. 
 
 These three poems, Nos. I., II. and III., are printed amongst 
 Alcuin's works in the Abbe Migne's Patrologiae cursus com- 
 putus (tom. ci., p. 741), with the heading, ' Carmina. Unscrip- 
 tiones variae in Ecclesia S. Vedasti.' The learned editor does 
 not appear to have seen the Arras MS, cited above, for he 
 writes : ' Cur carmina sequentia ad Ecclesiam Sancti Vedasti 
 pertinere censeamus, causa est, quod non initio solum, sed et in 
 medio occurrat mentio de Radone Abbate illius monasterii.' 
 The Arras MS. determines the question. 
 
 To the first of the poems the Abbe Migne appends the 
 following note, which is equally decisive : 
 
 ' Hoc carmen emendavimus ex editione celeberrimi Lambecii (tom. ii., 
 Comment. Bibl. Caesar., p. 414. ; novae editionis, tom. i., p. 643). In Cod. 
 Vindobo7unsi his versibus praefigitur titulus : Jn Ecclesia Sancti Vedasti in 
 pariete scribendum. Ubi notari vult idem Lambecius, non hie legi scriptum, 
 sed scribendum ; nempe quod pervetustus illc Codex Caesareus prius est 
 exaratus quam epigramma hoc parieti ecclesiae Sancti Vedasti inscriptum est.' 
 
 A careful collation of the Arras text here printed with the Abbe Migne's 
 version gives the following various readings. In Poem I. : 
 
 Line I, Jllma : Henschcn leg. alta. 
 
 Line 2, Fuit : Lambecius, ruit.
 
 Cannina VcJastina. 47 
 
 Line 3, Rado : Radon. 
 
 /enerabi/is : Oucrcct, niiserabilis. 
 
 Line 7, Cancelhs : Lambccius, cancellos ; but canccllis is printed. 
 
 Line 16, Opera: Oucrcct, operc. 
 
 Line 17, Rogitare : (^uera;t, cogitarc. 
 In Poem II. : 
 
 Line 5, Cclsithroni for celsitroni. 
 
 Line 8, Marsupii tor marsupiis. 
 
 And to line 8 the following note is appended : 
 
 Ligavit iners : vera hacc est, ait Lambccius loc. cit. ct genuina hujus loci 
 lectio; non autem ut in cditionc Ouercctani : lucra ligavit opes; vel in 
 codicibus MSS. quibus RR. PP. BoUandus ct Hcnschcnius usi sunt : lucri 
 migrat'it opes. 
 
 IV. 
 Verses composed bv Rodulphus de Montchv. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. S6o,fo/io I.) 
 
 Hunc ego Rodulphus Monachus tantum modo dictus, 
 Nomine, non mcrito, sed fretus praesulc Christo, 
 Conscripsi librum coclesti dogmate plenum. 
 Nee grave sit cuiquam libri si lucra capcscam. 
 
 Magnum pro libro certe quia pignus habcbo. 5 
 
 (^iJod pignus, sodes ? Ouod pignus? Jam modo nosccs. 
 Cum librum scribo, Vedastus ab ethcrc summo 
 Rcspicit e coelis, notat ct quot grammata nostris. 
 Dcpingam calamis, quot aretur pagina sulcis, 
 
 ^uot folium punctis, hinc hinc lacerctur acutis ; lO 
 
 Tuncquc favcns opcri nostro, nostroquc labori, 
 Grammata quot, sulci quot sunt, quot dcniquc puncti, 
 Inquit, in hoc libro, tot crimina jam cibi dono 
 Hancque potestatcra dat Christus habere pcrhcnncm. 
 Nee labor istc tibi, frater, jam prodcrit uni, 1 5 
 
 Sed pro quibuscumque velis detur pars magna laboris, 
 Hcc merccs opcris, quam dat scriptoribus ipsis 
 Sanctus Vcdastus, pater optimus, atque bcnignus. 
 Hac mercede librum perscripsi sedulus istum. 
 
 Ouem si quis tollat, tellus huic ima dchiscat, 20 
 
 Vivus ut internum pctat amplis ignibus atrum. 
 Fiat. Fiat. 
 
 This poem is inscribed on the redo of the first leaf of the 
 Arras MS., No. 860 : 
 
 ' Sur le recto folio primo, un frontispice encadre, dessine a 
 la plume, et dans I'encadrement des vers latins assez curieux
 
 48 CartJiina Vedast'wa. 
 
 composes par Rodulphus de Monchy. Audessus de cette 
 piece de vers est represente saint Vaast, parlant du haut de ciel 
 au scribe place sous lui.' 
 
 It is a finely-executed manuscript, and the figures both of 
 S. Vaast and of the scribe are very carefully drawn. An 
 accurate copy of this interesting drawing will be found in 
 the frontispiece. The description of the manuscript (from the 
 Catalogue) is given in the note. 
 
 * 
 
 V. 
 
 Verses composed by Alard. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. 616, folio 2.) 
 
 Junctus in aethereo, Vedaste, pater pic, regno, 
 
 His licet aeterno regi trans omnia pulchro, 
 
 Cernis servorum tamcn hie pia vota tuorum, 
 
 Nee tanti donum quantum scis pcndere votum ; 
 
 Tu memor ergo tui non dedigneris Alardi 5 
 
 Esse. Sed hunc modicum cum voto suscipe librum. 
 
 Cum capis librum, cum libro mox cape servum 
 
 Omnibus ut vitiis purges, des munera lucis. 
 
 Cum mors ingruerit et cum clamata jacebit 
 
 Materies, misero mihi tunc, pie Presul, adesto. 10 
 
 These verses are taken from the Arras MS., No. 616 ; a 
 fine manuscript of S. Augustine's Confessions^ and of his 
 Liber de vera religione. 
 
 ' Au recto folio deux, on lit dix vers, par un nomme 
 Alard, qui a ecrit ce manuscrit, addresses a St. Vaast.' 
 
 It is a manuscript of the commencement of the eleventh 
 century. t 
 
 * No. 860. S. Hieronymi Commentarius in Libro Psalmorum. In folio 
 quadrato ; velin fort et blanc ; trace a la pointe ; deux colonnes ; XI^ 
 siecle ; grandes lettres ornces dans le style roman ; rubriques en onciales et 
 capitales romaincs ; initiates en vert mineral et en rouge de plomb ; 135 
 feuillets; manuscrit ecrit a St. Vaast. 
 
 t In folio quadrato ; velin grattc, tres beau et tres fort ; trace a la pointe ; 
 deux colonnes ; tetes delivrcs en capitales romaincs ; rubriques au rouge de 
 plomb ; grandes lettres a la plume, ornces de vert, dans le style roman ; 
 75 feuillets.
 
 Car?n'ma V'edast'ma. j.q 
 
 The verses are printed in the official Catalogue, where the 
 first word of the second line appears as Sis. The initial letter 
 of the line was not inserted by the original scribe : a later, but 
 still ancient, hand has written the letter H. On this account, 
 to present an exact transcript oi the earliest text which I could 
 procure, I have printed His in the text, though Sis gives the 
 better sense. 
 
 Over the word mater ies, in the last line, an ancient, probably 
 contemporary, hand has written, ' S. [i.e., scilicet] mei corporis.' 
 
 VI. 
 
 A Short Poem ont S. Vedast. 
 
 {Arras MS., No. 380, last leaf.) 
 
 Arthesiis summo splendorc Vedastus in oris 
 
 Fulget, et eterni nomen honoris habet, 
 Dogmate cclesti Christ! cxornavit ovile. 
 
 Plcbs, cole tam sanctum, relligiosa, patrem 
 
 VII. 
 French Verses by ' le mesme Autheur.' 
 
 {Jrras MS., No. 380, last leaf.) 
 
 Lc pcaplc doiix, humain & tres courtois. 
 
 Siege tenant es limites d'Arthois, 
 
 Dc tel honeiir tousieurs sainct Vadz vcnerc 
 
 Comme s'il fut son patron ct vrai pore ; 
 
 Car il donna dc charitable main 
 
 Du cicl luisant lc salutaire pain. 
 
 These short compositions, Nos. VI. and VII., are found on 
 the last leaf of the Arras MS., No. 380." 
 
 The manuscript contains the life and miracles of S. Vedast, 
 of which the editor of the Catalogue observes : 
 
 ' Sur les derniers feuillets sont quelques miracles ajoutes a 
 
 * In folio mediocri ; velin blanc, sali par I'usage ; trace a I'encrc 
 pourprc ; XIV"= sioclc ; grandc ecriturc gothique ; initiales festonnees 
 rouges et bleues ; 25 feuillets.
 
 50 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 line epoque posterleure, et qui ne sont pas imprlmcs dans les 
 BoIIandistes, le dernier est date de 1339.' 
 
 Immediately after the French verses is written : ' Beatus 
 Vedastus Episcopus Atrebatensis per Grimaul Pont 1584.' 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Prayer to S. Vedast. 
 
 (Jrras MS., No. 903, //?// Av^ Eleventh centurs.) 
 
 Scire volens summam deitatem cuncta cxcreantem 
 Tcr quinos hinc, lector, habcs ex ordinc libros 
 Ouos Augustinus, claro sermone retexens, 
 Edidit insignis rcthor studio vchementi. 
 Ergo, Vedaste, favens scriptoris, suscipc munus 
 Evrardi, posccns rcgnum miserando polorum. 
 
 The manuscript from which these verses are taken contains 
 the Ti' act at us Sancti Angus tini de Trinitate., to which the writer 
 alludes. On the last leaf is a design representing S. Vedast, 
 executed contemporaneously with the volume itself, and beneath 
 this representation are the verses now printed. 
 
 IX. 
 
 EXTRAIT DU MaNUSCRIT No. 58 DE LA BlBLIOTHEQUE 
 
 d'Arras. 
 
 (^Vedastiados libri, Pafwgii Salii Audomarensh.^ 
 Liber Primus. 
 
 Sacra cano, regcmquc pium qui Francica primus 
 Sceptra Deo addixit, Christoque in regna vocato 
 Impia purgatis exclusit numina terris. 
 Multum illi valuere preces lacrymaeque decorae 
 Conjugis auditac caelo : multum ipse Vedastus. 
 Profuit, aetcrnc pandcns mystcria vitae, 
 Errorem evolvens, et vulgus inane Deorum. 
 Spiritus O patris natiquc aeterna voluntas 
 Sanctc vcni. felixque animis illabcre nostris. 
 Da mcmorarc quibus Regem rationibus olim 
 Vir gratus superis, a relligionc nefanda 
 Ad vcros ritus traduxerit : ct quibus indc 
 Auspiciis actus, varias pcnetrarit ad urbcs 
 Artcsiacquc solum ; quanto rccidiva, labore
 
 Carmina Vedastina. 5 1 
 
 Mocnia condidcric sparsis Atrebatibus utquc 
 Rcxcric hunc popiiliim ct parvi Criticnis ad amiicm 
 Fundarit ccllam, que nunc sc mole niinaci 
 Extulit ad coclum, caput inter nubila condit, 
 Atque \'edastinum servat per secula nomcn. 
 Clodoveus ovans jam sub sua jura flucntcm 
 Ouinquebat* Rhenuni, profligatasque potcntcs 
 Gcrnianoruni acics, Christo ducc ct auspice Christo 
 Signaque Teutonicis Victor reterebat ab oris. 
 IVIulta movens aniino di versus ab agmine princeps 
 Ibat, et ingentcs agitabat pcctore curas. 
 Elvcntus onincs, pugnataque in ordine sccum 
 Bella rcccnsebat reputans : sic coniniinus hostem 
 Aggredimur : sic pugna tuit, sic terruit hostes 
 Acer agens victos multo cum sanguine Francos. 
 Sic peril opprcssus miser, aut pcriisse putavi. 
 Sic vovi, sic me certo mea vota Deusque 
 Eripuit Ictho, medioquc ex hostc reccpit 
 Ad socios, victis sic in precordia virtus 
 Atque animus rediit mclior : sic vicimus ipsi 
 Aspirante Deo, voti reus insuper angor. 
 Nam Deus illc Dcus mea quern Clotildis adorat, 
 Cujus opcm cxpertus vivo, victorque triumpho, 
 Nescio quod numen, qua religione colendum 
 Adveniat? que sacra sibi, quos poscat honorcs. 
 
 5|C 3fC ^ SfC t^ 
 
 Urbs antiqua tuit Lcuc(jrum in vallibus imis, 
 
 Guam t'ama est regem Hostilium dum occurrorc tentat 
 
 Viribus atque armis Belgarum, ubi castra locabat 
 
 Instituisse, suo finxisse que nomine Tiilluni. 
 
 Exiguis illic tcctis ct pauperc cclla 
 
 \'ivebat casta sub religione Vedastus, 
 
 Cui studium execrari Aras Phebiquc Jovisquc 
 
 Et quecumquc Deum larvc, ct simulata vigcbant. 
 
 ♦ * + * * 
 
 Sed postquam summosque duces, primosque suorum 
 Dimisit, tandique aptissima tcmpora vidit, 
 Et vacuam sine teste domum, qua parte sedcbat 
 Aureus exurgit gradicns, dcxtraque V^edastum 
 Protinus apprensum verbis compellat amicis : 
 Hue ades, o felix, nee enim mihi jurgia tecum 
 Aut rixe, aut lesa de majestate Dcorum 
 Ipse reum questor te sub mea tccta vocari. 
 
 There is in the British Museum a printed copy of the 
 Vedastiados of some special interest, for on the title-page is a 
 
 * Quinquebat. ^uinquare = lustrare, purgare. To expiate, to purify by 
 religious rires.
 
 52 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 written dedication of this copy in the author's own very legible 
 hand : 
 
 ' Panagius Salius Stephano Clavo dcdit Autor 
 ejus et hac propria sunt monimciua manu.' 
 
 On the back of the title* is a quaint portrait of the author ; 
 below it are four lines ' In Imagincm Auctoris ' by A. Meier ; 
 and on one of the leaves is the curious anagram : 
 
 PANAGIUS SALIUS. 
 AGNUS, APIS SILVA. 
 
 The poem seems to have been a good deal revised and 
 altered from the Arras MS., if that is indeed the earliest form, 
 as seems very probable. I proceed to note a few variations 
 between the MS. and the printed text : 
 
 After verse 19 occur nine lines of dedication to Abbot Sarrazin. 
 
 Verse 2 i. — The unusual word ' ^uinquebat ' disappears, and ' Linquebat ' 
 takes its place. 
 
 Verse 22. — The Virgilian, ' Christo duce et auspice Christo,' gives place 
 to ' Voto non viribus usus.' 
 
 And in the second selected passage verses 2-4 run thus : 
 
 ' Guam fert fama Ducem Hostilia de gente profectum 
 Adversum Bclgas posuisse, ubi castra locabat, 
 Et proavi Tulli finxissc a nomine Tullum.' 
 
 The whole poem is an important contribution to Vedastine 
 literature, and it seems worth while to give the author's own 
 summary of the contents of his work. 
 
 jirgumentum libri primi. — Clodoveus rex Francorum victoria de Germanis 
 reportata in GalHam redit. Et primum Tullum Austrasiac urbem venit, illic 
 que votum est solicitus (venerat autem Germanico proelio, si victor esset, 
 se relicta deorum vana superstitione Christianam religionem amplexurum) 
 consulit Vedastum sacerdotem illique solum et voti causas exponit, narrat a 
 principio quibus conditionibus et pactis Clotildin uxorem duxerit, nempe si 
 ipse Christianismum profiteretur. Turn uxoris pietatem commcmorat, unius 
 filii mortem alterius periculum, bellum Gcrmanorum, et quo discrimine in 
 illo sit versatus, victoriam demum suam post Christum vocatum. Tandem 
 petit de diis sententiam. Vedastus Dei naturam explicat, docet Deum esse 
 
 * The title is : ' Panagii Salii Audomarensis Vedastiados seu Galliae 
 Christianae libri quinque. Duaci. Ex Officina loannis Bogardi, 1591.' 
 Ouarto, 146 numbered pages + 4 unnumbered leaves. (Press mark, 1 1403. 
 'b. 46.)
 
 Carmina Vedastina. 53 
 
 unum, actcrnum, immortalcm, sub scnsum non cadcntcm omnipotcntem, 
 optimus maximus idcamquc boni ct pulcri. Rcjccit Dcos antiquae im- 
 pictatis Saturnum, Jovcni, Ncptuiuim, Plutoncm, etc. Causas adtcrt 
 Idololatrix', illius inconstaiuiam, constantiam autcm vcrac rcligionis quae in 
 paucis mansit ab Adamo, Noc, Abraham, per totum populum Israel, 
 usque ad Christum qui ipsam adimplcvit. His auditis Rex Chnstianac 
 doctrinae adhacrct, et Remos adirc instituit ut a Remigio cxpiari possit. 
 Intcrea id consilii dissimulac paratquc convivium. 
 
 Argumentum libri 5ecundi.—^<:%\ in somnis apparct Christi imago misc- 
 randum in modum crucnta et lacera, et qualis in cruce fuit, cumquc ilia 
 Angelus bellicum signum fcrens, quod Rex acceptum a Christo munus Auri- 
 llammam vocat. Vcdastus dc crucis admirabili virtutc disscrit, historiamquc 
 Constantini commemorat. Rex Crucem albam sibi Francisquc pro dis- 
 criminc militari assumit. Aurclius ad Clotildin Reginam mittitur. Bcllum 
 paratur in Virduncnses, sed rex illis parcit victus precibus Euspicii saccrdotis 
 et Vedasti. Clotildis ad Remos venit, et illic cum Remigio Regem expectat. 
 Vedastus in ponte Axonac in finibus Remorum coram Rege, ct regio exercitu 
 caeco homini oculos restituit. Vaticinatur futurum ut regcs Christiani Franci 
 gutturalcm morbum* alias incurabilcm, sola manus appositione curcnt. 
 Venitur ad Remos. Occurrunt Regi Clotildis ct Remigius. Rex ad suam 
 nobilitatcm orationcm habet, illamquc hortatur ut secum Christianam 
 rcligionem amplccti velit. Cui postquam persuasit, magna pompa templum 
 petit, ct a Remigio, virtutc Baptismi, cxpiatur. Ungitur chrismate divinitus 
 oblato. 
 
 Argumentum libri /^r///. — Regi jam per Baptismum expiate occurrit 
 Eremita fercns scutum in quo picta crant lilia aurca. Illud Regi tradit, 
 ct a Christo missum exponit. Rex statim bufonibus rejectis (quae sua crant 
 prima insignia) lilia assumit. Remigius Rcgcm admonet officii, afflatus furore 
 divino vaticinatur et canit fata Franciac. Hinc Rex discedens \'edastum 
 Remigio commendat : Vcdastus agit cum Remigio. Dcus Raphaclem ad 
 Rcmigium mittit, cui impcrat ut Vcdastum ad Atrebates mittat Episcopum. 
 Vedastus Atrebates petit. Ad portas urbis caecum et claudum sanat. 
 Dcscribitur urbs vetus, ct pene diruta, barbarics gcntis et teritas. Ursus 
 \'edasti imperio paret, et sylvas mansuctus repetit. Comius senior narrat 
 calamitatem ct eversionem urbis per tempora Hunorum, et de nece Diogenis. 
 Vedastus plebcm dispersam ferarum more convocat. In concionc eos hor- 
 tatur ut civiliorem vicae cultum scquantur, ad urbcm sibi instaurandam 
 excitet, pcrsuadct. Templum D. Virgini dodicatur. Urbs nova excitatur. 
 
 Argumentum libri qunrli. — Instaurata urbc Vcdastus curat leges ct jura 
 antiquata restitui, senatum legi, Magistratusque creari, cellas Mercurio ct 
 Dianac positas destrui, cellam suburbanam sibi per data otia contcmplationi 
 secessum acdificari. In ilia somno divino corripitur. In somnis Angelum 
 videt, auditquc ventura sibi praedicentem, honorcsquc tuturos illius celiac, 
 quae autoribus Autberto primum Episcopo, deinde Thcodorico Rcgc, ct 
 Vindiciano Pontificc summum incremcntum sit acceptura. Eodem Angelo 
 monstrante vidct scriem omnium Abbatum Vedastinorum ab Hatta usque 
 
 'i^ Probably the Kind's Evil is intended.
 
 54 Carmina Vedastina, 
 
 ad Joanncm Saracen urn, eorumque res gerendas cognoscit. Tandem, Ora- 
 toribus Bcllovacis interpellantibus, a somno cx'citatur. 
 
 Argumentum libri quinti. — Corbides unus ex oratoribus Bellovacorum 
 suae Icgationis causas exponit. Vedastus Bellovacorum urbem aditurum 
 se pollicetur. Revertuntur Dcprecatores. Ipse cellam suburbanam, in- 
 somniorum memor locum sepuhurae sibi decernit. Ad Bcllovacos tendit 
 per Ambianos et V^elocasscs. In Velocassibus occurrit Paternus veteranus 
 eques, Clodovaei quondam Regis domcsticus, qui ilium hospitio excipit. 
 Petit consilium a Vedasto, quo facto maxime bcatam vitam consequi possit. 
 Vedastus suadet, ut Xenodochium cxtruat : nihil enim liberalitate et miseri- 
 cordia in pauperes Deo gratius esse. Aegre assentitur Paternus, quippe 
 nimis attentus ad rem. Vedastus virgam tiliae, quo scipione utebatur, jam 
 aridam humi figit, et hoc facto Xcnodochii extructionem firniat, si virga ilia 
 tracto humorc revirescat et succrescat in arborcm. Pactionem subito fides 
 secuta est, virga reviruit, arbor enata est, et ex arbore ingens silva. Vedastus 
 Bratuspantium ad Bellovacus vcnit, populum in Christiana religione con- 
 firmat, Pontificemquc illis Dominicum attribuit. A Clotildc ad Parisios 
 advocdtur. Lutetiam petit, ubi Genovefam mortuam lugcri intclligit. 
 Clotildis curas illi suas exponit. Eam consolatur Vedastus. Genovefam 
 sepelit. A regc Clotario ad coenam invitatur. Prodigium facit, tandcmque 
 domum se recipit. 
 
 It is impossible to resist the temptation of adding one other 
 specimen of the poem, the very graphic description of the gift 
 of the Sainte Ampulle at the baptism of Clovis. 
 
 Liber II., p. 64. 
 
 Jamque uncturus erat sacrato Chrismate Regem 
 (Pontifices hoc Chrisma vocant quod vulgus olivum), 
 Sed dum vas aperit quo promere Chrisma volcbat, 
 Horret, nil olci in sicco jam vase repcrtum, 
 Ouod tamen ante sacro plenum pinguebat olivo. 
 Prodigio stupet, et turbari sacra veretur. 
 
 ^ ^ -ip. "^ r)f. 
 
 Dumque haec judicia inter se contraria mussant, 
 
 Ecce alis subito geminis librata Columba 
 
 Visa per exiguam se Templo inferrc fcncstram. 
 
 Vas fictum in cymbam rostro portabat in unco. 
 
 Ilia ubi tcr circum populum volitavit et ora, 
 
 Rcmigio illapsa est, ejus dextraque resedit, 
 
 Et pronum praetendit onus, quo lenitur illic 
 
 Deposito, in coelum pcnnis ablata refugit, 
 
 Attonitum populum linquens, monstroque silentem. 
 
 Rcmigius vase, ct divino muncre laetus 
 
 (Namque Dei agnovit tamulum, qui venerat ales, 
 
 Et vas attulerat coelo delapsus ab alto), 
 
 Inde .oleum sumit, pcragitque ex ordine sacra; 
 
 Inquc caput lymj-ham, conceptaque verba profundit ;
 
 Carmina Jcilastuia. 55 
 
 Oui postquam pcrfectus honos, ct sacra quicrunt, 
 jam lituiquc tubacquc caiuiiit, jam gaiidia totis 
 Acccndit populus studiis, plausumquc trcqucntat, 
 Concitaquc ingcntcm resonant dclubra per urbcm. 
 
 Messieurs de Cardevacque and Terninck, in their important 
 monograph u[.on the Abbey of S, Vaast,* observe that 'Saint 
 Vaast n'a pas eu seulement ses biographes et ses panegyristes, 
 il a eu aussi ses poetes. II existe une epopee latine peu connue, 
 mais assez rem;irquable, intitulee la Vedastiade. Antoine 
 Meyer, I'un de nos ecrivains les plus distingues du xvi*= siecle, 
 publia en 1580 un poeme en trois chants sous ce titre singuher : 
 Uours oil la vie de saint Vaast.' 
 
 In the Arras Library there is a manuscript copy of the 
 former poem.f I am indebted to Monsieur A. Lavoine for 
 the transcript of a portion of the work (sufficient to give a 
 general idea of its merits), which forms the present section of 
 the Poemata. I have not seen the original manuscript. 
 
 I have not been so fortunate as to see a copy of Meier's 
 Ursus. It is not to be found in the library at Arras. Messieurs 
 de Cardevacque and Terninck give its title-page thus : 
 
 ' Antonii Meyeri Ursus, sive de rebus divi Vedasti, episcopi 
 Atrebatensis, libri iii., in S"'- Lutetian apudCaroIum Roger, i 580. 
 L'ouvrage est dedie a Jean Sarrazin, abbe de Saint-Vaast.' 
 
 In the list of the men of letters who were contemporary 
 with Jean Sarrazin, seventy-sixth Abbot of S. Vaast, 1578- 
 1598, are enumerated Toussaint de la Salle and Antoine Meyer ; 
 and here it is said that the former, ' Panagius Salius de Saint 
 Omer, lui envoya avec une dedicace, un poeme intitule: 
 
 ' Vedastiados, Calliopesacka ad amplissimum virum Joan- 
 nem Sarracenum, abbatem Vedastinum picridum Mecenatem 
 renatum. Vol. in 4''^- 27 p-iges. Arras. G. de la Riviere, 
 
 1595-'+ 
 
 '^' V Abba-^e de Saitit-Faast, I. 21. 
 
 t MS. No. 58. Panagil Salii Andonidvcnsls rcdastiados liLri qiiirque. In 
 folio ; papier ; ccritiire batardc du XVI<= siecle ; 42 fcuillcts. 
 \ V Ahba'^e de Saint-I'tuut, I. 286.
 
 S6 
 
 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 I am not able to determine, from the materials before me, 
 whether this work is a second edition of that printed in Douai 
 in I 591. 
 
 It will have been observed that A. Meier, no doubt the 
 author of the Ursus, wrote the quatrain below the portrait of 
 Toussaint de la Salle, or, to use the Latinised form of his 
 name, Panagius Salius. 
 
 X. 
 
 Versus in laudem S, Vedasti. 
 {Jrras MS., No. 493.) 
 
 Amor, timorquc, spes, metus, infirmitas, 
 Ardorque mentis, quo trasitis ? Hue mc rapit 
 Fervens voluntas, at metus flammam avocat : 
 Illuc amor ducit, scd impotens meos 
 Supplantat ausus musa. Spirant intimae 
 Fibrae Vedastum, Galliae lumen, Dcus, 
 Famemque mundi : vix tamen lactam ratem 
 Mari aestuoso credere audiam. Sed i 
 Exprome musa quamquam in primorihus 
 Labris scdebat, exeat fausta alite 
 Leves in auras : si modo faves meis, 
 Vedaste, caeptis. Sed faves, vide, faves. 
 
 The Arras MS. No. 493, is entitled ' Aliquot versus in 
 laudem S. Vedasti'; a quarto volume, on paper, ' ecriture 
 batarde du XVIP siecle ; 16 feuillets. Pour dedicace: 
 
 ' Ad Reverendissimum D. Abbatem sancti Vedasti 
 Maecenatem suum, Philippum Kavrel, Gauguericus 
 hispanus.' 
 
 The volume contains a series of thirteen poems, of which the 
 specimen above printed will probably suffice ; it is the first of 
 the series. Here follows a list of the subjects of the verses : 
 
 1. Ad Sanctum Vedastum. 
 
 2. Nativitas S. Vedasti. 
 
 3. Vedasto jam nato. 
 
 4. Vedasti quaerimonia de Galliae infidelitate. 
 
 5. A lecto quacritur quod Gallia S. Vedasti laborc ad fidem sit conversa.
 
 C arm ma Vedastma. ^j 
 
 6. Dc caeco illuminato a S. Vcdasto in pontc Axomc* 
 
 7. Dc Sancto Vcdasto Atrcbatum obligcntc. 
 
 8. Dc Tcmpio Bcatae Mariac Atrcbati a S. Vcdasto constructo. 
 
 9. Dc Sella Mcrcurii ct Diaiiac a S. Vcdasto cxcisa. 
 10. Dc prodigio in mcnsis a S. Vcdasto functo. 
 
 I I. Dc columna ignis quae mortem S. Vcdasti pracciirrcbat. 
 
 12. Ad P. Hubum sc satis moruisse. 
 
 13. Ad rcvcrcndissimum S. Vcdasti abbatem Philippum Kaurcllc 
 Macccnatcm suiim. 
 
 Philippe de Caverel was the seventy-seventh abbot of S. 
 Vaast, I 598-1 636, and was one of the most distinguished of 
 the dignified ecclesiastics who have occupied the abbatial 
 throne. A full account of him will be found in L! Abb aye de 
 Saint Vaast, par MM. Adolphe de Cardevacque et Auguste 
 Terninck.t It is to him that Gaugericus, the Spaniard, 
 dedicates his verses. J 
 
 XI. 
 
 Verses by Petrus Justus Sautel. 
 
 [Printed in his ' Annus Sacer Poetic us ^ Vol. /., p. 63.) 
 VI. Februarii. 
 
 S. Vcdastus Episcopus Atrebatensis, cuius obitum insistens tecto columna 
 ignca pracnuntiauit. 
 
 Dvm prcmit affectos morbus tibi Icthifcr artus, 
 
 Inscdit Laribus pcndula flamma tuis. 
 Solcmncs succcndit faces in funcra, Pracsul, 
 
 Ignis enim cinercs nuntiat istc tuos. 
 
 Sautel's work is well known. It will suffice to say that 
 the Annus Sacer Poeticus was printed in two duodecimo 
 volumes, in Paris, in 1665. 
 
 * In the short life ot S. Vcdast printed in the Mhnoires de r Academie 
 i' Arras, 1886, the river is called Axona (p. 211), that is, the Aisnc. 
 
 t Vol. II., pp. 5-18. 
 
