Breviarium Aberdonense, pars hyemalis (Edinburgh: Chepman & Myllar, 1509-10). Latin office text, unedited blackletter OCR — quality is poor; extracted from the proprium sanctorum.

Antiphon, little chapter, hymn — all from the Common of one confessor and pontiff. Prayer:

“O God, who did provide Palladius the pontiff, apostle of the Catholic faith and teacher alike, to the people of the Scots, grant us, we beseech you, that by his intercession we may obtain your ineffable mercy, and through you his mediation enjoy everlasting life. Through the Lord.”

Then let a commemoration be made of the Octave of the Apostles Peter and Paul, with this antiphon: “Glorious apostles, pillars of the church of truth, heralds of burning lamps, you who by the fire of the Holy Spirit have put to flight the darkness of error and illumined the world, intercede for us to the Lord who chose you.” Verse: “Their sound is gone out into all lands” (In omnem terram). Prayer: “O God, whose right hand lifted up the blessed apostle Peter walking upon the waves lest he sink…” Then a commemoration of the Octave of the Visitation, as is fitting.

At Matins: invitatory, hymn, antiphons, little chapters — all from the Common of one confessor and pontiff. Lesson 1.

July

The sixth day, of Saint Palladius

Palladius, an illustrious pontiff, distinguished by the brightness of his birth, was a disciple of the divine Evanus [Eugene], a religious monk, alongside the two Macchani. From his youthful years he strove under the religious habit, and served holily and devoutly in the army of the holy rule; and under his superior, the Rule of Tyana [?], he learned to strengthen the faith and knew God. A little while afterwards, on account of his approved life, an oracle being received from an angel, he said to his companions: “It is fitting indeed, if we would follow after those things which we preach, that we should openly teach others in his honour who has ministered all these things to us, the things we have learned; and that we should faithfully search out by learning from others the things concerning which we less understand the faith of this kind.” And when… Lesson 2.

After the aforementioned angel he came from Egypt to Rome, where he was much honoured and esteemed by Pope Celestine. Who, on account of the sanctity of his life, was instituted bishop by the said blessed Celestine in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile the blessed Celestine, desiring to enlarge the orthodox faith, fortified by divine aid, persuaded the blessed Palladius — whom he had lately ordained prelate and soldier of the faith — to preach the Roman Catholic faith to the nation of the Scots, to Eugenius king of the Scots of that name, in the eleventh year of his reign, in the four hundred and twenty-fourth year of our Saviour Jesus Christ. And when… Lesson 3.

He, consenting with all humility as can be told, willingly agreed; and taking with him certain monks and many other most approved men of life, fearing God, he set out for the land of Scotland, receiving the legation from the divine side in this manner: “Go in your apostleship; take up the kingdom of the Scots by lot, and do the work of an evangelist; for God is able to increase grace to you.” And… Lesson 4.

The said most blessed Celestine. Bishop Palladius with his companions, men most famous, not greatly fearing the great perils of the sea, arrived in Scotland; before whose coming the nation of the Scots had the faith in great part through the aforementioned Marcius and Dionysius, religious men, while the Roman empire presided under the said Julius [?]; who first for Christ’s name suffered martyrdom. And the teachers of the faith ministered the sacraments…

July

The sixth day, of Saint Palladius bishop and confessor

… priests and monks, primitive of the church, following in the last manner the rite and custom; of whose history the following verse is witness: “In the year of Christ’s passage, three and two hundred, Scotland began to enter the Catholic faith; with Victor the first pope residing at Rome; under prince Severus the martyr also died.” And when… Lesson 5.

The illustrious prince Eugenius reigning over the Scots, the aforementioned illustrious one gladly and honourably received the blessed Palladius with those accompanying him. He granted them various possessions and dwelling-mansions and other necessaries of life for them and their followers; and through the whole kingdom they preached and evangelised the word of God, and went through all Scotland as far as Culros; in which place the blessed Palladius found Saint Servanus, a devout, gentle and pious man, whom, by the merits of the said nation, he duly ordained Catholic bishop after the manner of the Roman church, and instructed him in the same divine faith; because he alone was by no means sufficient to administer the mysteries of so great a nation and the doctrines of the church, and he constituted Saint Servanus his suffragan over all the nation of the Scots. And… Lesson 6.

Then he taught through the neighbouring provinces the word of life and the salutary doctrines of the church. He instituted feasts and solemnities to be observed, and ecclesiastical sacraments to be ministered and decently received; he consecrated churches, placed modest coverings on the sacred vestments, and gently enjoined upon them the canonical hours of God as the Roman church had instituted; he ordained priests and other ministers in the church of God; he taught that sins be confessed to priests; and very many miracles were done by him daily, so much that the whole people held and venerated him as sent from heaven. Meanwhile, among other of his magnificent deeds, when Ternan the pontiff was born, the midwives judged him to be of feeble nature; whereupon they greatly doubted of his life, and greatly feared to carry him to the church to receive the sacrament of baptism. But then the blessed Palladius, having no water wherewith to baptize the child, made the sign of the cross, and a turf being torn from the earth, a spring of leaping water unfailing welled up in the sight of all; and in that place, the name of the Holy Spirit being invoked, he baptized the blessed boy, imposing upon him the name Ternanus, who

July — The sixth day, of Saint Palladius bishop and confessor

afterwards followed his master and father in the manner of living in all things. At length the divine Palladius, renowned for various signs and miracles, full of years, rests in blessed peace at Lassoround [Fordoun] in the Mearns. And [the Gospel] according to…

At the ninth lesson the little chapter:

At that time Jesus said to his disciples this parable: “A certain man going into a far country called his servants and delivered to them his goods.” And the rest. Homily:

In the similitudes which the Lord set forth for the instruction of our ignorance, it is diligently to be considered that certain things are set before us for our admonition, so that they may specially look to him, the mediator of God and men. And in the course of this lesson it is shown when he says: “A certain man going into a far country called his servants and delivered to them his goods.” For this ‘man’ is by similitude to be understood as the Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he is God before the ages, was made man at the end of the ages; of whom it is written, “a man was made in her, and the Most High himself founded her.” Now this man went into a far country, in that he raised on high in his own flesh, which he had assumed from men, by ascending into heaven; for from that time when

it was said to the first man, “Earth you are, and to earth shall you go,” the proper place of flesh is the earth. But this man went into a far country because the flesh which he assumed saw no corruption, but after the resurrection ascended into the heavens.

The servants of this man are men, whom he created rational to serve and praise him. Now to serve this man is the highest liberty; to depart from his service is the basest slavery. Paul gloried to be his servant when he said, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus”; and again, “I thank my God, whom I serve from my forefathers”; and the Psalmist, “I am your servant…”