I28 He states
forsan ut
:
" Abundant anni quinque,
; Sigebert,
His martyrdom is set down, at this
at a.
forsan ut
:
" Abundant anni quinque,
; Sigebert,
His martyrdom is set down, at this
at a.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
"—Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
202.
I0J See Bishop Challenor's " Britannia
Sancta," part i. , p. 343.
I03 M. le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle Biogra-
phie Universelle," tome vi. , col. 577.
I04 In this attitude, the saint is often repre-
sented by painters.
94 The writers of the First and Second Lives of St. Boniface call it Dockinga.
95 See Supplement to the Life by Willi- bald, cap. iii. , sect. 12.
96 See Baronius, " Annales Ecclesiastici," tomus ix. , at a. d. 755, sect, xxxix. , p. 204.
97 See Bishop Challenor's " Britannia Sancta," part i„ p. 343.
98 See Baronius, " Annales Ecclesiastici," tomus ix. , at A. D. 755, sect, xxxix. , p. 204.
99 According to the Third Life of St. Boniface, sect. 7.
Scotorum :"
peremptus est cum Lll. sociis, qui omnes Scoti aut Angliet instituti Benedictini fuisse
Bishop, Wintrung,
Adelhere,
100
Priests,
derhar or Gundwaccar, Williker or Illeshere, and Hadulph, or Barthowlf,
besides some others of the in 101 shared in monks, laity ; all, fifty-two persons,
this glorious martyrdom. 102 Some accounts have it fifty-three martyrs, inclu- ding of course St. Boniface. 103 Last of all, St. Boniface with true Christian courage faced his assailants, and held between his hands a Book of the Gos
day
98 probably his servants that
qui indomitse genti prsedicans,
1 88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. underhisheadandneck. I03 Hemetwithatemporaldeath,onthe5thdayof
106
June. Although
his murderers cut the with their still not one of Book, swords,
1 ^ and this has been considered as little less than mira- The merciless and uncivilized crowd of barbarians, after this wholesale mas-
its letters was
destroyed,
culous.
108
106
rushedtowardsthedesertedtentsin of 100 Somefoodwas quest plunder.
sacre,
there, for the refreshment of God's servants, and this they speedily devoured ;
they also opened some vessels containing wine, of which they partook to ex- cess. 110 Thisstrongdrinkinflamedallthemoretheirunnaturalferocity. These murderers soon fell out among themselves, about a coveted booty, which they expected to find in the boxes and coffers of the slain. 111 Many of them were killed in this ignoble quarrel. Instead of gold and silver treasures, which they looked for, the base assassins found nothing but books and relics in their respective cases. So enraged and disappointed were they, that taking those out of their covers, they were plunged in the adjacent loughs and
112
However, in course of time, several of those precious relics were recovered, by the Christians, and they were brought away for more reverential use. Divine chastisement followed,
also, and that rabble did not escape punishment. They received quickly from Christians of the neighbouring provinces the just retribution for their crime,
when intelligence regarding the martyrdom of so many holy persons spread through all the surrounding villages. A large force was collected, and it marched onwards to find the barbarians, who were assailed and put to flight. Manywereslain,andtheirhousesweredemolished. Theirfamilieswerere- ducedtotheconditionofslaves. Thushumbled,thatperversepeopleentered upon a consideration of their crime and dreaded the punishments inflicted upon them. In fine, hostile as they had proved to the devoted missionaries and to the Faith these had preached, now they resolved on becoming Chris- tians, to make atonement for their previous infideli—ties.
T—he administrator of Utrecht and his clergy as very reasonable at the
marshes or were strown in neglected places.
^ Accordingly, the bodies of those already named, with thirteen other massacred persons, were placed on board a vessel, and sailing over the sea of Elmere,"* with favouring winds, they were reverently carried to Utrecht by the sailors. There, they were honourably received, and brought to the Church of the Holy Trinity, Psalms and Canticles being sung. Among the rest, the bodyofSt. Bonifacewastreatedwithspecialveneration. Alltherelicswere interred within the same church. The remains of others less distinguished
were collected by the Christians, at Docum, and they were buried together in one spot. Afterwards, when the Faith was well established in those
time weremostanxioustoobtainfortheircitytherelicsoftheholyMartyrs.
1
" Lives of
Marianus Scotus commemorating his
,09 See Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxiii. , sect, x. ,
"Church
,0s See Rev. S.
the Saints," vol. vi. , June 5, p. 54.
Baring-Gould's
inhis "Chronicon,"statesat martyrdom, "
p. 171. "°SeeDean
Cressy's
A. D. 755: Sanctus Bonifatius Archiepis- of Brittany," book xxiii. , chap, xxix. , pp.
copus adnuntians verbum Dei in Fresia 619, 620.
passus—est cum aliis martyribus, nonas ,,x See Bishop Challenor's "Britannia Iunii. " Pertz' "Monumenta Germanise Sancta," part i. , p. 344.
Historica," tomus v. , p. 547.
xo7 On this account, as we are told, the
tailors, who require their scissors to cut surely and correctly, have chosen St. Boniface as
their patron.
108 See "Les Petits Bollandistes Vies
"2 "
See l'Abbe Fleury's Histoire Eccle-
"4 See Mabillon's "Annales Ordinis S. des Saints," tome vi. , v Jour de Juin, pp. Benedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxiii. , sect, x. ,
e
463, 404- P- 171-
siastique," tome ix. , liv. xliii. , sect. x\i. . pp. 357, 358.
"3 See the Supplement to Willibald's Life of St. Boniface, cap. iii. , sect. 10, p. 476.