 X The fourth Bishop of Cambrai, Gaugericus, or S. Gerv, a native of 
 Yvoy, in Luxembourg, bore the same somewhat unusual name [Gallia 
 Christiana, 111. \).
 
 
 Ciirmina Vcdastina. 
 
 THE MUSIC OK TWO OF THE HYMNS. 
 
 By the great kindness of two friends, learned in the 
 heaven-sent art, I am able to add the music to which two of 
 the hymns should be sung. 
 
 Taking these hymns in chronological order the first will be 
 No. VIII, in the present collection : 
 
 ' \^oce jucunda rcsoncmus omncs.' 
 
 Here will be found, in the ancient notation, the melody to 
 which the hymn is set in the Supplement aux Graduel el 
 Antiphonaire Romains pour le Diocese d" Arras^ printed at 
 Arras in 1889, and then a transcription of this melody into 
 modern notation with delightful harmonies added by Dr. 
 Martin, the Organist of S. Paul's Cathedral, who is always 
 ready, with generous kindness, to help the searcher after that 
 musical lore in which he is so great a proficient. 
 
 j^g ^- *zi=giig=»=iz==:!z ^» ' " r * 
 
 '■ ■ r 
 
 Vo - ce ju-cun - da re-son-e-nius oni 
 
 nes 
 
 -B_ 
 
 -a — as- 
 
 -H- 
 
 -■L 
 
 IZC 
 
 Laud - i - Inis sa-cris slu - di - iiin fe - ren - tes 
 
 5P^ 
 
 -B_^B 
 
 -a M M "^ 
 
 HE- 
 
 iBL 
 
 -g M C 
 
 A-tre-ba-ter.-sein 
 
 nil) - - du-lnn-do pa-irem 
 
 -B- 
 
 1 ■ - - 
 
 Lau - - de Ve-das - - turn. A - - 
 
 Here follows the same melody harmonised 
 
 JZ f ♦ ,-m- B=fl 
 
 men.
 
 C arm: mi Veaastina. 
 
 59 
 
 — g— c, 
 
 ■^^-■^-^-^ 
 
 ^zlz.-^-^ 
 
 r --3'-^^ 
 
 i- 
 
 
 t^ — ^""^ <5» 
 
 e 
 
 .;,/■ Vo - ce ju • cuii - da re - so - ne - mus 
 
 nes. 
 
 
 -G- I jS'_j<S'- ■©- _i „ ! 
 
 r 
 
 
 r '' iT ! i ■"_ \ ***> T 
 
 
 I I 
 
 ^g-'^-g-.g-^-g-^* 
 
 I 
 
 Liu - dibiis sa-ciis stu - di - um fer - en - tes A - ire-ba - 1 
 
 en - sum. 
 
 I I ^ I 1 ■&- -&-&- ^^. I 
 
 rTy.^-f^ G-G 
 
 >- 
 
 =np}zr:zrf I— P-f::pz-z };i_-z:pi:^z 
 
 G-'^—G- 
 
 rall, e dint. fp. 
 
 db-.^ 
 
 -H— — 
 
 ~|- 
 
 ^ .-^-^-z:Gz.p-zi-^---la ^g_^ziz^~^z-^. 
 
 "'^ 
 
 c^-27 G 
 
 I I 
 
 nio - - - du-lan - do pa - trein Lau - - de \'e - das 
 
 turn. 
 
 
 @S 
 
 i^-^lzS roz2 :c>z22-T-€>--' 
 
 ^-■^--?----- 
 
 &- -G- -G- I 
 
 G — G- 
 
 -h- 
 
 Q- 
 
 T-e> 
 
 f?Z5E?E 
 
 /TJ 
 
 -G—G- 
 
 -\ 
 
 JJ2_5'_1T:2- 
 
 Thcn follows the music of the l^lcmish hymn, No. XX\' 
 VAN DEN HEYLIGEN VEDASTUS. 
 
 Audantino maestoso. 
 
 I > I I ' I I 1/^ I ^ 1 1/ 1 
 
 //// nut. 
 
 ,nf 
 
 \ ^ 
 
 ., ti ' n J I I " ' m m J J ' ' 
 
 -N I
 
 6o 
 
 Carninm Vedast'ina. 
 
 
 i. / i 1 ' I \ V^\ \ ■" I V i 
 
 '"/ dim. 
 
 
 N-; 
 
 
 cres. cres. 
 
 
 I s I 
 
 / o 
 
 mm^ 
 
 t n-^ -#-x — I -* ■ k' 
 
 U — ^- _?_g,_^ 
 
 1(41- • V-*'— • • — 
 
 / 
 
 9 i r 
 
 W*" n I / ir^ I 
 
 rar:^:^: 
 
 
 _<* _«- 
 
 •iz*: 
 
 •h- 
 
 o^- *_: 
 
 
 y^i-r 
 
 ^?i 
 
 
 -^-^- 
 
 dim. 
 
 —^m, f 1 — — ^-^-T X ; ^ 1 ' T ^ ' 1 
 
 (l^.?E«EE«rE 
 
 72: 
 
 
 riz.-rj:ije^z: 
 
 
 1 I- — y 1 
 
 .«^. 
 
 -o 
 
 I— 
 
 
 
 
 iTq:*zz:«izi=izizi-zzz=-^ ziizzi=:L:i^r- riz^^:zi^^:r_- 
 #7 # -a # — t • -g ?iz?— * izj :..#_?zz:*z?lizf :.:«rf_i 
 
 / 
 
 ^ ^ r; 
 
 <! • • •_ 
 
 ,,. ■» .- - 
 
 
 P^i---*z 
 
 _#_i 
 
 V ^ '' '> 
 
 -•** 
 
 
 •- -•- 
 
 *-• 
 
 — ©-- 
 
 #■ > ! I IS-, 
 
 --J***— *** T~ — ZZ^ ^ U
 
 Carmina Veda st 'ma. 6 1 
 
 As his been already said (page 42), the melodv of the 
 hymn was taken by M. de Coussemaker from the lips of an 
 old pupil of the Ecole dominicale at Bailleul. He considers it 
 to belong to the beginning of the eighteenth century, and this 
 is probably the earliest date that can be assigned to it. 
 
 Sir John Stainer, the Professor of Music in the University 
 of Oxford, and formerly Organist of S. Paul's Cathedral, has 
 harmonised the melody for me, catching exactly the spirit of 
 the original, and producing a hymn tunc which might well 
 serve for a Processional. 
 
 With the usual generosity of their profession, these eminent 
 musicians present me with the result of their labours to 
 brighten the pages of this tractate. 
 
 Kltiot Stock, Pateruostcr Ro->', I.ofiiiou.
 
 SUPPLEMENTUM AD CARMINA VEDASTINA. 
 
 5
 
 XXVI. 
 Hymn in the Irish Language. 
 
 {Martyro/ogy of Gorman, 1 1 66 — i 174 a.d.) 
 
 Uedaist amra, Amaint,* 
 
 Fustais ni chel charaim, 
 
 cpsiop Melt nos-molaimni, 
 Anatholian, Tcophil, 
 feil Dura;}: bhain bladhuill, 
 
 Braiiduibh chaid is Cholaim[m],>^ 
 dom brcith don flaith lea 
 
 Dorothea thogaimm, 
 Finnian|| abb na hinnse 
 
 'sinll rindsc mo roraind. 
 
 Translation. 
 
 Wonderful Vedastus, (bishop) Amandus, Fausta (?), I will not conceal 
 whom I love : Bishop Mel,** I praise him, Anatholianus, Theophilus, the 
 festival of fair, great-famed Dura,t| ot Brandubthc chaste and Colomb.;J;J 
 'Tis Dorothea I choose to take me with hen to the Kingdom (of heaven). 
 Findian,§§ abbot of the island, in this end of the stanza (is) my great portion. 
 
 This hymn is taken from the Martyrology of Gorman^ 
 edited by Dr. Whitley Stokes, for the Henry Bradshaw Society^ 
 in 1895. Pp. 30, 31. 
 
 Gorman was Abbot of Cnoc na n-Apstol (otherwise called 
 Cnoc na Sengan, ' The Hill of the Pismires '), and he appears 
 to have composed his Martyrology while Ruaidre hua Concho- 
 bair was King of Ireland, between i 166 and 1 174. P. xix. 
 
 * Seems altered from ' Amaitt,' in marg. man. rcc. ' Amait — Amaind.' 
 i. * Amandus qui hodic pomV//r.' 
 
 t epsro/ Ard-ach<'//V i Tethba, descipal Patraicc aide. 
 
 \ cpscop m^/c Coluim 6 Dhruim chremha. 
 
 § Bran 7 colum 6 Loch Munrcmhuir. 
 
 II Maelfindiiiin abb Insi Patraic. 
 
 f MS. 'san.' 
 ** Bishop of Ard-Achad in Tethba, a disciple of Patrick he. 
 tt Bishop, son of Colomb, of Druim Crcma. 
 XX Bran and Colomb, from Loch Munrcmuir. 
 ^ Mael-Findiiiin, Abbot of Inis-Patraic.
 
 66 Car?nlna Vedastina. 
 
 XXVII.* 
 Prosa de Sancto Vedasto. Feb, 6. 
 
 {Collegiale de la Fert'e-Milon : an Diocese de Soissons, 1683.) 
 A LA Messe. Prose. 
 
 1. Christo laudes attollamus, 
 ^ui pracclara celcbramus 
 
 Vedasti solemnia ; 
 Corde puro, mcnte munda, 
 Moduletur vox jucunda, 
 
 Lucis hujus gaudia. 
 
 2. Lux est grata, lux insignis, 
 In quo digna Deo dignis 
 
 Conferuntur praemia. 
 Hymnos ergo concinentes, 
 Corda novemus et voces 
 . Novemus et opera. 
 
 3. Ille pater et patronus, 
 Ouem pastorem summe bonus 
 
 Pastor nobis tribuit. 
 Zelo plenus, christianae 
 Arcana sacra doctrinae 
 
 Leucis ille detegit. 
 
 4. Mox Jesum evangelizat, 
 Clodovaeo quern confirmat 
 
 In fide miraculis. 
 Remos petit, ubi clarus 
 Sanctitate, dat benignus 
 
 Sanitatcm languidis. 
 
 5. Inde pracsul Atrcbatum 
 Missus, genti Christum Jesum 
 
 Infidcli praedicat. 
 Fidus ubi dispcnsator, 
 Non avarus fenerator, 
 
 Talcntum multiplicat. 
 
 * I desire to express my most grateful thanks to the venerable Abbe 
 Tousoudc for his great courtesy in transcribing for me, in his own fair 
 handwriting, Hymns Nos. XXVII., XXVIII., XXIX., XXX., and XXXI. 
 in this Supplement.
 
 Carrnina VeJiistina. 
 
 6. Consolator afflictorum, 
 Propiigiiator miscrorum, 
 
 Infirmorum mcdicus. 
 Idoloriim vanitatcm 
 Et Christi Divinitatcm 
 
 Suis probat civibus. 
 
 7. Lumen caccis, grcssum claudis, 
 Surdis audiciim ct miitis 
 Reddit voccm, Salvatoris 
 
 Adjuvantc gratia. 
 O quam fclix, quam ornata, 
 Fuit urbs et honorata, 
 Tanto viro dcsponsata 
 
 Soli sine macula. 
 
 8. Morum ct vitae radios 
 Dum dispensat in filios 
 Cultus relinquit varios 
 
 Adhacrcns Ecclesiae. 
 Convertuntur, baptizantur, 
 Ecclesiae reparaniur, 
 Fugit ursus, perfringuntur 
 
 Ocini fidcliae.* 
 
 9. Tandem vitam consummavit, 
 Oui dacmoncs cftugavit, 
 Fidem Gallis pracdicavit. 
 
 In Christo tanta patravit, 
 
 Donante miracula. 
 Ante thronum Trinitatis 
 Ora, Vcdaste, pro nobis 
 Ut mundcmur a peccatis 
 Et supernae caritatis 
 
 Habcamus gaudia. Amen. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 Hymnus de Sancto Vedasto. Feb. 6. 
 
 {Proprium Ecclesiae Collegintae S. t^ednsti. La Firte-Milcn, 1683.) 
 
 AVX ViPRES. 
 
 I. \'^oce jucunda resonemus omnes, 
 Laudibus sanctam Triadcm colcntes ; 
 Quae dedit nobis sacra conferentem 
 Dona \'cdastum. 
 
 7 
 
 * Fidelia : an carihcn vessel.
 
 68 Carmina Vedastina. 
 
 2. lllius castiim pictatis ardor. 
 Pectus acccndit tcncris ab annis 
 
 Et sacris, Christo miserante, dignum 
 Admovet aris. 
 
 3. Jussu divinae veneranda Icgis 
 Explicat Tiilli : Clodovix doccntcm 
 Audit ct sanctac fidei pcroptat 
 
 Subdcrc coUum, 
 
 4. Mox rcnasccndo Comes ille regis 
 Advenit Rcmos, ubi languidorum 
 Annuens votis, febrium molestos 
 
 Temperat ignes. 
 
 5- 
 
 Vana commissae simulacra plebis 
 Diruit cura vigili, creatus 
 Praesul et Sanctis regit infidelem 
 Legibus urbem. 
 
 6. Ampla regalis monimcnta cultus 
 Erigit Christo nova templa : jussis 
 Obsequens ursus fugit et propinquum 
 
 Transnatat amnem. 
 
 7. Laus Deo Patri, genitaeque Proli, 
 Et tibi compar utriusque virtus 
 Spiritus, semper Deus unus, omni 
 
 Tempore saecli. Amen. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 {F}-om the same source as No. XXF III.) 
 A Matines. 
 
 1. Pange, lingua, gloriosi 
 Vedasti praeconium, 
 Poscc votis adjuvari 
 Dctur ut caelestium 
 Fortunatus intueri 
 Mansiones civium. 
 
 2. Remenses coadjutorem 
 Regalis ecclesiac, 
 Atrebatenses doctorem 
 Praedicant Artesiac : 
 Cameracenses pastorem 
 Gaudent suum dicere.
 
 Carmina Vedustuia. 69 
 
 3. Amatorcm paupcrtatis 
 Laudant cum paupcrcs, 
 Asscrtorcm vcritatis 
 Admirantur principcs, 
 Dcfcnsorcm castitatis 
 Jntuentur virgincs, 
 
 4. Magnc doctor Clodovei 
 Prcccs nostras suscipc, 
 Et grcgcm tuum pcrcnni 
 Pacis uno focdcrc, 
 Atquc nostro Conditori 
 Nos transfcrrc satage. 
 
 5. Summa summo laus Parent!, 
 Summa laus ct Filio, 
 
 Ab utroquc proccdcnti 
 Par decus Paraclete, 
 Oui bcati nos Vedasti 
 Conjungat consortio. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 {From the same source as No. X XT II I.) 
 A Laudes. 
 
 1. Felix Vedastus pontifex 
 Terrena spernens gaudia, 
 Sacvosquc vinccns dacmoncs 
 Fatur Dei magnalia. 
 
 2. Christum volens scqui ducem 
 Prodesse cunctis appetit, 
 Apostolis haud imparem 
 Miraculis sc detcgit. 
 
 3. Obfirmat artus languidos, 
 Acgris rcfundit spiritum, 
 Linguas ligatas expedit, 
 Caecisque lumen impetrat. 
 
 4. O sancte Francorum parens 
 Auge fidem crcdentium, 
 
 Et caritatis intimis 
 Succende flammas cordibus. 
 
 5. Sit laus tibi, sit gloria 
 Percnnis auctor omnium, 
 Qui trinus ante saccula 
 Unusque subsistis Deus. Amen.
 
 yo Carm{?ia Vedastina. 
 
 XXXI. 
 HvMNus DE Sancto Vedasto. Feb. 6. 
 
 {Propriuvi Ecckiiae Collegiatae S. Fedasti Suessionemis, Anno 1747.) 
 
 Soissons, Biblioth'eque dii Grand Seminaire. 
 
 Ad Missam : SEyuENTiA. 
 
 1. Omnes Deo jubilemus, 
 Cordc toto cclcbrcmus, 
 Vedasti solcmnia. 
 
 2. A cognatis hie rcmotus, 
 Et praediis spoliatus, 
 Discessit a patria. 
 
 3. Solus ipse Tullum fugit, 
 Inibique Deo servit, 
 Seque mundo submovet. 
 
 4. Ilium pietas jam prodit, 
 Factus sacerdos obcdit, 
 Coeli vias edocet. 
 
 5. Vicos pagosque percurrit, 
 Jesum indoctis edicit, 
 Fidem cunctis praedicat. 
 
 6. Ut Clodovix Germanos subdidit, 
 Statim votum ardenter reddidit, 
 Rex Vedastum postulat. 
 
 7. Uterque dum Remos petit, 
 Ilium sacerdos erudit 
 Sacris Dei legibus. 
 
 8. Quern in fide confirmavit 
 Et in Christo solidavit 
 Signis et virtutibus. 
 
 9. Praesul Atrebatum factus, 
 Infidam gentem docturus, 
 Deo parat segetcm. 
 
 10. Terror idolorum factus ; 
 Jam fana ruunt et saltus 
 Spirat daemon rabiem. 
 
 11. Pagani mox convertuntur, 
 Aedes sacrae construuntur. 
 Solus Deus colitur.
 
 Carmina Vcdastina. 7 
 
 12. Cacci luce pcrfunduntur, 
 Claudi pedes crigunrur, 
 Ursus tcrox pcUitur. 
 
 13. Instituit saccrdotcs, 
 Et Icvitas ct pastorcs ; 
 Totum gentcm rcnovat. 
 
 14. Nutrit cc tbvct cgentcs, 
 Et edit apud magnates, 
 Hos ut Christo pariat. 
 
 15. Jam cunctis omnia factus, 
 Lucratur omnes Vedastus, 
 Movct ilium sanctitas. 
 
 16. Pro suis ut pastor bonus, 
 Sua sequc tradit totus, 
 Urgct ilium caritas, 
 
 17. Facto potens ct sermonc, 
 Corda suorum ardcre, 
 Igne Dei compulit. 
 
 18. Consumptus dcmum laborc, 
 Confractusquc senectutc, 
 Vitam Deo reddidit. 
 
 19. O qui tuo nos cruorc 
 Redcmisti, Pastor bone, 
 Jcsu, nostri miserere 
 Vcdasti sufFragiis. 
 
 20. Da nobis semper tenere, 
 Quod nos edocuit ipse 
 Per aeternac verbum vitae 
 Ope tui luminis. 
 
 21. Christe, Deus et Salvator, 
 Pastorum caput et honor, 
 Tu nostrae salutis auctor 
 Sit pro nobis intercessor, 
 Cujus laudcs gerimus. 
 
 22. O Vedaste, memor esto 
 Tui grcgis qui sc voto 
 Tibi dicavit Patrono. 
 Praesta, tecum ut in caelo 
 Laetemur perennius. Amen.
 
 72 Carmitia Vedastina. 
 
 XXXII. 
 Hymnus in Festo Translationis S. Vedasti. Oct. I.* 
 
 i^Proprium Atrebatense, 1806.) 
 \n I. Vesperis et ad Officium Nocturnum. 
 
 1. Dum mens Pontificis numine pascitur, 
 Siccis en suis est hie honor ossibus : 
 Istis quanta fluant, quot bona fontibus, 
 
 Expert! toties canant. 
 
 2. Dilectos cineres, pignora Praesulis, 
 O cives, memori visite pectore ; 
 Exornate novis fercula floribus ; 
 
 Laudes thuraque fundite. 
 
 3. Sed marmor Parium, vasa nee aurea, 
 Dulces nee moduli Pontificem juvant, 
 Ni sit vita piis consona vocibus : 
 
 Lauda, quisquis es aemulus. 
 
 4. His quae spirat adhuc pignoribus fides, 
 Accendat gelidis pcctoribus fidem ; 
 
 Et quos in tumulo servat adhuc cinis, 
 Ignes mentibus excitet. 
 
 5. Hunc porta placido certa licet quies 
 Securum teneat, fiuctibus obrutos 
 Cum spectat mediis, sollicitum facit 
 
 Nunc et patria caritas. 
 
 6. A quo cuncta fluunt, sit Tibi laus, Deus ; 
 Sacros qua decuit dum reverentia 
 Artus nos colimus, tota refunditur 
 
 Summo gloria vertici. Amen. 
 
 * This hymn appears to have been in use till 1834.
 
 Carmina Vedast'ma. 
 
 7Z 
 
 XXXIII. 
 Hymnus in Festo Translationis S. Vedasti. Oct. I.* 
 
 {Proprium Jtrebatense, 1806.) 
 Ad Laudes et ad II. Vesperas. 
 
 1. Hcroum tiimulos bustaqiic vidimus 
 Rcgum magiianimum : tot mcritis viri, 
 Tot factis cclcbrcs, hcu ! stcrili jacent, 
 
 Pulvis dcgcncr, otio. 
 
 2. Terris sic rcsidcm non patitur Dcus 
 Sanctorum cinercm turpc quicsccrc : 
 Claros prodigiis ac vcncrabilcs 
 
 Ipsos vel tumulos facit. 
 
 3. Urnam deposit! corporis hospitam, 
 Gives, perpctuis cingite floribus : 
 Dulces cxuvias quas colitis, sacra 
 
 Tot sunt pignora Pracsulis. 
 
 4. Illic prisca Patris spiral adhuc fides ; 
 Ardcns fervct adhuc ct sua caritas : 
 Si nos fida parum pectora vivimus. 
 
 Vivos mortuus arguct. 
 
 5. Talis dcpositi nos sumus et simul 
 Custodcs fidci ; nos super cxcubat 
 Ex ilia specula ; de cathedra docet 
 
 Plenus numine Pontifex. 
 
 6. Hinc nos assiduus praeco rcdarguit : 
 Quam sudorc sibi totque laboribus 
 Palmam quacsicrit, scilicet otio 
 
 Nos spcremus inutili ? 
 
 7. Natos, alme Pater, sedibus c tuis, 
 
 Si te nostra movent, nos bonus aspice ; 
 Flammis ure tuis frigida pectora, 
 Et mentes dubias rege. 
 
 8. Ut cum nostra novis splcndida dotibus 
 Surget juncta choris spirituum caro, 
 Indivisa Trias sit Deus omnia 
 
 Nobis semper in omnibus. Amen. 
 
 * This hymn appears to ha\e been in use till 1834.
 
 74 Carm'uia Vedast'ma. 
 
 This hymn is also found in the Noyon Breviary of 1764, 
 where it is adapted to S. Eligius of Noyon, June 25. In Festo 
 Translationis Corporis Sancti Eligii. Here verses i to 4, 7, 8, 
 are identical with the hymn as printed above, save in verse 3, 
 line 3, where exuviae is printed instead of exuvias ; and in 
 place of verses 5 and 6, is found : 
 
 Dum nos assidiius pracco rcdarguit 
 Ouam sudore sibi, totquc laboribus 
 Palmam quacsierit, scilicet otio 
 Nos speremus inutili ? 
 
 XXXIV. 
 Hymnus in Festo Relationis S. Vedasti. Jul. 15,* 
 
 {Propriian Atrebatense, 1806.) 
 Hymnus in utrisque Vesperis. 
 
 1. Magni fama volat nuntia gaudii ; 
 Portis ecce ruit turba patentibus : 
 
 Urbem nempe Vcdastus 
 Sublimi feretro redit. 
 
 2. Aspcxere simul. Quis venerabilis 
 Ncn optavit onus tollere corporis ? 
 
 Ouis non oscula fcrre. 
 Sacris ambiic artubus ? 
 
 3. Neutrum si liceat, quod licet omnibus, 
 Grato corde fovent, laudibus efferunt : 
 
 Pulsus cantibus aether 
 Hymnis accinit aemulis. 
 
 4. Cujus parta venit munere sanctitas, 
 Haec laus, Christe, Tibi tota refunditur : 
 
 Dum nos membra veremur, 
 Supremum coleris caput. Amen, 
 
 * This hymn appears to have been in use till 1834..
 
 Carmina Vedastina. "] S 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 HVMNUS AD COMFLLIORIUM. Icb. 6.* 
 {Arna Breviary, 1834.) 
 
 1. Grates, pcracto jam die, 
 Deus, tibi persolvimus ; 
 Pronoquc, dum nox incipit 
 Prostcriiimus vultti preccs. 
 
 2. ^'-loJ longa peccavic dies, 
 Amarus cxpict dolor ; 
 Somno gravatis ne nova 
 Infligat hostis vulncra. 
 
 3. Int'cstus usque circuit 
 Ouaerens leo qucm devorct : 
 Umbra sub alarum tuos 
 Defende filios, Pater. 
 
 4. O quando lucesset tuus 
 Qui nescit occasum dies ! 
 
 O quando sancta se dabit 
 Ouae nescit hostem patria ! 
 
 5. Uni sit et trino Deo 
 Suprema laus, summum decus, 
 De nocte qui nos ad suae 
 Lumen vocavit gloriae. 
 
 There is no reference to S. Vedast in the hymn, yet it is 
 included here as being the compUne hymn for the P'east of 
 S. Vedast, and because it is made in some sort special, by 
 having a doxology attached to it, differing from that used when 
 it is sung at other times. 
 
 * In the Arras Breviary, printed at Paris in 1834, the following rubric 
 is found on February 6, p'. 537: 'Ad Completorium. //yw/?/// Grates cum 
 Doxologia Uni sit, ///' supra ad Moras' The hymn Grates is the common 
 hymn for the season, 'a crastino Praescntationis Domini, ad Feriam III. 
 Hcbdomadae Ouinquagcsimae,' to be sung at Compline ; see p. 144. But 
 the doxology there given is ' Deo patri sit gloria.' The hymn, with the 
 special doxology, is printed above. In the Proprium Atrebatensc, 1806, p. 52, 
 the Rubric is somewhat more full: ' llyunus Grates, cum Doxologia ieq. quae 
 ctiam dicitur ad omnes lloras in Ilymnis ejusdcm metri per totam Octavam, quoties 
 de ea fit Officium.''
 
 INDEX TO SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Christo laudes attollamus - - - - - - 66 
 
 Dum mens pontificis numinc pascitur - - - - - T^ 
 
 Felix Vedastus Pontifex | tcrrena - ' - - - - 69 
 
 Grates, peracto jam die - - - - - "75 
 
 Hcroum tumulos bustaque vidimus - - - - - 73 
 
 Magni fama volat nuntia gaudii - - - - "74- 
 
 Omnes Deo jubilemus - - - - - -70 
 
 Pange, lingua, gloriosi - - - - - - 68 
 
 Uedaist amra, Amaint {in the Irish language) - - - - ^S 
 
 ■Voce jucunda resonemus omnes | laudibus - - - - 67
 
 NOTES 
 
 Page 14, verse 7, line 2. A friendly critic has suggested carminis for text. 
 
 Page 15, verse 4, line 3. The same friend suggests geminos {i.e., the blind 
 and lame). 
 
 Page 16, verse 3, line 4. Refulgens. (Ernestus Duemmler prints the hymn, 
 No. 4, in his Poet'ie Latinae Aevi Carolini, \to., Berolini, 188 1, 
 p. 313, exactly as it stands in the text, but reverses the order ot 
 verses 5 and 6.) 
 
 Page 25. In the Arras Missal of 1508 (in British Museum), in Hymn 
 No. XII., after line 5 follows : 
 
 * Manent tria, fides, spcs, caritas.' 
 
 Page 28. The three hymns, XIII., XIV., XV., do not appear in the first 
 edition of Santeul ; they were added in the second edition. 
 
 Page 36. The four hymns, XXI. — XXIV., are also in the Proprium Atre- 
 batense, 1806, where No. XXI. has the heading Santol. Fict., and 
 with good reason, as verses 2, 3, 4 are identical with No. XIII., 
 2, 3, 4 ; and verses 5, 6, 7, 8 with No. XIV., 2, 3, 6, 7. 
 
 Page 44, line 16. Professor Duemmler prints adjuvet. 
 
 Page 45, No. II., line 8. Professor Duemmler reads marsupii in his text, 
 but gives marsupiis as a various reading. 
 
 Page 57, No. XI., line 3. Perhaps succende.
 
 ERRx\TA. 
 
 Page 30, No. XVIII., line 7, for autre read autre; and. in note, for Candale 
 
 read Candace. 
 Page 32, line 5, for Elie read Ahb'e. 
 Page 44, line 15, for menento read memento. 
 Page 47, line 5, for Ouaret read Ouercet. 
 
 Page 48, line 3 from bottom of text, for addresses read adresses. 
 Page 52, note on verse 22, for VirgVian read Horatian (Odes, I., 7, 27). 
 Page 55, last sentence, read Calliope Sacra and Pieridian.
 
 Figure of S. FOSTER, that is, S. VEDAST, Bishop of Anas, 
 from a window in Blythborough Church, Norfolk.
 
 TRAGICO-COMOEDIA 
 
 DE 
 
 SANCTO VEDASTO: 
 
 EDITED FROM MANUSCRIPTS AT ARRAS 
 
 BY 
 
 W. SPARROW SIMPSON, D.D., F.S.A., 
 
 Sub-Dean and Librariayi of S. Pai/l's Cathedral, 
 
 One of the Honorary Librarians of His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 
 Rector of S. Vedast, London. 
 
 S:V^^^ 
 
 LONDON : 
 ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1895.
 
 [The impression is limited to 250 copies, of which only afeiu will 
 
 be offered for sale."]
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The Tragico-Comoedia de Sancto Vedasto is here printed from 
 two manuscripts in the Bibliotheque de la Ville at Arras, of 
 which the following description is given in the printed cata- 
 
 logue 
 
 ' No. 678. Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. In folio, papier, 
 ecriture cursive du XVP [XVIP r] siecle, 52 feuillets. Prov 
 S' Vaast.' On the title-page is written, ' Bibliothecae monas- 
 terii S. Vedasti Atrebat. 161 8, K.' 
 
 ' No. 936. Tragico-Comoedia de Sto. Vedasto, data a studiosa 
 ju vent ate Coliegii S. J. Atrebati, 1 3° Septembris, 161 1. Papier, 
 ecriture batarde du temps, 136 feuillets. Prov. St. Vaast. Le 
 Poeme est en vers trochaiques et iambiques, avec choeurs dans 
 les regies de la tragedie antique.' 
 
 Then follows the author's dedication : 
 
 ' Amplissimo et admodum reverendo domino D. Philippo de 
 Caverel, Abbati D. Vedasti, tantillam hanc actiunculam, pau- 
 corum dierum opus, gratitudinis erga Collegium Societatis Jesu 
 Atrebatense, D. C. Q. Tragico-Comoedia de Sancto Vedasto^ 
 primo parente religiosorum Coenobii Vedastini, necnon Atre- 
 batium patrono, data a studiosa juventute Coliegii Societatis 
 Jesu Atrebati, 1 3° Septembris, 16 11.' 
 
 The text now given is that of MS. No. 678, with which the 
 MS. No. 936 has been carefully collated. Any variations found 
 in the latter manuscript are placed as footnotes. The text ot 
 MS. No. 678 was preferred to that of the other manuscript,
 
 vi Preface. 
 
 because the character of the handwriting appeared to indicate 
 that it was of somewhat earlier date, although there can be but 
 a few years' difference of age between them. Each MS. is care- 
 fully written and well preserved. 
 
 For the transcript and collation the editor is indebted to 
 Monsieur A. Lavoine, of Arras, Chef de Bureau aux Archives 
 Departementales, to whom he desires to express his acknow- 
 ledgments. 
 
 In the correction of the press, and in the minute comparison 
 of the printed text with Monsieur Lavoine's transcript, the 
 editor has had the very valuable assistance of Mr. W, De 
 Gray Birch, F.S.A., of the Department of Manuscripts in the 
 British Museum, whose careful study of the transcript and 
 whose acute criticisms have cleared up many intricacies and 
 solved many perplexities. 
 
 The text, although the two manuscripts have been minutely 
 collated, is still very obscure in many places. Some of the 
 obscurities may be due to the pedantry of the author ; others 
 to his employment of unusual words, which may have per- 
 plexed the scribes who wrote the two nearly contemporary 
 manuscripts at Arras. The minute collation to which Monsieur 
 Lavoine has submitted these copies of the play, and the con- 
 sideration which he has given to any cases of special difficulty 
 which have been referred to him, have not succeeded in 
 removing all the obscurities : and the editor has thought it 
 best to exhibit the text as it stands in the Arras manuscripts, 
 correcting only flagrant and obvious errors, and avoiding merely 
 conjectural emendations. 
 
 The representation of S. Vedast which faces the title-page 
 is taken from a fifteenth-century stained glass window on the 
 north side of Blythborough Church, Norfolk, where it stood in 
 close proximity to figures of S. Amandus and S. Remigius.
 
 Preface. vii 
 
 This collocation is easily explained, for in the Calendar of 
 the Sarum Breviary these saints are associated together : 
 
 Feb : 6. Vcdasti ct Amandi Episcoporum ct Confessorum. 
 Oct: I. Rcmigii sociorumquc ejus [Gcrmani, Vcdasti ct Bavonis] 
 Episcoporum ct Confessorum. 
 
 Mr, H. Watling, a well-known Norfolk antiquary, made a 
 tracing of this subject in 1836, and has favoured me with a 
 copy, from which this illustration is taken. The glass adjacent 
 to. the figure of S. Vedast was at the period in question in a 
 very bad condition. Some pieces of the beautiful glass had 
 been taken out, and ' a piece of brick with mortar inserted to 
 fill up the space, and no care whatever taken to preserve ' these 
 precious relics. Mr. Watling says that a restoration of the 
 church has since taken place, but he adds : ' I am afraid most 
 of interest is now gone.' In a southern windov/ v/ere to be 
 seen S. Anthony of Padua preaching to the fishes, S. Etheldreda, 
 S. Helen with a large cross upon her shoulder, S. Mary 
 Macrdalene robed in her rich and abundant tresses, and manv 
 bishops and other saints. 
 
 The fragment of inscription below the figure of S. Vedast 
 reads, ' S. FOS . . .' the remainder is lost, though part of the 
 letter T is still legible ; it is clear that the name should be 
 read ' S. FOSTER,' the alternative name of S. Vedast. The 
 London church under this dedication is still called S. VEDAST 
 alias FOSTER. There is a popular tradition, says Mr. Baring- 
 Gould, that the Saint ' saved a goose belonging to some poor 
 people from a wolf that was running away with it,' and, 
 accordingly, a wolf and goose (or, perhaps, a fox and goose) 
 form part of the design. 
 
 His more usual symbol is a bear : the ' mortifer ursus ' of 
 the fourth hymn in Carmina Vedastina ; the ' rabidus ursus ' 
 of the Tragico-Comoedia (Act IV., Scene 3) : 
 
 ' Detormcm unguibus tcrt hue pedem 
 Armatus ursus.'
 
 Vlll 
 
 Preface. 
 
 The story of the bear will be told in detail in the Life and 
 Legend of S. Vedast. Suffice it now to say that when the 
 saint visited the ruins of the ancient cathedral at Arras, a savage 
 bear, which had long been the terror of the neighbourhood, 
 came forth from the dense thickets to assail him. Obedient 
 to the voice of the holy Bishop, the ferocious creature fled 
 from its gloomy haunts and did not again return : or, as a 
 more poetic legend relates, attached itself to his person as a 
 defence against all enemies. 
 
 The very dignified figure from Blythborough has supplied 
 the design from which a clerestory window in the City church 
 just named was erected in 1886. The wolf and goose were, 
 however, omitted.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Of the religious drama in general it is not necessary to speak 
 in this place. The subject is very large and very full of 
 interest, and has already been dealt with by many able hands, 
 experts in dramatic literature, on whose special domain the 
 editor has no desire to intrude. Much has been done in 
 the way of printing and editing early English Mysteries, 
 and there are even now many curious religious plays still 
 waiting for an editor. In due time, when the available material 
 has become more accessible than it is at present, the historian 
 will arise who will gather together and condense into con- 
 venient form the great mass of information now lying scattered 
 in the transactions of learned societies, in county histories, and 
 in local publications. 
 
 It is only necessary to refer to the Chester Mysteries, the 
 Coventry Mysteries^ the York Mysteries^ the Towneley 
 Mysteries (Surtees Society, 1836) ; the Digby Mysteries 
 (Abbotsford Club, 1835); ^^^ Christmas Mummer Plays at 
 Lincoln ; Marriott's Collection of English Miracle Plays and 
 Mysteries (8vo., Basel, 1838); Sharpe, The Presentation in 
 the Temple (Abbotsford Club, 1836), to indicate the rich mine 
 of material in England alone. Whilst for France, Cousse- 
 maker's Drames Liturgiqiies, i860, the Dictionnaire des 
 My s teres of M. le Comte de Douhet (in the Abbe Migne's 
 series of Dictionaries, 1854), and the separate issues of the 
 miracle-plays of Strasburg and of Beauvais, constitute a very
 
 X Introduction. 
 
 important contribution to the history of religious dramatic 
 literature. 
 
 The Vedastine drama, now printed, it is believed, for the 
 first time, was written with a special view to its performance 
 by the students of the great College of the Jesuits at Arras. 
 As the dedication of the play states clearly, it was 'data a 
 studiosa juventute Collegii Societatis Jesu Atrebati, 13° Sep- 
 tembris, 16 11.' Is it possible to determine the name of 
 
 llie Author of the Piece and its Date ? 
 
 The two manuscripts from which the play is printed do not 
 contain the author's name. MS. No. 936 contains, however, 
 the author's dedication of the piece to Abbot CavereP (printed 
 at p. V supra), but it seems scarcely probable that D. C. O. 
 can be the initial letters of his name. It is more likely that 
 D. may stand for dedicat, and C. O. for consecratque, or for 
 some other similar words. A list is given by Messieurs de 
 Cardevacque and Terninck of the principal religious of the 
 monastery of S. Vaast during the administration of Abbot 
 Caverel, but it supplies no apparent clue to the name of the 
 author of the drama. 
 
 The period at which the piece was written can be more 
 easily determined, for in Act V., Scene 8, will be found a 
 chronogram, 
 
 ' eVeCta In aera CeLLa sVCCresCet Mage,' 
 which gives 1 6 1 1 , no doubt the exact year of the composition, 
 corresponding precisely with the date given in the dedication. 
 
 Philip de Caverel, to whom this Tragico-Comoedia is dedi- 
 cated, was seventy-seventh abbot of the monastery of S. Vaast, 
 over which he presided with great dignity and acceptance from 
 1598 to 1636. Born at Maizieres, near Saint-Pol, in 1555, he 
 entered the monastery of S. Vaast when only thirteen and a 
 half years old. He was ordained priest in 1579. He soon 
 attracted the notice of the famous Abbot Sarrazin, to whom he 
 
 1 The Abbot's arms arc on the cover of the MS.
 
 Introduction. ^^ 
 
 became chaplain and secretary, accompanying him on an im- 
 portant mission to Spain. In 1585 Sarrazin was raised to the 
 dignity of Archbishop of Cambrai, an office which he held till 
 his death in 1598, at the age of fifty-eight. A stately monu- 
 ment, surmounted by a dignified effigy of the prelate, marks his 
 resting-place in the cathedral at Arras.^ 
 
 The Archduke Albert and his wife Isabella appointed Philip 
 de Caverel as Sarrazin's successor in 1598, though the Papal 
 Bull confirming him in that dignity was not received till two 
 years later. He filled many important offices with honour : 
 enriched the monastic library with many precious gifts ; 
 decorated the apsidal chapels of the cathedral ; caused the 
 choir-stalls (unhappily destroyed in the days of the French 
 Revolution) to be carved with subjects taken from the Old and 
 New Testaments ; and carried out important works m con- 
 nection with the cloisters of the monastery. He wrote a Life 
 of Abbot Sarrazin, a Treatise on the miracles of S. Vaast, a 
 Commentary on the Rule of S. Benedict, and a History of the 
 Monasteries of that Order in the Province of Flanders of which 
 he was visitor. His life is said to have illustrated his motto : 
 
 ' SOULAGER, ECLAIRER.' 
 
 He died December i, 1636, in the eighty-second year of 
 his age. His monument is to be seen, in close proximity to 
 that of his eminent predecessor, in the Chapel of S. Vaast, on 
 the north side of the choir of the cathedral. The effigy is 
 figured by Monsieur Terninck on the same plate with that of 
 Abbot Sarrazin. 
 
 An extract from his biography in V Abb aye de Saint-V aast'^ 
 will complete all that need here be said of him : 
 
 ' Philippe de Caverel fut sans contredit le plus grand Abbe 
 de Saint Vaast. II fut grand par ses vertus, grand par son 
 
 1 It is figured in Mons. Tcrninck's Arras: Histoire dc P Jrchitecture et 
 des Beaux- Arts dans cette Ville. Plane he 67. 
 
 ' MM. Adolphe de Cardevacque et A. Terninck. II. 15.
 
 xii Introduction. 
 
 intelligence, grand par ses cEuvres et par son zele a soulager les 
 pauvres et a propager I'enseignement. II brilla, comme le dit 
 avec verite son epitaphe, plus par ses exemples que par I'eclat 
 et les perles de sa mitre, qu'il avait enrichie de beaucoup de 
 pierres precieuses. II etait charitable envers les pauvres, sobre 
 pour lui-meme, doux envers ses freres, zele pour faire etudier 
 les pauvres ecoliers. Au milieu de toutes ces oeuvres accomplies 
 avec une liberalite qui tient du prodige, Philippe de Caverel 
 n'oubliait point son amour pour les sciences,' 
 
 The Dramatis Personae. 
 
 The Dramatis Personae are exceedingly numerous, and the 
 author seems never tired of introducing fresh persons ; even in 
 the last scene but one a new character appears. Probably he 
 desired to give an opportunity to as many students of the 
 college as could possibly be employed to play their little part 
 upon the stage. As it is hoped that the present publica- 
 tion may be followed by a Life of S. Vedast, in which some 
 account will be given of the really historical persons whose 
 names occur in the piece, these, important as they are, will 
 receive but the briefest notice now — just sufficient, it is hoped, 
 to set the main lines of the story before the reader. 
 
 First are S. Vedast, his father and mother, his paternal 
 uncle, his brothers Anonimus and Inius (see page 15), 
 and the Famuli. 
 
 Next in importance are Clovis and his family : 
 
 Clovis, or Chlodoveus, King of the Franks. 
 
 Clotilde, or Clotildis, his queen. 
 
 Lantieldis, or Landehildis, his sister. 
 
 Theodoricus, or Thierry, Clodamirus, Childebertus, Clo- 
 tarius, his sons. 
 
 Orelianus, a noble Gallo-Roman, son of a senator, an officer 
 of the army of Clovis. 
 
 Sigibertus, dux Sicambrorum, and his son, Filius Sigiberti. 
 
 Rex Alemannorum, slain at the battle of Toibiac.
 
 Introduction . x i i i 
 
 FAMOUS ECCLESIASTICS : 
 
 S. Remigius, Archbishop of Rheims. 
 S. Amandus, Bishop of Maestricht. 
 S. Audomarus, or S. Omer. 
 
 GLORIFIED SAINTS : 
 
 S. Diogenes, Bishop of Arras. 
 S. Eleutherius, Bishop of Tournai. 
 S. Piatus, Apostle of Tournai. 
 S. Medardus, Bishop of Noyon. 
 
 ARCHANGELS AND ANGELS : 
 
 Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel : and inferior members of 
 the heavenly hierarchy. 
 
 VIRTUES AND GRACES : 
 
 Castitas, Paupertas, Humilitas, Latria, Fides ; perhaps 
 Misericors, Prudens, Clemens, Beatus, Integer and Pius 
 may be added. 
 
 ALLEGORICAL PERSONS : 
 
 Caritius, Themius, Philedonus, Plutius, Megalegorus. 
 
 EVIL POWERS AND VICES : 
 
 Concupiscentia Carnis, Concupiscentia Oculorum, Superbia 
 
 Vitae. 
 Idololatria, Haeresis, Invidia, Calumnia, Satyri, Varia 
 
 Monstra. 
 
 OBJECTS OF SOME OF S. VEDASt's MIRACLES: 
 
 Typhlus, or Cecus, Paraliticus, Demoniacus, Aphonus, 
 Loquitus, Pauper, et ca;teri. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS PERSONS : 
 
 Armies of Clovis, and of the King of the Alemanni, Equites, 
 Nobiles Tullenses, the chorus, and a crowd of people 
 whom it seems scarcely worth while to enumerate.
 
 X i V Introduction . 
 
 Amongst the multitude, Mego, and perhaps Hortubal, or 
 Hortulbal, may be singled out. Mego especially speaks an 
 eccentric kind of language (see p. 24), pretends that he is able 
 to cure a blind man (p. 34), and is, in some sort, the comic 
 actor of the piece. Hortulbal, Raganarius, and Harpagarius 
 are chiefly remarkable for their names. 
 
 It may perhaps be necessary to remind the general reader 
 that ' the Franks and the Alemanni met in battle at Tolbiac, 
 not far from Cologne. The Franks were worsted, when Clovis 
 bethought him of Clotilda's God. He cast off his own in- 
 efficient divinities. He prayed to Christ, and made a solemn 
 vow, that if he were succoured, he would be baptized as a 
 Christian. The tide of battle turned ; the King of the 
 Alemanni was slain ; and the Alemanni, in danger of total 
 destruction, hailed Clovis as their sovereign.' So wTites Mil- 
 man, in his History of Latin Christianity} 
 
 Four glorified saints receive the soul of S. Vedast : SS. 
 Diogenes, Eleutherius, Piatus, Medardus. 
 
 S. Diogenes, of Greek origin, was sent to the country of 
 the Atrebates by Pope Siricius about the year 390 a.d. Con- 
 secrated Bishop of Arras by S, Nicaise of Rheims, he laboured 
 with zeal and with success for the conversion of the people. It 
 was he who built the first cathedral at Arras, in the ruins of 
 which in later years S. Vedast found an altar. The Vandals 
 strangled him in his church at Arras at the same time that 
 S. Nicaise was murdered at Rheims. December 14 is observed 
 at Arras as the day of his martyrdom. On the beautiful shrine 
 which encloses relics of S, Vaast a figure of S. Diogenes appears, 
 in the costume of a Greek bishop, in the attitude of benediction 
 accordin^r to the Oriental rite : his name, written in Greek 
 letters arranged vertically, serves to identify the saint. '-^ 
 
 S. Eleutherius, born at Tournai in 456, was educated 
 
 with S. Medard, who predicted, whilst he was still young, that 
 
 ^ Fourth edition, vol. i., p. 352. ^ Les Petits Eollandistes, March 22.
 
 Introduction. xv 
 
 his pupil should be Bishop of Tournai. To this see he was 
 consecrated in 486, when thirty years of age. He is said to 
 have converted eleven thousand heathens; whom he baptized 
 on December 26, 496. He died February 20, 531, of wounds 
 which he received at the hands of heretics.^ 
 
 S. PiATus (Piato, Piatonus), the Apostle of Tournai, born 
 at Beneventum, priest and martyr, came from Rome to Gaul 
 with S. (2uentin and his companions to preach the Gospel. He 
 was martyred about the year 287 at Tournai, during the perse- 
 cution of Maximianus, by the soldiers of Rictiovarus, President 
 and Governor of Gaul.- 
 
 S. Mi^DARD, Bishop of Noyon, was born in Picardy in the 
 beginning of the reign of Childeric, the father of Clovis. He 
 was associated with S. Vedast and S. Remi in the conversion of 
 Clovis, and, when dying, Clotaire came to him to receive his 
 benediction. The date of his death is given by some authors 
 as June 8, circa 545 ; Pere Giry says 560. In art he is usually 
 represented with an eagle hovering above his head, its outspread 
 wings protecting the saint from rain/^ 
 
 In addition to these, brief mention must be made of : 
 
 S. Amandus, who was consecrated a missionary bishop, at 
 the command of Clotaire, about the year 630. He laboured in 
 the neighbourhood of Ghent and Antwerp, exhorting the Frisian 
 tribes to forsake the worship of trees and groves, and to embrace 
 the faith of Christ. After an unsuccessful attempt to establish 
 a mission amongst the savage Sclaves of the Danube, he became 
 Bishop of Maestricht about the year 646, and died about 679. '^ 
 
 S. Remigius, Remedius, or Remi, needs no detailed notice 
 here, as he plays an important part in the conversion of Clovis, 
 and will appear again and again in the Life of S. Vedast. 
 
 It is hoped that the reader will not be too critical in the 
 matter of chronology. If the dates given in that valuable book, 
 
 1 Les Petits Bollandistes, Feb. 20. - Ibid., Oct. i. ^ /^/^_^ June 8. 
 
 + Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Biography : on the authority of Mabillon, 
 ^icta Benedictiva, II. 681.
 
 X V i Introduction . 
 
 the Dictionary of Christian Biography, be accepted, the follow- 
 ing short notes will represent the generally received periods of 
 the leading events in the play : 
 
 Clovis. Born, 466. Baptized, 496. Died, 511. 
 
 Clotilda. Married about 492 or 493. 
 
 S. Vedast. Bishop of Arras and Cambray, from about 
 500 to 540. Died, 540. 
 
 S. Remi, Archbishop of Rheims, circa 457-530. 
 
 The first Siglbert who occurs in the Dictionary of Christian 
 Biography is Sigibert I., King of the Austrasian Franks, 
 561-575, son of Clotaire I. Amandus was not consecrated 
 Bishop till 630, and died about 679. If the Sigibert and 
 Amandus of the drama are intended for these two persons, it is 
 to be feared that an anachronism will be discovered. Nor is it 
 quite easy to understand how S, Medard, if he died in 545, 
 could, as a glorified saint, receive the soul of S. Vedast, who 
 died five years earlier. S. Omer, too, died about 667. But 
 these are trifles with which the reader must not trouble himself. 
 Minute historical accuracy does not always characterize a novel 
 or a play. 
 
 y/ie Action of the Play 
 
 is greatly corxplicated by the number of different persons intro- 
 duced upon the stage, many of whom hinder rather than help 
 the progress of the piece. Some of these are so little worthy 
 of notice that they have not been included even in the list of 
 names given in the previous section. 
 
 It has been thought well to supply a rapid analysis of each 
 act and scene, in order that the reader may be able to select for 
 himself those portions of the play which seem likely to be most 
 interesting. Here follows what the writers of a past age would 
 have called the
 
 Introduction. xvii 
 
 Argument of the Play : 
 Act I. 
 
 Scerie I . The father and mother of Vedast congratulate 
 themselves on the admirable character of their son, but they 
 deplore his unwillingness to marry. Vedast conjures his 
 father to permit him to retire to the solitude of the woods, 
 and to devote himself to the service of God. The father is 
 greatly angered. 
 
 Sce?7e 2. The King of the Alemanni and Maurus discuss 
 the triumphs of Clovis, to whom Maurus and Prosper are 
 sent on an ambassage. 
 
 Scene 3. Vedast, with Chastity and Humility on his side, 
 has a controversy with the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of 
 the Eyes, and the Pride of Life. The latter intimate their 
 intention of attacking Vedast again and again, and they 
 predict his fall. The former give him sage counsel. 
 
 Scene 4. The father and mother of Vedast again endeavour 
 to persuade him to renounce his intention of leading a celibate 
 life, but without avail. 
 
 Scene 5. Sigibert, leader of the Sicambrians, threatens 
 vengeance against the King of the Alemanni. His son en- 
 deavours to appease him. 
 
 Scefie 6. The mother of Vedast, Philedonus (the Pleasure- 
 lover), Plutius (the Man of Wealth), and Megalegorus (the 
 Boaster) endeavour to dissuade him from his religious inten- 
 tion. Vedast yields in some degree to his mother's appeal not 
 to forsake her now that she has become a widow. 
 
 Scene 7. King Clovis is enraged with the King of the 
 Alemanni. His sons discuss with him the situation of affairs, 
 and declare their intention of following him to the battle. 
 
 Scene 8. Vedast endeavours to mollify his mother ; his 
 uncle gives him encouragement. Vedast renounces his in- 
 heritance of his father's property. In a discussion with the
 
 xviii Int7-odiiction. 
 
 Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of 
 Life, he shows the superiority of heavenly over earthly riches. 
 He takes leave of his brother Anonimus, The uncle is con- 
 verted to Vedast's opinion, and speeds him on his heaven-sent 
 way. 
 
 Chorus I. Poverty, Humility, and Chastity on the one side, 
 and the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the 
 Pride of Life on the other, strive to show their power, and 
 the advantages which they respectively offer to their votaries. 
 
 Chorus 1. A musical chorus celebrates the victory of 
 Clovis over the Saxons. 
 
 Act II. 
 
 Scene i. The King of the Alemanni proudly vaunts his 
 power as likely to defeat Clovis. 
 
 Scene i. Soliloquy of Vedast in the woods. He rejoices 
 that he has attained his desire of a life of solitude and calm, 
 and that he has rejected the riches of the world, which are but 
 dross. 
 
 Scene 3. Idolatry, Satyrs, and divers Monsters assail 
 Vedast, who vanquishes them with the sign of the Cross, 
 Vedast apostrophizes the Supreme. 
 
 Scene 4. Clovis animates the Frankish soldiers. Sigibert 
 appeals to the King for assistance. 
 
 Scene 5. Vedast persuades the men of Toul to destroy 
 their idols. 
 
 Scene 6. Battle between Clovis and the King of the 
 Alemanni. 
 
 Scene 7. Clovis bewails his discomfiture, and vows that he 
 will become a Christian if he can gain the victory. 
 
 Chorus. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael on the one side ; 
 Heresy, Envy, and Calumny on the other.
 
 Introduction. x i x 
 
 Act III. 
 
 Scefie I. Clotildis, with her sons Clodomirus and Thco- 
 doricus, inquire of Remigius, the Bishop of Rheims, as to the 
 future successes of Clovis against the Alemanni. The sons 
 exult over the recent victory. 
 
 Sce?ie 2. Vedast instructs Clovis in the principles of the 
 Christian fiith, which Clovis willingly accepts. 
 
 Scene 3. Lantieldis, sister of Clovis, with the help of 
 Idolatry and Heresy, Envy and Calumny, endeavours to dis- 
 seminate the errors of Arianism. 
 
 Scene 4. Typhlus, the blind man, seeks restoration of his 
 sight. He is mocked and deceived by Mego. He goes to 
 the bridge over the Aisne to find Vedast. 
 
 Scene 5. Vedast gives sight to Typhlus in the presence of 
 Clovis, who, witnessing the miracle, is converted. 
 
 Scene 6. Rejoicings at the safe return of Clovis. Remigius 
 rebukes Lantieldis for her errors. Clovis desires baptism at 
 the hands of Remigius. 
 
 Scene 7, Vedast converts Lantieldis, notwithstanding the 
 efforts of Heresy, Envy, and Calumny to hinder her con- 
 version. 
 
 Scene 8. Various opinions about the baptism of Clovis 
 are expressed by Mego, Hortulbal, Tuccius, and a party of 
 Knights. 
 
 Scene 9. Remigius encourages Vedast to continue in the 
 good work of the conversion of the heathen, and Vedast 
 signifies his willingness so to do. 
 
 Scene 10. Contention between Idolatry and Religion. 
 
 Scene 11. Vedast performs the miracle of causing wine to 
 flow from empty vessels. 
 
 Scene 12. Remigius consecrates Vedast to be Bishop of the 
 Atrebati. 
 
 Chorus. Religion rejoices at, Idolatry laments over, the 
 efforts of Vedast against the powers of evil.
 
 XX Introduction. 
 
 Act IV. 
 
 Scene i. Vedast restores sight to Tilcanus, and bestows the 
 power of walking upon Codrus. He is welcomed to the city 
 of Arras by Victor. 
 
 Scene i. AureJian declares his fidelity to the new King, 
 Clotaire. Clotaire rejoices at the coming of Vedast, which is 
 announced by Ocinus. 
 
 Scene 3. Vedast arrives at Arras, and is shocked at the 
 desolation of the city wrought by the Alemanni. Caligon 
 warns Vedast against a wiJd bear haunting the ruins. The 
 bear retires at the saint's command. Vedast comforts the 
 timid Felix and Caligon, who receive his words with pleasure. 
 
 Scene 4. Contest between Idololatria and Latria, in which 
 the former is worsted. Latria rejoices at the advance of the 
 true faith. 
 
 Scene 5. Vedast is encouraged by various persons to 
 persevere in his missionary labours. 
 
 Scene 6. Mego makes sport of Hortulbal. Magus, Envy, 
 and Calumny prepare a cup of poison for Clotaire. 
 
 Scene 7. The poison is detected by Vedast, who makes the 
 sign of the cross in the Name of the Holy Trinity. The 
 King rejoices, and declares his intention of uniting himself 
 with Vedast. 
 
 Scene 8. Conversion of Magus. 
 
 Scene 9. Vedast encourages and consoles Clotildis, who is 
 now a widow. Clotildis, on her part, animates Vedast to 
 persevere in his work of evangelizing her subjects, and declares 
 her readiness to co-operate with him in their conversion. 
 
 Scene 10. Dietus, Bribax, Pericles, and Sepho, all suffering 
 trom prolonged hunger, determine to appeal for succour to 
 Vedast, who is already regarded by the people as the father of 
 the city. 
 
 Scene 11. The poor and hungry approach Vedast, who 
 succours them. Gabriel and Raphael announce the heavenly
 
 Introduction. xxi 
 
 reward reserved for Vedast. The beggars Dietus, Bribax, and 
 others quarrel about a cloak given to Sepho by Antonius. 
 
 Scene 12. Castus and P'elix, encouraged by Vedast, declare 
 their submission to the faith. 
 
 Scene 13. Metanor and others converse al>out a fiery column 
 which has appeared over the house in which Vedast dwells. 
 
 Scene 14. Vedast is aware that his end is approaching. 
 He comforts his sorrowing friends, and dies, as he had lived, 
 for Jesus. Latria announces his happy decease. 
 
 Chorus. Vedast sings of his blissful state. He is wel- 
 comed to the heavenly regions by S. Diogenes, S. Eleutherius, 
 S. Piatus, and S. Medard. Angels sing the anthem ' Euge, 
 serve, bone et fidelis' — 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' 
 
 Act V. 
 
 Scene i. Universal joy that S. Vedast has become the 
 patron of Arras. 
 
 Scene 2. Attempt to destroy the city of Arras by fire. 
 The archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and Uriel intervene. 
 The city is preserved. 
 
 Scene 3. Autbertus, at the command of the archangel 
 Michael, sets about the erection of a church. Its measure- 
 ments are to be one hundred feet in height, two hundred feet 
 in length. 
 
 Scene 4. Progress of the building. 
 
 Scene 5. Contest between the archangel Michael and Envy 
 concerning the construction of the church. 
 
 Scene 6. A paralytic, a demoniac, and a dumb man bewail 
 their sad condition. Latria assures them of relief upon their 
 invocation of S, Vedast. 
 
 Scene 7. General delight at the beatification of S. Vedast, 
 and at the discomfiture of Idolatry. 
 
 Scene 8. Glorification of S. Vedast by Fides, the paralytic, 
 the demoniac, the dumb man, and others. An angel concludes 
 by calling on the audience for applause.
 
 TRAGICOMEDIA 
 
 DE 
 
 SANCTO VEDASTO.
 
 PROLOGUS. 
 
 AuDiTE procerum turma decora Atrebatium 
 Audite, seu quels infula accingit comas, 
 Astrea seu quos nobiJes ditat toga. 
 Novi theatri syrmate baud plebes stupe. 
 Novos cothurno vincta tibi ludos redit 
 Positura pubes : dextera, age votis veni : 
 Ludos Vedastus revehet actutum pugil. 
 Clarus, parente Athleta nemoribus Dei 
 Tullum requirit : celica incensus face, 
 Merita coruscat infula, Atrebeum gregem 
 Miseratur, incestam stygis rabiem pugil 
 Valide retundit, mentibus densas tuis 
 Fugat tenebras, Celicum et pandit^ jubar. 
 Sacrum Vedasti presule Autberto magis 
 Pignus nitescit, cui domum terra hac facie 
 Metatur alea, pugilis ut primum tua 
 Luctam juventus dederit, hec laurum dabit, 
 Adsit benignus scenice pubi favor. 
 
 ^ Monstrat.
 