[June 5.
History
June 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 189 Northern regions, a church was built there, to commemorate their glorious
1 ^ It is
raise a mound,117 where the blood of the holy martyr had been shed, and on which they intended afterwards to build a church in his honour, some difficul- ties arose among the labourers, and which required the presence of the Pre- fect set over that town by King Pepin. He was named Abbo, and he seems tohavebeenentrustedwithageneralsuperintendenceofthework. Taking others with him, he mounted a horse, and rode to the place ; he passed around the tumulus to inspect it, when another horse, belonging to a youth who was present, sunk with its forefeet deeply into the earth, on which he plunged and struggled. Then, those young men, who saw this accident, hastenedtodrawtheanimalfromoutthatswamp. Agreatdifficultyexpe- rienced in Holland is, to find a spring without a saltish taste; but, wonderful to relate ! a clear well of sweet water rose from that spot, and it flowed onwards asaconsiderablestream. 118 Thosewhosawthismiraculoussignwerewholly astonished. "9 However,themanifestationwasreceivedwithgreatjoy,and onreturningtotheirhomes,thepeoplespreadthenewsofit farandwide.
This glorious death to St. Boniface and to his companions was the gate, which ledtoeverlastinglife. 120 Hismartyrdomoccurred,ontheeveofthegreatFes- tival of Pentecost. 121 The year has been variously stated 122 and
following him Matthew of Paris, place the martyrdom of St. Boniface with
fifty-three companions at a. d. 753,I23 Simeon has it at 754, and this is also
given as the date, by Matthew of Paris. I2+ However, it is generally allowed
to have occurred a. d. 755. 125 St. Boniface is said to have been seventy-five
of at the time of his death. 126 A of the Life attributed to St. years age, part
Boniface, 127 by Willibald, assigns to him thirty-six years, six months, and six days, of an episcopate ; however, the exactness of this chronology has been
Martyrdom.
related,"
6 that when the of Docum resolved to people
denied, by the Bollandist editor. "
8
It is certain, that the hair of St. Boniface
was
out of this life.
I29 before he was called
and he was in a
"SSeetheThirdLifeofSt. Boniface,sect. 8.
116 Boniface
crowned by martyrdom, in Frisia, during the reign ot King Pippan, a. d. 754, on the
120
white,
state to decrepid owing age,
In copies of Willibald's Life of St.
Nones of See " June.
to the Church of St.
belonging
Maximin, at Treves, and to Ingoldstadt, this account—omitted from other copies—is to be found, and the Bollandist editor thinks it to
be the genuine writing of Willibald.
117 According to the custom of the Hoi-
landers, to prevent the rising tides affecting the stability of their buildings.
118 This was on the south side of the
and on the Island of Dockum. It went by the name of St. Boniface's Well. Using its waters, the townspeople prepare their beer. It was near the place called Morewold, or Moorwaude, interpreted "the wood of slaughter," in reference to the martyrdom which there happened.
Catalogus Scripto- rum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. lii. , a.
town,
It happened, according to John of Trit-
See "Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richards Luard, vol. i. , p. 341.
I25 See Lauren tius " Eccle- Joannes Berti,
siasticse Historian Breviarium," Pars Prima,
119 The writer
from the venerable Bishop Lull.
states,
supra
primo itinere Romano sumpta epocha, quod ab alio potius quam a Willibaldo factum cre- deremus, nisi etiamnum. 27 simile sphalma
tenham, during the Eighth Indiction, and in
the thirty-sixth year of his episcopacy. See "
Catalogus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. liii. , a.
memoriale notassemus. " rum,"tomus i. , Junii v. , Martyre, n. (f), p. 473.
—"Acta Sancto- De S. Bonifacio
121
See Michaud's "Biographie Univer-
I29 Such is the description of him, as given
St. — who states, "occulis meis by Ludger,
selle," tome v. , 122
he had this account
diximus ab seu Apostolatu
5.
According to John of Trittenham, while
p.
engaged in missionary labours, his life was
ipse vidi. "
jectini, ibid. , num. 16, p. 487.
123
year, by Matthew of Westminster, and again
Seculum VIII. , cap. v. , p. 199.
326 " See Michaud's
Biographie Univer-
selle," tome v. , p. 5.
I27 See First Life of St. Boniface, chap.
iv. , num. 59, p. 472.
I28 He states
forsan ut
:
" Abundant anni quinque,
; Sigebert,
His martyrdom is set down, at this
at a. d. 744. See p. 274.
l24
"
Flores Historiarum,"
Vita S. Pastoris Ultra- Gregorii,
igo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 5.
It was natural to suppose, that the Christian people of Utrecht should
desire most earnestly to guard the relics of those holy martyrs. But,
the people of Mayence had resolved on sending thither a respectable de- putation, to assert their claims, so far at least as the body of St. Boniface
was concerned. Wherefore, Bishop Lul called together a great and respec- table number of Eastern people, or Franconians, clerics, monks, and laics, to take measures for procuring those relics. 130 The direction of this expedition was entrusted to a man of exemplary life, who was named Hadda. Those persons comprising it united fasting, with the recital of Psalms and prayers, to succeed in their object. However, King Pepin, 131 or the Prefect of that city, had issued an edict, to preserve the remains, and a great number of the citizens hadassembledtoenforceit. But,amiraculoussignwasmanifested,132which convinced them, that Utrecht was not destined to be the ultimate place of rest for the body of St. Boniface. Thence, it was then translated, especially at the
instigation of Bishop Lullus, who was mindful of the holy Martyr's parting directions. With a cortege of religious monks and of several laymen, the
remains were conveyed by boat, along the Rhine, to Mentz. Hymns and canticles were sung during the voyage, and Psalms were recited, by the pious
voyagers ; so that, on the thirtieth day after his departure from life, the body of St. Boniface reached that city, over which he presided as Archbishop.