 ACTUS I«^— SCENA K 
 
 Pater Vedasti, Mater, Vedastus.^ 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Ter me beatum, cujus opulentat sinus 
 Agmen bonorum cujus in tecta impluit 
 Felicitatum glomera Leucorum solum. 
 Aureis ministrat quidquid excurrens aquis 
 Rutilans Hidaspcs, quique gemmarum nitor 
 Coruscat auro, sufficit tectis humus 
 Natalis aure, plus satis ditat domos. 
 Mage ter beatum me facit senio gravem, 
 Quern prole tanta donat ethereus favor. 
 Fuso senilis non mihi febricitat color 
 Candore vultus, prole revirescit nove 
 i^tatis evum, prole numerosa seni 
 Animus resultat, corque compulsum salit. 
 Unanime conjux gaudio nostrum pari 
 Pectus redundat generi ut expendo datos 
 Celo favores ; una me versat tamen 
 Angitque mentem cura solicitam diu, 
 Quonam subivit limina ex studiis redux, 
 Firmamen evi natus, etate, indole 
 Princeps Vedastus, varius ancipiti coquit 
 Consilia mente, refugit oblatas faces 
 Dubius maritas, coelibem vitam gemens 
 Molitur animis,- mente nee sana ferus 
 Monitis rebellat. Cernis ut vultus tegit, 
 Avertit ora, cocta consilia occulit ! 
 Quid spes parentis generis et robur domus, 
 Quid nate mentis nubila in vultus agunt? 
 Pater! 
 
 ^ Interlocutores : Patruus, Anonymus, Imus. 
 
 2 Animus.
 
 Tra^komedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Anonymus. 
 
 Imus. 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Loquere, quid ora singultu sonant? 
 Quid advolutus genibus illacrymas patris. 
 Assurge, letos junge complexus patri, 
 Letitia juvenem, moeror annosum decet. 
 Ainimos^ serenet purpura vestis nitens. 
 Quanta parentem clade funestes vide, 
 EfFare aperte, pande quae mente occulis 
 Arcana tacitus, nee timor mentem gravet. 
 Venerande genitor, nemora si lubeat procul 
 Leucis cappessam, ubi animus exsultans polo 
 Spei, metusque liber eternet dies, 
 Tute relictis moenibus sylvas colam. 
 Longo excitatas consequi cursu feras 
 Mens estuat, ut opinor ; id dabitur tuis 
 Vedaste flammis, mitte solicitos metus. 
 Non ilia genitor flamma depascit diu 
 Noctuque fibras, sed Deus crede intime 
 Sorbet medullas, orbe nil toto meos 
 Sedabit estus, vestis auro non rigens, 
 Non quae tumultu- tecta famulari'"^ strepunt 
 Qui cor perurit solus etherea face 
 Fovebit ignes solus: Arduenne precor, 
 Hunc ustulantem da sequar sylvis pater. 
 Oro per^ Jesu latere profusum mare, 
 Cruenta per flumina, piis nati pater 
 Subscribe votis. 
 
 Regere non posse impetum 
 Juvenilis animi : missa fac crepundia 
 Hec non adultum mage sed infantem decent. 
 Animos aviti generis excita inclytas 
 Laudes sequi, te facta genitoris decet. 
 Accingat ensis nobile hoc pignus patris 
 Tua latera, facessant tot infans nova 
 Concilia mentis. 
 
 Gladius accinget latus.^ 
 Egon' Olympo terga poscenti dabo.? 
 Facesse nostra imperia, sic mandat parens. 
 Facesso superum imperia, sic mandat Deus. 
 
 ' Animos. 
 
 2 Beato. 
 
 Famulatii. 
 
 ■* Per precor.
 
 Tragicomcdia de Sane to Vedasto. 5 
 
 Pater Vedasti. Gerere parent! filium morem Deus 
 
 Imperat. 
 
 Vedastus. Et illi si imperat genitor prius 
 
 Obtemperandum est. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. Nectis imperiis patris 
 
 Remoras inanes: hue pedes mecuni domum. 
 Nox atra lucem, sol prius tenebras feret, 
 Quam te per omne dedecus nostre sinam 
 Turpare gentis nomen, ac titulos domus. 
 
 SCENA SECUNDA. 
 Rex Alemanorum, Duo Legati, Quatuor nobiles.^ 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Quid anime torpes? segnis irarum jubas 
 
 Tollit Sicambsr, foedera Alemannis negat 
 Francum reposcit, sponte queis subdit manus ; 
 Tua sceptra ridet tumidus et pace insolens. 
 Has lentus iras percipis? lentus vides? 
 Siccine secundis efferus de te canet 
 Turpem triumphum? sorbeam infamis sales? 
 Infame tantum dedecus? turpem notam? 
 Hec astra celi testor, eternum Jovem, 
 Non sic abibunt odia ; vel ponet jocos, 
 Vel ille PVancis, quam dedit, solvet fidem. 
 
 Maurus. Q^i'i '"^isi feroci militis fidit manu 
 
 Imbellis hostis, deses, ignavus ! 
 
 Prosper. ^ I^^erus 
 
 Ille est secundis, fiicilis invertat rotam 
 Fortuna, segnis languida torpet manu. 
 
 Dexter. Alta vagetur fronte Sigiberti impetus? 
 
 Gravesque patrie tumidus intentet minas? 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Generose miles vester igniculat magis 
 
 Motos calores, ultro ne peccet tamen 
 Tepida quiescat mixtus et estus domet : 
 Regnare nescit, cui furor nimium imperat. 
 I Maure, Prosper, ad ducem celeri pede 
 Properate, mentis pandite arcana intime, 
 Bilisque rabiem : noster erasus furor 
 
 1 Maurus, Serus, Amandus, Prosper, Dexter.
 
 6 "Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Animis in auras ibit ut pones suos 
 Animi tumores, ut datam paucis fidem 
 Foedusque solvet: pertinax si fors negat 
 Celeri referte ad regiam gressus pede. 
 
 Maurus. Rex magne solita, quod jubes, facimus fide. 
 
 Serus. Si renuat acuere miles auspiciis tuis 
 
 Martem reposcit. 
 
 Amandus. Quo rapit pectus ducis 
 
 Generosus ardor, sequimur unanimes citi. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Miles, laboris amplate merces manent, 
 
 Virtute macte : copie regno mihi 
 Toto legantur, pila queis hostem opprimam, 
 
 SC/ENA TERTIA. 
 Vedastus, Concupiscentia carnis, Concupiscentia 
 
 OCULORUM, SUPERBIA VITE, CaSTITAS, HuMILITAS.^ 
 
 Vedastus. O dulce mentis delicium Jesu ! undique 
 
 Insultet ut sanguis vide ; undique impetat 
 Telis inermem ; carnis ut foede, aspice, 
 Inhamet illecebris ! mihi suffice Deus robur. 
 
 Castitas. Vedaste lilium palmam feret 
 
 Hoc castltatis ; nixus age vive etheri. 
 
 Concu-piscentia 
 
 ca7-ms. Vedaste facili mentis utere indole, 
 
 Animos serena, conspice ut roseo nitet 
 Colore vultus, quanta consurgat toris. 
 Juvenilis etas mox virum spirantibus : 
 Aureo liquores vasculo roseos paro. 
 
 Vedastus. Mendax cicutam melle sub dulci tegis, 
 
 Philtris furores jungis, infestum malum ! 
 
 Castitas. Sapis, Vedaste, mitte pestiferam luem. 
 
 Humilitas. Ecce alia pestis graditur, hec paribus tibi 
 
 Superanda miles artibus : cernis manu 
 Quas tracto frondes ; queis Olympi viribus 
 Niteare pandent : hedera stat firmis virens 
 Stabilita muris stet magis celsis^ polis 
 
 ^ Paupertas. 
 
 - Cclsus.
 
 Tragicomcdia dc Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Superbia. 
 
 Humilitas. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Paupertas. 
 
 Concupiscentia 
 
 oculorum. 
 
 Paupertas. 
 
 Suffultus animus ; viribus nimium suls 
 Qui tribuit audax, decidit facili impete. 
 Siccine Vedaste glorie falsem iniicis 
 Gratis evo? que (malum!) cccam rapit 
 Nox atra mentem ? honoribus mox ut sinum 
 Subripere libeat?^ quid fugis titulos patrum? 
 Tibi vela jam pregnantur et celeri ad decus 
 Fereris quadriga : sequerc quo nactus ducem, 
 Ducam per altum nomen et clarum genus. 
 Cave, cave miles, mentis obtura forem, 
 Ne te superba sceptra que dextra tenet 
 Technis, doloris artibus captum clepat. 
 Nihil hie timendum splendidos umbras scio 
 Titulos honorum. Excede pestis, hinc pedes. 
 Minitare tandem cassibus cogam meis 
 Premaris ultro. 
 
 Perge nunc lauro immines 
 Animose miles : tertius restat tibi 
 Calcandus hostis, tumida marsupia exspue, 
 Inane pondus. 
 
 Nunquid argenti decus 
 Titillat oculos? nunquid hie auri nitor 
 Jubar coruscans pellicit rutilo novam 
 Fulgore mentem? pondus hoc ditet dies, 
 Beetque primam quam legis vitc rosam. 
 Ouid ora moestus evehas, rectam indolens? 
 His fruere letus ; perdere est dignus bona 
 Qui nescit uti, 
 
 Spondet eternas tibi 
 Sublimis astris clara pauperies opes. 
 Ad hec protervos insolens ludos ciat 
 P'ortuna, nihil est stabile quod non impetat, 
 Ouod non furenti turbine excutiat ^nidu. 
 Dum mane nitida Cynthius rutilat die 
 Christas superbus opibus attollit, sue 
 Et sortis immemor et mali instantis sibi. 
 Sed fessus ubi dum Lucifer feras videt 
 
 1 Lubcat.
 
 8 
 
 Tragkomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Occiduus undas rebus ejectus suis, 
 Cogere perenni cogitur stipem stugo.^ 
 I fide sorti, quamlibet blando tibi 
 Vultu renidens cuncta pro voto ingerat. 
 
 Vedastus. Abite pestes, procul abite, jam meum 
 
 iEther vibrata pectus obsedit face. 
 Tolerare stabili mente pauperiem placet, 
 Legere virentis lilii florem, casa ; 
 ViJi morari corpus et lacerum rudl 
 Velare sacco. 
 
 Castitas. Fugite mendaces opes. 
 
 Bulle voluptatum fugite, et elatus tumor. 
 Nostrum suave noster amplexus jugum. 
 Bulle voluptatum fugite et hinc altus tumor. 
 
 Suferbia. Nova bella coquimus requerimus et fraudes 
 
 novas. 
 
 Concupiscentia 
 
 carnis. Quocumque gressus tuleris amentes cite 
 Properamus ultro. 
 
 Concupiscentia 
 
 oculorum. Veniet in nostras manus 
 
 Et sero quamvis veniet. Hac mecum pedes. 
 
 SC^NA QUARTA. 
 
 Pater Vedasti cum famulis, Patruus, Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. Vedaste, patris gaudium et telum simul ! 
 Diu efferatus lege concessas fugis. 
 Toedas jugales? sicne legitimis thoris 
 Asper? rebellis? nate, quo patrem rapis.? 
 Nominis inustum dedecus tantum meis 
 Annis relinquam? Vilis abjectis plagis 
 Vitam remote toleret ignavam procul ? 
 Haud patiar. Hue accerse quo latitat loco 
 Famule rebellem resciat certe probe 
 Que censa mentis ultimam et mentem hauriat. 
 Faustus. Ni pervicaci pectore exuto tuos 
 
 Monitus facesset territa verbis, minis, 
 
 1 Jugo.
 
 Tragicoffit'dia Je Siuicto Vedasto. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Margus. 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Veda St us. 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Verberibus acquiescet e domibus malo 
 Sic facile monitis. 
 
 Hcc coquit mens estuans 
 
 Intus furore. 
 
 Rogatus affatus patris 
 Supplex reposcit. 
 
 Cingat hie solus latus 
 Proprius parentis, mentis occulte abdita 
 Scrutabor, et animi eruam latebram intimam. 
 O Christe mentis robur impactum adiice. 
 Age nunc rebellis patris imperiis, mei 
 Oblitus sui, patrie, juris Dei : 
 (^ue sic furorem diuomit serpens fera. 
 Compressa pedibus bellua hircana opprimit 
 Partus ferocem, nacta raptorem unguibus, 
 Ut tu parentem impete insano furens 
 i^tate fessum rabidus addictas neci ! 
 Fulmen coruscum potius immittat manu 
 Mox fulminanti numen ex alto ethere, 
 Cyclops cruentus Lestrigon, trux et Charibs 
 Lacerata rumpant membra, quam in patrem 
 
 mali 
 Ingratus aliquid machiner, avorum genus 
 Foedare tentem, labe conspergam domum ? 
 Haurire jussa patris est semper ratum 
 Animoque fixum penitus, hoc dignum puto 
 Munus bcnigni jussa genitoris sequi 
 Parere didici, debeo, exopto, scio, 
 Et liceat oro genitor. 
 
 Hanc nosco indolem 
 Sic equa juris ratio, sic pietas jubet. 
 Minaris ergo quid fugam toties lare ! 
 Toties quid anxia suggerit de te parens 
 Te velle sylvis agere religatum Deo 
 Vitam perennem. 
 
 Candidam mentem accipe ; 
 Me velle fateor, si meus volet pater, 
 Sed velle patrem spero, si velit Deus. 
 Deus parentem temnere imperet, o scelus! 
 Compesce fluctus turbide mentis, precor.
 
 lO 
 
 T'ragkomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Veda St us. 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 Patruus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Pater Vedasti. 
 
 Ab ire gestis perfide ignava fuga. 
 Ab ire genitor gestio insonti fuga. 
 Insons rebellis patriae, matri, patri? 
 Sic casta conubia eiicis? 
 
 Genitor mihi 
 Connubia credo casta? 
 
 Que? 
 
 Christi. 
 
 Putas 
 
 Connubia Christo dissona? 
 
 Admittunt viros 
 Nunquam duos connubia sacrata etheris 
 Consortem in unam nee sibi anima fert Deus. 
 Damnabis ergo tot virum thalamos ? cave ! 
 Damnabo nunquam ; virginum thalamos tamen 
 Prestare quid infiteor? 
 
 Has remoras trahis 
 Perfide parentis contumax jussa aburis? 
 Arcete famuli perfidum,^ morte effera 
 Ictus furore concidat ne mox fero. 
 Compesce fluctus anime, quid odia excoquis? 
 Est natus. 
 
 Est rebellis, 
 
 Hunc calor rapit 
 Juvenilis animi. 
 
 Stygius hunc rapit furor 
 Nocentis animi. 
 
 Cui levis flamme vapor 
 Fugit per Eurum, mentis accense impetus 
 Sic fugiet ultro. Mox patri dabit manus. 
 Serum est dabit, dedisse debuit, nimis, 
 Scelestus ille frontis effrontis caput. 
 Fabula nepotum dicar ob turpem hanc fugam ? 
 Nunquam ira perge,comprimejuvenis impetus. 
 
 1 Hunc procul.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sane to Fedasto. i i 
 
 SCi^NA QUINTA. 
 
 SiGIBERTUS i:)UX SlCAMHRORUM CUM FILIO, NOBILIBUS, 
 LEGATIS, MaURO ET PrOSPERO. 
 
 iiigihertus. Krancus Sicambruni pace tutatus duceni 
 
 Tranquil la reddit sceptra, nunc tantum efferus 
 
 Alcmannus audet foedus invcrsum dare. 
 
 Stat ire contra, stat feros ausus fero 
 
 Domare Marte, viribus fero datam 
 
 Pacem tueri ; symbola hec regi mei 
 
 Deferte nutus. 
 Maurus. Dabimus has regi notas 
 
 Indicia mentis certa, sed grate parum. 
 Prosper. Mox contumaces fortis Akmannus suis 
 
 Retundet armis spiritus. 
 Sigibertus. Quid, improbe? 
 
 Ducem lacessis? Saxones pernix pete 
 
 Vel te ! 
 Filius Sigiberti. Recessit hostis accensus truci, 
 
 Rabie furoris. Tu parens cohibe impetus 
 
 Nimium cruentos. 
 Diranus. Deleat turpem notam 
 
 Patrie coruscans mucro. 
 Mitius. Bellona intonet 
 
 Passim per agros, lithuus et multus strepat, 
 
 Clangor tubarum personet. 
 Sigibertus. Vili jugo 
 
 Premetur hostis mox dabit victas manus. 
 
 SCi^NA SEXTA. 
 
 Philedonus, Megalegorus, Plutius, A^edastus, Mater 
 
 Vedasti. 
 
 Philedonus. Hue cara socii gaudia efFundat modos 
 
 Dulces canora tibia. 
 Megalegorus. Hanc primam decet 
 
 Rosam juvente, florida roseos via 
 
 Vernare odores. 
 Plutius. Pascere aspectum juvat 
 
 Vario colore, degere etatem in bonis.
 
 12 
 
 T^ragicomed'm de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Phikdonus. 
 
 Megalegorus. 
 
 Plutius. 
 Veda St us. 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Ferire Megalegore, placet rursum mihi 
 Plectro suaves tumulo cordas. 
 
 Decent 
 Hec nostra jubila tempora, etatem decent. 
 O leta mentis gaudia ! o festos^ dies ! 
 O quantus animos abripit cecos furor, 
 En victa luxu marcet, atque animum jugo 
 Premit cupido turpis, et rectam indolem 
 Animumque summi compotem coeli necat. 
 Nee que sequantur claustra letalis lacus 
 interna tendit !'- fata ventura exspuit ! 
 Da rector orbis fortis infringo^ pi^gi^ 
 Laqueos dolosus queis suos mundus premit 
 Orbus parente libera terris cano 
 Te voce patrem, Christe nunc vivo etheri ! 
 Miserere nate matris et vidue precor, 
 Exstingue quondam cordis accensi faces 
 Novosque mores indue orbatus patre. 
 Absit vocanti mater obvertam moras. 
 Viduam relinques.^ 
 
 Aderit e coelo Deus. 
 Per has parentis squalidas supplex comas 
 Fessumque senio pectus et cara ubera 
 Miserere matris, unicum fessis meis 
 Solamen annis. 
 
 Misereor et annum parens, 
 Sed ustulantes pectus internis faces 
 Calcata matris per ubera sequi me addecet. 
 Crudelis in me nate, sic rupem induis ? 
 Ubi numen animo meditor in chalybem 
 
 omnibus 
 Abeo medullis, et fibra rupem induo. 
 Largire vidue temporis saltem moram 
 Aliquam parentis donee afRicte dolor 
 Mitescat animis. 
 
 Quod petis dabimus parens 
 Tempus moramque, sed brevem votis moram. 
 
 1 Laetos. 
 
 2 Pendit. 
 
 2 Infringam.
 
 Traiicomcdia de Saiicio Vcdasto. 
 
 •. ^ 
 
 Rex Clodou 
 
 MIRUS, 
 
 Clodoueus. 
 
 Chdamirus. 
 
 Theodoricus. 
 
 Clodareus. 
 
 Childebertus. 
 Clodouillus. 
 
 Clodoueus. 
 
 SCi^NA SKPTIMA. 
 
 Eus, Childebertus, Clodouillus, Cloda- 
 Theodoricus, i'ueri cum insignibus, 
 
 Quisquis Sabeus dives eois plagis 
 Iberus armis, quisquis occasu potens, 
 Terore sceptri, regia quatitur manu 
 Placata tellus undique cxsultat bonis 
 Et pace plaudit ; unus adversos mihi 
 Attollit animos, audet atque unus, truces 
 Lacessere iras rabidus Alemanni furor. 
 O sanguis audax et meo invisum genus, 
 Alemanne generi ; tu trucem nostrum in 
 
 caput 
 Armare rabiem ; foedus et regis datum 
 PVangere Sicambris ? tester ethereum Jovem ? 
 Per regna juro, juro penetrales Deos 
 Non sic inultus odia detugies mea : 
 Quid concitatus valeat hie mentis calor 
 Cogam fateri, vel reluctantem malo. 
 Passim per agros fervet incensus ducis 
 Calor Sicambri, jungere armatus manus 
 Ferro tueri foedere adjunctos avet 
 Animus. 
 
 Rebelles Marte Sigibertus potens 
 Ut frenet ausus flagitat regis manum. 
 Premunt superbos principes, humiles tegunt, 
 Sigiberto adero, mox Francicas jungam duci 
 Armatus acies, queis jugo infami premam 
 Hostis superbos impetus domem probe. 
 Rex magne quo te manibus expansis vocat 
 Fortuna, euntem passibus sequimur citis. 
 Certum est sequi quocumque tua signa inferes, 
 Seu sub maligno sidere informes geiu, 
 Seu vasta I.vbie nemora que calidi vapor 
 Solis perurit, fidus accedam comes. 
 Age miles animos redde quos tantos facis 
 Congredere. mecum classicum primus cane. 
 Regis furores discat imbellis pati.
 
 H 
 
 Trag'icomedia dc Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 SCiENA OCTAVA. 
 
 Vedastus, Mater Vedasti, Patruus, Anonimus, Imus."^ 
 
 Vedastus. O quam potenti pectus incensum ustulat 
 
 Superis amoris ignibus, numen polls : 
 Non tantus acri rupis Ethnee jugo 
 Exundat ignis, cum vapor patulo furit 
 Missus camino quantus in libris calor 
 Imis resultat : estuat venis jecur 
 Tenerque totus animus in flammas abit. 
 Satis est Olympe, quo rapis velox sequor. 
 Comitata mater patruo prodit gemens : 
 Adibo, fortis nuncium pugil bonis, 
 Matrique mittam Christe postremum. Parens 
 Quid ora toties fletus ubertim rigat ? 
 Vedaste tantis lacrymis matrem opprimis, 
 Patruum, tuosque, quod gemo cuncti gemunt ? 
 Sepone lacrymas, sepius superos parens 
 Sequor vocantes. 
 
 Qui nepos tantos feres 
 Nemorum labores, qui sitim, famem, notes 
 Agris minantes, frigus et brume impetus, 
 Leonis estus, belluas sylvis truces : 
 Inverte mentem haud sana consilia eiice. 
 Mihi robur addet, qui dedit animos Deus : 
 Est, fateor, aliquis qui manet sylvis labor, 
 Sed iste non exterret, igniculat magis 
 Sublime pectus et animum innixum polo. 
 Divine vicisti nepos, callem inchoa : 
 O pessulatam trade lamentis tue 
 Aurem parenti, lacrymis ponet modum, 
 Heres paternis opibus et dives solo 
 Quo fugiet exsul ? 
 
 Nuncium cunctis lubens 
 Bonis remitto, me abdico, ut Christum sequar ! 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Jmus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Concupiscentia 
 
 oculorum. 
 
 Egenus ? 
 
 Concupiscentia carnis, Concupiscentia oculorum, Superbia vitae.
 
 Vedastus. 
 Superbia. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Tragicomcdia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 Astris dives. 
 
 Concupiscentia 
 
 earn is. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Concupiscentia 
 
 oculorum. 
 Vedastus. 
 Superbia. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Anonimus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Imus. 
 
 Anonimus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Imus. 
 
 Patruus. 
 
 Mater Vedasti. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Ignobilisr 
 
 F.c hie 
 
 Celoque nobiJis. 
 
 Lacer ? 
 
 Nunquam lacer 
 
 Est castus animus. 
 
 Aderit at mors mox atrox 
 Metus malorum. 
 
 Te impetet. 
 
 Celum ut petam. 
 Induta cautem mens ; fugite pestes procul. 
 Radice egenus arborum pascam famem, 
 Solabor estus frigida sylvis aqua. 
 Non gladius ultra vesciat nostrum latus 
 Non pectore ultra pendeat torques meo. 
 Tu matris unum pignus afflicte vale. 
 Frater per omnes sanguinis nexus precor 
 Per defluentes lacrymas matris sinu 
 Fratrumque gemitus, da breves annis moras 
 Adulta donee creverit nobis mage 
 Juvenilis etas. 
 
 Verbera ne cassa insere. 
 Satis est morarum, jam etherem sequi addecet 
 Toties vocantem. 
 
 Junge complexus breves 
 Nepos parenti, patribus, mihi, omnibus. 
 Jungam ultimos, mi patrue ! 
 
 Mi frater vale. 
 Mi frater ! animi mngna pars, frater ! vale. 
 Tandem recedo, 
 
 Rursus amplexus meos, 
 Iterumque frater repete 
 
 Citato gressus. 
 
 Ouo celum vocat 
 
 F-rgo prosequere impetum 
 
 Flamme vocantis. 
 
 Ibo cum liceat pie
 
 1 6 Tragic one did de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Venia parentis, sed prius natum parens 
 
 Asperge dextra rore celesti et vale. 
 Mater Vedasti. Te fili Olvmpus augeat charitum imbribus, 
 
 Moestam fluentes Jacryme vocem obstruunt. 
 Imus. Procul recessit columen afflict! laris. 
 
 Discessus (heu me !) lancinat morsu jecur. 
 A}ionimus. Abiit parentis gaudium, fratrum decus, 
 
 Spes una annorum generis et lampas domus ! 
 
 Splendor recedat purpure, luctus placet. 
 Mater Vedasti. Lamenta, gemitus, tristis accedat dolor. 
 Patruus. Subite tecta, nullus est lacrymis modus. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Castitas, Paupertas, Humilitas, Concupiscentia carnis, 
 concupiscentia oculorum, superbia vit^. 
 
 Humilitas. 
 
 Celi tramite nobili 
 Victor progreditur pugil. 
 Altos mittite spiritus 
 Vultus mittite turgidos. 
 Celi tramite nobili 
 Victor progreditur pugil. 
 
 Superbia. 
 
 Erro siccine me ferox 
 Tullanus rabie domet. 
 Meos scelestus ausus 
 Premat ^ ferus triumphet .'' 
 Ter vilior fimoque, 
 Ter vilior lutoque ^ 
 Victus cadet rebel li 
 Nostro ferus furore. 
 
 Castitas. 
 Frustra vomis furores, 
 Fallace virus ore. 
 Frustra tuum sagittas 
 Vedastus impotent!
 
 Tragicomedia de Seme to Vedasto. i 7 
 
 Quidquid paras kirore 
 Fortis pugil retundet. 
 Procul venena mitte. 
 Quotquot latent pharetra 
 Vedastus hie supremo 
 Nixus pugil Tonanti 
 Franget tuas sagittas. 
 Frustra vomis furores, 
 Fallace virus ore 
 Frustra tuum sagittas. 
 
 Concupiscentia carnis. 
 
 Dire manent inernii 
 Hosti fere timores. 
 Manent cruenta monstra 
 Quotquot latent cavernis 
 Satyri manent bicornes. 
 Redux timore tutam 
 Crassus petet coronam. 
 Dire manent inermi 
 Hosti fere timores, 
 
 Paupertas. 
 
 Nihil feras cruentas 
 Satyros nihil pavescit. 
 Nil possidet nee optat 
 Nil auream favillam 
 Nil aureasque bulks 
 Solutus expavescit. 
 
 Concupiscentia oculorum. 
 
 Pavescat haud pavescat 
 Siti, fame, peribit ; 
 Peribo cum cadente 
 Si sic potes perire. 
 Meo meo cruore 
 Hostilem emo cruorem. 
 Pavescat haud pavescat 
 Siti, fame, peribit. 
 P'genus ero sylvis.
 
 1 8 Tragicomcdia dc Sancto Vcdasto. 
 
 Concupiscentia carnis. 
 Inflimis erro. 
 
 Superbia. 
 
 Vilis. 
 
 Paupertas. 
 Vives^ Deo. 
 
 C as tit as. 
 
 Serenis 
 Astris. 
 
 Hu7nilitas. 
 
 Nitens beatus. 
 
 Superbia. 
 Nil jacta terrent verba mox facta exsequor. 
 
 Humilitas. 
 Nil dira rabies terret ut coelum favet. 
 
 CHORUS MUSICUS. 
 
 Jam tubae passim sonitus resultet. 
 Jam sonet^ clangor litui sonorus, 
 Et phalanx toto fremat arma campo, 
 Saxones armis superet Sicamber, 
 Tympanum don don resonet don don don, 
 
 concidat hostis. 
 
 ACTUS SECUNDUS.— SCENA I'^. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum, Maurus, Prosper, Dexter, Serus, 
 
 Amandus, etc. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Tantas Gradivus intus incendit faces 
 
 Nesciat ut iras coquere fliammatus calor. 
 Alto Sicamber tumidus imperio meos 
 Rejectat animos, renuet et Francis datum 
 Pacis perennis foedus exstinctum dare. 
 Nostro superbos^ Marte feriendus cadet. "^ 
 
 1 Dives. '^ Tonet. ^ Superbcs. * Cades.
 
 Tragkomcd'ui de Sa?7cto Vedasto. 19 
 
 Maiirus. Iiivicte Cesar focdcre aJjuiictus duel 
 
 Clodoveus aderit milite instructo etfcrus, 
 
 RexAlemanorum. Gestare pila ignarus et pugne inscius ! 
 
 Rex laiiguida cui torpet ad bellum manus. 
 
 Prosper. Fretus Sicamber rege Sigibertus^ furit, 
 
 Aderit coactis copiis, jugo ut premat 
 Nos insolenti. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Turgidum prius opprimam, 
 
 Animis timorem ejice, ignavos metus 
 GenerosLis ardor nescit hostem sed premit. 
 Ouid miles ante terreat lituum pavor? 
 
 Dexter. Ferum reposcit Martie nieiitis calor 
 
 Magnanime princeps, nee timor mentem 
 opprimit. 
 
 Serus. Nobis cicatrix sanguis et mors adlubet 
 
 Modo inter arma. 
 
 Amandus. Lambit banc dextram calor 
 
 Lamhetque donee sanguinem inimicum hauriat. 
 
 Serus. Hostile ferruni nescit ulterius moras. 
 
 Amandus. Armis triumphet, regnet Alemannus potens. 
 
 Omnes simul. Armis triumphet, regnet Alemannus potens. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Ouam grata mentis jubila aurihus intonas, 
 
 Generose miles : macte patria, insolens 
 Jugandus hostis milite est tanto tibi. 
 Jamjam era crepitent, obvias hosti placet 
 Acuere dextras : crastinus sol ut feret 
 Radiata terris lumina, addensis frequens 
 Acies maniplis urbe properato irruat. 
 
 SCENA SECUNDA. 
 
 Veda St us solus. 
 
 Tandem quietus animus emensi maris 
 Fugit Charybdas salvas- et tutum tenet 
 Portum salutis, ancoram fondat nemus 
 Toties rogatum (ast heu !) quot in scopulos ruit 
 Qui transtretare pelagus immensum hoc parat: 
 Perfert labores non tot Alcides mare 
 
 ^ Sigibcrto. - Salviis.
 
 20 Trao-icomedia dc Sa?icto Vedasto. 
 
 c^ 
 
 Vastum pererrans, quot subit fortis pugil 
 Vitare syrtes avidus ancipitis marls : 
 Vicisse tantos turbines juvat tamen 
 Fluente ubi Deus dextra^ celi imbribus 
 Animos serenat, candldo et recreat die. 
 Ignis perennis pectus allambit meum 
 Ingensque flamme vis meam mentem obruit. 
 O quod mihi sagum Christe quod lacerum, rude 
 Favos rependit, quam juvat opes sordibus 
 Mutasse dum sic mutor : assolitas tibi 
 Nemore recumbens, Christe, persolvo preces, 
 Dein fortis ethere tecta contendo pede 
 Tullana celeri, diriges gressum Deus. 
 
 SCENA TERTIA. 
 
 Idololatria, Satyri, Varia Monstra, Vedastus. 
 
 Jdololalria. Pro summe divum Lucifer TuUum meus 
 
 Invadet hostis.^ quod mei juris fuit 
 Virtute domitum sub suas leges trahet } 
 Canetur orbe Christus ejecto Jove 
 Simulacra Divum funditus quassa Occident } 
 Ego Dearum maxima et cujus jugo 
 Strate tot urbes unius subdar jugo 
 Vedasti inermis.^ dedecus tantum hauriam.'' 
 Terram ante, celum, Tartarum invertam truces 
 Limphata in iras volvar et vertam omnia. 
 Furibunda perge, suscita rabiem tuis 
 Dignam triumphis, pergito, aude, nunc age 
 Quidquid potes truculenta, quidquid et baud 
 
 potes. 
 Hue hue cruenta monstra, satyri quot feris 
 Nemorum cavernis, preda vos ingens manet. 
 Terrete, tundite, faucibus premite efferis 
 Telis inermem, nemora qui vestra incolit. 
 Nullum palato pinguius risit pecus 
 Cibusque terris gratior nullus datus. 
 
 Satyr us i"^- Ab antri nos sonu devocavit quispiam.'* 
 
 ^ Dextera.
 
 T'ragkomedhi dc Siutcto Vcdasto. 
 
 21 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Satyrus i 
 
 us. 
 
 Satyrus 2"^- 
 
 Satyrus y^- 
 Satyrus 4"^- 
 Satyrus 5"^"- 
 Satyrus 6"^- 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Ageduni inventus prona satyrorum' dolos 
 Ncmorunique numen, ducite alterno pede 
 Late choreas, neniore terrete medio 
 Vestri Vedasrum et orbis instantem luem. 
 Horribilitudine terrificulemur pessumuni 
 Pessumi homini caput querquera ut febri 
 
 tremat. 
 Saltemus. Grata gratiani nobis ampjiter 
 Redamtruabis. 
 
 Pyrricham primus- amptrus. 
 En sonitu extemplo aurium tangit foris. 
 Amphracta quam belle ebriulat aurium lyra, 
 Meum et per aures pectus irrigarier 
 Dulcitudine^ sentisco : Pyrricham' letus 
 
 amptrua 
 Saltatum abunde ne moribus abactus cadat. 
 O Machinator criminum quo te via? 
 O summe celi, summe dominator poli, 
 Adsit secundus numinis vestri favor. 
 Suprema celi sydera in sylvis peto. 
 Nil tela metius? 
 
 Sint vel interni fcris 
 
 Decocta flammis 
 Satyri biformes? 
 
 Nil vagi sylvis movent 
 
 Monstra pueroruni metus 
 Satyri biformes, non visum. Credite loco 
 Lasciva monstra, credite hec Jesus jubet. 
 Ouis iste furor est ? 
 
 C)uem suos Christus docet. 
 Animosne fixus stipiti Christus facit ? 
 Animos Averni domitor invictus facit. 
 Hec tenta deses patiar, o nostri leves 
 Furoris ire ! nemore portenia ruite. 
 Impetite incrmem funditus prcceps cadat. 
 In te cruenti (ne qua pars sceleris vacet) 
 Surgent tyranni. 
 
 Surgat Hesperiis metus 
 
 1 Ad, - Pyrrucham primus. '^ Dulcetudine. ^ Pyrrucham.
 
 22 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vcdasto. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Vedastiis. 
 
 Terris Geryon, surgat Ismiaca scinis 
 Pinu verendus, aut sub eterna nive 
 Inhospitalem Caucasi rupis domuni. 
 Heniochus habitans, nulla me rabies fere 
 Virumque teret, O trifliuci Cerberi 
 Ignava soboles, mene percelli tuo 
 Speras furore? Antra agite sylvarum cite 
 Repetite larve, mandat id signum crucis. 
 Tutabor alta regna, tua vertam impie. 
 Quocumque gressus tuleris, hac fortis sequor 
 Tullana celeri tecta contendo pede. 
 Dirige favente tramitem dextra Deus. 
 
 Rex 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Omnes simul. 
 Clodovillus. 
 
 Clodo^^eus. 
 
 Clodamirus. 
 
 Sigibertus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 Sigibertus. 
 
 SCENA OUARTA. 
 
 Clodoveus,^ Sigibertus cum suis. 
 
 Alto superbas vertice elatis domos 
 Amplas columnis Regis infidi intuor. 
 Macti este Franci milites, socios ducis 
 Vobis Sicambri viribus tutamini. 
 Quecumque tellus dives, inimica afferet 
 Vicina spoliis referet hoc vester labor. 
 Arma arma lentas animus baud patitur moras. 
 Dum pendet alea ancipite victoria 
 Athram aspice memor conjugis monitum tue. 
 Solicita princeps, sepius tibi fidem 
 Nesciri Olympi numen ethereum gemit. 
 Hec alia poscunt tempora meis Juppiter 
 Votis, Gradivus aderit et Deum favor, 
 Ouis buccinator intonat repens meas 
 Et clangor aures perculit. 
 
 Prodit citus 
 Comitatus acie foedere adjunctus tuis 
 Signis Sicamber. 
 
 Magne Francorum parens 
 Nostris petitus sepius votis ades. 
 Quo fare paucis ferveat bellum Joco. 
 Vallatus^ hostis militum ingenti manu 
 
 C 
 
 mil SUIS. 
 
 ^ Bel 
 
 a Ills.
 
 Tragic o)ncdia dc Sane to Vcdasto. 23 
 
 Alemannus instat, tota quern raptis cohors 
 Agglonicrat armis, finibus pedes agit, 
 Sicambriam alto spiritu totam impctit, 
 Populatur agros, diruit diro impete 
 Sternitque passim, quidquid adversum obviat_ 
 Ira moratur regis adventum ferus 
 Nimiumque tumidus viribus tribuit suis. 
 Clodoveus. Qui sepe nimium viribus tribuit, cadit, 
 
 Cadet et rebellis perpeti indocilis jugum, 
 Mox stratus armis discet imperia pati. 
 Animose miles, quidquid est animi ocyus 
 Expande. Per fas et nefas legum inscius 
 Raptare predas, et lacessere audeat 
 Socios duello? Nee sui poenas luat 
 Ausus rebellis? ^Era jam litui strepant, 
 Et tympanorum mugiat toto ethere 
 Raucus resultans sonitus excitum sono 
 Ni prodit agmen, regiam invade domum. 
 
 SCENA QUINTA. 
 
 Vedastus, Nobilis^ Tullenses, Tilmanus, Megarus, 
 Henricus, Famuli Mego, Hortulbal, Euxius. 
 
 Vedastus. Q'-^^d turba segnes queris imperiis moras 
 
 Facesse jussa, idola, decuit te diu 
 
 Prophana pedibus terere, inanes ignibus 
 
 Cremare truncos. 
 Megarus. Agedum Mego truncos feri 
 
 Demonas et ense turgidos macta ocyus. 
 Henricus. Hue hue penates quot tegunt famuli Deum 
 
 Simulacra ferte. 
 Tilmanus. Frangite. 
 
 Mego. In rogum date, 
 
 Comminuo membrum. 
 Euxius. Turgidas aures seco. 
 
 Hortulbal. Heus Me[jo nasum disseca. 
 
 Mego. Naso caret. 
 
 Inane trunci pondus. 
 
 ^ Nobilcs.
 
 24 
 
 ^ragkomedia dc Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Hortulhal. 
 Euxiiis. 
 
 Me go. 
 
 Euxius. 
 
 Me go. 
 
 Euxius. 
 
 Henricus. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 Euxius. 
 
 Me go. 
 
 Euxius. 
 
 Megarus. 
 Hortulbal. 
 Euxius. 
 Me go. 
 Tilmanus. 
 
 Me go. 
 
 Euxius. 
 
 Tilmanus. 
 
 Megarus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 O lepidum caput. 
 
 Hec tundo pugnis monstra ferio, hay, hay, hay. 
 
 An mordet ? Age cedo, ervam dentes probe 
 
 Cervice ab ima. Dentibus monstrum caret. 
 
 Quid ergo quereris? 
 
 Non queror mastigia, 
 
 Tua quero latera tundere baculo probe 
 
 Hay, hay, hay, hay, hay, hay. 
 
 An'mordet.? hec joca tibi refero verbero. 
 
 Mittite sales citique Vulcano date. 
 
 Manu politos Dedala artificum Deos. 
 
 Haurimus (heu mihi !) quam jussa o here, 
 
 Hue ferte^ stramen salice discutiam rogum. 
 
 Parata belle cuncta Vulcanuni myxe. 
 
 Vulcanum } at ille finibus dudum procul 
 
 Exsul pererrat claudicans alios lares. 
 
 Iterum jocari furcifer tibi mens avet 
 
 Ut video, ferto ignem jocos abas feres. 
 
 Properate totus fumet ether ignibus. 
 
 Quis credat incenso rogo exuri Deos.^ 
 
 Mutire nesciunt inania pondera. 
 
 Guam flamma belle frigus egelidum fugat ! 
 
 Assata trunci membra deferte alite 
 
 Gressu penatibus procul, rogum procul. 
 Pruns remordent dexteram Tucci manum .^ 
 Honiche- gratiose crede jam'' pruna; afForent. 
 Oueis me tenebris nuper errorum chaos 
 (^uam viperina compede impietas meum 
 Implicuit animum ! 
 
 Ouantus ha ! furor sequi ! 
 Calcanda trunci pondera aut e marmore, 
 Aut e metalli numina eliquabili 
 Compacta massa, quantus ah ! furor sequi. 
 Bene est, cremata numina in Tullo jacent, 
 Ve quos nefanda cecitas ultra obsidet 
 Quosque furor arcta compede insanus ligat, 
 i u vero generis prima Tulliaci phalanx 
 
 i Fcrto. 
 
 - Honiche, SIC in MSS. 
 
 Mihi.
 
 Tragicomedid dc Smicto Vedasto. 25 
 
 Letare rutiluni pcrmeans sinus jubar, 
 Affulget aiiiniis lumen etherie facis. 
 
 llenriciis. Vedaste fcrvcns animus ad Christum evolat. 
 
 Megarus. Christus perurit, solus est fibras rapit 
 
 Vedaste solus : imus in jussus tuos, 
 
 Vedastus. Delecta coelo turba, qui molem Deus 
 
 Totius orbis librat immensam manu, 
 Tantos benigna porrigit dextra sui 
 Favos amoris, arce coelesti dapes 
 ^vo perenni preparat lautas magis, 
 Pauca hec docebo, ficcte quo gradior pedem. 
 
 SCENA SEXTA. 
 
 Clodoveus cum EXERCnu, Rex Alemanorum cum 
 
 EXERCITU, SiGIBERTUS CUM EXERCITU. 
 
 Clodoveus. Bene habet neflmdus frendet et pugnum vocat. 
 
 Hie viribus opus miles, hie quisquis cadit 
 Cadat ore in hostem. Constet hoc acies loco 
 Peditumque oberrans agmen equitatus tegat. 
 Ego te sceleste. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Miles hie animos cie 
 
 Regnis nefandus inhiat et Martem ciet 
 Erancus feroci premere nos jugo parans. 
 Nunc vile pondus serviti, et jugum excute 
 Eia agite, dextra tela nunc fortes manu 
 Arripite, primos dirigite in hostem impetus. 
 
 Clodoveus. Armate dextras equitis et primum manus 
 
 Vibret sagittas. 
 
 Eques I"'- Saucius telo occides. 
 
 Eques 2'"- \'ix frena mandit audit ut litui sonos 
 
 Equus rebellis. 
 
 Eques 2,"^- Ouere properato fugam. 
 
 Eques 4"f Cave tela. 
 
 Eques 5"-f Eugito, fugito. 
 
 Eques 6"'- Te jaculo impeto. 
 
 OiiDies simul. Telo hoc peremptus sanguinem inimicum 
 
 dabis. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Eques renK)tum tutus obvallet latus.
 
 26 Tragicomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Clodoveus. Secedat equitum turma. Vos premite ensibus 
 
 Superate prinium hoc agmen. 
 Rex Alemanorum. Arcedo^ impetus 
 
 Primi caloris. 
 Matirus. Fervet ad primum impetum 
 
 Francus furore percitus, victas manus 
 
 Nobis rebellis mox dabit. 
 Milites Clodovei. Ad arma, occidant. 
 
 Clodoveus. Nunc premite, scutis scuta conjungite, pedem 
 
 Pede. Exeat in hostes secunda ala. Premite. 
 Rex Alemanorum. Subdite fessis protinus. 
 Sigibertus. Facto agmine 
 
 Hostem petamus. Primus banc paro viam. 
 Rex Alemanorum. Instate. Sequere. Premite fugientes procul. 
 Prosper, Hue hue superbe tende veloci gradu. 
 
 Filius Sigiberii. Raperet parentem manibus avulsum meis 
 
 Elatus hostis, torpor ignavus fedet 
 
 Quis miles animis.^ Euge nunc mecum ad- 
 vola 
 
 Hue siste gressum perfide, aut sica cades 
 
 Quern sauciatum credito, captum tenes. 
 Prosper. Insequere, predam miles e manibus tulit. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Premite fugaces. 
 Dexter. Morere. 
 
 Miles. Da veniam obsecro. 
 
 Alius Miles. Vitam salutem posco. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Abunde est. Milites 
 
 Peracta strages cessit aversus fugam 
 Petiit Sicamber. Tuba receptui canat, 
 
 Artusque sapidum massicum fessos levet. 
 
 SCENA SEPTIMA. 
 
 F'lUEM CUM AnGELO. 
 
 Clodoveus. Pro sortem acerbam! pro diem, infandum diem ! 
 
 Quo sociatum Martia plaga ducem 
 Infesta raptas.'' fata quo tallax trahis.'' 
 
 1 Arcete„
 
 Tragicomedia dc Sancto Vedasto. 27 
 
 Clodovillus. Magnanime princcps conjugis numen memor 
 
 AgiKJSce Christum, Victor ct palmam feres. 
 
 Clodoveits. Mihi reddis animos, robur ct vitam facics. 
 
 O Christc, numen Christe Clotildis, tuas 
 Leges facessam, victor ut palmam fero 
 Tibi sceptra voveo : conjugis jussa exsequor, 
 Si palma maneat militem Francum ethere. 
 
 Angelus. Clodovei mentis turbidos estus preme 
 
 Palmam suprema arce ales ethereus tibi 
 Summi supremam numinisjussu paro 
 Ingredere callem conjugis, palmam feres. 
 
 Cbdoveus. Agnosco divinum ethera, agnosco fidem. 
 
 Equestris acies, quodque robur est super, 
 Reliquum furore Martio fractum mihi 
 Revocate mentem, dedecus partum ocyus. 
 Diluere ferro nominis labem adjuvat. 
 
 Childebertus. Lubet inter arma cadere. 
 
 Omnes milites} Arma, arma. 
 
 I'ilius Sigiberti. Turgidi 
 
 Hostis cruorem mucro sitibundus petit. 
 Mactabit ille purpura medius rubena.- 
 
 Clcdcceus. Generose juvenis, patris acceptum tuos 
 
 Oberret animos, vultus et patrie decus 
 Tutare fortis. 
 
 Fill us Sigilerti. Patris ulcisci data 
 
 Vita inter arma animo ratum est, cedam aut 
 cadam. 
 
 Rex Alemanorum. Rursus rebellat hostis in fugam datus ? 
 
 Generose miles, quidquid est animi ocyus 
 Exsere, tumore turgidum Francum doma. 
 
 Clodcveus. Equites paventes premite, clypeis jungite 
 
 Clypeos. 
 
 Primus eques. Reposcis arma, cave. 2'"- Cave. 
 
 3'"- Cave. 
 
 Eques 4"-^- Rursum rape fugam vel cades telo obrutus. 
 
 Eques 5"^- Fuge, fuge. 6"^- ferro hoc furcifer cades, fuge. 
 
 Clodoieus. Eques remotas agminis partes tegat. 
 
 Juvenis in astantem irrue miles pedes. 
 
 1 Simul. - Rubcna, sic in MSS.
 
 28 
 
 Tragicomcdla de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Filius Sigibertiis. 
 
 Rex Ale man 7' urn. 
 
 Filius Sigilertiis. 
 Clodo'ceus. 
 
 Theodoricus. 
 Omues simul. 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Childebertus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Clodovillus. 
 
 Childebertus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Virum vir urgeat, instet, et cunctos brevi 
 Premat fugaces. 
 
 Quid rapis segnis fugam ? 
 Petiste, morior, occidi. Pacem obsecro.^ 
 Instate, fugientem premite. Telo occidat. 
 Peracta cuncta victus aversus fugam 
 Petiit superbus strage miseranda obrutus. 
 Fossus per agros saxo devictus jacet. 
 lo triumphe miles Alemannus jacet. 
 lo triumphe miles Alemannus jacet. 
 Miles triumphum nobilem Christo refer 
 Ille insolentem pressit Alemanni impetum 
 Fortique pal mam dextera victis dedit. 
 Clotildis illud numen est toto Deus 
 Canendus orbe. Miles huic palmam refer. 
 Comitatus euge milite ad Tullum cito 
 Properato gressu dabitur et votis frui. 
 Quis monstret ignotum mihi callem vie, 
 Numcumque pandet? 
 
 Mista Leucorum sacer 
 Tulli moratur, pandet ignotum tibi 
 Numen Tonantis. 
 
 Fortis in Tullo pugil 
 Vedastus ille est, inclytus fama undique 
 Virtute rutilus, clarus et patrio lare. 
 Ibo rudimenta hauriam avidis auribus 
 Miste Vedasti vota persolvam etheri. 
 Comitare miles ubi jubar croceo nitens 
 Subibit ortu premia viritim dabo. 
 
 CHORUS SECUNDUS. 
 
 Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Invidia, Heresis, 
 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Seni rabies ferri cecidit, 
 Rapidum Martis sileat murmur 
 Sat lucit fortuna per orbem 
 
 ^ Miles : alius miles : alius miles.
 
 Inusicomcdia dc Scuicto Veda s to. 29 
 
 Dubio incedens teniulcnfa pede, 
 Sat lucit : pax clara per astra 
 Meliorc iiitcns sidere rcdeat. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Colubro quldquid terra inficiani. 
 Redeat ? subvertet' prius astra 
 Terram, Oceanus sidera, quatiet, 
 Umbre facient- cum luce fideni 
 Cum fluctu flamma, nece vita, 
 
 Gabriel. 
 
 Unica cell tenuisque manus 
 Pugilis validi, ducente Deo 
 Stygiam rabiem franget et umbrani. 
 
 Here sis. 
 
 Adversum ibit rutilans ferrum 
 Nil valida licet dextra nocebit 
 Erebi gcrmen regisque soror 
 Mox data terris foedera solvet, 
 
 Raphael. 
 
 Foedera melior sancita polls 
 Meliora colet, patris sacram 
 Meliore fidem mente sequetur. 
 
 C alumni a. 
 
 Furor obstabit rabiesque Stygis 
 Hanc manibus nee predam raplet 
 Nostris dudum nostram, predo 
 (^uicumque, cadet vel mox ira, 
 
 Invidia. 
 Nostra serpente cadet. 
 
 Heresis. 
 
 Ferro. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Bene tutantur pugilem celi 
 
 1 Subvcrtcnt. ^ Faciem.
 
 !0 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Gabriel. 
 Constans animus, cruciatur amor. 
 
 Heresis. 
 Nil tela contra scuta celituum nocent. 
 
 NLichael. 
 Nil scuta contra tela et infcrum nocent. 
 
 ACTUS TERTIUS.— SC^NA PRIMA. 
 
 Remigius, Clotildis cum suis. 
 
 Remigius. Rotator orbis summe qui nutu regis 
 
 Cohibesque fluctus dextera dubios maris, 
 Ouanti procella ferveat luctus vide. 
 Nee ullus estus gaudii portum paret, 
 Hinc sevit alto turbine impietas suum 
 Lambens cruorem, scelera sceleribus diu 
 Cumulata nexans. Inde tenebrose Stygis 
 Cecus prophanum ritus idolum quatit, 
 Sorbetque Christi naufragum^ sponse ratum.^ 
 Periculoso fluctuantibus salo. 
 Da Christe dextram, da dies rutilo mage 
 Coelo serenos, arce stridentes notos, 
 Et sevientes turbidi nimium impetus 
 Maris retunde. 
 
 Clotildis. Mysta venerande etheris 
 
 Agitat procella major et mentem ferit, 
 Noctu diuque me simul variam rapit 
 Vario dolorum turbine et pene obruit. 
 
 Remigius. Regina tantus fare quis turbo impetat } 
 
 Clotildis. Clodoveus atra nocte per tenebras ruit 
 
 Sine lumine errorum, aleam dubiam subit 
 Martis cruenti. consilia nostra aburit 
 Christique legis inscius truncos manu 
 Fabricata monstra ritibus fictis colit. 
 
 Remigius. Dilecta coelo prccibus et votis Deus 
 
 Excitus aderit, statuet et lacrymis favens 
 
 1 Naufragani. 
 
 2 Ratcm.
 
 Tragicomedia dc Sancto Vcdasto. 
 
 31 
 
 Clodamirus. 
 Theodoricus. 
 Remigius. 
 Clodamirus. 
 
 Theodoricus. 
 Clotildis. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Tories obortis exltum, fide optimum. 
 Nee enim perire lacrymis quisquam potest. 
 Toties ademptus fletibus statue modum. 
 Id triumphe Francicum exulta solum. 
 lo triumphe domitus Alemannus jacet. 
 Ouid hi quadrigis jubilo letis ferunt.'' 
 Venerande Presul, tuque Clodovei potens 
 Regina conjux tolle victrices manus, 
 Clodoveus aderit Victor, incolumis sua 
 Kt gloria et fama inclytus diros jugo 
 Compressit hostes, has breves leti lege 
 Reditus tabellas. 
 
 Volve quam dubio stetit 
 Bello tropheum nactus ut vires polis. 
 O magne coeli rector et mundi arbiter, 
 Quanto immerentem celitus foves bono.'' 
 Aderit subactis victor^ Alemannis mihi 
 Redux maritus.^ aderit? et Christum fibris 
 Avidus vocantem consequi } o letos dies ! 
 Regina plausus obvios regi addecet 
 Conferre reduci, tota glomeretur phalanx 
 Collecta, Remis tota turmatim ruat, 
 Obvia juventus principi applaudat suo, 
 Cui plaudit ether rutilus aspectu favens. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 SCiENA SECUNDA. 
 
 Vedastus, Clodoveus. 
 
 Passim triumphis nobilem plebes refert 
 Regem subire tecta et affatus meos 
 Avidum morari : non dabit rumor jocos. 
 Ecce ille parva militis cinctus manu 
 Sollicitus heret, moestus hue confer gradum. 
 Vir magne- regis gratus aspectu venis 
 Longo petitus tramite, et longo datus. 
 Quis summe Regum territat mentem pavor, 
 Dubiumque versat, fervidis supplex tuis 
 Alemanus hostis viribus pressus jacet. 
 
 1 Victis. 
 
 Regis.
 
 32 Tragic ot7iedki dc Sancto Vcdasto. 
 
 Clodoveus. Jacet subactiis viribus credo etheris 
 
 Non regis banc pahiiam Deus quisquis timet 
 Merito reposcit quern sequi fixum omnibus 
 Voto medullis, pelle tu densas prius 
 Animis tenebras, numen et sanctum doce. 
 
 Vedastus. Sermone quidquid poscis expediam brevi, 
 
 Deus potenti cuncta fabricatus manu 
 Oui torquet astra, sceptra qui Regum quatit 
 Orbemque totum solus imperio premit 
 Condiderat hominem principem terre, maris 
 Orbisque dominum, sedibus superis simul 
 Bearat, at mox celica patria excidit 
 Errore ductus. Nobili aula corruit. 
 Fatale ducens iunus humanum genus ! 
 Misertum ab alto numen illapsi ethere 
 Pietate Christus decoris oblitus tui 
 Mortale corpus induit, miseros Deus 
 Circumdat artus, dira supplicia subit, 
 Mortemque dira pendulus perfert trabe. 
 
 Clodoveus. Infame lignum dedecus tantum probrum 
 
 Tolerare potuit astra qui nutu quatit ? 
 
 Vedastus. Tolerare potuit, turpe superavit probrum 
 
 Invictus ardor, funera horride necis 
 Tulit homo Christus, non tulit lethum Deus. 
 
 Clodoveus. Oculis nigrantes sentio obtendi meis 
 
 Nubes et angorem a quibus cecus Deum 
 Cernere retardor. Usque mihi mens nubila 
 Errore coecos ducta per gyros ruet 
 In damna preceps ! Usque curarem diu 
 Ruptura pacem placidam, in adversum mihi 
 Spineta surgent ! Variis implicitor miser 
 Pedicis voluptatum, tenebris opprimor, 
 Nee usque cecis numinis sacrum jubar 
 Illuxit animis, junge te facilem vie 
 Vedaste comitem, pelle condensum chaos, 
 Lucemque pande. 
 
 Vedastus. Magne Francorum parens 
 
 Ouocumque gressus tuleris, hac letus sequar. 
 Pandam supreme lucis auroram tibi 
 Verumque numen etheris votis Deum.
 
 Tragic omedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 33 
 
 Idololatri 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Heresis. 
 Invidia. 
 Calumnia. 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Invidia. 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Heresis. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Heresis. 
 
 SCi^NA TERTIA. 
 
 A, Heresis, Lantieldis, Invidia, Calumnia. 
 
 Va misera, vecors, pectorc incenso, novis 
 Lymphata furiis laccror, invertet fcrox 
 Vedastus hostis regna, Regcm mox suis 
 Parere cogct legibus? date fulmina, 
 Tela date, telis occidant hostes meis. 
 Nil monstra terrent ? terreant pestes lacu 
 Excite ab imo Tartari. Hue pestes gradus 
 Adeste adeste facinorum artifices Dee 
 Hue se novo furore precipitem ferat. 
 Ad asma, ad artus, heresis cito advolet, 
 Invidia et oris putidi mendax sonus 
 Adeste vestras hie dies poscit manus. 
 Quid hec furoris signa lymphati ferunt ? 
 Quid est quod imo Tartaro invidiam cias? 
 Quem fare lingue spicule et fraude impetam ? 
 Vedastus Erebi vulnus et mundi lues 
 Inimicus hostis generis et nostris scelus 
 Petendus ultro fraudibus, facibus, dolis. 
 Vivit superstes. 
 
 Vivit ut plagis hydra 
 Damnis superstes major evadit malis 
 Regem dolosis retibus laqueat suis, 
 Rapitque predam manibus evulsam meis. 
 Scrutabor ense viscera, et victrix fero 
 Ludam cruore, Vacchicam rabiem tene, 
 Hie Lantieldis aderit infesto Stygis 
 Feraie germen, obvios fratri dabit 
 Scelerata gressus, exsequar munus probe. 
 En tumida graditur, frendet et spirat scelus, 
 Adeste furie ferte sociatas manus. 
 Quid anime langues obvios dudum pedes 
 Fratri tulisse decuit, et Christi novo^ 
 Votis clienti'-' dogma Arianum dare. 
 Nondum dedisti languida? Actum est, dabis 
 Nunquam hostis obstat regio lateri assidens. 
 
 Novam. 
 
 2 Imbucre legem.
 
 34 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Calumnia. 
 Heresis. 
 Lantieldis. 
 Heresis. 
 
 'Tragicomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Ouis Lantieldis tardet inimicus feros 
 Ausus rebellis? 
 
 Turma numerosa ausibus 
 Ad versa Tullo properat, et regem suis 
 Escare tecnis querit. Invisum genus ! 
 Arcete pestes, occupa properans latus 
 Reducis ad urbem, pande Arianam luem. 
 Accerbo^ regis latere pestiferum mei 
 Generis Vedastum virus. I propera gradum. 
 Nihil morarum curro properanti obvia 
 Semine que Arii reducis aspergo domos. 
 Bene est, abivit Bacchico mulier furens 
 Philtro, tenebit retibus captum meis. 
 
 SC^NA QUARTA. 
 
 Typhlus, Mego, Tuccius, Hortulbal. 
 
 Typhlus. Miserrimo misereor orbatus die 
 
 Stipem plateis cogere et maciem pati 
 
 Sufferre plebis sepius cogor jocus^ 
 
 Cecutienti quis feret solatium ? 
 
 Nullusne ? nullus. Nullus? o luctus graves ! 
 Mego. Tibi adero Typhle, ne metue, solatium 
 
 Tibi adero, pharmacum optimo melius mihi 
 est. 
 
 Hue ergo celeres hue cita gressus. 
 Typhlus. Mego 
 
 O Mego celeris sis vie fidus comes, 
 
 Lucisque clarum redde luminibus jubar. 
 Mego. Ne metue, faciem hue admove, unguentariam 
 
 Nigrantis olei capsulam mecum tuli. 
 
 Restituet oculos, admove. 
 Typhlus. Quid furcifer 
 
 Sordibus inungis palpebras, apage procul, 
 Mego. Hinc abeo, baculo latera mox edentulus 
 
 Ne nostra tundat. 
 Typhlus. In malani propera crucem. 
 