It so happened, and without any preconcerted arrangement, that the deputies re- turning from Utrecht, and numbers of people coming to celebrate the obsequies of St. Boniface from the most distant places of France and Germany, arrived at Mayence about the same time. Moreover, Bishop Lullus, who had been on a visit at the royal palace, and who had no exact knowledge of when the
body might arrive, came to Mayence, at that very moment, when the boat was ready to touch the shore. Sorrow was felt by all the citizens, that their illus- trious Archbishop was no more, and that his lifeless remains only reached them ; but, they were consoled, as they hoped those relics should be enshrined, where he must become their future great patron. Preparations for embalm- ing the body seem to have been made, at Mayence ; and, when the disem- bowelling took place, blood flowed as if from recent wounds. The parts removed were preserved within a covered vessel, and buried in the ground, where a church was afterwards erected, in honour of St. Boniface. 133 Many miracles then attested the holy Martyr's merits before God, and the citizens of Mayence felt a special veneration, for their great patron and benefactor.
However, the remains of St. Boniface had not yet reached their final place of
deposition. Bishop Lul recollected, that the holy prelate had bound him in a most solemn manner, to have his body buried at Fulda; still was he reluctant to part with the sacred deposit, until warned by the saint himself. It is said, that Bonifaceappeared to a certain holy Deacon, named Otpercht,13* and thus ad- dressed him : "Tell Lullus, that he shall transfer my body to my place of rest. " Notwithstanding, no general credence was given to this statement; but, the Archbishop, collecting a number of relics, obliged that Deacon to swear on them, that the vision he related had truly happened. Then, extending his hands
130 See Dean Cressy's "Church His- sist the removal of the saint's remains. See
of p. 620.
Brittany,"
book xxiii. ,
chap,
xxix. ,
* num. chap, iv. , 57.
church dedicated to St. Boniface,
,34 By Othlo he is called Otpertus.
tory
•s* At this time, it is supposed, that Pippin the King had marched with an army to
Italy, where Aistulf, King of the Lombards, had besieged Rome.
132 The Life of St. Boniface, by Willibald, has it, that the bell of the church was moved by no human hand, and that this terrified the townspeople, who were inclined to re-
The writer of the Supplement
to
bald's Life of St. Boniface states, that it was situated northwards, from the church of the Baptistery of St. John. In his time, those garments which the saint wore at the time of his martyrdom were kept, according to tradition, within a wooden chest, in that
Willi*
June 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 191
on the altar and on the relics, Otpercht prayed the Lord and his saint, whose remains were present, to witness that what he asserted was true. Induced by this avowal, as also recollecting the mandate of Boniface, Lullus now resolved to transport his relics to that place the saint had designated. His body was decentlywrappedinfinelinen,anditwasthenplacedinacoffin. Theocca- sion was one of great ceremony and solemnity. All the people, clergy and laity,oneitherbankoftheRhine,wereassembled. Thecoffinwasfoundto be much lighter when borne to the vessel, than when it had been taken thence ; but, with mingled feelings of resignation to the Divine will, and sorrow for removal of the remains from Mayence, the body was conveyed to Fulda. We may infer, that the remains were brought on board a vessel, beyond the present city of Frankfort, which lies on the River Maine. Hymns and Psalms were chaunted, while a vast number of people, including many
of the Eastern nobles, their wives and children, awaited at a spot situated on
the bank, for the ensuing solemnities. Then disembarking, Archbishop Lullus and his companions left the vessel, and raising the coffin, it was transferred
to the charge to those appointed to receive it.
T 35
The of Fulda was city
situated in I 3 6 and thither the funeral Buconia,
must have
for some miles by land. When the body of St. Boniface had reached the entrance to the forest of Bochonia, the women returned to their homes, while the men accompanied the remains to that place, where they are believed to await the Day of General Judgment. At a time this funeral cortege was expected to
a monk named
had been sent by his Abbot Sturmion, to fish in a certain lake, where wild geeseabounded. Besidesmilk,butterandcheese,fewarticlesoffoodwere in the monastery, to provide for the wants of a great number of expected guests. Wherefore, Ritant brought his fishing apparatus to the lake, and while preparing to cast his nets near to a place, called Aucarium Domus, suddenly a vast number offish arose to the surface of the water. Chaunts of the processionists were heard, at this moment, in the distance, as the sacred remains were carried on their bier. The monk had no further trouble, than in making one vast haul, which filled his boat with fishes. These amply sufficed as food for the large number of guests, who were entertained in the monastery,onthatoccasion. J38 TheblessedLullus,whomBonifacehad consecrated as bishop, took care to have his body honourably buried, in the monastery at Fulda. *39 In the church there, a sarcophagus was prepared, and inthatveryplace,indicatedbythesaint. Agreatnumberofeveryecclesiasti- calgradeattendedduringtheburial. Afterwards,athistomb,numbersofper- sons, labouring under various disorders, came to receive health of mind and body. The blind were restored to sight, while those inan extreme state of weak- ness and almost at the point of death recovered. Several who were insane or possessed became rational and pious, praising God for His mercies, and recog- nising the wonders that had been effected, through the intercession of his glorious servant.
arrive,
Ritant,
whose brother Wolfmar was a J 37 fisherman,
,35 The Supplement to Willibald's Life of
St. Boniface afterwards adds " Citeriores :
autem transvadato amne Rheni redierunt in
sua ; sic quoque prospere per omnia,
Domino dirigente necnon gubernante, agen-
merint
Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. Hi. , a.