 Sic risus omnibus, sic jocus (malum !) ferar ! 
 
 ' Arccto, 
 
 - Joe OS.
 
 'Tragicomedid dc Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 y:> 
 
 Tuccius. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Typhi us. 
 Tuccius. 
 Typhlus. 
 
 Clarani tueri lampada astrorum mihl 
 Heu ! quando dabitur ? 
 
 Dabitur, animi tot procul 
 Lamenta mitte, dabitur, accelera pedes. 
 Summi Tonantis mista Clodovei latus 
 Cingit Vedastus, rcddet hie oculos tibi, 
 Ubi ille terror demonum et Tulli salus? 
 Ad Axonam congredere nunc pontem petat, 
 Congredior, at vos pandite ignotam viam. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 Typhlus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Typhlus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Childebertus. 
 Clodovillus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 SC^NA QUINTA. 
 
 Vedastus, Rex cum suis, Cecus. 
 
 Caligo sensim mentis in nihilum cadit, 
 Rutilumque lumen vibrat ethereum jubar, 
 Simulacra coluisse pudet artificum manu 
 Excisa saxa demonas, Martem Jovem. 
 Quo magius^ animis lumen irradiat polis, 
 Portenta memori citius e mente excident. 
 Vedaste mista numinis magni, etheris 
 Sacrate mista da salutarem manum, 
 Convexa celi cernere et rutilum diem. 
 O Christe egeno redde subreptum jubar, 
 Miserere Christe, sic tuas laudet- canet 
 Ignara veri numinis'^ plebes rudis 
 Teneraque regis major accrescet fides. 
 Rutilum age cerne lucidi solis jubar. 
 Quid istud? oculis quantus irrepit nitor 
 O quantus auri splendor et celi decus. 
 Meritis rependo magne vir grates lubens. 
 Fletus'* ethere, quas mihi grates refer 
 Date salutis numen agnosce unicum. 
 Que signa cernis anime ^ que rerum nova 
 Prodigia. 
 
 Ad hec stupet animus. 
 
 Martis dedit 
 Aut quis sacerdos simile prodigium Jovis ? 
 Abjuro honores impiis larvis dare. 
 
 1 Majus. 
 
 2 Laudes. 
 
 ' Luminis. 
 
 * I Actus.
 
 Tragicoffiedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Childebertus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Filius Sigihertus. 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Hoc calle perge turma supremi etheris. 
 Agnosco numen, celicam agnosco manum. 
 Majora potis est, qui potest omnia Deus 
 Invicto princeps : luce defunctis dedit 
 Rursum potiri strumaque sanie fluit 
 Arctaque fauces, corpus et leto opprimit 
 Medela nulla cui male peste^ datur. 
 Dabis medelam fonte dum lotus sacro 
 Signo hoc beabit regis et prolem Deus 
 Propriumque fuerit regium hoc solum decus 
 Gloriaque Francis. 
 
 Mista quid vates refers 
 Ventura Francis signa dum sacris ovans 
 Lymphis piabor. Ergo complector sacre 
 Decreta legis, numen et Christum sequor. 
 Rex magne tota ex urbe letitia strepens 
 Agmen resultat. 
 
 Obvios gressus damus. 
 
 SC^NA SEXTA. 
 
 IiDEM, Remigius, Clotildis, Lantieldis, Heresis. 
 
 Remigius. Hue hue adeste turma conferto agmine 
 
 Effusa portis : tota letitiam intonet 
 Novata facies urbis, et regem novo 
 Plausu receptet, flore purpureo via 
 Barbarica tota niteat, et totis tube 
 Remis resultent. 
 
 Victor incolumis redit, 
 Remis festa dies eat, 
 Lucent sidera purius. 
 Plausus ingeminent tube 
 Lucet sidereus favor. 
 Princeps incolumis redit, 
 Remis festa dies eat. 
 Adesne tandem, adesne post tantos mihi 
 Remisne luctus, rursus, ut multis tuo 
 Votis poposci, dabitur aspectu^ frui ? 
 
 Fuer Honorarius 
 
 Puer 2«^- 
 Puer 3"^- 
 
 Clotildis. 
 
 Pcsti. 
 
 Amplexu.
 
 Tragicomedia de Scuicto Vedasto. 
 
 37 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Heresis. 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Gives Remenses. 
 Alii cives. 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Clotildis. 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Filius Sigibertus 
 
 Dilecta conjux incolumis adsum tibi 
 Periculis labore defunctus gravi. 
 Rex magne salvum grator et reditum novo 
 Celum favore cumulet incolumen precor. 
 Progredere pestis tardas quid remoras trahis ? 
 Germane totum vulgus applaudit, tube 
 Sonantis alta signa letitie strepunt. 
 Rex vive, regna victor incolumis diu. 
 Regnet, triumphet Francie gentis decus. 
 Christus triumphet victore coelo Deus 
 Tulit ille palmam, referat et laudem addecet. 
 Frater cave, cave dogma Christiadum nova 
 Strictet catena, laqueet et mentem novo 
 Fxrore falsam, ne utiquam Christum parem 
 Fateare patri dogma quod gentis docet. 
 Equalis ille est dogma quod sanctum docet. 
 Dilectis stirpis regie sanguis soror. 
 Guam pandit arce numen etherea fidem 
 Clotildis aveo, pandit hanc regis latus. 
 Pressans Vedastus. 
 
 Ille quis iurco comes .^ 
 
 Invisus error. 
 
 Mista sacratus Dei est 
 Qui me catechistam fide ignarum imbuit 
 Moderare mentem, huic celice acceptum fero 
 Spiramen aure, sociat hie reducis latus. 
 Sacrate presul unda baptismi eluat 
 Animum salubris. 
 
 Unicum id votis peto : 
 Jam vincla cui erroris excutio volens 
 Partesque melior transfuga accedo etheris. 
 Vix animus intus gaudia augustus capit. 
 Tenebris fugatis corde sic Christum induis ^ 
 Sacramque legem doctus ad coelum advolas.^ 
 Age ergo lymphis tingier propera sacris. 
 Tota aulicorum turma conglomeret latus, 
 Societque reducem, tota baptismo novos 
 Indutet animos, jubilo plaudat novo. 
 , Sequimur ovantes presulis gressus citi. 
 
 ^ Baptism!.
 
 38 
 
 TragicG?uedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Lantieldi; 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Clodovillus. 
 
 Lantieldis . 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis . 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 SCtENA septima. 
 
 Vedastus, Heresis, Invidia, Calumnia. 
 
 Quo ceca preceps turma properato ruis ? 
 
 Quo mentis amentis pellicit cecum chaos? 
 
 Infestat adeo virus effusum malo 
 
 Phyltro furorem, cecus ut sane aburas 
 
 Concilia mentis? cecus o regis furor? 
 
 Levis ille nimium corde qui credit cito, 
 
 Ratione princeps pulsus et signo ethere 
 
 Edoctus alto, legibus summi dedit 
 
 Manus Tonantis. 
 
 Fraudibus falsus dedit. 
 
 Queis queso regem fraudibus falsum tenet? 
 
 Quicumque terris fraudibus captus manet. 
 
 Virilis animus Regis est constans bene. 
 
 Ignavus animus Regis inconstans male. 
 
 Ignavus hostis terror et palme decus. 
 
 Ignavus ille terga qui vertit Deo. 
 
 Generosus ille qui polo doctus sapit. 
 
 Sapit ille solus? 
 
 Sapere se vellet simul. 
 
 Non sensa alia requiro, sat sola sapio. 
 
 Bene sapit ille qui Deo primum sapit. 
 
 Me mente cecam reris? 
 
 Et cecam gemo 
 
 Orbamque vera luce. 
 
 Tum solus vides? 
 
 Mecum orbis unus, 
 
 Lucis est mihi plus satis. 
 Si mente tenebras pellis est lucis satis, 
 Fove polorum lampada, ubi lampas micat, 
 Micat corusca mente, quam exstinctat jecur 
 Nimio furore fervidum, totam voca 
 Mentem in senatum, mente pensicula Dei 
 Strictam^ tonantis ; trutinam,^ queis mox 
 
 dabis 
 Sterna penas preda tenaris cani 
 
 1 Trutinam. 
 
 Pertinax.
 
 Tragicotncdia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 39 
 
 He res is. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Here sis. 
 
 Veda St us. 
 
 Lantieldis. 
 
 Veda St us. 
 Heresis. 
 
 Invidia. 
 Heresis. 
 Invidia. 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Heresis. 
 
 Edocta ni mox lucis auroram tenes, 
 Fatearis ultro quod ratio, quod jus volunt 
 Sacrum, catena codicum firmat probe, 
 Guam doctus alto ethere sacram lubens fidem 
 Germanus ultro amplectitur, fovct, colit 
 Novisque tota Francia exsultat bonis. 
 Cave Lantieldis, cave, cavat saxuni diu 
 Cadendo gutta, creber et durum domat 
 Ictus metallum. 
 
 Dubia quo preceps agor? 
 Quid fluctuaris anime, quod credit tibi 
 Age frenuni Olympus mande, non redit male. 
 Elusus ether menti age exortum nove 
 Jubar fove, ne lumen alio tibi polus 
 Vibret paratum. Pristinam mentem exuam? 
 Heu dubia titubo rursus et rursus cado ! 
 Revertere, quid ancipitibus credis ratum 
 Vagam notis? Revertere. 
 
 O cave, cave 
 Oppessulatas ingeni prebe fores. 
 Larvata monstra sternito et callem pede^ 
 Sancto- inchoatum sequere. 
 
 Satis est, jam scquor. 
 Abite pestes artibus dudum malis 
 Elusa, vobis nuncio repudium omnibus. 
 Vedaste toties lumen ostensum sequor. 
 Sequor vocantem ethera, tue incudi lubens 
 Me trado, forma, finge, ne parce ictibus. 
 Docebo sacram sequere mox paucis fidem. 
 Siccine repudium mulier inconstans paras? 
 Fugitiva ? nimium o mentis ancipitis malum 
 Muliebre Stygio Tartaro invisum genus. 
 Tua castra repetet leta mox constans magis. 
 Repetet ? 
 
 Vel angue presso succumbet meo. 
 Instabilem animum penitet ficilis fuge 
 Redibit aniens transfuga in laqueos brevi. 
 Redibit ? arctat funibus predam nimis 
 Infestus hostis, preda sit nostra hie prior. 
 
 1 Fide. 
 
 - Sancta.
 
 40 
 
 'Tragicomcdia de Saiicto Vedasto. 
 
 SC^NA OCTAVA. 
 
 Mego, Hortulbal, Tuccius, Equites 10. 
 
 Mego. 
 Hortidhal. 
 
 Mego. 
 Tuccius. 
 Mego. 
 Tuccius. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Mego. 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Tuccius. 
 Mego. 
 Tuccius. 
 Clodamiris. 
 
 A. Eques V- 
 
 B. Eques 1 
 
 D. Eques 3 
 
 E. Eques 4 
 
 us. 
 
 us. 
 
 Ay, hay, hay, hay, hay, hay. 
 Irata totam lacerat hanc dextram. 
 
 Trabi 
 Figenda nobis ilico jam aderit, ovans 
 Juvenum caterva que jocos novos dabit, 
 Lepidosque multum. 
 
 Tu pedem Tucci rape. 
 
 Pendere nolo. 
 
 Credo, tu vis pendere, 
 Tectivaga aduncis unguibus dextram tenet. 
 Hay, hay, hay, hay, hay, hay. 
 Thecam indue, pavor si malus mentem tenet. 
 Refige ligno fune densato. 
 
 Cito 
 En turba juvenum properat, equitatus ruit 
 Tota urbe lusus hoc loco spiciam probe. 
 Ut mox suaves voce condita sonos 
 Eliciet. 
 
 Ore virus irarum vomet. 
 Phy lectulorum turpis imbricitor. 
 
 Bene est. 
 Jam pulchre adheret fixus elate trabi. 
 Audite juvenum turma, letitie seges 
 Tota recrescit urbe, Clodoveus sacris 
 Piatus undis tradidit supplex manus 
 ^thre vocanti, signa letitie strepant ; 
 Geminate plausus, leti et in lusum novas 
 Afflate dextras. 
 
 Sequere, ^properato sequor 
 Quicumque princeps dextera excutet manu 
 Predam rebeJlem victor hie palmam feret. 
 Sortita quisque teneat, ordiri placet. 
 2 Sequor, secundas fors favens tribuit mihi. 
 Mea est futura palma. 
 
 Aberratum fuit. 
 
 1 2"' 
 
 Eques. 
 
 3""" Eques.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 41 
 
 us. 
 
 us. 
 
 F. Eques 5 
 
 G. Eques 6 
 Mego. 
 
 Eques I'"- Ale. 
 Eques 2"^- 
 
 yUS. 
 
 US. 
 
 ■US, 
 
 Eques 3 
 Eques 4 
 Eques 5 
 Sexius. 
 Primus A. 
 
 Tertius C, 
 
 Quarlus D. 
 Eques i"^- 
 
 Eques 2"^- 
 Clodamirus, 
 
 Mox dentc felis stridulo vocem dabit. 
 Armata mcmbrum forte commiiiuct manus. 
 Moras trahite, jam funis e ligno cxcidit. 
 Nunc pergite, heret firmus ut clavus trabi. 
 Tentanda fors est, septimus pal mam feram. 
 Mihi mox sequendum, paululum mane, meum 
 
 est. 
 Ita namque sors addixit. 
 
 Ipse mox sequor. 
 Clangore litui excitus in palmam involo. 
 Faleratus animos vix tenet fortes equus. 
 Pars aliqua palme me manet. 
 
 Recte ruit 
 Prout ergo, meritus jure tu palmam cape. 
 Repetenda lusus alea ut victis cadat 
 Favens tropeum. 
 
 Perplacet. Primas feram. 
 Ouisque inchoatos ordinis ductet bene, 
 Kxcurso primus, sequere. 
 
 Te, Victor, sequor, 
 Adeptus ultro quisquis est palmam ferat. 
 
 SCi^NA NONA. 
 
 Vedastus, Clodoveus, Clotildis cum^ suis. 
 
 Clotildis. 
 Clodoveus, 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Miranda quae Rex magne prodigia refers. 
 Ita gesta, liliata, nunc Francus feret 
 Bufone presso signa donata ethere, 
 Tu mysta pandito ita quid portent polis. 
 Hec aurea notant signa, candorem nove 
 Rex summe mentis. Turpis ablatus color 
 Bufonis atri putidam mentem notat, 
 Animumque turpi labe conspersum diu : 
 Missos favores celico agnosce ethere. 
 Nosco favoris indices Christi notas 
 Qui supero ab orbe perditum miserans facem 
 Mihi coruscam prebuit, mentem novam 
 Aureis beavit liliis, et hec ubi 
 
 ^ Omnibus.
 
 42 
 
 ^Traz'tcomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Theodoricus. 
 Clotildis. 
 
 Veda St us. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Re mi gi us. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Clodoveus. 
 Remigius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Jam prona fidei colla subjeci jugo, 
 Animumque Jabe lympha baptismi elul. 
 Nos ter beatos dia quorum fax polo 
 Alluxit oculis, pepulit errorum chaos. 
 Ouater o beatos, jussa queis Christi sequi 
 Concorde voto placuit, altitonam quibus 
 Post fata sedes reserat ethereas Deus. 
 Nunc perge princeps regnaquo lentum vocant. 
 Favore perge dives ethereo, manus 
 Feret faventes, ante qui tulit Deus. 
 Pergo, supremum antistiri sacro decet 
 Vale precari : At ecce nobis obvio 
 Gressu propinquat : Ultimum affiitum peto. 
 Sacrate presul me procul regnum vocat, 
 Milesque victor remeat, ad proprios lares. 
 Si regna poscunt, ire si menti sedeL 
 Nihil hinc retracto : tutus accelera viam, 
 Memorque nostri vive sed Christi magis. 
 Vivam per evum muneris tanti memor, 
 Christusque solus vivet eternum fibris, 
 Quod restat unum, societ ut comitem sibi 
 Rogo Vedastum, vinculum nectat duos 
 Amoris unum, quidquid huic presul favens 
 Regi dedisti, mentis hoc votum cape. 
 Rex magne gratum munus acceptum fero 
 Dium morari sedibus mystam meis : 
 Mecum unus erit, incumbet et mecum arduis 
 Generosus ausis, aureis binos habet 
 Amor catenis, gradere quo regnum trahit. 
 Nos nulla tanti presul immemores dies 
 Videbit unquam muneris, grates feret 
 Pares Olympiis solus, extremum vale. 
 Vedaste tandem fortis ad pugnam pugil 
 Armato dextras, ardue est terris tibi, 
 Subeunda messis alea, at Christo duce. 
 Nil me labores terreant Christo duce 
 Divine presul impera jussa exequor. 
 Jubente ego te summa non timeo aggredi. 
 Non ima tanti presulis jussa aburo. 
 Certas tuere mentis etheree notas :
 
 Tragicomedia de Saficto Vedasto. 
 
 43 
 
 Vedastus. 
 Remigius. 
 
 Opulenta mentis^ premia, et virtus feret, 
 Superis ct astris ipse virtutum parens 
 Beabit ultro luce decoratum nova. 
 Hanc HLilla nobis auferet mentem dies. 
 Sic perge : celum donee ad messem vocet 
 Alio colendam vive Remensi lare. 
 
 SC.ENA DECIMA. 
 
 Idololatria, Raganarius, Litanas,^ Barbarus, Docilis,^ 
 
 Caligonus. 
 
 Raganarius. 
 
 Litanas. 
 
 Agaud. 
 Raganarius. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Raganarius. 
 
 Ragan. 
 
 Litan. 
 
 Agaud. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Aurora roseis vecta lucescit rotis 
 Clarumque Phocbi devehit terrisjubar 
 Solita sacratas hostias Divis prece 
 Litemus aris. 
 
 Vestiant diuum prius 
 Capita coroUe flore vernantes novo. 
 Sacris parata contuli serta usibus. 
 Ergo citati numinum altaria, licet 
 Onerate sertis splendor hie divis placet 
 O quanta cultrix celitum tellus meis 
 Votis Serena surgis : orbis tu plagis 
 Refers tropheum, solatu laudem refers. 
 Per te potentis sceptra tutor imperi 
 Celebro triumphos, vulgus in totum mee 
 Dominantur artes. Agite sacrati diis 
 Myste litate munus assueta prece 
 Divis ad aras. Agite mactate hostias. 
 Fundamus una poplite inflcxo preces 
 A, ba, ca, da, fa, ga, la, ma, na, pa, 
 Ra, sa, ta, va, xa.'* 
 Placata thure numina effuso deum 
 Preces secundent. 
 
 Vota sint divis rata. 
 Hanc dies volucrem consecro Titaniam. 
 Risiaca tellus, quot mihi luctus facis. 
 O quot quercllis cogor infclix tuam 
 
 ^ Mentis. ^ Agaud. ^ Victor. 
 
 ■■ Omncs : A, ha, ca, da, fa, ga, la, ma, na, pa, ra, sa, ta, va, xa.
 
 44 
 
 Tragico??iedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Latvia. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Raganarius. 
 
 Deflere sortem, cogor et cecum queri 
 Chaos malorum : Ouot mihi luctus facis ! 
 Tellure nobili exsulet Christ! fides : 
 Neglecta virtus exsulet, nihil impium, 
 Nihil scelestum, non agit noster furor : 
 Erasa prisca mente Diogenis fides 
 Qui pervicacem pabulum mentem induens 
 Fero peremptus prebuit dudum feris. 
 Novus resurget qui dolum invertet pugil. 
 Telo premendus pariter hostili meo. 
 Umbone Christi tectus insurget meus. 
 Feriendus astu, fi*audibus, diris^ dolis. 
 Innixus ethre franget astutos dolos. 
 Armare contra mente stat totum ethera. 
 
 Meliore contra mente stat totum ethera. 
 
 Novas profundo Tartaro pestes ciam. 
 
 Novos supremis arcibus"-^ pugiles ciam. 
 
 Larvata pestis. 
 
 Semina amandas mari 
 
 I curre superos supplici voto invoca, 
 
 Stygias cohortes inferum adversas cio. 
 
 Vos petite leti sacra dum divum favent 
 
 Una penates, dapibus et lautis pari 
 
 Litate genio. 
 
 Collatrans intus mihi 
 
 Dudum reposcit venter exactor dapes. 
 
 Properemus avide gratus"^ orexi cibus. 
 
 SC^NA ii'^- 
 Vedastus, Integer, Pius,'^ Marius. 
 
 Vedastus. Jam fessus undis Phoebus Hesperiis cadens 
 
 Lassas in alto mersat Oceano rotas. 
 
 I prome velox famule, quo fessas levent 
 
 Vires Lyeum. 
 Marius. Que decet jussa exsequor. 
 
 Fius. Istis Vedaste nil opus, letam tua 
 
 Virtus serenat plus bonis mentem satis. 
 
 Nostris. 
 
 - Sedibus. 
 
 3 Ut. 
 
 ^ Castus.
 
 Tragkomed'ia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 45 
 
 l^edastus. 
 
 Mart us. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Marius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Integer. 
 Vedastus. 
 Marius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 Integer. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Una serenet tenuis et Bacchi liquor. 
 
 Hoc equa amoris ratio quod justum est, petit. 
 
 Levate vires sedibus fessas meis. 
 
 Nil vase reliquum massici exhausto super. 
 
 Krgone multis estibus fessos domum 
 
 Multaque presses hospites mittam fame ? 
 
 O Christe coelo depluat rorem novum, 
 
 Que larga egenos pascit et potat manus, 
 
 Audis precantem. Vota sunt superis rata, 
 
 Properato rursum vasculum largos dabit 
 
 Foetum liquores. 
 
 Curro. 
 
 Si mecum libet. 
 Aliquid morarum dabitis, hue referet pedem 
 Celerem citatus. 
 
 Cura sollicitat nimis 
 Te mysta nostri, multa te forsan brevi 
 Gerenda rerum pondera, amandant procul. 
 Negotiorum pondus baud ullum gravat, 
 Gratari amicis ferere vobiscum mi hi 
 Colloquia mente ridet id solum diu. 
 Que prodigia ! jam Massici exundat liquor 
 Exante vacuo vase : liquor hie optimus. 
 Uve Falerne est. 
 
 Mente quid tacita tenes 
 Immissa celo munera, et grates refer 
 Stupore misso, jure cui debes Deo. 
 Infunde : dulce nectar, ambrosiam simui 
 Fovet^ F'alernum. 
 
 Munerum acceptum tibi 
 Ego propino, pace cum lubeat tua. 
 Bibat salutem. 
 
 Quam juvat tecum moras 
 Sermone facili trahere, ni nox pallio 
 Lurida nigranti mox vocatque nos domum 
 Umbraret orbem. 
 
 Quo vocat preceps fugam 
 Lucem Hesperugo, mora ire nos nulla addecet 
 Valete ovantes, vivite eternos dies. 
 
 ^ Credo.
 
 46 
 
 Tragic ome did de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Pius. 
 
 Vedaste vive Nestoris terris dies, 
 Letus perennes fata post vives vale. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Angelas . 
 
 Vedastus, Castus, Remigius, Felix, Angelus, Latria. 
 
 Ouousque diris flatibus nassam Petri 
 Stygia procella sorbet ? Usquequo impete 
 ^Larvata toto seviet pestis mari : 
 Vixdum quietem nactus ut surgit repens 
 Ignotus ante turbo qui mentem obruit 
 Christi per oras Belgicas exul fides 
 Domitiata quondam pressa sub pedibus jacet. 
 Fumant Deorum templa, vitiorum seges 
 Scelerum libido, turpe dominantur nefas, 
 Non ultra ovile Remigi in preceps ruat 
 Que tincta quondam Rigiaci Atrebatium 
 Tellus cruore Diogenis alium sibi 
 Meritis^ Vedastum presulem clarum ciet. 
 Cave ire contra sic jubet coelo Deus. 
 Que vox in aures involat nosco ethera 
 Nutum potentis, celicum nosco Dei 
 Hue mox Vedastus propius acceleret pedem. 
 Venerande presul munus hoc superi decet 
 Mystam tonantis, cujus expertus fuit 
 Mammertus o!im mentis eximium decus, 
 Cujus Vienna tota virtutes canit 
 Virumque meritis nobilem paucus stupet. 
 Nulla mora sacrum Pontifex subeat decus. 
 Nunc-^ agedum '^athleta fortis etheree domus 
 Te quando messis ampla Rigiacum vocat 
 Celumque, robur mentis invictum indue 
 Caput tyara nobilis frontis decus 
 Radiata cingat, infulamque te decet 
 Assume honoris candidam vestem indue 
 Agmenque Christi pasce per sylvas vagum. 
 Est impar humeris pondus hoc tantum meis 
 Venerande presul : onera si subeo lubens 
 
 Remigius. 
 Cast us. 
 
 Felix. 
 Remigius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 1 Furcns rcbelli taurus adversiim ruct? - Mentis. " Pugil. -^ Qui,
 
 Tf'ai^^icomedid dc Sa?icto Vedasto. 
 
 47 
 
 Remigius. 
 Vedastiis. 
 Remigius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Remigius. 
 Latvia. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Remigius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Non tamcn honoris avidus adjunctum decus. 
 Sat ferre constans animus. 
 
 I m peri urn polo 
 Missum facesse qui jubet adcrit Deus. 
 llaud dignor equideni honore me tanto Dei 
 Sacrate Presul. 
 
 Te polus dignum facit. 
 Quod jure mandat culmen asccnde infule 
 Veles rebellis. 
 
 Numini victas manus 
 Trado lubentes, gratus est coelo labor 
 Tormenta mille perpeti, gratum meis 
 Lubescit animis. 
 
 Age bonam ^mentem indue. ^ 
 Humeros honestet candide vestis nitor. 
 Aureis smaragdis pendeant collo cruces. 
 Atrebas tencbras mentis excute, en venit 
 Jam meta prede Tartari, rursum Atrebas. 
 Ter flende, ter miserabilis Stygias datur 
 Vitare syrtes. Canite io superum chori, 
 lo ter io canite nascitur Baratro dolor 
 Vobis novantur jubila, io superum chori 
 Io ter, io canite. 
 
 Viridanti manus 
 Gemma hac nitescat : pignus hoc sume ulti- 
 
 mum. 
 Accipio amica Presulis donum manu. 
 I perge properus Belgice messor plage. 
 Jam pergo, caro presul amplexu vale, 
 Ibo, ibo tenebrarum eruam obscurum chaos, 
 Dirige faventem tramitem coelo Deus. 
 
 CHORUS TERTIUS. 
 
 Latria, Idololatria. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 I pugil tutus celeri quadriga. 
 Ad novum gressus celerato ovile : 
 I pugil terris jubar Atrebeis 
 
 1 Debitam. 
 
 2 Induis.
 
 48 Tragico??iedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Mentibus fortis tenebras fugato. 
 Prima sic^ solis radio coruscat 
 Lux novo : Presul novus ut renides. 
 Mente flammatos jacularis ignes. 
 I pugil tutus celeri quadriga 
 Ad novum gressus celerato ovile. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Obvium contra celerabo ferrum. 
 Ouos alunt mortem rabide minantes 
 Armode sylvis rigidos et ursos 
 Bellue victus rabie feroci 
 Mox truci victus cadet et furore. 
 
 Latvia. 
 
 Ut jacet cantes mediis in undis 
 Et maris fluctus rapidos retundit, 
 Sic sacrati mens pugilis tonantis^ 
 Omne fulgebit rutilans per evum 
 Flatibus multis licet impetatur 
 Ut Stat et stabit mediis procelle 
 
 fortis in undis. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Hanc parte fortis regna tutabor mea. 
 
 hatria. 
 Te te insequor, congredere veJ victa occides. 
 
 ACTUS QUARTUS.— SCtENA PRIMA. 
 
 TiLCANUs, CoDRus, Vedastus, Castus, Felix, Barbarus, 
 
 DociLis, Victor. 
 
 Tilcanus. Miser ille quisquis luminis carpit viam 
 
 Orbus sereni, cogitur semper novam 
 Sine luce lucem ducere, et fati dies 
 Baculo senili trahere compressus malis. 
 
 Codrus. Tilcane fateor lumine orbari grave est 
 
 Carere longe gravius est membris malum. 
 
 1 Non. ^ Vedasti.
 
 Tragkofncdia de Sane to Vcdasto. 
 
 49 
 
 Tilcaniis. 
 Codrus. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Codrus. 
 Tile anus. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Tilcanus. 
 Codrus. 
 
 Docilis. 
 
 Barbarus. 
 
 Victor. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Docilis. 
 
 Mihi membra ruptis artubus sensim labant, 
 Corpusque pessum sepius terris datus. 
 Mutare sorrem liceat o utinam mihi, 
 Lctum colore pascerem aspectum novo. 
 Nunc desine queri, propcrus et mecum pedes. 
 Irradiat (hci mihi!) quantus ad portam nitor 
 Virne ille.^ divorum an ahquis.^ 
 
 Satis est vie 
 Monumenta vastatae urbis antique intuor. 
 Optata salve terra, quam tanti est mihi 
 Umbone fidei tegere, tutari meo 
 Nobile cruore funditus rupto decus. 
 Miseris egenis porrigc benigna stipcm 
 Vir magne dextra. 
 
 Lumine orbatum vides 
 Miserere, miserere, 
 
 Misereor, auri nihil 
 Mihi bursa condit, quod tamen solum l.icet, 
 Precabor ethera opemque suprema feret 
 Ab arce numen : O Deus cecum aspice 
 Novamque cecis mentibus vultu facem 
 Meliore pande, videat et cecus jubar 
 j^thre micantis videat ut lumen novum 
 Fidei perennis, ambulet claudus pede 
 Recto pererrans letus ut calle ambulet 
 Sereniore semitas sacri etheris. 
 Quis fulgor oculos reddit.^ insuetum jubar 
 Vix patior : amore decus quantum est polisi 
 Jam video, video. 
 
 Pedibus equalis meis 
 Mensura, nunc recte ambulo : constant loco 
 Firmi pedes : abjicio manibus lignea 
 Hec fulcra. 
 
 Ouaenam signa, quae rerum tuor 
 Prodigia. 
 
 Mysta magne die quo te pedes? 
 Subire nostras causa quae patrias domos.^ 
 Subire cogit flammeus vestre calor 
 Avidus salutis. 
 
 Fare quod numen do:es r 
 
 4
 
 5° 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sa?icto Vedasto. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Victor. 
 Barbarus. 
 
 Docilis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Victor. 
 
 Ouod docuit olim clarus antistes solo 
 Hoc nobili, qui morte, testatum sua 
 Sanxit perenne foedus et numen sacrum. 
 Hoc pando numen atra quod mentis male 
 Caligo nescit, quod dedit ceco diem 
 Cernere coruscum, membra restituit loco 
 Disrupta claudi. Pastor advenio gregem 
 Miseratus, Atrebas advenio semen tuis 
 Sparsurus agris : subruas verum cave 
 Immissa superis semina, hec melior fove. 
 Ouamcumque pandis gradimur antistes viam. 
 Nullum deorum numen hoc signum dedit 
 Quodcumque numen pandis hoc letus sequor. 
 Ades beatum celitus missum decus 
 Cecisque lumen tolle condensum chaos 
 Christumque numen pande quem solum doces. 
 Hec leta menti exordia insuro;unt mee 
 Pandam serene lucis auroram novam, 
 Prius citato ducite per urbem pede. 
 Divine Presul ingredere leto sacris 
 Urbem paratam nutibus totam pede. 
 
 SCtENA secunda. 
 
 Rex Clotarius, Aurelianus, Ocinus, Theodoricus, etc. 
 
 Cloiarius. Postquam supreme fata Clodoveus parens 
 
 Mortis subivit, jamque divis additus 
 Coelos oberrat, ponderi ratus parem 
 Sceptri ferendo jure me heredem patri 
 Populus reposcit, flagitat turma aulicum. 
 Quod si animus alta mole suppressus labet, 
 Vel regna verset mentis insolitus pavor 
 Vos fida sceptri pectora innixus bene 
 Oueis tutus animus robur ac animos datis. 
 
 Aurelianus. Invicte princeps seviat quantum libet 
 
 Fortuna preceps, blanda seu rebus favet, 
 Pro te quibusvis pectus objicio malis 
 
 Childebertus. Ad cuncta nos imperia proclives habe. 
 
 Theodoricus. Regis salutem capitis oppositu tegam.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 5' 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Ocinus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Ocinus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 
 Ocinus. 
 
 Hoc robur animi, pectoris laudo fibras. 
 Vos certa vestrum premia laborum manent. 
 Rex magne tempus duni otio letus teris 
 Lubeat protari pauca pro votis mi hi, 
 Clara clientis luce vicinum solum 
 Subire lubeat regis accessum diu 
 Avidi moramur, lubeat et tectis dapes 
 Libare nostris, aura radiantis poli 
 Hec leta poscit. 
 
 Animo votis favens. 
 Subibit una Francie quondam decus 
 Nunc Belfjie Vedastus hos tecum lares. 
 O quanta menti gaudii exoritur seges 
 Dum recolo munera presulis coelo patri 
 Collata quondam. Presul hie totus meis 
 Heret medullis pectus et totum rapit, 
 Hac cito Dium antistitem pernix precor.^ 
 Nulla mora princeps referet ut Titanidem 
 Vectus quadrigis aderit actutum lare. 
 
 SCi^NA TERTIA. 
 
 Vedastus, Castus, Felix,'^ Philiparcus, Metanor, etc. 
 
 Vedastus. Ut volvo mecum mente vestibula immitus 
 
 Summi Tonantis templa, vix teneo impetus 
 Gementis animi, hocne urbis antiquum decus .^ 
 Hecne facies.^ hec clara que quondam Dei 
 i^quata coelo templa .'^ Barbariem nefas 
 Potuisse tantum ! rapere, predari, solo 
 Vertere sacratas numini eterno domos ! 
 Quid lustra signant bellue } quid rudera 
 Saxorum acerti.^ num Attila immanem tuam 
 Rabiem } verendum quem dedit quondam 
 
 Deus 
 Orbi flafrellum } 
 
 Hec tanta promeruit nocens populus Deus? 
 Ha parce, lacrymis mitior parce o Deus ! 
 
 Scelera consignant Deus. 
 
 1 Scauar. 
 
 - Caligonus.
 
 52 
 
 Tragi comedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Felix. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Felix. 
 Castas . 
 Vedastus. 
 Caligon. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Caligon. 
 
 Phil} pare us. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Caligon. 
 
 Philiparcus. 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Quid surgit altis vepribus monstrum? fugam 
 Vedaste celera. 
 
 Ouis pavor mentem quatit ? 
 Cohibete gressus. 
 
 EfFugio. 
 
 Mecum fuge, 
 Tutatur alto sidere impavidum Deus. 
 Ouis clamor^ aures tantus increpitat repens ? 
 Ouid specto? deformem unguibus fert hue 
 
 pedem 
 Armatus ursus, quisquis es gressum eripe 
 Vel mox cruentus- corpus in preceps dabit. 
 Horrore quatitur nixa mens nullo etheri 
 Truculenta bellua procul hinc sylvis vaga 
 Latebras pererrans devias refert pedem. 
 Exiguus amnis limitet gressus feros. 
 Non hie ferarum lustra, Christiadas locus 
 Poscit colonos: apage, sic Christus jubet. 
 Ouid hoc ! facessit jussa properato alveo ! 
 Ouo rabidus ursus mitis arripuit fugam. 
 Posito furore ! 
 
 Bellue jussa hauriunt 
 Natura nullum, queis dedit mentis jubar. 
 At tu rebellis Atrebas clare facem 
 Qui mentis ether indidit jussa exsequi 
 Renuis jubentis.'' lumen exoritur novi 
 Surgentis astri, cecus et tenebras^ Stygis 
 Foede vagaris.'^ Abjicis fidei facem 
 Trunquosque spreto squallidos Christicolis ! 
 O parce quisquis territas mentem impete 
 Albus sereno amplectimur jussa etheris. 
 Conflata canis monstra letales deos 
 Dudum caminis mille per partes damus, 
 Imus perennes Presul in jussus tuos, 
 Cremanda dabimus muta simulacra ignibus. 
 Fove benigno perditas oves sinu. 
 Amplector ulnis perditum pastor gregem. 
 O sola nostri gaudia delecti o meo 
 
 ^ Tantus. 
 
 ^ Crucntc. 
 
 ^ Tencbris.
 
 Tra^icomedia de Sancto Vcdasto. 
 
 53 
 
 Caligon. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Caligon. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Cast us. 
 Felix. 
 
 Pcndcte collo, vive nunc tandem rcdux 
 Ovile Christo, vive sed letus sinu. 
 Arcebo domibus quotquot obsertat chaos 
 Simulacra muta, concremo et inanes trabes. 
 I perge coelo lumen immittet Deus. 
 Nulla mora sede numina abripimus^ Stygis. 
 Hie nos beatos condat exiguus locus 
 Si quando munus subeo quod sacrum moras 
 Otiaque tradat aptus hie menti manet, 
 Feret- quietem : ferte qua subeo pedem. 
 Ouocumque ducis sequimur haud tarda mora. 
 Gratum recessus referet Arduenne nemus. 
 
 SCi^NA OUARTA. 
 
 Idololatria, Latria, Caligonus, Philiparcus, 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Caligonus. 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Philiparcus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Caligonus. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Vah misera perii ! concidi ! hostilis furor 
 Hue foeda ructat phyltra. Rigiacum suis 
 Artibus inhamat, fervet insuetum dolor, 
 Nee frena patitur, nota si mihi sum satis 
 Non ibo inulta, tam ferum atque atrox gero 
 Genumque"' in iras pectus et furiis agor. 
 Calcabo pedibus monstra, larvatos Deos 
 Dilacero. 
 
 Monstrosum meto gladio caput. 
 Coluisse larvas pudeat horrende Stygis, 
 Quo cecus, amens Atrebas facilem furor 
 Mentem resorbet : devias quo tramite 
 Divorum aberrans ? siste furibundum 
 
 petum. 
 Fortis pavescit turma non celi impetus 
 Sevos minarum perge, lania, disseca, 
 Idola muta contere, incertam luem 
 Phlegetontis atri, germen inferne Stvgis. 
 Portenta ferro demones fossi occidant. 
 Famuli cremandas ferte relliquias domum 
 Maligna Stygii turba convici ; tua 
 
 im- 
 
 ^ Fedc lumina abripimus. 
 
 - Fcrcns. 
 
 Scnumquc.
 
 54 
 
 Tragicof?iedia de Scmcto Vcdasto. 
 
 Latvia. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Latria. 
 Idololatria. 
 Latria. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Latria. 
 
 Idololatria. 
 Latria. 
 
 Philipar. 
 Latria. 
 
 Sic regna solvi laiiguida pateris? Atrebas 
 Sic post deoruni munus (ingratum caput) 
 Odio retorques ? Judis insontes Deos. 
 Age pestis alio perge properanti pede. 
 Non te quieta tecta, non fidi lares, 
 Non hospitalis exsulem excipiat domus. 
 Ignava fugiam. 
 
 Nulla mora. 
 
 Caveo fugam. 
 Et jamne segni restitas effrons gradu 
 Furiale monstrum ? pestis execrabilis ? 
 Larvata bellua? Tartaro sacrum caput? 
 Age imperantis jussa properato ocyus. 
 Profugere dubitas? curre veloci pede. 
 Disrumpor. 
 
 I flammam excoque irarum procul. 
 Cruce hac subacta cede. 
 
 Latronis cruce. 
 Cruce hac Tonantis,^ putidum leti genus 
 Hoc ferre cogar. Atrebas miseram fugas. 
 I larva ditis repete letales domos. 
 Scelesta profuge, profuge sic Jesus jubet 
 Recessit impia, vicit infandi lacus 
 Manum minacem dextra, minitandis Dei 
 Letare fortis Atrebas, palmas ovans 
 Attolle superis, rursus antiquum tibi 
 Resurgit evum, prisca Diogenis fides 
 Peritura nunquam presule insurgit novo. 
 Versabit arctos quamdiu siccas polus 
 Noctem sequentur astra Titanem dies 
 Semper nitescet major assurgens fides. 
 En jacta fidei semina exurgunt sacra 
 Lustrata coeli rore. Coenobii inclytum 
 Avidus requiris nosse venturi decus. 
 Umbram vide : ecce presulis sauciam manum. 
 
 ^ Idololatria.
 
 Tragicomedid de Siincto Vcdasto. 
 
 :>:> 
 
 SCiENA OUIN'FA. 
 
 Vedastus, Scopilio, Integer, Pius, Antonius, Beatl's, 
 Pauper, Racanarius, Litanas. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 Scopilio. 
 
 Integer. 
 
 lus. 
 
 Clemens. 
 
 Antonius. 
 
 Beatus. 
 
 Pauper. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Magnum Vedaste munus est et magnum onus 
 Aliis preesse, sanguine redemptas suo 
 Tibi regendas tradidit Jesus oves. 
 O quam timendum est ne qua depereat tua 
 Subrepta culpa, semper invidias lupi 
 Tendent ovili, semper invidias agent. 
 Divine Presul mitte quos animus coquit 
 Luctus inanes, masculas vires dabit 
 Qui pastor agmen dirigit tecum Deus. 
 Ne metue rapido totus in terras ruat 
 T^^^ther fluento, cana jus terre incubet 
 Et omne coelum ceca tempestas agat. 
 Tibi militabit pectus assuetum malis. 
 Ex quo Lyei nectar augustum Deo 
 Ovans litavit animus ac Cererem sacram 
 Amoris omne numinis divis tulit 
 Pignus sacratum : fervet insolitus calor 
 Imisque latitat pectus exurens fibris. 
 Armetur in me quidquid infausto tulit 
 Nox atra foetu, quidquid infernus creat 
 Unctus sacrato chrismate adversus Styga, 
 Audax rebellem Tartari superem dolos. 
 Per latus agatur ensis aut flamme leves 
 Hoc vile tristi corpus absumant rogo, 
 Nee parte vitam redimo, membratim Deo 
 Juvat perire, 
 
 Lenta supplicio gravi 
 Mors protrahatur, viva visceribus meis 
 Rapientur exsta, pectus erumne gravent, 
 Quemcumque dederint exitum divi feram. 
 Eadem voluntas celitus mentem fovet, 
 Eadem, nee ullus nocte discussa dies 
 Votum hoc notabit sede dejectum sua. 
 Flammis resultat animus accensus novis, 
 Dum forte vobis pectus et leto obvium 
 Tacitus revolvo, leta sic tenero parens
 
 S6 
 
 Tragiconiedia dc Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Ragauarius. 
 
 Lilanas. 
 
 Scoplio. 
 
 Integer. 
 
 Crescente nato vota vix capit sua. 
 Quo mente properat turbida infensum Deum 
 bivus sacerdos ? Ore quid tacito insonat ? 
 Bene habet, jacent nunc putide terris Stygis 
 Superata monstra pudet : pudct inermes male 
 Coluisse larvas ! Semen infandum ! lacus 
 Stygii cloacam ! ha pudet. 
 
 Amor melior rapit 
 
 Christ! medullas cana quern docuit fides 
 Larvata toto pestis ex orbe exsulet, 
 Viden' Vedaste quanta mature seges 
 Messis virescat, quantus insurgat nitor 
 Jubaris suborti. 
 
 Vinculo junctus tibi 
 Christus perenni pascit Atrebeas oves. 
 1 letus agris vive maturis satis. 
 Ecce hue prophanus mysta conglomerat 
 
 pedem. 
 Celis sacratum proximum Christo caput.^ 
 Miserare sacro dilue errorum notas 
 Turpes lavacro. 
 
 Poplites fixos solo 
 Levate leti, miseror id rectum decet. 
 Ovile tuti petite tranquillum gregis. 
 Vix patitur animus rebus in sacris moras. 
 Ite, ite leti pandet ad sacras viam 
 Lymphas petitam mysta qui multus vitet. 
 Fatus reposcit prepotens Clotarius, 
 Audete turma, nulla vos moneat mali 
 Facies laboris, quidquid est durum pati, 
 Tolerasse dulce est, hac patet coelum via 
 Tu junge Clemens presuli socium latus. . 
 
 SC^NA SEXTA. 
 Mego, Hortulbal, Tuccius, Magus, Calumnia, Invidia, 
 
 Raganarius . 
 Litanas. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Raganarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 ETC. 
 
 Mego. 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Parata mensae fercula Hortulbal } 
 
 Mego 
 
 1 Miserare cecum tramitc ignoto grcgcm.
 
 Tragicomcdia dc Sancto Vcdaslo. 
 
 S7 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Mego. 
 Tuccius. 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Magus. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Magus. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Invidia. 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Dudum paratissima, sed hoc c[ui nescio 
 Mantile mensae quadret. 
 
 O sanum parum 
 Cerebrum ! Doccbo expande. 
 
 Sic? 
 
 Non sic, phy phy. 
 Sic ergo. 
 
 Phy phy pudeat. 
 
 Ergo sic, 
 
 Adhuc 
 Erras. Latere mantile propendet nimis. 
 Rem temere mentis video per vestigium 
 Mantile jaceat penitus inversum solo 
 TEquetur hinc, inde, undique. ^^qualissimam 
 Suppono mensam. Recta stat, mecum hue 
 
 manus. 
 Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, nihil cerebri reor 
 Hoc capite, caula fare vel qua de grege 
 Podium oriundus. 
 
 Verba ne frustra sere. 
 Nobis propinquat Tuccius cito da manus. 
 Lepidissimum caput! quis hie Tucci comes? 
 Properato opus Mego aderit actutum cohors 
 Comitata regem : bene sacrum hie socius mihi 
 Magus liquorem Massicum sacret magis. 
 Illud moramur, vasa mox mensae sacret 
 Domini locanda Juppiter jubet id Deus. 
 Parate cuncta vasculum mensam operiat. 
 Solitam profundo Tartaro furiam cio. 
 Latebris adesto turma desertis Stygis, 
 Alcidis hydra scisaque serpens manu 
 Hue redeat. 
 
 Adsumus. 
 
 Adsumus, quid rei est? 
 Adhibite solitas artibus fictis manus. 
 Hunc calleo probe quem modum nutu doces. 
 Accedo, Lybica quas creat fervens plaga 
 Has contuli herbas. Vasculis lateant bene. 
 His gelida pigri frigoris glacies inest. 
 Serpentium saniem exprimunt hec gramina,
 
 Clotarius. 
 
 58 'Tragicomedia dc Sa?icto Vedasto. 
 
 Bubonis hoc cor putidum lance Stygis 
 Hec secta foede viscera hec capiat latex. 
 
 Magus. Vulgus silentum rector umbrosae domus 
 
 Chaosque cecum ditis Eumenides feras 
 Conferte dextras, denegat quisquis Deos 
 Mensasque tangit concidat dira manu. 
 
 Mego. Secedite citi regius cardo strepit 
 
 Ictu insolenti, Presul hue gressum niovet. 
 
 Magus. Scelerate pestes. 
 
 Invidia. Curro per notas lacus. 
 
 Calumnia. Belle omnia excurro. 
 
 Magus. Ite prestolor latens 
 
 Ouidquid fliturus exitus pandet brevis. 
 
 SC^NA SEPTIMA. 
 
 Rex Clotarius, Ocinus, Vedastus, Clodomirus, Childe- 
 
 bertus, aurelianus. 
 
 Phalanx nitescat syrmate aurato licet 
 Seresque leta vellera extremi legant 
 Gratoque ducant pollice, atque altum caput 
 Levans in ostro letus etatis dies 
 Traham serenos, indigus forem tamen 
 Parumque letus, ni novos frequens nova 
 Animos bearet subditum favens manus. 
 En stirpe nobis Ocinus clara nitens 
 Accivit ultro Presulem auditum mihi 
 Toties Vedastum cujus affatus mage 
 Pertentat animum gaudio quovis meum. 
 Rex magne, ridet sermo si noster brevis 
 Memor parentis vive cui numen dedit 
 Fluente dextra nectar, eternas domos. 
 Divine Presul patris immemorem dies 
 Nullus per evum muneris nullus dati 
 Aspiciet unquam. Regius sanguis tibi 
 Litatur ultro, Francia cui suam refert 
 Merito salutem, cujus empyreus parens 
 Indutus orbes legibus tutus tenet, 
 Quascumque nobis, numini grates refer, 
 iVIagnanime princeps, si quod exiguum tuli 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 
 Vedastus.
 
 'Tragkomedia dc Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 59 
 
 Ocinus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Aurelianus. 
 Theodoricus. 
 
 Childebertus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Ocinus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 Clotarius. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Munus parent!, gratia fretus tuli 
 Supcra Tonantis, munus hoc totum Dei est. 
 Verborum abunde ; Cynthius mediam cito 
 Lucem rotatum properat, aptatas simul 
 Dudum subite principes tectis dapes. 
 Subimus ultro : more quo solitus bona 
 Precare Presul verba. 
 
 Faxo quod jubes, 
 Lubens id ante postulant signum dapes 
 In nomine Patris et Fili et Spiritus Sancti. 
 Terrore quatior. 
 
 Membra vix constant loco 
 
 Totus stupesco pavidus. 
 
 Effuso natat 
 Asser cruore madidus. 
 
 Attonitus stupet animus 
 Malumque nescit ignote iuis. 
 Proceres moveri sinite fraus nota est doli. 
 Hie magus aliquis magicis vasa artibus 
 Succis malignis Thessala aut saga induit 
 Leto periret ut quis associans comes 
 Conviva regem : nota fraus, notus dolus. 
 Atqui latentes demonis tantas potis 
 Rescire fraudes.^ 
 
 Detegit signum crucis 
 Artes cytaeas demonis technas notat 
 Nocturna spectra profugat sortes malas 
 Cantata verba pandit, hac cruce subruit 
 Cruor malignis sortibus fusus solo. 
 Grates Tonanti numini meritas damus 
 Epulasque princeps magne properato pete. 
 Tremore rioreo totus inconstans mihi. 
 Arceto Principis pectore impavido metus. 
 Arcere nequeo, corda qui feriunt metus. 
 ^quum timere Principem quidnam addecet.- 
 ^quum timere Principem cuncta addecct. 
 Malus satelles semper heroum timor. 
 Malus satelles.^ sepius in auro bibunr 
 Reges venenum. 
 
 Clara secures facit 
 \'irtus.
 
 6o 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 Clotarius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clotarius. 
 Ocinus. 
 
 Beatos presules ! 
 
 Reges slmu]. 
 Virtus nitescit rani Regrum mentibus. 
 Frequens nitescit clara celsis mentibus. 
 Animose Princeps turbido statue modum 
 Brevem timori tempus actutum vocat. 
 Quocumque Presul comitor acceleras pedem. 
 Deferte mensas turma famulorum procul. 
 
 SCiENA OCTAVA. 
 
 Magus, Mego, Hortulbal, Tuccius, Calumnia, Invidia, 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Magus. 
 
 Mego. 
 Magus. 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Tuccius. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Calumnia. 
 
 Magus. 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Magus. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Devota raperis preda tenareo cani ! 
 Age redi, aberrasne satis, age pernix redi ! 
 Lucisque Averni fraudibus Christum indue. 
 Ast heu quid angues turba furiarum nigros 
 Scelerata versat ! 
 
 Ouem trabe infesta petunt 
 Furiata monstra.^ 
 
 Viperis tortis secent 
 Humeros patentes, verberent lanient sequor 
 Christum per enses, effugio densum chaos. 
 Arripite socii rudera et sordes solo 
 Lectas in ora jacite furiarum, 
 
 Stygis 
 Ad perduelles currite citate domos. 
 Pestes Jacus repetite veloci impete. 
 Etiamne diras sordibus lurco pedes.'' 
 Erebo rebel las tumide .^ Mox poenas dabis. 
 Ad Styga rebellis. 
 
 Numen exturba ocyus 
 Fidem, pudorem vile mancipium mei. 
 Feri retunde, nulla vis Christum auferet. 
 O Christe larvas abige. 
 
 Qua fugiam miser.'' 
 Ad Styga cruenti. 
 
 Turma que Christum ciet. 
 Succurre miseris. 
 
 Germ en inferni lacus
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 6i 
 
 Hortulbal. 
 Me go. 
 Magus. 
 
 Tuccius. 
 
 Vivit SLipcrstes? cedlto predam imperat 
 Jesus, profundc domit(-)r et vindex Stygis. 
 Vitate pestes, rursus astutis dolis. 
 Ne vos cruentus hostis incautos clepat. 
 Quam Mego letus profugis Stygias manus. 
 Hac letiorem non tulit Titan diem. 
 Detestor insanos dolos, queis actenus 
 Insanus usus, Presuli grates fero 
 Cujus salutem signa testantur meam, 
 Agnosce felix Atrebas clarum tui 
 Sidus Vedastum. 
 
 Vos manus mecum date. 
 
 SC.ENA NONA. 
 Clotildis cum suis, Vedastus, Clemens, etc. 
 
 Clotildis. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clotildis. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Clotildis. 
 
 O quantus udis imber emanat genus 
 Mentemque varius versat ancipitem dolor : 
 Eurus notusque tempore hyberno impetunt 
 Non tot procellis naufrago ponto ratem 
 (^uantis dolorum quassa curarum estibus 
 Mens fluctuatur, cure et erumne opprimunt. 
 Regina mentis robur antiquum voca 
 Viresque forti masculas corde indue, 
 Nee ulla terris terreat facies mali 
 Quin rumpe fortis quidquid adversum obviat. 
 Orbata conjuge sola quid vitam traho? 
 Quidquid ferendum est numen .ethereum 
 
 parat 
 Ouod cuique metam terminat vite brevem 
 Pauperi, opulento, principi, sero, cito. 
 Casum ferendo Presul evici ferum. 
 Solamen aderat unicum constans meis 
 Genovefa lacrymis, hanc quoque eripuit mihi 
 Libithina preceps : moesta queis lacrymas 
 
 ciam 
 
 Clemens. 
 
 Genovefa! sic heu ! corpus examinum jacet 
 Moderare lacrymas, ilia stellatas poli 
 Domos pererrat, fundit eternum tibi 
 Beata supplex vota.
 
 62 Tragicomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Vedastus. Mage regum parens 
 
 Regina, prole, qiiam polus multam dedit 
 Oueo pace, functi sceptra moderatur patris 
 Letare melius. 
 
 Clotild'is. Tangis en alios metus 
 
 Aliasque lacrymas inscius prolis moves. 
 
 Vedastus. Proles parentis ilia virtutem refert. 
 
 Clotildis, Ilia Clodomiri patris insignem sui 
 
 Sobolem nepotes, sanguine (invisum scelus !) 
 Fuso cruentat, Lybicus haud tantum gerit 
 Panther furorem, corde non ursus ferox, 
 Nemea^que monstrum gaudet incestus furor 
 Foedare quantum sanguine insontum manus. 
 
 Vedastus. Adeone patrum aegener sanguis turit t 
 
 Clotildis. Raptat scelestus sanguis avulsos sinu 
 
 Per vim puellos, perdit et fratris nece 
 Prolem cruentus vix potuit unus sinu 
 Profugere salvus. En tibi sanguis meus. 
 Multa ilia soboles, flere quid matrem vetas.'* 
 Tantisque pressam pondere erumnis pium 
 Oculis liquorem. 
 
 Vedastus. Lacrymis nunc plus satis 
 
 Princeps datum est. Age Regiam mentem 
 
 indue 
 Animosa Regis vidua, nam majoribus 
 Est digna palma te manens, coelo malis. 
 
 Clotildis. Hec una presul animat et moestam levat 
 
 Merces perennis : dege si lubeat lare 
 Longasque mecum temporis moras trahe. 
 
 Vedastus. Ovile revocat pace dum liceat procul 
 
 Nee longiores trahere dat tempus moras. 
 
 Clotildis. I Presul, i pasce tibi delectum p^rcgem 
 
 I Presul, i licet usibus, credo, tuis 
 Ouod Augicourtense annuum reddit solum. 
 
 Vedastus. Regina tantis referet eternam Deus 
 
 Meritis salutem : hoc usibus trado sacris. 
 Solum perenne. 
 
 Clotildis. Me abdico terra lubens 
 
 Utere solumque trade si lubeat sacris 
 Dum Presul hora convocat gradere, sequor.
 
 T'ragicomedia de Sancto VeJasto. 
 
 63 
 
 SC/ENA DECIMA. 
 DiETUS, Bribax, Pericles, Sepho. 
 
 Dielus. Oi mi ! dolore stomachus insano gemit. 
 
 Nee panem in alvum mittere insanum datur. 
 Bribax. Pro summe divorum Deus semper famem 
 
 Tolerabo egenus? 
 Pericles. Allatrat venter mihi 
 
 Siti fame. 
 Sepho. Mihi totus insanit quoque, 
 
 Obgannit usque nee famem quisquam levat. 
 Die/us. Mihi quarta nullo cum cibo exigitur dies, 
 
 Punica velut laterna sum pellucidus. 
 Bribax. Chameleontem jure me voca, mihi 
 
 Quippe cibus aer. 
 Pericles. Moriar an vivam baud satis 
 
 Scio, mihi dudum ferias dentes agunt. 
 Sepho. Heus boni aliquid ventura presagit dies. 
 
 Pericles. Q^^^ ^^^^ ^ 
 
 Sepho. Presul omnibus toties redit. 
 
 Votis petitus solitos hie nobis eibos 
 
 Suggere semper affatim. 
 Bietus. Recte mones 
 
 Benignus adeo prodigus rerum fuit 
 
 Opiimque largus, ut patrem hune urbis^ indigae 
 
 Plebs nuncuparet, 
 Bribax. Jam redit salvus scio. 
 
 Ut ante socii nullus optatam stipem 
 
 Preripiat ejus obsidere fores placet. 
 Pericles. Sequimur euntem, tu gradum primus move 
 
 Sed ecce sociorum agmen egreditur toras. 
 
 SCi^NA ii«- 
 
 FiDEM, Vedastus, Scopilio, Clemens, Angeli, etc. 
 
 Vedastus. Quando Tonantis munere eximio Dei 
 
 Dileeta turma, numina et vani Jovis 
 Erasa plebis mentibus, tidei faces 
 
 ^ Turbc.
 
 64 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Scofilio. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Integer. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 B'ribax. 
 
 Omnes pauperes. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Marius. 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Pius. 
 
 Anton. 
 
 Pauper. 
 Clemens. 
 ScGpilio. 
 
 Marius. 
 Scopilio. 
 Integer. 
 Pauper. 
 
 Lustrant corusce quidquid obtectum fuit. 
 Grates supremo numini immensas agi 
 Fas esse credo. 
 
 Jam ipse quins foeta Deum 
 Veneror acerra, celites cogam meis 
 Servire votis. 
 
 Dabitur alternis quies : 
 Vicina nobis cellula adjunctos habec 
 Socios laborum, hos adeo votivas Deo 
 Preces laturus, cella quae condet meum 
 Aliquando major corpus exanimum brevi. 
 Sacrate presul pauperum coetus domus 
 Pro foribus agitat, 
 
 Ut auguror meam sibi 
 Opem reposcit, 
 
 Nos egestas opprimit, 
 Miserere. Modica refice nos Presul stipe. 
 Egena turba marcet in foribus fame. 
 Et vix lacerna corpus exigua tegit : 
 Ferre hec Vedasto duros aspectus potes ^ 
 Properate famuli penulas ferte hue leves 
 Tostamque Cererem. 
 
 Quod jubes factum puta. 
 Egena membra pascite ad cellam, dies 
 Vocat precatus. 
 
 Quo vocat mens enthea 
 Properato gressus. 
 
 Nullus infestat lupus 
 Ovile, leta gradere securus via. 
 Nos una egenum mente pascamus gregem. 
 Sic nos decet perenne jussis obsequi. 
 Quis non stupescat ista nobilium pia 
 bocumenta morum .^ laude quis merita efferat 
 Hec tanta velut exempla preeuntis ducis .^ 
 En postulata Presulis presto manent. 
 Hec cocta Cereris dona vobis sumite. 
 Sedate vestram fruge coUata famem. 
 Vestram agite pariter potus expleat sitim.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 65 
 
 Anton. 
 Sepho. 
 
 Scopilio. 
 
 Diet us. 
 
 Bribax. 
 
 Dietus. 
 
 SapJw. 
 Pericles. 
 
 Gabriel. 
 