:
quibus contigit
ut in omnibus locis in
"
Hoc de sanctum signorum, multisquse per
tes
meridiare sive noctare, signa crucis impri-
omnium in suo
martyrem Bonifacium divina virtus dignaba-
tur — in eodem ostendere, post martyrium ejus,
sect.
Triumphatori
theta triumphantes. Sed et in quibusdam loco initium erat. " Cap. iii. , 13,
eorum locis, nunc ecclesise constructs cer- nuntur. "
p. 476.
139 See Baronius, " Annales Ecclesiastici,"
tomus ix. , at A. D. 755, sect, xliii. , p. 205.
136
See John of Trittenham's "Catalogus
agono-
procession
proceeded
x37 To this been accustomed.
Ritant had also
occupation,
*38 The writer of the Supplement to the Life of St. Boniface, by Willibald, adds :
i 9 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 5. A new church, in honour of Our Lord and Saviour and of All His
bishop of Canterbury, took care by decree of a public Synod, ^ to have an annual festival instituted, in honour of that Martyrdom of him and of his
1
companions. ** Moreover, Bishop Milred wrote to Lullus, Archbishop of
Maintz, expressing his grief, I4S on account of the death of Boniface, but con- soled, likewise, that his blood had been shed for the sake of Christ, and that hereflectedsogreatanhonouronthecountrytowhichhebelonged. '*6 The Bollandists have published an account '*? of very remarkable miracles, wrought through the relics —and intercession of St. Boniface, from the year 1588 down eventotheirdays a. d. 1695. SeveralinterestingmemorialsofSt. Boniface are extant, even some of these professing to represent the effigies of the holy Archbishop, with his costume—episcopal and abbatial—of that age in which he flourished. J *8 The most precious are those representations, taken from an ancient stone tablet, belonging to Mount St. Peter, near the city of Fulda. 1 *? In one of these, St. Boniface is represented in monastic habit, and bestowing his benediction on the monks ; while, in another, he is clothed and furnished with episcopal insignia. ** The ecclesiastical antiquary, no doubt, might glean a considerable amount of information, from a careful study of these
churcheshavebeenconsecratedanddedicatedtohonourthe — ofits memory
illustr
—ious Apostle. Among these, the Cathedral of Mayence as already
stated is the most historically and architectually interesting. At Docum, likewise, where his martyrdom took place, a noble church was erected to the
Martyr. 152 A magnificent Basilica, dedicated in honour of St. Boniface, has beenerectedatMunich. Theinteriorconsistsofanave,supportedbyfine columns on either side, 153 and in compartments over these are splendid fresco paintings, representing the chief incidents of the saint's eventful career. 15* In England, several churches and chapels were formerly dedicated to St.
*'
Annales Fuldae. " interesting, and they serve to exhibit faithful 141 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Junii pictures of monuments and seals, said to v. De S. Bonifacio Martyre, &c. Analecta have been sculptured or modelled so
Bonifaciana, cap. ii. , num. 13, p. 490. early as the beginning of the ninth century. 142 In his Vita /Egilis, Candidus has cele- I4' In that exact and esteemed work of the brated this ceremonial, in some Latin Hexa- Jesuit Christopher Brower "Fvldensivm
on the First of
the remains of St. Boniface were brought,141 and the church was con-
Saints,
was built at Fulda.
Thither,
November,
secrated Hecstulf,with by Archbishop
and 1*2 When rejoicing.
great ceremony
the news of St. Boniface's martyrdom arrived in England, Cuthbert, Arch-
—— illustrations. 151 Throughout Germany as may be expected many noble
140 According to the "
meter verses.
143 This was held in the year 756. See
Sir Harris Nicolas' "Chronology of His-
tory,"p. 225.
144 See the Collection of Boniface's Epis-
ties, by Seravius, Epist. lxx. 145 See ibid. , Epist. lxxviii.
"
AnnalesOrdinis S. Be- nedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxiii. ,sect. x. , p. 171.
*4' Underthe title ofAnalecta Bonifaciana, cap. vii. , num. 52 to 76, in " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Junii v. De S. Bonifacio Martyre, &c, pp. 500 to 504.
Antiqvitatvm Libri iv. ," engravings of St. Boniface and of his church are given. See
lib. ii. ,cap. ii. , p. 108, and cap. xv. , pp. 163
146 See Mabillon's
also highly interesting, it having been de- stroyed by fire a. d. 1387, according to Brower. Inadditiontothesearesculptures and seals of Charlemagne and of his brother Caroloman.
'^ See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Junii v. De S. Bonifacio Martrye, &c. Commentarius Prsevius, sect. iv. Effigies S. Bonifacii, ex vetusto lapide et sigillis, nee non Monastici tunc habitus formae ex picturis seculi ix. ; Regum item Francorum eodem spectantium, pp. 45S to 460.
'Sa to the Second Life of St. According
Boniface, cap. ii. , sect. 14.
148 After the death of Father Henschen, S. J. , his co-labourer Father Daniel Pape- broke supplied a Fourth Section to the pre- vious Commentary on the Acts of St. Boniface, and he brings fourteen separate illustrations on to aid in
copper, explaining his description. All of these are exceedingly
to
165.
"5° A plan of the old Basilica of Fulda is
a. d. 1 +° 819.