 Larga quam virtus animique candor 
 In sLii impellit superos amorem : 
 Jam tibi Presul superis paratur 
 Arcibus merces, tibi totus una 
 
 Annuit ether. 
 
 Raphael. 
 
 Ouisquis ingentem capiti ruinam 
 Et Stygis semper metuenda fata 
 Post rogi flammas removere tentat, 
 Is sibi tentet superos favore 
 
 Jungere gratus. 
 Onerate vestrum penula corpus rudi. 
 Vestram beabit Presulem merces polis, 
 Et vestra vitae tempora eternet Deus. 
 Hoc Presulem unum recreat, hec cordi mi hi 
 Est una pietas vivite beatos dies. 
 Quid harpagare penulam tentas manu ? 
 Mea est. 
 
 Tua erras verbero, cedo, tuos 
 Vel baculus ulmos tundet. 
 
 Hanc per vim rapis ? 
 Furem scelestum rapite, totam penulam 
 Vobis lubens tradidero. 
 
 Cedito furcifer. 
 Profugiet aniens? insequor, cedet brevi. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Castus. 
 Felix. 
 
 SCiENARIO I2-- 
 
 Vedastus, Castus, Felix. 
 
 Hie mesta mentis nubila arcebit locus, 
 Celique dulces proprius affatus dabit, 
 Age sociorum turma pateant mihi fores 
 Toties petitae, rursus Arduenne nemus 
 Curis levamen cellula ex voto dabit. 
 Dilecte Presul pasce qua solitus dape" 
 Celi Serena mentis eximium decus. 
 Subibo cellam et obviis celestibus 
 
 5
 
 66 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Vedastus. 
 
 Levato mentem, deferet charites locus 
 Pluetque rores celica numen manu. 
 Subibo letus gratus arridet locus. 
 
 Metanor, 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Philiparcus. 
 Victor. 
 
 Philiparcus 
 
 Scopilio. 
 
 Integer. 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Scopilio. 
 
 Philiparcus. 
 
 Scopilio. 
 
 Integer. 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Philiparcus. 
 
 SCi^NA ly- 
 
 Victor, Philiparcus, Integer, Scopilio, etc. 
 
 Ouis nocte media vertice elato domos 
 Fulgor coruscat ^ 
 
 Animus attonitus stupet. 
 Ignea columna tollit ardentes globos 
 Flammasque ructat, lucidum monstrat jubar 
 Novum aliquid. 
 
 Ut monstra reor interitum parant 
 Cedes minantur. 
 
 Leva presagit mali 
 Mens aliquid animis insolens fatum manet. 
 Prodigia dubii attonitus eventus nequit 
 Animus referre crescit ostentum magis ! 
 Docete paucis quidquid hoc monstrum petit ^ 
 Clarasque sursum flammulas dudum trahit. 
 Ignarus animus heret incerti mali 
 Acerso properus presulem, pandet polo 
 Hie doctus alto nos quod incertum fugit. 
 Hec signa nondum rescit ^ 
 
 Actutum sciet. 
 Solitos recessus petiit amotos lare, 
 Oueis letus animum pascit etherea dape. 
 Imbres sacratos fortior factus bibit. 
 Qui dapibus animos letus astriferis fovet, 
 Totiesque sacros numinis rores bibit, 
 Hie facile pandet signa quid portent male. 
 Ecce ille, pallor quantus insidet genis.'^ 
 Gressusque lentus promovet letos tamen.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 67 
 
 FiiJKM, Vedastus cum suis, LoQUETus, Chavetus, Car- 
 
 BONARIUS, HaRPAGARIUS, MiCH A EL, Ga BR IEL, RaI'HAEL, 
 
 Uriel. 
 
 Vedastus. Actum est, migrandum est, funis extremum 
 
 mihi 
 
 Nexere Parcae, celicam id monstrat jubar, 
 
 Febrisque fervens fata protendunt mea. 
 Scopilio. Sacrate Presul, subleva sede hac caput 
 
 Morbo asperatum. 
 Vedastus. Tempus est vitae breve 
 
 Citate socios hauriant monitus senis 
 
 Breves parentis. 
 Scopilio. Turma sociorum geniit 
 
 Presto Vedaste, lacrymas pubes ciet 
 
 Lugetque toto nobilis phalanx solo. 
 Vedastus. Adeste lucta melius hac leti ultima. 
 
 Integer. Mors instat animos letus et cunctis facis 
 
 Divine Presul ^ 
 Vedastus. Apparat, letam scio 
 
 Fatum quietem letus et letas domos 
 
 Superum require. 
 Castus. Filii orbati patre, 
 
 Pastore ovile quo ruent passim vagum ? 
 Vedastus. Numerosus aderit pastor equalis mihi 
 
 Nee fallit ether vivet Atrebatum novo 
 
 Perenne patre, cura te Castum manet 
 
 Cellae perennis vive tu fratrum memor, 
 
 Hec vilis alta surget eternum domus. 
 Castus. Vilis columnis nobilis surget casa.^ 
 
 Vedastus. Sic arce supera numen ethereum reterc. 
 
 Sed heu ! labascit pectus oppressum febri 
 
 Jesu, Jesu ! 
 Scopilio. O Presul ultima signam manu 
 
 Stratos clientes rore sidereo bea. 
 Vedastus. 1^'ilioli amoris vinculum cunctos liget. 
 
 l'"ilioIi cgenos larga sustentet manus, 
 
 Vos ditet ether, cumulet et charitum im- 
 bribus.
 
 68 
 
 'Tragico?nedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Loquetus. 
 Cha-vetus. 
 
 Carbonarius. 
 
 Harpagarius. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Loquetus. 
 Vedastus. 
 Latvia. 
 
 Instate Stygia stringite arma concili. 
 Proserpinam ditisque perjuro caput, 
 Instabo, predam rabio dejectam loco. 
 Insequere, 
 
 Curro. 
 
 Spiculis rupem petis 
 Averna bills cede, cede. 
 
 Va miser. 
 Tibi vixi Jesu, morior et Jesu tibi. 
 Egredere fortis anime celituum choris 
 Agglutinare, egredere tibi celum patet. 
 Quid turma lacrymas preliis finem dedit 
 Tulitque laurum : flammea in sede excubat 
 Manus Tonantis muneraria hec suis 
 Fato triumphum dicit, hec statuit polus 
 Ouicumque certat fortis hie felix diem 
 Triumphat, afferat arma qui palmam petit. 
 
 CHORUS 4«^- 
 
 AnGELI 4 CANENTES, EuGE SERVE BONE ET FIDELIS, ETC. ; 
 
 Anima Vedasti, S. Diogenes, S. Eleutherius, S. 
 PiATus, S. Medardus. 
 
 Anima Vedasti. 
 
 O que gaudia sidere 
 Mulcent pectus et entheas 
 Fibras ethereus calor, 
 Et totum mihi me rapit ! 
 Ouam sudasse juvat solo 
 Celi gaudia dum manent 
 Sternum et satiant fibras. 
 O que gaudia sidere 
 Mulcent pectus entheas 
 Fibras ethereus calor 
 Et totum mihi me rapit. 
 
 Diogenes. 
 
 Fortes tanto nectare Christus 
 Pugiles supero potat Olympo. 
 Ipse Diogenes ferro quondam
 
 Tragicomedia dc Sancto Vcdasto. 69 
 
 Oris confossus Rigiacis. 
 Clarus supera palmam fede 
 Hanc victor certamine retuli. 
 Agedum mihi Vedaste secundus 
 Miscrumque gregem miserans pastor. 
 En palma eadem te manet, agedum 
 Letus superas arces scande. 
 Kortes dio nectare Christus 
 Pugiles supero potat olympo. 
 
 Eleutherius. 
 
 Iterata meam potis est nulla 
 Frangere mentem virga tyrannum ; 
 Non exsulium me perdomuit 
 Non striatum perdomuit ferrum : 
 Arcibus altis quidquid rutilat 
 Alto positus pcrlustro loco. 
 His fruere pugil letus in astris 
 Divorum epulis nectare fruere. 
 
 Anima Vedasti. 
 
 O que gaudia sidere 
 Mulcent pectus et entheas 
 Fibras ethereus calor 
 Et totum mihi me rapit. 
 
 S. Piatus. 
 
 Feret ambrosiam stellante domo 
 Nectarque Deus congredere pugil. 
 Meritis laurus casta paratur, 
 Congredere, quies saturet coeli 
 interna animum Belgia tellus 
 Tibi cervicem sanguine, rupto 
 Corpore, fudi, vive Vedasto 
 Preside felix Belgia vive. 
 Feret ambrosiam stellante domo 
 Nectarque Deus congredere pugil. 
 
 S. Medardus. 
 
 Aureis fultas mille columnis 
 Arces penetra, tuus est Christus,
 
 70 
 
 Tragico??iedia de Sa?icto Vedasto. 
 
 Totus tuus est celicus orbis, 
 Aligerum ergo, coetu superos 
 Comitatus adi mille columnis 
 Aureis fultas arces penetra. 
 
 Angeli canent. 
 Euge serve bone et fidelis, etc. 
 
 Anima Vedasti. 
 
 O que gaudia sidere 
 Mulcent pectus et entheas 
 Fibras ethereus calor 
 Et totum mihi me rapit ! 
 
 ACTUS OUIN rUS.— SCiENA i«- 
 
 Caligonus, Philiparcus, Metanor, Victor, Docilis, 
 Barbarus, Prudens, Constans, Themius, Latria, 
 
 AUTBERTUS, AuRELIANUS, MaRIUS, ETC. 
 
 Caligonus. 
 
 Prudens. 
 Constans. 
 
 Philiparcus. 
 
 Themius. 
 
 Lairia. 
 
 Quam misera varie vita mortales rotat 
 Fugiensque preceps casus incertos agit, 
 Presuli trahebat nuper Emeberto dies 
 Ovans serenos nobile Atrebatium solum : 
 Nunc ecce vultum flebilem indutum ingemit. 
 Ambigua properans Presuli letum tulit 
 Sua fila Clotho. 
 
 Parca crudelis nimis 
 Adversa votis, ferrata quamdiu manu 
 Caduca vite stamina erumpes brevis. 
 Nunquam timoris vita solicito vacat, 
 Que fluxa semper casibus mille objacet. 
 Bis sol quater deno annuos cursu polis 
 Vixdum rotatus egit, et terris jubar 
 Retulit coruscum, tempore et properans brevi 
 Libitina rapuit Presules septem sibi. 
 Ne querere, totus Atrebas albus tibi 
 Blanditur ether, lumen exstinctum refert 
 Primum Vedastum sidus Autbertus novum, 
 Quem multa virtus laude numerosa extulit 
 Sacraque decorari infula donat caput :
 
 'Tragicotiied'ia dc Scuicto Vcdasto. 
 
 71 
 
 Caligonus. 
 Latvia. 
 
 Autbertus. 
 Latria. 
 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Latria. 
 Aurelianus. 
 
 Me tan or. 
 
 Barbarus. 
 Caligonus. 
 Omnes simul. 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Prudens. 
 Constans. 
 Themius. 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Gratare letus Presuli et missos cole 
 Animo benigna celitum grates manu. 
 Tantumne nostris coelitum dono jubar 
 Clarescet oris? Nimius o superum favor. 
 Dilecte su peris vincam rebus meis 
 Fulcimen age, nunc pasce dilcctum gregem 
 Fortisque ahenum pectus accinge, impetum 
 Cohibe malorum, murus es dudum Deo 
 Electus istis, fortis Atrebato veni. 
 Quid diva ad ista me levem pupum vocas? 
 Adque vel Athlas fortis incurvat caput. 
 Autberte, numen aliquod hunc frenat globum, 
 Hoc tibi sagittas tibi manus presto feret, 
 Cave longiores etheri obvertas moras. 
 Meus iste animus est assequi semper polos 
 Et te imperantem, nunc age Autberto utere, 
 Monitis et armis instrne, actutum sequor. 
 I Jetus, astri munient, tuto viam. 
 Age te moratur avida nobilium phalanx 
 Congredere Presul. 
 
 Sartor Atrebeo grege 
 Letare, grex en gaudii expandit sinus. 
 Vivat beatos Presul eternum dies. 
 Pascat beatum pastor eternum gregem. 
 Pastor beatum pascat eternum gregem. 
 Procul esto plausus non levem vocem ambio 
 Popularis aurae : Numinis crescens honos, 
 Mihique dudum cara vestrorum salus 
 Primus laboris ultimus finis mei. 
 Divine Presul impera vel nutibus, 
 Ouodcumque mandas sequimur. 
 
 Impera citi. 
 Tua jussa facimus. 
 
 Morte devotum tibi 
 Animum litabo. 
 
 Ista placet acclamatio. 
 Animos serenae mentis agnosco notas. 
 Ovile vestra nullus inlestet lupus 
 Hac mente proceres : nullus irarum turor 
 Dejectet apice, cui vocat superum favor. 
 Subeamus urbem, domus et grates polis.
 
 72 
 
 'Tragkomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 loquetus, c 
 Mich 
 
 Loquetus. 
 
 Chavelus. 
 Loquetus. 
 
 Carbonarius. 
 
 Harpagarius. 
 
 Loquetus. 
 C have t us. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Gabriel. 
 
 Raphael. 
 
 Uriel. 
 
 Raphael.^ 
 
 Loquetus!^ 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Loquetus. 
 Chavetus. 
 Carbonarius. 
 
 SCiENA 2«- 
 
 HAVETus, Carbonarius, Harpagarius, 
 AEL, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel. 
 
 Ouid Stygia stertls turma torpenti lacu 
 Arcisse flammis debuit dudum domus 
 Infesta prede Tartari, ac nostri lues. 
 Mox tecta auassa trucidant flammis meis. 
 Tu sequere Carbonarie Harpagarium 
 Jamjam favillis tecta fumabunt meis. 
 Non imperatum pectus ad noxam fero 
 Iniicio flammas, sulphur, et tecta ustulo. 
 Inversus alto corruat apex funditus 
 Et alta toto jaceat haec moles solo. 
 Agite ruina perdite infestos lares. 
 Vulcanus omni parte succensus furit, 
 Delecta penitus mox domus tota occidet. 
 Quid larva tentas.^ posse te credis domum 
 Furiata divum vertere crematum solo. 
 Hinc ad cloacas Tartari gressus move. 
 Cui scutum Olympus militat vinci nequit. 
 Cui sunt columne celites fortes manet. 
 Frustra secessu mersa tenareo phalanx, 
 Superos lacessis. 
 
 Ceca nox jubari male 
 Impar duellas. 
 
 Tartarum solus domat 
 Coelo Vedastus. 
 
 ^Tartarum solus domet.^ 
 Pro caveo ! adeste turma : quo rapitis fugam ^ 
 Constate fortes, jacite flammatas faces 
 Totumque tectum vertite. 
 
 Hinc, hinc vos rogi 
 Epule perennes noctis obscuros specus 
 Subite celeres : vos manet Stygis rota. 
 Nil noster in divos labor Stygius potest. 
 Heu vincor. 
 
 Uror, undaque flammam opprimet.'^ 
 
 ^ Gabriel. 
 
 - Raphael. 
 
 ^ Loquetus.
 
 Tra<jico7nedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 73 
 
 Michael. 
 Gabriel. 
 
 Sic, sic labascat^ Stygius iiicassum labor 
 Nunquam labascat, quern favor divum tegit, 
 Vivat sacrato nobilis mysta domus. 
 
 Authertus. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Authertus. 
 
 Michael. 
 Authertus. 
 
 AuTBERTUs, Michael. 
 
 Aurora roseum propera Titanem refert 
 Solitas sacrata vota, celitibus preces 
 De niore fundo, Verte quo supplex manus 
 Clarescit oriens versus eras domos. 
 Tandem Vedasti nobile absconsum solo 
 Pignus nitescat : metor orienti polo 
 Cui missus ales nobilem terris domum. 
 Levata sursum fabrica, elatos pedes 
 Centum reposcit, longa ducentos pedes, 
 Et lata centum : numerus hie constat loco. 
 Oue iam ruinis arcta diuturnis labat 
 Lipsana fovebit cella, sic mandant poli. 
 Quid audio '^. quid insolens numen tonat } 
 Nunquid sacratum precipit pignus casa 
 Vili morari } Qui Deus tantum decus 
 Ignobilis, qui vilis acceptet domus.'' 
 Autberte, summo jussa demissa ethere 
 Velox facesse, major assurgens tholis 
 Clarescet edes numinis mentem accipe. 
 Agnosco rector fabricae ac mundi parens 
 Agnosco meritis indices nutu sacrae, 
 Nihil morabor, quod jubes mox assequor. 
 
 AuRELiANus, Integer, Pius, Clemens, Marius, Barbarus, 
 
 AuTBERTUS, etc. 
 
 Aurelianus. Quonam abiit ! aut qucis presul in latebris 
 
 Integer. 
 Pius. 
 
 Mora tanta pectus versat ancipiti metu. 
 Indagine sagace mihi querendus. 
 
 ^ Labascit.
 
 74 
 
 'Tragic omedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Clemens. 
 
 Aurelianus . 
 
 Autbertiis. 
 
 Clemens. 
 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Aurelianus. 
 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Integer. 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Clemens. 
 Aurelianus. 
 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Metus 
 Mittite, propinquat incolumis redux. 
 Sacrate Presul mente quid solus coquis 
 Dubiusque versas? 
 
 Visa quae numen docet 
 Dubius revolvit animus attonitus^ stupens. 
 Animose mysta dubius abscedat stupor, 
 Supremaque rei capita lustrate refer.^ 
 Majora veris visa vix capiunt fidem. 
 Ordire paucis. 
 
 Summa vix Titan juga 
 Stringebat, astraque victa fedebant poli^ 
 Dum jam benigno numen impello prece, 
 Aciemque mentis jaculos in superum plagas. 
 Summi Tonantis ales insolitus meos 
 Oculos oberrat, nitida radiabat coma 
 Solare vultus luce superabat jubar 
 Candore rutilus alta metatur loca 
 Aurea futuris edibus virga sacris 
 Hunc quem Crientio amnis exiguus notat. 
 Cui templa mandat sacra divorum strui. 
 Quondam Vedasto antistiti, hec ales tonat. 
 Autberte summo jussa demissa ethere 
 Velox facesse, major assurgens tholis 
 Clarescet edes numinis mentem accipe. 
 Quis supera demens monita perficere aburat ? 
 Autberte id ipsum scilicet noctis quies 
 Augur futuri, placidus hoc in somniis 
 Sera monebat nocte presagus sopor. 
 Id retulit in votis Scopilio Presuli 
 Dudum fuisse, cellula abjecta tegi 
 A morte corpus. Muneri hinc te Deus 
 Presul reservat, nimius hoc sacrum subi. 
 Subibo preceps, vota respiciat Deus. 
 Hanc Audomarum Presulem ad pompam cita 
 Lambertus una presul acceleret pedem. 
 Totam per urbem personet clangor tube 
 Plebesque passim tota letitiam sonet. 
 
 1 Attonitum. 
 
 * At ora ceptis transitum verbis negant. 
 
 « I'olo.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vcdasto. 
 
 75 
 
 Marius. 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Mox presul aderit, Morinus optatus lare. 
 Onerate scrtis cellulam, majoribus 
 Adaucta trabibus aureis niteat casa. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Michael. 
 Invidia. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Michael. 
 
 Invidia. 
 
 Michael. 
 Invidia. 
 
 Invidia, Michael. 
 
 Ego mox in hostes dira coUecto ferar 
 Preceps furore flammeas livoribus 
 Faces et arma suggeram atque uno omnia 
 Quatiam tumultu. 
 
 Larva molitur Stygis 
 Hie aliquid Erebi sanguis et noctis vagae 
 Stat ire contra. 
 
 Patiar hunc superis dari 
 Terris honorem.'' Corpus ingenti palam 
 Patiar corona Presulum facta avehi ? 
 Assurgere et in altum urbe suppressa domos 
 Ignobilem amnem sidera et coelum tulit 
 Sepultus hostis rursus a fatis sibi 
 Terram reposcit ^ Ante turbabo Styga, 
 Celumque vertam, armabo contra et inferos. 
 Molitur aliquid germen infandi lacus. 
 Guam vallat ingens montis adversi specus 
 Ultra nocentum exsulia discordem Deam, 
 Revocabo^ in auras, verbera incutient manus 
 Viperia nostrae. 
 
 Mentis hinc alio procul 
 Virus sagittes.^ regnet in terris honos 
 Divum, triumphet. 
 
 Regnet hie coelis satis. 
 Terrisque. 
 
 Divos terra non vilis decet. 
 Celumque. 
 
 Potius viperis corpus meis 
 Arcebo rabida vile prostratum solo. 
 Frusrra furores evomis, cede aut cades. 
 Avernus aderit, franget inceptum male. 
 
 ^ Rcmeabo.
 
 76 
 
 Tragic omedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 Michael. 
 Invidia. 
 Michael. 
 
 Paraliticus, 
 
 Paraliticus. 
 
 Demoniacus. 
 
 Aphonos. 
 
 Demoniacus. 
 
 Paraliticus. 
 
 Latvia. 
 
 Caritius. 
 
 Demoniacus. 
 
 Caritius. 
 
 Demoniacus. 
 Caritius. 
 Paraliticus. 
 Barbarus. 
 
 Mego. 
 
 Olympus aderit, faciet inceptum bene. 
 Frustra tegetur ille quern inferi petunt. 
 Frustra petetur ille quern super! tegunt. 
 
 SC^NA 6«- 
 
 Aphonos, Demoniacus, Misericors, 
 Caritius, Latria. 
 
 Heu quantus agitat corpus infirmum tremor 
 Vix rupta adherent membra dilacero cuti 
 Dieque nocteque queror, insanum caput. 
 Vah furere furere, quere fluctivagam nigri 
 Cymbam Charontis, furere quere Tartarum. 
 ^Nunquamne miseris lucis usura frui 
 Meliore dabitur \ Vita, non vita. 
 
 Au, be, bau. 
 Vah, vah. 
 
 Caduca vita premitur erumna undique. 
 Tutusque nullus oritur e coelo dies. 
 Molire gressus moesta properato phalanx 
 Exueque pulle frontis exorto novo 
 Nubila nitore, surgit erumnis novae 
 Portus salutis, mox sacrum Presul frequens 
 Nobile Vedasti pignus ad cellam refert. 
 Hue vos citate pariter acceleres pedes 
 Instate calidis precibus affiictis malis 
 Aderit levamen Presul hie astris potens. 
 Celerate gressus, lenta quid retinet mora.'' 
 Quo trahitis ? 
 
 Ad cymbam Stygis ad Orcum celer 
 Accurre. 
 
 Curro, curro precipitem date. 
 Sede hac quietus comprime actutum pedes. 
 Satis est viarum corpus hie sacrum moror. 
 Adhibete ramos liliis niteat via, 
 Rosis, ligustris undique parietes novo 
 Decorentur ostro Presulum instant agmina. 
 Tuto quadrabit ramus affixus loco. 
 
 ^ Misericors.
 
 Tragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 77 
 
 Tuccius. 
 Earbarus. 
 
 Gratos odores thure succenso paro. 
 Propcratc en ecce tota ruit obvia cohors. 
 
 SCiENA Y- 
 
 Omnes Actores : Latria, Audomarus, Lambertus,' 
 Themius, Prudens, etc. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Latria. 
 Audomarus. 
 
 Prudens. 
 
 Constans. 
 Themius. 
 
 Spargite rubentes flore purpureo rosas 
 Passim plateis serta collecta undique 
 Arbosque niteat, resonet ct festum melos 
 Modosquc cantor ore predulces sciat. 
 
 Primus Puer. 
 
 Terris, polis beatum 
 Perenne vive nomen, 
 
 Puer 2"^- 
 
 Cadat, cadat caduca 
 Mortale quidquid aura 
 Vultu tegit serene. 
 
 Puer 3"^- 
 
 Vivat pugil beatus, 
 Vivat choris beatus, 
 Superis omnis- perennet. 
 
 Omnes simul. 
 
 Terris, polis beatum 
 
 Perenne vive nomen. 
 Levate fessas Presulis vires dia 
 Et sede pignus colite depositum brevi.^ 
 O Christe coelo lucis exiguum jubar 
 Oculis refunde, cernere sacratum decus 
 Solamen illud ultimum canis meis. 
 Ecce novus oculis splendor irradiat meis. 
 Stupescit animus : Morinus en Presul sibi 
 Oculis tuetur redditis solis jubar. 
 Attonitus heres lumina inflectit procui ! 
 Perlustrat oculis Lipsana area condita. 
 
 Caligoiius, Constans. 
 
 - Ovans. 
 
 Sacra.
 
 78 
 
 Tragicomedia de Saficto Vedasto. 
 
 Caligonus. 
 Aiidomarus. 
 
 Lambertus. 
 
 Aiidomarus. 
 
 Lambertus. 
 
 Audomarus. 
 
 Lambertus. 
 
 Audomarus. 
 
 Lambertus. 
 
 Audomarus. 
 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Audomarus. 
 
 Latria. 
 Idololatria. 
 
 Stupenda video cernit Audomarus diem. 
 Christe age, priores redde nebulosas meis 
 Oculis tenebras, plus satis votis datum est. 
 Age luce melius fruere donata ethere 
 Aliaque funde vota. 
 
 Ouis frui tenebris vetat ^ 
 Placent tenebrae. 
 
 Luce quid frui vetat? 
 Nimium est periclum lucis. 
 
 Hi juvenem gravent 
 Levem timores, non senes. 
 
 Senes simul. 
 Non coeli^ Athletas. 
 
 Arce fi coeli manent 
 Supera beati : semper hac vita gravent. 
 Beatus ille, quisquis alieno sapit 
 Doctus Pxialo, olim luce liberior sua 
 Athleta fortis David illapsus ruit. 
 Documenta pandis posteris Presul nova. 
 He cerne quisquis pascis aspectum vagus 
 Aciemque turpi luminum spectro foves. 
 Signo hoc Vedasti clarior virtus micat, 
 Hinc ferte grates rursus et lituus strepat, 
 Ovansque subeat ordinem primum phalanx. 
 Agite nigrantis germina baratri cites 
 Celerate gressus. 
 
 Mihi tumet totum jecur 
 Bilique rabida tota per furias agor. 
 
 SCiENA 8^ ET ULTIMA. 
 
 FiDEM, Paraliticus, Demoniacus et Aphonos,- etc. 
 
 Paraliticus. Gravibus sacratae reliquiae auxilium malis 
 
 Aliquod citate. 
 Caritius. Gravibus erumnis modum 
 
 Facilem Vedaste statue, terrebunt tuae 
 
 Hostem vel umbrae. 
 
 ^ Nobilcm. 
 
 Loquetus.
 
 'Jragicomedia de Sancto Vedasto. 
 
 79 
 
 Latvia, 
 Paraliticus. 
 
 Aphonus. 
 Demonia. 
 
 Latria. 
 
 Caligonus. 
 Philiparcus. 
 
 Metanor. 
 
 Lalria. 
 
 Prudens. 
 Constans. 
 
 Themius. 
 
 Victor. 
 
 Omnes simul. 
 hatria. 
 
 Instate calidioribus, 
 Votis Vedastus facills optatis favent. 
 Adcsto presul, adesto succurre ethcre 
 Morbis serenus, fulcra precoci Impete 
 Dilapsa terram verberant, artus suo 
 Constant loco. 
 
 Soluta lingua nexibus 
 Potis est profari quid libet. 
 
 Cessit loco 
 Infensus hostis predo truculentus meis 
 Abiere diri turbines fibris procul. 
 ()uanam rependam Presuli grates prece? 
 Superoque divum numini quantas feram ! 
 Tu vero tantum nobilis pheretrum phalanx 
 Urbisque sacra Lipsana eternum fove. 
 Vivet perenni Presulis pignus fibra. 
 Totum Vedasto funditus sparsum solo 
 Fundam cruorem. 
 
 Nobile per enses decus 
 Medios tuebor, Presuli et totam lubens 
 Animam litabo. 
 
 Gratus est procerum favor. 
 Sic agite ferrum militet vestrum etheri, 
 ^tasque votum nulla subripiat ratum. 
 Hunc animum et urbis consules clari toga 
 Referent patrone. 
 
 Mente perpetua manet 
 Merito clientum jura qui sanxit fidem 
 Legesque superis statuit edoctus polis. 
 Urbis patronum tota posteritas cliens 
 Colet Vedastum, signa quern dia ethere 
 Donata terri? nobilem et clarum beant. 
 Regnet, perennet, gloria mysta inclytus. 
 Regnet, perennet, gloria mysta inclytus. 
 Hoc calle proceres pergite et vocem ciat 
 Plebes sonoram, jubilum superis date. 
 Vos ordo quos ad ardua sacratus vocat 
 Mactate pugiles mentis excelsa indoles 
 Factis nitescat arduis : surgent casa 
 Olim columnc posteris clara magis.
 
 8o 
 
 Autbertus. 
 
 Lamhertus. 
 Caligonus. 
 Omnes simiih 
 Latria. 
 
 Angelus. 
 
 Tragicomedia de Sane to Vedasto. 
 
 Hac purpurata veste clarescent patres, 
 Apexque honorum varius aptatus nitet 
 Septena terris nobili Presul dabit 
 Unus tiara lumina : hec quando tholis 
 eVeCta In aera CeLLa sVCCresCet Mage. 
 Agite futurae lampades olim novae^ 
 Induite mentes Presuli unanimes sacrum 
 Deferte honorem, Presulis callem simul 
 F'ovete fortes ampla vos merces manet. 
 Tantos favores celitum plebes canit, 
 Iteraque plausus tota nobilium phalanx. 
 Regnet Vedastus celicis regnet choris. 
 Regnet, triumphet, celicis junctus choris. 
 Regnet, triumphet, celicis junctus choris. 
 Bene est, profunde monstra per syrtes Stygis 
 Celerate, terris foedus eternum manet 
 Ortumque lucet clarius coelis jubar. 
 Geminate plausus buccinae rursum strepant. 
 
 EPILOGUS. 
 
 Occiduus undis Cinthius mergit caput 
 Et scena versa fronte depositis abit 
 Sero cothurnis : sacra tu procerum phalanx 
 Coetusque nobilis virum applaude et vale. 
 
 Ad maiorem Dei gloriam et sancti Vedasti. 
 
 ^ Novas. 
 
 Elliot Stock, Paternoster Roiv, London. 
 
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