June 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. J 93 Boniface. At present, we can only discover the Cathedral Church of Ply-
mouth to be dedicated to St.
I0J See Bishop Challenor's " Britannia
Sancta," part i. , p. 343.
I03 M. le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle Biogra-
phie Universelle," tome vi. , col. 577.
I04 In this attitude, the saint is often repre-
sented by painters.
94 The writers of the First and Second Lives of St. Boniface call it Dockinga.
95 See Supplement to the Life by Willi- bald, cap. iii. , sect. 12.
96 See Baronius, " Annales Ecclesiastici," tomus ix. , at a. d. 755, sect, xxxix. , p. 204.
97 See Bishop Challenor's " Britannia Sancta," part i„ p. 343.
98 See Baronius, " Annales Ecclesiastici," tomus ix. , at A. D. 755, sect, xxxix. , p. 204.
99 According to the Third Life of St. Boniface, sect. 7.
Scotorum :"
peremptus est cum Lll. sociis, qui omnes Scoti aut Angliet instituti Benedictini fuisse
Bishop, Wintrung,
Adelhere,
100
Priests,
derhar or Gundwaccar, Williker or Illeshere, and Hadulph, or Barthowlf,
besides some others of the in 101 shared in monks, laity ; all, fifty-two persons,
this glorious martyrdom. 102 Some accounts have it fifty-three martyrs, inclu- ding of course St. Boniface. 103 Last of all, St. Boniface with true Christian courage faced his assailants, and held between his hands a Book of the Gos
day
98 probably his servants that
qui indomitse genti prsedicans,
1 88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. underhisheadandneck. I03 Hemetwithatemporaldeath,onthe5thdayof
106
June. Although
his murderers cut the with their still not one of Book, swords,
1 ^ and this has been considered as little less than mira- The merciless and uncivilized crowd of barbarians, after this wholesale mas-
its letters was
destroyed,
culous.
108
106
rushedtowardsthedesertedtentsin of 100 Somefoodwas quest plunder.
sacre,
there, for the refreshment of God's servants, and this they speedily devoured ;
they also opened some vessels containing wine, of which they partook to ex- cess. 110 Thisstrongdrinkinflamedallthemoretheirunnaturalferocity. These murderers soon fell out among themselves, about a coveted booty, which they expected to find in the boxes and coffers of the slain. 111 Many of them were killed in this ignoble quarrel. Instead of gold and silver treasures, which they looked for, the base assassins found nothing but books and relics in their respective cases. So enraged and disappointed were they, that taking those out of their covers, they were plunged in the adjacent loughs and
112
However, in course of time, several of those precious relics were recovered, by the Christians, and they were brought away for more reverential use. Divine chastisement followed,
also, and that rabble did not escape punishment. They received quickly from Christians of the neighbouring provinces the just retribution for their crime,
when intelligence regarding the martyrdom of so many holy persons spread through all the surrounding villages. A large force was collected, and it marched onwards to find the barbarians, who were assailed and put to flight. Manywereslain,andtheirhousesweredemolished. Theirfamilieswerere- ducedtotheconditionofslaves. Thushumbled,thatperversepeopleentered upon a consideration of their crime and dreaded the punishments inflicted upon them. In fine, hostile as they had proved to the devoted missionaries and to the Faith these had preached, now they resolved on becoming Chris- tians, to make atonement for their previous infideli—ties.
T—he administrator of Utrecht and his clergy as very reasonable at the
marshes or were strown in neglected places.
^ Accordingly, the bodies of those already named, with thirteen other massacred persons, were placed on board a vessel, and sailing over the sea of Elmere,"* with favouring winds, they were reverently carried to Utrecht by the sailors. There, they were honourably received, and brought to the Church of the Holy Trinity, Psalms and Canticles being sung. Among the rest, the bodyofSt. Bonifacewastreatedwithspecialveneration. Alltherelicswere interred within the same church. The remains of others less distinguished
were collected by the Christians, at Docum, and they were buried together in one spot. Afterwards, when the Faith was well established in those
time weremostanxioustoobtainfortheircitytherelicsoftheholyMartyrs.
1
" Lives of
Marianus Scotus commemorating his
,09 See Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxiii. , sect, x. ,
"Church
,0s See Rev. S.
the Saints," vol. vi. , June 5, p. 54.
Baring-Gould's
inhis "Chronicon,"statesat martyrdom, "
p. 171. "°SeeDean
Cressy's
A. D. 755: Sanctus Bonifatius Archiepis- of Brittany," book xxiii. , chap, xxix. , pp.
copus adnuntians verbum Dei in Fresia 619, 620.
passus—est cum aliis martyribus, nonas ,,x See Bishop Challenor's "Britannia Iunii. " Pertz' "Monumenta Germanise Sancta," part i. , p. 344.
Historica," tomus v. , p. 547.
xo7 On this account, as we are told, the
tailors, who require their scissors to cut surely and correctly, have chosen St. Boniface as
their patron.
108 See "Les Petits Bollandistes Vies
"2 "
See l'Abbe Fleury's Histoire Eccle-
"4 See Mabillon's "Annales Ordinis S. des Saints," tome vi. , v Jour de Juin, pp. Benedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxiii. , sect, x. ,
e
463, 404- P- 171-
siastique," tome ix. , liv. xliii. , sect. x\i. . pp. 357, 358.
"3 See the Supplement to Willibald's Life of St. Boniface, cap. iii. , sect. 10, p. 476.
[June 5.
History
June 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 189 Northern regions, a church was built there, to commemorate their glorious
1 ^ It is
raise a mound,117 where the blood of the holy martyr had been shed, and on which they intended afterwards to build a church in his honour, some difficul- ties arose among the labourers, and which required the presence of the Pre- fect set over that town by King Pepin. He was named Abbo, and he seems tohavebeenentrustedwithageneralsuperintendenceofthework. Taking others with him, he mounted a horse, and rode to the place ; he passed around the tumulus to inspect it, when another horse, belonging to a youth who was present, sunk with its forefeet deeply into the earth, on which he plunged and struggled. Then, those young men, who saw this accident, hastenedtodrawtheanimalfromoutthatswamp. Agreatdifficultyexpe- rienced in Holland is, to find a spring without a saltish taste; but, wonderful to relate ! a clear well of sweet water rose from that spot, and it flowed onwards asaconsiderablestream. 118 Thosewhosawthismiraculoussignwerewholly astonished. "9 However,themanifestationwasreceivedwithgreatjoy,and onreturningtotheirhomes,thepeoplespreadthenewsofit farandwide.
This glorious death to St. Boniface and to his companions was the gate, which ledtoeverlastinglife. 120 Hismartyrdomoccurred,ontheeveofthegreatFes- tival of Pentecost. 121 The year has been variously stated 122 and
following him Matthew of Paris, place the martyrdom of St. Boniface with
fifty-three companions at a. d. 753,I23 Simeon has it at 754, and this is also
given as the date, by Matthew of Paris. I2+ However, it is generally allowed
to have occurred a. d. 755. 125 St. Boniface is said to have been seventy-five
of at the time of his death. 126 A of the Life attributed to St. years age, part
Boniface, 127 by Willibald, assigns to him thirty-six years, six months, and six days, of an episcopate ; however, the exactness of this chronology has been
Martyrdom.
related,"
6 that when the of Docum resolved to people
denied, by the Bollandist editor. "
8
It is certain, that the hair of St. Boniface
was
out of this life.
I29 before he was called
and he was in a
"SSeetheThirdLifeofSt. Boniface,sect. 8.
116 Boniface
crowned by martyrdom, in Frisia, during the reign ot King Pippan, a. d. 754, on the
120
white,
state to decrepid owing age,
In copies of Willibald's Life of St.
Nones of See " June.
to the Church of St.
belonging
Maximin, at Treves, and to Ingoldstadt, this account—omitted from other copies—is to be found, and the Bollandist editor thinks it to
be the genuine writing of Willibald.
117 According to the custom of the Hoi-
landers, to prevent the rising tides affecting the stability of their buildings.
118 This was on the south side of the
and on the Island of Dockum. It went by the name of St. Boniface's Well. Using its waters, the townspeople prepare their beer. It was near the place called Morewold, or Moorwaude, interpreted "the wood of slaughter," in reference to the martyrdom which there happened.
Catalogus Scripto- rum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. lii. , a.
town,
It happened, according to John of Trit-
See "Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richards Luard, vol. i. , p. 341.
I25 See Lauren tius " Eccle- Joannes Berti,
siasticse Historian Breviarium," Pars Prima,
119 The writer
from the venerable Bishop Lull.
states,
supra
primo itinere Romano sumpta epocha, quod ab alio potius quam a Willibaldo factum cre- deremus, nisi etiamnum. 27 simile sphalma
tenham, during the Eighth Indiction, and in
the thirty-sixth year of his episcopacy. See "
Catalogus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. liii. , a.
memoriale notassemus. " rum,"tomus i. , Junii v. , Martyre, n. (f), p. 473.
—"Acta Sancto- De S. Bonifacio
121
See Michaud's "Biographie Univer-
I29 Such is the description of him, as given
St. — who states, "occulis meis by Ludger,
selle," tome v. , 122
he had this account
diximus ab seu Apostolatu
5.
According to John of Trittenham, while
p.
engaged in missionary labours, his life was
ipse vidi. "
jectini, ibid. , num. 16, p. 487.
123
year, by Matthew of Westminster, and again
Seculum VIII. , cap. v. , p. 199.
326 " See Michaud's
Biographie Univer-
selle," tome v. , p. 5.
I27 See First Life of St. Boniface, chap.
iv. , num. 59, p. 472.
I28 He states
forsan ut
:
" Abundant anni quinque,
; Sigebert,
His martyrdom is set down, at this
at a. d. 744. See p. 274.
l24
"
Flores Historiarum,"
Vita S. Pastoris Ultra- Gregorii,
igo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 5.
It was natural to suppose, that the Christian people of Utrecht should
desire most earnestly to guard the relics of those holy martyrs. But,
the people of Mayence had resolved on sending thither a respectable de- putation, to assert their claims, so far at least as the body of St. Boniface
was concerned. Wherefore, Bishop Lul called together a great and respec- table number of Eastern people, or Franconians, clerics, monks, and laics, to take measures for procuring those relics. 130 The direction of this expedition was entrusted to a man of exemplary life, who was named Hadda. Those persons comprising it united fasting, with the recital of Psalms and prayers, to succeed in their object. However, King Pepin, 131 or the Prefect of that city, had issued an edict, to preserve the remains, and a great number of the citizens hadassembledtoenforceit. But,amiraculoussignwasmanifested,132which convinced them, that Utrecht was not destined to be the ultimate place of rest for the body of St. Boniface. Thence, it was then translated, especially at the
instigation of Bishop Lullus, who was mindful of the holy Martyr's parting directions. With a cortege of religious monks and of several laymen, the
remains were conveyed by boat, along the Rhine, to Mentz. Hymns and canticles were sung during the voyage, and Psalms were recited, by the pious
voyagers ; so that, on the thirtieth day after his departure from life, the body of St. Boniface reached that city, over which he presided as Archbishop.
It so happened, and without any preconcerted arrangement, that the deputies re- turning from Utrecht, and numbers of people coming to celebrate the obsequies of St. Boniface from the most distant places of France and Germany, arrived at Mayence about the same time. Moreover, Bishop Lullus, who had been on a visit at the royal palace, and who had no exact knowledge of when the
body might arrive, came to Mayence, at that very moment, when the boat was ready to touch the shore. Sorrow was felt by all the citizens, that their illus- trious Archbishop was no more, and that his lifeless remains only reached them ; but, they were consoled, as they hoped those relics should be enshrined, where he must become their future great patron. Preparations for embalm- ing the body seem to have been made, at Mayence ; and, when the disem- bowelling took place, blood flowed as if from recent wounds. The parts removed were preserved within a covered vessel, and buried in the ground, where a church was afterwards erected, in honour of St. Boniface. 133 Many miracles then attested the holy Martyr's merits before God, and the citizens of Mayence felt a special veneration, for their great patron and benefactor.
However, the remains of St. Boniface had not yet reached their final place of
deposition. Bishop Lul recollected, that the holy prelate had bound him in a most solemn manner, to have his body buried at Fulda; still was he reluctant to part with the sacred deposit, until warned by the saint himself. It is said, that Bonifaceappeared to a certain holy Deacon, named Otpercht,13* and thus ad- dressed him : "Tell Lullus, that he shall transfer my body to my place of rest. " Notwithstanding, no general credence was given to this statement; but, the Archbishop, collecting a number of relics, obliged that Deacon to swear on them, that the vision he related had truly happened. Then, extending his hands
130 See Dean Cressy's "Church His- sist the removal of the saint's remains. See
of p. 620.
Brittany,"
book xxiii. ,
chap,
xxix. ,
* num. chap, iv. , 57.
church dedicated to St. Boniface,
,34 By Othlo he is called Otpertus.
tory
•s* At this time, it is supposed, that Pippin the King had marched with an army to
Italy, where Aistulf, King of the Lombards, had besieged Rome.
132 The Life of St. Boniface, by Willibald, has it, that the bell of the church was moved by no human hand, and that this terrified the townspeople, who were inclined to re-
The writer of the Supplement
to
bald's Life of St. Boniface states, that it was situated northwards, from the church of the Baptistery of St. John. In his time, those garments which the saint wore at the time of his martyrdom were kept, according to tradition, within a wooden chest, in that
Willi*
June 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 191
on the altar and on the relics, Otpercht prayed the Lord and his saint, whose remains were present, to witness that what he asserted was true. Induced by this avowal, as also recollecting the mandate of Boniface, Lullus now resolved to transport his relics to that place the saint had designated. His body was decentlywrappedinfinelinen,anditwasthenplacedinacoffin. Theocca- sion was one of great ceremony and solemnity. All the people, clergy and laity,oneitherbankoftheRhine,wereassembled. Thecoffinwasfoundto be much lighter when borne to the vessel, than when it had been taken thence ; but, with mingled feelings of resignation to the Divine will, and sorrow for removal of the remains from Mayence, the body was conveyed to Fulda. We may infer, that the remains were brought on board a vessel, beyond the present city of Frankfort, which lies on the River Maine. Hymns and Psalms were chaunted, while a vast number of people, including many
of the Eastern nobles, their wives and children, awaited at a spot situated on
the bank, for the ensuing solemnities. Then disembarking, Archbishop Lullus and his companions left the vessel, and raising the coffin, it was transferred
to the charge to those appointed to receive it.
T 35
The of Fulda was city
situated in I 3 6 and thither the funeral Buconia,
must have
for some miles by land. When the body of St. Boniface had reached the entrance to the forest of Bochonia, the women returned to their homes, while the men accompanied the remains to that place, where they are believed to await the Day of General Judgment. At a time this funeral cortege was expected to
a monk named
had been sent by his Abbot Sturmion, to fish in a certain lake, where wild geeseabounded. Besidesmilk,butterandcheese,fewarticlesoffoodwere in the monastery, to provide for the wants of a great number of expected guests. Wherefore, Ritant brought his fishing apparatus to the lake, and while preparing to cast his nets near to a place, called Aucarium Domus, suddenly a vast number offish arose to the surface of the water. Chaunts of the processionists were heard, at this moment, in the distance, as the sacred remains were carried on their bier. The monk had no further trouble, than in making one vast haul, which filled his boat with fishes. These amply sufficed as food for the large number of guests, who were entertained in the monastery,onthatoccasion. J38 TheblessedLullus,whomBonifacehad consecrated as bishop, took care to have his body honourably buried, in the monastery at Fulda. *39 In the church there, a sarcophagus was prepared, and inthatveryplace,indicatedbythesaint. Agreatnumberofeveryecclesiasti- calgradeattendedduringtheburial. Afterwards,athistomb,numbersofper- sons, labouring under various disorders, came to receive health of mind and body. The blind were restored to sight, while those inan extreme state of weak- ness and almost at the point of death recovered. Several who were insane or possessed became rational and pious, praising God for His mercies, and recog- nising the wonders that had been effected, through the intercession of his glorious servant.
arrive,
Ritant,
whose brother Wolfmar was a J 37 fisherman,
,35 The Supplement to Willibald's Life of
St. Boniface afterwards adds " Citeriores :
autem transvadato amne Rheni redierunt in
sua ; sic quoque prospere per omnia,
Domino dirigente necnon gubernante, agen-
merint
Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum," fol. Hi. , a.
:
quibus contigit
ut in omnibus locis in
"
Hoc de sanctum signorum, multisquse per
tes
meridiare sive noctare, signa crucis impri-
omnium in suo
martyrem Bonifacium divina virtus dignaba-
tur — in eodem ostendere, post martyrium ejus,
sect.
Triumphatori
theta triumphantes. Sed et in quibusdam loco initium erat. " Cap. iii. , 13,
eorum locis, nunc ecclesise constructs cer- nuntur. "
p. 476.
139 See Baronius, " Annales Ecclesiastici,"
tomus ix. , at A. D. 755, sect, xliii. , p. 205.
136
See John of Trittenham's "Catalogus
agono-
procession
proceeded
x37 To this been accustomed.
Ritant had also
occupation,
*38 The writer of the Supplement to the Life of St. Boniface, by Willibald, adds :
i 9 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 5. A new church, in honour of Our Lord and Saviour and of All His
bishop of Canterbury, took care by decree of a public Synod, ^ to have an annual festival instituted, in honour of that Martyrdom of him and of his
1
companions. ** Moreover, Bishop Milred wrote to Lullus, Archbishop of
Maintz, expressing his grief, I4S on account of the death of Boniface, but con- soled, likewise, that his blood had been shed for the sake of Christ, and that hereflectedsogreatanhonouronthecountrytowhichhebelonged. '*6 The Bollandists have published an account '*? of very remarkable miracles, wrought through the relics —and intercession of St. Boniface, from the year 1588 down eventotheirdays a. d. 1695. SeveralinterestingmemorialsofSt. Boniface are extant, even some of these professing to represent the effigies of the holy Archbishop, with his costume—episcopal and abbatial—of that age in which he flourished. J *8 The most precious are those representations, taken from an ancient stone tablet, belonging to Mount St. Peter, near the city of Fulda. 1 *? In one of these, St. Boniface is represented in monastic habit, and bestowing his benediction on the monks ; while, in another, he is clothed and furnished with episcopal insignia. ** The ecclesiastical antiquary, no doubt, might glean a considerable amount of information, from a careful study of these
churcheshavebeenconsecratedanddedicatedtohonourthe — ofits memory
illustr
—ious Apostle. Among these, the Cathedral of Mayence as already
stated is the most historically and architectually interesting. At Docum, likewise, where his martyrdom took place, a noble church was erected to the
Martyr. 152 A magnificent Basilica, dedicated in honour of St. Boniface, has beenerectedatMunich. Theinteriorconsistsofanave,supportedbyfine columns on either side, 153 and in compartments over these are splendid fresco paintings, representing the chief incidents of the saint's eventful career. 15* In England, several churches and chapels were formerly dedicated to St.
*'
Annales Fuldae. " interesting, and they serve to exhibit faithful 141 See Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Junii pictures of monuments and seals, said to v. De S. Bonifacio Martyre, &c. Analecta have been sculptured or modelled so
Bonifaciana, cap. ii. , num. 13, p. 490. early as the beginning of the ninth century. 142 In his Vita /Egilis, Candidus has cele- I4' In that exact and esteemed work of the brated this ceremonial, in some Latin Hexa- Jesuit Christopher Brower "Fvldensivm
on the First of
the remains of St. Boniface were brought,141 and the church was con-
Saints,
was built at Fulda.
Thither,
November,
secrated Hecstulf,with by Archbishop
and 1*2 When rejoicing.
great ceremony
the news of St. Boniface's martyrdom arrived in England, Cuthbert, Arch-
—— illustrations. 151 Throughout Germany as may be expected many noble
140 According to the "
meter verses.
143 This was held in the year 756. See
Sir Harris Nicolas' "Chronology of His-
tory,"p. 225.
144 See the Collection of Boniface's Epis-
ties, by Seravius, Epist. lxx. 145 See ibid. , Epist. lxxviii.
"
AnnalesOrdinis S. Be- nedicti," tomus ii. , lib. xxiii. ,sect. x. , p. 171.
*4' Underthe title ofAnalecta Bonifaciana, cap. vii. , num. 52 to 76, in " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Junii v. De S. Bonifacio Martyre, &c, pp. 500 to 504.
Antiqvitatvm Libri iv. ," engravings of St. Boniface and of his church are given. See
lib. ii. ,cap. ii. , p. 108, and cap. xv. , pp. 163
146 See Mabillon's
also highly interesting, it having been de- stroyed by fire a. d. 1387, according to Brower. Inadditiontothesearesculptures and seals of Charlemagne and of his brother Caroloman.
'^ See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Junii v. De S. Bonifacio Martrye, &c. Commentarius Prsevius, sect. iv. Effigies S. Bonifacii, ex vetusto lapide et sigillis, nee non Monastici tunc habitus formae ex picturis seculi ix. ; Regum item Francorum eodem spectantium, pp. 45S to 460.
'Sa to the Second Life of St. According
Boniface, cap. ii. , sect. 14.
148 After the death of Father Henschen, S. J. , his co-labourer Father Daniel Pape- broke supplied a Fourth Section to the pre- vious Commentary on the Acts of St. Boniface, and he brings fourteen separate illustrations on to aid in
copper, explaining his description. All of these are exceedingly
to
165.
"5° A plan of the old Basilica of Fulda is
a. d. 1 +° 819.
June 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. J 93 Boniface. At present, we can only discover the Cathedral Church of Ply-
mouth to be dedicated to St.
